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:
Dec. 09, 2003
Filed:
Dec. 17, 2001
Charles Dudley Copper, Harrisburg, PA (US);
Henry O. Herrmann, Jr., Elizabethtown, PA (US);
Randy Thomas Matthews, Yadkinville, NC (US);
Larry George Novotny, Clemmons, NC (US);
Jeremy Patterson, McLeansville, NC (US);
Norbert Krause, Bensheim, DE;
Horst Teutschlaender, Heppenheim, DE;
Tyco Electronics Corp, Middletown, PA (US);
Abstract
Electrical connectors ( ) including contact terminals that can be unmated without previously disconnecting power include main contacts ( ) and auxiliary contacts ( ) that are shunted by a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistor ( ) located between the main and auxiliary contact. The main contact ( ) will be disconnected first and the auxiliary contact ( ) can be longer than the main contact ( ). Arcing will not occur at the mating end of the main contact ( ), because the current will be shunted to the still connected longer auxiliary contact ( ). I R heating will increase the resistance in the PTC resistor ( ), so when the auxiliary contact ( ) is disconnected, current will be below the arcing threshold. Multiple latches ( A,B) and ( A,B) or ( ) and ( ) permit only discontinuous mating and unmating or two state mating and unmating of electrical connectors, so that the connectors can be disconnected without arcing for a range of currents.