Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
Patent
1998-03-23
1999-07-27
Paumen, Gary
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
H01R 13434
Patent
active
059280379
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical connectors and in particular electrical connectors that utilize a secondary locking member to assure electrical terminals are retained in the connector housing.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
It is well known within the electrical connector industry to incorporate secondary locking members in order to assure that electrical terminals remain positively retained within a connector housing. Typically, the secondary locking members incorporate a shoulder that is movable into a terminal receiving passageway after the terminal has been placed therein so that it is not possible to move the terminal past a portion of the locking member. This is all very straight forward for electrical connectors that incorporate the same or similar sized contacts therein.
A problem exists particularly in hybrid connectors having multiple types of contacts therein where there is a significant disparity between the size of the contacts. One solution has been to locate the various sized contacts in particular regions within the connector and then use individual secondary locking members tailored to each of the particular regions. Another solution has been to provide a secondary locking member that has been compromised to provide some overlap into the passageway, but not full optimal shoulders for all of the various sized passageways. A problem with the first solution is that during assembly multiple secondary locking members must be actuated within the connector housing. This makes it very difficult to assure that all secondary locking members have been properly positioned. A problem with the second solution is that optimal secondary locking is not achieved. What is needed is a secondary locking system that overcomes the aforementioned problems.
These and other objects are accomplished by providing an electrical connector comprising a connector housing having a plurality of terminal receiving passageways therethrough for receiving terminals therein and a secondary lock member having a first position where the terminals can be received within the passageway and a second position where the terminals would be prevented from being withdrawn therefrom, the electrical connector being characterized in that the secondary lock member includes a first stage operatively coupled to a second stage and the first stage has a stroke between the first and second positions that is greater than the stroke associated with the second stage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an advantage of this invention that a hybrid connector can accommodate terminals of different sizes requiring different secondary locking members with a secondary locking actuation that is directed to one of the stages as the first and second stage of the secondary locking member are operatively couples. In is another advantage of this invention that the device is simple to operate and optimum secondary locking may be achieved.
An alternative solution also accomplishes the foregoing objects by providing a single secondary locking member for a connector housing for receiving multiple contacts therein where at least two of the contacts are of different configuration, the secondary locking member comprising first and second locking shoulders for assuring retention of corresponding first and second differently configured contacts respectively where the secondary locking member has a first position where the first contacts may be inserted, a second position where the second contacts may be inserted and a third position where both the first and second contacts would be retained in the housing by the corresponding shoulders.
It is another advantage of the invention that the secondary locking member may be constructed so that in the second position a portion thereof at least partially locks the first contact in position, thereby assuring during the assembly process that the first contacts do not become dislodged. It is yet another advantage of this invention that a portion of the secondary locking memb
REFERENCES:
patent: 4113333 (1978-09-01), Horowitz
patent: 4986770 (1991-01-01), Zinn et al.
patent: 5468162 (1995-11-01), Oda
patent: 5503573 (1996-04-01), Sagawa
patent: 5609503 (1997-03-01), Tsuji et al.
Jetter Rolf
Wilkner Andreas
Nina Driscoll A.
Paumen Gary
The Whitaker Corporation
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