WO1988009070A1

WO1988009070A1 - Electrical connector with shunt

Info

Publication number: WO1988009070A1
Application number: PCT/US1988/001003
Authority: WO
Inventors: Howard Richard Shaffer; Brent David Yohn; Keith Robert Denlinger; William Jesse Rudy, Jr.; John William Jenkins
Original assignee: Amp Incorporated
Priority date: 1987-05-13
Filing date: 1988-04-01
Publication date: 1988-11-17
Also published as: KR890702294A; JPH01503183A; AR241255A1; DE3851120T2; JPH0636384B2; EP0314716A1; EP0314716B1; ES1011247Y; BR8807049A; DE3851120D1; ES1011247U

Abstract

An electrical connector assembly (10) of a plug (14) and receptacle (12) also includes resilient shunts (52, 150, 250) between selected pairs of adjacent terminals (42) within one of the connectors (14). The shunts (52, 150, 250) are deflectable out of commoning engagement upon full mating of the connectors by cam posts (90) of the mating connector (12), and resume commoning if the mating connector begins to become disengaged. Shunts (52, 150, 250) are secured along a surface (104, 214b) of a dielectric member (40, 140, 240) to form a locking and shunting assembly insertable into housing aperture (36) between rows of terminals (42) and can also lock the terminal latching arms (34) in place retaining the terminals in the housing (26). Each shunt has a fixed end (54, 152, 252) either staked to the dielectric member (40, 140, 240) at recessed joint (120) or latched in place against stop surfaces in all directions resulting from a simple sliding assembly maneuver. A free end (56, 158, 258) is held against the surface (104, 214b) but movable therealong so that an outwardly bowed spring section (58) between the fixed and free ends includes a bridging member (62, 162) engaging and commoning a pair of terminals (42) until deflected by a cam post (90) and compressed towards surface (104, 214b). Methods of securing the shunts to the dielectric member are disclosed.

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH SHUNT The invention relates to an improved electrical connector including a receptacle and a plug which mate with each other to form electrical connections between groups of terminals carried by the receptacle and plug. The plug includes a bridge contact or shunt engageable with a pair of plug terminals when the plug is disengaged from the receptacle. The pair of plug terminals may be connected to a remote sensor which provides an indication when the plug is disengaged from the receptacle.

Electrical connectors having terminals secured within the connector by resilient insulative latching arms which form part of the connector housing are used in applications where it is essential to have the terminals locked or held in place within the connector housing. Some connectors of this type employ secondary locking members which can be inserted into the mating face of a connector housing to engage the terminal latch arms which comprise an integral part of the housing. U.S. Patent 4,557,542 discloses one example of a connector of this type.

Movement of the plug into the receptacle forms initial connections between the plug and receptacle terminals and then moves the shunt -away from the pair of plug terminals to break the connection, deactivate the sensor and thereby provide a remote indication that the plug and receptacle are properly mated with electrical connections formed between their respective terminals.

The invention may be used to actuate a sensor on an automobile dashboard to alert the operator that a plug and receptacle of a connector in the electrical system are improperly mated and require service. The connector may be part of an airbag safety system, and as such, it is preferred that the shunt enable sensing of not only a totally disconnected condition, but also sensing of a partially mated condition such as if the connectors are gradually becoming disconnected; to this end it is preferred that the shunt bridge the pair of terminals prior to the complete electrical disconnection of the plug's terminals from the receptacle's terminals.

According to the present invention a right angle receptacle carries two staggered rows of terminals. The plug includes two staggered rows of terminals having the same spacing and separation as the terminals in the receptacle. The plug carries miniature bridge contacts or shunts located between the rows of plug terminals and engageable with an adjacent pair of terminals in one row when the plug is disengaged from the receptacle. The receptacle carries a cantilever cam post for each shunt extending between the rows of plug terminals. When the plug is inserted into the receptacle the post extends into the plug between the shunt and a cam post support and lifts the shunt away from the plug terminals. The support prevents deflection of the post during and after lifting of the shunt from the terminals. It is preferred that the shunts are positioned on an insulative member disposed laterally adjacent the terminals to be shunted and, in the preferred embodiment of this invention, the insulative member comprises a removable locking member which can be inserted into the plug connector housing from the forward or mating end.

In on e embodiment of the invention the shunt members are secured to the insulative locking member by cold staking to form a joint which is recessed below the locking member's surface. Opposing lock tabs at one end of each shunt are first bent into a recess into the surface with their free ends adjacent a central boss. Then the plastic material of the central boss is bulk deformed by tooling over the free ends of the lock tabs, forming the recessed joint. The other end of the shunt is free to move along the locking member's surface during deflection of the shunt's outwardly bowed central portion upon connector mating.

In another embodiment the individual resilient shunts are assembled to a generally planar insulative locking member by simply sliding each shunt parallel to a shunt lengthwise axis along an upper surface of the generally planar locking member to secure the leading end and the trailing end of each shunt to the locking member. Each shunt has latches adjacent the leading end and the trailing end of the shunt, and each latch engages a complementary securing member comprising an aperture or a shoulder on the insulative locking member. The trailing end latch of the shunt has a generally flat base with laterally extending edges which can be inserted beneath channels formed on projections extending upwardly from the planar surface of the locking member. A deflectable tab located on the trailing end latch engages a recessed shoulder in the latch at the same time the lateral edges of the latch base are positioned in channels. Thus, the trailing end of the shunt can be fixedly secured or attached to the insulative locking member without requiring any staking operations. An example of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a receptacle header with two mating plug connector members. FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a plug member, such as that shown in Figure 1, showing a locking and shunting member exploded from the mating face of the plug. FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the mating faces of a receptacle and a plug connector in which the locking and shunting assembly has been positioned.

FIGURES 4a,4b and 4c are sectional views taken generally along line —4 of Figure 1 illustrating insertion of a plug into the receptacle. .

FIGURES 5a and 5b are sectional views showing the engagement and disengagement of a shunt.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a shunt member used in the connector assembly.

FIGURES 7a and 7b are longitudinal section views illustrating the method of securing the shunt of the first embodiment to an inverted insulative locking member. FIGURE 8 is a view of a stamped and formed shunt member of a second embodiment shown on a carrier strip.

FIGURES 9a, 9b, and 9c show the manner in which the terminal shown in Figure 7 is inserted into engagement with the locking member. FIGURE 10 shows a third embodiment of the locking and shunting assembly.

Connector assembly 10 includes a receptacle 12 and a pair of similar plugs 14 engageable with the receptacle to establish electrical connections between terminals carried in the plugs and associated terminals carried in the receptacle. Bridging contacts or shunts in each plug form electrical commoning connections between selected pairs of adjacent plug terminals when the plug is un ated or partially mated with of the receptacle. Receptacle 12 includes a molded plastic housing 16 adapted to be mounted on a circuit board 18 as shown in Figure 4a. Housing 16 carries a plurality of side-by-side pin terminals 20 projecting outwardly of the housing and having right angle terminal tails 22 extending rearwardly through the housing and downwardly to the circuit board 18. Pin terminals 20 are arranged in two spaced groups each including an upper and lower row of side-by-side terminals with the terminals in the upper row staggered between the terminals of the lower row. The housing includes a shroud 24 surrounding each group of terminals 20.

Plug 14 includes a molded plastic housing 26 having a front face 28, a rear face 30 and a plurality of cavities 32 extending between the faces 28 and 30. The cavities 32 are arranged in two rows in the pattern of pin terminals 20 for receiving the terminals of one group upon insertion of the plug into the appropriate shroud 24. A terminal latching arm 34 integral with housing 26 comprises an inner wall portion of each cavity 32. A slot-like aperture 36 extends across the width of the housing between the rows of cavities 32 and their respective terminal latching arms 34 from front face 28 rearwardly to bottom 38. A generally planar insulative locking member 40 is normally fitted within aperture 36 and forms part of the housing.

Female terminals 42 are crimped onto the ends of insulated wires 44 and then moved through openings in rear face 30 of body 26 and into cavities 32. This is done prior to fitting locking member 40 into aperture

36. The terminals flex latching arms 34 into aperture 36 out of the terminal insertion path as terminals 42 are moved to the forward ends of respective cavities 32 adjacent front face 28. Following positioning of the terminals, latching arms 34 snap back as shown in Figure 4c to confine terminals 42 within the plug housing and secure them against axially rearward movement. Wires 44 extend away from the plug for attachment to suitable circuit members. Each plug housing 26 includes a securing means such as an integral exterior housing fastener 46 engageable with a lug (not illustrated) formed on the interior surface of the appropriate shroud 24 for latching plug 14 to receptacle 12 upon mating. The plugs may be provided with exterior polarizing ribs 48 which extend into complementary grooves 50 formed in the lower surfaces of the shrouds upon assembly. The spacing of the ribs and grooves can be different for each pair of plugs and shrouds to comprise a keying system to assure each plug fits into its appropriate shroud only.

Insulative locking member 40 comprises a secondary locking member for retaining the terminal 42 in the plug housing. Locking member 40 carries a pair of shunts 52 shown in Figure 6. Shunts 52 are formed from a length of flat sheet metal stock and include a fixed end 54, a free end 56 and,a downwardly bowed spring 58 having legs 60 joining the ends. Wings 62 extend outwardly from the sides of central crest 64 of spring 58 and preferably include V-shaped embossments 66 on shunts 52 extending outwardly away from the contact surface. The wings and crest form a bridging element. Shunts 52 are mounted on the lower surface of locking member 40 as shown in Figures 2 and 4a and extend therealong in a direction parallel to the axis of the terminals 42 in housing 26, and fixed end 54 of each shunt 52 may be secured to locking member 40 as shown in Figures 7a and 7b.

As shown in Figure 5a the cavities 32 adjacent spring 58 extend only partially around the terminals 42 to provide openings 82 located between latch arms 34 and a longitudinal ridge 84 separating the cavities. Ridge 84 extends rearwardly from front face 28 along terminals 42. A cam support groove 86 having a rounded bottom extends along the top of the ridge 84, with a cam post-receiving opening 88 defined between ridge 84 and locking member 40 between the pair of adjacent terminals 42.

Figure 2 illustrates a partially assembled plug 14 with terminals 42 seated within cavities 32 and held in place by latching arms 34. Assembly of the plug is completed by moving lead end 76 of locking member 40 with attached shunts 52 into aperture 36 as shown in Figure 4a. The locking member locks the latching arms 34 in position to prevent withdrawal of terminals 42. During insertion, the crest 64 and wings 62 of the bridge contacts 52 ride over the tops of the pairs of adjacent terminals 42 in the lower row of terminals so that when insulative locking member 40 is fully inserted the spring 58 is partially flexed from the free position and wings 62 engage the terminals 42 as shown in Figure 5a. In this position, the shunts 52 form electrical commoning connections between the adjacent terminals 42. The receptacle 12 includes four cantilever cam posts 90 each engageable with one of the springs 58 upon insertion of plugs 14 into the receptacle. Cam posts 90 extend forwardly of receptacle housing 16 parallel to pin terminals 20. Each post is located between two pin terminals 20 in the lower row of terminals which form electrical connections with the two female terminals 42 in the plug to either side of a ridge 84. As shown in Figure 4a, the posts 90 are longer than the terminals 20. Each post 90 includes a forward end 92, a first ramp surface 94 angling up at a shallow angle at the top of the end to a flat dwell surface 96 extending from the end of the first ramp surface 94 a distance toward the housing 16. A second ramp surface 98 angles upwardly from the inner end of the dwell surface to a flat top surface 100 which extends rearwardly to body 16. The upper surfaces of the cam post have a width equal approximately to the width of the contact 52. A narrow rounded rib 102 extends along the bottom of the cam post from housing 16 to forward end 92. Rib 102 has a sliding fit within groove 86.

When plugs 14 are withdrawn from receptacle 12 as shown in Figure 1 the shunt springs 58 hold wings 62 against the adjacent female terminals 42 thereby forming respective electrical commoning connections between the terminals and thus between their associated wires «

Each plug is mated with the receptacle by first positioning the plug in proper alignment in front of the receptacle shroud 24 as shown in Figure 4a with polarizing ribs 48 aligned with the respective polarizing grooves 50. The plug is then moved into the shroud so that forward ends 92 of cam posts 90 extend freely into cam post-receiving openings 88 above the ridges 84 with the rounded ribs 102 fitted in grooves 86. Movement of the plug toward the receptacle brings the lead ends of the female terminals 42 into contact with the tips of pin terminals 20 to form initial electrical connections between the terminals, and moves the second ramp surfaces 98 on cam posts 90 against legs 60 of springs 58 extending between the crest 64 and the fixed end 54, as in Figure 4b.

Further movement of the plug into the receptacle fully seats the pin terminals 20 into the socket terminals 42. At the same time, second ramp surface 98 of each cam post 90 lifts and collapses a respective spring 58 so that wings 62 are moved up away from the adjacent female terminals 42 to break the electrical commoning connection between the terminals, as in

Figure 5b. During this step, the cantilever cam posts 90 are supported against deflection by ridges 84. When the plug is fully inserted as shown in Figure 4c, the spring crests 64 rest on flat dwell surfaces 96 of the supported cam posts 90. Collapse of each of the springs 58 moves free end 56 thereof a short distance along a respective recess 78 beneath bridge 80 toward bottom 38 of aperture 36. Dwell surface 96 is spaced a sufficient distance below locking member 40 to provide room for crest 64 and upwardly angled wing 62 of a spring 58 as shown in Figures 4c and 5b. Top surface 100 has a close sliding fit with the lower surface of locking member 40 and the fixed end 54 of shunt 52 to fill the space between the formerly .bridged female terminals 42 with dielectric material.

After the plug has been fully inserted into the receptacle as shown in Figure 4c the shunt has been removed from the connector circuitry and each of the previously bridged female terminals 42 to either side of ridge 84 forms part of an independent circuit path. In some applications it may be desirable to dedicate one of each pair of female terminals 42 and its associated wire to a circuit for indicating whether the plug 14 is or is not fully mated with the receptacle 12. For instance, the wire connected to one of the pairs of terminals 42 shown in Figures 5a and 5b may be connected to a remote visual indicator (not shown) actuated when the shunt forms an electrical commoning connection between the female terminals. Such an application is particularly useful when the connector assembly 10 is part of a safety system and there is a need to indicate when the plug is or begins to become disconnected from the receptacle and, as a result, the safety system would be inoperative. The connector assembly 10 may also be used in applications where a number of plugs 14 are connected in series to_^ form part of a databus and are selectively connected to components through receptacles 12. In this application the databus remains operable through the shunts when one or more plugs is disengaged from a receptacle.

Referring to Figures 6, 7a and 7b a first embodiment of shunt 52 is secured to an insulative locking member 40 along a surface 104. With locking member lying inverted^""on support 110 in Figure 7a, a pair of lock tabs 68 formed on shunt end 54 are bent out from end 54 and driven into a recess 70 at the trailing end 72 of locking member 40, tabs 68 being disposed along sloped sides 106 of the recess. An integral plastic boss 74 in the center of recess 70 is then deformed over free ends of tabs 68 to hold fixed ^* end 54 in place by a recessed joint 120 thus formed. Each spring free end 56 is partially flattened by punches 114, 116. During connector mating free end 56 engages a bearing surface 75 proximate the lead end 76 of the locking member and is confined in a relief recess 78 under bridge 80.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 8 and 9a to 9c. Each shunt 150 has a fixed latch 152 and movable latch 158 adjacent opposite ends of the shunt 150. Latch 158 is adjacent the leading end 156 of the shunt and can also be referred to as the leading end latch 158. Latch 152 is adjacent the trailing end 154 of the shunt 150 and can also be referred to as the trailing end latch 152. A resiliently deflectable bowed mid-section 160 protrudes above the plane of latches 152 and 158 and extends between the leading end 156 and the trailing end 154. A pair of bridging member wings 162 extend from opposite edges of the shunt 150 and are located at the crest 164 of the bowed mid-section 160. A pair of- anti-stubbing wings.166 also extend from the edges of the shunt 150 and are located between the bridging member wings 162 at the crest of the mid-section 166 and the leading end 156. The leading end or movable latch 158 comprises a finger narrower than the adjacent portion of the shunt which comprises the forwardmost projection of the shunt 150. The trailing end or fixed latch 156 has a generally flat or planar base 155 having opposite edges 155a and 155b which extend laterally beyond the portion of the bowed mid-section 160 adjoining the base 155. In other words, the base 155 is wider than the bowed mid-section 160. A resilient, deflectable tab 153 extends below the surface of the base 155 while the bowed mid-section 160 protrudes upwardly from the plane of the base 155.

Shunt 150 is mounted on a generally planar insulative locking member 140. Locking member 140 has a trailing edge 210 and a leading edge 212 and opposite ends of two opposite or generally planar surfaces or faces 214a and 214b. A series of locking ribs or projections 216a and 216b project outwardly from upper face 214a and lower face 214b respectively. The projections 216a and 216b engage the terminal latching arms when the locking member 140 is received within the housing slot and serve to retain the terminals in a stable position within the housing. Raised locking surfaces 218 on each rib 216a and 216b engage the mating end of each terminal to prevent rearward movement of the terminals from the housing. At least -12- by a distance at least equal to the width of the bowed mid-section 160 of shunt 150 adjacent the latch 152, thus allowing the shunt leading end 156 to pass between the adjacent ribs 216b when the shunt 150 is moved in a direction parallel to the shunt lengthwise axis from the trailing edge 210 toward the leading edge 212 of the locking member 140. Two adjacent projecting ribs 216b having opposed ledges 220 define channels 222 at the bottom of the ribs 216b. The channels have a clearance height at least equal to the thickness of the metal stock from which shunt 150 is stamped. The trailing end latch 152 of shunt 150 can be positioned between two adjacent ribs 216b having ledges 220 with the lateral edges 155a and 155b located in the open ended channels 222 below ledges 220. Locking member 140 also has at least one leading edge aperture 224 and at least one trailing edge aperture 226, each below the position of shunt leading end latch 158 and shunt trailing end latch 152 respectively. A recessed shoulder 228 defines one side of the trailing edge aperture 226 and the resilient tab 153 is oriented to engage the recessed shoulder 228 to prevent withdrawal of the shunt 150 after complete insertion of locking member 140.

One or more shunts 150 are assembled to the planar insulative locking member 140 by simply sliding an individual shunt 150 along a lengthwise shunt axis along the planar face 214b from the trailing edge 210 toward the leading edge 212 of locking member 140. No additional assembly steps are required. The leading end 156 of shunt 150 is narrower than adjacent projecting ribs 216b having opposed ledges 220 so as to freely pass through this gap. Continued sliding movement of the shunt eventually brings leading end latch 158 having a downwardly projecting finger or latch 158 having a downwardly projecting finger or tongue into engagement with the leading edge aperture 224. Latch 158 engages the bridge over leading end aperture 224 so as to prevent upward movement of the leading end 156 away from the locking member 140. Note that leading end 156 continues to be axially movable and preferably the free end retains partial lateral or side to side mobility so that the shunt 150 can partially float to ensure that shunting contact is established between two adjacent terminals 142 even in the event of partial misalignment. The trailing end

154 of shunt 150, having base 155 with relatively wide laterally extending edges 155a and 155b moves between adjacent projections 216b having ledges 220 when the leading end 156 is moved into engagement with leading edge aperture 224. The edges 155a and 155b are inserted into channel 222 below ledges 220 to prevent upward movement of the trailing end 154 of the shunt 150. Base 155 is disposed in a shallow recess and engages stop surface 230 facing trailing edge 210 to prevent further forward movement. The tab 153 in base

155 is upwardly deflected during insertion of the shunt and springs back to its normal position when tab 153 is disposed over trailing edge aperture 226. Tab 153 engages recessed shoulder 228 to prevent rearward movement of the shunt 150. Trailing end 154 is now fixed while the leading end 156 retains some mobility. Latches 152 and 158 are thus properly engaged by complementary latch securing members at the leading and trailing edges of the insulative locking member 140. Since the shunt 150 is resilient and rearward movement of the leading end 156 is possible, flexing the bowed mid-section is possible. Rearward movement thus disengages leading end 156. Since channel 222 is open on both ends and tab 153 is deflectable, the base 155 -14- can be pulled forwardly out of channel 222 to disengage the shunt 150 for removal or replacement.

After the shunts 150 have been assembled to locking member 140, the locking and shunting assembly 5 can be inserted into the slot 136 in position to positively lock the terminals in place and to shunt or bridge selected adjacent terminals 142. The anti-stubbing wings 166 on each shunt 150 engage the terminals 142 during insertion of the locking member

₁0 140 to partially deflect the shunt 150, thus preventing any undesirable tendency of the bridging member wings 162 at crest 164 of the bowed mid-section 160 from stubbing against the terminals 142. Upon complete insertion, the locking member 140 locks terminal

₁5. locking arms 134 in position to prevent withdrawal of terminals 142. Bridging member wings 162 engage adjacent terminals to establish an electrical shunt. Since the leading end 156 of each shunt can float laterally, the shunts 150 will still engage two

₂0 adjacent terminals 142 even though the terminals 142, the shunts 150 or the locking member 140 might be slightly misaligned.

A third embodiment of shunt 250 shown in Figure 10 has a leading end or movable latch 258 which differs

₂₅ from the latch 158. Latch 258 has a central opening 257 stamped in a flat section 259 extending from the forward end of the bowed mid-section 260. An upwardly formed tab 261 is defined within the opening 257 and extends upwardly in the opposite direction from the

₃₀ downwardly extending tab 253 located in the base 255 in the fixed or trailing end latch 252. Shunt 250 is otherwise identical to shunt 150. Locking member 240 Is adapted to receive and hold shunt 250 and, except for the leading edge securing member, is otherwise

₃₅ identical to locking member 140. A U-shaped strap 270 extends above aperture 272 and is adapted to engage an upwardly angled tab 261 and more securely retain the leading end 256, which must now be bent beyond repair to permit removal of the terminals.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. An electrical connector assembly (10) comprising: first and second matable connectors (14,12) ; first housing means (26) of said first connector (14) having at least one pair of first electrical terminals (42) secured therein; second housing means (16) of said second connector (12) having at least one pair of second electrical terminals (20) secured therein; first contact means of said first terminals (42) and second contact means of said second terminals (20) positioned at respective mating ends of said first and second connectors (14,12) for matable electrical engagement when the mating ends of the first and second connectors (14,12) are mated; shunt means (52,150,250) provided by said first housing means (26) and normally engaging and electrically commoning the first contact means of the one pair of the first electrical terminals (42) ; and cam surface means (94,98) provided by said second housing means (16) for engagement with said shunt means (52,150,250) when the first and second connectors (14,12) are mated thereby disconnecting said shunt means (52,150,250) from the first contact means of the one pair of first electrical terminals (42) and the first and second contact means are electrically engaged.

2. An electrical connector assembly (10) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cam surface means (94,98) is disposed on a cam post (90) adjacent ones of said second terminals (20) and aligned with a respective said shunt means (52,150,250), and each said shunt means (52,150,250) is secured along the side of a respective cam post opening (88) and a spring section (58,160,260) thereof extends from a fixed end (54,152,252) outwardly and rearwardly into said cam post opening (88) at least to a bridging member (62,162) of said shunt (52,150,250) disposed against said pair of first terminals (42) , said spring section (58,160,260) including a cam-engaging section (60) forwardly of said bridging member (62,64;162,164) engageable by a said cam post (90) to be deflected to move said bridging member (62,64;162,164) out of electrically commoning engagement with said pair of first terminals (42) during connector mating.

3. An electrical connector assembly (10) as set forth in claim 2 wherein said first housing means (26) includes a cam post support (86) adjacent and facing said bridging member (62,64;162,164) of each said shunt (52,150,250) and along a respective said cam post opening (88) between a respective said pair of first terminals (42) being commoned by said shunt (52,150,250), to hold a respective said cam post (90) against deflection upon connector mating, and said bridging member (62,64;162,164) includes wings (62,162) extending to either side of said cam post support (86) , said wings (62,162) engaging said pair of first terminals (42) when said first connector member (14) is at least partially disengaged from said second connector member (12) .

4. An electrical connector assembly (10) as set forth in either of claims 2 or 3, wherein said spring section (58,160,260) is bowed outwardly into said cam post opening (88) between said fixed end (54,152,252) and an opposed end (56,158,258), said bridging member (62,64;162,164) is disposed across a crest of said bowed spring section (58,160,260), and said ends (54,56;152,158;252,258) are spaced apart along the length of said cam post opening (88) .

5. A shunting insert assembly for the first electrical connector (14) of any of claims 1 to 4, comprising: a dielectric insert member (40,140,240) adapted to be received into and secured within an insert-receiving aperture (36) of first connector (14) along a pair of electrical terminals (42) ; and a shunt means (52,150,250) secured along a surface (104,214b) of said dielectrical member (40,140,240) at a location proximate said pair of first terminals (42) after assembly of the first connector (14) , said shunt means (52,150,250) including a fixed end (54,152,252) joined to said dielectric member (40,140,240) and an opposed end (56,158,258) not fixed to said dielectric member (40,140,240), and said shunt means (52,150,250) including a deflectable section (58,160,260) between said fixed end (54,152,252) and said opposed end (56,158,258) extending outwardly from said dielectric member (40,140,240), said deflectable section (58,160,260) including a bridging member (62,64;162,164) spring biased after connector assembly against said first contact portions of the pair of first terminals (42) to establish an electrical commoning connection therebetween.

6. A shunting insert assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first terminals (42) are retained in said first connector (14) by latch arms (34) of said first housing means (26) disposed along said insert-receiving aperture (36) , wherein said dielectric member (40,140,240) is adapted to be disposed along said latch arms (34) in a manner preventing unlatching after connector assembly, thereby assuring the retention of said first terminals (42) in said first connector (14) .

7. A shunting assembly as set forth in either of claims 5 and 6 wherein said opposed end (56,158) of said shunt means (52,150,250) includes a latch section (56,156,258) extending longitudinally from said bowed spring section (58) along said surface (104,214b) of said dielectric member (40,140,240) and disposed in a corresponding channel (78) , the end of said latch section (56,156,258) disposed under a bridge (80,270) over said corresponding channel (78) integral with said dielectric member (40,140,240), whereby said latch section (56,158,258) is secured against movement outwardly from said surface (104,214b) of said dielectric member (40,140,240) and is permitted movement along said surface within said corresponding channel (78) during deflection of said bowed spring section (58) of said shunt means (52,150,250) during connector mating.

8. The method of making the shunting assembly of any of claims 5 to 7 comprising the steps of: positioning the shunt means (52) atop the surface (_~04) of the dielectric member (40) at a shunt-securing location with a pair of facing lock tabs (68) of fixed end (54) positioned over a recess (70) having sloped sides (106) and a central boss (74) upstanding therein; bending the lock tabs (68) into the recess (70) against sloping sides (106) thereof so that free ends of the lock tabs (68) are adjacent the central boss (74) ; and bulk deforming the central boss (74) over the lock tab free ends, forming a joint (120) recessed below the surface (104) of the dielectric member (40) between the shunt means (52) and the dielectric member (40) .

9. A shunting assembly as set forth in any of claims 5 to 7 wherein said fixed end (152,252) of said shunt means (150,250) includes a base (155,255) extending longitudinally from said bowed spring section (160,260); said base (155,255) has side edges extending within a shunt-receiving channel (222) below respective opposed ledges (220) extending inwardly from walls of channel-defining projections (216b) near the trailing edge (210) of said dielectric member (140,240) preventing movement of said base (155,255) outwardly from said surface (214b) of said dielectric member (140,240) ; said base (155,255) has a resilient tab (153,253) extending into a corresponding tab-receiving recess (226) in said surface of said dielectric member (140,240) and towards a stop surface defined by said tab-receiving recess (228) facing inwardly from said trailing edge (210) , to stoppingly engage said stop surface to prevent movement of said shunt means

(150,250) outwardly toward said trailing edge (210) ; and said base (155,255) is disposed in a shallow recess into said surface (214b) of said dielectric member (140,240) having stop surfaces (230) at an inward recess end, and said base (155,255) being wider than said bowed spring section (160,260) and defining stop surfaces facing said recess stop surfaces (230) to be stoppingly engaged thereby to prevent further movement of said base (155,255) away from said trailing edge (210) of said dielectric member (140,240), whereby said base (155, 255) is held against movement in all directions thus being secured preventing disengagement of said shunt means (150,250) from said dielectric member (140,240) .

10. A method of making the shunting assembly of claim 9 comprising the steps of: positioning the shunt means (150,250) adjacent a trailing edge (210) of the dielectric member (140,240) at a shunt-securing location with the lengthwise axis of the shunt means (150,250) having an orientation transverse to said trailing edge (210) and coplanar with the surface (214b) of the dielectric member (140,240) to which the shunt means (150,250) is to be secured; and sliding the shunt means (150,250) in a direction parallel to the shunt axis across the surface (214b) of the dielectric member (140,240) until the latch section (158,258) of the shunt means (150,250) enters the corresponding channel near leading edge (212) and is disposed under the bridge (80,270), and the base section (152,252) is disposed between the channel-defining projections (216b) and the side edges (155a,155b,255) thereof are beneath the opposed projections (220), and the resilient tab (153,253) rides over the portion of the dielectric member (140,240) between the trailing edge (210) and the stop surface (228) and latches behind the stop surface, whereby the shunt means (150,250) is securable to the dielectric member (140,240) solely by sliding movement of the shunt means (150,250) along the surface (214b) of the dielectric member (140,240) .