Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The present invention is related to and an i.mprovement
to the invention described in U.S. Patent 3,725,844 issued
April 3, 1973, to McKeown, et al for "Hermaphroditic Electrical
Contact", assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
That patent is hereafter referred to as the "Brush Contact
Patent".
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to electrical connectors of the type
including a mating electrical contact in electrical circuit relation~
ship with an insulated electrical conductor. More specifically, th.is
invention relates to electrical contacts of the type wherein a plur-
ality of fine wires are held together and axially aligned in a bundlewithin a sleeve and extending rearwardly therein. The axially aligned
wires are urged through a portion of an insulated conductor at a
proximate and transverse portion thereof with the fine wire piercing
through the insulation of the conductor into the central conductor
in an electrical circuit relationship t~erewith. The electrical
contact includes a forward or mating element chosen from one of the
many well known types, such.as a pin, a socket or those shown in the
Brush Contact Patent.
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BACKGROUNO ART
Electrical contacts of the type including a plurality of
axially aligned fine wires held in a sleeve are old and Rnown in t~e
prior art, as shown in the Brush Contact Patent. Suc~ a contact
typically includes in the forward portion thereof a plurality of wires
axially aligned, each wit~ an acutely angled forward end portion and
held toward the rear of the wires within an electrically conducting
holder by a crimp. An insulated electrical wire is coupled to the
f;ne wires by removing the end portion of the insulation to expose a
central conductor at the end thereof, inserting the exposed conductor
into a rear portion of the conducting holder and crimping the sleeve
to maintain the conductor in place and in electric circuit relation-
ship with the sleeve.
Preparing the insulated conductor to make a prior art
electrical contact is time consuming and adds manufacturing expense
and steps.
Such a prior art electrical contact for a connector as
disclosed in the Brush Contact Patent also requires an electrically
conductin~ holder or sleeve to make an electrical path between the
conductor at the rear and the forward fine wires of the contact. In
some applications, a holder made from a non-conducting material or a
low conductance material would be more advantageous, as a lower
manufacturing cost might result by substituting a material such as
plastic.
The process of individually inserting a conductor into each
contact and separately crimping the contacts in place is also unde-
sirable in that it requires handling of each conductor separately~
Since there are generally a number of electrical contacts in an
electrical connector assembly, the handling and installing of each
conductor separately can be expensive.
The foregoing and other limitations of the prior art pre-
sents problems and costs in the manufacturing of electrical connector
assemblies and contacts.
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According to the present invention there is
provided an electrical connector assembly having a housing
with a ma~ing face and a second face with a passage extending
from the mating face to the second face. A contact is
mounted within the housing, the contact having a mating
element extending in the direction of the mating face and
a plurality of axially aligned wires, each having a tapered
end portion and extending in the direction of the second
face, the wires being in electrical circuit relationship with
the mating element. An insulated wire has a central
electrical conductor and a layer of insulation around the
conductor, means is provided for securing the insulator wire
to the housing with at least a portion of the wire transverse
to the axially aligned wires, the transverse portion
being impaled upon the axial wires with the wires extending
into the central conductor so that the axially aligned wires
extend through the insulation and into the central conductor
of the insulated wire to connect the mating element and the
central conductor of the insulated wire in electric circuit
relationship.
According to another aspect of the present invention
there is provided a method of making an electrical connector
assembly, the method including the steps of providing a
housing with the mating face and a second face with a passage
extending from the mating to the second face and mounting a
contact within the housing passage including a mating end
extending in the direction of the mating face and a plurality
of axially aligned wires, each having a tapered end portion
and extending in the direction of the second face, the wires
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being in electrical circuit relationship with the mating end.
The method further includes the step of securing an insulated
wire having a central conductor and a layer of insulation
around the conductor to the housing with at least a portion
of wire being formed transverse to the axially aligned wires
by impaling the insulated wires upon the axial wires with the
wires extending through the insulation and into the central
conductor so that an electrical conductor assembly with a
mating end and the central conductor of the insulated wires
in electrical circuit relationship is made. -
The electrical connector assembly of the present
invention is especially adapted to have a plurality of
contacts arranged in spaced relationship, mounted in a first
housing. A plurality of insulated wires, arranged in a
similar spaced relationship and adapted to be
mated simultaneously with each of the respective
electrical contacts, is mounted to a second housing.
Although a plurality of individual wires could be mounted
to the housing in the spaced relationship, the present
invention is especially adapted for use with conductors
arranged in a spaced ribbon.
In a specific embodiment of the invention, the
first electrical connector assembly, described above, has a
plurality of passages, with a contact mounted in each passage.
The contact includes a plurality of straight line wires,
each with an acutely angled rear end portion and axially
aligned to form a bundle. The acutely angled rear end portion
of each of the wires is adapted to engage a transverse portion
of an insulated electrical conductor by piercing through the
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insulation and engaging the central electrical conductor.
The transverse portion of the insulated conductor is held
in place by the second housing.
The present invention allows the assembly of an
insulated electrical wire to an electrical contact without
requiring that the insulation first be removed from the
conductor of that wire by being prepared to have an exposed
portion.
The present invention also allows a plurality of
electrically conductins wires to be easily and quickly
assembled in electrical circuit relationship with a plurality
of respective contacts, with said wires and contacts arranged
in a spaced relationship.
It is a further object to provide in one embodiment
of the present invention an electrical connector with a
plurality of electrical contacts, each having a holder or
sleeve for holding a plurality of axially aligned wires in
which the sleeve or holder need not be electrically conducting.
In such embodiment, the axially aligned wires extend completely
from the forward mating and through the sleeves and into the
electrical conductor at the rear and provide a current path
themselves, thereby eliminating the necessity of providing
an electrically conducting sleeve to provide a current path.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention
to provide a novel electrical connector assembly and a novel
method of manufacturing the assembly which is economical and
reliable.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a novel method of connecting an electrical contact to
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an insulated electrical conductor.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of
the present invention wlll be apparent to one skilled in the
art in view of the following description and the accompanying
drawings.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OT THE DRA~INGS
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present
invention.
FIGURE 2 is-a cross sectional v;ew of the electrical connector
of FIGURE 1 looRing in the di~rection of the line 2.2.
FIGURE 3 ;s a partial cross sectional view of an assembled
electrical connector of an alternate embodiment bf the present in-
vention.
FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the connector shown in
FIGURE 3, the view looking in the direct view of the line 4.4 in
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of a
portion of the present invention, showing a housing captivating
individual insulated conductors and providing strain-relief for the
conductors.
FIGURE 6 is a top view of the housing shown in FIGURE 5.
FIGURE 7 is a partial cross sectional view of an electrical
connector assembly (partially assembled) including the conductor
termination of the present invention.
FIGURE 8 is a partial cross sectional view of an alternate
partially-assembled embodiment of the present invention.
FIGURE 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a mated pair of
electrical connectors demonstrating one embodiment of the present
invent;on.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1 illustrates an electrical connector 10 of the
present ~nvention. The connector 10 includes a first housing 100
and a multiple-conductor rib60n 20Q mounted to a second housing 300.
The first and the second housings are assembled together and are
5 mounted to a printed circuit board 400.
The multiple conductor ribbon 200 is a comnercially avail-
able type such as is sold Ijy the 3M Company under the trademark
Scotchflex brand. The rib~on 200 includes a plurality of individually
insulated conductors 210 generally parallel to one another and
10 formed into a single piece with connecting material 211 between the
conductors. The second housing 300 includes two parallel passageways
302, 304 surrounding a central tongue portion 310 of the housing 300.
The ribbon 200 extends through qne passageway 302 toward the first
Kousing 100 and is wrapped around the lower edge (not shown~ of the
tongue portion 310 proximate to the ~irst housing lQO. A portion of
the rib~on 200 is inserted into the lower portion of the second
passageway 304, not shown in FIGURE 1.
The first housing 100 includes a forward mating surface
with contacts for mating with the circuit board 400 and a rear
20 surface 104 for connection with the electrical conductors 210 in the
ribbon.
FIGUPE 2 shows a cross section view of the assembly of
FIGU~E 1, looking along the line 2-2 and thereby showing the detail
of the interior structure of the housings 100, 200 and the connection
25 of electri-cal contacts 110. Mounted to the first housing 100 is a
plurality of electrical contacts 110, each in a separate passage 108.
The passages 108 are generally axially aligned and spacially
separated from an adjacent passage by a uniform distance. Each
electrical contact 110 includes a forward mating portion 112 and a
3Q rear portion including a plurality of axially aligned fine wires 114
which are held in place in a known manner, such as a crimp 116. The
axially aligned wires each have a rear end portion having an acutely
angled end surface 118. The acute angle on the end sur~ace 118 is
preferable 30, although greater or lesser angles- could be used
35 adventageously to practice the present invention.
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The fine ~I;res of the present invention make up a bundle
which is generally disclosed in the Brush Contact Patent.
In one
embodiment of the invention, seven strands o~ Berylium Copper wire,
each having a diameter of .OOB inch, are used, although.other mater-
ials, size of wires or stand count could be substituted without
departing from the spirit of the present invention.
FIGURE 3 shows a partial cross sectional view of an alter-
nate e~bodiment of the electrical connector 10 of the present invenr
tion. The electrical connector contact 11~ includes a plurality of
axially aligned wires 114 extendi:ng throu~h the contact from proxi-
mate the forward mating surface 102 to the rear portion 104 at which
the insulated conductors 210 are mounted. The first housing 100, the
second ~ousing 300 and the ri~bon 200 of insulated conductors may be
unchanged from those descri~ed in FIGURE 1. The contact llQ, which.
must retai:n the fine wires 11~ in axial and radial position, includes
an inwardly crimped portion 116 to maintain the wires in the proper
position.
FIGURE 4 shows a partial cross section side view of the
connector 10 shown in FIGURE 3, looking alone the line 4-4. The
insulated conductor 210 is shown in partial cross section, showing
the insulation 212 and the central conductor 214 ~h.ich, although shown
in its preferred embodiment as a plurality of strands, might be a
single strand of various cross sectional shapes or configurations as
- 25 are commercially available.
- The conductor 210 is shown extending through the one passage-
way 302 of housing 300, over the tongue portion 310 and then into the
second passageway 304, where the free end of the conductor 210 ter-
minates.
3Q The rear end portions of the axially aligned wires 114 has
acutely angled end surfaces 118 which pierce through the insulation
212 and into contact with the central conductor 214 of the insulated
conductor 210. In this way the forward mating portion of the contact
110 is connected in electric circuit relationship with the central
conductor 214 of the insulated conductor 210.
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FIGURES 5 and 6 show an alternate embodiment of the second
housing 30~' adapted to use i-ndividually-mounted insulated wires 210'~
rather than a ribbon includin~ a plurality of wires.
In FIG~RE 5, a plurality of slots 302' is provided in the
housing 300'~. The three slots on the right side of the housing con-
ducting wires 210' ~ave been inserted while the remainder of the slots
302'~ remain vacant.
FIGURE 6 shows the housing 300'~ of FIGURE 5 from the top.
The housing 300'~ includes the plurality of parallel slots 302' and
a second plurality of similarly spaced slots 304'. Between one slot
302' and a corresponding slot 304'~ is a transverse groove 310' for
defining a position for the wire 210' when inserted between the slots.
FlGURE 7 shows the first housing 100 and the second housing
300 being assembled. The first housing 100 is provided with a pair
of outwardly-extending triangular portions lSO, 150. Arms 350, 360
are yieldably mounted to the housing 30Q to allow outward deflection
along ramps 351, 361 by the triangular portions 150, 160 respectively
as the first and second housings are assembled together. When the
housings are fully assembled, the triangular portion 150 is capti-
vated between the surfaces 352, 353 on the arm 350 and the triangular
portion 160 is captivated between the surfaces 362, 363 on the arm
360.
FIGURE 8 shows an alternative embodiment for securing the
first housing 100 to the second housing 300. A screw hole is pro-
vided in an end portion of each housing, through which a screw 500is placed. A nut 510 is threaded onto the screw 500 and tightened to
bring the rear ends 116 of axially aligned wires 114 into the central
conductor 214 of the insulated wire 210. Once the wires are brought
in the conductor 214 by the tightening of the screw 500, a forward
portion 380 of the housing 300 and a rear portion 180 of the housing
100 will be in contact and resist further tightening of the screw 500.
FIGURE 9 shows a mated electrical connector assembly 900 in
which two connectors 910, 920 of the type shown in FIGURE 3 are mated.
The connector 910 includes a ribbon 912 of electrical conductors at
the rear end thereof and forward mating contact 914 of the type des-
cribed in the Brush Contact Patent. The connector 920 includes a
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ribbon 922 and forward mating contact 924 which are mated With the
contact 914 which are mated with the ribbon 912. A locking mechanism
including yielda~le triangular porti`ons 925, 926 mates with recepticle
915 to secure the Connectors 910, 920 together with Contacts 914, 924
S mated in electr;c circu;t relationship.
Other modifications to the systems of the invention will
become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains
without deviation from the sp;rit o~ the present inyention as defined
by the appended cla;ms.
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