USCAR Electrical Team Awarded U.S. Patent
18 August 1998
USCAR Electrical Team Awarded U.S. Patent USCAR's electrical partnership recently added a U.S. patent to its portfolio and expects to file for a second one. The completed patent was awarded in June for USCAR's oxygen sensor connector design, which contains electrical terminals that are sealed in a way that prevents fluids which may leak from the exterior from spreading between terminals. In other words, if fluids make their way into one terminal, the other terminals will be isolated from the fluid. In the previous design, fluids could spread more easily between terminals, causing electrical currents to travel between the terminals, which could lead to malfunction in the vehicle's emission control system."This design helps consumers avoid having to take their vehicles in to repair water-damaged terminals in the oxygen sensor connector, which can be a difficult problem to detect," said Bob Burlew, a member of the USCAR electrical team that developed the design. "The design also helps ensure that the oxygen sensor is functioning properly."
The oxygen sensor measures the amount of oxygen in a vehicle's exhaust and is supplied by Cardell of Auburn Hills, Mich., for Chrysler; EPC of Mattawan, Mich., for Ford; and Delphi Packard of Warren, Ohio, for GM. If there's too little oxygen in the exhaust, the vehicle could be emitting an increased amount of pollutants into the air. When the oxygen sensor detects this problem, a light illuminates on the dashboard, warning the driver that this is occurring and should be repaired.
However, when the oxygen sensor is damaged from water entering more than one terminal, this also may cause the dashboard light to come on, indicating there's an emissions problem even if there isn't. Additionally, frequently by the time the car is brought in for repair, the water in the terminals has already evaporated, which makes the problem undetectable but still existent. But thanks to USCAR's patented design, this issue should be virtually eliminated since any liquid that manages to enter the oxygen sensor connector will be prevented from spreading across the terminals.
"This patent award is advantageous to the three auto companies and their suppliers," said Harry Zaverzence from USCAR's electrical team. "It helps suppliers develop more reliable parts, and it allows Chrysler, Ford and GM to use the design without having to pay for licensing. This all translates into higher reliability and less cost for the consumer."
USCAR also is seeking patent coverage for its next-generation power outlet design. The new power outlet will be separate from the cigarette lighter and contain just one standardized design that will operate similar to a standard 110-volt wall plug. This new design will increase the likelihood of Chrysler, Ford and GM customers finding that their phones, laptops, spotlights and other devices securely plug into their vehicle's power outlet on the dashboard or anywhere in the passenger compartment where power is needed.
In early 1997, Chrysler, Ford and GM, under USCAR, agreed on four common designs for the cigarette lighter/power outlet and have begun phasing them into their new vehicles. Most 1998 domestic vehicles contain one of the designs, and according to USCAR's electrical partnership, all Chrysler, Ford and GM vehicles will contain one of the designs by the 2000 model year.
Until these four standardized designs were introduced, the three companies' vehicles contained over 30 different designs for this part. "Because of the collaborative work at USCAR, the complexity and production time of the cigarette lighter/power outlet assemblies are reduced and the quality is greatly enhanced," said Bill Tabor, a member of USCAR's electrical partnership who helped develop the four commonized designs and the next-generation design.
Casco Products Corp. of Bridgeport, Conn.,
supplies the power outlets to all three companies.
