Claims
- 1. An electrical connector assembly comprising:
a male terminal having a pin projecting forward; a housing having a male connector body having a forward face, a rearward face and a terminal cavity extending between and communicating through the forward and rearward faces, the male terminal being locked to the male connector body within the terminal cavity and the pin being projected through the forward face; a stabilizer disposed within the housing, the stabilizer having a leading surface, a trailing surface and a pin aperture communicating through the leading and trailing surfaces; a two-stage fastening feature formed between the stabilizer and the housing being constructed and arranged to snap fit the stabilizer to the housing in a pre-staged position; and wherein the pin of the male terminal projects into the aperture when the stabilizer is in the pre-staged position.
- 2. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 1 comprising:
a mating axis; a female connector body of the housing engaged to the male connector body along the mating axis, wherein the stabilizer is disposed axially between the male and female connector bodies; a female terminal locked within the female connector body; and a pivoting cam lock lever assembly having a lock lever pivotally engaged to one connector body and a cam follower engaged to the other connector body, wherein the cam lock lever is engaged to the follower and rotary movement of the lever causes the connector bodies to move linearly along the mating axis to mate the connector bodies and insert the pin of the male terminal into the female terminal.
- 3. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein the two-stage fastening feature is engaged between the stabilizer and the male connector body of the housing to snap fit the stabilizer to the male connector body in the pre-staged position.
- 4. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 3 comprising:
the stabilizer having a staged position; a female terminal engaged electrically to the pin of the male terminal when the electrical connector assembly is mated; a female connector body having a leading end, wherein the female terminals are locked within the leading end and aligned to the pin aperture of the stabilizer for receiving the pin of the male terminal when the electrical connector assembly is mated; and wherein the leading end engages the trailing surface of the stabilizer thereby moving the stabilizer from the pre-staged position to the staged position when the electrical connector assembly is being mated.
- 5. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 4 comprising:
a mating axis; and a shroud of the stabilizer projecting along the mating axis; and wherein the two-stage fastening feature is constructed and arranged between the shroud and the male connector body.
- 6. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 5 comprising:
a shroud of the male connector body projecting along the mating axis from the forward face; wherein the shroud of the connector body is aligned axially and disposed laterally outward from the pin of the male terminal; and wherein the shroud of the stabilizer is disposed laterally inward from the shroud of the male connector body when the electrical connector assembly is mated.
- 7. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 6 comprising:
the two-stage fastening feature having a protuberance projecting laterally outward from the shroud of the stabilizer, a forward locking nub and a rearward locking nub projecting laterally inward from the shroud of the male connector body; wherein the protuberance is snap fitted axially between the forward and rearward locking nubs when the stabilizer is in the pre-staged position; and wherein the protuberance snap fits over the rearward locking nub when the stabilizer moves from the pre-staged position into the staged position as the electrical connector assembly is being mated.
- 8. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 7 wherein the trailing and leading surfaces of the stabilizer are carried by a plate of the stabilizer disposed perpendicular to the mating axis which is bisected into a first segment and a second segment by a slot, and wherein the first and second segments are interconnected by a web member which performs as a spring for flexing of the shroud of the stabilizer when the protuberance snaps over the forward and rearward locking nubs of the shroud of the male connector body.
- 9. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 8 comprising:
the stabilizer having an indexing window carried by the stabilizer shroud and extending forward from the plate; and the male connector body having an indexing tab which conforms in shape to the indexing window and projects laterally inward from the shroud of the male connector body, wherein the indexing tab is disposed in the indexing window when the stabilizer is in the staged position.
- 10. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 9 comprising a pivoting lock lever assembly pivotally engaged to one connector body and a cam follower engaged to the other connector body, wherein the cam lock lever engages the follower to mate the connector bodies and insert the pins into the female terminal as the lever is pivoted.
- 11. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 6 wherein the shroud of the stabilizer projects axially rearward from the leading surface of the stabilizer.
- 12. The electrical connector set forth in claim 11 wherein the shroud of the stabilizer projects into an annular recess carried by the male connector body and disposed rearward of the forward face.
- 13. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 10 comprising:
the two-stage fastening feature having a pre-staged window and a staged window carried by the shroud of the stabilizer, wherein the pre-staged window is disposed axially rearward of the staged window; a locking tab projecting laterally from the male connector body; wherein the locking tab projects into the pre-staged window when the stabilizer is in the pre-staged position; and wherein the locking tab projects into the staged window when the stabilizer is in the staged position.
- 14. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 13 wherein the locking tab projects radially outward from a circumferential wall of the male connector body and into the annular recess.
- 15. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 14 wherein the shroud of the stabilizer is disposed laterally between and aligned axially with the shroud of the male connector portion and the circumferential wall.
- 16. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 15 comprising:
the stabilizer having a stiffener member projecting rearward from the leading surface of the stabilizer and disposed laterally inward from the shroud of the stabilizer; and a channel carried by the male connector body and defined laterally inward from the circumferential wall, wherein the stiffener member extends into the channel when the stabilizer is in the pre-staged and staged positions.
- 17. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein the two-stage fastening feature is constructed and arranged to engage between the stabilizer and a female connector body of the housing to snap fit the stabilizer to the female connector body in the pre-staged position.
- 18. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 17 comprising:
a mating axis; the stabilizer having a staged position; a female receptacle; and the female connector body having a leading end which locks to the female terminal which aligns to the aperture of the stabilizer and receives the pin of the terminal when the electrical connector is mated, wherein the leading end is spaced axially from the trailing surface of the stabilizer when the stabilizer is in the pre-staged position.
- 19. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 18 comprising:
a plate of the stabilizer carrying the leading and trailing surfaces and disposed perpendicular to the mating axis and a shroud projecting axially from the trailing surface of the plate; and wherein the two-stage fastening feature is constructed and arranged between the shroud of the stabilizer and the female connector body.
- 20. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 19 comprising:
the leading end of the female connector body having a circumferential wall facing radially outward with respect to the mating axis; a locking tab of the two-stage fastening feature projecting laterally outward from the circumferential wall of the leading end; a pre-staged window and a staged window carried by the shroud of the stabilizer, wherein the pre-staged window is disposed axially forward of the staged window; wherein the locking tab projects into the staged window when the stabilizer is in the pre-staged position; and wherein the locking tab projects into the staged window when the stabilizer is in the staged position.
- 21. An electrical connector assembly comprising:
a mating axis; a male connector having a forward face and an elongated male terminal disposed longitudinally along the mating axis, the male terminal having a pin projecting axially forward from the forward face; a female connector having a female receptacle for axial receipt of the pin of the male terminal when the electrical connector assembly is mated along the mating axis; a pin stabilizer disposed axially between the male and female connectors, the pin stabilizer having a leading surface, a trailing surface and a pin aperture extending axially and communicating through the leading and trailing surfaces; a two-stage fastening feature formed between the pin stabilizer and the male connector, the two-stage fastening feature being constructed and arranged to snap fit the pin stabilizer to the housing in a pre-staged position prior to mating and a staged position simultaneously to mating of the electrical connector assembly; wherein a distal end of the pin of the male terminal projects axially forward into the aperture when the stabilizer is in the pre-staged position and the blade substantially extends axially forward through the aperture when the electrical connector assembly is mated and the stabilizer is in the staged position; and a pivoting cam lock lever assembly having a lock lever pivotally engaged to one connector and a cam follower engaged to the other connector, wherein the cam lock lever is engaged to the follower and rotary movement of the lever causes the connectors to move linearly along the mating axis to mate the connectors and insert the pin of the male terminal into the female terminal.
- 22. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 21 comprising:
the pin stabilizer having a plate disposed perpendicular to the mating axis and a shroud projecting axially with respect to the mating axis and perpendicularly from the plate, and wherein the plate carries and is defined between the forward and rearward surfaces; and the male connector having a forward projecting shroud radially defining a chamber, wherein the pins of the male terminals are disposed within the chamber; and wherein the stabilizer is disposed within the chamber when the electrical connector assembly is mated.
- 23. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 22 wherein the shroud projects axially with respect to the mating axis and forward from the forward surface of the plate.
- 24. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 23 comprising:
the two-stage fastening feature having a protuberance projecting laterally outward from the shroud of the stabilizer, and forward and rearward locking nubs projecting laterally inward from the shroud of the male connector shroud; wherein the protuberance is snap fitted axially between the forward and rearward locking nubs when the stabilizer is in the pre-staged position; and wherein the protuberance is snap fitted rearward of the rearward locking nub when the stabilizer is in the staged position.
- 25. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 22 wherein the shroud projects axially with respect to the mating axis and rearward from the rearward surface of the plate.
- 26. The electrical connector assembly set forth in claim 25 comprising:
the two-stage fastening feature having a pre-staged window and a staged window communicating through the shroud of the stabilizer, wherein the pre-staged window is disposed axially rearward of the staged window; a locking tab projecting laterally outward from the male connector body; wherein the locking tab projects into the pre-staged window when the stabilizer is in the pre-staged position; and wherein the locking tab projects into the staged window when the stabilizer is in the staged position.
RELATED PATENT APPLICATION
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/795,692, filed Feb. 27, 2001.
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09795692 |
Feb 2001 |
US |
Child |
10159174 |
May 2002 |
US |