Electrical connectors – With coupling separator – Including retainer or joiner
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-23
2004-03-16
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electrical connectors
With coupling separator
Including retainer or joiner
C439S153000, C439S158000, C439S160000, C439S372000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06705882
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical connector provided with a mating assistance device. Such connectors are used, in particular, for connecting an electrical harness which contains a large number of channels, to a piece of equipment such as an automotive computer, for example a computer which controls braking assistance devices and anti-wheel lock devices. Because of the large number of channels to be connected, such connectors comprise a large number of contacts, which make it necessary to exert a large amount of force to implement their mating. Such connectors comprise a plug, generally provided with female contacts to which are connected electrical cables and include a receptacle provided with pin contacts, the said receptacle generally being integral with the equipment to be connected.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Connector devices comprising a mating assistance device are known.
For example, document DE-U-87 14 016 relates to a plug-receptacle connector, where the plug is provided with a lever able to rotate about the axis of the plug, provided with a toothed part and with arms connected by a manoeuvring segment, the toothed part being destined to mesh with the supplementary teeth of the receptacle in such a way as to make possible the mating and unmating of the plug and the receptacle by means of the manoeuvring of the lever.
Document EP 0 273 999 A2 uses the principle of toothed lever, but this is arranged on the receptacle, rigidly connected to the receptacle by an axis of rotation and dragging a stirrup provided with reception and dragging ramps for dragging the studs arranged on the plug.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has the object of providing a connector comprising a sophisticated rotating device for mating assistance for an electrical connector, the said device providing better guidance of the plug and the receptacle during the process of mating and a better distribution of effort and pure rotation of the lever, as well as providing a large reduction of the efforts needed for the mating of the connector modules.
To accomplish this, the invention mainly relates to a connector comprising a first module carrying a lever, provided with at least one manoeuvring arm, a second module provided with at least one stud, the lever being provided with at least one stud reception aperture, the said aperture comprising a stud introduction segment and a stud stopping segment, the stud stopping segment constituting, together with the stud of the second module, an axis of rotation of the lever.
Advantageously, the lever and the first module comprise a supplementary means of dragging the first module by moving it in a direction parallel to a mating axis of the first and second modules.
The supplementary means of dragging can consist of a meshing toothed pinion on the lever and a rack bar on the first module.
More particularly, the lever can be received in a slide bar part, making possible a movement with respect to the lever and the first module in a direction parallel to the module mating axis and retaining the lever in an axis perpendicular to that direction.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, the lever and the first module can comprise supplementary means of temporary retention in a position called the stud reception position.
Still in accordance with the invention, the lever and the first module can comprise a means of locking into a position called end of mating.
In a particular mode of embodiment of the invention, the lever can comprise a telescopic manoeuvring component.
In a preferred mode of embodiment, the lever is a double lever, arranged to straddle the first module and comprising two apertures opposite one another, the second module comprising two studs arranged against one another in the same axis.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4900261 (1990-02-01), Gentry et al.
patent: 5616433 (1997-04-01), Kau
patent: 5658162 (1997-08-01), Harting et al.
patent: 5964604 (1999-10-01), Kashiyama et al.
patent: 2003/0003787 (2003-01-01), Bakker et al.
patent: 8714016.0 (1988-01-01), None
patent: 0273999 (1988-07-01), None
patent: 1037326 (2000-09-01), None
FCI
Ha Nguyen T.
Perman & Green LLP
Reichard Dean A.
LandOfFree
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