CA1056476A - Connector having an insert retained in a housing - Google Patents
Connector having an insert retained in a housingInfo
- Publication number
- CA1056476A CA1056476A CA232,529A CA232529A CA1056476A CA 1056476 A CA1056476 A CA 1056476A CA 232529 A CA232529 A CA 232529A CA 1056476 A CA1056476 A CA 1056476A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- housing
- connector
- insert
- transverse
- key
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
- H01R13/516—Means for holding or embracing insulating body, e.g. casing, hoods
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/64—Means for preventing incorrect coupling
Landscapes
- Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
- Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
The invention relates to a connector suitable for terminating a plurality of electrical conductors, for example the conductors in a flat cabe. The connector comrises a pair of components, one of which comprises an insert for supporting an electrical connection between each connector and a respective contact member, the insert being non-circular in cross-section, and the other of which comprises a housing for the insert. One of the components has resilient retaining means projecting therefrom and the other has a shoulder for co-operating with the resilient retaining means to locate the insert in a desired position in the housing. A tool may be provided for removing the insert from the housing, the tool being such that it can be inserted in the housing and can cause the resilient retaining means to flex to a configuration wherein it does not prevent withdrawal of the insert from the housing. A pair of the connectors may be mated to provide an electrical connection between first and second groups of electrical conductors.
The invention relates to a connector suitable for terminating a plurality of electrical conductors, for example the conductors in a flat cabe. The connector comrises a pair of components, one of which comprises an insert for supporting an electrical connection between each connector and a respective contact member, the insert being non-circular in cross-section, and the other of which comprises a housing for the insert. One of the components has resilient retaining means projecting therefrom and the other has a shoulder for co-operating with the resilient retaining means to locate the insert in a desired position in the housing. A tool may be provided for removing the insert from the housing, the tool being such that it can be inserted in the housing and can cause the resilient retaining means to flex to a configuration wherein it does not prevent withdrawal of the insert from the housing. A pair of the connectors may be mated to provide an electrical connection between first and second groups of electrical conductors.
Description
10564~6 Thi~ invention relatss to electrical connector~, and more particularly to a connector hal ~ including improved means ~or retaining a connector wa~er therein.
~ connector hali i~ a hou~ing, generally houeine at least one connector wafer therein ior connect~on to another connector half or to a con~ector panel. One ~orm oi connector housl~g i~ oi generally rectangular cro~s-seotion having par~llel transverse iaces ~olned at perpendicular ~$des. A waier 19 lnssrted therei~ in an a~lal direction to iorm the connector h~lf a~sembly. The wa~er is typically a ilat, rigid pla~tic ineert with contacts aseembled or moulded therein. The contacta may be either pins or #ockets extendlng in the axial direction. In an aesembled co~nector, the ¢ontact~ end~ deiine a plane perpendicular to the tran~ver~e iacee oi the conne¢tor ehell at the iorward end thereoi ior mating with other conta¢tsO
In order to ia¢ilitate a#semblg oi connector halvee, it hae been ne¢e~sary to provlde a means for holdin4 warer~ ~n a co~nector shell. Thi~ ha~ been done in the pa~t, for example, by providlng a brac~et and iaetener at the rear o~ a ehell. Th~e, however, involves complex aeee~bl~ stepe. In another proposPl, a metalli~ ~hell ha~ ~ee~ provided with epring olip8 mounted for rotation ln the traneverse plane ~or engaging the rear sur~ace oi wa~er8 ~iter they have bee~ a~ially in~erted in the ~hell. Such de~lgne ~ntail complexity in con~tructlon, and generally require a metallic ~hell that can~ot be iormed by a simple ca~ting process. ~oth rorms oi co~nector require a relatively complex rorm Or manipulation ~0 to remove the waier from the back ~hell.
_ 2 -Ihc present invention provides a connector suitable for terminating a plurality of electrical conductors, which connector comprises an insert for supporting an electrical connection between each conductor and a respec-tive contact member, the exterior of the insert being generally rectangular in cross-section, and a housing for the insert, the housing having first and second substantially parallel transverse interior surfaces joined by side walls that are substantially perpendicular to the transverse surfaces whereby the interior of the housing is of substantially rectangular cross-section and can receive the insert, the housing having an open rear end through which the insert can be introduced into the interior of the housing and a forward end which, in use, is adjacent to the contact members, the housing being provided with retaining means comprising a transverse elongate member mounted in or on the housing and a resilient retaining member extending from the transverse elongate member~ the resilient retaining member projecting away from one of the transverse surfaces into the interior of the housing and towards the forward end of the housing, and an outer surface of the insert having a transverse rib projecting therefrom, the :
arrangement being such that, when the insert is positioned in the housing, the rib, which projects towards the said transverse interior surface of the . 20 housing, can co-operate with the resilient retaining member to prevent ; withdrawal of the insert through the rear end of the housing. .
' , ::
The present invention also provides a housing suitable for use in the connector described in the preced~ng paragraph, which housing has first and second substantially parallel transverse interior surfaces joined by side walls that are substantially perpendicular to the transverse surfaces whereby the interior of the housing is of substantially rectangular cross-section and can receive an insert having an exterior which is generally rectangular in cross-section, the housing having an open rear end through which the insert can be introduced into the interior of the housing and a forward end, the housing being provided with retaining means comprising a transverse elongate member mounted in or on the housing and a resilient retaining member extending from the transverse elongate member, the resilient retaining member projecting away from one of the transverse surfaces into the interior of the housing and towards the forward end of the housing. The invention further provides an insert suitable for use in the connector of the invention, which insert includes a plurality of contact members each of which may be connected to a respective conductor of a ribbon cable, the exterior of the insert being generally rectangular in cross-section and an outer surface of the insert having a transverse rib projecting therefrom.
It should be understood that preferred or advantageous features referred to herein in connection with the housing and/or insert of the connector are also, where appropriate, preferred or advantageous features of the housing and/or insert per se.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the resilient retaining means, which is advantageously substantially flat and rectangular in shape, comprises a first elongate member one end o~ which is ~upported by the hou~ing, the first elongate member extending into the interior of the housin~ in a direction away from the opening thereinO The end of the first elongate member which i~ supported by the housing preferably extend~ ~rom~
and is sub~tantially perpendicular to, a transverse elongate member which may be mounted in or on the hou~ing. ~n aperture is advantageou~ly provided in the housing for insertion of the re~ilient retaining means therein, the housing also comprising seating means for locating the tran~verse elongate member and ~or aligning the ~irst elongate member within the housingO
When the resilient retaining means includes a transverse elongate member, the retaining mean~ preferably al~o compri~e~ a retaining leg projecting from the tran~verse elongate member, the inner surface of the housing al~o compriaing a ~lot for receiving the retaining leg, whereby the re~ilient retaining mean~ may be retained in position in the housing. ~he ~lot is advantageou~ly defined by an inner surface of the hou~ing and a ~urface of an inner wall of the housing parallel to the said inner ~urface, whereby the housing may be formed by ca~ting, at least part of the in~ert being ~uch that it can be received in the cavity defined by the inner wall.
The housing ', ~ - 4a -preierably al~o comprises mean~ ~or limiting the extent to which the insert can be inserted therein. When the hou~ing compri~es an inner wal} ae described above, the inner wall advantageou~ly iorm8 the ~aid meane. Pre~erably, when the insert le in the de~ired position in the hou~ing, at least part of the camming ~urface abu~s the ~aid inner wall.
When the housing is pro~ided with an aperture ior in~ertion oi the resilient retaining mean~, the hou~i~g advantageously also compriee~ an axi~l rib proJecting inwardly irom the inner ~uriace oi the housing, the rib traver~ing the aperture and extending parallel to the direction of movement oi the in~ert when the latter i3 ineerted into the hou~ing, the ~ur~aoe of the rib that ~ace~ the aperture iorming seating means ior the tran~er~e elongate member oi the reeilient retaining the iir~t elongate member o~ the re~ilient retaining mean~
mean3, and/being bifurcated to provide a receee in that elongate member ior receiving the axial rib. Preierably, the hou~ine hae two oppoeite wall~ ea¢h of which i~
provided with an a~ial rib and an aperture, the a~ial rib on one oi the wall9 bei~g trans~ereely di~placed w~th re~pe¢t to the asial ri~ on the other wallO
The houslng of the co~nector o~ the invention advantageously ha# ilr~t and ~econd parallel, transver~e iace~ joined by perpendicular side w 11~ to provide a ; ~ub~tan~ially rectangular cros~-~ection and t~e in~ert compriaes a wa~er having a ~ubstantlQlly rectangular cros~-3ection~ ~he housing pre~erably ha3 a iront end ~or mat~g with another connactor and a rear end in which the opening i8 ~ituatedO
The outer sur~ace of the insert uaed in accordance with the invention advantageously ~nclude~
a traneveree rlb, which transverse rib rorm~ the cammlng suriace and the retaining ehoulderO Preferably the tran~-ver~e rib 1B provlded with a rece~e ior regiYtratlon with the axial rib on the housing, whereby the trans~erse rib acts both as registration means and retaining means.
In a preierred embodiment of the invention, the lnaert comprises first and second wafers, each of the waiers ha~lng Pn ~nner iace ior engagement with the inner ~ace o~ the other wa~er and an outer iace provided with a : ¢~mm~ ~e ~urface and retaining ~houlder. ~he insert iB
advantageously adapted ior electrioal conne~tion to the conductore oi a cable that is ~ub~tantially ilat in croes-sectlon, ior example a ribbon cable; the indlvidual ¢onductors in such a n at cable may be, ior example, round or ~lat i~ croas-section.
~he preeent inventio~ also pro~ides a kit oi part~ whi¢h ¢ompriees a housing and an insert as deiined above, together with a tool ior remo~ing the in~ert irom the houslng, the tool being ~uch that lt can be inserted in the opening in the hou~ing and can cause the reeilient retai~ing meane to ile~ to a configuratlon wherein it does not preve~t withdrawal o~ the insert rrom the housi~g.
: 25 ~he invention al~o providec a method of making an electrlcal co~nection between two electrical conductor~, which cQmpri~e~ making an electrical connection between each o~
~` the conductor~ and an electrical contaot member o~ a reepecti~e oonnector in accordance with the invention, and mating the ~aid electrical contact member oi one :
connector ~ith the ~aid electrical contact member or the other connector9 and an a~sembly whenever made by ~uch a methodO
The in~ention rurther provlde~ a connector half whlch comprises substantiPlly parallel tran~er~e walls ~oined by perpendicular aide~ to pro~ide a sub~tantially re¢tangular ¢ros~-section ¢apab}e of receiving at least one flat connector waier in~erted therein in a forward axial direction. ~ tran~erse rib is formed on an upper face oi a wa~er iacing an inner ~a¢e oi a tran~verse wallO
A spring clip cantile~ered oi th~ inner iace oi the connector hali i8 pro~idedO When the wa~er is in~er~ed in the conne¢tor hali, the rib act~ ae a cam against the apring clip, forcing the spring ¢lip up. ~he apring clip return~ to abut the rear of the rib ae the wafer is pushed into position to retain the waier in the connector haltO
The rib may be provided with recessea ~or meshing with a~ial key~ on the inner suriace oi the connector hali.
A tool iR pro~ided ~or ¢amming the apring ¢lip and ~llowing remo~al o~ the waier.
In a preierred embodiment oi the in~ention, thereiore, retaining means are cantilevered within a connector ; shell a~d a rib on a waier acts as camming meanB on the retai~ing mean~ when the wa~er i8 in#erted in the shell, the wa~er be~ng rigidly kept in place by the retaining means thereafter. The rib o~ the wa~er may cooperate with alignment keyæ aæ well a8 acting ae retaining means.
In a $urther em~odiment o~ the inv~ntion, ths eonnecter ma~ compri~e a connector shell oi the general 3~ t~pe having a recta~gular ¢rose-section, parallel trans~erse ':
- 105647~
wall8 being ~oined by perpendicular ~ide walls for receiving a connector wa~er in~erted irom the rear toward the front in an axial direction. Retaining means cantllerered ~rom an area adJacent the rear of the connector ~hell in an a~ial directlon toward the front are provlded. A transverse rib is provided on the connector waier. When the waier i8 inserted into the connector shell, the rib cam6 the retaining means, slides pa~t the retaining means, and the retaining means bear~ against the rear shoulder oi the rib ior retaining the wa~er in place. A tool may be provided for camming the retaining meane such that the tool and wafer may be removed ~rom the shell whe~ it is de~ired to separate the variou~ parts o~ the connector a~sem~ly.
; ~he lnvention makes it possible to provide improved means for retalnin~ a connector wa~er in a conne¢tor shell to pro~ide lmpro~ed conne¢tor assembly and di8a~sembly;
one or more va~er~ may be reliably and strongly maintalned in a ~hell but may be easlly remo~ed when desired. The conne¢tor o~ the lnvention may be simple to u~e while having a small number of parts. ~urthermore, the connector can be con~tructed of metaIlic parts for ma~imum strength.
The housing connector may be con~tructed by a simple casti~g operation, whereby the need for comple2 machining in production o~ the connector a~embly i8 eliminated. The present inventisn al80 proYides a tool for use in connection with the Gonne¢tor of the in~ention ~or removal of the wafer, hich tool is extremely ~imple in construction and is simple - to u~e. Thus when, ior e~ample, the hou~ing (~hell~ and the insert (wa~er) are ~ubstantlally rectangular in cross-~ection, the front e~d of the tool may be aubsta~tially flat and9 whate~sr the shape o~ the tool, the invention makea lt po~sible to remove a plur~lity o~ contact member~ simul-taneou~ly ~rom a housing without the need to u~e a tool of oomplicated shape.
The inventlon will no~ be de~cribed, by way o~
esample only, with reierence to the accomp~nying drawing~, in which:
Fi~ure 1 i~ a side view oi an electri¢al con~e¢tion iormed at a panel by fir~t and s~cond connector halves construoted in aocord-ance with the presffnt invenbion;
Figure 2 le a rear vie~ tPken along the line 2-2 oi Figure 1;
Figure ~ is a ~ide ~iew oi one conneotor aeeembly oi Figure 1;
: Figure 4 i~ an e~d view taken along the line 4-4 oi Figure ~;
Flgu~e 5 i~ a ~ide view oi the second ¢onnector half oi Figure 1;
Figure 6 ie a plan vlew oi the co~nection ~hown in Figure 1;
-~ Figure 7 i~ an e~ploded view oi a connector she and retalning means;
Figure 8 shows a spring retaining means;
Figure 9 i~ a cross-~ection taken along the line 9-9 oi F~gure 7 ~luetrating epr~ng retaining slots $n a connector ~hell;
Flgure 10 i~ a ¢ro~s-~ection taken Plong the line 25 lO-10 oi ~1gure 7 illustrating keys in a connector ehell;
F~gure 11 ie a ~ide ~iew oi co~nector wa~er~ aligned : ior in~ertio~ in a conne¢tor shell;
~ Pigure 1~ i8 a irontal end vie~ oi the warers ;~ 30 oi Figure 11;
: _ 9 _ Figure 13 i~ a croas-~ection o~ a conneotion bet~een two conne¢tor halvee t~ken along the line 13-1~ o~ Flgure 1 and also illustratee the w e of a wafer remo~al tool;
Figure 14 lo a rear end ~ieN PlOng the line 14-14 of Figure 16 with ths oonnector waier~ removed;
Figure 15 ie a rear end ~iew taken along the llne 15-15 oi Figure 16 and ~howing connector waiere positioned in a connector ~h~ll;
Figure 16 is a detailed siae view of one oonnector hali Or Figure 1, partially broken ~way;
arla . 15 ~igure 17 i~ a ~ide ~iew of one con~eotor half of Figure l taken along the line 17-17 oi Figure 14.
:: ReierriDg now to the drawinge, Figure 1 ehow# a connector 1 con~isti~g oi first and ~econd co~ne¢tor h~lve8 .
- 20 2 and 3 ~hich are mated to iorm an electrical and meohanioal ` co~nection bet~een conduotor groups 4 and 5 and condu¢tor .: group~ 4' and 5' (~ee F~gure 6) ~hich are term~nated in the oonne¢tor hal~es 2 a~d 3 re~pectively. The connector 1 la mounted in a wall 7 by ~ea~ oi ia~tening means 8 and nange~ 9 ~nd 9'. The ¢onne¢tor 1 may also be provlded ~ with mea~ for mounting lt on a ~urface other than a wall, -. or ~ay eimply oon~l~t oi the connector halve~ 2 snd 3.
Th4 iollowing de~criptlon i~ dire¢ted pr~maril~
toward the eonnector hali 2; the connector hali ~ i~ similarly ~0 construct~d. In accordance wlth the prese~t invention, ~056476 an improved connector half 2 i~ provided in which first a~d ~econd connector wafers 11 and 12 (see ~igure 2) are retained in an improved manner in a conne¢tor shell 13 which ~orm~
the hou3ing in the conne¢tor h lf 20 Additionally, because of the construction of the present in~ention, a tool 15 t~ee ~igure 1) may be used ~or easy removal o~ connector wa~er~ 11 and 12 from the connector half 2 or connector wafers 11' and 12' (see ~igure 13) from the connector half 3. Primed reference numerale denote components of the connector half 3 corresponding to those of the connector hal~ 20 Figure~ 3 and 5 show the connector halve~ 2 and 3 re~pectively, Qeparated from each other. The ¢onnector w~èr~ nd 12 (no~ vlaible in F~gure~ 3 and 5) e~tend within the connector ahell 13 toward a front end 14 thereo~
t~ee ~igure 3) in a direction ~hich i~ reierred to herein as a~ial. Figure 4 is a frontal end view of the connector : hal~ ahown in F~gure 3, and shows connector pins 16 which are provided at the iront ends o~ the wafers 11 and 12 ~or connection to connector pin~ 16' in wafers 11' and 12' o~ the connector ehell 3 (see ~igure 13). ~he connector ~h~ll 13 of the connecto~ hal~ 2 hou~e~ the forward portion~
o~ the connector wafers 11 and 12 in a front ~ection 17 o~ the oon~eotor hal~ 2 (see ~igure 3) which fits in a ~ront ~ection 17' of the conne¢tor hal~ 3 (see ~igure 5)0 The con~ector pin~ may be either pin~ or sockets; t~us, ~Gr e~ample, pins may be provided in a wa~er o~ one o~ the connector halve3 while ~ocket~ are pro~ided in the wa~er with which the fir~t-mentioned connector ~afer matesO Polarizing pin~ 18 (see Figure 4) may be provided at the ~ront end . 1 1 _ 14 o~ the connector ~hell 1~ to en~ure correct relati~e orientation oi the connector halvee 2 and 3O The connector ehell 13 h~ a rear end 19. Figure 6 i~ a plan ~iew oi the connector halve~ 2 and 3 mated through a hole in the wall 7.
The conductor groups 4 and 5 may compri~e first and second ~lat cables 20 and 21 respectively (9ee Figure 6) joined by any ~uitable means to the wa~ers 11 and 12, each condu¢tor oi the ~lat cable3 20 and 21 being terminated to a pin 16 at a front end of a wa~er 11 or 12. ~he group~
o~ conductors 4' and 5' could i~ desired be round wire conductors, each i~dividually terminated to a wa~er 11' and 12'. ~lter~ati~ely the conductor group~ 4' and 5' may consi~t o~ ~lat cables 20' and 21'. For this rea~on, round wire conductor~ are ~hown at the rlght hand ~ide o~
~igure 1, and a ilat cable is shown at the right hand side oi Figure 5. ~he conductor groups 4 and 5 are joined to the wafers 11 and 12 respectively. Bach o~ the termination means 25, 26, 25' and 26' (aa seen iurther in Figures 11 and 13) may con~ist oi conductor wire/connector pin interiaces and in~ulation. In Figure 1 the lnsulation hown a~ a réctangular insulation mass surrounding a rear end o~ the connector wa~er 11 (not vieible in Figure 1) and a forward end o~ the conductor group 4.
Th~ 0ntion may be brie~ly summarized with re~ere~ce to ~igure l; a detailed description will be given below. ~he connector shell 13 shown in Figure 1 ha~ an improved construction whi¢h house~ a wa~er reta~ing mea~s 280 The waier retai~ing mean~ 28 i~teracte with a trans-verse rib (aleo indicated in Figure 11 by the reference numeral 72) ~ormed on an upper surface of the con~ector wa~er 11 for ~impli~ied insertion o~ the connector wa~er 11 in the connector shell 13 and ior reliable retention thereoi. The connector wafer 11 can be simply removed by use of the tool 150 ~he connector wa~er 12 in~eract~
similarly with the connector ~hell 13, and the connector wa~ers 11' and 12' interact similarly with the connector shell 13'.
The vertical direction oP ~igure~ 1 and 7 i8 re~erred to herein a~ the transverse direction, and the horizontal direction in Figures 1 and 7 i8 referred to herein a~ the a~al direction. The~e directions correspond to direction~ de~cribed in the movement~ o~ the conductor groupa 4 and 5 when the connector wa~er~ 11 and 12 ar~ in3~rted in the connector shell 130 It can be seen ~rom Figure 2 that the connector shell 13 includes ~ir~t and se¢ond parallel transverse walls 30 and 31.
Opposite end~ of the parallel transver~e~ 30 and 31 are joined respectively by perpe~dicular walls 32 and 33 ~uch that the connector ~hell 13 has a sub~tantially rectangular ¢ross-section.
Figure 7, ~hich i8 an e~ploded view o~ the retain~ng mean~ 28 removed irom the oon~e¢tor shell 13, shows the wa~er-retaining means 28 in greater detall;
the ~a~er retai~ing mean~ 28, viewed along the line 8-8 i~ Figure 7, i8 illustrated ~urther in ~.igure 8. In ~igure 13, which will be discu3~ed in greater detail below, the ~a~er retaining mean~ 28 is illu~trated mounted : in the wall 30 o~ the co~nector ~hell 13, and a wa~er-retaining mean~ 38 i~ mounte~ in the wall 31. ~imilarly, wafer-retaining mean~ 28' and ~8' may be mounted in w~ll8 30' and 31' of the conneotor half 3.
Re~erring again to Flgure 7, the warer-retainlng mean~ 28 may, in the pre~erred embodiment, consist Or a spring clip in¢luding a first, transverse, leg 40 whi¢h can be seated in the transverse wall 30 and to which other legs are attached. ~ second leg 41 iB oantileveT~d ~orwardly and downwardly ~rom the transverse leg 40. ~he term cantilevered is used to indicate that one end of the leg 41 i~ mounted to the oonnector shell 130 The second leg 41 ma~ be biiurcated, having ~ections 41a and 41b, collectively re~erred to a~ the aecond leg 41. By iorwardly it i~ me~nt that the second leg 41 e~tends irom the leg 40 toward the iront end 14 oi the connector shell 13. Downwardly means a~ay ~rom a wall in which a Febainlng leg i8 mounted.
~he second leg 41 may be oi any convenient transverse width whi¢h is le~s than that oi the rirst leg 40. ~he sectlon~
41a and 41b are preferably ~ymmetrical with respect to an axial centre line tnot shown) in the transverse centre oi 20 the iirst leg 40. AB seen in Figure 8, the second leg 41 may have a front portion 42, the section~ 41a and 41b re~pectivel~ having ~ront portions 42a and 42b, each o~ which i~ rein~orced by any convenient mea~, ior example by *olding back on itsel~ an end o~ the etamping ~rom which the leg iB cut. ~dditionally, ~orwardly directed mounting leg~
- 43 a~d 44 reepe¢tively extend irom positions ad~acent opposits ~ trans~er~s end~ of the ~ir~t leg 40. The wa~er-retaining ., mean~ 38 i~ 8imilarly constructed and is disposed in a manner similar to the wa~er-retaining mean~ 28 a~ de~cribed below~ A lo~gitudinal (perpendicular to tran~ver~e and a~ial) o~f~et leg 48 (~ee Fl~ur~ 8) may be provided between the first and se¢ond leg~ 40 and 410 The connector ~hell 1~ ha~ a ior~ard portion 46 (#ee ~igure 7) comprising the portion of the connector shell including and generally ad~acent to the ~ront end 17 o~
the conneotor shell 13, and a rear portion 47 in which the Pirst leg 40 can be mountedO As seen in ~igure~ 7, 9 and 10 an aperture comprising a transveree ~lot 50 is formed : in the wall 30. ~imilarly, a transver~e elot 51 (aee Figures 9 and 10) is formed in the wall 310 The tran~ver~e ~lot 50 i~ of suf~icient transver~e width to receive tho waier-retaining member 28 ~or inserting the l~gs 41, 43 and 44 in the cross-~ection oi the connector shell 13.
In order to seat the first leg portion 40, a boss 52 is iormed ln the outer wall 30 along the back tran~er~e ~ide~
oi the ~lot 50. Preierably, the ~irst leg 40 i~ dimensioned to fit within the elot 50 and over the boss 52. ~imilarly, a seating means in the iorm of a bos# 53 is iormed along ; the back and ends oi the slot 51 in the wall 31. Thi~ is illustrated in Figure 9. In order to retain the waier-retaining member 28 in the connector shell 13, f~r~t and second ~lots 58 and 59 are iormed in the inner suriace of the wall 30 for recei~ing ~orward end~ oi the leg~ 43 and 44 re~pectively. The ~lot~ 58 and 59 may be iormed by providing a iorward i~ner ~ur~ace 61 parallel to and inwardly ~ irom a rear inner ~uriace 62 o~ the wall 30. When the : wafer retaini~g means 28 i~ maintain~d in the connector shell 13 in ~uch a way the ¢onnector ~hell may be produced by casting, thus a~oiding expen~ive machining operation~.
Seating the fir~t leg 40 on the bo~s 52 in the elot 50 .,~
~ - 15 -.
locates the wa~er retaining means 28 in the rear portion 47 o~ the connector ~hell 1~ and properly aligns the legs 41, 43 and 44.
As indicated in ~igure 7, the wa~er-reta;n~ng mean~ 28 i~ inserted forwardly through the slot 50 as indicated by the arrows in ~igure 7. The ends of the mounting legs 4~ and 44 respectively slide into the slots 58 and 59, and the ~iret leg 40 seats within the ~lot 50 on the boss 52. The final po~ition of the wafer-retaining means 28 i3 further illustrated in Figure 1~. The ~a~er retaining means 28 is pre~erably made of beryIlium copper both to provide strength for retP~ning and to pro~ide a degree of resilie~ce for camming of the second leg 41 by a rib 72 (see Figures 11 and 12) oi the connector wafer 11.
In production, the spring clip which iorms the wafer-retaining mean~ 28 may simplg be stamped. ~he second leg 41 i~ bent with respeot to the first leg 40 80 that when in the connector shell 13, the leg 41 is spring-biased against the connector wafer 11. ~he legs 4~ and 44 mag also be iormed ~ith a ~light bend to provide a spring bia~ when inserted in the slots 58 and 59, thu~ tending to hold the wa~er-retaining means 28 in place.
~` In order to facilitate alignment of the first and second csnneetor wafer~ 11 and 12, an a~ially e~tending ke~ 65 traversing the slot 50 is formed on the rear inner sur~ace 62 o~ the wall 30 a~ the tran~erse centre thereofO
~imilarly, key3 66 ~nd 67 are provided e~tending axially in the rear pcrtion o~ the inner ~uriace of the wall 31.
The key3 66 and 67 are pre~erably trans~ersely equidistantly displaced ~rom the key 65 and traverse the 810t 510 The key~ 65, 66 ~nd 67 provide for desired orlentation of the connector wa~er~ 11 and 12 with re~peot to the co~ector ehell 13, and may act ae seating mean~ ~or the wafer retain~ng mean~ 28 and 38.
In ~igurae 11 and 12, the connector wafere 11 and 12 are illustrated in greater detail. ~he relative position o~ the leg portions 41a and 41b are shown i~ dotted line iorm in Figure llo Figure 11 is a side view similar to that o~ ~igure 1 illustrating the wa~ers 11 and 12 (wafer 12 ifl not visible in Figure 11) and Figure 12 is a iront end view. The con~ector wa~er 11 i~ pre~erably o~ rectangular shape and has a ~ront end 70 ad~acent to which the connector pinB 16 (aee ~igure 12) are located. Terminating means 25 at the rear oi the wa~er 11 ~oin the connector waier 11 to the conductor group 4O The wa~ers 11 and 12 pre~erably have ~lat or interlocking inner ~urfacee mating at an i~terface 71 (see Figure 12). For the purpose oi retainlng the wa~er Il in the con~ector ~hell 13, the connector wa~er 11 ha~ ~o~med on an outer ~uriace thereo~ a transverse rib 72 whi¢h may be bifurcated and in the embodiment illustrated in Figure~ 11 and 12 consi~ts o~ rib sections 72a and 72b.
The rib 72 pre~erably hae a ~orward camming sur~ace 73, illu~trated as 3ections 73a and 73b and a square rear ahoulder 74 illustrated as shoulder sectionA 74a and 74b on the rib ~ection 72a a~d 72b respectively. The rib ~ection 72a and 72b de~ine a rece~s compri~ing a keyway ; which is dimensio~ed to be in rsgistration with ths shell key 65 (~ee Figure 15). ~imilarly, on the connector wafer 12! a transverae rib 76 consisting o~ aectiona 76a, 76b ~0 and 76c i~ provided similar to the tran8ver3e rib 72.
. .~
105647~;
However, the transver~e rib 76 ia dimen~ioned to ha~e keywag~ in registration with the key~ 66 and 67. This construction provide~ for retention, polarization and alignment oi the wafers of 11 and 12 in the co~nector ehell 13 a~ illustratsd in Figures 13 and 15.
~igure 13 i~ a section taken along the line 13-13 of Figure 1. In Figure 13, the connector wafers 11 and 12 are ~hown in place in the connector shell 13. In their final position, the ¢onnector wa~ers 11 and 12 reet in the forward portion 46 (see Figure 7) of the connector ahell 13, and the front end 42 of the leg 41 oi the waier-retaining mean 28 abut~ the rear shoulder 74 of the transver3e rib 72. The ~aier-retaining mean3 38 act~ similarly o~ the rib 76 to maintain the waier 12 in position. ~hs con~ector ~hell 13 a~d the waier~ 11 and 12 and their respective rib~
72 and 76 are proportioned with respect to each other such that, in order to achieve thi~ desired di~position, the wafers 11 and 12 are placed with their ~lat surfacee together and in3erted at the rear end 19 (eee Figure 1) oi the connector ahe71 13 in a iorward axial direction. The connector wa~ers 11 and 12, the connector ~hell 13 and the wa er-retaining mean~ 28 and 38 are dimensioned such that the ~ollowing operation~ reeult. ~ tha connectsr wa~er~ 11 and 12 are m~ved forward $oward the engaging means 63 illustrated in ~igure 10, the rib~ 72 and 76 cam the retaining mean~ 28 and 38 re~pectively, ior e~ample the rib 72 cam8 the secona leg 41 oi the waier-retaining means 28. When the wafera - 11 and 12 are in place, the forward lege oi the retaining means 28 and 38 spring back toward their original position, ~0 coming to rest on the wafers 11 and 12 behind the riba 72 1056~76 and 76 re~pectively.
In ~igure 13, removal of the wa~er~ 11' and 12~
iB i~lustrated with respect to the connector hali 30 The tool 15 ~hown in broken line3) i~ slid into a olearance 80 between the surface of the oonnector wafer 11' and the inner ~urface of the wall 30' oi the conne¢tor ~hell 1~'0 Preferably a front end o~ the tool 15 i8 mo~ed into abutment with the rear shoulder 74' of the rib 72'. Thi~ action freee the rear ohoulder 74' from engagement with the leg 41' of the retaining means 28'. Consequently, the connector wa~er 11' may be removed rearwardly, and thu~ the connector ~afer 12' ha~ more than adequate clearance to permit it~
removal from the connector shell 13'.
~igure 14 i~ a r~ar end ~iew of the connector ~hell 13 (including the wafer-retaining meane 28) taken along the line 14-14 of ~igure 16 with the connector wafer~
11 and 12 removed. The clearances in the preferred embodiment which provide for the mo~t advantageou~ operat~on of the : pré~ent invention are further illustrated with re~erence : 20 to Figure 15, which i~ a rear end view of the conne¢tor shell 13 taken along the line 15-15 of ~igure 16 illu~trating the co~nector wafere 11 and 12 in place in the connector shell 1~. Figure 16 i~ a view of the co~nector half 2 a~ illustrated in ~igure 1, partially broken away to ~how ~urther detail~. The rear se¢tio~ 47 (~ee Figure 7) of the connector ~hell 13 is ~ormed having a width in the longitud~nal ¦ ee below) direction ~etween the inner cur~ace~ o~ the wall~ ~0 and 31 eu~icient to accept the combined longitudinal widths o~ the wa~er~ 11 and 12 and the rib~ 72 and 76. (~he hori~ontPl direction in Figure~
.
14 and 15 is longitudinal) ~he forward inner wall~ 61 (see al~o Figures 9 and 10) o~ the wall~ 30 and 31 are illustrated and have a width sufficient to accommodate the connector wafers 11 and 12, but a width insuf~icient to allo~ clearance of the connector wafer~ 11 and 12 and the rib~ 72 and 76. The second legs 41 of the retaining means 28 and 38 pro~ect into the cavity defined by the connector ~hell 130 ~herefore, when the con~ector wafers are in~erted, as illustrated in Figure 15, the front legs 41 are ca~med and then come to rest behind the rib~ 72 and 76 tsee also Flgure 13). ~he rear ends o~ the ~orward inner wall~ 61 act as engaging means 63 (see Figure 10) to limit forward motion of the connector wafer~ 11 and 12 ln the connector shell 13. ~ang other ~urfaces in the connector ~hell could be provided as engaging means to abut the ~ame or another portion of the connector wafer 11 or 12.
Figures 16 and 17 illustrate further relationship~
within the connector shell 13. As seen in Figure 16, in which the con~ector shell 13 i9 broken away to show the rib sections 72a and 72b, interaction o~ the ~pring retaining means with the rib 72 is better illustrated. Figure 17 i~ broken away to illustrate the key~ 66 and 67 and to u~trate the projectio~ of the retaining mean~ 38 from the bo~# 53 (see ~igures 9 a~d 10) into the cavity of the connector ~hell 13.
The above-described invention i~ advantageous in that the beryllium copper retaining mean~ 28 and ~8 make it possible to maLntain the connector wafers 11 and 12 ~0 in place in a ~trong and rel:Lable manner, while allowing .
for ~imple and quick removal with the tool 15~ The connector half of the present invention i8 deBig:ned ~0 that ~ewer part~ are inYolved than in many other previou~l~
propoaed con~tructions o~ connector halves to provide ea~y installation and removal o~ connector wa~ers in a connector shell. Furthermore, the ribs on the connector wa~er~ serve not only as retaining mean~ but al80 a~ keyway registration means. ~11 o~ the above functions may be accomplished in a connector shell which i~ cast. Thus the present invention makea it pos~ible to pro~ide maximum u~efulne~ at reduced cost. Oi cour~e, many modi~ication~
may be made in the arrangement illustrated in the drawing~
without departing ~rom the 3~0pe o~ the in~ention.
~ connector hali i~ a hou~ing, generally houeine at least one connector wafer therein ior connect~on to another connector half or to a con~ector panel. One ~orm oi connector housl~g i~ oi generally rectangular cro~s-seotion having par~llel transverse iaces ~olned at perpendicular ~$des. A waier 19 lnssrted therei~ in an a~lal direction to iorm the connector h~lf a~sembly. The wa~er is typically a ilat, rigid pla~tic ineert with contacts aseembled or moulded therein. The contacta may be either pins or #ockets extendlng in the axial direction. In an aesembled co~nector, the ¢ontact~ end~ deiine a plane perpendicular to the tran~ver~e iacee oi the conne¢tor ehell at the iorward end thereoi ior mating with other conta¢tsO
In order to ia¢ilitate a#semblg oi connector halvee, it hae been ne¢e~sary to provlde a means for holdin4 warer~ ~n a co~nector shell. Thi~ ha~ been done in the pa~t, for example, by providlng a brac~et and iaetener at the rear o~ a ehell. Th~e, however, involves complex aeee~bl~ stepe. In another proposPl, a metalli~ ~hell ha~ ~ee~ provided with epring olip8 mounted for rotation ln the traneverse plane ~or engaging the rear sur~ace oi wa~er8 ~iter they have bee~ a~ially in~erted in the ~hell. Such de~lgne ~ntail complexity in con~tructlon, and generally require a metallic ~hell that can~ot be iormed by a simple ca~ting process. ~oth rorms oi co~nector require a relatively complex rorm Or manipulation ~0 to remove the waier from the back ~hell.
_ 2 -Ihc present invention provides a connector suitable for terminating a plurality of electrical conductors, which connector comprises an insert for supporting an electrical connection between each conductor and a respec-tive contact member, the exterior of the insert being generally rectangular in cross-section, and a housing for the insert, the housing having first and second substantially parallel transverse interior surfaces joined by side walls that are substantially perpendicular to the transverse surfaces whereby the interior of the housing is of substantially rectangular cross-section and can receive the insert, the housing having an open rear end through which the insert can be introduced into the interior of the housing and a forward end which, in use, is adjacent to the contact members, the housing being provided with retaining means comprising a transverse elongate member mounted in or on the housing and a resilient retaining member extending from the transverse elongate member~ the resilient retaining member projecting away from one of the transverse surfaces into the interior of the housing and towards the forward end of the housing, and an outer surface of the insert having a transverse rib projecting therefrom, the :
arrangement being such that, when the insert is positioned in the housing, the rib, which projects towards the said transverse interior surface of the . 20 housing, can co-operate with the resilient retaining member to prevent ; withdrawal of the insert through the rear end of the housing. .
' , ::
The present invention also provides a housing suitable for use in the connector described in the preced~ng paragraph, which housing has first and second substantially parallel transverse interior surfaces joined by side walls that are substantially perpendicular to the transverse surfaces whereby the interior of the housing is of substantially rectangular cross-section and can receive an insert having an exterior which is generally rectangular in cross-section, the housing having an open rear end through which the insert can be introduced into the interior of the housing and a forward end, the housing being provided with retaining means comprising a transverse elongate member mounted in or on the housing and a resilient retaining member extending from the transverse elongate member, the resilient retaining member projecting away from one of the transverse surfaces into the interior of the housing and towards the forward end of the housing. The invention further provides an insert suitable for use in the connector of the invention, which insert includes a plurality of contact members each of which may be connected to a respective conductor of a ribbon cable, the exterior of the insert being generally rectangular in cross-section and an outer surface of the insert having a transverse rib projecting therefrom.
It should be understood that preferred or advantageous features referred to herein in connection with the housing and/or insert of the connector are also, where appropriate, preferred or advantageous features of the housing and/or insert per se.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the resilient retaining means, which is advantageously substantially flat and rectangular in shape, comprises a first elongate member one end o~ which is ~upported by the hou~ing, the first elongate member extending into the interior of the housin~ in a direction away from the opening thereinO The end of the first elongate member which i~ supported by the housing preferably extend~ ~rom~
and is sub~tantially perpendicular to, a transverse elongate member which may be mounted in or on the hou~ing. ~n aperture is advantageou~ly provided in the housing for insertion of the re~ilient retaining means therein, the housing also comprising seating means for locating the tran~verse elongate member and ~or aligning the ~irst elongate member within the housingO
When the resilient retaining means includes a transverse elongate member, the retaining mean~ preferably al~o compri~e~ a retaining leg projecting from the tran~verse elongate member, the inner surface of the housing al~o compriaing a ~lot for receiving the retaining leg, whereby the re~ilient retaining mean~ may be retained in position in the housing. ~he ~lot is advantageou~ly defined by an inner surface of the hou~ing and a ~urface of an inner wall of the housing parallel to the said inner ~urface, whereby the housing may be formed by ca~ting, at least part of the in~ert being ~uch that it can be received in the cavity defined by the inner wall.
The housing ', ~ - 4a -preierably al~o comprises mean~ ~or limiting the extent to which the insert can be inserted therein. When the hou~ing compri~es an inner wal} ae described above, the inner wall advantageou~ly iorm8 the ~aid meane. Pre~erably, when the insert le in the de~ired position in the hou~ing, at least part of the camming ~urface abu~s the ~aid inner wall.
When the housing is pro~ided with an aperture ior in~ertion oi the resilient retaining mean~, the hou~i~g advantageously also compriee~ an axi~l rib proJecting inwardly irom the inner ~uriace oi the housing, the rib traver~ing the aperture and extending parallel to the direction of movement oi the in~ert when the latter i3 ineerted into the hou~ing, the ~ur~aoe of the rib that ~ace~ the aperture iorming seating means ior the tran~er~e elongate member oi the reeilient retaining the iir~t elongate member o~ the re~ilient retaining mean~
mean3, and/being bifurcated to provide a receee in that elongate member ior receiving the axial rib. Preierably, the hou~ine hae two oppoeite wall~ ea¢h of which i~
provided with an a~ial rib and an aperture, the a~ial rib on one oi the wall9 bei~g trans~ereely di~placed w~th re~pe¢t to the asial ri~ on the other wallO
The houslng of the co~nector o~ the invention advantageously ha# ilr~t and ~econd parallel, transver~e iace~ joined by perpendicular side w 11~ to provide a ; ~ub~tan~ially rectangular cros~-~ection and t~e in~ert compriaes a wa~er having a ~ubstantlQlly rectangular cros~-3ection~ ~he housing pre~erably ha3 a iront end ~or mat~g with another connactor and a rear end in which the opening i8 ~ituatedO
The outer sur~ace of the insert uaed in accordance with the invention advantageously ~nclude~
a traneveree rlb, which transverse rib rorm~ the cammlng suriace and the retaining ehoulderO Preferably the tran~-ver~e rib 1B provlded with a rece~e ior regiYtratlon with the axial rib on the housing, whereby the trans~erse rib acts both as registration means and retaining means.
In a preierred embodiment of the invention, the lnaert comprises first and second wafers, each of the waiers ha~lng Pn ~nner iace ior engagement with the inner ~ace o~ the other wa~er and an outer iace provided with a : ¢~mm~ ~e ~urface and retaining ~houlder. ~he insert iB
advantageously adapted ior electrioal conne~tion to the conductore oi a cable that is ~ub~tantially ilat in croes-sectlon, ior example a ribbon cable; the indlvidual ¢onductors in such a n at cable may be, ior example, round or ~lat i~ croas-section.
~he preeent inventio~ also pro~ides a kit oi part~ whi¢h ¢ompriees a housing and an insert as deiined above, together with a tool ior remo~ing the in~ert irom the houslng, the tool being ~uch that lt can be inserted in the opening in the hou~ing and can cause the reeilient retai~ing meane to ile~ to a configuratlon wherein it does not preve~t withdrawal o~ the insert rrom the housi~g.
: 25 ~he invention al~o providec a method of making an electrlcal co~nection between two electrical conductor~, which cQmpri~e~ making an electrical connection between each o~
~` the conductor~ and an electrical contaot member o~ a reepecti~e oonnector in accordance with the invention, and mating the ~aid electrical contact member oi one :
connector ~ith the ~aid electrical contact member or the other connector9 and an a~sembly whenever made by ~uch a methodO
The in~ention rurther provlde~ a connector half whlch comprises substantiPlly parallel tran~er~e walls ~oined by perpendicular aide~ to pro~ide a sub~tantially re¢tangular ¢ros~-section ¢apab}e of receiving at least one flat connector waier in~erted therein in a forward axial direction. ~ tran~erse rib is formed on an upper face oi a wa~er iacing an inner ~a¢e oi a tran~verse wallO
A spring clip cantile~ered oi th~ inner iace oi the connector hali i8 pro~idedO When the wa~er is in~er~ed in the conne¢tor hali, the rib act~ ae a cam against the apring clip, forcing the spring ¢lip up. ~he apring clip return~ to abut the rear of the rib ae the wafer is pushed into position to retain the waier in the connector haltO
The rib may be provided with recessea ~or meshing with a~ial key~ on the inner suriace oi the connector hali.
A tool iR pro~ided ~or ¢amming the apring ¢lip and ~llowing remo~al o~ the waier.
In a preierred embodiment oi the in~ention, thereiore, retaining means are cantilevered within a connector ; shell a~d a rib on a waier acts as camming meanB on the retai~ing mean~ when the wa~er i8 in#erted in the shell, the wa~er be~ng rigidly kept in place by the retaining means thereafter. The rib o~ the wa~er may cooperate with alignment keyæ aæ well a8 acting ae retaining means.
In a $urther em~odiment o~ the inv~ntion, ths eonnecter ma~ compri~e a connector shell oi the general 3~ t~pe having a recta~gular ¢rose-section, parallel trans~erse ':
- 105647~
wall8 being ~oined by perpendicular ~ide walls for receiving a connector wa~er in~erted irom the rear toward the front in an axial direction. Retaining means cantllerered ~rom an area adJacent the rear of the connector ~hell in an a~ial directlon toward the front are provlded. A transverse rib is provided on the connector waier. When the waier i8 inserted into the connector shell, the rib cam6 the retaining means, slides pa~t the retaining means, and the retaining means bear~ against the rear shoulder oi the rib ior retaining the wa~er in place. A tool may be provided for camming the retaining meane such that the tool and wafer may be removed ~rom the shell whe~ it is de~ired to separate the variou~ parts o~ the connector a~sem~ly.
; ~he lnvention makes it possible to provide improved means for retalnin~ a connector wa~er in a conne¢tor shell to pro~ide lmpro~ed conne¢tor assembly and di8a~sembly;
one or more va~er~ may be reliably and strongly maintalned in a ~hell but may be easlly remo~ed when desired. The conne¢tor o~ the lnvention may be simple to u~e while having a small number of parts. ~urthermore, the connector can be con~tructed of metaIlic parts for ma~imum strength.
The housing connector may be con~tructed by a simple casti~g operation, whereby the need for comple2 machining in production o~ the connector a~embly i8 eliminated. The present inventisn al80 proYides a tool for use in connection with the Gonne¢tor of the in~ention ~or removal of the wafer, hich tool is extremely ~imple in construction and is simple - to u~e. Thus when, ior e~ample, the hou~ing (~hell~ and the insert (wa~er) are ~ubstantlally rectangular in cross-~ection, the front e~d of the tool may be aubsta~tially flat and9 whate~sr the shape o~ the tool, the invention makea lt po~sible to remove a plur~lity o~ contact member~ simul-taneou~ly ~rom a housing without the need to u~e a tool of oomplicated shape.
The inventlon will no~ be de~cribed, by way o~
esample only, with reierence to the accomp~nying drawing~, in which:
Fi~ure 1 i~ a side view oi an electri¢al con~e¢tion iormed at a panel by fir~t and s~cond connector halves construoted in aocord-ance with the presffnt invenbion;
Figure 2 le a rear vie~ tPken along the line 2-2 oi Figure 1;
Figure ~ is a ~ide ~iew oi one conneotor aeeembly oi Figure 1;
: Figure 4 i~ an e~d view taken along the line 4-4 oi Figure ~;
Flgu~e 5 i~ a ~ide view oi the second ¢onnector half oi Figure 1;
Figure 6 ie a plan vlew oi the co~nection ~hown in Figure 1;
-~ Figure 7 i~ an e~ploded view oi a connector she and retalning means;
Figure 8 shows a spring retaining means;
Figure 9 i~ a cross-~ection taken along the line 9-9 oi F~gure 7 ~luetrating epr~ng retaining slots $n a connector ~hell;
Flgure 10 i~ a ¢ro~s-~ection taken Plong the line 25 lO-10 oi ~1gure 7 illustrating keys in a connector ehell;
F~gure 11 ie a ~ide ~iew oi co~nector wa~er~ aligned : ior in~ertio~ in a conne¢tor shell;
~ Pigure 1~ i8 a irontal end vie~ oi the warers ;~ 30 oi Figure 11;
: _ 9 _ Figure 13 i~ a croas-~ection o~ a conneotion bet~een two conne¢tor halvee t~ken along the line 13-1~ o~ Flgure 1 and also illustratee the w e of a wafer remo~al tool;
Figure 14 lo a rear end ~ieN PlOng the line 14-14 of Figure 16 with ths oonnector waier~ removed;
Figure 15 ie a rear end ~iew taken along the llne 15-15 oi Figure 16 and ~howing connector waiere positioned in a connector ~h~ll;
Figure 16 is a detailed siae view of one oonnector hali Or Figure 1, partially broken ~way;
arla . 15 ~igure 17 i~ a ~ide ~iew of one con~eotor half of Figure l taken along the line 17-17 oi Figure 14.
:: ReierriDg now to the drawinge, Figure 1 ehow# a connector 1 con~isti~g oi first and ~econd co~ne¢tor h~lve8 .
- 20 2 and 3 ~hich are mated to iorm an electrical and meohanioal ` co~nection bet~een conduotor groups 4 and 5 and condu¢tor .: group~ 4' and 5' (~ee F~gure 6) ~hich are term~nated in the oonne¢tor hal~es 2 a~d 3 re~pectively. The connector 1 la mounted in a wall 7 by ~ea~ oi ia~tening means 8 and nange~ 9 ~nd 9'. The ¢onne¢tor 1 may also be provlded ~ with mea~ for mounting lt on a ~urface other than a wall, -. or ~ay eimply oon~l~t oi the connector halve~ 2 snd 3.
Th4 iollowing de~criptlon i~ dire¢ted pr~maril~
toward the eonnector hali 2; the connector hali ~ i~ similarly ~0 construct~d. In accordance wlth the prese~t invention, ~056476 an improved connector half 2 i~ provided in which first a~d ~econd connector wafers 11 and 12 (see ~igure 2) are retained in an improved manner in a conne¢tor shell 13 which ~orm~
the hou3ing in the conne¢tor h lf 20 Additionally, because of the construction of the present in~ention, a tool 15 t~ee ~igure 1) may be used ~or easy removal o~ connector wa~er~ 11 and 12 from the connector half 2 or connector wafers 11' and 12' (see ~igure 13) from the connector half 3. Primed reference numerale denote components of the connector half 3 corresponding to those of the connector hal~ 20 Figure~ 3 and 5 show the connector halve~ 2 and 3 re~pectively, Qeparated from each other. The ¢onnector w~èr~ nd 12 (no~ vlaible in F~gure~ 3 and 5) e~tend within the connector ahell 13 toward a front end 14 thereo~
t~ee ~igure 3) in a direction ~hich i~ reierred to herein as a~ial. Figure 4 is a frontal end view of the connector : hal~ ahown in F~gure 3, and shows connector pins 16 which are provided at the iront ends o~ the wafers 11 and 12 ~or connection to connector pin~ 16' in wafers 11' and 12' o~ the connector ehell 3 (see ~igure 13). ~he connector ~h~ll 13 of the connecto~ hal~ 2 hou~e~ the forward portion~
o~ the connector wafers 11 and 12 in a front ~ection 17 o~ the oon~eotor hal~ 2 (see ~igure 3) which fits in a ~ront ~ection 17' of the conne¢tor hal~ 3 (see ~igure 5)0 The con~ector pin~ may be either pin~ or sockets; t~us, ~Gr e~ample, pins may be provided in a wa~er o~ one o~ the connector halve3 while ~ocket~ are pro~ided in the wa~er with which the fir~t-mentioned connector ~afer matesO Polarizing pin~ 18 (see Figure 4) may be provided at the ~ront end . 1 1 _ 14 o~ the connector ~hell 1~ to en~ure correct relati~e orientation oi the connector halvee 2 and 3O The connector ehell 13 h~ a rear end 19. Figure 6 i~ a plan ~iew oi the connector halve~ 2 and 3 mated through a hole in the wall 7.
The conductor groups 4 and 5 may compri~e first and second ~lat cables 20 and 21 respectively (9ee Figure 6) joined by any ~uitable means to the wa~ers 11 and 12, each condu¢tor oi the ~lat cable3 20 and 21 being terminated to a pin 16 at a front end of a wa~er 11 or 12. ~he group~
o~ conductors 4' and 5' could i~ desired be round wire conductors, each i~dividually terminated to a wa~er 11' and 12'. ~lter~ati~ely the conductor group~ 4' and 5' may consi~t o~ ~lat cables 20' and 21'. For this rea~on, round wire conductor~ are ~hown at the rlght hand ~ide o~
~igure 1, and a ilat cable is shown at the right hand side oi Figure 5. ~he conductor groups 4 and 5 are joined to the wafers 11 and 12 respectively. Bach o~ the termination means 25, 26, 25' and 26' (aa seen iurther in Figures 11 and 13) may con~ist oi conductor wire/connector pin interiaces and in~ulation. In Figure 1 the lnsulation hown a~ a réctangular insulation mass surrounding a rear end o~ the connector wa~er 11 (not vieible in Figure 1) and a forward end o~ the conductor group 4.
Th~ 0ntion may be brie~ly summarized with re~ere~ce to ~igure l; a detailed description will be given below. ~he connector shell 13 shown in Figure 1 ha~ an improved construction whi¢h house~ a wa~er reta~ing mea~s 280 The waier retai~ing mean~ 28 i~teracte with a trans-verse rib (aleo indicated in Figure 11 by the reference numeral 72) ~ormed on an upper surface of the con~ector wa~er 11 for ~impli~ied insertion o~ the connector wa~er 11 in the connector shell 13 and ior reliable retention thereoi. The connector wafer 11 can be simply removed by use of the tool 150 ~he connector wa~er 12 in~eract~
similarly with the connector ~hell 13, and the connector wa~ers 11' and 12' interact similarly with the connector shell 13'.
The vertical direction oP ~igure~ 1 and 7 i8 re~erred to herein a~ the transverse direction, and the horizontal direction in Figures 1 and 7 i8 referred to herein a~ the a~al direction. The~e directions correspond to direction~ de~cribed in the movement~ o~ the conductor groupa 4 and 5 when the connector wa~er~ 11 and 12 ar~ in3~rted in the connector shell 130 It can be seen ~rom Figure 2 that the connector shell 13 includes ~ir~t and se¢ond parallel transverse walls 30 and 31.
Opposite end~ of the parallel transver~e~ 30 and 31 are joined respectively by perpe~dicular walls 32 and 33 ~uch that the connector ~hell 13 has a sub~tantially rectangular ¢ross-section.
Figure 7, ~hich i8 an e~ploded view o~ the retain~ng mean~ 28 removed irom the oon~e¢tor shell 13, shows the wa~er-retaining means 28 in greater detall;
the ~a~er retai~ing mean~ 28, viewed along the line 8-8 i~ Figure 7, i8 illustrated ~urther in ~.igure 8. In ~igure 13, which will be discu3~ed in greater detail below, the ~a~er retaining mean~ 28 is illu~trated mounted : in the wall 30 o~ the co~nector ~hell 13, and a wa~er-retaining mean~ 38 i~ mounte~ in the wall 31. ~imilarly, wafer-retaining mean~ 28' and ~8' may be mounted in w~ll8 30' and 31' of the conneotor half 3.
Re~erring again to Flgure 7, the warer-retainlng mean~ 28 may, in the pre~erred embodiment, consist Or a spring clip in¢luding a first, transverse, leg 40 whi¢h can be seated in the transverse wall 30 and to which other legs are attached. ~ second leg 41 iB oantileveT~d ~orwardly and downwardly ~rom the transverse leg 40. ~he term cantilevered is used to indicate that one end of the leg 41 i~ mounted to the oonnector shell 130 The second leg 41 ma~ be biiurcated, having ~ections 41a and 41b, collectively re~erred to a~ the aecond leg 41. By iorwardly it i~ me~nt that the second leg 41 e~tends irom the leg 40 toward the iront end 14 oi the connector shell 13. Downwardly means a~ay ~rom a wall in which a Febainlng leg i8 mounted.
~he second leg 41 may be oi any convenient transverse width whi¢h is le~s than that oi the rirst leg 40. ~he sectlon~
41a and 41b are preferably ~ymmetrical with respect to an axial centre line tnot shown) in the transverse centre oi 20 the iirst leg 40. AB seen in Figure 8, the second leg 41 may have a front portion 42, the section~ 41a and 41b re~pectivel~ having ~ront portions 42a and 42b, each o~ which i~ rein~orced by any convenient mea~, ior example by *olding back on itsel~ an end o~ the etamping ~rom which the leg iB cut. ~dditionally, ~orwardly directed mounting leg~
- 43 a~d 44 reepe¢tively extend irom positions ad~acent opposits ~ trans~er~s end~ of the ~ir~t leg 40. The wa~er-retaining ., mean~ 38 i~ 8imilarly constructed and is disposed in a manner similar to the wa~er-retaining mean~ 28 a~ de~cribed below~ A lo~gitudinal (perpendicular to tran~ver~e and a~ial) o~f~et leg 48 (~ee Fl~ur~ 8) may be provided between the first and se¢ond leg~ 40 and 410 The connector ~hell 1~ ha~ a ior~ard portion 46 (#ee ~igure 7) comprising the portion of the connector shell including and generally ad~acent to the ~ront end 17 o~
the conneotor shell 13, and a rear portion 47 in which the Pirst leg 40 can be mountedO As seen in ~igure~ 7, 9 and 10 an aperture comprising a transveree ~lot 50 is formed : in the wall 30. ~imilarly, a transver~e elot 51 (aee Figures 9 and 10) is formed in the wall 310 The tran~ver~e ~lot 50 i~ of suf~icient transver~e width to receive tho waier-retaining member 28 ~or inserting the l~gs 41, 43 and 44 in the cross-~ection oi the connector shell 13.
In order to seat the first leg portion 40, a boss 52 is iormed ln the outer wall 30 along the back tran~er~e ~ide~
oi the ~lot 50. Preierably, the ~irst leg 40 i~ dimensioned to fit within the elot 50 and over the boss 52. ~imilarly, a seating means in the iorm of a bos# 53 is iormed along ; the back and ends oi the slot 51 in the wall 31. Thi~ is illustrated in Figure 9. In order to retain the waier-retaining member 28 in the connector shell 13, f~r~t and second ~lots 58 and 59 are iormed in the inner suriace of the wall 30 for recei~ing ~orward end~ oi the leg~ 43 and 44 re~pectively. The ~lot~ 58 and 59 may be iormed by providing a iorward i~ner ~ur~ace 61 parallel to and inwardly ~ irom a rear inner ~uriace 62 o~ the wall 30. When the : wafer retaini~g means 28 i~ maintain~d in the connector shell 13 in ~uch a way the ¢onnector ~hell may be produced by casting, thus a~oiding expen~ive machining operation~.
Seating the fir~t leg 40 on the bo~s 52 in the elot 50 .,~
~ - 15 -.
locates the wa~er retaining means 28 in the rear portion 47 o~ the connector ~hell 1~ and properly aligns the legs 41, 43 and 44.
As indicated in ~igure 7, the wa~er-reta;n~ng mean~ 28 i~ inserted forwardly through the slot 50 as indicated by the arrows in ~igure 7. The ends of the mounting legs 4~ and 44 respectively slide into the slots 58 and 59, and the ~iret leg 40 seats within the ~lot 50 on the boss 52. The final po~ition of the wafer-retaining means 28 i3 further illustrated in Figure 1~. The ~a~er retaining means 28 is pre~erably made of beryIlium copper both to provide strength for retP~ning and to pro~ide a degree of resilie~ce for camming of the second leg 41 by a rib 72 (see Figures 11 and 12) oi the connector wafer 11.
In production, the spring clip which iorms the wafer-retaining mean~ 28 may simplg be stamped. ~he second leg 41 i~ bent with respeot to the first leg 40 80 that when in the connector shell 13, the leg 41 is spring-biased against the connector wafer 11. ~he legs 4~ and 44 mag also be iormed ~ith a ~light bend to provide a spring bia~ when inserted in the slots 58 and 59, thu~ tending to hold the wa~er-retaining means 28 in place.
~` In order to facilitate alignment of the first and second csnneetor wafer~ 11 and 12, an a~ially e~tending ke~ 65 traversing the slot 50 is formed on the rear inner sur~ace 62 o~ the wall 30 a~ the tran~erse centre thereofO
~imilarly, key3 66 ~nd 67 are provided e~tending axially in the rear pcrtion o~ the inner ~uriace of the wall 31.
The key3 66 and 67 are pre~erably trans~ersely equidistantly displaced ~rom the key 65 and traverse the 810t 510 The key~ 65, 66 ~nd 67 provide for desired orlentation of the connector wa~er~ 11 and 12 with re~peot to the co~ector ehell 13, and may act ae seating mean~ ~or the wafer retain~ng mean~ 28 and 38.
In ~igurae 11 and 12, the connector wafere 11 and 12 are illustrated in greater detail. ~he relative position o~ the leg portions 41a and 41b are shown i~ dotted line iorm in Figure llo Figure 11 is a side view similar to that o~ ~igure 1 illustrating the wa~ers 11 and 12 (wafer 12 ifl not visible in Figure 11) and Figure 12 is a iront end view. The con~ector wa~er 11 i~ pre~erably o~ rectangular shape and has a ~ront end 70 ad~acent to which the connector pinB 16 (aee ~igure 12) are located. Terminating means 25 at the rear oi the wa~er 11 ~oin the connector waier 11 to the conductor group 4O The wa~ers 11 and 12 pre~erably have ~lat or interlocking inner ~urfacee mating at an i~terface 71 (see Figure 12). For the purpose oi retainlng the wa~er Il in the con~ector ~hell 13, the connector wa~er 11 ha~ ~o~med on an outer ~uriace thereo~ a transverse rib 72 whi¢h may be bifurcated and in the embodiment illustrated in Figure~ 11 and 12 consi~ts o~ rib sections 72a and 72b.
The rib 72 pre~erably hae a ~orward camming sur~ace 73, illu~trated as 3ections 73a and 73b and a square rear ahoulder 74 illustrated as shoulder sectionA 74a and 74b on the rib ~ection 72a a~d 72b respectively. The rib ~ection 72a and 72b de~ine a rece~s compri~ing a keyway ; which is dimensio~ed to be in rsgistration with ths shell key 65 (~ee Figure 15). ~imilarly, on the connector wafer 12! a transverae rib 76 consisting o~ aectiona 76a, 76b ~0 and 76c i~ provided similar to the tran8ver3e rib 72.
. .~
105647~;
However, the transver~e rib 76 ia dimen~ioned to ha~e keywag~ in registration with the key~ 66 and 67. This construction provide~ for retention, polarization and alignment oi the wafers of 11 and 12 in the co~nector ehell 13 a~ illustratsd in Figures 13 and 15.
~igure 13 i~ a section taken along the line 13-13 of Figure 1. In Figure 13, the connector wafers 11 and 12 are ~hown in place in the connector shell 13. In their final position, the ¢onnector wa~ers 11 and 12 reet in the forward portion 46 (see Figure 7) of the connector ahell 13, and the front end 42 of the leg 41 oi the waier-retaining mean 28 abut~ the rear shoulder 74 of the transver3e rib 72. The ~aier-retaining mean3 38 act~ similarly o~ the rib 76 to maintain the waier 12 in position. ~hs con~ector ~hell 13 a~d the waier~ 11 and 12 and their respective rib~
72 and 76 are proportioned with respect to each other such that, in order to achieve thi~ desired di~position, the wafers 11 and 12 are placed with their ~lat surfacee together and in3erted at the rear end 19 (eee Figure 1) oi the connector ahe71 13 in a iorward axial direction. The connector wa~ers 11 and 12, the connector ~hell 13 and the wa er-retaining mean~ 28 and 38 are dimensioned such that the ~ollowing operation~ reeult. ~ tha connectsr wa~er~ 11 and 12 are m~ved forward $oward the engaging means 63 illustrated in ~igure 10, the rib~ 72 and 76 cam the retaining mean~ 28 and 38 re~pectively, ior e~ample the rib 72 cam8 the secona leg 41 oi the waier-retaining means 28. When the wafera - 11 and 12 are in place, the forward lege oi the retaining means 28 and 38 spring back toward their original position, ~0 coming to rest on the wafers 11 and 12 behind the riba 72 1056~76 and 76 re~pectively.
In ~igure 13, removal of the wa~er~ 11' and 12~
iB i~lustrated with respect to the connector hali 30 The tool 15 ~hown in broken line3) i~ slid into a olearance 80 between the surface of the oonnector wafer 11' and the inner ~urface of the wall 30' oi the conne¢tor ~hell 1~'0 Preferably a front end o~ the tool 15 i8 mo~ed into abutment with the rear shoulder 74' of the rib 72'. Thi~ action freee the rear ohoulder 74' from engagement with the leg 41' of the retaining means 28'. Consequently, the connector wa~er 11' may be removed rearwardly, and thu~ the connector ~afer 12' ha~ more than adequate clearance to permit it~
removal from the connector shell 13'.
~igure 14 i~ a r~ar end ~iew of the connector ~hell 13 (including the wafer-retaining meane 28) taken along the line 14-14 of ~igure 16 with the connector wafer~
11 and 12 removed. The clearances in the preferred embodiment which provide for the mo~t advantageou~ operat~on of the : pré~ent invention are further illustrated with re~erence : 20 to Figure 15, which i~ a rear end view of the conne¢tor shell 13 taken along the line 15-15 of ~igure 16 illu~trating the co~nector wafere 11 and 12 in place in the connector shell 1~. Figure 16 i~ a view of the co~nector half 2 a~ illustrated in ~igure 1, partially broken away to ~how ~urther detail~. The rear se¢tio~ 47 (~ee Figure 7) of the connector ~hell 13 is ~ormed having a width in the longitud~nal ¦ ee below) direction ~etween the inner cur~ace~ o~ the wall~ ~0 and 31 eu~icient to accept the combined longitudinal widths o~ the wa~er~ 11 and 12 and the rib~ 72 and 76. (~he hori~ontPl direction in Figure~
.
14 and 15 is longitudinal) ~he forward inner wall~ 61 (see al~o Figures 9 and 10) o~ the wall~ 30 and 31 are illustrated and have a width sufficient to accommodate the connector wafers 11 and 12, but a width insuf~icient to allo~ clearance of the connector wafer~ 11 and 12 and the rib~ 72 and 76. The second legs 41 of the retaining means 28 and 38 pro~ect into the cavity defined by the connector ~hell 130 ~herefore, when the con~ector wafers are in~erted, as illustrated in Figure 15, the front legs 41 are ca~med and then come to rest behind the rib~ 72 and 76 tsee also Flgure 13). ~he rear ends o~ the ~orward inner wall~ 61 act as engaging means 63 (see Figure 10) to limit forward motion of the connector wafer~ 11 and 12 ln the connector shell 13. ~ang other ~urfaces in the connector ~hell could be provided as engaging means to abut the ~ame or another portion of the connector wafer 11 or 12.
Figures 16 and 17 illustrate further relationship~
within the connector shell 13. As seen in Figure 16, in which the con~ector shell 13 i9 broken away to show the rib sections 72a and 72b, interaction o~ the ~pring retaining means with the rib 72 is better illustrated. Figure 17 i~ broken away to illustrate the key~ 66 and 67 and to u~trate the projectio~ of the retaining mean~ 38 from the bo~# 53 (see ~igures 9 a~d 10) into the cavity of the connector ~hell 13.
The above-described invention i~ advantageous in that the beryllium copper retaining mean~ 28 and ~8 make it possible to maLntain the connector wafers 11 and 12 ~0 in place in a ~trong and rel:Lable manner, while allowing .
for ~imple and quick removal with the tool 15~ The connector half of the present invention i8 deBig:ned ~0 that ~ewer part~ are inYolved than in many other previou~l~
propoaed con~tructions o~ connector halves to provide ea~y installation and removal o~ connector wa~ers in a connector shell. Furthermore, the ribs on the connector wa~er~ serve not only as retaining mean~ but al80 a~ keyway registration means. ~11 o~ the above functions may be accomplished in a connector shell which i~ cast. Thus the present invention makea it pos~ible to pro~ide maximum u~efulne~ at reduced cost. Oi cour~e, many modi~ication~
may be made in the arrangement illustrated in the drawing~
without departing ~rom the 3~0pe o~ the in~ention.
Claims (37)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A connector suitable for terminating a plurality of electrical conductors, which connector comprises an insert for supporting an electrical connection between each conductor and a respective contact member, the exterior of the insert being generally rectangular in cross-section, and a housing for the insert, the housing having first and second substantially parallel transverse interior surfaces joined by side walls that are substantially perpendicular to the transverse surfaces whereby the interior of the housing is of substantially rectangular cross-section and can receive the insert, the housing having an open rear end through which the insert can be introduced into the interior of the housing and a forward end which, in use, is adjacent to the contact members, the housing being provided with retaining means comprising a transverse elongate member mounted in or on the housing and a resilient retaining member extending from the transverse elongate member, the resilient retaining member projecting away from one of the transverse surfaces into the interior of the housing and towards the forward end of the housing, and an outer surface of the insert having a transverse rib projecting therefrom, the arrangement being such that, when the insert is positioned in the housing, the rib, which projects towards the said transverse interior surface of the housing, can co-operate with the resilient retaining member to prevent withdrawal of the insert through the rear end of the housing.
2. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resilient retaining member is substantially flat and rectangular in shape.
3. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resilient retaining member comprises a plurality of parts, each of the parts extending from the transverse elongate member.
4. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein an aperture is provided in the housing for insertion of the retaining means therein, the housing also comprising seating means for locating the transverse elongate member and for aligning the resilient retaining member within the housing.
5. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retaining means also comprises a retaining leg projecting from the transverse elongate member and wherein the inner surface of the housing also comprises a slot for receiving the retaining leg, whereby the retaining means may be retained in position in the housing.
6. A connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein the slot extends in the axial direction.
7. A connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein the slot is defined by an inner surface of the housing and a surface of an inner wall of the housing parallel to the said inner surface, whereby the housing may be formed by casting, at least part of the insert being such that it can be received in the cavity defined by the inner wall.
8. A connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein the retain-ing means comprises a pair of said retaining legs and the housing comprises a pair of said slots.
9. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing also comprises means for limiting the forward movement of the insert therein.
10. A connector as claimed in claim 7, wherein the inner wall also forms means for limiting the forward movement of the insert in the housing.
11. A connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein a surface of the transverse rib can abut the said inner wall.
12. A connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein the housing also comprises an axially extending key projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the housing, the key extending parallel to the direction of movement of the insert when the latter is inserted into the housing and a portion of the key traversing the aperture, and wherein the resilient retaining member comprises two parts such that the resilient retaining member can receive the key.
13. A connector as claimed in claim 12, wherein the housing has two opposite inner surfaces each of which is provided with a key and an aperture, the key on one of the surfaces being transversely displaced with respect to the key on the other surface.
14. A connector as claimed in claim 12, wherein the transverse rib of the insert is provided with a recess for registration with the key on the housing, whereby the transverse rib also acts as registration means.
15. A connector as claimed in claim 12, wherein the portion of the key that traverses the aperture forms seating means for the transverse elongate member of the retaining means.
16. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insert comprises a wafer having a substantially rectangular cross-section, the wafer including a plurality of contact members at a front end thereof.
17. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forward end of the housing is such that the connector can be mated with another connector.
- 24a -
- 24a -
18. A connector as claimed in claim 1, which comprises first and second inserts, each of the inserts having an inner face for engagement with the inner face of the other insert and an outer face provided with a said transverse rib.
19. A connector as claimed in claim 18, wherein each of the transverse interior surface of the housing has a said resilient retaining member projecting therefrom.
20. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insert is such that it can be used for terminating a ribbon cable.
21. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arrangement and the resilient retaining member are such that a tool inserted through the rear end of the housing can cause the resilient retaining member to adopt such a confiura-tion as to permit withdrawal of the insert through the rear end of the housing.
22. A kit of parts which comprises a connector as specified in claim 1 and a tool for removing the insert from the housing, the tool being such that it can be inserted through the rear end of the housing and can cause the re-silient retaining member to adopt such a configuration as to permit withdrawal of the insert through the rear end of the housing.
23. In a connector half including a connector shell of the general type having first and second parallel, trans-verse faces joined by perpendicular side walls to provide a substantially rectangular cross-section, said transverse walls having inner and outer faces, said connector shell having a forward portion and a rear portion and having a front end for mating with another connector and having a rear end, and further comprising a connector wafer of substantially the same rectangular cross-section as said connector shell, said connector wafer including connector contacts at a front end thereof, said connector wafer being for disposition such that said connector contacts are adjacent said front end of said connector shell, the improvement comprising, in combination:
resilient retaining means comprising a spring clip having a first transversely disposed leg mounted to said connector sheal and a second, forwardly extend-ing leg of substantially flat and rectangular shape cantilevered therefrom, said forwardly extending leg being cantilevered from a point on an interface of one of said transverse walls and extending forwardly and into a cavity defined by said transverse walls and said side walls toward the front of said connector shell;
an aperture located in the rear portion of one of said transverse walls of said connector shell for insertion of said spring clip therein, and in which seating means are provided in said connector shell for locating said first leg of said spring clip and aligning said forwardly extending leg of said spring clip within said connector shell;
engaging means formed in said connector shell for limiting the forward movement of said connector wafer therein; a transverse rib formed on a surface of said connector wafer facing an inner surface of said connector shell, said transverse rib comprising a forward camming surface and a rear shoulder, said transverse rib and said resilient means and said engaging means being dis-posed with respect to each other such that when said wafer is inserted in said connector shell in an axial direction, said forward camming surface cams the leg of said resilient retaining means, and in a final position in which said engaging means engages said wafer preventing further forward movement thereof, said leg of said resilient retaining means is positioned behind said rear shoulder of said transverse rib such that upon a predetermined amount of rearward motion of said wafer, the end of said resilient retaining means engages said rear shoulder of said transverse rib, whereby said wafer is retained in said connector shell.
resilient retaining means comprising a spring clip having a first transversely disposed leg mounted to said connector sheal and a second, forwardly extend-ing leg of substantially flat and rectangular shape cantilevered therefrom, said forwardly extending leg being cantilevered from a point on an interface of one of said transverse walls and extending forwardly and into a cavity defined by said transverse walls and said side walls toward the front of said connector shell;
an aperture located in the rear portion of one of said transverse walls of said connector shell for insertion of said spring clip therein, and in which seating means are provided in said connector shell for locating said first leg of said spring clip and aligning said forwardly extending leg of said spring clip within said connector shell;
engaging means formed in said connector shell for limiting the forward movement of said connector wafer therein; a transverse rib formed on a surface of said connector wafer facing an inner surface of said connector shell, said transverse rib comprising a forward camming surface and a rear shoulder, said transverse rib and said resilient means and said engaging means being dis-posed with respect to each other such that when said wafer is inserted in said connector shell in an axial direction, said forward camming surface cams the leg of said resilient retaining means, and in a final position in which said engaging means engages said wafer preventing further forward movement thereof, said leg of said resilient retaining means is positioned behind said rear shoulder of said transverse rib such that upon a predetermined amount of rearward motion of said wafer, the end of said resilient retaining means engages said rear shoulder of said transverse rib, whereby said wafer is retained in said connector shell.
24. A connector as claimed in claim 23, which also comprises a tool for axial insertion in the rear of the connector shell, the too being dimensioned to fit a recess defined by the upper face of the wafer and the inner face of the transverse wall, the tool being dimensioned such that when inserted in the rear of the connector shell the tool abuts the rear shoulder of the transverse ribe on the wafer and cams the forward leg of the resilient retaining means such that the tool and the wafer may be simultaneously removed from the connector shell in a rearward axial direction.
25. A housing suitable for use in a connector as claimed in claim 1, which housing has first and second substantially parallel transverse interior surface joined by side walls that are substantially perpendicular to the transverse surfaces whereby the interior of the housing is of substantially rectangular cross-section and can receive an insert having an exterior which is generally rectangular in cross-section, the housing having an open rear end through which the insert can be introduced into the interior of the housing and a forward end, the housing being provided with retaining means comprising a transverse elongate member mounted in or on the housing and a resilient retaining member extending from the transverse elongate member, the resilient retaining member projecting away from one of the transverse surfaces into the interior of the housing and towards the forward end of the housing.
26. A housing as claimed in claim 25, wherein the resilient retaining member comprises a plurality of parts, each of the parts extending from the transverse elongate member.
27. A housing as claimed in claim 25, wherein an aperture is provided in the housing for insertion of the retaining means therein, the housing also comprising seating means for locating the transverse elongate member and for aligning the resilient retaining member within the housing.
28. A housing as claimed in claim 25, wherein the retaining means also comprises a retaining leg projecting from the transverse elongate member and wherein the inner surface of the housing also comprises a slot for receiving the retaining leg, whereby the retaining means may be retained in position in the housing.
29. A housing as claimed in claim 28, wherein the slot is defined by an inner surface of the housing and a surface of an inner wall of the housing parallel to the said inner surface, whereby the housing may be formed by casting.
30. A housing as claimed in claim 27, wherein the housing also comprises an axially extending key projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the housing, the key extending parallel to the direction of movement of the insert when the latter is inserted into the housing, and a portion of the key traversing the aperture, and wherein the resilient retaining member comprises two parts such that the resilient retaining member can receive the key.
31. A housing as claimed in claim 30, wherein the housing has two opposite inner surfaces each of which is provided with a key and an aperture, the key and one of the surfaces being transversely displaced with respect to the key on the other surface.
32. A housing as claimed in claim 30, wherein the portion of the key that traverses the aperture forms seating means for the transverse elongate member of the retaining means.
33. A housing as claimed in claim 25, wherein each of the transverse interior surfaces of the housing has a said resilient retaining member projecting therefrom.
34. A housing as claimed in claim 25, which also comprises means for limiting the forward movement of the insert therein.
35. An insert suitable for use in a connector as claimed in claim 1, which insert includes a plurality of contact members each of which may be connected to a respective conductor of a ribbon cable, the exterior of the insert being generally rectangular in cross-section and an outer surface of the insert having a transverse rib projecting therefrom.
36. An insert as claimed in claim 35, which insert has a first face for engagement with the first face of another said insert and a second face opposite the first face, the second face being provided with a said transverse rib.
37. An insert as claimed in claim 35, wherein the rib is provided with a recess for registration with a key on the housing.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US49339274A | 1974-07-31 | 1974-07-31 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1056476A true CA1056476A (en) | 1979-06-12 |
Family
ID=23960050
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA232,529A Expired CA1056476A (en) | 1974-07-31 | 1975-07-30 | Connector having an insert retained in a housing |
Country Status (6)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS5944751B2 (en) |
| BE (1) | BE831874A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1056476A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2534292A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2280986A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1522485A (en) |
Families Citing this family (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4548461A (en) * | 1983-12-19 | 1985-10-22 | Amp Incorporated | Connector having improved contact retainers |
| US4764130A (en) * | 1983-02-07 | 1988-08-16 | Amp Incorporated | Electrical connector having terminal housing retaining member |
| US4927388A (en) * | 1989-09-29 | 1990-05-22 | Amp Incorporated | Electrical connector shell assembly and module retention clip |
| JPH0643140U (en) * | 1992-03-13 | 1994-06-07 | 株式会社森本工務店 | Formwork panel |
| JP2829565B2 (en) * | 1994-08-23 | 1998-11-25 | 株式会社明治ゴム化成 | Plastic panel for concrete formwork |
| DE202004007300U1 (en) | 2004-05-07 | 2004-10-14 | Harting Electric Gmbh & Co. Kg | Device for fastening a connector |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1030694A (en) * | 1961-06-16 | 1966-05-25 | Smart & Brown Connectors Ltd | Multi-contact electric connectors |
| US3457640A (en) * | 1964-12-17 | 1969-07-29 | Western Electric Co | Methods of fabricating an electrical coupler |
| DE1971585U (en) * | 1967-06-19 | 1967-11-02 | Siemens Ag | FIXED CONTACT PART HELD ON INSULATED BODIES. |
| US3576520A (en) * | 1969-04-11 | 1971-04-27 | Amp Inc | Mounting means for terminal junction modules |
| DE7010429U (en) * | 1970-03-20 | 1970-07-23 | Siemens Ag | CONNECTOR. |
| US3671921A (en) * | 1970-10-28 | 1972-06-20 | Amp Inc | Multi-contact electrical connector |
| US3707696A (en) * | 1971-01-11 | 1972-12-26 | Amp Inc | Multi-contact electrical connector for flat cable |
-
1975
- 1975-07-29 GB GB3167575A patent/GB1522485A/en not_active Expired
- 1975-07-29 BE BE158737A patent/BE831874A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1975-07-30 CA CA232,529A patent/CA1056476A/en not_active Expired
- 1975-07-30 FR FR7523759A patent/FR2280986A1/en active Granted
- 1975-07-31 DE DE19752534292 patent/DE2534292A1/en active Granted
- 1975-07-31 JP JP50093677A patent/JPS5944751B2/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2280986B1 (en) | 1982-04-02 |
| JPS5944751B2 (en) | 1984-10-31 |
| FR2280986A1 (en) | 1976-02-27 |
| BE831874A (en) | 1976-01-29 |
| DE2534292C2 (en) | 1988-04-28 |
| GB1522485A (en) | 1978-08-23 |
| DE2534292A1 (en) | 1976-02-12 |
| JPS5149493A (en) | 1976-04-28 |
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