Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10564~6
Thi~ invention relatss to electrical connector~,
and more particularly to a connector hal ~ including improved
means ~or retaining a connector wa~er therein.
~ connector hali i~ a hou~ing, generally houeine
at least one connector wafer therein ior connect~on to
another connector half or to a con~ector panel. One ~orm
oi connector housl~g i~ oi generally rectangular cro~s-
seotion having par~llel transverse iaces ~olned at perpendicular
~$des. A waier 19 lnssrted therei~ in an a~lal direction
to iorm the connector h~lf a~sembly. The wa~er is
typically a ilat, rigid pla~tic ineert with contacts aseembled
or moulded therein. The contacta may be either pins or
#ockets extendlng in the axial direction. In an aesembled
co~nector, the ¢ontact~ end~ deiine a plane perpendicular
to the tran~ver~e iacee oi the conne¢tor ehell at the
iorward end thereoi ior mating with other conta¢tsO
In order to ia¢ilitate a#semblg oi connector
halvee, it hae been ne¢e~sary to provlde a means for
holdin4 warer~ ~n a co~nector shell. Thi~ ha~ been done
in the pa~t, for example, by providlng a brac~et and iaetener
at the rear o~ a ehell. Th~e, however, involves complex
aeee~bl~ stepe. In another proposPl, a metalli~ ~hell
ha~ ~ee~ provided with epring olip8 mounted for rotation
ln the traneverse plane ~or engaging the rear sur~ace
oi wa~er8 ~iter they have bee~ a~ially in~erted in the
~hell. Such de~lgne ~ntail complexity in con~tructlon,
and generally require a metallic ~hell that can~ot be
iormed by a simple ca~ting process. ~oth rorms oi
co~nector require a relatively complex rorm Or manipulation
~0 to remove the waier from the back ~hell.
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1056476
Ihc present invention provides a connector suitable for terminating
a plurality of electrical conductors, which connector comprises an insert
for supporting an electrical connection between each conductor and a respec-
tive contact member, the exterior of the insert being generally rectangular
in cross-section, and a housing for the insert, the housing having first
and second substantially parallel transverse interior surfaces joined by
side walls that are substantially perpendicular to the transverse surfaces
whereby the interior of the housing is of substantially rectangular cross-
section and can receive the insert, the housing having an open rear end
through which the insert can be introduced into the interior of the housing
and a forward end which, in use, is adjacent to the contact members, the
housing being provided with retaining means comprising a transverse
elongate member mounted in or on the housing and a resilient retaining
member extending from the transverse elongate member~ the resilient retaining
member projecting away from one of the transverse surfaces into the interior
of the housing and towards the forward end of the housing, and an outer
surface of the insert having a transverse rib projecting therefrom, the :
arrangement being such that, when the insert is positioned in the housing,
the rib, which projects towards the said transverse interior surface of the
. 20 housing, can co-operate with the resilient retaining member to prevent
; withdrawal of the insert through the rear end of the housing. .
' ,
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1056476
The present invention also provides a housing suitable for use
in the connector described in the preced~ng paragraph, which housing has
first and second substantially parallel transverse interior surfaces joined
by side walls that are substantially perpendicular to the transverse
surfaces whereby the interior of the housing is of substantially rectangular
cross-section and can receive an insert having an exterior which is generally
rectangular in cross-section, the housing having an open rear end through
which the insert can be introduced into the interior of the housing and a
forward end, the housing being provided with retaining means comprising
a transverse elongate member mounted in or on the housing and a resilient
retaining member extending from the transverse elongate member, the resilient
retaining member projecting away from one of the transverse surfaces into
the interior of the housing and towards the forward end of the housing. The
invention further provides an insert suitable for use in the connector of
the invention, which insert includes a plurality of contact members each of
which may be connected to a respective conductor of a ribbon cable, the
exterior of the insert being generally rectangular in cross-section and an
outer surface of the insert having a transverse rib projecting therefrom.
It should be understood that preferred or advantageous features referred to
herein in connection with the housing and/or insert of the connector are also,
where appropriate, preferred or advantageous features of the housing and/or
insert per se.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the resilient retaining
means, which is advantageously substantially flat and rectangular in shape,
comprises a first
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1056476
elongate member one end o~ which is ~upported by the
hou~ing, the first elongate member extending into the
interior of the housin~ in a direction away from the
opening thereinO The end of the first elongate member
which i~ supported by the housing preferably extend~ ~rom~
and is sub~tantially perpendicular to, a transverse elongate
member which may be mounted in or on the hou~ing. ~n
aperture is advantageou~ly provided in the housing for
insertion of the re~ilient retaining means therein, the
housing also comprising seating means for locating the
tran~verse elongate member and ~or aligning the ~irst
elongate member within the housingO
When the resilient retaining means includes a
transverse elongate member, the retaining mean~ preferably
al~o compri~e~ a retaining leg projecting from the tran~verse
elongate member, the inner surface of the housing al~o
compriaing a ~lot for receiving the retaining leg, whereby
the re~ilient retaining mean~ may be retained in position in
the housing. ~he ~lot is advantageou~ly defined by an inner
surface of the hou~ing and a ~urface of an inner wall of the
housing parallel to the said inner ~urface, whereby the
housing may be formed by ca~ting, at least part of the in~ert
being ~uch that it can be received in the cavity defined by
the inner wall.
The housing
',
~ - 4a -
1056476
preierably al~o comprises mean~ ~or limiting the extent
to which the insert can be inserted therein. When the
hou~ing compri~es an inner wal} ae described above, the
inner wall advantageou~ly iorm8 the ~aid meane. Pre~erably,
when the insert le in the de~ired position in the hou~ing,
at least part of the camming ~urface abu~s the ~aid inner
wall.
When the housing is pro~ided with an aperture
ior in~ertion oi the resilient retaining mean~, the
hou~i~g advantageously also compriee~ an axi~l rib
proJecting inwardly irom the inner ~uriace oi the housing,
the rib traver~ing the aperture and extending parallel
to the direction of movement oi the in~ert when the
latter i3 ineerted into the hou~ing, the ~ur~aoe of the
rib that ~ace~ the aperture iorming seating means ior the
tran~er~e elongate member oi the reeilient retaining
the iir~t elongate member o~ the re~ilient retaining mean~
mean3, and/being bifurcated to provide a receee in that
elongate member ior receiving the axial rib. Preierably,
the hou~ine hae two oppoeite wall~ ea¢h of which i~
provided with an a~ial rib and an aperture, the a~ial rib
on one oi the wall9 bei~g trans~ereely di~placed w~th
re~pe¢t to the asial ri~ on the other wallO
The houslng of the co~nector o~ the invention
advantageously ha# ilr~t and ~econd parallel, transver~e
iace~ joined by perpendicular side w 11~ to provide a
; ~ub~tan~ially rectangular cros~-~ection and t~e in~ert
compriaes a wa~er having a ~ubstantlQlly rectangular
cros~-3ection~ ~he housing pre~erably ha3 a iront end
~or mat~g with another connactor and a rear end in which
the opening i8 ~ituatedO
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1056476
The outer sur~ace of the insert uaed in
accordance with the invention advantageously ~nclude~
a traneveree rlb, which transverse rib rorm~ the cammlng
suriace and the retaining ehoulderO Preferably the tran~-
ver~e rib 1B provlded with a rece~e ior regiYtratlon with
the axial rib on the housing, whereby the trans~erse rib
acts both as registration means and retaining means.
In a preierred embodiment of the invention, the lnaert
comprises first and second wafers, each of the waiers
ha~lng Pn ~nner iace ior engagement with the inner ~ace
o~ the other wa~er and an outer iace provided with a
: ¢~mm~ ~e ~urface and retaining ~houlder. ~he insert iB
advantageously adapted ior electrioal conne~tion to the
conductore oi a cable that is ~ub~tantially ilat in croes-
sectlon, ior example a ribbon cable; the indlvidual
¢onductors in such a n at cable may be, ior example, round
or ~lat i~ croas-section.
~he preeent inventio~ also pro~ides a kit oi
part~ whi¢h ¢ompriees a housing and an insert as deiined
above, together with a tool ior remo~ing the in~ert irom
the houslng, the tool being ~uch that lt can be inserted
in the opening in the hou~ing and can cause the reeilient
retai~ing meane to ile~ to a configuratlon wherein it does
not preve~t withdrawal o~ the insert rrom the housi~g.
: 25 ~he invention al~o providec a method of making an electrlcal
co~nection between two electrical conductor~, which
cQmpri~e~ making an electrical connection between each o~
~` the conductor~ and an electrical contaot member o~ a
reepecti~e oonnector in accordance with the invention,
and mating the ~aid electrical contact member oi one
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:
1 056476
connector ~ith the ~aid electrical contact member or the
other connector9 and an a~sembly whenever made by ~uch
a methodO
The in~ention rurther provlde~ a connector half
whlch comprises substantiPlly parallel tran~er~e walls
~oined by perpendicular aide~ to pro~ide a sub~tantially
re¢tangular ¢ros~-section ¢apab}e of receiving at least
one flat connector waier in~erted therein in a forward
axial direction. ~ tran~erse rib is formed on an upper
face oi a wa~er iacing an inner ~a¢e oi a tran~verse wallO
A spring clip cantile~ered oi th~ inner iace oi the
connector hali i8 pro~idedO When the wa~er is in~er~ed
in the conne¢tor hali, the rib act~ ae a cam against the
apring clip, forcing the spring ¢lip up. ~he apring clip
return~ to abut the rear of the rib ae the wafer is pushed
into position to retain the waier in the connector haltO
The rib may be provided with recessea ~or meshing with
a~ial key~ on the inner suriace oi the connector hali.
A tool iR pro~ided ~or ¢amming the apring ¢lip and ~llowing
remo~al o~ the waier.
In a preierred embodiment oi the in~ention,
thereiore, retaining means are cantilevered within a connector
; shell a~d a rib on a waier acts as camming meanB on the
retai~ing mean~ when the wa~er i8 in#erted in the shell,
the wa~er be~ng rigidly kept in place by the retaining
means thereafter. The rib o~ the wa~er may cooperate
with alignment keyæ aæ well a8 acting ae retaining means.
In a $urther em~odiment o~ the inv~ntion, ths
eonnecter ma~ compri~e a connector shell oi the general
3~ t~pe having a recta~gular ¢rose-section, parallel trans~erse
':
- 7 -
- 105647~
wall8 being ~oined by perpendicular ~ide walls for receiving
a connector wa~er in~erted irom the rear toward the front in
an axial direction. Retaining means cantllerered ~rom an
area adJacent the rear of the connector ~hell in an a~ial
directlon toward the front are provlded. A transverse rib
is provided on the connector waier. When the waier i8
inserted into the connector shell, the rib cam6 the retaining
means, slides pa~t the retaining means, and the retaining
means bear~ against the rear shoulder oi the rib ior retaining
the wa~er in place. A tool may be provided for camming
the retaining meane such that the tool and wafer may be
removed ~rom the shell whe~ it is de~ired to separate the
variou~ parts o~ the connector a~sem~ly.
; ~he lnvention makes it possible to provide improved
means for retalnin~ a connector wa~er in a conne¢tor shell
to pro~ide lmpro~ed conne¢tor assembly and di8a~sembly;
one or more va~er~ may be reliably and strongly maintalned
in a ~hell but may be easlly remo~ed when desired. The
conne¢tor o~ the lnvention may be simple to u~e while
having a small number of parts. ~urthermore, the connector
can be con~tructed of metaIlic parts for ma~imum strength.
The housing connector may be con~tructed by a simple casti~g
operation, whereby the need for comple2 machining in production
o~ the connector a~embly i8 eliminated. The present
inventisn al80 proYides a tool for use in connection with
the Gonne¢tor of the in~ention ~or removal of the wafer,
hich tool is extremely ~imple in construction and is simple
- to u~e. Thus when, ior e~ample, the hou~ing (~hell~ and
the insert (wa~er) are ~ubstantlally rectangular in cross-
~ection, the front e~d of the tool may be aubsta~tially
flat and9 whate~sr the shape o~ the tool, the invention makea
lt po~sible to remove a plur~lity o~ contact member~ simul-
taneou~ly ~rom a housing without the need to u~e a tool of
oomplicated shape.
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1056476
The inventlon will no~ be de~cribed, by way o~
esample only, with reierence to the accomp~nying drawing~,
in which:
Fi~ure 1 i~ a side view oi an electri¢al con~e¢tion
iormed at a panel by fir~t and s~cond
connector halves construoted in aocord-
ance with the presffnt invenbion;
Figure 2 le a rear vie~ tPken along the line 2-2
oi Figure 1;
Figure ~ is a ~ide ~iew oi one conneotor aeeembly
oi Figure 1;
: Figure 4 i~ an e~d view taken along the line 4-4
oi Figure ~;
Flgu~e 5 i~ a ~ide view oi the second ¢onnector
half oi Figure 1;
Figure 6 ie a plan vlew oi the co~nection ~hown
in Figure 1;
-~ Figure 7 i~ an e~ploded view oi a connector she
and retalning means;
Figure 8 shows a spring retaining means;
Figure 9 i~ a cross-~ection taken along the line
9-9 oi F~gure 7 ~luetrating epr~ng
retaining slots $n a connector ~hell;
Flgure 10 i~ a ¢ro~s-~ection taken Plong the line
25 lO-10 oi ~1gure 7 illustrating keys in
a connector ehell;
F~gure 11 ie a ~ide ~iew oi co~nector wa~er~ aligned
: ior in~ertio~ in a conne¢tor shell;
~ Pigure 1~ i8 a irontal end vie~ oi the warers
;~ 30 oi Figure 11;
: _ 9 _
1056476
Figure 13 i~ a croas-~ection o~ a conneotion
bet~een two conne¢tor halvee t~ken
along the line 13-1~ o~ Flgure 1 and
also illustratee the w e of a wafer
remo~al tool;
Figure 14 lo a rear end ~ieN PlOng the line
14-14 of Figure 16 with ths oonnector
waier~ removed;
Figure 15 ie a rear end ~iew taken along the llne
15-15 oi Figure 16 and ~howing connector
waiere positioned in a connector ~h~ll;
Figure 16 is a detailed siae view of one oonnector
hali Or Figure 1, partially broken ~way;
arla
. 15 ~igure 17 i~ a ~ide ~iew of one con~eotor half of
Figure l taken along the line 17-17 oi
Figure 14.
:: ReierriDg now to the drawinge, Figure 1 ehow# a
connector 1 con~isti~g oi first and ~econd co~ne¢tor h~lve8
.
- 20 2 and 3 ~hich are mated to iorm an electrical and meohanioal
` co~nection bet~een conduotor groups 4 and 5 and condu¢tor
.: group~ 4' and 5' (~ee F~gure 6) ~hich are term~nated in
the oonne¢tor hal~es 2 a~d 3 re~pectively. The connector
1 la mounted in a wall 7 by ~ea~ oi ia~tening means 8 and
nange~ 9 ~nd 9'. The ¢onne¢tor 1 may also be provlded
~ with mea~ for mounting lt on a ~urface other than a wall,
-. or ~ay eimply oon~l~t oi the connector halve~ 2 snd 3.
Th4 iollowing de~criptlon i~ dire¢ted pr~maril~
toward the eonnector hali 2; the connector hali ~ i~ similarly
~0 construct~d. In accordance wlth the prese~t invention,
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~056476
an improved connector half 2 i~ provided in which first a~d
~econd connector wafers 11 and 12 (see ~igure 2) are retained
in an improved manner in a conne¢tor shell 13 which ~orm~
the hou3ing in the conne¢tor h lf 20 Additionally, because
of the construction of the present in~ention, a tool 15
t~ee ~igure 1) may be used ~or easy removal o~ connector
wa~er~ 11 and 12 from the connector half 2 or connector
wafers 11' and 12' (see ~igure 13) from the connector half
3. Primed reference numerale denote components of the
connector half 3 corresponding to those of the connector
hal~ 20
Figure~ 3 and 5 show the connector halve~ 2 and
3 re~pectively, Qeparated from each other. The ¢onnector
w~èr~ nd 12 (no~ vlaible in F~gure~ 3 and 5) e~tend
within the connector ahell 13 toward a front end 14 thereo~
t~ee ~igure 3) in a direction ~hich i~ reierred to herein
as a~ial. Figure 4 is a frontal end view of the connector
: hal~ ahown in F~gure 3, and shows connector pins 16
which are provided at the iront ends o~ the wafers 11 and
12 ~or connection to connector pin~ 16' in wafers 11' and
12' o~ the connector ehell 3 (see ~igure 13). ~he connector
~h~ll 13 of the connecto~ hal~ 2 hou~e~ the forward portion~
o~ the connector wafers 11 and 12 in a front ~ection 17
o~ the oon~eotor hal~ 2 (see ~igure 3) which fits in a
~ront ~ection 17' of the conne¢tor hal~ 3 (see ~igure 5)0
The con~ector pin~ may be either pin~ or sockets; t~us,
~Gr e~ample, pins may be provided in a wa~er o~ one o~ the
connector halve3 while ~ocket~ are pro~ided in the wa~er with
which the fir~t-mentioned connector ~afer matesO Polarizing
pin~ 18 (see Figure 4) may be provided at the ~ront end
. 1 1 _
1056476
14 o~ the connector ~hell 1~ to en~ure correct relati~e
orientation oi the connector halvee 2 and 3O The connector
ehell 13 h~ a rear end 19. Figure 6 i~ a plan ~iew oi
the connector halve~ 2 and 3 mated through a hole in the
wall 7.
The conductor groups 4 and 5 may compri~e first
and second ~lat cables 20 and 21 respectively (9ee Figure
6) joined by any ~uitable means to the wa~ers 11 and 12,
each condu¢tor oi the ~lat cable3 20 and 21 being terminated
to a pin 16 at a front end of a wa~er 11 or 12. ~he group~
o~ conductors 4' and 5' could i~ desired be round wire
conductors, each i~dividually terminated to a wa~er 11'
and 12'. ~lter~ati~ely the conductor group~ 4' and 5'
may consi~t o~ ~lat cables 20' and 21'. For this rea~on,
round wire conductor~ are ~hown at the rlght hand ~ide o~
~igure 1, and a ilat cable is shown at the right hand side
oi Figure 5. ~he conductor groups 4 and 5 are joined to
the wafers 11 and 12 respectively. Bach o~ the termination
means 25, 26, 25' and 26' (aa seen iurther in Figures 11
and 13) may con~ist oi conductor wire/connector pin
interiaces and in~ulation. In Figure 1 the lnsulation
hown a~ a réctangular insulation mass surrounding a
rear end o~ the connector wa~er 11 (not vieible in Figure 1)
and a forward end o~ the conductor group 4.
Th~ 0ntion may be brie~ly summarized with
re~ere~ce to ~igure l; a detailed description will be given
below. ~he connector shell 13 shown in Figure 1 ha~ an
improved construction whi¢h house~ a wa~er reta~ing mea~s
280 The waier retai~ing mean~ 28 i~teracte with a trans-
verse rib (aleo indicated in Figure 11 by the reference
- 12 -
1056476
numeral 72) ~ormed on an upper surface of the con~ector
wa~er 11 for ~impli~ied insertion o~ the connector wa~er
11 in the connector shell 13 and ior reliable retention
thereoi. The connector wafer 11 can be simply removed by
use of the tool 150 ~he connector wa~er 12 in~eract~
similarly with the connector ~hell 13, and the connector
wa~ers 11' and 12' interact similarly with the connector
shell 13'.
The vertical direction oP ~igure~ 1 and 7 i8
re~erred to herein a~ the transverse direction, and the
horizontal direction in Figures 1 and 7 i8 referred to
herein a~ the a~al direction. The~e directions
correspond to direction~ de~cribed in the movement~ o~ the
conductor groupa 4 and 5 when the connector wa~er~ 11 and
12 ar~ in3~rted in the connector shell 130 It can
be seen ~rom Figure 2 that the connector shell 13 includes
~ir~t and se¢ond parallel transverse walls 30 and 31.
Opposite end~ of the parallel transver~e~ 30 and 31
are joined respectively by perpe~dicular walls 32 and
33 ~uch that the connector ~hell 13 has a sub~tantially
rectangular ¢ross-section.
Figure 7, ~hich i8 an e~ploded view o~ the
retain~ng mean~ 28 removed irom the oon~e¢tor shell 13,
shows the wa~er-retaining means 28 in greater detall;
the ~a~er retai~ing mean~ 28, viewed along the line 8-8
i~ Figure 7, i8 illustrated ~urther in ~.igure 8. In
~igure 13, which will be discu3~ed in greater detail
below, the ~a~er retaining mean~ 28 is illu~trated mounted
: in the wall 30 o~ the co~nector ~hell 13, and a wa~er-
retaining mean~ 38 i~ mounte~ in the wall 31. ~imilarly,
- 13 -
1056476
wafer-retaining mean~ 28' and ~8' may be mounted in w~ll8
30' and 31' of the conneotor half 3.
Re~erring again to Flgure 7, the warer-retainlng
mean~ 28 may, in the pre~erred embodiment, consist Or a
spring clip in¢luding a first, transverse, leg 40 whi¢h can
be seated in the transverse wall 30 and to which other legs
are attached. ~ second leg 41 iB oantileveT~d ~orwardly
and downwardly ~rom the transverse leg 40. ~he term
cantilevered is used to indicate that one end of the leg 41
i~ mounted to the oonnector shell 130 The second leg
41 ma~ be biiurcated, having ~ections 41a and 41b, collectively
re~erred to a~ the aecond leg 41. By iorwardly it i~ me~nt
that the second leg 41 e~tends irom the leg 40 toward the
iront end 14 oi the connector shell 13. Downwardly means
a~ay ~rom a wall in which a Febainlng leg i8 mounted.
~he second leg 41 may be oi any convenient transverse width
whi¢h is le~s than that oi the rirst leg 40. ~he sectlon~
41a and 41b are preferably ~ymmetrical with respect to an
axial centre line tnot shown) in the transverse centre oi
20 the iirst leg 40. AB seen in Figure 8, the second leg
41 may have a front portion 42, the section~ 41a and 41b
re~pectivel~ having ~ront portions 42a and 42b, each o~ which
i~ rein~orced by any convenient mea~, ior example by *olding
back on itsel~ an end o~ the etamping ~rom which the leg
iB cut. ~dditionally, ~orwardly directed mounting leg~
- 43 a~d 44 reepe¢tively extend irom positions ad~acent opposits
~ trans~er~s end~ of the ~ir~t leg 40. The wa~er-retaining
.,
mean~ 38 i~ 8imilarly constructed and is disposed in a
manner similar to the wa~er-retaining mean~ 28 a~ de~cribed
below~ A lo~gitudinal (perpendicular to tran~ver~e and
- 14 -
1056476
a~ial) o~f~et leg 48 (~ee Fl~ur~ 8) may be provided between
the first and se¢ond leg~ 40 and 410
The connector ~hell 1~ ha~ a ior~ard portion 46
(#ee ~igure 7) comprising the portion of the connector shell
including and generally ad~acent to the ~ront end 17 o~
the conneotor shell 13, and a rear portion 47 in which the
Pirst leg 40 can be mountedO As seen in ~igure~ 7, 9 and
10 an aperture comprising a transveree ~lot 50 is formed
: in the wall 30. ~imilarly, a transver~e elot 51 (aee
Figures 9 and 10) is formed in the wall 310 The tran~ver~e
~lot 50 i~ of suf~icient transver~e width to receive tho
waier-retaining member 28 ~or inserting the l~gs 41, 43
and 44 in the cross-~ection oi the connector shell 13.
In order to seat the first leg portion 40, a boss 52 is
iormed ln the outer wall 30 along the back tran~er~e ~ide~
oi the ~lot 50. Preierably, the ~irst leg 40 i~ dimensioned
to fit within the elot 50 and over the boss 52. ~imilarly,
a seating means in the iorm of a bos# 53 is iormed along
; the back and ends oi the slot 51 in the wall 31. Thi~ is
illustrated in Figure 9. In order to retain the waier-
retaining member 28 in the connector shell 13, f~r~t and
second ~lots 58 and 59 are iormed in the inner suriace of
the wall 30 for recei~ing ~orward end~ oi the leg~ 43 and
44 re~pectively. The ~lot~ 58 and 59 may be iormed by
providing a iorward i~ner ~ur~ace 61 parallel to and inwardly
~ irom a rear inner ~uriace 62 o~ the wall 30. When the
: wafer retaini~g means 28 i~ maintain~d in the connector shell
13 in ~uch a way the ¢onnector ~hell may be produced by
casting, thus a~oiding expen~ive machining operation~.
Seating the fir~t leg 40 on the bo~s 52 in the elot 50
.,~
~ - 15 -
.
1056476
locates the wa~er retaining means 28 in the rear portion 47
o~ the connector ~hell 1~ and properly aligns the legs 41,
43 and 44.
As indicated in ~igure 7, the wa~er-reta;n~ng
mean~ 28 i~ inserted forwardly through the slot 50 as
indicated by the arrows in ~igure 7. The ends of the
mounting legs 4~ and 44 respectively slide into the slots
58 and 59, and the ~iret leg 40 seats within the ~lot 50
on the boss 52. The final po~ition of the wafer-retaining
means 28 i3 further illustrated in Figure 1~. The ~a~er
retaining means 28 is pre~erably made of beryIlium copper
both to provide strength for retP~ning and to pro~ide a
degree of resilie~ce for camming of the second leg 41 by
a rib 72 (see Figures 11 and 12) oi the connector wafer 11.
In production, the spring clip which iorms the wafer-
retaining mean~ 28 may simplg be stamped. ~he second
leg 41 i~ bent with respeot to the first leg 40 80 that
when in the connector shell 13, the leg 41 is spring-
biased against the connector wafer 11. ~he legs 4~ and 44
mag also be iormed ~ith a ~light bend to provide a spring
bia~ when inserted in the slots 58 and 59, thu~ tending
to hold the wa~er-retaining means 28 in place.
~` In order to facilitate alignment of the first
and second csnneetor wafer~ 11 and 12, an a~ially e~tending
ke~ 65 traversing the slot 50 is formed on the rear inner
sur~ace 62 o~ the wall 30 a~ the tran~erse centre thereofO
~imilarly, key3 66 ~nd 67 are provided e~tending axially
in the rear pcrtion o~ the inner ~uriace of the wall 31.
The key3 66 and 67 are pre~erably trans~ersely equidistantly
displaced ~rom the key 65 and traverse the 810t 510 The
1056476
key~ 65, 66 ~nd 67 provide for desired orlentation of the
connector wa~er~ 11 and 12 with re~peot to the co~ector
ehell 13, and may act ae seating mean~ ~or the wafer
retain~ng mean~ 28 and 38.
In ~igurae 11 and 12, the connector wafere 11 and
12 are illustrated in greater detail. ~he relative position
o~ the leg portions 41a and 41b are shown i~ dotted line
iorm in Figure llo Figure 11 is a side view similar to
that o~ ~igure 1 illustrating the wa~ers 11 and 12 (wafer
12 ifl not visible in Figure 11) and Figure 12 is a iront end
view. The con~ector wa~er 11 i~ pre~erably o~ rectangular
shape and has a ~ront end 70 ad~acent to which the connector
pinB 16 (aee ~igure 12) are located. Terminating means 25
at the rear oi the wa~er 11 ~oin the connector waier 11 to
the conductor group 4O The wa~ers 11 and 12 pre~erably
have ~lat or interlocking inner ~urfacee mating at an
i~terface 71 (see Figure 12). For the purpose oi retainlng
the wa~er Il in the con~ector ~hell 13, the connector wa~er
11 ha~ ~o~med on an outer ~uriace thereo~ a transverse rib
72 whi¢h may be bifurcated and in the embodiment illustrated
in Figure~ 11 and 12 consi~ts o~ rib sections 72a and 72b.
The rib 72 pre~erably hae a ~orward camming sur~ace 73,
illu~trated as 3ections 73a and 73b and a square rear
ahoulder 74 illustrated as shoulder sectionA 74a and 74b
on the rib ~ection 72a a~d 72b respectively. The rib
~ection 72a and 72b de~ine a rece~s compri~ing a keyway
; which is dimensio~ed to be in rsgistration with ths shell
key 65 (~ee Figure 15). ~imilarly, on the connector wafer
12! a transverae rib 76 consisting o~ aectiona 76a, 76b
~0 and 76c i~ provided similar to the tran8ver3e rib 72.
. .~
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105647~;
However, the transver~e rib 76 ia dimen~ioned to ha~e
keywag~ in registration with the key~ 66 and 67. This
construction provide~ for retention, polarization and
alignment oi the wafers of 11 and 12 in the co~nector
ehell 13 a~ illustratsd in Figures 13 and 15.
~igure 13 i~ a section taken along the line 13-13
of Figure 1. In Figure 13, the connector wafers 11 and 12
are ~hown in place in the connector shell 13. In their
final position, the ¢onnector wa~ers 11 and 12 reet in the
forward portion 46 (see Figure 7) of the connector ahell
13, and the front end 42 of the leg 41 oi the waier-retaining
mean 28 abut~ the rear shoulder 74 of the transver3e rib
72. The ~aier-retaining mean3 38 act~ similarly o~ the
rib 76 to maintain the waier 12 in position. ~hs con~ector
~hell 13 a~d the waier~ 11 and 12 and their respective rib~
72 and 76 are proportioned with respect to each other such
that, in order to achieve thi~ desired di~position, the wafers
11 and 12 are placed with their ~lat surfacee together and
in3erted at the rear end 19 (eee Figure 1) oi the connector
ahe71 13 in a iorward axial direction. The connector wa~ers
11 and 12, the connector ~hell 13 and the wa er-retaining
mean~ 28 and 38 are dimensioned such that the ~ollowing
operation~ reeult. ~ tha connectsr wa~er~ 11 and 12 are
m~ved forward $oward the engaging means 63 illustrated in
~igure 10, the rib~ 72 and 76 cam the retaining mean~ 28
and 38 re~pectively, ior e~ample the rib 72 cam8 the secona
leg 41 oi the waier-retaining means 28. When the wafera
- 11 and 12 are in place, the forward lege oi the retaining
means 28 and 38 spring back toward their original position,
~0 coming to rest on the wafers 11 and 12 behind the riba 72
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1056~76
and 76 re~pectively.
In ~igure 13, removal of the wa~er~ 11' and 12~
iB i~lustrated with respect to the connector hali 30 The
tool 15 ~hown in broken line3) i~ slid into a olearance 80
between the surface of the oonnector wafer 11' and the inner
~urface of the wall 30' oi the conne¢tor ~hell 1~'0
Preferably a front end o~ the tool 15 i8 mo~ed into abutment
with the rear shoulder 74' of the rib 72'. Thi~ action
freee the rear ohoulder 74' from engagement with the leg
41' of the retaining means 28'. Consequently, the connector
wa~er 11' may be removed rearwardly, and thu~ the connector
~afer 12' ha~ more than adequate clearance to permit it~
removal from the connector shell 13'.
~igure 14 i~ a r~ar end ~iew of the connector
~hell 13 (including the wafer-retaining meane 28) taken
along the line 14-14 of ~igure 16 with the connector wafer~
11 and 12 removed. The clearances in the preferred embodiment
which provide for the mo~t advantageou~ operat~on of the
: pré~ent invention are further illustrated with re~erence
: 20 to Figure 15, which i~ a rear end view of the conne¢tor
shell 13 taken along the line 15-15 of ~igure 16 illu~trating
the co~nector wafere 11 and 12 in place in the connector
shell 1~. Figure 16 i~ a view of the co~nector half 2
a~ illustrated in ~igure 1, partially broken away to ~how
~urther detail~. The rear se¢tio~ 47 (~ee Figure 7) of
the connector ~hell 13 is ~ormed having a width in the
longitud~nal ¦ ee below) direction ~etween the inner
cur~ace~ o~ the wall~ ~0 and 31 eu~icient to accept the
combined longitudinal widths o~ the wa~er~ 11 and 12 and
the rib~ 72 and 76. (~he hori~ontPl direction in Figure~
.
- 19 -
105647G
14 and 15 is longitudinal) ~he forward inner wall~ 61
(see al~o Figures 9 and 10) o~ the wall~ 30 and 31 are
illustrated and have a width sufficient to accommodate the
connector wafers 11 and 12, but a width insuf~icient to
allo~ clearance of the connector wafer~ 11 and 12 and the
rib~ 72 and 76. The second legs 41 of the retaining
means 28 and 38 pro~ect into the cavity defined by the
connector ~hell 130 ~herefore, when the con~ector wafers
are in~erted, as illustrated in Figure 15, the front legs
41 are ca~med and then come to rest behind the rib~ 72 and
76 tsee also Flgure 13). ~he rear ends o~ the ~orward
inner wall~ 61 act as engaging means 63 (see Figure 10)
to limit forward motion of the connector wafer~ 11 and 12
ln the connector shell 13. ~ang other ~urfaces in the
connector ~hell could be provided as engaging means to
abut the ~ame or another portion of the connector wafer
11 or 12.
Figures 16 and 17 illustrate further relationship~
within the connector shell 13. As seen in Figure 16,
in which the con~ector shell 13 i9 broken away to show the
rib sections 72a and 72b, interaction o~ the ~pring retaining
means with the rib 72 is better illustrated. Figure 17
i~ broken away to illustrate the key~ 66 and 67 and to
u~trate the projectio~ of the retaining mean~ 38 from
the bo~# 53 (see ~igures 9 a~d 10) into the cavity of the
connector ~hell 13.
The above-described invention i~ advantageous
in that the beryllium copper retaining mean~ 28 and ~8
make it possible to maLntain the connector wafers 11 and 12
~0 in place in a ~trong and rel:Lable manner, while allowing
.
- 20 -
1056476
for ~imple and quick removal with the tool 15~ The
connector half of the present invention i8 deBig:ned ~0 that
~ewer part~ are inYolved than in many other previou~l~
propoaed con~tructions o~ connector halves to provide
ea~y installation and removal o~ connector wa~ers in a
connector shell. Furthermore, the ribs on the connector
wa~er~ serve not only as retaining mean~ but al80 a~ keyway
registration means. ~11 o~ the above functions may be
accomplished in a connector shell which i~ cast. Thus
the present invention makea it pos~ible to pro~ide maximum
u~efulne~ at reduced cost. Oi cour~e, many modi~ication~
may be made in the arrangement illustrated in the drawing~
without departing ~rom the 3~0pe o~ the in~ention.
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