Electrical connector assembly with axial connection assist

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9780487-B1
Application number	US-201715427725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 8, 2017
Priority date	Feb 8, 2017
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A connector includes a first housing, a second housing, a mate assist slider, and a cam gear. The first-housing has a first outer surface. The second housing is configured to mate with the first housing, and the second housing includes a pin extending from a second outer surface. The connector also includes a mate assist slider moveable from an unmated position to a mated position. The connector also includes a cam gear mounted to the first outer surface. The cam gear moves in response to a movement of the mate-assist-slider from the unmated position to the mated position. The cam gear has a cam slot with an inertial detent. A vibratory feedback is provided to an assembler indicative of a properly positioned connector housing when the pin is moved past the inertial detent.

First claim

We claim:

1. A connector, comprising:
a first-housing having a first-outer-surface defining a guide-slot;
a second-housing having a second-outer-surface, wherein the second-housing is configured to mate with the first-housing, said second-housing including a pin extending from the second-outer-surface, said pin defining a cam-portion and a guide-portion, wherein the guide-portion is configured to engage the guide-slot;
a mate-assist-slider moveable from an unmated-position to a mated-position, said mate-assist-slider longitudinally slideably mounted to and surrounding at least a portion of the first-outer-surface, said mate-assist-slider including a gear-rack having rack-teeth; and
a cam-gear moveably mounted to the first-outer-surface, said cam-gear having gear-teeth that engage the rack-teeth such that the cam-gear moves in response to a movement of the mate-assist-slider from the unmated-position to the mated-position, said cam-gear defining a cam-slot for receiving the cam-portion of the pin wherein the cam-slot has an entrance having an inertial-detent that covers a portion of the guide-slot and partially blocks a travel-path of the cam-portion of the pin, such that a vibratory-feedback is provided to an assembler indicative of a properly positioned connector-housing when the pin is moved past the inertial-detent enabling the mate-assist-slider to be moved from the unmated-position to the mated-position.

2. The connector in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the gear-teeth of the cam-gear are aligned along a curved-path.

3. The connector in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the gear-teeth of the cam-gear are aligned along a straight-path.

4. The connector in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the cam-slot of the cam-gear further defines a stop, and wherein the cam-gear further defines a pivot-hole configured to movably mount the cam-gear on a pivot-pin of the first-housing, said pivot-hole defining an opening wherein a portion of the pivot-hole is in communication with the cam-slot, and wherein when the cam-gear is moved the pin is axially pulled to the stop such that the pin and the pivot-pin are spaced less than 0.7 millimeters apart at the opening.

5. The connector in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the cam-gear includes a locking-tab, said locking-tab configured to prevent the movement of the cam-gear and the mate-assist-slider until an unlock-rib extending from the second-housing disengages the locking-tab as the second-housing is mated with the first-housing.

6. A connector, comprising:
a first-housing having a first-outer-surface defining a guide-slot;
a second-housing having a second-outer-surface, wherein the second-housing is configured to mate with the first-housing, said second-housing including a pin extending from the second-outer-surface, said pin defining a cam-portion and a guide-portion, wherein the guide-portion is configured to engage the guide-slot;
a mate-assist-slider moveable from an unmated-position to a mated-position, said mate-assist-slider longitudinally slideably mounted to and surrounding at least a portion of the first-outer-surface, said mate-assist-slider including a gear-rack having rack-teeth; and
a cam-gear moveably mounted to the first-outer-surface, said cam-gear having gear-teeth that engage the rack-teeth such that the cam-gear moves in response to a movement of the mate-assist-slider from the unmated-position to the mated-position, said cam-gear defining a cam-slot for receiving the cam-portion of the pin wherein the cam-slot has an entrance and a stop, said cam-gear further defining a pivot-hole configured to movably mount the cam-gear on a pivot-pin of the first-housing, said pivot-hole defining an opening, wherein a portion of the pivot-hole is in communication with the cam-slot and wherein when the mate-assist-slider is moved from the unmated-position to the mated-position the pin is axially pulled to the stop thereby mating the second-housing with the first-housing such that the pin and the pivot-pin are spaced less than 0.7 millimeters apart at the opening.

7. The connector in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the gear-teeth of the cam-gear are aligned along a curved-path.

8. The connector in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the cam-gear includes a locking-tab, said locking-tab configured to prevent the movement of the cam-gear until an unlock-rib extending from the second-housing disengages the locking-tab as the second-housing is mated with the first-housing.

9. A connector, comprising:
a first-housing having a first-outer-surface defining a guide-slot;
a second-housing having a second-outer-surface, wherein the second-housing is configured to mate with the first-housing, said second-housing including a pin extending from the second-outer-surface, said pin defining a cam-portion and a guide-portion, wherein the guide-portion is configured to engage the guide-slot;
a mate-assist-slider moveable from an unmated-position to a mated-position, said mate-assist-slider longitudinally slideably mounted to and surrounding at least a portion of the first-outer-surface, said mate-assist-slider including a gear-rack having rack-teeth; and
a cam-gear moveably mounted to the first-outer-surface, said cam-gear having gear-teeth that engage the rack-teeth such that the cam-gear moves in response to a movement of the mate-assist-slider from the unmated-position to the mated-position, said cam-gear defining a cam-slot for receiving the cam-portion of the pin, wherein the cam-gear includes a locking-tab, said locking-tab configured to prevent the movement of the cam-gear and the mate-assist-slider until an unlock-rib extending from the second-housing disengages the locking-tab as the second-housing is mated with the first-housing.

Assignees

• Delphi Tech Inc

Inventors

• Campbell Jeffrey Scott
• Weber Jr Wesley W

Classifications

• H01R13/62916

  Single camming plate · CPC title

• H01R13/62977

  Pivoting levers actuating linearly camming means · CPC title

• H01R13/62927 Primary

  Comprising supplementary or additional locking means · CPC title

• H01R13/62944

  Pivoting lever comprising gear teeth · CPC title

• H01R13/6295

  Pivoting lever comprising means indicating incorrect coupling of mating connectors · CPC title