Abstract:
A lever type electrical connector ( 1 ) comprising a connector housing ( 10 ) having an annular interfacial seal ( 4 ) which extends around the connector housing ( 10 ). An annular protecting shroud ( 5 ) is arranged surrounding the connector housing ( 10 ) without increasing the connector overall dimensions and for being moved in overlapping relationship with said interfacial seal ( 4 ) to protect same.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to an electrical connector (first connector) having a lever for mating and unmating of the first connector with a second complementary electrical connector, and also having an interfacial seal for sealing the gap between the first and the second electrical connectors, when mated.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A typical lever-type electrical connector comprises a main connector housing having a cavity for taking up body parts in which terminals are received. The main connector housing has outer wall formations wherein the terminal pins are fixed. The wall formations for fixing the terminal pins are covered by an annular body member which is stuck up onto the lower part of the main connector housing. In order to seal the gaps leading to the terminal pins, an annular seal is provided to surround the main connector housing in the region above the terminal pin wall formations. The annular seal is effective as an interfacial seal between the first electrical connector and the second complementary electrical connector, when the connectors are mated to form an assembly.  
         [0003]     Lever-type electrical connectors are used in hard environments, for instance in the automotive sector. As a matter of fact, seals are very sensitive to damages, also before mating the connectors.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a lever-type electrical connector with protecting features for the interfacial seal.  
         [0005]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lever-type electrical connector in a compact design.  
         [0006]     It is a still further object of the present invention to proved a lever-type electrical connector which has protecting features for the interfacial seal and, when mated with another complementary connector, does not show increased outer dimensions.  
         [0007]     The invention is defined in claims  1  and  12 .  
         [0008]     In principle, an annular shroud is provided to be shifted onto the interfacial seal when the electrical connector (also in partial assembly) is in delivery condition, so that the electrical connector (also in partial assembly) can be shipped and handled without any danger for the interfacial seal. When the lever-type electrical connector is to be mated with a complementary electrical connector, the annular shroud is lifted to uncover the interfacial seal while simultaneously an outer housing member of the complementary electrical connector engages and covers the interfacial seal so that the interfacial seal remains protected all over the time.  
         [0009]     The lever of the lever-type electrical connector can take two end positions and any number of intermediate positions. When the connector is in an (open) position ready to be mated with a complementary connector, the position of the lever is termed “starting position”. When both connectors are connected together, the position of the lever is termed “final position”. In a first embodiment of the invention, the lever and the protective shroud are designed to make coordinated movements. To that end, the lever is shaped to include a curved guideway which cooperates with a follower cam on the shroud, and the shroud is lifted (or retracted) when the lever is rotated from its starting position into its final position, and is lowered (or advanced), when the lever is rotated from its final position into its start position.  
         [0010]     The complementary electrical connector to which the lever-type electrical connector is to be mated has an outer housing member with a pair of cog or pin projections on the outer side of the housing member. The lever of the lever-type electrical connector has a pair of curved grooves which can be coupled to the cog or pin projections and cooperates therewith so as to draw the complementary electrical connector in direction of the lever-type electrical connector, when the lever is rotated from its starting position in its final position, and separate the complementary electrical connector from the lever-type electrical connector, when the lever is rotated from its final position into its starting position. The outer housing member has a top side facing the lever-type electrical connector, particularly the shroud and the interfacial seal of the connector. In a second embodiment of the invention, the lifting movement of the shroud is controlled by the relative movement of the outer housing of the complementary connector to the shroud of the lever-type electrical connector. The return movement of the shroud can be controlled by springs.  
         [0011]     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the main connector housing as molded together with a shroud in one divisible part;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  shows the main housing with TPA-inserts and the shroud as well as an interfacial seal and an annular body member assembled to the main housing;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  shows the lever assembled to the structure of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  shows the electrical connector completed with a wire cap and in engagement with an outer housing member of a complementary electrical connector;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a side-elevational view with parts partly broken away;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a front-sectional view also with parts partly broken away;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a side-elevational view of the connector, partly sectioned in the starting position of the lever;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is the representation of  FIG. 7  with the lever beginning to lift the shroud;  
         [0020]      FIGS. 9, 10  and  11  show the further movement of the lever;  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  shows the lever in the final blocked position;  
         [0022]      FIG. 13  is an side-elevational view of the connector, parts partially being broken away, and  
         [0023]      FIG. 14  is a front-elevational view of the connector also with parts partially broken away. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]     Referring to  FIGS. 4, 5  and  6 , a first, lever-type electrical connector  1  is shown in cooperation with a second, complementary electrical connector  2 . This second connector  2  has an outer housing member  20  with a cog or pin projection  21  ( FIGS. 8-12 ) on opposite sides of the housing  20 , an inner rim zone  22  ( FIGS. 5, 6 ) near the upper end of the housing  20  and a top side  23 . Elements which have to do with the invention are a lever  3 , an interfacial seal  4  and an annular shroud  5 .  
         [0025]      FIGS. 1 through 4  show the main assembly steps of the lever type electrical connector. The connector  1  comprises a main connector housing  10  which, in this embodiment described, has been molded together with the shroud  5  in one divisible part. Breakable links (not shown) are provided between main connector housing  10  and shroud  5  which are broken when the lever  3  is to be mounted onto the housing  10 . It is self-evident that the shroud  5  could have been produced as a separate part. The housing  10  has a cavity  11  open at its upper end, and wall formations  12  at its lower end. The cavity  11  is used to take up terminals and the holding structures for the terminals as shown at  6  in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . These terminal holding structures  6  may include a TPA device. The wall formations  12  are used to fix the terminal pins (not shown) and will be covered by an annular body member  7  shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  
         [0026]     The lever  3  is of U-shaped configuration, as best shown in  FIG. 3 , and has two lever legs  31  and  32  connected by a bridge  30  which can be used as a handle. Both legs  31 ,  32  each have a keyhole-like opening  33  ( FIG. 4 ). As shown in  FIGS. 7 through 12  on each of its legs  31 ,  32 , the lever  3  also has a curved groove  34 , a curved guideway  35  and a nose  36 .  
         [0027]     The connector housing  10 , on opposite side thereof, has a pair of pivot bosses  13  for journalling the lever  3 . The keyhole-like openings  33  fit about a key-bid  14  at each end of the pivot boss  13  such that the U-shaped lever  3  can be assembled when the lever  3  and its keyhole-like opening  33  are in an angular position to register to the key-bids  14 . Each pivot boss  13  has a base  16  with a cross-section shown in FIGS.  7  to  12 , i.e. a smaller upper half circle and a bigger lower half circle with a flat thereon which is produced by an inclined undercut  17  ( FIG. 1 ).  
         [0028]     The annular shroud  5  has an inner opening  50  ( FIG. 1 ) which fits onto an upper section  15  of the housing  10 . The shroud  5  also has a cutout  51  which fits around the pivot boss base  16 , when the shroud  5  is lifted from its lower position ( FIG. 1 ) to its upper position ( FIG. 2 ). The lateral sides of the cutout  51  are surrounded by lateral walls  52  and the lower side by an inclined surface  53  which, at its lower end, forms a cam follower  54 . The cutout  51  with the lateral walls  52 , the inclined surface  53  and the cam follower  54  is formed symmetrically to a vertical axis so as to be prepared to be mounted on the left or right hand side of the connector. The inclined surface  53  fits onto the inclined undercut  17  when the shroud  5  is in its upper position.  
         [0029]     When the lever  3  is assembled as shown in  FIG. 3 , the parts so assembled are in a delivery condition to the harness maker who adds the wire cap  8  ( FIG. 4 ) which includes the wires, conductors or cables to be terminated within the connector  1 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 4  also shows the electrical connector  1  mated with the complementary connector  2 , also termed “header connector”. As is clearly shown in  FIGS. 4, 5  and  6 , the protective shroud  5  does not, or essentially not, extend beyond the outlines of the header walls  20 . In this manner, the protective shroud  5  does not increase the outer dimensions of the mated connector assembly  1 ,  2 . This means a compact design of the lever-type electrical connector of invention.  
         [0031]      FIGS. 7 through 12  show the mating sequence of the lever-type electrical connector  1  with the complementary electrical connector  2 . In the starting position of the lever  3 , the shroud  5  is in a lower position, as shown in  FIG. 7 , wherein the pivot boss base  16  is touching the cutout  51 , and the cam follower  54  rides on the curved gateway  35 . Furthermore, the projections  21  of the complementary connector  2  are in engagement with the curved groove  34  of the lever  3 . In this opened position of the connector  1  on the complementary or header connector  2 , the interfacial seal  4  is covered, and therefore protected, by the shroud  5 , as best seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . However, there is a gap  25  between the lower end of the shroud  5  and the upper end of the housing  20 .  
         [0032]     In the first phase of rotating the lever  3  (as shown in  FIG. 8 ) the shroud  5  begins to be lifted by the cooperation of the cam follower  54  and the gateway  35  so as to clear the seal  4  for cooperation with the inner rim zone  22  of the outer housing member  20  of the complementary connector  2 . When the lever  3  is further rotated, the nose  36  rides up the upper half circle surface of the base  16  (see  FIG. 10 ) and, due to the shape of the groove  34 , the distance between the cog or pin projection  21  of the complementary connector  2  and the pivot boss  13 , or base  16 , diminishes so that the connectors  1  and  2  are progressively drawn together. The interfacial seal  4  gets in engagement with the inner rim zone  22  of the complementary connector  2 . Simultaneously, the shroud  5  is moved relative to the outer housing member  20  of the complementary connector  2  so as to close the gap  25  between the shroud  5  and the complementary connector  2 . The continuous lever rotation is shown in  FIG. 8  to  FIG. 12 .  
         [0033]      FIGS. 13 and 14  show the situation of both connectors  1  and  2  connected together. The interfacial seal  4  is in engagement with the inner rim zone  22  of the complementary connector  2 , and the shroud  5  on the first connector  1  takes a position to close the gap  25  between the shroud  5  and the housing  20 . Therefore, the interfacial seal  5  is well protected.  
         [0034]     The unmating sequence of the connectors  1 ,  2  can be followed by comparing the series of  FIGS. 7 through 12  backwards. By rotating the lever  3  from its final position in  FIG. 12  in direction to its start position in  FIG. 7 , the nose  36  gets into engagement with the wall  52  of the shroud  5  and pushes the shroud  5  downwardly, disengaging from the undercut  17 . By rotating the lever  3 , the cooperation of the cog or pin projections  21  and the grooves  34  also leads to a separation of both connectors  1 ,  2  from one another. Simultaneously, the shroud  5  is shifted onto the interfacial seal  4  to protect same when the connector  1  reaches its open position in the start position of the lever  3 .  
         [0035]     It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments therefore are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given therein.