Patent Publication Number: US-10320118-B2

Title: Connector with a latching assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) of European Patent Application No. 16186399.8, filed on Aug. 30, 2016. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to an electrical connector having a latching assembly. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Known electrical connectors have a connector body and a fixation sleeve held on the connector body and rotatable with respect to the connector body. The fixation sleeve, which comprises at least one fixation element, locks the connector to a mating connector by rotating relative to the connector body. A rotational position of the fixation sleeve with respect to the connector body may require adjustment to facilitate the mating and locking of the connector with the mating connector. 
     SUMMARY 
     A connector according to the invention comprises a latching assembly, a connector body, and a fixation sleeve. The fixation sleeve is rotatably held on the connector body by the latching assembly between a first latching position and a second latching position. The fixation sleeve is disposed at a different angular position relative to the connector body in the first latching position than in the second latching position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a mating connector; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the connector of  FIG. 1  in a first latching position; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional side view of the connector of  FIG. 1  in the first latching position; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional front view of the connector of  FIG. 1  taken through a latching assembly of the connector; 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional side view of the connector of  FIG. 1  in a second latching position; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of a connector according to another embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional side view of the connector of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S) 
     Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     A connector  1  according to the invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . The connector  1  comprises a fixation sleeve  3  and a connector body  5 . The fixation sleeve  3  has a front end  7  which also defines a front end  8  of the connector  1 . The connector body  5  has a rear end  9  which also defines a rear end  10  of the connector  1 . The connector  1  is mateable along a mating direction M with the mating connector  11 , shown in  FIG. 2 , wherein the mating direction M extends from the rear end  10  towards the front end  8 . 
     The fixation sleeve  3 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is rotatable around an axis of rotation R. The fixation sleeve  3  has an overall substantially cylindrical shape. The fixation sleeve  3  has a plurality of fixation elements  13  disposed at the front end  7  of the fixation sleeve  3 . The fixation elements  13  project from an inner circumference  15  of the fixation sleeve  3  towards the rotational axis R. The fixation elements  13  are intersected by recesses  17  along a circumferential direction C around the rotational axis R. The fixation elements  13  and the recesses  17  together form a first alignment member  19  of the connector  1 . 
     The fixation sleeve  3 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , has a plurality of grooves  21  disposed at the inner circumference  15  and extending substantially parallel to the rotational axis R. 
     An outer wall  27  of the fixation sleeve  3 , which extends along the circumferential direction C, has a plurality of passageways  29  as shown in  FIG. 1 . In the shown embodiment, the passageways  29  are equally spaced along the circumferential direction C on the outer wall  27  and each of the passageways  29  has one of a plurality of pins  31  disposed therein. The fixation sleeve  3  has a plurality of wings  33  each shaped as a wing nut  35  extending from the outer wall  27 . 
     The connector body  5 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , has an overall substantially cylindrical shape and is at least partially disposed inside the fixation sleeve  3  in an assembled state. On an outer circumference  37 , the connector body  5  has a plurality of cam tracks  39 . The number of cam tracks  39  is identical to the number of passageways  29 . The cam tracks  39  extend around the axis of rotation R. Each cam track  39  is open in the mating direction M and one of the pins  31  is inserted into each the cam track  39  during assembly. The cam tracks  39  are closed counter to the mating direction M. In an alternative embodiment, the cam tracks  39  may be open counter to the mating direction M and closed in the mating direction M. 
     The connector body  5 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , has a plurality of recesses  41  in the outer circumference  37 . In the shown embodiment, four recesses  41  are formed as blind holes. The recesses  41  are equally spaced to each other along the circumferential direction C; in the shown embodiment, the four recesses  41  are spaced with an angular distance of 90° to each other. The recesses  41  each receive an elastically deformable latch  25 . The elastically deformable latches  25 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , each have a compression spring  43  and a ball  45  disposed on an end of the compression spring  43 . 
     The connector body  5 , on its inner circumference  47  as shown in  FIG. 1 , has a second alignment member  49 . The second alignment member  49  has a plurality of projections  51  and recesses  53 . The projections  51  project from the inner circumference  47  in the direction of the rotational axis R, whereas the recesses  53 , similarly to the first alignment member  19  of the connector  1 , are arranged in between the projections  51  along the circumferential direction C. 
     The connector  1 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , has a plurality of seals  55  disposed between the connector body  5  and the fixation sleeve  3  in an assembled state. The connector body  5  may carry electrical contacts (not shown), which may be arranged in a contact arrangement  57 , and are insertable into the connector body  5 . 
     A mating connector  11  matable with the connector  1  is shown in  FIG. 2 ; the mating connector  11  and the connector  1  form a connector assembly  59 . 
     The mating connector  11 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , has an overall cylindrical shape. The mating connector  11  has a mating alignment member  61 , which comprises projections  63  and gaps  65  disposed between the projections  63  along a circumferential direction C. In a mated position between the connector  1  and the mating connector  11 , the cylindrical shape of the mating connector  11  extends around the rotational axis R of the connector  1 . The mating connector  11  has a rotational axis P and a circumferential direction L. The projections  63  project from an outer circumference  67  of the mating connector  11  and extend radially with respect to the rotational axis P. 
     The mating connector  11 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , has a front end  69  and a rear end  71 . The front end  69  of the mating connector  11  projects along the rotational axis P and is the first part of the mating connector  11  brought into contact with the connector  1  during mating. At rear ends  73  of the projections  63 , which point towards the rear end  71  of the mating connector  11 , the projections  63  project further from the outer circumference  67  then at the remaining parts of the projections  63 . These regions form counter fixation elements  75  of the mating connector  11 . The circumferential shape of the mating connector  11  in the region of the counter fixation elements  75  is formed complementary to the fixation elements  13  and the recesses  17  of the fixation sleeve  3 . The counter fixation elements  75  pass through the recesses  17  of the fixation sleeve  3  along the mating direction M. 
     The assembly of the connector  1  will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 3-6 . 
     The connector  1  is shown in a first latching position  77  in  FIGS. 3-5 , in which the first alignment member  19  and the second alignment member  49  are aligned to each other such that uninterrupted insertion paths  79  are formed. The insertion paths  79  allow the insertion of the projections  63  of the mating connector  11  into the connector  1 . In order to allow the counter fixation element  75  of the mating connector  11  to pass the recesses  17  in the fixation sleeve  3 , the recesses  17  extend further into the inner circumference  15  of the fixation sleeve  3  than the recesses  53  extend into the inner circumference  47  of the connector body  5 . 
     When the connector body  5  is inserted in the fixation sleeve  3 , the ball  45  is in contact with the inner circumference  15  of the fixation sleeve  3 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the grooves  21  of the fixation sleeve  3  constitute receiving recesses  23  receiving the ball  45  of the latches  25  in an assembled state when the first latching position  77  is reached. The latches  25  of the connector body  5  and the receiving recesses  23  of the fixation sleeve  3  together form a latching assembly  81 . In the first latching position  77 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the connector body  5  is arranged in a pre-connection position  83 , in which it is disposed inside the fixation sleeve  3  and positioned rearward in the direction counter to the mating direction M from the front end  7  of the fixation sleeve. The fixation sleeve  3  is rotatably connected to the connector body  5  in the first latching position  77 . 
     In  FIG. 5 , the first latching position  77  is indicated by the solid lines for the wings  33  of the fixation sleeve  3 . A second latching position  85  is indicated by the dashed lines of the same wings  33 . The connector  1  is shown in a second latching position  85  in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The connector  1  is moved from the first latching position  77  to the second latching position  85  by rotating the fixation sleeve  3  by an angle of rotation  87  around the connector body  5 . In the shown embodiment, which comprises four latches  25  and four receiving recesses  23 , the angle of rotation  87  is 90°. 
     The pin  31  and the cam track  39  together form a drive system  89  of the connector  1 , shown in  FIG. 6 . The pin  31  extends into the cam track  39  and a rotation of the fixation sleeve  3  is converted into an axial movement of the connector body  5  due to the cam track  39  which extends around the rotational axis R. Further, during rotation of the fixation sleeve  3  with respect to the connector body  5 , the ball  45  moves in the groove  21  and is in contact with the inner circumference  15  of the fixation sleeve  3 . 
     In the second latching position  85 , the connector body  5  is driven towards the front end  7  of the fixation sleeve  3  and situated in a connection position  91  shown in  FIG. 6 . In the second latching position  85 , each ball  45  is situated in a different receiving recess  23  than in the first latching position  77 . The groove  21  shape allows the latches  25  to enter the receiving recesses  23  even if the connector body  5  has been driven along the rotational axis R. 
     In the second latching position  85 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , the first alignment member  19  and the second alignment member  49  are rotated relative to each other. Therefore, the insertion paths  79  are interrupted. If the connector  1  has been mated with a mating connector  11  while in the first latching position  85 , and the fixation sleeve  3  has afterwards been rotated by the angle of rotation  87  such that the latching assembly  81  is situated in the second latching position  85 , then the fixation elements  13  are arranged behind and locked to the counter fixation elements  75  of the mating connector  11  in the mating direction M in a mated state of the connector  1  and the mating connector  11 . Further, the connector body  5  is driven towards the front end  7  in the second latching position  85  positioning elements in the connector body  5  to be in contact with complementary elements of the mating connector  11 . 
     A connector  1 ′ according to another embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The connector  1 ′ is formed as a protective cover  93  for the mating connector  11 . Like reference numbers refer to like elements and only the differences with respect to the connector  1  will be described herein. 
     Instead of carrying a contact arrangement  57 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , the connector body  5  is closed at its rear end  9 . A gasket  95  is arranged in the connector body  5 . The gasket  95  presses against the mating connector  11  in a mated state and closes the cylindrically shaped mating connector  11 . The protective cover  93  comprises the latching assembly  81  and the drive system  89 ; the mating and unmating may function as described with respect to the connector  1 . During rotation of the fixation sleeve  3  with respect to the connector body  5 , the drive system  89  moves the connector body  5  towards the mating connector  11  such that the gasket  95  is pressed against the mating connector  11 . The latching assembly  81  provides an audible response when one of the latching positions  77  or  85  is reached.