GB1049435A - Electrical connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

1,049,435. Two-part couplings. AMP Inc. March 3, 1965 [March 5, 1964], No. 9018/65. Heading H2E. An electrical connector assembly comprises a rigid housing H, e.g. of nylon or polyethylene, comprising one or more elongated channels 2 each communicating with two parallel rows of elongated pockets 4 each of which receives an electrical contact element E. In Fig. 2, the contact element comprises a portion 13 for connection to a lead, e.g. by wrapping, and a tapered contact spring 12<SP>1</SP> for engaging a printed circuit panel P, the portions 13, 12<SP>1</SP> being connected by a neck 22. The contact element E is formed from a planar blank (Fig. 4, not shown) comprising elongated portions 12, 13 separated by a rectangular plate 14, a neck 22, and opposed projections 20. The part 12 is bent to form the contact spring 12<SP>1</SP> and the element E is inserted into the housing H, the plate 14 being guided in opposed axial grooves 19 in the pocket 4. The portion 13 is then rotated relatively to the portion 12<SP>1</SP> through 90 degrees helically to twist the neck 22 so that the projections 20 engage shoulders 7, 9 (Fig. 3, not shown) in a recess 5 adjacent the pocket and a locking tongue 21 formed on the plate 14<SP>1</SP> engages a rectangular projection 6 in the pocket 4 to lock the contact element in the housing. In a modification (Fig. 7, not shown) the portion 13 has a square cross-section and two opposite elongated channels 23 for a lead connection as described in Specification 1,008,673. There may be only one row of contact elements E engaging the panel P. The invention may be applied to electrical plugboards. The contact spring 12<SP>1</SP> may be replaced by a portion similar to 13 or 13<SP>1</SP> for connection to a lead to provide a junction block.