Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9979127-B2
Application number	US-201715463689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Sep 19, 2014
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An electrical connector includes a housing, a lock mechanism, a trigger, and a strap. The lock mechanism is mounted on the housing and has a locking member. The lock mechanism is movable between a locking position in which the locking member locks the electrical connector to a mating electrical connector and an unlocking position in which the locking member is disengaged from the mating electrical connector. The trigger is pivotally mounted on the housing and is movable between a deactivated position and an activated position. The trigger moves the lock mechanism from the locking position to the unlocking position as the trigger moves between the deactivated position and the activated position. The strap is connected to the trigger and moves the trigger from the deactivated position to the activated position upon applying an activation force to the strap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector, comprising:
a housing;
a lock mechanism mounted on the housing and having a locking member, the lock mechanism movable between a locking position in which the locking member locks the electrical connector to a mating electrical connector and an unlocking position in which the locking member is disengaged from the mating electrical connector;
a trigger pivotally mounted on the housing and movable between a deactivated position and an activated position, the trigger moving the lock mechanism from the locking position to the unlocking position as the trigger moves between the deactivated position and the activated position; and
a strap connected to the trigger and operable to move the trigger from the deactivated position to the activated position upon applying an activation force to the strap.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the lock mechanism automatically moves from the unlocking position to the locking position when the activation force is removed from the strap.

3. The electrical connector of claim 2 , wherein the lock mechanism has a resilient arm on which the locking member is disposed, the trigger moves the resilient arm to the unlocking position when the activation force is applied to the strap, and the resilient arm automatically returns to the locking position when the activation force is removed from the strap.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein the trigger automatically moves from the activated position to the deactivated position under a restoring force of the resilient arm when the activation force is removed from the strap.

5. The electrical connector of claim 4 , wherein the trigger has a lateral beam and a pair of end plates with one end plate located at each end of the lateral beam, the end plates pivotally connected to the housing such that the trigger is rotatable about an axis extending in a width direction of the housing.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5 , wherein each end plate has a hole and the housing has a plurality of shafts, each of the plurality of shafts mating with the hole of one of the pair of end plates.

7. The electrical connector of claim 5 , wherein the lateral beam has a pushing protrusion, the resilient arm is disposed above the lateral beam, and when the activation force is applied to the strap, the pushing protrusion is rotated about the axis and pushes the resilient arm toward the unlocking position.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7 , wherein the lateral beam has a first slot and the strap has a second slot disposed in an end of the strap, the strap extending through the first slot and the second slot to connect the strap to the lateral beam.

9. The electrical connector of claim 8 , wherein the strap is formed of a flexible material.

10. The electrical connector of claim 9 , wherein the resilient arm extends in a length direction of the housing and the locking member is disposed on a first end of the resilient arm.

11. The electrical connector of claim 10 , wherein the lock mechanism has a lateral connection arm extending in a width direction of the housing and connected to the opposite second end of the resilient arm, and a pair of connection pegs each extending downward from one end of the lateral connection arm, the pair of connection pegs inserted into a plurality of slots in the housing.

12. The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein a slit is formed in each connection peg and a plurality of projections are disposed on both sides of each connection peg, the plurality of projections engaging a plurality of recesses formed in an inner wall of each of the plurality of slots.

13. The electrical connector of claim 12 , wherein the mating electrical connector has a mating locking member mating with the locking member of the lock mechanism, one of the locking member and the mating locking member is a protrusion and the other of the locking member and the mating locking member is an opening.

14. The electrical connector of claim 13 , wherein the locking member is an opening and the mating locking member is a protrusion.

15. The electrical connector of claim 14 , wherein the housing has a first groove receiving the trigger, a second groove receiving a portion of the strap, and a third groove receiving the lock mechanism.

16. The electrical connector of claim 15 , wherein the second groove extends in the length direction of the housing.

17. The electrical connector of claim 15 , wherein the mating electrical connector has a fourth groove receiving the first end of the resilient arm, the mating locking member disposed on a bottom wall of the fourth groove.

18. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the housing has a front end and a rear end in a length direction of the housing, the strap extending beyond the rear end of the housing.

19. The electrical connector of claim 18 , wherein the front end of the housing is inserted into a port of the mating electrical connector.

20. An electrical connector assembly, comprising:
a first electrical connector including a housing, a lock mechanism mounted on the housing and having a locking member, the lock mechanism movable between a locking position and an unlocking position, a trigger pivotally mounted on the housing and movable between a deactivated position and an activated position, the trigger moving the lock mechanism from the locking position to the unlocking position as the trigger moves between the deactivated position and the activated position, and a strap connected to the trigger and operable to move the trigger from the deactivated position to the activated position upon applying an activation force to the strap; and
a second electrical connector mated with the first electrical connector, the locking member locking the first electrical connector to the second electrical connector in the locking position and disengaged from the second electrical connector in the unlocking position.

21. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the trigger and the strap are formed separately.

22. The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the pair of connection pegs fix the lateral connection arm with respect to the housing.

23. The electrical connector of claim 22 , wherein the pushing protrusion deflects the resilient arm during rotation of the trigger from the deactivated position to the activated position.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd
• Te Connectivity Corp
• Tyco Electronics Svenska Ab

Inventors

• Zhang Zhicheng
• Zhao Guangming
• Barrefelt Rickard
• Orris David Patrick

Classifications

• H01R13/62961

  Pivoting lever having extendable handle · CPC title

• H01R13/62938 Primary

  Pivoting lever comprising own camming means · CPC title

• H01R13/6335 Primary

  comprising a handle · CPC title