FR2488738A1 - STEP TRANSITION CONNECTOR FOR FLAT CABLES - Google Patents

Abstract

THE STEP TRANSITION CONNECTOR HAS IDENTICAL CONTACT ELEMENTS, INCLUDING INSULATING DRILLING CONTACTS 32 AVAILABLE IN TWO ROWS AND STEP SPACES OF A FLAT CABLE 28. EACH CONTACT ELEMENT HAS ANOTHER CONTACT 34 OPPOSITE AND AXISALLY . THE CONTACT ELEMENTS OF A RANGE ARE TURNED 180 IN RELATION TO THOSE OF THE OTHER RANGE, THUS DEFINING A STEP FOR OTHER CONTACTS DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE FLAT CABLE.

Description

Pitch transition connector for ribbon cables

  The present invention is. relates to sets

  of electrical connectors, and concerns more particularly

  especially a connector for establishing a connection

  xion between a flat cable with multiple conductors and a group of electrical terminals whose pitch is different

that of the ribbon cable.

  Different connection principles are already known for the quantity connection of flat cables with multiple conductors and establishing a transition with electrical terminals whose pitch is different from that of the cables. In general, these known systems establish

  the pitch transition between a multi-conductor cable

  standard pitch ples, i.e. with individual conductors spaced 0.127 mm from center to center, and pins arranged in a so-called D-type connector, i.e. in which the neighboring pins are 0.1: 37 mm apart. The transition between these elements

  different pitch is ensured either by using con-

  preformed electrical transition tacts, supported in a connector housing and arranged between the cable and

  the pins, either by a connector comprising elements

  contact elements whose ends are fixedly supported with bent central sections,

  to adapt to the step transition.

  An object of the invention is therefore to

  be a connection with pitch transition between a flat cable and pins in a configuration other than type D. A more particular object of the invention is to provide a connector with pitch transition making it possible to establish a pitch transition between the aforementioned standard piat cable and pins constituted by

  pairs of laterally spaced pitches, pairs of

  cessives being spaced apart by a predetermined, different step

that of the ribbon cable.

  Yet another object of the invention is to allow a pitch transition connection with zero insertion force between a flat cable and pins of accessory circuits. In order to obtain this and other results, the invention therefore relates to a set of pitch transition electrical connectors intended for connecting a flat cable with multiple conductors of a given pitch, in

  which several electrical contact elements identi-

  ques are supported in an elongated boltier, each contact element comprising a first contact of the insulating piercing type, and a second contact opposite the first contact and offset axially with respect to it, the first contacts being arranged in alignment with the conductors of flat cable, that is to say with the given pitch, and the orientation of the contact elements being such that the second contacts are arranged at

  a predetermined step different from the given step of the conduc-

  In a particular embodiment, a base is provided to receive the housing, this base surrounding a fixed group of pins intended to be aligned with the second contacts of the contact elements, the base and the boot being movable. a

  relative to each other by means of a device for

  to establish an electrical connection between

  the second contacts and the fixed pins, a continuity

  thus being ensured between the individual conductors

  of the ribbon cable and the pins of the assembly.

  Other features and benefits of

  the invention will appear during the description

  which will follow from an exemplary embodiment and by

  referring to the accompanying drawings in which

  Figure 1 is a perspective view and

  partially exploded with a connector assembly according to the invention,

3 2488738

  Figure 2 is a partial plan view of the housing of Figure 1, showing the arrangements of the contact elements in the housing, Figure 3 is a vertical section along the plane III-III of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a vertical section of the base part of the assembly of FIG. 1, seen from the inside of its front wall, FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the base of the assembly of FIG. 1,

  Figure 6 is an elevational view of the

  Figure 1 connector appears with the access piece

  in the rest position, and Figure 7 is a view similar to that of

  Figure 6 but with the actuating part in posi-

tion of work.

  According to Figure 1, the connector assembly is mounted on a printed circuit board 12 and it comprises a male part or base 14, surrounding male connection pins 16 which are connected

  electrically to control strips (not shown

  sentata) of the card 12. The base 14 is elongated

  vant its axis 18 and, as shown in Figures 4 and, the pins 16 soni, arranged in pairs alig-

  born laterally, spaced in the longi-

  tudinal, i.e. pins 16a and 16b

  constituting a pair in lateral alignment are spaced along the base 14 of the neighboring pair constituted by pins 16c and 16d. The base 14 supports at one end an actuating part 20 so that it can pivot, for a purpose which will be explained below. The connector 10 further comprises a female part 22 comprising a case 24 and a cover

  26, the latter being separable from the case for

  put in place a flat cable 28 to conduct-

2.488738

  multiple tors in alignment with the contact elements of the shoemaker, particularly shown on

Figures 2 and 3.

  Figure 2 is a plan view showing the grouping of the contact elements 30a-30a of the bowl

  tier, and the contact elements 30e and 30c appear-

  felt on the vertical section of Figure 3. All the contact elements 30a-30h are of configuration

  identical, each comprising a first cont act of ex-

  end 32 of the insulating piercing type and a second end contact 34 opposite to the contact 32 and offset axially with respect to it. The first contacts 32 can be of the form described in particular in United States Patent No. 3,964,816, comprising a slot 32a along the axis of the contact 32

  to receive the conductors of cable 28, and enga-

  electrically controlling these during drilling

  cable insulation. In this embodiment

  sation, the contact 34 is of the female type, comprising fingers 34a and 34b on each side of the central axis

of contact 34.

  As also shown in Figures 2 and 3, the contact elements of the housing are arranged in first and second rows of each side of the

  the longitudinal axis 36 of the shoemaker 24. Those of the elements

  contact elements in the row

  presented above the axis 36 of Figure 2, that is

  ie the contact elements 30a -30d are oriented or arranged so that the contact 32 with drilling

  : 30 of insulation either to the right of contact 34 for each element

  contact. On the contrary, each of the contact elements of the shoemaker, arranged in the lower row in Figure 2 is oriented. or positioned in the

  opposite direction to that of the contact elements 30a - 30d.

  Thus, in the case of contact elements -30e, 30h, the insulation piercing contact of each element

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  contact is located to the left of its contact 34. The elements

  contact elements are also supported in the bot-

  tier 24 so that the longitudinal distance between the axes of the adjacent iso] .ant piercing contacts is equal to the pitch of the cable 28. Thus, the distance along the axis 36 between the axes of the insulation piercing contacts of the contact elements 30e and 30a, between the axes of the insulation piercing contacts of the contact elements 30a and 30f esc. is equal to the distance between lo the axes of the neighboring conductors of the cable 28. This arrangement allows the alignment of the insulation piercing contacts of all the contact elements with the cable 28. The electrical contact between them is established by means

  a suitable tool which forces the cover 26 into position

  latching on the housing 24, so that the individual conductors are pushed into the

contact slots 32a 32a.

  Since the contact elements of

  opposite rows are in fact in relation to orienta-

  opposite, tour of 180 0 and since

  the distance between axes of contacts 32 and 34 is identical

  tick for all the contact elements, the axes of the second contacts of the contact elements facing each other laterally are aligned laterally. Thus, the contacts 34 of the contact elements 30a and 30e are aligned laterally along the lateral or transverse axis 38. The contacts 34 of the contact elements 30b and 30s, 30c and 30g, and 30d and 30h are aligned laterally along the transverse axes

40, 42 and 44 respectively.

  Due to the geometry imposed on the connector

  As a result of the way in which identical contact elements are supported and their opposite orientation, it is easy to obtain a transition step of two, that is to say a distance between contact pairs 24 aligned laterally and successive in the longitudinal direction, double the distance between contacts 32 with insulation piercing, successive in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the pitch in the contact group 34 can be of any predetermined value exceeding the given pitch of the ribbon cable.

  Figure 6 shows the female assembly 22, as-

  similar with the base 14, the pins 16 being aligned with the lateral axes of alignment of the contacts 34 and therefore being arranged in the center of the contacts 34. In this position, the pins 16 are not in abutment against the contacts 34 and l female set 32

  and base 14 are characterized by their strength to insert

  tion nmlle. When operating the actuating part!

  , i.e. rotation in the direction of the needle-

  those of a watch from a control handle 46 on the

  pivot pin 48 of base 14, the cam

  actuation 50 comes into contact with the cover 26 and slides the female assembly 22 in the longitudinal direction along the base 14, FIG. 7

  montranL the end of this relative movement between the whole

  female wheat and base. In this arrangement of the connector parts shown in FIG. 7, the contact finger 34a is supported on the pin 16,

  establishing an electrical connection between the conduct-

  tor 28a of the cable and the pin 52 which comes out

  base 14 laughing to be connected to a conductive strip of a printed circuit board, or other such accessory circuit Different locking structures can be provided to mechanically lock the elements

  of the connector assembly. According to Figure 1, the pa-

  inner kings of base 14 have notches

  54, in the shouldered configuration shown. The box

  tier 24 may likewise include bosses 56 direct

  facing outwards, aligned with the notches

  54 to enter when the elements are assembled.

  Under the effect of the longitudinal movement of the female assembly relative to the base 14, the bosses and the

  notches move to the locked position

  lage, as shown in Figure 7. The removable assemolage of the cover 26 on the housing 24 can be obtained by an appropriate latching device, shown

  by elements 58 and 60 in Figures 6 and 7.

  Finally, the actuating handle 46 can be locked.

  releasably linked with the notch 62 (Fig. 6) when the actuating part is in its position

  work shown in Figure 7.

  The invention has been illustrated in a mode par-

  particular realization, but different modifications

  can be made without departing from its scope.

  For example, the female configuration of contacts 34

  and the male configuration of pins 16 can be in-

  poured, the contact elements supported in the bowl

  tier then comprising a first contact of the type to be

  insulating connection and a second male contact opposite the connector

  insulation piercing and axially offset

  port to him. It also appears that the female assembly 22 can receive applications other than the connection

  to a male configuration base, and can also receive

  see applications in cases where a force of in-

  Zero clearance is not necessary. It is therefore necessary to

  sider that the embodiment that has been described

  is an example, by no means limited.

Claims (6)

  1 - Set of electrical connector with tran   step sition intended to establish a connection with a   flat cable with multiple conductors, of a given pitch,   seems to be characterized in that it comprises several elements   identical contact-electrical elements (30), each with a first contact 02) of the insulating piercing type and a second contact 34) opposite said first contact and   axially offset from it, and a housing   length (22) intended to receive said cable (28) and to   pledge said elements of contact with him, said boiî-   tier supporting said contact elements (30) ma-   the first contacts are arranged in first and second laterally spaced rows, said first contacts adjacent in the direction   being spaced apart from said given pitch, said bol-   tier supporting said second contacts in res pairs   pectives, the second contacts of each pair being   spaced apart in lateral alignment, the neighboring pairs in the longitudinal direction being spaced   by a predetermined step exceeding said given step.   2 - assembly according to claim 1, charac-   terized in that said housing supports said elements   contact elements (30) whose first contacts are in said first row with an orientation and   support with an orientation opposite to said orientation-   those of the contact elements, the first of which   coniacts are in said second row.   3 - assembly according to claim 1, charac-   terized in that said second contacts (34) are female configuration.   4 - assembly according to claim 1, charac-   terized in that it further comprises a cover (26) removably attached to said housing and delimiting with said housing a passage for arranging said cable in said set. 9 2488738   - An assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a base (14)   surrounding and supporting a group of electric pins   fixed lines (16) intended to be connected to the flat multi-conductor cable, said base being arranged to receive said housing and to individually place said second contacts in electrical engagement with the pins of said group.   6 - assembly according to claim 5, charac-   terized in that said pins (16) of said group are male in configuration.   7 - assembly according to claim 5, charac-   terized in that it further comprises a device for   actuation (20) intended to produce a long movement   relative tudinal of said housing (22) and said base   (14) for individually placing said second contacts   tacts (34) in electrical engagement with said bro-   ches (16) of the group, with zero insertion force.