Geometrical instruments
Patent
1984-10-29
1986-05-06
McQuade, John
Geometrical instruments
H01R 13627
Patent
active
045867739
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a bipartite electrical connector housing comprising first and second housing parts each for containing at least one electrical terminal, the housing parts being capable of being mated to mate the terminals when these are contained therein, the housing parts having interengaging latching members which provide a force which assists in the mating of the two housing parts and which serve to secure them together in their mated condition, the latching members comprising a ramp on each of two opposite sides of the first housing part, and a resilient cantilever arm on each of two opposite sides of the second housing part, each arm carrying a projection adapted and arranged to ride over a ramp on the first housing part as the housing parts are mated.
Such a bipartite housing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,624, in which the problem of unmating the first and second housing parts has been approached by splitting each arm on the second housing part into two parts and giving the projections on the arms and the ramps, camming surfaces which engage when the housing parts are being unmated to separate the two parts of each arm such that they pass on opposite sides of the associated ramp rather than having to pass back over the ramp.
However, the engagement between the camming surfaces offers a resistance to unmating, albeit that this resistance can be less than that which would occur if the projections on the arms had to pass back over the ramps.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,406 there is disclosed a similar bipartite housing save that the ramps on the first housing part and the projections on the arms of the second housing part have cooperating surfaces which engage when the housing parts are fully mated, to prevent unmating of the housing parts. The arm parts have extensions directed away from the ramps and being adapted and arranged such that by squeezing the free ends of the arm part extensions together, the cooperating surfaces on the ramps and on the projections on the arms can be disengaged to permit the projections to pass back on opposite sides of the associated ramp to permit unmating.
However, here again the latching arrangement offers some resistance to unmating, and has the further disadvantage that the provision of the arm extensions takes up additional space. Unmating is also difficult since two hands are required to operate the unlatching arrangement, it thus being necessary for the first housing part to be supported in some way while the second housing part is pulled away therefrom.
In EP-A-0039548 there is disclosed a bipartite housing as discussed above in which the ramps are supported on the first housing part such that deflection of the arms of the second housing part towards the first housing part when the housing parts are mated disengages the cooperating surfaces of the ramps and projections and enables the housing parts to be unmated with the projections on the arms of the second housing part passing under the ramps on the first housing part.
This known bipartite housing has the advantage that the two housing parts are positively secured in the mated condition, so that unmating is impossible until the latching members are appropriately manipulated, when the two housing parts can be easily unmated.
However, access is needed to both sides of the mated housings to manipulate the latching members to effect unlatching, and in certain circumstances such access may not be available, especially where the connector is located in a part of an automobile where the space available is very limited.
Latching at two sides of an assembly is preferable to ensure reliability, and thus this disadvantage cannot be overcome simply by providing a latching arrangement on only one side of an assembly.
According to this invention a bipartite electrical connector housing comprising first and second housing parts each containing at least one electrical terminal, the housing parts being capable of being mated to mate the terminals when these are contained therein, the housing parts having interengaging
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patent: 4448467 (1984-05-01), Weidler
Lothmann Werner
Owen Leonard J.
Simmons Reginald J.
AMP Incorporated
McQuade John
Terrell Thomas G.
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