WO2010115750A1

WO2010115750A1 - Electrical connector

Info

Publication number: WO2010115750A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/054097
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Pierre Picard; Olivier Pamart
Original assignee: Tyco Electronics France Sas
Priority date: 2009-04-10
Filing date: 2010-03-29
Publication date: 2010-10-14
Also published as: FR2944388A1; FR2944388B1

Abstract

A first plug (100), and a flexible short-circuit arm (120) having a resting position wherein it rests against said pin to short-circuit said pin, and a locking portion (130) having an essentially triangular section profile, a second plug (200) designed to cooperate with the first plug, and a flexible locking tab (220) having an essentially triangular section profile (230), designed to cooperate by an interference fit by locking with the profile of the locking portion of the first plug, wherein, during connection of the two plugs, in a first instance, the tab (220) is deflected by cooperation of the two essentially triangular profiles (130, 230) and engages the arm (120) and the first plug makes electrical contact with the second plug, and then, in a second instance, when the tab has cleared the triangular profile of the first plug, the tab deflects the arm from its short-circuit resting position to a position wherein the short-circuit is cancelled.

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

The present invention generally relates to electrical connectors having two plugs designed to cooperate with each other.

More specifically, the present invention relates to electrical connectors having one or more lines equipped with a short-circuit device which deactivates when the two plugs are connected.

In the field of electrical connectors, one or more lines sometimes have to be short-circuited whilst still connected to the corresponding plug on the connector, especially to prevent damage to a device connected to the connector.

There are numerous devices of this type known in the prior art, which allow one or more lines of the connector to be short-circuited in order to ensure a reliable and risk- free connection of the device to be connected, from document US 6932643B2, for example,.

Other devices of this type are known, for example, from document US 6685500B2, wherein flexible tabs are arranged to rest on a conducting portion of a female pin of a first plug, the end of the tab being shaped so that it is opened by the end of a female pin of a second plug, when said second plug is inserted into the first plug, thus cancelling the short-circuit of the male pin.

In particular, this type of connector is used to connect a particularly sensitive device which may be permanently damaged when connected. Specifically, this type of connector is used in applications for vehicle safety airbags to prevent activation of the airbags during electrical connection of the airbag device to the electrical wiring harness of the vehicle, either in the factory during connection or during repair work, which requires disconnection and subsequent reconnection.

Similarly, in order to guarantee retention of the two assembled plugs, connectors of this type are provided with locking means. This generally involves an interference fit, comprising flexible tabs having triangular profiled ends, also referred to as "flexible branches", disposed on a plug and cooperating with a triangular ramp on the other plug, to lock and hook together once connection of the two plugs is complete. To disconnect, the flexible tabs are provided with means allowing them to be sufficiently separated from the ramp to extract the plug.

During connection, the locking means may activate when the short-circuit means have not yet deactivated. An operator may thus consider that the connection is valid whereas the short-circuit means are still activated. When an attempt is made to disconnect, the locking means may remain locked in an active position and prevent disconnection of the plugs. Furthermore, the flexible tabs may be damaged, either by wear and tear over time or by incorrect use.

In addition, in the event of a failure in the mechanical locking means, the plugs may disconnect from each other by themselves, as a result of vibrations in the vehicle, for example, without resetting the short-circuit means, and this is not desirable

During connection and disconnection, either voluntary or accidental, there remains uncertainty in terms of knowing whether or not the short-circuit means are actually deactivated once locking has been realised and if the short-circuit means have actually been reactivated prior to disconnection.

In general, the object of the invention is to overcome these disadvantages and to improve this type of connector.

More specifically, the object of the present invention is to propose an electrical connector assembly capable of ensuring, in a reliable and cost-effective manner, the correct correlation between activation of the short-circuit means and activation of the locking means during connection and, according to a further feature, between the deactivation of the short-circuit means and the deactivation of the means of locking during disconnection.

To this end, the object of the invention is an electrical connector assembly comprising: a first plug having at least one electrical contact pin and a flexible short-circuit arm having a resting position wherein it rests against said pin to short-circuit said pin, and a locking portion having an essentially triangular section profile, a second plug designed to cooperate with the first plug and having at least one electrical contact pin to establish an electrical connection with the at least one pin of the first plug, and a flexible locking tab having an end integral with said second plug and a free end having an essentially triangular section profile, designed to cooperate by an interference fit by locking with the profile of the locking portion of the first plug, wherein, said flexible arm has an engagement portion at its free short-circuit end, said locking tab terminates at its free end by an engagement portion, and wherein, during connection of the two plugs, in a first instance, the tab is deflected by cooperation of the two essentially triangular profiles and uses its engagement portion to engage the engagement portion of the arm and the end of the pin of the first plug makes electrical contact with the end of the pin of the second plug, and then, in a second instance, when the tab has cleared the triangular profile of the first plug, it regains a non-deflected position by resilience wherein the triangular portions lock by an interference fit and, using the same resilience, by cooperation of the engagement portions, the tab deflects the arm to a position wherein it is no longer in contact with the pin, thus cancelling the short circuit.

Advantageously, the present invention uses the resilience of the tab to deactivate the short- circuit means, by guaranteeing the establishment of an electrical contact prior to deactivation of the short-circuit means, and subsequently allows locking.

It can be seen that, according to the invention, in a particularly advantageous manner, the connection cannot be suspended between the short-circuit means deactivation step and the locking means activation step.

In effect, it is no longer possible for the operator to interrupt the connection sequence once the tab has cleared the triangular locking profile: in the field of electrical connectors this is referred to as the "positive connection effect". This effect makes the connector assembly, according to the present invention, particularly reliable.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, for practical reasons the at least one pin of the first plug is a male type pin and the pin of the second plug is a female type pin.

According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the engagement portion of the flexible short-circuit arm and the engagement portion of the flexible locking tab are designed so that, during disconnection of the plugs, when the locking tab is deflected from its locking position by an interference fit to a position allowing disconnection of the plugs, the arm regains contact with the pin of the first plug before the deflection of the tab is sufficient to disengage its essentially triangular profile from the locking portion of the first plug.

Advantageously, this means that the invention reliably ensures that the short-circuit means are definitely reactivated before the disconnection can be allowed by deactivation of the locking means.

According to advantageous features of the invention, eventually combined:

- the first plug has means for deflecting the flexible tab, accessible from outside of the plug and allowing the plug to be deflected from its locking position by an interference fit to a position allowing disconnection of the plugs; - A -

- the locking portion, having an essentially triangular profile designed to cooperate by an interference fit with the flexible tab, is disposed on the inner surface of the shell of the first plug and the deflection means comprise a tongue formed by cutting in to said shell of the first plug, said tongue being flexibly deformable at one of its ends in order to force the tab out of its locking position to a position allowing disconnection of the plugs;

- the end of the tongue features a pin which is positioned and designed to push against the essentially triangular sectioned profile of the flexible tab, designed to cooperate by an interference fit by locking with the profile of the locking portion of the first plug;

- the flexible tab has an overall "U" shape, and in that the locking portion is disposed in an essentially central manner on the lower point of the "U", the tab being provided on either side of the locking portion with two lugs, each designed to cooperate with a ramp provided for this purpose on the first plug, so that when the plugs are connected the lugs cooperate with the ramps in such a way that they accompany the resilience of the tab to a non-deflected position wherein the triangular portions lock the plugs by an interference fit; - the flexible tab has a hollow on the underside of the locking means which is disposed in line with said means and is designed to facilitate deflection of the tab to this area.

A further object of the invention, according to another feature, is a process for disconnecting an assembly of two plugs, which comprises the following steps:

- applying a deflection force to the locking tab so that it is deflected from its locking position by an interference fit to a position allowing disconnection of the plugs,

- exerting traction on the two plugs to separate them,

- disconnecting the plugs.

According to an advantageous feature, the deflection force is applied via a tongue produced from a cut out in the shell of a plug designed for this purpose. The features and advantages of the invention will be better understood by the detailed description of an embodiment, provided hereafter for illustration and non-limiting purposes only, which is based on the appended drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a cut-out view of an assembly of electrical connectors according to the invention in an engaged position; Figure 2 shows a cut-out view of the same assembly in an intermediate connection position;

Figure 3 shows a cut-out view of the same assembly in a connected position; Figure 4 shows a cut-out view of the same assembly in an intermediate disconnected position;

Figure 5 shows a perspective cut-out view of the same assembly according to the invention in an intermediate connection position; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a plug for this type of assembly.

As can be seen in figures 1 to 4, an assembly 1 of electrical connectors comprises a first plug 100 and a second plug 200. The first plug 100 has a plurality of electrical contact pins 110 disposed in parallel and each connected to a conducting wire 111. A flexible short-circuit arm 120 rests against each pin in a resting position in order to short-circuit said pin by a short-circuit point 121. The flexible arm also has an engagement portion 122 at its free end.

The first plug has a locking portion 130 having an essentially triangular section profile on the inner surface of a shell 131.

The first plug 100 has a tongue 132 in the shell 131 which is formed from a cut-out 133 in the shell 131. The tongue 132 is flexibly deformable at its end 134. At its opposite end it has a deflection pin 135.

The second plug 200 has a female type electrical contact pin 210, the end of which is connected to a conducting wire 211, to connect to a conducting wire 111 of the first plug. The second plug also has a locking tongue 220 which is flexibly deformable at its end 221 and having at its free opposing end a profile having an essentially triangular section 230 designed to cooperate by an interference fit and lock with the essentially triangular profile 130 of the locking portion of the first plug 100. The locking tongue 220 is terminated at its free end by an engagement portion 222. When the two plugs are connected, as can be seen more particularly in figure 2, in a first instance, the tongue 220 is deflected by co-operation of the two essentially triangular profiles 130 and 230. At the same time, the pins 110 and 210 make electrical contact. In this position, the engagement portion 220 is lowered to reach a plane below the engagement portion 122 of the short-circuit arm.

In a final connection phase, the triangular section profile 230 of the tongue 220 clears the locking portion 130 of the first plug, and the engagement portion of the tongue 220 engages from underneath the engagement portion 122 of the short-circuit arm, the tongue regains a non-deflected position by resilience, wherein the triangular portions lock by an interference fit, and using the same resilience, by co-operation of the engagement portions, the tongue 220 deflects the arm 120 to a position wherein it is no longer in contact with the pin 110, thus cancelling the short-circuit. As can be seen more specifically in figure 4, when the plugs are disconnected, and external pressure is exerted on the tongue 131, so that it is deflected inside the plug, the tongue being flexibly deformed, the pin 135 presses against the triangular profile 230 of the flexible tongue 220. The point 121 of the short circuit arm is designed so that when the tongue 131 is deflected, the short-circuit arm makes electrical contact with the pin 110 before the tongue is deflected sufficiently to allow the triangular profile 230 to clear the triangular profile 130 of the first plugs. These provisions ensure greater reliability of the plug, according to the invention, by guaranteeing that the short-circuit means are properly reactivated before the plugs can be deactivated by deactivation of the locking means.

As can be seen in figures 5 and 6, the flexible tab has an overall "U" shape and the locking portion 230 is disposed in an essentially central manner on the lower part of the "U", the tongue being provided, on either side of the locking portion, with two lugs 231. As can be seen more specifically in figure 5, the lugs 230 and 231 are both positioned to cooperate with a ramp 136 provided on the first plug 100 so that, during connection of the plugs, the lugs 231 cooperate with the ramps 136 to accompany the resilience of the tongue 220 to a non-deflected position wherein the locking portions 230 lock the plugs by an interference fit. This provision is particularly advantageous for ensuring correct locking at the end of the connection limit and overcomes the resilient features of the locking tab. This contributes to the reliability of the connector assembly according to the invention, even after numerous connection and disconnection actions.

As can be seen more specifically in figure 6, the flexible tongue 220 has a hollow 232 on the underside of the locking means 230 disposed in line with the locking means 230, designed to facilitate the deflection of the tongue at this point. The deflection visible in figure 6, is also facilitated by the presence of two grooves 233 in the tongue 220. These provisions facilitate disconnection, whilst guaranteeing reliable locking.

Numerous other variants are possible depending on circumstances and it should be noted that in this regard the invention is not limited to the examples described and presented herein.

Claims

1. An electrical connector assembly (1) comprising: a first plug (100) having at least one electrical contact pin (110) and a flexible short- circuit arm (120) having a resting position wherein it rests against said pin to short-circuit said pin, and a locking portion (130) having an essentially triangular section profile, a second plug (200) designed to cooperate with the first plug and having at least one electrical contact pin (210) to establish an electrical connection with the at least one pin of the first plug, and a flexible locking tab (220) having an end integral with said second plug and a free end having an essentially triangular section profile (230), designed to cooperate by an interference fit by locking with the profile of the locking portion of the first plug, characterised in that said flexible arm has an engagement portion (122) at its free short-circuit end, and in that said locking tab terminates at its free end by an engagement portion (222), and in that during connection of the two plugs, in a first instance, the tab (220) is deflected by co-operation of the two essentially triangular profiles (130, 230) and uses its engagement portion (222) to engage the engagement portion (122) of the arm (120) and the end of the pin of the first plug makes electrical contact with the end of the pin of the second plug, and then, in a second instance, when the tab has cleared the triangular profile of the first plug, it regains a non-deflected position by resilience wherein the triangular portions lock by an interference fit and, using the same resilience, by cooperation of the engagement portions, the tab deflects the arm to a position wherein it is no longer in contact with the pin, thus cancelling the short-circuit.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one pin (110) of the first plug (100) is a male type pin (210) and the pin of the second plug (200) is a female type pin.

3. The assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterised in that the engagement portion (122) of the flexible short-circuit arm (120) and the engagement portion (222) of the flexible locking tab (220) are designed so that, during disconnection of the plugs, when the locking tab is deflected from its locking position by an interference fit to a position allowing disconnection of the plugs, the arm regains contact with the pin of the first plug before the deflection of the tab is sufficient to disengage its essentially triangular profile from the locking portion of the first plug.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, characterised in that the first plug (100) has means for deflecting (132) the flexible tab, accessible from outside of the plug and allowing the plug to be deflected from its locking position by an interference fit to a position allowing disconnection of the plugs.

5. The assembly according to claim 4, characterised in that the locking portion, having an essentially triangular profile designed to cooperate by an interference fit with the flexible tab, is disposed on the inner surface of the shell of the first plug (100) and the deflection means comprise a tongue (132) formed by cutting in to said shell of the first plug, said tongue being flexibly deformable at one of its ends in order to force the tab out of its locking position to a position allowing disconnection of the plugs.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, characterised in that the end of the tongue features a pin (135) which is positioned and designed to push against the essentially triangular sectioned profile of the flexible tab, designed to cooperate by an interference fit by locking with the profile of the locking portion of the first plug.

7. The assembly according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that the flexible tab has an overall "U" shape, and in that the locking portion is disposed in an essentially central manner on the lower point of the "U", the tab being provided on either side of the locking portion (230) with two lugs (231), each designed to cooperate with a ramp (136) provided for this purpose on the first plug, so that when the plugs are connected the lugs cooperate with the ramps in such a way that they accompany the resilience of the tab to a non-deflected position wherein the triangular portions lock the plugs by an interference fit.

8. The assembly according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that the flexible tab has a hollow (232) on the underside of the locking means which is disposed in line with said means and is designed to facilitate deflection of the tab to this area.

9. A process for disconnecting an assembly of two plugs (100, 200) according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that it comprises the following steps:

- applying a deflection force to the locking tab (220) so that it is deflected from its locking position by an interference fit to a position allowing disconnection of the plugs, - exerting traction on the two plugs to separate them,

- disconnecting the plugs.

10. The process according to claim 9, characterised in that the deflection force is applied via a tongue (131) produced from a cut out in the shell of a plug designed for this purpose.