CA1182541A - Modular electrical connector and system for molding contact supporting modules - Google Patents
Modular electrical connector and system for molding contact supporting modulesInfo
- Publication number
- CA1182541A CA1182541A CA000407607A CA407607A CA1182541A CA 1182541 A CA1182541 A CA 1182541A CA 000407607 A CA000407607 A CA 000407607A CA 407607 A CA407607 A CA 407607A CA 1182541 A CA1182541 A CA 1182541A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- contact
- connector
- conductor
- termination
- housing
- 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
- H01R43/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors
- H01R43/18—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors for manufacturing bases or cases for contact members
Landscapes
- Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
- Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
- Manufacturing Of Electrical Connectors (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A modular electrical telephone connector for mating with a complementary connector having a plurality of contact elements. The connector includes a molded plastic common housing and a set of contact-supporting modules. Each module defines a different termination con-figuration for the connector and is interchangeably nestable in the housing. The modules of the set thereof each supports a plurality of contact elements different from the contact elements of other modules of the set.
The contact elements each includes an identical mating portion at one end of the housing when the respective module is nested therein for mating with a contact element of the complementary connector, and a termination portion at the other end of the housing forming a termination con-figuration defined by the selected module. A system and method of molding all plastic contact-supporting modules or connector bodies is provided and includes providing at a first location mold means for molding common housings, and providing at each of a plurality of different loca-tions mold means for molding different contact-supporting modules. A system and method is provided for fabricating connector bodies having a mating part and a terminating part in one piece or in two pieces.
A modular electrical telephone connector for mating with a complementary connector having a plurality of contact elements. The connector includes a molded plastic common housing and a set of contact-supporting modules. Each module defines a different termination con-figuration for the connector and is interchangeably nestable in the housing. The modules of the set thereof each supports a plurality of contact elements different from the contact elements of other modules of the set.
The contact elements each includes an identical mating portion at one end of the housing when the respective module is nested therein for mating with a contact element of the complementary connector, and a termination portion at the other end of the housing forming a termination con-figuration defined by the selected module. A system and method of molding all plastic contact-supporting modules or connector bodies is provided and includes providing at a first location mold means for molding common housings, and providing at each of a plurality of different loca-tions mold means for molding different contact-supporting modules. A system and method is provided for fabricating connector bodies having a mating part and a terminating part in one piece or in two pieces.
Description
~ ~8~
DESCRIPTION
MODULAR ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND
SYSTEM FOR MOLDING CONTACT SUPPORTING MODULES
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to modular electrical telephone connectors. Specifically, it is directed to a family or set of such connectors having identical mating ends but different terminating ends depending upon the particular application.
Connectors for multi-conductor telephone cables are well known. The mating ends of these connectors generally include a plurality of flat-blade type contacts, with male and female versions designed to cooperatively intermate to form highly reliable, though relatively low cost, electrical connections. Over the yearsr different terminating ends have been provided on these connectors such asO solder terminations; wire-wrap terminations;
insulation displacement terminations, including both com-posite and flat cables; printed circuit terminations, etc.
Generally, a manufacturer will produce a line of such con-nectors having a basic body style, common mating ends and different termination ends. Examples of such connectors are those manufactured and sold by the Amphenol North ; America Divi~ion of Bunker Ramo Corporation under the series tradenames "57" and 9157'l.
Recently, connectors with all plastic bodies have come into use in the telephone industryO These connec-tors, while incorporating the same type of electrical con-tacts as their metal-with-plastic-insert forebears~ are capable of being molded in one piece. Understandably, the ~ ~2~
molds tend to be complex and expensive. Individual flat-blade contacts are inserted in the connector bodies which include cooperating means for retaining the contacts in position. Additionally, suitable protective covers or hoods, strain relief clamps and mounting brackets are pro-vided, and the connector is ready for installation.
It will be appreciated that the tooling costs for the molds to produce such connector bodies can be quite high, especially when the molds include a lot of side pulls, core pins and the like. A further important cost factor is the number of mold cavities which, of course, determines the number of parts that can be produced by the mold in a single shot. This output capability may be referred to as the mold throughput. Simple economics dic-tate that large production requirements generally enableuse of high-speed efficient molding techniques, whereas low volume molding can be quite expensive. Herein lies the problem solved by the present invention.
Telephone connectors of the above types are acceptable for use in many foreign countries. The par-ticular type of termination end used may~ however, differ from the popular domestic connector in the family. Indeed, it is more probable that the termination ends desired are not the same as those used in ~he domestic market.
For example, in some countries a large market exists for telephone connectors of "standard" front end (mating end) design but having termination ends suitable only for printed circuits. In others, flat cable ter-mination connectors are in demand. In yet othersl the wire-wrap terminations are required. Unfortunately for a manufacturer, the fact that the market for any particu-lar connector termination configuration in any given remote location is usually not sufficiently large to justify the tooling costs involved. Such markets are usually serviced by importing connectors where there is a domestic counterpartO However, even here~ rnany oreign countries, in a laudable effort to build up their domestic industrial base, are encouraging home-manufacture or assembly and consequently, discouraging importation. All of the above points to the need for a cost-efficient way to service these limited and remotely situated markets.
The present invention answers the problems in a number of waysO It envisions a modularized all plastic body connector having a maximum degree of acceptability in the world markets with the complex common mating parts being molded where demand will insure efficiencies and the simpler, yet different, termination parts being molded at the remote location~ The connector body is formed by joining the two parts at the remote location.
While there have been two-piece telephone-type connector bodies in the prior art, it is believed to have been due to the difficulty of producing the connector in one piece and not to any desire for interchangeability.
For example, one connector manufactured by DDK of Japan includes a two-piece plastic body with one piece defining essentially the mating part of the connector and an insert supporting a plurality of molded-in-place contacts which cooperate with the mating part when the insert is joined to the finished connector. The molded-in-place contacts apparently precluded a one-piece construction, which is not believed feasible, if indeed possible.
Modular components of telephone-type connectors also are in the prior art, as evidenced by United States Letters Patents Nos. 3~760,336, 4,239,317 and 4,239,320, all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. However, the modular concepts of these patents are limited to providing standardized telephone plugs or adapters, standardi~ed telephone jack connec~ors, modular bloc~s for different sized pin and socket contacts in a standard connector shell~ or the like. Another U.S.
Patent No. 3,885~849 discloses a ~ircular connector which has dif~erent types of molded male and female inserts so that different connector combinations can be obtainedO
However, no known prior art has been directed to modulari-~ation of the connector itself for use with a wide variety of termination systems at remote locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTI ON
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and impro~ed modular electrical telephone connector of a standardized design for mating with a complementary standardized connector having a plurality of contact elements but with different terminating ends depending on the particular application.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and system for molding all plastic - 10 contact-supporting connector bodies or modules of a modu-lar electrical connector of the character described.
In accordance with these and other objects and advantages of the invention which will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description, the pre-sent invention is realized in a modular electricaltelephone connector which includes molded plastic common housing means defining a mating portion of the connector and including a generally open-ended cavity. Molded plastic insert means are provided including a set or family of contact-supporting modules definir,g different termination configurations of the connector. Each of the modules are constructed and arranged for interchangeably nesting in and substantially filling at least one end of the cavity of the housing means. The contact-supporting modules of the set thereof each supports a plurality of contact elements different from the contact elements of other of the modules. Of course, any number of each par-ticular type of contact-supporting module is contemplated Mounting means are provided for releasably securing any one of the modules within the cavity of the housing means.
Each of the plurality of contact elements includes an identical mating portion at one end of the cavity for mating with a contact element of the complementary stan-dardized connector, and a termination portion at the other end of the cavity forming a termination configuration defined by the selected module. Thus, the modular electri-cal connector can be adapted for mating with the comple-mentary connectcr and tenninating with different 1 ~8~54:~
arrangements and types of conductors by interchanging the modulesO
The invention contemplates contact-supporting modules of different configurations for supporting a plurality of contact elements to effect different types of termination. For instance, one disclosed contact-supporting module supports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for piercing the insula~ion and establishing electrical connection with the conductor of a single insulated wire conductor, nor-mally comprising a strand of a multi-conductor cable.
Another disclosed contact-supporting module supports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for piercing the insulation and lS establishing electrical connection with a conductor of a multi-conductor flat cable. A further disclosed contact-supporting module supports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for establishing electrical connection with a conductor of a printed circuit board. Of course, other types of contact-supporting modules are contemplated for different types of termination systems, with the modules being releasably mountable in the molded plastic common housing means.
The invention also contemplates a system or method for molding all plastic contact~supporting modules or bodies of an electrical connectorO More particularly~
the system includes providing at a firs~ loca~ion mold means for molding common, standardized housings for mating with complementary standardized electrical connectors havin~ a plurality of contact elementsO The system provides at each of a plurality of different locations mold means for molding different contact-supporting modu-les which are similarly constructed in-part for disposi-tion within the common housings but which are diffe~rently 3~ constructed in part for supporting a plurality of contact elements having different termination means~ With this system the modular electrical connector can be adapted at the different locations for terminating with different ~ ~$2~
selected conductors by utilizing the common housings molded at the first location and interchanging the contact-supporting modules at the respective different locations, such as various countries throughout the world.
Accordingly, a method of efficiently producing, at different locations, limited quantities of all plastic connector bodies in a set of connector bodies having iden-tical mating ends and differen~ termination ends is pro-vided. The method comprises the steps of molding the mating ends of the connector bodies at a first location in high throughput molds; molding the termination ends of the connector bodies at remote locations in low throughput molds, each low throughput mold producing termination ends complementary to and cooperable with any mating end from said high throughput mold such that when joined together a connector body in said set is produced; and joining ary of the terrnination ends to any of the mating ends to form a connector body.
The molding system or method as described above is also readily adaptable for providiny mold means for molding one piece all plastic contact-supporting modules or bodies of an electrical connector, as well as in two pieces. The system includes providing a first mold por-tion for molding a common mating portion of the module and a complementary second mold portion for molding a ter-mination portion of the module integral with the mating portion. A third mold portion is provided complementary to and cooperable with the first mold portion for selec-tively moldiny only the mating portion of the module, corresponding to the aforesaid molded plastic housing means of the modular connectorO A fourth mold portion is provided complementary to and cooperable with the second mold portion for selectively molding only ~he terrninatiOn portion of the module, corresponding to the aforesaid molded plastic insert means of the modular connector~
Thus, only four mold portions or cavities are required to mold either a one-piece modular connector or a modular connector comprising separate housing means and interchangeable insert means in the form of contact sup-porting modules.
Accordingly, a method of fabricating all plastic contact-supporting connector bodies having a mating part and a terminating part in one piece or in two pieces is provided. The method comprises the steps of fabricating the one-piece connector body in a two-piece mold having a first portion for molding the mating part and a comple-mentary second portion for molding the termination part integral with the mating part; fabricating the mating part of the two-piece connector in a mold consisting of the first portion and a third portion complementary to and cooperable with the first portion; fabricating the ter-mination part of the two-piece connector body in a mold consisting of the second portion and a fourth portion complementary to and cooperable with the second portion;
and affixing parts fabricated by the last two steps, respectively, to each other. It is contemplated that a plurality of different second portions and a like plura-lity of different fourth portions complementary to andcooperable with said second portions, respectively, are provided for molding a plurality of different termination parts for cooperahle engagement with the mating part of the two-piece connector body.
BRIEE` DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of this invention, which are believed to be novel and unobvious, are se~ forth with particularity in the appended claim~. The invention, together with its objects and advan~ages, may be best understood by reference to the follo~ing description taken in conjunc-tion with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the several figures and in which:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a modular electrical cornector in accordance with the present inven-tion, including a contact-supporting module for ter-minating individual insulated wire conductors of a multi-conductor cable, in con~unction with ~wo different ~ ~2~
types of hood means and a cable clamp means;
FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of a modular electrical connector in accordance with the pre-sent invention, including a contact supporting module for terminating the individual conductors of a multi-conductor flat cable in conjunction with a cable hold-~ down member and a pair of end clips for holding acomplementary connector;
FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of a modular electrical connector in accordance with the pre-sent invention, including a contact-supporting module for terminatiny the conductors of a printed circuit board which would be disposed generally transversely of the con-nector in conjunction with a pair of end hold-down clips as shown in Figure 2;
FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of a modular electrical connector in accordance with the pre-sent invention, including a contact supporting module for terminating the conductors of a printed circuit board-which would ~e disposed generally parallel with the axisof the connector in conjunction with mounting means for the printed circuit board and a pair of end hold-down clips as shown in Figure 2;
FIGURE 5 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale t taken generally along line 5-5 of Figure l;
FIGURE 6 is a sectional view through a pair of opposed mold cavities for molding the common housing means of the present invention, as particularly shown in Figure S;
FIGURE 7 is a sectional view through a pair of opposed mold cavities for molding the contact-supporting module shown in Figure 5;
FIG~RE 8 is a perspective view through a pair of opposed mold cavities, including the lower cavity of Figure 6 and the upper cavity of ~igure 7, for molding a one-piece plastic electrical connector of the type shown in Figure 5; and FIGURE 9 is a somewhat schematic view illustrating the modular electrical connector concept of ~ ~825~
the present invention, illustrating the common molded plastic housing means in conjunction with a set of dif-ferent contact-supporting modules.
DESCRIPTION OF TH~ PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and first to Figures 1 and 5, the invention contemplates a modular electrical telephone connector, generally designated 10, for mating with a complementary connector (not shown) having a plurality of contact elements. The connectors are of a general, standardized type, such as the connector of Bunker Ramo Corporation sold under the trade-names "57" and "157" Series. Connector 10 includes molded plastic housing means 12 which has a configuration elongated generally transversely of open-ended cavity means 14. Molded plastic insert means is provided in the form of a contact-supporting module 16 which is constructed and arranged for interchangeably nesting in and substantially filling one end of the cavity means.
Referring to Figure 5, the open-ended cavity means includes an upper or "rear" end 14a for receiving contact-supporting module 16, and a lower or "front'; end 14b for mating with the complementary connector. Passages 18 com-municate between cavity ends 14a, 14b and through which insulation-piercing contact elements generally designated 20, extend. Each contact element includes a mating portion 20a exposed within cavity end 14b for mating with a con-tact element of the complementary connector and a ter-mination portion 20b extending through cavity end 14a and accessible through tbe sides of module 16 for terminating with individual conductors. Termination portion 20b of each contact has a known channel configuration for piercing the insulation of a single insulated wire conduc-tor of a multi-conductor cable~ The individual insulated wire conductors are terminated to the contacts through slots 22 molded into opposite sides of an upwardly-protruding portion 24 of contact supporting module 16.
Mating portions 20a of contacts 20 are aligned with slots 26 molded in opposite sides of an internal rib 28 f ~ ~2~
housing 12 which defines the mating portion of the connec tor.
As shown in Figure 1, housing 10 has a pair of end flanges 30 and side ribs 32. End flanges 30 have through holes 34. The invention contemplates providing modular components such as hoods 36 and 38 and a cable clamp 40 for use in conjunction with the termination system provide~ by contact-supporting module 160 More particularly, hood 36 has interior grooves (not shown) for sliding along ribs 32 to mount the hood onto the connector from either end thereof. Hood 36 has an end aperture 42 for alignment with the through holes 34 of either end flange 30 to secure the hood in place by appropriate means. Likewise, cable clamp 40 has a bracket portion 44 for sliding onto either end flange 30 and the end extremi-ties of ribs 32, with a slot 46 for alignment with through holes 34 to secure the cable clamp in place by appropriate means. Hood 36 and cable clamp ~0 are designed for faci-litating termination of a multi-conductor cable extending end wise away frGm the connector.
Hood 38 has a pair of apertures 48 for alignment with through holes 34 of end flanges 30 for securing the hood to the connector. Hood 38 has an enlarged opening 50 to facilitate terminating a multi-conductor cable with the cable extending through opening 50 generally perpen-dicularly away from the rear of the connectorO
At this point, it should be noted that side ribs 32 for facilitating mounting hood 36 and cable clarnp 40 to the connector are not shown in Figure 5. This has been done to facilitate a description of the molding system of the present invention which ~ill be described hereinafter.
Referring to Figure 2, the modular electrical telephone connector of the present invention is sho~n to include common housing 12 as described in relation to Figures 1 and 5. Other reference numerals to certain por-tions of the housing have been omitted so as not to clutter the drawins. In this embodiment of the modular connector, a molded plastic contact supporting module 52 ~' 1 1~2~
is shown or terminating the conductors of a common multi-conductor flat cable Inot shown). The module has a generally elongated, rectangular configuration for interchangeably nesting in cavity end 14a of housing 12.
Bosses 54 are molded onto the sides of the module for snap fit within recesses 56 molded into the sides of cavity end 14a. This provides mounting means for releasably securing the module within the housing. It should be noted that similar mounting means are provided, although not shown, on contact-supporting module 16 described hereinbefore.
Module 52 supports a plurality of contact ele-ments which include mating portions 58, similar to the mating portions 20a of contacts 20, for mating with the contact elements of the complementary connector. The contacts are assembled through slots 59 molded into oppo-site sides of the module. The contacts have slotted insulation-piercing termination portions ~0 for piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with the conductors of a multi-conductor flat cable. An elongated hold-down member 62 has end brackets 64 for snapping over side ribs 32 of housing 12 to hold ~he flat cable in termination with insulation-piercing portions 60 of the supported contacts. A pair of end clips 66 are shown for sliding over end flanges 30 and the extremities of side ribs 32 of housing 12. These clips have wire clamps 68 pivotally mounted on the underside thereof for holding the complementary connector in mating engagement with housing 12 of the modular connector7 Referring to Figure 3, a common housing 12 again is shown identical to the housings described in conjunc~
tion with Figures l and 2. In this embodiment of the modular electrical telephone connector, a contact-supporting module 70 is sho~n for termination with a printed circuit boardO Like module 52~ module 70 is elongated and generally rectangularly shaped for interchangeably nesting in cavity end 14a of housing 12.
Again, bosses 72, like bosses 54 of module 52, are pro-vided for releasably snapping the modul~ into the housing I ~$2~
with the bosses snapped into recesses 56 of the housing~
Module 70 supports a plurality of contact elements which include rnating portions 74 similar to mating portions 20a of contacts 20. Similarly, the contacts are assembled through slots 75 molded into opposite sides of the module.
~owever, the contact elements of module 70 have ter-mination portions 76 for establishing electrical connec-tion with the conductors of a printed circuit board, in known fashion In this embodiment, termination portions 76 of the contact elements extend generally axially of the open-ended cavity means of housing 12 for termination with a printed circuit board disposed generally transversely of the cavity means. This embodiment again shows end clips 66 for holding a complementary connector in mating engage-ment with housing 1~ of the modular connector.
Referring to Figure ~, an embodiment of the modu-lar electrical telephone connector of the present inven-tion again is shown to include common housing 12. In this embodiment, a contact-supporting module 78 is shown simi-lar to module 70 for termination with a printed circuitboard and supporting contact elements which include mating portions 80 similar to the mating portions 20a of contacts 20J Similarly, the contacts are assembled through slots 81 molded into opposite sides of the module. However, the sontact elements supported by module 78 have termination portions 82 which are generally L-shaped for termination with a printed circuit board (not shown~ which would be disposed generally parallel to the axis of the cavity means of housing 12. ~therwise, module 78 is molded in accordance with the present inYentiDn SO as to be releasably mountable within cavity end 14a of housing 12 similar to interchangeable mo~ules 16, 52 and 70 pre-viously described~
Figure 4 shows a panel 84 having flanges 86 with through holes 88 for alignment with through holes ~4 of end flanges 30 of housing 12 in order to mount ~he panel to the housing by appropriate means. The panel has a plurality of apertures 90 for receiving termination por-5 ~ ~
tions 82 of the contact elements supported by module 78.The apertures properly space and align the contact ter-mination portions for termination with the conductors of the printed circuit board. ~ protective hood 92 is shown with depending bosses 94 for positioning within slots 96 of module 78 so that the hood covers the contact ter-_ mination portions to protect the same~ End clips 66 againare shown for holding a complementary connector in mating engagement with housing 12 of the modular connector.
Thus, Figures 1-5 illustrate the modular electri-cal telephone connector concept of the present invention wherein molded plastic housing means in the form of a single, co~non housing 12 is provided defininy a mating portion of the modular electrical connector for receiving molded plastic insert means in the form of a set of contact-supporting modules 16, 52, 70 and 78 defining dif-ferent terrnination configurations of the modular connec-tor. The termination portions are designed for selectively piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with individual insulated conductors of a multi-conductor cable ~module 16); for piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with the conductors of a multi-conductor flat cable (module 52);
for establishing electrical connection with the conductors of a printed circuit board disposed generally transversely of the connector (module 70); and for establishing electrical connection with the conductors of a printed circuit board disposed generally parallel to the axis of the connector (module 78)o Of course, other types of modules for providing different termination configurations for different termination systems are conternplated by the present invention, such as wire wrap termination sys~ems, or the like. With this invention, the common housings can be molded at a first location in considerable numb~rs and shipped to other locationsy such as countries throughout the world, where the contact-supporting rnodules can be molded as modular cornponents for use with the ~lousings in accordance with the particular desired termination system ~ ~2~
at that location~
With such a modular electrical telephone connec-tor system as described above, the invention contemplates a system and method for molding the connector bodies, including the common housings, as well as the contact-supporting modules, with minimum molding equipment and the minimum of molding dies or cavities for supplying telephone connectors of different configurations to dif-ferent remote locations, such as different countries -- 10 throughout the world. Considerable expense thus is avoided in tooling the mold cavities for the modular electrical telephone connectors of the present invention.
More particularly, referring to Figures 5-~, Figure 5 has already been described in detail as disclosing contact-supporting module 16 in conjunction with common housing 12. It should be pointed out at the outset that the following described molding system and method are equally applicable for contact-supporting modules other than module 16.
Figure 6 illustrates simple mold means which includes a first mold portion or die 100 and a secondr opposed mold portion or die 102 which cooperate to define a mold cavity, generally designated 104. The mold dies separate along a parting line 106. Mold cavity 104 con-forms to the shape of housing 12, as is readily apparen~ by comparison with Figure 5O Of course, retractable core pins, side pu115 or slides will be required on mold die 100 in order to form slots 2~ in the housing, as indicated by dotted line 108, and in mold die 102 for forming aper-30 tures 18, as indicated by dotted lines 110~ In addition, retractable side pulls or slides would also be provided at the sides of mold die 100 to form the side ribs 32 of the housing. These retractable core pins, side pulls and sli-des are common molding techniques and are not shown in the figures to avoid cluttering the drawing.
Referring to Figure 7, a lower mold die 112 and an upper, opposed mold die 114 are shown with a parting line 116. The dies cooperate to define a mold cavity, 1 ~825~
generally designated 11~, conforming to the configuration of contact supporting module 16 (Figure 5). Again, retractable core pins or slides would be incorporated in mold die 114 to form side notches or grooves 22 (Figure 5) of the contact-supporting module, as indicated by the dotted lines 120.
The uniqueness of the modular electrical telephone connector systern of the present invention is further exemplified with reference to Figure 8 wherein mold means is sho~n for molding the entire modular electrical connector, including the mating portion defined by housing 12 and the contact-supporting portion defined by module 16, in a one-piece integral construction. This is desirable when a sufficient volume of electrical con-nectors of a particular termination system is required ata single location, such as a single country. This com-bination of mold means can also be used at the domestic location where the common housings are fabricated. More particularly, it can be seen from Figure 8 that by simply using the lower mold die 100 shown in Figure 6, for molding housing 12, and by using the upper mold die 114, shown in Figure 7, for molding contact-supporting module 16, a mold cavity, generally designated 122, is formed for molding the entire electrical connector body as a single~ unitary construction. Tooling mold dies is one of the major expenses in fabricating molded plastic electrical connec-tors, and it i5 readily apparent that considerable savings are afforded while permitting versatility in fabrication when volume manufact~ring is involved.
The unique mold and molding system described above affords methods of fabricating all plastic contact-supporting connector bodies not heretofore available. In particular, a method is provided for efficiently pro-ducing, at different locations, limited quantities of all plastic connector bodies in a set or family of connector bodies having identical mating ends and different termina-tion ends. The method comprises the steps of molding the mating ends (i.ec housings 12) of the connector bodies at ~ ~2~4 ~
a first location in high throughput molds; molding the termination ends (i.e. modules 16, 52, 70 and 78) of the connector bodies at remote locations in low throughput molds, each low throughput mold producing termination ends complementary to and cooperable with any mating end irom the high throughput mold such that when joined together a connector body in the set is produced; and joining any of the termination ends to any of the mating ends to form a connector body.
In addition, a method is provided for fabricating all plastic contact supporting connector bodies having a mating part and a terminating part in one piece or in two pieces as described in relation to Figures 5-8. The method comprises the steps of fabricating the one-piece connector body in a two-piece mold having a first portion (i.e. die 100) or molding the mating part, and a comple-mentary second portion (i.e. die 114) for molding the ter-mination part integral with the mating part; fabricating the mating part of the two-piece connector in a mold con-sisting of the first portion and a third portion (i.e. die102) complementary to and cooperable with the first portion; fabricating the termination part of the two--piece connector body in a mold consisting of the second portion and a fourth portion (i.e. die 11~) complementary to and cooperable with the seccnd portion; and affixing parts fabricated by the last two steps, respectively, to each other. This method contemplates providing a plurality of different second die portions and a like plurali~y of dif-ferent fourth die portions complementary to and cooperable with the second portions, respectively, for molding a plurality of different termination parts for cooperable engagement with the mating part of the two~piece connector body.
Referring to Figure 9, the modular electri~al connector system of the present invention is shown some~Yhat schematically in order to illustrate the inter-relationship and interchangeability between the molded plastic housing means and the family or set of contact-1 1825~ ~
supporting modules. ~ modular electrical connector assembly is shown at the bottom of the figure with a com-mon housing 12 assembled to one of the set of contact-supporting modules, namely, module 16. Above these assemblies, a single common housing 12a is shown in align-ment for receiving and mounting any one of the other con-tact supporting modules in the set thereof, namely, modules 52, 70 and 780 Each of modules 52, 70 and 78 is shown schematically supporting contact elements having identical mating portions 58, 74 and 80, respectively, but with dif-ferent termination portions 60, 76 and 82, respectively, as described hereinbefore. In addition, other modular components are illustrated, such as hood 36, cable clamp ~o and flat cable hold-down member 62, all of which may be fabricated at the same location as common housing 12 and shipped therewith to other locations for selective assembly with the different contact-supporting modules 16, 52, 70 and 78 to provide telephone connectors of different termination configurations. An important advantage of such a system is that all of the components, except for the contact-supporting modules, can be fabricated in con-siderable volume and shipped at considerably less expense than with completely assembled connectors. ~his is impor-tant where different termination systems are used at dif-ferent locations, such as different countries throughoutthe world.
It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific orms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The pre-sent examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be con-sidered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein~
DESCRIPTION
MODULAR ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND
SYSTEM FOR MOLDING CONTACT SUPPORTING MODULES
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to modular electrical telephone connectors. Specifically, it is directed to a family or set of such connectors having identical mating ends but different terminating ends depending upon the particular application.
Connectors for multi-conductor telephone cables are well known. The mating ends of these connectors generally include a plurality of flat-blade type contacts, with male and female versions designed to cooperatively intermate to form highly reliable, though relatively low cost, electrical connections. Over the yearsr different terminating ends have been provided on these connectors such asO solder terminations; wire-wrap terminations;
insulation displacement terminations, including both com-posite and flat cables; printed circuit terminations, etc.
Generally, a manufacturer will produce a line of such con-nectors having a basic body style, common mating ends and different termination ends. Examples of such connectors are those manufactured and sold by the Amphenol North ; America Divi~ion of Bunker Ramo Corporation under the series tradenames "57" and 9157'l.
Recently, connectors with all plastic bodies have come into use in the telephone industryO These connec-tors, while incorporating the same type of electrical con-tacts as their metal-with-plastic-insert forebears~ are capable of being molded in one piece. Understandably, the ~ ~2~
molds tend to be complex and expensive. Individual flat-blade contacts are inserted in the connector bodies which include cooperating means for retaining the contacts in position. Additionally, suitable protective covers or hoods, strain relief clamps and mounting brackets are pro-vided, and the connector is ready for installation.
It will be appreciated that the tooling costs for the molds to produce such connector bodies can be quite high, especially when the molds include a lot of side pulls, core pins and the like. A further important cost factor is the number of mold cavities which, of course, determines the number of parts that can be produced by the mold in a single shot. This output capability may be referred to as the mold throughput. Simple economics dic-tate that large production requirements generally enableuse of high-speed efficient molding techniques, whereas low volume molding can be quite expensive. Herein lies the problem solved by the present invention.
Telephone connectors of the above types are acceptable for use in many foreign countries. The par-ticular type of termination end used may~ however, differ from the popular domestic connector in the family. Indeed, it is more probable that the termination ends desired are not the same as those used in ~he domestic market.
For example, in some countries a large market exists for telephone connectors of "standard" front end (mating end) design but having termination ends suitable only for printed circuits. In others, flat cable ter-mination connectors are in demand. In yet othersl the wire-wrap terminations are required. Unfortunately for a manufacturer, the fact that the market for any particu-lar connector termination configuration in any given remote location is usually not sufficiently large to justify the tooling costs involved. Such markets are usually serviced by importing connectors where there is a domestic counterpartO However, even here~ rnany oreign countries, in a laudable effort to build up their domestic industrial base, are encouraging home-manufacture or assembly and consequently, discouraging importation. All of the above points to the need for a cost-efficient way to service these limited and remotely situated markets.
The present invention answers the problems in a number of waysO It envisions a modularized all plastic body connector having a maximum degree of acceptability in the world markets with the complex common mating parts being molded where demand will insure efficiencies and the simpler, yet different, termination parts being molded at the remote location~ The connector body is formed by joining the two parts at the remote location.
While there have been two-piece telephone-type connector bodies in the prior art, it is believed to have been due to the difficulty of producing the connector in one piece and not to any desire for interchangeability.
For example, one connector manufactured by DDK of Japan includes a two-piece plastic body with one piece defining essentially the mating part of the connector and an insert supporting a plurality of molded-in-place contacts which cooperate with the mating part when the insert is joined to the finished connector. The molded-in-place contacts apparently precluded a one-piece construction, which is not believed feasible, if indeed possible.
Modular components of telephone-type connectors also are in the prior art, as evidenced by United States Letters Patents Nos. 3~760,336, 4,239,317 and 4,239,320, all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. However, the modular concepts of these patents are limited to providing standardized telephone plugs or adapters, standardi~ed telephone jack connec~ors, modular bloc~s for different sized pin and socket contacts in a standard connector shell~ or the like. Another U.S.
Patent No. 3,885~849 discloses a ~ircular connector which has dif~erent types of molded male and female inserts so that different connector combinations can be obtainedO
However, no known prior art has been directed to modulari-~ation of the connector itself for use with a wide variety of termination systems at remote locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTI ON
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and impro~ed modular electrical telephone connector of a standardized design for mating with a complementary standardized connector having a plurality of contact elements but with different terminating ends depending on the particular application.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and system for molding all plastic - 10 contact-supporting connector bodies or modules of a modu-lar electrical connector of the character described.
In accordance with these and other objects and advantages of the invention which will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description, the pre-sent invention is realized in a modular electricaltelephone connector which includes molded plastic common housing means defining a mating portion of the connector and including a generally open-ended cavity. Molded plastic insert means are provided including a set or family of contact-supporting modules definir,g different termination configurations of the connector. Each of the modules are constructed and arranged for interchangeably nesting in and substantially filling at least one end of the cavity of the housing means. The contact-supporting modules of the set thereof each supports a plurality of contact elements different from the contact elements of other of the modules. Of course, any number of each par-ticular type of contact-supporting module is contemplated Mounting means are provided for releasably securing any one of the modules within the cavity of the housing means.
Each of the plurality of contact elements includes an identical mating portion at one end of the cavity for mating with a contact element of the complementary stan-dardized connector, and a termination portion at the other end of the cavity forming a termination configuration defined by the selected module. Thus, the modular electri-cal connector can be adapted for mating with the comple-mentary connectcr and tenninating with different 1 ~8~54:~
arrangements and types of conductors by interchanging the modulesO
The invention contemplates contact-supporting modules of different configurations for supporting a plurality of contact elements to effect different types of termination. For instance, one disclosed contact-supporting module supports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for piercing the insula~ion and establishing electrical connection with the conductor of a single insulated wire conductor, nor-mally comprising a strand of a multi-conductor cable.
Another disclosed contact-supporting module supports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for piercing the insulation and lS establishing electrical connection with a conductor of a multi-conductor flat cable. A further disclosed contact-supporting module supports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for establishing electrical connection with a conductor of a printed circuit board. Of course, other types of contact-supporting modules are contemplated for different types of termination systems, with the modules being releasably mountable in the molded plastic common housing means.
The invention also contemplates a system or method for molding all plastic contact~supporting modules or bodies of an electrical connectorO More particularly~
the system includes providing at a firs~ loca~ion mold means for molding common, standardized housings for mating with complementary standardized electrical connectors havin~ a plurality of contact elementsO The system provides at each of a plurality of different locations mold means for molding different contact-supporting modu-les which are similarly constructed in-part for disposi-tion within the common housings but which are diffe~rently 3~ constructed in part for supporting a plurality of contact elements having different termination means~ With this system the modular electrical connector can be adapted at the different locations for terminating with different ~ ~$2~
selected conductors by utilizing the common housings molded at the first location and interchanging the contact-supporting modules at the respective different locations, such as various countries throughout the world.
Accordingly, a method of efficiently producing, at different locations, limited quantities of all plastic connector bodies in a set of connector bodies having iden-tical mating ends and differen~ termination ends is pro-vided. The method comprises the steps of molding the mating ends of the connector bodies at a first location in high throughput molds; molding the termination ends of the connector bodies at remote locations in low throughput molds, each low throughput mold producing termination ends complementary to and cooperable with any mating end from said high throughput mold such that when joined together a connector body in said set is produced; and joining ary of the terrnination ends to any of the mating ends to form a connector body.
The molding system or method as described above is also readily adaptable for providiny mold means for molding one piece all plastic contact-supporting modules or bodies of an electrical connector, as well as in two pieces. The system includes providing a first mold por-tion for molding a common mating portion of the module and a complementary second mold portion for molding a ter-mination portion of the module integral with the mating portion. A third mold portion is provided complementary to and cooperable with the first mold portion for selec-tively moldiny only the mating portion of the module, corresponding to the aforesaid molded plastic housing means of the modular connectorO A fourth mold portion is provided complementary to and cooperable with the second mold portion for selectively molding only ~he terrninatiOn portion of the module, corresponding to the aforesaid molded plastic insert means of the modular connector~
Thus, only four mold portions or cavities are required to mold either a one-piece modular connector or a modular connector comprising separate housing means and interchangeable insert means in the form of contact sup-porting modules.
Accordingly, a method of fabricating all plastic contact-supporting connector bodies having a mating part and a terminating part in one piece or in two pieces is provided. The method comprises the steps of fabricating the one-piece connector body in a two-piece mold having a first portion for molding the mating part and a comple-mentary second portion for molding the termination part integral with the mating part; fabricating the mating part of the two-piece connector in a mold consisting of the first portion and a third portion complementary to and cooperable with the first portion; fabricating the ter-mination part of the two-piece connector body in a mold consisting of the second portion and a fourth portion complementary to and cooperable with the second portion;
and affixing parts fabricated by the last two steps, respectively, to each other. It is contemplated that a plurality of different second portions and a like plura-lity of different fourth portions complementary to andcooperable with said second portions, respectively, are provided for molding a plurality of different termination parts for cooperahle engagement with the mating part of the two-piece connector body.
BRIEE` DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of this invention, which are believed to be novel and unobvious, are se~ forth with particularity in the appended claim~. The invention, together with its objects and advan~ages, may be best understood by reference to the follo~ing description taken in conjunc-tion with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the several figures and in which:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a modular electrical cornector in accordance with the present inven-tion, including a contact-supporting module for ter-minating individual insulated wire conductors of a multi-conductor cable, in con~unction with ~wo different ~ ~2~
types of hood means and a cable clamp means;
FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of a modular electrical connector in accordance with the pre-sent invention, including a contact supporting module for terminating the individual conductors of a multi-conductor flat cable in conjunction with a cable hold-~ down member and a pair of end clips for holding acomplementary connector;
FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of a modular electrical connector in accordance with the pre-sent invention, including a contact-supporting module for terminatiny the conductors of a printed circuit board which would be disposed generally transversely of the con-nector in conjunction with a pair of end hold-down clips as shown in Figure 2;
FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of a modular electrical connector in accordance with the pre-sent invention, including a contact supporting module for terminating the conductors of a printed circuit board-which would ~e disposed generally parallel with the axisof the connector in conjunction with mounting means for the printed circuit board and a pair of end hold-down clips as shown in Figure 2;
FIGURE 5 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale t taken generally along line 5-5 of Figure l;
FIGURE 6 is a sectional view through a pair of opposed mold cavities for molding the common housing means of the present invention, as particularly shown in Figure S;
FIGURE 7 is a sectional view through a pair of opposed mold cavities for molding the contact-supporting module shown in Figure 5;
FIG~RE 8 is a perspective view through a pair of opposed mold cavities, including the lower cavity of Figure 6 and the upper cavity of ~igure 7, for molding a one-piece plastic electrical connector of the type shown in Figure 5; and FIGURE 9 is a somewhat schematic view illustrating the modular electrical connector concept of ~ ~825~
the present invention, illustrating the common molded plastic housing means in conjunction with a set of dif-ferent contact-supporting modules.
DESCRIPTION OF TH~ PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and first to Figures 1 and 5, the invention contemplates a modular electrical telephone connector, generally designated 10, for mating with a complementary connector (not shown) having a plurality of contact elements. The connectors are of a general, standardized type, such as the connector of Bunker Ramo Corporation sold under the trade-names "57" and "157" Series. Connector 10 includes molded plastic housing means 12 which has a configuration elongated generally transversely of open-ended cavity means 14. Molded plastic insert means is provided in the form of a contact-supporting module 16 which is constructed and arranged for interchangeably nesting in and substantially filling one end of the cavity means.
Referring to Figure 5, the open-ended cavity means includes an upper or "rear" end 14a for receiving contact-supporting module 16, and a lower or "front'; end 14b for mating with the complementary connector. Passages 18 com-municate between cavity ends 14a, 14b and through which insulation-piercing contact elements generally designated 20, extend. Each contact element includes a mating portion 20a exposed within cavity end 14b for mating with a con-tact element of the complementary connector and a ter-mination portion 20b extending through cavity end 14a and accessible through tbe sides of module 16 for terminating with individual conductors. Termination portion 20b of each contact has a known channel configuration for piercing the insulation of a single insulated wire conduc-tor of a multi-conductor cable~ The individual insulated wire conductors are terminated to the contacts through slots 22 molded into opposite sides of an upwardly-protruding portion 24 of contact supporting module 16.
Mating portions 20a of contacts 20 are aligned with slots 26 molded in opposite sides of an internal rib 28 f ~ ~2~
housing 12 which defines the mating portion of the connec tor.
As shown in Figure 1, housing 10 has a pair of end flanges 30 and side ribs 32. End flanges 30 have through holes 34. The invention contemplates providing modular components such as hoods 36 and 38 and a cable clamp 40 for use in conjunction with the termination system provide~ by contact-supporting module 160 More particularly, hood 36 has interior grooves (not shown) for sliding along ribs 32 to mount the hood onto the connector from either end thereof. Hood 36 has an end aperture 42 for alignment with the through holes 34 of either end flange 30 to secure the hood in place by appropriate means. Likewise, cable clamp 40 has a bracket portion 44 for sliding onto either end flange 30 and the end extremi-ties of ribs 32, with a slot 46 for alignment with through holes 34 to secure the cable clamp in place by appropriate means. Hood 36 and cable clamp ~0 are designed for faci-litating termination of a multi-conductor cable extending end wise away frGm the connector.
Hood 38 has a pair of apertures 48 for alignment with through holes 34 of end flanges 30 for securing the hood to the connector. Hood 38 has an enlarged opening 50 to facilitate terminating a multi-conductor cable with the cable extending through opening 50 generally perpen-dicularly away from the rear of the connectorO
At this point, it should be noted that side ribs 32 for facilitating mounting hood 36 and cable clarnp 40 to the connector are not shown in Figure 5. This has been done to facilitate a description of the molding system of the present invention which ~ill be described hereinafter.
Referring to Figure 2, the modular electrical telephone connector of the present invention is sho~n to include common housing 12 as described in relation to Figures 1 and 5. Other reference numerals to certain por-tions of the housing have been omitted so as not to clutter the drawins. In this embodiment of the modular connector, a molded plastic contact supporting module 52 ~' 1 1~2~
is shown or terminating the conductors of a common multi-conductor flat cable Inot shown). The module has a generally elongated, rectangular configuration for interchangeably nesting in cavity end 14a of housing 12.
Bosses 54 are molded onto the sides of the module for snap fit within recesses 56 molded into the sides of cavity end 14a. This provides mounting means for releasably securing the module within the housing. It should be noted that similar mounting means are provided, although not shown, on contact-supporting module 16 described hereinbefore.
Module 52 supports a plurality of contact ele-ments which include mating portions 58, similar to the mating portions 20a of contacts 20, for mating with the contact elements of the complementary connector. The contacts are assembled through slots 59 molded into oppo-site sides of the module. The contacts have slotted insulation-piercing termination portions ~0 for piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with the conductors of a multi-conductor flat cable. An elongated hold-down member 62 has end brackets 64 for snapping over side ribs 32 of housing 12 to hold ~he flat cable in termination with insulation-piercing portions 60 of the supported contacts. A pair of end clips 66 are shown for sliding over end flanges 30 and the extremities of side ribs 32 of housing 12. These clips have wire clamps 68 pivotally mounted on the underside thereof for holding the complementary connector in mating engagement with housing 12 of the modular connector7 Referring to Figure 3, a common housing 12 again is shown identical to the housings described in conjunc~
tion with Figures l and 2. In this embodiment of the modular electrical telephone connector, a contact-supporting module 70 is sho~n for termination with a printed circuit boardO Like module 52~ module 70 is elongated and generally rectangularly shaped for interchangeably nesting in cavity end 14a of housing 12.
Again, bosses 72, like bosses 54 of module 52, are pro-vided for releasably snapping the modul~ into the housing I ~$2~
with the bosses snapped into recesses 56 of the housing~
Module 70 supports a plurality of contact elements which include rnating portions 74 similar to mating portions 20a of contacts 20. Similarly, the contacts are assembled through slots 75 molded into opposite sides of the module.
~owever, the contact elements of module 70 have ter-mination portions 76 for establishing electrical connec-tion with the conductors of a printed circuit board, in known fashion In this embodiment, termination portions 76 of the contact elements extend generally axially of the open-ended cavity means of housing 12 for termination with a printed circuit board disposed generally transversely of the cavity means. This embodiment again shows end clips 66 for holding a complementary connector in mating engage-ment with housing 1~ of the modular connector.
Referring to Figure ~, an embodiment of the modu-lar electrical telephone connector of the present inven-tion again is shown to include common housing 12. In this embodiment, a contact-supporting module 78 is shown simi-lar to module 70 for termination with a printed circuitboard and supporting contact elements which include mating portions 80 similar to the mating portions 20a of contacts 20J Similarly, the contacts are assembled through slots 81 molded into opposite sides of the module. However, the sontact elements supported by module 78 have termination portions 82 which are generally L-shaped for termination with a printed circuit board (not shown~ which would be disposed generally parallel to the axis of the cavity means of housing 12. ~therwise, module 78 is molded in accordance with the present inYentiDn SO as to be releasably mountable within cavity end 14a of housing 12 similar to interchangeable mo~ules 16, 52 and 70 pre-viously described~
Figure 4 shows a panel 84 having flanges 86 with through holes 88 for alignment with through holes ~4 of end flanges 30 of housing 12 in order to mount ~he panel to the housing by appropriate means. The panel has a plurality of apertures 90 for receiving termination por-5 ~ ~
tions 82 of the contact elements supported by module 78.The apertures properly space and align the contact ter-mination portions for termination with the conductors of the printed circuit board. ~ protective hood 92 is shown with depending bosses 94 for positioning within slots 96 of module 78 so that the hood covers the contact ter-_ mination portions to protect the same~ End clips 66 againare shown for holding a complementary connector in mating engagement with housing 12 of the modular connector.
Thus, Figures 1-5 illustrate the modular electri-cal telephone connector concept of the present invention wherein molded plastic housing means in the form of a single, co~non housing 12 is provided defininy a mating portion of the modular electrical connector for receiving molded plastic insert means in the form of a set of contact-supporting modules 16, 52, 70 and 78 defining dif-ferent terrnination configurations of the modular connec-tor. The termination portions are designed for selectively piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with individual insulated conductors of a multi-conductor cable ~module 16); for piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with the conductors of a multi-conductor flat cable (module 52);
for establishing electrical connection with the conductors of a printed circuit board disposed generally transversely of the connector (module 70); and for establishing electrical connection with the conductors of a printed circuit board disposed generally parallel to the axis of the connector (module 78)o Of course, other types of modules for providing different termination configurations for different termination systems are conternplated by the present invention, such as wire wrap termination sys~ems, or the like. With this invention, the common housings can be molded at a first location in considerable numb~rs and shipped to other locationsy such as countries throughout the world, where the contact-supporting rnodules can be molded as modular cornponents for use with the ~lousings in accordance with the particular desired termination system ~ ~2~
at that location~
With such a modular electrical telephone connec-tor system as described above, the invention contemplates a system and method for molding the connector bodies, including the common housings, as well as the contact-supporting modules, with minimum molding equipment and the minimum of molding dies or cavities for supplying telephone connectors of different configurations to dif-ferent remote locations, such as different countries -- 10 throughout the world. Considerable expense thus is avoided in tooling the mold cavities for the modular electrical telephone connectors of the present invention.
More particularly, referring to Figures 5-~, Figure 5 has already been described in detail as disclosing contact-supporting module 16 in conjunction with common housing 12. It should be pointed out at the outset that the following described molding system and method are equally applicable for contact-supporting modules other than module 16.
Figure 6 illustrates simple mold means which includes a first mold portion or die 100 and a secondr opposed mold portion or die 102 which cooperate to define a mold cavity, generally designated 104. The mold dies separate along a parting line 106. Mold cavity 104 con-forms to the shape of housing 12, as is readily apparen~ by comparison with Figure 5O Of course, retractable core pins, side pu115 or slides will be required on mold die 100 in order to form slots 2~ in the housing, as indicated by dotted line 108, and in mold die 102 for forming aper-30 tures 18, as indicated by dotted lines 110~ In addition, retractable side pulls or slides would also be provided at the sides of mold die 100 to form the side ribs 32 of the housing. These retractable core pins, side pulls and sli-des are common molding techniques and are not shown in the figures to avoid cluttering the drawing.
Referring to Figure 7, a lower mold die 112 and an upper, opposed mold die 114 are shown with a parting line 116. The dies cooperate to define a mold cavity, 1 ~825~
generally designated 11~, conforming to the configuration of contact supporting module 16 (Figure 5). Again, retractable core pins or slides would be incorporated in mold die 114 to form side notches or grooves 22 (Figure 5) of the contact-supporting module, as indicated by the dotted lines 120.
The uniqueness of the modular electrical telephone connector systern of the present invention is further exemplified with reference to Figure 8 wherein mold means is sho~n for molding the entire modular electrical connector, including the mating portion defined by housing 12 and the contact-supporting portion defined by module 16, in a one-piece integral construction. This is desirable when a sufficient volume of electrical con-nectors of a particular termination system is required ata single location, such as a single country. This com-bination of mold means can also be used at the domestic location where the common housings are fabricated. More particularly, it can be seen from Figure 8 that by simply using the lower mold die 100 shown in Figure 6, for molding housing 12, and by using the upper mold die 114, shown in Figure 7, for molding contact-supporting module 16, a mold cavity, generally designated 122, is formed for molding the entire electrical connector body as a single~ unitary construction. Tooling mold dies is one of the major expenses in fabricating molded plastic electrical connec-tors, and it i5 readily apparent that considerable savings are afforded while permitting versatility in fabrication when volume manufact~ring is involved.
The unique mold and molding system described above affords methods of fabricating all plastic contact-supporting connector bodies not heretofore available. In particular, a method is provided for efficiently pro-ducing, at different locations, limited quantities of all plastic connector bodies in a set or family of connector bodies having identical mating ends and different termina-tion ends. The method comprises the steps of molding the mating ends (i.ec housings 12) of the connector bodies at ~ ~2~4 ~
a first location in high throughput molds; molding the termination ends (i.e. modules 16, 52, 70 and 78) of the connector bodies at remote locations in low throughput molds, each low throughput mold producing termination ends complementary to and cooperable with any mating end irom the high throughput mold such that when joined together a connector body in the set is produced; and joining any of the termination ends to any of the mating ends to form a connector body.
In addition, a method is provided for fabricating all plastic contact supporting connector bodies having a mating part and a terminating part in one piece or in two pieces as described in relation to Figures 5-8. The method comprises the steps of fabricating the one-piece connector body in a two-piece mold having a first portion (i.e. die 100) or molding the mating part, and a comple-mentary second portion (i.e. die 114) for molding the ter-mination part integral with the mating part; fabricating the mating part of the two-piece connector in a mold con-sisting of the first portion and a third portion (i.e. die102) complementary to and cooperable with the first portion; fabricating the termination part of the two--piece connector body in a mold consisting of the second portion and a fourth portion (i.e. die 11~) complementary to and cooperable with the seccnd portion; and affixing parts fabricated by the last two steps, respectively, to each other. This method contemplates providing a plurality of different second die portions and a like plurali~y of dif-ferent fourth die portions complementary to and cooperable with the second portions, respectively, for molding a plurality of different termination parts for cooperable engagement with the mating part of the two~piece connector body.
Referring to Figure 9, the modular electri~al connector system of the present invention is shown some~Yhat schematically in order to illustrate the inter-relationship and interchangeability between the molded plastic housing means and the family or set of contact-1 1825~ ~
supporting modules. ~ modular electrical connector assembly is shown at the bottom of the figure with a com-mon housing 12 assembled to one of the set of contact-supporting modules, namely, module 16. Above these assemblies, a single common housing 12a is shown in align-ment for receiving and mounting any one of the other con-tact supporting modules in the set thereof, namely, modules 52, 70 and 780 Each of modules 52, 70 and 78 is shown schematically supporting contact elements having identical mating portions 58, 74 and 80, respectively, but with dif-ferent termination portions 60, 76 and 82, respectively, as described hereinbefore. In addition, other modular components are illustrated, such as hood 36, cable clamp ~o and flat cable hold-down member 62, all of which may be fabricated at the same location as common housing 12 and shipped therewith to other locations for selective assembly with the different contact-supporting modules 16, 52, 70 and 78 to provide telephone connectors of different termination configurations. An important advantage of such a system is that all of the components, except for the contact-supporting modules, can be fabricated in con-siderable volume and shipped at considerably less expense than with completely assembled connectors. ~his is impor-tant where different termination systems are used at dif-ferent locations, such as different countries throughoutthe world.
It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific orms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The pre-sent examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be con-sidered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein~
Claims (8)
1. A modular telephone connector, for mating with a complementary connector, having a plurality of con-tact elements, comprising:
molded plastic common housing means defining a mating portion of said modular electrical connector and including a generally open-ended cavity;
molded plastic insert means including a set of contact-supporting modules, each of said modules sup-porting a plurality of said contact elements and defining a different termination configuration of said modular electrical connector and being interchangeably nestable in said cavity of said housing means;
mounting means for mounting said modules in said cavity; and said plurality of contact elements having iden-tical mating portions at one end of said cavity when the respective module is nested in said cavity and termination portions at the other end of said cavity forming a ter-mination configuration defined by the selected module, whereby the modular electrical connector is adapted for mating with said complementary connector and terminating with different arrangements and types of conductors by interchanging said modules.
molded plastic common housing means defining a mating portion of said modular electrical connector and including a generally open-ended cavity;
molded plastic insert means including a set of contact-supporting modules, each of said modules sup-porting a plurality of said contact elements and defining a different termination configuration of said modular electrical connector and being interchangeably nestable in said cavity of said housing means;
mounting means for mounting said modules in said cavity; and said plurality of contact elements having iden-tical mating portions at one end of said cavity when the respective module is nested in said cavity and termination portions at the other end of said cavity forming a ter-mination configuration defined by the selected module, whereby the modular electrical connector is adapted for mating with said complementary connector and terminating with different arrangements and types of conductors by interchanging said modules.
2. The modular electrical connector of claim 1 wherein one of said set of contact-supporting modules sup-ports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with a conductor of a single insulated wire conductor of a multi-conductor cable.
3. The modular electrical connector of claim 1 wherein one of said set of contact-supporting modules sup-ports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with a conductor of a multi-conductor flat cable.
4. The modular electrical connector of claim 1 wherein one of said set of contact-supporting modules sup-ports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for establishing electrical connection with a conductor of a printed circuit board.
5. The modular electrical connector of claim 1 wherein one of said set of contact-supporting modules sup-ports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with the conductor of a single insulated wire conductor; a second of said set of contact-supporting modules supports a plurality of con-tact elements each of which includes a termination portion for piercing the insulation and establishing electrical connection with a conductor of a multi-conductor flat cable; and a third of said set of contact-supporting modules supports a plurality of contact elements each of which includes a termination portion for establishing electrical connection with a conductor of a printed circuit board.
6. The modular electrical connector of claim 1, including molded plastic hood means for covering said other end of said cavity and protecting the termination portions of said contact elements and the conductors ter-minated thereto, and complementarily engageable mounting means on said hood means and said housing means for mounting the hood means on the housing means from any one of a plurality of different directions.
7. The modular electrical connector of claim 6 wherein said housing means has a configuration elongated generally transversely of said cavity means defining two opposite housing ends, and the complementary mounting means on said housing means is disposed at said opposite housing ends for mounting said hood means onto either end of said housing means.
8. The modular electrical connector of claim 1 wherein said contact elements are adapted for terminating individual conductors of a multi-conductor cable, and including cable clamp means and complimentarily engageable mounting means on said cable clamp means and said housing means for mounting the cable clamp means on the housing means from any one of a plurality of different directions.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US28566281A | 1981-07-21 | 1981-07-21 | |
| US285,662 | 1981-07-21 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1182541A true CA1182541A (en) | 1985-02-12 |
Family
ID=23095191
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000407607A Expired CA1182541A (en) | 1981-07-21 | 1982-07-20 | Modular electrical connector and system for molding contact supporting modules |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0070392A3 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1182541A (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA825217B (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1986006556A1 (en) * | 1985-04-30 | 1986-11-06 | Amp Incorporated | Modular connector system |
| US4715827A (en) * | 1985-04-30 | 1987-12-29 | Amp Incorporated | Modular connector system |
| US4755148A (en) * | 1985-08-16 | 1988-07-05 | Elfab Corporation | Convertible connector |
| EP0935314B9 (en) * | 1998-02-06 | 2011-05-11 | Fred Schmitt | Connector housing for 19 inch apparatus system |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE2230248A1 (en) * | 1972-06-21 | 1974-01-17 | Panduit Gmbh | CONNECTORS FOR PRINTED CIRCUITS |
| US3885849A (en) * | 1973-03-08 | 1975-05-27 | Switchcraft | Electrical connectors with interchangeable components |
| US3920306A (en) * | 1974-10-02 | 1975-11-18 | Amp Inc | Tap connections for multi-conductor cables |
| US4203643A (en) * | 1978-07-24 | 1980-05-20 | Bunker Ramo Corporation | Electrical ribbon connector and hood |
| GB2042821B (en) * | 1979-01-02 | 1983-03-09 | Bunker Ramo | Electrical connector |
-
1982
- 1982-06-18 EP EP82105330A patent/EP0070392A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1982-07-20 CA CA000407607A patent/CA1182541A/en not_active Expired
- 1982-07-21 ZA ZA825217A patent/ZA825217B/en unknown
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0070392A3 (en) | 1984-07-04 |
| EP0070392A2 (en) | 1983-01-26 |
| ZA825217B (en) | 1983-04-27 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CA1133104A (en) | Electrical connectors and assemblies therefor | |
| EP1964216B1 (en) | Connector family for board mounting and cable applications | |
| US5934942A (en) | Shielded electrical connector assembly | |
| EP0260822B1 (en) | Modular electrical connector | |
| US4303296A (en) | Modular interface connector | |
| EP0204409B1 (en) | Two piece modular receptacle and method of making same | |
| EP1393413B1 (en) | Board connecting connector and method for producing the same | |
| EP0482669B1 (en) | Electrical connector and method of making an electrical connector | |
| EP0760171B1 (en) | Communications connectors | |
| US4990094A (en) | Data distribution panel | |
| CA1303695C (en) | Ultra multi-pole connector | |
| JPH056755U (en) | Surface mount type high frequency coaxial connector structure | |
| US6217393B1 (en) | Appliance connector and production method thereof | |
| EP0862805B1 (en) | Electrical connector with lead positioning comb | |
| US4883433A (en) | Electrical connector for data distribution panel | |
| CA1182541A (en) | Modular electrical connector and system for molding contact supporting modules | |
| US6000971A (en) | Multi-stage connector and method for producing and assembling the same | |
| US6093060A (en) | Electrical connector assembled with a terminal array that is connected by a carrier strip | |
| US5790660A (en) | Shunted modular jack | |
| JP2942985B2 (en) | Electrical connector | |
| US4671601A (en) | Connector for individual conductors | |
| US4541174A (en) | Process of making a jack-type electrical connector | |
| EP0154410B1 (en) | Field installable modular telephone connector | |
| JPH01231278A (en) | Data distribution interface | |
| US7090542B2 (en) | Multi-port modular jack assembly with accurate assemblying means |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEC | Expiry (correction) | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |