GB1368578A - Electrical connectors and their manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

1368578 Making electrical connectors AMP Inc 16 Jan 1973 [29 Jan 1972] 4327/72 Heading B3A [Also in Division H2] In a method of making a connector body comprising a multiplicity of spaced resilient conductive springs disposed within a matrix of elastomeric insulating material defining a body having spaced surface parts 4, 5 between which the springs extend in non-rectilinear paths and at which the ends 6 of the springs are exposed, at least one wire is wound into a coil (1), Fig. 1 (not shown), of spaced turns, the coil is potted in the insulating material and the resulting body is cut through the coil turns to define the connector body with the cut portions presenting the spaced surface parts which define contact faces. The coil is wound either from a single wire or a plurality of wires 21 with an interleaving of an elastomeric sheet 25, Fig. 7, about a former 24, which may be polygonal in cross-section, Fig. 15 (not shown). A double layer coil (30), Fig. 9 (not shown), may also be wound and wires (31) of one layer are staggered with respect to wires (32) of the other layer. A multi-layer coil (35), Fig. 11 (not shown), is wound from a single wire (36) with the adjacent turns of wire spaced axially by an elastomer strip (37) and the successive windings are stepped axially so that the wire turns (36) in one layer abut the strip (37) in adjacent layers, which strip may alternatively be round in cross-section and of greater diameter than the wire. The coil may also be wound from insulated wire (52), Fig. 16 (not shown), with the turns of adjacent layers (53), (54) and (54), (55) leading in opposite directions to form a multi-layer mesh forming a flow space (58), (59), (60) between the turns of the coil. The turns are potted by injection or vacuum moulding using an uncured elastomer resin. In a further embodiment, Fig. 17, a core 62 is provided with radially projecting spacers (63), Fig. 18 (not shown), in axially spaced groups 64. First coils 65 are wound between alternate groups 64 and spaces 66 between the coils 65 are filled with elastomer by winding or potting. Second coils 67 are wound over the elastomer filling and spaces 68 filled with elastomer. When cutting a connector matrix from the potted coil the contact surfaces are cut in the spaces between adjacent spacers (63). The groups 64 of spacers may be replaced by annular foil spacers and a foil tape may be wound above and below each coil layer. The coils may include non- conducting spring turns and when the coil is cut through the spring elements are cut back. The coil is used with a pair of printed circuit boards (78) mounted back-to-back, Fig. 20 (not shown), the coil being generally of C-spring form. The ends of the wires may project beyond the faces 4, 5 and be plated with gold or tin.