GB2422728A

GB2422728A - Electrical connector module with terminal position assurance member

Info

Publication number: GB2422728A
Application number: GB0501758A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Marsh
Original assignee: Tyco Electronics UK Ltd
Current assignee: Tyco Electronics UK Ltd
Priority date: 2005-01-27
Filing date: 2005-01-27
Publication date: 2006-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 2025-01-27
Also published as: GB2422728B; GB0501758D0

Abstract

An electrical connector module 2 comprises a housing 4 and a terminal position assurance member 22 hingedly attached to the housing and moveable to secure at least one terminal (7, Fig. 6b) within the housing. The terminal position assurance member comprises first stacking means 36, 56 that may engage with second stacking means (38, 58, Fig. 3b) of a like electrical connector module to stack the modules together when the terminal position assurance member is in its securing position.

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR MODULE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1] The present invention relates to an electrical con- nector module and in particular to an electrical connector module for holding and connecting electronic components such as relays in a vehicle, e.g. an automobile.

2] Electronic components for vehicles such as relays and fuses are generally connected to electrical connectors or electrical connector modules, which in turn are appropriately mounted to the vehicle. Typically, multiple electrical con- nector modules are attached to a carrier base, which is mounted to the vehicle, to form a connector assembly to which plural electronic components can be detachably connected.

The connector assembly thus functions as a central connection box or a bus bar which can be tailored to the specific re- quirements of each vehicle. For instance, if modifications of the vehicle's electrical system are required, new elec- tronic components can be easily added and connected to re- spective assembled electrical connector modules. Alterna- tively, the arrangement of electronic components can be al- tered or defective electronic components can be easily re- placed. Each electrical connector of the connector module assembly also provides a mechanical connection for the elec- tronic component so that the electronic component is plugged into the electrical connector module and fixed by appropriate fixing means.

3] An electric connection box in which cassettes can be attached to sidewalls of a casing is for instance de- scribed in US 6,196,882. To this end, the casing includes first retaining portions for retaining the respective cas- settes, which in turn have second retaining portions for en- gagement with the first retaining portions of the casing.

The cassettes can be of different kinds and comprise relay holders or fuse holders which also provide respective elec- trical connections.

4] Another electrical connection box is described in EP 1 182 737. The electrical connection box comprises a first shell and a second shell mounted to the first shell.

The first shell is provided with connector mounts for receiv- ing connectors, fuse mounts for receiving fuses and relay mounts for receiving relays. The electrical connection box contains a bus bar stack which includes a connector circuitry module containing connector-connecting circuits, a fuse cir- cuitry module containing fuse-connecting circuits, and a re- lay circuitry module containing relay-connecting circuits.

5] A modular electrical connector assembly for use with the wiring systems of vehicles is described in US 5,295,870. The assembly includes a plurality of modular blocks, each having one or more tapering mortises formed on the sides thereof and a plurality of separately formed tubular, singled walled, double tenon wedges which are insertable into the mortises to assemble the blocks together. Each modular block of the assembly also has socket means formed on a top surface thereof for insertion of an electrical connec- tion element.

6] A relay box having a carrier plate and a plug-in module is disclosed in EP 1 233 437. A conductor to be switched is brought into electrical contact with a relay through the plug-in module and a plug contact arranged in the plug-in module. The relay is plugged both into the plug-in module and into the carrier plate of the relay box through plug contacts.

7] A modular connection assembly for a vehicle is also disclosed in DE 103 09 965. The assembly comprises holding means, which can be fixed to the vehicle, and electrical con- nector modules. The holding means and the electrical connec- tor modules each has first engagement means and second en- gagement means which are complementarily formed with respect to the first engagement means to allow various different as- semblies of electrical connector modules to be fitted to- gether and to facilitate their attachment to the vehicle us- ing the holding means.

8] In some electrical applications, such as automotive application, it is essential to ensure that electrical termi- nals, which are accommodated in the respective connector mod- ules, are properly fixed and aligned. The fixation and alignment of the terminals must be rigid and reliable to withstand the mechanical impact which the connector modules are exposed to during normal operation of a vehicle. Termi- nal position assurance members (TPA) have therefore typically been employed. These members ensure that the connector or module cannot be properly assembled unless all terminals are properly inserted in the connector housing. An example of an electrical connector having a TPA is described in US 6,024,605. The TPA is formed as a cover of the connector housing which is integrally attached to the connector by a hinge. The cover can only be completely closed when the ter- minals are properly inserted. Otherwise, the cover remains at least partially opened. If the terminals are not properly inserted and the cover can not be completely closed, the in- completely closed cover prevents an insertion of the connec- tar into a mating connector to ensure that connectors with improperly inserted terminals cannot be employed.

9] As the cover of the electrical connector in US 6,024,605 prevents mating with a corresponding mating connec- tar when the terminals are incorrectly inserted, the misar- rangement of the terminals will be finally observed upon es- tablishment of an electrical connection with the mating con- nector. It is, however, desired to ensure that a misarrangement of terminals can be detected prior to mating. In the case of modular connection assemblies as described above, it would be of great advantage if connector modules with mis- aligned or incorrectly inserted terminals can be identified before assembling to form the connection assembly. This would prevent the incorporation of defective connector modules which would be costly to remove at a later point.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

0] It is therefore an object of the invention to pro- vide an electrical connector module which ensures that all terminals are correctly inserted when the connector modules are assembled.

1] This and other objects of the invention which are apparent from the following description of the invention are solved by the electrical connector module according to claim 1 and the electrical connector assembly according to claim 11.

2] According to the invention, an electrical connector module comprises a module housing, a terminal position assur- ance member (TPA) for securing at least one terminal arranged within the module housing, the TPA being movably connected to the module housing so as to be moveable into a securing posi- tion to secure the at least one terminal, and first stacking means for engaging with second stacking means of another electrical connector module to laterally attach the electri- cal connector module to the other electrical connector mod- ule, the first stacking means being arranged on the TPA, whereby the first and second stacking means can be brought into engagement when the TPA is in its securing position.

3] The TPA of the electrical connector module assumes two functions. One is to secure the terminals within the module housing and to ensure that they are correctly ar- ranged. To this end, the TPA can be moved into a securing position only when the terminals are correctly inserted. If at least one of the terminals is not correctly arranged, the TPA cannot be moved into its securing position. The other function is to provide first stacking means for an attachment of other, preferably like, electrical connector modules to form a connector assembly of laterally stacked electrical connector modules. A lateral stacking of electrical connector modules is, however, only possible if the TPA is in its se- curing position. If the TPA is not in its securing position, the first stacking means are misplaced and cannot engage with the second stacking means of the other electrical connector module. Hence, if terminals of the electrical connector mod- ule are misarranged, the TPA cannot be moved into its secur- ing position and, consequently, the electrical connector mod- ule cannot be attached to another like electrical connector module. Electrical connector modules having misarranged ter- minals can therefore be easily identified so that they will not assemble with other electrical connector modules to form a connector assembly.

4] In connection with the invention, lateral attach- ment means are provided so that the electrical connector mod- ules are attached to each other in a direction lateral with respect to a mating direction of the terminals so that the electrical connector modules are arranged side-by-side.

5] In one embodiment, the TPA is connected to the mod- ule housing by a hinge which allows an integral moulding of module housing and TPA.

6] In another embodiment of the invention, the TPA comprises securing means for locking the TPA in its securing position. The TPA is thereby mechanically fixed so that the TPA provides for a stable connection between assembled elec- trical connector modules by using the first stacking means.

7] In a yet further embodiment, the electrical connec- tor module comprises second stacking means provided for en- gaging with first stacking means of another like electrical connector module. The first and second stacking means are preferably complementarily formed with respect to each other.

As each electrical connector module may comprise first and second stacking means, multiple electrical connector modules can be attached to each other allowing the formation of large connector assemblies. In another embodiment of the inven- tion, the module housing comprises first and second housing walls, whereby the TPA is connected to the module housing on the first housing wall and the second stacking means is formed on the second housing wall. Preferably, the first and second housings walls are arranged on opposite sides of the housing so that rows of laterally attached or stacked elec- trical connector modules can be formed.

8] In another embodiment of the invention, the first stacking means comprises first guiding means for engaging with second guiding means of the second stacking means of the other electrical connector module. The first and second guiding means are in particular for a mutual alignment of at- tached electrical connector modules and will preferably pro- vide a main mechanical connection between the electrical con- nector modules. In a yet further embodiment of the inven- tion, the first stacking means comprises first locking means cooperating with second locking means of the second stacking means of the other electrical connector module to lock the electrical connector module to the other electrical connector module.

[00191 In a further embodiment, at least one contact open- ing aligned with the at least one terminal is provided in the module housing for allowing insertion of an electrical compo- nent contact for establishing electrical contact with the at least one terminal.

0] The object of the invention is also solved by an electrical connector assembly comprising a reception frame and at least one of the above described electrical connector modules accommodated in the reception frame.

1] In an embodiment of the invention, the reception frame comprises a fixing means in engagement with at least one of the first or second stacking means of the electrical connector module to fix the electrical connector module in the reception frame. In particular, the fixing means can be in engagement with the second locking means of the second stacking means of the electrical connector module. Prefera- bly, the electrical connector assembly further comprises at least one electronic component having at least one electrical contact received by the terminal of the at least one electri- cal connector module.

2] In a yet further embodiment of the invention, the electrical connector assembly can comprise first and second electrical connector modules laterally attached to each other by engagement of the first stacking means of the first elec- trical connector module with the second stacking means of the second electrical connector module, the first and second electrical connector modules being accommodated in the recep- tion frame.

3] All aspects and advantages outlined above with re- spect to the electrical connector module apply mutatis mutan- dis to the connector assembly and are therefore not reiter- ated here to avoid superfluous repetitions. It will be ap- preciated by those skilled in the art that the embodiments set-forth above can be appropriately combined to obtain further embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

4] Having described some of the main features of the invention, a more detailed description of the invention, from which further features will come apparent, is set-forth in the remainder of the specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which show in: [0025] Figure 1 an electrical connector module shown from an insertion end with a TPA in an opened position; [0026] Figure 2 an electrical connector module shown from an insertion end with a TPA in its securing position; [0027] Figures 3a and 3b two laterally attached electrical connector modules shown from their mating ends; [0028] Figure 4 two laterally attached electrical connec- tor modules shown from their insertion ends; [00291 Figures 5a and 5b views of different sidewalls of the electrical connector module;

] Figure 6a a view of the insertion end of the elec- trical connector module, Figure 6b an cross-section of the electrical connector module along the line B-B shown in Fig- ure 6a and Figure 6c a view of a sidewall of the module hous- ing to which the TPA is attached; [0031] Figures 7a, 7b and 7c a side view, an exploded view and a view of an electrical connector assembly with a con- nected relay inserted into a reception frame; [0032] Figures 8a and 8b an exploded view and a view of another electrical connector assembly; [0033] Figure 9 a perspective view of a reception frame; [0034] Figure lOa a plan view of a reception frame and Figure lOb a cross- section of the reception frame along line A-A in Figure lOa; and [0035] Figure 11 a further plan view of a reception frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

6] Reference will now be made in detail to the pres- ently preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the Figures. Each Figure is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and is not meant as a limitation of the in- vention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one Figure can be used on or in conjunction with other Figure to yield a further embodiment. It is intended that the present invention includes such modifications and variations.

7] Figure 1 shows an electrical connector module (con- nector module) 2 comprising a module housing 4. The module housing 4 is provided for accommodating three connector ter- minals 7 (shown in Figure 6b), which are placed in elongated cavities 6 formed side-by-side in module housing 4. Each cavity 6 extends from an insertion end 8 to a mating end 10 of module housing 4, the mating end 10 being arranged oppo- site the insertion end 8. The cavities 6 have a substan- tially quadrilateral cross-section and are open at the inser- tion end 8 of the module housing 4. For assembling the con- nector module, terminals 7 will be inserted into the respec- tive cavities 6 from the insertion end 8 until they abut on an internal shoulder 12 shown in Figure 6b. At the mating end 10 each cavity 6 is terminated with a cross-like contact opening 14 through which an electrical contact of an electri- cal component (shown in Figures 7b and 8a) can be inserted into each terminal. The mating direction, which extends from the insertion end 8 to the mating end 10 and which is indicated in Figure 1 by arrow 16, runs parallel to the extension of the terminals 7 and cavities 6, respectively.

8] The module housing 4 comprises a first housing wall 18 and a second housing wall 20, both walls being arranged on opposite sides of the module housing 4. The second housing wall 20 is more clearly shown in Figure 3b. Integrally at- tached to the first housing wall 18 is a cover 22 which serves as a terminal position assurance member (TPA). The cover 22 has a substantially rectangular shape and is con- nected to the first housing wall 18 by a hinge 24 extending along one of the long sides 26 of cover 22. Cover 22 is shown in Figure 1 in an angled or opened position in which cover 22 is folded away from the first housing wall 18. The hinge 24 enables cover 22 to be flapped into a closed or se- curing position shown in Figure 2 in which the cover 22 is arranged parallel to the first housing wall 18. Cover 22 comprises an internal and an external surface. The internal surface faces the module housing 4 when cover 22 is in its securing position. The external surface is arranged opposite to the internal surface on an outer side of cover 22. Module housing 4, hinge 24 and cover 22 are integrally moulded. As shown in Figure 6b, hinge 24 is formed as a flexible joint between cover 22 and module housing 4 having a reduced thick- ness with respect cover 22.

9] On the long side 26' of cover 22 opposite the long side 26, at which hinge 24 is arranged, latches 28 are formed which project above the internal surface of cover 22 and which point towards module housing 4. When cover 22 is in its securing position, latches 28 pass through elongated openings 30 formed on the first housing wall 18. Each elongated opening 30 provides lateral access to a respective cav- ity 6. The latches 28 snap over respective edges 32 of the openings 30 and mechanically fix the cover 22 in its securing position so that latches 28 form securing means for locking the cover 22 in its securing position. The cover 22 is then attached to the module housing 4 along its two long sides 26 and 26' by hinge 24 and latches 28, respectively, which pro- vide sufficient mechanical stability for stacking two connec- tor modules together as set-forth below.

0] As becomes more apparent from Figure 6b, latches 28 partially extend into respective cavities 6 for securing the terminals. To this end, each terminal 7 comprises an inden- tation 46 cooperating with a respective nose 48 of each latch 28. The indentations of the terminals are shaped substan- tially complimentarily with the shape of the latch's nose 48 so that latch 28 can only slip into the indentation 46 when the terminal 7 is correctly placed in the cavity 6. If one of the terminals is misarranged, for instance when that ter- minal is not fully inserted into its cavity 6, the indenta- tion 46 of this terminal is misplaced with respect to latch 28 so that nose 48 of latch 28 cannot match with the indenta- tion. Consequently, latch 28 cannot snap behind edge 32 so that cover 22 cannot be completely closed. Cover 22 is therefore not secured and fixed in its securing position and is angled with respect to the first housing wall 18.

1] On each of the short sides 34 of cover 22, first guiding means 36 are formed. In this particular embodiment, the shape of the first guiding means 36 resembles that of an L standing up-side down and projecting outwardly from the ex- ternal surface of cover 22. A first leg 52 of each first guiding means 36 is attached along a respective short side 34 of cover 22 and projects perpendicularly from the outer sur- face of the cover. A second or free leg 54 of each first guiding means 36 is outwardly angled with respect to the first leg 52.

2] The first guiding means 36 cooperate with second guiding means 38 as set-forth below. The second guiding means 38 are formed on the second housing wall 20 and com- prises cavities 40 extending parallel to the terminal's cavi- ties 6 on each side of housing wall 20. Each cavity 40 has an access opening 42 at the mating end 10. Oblong slots 44 providing a lateral access to the cavities 40 are formed in the second housing wall 20. The slots 44 extend from the ac- cess opening 42 and terminate in spaced relation to the mat- ing end 8. The width of the slots 44 is narrower than the width of the cavities 40 so that the second housing wall 20 partially covers the cavities 40 as shown in Figures 3a and 3b.

3] With reference to Figures 3a and 3b, the stacking of two connector modules is described. For illustration pur- poses only, the following description makes reference to an engagement of a first connector module 2 comprising first guiding means 36 and a second connector module 2' comprising second guiding means 38 complementary to the first guiding means. It will however be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that each connector module comprises first and sec- ond guiding means so that a plurality of connector modules can be consecutively stacked to each other to form a row of laterally stacked connector modules. The connector modules will be laterally stacked to each other which means that the stacked connector modules will be arranged relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction.

4] In order to stack the first and the second connec- tor module 2 and 2' together cover 22 of the first connector housing must be in its securing position as shown in Figure 2. Then, the first housing wall 18 of the first connector module 2 is brought in contact with the second housing wall of the second connector module 2' so that the first guid- ing means 36 are arranged directly in front of the access opening 42 of cavities 40 of the second connector module 2'.

In this initial position the connector modules are staggered with respect to each other. Upon relative movement of both modules parallel to the extension of the cavities 40, the first guiding means 36 are inserted into respective cavities so that the second legs 54 of the first guiding means 36 slide behind second housing wall 20. In other words, if the second connector module 2 is kept fixed, the first connector module 2 is moved in the mating direction 16. As the width of the slots 44 substantially corresponds to the thickness of the first legs 52, first legs sliding without play in slots 44 so that first and second connector module cannot be twisted with respect to each other or moved in a direction perpendicular to the extension of the slots 44. Both modules are also aligned with respect to each other by the engagement of legs 52 and slots 44. The fixing of cover 22 along its two long sides 26, 26' provides sufficient mechanical stability for keeping cover 22 in place upon stacking.

5] If cover 22 is not completely closed due to a mis- arranged terminal, cover 22 is slightly angled with respect to the first housing wall 18. Consequently, first guiding means 36 are angled with respect to the second guiding means 38 so that the two connector modules cannot slide relative to each other along and parallel to their housing walls 18, 20.

A connector module having a misaligned terminal is thus eas- ily identifiable upon stacking.

6] In order to lock both connector modules together, the first connector module 2 comprises a first locking means 56 arranged on long side 26' of cover 22 as for instance shown in Figure 1. Correspondingly, second connector module 2' comprises second locking means 58 arranged on the second housing wall 20 as illustrated in Figure 3b. The first locking means 56 comprises a locking projection 60 having an out- wardly directed first inclined face 62. With reference to Figures 3b and 6b, the second locking means 58 is arranged in a recess formed on the second housing wall 20 and comprises a deflectable locking latch 64 integrally attached at a bottom of the recess at the mating end 10. A projection 66 compris- ing a second inclined face 68 is arranged on a free end of locking latch 64. First and second inclined faces 62, 68 abut each other when the connector modules are in an interme- diate position during stacking. Upon a further relative movement of the connector modules, locking latch 64 is in- wardly deflected towards the module housing through engage- ment of the first and second inclined faces 62, 68 until locking projection 66 passes projection 60. Locking latch 64 is then released and projection 66 of locking latch 64 snaps behind locking projection 60. At the same time, leading edges of the first guiding means 36 abut respective ends of the slots 44 to prevent further relative movement of the con- nector modules. Both connector modules are thus fixed rela- tive to each other. In the stacked arrangement, the mating ends 10 of the modules 2, 2' are arranged in a common plane to form a common mating end. As each of the modules 2, 2' comprises first and second stacking means at opposite sides of their housings, further modules can be consecutively at- tached at the respective sides of the thus formed assembly.

7] In this particular embodiment, a middle cavity 6 of module housing 4 is smaller than the outer cavities 6 as il- lustrated in Figure 6a. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that all cavities can be of same size and that two, four or more cavities can be provided in each con- nector module. The number and size of the cavities depends on the type of electronic component for which the respective connector module is designed. It is also possible to stack different types of connector modules together.

8] The arrangement of the first stacking means on cover or TPA 22 not only ensures that the terminals are cor- rectly arranged in the module housing before the connector module is stacked with other connector modules, but the ar- rangement also enables a simple tool coring for moulding the connector housing. The module housing is preferably moulded with the cover in its opened position.

9] An electrical connector assembly (or connector as- sembly) 70 comprising one connector module is shown in Fig- ures 7a to 7c while a connector assembly 72 with two connec- tor modules is shown in Figures 8a and 8b. Each connector assembly 70, 72 comprises respective connector modules 74, 76, 78, respective electronic components 80, 82, 84 and a reception frame 86, 88. For the purpose of illustration only, electronic components 80, 82 and 84 are in-line relays having flat electrical contacts 90 which are arranged in-line. The arrangement of the electrical contacts 90 corresponds to the arrangement of the contact openings 14 of the respective con- nector modules.

0] With reference to Figures 9 to 11, the reception frames 86 and 88 are explained in detail. Figures 9 and 11 show a double-module reception frame 88 for accommodating two connector modules while Figures lOa and lOb represent a sin- gle-module frame 86 for accommodating a single connector mod- ule. Figure lOb is a cross-sectional view of the reception frame shown in Figure lOa along the line A-A.

1] The reception frames 86 and 88 have a box-like shape with a first opening 92 and a second opening 94 ar- ranged opposite the first opening 92. The cross-section of the reception frame 88 and the size of the openings 92, 94 are such that two connector modules stacked to each other can penetrate the reception frame 88. The dimensions of the single-connector module frame 86 are adapted for accommodating a single connector module. The connector modules are inserted from the first opening 92 as illustrated in Figures 7b and 8a, respectively. In one of the four side walls of the re- ception frames 86, 88, a cut-out 98 is formed at the first S 17 opening 92 leaving only a slender web 100 spanning between the side walls 110,112 adjacent to cut-out 98. In addition to that, narrow bars 102 remain at the sidewalls 110, 112.

On an inner side of a side wall 114 arranged opposite the cut-out 98 a resting projection 104 is formed for cooperating with the locking latch 64 of one of the connector modules upon insertion. Stop blocks 106 are also formed on the inner side of side wall 114 at which corresponding stop projections 108 arranged on the second housing wall 20 of the connectormodule come to rest when the connector module is inserted into the reception frame 88. Resting projection 104 and stop blocks 106 form, in this particular embodiment, the fixing means of the reception frame. In addition to the engagement of the locking latch 64 with the resting projection 104, the second legs 54 of the first guiding means 36 of the other connector modules meshes with the bars 102 to further fasten the stacked connector modules to the reception frame 88.

2] The first guiding means 36 and the second locking means 58 of a connector module thus do not only contribute to a firm connection between stacked connector modules but also provide a fixation of the connector modules to the reception frame 88. In case of a single connector module being inserted into a single-module frame as shown in Figure 7b, the first guiding means 36 and the second locking means 58 of this con- nector module are in engagement with bars 102 and resting projection 104, respectively. If two or more modules are stacked together, two-module or respective multiple-module reception frames are used. In this case, the free second locking means at one end of the stacked connector modules and the free first guiding means at the opposite end of the stacked connector modules provide for a fixation of the stacked connector modules to the reception frame. The first guiding means and the second locking means have therefore two functions. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is also possible that the first locking means and the second guiding means could additionally or alternatively cooperate with respective means of the reception frame so that, generally speaking, the first and second stacking means can serve as means for stacking two modules together and to fix a module or stacked modules to a reception frame.

Parts List 2, 2' electrical connector module 4 module housing 6 cavities 8 insertion end 7 terminal mating end 12 internal shoulder 14 cross-like contact opening 16 mating direction 18 first housing wall second housing wall 22 cover / TPA 24 hinge 26, 26' long side 28 latches elongated opening 32 edge 34 short side 36 first guiding means 38 second guiding means cavity of second guiding means 42 access opening 44 slot 46 indentation 48 nose of latch 28 52 first leg 54 second leg 56 first locking means 58 second locking means locking projection 62 first inclined face 64 locking latch 66 projection 68 second inclined face 70, 72 connector assembly 74, 76, 78 connector modules 80, 82, 84 electrical components 86, 88 reception frames electrical contacts 92 first opening 94 second opening 98 cut-out web 102 bars 104 resting projection 106 stop blocks 108 stop projections 110,112,114 side walls

Claims

Claims 1. Electrical connector module comprising a module housing, a

terminal position assurance member for securing at least one terminal arranged within the module hous- ing, the terminal position assurance member being mova- bly connected to the module housing so as to be moveable into a securing position to secure the at least one ter- minal, and first stacking means for engaging with second stacking means of another electrical connector module to laterally attach the electrical connector module to the other electrical connector module, the first stacking means being arranged on the terminal position assurance member, whereby the first and second stacking means can be brought into engagement when the terminal position assurance member is in its securing position.
2. Electrical connector module according to claim 1, char- acterised in that the terminal position assurance member is connected to the module housing by a hinge.
3. Electrical connector module according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the terminal position assurance member comprises securing means for locking the terminal position assurance member in its securing position.
4. Electrical connector module according to any of the pre- ceding claims characterised in that the electrical con- nector module comprises second stacking means provided for engaging with first stacking means of another like electrical connector module.
5. Electrical connector module according to claim 4, char- acterised in that the module housing comprises first and second housing walls, whereby the terminal position as- surance member is connected to the module housing on the first housing wall and the second stacking means is formed on the second housing wall.
6. Electrical connector module according to claim 5, char- acterised in that the first and second housings walls are arranged on opposite sides of the module housing.
7. Electrical connector module according to any of the pre- ceding claims characterised in that the first stacking means comprises first guiding means for engaging with second guiding means of the second stacking means of the other electrical connector module.
8. Electrical connector module according to any of the pre- ceding claims, characterised in that the first stacking means comprises first locking means cooperating with second locking means of the second stacking means of the other electrical connector module to lock the electrical connector module to the other electrical connector mod- ule.
9. Electrical connector module according to any of the pre- ceding claims, characterised in that at least one con- tact opening aligned with the at least one terminal is provided in the module housing for allowing insertion of an electrical component contact for establishing elec- trical contact with the at least one terminal.
10. Electrical connector module according to any of the pre- ceding claims characterised in that the terminal posi- tion assurance member and the module housing are inte- grally moulded.
11. Electrical connector assembly comprising a reception frame comprising, and at least one electrical connector module according to any of the preceding claims, the electrical connector modules being accommodated in the reception frame.
12. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 11, characterised in that the reception frame comprises a fixing means being in engagement with at least one of the first or second stacking means of the electrical connector module to fix the electrical connector module in the reception frame.
13. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 12, characterised in that the fixing means is in engagement with the second locking means of the second stacking means of the electrical connector module.
14. Electrical connector assembly according to any of the claims 11 to 13, characterised in that it further com- prises at least one electronic component having at least one electrical contact received by the terminal of the at least one electrical connector modules.
15. Electrical connector assembly according to any of the claims 11 to 14, characterised in that the assembly com- prises a first and second electrical connector modules laterally attached to each other by engagement of the first stacking means of the first electrical connector module with the second stacking means of the second electrical connector module, the first and second elec- trical connector modules being accommodated in the re- ception frame.
16. An electrical connector module substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying figures 1 to 6.
17. An electrical connector assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying figures 1 to 11.