Connector with break resistant locking arm

A connector having a connector housing unitarily molded from a plastic resin and having a front end, a rear end and terminal cavities extending therethrough, said connector housing further having an upper surface extending substantially from said front end to said rear end of said connector housing, a locking arm unitarily molded with said connector housing and having a base part projecting upwardly from said upper surface substantially at the front end of said connector housing, an arm part projecting rearwardly from said base part and in spaced relationship to said upper surface to define a flexure space between said upper surface of said connector housing and said arm part, a locking projection formed on a surface of said arm part facing away from said upper surface of said connector housing and disposed at a location aligned intermediate said front and rear ends of said connector housing, the base part having a narrow portion adjacent said outer surface of said connector housing and a wide portion spaced from said outer surface of said connector housing, the wide portion and the narrow portion of the base part each defining widths measured transverse to the arm part, said width of said narrow portion being less than said width of said wide portion, said arm part defining a width adjacent said base part equal to said width of said wide portion of said base part, said base part defining a minimum thickness measured in a front-to-rear direction, said arm part defining a thickness at locations forwardly of said locking projection, the thickness of said base part being greater than the thickness of the arm part.

A connector having a connector housing unitarily molded from a plastic resin, said housing including opposed front and rear ends and terminal cavities extending between said ends, an outer surface being formed on said housing and extending substantially between said opposed ends, a locking arm formed unitarily with the connector housing and including a base part projecting unitarily upwardly from said outer surface at a location substantially adjacent said front end of said connector housing, an arm part cantilevered rearwardly from a location on said base part spaced from said outer surface of said connector housing, said arm part being spaced from said outer surface to define a flexure space therebetween, the base part having a narrow portion adjacent said outer surface of said connector housing and a wide portion spaced from said outer surface of said connector housing, the wide portion and the narrow portion of the base part each defining widths measured transverse to the arm part, said width of said narrow portion being less than said width of said wide portion, said arm part defining a width adjacent said base part equal to said width of said wide portion of said base part, said base part defining a minimum thickness measured parallel to said outer surface in a front-to-rear direction on said connector housing, said arm part defining a maximum thickness measured substantially perpendicular to the outer surface, the maximum thickness of the arm part being sufficiently less than the minimum thickness of the base part such that the arm part is substantially more flexible than the base part, thereby causing said arm part to flex more than the base part in response to forces urging said arm part away from said outer surface of said connector housing.