On harness PCB electrical center

• US 7,727,022 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Polehonki, Ralph John, Jozwiak, Andrew Joseph, Rodriguez, Erick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Phuong K
• Application Number:
  US12/358,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20090209117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 439/620.27, 439/6.2, 439/76.1, 439/595
• US Class Current: 439/620.27
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0238 Electrical distribution centers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/2458 Electrical interconnections between terminal blocks

Abstract

An electrical center is mounted on a wiring harness. The electrical center comprises an upper insulator housing having a plurality of upper terminal receiving cavities, a circuit board assembly disposed in the upper housing below the upper terminal receiving cavities, a plurality of terminals mounted on the circuit board contact portions above the circuit board disposed in the upper terminal receiving cavities for engaging mating terminals plugged into the upper terminal receiving cavities, and a lower insulator housing having a plurality of lower terminal receiving cavities. The terminals mounted on the circuit board have contact portions below the circuit board disposed in the lower terminal receiving cavities for engaging mating terminals that are attached to wires of the wiring harness and that are plugged in the lower terminal receiving cavities. The upper housing may be mated to the lower housing in a prestaged condition to facilitate loading of the mating terminals that are attached to the wires of the wiring harness. The housings are adapted for use with a press holder to move from the prestaged condition to the fully seated condition.

Claims

1. An electrical center for mounting on a wiring harness comprising:

an upper housing having a plurality of upper terminal receiving cavities,

a circuit board disposed in the upper housing below the upper terminal receiving cavities,

a plurality of terminals mounted on the circuit board having contact portions above the circuit board disposed in the upper terminal receiving cavities for engaging mating terminals plugged into the upper terminal receiving cavities, and

a lower housing having a plurality of lower terminal receiving cavities,

the plurality of terminals having contact portions below the circuit board disposed in the lower terminal receiving cavities for engaging mating terminals that are attached to receiving cavities, wherein the upper housing has a plurality of guide channels and the lower housing has a plurality of lock studs that are received in the guide channels and wherein the have the plurality of guide channels and the plurality of lock studs have means to retain the upper housing and the lower housing in a prestaged condition to facilitate loading of the mating terminals that are attached to the wires of the wiring harness and that are plugged in the lower terminal receiving cavities.

2. The electrical center as defined in claim 1 wherein the mating terminals that are attached to the wires of the wiring harness are retaining in the lower terminal receiving cavities so that the electrical center is firmly attached to the wiring harness.

3. The electrical center as defined in claim 2 wherein the plurality of terminals that are mounted on the circuit board includes two-way pass-through terminals having contact portions below the circuit board and contact portions above the circuit board.

4. The electrical center as defined in claim 3 wherein the plurality of terminals that are mounted on the circuit board includes on-way terminals that have either a contact portion above the circuit board or a contact portion below the circuit board.

5. The electrical center as defined in claim 4 wherein the upper housing and the lower housing have means to retain the upper housing and the lower housing in a prestaged condition to facilitate loading of the mating terminals that are attached to the wires of the wiring harness and that are plugged in the lower terminal receiving cavities.

6. The electrical center as defined in claim 1 wherein the means to retain the upper housing and the lower housing in a prestaged condition to facilitate loading of the mating terminals that are attached to the wires of the wiring harness and that are plugged in the lower terminal receiving cavities includes an internal lock nib and lock tabs of the guide channels and lock shoulders and lock wings of the lock studs.

7. The electrical center as defined in claim 6 wherein the lock tabs of the guide channels are located at flexible ends of the guide channels that can be deflected outwardly to allow passage of the lock wings so that the upper housing may be fully seated on the lower housing.

8. The electrical center as defined in claim 7 wherein the lock wings engage a lower end of the lock tabs to retain the upper housing in a prestaged condition and engage an upper end of the lock tabs to retain the upper housing in a fully seated condition.

9. The electrical center as defined in claim 7 wherein the lock studs of the lower housing receive fingers of a press holder when the upper housing is in a prestaged condition that engage the lower ends of the guide channels to deflect the lower ends of the guide channels outwardly when the upper housing is pushed down on the lower housing to allow passage of the lock wings past the lock tabs so that the upper housing can be fully seated on the lower housing.

10. The electrical center as defined in claim 5 wherein the upper housing and the lower housing are adapted to cooperate with a press holder to move from the prestaged condition to the fully seated condition.