Yazaki North America, Inc.

Richard P Wong

Shashidhar M Kamath

Mark S Grant

Larry Kim

A plastic connector having a terminal position assurance (TPA) component receives a radio frequency terminal having a cylindrical casting as a portion thereof in snap lock relationship within the interior of the connector body. The TPA may be resiliently snapped between the outermost 'preset' and innermost 'set' positions, the former permitting operation of the snap lock lance which comes into play when the terminal is inserted into the connector body. In the latter position, the TPA blocks movement of the lance and provides a semi-circular stabilizing cradle in conforming contact with the terminal body to protect it against rocking motion while at the same time allowing rotation of the terminal about its own axis or symmetry. The TPA may also be moved from the &#x201c;preset&#x201d; position to a &#x201c;service&#x201d; position which allows access to the connector lance.

TPA connector for rotatable terminals

A card edge terminal box-like configuration made from bending a stamped blank into the desired form. A pair of longer, lower spaced apart arms engage a trace side of a circuitboard while a pair of shorter upper arms having detents formed on the distal or free ends thereof engage an opposite surface of the circuitboard and have detent portions which snap into a slot which is strategically located in the non-trace surface of the circuitboard. A spring contact between the arms is resiliently deflected from a first raised position to a second lowered position as it engages the edge trace on the circuitboard. Stable mechanical and electrical association between the terminal and the circuitboard is assured over a wide variety of harsh operating environmental conditions.

Terminal with card edge locking provisions

A terminal body for use in combination with a circuitboard having edge conductor pads and being formed from a stamped metal blank so as to provide a first main longitudinally extending spring contact which is curved back on itself and inwardly toward the center of the terminal and a pair of stabilizing contacts which oppose and straddle the main contact. All of the contacts are sufficiently resilient to permit the circuitboard of thickness T to be inserted between them, the stabilizing contacts ensuring a firm grip on the circuitboard and non-intermittent contact between the main terminal contact and the circuitboard pad.

Self-stabilizing card edge terminal

In an FOT connector housing which couples and retains an FOT and an optical fiber with the object of maintaining a desired distance between an FOT interface and the optical fiber, an EMI shield for the FOT comprising an FOT metal casing which maintains the interface side of the FOT in contact with a wall of the casing, the wall of the casing having a thickness designed to achieve and maintain the desired distance between the FOT interface and the optical fiber, the metal casing further including a spring member acting against the FOT cavity to maintain the FOT interface at the desired distance from the optical fiber under spring tension.

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Troy, MI, United States of America

Richard P Wong