Patent Publication Number: US-6217354-B1

Title: Lever type electrical connector

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and, particularly, to an electrical connector having a lever whereby mating and unmating of the connector with a second connector is effected by rotation of the lever. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A typical lever type electrical connector assembly includes a first connector which has an actuating lever rotatably mounted thereon for connecting and disconnecting the connector with a complementary mating second connector. The actuating lever and the second connector typically have a cam groove/cam follower arrangement for drawing the second connector into mating condition with the first connector in response to rotation of the lever. 
     A common structure for a lever type electrical connector of the character described above is to provide a generally U-shaped lever structure having a pair of lever arms which are disposed on opposite sides of the first (“actuator”) connector. The lever arms may have cam grooves for engaging cam follower projections or posts on opposite sides of the second (“mating”) connector. 
     Such lever type connectors often are used where large forces are required to mate and unmate a pair of connectors. For instance, terminal and housing frictional forces encountered during connecting and disconnecting the connectors may make the process difficult to perform by hand. The present invention is directed to solving various problems with such connectors, including providing a system for increasing the forces available for mating and unmating the connectors. In addition, the system of the invention solves the problem of the connectors rocking or skewing during mating and unmating. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved lever type electrical connector assembly. 
     In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, a first connector pivotally mounts an actuating lever which includes a first cam groove formed therein. A slide member is linearly movably mounted on the first connector and includes a second cam groove formed therein. The slide member has a first cam follower projection engaged in the first cam groove of the actuating lever. Therefore, pivotal movement of the actuating lever relative to the first connector effects linear movement of the slide member relative to the first connector. A second connector has a second cam follower projection to be engaged in the second cam groove of the slide member, whereby the connectors are mated and unmated in response to rotation of the actuating lever and resulting translation of the slide member. 
     As disclosed herein, the actuating lever comprises one actuating arm of a generally U-shaped lever structure having a pair of actuating arms pivotally mounted on opposite sides of the first connector. Correspondingly, a pair of the slide members are provided on opposite sides of the first connector. Each slide member includes a pair of the second cam grooves spaced laterally of the mating direction of the connectors and engageable by a pair of the second cam follower projections on the second connector. The first connector includes a housing and a support wall spaced outwardly of each side of the housing, with the actuating arms and slide members disposed therebetween. 
     Another feature of the invention includes complementary interengaging polarizing means between the slide members and the first connector to ensure that the proper slide member is mounted on the proper side of the first connector. In the preferred embodiment, the polarizing means comprise tongue -and-groove means of different sizes. 
     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 
     The features of this invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with its objects and the advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the figures and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lever type electrical connector assembly according to the invention, with the first and second connectors in a pre-mated position; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the connector assembly, with the connectors separated prior to the pre-mated position; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the connector assembly, with the connectors fully mated; 
     FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the connector assembly looking toward the left-hand end of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the actuator connector with the shroud removed, with the lever structure lifted off of the housing and with the outer side wall of the housing broken away to facilitate the illustration; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector assembly in pre-mated condition and with the outer side wall of the actuator connector broken away to show the position of the slide members; and 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 6, with the assembly in its mated condition and with the outer side wall again broken away to show the mated position of the slide members. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and first to FIGS. 1-3, the invention is embodied in a lever type electrical connector assembly, generally designated  10 . The assembly includes a first (“actuator”) connector, generally designated  12 , and a second (“mating”) connector, generally designated  14 . The connectors are shown separated in FIG. 2, in a pre-mated position in FIG.  1  and in a fully mated position in FIG.  3 . 
     Mating connector  14  includes a molded plastic housing  16  which is inserted into a molded plastic housing  18  of actuator connector  12  when the connectors are mated in the direction of arrow “A” (FIG.  2 ). The actuator connector mounts a plurality of terminals which make contact with a plurality of terminals mounted in the mating connector. The terminals are not visible in the drawings, but they may comprise typical pin-and-socket or male-and-female terminals or other configurations. Further details of actuator connector  12  and mating connector  14  and their respective terminal arrangements will not be described herein, because the invention is applicable for a wide variety or range of electrical connector configurations. 
     Actuator connector  12  includes a shroud  20  which substantially covers the top thereof and combines with a bracket portion  22  of housing  18  to provide an opening  24  for ingress/egress of an electrical cable having conductors terminated to the terminals within the connector housing. A flexible latch arm  26  is integral with the shroud at a proximal end  26   a  of the arm. A distal end  26   b  of the latch arm is movable within a cutout  28  in the shroud, in the direction of double-headed arrow “B” (FIG.  1 ). The distal end of the latch arm has a raised portion to define a latch shoulder  30 . Shroud  20  may be a separate component, such as of molded plastic material, appropriately assembled to the top of housing  18  of the actuator connector. The housing has a support wall  32  on each opposite side thereof and spaced outwardly from the housing. Each support wall includes a pivot journal in the form of a hole  34 . 
     As best seen in FIG. 2, housing  16  of mating connector  14  has a pair of cam follower projections or posts  36  which project outwardly from each opposite side thereof. The posts are spaced laterally of mating direction “A”. A molded support rib  38  leads from and is integral with each cam follower post  36 . The support ribs extend in the mating direction of the connectors as indicated by arrow “A”. Housing  16 , cam follower posts  36  and support ribs  38  all are unitarily molded of plastic material. The ribs provide support for the posts to prevent breakage of the posts. 
     Referring to FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIGS. 1-4, a generally U-shaped lever structure, generally designated  42 , is pivotally mounted on housing  18  of actuator connector  12 . The lever structure is rotatable upwardly in the direction of arrow “C” (FIG. 1) to draw mating connector  14  into mated condition with the actuator connector. The U-shaped lever structure defines a pair of actuating arms  4 . 4  joined by a cross portion  46  which generally spans the width of the actuator connector. Each actuating arm has a pivot boss  48  on the outside thereof and a pivot boss  50  on the inside thereof. Each arm has an eccentric, arcuate cam groove  52  which extends from a closed end  52   a  to an open mouth  52   b . A detent rib  54  extends across the open mouth. As clearly seen in FIG. 5, open mouth  52   b  of each cam groove  52  is at a greater radius from pivot bosses  48 / 50  than closed end  52   a  of the groove. 
     The free ends of actuating arms  44  of lever structure  42  are sandwiched between support walls  32  and housing  18  of the actuator connector. Outside pivot bosses  48  of the actuating arms project into pivot holes  34  in the support walls as best seen in FIG.  1 . Inside pivot bosses  50  of the actuator arms project into pivot holes  56  in housing  18  as best seen in FIG.  5 . Therefore, separate and independently interengaging pivots are provided between each actuating arm of the lever structure and the housing of the actuator connector on both the inside and the outside of the respective actuating arm. This prevents the two actuating arms of the U-shaped lever structure from spreading apart or moving outwardly of the connector housing during actuation and when encountering significant mating forces. 
     Still referring primarily to FIG. 5, a slide member  58  is linearly movably mounted on each opposite side of actuator connector  12  between outwardly spaced support walls  32  and housing  18  of the connector. Each slide member is a generally rectangular, elongated plate-like member which is slidable in a direction indicated by double-headed arrow “D”, i.e., generally perpendicular to the mating direction of the connectors. A plurality of bottom spacer bars  60  and a plurality of top spacer bars  62  are molded integrally between support walls  32  and housing  18  to define channels therebetween within which the slide members are linearly movable. Each slide member has a polarizing rib  64  for purposes to be described in greater detail hereinafter. 
     Each slide member  58  includes a pair of cam grooves  66  formed therein. The cam grooves are oblique to the mating direction “A” of the connectors as well as the sliding direction “D” of the slide member. The cam grooves are spaced laterally of the mating direction. Each cam groove extends from a closed end  66   a  to an open mouth  66   b . A detent rib  68  extends across the open mouth. Finally, a cam follower projection  70  projects outwardly from each slide member  58  between cam grooves  66  near the closed ends thereof. 
     FIG. 6 shows a pre-mated position cf mating connector  14  with actuator connector  12 , and with lever structure  42  in an inoperative position. When in the inoperative position of the lever structure, cam follower projections  70  of slide members  58  are disposed in mouths  52   b  of cam grooves  52  in actuating arms  44  of the lever structure. When mating connector  14  is moved in the direction of arrow “A” (FIGS.  2  and  6 ), cam follower posts  36  snap behind detent ribs  68  which span the open mouths of cam grooves  66  in the slide members. These detent ribs are effective to hold mating connector  14  in a pre-mated position with actuator connector  12  as seen in FIG. 6, so that an operator can easily manipulate and rotate lever structure  42  without concern that the mating connector will become disengaged from the actuator connector. Similarly, during assembly of the actuator connector, cam follower projections  70  of the slide members snap behind detent ribs  54  to hold the slide members in assembly behind support walls  32  and interengaged with the lever structure. 
     FIG. 7 shows lever structure  42  having been pivoted in the direction of arrow “C” to its fully operative position whereby cam grooves  52  drive slide members  58  in the direction of arrow “E”, as cam follower projections  70  on the slide members move in cam grooves  52 . In other words, pivotal or rotational movement of the lever structure effects linear or translational movement of the slide members. As the slide members move in the direction of arrow “E”, mating connector  14  is drawn in the direction of arrow “A”, into full mated position with actuator connector  12 , as cam follower posts  36  are forced to move along cam grooves  66  toward closed ends  66   a  thereof. When lever structure  42  reaches its final, fully mated position, cross portion  46  of the lever structure snaps behind latch shoulder  30  of flexible arm  26  of shroud  20 . This locks the lever structure in its final position and, thereby, locks the two connectors in their fully mated condition. When it is desired to unmate the connectors, distal end  26   a  of launch arm  26  is depressed to allow the lever structure to be rotated opposite the direction of arrow “C” back to its inoperative position shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. This forces cam follower projections  70  of slide members  58  back along cam grooves  52  and forces cam follower posts  36  of mating connector  14  back along cam grooves  66  of the slide members. The connectors then can be unmated by snapping the cam follower posts over detent ribs  68  at the mouths of cam grooves  66 . 
     Finally, referring back to FIG. 4, it can be seen that polarizing ribs  64  which project outwardly of slide members  58  are located at different vertical positions on the respective slide members and which project into differently positioned recesses  80  in the inside of support walls  32 . In other words, a pair of tongue-and-groove polarizing means of different configurations are provided to ensure that the right and left hand slide members are properly mounted on their respective proper sides of the actuator connector. 
     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 herein.