GB1519684A - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

1519684 Electrical connector NORTHERN TELECOM Ltd 6 May 1976 [18 July 1975] 18658/76 Heading H2E A contact arrangement for an electrical connector comprises a housing 10, a holding member 35 fitted inside the housing, a spring 50 retained in the holding member in a preloaded condition, Fig. 7, the spring and the holding member having insulation piercing edges 65, 68 or 65a, 68a respectively whereby on release of the spring, Fig. 8, the edges 65, 65a move towards edges 68, 68a to pierce the insulation ofa wire, e.g. 60 or 61 and contact the conductor, e.g. 62 of the wire. In the embodiment (Fig. 1) the housing comprises a base 11 and a cover 12 joined to the base by a web 13. At each end of the base an inlet 20, 25 is formed by a rib 21, 26 defining passages 23, 27 for inserting the wires in the housing. Projections 24 position the holding member and formation 28 on rib 26 positions the spring, which is held down by projection 30 on the cover. The holding member 35, Figs. 2 and 3, is made of metal and has buttresses 42 with ends 55 for securing the spring in position and an aperture 43 which is at a position higher than the rest of the base of the holding member and which retains the ends 51a of the spring 50 (Fig. 4). In operation the spring 50 is positioned in the holding member and both placed in the housing 10 (Fig. 6, not shown) and the wires to be connected, e.g. 61, 60 are positioned as shown in Fig. 6, and the cover 12 is closed. The spring is released by bending the housing about a transverse axis, bending the holding member 35 whereby the ends 54 of the legs 51 of spring 50 lift out of the aperture 43 and spring apart as shown in Fig. 8. Alternatively the base of the holding member may be provided with a projection (75, Fig. 10, not shown) so that the spring rests on the projection, slightly tilted and it is released by pressing the cover 12'at a position corresponding to the end of the spring remote from the ends 54. In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the spring may be released by sliding the spring out of aperture 43 by a button extending through the base or cover of housing 10. The edges 66, 68a be replaced by tongues punched on the flanges 37 of the holding member (Fig. 11, not shown) and the spring may be preloaded inwardly (Fig. 12, not shown) and the legs are held apart by a member (85) inserted between the legs.