Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit of the filing date of, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/959,872 entitled ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY, filed Dec. 10, 2010, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/417,792 entitled ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY, filed Apr. 3, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,867,038, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/951,754 entitled ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY, filed Dec. 6, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,530,855, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/736,460 filed Apr. 17, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,374,460. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to high current electrical connectors with protection against reverse polarity connections. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A wide variety of electronic devices are powered through the use of battery packs. For example, remotely controlled vehicles of all types may have an on-board rechargeable battery pack supplying stored electricity to an electric motor. In some of these lightweight vehicles, racing creates a demand for more powerful motors along with increasing levels of current capacity to energize the motors. As a battery pack is drained of the stored energy contained therein, a user must be able to easily exchange a depleted battery pack for a fully charged one. The depleted battery pack is then connected to a battery charger in order to be ready for the next exchange. Consequently, there exists a need for a high current electrical connector with a lightweight and compact design. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector having a lightweight and compact design is provided wherein a resilient member is configured to enhance electrical connection between a female electrode and a male connector electrode. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following Detailed Description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a general orthogonal top view of an embodiment of an electrical connector configured according to the present invention and showing attached wire conductors; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded assembly view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates an orthogonal top view of a female member of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the female member of  FIG. 3A  as viewed along line  3 B- 3 B; 
         FIG. 3C  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the female member of  FIG. 3A  as viewed along line  3 C- 3 C; 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates a top view of a female terminal; 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a side view of the female terminal of  FIG. 4A ; 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates an orthogonal top view of a resilient member; 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates a side view of the resilient member of  FIG. 5A ; 
         FIG. 6A  illustrates an orthogonal top view of a male member; 
         FIG. 6B  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the male member of  FIG. 6A ; 
         FIG. 7A  illustrates a top view of a male terminal; 
         FIG. 7B  illustrates a side view of the male terminal of  FIG. 7A ; 
         FIG. 8A  illustrates an orthogonal top view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1  correctly assembled; 
         FIG. 8B  illustrates an orthogonal top view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1  incorrectly assembled; 
         FIG. 9A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the correctly assembled electrical connector of  FIG. 8A  as viewed along line  9 A- 9 A; 
         FIG. 9B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the incorrectly assembled electrical connector of  FIG. 8B  as viewed along line  9 B- 9 B; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an orthogonal cross-sectional view of the assembled electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates an orthogonal cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of an electrical connector configured according to aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates an orthogonal cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of an electrical connector configured according to aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13A  illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a component of an electrical connector configured according to aspects of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 13B  illustrates an orthogonal cross-sectional top view of the component of  FIG. 13A  as viewed along line  13 B- 13 B. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following discussion, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known elements have been illustrated in schematic or block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail. Additionally, for the most part, details concerning well known features and elements have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not considered necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention, and are considered to be within the understanding of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art. 
     Turning now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a top orthogonal view of an assembled electrical connector with attached wire conductors. In this drawing, reference numeral  1000  generally indicates an illustrative embodiment of an electrical connector  1000  at least partially configured according to the present invention. The electrical connector  1000  may comprise a female member  100  and a male member  500 . Attached to the electrical connector  1000  are wire conductors  10 A,  10 B,  20 A, and  20 B. The wire conductors  10 A,  10 B,  20 A, and  20 B, may not considered as components of the electrical connector  1000  and are shown for the purposes of illustration. Wire conductors  10 A and  10 B may carry a positive current flow and wire conductors  20 A and  20 B may carry a negative current flow. The various components of the electrical connector  1000  will be described in more detail in the following illustrative embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the components of an embodiment of the electrical connector  1000  are shown in an exploded assembly view. The female member  100  may comprise a female housing  102 , a first and second female terminal  200 , and a first and second resilient member  300 . The male member  500  may comprise a male housing  502 , and a first and second male terminal  600 . 
     Female Member 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C, the female member  100  may comprise a female housing  102 , a first female terminal chamber  110 , a second female terminal chamber  120 , female terminals  200 , and resilient members  300  (more clearly shown in  FIG. 2 ). A first female polarity indicator  111  and a second female polarity indicator  121  may indicate the respective polarities of the first female terminal chamber  110  and the second female terminal chamber  120 . A first orifice  116  and a second orifice  126  may be located at an end of the female member  100  opposite to the first and second female polarity indicators  111  and  121 . An example of a resilient member  300  is shown in  FIGS. 3B and 3C . A resilient member  300  may be located in each of the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120  (however, only one is shown in the  FIGS. 3B and 3C  for the purposes of illustration). The various components of the female member  100  will be described in more detail in the following illustrative embodiment. 
     Female Housing 
     Referring to  FIG. 3B , the female housing  102  may be substantially rectangular in shape and comprise a female conductor housing  104 , a female internal wall  105 , and a female terminal housing  106 , for each of the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120 . Due to symmetry, only the first female terminal chamber  110  will be described from this point forward, reference numerals enclosed by parenthesis refer to the second female terminal chamber  120 . Although a substantially rectangular shape is shown for the female housing  102 , embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this one configuration. Any configuration capable of accommodating one or more female terminals  200  may be used. The female housing  102  may be manufactured from a dielectric material able to withstand the operating conditions of an intended application and provide sufficient electrical insulation between the current carrying female terminals  200  (i.e., inhibiting the occurrence of electrical shorts between the female terminals  200 ). For example, the material of the female housing  102  may be a glass reinforced nylon such as Zytel® 70G33L, made by DuPont®. In some applications the reinforced nylon material may comprise approximately 33% glass. The material may be used in a remotely controlled vehicle operating in a natural environment for example and may experience a temperature range from below −20° F. (−29° C.) to over 250° F. (121° C.) (e.g., when operated in desert conditions over solar heated roadways, or due to battery heat, current flow, and electrical resistance). 
     The female conductor housing  104  may be separated from the female terminal housing  106  by the female internal wall  105 . The female internal wall  105  may comprise an opening  114  ( 124 ) to accommodate a female terminal  200 . On the female conductor housing  104  side of the female internal wall  105 , the female internal wall  105  may comprise an indicator  113  identifying the connection side of the electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ) for example (e.g., “A” for the female member and “B” for the male member). In other embodiments, the indicator  113  may comprise a polarity sign to be used in place of, or in addition to, the first and second female polarity indicators  111  and  121  ( FIG. 3A ). 
     The female conductor housing  104  may circumferentially surround an end of a female terminal  200  inserted into each of the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120 . An end of the female conductor housing  104  opposing the female internal wall  105  may be open to provide access for a conductor (not shown) to contact an exposed end of a female terminal  200 . In other embodiments, an end or side of the female conductor housing  104  adjacent to the female internal wall  105  may be open to provide conductor access. In the embodiment shown, the female conductor housing  104  substantially shrouds and insulates the ends of the female terminals  200  from each other. In certain other embodiments the female conductor housing  104  may only partially surround an end of a female terminal  200  in each of the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120 . 
     The female terminal housing  106  portions of each of the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120  may comprise a female terminal support  107  and a resilient member support  109  ( FIG. 3C ). Each of the female terminal supports  107  may help to retain a corresponding female terminal  200  in the respective first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120 . The female terminal support  107  may comprise one or more retention members  112  (for example as represented by  112 A) configured to retain a female terminal  200  after assembly into a female member  100 . Although a slanted ramp type of retention member  112  is shown in  FIG. 3B  to facilitate an insertion type of assembly (e.g., inserting a female terminal  200  from left to right in the female housing  102  with respect to  FIG. 3B ), a person of ordinary skill in the art would not be limited to just this type of retention member  112 . Pins, rivets, fasteners, other mechanical attachments, welding, and chemical adhesives, among other various methods may be used to secure a female terminal  200  in the female housing  102 . Further, similar additional retention members  112 B may be used to provide additional force to oppose the friction force generated during the assembly and disassembly of the electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ) that may otherwise move or dislocate one or both of the female terminals  200 . Other embodiments of the female member  100  may not comprise retention members  112 . In some cases the female terminals  200  and resilient members  300  may be core molded into the female member  100  at the time of manufacture. 
     The resilient member support  109  ( FIG. 3C ) may secure a resilient member  300  in each of the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120 . The resilient member support  109  is shown as proximate to the female internal wall  105 . However, an embodiment of the resilient member support  109  may be located proximate to an end of the female terminal housing  106  opposite to the female internal wall  105  (i.e., the insertion end of the female terminal housing  106 , for example, essentially configured 180° in a horizontal plane relative to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3B ) in addition to other locations. As with the female terminal support  107 , the resilient member support  109  may comprise one or more retention features  112 , for example, as represented by  112 C in  FIG. 3C . The retention features  112  of the resilient member support  109  may comprise slanted ramp protrusions as with an embodiment of the female terminal support  107 , or the retention features  112  may comprise any of the mechanical, chemical, or welding methods of fastening previously recited. The previously recited methods of retaining and/or fastening female terminals  200  and resilient members  300  are not intended to form an exhaustive list, but are merely a sampling from amongst a broad variety of retaining and fastening methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art. As with the female terminals  200 , the resilient members  300  may be core molded into the female housing  102  during the production of the female housing  102 . 
     The ends of the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120  located in the female terminal housing  106 , opposite to the female internal wall  105 , are referred to as the first and second orifices  116  and  126 . Each of the first and second orifices  116  and  126  may be configured substantially in a rectangular shape as shown in  FIG. 3A . However, in the illustrative embodiment shown in these figures, an aspect of the first orifice  116 , such as a width, may be configured differently than the same aspect of the second orifice  126 . The difference in widths may inhibit an incorrectly polarized assembly of a male member  500  ( FIG. 1 ) with the female member  100 . Although a difference in dimensional aspects such as widths may be used to inhibit reversing the polarities during connection of an electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ) the present invention may not be limited to this method. Different configurations, devices, and dimensions may be used to facilitate the proper polar connection orientation during assembly of a male member  500  with a female member  100 . 
     Female Terminals 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 4A and 4B ,  FIG. 4A  shows a top view of an embodiment of a female terminal  200 , and  FIG. 4B  shows a side view of the female terminal  200  of  FIG. 4A . As an example of an illustrative embodiment of a female terminal  200 , the female terminal  200  may comprise a terminal connector portion  204  and a terminal contact portion  206 . The female terminal  200  may comprise an electrically conductive material, such as brass, copper, or bronze. The female terminal  200  may be plated with gold (such as a gold-cobalt or gold-nickel alloy) or silver, among other materials, preferably copper plated with nickel and then plated with gold (for example), in order to increase the electrical conductivity between contacting portions of the male and female terminals  600  and  200 . The female terminal  200  shown may be made from a standard plate of material and punched formed to the correct size and configuration, among other methods of forming. 
     The terminal connector portion  204  may be located on one end of the female terminal  200  and configured to electrically couple with a copper wire conductor (for example) such as wire conductors  10 B and  20 B ( FIG. 1 ). The terminal connector portion  204  may be electrically coupled to a wire conductor through the use of soldering, mechanical fastening (e.g., through the use of a screw clamp), standard insulated and non-insulated connector fittings, crimping, and other methods of electrically coupling a wire conductor to a portion of a terminal. Embodiments of the terminal connector portion  204  may comprise a variety of configurations in order to accommodate a particular electrical coupling method. 
     The terminal contact portion  206  may be located at an opposite end of the female terminal  200  relative to the terminal connector portion  204 , and may comprise an angled end  210 , one or more terminal retention features  212  (two are shown in  FIGS. 4B ,  212 A and  212 B), and a contact surface  214 . The angled end  210  may help facilitate the coupling or assembly of a corresponding male terminal  600  ( FIG. 2 ) during the connection of an electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ). The contact surface  214  may directly contact an opposing surface of a male terminal  600  in order to allow an electrical current to flow from one end of the electrical connector  1000  to the other. 
     Terminal step  208  may separate the terminal connector portion  204  from the terminal contact portion  206 . In some embodiments, during assembly of the female terminal  200  into female housing  102  ( FIG. 3B ), the terminal step  208  may oppose a portion of the female housing  102  and prevent further movement in the assembly direction. The terminal retention features  212  may contact corresponding retention features  112  of the female housing  102  and prevent movement in a direction opposite to the assembly direction. At this point, the female terminal  200  may be substantially securely coupled with the female housing  102 . 
     Resilient Member 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5A and 5B , these figures respectively show an orthogonal top view of a resilient member  300  and a side view of the resilient member  300  of  FIG. 5A . The resilient member  300  may comprise a resilient base member  310  and a resilient contact member  320 . The resilient member  300  may be punch formed from a sheet of stainless steel (e.g., SS  301  with no plating), spring steel (e.g., spring steel with nickel plating) or other resilient material configured to work within the anticipated environmental conditions of the electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ). In some embodiments, the resilient member  300  may be plated or otherwise coated to inhibit rust or to provide an appropriate level of resistance (e.g., friction force) necessary to maintain the connection between an assembled male member  500  and female member  100 . 
     The resilient base member  310  may be located at one end of the resilient member  300  and comprise one or more resilient retention members  312 A and  312 B ( FIG. 5B ). The resilient retention members  312 A and  312 B may engage corresponding retention members  112  within the resilient member support  109  (as seen in  FIG. 3C , but only one retention member  112 C can be seen in this view), located in each of the first and second terminal chambers  110  and  120 . The resilient retention members  312 A and  312 B may securely retain the resilient members  300  within the female housing  102  during assembly and disassembly of the electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ). The resilient base member  310  is shown as a substantially flat quadrilateral but embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this illustrative form. The resilient base member  310  may be retained separate from the corresponding female terminal  200  and separate from a fully inserted male terminal  500  ( FIG. 2 ). In other words, the resilient base member  310  may not overlay a corresponding male terminal  500  when an electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ) is electrically coupled. 
     As more easily seen in  FIG. 5B , the resilient contact member  320  may comprise an arcuate portion defined by a radius R. The arcuate portion may be resiliently deformed toward the radial center point in response to pressure or interference from portions of an installed male member  500  ( FIG. 1 ). The arcuate portion may also be configured to interface with a depression or other engaging feature, detailed later, in an opposing surface or portion of the male member  500  in order to provide a disassembly retention force after coupling the male member  500  with the female member  100  (see  FIG. 1 ). In the illustrative embodiment shown, only a single arcuate portion is illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . However, embodiments of the present invention are not to be limited to this one exemplary configuration. For example, larger and smaller radii either alone or in combination with one or more relatively straight portions may be used, an arcuate portion curving back upon the resilient contact member  320 , a single angular bend joining two straight portions together, or a plurality of angular or arcuate portions such as in a zig-zag or wave type of configuration may be used in order to more evenly apply a force from the female member  100  to the male member  500 . The listing is intended to provide a small representative sample of the various potential configurations consistent with the present invention and is not intended to be exhaustive. 
     One end of the resilient contact member  320  may comprise a housing interface  324 . An example of the housing interface  324  may be illustrated by a small radius curve rotating in an opposite direction relative to the arcuate portion defined by the radius R. The housing interface  324  may facilitate a sliding movement along a contacting portion of an inner wall of the female housing  102  ( FIG. 3B ) in response to assembly and disassembly of a male member  500  and a female member  100  (see  FIG. 2 ). The sliding contact may prevent or inhibit the abrading or prematurely wearing down of the inner surface of the female housing  102  over a multiple number of connections and disconnections of the electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ). In this example, the contacting portion of the housing interface  324  curves away from the inner surface of the female housing  102  in directions tangent to the small radius curve. Further, the resilient contact member  320  may extend at an angle from the resilient base member  310  such that the housing interface  324  may be located above (with respect to  FIG. 5B ) a plane containing the resilient base member  310 . This configuration may apply a pre-load to an assembled resilient member  300  via the housing interface  324 . By adjusting the angle for the resilient contact member  320  relative to the resilient base member  310 , and/or adjusting the radius R, the force applied to the male member  500  through the resilient contact member  320  may be adjusted. Adjusting the force of the resilient contact member  320  may adjust the amount of insertion and withdrawal force for the connecting and disconnecting of the electrical connector  1000 . Consequently, a desired amount of insertion and withdrawal force may be established for the connecting and disconnecting of the electrical connector  1000 . 
     Male Member 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 6A , and  6 B, the male member  500  may comprise a male housing  502 , a first male terminal extension  510 , a second male terminal extension  520 , and male terminals  600  (more clearly shown in  FIG. 6B ). A first male polarity indicator  511  and a second male polarity indicator  521  may indicate the respective polarities of the first male terminal extension  510  and the second male terminal extension  520 . An example of a male terminal  600  is shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B  and is detailed later. The various components of the male member  500  will be described in more detail in the following illustrative embodiment. 
     Male Housing 
     Referring to  FIG. 6B , the male housing  502  may be substantially rectangular in shape and comprise a male conductor housing  504 , a male internal wall  505 , and a male terminal tip  506  for each of the first and second male terminal extensions  510  and  520 . Due to their similarities, only the first male terminal extension  510  will be described from this point forward, reference numerals enclosed by parenthesis refer to second male terminal extension  520 . Although a substantially rectangular shape is shown for the male housing  502 , embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this one configuration. Any configuration capable of accommodating one or more male terminals  600  may be used. The male housing  502  may be manufactured from a dielectric material able to withstand the operating conditions of an intended application and provide sufficient electrical insulation between the current carrying male terminals  600  (i.e., inhibiting the occurrence of an electrical short between the male terminals  600 ). For example, the material of the male housing  502  may be a glass reinforced nylon such as Zytel® 70G33L, made by DuPont®. In some applications the reinforced nylon material may comprise approximately 33% glass. The material may be used in a remotely controlled vehicle operating in a natural environment for example and may experience a temperature range from below −20° F. (−29° C.) to over 250° F. (121° C.) (e.g., when operated in desert conditions over solar heated roadways, or due to battery heat, current flow, and electrical resistance). 
     The male conductor housing  504  may be separated from the male terminal housing  506  by the male internal wall  505 . The male internal wall  505  may comprise an opening  514  ( 524 ) to accommodate a male terminal  600 . On the male conductor housing  504  side of the male internal wall  505 , the male internal wall  505  may comprise an indicator  513  identifying the connection side of the electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ), for example (e.g., “A” for the female member and “B” for the male member). In other embodiments, the indicator  513  may comprise a polarity sign to be used in place of, or in addition to, the first and second male polarity indicators  511  and  521  ( FIG. 6A ). 
     The male conductor housing  504  may circumferentially surround an end of a male terminal  600  inserted into each of the first and second male terminal extensions  510  and  520 . An end of the male conductor housing  504  opposing the internal wall  505  may be open to provide access for a conductor (not shown) to contact an exposed end of a male terminal  600 . In other embodiments, an end or side of the male conductor housing  504  adjacent to the male internal wall  505  may be open to provide conductor access. In the embodiment shown, the male conductor housing  504  substantially shrouds and insulates the ends of the male terminals  600  from each other. In certain other embodiments the male conductor housing  504  may only partially surround an end of a male terminal  600  in each of the first and second male terminal extensions  510  and  520 . 
     The male internal wall  505  of each of the first and second male terminal extensions  510  and  520  may function as a male terminal support ( FIG. 6B ). Each of the male terminal supports (i.e., male internal walls  505 ) may help to retain a corresponding male terminal  600  in the respective first and second male terminal extensions  510  and  520 . The male terminal support may comprise one or more retention members  512  (for example as represented by  512 A), configured to retain a male terminal  600  after assembly into a male member  500 . Although a slanted ramp type of retention member  512  is shown in  FIG. 6B  to facilitate an insertion type of assembly (e.g., inserting a male terminal  600  from the left to the right in the male housing  502  with respect to  FIG. 6B ), a person of ordinary skill in the art would not be limited to just this type of retention member  512 . Pins, rivets, fasteners, other mechanical attachments, welding, and chemical adhesives, among other various methods may be used to secure a male terminal  600  within the male housing  502 . Further, similar additional retention members  512 B may be used to provide additional force to oppose the friction force generated during the connection and disconnection of the electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ) that may otherwise move or dislocate one or both of the male terminals  600 . Other embodiments of the male member  500  may not comprise retention members  512 . In some cases the male terminals  600  may be core molded into the male housing  502  at the time of manufacture. 
     The ends of the first and second male terminal extensions  510  and  520  in the male terminal tips  506 , opposite to the internal wall  505 , are referred to as the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526 . Each of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may be configured substantially in a rectangular shape as shown in  FIG. 6A . However, in the illustrative embodiment shown in these figures, an aspect of the first male terminal cover  516 , for example width, may be configured differently than the same aspect of the second male terminal cover  526 . The difference in widths may inhibit an incorrectly polarized assembly of a male member  500  ( FIG. 1 ) with the female member  100 . Although a difference in dimensional aspects such as widths may be used to inhibit reversing the polarities during connection of an electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ), the present invention may not be limited to this method. Different configurations, devices, and dimensions may be used to facilitate the proper polar connection orientation during assembly of a male member  500  with a female member  100 . 
     The first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may each comprise a connector retention feature  507 . In some embodiments, the connector retention feature  507  may be configured as an arcuate cavity or depression corresponding to an arcuate portion of the resilient contact member  320  of a resilient member  300  (see  FIG. 5B ). As the male member  500  is connected to the female member  100  (see  FIG. 1 ), the resilient member  300  moves relative to a surface of the corresponding first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  until a portion of the resilient contact member  320  engages a corresponding portion of the connector retention feature  507 . The engagement between the resilient contact member  320  and the connector retention feature  507  may provide a sensory indication that the male member  500  is fully connected to the female member  100 . In addition, the engagement between the resilient contact member  320  and the connector retention feature  507  may help to prevent inadvertent disconnection between the male member  500  and the female member  100  during the operation of the electrical connector  1000  in an applied device. 
     The first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may further comprise an angled or slanted portion  570 , which may be located at an end opposite to the male internal wall  505 . The slanted portion  570  of each of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may facilitate the insertion and/or assembly of the male member  500  with the female member  100  (see  FIG. 1 ). In some embodiments, rounded, arcuate, or other insertion facilitating features may be used in place of, or in addition to, the slanted portion  570  of each of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526 . At least part of the remaining portions of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may provide a contact surface for the resilient member  300 , as previously explained, and may provide a degree of insulation between the resilient members  300  and the male terminals  600 . The material of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may be the same as the material used for the rest of the male housing  502 . In some embodiments, the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may comprise a coating applied to a surface of the male terminals  600 . Alternatively, a coating or texture may be applied to a surface of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  to vary the level of frictional resistance between the surface and the contacting portion of the resilient contact member  320  of each of the respective resilient members  300 . 
     Male Terminals 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 7A and 7B ,  FIG. 7A  shows a top view of an embodiment of a male terminal  600 , and  FIG. 7B  shows a side view of the male terminal  600  of  FIG. 7A . As an example of an illustrative embodiment of a male terminal  600 , the male terminal  600  may comprise a terminal connector portion  604  and a terminal contact portion  606 . The male terminal  600  may comprise an electrically conductive material, such as brass, copper, or bronze. The male terminal  600  may be plated with gold (such as gold-cobalt or gold-nickel alloy) or silver, among other materials, preferably copper plated with nickel and then plated with gold (for example), in order to increase the electrical conductivity between contacting portions of the male and female terminals  600  and  200 . The male terminal  600  shown may be made from a standard plate of material and punched formed to the correct size and configuration, among other methods of forming. 
     The terminal connector portion  604  may be located on one end of the male terminal  600  and configured to electrically couple with a copper wire conductor (for example) such as wire conductors  10 A and  20 A ( FIG. 1 ). The terminal connector portion  604  may be electrically coupled to a wire conductor through the use of soldering, mechanical fastening (e.g., through the use of a screw clamp), standard insulated and non-insulated connector fittings, crimping, and other methods of electrically coupling a wire conductor to a terminal. Embodiments of the terminal connector portion  604  may comprise a variety of configurations in order to accommodate a particular electrical coupling method. 
     The terminal contact portion  606  may be located at an opposite end of the male terminal  600  relative to the terminal connector portion  604 , and may comprise an angled end  610 , one or more terminal retention features  612  (two are shown in  FIGS. 7B ,  612 A and  612 B), and a contact surface  614 . The angled end  610  may help facilitate the coupling or assembly of a corresponding female terminal  200  ( FIG. 2 ) during the connection of an electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ). The contact surface  614  may directly contact an opposing surface of a female terminal  200  in order to allow an electrical current to flow from one end of the electrical connector  1000  to the other. 
     Terminal step  608  may separate the terminal connector portion  604  from the terminal contact portion  606 . In some embodiments, during assembly of the male terminal  600  into male housing  502  ( FIG. 6B ), the terminal step  608  may oppose a portion of the male housing  502  and prevent further movement in the assembly direction. The terminal retention features  612  may contact corresponding retention features  512  of the male housing  502  and prevent movement in a direction opposite to the assembly direction. At this point, the male terminal  600  may be substantially securely coupled with the male housing  502 . 
     Assembly 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 8A and 8B ,  FIG. 8A  illustrates a correctly assembled electrical connector  1000 , while  FIG. 8B  illustrates an incorrectly assembled electrical connector  1000 . As seen in  FIG. 8A , when the male member  500  is correctly coupled to a female member  100 , the first and second male polarity indicators  511  and  521  correspond to the first and second female polarity indicators  111  and  121 , indicating the maintenance of proper polarity across the electrical connector  1000 . The correspondence between the sets of polarity indicators  111 ,  121 ,  511 , and  521 , may provide a visual indication of the correct coupling of the male and female members  500  and  100 . As seen in  FIG. 8B , the first and second male polarity indicators  511  and  521  may not be visible from a top oriented viewing plane when the male member  500  is incorrectly assembled to the female member  100 . In addition, as indicated by the arrows for the first and second male polarity indicators  511  and  521  (the polarity indicators themselves are not visible in this view), the polarities on each side of the incorrectly assembled electrical connector  1000  have been reversed. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 9A and 9B ,  FIG. 9A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the correctly assembled electrical connector  1000  of  FIG. 8A  as viewed along line  9 A- 9 A, while  FIG. 9B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the incorrectly assembled electrical connector  1000  of  FIG. 8B  as viewed along line  9 B- 9 B.  FIG. 9A  shows an electrical connector  1000  in which a first male terminal cover  516  is inserted into a first orifice  116  and a contact surface  614  of the male terminal  600  is abutting a contact surface  214  of the female terminal  200 . The first male terminal cover  516  and the first orifice  116  may each have an approximate width of W 1  with the first male terminal cover  516  configured to fit within the first orifice  116 . The second male terminal cover  526  is inserted into a second orifice  126  such that a contact surface  614  of the corresponding male terminal  600  is abutting a contact surface  214  of the corresponding female terminal  200 . The second male terminal cover  526  and the second orifice  126  may each have an approximate width of W 2  with the second male terminal cover  526  configured to fit within the second orifice  126 . The width W 1  may be smaller than the width W 2 . This difference in widths may provide another method of inhibiting or preventing cross-polarization during connection of the male member  500  to the female member  100  ( FIG. 8A ), since the male member  500  may be connected to the female member  100  when the male member  500  is properly oriented with respect to the female member  100 . The proper orientation of the male and female members  500  and  100  may provide for the correct polarity of the connection. 
       FIG. 9B  shows an electrical connector  1000  in which a male member  500  is incorrectly connected to a female member  100 . This type of connection may be substantially prevented by the interference between the width of the second male terminal cover  526  (W 2 ) and the width of the first orifice  116  (W 1 )(e.g., W 2 −W 1 ). However, if the male member  500  is somehow coupled to the female member  100  in spite of this interference, cross-polarization of the electrical connector  1000  may still be prevented by the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  separating the male and female terminals  600  and  200 . The first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may prevent contact between corresponding male and female terminals  600  and  200  when the male member  500  is in a second orientation with respect to the female member  100 . Therefore, as seen in this illustrative embodiment, cross-polarization of the electrical connector  1000  may be prevented and/or inhibited by at least two separate and independent methods, in addition to the visual indication given by the first and second male and female polarity indicators,  111 ,  121 ,  511 , and  521 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , this figure illustrates an orthogonal cross-sectional view of a correctly assembled male member  500  and female member  100 . In this figure, the first and second male terminal extensions  510  and  520  ( FIG. 6A ) have been inserted into the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120  ( FIG. 3A ), or more specifically, the male terminal housing  506  portions of the first and second male terminal extensions  510  and  520  have been inserted into the first and second orifices  116  and  126  of the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120 . As the male member  500  is connected to the female member  100 , the resilient members  300  may initially contact the slanted portion  570  of the corresponding first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526 . The resilient contact portions  320  may respectively slidingly engage a top surface of each of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526 . The resilient contact portions  320  may be compressed, causing the housing interface  324  portion of the resilient member  300  to slidingly engage an interior surface of the respective first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120 . The male member  500  may continue to be inserted into the female member  100  until the resilient contact portion  320  engages a corresponding connector retention feature  507  of the respective first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526 . At this point, the male member  500  may be securely coupled to the female member  100 . Although only one side portion of the electrical connector  1000  is described in detail, the other side portion may be similar due to the symmetry of the connector. However, complete symmetry is not a limitation required of an embodiment of the present invention and differences beyond the widths of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  and corresponding first and second orifices  116  and  126  may exist. 
     Another Embodiment 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , this figure shows an orthogonal top view with a cross-section taken through the side of an embodiment of an electrical connector. In this figure, reference number  2000  generally refers to another illustrative embodiment of an electrical connector  2000  constructed according to aspects of the present invention. One difference between the electrical connector  2000  and the previously described electrical connector  1000  ( FIG. 1 ) may be the replacement of one or more resilient members  300  ( FIG. 2 ) of the previous illustrative embodiment with one or more resilient members  2300 . Otherwise, the function and materials for the two electrical connectors  1000  and  2000  may be considered to be the same. Similar components may be identified with similar reference numerals used in the previous description, and a detailed explanation of these components may not be repeated. 
     Electrical connector  2000  may comprise a female member  2100  and a male member  500 , shown here in a connected state. The female member  2100  may comprise one or more female terminals  200  (only one is visible in this view) and the male member  500  may comprise a corresponding number of male terminals  600 . When the female member  2100  and the male member  500  are coupled together, electricity may be able to flow between wire conductors (not shown) through the electrical connector  2000  via the areas of contact between the female and male terminals  200  and  600 . 
     The female member  2100  may comprise one or more resilient members  2300 . The resilient members  2300  may provide a pressing force to facilitate electrical conduction through the contact areas between the corresponding female and male terminals  200  and  600 . In addition, the resilient members  2300  may provide a securing force to inhibit or prevent the inadvertent disconnection of the male member  500  from the female member  2100  during the use of the electrical connector  2300  in a desired application (e.g., such as in a vibratory and dynamic environment of a remotely controlled vehicle). In some exemplary embodiments, the number of resilient members  2300  corresponds to the number of electrical connections formed or broken during the connection and disconnection of the electrical connector  2000  (e.g., two are shown in  FIG. 11 ). However, the number of resilient members  2300  may not be required to equal the number of electrical connections formed or broken. 
     Each resilient member  2300  may comprise a resilient housing  2310  integrated with the housing of the female member  2100 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , the resilient housing  2310  may be substantially cylindrical for example, but embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this geometric configuration. Each resilient member  2300  may further comprise a retention device  2324 , a resilient device  2322 , and a contact device  2320 . The retention device  2324  may comprise an Allen set screw as shown for example, or may comprise any of a number of devices able to retain the resilient device  2322  and the contact device  2320  within the resilient housing  2310 , while in some embodiments further providing a measure of adjustability. For example, a mechanical threaded fastener, angled key, or cam device, among others, may be used. In this example, the retention device  2324  may be threadably engaged with a top portion of the resilient housing  2310 . 
     The resilient device  2322  may be located between the retention device  2324  and the contact device  2320 . The resilient device  2322  may be a spring, such as a coil spring, or resilient material, such as foam, among other devices. The resilient device  2322  may press against the contact device  2320 , facilitating movement of the contact device  2320  as the male member  500  and the female member  2100  are coupled together. The force applied to the contact device  2320  and consequently to the male and female terminals  200  and  600 , may be adjusted by tightening or loosening the retention device  2324 , in addition to altering the spring stiffness or material, among other methods. In some embodiments, the male member  500  may be securely coupled to the female member  2100  by tightening the retention device  2324  so as to eliminate or reduce the ability of the contact device  2320  to move within the resilient housing  2310 , thereby forcefully engaging the contact device  2320  with a connector retention feature  507 . 
     The contact device  2320  may be spherical ball for example, such as in a ball and spring type of mechanism. However, in other embodiments the contact device  2320  may be any member capable of moving across the surface of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  (only the first male terminal cover  516  is visible in this view), such as a rounded pin, angled member, cylinder, among others. The contact device  2320  may be retained within the resilient housing  2310  between a protruding edge  2312  at one end and the retention device  2324  at the other end. During connection of the male member  500  and the female member  2100 , the contact device  2320  may engage the connector retention feature  507  as the male member  500  is fully coupled with the female member  2100 . The contact device  2320  and the connector retention feature  507  may be configured to have corresponding or interfacing features, such that when the male member  500  is fully coupled with the female member  2100 , a sensory indication of the application device  2320  engaging the connector retention feature  507  may be provided. The sensory indication may be visual, audible, tactile, or a combination of one or more of these sensory indications, in addition to other methods. 
     Another Embodiment 
     Referring now to  FIG. 12 , this figure shows an orthogonal top view with a cross-section taken through the side of an embodiment of an electrical connector. In this figure, reference number  3000  generally refers to another illustrative embodiment of an electrical connector  3000  constructed according to aspects of the present invention. One difference between the electrical connector  3000  and the previously described electrical connectors may be the replacement of one or more resilient members  300  ( FIG. 2 ) or  2300  ( FIG. 11 ) of the previous illustrative embodiments, with one or more resilient members  3300 . Otherwise, the function and materials for the electrical connectors  1000 ,  2000 , and  3000  may be considered to be the same. Similar components may be identified with similar reference numerals used in the previous description, and a detailed explanation of these components may not be repeated. 
     Electrical connector  3000  may comprise a female member  3100  and a male member  500 , shown here in a connected state. The female member  3100  may comprise one or more female terminals  200  (only one is visible in this view) and the male member  500  may comprise a corresponding number of male terminals  600 . When the female member  3100  and the male member  500  are coupled together, electricity may be able to flow between wire conductors (not shown) through the electrical connector  3000  via the contact areas between the female and male terminals  200  and  600 . 
     The female member  3100  may comprise one or more resilient members  3300 . The resilient members  3300  may provide a pressing force to facilitate electrical conduction through the contact area between the female terminals  200  and the male terminals  600 . In addition, the resilient members  3300  may provide a securing force to inhibit or prevent the inadvertent disconnection of the male member  500  from the female member  3100  during the use of the electrical connector  3300  in a desired application (e.g., such as in a vibratory and dynamic remotely controlled vehicle). In some exemplary embodiments, the number of resilient members  3300  corresponds to the number of electrical connections formed or broken during the connection and disconnection of the electrical connector  3000 , two electrical connections are shown in this embodiment. However, the number of resilient members  3300  may not be required to equal the number of electrical connections formed or broken. 
     Each resilient member  3300  may be configured to interfere with a opposing surface of a first and second male terminal cover  516  and  526  (only  516  is visible in this view) when a male member  500  is coupled to a female member  3100 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , the area indicated by cross-hatching may be the area of interference between the resilient member  3300  and the top surface of the first male terminal cover  516 , although only a portion of the abutting surfaces may be configured to be interfering. The resilient member  3300  may comprise a rib interfacing with a portion of the respective top surface of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526 , or the resilient member  3300  may comprise the wall of the female member housing  3102 , among numerous other configurations such as those previously described for the resilient contact portion  320 . Essentially, in some embodiments the housing  3102  of the female member  3100  may function as a resilient member, allowing at least some degree of resilient deformation or movement designed to apply a force to at least a portion of an installed male member  500  (e.g., such as the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526 , or in some embodiments, the male terminals themselves, among other configurations). Alternatively, the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may function as a resilient member, allowing at least some degree of resilient deformation or movement designed to urge the male terminals  600  together with the corresponding female terminals  200 . Further, in some embodiments, both the female housing  3102  and the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  may experience some degree of resilient deformation, combining together to provide a force urging the male terminals  600  together with the corresponding female terminals  200 . 
     The resilient member  3300  may further comprise protrusions or features configured to engage with corresponding depressions or features located on the top surfaces of the first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526 , such that the male member  500  may be securely coupled to the female member  3000  upon fully connecting the male member  500  to the female member  3100 . An example of a protrusion for the resilient member  3300  may be an arcuate ridge corresponding to the connector retention feature  507  shown in  FIG. 6B . The resilient member  3300  may at least partially resiliently deform with respect to the area of interference. Alternatively, the resilient member  3300  may take advantage of at least some degree of resilient deformation in the configuration of the female member housing  3102 . 
     Another Embodiment 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 13A and 13B , the first figure shows a top view of an illustrative embodiment of a male member  1500  configured according to aspects of the present invention, while the second figure shows an orthogonal cross-sectional top view of the male member  1500  of  FIG. 13A  as viewed along line  13 B- 13 B. One difference between the male member  1500  and the previously described male member  500  ( FIG. 1 ) may be the lack of first and second male terminal covers  516  and  526  (see  FIGS. 6A and 6B ) in the male member  1500 . Another difference may be the use of first and second male terminals  1600  and  1650  in male member  1500  in place of the male terminals  600  shown in male member  500  (see  FIG. 2 ). Otherwise, the function and materials for the male members  500  and  1500  may be considered to be substantially the same. Similar components may be identified with similar reference numerals used in previous descriptions, and a detailed explanation of these components may not be repeated. 
     Male member  1500  may comprise a male housing  1502  and first and second male terminal extensions  1510  and  1520 . The first male terminal extension  1510  may comprise the first male terminal  1600 , while the second male terminal extension  1520  may comprise the second male terminal  1650 . First and second male terminals  1600  and  1650  may be configured to be insertably engaged with the first and second orifices  116  and  126  of the first and second female terminal chambers  110  and  120  of a female member  100  (see  FIG. 3A ). In some embodiments, some aspects of the first male terminal  1600  may be different than similar aspects of the second male terminal  1650  in order to inhibit the cross-polarizing connection of a male member  1500  and a female member  100 . In the embodiment shown, the width W 1  of the first male terminal  1600  may be smaller that the width W 2  of the second male terminal  1650 . Interference between the larger width W 2  and the first orifice  116  may inhibit the connection between a female member  100  and an improperly oriented male member  1500  (i.e., the male member  1500  may be improperly oriented with respect to the female member  100 ). 
     The male housing  1502  may be substantially rectangular in shape and comprise a male conductor housing  504  and a male internal wall  1505  for each of the first and second male terminal extensions  1510  and  1520 . Although a substantially rectangular shape is shown for the male housing  1502 , embodiments of the present invention may not be limited to this one configuration. Any configuration capable of accommodating one or more first and second male terminals  1600  and  1650  may be used. The male housing  1502  may be manufactured from a dielectric material able to withstand the operating conditions of an intended application and provide sufficient electrical insulation between the current carrying first male terminal  1600  and second male terminal  1650  (i.e., inhibiting the occurrence of an electrical short between the first male terminal  1600  and the second male terminal  1650 ). 
     The male internal wall  1505  of each of the first and second male terminal extensions  1510  and  1520  may function as a male terminal support. Each of the male terminal supports (i.e., male internal walls  1505 ) may respectively secure and support the first and second male terminals  1600  and  1650  in the corresponding first and second male terminal extensions  1510  and  1520 . The male terminal support may comprise one or more retention members  512  (for example as represented by  512 A and  512 B) configured to retain the respective first and second male terminals  1600  and  1650  after assembly into a male member  1500 . Although a slanted ramp type of retention member  512  is shown in  FIG. 13B  to facilitate an insertion type of assembly (e.g., inserting a male terminal  1600  from the right to the left in the male housing  1502  with respect to  FIG. 13B ), a person of ordinary skill in the art would not be limited to just this type of retention member  512 . Pins, rivets, fasteners, other mechanical attachments, welding, and chemical adhesives, among other various methods may be used to secure the first and second male terminals  1600  and  1650  within the male housing  1502 . Additionally, the first and second male terminals  1600  and  1650  may be core molded along with the male housing  1502  at the time of manufacture. 
     The first and second male terminals  1600  and  1650  may comprise retention members  612  (for example as represented by  612 A and  612 B, however, only the retention members  612  of the first male terminal  1600  may be seen in  FIG. 13B , the second male terminal  1650  may be similarly configured) corresponding to the retention members  512 . As with the retention member  512 , a slanted ramp type of retention member  612  is shown in  FIG. 13B  to facilitate an insertion type of assembly, however, a person of ordinary skill in the art would not be limited to just this type of retention member  612 . Pins, rivets, fasteners, other mechanical attachments, welding, and chemical adhesives, among other various methods may be used to secure the first and second male terminals  1600  and  1650  within the male housing  1502 . 
     Having thus described embodiments of the present invention by reference to certain exemplary embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments disclosed are illustrative rather than limiting in nature. A wide range of variations, modifications, changes, and substitutions are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure. In some instances, some features of an embodiment of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Many such variations and modifications may be considered desirable by those skilled in the art based upon a review of the foregoing description of the illustrative embodiments. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.

Technology Category: h