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
  • H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
  • H01R13/627—Snap or like fastening
  • H01R13/6271—Latching means integral with the housing
• • 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
  • H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
  • H01R13/533—Bases, cases made for use in extreme conditions, e.g. high temperature, radiation, vibration, corrosive environment, pressure

Definitions

• the invention relates to a cable connector comprising a connector housing and at least one locking arm adapted to lock said cable connector with at least one counterpart having at least one locking element adapted to cooperate with said locking arm
• US 5,011,425 discloses a connector assembly comprising a plug-in connector with a housing and a socket connector.
• the plug-in connector is provided with a lever-type locking element having one end provided with elements to engage with slots or recesses in the socket connector when the plug-in connector and the socket connector mate.
• the lever-type locking element is provided with two pivot points so that by exerting a gripping force on a gripping end of the locking element towards the housing of the plug-in connector, the con- nectors can be disconnected.
• a problem of the prior art connector assembly is that such a disconnection may also occur unintentionally, especially in case of shock or vibrations. It is an object of the invention to provide a cable connector wherein the probability of disconnection of the cable connector from a counterpart by such a shock or vibration is reduced or even negligible. This object is achieved in providing a cable connector characterized by a deformable element arranged between said connector housing and said locking arm for supporting said locking arm. It should be appreciated that the support by the deformable element does not necessarily imply direct contact between the deformable element and the locking arm, as intermediate parts or layers may be provided in between.
• the support of the locking arm may such that an urging action is exerted on the locking arm by the deformable element in the direction of the locking element, such that the locking arm is always at least slightly supported.
• the deformable element prevents unintentional dis- connection, which is especially important for locking arms in a delicate balance when the cable connector and counterpart mate.
• the deformable element allows appropriate movement of the locking arm by manual operation in locking and releasing of the cable connector and the counterpart, while resisting forces exerted on the locking arm by shock or vibrations dur- ing e.g. transportation, internal vibrations or an earthquake. Such forces are typically distinguished from manually applied forces by a sudden, almost instantaneous, impact on the locking arm or repeatedly applied forces, i.e.
• the deformable element is suitable to deform on locking and releasing said cable connector from said counterpart and to substantially avoid deformation in case of shock or vibrations experienced by said locking arm.
• the deformable element may also be part of the counterpart in case the locking arm extends beyond the leading surface of the cable connector.
• the deformable element may either be a separate part attached to the cable connector or an integral part of the cable connector, by moulding the deformable element to the cable connector.
• the deformable element is a cushion of substantially elastically deformable organic material. The properties of such elements are suitable or can be tailored to fulfil the force dependent characteristics for the deformable element to resist forces resulting from shock and vibrations.
• the cushion is a foam, such as a polyurethane foam, such as PORON ® .
• the characteristics of the foam e.g. with respect to the cell -structure having an appropriate mixture of open cells and closed cells, are such that optimum deformability is achieved.
• the connector housing is arranged to abut said locking arm before said deformable element is fully deformed. In this way the maximum deflection of the locking arm is determined.
• the advantage of such an arrangement is that destruction of components of the cable connector, such as the deformable element or the locking arm, may be avoided.
• the cable connector is provided with a locking arm of a lever type with a first pivot point positioned away from the centre of said locking arm.
• Such a locking arm is typically in a delicate balance that may be disturbed by shock or vibrations.
• the cable connector further comprises an actuator arm of a lever type with a second pivot point adapted to cooperate with said locking arm to lock and release said cable connector and counterpart .
• Such a seesaw arrangement provides a user friendly cable connector.
• the invention further relates to a deformable element for use in a cable connector as described above, wherein said deformable element further comprises an adhesive surface for attaching said deformable element to said cable connector.
• the deformable element may be shaped and dimensioned to distribute deformation forces in a predetermined manner. It is noted that connection arrangements that take measures against shock and vibrations are known as such from the prior art.
• WO 02/071548 discloses an arrangement aiming to protect said arrangement against dust and water, wherein seals are provided that improve behaviour against constant, extreme vibrations and shocks.
• Such an arrangement is much more complex compared to the invention, that provides a simple inexpensive solution for a cable connector to deal with shocks and vibrations. This is particularly important for the connector industry as profit margins are low in this field, such that improvements allowing simple, low cost solutions are pre- ferred.
• the invention will be further illustrated with reference to the attached drawings, which show a preferred embodiment according to the invention. It will be understood that the invention is not in any way restricted to this spe- cific and preferred embodiment.
• Fig. 1 shows a connector system comprising two cable connectors according to an embodiment of the invention
• Figs. 1-3 shows cable connectors 1 of a connector system 2 for connection with a counterpart 3 of an interface 4.
• the counterpart 3 comprises a plurality of socket connectors S with terminal pins 5 for connection to the wires of a cable C via the cable connectors 1.
• the socket connectors S further comprise locking elements 6 adapted to cooperate with locking arms 7 of the cable connectors 1.
• the locking arms 7 comprise locking hooks 8 for snap fitting with the locking elements 6.
• the cable connectors 1 comprise a connector housing 9 with a contact block 10 for terminating the wires of the cable C and a holder part 11 that holds the contact block 10, e.g. by snap fitting. It is noted that the electrical contact points at the front of the contact block 10 for connection with the terminal pins 5 have been omitted in the drawing.
• the contact block 10 further comprises guiding elements 12 to fa- cilitate mating of the cable connector 1 and the socket connectors S.
• the holder part 11 further includes a recess R to connect the locking arm 7 to the cable connector 1 by sliding the locking arm 7 into the recess R.
• the locking arm 7 in Figs. 2 and 3 is of the lever type, wherein a first pivot point PI is positioned away from the centre of the locking arm 7. Such a locking arm 7 is typically in a delicate balance that may be disturbed by shock or vibrations.
• the locking arm 7 can be actuated via an actuator arm 13 of a lever type with a second pivot point P2 that is adapted to cooperate with the locking arm 7 to move the locking hooks 8 into and away from the locking elements 6 of the counterpart 3 while locking respectively releasing the cable connector 1.
• This arrangement of the locking arm 7 and actuator arm 13, also referred to as a seesaw arrangement and explained in more detail in US 5,011,425 column 3, line 30 - column 4, line 65 which part is incorporated herewith by reference, comprises a base 14 that can be slid into the recess R to connect the seesaw arrangement to the cable connector 1.
• the seesaw arrangement allows manipulation of the actuator arm 13 in a downward or upward direction resulting in a movement of the end of the locking arm 7 comprising the locking hooks 8 in a downward respectively upward direction, in order to provide a cable connector with user friendly lock- ing performance.
• a gripping element 15 of the connector housing 10 can be employed as a finger support.
• a deformable element 16 is arranged between the connector housing 10 and the locking arm 7 to support the locking arm 7, i.e. the deformable element 16 is arranged such that it substantially avoids movement of the locking arm 7 if it is not intentionally operated.
• the deformable element 16 preferably is elastically deformable, wherein the original shape of the element 16 is substantially restored after deformation. The dimensions of the deformable element in the original state, i.e.
• the deformable element 16 may have alternative shapes and dimensions to distribute deformation forces in a predetermined manner. The larger the area of the deformable element the higher the force required to compress the element 16.
• the deformable element 16 in Fig. 3 is a cushion of substantially elastically deformable organic material, such as a foam. Basically the material of the deformable element 16 should be such that it behaves rigidly if shock or vibrations are experienced, while it can be easily deformed if a more gradual force, such as in case of manual compression, is ap- plied.
• the cushion 16 is a foam.
• the characteristics of the foam 16 may be such that an optimum balance is obtained between the amount and/or density and/or size of closed and open cells of the foam.
• a foam with cells all closed may indeed give too much resistance for unmating the cable connector, while a foam with a entirely open structure may lack adequate spring force.
• a suitable material for the foam cushion 16 is polyurethane, such a PORON .
• the cushion 16 comprises an adhesive surface 16A to attach the cushion 16 to the locking arm 7 or the connector housing 9. As a result the element 16 can be easily mounted to the cable connector 1.
• the counterpart 3 belong to the scope of the invention.
• Figs. 4A and 4B illustrate a mode of operation of the cable connector 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.
• the cable connector 1 is locked or latched to the counterpart 3 shown in Fig. 1.
• the locking hooks 8 cooperate with the locking elements 6 of the counterpart 3.
• shock or vibrations deformation of the cushion 16 is substantially avoided by its intrinsic characteristics such that substantial movement of the locking arm 7 does not occur.
• the cushion 16 behaves as a rigid element. It is noted that the distance D between the pivot point PI and the end of the locking arm 7 at the locking hooks 8 is substantial in the display arrangement.
• the cushion 16 de- forms on movement of the locking arm 7 such that the locking hooks 8 detach from the locking elements 6 and the cable connector 1 is released from the counterpart 3.
• the characteristic of the cushion 16 is such that it easily deforms when such a handling force is applied.
• the holder part 11 of the connector housing 9 comprises a surface 11A that is arranged to abut the locking arm 7 before the cushion 16 is fully compressed. The height of the cushion 16 in this state is e.g. 0.4mm.

Landscapes

• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=34511321

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (6)

Citations (3)

• 2003
  • 2003-10-10 NL NL1024510A patent/NL1024510C2/nl not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2004
  • 2004-09-30 WO PCT/EP2004/052391 patent/WO2005041363A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (3)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events