Molex Corporation

Lucas Electrical Electronic Systems Limited

Stephen A Colleran

Bill B Wilson

Fred L Krehbiel

Robert J Gugelmeyer

Lawrence E Geib

Edward J Plocek

Duane M Fencl

Robert M Fuerst

Burke J Crane

Thomas G Premo

Kevin C Benes

Jeffrey J Pawlicki

John O Higgins, Jr

Paul Christopher Berg

Frederick J Gierut

Russell L Mackowiak

James T Roberts

Michael J Gardner

Richard R Edgley

William R Lenz

Timothy R Ponn

Raymond A Silbernagel

Scott P Marceau

Paul D Cecil, Jr

Harry N Etters

Kenneth T Stead

Alexander Popa

Lorenzo G Manassero

Frank L Geoghegan

Julie Beyers Rutter

William D Gruhn

Theo Poll

David Richard Kalal

Robert Olson

Connie S Rindal

Connie Doles

George J Baisz

Weng H Cheong

Uwe Schwartz

A connector assembly is disclosed for mounting through an aperture in a panel. The assembly includes an adapter mountable in the aperture. A first connector is mountable to the adapter and has limited axial floating movement relative thereto. A second connector is mateable with the first connector with a given mating force. A latch-release mechanism is provided between the first connector and the adapter to latch the first connector against the floating movement and to allow the second connector to be mated with the first connector with the given mating force. The latch-release mechanism is released in response to a force greater than the given mating force to allow the limited floating movement and numerous mating cycles.

Panel mounted connector assembly

A female electrical terminal has a contact end and a terminating end. The contact end includes a pair of opposing walls for receiving a male terminal therebetween. A flexible element is disposed in the contact end for pressing against the male terminal. The flexible element includes a mounting section with spaced wall portions juxtaposed inside the opposing walls of the contact end. Complementary interengaging latches are provided between the opposing walls and the spaced wall portions of the mounting section of the flexible element. An abutment is provided in the contact end to prevent inward collapsing of the spaced wall portions and, thereby, to maintain the latches in interengagement.

Female electrical terminal

A female terminal includes a bottom wall, and a pair of opposing side walls extending upwardly from opposite sides of the bottom wall. A hole is formed in each side wall near the top thereof. Top half walls extend inwardly from the tops of the side walls and define a seam therebetween. A spring contact element is located inside the seam and include lug portions engageable in the holes near the tops of the side walls to bias a male terminal into engagement with the bottom wall.

A method is provided for fabricating flat flexible circuits which include a flat flexible insulating substrate having conductive circuit material thereon and electronic components mounted on the substrate. The method includes providing a continuous strip of the substrate. The strip is moved to a work station whereat the electronic components are mounted thereon. The strip, with the electronic components mounted thereon, is wound onto a reel for subsequent processing. The continuous strip of substrate is provided with a code for reading at the work station.

Method of fabricating flat flexible circuits

An electrical connector is disclosed for mating with a dashboard mounted speedometer assembly that includes a housing with a plurality of terminal pins projecting therefrom. A plurality of elongated terminals each have a resiliently expandable socket portion at one end for receiving one of the terminal pins of the speedometer assembly, a terminating portion at the opposite end for interconnection with circuitry on a printed circuit board, and an intermediate portion between the ends. A dielectric housing has a mating face and a board mounting face with a plurality of through terminal-receiving passages extending between the faces. Each passage includes a cavity portion for receiving the socket portion for one of the terminals and an intermediate portion for receiving the intermediate portion of the terminal, with the terminating portion of the terminal projecting from the board mounting face of the housing. The cavity portion is sized to provide anti-overstress for the resiliently expandable socket portion of the terminal. A plurality of boardlock pegs project from the housing for insertion into mounting holes in the printed circuit board to mount the connector to the board. Each boardlock peg includes a guiding portion for guiding the peg into a respective one of the mounting holes in the printed circuit board, and a resilient latch portion for latching engagement with the board.

Electrical connector

An electrical connector assembly includes a housing having a forward mating end and a rearward terminating end. A plurality of terminal-receiving cavities extend between the ends. A plurality of terminals are received in the cavities. A TPA device is selectively engageable with the housing at the mating end thereof. The TPA device includes a guide structure for guiding a complementary connecting device into mating engagement with the mating end of the connector housing.

Electrical connector with terminal position assurance device and guide

A cam lever locking mechanism is provided for an electrical connector assembly which includes a lever pivotally mounted on a first connector. The lever has an eccentric cam for engaging a cam follower on a second connector for providing a mechanical advantage while mating the connectors on a mating axis generally centrally of the connectors, in response to rotation of the lever. The lever is rotatable about a pivot axis transverse to and generally intersecting the mating axis of the connectors. The eccentric cam on the lever is aligned generally with the mating axis of the connectors. The cam follower on the second connector is located generally on the mating axis.

Electrical connector assembly with cam lever lock mechanism

A multi-terminal filtered electrical connector assembly includes a housing having a plurality of terminal-receiving passageways. A plurality of terminals are received in the passageways, with tail portions of the terminals projecting from the housing. A flexible capacitor filter circuit is mounted on the housing and through which the terminals extend. A ferrite block is provided with a plurality of through holes for receiving therethrough portions of the terminals. A terminal alignment plate may be provided for mounting the ferrite block. A second flexible capacitor filter circuit may be provided through which portions of the terminals extend. The ferrite block may be disposed between the two flexible capacitor filter circuits. The housing is constructed for mounting on a printed circuit board to provide either a right angle connector or a direct mounted connector.

Filtered electrical connector assembly

An electrical connector assembly includes a circuit board having a plurality of terminals mounted thereon. The circuit board is positionable within an enclosure which includes a side wall hingedly connected to a base wall. The side wall defines a header housing adapted for receiving an edge of the circuit board with the terminals projecting through apertures in the side wall.

Printed circuit board connector assembly

A sealed electrical connector includes a housing having an interior cavity for sealingly receiving a mating connector. A latch arm engages the mating connector for holding the connectors in mated condition. A passageway communicates the interior cavity with the environment. A seal closes the passageway. The latch arm includes a release portion for biasing the seal and opening the passageway to release air entrapped in the cavity automatically as a function of mating the connectors.

Sealed connector

A strain relief structure is provided for connecting a flat flexible cable to a circuit board. The flat flexible cable includes an array of parallel conductors, flexible insulation disposed around the conductors and a web of insulation disposed between adjacent conductors. The strain relief structure includes a body having at least one cable receiving aperture extending therethrough. A deflectable strain relief extends into the cable receiving aperture for engaging the web of insulation between at least a pair of conductors. Transverse walls, independent of the strain relief structure, extend into the cable receiving aperture for biasing at least one of the conductors out of the plane of the flat flexible cable.

Strain relief structure for connecting flat flexible cable to a circuit

An unlatching system is provided in a latchable electrical connector system which includes first and second electrical connectors mateable in a given mating direction. The first connector includes a pair of latch devices interengageable with complementary latches on the second connector when the connectors are mated to resist unmating of the connectors. The latch devices are flexible in a direction transverse to the mating direction for movement into and out of latching interengagement with the latches of the second connector. A transversely flexible unlatching mechanism is coupled between the latch devices and is bowed outwardly therefrom, whereby inward flexing of the unlatching mechanism, as by the application of pressure by a user, is effective to cause outward unlatching movement of the latch devices.

Latchable electrical connector system

A multi-terminal filtered electrical connector assembly includes a housing having a plurality of terminal-receiving passageways. A plurality of terminals are received in the passageways, with tail portions of the terminals projecting from the housing. A terminal alignment plate, independent of the housing, includes a plurality of through holes for receiving and aligning the tail portions of the terminals. First complementary interengaging latch devices are provided between the housing and the alignment plate for readily assembling the alignment plate on the housing. A ferrite block is mountable on the alignment plate and includes a plurality of through holes alignable with the holes in the alignment plate for receiving therethrough the tail portions of the terminals. Second complementary interengaging latch devices are provided between the alignment plate and the ferrite block for readily assembling the ferrite block on the alignment plate. Therefore, the alignment plate and the ferrite block can be assembled as a subassembly about the tail portions of the terminals, and the subassembly can be readily assembled to the housing. A flexible capacitor filter circuit is mounted on a rear face of the housing and through which filters the terminals extend.

A low profile panel mountable retainer is provided for mounting an elongated electrical connector in an elongated generally rectangular opening in a panel. The retainer is molded of plastic material and includes an elongated, generally rectangular housing insertable into the panel opening for receiving the connector. The housing has end walls and flexible elongated side walls defining a connector-mounting aperture. A pair of resilient wings extend along the outside of each side wall of the housing. Each pair of wings includes an inner snap-in wing, made up of a plurality of discrete snap-in wing portions, spaced from the respective side wall for passing through the panel opening and for bearing against an opposite side of the panel. Each snap-in wing portion provides a discrete retaining area to assure secure mounting of the retainer to the panel. Each pair of wings also includes an outer stop wing spaced from the respective inner snap-in wing for bearing against an entry side of the panel. A plurality of integral living hinges are positioned along each side wall of the housing to join each inner snap-in wing to the respective side wall and a plurality of integral support beams extend from the hinges to join each outer stop wing to the respective inner snap-in wing. The retainer construction provides a low insertion, high retention connection to the panel.

Low profile panel mountable retainer for electrical connectors

A sealing system is provided between an electrical connector assembly and another connector component, panel or the like. The connector assembly includes a housing having a mating end with a seal-receiving channel and a resilient seal received in the channel. The seal includes a sealing groove having a given width and a given depth. The connector component includes a sealing lip insertable into the sealing groove when the connector assembly and the connector component are mated along a mating axis. The sealing lip has a width greater than the width of the sealing groove and a length relative to the depth of the sealing groove such that the lip is spaced from the bottom of the groove when the connector assembly and the connector component are in mated condition. Therefore, only sealing forces normal to the mating axis are effected between the sealing lip and the sealing groove. A radio frequency seal is provided by point contacts between an edge of a flange of the connector assembly engaging an abutment surface of the connector component, the flange being overlapped with the sealing lip and another flange of the connector component, whereby a labyrinth path is defined through an interface area including the point contacts.

Growing community of inventors

Lisle, IL, United States of America

Stephen A Colleran