CA1160303A - Electrical connector with contact retention tabs - Google Patents

Electrical connector with contact retention tabs

Info

Publication number
CA1160303A
CA1160303A CA000388922A CA388922A CA1160303A CA 1160303 A CA1160303 A CA 1160303A CA 000388922 A CA000388922 A CA 000388922A CA 388922 A CA388922 A CA 388922A CA 1160303 A CA1160303 A CA 1160303A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
contact member
contact
aperture
channel
connector
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
CA000388922A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
William R. Bailey
David R. Marach
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.)
Allied Corp
Original Assignee
Allied Corp
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 Allied Corp filed Critical Allied Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1160303A publication Critical patent/CA1160303A/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
    • H01R12/50Fixed connections
    • H01R12/51Fixed connections for rigid printed circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/515Terminal blocks providing connections to wires or cables
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R4/00Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
    • H01R4/28Clamped connections, spring connections
    • H01R4/30Clamped connections, spring connections utilising a screw or nut clamping member

Landscapes

  • Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
  • Multi-Conductor Connections (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An electrical connector (10) for receiving a printed circuit board (40) and for establishing connection between the board and wiring (28) includes a contact member (20), having contacts (44) for establishing connection to the printed circuit board (40), and includes contact retention tabs (30) for preventing tension applied to wires (28) from causing the contact member (30) from becoming separated from the connector body (12). Preferably, the contact retention tabs (30) become wedged into a side (34) of a barrier wall (16) when upward force is applied, but may also be actuated by a clamping plate (24) for clampingly retaining the wire (28), or by the wire (28) itself.

Description

~3~3 ELECTRICAL CONNE~TOR WITH CONTACT R~TENTION TABS
B~CKGROUND OF THE INVENTI~N
This invention is in the field of electrical connectors. In particular, this application relates to a 5 structure for a contac* of an electrical connector which i5 retained in a connector b~dy by means which are not subject to elastic cold flow of the material of the con-nector body.
In many practical applications for electrical 10 ~onnectors, an electrical conductor such as a wire is ~irst fastened to the connec~or, and the wire is then positioned in a desired path, and may be combined with other such conductors or wires in a cable or harness, the cable or harness then being bent into position to 15 follow a desired path. In the process of posi~ioning a routing wire and wire harnesses, considerable tension may be placed on the individual wires, particularly if much force is needed to bend or stretch the wire or harness into position, either for causing it to follow 20 a desired path, or for aligning it to connect it with some other device. The tension applied to such wire and conductors durin~ ~uch manual operations not only tends ~$

3~3
-2-~o d~mage contacts of the electrical connector~ either by bending them, or by causing them to become physically separated frsm the connector body, but also,~the remaining stresses in the wire cause slow plastic cold flow of the material of the connector b~dy from around the embedded nut conventionally used to retain the contact and wire, causing at least partial separation of the contact from the connector body.
Sl~qARY OF THE INVENTION
The illustrated embodiment of the invention i~ an eleckrical connector for receiving a printed circuit board, and allowing connection between the printed circuit board and other devices. Connectors such as illustrated are often used in ~he field of machine tool controls, where 15 the printed circuit board contains the machine control logic and devices for interfacing between the machine control logic and the controlled devices, such as power relays and contactors, and solenoid valves. Therefore, bo~h due to the current required by such devices and due 20 to the need to maintain consistency in wire sizes, contact fasteniny means, and wire insulation resistant to heat and oil throughout a machine tool, comparatively large and therefore stiff wires mu~t be connected to the printed circuit board. More than one such a wire may 25 need to be connected to a given contact, and the electrical connection to the printed circuit board should be provided with fastening means which operate in the same general fashion as fas~ening means provided on aonventional power relays, contactors, and valve solenoids.

--3;
In accordance with general pxactice in such ~onnectors, a plastic connector body is mQlded around a nu~, a contact member is placed on ~op o the nut, a wire retaining plate is placed on top o~ the cont~ct 5 ~ember, and a screw is threaded into the nut, retaining the contact, the plate, and a wire end plac~d between the contact and the plate.
The comparatively large and stiff wires connected to the printed circuit board connector and then bundled 10 together into a cable harness, and placed in a cable trough. The contacts in such electrical connectors are often bent and damaged by forces applied to such wires in connecting them, or bending them together into a cable harness, and bending the harness to follow a predetermined 15 path in the cable troughO The damage is either a pulling out of the nut from its encapsulating material, a bending of the contact itself, or residual stresses in the wires which cause the cold flow of plastic material from around the e~bedded nut~ freeing the contack from the connector 20 body~
While the instant invention is, of course, not limited in application to ~uch an electrical connector as is illustrated, the problem of bending and damage to electrical contacts, and of separation of contacts from 25 a connec~or body due to co ld flow, may be solved by providing tabs on the electrical contacts which engage 3C)3 barrier stxips of the connector body separatiny the electrical connectors, which avoid the necessity for an embedded nut or other means subject to plastic cold 10w tc retain the contact.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a structure for a contact for an electrical eonneetor which retai~s the connector to a connector body. It is a feature of the invention that tabs are provided on the contact which engage sides of lO barrier strips between contacts of the connector, to retain the contact in the connector body. It is an advantage of the invention that such a retention means may be provided which is not subject failure due to significant plastic cold flow of the connector body, 15 without interfering with the connection of a wire to the contact, and without additional parts.
IEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an electrical ~onnector accordiny to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a ~ide sectisnal view taken along line 2-2 in FIGo 1~
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a contact member as shown in FIG. 2~
FIG. 4 is a Pide sectional view of an electrical 25 connector as shown in FIG. l, having a contact which is provided with a wire wrap pin~
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the contact shown in FIG. 4.
3~33 DESCRIPTION OF TH~ PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows a par~ial perspective view of an eleetrical con~ector ac ording to the invention. It should ba noted that, while only our se!ctions of such 5 a co~nector are illustrated, as many sections as desired may be provided. Also, for purpo~es of clarity and simplicity, repetition of similar elements in the illustration has been avoided wherever possible.
As shown in F~G. 1, a connactor 10 having a 10 body 12 is provided with conventional mounting provisions 14, for attaching the connector 10 to a support surface.
Connector body 12 also includes a plurality of conventional barrier walls 16, defining a plurality of channels 18, each channel 18 containing,in the preferred ~mbodiment, 15 a contact member 20, a screw member 22, and a clamping plate member 24, for retaining an end 26 of a wire 28 to contact member 20. Each contact member 20 is provided with two retention tabs 30. As shown in the orientation of FIG. 1, ~abs 30 are bent upwardly fxom the body 32 of 20 contact member 20, and have a lateral ex ent greater than that of ~ody 32 of contact member 20. It should be noted that the invention is not limited to being mounted in the position shown, and that references to direction are for 25 clarity of explanation only, and æe not intendad as limits on the ecope of the invention. As will be apparent when 3~ 3~

a retension tab 30 is forc d towards bocly 32 of contact membar 20, tab 30 will be become wedged into a side 34 of a barrier wall 16, retaining contact member 20 in connector body 12. Therefore, retention tabs 3a will 5 become wedged in barriex walls 16 whenever ~n outward force is applied to contact member 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, tabs 30 then retain one end of a contact member 20 in connector body 12, the opposite end o~ conn0ctor body 20,in the illustrated 10 embodiment of the invention, ~eing provided with resilient latching members 36, which engage shoulder 38 of connector body 12. As will be apparent~ tabs such as tabs 30 could b used for advantage at more than one location, xeplacing member 3S, if desired. The pr~mary function of latching 15 m~mbers 36 and shoulders 38 iG to retain contact member 20 against being pushed from connector body 12 by insertion of a printed circuit board 40 into pocket 42 to make contact with wiping contacts 44 of contact member 20, printed circuit boaxd 40 ~eing resilient retained between 20 contacts 44 and wall portion 45 of connector body 120 As also shown in FIG. 2, connector body 12 includes a pocket 46 for receiving a threaded portion 48 of screw member 22, and a pocket 50 ~or slidably retaining a nut 52 from rotation. As shown, screw 22 threadably engages 25 nut 52. Rota~ion of screw 22 will for~e clamping plate member 24 onto wire end 26, clampingly retaining wire end 26 between clamping plate member 24 and body 32 o~

contact member 20. Screw 22 passes thr~ugh an aperture 54 in body 32 of contact member 20, to engage nut 52.
Nu~ 52, being ~lidably restained from rotation rather than embedded in connector body 12, i5 not relied on to 5 keep contact member 20 assembled to com~ector body 12.
Therefore, continued strain on contact member 20 and screw member 22 cannot cause cold flow of the material of connector body 12 from around an embedd~3d nut, allowing contact member 20 to bend ox become separated from 10 connector body 12.
As will be apparent, in assembling such a connector 10, a nut 52 is first placed in a pocket 50, and a contact member 20 is disposed in a channel 18 with wiping contacts 44 disposed in pocket 42, and latched 15 by latching member~ 36 against shoulder 38. A clamping plate member 24 is disposed about threaded portion 48 of screw 22, and screw 22 is passed through aperture 54 and threadably inserted into nut 52. Thus, nut 52 serves no contact member retaining function, the contact being 20 retained by retention tabs 30 and latching members 36.
Therea~ter, in use, a wi~e end 26 may be placed between clamping ~late member 24 and body 32 of contact member 20, and screw 22 is ~urther rotated to clampingly retain wire end 26. As shown, clamping member ~4 may be provided 25 with one or more indentations 56, forming protrusions 58 on a surface ~0 of clamping plate membex 24 adjacent ~ 30 3 body 32 of contact member 20. Such protrusions have been found to be u~e~1 in retaining a ~ire such as wire 26 to a contact member 20, but are not necessary to praatice the invention.
It will be further obvious that retention tabs 30 may be positioned upon ~ody 32 of contact member 20, so as to be actua~ed directly by clamping plate member 24, rather than by upward strain on contact member 20. ~rhis posltioning, while useful to produce the advantages of 10 the inven~ion, is undesirable in the illus~rated embodiment, for the reason that the space be~ween threaded portion 4 8 of screw member 22 and side 34 of barrier wall 16 is adequate to receive a single wire end 26 of the maximum expected diameter. Placing xetention tabs according to 15 the inven~isn where they would be actuated directly by clamping plate member 24 may interfere ~i~h the insertion of a wire end such as wire end 26 between body 32 of conta~t member 20 and clamping plate memher 24. Also, retention tabs 30 may be positioned ~o as to be actuated 2~ by the act of connecting a wire ~nd 26. A wire end 26, being relatively rigid may bear upon a retsntion tab 30 located sufficiently close to clamping plate member 24, and act to force a retention tab 30 into a barrier 16.
FIG. 4 ~hows an alternate embodiment of the 25 invention, differing only in that contact member 20 is provided with a wire wrap pin 62. As will be apparent, it i8 o~ten de~irable to connect bo~h heavy gauge wire for control purpose~ and much smaller gauge wire or logic _9 ~ 303 purposes to the sa~e electrical connector and con~act member. Provision of these two types of fastening means is useful, or in~tance, 1~ providing an ext~rnal visual . indication th~t some logic fun~tion is occurring, or S providing a logic ~eedback signal verifying that some intended control output has been actuate!d, or for providing logic level interconnection betwee~ logic elements on different printed circuit boards 40.
As shown in FI~. 5, a contact member 20a is 10 identical to contact member 20, having body 32, retention tabs 30, latching members 36, wiping contacts 44, and an aperture 56, with the addition of a tapered portion 64 joining body 32 of co~tact member 20a and wire wrap pin 62. Tapered portion 64 is provided both for rigidity, 15 and for ease in insertion o contact member 20a in channel 18, ~ith wire wrap pin 62 passing through aperture 66 in connector body 12.
As will be apparent, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that numerous modifications and 20 variations of the disclosed embodiment of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (3)

CLAIMS:
1. An electrical connector, comprising:
a connector block body having a plurity of barrier walls protruding therefrom and forming a plurality of channels therebetween;
at least one contact member disposed in one said channel and having a first portion attached to said connector block body adjacent a first end of said channel;
said contact member including clamping means for clampingly retaining a portion of a wire end against a surface of said contact member;
said clamping means including a screw member, a clamping plate member and a nut member;
said contact member defining a first aperture therethrough intermediate said first portion and said second portion;
said connector block body defining a recess in at least one said channel adapted to slideably receive said nut member and restrain said nut member from rotation;
said screw member having a threaded shaft portion disposed through said first aperture and threadably engaging said nut member, said nut being disposed in said recess, said clamping plate member being disposed about said threaded shaft portion between a head of said screw and said contact member, and adapted to clampingly retain said portion of said wire end between said clamping plate member and said contact member;

said second portion of said contact member including retention tab means for engaging said barrier walls adjacent one said channel to retain said second portion of said contact member to said connector block body.
2. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein, said connector block body defines a plurality of second apertures, each said aperture being formed therethrough adjacent a first end of one said channel;
said first portion of said contact member including wiping contact means adapted to protrude through one said second aperture and adapted to cooperate with a wall of said body to make electrical contact with a printed circuit board inserted between said wiping contact means and said wall;
said first portion having latching arms adapted to cooperate with a shoulder of said first aperture, said first aperture having said shoulder formed in said body adjacent said first end of said channel for latchably attaching said first portion to said connector body block.
3. an electrical connector according to claim 2 wherein;
said connector block body defines a plurality of third apertures therethrough, each said aperture being defined by said body adjacent said second end of one said channel, said contact member including a third portion substantially perpendicular to said second portion and protruding through said third aperture, a portion of said third portion being a wire wrap pin protruding from said third aperture.
CA000388922A 1981-01-09 1981-10-28 Electrical connector with contact retention tabs Expired CA1160303A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US22366081A 1981-01-09 1981-01-09
US223,660 1981-01-09

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1160303A true CA1160303A (en) 1984-01-10

Family

ID=22837496

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000388922A Expired CA1160303A (en) 1981-01-09 1981-10-28 Electrical connector with contact retention tabs

Country Status (3)

Country Link
BE (1) BE891685A (en)
CA (1) CA1160303A (en)
GB (1) GB2091049B (en)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2597665B1 (en) * 1986-04-22 1988-07-01 Telemecanique Electrique MODULAR APPARATUS FOR THE CONTROL OF INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATISMS INCLUDING A PLUG-IN TERMINAL
AT393185B (en) * 1988-05-03 1991-08-26 Treichl Manfred LAMP SOCKET
IT240551Y1 (en) * 1996-03-28 2001-04-02 Claber Spa JET ADJUSTMENT CAP FOR NOZZLE DILIGENT DISPENSER PARTICULARLY FOR SWING ARM SPRINKLER FOR
IT1283730B1 (en) * 1996-04-12 1998-04-30 Claber Spa DEVICE FOR CONNECTING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS TO A CONTROL UNIT, PREFERABLY FOR A CONTROL UNIT FOR
EP1850425A1 (en) * 2006-04-24 2007-10-31 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft A plug-type connector, an adapter, and a system and a method for connecting a low-voltage switching device to a power cable
JP6024991B2 (en) * 2013-06-17 2016-11-16 住友電装株式会社 Connectors and housings

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2091049A (en) 1982-07-21
BE891685A (en) 1982-04-30
GB2091049B (en) 1985-01-30

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