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:
Jun. 27, 2000
Filed:
Dec. 29, 1998
Shashidhar M Kamath, Belleville, MI (US);
Yazaki North America, Inc., Canton, MI (US);
Abstract
A first connector has a series of movable terminals having bifurcated ends comprising first and second prongs spaced apart from one another and a pair of parallel, rotatable cam members disposed on either side of the first prongs to sandwiching them therebetween. The cam members are elliptical in cross section and are connected with one another by intermeshing gears to rotate in unison. A second connector has a series of fixed terminals and a pair of actuation arms extending parallel with the terminals and having toothed ends. As the first and second connectors are moved into engagement with one another, the fixed terminals are inserted between the first and second prongs and the toothed ends engage the gears, rotating the cam members so they deflect the movable terminals to bring the second prongs into contact with the fixed terminals. Contact between the two sets of terminals is delayed until the last few millimeters of travel of the first and second connectors as they are mated, thus substantially reducing the frictional resistance resulting from contact between the terminals.