Electrical connector assembly with a releasable locking structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11637396-B2
Application number	US-202117376803-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2021
Priority date	Nov 11, 2020
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

An electrical connector assembly has a moving plate for protecting a terminal, which may easily separate the moving plate from a male plate for a rework operation for realigning a terminal pin without damage and may decrease a force when a female connector is inserted into and fastened to the male connector to push the moving plate. This improves the quality by reducing the difficulty when the female connector is inserted into and fastened to the male connector and improves a locking projection structure of the female connector such that the moving plate may easily return to the original location at all times when the female connector is separated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector assembly comprising a male connector, a moving plate movably mounted within the male connector for holding a plurality of terminal pins, and a female connector inserted into and fastened to the male connector,
wherein a slide groove having a fastening projection is formed on an inner surface of a side plate of the male connector, and outer surfaces of both sides of the moving plate are formed with elastic hooks configured to move along the slide groove while being locked to the fastening projection,
wherein a locking end is formed on a rear plate of the moving plate such that the moving plate is fixed to a location for holding the terminal pin, and elasticity fixing levers constraining the locking end are formed on inner surfaces of an upper plate and a lower plate of the male connector,
wherein a front edge location of the female connector is formed with a constraint release protrusion configured to push the elasticity fixing levers constraining the locking end in the constraint release direction,
wherein both side plates of the moving plate are formed with elasticity return levers, and
wherein locking projections are formed to protrude from both side surfaces of the female connector and configured to push up the elasticity return levers.

2. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein, at locations of both sides of a rear plate of the male connector, tool insertion holes are formed for introducing jig tools for unlocking toward the elastic hooks locked to the fastening projections.

3. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the locking end is formed on all sides of the rear plate of the moving plate, and the elasticity fixing levers are formed on locations of both sides of the upper plate and the lower plate of the male connector.

4. The electrical connector assembly of claim 3 , wherein a support end for constraining the locking end is integrally further formed adjacent to the elasticity fixing levers.

5. The electrical connector assembly of claim 3 , wherein an upper plate and a lower plate of the moving plate are formed with openings such that the elasticity fixing levers are configured to enter into the locking end to be constrainable.

6. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein, to decrease a force by which the constraint release protrusion of the female connector pushes the elasticity fixing levers in the constraint release direction, a rear end of the elasticity fixing levers is integrally connected to rear ends of the upper plate and the lower plate of the male connector to maximize a length of the elasticity fixing levers.

7. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the locking projections are formed to be inclined toward a front side of the female connector at 45° to 60° with respect to both side surfaces of the female connector in order to guarantee that the elasticity return levers are pushed up while minimizing a gap with a lower end of the elasticity return levers.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp
• Yura Co Ltd
• Yura Corp Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Sam Gyun
• Sim Jeong Hyeon
• Jo Young Ho
• Park Hae Sung

Classifications

• H01R13/629 Primary

  Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure {electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances (separate tools or apparatus H01R43/26)} · CPC title

• H01R2201/26

  for vehicles · CPC title

• H01R13/506 Primary

  assembled by snap action of the parts · CPC title

• H01R13/6273

  comprising two latching arms · CPC title

• H01R13/639

  Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, {e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap} · CPC title