EP1005113A2 - Connecteur électrique - Google Patents

Connecteur électrique Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP1005113A2
EP1005113A2 EP99123512A EP99123512A EP1005113A2 EP 1005113 A2 EP1005113 A2 EP 1005113A2 EP 99123512 A EP99123512 A EP 99123512A EP 99123512 A EP99123512 A EP 99123512A EP 1005113 A2 EP1005113 A2 EP 1005113A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
connector
disabling
casing
retaining element
terminals
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP99123512A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1005113B1 (fr
EP1005113A3 (fr
Inventor
Pier Carlo Bigotto
Renzo Rampone
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
FCI SA
Original Assignee
Framatome Connectors International SAS
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Framatome Connectors International SAS filed Critical Framatome Connectors International SAS
Publication of EP1005113A2 publication Critical patent/EP1005113A2/fr
Publication of EP1005113A3 publication Critical patent/EP1005113A3/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1005113B1 publication Critical patent/EP1005113B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/40—Securing contact members in or to a base or case; Insulating of contact members
    • H01R13/42—Securing in a demountable manner
    • H01R13/436—Securing a plurality of contact members by one locking piece or operation
    • H01R13/4361—Insertion of locking piece perpendicular to direction of contact insertion
    • H01R13/4362—Insertion of locking piece perpendicular to direction of contact insertion comprising a temporary and a final locking position
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
    • H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances
    • H01R13/62977—Pivoting levers actuating linearly camming means
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
    • H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances
    • H01R13/62905—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances comprising a camming member
    • H01R13/62911—U-shaped sliding element

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an electric connector, in particular, but not exclusively, to an electric plug connector connectable to a complementary electric socket connector to form an electric connecting unit having a large number of ways, of the type used to connect an electric system to an electronic central control unit.
  • Connecting units of the above type are known in which, as described for example in US Patent 5,725,398, the connectors comprise respective insulating casings defining respective numbers of cavities for respectively housing mutually connectable male and female electric terminals.
  • One of the connectors also comprises a terminal retaining grille which is fitted to the front of the respective casing in the opposite direction to that in which the terminals are inserted inside the respective cavities.
  • the retaining grille In addition to retaining the terminals inside the cavities of the respective casing, the retaining grille also prevents the respective connector from mating with the complementary connector if the terminals are not inserted correctly inside the respective cavities.
  • the retaining grille comprises a pair of projections defining respective stops for the complementary connector to prevent engagement of the connectors when the grille is not fitted completely to the respective casing. More specifically, the projections are hinged to the body of the grille by means of thin strips of material, which bend to move the projections clear of the mating path of the casings when the grille is fitted completely to the respective casing.
  • a major drawback of connectors of the above type lies in their still being connectable even if, by mistake, the retaining grille is not fitted to the respective casing; in which case, no provision is made for checking correct engagement of, or retaining, the terminals inside the respective cavities.
  • the retaining function is particularly important in the case of connecting units having a large number of ways, and which call for a certain amount of force to mate the connectors. In the absence of the retaining grille, and on account of the force required to mate the connectors, the terminals, in fact, may undergo displacement and/or deformation which could impair correct performance of the connecting unit as a whole.
  • Improper assembly of one or more of the terminals may also go unnoticed during testing, on account, for example, of the terminals being so positioned as to anyway establish a precarious electrical contact, which, in applications in which the connector is subject to vibration, as on motor vehicles, is bound to fail eventually, with all the consequences this entails.
  • an electric connector comprising an insulating casing defining a number of cavities for housing respective electric terminals and having axes parallel to a first direction wherein said connector is connected to a complementary connector; and at least one retaining element connectable in sliding manner to said casing in a second direction crosswise to said first direction and into a closed position retaining said terminals inside said cavities; characterized in that said casing comprises at least one disabling element, which is normally set to a disabling position disabling connection of said connector and said complementary connector and interfering with a connecting region of said connector and said complementary connector, and which may be set, by interaction with said retaining element, to an enabling position enabling connection of said connector and said complementary connector, and wherein said disabling element does not interfere with said connecting region.
  • Number 1 in Figure 1 indicates as a whole an electric connecting unit with a large number of ways, and in particular for connecting an electronic central control unit (not shown) to a vehicle electric system.
  • Unit 1 comprises a first plug connector 2 and a second socket connector 3 connectable to each other in a direction A.
  • Connector 2 comprises an insulating casing 4 made of plastic material and defining a number of cavities 5 ( Figures 2 and 3), which have respective axes parallel to direction A, and are aligned in a number of transverse rows - four in the example shown - extending parallel to a direction B perpendicular to direction A.
  • Cavities 5 house respective female electric terminals 6 connected to respective electric cables 7 and retained inside cavities 5 by primary and secondary retaining means described later on.
  • Casing 4 comprises a hollow, substantially parallelepipedal main body 8 having an outer lateral tubular appendix 9 for guiding cables 7; and a substantially parallelepipedal supporting block 10 for supporting terminals 6, and which extends inside main body 8 and defines the rows of cavities 5 ( Figure 2).
  • Connector 3 - which is only described herein as required for a clear understanding of the present invention - comprises a substantially parallelepipedal insulating casing 11 conveniently formed integrally with the outer casing (not shown) of the electronic central control unit, and housing a number of male electric terminals 12 extending parallel to direction A and connected to respective electric cables (not shown).
  • Casing 11 defines a front seat 15 for receiving block 10 of connector 2, and in which project respective contact portions 16 of terminals 12.
  • Unit 1 also comprises a lever device 17 permitting connection of connectors 2 and 3 with very little manual force, and which is only described briefly below, by not forming part of the present invention.
  • Device 17 comprises a slide 18 movable inside and with respect to casing 4 in direction B.
  • Slide 18 is substantially C-shaped, and comprises two spaced, substantially flat lateral walls 19 parallel to directions A and B, and a transverse end wall 20.
  • Lateral walls 19 of slide 18 slide inside respective lateral walls 21 of main body 8 of casing 4 and outside block 10; and main body 8, block 10 and lateral walls 19 of slide 18 define a seat 14 for receiving casing 11 of connector 3 in use, and so defining a connecting region of connectors 2 and 3.
  • Each lateral wall 19 comprises a number of cam slots 22 which cooperate with respective pins 23 on the outside of casing 11 to move connectors 2 and 3 towards each other when slide 18 is moved inwards of casing 4 in direction B.
  • the shape of slots 22 is known from EP 0 363 804-A and therefore not described.
  • Device 17 also comprises an activating lever 24 hinged to casing 4 and to lateral walls 19 of slide 18 so that rotation of lever 24 corresponds to translation of slide 18 in direction B and, by virtue of pins 23 engaging slots 22, to mutual engagement of connectors 2 and 3 and terminals 6 and 12 in direction A.
  • lever 24 is movable with respect to casing 4 between a raised or open position ( Figure 1) corresponding to maximum projection of slide 18 from casing 4, and a lowered or closed position on casing 4, which corresponds to full insertion of lateral walls 19 of slide 18 inside casing 4, and to a fully engaged position of connectors 2 and 3 and terminals 6 and 12.
  • each terminal 6 of connector 2 comprises a substantially cylindrical tubular front contact portion 25 which is engaged by the contact portion 16 of a corresponding male terminal 12 of connector 3; a rear portion 26 for connection to respective electric cable 7; and an intermediate portion 27 interposed between, and smaller in section than, portions 25 and 26.
  • Each terminal 6 is inserted inside respective cavity 5 through a rear opening 28 of the cavity, from which respective electric cable 7 projects in use, and is positioned with contact portion 25 facing a front opening 29 of cavity 5.
  • the primary retaining means comprise, for each terminal 6, a retaining seat 30 formed in the lateral wall of respective cavity 5; and an elastic lance 31 (Figure 3) projecting outwards from contact portion 25 of terminal 6, substantially in a direction parallel to direction A and towards intermediate portion 27, and which clicks onto seat 30.
  • the secondary retaining means comprise a substantially comb-shaped movable retaining element 35 formed separately from casing 4, and which is fitted in sliding manner, in direction B, inside a transverse seat 36 of block 10 of casing 4 perpendicularly intersecting cavities 5.
  • block 10 comprises a parallelepipedal rear portion 37 integral with main body 8 and having a number of first through holes; and a parallelepipedal front portion 38 which clicks inside main body 8 into a position adjacent to portion 37, and has a second number of through holes aligned with and defining cavities 5 with the first through holes.
  • Seat 36 is defined on opposite sides by portions 37 and 38 of block 10.
  • Seat 36 communicates with seat 14 through two shaped openings 39, 40 having respective profiles complementary to that of the cross section of retaining element 35, and formed in respective opposite walls 41, 42 of block 10 parallel to end wall 20 of slide 18 ( Figure 2).
  • Retaining element 35 comprises a base portion 43 substantially in the form of a bar; and a number of arms 44 - five in the example shown - extending perpendicularly to base portion 43, and cooperating in pairs, and on opposite sides of each row of cavities 5, with the intermediate portions 27 of respective terminals 6 correctly engaged inside respective cavities 5.
  • arms 44 of retaining element 35 define a number of gaps equal to the number of rows of cavities 5 - four in the example shown - and which are slightly larger in section than intermediate portions 27 of terminals 6, but smaller than the other sections of terminals 6, so that, only when terminals 6 are all inserted properly inside respective cavities 5, i.e. with respective intermediate portions 27 inside seat 36, can retaining element 35 be set to a closed position fully inserted inside seat 36, and with arms 44 cooperating laterally with terminals 6 to retain them inside cavities 5.
  • Arms 44 of retaining element 35 each have a parallelepipedal section, terminate with respective tapered, substantially truncated-pyramid-shaped free ends 45, and have, on opposite sides, respective longitudinal, parallelepipedal guide projections 46 which engage in sliding manner respective complementary slots 47 formed in the lateral walls of the rows of cavities 5.
  • Retaining element 35 is inserted inside seat 36 through three successive openings, namely : a rectangular through opening 48 formed in end wall 20 of slide 18; a shaped opening 49 having a profile complementary to that of the section of retaining element 35, and formed in a wall 50 of main body 8 parallel to walls 41, 42; and opening 39 in wall 41 of block 10.
  • portion 38 of block 10 comprises a tab 51 ( Figures 4 to 7) which projects from wall 42, is normally set to a disabling position disabling connection of connectors 2 and 3 ( Figures 4 and 6) and wherein tab 51 is inclined slightly with respect to direction A with a respective end portion 52 projecting from block 10 inside seat 14 so as to interfere with casing 11 of connector 3 in direction A, and, by interacting with retaining element 35, can be set, when retaining element 35 is in the closed position, to an enabling position enabling connection of connectors 2 and 3 ( Figures 5 and 7) and wherein tab 51 is housed entirely within the outer profile of block 10.
  • Tab 51 is engaged inside a slot 53 in wall 42 of block 10, and is secured integrally, by a respective intermediate portion 54, to block 10 by an elastic hinge 55 defined by a strip of plastic material.
  • ends 45 of arms 44 exert thrust on an opposite end portion 56 of tab 51 to end portion 52.
  • Tab 51 also decreases in section from end portion 52 to end portion 56.
  • Unit 1 is assembled by moving connectors 2 and 3 towards each other in direction A so that pins 23 engage the initial portions of respective slots 22, and by then rotating lever 24 from the raised Figure 1 position to the lowered position, after first fitting terminals 6, 12 inside respective casings 4, 11 and setting retaining element 35 to the closed position in block 10 of casing 4.
  • Block 10 of casing 4 may therefore slide inside seat 15 of casing 11 to complete connection of connectors 2 and 3.
  • tab 51 prevents connection of connectors 2 and 3 both in the event any one of terminals 6 is not inserted properly inside respective cavity 5, thus preventing retaining element 35 from being set to the closed position, and in the event retaining element 35 is not fitted, by mistake, inside seat 36.

Landscapes

  • Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
  • Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
  • Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
EP99123512A 1998-11-27 1999-11-25 Connecteur électrique Expired - Lifetime EP1005113B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT1998TO001004A IT1303187B1 (it) 1998-11-27 1998-11-27 Connettore elettrico.
ITTO981004 1998-11-27

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1005113A2 true EP1005113A2 (fr) 2000-05-31
EP1005113A3 EP1005113A3 (fr) 2000-07-26
EP1005113B1 EP1005113B1 (fr) 2003-07-23

Family

ID=11417214

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP99123512A Expired - Lifetime EP1005113B1 (fr) 1998-11-27 1999-11-25 Connecteur électrique

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1005113B1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE245858T1 (fr)
DE (1) DE69909717T2 (fr)
IT (1) IT1303187B1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2875957A1 (fr) 2004-09-29 2006-03-31 Fci Sa Dispositif de verrouillage d'elements de connecteur et connecteur le comprenant

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5199910A (en) * 1991-12-23 1993-04-06 Gte Products Corporation Connector device
FR2784510A1 (fr) * 1998-10-13 2000-04-14 Cinch Connecteurs Sa Connecteur electrique

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5199910A (en) * 1991-12-23 1993-04-06 Gte Products Corporation Connector device
FR2784510A1 (fr) * 1998-10-13 2000-04-14 Cinch Connecteurs Sa Connecteur electrique

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1005113B1 (fr) 2003-07-23
DE69909717T2 (de) 2004-04-15
EP1005113A3 (fr) 2000-07-26
DE69909717D1 (de) 2003-08-28
IT1303187B1 (it) 2000-10-30
ITTO981004A1 (it) 2000-05-27
ATE245858T1 (de) 2003-08-15
ITTO981004A0 (it) 1998-11-27

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