Electrical connector

Details Electrical connector Electrical connector

1999-08-25

2001-07-03

Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...

Retaining means

C439S347000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06254419

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention refers to an electrical connector, in particular for connecting a receptacle (squib) to an electrical control unit for restraint systems in motor vehicles, for example air bags.
2. Description of Related Art
Such a connector is known from DE 295 21 491 U1. It comprises a housing for receiving electrical cables as well as contact springs connected thereto, the contact springs serving for receiving contact pins of the associated receptacle. Furthermore, catching means for securing the housing to the receptacle as well as a locking member are provided. The locking member serves for securing the catching means of the housing and the receptacle against an accidental detachment. The locking member is attached to the housing via flexible tongues and, after the tongues having been bent, is guided through a corresponding opening of the housing into the locking position.
In principle, the connector mentioned above has proved its worth; but because of the extremely small structure of the connector and the flexible tongues along which the locking member is guided, mounting of the locking member requires an appropriate experience, especially if it is to be mounted with one hand only.
This is true especially if the plugging part extends perpendicularly to a base body of the housing, as in DE 295 21 491 U1, and not coaxially with that, as is known from DE 195 13 358 C1.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a connector of the type mentioned above, the plugging part of which may be mounted easily to a plugging part of an associated receptacle, including the associated secondary locking by means of the said locking member.
The basic idea is not to hinge the locking member to the base body of the housing via flexible tongues but to guide it along the base body of the housing in a defined manner, that is between a condition in which the locking member is “open” (condition of delivery) and a condition in which the locking member serves its function as a secondary locking (that is in the condition of contact of the housing of the connector with the associated receptacle).
That definite guidance can be obtained with the aid of a locking member having an L-like shape. Here, a first portion of the locking member especially serves for the guidance on the base body of the housing, whereas a second portion projecting perpendicularly therefrom serves for the secondary locking function.
Accordingly, the invention in its most general embodiment refers to an electrical connector, in particular for connecting a receptacle to an electrical control unit for restraint systems in motor vehicles, having the following features:
a housing having a base body and a plugging part projecting perpendicularly from the base body and facing the receptacle,
contact springs are arranged in the plugging part of the housing,
first catching means are formed beside the plugging part for catching corresponding second catching means of the receptacle having contact pins,
an L-shaped locking member for securing the catching means of the housing and the receptacle,
a first portion of the locking member being U-shaped with legs extending in parallel and the legs as well as the base body of the housing having corresponding guiding means for guiding the first portion of the locking member in a longitudinal direction of the base body of the housing, and
a second portion of the locking member being U-shaped as well, the parallel legs of which secure the catching means of the housing and the receptacle against an accidental detachment, after the first portion having been moved in the longitudinal direction of the base body of the housing and the legs having been guided through corresponding openings in the base body of the housing.
For example, the guiding means may be formed by corresponding grooves and pegs (pins) in or on the legs of the first portion of the locking member or in or on side faces of the base body of the housing, as is described by claims
2
and
3
.
According to claim
2
, guidance of the locking member in a defined manner along the base body of the housing is effected along grooves on the housing, the pegs on the first portion of the locking member being guided along those grooves.
The grooves may extend from the upper surface of the base body of the housing into the base body. Because of the said small size of such connectors, for reasons of space it presents itself to form the grooves in the side faces of the base body so that the legs of the first portion of the locking member reach laterally beyond the base body.
The embodiment according to claim
3
is different from the configuration according to claim
2
by inversion of the guiding means. Correspondingly, that is also true for alternative configurations of the further embodiments described below and results in the following from subclaims
4
,
6
,
9
,
10
,
14
and
15
.
The movement of the locking member to the position of the secondary locking is facilitated by the grooves in the base body of the housing having an arcuate shape and extending towards the plugging part, at least at their end adjacent the plugging part. A specific arcuate guideway for the locking member is created thereby in order to guide it to the locking position by turning.
Here, the grooves may have a involute-like shape.
As shown in the description of the figures below, it is also possible to provide several grooves in the region of each leg of the first portion of the locking member and to form the legs having several pegs, correspondingly. In turning the locking member a definitely given guideway is obtained thereby.
In order to prevent the pegs sliding accidentally out of the grooves, an embodiment provides to arrange at least one end of the grooves at a distance from the free end of the base body of the housing and preferably at a distance from the end of the base body opposite the plugging part. Without problems, the other end of the groove may be “open”, because the movement of the locking member is limited by the connecting leg between the parallel legs of the first portion, when it hits the housing body.
According to an embodiment the grooves are provided with at least one elevation along their basis.
If this elevation is disposed at a distance from the “closed” end of the grooves, for example, the connector may be premounted at the factory (condition of delivery) in such a manner that the associated pins close to the end of the locking member are situated in the region between the elevations and the “closed” ends of the groove and thus prevent that the locking member “slips” to the locking position. However, the elevations have such a low height that in the final assembly (connection to the associated receptacle) a fitter may move the pins past the elevations with an appropriate pressure onto the locking member and guide them along the further groove portions to the secondary locking position. Second elevations at the opposite end of each guideway for the pins correspondingly serve for securing the locking member in its plugged-in position, as soon as the pins have been guided over those second elevations towards the plugging part.
A development of the said embodiments provides to dispose at least three pegs on each leg of the first portion of the locking member, one peg being guided on an arcuately shaped surface portion of the first portion, respectively. Accordingly, that peg does not slide along said grooves but slides virtually as a counterbearing on a corresponding surface portion of the base body of the housing. In that region as well, two or more of the said elevations may be disposed.
As known from DE 295 21 491 U1, the connecting leg extending between the legs of the second portion of the locking member may be split in the longitudinal direction. Correspondingly, two openings are to be provided in the housing, through which the legs may be guided.
In the configuration according to the invention, the second portion of the locking member may also be used to

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