Electrical connector

Claim 1

An electrical connector comprising a female housing member including a series of passages each adapted to receive an electric contact member, a male housing member adapted to be inserted in said female housing member and including a series of passages, each adapted to receive an electric contact member and being complementary to those of said female housing member, means for assembling said housing members together, each housing member having, in each passage, an elastic locking lug featuring a projection adapted to cooperate with an opening in the corresponding electric contact member and each housing member including means for receiving, at an end of each housing member and adapted to cooperate with a corresponding end of the other housing member, a locking key mounted to slide perpendicularly to said passages and adapted to occupy a waiting position in which said elastic locking lugs move freely to enable mounting of electric contact members, and a locked position in which said locking key immobilizes said elastic locking lugs, each locking key including means for opposing insertion of said male housing member into said female housing member if the female housing member is in the waiting position, in which each locking key comprises a frame within which extends a series of parallel strips adapted to be inserted between said passages of said housing members transversely to said passages, said series of parallel strips having a face with bevels separated by abutments so that in said waiting position of said key, said bevels are in line with said locking lugs to enable the latter to move freely, whereas in said locking position said abutments are in line with said locking lugs to lock said locking lugs.