Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invcntion relates to an electrical connector.
In Canadian Patent Number 982670 (8233) --
there is described an electrical connector, for use with flat
electrical cables of the type comprisina a plurality of con-
ductors held in spaced side-by-side parallel relationship by an
insulating material cover, the connector comprising a first
housing member having a plurality of through holes each of
which receives an individual terminal having a conductor-
receiving portion projecting from one end of the hole, the
conductor-receiving portion comprising a pair of spaced arms
having opposed edges defining a conductor-receiving slot and
having pointed free ends for piercing the cover of a cable, and
a second housing member which is mountable on the first housing
member and which has a plurality of through holes for receiving
the conductor-receiving portions of the terminals respectively.
The free ends of the arms of the conductor-receiving portion
of each terminal are formed with shoulders directed towards the
first housing member, and the holes in the second housing
member are formed with shoulders engageable with the shoulders
on the arms of the associated terminal to latch the first and
second housing membexs together.
According to this invention there is provided an
electrical connector of the type specified above, in which
connector each terminal has a second similar integrally formed
conductor-receiving portion projecting ~rom the other end of
the hole in the first housing member, there being a third
housing member similar to the second housing member and having
a plurality of through holes for receiving the second conductor-
receiving portions of the terminals respectively.
The connector of this invention can be used to inter-
. - 2 - ~
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connect two cables of the type specified, with the conductors
of the two cables extending, according to the design of the
connector, at any specified angle.
Preferably the two conductor receiving portions of each
terminal are flat plate portions connected by a folded portion
of the terminal, the folded portion having only a single fold
extending parallel to the conductor-receiving slots in the
conductor-receiving portions of the terminal.
With such construction each terminal is rigid in the
direction of insertion of conductors into the conductor-
receiving slots of the two conductor-receiving portions of the
terminal.
An electrical connector according to this invention will
now be described by way of example with reference to the draw-
ings in which:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the connector, with
parts broken away, interconnecting two cables;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the arrangement of Figure l;
.~ Figure 3 is a perspective view of a terminal of the
connector;
Figure 4 is a section on the line IV - IV in Figure 2;
and
Figure 5 is a section on the line V - ~ in Figure 2.
The connector to be described is for ~interconnecting two
cables 100 each comprising a plurality of conauctors 101 held
in spaced side-by-side parallel relationship by an insulating
material cover 102.
The connector comprises a first housing member 1 moulded
from electrically insulating plastics material, and having a
plurality of through holes 2 each of which receives an
-- 3 --
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individual terminal 3 stamped and formed from sheet metal.
Each terminal has a first conductor-receiving portion 4
projecting from one end of the associated hole 2, and a second
similar integrally formed conductor-receiving portion 5 prc-
jecting from the other end of the associated hole 2.
Each conductor-receiving portion 4 or 5 comprises a pair
of spaced arms 6 having opposed edges definin~ a conductor-
receiving slot 7, and having pointed free ends 8 for piercing
the cover 102 of a cable 100.
The two conductor-receiving portions 4 and 5 of each
terminal 3 are flat piate portions connected by a folded portion
9 having only a single fold 10 extending parallel to the slots
7, the fold 10 being such that the axes of the slots 7 are at
right angles.
The connector also comprises similar second and third
housing members 11 and 12 moulded from electrically insulating
plastics material, each being mountable on the firs~ housing
member 1 and each having a plurality of through holes 13 for
receiving the conductor-receiving portions 4 or 5 of the term-
inals 3 respectively. The free ends of the arms 6 of the con-
ductor-receiving portions 4 and 5 of each terminal 3 are formed
with shoulders 14 directed towards the first housing member 1,
and the holes 13 in the second and third housing members 11 and
12 are formed with shoulders 15 engageable by the shoulders 14
on the arms 6 of the associated terminal 3 to latch the second
and third housing members 11 and 12 to the first housing member
1 as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
The surface of each of the second and third housing
members 11 and 12 facing the first housing member 1 is formed
with a recess 16 to receive a cable 100 with the axes of the
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conductors 101 of the cable 100 aligned with the slots 7 in the
associated conductor-receiving portions 4 or 5 of the terminal 3.
As clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5, the holes 13 in the
second and third housing members 11 and 12 taper inwardly from
the recess 16 therein towards the shoulders 14, whereby as a
conductor-receiving portion 4 or 5 of a terminal 3 is inserted
into the hole 13, the arms 6 of the portion 4 or S are first
urged towards each other, and then spring apart such that the
shoulders 14 of the terminal 3 engage over the shoulders 15 in
the hole 13, as shown.
The housing members 1, 11 and 12 are formed with aligned
apertures 17 whereby they can be secured together, for example
by means of bolts, one of which 18 is shown in Figure 2.
To produce an assembly as shown in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5,
the terminals 3 are first mounted in the holes 2 in the first
housing member 1, becoming held therein by means of a lateral
projection 19 on each terminal 3 engaging a wall of the associ-
ated hole 2.
An individual cable 100 is then placed in the recess 16
in each of the second and third housing members 11 and 12, and
the housing members 11 and 12 are then mounted on the first
housing member 1, either together or one at a time, during which
action the arms 6 of the terminals 3 pierce thecovers 102 of the
cables 100, and the conductors 101 of the cables 100 become
received in the slots 7 of the terminals 3 in known manner.
When the housing members 11 and 12 engage the housing
member 1, the shoulders 14 of the terminals 3 will be engaged
over the shoulders 15 of the housing members 11 and 12, and the
housing members 11 and 12 will thus be latched to the housing
member 1 by the terminals 3 which will also be interconnecting
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the conductors 101 of the two cables 100, as clearly shown in
Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings.
The housing members 1, 11 and 12 can then be further
secured together by means of bolts 18 passed through the aligned
apertures 17 therein.
Although the connector described above interconneets the
two cables 100 at right angles, it will be appreciated that by
suitable design connectors aecording to this invention can be
provided to interconneet two cables at any desired angle.
