Electrical connector having improved releasable locking means

1. An electrical connector suitable to mate with a counterpart connector along a mating axis (X), and having an insulating housing and snap-fit locking means provided to releasably lock said housing onto a counterpart connector housing in a mated position, said locking means comprising

a partially deformable locking member which is mounted on the housing so as to be axially slideable between an extended locking position and a retracted position, and

biasing means which axially bias said locking member to its locking position, wherein the locking member has a flexible beam including a tooth member adapted to engage a complementary locking projection of the counterpart connector housing, and to provide an axial stop therewith in the locking position of the locking member, said flexible beam being elastically deflectable on the axial path of the locking member, wherein the tooth member is configured to come into contact with the locking projection at a first stage of mating of the electrical connector to the counterpart connector to thereby compress the biasing means as the mating is continued.

2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing has an axial guide rail, and the locking member has a slide member axially displaceable in the guide rail, the flexible beam axially projecting from the slide member in the mating direction (X).

3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking member has an operating portion for releasing the locking member from its locking position, said operating portion projecting from the housing.

4. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flexible beam has a free end oriented in the mating direction (X), and the tooth member is provided at said free end.

5. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the operating portion is provided at a free end of the flexible beam.

6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tooth member has an abutment face, providing the axial stop in the direction opposed to the mating direction (x) and a wedge effect with the complementary locking projection, when the locking member is in its locking position.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the biasing means are interposed between the housing and the flexible beam.

8. An electrical connecting device comprising:

the electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , and

a counterpart connector comprising a counterpart housing and a locking projection engageable by the tooth member.

9. The electrical connecting device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the locking projection is rigidly attached to the counterpart housing and substantially non-deformable upon mating of the connecting device.

10. The electrical connecting device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the locking projection of the counterpart connector has, along the mating axis (X), a first and a second reversely inclined faces, defining a crest edge therebetween, and an abutment face which is substantially perpendicular to the mating axis (X).

11. The electrical connecting device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the connector and the counterpart connector have respective terminals arranged in correspondence in the respective housings, such that a pair of corresponding terminals, upon mating of the connectors, come into electrical connection only once the biasing force applied by the biasing means on the locking member becomes greater than the elastic load necessary for the tooth member to engage the complementary locking projection in the complete locking position.

12. An electrical connector suitable to mate with a counterpart connector along a mating axis (X), and having an insulating housing and a snap-fit lock provided to releasably lock the insulating housing onto a counterpart connector housing of the counterpart connector in a mated position, wherein the lock comprises:

a partially deformable locking member which is mounted on the insulating housing so as to be axially slideable between an extended locking position and a retracted position; and

a spring axially biasing the locking member to the extended locking position, wherein the locking member has a flexible beam including a tooth member adapted to engage a complementary locking projection of the counterpart connector housing, and to provide an axial stop therewith in the extended locking position of the locking member, wherein the flexible beam is elastically deflectable on an axial path of the locking member, wherein the tooth member is configured to come into contact with the locking projection at a first stage of mating of the electrical connector to the counterpart connector to thereby compress the spring as the mating of the electrical connector to the counterpart connector is continued past the first stage.