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
  • H01R13/6273—Latching means integral with the housing comprising two latching arms

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a locking and unlocking device for an electrical connector.
• This solution has the disadvantage of requiring a relatively long time to achieve locking and / or unlocking.
• this device is relatively expensive.
• hooks and counter hooks It is also known to fix one part of the connector to the other part using hooks and counter hooks.
• the hook is carried by an elastic arm, itself pivoting on a part of the connector. To achieve an unlocking, we just press the free end of the pivoting arm opposite the hook to release the latter from its counter hook.
• the counter hook is possibly a cavity made in the other part of the connector.
• This locking device has the drawback of being bulky. Indeed, to have a fairly large lever arm, it is necessary to provide a relatively long pivoting arm which protrudes from the body of the part of the connector on which this arm is mounted.
• the present invention therefore aims to provide a locking and unlocking device for a compact connector.
• this device has a low cost price.
• the device which it proposes is a locking device for an electrical connector having a male part and a female part, this device comprising at least one locking hook carried by an elastic arm fixed on a first part of the connector and intended to engage with a counter hook produced on the second part of the connector.
• this device further comprises a drawer in which a window is made through which the arm carrying the hook passes, mounted sliding on the first part of the connector between a locking position in which the hook and the counter hook are in engagement and an unlocking position in which the hook is moved away from its counter hook, a ramp, cam or the like being provided between the drawer and the elastic arm so that when passing from the locked position to the unlocked position, the drawer acts on the elastic arm to move the hook away from its counter hook.
• the locking device being in the locked position.
• the drawer is actuated to move from the locked position to the unlocked position.
• the drawer comes, with the help of the ramp, to move the hook away from its counter hook, thus releasing the male and female parts from one another.
• an edge of the window slides between the elastic arm carrying the hook and the first part, and the ramp is formed on the face of the elastic arm located on the side of the first part of the connector.
• a boss may be provided on the face of the elastic arm located on the side of the first part of the connector, between the hook and the ramp. This boss keeps the drawer in its locked position. In addition, after passage of the boss during actuation of the drawer, the latter is released from the part of the connector on which it is mounted and one can more easily come to grip the drawer to act on the elastic arms.
• the locking device advantageously comprises two elastic arms each carrying a hook.
• the two elastic arms are for example connected by a base, thus forming a U-shaped stirrup.
• the stirrup is preferably made in two parts joined to each other, each part comprising an elastic arm.
• the assembly is for example carried out by fitting the two parts or by welding.
• the drawer is placed on the connector, then each part carrying an elastic arm is put in place.
• a weld is then produced, for example an ultrasonic weld, to secure the two parts of the stirrup and also to secure the stirrup to the part of the connector.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a female connector fitted with a locking device according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal section along the section line 11-11 of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a front view of the connector of FIG. 1 in the unlocked position
• FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a female part of a connector equipped with an alternative embodiment of a locking device according to the invention.
• Figure 6 is a sectional view along line VI-VI of Figure 5.
• Figure 1 shows a female part 2 of a connector.
• the male part 4 of this connector is just represented in its outer contour by a dashed line.
• This connector has five pins and we see in Figure 1 five inputs 6 each intended to receive a wire. These five inputs 6 are aligned and to each of them corresponds, on the face of the female part 2 opposite to the inputs 6, a card 8. There are thus five aligned cards 8.
• the stirrup is made up of two bent pieces 1 2. These pieces 12 are welded together to form a U-shaped stirrup. The base of this U is welded to the female part 2 of the connector. The branches of this stirrup each form an elastic arm 14. Each elastic arm 14 extends along the female part 2 of the connector, parallel to the plugs 8. The base of the stirrup is on the side of the inlets 6 while the the free end of the elastic arms 14 is on the side of the plugs 8, that is to say on the side of the female part 2 intended to receive the corresponding male part 4.
• Each elastic arm 14 has on its face oriented towards the female part 2 of the connector a hook 1 6 which is intended to cooperate with a counter hook produced in the male part 4 and not shown in the drawing.
• This counter hook may for example have a shape similar to that of the hook 1 6 but it may also be a recess made in the male part 4 of the connector.
• the drawer 10 also has a U shape. It has a base 1 8 and two lateral branches 20.
• the female part 2 of the connector comes to take place between the lateral branches of the drawer, the base 1 8 then being located on the side of the inlets 6
• the base 18 of the drawer can for example be used for locating the entries 6. In FIG. 1, the first five letters of the alphabet are used for this locating.
• the lateral branches 20 of the drawer each have a window 22 in which each time passes an elastic arm 14.
• the free end of each lateral branch 20 of the drawer is each time between a hook 1 6 and the elbow of the bent piece 12 corresponding. This free end therefore moves between the elastic arm 14 and the female part 2 of the connector.
• the window 22 is an elongated window allowing the drawer to move in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of the plugs 8.
• the length of the windows 22 determines the length of the stroke of the drawer 10.
• the width of this window 22 corresponds substantially to the width of the corresponding elastic arm 14.
• each window 22 guides the drawer 10 when it slides in cooperation with the elastic arms 14.
• the drawer 10 is first placed on the female part 2 of the connector.
• the bent pieces 1 2 are then put in place through the windows 22.
• a weld for example an ultrasonic weld is made to weld the two bent pieces 1 2 to each other and weld the stirrup thus produced on the female part 2 of the connector.
• FIGS. 5 and 6 show another embodiment of a locking device intended for the female part 2 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. There are therefore also inlets 6 and plugs 8 here.
• the locking device has a structure similar to that described above.
• the stirrup and the drawer 1 10 are also U-shaped and are arranged relative to the female part of the connector in the same way as for the first embodiment.
• Each bent piece has an elastic arm 1 14 which extends along the female part 2 in the same direction as the plugs 8.
• the end of the elastic arms 1 14 carries a hook 1 1 6 on the side of the female part 2 of the connector.
• the drawer 1 10 has a base 1 1 8 and two side branches 120. In each of the side branches 120 is produced a window 1 22.
• each window 1 22 In the locked position of the device, each window 1 22 entirely houses the corresponding elastic arm 1 14.
• a ramp 132 is formed on the edge of the window 1 22 opposite the base 1 18 of the drawer. This ramp 132 is produced on the outer face of the corresponding side branch 1 20.
• the free end of the elastic arm 1 14 is itself provided with a counter ramp 1 36 made on the side of the female part 2.
• Each window 1 22 is extended by a slot 1 36 towards the free end of the lateral branch 120 corresponding. This slot 136 is intended to allow the passage of the corresponding hook 1 1 6 when the drawer is pulled from its locked position to its unlocked position.
• a stop 138 is provided at the end of each lateral branch 120 to limit the travel of the drawer 110.
• the operation of this locking device is almost identical to that of the first locking device described above.
• the base 1 1 8 of the drawer 1 10 bears against the face of the female part in which the inputs are made 6.
• the plugging of the female part onto the male part takes place in an identical manner.
• a chamfer 1 30 on the hooks 1 1 6 to facilitate the snapping of the hooks 1 1 6 on the corresponding counter hooks. Locking is therefore carried out simply by snapping the female part 2 onto the corresponding male part 4, the locking device being in this locked position during this operation.
• Unlocking is achieved by pulling on the base 1 18 of the drawer 1 10 so as to move the latter away from the female part 2 of the connector.
• the ramps 132 of the lateral branches 1 20 then come to cooperate with the counter ramps 134 of the elastic arms 1 14 to separate the latter from the female part 2 of the connector.
• the free ends of the elastic branches 1 14 come against the stops 138 placed at the free ends of the lateral branches 1 20.
• the two examples above show two positions for the ramps making it possible to obtain a spacing of the elastic arms.
• Other positions for this ramp could be envisaged, for example in the middle of the elastic arms.
• the elastic arms here constitute the branches of a U-shaped stirrup.
• the locking devices described above are mounted on a female part of a connector.
• the devices according to the invention are also adaptable to male parts of a connector.

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

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 1999
  • 1999-07-06 FR FR9909027A patent/FR2796210B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2000
  • 2000-07-03 WO PCT/FR2000/001895 patent/WO2001003250A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2000-07-03 DE DE60037003T patent/DE60037003T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-07-03 EP EP00949617A patent/EP1110278B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-07-03 US US09/763,201 patent/US6398575B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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