Connector assembly with locking feature

• US 10,601,164 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2019
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Garver, Erika M., Caldwell, Bart N., Margrave, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Riyami, Abdullah A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kratt, Justin M
• Application Number:
  US16/408,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20190312374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 439595, 439596, 439467
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4223 comprising integral flexible contact retaining fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4226 comprising two or more integral flexible retaining fingers acting on a single contact
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4361 Insertion of locking piece perpendicular to direction of contact insertion
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4362 comprising a temporary and a final locking position
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/501 comprising an integral hinge or a frangible part
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/627 Snap or like fastening
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/633 for disengagement only in combination with safety switch H01R13/7132
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/639 Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap

Abstract

A connector assembly includes a connector-body having electrical-terminals. The electrical-terminals are inserted into cavities defined by the connector-body through apertures defined in a rear-face of the connector-body. The connector-body includes a lock feature configured to releasably lock the electrical-terminals within the cavities. The lock feature has a planar-member with a first-end and a second-end. The first-end defines a flex-lock feature. The second-end is attached by a hinge to a leading-edge of the outer-surface of the connector-body proximate the front-face. The flex-lock feature defines a hook-side and a wall-side disposed within a slot defined by the connector-body. The hook-side is configured to releasably engage a locking-shelf partially enclosing the slot. The wall-side engages the electrical-terminals when the hook-side engages the locking-shelf. When a removal-force is applied to the electrical-terminals, the removal-force is transferred through the hook-side to the locking-shelf, thereby inhibiting removal of the electrical-terminals from the cavities.

Claims

1. A connector assembly, comprising:

a connector-body configured to have electrical-terminals disposed within cavities defined in the connector-body, said connector-body defining a front-face, a rear-face, and a slot in an outer-surface extending along a lateral-axis of the connector-body, said slot partially enclosed by a locking-shelf extending in a longitudinal-direction, wherein the connector-body includes a lock feature formed integrally with the connector-body configured to releasably lock the electrical-terminals within the cavities, wherein the lock feature has a planar-member having a first-end defining a flex-lock feature and a second-end attached by a hinge to a leading-edge of the outer-surface of the connector-body proximate the front-face, wherein a frangible tether connects the flex-lock feature to the outer surface, wherein the hinge defines a base and a section of reduced thickness relative to the planar-member, said base attached to the leading-edge of the outer-surface, said section of reduced thickness extending from a top of the base to the planar-member, and wherein the base defines a rear-facing surface characterized as having a curved-transition between the outer-surface of the connector-body and the section of reduced thickness.

2. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the planar-member extends from the hinge along a longitudinal-axis of the connector-body orthogonal to the lateral-axis overlaying the outer-surface and terminating at the flex-lock feature.

3. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second-end of the planar-member includes a plurality of hinges.

4. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hinge enables a swing of the planar-member through a swing-angle of up to 45-degrees when the lock feature is moved from an open-position to a locked-position.

5. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the flex-lock feature extends along a width of the planar-member parallel to the lateral-axis.

6. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the flex-lock feature defines a hook-side and a wall-side, the hook-side oriented toward the rear-face and the wall-side oriented toward the front-face.

7. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 6, wherein the hook-side is configured to releasably engage the locking-shelf.

8. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 6, wherein the removal-force is transferred through the hook-side to the locking-shelf when a removal-force is applied to the electrical-terminals, thereby inhibiting removal of the electrical-terminals from the cavities.

9. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 6, wherein the flex-lock feature defines a lead-angle on the hook-side configured to guide the flex-lock feature into the slot to a locked-position when the lock feature is moved from an open-position to the locked-position.

10. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 9, wherein the hook-side exerts an engagement-force on the locking-shelf in a range of 30 Newtons to 45 Newtons when the lead-angle engages the locking-shelf.

11. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 6, wherein the planar-member isolates the electrical-terminals within the cavities when the hook-side of the flex-lock feature engages the locking-shelf.

12. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 6, wherein the slot defines an aperture configured to receive a tool to release the hook-side from the locking-shelf when the lock feature is in a locked-position.

13. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the connector-body is formed of a dielectric polymeric material comprising at least 33% glass-fill.

14. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the curved-transition is semicircular in cross section.

15. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the planar-member has a thickness in a range of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm, the section of reduced thickness is in a range of 0.25 mm to 0.65 mm, and the curved-transition has a radius in a range of 0.3 mm to 0.35 mm.

16. The connector assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tether is configured to fracture upon closing the flex-lock feature.