Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Jay Harold Garretson

Gary C Detter

Robert G Plyler

John H Bakker

William George Flask

Greg S Reese

Joseph Howard Gladd

Charles R Nestor

Andrew Frank Rodondi

William G Strang

John M Chupak

Kenneth B Germ

Emil J Tolnar, Jr

Robert M Bartley

Richard V Landries

Theodore Raymond Schmidt

George F Skinner

Aaron Dillon Monroe

Samuel A Norling

Christopher D Burns

Brian David Hamill

Richard James Polenick

Thomas Edward Lazor

Patrick S Kiraly

John J Merva

Mark J Koty

Raymond C Seiffert

Jeffrey L Ziegler

A tie clip includes a strap body formed of a first material. The strap body has a first and second end, a strap retention member, a plurality of teeth disposed on the strap body, and a securing member. The strap body also includes sealing member that is formed of a second material that is different from the first material. The second material is directly chemically bonded to the first material. The first end of the strap body is received in a unidirectional manner in the strap retention member so as to form a loop that fixedly holds at least one object such that the object is prevented from having lateral movement through the loop. When the securing member is fastenably secured within a hole of a mounting structure, the sealing member sealingly engages against the mounting structure surrounding the hole to prevent environmental element intrusion therethrough.

Sealing tie clip that holds an object and prevents lateral movement thereto

A battery clamp includes a collar cooperating with opposing compression plates to engage a battery terminal. The clamp further includes a locking mechanism adapted to apply a compression force between the collar and the battery terminal. A method of securing a battery clamp to a terminal includes positioning a clamp around a terminal of a battery, wherein the clamp includes a collar and opposing compression plates. The method further includes engaging the collar to the terminal of the battery by applying a force to the compression plates.

Lever lock battery clamp terminal

An axially actuated battery terminal post clamp in which a threaded fastener causes clamping action of a concave post seat onto the convex surface of a battery terminal post, and wherein the threaded fastener is oriented axially, that is, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the battery terminal post. A clamp body has a concave post seat defining a post seat axis, a first sidewall member and a second sidewall member. First and second U-shaped clips are interfaced with the first and second sidewall members and have guide holes, wherein at least one clip has tapered guide holes. A threaded fastener is oriented parallel to the post seat axis and has tapers which interact with the guide holes to cause the diameter of the post seat to decrease as the threaded fastener is actuated.

Axially actuated battery terminal post clamp

A compliant connector for a connection system in an internal combustion engine includes a cylindrical connector housing and a plurality of constant strain beam springs at one end of the connector housing to act as a self-centering/self-aligning mechanism in the connection system.

Compliant connector

An electrical connector has a socket connector body that has a lock ramp, a plug connector body that mates with the socket connector body and that has a lock arm that engages the lock ramp of the socket connector body to lock the plug and socket connector bodies together when the connector bodies are mated, and a connector position assurance (CPA) device that is slideably retained on the plug connector body for assuring that the connector bodies are properly mated and locked together. The CPA device has a top wall and depending sidewalls at respective longitudinal edges of the top wall that overlap and slide on spaced side walls of the plug connector body. The lock arm is between the sidewalls of the plug connector body and connected to the side walls midway between its ends to provide a release lever. The top wall of the CPA device has a depending pusher portion at one end for pushing the lock arm into engagement with the lock ramp and a target portion at the opposite end of the top wall for applying a force to the CPA device. The CPA device is retained in a first detent or pre-stage position and a second detent position with respect to the plug connector. The top wall of the CPA device has a release lever that operates the release lever of the lock arm when the CPA device is in the pre-stage position and the target portion of the CPA device has a strap that disables the release lever of the lock arm when the CPA device is in the second detent position.

Electronic connector with CPA device

The present invention includes an electrical connector system utilizing a single piece slide lever system which is lockable in a pre-staged and in a final fully seated position. The slide lever is used to provide assurance of proper mating position of connector halves and to mechanically assist the mating of male and female connectors. The slide lever may also be received inside of a flexible grommet to provide a mechanical assist in making a seal between the grommet and a panel. The locking features and the slide lever may be selectively released to move the slide lever from a pre-staged position (open position) to a final seated position (closed position) locking the two connector pieces together. Likewise, the locking features on the slide lever may be released to move the slide lever from a final fully seated (closed) position back to a pre-staged (open) position to disconnect the connector pieces all while the slide lever is contained within the flexible grommet.

Slide lock position assurance and release lever

The present invention includes an electrical connector system utilizing a single piece slide lever system which is lockable in a pre-staged and in a final fully seated position. The slide lever is used to mechanically assist the mating of male and female connectors. The slide lever may also be received inside of a flexible grommet to provide a mechanical assist in making a seal between the grommet and a panel. The locking features and the slide lever may be selectively released to move the slide lever from a pre-staged position (open position) to a final seated position (closed position) locking the two connector pieces together. Likewise, the locking features on the slide lever may be released to move the slide lever from a final fully seated (closed) position back to a pre-staged (open) position to disconnect the connector pieces all while the slide lever is contained within the flexible grommet.

Slide assisted grommet assembly

An electrical distribution center electrically interconnects electrical and electronic devices and electrical connectors of wiring harnesses. The electrical distribution center comprises a main bus plate that includes a plurality of stamped metal circuit components that are insert molded in an insulation board. The stamped metal circuit components have a plurality of male blade terminals that project outwardly of the insulation board and that include wire receiving slots. The main bus plate is sandwiched between upper and lower bus plates that each include a plurality of wire circuit components in an insulated routing board that has slots extending through it. The male blade terminals of the main bus plate project through the slots of the upper and lower bus plates for connection with the electrical and electronic components and the electrical connectors of the wiring harnesses. The wire receiving slots of selected male blade terminals receive the wire circuit components of the upper and lower bus plates as the selected male blade terminals pass through the slots to provide bussing between various male blade terminals.

Electrical distribution center

An automotive power plant has an electrically controlled transmission 12 which is connected to control modules by a wiring harness. The end of the wiring harness is attached to the transmission by an electrical connector which has a spring like thermoplastic cover which is secured to the insulator body of the electrical connector by a bayonet slot arrangement and which has an integral cable strap for securing an end of a convoluted conduit forming part of the wiring harness.

Electrical connector cover having integral cable strap

An electrical power distribution center includes stacked circuit arrays of varying current carrying capacity located between an upper housing and a lower housing, each having terminal access holes therein for receiving terminals formed on pre-stamped metal circuit elements. The terminals are selectively connected to either electrical or electronic devices carried on top of the upper housing or to wiring connectors connected to the outer surface of the lower housing. The pre-stamped metal circuit elements are removably mounted in recesses in a plurality of stacked electrical insulation boards supported within the lower housing and centered therein by guide stems formed integrally of the lower housing. Each of the electrical insulation boards includes raised surfaces thereon congruent with the recesses on an adjacent electrical insulation board for holding the metal circuit elements in place therein while insulating each of the metal circuit elements from adjacent metal circuit elements.

Electrical power distribution center

Electrical connector cover

A fuse package for a vehicle handles a row of plug-in type fuses in a simple and convenient fashion. An insulator block includes a plurality of terminals arrayed so that a row of fuses held in a cover will plug into the terminals as the cover is installed on the block. The terminals grip the fuses more strongly than the fuses are held within the cover so that the terminals will be pulled out of the cover and stay plugged in to the terminals as the cover is removed, giving easy servicing access to the fuses. The fuses are not held within the cover strongly enough to stay with the cover as the cover is handled, however. A retainer fits within the cover strongly enough to maintain the cover and fuses as a unitary assembly that can be separately handled and installed. The retainer also includes a locking means that interengages with a locking means on the block as the cover assembly is installed to cooperatively keep the cover on the block. The locking force is also strong enough to pull the retainer out of the cover as the cover is removed. The retainer therefore stays with the block so as to let the fuses by easily accessed.

Fuse package

A molded insulator housing of thermoplastic material for an electrical terminal or terminals comprises a plurality of walls which define a corresponding number of elongated cavities having an opening at one end of the insulator housing for terminal insertion. The insulator housing has a terminal lock for each cavity integrally hinged to an outward flange on its bottom wall at the one end of the insulator housing and a slot for each cavity in the bottom wall which defines an inner surface for the terminal lock and flange portions which is substantially coplanar with an outer surface of the adjacent portions of the bottom wall to facilitate the molding of the terminal lock substantially free and separate of the material in the bottom wall. The terminal lock is movable from its molded position where it projects outwardly of the bottom wall and at least as much as the flange and a second retained position in which a portion of the terminal lock passes through the slot in the bottom wall and projects into the cavity to provide a terminal lock.

Insulator housing with integrally hinged, snap-in terminal lock

A prepared ribbon cable is mass terminated to a preloaded electrical connector by wave soldering techniques. The preloaded connector comprises a housing and a plurality of terminals. The housing has an anvil in the form of a flange at the conductor end of the housing and a plurality of fins projecting from the conductor end to isolate the conductor attaching means of the terminals from each other. The terminals are inserted into cavities through openings at the mating end of the housing, retained by solder tabs which are bent over against the flange, and form part of the conductor attaching means. The conductor attaching means further includes slotted terminal portions which receive the conductors and position the ends of the conductors on the bent solder tabs.

Growing community of inventors

Warren, OH, United States of America

Jay Harold Garretson