US-12627092-B2 - Staged mating electrical connector

Abstract

A connector comprises a first housing and a second housing each receiving a plurality of electrical terminals. The second housing is connected to the first housing, and is movable relative thereto in an insertion direction of the connector with respect to a mating connector. A latch selectively fixes the first housing in a staggered position relative to the second housing in the insertion direction. As the connectors are joined to a mating connector, a protrusion on the mating connector engages and opens the latch to permit relative movement of the first and second housing.

Inventors

• Christian Perry Brandt
• John W. Hall
• Guenther Mumper

Assignees

• TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GMBH
• TE CONNECTIVITY GERMANY GMBH

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20220909

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A connector, comprising: a first housing adapted to receive a plurality of first electrical terminals to be coupled to a mating connector in an insertion direction; a second housing movably connected to the first housing and adapted to receive a plurality of second electrical terminals to be coupled with the corresponding mating connector in the insertion direction, the second housing selectively movable relative to the first housing in the insertion direction; and a latch selectively fixing the first housing in a staggered position relative to the second housing in the insertion direction, the latch defines an opening extending through the latch and receiving a portion of the mating connector.
2. 2 . The connector of claim 1 , wherein the latch is movable between a locked state in which the first housing and the second housing are fixed relative to one another in the staggered position, and an unlocked state in which the first and second housings are movable relative to each other in the insertion direction.
3. 3 . The connector of claim 2 , wherein the latch comprises an elastic arm having a fixed end attached to the second housing, and a free end engaging with the first housing in the locked state.
4. 4 . The connector of claim 3 , wherein the free end of the elastic arm extends in the insertion direction and is adapted to engage with the mating connector as the second housing is mated with the mating connector.
5. 5 . The connector of claim 1 , further comprising a guiding element operatively connected to at least one of the first or second housings and fixing the relative orientation of the first and second housings in a plurality of directions.
6. 6 . The connector of claim 5 , wherein the guiding element permits relative motion between the first and second housings substantially only in the insertion direction.
7. 7 . The connector of claim 6 , wherein the guiding element comprises a complementary tongue and groove formed on respective ones of the first and second housings.
8. 8 . The connector of claim 6 , wherein the guiding element comprises a frame fixed to one of the first or second housings, the frame defining an opening through which the other one of the first or second housings is slidably received.
9. 9 . The connector of claim 1 , wherein the first housing includes four first electrical terminals and the second housing includes four second electrical terminals.
10. 10 . The connector of claim 1 , wherein: the first housing is adapted to be coupled to the mating connector before the second housing is coupled to the mating connector, wherein the first electrical terminals engage with corresponding electrical terminals of the mating connector before the second electrical terminals engage with corresponding electrical terminals of the mating connector; and with the first housing coupled to the mating connector, the latch is adapted to be biased into an unlocked state.
11. 11 . The connector of claim 10 , wherein the latch is adapted to be biased into the unlocked state by the mating connector.
12. 12 . A connector assembly, comprising: a first connector, including: a first housing adapted to receive a plurality of first electrical terminals to be coupled with a mating connector in an insertion direction; a second housing adapted to receive a plurality of second electrical terminals to be coupled with the mating connector in the insertion direction, the second housing selectively movable relative to the first housing in the insertion direction; and a latch selectively fixing the position of the first housing relative to the second housing in the insertion direction, the latch defines an opening extending through the latch; and a second connector adapted to be coupled with the first connector and including a releasing element biasing the latch from a locked state to an unlocked state, the releasing element is received in the opening of the latch.
13. 13 . The assembly of claim 12 , wherein: in the locked state of the latch, the first housing and the second housing are fixed relative to one another in a staggered orientation in the insertion direction; and in the unlocked state of the latch, the first and second housings are movable relative to each other in the insertion direction.
14. 14 . The assembly of claim 13 , wherein: the first housing is adapted to be coupled to the mating connector before the second housing is coupled to the mating connector, wherein the first terminals engage with corresponding terminals of the mating connector before the second terminals engage with corresponding terminals of the mating connector; and with the first housing coupled to the mating connector, the latch is biased into the unlocked state.
15. 15 . The assembly of claim 14 , wherein: the latch comprises an elastic arm having a fixed end attached to the second housing, and a free end engaging with the first housing in the locked state; and the releasing element comprises a protrusion engaging with the free end of the elastic arm after the first housing is fully coupled with the mating connector.
16. 16 . The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first connector further comprises a guiding element operatively connected to at least one of the first or second housings and preventing relative movement between the first and second housings in a plurality of directions.
17. 17 . The assembly of claim 16 , wherein the guiding element comprises a complementary tongue and groove formed on respective ones of the first and second housings and extending in the insertion direction.
18. 18 . The assembly of claim 16 , wherein the guiding element comprises a frame fixed to one of the first or second housings, the frame defining an opening through which the other one of the first or second housings is slidably received.
19. 19 . The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first connector is received within a socket of the second connector and the releasing element is arranged within the socket.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/247,742, filed on Sep. 23, 2021. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure relates to electrical devices, and more particularly, to an electrical connector. BACKGROUND Electronic components, such as sensor assemblies, are often housed or packaged separately from a remainder of a larger electrical system in which they are utilized, promoting ease of integration and improved protection of sensitive components from harsh environmental conditions. Accordingly, in use, these components must be electrically interconnected with other elements of the system. These connections are often realized by cables joining various components via complementary electrical connectors. In addition to electrical performance, connectors may also be required to meet other standards, such as mating force limitations, promoting ease of installation and/or assembly. As systems increase in complexity and/or consolidate interconnections through fewer connectors, the number of mating terminals of these connectors increase. However, increasing the number of mating terminals of a connector increases the mating force required to fully engaged corresponding connector pairs. Likewise, the use of larger terminals in order to increase power handling requirements, or the presence of built-in terminal protection features, may also raise a connector's mating force. One or more of these scenarios may result in a connector exceeding a maximum mating force requirement. Accordingly, improved connectors are desired which minimize the force required to mate the connector, thus allowing an increase in the number and/or size of the terminals being mated. SUMMARY According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electrical connector comprises a first housing and a second housing each receiving a plurality of electrical terminals. The second housing is connected to the first housing, and is movable relative thereto in an insertion direction of the connector with respect to a mating connector. A latch selectively fixes the first housing in a staggered position relative to the second housing in the insertion direction. 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 a perspective view of a first connector housing of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second connector housing of the electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the first and second connector housings of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a staggered initial mating position; FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a mating connector adapted to engage with the electrical connector of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a top view of the electrical connector of FIG. 3 aligned for mating with the mating connector of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector partially engaged with the mating connector; FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of the electrical connector with the first connector housing fully engaged with the mating connector; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional of the electrical connector with the second connector housing released from a locked position and advancing into the mating connector relative to the first connector housing; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector with the first connector housing and the second connector housing fully engaged with the mating connector; and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing. Embodiments of the present disclosure include connectors and connector assemblies which reduce mating forces by staggering a mating sequence of the connector terminals. In one embodiment, a connector of a connector assembly is split into two housings, or