Adapter wire harness for installing different autosound components into different vehicles

• US 6,531,657 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Metra Electronics
• Original Assignee: Metra Electronics
• Inventors: Jones, William H. Jr., Schaefer, David D., LeLasher, John J. III, Lauer, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinkins, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Jinhee J
• Application Number:
  US10/059,120
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 439/502, 439/488, 439/35, 174/112, 174/72.A
• US Class Current: 174/72.00A
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/06 Intermediate parts for linking two coupling parts, e.g. adapter with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/94

Abstract

An interchangeable, two piece, adapter wire harness for installing different aftermarket autosound components in different vehicles, characterized by a fixed wiring scheme at an intermediate interconnect. A first piece of the interconnect is coupled by a first set of wires permanently to an autosound component-specific connector and a second piece of the interconnect is coupled by a second set of wires permanently to a vehicle wiring harness-specific connector. The set of possible separate autosound circuit functions is determined by those terminals corresponding to each circuit which are present at corresponding locations in both mated pieces.

Claims

1. An adapter wire harness for installing a specific aftermarket autosound component in a specific vehicle comprising two pieces which are interchangeable and selectively mated by a releasable, intermediate interconnect having a fixed wiring scheme, where a first piece comprises a first housing of the interconnect that is permanently coupled by a first set of wires to a component-specific connector and a second piece comprises a second housing of said interconnect that is permanently coupled by a second set of wires to a vehicle harness-specific connector, wherein the first housing of the interconnect and the second housing of the interconnect are always the same for the specific vehicle regardless of the component-specific connector and the vehicle harness-specific connector.

2. An adapter wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the first set of wires comprises a plurality of wires, with each wire extending out of the component-specific connector to accommodate each of a plurality of circuit functions supported by a specific autosound component.

3. An adapter wire harness according to claim 2, wherein the second set of wires comprises a plurality of wires, with each wire extending out of the vehicle harness-specific connector to accommodate each of a pluraliity of circuit functions supported by a specific vehicle wiring harness.

4. An adapter wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the first housing of the interconnect and the second housing of the interconnect are nonconductive, and wherein a plurality of electrically conductive terminals are mounted into the first housing and the second housing, each terminal being mechanically and electrically joined to a conductive lead on a first end of a color-coded wire in each of the first and second sets of wires, wherein the terminals are arranged in each interconnect housing in a fixed array which is available to support a defined set of possible separate autosound circuit functions.

5. An adapter wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the respective interconnect housings further comprise terminals at first ends of the respective first and second sets of wires that are mateable with one another in only one orientation, for any pair of selected pieces, whereby the fixed wiring scheme across the interconnect will be identical for any desired combination of a component-specific piece and a vehicle harness-specific piece, and the interconnection of any component-specific piece and any vehicle harness-specific piece will support all mutually compatible circuit functions for that combination.

6. An adapter wire harness according to claim 1, wherein a mechanical joinder between any pair of mateable interconnect housings closes each circuit in a defined set of possible separate autosound circuit functions, to the extent terminals corresponding to each circuit are present at corresponding locations in both mated housings.

7. An interchangeable adapter wire harness system for installing different aftermarket autosound components in different vehicles, characterized by an intermediate interconnect with a fixed wiring scheme for a defined set of possible separate autosound circuit functions, wherein a first part of the interconnect comprises terminals which are permanently coupled by a first set of wires to an autosound component-specific connector and a second part of the interconnect comprises terminals which are permanently coupled by a second set of wires to a vehicle wiring harness-specific connector, whereby those autosound circuits of the set which is closed is determined by a match between terminals within the interconnect, wherein the terminals of the interconnect are arranged the same way for a specific vehicle regardless of an arrangement of the terminals of the component-specific connector and the vehicle wiring harness-specific connector.

8. An adapter wire harness system according to claim 7, wherein the first set of wires comprises a plurality of wires, with each wire extending out of the component-specific connector to accommodate each of a plurality of circuit functions supported by a specific autosound component.

9. An adapter wire harness system according to claim 7, wherein the second set of wires comprises a plurality of wires, with each wire extending out of the vehicle harness-specific connector to accommodate each of a plurality of circuit functions supported by a specific vehicle wiring harness.

10. An adapter wire harness system according to claim 7, wherein the interconnect further comprises a first and second mateable and nonconductive housings, and the fixed wiring scheme across the interconnect further comprises a plurality of electrically conductive terminals mounted in each housing, each terminal being mechanically and electrically joined to a conductive lead on at least a first end of a color-coded wire in each of the first and second sets of wires, wherein the terminals are arranged in each interconnect housing in a fixed array which is available to support a defined set of possible separate autosound circuit functions.

11. An adapter wire harness system according to claim 7, wherein the intermediate interconnect further comprises a mating between any two of a plurality of mateable pieces, and terminals at first ends of the respective first and second sets of wires in mateable pieces will mate with one another in only one orientation, for any pair of selected pieces, whereby the fixed wiring scheme across the interconnect will be identical for any desired combination of a component-specific piece and a vehicle harness-specific piece, and the interconnection of any component-specific piece and any vehicle harness-specific piece will support all mutually compatible circuit functions for that combination.

12. An adapter wire harness system according to claim 7, wherein a mechanical joinder between any pair of mateable interconnect pieces closes each circuit in a defined set of possible separate autosound circuit functions, to the extent terminals corresponding to each circuit are present at corresponding locations in both mated pieces.