Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Donald John Mizner

Joseph Donald Lytle, Jr

Barry Michael Daggett

John H Bakker

Raymond J Blasko

William George Flask

Ronald Allen Baldwin

Randall S Cvelbar

William Keith Clupper

Michael R Croutch

Dale M Higginbotham

A connector assembly has a slide mechanism for releasably securing and locking together a first connector body and a second connector body. To initially connect together the first and second connector bodies, mounting tabs and lock tabs of the second connector body are disposed in corresponding mounting slots and lock tab slots, respectively, in the first connector body. To releasably lock the connector bodies together, an arm of the slide mechanism is disposed in a channel of the first connector body with a portion of the arm overlying the lock tabs of the second connector body to prevent withdrawal of the lock tabs from the lock tab slots. Thus, removal of the second connector body from the first connector body is prevented while the slide mechanism overlies the lock tabs. Preferably, the slide mechanism and first connector body are adapted to receive a third connector body so that the second and third connector bodies are both releasably attachable to the first connector body by inserting and withdrawing the slide mechanism.

Serviceable auxiliary mount

The present invention provides an electrical distribution center assembly and a method of constructing the same. The electrical distribution center assembly includes an electrical distribution center member, an electrical connector, a support member which retains the electrical connector and includes at least one cam follower projection, at least one cam lever rotatably mounted to the electrical distribution center member, and a driver member for abutting the cam lever arm. An engagement movement of the driver member causes the cam lever to rotate and engage the cam follower projection thereby multiplying an engagement force to draw together the electrical distribution center member and the electrical connector against a resistance. The cam lever also leverages a disengagement force applied to the driver member to separate the electrical distribution center from the electrical connector.

Electrical distribution center assembly

An electrical connector has a terminal position assurance and lock device that acts as both a stop behind receptacle portions of electrical terminals and to prevent flexing of a first and second set of cavity flex lock arms which retain the electrical terminals in the connector to positively position the electrical terminals and prevent their inadvertent withdrawal from the electrical connector. Insertion of an electrical terminal into a terminal cavity causes the cavity flex lock arm in the cavity to flex inwardly, permitting the electrical terminal to be received in the cavity. Once an electrical terminal is inserted past the cavity flex lock arm, the lock arm returns to its unflexed position to retain the electrical terminal. The terminal position assurance and lock device preferably has three fingers and is releasably inserted into a mating formation of passages that extend laterally through the length of the electrical connector generally transverse to the orientation of the electrical terminals positioned in the terminal cavities. Two of the fingers pass behind receptacle portions of the electrical terminals to act as stops, preventing the electrical terminals from being removed from the electrical connector, while the third finger passes between the first and second sets of cavity flex lock arms to prevent the lock arms from flexing inward significantly such that inadvertent withdrawal of the electrical terminals is prevented. When desired, the terminal position assurance and lock device can be removed to facilitate removal of the electrical terminal ends from the electrical connector.

Terminal position assurance and lock device

An electrical connector comprising: a connector housing having first and second opposing sides; on each of the first and second sides, a flex arm having a first end, a second end and a central portion between the first and second ends wherein a flexible member connects the central portion of the flex arm to the side; a cam lock lever comprising first and second lever arms and a handle connecting the first and second lever arms wherein the first lever arm is pivotably mounted to the first side and the second lever arm is pivotably mounted to the second side, wherein the cam lock lever is pivotable between a first state in which it is open and a second state in which it is closed; on each of the first and second arms, first and second cam lock seats; and on each of the first ends of the first and second flex arms, first and second locks wherein when the cam lock lever is in the first state, each first lock engages one of the first seats and when the cam lock lever is in the second state, each second lock engages one of the second seats.

Electrical connector with cam lock lever

Growing community of inventors

Sharpsville, PA, United States of America

Donald John Mizner