Multi-contact electrical connector with secondary lock
AssigneeAMP Incorporated
InventorsAlbert R. Smith, Allen F. VanDerStuyf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sealed electrical connector assembly 2 used to interconnect wires 4 with a printed circuit board comprises a receptacle connector 6 matable with a pin header 8. The receptacle connector 6 includes a secondary lock 60 located on the mating face of an insulative housing 30. Integral latches 50 are received within correspondingly shaped pocket 62 in the secondry lock. A conductor seal cap includes a plurality of projections which can be selectively removed. Remaining projections seal individual seal cavities. A stamped and formed pin is used in the pin header. An integral plug is used to seal the leak path on the interior of the stamped and formed cylindrical pins.
Claims38
An electrical connector comprising:
- a plurality of terminals:
- an insulative housing, the terminals being positioned rearwardly of a mating face of the insulative housing in at least two rows;
- a plurality of latches comprising means for securing the terminals in the insulative housing;
- and
- a secondary housing member mountable in telescoping relationship to said mating face of the insulative housing, the secondary housing member having a plurality of pockets arranged in at least two rows, the latches being dimensioned to fit within corresponding pockets so that the secondary housing member can be telescopically shifted into surrounding relationship to the latches.
An electrical connector comprising:
- a plurality of terminals:
- an insulative housing, the terminals being positioned within the insulative housing in at least two rows;
- a plurality of latches comprising means for securing the terminals in the insulative housing, each latch having a tapered cross section so that the exterior surfaces of each latch converge to an apex with distance away from the respective terminal, the latches being positioned in at least two adjacent rows so the apices of latches in adjacent rows are staggered and juxtaposed;
- a secondary housing member having a plurality of diagonal wall sections, the secondary housing member being attachable to the insulative housing so that each diagonal wall section fits between adjacent surfaces of two adjacent latches in two adJacent rows.
An electrical connector for use in establishing a densely populated array of electrical connections, comprising:
- a plurality of terminals arranged in at least three rows, terminals in a center row being staggered relative to terminals in two outer rows;
- an insulative housing including means for positioning the terminals in three staggered rows;
- a plurality of latches for securing the terminals in the insulative housing, the latches projecting toward a mating face on the insulative housing;
- a secondary lock mountable on a mating face of the insulative housing, the secondary lock including means matable with the latches only when the terminals are properly secured in the insulative housing;
- and
- two position retainer means for attaching the secondary lock to the insulative housing in first and second alternative positions, the secondary lock being disengaged from the latches when the secondary lock is in the first position and engagable with the latches in the second position only when the terminals are properly secured in the insulative housing, the secondary lock being telescopically shiftable from the first to the second position.
An electrical connector comprising:
- a plurality of terminals;
- an insulative housing, the terminals being positioned within the insulative housing in at least two rows;
- a plurality of outwardly deflectable resilient latches comprising means for securing the terminals in the insulative housing when in an undeflected configuration;
- a secondary lock movable telescopically between a first and a second position relative to the insulative housing when all of the latches are in the undeflected configuration, outwardly deflected latches abutting an inner face of the secondary lock to prevent movement of the secondary lock from the first to the second position, the inner face of the secondary lock having protrusions aligned with corresponding latches to limit outward deflection of the corresponding latch so that an outwardly deflected latch will not be broken when a force is applied to the secondary lock in an attempt to push the secondary lock from the first to the second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.