1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an insulation displacement connector for providing an electrical connection between insulated wires and a connector base. More particularly, the present invention relates to an insulation displacement connector having a latching mechanism that securely retains an insertion cap when wires held in the cap are pulled away from the connector.
2. Description of Background Art
Insulation displacement connectors typically include a wire insertion cap that is pivotable towards and away from a connector terminal. The connector terminal includes opposed metallic cutting surfaces for severing the insulation surrounding a wire held within the insertion cap when the insertion cap is pivoted towards the connector terminal. The connector terminal thereby becomes electrically conductive with the wire retained within the insertion cap. The connector terminal is plugged into an external device to complete a circuit including the wire, the connector, and the external device.
Conventional wire insertion caps are releasably connected to a connector body, and are therefore easily displaced from a connector terminal retained within the connector body when a force is exerted on a retained wire. It is often necessary to pull on wires retained within connectors in order to trace the origin of a particular wire, particularly when many wires are held in a bank of connectors. During a tracing operation, a technician pulls a wire from a remote location and detects movement of wires near the bank of connectors to verify the identity of the pulled wire. The force exerted on a wire in the circuit acts to pull the wire insertion cap retaining the wire away from the connector terminal of a connector. Once the insertion cap pivots away from the connector terminal, the wire is disengaged from the connector terminal and the circuit is opened or interrupted. This result is undesirable because it interrupts or terminates service to customers using the circuit.
A conventional solution to the above problem is a connector having a pivoting cap that is secured to a connector body by a screw. This connector is expensive because a screw must be included with the wire insertion cap and a threaded hole must be tapped into the connector body, which requires more material and additional steps to manufacture. In addition, connectors having screw caps are difficult and time consuming to use.
There is therefore a need in the art for a connector having a latching mechanism that securely latches an insertion cap to a connector body when a force is exerted on a wire retained in the connector, and that is easily disengageable with the connector body when removal of the wire is required.