Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
lU~i~'3S'~;
BAC~GROUND O~ THE INV~NTION
The invention relates to a dielectric pin carrier
for the insulated fixation of contact pins in holes in a
standardized plate o~ metal or in holes with metallized sur-
faces.
In the computer industry, use is made on a large
scale of printed circuits. For connections, contacts pins
are inserted into holes in the circuit plate and soldered.
Sometimes, in cooperation with these printed circuits, metal
rear panels are used, in which contact pins must be placed
in such a way that they are insulated with respect to the
metal plate. In large scale processing of contact pins of
standard size for this purpose, it is desireable that the
assembly of the pins in the rear plates can be automated and
standardized as much as possible.
~UMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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It is the purpose of the present invention to
facilitate an automated assembly and insulation of pins in
a simple and inexpensive manner. According to the invention,
this is achieved with a dielectric pin carrier of the type
described in the preamble, which is characterized by a strip
of sleeves of synthetic polymeric material, each provided
with an enlarged head. The sleeves are connected to each
other through these heads by flexible webs, the outside
diameter of each sleeve under its head corresponding to the
standard size of a hole in a plate,the inside diameter of
each sleeve being smaller than the maximum dimension of a
contact pin and the space between sleeve centers corres-
ponding to the standard distance between two adjacent holes
in the plate.
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With a strip of insulation sleeves according to
the invention, it is possible to fix and simultaneously insu-
late a row of contact pins in corresponding holes in a metal
plate. The individual pins are inserted beforehand at the
head side of the insulation sleeves, so that a pre-assembly
is obtained which can be placed on a metal plate. The
individual sleeves are inserted into the holes in the plate
and, subse~uently, the contact pins are pressed through,
durin~ which the plastic material is pressed outwards and
thus assures a solid fixation.
In order to insure retention in the plate, it is
further proposed according to the invention that the inser-
tion end of each contact sleeve be split into two lips with
inwardly extending enlargements. When the contact pin is
pushed through the sleeve into engagement with the enlarge-
ments on the lips, the split ends of the sleeve are bent
away from each other and thus assu~e retention in the plate. t
The dielectric pin carrier according to the
invention can be manufactured by molding in one single piece
in an appropriate die. At each sleeve head, a notch is pro-
vided, by which the connection between two adjacent contact
sleeves can be broken off. In this way, a strip of contact
sleeves according to the invention is very manageable and a i~
strip of any desired number of sleeves can be used, depending
only the number of plate holes in which pins must be fixed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAI~INGS
Figure 1 is a side view of an insulated pin carrier
according to the invention with contact pins partially
inserted therein. t~
t
Figure 2 is a top view.
Figure 3 is a side view, parts having been broken
away and shown in sectlon to reveal details of the pre-assembly
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the sleeve in a
plate after full insertion of a pin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a dielectric pin
carrier according to the invention comprises a row of insu-
lation sleeves 1 of a synthetic polymeric material such as
nylon. At its lower end, each sleeve 1 has an insertion
part 2 which tapers slightly and, at its upper endj an
enlarged rectilinear head 3. Adjacent sleeves are connected
to each other by flexible connecting webs 4 and a break off
notch 5 is provided at each head to enable two sleeves to
be separated. The strip of sleeves and connecting webs `~
can be manufactured in one single piece by injection molding.
Each sleeve has an outside periphery 6 that corres-
ponds in diameter to the standard hole size in a circuit
plate or rear plate of the type used in the computer indus-
try. The inside diameter 7 of each sleeve is less thandiagonal of a s~uare contact pin 8. Thus, when the contact
pin is pushed through, it is fixed in the sleeve.
The insertion part 2 at the lower end of the sleeve
is provided with a slot 9, so that two lips 10 are formed
there~ each of which has an enlargement or tongue 11 at its
inner side. In this way, the two lips 10 are bent away from
each other when a contact pin is pushed through and the
sleeve is fixed in its hole (Fig. 4).
The assembly of contact pins in a metal plate takes
place as follows. After a pre-assembly consisting of a row
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of interconnected insulation sleeves 1 with contact pins 8
extending through heads 3 has been placed in corresponding
holes 12 in a metal plate 13, the pre-assembled pins 8 are
pushed through the sleeves and the metal plate, so that each
sleeve, as a result of the fact that the inside hole therein - .
is smaller than the contact pin, expands itself radially
and is clamped against the wall of the hole 12. In this way, .
the sleeve is fixed completely in its hole, whereas the head
rests on the upper side of the plate and the outward bent
lips 10 assure retention at the under side. In the illus-
trated embodiment, the pins 8 have a square section and also
have notches 14 which guarantee a good anchorage in the
sleeve.
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