Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10651)31
This invention relates to an electrical terminal, and
also concerns an electrical connector employing such terminals.
. According to one aspect of the invention an electrically :~
conductive terminal in combination with a pair of wires of electrically :~ -
conductive material to be electrically connected to the terminal,
defines a slot having a first portion capable of receiving both of
the wires and two second portions which are juxtaposed with one another
but which diverge from one another in a direction away from the
first portion and each of which communicates directly with the
~ 10 first portion, so that each wire when positioned to extend through
.~ such first portion can be moved laterally of the longitudinal axis
. of the wire into one of the second poritions, the maximum width of
the first portion of the slot being less than the sum of the diameters
of the wires and greater than the diameter of either wire and the ~-
maximum width of each second portion of the slot, being less than
the diameter of either wire.
-~ According to another aspect of the invention an electrically
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: conductive terminal in combination with a pair of wires of electrically
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conductive material to be electrically connected to the terminal,
comprises a flat spring metal plate having a base, a marginal edge
remote from the base and a wire receiving slot opening into the mar-
ginal edge and extending therefro~n towards the base, the slot having
a flared mouth defined by edges of the plate which converge from
the marginal edge towards the base, a first portion communicating
with the smaller end of the mouth and being defined by a pair of
parallel edges of the plate spaced from one another by a distance
which is less than the sum of the diameters of the wires and greater
than the diameter of either wire, and two second portions each
of which communicates at one end directly with the first portion
the two.second portions diverging from one another in a direction
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away from the mouth and each having a maximum width which is
less than the diameter of either of the wires, the two second
portions being separated by a triangular portion of the plate
having a rounded apex directed towards the mouth and being po-
sitined at the junction between the first portion and the two
second portions.
For a better understanding of the invention reference
will now be made by way of exam~le to the accompanying draw-
ings in which:-
Figure 1 is an enlarged elevation of an electrical ter- ~-~
minal, in combination with a tool which is shown in use for
connecting two wires to the terminal, the tool and the wires
being shown in section;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a first ex-
ample of an electrical connector comprising terminals accord-
ing to Figure l;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the connector and of
a cover therefor;
Figure 4 is an enlarged crosssectional view of the conn-
ector with the cover thereon;
Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the assembly
of contact elements to an insulating base of the connector;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second example of
an electrical connector comprising terminals according to Fig-
ure 1, the ~onnector being shown in a partially assembled con-
dition; and
Figure 7 is an enlarged crosssectional view of the conn-
ector of Figure 6 in its assembled condition.
As shown in Figure 1, an electrical terminal 1 comprises ~ -
an electrically conductive plate 2, preferably of spring metal, ~
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having at its lower (as seen in Figure-l) end, a base in the
form of a metal commoning strip 94 by which the terminal is
connected to other and similar terminals tnot shown in Figure
1). The plate 2 has an upper (as seen in Figure 1) edge 6 in-
to which opens a flared mouth 16 of a bifurcated wire receiving
slot 8 formed in the plate 2. The mouth 16 communicates, in
the inward direction of the slot 8 i.e. towards the base, with
a parallel sided portion 14 of the slot, which in turn commun-
icates in the inward direction of the slot 8, with two slot
portions 18 and 20 which diverge in the direction of the base
and between which lies a triangular portion 22 of the plate
having a rounded apex 24 directed away from the base, the slot
portions 18 and 20, in turn communicating in the inward direc-
tion of the slot 8 with respective parallel slot portions 25
and 26.
` As shown in Figure 1, the width of the slot portion 14,
which is constant, is greater than the diameter of either of
metal wires 28 and 30 to be terminated by means of the terminal
1 but is of smaller width than the sum of the diameters of the
wires 28 and 30, the width of each slot portion 18 and 20 being
less than the diameter of either of the wires 28 and 30. The
width of the slot portion 25 is l-ess than that of the slot por-
tion 18, the width of the slot portion 26 being less than that
of the slot portion 20. Although the slot portions 18 and 20
may decrease in width towards the base, it is essential that ~-
their width at the apex 24 be less than the diameter of either
of the wires 28 and 30.
In order to terminate the wires 28 and 30 by means of
the terminal 1, these wires are inserted through the mouth 16
of the slot 8 into the slot portion 14 and are forced by means
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of a tool 32 having an opening 34 receiving the plate 2, into
the slot portions 18 and 20, by advancing the tool 32 towards
th~ base, i.e. in t~e direction of the arrow A in Figure 1,
the base being supported on a rigid surface (not shown in
Figure 1). Since the width of the slot portion 14 is less than
the sum of the diameters of the wires 28 and 30, the wires are
necessarily lie at different levels with respect to one another
during their passage through the slot portion 14 as shown in
Figure 1. As the tool 32 is advanced, the leading wire (28 in :
Figure 1) is diverted by the apex 24 into one of the divergent
slot portions (the portion 1~ in Figure 1). The trailing wire
(30 in Figure 1) is diverted by the leading wire into the other
divergent slot portion (the slot portion 20 in Figure 1), since
considerable force is needed to drive the leading wire into its
lS divergent slot portion, in view of the restricted width of this
portion and of its angle of divergence (approximately 20) with ~:
respect to the vertical. As the tool 32 is further advanced in
the direction of the arrow A, each of the wires is forced from
its divergent slot portion into the communicating parallel slot
portion 25 or 26 as the case may be, where the wire is deformed
to subtantially oval cross-sectional shape as indicated in
broken lines in Figure 1, by virtue of the small width of the
parallel slot portion, whereby permanent electrical contact is
made between the wire and the plate 2. If the wires are surr~ ....~ ..
ounded by insulating sheaths (not shown) these will be cut
through by the walls of the slot portions through which the
wires pass.
A first electrical connector comprising terminals accoxd-
ing to Figure 1 will now be described with reference to Figures
2 to 5. The connector comprises an insulating base 99 provided
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with parallel slots 112 each communicating at one end with a
tubular channel 98 and being defined by fingers 113 upstanding
from a flat bed 97. A shoulder 96 projects from the bed 97 at
a position spaced from, and opposite to, the end faces of the ~
fingers 113 remote from the channels 98. An array of electrical :
contact elements 9S rests upon the bed 97, each contact ele-
ment 95 comprising a metal strip 111 having at one end a pin
receptacle 93 and at the other end a terminal 1, these contact
elements being commonly connected by strips 94 bridging the
terminals 1. Each contact element 95 is positioned on the bed
97 with its receptacle 93 in one of the slots 112 and in align- ;
ment with a channel 98 through which a male contact member in
the form of a pin (not shown) can be inserted to mate with the
receptacle 93. These terminals 1 are positioned near the
, 15 shoulder 96 as shown in Figure 4.
An insulating member 92 comprising a row of parallel ~ -~
fingers 108 and being formed integrally with a contact element ::
support 91, fits over the array of contacts 95 on the bed 97
with the fingers 108 thereof in the slots 112 of the base 99 :
(as shown in Figure 4), and with the edge 90 of the support 91,
remote from the fingers 108, adjacent the shoulder 96 and with
the terminals 1 extending through slots 109 in the support 91. ::
Separate contact elements 89 each comprise a pin recep- ~
tacle 102 connected by a cranked strip 86 to a conventional : -
; 25 slotted plate terminal 84 having a single wire receiving slot 85.
The elements 89 are of overall shorter length than the elements '~9S. Each receptacle 102 rests upon the upper surface 88 of one
of the flngers 108 as shown in Figure 4, with the strip 86 rec-
eived in a slot 133 of the support 91, each slot 133 being po-
sitioned between two slots 109, but being offset therefrom
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towards the fingers 108.
An insulating cap 82 is mounted over the receptacles 102
so that each of the receptacles 102 is received in a recess 134
in the cap 82, as shown in Figure 4, which communicates with an
aperture 101 in a forward wall of the cap, through which a male
contact element in the form of a pin (not shown) can be inserted
to mate with the receptacle 102. An insulating cover 135 (best
seen in Figure 3) fits into the base 99, adjacent to the cap 82 : :
and has recesses 145 and 146 which receive the respective ter-
minals 1 and 84 as shown in Figure 4.
The cap 82 is releasably secured to the ~ase 99 by inter-
~ engaging latches 130 and bosses 121, on the cap 82 and base 99,
the cover 135 being similarly secured to the base 99 by inter-
engaging latches 137 and shoulders 138, on the cover 135 and
the base 99.
Prior to the assembly of the cover 135, to the base 99, ~:
(see Figure 3) wires 28 and 30 of a multi-wire flat cable 147
(of the kind known as a "flat flexible cable") are selectively -
inserted into the slots of the terminals 1, and 84, according .
to a desired wiring pattern for the connector, and may, or may
not, as required, connect a contact element 95 to a contact ~ -
element 89.
As will be apparent from Figures 4 and 5 the terminals
; 1 and 84 lie at the same level but in staggered relationship
25 so that wires can be loaded lnto the slots of these terminals --.
simultaneously and by means of a composite tool, whereas the
receptacles 93 and 102 lie in superposed rows, with each rec- :
eptacle of one row exactly opposite to a receptacle of the
other row.
- 30 According to Figures 6 and 7, a second electrical conn-
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ector similar to that descrlbed above, comprises two comple~
mentary insulating housing portions 160 and 161 which are inter-
matable with the interposition of an insulating spacer 162,
these two portions being rotationally symetrical ~i.e. one
S housing portion is a mirror image of the other).
Each porti.on 160 and 161 comprises two arrays of ele-
ctrical contact elements 89' and 95' which are similar to the
elements 89 and 95 described above excepting that the strips
86' of the elements 89' are not cranked as are the strips 86
of the elements 89 and are shorter than the strips 86. In the
case of each housing portion 160 and 161, the elements 89' and
95' are arranged in alternation with one another on a flat bed
97' of the housing portion with their respective receptacles
93' and 102' positioned opposite pin receiving apertures 98' in
a forward wall of the housing portion, the terminals 1' of the : .
elements 95' being nearer to a step 96' on the bed 97', than
the terminals 84' of the elements 89', since the elements 89'
are shorter than the elements 95'. An insulating member 92' .
covers each of the elements 89' and 95' and has slots 109' and
133' through which the terminals 1' and 84' respectively project
as shown in Figure 7. The spacer 162 has spaced grooves 189
: and 192 receiving the respective terminals, also as shown in
; Figure 7.
Prior to the assembly of members 92' and the spacer 162,
pairs of wires 170 of a multi-wlre flat cable 185 are forced in-
to the bifurcated slots of each of the terminals 1' of each
housing portion 160 and 161 (see Figure 6) and a wire 171 is
forced into the single wire receiving slot of each terminal 84'
after which the members 92' are assembled to the housing portions~: .
and these are releasably secured together about the spacer 162
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by co-operation between latches 130' and 137' and respective
bosses 121' and shoulder 138', on the housing portions, the
cables 185 being trapped between flat surfaces 200 of the hou-
sing portions.
In each of the two connectors described above, the slots
of the terminals are of equal depth as measured from the surface
of the bed 97 or 97' as the case may be.
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