초록 ▼

A system is described for use with fuel injectors mounted on fuel rails of an engine, to connect the output lines of an electrical circuit to the fuel injectors, which provide an orderly and reliable connection. The system includes a connector assembly with a printed circuit board sandwiched between

A system is described for use with fuel injectors mounted on fuel rails of an engine, to connect the output lines of an electrical circuit to the fuel injectors, which provide an orderly and reliable connection. The system includes a connector assembly with a printed circuit board sandwiched between upper and lower molded housing parts. The circuit board has pairs of contacts at each injector location for mating with the fuel injector contacts, and the circuit board has conductors thereon leading from a connector end portion to the pairs of contacts. In an assembly where the connector end portion extends largely perpendicular to the rest of the assembly, a flexible circuit board is provided which is held in a bend by correspondingly angled upper and lower housing parts. In an assembly where the axes of the fuel injectors do not extend perpendicular to the length of the fuel rail, the lower housing part has several face locations angled from the length direction of the board. Each face location has a face seal with an hourglass cross section. Each circuit board terminal includes a flange resting against a conductive pad on the circuit board, a base extending through the circuit board, and fingers extending beyond the circuit board.

대표청구항 ▼

Apparatus for use with an engine having power cylinders, a fuel injector rail for carrying pressured liquid fuel, a plurality of fuel injectors each mounted on said rail and coupled to one of said power cylinders to supply fuel from the rail thereto with each fuel injector controlled by an electrica

Apparatus for use with an engine having power cylinders, a fuel injector rail for carrying pressured liquid fuel, a plurality of fuel injectors each mounted on said rail and coupled to one of said power cylinders to supply fuel from the rail thereto with each fuel injector controlled by an electrical signal, and a circuit for generating said signals, for coupling said circuit to said injectors, comprising: an elongated assembly which includes a printed circuit board with opposite faces and a housing comprising upper and lower parts lying on opposite faces of said circuit board and trapping said circuit board between them to form an elongated sandwiched connector assembly, said connector assembly having an input connector end portion with an input connector and having an elongated output portion with a plurality of injector-connecting locations spaced therealong, said housing parts trapping said circuit board between them at both said input end portion and said output portion; said circuit board having a pair of connector assembly contacts at each of said injector-connecting locations, said circuit board having a plurality of connector terminals at said input connector including a bus connector terminal and a plurality of signal terminals, said circuit board having a bus conductor connecting said bus terminal to one contact of each of said pairs of contacts, and having a plurality of signal circuit conductors connecting selected ones of said signal connector terminals to another contact of each of said pairs of contacts to supply electrical signals received on one of said terminals to an injector at a corresponding one of said injector-connecting locations; said output portion of said connector assembly extending substantially in a straight line and said input connector end portion extending primarily perpendicular to said output portion; said circuit board being flexible in bending and said upper and lower housing parts being substantially rigid molded parts and hold said circuit board to extend substantially straight along said input and output portions and in a largely 90°bend at the intersection of said input and output portions.