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US 5,350,313 AGranted
Latching mechanism for blindmate electrical connectors
AssigneeThe Whitaker Corporation
InventorJosef Woller
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThe Whitaker Corporation
InventorJosef Woller
Estimating the term…
An electrical connector assembly includes a first housing half having an opened end face formed by upstanding side walls where inner surfaces of the side walls have camming grooves formed on the inner surfaces thereof. The grooves emanate from the opened end face and one groove has a laterally extending slot portion in communication with an inclined slot portion whereas a second camming slot is comprised of an inclined slot portion only. The housing portion includes a camming slide which is slidable moveable within a slot portion of the housing portion. The camming slide includes side arms having camming spigots positioned thereon. The housing portion is insertable through the open end face and movement of the camming slide positions the spigots in the inclined portion of the slot and the spigot portion and the inclined slot portion whereby the connector halves are drawn together in mated relation.
An electrical connector assembly comprising mating first and second connector housings, where one of the housings includes first camming members, and the other connector includes a camming slide moveable transversely to a mating axis, the camming slide including second camming members thereon, which cooperate with the camming members on said first housing, said camming slide being moveable to cause axial movement between said first and second housings along the mating axis, the assembly being characterized in that said first housing has at least one partially opened end wall and said camming members are positioned on inner side surfaces of said first housing, said second connector member being insertable through said partially opened end wall along an axis transverse to said mating axis, and between said side surfaces, whereby activation of said camming slide moves said first and second housings into a mated condition along said mating axis.
An electrical connector assembly comprised of first and second connector housings, wherein said first connector housing includes a peripheral shroud and said second connector is receivable within said shroud, said first and second connectors having complementary contacts being matable along a generally axial direction, the assembly being characterized in that said shroud is comprised of side walls and an end wall leaving one end wall open, said side walls having inner surfaces having guide members thereon, and said second connector has complementary guide members for cooperation with said guide members on said first connector, said second connector being insertable through said open end wall of said first connector, in a direction substantially transverse to said axial direction, under guiding influence of said guide members, said second connector being laterally moveable across a mating face of said first connector housing, to a position where said first and second connectors are axially aligned, whereupon said connector housings can be moved axially, bringing said complementary contacts into mating engagement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.