Shunt of squib

• US 6,544,060 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iida, Takashi, Nagamine, Akira, Nishida, Atsushi, Wakui, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHIEM M
• Application Number:
  US09/943,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20020025708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 439/188, 439/352, 439/507, 439/510, 439/680, 200/51.9, 200/51.1
• US Class Current: 439/188
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01006 Mounting of electrical components in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/017 including arrangements for providing electric power to safety arrangements or their actuating means, e.g. to pyrotechnic fuses or electro-mechanic valves
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/639 Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7032 making use of a separate bridging element directly cooperating with the terminals

Abstract

The present invention aims to prevent forcing of pins when a female connector is obliquely inserted into a shunt.

A shunt fits into a cylindrical socket concavely formed in an external face of a housing of an airbag inflator and short-circuits of a pair of contact pins of a squib of the inflator. These pins rise at the center of the socket from the bottom to a point near to the opening. The shunt includes an annular wall having a fitting hole into which the pins enter from the bottom side of the center thereof and into which a female connector fits from the top side, and a short-circuit piece provided on the annular wall, which will contact both of the pins when the shunt is fitted into the socket, and will be pushed to move away from the pins when the female connector is fitted into the fitting hole. To prevent forcing or bending of the pins if the female connector is improperly obliquely inserted into the fitting hole of the shunt, the height of the annular wall is not less than the sum of the depth of insertion of the female connector into the fitting hole in the axial direction of the pins when the female connector is inserted obliquely plus the height of the pins from the bottom of the socket.

Claims

1. A shunt, which fits into a cylindrical socket being concavely formed in an external face of a housing of an inflator and short-circuits a pair of pins of a squib, said pair of pins rising at the center of the socket from the bottom to a point near to the opening, said shunt comprises

an annular wall having a fitting hole into which pins enter from the bottom side at the center thereof and into which the female connector fits from the top side, and

a short-circuit piece, which is provided on said annular wall, will contact both of the pins when the shunt is fitted into the socket, and will be pushed to move away from the pins when the female connector is fitted into the fitting hole,

the height of said annular wall being not less than the sum of the depth of insertion of the female connector into the fitting hole in the axial direction of the pins when the female connector is inserted obliquely into the fitting hole, plus the height of the pins from the bottom of the socket, and

the top of the annular wall is formed to include a brim to hang over the external face of the inflator housing.

2. A shunt as recited in claim 1, wherein a notch, into which a locking piece of the female connector to be hooked on the groove in the inner wall of the socket is inserted, is formed in the annular wall.

3. A shunt as recited in claim 1, wherein the external circumferential edge of the top including the brim of the annular wall is annular and continuously formed.

4. A shunt as recited in claim 2, wherein the external circumferential edge of the top including the brim of the annular wall is annular and continuously formed.

5. A shunt as recited in claim 1, wherein the external circumferential edge of the top of the annular wall is chamfered.

6. A shunt as recited in claim 2, wherein the external circumferential edge of the top of the annular wall is chamfered.

7. A shunt as recited in claim 3, wherein the external circumferential edge of the top of the annular wall is chamfered.

8. A shunt as recited in claim 4, wherein the external circumferential edge of the top of the annular wall is chamfered.

9. An electrical connection arrangement comprising:

a component having a socket recessed into an outer surface thereof and having two electrical contact pins located in said socket and protruding in a pin axis direction from a socket floor of said socket toward a plane of said outer surface of said component, wherein said plane is orthogonal to said pin axis direction;

a shunt comprising a shunt body that includes an annular wall which bounds a fitting hole therein, and that is dimensioned and shaped to be fitted into said socket with said pins protruding into said fitting hole, and further comprising an electrically conductive short-circuit piece which contacts and short-circuits said pins when said shunt body is fitted into said socket; and

an electrical connector plug comprising a plug boss dimensioned and shaped to be plugged in said pin axis direction into said fitting hole of said shunt body which is fitted into said socket, with said pins being received in at least one pin contact opening of said plug boss, and further comprising two electrical contact elements positioned respectively to make electrical contact with said pins when said plug boss is plugged into said fitting hole, and further including a configuration that is shaped and positioned to deflect said short-circuit piece out of electrical contact with at least one of said pins when said plug boss is plugged into said fitting hole;

wherein said annular wall of said shunt body includes a protruding wall portion that protrudes outwardly from said socket in said pin axis direction beyond said plane of said outer surface of said component by a protrusion height when said shunt body is fitted into said socket; and

wherein said protrusion height, said fitting hole, said plug boss, and said pins are respectively dimensioned and configured so that said plug boss cannot physically contact said pins if said plug boss is partially inserted into said fitting hole at an oblique angle relative to said pin axis direction.

10. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said component is a pyrotechnic gas generating inflator for inflating an airbag.

11. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said protruding wall portion of said annular wall comprises a brim that projects radially outwardly from said recess to overhang onto said outer surface of said component.

12. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 11, wherein a circumferential outer edge of said brim is chamfered.

13. The electrical connection arrangement according to claim 9, wherein a circumferential outer edge of said protruding wall portion is chamfered.

14. An electrical connection arrangement comprising:

a component having a socket recessed therein and having two electrical contact pins in said socket respectively parallel to an axis of said socket;

a shunt comprising a shunt body adapted to be fitted into said socket and having a fitting hole therein, and an electrically conductive short-circuit piece which electrically contacts and short-circuits said pins when said shunt body is fitted into said recess; and

an electrical connector plug comprising a plug boss adapted to be plugged into said fitting hole in a plug-in direction parallel to said pins and said axis of said socket, two electrical contact elements that respectively make electrical contact with said pins when said plug boss is plugged into said fitting hole, and means for breaking the electrical contact and the short-circuiting of the pins with the short-circuit piece;

wherein said shunt further comprises means for preventing said plug boss from physically contacting said pins if said plug boss is partially inserted into said fitting hole at an oblique angle relative to said plug-in direction.