Electrical connector with connector position assurance/assist device

Claim 1

A connector device for electric circuit terminals including a matable female connector and male connector and a connector position assurance and assist device, said female connector having spaced apart a top wall, a bottom wall and side wall means defining a socket at its inboard mating end, and stepped support extensions extending upward from said side wall means relative to said top wall and a lock bar extending therebetween so as to define with said top wall open window means of a predetermined height, a portion of said stepped support extensions defining a first set of shoulders; said male connector having a plug means at its inboard mating end for engagement into said socket, said male connector further including a wall means upstanding from the outboard end of said plug means with resilient lock arm means extending therefrom so as to overlie said plug means in spaced relationship thereto and defining with said wall means an inverted T-shaped slot that includes a guide track next adjacent to said wall means, said resilient lock arm means including a lock arm at its free end adapted for locking engagement with said lock bar when said male and female connectors are fully mated, said wall means defining a second set of shoulders facing said inboard mating end of said male connector which are in spaced apart relationship to said first set of shoulders when said connectors are mated; said connector assurance and assist device including an enlarged push head with a shank extending therefrom of a predetermined height and axial extent slidably received by said slot whereby the free end of said shank is operative to effect and retain locking engagement of said lock arm with said lock bar and, said connector assurance and assist device further including side guide and resilient lock tab means, including outward extending tapered lock tabs, positioned on opposite sides of said plug means so as to be slidably received in said guide track whereby when said connector assurance and assist device is operatively connected to said male and female connectors, said tapered lock tabs are operatively positioned between said first and second sets of shoulders to effect axial retention of said connector assurance and assist device while being positioned so as to permit manual release of these tapered lock tabs to allow disassembly of said connector device.