Electrical connection device and method for mounting an electrical connection device

• US 10,038,270 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Delphi International Operations Luxembourg SARL (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Fabre, Jean, Huguet, Matthieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lyons, Michael A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US15/404,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20170207564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/426 Securing by a separate resilient retaining piece supported by base or case, e.g. collar or metal contact-retention clip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4361 Insertion of locking piece perpendicular to direction of contact insertion
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/645 by exchangeable elements on case or base
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles

Abstract

An electrical connection device includes a housing with a tubular cavity and a contact having a first portion and a second portion. The first portion has a cylindrical first external surface oriented about a longitudinal axis and is inserted into the tubular cavity of the housing. The second portion extends outside the tubular cavity and has an orientation zone with a second external surface that is partially, but not completely, cylindrical about the longitudinal axis. The electrical connection device further includes an anti-rotation device, displaceable in translation up to a final position, and having a first surface complementary to the second external surface of the orientation zone and abutting thereon when the anti-rotation device is in the final position and the contact is oriented in an operating position. A method of mounting such an electrical connection device is also provided.

Claims

1. An electrical connection device, comprising:

a housing having a tubular cavity;

a contact having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having a cylindrical first external surface oriented about a longitudinal axis and being inserted into the tubular cavity of the housing and the second portion extending outside the tubular cavity and having an orientation zone with a second external surface that is partially, but not completely, cylindrical about the longitudinal axis; and

an anti-rotation device, displaceable in translation in a placement direction, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the first portion of the contact, up to a final position, and having a first surface complementary to the second external surface of the orientation zone and abutting thereon when the anti-rotation device is in the final position and the contact is oriented in an operating position, wherein the second portion of the contact comprises two orientation zones each having a third external surface that is partially, but not completely, cylindrical, said two orientation zones being symmetrical to each other in relation to a plane including the longitudinal axis of the first portion of the contact, and wherein the third external surface is flat and the anti-rotation device comprises a second surface complementary to the third external surface of the orientation zone, which is also flat.

2. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein the anti-rotation device is secured to the electrical connection device by elastic means, causing the anti-rotation device to press against a complementary surface of the third external surface of the orientation zone abutting thereon when the anti-rotation device is in the final position.

3. The electrical connection device according to claim 2, wherein the elastic means cooperate with a tubular fourth external surface of the housing.

4. The electrical connection device according to claim 2, wherein, during a displacement of the anti-rotation device according to the placement direction, toward the final position, the elastic means exert a resistance corresponding to a force that increases to a maximum, then decreases.

6. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein the anti-rotation device comprises positioning means that cooperate with the contact to position the anti-rotation device in relation to the housing in a longitudinal direction.

7. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein the anti-rotation device comprises a gutter to guide a conductive wire emerging from the housing.

5. An electrical connection device, comprising:

a housing having a tubular cavity;

a contact having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having a cylindrical first external surface oriented about a longitudinal axis and being inserted into the tubular cavity of the housing and the second portion extending outside the tubular cavity and having an orientation zone with a second external surface that is partially, but not completely, cylindrical about the longitudinal axis; and

an anti-rotation device, displaceable in translation in a placement direction, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the first portion of the contact, up to a final position, and having a first surface complementary to the second external surface of the orientation zone and abutting thereon when the anti-rotation device is in the final position and the contact is oriented in an operating position, wherein the second portion of the contact comprises two orientation zones each having a third external surface that is partially, but not completely, cylindrical, said two orientation zones being symmetrical to each other in relation to a plane including the longitudinal axis of the first portion of the contact, wherein the anti-rotation device is secured to the electrical connection device by elastic means, causing the anti-rotation device to press against a complementary surface of the third external surface of the orientation zone abutting thereon when the anti-rotation device is in the final position, wherein, during a displacement of the anti-rotation device according to the placement direction, toward the final position, the elastic means exert a resistance corresponding to a force that increases to a maximum, then decreases, and wherein the maximum of the force is greater than the force required to move the contact in rotation about the longitudinal axis of any angular position to the operating position.

8. A method for mounting an electrical connection device, comprising the steps of:

providing a housing having a tubular cavity and at least one contact;

inserting a first portion of the at least one contact into the tubular cavity of the housing extending along a longitudinal axis; and

fastening an anti-rotation device having an orientation zone with an external surface that is not completely cylindrical of revolution about the longitudinal axis to the housing by a translational movement in a placement direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis from an initial position to a final position in which the anti-rotation device abuts a stop on a second portion of the at least one contact located outside the tubular cavity and blocks a rotation of a contact about the longitudinal axis in an operating position, wherein a second portion of the at least one contact comprises two orientation zones each having an external surface that is not completely cylindrical of revolution, said two orientation zones being symmetrical to each other in relation to a plane including the longitudinal axis of the first portion of the at least one contact, wherein the external surface is not completely cylindrical of revolution of each of the two orientation zones, wherein the external surface is flat, and wherein the anti-rotation device comprises at least one surface complementary to the external surface of the orientation zones which is also flat.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the anti-rotation device moves the at least one contact in rotation to this position when the anti-rotation device is placed in the final position if the at least one contact is not oriented about the longitudinal axis in the operating position.