Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 Field of the Invention:
This invention pertains generally to electrical
interconnection and relates more particularly to elec-
trical interconnect devices including flat, flexible
multiconductor cable.
Background of the Invention:
United States Shiells Patent No. 3,601,755,
commonly assigned herewith, sets forth an electrical
jumper in widespread present use having a plurality of
electrical conductors encased in an insulative covering
with ends of the conductors exposed for electrical con-
nection. The conductor end portions are of generally
circular cross-section and a bridging portion extends
between the end portions and is substantially more
flexible than the end portions, permitting a high degree
of cable bending to accommodate numerous connection ap-
plications, particularly as between or within the borders
of printed circuit boards. In the ma~ing of the '755
patent jumper, the conductors of the cable are initially
of constant round cross-section over their entire length
and are subjected to rolling pressure thereby modifying
the cross-section of the bridging portion from initial
round configuration to generally rectangular configura-
tion of quite thin height and vastly expanded width.
Since the conductors of the referenced jumper
are of composition responding to rolling pressure for dis-
tortion, they are generally of soft metal and the conductor
end portions are suited principally for wave soldering to
accommodate electrical connection. Typically, a printed
circuit board is preformed with conductive pads defining
apertures for the receipt of the jumper end portions and
the end portions are inserted in such apertures and wave
soldered in position. Absent such solder support thereof,
the jumper end portions are readily displaced from intended
alignment and have not been regarded heretofore as suitable
as contact members adapted for separable connections. Such
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jumpers accordingly have not had usage in the area of separable
flexible interconnections in printed circuit board and like
applications.
SUMMP~RY OF THE IN~IENTION.
The present invention has as its principal object the
provision of improved flexible interconnection devices for
separable electrical connection~
A more particular object of the invention is to
adapt jumpers of the type discussed above to separable
electrical interconnect applications~
In attaining the foregoing and other objects, the
invention provides an electrical interconnect device which
comprises a flat electrical cable having a plurality of elongate
conductors, each including an end portion and an electrically
insulative covering for the cable exposing end extents of the
end portions. The device further comprises an electrically
insulati~e housing formed integrally on the cable in registry
with the conductor end portions, the housing being fixedly
secured to the insulative covering and further circumscribingly
engaging each of the conductor end extents~ The device also
has contact members consisting solely of terminal integral
portions of the conductor end extents projecting exteriorly
of the housing. In a further aspect of the invention the
interconnect device further includes a second housing separably
joinable with the first-mentioned housing, the second housing
defining passages for receiving the terminal portions of the
'conductor end portions and including contact elements disposed
in interference path in the passages for engaging the terminal
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portions on joinder of the first-mentioned and the second
housings.
The foregoing and other objects and features
of the invention will be further evident from the following
detailed description and from the drawings wherein like
reference numerals identify like parts throughout.
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1 Description of the Drawings:
Fig. 1 is an exploded Perspective view of
the several components of a connection system of the
invention.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation schematic view
of the multiconductor cable of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view as seen along plane
III-III of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view as seen along plane
IV-IV of Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the socket of
Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a jumper assembly
having the header of Fig. 1 in assembly with a multicon-
ductor cableO
Fig. 7 is a partially sectioned viewj showing
the combination of the socket of Fig. 5 and the jumper
assembly of Fig. 6.
Description oE Preferred Embodiments:
Referring to Fig. 1 separable electrical inter-
connection of printed circuit boards (PCB) 10 and 12 is
provided by jumper assembly 14 and socket 16. Assembly
14 includes jumper 19, having p:Lural conductors 18, and
header 20, inseparably joinded together.
The configuration of jumper 19 is seen in Figs.
2-4. Conductor end portions 18a and 18b are bridged by
flexible central portion 18c. The end portions are of
first cross-section, generally round (Fig. 3) and the
central portion is of second different cross-section,
; 30 preferably rectangular and having one dimension greatly
exceeding the other to provide enhanced bendability. As
is described in detail in the referenced Shiells patent
above, elongage round conductors may be flattened hy
rolling pressure to define the jumper configuration of
Figs. 2-4. For purposes of reference herein, the trans~
ition zone Erom Elat to round cross-section is identified
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1 as jumper portion 18d, the extents of end portions within
jumper insulation 22 are noted, e.g., as extent 18b-1, the
extents of end portions outside jumper insulation 22 are
noted, e.g., as extent 18b-2i and the terminal parts of
end extents 18b-2 are noted as 18b-3. Such parts 18b-3
will be seen in Fig. 1 to be disposed outwardly of header
20 and to be mutually s~acedly supported linewise in
ninety-degree orientation to jumper 18. Socket 16 de-
fines circular openings 24 which are mutually spaced on
centers corresponding to the spacing of parts 18b-3.
Contact elements within the socket, discussed below,
include downwardly depending tails 26a, which are wave-
soldered into PCB 10. End portions 18a of jumper
; assembly 14 are likewise wave-soldered into conductive ap-
ertures 20 of PCB 12.
Structural detail of socket 16 and head 20 is
shown in Figs. 5 and 6, where these parts are shown sep-
arately~ and in Fig. 7 where the parts are shown in
assembly.
Header 20 ~Fig. 6) has a jumper-terminating body
30, a latch/pull tab 32 and a flexible link 3~. Body 30
is formed on end portions 18b (Fig. 2) of jumper 18, as by
plastic molding, in such manner as to define interfacin~
surfaces 30a and 30b contiguous with jumper extents 18b-1
and 18b-2 and exclusive of terminal ~arts 18b-3. By such
interfacing surfaces, body 30 circumscribes jumper insula-
tion 22 without detracting from flexibility of jumper 18,
e.g., engaging such insulation at jumper locations distal
~ from bridging portion 18c and exposing transition portion
; 30 18d, and defines a supportive path for end portions 18b,
e.g., those jumper segments running free of jumPer insula-
tion 22 and exposed terminal ~arts 18b-3. Body 30 also
preferably d~fines a chamfered or frustro-conical surface
30c adjacent and leading to jumper terminal part 18b-3
and circumscribing extent 18b-2.
Link 34 is of width (W, Fig. 6) greatly less
than the width of body 30 ~nd defines a hinge as between
3 3 ~ t~
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1 body 30 ~nd latch/pull tab 32. Thus, as is shown in the
assembly of Fig. 7, link 34 permits ready disposition of
latch/pull tab 32 in horizontal posture, as opposed to
vertical posture (Fig. 6). Latch/pull tab 32 runs length-
wise with body 30, transversely of the direction jumperterminal parts 18b-3 (Fig. 1), openings 36 bein~ provided
along such length for purposes discussed below.
Referring to Fig. 5, socket 16 comprises housing
38 defining apertures 2~ and provides frustro-conical
surface 3~ chamfered in complement to surface 30c of body
30 to be interfittable therewith. At its inward end, sur-
face 3~a is adjacent semicylindrical channel 40, bounded
by housing surface 38b. Contact elements 26 are each
retained in housing 38 by the registry o~ detent member
26b with housing surface 38c and of spring contact 26c
biasingly against housing surface 38b. As noted above,
tails 26a depend outwardly of housing 38 for seating in
PCB 10 (Fig. 1).
In Fig. 7, header 20 is inserted in, and separabl~
latched to, socket 16, respectively by interfitting of in-
sertion registry surfaces 30c and 38a and latching surfaces
32a and 38d. Terminal part 18b 3 of conductor 18 confronts
the downwardly turned end of spring contact 26c and rides
atop contact 26c, being constrained by the contact and
channel 40 into the illustrated terminal part disposition.
Electrical continuity accordingly is established between
conductiv~ PCB pads (not shown), on PCBs 10 and 12, re-
spectivel~ connected to contact tails 26a and the remote
ends (end portions 18a, Fig. 1) of conductors 18.
By providing a rigid supPort for selective lengths
of conductor ends, header 20 permits effective use of con-
ductor terminal parts 13b-3 as separable contacts, despite
their metallic softness. Additionally, header 20 provides
rigid housing ~or jumper 19 by selective engagement therewith
not impairing jumper flexibility.
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1 In socket 16, contacts 26 desirably have sufficient
bias to provide ~ui-te low contact resistance. Accordingly,
greater insertion and retraction forces are involved and are
accommodated by rigid plastic structure in both header and
socket and by socket channels 40 and chamfered header exit
structure. As respects retraction, i.e., separation of
header and socket, latch/pull tab 32 is displaced rom its
Fig. 7 to its Fig. 6 position, openings 32a facilitating
the lifting of the tab. The tab may now be pulled cen-
trally to the right in Fig. 7 to separate the parts, thusproviding ready removal of the jumper terminal parts 18b-3
from socket 16 without zippering or like distorting action.
Various changes to the foregoing detailed em-
bodiments will now be evident to those skilled in the art.
Thus, other flexible jumper configurations than the circular-
rectangular cross-sectional combination may be employed,
other electrical circuit means than PCBs may be intercon-
nected, etc., without departing from the invention. The
particularly shown and described interconnect device, ap-
paratus and system are intended in an illustrative and notin a limiting sense. The true spirit and scope of the
invention is set forth in the following claims.
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