Electrical connector having a terminal position assurance device

• US 6,045,404 A
• Filed: 06/11/1998
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Services GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Inventors: Myer, John Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zarroli, Michael C.
• Application Number:
  US09/095,634
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 439/595, 439/594
• US Class Current: 439/595
• 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 13/4365 comprising a temporary and a final locking position
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5219 Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6272 comprising a single latching arm

Abstract

The invention is directed to an electrical connector having a housing body with a contact receiving passage therein. The contact receiving passage has a contact retention arm for securing a contact within the passage. The contact retention arm forms the outer wall of the body. A terminal position assurance member has an outer wall with an inner shoulder and a locking surface. The outer wall is received around the contact retention arm. The terminal position assurance member has a first position in which the terminal position assurance member forms a space behind the contact retention arm. The terminal position assurance member has a second position wherein the locking surface is received behind the contact retention arm thereby preventing deflection of the contact retention arm.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

a housing body having an outer wall which defines a passageway for receiving a contact, the outer wall having a deflectable contact retention member for retaining the contact within the passageway; and

a terminal position assurance member having a locking surface and a prelatch surface, the terminal position assurance member being movable between a prelatch position and a latch position, whereby when the terminal position assurance member is in the prelatch position the prelatch surface is positioned adjacent the contact retention member but distanced from the contact retention member by a recess to accommodate deflection of the contact retention member and insertion of the contact into the passageway, and when in the latch position the locking surface is adjacent to and in contact with the contact retention member, thereby preventing deflection of the contact retention member and removal of the contact from the passageway.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the locking surface and the prelatch surface define a shoulder therebetween, such that the shoulder stubs on the contact retention member when the contact retention member is deflected into the recess, thereby precluding the terminal position assurance member from moving from the prelatch position to the latch position.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the prelatch surface is adjacent the locking surface, the prelatch surface being offset from the locking surface.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the contact retention member has a protrusion extending into the contact receiving passageway for engaging the contacts, such that when the contact is improperly received within the contact receiving passageway, the projection is engaged by the contact thereby deflecting the contact retention member into the recess, and when the contact is properly received in the contact receiving passageway, the projection engages and retains the contact within the contact receiving passageway.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the housing body has a shroud extending coaxially to the outer wall of the housing body.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein the shroud is integrally formed with the housing body.

7. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein the shroud has a latching protrusion extending inwardly toward the housing body for engaging a complementary projection of a mating connector such that when the electrical connector is mated with a complementary connector, the latching protrusion engages the complementary projection to retain the connectors in mating engagement.

8. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the housing body has a seal annularly disposed about the outer wall.

9. An electrical connector comprising:

a housing body having at least one contact receiving passageway bound by an outer wall, the outer wall having at least one contact retention member aligned with each contact receiving passageway for releasably engaging each contact; and

a terminal position assurance member about the housing body movable between a prelatch position and a latch position, the terminal position assurance member having a prelatch surface and a locking surface, such that when the terminal position assurance member is in the prelatch position, the prelatch surface is located adjacent the contact retention member but distanced from the contact retention member by a recess so as to accommodate deflection thereof and insertion of the contact into the passageway, and when the terminal position assurance member is in the latch position, the locking surface is located adjacent to and in contact with the latch member thereby preventing deflection thereof and removal of the contact from the passageway.

10. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the locking surface and the prelatch surface define a shoulder therebetween, such that the shoulder stubs on the contact retention member when the contact retention member is deflected into the recess, thereby precluding the terminal position assurance member from moving from the prelatch position to the latch position.

11. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the prelatch surface is adjacent the locking surface, the prelatch surface being offset from the locking surface.

12. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the contact retention member has a projection extending into the contact receiving passageway for engaging the contacts, such that when the contact is improperly received within the contact receiving passageway, the projection is engaged by the contact, thereby deflecting the contact retention member into the recess, and when the contact is properly received in the contact receiving passageway, the projection engages and retains the contact within the contact receiving passageway.

13. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the housing body has a shroud extending coaxially to the outer wall of the housing body.

14. The electrical connector of claim 13, wherein the shroud is integrally formed with the housing body.

15. The electrical connector of claim 13, wherein the shroud has a mating projection extending inwardly toward the housing body for engaging a complementary projection of a mating connector such that when the electrical connector is mated with a complementary connector, the mating projection engages the complementary projection to retain the connectors in mating engagement.

16. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the housing body has a seal annularly disposed about the outer wall.