This application claims the benefit of French Patent Application No. 2200577 filed on Jan. 24, 2022, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a connector assembly comprising a connector and a connector position assurance device.
Connector position assurance (CPA) devices are known in the art which serve to assure a locking between two homologous connectors of a connector system, in particular electrical connectors, in many types of installations, machines, or apparatuses. When installed in a connector system in a final position, also called mated position or locked position, the CPA devices can fulfill the functions of providing additional locking means for the mating between two connectors of the connector system, and of indicating to a user that the connectors are correctly mated. A connector system comprising a CPA device therefore can provide a mating between two connectors that is more durable and reliable than conventional homologous connectors without CPA devices.
Typically, prior to the mating of the two connectors, a CPA device is pre-installed in one connector in a delivery position, also called initial position, first position, pre-installed position or pre-set position. There, it is movably arranged between the delivery position, and the final position. In the final position, the CPA device is configured to assure a mating between one connector and a second connector.
A conventional CPA device typically includes a main body, and a latching arm extending from the main body at least partially in a mating direction of the connector with the second connector. Typically, a stop element blocks the latching arm of the CPA device such that the CPA device is blocked from moving to the final position. A force applied by a second connector to the latching arm can allow the latching arm to circumvent the stop element, allowing a user to move the CPA device to the final position.
However, there is a possibility that in the delivery position, the blocking engagement between the latching arm and the stop element is compromised due to an accidental movement leading to an unwanted displacement of the latching arm. In particular, due to an inadvertent pressure exercised on the CPA device in the mating direction or on the latching arm in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction, the blocking engagement may be released, and the CPA device may be moved to the final position even if the mating of the two connectors incomplete, incorrect or absent.
Such an inadvertent push may result in the CPA device circumventing the stop element leading to a false positive mating of the connectors. This can occur, for example, in the case of shocks during transport and packaging, or from inadvertent strong pushing during handling and installation of the CPA device with respect to the connector, thereby forcing the latching arm beyond the stop element even if the mating second connector is not correctly positioned. This can have negative consequences, such as an unstable electrical connection, or an unwanted decoupling of the connectors, causing electrical malfunctions and even electrical accidents in connected devices or circuits.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector assembly includes a connector, and a connector position assurance (CPA) device movably arranged with the connector between a first position and a second position. The CPA device assures mating in a mating direction between the connector and a second connector in the second position. The CPA device includes a body and a latching arm extending therefrom in the mating direction. The latching arm defines at least one chamfered surface portion facing at least partially in a force direction perpendicular to the mating direction and abutting against a stopping surface of the connector in the first position.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which:
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved connector assembly, and in particular a connector assembly with improved protection against the accidental push of a CPA device to a mated position. In particular, the object is to provide a connector assembly providing an additional resistance against wrongful or accidental manipulation of the connector assembly, as well as additional resistance against pushes or shocks upon the CPA device.
A first embodiment of the connector position assurance (CPA) device 1 of the invention is described with reference to
The CPA device 1 comprises a main body 3 and a latching arm 5 extending from the main body 3 substantially in a mating direction x. At the distal extremity of the latching arm 5 is formed a latch head 7. The latching arm 5 presents a substantially quadratic cross-section and comprises a surface 9 of the distal extremity of the latching arm 5 extending at least partially in the mating direction x and a bottom surface 11a facing at least partially in a direction y perpendicular to the matching direction x, as well as a top surface 11b opposite the bottom surface 11a. The latching arm 5 furthermore comprises two side surfaces 13a facing in the opposite y direction and side surface 13b facing in the y direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 11. Instead of a quadratic cross section, other shapes like rectangular or circular can be used for the latching arm 5 according to variants.
In this embodiment, the latching arm 5 extends from the main body 3 at an acute angle α larger than 0°, in particular in a range of 1° to 60°, preferably between 2° to 30°, more preferably between 5° and 15° with respect to the mating direction x. The latch head 7 of the latching arm 5 presents a tip 15 with a tip surface 15a protruding from the top surface 11b. The latch arm 5 has a predetermined resilience against a force F1 applied on the latch head 7 of the arm 5 in the force direction y perpendicular to the mating direction x. The predetermined resilience is determined based on the acute angle α and the material properties, in particular the Young's modulus and the yield stress, of the material of the CPA device 1.
At the latch head 7 formed at the distal extremity of the latching arm 5, a lateral wing 17a extends from the first side surface 13a laterally in the direction opposed to the transversal direction z. Similarly, a second lateral wing 17b extends laterally from the second side surface 13b in the transversal direction z. The surface 9 of the distal extremity of the latching arm 5 comprises a chamfered surface portion 19 according to the invention. The chamfered surface portion 19 constitutes a chamfer at the edge connecting the surface 9 at the distal extremity of the latching arm 5 and the bottom surface 11a. Whereas the non-inclined portion of the surface 9 extends in the y-z plane, also called mating plane, the chamfered surface portion 19 forms an angle θ with the y-z plane. The acute angle θ is larger than 0°, preferably between 5° to 30° more in particular between 10° and 20°.
In this configuration, the chamfered surface portion 19 faces at least partially in the force direction y. In other words, the projection ny of the normal vector n of the chamfered surface portion 19 onto the force direction y has a positive value. The lateral wings 17a, 17b are disposed such that their respective distal surfaces 21a, 21b are part of the chamfered surface portion 19 in a single continuous plane. In this way, the chamfered surface portion 19 is formed partially by the lateral wings 17a, 17b.
The lateral wings 17a, 17b of the latching arm 5 of the CPA device 1 also comprise respectively contact surfaces 31a, 31b facing in the direction opposed to the force direction y perpendicular to the mating direction x. The lateral wings 17a, 17b further comprise respective chamfered surfaces 33a, 33b (33b not visible on
The main body 3 of the CPA device 1 defines an activation surface 23 opposite the latching arm 5 in the mating direction x. The activation surface 23 is used by a user to activate the CPA device 1, for example to move it from a delivery position to a final position as will be described herein.
Lateral protrusions 25a and 25b extend from the main body 3. In the embodiment represented in
As should be understood from the figures, corresponding protrusions, parts and cavities are provided on the opposite side of the main body 3 of the CPA device 1 in a symmetric manner with respect to the mating direction x.
The main body 3 furthermore comprises two guiding walls 35a and 35b on both sides of the latching arm 5. The guiding walls 35a, 35b provide the double function of guiding the CPA device within a space of the connector 100 on one hand, and of blocking the disassembly of the connector 100 from a connected second connector 200 when the CPA device 1 is in the final position, as set forth herein with reference to
Finally, the main body 3 comprises two wedge portions 36a, 36b (wedge element 36a not visible). The wedge portions 36a, 36b protrude from the main body 3 in mating direction x on either side of the latch arm 5, however they are significantly shorter, in particular less than 20% of the length of the latch arm 5. The function of the wedge portions 36a, 36b will be described with reference to
In this embodiment of the invention, the CPA device 1 is a monolith, for example formed by injection molding. This allows for a speedy and cost-efficient production, as well as for known and consistent material properties over the entirety of the device. As shown, the connector assembly 150 in the so-called delivery position, in which the connector 100 is not yet assembled with a second connector.
The connector housing 101 includes a latch structure 107 arranged along the mating direction x. The latch structure 107 of the connector 100 extends partially into a space 105 comprised between two CPA support structures 103a, 103b and forms a latch structure cavity 109 with the connector housing 101. The latch structure is only supported at one end 107a in mating direction x, and can thus be elastically bent down in the direction y at other end 107b, located at the end of the latch structure 107 in the direction opposed to the mating direction x. The CPA device 1 is received in the space 105 such that the latch structure 107 accommodates the latching arm 5 of the CPA device 1 in a latch structure cavity 109. The guiding walls 35a, 35b of the CPA device 1 are configured to guide the CPA device along the support structure 103a, 103b and the latch structure 107 of the connector 100.
The latch structure 107 comprises a stop element 111. The stop element 111 bridges over the latch structure cavity 109 in a transversal direction z perpendicular to the mating direction x. The arrangement of the stop element 111 in a transversal direction z splits the latch structure 107 in two parts 113a, 113b. In the delivery position the latch arm 5 of CPA device 1 remains in part 113a and abuts against stopping surface 119 of the stop element 111 so that any further movement in along the mating direction x is prevented.
The CPA device 1 can be moved from the delivery position to the final position to assure a correct coupling between the connector and a second connector. This movement can take place when the abutment against the stopping surface 119 is removed by moving down the latch head 7 in force direction y below the bridge formed by the stop element 111, for example by applying force F1 on the latch head tip surface 7a. Then a user can push the CPA device 1 along the direction x beyond the stop element 111, so that the latch arm 5 is received in the second part 113b.
The CPA support structure 103b of the connector housing 101 comprises a through hole 115a and an elongated through hole 115b. Corresponding through holes are provided on the support structure 103a. In the embodiment represented in
The through hole 115a is configured to accommodate the lateral protrusion 25a of the CPA device 1 when the CPA device 1 has moved from the delivery position into the final position. Thus, an inadvertent movement backwards, in a direction opposed to the mating direction x, from the final position to the delivery position can be prevented. Only by a wanted action by a user, namely by pressing the protrusion 25a out of the mating through hole 115a can the CPA device 1 be released again and can move back to the delivery position.
The lateral protrusion 25b is accommodated in the elongated through hole 115b which serves as a guiding tract for the CPA device 1 and limits the course of movement in x direction. The movement in the mating direction towards the final position is limited by the left end 115b_1, and the movement in the other direction towards the delivery position is limited by the right end 115b_2 of the elongated through hole 115b. Instead of an elongated through hole 115b, a recess, not extending through the wall of the CPA support structures 103b, can be provided according to a variant.
In
In addition, the chamfered surface portion 19 of surface 9 also abuts against a mating inclined surface portion 117a of the stopping surface 119. In particular, the part of chamfered surface portion 19 that is a distal surface 21a of the lateral wing 17a abuts against the mating inclined surface portion 117b. Similarly (but not visible on the figure), the part of chamfered surface portion 19 that is a distal surface 21b of the lateral wing 17b abuts against the mating inclined surface portion 117b. In this embodiment, only the distal surfaces 21a, 21b of the chamfered surface portion 19 abut against the stop element 111, and not the complete chamfered surface portion 19, due to a corresponding cross-sectional shape of the stop element 111.
The enlarged view illustrates that the latch head 7 is abutted against the stop element 111 such that the tip 15 protrudes beyond the surface 127a of cavity part 113a in the latch structure 107 of the connector 100. The tip surface 15a faces in a direction opposed to the force direction y.
The enlarged view in
According to the invention, the chamfered surface portion 19 of the CPA device 1 together with the mating inclined surface portions 117a, 117b of the connector 100 reduce the risk of an accidental displacement of the latching arm 5 when an unintended light force F1 and/or an unwanted force F2, for example from mishandling or transport shocks, is applied to the activation surface 23 in the mating direction x.
The inclined engagement of the chamfered surface portion 119 of the CPA device 1 and the inclined surface portions 117a, 117b of the connector 100 will deviate a force F2 such that an unwanted displacement or bending of the latching arm 5 downward in direction y is prevented. Under the force F2, the latching arm 5 will tend to move upwards against the y direction. Thus, in the absence of a mating second connector or in case the second mating connector is not correctly put in place, the inclined engagement of the mating surfaces 19 and 117a, 117b can help in preventing false positive connections.
Further, in general terms, the overall interaction surface when the latching arm 5 abuts against the stop element 111 is increased, thus reducing the risk of false positive connections. At the same time, in the presence of a correctly positioned mating second connector providing a predetermined force F1 in accordance with the resilience of the latching arm 5, it will still be possible to push the latching arm 5 downward in the y direction, with forces in regular force ranges for such type of connectors.
The surface 9 of the distal extremity latching arm 5 comprises a substantially square non-inclined portion 37 and the chamfered surface portion 19. The distal surfaces 21a, 21b of the lateral wings 17a, 17b are part of the chamfered surface portion 19 in a single continuous plane. The surface 9 and the chamfered surface portion 19 together form the T-shaped area of engagement.
The chamfered surface 33b facilitates the unlocking of the CPA device 1, when a user moves the CPA device 1 from the final position back to the delivery position, for example during disassembling of the connector 100 from a second connector 200, as will be described herein. In the final position, the latch head 7 protrudes from the latch cavity part 113b behind, in mating direction x, the stop element 111. The chamfered surface 33b softens the edge of the lateral wing 17b such that a bending of the latching arm 5 downward in force direction y is simplified, as it can slide on the chamfer release surface 129b of the connector 100. On the other side, the chamfered surface 33a can slide on the chamfer release surface 129a. In the same manner, the inclination of the latch head back surface 7a can facilitate the unlocking of the CPA device 1 by allowing the sliding of latch head back surface 7a to be simplified.
As can be seen in
Thus, in the delivery position, the movement of the latching arm 5 upward in the direction opposite the direction y is limited when the surfaces 31a, 31b abut against the surfaces 121a, 121b. This prevents the latching arm 5 bending upward under excessively high unwanted forces F2 in the mating direction x beyond the authorized range, as illustrated in
In a step A, the CPA device 1 is in the delivery position inside the space 105 of the connector 100 like illustrated in
In step B, the connector assembly 150 comprising CPA device 1 has been moved towards the second connector 200 along the mating direction x such that the terminal end portion 201 of the second connector 200 has slid upwards the latch structure 107 and passed the stop element 111. As described with reference to
After I terminal end portion 201 of the second connector 200 has passed the stop element 111, it exerts a downward force F1 in force direction y onto the latch head 7 in the direction y substantially perpendicular to the mating direction x. This force is sufficient to overcome the resistance provided by the engagement of the chamfered surface portion 19 and mating inclined surface portions 117a, 117b. Consequently, the latching arm 5 is displaced in the force direction y as the stopping surfaces 9, 119 and the inclined surfaces 19, 117a, 117b are disengaged. The latching arm 5 displaced in direction y is then no longer blocked by the stop element 111.
In a step C as shown in
Step D illustrates the positioning of the CPA device 1 in the final position. The latch head 7 has passed beyond the stop element 111 in the mating direction x and, due to the restoration force of the predetermined resilience of the latch arm 5, has moved up again against direction y behind the stop element 111 until the latch head back surface 7a is engaged with the chamfer release surface 129c. In this position, the chamfered surfaces 33a, 33b are also engaged with the chamfer release surfaces 129a, 129b (not visible). As shown in
In this position, the CPA device 1 is inserted far enough into the space 105 that the guiding walls 35a, 35b engage laterally with the latch structure 107. In addition, the wedge portions 36a, 36b are engaged with the latch structure 107 such that they are positioned in between the other end 107b of the latch structure 107, and the connector housing 101. In this position, the wedge portions 36a, 36b block any elastic movement downward of the latch structure 107, for example the bending down of the latch structure 107 from manipulation, pushes or shocks on the other end 107b.
If the disassembling of the two connectors 100 and 200 is attempted, for example by pulling the two connectors 100 and 200 in opposite directions along mating direction x, the terminal end portion 201 of connector 200 is blocked by the stop element 111. The stop element 111 formed on the latch structure 107 cannot be moved downwards, as the other end 107b is blocked from bending downwards by the wedge portions 36a, 36b. Thus, the terminal portion 201 is locked inside the latch cavity part 113a behind the stop element 111, and cannot no longer be slid backwards (in mating direction x). Further, in this final position the protrusion 25a on the main body 3 is also locked in the corresponding through hole 115a of the connector as described above with respect to
To disassemble the two connectors 100 and 200 from one another, first, the CPA device 1 has to be moved back from the final position to the delivery position. To do so, a force must be applied to the first protrusion 25a, such that the flexible part 27 on which it is formed moves in a transversal direction z, in order to move the protrusion 25a out of the through hole 115a. At the same time, the user has to pull the CPA device 1 in the direction opposite the mating direction x and apply a force such that the chamfered surfaces 33a, 33b of the lateral wings 17a, 17b as well as the latch head back surface 7a can slide over the engaged chamfer release surfaces 129a, 129b, 129c and displace the latch head 7 in a direction y such that top surface 11b of the latch arm 5 is disengaged from the stop element 111. Then, it can move under the stop element 111 back to the delivery position as shown in step B of
Only once the CPA device 1 has been moved back into delivery position on the connector 100 can the end 107b of the latch structure 107 be actuated, i.e., bent downwards. By moving the latch structure 107, for example by pushing the other end 107b, downwards, the stop element 111 no longer blocks the way of the terminal portion 201 in mating direction x. Thus, the terminal end portion 201 of the second connector 200 can be slid backwards over the stop element 111, for example by pulling the second connector 200 in mating direction x for the disassembling of the connectors 100, 200.
In addition, those areas in which it is believed that those of ordinary skill in the art are familiar, have not been described herein in order not to unnecessarily obscure the invention described. Accordingly, it has to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.
It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.
Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural of the elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments “comprising” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2200577 | Jan 2022 | FR | national |