CA1081812A - Electrical connector for a modular harness - Google Patents

Electrical connector for a modular harness

Info

Publication number
CA1081812A
CA1081812A CA288,771A CA288771A CA1081812A CA 1081812 A CA1081812 A CA 1081812A CA 288771 A CA288771 A CA 288771A CA 1081812 A CA1081812 A CA 1081812A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
contact
arm
printed circuit
cavities
slot
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
Application number
CA288,771A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Vladimiro Teagno
Franco Trevisiol
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TE Connectivity Corp
Original Assignee
AMP Inc
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by AMP Inc filed Critical AMP Inc
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1081812A publication Critical patent/CA1081812A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R12/00Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
    • H01R12/70Coupling devices
    • H01R12/71Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/72Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/722Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures coupling devices mounted on the edge of the printed circuits
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R12/00Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
    • H01R12/70Coupling devices
    • H01R12/71Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/75Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures connecting to cables except for flat or ribbon cables
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R12/00Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
    • H01R12/70Coupling devices
    • H01R12/77Coupling devices for flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures
    • H01R12/81Coupling devices for flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures connecting to another cable except for flat or ribbon cable

Landscapes

  • Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
  • Insulated Conductors (AREA)
  • Manufacturing Of Electrical Connectors (AREA)

Abstract

A B S T R A C T - CANADA

A modular harness in which a series of conductors are terminated at opposite ends by identical connectors which are each adapted for connection alternatively to a printed circuit or tabs. The connectors may comprise a housing base having a longitudinally extending slot in a contact face communicating with two rows of longitud-inally staggered terminal receiving compartments. The terminals preferably have contact portions with opposed spring arms to grip a tab between them, one arm being bent away from the other arm intermediate its ends to provide a contact surface for a printed circuit at the bend. The other arm may constitute a back-up spring during contact by the one arm with a printed circuit.

Description

-' 108~12 The invention relates to electrical harnesses and electrical con-nectors and terminals for such harnesses.
According to the invention, an electrical connector for a modular harness comprises an elongate insulating housing having a wire connecting face opposite a contact face and a series of cavities communicating with opposite faces, a slot being formed in transversely extending cavity walls and extending longitudinally of the housing and opening to the contact face;
electrical terminals retained in respective cavities, each terminal being stamped and formed from a single piece of sheet metal and comprising a body portion from opposite ends of which extend a wire connecting portion and a contact portion respectively, the contact portions being arranged and adapted for connection alternatively to a printed circuit board received in the slot or to tabs inserted into the housing at the contact face, each contact portion comprising two spring arms extending in the same direction from the body portion and converging towards their free ends which have contact surfaces on two opposed sides so that the arms will grip a tab inserted between the contact surfaces, one arm being bent away from the other arm intermediate its ends, the opposite side of the arm at the bend having a contact surface protruding into the slot for connection to the printed circuit board.
Harnesses of the same construction can be used to connect to the conventional tab contacts or to printed circuits which are proposed with increasing frequency for example for instrument panels of automobiles. A
printed circui~ may be the edge of a rigid printed circuit board or an equivalent defined by a flexible printed circuit supported by a rigid strip.
Where connection is to be made to a printed circuit board or ribbon cable in which the adjacent circuit paths or conductors are closely spaced, a problem arises in providing sufficient clearance between the adjacent terminals to avoid short circuits.

~l Ji ~

Accoraing to a preferred example of the invention, the connector is provided with two parallel rows of cavities arranged on opposite sides of the slot, respectively, the cavities in one row being longitudinally offset from the cavities in the other row so that the terminals of respec-tive rows are in staggered relation.
This permits the pitch of the contacts to be reduced to that of the circuit paths or conductors of the printed circuit board and ribbon cable without short circuits occurring. It also allows contacts of greater width, lengthwise of the row, than in a single row case so that the mechanical and electrical requirements of the contacts can more readily be accommodated. -Preferably, the free ends of the arms are arranged to be brought into abutment during engagement of the one arm with a printed circuit so that the other arm provides a back-up spring. -` , ' ' ':

~L0~1812 Examples of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is an exploded view partly in cross-section of a first example of connector;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a terminal of the connector of Figure 1 but with a modified wire connecting portion;
Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a contact face of the connector of Figure 1, showing two modes of use;
Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a second example of terminal with the wire connecting portion omitted;
Figure 5 is a front elevational view of the second example;
Figure 6 is a rear perspective view of a third example of terminal;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the third example;
Figure 8 is a front perspective view of the third example;

. .

` 4696 - 1~8181Z
Figure 9 is a fragmentary view of the contact face of the connector of Figures 5-8 showing two modes of use, and, -~ igure 10 is a cross-sectional view of an auxiliary connector.
The connector of Figure 1 comprises a housing base 11 and cover 12 moulded of plastics material with two rows of cavities 14 and 15, retaining terminals 16 and 17, the cavities of one row being longitudinally offset from the cavities of the other row so that the associated terminals are located in staggered relation. A slot 19 blsects longitudinally a contact face of the housing to communicate laterally with each cavity. Tab receiving slots 21 which open to the contact face are formed in the lS longitudinal walls of the housing communicating with each cavity and in correspondingly staggered relation.
Each termi.nal 16 is stamped and formed from a single piece of sheet metal stock and comprises a box-like body portion 22 from opposite ends of which extend a tab-like male wire connecting portion 23 and a contact portion 24 respectively. The contact portion comprises a pair of spring arms which extend from opposite sides of the body portion and converge towards their free ends which are formed with oppositely curved contact faces 25. The body portion is located in the housing by co-operation with ribs and shoulders 27 and 28 formed on the cavity walls and a locking lance 29 is struck out from at least one wall of the body portion for co-operation with a locking abutment (not shown) formed on a cavity wall.
The terminal 17 comprises a tab-receiving wire .
. .

1~13181Z

connecting portion 31 and an anchoring portion 32 having teeth 33. Instead of teeth, the anchoring portion may have opposite sides rolled over to form a split part-tubular spring received as an interference fit in the socket.
The cover can be applied to the base to engage the tab in the socket and connect to insulated wires located between them as described in our GB patent No. 1,528,971 granted January 24, 1979. Alternatively, as in other examples the tab may be replaced by a conventional crimping ferrule 34 and the cover 12 and terminal 17 omitted.
After connection to the wires, the connector can be connected 10 either to a printed circuit board or a flexible etched circuit 35 supported on a rib 36 and inserted to the longitudinal slot or to tabs 37 inserted in-to slots 21 as shown in Figures 3. In either case the non-contacting spring arm provides a back-up spring increasing the stiffness of the contact portion.
The same connector can therefore be used to make connection either to tabs or to a printed circuit board, ~or flexible etched circuitry where suitably supported). A particular application is in an automobile harness system where the same harness module can be used to interconnect the tabs or printed circuit board of a central junction box to the flexible etched 20 circuitry of an instrument panel.
In a second example of contact shown in Figures 4 and 5 the contact portion 53 comprises a printed circuit contacting arm 44 constituted by a reversely bent extension of the base of a channel shaped body 42, and : . . . . :: . , . . :- . .

- ~ ~081812 46~6 a tab can be gripped between the free ends of arms 43 and the channel base.
In a third example, the connector housing and , terminals may be modified as shown in Figures 6 to 9.
The contact portion 40 comprises contact spring arms 38 bent over from the free ends of the side walls and an opposed arm 39 is stuck from the base o a generally channel-shaped body portion, which arms converge at their frée ends to grip between them a tab. The contact , 10 arm 39 is bent intermediate its ends to provide an ,, outwardly protruding contact face 41 for connection to a printed circuit. In this example, the arm 38 functions as a back-up spring when the supported flexible etched circuit is received in the housing slot.
An advantage of using this form of contact is ' that the tabs can be more closely spaced together than with the previous example and lie wholly within the insulating housing after connections, (especially important where the tabs extend from a central junction box of an :20 automobile). In addition, an insulated connection is provided, the longitudinal walls of the housing being imperforate.
Where individual components are to be connected to a harness connector their leads may be selectively termin-ated by the terminals 45 of Figure 10 which are mounted in a row on insulating housing 46. The terminals comprise a crimping fer,rule 47 extending from one end of a body 48 and a double thickness tab 49 extending transversely of , the plane of the body, from the other end. The terminal is retained in the housing by engagement of a relatively rigid tooth 51 witn a pip 52 mo~lded on the relatively flexible housing wall.

, . . ~

,, ': ' . . ' . .

.

.. .

~ , . . : , : : . :

Claims (3)

The embodiments of the invention for which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are as follows:-
1. An electrical connector for a modular harness comprising an elongate insulating housing having a wire connecting face opposite a contact face and a series of cavities communicating with opposite faces, a slot being formed in transversely extending cavity walls and extending longitudinally of the housing and opening to the contact face; electrical terminals retained in respective cavities, each terminal being stamped and formed from a single piece of sheet metal and comprising a body portion from opposite ends of which extend a wire connecting portion and a contact portion respectively, the contact portions being arranged and adapted for connection alternatively to a printed circuit board received in the slot or to tabs inserted into the housing at the contact face, each contact portion comprising two spring arms extending in the same direction from the body portion and converging towards their free ends which have contact surfaces on two opposed sides so that the arms will grip a tab inserted between the contact surfaces, one arm being bent away from the other arm intermediate its ends, the opposite side of the arm at the bend having a contact surface protruding into the slot for connection to the printed circuit board.
2. An electrical connector according to Claim 1, in which the free ends of the contact arms are arranged to be brought into abutment during engagement of the one arm with the printed circuit so that the other arm provides a back-up spring.
3. An electrical connector according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which there are two parallel rows of cavities arranged on opposite sides of the slot respectively, the cavities in one row being longitudinally offset from the cavities in the other row so that the terminals of respective rows are in staggered relation.
CA288,771A 1976-11-02 1977-10-14 Electrical connector for a modular harness Expired CA1081812A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB45452/76A GB1592353A (en) 1976-11-02 1976-11-02 Electrical connector and modular harness
GB45452/76 1976-11-02

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1081812A true CA1081812A (en) 1980-07-15

Family

ID=10437257

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA288,771A Expired CA1081812A (en) 1976-11-02 1977-10-14 Electrical connector for a modular harness

Country Status (13)

Country Link
JP (1) JPS5357485A (en)
AU (1) AU513451B2 (en)
BE (1) BE860366A (en)
BR (1) BR7707236A (en)
CA (1) CA1081812A (en)
DE (1) DE2749055A1 (en)
ES (1) ES463708A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2369697A1 (en)
GB (1) GB1592353A (en)
IT (1) IT1091059B (en)
MX (1) MX146439A (en)
NL (1) NL7710926A (en)
SE (1) SE427975B (en)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES470309A1 (en) * 1977-06-03 1979-09-16 Amp Inc Electric connecting element
FR2413804A1 (en) * 1977-12-28 1979-07-27 Souriau & Cie Connector with spring contact fingers at one end - has automatic insulation stripping jaws at other end for gripping inserted wire
JPS5524398A (en) * 1978-08-07 1980-02-21 Du Pont Low input 2 beam pin terminal and connector
GB8327993D0 (en) * 1983-10-19 1983-11-23 Gen Electric Co Plc Electric socket connectors
JPS62147608A (en) * 1985-12-23 1987-07-01 矢崎総業株式会社 Wiring harness

Family Cites Families (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB796964A (en) * 1955-12-05 1958-06-25 Gen Electric Co Ltd Improvements in or relating to electrical socket connectors
FR1141748A (en) * 1956-02-22 1957-09-06 Power socket, usable with plugs of different characteristics
BE567613A (en) * 1958-02-20
FR1354688A (en) * 1962-05-17 1964-03-06 Elco Corp Contact that can receive a card or a plate
US3173737A (en) * 1963-08-05 1965-03-16 Amp Inc Connector with tab terminal latching means
US3448345A (en) * 1967-06-08 1969-06-03 Amp Inc Interconnection system
FR1537908A (en) * 1967-07-19 1968-08-30 Cit Alcatel Electrical connection device
US3543217A (en) * 1968-06-25 1970-11-24 Heyman Mfg Co Multipurpose electric receptacle fitting and receptacle
US3732525A (en) * 1971-03-26 1973-05-08 Amp Inc Electrical contact terminal and connector
IL43364A (en) * 1972-10-13 1976-01-30 Bunker Ramo Panel board electrical connector
US3995929A (en) * 1974-11-05 1976-12-07 General Motors Corporation Female terminal
US4033658A (en) * 1976-02-27 1977-07-05 Amp Incorporated Connector assembly accepting different size post contacts therein

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2369697B1 (en) 1982-04-09
IT1091059B (en) 1985-06-26
AU513451B2 (en) 1980-12-04
SE427975B (en) 1983-05-24
MX146439A (en) 1982-06-28
ES463708A1 (en) 1979-01-01
NL7710926A (en) 1978-05-05
GB1592353A (en) 1981-07-08
BE860366A (en) 1978-05-02
DE2749055A1 (en) 1978-05-11
FR2369697A1 (en) 1978-05-26
BR7707236A (en) 1978-07-18
JPS5357485A (en) 1978-05-24
AU2948877A (en) 1979-04-12
SE7712406L (en) 1978-05-02

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