CONNECTEUR DE MISE EN COMMUN DE CONDUCTEURS ELECTRIQUES

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR COMMONING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS

Abrégé anglais

ABSTRACT
A connector comprises a series of slotted
terminals integrally joined to a carrier strip mounted
in an insulating housing with the carrier strip
extending through slots formed in barrier walls separating
adjacent terminal-receiving cavities so that insulated
wires can be inserted simultaneously through a wire-
receiving face of the housing into the slotted terminals
and thereby connected together.

Revendications

The embodiments of the invention for which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are as follows:-
1. An electrical connector for commoning
electrical conductors comprising a housing moulded in one
piece from insulating plastics material with a row of
terminal-receiving cavities opening to a wire-receiving
face of the housing and separated from each other by
insulating barrier walls, each barrier wall being formed
with a slot extending away from and opening towards the
wire-receiving face; and a terminal strip comprising a
row of wire-receiving portions extending in mutually
spaced apart relation and in the same direction along one
side of a flexible carrier strip to which they are
integrally joined, each wire-receiving portion being
formed with a wire-receiving terminal slot opening away
from the carrier strip, the terminal strip being received
in the housing with the carrier strip extending through
the housing slots and the wire-receiving portions located
in respective cavities with the slots opening towards the
wire-receiving face, the arrangement being such that
insulated wires can be inserted transversely of their axes
simultaneously through the wire-receiving face into the
respective wire-receiving terminal slots.
2. An electrical connector according to Claim 1,
in which the terminal strip is substantially completely
enclosed within the cavity and wire-receiving slots are
formed in, respective pairs of opposed cavity walls to
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extend away from and open towards the wire-receiving
face in alignment with respective wire-receiving
terminal slots.
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Description

9S35
The invention xelakes to an electrical
connector f~r commoning electrical conductors.
According to the invention, an elec-trical connector
for commoning electrical conductors comprises a housing
S moulded in one piece from insulating plastics material
with a row of terminal-receiviny cavities opening to a
wire-receiving face of the housiny and separated frorn
each other hy insulating barrier walls, each barrier wall
being formed with a slot extending away from and opening
lo towards the wire-receiving face; and a terrninal strip
comprising a row of wire-receiving portions extending
in mutual].y, spaced apart, relation and in the same
direction along one side of a flexible carrier strip to
which they are integrally joined, each wire-receiving
portion being formed with a wire-receiving terminal
slot opening away from the carrier strip, the terminal
strip being received in the housiny with the carrier
strip extendlng through the housing slots and the wire-
receiving portions located in respective cavities with
the slots openiny towards the wire-receiving face, the
arrangement being such that insulated wires can be
inserted transversely of their axes simultaneously
throuyh the wire-recei.viny face into the respective
wire-receivi.ny terminal slots.
: A specific example of the invention will now be
described with ref~rence ~o the accompany:in~ drawings,
in whlch:-
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S35
Figure 1 is a partly exploded perspective view
o~ a connector according to the invention with a
terminal strip reversed for clarity;
Figure 2 is a cross-secti.onal view taken
along line 2 - 2 of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a side view o the connector in
the direction 3 - 3 of Figure l; and,
Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of
a harness board illustrating the rnanufacture of an
ele.ctrical harness incorporating the invention.
The connector includes a housin~ 11 moulded
in one piece from insulating plastics material with
a row of terminal~receiving cavities 12 opening to
a wire-receiving face of the housing. Adjacent
cavi~ie~ a~e separated fxom each other by insulating
barxier walls 13, each barrier wall being formed with
a slo~ 14 extenaing away from the wire-receiving face
: for the entire length of the cav.ity. The cavities
have respective pairs of opposed side walls 15 and 16,
~ormed with wire-receiving slots 17 and 18,
respective}y, which extend away from the mating face
~or a short distance into the side walls. Strengthening
ribs 19 extend along side walls 15 away from the
wire~receiving ~ace in parallel relation and under a
~: 25 base wall of the ca~ities. Wire trappin~ detents
22 are provided on the ends of the ribs 19 adjacent
the w:ire~receiviny face. Parallel ribs 21 extend
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or a ~hort dis-tance aiong a lateral extension of
the side wall 16 and are provided with similar
wire-txapping detents 23 at ends adjacent the
wire-receiving face. A locking shoulder 24 is formed
in each side wall 15 by a mould core pin and oppositely
facing terminal supporting shoulders 25 are provided in
each barrier wall. r~ounting f~et 25 are provided
at opposite ends of the housing.
The terminal strip is stamped and formed from
sheet metal and comprises a row o wire connecting
portions extending in the same direction from a
flexible carrier strip 35 to which they are integrally
joined. Each wire-connecting portion comprises a
metal strip reversely hent to provide parallel metal
- 15 plates 31 and 32 connected by a bight, a wire-receiving
slot 33 extending thxough the bight into each plate.
The plate 32 is provided at a fxee end with a
stabilising foot 34 of reduced width ~Jhich extends
towards the plate 31. A locking tongue 36 is struck
from each o the plates 31.
A predetermined length of terminal strip is
severed from a reeled supply and inserted into the
housing ~hrough the wire-receiving face until each
locking tongue 36 springs behind a respective shoulder
~24 and the free ends of side wall5 35 abut the
base~ of the cavities. The carrier strip 35 extends
*hrough the slo~s 1~ When fully insexted lnto the
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953S
housing, the terminal strip is substantially completely enclosed and
the terminal slots are aligned with the wire-receiving slots 17 and
18. A cover 37 having locking legs 38 engaging detents 22, 23 rnay
be used ~o cover a vacant cavity indicating the longitudinal extent
of the terminal strip. Insulated wires may simultaneously be inserted
into the terminals through the wire-receiving face so that the walls
of the terminal slots penetrate the insulation to establish connection
with the wire cores, commoning the wires. During wire insertion, the
bight of the wire-connecting portions are supported by the shoulders
25 as described in our Canadian Patent No. 1,082,325 which issued on
July 22, 1980.
A suitable harness manufacturing method is described in
United States Patent No. 3,859,724 and illustrated schematically
in Figure 4. Jigs 41, similar to those described in our Canadian
Patent ~pplication No. 321,595 which was filed on February 15, 1979,
are mounted at predetermined locations on a board 42. Each jig
includes an inverted channel-section base 43 from opposite sides
of which upstand wire-locating combs 44, 45 defining between them
a connector receiving recess. Wires are laced into the combs in
which the connectors (not shown) are mounted and inserted into the
connectors by a pneumatically powered tool 46. The tool has a head
47 housing an insertion ram (not shown) which head can be releasably
at~ached to the jig by pivotal hooks 48 which engage
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.

535
in the opposite ends of the channel 43. Insertion
forces are carried by the rein~orcing ribs 19.
An advantage of the connector is that it
enables harness wires to be commoned simultaneously
without previously stripping the insulation from
the wires. The connector may be rnounted on a chassis
by feet 26 to common wires terminated ln connec~ors
~ n~i~ N~.
of the kind described in ~.5~-Pate~t ~F~X~
. Wires can be terrninated at their ends
or at an intermediate location. The connector is
a simple two part constructio~.
.
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