Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
- i
~S~E~lrLi~ E ~YE1C~2N
1. Fiend of_~h~ Invention
m e present invention relates to electrical connector
asse.~blies employing insulation displacement t~Fe terminals and,
more pzrticularly, to connector asse~lies of this type wnicn can
be used to mass terminate a plurality of insulated wires.
2. Elf Desertion of ~k~e PriQ~ Art
Because of the labor saving aovantages, insulation
displacement type connectors have enjoyed an ever increasing share
of the electrical connector ~ar~et. Typically, connectors of tr.is
type include a nousing hav mg one or more terminal receiving
cavities therein and a term m al mounted in the cavity. the
terminal has an insulation displacement slot for receiviny a wire
conauctor. Zen the wire conductor is moved laterally of its
longitudinal ~Y.is into tb.is slot, the insulation is ~ispla oe a so
that the terminal electrically contacts tne conductor.
If it is desired to mass terminate a plurality of insulated
wire conductors in the type of connector Gescrib~d, it is
necess ry to position tbe conductors over the insulation
displacement slots prior to moving them into their respective
slots. This type of prooe ss is used most commonly in association
with certain application equipment sucn as tnat disclosed in
United States Patent f 4~235rO15 issued ~bvember 25r 1980 or in
associâtion ~lith the raDricâtion o, a harness on a hoard Mien is
~isclosea in United States Patent ho. 3,~59,724 iss~ea January 14,
lS75.
If equii~r.,er.t is used, tllere is normzlly a buiit-in meæns for
holding and locating tr.e wire conductors in alisnr.,ent over the
slot of the têrr,~ir21. P.owever~ ~Jhen rabricatiny a hzrr.ess or sass
termmat~y a connector wlthout aut~atic or ser.;i-zutc~,atic
machinery, it is necessary for t'r.e me&ns for holdiny &nd locating
the wire conductors to be provided either on the connector itself
or in close proxir.lity to tne connector.
Examples of an arrangement which receives the connector in a
jig or fiYture is disclose in United S.ates Patent to 4,1Gl,189
issued July 18, 1978 and United States Potent lo. 3,859,724 issued
Januzrv 14, 1975. m e wire conductors are held in the fixture
separate ire tr.e corrector prior to ter...ination.
Anotr.er rleans or locatins tne wire conauctors is disclosed in
Unite Stztes Patent ~b. 4,191,4~2 issued rlarch I, 1980 and United
States Patent No. 4,262,984 issued Puff oi. lne e patents
show the ter~,inal or co Mector housing holaing the wire conductors
in t~.eir proper locations prior to ter.~,ination.
Still another reans of locating and holains wire concuctors
prior to their terr,ination is disclosea in United States Patent
Jo. 3,990,762 issueo ~bvember 9~ 1976 and Unitea S ates Patent
~b. 3,937,549 issued February 10~ 1976.
hile all of the arransements and structures cisclosea in tne
above-identified patents have achieved different degrees of
success in mass terminating a plurality of insulated wire
conductors, these designs are deficient in at least one of two
respects. Either the connector is expensive to manufacture or
the application tooling used to move the wire into the insulation
displacement slots is expensive to manufacture and/or cumbersome
to use.
_MMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a broad aspect of the invention there is
provided an electrical connector assembly for connecting an
insulated wire conductor to another circuit member including a
housing having a terminal receiving cavity therein, a terminal
mounted in said cavity having an insulation displacement slot
for receiving a wire conductor therein, and means for holding
and locating a wire conductor in alignment over the slot of said
terminal prior to connection thereto, whereby movement of said
wire conductor laterally of its longitudinal axis into the slot
causes displacement of the insulation so that the terminal
electrically contacts said conductor, said holding and locating
means comprising an upwardly facing, U-shaped clamp member having
a wire receiving area defined between two resilient legs
characterised in that said clamp member is mounted for movement
with the wire conductor, independently of the terminal, into
the cavity alongside the terminal, from an initial position
wherein said wire conductor is positioned over said terminal slot
downwardly into the cavity to a final position wherein said wire
conductor is terminated, whereby the legs position the wire
--3--
conductor in the wire receiving area in the initial position
and exert an inward lateral force against the insulated wire
conductor when the clamp member is moved to the final position
thereby providing strain relief against accidental pull out of
the conductor from the housing.
BRIEF-DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the connector assembly
of the present invention wherein the insulated wire conductors
are shown held and positioned prior to their termination;
Figure 2 is a partially fragmented, sectional perspective
view of the connector assembly of the present invention wherein
the insulated wire conductors are shown terr.linated;
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken generally along the
line 3-3 of Figure l; and
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the
line 4-4 of Figure 2.
_SCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning now to the drawings, the connector assembly of
the present invention, generally designated 10, is shown in
Figures 1
--4--
and 2. The particular conr.ector asser~ly 10 s~.~7n in toe arawings
is a splice co Mector for the pur-~ose of connecting one set of
insulated wire conductors 12 to another set of insulated wire
conductors 14. It is understood that the connector zssembly 10r
.
which will be discussed in sreater detail hereinafter, can be used
to electriczlly connect an insulated wire conauctor 12 with any
other type of circuit element.
m e connector assembly 10 is seen to generally include a
housing, generally designated 16, which comprises a floor 18
(Fig. 2) surrounaed by a pair or upstanding side walls 20 and a
pair of upstznding end walls 22. A plurality of cavities,
generally designated 24z, 24b and 24c, are formed between tr.e side
walls 20 and are defined between the side walls 20 and a plurality
of parallel intermediate spaced apart L~standing barrier walls 26.
Each cavity 24a, 24b ann 24c has pairs of opposing vertical
cbanneis 28 and 30 formed in ,he barrier walls 25 or side walls
20. Each cavity 24a, 24b and 24c also includes an opening 34 in
the end walls 22 at oEposite ends thereor. Slots 36 (Fis. 2) are
formed in tbe floor 18 of each cavity 24a, 24b and 24c for
purposes whicb will becone rore apparent hereinafter.
Looking at Fig. 2, eacn czvity 24a, 24b and 24c has a metal
terminzl, generally designate 40 mounted tnerein. Each terminal
40 has two upstanding wire conr.ecting plate portions 42
intregrally joined by a horizontal portion 44. Each wire
conr.ecting portion 42 has a pair of bosses 46 formed on either
-- 5 --
l 3~ 7
side tr.ereof. In aa~ition, each wire connectinG portion 42 has a
conventional insulation displacement slot 50 (Fig. 3~ for~Rd
therein for receiving a wire conductor 12 or 14 therein.
Each terminal 40 is mounted in its respective cavity 24a, 24b
and 24c by sliding motion. This is accomplishea my th.e
cooperation of bosses 46 within channel 28 to suide and loc2te the
terminal witr;in its cavity.
Prior to terr1n2ting tAe wire conauctors 12 and 14 into their
correspondins terminals 40, it is necessary to position tne
conductors over the respective insulation displacements slots 50.
To this end, there is provided holdins and locating means in tne
forr of an u~Jwardly facing, U-sha~ed clar.p member, generally
aesisnated 56. mhe clamp member 56 may be stamped frcm metal or
.orrRd from plastic.
The clamp member S6 has a horizontal tight portion 58 witn two
resilient less 60 extending u2war~1y tnererrcm at an outward ar.gle
as oest seen in Fig. 3. T`ne region in ~et~een legs 60 defines a
wire receiving area which is adapted to reoe ive w re conductor 12
or 14.
Opposing protrusions 62 are forred on the ir,nersices of the
free ends of legs 60. The area between protrusions 62 defi~e~ n
entrance which is constricted relative to tne rem2ining width of
the area between legs 60. Preferably, une width of the entrance
is not greater than the diameter of lo insulated wire conductor.
Tnus, when the wire conouctor 12 or 14 is inserted into the wire
receiving areii th.roucJh tr.e cor~tricted entr;noe , tr.e legs 60 are
forced aFart. As he wire conductor is rmoved t.~irou~n the entrance
the legs 60 spring back to tneir rorri~l position tr.ereby OEptUring
the wire conductor in the receiving area as is cest shim in
Fig. 3.
The clar.1F member 56 is r.our.'ed for r.over.~ent into a cavity 24z,
24b or 24c by provi~ins a pair cf oF~osing bosi,es 64 rormed on
either side of the clamp merger 56. Bosses 64 are received witr.in
channels 30 in each cavity 24a, 24b and 24c. As the clamp member
56 is moved downwardly it channels 30, the legs 60 move tiara one
another as indi oe ted by the arr~ls in Fig. 3. the legs 60 of
cl2mp meriber 56 exert zn inward lateral force agzir.st the
insulation of the insulated wire conductor 12 or 14 2S it is moved
from the initial position shun in Fig. 3 to a fin21 position as
s~.a~?;; I .y. 4 .
Loo~ng at Fig. I, ye less 60 or clay mer.~ber 56 act as a
strain relief asainst acciaental axial pull out. In addition,
clamp m.e~bers S6 move the wire conductor 12 or 14 witn it as it is
rovea frcm its initial Fosition to its final position.
It is not necesary to proviae a special application tool to
termir~te the connector asser~bly 10. Any wind of a noncontoured
ram (not shun) which presses on on the top of he clamp members
56 is sufficient. By providing a ?latform or ram of sufficient
area to cover the top of the connector assembly 10, all of the
wire conductors 12 and 14 will be sir~ltaneously mass terminated
a D~7
when all of the clasp ~e~bers 56 are Fu~hea ~ow~7ardly rrc~l the
initial Fosition to the final position.
If, aster termination, it is desireG Jo disconnect one of the
wire conductors 12 or 14, the user will not be faced with the same
problems as with prior art devices. In the past, the
disconnection of a terr.inated wire al~7ays destroyed tr.e strain
relief ar.d usually destroyec the termin 1. Hcwever, c4 Mector
assæ~bly 10 provioe s the slot 36 for tr.e purpose of permitting a
thin flat blade of a tool (not shch7n) to Bush up against the
bottom of the bight portion 58 of clasp meD~er 56. IJhen this
occurs, the clamp member 56 pops uEwar~ly releasing the wire
conductor 12 or 14 without c~stroying terrunal 40.
