Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Lyle B Suverison

Robert G Plyler

Joseph Howard Gladd

Dominic Anthony Messuri

Songchin S Lu

John A Yurtin

Detlev H Von Schwerdtner

George F Seagreaves

William R Beck

A connection system which includes fiber optic data links comprises a connector plug at the end of fiber optic cables and a mating header connector which house electro/optical devices and which is mounted on a printed circuit board. The header connector makes optical connections between the fiber optic cables of the plug connector and the electro/optical devices and electrical connections between the electro-optical devices and the circuitry of the printed circuit board. The header connector also includes a row of terminals for making purely electrical connections for electric cables which are terminated in the connector plug.

Electro-optical header connector

A diagnostic connector tap comprises a insulation displacement terminal which is disposed in an insulator housing which has an integrally hinged cap. The diagnostic connector tap is permanently attached to an insulated electrical cable for electrical testing of the insulated electrical cable simply by placing the cable in positioning slots of the terminal and closing the cap until it is locked in the closed position which automatically establishes an electrical connection between the terminal and the conductive core of the insulated electrical cable. The insulated electrical cable is then tested by inserting a test probe through a probe aperture which provides access to the terminal inside the closed insulator housing. The electrical connection between the terminal and the conductive core of the insulated electrical cable is preferably sealed by a sealant gel which is contained in the closed housing.

Diagnostic connector tap

Electro-optical connector plug

An electrical connector comprises a connector body and an elastomeric seal of one piece construction which seals the conductor end of the connector body and provides an interface seal when the connector body is plugged into a mating connector. The elastomeric seal is held in place by a backshell which provides a protective shroud for the interface sealing portion of the elastomeric seal. A lock arm is incorporated into the backshell which also provides a strain relief and a mount for a connector position assurance device.

Electrical connector

A header assembly comprising a thermoplastic housing and two rows of metallic conductor pins is attached to a printed circuit board. The conductor pins have tails which are bent over anvil portions of the housing and project through slots in a locator plate at the conductor end of the housing. The locator plate slots have detents for retaining the bent tails in a pattern to facilitate assembly and soldering of the tails in a matching pattern of holes in the printed circuit board. Stress on the solder connections due to differential thermal expansion is reduced by flexure of the conductor pins in enlarged rearward cavity portions and slippage of the bent tails in the detents.

Electrical header assembly

An electrical connector comprises a pair of mating dielectric connector bodies each having a plurality of electrical contacts which engage the electrical contacts of the other when the connector bodies are coupled. The coupled connector bodies are locked together by a projection on one connector body and a cooperating lock arm which is part of a resilient metal clip which is attached to the other connector body and which engages an electrical contact on the one connector body when the coupled connector bodies are locked together. The resilient metal clip has a central slot for attaching a conductor to the clip and for disengaging the lock arm with a screwdriver or the like.

Electrical connector with latch terminal

An electric socket terminal has an elongated, resilient socket comprising two axially spaced split tubes joined by a circumferential array of juxtaposed spring strips and means for retaining the electric socket terminal in a cavity of an insulator block. The retaining means is beside the elongated, resilient socket and includes a U-shaped guard and a resilient latch tang. The U-shaped guard has axially spaced legs which are integrally attached to the respective split tubes and the resilient latch tang is integrally attached at one end to one of the legs of the U-shaped guard and extends generally axially of the elongated, resilient socket.

Electric socket terminal

A blade terminal has a forward contact portion comprising a pair of flat longitudinal juxtaposed blades and an enlarged channel shaped median portion of reduced width. A pair of longitudinal inclined latch tangs attached to the respective rearward edges of the blades are positioned adjacent the channel shaped median portion for protection. The lateral extensions of the side walls of the channel shaped median portion offer further protection and may serve as forward stops and/or secondary locks in conjunction with a lock bar. A modified terminal has the leading edges set at an angle to reduce mating forces.

Blade terminal with protected latch tangs

The drawings illustrate an electrical connector including a conventional electrical connector body portion having a metal terminal secured therein and having an open-ended notch formed adjacent the terminal for sliding engagement with an external terminal post. A lock member portion includes a rigid arm integrally formed along one edge of the connector body portion, and a movable arm integrally pivotally connected at a midpoint thereof to the rigid arm and extending along an opposite edge of the connector body portion. An inwardly projecting locking corner is formed on the end of the movable arm adjacent the open-ended notch, adapted to being flexed outwardly by the movement therepast of the external terminal post upon the forcing of the connector body portion onto the terminal post for locking engagement with the terminal. Finger grips are formed on the outer edge of the other end of each of the rigid and movable arms adapted to pivot the locking corner outwardly away from the rigid arm in response to manual depression of the finger grips for release of the connector body portion from the terminal post.

A one-piece sheet metal pin type electrical contact terminal comprises an intermediate split sleeve having a probe extending from one end and a lead wire attachment portion extending from the other end. The probe comprises a pair of longitudinal arms having tips which engage to permit elongation of the probe while stiffening the individual deflection characteristics of each arm. The terminal may be modified to include an integral tab at the end of one tip which is bent over the other tip to protect the tips from being spread apart.

Pin type electrical contact terminal

A female terminal has a channel shaped median portion provided with a latch tang and a lock tang associated with each side wall. The four tangs project inwardly to avoid damage and tangling during handling. The tangs lock the terminal in a connector body in cooperation with a projecting block in the terminal cavity. A lock bar retained on the connector body provides a positive secondary lock in cooperation with the lock tangs of the terminal.

Electrical terminal with anti-tangle tangs

A locking shield for an electrical terminal includes a base wall secured to an insulator body molded about a female terminal. Wing flanges extend from the base wall about the insulator body and include overlapping apertured terminal flanges which overlie an apertured wall of the body opening to the terminal. The terminal flange apertures are normally misaligned since the wing flanges are resiliently biased apart relative to each other. When the wing flanges are manually squeezed together, the apertures are aligned so that a male terminal can be inserted therethrough into electrical engagement with the female terminal. The resilient bias of the wing flanges engages the edges of the apertures with the male terminal to lock it in place when the wing flanges are manually released.

Locking shield for electrical terminal

A molded electrical connector comprises a preformed insert of stiff plastic material. The insert retains and spaces cylindrical female terminals connected to conductor cores of separated leads of a multilead cable while a molded body of pliable insulation material is molded thereabout. The insert has an exposed face plate portion with an index slot and conical guide surfaces for the apertures leading to female terminals.

Growing community of inventors

Fowler, OH, United States of America

Lyle B Suverison