CN117712751A - Electrical connector with comb-type terminal lock - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connector (100) includes a connector housing (112) having terminal cavities (110) arranged in an array having at least two rows and at least two columns. Each terminal cavity (110) is configured to receive an electrical terminal (108). Each terminal cavity defines a flexible primary locking mechanism (114) integrally formed with the connector housing (112) and configured to engage an edge (116) of at least one electrical terminal (108) of the plurality of electrical terminals, thereby preventing removal of the plurality of electrical terminals from the terminal cavity (110). The electrical connector (100) further includes a secondary locking mechanism (102) slidably attached to the connector housing (112) and movable from a ready position (104) to an operative position (106). The secondary locking mechanism (102) defines a plurality of members (118) configured to extend into the terminal cavity (110) and engage edges (116) of at least two of the plurality of electrical terminals when the secondary locking mechanism (102) is in the operational position (106), thereby further preventing removal of the plurality of electrical terminals from the terminal cavity (110).

Description

Electrical connector with comb-type terminal lock

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 18/240,447, filed on 8.31 of 2023, which claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/405,916, filed on 13 of 9.2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to miniature coaxial connectors having comb terminal locks.

Background

The limited packaging has driven the need for miniature coaxial connectors. The small connector size of these miniature coaxial connectors results in secondary locking features with small push surface area, difficult assembly, and poor dislocation detection feedback. In miniature coaxial connectors with multiple rows of terminals, such as 6-way connectors with a 3 x 2 terminal cavity configuration and a top-located Connector Position Assurance (CPA) device, the cavity is not easily molded without increasing the size of the connector or including additional components in the connector, such as additional secondary locks. The difficulty in molding these connectors results in a higher cost of the final product. In addition, poor misalignment detection feedback may require connector holders or electrical detection to determine if the terminals are properly positioned, further increasing production costs.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, an electrical connector includes a connector housing having terminal cavities extending therethrough arranged in an array having at least two rows and at least two columns. Each of the terminal cavities is configured to receive one of a plurality of electrical terminals. Each terminal cavity defines a flexible primary locking mechanism integrally formed with the connector housing and configured to engage an edge of at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals, thereby preventing removal of the plurality of electrical terminals from the terminal cavity. The electrical connector also includes a secondary locking mechanism slidably attached to the connector housing and movable from a ready position to an operative position and defining a plurality of members configured to extend into the terminal cavity and engage edges of at least two of the plurality of electrical terminals when the secondary locking mechanism is in the operative position, thereby further preventing removal of the plurality of electrical terminals from the terminal cavity.

In some aspects of the electrical connector described in the preceding paragraph, the plurality of members define ridges that engage edges of at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals when the secondary locking mechanism is in the operative position.

In some aspects of the electrical connector of any of the preceding paragraphs, the plurality of members includes two outer members and at least one inner member. The at least one inner member is in contact with an edge of twice the number of the plurality of electrical terminals to which the two outer members are joined.

In some aspects of the electrical connector of any of the preceding paragraphs, the plurality of members are sized, shaped, and arranged to allow each of the terminal cavities to receive one of the plurality of electrical terminals when the secondary locking mechanism is in the ready position.

In some aspects of the electrical connector of any of the preceding paragraphs, the sides of the plurality of members are scalloped to allow each of the terminal cavities to receive one of the plurality of electrical terminals when the secondary locking mechanism is in the ready position.

In some aspects of the electrical connector of any of the preceding paragraphs, interference between at least one of the plurality of members and at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals that are not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities prevents the secondary locking mechanism from moving from the ready position to the operative position, thereby indicating an improperly seated terminal.

In some aspects of the electrical connector of any of the preceding paragraphs, the secondary locking mechanism includes a connector locking mechanism configured to attach the electrical connector to a corresponding mating electrical connector and a terminal position assurance device.

In some aspects of the electrical connector of any of the preceding paragraphs, each of the at least two rows of the array comprises a first equal number of terminal cavities and each of the at least two columns of the array comprises a second equal number of terminal cavities.

In some aspects of the electrical connector of any of the preceding paragraphs, each of the plurality of electrical terminals has a connection end configured to connect with a corresponding mating terminal and an attachment end attached to the cable, and wherein an edge of each of the plurality of electrical terminals is closer to the attachment end than the connection end.

In some aspects of the electrical connector of any of the preceding paragraphs, each of the plurality of electrical terminals has a generally tubular shape.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a method of assembling an electrical connector includes:

providing a connector housing having terminal cavities extending therethrough, the terminal cavities being arranged in an array having at least two rows and at least two columns;

inserting at least two electrical terminals of the plurality of electrical terminals into at least two terminal cavities;

engaging a flexible primary locking mechanism integrally formed with the connector housing in each of the terminal cavities with an edge of each of the plurality of electrical terminals, thereby preventing removal of each of the plurality of electrical terminals from each of the terminal cavities;

slidably attaching a secondary locking mechanism to the connector housing; and is also provided with

Moving the secondary locking mechanism from the ready position to the operative position such that a plurality of members defined by the secondary locking mechanism extend into the terminal cavity and engage an edge of at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals when the plurality of electrical terminals are fully seated in the terminal cavity, thereby further preventing removal of the plurality of electrical terminals from the terminal cavity.

In some aspects of the method described in the preceding paragraph, the method further comprises preventing the secondary locking mechanism from moving from the ready position to the working position due to interference between at least one of the plurality of members and an electrical terminal of at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals that is not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities, thereby indicating an improperly seated terminal.

In some aspects of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, the method further comprises repositioning at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals that are not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities so that it is fully seated within the terminal cavity.

In some aspects of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, the plurality of members comprises two outer members and at least one inner member, and wherein the at least one inner member is in contact with an edge of twice the number of the plurality of electrical terminals that the two outer members engage.

In some aspects of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, the plurality of members are sized, shaped and arranged to allow each of the terminal cavities to receive one of the plurality of electrical terminals when the secondary locking mechanism is in the ready position.

In some aspects of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, the sides of the plurality of members are scalloped to allow each of the terminal cavities to receive one of the plurality of electrical terminals when the secondary locking mechanism is in the ready position.

In some aspects of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, the secondary locking mechanism includes a connector locking mechanism configured to attach the electrical connector to a corresponding mating electrical connector and a terminal position assurance device.

In some aspects of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, each of the at least two rows of the array comprises a first equal number of terminal cavities and each of the at least two columns of the array comprises a second equal number of terminal cavities.

In some aspects of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, each of the plurality of electrical terminals has a connection end configured to connect with a corresponding mating terminal and an attachment end connected to the cable, and wherein an edge of each of the plurality of electrical terminals is closer to the attachment end than the connection end.

In some aspects of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, each of the plurality of electrical terminals has a generally tubular shape.

Drawings

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is an isometric view of an electrical connector according to some embodiments;

FIG. 1B is an exploded view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1A according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2A is a side view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1A according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2B is an end view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1A according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3A is a side view of a secondary locking mechanism of the electrical connector of FIG. 1A in a ready position according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3B is an isometric view of the secondary locking mechanism of FIG. 3A in a ready position according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4A is a side view of a secondary locking mechanism of the electrical connector of FIG. 1 in an operative position according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4B is an isometric view of the secondary locking mechanism of FIG. 4A in an operational position according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a secondary locking mechanism that remains in a ready position due to an incorrect placement of a terminal according to some embodiments;

FIG. 6A is another isometric view of the secondary locking mechanism of FIG. 3A in a ready position according to some embodiments;

fig. 6B is another isometric view of a secondary locking mechanism that remains in a ready position due to an incorrect placement of a terminal according to some embodiments;

FIGS. 6C and 6D are isometric views showing the secondary locking mechanism moving from the ready position to the operative position when all terminals are properly positioned, according to some embodiments;

fig. 7A is an isometric view of a terminal showing an edge according to some embodiments;

fig. 7B is an isometric view of a primary locking mechanism engaging an edge of the terminal shown in fig. 7A, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 8A illustrates an end view of an electrical connector having a secondary locking mechanism in a ready position, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 8B illustrates the same end view of the electrical connector of FIG. 8A with the connector housing removed, in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 9A illustrates an end view of an electrical connector having a secondary locking mechanism in an operative position in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 9B illustrates the same end view of the electrical connector of FIG. 9A with the connector housing removed, in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 10A illustrates an X-ray view of an electrical connector in which one terminal is improperly seated in a terminal cavity and a secondary locking mechanism is maintained in a ready position, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 10B illustrates a view of the electrical connector of FIG. 10A with the connector housing removed, in accordance with some embodiments; and

fig. 11 illustrates a flow chart of a method of assembling an electrical connector according to some embodiments.

Detailed Description

The electrical connector 100 described herein and shown in fig. 1A and 1B includes a secondary locking mechanism 102 in the form of a comb-type secondary terminal lock. As shown in fig. 5, 6B, 10A and 10B, the secondary locking mechanism 102 is prevented from moving B from the ready position 104 to the working position 106 when not all of the electrical terminals 108 are properly seated in the terminal cavities 110 in the connector housing 112. This indicates to the assembly operator that at least one electrical terminal 108 is improperly seated in terminal cavity 110. Preventing secondary locking mechanism 102 from moving to operative position 106 also prevents electrical connector 100 from mating with a corresponding mating electrical connector (not shown), providing an additional indication that at least one electrical terminal 108 is improperly seated, and that the assembly operator should take corrective action to properly seat all electrical terminals 108 in terminal cavities 110.

The electrical connector 100 includes a connector housing defining a terminal cavity 110 extending therethrough, as best shown in fig. 2B. The terminal cavities 110 are arranged in an array having at least two rows and at least two columns, in the example shown two rows and three columns. Each row of the array may contain a number of terminal cavities 110 equal to the number of cavities of any other row, and each column of the array may contain a number of terminal cavities 110 equal to the number of cavities of any other column. Each terminal cavity 110 is configured to receive one of the electrical terminals 108. Each terminal cavity defines a flexible primary locking mechanism 114 integrally formed with the connector housing 112. As shown in fig. 7B, the flexible primary locking mechanism 114 is configured to engage an edge 116 of the electrical terminal 108, as shown in fig. 7A, thereby preventing removal of the electrical terminal 108 from the terminal cavity 110. The electrical connector 100 also includes a secondary locking mechanism 102 slidably attached to the connector housing 112. As shown in fig. 6A, the secondary locking mechanism 102 is movable by pushing the secondary locking mechanism 102 toward the connector housing 112, thereby moving the secondary locking mechanism 102 from the ready position 104 shown in fig. 3A, 3B, and 6C to the operating position 106 shown in fig. 4A and 4B. As best shown in fig. 6D, 8B, 9B, the secondary locking mechanism 102 defines a plurality of members 118 in a comb arrangement configured to extend into the terminal cavity 110 and engage edges 116 of at least two of the electrical terminals 108 when the secondary locking mechanism 102 is in the operative position 106, thereby further preventing removal of the electrical terminals 108 from the terminal cavity 110.

The member 118 may define a ridge 120, the ridge 120 engaging the edge 116 of the electrical terminal 108 when the secondary locking mechanism 102 is in the operational position 106, see fig. 9B.

The member 118 includes two outer members 118A and one or more inner members 118B. The inner member 118B is in contact with the edges 106 of twice the number of electrical terminals 108 that the two outer members 118A engage.

The size, shape, and arrangement of the members 118 may be designed to allow each of the terminal cavities 110 to receive one of the electrical terminals 108 when the secondary locking mechanism 102 is in the ready position 104.

The sides 122 of the member 118 may be scalloped to allow each of the terminal cavities 110 to receive one of the electrical terminals 108 when the secondary locking mechanism 102 is in the ready position 104.

Interference between the at least one member 118 and the at least one electrical terminal 108 that is not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities 110 may prevent the secondary locking mechanism 102 from moving from the ready position 104 to the working position 106, thereby indicating an improperly seated terminal.

The secondary locking mechanism 102 may include a connector locking mechanism 124 and a Connector Position Assurance (CPA) device 126, wherein the connector locking mechanism 124 is configured to attach an electrical connector to a corresponding mating electrical connector (not shown) integrating the connector locking mechanism 124 into the secondary locking mechanism 102 provides the benefit of preventing the electrical connector 100 from mating with a corresponding mating connector (not shown) because the connector locking mechanism 124 is lifted from the connector housing 112 when the secondary locking mechanism 102 is in the ready position 104. Integrating the connector locking mechanism 124 into the secondary locking mechanism 102 provides the benefit of allowing an equal number of terminal cavities in each row of terminal cavities, as there is no need to eliminate one terminal cavity in the connector housing 112 to accommodate the connector locking mechanism 124 as required in previous electrical connector designs.

Each electrical terminal 108 has a connection end 128 configured to connect with a corresponding mating terminal (not shown) and an attachment end 130 connected to a cable 132. The edge 116 of each electrical terminal 108 may be closer to the attachment end 130 than the connection end 128. Each electrical terminal 108 may have a generally tubular shape.

A non-limiting example of a method 200 of assembling an electrical connector is shown in fig. 11. The method 200 comprises the steps of:

step 202-providing a connector housing comprising providing a connector housing 112 having terminal cavities extending therethrough, the terminal cavities arranged in an array having at least two rows and at least two columns;

step 204-inserting the electrical terminals, including inserting at least two electrical terminals 108 into at least two terminal cavities 110;

step 206-engaging the primary locking mechanism, including engaging a flexible primary locking mechanism integrally formed with the connector housing 112 in each of the terminal cavities 110 with the edge 116 of each of the electrical terminals 108, thereby preventing removal of each of the electrical terminals 108 from each of the terminal cavities 110;

step 208-attaching the secondary locking mechanism, including slidably attaching the secondary locking mechanism 102 to the connector housing 112; and

step 210-moving the secondary locking mechanism from the ready position to the operative position includes moving the secondary locking mechanism 102 from the ready position 104 to the operative position 106 such that a plurality of members 118 defined by the secondary locking mechanism 102 extend into the terminal cavities 110 and engage the edge 116 of at least one electrical terminal 108 when each of the electrical terminals 108 is fully seated in the terminal cavities 110, thereby further preventing the plurality of electrical terminals 108 from being removed from the terminal cavities 110.

The method may also include a step 212 of preventing the secondary locking mechanism from moving from the ready position to the operative position, including preventing the secondary locking mechanism 102 from moving from the ready position 104 to the operative position 106 due to interference between the at least one member 118 and the at least one electrical terminal 108 that is not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities 110, thereby indicating an improperly seated terminal.

The method may also incorporate step 214-repositioning the electrical terminal that is not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities, including repositioning the electrical terminal 108 that is not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities 110 such that the electrical terminal 108 is fully seated within the terminal cavity 110.

The member 118 may define a ridge 120, the ridge 120 engaging the edge 116 of the at least one electrical terminal 108 when the secondary locking mechanism 102 is in the operational position 106.

The member 118 includes two outer members 118A and one or more inner members 118B. The inner member 118B is in contact with the edges 116 of twice the number of electrical terminals 108 that the two outer members 118A engage.

The members 118 are sized, shaped, and arranged in a manner that allows each of the terminal cavities 110 to receive one of the electrical terminals 108 when the secondary locking mechanism 102 is in the ready position 104.

The sides 122 of the member 118 are scalloped to allow each of the terminal cavities 110 to receive one of the electrical terminals 108 when the secondary locking mechanism 102 is in the ready position 104.

The secondary locking mechanism 102 includes a connector locking mechanism 124 and a terminal position assurance device 126, wherein the connector locking mechanism 124 is configured to attach an electrical connector to a corresponding mating electrical connector (not shown).

Each of the at least two rows of the array may contain a first equal number of terminal cavities and each of the at least two columns of the array contain a second equal number of terminal cavities.

Each electrical terminal 108 has a connection end 128 configured to connect with a corresponding mating terminal (not shown) and an attachment end 130 connected to a cable 132. The edge 116 of each electrical terminal 108 may be closer to the attachment end 130 than the connection end 128.

Each of the electrical terminals 108 has a generally tubular shape.

The secondary locking mechanism 102 also provides the benefit of a push surface 134 that is more accessible and larger than other electrical connectors of comparable size. The secondary locking mechanism 102 also reduces the number of components in the electrical connector 100 as compared to an electrical connector having two separate secondary locking mechanisms attached to the connector housing, such as the electrical connector shown in U.S. patent application publication No. 2022/0006235 A1.

Although the illustrated example shows a miniature coaxial connector, alternative embodiments are contemplated that may be applied to single core terminals and housings, among other coaxial connectors.

While the present invention has been described in terms of its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited thereto, but rather only by the scope set forth in the following claims. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with one another. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. The dimensions, types of elements, orientations of the elements, and numbers and positions of the elements described herein are intended to define parameters of a particular embodiment and are not meant to be limiting but merely prototype embodiments.

Many other embodiments and variations within the spirit and scope of the claims will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

As used herein, one or more "includes a function performed by one element, a function performed by more than one element, e.g., in a distributed fashion, several functions performed by one element, several functions performed by several elements, or any combination of the above.

It will be further understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements in some cases, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first contact may be referred to as a second contact, and similarly, a second contact may be referred to as a first contact, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contacts.

The terminology used in the description of the various embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the specification of the various described embodiments and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein refers to and encompasses all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" and/or "including" when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term "if" is optionally interpreted to mean "when … …" or "at … …" or "responsive to a determination" or "responsive to detection", depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if detected [ the condition or event ]" is optionally interpreted to mean "upon determination … …" or "in response to determination" or "upon detection [ the condition or event ]" or "in response to detection [ the condition or event ]", depending on the context.

In addition, although ordinal or directional terms may be used herein, these elements should not be limited by these terms. Unless otherwise indicated, all rules or orientations are used for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another and do not denote any particular order, sequence of operations, direction, or orientation unless otherwise indicated.

Claims (20)

1. An electrical connector (100), comprising:

a connector housing (112) having a terminal cavity (110) extending therethrough, the terminal cavities arranged in an array having at least two rows and at least two columns, each of the terminal cavities (110) configured to receive one of a plurality of electrical terminals (108), wherein each terminal cavity defines a flexible primary locking mechanism (114) integrally formed with the connector housing (112) and configured to engage an edge (116) of at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals (108) to thereby inhibit removal of the plurality of electrical terminals from the terminal cavity (110); and

a secondary locking mechanism (102) slidably attached to the connector housing (112) and movable from a ready position (104) to an operative position (106), and defining a plurality of members (118) configured to extend into the terminal cavity (110) and engage the edges (116) of at least two of the plurality of electrical terminals (108) when the secondary locking mechanism (102) is in the operative position (106), thereby further preventing removal of the plurality of electrical terminals from the terminal cavity (110).

2. The electrical connector (100) of claim 1, wherein the plurality of members (118) define a ridge (120) that engages the edge (116) of at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals when the secondary locking mechanism (102) is in the operative position (106).

3. The electrical connector (100) of claim 1, wherein the plurality of members (118) includes two outer members (118A) and at least one inner member (118B), and wherein the at least one inner member (118B) is in contact with an edge of twice the number of the plurality of electrical terminals that the two outer members (118B) engage.

4. The electrical connector (100) of claim 1, wherein the plurality of members (118) are sized, shaped, and arranged to allow each of the terminal cavities (110) to receive one of the plurality of electrical terminals (108) when the secondary locking mechanism (102) is in the ready position (104).

5. The electrical connector (100) of claim 4, wherein the sides (122) of the plurality of members (118) are scalloped to allow each of the terminal cavities (110) to receive one of the plurality of electrical terminals (108) when the secondary locking mechanism (102) is in the ready position (104).

6. The electrical connector (100) of claim 1, wherein interference between at least one of the plurality of members (118) and at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals that is not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities (110) prevents the secondary locking mechanism (102) from moving from the ready position (104) to the operative position (106), thereby indicating the terminal being improperly seated.

7. The electrical connector (100) of claim 1, wherein the secondary locking mechanism (102) includes a connector locking mechanism (124) configured to attach the electrical connector (100) to a corresponding mating electrical connector (100) and a terminal position assurance device (126).

8. The electrical connector (100) of claim 7, wherein each of the at least two rows of the array includes a first equal number of terminal cavities (110) and each of the at least two columns of the array includes a second equal number of terminal cavities (110).

9. The electrical connector (100) of claim 1, wherein each electrical terminal (108) of the plurality of electrical terminals has a connection end (128) configured to connect with a corresponding mating terminal and an attachment end (130) connected to a cable (132), and wherein the edge (116) of each electrical terminal (108) of the plurality of electrical terminals is closer to the attachment end (130) than the connection end (128).

10. The electrical connector (100) of claim 9, wherein each electrical terminal (108) of the plurality of electrical terminals has a generally tubular shape.

11. A method (200) of assembling an electrical connector (100), comprising:

providing a connector housing (112) having terminal cavities (110) extending therethrough, the terminal cavities being arranged in an array having at least two rows and at least two columns;

inserting at least two electrical terminals of the plurality of electrical terminals into at least two terminal cavities (110);

engaging a flexible primary locking mechanism (114) integrally formed with the connector housing (112) in each of the terminal cavities (110) with an edge (116) of each of the plurality of electrical terminals (108), thereby preventing removal of each of the plurality of electrical terminals (108) from each of the terminal cavities (110);

slidably attaching a secondary locking mechanism (102) to the connector housing (112); and is also provided with

-moving the secondary locking mechanism (102) from a ready position (104) to an operative position (106) such that a plurality of members (118) defined by the secondary locking mechanism (102) extend into the terminal cavity (110) and engage the edge (116) of at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals when each of the plurality of electrical terminals is fully seated in the terminal cavity (110), thereby further preventing removal of the plurality of electrical terminals from the terminal cavity (110).

12. The method (200) of claim 11, further comprising:

the secondary locking mechanism (102) is prevented from moving from the ready position (104) to an operative position (106) due to interference between at least one of the plurality of members (118) and at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals that is not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities (110), thereby indicating the terminal as improperly seated.

13. The method (200) of claim 11, further comprising:

at least one of the plurality of electrical terminals that is not fully inserted into one of the terminal cavities (110) is repositioned to be fully disposed within the terminal cavity.

14. The method (200) of claim 11, wherein the plurality of members (118) includes two outer members (118A) and at least one inner member (118B), and wherein the at least one inner member (118B) is in contact with an edge of twice the number of the plurality of electrical terminals that the two outer members (118A) engage.

15. The method (200) of claim 11, wherein the plurality of members (118) are sized, shaped, and arranged to allow each of the terminal cavities (110) to receive one of the plurality of electrical terminals (108) when the secondary locking mechanism (102) is in the ready position (104).

16. The method (200) of claim 15, wherein the sides (122) of the plurality of members (118) are scalloped to allow each of the terminal cavities (110) to receive one of the plurality of electrical terminals (108) when the secondary locking mechanism (102) is in the ready position (104).

17. The method (200) of claim 11, wherein the secondary locking mechanism (102) comprises a connector locking mechanism (124) and a terminal position assurance device (126), wherein the connector locking mechanism is configured to attach the electrical connector (100) to a corresponding mating electrical connector (100).

18. The method (200) of claim 17, wherein each of the at least two rows of the array includes a first equal number of terminal cavities (110) and each of the at least two columns of the array includes a second equal number of terminal cavities (110).

19. The method (200) of claim 11, wherein each electrical terminal (108) of the plurality of electrical terminals has a connection end (128) configured to connect with a corresponding mating terminal and an attachment end (130) connected to a cable (132), and wherein the edge (116) of each electrical terminal (108) of the plurality of electrical terminals is closer to the attachment end (130) than the connection end (128).

20. The method (200) of claim 19, wherein each electrical terminal (108) of the plurality of electrical terminals has a generally tubular shape.