IE55725B1 - Improvements relating to the manufacture of jumper cable assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to multiple conductor jumper cables and a method for manufacturing the same. Jumper cable assemblies made from flat conductor cable are 5 widely used by industry in electronic equipment primarily, to interconnect printed circuit boards. Heretofore, jumper cable assemblies have been made on a piece-by-piece basis by methods such as cutting cable to the desire length and then terminating the ends of the cut cable, or 10 by laminating flexible films to conductors having formed terminal ends.

Description

A -CONTINUOUS STH+P OF JUMPER CABLE ASSEMBLES This invention relates to multiple conductor jumper cables and a method for manufacturing the same.

Jumper cable assemblies made from flat conductor cable are widely used by industry in electronic equipment primarily, to interconnect printed circuit boards.

Heretofore, jumper cable assemblies have been made on a piece-by-piece basis by methods such as cutting cable to the desire length and then terminating the ends of the cut cable, or by laminating flexible films to conductors having formed terminal ends.

A typical jumper cable assembly is comprised of a length of cable having a plurality of insulated electrical conductors therein with each conductor having first and second connecting means attached to and extending outwardly from respective ends thereof. Each connecting means has an attaching portion, an intermediate portion and a mating portion. The first and second connecting means need not necessarily be identical. M The present invention is directed toward making a continuous strip of separable jumper cable assemblies which can * be rolled on a reel for both storage and shipping to a customer.

The customer can separate the assemblies and apply them individually or use the strip for automated processes.

The strip of serially interconnected and individually * separable jumper cable assemblies is comprised of said assemblies and relatively short intervening segments therebetween. Each 9892 -1a I assembly is comprised of a predetermined length of cable, said .cable having at least one elongated insulated electrical conductor therein, said conductor having a first and second connecting means attached to and extending outwardly from respective ends thereof. Lines of perforations define junctions between said jumper cable assemblies and said intervening segments. The lines of perforations are disposed adjacent to said first and second connecting means. Upon removal of said Intervening segments to effect separation of said jumper cable assemblies from said strip, said first and second connecting means are readily accessible for electrical interconnection in a desired circuit.

The cable in the preferred embodiment is a ribbon-like cable having a plurality of parallel elongated conductors insulated by flat ribbon-like insulating material. The perforation lines traverse the strip in a direction essentially normal to the direction of the conductors. Owing to the difference In length of the jumper cable assembly and the intervening segment, the pair of perforation lines defining the length of the intervening segment are closer together than those defining the predetermined length of jumper cable assembly.

A plurality of spaced apart connecting means are attached to each conductor. The connecting means, having an attaching portion, an intermediate portion, and a mating portion, are attached to the cable in rows adjacent and essentially parallel to the perforation lines. The perforation lines can be located above 9892 -2I the mating, intermediate, or attaching portions of the connecting means. The mating portions of the connecting means along one of each pair of perforation lines that define the intervening segment face the mating portions along the second of each pair of those perforation lines and essentially, lie above the intervening segment. Individual jumper assemblies can be removed from the strip by severing the cable along the perforation lines and removing intervening portions.

FIGURE 1 is a three-dimensional view representing the process for making the continuous strip of jumper cable assemblies.

FIGURE 2 is a three-dimensional fragmentary view showing the undersurface of the cable with the connector means on adjacent jumper cable assemblies.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of the upper surface of the cable illustrating a pair of perforation lines separating adjacent jumper assemblies.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional side view taken along lines 4-4 of Figure 3.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional side view similar to Figure 4 with the separable section of cable removed between two adjacent jumper assemblies.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 3, cable 14 from a reel 50 and strips of first and second connecting means 46, 46' from reels 52 and 52· are fed into an apparatus 54 which attaches rows 24 and 26 of first and second connecting means 46, 46' and 9892 -3i punches rows 34 and 36 of perforation lines across the cable thus forming adjacent jumper assemblies 12 and intervening segments 38 which are fed onto the reel 56.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the cable 14 is a flat ribbon-like cable having an upper surface 16 and an undersurface 18. Cable 14 is comprised of a plurality of conductors 20 insulated by flat ribbon-like insulating material 22. Pairs 32 of perforation lines defining the intervening segment are punched into the upper surface 16 of the cable 14. The lines of perforation sever substantially all of the conductors but not all of the insulating material. The pairs 32 of perforation lines are separated from each other by the predetermined jumper cable assembly length 40, the first perforation line 34 defining the junction at the end of one jumper assembly 12 and intervening segment 38 and the second perforation line 36 defining the junction at the beginning of the adjacent jumper assembly 12 and the next intervening segment. The pairs 32 of perforation lines traverse the cable 14 in a direction essentially normal to that of the conductors 20. The intervening portions 38 of cable between lines 34 and 36 lies essentially above the connecting means.

As illustrated in Figure 2, rows 24 and 26 of oppositely facing first and second connecting means 46, 46' are attached to the cable proximate to the perforation lines 34, 36. It is to be understood that the first and second connecting means need not be the same. Identical connecting means are shown here for illustrative purposes only. The connecting means 46, 46' have 9892 -4an attaching portion 28, an intermediate portion 29, and a mating portion 30. The mating portion of the first row 24 of connecting means faces the mating portion of the second row 26 of connecting means. These mating portions extend over the first and second perforation, rows 34 and.36 and intervening segment 38 in the finished jumper cable assembly strip 10. It is to be understood that the connecting means may be attached to the cable so that the lines of perforation lie beneath any of the three portions of the connecting means, depending primarily upon the geometry of the connecting means used. The mating portions 30 of the first and second connecting means 46, 46' appear on the undersurface 18 of the cable 14. Figure 3 shows the attaching portions 28 of the first and second connecting 1. means 46, 46' which appear on the upper surface 16 of the cable 14.

As is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the jumper cable assembly units 12 are separated from each other by removing'the severable intervening portion 38 of the cable between the closely spaced apart perforation lines 34 and 36. Removal of this portion 38 exposes the mating portions 30 of the first and second rows. 24, 26 of connecting means 46, 46* thus creating individual jumper assembly units.

A variety of types of connecting means can be attached to the cable according to the method disclosed herein. The present invention is particularly suited to crimpable connecting means having an attaching portion of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent 9892 -54,082,402. These terminals can be crimped to the cables using machines such as those disclosed in U.S, Patents 3,553,836 and 4,290,179.

Jumper cable assemblies of any desired length can be made by using the method disclosed herein. All that is needed is an indexing system, as is known in the art, to measure the desired length of cable between the subsequent pairs of perforation lines. The distance between the two lines in each pair of perforation lines and the size of the intervening segment are determined by the length and shape of the mating portion of the connecting means being attached to the cable. The severable . intervening portion needs to be sufficiently wide to enable the mating portions of connectors attached along each pair of parallel perforation lines to face each other, yet be essentially completely exposed once the severable intervening portion has been removed.

The strips of jumper cable assemblies can be stored on reels. The diameter of the reels should be of a sufficient size to prevent any distortion in the shape of the connecting means attached to the jumper cable assemblies. Jumper cable assemblies can be furnished to customers as individual assemblies and in strip form.

It is thought that the strip of interconnected jumper cable assemblies of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description. It will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form. 9892 -6construction, and arrangement of the parts thereof without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing all its material advantages. The form herein described is merely a preferred or exemplary embodiment thereof.

Claims (11)

CLAIMS:

1. A strip of serially interconnected and individually separable jumper cable assemblies, each assembly being comprised of a predetermined length of cable, said cable having 5 at least one elongated insulated electrical conductor therein, said conductor having a first and second connecting means attached to and extending outwardly from respective ends thereof, said strip being characterized in that: said strip Is comprised of said jumper cable assemblies 10 and relatively short intervening segments therebetween; lines of perforations define junctions between said jumper cable assemblies and said intervening segments; said lines of perforations are disposed adjacent to said first and second connecting means whereby, 15 upon removal of said intervening segments to effect separation of said jumper cable assemblies from said strip, said first and second connecting means are readily accessible for electrical interconnection in a desired circuit.

2. A strip of serially interconnected and individually 20 separable jumper cable assemblies according to Claim 1 wherein each said first and second connecting means is comprised of an attaching portion for engaging an electrical conductor of the cable, an intermediate portion and a mating portion, said intermediate portion extending between said attaching and mating 25 portions. 9892 83. A strip of serially interconnected and individually separable jumper cable assemblies according to Claim 2 wherein said lines of perforation which are disposed adjacent said first and second connecting means extend transversely across said attaching-portions of said first and second connecting means.

3. 4. A strip of serially interconnected and individually separable jumper cable assemblies according to Claim 2 wherein said lines of perforation which are disposed adjacent said first and second connecting means extend transversely across said intermediate portions of said first and second connecting means.

4. 5. A strip of serially interconnected and individually separable jumper cable assemblies according to Claim 2 wherein said lines of perforation which are disposed adjacent said first and second connecting means extend transversely across said connecting portions of said first and second connecting means.

5. 6. A strip of serially interconnected and individually separable jumper cable assemblies according to Claim 1, 3, 4 or 5 wherein the lines of perforations sever at least substantially all of said at least one conductor.

6. 7. A strip of serially interconnected and individually separable jumper cable assemblies according to Claim 1, 3, 4 or 5 wherein said cable is a flat ribbon-like cable comprised of a plurality of parallel elongated conductors insulated by flat ribbon-like insulating material. 9892 -98. A strip of serially interconnected and individually separable jumper cable assemblies according to Claim 1, 3, 4, 5 or 7 wherein the strip is in the form of a convolute roll.

7. 9. A strip of serially interconnected and individually 5 separable jumper cable assemblies according to Claim 1, 3, 4, 5 or 7 wherein said first and second connecting means are identical.

8. 10. A method for making a strip of serially interconnected and individually separable jumper cable assemblies, each 10 assembly being comprised of a predetermined length of cable, said cable having at least one elongated insulated electrical conductor therein, said conductor having a first and second connecting means attached to and extending outwardly from respective ends thereof, the method being comprised of the steps 15 of: perforating the cable with a plurality of spaced apart perforation lines, the perforation lines defining junctions between said jumper cable assemblies and relatively short intervening segments of cable; 20 attaching a plurality of spaced apart first and second connecting means to said at least one conductor, the first and second connecting means being attached to the cable in rows proximate to the perforation lines so that the mating portions of the first and second connecting means along the 25 pair of perforation lines that define intervening segments 9892 ΙΟΙ face each other and essentially lie above the intervening segment whereby, c upon removal of said intervening segments to effect separation of said jumper cable assemblies from said strip, said first and 5 second connecting means are readily accessible for electrical interconnection in a desired circuit.

9. 11. A method of making a strip of interconnected jumper assemblies, substantially as described with reference to the accompany ingdrawings.

10. 12. A strip of interconnected jumper assemblies, whenever made by a method according to claim 10 or claim 11.

11. 13. A strip of interconnected jumper assemblies, substantially as described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.