Connector systems including interlocking systems

Abstract

The connector system is configured for use in a power distribution system of a motor vehicle, and includes a female housing, a female terminal assembly, and a female interlock (FIL) assembly. The female housing has an arrangement of side walls defining a receptacle configured to receive the female terminal assembly. In the fully assembled female state S FAF a female interlock (FIL) assembly positioned within the female terminal assembly residing within the receptacle of the female housing to define a terminal block, the FIL assembly being configured to be coupled to an interlock circuit that prevents current from flowing through the female terminal assembly prior to connection of the female terminal assembly to the male terminal assembly.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (Related Applications) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 058,061, filed July 29, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure relates to connector systems, more particularly to connector systems including interlock assemblies, and most particularly to innovative connector systems including high voltage interlock assemblies. [Background technology]

[0003] Over the past several decades, the number of electrical components used in automobiles and other on-road and off-road vehicles, such as pickup trucks, commercial vans and trucks, truck trailers, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and sport utility vehicles (collectively, "motor vehicles"), has increased dramatically. Electrical components are used in motor vehicles for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, monitoring, improving, and / or controlling vehicle performance, emissions, safety, and creating comfort for motor vehicle occupants. While considerable time, resources, and energy have been expended to develop power distribution components that meet the various needs and complexities of the motor vehicle market, traditional power distribution components suffer from various shortcomings.

[0004] Automotive vehicles present a hostile electrical environment for both electrical components and connector assemblies due to several conditions, including, but not limited to, space constraints that make initial installation difficult, harsh operating conditions, wide ambient temperature ranges, long-term vibration, thermal loads, and lifespan, all of which can lead to component and / or connector failure. For example, incorrectly installed connectors, which typically occur in the assembly plant, and disconnected connectors, which typically occur in the field, are two significant failure modes for electrical components and automotive vehicles. Each of these failure modes leads to significant repair and warranty costs. For example, the total annual warranty costs incurred by all automotive manufacturers and their direct suppliers worldwide are estimated to be between $50 billion and $150 billion. Given this hostile electrical environment, significant time, money, and effort have been expended to find power distribution components that meet market needs. The present disclosure addresses the shortcomings of conventional power distribution components. A complete discussion of the features and advantages of the present disclosure is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure relates to connector systems for use in 24-48 volt systems for aircraft, motor vehicles, military vehicles (e.g., tanks, personnel carriers, heavy duty trucks, and troop carriers), buses, locomotives, tractors, marine applications (e.g., cargo ships, tankers, pleasure boats, submarines, and sailing yachts), telecommunications hardware (e.g., servers), battery packs, and high power, high current, and high voltage applications.

[0006] Specifically, the invention discussed herein is a connector system that can be used to electrically connect a power source to other power distribution components or assemblies. The connector system includes an interlock system (IL) that ensures that no electrical current is applied to the connector system before the outer male connector assembly is fully engaged with the intermediate female connector assembly. It should be understood that when the IL is used in high voltage situations, the IL may be referred to as a high voltage interlock system (HVIL). The connector system also includes an innovative spring element with a centering means that ensures proper relative positioning of the components of the connector system, including the spring element and the male terminal.

[0007] In one embodiment, a connector system is configured for use in an automotive vehicle power distribution system, the connector system including a female housing, a female terminal assembly, and a female interlock (FIL) assembly. The female housing has an arrangement of side walls defining a receptacle configured to receive the female terminal assembly. The female interlock (FIL) assembly is in a fully assembled female state S. FAF and the FIL assembly is configured to be coupled to an interlock circuit that prevents current from flowing through the female terminal assembly prior to connection of the female terminal assembly to the male terminal assembly.

[0008] In another embodiment, a connector system includes a female connector assembly including: (i) a female housing having an arrangement of sidewalls defining a receptacle; (ii) a female terminal assembly residing within the receptacle of the female housing; and (iii) a fully assembled female state S FAF and a female interlock (FIL) assembly having a receiving portion positioned within a female terminal assembly residing within the receptacle of the female housing to define a female interlock.

[0009] In a further embodiment, the connector system includes an intermediate female connector assembly, a first male connector assembly, and a second male connector assembly, the intermediate female connector assembly including (i) a female terminal assembly and (ii) a fully assembled female state S FAF The first male connector assembly includes a first male terminal assembly, while the second male connector assembly includes (i) a second male terminal assembly and (ii) a fully assembled male state S FAM and a male interlock (MIL) assembly positioned within the second male terminal assembly to define a female terminal assembly in a fully connected state S. FCON and includes a receptacle sized to receive both a portion of the first male connector assembly and a portion of the second male connector assembly.

[0010] In another embodiment, a connector system includes a male terminal assembly having a male terminal body and an internal spring member. The male terminal body includes at least one contact arm and an arrangement of sidewalls defining a spring receiver, while the internal spring member includes (i) at least one spring arm having an elongated main body portion with a free end, and (ii) a protrusion extending laterally from the free end of the main body portion. The internal spring member is fully coupled. And State S FC whereby the protrusion resides adjacent an inner surface of the spring receiver to facilitate alignment of the inner spring member within the spring receiver.

[0011] In an additional embodiment, a connector system includes a first male terminal assembly, a second male terminal assembly, a housing configured to enclose the confines of both the first and second male terminal assemblies, and a male interlock (MIL) assembly positioned within the housing between the first and second male terminal assemblies, the first male terminal assembly including: (i) a first male terminal body formed from a first material and having a contact arm and a spring receiving portion; and (ii) a first internal spring member formed from a second material and having a spring arm, the first internal spring member being dimensioned to reside within the spring receiving portion of the first male terminal body. The second male terminal assembly includes (i) a second male terminal body formed from a first material and having a contact arm and a spring receiving portion, and (ii) a second internal spring member formed from a second material and having a spring arm, the second internal spring member being sized to reside within the spring receiving portion of the second male terminal body. Additional structural and functional aspects and advantages of the power distribution component are disclosed in the detailed description and drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the disclosed embodiments and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a connector system having an inner male connector assembly, an intermediate female connector assembly, and an outer male connector assembly, the connector system in a disconnected state (SDCON). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the connector system of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view of the external male connector assembly of FIG. 1, the external male connector assembly in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view of the external male connector assembly of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 4 is an exploded view of the external male connector assembly of FIG. 3, the external male connector assembly including an external housing, a male interlock assembly, and an external terminal assembly. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an external terminal assembly in a separated state (SDC). [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an external terminal assembly in a partially coupled state (SPC). [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a side view of an external terminal assembly in a fully coupled (SFC) state. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional front view of the external terminal assembly taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9 is a cross-sectional side view of the external terminal assembly taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal assembly disclosed in International Application No. US2019 / 36010 in a separated state (SDC). [Figure 12] 12 is a side view of the terminal assembly shown in FIG. 11, the terminal assembly being in a fully coupled state (SFC). [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional front view of the terminal assembly taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12, with the spring member properly seated within the receiver portion of the terminal body. [Figure 14] 13 is a cross-sectional front view of the terminal assembly taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12, with the spring member not properly seated within the receiving portion of the terminal body. [Figure 15] 4 is a perspective view of the external male connector assembly of FIG. 3, the external male connector assembly being in a first partially assembled state (SPA1). [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the male interlock assembly of FIG. 3. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a front view of the interlock assembly of FIG. 3. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a side view of the male interlock assembly of FIG. 3. [Figure 19]FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the male interlock assembly taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 18. [Figure 20] 4 is a perspective view of the male connector assembly of FIG. 3, the outer male connector assembly being in a second partially assembled state (SPA2). [Figure 21] 4 is a perspective view of the external male connector assembly of FIG. 3, the external male connector assembly being in a third partially assembled state (SPA3). [Figure 22] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the external male connector assembly of FIG. 3, the external male connector assembly being in a fourth partially assembled state (SPA4). [Figure 23] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the external male connector assembly of FIG. 3, the external male connector assembly being in a fifth partially assembled state (SPA5). [Figure 24] 4 is a side view of the external male connector assembly of FIG. 3, the external male connector assembly in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 25] 25 is a cross-sectional view of the external male connector assembly taken along line 25-25 of FIG. 24. [Figure 26] FIG. 4 is a front view of the external male connector assembly of FIG. 3, the external male connector assembly being in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 27] 27 is a cross-sectional view of the external male connector assembly taken along line 27-27 of FIG. 15. [Figure 28] 2 is a perspective view of the internal male connector assembly of FIG. 1, the internal male connector assembly being in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a front view of the internal male connector assembly of FIG. 28. [Figure 30] FIG. 29 is an exploded view of the internal male connector assembly of FIG. 28, the internal male connector assembly having an internal housing and an internal terminal assembly. [Figure 31]FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the internal male connector assembly of FIG. 28, the internal male connector assembly being in a first partially assembled state (SPA1). [Figure 32] FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the internal male connector assembly of FIG. 28, the internal male connector assembly being in a second partially assembled state (SPA2). [Figure 33] FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the internal male connector assembly of FIG. 28, the internal male connector assembly being in a third partially assembled state (SPA3). [Figure 34] FIG. 29 is a side view of the internal male connector assembly of FIG. 28, the internal male connector assembly being in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 35] 35 is a cross-sectional view of the internal male connector assembly taken along line 35-35 of FIG. 34. [Figure 36] FIG. 29 is a front view of the internal male connector assembly of FIG. 28, the internal male connector assembly being in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 37] 37 is a cross-sectional view of the internal male connector assembly taken along line 37-37 of FIG. 36. [Figure 38] 2 is a side view of the intermediate female connector assembly of FIG. 1, the intermediate female connector assembly in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 39] FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the intermediate female connector assembly of FIG. 38. [Figure 40] FIG. 39 is a front view of the intermediate female connector assembly of FIG. 38. [Figure 41] FIG. 39 is an exploded view of the intermediate female connector assembly of FIG. 38, the intermediate female connector assembly including an intermediate housing, a female interlock assembly, and an intermediate terminal assembly. [Figure 42] FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the intermediate female connector assembly of FIG. 38, the intermediate female connector assembly being in a first partially assembled state (SPA1). [Figure 43]FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the intermediate female connector assembly of FIG. 38, the intermediate female connector assembly being in a second partially assembled state (SPA2). [Figure 44] FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the intermediate female connector assembly of FIG. 38, the intermediate female connector assembly being in a third partially assembled state (SPA3). [Figure 45] FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the intermediate female connector assembly of FIG. 38, the intermediate female connector assembly being in a fourth partially assembled state (SPA4). [Figure 46] FIG. 40 is a front view of the intermediate female connector assembly of FIG. 39, the intermediate female connector assembly being in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 47] FIG. 47 is a cross-sectional view of the intermediate female connector assembly taken along line 47-47 of FIG. 46. [Figure 48] FIG. 1 is a side view of the connector system in a disconnected state (SDCON). [Figure 49] FIG. 49 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 49-49 of FIG. 48. [Figure 50] FIG. 1 is a rear view of the connector system in a disconnected state (SDCON). [Figure 51] FIG. 51 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 51-51 of FIG. 50. [Figure 52] FIG. 1 is a side view of the connector system in a first partially connected state (SPCON1). [Figure 53] FIG. 53 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 53-53 of FIG. 52. [Figure 54] FIG. 1 is a rear view of the connector system in a first partially connected state (SPCON1). [Figure 55] FIG. 55 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 55-55 of FIG. 54. [Figure 56] FIG. 10 is a side view of the connector system in a second partially connected state (SPCONN2). [Figure 57]FIG. 57 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 57-57 of FIG. 56. [Figure 58] FIG. 12 is a rear view of the connector system in a second partially connected state (SPCON2). [Figure 59] FIG. 59 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 59-59 of FIG. 58. [Figure 60] FIG. 10 is a side view of the connector system in a third partially connected state (SPCON3). [Figure 61] FIG. 61 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 61-61 of FIG. 60. [Figure 62] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the connector system in a third partially connected state (SPCON3). [Figure 63] FIG. 63 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 63-63 of FIG. 62. [Figure 64] FIG. 1 is a side view of the connector system in a fully connected state (SFCON). [Figure 65] FIG. 65 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 65-65 of FIG. 64. [Figure 66] FIG. 1 is a rear view of the connector system in a fully connected state (SFCON). [Figure 67] FIG. 67 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 67-67 of FIG. 66. [Figure 68] FIG. 1 is a side view of the connector system in a ready-to-use (SR) state. [Figure 69] FIG. 68 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 58-58 of FIG. [Figure 70] FIG. 1 is a rear view of the connector system in a ready-to-use (SR) state. [Figure 71] FIG. 70 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 60-60 of FIG. [Figure 72]FIG. 2 is a side view of the middle female connector assembly range and the outer male connector assembly range of the connector system of FIG. 1, the assemblies in a fully connected state (SFCON). [Figure 73] 73 is a cross-sectional view of the middle female connector assembly and the outer male connector assembly taken along line 73-73 of FIG. 72. [Figure 74A] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one configuration in which a first embodiment of a connector system may be utilized. [Figure 74B] 1 is a timing diagram of three signals contained within the connector system. [Figure 75] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle skateboard having a battery pack, the vehicle skateboard including a first embodiment of a connector system. [Figure 76] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle having a battery pack, the vehicle including a first embodiment of a connector system. [Figure 77] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating components of a connector system. [Figure 78] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of an outer housing assembly. [Figure 79] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of an outer shield assembly. [Figure 80] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing components of a male terminal. [Figure 81] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing components of a spring member. [Figure 82] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating components of a male interlock (MIL) assembly. [Figure 83] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of a mid-housing assembly. [Figure 84] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating components of a female interlock (FIL) assembly. [Figure 85] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of an inner housing assembly. [Figure 86] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing components of a male terminal. [Figure 87] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing components of a spring member. [Figure 88] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a connector system having a male connector assembly and a female connector assembly. [Figure 89] FIG. 89 is a perspective view of the male connector assembly of FIG. 88, the male connector assembly being in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 90] FIG. 89 is a front view of the male connector assembly of FIG. 88. [Figure 91] FIG. 89 is an exploded view of the male connector assembly of FIG. 88, the male connector assembly having a male housing, a male interlock assembly, and a plurality of male terminal assemblies. [Figure 92] FIG. 92 is a perspective view of the male interlock assembly and a plurality of male terminal assemblies of FIG. 91; [Figure 93] 93 is a side view of the male terminal assembly of FIG. 92, the male terminal assembly including a male terminal body and a male spring member. [Figure 94] FIG. 94 is a front view of the male terminal assembly of FIG. 93. [Figure 95] FIG. 94 is a top view of the male terminal assembly of FIG. 93. [Figure 96] FIG. 92 is a top view of the male spring member of FIG. 91. [Figure 97] FIG. 92 is a side view of the male spring member of FIG. 91. [Figure 98] FIG. 92 is a front view of the male spring member of FIG. 91. [Figure 99] FIG. 89 is a perspective view of the female connector assembly of FIG. 88, the female connector assembly being in a fully assembled state (SFA). [Figure 100] FIG. 100 is a front view of the female connector assembly of FIG. 99. [Figure 101] FIG. 89 is an exploded view of the male assembly of FIG. 88, where the female connector assembly includes a female housing, a female interlock assembly, and a plurality of female terminals. [Figure 102]FIG. 1 is a side view of the connector system in a partially connected state (SPCONN). [Figure 103] FIG. 103 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 103-103 of FIG. [Figure 104] FIG. 1 is a side view of the connector system in a partially connected state (SPCONN). [Figure 105] FIG. 105 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 105-105 of FIG. [Figure 106] FIG. 1 is a side view of the connector system in a ready-to-use (SR) state. [Figure 107] FIG. 107 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 107-107 of FIG. [Figure 108] FIG. 1 is a side view of the connector system in a ready-to-use (SR) state; [Figure 109] FIG. 109 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 109-109 of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth by way of example to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant teachings. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present teachings may be practiced without such detailed descriptions. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and / or electronic circuits have been described at a relatively general level, without going into detail, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present teachings.

[0014] While the present disclosure encompasses embodiments in many different forms, the drawings show specific embodiments, which are described in detail herein, with the understanding that the disclosed method and system are considered illustrative of its principles and are not intended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosed concept to the illustrated embodiments. As will be realized, the disclosed method and system are capable of other different configurations, and several details may be modified without departing from the scope of the disclosed method and system. For example, one or more of the following embodiments may be consistently combined, in part or in whole, with the disclosed method and system. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description should be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not restrictive or limiting.

[0015] The figures show two embodiments of connector systems 100, 5100 designed to mechanically and electrically couple one device or component to another within an electrical power distribution system or environment. For example, a device or component may be a current-supplying device or component (e.g., a power source such as an alternator or battery), while another device or component may be a current-drawing device or component (e.g., a radiator fan, a heated seat, a power distribution component, or another current-drawing component). Such power distribution systems or environments including connector systems 100, 5100 may be installed within 24-48 volt systems in aircraft, motor vehicles, military vehicles (e.g., tanks, personnel carriers, heavy-duty trucks, and troop carriers), buses, locomotives, tractors, boats, submarines, battery packs, and other applications, including high-power, high-current, and high-voltage applications. In these applications, power distribution components are essential to meet industry standards, manufacturing, and performance requirements for the power distribution system and the motor vehicle. It should be understood that multiple connector systems 100, 5100 may be used in a single application.

[0016] Various aspects of a first embodiment of connector system 100 are disclosed herein. Specifically, connector system 100 is comprised of (i) a male connector assembly, i.e., an outer male connector assembly, or second connector assembly 1000, (ii) a female connector assembly, i.e., an inner female connector assembly 2000, and (iii) a male connector assembly, i.e., an inner male connector assembly, or first connector assembly 3000. 3-10 and 15-27 show various views and components of external male connector assembly 1000. External male connector assembly 1000 mainly consists of (i) external male housing assembly 1100, (ii) external male shield assembly 1200, (iii) external male terminal assembly 1430, (iv) male interlock (MIL) assembly 1600, and (v) strain relief assembly 1800. 28-37 show various views and components of the internal male connector assembly 3000. The internal male connector assembly 3000 mainly consists of (i) an internal male housing assembly 3100, (ii) an internal male terminal assembly 3430, and (iii) a bus bar assembly 3900. 38-47 show various views and components of intermediate female connector assembly 2000. Intermediate female connector assembly 2000 mainly consists of (i) intermediate female housing assembly 2100, (ii) intermediate female shield assembly 2200, (iii) female terminal assembly 2430, and (iv) female interlock assembly (FIL) 2600. 48 to 71 show the system 100 in the disconnected state S DCON Ready to use R Indicates progress moving to.

[0017] An exemplary application of connector system 100 is shown in FIGS. 74-76 , where connector system 100 is used in connection with a battery pack 200 installed within a vehicle skateboard S, which in turn is installed within a vehicle V. Battery pack 200 (see FIG. 74 ) is configured to be positioned within vehicle skateboard S (see FIG. 75 ), and both are configured to be positioned within a motor vehicle 700 (see FIG. 76 ). In one embodiment, connector system 100 can be designed such that second or male connector assembly 1000 is positioned external to side wall 204 of battery pack 200, intermediate female connector assembly 2000 extends through side wall 204 of battery pack 200, and first or male connector assembly 3000 is positioned within side wall 204 of battery pack 200. Other embodiments, configurations, and uses of connector system 100 are described within this application and are contemplated by the present disclosure.

[0018] Disclosed herein are various aspects of a second embodiment of a connector system 5100. Specifically, the connector system 5100 is comprised of a male connector assembly 1000 and a female connector assembly 2000. 78-87 show various views and components of male connector assembly 6000. Male connector assembly 6000 mainly consists of (i) a male housing assembly 6100, (ii) a male shield assembly 6200, (iii) a plurality of male terminal assemblies 6430, i.e., first and second terminal assemblies, (iv) a male interlock (MIL) assembly 6600, and (v) a strain relief assembly 6800. 89-91 show various views and components of female connector assembly 7000. Female connector assembly 7000 mainly consists of (i) a female housing assembly 7100, (ii) a female shield assembly 7200, (iii) a plurality of female terminal assemblies 7430, and (iv) a female interlock assembly (FIL) 7600. 91 to 98 show the system 5100 in a partially connected state S DCONReady to use R Indicates progress moving to.

[0019] First embodiment As shown and discussed in more detail in connection with Figures 2, 19, 25, 40, 41, and 46-74, the IL system 4000 is comprised of a male interlock assembly (MIL) 1600, a female interlock assembly (FIL) 2600, and an interlock circuit 4010. Overall, the IL system 4000 is designed to help prevent arcing during mating of the connector assemblies 1000, 2000, which may control a current supply device. To accomplish this, the IL system 4000 provides a means for preventing arcing during mating of the connector assemblies 1000, 2000 when the connector system is fully connected (S FCON ), preventing current from being applied to a portion of the connector system 100, i.e., the intermediate female connector assembly 2000. In particular, prior to interaction between the MIL 1600 and the FIL 2600, the disconnect switch 4030 is placed in the OFF position, thereby preventing current from flowing from the power source 206 to the intermediate female connector assembly 2000. Once the MIL 1600 is connected to the FIL 2600, the disconnect switch 4030 is placed in the ON position, thereby allowing current to flow from the power source 206 to the intermediate female connector assembly 2000. It should be noted, however, that this interaction between the MIL 1600 and the FIL 2600 does not occur until the male terminal assembly 1430 is fully engaged with the female terminal assembly 2430.

[0020] Typically, the IL system 4000 is utilized in conjunction with high-voltage systems. As such, IL systems are typically referred to as high-voltage interlocks, hazardous voltage interlock loops, or HVILs. This is due, in part, to the fact that damage is more likely to occur when a high-voltage connector contacts a foreign object than when a low-voltage connector contacts a foreign object. This additional risk of damage typically justifies the inclusion of a conventional IL system and the increased size, weight, and cost of the connector. In particular, the increased size, weight, and cost are primarily due to the fact that the connector portion of a conventional IL system cannot be positioned within a conventional connector due to the structural configuration of that connector and must therefore be positioned elsewhere within the connector housing. Unlike conventional ILs, the connector portion of the IL system 4000, i.e., the MIL, FIL 1600, and 2600, is positioned within the terminals 1430 and 2100. Therefore, the size of the connector system 100 or the space required by the connector system 100 need not be increased. By limiting the impact of adding the IL system 4000 to a component or environment, designers can obtain the benefits of utilizing the IL system 4000 without the drawbacks traditionally associated with the use of IL systems. Thus, the IL system 4000 disclosed herein may be legitimately used in additional applications, which may include non-high voltage systems. As such, the disclosed interlock system 4000 may be referred to as a low voltage interlock system (LIL), a high voltage interlock system (HVIL), and simply an interlock system (IL).

[0021] 1) External male connector assembly The male connector assembly, second male connector assembly, or external male connector assembly 1000 is positioned external to the sidewall 204 of the battery pack 200 and includes multiple components designed to provide power outside the battery pack 200 to an external device (e.g., a radiator fan, a heated seat, a power distribution component, or another current-drawing component). The external male connector assembly 1000 primarily consists of (i) an external male housing assembly 1100, (ii) an external male shield assembly 1200, (iii) an external male terminal assembly 1430, (iv) a male interlock (MIL) assembly 1600, and (v) a strain relief assembly 1800.

[0022] The male housing assembly, second housing assembly, or outer housing assembly 1100 houses or surrounds a substantial range of the other components included within the external male connector assembly 1000. The outer housing assembly 1100 generally includes (i) an outer housing 1104 and (ii) a connector position assurance ("CPA") 1170. The outer housing 1104 includes two wall arrangements: (i) a first array of side walls 1106 having a cylindrical shape and designed to receive a range of wires 1495, and (ii) a second array of side walls 1108 having a cubic shape and designed to receive a substantial range of external male terminal assemblies 1430. The first array of side walls 1106 includes outer housing coupling means 1110 designed to interact with an outer cap 1810, which will be discussed below and is part of the strain relief assembly 1800. A second arrangement of walls 1108 extends from one of walls 1108a and includes a CPA receiving portion 1160 designed to receive a range of CPAs 1170. The two wall arrangements are typically formed from an insulating material designed to insulate electrical current flowing through the external male connector assembly 1000 from other components. Additional details about the external housing assembly 1100 are described in International Application No. US2019 / 36070.

[0023] Male shield assembly, second shield assembly, or outer shield assembly 1200 is configured to reside within outer housing 1104 and is designed to reduce electromagnetic interference ("EMI") noise emitted by other components of external male connector assembly 1000. Outer shield assembly 1200 is comprised of multiple components, primarily (i) a first extent of shield housing 1210, (ii) a second extent of shield housing 1230, and (iii) a shield cap 1250. The first extent of shield housing 1210 includes an array of sidewalls having a rectangular configuration, with one of the sidewalls 1212a having a shorter length than the other sidewalls 1212b-d.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 25 and 27 , the shield cap 1250 is designed to receive first and second sections of the shield housing 1210, 1230 to create the shield receiving portion 1216. This three-part assembly 1210, 1230, 1250 allows the outer shield assembly 1200 and the outer male terminal assembly 1430 to be inserted into the outer housing 1104. As such, the first and second sections 1210, 1230 of the shield housing are designed to be positioned between the outer male terminal assembly 1430 and the interior of the outer housing 1104. The first section of the shield housing 1210 primarily surrounds the wire 1495, while the second section of the shield housing 1230 primarily surrounds the outer male terminal assembly 1430. The outer shield assembly 1200 is formed from a conductive material, such as metal. Other conductive materials that may be utilized are disclosed in International Application No. US2020 / 13757.

[0025] While Figures 2, 5-10, 15-22, 25, and 27 provide various views of the male terminal assembly, second male terminal assembly, or external male terminal assembly 1430 for this first embodiment, other embodiments of external male terminal assemblies are disclosed in International Application Nos. US 19 / 36010 and 63 / 058,061, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. With specific reference to the first embodiment, male terminal assembly 1430 includes a spring member 1440c and a male terminal 1470. Male terminal 1470 includes a male terminal body or second male terminal body 1472 and a male terminal connecting member or plate 1474. The male terminal body 1472 includes (i) a first or front male terminal wall 1480, (ii) an array of male terminal side walls 1482a-1482d, and (iii) a second or rear male terminal wall 1484. The combination of these walls 1480, 1482a-1482d form a spring receiving portion 1486 designed to receive an inner spring member, a male spring member, or a second spring member 1440c.

[0026] 6, the interior spring member 1440c includes an arrangement of spring member side walls 1442a-1442d and a rear spring wall 1444. The arrangement of spring member side walls 1442a-1442d is each composed of (i) first or arcuate spring sections 1448a-1448d, (ii) second spring sections, base spring sections, or middle spring sections 1450a-1450d, (iii) third sections or spring arms 1452a-1452h, and (iv) fourth section or centering means 1453. The arcuate spring sections 1448a-1448d extend between the rear spring wall 1444 and the base spring sections 1450a-1450d and position the base spring sections 1450a-1450d substantially perpendicular to the rear spring wall 1444. In other words, the outer surfaces of the base spring sections 1450a-1450d are substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the rear spring wall 1444.

[0027] Base spring sections 1450a-1450d are positioned between arcuate sections 1448a-1448d and spring arms 1452a-1452h. As shown in FIG. 6 , base spring sections 1450a-1450d are not connected to one another, thereby forming gaps between base spring sections 1450a-1450d of spring member 1440c. The gaps facilitate omnidirectional expansion of spring arms 1452a-1452h, which facilitates mechanical coupling between male terminal 1470 and female terminal assembly 2430. Spring arms 1452a-1452h extend from base spring sections 1450a-1450d of spring member 1440c, away from rear spring wall 1444, and terminate at free ends 1446. The spring arms 1452a-1452h are generally planar and positioned such that the outer surfaces of the spring arms 1452a-1452h are flush with the outer surfaces of the base spring sections 1450a-1450d. Unlike the spring arms 31 disclosed in Figures 4-8 of International Application No. US2018 / 019787, the free ends 1446 of the spring arms 1452a-1452h do not have curvilinear components. Instead, the spring arms 1452a-1452h have substantially flat outer surfaces. This configuration is beneficial because it ensures that the force associated with the spring 1440c is applied substantially perpendicular to the free end 1488 of the male terminal body 1472. In contrast, the curvilinear components of the spring arms 31 disclosed in Figures 4-8 of International Application No. US2018 / 019787 do not apply force in this manner.

[0028] Similar to the base spring sections 1450a-1450d, the spring arms 1452a-1452h are not connected to one another. In other words, there are spring arm openings extending between the spring arms 1452a-1452h. This configuration allows the spring arms 1452a-1452h to move in all directions, which facilitates mechanical coupling between the male terminal 1470 and the female terminal assembly 2430. In other embodiments, the spring arms 1452a-1452h may be coupled to other structures to limit their omnidirectional expansion. The number and width of the individual spring arms 1452a-1452h and openings may vary. Additionally, the widths of the individual spring arms 1452a-1452h are typically equal to one another; however, in other embodiments, one of the spring arms 1452a-1452h may be wider than the other spring arms.

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 11-14, a previous design of the spring member 1440pd is disclosed in greater detail in connection with FIGS. 5-6 of International Application No. US2019 / 36127. FIG. 13 illustrates how the spring member 1440pd can be perfectly aligned within the male terminal body 1472pd of the male terminal assembly 1430pd. However, due to manufacturing tolerances and imperfect assembly methods, the spring member 1440pd can become misaligned or tilted within the male terminal body 1472pd during assembly of the male terminal assembly 1430pd. An example of this misalignment is illustrated in FIG. 14, where the angle theta θ indicates the misalignment as it extends between the inner surface of the spring receiver and the outer surface of the spring member 1440pd. In certain embodiments, the angle theta θ can be between 1 degree and 5 degrees. To help avoid this misalignment, the spring member 1440c disclosed herein includes centering means 1453, shown as anti-rotation protrusions 1454a-1454d. The anti-rotation protrusions 1454a-1454d help to center the spring member 1440c by limiting the amount that the spring member 1440c can rotate within the male terminal body 1472 due to interaction between the outer surfaces of the protrusions 1454a-1454d and the inner surfaces of the sidewall portions 1492a-1492d of the male terminal body 1472.

[0030] Properly centering the spring member 1440c within the male terminal body 1472 provides many advantages over terminals that are not properly centered or aligned within the male terminal assembly 1430, including (i) ensuring that the spring member 1440c applies the proper force to the male terminal body 1472 to provide a proper connection between the male terminal assembly 1430 and the female terminal assembly 2430, (ii) helping to ensure that the MIL assembly 1600 is properly positioned for contact with the FIL assembly 2600 when the terminal assemblies 1430, 2430 are connected to one another, (iii) helping to improve the durability and usable life of the terminal assemblies 1430, 2430, and (iv) other beneficial features disclosed herein or that can be inferred by one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure. Without proper alignment of the spring member 1440c, the spring member 1440c can distort the extent of the MIL assembly 1600. Such distortion of the MIL assembly 1600 may be sufficient to prevent proper mating of the MIL assembly 1600 and the FIL assembly 2600, thereby rendering the connector system 100 inoperable.

[0031] In other embodiments, the centering or alignment means 1453 may include (i) protrusions extending outward from the first and second spring arms 1452a, 1452b positioned within a single side wall; (ii) protrusions extending outward from the first and fifth spring arms 1452a, 1452e, where the protrusions are located diagonally opposite one another; or (iii) protrusions extending outward from all spring arms 1452a-1452h, where the protrusions associated with 1452c, 1452d, 1452g, 1452h are located diagonally opposite one another. It should be understood that the spring member 1440c may take other forms, such as (iv) protrusions in an offset relationship relative to the protrusions associated with 52f, (v) protrusions extending inward from the inner wall of the male terminal body 1472, (vi) protrusions extending inward from the contact arms 1494a-1494h toward the center of the connector, (vi) cooperatingly sized spring retainers, and (vii) a range of protrusions, tabs, grooves, recesses, or other structures designed to help ensure that the spring member 1440c is centered within the male terminal body 1472 and cannot rotate within the spring receiver 1486. ​​For example, protrusions may extend from the front or rear wall of the male terminal body 1472, and they may be received by openings formed in the spring member 1440c.

[0032] It should be further understood that instead of utilizing a mechanically based centering or alignment means 1453, the centering means 1453 may be force-based, and such forces that may be utilized are magnetic or chemical. In this example, the rear wall of the spring member 1440c may be welded to the rear wall of the male terminal body 1472. In contrast to a mechanically or force-based centering means 1453, the centering means 1453 may be a method or process of forming the male terminal assembly 1430. For example, the centering means 1453 may not be a structure, but instead may simultaneously print the spring member 1440c within the male terminal body 1472 in a manner that does not require assembly. In other words, the centering means 1453 may take many forms (e.g., mechanically, force-, or process-based) to achieve the goal of centering the spring member 1440c within the male terminal body 1472.

[0033] The inner spring member 1440c is typically formed from a single piece of material (e.g., metal), such that the spring member 1440c is either a unitary spring member 1440c or has integrally formed features. In particular, the following features are integrally formed: (i) arcuate spring sections 1448a-d, (ii) base spring sections 1450a-d, (iii) spring arms 1452a-h, and (iv) centering means 1453. To integrally form these features, the spring member 1440c is typically formed using a die-forming process, which mechanically shapes the spring member 1440c. As discussed in more detail below and in International Application No. US2019 / 036010, when spring member 1440c is formed from a flat sheet of metal, placed within male terminal 1472, connected to female receptacle 2472, and exposed to high temperatures, spring member 1440c exerts an outward spring thermal force S due in part to the fact that spring member 1440c attempts to return to a flat sheet. TFto contact arms 1494a-1494h. However, it should be understood that other types of forming spring member 1440c may be utilized, such as casting or using an additive manufacturing process (e.g., 3D printing). In other embodiments, the features of spring member 1440c may not be formed from one piece or integrally formed, but instead may be formed from separate pieces that are welded together.

[0034] In alternative embodiments not shown, the spring member 1440c may include recesses and associated reinforcing ribs. As discussed in International Application No. US2019 / 036010, these changes to the configuration of the spring member 1440c alter the force associated with the spring 1440c. In particular, the spring biasing force S BF is the amount of force applied by the spring member 1440c to resist inward deflection of the free end 1446 of the spring member 1440c when the male terminal assembly 1430 is inserted into the female terminal assembly 2430. Specifically, this inward deflection occurs during insertion of the male terminal assembly 1430 due to the fact that the extent of the outer surface of the male terminal body 1472 is slightly larger than the interior of the female receptacle 2472. As a result, when the male terminal assembly 1430 is inserted into the female terminal assembly 2430, the extent of the outer surface is pushed toward the center 1490 of the male terminal 1470. This inward force on the outer surface displaces the free end 1446 of the spring member 1440c inward (i.e., toward the center 1490). The spring member 1440c exerts a spring biasing force S F This inward displacement is resisted by providing

[0035] 2, 5-10, 15, 20-22, 25, and 27 illustrate a male terminal, second male terminal, or outer male terminal 1470, including a male terminal body 1472 and a male terminal connecting plate 1474. Specifically, the male terminal connecting plate 1474 is coupled to the male terminal body 1472 and configured to receive a range of structures (e.g., leads or wires) that connect the male terminal assembly 1430 to a device (e.g., an alternator) external to the connector system 100. The wires 1495 are typically welded to the connecting plate 1474, although other methods of connecting the wires 1495 to the connecting plate 1474 (e.g., forming the wires 1495 as part of the connecting plate 1474) are contemplated by the present disclosure.

[0036] As shown in Figures 2, 5-10, 15, 20-22, 25, and 27, the array of male terminal sidewalls 1482a-1482d are coupled to one another to form a generally rectangular prism. The array of male terminal sidewalls 1482a-1482d includes (i) sidewall portions 1492a-1492d having a generally "U-shaped" configuration, (ii) contact arms 1494a-1494h, and (iii) a plurality of contact arm openings 1496a-1496l. As best shown in Figures 8-10, the sidewall portions 1492a-1492d are substantially planar and have a U-shaped configuration. The U-shaped configuration is formed from three substantially linear segments, with second or intermediate segments 1500a-1500d coupled at one end to first or end segments 1498a-1498d and coupled at the other end to third or opposing end segments 1502a-1502d. Contact arms 1494a-1494h extend (i) from intermediate segments 1500a-1500d of side wall portions 1492a-1492d, (ii) away from rear male terminal wall 1484, (iii) across contact arm openings 1496a-1496l, and (iv) terminating short of front male terminal wall 1480. This configuration is advantageous over the terminal configurations shown in Figures 9-15, 18, 21-31, 32, 41-42, 45-46, 48, and 50 of International Application No. US2018 / 019787 because it enables (i) a shorter overall length, which means that less metal material is required for formation and male terminal 1470 can be installed in a tighter confined space; (ii) a higher current carrying capacity; (iii) easier assembly; (iv) improved structural rigidity due to contact arms 1494a-1494h being positioned inside first male terminal sidewall portions 1492a-1492d; (iv) the advantages disclosed in connection with International Application No. US2019 / 036010; and (v) other beneficial features disclosed herein or that can be inferred by one skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0037] The contact arm openings 1496a-1496l are integrally formed with the intermediate portions 1500a-1500d of the male terminal sidewalls 1482a-1482d. The contact arm openings 1496a-1496l extend along the lateral lengths of the contact arms 1494a-1494h to create a configuration that prevents the contact arms 1494a-1494h from laterally connecting to (i) another contact arm 1494a-1494h or (ii) structure outside the extent of the male terminal sidewall portions 1492a-1492d to which the contact arms 1494a-1494h are coupled. Additionally, the contact arm openings 1496a-1496l are aligned with the spring arm openings. This configuration of openings creates the same number of spring arms 1452a-1452h as the number of contact arms 1494a-1494h. 6-7 show eight spring arms 1452a-1452h and eight contact arms 1494a-1494h. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the number of spring arms 1452a-1452h may not match the number of contact arms 1494a-1494h. For example, there may be fewer spring arms 1452a-1452h.

[0038] The contact arms 1494a-1494h extend at an outward angle away from the rear male terminal wall 1484. In particular, the outward angle may be between 0.1 degrees and 16 degrees, preferably between 5 degrees and 12 degrees, and most preferably between 7 degrees and 8 degrees, between the outer surfaces of the male terminal side walls 1492a-1492d and the outer surfaces of the first portions of the contact arms 1494a-1494h. This outward angle is shown in multiple figures but may be best visualized in conjunction with FIGS. 7 and 10. This configuration allows the contact arms 1494a-1494h to be deflected or displaced inward by the female receptacle 2472 and toward the center 1490 of the male terminal 1470 when the male terminal assembly 1430 is inserted into the female terminal assembly 2430. This inward deflection is best seen in FIG. 73 and is evidenced by the gap 1550. This inward deflection helps ensure that contact arms 1494a-1494h are placed in contact with female receptacle 2472, thereby ensuring that a proper mechanical and electrical connection is made.

[0039] 7, the terminal ends of contact arms 1494a-1494h are positioned (i) within the apertures formed by U-shaped sidewall portions 1492a-1492d, (ii) substantially parallel to male terminal sidewalls 1492a-1492d, and (iii) against the flat outer surfaces of spring arms 1452a-1452h when spring member 1440c is inserted into spring receiver 1486. ​​This configuration is advantageous over the configuration shown in Figures 3-8 of International Application No. US2018 / 019787 because the assembler of male terminal assembly 1430 does not need to apply significant force to outwardly deform the majority of contact arms 1494a-1494h to accommodate spring member 1440c. This necessary deformation, best shown in FIG. 6 of International Application No. US2018 / 019787, is due to the inclination of the contact arms 11 and the fact that the outer surfaces of the spring arms 31 and the inner surfaces of the contact arms 11 are adjacent to one another without any gaps between them. In contrast to FIGS. 3-8 of International Application No. US2018 / 019787, FIG. 7 of the present application shows a very small gap formed between the outer surface of the spring member 1440c and the inner surfaces of the contact arms 1494a-1494h. Therefore, very little force is required to insert the spring member 1440c into the spring receiver 1486, due to the fact that the assembler does not need to apply a force that significantly deforms the contact arms 1494a-1494h during insertion of the spring 1440c.

[0040] The male terminal 1470 is typically formed from a single piece of material (e.g., metal), thereby making it a one-piece male terminal 1470 and having integrally formed features. To integrally form these features, the male terminal 1470 is typically formed using a die-cut process. However, it should be understood that other types of forming the male terminal 1470 may be utilized, such as molding or using an additive manufacturing process (e.g., 3D printing). In other embodiments, the features of the male terminal 1470 may not be formed from a single piece or integrally formed, but instead may be formed from separate pieces that are welded together. It should be understood that any number (e.g., 1 to 100) of contact arms 1494a-1494h may be formed within the male terminal 1470 when forming the male terminal 1470.

[0041] The positioning of the internal spring member 1440c within the male terminal assembly 1430 occurs over multiple steps or stages. DC 7 provides a first embodiment of a male terminal assembly 1430 in a partially mated state S PC 8 provides a first embodiment of a male terminal assembly 1430. And State S FC 6 provides a first embodiment of a male terminal assembly 1430 in an open or flat position P. A first stage of assembling the male terminal assembly 1430 is shown in FIG. O , and the spring member 1440c is separated from the male terminal 1470. O In this configuration, the front male terminal wall 1480 is substantially flush with one of the male terminal side walls 1482c. This configuration of the male terminal 1470 exposes the spring receiving portion 1486 and positions the male terminal 1470 to receive the spring member 1440c. A second stage of assembling the male terminal assembly 1430 is shown in FIG. 7, in which the front male terminal wall 1480 is in the open or horizontal position P OThe spring member 1440c remains in the spring receiving portion 1486 and is positioned or inserted into the spring receiving portion 1486. ​​To reach the inserted state, an insertion force, F I , is applied to the spring member 1440c to insert the spring member 1440c into the spring receiving portion 1486. I , is applied to the spring member 1440c until the second or rear male terminal wall 1484 is positioned adjacent to the rear spring wall 1444, the free end 1488 of the male terminal 1470 is substantially aligned with the free end 1446 of the spring member 1440c, and a portion of the male terminal side walls 1482a-1482d is positioned adjacent a portion of the spring member side walls 1442a-1442d.

[0042] The third stage of assembling the male terminal assembly 1430 is shown in FIG. 8, in which (i) the front male terminal wall 1480 is closed, or vertical P CL and (ii) the spring member 1440c is positioned within the spring receiving portion 1486. ​​To close the front male terminal wall 1480, an upward force, F U , is applied to the male terminal wall 1480, bending the male terminal wall around its seam to position the male terminal wall adjacent to the side walls 1482a-1482d. After the front male terminal wall 1480 is in place, the top edge is bonded (e.g., welded) to the side walls 1480 of the male terminal body 1472. Here, the closed or vertical P of the front male terminal wall 1480 is CL ensures that the spring member 800 is retained within the male terminal 1470. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the front male terminal wall 1480 may be omitted, may not have a contact-preventing probe opening therethrough, may not extend completely from the side walls 1482a-d (e.g., may extend partially from any of the side walls 1482a-d), or may be a separate piece coupled to both of the side walls 1482a-d.

[0043] The MIL assembly 1600 of the IL system 4000 is composed of multiple components and, when used in a high-voltage connector, may be referred to as a high-voltage male interlock, or male HVIL for short. Referring to Figures 16-19, the MIL 1600 is mainly composed of (i) a male IL holder 1620 and (ii) an IL jumper 1660. The male IL holder 1620 is designed so that (i) a certain area is positioned outside the side wall portions 1492a-1492d of the male terminal body 1472, (ii) a certain area is positioned outside the front male terminal wall 1480, and (iii) a certain area is positioned within the spring member 1440c. To achieve this positional relationship between the male IL holder 1620, the male terminal body 1472, and the spring member 1440c, the male IL holder 1620 has (i) an array of exterior side walls 1604, (ii) a front wall 1608, (iii) an array of interior side walls 1612, and (iv) a rear wall 1616. The array of exterior side walls 1604 is comprised of a plurality of exterior side walls 1605a-1605d, each of which includes a hole 1606a-1606d formed therethrough. These holes 1606a-1606d are designed to receive the contact arms 1494a-1494h. As shown in the figures (e.g., FIG. 20), each hole 1606a-1606d receives both contact arms 1494a-1994h formed in a single side wall 1482a-1482d of the male terminal body 1472. It should be understood that more or fewer holes 1606a-1606d may be utilized. For example, each contact arm 1494a-1494h may have its own hole, or two holes may be used, with two sets of contact arms 1494a-1494h positioned within each of these holes.

[0044] The front wall 1608 extends from the arrangement of exterior side walls 1604 and is designed to be positioned outwardly of the front male terminal wall 1480. This helps prevent accidental contact between the front male terminal wall 1480 and foreign objects. Extending from the front wall 1608 is an arrangement of interior side walls 1612. Specifically, the arrangement of interior side walls 1612 is comprised of a plurality of side walls 1614a-1614d configured to be positioned within the spring member 1440c. The configuration of the interior side walls 1614a-1614d and exterior side walls 1605a-1605d for the outer IL receiver 1622 is designed to receive a range of (i) the male terminal body 1472 and (ii) the spring member 1440c. The configuration of the interior side walls 1614a-1614d is such that they do not interfere with or interact with the spring member 1440c. In other words, the side walls 1614a to 1614d are positioned at the position S FCON 14. They are spaced apart so that they do not contact spring member 1440c even when compressed by female terminal assembly 2430 at .

[0045] The interior side walls 1614a-1614d are coupled to the rear wall 1616 to form the interior IL receptacle 1624. The rear wall 1616 includes an IL jumper coupling means 1628 designed to couple the IL jumper 1660 to the rear wall 1616. Here, the IL jumper coupling means 1628 is formed from the rear wall 1616 using an overmolding process. In other embodiments, the IL jumper coupling means 1628 may be of a different structure or have a different configuration. For example, the male IL holder 1620 and the IL jumper 1660 may be printed simultaneously using a 3D printing machine and coupled together using a mechanical locking structure or by using a chemical bonding method. Together, the IL jumper coupling means 1628 and the rear wall 1616 are configured to properly position the IL jumper 1660 in the correct location to mate with the FIL 2600.

[0046] Due to tight tolerances, the spring member 1440c should be precisely aligned within the male terminal body 1472 to ensure the IL jumper 1660 is in the proper location within the external connector 1000. Alternatively, if the spring member 1440c is misaligned within the male terminal body 1472 (e.g., see FIG. 14 ), the IL jumper 1660 will likely not be in the proper location within the external connector 1000 and will not be able to properly seat within the FIL 2600. This is problematic because unless the IL jumper 1660 is properly seated within the FIL 2600, current will not flow through the connector. As discussed above, this misalignment of the spring member 1440c within the terminal assembly 1600 is avoided by including the centering means 1453. This, in turn, ensures that the IL jumper is properly positioned within the external connector 1000, allowing the IL jumper 1660 to be properly seated within the FIL 2600. It should be understood that alternative methods of ensuring that the IL jumper 1660 is properly positioned within the external connector 1000 are contemplated by the present disclosure. For example, the male IL holder 1620 can be formed from a material designed to ensure that misaligned spring members are properly aligned within the male terminal body 1472. Alternatively, these parts may be 3D printed in a manner that ensures they are properly aligned and positioned. Overall, the positioning configuration that places the IL jumper 1660 within the terminal assembly 1430 offers significant advantages over conventional connectors that include interlocks. As discussed above, these advantages include (i) not requiring an increase in the size of the connector, and (ii) not substantially increasing the weight of the connector.

[0047] The strain relief assembly 1800 includes multiple components, such as a strain relief cap 1810, designed to relieve strain at the connection between the male terminal assembly 1430 and the wire 1495. Additional details regarding this strain relief assembly are disclosed in connection with International Application No. US2019 / 36070, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0048] Assembling the male connector assembly, second male connector assembly, or external male connector assembly 1000 occurs over multiple steps or stages. The first step in assembling the external male connector assembly 1000 is assembling the external male terminal assembly 1430 shown in Figures 6-8 and described above. As shown in Figure 15, the external male terminal assembly 1430 is in a fully mated state S FC After the external male terminal assembly 1430 is in the first partially assembled state S, the external male terminal assembly 1430 can be coupled to the wire 1495 and the external male connector assembly can be in the first partially assembled state S. PA1 The MIL1600 is then placed in a second partially assembled state S as shown in FIG. PA2 The shield cap 1250 can be assembled and coupled to the external male terminal assembly 1430 to create a third partially assembled state S 1 shown in FIG. 21 . PA3 Next, as shown in FIG. 22, the first section of the shield assembly 1210 is positioned outside the shield cap 1250 to create a fourth partially assembled state S PA4 This fourth partially assembled state S PA4 In the fifth partially assembled state S , wire 1495 is positioned within a receptacle formed by the walls of the first section of shield assembly 1210, and shield cap 1250 is positioned between rear wall 1484 of male terminal assembly 1430 and the first section of shield assembly 1210. Next, as shown in FIG. 23 , male terminal assembly 1430 and associated components (e.g., first section of shield assembly 1210, shield cap 1250, and a portion of wire 1495) are inserted into housing 1100 to form a fifth partially assembled state S . PA5 Form a fully assembled connector S FAIn the final step of creating the shield assembly 1230, the second section of the shield assembly 1230 is inserted into the external male connector assembly 1000, the strain relief assembly 1800 is coupled to the external male connector assembly 1000, and the CPA 1170 is partially inserted into the CPA receiving portion 1160.

[0049] Fully assembled S FA In (see Figures 25 and 27), the nesting of the following elements is explained below: The IL jumper 1660 is positioned within (i) the male IL holder 1620, (ii) the spring member 1440c, (iii) the male terminal body 1472, (iv) the second region of the shield housing 1230, and (v) the outer housing 1104. In other words, the IL jumper 1660 is positioned within (i) the region of the MIL 1600, (ii) the outer male terminal assembly 1430, (iii) the outer shield assembly 1200, and (iv) the outer housing assembly 1100. The area of ​​the male IL holder 1620 is positioned within (i) the spring member 1440c, (ii) the male terminal body 1472, (iii) the second area of ​​the shield housing 1230, and (iv) the outer housing 1104. In other words, the MIL 1600 is positioned within (i) the outer male terminal assembly 1430, (ii) the outer shield assembly 1200, and (iii) the outer housing assembly 1100. • The spring member 1440c is positioned within (i) the male terminal body 1472, (ii) the second region of the shield housing 1230, and (iii) the outer housing assembly 1100. • Male terminal body 1472 is positioned within (i) the second region of shield housing 1230 and (ii) outer housing assembly 1100. • Male terminal body 1472 is positioned within (i) the second region of shield housing 1230 and (ii) outer housing assembly 1100. A second section of the shield housing 1230 is positioned within the outer housing assembly 1100. It should be understood that one or more of these structures may be omitted or their location may be changed such that the structure is omitted from the above nested list. For example, the second region of shield housing 1230 may be omitted from this assembly and therefore would not be included in the above list.

[0050] 2) Internal male connector assembly The male connector assembly, first male connector assembly, or internal connector assembly 3000 includes multiple components designed to be positioned within the sidewall 204 of the battery pack 200. The internal connector assembly 3000 primarily consists of (i) a first housing assembly or internal housing assembly 3100, (ii) a first male terminal assembly or internal male terminal assembly 3430, and (iii) a busbar assembly 3900. It should be understood that reference numbers shown in the figures may be omitted from this specification for brevity, as similar structures bear similar numbers. For example, disclosure related to spring member 1440c is not repeated here, but would apply to spring member 3440c as if repeated herein. In other words, omitting a reference number from the specification or a specific disclosure of the function of that structure should not limit the disclosure of this application. Instead, reference should be made to disclosure of similar structures that may be discussed in another section of this or other applications incorporated herein by reference.

[0051] 28-37 , the male housing assembly, first housing assembly, or inner male housing assembly 3100 includes (i) a front housing member 3110, (ii) a rear housing member 3140, and (iii) an inner locking member 3180. The front housing member 3110 is designed to (i) receive the majority of the extent of the inner male terminal assembly 3430 and (ii) interact with a portion of the intermediate female connector assembly 2000 to couple the inner male connector assembly 3000 to the intermediate female connector assembly 2000. The rear housing member 3140 is configured to interact with the front housing member 3110 to retain the inner male terminal assembly 3430 within the inner housing assembly 3100. Finally, similar to the CPA 1170 described above in connection with the outer male connector assembly 1000, the inner locking member 3180 is designed to ensure that the inner male connector assembly 3000 is properly connected to the intermediate female connector assembly 2000.

[0052] The male terminal assembly, first terminal assembly, or inner terminal assembly 3430 has the same configuration as the outer male terminal assembly 1430, and therefore the above disclosure will not be repeated here. It should be understood, however, that like numbers represent like structures throughout these components. For example, the disclosure relates to spring member 1440c being applied with equal force to spring member 3440c. It should also be understood that the inner male terminal assembly 3430 may be different from the outer male terminal assembly 1430. For example, the male terminal assembly may be any terminal assembly 1343, 3430 disclosed in International Applications: (i) International Application No. US2020 / 14484, (ii) International Application No. US2020 / 13757, or (iii) International Application No. US2019 / 36010. Additionally, there may be two or more inner male terminal assemblies 3430 coupled to a single outer male terminal assembly 1430. An example of this is shown in Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 988,972, which is incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, a single inner male terminal assembly 3430 may be coupled to multiple outer male terminal assemblies 1430.

[0053] The internal male terminal assembly 3430 may be coupled to a wire, but in certain embodiments, such as the assembly shown in the figures herein, the internal male terminal assembly 3430 may be coupled to a bus bar 3900. The bus bar includes (i) a bus bar conductor 3910, and (i) an insulator 3980. The bus bar 3900 may have any features that are the same as or similar to, be configured in a similar manner, and / or function as the bus bars disclosed in PCT Patent Application, International Application No. US2020 / 14484, Provisional Patent Application Nos. 62 / 897,962 and 63 / 051,639, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0054] Assembling the male connector assembly, internal connector assembly, internal male connector assembly 3000 occurs over multiple steps or stages. The first step in assembling the internal male connector assembly 3000 is assembling the internal male terminal assembly 3430. The fully mated S FC After this, the bus bar assembly 3900 can then be attached to the inner male terminal assembly 3430, thereby providing a first partially assembled state S PA1 As shown in FIG. 32, the rear housing member 3140 is positioned adjacent to the rear wall of the male terminal assembly 3430 to create a second partially assembled state S PA2 33, the inner male terminal assembly 3430 is then positioned within the front housing member 3110, which is coupled to the rear housing member to create a connector in a third partially assembled state S PA3 Form a connector at

[0055] Fully assembled S FA (see Figures 35 and 37), the nesting of the following elements is explained below: The spring member 3440c is positioned within (i) the male terminal body 3472 and (ii) the inner housing 3100; The male terminal body 1472 is positioned within the inner housing 3100.

[0056] 3) Intermediate female connector assembly The female connector assembly, mid-connector assembly, or mid-female connector assembly 2000 includes multiple components designed to be positioned within the sidewall 204 of the battery pack 200. The female or mid-connector assembly 2000 primarily consists of (i) a female or mid-housing assembly 2100, (ii) a female or mid-shield assembly 2200, (iii) a female terminal assembly 2430, and (iv) a female interlock assembly (FIL) 2600.

[0057] The female housing assembly, mid-housing assembly, or mid-female housing assembly 2100 extends through the bulkhead or sidewall 204 of the battery pack 200. As such, the mid-housing assembly 2100 is designed to protect and insulate the female terminal assembly 2430 from the bulkhead or sidewall 204 of the battery pack 200. To accomplish this, the mid-housing assembly 2100 receives the female terminal assembly 2430 and includes (i) an outer extent 2110 and (ii) an inner extent 2160. The outer extent 2110 is positioned primarily outside the battery pack 200 within the battery pack wall 204, while the inner extent 2160 is positioned primarily within the battery pack 200. The outer extent 2110 of the mid-housing assembly 2100 is configured and designed to hold the female terminal assembly 2430 and to interface with the external male connector assembly 1000. 47, the outer extent 2110 includes an assembly of side walls 2112 comprised of a plurality of outer side walls 2114a-2114d and a plurality of inner side walls 2116a-2116d. Specifically, the plurality of inner side walls 2116a-2116d (i) form a female terminal assembly receptacle 2118 designed to receive and retain a range of female terminal assemblies 2430, and (ii) are configured to aid in mating of the female terminal assemblies 2430 with the outer terminal assembly 1430.

[0058] The female terminal assembly 2430 is retained within the plurality of interior side walls 2116a-d by (i) the female IL retainer 2680 and (ii) the configuration of the exterior housing area 2110 and the interior housing area 2160. First, the female IL retainer 2680 includes a locking member 2682 received by IL lock receivers 2117a, 2117c formed in two of the plurality of interior side walls 2116a-d. Second, both the exterior area 2110 and the interior area 2160 include sloped or angled walls 2134a-d, 2170a-d that extend rearward from the front edge of the housing 2100 and are designed to compress the contact arms 1494, 3494 of the terminal assemblies 1430, 3430. The configuration and design of these sloped or slanted walls 2134a-2134d, 2170a-2170d are described in detail in International Application No. US2019 / 36070, which is incorporated herein. These sloped or slanted walls 2134a-2134d, 2170a-2170d have rear edges that abut the edges of the female terminal assembly 2430. As a result, when the inner extent 2160 is mated with the outer extent 2110, the female terminal assembly 2430 is retained between the rear edges of these sloped or slanted walls 2134a-2134d, 2170a-2170d. It is understood that other configurations for retaining the female terminal assembly 2430 within the mid-housing assembly 2100 may be used and are contemplated by the present disclosure.

[0059] The configuration of the plurality of outer side walls 2114a-2114d and the plurality of inner side walls 2116a-2116d allows the mid-shield assembly 2200 to be positioned within the mid-housing assembly 2100. Specifically, the mid-shield assembly 2200 is positioned between the plurality of inner side walls 2116a-2116d and the plurality of outer side walls 2114a-2114d. To retain the mid-shield assembly 2200 within the mid-housing assembly 2100, the plurality of inner side walls 2116a-2116d include a mid-shield receiving portion 2140. This mid-shield assembly 2200 will be discussed in more detail below.

[0060] The plurality of outer sidewalls 2114a-2114d form an outer housing receptacle 2122, which includes (i) a sealing member recess 2126, (ii) a plurality of bulkhead coupling receptacles 2130, and (iii) an external connector coupler 2135. The sealing member recess 2126 receives a range of seals 2108. The seals 2108 are designed to form a seal between the bulkhead or sidewall 204 of the battery pack 200 and the outer housing receptacle 2122, thereby helping to ensure the durability of the battery pack 200. The plurality of bulkhead coupling receptacles 2130 are receptacles designed to receive a range of elongated couplers 2196a-2196d. As shown in the embodiments disclosed herein, the elongated couplers 2196a-2196d are threaded with external threads sized to cooperate with the internal threads of a receptacle formed in the bulkhead or sidewall 204 of the battery pack 200. Other types of elongated couplers 2196a-2196d may be utilized, such as quarter-turn screws, bayonet connectors, pin and socket, or any other type of similar removable elongated coupler. Finally, the outer connector coupler 2135 is a protrusion designed to be received by a section of the outer housing 1104, specifically the CPA receiver 1160. Once the intermediate housing assembly 2100 is coupled to the outer housing assembly 1100, the CPA 1170 can be engaged by a user and the connector assembly can be moved from a fully connected state to a ready-to-use state (discussed in more detail below).

[0061] The interior extent 2160 of the mid-housing assembly 2100 is configured and designed to retain the female terminal assemblies 2430 and to interface with the inner male connector assembly 3000. As best shown in FIG. 47 , the interior extent 2160 includes a plurality of side walls 2164a-d configured to (i) receive and retain the female terminal assemblies 2430, and (ii) assist in mating the female terminal assemblies 2430 with the inner terminal assembly 3430. As discussed above, both of these functions are accomplished by sloped or angled walls 2170a-d extending rearward from the front edge of the housing 2100 and designed to compress the contact arms 3494 of the terminal assemblies 3430.

[0062] Exterior extent 2110 of mid-housing assembly 2100 is coupled to interior extent 2160 of mid-housing assembly 2100 by housing coupling means 2102. In particular, interior extent 2160 includes coupling protrusions 2104 that are received by coupling receptacles 2106 formed in exterior extent 2110. When interior extent 2160 is coupled to exterior extent 2110, female terminal assembly 2430 is retained within mid-housing assembly 2100 by the configuration of sloped or angled walls 2134a-2134d, 2170a-2170d.

[0063] The female, mid, or mid-female shield assembly 2200 is designed to shield or reduce EMI noise associated with the connector system 100. The mid shield assembly 2200 includes a mid shield housing 2204 and a plurality of mid shield fingers 2206. The mid shield housing 2204 is configured to be positioned between a plurality of outer side walls 2114a-2114d and a plurality of inner side walls 2116a-2116d. As such, the mid shield housing 2204 encloses a majority of the female terminal assembly 2430 and contacts the second extent of the shield housing 1230 when the connector system 100 is in a fully connected or ready-to-use state. This configuration forms an electrical shield extending from the bulkhead 204 through the mid shield housing 2204 to the outer shield housing 1200. This allows EMI noise generated by the connector system 100 to be transmitted to the side wall 204 of the battery pack 200.

[0064] The structure connecting the mid-shield housing 2204 to the bulkhead or sidewall 204 of the battery pack 200 is a plurality of mid-shield fingers 2206. Specifically, these fingers 2206 are integrally formed with the mid-shield housing 2204 and are designed to fit within the shield recesses 2180a-2180h formed in the outer extent 2110 of the mid-housing assembly 2100. The ends of the fingers 2206 are rounded to allow the fingers 2206 to remain in contact with the inner surface of the sidewall 204. In other words, the fingers 2206 flex and move with the connector system 100 to ensure that the shields 1200, 2200 remain connected to the battery pack 200 as the battery pack 200 moves.

[0065] The female terminal assembly 2430 includes a plurality of side walls 2434a-2434d that form a female receptacle 2472 designed to electrically and mechanically connect the outer terminal assembly 1430 to the inner terminal assembly 3430. The cross-sectional shape of the female receptacle 2472 is substantially square; however, it should be understood that the cross-sectional shape of the female receptacle 2472 may be modified to match the external shape (e.g., circular, hexagonal, etc.) of the terminal assembly with which it mates.

[0066] Each wall in the plurality of side walls 2434a-d has features formed therein for receiving and retaining female IL assembly 2600. Specifically, an intermediate area of ​​top wall 2434a is removed, and side walls 2434b, 2434c each include a notch 2440a, 2440b formed therein for receiving locking protrusion 2686 of IL retainer 2680, and an opening formed therein for receiving locking member 2682 of female IL retainer 2680. The combination of the removed area, notch, and opening allows female terminal assembly 2430 to receive and retain female IL assembly 2600.

[0067] Additional details regarding the female terminal assembly 2430 are generally discussed in International Application Nos. US2020 / 13757, US2019 / 36127, US2019 / 36070, and US2019 / 36010, and therefore these details will not be repeated here. Generally, however, the female terminal assembly 2430 may be made of a conductive material (e.g., copper) and may be stamped, pressed, drawn, modeled, cast, printed, or similar manufacturing methods may be utilized. Other geometries and configurations for positioning the IL receiver 2660 in the appropriate location are contemplated by the present disclosure.

[0068] Similar to the MIL assembly 1600, the FIL assembly 2600 is comprised of multiple components and, when used in a high-voltage connector, may be referred to as a high-voltage female interlock, or female HVIL for short. The female IL assembly 2600 primarily comprises (i) a female IL holder 2620, (ii) a female IL receptacle 2660, and (iii) a female IL retainer 2680. The female IL holder 2620 is designed to properly position the female IL receptacle 2660 to receive the male IL jumper 1660. To achieve this positioning, the female IL holder 2620 includes (i) an array of side walls 2622 that receive and retain the female IL receptacle 2660, and (ii) a rear wall 2624. The rear wall 2624 has an irregular perimeter designed to interact with the IL retainer 2680 and the multiple side walls 2434a-d that form the female receptacle 2472. In particular, rear wall 2624 includes a retainer notch 2628 designed to receive front protrusion 2684. Next, opposite retainer notch 2628, rear wall 2624 includes a bottom protrusion 2630 that is received by an opening formed in bottom wall 2434c of female receptacle 2472. Finally, rear wall 2624 includes side protrusions 2632a, 2632b that are received by notches 2440a, 2440b. This combination of retainer notch 2628, bottom protrusion 2630, and side protrusions 2632a, 2632b helps ensure that female IL holder 2620 stays in place.

[0069] The female interlock (FIL) assembly 2600 is shown in its fully assembled female state. FAFThe FIL assembly is positioned within a female terminal assembly 2430 that resides within the receptacle of the female housing to define a male terminal assembly 2430, and the FIL assembly is configured to be coupled to an interlock circuit 4010 that prevents electrical current from flowing through the female terminal assembly 2430 prior to connection of the female terminal assembly 2430 to the male terminal assembly 1430. The female IL retainer 2680 assists in holding the female IL holder 2620 in place. In particular, the female IL retainer 2680 includes (i) a locking member 2682, (ii) a front protrusion 2684, and (iii) side protrusions 2632a, 2632b. Generally, the female IL retainer 2680 fits within a plurality of side walls 2434a-d that form the female receptacle 2472, filling the openings formed therein. As explained above, locking member 2682 fits into female IL lock receivers 2117a, 2117c, front protrusion 2684 fits within retainer notch 2628, and side protrusions 2632a, 2632b are received by notches 2440a, 2440b. By locating structure that interacts with female IL retainer 2680 on all sides of female receptacle 2472, female IL retainer 2680 does not deform due to forces experienced by female IL retainer 2680. However, in other configurations, female IL retainer 2680 may be supported on three sides or only two sides.

[0070] Assembling the intermediate female connector assembly 2000 occurs over multiple steps or stages. The first step in assembling the intermediate female connector assembly 2000 is shown in FIG. 42, which shows the intermediate female connector assembly 2000 in a first partially assembled state S PA1 The female IL receiver 2660 is inserted into the female IL holder 2620, which in turn is inserted into the female receptacle 2472 to form the second partially assembled state S PA2 The female IL assembly 2600 and female terminal assembly 2430 are formed by inserting the female IL retainer 2680 into the female receptacle 2472 (shown in FIG. 43). The female IL assembly 2600 and the female terminal assembly 2430 are inserted into the outer extent 2110 of the mid-housing assembly 2100 (shown in FIG. 44) to form a third partially assembled state S PA3The combination of mid-housing assembly 2100, female IL assembly 2600, and female terminal assembly 2430 is then placed in a fourth partially assembled state S PA4 45) of the battery pack 200 to form a fully assembled state S FA To form this (shown in FIG. 47 ), elongated couplers 2196a-2196d are utilized to secure housing assembly 2100 to side wall 204, inner extent 2160 of intermediate housing assembly 2100 is coupled to outer extent 2110 of intermediate housing assembly 2100, and intermediate shield assembly 2200 is inserted within outer extent 2110 of intermediate housing assembly 2100 until fingers 2206 contact the inner surface of side wall 204.

[0071] Fully assembled S FA In (shown in Figure 47), the nesting of the following elements is explained below: The female IL receiver 2660 is positioned within (i) the female IL holder 2620, (ii) the female receptacle 2472, (iii) the outer extent of the mid-housing 2110, and (iv) the mid-shield housing 2204. In other words, the female IL receiver 2660 is positioned within (i) the female terminal assembly 2430, (ii) the mid-housing 2100, and (iii) the mid-shield assembly 2200; The female IL holder 2620 is positioned within (i) the female receptacle 2472, (ii) the outer extent of the mid-housing 2110, and (iii) the mid-shield housing 2204. In other words, the female IL holder 2620 is positioned within (i) the female terminal assembly 2430, (ii) the mid-housing 2100, and (iii) the mid-shield assembly 2200; The female receptacle 2472 is positioned (i) within the outer extent of the intermediate housing 2110 and (ii) within the intermediate shield housing 2204; The outer extent of the intermediate housing 2110 is positioned within the intermediate shield housing 2204. It should be understood that one or more of these structures may be omitted or their location may be changed such that the structure is omitted from the above nested list. For example, mid-shield housing 2204 may be omitted from this assembly and thus not included in the above list.

[0072] As explained above, the IL system 4000 also includes an interlock circuit 4010 that prevents current from flowing through the intermediate connector 2000 before the male terminal body 1472 engages with the female receptacle 2472. Examples of circuits that may be used are shown in FIG. 74 and in the following U.S. Patent Nos. 7,084,361, 7,508,097, 7,586,722, 8,466,586, 9,327,601, 9,533,639, or 9,851,387, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. For example, the interlock circuit 4010 may include (i) components of a battery management system 4020, including a sensing module 4022 and a disconnect controller 4024, and (ii) a disconnect switch 4030. The sensing module 4022 is coupled to the female IL receptacle 2660 and detects when a circuit is closed by the insertion of the male IL jumper 1660. When the circuit is closed, the sensing module 4022 sends a signal to the disconnect controller 4024 to close the disconnect switch 4030. When the disconnect switch 4030 is closed, current can flow from the power source 206 through the switch 4030 to the connector system 100. Alternatively, when the male IL jumper 1660 is not inserted into the female IL receptacle 2660, the sensing module 4022 sends a signal to the disconnect controller 4024 to open the disconnect switch 4030. When the disconnect switch 4030 is open, current cannot flow from the power source 206 through the switch 4030 to the connector system 100. For clarity, a chart illustrating the operation of these components is provided in FIG. 74B. This is a design aid to prevent foreign objects from contacting the connector assemblies 1000, 2000, 3000 which can discharge current to the foreign object.

[0073] 48 to 71 show the system 100 in the separated state S of FIGS. DCON From the state S shown in Figures 68 to 71 where the device is ready for use R The first steps of coupling the intermediate female connector assembly 2000 to the wall 204 of the battery pack 200 are assumed to be those described above in connection with assembling the intermediate female connector assembly 2000. However, if these steps have not been performed before reaching this stage, they should be completed before the steps described in connection with coupling the connectors 1000, 2000, 3000 to one another.

[0074] The first partially connected state S PCON1 52-55. As shown in these figures, the contact arms 3494a-3494h of the inner male connector assembly 3000 are about to come into contact with the sloped or inclined surfaces 2170a-2170d of the intermediate female connector assembly 2000. The sloped or inclined surfaces 2170a-2170d gently and smoothly compress the contact arms 3494a-3494h until they can easily slide into contact with the inner surface of the female receptacle 2472. This process is described in more detail in International Application No. US2019 / 36070, which is incorporated herein. Once the inner male connector assembly 3000 is fully connected to the intermediate female connector assembly 2000, the system 100 is in a first partially connected state S. PCON1 to the second partially connected state S PCON2 is moving to.

[0075] The second partially connected state S PCON256-59. As shown in these figures, contact arms 3494a-3494h contact the inner surface of female receptacle 2472, forming a 360-degree compliant connection. Compressing contact arms 3494a-3494h to fit within female receptacle 2472 compresses spring arms 3452a-3452h of spring member 3440c. This compression creates a biasing force that helps ensure contact arms 3494a-3494h contact female receptacle 2472. This biasing force is described in International Application Publication Nos. US2019 / 36070 and US2019 / 36010, both of which are incorporated herein. When system 100 is in a second partially connected state S PCN2 , the inner male connector assembly 3000 is fully mated to the intermediate female connector assembly 2000.

[0076] The third partially connected state S PCON3 60-63. As shown in these figures, the contact arms 1494a-1494h of the outer male connector assembly 1000 are about to make contact with the sloped or inclined surfaces 2134a-2134d of the intermediate female connector assembly 2000. The sloped or inclined surfaces 2134a-2134d gently and smoothly compress the contact arms 1494a-1494h until they can easily slide into contact with the inner surface of the female receptacle 2472. This process is described in more detail in International Application No. US2019 / 36070, which is incorporated herein. As shown in these images, the MIL 1600 is not electrically connected to the FIL 2600; in other words, the male IL jumper 1660 is not received by the female IL receiver 1660. This ensures that the female terminal assembly 2430 is not "hot" or that current does not flow from the inner male connector assembly 3000 to the intermediate female connector assembly 2000. Once the inner male connector assembly 1000 is fully connected to the intermediate female connector assembly 2000, the system 100 is in a first partially connected state S PCONN3 to the second partially connected state S FCON is moving to.

[0077] Fully connected state S FCON 64-67. As shown in these figures, contact arms 1494a-1494h contact the inner surface of female receptacle 2472, forming a 360-degree compliant connection. This 360-degree compliant connection is formed by cooperatively arranging and dimensioning contact arms 1494a-1494h in a manner that positions one contact arm 1494a-1494h against each side wall of female terminal assembly 2430, the side walls of which are right-angled prisms. Compressing contact arms 1494a-1494h to fit within female receptacle 2472 compresses spring arms 1452a-1452h of spring member 1440c. This compression creates a biasing force that helps ensure contact arms 1494a-1494h contact female receptacle 2472. This biasing force is described in International Application Publication Nos. US2019 / 36070 and US2019 / 36010. In addition to contacting contact arms 1494a-1494h with the inner surface of female receptacle 2472, male IL jumper 1660 is received by female IL receptacle 2660. By female IL receptacle 2660 receiving male IL jumper 1660, IL system 4000 is connected and female terminal assembly 2430 is "hot," or has current flowing from inner male connector assembly 3000 to intermediate female connector assembly 2000. In other words, fully connected state S FCON , the MIL 1600 is electrically connected to the FIL 2600, allowing current to flow from the inner male connector assembly 3000 through the intermediate female connector assembly 2000 to the outer male connector assembly 1000.

[0078] Ready to use R68-71. As shown in these figures, a force is applied to the CPA 1170, thereby positioning it over the external connector coupler 2135. Once this occurs, the external male connector assembly 1000 is locked to the intermediate female connector assembly 2000. Finally, the installer can scan the area of ​​the CPA 1170 that is visible through the opening in the housing, as described in U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 897,658.

[0079] Fully connected state S FCON or ready to use S R In (see Figures 65-73), the nesting of MIL1600 and its components is described below. The ranges of the IL jumper 1660 are positioned within (i) the female IL receptacle 2660, (ii) the female IL holder 2620, (iii) the male IL holder 1620, (iv) the spring member 1440c, (v) the male terminal body 1472, (vi) the female receptacle 2472, (vii) the outer range of the intermediate housing 2110, (viii) the intermediate shield housing 2204, (ix) the second range of the outer shield housing 1230, and (x) the outer housing 1104. In other words, the ranges of the IL jumper 1660 are positioned within (i) the FIL 2600, (ii) the outer male terminal assembly 1430, (iii) the female terminal assembly 2430, (iv) the intermediate housing 2100, (v) the intermediate shield assembly 2200, (vi) the outer shield assembly 1200, and (vii) the outer housing assembly 1100. Also, a range of IL jumpers 1660 are positioned within the intermediate female connector assembly 2000, The range of the male IL holder 1620 is positioned outside of (i) the female IL receiving portion 2660 and (ii) the female IL holder 2620. The range of the male IL holder 1620 is positioned within (i) the spring member 1440c, (ii) the male terminal body 1472, (iii) the female receptacle 2472, (iv) the outer range of the intermediate housing 2110, (v) the intermediate shield housing 2204, (vi) the second range of the outer shield housing 1230, and (vii) the outer housing 1104. In other words, the range of the male IL holder 1620 is positioned outside of the FIL 2600. A range of male IL holders 1620 are positioned within (i) outer male terminal assembly 1430, (ii) female terminal assembly 2430, (iii) mid-housing 2100, (iv) mid-shield assembly 2200, (v) outer shield assembly 1200, and (vi) outer housing assembly 1100. A range of male IL holders 1620 are also positioned within mid-female connector assembly 2000.

[0080] Fully connected state S FCON or ready to use S R In (see Figures 65-73), the nesting of FIL 2600 and its components is described below. The range of the female IL receiver 2660 is positioned outside the IL jumper 1660. The range of the female IL receiver 2660 is positioned within (i) the female IL holder 2620, (ii) the male IL holder 1620, (iii) the spring member 1440c, (iv) the male terminal body 1472, (v) the female receptacle 2472, (vi) the outer range of the intermediate housing 2110, (vii) the intermediate shield housing 2204, (viii) the second range of the outer shield housing 1230, and (ix) the outer housing 1104. In other words, the range of the female IL receiver 2660 is positioned within (i) the MIL 1600, (ii) the outer male terminal assembly 1430, (iii) the female terminal assembly 2430, (iv) the intermediate housing 2100, (v) the intermediate shield assembly 2200, (vi) the outer shield assembly 1200, and (vii) the outer housing assembly 1100. Additionally, a female IL receiver 2660 is positioned within the external male connector assembly 1000, The range of the female IL holder 2620 is positioned outside the IL jumper 1660 and the female IL receptacle 2660. The range of the female IL holder 2620 is positioned within (i) the male IL holder 1620, (ii) the spring member 1440c, (iii) the male terminal body 1472, (iv) the female receptacle 2472, (v) the outer range of the intermediate housing 2110, (vi) the intermediate shield housing 2204, (vii) the second range of the outer shield housing 1230, and (viii) the outer housing 1104. In other words, the range of the female IL holder 2620 is positioned within (i) the MIL 1600, (ii) the outer male terminal assembly 1430, (iii) the female terminal assembly 2430, (iv) the intermediate housing 2100, (v) the intermediate shield assembly 2200, (vi) the outer shield assembly 1200, and (vii) the outer housing assembly 1100. Also positioned within the external male connector assembly 1000 is a range of female IL receivers 2660 . It should be understood that one or more of these structures may be omitted or their location may be changed such that the structure is omitted from the above nested list. For example, the middle shield housing 2204 and the second extent of the shield housing 1230 may be omitted from this assembly and therefore would not be included in the above list.

[0081] Second embodiment 88-109, a second embodiment of a connector system 5100 includes multiple components designed to electrically and mechanically connect one device or component to another device or component in a power distribution environment. The second embodiment of the connector system 5100 primarily comprises (i) a male connector assembly 6000 and (ii) a female connector assembly 7000. The male connector assembly 6000 includes (i) a housing assembly 6100, (ii) a shield assembly 6200, (iii) a male terminal assembly 6430 including a male terminal 6470 and a spring member 6440d, (iv) a male interlock assembly 6600, (v) a strain relief assembly 6800, and (vi) a wire 6495. The female connector assembly 7000 includes (i) a housing assembly 7100, (ii) a shield assembly 7200, (iii) a female terminal assembly 7430 including a female receptacle 7472, and (iv) a female interlock assembly 7600. It should be understood that reference numbers shown in the figures may be omitted from this specification for brevity, as similar structures bear similar numbers. For example, disclosure related to spring member 1440c is not repeated here, but applies to spring member 6440d as if repeated here. In other words, omission of a reference number from the specification or specific disclosure of the function of that structure should not limit the disclosure of the present application. Instead, reference should be made to disclosure of similar structure, which may be discussed in another section of this or other applications incorporated herein by reference.

[0082] The IL system 8000 of this second embodiment of connector system 5100 functions in the same manner as the IL system 4000 disclosed above in connection with the first embodiment of connector system 100. In particular, because the MIL6600 is not coupled to the FIL7600, no current is applied to the female connector assembly 7000 when the system 5100 is in the partially connected state shown in FIGS. 102-105. In contrast, because the MIL6600 is coupled to the FIL7600, current is applied to the female connector assembly 7000 when the system 5100 is in the fully connected state shown in FIGS. 106-109. Additional details regarding the circuitry, operation, functionality, and installation environment of the IL system 8000 were disclosed above in connection with the IL system 4000 and apply to the IL system 8000. As such, these additional details will not be repeated herein.

[0083] The primary differences between the first embodiment of system 100 and the second embodiment of system 5100 include (i) the inclusion of two male terminal assemblies 6430 and two female terminal assemblies 7430 within housings 6100, 7100, (ii) the positioning of MIL1600 and FIL2600 from the inside of terminals 1430, 2430 to the outside of terminals 6430, 7430, and (iii) the different configuration of male terminal body 6472 and spring member 6440d. First, the inclusion of two terminals 6430, 7430 within housings 6100, 7100 allows the designer to increase the current carrying capacity of connector system 5100. However, in doing so, the design must consider current creep and therefore position the terminals 6430, 7430 at an appropriate distance from each other. Second, unlike the first embodiment of system 100, this second embodiment of system 5100 positions MIL1600 and FIL2600 outside of terminals 6430, 7430. This alternative arrangement is a disadvantage because it typically increases the size of connector system 100, 5100. However, when multiple terminals are utilized, due to the structural and positional relationship of terminals 1430, 3430, 6430, there is sufficient space to position MIL6600 and FIL7600 outside of terminals 6430, 7430 without increasing package size. Nevertheless, it should be understood that MIL6600 and FIL7600 may be positioned inside of the terminals, as discussed above.

[0084] Third, the configuration of the male terminal body 6472 differs from previous versions, with the differences being (i) the omission of the "U-shaped" sidewalls disclosed in at least International Application Nos. US2019 / 036010 and US2020 / 049870; (ii) the contact arm openings 6496a-6496h have variable widths, the width of the openings varying as the contact arms 6494a-6494h approach the sidewalls 6492a-6492h relative to the openings adjacent the free end 1488; 2d, (iii) the width of the contact arms 6494a-6494h is not uniform throughout the arms, but instead is narrower adjacent where the contact arms 6494a-6494h are coupled to the side walls 6492a-6492d compared to the opening adjacent the free end 1488, and (iv) the width of the contact arms 6494a-6494h does not match the width of the spring arms 6452a-6452h. Finally, the configuration of the spring member 6440d differs from the previous version, the difference including the inclusion of centering means 6453 extending from a selected number of the spring arms 6452a-6452d. In the illustrated embodiment, the centering means 6453 is a "J-shaped" protrusion 6456a-6456d that extends from a lower extent of the spring arms 6452a-6452d and is designed to wrap around the outer surfaces of the contact arms 6494a-6494h when the spring member 6440d is positioned within the spring receiver 6486. While the above paragraphs have described some of the differences between this second embodiment terminal assembly 6430 and connector system 5100 as compared to the first embodiment terminal assemblies 1430, 3430 and connector system 100, it should be understood that other differences may be seen and understood by one skilled in the art when comparing the figures included within this application.

[0085] The system 100, 5100 is T4 / V4 / S3 / D2 / M2, where the system 100, 5100 meets and exceeds the following: (i) T4 is exposure of the system 100 to 150°C, (ii) V4 is severe vibration, (iii) S1 is sealed high pressure spray, (iv) D2 is 200k mile durability, and (v) M2 is less than 45 Newtons of force required to connect the male terminal assembly 1430, 3430, 6430 to the female terminal assembly 800. In addition to being T4 / V4 / S3 / D2 / M2 compliant, the system 100, 5100 is Push, Click, Tag, Scan (PCTS) compliant, more information about this standard is disclosed in International Application No. US2020 / 049870.

[0086] It should be understood that the male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 and female terminal assemblies 2430, 7430 disclosed in this application may be replaced with the male and female terminal assemblies disclosed in International Application No. US2018 / 019787 or International Application No. US2019 / 036010. Additionally, de-ratings of some of these connectors include ratings for operation at 55°C rise over ambient (RoA), or 80°C with an 80% de-rating: (i) 50mm 2 245amps, 75mm wire 2 280amps, 100mm wire 2 330 amps in wire, (ii) 100 mm 2 335amps, 150mm wire 2 365amps, 200mm wire 2 395 amps with wire, (iii) 16 mm 2 190amps, 25mm wire 2 220amps, 35mm wire 2 236amps with 50mm wire 2 245 amps with wire, (iv) 100 mm 2 365 amps with wire, (v) Figure 114 is 16 mm 2(vi) 16mm wire capable of carrying 185 amps 2 88 amps in wire, and (vii) 25 mm 2 It runs 225 amps at the wire. Additionally, other performance specifications of the systems 100, 5100 disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0087] The spring members shown in Figures 5-10 contained in International Application No. US2019 / 36010 may be modified to include spring members that include centering means 1453. Furthermore, it should be understood that alternative configurations of connector assemblies 1000, 2000, 3000, 6000, 7000 are possible. For example, any number of male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 (as shown in 6100) may be positioned within housing 1100, 3100. The following are some examples of possible configurations: The internal male connector housing 3100 may be configured to include a plurality (e.g., 2-30, preferably 2-8, and most preferably 2-4) of male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430. The intermediate female connector assembly 2000 may be reconfigured to receive these multiple male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 and connect them to a single male terminal assembly contained within the external male connector assembly 1000. The outer male connector housing 1100 may be configured to include a plurality (e.g., 2-30, preferably 2-8, most preferably 2-4) of male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430. The intermediate female connector assembly 2000 may be reconfigured to receive these multiple male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 and connect them to a single male terminal assembly contained within the inner male connector assembly 3000. Both the internal and external male connector housings 1100, 3100 may be configured to include a plurality (e.g., 2-30, preferably 2-8, most preferably 2-4) of male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 as shown in any of the figures contained herein. The intermediate female connector assembly 2000 may be reconfigured to receive these multiple male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 from the internal male connector assembly 3000 and connect them to the multiple male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 included within the external male connector assembly 1000. Additionally, alternative configurations of the connector system 100, 5100 are possible. The female connector assembly 2000, 7000 may be reconfigured to receive multiple of these male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 into a single female terminal assembly 2430, 7430.

[0088] It should be understood that when multiple male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 are utilized, multiple IL systems 4000, 9000 may be utilized. For example, if current is supplied by two different power sources and each male terminal assembly 1430, 3430, 6430 is connected to a separate, distinct power source, each assembly 1430, 3430, 6430 may have its own IL system 4000, 9000. This is desirable because each IL system 4000, 9000 can control the supply of current to its associated assembly 1430, 3430, 6430, thereby providing desired selectivity. However, it should be understood that because two different male terminal assemblies 1430, 3430, 6430 are contained within a single connector 1000, 3000, 6000, the connector 1000, 3000, 6000 need not include multiple IL systems 4000, 9000.

[0089] It should be understood that the intermediate female connector assembly 2000 can be replaced with an alternative housing and an alternative female terminal assembly having a structural design similar to one of the housing portions and terminal assemblies disclosed in connection with the second embodiment of the system 5100. It should also be understood that the male terminal assembly can have any number of contact arms 1494, 3494, 6494 (e.g., 2 to 100, preferably 2 to 50, and most preferably 2 to 8) and any number of spring arms 1452, 3452, 6452 (e.g., 2 to 100, preferably 2 to 50, and most preferably 2 to 8). As discussed above, the number of contact arms 1494, 3494, 6494 does not have to equal the number of spring arms. For example, there can be more contact arms 1494, 3494, 6494 than there are spring arms 1452, 3452, 6452. Alternatively, there may be fewer contact arms 1494 , 3494 , 6494 than spring arms 1452 , 3452 , 6452 .

[0090] Materials and Disclosures Incorporated by Reference International Application Nos. US2021 / 033446, US2020 / 050018, US2020 / 049870, US2020 / 014484, US2020 / 013757, US2019 / 036127, US2019 / 036070, US2019 / 036010, and US2018 / 019787, U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 194,891, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 681 ,973, 62 / 792,881, 62 / 795,015, 62 / 897,658, 62 / 897,962, 62 / 988,972, 63 / 051,639, 63 / 058,061, 63 / 068,622, 63 / 109,135, 63 / 159,689, and 63 / 222,859 are each incorporated by reference in their entirety and made a part of this specification.

[0091] SAE Standard J1742_201003, entitled "Connections for High Voltage On-Board Vehicle Electrical Wiring Harnesses - Test Methods and General Performance Requirements," last revised March 2010, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety and made a part hereof.

[0092] The ASTM standards, (i) D4935-18, entitled "Standard Test Method for Measuring the Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of Planar Materials," and (ii) ASTM D257, entitled "Standard Test Methods for DC Resistance or Conductance of Insulating Materials," are each incorporated by reference in their entirety and made a part of this specification.

[0093] The American National Standards Institute and / or EOS / ESD Association, Inc. standard ANSI / ESD STM11.11 Surface Resistance Measurements of Static Dissipative Planar Materials, each of which is fully incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof.

[0094] The DIN standard, Connectors for electronic equipment - Tests and measurements - Part 5-2: Current-carrying capacity tests; Test 5b: Current-temperature derating (IEC60512-5-2:2002), is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and forms a part of this specification.

[0095] USCAR standards include: (i) SAE / USCAR-2, 6th Edition, February 2013, ISBN: 978-0-7680-7998-2; (ii) SAE / USCAR-12, 5th Edition, August 2017, ISBN: 978-0-7680-8446-7; (iii) SAE / USCAR-21, 3rd Edition, December 2014; (iv) SAE / USCAR-25, 3rd Edition, March 2016, ISBN: 978-0-7680-8319-4; (v) SAE / USCAR-37, 3rd Edition, August 2008, ISBN: 978-0-7680-2098-4; and (vi) SAE / USCAR-38, 1st Edition, May 2016. ISBN: 978-0-7680-8350-7, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety and made a part of this specification.

[0096] Other standards, including Federal Test Method Standards 101C and 4046, are each incorporated by reference in their entirety and made a part of this specification.

[0097] Industrial Applicability While several implementations have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications are envisioned without significantly departing from the spirit of this disclosure. The scope of protection is limited only by the scope of the appended claims. For example, the overall shape of the components described above may be modified to a triangular prism, pentagonal prism, hexagonal prism, octagonal prism, sphere, cone, tetrahedron, cube, dodecahedron, icosahedron, octahedron, ellipsoid, or other similar shape.

[0098] As used herein, the following terms should generally be understood to mean the following: a. "High power" shall mean (i) any voltage between 20 volts and 600 volts regardless of current, or (ii) any current above 80 amperes regardless of voltage. b. "High current" shall mean currents of 80 amperes or greater, regardless of voltage. c. "High voltage" shall mean a voltage between 20 volts and 600 volts, regardless of current.

[0099] Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and are not limiting. The word exemplary is used to mean serving as an example or illustration. Where the terms include, use, and the like are used, such terms are intended to be included in the same manner as the term "comprise" would be interpreted when used as a transitional word in the claims. Relative terms such as first and second may be used to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or suggesting any actual such relationship or order between the entities or actions.

[0100] The use of phrases such as "one aspect," "that aspect," "another aspect," "some aspects," "one or more aspects," "one implementation," "that implementation," "another implementation," "some implementations," "one or more implementations," "one embodiment," "that embodiment," "another embodiment," "some embodiments," "one or more embodiments," "one configuration," "that configuration," "another configuration," "some configurations," "one or more configurations," the subject technology, the disclosure, the present disclosure, other variations thereof, and similar phrases is for convenience and does not imply that the disclosure associated with such phrases is essential to the subject technology or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the subject technology. Disclosure associated with such phrases may apply to all configurations or to one or more configurations. Disclosure associated with such phrases may provide one or more examples. Phrases such as "aspect" or "some aspects" may refer to one or more aspects, and vice versa, as with the other aforementioned phrases.

[0101] Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Preferred embodiments of the disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. Of course, it is to be understood that the illustrated embodiments are illustrative only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. 1. A connector system for use in an electrical power distribution system of a motor vehicle, comprising:

1. A male terminal assembly comprising: an electrically conductive male terminal body including at least one integrally formed contact arm and spring receiving portion; an internal spring member, (i) at least one spring arm having an elongated main body portion with a free end; (ii) a protrusion extending laterally from the main body portion of the at least one spring arm; and The internal spring member is in a fully coupled state S ＦＣ and the protrusion is adjacent to an inner surface of the spring receiving portion, The male terminal assembly further comprises: Fully assembled male state S ＦＡＭ a male interlock (MIL) assembly having a region positioned within the internal spring member to define Connector system.

2. 1. A female connector assembly comprising: (i) a female terminal assembly having a receptacle; (ii) Fully assembled female state S ＦＡＦ 10. The connector system of claim 1, further comprising a female connector assembly including: a female interlock (FIL) assembly positioned within the female terminal assembly to define a

3. The socket of the female terminal assembly is in a fully connected state S ＦＣＯＮ 3. The connector system of claim 2, wherein the connector system is sized to receive a portion of both the male terminal assembly and the male interlock (MIL) assembly to define a.

4. 1. A connector system for use in an electrical power distribution system of a motor vehicle, comprising:

1. A male connector assembly, comprising: (i) a male terminal assembly; (ii) Fully assembled male state S ＦＡＭ a male interlock (MIL) assembly positioned within the male terminal assembly to define a male connector assembly; 1. A female connector assembly comprising: (i) a female terminal assembly having a receptacle; (ii) Fully assembled female state S ＦＡＦ a female interlock (FIL) assembly positioned within the female terminal assembly to define a The socket of the female terminal assembly is in a fully connected state S ＦＣＯＮ a terminal assembly that is sized to receive a portion of both the male terminal assembly and the MIL assembly to define a The area of ​​the MIL assembly is in the fully connected state S ＦＣＯＮ configured to be positioned within the FIL assembly at Connector system.

5. The connector system of claim 4 , wherein the male terminal assembly includes an internal spring member residing within a spring receiver in a male terminal body of the male terminal assembly.

6. The internal spring member is (i) at least one spring arm having an elongated main body portion with a free end; (ii) a protrusion extending laterally from the free end of the main body portion; The internal spring member is in a fully coupled state S ＦＣ 6. The connector system of claim 5, wherein the internal spring member is present within the spring receiving portion of the male terminal body to define a protrusion, and the protrusion is present adjacent an inner surface of the male terminal body to facilitate alignment of the internal spring member with the male terminal body.

7. The MIL assembly is in the fully assembled male state S ＦＡＭ 6. The connector system of claim 5, further comprising a jumper residing within the internal spring member of the male terminal assembly.

8. The MIL assembly inserts the jumper into the fully assembled male state S ＦＡＭ 8. The connector system of claim 7, further comprising a holder that secures the internal spring member and the male terminal assembly in place.

9. 5. The connector system of claim 4, wherein (i) a first extent of the MIL assembly is positioned within a male terminal body of the male terminal assembly, and (ii) a second extent of the MIL assembly is positioned outside the male terminal body.

10. 5. The connector system of claim 4, wherein the FIL assembly includes a receptacle having at least one electrical lead for connection to an interlock circuit contained within an electrical component within the power distribution system.

11. The receiving portion of the FIL assembly is in the fully assembled female state S ＦＡＦ 11. The connector system of claim 10, wherein the connector is in a holder positioned within the female terminal assembly at.

12. The fully connected state S ＦＣＯＮ 5. The connector system of claim 4, wherein an interlock circuit coupled to the FIL assembly prevents electrical current from flowing through the female terminal assembly.

13. The current flows through the fully connected state S ＦＣＯＮ 5. The connector system of claim 4, wherein the electrical connection is configured to flow through the female terminal assembly to the male terminal assembly.

14. 1. A connector system for use in an electrical power distribution system of a motor vehicle, comprising: A first male terminal assembly, (i) a first male terminal body formed from a first material and having a contact arm and a spring receiving portion; (ii) a first male terminal assembly having a first internal spring member formed from a second material and having a spring arm, the first internal spring member being dimensioned to reside within the spring receiving portion of the first male terminal body; a second male terminal assembly, (i) a second male terminal body formed from the first material and having a contact arm and a spring receiving portion; (ii) a second male terminal assembly including a second internal spring member formed from the second material and having a spring arm, the second internal spring member being dimensioned to reside within the spring receiving portion of the second male terminal body; a housing configured to enclose both the first male terminal assembly and the second male terminal assembly; a male interlock (MIL) assembly positioned within the housing and between the first male terminal assembly and the second male terminal assembly.

15. 1. A female connector assembly comprising: (i) a first female terminal assembly having a first receptacle; (ii) a second female terminal assembly having a second receptacle; 15. The connector system of claim 14, further comprising a female connector assembly including: (iii) a female housing configured to enclose a portion of both the first female terminal assembly and the second female terminal assembly.

16. 16. The connector system of claim 15, wherein the female connector assembly includes at least one angled wall configured to compress the extent of the first male terminal assembly when the first male terminal assembly is inserted into the first female terminal assembly.

17. 16. The connector system of claim 15, further comprising a female interlock (FIL) assembly positioned within the female housing between the first female terminal assembly and the second female terminal assembly.

18. 20. The connector system of claim 17, wherein the FIL assembly includes a receptacle having at least one electrical lead for connection to an interlock circuit contained within an electrical component in the power distribution system.

19. Fully connected state S ＦＣＯＮ is defined when (i) the first receptacle of the first female terminal assembly is sized to receive a portion of the first male terminal assembly, (ii) the second receptacle of the second female terminal assembly is sized to receive a portion of the second male terminal assembly, and (iii) the FIL assembly receives a portion of the male interlock (MIL) assembly.

20. When the connector system is subjected to certain operating conditions, the first internal spring member urges the first male terminal assembly into the fully connected state S. ＦＣＯＮ 20. The connector system of claim 19, wherein an outward force is applied to an area of ​​the first male terminal body to retain it within the first female terminal assembly.

21. 21. The connector system of claim 20, wherein the contact arm of the first male terminal body has a free end positioned in contact with the spring arm, and a portion of the outward force exerted by the spring arm is applied to the free end of the contact arm.

22. 15. The connector system of claim 14, wherein the spring arms of the first internal spring member include centering means for aligning the first internal spring member within the first male terminal body.

23. 23. The connector system of claim 22, wherein the spring arm has an elongated main body portion, and the centering means includes a protrusion extending laterally from a free end of the main body portion, the protrusion configured to reside adjacent an inner surface of the first male terminal body.

24. The male terminal body is in the fully coupled state S ＦＣ 2. The connector system of claim 1, wherein (i) the at least one contact arm has a free end adjacent an outer surface of the at least one spring arm, and (ii) a gap is formed between the outer surface of the at least one spring arm and an inner surface of the at least one contact arm.

25. The MIL assembly is in the fully assembled male state S ＦＡＭ 2. The connector system of claim 1, further comprising a jumper residing within the internal spring member of the male terminal assembly.

26. 10. The connector system of claim 1, wherein the male terminal assembly is partially enclosed in a shielding assembly suitable for reducing electromagnetic interference noise emitted by the male terminal assembly during use of the connector system.

27. 10. The connector system of claim 1, further comprising a male housing at least partially enclosing said male terminal assembly, said male housing including a CPA receiving portion designed to receive a range of CPA members.

28. The connector system of claim 2 , further comprising a female housing, wherein said female terminal assembly and said FIL assembly are secured within said female housing using a female FIL retainer.

29. The connector system is in the fully connected state S ＦＣＯＮ 4. The connector system of claim 3, wherein when subjected to certain operating conditions at , the internal spring member applies an outward force to the free end of the at least one contact arm to retain the male terminal assembly within the female terminal assembly.

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