Patent ID: 8475176

Claim:
An integrated structural and electrical connector comprising: a connector body; one or more terminals housed within the connector body; a protective cover; and a sensor; the connector body defining a female receptacle oriented along a longitudinal axis and having an opening that facilitates insertion of a mating structure along the longitudinal axis and into the female cavity; the protective cover disposed adjacent to the opening and configured to protect the female receptacle from contamination; the sensor disposed adjacent to the protective cover and configured to detect when the protective cover is open; the connector body being configured and arranged to structurally join a host vehicle with an auxiliary component, to which the integrated structural and electrical connector is to be mechanically fixed and electrically coupled; the connector body being configured to facilitate electrically coupling electrical circuitry of the auxiliary component to the host vehicle; and the connector body being configured to facilitate transmission of information among the auxiliary component and the host vehicle.