Abstract:
Disclosed herein is an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes a user contact member, a housing, a plurality of electrical contacts, and a slide. The user contact member has a first extending arm. The first extending arm includes a first cam projection. The housing has a first arm slot. The first arm slot receives the first extending arm. The plurality of electrical contacts are mounted in the housing. The slide is positioned between the first extending arm and the second housing. The slide includes a first cam slot and a second cam slot. The first cam slot receives the first cam projection. The second cam slot is adapted to receive a second cam projection of a mating electrical connector. The electrical connector is configured to receive at least one wire between the housing and the user contact member.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/764,169 filed Jan. 31, 2006 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The invention relates to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to an electrical connector having a mate assist system for mating to another member. 
         [0004]    2. Brief Description of Prior Developments 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,407 discloses a mechanical assist cam slide device for connecting two electrical connectors to each other. 
         [0006]    There is a desire to provide a push-pull mate assisted connector that acts in the connector mating direction and also serves as the wire dress cover. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed. The electrical connector includes a user contact member, a housing, a plurality of electrical contacts, and a slide. The user contact member has a first extending arm. The first extending arm includes a first cam projection. The housing has a first arm slot. The first arm slot receives the first extending arm. The plurality of electrical contacts are mounted in the housing. The slide is positioned between the first extending arm and the second housing. The slide includes a first cam slot and a second cam slot. The first cam slot receives the first cam projection. The second cam slot is adapted to receive a second cam projection of a mating electrical connector. The electrical connector is configured to receive at least one wire between the housing and the user contact member. 
         [0008]    In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed. The electrical connector includes a housing, a plurality of electrical contacts, a user contact member, and a pair of slides. The plurality of electrical contacts are mounted in the housing. The user contact member has at least two extending arms. The extending arms are positioned within the housing. The user contact member forms a wire dress cover. The pair of slides are located between the extending arms. The slides engage with the extending arms. The second housing is disposed between the pair of slides. The slides are adapted to engage with a mating electrical connector. The electrical connector is configured to receive at least one wire between the housing and the user contact member. 
         [0009]    In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed. The electrical connector includes a user contact member, a housing, a plurality of electrical contacts, and a slide. The user contact member has a first extending arm. The housing has an arm slot and a slide slot. The arm slot and the slide slot intersect each other. The arm slot receives the first extending arm. The plurality of electrical contacts are mounted in the housing. The slide is positioned within the slide slot. The slide includes a first cam slot on a first side of the slide and a second cam slot on a second side of the slide. The first cam slot and the second cam slot are reversely angled to one another. The first cam slot is aligned with the arm slot. The second cam slot is adapted to engage with a mating electrical connector. The electrical connector is configured to receive an electrical cable between the housing and the user contact member. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The foregoing aspects and other features of the present invention are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical connector comprising features of the invention and a mating electrical connector; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of some of the components of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the mating electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1  and the electrical connector with the housing shown in phantom lines; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the two electrical connectors shown in  FIG. 1  in a fully mated position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view as in  FIG. 4  with the housing of the electrical connector shown in phantom lines; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of an electrical connector comprising features of the invention and a mating electrical connector; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the mating electrical connector shown in  FIG. 6  and the electrical connector with the housing shown in phantom lines; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the two electrical connectors shown in  FIG. 6  in a fully mated position; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view as in  FIG. 8  with the housing of the electrical connector shown in phantom lines; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the two electrical connectors shown in  FIG. 8  with a sectional view of some of the components. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a perspective view of an electrical connector  10  incorporating features of the present invention shown in a position over a mating electrical connector  12 . Although the present invention will be described with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments. In addition, any suitable size, shape or type of elements or materials could be used. 
         [0022]    The connector  10  is adapted to be connected to an electrical cable  14  (shown in phantom lines in  FIG. 1 ) having a single electrical wire or a plurality of individual electrical wires surrounded by an outer casing. The connector  10  generally comprises a housing  16 , electrical contacts  18  and a mate assist system  20 . The electrical contacts  18  can comprise any suitable type of electrical contacts adapted to removably connect the wires of the cable  14  to electrical contacts  22  of the mating electrical connector  12 . The electrical contacts  18  are fixedly mounted in the housing  16 . 
         [0023]    The housing  16  generally comprises a bottom side with an aperture  24  for receiving a top portion  26  of the mating electrical connector  12 , a cable entrance area  28  at the top side and the end side of the housing, and two side walls  30 . The side walls  30  each have two intersecting slots  32 ,  34 . The first slots  32  extend vertically downward into the side walls from the top side of the housing  16 . The second slots  34  extend inward from the end  36  of the housing  16 ; generally orthogonal to the top side. 
         [0024]    As shown best in  FIG. 2 , the mate assist system  20  generally comprises two slides  38 ,  39  and a user contact member  40 . The two slides  38 ,  39  are substantially mirror images of each other. Each slide  38 ,  39  generally comprises two first cam slots  42  and three second cam slots  44 . The first cam slots  42  are located on outward facing sides of the slides  38 ,  39 . The second cam slots  44  are located on inward facing sides of the slides  38 ,  39 . The first cam slots  42  extend downward and rearward from open ends at the top sides of the slides to closed ends proximate the bottom sides of the slides. This provides for the first cam slots  42  to be open in a direction opposite to a direction of connector mating. The second cam slots  44  extend upward and rearward from open ends at the bottom sides of the slides  38 ,  39  to closed ends at a distance from the bottom sides of the slides  38 ,  39 . This provides for the second cam slots  44  to be open in a direction of connector mating. This also provides for the orientation of the first cam slots  42  (extending downward and rearward) and the second cam slots  44  (extending upward and rearward) to be generally reversely angled to one another. The slides  38 ,  39  are positioned into the housing  16  through the second slots (or slide slots)  34  and into the junction with the first slots  32 . The slides  38 ,  39  are slidable in the housing  16  between a rearward position as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  and a forward position as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  as indicated by arrow  46  in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0025]    The user contact member  40  generally comprises a top section  48  and two downward extending arms  50 . The top section  48  forms a top to the interior area of the rest of the housing and, thus, is able to cover the top side of the cable(s) and wires. Hence, the top section forms a wire dress cover for the connector. The arms  50  are substantially mirror images of each other. The arms  50  extend from opposite lateral sides of the top section  48 . Each arm  50  comprises a bottom section with two cam projections  52  extending in inward directions. The user contact member  40  is movably mounted to the housing  16  between an up or unactuated position as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , and a down or actuated position as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . A top section of each arm  50  has a snap-lock latch section  54  for snap lock connecting the user contact member  40  to the housing  16  in the down position; shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The arms  50  are slidably located through the top openings of the first slots (or arm slots)  32  in the housing  16 . The arms  50  are positioned adjacent the outward facing sides of the slides  38 ,  39 , wherein the arms  50  are between the slides  38 ,  39  and an outer surface of the side walls  30 . This also positions the slides  38 ,  39  between the arms  50 . The first cam slots  42  are aligned with the first slots  32  to allow the cam projections  52  to be received into the top open ends of the first cam slots  42 . 
         [0026]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the connector  10  is initially mounted on the top of the mating electrical connector  12 . A housing of the mating electrical connector is between the slides  38 ,  39  wherein cam projections  56  on the housing of the mating electrical connector  12  are received in the second cam slots  44  of the slides  38 ,  39 . With comparison of  FIGS. 1 and 3  to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , when the user pushes on the top side  58  of the top section  48  of the user contact member  40  this causes a caming action which assists in mating the two electrical connectors  10 ,  12  to each other. More specifically, as the user contact member  40  is pressed down, the cam projections  52  cause the slides  38 ,  39  to cam inward. In other embodiments it is conceivable, based on cam slot construction and location, that the slides could be driven outward. Possible alternatives include laterally, transversely, or perpendicular to the motion of the user contact member. As the slides  38 ,  39  are cammed inward, the slides  38 ,  39  cause the cam projections  56  to cam upward (or the connector  10  to cam downward) because of camming contact of the cam projections  56  in the second slots  44 . Thus, the mate assist system uses camming actions to assist in mating the two connectors  10 ,  12  to each other in direction  60 ; which is the same direction as the pushing action of the user on the user contact member. 
         [0027]    Referring also to  FIGS. 6-10 , an alternate embodiment of the invention is shown. In this embodiment an electrical connector  62  is provided for connecting to a mating electrical connector  64 . The mating electrical connector  64  comprises a housing  66  with cam projections  68  and electrical contacts  70  in the housing. The electrical connector  62  comprises a housing  72 , electrical contacts  74  and a mate assist system  76 . The housing  72  comprises entrance/exit apertures  78  for cables (not shown) having electrical wires to have access through the housing  72  into an interior area  73  of the housing. The electrical contacts  74  are mounted to the housing  72  in the interior area. The mate assist system  76  generally comprises two slides  80 ,  81  and a user contact member  82 . The slides  80 ,  81  are substantially mirror images of each other. Each slide has two top cam slots  84  and two bottom cam slots  86 . The top cam slots  84  extend through the slides  80 ,  81  from outward facing sides of the slides to inward facing sides of the slides. The top cam slots  84  are open in a direction opposite to a direction of connector mating. The bottom cam slots  86  extend into the slides from the inward facing sides of the slides. The bottom cam slots  86  are open in a direction of connector mating. The top cam slots  84  and the bottom cam slots  86  may also be generally reversely angled to one another. Additionally, closed ends of the top cam slots  84  and the bottom cam slots  86  may be adjacent one another as illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 10 . 
         [0028]    The user contact member  82  generally comprises a top section  88  and two arms  90 . The top section  88  forms a top to the interior area  73  and, thus, is able to cover the top side of the cable(s) and wires. Thus, the top section forms a wire dress cover for the connector. The arms  90  extend downward from lateral sides of the top section  88 . Each arm comprises two inward projecting cam projections  92  and a snap-lock latch  94 . 
         [0029]    The housing  72  has lateral side walls with first slots  96  extending into the side walls from a top side of the housing  72 , and second slots  98  extending into the side walls from an end of the side walls. The slots  96 ,  98  are joined to each other at a junction. The slides  80 ,  81  are slidable mounted into the second slots (or slide slots)  98  and into the junctions. The bottom ends of the arms  90  are inserted into the top open ends of the first slots (or arm slots)  96  and into the junctions. When the user contact member  82  is initially inserted into the housing  72 , the cam projections  92  are positioned into the top open ends of the first slots  84 . 
         [0030]    When the connector  62  is initially connected to the mating connector  64 , the cam projections  68  are received in the bottom open ends of the second slots  86 . Subsequently, the user pushes down (toward the mating electrical connector  64 ) on the top side of the top section  88  of the user contact section  82  as indicated by arrow  100 . Comparing  FIGS. 6-7  to  FIGS. 8-10 , this causes the cam projections  92  to cam the slides  80 ,  81  inward; deeper into the second slots  98  as indicated by arrow  102 . Because the cam projections  86  of the mating connector  64  are located in the second slots  86 , the movement of the slides  80 ,  81  inward cause the cam projections  68  to be moved further into the slides  80 ,  81 . This causes the two connectors  62 ,  64  to be assisted into mating with each other; the first connector  62  being cammed and pushed onto the mating connector  64  into their final assembled positions shown in  FIGS. 8-10 . 
         [0031]    In the embodiment shown, the top cam slots  84  form a slide ramp with an angle of about 30° or more and the bottom cam slots form a slide ramp with an angle of about 20° or more. This can provide a total efficiency of about  0 . 70  (efficiency of 1 for the top slide ramp, and efficiency of 0.7 for the bottom slide ramp). For connectors requiring 100N direct mating force for mating the electrical contacts to each other, for example, the mating force with the efficiency of 0.7 would be 70N. This is only an example. In alternate embodiments any suitable angles could be provided. Preferably, the angled cam slots create a mechanical advantage that can reduce the overall connector mating force experienced at the user contact member. 
         [0032]    It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.