Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing and at least one electrical wafer that is receivable in the housing. The wafer has a first edge and a second edge that intersect each other and an array of conductive paths between the first and second edges. Each conductive path has a resistance between the first and second edges that is substantially equal.

Abstract: A traction control system is provided for controlling wheel spin of a vehicle. The amount of wheel spin is determined for each driven wheel and compared with a threshold. When the threshold is exceeded, drive to the driven wheel is immediately reduced by a predetermined amount. Drive is restored as soon as the wheel spin is brought under control.

Abstract: A traction control system is provided for a vehicle having driven wheels driven via a limited slip differential. The amount of wheel spin of each driven wheel is compared with a threshold to detect excessive wheel spin. If excessive spin is detected for both driven wheels, an engine management system reduces the demand output of a vehicle engine. If excessive wheel spin is detected for only one of the driven wheels an engine output greater than the reduced demanded output is demanded so as to allow the limited slip differential to transfer torque to the other driven wheel.

Abstract: A computer model for an electrical connector of the type having multiple signal carrying paths utilizes both preselected, connector defining parameters which define electrical characteristics of the signal carrying paths of the electrical connector, as well as user selectable, application specific coded information that defines a set of signals and allocates each of the signals to a respective one of the signal carrying paths. The computer model models the electrical connector using the connector defining parameters to define the electrical connector and the application specific coded information to define the user selectable signals on the signal carrying paths of the electrical connector. This model can be used to investigate various pin assignments in order to optimize connector performance for an application specific set of signals.

Abstract: An electrical pin header connector (2) comprises an insulating housing (4) having an interface surface (6) and an opposite mating face (8), between which extends a grid array of electrical contact element receiving cavities (10). In each cavity (10) is an electrical contact element (12) having an elongate contact spring (14) with a contact nose (16) projecting from the interface surface (6) for engagement by a respective contact pad (44) of a grid array of contact pads (44) on an interface surface (42) of a mother printed circuit board (40). Each contact element (12) has a contact pin (26) projecting from the mating face (8) of the housing (4). The contact springs (14) are angled by 45.degree. with respect to X and Y axes of the grid array of cavities (10), for maximum contact density. The contact pin (26) of each contact element (12) has been twisted through 45.degree.

Abstract: A connector system for distributing power to daughter cards in a card cage includes a power connector for each card mounted on framework of the card cage. Each power connector has individual terminals connected to power conductors connected to a power supply and at least one terminal connected to a return path conductor. Each power connector includes a channel along which an active edge of the card is inserted and moved longitudinally from an open end, opposed from another channel aligned therewith, until the daughter card is fully inserted into the card cage, and signal transmission connectors along the back card edge mate with connectors of the backplane of the card cage. The daughter card is then locked in position; its power connector is then actuated, camming contact sections of its terminals into electrical engagement with contacts along the active edge of the daughter card. Each daughter card is thus powered and correspondingly disconnectable independently of the other daughter cards.

Abstract: A reference conductor for improving signal integrity in connectors and connector systems. More particularly the reference conductor includes a conductive plate positioned between adjacent rows of signal conductors in a connector and which is electrically connected to reference circuits on substrates associated with the connector to provide a low inductance signal return path.

Abstract: A multiplex system includes a master controller and a plurality of remote stations which are connected together by a cable. The cable is a twin co-ax cable which includes data and clock conductors which are surrounded by power and ground conductors. The power and ground conductors are capacitively coupled such that the power conductor simultaneously transmits power and provides an effective shield. The master controller includes a microcomputer which in turn includes an UART. The UART is used to transmit command bits to the remote stations while the CPU reads response bits from the remote stations in order to allow response bits to be interleaved in time with command bits. In one embodiment, the command bits are used to strobe row conductors of a keyboard and the response bits are used to monitor column conductors of the keyboard to allow a keyboard to be controlled by the master controller 20 in a simple and efficient manner.

Abstract: An electrical and fiber optic connector assembly terminates the electrical conductors and fiber optic transmission members of a cable so that the electrical conductors are electrically connected to electrical terminals latchably mounted in a housing member and for electrical connection to electrical paths of a circuit board and the fiber optic transmission members are optically connected to transmitting and sensing photoelectric devices which are mounted in the housing member and also electrically connected to electrical terminals latchably mounted in the housing member for electrical connection to electrical paths of the circuit board.

Abstract: A fiber optic connector comprises a rigid housing member having a passageway therethrough of continuous diameter and ferrule members of relatively rigid yet resiliently deformable material having a bore of a dimension to receive exposed ends of fiber optic transmission members of fiber optic cables therein while the diameter of the external surface of the ferrule members is greater than the diameter of the passageway so that forcible movement of the ferrule members along the passageway until they abut therein causes radial deformation of the ferrule members to frictionally and compressibly engage the housing member and the exposed ends of the fiber optic transmission members thereby securing the fiber optic transmission members within the passageway in axial alignment.

Abstract: A fiber optic connector assembly comprises a housing member having a passageway extending therethrough. A receptacle connector member is latchably mounted in the passageway and has therein fiber optic connectors terminated to ends of fiber optic transmission members and fiber optic cables. The fiber optic connectors are mounted in the receptacle connector member as spring-biased connectors with profiled resilient front ends of the connectors disposed in profiled bores of alignment ferrules that are floatingly mounted in the receptacle connector member. A plug connector member has mounted therein spring-biased fiber optic connectors terminated to ends of fiber optic transmission members.

Abstract: A fiber optic connector comprises a resilient ferrule member having a lens at a forward end which communicates with an internal bore in which a fiber optic transmission member is disposed with the end of the fiber optic transmission member being located substantially at the focal point of the lens. An index-matching material is located in the bore of the ferrule member to protect the fiber optic transmission member.

Abstract: A connector plug for axially aligning an optical fiber in a receptacle bore is disclosed, comprising an elongate body having an axial passageway receiving the fiber therein, and a forward alignment nose portion having a profiled opening receiving a forward end of the fiber. The opening is defined by opposed V-grooves, with the V-grooves being separated by a transverse slot extending through the alignment nose portion. The nose portion further comprises external protrusion means for engaging the receptacle, and causing the opposed V-grooves to wedge against the fiber extending therebetween, for fiber centering.

Abstract: A connector for axially aligning a pair of optical waveguides is disclosed comprising a receptacle, a pair of plug members for positionment in the receptacle bore, and a pair of retention sleeves for positionment within respective plug members. Each plug member is adapted to receive a respective waveguide cable therein, and provides a forward alignment nose portion having a profiled opening receiving a forward end of the waveguide. The opening is defined by opposed V-grooves, with the V-grooves being separated by a transverse slot which extends through the alignment nose portion. The nose portion further includes external protrusion means for engaging the receptacle, and causing the opposed V-grooves to wedge against the waveguide extending therebetween. Each retention sleeve is received within a respective plug member, for inhibiting rearward withdrawal of the optical cable from the plug member.