Abstract:
An electrical connector is provided including first and second housings configured to mate with one another to join corresponding electrical contacts when moved between initial and final positions. The electrical connector includes a lever member engaging and moving the first and second between the initial and final positions as the lever member is rotated about a rotational axis. The lever member includes a cam arm having a pivot post received by the first housing and first and second notches. The first housing includes a post slot for rotatably and slidably retaining the pivot post relative to the rotational axis and a first rack engaging the first notch. The second housing has a second rack engaging the second notch. The first and second racks and notches cooperate to move the first and second housings between the initial and final positions as the lever member is rotated.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Certain embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a lever-based connection assembly for engaging resisting components. More particularly, certain embodiments of the present invention relate to a mate assist assembly for connecting electrical contacts contained in separate housings. 
     In certain applications, electronic components require a mate assist assembly to electrically connect several electrical contacts. The mate assist assembly includes a first connector housing that holds several electrical contacts, and a second connector housing that holds an equal number of electrical contacts. One connector housing includes male electrical contacts, while the other connector housing includes female electrical contacts. The first connector housing is configured to be received inside the second connector housing. As the number of electrical contacts to be mated increases, it becomes difficult to fully join the mating connector housings because of friction between the mating electrical contacts. 
     A conventional mate assist assembly includes a lever having a handle and two lever arms that extend from, and are rotated alongside, side walls of the first connector housing. The second connector housing is slid onto and encloses the first connector housing to a point where the electrical contacts resist further insertion. Each lever arm includes a cam arm with notches. Rack teeth are situated within the second connector housing with each rack tooth corresponding to the notches of the cam arms. As the first connector housing is inserted into the second connector housing, the lever is oriented in a fixed position so that the cam arms are aligned to engage the rack teeth. 
     As the handle is rotated in a first direction, the rack teeth and cam arms engage and pull the first connector housing and lever downward into the second connector housing, mating the electrical contacts. Alternatively, as the handle is rotated in a second direction, the first connector housing is pulled upward out of the second connector housing, unmating the electrical contacts. 
     The conventional electrical connector suffers from a number of drawbacks. First, the lever member is rotated a large distance before the cam arms engage the rack teeth on the module connector. Therefore, the lever member rotates ninety-degrees to fully connect and disconnect the electrical contacts. Since the lever member rotates ninety-degrees in operation, the lever member is fully upright and parallel to a vertical axis at some point during the course of rotation. When the lever member is in such an upright orientation, the mate assist assembly takes up a large amount of space and is thus limited to use in certain electronic applications where space is not constrained. Therefore, a mate assist assembly is needed having a lever member that rotates a shorter distance to connect the electrical contacts and thus takes up less space during rotation. 
     Secondly, conventional electrical connectors do not effectively maintain the lever members in the necessary fixed position. For example, some electrical connectors have apertures in the lever arms that receive, and are retained by, deflectable latches extending outward from the side walls of the first connector housing. When the first connector housing is positioned within the second connector housing, the latches are biased inward into the first connector housing to release the lever arms from the fixed position. However, the lever arms must be in a lowered position about the first connector housing for the deflectable latches to engage the apertures. In order to position the first connector housing downward into the second connector housing, the lever is rotated upward to an upright position above the first connector housing. The lever therefore takes up more space and interferes with surrounding components when connecting the electrical contacts, thus limiting the number of components with which the electrical connector is used. 
     Other electrical connectors maintain the lever in a fixed position with the lever arms extending upright from the first connector housing prior to insertion into the second connector housing so that the lever is rotated downward about the first connector housing to connect the electrical contacts. The lever arms include apertures near the cam arms that receive, and are retained by, protrusions extending out from the side walls of the first connector housing. When the first connector housing is positioned within the second connector housing, the lever is pushed with a force necessary to disengage the apertures from the protrusions to release the lever from the fixed position. However, the protrusions are small and engage only a small amount of surface area of the lever arms. Therefore, when slight forces are applied to the lever, the lever arms are prematurely released from the protrusions such that the lever is no longer in the fixed position. The protrusions also quickly wear down until the protrusions do not engage the lever. 
     Therefore, a need exists for an electrical connector that overcomes the above problems and addresses other concerns experienced in the prior art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Certain embodiments of the present invention provide for an electrical connector including first and second housings having ends configured to receive electrical contacts. The first and second housings are configured to be matable with one another to join corresponding electrical contacts and are movable between initial and final positions. The electrical connector also includes a lever member engaging the first and second housings and moving the first and second housings between the initial and final positions as the lever member is rotated through a range of motion about a rotational axis. The lever member includes a cam arm having a pivot post received by the first housing and first and second notches that engage the first and second housings, respectively. The first housing includes a post slot for rotatably and slidably retaining the pivot post relative to the rotational axis. The first housing further has a first rack engaging the first notch, and the second housing has a second rack engaging the second notch. The first and second racks and notches cooperate to move the first and second housings between the initial and final positions as the lever member is rotated along the range of motion. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a side isometric view of a mate assist assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded isometric view of the mate assist assembly of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates an isometric view of a harness connector formed according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates an isometric view of a lever member formed according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an isometric view of the lever member mounted to the harness connector. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an isometric view of a module connector formed according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a side isometric view of the mate assist assembly in the final position and the electrical contacts fully mated. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a mate assist assembly formed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 illustrates a side isometric view of a mate assist assembly of FIG. 8 in the final position. 
     FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of a mate assist assembly formed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings, certain embodiments. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a side isometric view of a mate assist assembly  10  formed according to an embodiment of the present invention. The mate assist assembly  10  includes a harness connector  18  having contact pockets  12  configured to receive packets that hold groups of electrical contacts (not shown). The mate assist assembly  10  also includes a module connector  22  that holds electrical contacts (not shown) configured to mate with the electrical contacts in the harness connector  18 . As shown in FIG. 1, the harness connector  18  is partially inserted within the module connector  22  to an initial staging position. The mate assist assembly  10  also includes a lever member  14  that is retained on the exterior of the harness connector  18  and engages the module connector  22 . The lever member  14  is rotatable in the direction of arrow A to move the harness connector  18  from the initial staging position to a final position (FIG.  8 ). As the lever member  14  is rotated in the direction of arrow A, it pushes the harness connector  18  downward in the direction of arrow B into the module connector  22  until fully mating the electrical contacts of the harness connector  18  and the module connector  22  with each other. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded isometric view of the mate assist assembly  10  of FIG.  1 . The lever member  14  includes a pair of spaced apart cam arms  26 , each of which has first and second notches  30  and  34  located on opposite sides thereof. The cam arms  26  also include cylindrical pivot posts  38  extending inward from interior surfaces thereof and facing one another. The pivot posts  38  are aligned along a common rotational axis  42 . In FIG. 2, the lever member  14  is oriented in an unmated position with lever arms  58  aligned by way of example only, at a thirty-degree angle to a vertical axis  24 . The vertical axis  24  extends parallel to the direction of relative motion between the harness connector  18  and module connector  22 . The harness connector  18  includes triangular first racks  48  situated beside oval post slots  52  formed through the side walls  56 . The module connector  22  includes rectangular side walls  72  having a U-shaped or semi-circular arm catches  68  cut out. Triangular second racks  64  are formed on one side of the arm catches  68  proximate an open face  65  of the module connector  22 . 
     The lever member  14  is removably inserted downward in the direction of arrow B (also referred to as the loading or staging direction) into the harness connector  18  into a fixed position at which the pivot posts  38  are received within the post slots  52  and the first racks  48  are located within the first notches  30  such that the lever arms  58  are aligned generally at a thirty-degree angle to the vertical axis  24 . The harness connector  18  and lever member  14  are then slidably inserted in the direction of arrow B into the module connector  22  until reaching the initial staging position shown in FIG.  1 . When in the initial staging position, the cam arms  26  are positioned within the arm catches  68  and the second racks  64  are positioned within the second notches  34 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates an isometric view of the harness connector  18  formed according to an embodiment of the present invention. The harness connector  18  is box shaped and includes opposing side walls  56  and opposing end walls  76 . By way of example only, a center wall  74  may extend between the side walls  56  to define multiple square contact pockets  12 . Electrical contacts (not shown) may be loaded into the contact pockets  12  from either a face  75  or a rear end  73  of the harness connector  18 . When the harness connector  18  is slidably inserted into the module connector  22  (FIG.  2 ), the electrical contacts engage the electrical contacts situated in the module connector  22 . An exterior perimeter of the harness connector  18  is smaller than an interior perimeter of the module connector  22 , in order that the harness connector  18  may be positioned within the module connector  22 . 
     The post slots  52  are elliptical in shape with interior walls  84 , top wall  90 , and bottom wall  88 , along longitudinal axis extending between the face  75  and rear end  73 . The post slots  52  include interior walls  84  having oppositely aligned retention bumps  80  extending inward toward one another. The pivot posts  38  of the cam arms  26  (FIG. 2) are initially retained within a lower position of the post slots  52  between the retention bumps  80  and bottom walls  88  of the post slots  52 . The retention bumps  80  permit the pivot posts  38  to rotate freely, while being held in the lower position, until the harness connector  18  is inserted to the initial staging position within the module connector  22  (FIG.  2 ). As the lever member (FIG. 1) is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the pivot posts  38  are pried upward in the direction of arrow C until squeezing between the retention bumps  80  and moving to an upper position in the post slots  52  between the retention bumps  80  and top wall  90 . The pivot posts  38  are free to rotate within the upper position. 
     The post slots  52  are located between opposed oval flex holes  92 . The flex holes  92  extend through the side walls  56  and are oriented with their longitudinal axis aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the post slots  52 . Narrow flex strips  96  separate the post slots  52  and flex holes  92 . As the pivot posts  38  of the cam arms  26  (FIG. 2) are pushed upward in the direction of arrow C from the lower position to the upper position, the pivot posts  38  deflect the retention bumps  80  outward away from each other. The flex strips  96  bow outward in opposite directions into the flex gaps  92 , as the retention bumps  80  are deflected away from each other. Once the pivot posts  38  are moved into an upper position  89  above the retention bumps  80 , the flex strips  96  spring back toward each other out of the flex gaps  92  such that the retention bumps  80  are returned to an unbiased state underneath the pivot posts  38 . 
     The first racks  48  extend outward opposite each other from the side walls  56  and are located along one side of the post slots  52 . The first racks  48  are generally aligned proximate a midpoint of the interior walls  84 . Each of the first racks  48  has sloped top and bottom surfaces  100  and  104  that are received within the first notches  30  of the cam arms  26  (FIG. 2) when the lever member  14  (FIG. 2) is mounted on the harness connector  18 . The top and bottom surfaces  100  and  104  engage the first notches  30  when the pivot posts  38  are in the lower position  87  in the post slots  52  to hold the lever arms  58  into the fixed position while the harness connector  18  is loaded into the module connector  22  to the initial staging position. As the harness connector  18  is moved from the initial staging position to the final position in the module connector  22 , the first racks  48  slide into the arm catches  68  of the module connector  22  (FIG.  2 ). 
     The end walls  76  on the harness connector  18  include exterior recessed portions  108  aligned vertically and having retention strips  112  traversing the recessed portions  108  laterally. As the harness connector  18  is slid into the module connector  22  (FIG.  2 ), the retention strips  112  snapably engage top and bottom retention latches  116  and  118  (FIG. 6) positioned on interior surfaces of end walls  132  of the module connector  22  thereby retaining the harness connector  18 . 
     FIG. 4 illustrates an isometric view of the lever member  14  formed according to an embodiment of the present invention. A handle  120  is formed integral with, and extends perpendicularly between, the lever arms  58 , which are in turn formed with the cam arms  26 . The first and second notches  30  and  34  within the cam arms  26  have oppositely aligned top and bottom gear surfaces  124  and  128 , and  125  and  129 , respectively. The first notches  30  engage the first racks  48  of the harness connector  18  (FIG. 3) to retain the lever member  14  in the fixed position prior to insertion into the module connector  22 . The first and second notches  30  and  34  engage the first racks  48  on the harness connector  18  and the second racks  64  (FIG. 2) on the module connector  22 , respectively, as the lever member  14  is rotated between its initial and final positions. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an isometric view of the lever member  14  mounted to the harness connector  18 . The lever member  14  is attached to the harness connector  18  by deflecting the lever arms  58  outward away from each other so that the pivot posts  38  (FIG. 2) slide along the side walls  56  of the harness connector  18  until the pivot posts  38  are enclosed within the post slots  52  between the retention bumps  80  (FIG. 3) and the bottom walls  84  (FIG. 3) and the first notches  30  enclose the first racks  48  of the harness connector  18 . The top and bottom gear surfaces  124  and  128  of the first notches  30  resistibly engage the top and bottom surfaces  100  and  104 , respectively, of the first racks  48  such that the lever member  14  is maintained in the fixed position with the lever arms  58  generally at a thirty-degree angle to the vertical axis  24 . 
     The post slots  52  help maintain the lever member  14  in the fixed position prior to inserting the harness connector  18  into the module connector  22  (FIG.  2 ). The retention bumps  80  (FIG. 3) hold the pivot posts  38  (FIG. 2) in the lower position  87  (FIG. 3) within the post slots  52  (FIG.  3 ), preventing the pivot posts  38  from sliding into the upper position  89  (FIG. 3) within the post slots  52  such that the first notches  30  become disengaged from the first racks  48  and the lever member  14  rotates out of the fixed position. When the lever member  14  is in the fixed position and the harness connector  18  is in the initial staging position within the module connector  22 , the cam arms  26  are aligned such that the second notches  34  receive the second racks  64  (FIG. 2) of the module connector  22 . The second racks  64  and the second notches  34  are then aligned to engage each other when the lever member  14  is rotated to move the harness connector  18  from the initial staging position to the final position. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an isometric view of the module connector  22  formed according to an embodiment of the present invention. The side walls  72  are formed integral with, and are aligned perpendicular to, end walls  132 . The side and end walls  72  and  132  are formed integral with, and extend from, a base  134 , which has a larger perimeter than a perimeter about the side and end walls  72  and  132 . The base  134  is mounted to an electronic component (not shown), such as a radio, with the side and end walls  72  and  132  extending outward from the electronic component. The electrical contacts positioned within the module connector  22  are connected to the electronic component through contact slots (not shown). When the harness connector  18  (FIG. 3) is in the final position within the module connector  22 , the electrical contacts of the harness and module connectors  18  and  22  are fully mated. 
     The side walls  72  include the arm catches  68  positioned in the center thereof. The second racks  64  extend into the arm catches  68  at first sides along a top edge  138  of the side walls  72 . The second racks  64  have sloped top and bottom surfaces  142  and  146  that engage the second notches  34  on the cam arms  26  (FIG.  4 ). When the cam arms  26  are rotated to position the harness connector  18  into the final position, the second racks  64  resistibly engage the second notches  34  as described below to pull the harness connector  18  downward into the module connector  22  such that the cam arms  26  and the first racks  48  are positioned within the arm catches  68 . The first racks  48  and the second racks  64  are positioned on the harness connector  18  and module connector  22 , respectively, such that when the harness connector  18  is in the final position, the first racks  48  and the second racks  64  are located within the arm catches  68  along opposite side walls  150 . Thus, the alignment of the first racks  48  and the second racks  64  within the harness connector  18  and the module connector  22 , respectively, enable the harness connector  18  to be inserted into the module connector  22  in a correct orientation. 
     The end walls  132  include the top and bottom retention latches  116  and  118  that snapably engage and retain the retention strips  112  of the harness connector  18  (FIG.  3 ). As the harness connector  18  is lowered into the module connector  22  into the initial staging position, the retention strips  112  snapably slide over the top retention latches  116  into gaps  122  between the top and bottom retention latches  116  and  118 . The top and bottom retention latches  116  and  118  thus retain the retention strips  112  and the harness connector  18  in the initial staging position. As the harness connector  18  is moved from the initial staging position to the final position, the retention strips  112  snapably slide past and under the bottom retention latches  118 . When the harness connector  18  is removed from the module connector  22 , the retention strips  112  snapably slide back over the bottom and top retention latches  118  and  116 . 
     Returning to FIG. 1, the harness connector  18  is in the initial staging position with the lever member  14  upright in the fixed position. The first racks  48  engage the first notches  30  at a first contact point  156  that is separated from the rotational axis  42  by a pitch radius D 1  and the second racks  64  engage the second notches  34  at a second contact point  160  that is separated from the rotational axis  42  by a pitch radius D 2 . By way of example only, D 1  is equal to D 2 . 
     To move the harness connector  18  into the final position and mate the electrical contacts, the lever member  14  is rotated about the rotational axis  42  in the direction of arrow A, for example, by approximately sixty degrees until the lever arms  58  rest on the top edges  138  of the module connector  22  perpendicular to the vertical axis  24 . As the lever member  14  is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the top gear surfaces  124  of the first notches  30  push against the top surfaces  100  of the first racks  48  in the direction of arrow J and the bottom gear surfaces  129  of the second notches  34  push against the bottom surfaces  146  of the second racks  64  in the direction of arrow K. As the top gear surfaces  124  and the top surfaces  100  engage one another, the bottom gear surfaces  129  of the second notches  34  push against the bottom surfaces  146  of the second racks  64  in the direction of arrow K. The dual contact between the first notches  30  and the first racks  48  and the second notches  34  and the second racks  64  pull the cam arms  26  into the arm catches  68  and thus pull the harness connector  18  into the module connector  22  with enough force to mate the electrical contacts. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a side isometric view of the mate assist assembly  10  in the final position with the electrical contacts mated. The cam arms  26  and the first racks  48  are positioned within the arm catches  68  with the top gear surfaces  124  of the first notches  30  against the top surfaces  100  of the first racks  48  and the bottom gear surfaces  129  of the second notches  34  against the bottom surfaces  146  of the second racks  64 . The lever arms  58  are aligned perpendicular to the vertical axis  24 , but could be oriented to another angle. To disengage the electrical contacts and return the harness connector  18  to the initial staging position, the lever member  14  is rotated in the direction of arrow S about the rotational axis  42 . As the lever member  14  is rotated in the direction of arrow S, the bottom gear surfaces  128  of the first notches  30  push against the bottom surfaces  104  of the first racks  48  in the direction of arrow T and the top gear surfaces  125  of the second notches  34  push against the top surfaces  142  of the second racks  64  in the direction of arrow Q. The force exerted between the first and second notches  30  and  34  and the first and second racks  48  and  64 , respectively, is sufficient to overcome the static friction of the mated electrical contacts and lift the harness connector  18  upward in the direction of arrow C out of the module connector  22  the initial staging position. 
     Returning to FIG. 1, when the harness connector  18  is in the initial staging position, the pivot posts  38  (FIG. 2) are in the lower position  87  (FIG. 3) within the post slots  52  (FIG.  3 ). As the harness connector  18  is moved from the initial staging position to the final position within the module connector  22 , the pivot posts  38  rotate about the rotational axis  42  in the lower position  87  (FIG.  3 ). As the lever member  14  is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the pivot posts  38  slide vertically upward in the direction of arrow C between the rotation bumps  80  (FIG. 3) and into the upper position  89  (FIG.  3 ). The pivot posts  38  continue to rotate about the rotational axis  42  in the upper position  89  until the harness connector  18  is in the final position. 
     Alternatively, when the harness connector is moved from the final position to the initial staging position, the pivot posts  38  slide vertically downward in the direction of arrow B from the upper position  89  to the lower position  87  (FIG. 3) when the lever member  14  has been rotated in the direction of arrow S. 
     Thus, the first racks  48  and the oval shaped post slots  52  (FIG. 3) significantly reduce the distance the lever member  14  is rotated to move the harness connector  18  between the initial and final positions. For example, in FIG. 1, for the harness connector  18  to vertically travel to the final position without the first rack  48 , the lever member  14  would have to be rotated a greater distance in the direction of arrow A as the second notches  34  engage the second racks  64  to pull the harness connector  18  into the module connector  22 . Additionally, the pivot posts  38  (FIG. 2) sliding vertically within the post slots  52  allow the second racks  64  to maintain the pitch radius D 2  such that the second notches  34  closely engage the second racks  64  throughout the course of rotation. By allowing the pivot posts  38  to slide into the upper position  89  (FIG. 3) and thus maintain the pitch radius D 2 , the second racks  64  remain in resistant contact with the second catches  34  during the course of the rotation such that the first catches  30  push the first racks  48  downward and thus push the harness connector  18  into the final position. Therefore, the first racks  48  and the post slots  52  work together such that the lever member  14  is rotated a reduced distance to move the harness connector  18  the same vertical travel distance to the final position. 
     Additionally, the pivot post  38  and pivot slot  52  construction may be replaced with other structures that support similar multi-dimensional ranges of motion, such as a bearing and a truck or other multi-dimensional linkage. 
     FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of a mate assist assembly  180  formed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The cam arms  26  of the lever member  14  include the post slots  52 . The post slots  52  receive the pivot posts  38  extending outward from the side walls  56  of the harness connector  18 . When the harness connector  18  is in the initial staging position, the pivot posts  38  are in an upper position  89  engaging the top walls  90  of the post slots  52 . As the lever member  14  is rotated about the rotational axis  42  in the direction of arrow A and the first notches  30  and second notches  34  engage the first racks  48  and second racks  64 , respectively, the pivot posts  38  slide within the post slots  52  to a lower position  87  engaging the bottom walls  88  of the post slots  52 . As in the previous embodiment, the posts slots  52  allow the pivots posts  38  to slide therein such that the second notches  34  remain in contact with the second racks  64 . The cam arms  26  of the mate assist assembly  180  may also include the retention bumps  80  and the flex gaps  92  as shown in FIG. 3 to retain the pivot posts  38  in the upper position  89  such that the first notches  30  enclose the first racks  48  to maintain the lever member  14  in the fixed position. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a mate assist assembly  200  formed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The mate assist assembly  200  is generally similar to the mate assist assembly  10  of FIG. 1 except the second racks  64  are positioned on the opposite side of the arm catches  68  and the first racks  48  are positioned on the opposite side of the post slots  52 . Therefore, when the harness connector  18  is in the initial staging position as shown, the first notches  30  engage the second racks  64  and the second notches  34  engage the first racks  48  such that the lever member  14  is maintained in a fixed position where the lever arms  58  are perpendicular to the vertical axis  24 . The lever member  14  is rotated about the rotational axis  42  in the direction of arrow S to move the harness connector  18  into the final position. As the lever member  14  is rotated in the direction of arrow S, the top gear surfaces  125  of the second notches  34  push against the top surfaces  100  of the first racks  48  in the direction of arrow Q and the bottom gear surfaces  128  of the first notches  30  push against the bottom surfaces  146  of the second racks  64  in the direction of arrow T such that the harness connector  18  is pulled downward in the direction of arrow B into the module connector  22 . 
     FIG. 9 illustrates a side isometric view of the mate assist assembly  200  of FIG. 8 in the final position. The lever member  14  has been rotated about the rotational axis  42  in the direction of arrow S such that the lever arms  58  are generally at a thirty-degree angle to the vertical axis  24 . To move the harness connector  18  back to the initial staging position, the lever member  14  is rotated about the rotational axis  42  in the direction of arrow A. As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the first racks  48 , post slots  52  (FIG.  3 ), and the second racks  64  operate to reduce the rotational distance of the lever member  14  to move the harness connector  18  between the initial and final positions. The embodiment in FIGS. 8 and 9 orients the first and second racks  48  and  64  such that the lever member  14  is moved from a position where the lever arms  58  are perpendicular to the vertical axis  24  to a position where the lever arms  58  are at a thirty-degree angle to the vertical axis  24  to connect the electrical contacts. 
     The mate assist assemblies of the various embodiments confer several benefits. The retention bumps of the post slots hold the pivots posts in the lower position such that the first notches of the cam arms engage the first racks to maintain the lever member in a fixed position prior to the insertion of the harness connector into the module connector. Therefore, the cam arms are properly aligned for the second racks to engage the second notches when the harness connector is in the initial staging position within the module connector. 
     The first racks are positioned to remain within the first notches as the lever member is rotated such that the first racks fully engage the first notches during the rotation of the lever member as the post slots allow the cam arms to vertically move to maintain contact between the second notches and the second racks. Thus, the lever member rotates half as far to connect the electrical contacts than if no first racks engaged the cam arms and the pivot posts were not allowed to vertically slide within the post slots. Because the lever member rotates a shorter distance to connect the electrical contacts, the mate assist assembly takes up less space and may be used in a wider variety of electronic applications. For example, if the lever member is rotated sixty degrees to connect electrical contacts instead of the ninety degrees required by a typical mate assist assembly, the lever member is only at a thirty-degree angle to the vertical axis when the harness connector in the initial staging position instead of parallel to the vertical axis and thus takes up less space. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.