Electrical connector

• US 8,215,984 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Japan GK (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Japan GK (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Yokozeki, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Tulsidas C
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUONGCHI T
• Application Number:
  US13/165,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20110250793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 439/540.1, 439/541.5, 439/701, 439/717, 439/752
• US Class Current: 439/540.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/11 Resilient sockets carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4362 comprising a temporary and a final locking position
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/506 assembled by snap action of the parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/184 comprising a U-shaped wire-receiving portion
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/03 Connectors arranged to contact a plurality of the conductors of a multiconductor cable , e.g. tapping connections

Abstract

An electrical connector with contact locking bodies separate from a housing which are secured from accidentally falling off the housing and prevent foreign matters from entering the connector through a gap between the contact locking bodies or through gaps between the contact locking bodies and the housing. The electrical connector includes a lower housing having a recess that opens in an upper surface, a contact that passes through the recess of the lower housing in the front-rear direction and is received therein, a lance block that is received in the recess of the lower housing from above the upper surface and prevents the contact from falling off, and an upper housing that is positioned on the upper surface side of the lower housing to cover the lance block.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising:

a first housing having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a recess that opens in one of the upper and lower surfaces;

a first contact that is received in the recess of the first housing;

a first contact locking body that is received in the recess of the first housing from a side of the one of the upper and lower surfaces and prevents the first contact from falling off; and

a second housing that covers the first contact locking body from the side of the one of the upper and lower surfaces; and

a second contact that is received in the second housing.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a third contact locking body that prevents falling off of the second contact is formed integrally with the first housing.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the third contact locking body is another retainer having a rectangular parallelepiped shape formed on the upper surface at positions to the rear of the recess.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first contact locking body is a lance block having a base that is received in the recess of the first housing.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein the second contact received in the second housing is larger than the first contact received in the first housing.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein a second contact locking body that further prevents the first contact from falling off is formed integrally with the second housing.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the second contact locking body is a retainer having contact receiving cavities and contact insertion grooves formed below the contact receiving cavities.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein a third contact locking body that prevents falling off of the second contact is formed integrally with the first housing.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 8, wherein a position at which the first contact is locked by the second contact locking body and a position at which the second contact is locked by the third contact locking body are displaced in a front-rear direction.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 9, wherein the second contact locking body is a retainer having contact receiving cavities and contact insertion grooves formed below the contact receiving cavities, and the third contact locking body is another retainer having a rectangular parallelepiped shape formed on the upper surface at positions to the rear of the recess.