Connector system for use in power distribution systems

Abstract

The present invention provides a connector system for use in electrical power distribution systems found in automotive vehicles, including features that enhance the safety, durability, and reliability of the connector system and electrical power distribution system. The connector system includes a female connector assembly having a female housing, a female terminal assembly that is inserted into the female housing using a first force, and a touchproof member that is inserted into the female terminal assembly using a second force directed opposite the first force. The touchproof member prevents insertion of foreign objects into the female terminal assembly. The connector system also includes a male connector assembly having a male terminal assembly, and a male housing assembly having a touchproof element opening that receives an extent of the touchproof member. The male terminal assembly includes a male terminal body having a contact arm, the contact arm having a neck portion having a neck width and a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width. The male terminal assembly also includes a spring member that resides within a receiving portion of the male terminal body, the spring arm of the spring member applying an outward biasing force to the contact arm during operation of the electrical power distribution system.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a connector system for use in power distribution systems found in automated vehicles such as automobiles, buses, or trucks. In particular, the connector system includes features that improve the safety, durability, and reliability of the connector system, while also reducing the time required to install the connector system in power distribution systems and automated vehicles.

[0002] (Cross-reference of related applications) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 222,859, filed July 16, 2021, and International Application PCT / US2021 / 043686, filed July 29, 2021, which are incorporated herein by reference and form part thereof. [Background technology]

[0003] Over the past several decades, the number of electrical components used in automobiles, as well as 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, “automobiles”), has increased dramatically. Electrical components are used in automobiles for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, monitoring, improving, and / or controlling vehicle performance, emissions, and safety, and creating comfort for the occupants of automobiles. A considerable amount of time, resources, and energy have been spent developing power distribution components that meet the diverse needs and complexities of the automobile market, but conventional power distribution components have various shortcomings.

[0004] Automotive vehicles, though not limited to them, present a harsh electrical environment for both electrical components and connector assemblies due to several factors, including spatial 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 failures. For example, improperly installed connectors, typically occurring in assembly plants, and loose connectors, typically occurring in the field, are two major 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 cost of warranties incurred by all automotive manufacturers and their direct suppliers worldwide is estimated to be between $50 billion and $150 billion. [Overview of the project]

[0005] This disclosure relates to a connector system that provides sealed and grounded electrical connections for components of power distribution systems, such as battery packs, in compliance with industry standards and / or specifications set by regulatory bodies, as required for automated vehicles. The connector system is suitable for use with mechanically and electrically connected components or devices in power distribution systems found in aircraft, automated vehicles, military vehicles, buses, locomotives, tractors, marine applications, or telecommunications hardware. Therefore, the connector system is well suited for electrically and mechanically connecting components or devices installed in vehicles in these high-stress applications to ensure reliable long-term performance and operation of the components, devices, and vehicles.

[0006] The connector system includes a female connector assembly having a female housing, a female terminal assembly inserted into the female housing using a first force, and a touchproof member inserted into the female terminal assembly using a second force directed opposite to the first force. The touchproof member prevents foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly. In one version, the touchproof member includes a base and a touchproof fixing assembly having arrangement of deformable retaining members that elastically deform from an original state to a deformed state during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. The touchproof member also has a touchproof element having a first end wall, a second end wall, and a connecting wall extending between the first and second end walls. In another version, the touchproof member includes an elastically deformable base having a first base portion and a second base portion separated by a recess, the first base portion including at least one retaining member hanging from the base portion, and the second base portion including at least one retaining member hanging from the base portion. The touchproof element extends from an elastically deformable base and has a first range having a recess and a slot aligned with it that separates a first base portion from a second base portion. When the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign object distance of 5 mm or less is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly.

[0007] The connector system also includes a male connector assembly having a male terminal assembly, and a male housing assembly having a touchproof element opening that receives a range of touchproof members. The male terminal assembly includes a male terminal body having a contact arm, the contact arm having a neck portion having a neck width, and a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width. The male terminal assembly also includes a spring member located within the receiving portion of the male terminal body, and during operation of the power distribution system, the spring arm of the spring member applies an outward biasing force to the contact arm in order to hold the male terminal assembly within the female terminal assembly.

[0008] The spring member also includes an arrangement of spring arms, the first spring arm having a positioning projection extending from the free end of the first spring arm, and the second spring arm having no positioning projection. In the seated state, the spring member is located within the spring receiver, thereby the positioning projection of the first spring arm overlaps with or encloses the internal corner region of the first contact arm. The spring member further includes a third spring arm having a positioning projection extending from the free end of the third spring arm. In the seated state, the positioning projection of the third spring arm overlaps with or encloses the internal corner region of the third contact arm of the male terminal body. In the seated state, the engagement of the first and third spring arms with the first and third contact beams holds the spring member within the male terminal body and limits the amount by which the spring member can rotate within the male terminal body during operation of the power distribution system, thereby centralizing the spring member within the contact arm.

[0009] Additional structural and functional aspects and advantages of the connector system are disclosed in the embodiments and drawings for carrying out the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] To provide further understanding, any accompanying drawings or illustrations included and incorporated herein, which constitute part of this specification, serve to illustrate the embodiments disclosed in conjunction with the description and to illustrate the principles of the disclosed embodiments. In the drawings, similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements throughout the drawings. In these drawings, [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a connector system for use in a power distribution system. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is an exploded view of the connector system, which includes a male connector assembly and a female connector assembly. [Figure 3]Figure 2 is a perspective view of a disassembled male connector assembly, which includes (i) a male housing assembly, (ii) a male terminal assembly, each having male terminals and spring members, (iii) a male shield assembly, and (vi) a male interlock ("MIL"). [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of one of the male terminals. [Figure 5A] This is a first side view of the male terminal in Figure 4. [Figure 5B] This is a second side view of the opposite side of the male terminal in Figure 4. [Figure 6A] Figure 4 is a bottom view of the male terminal. [Figure 6B] Figure 4 is a top view of the male terminal. [Figure 7A] Figure 4 is a front view of the male terminal. [Figure 7B] Figure 4 is a rear view of the male terminal. [Figure 8] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the spring member. [Figure 9A] Figure 7 is a plan view of the spring member. [Figure 9B] Figure 7 is a bottom view of the spring member. [Figure 10] This is a side view of the spring member shown in Figure 7. [Figure 11] Figure 7 is an end view of the spring member. [Figure 12] This is a perspective view of the male terminal assembly shown in Figure 3 in an unseated state. [Figure 13A] This is a bottom view of one of the male terminal assemblies shown in Figure 3 in a seated position. [Figure 13B] Figure 11 is an end view of the male terminal assembly. [Figure 14A] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the male terminal assembly and male terminal holder in an uncoupled state. [Figure 14B] This is a side view of the male terminal assembly and male terminal holder shown in Figure 13 in the connected state. [Figure 15] Figure 14B is a perspective cross-sectional view of the male terminal assembly and male terminal holder along line 15-15. [Figure 16] Figure 14B is a cross-sectional view of the male terminal assembly and male terminal holder along line 16-16. [Figure 17] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the male connector assembly in its first partially assembled state, separated from the male terminal assembly, male terminal holder, and conductor leads. [Figure 18] This is a perspective view of a male shield assembly that is not separated from the male terminal assembly, male terminal holder, and conductor leads, and partially surrounds them. [Figure 19] This is a side view of the male connector assembly in a second partially assembled state, where the primary locking member is partially connected to the main housing member and the secondary locking member is omitted. [Figure 20] Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector assembly along line 20-20. [Figure 21] This is an enlarged view of area A of the male connector assembly in Figure 20, showing an accidental engagement assembly. [Figure 22] Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the male connector assembly in a third partially assembled state, where the primary locking member is coupled to the main housing and the secondary locking member is in a non-receiving state. [Figure 23] Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the assembled male connector assembly, where the primary locking member is coupled to the main housing member and the secondary locking member is in the receiving state. [Figure 24] This is a side view of the male connector assembly in the engagement / disengagement ready state, where the primary locking member is in the disengaged state. [Figure 25] Figure 24 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector assembly along line 25-25. [Figure 26] This is an enlarged view of area B of the male connector assembly in Figure 25, showing an accidental engagement assembly. [Figure 27] This is a bottom perspective view of a male connector assembly in a limited engagement state, where the primary locking member is locked. [Figure 28]Figure 2 is a perspective view of the female connector assembly in a disassembled state, which includes (i) a female housing assembly, (ii) a touchproof member, (iii) a female terminal assembly, (iv) a female shield assembly, and (v) a female interlock ("FIL"). [Figure 29] Figure 28 is an end view of the female connector assembly in the first partially assembled state, with the FIL in the non-receiving position and the touchproof assembly in the non-installed position. [Figure 30] This is a cross-sectional view of the female connector assembly along line 30-30 in Figure 29. [Figure 31] Figure 28 is a perspective view of the female connector assembly in the second partially assembled state, with the FIL in the receiving position and the touchproof assembly in the non-installed position. [Figure 32] Figure 28 is a perspective view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 33] Figure 32 is a side view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 34] Figure 32 is an end view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 35] Figure 32 is a top view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 36] Figure 32 is a bottom perspective view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 37] Figure 32 is a bottom view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 38] This is a bottom view of the female connector assembly in Figure 28, which is in the second partially assembled state. [Figure 39] This is a cross-sectional view of the female connector assembly along line 39-39 in Figure 38. [Figure 40] This is a bottom view of the female connector assembly in Figure 28, which is in the second partially assembled state. [Figure 41] This is a cross-sectional view of the female connector assembly along line 41-41 in Figure 40. [Figure 42]Figure 1 shows end views of the female terminal assembly and the touchproof assembly, with the touchproof assembly in a non-installed position. [Figure 43] This is a cross-sectional view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly along line 43-43 in Figure 42. [Figure 44] Figure 28 is an end view of the female connector assembly in the third partially assembled state, with the touchproof assembly in a partially installed position. [Figure 45] This is a cross-sectional view of the female connector assembly along line 45-45 in Figure 44. [Figure 46] This is a perspective view of the female connector assembly shown in Figure 28 in its assembled state. [Figure 47] Figure 46 is a top view of the female connector assembly. [Figure 48] Figure 46 is a bottom view of the female connector assembly. [Figure 49] This is a cross-sectional view of the female connector assembly along line 49-49 in Figure 48. [Figure 50] This is a bottom perspective view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly located at the installation site. [Figure 51] Figure 50 is a side view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly. [Figure 52] This is a cross-sectional view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly along line 52-52 in Figure 51. [Figure 53] Figure 50 is an end view of the female terminal assembly and the touchproof assembly. [Figure 54] This is a cross-sectional view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly along line 54-54 in Figure 53. [Figure 55A] Figure 1 is a bottom perspective view of the male connector assembly in the disengaged state, with the primary locking member ready for engagement / disengagement. [Figure 55B] Figure 28 is a top view of the female connector assembly in its assembled state. [Figure 56A]Figure 1 is a side view of the connector system in a disconnected state, where the male connector assembly is ready to engage and is separated from the female connector assembly. [Figure 56B] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 56B-56B in Figure 56A. [Figure 57] Figure 1 is a side view of the connector system in a partially connected state, where the male connector assembly is ready to engage but is not fully seated within the female connector assembly. [Figure 58] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 58-58 in Figure 57. [Figure 59] This is an enlarged view of region C of the connector system in Figure 58, showing the accidental engagement assembly. [Figure 60] This is a side view of the connector system shown in Figure 1, which is in a partially connected state. [Figure 61] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 61-61 in Figure 60. [Figure 62] This is an enlarged view of region D of the connector system in Figure 61, showing the accidental engagement assembly. [Figure 63] This is a top view of the connector system shown in Figure 1, which is in a partially connected state. [Figure 64] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 64-64 in Figure 63. [Figure 65] This is an enlarged view of region E of the connector system in Figure 64, showing the accidental disengagement assembly. [Figure 66] This is an enlarged view of region F of the connector system shown in Figure 64, which illustrates the CPA assembly. [Figure 67] Figure 1 is a side view of the connector system in a connected state, with the male connector assembly fully seated within the female connector assembly and the primary locking member in the unlocked state. [Figure 68] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 68-68 in Figure 67. [Figure 69]This is an enlarged view of region G of the connector system in Figure 68, showing the accidental engagement assembly. [Figure 70] This is a side view of the connector system shown in Figure 1, in a connected state. [Figure 71] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 71-71 in Figure 70. [Figure 72] This is an enlarged view of region H of the connector system in Figure 71, showing the accidental engagement assembly. [Figure 73] This is a plan view of the connector system shown in Figure 1, in a connected state. [Figure 74] Figure 73 is a cross-sectional view of the connector system taken along line 74-74. [Figure 75] This is an enlarged view of region I of the connector system in Figure 64, showing the bracing assembly. [Figure 76] This is an enlarged view of region J of the connector system in Figure 64, showing the CPA assembly. [Figure 77] Figure 1 is a side view of the connector system in a ready-to-use state, with the male connector assembly fully seated within the female connector assembly and the primary locking member in the locked position. [Figure 78] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along lines 78-78 in Figure 77. [Figure 79] This is an enlarged view of region K of the connector system in Figure 68, showing the accidental engagement assembly. [Figure 80] Figure 1 is a side view of the connector system in a ready-to-use state. [Figure 81] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 81-81 in Figure 80. [Figure 82] This is an enlarged view of region L of the connector system in Figure 81, showing the accidental engagement assembly. [Figure 83] Figure 1 is a top view of the connector system in a ready-to-use state. [Figure 84] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 84-84 in Figure 83. [Figure 85]This is an enlarged view of region M of the connector system in Figure 84, showing the accidental disengagement assembly. [Figure 86] This is an enlarged view of region N of the connector system in Figure 84, showing the CPA assembly. [Figure 87] This is an enlarged view of region O of the connector system in Figure 84, showing the bracing assembly. [Figure 88] Figure 1 is a side view of the connector system in a ready-to-use state. [Figure 89] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 89-89 in Figure 88. [Figure 90] Figure 1 is a side view of the connector system in a ready-to-use state. [Figure 91] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 91-91 in Figure 90. [Figure 92] Figure 1 is a bottom perspective view of the connector system in a connected state, with all components omitted except for the male terminal assembly, female terminal assembly, and touchproof assembly. [Figure 93] Figure 92 shows side views of the male terminal assembly, female terminal assembly, and touchproof assembly. [Figure 94] This is a cross-sectional view of the male terminal assembly, female terminal assembly, and touchproof assembly along lines 94-94 in Figure 93. [Figure 95] Figure 92 shows side views of the male terminal assembly, female terminal assembly, and touchproof assembly. [Figure 96] This is a cross-sectional view of the male terminal assembly, female terminal assembly, and touchproof assembly along line 96-96 in Figure 95. [Figure 97] This is a side view of the connector system shown in Figure 1, with non-conductive components removed. [Figure 98] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 98-98 in Figure 97. [Figure 99A] Figure 1 is a top view of the connector system in a ready-to-use state. [Figure 99B] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 99B-99B in Figure 99A. [Figure 100] This is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a power distribution system comprising a battery pack having at least one connector system. [Figure 101] Figure 100 is a perspective view of the battery pack installed within the vehicle's skateboard platform. [Figure 102] Figure 101 is a perspective view of the vehicle including the skateboard mounting platform. [Figure 103] This is a perspective view of a passenger bus that includes a power distribution system having at least one connector system. [Figure 104] This is a perspective view of a vessel including a power distribution system having at least one connector system. [Figure 105] This is a perspective view of a large vessel including a power distribution system with at least one connector system. [Figure 106] This is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a connector system for use in a power distribution system. [Figure 107] Figure 106 is an exploded view of the connector system, which includes (i) a male connector assembly having a male terminal assembly, and (ii) a female connector system. [Figure 108] This is a perspective view of the male terminal assembly shown in Figure 107 in an unseated state. [Figure 109] Figure 107 is a perspective view of the female connector assembly in a disassembled state. [Figure 110] Figure 109 is a perspective view of the female connector assembly in a first partially assembled state, while a second embodiment of the touchproof assembly is in a non-installed position. [Figure 111] Figure 110 is a top perspective view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 112] Figure 111 is a bottom perspective view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 113] Figure 111 is a perspective view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 114] Figure 111 is an end view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 115] Figure 111 is a bottom view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 116] Figure 111 is a top view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 117] Figure 110 shows an end view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly in the disengaged position. [Figure 118] This is a cross-sectional view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly along lines 118-118 in Figure 117. [Figure 119] Figure 109 is an end view of the female connector assembly in the second partially assembled state, with the touchproof assembly in a partially installed position. [Figure 120] This is a cross-sectional view of the female connector assembly along line 120-120 in Figure 119. [Figure 121] Figure 109 is a top view of the female connector assembly in its assembled state. [Figure 122] This is a cross-sectional view of the female connector assembly along line 122-122 in Figure 121. [Figure 123] Figure 121 is a perspective view of the female connector assembly. [Figure 124] This is a cross-sectional view of the female connector assembly along line 124-124 in Figure 123. [Figure 125] Figure 124 is an enlarged view of region P of the connector system. [Figure 126] This is a perspective view of the female terminal assembly and the touchproof assembly, with the touchproof assembly in the engaged position. [Figure 127] Figure 126 is a bottom perspective view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly. [Figure 128] Figure 126 is an end view of the female terminal assembly and the touchproof assembly. [Figure 129] This is a cross-sectional view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly along line 129-129 in Figure 128. [Figure 130] Figure 126 is a perspective view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly. [Figure 131] This is a cross-sectional view of the female terminal assembly and touchproof assembly along lines 131-131 in Figure 130. [Figure 132] Figure 106 is a top view of the connector system in a ready-to-use state. [Figure 133] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector system along line 133-133 in Figure 132. [Figure 134] Figure 106 is a side view of the connector system in a ready-to-use state, with all components omitted except for the male and female terminal assemblies. [Figure 135] This is a cross-sectional view of the male and female terminal assemblies along lines 135-135 in Figure 134. [Figure 136] This is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a touchproof assembly, configured for use in conjunction with a second embodiment of the connector system. [Figure 137] Figure 136 is a bottom perspective view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 138] Figure 136 is an end view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 139] Figure 136 is a bottom view of the touchproof assembly. [Figure 140] Figure 136 is a top view of the touchproof assembly. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following detailed descriptions include numerous specific details as examples to ensure that the relevant teachings are fully understood. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these teachings can be carried out without such detailed explanations. To avoid unnecessarily obscuring the nature of these teachings, in other examples, well-known methods, procedures, components, and / or electronic circuits are described at a relatively general level, without detail. In the drawings, similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements throughout the drawings.

[0012] The figures show two embodiments of connector systems 10, 1010, which include harness connector assemblies or male connector assemblies 200, 1200 and component / device connector assemblies or female connector assemblies 600, 1600. Both versions of connector systems 10, 1010 include features integrated into both the male connector assemblies 200, 1200 and the female connector assemblies 600, 1600. Specifically, the first embodiment of connector system 10 generally includes the features of (i) a retaining assembly 20 with a connector position assurance ("CPA") assembly 80, (ii) an optional touchproof assembly 40, (iii) an optional shield assembly 60, and (iv) an optional interlock ("IL") assembly 100. These features interact structurally and functionally to enable the connector system 10 to meet various industry performance standards and regulations, including (a) specific aspects of USCAR (e.g., USCAR12, USCAR25, USCAR38), (b) specific aspects of ISO (e.g., ISO20076:2019 and ISO20653:2013), (c) specific aspects of IEC (e.g., IEC60529-2020), and (d) performance and installation requirements including T4 / V4 / S3 / D2 / M2 and Push-Click-Tug-Scan (PCTS).

[0013] The retaining assembly 20 of the connector system 10 is formed from a plurality of recesses and protrusions, which interact structurally and functionally, thereby fixing the system 10 to a predetermined high force threshold (e.g., a force of 500 Newtons), i.e., (a) accidental engagement force F AE (b) Accidental disengagement force F AD (c) via this, the system 10 is moved from the "ready to use" state to the "connected" state, and (c) when the system 10 is in the "ready to use" state, the accidental engagement force F DIS A force threshold is required to detach the male connector assembly 200 from the female connector assembly 600 via the retaining assembly 800. The main components of the retaining assembly 20 are (i) a male retaining assembly 222 including a male accidental engagement assembly 336, an accidental disengagement assembly 347, a male bracing assembly 351, and a male CPA assembly 400, and (ii) a female retaining assembly 622 including a female accidental engagement assembly 652, a female bracing assembly 648, and a female CPA assembly 700. Although the CPA assembly 20 is part of the retaining assembly 20, the CPA assembly 80 also enables the system 10 to be PCTS compliant, eliminates the need for an air-assisted tool (e.g., an air gun) to connect the male terminal assembly 430 to the female terminal assembly 800, and enables the generation of records demonstrating the proper installation of the system 10 for accounting and system management purposes. Overall, the retaining assembly 20 is beneficial in that it (i) reduces the need for additional tools and shortens installation time by ensuring that the male connector assembly 200 is in a state where it can be coupled to the female connector assembly 600, (ii) increases durability by reducing accidental disengagement of the system 10, and (iii) provides accurate record-keeping indicating that proper connections have been made and when and where such connections were made during the assembly process.

[0014] The optional touchproof assembly 40 protects the connector system 10 from accidental insertion of foreign objects having a diameter exceeding a predetermined size (e.g., 6 mm) into the female terminal assembly 800, thereby enabling the connector system 10 to meet industry regulations (e.g., USCAR12, ISO20076:2019, and ISO20653:2013). These foreign objects could cause damage to installers / operators and machinery involved in the assembly of the connector system 10 and / or the power distribution system 5. The optional touchproof assembly 40 includes a male touchproof element opening 242 and a female touchproof member 720. Unlike conventional connector systems that may have components that enable compliance with industry regulations, the touchproof assembly 40 allows the installer or operator to add the female touchproof member 720 after the female connector assembly 600 has been installed in an environment, application, system, component, or device. The subsequent addition of the female touchproof member 720 enables the touchproof assembly 40 to provide significant advantages to the connector system 10 of the present invention over conventional connectors, for the following reasons: (i) the female touchproof member 720 does not add weight to the system 10 and this component is not desired; (ii) the female touchproof member 720 can be removed and / or replaced without tools or requiring the installer / operator to spend valuable time disassembling the entire system 10; (iii) the female touchproof member 720 reduces maintenance costs because its component can be easily removed and provides access to the female terminal body 800; (iv) the components of the system 10 can be manufactured at different times, shipped at different times, and installed at different times, which may be beneficial if there are shortages or delays in the supply chain for manufacturing the touchproof assembly 40 including the female touchproof member 720; and (v) brings other advantages which will be obvious to those skilled in the art based on the following disclosures and drawings.

[0015] The optional shielding assembly 60 allows the connector system 10 to reduce electromagnetic noise that may be introduced into the automated vehicle and operating environment in which the system 10 is otherwise installed. This reduction in electromagnetic noise allows for additional mounting locations for the system 10 near or adjacent to other electromagnetically sensitive electronic equipment or components, such as under the hood of an automated vehicle. Finally, the optional interlock ("IL") assembly 100 ensures that no current is applied to the connector system 10 before the male connector assembly 200 fully engages with the female connector assembly 600. In addition, unlike conventional connector systems that may have configurations that provide an interlock assembly, the disclosed connector system 10 allows the installer / operator to optionally add or remove the IL assembly 100 from the system 10. This selective addition or removal of IL assembly 100 is more beneficial than other disclosed systems because (i) it does not add weight to the system if this component is not desired, (ii) it reduces the number of parts / minimum stock keeping units ("SKUs") defined and maintained by the manufacturer, and (iii) it has other advantages that are obvious to those skilled in the art based on the following disclosures and drawings.

[0016] A second embodiment of the connector system 1010 includes features of (i) a CPA assembly 80 and (ii) an optional touchproof assembly 1040. These features interact structurally and functionally to enable the connector system 1010 to meet various industry performance standards and regulations, including (a) specific aspects of USCAR (e.g., USCAR12, USCAR25, USCAR38, ISO20653), (b) specific aspects of ISO (e.g., ISO20653), and (c) performance and installation requirements including T4 / V4 / S3 / D2 / M2 and Push-Click Tag Scan (PCTS). For brevity, the features and functions of the second embodiment of the connector system 1010 are similar to those of the first embodiment of the connector system 10. These omissions should not be intended to limit the disclosure of this application, and instead, readers should be expected to refer to disclosures of similar structures that may be discussed in other sections of this application or in other applications referenced herein.

[0017] Unlike conventional connector systems that rely on ultrasonic welding of female housing portions to each other to form an electrical connection between the housing of a power distribution component having a female terminal assembly and a capacitor assembly, the disclosed connector system 1010 provides a combination of protrusions, recesses, and openings that work together to mechanically join and seal the portions of the female housing 620 to each other. This is beneficial as it substantially increases the durability, operational performance, and lifespan of the system 1010. In addition, the CPA assembly 80 and the optional touchproof assembly 1040 enable the connector system 1010 to provide the same advantages as provided by the first embodiment of the connector system 10 and relating thereto.

[0018] As shown in the figure, connector systems 10, 1010 are designed to provide mechanical and electrical coupling of conductors, leads, or busbars to components included in the power distribution system 5. The connector systems 10, 1010 and the power distribution system 5 may be installed in an application. As used herein, the term “application” means an aircraft, an automatic vehicle (e.g., a car, bus, van, truck, or motorcycle), a military vehicle (e.g., a tank, personnel carrier, heavy truck, or warship transport), a locomotive, a tractor, a boat, a submarine, a battery pack, a computer server, a 24-48 volt system, or any application or product requiring high power, high current, or high voltage. It should be understood that multiple connector systems 10, 1010 may be used in a single installation environment, application, product, component, or device. For example, multiple connector systems 10, 1010 may be used with a single component of the power distribution system 5. As another example, multiple connector systems 10, 1010 may be used within a first component of a power distribution system 5, or multiple connector systems 10, 1010 may be used within a second component of the same power distribution system 5, and the power distribution system 5 may be installed for a single application such as an automobile.

[0019] While this disclosure includes many different forms of embodiments, the drawings illustrate specific embodiments, with the understanding that the disclosed methods and systems are intended to be illustrative of their principles and not to limit the broader aspects of the disclosed outline to the illustrated embodiments, and these are described in detail herein. As can be realized, the disclosed methods and systems can be configured in other different ways, and some details can be modified in whole without departing from the scope of the disclosed methods and systems. For example, one or more of the following embodiments can be combined in whole or in part with the disclosed methods and systems. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed descriptions should be considered illustrative in nature and not restrictive or limiting.

[0020] First Embodiment As shown in Figures 1 to 98, a first embodiment of the connector system 10 includes a male connector assembly 200 and a female connector assembly 600. The male and female connector assemblies 200 and 600 include the following features integrated into the assemblies 200 and 600: (i) a retaining assembly 20 including a male retaining assembly 222 and a female retaining assembly 622; (ii) a connector position assurance ("CPA") assembly 80 including a male CPA assembly 400 and a female CPA assembly 700; (iii) a touchproof assembly 40 including a male touchproof receiving portion 242 and a female touchproof member 720; (iv) a shield assembly 60 including a male shield assembly 530 and a female shield assembly 930; and (v) an interlock ("IL") assembly 100 including a male IL assembly 590 and a female IL assembly 980.

[0021] 1. Male connector assembly As shown in Figures 1 to 27, 55, and 57 to 98, the connector system 10 includes a male connector assembly 200. The male connector assembly 200 includes (i) a male housing assembly 220 having a male retaining assembly 222 having a male CPA assembly 400, (ii) a male terminal assembly 430, (iii) a male shield assembly 530, and (iv) a male IL assembly 590. The male retaining assembly 222 includes (i) a male accidental engagement assembly 336 formed from two accidental engagement portions 337a and 337b, (ii) an accidental disengagement assembly 347, (iii) a male bracing assembly 351, and a male CPA assembly 400. As described below, (i) a first portion 377a of the male accidental engagement assembly includes (a) accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b and (b) accidental engagement recesses 300a, 300b; (ii) a second portion 377b of the male accidental engagement assembly includes (a) accidental engagement recesses 331a, 331b, (b) accidental engagement retainers 332a, 332b and (c) accidental engagement members 338a, 338b; (iii) an accidental disengagement assembly 347 includes a disengagement member 348 having a first disengagement projection 287 and a second disengagement projection 342; (iv) a male bracing assembly 351 having a bracing opening 354; and (v) a male CPA assembly 400 including a deformable male CPA member 406.

[0022] A. Male Housing Assembly As best shown in Figures 3 and 13-17, the male housing assembly 220 includes (i) a male terminal holder 230, (ii) a shield insulator 260, (iii) a main housing 280, (iv) a primary locking member 320, (v) a secondary locking member 360, (vi) an end cap 380, and (vii) seals 390, 392. Referring to Figures 13-15, the male terminal holder 230 is configured to receive the male terminal assembly 430, isolate the male shield assembly 530 from the male terminal assembly 430, facilitate the positioning and holding of the male terminal assembly 430 within the male connector assembly 200, and facilitate other functions that will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the following disclosures and drawings. The male terminal holder 230 is bowl-shaped and has an inner wall arrangement 232 configured to tightly receive the male terminal assembly 430. Specifically, the inner wall arrangement 232 includes two side walls 234a, 234b, two end walls 236a, 236b, and a bottom wall 238. Contact arm openings 240a, 240b are formed in the intermediate portions of the two side walls to allow the male terminal assembly 430 to contact the female terminal assembly 800 when the connector system 10 is connected. As best shown in Figure 16, the distance D2 between the opposing outermost ranges of the contact arms 494a-494h is greater than the distance D1 between the opposing outermost surfaces of the side walls 234a, 234b. This configuration allows the contact arms 494a-494h to contact the female terminal assembly 800 without being obstructed by the side walls 234a, 234b. This configuration provides additional rigidity to the male terminal assembly 430 and limits the amount of exposure of the male terminal assembly 430. However, due to partial defects in the contact arm openings 240a and 240b, the entire male terminal assembly 430 is not accommodated by the male terminal holder 230.

[0023] It should be understood that if the male terminal assembly 430 extends further beyond the outer surfaces of the side walls 234a, 234b, the likelihood of accidental contact with foreign matter increases. Therefore, the extent to which the male terminal assembly 430 extends beyond the outer surfaces of the side walls 234a, 234b must be balanced with its ability to form a proper connection with the female terminal assembly 800. The design disclosed herein balances these factors so that the extent to which the male terminal assembly 430 extends beyond the outer surfaces of the side walls 234a, 234b is less than 2 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm. Compared to the length of the contact arm openings 240a, 240b, the extent to which the male terminal assembly 430 extends beyond the outer surfaces of the side walls 234a, 234b is less than 5% of the length, preferably less than 3% of the length. The bottom wall 238 of the inner wall arrangement 232 includes a touchproof element opening 242 designed to receive a range of the female touchproof member 720 when the connector system 10 is connected. In particular, the touchproof element opening 242 reflects the shape of the touchproof element 720. Here, the touchproof element 720 has an "I-shape," and therefore the touchproof element opening 242 also has an "I-shape." Other shapes of the touchproof element 720 are contemplated by this disclosure, as described below, and therefore other shapes of the touchproof element opening 242 are also contemplated by this disclosure.

[0024] The male terminal holder 230 also includes an outer wall arrangement 244, which (i) surrounds the side walls and end walls 234a, 234b, 236a, 236b, (ii) is spaced apart from the inner wall arrangement 232 by a receptive distance D3, and (iii) separates the male shield assembly 530 from the male terminal assembly 430. Specifically, the receptive distance D3 is designed to accommodate the range of the female terminal assembly 800 when the connector is in the connected state. However, the receptive distance D3 is not configured to be large enough to accommodate the insertion of an assembler's finger, probe, or other foreign object. For example, the receptive distance D3 can be less than 10 mm, preferably less than 6 mm, and most preferably less than 3.5 mm. The outer wall arrangement 244 includes (i) coupling openings 246a, 246b designed to receive a range of shield insulator 260; (ii) a plurality of projections 248 for securing a range of male shield assembly 530 to male terminal holder 230; (iii) arrangement of recesses 250a to 250d designed to receive a range of secondary locking member 360; and (iv) a first range of retaining lip 252a positioned adjacent to the front edge of male terminal connection plate 474. Each of these features is described below in relation to other components of the connector system 10.

[0025] The male terminal holder 230 is configured to be positioned in contact with both the shield assembly 60 and the male terminal assembly 430. Therefore, it is desirable that the male terminal holder 230 be formed from a non-conductive material. It should be understood that the selected non-conductive material should be able to adequately insulate the terminal assembly 430 even when a high current load is flowing through it. As described elsewhere in this application, the male terminal holder 230 may be formed using any preferred method such as injection molding, 3D printing, casting, thermoforming, or any other similar technique. In other embodiments, the configurations of the inner wall arrangement 232 and the outer wall arrangement 244 may have different configurations to accommodate male terminal assemblies 430 of different shapes. For example, the inner wall arrangement 232 may be modified to include openings formed in the end walls 236a, 236b to accommodate male terminal assemblies 430 including contact arms 494a-494h positioned on all sides of the assembly 430 to conform to 360°. Alternatively, the interior wall arrangement 232 may have a substantially circular, triangular, or hexagonal configuration.

[0026] Referring further to Figures 13 to 17, the shield insulator 260 includes a cap 262 and a shroud 270, which are designed to mechanically interact with or engage with the male terminal holder 230. In particular, the cap 262 includes (i) a horizontal portion, (ii) two vertically deformable projections 264a, 264b extending downward from the horizontal portion, (iii) two fixing elements 266a, 266b extending from the vertically deformable projections 264a, 264b, (iv) a second range of the retaining lip 252b, and (v) a fixing recess 268. When the cap 262 is fixed to the male terminal holder 230, (i) the fixing elements 266a, 266b are positioned within the coupling openings 246a, 246b, and (ii) the vertically deformable projections 264a, 264b are detachably positioned between the male terminal assembly 430 and the outer wall arrangement 244. In this fixed position, the male terminal assembly 430 is mechanically secured within the male terminal holder 230 and insulated from the shield assembly 60.

[0027] The shroud 270 includes (i) a rectangular arrangement of walls 272 designed to surround the male terminal connection plate 474 and the conductor 598, and (ii) coupling features 274 that secure the shroud 270 to the male terminal holder 230. Specifically, the coupling features 274 are designed to interact with first and second ranges of retaining lips 252a, 252b to ensure that the cap 262 does not accidentally detach from the male terminal holder 230, thereby separating the shield assembly 60 from the male terminal connection plate 474. Similar to the male terminal holder 230, the shield insulator 260 is designed to be positioned in contact with both the male terminal assembly 430 and the shield assembly 60. For this reason, it is desirable that the shield insulator 260, like the male terminal holder 230, be formed of a non-conductive material. It should be understood that the selected non-conductive material should be able to adequately insulate the terminal assembly 430 even when a high current load is flowing through the terminal assembly 430. As described elsewhere in this application, the shield insulator 260 may be formed using any preferred method such as injection molding, 3D printing, casting, thermoforming, or any other similar technique.

[0028] The main or primary housing 280 is a complex structure including numerous protrusions, recesses and openings to facilitate its function with the male connector assembly 200. Specifically, the main housing 280 can be disassembled into two main parts: (i) a first part is a head or engaging portion 282 configured to receive the majority of the male terminal assembly 430 and the male terminal holder 230; and (ii) a second part is a body or support portion 310 configured to receive the male terminal assembly 430 and a small portion of the conductor 598. The engaging portion 282 includes (i) an upper arrangement of side walls 284, (ii) an upper wall 286, (iii) a lower arrangement of side walls 288 hanging down from the upper arrangement of side walls 284, and (iv) the male CPA assembly 400. As best shown in Figures 65 and 85, the upper wall 286 of the engaging portion 282 includes a first disengagement projection 287 that extends between the upper arrangements of the side walls 284 and extends upward from the outer surface of the upper wall 286. The first disengagement projection 287 has an inclined or sloped curved surface 290a and a forward-angled flat surface 290b that forms an acute angle with the outer surface of the upper wall 286, both of which function to help ensure that the primary locking member 320 is not accidentally disengaged. As best shown in Figure 99B, the engaging portion 282 also includes two deformable male coupling projections 292a, 292b that extend rearward from the front wall of the upper arrangement of the side walls 284. The deformable male coupling protrusions 292a and 292b interact with the fixed recesses 268 formed in the shield insulator 260 to fix the male terminal holder 230, thereby fixing the male terminal assembly 430 within the main housing 280.

[0029] The outer surface of the lower configuration of side wall 288 is positioned outside or beyond the outer surface of the upper configuration of side wall 284. In other words, the distance between opposing outer surfaces of the lower configuration of side wall 288 is greater than the distance between opposing outer surfaces of the upper configuration of side wall 284. This configuration makes the cross-sectional area of ​​the lower configuration of side wall 288 greater than that of the upper configuration of side wall 284. Specifically, the cross-sectional area of ​​the lower configuration of side wall 288 is at least 5%, preferably 15%, and most preferably 25% greater than that of the upper configuration of side wall 284. This is beneficial because the upper configuration of side wall 284 mainly receives only the male terminal assembly 430, the male terminal holder 230, and the shield insulator 260, while the lower configuration of side wall 288 receives the sealing member 390 and the secondary locking member 360. It should be understood that other configurations are contemplated by this disclosure, including cases in which the lower arrangement of side wall 288 is aligned with the upper arrangement of side wall 283.

[0030] The lower arrangement of the side wall 288 includes (i) two accidental engagement slots or engagement slots 294a, 294b which are part of the first portion 337a of the accidental engagement assembly 336, (ii) two positioning slots 296a, 296b, (iii) two stabilization slots 297a, 297b, (iv) a CPA slot 298, (v) accidental engagement recesses or engagement recesses 300a, 300b which are part of the first portion 337a of the accidental engagement assembly 336, and (iv) a rear lip 301. The accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b are formed in the side wall of the lower arrangement of the side wall 288, extend along most of the height of the side wall 288, and are positioned between the rear wall of the lower arrangement of the side wall 288 and the accidental engagement recesses 300a, 300b. As will be described in more detail below, the accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b are configured to help secure the male connector assembly 200 to the female connector assembly 600, facilitate the movement of the locking member 320 from the unlocked state to the locked state, and prevent the male connector assembly from accidentally moving from the engaged / disengaged ready state to the restricted engaged state. The accidental engagement recesses 300a, 300b extend downward from the upper edge of the lower-positioned sidewall 288 and do not penetrate the lower-positioned sidewall 288 completely. In particular, the accidental engagement recesses 300a, 300b include two ranges: (i) the first range is an inclined wall 302a, 302b extending forward from the leading edge of the accidental engagement recesses 300a, 300b; and (ii) the second range is a recessed flat wall 303a, 303b offset by more than 0.1 mm, preferably more than 0.75 mm, from the lower-positioned side wall of the side wall 288, or substantially parallel to the lower-positioned side wall of the side wall 288. The accidental engagement recesses 300a, 300b are configured to receive a range of the primary locking member 320 when the primary locking member 320 is in a locked state.

[0031] Positioning slots 296a, 296b and stabilization slots 297a, 297b are positioned between accidental engagement recesses 300a, 300b and the CPA slot 298 and are designed to receive substantial projections that help stabilize the connection between the male connector assembly 200 and the female connector assembly 600. The CPA slot 298 included in the male CPA assembly 400 is formed in the front wall of the lower arrangement of the side wall 288 and is designed to receive the extent of the female CPA assembly 700 when the system 10 is ready for use. Surrounding the CPA slot 298 is the CPA side wall arrangement 402, and the front walls of the CPA side wall arrangement 402, as well as the lower arrangement of the side wall 288 and the upper arrangement of the side wall 284, form a CPA receiving portion 404. The CPA receiving portion 404 is designed to accommodate a deformable male CPA member 406. The male CPA member 406 includes (i) two lateral connecting members 408a, 408b; (ii) two vertical support members 410a, 410b coupled to the lateral connecting members 408a, 408b; (iii) a horizontal engaging member 412 extending between the two lateral connecting members 408a, 408b; and (iv) a head or upper user interaction structure 414. The lateral connecting members 408a, 408b extend away from the front wall of the lower arrangement of the side wall 288 toward the foremost point of the CPA side wall arrangement 402. Thus, the lateral connecting members 408a, 408b allow the male CPA member 406 to deform from a first position or original position to a second position or deformed position when the system 10 is coupled to each other.

[0032] As described herein and for all purposes, the head, top, or user interaction structure 414 is designed such that the primary locking member 320 interacts with it to position the CPA assembly 80 in a locked position. In addition, the user interaction structure 414 is also designed to be accessible to the installer so that force can be applied to the user interaction structure 414 to disengage the elastically deformable male CPA member 406 from the range of the female CPA assembly 700. The horizontal engaging member 412 is designed to interact with the range of the female CPA assembly 700. Specifically, when the CPA assembly is in a locked position, the horizontal engaging member 412 prevents (i) the male connector assembly 200 from being coupled with the female connector assembly 600, or (ii) the male connector assembly 200 from being accidentally disconnected from the female connector assembly 600. Finally, the CPA sidewall arrangement 402 protects the deformable male CPA member 406, preventing it from being accidentally damaged or disengaged from the female connector 600. It should also be understood that the configuration of the male CPA assembly 400, and by extension the CPA assembly 80, may include different arrangements, combinations, or numbers of components. For example, the CPA assembly 80 may use magnetic force, spring force, require partial rotation, require full rotational force, or require a combination of these forces to position the CPA assembly 80 in a locked or unlocked position.

[0033] The rear lip 301 extends downward from the rearmost part of the head or engagement portion 282. Therefore, any structure positioned in front of the rear surface of the rear lip is housed within the engagement portion 282 of the main housing 280, and all structures positioned behind the rear surface of the rear lip are housed within the support portion 310 of the main housing 280. The support portion 310 includes (i) a wall arrangement 311 forming a substantially rectangular body, (ii) a fixed assembly 312 formed from a raised lip 313 and a plurality of locking projections 314a, 314b, and (iii) end cap coupling projections 315a to 315d. The fixed assembly 312 is designed to prevent the primary locking member 320 from sliding excessively rearward or excessively forward. Specifically, the raised lip 312 prevents the primary locking member 320 from sliding too far backward and prevents the multiple locking protrusions 314a, 314b from sliding too far forward. The support portion 310 of the main housing 280 includes a readable mark 316 positioned adjacent to and forward of the raised lip 312. The mark 316 is configured to be in two different configurations depending on the configuration of the connector system 10 and the CPA assembly 80, in one configuration the mark 316 cannot be read by the recording system, and in the other configuration the mark 316 can be read by the recording system. The mark 316 may include a serial number, part number, application information (e.g., vehicle identification number), component information (e.g., power distribution system), or device information (e.g., alternator). Mark 316 may be a barcode (e.g., single or multidimensional barcode), a quick response (QR) code, SnapTag, Microsoft Tag, Blipper, MaciCode, Data Matrix, Bokode, Aztec Code, CueCat, PDF417, Semacode, ShotCode, Touchatag, SPARQCode, SQR code, RFID, NFC, Bluetooth, a set of shapes readable by a recording system, a wireless-based device readable by a recording system, a set of protrusions readable by a recording system, a set of shapes of different colors, or a combination of the above.In other words, mark 316 can be any pattern, any color, any texture, and can have a two-dimensional or three-dimensional configuration.

[0034] The primary locking member or the first locking member or locking member 320 is positioned outside the main housing 280 and is configured to overlap (i) the entire engaging portion 282 and (ii) a portion of the support portion 310. The primary locking member 320 is designed to slidably engage with the main housing 280. This sliding engagement is designed to help prevent the connector system 10 from accidentally (a) moving the male connector assembly 200 from the "ready to engage" state to the "limited engagement" state, (b) moving the system 10 from the "ready to use" state to the "connected" state, and (c) removing the male connector assembly 200 from the female connector assembly 600 when the system 10 is in the "ready to use" state. Specifically, the primary locking member 320 is designed to slide back and forth in response to the application of a first force in a first plane, while the connector is designed to couple with the female connector assembly 600 in response to the application of a second force in a second plane that is substantially perpendicular to the first plane. In other words, the first and second forces are not parallel to each other, but rather substantially perpendicular to each other. To put it another way, the first plane may be the XY plane, and the second plane may be the YZ plane that is substantially perpendicular to the XY plane.

[0035] The primary locking member 320 includes (i) an arrangement of side walls 322 including an upper wall arrangement 324 and a lower wall arrangement 330, (ii) a second portion 337b of an accidental engagement assembly 336, (iii) an upper wall 346 integrally formed with the upper wall arrangement 324, (iv) a bottom rail 350, (v) a rear connector coupling projection 352, and (vi) a locking CPA assembly 356. The upper wall arrangement 324 includes (i) two side walls 325a, 325b having locking openings 326, and (ii) a front wall 325c having a CPA opening 327 formed through it. The locking openings 326 interact with locking projections 314a, 314b to ensure that the primary locking member 320 cannot be easily removed from the main housing 280. The CPA opening 327 is included in the locking CPA assembly 356 and provides access to the user interaction structure 414 of the male CPA member 406, specifically the male CPA assembly 400. As described below, the CPA opening 327 provides access that allows the user to push the user interaction structure 414 forward and downward in order to move the horizontal engaging member 412 well forward from the range of the female CPA assembly 700, thereby enabling the male CPA assembly 400 to be disengaged from the female CPA assembly 700.

[0036] Similar to the main housing 280, the outer surface of the lower wall configuration 330 is positioned outside or beyond the outer surface of the upper wall configuration 324. In other words, the distance between opposing outer surfaces of the lower wall configuration 330 is greater than the distance between opposing outer surfaces of the upper wall configuration 324. This configuration substantially coincides with the configuration of the lower configuration of the side wall 288 and the upper configuration of the side wall 284. The lower wall configuration 330 includes (i) accidental engagement recesses or engagement recesses 331a, 331b, (ii) accidental engagement retainers or engagement retainers 332a, 332b, (iii) locking CPA wall configuration 333, (iv) stabilizing projections 334, and (v) a plurality of locking recesses 335 configured to align with accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b, positioning slots 296a, 296b, and CPA slot 298. The locking CPA wall arrangement 333 is included in the locking CPA assembly 356, extends forward from the front wall of the lower wall arrangement 330, and is designed to interact with the CPA side wall arrangement 402 to protect the male deformable male CPA member 406. Thus, the locking CPA wall arrangement 333 is configured to be positioned outside the CPA side wall arrangement 402 in a particular operating position. The stabilizing projection 334 is received by the range of the female connector assembly 600 and is designed to further enhance the connection between the male connector assembly 200 and the female connector assembly 600 when the system 10 is ready for use. Finally, as with the accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b, positioning slots 296a, 296b, and CPA slot 298, the locking recess 335 helps to secure the male connector assembly 200 to the female connector assembly 600 and is configured to facilitate the movement of the primary locking member 320 from the unlocked state to the locked state.

[0037] The accidental engagement recesses 331a, 331b and accidental engagement retainers 332a, 332b are part of the second portion 337b of the accidental engagement assembly 336 and are formed on the inner surface of the lower wall arrangement 330. The accidental engagement recesses 331a, 331b allow one or more accidental engagement members 338a, 338b to (i) be positioned between the ranges of the male and female housings 220, 620 and (ii) be elastically deformable under certain operating conditions (which will be described in more detail below). The accidental engagement retainers 332a, 332b are positioned within the accidental engagement recesses 331a, 331b and retain the accidental engagement members 338a, 338b within the lower wall arrangement 330. It should be understood that other configurations of the accidental engagement assembly 336 are contemplated by this disclosure, and these configurations help ensure that the primary locking member 320 is not accidentally engaged, locked, or moved forward before the male terminal assembly 430 is securely inserted into the female terminal assembly 800.

[0038] The upper wall 346 of the locking member 320 is integrally formed with the upper wall arrangement 324 and extends between the upper wall arrangements 324. The upper wall 346 includes an accidental disengagement member 348, which is part of an accidental disengagement assembly 347 and is configured to prevent the locking member 320 from being accidentally disengaged, disengaged, or moved backward. Specifically, the disengagement member 348 is formed on the upper wall 336 by removing material from the upper wall 336 and forms a pivot strip 339, a rear or locking cantilever segment 340b, and a front or disengagement cantilever segment 340a. The second disengagement projection 342 is formed on the rear or inside of the disengagement cantilever segment 340b and includes an inclined or sloped curved surface 344a and a forward-angled flat surface 344b that forms an acute angle with the inner surface of the upper wall 346, and they work together to help ensure that the locking member 320 is not accidentally disengaged. As will be described in more detail below, the pivot strip 339 allows the disengagement cantilever segment 340a and the locking cantilever segment 340b to be angularly displaced inward or outward about a pivot point 346 formed on or near the pivot strip 339. Other configurations of the accidental disengagement assembly 347 are contemplated by this disclosure and should be understood to help ensure that the primary locking member 320 is not accidentally disengaged, disengaged, or moved backward after the connector system 10 is ready for use.

[0039] The bottom rail 350 of the locking member 320 extends downward from the lower surface of the lower wall arrangement 330, providing additional rigidity to the male connector assembly 200 and helping to fix / stabilize the male connector assembly 200 when connected to the female connector assembly 600. The rear connector coupling projection 352 is positioned adjacent to the bottom rail 350, extends downward from the lower wall arrangement 330, and includes a lower surface positioned below the bottom rail 350, and includes at least one, preferably two, bracing openings 354a, 354b which are part of the male bracing assembly 351. The bracing openings 354a, 354b of the male bracing assembly 351 are configured to receive the range of the female connector assembly 600, and the connector system 10 is under certain operating conditions (e.g., ready for use).

[0040] As best shown in Figures 2-3, 17, and 22-23, the secondary locking member or terminal locking member 360 is designed to (i) secure the male terminal holder 230 within the main housing 280, and (ii) prevent the locking member 320 from moving before the secondary locking member 360 is fixed in the locking position. The secondary locking member 360 includes (i) an IL assembly opening 362, (ii) an arrangement of projections 364 designed to interact with the arrangement of recesses 250a-250d of the male terminal holder 230, and (iii) at least one, preferably three or more deformable fixing members 368a-368c configured to secure the secondary locking member 360 to the main housing 230. The IL assembly opening 362 is an opening formed in the secondary locking member 360 and is designed to receive a range of female IL assemblies 980 when the connector system 10 is ready for use. The arrangement of projections 364 includes at least one, preferably four, projections 366a to 366d, each projection substantially surrounding a corner of the male terminal holder 230. Finally, deformable fixing members 368a to 368c are positioned between the arrangement of projections 364 and are designed to interact with projections formed on the main housing 230 to secure the secondary locking member 360 to the housing 230. The securing of the secondary locking member 360 to the housing 230 helps to support and secure the male terminal assembly 430 in the correct position when the connector system 10 is connected or ready for use, facilitating mating with the female terminal assembly 800.

[0041] B. Male terminal assembly Figures 3 to 14A show a first embodiment of the male terminal assembly 430, and Figures 107 to 108 show a second embodiment of the male terminal assembly. Referring particularly to the first embodiment, the male terminal assembly 430 includes a spring member 440d and a male terminal 470. A first embodiment of the spring member 440d is shown in Figures 8 to 11, and two other embodiments 440c are shown in Figure 108. Further disclosures of these embodiments are contained in International Applications PCT / US2021 / 033446, PCT / US2021 / 043686, and PCT / US2021 / 057959, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Returning to the first embodiment of the spring member 440d, the spring member 440d includes the arrangement of spring member side walls 442a to 442b and a rear spring wall 444. The arrangement of the spring member side walls 442a to 442b includes (i) a first or arched spring section 448a to 448h and (ii) a second spring section or spring arm 452a to 452h. The arched spring sections 448a to 448h extend between the rear spring wall 444 and the spring arms 452a to 452h, positioning the spring arms 452a to 452h substantially perpendicular to the rear spring wall 444. In other words, the outer surfaces of the spring arms 452a to 452h are substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the rear spring wall 444.

[0042] The spring arms 452a-452h extend from the arched sections 448a-448h, away from the rear spring wall 444, and terminate at the free end 446. These spring arms 452a-452h are not connected to each other and are therefore separated by spring arm gaps 455a-455f. The gaps 455a-455f assist in the omnidirectional expansion of the spring arms 452a-452h, thereby facilitating the mechanical coupling between the male terminal 470 and the female terminal assembly 800. In other embodiments, the spring arms 452a-452h may be coupled to other structures to restrict their omnidirectional expansion. The number and width of the individual spring arms 452a-452h and the openings may vary. Furthermore, the widths of the individual spring arms 452a-452h (excluding the positioning and holding means 453) are typically equal to each other. However, in other embodiments, one of the spring arms 452a to 452h may be wider than the other spring arms.

[0043] In contrast to embodiments 440a and 440b shown in international application PCT / US2019 / 036010 (which is incorporated herein by reference), the spring member 440d of the present invention includes at least one spring arm 452 including a positioning and retaining means 453. The positioning and retaining means 453 is shown as "J-shaped" positioning projections 454a to 454d extending laterally from the edges of the spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, and 452h. Preferably, the positioning projections 454a to 454d extend from the free ends 446 of the spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, and 452h, as opposed to the intermediate edges of the spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, and 452h. Specifically, the positioning protrusions 454a to 454d are configured to (i) hold the spring member 440d within the male terminal body 472, and (ii) limit the amount by which the spring member 440d can rotate within the body 472, thereby centering the spring member 440d within the contact arms 494a to 494h, and in some cases eliminating any measurable rotation of the spring member 440d. In the versions shown in Figures 8 to 16, the spring member 440d includes (i) at least two regular planar spring arms 452b, 452c, 452f, 452g without positioning protrusions 454a to 454d, and (ii) at least two irregular non-planar spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, 452h including positioning protrusions 454a to 454d. In the figure, the regular planar spring arms 452b, 452c, 452f, and 452g are positioned between the irregular non-planar spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, and 452h. Therefore, the regular planar spring arms 452b, 452c, 452f, and 452g can be considered as intermediate spring arms, while the irregular non-planar spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, and 452h can be considered as peripheral or external spring arms.

[0044] Unlike the spring arms disclosed in Figures 4-8 of International Application PCT / US2018 / 019787, the free ends 446 of the spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, and 452h do not have inwardly curved components. Instead, the spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, and 452h have substantially flat outer surfaces (except for the positioning and retaining means 453). This configuration is beneficial to ensure that the outward force exerted by the spring member 440d of the present invention is applied substantially perpendicularly to the free end 488 of the male terminal body 472. In contrast, the curved components of the spring arms disclosed in Figures 4-8 of International Application PCT / US2018 / 019787 do not apply force in this manner. Considering the positioning and retaining means 453, the four outer spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, and 452h are non-planar. Under this interpretation, the spring member 440d includes (i) a curved component that is not bent or angled inward toward the center of the connector, but instead oriented away from the center of the connector, and (ii) a limited range of the spring member 440d being positioned outside the spring receiving portion 486. Furthermore, a single spring arm 452a, 452d, 452e, 452h can be positioned between curved components 448a-448h, 454a-454d positioned in two different planes.

[0045] In contrast to the spring member 440c disclosed in international application PCT / US2021 / 033446 and other PCT applications incorporated herein, the spring member 440d does not include four side walls, but instead includes only two side walls 442a-442b. This is because the disclosed male connector assembly 430 does not include contact arms on all four sides and is therefore not 360°. In addition, the spring member 440d does not include a base section extending between the arched section and the spring arm. In other words, the spring arm section gaps 455a-455f extend all the way to the rear wall 444. Another difference between these spring members 440a-440d is that the side walls 442a-442b of the spring member are no longer planar due to the inclusion of curved positioning projections 454a-454d. Finally, due to the positioning and holding means 453, the spring 440d cannot be properly used in relation to other male terminal bodies disclosed in other PCT applications (e.g., international applications PCT / US2019 / 036010 and PCT / US2020 / 049870).

[0046] In other embodiments, the spring member 440d may include at least one spring arm 452b, 452c, 452f, 452g and only two spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, 452h, and have positioning projections 454 on both sides of the spring member 440d, either in an opposing or oblique positional relationship. This configuration may be beneficial because it limits the number of spring arms that need to be bent in a second direction. In other embodiments, the spring member 440d may include only a single irregular non-planar spring arm, in relation to including a front or rear wall of the male terminal body 472. In this embodiment, the front or rear wall prevents the spring member from sliding in that direction, while the single irregular non-planar spring arm prevents this embodiment of the spring member from sliding in the direction opposite to the front or rear wall. In other embodiments, the positioning and holding means 453 may (i) extend from one or more of the free ends 446 of the spring arms 452a to 452h and wrap around a substantial portion of the curved lower range of the contact arms 494a to 494h, i.e., a projection(s) or tab(s) that overlap with or wrap around the internal corner regions 493a to 493d of the external contact arms 494a, 494d, 494e, 494h; or (ii) not extend from the spring arms 452a to 452h, but instead extend from the rear spring wall 444 around the range of the upper male terminal body wall 480. (iii) projections(s) that are not positioned near the free ends 446 of the spring arms 452a-452h, but instead are positioned near the upper range of the spring arms 452a-452h and wrap around the neck portions 491a-491h of the contact arms 494a-494h, (iv) projections that extend from the rear spring wall 444 and are configured to be positioned between the inner surface of the upper male terminal body wall 480 and the uppermost range of the male terminal front wall 483, and (v) any combination of these projections or tabs having similar structural and functional attributes.

[0047] The spring member 440d is typically formed from a single piece of material (e.g., metal). Thus, the spring member 440d is either a single piece of spring member 440d or has integrally formed features. In particular, the following features, namely (i) a rear spring wall 444, (ii) curved sections 448a-448h, (iii) spring arms 452a-452h, and (iii) positioning protrusions 454a-454d, are integrally formed. To integrally form these features, the spring member 440d is typically formed using a die forming process. The die forming process mechanically shapes the spring member 440d. As described below and in more detail in international application PCT / US2019 / 036010, the spring member 440d is formed from a flat sheet of metal, installed in the male terminal body 472, and connected to the female terminal assembly 800. When exposed to high temperatures, the spring member 440d exerts an outward spring thermal force S on the contact arms 494a-494h, partly due to the fact that the spring member 440d attempts to return to its flat sheet state. TF Add the following. However, it should be understood that other types of methods may be used to form the spring member 440d, such as casting or additive manufacturing processes (e.g., 3D printing). In other embodiments, the feature portion of the spring member 440d may not be formed from a single piece or integrally formed, but instead may be formed from separate parts that are welded together.

[0048] Referring to Figures 4 to 7B, a first embodiment of the male terminal 470 includes (i) a male terminal body 472 and (ii) a male terminal connection plate 474. The male terminal connection plate 474 is configured to receive a range of conductors 598, busbars, or any other type of electrical connector. The conductors 598 are typically welded to the connection plate 474. However, other methods of connecting the conductors 598 to the connection plate 474 are contemplated in this disclosure. Referring here to the male terminal body 472, the male terminal body 472 has (i) an upper wall 480, (ii) a first side wall 482a, (iii) an opposing second side wall 482b, (iv) a front wall 483, and (v) a rear wall 484. The combination of these walls 480, 482a to 482b, 483, and 484 forms a wall arrangement 479 defining a spring receiving portion 486 having a right-angle prism shape. The arrangement of the first and second side walls 482a to 482b includes (i) contact arms 494a to 494h, each having a first or neck portion 491a to 491h and a second or body portion 492a to 492h; (ii) base sections 490a to 490b extending between the rear wall 484 and the contact arms 494a to 494h; and (iii) a plurality of contact arm openings 496a to 496h, each having a first range or neck gap 498a to 498h and a second range or body gap 499a to 499h. Due to this configuration, (i) the side edges of each contact arm 494a to 494h have non-linear edges, (ii) the side edges of the neck portions 491a to 491h are parallel but not coplanar with the side edges of the main body portions 492a to 492h, (iii) the elongated boundaries of the contact arm openings 496a to 496h are non-linear, (iv) the contact arms 494a to 494h have non-uniform widths, and (v) the contact arm openings 496a to 496h have non-uniform widths.

[0049] The contact arms 494a - 494h extend away from the upper male terminal wall 480 and over the range of the contact arm openings 496a - 496h. This configuration is more beneficial than the terminal configurations shown in FIGS. 9 - 15, FIGS. 18, FIGS. 21 - 31, FIGS. 32, FIGS. 41 - 42, FIGS. 45 - 46, FIGS. 48, and FIGS. 50 of International Application PCT / US2018 / 019787. This configuration can (i) have a shorter overall length, which means less metal material is required for formation and the male terminal 470 can be installed in a more narrowly restricted space, (ii) have a higher current - carrying capacity, (iii) be easier to assemble, and (iv) enable other beneficial features disclosed herein or that can be inferred by those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0050] The contact arms 494a - 494h extend away from the upper male terminal wall 480 at an outward angle. In particular, the outward angle can 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 surface of the base sections 490a - 490b and the outer surface of the contact arms 494a - 494h. This configuration allows the contact arms 494a - 494h to be deflected or displaced inwardly by the female terminal assembly 800 and towards the center of the male terminal 470 when the male terminal assembly 430 is inserted into the female terminal assembly 800. This inward deflection helps to ensure that an appropriate mechanical and electrical connection is created by ensuring that the contact arms 494a - 494h are placed in contact with the female terminal assembly 800.

[0051] The first part of the contact arms 494a - 494h, i.e., the neck parts 491a - 491h, have a neck width W N and the second part of the contact arms 494a - 494h, i.e., the body parts 492a - 492h, have a body width W B In the embodiment of the male terminal body 472 shown in the figure, the neck width W N (e.g., 1.9 mm) is not equal to the body width W B (e.g., 3.2 mm). Specifically, the neck width W N is the body width WB Smaller than, preferably with a neck width W N The main unit width is W B At least 10% smaller than, and more preferably with a neck width W N The main unit width is W B At least 20% smaller than, most preferably neck width W N The main unit width is W B It is at least 40% smaller than that. In other words, the neck width W N The main unit width W B It could be about 60% of that. Body width W B Neck width W compared to N This reduction reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arms 494a-494h inward and toward the center of the male terminal 470 when coupling the male terminal assembly 430 to the female terminal assembly 800. This is beneficial because it reduces the insertion force associated with the male terminal body 472, which is desirable to meet industry standards (e.g., USCAR), thereby reducing installer fatigue, shortening installation time, and reducing installation errors.

[0052] The neck portions 491a to 491h of the contact arms 494a to 494h reduce the insertion force associated with the male terminal body 472, but do not act as a current choke because the volume of the neck is larger than the volume of the contact arms 494a to 494h that contact the female terminal assembly 800. This is important because the generation of a current choke by the neck portions 491a to 491h makes this design less desirable than other designs that do not have a neck portion that generates a current choke. Specifically, the volume of the neck is approximately 4.5 mm². 3 (For example, 3mm (length) x 1.9mm (width) x 0.8mm (thickness)), and the volume of the contact area is approximately 2mm. 3(For example, 0.8 mm (length) × 3.2 mm (width) × 0.8 mm (thickness)). In other words, the volume of the contact area is 44% of the volume of the neck. Therefore, it is possible to substantially reduce the volume of the neck before it forms a current choke. In other words, it is theoretically possible to reduce the width of the neck to 0.9 mm while keeping all other measurements the same before the neck forms a theoretical current choke. In other embodiments, other measurements may be used, and it should be understood that these are not limiting.

[0053] By reducing the insertion force associated with the male terminal body 472 of the male connector assembly 200, the designer can either (i) maintain this reduced insertion force by using the same spring member 440d, or (ii) maintain the same or similar insertion force as the male connector assembly 200 that utilizes a male terminal body without a contact arm having a narrowed neck portion, i.e., a male terminal body similar to that disclosed in international application PCT / US2020 / 049870, by using a spring member having a first biasing force greater than a second biasing force associated with the spring member 440d. If the second option is selected when the designer wishes to construct a connector system 10 having the same insertion force requirements as those associated with a similar connector system that includes a contact arm having a straight edge, the designer reallocates the forces associated with the components contributing to the insertion force so that greater reliability is given to the spring member 440d and less reliability is given to the male terminal body 472. The reliance on internal spring members can be beneficial because the designer can easily modify the characteristics of the connector system 10 without requiring changes to the terminal body 472. For example, the designer can insert a more rigid spring member into the spring receptacle 486 to increase the current capacity of the system 10. Alternatively, if there are specific customer requirements defining a target insertion force, the designer can simply select a spring member that meets these requirements without having to redesign the male terminal body 472. This modularity and flexibility of the connector system 10 represents a substantial improvement over the prior art, reducing the number of product SKUs, increasing the ability to meet customer requirements without redesigning or overhauling the connector, and / or limiting the testing and other processes required to utilize new / different connectors.

[0054] The first part of the contact arm 494a~494h, i.e., the neck portion 491a~491h, has a neck length L N The second part of the contact arms 494a to 494h, i.e., the main body parts 492a to 492h, has a main body length L BIt has a neck length L. In the embodiment of the male terminal body 472 shown in the figure, the neck length L N (For example, 3mm) is the main body length L B (For example, 9.7mm) is not equal to the neck length L. N The main body length is L B Shorter than, preferably, neck length L N The main body length is L B At least 10% shorter than, and more preferably, neck length L N The main body length is L B At least 40% shorter than, most preferably, neck length L N The main body length is L B It is at least 65% shorter than the neck gap 498a to 498h of the contact arm opening 496a to 496h, and the neck gap width W NG The main body gap 499a to 499h of the contact arm openings 496a to 496h is the main body gap width W BG It has. In the embodiment of the male terminal body 472 shown in the figure, the neck gap width W NG (For example, 1.9 mm) is the gap width W of the main body. BG It is not equal to (for example, 0.6 mm). Specifically, the neck gap width W NG The main body gap width W B Larger than, preferably, neck gap width W NG The main body gap width W BG It is 15% or more smaller than, and more preferably, the neck gap width W NG The main body gap width W BG At least 40% larger than, and most preferably, neck gap width W NG The main body gap width W BG It is at least 65% larger than that.

[0055] The neck gap 498a to 498h of the contact arm openings 496a to 496h is the neck gap length L. NG The main body gap 499a to 499h between the contact arm openings 496a to 496h has a main body gap length L BG It has a neck gap length L in the embodiment of the male terminal body 472 shown in the figure. NG (For example, 3 mm) is the gap length L of the main body. BGNot equal to (for example, 9.7 mm). Specifically, the neck gap length L NG The main body gap length L BG Smaller than, preferably, neck gap length L NG The main body gap length L BG At least 10% smaller than, and more preferably, neck gap length L NG The main body gap length L BG At least 40% smaller than, and most preferably, neck gap length L NG The main body gap length L BG It is at least 65% smaller than the front wall 483 of the male terminal body 472, with a front wall length L FW (For example, 4.5 mm) has, which is (i) body length L B Or the gap length L between the main body BG (ii) Neck width W N Or neck gap width W NG It is larger than that. In fact, the length of the front wall L FW (i) Approximately 35% of the length of the contact arms 494a to 494h, and (ii) the length L of the contact arm body. B (iii) Approximately 45% of the length of the contact arm neck L N This is approximately 1.5 times longer. Reducing the length of the front wall 483 is beneficial because it reduces the weight, manufacturing cost, and overall cost of the materials used in the male terminal assembly 430. These advantages represent a substantial improvement over the male terminal assemblies disclosed in international applications PCT / US2019 / 036010 and PCT / US2020 / 049870.

[0056] Unlike the male terminal bodies disclosed in international applications PCT / US2019 / 036010 and PCT / US2020 / 049870, the male terminal body 472 disclosed herein does not have a U-shaped side wall portion surrounding the contact arms 494a-494h. This configuration reduces weight, manufacturing cost, and material cost. However, this reduces the durability of the male terminal assembly 430. This reduced durability is not a drawback of the disclosed system 10 due to the substantial male terminal holder 230 and other non-conductive components of the connector system 10. The male terminal body 472 disclosed herein does not have the U-shaped sidewall portion of international application PCT / US2019 / 036010, but the male terminal body 472 includes terminal ends 488a-488h configured to (i) be positioned within the spring receiving portion 486, (ii) have an inner surface that is coplanar with the inner surfaces of the base sections 490a-490b of the contact arms 494a-494h, and (iii) be positioned in contact with the flat outer surfaces of the spring arms 452a-452d when the spring member 440d is inserted into the spring receiving portion 486. This configuration is more advantageous than the configuration shown in Figures 3-8 of international application PCT / US2018 / 019787 because the assembler of the male terminal assembly 430 does not need to apply a significant force to deform most of the contact arms 494a-494h outward to receive the spring member 440d. This required deformation is best illustrated in Figure 6 of International Application PCT / US2018 / 019787, due to the inclination of the contact arm and the fact that the outer surface of the spring arm and the inner surface of the contact arm are adjacent to each other without forming a gap between them. In contrast to Figures 3-8 of International Application PCT / US2018 / 019787, this application shows the gap formed between the outer surface of the spring member 440d and the inner surfaces of the contact arms 494a-494h. Therefore, the force required to insert the spring member 440d into the spring receiver 486 is very small, due to the fact that the assembler does not need to apply force to significantly deform the contact arms 494a-494h during the insertion of the spring 440d.

[0057] The male terminal 470 is typically formed from a single piece of material (e.g., metal). Therefore, the male terminal 470 is a single piece and has integrally formed features. To integrally form these features, the male terminal 470 is typically formed using a die-cutting process. However, it should be understood that other types of forming methods for the male terminal 470 may be utilized, such as the use of casting or additive manufacturing processes (e.g., 3D printing). In other embodiments, the features of the male terminal 470 cannot be formed from a single piece or integrally formed, but instead may be formed from separate parts that are welded together. It should be understood that when forming the male terminal 470, any number (e.g., 1 to 100) of contact arms 494a to 494h can be formed within the male terminal 470.

[0058] The male terminal assembly 430 is assembled by moving the spring member 440d from an unseated state to a seated state. In particular, Figure 10 shows the spring member 440d separated from the male terminal body 472 in an unseated state. The installer then applies an insertion force to the spring member 440d to position it within the spring receiving portion 486. The insertion force is applied to the spring member 440d until the rear spring wall 444 is positioned adjacent to the inner surface of the upper male terminal wall 480, the free end 446 of the spring member 440d is substantially aligned with the free end 488 of the male terminal body 472, and a portion of the side walls 442a to 442b of the spring member 440d is positioned adjacent to the male terminal side walls 482a to 482b. At this position, the spring member 440d has moved from an unseated state to a seated state.

[0059] In the seated position, most clearly shown in Figures 11 to 16, the spring member 440d contacts three distinct surfaces of the male terminal body 472, including (i) contact between the outer surface of the spring member 440d and the inner surface of the male terminal body 472, (ii) contact between the inner surfaces of the "J-shaped" positioning protrusions 454a and 454d of the spring member 440d and the first end faces of the contact arms 494a to 494h of the male terminal body 472 (which are the outer surfaces of the contact arms 494a and 494h), and (iii) contact between the inner surfaces of the "J-shaped" positioning protrusions 454b and 454c of the spring member 440d and the second end faces of the contact arms 494a to 494h of the male terminal body 472 (which are the outer surfaces of the contact arms 494d and 494e). In this way, each of the positioning protrusions 454a, 454b, 454c, and 454c engages with and encloses the internal corner regions 493a to 493d (see Figures 12 and 13) of the external contact arms 494a, 494d, 494e, and 494h of the male terminal body 472, but does not enclose the internal contact arms 494b, 494c, 494f, and 494g. The engagement of the internal corner regions 493a to 493d by the positioning protrusions 454a, 454b, 454c, and 454c through overlapping or enveloping ensures proper centering and retention of the spring member 440d within the spring receiving portion 486 of the male terminal body 472, and is structurally and functionally different from the spring arms and male terminal assemblies disclosed in other PCT applications referenced herein (e.g., International Application PCT / US2019 / 036010 and International Application PCT / US2020 / 049870).

[0060] As best illustrated in Figure 11, the circumferences of the inner lower edges of all spring arms 452a to 452h are not equal, and the circumference of any of the inner lower edges of all spring arms 452a to 452h is not equal to the circumference of the inner lower edge of the contact arms 494a to 494h. Specifically, the circumferences of the intermediate spring arms 452b to 452c and 452f to 452g are equal to a first length (e.g., 2 mm), the circumferences of the outer spring arms 452a, 452d, 452e, and 452h are equal to a second length (e.g., 4.1 mm), and the circumferences of the contact arms 494a to 494h are equal to a third length (e.g., 5.3 mm). Here, the first length is shorter than the second length, and the second length is shorter than the third length. Unlike other male terminal assemblies, the first length (e.g., 2 mm) of the intermediate spring arms 452b-452c and 452f-452g is not equal to the third length (e.g., 5.3 mm) around the contact arms 494a-494h. Also, the spring arm width W of the intermediate spring arms 452b-452c and 452f-452g S (For example, 2mm) is the main body width W of the contact arms 494a~494h. B (For example, 3.2mm) or neck width W N (For example, not equal to 1.9 mm). Spring arm width W as shown here. S The contact arm body width W B This is 62.5% of the total. On the other hand, the spring arm width W S The contact arm neck width W N It is slightly larger than that. Other widths and other width ratios are contemplated in this disclosure, but changes in these width / width ratios are likely to affect the insertion force of the connector system 10 and therefore should be carefully considered when making any changes to the connector system 10.

[0061] The first embodiment of the male terminal assembly 430 shows a male terminal 470 that does not conform to 360° because the outer surfaces of the contact arms 494a to 494h are designed to contact only two opposing side walls of the female terminal receiving portion 814, and not all four side walls of the female terminal receiving portion 814. Therefore, the spring biasing force S BFThe contact is applied in only two directions, not all four. It should be understood that some embodiments of the male terminal assembly 430 may not conform to 360°, as the outer surfaces of the contact arms 494a-494h are designed to contact all four side walls of the female terminal receiving portion 814.

[0062] The male terminals 470, including contact arms 494a-494h, may be formed from a first material such as copper, a highly conductive copper alloy (e.g., C151 or C110), aluminum, and / or another suitable conductive material. The first material preferably has a conductivity exceeding 80% of the IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard, i.e., an empirically derived standard value of the conductivity of commercially available copper). For example, C151 is pure copper that typically conforms to the IACS and has a conductivity of 95% of the standard. Similarly, C110 has a conductivity of 101% of the IACS. In certain operating environments or technical applications, C151 may be preferred because it has corrosion resistance desirable for high-stress and / or harsh weather applications. The first material of the male terminal 470 is C151, which, according to the ASTM B747 standard, has an elastic modulus (Young's modulus) of approximately 115-125 gigapascals (GPa) at room temperature and a terminal expansion coefficient (CTE) of 17.6 ppm / °C (20-300°C) and 17.0 ppm / °C (20-200°C).

[0063] The spring members 440a, 440b, and 440d may be formed from a second material such as spring steel, stainless steel (e.g., 301SS, 1 / 4 hardness), and / or another preferred material having greater stiffness (e.g., measured by Young's modulus) and greater elasticity than the first material of the male terminal 470. The second material preferably has a lower conductivity than the first material. The second material may also have a Young's modulus that can be about 193 GPa at room temperature and a coefficient of terminal expansion (CTE) of about 17.8 ppm / °C (0 to 315°C) and 16.9 ppm / °C (0 to 100°C).

[0064] Based on the exemplary embodiments described above, the Young's modulus and CTE of the spring member 440d are greater than those of the male terminal 470. Therefore, if the male terminal 470 is used in a high-power application where the system 10 is subjected to repeated thermal cycling at high temperatures (e.g., about 150°C), (i) the male terminal 470 becomes malleable and loses some mechanical elasticity, i.e., the copper material within the male terminal 470 softens, and (ii) the spring member 440d does not become malleable or loses significantly more mechanical stiffness compared to the male terminal 470. Therefore, if a mechanically cold-shaped spring member 440d is used (e.g., by utilizing a die-forming process), the spring member 440d is exposed to high temperatures and the spring member 440d returns to at least its uncompressible state, which occurs before the male terminal assembly 430 is inserted into the female terminal assembly 800, preferably returning to its original flat state, which occurs before the formation of the spring member 440d. By doing so, the spring member 440d exerts a thermal spring force S that is approximately outward relative to the free end 488 of the male terminal 470. TF Add this thermal spring force S. TF The spring biasing force S depends on local temperature conditions, including high and / or low temperatures, in the environment in which the system 10 is installed. BF and thermal spring force S TF The combination with the resulting biasing force S RBF This provides that when the male terminal 470 is inserted into the female terminal assembly 800 and during the operation of the system 10, the outer surfaces of the contact arms 494a to 494h are pressed against the inner surface of the female terminal assembly 800, ensuring electrical and mechanical connection. Furthermore, even if thermal cycle events are repeated, the male terminal assembly 430 is protected from the outward composite spring force S applied to the female terminal assembly 800 during the repeated operation of the system 10. RBFIt should be understood that further details concerning the male terminal 470 and the spring 440d are discussed in international applications PCT / US2019 / 036010, PCT / US2019 / 036070, PCT / US2019 / 036127, PCT / US2021 / 043686, PCT / US2021 / 043788, and PCT / US2021 / 057959, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0065] C. Male Shield Assembly As best shown in Figures 17-18 and 97-99B, the shield assembly 60 includes a male shield assembly 530 located within the male housing assembly 220 and is designed to interact with the female shield assembly 930 to reduce electromagnetic interference ("EMI") noise emitted by the male connector assembly 200. The male shield assembly 530 comprises (i) a male terminal body shield 532, (ii) a male connection plate shield 538, (iii) a bottom shield 542, (vi) a shield cap 546, and (v) a shield connector 556. Each of these components is connected to the cable shield and coupled to one another to form an electrical path that partially encloses the male terminal assembly 430. The male terminal body shield 532 is positioned adjacent to the outer wall arrangement 244 of the male terminal holder 230 and the cap 262 of the shield insulator 260 and is configured to interact with the male connection plate shield 538 and the bottom shield 542. The male terminal body shield 532 has (i) two opposing side walls 534a, 534b, with three deformable coupling members 536a to 536c formed on one side wall 534a and three deformable coupling members 536d to 536f formed on the opposing side wall 534b; (ii) a front wall 5346, with two deformable coupling members 536g to 534h formed on the front wall 534c; and (iii) an upper wall 534d having a divot that matches a fixed recess 268 formed in the cap 262. The bottom shield 542 has an arrangement of walls 544 that form a bowl-shaped receiving portion, which partially surrounds the male connector plate 474, is positioned adjacent to the range of the male terminal holder 230, and is configured to interact with the male terminal body shield 532 and the male connection plate shield 538. The bottom shield 542 includes one deformable coupling member 536i extending from the bottom wall of the arrangement of the wall 544. The combination of the male terminal body shield 532 and the bottom shield 542 provides nine deformable coupling members 536d to 536i (for example, six on the side of the terminal assembly 430, two on the front of the terminal assembly 430, and one on the rear of the terminal assembly 430).It should be understood that this disclosure intends for a number of other shield coupling members 536a to 536i forming the shield coupling assembly 535 to be included between one shield coupling member and 50 shield coupling members.

[0066] The male connector plate shield 538 includes an arrangement of walls 540 that surround the male connector plate 474 and form a rectangular receptacle designed to interact with the bottom shield 542, the male terminal body shield 532, and the shield cap 546. To facilitate these interactions, the male connector plate shield 538 includes a front connecting element 542a and a rear connecting element 542b. The shield cap 546 also includes an arrangement of walls 548 that form a rectangular receptacle designed to surround the male connector plate 474 and the conductor 598. Furthermore, the shield cap 546 is designed to interact with the male connector plate shield 538 and the shield connector 556. Finally, the shield connector 556 surrounds the conductor 598 and is designed to interact with the shield cap 546 and the shield integrated with the conductor 598. It should be understood that other configurations, elements, and components that work together to connect the integrated conductor shield to the structure surrounding most of the male terminal assembly 430 are contemplated in this disclosure. Furthermore, it should be understood that the inclusion of the male shield assembly 530 is optional and can be omitted if necessary. The male shield assembly 530 is formed from a conductive material such as metal. Other conductive materials that may be used (e.g., conductive plastics) are disclosed in International Application PCT / US2020 / 013757, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0067] As shown in Figures 14A and 14B, force is applied to the male terminal assembly 430 to move the combination of components from an uncoupled state to a coupled state, positioning the male terminal assembly 430 within the male terminal holder 230. Once the male terminal assembly 430 is positioned within the male terminal holder 230, force is applied to the cap 262 of the shield insulator 260 to couple the cap 262 to the male terminal holder 230, thereby securing the male terminal assembly 430. Next, an upward force is applied to the bottom shield 542 to position it around the lower range of the male terminal holder 230. After the bottom shield 542 is in place, a downward force is applied to the male terminal body shield 532 to position it so that it is in contact with (i) the range of the male terminal holder 230, (ii) the range of the cap 262, and (iii) the range of the bottom shield 542. In this configuration, the shield coupling members 536a to 536i form nine contact points (for example, six on the side of the terminal assembly 430, two in front of the terminal assembly 430, and one at the rear of the terminal assembly 430) that are designed to contact the female shield assembly 930 when the system 10 is ready for use.

[0068] Once the bottom shield 542 and the male terminal body shield 532 are properly positioned around the male terminal assembly 430, force is applied to the male connection plate shield 538 to bring the front and rear connecting elements 542a, 542b into contact with the bottom shield 542 and the male terminal body shield 532. Next, the conductor 598 is welded to the male connection plate 474, and then the shield cap 546 is coupled to the bottom shield 542 and the male terminal body shield 532. Finally, the shield cap 546 is connected to a shield connector 556 crimped onto the shield of the conductor.

[0069] D. Male Interlock Assembly As more clearly shown and described in international application PCT / US2021 / 043686, the male interlock or MIL 590, which is part of the IL assembly 100, is designed to help prevent arc discharge during mating of the connector assemblies 200, 600. To achieve this, the IL assembly 100 prevents current from being applied to part of the connector system 10, namely the female connector assembly 600, before the connector system is placed in a connected state. This function is achieved using an interlock circuit which may include (i) components of a battery distribution system including a sensing module and a disconnection controller, and (ii) a disconnection switch. The sensing module is coupled to the FIL receiving portion 982 and detects when the circuit is closed by the insertion of the MIL jumper 592. When the circuit is closed, the sensing module signals the disconnection controller to close the disconnection switch. When the disconnection switch is closed, current can flow from the power supply through the switch to the connector system 10. Alternatively, if the MIL jumper 592 is not inserted into the FIL receiver 982, the sensing module sends a signal to the disconnect controller to open the disconnect switch. When the disconnect switch is open, current cannot flow from the power supply through the switch to the connector system 10. For clarity, a chart illustrating the operation of these components is shown in Figure 74B of International Application PCT / US2021 / 043686, and other examples of interlock circuits are disclosed in U.S. Patents 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 fully incorporated by reference.

[0070] As shown in the figure, the MIL590 includes a jumper 592 having two connecting elements 594a, 594b connected to each other. The jumper is positioned between the male terminal assembly 430. These connecting elements 594a, 594b are designed to short-circuit and connect wires that are included in the IL circuit and connected to the FIL receiving portion 982 when the connecting elements 594a, 594b are received by the FIL receiving portion 982. It should be understood that the MIL590 can be molded within the male housing assembly 220 or added after the connector assembly 200 is fully assembled. It should also be understood that other structures designed to short-circuit wires included in the FIL980 are contemplated by this disclosure.

[0071] E. Assembling the Male Connector Assembly As shown in Figure 3, the male connector assembly 200 is in a disassembled state. As described above and shown in Figures 12 to 13B, the first step in assembling the male connector assembly 200 is to move the male terminal assembly 430 from an unseated state to a seated state by positioning the spring member 440d within the spring receiving portion 486 of the male terminal body 472. As shown in Figure 14A, the second step in assembling the male connector assembly 200 is to move the male terminal assembly 430 from an uncoupled state to a coupled state by positioning the male terminal assembly 430 within the male terminal holder 230. As shown in Figures 14B to 17, the next step in assembling the male connector assembly 200 is to complete the assembly of the non-conductive elements surrounding the male terminal assembly 430. In particular, this step includes coupling the shield insulator 260 to the male terminal holder 230. Once this step is complete, the male connector assembly 200 is in a first partially assembled state.

[0072] To move the male connector assembly 200 from a first partially assembled state to a second partially assembled state, (i) the male shield assembly 530 is positioned around the non-conductive elements of the male terminal assembly 430 in the manner described above, (ii) the combination of the male terminal assembly 430, housing members 230, 260, and shield assembly 530 is inserted into the main housing 280, and (iii) the primary locking member 320 is partially coupled to the main housing 280 by applying a rearward force to the primary locking member 320, as shown in Figures 19 to 21.

[0073] Applying a force directed backward to the primary locking member 320 causes the primary locking member 320 to default to a locked or forward position. To move the primary locking member 320 from this locked position, the installer applies a downward pivot force F to move the lowest range of the second disengagement projection 342 above the highest range of the first disengagement projection 287, or to pivot the locking cantilever segment 340a around the pivot strip 339. P Apply a forward or release force to the forward or release cantilever segment 340a. While applying a downward force to the forward or release cantilever segment 340a, the installer also applies a backward release force F to the primary locking member 320 to move the second release projection 342 behind the first release projection 287. UL Add the following. In this state, the locking member 320 is in the rearward position or the unlocked position. The required downward pivot force F P This force is less than 25 Newtons, while the required release force F UL This force is less than 25 Newtons. To move the male connector assembly 200 from the second partially assembled state to the third partially assembled state, the secondary locking member 360 is positioned within the main housing 280 but not coupled to it (i.e., the secondary locking member 360 is in a non-receiving state). To move the male connector assembly 200 from the third partially assembled state to the assembled state, an upward force is applied to the secondary locking member 360, moving it from a non-receiving state to a receiving state (see Figures 22-23).

[0074] 2. Female connector assembly Figures 28 to 31 and 38 to 99B provide various diagrams of the female connector assembly 600. The female connector assembly 600 includes (i) a female housing 620 having a female CPA assembly 700, (ii) a female touchproof member 720, (iii) a female terminal assembly 800, (iv) a female shield assembly 930, and (v) a female IL assembly 980.

[0075] A. Female housing assembly As best shown in Figure 28, the female housing assembly 620 includes (i) a female terminal holder 630, (ii) a main housing 640, and (vii) a seal 998. The female terminal holder 630 is configured to receive the terminal assembly 800, isolate the female shield assembly 930 from the female terminal assembly 800, facilitate the positioning and retention of the female terminal assembly 800 within the female connector assembly 600, and to facilitate other functions which will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the following disclosures and figures. The female terminal holder 630 has an arrangement of walls 632 having terminal retaining projections 634 and terminal retaining recesses 636, the outer surfaces of the projections substantially coincide with the outer surfaces of the end walls of the female terminal assembly 800, and the terminal retaining recesses 636 receive a range of the side walls of the female terminal assembly 800. The female terminal holder 630 is configured to be positioned in contact with both the shield assembly 60 and the female terminal assembly 800. Therefore, it is desirable that the female terminal holder 630 be formed from a non-conductive material. It should be understood that the selected nonconductive material should be able to adequately insulate the female terminal assembly 800 even when a high current load is flowing through the terminal assembly 800. As described elsewhere in this application, the female terminal holder 630 may be formed using any preferred method such as injection molding, 3D printing, casting, thermoforming, or any other similar technique.

[0076] The female main housing 640 includes (i) a base wall 642, (ii) an inner wall 644, (iii) an outer wall 646, (iv) a female bracing assembly 648, (v) a terminal fixing projection 670, (vi) a FIL retainer 674, and (vii) a female CPA assembly 700. As shown in Figures 28 to 31, the base wall 642 is positioned adjacent to a range of components 8 included in the power distribution system and is designed to facilitate the coupling of the female terminal assembly 800 to those components. Accordingly, the base wall 642 has a considerable thickness to help ensure proper mounting and has four connector openings 654a to 654d formed through it. The connector openings 654a to 654d are designed to receive a range of elongated couplers configured to secure the female connector assembly 200 to the components.

[0077] The arrangement of the inner wall 644 extends upward from the base wall 642 and includes first and second arrangements of housing receiving walls 658a, 658b. Each arrangement of housing receiving walls 658a, 658b includes (i) two side walls 660a, 660b and (ii) two end walls 660c, 660d. The combination of the side walls 660a, 660b and the end walls 660c, 660d forms a rectangular receiving portion 662 designed to receive a range of female terminal assembly 800. In particular, the side walls 660a, 660b have an upper portion that (i) extends upward from the female terminal assembly 800 and (ii) includes contact arm displacement means 663 for displacing contact arms 494a-494h during insertion of male terminal assembly 430. Here, the contact arm displacement means 663 is an internal segment 664 at the top of the side walls 660a, 660b, which has an inclined surface designed to slide-engage with the range of contact arms 494a-494h of the male terminal assembly 430 during insertion of the male terminal assembly 430 into the receptacle 653 of the female housing 620. The internal segment 664 is angled or inclined at an internal angle with respect to the outer surfaces of the side walls 660a, 660b. In this exemplary embodiment, the internal angle α is 0.01 to 15 degrees, preferably 1 to 7 degrees, and most preferably 5 degrees. Also, the internal angle α is substantially constant. The inclined internal segment 664 is designed to gently compress the contact arms 494a-494h inward as these two components slide-engage while an operator (e.g., a worker or robot) inserts the male connector assembly 200 into the receptacle of the female connector assembly 600.

[0078] In other embodiments, it should be understood that the inclined or angled configuration of the internal segment 664 may not be constant, its dimensions may vary, and the internal segment 664 may be continuous within the housing 620. It should also be understood that the internal segment 664 may typically be formed from the same material, e.g., polymer (e.g., nylon or plastic), from which the rest of the female housing 640 is formed. Utilizing polymer material is beneficial because it results in less friction between the polymer material of the internal segment 664 and the metal contact arms 494a-494h compared to (i) friction between the metal contact arms 494a-494h and an alternative internal segment 664 made of metal, or (ii) friction between the metal contact arms 494a-494h and the metal female terminal assembly 800. In alternative embodiments, the internal segment 664 may be backed or coated using a coating, backing, or other material to reduce friction with the contact arms 494a-494h.

[0079] The arrangement of the outer wall 646 also extends upward from the base wall 642 and surrounds the arrangement of the inner wall 644. The arrangement of the outer wall 646 includes two side walls 650a, 650b, which include (i) a female accidental engagement assembly 652 having accidental engagement protrusions 654a, 654b, (ii) positioning structures 656a, 656b, and (iii) stabilizing protrusions 658a, 658b. When the male connector assembly 800 is connected to the female connector assembly 600, as will be described in more detail below, the accidental engagement protrusions 654a, 654b are configured to be received by accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b, the positioning structures 656a, 656b are configured to be received by positioning slots 296a, 296b, and (iii) stabilizing protrusions 658a, 658b are configured to be received by stabilizing slots 297a, 297b. The female bracing assembly 648 extends rearward from the base wall 642 and includes two bracing projections 649a and 649b. The bracing projections 649a and 649b are configured to fit into the two bracing openings 354 when the primary locking member 320 is locked.

[0080] The arrangement of terminal fixing protrusions 670 includes a plurality of terminal fixing protrusions 672a to 672c, which are positioned below the range of the female terminal assembly 800 and configured to secure the female terminal assembly 800 within the female main housing 640. Additionally, a FIL retaining portion 674 is formed in the bottom range of the base wall 642. The FIL retaining portion 674 is a deformable FIL protrusion 676 that allows for the optional addition of a FIL to the system 10. This is more advantageous than other disclosed systems for the following reasons: (i) it does not add weight to the system if this component is not desired, (ii) it reduces the number of parts / SKUs that manufacturing has to maintain, and (iii) it is other advantages that are obvious to those skilled in the art based on the following disclosure and drawings. The female CPA assembly 700 includes a female coupling member 702 coupled to the outer wall 646 of the main housing 640, a CPA body 704, and a CPA retaining member 706 extending from the CPA body 704. The CPA body 704 and the CPA holding member 706 are configured to be positioned within the CPA slot 298 formed in the male connector assembly 200 when the male connector assembly 800 is connected to the female connector assembly 600.

[0081] As described above, the optional touchproof assembly 40 includes a male touchproof element opening 242 and a female touchproof member 720. The touchproof assembly 40 is designed to (i) ensure that foreign matter cannot come into contact with the female terminal assembly 800 when the female connection assembly 600 is not coupled to the male connector assembly 200, and (ii) stabilize the connection between the male terminal assembly 430 and the female terminal assembly 800. To accomplish both of these tasks, the female touchproof member 720 includes (i) a touchproof fixing assembly 762 and (ii) a touchproof element 780. The touchproof fixing assembly 762 is best shown in Figures 28 to 45 and includes (i) an arrangement of deformable retaining members 764 having a first end deformable retaining member 768a and a second end deformable retaining member 768b, and (ii) a base portion 776. The first and second end deformable retaining members 768a, 768b extend downward from the base portion 776 and include a main body 770a, 770b, projections 772a, 772b, and inclined rear walls 774a, 774b. It should be understood that each of these structures helps to allow the installation of the female touchproof member 720 after the female connector system 600 has been coupled to its components.

[0082] As will be explained in more detail below, the arrangement of the deformable retainer 764 has (i) an original or undeformed state when the touchproof member 720 is not installed or installed, and (ii) an unoriginal or deformed state when the touchproof member 720 is partially installed. Since the arrangement of the deformable retainer 764 is part of the touchproof fixing assembly 762, and the touchproof fixing assembly 762 is part of the touchproof member 720, the states from the arrangement of the deformable retainer 764 apply to the touchproof fixing assembly 762 and the touchproof member 720. In other words, when the arrangement of the deformable retainer 764 is (i) in its original state, the touchproof fixing assembly 762 and the touchproof member 720 are also in their original state, and when it is in (ii) a deformed state, the touchproof fixing assembly 762 and the touchproof member 720 are also in a deformed state. The base portion 776 has a substantially rectangular shape substantially matching the shape of the female terminal receiving portion and includes (i) an opening formed through to allow coupling of the member 720 and to reduce weight, and (ii) a downward-hanging projection designed to support the base portion 776 and to ensure that the base portion 776 is offset from the lowest range of the receiving portion.

[0083] The touchproof element 780 includes three integrally formed walls 782 extending upward from a base portion 776, the walls 782 including (i) a first end wall 784a, (ii) a second end wall 784b, and (iii) a connecting wall or paddle wall 786 positioned between the end walls 748a, 748b. The combination of the end walls 748a, 748b and the connecting wall 786 forms an "I" shaped projection. In other words, the touchproof element 780 has an I-shaped cross-sectional configuration. The "I" shaped projection offers substantial advantages over previous versions of touchproof posts disclosed in PCT applications incorporated herein, as the end walls 748a, 748b provide additional rigidity to the connecting wall or paddle wall 786. Without this additional rigidity, foreign objects could displace the connecting wall or paddle wall 786, and therefore the touchproof post would not be able to provide the desired functionality, resulting in the connector system failing to meet various industry regulations. Alternative methods for adding further rigidity to the connecting wall or paddle 786 have been considered, but each alternative has problems that make its use less desirable. For example, one way to provide further rigidity is to increase the thickness of the connecting wall or paddle wall 786. However, increasing the thickness of the connecting wall or paddle wall 786 is undesirable because it may hinder the compression of the spring member 440d when the connector system 10 is in a connected or ready-to-use state. Another way to provide additional rigidity is to use a different material with higher rigidity. However, this is undesirable because it increases the cost of the touchproof post and increases the complexity associated with the manufacture of the touchproof post. Another way to provide additional rigidity is to use a support wall that helps to connect the connecting wall or paddle wall 786 to the base portion 776. However, this is undesirable because the additional support wall may interfere with the connection between the male connector assembly 200 and the female connector assembly 600. In addition to the above example, it should be understood that the “I-shaped” design of the touchproof element 780 can be replaced with other shapes such as a triangular prism, pentagonal prism, hexagonal prism, octagonal prism, sphere, cone, tetrahedron, cuboid, dodecahedron, icosahedron, octahedron, or ellipsoid.

[0084] B. Female terminal assembly Figures 28, 41-45, 49-53, 55B, 56B, 58, 61, 68, 71, 78, 81, and 91-99B show various diagrams of the female terminal assembly 800. The female terminal assembly 800 includes (i) a female terminal body 810 and (ii) a female terminal connection plate 816. The connection plate 816 is directly connected to the female terminal body 810 and is configured to be coupled to an external structure of the connector system 10 (e.g., a radiator fan). The female terminal body 810 consists of (i) an arrangement of female terminal walls 812a-812d coupled to each other to form a substantially rectangular shape, and (ii) a rear wall 813 positioned substantially perpendicular to the walls 812a-812d. Specifically, one female terminal side wall 812a of the female terminal wall arrangement 812a-812d is (i) substantially parallel to another female terminal side wall 812c of the female terminal wall arrangement 812a-812d, and (ii) substantially perpendicular to the two female terminal end walls 812b, 812d of the female terminal wall arrangement 812a-812d. The female terminal body 810 defines a female terminal receiving portion 814. The female terminal receiving portion 814 is designed and configured to be electrically and mechanically coupled to the extent of the male terminal 470 when the male terminal 470 is inserted into the female terminal receiving portion 814.

[0085] The female terminal assembly 800 is typically formed from a single piece of material (e.g., metal). Therefore, the female terminal assembly 800 is a single-piece female terminal assembly 800 with integrally formed features. In particular, the connecting plate 816 is integrally formed with the female terminal body 810, specifically, with one female terminal sidewall 812c. To integrally form these features, the female terminal assembly 800 is typically formed using a die-cutting process. However, it should be understood that other types of processes for forming the female terminal assembly 800 may be utilized, such as casting or additive manufacturing processes (e.g., 3D printing). In other embodiments, the features of the female terminal assembly 800 cannot be formed from a single piece or integrally formed, but instead may be formed from separate pieces that are welded together.

[0086] C. Female Shield Assembly The shield assembly 60 also includes a female shield assembly 930 located within the female housing assembly 620 and designed to interact with the male shield assembly 530 to reduce electromagnetic interference ("EMI") noise emitted by the male connector assembly 200. The female shield assembly 930 consists of a female terminal body shield 932 having a component coupling element 940 designed to interact with a range of components 8 included in the power distribution system. The female terminal body shield 932 is formed from an arrangement of side walls 934 that form a substantially rectangular tubular component. The component coupling element 940 extends downward from the lower edge of the arrangement of side walls 934 and is deformable, and can therefore be deformed inward to make sufficient contact with the range of components 8 when the female connector assembly 600 is coupled to the component. It should be understood that other configurations, elements, and components that work together to connect the integrated conductor shield to a structure surrounding most of the female terminal assembly 800 are contemplated in this disclosure. Furthermore, it should be understood that the inclusion of the female shield assembly 930 is optional and can be omitted if necessary. The female shield assembly 930 is formed from a conductive material such as metal. Other conductive materials that may be used (e.g., conductive plastics) are disclosed in International Application PCT / US2020 / 013757, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0087] D. Female Interlock Assembly As described above and disclosed in international application PCT / US2021 / 043686, the female interlock or FIL980, which is part of the IL assembly 100, is designed to help prevent arc discharge from occurring during mating of the connector assemblies 200, 600. As shown in the figure, the FIL980 is a receptacle structure 982 formed within a non-conductive housing 984. Specifically, the receptacle structure 982 includes two receptacle portions 986a, 986b. The housing 984 can be optionally added to the system 10 by fixing it to the housing assembly 620 via a deformable FIL projection 676. The receptacle portions 986a, 986b include conductive elements 988a, 988b coupled to the IL circuit described above. The conductive elements 988a and 988b are designed to accept the connecting elements 594a and 594b of MIL590 during certain operating conditions, thereby short-circuiting and connecting the wires that connect to FIL980, closing the circuit and allowing current to flow between the male terminal assembly 430 and the female terminal assembly 800.

[0088] E. Assembly of the female connector assembly As shown in Figure 28, the female connector assembly 600 is in a disassembled state. As shown in Figure 30, the first step in assembling the female connector assembly 600 is to (i) assemble the female terminal assembly 800 with the female terminal holder 630 and (ii) arrange the terminal fixing projection 670 to complete the combination. すなわちTo secure the female terminals (630, 800) to the female housing assembly 620, this is achieved by (iii) applying a female terminal coupling force FFTC in a first direction or upward to the combination of the female terminal holder 630 and the female terminal assembly 800, and (iii) coupling the female shield assembly 930 to the female housing assembly 620. Once the above steps are completed, the connector assembly 600 is in a first partially assembled state. In this first partially assembled state, all major components of the connector assembly 600 are installed except for the FIL 980 and the female touchproof member 720, where (i) the FIL 980 is partially separated from the housing 620 and in a non-receiving position, and (ii) the female touchproof member 720 is partially separated from the housing 620 and in a non-installed position. At this point, the installer can determine whether they include the FIL 980 or omit it from the system 10. If the installer determines that FIL980 is omitted, the connector assembly 600 skips the second partial assembly state and moves directly to the third partial assembly state.

[0089] If the installer determines that FIL980 should be included, the FIL980 is inserted into the FIL opening in the main body 640, and the FIL holding part 674 is used to fix the FIL980 in the opening by applying a FIL force F in the first direction or upward. FIL A force F is applied to FIL980. When FIL980 is coupled to the body 640, the connector assembly 600 moves from a first partially assembled state to a second partially assembled state. In this state, FIL980 is coupled to the body 640 via the FIL retainer 674, and therefore FIL980 is in the receiving position. A second or downward TPM force F is applied to move the connector assembly 600 to a third partially assembled state. TPMis applied to the female touch-proof member 720 to move the female touch-proof member 720 from the separated non-installed state to the partial installation position. At this position, the inclined rear walls 774a, 774b of the deformable holding members 768a, 768b at the first and second ends are engaged with the rear wall 813 of the terminal assembly 800. By continuously applying a downward force to the female touch-proof member 720, the deformable holding members 768a, 768b at the first and second ends continue to elastically deform outwardly or away from the center of the female touch-proof member 720.

[0090] When the deformable holding members 768a, 768b at the first and second ends are sufficiently elastically deformed (for example, each member is deformed beyond a predetermined amount -0.7 mm) and the protrusions 772a, 772b can pass through the rear wall 813 of the terminal assembly 800, the deformable holding members 768a, 768b at the first and second ends can return to their non-deformed or original state, thereby coupling the touch-proof member 720 into the female terminal assembly 800. In other words, the touch-proof member 720 is coupled to the female terminal assembly 800 when the deformable holding members 768a, 768b at the first and second ends are in their non-deformed or original state and the protrusions 772a, 772b are positioned under the rear wall of the terminal assembly 800. When the components are in this positional relationship, the female connector assembly 600 is in an assembled state. As described above, the female terminal coupling force F FTC and the FIL force F FIL are in the first direction, and the TPM force F TPMThe first direction is in the opposite direction. In other words, the female terminal assembly 800 is configured to be inserted into the female housing 620 using a force directed in a first direction (e.g., upward) (e.g., female terminal coupling force), and the touchproof member 720 is configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly 800 using a force directed in a second direction (e.g., downward) (e.g., TPM force), the first direction (e.g., upward) being opposite to the second direction (e.g.,). The above method is beneficial because it can be added to the system 10 after it has been used. The directional insertion of the touchproof member 720 disclosed herein offers substantial advantages over previous designs of the element, that (i) it is designed to limit the insertion of foreign matter into the female terminal assembly 800, and (ii) it is inserted into the housing assembly 220 in the same direction as the female terminal assembly 800. In particular, the directional insertion of the disclosed touchproof member 720 allows this component to be an optional component that can be added after the component-side connector assembly 600 has been installed on the component or part (i.e., post-installation). In contrast, FIL980 is an optional component that can only be added by pre-installation of the component-side connector assembly 600. Other structures that allow for post-installation of the touchproof member 720 are contemplated by this disclosure.

[0091] As described above, the rear wall 813 of the female terminal assembly 800 has an internal terminal length L that extends in the inner distance between the opposing end walls 812b and 812d. IT (For example, 25 mm), (ii) Rear wall length L extending over the distance between the outermost edges of the rear wall 813 RW (For example, 17.5 mm), (iii) the original projection length L extending between the first and second projections 772a, 772b of the arrangement of the deformable retaining member 764 when the female touchproof member 720 is in its original state OP (For example, 16.5 mm), and (iv) the length of the deformable protrusion extending between the first and second protrusions 772a, 772b of the arrangement of the deformable retaining member 764 when the female touchproof member 720 is in a deformed state L DPIt has (for example, 17.6 mm). It should be understood that (i) the original protrusion length is shorter than the deformed protrusion length, (ii) the deformed protrusion length is longer than the length of the rear wall, and (iii) the deformed protrusion length is shorter than the length of the internal terminal. Specifically, the deformed protrusion length is (i) approximately 0.5% longer than the original protrusion length, (ii) approximately the same as the length of the rear wall or slightly longer than the length of the rear wall, and (iii) approximately 30% shorter than the length of the internal terminal.

[0092] Therefore, a fixing gap 820 is formed between the outer edge of the rear wall 813 and the inner surfaces of the end walls 812b, 812d. When the touch-proof member 720 is inserted into the female terminal receiving portion 814, the original protrusion lengths of the first and second protrusions 772a, 772b are extended to the deformed protrusion lengths in order to enable the first and second protrusions 772a, 772b to clear the rear wall length. When the first and second protrusions 772a, 772b extend beyond the length of the rear wall and are inserted into the fixing gap 820 of the female terminal assembly 800, the deformed protrusion lengths of the first and second protrusions 772a, 772b are reduced to the original protrusion lengths. Thereby, the ranges of the first and second protrusions 772a, 772b are positioned below the rear wall 813 of the female terminal assembly 800.

[0093] When the female touch-proof member 720 is in the installed state, the distance between the inner surface of the female terminal assembly 800 and the outer surface of the female touch-proof member 720 changes due to the configuration of the female touch-proof member 720. For example, the distance between the end faces of the end walls 748a, 748b of the touch-proof element 780 and the inner surfaces of the end walls 812b, 812d is approximately D TPE is the end distance (for example, 2.5 mm in FIG. 54), and the distance between the outer surface of the connection wall 786 of the touch-proof element 780 and the inner surfaces of the side walls 812a, 812b is approximately D TPS is the side distance (for example, 4.1 mm in FIG. 52), and the distance between the side surfaces of the end walls 748a, 748b of the touch-proof element 780 and the inner surfaces of the side walls 812a, 812b is approximately D TPSThis is the edge distance (e.g., 3.5 mm in Figure 52). While these distances vary, each of the above distances is shorter than the distances specified in various industry regulations (e.g., ISO20076:2019, ISO20653:2013, USCAR12, 5th revision, and IEC60529-2020). Therefore, by including the touchproof member 720, the female connector assembly 600 can pass or comply with each of these standards (e.g., ISO20076:2019, ISO20653:2013, USCAR12, 5th revision, and IEC60529-2020).

[0094] 3. Assembly of the connector system When the male connector assembly 200 and the female connector assembly 600 are assembled (as shown in Figures 55A and 55B), the system 10 can transition from a disassembled state (Figures 56A to 56B) to a partially connected state (Figures 57 to 64), a connected state (Figures 67 to 74), and a ready-to-use state (Figures 77 to 84, 88 to 91). In the disconnected state, the male connector assembly 200 is separated from a portion of the female connector assembly 600. In this disconnected state, the male connector assembly 200 is assembled and can be in either (i) a ready-to-engage state or (ii) a limited-engage state.

[0095] In the engagement-ready state, the primary locking member 320 is moved backward until (i) the accidental engagement members 338a and 338b are positioned within the accidental engagement slots 294a and 294b as shown in Figures 24 to 26, and (ii) the second disengagement projection 342 is positioned behind the first disengagement projection 287. When the male connector assembly 200 is positioned in the engagement-ready state, a predetermined accidental engagement amount is required to move the primary locking member 320 from the disengaged or rearward state to the locked or forward state. 例えば It is necessary to apply an accidental engagement force FAE (a force exceeding 500 Newtons) to the primary locking member 320. In particular, this accidental engagement force F AEThe locking force F must be large enough to bias the accidental engaging members 338a, 338b from their positions within the accidental engaging slots 294a, 294b. L (As explained below) is the accidental engagement force F AE A smaller, preferred locking force F L is an accidental engagement force F AE The most preferred locking force F is at least 10 times smaller than [the specified value]. L is an accidental engagement force F AE It is 20 times smaller than [the other value]. The predetermined accidental engagement amount is large, which helps ensure that the primary locking member 320 does not accidentally engage before installation. This helps reduce installation time, but the installer does not have to troubleshoot why the connector may not mate due to the positional relationship of the primary locking member 320.

[0096] Accidental engagement force F AE However, if the primary locking member 320 is subjected to an amount exceeding a predetermined accidental engagement amount, the accidental engagement members 338a and 338b are forced out of their positions within the accidental engagement slots 294a and 294b, and the male connector assembly 200 moves from an engagement / disengagement ready state to a restricted engagement state (i.e., the primary locking member 320 is in the locked state). In this restricted engagement state, the accidental engagement members 338a and 338b are positioned in front of the edges of the accidental engagement slots 294a and 294b, and the second disengagement projection 342 is positioned in front of the first disengagement projection 287. The male connector assembly 200 shown in Figure 14 is in this restricted engagement state, and due to the positional relationship of the primary locking member 320, the male connector assembly 200 cannot mate with the female connector assembly 600. For example, the male bracing assembly 351 and female bracing assembly 648 that together form the bracing assembly 349 prevent the connector assemblies 200 and 600 from mating with each other.

[0097] When the male connector assembly 200 is moved from the ready-to-engage state to the limited engagement state, a downward-directed pivot force F is applied to move the lowest range of the second disengage projection 342 above the highest range of the first disengage projection 287, thereby pivoting the rearward or locking cantilever segment 340a around the pivot strip 339. P The connector can be returned to the engagement-ready state by applying a forward or release force to the release cantilever segment 340a. While applying a downward force to the forward or release cantilever segment 340a, the installer may also apply a backward release force F to the primary locking member 320 to move the second release projection 342 behind the first release projection 287. UL Add the following: As mentioned above, the required downward pivot force F P This is a force of less than 25 Newtons, and the required release force F UL This force is less than 25 Newtons. However, due to the accidental engagement of the primary locking member 320, the connector assembly 200 should be inspected before use.

[0098] A. Partial connection state Assuming the male connector assembly 200 is ready to engage / disengage, the installer applies a downward connecting force F to transition the system 10 from a disconnected state to a partially connected state. CThe male connector assembly 200 can be started to be attached. In this partially connected state, the structure is in the following positions, namely (i) accidental engagement projections 654a, 654b are aligned with accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b and thereby partially engaged, (ii) stabilizing projections 658a, 658b are aligned with stabilizing slots 297a, 297b and thereby partially engaged, (iii) touchproof element 780 is aligned with touchproof element opening 242 and thereby partially engaged, and (iv) CPA body 704 is aligned with CPA slot 298 and thereby partially engaged The horizontal engaging member 412 of the male deformable male CPA member 406 is positioned on the CPA holding member 706, (v) MIL 590 is not electrically connected to FIL 980, or in other words, the male IL jumper 592 is not received by the female IL receiving portion 982, thereby preventing current from flowing between the male terminal assembly 200 and the female terminal assembly 600, and (vi) the contact arms 494a to 494h begin to engage with the contact arm displacement means 663 (i.e., the internal segments 664 at the top of the side walls 660a, 660b).

[0099] To move system 10 from a partially connected state to a connected state, the installer applies a downward connection force F. C Continue applying this downward connection force F. C(i) the accidental engagement protrusions 654a, 654b are substantially received by the accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b, thereby disengaging the accidental engagement members 338a, 338b from the accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b and displacing them into the accidental engagement recesses 331a, 331b formed in the lower wall arrangement 330 of the primary locking member 320, (ii) the stabilizing protrusions 658a, 658b are substantially received by the stabilizing slots 297a, 297b, (iii) the positioning structures 656a, 656b are substantially received by the positioning slots 296a, 296b, (iv) the CPA body 704 is substantially received by the CPA slot 298, and the CPA holding member 706 elastically displaces the deformable male CPA member 406 to the deformed position, where, a) the horizontal engaging member 412 of the deformable male CPA member 406 is displaced toward the front of the system 10; (b) the user interaction structure 414 of the deformable male CPA member 406 is displaced toward the rear of the system 10; (v) the touchproof element 780 is received by the touchproof element opening 242; (vi) the MIL 590 is not electrically connected to the FIL 980, or in other words, the male IL jumper 592 is not received by the female IL receiving portion 982, thereby preventing current from flowing between the male terminal assembly 200 and the female terminal assembly 600; and (vii) the contact arms 494a to 494h are displaced toward the center of each terminal assembly 430 by the contact arm displacement means 662 (i.e., the internal segments 664 at the top of the side walls 660a, 660b).

[0100] B. Connection status System 10 is in a connected state when the male terminal assembly 430 is received by the female terminal receiving portion 814, and therefore the installer can apply a downward connection force F. CThe addition can be stopped. In the connected state, (i) the accidental engagement protrusions 654a, 654b are received by the accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b, thereby the accidental engagement protrusions 654a, 654b disengage the accidental engagement members 338a, 338b from the accidental engagement slots 294a, 294b and displace them into the accidental engagement recesses 331a, 331b formed in the lower wall arrangement 330 of the primary locking member 320, (ii) the stabilizing protrusions 658a, 658b are received by the stabilizing slots 297a, 297b, (iii) the positioning structures 656a, 656b are received by the positioning slots 296a, 296b, and (iv) the CPA body 704 is received by the CPA slot 298, and the male deformable male The CPA member 406 returns to its original position, the horizontal engaging member 412 of the deformable male CPA member 406 is positioned below the CPA holding member 706, (v) the touchproof element 780 is received by the touchproof element opening 242, (vi) the MIL 590 is electrically connected to the FIL 980, i.e., the male IL jumper 592 is received by the female IL receiving part 982, thereby allowing current to flow between the male terminal assembly 200 and the female terminal assembly 600, (vii) the contact arms 494a to 494h are displaced toward the center of each terminal assembly 430 and make contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 812a and 812c of the female terminal assembly 800.

[0101] Referring particularly to the male terminal assembly 430 and the female terminal assembly 800, the combination of the outer surfaces of the contact arms 494a to 494h forms a rectangle with a width slightly larger (e.g., 0.1% to 15%) than the width of the rectangle associated with the female terminal assembly 800. When the slightly larger male terminal assembly 430 is inserted into the slightly smaller female terminal receiving portion 814, the outer surfaces of the contact arms 494a to 494h are pushed toward the center of the male terminal assembly 430. Because the outer surfaces of the contact arms 494a to 494h are pushed toward the center of the male terminal assembly 430, the free end 446 of the spring member 440d is also pushed toward the center of the male terminal assembly 430. The spring 440d has a spring biasing force S BF This spring biasing force S resists this inward displacement by providing the following:BF This is generally oriented outward relative to the free end 488 of the male terminal 470. In other words, this spring biasing force S BF This provides an outward biasing force, wedge function, or shimmering effect to the contact arms 494a to 494h, thereby maintaining the outer surfaces of the contact arms 494a to 494h in an engaged state with the female terminal assembly 800.

[0102] In this connection state, the primary locking member 230 remains in the unlocked position, thereby positioning the second disengagement projection 342 behind the first disengagement projection 287, and the bracing projections 649a and 649b are not positioned within the bracing opening 354. The downward connection force F C It should be noted that this requires a force of less than 100 Newtons, preferably less than 76 Newtons to meet USCAR25 Class 3, and more preferably less than 46 Newtons to meet USCAR25 Class 2. It should also be noted that this system 10 offers substantial advantages over conventional connector systems because it has a large current-carrying capacity without requiring a lever assist to help mating the male connector assembly 200 and the female connector assembly 600.

[0103] To move system 10 from the connected state to the ready-to-use state, the installer applies a forward-directed locking force F L The locking force F is then applied to the primary locking member 320. L (This is a downward-directed bonding force F) C (which is substantially perpendicular to) moves the primary locking member 320 forward, thereby (i) the accidental engagement members 338a, 338b are substantially displaced within the accidental engagement recesses 300a, 300b, (ii) the bracing projections 649a, 649b are substantially positioned within the bracing opening 354, and (iii) the inclined or sloped curved surface 344a of the second disengagement projection 342 interacts with the inclined or sloped curved surface 290a of the first disengagement projection 287, thereby (a) an engagement force F E(b) Displace the rearward or locking cantilever segment 340a upward around the pivot strip 339 to position the lowest range of the second disengagement projection 342 above the highest range of the first disengagement projection 287, and (b) Displace the forward or locking cantilever segment 340a downward around the pivot strip 339.

[0104] C. Ready for use state When the primary locking member 320 is locked, the system 10 is ready for use, and therefore the installer can apply the locking force F directed forward. L The addition can be stopped. In the ready-to-use state, (i) the accidental engagement members 338a, 338b are displaced from the accidental engagement recesses 331a, 331b and positioned within the accidental engagement recesses 300a, 300b, (ii) the bracing projections 649a, 649b are positioned within the bracing opening 354, and (iii) the extent of the primary locking member 320 is such that the male deformable male CPA member 406 is not elastically deformed. (iv) The second disengagement projection 342 is positioned adjacent to the user interaction structure 414 of member 406, and the forward inclined flat surface 344b of the second disengagement projection 342 is positioned in front of the forward inclined flat surface 290b of the first disengagement projection 287, and (v) the mark 316 disposed on the main housing 280 is visible / readable by the installer and / or machine.

[0105] To read the mark 316, the installer positions the mark reading device on the connector system 10 and orients the mark reading device 4 downwards so that it scans the top of the connector system 10. This downward scanning direction is due to (i) the connection force F applied to the male connector assembly 200 to connect the male connector assembly 200 to the female connector assembly 600. C (ii) The spring biasing force F applied to the contact arms 494a to 494h of the male terminal body 472 by the spring member 440d SBIt is substantially perpendicular to it. The information obtained from the mark (i.e., QR code) 316 includes (i) the connector type, (ii) the materials contained within the connector, (iii) the company that manufactured the connector, (iv) when the connector was manufactured, and (v) where the connector was manufactured. When the mark 316 is read, the mark reading device informs the installer that the connector system 10 is ready for use and therefore the primary locking member 320 is in the locked position.

[0106] When the system 10 is positioned to be ready for use, an accidental disengagement force FAD exceeding a predetermined accidental disengagement amount (e.g., a force of 500 Newtons) must be applied to the primary locking member 320 in order to move the primary locking member 320 from a locked or forward position to a disengaged or backward position. In particular, this accidental disengagement force F AD The force must be large enough to bias the second disengagement projection 342 rearward of the first disengagement projection 287, which is prevented by the interaction between the forward-sloping flat surface 344b of the second disengagement projection 342 and the forward-sloping flat surface 290b of the first disengagement projection 287. The predetermined accidental disengagement amount is large enough to ensure that the primary locking member 320 does not become accidentally disengaged after installation, which helps reduce possible connection failures. Accidental disengagement force F AD However, if the primary locking member 320 is subjected to an amount exceeding a predetermined accidental disengagement amount, the connector system 10 moves from the ready-to-use state to the connected state, and the male connector assembly 200 moves to the ready-to-disengage state (i.e., the primary locking member 320 is in the disengaged state).

[0107] D. Connection status Once system 10 is positioned ready for use, system 10 moves the lowest range of the second disengagement projection 342 above the highest range of the first disengagement projection 287 by applying a downward-directed pivot force F to move the rearward or to pivot the locking cantilever segment 340a around the pivot strip 339. PThe second disengagement projection 342 can be moved to the engaged state by applying a force forward or to the disengagement cantilever segment 340a. P While applying a forward or backward release force F to the release cantilever segment 340a, the installer also applies a backward release force F. UL The following is applied to the primary locking member 320: the rearward-directed release force F. UL This (i) displaces the accidental engagement members 338a and 338b from the accidental engagement recesses 300a and 300b by interaction between the accidental engagement members 338a and 338b and the inclined walls 302a and 302b, (b) positions them within the accidental engagement recesses 331a and 331b, (ii) removes the bracing projections 649a and 649b from the bracing opening 354, and (iii) prevents the primary locking member 320 from being positioned adjacent to the user interaction structure 414 of the deformable male CPA member 406. As described above, the required downward pivot force F P This is a force of less than 25 Newtons, and the required release force F UL This is a force of less than 25 Newtons. The installer applies a downward pivot force F. P It should be noted that if the force is not applied appropriately, the second disengagement projection 342 will interact with the first disengagement projection 287. This will result in the installer accidentally applying a disengagement force F. AD Unless a force greater than 500 Newtons is applied, the primary locking member 320 will not be released. Therefore, the release force F UL This is the accidental disengagement force F. AD A smaller, more desirable release force F UL This is the accidental disengagement force F. AD The most preferred release force F is at least 10 times smaller. UL This is the accidental disengagement force F. AD It's 20 times smaller.

[0108] E. Cut state When system 10 is positioned in a connected state, system 10 (i) applies a backward CPA force F to the user interaction structure 414 of the male deformable male CPA member 406.CPA (ii) the upward separating force F acting on the male connector assembly 200 DIS By adding [this], the state can be transitioned to a disconnected state.

[0109] Second Embodiment As shown in Figures 106 to 135, a second embodiment of the connector system 1010 includes a plurality of components designed to electrically and mechanically connect one device or component to another device or component within the power distribution system 5. For brevity, the above disclosure relating to the connector assembly 10 will not be repeated below. However, it should be understood that the disclosure relating to the male terminal assembly 430 and the female terminal assembly 800 applies equally to the male terminal assembly 1430 and the female terminal assembly 1800. In addition, all other structures not disclosed in this application (e.g., busbar 1700 and capacitor assembly 1750) are fully disclosed in international application PCT / US2021 / 033446, which is incorporated herein by reference. It should be understood that similar numbers represent similar structures. For example, the disclosure in international application PCT / US2021 / 033446 relating to busbar 700 applies equally to busbar 1700 disclosed herein. Furthermore, it should be understood that any one or more features of connector assembly 10 can be used in conjunction with those disclosed with respect to connector assembly 1010, and any one or more features of connector assembly 1010 can be used in conjunction with those disclosed with respect to connector assembly 10. For example, any feature of touchproof member 720 or touchproof member 2942 can be used in conjunction with those disclosed with respect to touchproof member 1942, and any feature of touchproof member 1942 can be used in conjunction with those disclosed with respect to touchproof member 720 or touchproof member 2942.

[0110] A second embodiment of the connector system 1010 includes (i) a male connector assembly 1200 and a female connector assembly 1600. The male connector assembly 1200 includes (i) a male housing assembly 1220 and (ii) a male terminal assembly 1430 having male terminals 1470 and a spring member 1440c. The male housing assembly 1220 includes (i) an outer housing 1222 and (ii) a terminal holder 1246 that removably connects the male terminal assembly 1430 to the outer housing 1222. The female connector assembly 1600 includes (i) a female housing 1610, (ii) a busbar 1700, (iii) a capacitor assembly 1750, and (iv) a female terminal assembly 1800. The female housing 1610 is designed to at least (i) protect the female terminal assembly 1800 from external objects by enclosing a large portion of the female terminal assembly 1800, (ii) facilitate the coupling of the male terminal assembly 1430 to the female terminal assembly 1800, (iii) provide a sealing environment for housing the capacitor assembly 1750, (iv) support the coupling of the capacitor assembly 1750 to the female terminal assembly 1800, and (v) provide a seal between the male connector assembly 1200 and the component 8 of the power distribution system 5 via a pair of capacitors 1754, 1758. To achieve these design objectives, the female housing 1610 consists of a lower female housing 1612 and an upper female housing 1650.

[0111] The main differences between the connector system disclosed in international application PCT / US2021 / 033446 and the connector system 1010 disclosed herein are (i) modifications to the female housing 1610 (e.g., lower female housing 1612 and upper female housing 1650) and (ii) modifications to the second embodiment of the touchproof member 1942. Specifically, the lower housing member is modified to (i) fit into the upper female housing 1650, (ii) include the arrangement of coupling projections 1634 extending from the outer surface of the lower arrangement of the side wall 1626, and (iii) omit two mounting areas 1646a, 1646b and openings 1647a, 1647b formed through them. The arrangement of coupling projections 1634 includes a plurality of pyramidal structures 1636a-1636f. The pyramidal structures 1636a to 1636f are configured to be received by the arrangement of openings 1680 formed in the upper wall 1678 of the upper adapter housing 1650. In particular, the arrangement of openings 1680 includes a plurality of elliptical openings 1682a to 1682f configured to receive the pyramidal structures 1636a to 1636f when the lower female housing 1612 is coupled to the upper female housing 1650. In addition to the arrangement of openings 1680, the upper female housing 1650 is modified to include mounting areas 1684a and 1684b. These mounting areas 1684a and 1684b include through-formed openings 1686a and 1686b designed to receive elongated fasteners that secure the housing 1610 (and female connector assembly 600) to the component 8.

[0112] The housing 1610 disclosed herein does not rely solely on ultrasonic welding of the lower female housing 1612 and the upper female housing 1650 to maintain the sealed connector 600, so the modifications to the housing 610 shown and described above provide improvements to the housing 1610 disclosed in International Application PCT / US2021 / 033446. Instead, the disclosed housing 1610 seals the lower female housing 1650 within the upper female housing 1650 by (a) utilizing a mechanical method for fastening the upper female housing 1650 to the lower female housing 1612 (i.e., the arrangement of the coupling projection 1634 and the arrangement of the opening 1680), and by (b) utilizing a mechanical method for fastening the upper female housing 1650 directly to the component 8 (i.e., elongated fasteners passing through the mounting areas 1684a, 1684b of the upper female housing 1612), and (ii) increasing the thickness of the bottom wall to prevent bending or separation from the component 8. Other modifications between these housing designs may be obvious to those skilled in the art, and such modifications may provide additional advantages that may also be obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0113] The touchproof member 1942 shown in Figures 106 to 135 provides a substantial improvement over a third embodiment of the touchproof member 2942 disclosed in Figures 136 to 140. In particular, these improvements include better fixation of the member 1942 within the female terminal assembly 1800 and less force required to insert the touchproof member 1942 into the female terminal assembly 1800. An optional touchproof assembly 1040 includes a male touchproof element opening 1242 and a female touchproof member 1942. The touchproof assembly 1040 is designed to (i) ensure that foreign matter cannot come into contact with the female terminal assembly 1800 when the female connection assembly 1600 is not coupled to the male connector assembly 1200, and (ii) stabilize the connection between the male terminal assembly 1430 and the female terminal assembly 1800. To accomplish both of these tasks, the female touchproof member 1942 includes (i) a touchproof fixing assembly 1944 and (ii) a touchproof element 1960. The touchproof fixing assembly 1944 includes an arrangement of a deformable retaining member 1946 having (i) a first base portion 1948a having a first retaining member 1950a and a second retaining member 1950b, (ii) a second base portion 1948b having a third retaining member 1950c and a fourth retaining member 1950d, and (iii) a touchproof recess 1951 extending between the first base portion 1948a and the second base portion 1948b. The retaining members 1950a to 1950d hang down or extend downward from their base portions 1948a and 1948b and include the main body 1952a to 1952d, the projections 1954a to 1954d, and the inclined rear walls 1956a to 1956d. It should be understood that each of these structures helps to allow the female touchproof member 1942 to be installed after the female connector system 600 has been coupled to the components.

[0114] The arrangement of the deformable retaining member 1946 has (i) an original or undeformed state when the touchproof member 1942 is in an uninstalled or installed state, and (ii) an unoriginal or deformed state when the touchproof member 1942 is in a partially installed state. In the original or undeformed state, the touchproof recess 1951 has a first original width, and in the unoriginal or deformed state, the touchproof recess 1951 has a second compressed width, with the first original width being greater than the second compressed width. Since the arrangement of the deformable retaining member 1946 is part of the touchproof fixing assembly 1944, and the touchproof fixing assembly 1944 is part of the touchproof member 1942, the states from the arrangement of the deformable retaining member 1946 apply to the touchproof fixing assembly 1944 and the touchproof member 1942. In other words, when the deformable retaining member 1946 is in its original state, the touchproof fixing assembly 1944 and the touchproof member 1942 are also in their original state, and when it is in a deformed state, the touchproof fixing assembly 1944 and the touchproof member 1942 are also in a deformed state.

[0115] The first and second base portions 1948a, 1948b have a substantially rectangular shape, and the combined outer circumference and touchproof recess 1951 of the base portions 1948a, 1948b substantially match the shape of the female terminal receiving portion 1814. In addition to the arrangement of deformable retaining members 1946 hanging downward from the base portions 1948a, 1948b, the touchproof member 1942 also includes downward-hanging support projections 1958a, 1958b designed to support the base portions 1948a, 1948b and ensure that the base portions 1948a, 1948a are offset from the lowest range of the female terminal receiving portion 1814. A touchproof element 1960, comprising a first range 1961a and a second range 1962b, extends upward from base portions 1948a, 1948b (i.e., opposite to the arrangement of the deformable retaining member 1946 and support projections 1958a, 1958b). The first range 1961a extends from both base portions 1948a, 1948b and has a substantially solid outer circumference except for a slot 1953 formed through the first range 1961a. The slot 1953 reduces the rigidity of the first range 1961a and is positioned or aligned in cooperation with a recess 1951. The slot 1953 and recess 1951 allow the first range 1961a to act as a living hinge to facilitate the elastic deformation of the first and second base portions 1948a, 1948b during insertion of the touchproof member 1942 into the female terminal assembly 1800.

[0116] The second range 1961b extends from the first range 1961a and includes three integrally formed walls 1962, the walls 1962 including (i) a first end wall 1964a, (ii) a second end wall 1964b, and (iii) a connecting wall 1966 positioned between the end walls 1964a, 1964b, defining a groove between the end walls 1964a, 1964b, and aligned with a recess 1951 and a slot 1953. The combination of the end walls 1964a, 1964b and the connecting wall 1966 provides the second range 1961b having an "I-shaped" cross-sectional configuration. In this configuration, the slot 1953 does not extend into the second range 1961b of the element 1960 formed from the wall 1962, which helps to ensure that the touchproof element 1960 is sufficiently rigid to meet required industry standards. In other embodiments, the touchproof member 1942 may have recesses 1951 and slots 1953 formed as (i) two recesses perpendicular to each other, thereby forming a quarter of the base portion; (ii) two slots perpendicular to each other, thereby forming a quarter of the touchproof element; (iii) a combination of the above, where both the base portion and the touchproof element form a quarter; or (iv) the base portion and / or touchproof element formed into any number (e.g., 1 to 10) different segments or portions, thereby increasing or decreasing the force required to insert the touchproof member 1942 into the female terminal receiving portion 1814; and (ii) the force required to displace the touchproof element 1960 using foreign matter.

[0117] The female terminal assembly 1800 and the touchproof member 1942 have an internal terminal length L over the inner distance between opposing end walls 1812b and 1812d. IT (For example, 20 mm), (ii) the original projection length L extending between the first retaining member 1950a and the third retaining member 1950c of the arrangement of the deformable retaining member 1946 when the female touchproof member 1942 is in its original state OP(For example, 22 mm), and (iv) the length of the deformable projection L extending between the first retaining member 1950a and the third retaining member 1950c of the arrangement of the deformable retaining members 764 when the female touchproof member 1942 is in a deformed state. DP It is important to understand that (i) the original projection length is greater than the deformed projection length, and (ii) the deformed projection length is greater than the length of the internal terminal. In the first embodiment of the female touchproof member 720, the first and second deformable retaining members 768a expand away from each other in their deformed state, while the first and third retaining members 1950a, 1950c are compressed toward each other in their deformed state. When the female touchproof member 1942 is inserted into the female terminal receiving portion 1814, the original projection lengths of the first and third retaining members 1950a, 1950c are compressed to the deformed projection length in order to allow the first and third retaining members 1950a, 1950c to be inserted into the female terminal receiving portion 1814. When the first and third retaining members 1950a and 1950c pass through the length of the side walls 1812a to 1812d and are inserted into the fixed opening 1970 of the female terminal assembly 1800, the deformed protrusions of the first and third retaining members 1950a and 1950c are extended to their original protrusion lengths. This positions the protrusions 1954a to 1954d below the side walls 1812a to 1812d of the female terminal assembly 1800.

[0118] When the female touchproof member 1942 is installed, the distance between the inner surface of the female terminal assembly 1800 and the outer surface of the female touchproof member 1942 changes due to the configuration of the female touchproof member 1942. For example, the distance between the end faces of the end walls 1964a and 1964b of the touchproof element 1942 and the inner surfaces of the end walls 1812b and 1812d is approximately D TPE The end distance (e.g., 4.85 mm) and the distance between the outer surface of the connecting wall 1966 of the touchproof element 1942 and the inner surfaces of the side walls 1812a and 1812b are approximately D TPSThis refers to the side distance (e.g., 6.85 mm). While these distances vary, each of the above distances is shorter than the distances specified in various industry standards (e.g., ISO20076:2019, ISO20653:2013, USCAR12, 5th revision, and IEC60529-2020). Therefore, by including the touchproof member 1942, the female connector assembly 1600 can pass or comply with each of these standards (e.g., ISO20076:2019, ISO20653:2013, USCAR12, 5th revision, and IEC60529-2020).

[0119] Third Embodiment Figures 136–140 show a third embodiment of the touchproof member 2942. It should be understood that this third embodiment of the touchproof member 2942 is configured for use with the second embodiment of the connector system 1010. Therefore, the figures and related disclosures relating to the second embodiment 1010 are not repeated for this third embodiment of the touchproof member 2942. The omission of these figures and related disclosures does not limit this third embodiment in any way; instead, the reader should refer again to the figures and disclosures described above in relation to the second embodiment of the connector system 1010. In addition, it should be understood that certain disclosures relating to the second embodiment of the touchproof member 1942 are not repeated here for the third embodiment of the touchproof member 2942. Instead, it should be understood that similar numbers represent similar structures. For example, the disclosure from retaining member 1950a is applied with equal force to retaining member 2950a. Furthermore, it should be understood that any one or more features of the touchproof member 720 or the touchproof member 1942 can be used in conjunction with those disclosed with respect to the touchproof member 2942, and any one or more features of the touchproof member 2942 can be used in conjunction with those disclosed with respect to the touchproof member 720 or the touchproof member 1942. The main difference between the second embodiment of the touchproof member 1942 and the third embodiment of the touchproof member 2942 is that (i) the touchproof recess is omitted, and (ii) the first range of the touchproof element 2960 is also omitted. Thus, the wall 2962 extends orientedly from the base portion 2948. Since this embodiment cannot rely on folding the touchproof recess 1951 to allow the touchproof member 2942 to move from its original or undeformed state to an undeformed or deformed state, this functionality is provided by the retaining members 2950a to 2950d. Nevertheless, this third embodiment of the touchproof member 2942 provides the same overall functionality as described above in the second embodiment of the touchproof member 1942.

[0120] Systems 10 and 1010 are T4 / V4 / S3 / D2 / M2, where (i) T4 is exposure of system 100 to 150°C, (ii) V4 is severe vibration, (iii) S1 is sealed high-pressure spray, (iv) D2 is 200-kilometer endurance, and (v) M2 is less than 45 Newtons of force required to connect male terminal assemblies 430 and 1430 to female terminal assemblies 800 and 1800. The terminal assemblies 430 and 1430 shown in the following figures are rated to be transported with a rise over ambient (RoA) of 55°C or 80°C with 80% derating, and Figures 1 to 99B show 100 mm 2 The conductor can carry 365 amperes, and Figures 106 to 135 show a 50 mm 2 Conductor with 245 amps, 75 mm 2 Conductor with 280 amps, 100 mm 2 The conductor can carry 330 amperes. Furthermore, other performance specifications of the system 10 disclosed herein will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0121] The figures and disclosures contained herein illustrate two different embodiments of the connector systems 10, 1010, but it should be understood that these are merely exemplary embodiments and other embodiments are possible. For example, any number of male terminal assemblies 430, 1430 may be positioned within a single male housing assembly 220, 1220. Specifically, the male housing assembly 220, 1220 can be configured to accommodate a plurality (e.g., 3 to 30, preferably 3 to 8, most preferably 3 to 4) of male terminal assemblies 430, 1430. The female terminal assemblies 800, 1800 can be reconfigured to accept these plurality of male terminal assemblies into a single female terminal assembly 800, 1800. Alternatively, the female terminal assemblies 800, 1800 may be reconfigured to include a plurality of female terminal assemblies 800, 1800, each female terminal assembly 800, 1800 accepting a single male terminal assembly 430, 1430. In other words, the systems disclosed herein may include (i) any number of male terminal assemblies 430, 1430, and (ii) a number of female terminal assemblies 800, 1800 less than or equal to the number of male terminal assemblies 430, 1430. Furthermore, it should be understood that if multiple male terminal assemblies 430, 1430 are used, the male terminal assemblies 430, 1430 may have the same shape, similar shape, or different shape.

[0122] Furthermore, it should be understood that the male terminal assemblies 430, 1430 may have any number of contact arms 494, 1494 (for example, 2 to 100, preferably 2 to 50, most preferably 2 to 8) and any number of spring arms 452, 1452 (for example, 2 to 100, preferably 2 to 50, most preferably 2 to 8). As stated above, the number of contact arms 494, 1494 does not have to be equal to the number of spring arms 452, 1452, the width of the spring arms 452, 1452 may be greater than or equal to the width of the contact arms 494, 1494, or the width of each spring arm 452, 1452 or each contact arm 494, 1494 may be different from the width of other spring arms 452, 1452 or contact arms 494, 1494 included in the same terminal assembly 430, 1430. For example, there may be more contact arms 494, 1494 than spring arms 452, 1452. Alternatively, there may be fewer contact arms 494, 1494 than spring arms 452, 1452.

[0123] Materials and disclosures incorporated by reference PCT application number, International application PCT / US2021 / 057959, International application PCT / US2021 / 047180, International application PCT / US2021 / 043788, International application PCT / US2021 / 043686, International application PCT / US2021 / 033446, International application PCT / US2020 / 049870, International application PCT / US2020 / 050018, International application PCT / US2020 / 014484, International Application PCT / US2020 / 013757, International Application PCT / US2019 / 036127, International Application PCT / US2019 / 036070, International Application PCT / US2019 / 036010, and International Application PCT / US2018 / 019787, U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 194,891, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 222,859 (each of which is incorporated herein by reference in full and forms part of this Specified

[0124] These are USCAR standards, including (i) SAE / USCAR-2, 6th edition, revised February 2013, ISBN: 978-0-7680-7998-2, (ii) SAE / USCAR-12, 5th edition, revised August 2017, ISBN: 978-0-7680-8446-7, (iii) SAE / USCAR-21, 3rd edition, revised December 2014, (iv) SAE / USCAR-25, 3rd edition, revised March 2016, ISBN: 978-0-7680-8319-4, (v) SAE / USCAR-37, revised August 2008, ISBN: 978-0-7680-2098-4, and (vi) SAE / USCAR-38, 1st edition, revised May 2016. ISBN: 978-0-7680-8350-7, each of which is incorporated in full by reference, forms part of this specification.

[0125] ISO specifications including road vehicles - Test methods and performance requirements for voltage class B connectors (ISO20076:2019), and road vehicles - Degree of protection (IP code) - Protection of electrical equipment against foreign matter, water and access (ISO20653:2013).

[0126] Each of the IEC specifications, including the degree of protection provided by the enclosure (IP code) (IEC60529-2020), is incorporated fully herein by reference and forms part of this specification.

[0127] The SAE standard J1742_201003, titled "Connections for High Voltage On-Board Vehicle Electrical Wiring Harnesses - Test Methods and General Performance Requirements," with its last revision in March 2010, is fully incorporated by reference and forms part of this specification.

[0128] ASTM standards, specifically (i) D4935-18, titled "Standard Test Method for Measuring the Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of Planar Materials," and (ii) ASTM D257, titled "Standard Test Methods for DC Resistance or Conductance of Insulating Materials," are fully incorporated by reference and form part of this specification.

[0129] The DIN standard, Connectors for electronic equipment—Tests and measurements—Part 5-2: Current-carrying capacity tests; Test 5b: Current-temperature de-rating (IEC60512-5-2:2002), each of which is fully incorporated by reference and forms part of this specification.

[0130] The ESD Specifications, including Surface Resistance Measurements of Static Dissipative Planar Materials (ANSI / ESD STM11.11), are each fully incorporated by reference and form part of this Specification.

[0131] Other standards include American National Standards Institute standards that correspond to or have equivalents to the standards listed above, as well as Federal Test Standards 101C and 4046, each of which is fully incorporated by reference and forms part of this Specified Specification.

[0132] While several implementation forms have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications can be conceived without significantly deviating from the intent of this disclosure. The scope of protection is limited only by the scope of the attached 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.

[0133] It should be understood that the following terms used herein generally mean the following: “High power” means (i) a voltage between 20 volts and 600 volts, regardless of current, or (ii) any current of 80 amperes or more, regardless of voltage. “High current” means a current of 80 amperes or more, regardless of voltage. “High voltage” means a voltage between 20 volts and 600 volts, regardless of current.

[0134] Where headings and subheadings exist, they are used solely for convenience and are not limiting. The word "example" is used to mean that it serves as an example or illustration. Where terms are included, used, and similar terms are used, such terms are intended to be included in the same manner as the term "includes" is interpreted when used as a transitional word in a claim. Relationship 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 entities or actions.

[0135] Terms 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 technical subject matter", "the disclosure", "this disclosure", "other variations thereof", and similar phrases are for convenience only and do not imply that the disclosure related to such phrases is essential to the technical subject matter or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the technical subject matter. The disclosure related to such phrases may apply to all configurations or one or more configurations. The disclosure related to such phrases can provide one or more examples. Phrases such as "an aspect" or "some aspects" can refer to one or more aspects and vice versa, and this applies similarly to other aforementioned phrases.

[0136] Many modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Preferred embodiments of this disclosure, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure, are described herein. It should be understood, of course, that the illustrated embodiments are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. Based on the embodiments described above, for example, the following embodiments can be considered. (1) A connector system for use in a power distribution system, wherein the connector system is A female housing formed from a non-conductive material, A female terminal assembly formed from a conductive material, wherein the female terminal assembly is configured to be inserted into the female housing using a first force directed in a first direction, A touchproof member formed from a non-conductive material, wherein the touchproof member is configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly using a second force directed in a second direction opposite to the first direction, A connector system in which, when the touch-proof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, the touch-proof member prevents foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly. (2) The connector system according to (1), wherein the touchproof member comprises a base and a touchproof fixing assembly having an arrangement of deformable retaining members. <00009i0> (3) The connector system according to (2), wherein the deformable retaining member is elastically deformed during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (4) The connector system according to (2), wherein the deformable retaining member elastically deforms from its original state to a deformed state during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (5) The connector system according to (4), wherein the deformable retaining member is elastically deformed to return from the deformed state to the original state after the touchproof member has been fully inserted into the female terminal assembly and reached the installed state. (6) The connector system according to (1), wherein the touchproof member has a touchproof element having a first end wall, a second end wall, and a connecting wall extending between the first end wall and the second end wall. (7) The connector system according to (6), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign object distance of 5 mm or less is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly. (8) The connector system according to (1), wherein the touchproof member includes an elastically deformable base having a first base portion and a second base portion separated by a recess, the first base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the base portion, and the second base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the base portion. (9) The connector system according to (8), wherein the touchproof member further includes a touchproof element extending from the elastically deformable base, the touchproof element having a first range having a slot aligned with the recess separating the first and second base portions. (10) The connector system according to (9), wherein the slot and the recess are combined to facilitate the first range to function as a living hinge, thereby facilitating the elastic deformation of the first and second base portions during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (11) The connector system according to (9), wherein the touchproof element has a second range adjacent to the first range, and the second range has a pair of end walls and connecting walls that provide an I-shaped cross-sectional configuration to the second range. (12) The male connector assembly further comprises (i) a male terminal assembly and (ii) a male housing assembly having a touchproof element opening having a configuration substantially consistent with the I-shaped cross-sectional configuration of the touchproof element, The connector system according to (9), wherein when the male terminal assembly is positioned within the female terminal assembly, the touchproof element extends into the male terminal assembly through the opening of the touchproof element. (13) The touchproof member has a touchproof element, The connector system according to (1), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, the foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified by the International Organization for Standardization in one of ISO20076:2019 and ISO20653:2013. (14) The touchproof member has a touchproof element, The connector system according to paragraph (1), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified in USCAR12, revised 5th edition. (15) The touchproof member has a touchproof element, The connector system according to (1), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, the foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified by the International Electrotechnical Commission in IEC 60529-2020. (16) The connector system according to item (1), further comprising a male terminal assembly having a male terminal body including a wall arrangement that forms a spring receiving portion, wherein the wall arrangement includes a contact arm having (i) a neck portion having a neck width and (ii) a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width. (17) The connector system according to item (16), wherein the male terminal assembly includes an upper wall, and the contact arm extends outward from the upper wall at an angle of 5 to 12 degrees. (18) The connector system according to item (16), wherein the male terminal assembly also includes a spring member having a spring arm, the spring member being located within the spring receiving portion, and during operation of the power distribution system, the spring arm applies an outward biasing force to the contact arm. (19) The connector system according to (1), further comprising a male terminal assembly having a male terminal body including a wall arrangement that forms a spring receiving portion, wherein the wall arrangement includes a plurality of outwardly extending contact arms, each contact arm having (i) a neck portion having a neck width and (ii) a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width. (20) The connector system according to item (19), wherein the male terminal assembly also includes a spring member comprising a plurality of spring arms, the spring member being located within the spring receiving portion, and during operation of the power distribution system, the spring arms apply an outward biasing force to the contact arm. (21) The connector system according to (16) or (19), wherein the neck width is at least 10% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (22) The connector system according to (16) or (19), wherein the neck width is at least 20% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (23) The connector system according to (16) or (19), wherein the neck width is at least 40% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (24) A connector system for use in a power distribution system, wherein the connector system comprises a female terminal assembly having a first wall, A touch-proof member is provided, which includes a touch-proof element configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly in order to prevent foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly. A connector system in which, when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified by the International Organization for Standardization in ISO 20076:2019. (25) A connector system for use in a power distribution system, wherein the connector system is A female terminal assembly having a first wall, A touch-proof member is provided, which includes a touch-proof element configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly in order to prevent foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly. A connector system in which, when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, the foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified by the International Organization for Standardization in ISO 20653:2013. (26) A connector system for use in a power distribution system, wherein the connector system is A female terminal assembly having a first wall, A touch-proof member is provided, which includes a touch-proof element configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly in order to prevent foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly. A connector system in which, when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified in USCAR12, Revision 5. (27) A connector system for use in a power distribution system, wherein the connector system is A female terminal assembly having a first wall, A touch-proof member is provided, which includes a touch-proof element configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly in order to prevent foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly. A connector system in which, when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, the foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified by the International Electrotechnical Commission in IEC 60529-2020. (28) The female housing is further comprising the female terminal assembly, which is configured to be inserted into the female housing using a first force directed in a first direction, The connector system according to section (24), (25), (26), or (27), wherein the touchproof member is configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly using a second force directed in a second direction, the first direction being opposite to the second direction. (29) The connector system according to item (28), wherein the female housing is formed from a non-conductive material and the female terminal assembly is formed from a conductive material. (30) The connector system according to item (24), (25), (26), or (27), wherein the touchproof member comprises a base and a touchproof fixing assembly having arrangement of deformable retaining members. (31) The connector system according to (30), wherein the deformable retaining member is elastically deformed during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (32) The connector system according to item (30), wherein the deformable retaining member elastically deforms from its original state to a deformed state during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (33) The connector system according to paragraph (32), wherein the deformable retaining member is elastically deformed to return from the deformed state to the original state after the touchproof member has been fully inserted into the female terminal assembly and reached the installed state. (34) The connector system according to item (24), (25), (26), or (27), wherein the touchproof element comprises a first end wall, a second end wall, and a connecting wall extending between the first end wall and the second end wall. (35) The connector system according to item (34), wherein the connecting wall extends from the base of the touchproof element, and at least one deformable retaining member hangs down from the base, and the deformable retaining member is elastically deformed during insertion of the touchproof element into the female terminal assembly. (36) The connector system according to item (34), wherein the connecting wall extends from the base of the touchproof element, and at least one deformable retaining member hangs down from the base, and the deformable retaining member elastically deforms from its original state to a deformed state during insertion of the touchproof element into the female terminal assembly. (37) The connector system according to (36), wherein the deformable retaining member is elastically deformed to return from the deformed state to the original state after the touchproof member has been fully inserted into the female terminal assembly and reached the installed state. (38) The connector system according to item (24), (25), (26), or (27), wherein the touchproof member includes an elastically deformable base having a first base portion and a second base portion separated by a recess, the first base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the base portion, and the second base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the base portion. (39) The connector system according to paragraph (38), wherein the touchproof element extends from the elastically deformable base, and the touchproof element has a first range having a slot aligned with the recess separating the first and second base portions. (40) The connector system according to paragraph (39), wherein the slot and the recess are combined to facilitate the first range acting as a living hinge, thereby facilitating the elastic deformation of the first and second base portions during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (41) The connector system according to item (39), wherein the touchproof element has a second range adjacent to the first range, and the second range has a pair of end walls and connecting walls that provide an I-shaped cross-sectional configuration to the second range. (42) The connector system according to item (24), (25), (26), or (27), further comprising a male terminal assembly having a male terminal body including a wall arrangement that forms a spring receiving portion, wherein the wall arrangement includes a contact arm having (i) a neck portion having a neck width and (ii) a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width. (43) The connector system according to item (42), wherein the male terminal assembly includes an upper wall, and the contact arm extends outward from the upper wall at an angle of 5 to 12 degrees. (44) The connector system according to item (42), wherein the male terminal assembly also includes a spring member including a spring arm, the spring member being located within the spring receiving portion, and during operation of the power distribution system, the spring arm applies an outward biasing force to the contact arm. (45) The connector system according to item (24), (25), (26), or (27), further comprising a male terminal assembly having a male terminal body including a wall arrangement that forms a spring receiving portion, wherein the wall arrangement includes a plurality of outwardly extending contact arms, each contact arm having (i) a neck portion having a neck width and (ii) a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width. (46) The connector system according to item (45), wherein the male terminal assembly also includes a spring member comprising a plurality of spring arms, the spring member being located within the spring receiving portion, and during operation of the power distribution system, the spring arms apply an outward biasing force to the contact arm. (47) The connector system according to paragraph (45), wherein the neck width is at least 10% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (48) The connector system according to paragraph (45), wherein the neck width is at least 20% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (49) The connector system according to (45), wherein the neck width is at least 40% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (50) A connector system for use in a power distribution system, wherein the connector system comprises a male terminal assembly, and the male terminal assembly is A male terminal body including a first contact arm, a second contact arm, and a spring receiving portion, (i) a first spring arm having a positioning projection extending from the free end of the first spring arm, and (ii) a second spring arm, comprising a spring member, A connector system in which the spring member is located within the spring receiving portion to define a seated state, thereby causing the positioning projection to surround the inner corner region of the first contact arm. (51) The connector system according to item (50), wherein the second spring arm has a planar configuration and does not have a positioning projection. (52) The spring member further includes a third spring arm, the third spring arm having a positioning projection extending from the free end of the third spring arm, The connector system according to item (51), wherein, in the seated position, the positioning projection of the third spring arm encloses the area around the inner corner region of the third contact arm of the male terminal body. (53) The connector system according to item (52), wherein the first and third spring arms extend from both sides of the rear wall of the spring member. (54) The connector system according to item (53), wherein the first and third spring arms are in an opposing positional relationship. (55) The connector system according to item (53), wherein the first and third spring arms are in an oblique positional relationship. (56) The second spring arm includes a positioning projection extending from the free end of the second spring arm, The connector system according to item (50), wherein, in the seated position, the positioning projection of the second spring arm encloses the periphery of the inner corner region of the second contact arm. (57) The connector system according to item (56), wherein the first and second spring arms extend from both sides of the rear wall of the spring member. (58) The connector system according to item (57), wherein the first and second spring arms are in an opposing positional relationship. (59) The connector system according to item (57), wherein the first and second spring arms are in an oblique positional relationship. (60) The connector system according to item (50), wherein the spring receiving portion is formed by the wall arrangement of the male terminal body, and at least one of the first and second contact arms has (i) a neck portion having a neck width and (ii) a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width. (61) The connector system according to item (60), wherein the male terminal assembly includes an upper wall, and the contact arm extends outward from the upper wall at an angle of 5 to 12 degrees. (62) The connector system according to item (60), wherein, during operation of the power distribution system, the first and second spring arms apply an outward biasing force to the first and second contact arms. (63) The connector system according to paragraph (60), wherein the neck width is at least 10% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (64) The connector system according to paragraph (60), wherein the neck width is at least 20% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (65) The connector system according to paragraph (60), wherein the neck width is at least 40% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (66) A female housing formed from a non-conductive material, A female terminal assembly formed from a conductive material, wherein the female terminal assembly is configured to be inserted into the female housing using a first force directed in a first direction, A touchproof member formed from a non-conductive material, wherein the touchproof member is configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly using a second force directed in a second direction opposite to the first direction, The connector system according to (50), wherein when the touch-proof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, the touch-proof member prevents foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly. (67) The connector system according to item (66), wherein the touchproof member comprises a base and a touchproof fixing assembly having arrangement of a deformable retaining member that elastically deforms during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (68) The deformable retaining member elastically deforms from its original state to a deformed state during the insertion of the touch-proof member into the female terminal assembly. The connector system according to paragraph (67), wherein the deformable retaining member is elastically deformed to return from the deformed state to the original state after the touchproof member has been fully inserted into the female terminal assembly and reached the installed state. (69) The connector system according to item (66), wherein the touchproof member has a touchproof element having a first end wall, a second end wall, and a connecting wall extending between the first end wall and the second end wall. (70) The connector system according to item (69), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign object distance of 5 mm or less is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly. (71) The connector system according to item (66), wherein the touchproof member includes an elastically deformable base having a first base portion and a second base portion separated by a recess, the first base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the base portion, and the second base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the base portion. (72) The connector system according to (71), wherein the touchproof member further includes a touchproof element extending from the elastically deformable base, the touchproof element having a first range having a slot aligned with the recess separating the first and second base portions. (73) The connector system according to paragraph (72), wherein the slot and the recess are combined to facilitate the first range to function as a living hinge, thereby facilitating the elastic deformation of the first and second base portions during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (74) The connector system according to item (73), wherein the touchproof element has a second range adjacent to the first range, and the second range has a pair of end walls and connecting walls that provide an I-shaped cross-sectional configuration to the second range. (75) A connector system for use in a power distribution system, wherein the connector system comprises a male terminal assembly, and the male terminal assembly is A male terminal body including a first contact arm, a second contact arm, and a spring receiving portion, A spring member comprising a first spring arm having positioning and holding means, and a second spring arm, A connector system in which the spring member is located within the spring receiving portion to define a seated state, thereby the positioning and holding means of the first spring arm wraps around a portion of the first contact arm and is located adjacent to at least the end face of the first contact arm. (76) The connector system according to item (75), wherein, in the seated position, the positioning and holding means of the first spring arm encloses the periphery of the internal corner region of the first contact arm. (77) The connector system according to item (75), wherein the second spring arm has a planar configuration and does not have positioning and holding means. (78) The spring member further includes a third spring arm, the third spring arm having positioning and holding means extending from the free end of the third spring arm, The connector system according to item (77), wherein, in the seated position, the positioning and holding means of the third spring arm encloses a portion of the third contact arm of the male terminal body and is located adjacent to at least the end face of the third contact arm. (79) The connector system according to item (78), wherein the first and third spring arms extend from both sides of the rear wall of the spring member. (80) The connector system according to item (79), wherein the first and third spring arms are in an opposing positional relationship. (81) The connector system according to item (79), wherein the first and third spring arms are in an oblique positional relationship. (82) The second spring arm includes positioning and holding means, The connector system according to item (75), wherein, in the seated position, the positioning and holding means of the second spring arm encloses a portion of the second contact arm of the male terminal body and is located adjacent to at least the end face of the second contact arm. (83) The connector system according to item (82), wherein, in the seated position, the positioning and holding means of the second spring arm encloses the periphery of the internal corner region of the second contact arm. (84) The connector system according to item (82), wherein the first and second spring arms extend from both sides of the rear wall of the spring member. (85) The connector system according to item (84), wherein the first and second spring arms are in an opposing positional relationship. (86) The connector system according to item (84), wherein the first and second spring arms are in an oblique positional relationship. (87) The connector system according to item (75), wherein the spring receiving portion is formed by the wall arrangement of the male terminal body, and at least one of the first and second contact arms has (i) a neck portion having a neck width and (ii) a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width. (88) The connector system according to item (87), wherein the male terminal assembly includes an upper wall, and the contact arm extends outward from the upper wall at an angle of 5 to 12 degrees. (89) The connector system according to item (87), wherein, during the operation of the power distribution system, the first and second spring arms apply an outward biasing force to the first and second contact arms. (90) The connector system according to paragraph (87), wherein the neck width is at least 10% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (91) The connector system according to paragraph (87), wherein the neck width is at least 20% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (92) The connector system according to paragraph (87), wherein the neck width is at least 40% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (93) A female housing formed from a non-conductive material, A female terminal assembly formed from a conductive material, wherein the female terminal assembly is configured to be inserted into the female housing using a first force directed in a first direction, A touchproof member formed from a non-conductive material, wherein the touchproof member is configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly using a second force directed in a second direction opposite to the first direction, The connector system according to paragraph (75), wherein when the touch-proof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, the touch-proof member prevents foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly. (94) The connector system according to item (93), wherein the touchproof member comprises a base and a touchproof fixing assembly having an arrangement of a deformable retaining member that is elastically deformable during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (95) The deformable retaining member elastically deforms from its original state to a deformed state during the insertion of the touch-proof member into the female terminal assembly. The connector system according to paragraph (94), wherein the deformable retaining member is elastically deformed to return from the deformed state to the original state after the touchproof member has been fully inserted into the female terminal assembly and reached the installed state. (96) The connector system according to item (93), wherein the touchproof member has a touchproof element having a first end wall, a second end wall, and a connecting wall extending between the first end wall and the second end wall. (97) The connector system according to paragraph (96), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign object distance of 5 mm or less is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly. (98) The connector system according to item (93), wherein the touchproof member includes an elastically deformable base having a first base portion and a second base portion separated by a recess, the first base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the base portion, and the second base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the base portion. (99) The connector system according to (98), wherein the touchproof member further includes a touchproof element extending from the elastically deformable base, the touchproof element having a first range having a slot aligned with the recess separating the first and second base portions. (100) The connector system according to paragraph (99), wherein the slot and the recess are combined to facilitate the first range functioning as a living hinge, thereby facilitating the elastic deformation of the first and second base portions during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (101) The connector system according to item (100), wherein the touchproof element has a second range adjacent to the first range, and the second range has a pair of end walls and connecting walls that provide an I-shaped cross-sectional configuration to the second range. (102) A connector system for a power distribution system, wherein the connector system is A male connector assembly, A male housing assembly having a primary locking member and a mark, A male connector assembly, including a male terminal assembly positioned within the male terminal housing, Female connector assembly, Female housing assembly and A female connector assembly comprising a female terminal assembly positioned within the female terminal housing, (i) The male terminal assembly is positioned within the female terminal assembly, and (ii) the primary locking member is in a locking position that allows the installer to read the mark, the male and female connector assemblies are ready for use. A connector system in which, when the male and female connector assemblies are in the ready-to-use state, a force exceeding 500 Newtons is required to separate the male connector assembly from the female connector assembly. (103) The connector system according to item (102), wherein, when the male and female connector assemblies are in the ready-to-use state, an accidental disengagement force directed backward exceeding 500 Newtons is required to move the primary locking member from a locked state to a disengaged state. (104) The aforementioned male terminal assembly A male terminal body including a first contact arm, a second contact arm, and a spring receiving portion, A spring member including a first spring arm having positioning and holding means, and a second spring arm, The connector system according to item (102), wherein the spring member is located within the spring receiving portion to define a seated position, and thereby the positioning and holding means of the first spring arm encloses the periphery of a portion of the first contact arm and is located adjacent to at least the end face of the first contact arm. (105) The connector system according to item (102), wherein the female terminal assembly is configured to be inserted into the female housing assembly using a first force directed in a first direction, and the touchproof member is configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly using a second force directed in a second direction opposite to the first direction. (106) The connector system according to item (105), wherein when the touch-proof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, the touch-proof member prevents foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly. (107) The connector system according to item (105), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified by the International Organization for Standardization in ISO 20076:2019. (108) The connector system according to item (105), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified by the International Organization for Standardization in ISO 20653:2013. (109) The connector system according to paragraph (105), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified in USCAR12, revised 5th edition. (110) The connector system according to paragraph (105), wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign matter distance is defined between the touchproof element and the female terminal assembly, and the foreign matter distance is less than the distance specified by the International Electrotechnical Commission in IEC 60529-2020. (111) The connector system according to item (102), further comprising a touchproof member configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly, wherein the touchproof member comprises a base and a touchproof fixing assembly having arrangement of deformable retaining members. (112) The connector system according to item (111), wherein the deformable retaining member is elastically deformed during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (113) The connector system according to item (111), wherein the deformable retaining member elastically deforms from its original state to a deformed state during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly. (114) The connector system according to item (111), wherein the touchproof member has a touchproof element having a first end wall, a second end wall, and a connecting wall extending between the first end wall and the second end wall. (115) The connector system according to item (102), wherein the male terminal assembly includes a male terminal body including a wall arrangement that forms a spring receiving portion, and the wall arrangement includes a contact arm having (i) a neck portion having a neck width and (ii) a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width. (116) The connector system according to paragraph (115), wherein the neck width is at least 10% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace the contact arm inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly. (117) The aforementioned male terminal assembly A male terminal body including a first contact arm, a second contact arm, and a spring receiving portion, (i) The first spring arm having a positioning projection extending from the free end of the first spring arm, and (ii) the second spring arm, comprising a spring member, The connector system according to item (102), wherein the spring member is located within the spring receiving portion to define a seated position, thereby causing the positioning projection to surround the inner corner region of the first contact arm. (118) A connector system that is coupled to a component of a power distribution system, wherein the connector system is Male connector assembly and A female connector assembly is provided, and the female connector assembly is A female housing assembly having an upper housing in which a first opening and a second opening are formed therein, wherein the first and second openings are configured to receive elongated fasteners extending within the range of the components of the power distribution system, A capacitor assembly having at least one capacitor and sealed within the female housing assembly, A female terminal assembly having a sealed area within the female housing assembly, Includes a busbar having a range sealed within the female housing assembly, In the internal electrical connection state, (i) the female terminal is electrically connected to the at least one capacitor, (ii) the at least one capacitor is electrically connected to the busbar, and (iii) the busbar is electrically connected to the range of the components of the power distribution system. A connector system in which the female terminal, the capacitor, and the busbar are sealed from the external environment in the internal electrical connection state. (119) A connector system that is coupled to a component of a power distribution system, wherein the connector system is Male connector assembly and The female connector assembly is configured to be detachably coupled to the male connector assembly, and the female connector assembly is A female housing assembly having an upper housing configured to be removably coupled to a component of the power distribution system, wherein a first opening and a second opening are formed therein, and the first and second openings are each configured to receive an elongated fastener extending within the range of the component of the power distribution system, A capacitor sealed within the female housing assembly, The female housing assembly includes a busbar that is partially sealed within the female housing assembly and configured to be electrically coupled to both (i) the capacitor and (ii) the range of components of the power distribution system, A connector system in which, when the male connector assembly is coupled to the female connector assembly, the electrical connection between the male connector assembly and the power distribution system exceeds the requirements of the high-pressure spray test of USCAR2, revision 6.

Claims

1. A connector system for use in a power distribution system, wherein the connector system comprises a male terminal assembly, and the male terminal assembly is A male terminal body including a first contact arm, a second contact arm, and a spring receiving portion, (i) a first spring arm having a positioning projection extending from the free end of the first spring arm, and (ii) a second spring arm, comprising a spring member, A connector system in which the spring member is located within the spring receiving portion to define a seated state, thereby causing the positioning projection to surround the inner corner region of the first contact arm.

2. The connector system according to claim 1, wherein the second spring arm has a planar configuration and does not have a positioning projection.

3. The spring member further includes a third spring arm, the third spring arm having a positioning projection extending from the free end of the third spring arm, The connector system according to claim 2, wherein, in the seated position, the positioning projection of the third spring arm encloses the area around the inner corner region of the third contact arm of the male terminal body.

4. The connector system according to claim 3, wherein the first and third spring arms extend from both sides of the rear wall of the spring member.

5. A female housing formed from a non-conductive material, A female terminal assembly formed from a conductive material, wherein the female terminal assembly is configured to be inserted into the female housing using a first force directed in a first direction, A touchproof member formed from a non-conductive material, wherein the touchproof member is configured to be inserted into the female terminal assembly using a second force directed in a second direction opposite to the first direction, The connector system according to claim 1, wherein when the touch-proof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, the touch-proof member prevents foreign matter from being inserted into the female terminal assembly.

6. The connector system according to claim 5, wherein the touchproof member comprises a base and a touchproof fixing assembly having a deformable retaining member that is elastically deformable during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly.

7. The deformable retaining member elastically deforms from its original state to a deformed state during the insertion of the touch-proof member into the female terminal assembly. The connector system according to claim 6, wherein the deformable retaining member elastically deforms to return from the deformed state to the original state after the touchproof member has been fully inserted into the female terminal assembly and reached the installed state.

8. The connector system according to claim 5, wherein the touchproof member has a touchproof element having a first end wall, a second end wall, and a connecting wall extending between the first end wall and the second end wall.

9. The connector system according to claim 8, wherein when the touchproof member is inserted into the female terminal assembly, a foreign object distance of 5 mm or less is defined between the touchproof element and the first wall of the female terminal assembly.

10. The connector system according to claim 5, wherein the touchproof member includes an elastically deformable base having a first base portion and a second base portion separated by a recess, the first base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the first base portion, and the second base portion includes at least one retaining member hanging down from the second base portion.

11. The connector system according to claim 10, wherein the touchproof member further includes a touchproof element extending from the elastically deformable base, the touchproof element having a first range having a slot aligned with the recess separating the first and second base portions.

12. The connector system according to claim 11, wherein the slot and the recess are combined in such a way that the first range functions as a living hinge, thereby facilitating the elastic deformation of the first and second base portions during insertion of the touchproof member into the female terminal assembly.

13. The connector system according to claim 12, wherein the touchproof element has a second range adjacent to the first range, and the second range has a pair of end walls and connecting walls that provide an I-shaped cross-sectional configuration to the second range.

14. A connector system for use in a power distribution system, wherein the connector system comprises a male terminal assembly, and the male terminal assembly is A male terminal body including a first contact arm, a second contact arm, and a spring receiving portion, A spring member comprising a first spring arm having positioning and holding means, and a second spring arm, A connector system in which the spring member is located within the spring receiving portion to define a seated state, thereby the positioning and holding means of the first spring arm wraps around a portion of the first contact arm and is located adjacent to at least the end face of the first contact arm.

15. The second spring arm includes positioning and holding means, The connector system according to claim 14, wherein, in the seated state, the positioning and holding means of the second spring arm encloses the periphery of a portion of the second contact arm of the male terminal body and is located adjacent to at least the end face of the second contact arm.

16. The connector system according to claim 15, wherein, in the seated state, the positioning and holding means of the second spring arm encloses the periphery of the internal corner region of the second contact arm.

17. The connector system according to claim 15, wherein the first and second spring arms extend from both sides of the rear wall of the spring member, and the first and second spring arms are in an oblique positional relationship.

18. The connector system according to claim 15, wherein the first and second spring arms extend from both sides of the rear wall of the spring member, and the first and second spring arms are in an opposing positional relationship.

19. The connector system according to claim 14, wherein the spring receiving portion is formed by the wall arrangement of the male terminal body, and at least one of the first and second contact arms has (i) a neck portion having a neck width and (ii) a body portion having a body width greater than the neck width.

20. The connector system according to claim 19, wherein the male terminal assembly includes an upper wall, and at least one of the first and second contact arms extends outward from the upper wall at an angle of 5 to 12 degrees.

21. The connector system according to claim 19, wherein, during the operation of the power distribution system, the first and second spring arms apply an outward biasing force to the first and second contact arms.

22. The connector system according to claim 19, wherein the neck width is at least 10% smaller than the body width, and this reduction in the neck width compared to the body width reduces the force required to deflect or displace at least one of the first and second contact arms inward and toward the center of the male terminal when coupling the male terminal assembly to the female terminal assembly.

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