Patent Application
20240421514
The present invention relates to a stackable terminal assembly for electric wires.
When grounding wiring harnesses in vehicles, it is known to provide sealing for a wiring harness at an eyelet having a U-shaped configuration (i.e., a pair of upstanding legs on either side of a flat surface). The U-shape for the wiring harness eyelet provides bend strength but may make sealing of the wiring harness more difficult than is desired.
An embodiment contemplates a stackable terminal assembly mounting to structure including: a first eyelet terminal body having a base portion that is generally flat and configured to extend generally parallel to the structure, an upstanding wall extending from the base portion generally normal to the base portion, and a mounting feature configured to allow for securement of the first eyelet terminal body to the structure; and a second eyelet terminal body having a flat base that is generally flat and configured to extend generally parallel to the structure between the base portion and the structure, a second mounting feature configured to allow for securement of the second eyelet terminal body between the structure and the first eyelet terminal body.
An embodiment contemplates a stackable terminal assembly configured to mount to structure, the stackable terminal assembly including: a first eyelet terminal body having a base portion that is generally flat and configured to extend generally parallel to the structure, and a mounting feature configured to allow for securement of the first eyelet terminal body to the structure; a second eyelet terminal body having a flat base that is generally flat and configured to extend generally parallel to the structure between the base portion and the structure, a second mounting feature configured to allow for securement of the second eyelet terminal body between the structure and the first eyelet terminal body; a first wiring harness connected to the first eyelet terminal body without the connection to the first eyelet terminal body being sealed; a second wiring harness connected to the second eyelet terminal body; and a seal surrounding and sealing the connection of the second wiring harness to the second eyelet terminal body.
An advantage of an embodiment is that it allows for wire grounding of multiple wiring harnesses while minimizing a height of upstanding walls from the grounding surface (e.g., shorter overall height from chassis to distal end of upstanding walls). A shorter overall height of upstanding walls allows for a more desirable package size while also providing desired bend strength of the terminal assembly. An advantage of an embodiment is that the second eyelet terminal body is configured to jog around the first eyelet terminal body where the wiring harnesses are connected, thus avoiding interference between the two wiring harnesses. An advantage of an embodiment is that the jog in the second eyelet terminal body may jog to the left, the right or both directions. An advantage of an embodiment is that the stackable terminal assembly provides a relatively slim overall footprint (i.e., relatively narrow and short size) at the location where it connects to the vehicle structure (e.g., chassis). An advantage of an embodiment is that the stackable terminal assembly may allow for a drop-in replacement (i.e., fits in the same package space) for previous designs of grounding terminals. An advantage of an embodiment is that wiring harnesses not needing wire sealing may be attached to the first eyelet terminal body and wiring harnesses where wire sealing is desirable may be attached to the second eyelet terminal body, which may be easier to seal since it does not include upstanding walls. Sealing on the second eyelet terminal with glue or heat shrink may be easier without the upstanding walls. An advantage of an embodiment is that the stackable terminal assembly provides the separate second eyelet terminal body to attached circuits that are preferably sealed or isolated from other circuits, which may be attached to the first eyelet terminal body.
The first eyelet terminal body 24 includes a flat base portion 30 having a fastener hole 32 therethrough that receives the fastener 28. The fastener hole 32 is configured to align with a fastener hole 33 in the structure 22. The first eyelet terminal body 24 includes upstanding walls 34 extending from opposed sides of the flat base portion 30 around at least a portion of a perimeter of the flat base portion 30 and extending generally normal to the flat base portion 30 and away from the structure 22. The upstanding walls 34 may provide increased bending strength for the stackable terminal assembly 20. The first eyelet terminal body 24 includes a key 36 extending from the flat base portion 30 at an end 31 opposed to a second end 44 that is used to secure a wire harness thereto. The key 36 includes an upstanding flange 38, which extends from the flat base portion 30 toward the structure 22, and a securement flange 40, which extends from a distal end of the upstanding flange 38 in a direction generally parallel to and away from the flat base portion 30. The upstanding flange 38 and securement flange 40 are configured to slide within a keyhole 42 (illustrated in
The second eyelet terminal body 26 includes a flat base 46 having a fastener hole 48 therethrough that aligns with fastener holes 32 and 33 and receives the fastener 28 for securing the stackable terminal assembly 20 to the structure 22. The flat base 46 is mounted between the flat base portion 30 and the structure 22, and, since the second eyelet terminal body 26 does not have upstanding walls, the first and second eyelet terminal bodies 24, 26 can mate flush together in a compact fashion. Moreover, the upstanding walls 34 of the first eyelet terminal body 24 provide increased bending strength for the second eyelet terminal body 26 in addition to the first eyelet terminal body 24. The flat base 46 includes a slotted hole 50 that aligns with and receives the securement flange 40 and the upstanding flange 38 therethrough to generally orient the second eyelet terminal body 26 to the structure 22. The flat base 46 includes a first arm 52, a second arm 54 or both arms. The first arm 52 angles laterally away from a longitudinal axis 56 defined by the center of the fastener hole 48 and the slotted hole 50; in this way the wiring harness connected to the first arm 52 does not interfere with the wiring harness connected to the second end 44 of the first eyelet terminal body 24. The second arm 54, if employed for the particular assembly, may angle laterally away from the longitudinal axis 56 in an opposite lateral direction (i.e., extending leftward rather than rightward) from the first arm 52.
While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims.
