Connector with terminal position assurance
AssigneeJ.S.T. Corporation
InventorsEric BLANKINSHIP, Ping CHEN, Gwendolyn UPSON
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrical connector is provided. The electrical connector can include a female housing and a terminal position assurance member forming a pre-installed assembly. The terminal position assurance member can include one or more lock arms to retain the terminal position assurance member in a final lock position, which can provide reinforcement or secondary locking for a terminal, and terminal position assurance.
Claims21
(canceled)
An electrical connector, comprising:
- a housing comprising a terminal position assurance member aperture extending upward from a bottom of the housing and configured to receive a terminal position assurance member, the terminal position assurance member aperture comprising:
- a first retention aperture configured to receive a fixed lock arm of the terminal position assurance member, and
- a second retention aperture configured to receive a cantilevered lock arm of the terminal position assurance member.
A terminal position assurance member, comprising:
- a front;
- a rear opposing the front;
- a first side intermediate to the front and the rear;
- a second side opposing the first side and intermediate to the front and the rear;
- a top end intermediate to the front and the rear;
- a fixed lock arm fixed at both ends to the first side and comprising a curved top surface extending above the top end;
- and
- a cantilevered lock arm fixed at one end to the second side and extending downwardly from the top end such that the terminal position assurance member is asymmetrical.
A method of retaining a terminal position assurance member in an electrical connector housing, the method comprising:
- receiving a fixed lock arm of the terminal position assurance member in a first retention aperture extending upward from a bottom of the electrical connector housing and bounded by a first retention wall;
- and
- receiving a cantilevered lock arm of the terminal position assurance member in a second retention aperture extending upward from the bottom of the electrical connector housing and bounded by a second retention wall, wherein the cantilevered lock arm is fixed at one end and extends downwardly from a top end of the terminal position assurance member and outwardly from a side of the terminal position assurance member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.