Abstract: An electrical connector has dielectric connector bodies which are coupled and locked together by a resilient lock member of one connector body which snaps past and engages a lock member of the other connector body.The resilient lock member includes a slot which extends through one end and a lock shoulder which faces the opposite end.The other lock member includes a lock shoulder and a loop which passes through the slot of the resilient lock member and cooperatively forms a gauge hole of predetermined minimum size with the resilient lock member when the connector bodies are coupled and locked together by the lock shoulders. A gauge pin having a shank of substantially the same predetermined minimum size is disposed in the gauge hole to indicate that the connector bodies are locked together by the lock shoulders.

Abstract: A power unit transversely mounted in a motor vehicle has a differential with optionally provided differential gears and a connection on the housing of a transfer case, to which one of two intermediate members can optionally be attached. One intermediate member has a power take-off shaft which directly drives a propeller shaft leading to the rear-wheel drive for exclusive rear-wheel drive when the differential gears are omitted for exclusive rear-wheel drive. The other intermediate member has a fluid friction clutch which drives the propeller shaft in the case of four-wheel drive.

Abstract: An electrical connector socket comprises a sleeve member of conducting material, a support member having two juxtaposed pieces coaxially surrounding the sleeve member, and resilient contact means in the form of a stamped sheet metal cylinder. The stamped sheet metal cylinder has a pair of longitudinally spaced bands which are connected to each other by a plurality of resilient longitudinal contact strips which extend obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve when the stamped sheet metal cylinder is secured to the sleeve member in a twisted condition by the two juxtaposed pieces of the support member.

Abstract: An electrical connector comprises a connector body having two rows of terminal cavities which extend axially through the connector body. The connector body has a nose portion which comprises a plurality of ribs which define channels at the forward portions of the terminal cavities. An elastomeric seal ring is mounted on the connector body and extends across the channels to bias the terminals against the bottoms of the channels and into interference positions with respect to lock shoulders which retain the terminals in the rearward direction. A cap member mounted on the nose portion of the connector body retains the terminals in the forward direction, holds the terminals in their interference positions in the terminal cavities and fastens the elastomeric seal ring in the axial direction.

Abstract: An electrically heatable fixed rear window of a motor vehicle has resistance heating strips extending over part of the window area and a bus bar which electrically connects the resistance heating strips to each other and provides a contact on the window which cooperates with, and a counter-contact on the motor vehicle body which is connected to an electrical power source such as the motor vehicle battery.The counter-contact on the motor vehicle body comprises a compression spring-loaded pin which moves in the direction perpendicularly of the window surface, which is connected at its rear end to a power cable connected to the electrical power source and which is operatively connected to the bus bar at its front end surface.

Abstract: A control system for automatically operating the clutch in a single clutch split axle mechanism responsive to an operational mode of a transfer case in a part-time four-wheel drive vehicle comprises an electro-thermal linear actuator mounted on the split axle mechanism for actuating the clutch and an electric switch mounted on the transfer case for controlling the electro-thermal linear actuator responsive to the operational mode of the transfer case. The electro-thermal linear actuator includes a time delay means so that four-wheel drive can be selected while the vehicle is in motion.

Abstract: A one-piece tri-pot universal joint housing is cold formed from a part having a shank at one end and an enlarged cylindrical head at the opposite end. The enlarged head is backward extruded to form a triangularly shaped cup which is then draw-ironed to provide a tri-lobal housing portion integrally attached to the shank.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly has an insulator housing which includes a terminal holder and a housing cover for the terminal holder. The terminal holder supports elongated electrical terminals on a longitudinal platform which has a plurality of longitudinal fingers at the forward end and a plurality of partition walls at the rearward end which define terminal receiving channels which are associated with respective fingers. The elongated electrical terminals are laterally inserted into the terminal receiving channels and retained on the terminal holder by pairs of spaced, deflectable latch arms of the fingers. The housing cover has side walls and guide walls which prevent full insertion of a terminal holder having an improperly assembled electrical terminal and which hold the deflectable latch arms in terminal retaining positions when a terminal holder with properly assembled terminals is fully inserted in the housing cover.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes a bus assembly which comprises a bus insulation plate having a base which includes a plurality of terminal stations and a plurality of guide stations. The terminal stations and guide stations are separated from each other so as to provide a network of wire channels which communicate with wire passages which extend through the terminal and guide stations. The terminal stations also have terminal cavities which extends through the base to intersect the wire passages. The bus assembly further includes electrical busses comprising lengths of electrically conductive wire which pass through various terminal and guide stations via the network of wire channels.

Abstract: An electrical terminal is attached to a flexible printed circuit by an attachment means which is in the form of a crimp ferrule which comprises an elongated web which has a plurality of raised convex domes which cooperate with sets of crimp tabs integrally attached at the longitudinal sides of the elongated web. These raised convex domes are set in a pattern with respect to the crimp tabs so that the flexible printed circuit is forced to weave through the crimp ferrule when the crimp tabs are curled or crimped over the flexible printed circuit. This establishes several good and stable electrical contacts between the flexible printed circuit and the crimp ferrule and forces the flexible printed circuit to weave through the attached crimp ferrule to provide a strain relief for the several electrical contacts.

Abstract: An electrical connector has an attachment means comprising a funnel wrap wire crimp barrel, that is, one which is funnel-shaped in the axial direction and partially overlapped in the circumferential direction. The attachment means further comprises an intermediate, funnel wrap insulation crimp barrel and a funnel-shaped, split guide ring in one embodiment. In a second embodiment, the attachment means further comprises a cylindrical, split insulation crimp barrel.

Abstract: An electrical connector for printed circuits comprises a dielectric connector body and a plurality of sinuous contact strips which have clip portions which are disposed in a socket portion of the connector body for detachable connection to an end tab of a printed circuit board inserted into the socket portion and elongated portions which are associated with a trailing attachment portion of the connector body for permanent connection to a flexible printed circuit by crimped spliced ferrules.

Abstract: A steering wheel pad keyboard switch assembly is mounted on a steering wheel. The preassembled switch assembly comprises a base, a printed circuit board which has an array of open contact grids, an elastomeric switch member which has an array of movable contacts, a guide plate and a push button sub-assembly. The guide plate has a plurality of guide bosses and guide holes disposed in the same predetermined array for guiding the stem pieces of the push buttons into operative contact with the movable contacts of the switch member and a pad portion for supporting a horn switch. The push button sub-assembly comprises a frame member which is attached to the base to provide the unit handle switch assembly, a plurality of push buttons which are slideably retained in respective slide chambers of the frame and a soft decorative cover which includes a depressible horn switch pad to operate the horn switch and cut-outs to provide access to the push buttons.

Abstract: A molded insulator housing of thermoplastic material for an electrical terminal or terminals comprises a plurality of walls which define a corresponding number of elongated cavities having an opening at one end of the insulator housing for terminal insertion. The insulator housing has a terminal lock for each cavity integrally hinged to an outward flange on its bottom wall at the one end of the insulator housing and a slot for each cavity in the bottom wall which defines an inner surface for the terminal lock and flange portions which is substantially coplanar with an outer surface of the adjacent portions of the bottom wall to facilitate the molding of the terminal lock substantially free and separate of the material in the bottom wall.

Abstract: An electrical connector has an improved multifunction lock means which comprises a first lock piece having a thumb operator release lever to facilitate unlatching the electrical connector from a mating electrical connector, and a second lock piece having a trigger grip to facilitate disconnecting the unlatched electrical connector from the mating electrical connector.

Abstract: A duplex insulation displacement terminal comprises first and second terminal members connected side-by-side in a laterally spaced relationship by an integral bus strip. Each terminal member has a pair of spaced, longitudinally slotted plates which are connected by a side wall. The side wall of each terminal member has an elongated window near its slotted end.

Abstract: A flexible printed circuit connector comprises a stabilizer plate and a flexible printed circuit which have a corresponding pattern of holes which receive contact eyelets which attach the flexible printed circuit to the stabilizer plate. The contact eyelets comprise a tubular body having a flange at one end with depending crimp ears at the rim of the flange which pierce through and extend inwardly to clamp the flexible printed circuit against the flange, and depending crimp ears at the opposite end of the tubular body which extend outwardly to clamp the stabilizer plate and the flexible printed circuit against the flange. The stabilizer plate and the contact eyelets are configured for simultaneously crimping all crimp ears of each eyelet.

Abstract: A prepared ribbon cable is mass terminated to a preloaded electrical connector by wave soldering techniques. The preloaded connector comprises a housing and a plurality of terminals. The housing has an anvil in the form of a flange at the conductor end of the housing and a plurality of fins projecting from the conductor end to isolate the conductor attaching means of the terminals from each other. The terminals are inserted into cavities through openings at the mating end of the housing, retained by solder tabs which are bent over against the flange, and form part of the conductor attaching means. The conductor attaching means further includes slotted terminal portions which receive the conductors and position the ends of the conductors on the bent solder tabs.

Abstract: A fusible electrical connector assembly comprises a sheet metal terminal of one-piece construction having an intermediate fuse portion and a housing having a fuse chamber in which the intermediate fuse portion of the terminal is disposed. The fuse chamber is defined in part by spaced slotted walls. The terminal has conformations which cooperate with the respective slotted walls to retain the terminal parts in assembly with the housing when the intermediate fuse portion has "blown" and to maintain a spacing between the ends of the fuse portion remnants.

Abstract: An insulation shearing electrical terminal for terminating an insulated conductor comprises an elongated web depending from a resilient socket. The web has an integral flange which is folded over onto itself to form outer and inner elongated plates which are integrally joined to each other at one end of the flange by a longitudinal bight which is laterally spaced from the web. The outer plate has a longitudinal slot at the opposite end of the flange which receives an insulated conductor with its axis transverse to the longitudinal slot. The inner plate has opposite longitudinal sides at the opposite end of the flange which respectively engage the web and the insulated conductor to produce a shearing action of the plates across the diameter of the insulated conductor.