ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY

Abstract

 The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly comprising a connector housing, a terminal position assurance member and an actuating member. The connector housing is adapted to receive an electrical terminal. The terminal position assurance member is adapted to be mounted to the connector housing and being movable relative to the connector housing between a pre-lock position and a final-lock position in mounted position. The actuating member is adapted to be mounted to the connector housing and being movable relative to the connector housing between a first position and a second position in mounted condition.

Description

1. Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly with a terminal position assurance (TPA) member, as well as to a method for assembling a connector assembly.

2. Technical background

[0002] Electrical connectors and electrical connector assemblies are commonly used to connect various cables, such as for example telecommunication cables, common networking cables, signaling cables or in general any electrical wiring. In this context electrical connectors are particularly used for joining electrical circuits, wherein a male ended plug of an electrical connector may be adapted to be connected to a respective female ended jack of a corresponding counter connector.

[0003] Many electrical connector assemblies are provided with a so-called terminal position assurance (TPA) feature, which allows for assuring that a terminal or contact is fully inserted into an electrical connector housing to form the electrical connector. A TPA device or TPA member is often utilized for electrical connectors to detect incomplete insertion of contact terminals into a connector housing. They also assure that the contact terminals are properly positioned in the respective housing. A TPA member may thereby be mounted movably to the connector housing, and secure the terminal within the connector housing when being fully inserted.

[0004] Electrical connectors are becoming increasingly small. However, there is still a desire to provide an electrical connector of a small size and having a TPA feature, but without significantly increasing the size of the connector. Thus, also TPA members are typically becoming very small. Moving such a small or miniature TPA member can barely be done by hand, and often requires the application of special tools. However, small movements of the TPA member are very difficult to sense even when using such tools. Further, the interaction of the tools with small TPA members gradually damages the TPA member, which is typically made of plastic.

[0005] It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector assembly which overcomes the above outlined disadvantages at least partially. It is in particular an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector assembly having a TPA functionality, whereby the TPA function can be engaged easily, without damaging the assembly and/or without the need of special tools.

[0006] These and other objects, which become apparent by the following description, are solved at least partially by an electrical connector assembly according to claim 1 as well as a method for assembling a connector assembly according to claim 16.

3. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly comprising a connector housing which is adapted to receive an electrical terminal. The connector housing may thereby comprise at least one aperture which is adapted to receive the electrical terminal or contact terminal therein. The housing may form the main housing of the connector, and may in general have any shape adapted to connect to a corresponding counter connector. The connector housing may also include means for locking the housing to the corresponding counter connector.

[0008] The electrical connector assembly further comprises a terminal position assurance (TPA) member which is adapted to be mounted to the connector housing and which is being movable relative to the connector housing between a pre-lock position and a final-lock position in mounted condition. The TPA member may thereby provide TPA functionality to the electrical connector assembly, i.e. it may allow for securing the positioning of the electrical terminal within the connector housing when in the final-lock position, as known in the art. In pre-lock position, the TPA member may allow for insertion or removal of the electrical terminal. For mounting the TPA member to the connector housing, the TPA member may for example be inserted into the connector housing. Once inserted into the connector housing, the TPA member may be movable between the pre-lock position and the final-lock position. By moving the TPA member between the pre-lock position and the final-lock position, the terminal-locking function of the TPA member can be set and unset. Preferably the movement of the TPA member between the pre-lock and final-lock position is a linear movement with respect to its direction.

[0009] The electrical connector assembly further comprises an actuating member which is adapted to be mounted to the connector housing and which is being movable relative to the connector housing between a first position and a second position in mounted condition. Preferably the actuating member can only move between the first and second position in mounted condition. Preferably the movement of the actuating member between the first and second position is a linear movement with respect to its direction. The actuating member is thereby adapted to urge the TPA member to move from the pre-lock position to the final-lock position, when the actuating member is moving from the first position to the second position. Further, the actuating member is adapted to urge the TPA member from the final-lock position to the pre-lock position, when the actuating member is moving from the second position to the first position. Thus, by directly engaging or actuating the actuating member to move between the first position and the second position, the TPA member may advantageously be moved indirectly between the pre-lock position and the final-lock position. In other words, the movement of the TPA member is preferably driven by the movement of the actuating member.

[0010] Thus, once the TPA member is mounted to the connector housing, the movement thereof can be controlled by moving the actuating member, which is also mounted to the connector housing. Thus, the TPA member can be designed as a small and rather fragile component, as it does not need to be accessed by hand or a special tool. Accordingly, an ergonomic operation is provided. Further, the design of the TPA member can be optimized with regard to strength, as the interaction between the TPA member and the actuating member can be well predicted.

[0011] The TPA member, the connector housing and/or the actuating member may be of plastic, and may preferably be injection-molded plastic components.

[0012] Preferably, the actuating member is a cover which is adapted to at least partially cover parts of the connector housing in a mounted condition. Further in particular, the cover is adapted to at least partially cover interior parts of the connector housing in a mounted condition. Thus, the actuating member is rather an essential part of the electrical connector assembly, and not an additional component provided only for moving the TPA member. Further, the cover can provide protection against high vibration, as it fastens the TPA member in its final-lock position. Further preferred, the cover forms part of the mating face of the connector housing. Thus, the cover may feature respective apertures in order to receive respective counter terminals when being connected to a respective counter connector. The cover may thereby feature codings to prevent a wrong connection.

[0013] Preferably, the actuating member is adapted for movement by hand between the first position and the second position. Thus, an operator can access and engage the mounted actuating member, which is preferably a cover, and move it between the first position and the second position without big effort. In order to move the TPA member, the TPA member itself needs not to be accessed or engaged by hand, as only the actuating member needs to be moved by hand in order to move the TPA member.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the TPA member comprises at least one projection, and the actuating member comprises at least one recess. Preferably, the recess is engaging the projection when the actuating member is moving between the first position and the second position, i.e. from the first position to the second position or vice versa. Accordingly, the projection and the recess are interacting with each other, so that the TPA member is urged to move when the actuating member is being moved.

[0015] Preferably, the projection of the TPA member is received within the recess. This allows for a direct engagement of the actuating member on the TPA member. Preferably, the recess is angled relative to the movement direction of the actuating member. In a particular preferred embodiment, the recess may be of elongated form. Preferably the main direction of the elongated recess is angled relative to the movement direction of the actuating member. The movement direction may thereby be defined by the movement between the first and second position. Accordingly, when moving the actuating member in the movement direction, e.g. from the first position to the second position, the angled recess interacts with the projection of the TPA member, so that the TPA member in turn performs a movement which is hence not parallel to the movement direction of the actuating member. Therefore, the movement direction of the TPA member between the pre-lock position and the final-lock position can precisely be set by angling the recess. For example, the TPA member can be designed as a lateral TPA member, which performs a lateral movement relative to the mating direction of the connector housing, when the movement direction of the actuating member is parallel to said mating direction.

[0016] Preferably, the projection of the TPA member is sliding along the recess of the actuating member, when the actuating member is moving between the first position and the second position. Thus, the projection and the recess are in sliding engagement, so that the recess may function as a sliding guide for the projection. The recess may thus be adapted to receive the projection and to guide the same when moving between the first and second position, so that the projection of the TPA member is sliding along the elongated recess, so that the TPA member itself moves between the pre-lock position and final-lock position.

[0017] Preferably, the TPA member is essentially of a U-shaped form, and is defined by two essentially parallel legs and a base. The parallel legs may thereby provide the TPA functionality. Particularly preferred, the projection of the TPA member is provided on one of the two essentially parallel legs. Most preferably, a projection is provided on each one of the two essentially parallel legs. Thus, the movement of the TPA member can be well driven by the movement of the actuating member. A person skilled in the art understands that the legs do not need to be exactly parallel, and can also be provided flexibly.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the movement of the actuating member between the first and second position is orthogonal to the movement of the TPA member between the pre-locked and the locked position. The movement of the actuating member can be defined in (un)mating direction of the connector. Thus, the TPA member may be considered as a laterally moving TPA member, which moves lateral to the longitudinal mating direction of the overall connector. As the movement of the actuating member is parallel to the mating direction of the connector, it can well be driven by hand. This in particular applies since the connector is typically solid or resilient in the (un)mating direction for being less prone to damages during normal operation.

[0019] Preferably, the electrical connector assembly comprises a terminal, and further preferred, a respective counter connector is connected to the connector housing. The terminal is preferably provided within the connector housing.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the connector housing comprises retaining means which are adapted to prevent unmounting of the actuating member in mounted condition. Thus, once the actuating member is mounted to the connector housing, the retaining means prevent an unwanted unmounting of the actuating member. Preferably, the retaining means is a blocking ramp which interacts with a respective portion of the actuating member for providing the retaining function. The blocking ramp may have a ramp side and a blocking side. By means of the ramp side, the actuating member can be mounted to the connector housing by pushing it over the ramp side. The blocking side can prevent an unmounting, as the actuating member may snag or get blocked by the blocking side when trying to pull the actuating member past the blocking ramp. Thus, an accidental removal of the actuating member is prevented.

[0021] Preferably, the connector housing comprises position securing means which are adapted to secure the actuating member in the first or second position, when not moving the actuating member. Thus, the actuating member is held in the first or second position by means of the position securing means. The position securing means are thereby adapted to allow for a movement of the actuating member from the first to the second position or vice versa. Preferably, the position securing means is a double ramp which interacts with a respective portion of the actuating member for providing the position securing function. The actuating member can thereby be moved over the double ramp for moving from the first position to the second position or vice versa.

[0022] Preferably, the actuating member features a respective strengthened protrusion which is adapted to interact with the retaining means and/or position securing means, e.g. with the blocking ramp and/or the double ramp.

[0023] Preferably, the movement direction of the actuating member is parallel to the mating direction of the connector or connector housing. Thus, the movement of the actuating member from the first position to the second position or vice versa may be in direction of mating or unmating of the connector. This allows for an ergonomic and secure operation, as the actuating member is not accidentally moved from the second position to the first position when mounting the connector.

[0024] The invention further relates to a method for assembling a connector assembly, particularly of a connector assembly as described above. The method comprises assembling one or more terminals to the connector housing, and actuating, preferably by hand, the actuating member in mounted condition to move the actuating member from the first position to the second position, so that the TPA member in mounted condition is urged from the pre-lock position to the final-lock position.

[0025] Preferably, the method further comprises, prior to the assembling, mounting the TPA member to the connector housing, so that the TPA member is in the pre-lock position, and mounting the actuating member to the connector housing, so that the actuating member is in the first position.

[0026] Preferably, the method further comprises, after the actuating member has moved from the first position to the second position, actuating, preferably by hand, the actuating member in mounted condition to move the actuating member from the second position to the first position, so that the TPA member in mounted condition is urged from the final-lock position to the pre-lock position. This may in particular apply when disassembling the assembly, as the contact terminals can now be removed.

4. Description of preferred embodiments

[0027] In the following, the present invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures. It shows:

Fig. 1

schematically the components of an electrical connector assembly according to an embodiment,

Fig. 2

and Fig. 3 electrical terminals according to further embodiments,

Fig. 4

and Fig. 5 an electrical connector assembly according to a further embodiment,

[0028] Figs. 6 to 9 schematically the process steps of assembling an electrical connector assembly according to a further embodiment.

[0029] Figure 1 shows an electrical connector assembly according to the present invention, wherein the single components are separated from each other, i.e. the electrical connector assembly is unmounted or in disassembled state. The components of the assembly comprise a female connector housing 10, a lateral TPA member 20, a front cover 30, an interfacial seal 40, a seal member 50, a rear grid 60 and a connector position assurance (CPA) member 70. A person skilled in the art appreciates that the seal member 50 and interfacial seal 40 may be provided for providing a respective sealing function. The rear grid 60 may allow for a proper positioning of wiring. The CPA member 70 may provide a CPA functionality, i.e. it may allow for assuring that the connector is correctly positioned. The person skilled in the art understands that the connector housing 10, the TPA member 20 and the cover 30 may feature codings to allow for a secure assembly or operation of the connector assembly.

[0030] The present invention in particular relates to the connector housing 10, the TPA member 20 and the front cover 30, and their interplay will be described in more detail in the following. It will be appreciated that the TPA member 20, the front cover 30 and the connector housing 10 may be of any suitable material, such as, e.g., of plastic.

[0031] The connector housing 10 is adapted to receive electrical terminals. The TPA member 20, inserted into the connector housing 10 and in the final-lock position (not shown in Figure 1), secures the electrical terminals within the connector housing 10 such that they cannot be accidentally removed.

[0032] Figures 2 and 3 show two different kinds of electrical terminals. The electrical terminal 80 of Fig. 2 is a female terminal comprising a front female connection section 81, a latch receiving area 82 and a crimp section 83. The latch receiving area 82 may receive latches of the connector housing 10, for example, in order to securely position the terminal 80 in the housing 10. By means of the crimp section 83, a wiring may be connected to the electrical terminal 80.

[0033] The electrical terminal 90 of Fig. 3 features a front male connection section 91, which may, for example, be connected to the front female connection section 81 of electrical terminal 80 of Fig. 2. Furthermore, again a latch receiving section 92 and a crimp section 93 are provided, for the same purposes as described above with reference to Fig. 2.

[0034] Any one of the electrical terminals 80 and 90 of Figs. 2 and 3 may be positioned in the connector housing 10 of Fig. 1, and respective latches (not shown) of the connector housing 10 may for example be received in the respective latch receiving areas 82, 92. The TPA member 20 in the final-lock position may prevent the latches of the connector housing 10 to be removed from the latch receiving areas 82 or 92, so that a removal of the electrical terminal 80 or 90 is prevented. By moving the TPA member 20 to the pre-lock position, the latches of the connector housing 10 may however be retracted from the latch receiving areas 82 or 92 of the respective electrical terminal.

[0035] Figure 4 shows a schematic setup of an electrical connector terminal comprising some of the components described with reference to Fig. 1. The connector housing 10 features a lateral opening 11, through which the lateral TPA member 20 may be inserted. The TPA member 20 features a base 21 and two legs 22, 23, which extend in a parallel manner from the base 21. On each one of the legs 22, 23, a respective projection 24, 25 is provided. The TPA member 20 is adapted to be inserted into the connector housing 10 such that the legs 22, 23 first enter the lateral opening 11.

[0036] The front cover 30 functions as the actuating member in the sense of the present invention. For this purpose, it features a recess 31 on one side thereof. The recess 31 is of elongated shape and angled with respect to the mounting direction of the cover 30 to the connector housing 10. The recess 31 is adapted to engage the projection 24 of leg 22 of the TPA member 20. Also a second recess 32 is provided on the bottom side of the cover 30, although not visible in Fig. 4. This second recess 32 respectively engages the other projection 25 of leg 23 of the TPA member 20.

[0037] As can further be seen in Fig. 5, the connector housing 10 features a TPA receiving section 12, which is adapted to receive the TPA member 20 upon mounting, i.e. upon insertion of the TPA member 20 into the connector housing 10. The cover 30 is inserted or mounted to the connector housing 10 in a direction which is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the TPA member 20. Upon insertion of the cover 30, the cover 30 first engages a blocking ramp 14 provided on the connector housing 10. The cover 30 can thereby flexibly slide over the ramp of blocking ramp 14, in order to be mounted to the connector housing 10, reaching the first position. Due to the blocking face of blocking ramp 14, which is provided on the opposite side of the ramp, the cover 30 cannot be removed again. Upon further insertion, the cover 30 engages the double ramp 13 provided on the connector housing 10. The double ramp 13 allows for the cover 30 to move between the first and second position, whereby a respective portion provided on the cover 30 may flex. The cover 30 may thus be held in the first or second position by the double ramp 13, and move between these positions by sliding over the double ramp 13.

[0038] Further with reference to Fig. 5, the TPA member 20 features a mount-lock-ramp 26, which allows for an insertion of the TPA member 20 into the housing 10, but prevents an unmounting of the TPA member, i.e. it prevents the TPA member 20 from being removed from the housing 10 without destruction.

[0039] With respect to the Figs. 6 to 9, the steps of assembling a connector assembly comprising some components described with reference to Fig. 1 are described in the following. At first, a TPA member 20 is inserted into the connector housing 10 as illustrated in Fig. 6. The insertion direction is thereby lateral to the main connection direction of the connector. Once inserted, the TPA member 20 is in the pre-lock position, as illustrated on the right-hand side of Fig. 6. The TPA member 20 in its pre-lock position is also illustrated on the left-hand side of Fig. 7, which also shows that the mount-lock-ramp 26 of the TPA member engages the housing 10 such that the TPA member 20 cannot be retracted from the housing 10.

[0040] In the next step, as illustrated in Fig. 7, the front cover 30 is assembled to the connector housing 10. Thereby, the cover 30 slides, parallel to the mating direction of the connector, over the blocking ramp 14 of the connector housing 10, and thereafter reaches its first position as illustrated on the right-hand side of Fig. 7. The projection 25 of the TPA member 20 thereby enters the recess 32 of the cover 30, while the TPA member 20 is still in the pre-lock position. In a subsequent step, an electrical terminal may be introduced into housing 10.

[0041] As a next step, as illustrated in Fig. 8, the cover 30 is pushed by hand from the first position (left-hand side) to the second position (right-hand side). This preferably occurs after the terminal assembly. The projection 25 of TPA member 20 thereby slides along the angled recess 32 of the cover 30, so that the TPA member 20 is urged to move from the pre-lock position (left-hand side) to the final-lock position (right-hand side).

[0042] If desired, the TPA member 20 can be moved back to the pre-lock position. As illustrated in Fig. 9, the cover 30 needs to be retracted from the second position (left-hand side) to the first position (right-hand side). Again, the projection 25 is guided through the recess 32 of the cover 30, so that the TPA member 20 is urged to move from the final-lock position (left-hand side) to the pre-lock position (right-hand side).

Reference chart:

[0043] 

10

connector housing

11

lateral opening

12

TPA receiving section

20

TPA member

21

base

22, 23

leg

24, 25

projection

26

mount-lock-ramp

30

actuating member

31, 32

recess

40

interfacial seal

50

seal member

60

rear grid

70

CPA member

80, 90

electrical terminal

81, 91

connection section

82, 92

latch receiving area

83, 93

crimp section

Claims

1. Electrical connector assembly comprising:

a connector housing (10) adapted to receive an electrical terminal (80, 90);

a terminal position assurance, TPA, member (20) adapted to be mounted to the connector housing (10) and being movable relative to the connector housing (10) between a pre-lock position and a final-lock position in mounted condition;

an actuating member (30) adapted to be mounted to the connector housing (10) and being movable relative to the connector housing (10) between a first position and a second position in mounted condition;

wherein when moving from the first position to the second position the actuating member (30) is adapted to urge the TPA member (20) to move from the pre-lock position to the final-lock position, and

wherein when moving from the second position to the first position the actuating member (30) is adapted to urge the TPA member (20) from the final-lock position to the pre-lock position.

2. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the actuating member (30) is a cover (30) adapted to at least partially cover parts and in particular interior parts of the connector housing (10) in mounted condition.

3. The electrical connector assembly of claim 2, wherein the cover (30) forms part of the mating face of the connector housing (10).

4. The electrical connector assembly of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the actuating member (30) is adapted for movement by hand between the first position and the second position.

5. The electrical connector assembly of any one of claim 1-4, wherein the TPA member (20) comprises at least one projection (24, 25) and wherein the actuating member (30) comprises at least one recess (31, 32), and wherein the recess (31, 32) is engaging the projection (24, 25) when the actuating member (30) is moving between the first position and the second position.

6. The electrical connector assembly of claim 5, wherein the projection (24, 25) of the TPA member (20) is received within the recess (31, 32).

7. The electrical connector assembly of claim 5 or 6, wherein the recess (31, 32) is an elongated recess (31, 32), which is preferably angled relative to the movement direction of the actuating member (30).

8. The electrical connector assembly of any one of claims 5-7, wherein the projection (24, 25) of the TPA member (20) is sliding along the recess (31, 32) of the actuating member (30) when the actuating member (30) is moving between the first position and the second position.

9. The electrical connector assembly of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the TPA member (20) is essentially of a U-shaped form defined by two essentially parallel legs (22, 23) and a base (21).

10. The electrical connector assembly of claim 9 in combination with claim 5, wherein the projection (24, 25) is provided on one of the two legs (22, 23).

11. The electrical connector assembly of any one of claims 1-10, wherein the movement of the actuating member (30) between the first and second position is orthogonal to the movement of the TPA member (20) between the pre-locked and the locked position.

12. The electrical connector assembly of any one of claims 1-11, further comprising a terminal (80, 90) and preferably a counter connector.

13. The electrical connector assembly of any one of claims 1-12, wherein the connector housing (10) comprises retaining means (14) adapted to prevent unmounting of the actuating member (30) in mounted condition, wherein the retaining means (14) is preferably a blocking ramp (14).

14. The electrical connector assembly of any one of claims 1-13, wherein the connector housing (10) comprises position securing means (13) adapted to secure the actuating member (30) in the first or second position when not moving the actuating member (30), wherein the position securing means (13) is preferably a double ramp (13).

15. The electrical connector assembly of any one of claims 1-14, wherein the movement direction of the actuating member (30) is parallel to the mating direction of the connector.

16. Method for assembling a connector assembly according to any one of claims 1-15, comprising:

assembling one or more terminals (80, 90) to the connector housing (10);

actuating, preferably by hand, the actuating member (30) in mounted condition to move the actuating member (30) from the first position to the second position, so that the TPA member (20) in mounted condition is urged from the pre-lock position to the final-lock position.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, prior to the assembling:

mounting the TPA member (20) to the connector housing (10), so that the TPA member (20) is in the pre-lock position; and

mounting the actuating member (30) to the connector housing (10), so that the actuating member (30) is in the first position.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, further comprising:

actuating, preferably by hand, the actuating member (30) in mounted condition to move the actuating member (30) from the second position to the first position, so that the TPA member (20) in mounted condition is urged from the final-lock position to the pre-lock position.

Drawing