Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BacXqround of the ~nvention
Field_ ~ the Invention
The present invention relates to an elec-trical
connector, and, more particularly, to an elec~rical connector
having two rows of connecting terminals or contactors, one end of
each contactor having a bent and protruding tail portion which is
disposed in such a manner that the tail portions as a whole are
aligned in a row and at which the electrical connector is
connected to a flat cable, in particular, to a flat cabla for
transmi-tting hiyh speed pulse signals or those each having a short
pulse width bet~een computer mainframes ox between a computer
mainframe and any of its peripherals.
Brief_Description of the Drawinq
Figure 1 is a slde and front vie~l of a connector,
showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective vlew of the connector of
Figure 1, showing the structure and the arrangement thereof;
Figureæ 3 and ~ are exploded views of two types of
contactor forming metal sheets which are employed in the
conneators shown in Figures 1 and 2 and which are schematically
shown in Figures 1 and 2, respectively;
Figure 5 is a perspect.tve view of a female connector
connected to a flat cable, as viewed from the side thereof to
which pins are to be inserted;
Figure 6 is a view similar ~o Fiyure 1, showing a known
prior art connector; and
Flgure 7 is a view similar to Fiyure 2, showing the
prior art connector of Figure 6.
Description of the Prior Art
Figure 5 of the drawiny ~hows a female connector 1 of
the type described ahove which is used for high speed signal
transmittiny flat cable.
The connector 1 has two rows of connecting terminals or
contactors 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d. Contactors for
signal lines 3a, 2b, 3c, and 2d and the contactors for yround
lines 2a, 3b, 2c, and 3cl among the two rows of contactors 2a, 2b,
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2c, 2d, 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d are loca~ed alternatively or in a
zigzag or checkerboard pattern when viewed from a side of ~he
connector 1 to which pins are to be inserted. One end of each of
the contaGtors of connector 1 is connected to a ~lat cable 4. In
Fiyure 5, a reference symbol S indicates a signal line contactor,
while G designates a ground line contactor. This alternate or
checkerboard pattern arrangement of the signal line contactors or
the signal lines S and the ground line contactors or the ground
lines G is effective to reduce the crosstalk between the slgnal
contac~ors or the signàl lines. In the electrical connector
described above, each contactor
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row is explained to have four contactors only for ease and
clarification of the explanation. ~owever, it may include
five or more, or three or less, contactors.
In the known female connector 100 of the above-
described type which is shown in Fig-lres 6 and 7, connecting
terminals or contactors lOla, lOlb, lOlc, lOld, 102a, 102b,
102c, and 102d, which respectively correspond to the
connecting terminals or contactors 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d; 3a, 3b,
3c, and 3d of the connector 1 shown in Figure 5, are each
formed of a bent metal sheet 103 having the same shape. The
two rows of contactors are disposed in such a manner that
those in one row correspond to those in the other row when
they are turned by 180 degrees. In the conventional
connector 100, tail portions 106a, 107a, 106b, 107b, 106c,
107c, 106d, and 107d bendingly protrude from the sides of the
respective contactors 102a, ..., 102d, 103a, ..., 103d at
which the contactors are connected to an external cable, in
such a manner that they are aligned in a row. These tail
portions are therefore aligned in the order of G, S, S, G,
G, S, S, and G, as shown in Figure 6.
When the tail portions of the contactors are
aligned in the manner shown in Figure 6, the tail portions
for the signal lines are brought adjacent to each other, as
in the case of the tail portions 107a and 106b or the tail
portions 107c and 106d, increasing the possibility oP
occurrence o~ the crosstalk of signals to be transmitted
through the adjacent respective tail portions.
q'he present invention is designed to obviate the
above-described problem o~ crosstalk, and an ob~ect thereof
is to provide an electrical connector which is so improved as
to reduce the possibility of occurrence of crosstalk between
the tail portions at which the contactors are connected to an
external cable.
Sum~ary Oe the Invention
The above-described object is achieved according to
the present invention by providing an electrical conr.ector
having tail portions disposed at positions mirror symmetrical
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with each other around a mirror plane which is perpendic~lar to an
e~tending direction of said row of tail portions and which passes
through a miclpoint between the connecting terminals adjacent to
each other in the extending direction of said row.
In the ele~trical connector of this invention, since the
tail portions are disposed at positions mirror symmetrical with
each other around a mirror plane which i~ perpendicular to an
extending direction of said row of said tail portions and which
passes through a midpoint between the connecting terminals
adjacent to each other in the extending direction of said row, the
signal line tail portions in the bent and protruding tail portions
aligned in a row are always positioned between the ground line
tail portions, Pven if the two rows of connecting terminals are
disposed in such a manner that the signal line terminals and the
ground line terminals form a checkerboarcl pattern when viewed from
the side of contact of each connecting terminal ~the side opposite
to that at which the tail portions are provided), and therefore
the possibility of occurrence of crosstalk between the signal line
tail portions can be reduced.
Further, according to another aspect of the present
invention, pairs of identical electrical contactors, in a two row
connector, being disposed oppositely in adjacent rows and
alternately with a contactor of a dissimilar pair of contactors in
the rows, wherein the contactors have first terminal ends disposed
in the rows and projecting tall portions opposite the first
terminal portions for connection to wires of a cable.
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Descrlption of ~C~ U~n cl l~_b~L~
A female electrical connector 10 according to the
preferred embodlment of the present invention will be described
with referenae to Figures 1 to 4 (this connector looking just like
the one shown in FicJure 5, when viewed from the side for receiving
pins).
A housiny 11 of the electrical connector 10 is made of
an electrically insulating plastia, and has substantially square
column shaped ~hrough-holes 13 extending from one end surface 12
thereof to the other end surface (not shown). The through-holes
13 are the same in sicle and aligned in two rows at the equal
spacings. More speciflcally, the two through-holes 13 in each
pair of through-holes adjoin to each other in the direction
perpendicular to the extending direction X of the through-hole
rows. Each of a pair of through-holes 13a which are disposed
alternately in the direction X of extension of each row, houses a
first bent metal sheet 14, while the remalning through-holes 13b
each accommodate a second bent metal sheet 15.
The first bent metal sheet 14 which is schematically
shown in Figures 1 and 2 is a metal sheet pinched into a shape
shown in Figure 3 and bent at broken lines 14a and 14b at right
angles so that khree side surfaces 14g, 14h and 14~ out of four
side suraces which form a sguare tube constitute a female contact
pressingly inserted into the corresponding through-hole 13a. A
projection 14c which extends from the outer side of the end of the
side surface 14g is hent at broken lines 14d and l~e at right
angles. The pro~ection 14c has a dlstal end or a tail portion 14f
at whieh the connecting terminal or aontactor is electrically
aonnected to a wire such a~ a flat cable by soldering.
A second hent metal sheet 15 whiah is schematically
shown in Figure~ 1 and 2 ls a metal sheet punched into a
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shape shown in Figure 4 and bent at broken lines 15a and 15b
at right angles so that three side surfaces 15y, 15h and 15j
out of four side surfaces which form a square tube con~titute
a female contact pressingly inserted into the corresponding
through-hole 13b. A projection 15c which extends ~rom the
inner side of one end of the side sur~ace 15g is bent at
broken lines 15d and 15e at right angles. The projection 15c
has a distal end or a tail portion 15f at which the
connecting terminal or contactor is electrically connected to
a wire such as a flat cable by soldering.
~ hile the projection l~c of each bent metal sheet
14 projects from the outer side of the one end of the side
surface l~g, the projection 15c of each bent metal sheet 15
extends from the inner side of the one end of the side
surface 15g, ie., from the vicinity of the broken line 15a.
Therefore, the tail portions of the bent metal sheets are
positioned mirror symmetrical with each other around or about
a virtual mirror plane A which is perpendicular to the X
direction and passes through a midpoint between the
contactors adjacent to each other in the direction X. The
tail portion 15f of each bent metal sheet 15 inserted into
the throuyh-hole 13b adjoins the tail portion 14f of the
adjacent bent metal sheet 14 inserted into the through-hole
13a in the same row.
Connecting tail portions l9a, l9b, l9c, l9d; 20a,
20b, 20c, 20d of two rows of connecting terminals or
contactors 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d; 18a, l~b, 18c, 18d of the
connector lO are aligned in a row. However, the tail
30 portions 20a, l9b, 20c, and 19d ~or connecting siynal lines
do not adj~ln to each other but are disposed between the
correspondiny tail portlons 19a, 20b, l9c, and 20d for
connecting ground lines. In other words, the tail portions
are disposed as a whole in the order o~ G, S, G, S, ... with
G and S disposed alternately and at the same spacing. In
consequence, the possibility of crosstalks of signals which
occur at the tail portions is reduced.
~ n addition, the tail portions which are connected
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to a flat cable or the like may be buried in a resin.
The connector ~f this invention may be connected to
a coaxial ribbon cable instead of the flat cable.
The bent body which forms a contactor may have any
shape instead of that shown in Fiyures 1 to 4, so long as its
tail portion is placed at a location shown in the figure and
that it has three or four side surfaces which constitute a
contact. The bent body may have the same expanded form.
If the spacings between the through-holes 13 are
large compared with the size of the through-hole 13, the tail
portions may be disposed at locations which are away from the
ends of the through-holes in the X direction toward the
intermediate portion thereof. If the size of the through-
holes for the signal lines is different or it is different
from that of the through-holes for the ground lines, the tail
portions may be disposed in any way so long as the alternate
arrangement of the S and G is ensured.
The contactor of this connector may be male in
place of female.
