MXPA00010810A - Electrical connector with wire management system - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connector (14) includes an elongated dielectric housing (40) having a central body portion (69,72) with a front face (66), a rear face (68) and at least three rows of terminal-receiving passages (26) extending therebetween and including a top row, a middle row and a bottom row. A plurality of terminals (24A-24C) are received in the passages (26) and include top terminals (24A) received in at least some of the passages in the top row, middle terminals (24B) received in at least some of the passages in the middle row and bottom terminals (24C) received in at least some of the passages in the bottom row. All of the terminals (24A-24C) have forward contact portions and tail portions (36A-36C) projecting rearwardly from the body portion beyond the rear face thereof. The tail portions (36B) of the middle terminals (24B) are longer than the tail portions (36A) of the top terminals (24A). A wire management platform (40) projects from the rear face of the central body portion and includes a first top surface (94A) at which the tail portions (36A) of the top terminals (24A) are juxtaposed. A second top surface (94B) of the platform is offset from the first top surface (94A) and projects further from the rear face of the body portion than the first top surface and at which the longer tail portions (36B) of the middle terminals (24A) are juxtaposed. The platform includes a bottom surface (94C) at which the tail portions (36C) of the bottom terminals (24C) are juxtaposed.

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH WIRE HANDLING SYSTEM DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the technique of electrical connectors and, particularly, to a connector having wire handling means for facilitating the termination of the conductors of a plurality of electrical wires. towards the termination portions of the connector terminals. A known type of input / output (I / O) electrical connector includes an elongate dielectric housing having a front coupling face and a rear face with a plurality of terminal receiving passages extending therebetween. The faces extend longitudinally between opposite ends of the elongated housing. A plurality of terminals are received in the passages. Each terminal includes a contact portion projecting forward and an end portion projecting rearwardly from the housing beyond the rear face thereof. The tip portions are typically inserted into the holes in a printed circuit board, the surface mounted to trace circuitry on a circuit board or directly connected to the central conductors of the discrete electrical wires. With the ever-evolving miniaturization of electronic components in various industries, such as in the computer and telecommunications industry, along with the miniaturization of electrical connectors, considerable problems have been encountered in terminating miniature terminals, particularly in the terminal extremities. This is particularly true when the end portions of the terminals are terminated for "loose" or free-moving electrical wires (against the more stationary traces of a generally rigid circuit board). This problem of terminating the thin terminal extremities to the discrete electrical wire conductors is extended or compounded when the terminals are mounted in the connector housing in a plurality of closely spaced rows which is typical of many electrical I / O connectors. known. The present invention is directed to solve these problems by providing a single wire handling system in such electrical connector. Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connector of the type described, which includes wire handling means for facilitating the termination of the end portions of a plurality of terminals for the conductors of a plurality of wires. electrical, particularly when the terminals are mounted in rows in the connector housing. In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, the connector includes an elongate dielectric housing having a central body portion with a front face, a rear face and three rows of terminal receiving passages extending therebetween and including a top row as an intermediate row and a lower row. A plurality of terminals are received in the passages and include upper terminals received in at least some of the passages of the upper row, intermediate terminals received in at least some of the passages of the intermediate row and lower terminals received in at least some of the passages in the bottom row. All terminals have anterior contact portions and end portions projecting backward from the body portion beyond the rear face thereof. The limb portions the middle terminals are longer than the limb portions of the upper terminals. The invention contemplates a wire handling platform projecting from the rear face of the central body portion. The platform includes a first top surface in which the end portions of the upper terminals are juxtaposed. A second top surface is offset from the first top surface and projects from the rear face of the body portion more than the first top surface and in which the longer end portions of the intermediate terminals are juxtaposed. A lower surface is provided in which the end portions of the lower terminals are juxtaposed. The three different surfaces facilitate the connection of the end portions of the terminals to the conductors of a plurality of appropriate electrical wires. As described in this, a plurality of grooves are provided in at least one of the platform surfaces, aligned with the end portions juxtaposed therein. The slots facilitate the alignment of the electrical wires and the respective conductors with the end portions of the terminals. According to another aspect of the invention, a wire handling platform may include a first top surface and a second longer top surface offset for use in a connector having only two rows of terminals with the end portions of the bottom row which are longer than the limb portions of the top row. In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a wire handling platform for an individual row of terminals may include slots for aligning the wires of the wires with the end portions of the terminals. Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The characteristics of this invention that are considered as novel are established with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with its objects and the advantages thereof, can be better understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers identify similar elements in the figures and in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector that modalizes the concepts of the invention; FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the connector; FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view of the connector; FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the connector; FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the connector; FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view of the two-part housing with the terminals and the ground blade mounted on the front housing part; FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the two-part housing in the assembled condition; FIGURE 8 is a rear perspective view showing the front shell assembled to the two-part housing; FIGURE 9 is a perspective view similar to that of FIGURE 8, with the rear shell fully assembled; FIGURE 10 is a front perspective view of the rear housing part; FIGURE 11 is a top plan view of the rear housing part; FIGURE 12 is a bottom plan view of the rear housing part; and FIGURE 13 is a section from front to back through the connector, with the conductors of three electrical wires terminated toward the end portions of the terminals in the three rows thereof. Referring to the drawings in greater detail and first to Figures 1-5, the invention is modeled on an electrical connector, generally designated 14, which includes an internal dielectric housing (described herein) substantially enclosed by a frontal shell, generally designated 16, and a rear shell, generally designated 17. Each of the cuffs 16 and 17 is a one-piece structure stamped and formed of conductive sheet metal material. The connector is an electrical input / output device (1/0) wherein the front shell 16 defines a front coupling face 18 of the connector and a rear shell 17 defines a rear end face 20. The front face is actually formed by a cover portion 22 of the shell 16 surrounding the contact portions projecting forward of the three rows of the data transmission terminals. The upper row of the terminals are generally designated 24A; the intermediate row of terminals is generally designated 2.4B; and the lower row of terminals is generally designated 24C. The data transmission terminals are projected through the terminal receiver passages 26 (Figure 2) in the connector housing. It should be noted in Figures 1 and 2 that the terminals are not inserted into all the passages in all the rows. The configuration of terminal or arrangement is determined by the specifications or particular application of the connector.

A blade 28 of conductive earth projects through a blade receiving passage 30 (Figure 2) into the connector housing. A pair of high speed signal terminals 32 (Figures 1 and 3) project through a pair of terminal 3 receiver passage (Figure 2) into the housing on each opposite side of the ground blade 28. The termination end portions 34c (Figure 4) of the high speed signal terminals 32 project backward from the rear shell 17. The upper row of terminals 24A has end portions 36a projecting backward from the shell. The intermediate of the terminals 24B has end portions 36B (Figure 4 and 5) projecting backward from the rear shell. The lower row of terminals 24C has end portions 36C (Figure 5) projecting rearwardly from the rear shell. All end portions of all terminals project backward from the rear shell 17 into a rear wire handling platform 40 of the connector housing. At this point, it should be understood that the use of the terms "superior", "inferior" and "intermediate" herein and in the claims thereof are not in any way intended to be limiting. Those terms are used herein to provide a clear and concise understanding of the invention. The electrical connector 14 is omnidirectional in use and such terms are used basically referring to the illustration or orientation to the drawings for a better understanding of the invention. The front shell 16 has a pair of tongues 42 formed rearwardly at the top and bottom of the shell to encompass the housing as will be seen hereinafter. Four tabs 44 formed rearward flex from a base plate 46 of the front shell 16 on a base plate 48 of the rear shell 17 to secure the front and rear shields around the connector housing. Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the connector 14 includes a two-part dielectric housing, generally designated 60, which is formed of a front housing or housing part, generally designated 62, and a rear housing or housing part, generally designated 64. The housing part front defines a front engagement end 66 of the housing, and the rear housing portion defines a rear end 68 of the housing. The front housing portion includes a central body portion 69 that includes the terminal receiver passages 26 for data transmission terminals 24A-24C, terminal receiver passages 34 for high speed signal terminals 32 and blade receiver passage 30 for reception of the ground blade 28. The end portions 36A-36C of the data transmission terminals and the end portions 32c of the signal terminals project backward from the front housing portion 62. The rear end of the ground blade 28 also projects rearwardly of the front housing part. The front housing portion has upper and lower recesses 70 and recesses 72, together with ascending and descending projection tabs 74 for the purposes described hereinafter. The rear housing portion 64 includes a central body portion 76 for splicing against the rear portion 62 of the front housing portion when the housing portions are assembled in the direction of the arrows "A" (Figure 6). The rear housing portion has side flaps 78 and upper and lower flaps 80 that move within the recesses 70 and 72, respectively, of the front housing portion when the two housing portions are assembled as shown in Figure 7. The rear housing portion 64 also has up and down projection tabs 82 which are juxtaposed with the tabs 74 of the front housing part when assembled. After the data transmission terminals 24A-24C, the high-speed signal terminals 32 and the ground blade 28 are mounted in the front housing portion 62 and the rear housing portion 64 is juxtaposed against the front housing portion. , the front and rear shields of the connector are assembled to complete the connector assembly as shown in Figures 8 and 9. More particularly, as seen in Figure 8, the sub-assembly of the two-part housing 60, the terminals of data transmission, the high-speed signal terminals and the ground blade are assembled to the front shell 16. A forward projecting portion 84 of the front housing part is suitably positioned within the cover 22 of the front shell. The tabs 42 at the top and bottom of the base plate 46 of the front shell are then flexed in the recesses 86 in the upper and lower part of the rear housing portion 64, around the tabs 74 and 82 (Figure 6). and 7) of the front and rear housing portions respectively. Therefore, the tabs 42 of the front shell are effective not only to retain the front shell in the housing 60, but also to retain the two housing portions 62 and 64 together. The rear shell 17 is then assembled as shown in Figure 9. The rear shell has a cover 88 that substantially encloses the two-part housing, except for the wire handling platform 40 that extends rearwardly of the rear housing. The cover 88 has openings 90 to accommodate the tabs 42 formed rearwardly of the front shell. In the final assembly, the tabs 44 of the front shell flex or form around the back side of the base plate 48 of the rear shell to hold the two shields together and the connector in full condition assembled Figures 8 and 9 show better than the ground blade 28 having a pair of positioning arms 28a projecting from each opposite side of the ground blade at a rear termination end thereof. The rear housing has splits 92 projecting between each pair of positioning arms to form four quadrants for the reception of four coaxial cables for termination towards the end portions 32a of the high speed signal terminals 32. Referring to Figures 10-12 showing the rear housing portion 64 and Figures 8 and 9 showing the assembled connector, the invention contemplates a particular configuration of wire handling platform 40 to facilitate the connection of end portions 36A-36C of terminals 24A-24C to the conductors of a plurality of discrete electrical wires. More particularly, the wire handling platform projects backward from the rear face 68 of the rear housing portion 64. The platform includes a first top ground or surface 94A in which the end portions 36A of the upper row of terminals are juxtaposed as clearly shown in Figures 8 and 9. The platform includes a second ground or upper surface 94B offset from the first top surface and projecting from the rear face 68 beyond the first top surface 94A, and in which the end portions 36B of the intermediate row of terminals are juxtaposed. As seen in Figures 8 and 9, as well as in Figure 4, the end portions of the intermediate row of terminals are longer than the end portions of the upper row of terminals. Finally, the platform includes a lower ground or surface 94C in which the end portions 36C of the lower row of terminals are juxtaposed. In order to further facilitate the handling and termination of the end portions of the terminals towards the conductors of a plurality of discrete electrical wires, the slots 96A are formed in the first upper surface 94A in alignment with the end portions 36A of the upper row of the terminals as clearly seen in Figures 4, 8 and 9 as well as in the top view of the rear housing part in Figure 11. The slots 96B are formed in the second upper surface 94B in alignment with end portions 36B of the intermediate row of terminals. The slots 96C are formed in the lower surface 94C as best seen in Figure 12 in alignment with the end portions 36C (Figure 5) of the lower row of terminals. These grooves facilitate the placement of discrete electrical wires in alignment with respective ends of the terminals so that the central wires of the wires can be located immediately on the end portions for welding purposes. This is seen in the sectional view of Figure 13, where an electrical wire 98A is shown with a conductor 100 on top of the end portion 36A of one of the terminals 24A in the upper row thereof. Another wire 98B is shown with its conductor 100 on top of the end portion 36B of one of the terminals 24B in the middle row thereof. A third wire 98C is shown with its conductor 100 immediately below the end portion 36C of one of the terminals 24C in the bottom row thereof. The discrete wires are shown with a portion of their outer insulating sheets removed to expose their conductors 100. The insulated wires are placed in the slots 96A-96C, as described above, where their respective conductors are positioned against the portions 36A -36C of limb as seen in Figure 13, whereby the conductors can be easily connected, for example by welding to the end portions of the terminals. It will be understood that the invention can be modified in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The examples and embodiments herein are, therefore, considered in all respects as illustrative and not as restrictive, and the invention is not limited to the details given herein.

Claims (7)

1. An electrical connector characterized in that it comprises: an elongate dielectric housing having a central body portion with a front face, a rear face and at least three rows of terminal receiving passages extending between them and including a row upper, an intermediate row and a lower row; a plurality of terminals received in the passages and including upper terminals received in at least some of the passages in the upper or intermediate row terminals received in at least some of the passages in the intermediate row and the lower terminals received by less in some of the passages in the lower row, all the terminals having anterior contact portions and end portions projecting backward from the body portion beyond the rear face thereof, and the end portions of the ends thereof. intermediate terminals that are longer than the extremity ends of the upper terminals; and a wire handling platform projecting from the rear face of the central body portion, the platform including a first top surface in which the end portions of the upper terminals are juxtaposed, a second upper surface offset from the first upper surface and projecting beyond the rear face of the body portion than the first upper surface and in which the longer end portions of the intermediate terminals are juxtaposed and a lower surface in which the end portions from the lower terminals are juxtaposed, the three surfaces that facilitate the connection of the end portions of the terminals to the conductors of a plurality of discrete electrical wires. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes a plurality of grooves in at least one of the surfaces aligned with the end portions juxtaposed therein to facilitate the alignment of respective electrical wires and conductors with the portions thereof. end of the terminals. An electrical connector characterized in that it comprises: an elongate dielectric housing having a central body portion with a front face, a rear face and at least two rows of terminal receiving passages extending between them and including an upper row and a lower row; a plurality of terminals received in said passages and including upper terminals received in at least some of the passages in the upper row and lower terminals received in at least some of the passages in the lower row, all terminals having portions of anterior contact and limb portions projecting backward from the body portion beyond the front face thereof; and a wire handling platform projecting from the rear face of the central body portion, the platform including an upper surface in which the end portions of the upper terminals are juxtaposed and a lower surface in which the portions The ends of the lower terminals are juxtaposed, the two surfaces facilitating the connection of the end portions of the terminals to the conductors of a plurality of discrete electrical wires. The electrical connector according to claim 3, characterized in that it includes a plurality of grooves in the surface aligned with the end portions juxtaposed therein to facilitate the alignment of the electrical wires and the respective conductors with the end portions of the terminals. An electrical connector characterized in that it comprises: an elongate dielectric housing having a central body portion with a front face, a rear face and at least two rows of terminal receiving passages extending therebetween and including a first row and a second row; a plurality of terminals received in the passages and including first terminals received in at least some of the passages of the first row and second terminals received in at least some of the passages of the second row, all terminals having portions of anterior contact and end portions projecting backward from the body portion beyond the rear face thereof, and the end portions of the second terminals which are longer than the end portions of the first terminals; and a wire handling platform projecting from the rear face of the central body portion, the platform including a first top surface in which the end portions of the first terminals are juxtaposed and a second top surface is offset from the top surface. first upper surface and projecting further from the rear face of the body portion than the first upper surface and in which the longer end portions of the second terminals are juxtaposed, the two surfaces which facilitate the connection of the portions from end of the terminals to the conductors of a plurality of discrete electrical wires. The electrical connector according to claim 5, characterized in that it includes a plurality of grooves in at least one of the surfaces aligned with the end portions juxtaposed therein to facilitate the alignment of the electrical wires and the respective conductors with the end portions of the terminals. An electrical connector characterized in that it comprises: an elongate dielectric housing having a central body portion with a front face, a rear face and at least one row of terminal receiving passages extending therebetween; a plurality of terminals received in the passages and including portions of anterior contact and end portions projecting rearwardly from the body portion beyond the rear face thereof; and a wire handling platform projecting from the rear face of the central body portion and includes a surface on which the end portions of the terminals are juxtaposed and a plurality of grooves in the surface aligned with the end portions juxtaposed therein to facilitate the alignment of respective electrical wires and conductors with the end portions of the terminals. SUMMARY An electrical connector (14) includes an elongate dielectric housing (40) having a central body portion (69,72), with a front face (66), a rear face (68) and at least three rows of passages (26) terminal receivers that extend between them and that include a top row, an intermediate row and a bottom row. A plurality of terminals (24A-24C) are received in the passages (26) and include upper terminals (24A) received in at least some of the passages in the upper row, the intermediate terminals (24B) received in at least some of the passages in the middle row and the lower terminals (24C) received in at least some of the passages in the row, lower. All terminals (24A-24C) have anterior contact portions (36A-36C) and end portions projecting backward from the body portion beyond the rear face thereof. The end portions (36B) of the intermediate terminals (24B) are longer than the end portions (36A) of the upper terminals (24A). A wire handling platform 40 projects from the rear face of the central body portion and includes a first upper surface 94A in which the end portions 36A of the upper terminals 24A are juxtaposed. A second upper surface (94B) of the platform is offset from the first upper surface (94A) and projects beyond the rear face of the body portion as the first upper surface and in which the end portions (36B) longer of the intermediate terminals (24A) are juxtaposed. The platform includes a lower surface (94C) in which the end portions (36C) of the lower terminals (24C) are juxtaposed.