Connector assembly having double ended shorting clip

Claim 2

An electrical connector assembly comprising: a first insulator housing having a plurality of first spaced apart cavities therein, a first plurality of metal terminals housed in said first cavities, a second cavity in said first insulator housing which is laterally spaced from said first cavities, said first insulator housing having slot means for communicating said first and second cavities, a spring clip housed within said second cavity, said spring clip having a bridge portion extending transversely of the second cavity and a plurality of spaced resilient fingers extending transversely of the bridge portion through the slot means and overlying respective ones of the first terminals, said fingers each having an end portion which is engaged with one of the first plurality of terminals to provide a shorting path between the first plurality of terminals, said spring clip when disposed in the second cavity being self-biased toward a position in which the end portions of the fingers engage the respective ones of the first plurality of terminals, a second insulator housing which is matable with the first insulator housing, said second insulator housing having a plurality of spaced openings therein, a second plurality of metal terminals carried by said second insulator housing and extending through said openings of said second insulator housing which are adapted to mate with the first plurality of terminals in the first insulator housing when the second insulator housing is mated to the first insulator housing, cooperable means on said first and second insulator housings to latch said first and second insulator housings together when they are fully mated to each other, a connector position assurance member guided for linear sliding movement on one of said first and second insulator housings and being lockable to the other of said first and second insulator housings if the first and second insulator housings and their respective terminals have been properly mated together, said connector position assurance member upon being slid being engageable with the other said first and second insulator housings and not lockable thereto if the first and second insulator housings are not properly mated, and cam means on said connector position assurance member for engaging said fingers of said spring clip and moving said fingers out of engagement with said first plurality of metal terminals to interrupt said shorting path when being lockably connected to said other of said first and second insulator housings whereby said connector position assurance member functions both to assure that the first and second insulator housings and their respective terminals have been properly mated and to prevent disengagement of the spring clip from said first plurality of terminals until the connector position assurance member has assured that the first and second insulator housings have been properly connected together.

Claim 3

An electrical connector assembly comprising: a first insulator housing having a plurality of first spaced apart cavities therein, a first plurality of metal terminals housed in said first cavities, a second cavity in said first insulator housing which is laterally spaced from said first cavities, said insulator housing having slots through a wall common with said first and second cavities for communicating said second cavity with said first cavities, a shorting spring clip housed within said second cavity, said shorting spring clip having a flat bridge portion extending transversely of the second cavity and a pair of spaced, resilient fingers at opposite ends of the bridge portion which extend transversely from the bridge portion through said slots and overlie respective ones of the first terminals, each pair of said fingers engaging said respective ones of said first plurality of terminals to provide a double shorting path between said respective ones of said first plurality of terminals, each pair of said fingers of said shorting spring clip when disposed in the second cavity being self-biased toward a position in which their end portions engage said respective ones of said first plurality of terminals, a second insulator housing which is matable with the first insulator housing, said second insulator housing having a plurality of spaced openings therein, a second plurality of metal terminals carried by said second insulator housing and extending through said openings in said second insulator housing which are adapted to mate with the first plurality of terminals in the first insulator housing, said second insulator housing having a cam means intermediate its ends, said insulator housings when being connected together causing said first and second plurality of terminals to matingly engage each other and then causing said cam means on said second insulator housing to engage one pair of the spring fingers at one end of the shorting spring clip to move said one pair of spring fingers in opposition to their self-biasing forces to disengage said one pair of spring fingers of the shorting spring clip from the first plurality of terminals, cooperable means on said first and second insulator housings to latch said first and second insulator housings together when they are fully mated to each other, a connector position assurance member slidable on said first insulator housing and being connectable to said second insulator housing if the two insulator housings are properly mated together, said connector position assurance member engaging a stop on said first insulator housing and not being connectable thereto if said first and second insulator housings are not properly mated, said connector position assurance member having a second cam means for engaging the other pair of said spring fingers of the shorting spring clip to move said other pair of spring fingers in opposition to their self-biasing forces to disengage the other pair of spring fingers of the shorting spring clip from the first plurality of terminals whereby the connector position assurance member functions both to assure that the first and second insulator bodies and their respective terminals have been properly mated and to prevent disengagement of the other pair of fingers of the spring clip from said first plurality of terminals until the connector position assurance member has assured that the first and second insulator housings have been properly connected together.

Claim 4

An electrical connector assembly comprising: a first insulator housing having a plurality of first spaced apart cavities therein, a first plurality of metal terminals housed in said first cavities, a second cavity in said first insulator housing which is laterally spaced from said first cavities, said insulator housing having slots through a wall common with said first and second cavities for communicating said second cavity with said first cavities, a shorting spring clip housed within said second cavity, said shorting spring clip having a flat bridge portion extending transversely of the second cavity and a pair of spaced, resilient fingers at opposite ends of the bridge portion which extend transversely from the bridge portion through said slots and overlie respective ones of the first terminals, each pair of said fingers engaging said respective ones of said first plurality of terminals to provide a double shorting path between said respective ones of said first plurality of terminals, each pair of said fingers of said shorting spring clip when disposed in the second cavity being self-biased toward a position in which their end portions engage said respective ones of said first plurality of terminals, a second insulator housing which is matable with the first insulator housing, said second insulator housing having a plurality of spaced openings therein, a second plurality of metal terminals carried by said second insulator housing and extending through said openings in said second insulator housing which are adapted to mate with the first plurality of terminals in the first insulator housing, said second insulator housing having a cam means intermediate its ends, said insulator housings when being connected together causing said first and second plurality of terminals to matingly engage each other and then causing said cam means on said second insulator housing to engage one pair of the spring fingers at one end of the shorting spring clip to move said one pair of spring fingers in opposition to their self-biasing forces to disengage said one pair of spring fingers of the shorting spring clip from the respective ones of first plurality of terminals, cooperable means on said first and second insulator housings to latch said first and second insulator housings together when they are fully mated to each other, said cooperable means including a deflectable pump handle latch member on said first insulator housing which is deflectable to allow latches on the latch member to lock into openings in the second insulator housing when the housings are mated together, a connector position assurance member slidable on said first insulator housing and being connectable to said second insulator housing if the two insulator housings are properly mated together, said connector position assurance member engaging a stop on said latch member of said first insulator housing and not being connectable thereto if said first and second insulator housings are not properly mated, said connector position assurance member having a second cam means for engaging the other pair of said spring fingers of the shorting spring clip to move said other pair of spring fingers in opposition to their self-biasing forces to disengage the other pair of spring fingers of the shorting spring clip from the first plurality of terminals whereby the connector position assurance member functions both to assure that the first and second insulator bodies and their respective terminals have been properly mated and to prevent disengagement of the other pair of fingers of the shorting spring clip from said respective ones of said first plurality of terminals until the connector position assurance member has assured that the first and second insulator housings have been properly connected together, said connector position assurance member having spaced sides, one of said sides being deflectable and latchable to a projection on the second connector housing and the other of said sides having said cam means and an abutment which is slidable beneath said pump handle latch member if the first and second insulator housings are properly mated together, said abutment on said other side of said connector position assurance member engaging said pump handle latch member to prevent said connector position assurance member from latching to said projection on said second insulator housing if the first and second insulator housings are not properly mated together.

Claim 5

An electrical connector assembly, as defined in claim 3, and wherein said one side of said connector position assurance member slides through a recess in the pump handle latch member.