Patent Application
20160141800
The present disclosure generally relates to electrical connectors and more particularly relates to systems and methods for a self-closing electrical connector with a tactile locking feature.
Generally, electrical connector systems are used in a variety of industries to electrically interconnect components. In one example, an electrical connector system can comprise a male portion and a female portion, which form an electrical connection when coupled together. Typically, the electrical connector system includes a mechanism to electrically couple the male portion with the female portion. In certain instances, it may be difficult to confirm that a male portion is properly electrically coupled with a female portion, due to visibility, etc. In addition, in certain instances, while the male portion and female portion may appear properly electrically coupled, after a period of time, the male portion and female portion may become unsecured to each other.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved systems and methods for a self-closing electrical connector with a tactile locking feature. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
In one embodiment, an electrical connector system is provided. The electrical connector system comprises a first electrical connector portion and a second electrical connector portion defining a cavity to receive the first electrical connector portion. The electrical connector system also comprises a locking system coupled to the first electrical connector portion. The locking system includes a biasing member and at least one locking arm. The biasing member is coupled to the at least one locking arm and the biasing member is movable from a first position to a second position. A force required to move the biasing member from the first position to the second position diminishes as the biasing member moves from the first position to the second position.
In one embodiment, an electrical connector system is provided. The electrical connector system comprises a first electrical connector portion having a first side and a second electrical connector portion defining a cavity to receive the first electrical connector portion. The second electrical connector portion includes a second side, with a pin extending outwardly from the second side. The electrical connector system also comprises a locking system coupled to the first side of the first electrical connector portion. The locking system includes a biasing member and at least one locking arm. The biasing member is coupled to the at least one locking arm and the biasing member is movable from a first position to a second position. The movement of the biasing member from the first position to the second position engages the at least one locking arm with the pin of the second electrical connector portion to electrically couple the first electrical connector portion to the second electrical connector portion.
The exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the application and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description.
With reference to
With continued reference to
As best shown in
The cavity 29 is generally defined through the housing 18 from the first end 30 to the second end 32. With reference to
The locking system 20 is coupled at the first end 30, and extends outwardly from the fourth side 28. The locking system 20 comprises a self-closing locking system, which provides an operator assembling the male connector portion 12 with the female connector portion 14 a tactile feedback that the male connector portion 12 is coupled, locked or secured, and electrically connected to the female connector portion 14. In one example, with reference to
The biasing member 40 is an over-center type biasing member. In this regard, the biasing member 40 has a first use position, and once moved past a peak, threshold or “over-center”, the biasing member 40 moves or conforms into a second use position. Stated another way, the biasing member 40 stores energy input to the biasing member 40 to move the biasing member 40 from the first position to the second position, and once the biasing member 40 has moved past the peak or threshold, the energy stored by the biasing member 40 is used to move the biasing member 40 into the second position without further external input. In other words, once the biasing member 40 has been moved past the peak or threshold position, the biasing member 40 substantially automatically moves itself into the second position. Thus, while a first force is required to move the biasing member 40 from the first position to the peak position, a second, different force is required to move the biasing member 40 from the peak position to the second position. Typically, the second force is less than the first force. In this example, an increasing amount of force is required to move the biasing member 40 from the first position to the peak position. Thus, once at the peak position, the amount of force required from an operator is greatly reduced as the biasing member 40 substantially automatically moves from the peak position to the second position, thereby providing a tactile, and in certain cases, visual feedback to the operator that the locking system 20 has secured and electrically connected the male connector portion 12 to the female connector portion 14.
In one example, the biasing member 40 comprises a leaf spring, however, any suitable biasing member, over-center device or energy storing member can be employed. The biasing member 40 is composed of a polymeric material, however, the biasing member 40 can be composed of a flexible metal or metal alloy, including, but not limited to aluminum, for example. Generally, the biasing member 40 is substantially C-shaped, and includes a first end 44 and a second end 46. The biasing member 40 is coupled to the male connector portion 12 at a center point 48 of the biasing member 40. The biasing member 40 is coupled to the male connector portion 12 such that the first end 44 and the second end 46 of the biasing member 40 are movable relative to the center point 48. In one example, the biasing member 40 is coupled to the male connector portion 12 via a post 50. In this example, the post 50 defines a slot 52, through which the biasing member 40 is received. Generally, the slot 52 is defined such that the biasing member 40 is supported in the slot 52 by a portion 54 of the post 50. It should be noted, however, that the biasing member 40 can be supported on the male connector portion 12 in alternative ways, such as through the use of mechanical fasteners, for example. Thus, the post 50 illustrated herein is merely exemplary.
The first end 44 and the second end 46 of the biasing member 40 are movable relative to the center point 48 to enable the biasing member 40 to move between the first position and the second position. As best shown in
In this regard, in this example, the at least one locking arm 42 comprises a first locking arm 56 and a second locking arm 58. It should be noted that the locking system 20 illustrated herein is merely exemplary, as a larger locking system or smaller locking system (e.g. one locking arm 42 with one biasing member 40) can be employed depending upon the size (e.g. number of electrical contacts) of the male connector portion 12 and the female connector portion 14. The first locking arm 56 and the second locking arm 58 can be composed of a polymeric material, however, the first locking arm 56 and second locking arm 58 can be composed of a suitable metal or metal alloy if desired. The first locking arm 56 is coupled to the first end 44 and the second locking arm 58 is coupled to the second end 46 of the biasing member 40 via a respective web 55. Thus, as will be discussed further herein, movement of the first end 44 and second end 46 of the biasing member 40 causes the first locking arm 56 and second locking arm 58 to move.
With reference to
The receiving end 62 defines an aperture 68. The aperture 68 is semi-circular to engage a pin 70 of the female connector portion 14. While the aperture 68 is illustrated herein as being semi-circular and the pin 70 as cylindrical, the aperture 68 and the pin 70 can have any desired cooperating shape. The receiving end 62 of the first locking arm 56 is coupled to a receiving end 72 of the second locking arm 58 so as to form a living hinge. In one example, the receiving end 62 and the receiving end 72 of the second locking arm 58 are coupled together through forming, such as injection molding, however, the receiving end 62 and receiving end 72 can be coupled through any suitable technique.
The second locking arm 58 includes a locking end 74 and the receiving end 72. The locking end 74 engages a portion of the female connector portion 14 to couple the male connector portion 12 to the female connector portion 14. The locking end 74 is substantially arcuate or rounded, however, the locking end 74 can have any desired shape to engage the female connector portion 14. The receiving end 72 defines an aperture 76. The aperture 76 is semi-circular to engage the pin 70 of the female connector portion 14. Generally, the aperture 76 is vertically offset relative to the aperture 68 of the first locking arm 56 to facilitate engagement of the first locking arm 56 and the second locking arm 58 with the pin 70. While the aperture 76 is illustrated herein as being semi-circular and the pin 70 as cylindrical, the aperture 68, aperture 76 and the pin 70 can have any desired cooperating shape.
With continued reference to
As best shown in
In one example, the at least one channel 94 comprises a plurality of channels 94, which are defined through the fourth side 88, and extend from the first end 90 to near the second end 92. The channels 94 receive the guides 36 of the male connector portion 12 to assist in aligning the male connector portion 12 with the female connector portion 14. In one example, the at least one lock receptacle 96 comprises a first lock receptacle 98 and a second lock receptacle 100. The first lock receptacle 98 and the second lock receptacle 100 each extend outwardly or away from the fourth side 88 to enable engagement of the first locking arm 56 and the second locking arm 58 with the first lock receptacle 98 and the second lock receptacle 100. The first lock receptacle 98 and the second lock receptacle 100 can be substantially mirror images of each other about the longitudinal axis 15. The first lock receptacle 98 comprises any suitable protuberance that engages the locking end 60 of the first locking arm 56. For example, the first lock receptacle 98 comprises a hook shaped end that hooks into engagement with the locking end 60 of the first locking arm 56. The engagement between the first lock receptacle 98 and the locking end 60 can create audible feedback, if desired.
Similar to the first lock receptacle 98, the second lock receptacle 100 comprises any suitable protuberance that engages the locking end 74 of the second locking arm 58. For example, the second lock receptacle 100 comprises a hook shaped end that hooks into engagement with the locking end 74 of the second locking arm 58. The engagement between the second lock receptacle 100 and the locking end 74 can create audible feedback, if desired.
The cavity 89 is generally defined through the housing 80 from the first end 90 to the second end 92. The cavity 89 enables the male connector portion 12 to be received within the housing 80. In one example, the second end 92 defines at least one or a plurality of contacts, such as pins 102 (
In one example, with reference to
At 202, the male connector portion 12 is aligned with the cavity 89 of the female connector portion 14. At 204, a force is applied to one or more of the male connector portion 12 and the female connector portion 14. The application of the force causes the biasing member 40 of the locking system 20 to begin to move from the first position (
At 206, once the force applied to the biasing member 40 has moved the biasing member 40 over center or over the peak position, the biasing member 40 substantially automatically moves into the second position, such that the locking system 20 is self-closing. In other words, once the biasing member 40 has been moved over the center or peak position, the potential energy stored by the biasing member 40 is converted into kinetic energy, which is used to move the biasing member 40 into the second position. The substantially automatic movement of the biasing member 40 into the second position provides a tactile feedback to the operator, as the force input required for the male connector portion 12 greatly diminishes. Further, the movement of the biasing member 40 into the second position moves the first locking arm 56 and second locking arm 58, causing the first locking arm 56 and the second locking arm 58 to pivot and engage the pin 70. Thus, the movement of the biasing member 40 into the second position electrically couples and secures the male connector portion 12 to the female connector portion 14 and the method ends at 208.
With reference to
With continued reference to
The locking system 306 comprises a self-closing locking system, which provides an operator assembling the male connector portion 302 with the female connector portion 14 a tactile feedback that the male connector portion 302 is coupled, locked or secured, and electrically connected to the female connector portion 14. In one example, with reference to
With reference to
As the method of assembling the male connector portion 302 to the female connector portion 14 can be substantially similar to the method described with regard to
With reference to
With continued reference to
The lock shield 406 is coupled to the fourth side 28 at the first end 30 of the housing 18 so as to be disposed over the locking system 20 and adjacent to the guides 36. The lock shield 406 can be fixedly coupled to the housing 18 through any suitable technique, such as ultrasonic welding, adhesives, etc. The lock shield 406 protects the locking system 20 from inadvertent movement between the first position and the second position. In one example, the lock shield 406 is substantially U-shaped, and is sized to extend from the first side 22 of the housing 18 to the third side 26 of the housing 18. In one example, the lock shield 406 has a first arm 408 coupled to the first side 22 and a second arm 410 coupled to the third side 26. The first arm 408 and second arm 410 extend outwardly from a base 412. Generally, the first arm 408 and second arm 410 have a sufficient length such that the locking system 20 can move between the first position and the second position without contacting the lock shield 406, as illustrated in
As the method of assembling the male connector portion 402 to the female connector portion 14 can be substantially similar to the method described with regard to
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.
