Door panel wiring system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vehicle door assembly wiring system comprising:
- a metal door frame;
a generally planar trim panel;
electrical components mounted in both said trim panel and said metal door frame; and
electrical connections between said electrical components and electric transmission members mounted between said trim panel and said metal door frame, said electrical connections consisting of first and second electric connectors, at least one of said electrical connections being a floating electrical connection, and including said first electrical connector movable in at least two directions generally parallel to a plane of said trim panel, and said first electrical connector also being movable in a third direction generally perpendicular to the plane of said trim panel, such that said first connector can float for alignment within said second connectors.
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Abstract
An improved wiring system for vehicle doors allows the trim panel to be simply snapped to the metal door frame. Electrical connections are made by floating electrical connectors at the time the two are snapped together. Alignment pins on the floating connector are received within corresponding openings in the second connector to facilitate alignment. In other features, a water barrier may include electric wire holding structure such that the wires may be merely mounted to the water barrier, without the necessity of any complex wire harness. In other aspects of this invention, a plurality of electrical components may be connected through a single electrical connector.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A vehicle door assembly wiring system comprising:
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a metal door frame; a generally planar trim panel; electrical components mounted in both said trim panel and said metal door frame; and electrical connections between said electrical components and electric transmission members mounted between said trim panel and said metal door frame, said electrical connections consisting of first and second electric connectors, at least one of said electrical connections being a floating electrical connection, and including said first electrical connector movable in at least two directions generally parallel to a plane of said trim panel, and said first electrical connector also being movable in a third direction generally perpendicular to the plane of said trim panel, such that said first connector can float for alignment within said second connectors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A door subassembly comprising:
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a generally planar door trim panel; an associated water barrier; a plurality of electrical transmission elements; a plurality of electrical components mounted on said trim panel, said transmission elements being connected to said electrical components on said trim panel; and at least one electrical connector to be connected to a corresponding connector on a metal door frame, said at least one connector being movable relative to said trim panel in at least two dimensions in the plane of said trim panel, said at least one connector also being movable relative to said trim panel in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of said trim panel. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification