Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Delphi Automotive Systems Deutschland Gmbh

John M Chupak

Edward M Bungo

Joseph Howard Gladd

Paul Gerhard Halbach

Andreas Sikora

Michael Model

Christopher Adrian Margrave

John H Bakker

James D Daugherty

Duane Lee Brantingham

William G Strang

Jay Harold Garretson

Mark D McCall

Bruce J Serbin

Shao Chung Hsieh

Eduard Cvasa

Frederick H Rider, Jr

Joseph Albert Svette, Jr

James W McNamee

Gregor Frimmersdorf

Jens Brake

Douglas S Cummings

Richard James Polenick

Joseph A Wilson

Ludwig Pauss

Thomas Borsuck

John C Erste

The invention relates to an electrical terminal element for pushing through an opening, in particular a round opening, in an elastic material along a pushing through direction of the terminal element, comprising a contact part which has a connection section for the electrical and mechanical connection of the terminal element to an electrical lead, a dilating section and a contact section for the contacting of another terminal element arranged in series in the pushing through direction and comprising a reception part which at least partly surrounds the contact part in the region of the contact section and adjoins the dilating section. The invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of a terminal element in accordance with the invention.

Electrical terminal element

An electrical connector assembly has a male connector which houses and locks to a series of male bladed terminals and a female connector housing and locking to a series of female terminals. A blade of each male terminal extends into a chamber defined by a shroud of the male connector. Prior to mating of the electrical connector assembly, a self-aligning blade stabilizer is snap fitted into a pre-staged position with the male connector via a two-stage fastening feature so that the distal ends of the blades are disposed within respective apertures of the stabilizer and aligned to their respective female terminals. With the blade stabilizer held in a pre-staged position, the distal ends of the blades are protected from being inadvertently knocked and bent which would cause misalignment. Furthermore, the stabilizer prevents entry of debris into the chamber of the male connector which would hinder or prevent full mating of the electrical connector. During mating of the electrical connector assembly, the stabilizer is pushed out of the pre-staged position and into a staged position as the blades travel through the apertures and into the female terminals of the female connector.

Electrical connector assembly

An electrical connector assembly includes male and female connector bodies formed with a plurality of locking cavities in which electrical cables are disposed with the terminal ends thereof secured against removal from the cavities by lock arms within the cavities engaging catches of the terminal ends. A seal on the cables closes and seals the cavities in which they are installed. At least one of the cavities is unoccupied by a cable and is closed by a non-electrical locking plug. The plug has a catch that engages the lock aim of the unoccupied cavities in which it is installed to secure the plug against removal and carries a seal which engages and seals the unoccupied cavities.

Electrical connector having sealed snap-in locking cavity plugs

An electrical connector assembly having mateable male and female connector members includes a separate slide clip component that is received in a channel of the male connector and is provided with attachment features for mounting the assembly to support structure. The slide clip and channel include mateable detent and bump lock projection features that engage when the slide clip is fully installed in the channel to lock the slide clip against removal.

Electrical connector having slide clip attachment

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 invention includes first and second electrical connectors and a connector position assurance member that is lockable in a pre-staged position. A first connector includes a pivotally connected pump handle lock arm positioned to lock on to a nub on the second connector. A connector position assurance member (CPA) is constructed for slidable movement on the first connector and includes two forward reaching arms each having a stop on a lower edge that engage a shoulder positioned on the first connector when the CPA is in a pre-staged position. In this pre-staged position, a lock arm of the CPA grabs into the pump handle on the first connector. The stop, shoulder and lock arm prevent forward or backward slidable movement of the CPA from this locked pre-staged position. As the first and second connectors are mated, a ridge on the second connector engages an angled portion of the forward reaching arms causing the arms to be lifted to raise the stop above the shoulder on the first connector and allowing the connector position assurance member to be moved forward to a final assembled position. Locking nubs on the CPA and the first connector may be positioned to keep the CPA in the final assembled position.

Electrical connector with locking connector position assurance member

A battery cable assembly comprising a battery cable having a conductive core and an insulated sheet and a metal cable terminal having a generally forward planar eyelet portion and a rearward crimping portion for securing the terminal to the battery cable and with the eyelet portion having a central through opening and a pair of opposed notches at its sides. The battery cable assembly also includes a plastic, flexible battery terminal cover having a forward portion for slidably receiving the eyelet portion and a rearward portion for receiving the crimping portion of the terminal. The forward portion of the battery terminal cover has a top, bottom, side and end wall portions which define a rectangular slot through which the eyelet terminal can be inserted. The cover also includes a pair of axially extending inwardly facing ribs between the top and bottom which are adapted to be engaged by the eyelet portion to cause deflection of the side wall portions of the cover until the notches in the eyelet portion are aligned with the ribs whereupon the ribs are snap fittingly received within the eyelet portion to connect the eyelet portion to the cover. In addition, the cover is provided with seals for sealing the engaging a side wall of a battery around its terminal and for sealingly engaging a bolt for connecting the eyelet portion to the battery terminal.

Battery cable assembly

The present invention relates to an electrical female, box shaped terminal with a resilient contact arm which can receive different thicknesses of mating male terminals. The female terminal provides a controlled normally directed contact force against the male terminal.

Female electrical terminal

A one piece thermoplastic sealing grommet for passing a plurality of electrical conductors through a hole in a panel and for sealing off the hole through the panel. The grommet comprises a substantially rigid support plate having an integral pilot wall which passes through the hole in the panel, a seal housing within the pilot wall for sealingly engaging individual conductors passing therethrough and a deflectable, integral, non-perpendicularly extending sealing flange surrounding the pilot to provide a face seal against said panel.

One piece grommet

An annular elastomeric seal for use with mating plug and socket connectors and having axially spaced sealing ribs which are tapered and skewed with respect to the axes of mating plug and socket connectors whereby the force required to connect the connectors together is reduced.

Lower engaged seal rib configuration

An insulation displacement terminal comprises a base having a pair of integrally connected side plates and an integrally connected flex arm disposed between the side plates. The side plates have guide grooves formed in part by inwardly staggered legs. The flex arm has laterally spaced plates which bias an insulated conductor received in the guide grooves against the edges of inwardly staggered legs of the side plates to establish a four point electrical contact with the core of the insulated conductor under the constant pressure of the flex arm.

Insulation displacement terminal

An electrical connector comprises a plurality of female terminals which are attached to conductor wires which are passed through the longitudinal assembly slots of a connector body after which the female terminals are pulled into the terminal cavities of the connector body through contact openings at one end of the connector body. The female terminals have projecting tabs disposed in the longitudinal assembly slots to orient the female terminals in the terminal cavities and latch fingers to retain the female terminals in the terminal cavities. The latch fingers are accessible through the longitudinal slots to release them from cooperating latch shoulders in the terminal cavities so that the female terminals may be individually removed from the terminal cavities through the contact openings.

Pull-to-seat electrical connector

A two-piece socket terminal is crimped to the end of an ignition wire and detachably connected to a spark plug stud terminal. The terminal comprises an attachment member of crimpable semi-hard steel having a corrugated channel at one end and a tee-shaped support at an opposite end, and a socket member of spring tempered steel having a split sleeve at one end and a longitudinal tongue at an opposite end. The attachment and socket members are secured to each other by clamping arms of the tee-shaped support bent over the longitudinal tongue. The tongue has circumferential tabs behind the clamping arms providing a mechanical interlock in the pull-off direction while the foremost internal rib of the corrugated channel provides a stop in the push-on direction. The terminal provides a direct electrical connection between the ignition wire conductor core and the socket piece which is enhanced by forward projecting tabs of the corrugated channel. In-line and angled embodiments are disclosed.

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West Middlesex, PA, United States of America

John M Chupak