METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to Provisional Patent Application No.: 62/692,854, filed on July 1, 2018, and to Provisional Patent Application No.: 62/744,787, filed on October 12, 2018, both of the foregoing applications being herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a connector housing and a method of manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Often, an electronic assembly includes an enclosure containing a printed circuit board (PCB), a header connector and optionally other electronic/electrical equipment, such as sensors. In such an electronic assembly, the header connector typically includes a plurality of terminal pins mounted to a holding structure. The terminal pins include compliant or tail end portions adapted for insertion into holes of the PCB, respectively, and connector end portions that are arranged inside a shroud of the enclosure to form a plug adapted for connection to a mating plug of another electronic assembly or device. The terminal pins are often L-shaped and their tail end portions often have a press-fit construction.

[0004] An electronic assembly of the type described above is typically manufactured by mounting the header connector to the PCB and then mounting the PCB with the header connector inside the enclosure. This method of manufacture, however, has several drawbacks. There are difficulties in handling a PCB with a header connector secured thereto and sealing a PCB-mounted header connector can be challenging.

[0005] In order to address some of these drawbacks of first mounting the header connector to the PCB, it has been proposed to mount the header connector to the enclosure first and then mount the PCB to the header connector. However, there are drawbacks to this method as well. It is difficult to produce a holding structure for the header connector that is able to support the terminal pins and maintain their spacing or pitch when the PCB is being mounted to the header connector. This difficulty is exacberated by the continual

miniaturization of electrical connectors, which requires smaller and more fragile terminal pins and closer spacing. [0006] Based on the foregoing, there is a need for an improved electronic assembly and method of producing the same.

SUMMARY

[0007] In accordance with the disclosure, a connector housing is provided for an electrical/electronic device that includes a printed circuit board. The connector housing includes an enclosure molded from a thermoplastic. The enclosure defines an interior space where the printed circuit board may be disposed. A header connector is molded into the enclosure and includes a biscuit having first and second sides and a plurality of interior structures. The header connector also includes a plurality of terminal pins. Each terminal pin has a tail section connected by a middle section to a connector section. The tail section includes a tail end for connection to the printed circuit board. The connector section includes a connector end for connection to another electrical/electronic device located outside the connector housing. The middle section includes a bend. The terminal pins are mounted to the biscuit such that the connector ends project outwardly from the first side of the biscuit, the tail ends project outwardly from the second side of the biscuit, and the interior structures of the biscuit are disposed between the middle sections of adjacent terminal pins. The thermoplastic forms one or more interior walls that adhere to the header connector.

[0008] Also provided in accordance with the disclosure is a method of forming a connector housing for an electrical/electronic device that includes a printed circuit board. The method includes providing a biscuit having first and second sides and a plurality of interior structures, and providing a plurality of terminal pins. Each terminal pin has a tail section connected by a middle section to a connector section. The tail section includes a tail end for connection to the printed circuit board. The connector section includes a connector end for connection to another electrical/electronic device located outside the connector housing, and the middle section includes a bend. A header connector is formed by mounting the terminal pins to the biscuit. The mounting of the terminal pins is performed such that the connector ends project outwardly from the first side of the biscuit, the tail ends project outwardly from the second side of the biscuit, and the interior structures of the biscuit are disposed between the middle sections of adjacent terminal pins. The header connector is overmolded with a thermoplastic to form an enclosure defining an interior space where the printed circuit board may be disposed. The overmolding is performed such that the thermoplastic forms one or more interior walls that adhere to the header connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

[0010] Fig. 1 shows a top, front perspective view of a header connector constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the disclosure;

[0011 ] Fig. 2 shows a rear elevational view of the header connector of Fig. 1 ;

[0012] Fig 3 shows an exploded view of the header connector of Fig. 1;

[0013] Fig 4 shows a side elevational view of the header connector of Fig.1;

[0014] Fig. 5 shows a top, front perspective view of a bulkhead of the header connector of

Fig. 1;

[0015] Fig 6 shows a rear perspective view of the bulkhead of Fig. 5;

[0016] Fig. 7 shows a perspective sectional view of a portion of a side wall of the bulkhead of Fig. 5;

[0017] Fig 8 shows a perspective view of a terminal pin of the header connector of Fig. 1;

[0018] Fig 9 shows a top, front perspective view of a comb of the header connector of Fig. i ;

[0019] Fig. 10 shows a top, front perspective view of the header connector of Fig. 1 disposed between first and second tooling parts;

[0020] Fig 11 shows a bottom, front perspective view of the first tooling part of Fig. 10;

[0021] Fig 12 shows a rear perspective view of the second tooling part of Fig. 10;

[0022] Fig 13 shows a sectional view of a portion of a connector housing being formed by overmolding the header connector of Fig. 1, using the first and second tooling parts;

[0023] Fig 14 shows a front perspective view of a portion of the connector housing that has been formed by overmolding the header connector of Fig. 1;

[0024] Fig 15 shows a top, rear perspective view of a portion of the connector housing that has been formed by overmolding the header connector of Fig. 1;

[0025] Fig 16 shows a front perspective view of a header connector constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the disclosure;

[0026] Fig 17 shows an exploded rear perspective view of the header connector of Fig. 16;

[0027] Fig 18 shows a front perspective view of a bulkhead of the header connector of Fig.

16; [0028] Fig 19 shows a perspective view of a terminal pin of the header connector of Fig.

16;

[0029] Fig 20 shows a front perspective view of a frame of a comb of the header connector of Fig. 16;

[0030] Fig 21 shows a front perspective view of the frame of Fig. 20 having a wafer mounted thereto;

[0031] Fig 22 shows a front perspective view of the frame of Fig. 20 having a plurality of wafers mounted thereto to form the comb;

[0032] Fig 23 shows a top plan view of the comb of Fig. 22;

[0033] Fig 24 shows a top perspective view of a keeper of the header connector of Fig. 16;

[0034] Fig 25 shows a bottom perspective view of the keeper of Fig. 24;

[0035] Fig 26 shows a side sectional view of the header connector of Fig. 16;

[0036] Fig 27 shows a rear perpective view of a tooling part for use in overmolding the header connector of Fig. 16;

[0037] Fig 28 shows a top perspective view of the tooling part of Fig. 27 spaced from a portion of a connector housing formed by overmolding the header connector of Fig. 16;

[0038] Fig 29 shows a rear, side perspective of the portion of the connector housing shown in Fig. 28;

[0039] Fig 30 shows a top, front perspective view of a connector housing formed by overmolding a header connector constructed in accordance with a third embodiment of the disclosure;

[0040] Fig. 31 shows a top, front side perspective view of the header connector constructed in accordance with the third embodiment;

[0041 ] Fig. 32 shows a partially exploded view of the header connector of Fig. 31 , wherein most of the terminal pins have been removed from the header connector for purposes of better illustration;

[0042] Fig 33 shows an exploded view of the header connector of Fig. 31, wherein all of the terminal pins have been removed from the header connector for purposes of better illustration;

[0043] Fig 34 shows a front sectional view of an upper portion of the header connector of Fig. 31;

[0044] Fig. 35 shows a top, rear perspective view of a portion of the connector housing of Fig. 30; [0045] Fig 36 shows a top front perspective view of a header connector constructed in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the disclosure;

[0046] Fig. 37 shows a rear exploded view of the header connector of Fig. 36;

[0047] Fig 38 shows a plan view of a stamping containing a row of contacts for the header connector of Fig. 36;

[0048] Figs. 39-42 show stages of manufacture of a contact wafer of the header connector of

Fig. 36;

[0049] Fig. 43 shows a top front perspective view of a comb of the header connector of Fig.

36;

[0050] Fig. 44 shows a top front perspective view of a bulkhead of the header connector of

Fig. 36;

[0051] Fig. 45 shows a top rear perspective view of a keeper of the header connector of Fig.

36;

[0052] Fig. 46 shows a bottom rear perspective view of the keeper of Fig. 45;

[0053] Fig. 47 shows a front perspective view of a portion of a connector housing formed by overmolding the header connector of Fig. 36;

[0054] Fig 48 shows a top front perspective view of a header connector constructed in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the disclosure;

[0055] Fig. 49 shows a partially exploded rear perspective view of the header connector of

Fig. 48;

[0056] Fig. 50 shows a side sectional view of the header connector of Fig. 48;

[0057] Fig. 51 shows a perspective view of a terminal pin of the header connector of Fig.

48;

[0058] Fig. 52 shows a rear perspective view of a portion of the header connector of Fig. 48, illustrating the mounting of terminal pins to a mounting block of the header connector; and

[0059] Fig 53 shows a top, front perspective view of a portion of a connector housing formed by overmolding the header connector of Fig. 48.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0060] It should be noted that in the detailed descriptions that follow, identical components have the same reference numerals, regardless of whether they are shown in different embodiments of the present disclosure. It should also be noted that for purposes of clarity and conciseness, the drawings may not necessarily be to scale and certain features of the disclosure may be shown in somewhat schematic form.

[0061] Spatially relative terms, such as "top", "bottom", "lower", "above", "upper", and the like, are used herein merely for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as they are illustrated in (a) drawing figure(s) being referred to. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are not meant to be limiting and are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings.

[0062] The present disclosure is directed to a connector housing (15, 250, 405, 705, 804) for an electric/electronic assembly, which is formed by overmolding a header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800) into an enclosure (12, 246, 400, 750, 802). In each of the embodiments described below, a first thermoplastic is used as an overmolding plastic to overmold the header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800) and form the enclosure (12, 246, 400, 750, 802). In addition, in each embodiment of the header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800), the header connector is generally cuboidal and has six sides, with four of the sides of the header connector being covered by the first thermoplastic after the overmolding. The two sides of the header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800) which are not covered by the first

thermoplastic are the sides containing the two ends of terminal pins mounted to the header connector. The components of the header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800) may be formed from the first thermoplastic or from a different, second thermoplastic. The second thermoplastic has dimensional stability, good mechanical and dielectric properties, and a higher melt temperature than the first thermoplastic used to overmold the header connector to form the enclosure (12, 246, 400, 750, 802). One example of a second thermoplastic that may be used is liquid crystal polymer. The first thermoplastic may be any suitable therrmoplastic that has a melt temperature below that of the second thermoplastic. One example of a suitable thermoplastic that may be used as the first thermoplastic is polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) filled with 30% glass fiber.

[0063] Referring now to Figs. 1-4 there is shown a header connector 10 constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the disclosure. The header connector 10 is for securement within an enclosure 12 for an electric/electronic assembly to thereby form a connector housing 15 (partially shown in Figs. 14 and 15). As will be described more fully below, the header connector 10 is especially adapted for overmolding into a section of the enclosure 12, which is partially shown in Figs. 14 and 15. Generally, the header connector 10 may include a pair of bulkheads 14, a keeper 18, a pair of combs 20 and a plurality of terminal pins 24. The bulkheads 14, the keeper 18 and the combs 20 may each be a unitary or monolithic structure and may each be composed of the first thermoplastic or the second thermoplastic. Together, the bulkheads 14, the keeper 18 and the combs 20 form a biscuit to which the terminals pins 24 are mounted.

[0064] The bulkheads 14 may have the same or a different construction. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, bulkheads l4a,b, are provided having substantially the same construction. More specifically, the bulkheads l4a,b have the same construction, except as expressly noted below and with the bulkhead l4b being a little wider than the bulkhead l4a. For purposes of brevity, only bulkhead l4a is shown in detail, in Figs. 5-7, to which reference is now made. Each bulkhead 14 includes an elongated main wall 28 having opposing ends joined at about right angles to shorter, angled side walls 32, respectively. An interior of each side wall 32 in each bulkhead 14 has a horizontal upper flange 36 and a lower flange 38, which slopes upwardly toward the upper flange 36 and then bends and extends parrallel to the upper flange 36 at a posterior end of the side wall 32. The upper and lower flanges 36, 38 are spaced apart at the posterior end of the side wall 32 to form a slot 40. Each slot 40 is delimited by an inner, L-shaped edge 41 (shown in Fig. 7), which has a horizontal portion that is formed by the lower flange 38 and a vertical portion that is formed by a raised portion of an interior surface of the side wall 32. The posterior ends of the side walls 32 have a notch formed therein.

[0065] One or more tabs 44, each with a slot 48 formed therein, may be joined to a bottom edge of each main wall 28 and extend downwardly therefrom, while one or more posts 56 may be joined to a top edge of each main wall 28 and extend upwardly therefrom. Both the tab(s) 44 and the post(s) 56 may be centrally located between the opposing ends of the main wall 28, or may be located off-center. Each post 56 may have a press-fit configuration, such as having a body formed from deflectable beams joined so as to provide the post 56 with a cruciform cross-section.

[0066] In each bulkhead 14, a plurality of spaced-apart tongues 62 project forwardly from a front surface of the main wall 28. In the bulkhead l4b, the tongues 62 are about the same width, whereas in the bulkhead l4a, a middle tongue 62b is wider than outer tongues 62a. Openings 66 in a rear surface of the main wall 28 lead into hollow interiors of the tongues 62. Opposing side edges of each tongue 62 taper inwardly as the tongue 62 projects forward. In each bulkhead 14, the tongues 62 are arranged in a row disposed between a pair of outer slots 68, which extend through the main wall 28. The slots 68 extend between the upper and lower flanges 36, 38 in the side walls 32.

[0067] A plurality of rectangular passages 74 extend through the main wall 28 of each bulkhead 14. Two rows of the passages 74 in the main wall 28 are located above the tongues 62, while two rows of the passages 74 in the main wall 28 are located below the tongues 62. Each passage 74 extends from an entrance opening in a rear surface of the main wall 28 to an exit opening in a front surface of the main wall 28. The passage 74 tapers inwardly as it extends from the entrance opening to the exit opening, with the entrance opening having the largest cross-section of the passage 74. The larger entrance opening facilitates the insertion of a terminal pin 24 into the passage 74. As will be described more fully below, portions of the terminal pins 24 extend through the passages 74 and project outwardly therefrom. As such, four rows of terminal pins 24 project from the front surface of each bulkhead main wall 28.

[0068] Referring now to Fig. 8, each terminal pin 24 is composed of an electrically conductive metal, such as a tin plated copper alloy, and has a unitary or monolithic structure. The terminal pin 24 is L-shaped and has an upper section with a tail end 80, a middle section with a bend and a lower section with a connector end 82. The tail end 80 may have a press-fit construction (such as an EON construction), while the connector end 82 may be pin-shaped. The lower section has a tapered lower retainer 84 with an embossed bump and a pair of lower shoulders 86. The upper section also includes a tapered upper retainer 88 and a pair of upper shoulders 90.

[0069] Different variations of the terminal pin 24 are used in the header connector 10.

The number of variations depends on the number of rows of the terminal pins 24 that are used. If four rows of the terminal pins 24 are used, then four different variations of the terminal pins 24 are used and are designated as 24a,b,c,d, with all of them having the same construction, except for their (unbent) lengths. More specifically, the (unbent) lengths of the middle sections of the terminal pins 24a,b,c,d are different. The (unbent) length of the middle section of the contact 24a is shorter than that of 24b, which is substantially shorter than that of 24c, which is shorter than that of 24d. In this manner, contact 24a has the shortest middle section, while contact 24d has the longest middle section.

[0070] It should be appreciated that the number of rows of the terminal pins 24 and, thus, the number of variations of the terminal pins 24 that are used may be less than or more than four. Moreover, the rows of terminal pins 24 may not all contain the same number of terminal pins 24. All of the foregoing modifications may be made, depending on the requirements of a particular application. [0071] The terminal pins 24 are mounted to the bulkheads 14 by inserting the connector ends 82 into the entrance openings of the passages 74 and then pressing (or stitching) the lower sections of the terminal pins 24 into the passages 74 until the lower pairs of shoulders 86 abut the rear surface of the main wall 28. As the lower sections of the terminal pins 24 move through the passages 74, the lower retainers 84 engage interior walls defining the passages 74, thereby securing the lower sections of the terminal pins 24 in the passages 74.

[0072] As best shown in Fig. 4, the different variations of the terminal pins 24 are mounted to the bulkheads 14, such that the first row of the terminal pins 24, closest to the top edge of the main wall 28, is comprised of the terminal pins 24a (which are the shortest), the next row down is comprised of the terminal pins 24b, the following row is comprised of the terminal pins 24c and the last row, closest to the bottom edge of the main wall 28 is comprised of the terminal pins 24d (which are the longest).

[0073] In each bulkhead 14, the connector ends 82 of the terminal pins 24 protrude from the front surface of the main wall 28. In this manner, in each bulkhead 14, two arrays of connector ends 82 (each comprising two rows) extend from the main wall 28, with a row of the tongues 62 separating each array.

[0074] Referring back to Figs. 1-4, the keeper 18 includes a rectangular panel 100 having first and second matrices 102, 104 of rectangular passages 106 extending therethrough. The first matrix 102 is for the terminal pins 24 of the bulkhead l4a, while the second matrix 104 is for the terminal pins 24 of the bulkhead l4b. The first and second matrices 102, 104 are spaced-apart to accommodate the spacing between the bulkheads l4a,b. Each passage 106 extends from an entrance opening in an inner surface of the panel 100 to an exit opening in an outer surface of the panel 100. The passage 106 tapers inwardly as it extends from the entrance opening to the exit opening, with the entrance opening having the largest cross- section of the passage 106. The larger entrance opening facilitates the insertion of a terminal pin 24 into the passage 106.

[0075] A pair of spaced-apart circular openings 108 are formed in the panel 100, toward a front edge thereof. A pair of pillars 110 are joined to the panel 100 and extend upwardly therefrom. The pillars 110 are disposed toward side edges of the panel 100, respectively.

Each pillar 110 may have a press-fit configuration, such as having a body formed from deflectable beams joined so as to provide the pillar 110 with a cruciform cross-section. The pillars 110 may be received in holes of a printed circuit board (PCB) to help secure the PCB to the keeper 18. [0076] The combs 20 may have the same or a different construction. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, combs 20a, b, are provided having substantially the same construction. More specifically, the combs 20a, b have the same construction, except the comb 20b is a little wider than the comb 20a. For purposes of brevity, only the comb 20a is shown in detail, in Fig. 9, to which reference is now made. Each comb 20 has a vertically-extending panel 114 that is joined to and intersects, at right angles, a plurality of walls 118. Each comb 20 has a pair of latches 124 joined to opposing ends of the panel 114, respectively, and extend outwardly therefrom. Each of the latches 124 has a vertically-extending lip 128 and a tapered barb 130. The walls 118 are spaced-apart so as to form a series of slots or guided pathways 136, which are sized to receive the middle sections of the terminal pins 24. In this way, the walls 118 are disposed between the middle sections of adjacent terminal pins 24, respectively, thereby preventing the terminal pins 24 from moving laterally into contact with each other.

[0077] Each comb 20 may be mounted to its respective bulkhead 14 with the terminal pins 24 stitched thereto by aligning the guided pathways 136 in the comb with the bent middle sections of the terminal pins 14 and then sliding the comb 20 forward, toward the main wall 28 of the bulkhead 14. As the front of the comb 20 approaches the main wall 28 of the bulkhead 14, the latches 124 of the comb 20 enter the slots 40, respectively, of the bulkhead 14. Outer portions of the barbs 130 slide over interior surfaces of the side walls 32, which cause some deformation of the latches 124 and/or the side walls 32, which permits the barbs 130 to pass through the slots 40. Once the barbs 130 pass through the slots 40, the deformed parts resilienly resume their shapes, thereby causing the edges 41 of the bulkhead side walls 32 to trap the barbs 130 of the comb 20 and secure the comb 20 to the bulkhead 14 in a snap-fit manner. In this connection, the edges 41 act as catches for the latches 124.

When the lips 128 of the latches 124 on the comb 20 contact the upper flanges 36 of the side walls 32 of the bulkhead 14, further forward motion of the comb 20 is prevented. With the comb 20 mounted to its respective bulkhead 14 as described above, each of the guided pathways 136 in the comb 20 contains the middle sections of four terminal pins 24a,b,c,d, arranged in the order 24a, then 24b, then 24c and then 24d, with the terminal pin 24a being the frontmost and the terminal pin 24d being the rearmost.

[0078] The keeper 18 may be mounted to the stitched bulkheads 14 by first aligning the keeper 18 with the stitched bulkheads 14. More specifically, the first matrix 102 of the passages 106 in the keeper 18 is aligned with the the matrix of terminal pin tail ends 80 of the stitched bulkhead l4a and the second matrix 104 of the passages 106 in the keeper 18 is aligned with the matrix of terminal pin tail ends 80 of the stitched bulkhead l4b. In addition, the openings 108 of the keeper 18 are aligned with the posts 56 of the bulkheads 14, respectively. The keeper 18 is then pressed downward, toward the bulkheads 14, which causes the terminal pin tail ends 80 to pass through the passages 106 of the keeper 18 and the retainers 88 of the terminal pins 24 to be pressed into engagement with interior walls defining the passages 106. In addition, the posts 56 of the bulkheads 14 are pressed through the openings 108 in the keeper 18, thereby securing the keeper 18 to the bulkheads 14.

[0079] The keeper 18 may be mounted to the stitched bulkheads 14 either before or after the combs 20 are mounted to the bulkheads 14. Typically, the keeper 18 would be mounted to the stitched bulkheads 14 first.

[0080] When the header connector 10 is fully assembled, the interior of the header connector 10, including, but not limited to the guided pathways 136 of the combs 20 are not sealed from the outside environment. For example, as best shown in Fig. 4, there are gaps between the keeper 18 and the main walls 28 and the side walls 32 of the bulkheads 14. There are also gaps between the keeper 18 and the combs 20, as best shown in Fig. 2. As will be described more fully below, these gaps allow overmolding plastic (i.e., the first

thermoplastic) to flow inside the header connector 10 when the enclosure 12 is formed.

[0081] Referring now to Fig. 10, the header connector 10 is shown being disposed between portions of first and second tooling parts 150, 152 for molding a section of the enclosure 12. The first and second tooling parts 150, 152 are each composed of metal and cooperate with other components (not shown) to form a mold for the section of the enclosure 12

[0082] Referring now also to Fig. 11, the first tooling part 150 includes a recess l54a for receiving the matrix of terminal pin tail ends 80 of the bulkhead l4a and a recess l54b for receiving the matrix of terminal pin tail ends 80 of the bulkhead l4b. The first tooling part 150 also includes openings 158 for receiving the pillars 110 of the keeper 18. In this regard, the pillars 110 (in conjunction with the openings 158) also function as pilots for ensuring that the header connector 10 is properly positioned between the first and second tooling parts 150, 152.

[0083] Referring now to Figs. 10 and 12, the second tooling part 152 includes main supports 160 for forming shrouds l64a,b of the enclosure 12. A first main support l60a corresponds to the bulkhead l4a, while a second main support l60b corresponds to the bulkhead l4b.

[0084] Each main support 160 includes recesses 168 for receiving the two arrays of terminal pin connector ends 82 of its corresponding bulkhead 14 and a series of recesses 170 for receiving the tongues 62 of its corresponding bulkhead 14. Each main support 160 also includes rearwardly-extending arms 172 for receipt in the outer slots 68 of its corresponding bulkhead 14 and a rearwardly-extending projection 174 for receipt in the slot 48 of the tab 44 of its corresponding bulkhead 14. The tab slots 48 (in conjunction with the projections 174) functions as pilots for ensuring that the header connector 10 is properly positioned between the first and second tooling parts 150, 152.

[0085] When the header connector 10 is disposed between the first and second tooling parts 150, 152 and the first and second tooling parts 150, 152 have been moved together to be in a molding position, the arms 172 of the second tooling part 152 extend through the outer slots 68 of the bulkheads 14 such that their outer ends press against an inner surface 196 of the first tooling part 150. In this manner, the arms 172 and the inner surface 196 form molding shutoffs. Other portions of the header connector 10 also function as shutoffs. As shown in Fig. 13, the tail ends 80 of the terminal pins 24 are disposed in the recesses 154 of the first tooling part 150, while the connector ends 82 of the terminal pins 24 are disposed in the recesses 168 of the second tooling part 152. In addition, the tongues 62 of the bulkheads 14 extend into the recesses 170 of the second tooling part 152, respectively, and the projections 174 of the second tooling part 152 are disposed in the tab slots 48 of the bulkheads 14, respectively. Further, the pillars 110 of the keeper 18 are disposed in the openings 158 of the first tooling part 150, respectively.

[0086] When the first and second tooling parts 150, 152 are in the molding position, with the header connector 10 positioned in-between, as described above, overmolding plastic (i.e., the first thermoplastic) is injected into the mold. If the second thermoplastic is used to form the components of the header connector 10, the higher melt temperature of the second thermoplastic will prevent the components of the header connector 10 from melting when the header connector 10 is being overmolded with the first thermoplastic, thereby ensuring that the terminal pins 24 do not slip out of position during the overmolding process.

[0087] The injected first thermoplastic enters the header connector 10 through the gaps described above and other openings. The first thermoplastic covers the exposed portions of the terminal pins 24, except for the tail ends 80 and the connector ends 82, which are sealed off. In particular, the first thermoplastic enters the guided pathways 136 of the combs 20 and fills any voids therein between the middle sections of the terminal pins 24 and the interior surfaces defining the guided pathways 136. The first thermoplastic also fills the gaps between the keeper 18 and the combs 20, where the upper shoulders 90 of the terminal pins 24 are located. In this manner, the upper shoulders 90 of the terminal pins 24 are surrounded by the first thermoplastic. Further, the first thermoplastic forms interior side walls 198 (shown in Figs. 14 and 15) and an interior back wall 199 (shown in Fig. 15) that adjoin and adhere to the header connector 10. Openings 197 are made in the interior back wall 199 by the shutoffs formed by the arms 172 of the second tooling part 152 and the inner surface 196 of the first tooling part 150. A bottom wall 200 of the enclosure 12 also adjoins and adheres to the header connector 10. Thus, the first thermoplastic of the enclosure 12 adjoins and covers four of the sides of the header connector 10, i.e., forms four walls adjoining and adhering to the header connector 10.

[0088] The injected first thermoplastic also forms the shrouds l64a,b, the bottom wall 200, a front wall 202 and the rest of the section of the enclosure 12. The shrouds l64a,b extend from the front wall 202. The connector ends 82 of the terminal pins 24 of the stitched bulkhead l4a are disposed in the first shroud l64a to form a first plug l66a, while the connector ends 82 of the terminal pins 24 of the stitched bulkhead l4b are disposed in the second shroud l64b to form a second plug l66b. The first and second plugs l66a,b are adapted for connection to mating plugs of another electronic assembly or device. In this regard, the tongues 62 are configured for insertion into complementary slots in the mating plugs so as to ensure proper orientation of the first and second plugs l66a,b with their mating plugs, respectively, thereby avoiding damage to the connector ends 82 caused by improper orientation.

[0089] It should be noted that the enclosure 12 may be formed in multiple pieces, such as two or more pieces. Typically, another section of the enclosure 12 will be molded in another molding operation. This section, which may simply be a lid, will be secured to the section that has been molded over the header connector 10. The two sections may be secured together to form the full enclosure 12, using gaskets to make the enclosure 12 waterproof. Together, the enclosure 12 and the header connector 10 form the connector housing 15.

[0090] The enclosure 12 defines an enlarged cavity within which elecronic circuitry may be disposed. This electronic circuitry includes the PCB which is to be connected to the tail ends 80 of the header connector 10. The enclosure 12 may have any type of construction and configuration suitable for the structure and function of the electronic circuitry. In one or more embodiments, the enclosure 12 may be box-shaped.

[0091] The construction of the header connector 10 has a number of advantageous features. The header connector 10 and the first thermoplastic that has permeated the gaps and openings therein securely hold the terminal pins 24 when the PCB is pressed into engagement with the protruding tail ends 80 of the terminal pins 24. The combs 20 take up space to prevent overly thick sections of overmolding plastic. The combs 20 also prevent the terminal pins 24 from blowing into each other when the overmolding plastic is injected into the mold. The separate bulkheads l4a,b in combination with the single keeper 18 provides a single structure that still permits some relative movement of the bulkheads l4a,b (particularly in the X-direction). This movement permits the header connector 10 to better conform to the rigid first and second tooling parts 150, 152. The header connector 10 also has piloting features (described above), which permits the rigid first and second tooling parts 150, 152 to be positioned accurately.

[0092] In a variation of the first embodiment, the combs 20 may be integrally joined to the keeper 18 in a single monolithic structure, which may be referred to as a rear holding structure. The combs 20 may be modified to eliminate the latches 124 (and associated structures) for engaging the bulkheads 14 to facilitate the connection of the rear holding structure to the bulkheads 14. However, the rear holding structure is still directly secured to the bulkheads 14 by the snap-fit connections formed by the posts 56 of the bulkheads 14 being received in the openings 108 in the keeper 18, respectively.

[0093] It should be appreciated that in other variations of the first embodiment, instead of having a single unitary keeper 18, a pair of separate keepers may be provided, one for each of the two bulkheads l4a,b. In these embodiments, the pair of keepers could be formed by cutting out the portion of the keeper 18 disposed between the two bulkheads l4a,b, thereby forming two pieces, one having the first matrix 102 of rectangular passages 106 and the other having the second matrix 104 of rectangular passages 106 and each having one of the pillars 110. The combs 20a, b may be separate from or integrally j oined to the two keepers, respectively.

[0094] It should be appreciated that in still other variations of the first embodiment, instead of having two bulkheads l4a,b, only one bulkhead 14 may be provided. In these embodiments, the single bulkhead 14 is essentially a combination of the two bulkheads l4a,b. The single bulkhead 14 may be used with the rear holding structure described above, the two separate combs 20a, b, or with a single comb 20 that replaces the two separate combs 20a, b. Such a single comb 20 is essentially a combination of the two combs 20a, b. Of course, in these embodiments only one elongated shroud would be formed in the enclosure 12.

[0095] Referring now to Figs. 16 and 17, there is shown a header connector 240 constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the disclosure. The header connector 240 is for securement within an enclosure 246 for an electric/electronic assembly to thereby form a connector housing 250 (partially shown in Fig. 29). As will be described more fully below, the header connector 240 is especially adapted for overmolding into the enclosure 246, which is partially shown in Figs. 28-29. The header connector 240 may generally include a bulkhead 252, a plurality of terminal pins 254, a keeper 256 and a comb 258 comprised of a frame 260 and a plurality of wafers 264. The bulkhead 252, the keeper 256, the frame 260 and and the wafers 264 may each be a unitary or monolithic structure and may each be composed of the first thermoplastic or the second thermoplastic. Together, the bulkhead 252, the keeper 256, the frame 260 and and the wafers 264 form a biscuit to which the terminal pins 254 are mounted.

[0096] Referring now also to Fig. 18, the bulkhead 252 includes a main structure 266 with a front side and a rear side. A plurality of posts 270 extend upwardly from an upper portion of the main structure 266. A shelf 272 and a ridge 274 extend rearwardly from the rear side of the main structure 266. A pair of upper slots 276 and a pair of lower slots 278 are formed in opposing lateral sides of the main structure 266, respectively. The lower slots 278 extend through opposing lateral sides of the shelf 272, respectively. A series of upper cavities 280 and a series of lower cavities 282 are formed in the main structure 266, with upper openings of the upper cavities 280 and lower openings of the lower cavities 282 extending through the front side of the main structure 266. A pair of through-holes 284 extend through the main structure 266, inside the outermost upper cavities 280. The lower cavities 282 extend into the shelf 272. The upper cavities 280 are vertically aligned with the ridge 274, but do not extend into the ridge 274. A plurality of rectangular passages 286 extend through the main structure 266, between the front and rear sides thereof. The passages 286 are parallel to each other and are arranged in a plurality rows, such as the five rows shown in the embodiment of Fig. 18. In this embodiment, two rows of the passages 286 are disposed between the upper and lower cavities 280, 282, one row is disposed above the upper cavities 280 and two rows are disposed below the lower cavities 282. As will be described more fully below, portions of the terminal pins 254 extend through the passages 286 and project outwardly therefrom. As such, five rows of terminal pins 254 project from the front side of the bulkhead main structure 266.

[0097] Referring now to Fig. 19, each terminal pin 254 is composed of an electrically conductive metal, such as a tin plated copper alloy, and has a unitary or monolithic structure. The terminal pin 254 is L-shaped and has an upper section with a tail end 290, a middle section 291 with a bend and a lower section with a connector end 292. The tail end 290 may have a press-fit construction (such as an EON construction), while the connector end 292 may be pin-shaped. The lower section has a barbed lower retainer 294 with an embossed bump 296 and a shoulder 297. The upper section includes a tapered upper retainer 298 and a plurality of shoulders 300. In the embodiment shown, there are four shoulders 300, with the narrow space between the upper two shoulders 300 and the lower two shoulders 300 being identified by the reference numeral 302.

[0098] Different variations of the terminal pin 254 are used in the header connector 240. The number of variations depends on the number of rows of the terminal pins 254 that are used. If five rows of the terminal pins 254 are used, then five different variations of the terminal pins 254 are used and are designated as 254a,b,c,d,e, with all of them having the same construction, except for their (unbent) lengths. More specifically, the (unbent) lengths of the middle sections 291 of the terminal pins 254a,b,c,d,e are different. The (unbent) length of the middle section 291 of the contact 254a is substantially shorter than that of 254b, which is shorter than that of 254c, which is substantially shorter than that of 254d, which is shorter than that of 254e. In this manner, contact 254a has the shortest middle section 291, while contact 254e has the longest middle section 291.

[0099] It should be appreciated that the number of rows of the terminal pins 254 and, thus, the number of variations of the terminal pins 254 that are used may be less than or more than five. Moreover, the rows of terminal pins 254 may not all contain the same number of terminal pins 254. All of the foregoing modifications may be made, dependent on the requirements of a particular application.

[00100] The terminal pins 254 are mounted to the bulkhead 252 by inserting the connector ends 292 into entrance openings of the passages 286 and then pressing (or stitching) the lower sections of the terminal pins 254 into the passages 286 until the shoulders 297 abut a rear surface of the main structure 266. As the lower sections of the terminal pins 254 move through the passages 286, the lower retainers 294 engage interior walls defining the passages 286, thereby securing the lower sections of the terminal pins 254 in the passages 286. [00101] As best shown in Fig. 16, the connector ends 292 of the terminal pins 254 protrude from the front surface of the main structure 266 such that there are five vertically- arranged rows 304a,b,c,d,e of connector ends 292 of terminal pins 254a,b,c,d,e, respectively. Each row 304 extends laterally (in the Y-direction) and the series of rows 304a,b,c,d,e are arranged vertically (in the Z-direction), with the bottom two rows 304d,e being separated from the middle two rows 304b, c by the lower cavities 282 and the middle two rows 304b, c being separated from the upper row 304a by the upper cavities 280. The five rows

304a,b,c,d,e of connector ends 292 correspond to five rows 306a,b,c,d,e of tail ends 290, respectively, that extend upwardly from the main structure 266. Each row 306 extends laterally (in the Y-direction) and the series of rows 306a,b,c,d,e are arranged londitudinally (in the X-direction).

[00102] Referring now to Figs. 16, 17, 20-23, and 26, the comb 258 includes the frame 260 and the wafers 264. The frame 260 is generally channel-shaped, having a back wall 310 joined between a pair of side walls 312 that extend forwardly therefrom. The back wall 310 includes a pair of through-holes 314, located toward the side walls 312, respectively. The back wall 310 has a plurality of tapered projections or studs 316 that extend from an inner surface thereof. The studs 316 are spaced-apart and arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows, such as the three rows shown in Fig. 20. The studs 316 in one row are aligned with the studs 316 in the other rows and, as such, the spaces between the studs 316 in one row are aligned with the spaces between the studs 316 in the other rows. The aligned spaces help form a laterally-extending series of guided pathways 318 (shown best in Fig. 23), wherein each guided pathway extends vertically and is adapted for holding vertically-extending portions of the terminal pins 254.

[00103] Each side wall 312 is disposed at about a right angle to the back wall 310. A pair of spaced-apart upper and lower rails 320, 322 are joined to an inner surface of each side wall 312. The lower rails 322 include rear stepped portions 323, respectively. The upper and lower rails 320, 322 serve multiple functions. The upper and lower rails 320, 322 support the wafers 264 and also help connect the comb 258 to the bulkhead 252.

[00104] The wafers 264 include wafers 264a,b,c,d having varying heights, with wafer 264d being the tallest and the wafer 264a being the shortest, and the wafers 264b, c having the same height. The wafer 264d is disposed adjacent to the back wall 310, while the wafer 24a is disposed the farthest from the back wall 310. The wafers 264b, c are disposed between the wafers 264a, 264d. Each wafer 264 has a pair of through-holes 324 located toward side edges of the wafer 264, respectively, and a front surface with a plurality of the studs 316 extending therefrom. In each wafer 264, the studs 316 are arranged in one or more rows, with the studs 316 being spaced-apart in each row. The wafer 264d has three rows of studs 316, the wafers 264b, c each have two rows of studs 316 and the wafer 264a has one row of studs 316. In each of the wafers 264b, c,d, the studs 316 and spaces in-between in one row are aligned with the studs 316 and spaces in-between in the other row(s). As such, the spaces between the studs 316 in the wafer 264a and the aligned spaces in the wafers 264b, c,d help form guided pathways 3l9a,b,c,d that extend vertically through the comb 258 and are adapted for holding vertically-extending portions of the terminal pins 254. In each wafer 264, the series of guided pathways 319 extend laterally between the side walls 312.

[00105] Each side edge of the wafer 264d has upper and lower notches 328,330 for receipt of the upper and lower rails 320,322 of a side wall 312, respectively, while each side edge of the wafers 264b, c only has an upper notch 328 for receipt of the upper rail 320 of a side wall 312, respectively. The wafer 264a only has partial notches 328 in its side edges, respectively, for resting on the upper rail 320 of a side wall 312. In this manner, the wafer 264d is supported by both the upper and lower rails 320, 322, while the wafers 264a, b,c are supported only by the upper rail 320.

[00106] The wafers 264 are arranged in the frame 260 such that ends of the studs 316 in the top two rows of the back wall 310 abut the rear surface of the wafer 264d, the ends of the studs 316 in the top two rows of the wafer 264d abut the rear surface of the wafer 264c, whose studs 316 abut the rear surface of the wafer 264b, and the ends of the studs 316 in the top row of the wafer 264b abut the rear surface of the wafer 264a. In addition, the holes 314 in the back wall 310 and the holes 324 in the wafers 264 are aligned.

[00107] Referring now to Figs. 16, 17, 24 and 25, the keeper 256 includes a rectangular panel 340 having a matrix of rectangular passages 342 extending therethrough. Each passage 342 extends from an entrance opening in an inner surface of the panel 340 to an exit opening in an outer surface of the panel 340. The passage 342 tapers inwardly as it extends from the entrance opening to the exit opening, with the entrance opening having the largest cross-section of the passage 342. The larger entrance opening facilitates the insertion of a terminal pin 254 into the passage 342.

[00108] Circular openings 346 extend through the panel 340 and are located toward a front edge thereof. A plurality of blocks or spacers 348 are joined to a bottom surface of the panel 340. A front row of spaced-apart spacers 348 are disposed toward and along a front edge of the bottom surface, while a rear row of spaced-apart spacers 348 are disposed toward and along a rear edge of the bottom surface. A pair of pillars 350 are joined to a top side of the panel 340 and extend upwardly therefrom. The pillars 350 are disposed toward side edges of the panel 340, respectively. Each pillar 350 may be cylindrical, as shown, or have a press- fit configuration, such as having a body formed from deflectable beams joined so as to provide the pillar 350 with a cruciform cross-section. The pillars 350 may be received in holes of a printed circuit board (PCB) to help secure the PCB to the keeper 256.

[00109] The header connector 240 is assembled by stitching the terminal pins 254 to the bulkhead 252, as described above. The wafers 264 are then mounted to the stitched bulkhead 252 in the order of front to back, beginning with wafer 264a and finishing with wafer 264d.

[00110] To mount the wafer 264a to the stitched bulkhead 252, the wafer 264a may first be positioned above and between the rows 306a, b of terminal pins 254 such that the studs 316 are laterally aligned with the spaces between the terminal pins 254a of row 306a. A downwardly-directed force may then be applied to the wafer 264a so it moves downwardly, with outer portions of the studs 316 moving between the terminal pins 254a. As the wafer 264a moves downward, the wafer 264a deflects the terminal pins 254b rearward. The downward force is applied to the wafer 264a until the narrow portions 302 of the terminal pins 254a are aligned between the studs 316, at which point the force is released and the terminal pins 254b and the wafer 264a are allowed to move forward. The narrow portions 302 of the terminal pins 254a move into and are trapped in the guided pathways 319a between pairs of adjacent studs 316, thereby securing the terminal pin 254a from lateral and vertical movement.

[00111] After the wafer 264a is mounted to the stitched bulkhead 252, the remaining wafers 264b, c,d are similarly mounted to the stitched bulkhead 252, with the wafer 264b being disposed between the rows 306b, c, the wafer 264c being disposed between the rows 306c, d and the wafer 264d being disposed between the rows 306d,e. In each of the wafers 264, the narrow portions 302 of the terminal pins 254 are trapped between pairs of adjacent studs 316 in the uppermost row of the studs 316. In each of the wafers 264, vertical portions of the terminal pins 254 extend through the guided pathways 319, respectively. More specifically, the terminals 254a extend through the guided pathways 319a, the the terminals 254b extend through the guided pathways 319b, the terminals 254c extend through the guided pathways 319c and the the terminals 254d extend through the guided pathways 3l9d. The mounting of the wafers 264 between the rows of the terminal pins 254 is shown in Fig. 26.

[00112] After the wafers 264 are mounted to the stitched bulkhead 252, the frame 260 is then connected to the combination of the stitched bulkhead 252 and the wafers 264. The frame 260 is disposed behind the combination, with the side walls 312 being positioned such that the upper and lower rails 320, 322 are aligned with the upper and lower slots 276, 278 of the bulkhead 252, respectively. The frame 260 is then moved forward such that the upper rails 320 slide through the upper notches 328 of the wafers 264a,b,c,d and the lower rails 322 slide through the lower notches 330 of the wafer 264d. The upper and and lower rails 320, 322 then slide into, and are received in, the upper and lower slots 276, 278 of the bulkhead 252, respectively. The frame 260 continues to be moved forward until the shelf 272 of the bulkhead 252 abuts the stepped portions 323 of the lower rails 322.

[00113] Next, the keeper 256 is mounted to the combination of the stitched bulkhead 252 and the comb 258. More specifically, the matrix of passages 342 in the keeper 256 is aligned with the the matrix of terminal pin tail ends 290 of the stitched bulkhead 252. In addition, the openings 346 of the keeper 256 are aligned with the posts 270 of the bulkhead 252, respectively. The keeper 256 is then pressed downward, toward the bulkhead 252, which causes the terminal pin tail ends 290 to pass through the passages 342 of the keeper 256 and the upper retainers 298 of the terminal pins 254 to be pressed into engagement with interior walls defining the passages 342. In addition, the posts 270 of the bulkhead 252 are pressed through the openings 346 in the keeper 256, thereby securing the keeper 256 to the bulkhead 252. With the keeper 256 mounted to the stitched bulkhead 252 in the foregoing manner, the front row of the spacers 348 of the keeper 256 abut a top edge of the main structure 266, while the rear row of the spacers 348 abut top portions of the back wall 310 of the frame 260.

[00114] When the header connector 240 is fully assembled, the interior of the header connector 240, including, but not limited to the guided pathways 319 of the comb 258 are not sealed from the outside environment. For example, as best shown in Fig. 16, there are gaps 352 between the keeper 256 and the comb frame 260 and gaps 354 between the keeper 256 and the top edge of the bulkhead main structure 266. As will be described more fully below, the gaps 352, 354 allow overmolding plastic to flow inside the header connector 240 when the enclosure 246 is formed.

[00115] A section of the enclosure 246 is formed by overmolding the header connector 240 with overmolding plastic in a process similar to that described above for forming the section of the enclosure 12. The process uses similar tooling, which includes tooling part 360, shown in Fig. 27. The tooling part 360 is composed of metal and cooperates with other components (not shown) to form a mold for forming the enclosure 246. The tooling part 360 includes a main support 362 for forming a shroud 394 of the enclosure 246. The main support 362 includes recesses 368, 370, 372 for receiving the rows 304 of terminal pin connector ends 292 of the stitched bulkhead 252. More specifically, recess 368 receives the row 304a, recess 370 receives the rows 304b, c and recess 372 receives rows 304d,e. The recesses 368,370, 372 extend into the main support 362 from a rear side thereof.

[00116] A pair of posts 380 project rearwardly from the rear side of the main support 362. Each post 380 has the shape of a stepped cylinder, with the outer portion having a smaller diameter than the inner portion. The posts 380 are disposed between the recesses 368, 370 and are located toward opposing lateral sides of the main support 362. A row of spaced- apart tongues 384 also extend rearwardly from the rear side of the main support 362. The tongues 384 are contoured to correspond to the configurations of the internal surfaces defining the lower cavities 282 of the bulkhead main structure 266. In this manner, the tongues 384 are adapted for snug insertion into the lower cavities 282, respectively.

[00117] The tooling part 360 is used with another tooling part (not shown) during the overmolding process. The other tooling part is similar to the first tooling part 150 of the first embodiment; however instead of having two recesses, the other tooling part has a single enlarged recess for receiving the matrix of terminal pin tail ends 290 of the bulkhead 252.

The other tooling part also includes openings for receiving the pillars 350 of the keeper 256. In this regard, the pillars 350 (in conjunction with the openings in the other tooling part) also function as pilots for ensuring that the header connector 240 is properly positioned between the tooling part 360 and the other tooling part.

[00118] At the beginning of the overmolding process, the header connector 240 is positioned between the tooling part 360 and the other tooling part. The terminal pin connector ends 292 of the header connector 240 are disposed in the recesses 368,370, 372 of the tooling part 360, while the terminal pin tail ends 290 of the header connector 240 are disposed in the enlarged recess of the other tooling part. The pillars 350 of the header connector 240 are disposed in the openings in the other tooling part. The tongues 384 of the tooling part 360 extend into the lower recesses 282 of the bulkhead main structure 266 and the posts 380 of the tooling part 360 extend into the upper recesses 280 of the bulkhead main structure 266, with the outer portions of the posts 380 extending through the holes 284 therein, while the inner portions of the posts 380 press against the bulkhead main structure 266, around the holes 284. In this manner, the posts 380 seal off the holes 284 during the overmolding process.

[00119] When the tooling part 360 and the other tooling part are in the molding position, with the header connector 240 positioned in-between, as described above, overmolding plastic (i.e., the first thermoplastic) is injected into the mold. If the second thermoplastic is used to form the components of the header connector 240, the higher melt temperature of the second thermoplastic will prevent the components of the header connector 240 from melting when the header connector240 is being overmolded with the first thermoplastic, thereby helping to ensure that the terminal pins 254 will not slip out of position during the overmolding process.

[00120] The injected first thermoplastic enters the header connector 240 through the gaps 352, 354 described above and other openings. The overmolding plastic covers the exposed portions of the terminal pins 254, except for the tail ends 290 and the connector ends 292, which are sealed off. In particular, the first thermoplastic enters the guided pathways 318, 319 of the comb 258 and fills any voids therein. The first thermoplastic also fills the gaps 352, 354 between the keeper 256 and the comb 258 and bulkhead 252, where the upper shoulders 300 of the terminal pins 254 are located. In this manner, the upper shoulders 300 of the terminal pins 24 are surrounded by the first thermoplastic. Further, the first thermoplastic plastic extends through the aligned holes 314, 324 in the wafers 264 and the back wall 310 of the comb 258, thereby forming dowels or shafts composed of the first thermoplastic, which extend through the wafers 264 and back wall 310. These shafts help secure the wafers 264 from movement. The first thermoplastic also forms interior side walls 386 (shown in Figs. 28-29) and an interior rear wall 388 (shown in Fig. 29) that adjoin and adhere to the header connector 240. A bottom wall 390 of the enclosure 246 also adjoins and adheres to the header connector 240. In this manner, the first thermoplastic of the enclosure 246 adjoins and covers four of the sides of the header connector 240, i.e., forms four walls adjoining and adhering to the header connector 240.

[00121] The injected first thermoplastic also forms the first and second shrouds 394, 396, the bottom wall 390, a front wall 392 and the rest of the section of the enclosure 246. The first and second shrouds 394, 396 extend from the front wall 392. The connector ends 292 of the terminal pins 254 of the header connector 240 are disposed in the first shroud 394 to form a plug. The plug is adapted for connection to a mating plug of another electronic assembly or device. While not shown, another header connector 240, albeit with different dimensions, may be overmolded into the enclosure 246 and form a second plug with the second shroud 396.

[00122] It should be noted that the enclosure 246 may be formed in multiple pieces, such as two or more pieces. Typically, another section of the enclosure 246 will be molded in another molding operation. This section, which may simply be a lid, will be secured to the section that has been molded over the header connector 240. The two sections may be secured together to form the full enclosure 240, using gaskets to make the enclosure 246 waterproof. Together, the enclosure 246 and the header connector 240 form the connector housing 250.

[00123] The enclosure 246 defines an enlarged cavity within which elecronic circuitry may be disposed. This electronic circuitry includes the PCB which is to be connected to the tail ends 290 of the header connector 240. The enclosure 246 may have any type of construction and configuration suitable for the structure and function of the electronic circuitry. In one or more embodiments, the enclosure 246 may be box-shaped.

[00124] The construction of the header connector 240 has a number of advantageous features. The header connector 240 and the first thermoplastic that has permeated the gaps and openings therein securely hold the terminal pins 254 when the PCB is pressed into engagement with the protruding tail ends 290 of the terminal pins 254. The profiling of the bulkhead 252 to have the shelf 272 takes up space to prevent overly thick sections of overmolding plastic and also enables a reaction force for shutoff on the keeper 256. The comb 258, with the wafers 264, also take up space to prevent overly thick sections. The studs 316 defining the guided passageways 319 also help prevent the terminal pins 254 from blowing into each other when the overmolding plastic is injected into the mold.

[00125] Referring now to Fig. 30 there is shown a portion of an enclosure 400 having a header connector 410 mounted thereto. The header connector 410 is constructed in accordance with a third embodiment of the disclosure. As will be described more fully below, the header connector 410 is especially adapted for overmolding into the enclosure 400 to thereby form a connector housing 405 (partially shown).

[00126] With reference now also to Figs. 31-33, the header connector 410 may generally include a bulkhead 414, a plurality of terminal pins 416, first and second combs 418, 420 and a keeper 424. The bulkhead 414, the first and second combs 418, 420 and the keeper 424 may each be a unitary or monolithic structure and may each be composed of the first thermoplastic or the second thermoplastic. Together, the bulkhead 414, the first and second combs 418, 420 and the keeper 424 form a biscuit to which the terminal pins 416 are mounted.

[00127] The bulkhead 414 includes a main wall 422 having a top flange 425 with a plurality of openings or notches 430 therein. Alignment tongues 436 are joined to, and extend from, a raised outer surface of the main wall 422. Indentations 438 are formed in outer sides of the main wall 422. A plurality of passages 442 extend through the main wall 422 between a rear surface and the raised outer surface thereof. Three rows of the passages 442 in the main wall 422 are located above the tongues 436, while two rows of the passages 442 in the main wall 422 are located below the tongues 436. Each passage 442 extends from an entrance opening in the rear surface of the main wall 422 to an exit opening in the front surface of the main wall 422. Each passage 442 tapers inwardly as it extends from the entrance opening to the exit opening, with the entrance opening having the largest cross-section of the passage 442. The larger entrance opening facilitates the insertion of a terminal pin 416 into the passage 442. As will be described more fully below, portions of the terminal pins 416 extend through the passages 442 and project outwardly therefrom. As such, five rows of terminal pins 416 project from the front surface the bulkhead main wall 422.

[00128] With particular reference now to Figs. 32 and 34, each terminal pin 416 is composed of an electrically conductive metal, such as a tin plated copper alloy, and has a unitary or monolithic structure. The terminal pin 416 is L-shaped and has an upper section with a tail end 444, a middle section with a bend and a lower section with a connector end 448. The tail ends 444 may have a press-fit construction (such as an EON construction), while the connector ends 448 may be pin-shaped. The u6pper section also includes a pair of shoulders 450.

[00129] Different variations of the terminal pin 416 are used in the header connector 410. The number of variations depends on the number of rows of the terminal pins 416 that are used. If five rows of the terminal pins 416 are used, then five different variations of the terminal pins 416 are used and are designated as 4l6a,b,c,d,e, with all of them having the same construction, except for their (unbent) lengths. More specifically, the (unbent) lengths of the middle sections of the terminal pins 4l6a,b,c,d,e are different. The (unbent) length of the middle section 416 of the contact 416a is substantially shorter than that of 416b, which is shorter than that of 416c, which is substantially shorter than that of 4l6d, which is shorter than that of 416e. In this manner, contact 416a has the shortest middle section, while contact 416e has the longest middle section.

[00130] It should be appreciated that the number of rows of the terminal pins 416 and, thus, the number of variations of the terminal pins 416 that are used may be less than or more than five. Moreover, the rows of terminal pins 416 may not all contain the same number of terminal pins 416. All of the foregoing modifications may be made, depending on the requirements of a particular application.

[00131] The terminal pins 416 are mounted to the bulkhead 414 by inserting the connector ends 448 into entrance openings of the passages 442 and then pressing (or stitching) the lower sections of the terminal pins 416 through the passages 442 so that the connector ends 448 thereof project from the outer surface of the main wall 422. As best shown in Fig. 32, the different variations of the terminal pins 416 are mounted to the bulkhead 414 such that the first row of the terminal pins 416, closest to the top of the main wall 422, is comprised of the terminal pins 416a (which are the shortest), the next row down is comprised of the terminal pins 416b, the following two rows are comprised of the terminal pins 4l6c,d, respectively, and and the last row, closest to the bottom of the main wall is comprised of the terminal pins 416e (which are the longest).

[00132] Referring now to Figs. 32 and 33, the first comb 418 includes a frame having a back wall 454 joined between a pair of outwardly-extending side walls 456. A series of wedge-shaped projections 455 are joined to an outer surface of the back wall 454, toward a top end of the back wall 454. Each side wall 456 has a top portion with an interior groove 460 (shown in Fig. 34) formed therein and a pair of forwardly extending guide arms 457. In addition, a generally C-shaped guide 464 is joined to an exterior surface of each side wall 456. The guides 464 define interior holding spaces with open ends, which are located at the front edges of the side walls 456. A series of walls 470 are joined to the back wall 454 and extend forwardly therefrom. The walls 470 stop short of the top of the frame (back wall 454 and side walls 456) so as to define a top holding space 466 between the top edges of the walls 470 and the top of the frame 454. The walls 470 are spaced apart to form a plurality of slots or guided pathways 472. The series of guided pathways 472 are arranged laterally across the width of the first comb 418 and each guided pathway 472 extends vertically. As will be described more fully below, each guided pathway 472 is adapted to hold a row of terminal pins 416.

[00133] The second comb 420 is generally rectangular in shape and has a plurality of arms 476 that are joined to, and extend from, a rear support beam 478. The arms 476 are spaced apart to form a plurality of slots 480. Each arm 476 has a tapered free end and a tapered cross-section. In this manner, bottom portions of the slots 480 are wider than top portions of the slots 480, as best shown in Fig. 34.

[00134] The keeper 424 also has a generally rectangular shape and includes a pair of opposing contoured side edges that form mounting tongues 484. A plurality of posts 474 extend upwardly from an upper surface of the keeper 424. Front wedge-shaped tabs 486 extend from a front edge of the keeper 424. A matrix of rectangular passages 488 extend through the keeper 424, between upper and lower surfaces thereof. Each of the passages 488 has a stepped configuration, with an enlarged bottom portion and a narrow top portion, as best shown in Fig. 34. As will be discussed more fully below, the enlarged bottom portions are adapted to receive the shoulders 450 of the terminal pins 416, respectively.

[00135] The header connector 410 is assembled by first stitching the terminal pins 416 to the bulkhead 414, as described above. Next, the keeper 424 is mounted to the stitched bulkhead 414. More specifically, the matrix of passages 488 in the keeper 424 is aligned with the the matrix of terminal pin tail ends 444 of the stitched bulkhead 414. In addition, the tabs 486 are aligned with the top openings 430 in the main wall 422 of the stitched bulkhead 414, respectively. The keeper 424 is then pressed downward, toward the bulkhead 414, which causes the terminal pin tail ends 444 to pass through the passages 488 of the keeper 424 and the shoulders 450 of the terminal pins 416 to be pressed into engagement with the bottom portions of the passages 488. In addition, the tabs 486 are pressed into the top openings 430 in the main wall 422 of the stitched bulkhead 414 thereby securing the keeper 424 to the bulkhead 414.

[00136] Once the keeper 424 is mounted to the stitched bulkhead 414, the second comb 420 is mounted to the stitched bulkhead 414, below the keeper 424. The second comb 420 is first positioned so as to be spaced below the keeper 424 and located behind the terminal pins 416, with the slots 480 in the second comb 420 being aligned with the rows of terminal pins 416. The second comb 420 is then slid forward until the ends of the arms 476 abut the main wall 422 of the bulkhead 414. The second comb 420 is then slid upward to abut a bottom surface of the keeper 424. While maintaining the second comb 420 in this position, the first comb 418 is mounted to the stitched bulkhead 414, below the second comb 420. The first comb 418 is first positioned so as to be verticaly aligned with the stitched bulkhead 414 and located behind the terminal pins 416, with the guided pathways 472 being aligned with the rows of terminal pins 416. The first comb 418 is then slid forward until the guide arms 457 of the side walls 456 enter the indentations 438 of the bulkhead 414. As the first comb 418 is slid forward, the rows of terminal pins 416 move (relatively) through the guided pathways 472. In addition, the mounting tongues 484 of the keeper 424 slide through (relatively) the grooves 460 of the first comb 418, respectively, and the keeper 424 and the second comb 420 move into the top holding space 466 of the first comb 418.

[00137] Referring now to Figs. 31 and 34, when the header connector 410 is fully assembled, rows of the terminal pins 416 are disposed in the guided pathways 472 of the first comb 418, respectively. Above the walls 470, the keeper 424 and the second comb 420 are disposed in the top holding space 466 of the first comb 418. In addition, the mounting tongues 484 of the keeper 424 are trapped in the grooves 460 of the first comb 418, respectively. The shoulders 450 of the terminal pins 416 are disposed in the bottom portions of the passages 488. The second comb 420 is supported on top of the walls 470 and presses against the shoulders 450, thereby holding them in position. In this manner, the terminal pins 416 are firmly held in place when the PCB is mounted to the tail ends 444 of the header connector 410.

[00138] When the header connector 410 is fully assembled, the interior of the header connector 410 is substantially sealed from the outside environment, which is different from the header connectors 10, 240. The header connector 410 is held together by the

interconnection of the first comb 418, the bulkhead 414 and the keeper 424. The first comb 418 is connected to the bulkhead 414 by the keeper 424. The keeper 424 is connected to the first comb 418 by the engagement of the mounting tongues 484 with the grooves 460. The keeper 424 is also connected to the bulkhead 414 by the disposal of the tabs 486 in the top openings 430, as well as by the terminal pins 416.

[00139] The header connector 410 may be molded into the enclosure 400 using a mold that includes first and second tooling parts, each of which are composed of metal and cooperate with other components (not shown) of the mold to form the enclosure 400. The first tooling part may generally have the shape of a rectangular cuboid, with open top and bottom ends and a front wall with an enlarged opening therein. The interior of the first tooling part is open and is adapted for receiving the matrix of terminal pin tail ends 444 of the bulkhead 414. The second tooling part 492 includes a main support for forming a shroud 506 (shown in Figs. 30 and 35) of the enclosure 400. The main support has an open interior for receiving the bulkhead outer tongues 436 and the terminal pin connector ends 448. A pair of mounting blades are joined to, and extend from, opposing sides of the main support. Outer ends of the mounting blades are tapered to match the interior tapers of the guides 464 of the header connector 410.

[00140] At the beginning of the overmolding process, the second tooling part is mounted to the header connector 410 by moving the second tooling part so as to insert the mounting blades of the second tooling part into the interior holding spaces of the guides 464 through the open ends thereof. The second tooling part is moved until a peripheral outer edge of the second tooling part 492 abuts the outer surface of the bulkhead main wall 422 of the header connector 410. At this point, the bulkhead tongues 436 and the terminal pin connector ends 448 of the header connector 410 are disposed in the interior of the second tooling part and the mounting blades are disposed inside the guides 464.

[00141] With the second tooling part mounted to the header connector 410, the first tooling part is then mounted to the header connector 410 and the second tooling part such that a bottom edge of the shortened front wall abuts the top of the header connector 410. At this point, the matrix of terminal pin tail ends 444 of the header connector 410 are disposed inside the first tooling part and the mounting blades of the second tooling part are trapped in the guides 464 and the projections 455 are wedged against an interior surface of the first tooling part, thereby forming molding stops. In this manner, the first and second tooling parts are secured from movement relative to the header connector 410.

[00142] When the first and second tooling parts are in the molding position, with the header connector 410 positioned in-between, as described above, overmolding plastic (i.e., the first thermoplastic) is injected into the mold. If the second thermoplastic is used to form the components of the header connector 410, the higher melt temperature of the second thermoplastic will prevent the components of the header connector 410 from melting when the header connector 410 is being overmolded with the first thermoplastic, thereby ensuring that the terminal pins 416 will not slip out of position during the overmolding process.

[00143] The first thermoplastic flows inside the first tooling part and around the exposed portion of the header connector 410 disposed between the first and second tooling parts. In so doing, the first thermoplastic directly contacts and covers four sides of the header connector 410, i.e., forms four walls adjoining and adhering to the header connector 410. The first thermoplastic, however, does not substantially flow into the header connector 410. The first thermoplastic forms a bottom wall 516, an interior back wall 518 and interior side walls 520 that adjoin and adhere to the header connector 410 on four sides, as shown in Fig. 35.

Openings are made in the interior back wall 518 by the molding shutoffs formed by the projections 455 and the interior surface of the first tooling part. As shown, the projections 455 are disposed in these openings.

[00144] The injected first thermoplastic also forms the shroud 506, the bottom wall 516, side walls 522, a front wall 524 and the rest of the section of the enclosure 400. The shroud 506 extends from the front wall 524. The connector ends 448 of the terminal pins 416 of the header connector 410 are disposed in the first shroud 506 to form a plug 530. The plug 530 is adapted for connection to a mating plug of another electronic assembly or device. The tongues 436 are configured for insertion into complementary slots in the mating plug so as to ensure proper orientation of the plug 530 with its mating plug.

[00145] It should be noted that the enclosure 400 may be formed in multiple pieces, such as two or more pieces. Typically, another section of the enclosure 400 will be molded in another molding operation. This section, which may simply be a lid, will be secured to the section that has been molded over the header connector 410. The two sections may be secured together to form the full enclosure 400, using gaskets to make the enclosure 400 waterproof. Together, the enclosure 400 and the header connector 410 form the connector housing 405.

[00146] The enclosure 400 defines an enlarged cavity within which elecronic circuitry may be disposed. This electronic circuitry includes the PCB which is to be connected to the tail ends 444 of the header connector 410. The enclosure 400 may have any type of construction and configuration suitable for the structure and function of the electronic circuitry. In one or more embodiments, the enclosure 400 may be generally box-shaped.

[00147] Referring now to Figs. 36 and 37, there is shown a header connector 600 constructed in accordance with a fourth embodiment, which is overmolded into an enclosure 750 to thereby form a connector housing 705 (partially shown in Fig. 47). The header connector 600 generally includes a mounting block 602 and a keeper 604, with a plurality of terminal pins 616 mounted thereto. The mounting block 602 may generally comprise a plurality of contact modules or wafers 608 mounted between a comb 610 and a bulkhead 612. The keeper 604, the comb 610, the bulkhead 612 and the housings 618 of the wafers 608 may each be a unitary or monolithic structure and may each be composed of the first thermoplastic or the second thermoplastic. Together, the keeper 604, the comb 610, the bulkhead 612 and the housings 618 of the wafers 608 form a biscuit to which the terminal pins 616 are mounted.

[00148] Referring now also to Fig. 38, each of the contact wafers 608 includes a row of terminal pins 616 securedly fixed in a plastic housing 618, which may be overmolded over the terminal pins 616 with the first thermoplastic or the second thermoplastic. Each terminal pin 616 is composed of an electrically conductive metal, such as a tin plated copper alloy, and has a unitary or monolithic structure. The terminal pin 616 is L-shaped and has an upper section with a tail end 620, a middle section with a bend and a lower section with a connector end 622. The tail end 620 may have a press-fit construction (such as an EON construction), while the connector end 622 may be pin-shaped. The lower section has a barb 624 with an embossed bump. The upper section also includes a tapered retainer 626, an upper pair of shoulders 628, retention tabs 630 and a pair of lower shoulders 634. The retention tabs 630 are arranged in a staggered configuration, with one retention tab 630 extending to one side and the other retention tab 630 extending to the other side. The retention tabs 630 help secure the terminal pins 616 in the housing 618. Upper and lower depressions 636 may be formed in the upper section of the terminal pin 616, between a lowermost one of the retention tabs 630 and the lower shoulders 634. These depressions 636 may be engaged with holding pins during the molding of the housing 618 to prevent the terminal pins 616 from moving. The holding pins form circular openings 638 in the housing 618.

[00149] As shown in Figs. 39-42, the contact wafers 608 may be formed by a process that utilizes a unitary or monolithic stamping 640 containing a row of the terminal pins 616. The terminal pins 616 are connected together by upper and lower tie bars 642, 644. The housing 618 is overmolded over the stamping 640 using a molding tool that includes the holding pins. The holding pins are engaged with the upper and lower depressions 636 in a staggered manner such that a holding pin engages an upper depression 636 in one terminal pin 616 and another holding pin engages a lower depression 636 in an adjacent terminal pin 616, and so on. After the overmolding of the housing 618, the tie bars 642, 644 are cut or punched to separate the terminal pins 616 and form the upper and lower shoulders 628, 634. The terminal pins 616 are then bent to form their L-shaped configuration.

[00150] Four different variations of the contact wafer 608 may be used in the header connector 600 and are designated as 608a,b,c,d, with all of them having the same

construction, except for the (unbent) lengths of their terminal pins 616, designated 6l6a,b,c,d, respectively. More specifically, the (unbent) lengths of the middle sections of the terminal pins 6l6a,b,c,d are different. The (unbent) length of the middle section of the terminal pin 616a is shorter than that of 616b, which is substantially shorter than that of 616c, which is shorter than that of 6l6d. Within the mounting block 602, the contact wafers 608 are arranged in the order 608a, then 608b, then 608c and then 608d, with the contact wafer 608a being the frontmost and the contact wafer 608d being the rearmost.

[00151] It should be appreciated that additional contact wafers 608 having different (unbent) lengths of the terminal pins 616 may be provided. In addition, the number of terminal pins 616 may be changed and may not be the same among the different contact wafers 616. Moreover, in other embodiments, more than four or less than four of the contact wafers 608 may be utilized. All of the foregoing modifications may be made, depending on the requirements of a particular application.

[00152] Referring now to Fig. 43, the comb 610 is generally chair-shaped, having a vertically-extending back panel 650 integrally j oined to a base 652. The back panel 650 is planar and generally rectangular. A pair of snap-fit openings 654 are formed in opposing sides of the back panel 650, toward the top thereof. The base 652 is composed of a plurality of walls 658, 660 that are joined to the back panel 650 and extend forwardly therefrom. The walls 658, 660 are spaced-apart so as to form a series of slots or guided pathways 662. The walls 658, 660 include a plurality of inner walls 658 disposed between a pair of outer walls 660. Each outer wall 660 includes a pair of protruding beams 666 defining a groove therebetween. Wedge-shaped catches 668 are disposed in the groove.

[00153] Referring now to Fig. 44, the bulkhead 612 is composed of plastic and may also be a unitary or monolithic structure. The bulkhead 612 comprises a generally rectangular main body 670 that includes a plurality of vertically-extending, spaced-apart ribs and a pair of laterally-extending, spaced-apart braces 674. A pair of tabs or mounting posts 676 extend upwardly from a top edge of the main body 670 and are located toward outer sides of the main body 670, respectively. Each of the braces 674 has rows of rectangular passages 678 extending therethrough. A main tongue 682 and two outer tongues 684 are joined to the main body, between the braces 674, and extend forwardly therefrom. The main tongue 682 is larger than the outer tongues 684 and is disposed between the two.

[00154] On each side of the bulkhead 612, a latch 686 extends rearwardly from the main body 670. Each latch 686 is joined, at one end, to a side of the main body 670, between the braces 674. The latches 686 are resiliently deflectable outwardly, as will be described more fully below. A hook 690 is formed in each latch 686, at its free end. Inner sides of the latches 686 are adapted to be received in the grooves of the comb 610, respectively.

[00155] Referring now to Figs. 45 and 46, the keeper 604 includes a rectangular panel 700 having a matrix of rectangular passages 702 extending therethrough. A pair of spaced- apart rectangular openings 704 are formed in the panel 700, toward a front edge thereof. A pair of pillars 706 are joined to the panel 700 and extend upwardly therefrom. The pillars 706 are disposed toward side edges of the panel 700, respectively. A flange with a pair of snap-fit protrusions 710 extending downwardly therefrom is joined to a bottom surface of the panel 700 at a rear edge thereof. The snap-fit protrusions 710 are adapted to be snap-fit into the snap-fit openings 654 of the comb 610.

[00156] The mounting block 602 is formed by mounting the contact wafers 608 to one of the comb 610 and the bulkhead 612 and then securing together the comb 610 and the bulkhead 612, with the contact wafers 608 disposed in-between. More preferably, the contact wafers 608 are mounted to the bulkhead 612 first and then the comb 610 is secured to the bulkhead 612.

[00157] The contact wafers 608 are mounted to the bulkhead 612, beginning with contact wafer 608a. The lower sections of the terminal pins 616a of the contact wafer 608a are inserted into a top row of the passages 678 of the upper brace 674 and then the housing 618 is pushed forward until it abuts the upper brace 674. In a similar manner, the contact wafers 608b, c,d are sequentially mounted to the bulkhead 612 until all of the wafers 608 are mounted to the bulkhead 612, thereby forming a nested stack of the contact wafers 608, wherein the stack is disposed adjacent to the main body 670. The stacked contact wafers 608 form columns of exposed portions of the terminal pins 6l6a,b,c,d. These columns are laterally spaced apart and extend across the width of the stack. The exposed portions of the terminal pins 6l6a,b,c,d include the angled middle sections and the horizontal lower sections.

[00158] After the contact wafers 608 are mounted to the bulkhead 612, the comb 610 is aligned with the bulkhead 612 such that the guided pathways 662 in the base 652 are aligned with the vertical columns of the exposed portions of the terminal pins 6l6a,b,c,d, respectively, and the grooves of the base 652 are aligned with the latches 686 of the bulkhead 612, respectively. The comb 610 and the bulkhead 612 are then brought together. As the inner sides of the latches 686 move through the grooves, the free ends slide over the sloping surfaces of the catches 668 and are deflected outward to permit continued movement. Once the free ends of the latches 686 clear end edges of the catches 668, the latches 686 resiliently move inward, which causes the hooks 690 of the latches 686 to engage the end edges of the catches 668, thereby securing together the comb 610 and the bulkhead 612, with the contact wafers 608 disposed in-between.

[00159] With the mounting block 602 formed as described above, each guided pathway 662 of the comb 610 has disposed therein the middle and lower sections of terminal pins 6l6a,b,c,d from the four different contact wafers 608a,b,c,d, respectively, wherein in each guided pathway 662, the terminal pins 616 are arranged in the order 616a, then 616b, then 616c and then 6l6d, with the terminal pin 616a being the frontmost and the terminal pin 6l6d being the rearmost (toward the back panel 650). In addition, the terminal pins 616 form a matrix of evenly spaced tail ends 620 that protrude upward from the contact wafers 608 on a top side of the mounting block 602. As shown, the matrix may comprise columns of four tail ends 620 and rows of a larger number of tail ends 620. The terminal pins 616 also form two spaced-apart pairs of rows of connecting ends (pins) 622 protruding outward from the braces 674 on a front side of the mounting block 602. The main tongue 682 and the outer tongues 684 are disposed between the pairs of rows of pins 622 and extend farther forward.

[00160] The outline of the keeper 604 substantially corresponds to the outline of the top side of the mounting block 602 and the matrix of passages 702 in the keeper 604 corresponds to and aligns with the matrix of contact tail ends 620 protruding from the mounting block 602. The keeper 604 is connected to the mounting block 602 by aligning the matrix of keeper passages 702 with the matrix of contact tail ends 620. In addition, the openings 704 of the keeper 604 are aligned with the mounting posts 676 of the bulkhead 612, and the snap-fit protrusions 710 of the keeper 604 are aligned with the snap-fit openings 654 of the comb 610. The keeper 604 is then pressed downward, toward the mounting block 602, which causes the tail ends 620 of the terminal pins 616 to pass through the passages 702 of the keeper 604 and the retainers 626 of the terminal pins 616 to be pressed into engagement with interior walls defining the passages 702. In addition, the mounting posts 676 of the bulkhead 612 are pressed through the openings 704 in the keeper 604 and the snap-fit protrusions 710 of the keeper 604 are snap-fit into the snap-fit openings 654 of the comb 610. In this manner, the keeper 604 is secured to the mounting block 602.

[00161] When the header connector 600 is fully assembled, the interior of the header connector 600 is not fully sealed from the outside environment. For example, the guided pathways 662 of the comb 610 are not sealed from the outside environment. Openings in the bottom of the comb 610 provide access to the guided pathways 662. These openings allow overmolding plastic (i.e., the first thermoplastic) to flow inside the header connector 600 and, more particularly, into the guided pathways 662 when the header connector 600 is overmolded to form an enclosure.

[00162] The header connector 600 is held together by the interconnection of the comb 610, the bulkhead 612 and the keeper 604. The comb 610 is connected to the bulkhead 612 by the engagement of the latches 686 of the bulkhead 612 with the catches 668 of the comb 610, as well as by the keeper 604. The keeper 604 is connected to the comb 610 by the engagement of the snap-fit connection of the snap-fit protrusions 710 into the snap-fit openings 654 of the comb 610. The keeper 604 is also connected to the bulkhead 612 by the disposal of the mounting posts 676 of the bulkhead 612 in the openings 704 of the keeper 604, as well as by the terminal pins 616.

[00163] The header connector 600 is molded into a section of the enclosure 750 using a mold that shields the tail ends 620 and the connector ends 622 of the terminal pins 616 from the first thermoplastic which is injected into the mold. If the second thermoplastic is used to form the components of the header connector 600, the higher melt temperature of the second thermoplastic will prevent the components of the header connector 600 (particularly, the contact wafers 608) from melting when the header connector 410 is being overmolded with the first thermoplastic, thereby helping ensure that the terminal pins 616 do not slip out of position during the overmolding process.

[00164] The injected first thermoplastic flows inside the mold and around exposed portions of the header connector 600. In so doing, the first thermoplastic directly contacts and at least partially surrounds the header connector 600. More specifically, the first thermoplastic directly contacts and covers four sides of the header connector 600, i.e., forms four walls adjoining and adhering to the header connector 600. The first thermoplastic also flows into the header connector 600, e.g., into the guided pathways 662 of the comb 610. The injected first thermoplastic plastic forms a shroud 752 that extends around the main tongue 682, the outer tongues 684 and the connector ends 622 of the terminal pins 616 to thereby form a plug 758, which is adapted for connection to a mating plug of another electronic assembly or device.. The injected overmolding also forms the rest of the section of the enclosure 750, which includes a front wall 756 from which the shroud 752 extends.

[00165] It should be noted that the enclosure 750 may be formed in multiple pieces, such as two or more pieces. Typically, another section of the enclosure 750 will be molded in another molding operation. This section , which may simply be a lid, will be secured to the section that has been molded over the header connector 600. The two sections may be secured together to form the full enclosure 750, using gaskets to make the enclosure 750 waterproof. Together, the enclosure 750 and the header connector 600 form the connector housing 705. [00166] The enclosure 750 defines an enlarged cavity within which elecronic circuitry may be disposed. This electronic circuitry includes the PCB which is to be connected to the tail ends 620 of the header connector 600. The enclosure 750 may have any type of construction and configuration suitable for the structure and function of the electronic circuitry. In one or more embodiments, the enclosure 750 may be generally box-shaped.

[00167] It should be appreciated that the enclosure 750 may include additional header connectors 600 that have been overmolded into the enclosure. The additional header connector(s) 600 may, in combination with additionals shrouds, form additional plug(s).

[00168] Referring now to Figs. 48 and 49, there is shown a header connector 800 constructed in accordance with a fifth embodiment, which is overmolded into an enclosure 802 to thereby form a connector housing 804 (partially shown in Fig. 53). The header connector 800 generally includes a biscuit 806 with a plurality of terminal pins 816 mounted thereto. The biscuit 806 may include a mounting block 810 and a keeper 814. However, in some embodiments, the biscuit 806 may consist of just the mounting block 810.

[00169] The mounting block 810 may be composed of the first thermoplastic or the second thermoplastic and may be a unitary or monolithic structure. The mounting block 810 includes a front structure 818 joined to a series of sidewalls 820. The front structure 818 includes a pair of braces 824 integrally j oined with a front wall 826. Each sidewall 820 includes an upper crenelated portion having a plurality of channels 830, at least two of which are oppositely-directed. As best shown in Figs. 49 and 52, each sidewall 820 may have two channels 830 opening in one direction and a third channel 830 opening in an opposite, second direction. The sidewalls 820 are spaced-apart to form a series of parallel slots 834, which may also be referred to as guided pathways. Each slot 834 is defined by a sidewall 820 having a pair of channels 830 opening into the slot 834 and an opposing sidewall 820 having a single channel 830 opening into the slot 834, with the single channel 830 in the one sidewall 820 being vertically positioned between the pair of channels 830 in the other sidewall 820. Within each slot 834, each of the braces 824 define a pair of passages 836, respectively. Each of the braces 824 has a center portion 838 (shown in Fig. 50) that separates the passages 836. A rearwardly-directed portion of the center portion 838 is tapered to help guide terminal pins 816 into the passages 836. The passages 836 each have a sloping roof.

[00170] Referring now also to Fig. 51, there is shown one of the terminal pins 816.

The terminal pin 816 is composed of an electrically conductive metal, such as a tin-plated copper alloy, and has a unitary or monolithic structure. The terminal pin 816 is L-shaped and has an upper section with a tail end 842, a middle section with a bend 840 and a lower section with a connector end 844. The tail end 842 may have a press-fit construction (such as an EON construction) that is adapted for insertion into a plated hole of a PCB. The connector end 844 may be pin-shaped. The lower section has a barb 846 with an embossed bump. The upper section includes a tapered retainer 843 and a series of retention tabs 848, all located toward the tail end 842. The middle section extends between the lowermost retention tab 848 and the barb 846. The retention tabs 848 are arranged in a staggered configuration, with two of the retention tabs 848 extending from one side of the terminal pin 816 and the other two extending from the other side of the terminal pin 816. The three inner or lower retention tabs 848 are disposed in the channels 830, respectively, of a slot 834 of the mounting block 810, while the uppermost retention tab 848 rests on a top surface of a sidewall 820, as shown in Fig. 52. In this manner, plastic of the mounting block 810 is disposed between retention tabs 848 on each side of a terminal pin 816. Moreover, the peripheral edge of each of the inner or lower retention tabs 848 is surrounded by the plastic. As such, the retention tabs 848 help secure the terminal pins 816 in the mounting block 810.

[00171] Four different variations of the terminal pin 816 may be used in the biscuit 806 and are designated as 8l6a,b,c,d, with all of them having the same construction, except for the (unbent) length of their middle section. The (unbent) length of the middle section of the terminal pin 816a is shorter than that of the terminal pin 816b, which is substantially shorter than that of the terminal pin 816c, which is shorter than that of the terminal pin 8l6d. The terminal pins 816 are mounted in the slots 834 of the connector mounting block 810 such that each slot 834 may contain up to one set of the four terminal pins 8l6a,b,c,d, with the barbs 846 of the terminal pins 8l6a,b being disposed in the passages 836 of an upper one of the braces 824 and the barbs 846 of the terminal pins 8l6c,d being disposed in the passages 66 of a lower one of the braces 824. In each slot 834 containing a full set of the terminal pins 8l6a,b,c,d, the terminal pins 816 are arranged front to back in the order 816a, then 816b, then 816c and then 8l6d, with the terminal pin 816a being the frontmost and the terminal pin 8l6d being the rearmost, as shown in Fig. 50. Although four different variations of the terminal pin 816 are shown, it should be appreciated that more or less variations of the terminal pin 816 may be provided.

[00172] The terminal pins 816 may be inserted into the slots 834 of the mounting block 810 in their L-shaped configuration, i.e., after they have been bent. Alternately, the terminal pins 816 may be inserted into the slots 834 before they are bent, i.e., when they are straight, and then, afterwards, they may then be bent upward.

[00173] As shown in Figs. 48 and 49, when mounted to the mounting block 810, the terminal pins 816 form a matrix of tail ends 842 protruding from a top side of the mounting block 810 and a matrix of connector ends (pins) 844 protruding from a front side of the mounting block 810. The matrix of tail ends 842 may be comprised of columns of up to four tail ends 842 and rows of up to thirteen tail ends 842, while the matrix of connector pins 844 may be comprised of two spaced-apart sets of rows, with each set of rows comprising a pair of rows of up to thirteen connector pins 844. However, depending on a particular application, the maximum number of terminal pins 816 may not be mounted to the mounting block 810, which is the case shown. In such an event, not every slot 834 contains a full set of terminal pins 8l6a,b,c,d. Indeed, some slots 834 may contain one, two or three terminal pins 816 or no terminal pins 816 at all. Moreover, the mounting block 810 may be configured to

accommodate a lesser or a greater number of terminal pins 816 to permit different sizes of matrices of tail ends 842 and connector pins 844. Of course, the number of different terminal pins 816 and their arrangement depends on the particular application of the header connector 800.

[00174] The keeper 814 is composed of plastic and has a rectangular panel shape, with a matrix of slotted openings 815 extending therethrough. The outline of the keeper 814 substantially corresponds to the outline of the top side of the mounting block 810 and the matrix of openings 815 in the keeper 814 corresponds to and aligns with the matrix of contact tail ends 842 protruding from the mounting block 810. The keeper 814 is connected to the mounting block 810 by aligning the matrix of keeper openings with the matrix of contact tail ends 842 and then pressing the keeper 814 downward, toward the mounting block 810, which causes the tail ends 842 of the terminal pins 816 to pass through the openings and the retainers 843 of the terminal pins 816 to be pressed into engagement with interior walls defining the openings 815 of the keeper 814. The frictional forces between the contact retainers 843 and the side walls of the keeper openings secures the keeper 814 to the mounting block 810. Although not shown, the keeper 814 may include upwardly-extending pillars, which may extend through openings in the electronic/electrical device (e.g. a PCB). In this manner, the pillars would help align and secure the electronic/electrical device to the header connector 800.

[00175] The header connector 800 is molded into the enclosure 802 using a mold that shields the tail ends 842 and the connector ends 844 of the terminal pins 816 from the first thermoplastic which is injected into the mold. If the second thermoplastic is used to form the components of the header connector 800, the higher melt temperature of the second thermoplastic will prevent the components of the header connector 800 from melting when the header connector 800 is being overmolded with the first thermoplastic, thereby helping ensure that the terminal pins 816 will not slip out of position during the overmolding process.

[00176] The injected first thermoplastic flows inside the mold and around exposed portions of the header connector 800. In so doing, the first thermoplastic directly contacts and at least partially surrounds the header connector 800. More specifically, the first thermoplastic directly contacts and covers four sides of the header connector 800, i.e., forms four walls adjoining and adhering to the header connector 800. The first thermoplastic also flows into the header connector 800, e.g., into the slots 834 of the mounting block 810.

[00177] As shown in Fig. 53, the injected first thermoplastic forms a shroud 860 that extends around the the connector ends 844 of the terminal pins 816. The injected

overmolding also forms the rest of the shown section of the enclosure 802, which includes a bottom wall 862, opposing side walls 864, a front wall 866 and a rear wall 868. The shroud 860 extends from the front wall 866. The connector ends 844 of the terminal pins 816 of the header connector 800 are disposed in the shroud 860 to form a plug 870, which is adapted for connection to a mating plug of another electronic assembly or device.

[00178] It should be noted that the enclosure 802 may be formed in multiple pieces, such as two or more pieces. Typically, another section of the enclosure 802 will be molded in another molding operation. This section, which may simply be a lid, will be secured to the section that has been molded over the header connector 800. The two sections may be secured together to form the full enclosure 802, using gaskets to make the enclosure 802 waterproof. Together, the enclosure 802 and the header connector 800 form the connector housing 804.

[00179] The enclosure 802 defines an enlarged cavity within which elecronic circuitry may be disposed. This electronic circuitry includes the PCB which is to be connected to the tail ends 842 of the header connector 800. The enclosure 802 may have any type of construction and configuration suitable for the structure and function of the electronic circuitry. In one or more embodiments, the enclosure 802 may be generally box-shaped.

[00180] It should be appreciated that the enclosure 802 may include additional header connectors 800 that have been overmolded into the enclosure. The additional header connector(s) 800 may, in combination with additionals shrouds, form additional plug(s). [00181] In the embodiments described above, after the header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800) is molded into the enclosure (12, 246, 400, 750, 802) to form a connector housing (15, 250, 405, 705, 804), an elastomeric sealant, such as silicon rubber, may be applied to certain areas of the connector housing (15, 250, 405, 705, 804) to seal the header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800) from the ingress of water. For example, the overmolding of the header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800) may require or result in the formation of openings in the interior walls formed of the first thermoplastic that adjoin the header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800) caused by molding shutoffs. Portions of the header connector (10, 240, 410, 600, 800) may be exposed through these openings. These openings may, by way of example, include the openings 197 in the interior back wall 199 of the connector housing 15 (shown in Fig. 15) and the openings in the interior back wall 518 of the connector housing 405, within which the projections 455 are disposed, as shown in Fig. 35. During the overmolding process, wells may be formed from the first thermoplastic around the openings. After the overmolding process, these wells are filled with elastomeric sealant to prevent ingress of water through the openings.

[00182] In addition to the wells formed around the windows, wells may also be molded around the base of the pin fields on the keepers (18, 256, 424, 604, 814), respectively. These wells are also filled with elastomeric sealant to prevent the ingress of water through the pin fields.

[00183] It is to be understood that the description of the foregoing exemplary embodiment(s) is (are) intended to be only illustrative, rather than exhaustive. Those of ordinary skill will be able to make certain additions, deletions, and/or modifications to the embodiment(s) of the disclosed subject matter without departing from the spirit of the disclosure or its scope.