Tyco Electronics Corporation

Jeremy Christin Patterson

Donald Robert Worthington, Jr

Lyle Stanley Bryan

John Mark Myer

Charles Dudley Copper

Hoy Smith Beck, Jr

Randy Gray Simmons

Henry Otto Herrmann, Jr

Jimmy Glenn Grubbs

Larry George Novotny

John Steven Cowan

Edwin G Cox

Randy Thomas Matthews

Christopher Lee Allgood

Garold Micheal Yurko

Norbert Krause

Horst Teutschlaender

Nobert Krause

Henry Otto Herrmann Jr

A lever mated connector assembly including a housing configured to mate with a header, a wire guide mounted to the housing having a latch with a retaining surface, and a lever having a catch with a retaining surface and being coupled to the housing for rotational movement between an unlocked position and a locked position wherein the catch retaining surface engages the latch retaining surface to inhibit movement of the lever out of the locked position. A connector position assurance (CPA) member has a locking surface mounted to the wire guide in a low profile configuration for movement between a first position and a second position. The CPA is attached to the wire guide by way of a dovetail interlocking arrangement.

Lever mated connector assembly with a low profile position assurance member

An electrical connector is shown having a housing having terminal receiving passageways, which receives a plurality of electrical terminals therein. The connector housing has a rear wire seal having a plurality of apertures at a rear face thereof for receiving terminals and a terminated conductor therethrough. At least one of the plurality of electrical terminal passageways is empty, and the sealing plug is positioned in the terminal receiving passageway to seal the cavity from the rear side thereof. The sealing plug also includes a latching surface for latching with the latch of the housing, and further provides a forward portion to deflect an installed shunt downwardly to prevent stubbing of a pin contact of a mating connector.

Connector assembly with cavity sealing plug

An electrical connector assembly is shown having a housing member with a lever assist which rotatably draws complimentary connectors together. The lever assist is attached by way of mounting studs to a shroud on each side of the sidewall of the connector housing where the lever arms are positioned within the shroud to protect the lever arms and the gear teeth on the free ends of the lever arms.

Electrical connector having lever with protective shroud

A lever mated connector assembly including a housing configured to mate with a header, a wire guide mounted to the housing having a latch with a retaining surface, a lever having a catch with a retaining surface and being coupled to the housing for rotational movement between an unlocked position and a locked position wherein the catch retaining surface engages the latch retaining surface to inhibit movement of the lever out of the locked position. The wire guide is provided with an overstress mechanism to prevent over extension of the latch to a position where the latch is plastically deformed.

Lever mated connector assembly with a latching and overstress mechanism

A terminalfor use in connecting a battery cableto a rectangular bladeon a batteryincludes a terminal bodyand a spring member or multiple contact band. The spring memberis fabricated from a material that is more elastic than the terminal bodyto reduce mating force, but still generate sufficient normal force to provide a good connection to the rectangular blade. The multiple contact spring bandhas a plurality of spring beams in the form of twisted louvered spring beamsor curved spring beams. The spring memberis positioned within a receptacle sectionof the terminal bodythat includes two parallel walls. The terminal bodyalso includes a wire termination section for attaching the terminalto a battery cable. Inline and right angle versions of the terminals employ similar spring members

High current automotive electrical connector and terminal

An electrical connector and methods for minimizing arcing when the connector is connected or disconnected under load are disclosed. The invention provides an arc reduction circuit with one or more regulators, such as transistors, integrated into the connector housing that sense movement of the connector and shunt the current to an impedance circuit when a potential arc condition is sensed.

Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture to minimize arcing in electrical connectors

An electrical connector includes housing having a mating face that is configured to be mounted onto an electrical connector interface. A latch assembly is provided on a side wall of the housing. The latch assembly is oriented to extend along the side wall. The latch assembly has a latch element formed on an end thereof proximate the mating face, and includes mounting brackets separated from one another along a length of the latch assembly. The mounting brackets join the latch assembly to the side wall. The latch assembly has a portion between the mounting brackets that is deflectable toward the side wall.

Electrical connector with a low profile latch

An electrical connector includes a housing having a mating face that is configured to be mounted onto an electrical connector interface. A latch assembly is provided on a side wall of the housing. The latch assembly is oriented to extend along the side wall and has a latch element formed on an end thereof proximate the mating face. The latch assembly includes pivot posts at an intermediate point along a length of the latch assembly. The pivot posts pivotally join the latch assembly to the side wall.

A connector assembly ( ) includes and arc prevention shunt ( ) in one of two mating electrical connectors ( ). The shunt ( ) engages a terminal ( ) when the connectors ( ) and ( ) are in a partially mated configuration. If the terminal ( ) is hot, current will pass from the shunt ( ) to a relay coil ( ) to close contacts ( ) in a Form C relay ( ). When the normally open switch contacts ( ) are closed a bypass circuit ( ) disconnects the terminals ( ) in the connectors ( ) so arcing will not occur when the connectors ( ) are mated or unmated under load. When the connectors ( ) are in the fully mated or fully unmated, the shunt ( ) is electrically isolated from the terminals ( ).

Electrical connector with shunt for hot mating and unmating

In electrical connector assemblies comprising mating receptacle and plug connectors, a force is generated during mating which urges the receptacle and plug connectors away from an intermediate, partially mated position in which arcing might occur between terminals in the mating connectors. This force can be generated when an inertial protrusion on receptacle connector engages an inertial protrusion on a plug connector . This force can also be generated when movement of an over-center lever results in deformation of a cantilever beam when a receptacle connector is mated to a plug connector . These connector assemblies can be used to limit damage to mating terminals in a 42 volt automotive electrical connector system.

Arc limiting electrical connector assembly

Electrical connectors ( ) including contact terminals that can be unmated without previously disconnecting power include main contacts ( ) and auxiliary contacts ( ) that are shunted by a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistor ( ) located between the main and auxiliary contact. The main contact ( ) will be disconnected first and the auxiliary contact ( ) can be longer than the main contact ( ). Arcing will not occur at the mating end of the main contact ( ), because the current will be shunted to the still connected longer auxiliary contact ( ). I R heating will increase the resistance in the PTC resistor ( ), so when the auxiliary contact ( ) is disconnected, current will be below the arcing threshold. Multiple latches ( A,B) and ( A,B) or ( ) and ( ) permit only discontinuous mating and unmating or two state mating and unmating of electrical connectors, so that the connectors can be disconnected without arcing for a range of currents.

Growing community of inventors

McLeansville, NC, United States of America

Jeremy Christin Patterson