Terminal stabilization and retention system for an electrical connector

Claim 1

A retention system for assuring the retention of terminals terminated to electrical conductors of cables within respective passageways of a connector housing into which they are insertable, comprising: housing means having a plurality of passageways arranged in at least one row extending therethrough from a rearward face to a mating face and adapted to receive thereinto from said rearward face respective terminals terminated to electrical conductors of cables, said passageways of said at least one row communicating at rearward ends thereof with an insert-receiving cavity extending along a common side thereof and forwardly from said rearward housing face; terminals terminated at conductor-connecting sections to electrical conductors of respective insulated cables and adapted to be insertable into corresponding said passageways from said rearward housing face, each said terminal including a contact section at a forward end thereof and further including an annulus rearward of said conductor-connecting section and defining a substantially annular rearwardly facing stop means spaced radially from the insulation of a respective said cable after termination substantially around the circumference of the cable, each said stop means being adjacent said insert-receiving cavity of said housing means after assembly of said terminal in said housing means; an insert member associated with said at least one row of said passageways, said insert member including a transverse body section adapted to be received into and within said insert-receiving cavity of said housing means after said terminated terminals have been assembled into said at least one row of passageways, said body section including a cable-proximate portion extending transversely toward and to the cables of said at least one row after assembly rearward from said terminals and including a surface having semi-cylindrical recesses within which portions of said cables are disposed, and a forwardly facing surface of said cable-proximate portion defining forwardly facing stop surface means at least at locations corresponding to each said passageway of said row and adapted to stoppingly engage a said terminal in said passageway behind said stop means of said annulus thereof; and means for securing said insert member in said insert-receiving cavity of said housing means when said stop surface means stoppingly engage said stop means of the terminals of said at least one row, whereby said terminals of said row are assuredly secured against rearward withdrawal from said housing means in any angular orientation within the insert-receiving cavity.