Patent Application
20070249238
The present invention relates to an electrical connector and more particularly to a stagable electrical connector having a terminal locking inner shuttle and method of assembly.
Electrical connectors such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,318, issued Nov. 9, 1999, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, are known to have female terminals that snap lock into a connector housing. During assembly of conventional connectors, the terminal is inserted axially along a connector mating axis whereupon a bottom portion of the terminal rides upward upon a ramped tab projecting radially inward and upward in a terminal cavity defined by the housing. As the bottom portion of the terminal rides upward, a top portion of the terminal contacts and resiliently bends a flex beam of the housing radially outward and upward. The terminal snap locks to the housing when a window in the lower portion of the terminal aligns axially to the tab causing the resilient force of the flex beam to push down upon the terminal thus snap fitting the tab into the window.
Although these electrical connectors have generally worked well for smaller connectors used in twelve to fourteen volt automotive electrical systems, high voltage systems having direct current ratings of about 150 amps to 200 amps require much larger connectors that require connector retention values of at least 150 Newtons. Unfortunately, known electrical connector housings and inner locking bodies for high voltage systems are insufficient for reliable terminal retention. Specifically, the flexibility of the flex beam is not restricted even after the connector is fully assembled, thus known terminals, and especially terminals of larger size and larger cable size, can rock within the housing cavity. This terminal rocking and flex beam deflection may ultimately cause failure of terminal retention to the housing.
A stagable electrical connector has a housing and a shuttle that moves with respect to the housing from a staged position to an assembled position. An electrically conductive terminal snap fits to the shuttle when in the staged position and generally does not move with respect to the shuttle as the shuttle is then moved from the staged position to the assembled position that further secures the terminal to the shuttle. Preferably, a one-way coupler is carried between the shuttle and the housing to strongly resist withdrawal of the shuttle from the housing as the terminal is snap fitted to the shuttle. During snap fitting of the terminal, a flex beam of the shuttle is free to resiliently move giving way to the terminal and flexing back when the terminal is fitted to the shuttle. Rearward movement of the shuttle with respect to the housing places a distal catch end of the flex beam snugly between a reinforcement structure of the housing and the terminal preventing flexing of the flex beam and further securing the terminal to the shuttle.
Preferably, a staging feature and an assembly retention feature are carried between at least one slightly flexible partitions of the shuttle and the housing. The staging feature yieldably restricts further movement of the shuttle into the housing when in the staged position, and the assembly retention feature prevents partial withdrawal of the shuttle from the housing when in the assembled position. When the shuttle is in the staged position, the terminal preferably snap fits to the shuttle via a projection that projects inwardly from a web segment of the shuttle, preferably made rigid by the partition, and into a window in the terminal.
Objects, features, and advantages of this invention include an electrical connector capable of securing an electrically conductive terminal, preferably of a high voltage circuit, to a connector housing of sufficient strength to resist rocking of the terminal with respect to the housing when plugging and un-plugging the connector. Other advantages include a connector that is easily assembled, relatively simple and robust in design, is compact, lightweight, economical to manufacture.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and best mode, appended claims, and accompanying drawings in which:
Referring to the drawings and as best illustrated in
The housing 22 has a base portion 30 disposed substantially perpendicular to the centerline 28. A rear hole 32 in the base portion 30 for receipt of the terminal 26 is orientated co-axially with the centerline 28. A shroud 34 of the housing 22 projects forward from the base portion 30, generally circles the rear hole 32 and radially defines a connector cavity 36. A forward opening 38 (see
The shuttle 24, which radially inwardly receives the terminal 26, has a staged position 48 (see
As best illustrated in
The electrically conductive terminal 26 is similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,340, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Prior to assembly of the connector 20, the terminal 26 is preferably pre-crimped to an electrical insulation 66 of an insulated wire 68 by crimp wings 70 of the terminal 26, and is preferably crimped to a stripped electrically conductive core 72 of the insulated wire 68 by crimp wings 74 orientated axially forward of crimp wings 70. The crimp wings 70, 74 are located axially between the grommet 46 and the base portion 30 of the housing 22 and radially inward of the housing skirt 42.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
A snap-fit staging feature 86 of the two-way coupler 80 has a pair of rearward and forward facing stop faces 88, 90 carried by respective frustum-like tabs 82, 84. When the shuttle 24 is in the staged position 48, the rearward stop face 88 of tab 82 is in releasable and yieldable contact with the forward stop face 90 of tab 84 thus resisting further shuttle movement into the housing 22. When the shuttle 24 is in the assembled position 50 the rearward and forward stop faces 88, 90 do not confront one-another, but are generally opposed to or face away from one-another.
A snap-fit assembly retention feature 92 of the two-way coupler 80 has a pair of forward and rearward facing stop surfaces 94, 96 carried by respective frustum-like tabs 82, 84, but generally on opposite sides of the tabs to the respective rearward and forward stop faces 88, 90. When the shuttle 24 is in the fully assembled position 50, the forward stop surface 94 of tab 82 is in releasable and yieldable contact with the rearward stop surface 96 of tab 84 thus resisting withdrawal of the shuttle 24 from the housing 22. When the shuttle 24 is in the staged position 48 the forward and rearward stop surfaces 94, 96 do not confront one-another, but are generally opposed to or face axially away from one-another.
Preferably, the connector 20 has two one-way couplers 98 that are orientated diametrically to one-another and carried between the housing shroud 34 and respective partitions 62, 64 of the shuttle 24 and in the cavity 36. The one-way coupler 98 is non-yieldable and strongly resists withdrawal of the shuttle 24 from the housing 22 when the shuttle is in the staged position 48. This resistance against withdrawal permits snap-locking of the terminal 26 into the staged shuttle 24. Each one-way coupler 98 preferably has a pair of interactive prongs 100, 102. Prongs 100 of each pair project radially outward from respective partitions 62, 64 and slightly forward to a point, and prongs 102 project radially inward from the housing 22 and slightly rearward to a point.
Prong 100 carries a forward locking face 104 and a rearward ramp 106. The forward locking face is preferably orientated at an acute angle to the adjacent and respective partition 62, 64 of the shuttle 24. Prong 102 carries a rearward locking surface 108, which is preferably orientated at substantially the same acute angle to the adjacent shroud 34 of the housing 22, and a forward ramp 110. When the shuttle 24 is first being inserted into the housing shroud 34, the rearward ramp 106 of the shuttle prong 100 assists the prong 100 in traveling yieldably over the housing tab 84 and then yieldably over the prong 102 while sliding across the forward ramp 110 whereupon the prong 100 snaps radially outward when the shuttle reaches the staged position 38. When the shuttle 24 is in the staged position 48, the forward locking face 104 is in releasable contact with the rearward locking surface 108. Thus, when the shuttle 24 moves further into the housing away from the staged position 48 and toward the assembled position 50, the face 104 and surface 108 will remain facing each other and freely separate from one-another in an axial direction.
Referring to
During assembly of the electrical connector 20, a leading distal end or edge of the sliding member 54 of the shuttle 24 is first inserted axially along the centerline 28 through the forward opening 38 of the shroud 34 of the connector housing 22. With continued insertion of the shuttle 24 into the cavity 36 in the shroud 34, the rearward ramp 106 of the prong 100 carried by the respective shuttle partitions 62, 64 slide upon the sloped forward stop surface 94 of the tab 84 carried by the shroud 34. To clear the tabs 84 during insertion of the shuttle 24, the partitions 62, 64 slightly flex resiliently and radially inward and snap radially outward once the prongs 100 are axially rearward of the tabs 84.
With continued insertion of the shuttle 24 toward the staged position 48, the rearward ramp 106 of the prong 100 slides upon the sloped forward ramp 110 of the prong 102 carried by the shroud 34. To clear the prongs 102, the partitions 62, 64 flex resiliently and radially inward and snap radially outward once the shuttle 24 is in the staged position 48. At this point, further insertion of the shuttle 24 into the cavity 36 is yieldably restricted by the staging feature 86 of the two-way coupler 80 wherein the rearward stop face 88 of the tab 82 contacts the forward stop face 90 of tab 84. Withdrawal of the shuttle 24 from the housing 22 is strongly resisted or prevented by the one-way coupler 98, wherein the forward locking face 104 of prong 100 contacts the rearward locking surface 108 of prong 102. Preferably, the common acute angle of face 104 and surface 108 will tend to pull the respective partitions 62, 64 tighter toward the shroud 34 should a withdrawal force be applied to the shuttle 24.
As best shown in
When the projection 128 is axially aligned to the window 122, the resilient radially inward force of the flex beam 56 causes the terminal web portion 112 to move radially outward placing the shuttle projection 124 in the window 122. Any further movement of the terminal 26 into the alcove 58 is prevented by contact of the abutments 132 with the terminal mating portion 78.
When axially moving the shuttle 24 rearward from the staged position 48 and toward the assembled position 50, the abutments 132 maintain axial alignment of the terminal 26 with the shuttle 24. During movement toward the assembled position 50, the prong 100 spaces axially rearward from the prong 102 of the one-way coupler 98 and the distal catch end 134 of the flex beam 56 aligns snuggly between a radially inward facing surface 140 (see
Referring to
While the forms of the invention herein disclosed constitute presently preferred embodiments, many others are possible. It is not intended herein to mention all the possible equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that terms used herein are merely descriptive, rather than limiting, and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
