WO2011003882A1

WO2011003882A1 - Electrical connector

Info

Publication number: WO2011003882A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/059592
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bruno Dupont
Original assignee: Tyco Electronics France SAS
Current assignee: Tyco Electronics France SAS
Priority date: 2009-07-06
Filing date: 2010-07-05
Publication date: 2011-01-13
Anticipated expiration: 2012-01-06
Also published as: FR2947675B1; FR2947675A1

Abstract

An electrical connector (100) comprising a plurality of lines terminated by electrical contact elements (110), the electrical connector being intended to cooperate with a plug (200), at least one of the lines being terminated by a contact piece (150) situated forwardly in the connector such that, during the introduction of the plug into the connector, this contact piece enters into contact with the corresponding contact element of the plug before the other contact elements of the connector, the piece having means for electrical connection with the corresponding contact element of the connector to provide the electrical contact between the contact element of the plug and the contact element of the connector until the plug has been fully inserted into the connector, the piece being adapted to allow the contact element of the plug to pass until it enters into direct contact with the corresponding contact element of the connector.

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

The present invention generally concerns electrical connectors. More particularly, the present invention concerns electrical connectors having one or more lines provided with a short-circuit device which can be deactivated during the insertion of the corresponding electrical plug.

In the field of electrical connectors, it is sometimes necessary to short-circuit one or more lines until the connection of the corresponding plug to the connector has been concluded, in particular in order to avoid damaging an apparatus connected to the connector.

Numerous devices of this type are known in the art, allowing one or more lines of the connector to be short-circuited in order to provide a reliable connection which does not present any risks for the apparatus to be connected.

This type of connectors is used in particular to connect an apparatus displaying sensitivity such that it could be permanently damaged during connection thereof. This type of connectors is used in particular in the connectors for vehicle safety airbags in order to prevent triggering of the airbags during the electrical connection of the airbag device to the electrical wiring harness of the vehicle, in the factory or during a repair operation.

In certain specific applications, it is necessary firstly to establish a connection for earthing the device to be connected, then secondly to connect the signal lines.

For this purpose, use is made of two separate connectors: one for the earthing, the other for the signal lines. The operator is asked to connect firstly the earthing connector, then that of the signal lines, and to proceed in the opposite order for disassembly. This solution is costly in terms of equipment, since it necessitates two separate connectors, and in terms of labour, since it necessitates two different successive operations. Moreover, as the two connectors are totally independent, there is no guarantee that the operator will adhere to the connection sequence. A certain number of connectors having one or more forwardly situated contacts, allowing a connection sequence to be provided, are known in the art. During the connection of the two plugs of the connector, the forwardly situated contacts allow a contact to be established on the corresponding line or lines before the other lines and a predetermined contact sequence therefore to be provided.

Connectors of this type are known from documents US 7 338 329 B2, US 5 088 931 and US 5 494 463. However, this type of connector is not appropriate for connecting sensitive apparatuses, such as airbags, as it does not provide the short-circuit of the lines during the connection.

The problem is therefore to provide a connector ensuring in all cases, in a reliable and economical manner, that earthing is established before the contact is established between the contact lines, while at the same time providing the short-circuit function of the lines until the contact of the lines is established in a reliable manner in order to eliminate the short-circuit when this contact is established. For this purpose, the invention proposes an electrical connector comprising a plurality of lines terminated by electrical contact elements, the electrical connector being intended to cooperate when inserted with a complementary plug having a corresponding number of electrical contact elements, the lines each being provided with a short-circuit device which is deactivated when the plug is entirely inserted into the connector, the connector being characterised in that at least one of the lines is terminated by a contact piece situated forwardly in the connector such that, during the introduction of the plug into the connector, this contact piece enters into contact with the corresponding contact element of the plug before the other contact elements of the connector, the piece having means for electrical connection with the corresponding contact element of the connector to provide the electrical contact between the contact element of the plug and the contact element of the connector until the plug has been fully inserted into the connector, the piece being adapted to allow the contact element of the plug to pass until it enters into direct contact with the corresponding contact element of the connector. Advantageously, the present invention ensures that the connection sequence will be adhered to, since the connection is made in a single action via a single connector. There is therefore no possible handling error, thus providing convenience and reliability.

The connector according to the invention is economical as it integrates the functions of the two connectors of the prior art in a single connector and in a single operation.

According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the forwardly situated contact piece is disposed in front of a contact element of the connector and has permanent means for electrical connection with the contact element of the connector, said piece being designed so as to:

- engage the corresponding contact element of the plug so as to establish an electrical contact with the contact element of the connector via the permanent electrical connection means before the contacts on the other lines are established, then to

- allow the contact element of the plug to pass while at the same time providing the continuity of the electrical contact with the contact element of the connector while the other lines enter into contact with the corresponding contact elements of the plug and until the contact element of the connector in front of which the forwardly situated contact piece is situated enters into contact with the contact element of the corresponding plug.

Thus, advantageously, when the contact elements of the connector are aligned, the connector according to the invention ensures that the contact will be established on the line having the forwardly situated contact piece before the other lines and that the other lines will be contacted substantially at the same moment.

According to an advantageous feature of the invention:

- the contacts of the connector are identical female-type pins intended to cooperate with male-type pins of the plug and the forwardly situated contact piece is a female-type contact displaying overall the shape of a cage made of a conductive material, said cage having two mutually facing elastic tongues designed to have in the rest position a spacing smaller than the size of a male-type pin of the plug so as to elastically grip the male-type pin when the plug is engaged in an initial position in the connector until the male-type pin passes through -A - the cage and enters into engagement in the female contact element disposed behind the forwardly situated contact piece.

Thus, advantageously, the connector is particularly economical, as it uses identical pins, preferably standard pins. It is therefore not necessary to provide special pins which are costly to manufacture.

According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the elastic tongues of the cage are disposed so as to be set apart from each other during the introduction of the male pin of the plug once the male pin is in contact with the female contact element disposed behind the forwardly situated contact piece and the plug continues to be engaged in the connector.

Advantageously, the forwardly situated contact piece in the form of a cage allows a sufficiently long stroke to establish the desired connection sequence in a connector of small overall size.

According to advantageous features of the invention, which features may be combined:

- the permanent means for electrical connection of the forwardly situated contact piece are an elastic contact tab protruding from the cage in the direction of the female-type contact pin so as to come to rest in resilient contact on a conductive portion of the pin, thus providing the electrical continuity between the pin and the cage;

- the electrical connector has latching locking means intended to cooperate with

complementary latching locking means disposed on the plug so as to render them non- dismantlable once the final connection position has been reached and the latching locking means have been engaged;

- the forwardly situated contact piece has elastic latching means intended to cooperate by shape interference with corresponding means in the body of the connector, the means being intended to jointly hold the forwardly situated contact piece in the body of the connector by latching and shape interference.

The invention further relates, according to another aspect, to a plug for an electrical connector as described hereinbefore, the short-circuit device of each of the lines being provided in the region of each of the contact elements of the plug by short-circuit means which are mechanically deactivated when the corresponding contact element of the plug is engaged with the corresponding contact element of the connector and the electrical contact of the corresponding line is established. According to an advantageous aspect, the electrical contacts of the plug are male-type pins against which comes to rest an elastic tongue connected electrically to a potential short- circuiting the pin, the tongue being disposed so as to be set apart by a corresponding female pin of the connector when the plug is inserted into the connector in the final contact position. The invention further relates, according to another aspect, to an assembly composed of a connector as described hereinbefore and of a corresponding plug.

The invention further relates, according to another aspect, to a method for connecting a connector to a corresponding plug including the steps consisting in:

- introducing the plug into the connector until the forwardly situated contact piece enters into contact with the contact element of the plug,

- continuing to introduce the plug in such a way that the forwardly situated contact piece allows the contact element of the corresponding plug to pass while maintaining the electrical contact on the corresponding line, then

- continuing to introduce the plug until the contact is established on all of the lines and the plug is entirely inserted into the connector in order to deactivate the short-circuit device.

The invention will now be disclosed further by way of the detailed description of an exemplary embodiment given merely by way of illustration and in a non-limiting manner with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a diagram showing the general operating principle of the connection sequence of a connector according to the invention;

- Figure 2A is a cross section of a connector and of a plug according to the invention in the initial connection position;

- Figure 2B is a detailed cross section taken along the line indicated by the markers HB from Figure 2A;

- Figure 3 A is a cross section of a connector and of a plug according to the invention in the intermediate connection position; - Figure 3B is a detailed cross section taken along the line indicated by the markers IIIB from Figure 3A;

- Figure 4A is a cross section of a connector and of a plug according to the invention in the final connection position;

- Figure 4B is a detailed cross section taken along the line indicated by the markers IVB from Figure 4A; and

- Figure 5 is a perspective view of a forwardly situated contact piece according to the invention. Detailed description of an exemplary embodiment

Figure 1 is a basic diagram showing the general principle of the connection sequence of a connector according to the invention. The diagram of Figure 1 has been drawn up in the form of a table which reads from left to right in the direction indicated by arrow A. The first line shows respectively the four connection steps symbolised schematically by a plug 200 and a connector 100 according to the invention, respectively in the approach connection position, in the initial connection position, in the intermediate connection position, and in the final connection position. The following three lines show the sequence for establishing electrical contacts within the connector, namely: the earth line, the signal lines, and the short-circuit function represented schematically in a single manner for all the lines.

In practice, the process involves connecting an electrical apparatus connected to the connector to an electrical wiring harness connected to the plug. The connector is provided with a plurality of lines ending in contact pins with short-circuit means which remain active while the plug is not fully introduced into the connector and the electrical contact is not reliably established on each line. This is what may be seen during the connection approach; the pins of the connector are in the short-circuit position to prevent any damage to the electrical device to be connected.

A forwardly situated contact piece is disposed on the earth line of the connector in such a way that the earthing is established first during the introduction of the plug into the connector. This may be seen in the region of the initial connection position in Figure 1. In the intermediate connection position, the contacts on the other lines are established when the plug continues to be introduced into the connector. Finally, in the final connection position, in a manner known per se, the short-circuit means of the pins are deactivated mechanically by the insertion of the plug into the connector. The connection between the apparatus and the electrical wiring harness is established and the assembly is ready to operate.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment represented schematically in Figures 2A to 5. As may be seen in Figures 2A to 4B, an electrical connector 100 according to the invention has a body made of an insulating material and housing a plurality of lines terminated by mutually identical female-type pins 110 aligned in a transverse direction of the connector. They are disposed in an aligned manner in a transverse direction of the connector 100. It is possible to make out six grouped lines for the signals in the upper part of the connector and one earth line in the lower part of the connector.

A plug 200 is provided to co-operate with the connector 100, having a body made of an insulating material and male-type pins 210 aligned in a transverse direction of the plug 200.

The pins are aligned in a transverse direction of the plug and disposed so as to be coupled with the female pins 110 of the connector 100.

The earth line of the connector 100 is terminated by a forwardly situated contact piece 150 disposed so as to enter into contact with the corresponding pin 210 of the plug 200 before the pins of the signal lines of the connector during the introduction of the plug into the connector, as may be seen in Figure 2 A. The forwardly situated contact piece 150 is a female-type contact having overall the shape of a cage made of a conductive material. The cage has two mutually facing elastic tongues 151 designed to have in the rest position a spacing smaller than the size of a male-type pin 210 of the plug so as to elastically grip the male-type pin when the plug is engaged in an initial position in the connector. The forwardly situated contact piece 150 is electrically connected to the earth pin 110 which is situated behind, through a tongue 152 which may be seen more particularly in Figure 5 and passing in a plane parallel to the plane of Figures 2A, 3 A and 4A, behind the earth pin 110. Thus, as soon as the earth pin 210 enters into contact with the forwardly situated contact piece 150, the electrical contact is established between the earth pin 110 and the earth pin 210, whereas the contact in the region of the signal pins has not yet been established.

The plug 200 also has, in the region of each of the pins 210, an elastically deformable metal tongue 220 which comes to rest against the pins and which is electrically connected to a potential short-circuiting the pin, as may be seen in Figure 2B. This allows the electrical apparatus (not shown), which is connected to the plug 200, to be protected throughout the connection process. Furthermore, in a conventional manner, the connector according to the invention is provided with latching locking means intended to cooperate with complementary latching locking means disposed on the plug.

The latching locking means are in the form of a tongue 130 mounted on the elastically deformable connector 100 and terminated by a ramp-shaped hook 131 forming latching locking means intended to cooperate with a corresponding ramp 230 terminated by a hollow 231, intended to accommodate the hook 131, forming a complementary latching locking means on the plug 200. When the plug 200 is plugged by an operator into the connector 100 in the intermediate contact position, which may be seen more particularly in Figures 3A and 3B, the signal pins 210 and 110 enter into mutual contact and thus establish the electrical contact in the region of the signal lines. The tongues 220 hold the short-circuited pins 210 as may be seen in Figure 3B. The earth pin 210 is, for its part, also engaged in the earth pin 110 of the corresponding connector, by passing through the cage of the forwardly situated piece. Once the connection has been directly established between the earth pins 210 and 110, an insulating body 211 surrounding the earth pin 210 comes to set the tongues 151 apart from each other when the plug continues to be engaged in the connector, as may be seen more particularly in Figure 4A.

Finally, when the plug 200 arrives in the connector 100 in the final connection position, as may be seen in Figures 4A and 4B, a body 111 surrounding each of the pins 110 comes to set apart the elastic tongue 220, thus detaching it from the pin 210 and eliminating the short-circuit. The assembly is then entirely electrically connected and ready to operate.

At the same time, by way of elastic deformation of the tongue 130, the hook 131 surmounts the ramp 230 in order to latch into the hollow 231. An abutment 232 is disposed behind the hollow 231 in order to prevent any attempt to lift the hook 131 in such a way as to render the connector and the plug non-dismantlable once the final connection position has been reached and the latching locking means have been engaged. A forwardly situated contact piece 150 is shown in greater detail in Figure 5. The contact piece displays overall the shape of a cage made of a conductive material, the cage having two mutually facing elastic tongues 151 designed to have in the rest position a spacing smaller than the size of a male-type pin. The tongues are designed to be set apart sufficiently to allow a male pin surrounded by its insulating body to pass in a second time. Thus, the piece 150 according to the invention allows an earthing to be established, while preserving a short connection stroke, before any contact is established in the region of the signal lines, while maintaining the short-circuit function of the pins until the final phase of the connection process. The piece 150 also has two elastic tongues 154 on its front face and an elastic tongue

153 on its upper face, the tongues being intended to hold by latching and shape interference the piece in the body of the connector 100 via recesses provided for this purpose (not shown). Finally, it will be noted that in the embodiment disclosed in the present document, the short-circuit function is performed on the side of the plug; however, short-circuit devices which operate on the side of the connector are known in the art and the person skilled in the art can adapt them without difficulty to the present invention. Numerous other variants are possible, depending on the circumstances, and it will be noted in this regard that the invention is not limited to the examples described and shown.

Claims

1. Electrical connector ( 100) comprising a plurality of lines terminated by electrical contact elements (110), the electrical connector being intended to cooperate when inserted with a complementary plug (200) having a corresponding number of electrical contact elements (210), the lines each being provided with a short-circuit device (220) which is deactivated when the plug is entirely inserted into the connector, the connector being characterised in that at least one of the lines is terminated by a contact piece (150) situated forwardly in the connector such that, during the introduction of the plug into the connector, this contact piece (150) enters into contact with the corresponding contact element of the plug before the other contact elements of the connector, the piece having means for electrical connection with the corresponding contact element of the connector to provide the electrical contact between the contact element of the plug and the contact element of the connector until the plug has been fully inserted into the connector, the piece being adapted to allow the contact element of the plug to pass until it enters into direct contact with the corresponding contact element of the connector.

2. Electrical connector according to claim 1, characterised in that the forwardly situated contact piece (150) is disposed in front of a contact element of the connector and has permanent means (152) for electrical connection with the contact element of the connector, and in that said piece is designed so as to :

engage the corresponding contact element of the plug so as to establish an electrical contact with the contact element of the connector via the permanent electrical connection means before the contacts on the other lines are established, then to

allow the contact element of the plug to pass while at the same time providing the continuity of the electrical contact with the contact element of the connector while the other lines enter into contact with the corresponding contact elements of the plug and until the contact element of the connector in front of which the forwardly situated contact piece is situated enters into contact with the contact element of the corresponding plug.

3. Electrical connector according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the contact elements of the connector (100) are identical female-type pins (110) intended to cooperate with male-type pins (210) of the plug (200) constituting the contact elements of the plug and the forwardly situated contact piece (150) is a female-type contact displaying overall the shape of a cage made of a conductive material, said cage having two mutually facing elastic tongues (151) designed to have in the rest position a spacing smaller than the size of a male-type pin of the plug so as to elastically grip the male-type pin when the plug is engaged in an initial position in the connector until the male-type pin passes through the cage and enters into engagement in the female contact element disposed behind the forwardly situated contact piece.

4. Electrical connector according to claim 3, characterised in that the elastic tongues (151) of the cage are disposed so as to be set apart from each other during the introduction of the male pin of the plug once the male pin is in contact with the female contact element disposed behind the forwardly situated contact piece and the plug continues to be engaged in the connector.

5. Electrical connector according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that the permanent means (152) for electrical connection of the forwardly situated contact piece (150) are an elastic contact tab protruding from the cage in the direction of the female-type contact pin so as to come to rest in resilient contact on a conductive portion of the pin, thus providing the electrical continuity between the pin and the cage.

6. Electrical connector according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterised in that the forwardly situated contact piece (150) has elastic latching means (153, 154) intended to cooperate by shape interference with corresponding means in the body of the connector (100), the means being intended to jointly hold the forwardly situated contact piece (150) in the body of the connector (100) by latching and shape interference.

7. Plug for an electrical connector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the short-circuit device (220) of each of the lines is provided in the region of each of the contact elements of the plug by short-circuit means which are mechanically deactivated when the corresponding contact element of the plug is engaged with the corresponding contact element of the connector and the electrical contact of the corresponding line is established.

8. Plug according to claim 7, characterised in that the electrical contacts of the plug (200) are male-type pins (210) against which comes to rest an elastic tongue (220) connected electrically to a potential short-circuiting the pin, the tongue being disposed so as to be set apart by a corresponding female pin of the connector when the plug is inserted into the connector in the final contact position.

9. Assembly composed of a connector (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and of a corresponding plug (200).

10. Method for connecting a connector (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5 to a corresponding plug (200), characterised in that the method includes the steps consisting in: introducing the plug (200) into the connector (100) until the forwardly situated contact piece (150) enters into contact with the contact element of the plug,

continuing to introduce the plug in such a way that the forwardly situated contact piece (150) allows the contact element of the corresponding plug to pass while maintaining the electrical contact on the corresponding line, then

continuing to introduce the plug until the contact is established on all of the lines and the plug (200) is entirely inserted into the connector (100) in order to deactivate the short- circuit device (220).