Abstract:
An electrical connector comprising a male housing and a female housing and electrical contacts extending therebetween when the male housing is plugged into the female housing. A shroud is reciprocatingly mounted to the male housing. When the shroud is in a retracted position, the electrical contact of the male housing is exposed to permit electrical contact with the female housing, and when the shroud is in an extended position it substantially covers the electrical contact of the male housing.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a self-adjustable junction connector system which may be used on a vehicle.  
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     There are various locations on a vehicle where an electrical connection is desirable between two pieces of the vehicle, but is difficult to provide because the connection must be broken when the two pieces are separated during the normal use of the vehicle. Examples include potential electrical connections between a door or window and the frame of the vehicle.  
         [0003]     Currently, in vehicles with a liftgate window situated on a liftgate module, providing electricity to the defrost system requires that wires must extend from the electrical system of the car to the liftgate window. These wires are sometimes located in the vicinity of the hinged area of the liftgate window. These wires can become worn and damaged from the everyday opening and closing of the window. In addition, they can be unsightly and present an obtrusion.  
         [0004]     Another feature of liftgate windows is that is often considered unappealing is the handle attached directly onto the liftgate window in order to open it.  
         [0005]     The problem with wires leading to the defrost system of the liftgate glass has been addressed by a junction connector of Yazaki-Toyota. However, this connector does not eliminate the need for handles to be used to open the liftgate window. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectonal view of a male portion of a connector of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, shown in the retracted and protruding positions.  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a female portion of a connector of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the male portion of  FIG. 1  in an engaged position with the female portion of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0009]     One preferred embodiment of the connector system of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS.  1  to  3 .  
         [0010]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the male connector portion comprises a housing  12 , a bottom opening  23  for receiving a sliding cover  16 , which cover is received through top opening  28  of housing  12 . Lip  29  acts as a stop to limit the outward travel of cover  16  so as to prevent sliding cover  16  from completely exiting top opening  28 . Sliding cover  16  comprises receiving chamber  27 , with bottom opening  25 , and opening  26  at the opposite end of opening  25 . Opening  25  permits receipt of terminal pin  22  into receiving chamber  27 . There may also be reinforcing material  21  extending along the sides of terminal pin  22 . The reinforcing material may be made, for example, from a stiff plastic or a light metal such as aluminum. Terminal pin  22  is exposed outside of opening  26  when sliding cover  16  does not protrude through opening  28 . When sliding cover  16  completely protrudes through opening  28  so that lip  29  abuts against housing  12 , the cover extends the outer length of terminal pin  22  to shroud the pin. Terminal pin  22  is affixed within the stem of T-shaped housing cover  20 . Reinforcing material  21  may also extend along terminal pin  22  so that it is connected to or abuts against housing cover  20 . A wire (not shown) may extend from the bottom of terminal pin  22  and through the reinforcement and/or housing cover to connect to an electrical source or a section of the vehicle which requires electricity. The wire may be sealed or unsealed. Housing cover  20  covers opening  23  of housing  12 . The housing cover may be unsecured to the housing, or secured with fasteners such as screws. Optionally, the housing cover may snap into the housing. Spring  14  is situated between housing cover  20  and the bottom of lip  29 . Spring  14  becomes compressed when sliding cover  16  is retracted within housing  12 . Therefore, sliding cover  16  is biased to protrude through opening  28 , i.e., as shown as one of the positions in  FIG. 1 . In order to bias the sliding cover to protrude through opening  28 , the spring must be at least strong enough, or have enough force, to bias the sliding cover to completely shroud terminal pin  22 . When, for example, a liftgate window is in the open position and the terminals become disengaged, the sliding cover slides over the terminal pin  22  to help protect it from becoming damaged or from contacting other elements.  
         [0011]     Housing  12 , housing cover  20 , and sliding cover  16  are constructed of a suitable material, such as plastic. The pin terminal  22  is made of a suitable conductive material. Optionally, it may be plated with a suitable conductive material.  
         [0012]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the female connector portion  30  comprises an upper housing  32  and lower housing  34 . Upper housing  32  has opening  40  to receive terminal pin  22  of the male connector portion  10 . Lower housing  34  comprises female terminals  38 . Female terminals  38  may comprise upper portions  44  which are bent towards the sides of the lower housing so that female terminals  38  together generally form a Y shape. The size of opening  40  would generally not exceed the distance between upper edges  44  of female terminals  38 . The width of female terminals  38  would generally be greater than the width of terminal pin  22  to accommodate movements of terminal pin  22  due to movements of the vehicle without breaking the electrical connection. Female terminals  38  are biased towards each other by springs  36 . Wire  42  is connected to the female terminals at one end, and connected to a section of the vehicle which requires electricity at the other end, such as a defrost system of the liftgate window, or to a section which provides electricity.  
         [0013]     Upper housing  32  and lower housing  34  may be constructed of a suitable material such as plastic. The female terminals  38  are made of a suitable conductive material. Optionally, they may be plated with a suitable conductive material.  
         [0014]     When the female connector portion connector  30  is unengaged, female terminals  38  are in touching condition and compressed by springs  36 , which are loaded inside of female connector housing  30 . Springs should be the same strength to insure nominal positions of the terminals. Terminals can slide in direction of the springs.  
         [0015]     An alternative embodiment for the female connector is to have a metal plate on the bottom of the housing to supply electrical energy to the female terminals. The metal plate would be in contact with the sliding female terminals  38 . This contact may be self-cleaning due to the sliding action of the female terminals  38 . The metal plate would replace the need for wire  42 . The metal plate would be electrically connected to a section of the vehicle which requires electricity, such as a defrost system of the liftgate window, or to a section which provides electricity.  
         [0016]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , male connector portion  10  contacts female connector portion  30  through the top of housing  12  and the surface of upper housing  32 . Sliding cover  16  is retractably forced into opening  28  by the interaction with the surface of upper housing  32 . When the connector portions are engaged, terminal pin  22  is received between female terminals  38  in abutting electrical contact therewith. The Y-shape of the female terminals helps to guide the terminal pin  22  between the two female terminals  38  if the terminal pin  22  is off its nominal position. The nominal position would allow the male terminal pin  22  to slide between female terminals  38  without touching bent portions  44 .  
         [0017]     When in operation, female connector  30  may be located on the bottom of a liftgate glass (or any other glass or section of the vehicle, that requires defrost system or electrical connection) facing into the vehicle and male connector  10  is located on the liftgate module or other alternative mounting surfaces (sheet metal, reinforcement brackets and other) or vice-versa, if more beneficial. When the liftgate window is in a closed position, the upper housing  32  of the female connector  30  causes the retraction of sliding cover  16  to expose terminal pin  22 . As it becomes exposed, terminal pin  22  enters through opening  40  and slides between female terminals  38  to create an electrical connection. The size of housing  12  of male connector portion  10  controls travel distance of the sliding cover, and therefore the housing  12  is generally of a size to accommodate a sliding cover that will fully shroud terminal pin  22  when the sliding cover is extended through opening  28 . When engaged, the male and female connectors will move relatively to each other for certain distances due to movement of the gate relative to the body of the vehicle, when the vehicle is moving. Springs  36  allow sliding female terminals  38  of the female connector  30  to self-adjust as the vehicle is moving so that they follow the movement of terminal pin  22 , thereby providing constant electrical connection. Female terminals will be manufactured within tolerable build variation as specified by the Original Engineering Manufacturer (OEM) to ensure constant connection with male terminal pin in cross car direction and other movements that a vehicle will make when in motion.  
         [0018]     The connector can also act as a glass window flipper device. A glass flipper device may be devised by using the interaction of the surfaces of the male and female connectors which are interacting when the terminals are engaged. When the liftgate window is in the closed position, and the terminals are engaged, the closed window may be secured by an electrical or mechanical device, such as the ratchet of the glass latch. By increasing the strength or force of springs  14  of the male connector  10  so that it can push the weight of the liftgate window, the sliding cover will push the liftgate glass for a specified distance and will hold the glass in the open position, until the glass can be operated manually. Springs of a force suitable to lift a window according to this embodiment of the invention will be required. The glass window flipper device will be capable of pushing the glass outwardly to the point where the forces of the glass struts will set the glass to the fully open position. The glass flipper device may be activated by release of the glass latch or other locking mechanisms.