US 10,566,728 B1 · Electrical connector with high vibration resistant locks

Abstract

An electrical connector-assembly includes a first-housing and a second-housing. The first-housing has first-walls that include opposed gear-racks extending beyond an outer-surface. The opposed gear-racks are configured to engage a mate-assist device. The first-walls include opposed locking-fins extending beyond the outer-surface. The opposed locking-fins have first-fins and second-fins. The second-housing includes the mate-assist device which is moveable from an unlocked-position to a locked-position and is pivotable about the lateral-axis. The mate-assist device has gear-teeth configured to engage the opposed gear-racks of the first-housing. The second-housing has a skirt configured to slideably engage the outer-surface of the first-housing. The skirt includes flex-locks configured to engage the first-fins and retain the second-housing in a prestage-position. When the mate-assist device is moved from the unlocked-position to the locked-position, the second-housing is moved from the prestage-position to a seated-position, whereby the flex-locks engage the second-fins, thereby inhibiting a movement between the second-housing and the first-housing.

An electrical connector-assembly, comprising:

a first-housing having first-walls aligned parallel to a mating-axis of the assembly, wherein the first-walls include opposed gear-racks extending beyond an outer-surface of the first-walls along a lateral-axis and aligned with the mating-axis, wherein the opposed gear-racks are configured to engage a mate-assist device, wherein the first-walls include opposed locking-fins extending along a longitudinal-axis beyond the outer-surface and aligned with the mating-axis, and wherein the opposed locking-fins having first-fins and second-fins are aligned with the mating-axis;
a second-housing including the mate-assist device which is moveable from an unlocked-position to a locked-position, wherein the mate-assist device is pivotable about the lateral-axis, wherein the mate-assist device has gear-teeth configured to engage the opposed gear-racks of the first-housing, wherein the second-housing has a skirt aligned with the mating-axis, wherein the skirt is configured to slideably engage the outer-surface of the first-housing, wherein the skirt defines opposed-apertures aligned with the longitudinal-axis, wherein the skirt includes flex-locks disposed within the opposed-apertures extending along the mating-axis, wherein the flex-locks are configured to engage the first-fins and retain the second-housing in a prestaged-position, and wherein, the second-housing is moved from the prestaged-position to a seated-position when the mate-assist device is moved from the unlocked-position to the locked-position, whereby the flex-locks engage the second-fins, thereby inhibiting a movement between the second-housing and the first-housing;
and
an inner-housing-assembly, comprising:
a base configured to retain connector-ends of a plurality of corresponding electrical-terminals housed within the assembly, wherein the base includes second-walls extending along the mating-axis of the assembly, wherein the second-walls define a first-slot and a second-slot opposite the first-slot, wherein the first-slot and the second-slot extend along the longitudinal-axis of the assembly, and wherein the first-slot is longer than the second slot;
a terminal-lock overlying the base configured to releasably lock the plurality of corresponding electrical-terminals within the base;
a crimp-housing configured to retain crimp-ends of the plurality of corresponding electrical-terminals within crimp-cavities defined by the crimp-housing, the crimp-housing overlying the terminal-lock, wherein the crimp-housing defining a passage extending along both the lateral-axis and the longitudinal-axis, wherein the passage is disposed between the first-slot and the second-slot;
and
an intermediate-secondary-lock slideably disposed within the passage, wherein the intermediate-secondary-lock is moveable from a first-position to a second-position along the lateral-axis, wherein the intermediate-secondary-lock is configured to inhibit the movement of the plurality of corresponding electrical-terminals along the mating-axis when moved to the second-position, wherein the intermediate-secondary-lock has a leading-edge and a trailing-edge opposite the leading-edge, and wherein when the intermediate-secondary-lock is moved to the second-position, a portion of the leading-edge is disposed within the second-slot, thereby interlocking the base with the crimp-housing at both the first-slot and the second-slot.

6 more elements

Electrical connector with high vibration resistant locks

Life of this patent

Electrical connector with high vibration resistant locks

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15