Electrical connector

Abstract

An electrical connector comprises a dielectric housing (10) having a plurality of terminal-receiving cavities (11), a dielectric latching member (50) having latching arms (52) extending into the terminal-receiving cavities (11) and including openings (56), first latching means (21, 22, 60, 61) of the housing (10) and the latching member (50) latching the latching member (50) to said housing (10) at a first position so that electrical terminals (100) are inserted through the openings (56) and into the terminal-receiving cavities (11), second latching means (17, 19, 62) and third latching means (23, 24, 67, 68) of the housing (10) and the latching member (50) latching the latching member (50) at a second position in the housing after being moved inwardly and downwardly so that front ends (66) of the latching arms (52) are positioned adjacent contact sections (101) of the terminals (100) thereby latching the terminals in the terminal-receiving cavities.

I claim: 
     
       1. In an electrical connector comprising a dielectric housing having a frame section and a plurality of terminal-receiving cavities to receive electrical terminals, and a dielectric latching member having a frame section provided with openings equal in number to said terminal-receiving cavities and latching arms extending from said frame section into said terminal-receiving cavities and equal in number to said terminal-receiving cavities, the electrical connector being characterized in that: said housing and said latching member have first latching means at both sides of said housing and said latching member for initially latching said latching member to said housing at a first position;   said terminal-receiving cavities and said openings are aligned in such a manner that the electrical terminals may be inserted through said openings into said terminal-receiving cavities with said latching member in the first position;   said housing and said latching member being provided with slide means to move said latching member forwardly and downwardly to position the front ends of said latching arms adjacent with sections of the electrical terminals inserted in said terminal-receiving cavities in moving said latching member from the first position to a second position; and   said housing and said latching member including second and third latching means at upper and lower ends between both sides of said housing and said latching member for secondary latching of said latching member to said housing in the second position and wherein said third latching means comprise resilient latching members having hooks positioned at the lower section of the frame section of said latching member and the lower portion of said frame section of said housing having grooves and openings with said latching member disposed in said grooves and said hooks extending through said openings and engaging said frame section of said housing at the second position.   
     
     
       2. An electrical connector of claim 1, characterized in that said first latching means comprises latching openings in both sides of said housing frame section extending to the rear end of said housing and resilient latching members formed at both sides of said frame section of said latching member and having hooks disposed in said latching openings. 
     
     
       3. An electrical connector of claim 1, characterized in that said slide means comprises sliding surfaces positioned at the upper portion of said housing frame section extending to the rear end of said housing, and sloped surfaces formed at the upper section of said frame section of said latching member with said sliding surfaces slidably engaging said sloped surfaces. 
     
     
       4. An electrical connector of claim 1, characterized in that said second latching means are provided at the upper section of said frame section of said latching member and said frame section at the back end of said housing, and said second latching means comprising resilient latching members having hooks at an upper portion of the frame section of said housing and latching projections positioned at the upper section of said frame section of said latching member and having sloped surfaces along which said hooks of said latching members slidably move by overriding the sloped surfaces and engaging rear surfaces of said latching projections. 
     
     
       5. An electrical connector, comprising: a dielectric housing having a plurality of terminal-receiving cavities to receive electrical terminals therein;   a dielectric latching member having openings and latching arms equal to the number of terminal-receiving cavities;   first latching means on said housing and said latching member latching said latching member to said housing in a first position with said latching arms extending along the terminal-receiving cavities and said openings aligned with said terminal-receiving cavities so that the electrical terminals can be inserted through said openings into said terminal-receiving cavities;   means on said housing and said latching member moving said latching member downwardly as said latching member is moved inwardly from said first position to a second position within said housing thereby positioning the front ends of said latching arms adjacent sections of the electrical terminals; and   second latching means on said housing and said latching member latching said latching member at said second position, said second latching means comprise first resilient latching members on said housing engagable with latching projections on said latching member and second resilient latching members on said latching member movable along grooves in said housing and engagable with latching surfaces on said housing.   
     
     
       6. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first latching means includes latching openings in the sides of said housing and resilient latching members including hooks at the sides of said latching member with the hooks disposed in the latching openings. 
     
     
       7. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein said moving means comprise sliding surfaces on said housing engagable with sloped surfaces on said latching member and latching openings in the sides of said housing having bottom sloped surfaces along which hooks of resilient latching members of said latching member move. 
     
     
       8. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first latching means are located at the sides of said housing and said latching member and said section latching means are located at the upper and lower sections of said housing and said latching member between said sides. .Iadd. 
     
     
       9.  An electrical connector housing for receiving and securing electrical terminals therein, comprising: a dielectric housing member having a plurality of terminal-receiving passages for receiving electrical terminals therein and a latch-receiving frame at one end of said housing member;   a dielectric latching member having a frame section provided with openings and latching arms, said latching arms extending outwardly from said frame section;   first, second and third cooperating latching members on said latch-receiving frame and said frame section for maintaining said frame section adjacent said latch-receiving frame at a first position with said openings of said latching member and said terminal-receiving passages being aligned and said latching arms extending along said terminal-receiving passages so that the electrical terminals can be inserted through said openings into the terminal-receiving passages; and   said second and third cooperating latching members controlling movement of said frame section relative to said latch-receiving frame from said first position to a second position whereby the openings and terminal-receiving passages are offset, the latching arms are positioned adjacent sections of the terminals to secure them in said terminal-receiving passages and said second and third cooperating latching members latching said latching member at said second position. .Iaddend. .Iadd.10. An electrical connector housing as claimed in claim 9, wherein said first, second and third latching members include interengaging latching elements that maintain said dielectric latching member at said first position and up inward movement of said dielectric latching member within said housing member to said second position, said interengaging latching elements of said second and third latching members control said inward movement. .Iaddend. .Iadd.11. An electrical connector housing as claimed in claim 9, wherein said first latching members maintain said dielectric latching member at said first position with said second and third latching members being engaged but unlatched. .Iaddend. .Iadd.12. An electrical connector housing as claimed in claim 11, wherein said second and third latching members control inward movement of said dielectric latching member within said housing member to said second position. .Iaddend. .Iadd.13. An electrical connector housing as claimed in claim 9, wherein said first latching members comprise resilient latching members at the sides of said frame section matable with latching openings in the sides of said latch-receiving frame. .Iaddend. .Iadd.14. An electrical connector housing as claimed in claim 9, wherein one of said second and third cooperating latching members include resilient latching members on one and the other of said dielectric latching member and said housing member latchably engageable with latching sections on one and the other of said dielectric latching member and said housing member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.15. An electrical connector housing as claimed in claim 9, wherein one of said second and third cooperating latching members include at least one latching element on said dielectric latching member that is latchably engageable with an opening in said housing member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.16. An electrical connector housing as claimed in claim 9, wherein said housing member has lance members in said terminal-receiving passages for engagement with the electrical terminals when positioned within the terminal-receiving passages. .Iaddend. .Iadd.17. An electrical connector housing as claimed in claim 9, wherein said latch-receiving section comprises a latch-receiving frame section in which said frame section of said latching member is received. .Iaddend.