The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 12, 1996
Filed:
May. 09, 1994
Mark C Ward, St. Clair, MI (US);
Roger A Hodder, Farmington Hills, MI (US);
Other;
Abstract
An electrical connector for a steering wheel which utilizes a non-wear electrical interconnection characterized by terminals of a base terminal bus and terminals of a rotor terminal bus being physically separated yet mutually electrically connected via contact with an electrically conductive liquid situated in one or more annular chambers located between outer faces of a rotor plate and a base plate. The rotor terminal bus is connected with the rotor plate and the base terminal bus is connected with the base plate. The base and rotor plates are connected together in a manner that permits relative rotation therebetween. The electrically conductive liquid is provided in each of the annular chambers by being preferably injected through a hollow capillary of at least one of the rotor and base terminals of each annular chamber, and then sealed, such as by solder. Preferred electrically conductive liquids include mercury or silicone. Electrical wiring is connected with each of the rotor terminal bus and the base terminal bus in an otherwise conventional manner known in the automotive art.