The present invention generally relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to a lever mated connector assembly having a latch for the lever and an overstress mechanism for the latch.
In certain applications, electrical connectors must be securely mated to one another to prevent disconnection of the electrical signals routed through the connector conductors. For example, in automotive applications wherein electrical signals are routed to safety equipment such as air bag deployment systems or other systems relating to the operational or safety features of the vehicle, disconnection of the electrical signals as a result of accident, operating conditions such as vibration, etc. may result in undesirable consequences. Thus, some electrical connectors are coupled to connector assemblies that mechanically lock the electrical connectors in mating engagement with one another.
Some conventional connector assemblies include a housing that houses an electrical connector, a wire guide attached to the housing and enclosing the electrical connector, and a lever that couples the housing to a header housing a mating electrical connector. U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,176 is such an example. When in a locked position, the lever prevents disconnection of the housing from the header, which prevents disconnection of the mated electrical connectors. Some levers are further configured to latch into engagement with the wire guide when the lever is in the locked position to ensure that the lever is not unintentionally moved out of the locked position. As this latch may be used multiple times over the course of its life, and as its life is the same as that of the device in which it operates (in the case of automotive use, multiple years) it is desirable to not overstress the latch while disconnecting it.
The present invention provides a connector assembly, comprising a wire guide having a latch with a retaining surface, the latch having an overstress mechanism to prevent overextending the latch, and a lever having a catch with a retaining surface. The lever is movable between an unlocked position and a locked position wherein the catch retaining surface engages the latch retaining surface to inhibit movement of the lever out of the locked position.
In another aspect of the invention, an electrical connector system is provided having a lever rotatably connected to a wire dress housing, the wire dress housing having a wire shroud against which the lever rests when in a fully mated position. The wire shroud has a latch to lock the lever in the fully engaged position, the latch and the lever rotating in opposite senses when moved into the fully engaged position, and an overstress assembly preventing the latch from over-deflection.
The above mentioned and other features of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention.
The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings.
Referring first to
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With respect still to
Again with respect to
Cantilever latch 86 includes a retaining surface at 96 for locking with lever 14 as will be described herein. Cantilever latch 86 further includes two overstress wings 97 which extend to a width greater than front edges 83a, 85a, to define an overstress stop for cantilever latch 86 as will also be further described herein.
With respect now to
With reference now to
CPA 12 further includes a push ridge 135 for longitudinal movement of CPA 12. With respect to
With reference again to
With the items as described above, the assembly and operation of assembly 2 will now be discussed in further detail. With respect first to
When the connector is in the position of
To disengage the lever, CPA 12 is moved back to the position of
As described, latch 86 is protected along its sides by walls 83, 85. These walls also upstand to the same vertical dimension as the latch, preventing inadvertent actuation of the latch. The overstress wings 97 flank the edges 83a, 85a (
It should also be appreciated that the assembly provides for an ergonomic design, for example a user may place an index finger beneath forward edge 267 of lever 14, while at the same time placing a thumb on top of upper surface 94 and tactile ribs 95, whereby cantilever latch 86 may be depressed by the thumb for release.
This application claims priority from provisional application No. 60/775,828 filed Feb. 21, 2006, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application is related to the following patent application Ser. No. 11/080,736 filed Mar. 15, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,451; and patent application Ser. No. 11/708,966 filed Feb. 21, 2007.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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60775828 | Feb 2006 | US |