Electrical connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9647378-B1
Application number	US-201615150484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 10, 2016
Priority date	May 10, 2016
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

An electrical connector is provided including a connector body having an upper housing, a lower housing and a front housing. The upper housing has terminal channels configured to receive terminals therein. The upper housing, the lower housing and the front housing are molded as a single piece with front sacrificial links connecting the upper and front housings and with rear sacrificial links connecting the upper and lower housings. The lower housing is press mated to the upper housing whereby the rear sacrificial links break as the lower housing is closed and mated to the upper housing. The front housing is press mated to the upper housing whereby the front sacrificial links break as the front housing is closed and mated to the upper housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector comprising:
a connector body having a front and a rear, the connector body including an upper housing, a lower housing matable to the upper housing at the rear and a front housing matable to the upper housing at the front, the upper housing having terminal channels configured to receive terminals therein, the upper housing and front housing defining a front cavity configured to receive at least a portion of a mating connector, the terminals extending from the terminal channels into the front cavity for mating with the mating connector;
wherein the upper housing, the lower housing and the front housing are molded as a single piece with front sacrificial links connecting the upper housing and the front housing and with rear sacrificial links connecting the upper housing and the lower housing, the lower housing being press mated to the upper housing whereby the rear sacrificial links break as the lower housing is moved from an open position to a closed position relative to the upper housing to mate the lower housing to the upper housing, the front housing being press mated to the upper housing whereby the front sacrificial links break as the front housing is moved from an open position to a closed position relative to the upper housing to mate the front housing to the upper housing.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the lower housing and the front housing are independently moveable from the open positions to the closed positions relative to the upper housing.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein upper housing and the front housing are molded with the front housing being aligned for mating with the upper housing whereby the front housing is configured to be pressed straight into the upper housing in a loading direction, the front sacrificial links being broken during loading of the front housing onto the upper housing.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the upper housing and the lower housing are molded with the lower housing being aligned for mating with the upper housing whereby the lower housing is configured to be pressed straight onto the upper housing in a loading direction, the rear sacrificial links being broken during loading of the lower housing onto the upper housing.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the upper housing has front securing features near the front and rear securing features near the rear, the lower housing including rear securing features aligned with and configured to engage the rear securing features of the upper housing to secure the lower housing to the upper housing, the front housing having front securing features configured to engage the front securing features of the upper housing to secure the front housing to the upper housing.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5 , wherein the rear securing features are aligned with the rear sacrificial links and wherein the front securing features are aligned with the front sacrificial links.

7. The electrical connector of claim 5 , wherein one of the front securing features of the upper housing or the front housing comprising a ledge, the other of the front securing features of the upper housing or the front housing comprising a catch engaging the ledge to secure the front housing to the upper housing.

8. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the front sacrificial links extend between an inner end of the upper housing and an inner end of the front housing, the rear securing links extend between the inner end of the upper housing and an inner end of the lower housing.

9. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the upper housing includes a front, a rear, an inner end, an outer end, and opposite sides, wherein the front housing includes a front, a rear, an inner end, an outer end, and opposite sides, and wherein the lower housing includes a front, a rear, an inner end, an outer end, and opposite sides, the inner ends of the front housing and lower housing face the inner end of the upper housing with the front sacrificial links extending between the inner end of the front housing and the inner end of the upper housing and with the rear sacrificial links extending between the inner end of the lower housing and the inner end of the upper housing.

10. The electrical connector of claim 9 , wherein the outer end of the front housing and the outer end of the lower housing define a bottom of the connector body, the outer end of the front housing overlapping at least a portion of the outer end of the lower housing when the front housing and the lower housing are in the closed positions.

11. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the lower housing includes a front wall having a plurality of openings, the front wall being positioned forward of the terminal channels, the openings being aligned with corresponding terminal channels when the lower housing is in the closed position such that the openings receive the terminals, the openings being defined by guide walls configured to engage the terminals to restrict movement of the terminals in mutually perpendicular directions.

12. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the lower housing includes a secondary locking wing rotatable into a locked position, the secondary locking wing includes at least one secondary locking tab received in the corresponding terminals channels, the at least one secondary locking tab engaging the corresponding terminals and preventing the terminals from backing out of the terminal channels to lock the terminals in the terminal channels when in the locked position.

13. An electrical connector comprising:
a plurality of terminals configured to be terminated to ends of corresponding wires;
an upper housing extending between a front and a rear, the upper housing having terminal channels receiving corresponding terminals therein, the upper housing having terminal latches configured to engage and lock the terminals in the terminal channels, the upper housing having a front pocket at the front configured to receive at least a portion of a mating connector, the terminals extending from the terminal channels into the front pocket for mating with the mating connector, the upper housing having front securing features near the front and rear securing features near the rear;
a lower housing matable to the upper housing at the rear of the upper housing, the lower housing having rear securing features configured to engage the rear securing features of the upper housing to secure the lower housing to the upper housing; and
a front housing matable to the upper housing at the front of the upper housing, the front housing having front securing features configured to engage the front securing features of the upper housing to secure the front housing to the upper housing;
wherein the upper housing, the lower housing and the front housing are molded as a single piece with front sacrificial links connecting the upper housing and the front housing and with rear sacrificial links connecting the upper housing and the lower housing, the lower housing being press mated to the upper housing whereby the rear sacrificial links break as the lower housing is moved from an open position to a closed position relative to the upper housing to mate the lower housing to the upper housing, the rear securing features of the lower housing engaging the rear securing features of the upper housing in the closed position, the front housing being press mated to the upper housing whereby the front sacrificial links break as the front housing is moved from an open position to a closed position relative to the upper housing to mate the front housing to the upper housin

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp
• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Mingo Tisha Mikhaili

Classifications

• H01R2201/26

  for vehicles · CPC title

• H01R13/502 Primary

  composed of different pieces (H01R13/514 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R13/506

  assembled by snap action of the parts · CPC title

• H01R13/501

  comprising an integral hinge or a frangible part · CPC title

• H01R13/424

  Securing in base or case composed of a plurality of insulating parts having at least one resilient insulating part · CPC title