Patent Publication Number: US-11050181-B2

Title: Electric terminal connector assembly with a terminal lock

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a connector assembly for an electric terminal. More specifically, this invention relates to a connector assembly for an electric terminal including a terminal lock that provides improved resistance to the terminal being pulled out of a connector housing. 
     Electric terminals are used in a variety of applications where it is desirable to create an electric connection between various components of a circuit. Electric terminals are typically installed in a housing for ease of use. The housing holds each electric terminal in a desired position and orientation and allows a user to easily connect each electric terminal to its respective mate. 
     Terminal locks holds each electric terminal in the housing and ensure that the electric terminals do not fall out of the cavity during normal use. A typical terminal lock includes a resilient arm that engages the body of the electric terminal when the electric terminal is installed in the housing. The electric terminal engages the arm if a force is applied to pull it out of the housing, and this engagement resists such movement of the electric terminal. 
     A terminal position assurance is commonly used to ensure that each of the electric terminals is properly installed in the housing. The terminal position assurance is a component that mates with the housing and is located in a lock position when all of the electric terminals are properly installed in the housing. If one or more of the electric terminals is not properly installed in the housing, the terminal position assurance is prevented from moving to the lock position. 
     A vehicle such as a passenger car includes a number of different electric components. In order to ensure that these electric components operate correctly throughout the life of the vehicle, it is desirable that the electric terminals remain properly installed in the housing and are not accidentally pulled out of the housing. It would be advantageous to have an alternative connector assembly that prevents the electric terminals from being pulled out of the housing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a connector assembly. The connector assembly includes a connector housing. The connector housing defines a terminal cavity. A terminal lock is adapted to retain an electric terminal in the terminal cavity in an installed position. The terminal lock includes a lock arm that extends from the connector housing. The terminal lock includes a lock tab that extends from the lock arm into the terminal cavity. The terminal lock includes a raised ridge on an outer end of the lock tab. 
     Various aspects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a connector assembly and two electric terminals. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the connector assembly shown in a pre-lock position. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the connector assembly shown in a lock position. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of a housing of the connector assembly showing a housing lock. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view, partially cut away, of a terminal position assurance of the connector assembly showing a terminal position assurance lock. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 6 , showing the housing with one of the electric terminals in an installed position. 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged perspective view of a terminal lock of the housing. 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged perspective view, partially cut away, of one of the electric terminals seated on the terminal lock. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 7 , taken along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in  FIG. 1  an exploded perspective view of a connector assembly indicated generally at  10 . The connector assembly  10  includes a housing  12  and a terminal position assurance  14 . The connector assembly  10  is adapted to hold a first electric terminal  16  and a second electric terminal  16 A in a first terminal cavity  18  and a second terminal cavity  18 A, respectively. The terminal cavities  18  and  18 A extend through the housing  12  from an insertion end  20  of the housing  12  to a mate end  22 . The illustrated electric terminals  16  and  16 A are box-shaped female terminals, but the connector assembly  10  may be adapted to hold any desired type of electric terminal. Further, the connector assembly  10  may hold any desired number of electric terminals. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , there is illustrated a perspective view of the connector assembly  10  wherein the terminal position assurance  14  is attached to the housing  12  and is located in a pre-lock position.  FIG. 3  is a view of the connector assembly  10  wherein the terminal position assurance  14  has been moved relative to the housing  12  from the pre-lock position to a lock position. Both of these positions will be described in detail below. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , there is illustrated a detailed view of a part of the housing  12  that includes a housing lock, indicated generally at  24 . The illustrated housing  12  includes two housing locks  24  (shown on  FIG. 1 ), but may include any desired number of housing locks  24 .  FIG. 5  is an enlarged, partially cut away view of a portion of the terminal position assurance  14  showing a terminal position assurance lock, indicated generally at  26 . The terminal position assurance  14  includes a terminal position assurance body  27  and the terminal position assurance lock  26  extends from the terminal position assurance body  27  in a mate direction  28 . The illustrated terminal position assurance  14  includes two terminal position assurance locks  26  (shown on  FIG. 1 ), but may include any desired number. The housing lock  24  and the terminal position assurance lock  26  serve to retain the terminal position assurance  14  in one of a plurality of positions relative to the housing  12 . 
     In order to attach the terminal position assurance  14  to the housing  12 , the terminal position assurance  14  is placed in an initial position adjacent to the mate end  22  of the housing  12  with the terminal position assurance locks  26  extending toward the housing  12 . The terminal position assurance  14  is then moved in the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12  to the pre-lock position illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , the terminal position assurance lock  26  includes a resilient arm  30  that extends from the terminal position assurance body  27  and a lock head  32  that extends from the arm  30 . The lock head  32  includes an insert slide  34  that is located on a side of the lock head  32  that faces in the mate direction  28 . When the terminal position assurance  14  is moved from the initial position toward the pre-lock position, the insert slide  34  engages the housing  12 , causing the arm  30  to deflect and move the lock head  32  away from the housing  12 . Referring to  FIG. 4 , the housing lock  24  includes a pre-lock catch  36 . When the terminal position assurance  14  is moved to the pre-lock position, the arm  30  rebounds, and the lock head  32  is moved into the pre-lock catch  36 . The connector assembly  10  is then in the pre-lock position illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
     The connector assembly  10  includes features to retain the connector assembly  10  in the pre-lock position that will be described below. The terminal position assurance  14  is prevented from being moved in the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12  when the connector assembly  10  is in the pre-lock position. The terminal position assurance  14  is also prevented from being moved opposite the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12  when the connector assembly  10  is in the pre-lock position. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 5 , the lock head  32  includes an insert stop  38  on the side of the lock head  32  that faces in the mate direction  28 . The insert stop  38  is located adjacent to the insert slide  34  and has a different slope than the insert slide  34 . Referring to  FIG. 4 , the housing lock  24  includes an insert block  40  on the pre-lock catch  36 . When the connector assembly  10  is in the pre-lock position, the insert stop  38  is located adjacent to the insert block  40 .  FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 2  and is taken through the insert stop  38  and the insert block  40 . As shown, the insert stop  38  engages the insert block  40  to prevent further movement of the terminal position assurance  14  in the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 5 , the lock head  32  includes a removal stop  44  on the side of the lock head  32  that faces opposite the mate direction  28 . The removal stop  44  is located on the opposite side of the lock head  32  from the insert stop  38 . Referring to  FIG. 4 , the housing lock  24  includes a removal block  42  on the pre-lock catch  36 . The removal block  42  is located on the opposite side of the pre-lock catch  36  from the insert block  40 . When the connector assembly  10  is in the pre-lock position, the removal stop  44  is located adjacent to the removal block  42 , and the removal stop  44  engages the removal block  42  to prevent movement of the terminal position assurance  14  opposite the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12 . 
     The terminal position assurance  14  also includes a plurality of retainer latches, indicated generally at  46 . The illustrated terminal position assurance  14  includes four retainer latches  46 , and two are shown in  FIG. 5 . However, the terminal position assurance  14  may include any desired number of retainer latches  46 . Each retainer latch  46  includes a resilient latch arm  48  that extends from the terminal position assurance body  27  and a latch tab  50  that extends from the latch arm  48 . The housing  12  includes a plurality of retainer catches  52 . The illustrated housing  12  includes four retainer catches  52 , and one is shown in  FIG. 4 . When the connector assembly  10  is in the pre-lock position, each of the retainer latches  46  engages one of the retainer catches  52  to prevent the terminal position assurance  14  from being moved opposite the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12 . 
     As previously described and as shown in  FIG. 6 , the terminal cavity  18  extends from the insertion end  20  to the mate end  22  of the housing  12 . The housing  12  extends along a cavity axis  54 . The second terminal cavity  18 A similarly extends along a cavity axis  54 A. The illustrated second terminal cavity  18 A includes the same features as the terminal cavity  18  and will not be described separately. The terminal cavity  18  includes a terminal lock, indicated generally at  56 , that serves to retain the electric terminal  16  in an installed position in the terminal cavity  18 . The terminal lock  56  includes a resilient lock arm  58  that extends from the housing  12  to an outer end  58   a  and a lock tab  60  that extends from the lock arm  58  toward the cavity axis  54 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , in order to insert the electric terminal  16  into the terminal cavity  18 , the electric terminal  16  is initially positioned with a mate end  62  adjacent to the insertion end  20  of the housing  12 . The electric terminal  16  is then moved in an insertion direction  64  relative to the housing  12  and into the terminal cavity  18 . In the illustrated embodiment, the insertion direction  64  is opposite the mate direction  28 . However, the insertion direction  64  may have any desired orientation. 
     As the electric terminal  16  is moved in the insertion direction  64  relative to the housing  12 , it engages the terminal lock  56  and pushes the lock tab  60  away from the cavity axis  54 . The illustrated electric terminal  16  is similar to the terminal described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,193,247, but includes two lock windows  66  on opposed sides thereof. The illustrated lock windows  66  are located adjacent to respective outer surface portions  68  of the electric terminal  16 , but may be located in any desired part of the electric terminal  16 . When the electric terminal  16  is moved in the insertion direction  64  to the installed position, the terminal lock  56  rebounds toward the cavity axis  54 , and the lock tab  60  is moved into one of the lock windows  66 . This is illustrated in  FIG. 7 , which is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 6  with the electric terminal  16  shown in the installed position. When the electric terminal  16  is in the installed position, the electric terminal  16  engages the terminal lock  56  to prevent the electric terminal  16  from being moved opposite the insertion direction  64  relative to the housing  12 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , there is illustrated a partially cut away view of the housing  12  showing the terminal lock  56 .  FIG. 9  is a view similar to  FIG. 8 , showing a cut away view of the electric terminal  16  in the installed position on the terminal lock  56 . As previously described, the lock tab  60  extends from the lock arm  58  toward the cavity axis  54 . The lock tab  60  includes a raised ridge  70  that is located adjacent to the outer end  58   a  of the lock arm  58 . The outer end  58   a  of the lock arm  58  has a width that is larger than the ridge  70  and includes a flat  76  on either side of the ridge  70 . When the electric terminal  16  is in the installed position, the ridge  70  is located inside the electric terminal  16  as shown in  FIG. 9 , and the electric terminal  16  is seated, in part, on the flats  76 . As a result, the ridge  70  positions the electric terminal  16  on the lock tab  60  so that the electric terminal  16  is in contact with the lock tab  60  across the width of the outer end  72  of the lock arm  58 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 7 , when the electric terminal  16  is in the installed position, it releases the terminal position assurance lock  26  from the pre-lock catch  36 . As shown, the electric terminal  16  engages the lock head  32 , and the lock head  32  is pushed away from the cavity axis  54  and out of the pre-lock catch  36 . As a result, the insert stop  38  will not engage the insert block  40  and will not prevent further movement of the terminal position assurance  14  in the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, the terminal position assurance  14  will be locked in the pre-lock position until the second electric terminal  16 A is also placed in an installed position. When the second electric terminal  16 A is placed in the installed position, the terminal position assurance  14  will be able to be moved in the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12 . However, the retainer latches  46  will continue to engage the respective retainer catches  52  to prevent the terminal position assurance  14  from being moved opposite the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , there is illustrated a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 7 , with the second electric terminal  16 A in the installed position and the terminal position assurance  14  moved relative to the housing  12  in the mate direction  28 . The connector assembly  10  is shown in the lock position, illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 4 , the housing lock  24  includes a lock catch  78 . When the terminal position assurance  14  is moved to the lock position, the arm  30  rebounds, and the lock head  32  is moved into the lock catch  78 . Referring to  FIG. 10 , the lock head  32  also extends into one of the lock windows  66  on the electric terminal  16 . When the connector assembly  10  is in the lock position, the lock head  32  and the lock tab  60  are located on opposed sides of the cavity axis  54 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the lock head  32  engages the housing  12  to prevent the terminal position assurance  14  from being moved opposite the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12 . 
     The terminal position assurance  14  includes a lock stop  80  that prevents the terminal lock  56  from releasing the electric terminal  16 . The lock stop  80  extends behind the lock arm  58  in order to prevent the terminal lock  56  from moving away from the cavity axis  54 . Thus, when the connector assembly  10  is in the lock position, the terminal position assurance  14  prevents the terminal lock  56  from releasing the electric terminal  16  from the terminal cavity  18 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , there is illustrated a cross-sectional view taken through the connector assembly  10  in the lock position. The view illustrated in  FIG. 11  is taken parallel to the view illustrated in  FIG. 10 . The terminal position assurance  14  also includes a forward stop  82  that prevents the terminal lock  56  from moving toward the cavity axis  54 . The forward stop  82  extends from the terminal position assurance body  27  in the mate direction  28 . The terminal lock  56  includes a forward block  84  that engages the forward stop  82  to prevent the terminal lock  56  from moving toward the cavity axis  54 . Referring back to  FIG. 8 , the illustrated terminal lock  56  includes two forward blocks  84  that are located on opposite sides of the lock tab  60 . However, the terminal lock  56  may have any desired number of forward blocks  84  extending in any desired locations. Referring to  FIG. 12 , there is illustrated a cross-sectional view taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 11 . As shown, the terminal position assurance  14  includes two forward stops  82  that each extend in front of one of the forward blocks  84 . Each forward stop  82  is located between the respective forward block  84  and the terminal cavity  18 . 
     If a force is applied to the pull the electric terminal  16  out of the terminal cavity  18  in the direction opposite the insertion direction  64 , such movement of the electric terminal  16  is resisted by the terminal lock  56 . The electric terminal  16  engages the lock tab  60 , and the electric terminal  16  is stopped from moving opposite the insertion direction  64 . This applies a force that could break the lock tab  60  off of the lock arm  58 , which is resisted by the shear strength of the terminal lock  56 . This also applies a force to the terminal lock  56  that tends to pull the lock arm  58  toward the cavity axis  54 . If the terminal lock  56  is pulled toward the cavity axis  54 , the section of the terminal lock  56  that resists the shearing of the terminal lock  56  can change, which could reduce the strength of the terminal lock  56 . Therefore, it is advantageous that the terminal position assurance  14  prevent the terminal lock  56  from moving toward the cavity axis  54  in order to maintain the designed strength of the terminal lock  56 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , when the connector assembly  10  is in the lock position, the terminal cavity  18  has a substantially rectangular shape with three walls defined by the housing  12  and one wall defined by the terminal position assurance  14 . The terminal lock  56  extends into the terminal cavity  18  from the wall defined by the terminal position assurance  14 . Also, the terminal position assurance  14  limits movement of the terminal lock  56  away from the cavity axis  54 , and the terminal position assurance  14  limits movement of the terminal lock  56  toward the cavity axis  54 . 
     The illustrated connector assembly  10  is also serviceable and the electric terminal  16  and the second electric terminal  16 A may be removed from their respective installed positions, if desired. Referring back to  FIG. 10 , the electric terminal  16  is retained in the first terminal cavity  18  by the terminal lock  56 , which is held in place by the lock stop  80  on the terminal position assurance  14 . In order to remove the electric terminal  16  from the installed position, the terminal position assurance  14  is moved opposite the mate direction  28  relative to the housing  12  to the pre-lock position. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the terminal position assurance  14  includes first release openings  86  that extend through the terminal position assurance body  27 . The illustrated terminal position assurance  14  includes two first release openings  86 , but may include any desired number. A release tool (not shown) may be inserted through the first release openings  86 , parallel to the cavity axis  54 , to engage the terminal lock  56 . In the illustrated embodiment, each first release opening  86  is aligned with one of the forward blocks  84 . Referring to  FIG. 8 , each forward block  84  is angled so that the release tool engages the terminal lock  56 , deflects the lock arm  58 , and moves the lock tab  60  away from the cavity axis  54 . At this point, the lock tab  60  is moved out of the lock window  66  and the electric terminal  16  may be removed from the first terminal cavity  18 . 
     The principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.