1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to an electrical connector housing cover.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
Electrical connectors such as squib connectors or air bag gas generator connectors are well known in the art. Some electrical connectors, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,616,045 and 6,663,411 B2, have housings with movable cover sections. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,411 B2 the housing and the cover have sections attached by living hinges which can be moved to allow crimping of electrical contacts onto conductors.
There is a desire to be able to provide an electrical connector which is substantially pre-assembled except for connection of its contacts with conductors. U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,411 B2 shows one such electrical connector. However, the connection of the movable housing and cover sections merely by living hinges does not prevent the housing and/or cover section from moving into the area where crimping of the contacts will occur. This might damage the housing and/or cover section or interfere with proper crimping. There is a desire to provide an electrical connector having a housing which allows for crimping of the contacts inside the housing, and which is subsequently closed, but which is a substantially complete assembly before crimping.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an electrical connector housing is provided including a base; and a cover. The cover is adapted to be connected to the base to capture at least one electrical connector component in the base. The cover includes a first section and a second section. The second section is movably connected to the first section by a connection. The second section is movable between an open position relative to the base and a closed position. The connection includes a detent latching system for latching the second section in the open position to allow access to a location inside the base.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an electrical connector housing is provide comprising a base and a cover. The base has contact receiving areas and at least one aperture through a bottom side of the base into the contact receiving areas. The cover is adapted to be connected to a top side of the base to capture at least one electrical connector component in the base. The cover comprises a first member and a second member. The second member is pivotably connected to the first member by a connection. The second member is movable between an open position relative to the base and a closed position. The connection comprises a latching system for latching the second member in the open position to allow access to a location inside the base.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of assembling an electrical connector comprising providing an electrical connector comprising an electrical connector housing comprising a base having contact receiving areas and at least one aperture through a bottom side of the base into the contact receiving areas; and a cover connected to a top side of the base to capture at least one electrical contact in the base, wherein the cover comprises a first member and a second member, wherein the second member is pivotably connected to the first member by a connection, wherein the second member is movable between an open position relative to the base and a closed position, wherein the connection comprises a latching system for latching the second member in the open position to allow access to a location inside the base; locating the second member at the open position; crimping the at least one electrical contact onto at least one electrical conductor through the aperture in the bottom side of the base and an open area at the top side of the base into the location; and moving the second member to the closed position to close the open area at the top side of the base.
The foregoing aspects and other features of the invention are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to
The connector 10 is shown prior to its connection to conductor wires. In this embodiment the connector 10 is a squib connector adapted to connect the conductor wires to a mating electrical connector in a gas generator of a vehicle air bag safety system. However, features of the invention could be used with any suitable type of electrical connector. Similar connectors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,799,999 B2 and 6,997,750 which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. Referring also to
The contacts 14 are conventional electrical contacts such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,799,999 B2 and 6,997,750 for example. The contacts have a front end adapted to receive a male contact section of a mating electrical connector. The contacts 14 also each have a rear end 18 which is adapted to be crimped onto an electrical wire. In alternate embodiments, any suitable type of contacts could be provided.
The filters 16 comprise ferrite tubes which are mounted on the front ends of the contacts 14. In alternate embodiments, any suitable type of filter(s) could be used including a single filter which mounts on both contacts, or a filter chip assembly such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,750 for example. In one type of alternate embodiment, the connector might not comprise a filter.
Referring also to
The rear wire termination section 28 has a bottom side with an aperture 34 into the two contact receiving areas. Thus, the rear wire termination section 28 of the base has both an open top side and an aperture through its bottom side. In an alternate embodiment the bottom side of the rear wire termination section 28 might have more or less than one aperture 34. The rear end of the rear wire termination section 28 also has a snap-lock latch 36, grooves 38 for the wires to pass through, and lateral side grooves with latching surfaces 40.
The cover 22 comprises a first section 42 and a second section 44. The second section 44 is movably connected to the first section 42 by a movable connection. In this embodiment the first and second sections are separate members which are attached to each other. However, in alternate embodiments, the first and second sections could be a single member, but movable relative to each other. The first section 42 is snap-lock connected to the top end of the front plug section 26 to capture the contacts 14 and filters 16 in the contact receiving areas at the front plug section 26. The first section 42 has snap-lock latches 46 which are able to snap into the snap lock recesses 32. Referring also to
Referring also to
Referring also to
One of the features of the invention is the ability to retain the second section 44 in the open position by the detent latching system 58, 52. This allows the wires to be crimped onto the contacts 14 at the rear ends 18 while the contacts are inside the housing 12, and insuring that the second section 44 will not interfere with the crimping operation or be damaged during the crimping operation. After the wires are crimped to the contacts, the second section 44 can be moved to its closed position to cover over the crimped connection. The open aperture 34 at the bottom of the base's wire termination section 28 allows access to the crimping area by a bottom section of the crimping tool from the opposite direction. The open top side of the wire termination section 28 allows access to the crimping area by a top section of the crimping tool while the second section 44 of the cover 22 is open. When the connector 10 is connected to the mating electrical connector, the aperture 34 can be at least partially covered or closed by the presence of the mating connector at the aperture 34.
During manufacture of the connector housing, the second section 44 can be snapped into the first section 42. This allows the two sections 42, 44 to be made from different tools and/or different materials. The second section 44 can be locked in the open position by its flexible beams 58 for easier handling during connection to the wires.
In an alternate embodiment, features of the invention could be used with a cover having a living hinge. As another alternate embodiment features of the invention could be used with a cover having a slidable connection between sections of the cover.
It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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Number | Date | Country |
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2 138 639 | Oct 1984 | GB |
WO-2005112201 | Nov 2005 | WO |