阅读说明：本技术 端子位置保持器、连接器以及连接器组件 (Terminal position holder, connector and connector assembly ) 是由 田小显 关海飞 张卫东 于 2021-04-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了一种端子位置保持器、连接器以及连接器组件。端子位置保持器可以包括主体部、臂部和阻挡部。主体部可以包括主板、上板和下板,其中上板和下板垂直于主板并位于主板的同一侧,上板和下板具有远离主板的远端。臂部可以从上板的远端沿垂直于主板的方向延伸。阻挡部可以从臂部延伸出并超出主体部的一侧。(A terminal position holder, a connector and a connector assembly are provided. The terminal position holder may include a body portion, an arm portion, and a blocking portion. The main body portion may include a main plate, an upper plate and a lower plate, wherein the upper plate and the lower plate are perpendicular to the main plate and located on the same side of the main plate, and the upper plate and the lower plate have distal ends away from the main plate. The arm portion may extend from the distal end of the upper plate in a direction perpendicular to the main plate. The blocking portion may extend from the arm portion beyond a side of the main body portion.)

1. A terminal position retainer, comprising:

a main body portion including a main board, an upper board and a lower board, wherein the upper board and the lower board are perpendicular to the main board and located on the same side of the main board, and the upper board and the lower board have distal ends far away from the main board;

an arm portion extending from a distal end of the upper plate in a direction perpendicular to the main plate; and

a blocking portion extending from the arm portion beyond one side of the main body portion.

2. The terminal position retainer of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of an upper engaging portion and a lower engaging portion, wherein the upper engaging portion is located at a distal end of the upper plate and the lower engaging portion is located at a distal end of the lower plate,

wherein the arm portion is adjacent to the one side of the main body portion,

the blocking portion is located at a distal end of the arm portion, extends in a direction perpendicular to the arm portion and parallel to a plane of the upper plate,

the upper engaging portion is close to the other side of the main body portion, and the upper engaging portion, the lower engaging portion, and the stopper portion do not overlap in the extending direction of the stopper portion.

3. The terminal position retainer of claim 2,

the upper clamping part and the lower clamping part are in elongated shapes, respectively protrude out of the outer surfaces of the upper plate and the lower plate, and the length direction of the upper clamping part and the lower clamping part is parallel to the extending direction of the blocking part.

4. The terminal position retainer of claim 1, wherein the main plate includes a stopper portion.

5. The terminal position retainer of claim 4, wherein the spacing portion is selected from the group consisting of: holes, recesses and protrusions.

6. The terminal position retainer of claim 1, wherein the main plate includes a relief portion.

7. The terminal position retainer of claim 6, wherein the relief is a tab extending from an edge of the main board.

8. The terminal position retainer according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion further includes a terminal locking portion extending from an inner side of the main board perpendicularly to the main board.

9. The terminal position retainer of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the terminal position retainer is of a rigid construction.

10. A connector including a mating end for mating with a mating connector and a tail end for inserting a terminal, the connector comprising:

a hollow outer housing, an inner side of at least one of an upper portion and a lower portion of the outer housing being provided side by side with a plurality of positioning grooves extending to an end edge along an insertion direction of the mating connector,

both sides of the outer shell are respectively provided with an opening communicated with the hollow part of the outer shell.

11. The connector of claim 10,

the plurality of detents includes three detents.

12. The connector according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the positioning groove is slit through an upper portion or a lower portion of the outer housing where it is located.

13. The connector of claim 10 or 11, further comprising a stop positioned within and proximate to the opening.

14. The connector of claim 13, wherein the retention feature is selected from the group consisting of: holes, recesses and protrusions.

15. The connector of claim 1, wherein the connector is a male end connector or a female end connector.

16. A connector assembly characterized by comprising the terminal position holder according to claim 2 and the connector according to claim 11 as a first connector, the arm portion of the terminal position holder entering the hollow portion through the opening,

in the pre-installation state, the mounting holes are arranged in the mounting holes,

the upper engaging portion and/or the lower engaging portion of the terminal position holder are engaged with positioning grooves of a main board closest to the terminal position holder among three positioning grooves of a corresponding one of upper and lower portions of an outer housing of the first connector,

the blocking portion of the terminal position retainer blocks a passage in the hollow portion into which the mating connector enters,

in the state of complete installation, the installation is completed,

the upper engaging portion and/or the lower engaging portion of the terminal position retainer is engaged with a positioning groove positioned in the middle of three positioning grooves of a corresponding one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the housing of the first connector,

the barrier further extends into the hollow portion and is positioned outside of a passage in the hollow portion for entry of the female end connector.

17. The connector assembly of claim 16, wherein said terminal position retainers include first and second terminal position retainers, wherein said first and second terminal position retainers each include both upper and lower snap-fit portions,

in the pre-installation state of the device,

the upper clamping part of the first terminal position holder is clamped with the positioning groove of the mainboard closest to the terminal position holder in the three positioning grooves at the upper part of the outer shell of the first connector, and the upper clamping part of the second terminal position holder is clamped with the positioning groove of the mainboard closest to the terminal position holder in the three positioning grooves at the lower part of the outer shell of the first connector;

in the state of complete installation, the installation is completed,

the upper engaging portion of the first terminal position retainer engages with a central one of the three positioning grooves on the upper portion of the housing of the first connector, and the upper engaging portion of the second terminal position retainer engages with a central one of the three positioning grooves on the lower portion of the housing of the first connector.

18. The connector assembly of claim 16 or 17,

the main board of the terminal position retainer further includes a first stopper portion,

the connector further includes a second retention portion positioned within the opening,

in the fully mounted state, the first position-restricting portion of the terminal position retainer is fitted with the second position-restricting portion of the connector, thereby restricting movement of the terminal position retainer on the plane of the main board.

19. The connector assembly of claim 16 or 17,

the main board of the terminal position retainer further includes a terminal locking portion extending from a planar interior of the main body portion in the same direction as the upper engaging portion,

in the pre-mounted state, the terminal locking portion of the terminal position retainer is located outside a passage in the hollow portion into which the terminal enters, and

in the fully mounted state, the terminal locking portion of the terminal position retainer engages with the terminal loaded in the first connector, partially blocking the passage in the hollow portion for the terminal to exit.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of connector technology, and more particularly, to a connector assembly having a terminal position retainer.

Background

In the conventional design of the male end connector assembly, the TPA (terminal position retainer) plays a role in locking the male end terminal and enhancing the retention force of the male end terminal in the male end connector, and prevents the male end terminal from falling off under the action of external force to cause line power failure. The existing TPA mistake proofing structure adopts a cantilever beam type design. Due to the fact that the TPA adopts the structure of the cantilever beam, the cantilever beam is lowered, and therefore the risk of functional failure exists during secondary use. In addition, since TPA is floating, there is a problem of insufficient proof force or breakage.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure provides a terminal position holder, a connector, and a connector assembly, which can avoid the risk of functional failure existing at the time of secondary use.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a terminal position retainer that may include a body portion, an arm portion, and a blocking portion. The main body portion may include a main plate, an upper plate and a lower plate, wherein the upper plate and the lower plate are perpendicular to the main plate and located on the same side of the main plate, and the upper plate and the lower plate have distal ends away from the main plate. The arm portion may extend from the distal end of the upper plate in a direction perpendicular to the main plate. The blocking portion may extend from the arm portion beyond a side of the main body portion.

In one example embodiment, the terminal position retainer may further include at least one of an upper snap-fit portion and a lower snap-fit portion. The upper snap fit portion may be located at a distal end of the upper plate. The lower snap-fit portion may be located at a distal end of the lower plate. The arm portion may be adjacent to one side of the main body portion. The stop may be located at a distal end of the arm, extending in a direction perpendicular to the arm and parallel to the plane of the upper plate. The upper engaging portion may be close to the other side of the main body portion. The upper engaging portion, the lower engaging portion, and the stopper portion may not overlap in an extending direction of the stopper portion.

In an exemplary embodiment, the upper and lower engaging portions may have elongated shapes, protrude from outer surfaces of the upper and lower plates, respectively, and have a length direction parallel to an extending direction of the blocking portion.

In one example embodiment, the main board may include a stopper portion.

In one example embodiment, the stop portion may be selected from the group consisting of: holes, recesses and protrusions.

In one example embodiment, the main board may include a detachable portion.

In one example embodiment, the detachment portion may be a bump extending from an edge of the main board.

In one example embodiment, the main body portion may further include a terminal locking portion extending perpendicular to the main board from an inner side of the main board.

In one example embodiment, the terminal position retainer may be a rigid structure.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a connector including a plugging end for plugging with a counterpart connector and a tail end for inserting a terminal, which may include: the connector comprises a hollow outer shell, wherein a plurality of positioning grooves are arranged in parallel on the inner side of at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer shell, the positioning grooves extend to the edge of the end portion along the insertion direction of the mating connector, and openings communicated with the hollow portion of the outer shell are formed in two sides of the outer shell respectively.

In one example embodiment, the plurality of detents may include three detents.

In one exemplary embodiment, the positioning groove may be formed to penetrate through an upper or lower portion of the connector body where it is located to form a slit.

In one example embodiment, the connector may further include a stop portion positioned within and proximate to the opening.

In one example embodiment, the stop portion may be selected from the group consisting of: holes, recesses and protrusions.

In one example embodiment, the connector is a male or female connector.

A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a connector assembly that may include the terminal position retainer as above and the connector as above as the first connector, the arm portion of the terminal position retainer entering the hollow portion through the opening. In the pre-mounted state, the upper engaging portion and/or the lower engaging portion of the terminal position holder engages with the positioning groove closest to the main board of the terminal position holder among the three positioning grooves of the corresponding one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer housing of the first connector, respectively, and the blocking portion of the terminal position holder blocks the passage in the hollow portion into which the mating connector enters. In the fully mounted state, the upper engaging portion and/or the lower engaging portion of the terminal position retainer engages with a positioning groove located in the middle of three positioning grooves of a corresponding one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer housing of the first connector, respectively, and the blocking portion further protrudes into the hollow portion and is positioned outside a passage in the hollow portion into which the female-end connector enters.

In one example embodiment, the terminal position retainer may include a first terminal position retainer and a second terminal position retainer. The first and second terminal position retainers may each include both upper and lower engaging portions. In the pre-mounted state, the upper engaging portion of the first terminal position retainer may be engaged with a positioning groove of the motherboard closest to the terminal position retainer among three positioning grooves of the upper portion of the housing body of the first connector, and the upper engaging portion of the second terminal position retainer may be engaged with a positioning groove of the motherboard closest to the terminal position retainer among three positioning grooves of the lower portion of the housing body of the first connector. In the fully mounted state, the upper engaging portion of the first terminal position retainer may engage with a center one of three positioning grooves in the upper portion of the housing body of the first connector, and the upper engaging portion of the second terminal position retainer may engage with a center one of three positioning grooves in the lower portion of the housing body of the first connector.

In one example embodiment, the main board of the terminal position retainer may further include a first stopper portion, and the connector further includes a second stopper portion positioned within the opening. In the fully mounted state, the first position-restricting portion of the terminal position retainer can be fitted with the second position-restricting portion of the connector, thereby restricting movement of the terminal position retainer on the plane of the main board.

In one example embodiment, the main board of the terminal position holder may further include a terminal locking portion extending from inside the plane of the main body portion in the same direction as the upper engaging portion. In the pre-mounted state, the terminal locking portion of the terminal position retainer may be located outside the passage in the hollow portion into which the terminal enters. In the fully mounted state, the terminal locking portions of the terminal position retainer may engage with the terminals loaded in the first connector, partially blocking passages in the hollow portions for the terminals to exit.

Drawings

The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in this document. In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example male end connector assembly 1 according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2(a) and 2(B) are sectional views of the male connector assembly 3 shown in fig. 1 taken along line a-a, wherein fig. 2(a) shows a pre-installed state and fig. 2(B) shows a fully installed state.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector assembly 3 shown in fig. 1 taken along line B-B, showing a pre-installed state.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "a and/or B" means (a), (B), or (a and B). For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A, B, and/or C" means (a), (B), (C), (a and B), (a and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

In the male end connector assembly of the present disclosure, the TPA is mounted on the male end connector in a pre-installed position. The assembly of the connector is completed by first inserting the male terminal into the male connector, pressing the TPA to the bottom and then inserting the female connector into the male connector from the other end. The male end connector (also called male end plastic) adopts a through hole structure design, and the corresponding TPA does not need to be detached from the male end connector.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example male end connector assembly 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in fig. 1, the male end connector assembly 1 is assembled from a male end connector 2 and a terminal position retainer (TPA) 3. The TPA3 is used to lock the male terminal, and the number may be one or two. In the case where two TPA3 are provided, the two TPA3 may be installed at both sides of the male end connector 2 in a manner of being centrosymmetric with respect to the axis of the male end connector 2. The TPA3 and the outer housing 2 of the male end connector are made of, for example, plastic, and are of rigid construction. The TPA3 of the disclosure does not need to adopt a flexible structure of a cantilever beam in the form of a conventional TPA, has small deformation in the using process, and can avoid the failure problem caused by service degradation. The following is a description of the case of two TPA 3.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the TPA3 is mounted on the outer housing of the male end connector 2 in a pre-mounted position, in which state the product can be delivered without the TPA3 being removed from the male end connector 2. In use, the male terminal (not shown) is inserted into the hollow portion 21 of the outer housing of the male connector 2 in the x-axis negative direction in the pre-installed state, the two TPA3 are pressed to the bottom (i.e., from the pre-installed position to the fully installed position), and then the mating female connector (not shown) is inserted into the hollow portion 21 of the male connector 2 from the other end in the x-axis positive direction to complete the assembly of the connectors. When assembled, the female end connector can form an effective electrical connection with the male end terminal.

The TPA3 includes a main body portion composed of a main plate 31, an upper plate 32, and a lower plate 33. The upper plate 32 and the lower plate 33 are substantially perpendicular to the main plate 31 and are located on the same side of the main plate 31 (the positive y-axis direction side in the drawing). The upper plate 32 and the lower plate 33 each extend away from the main plate 31 and have distal ends 321, 331.

The distal end 321 may further include an upper engaging portion 322, and the distal end 331 may include a lower engaging portion 332. The upper engaging portion 322 and the lower engaging portion 332 are elongated, protrude from the outer surfaces of the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 33, respectively, and have a length direction parallel to the extending direction of the boundary between the upper plate 32 (the lower plate 33) and the main plate 31, i.e., the x-axis direction.

The upper and lower snap portions 322 and 332 help to stably hold the TPA3 in the pre-mounted position and the fully mounted position. Specifically, the upper engaging portion 322 engages with the positioning groove 22a of the male end connector 2 when the TPA3 is in the pre-installation position, and engages with the positioning groove 22b of the male end connector 2 when the TPA3 is in the fully-installed position. The lower engaging portion 332 is similar to the upper engaging portion 322 and engages with a corresponding positioning groove (not shown) on the lower portion of the male end connector 2 when the TPA3 is in the pre-installation position and the fully-installation position. Another TPA, not shown, is also mounted in the same manner, with its upper or lower engaging portion engaging with the positioning groove 22c and 22b of the male end connector 2 in the pre-mount position and the fully-mount position, respectively.

In some embodiments, TPA3 may have only one of upper catch 322 and lower catch 332. At this time, a part of the positioning groove on the male end connector 2 may be omitted to improve the strength of the male end connector 2. For example, in the case where only one TPA3 is provided, two positioning grooves may be provided only at the corresponding upper or lower portions of the male end connector 2 to define the pre-installation position and the full-installation position. In the case of providing two TPA3, it is possible to provide only two positioning grooves (two positioning grooves on the upper portion and two positioning grooves on the lower portion are provided in a central symmetrical manner) or only three positioning grooves on one side, respectively, in the upper portion and the lower portion of the male end connector 2 according to whether the TPA installed in a central symmetrical manner on the other side has an upper engaging portion or a lower engaging portion. Of course, three positioning grooves may be provided in the upper and lower portions, respectively, as in the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 1, 2(a) and 2(B), the TPA3 further includes arm portions 34. The arm portion 34 extends further from the distal end of the upper plate 32 in a direction perpendicular to the main plate 31 (positive y-axis direction). In other words, the arm 34 is located on the same side of the main plate 31 as the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 33.

A stopper 35 extends from the arm 34 to a side (x-axis negative direction) beyond the body. In some embodiments, stop 35 is located at the distal end of arm 34. Referring to fig. 2(a), the blocking portion 35 is used to block the passage of the female end connector into the hollow portion 21 of the outer housing of the male end connector 2 when the TPA3 is in the pre-installed position, so that the mating female end connector cannot be pushed to the bottom to make electrical connection with the electrical contacts inside the male end connector 2. Referring to fig. 2(B), when the TPA3 is in the fully installed position, the blocking portion 35 extends further into the hollow portion 21 and is positioned out of the passage in the hollow portion 21 for entry of the female end connector, such that a mating female end connector can extend further into the hollow portion 21 in the axial direction (i.e., the x-axis) to make electrical connection with the electrical contacts inside the male end connector 2. In some embodiments, the stop 35 extends in a direction perpendicular to the arm 34 and parallel to the plane of the upper plate 32.

The upper catching portion 322 and the blocking portion 35 of the TPA3 are located at both sides of the body portion of the TPA3 in the x-direction so as not to interfere with each other. The upper engaging portion 322 and the lower engaging portion 332 do not overlap in the extending direction (i.e., x direction) of the blocking portion 35, so that the upper engaging portion 322 and the lower engaging portion 332 of the two TPA3 can be allowed to simultaneously engage with the positioning groove 22b located in the middle of the three positioning grooves 22a, 22b, 22c when the two TPA3 are both in the fully mounted position. Otherwise, the upper catch 322 (lower catch 332) of the TPA3 in the fully mounted position would interfere with the lower catch (upper catch) of the corresponding TPA that is mounted in a centrally symmetric manner and also in the fully mounted position. Further, since the stopper 35 extends to a side (x-axis negative direction) beyond the body, the stopper 35, the upper engaging portion 322, and the lower engaging portion 332 do not overlap with each other in the extending direction (i.e., x-direction) of the stopper 35.

In some embodiments, the main plate 31 of the TPA3 may further include a stopper 36 (the other side is not shown). The stopper 36 is adapted to cooperate with a stopper 26 (not shown on the other side) on the outer housing of the male connector 2 when the TPA3 is in the fully mounted position, thereby restricting movement of the TPA3 in the plane (xz plane) of the main plate 31. Therefore, the position of the stopper portion 26 in the y-axis direction should be set so as to be able to at least partially engage with the stopper portion 36 when the TPA3 is pressed to the bottom (pressed into the fully-mounted position). In an exemplary embodiment, the limiting portion 36 may be a through hole or a recess, and the limiting portion 26 may be a bump. In another example embodiment, the limiting portion 36 may be a protrusion and the limiting portion 26 may be a through hole or a recess. When TPA3 is in the pre-installed position, the retention portion 26 and the retention portion 36 may be partially (pre-) mated or not mated.

In some embodiments, the main plate 31 may further include a detachment portion 37. The detachment portion 37 may be a protrusion extending from an edge of the main plate 31 for providing a force fulcrum when the TPA3 is detached from the fully mounted position. For example, the upper engaging portion 322 and the lower engaging portion 332 may be pushed out of the positioning grooves 22a, 22b, and 22c by hand or tool to be out of the locked state, and then the TPA3 may be pulled out to the pre-installation position by the detaching portion 37.

The male end connector 2 has a hollow outer housing 20. The outer housing 20 is adapted for insertion of mating female and male terminals from both ends. Three positioning grooves 22a, 22b, 22c are arranged in parallel on the inner side of the upper part of the outer casing 20, and three corresponding positioning grooves are arranged in parallel on the inner side of the lower part. The positioning grooves 22a, 22b, 22c extend to the end edges in the insertion direction (positive x-axis direction) of the female connector. The positioning grooves 22a, 22b, 22c are used to fix the position of the TPA3 in cooperation with the upper and lower catching portions 322 and 332 described above. The positioning groove 22b located in the middle is used for positioning in the fully mounted position. Positioning grooves 22a and 22c on both sides are used to achieve positioning of the pre-installation position. The positioning grooves 22a, 22b, 22c are provided inside the outer case 20 so as to face the upper engaging portion 322 and the lower engaging portion 332. In some embodiments, the detents 22a, 22b, 22c may be slits formed through the upper or lower portion of the outer housing 20 in which they are located as shown in FIG. 1. Since only three positioning grooves are needed, the body portion between the positioning grooves has a sufficient thickness, so that the positioning grooves can be designed to extend to the end edges without worrying about strength problems. As a result, the positioning groove can be directly formed without adding an additional slider when the outer case 20 is molded. On the contrary, if the number of the positioning grooves is increased, the thickness of the body portion between the positioning grooves is narrowed. In order to ensure the strength of the outer housing 20, the positioning grooves can only be shortened to positioning holes, and an additional slider is required for molding. Therefore, the male end connector 2 of the present embodiment can save the number of sliders in molding.

The outer case 20 has openings 27 on both sides thereof, respectively, which communicate with the hollow portion 21 of the outer case 20. The opening 27 communicating with the hollow portion 21 allows the upper plate 32, the lower plate 33, the arm 34 and the stopper 35 of the TPA3 to enter the hollow portion 21 through the opening 27. The opening 27 is also capable of receiving the main plate 31 of the TPA 3. The stopper portion 26 described above is provided in the opening 27. This shared design can save space, reduce the volume of the hollow part 21, and ensure the strength of the outer shell 20.

Fig. 2(a) and 2(B) are sectional views of the male connector assembly 3 shown in fig. 1 taken along line a-a, wherein fig. 2(a) shows a pre-installed state and fig. 2(B) shows a fully installed state.

In the pre-installed state shown in fig. 2(a), the TPA3 and TPA 3' are not completely pushed into the male end connector 2 in the lateral direction (y-axis direction), but the arms 34 enter the hollow portion 21 through the openings 27 on both sides of the outer housing 20. At this time, the blocking portions 35, 35' block the passage in the hollow portion 21 of the male end connector 2 for the female end connector to enter. Thus, the female end connector is blocked by the blocking portions 35, 35' so as not to extend further into the hollow portion 21 to make an electrical connection.

If the TPA3 and TPA3 'are further pressed inward so that the respective upper and lower engaging portions 322 and 332 engage with the positioning groove 22b located in the middle of the three positioning grooves 22a, 22b, 22c of the outer housing 20, respectively, as shown in fig. 2, the blocking portions 35, 35' further protrude into the hollow portion 21 and are positioned outside the passage in the hollow portion 21 for the female-end connector to enter, so that the female-end connector can further protrude into the hollow portion 21 in the axial direction (i.e., x-axis) to make electrical connection with the electrical contacts inside the male-end connector 2.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector assembly 3 shown in fig. 1 taken along line B-B, showing a pre-installed state. As shown in fig. 3, the TPA3 further includes terminal locking portions 38 extending perpendicular to the main plate 31 from the inside of the main plate 31. In the pre-installed state, the terminal locking portion 38 is located outside the passage in the hollow portion 21 into which the male terminal enters, thereby allowing the male terminal to protrude into the hollow portion 21 of the male end connector 2. Both sides of the male terminal have recesses for engagement with the terminal locking portions 38 of the TPA3 in a fully mounted state so that the male terminal cannot be pulled out, thereby ensuring electrical connection of the male terminal with the female connector 4 inserted later. If the male terminal does not fully extend into the hollow portion 21, the terminal locking portions 38 of the TPA3 cannot enter the recesses on both sides of the male terminal to be engaged therewith, and at this time, the TPA3 cannot be further pressed inward and the female connector on the other side is engaged by the blocking portions 35 to be unable to make an electrical connection with the male terminal. Only when the male terminal is pushed to the correct position, the TPA3 can be pressed to the bottom, and then the female terminal connector 4 can be pushed to the bottom to complete the electric connection, so that the error-proof function of the TPA3 can be realized.

According to an embodiment, the TPA is capable of forming a pre-installed positional relationship and a fully installed positional relationship with the male end connector to effect opening and closing of an electrical connection between the male end terminal and the female end connector. The TPA need not be completely disassembled from the male end connector 2, and can be rigid in design, avoiding the risk of failure due to material degradation. In addition, TPA is not easy to deform in the actual use process, so that the TPA can be recycled.

In the above, the embodiment of the present invention is described by taking the male terminal connector as an example. It should be understood that the invention is not limited by the type of terminals installed in the connector and, therefore, the invention is not limited to the TPA of the male connector, and a similar configuration may be applied to the TPA of the female connector.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail. It will be appreciated that various embodiments and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above teachings without undue experimentation. Therefore, the technical solutions available to those skilled in the art through logic analysis, reasoning and limited experiments based on the prior art according to the concept of the present invention should fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present invention.