Electrical connectors – Having circuit interrupting provision effected by mating or...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-04
2001-03-20
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Having circuit interrupting provision effected by mating or...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203342
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Supplemental inflatable restraints or air bag assemblies are becoming increasingly common as a safety device in vehicles throughout the world. The assembly comprises an inflatable canister located in the steering column, the passenger-side dashboard, the side door panel, or seat. Upon a sufficiently great deceleration, the canister is inflated by an explosive device known as a squib, which contains a gun powder-based material. The squib is fired electronically upon a signal sent via wires from a deceleration or other sensor in the vehicle. The wires are attached to the squib via a squib connector that plugs into the squib socket.
A common form of squib assembly has two pins that extend within the socket, and an associated connector has two terminals that are in electrical contact with the pins when the connector is plugged into the socket. When the connector is removed from the socket, typically for servicing the inflation canister, a shorting clip or shunt is biased into electrical contact with the two pins to form an electrical connection therebetween to reduce the risk of misfiring, for example, by static electricity. The connector urges the shorting clip out of electrical contact with the pins when the connector is plugged into the socket.
During manufacture of a two-pin squib assembly, two rotational orientation concerns must be addressed. The pins must located at the correct clocking position relative to the connector and the squib. Also, the pins must be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the socket floor, or the entire assembly must be discarded. Also, during assembly of the vehicle, the vehicle manufacturer must be concerned about routing of the wires. A keying feature must be provided to ensure proper orientation of the assembly.
Other prior art air bag connectors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,334,025 and 5,401,180.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a single-pin squib connector assembly that has no required rotational orientation. In the preferred embodiment, the connector assembly is axial, wherein the pair of wires entering the connector assembly are parallel to the lengthwise orientation of a single pin in the squib socket. This type of connector is suitable for applications in which space is limited, such as driver, passenger, side door, or knee bolster air bags or seat belt pretensioners.
More particularly, the connector assembly includes a connector and a cylindrical socket for receiving the connector. In the socket, a first terminal is provided by a single axial pin extending along the central axis of the cylindrical socket and anchored to the initiator cup of the squib. A second terminal comprising a flat, radially extending ground plate annularly surrounds the pin and is fixed to the initiator cup within the socket. The ground plate includes a contact or shorting member in the form of an inner ring that surrounds the pin and is biased upwardly to contact the pin along an inner edge of the ring. In this manner, a shunt between the pin and the ground plate is provided when the connector is removed from the socket.
The connector includes a first or female terminal comprising a pair of opposed beams that contact the pin in the socket when the connector is inserted into the socket. A hood surrounds the beams to protect them from damage by the initiator pin during insertion of the connector into the socket. The connector also includes a second terminal in the form of a depending beam radially offset from the pair of beams contacting the pin. A contacting ring is formed at the end of the depending beam to surround the female terminal and the central pin in the socket. During insertion of the connector into the socket, the ring contacts the contact beam of the shorting member, moving it downwardly out of contact with the central pin. The contacting ring is able to contact the ground plate at any rotational orientation with respect to the socket. The terminals include wire crimp sections that grip associated wires entering the connector either along the axis of the single pin in the squib socket or perpendicular to the pin axis.
The connector includes a connector body or housing, a cover, and a connector position assurance member or CPA. The wire crimp portions of the first and second terminals and the associated entering wires are sandwiched between the housing and the cover, which are held together by a suitable latching mechanism, such as latching tabs, which are preferably internal to prevent tampering or easy disassembly.
The CPA includes a shell, which is slidable between an open position and a closed position on the cover. The connector body includes a latching arm, which fits over and latches to an external groove in the socket. When the connector is engaged in the socket, the CPA is slidable to the closed position where it latches onto a retention key on the housing and, in this position, ensures correct positioning of the connector in the socket and blocks removal of the latching arm from the groove, so that the connector assembly cannot be removed from the socket. To remove the connector assembly, the CPA is pulled upwardly to disengage from the housing retention key and unblock the latching arm.
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Gauker Bradford K.
Lapraik Scott J.
Rhein David J.
Abrams Neil
Thomas & Betts International Inc.
Weingarten, Schurgin Gagnebin & Hayes LLP
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