ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH CABLE ENGRAPING MEDIA DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention generally relates to a type of electrical connectors, and particularly to a connector assembly for stapling an electrical cable during the termination of the displacement of the insulation. Electrical connector assemblies are available for flat conductor cables, and include an elongated housing or base that has a terminal face of the cable. The box has a plurality of contactors or terminals having conductor receiving portions extending from the terminal face, such as the terminal displacement portions of the insulation. The connector assembly frequently includes an elongated cable grip cover, which has padlock means engageable with other means of complementary locks on the case to stop the cover against the terminal face of the case cable. Either the cover, in combination with the box includes a cable receiver passage to receive the multi conductor flat cable; the passage goes through the terminals where the drivers end. Such conductive assemblies are used, for example, in a communication system where it may be desirable to fit a peripheral device in the cable of an existing system.
One of the problems with electrical connector assemblies of the character described above is the lack of precise cable placement with respect to the terminals. This problem is growing because of the tendency to make electronic devices smaller and smaller, and also their connectors, as well as the same multi-conductor cables. For example, a type of electrical connector assembly of the described nature simply includes a box having rigidly fixed terminals, with displacement portions insulated from the terminals projecting from the face of the box where the cable ends, the cover is used to drive the cable towards the box, moving the cable conductors inside the displacement portions of the insulation that project and belong to the terminals. With this type of connector assembly, there is an unspecified placement of the cable with respect to the terminals in the very small contemporary circuitry. An improved connector assembly is shown in U.S. Patent 5,171,163 of December 15, 1992, and issued to the owner of the present invention. In that patent, the cover has two parts joined by hinge to provide a stapling device to the cable, the stapled cable is then carried by means of the cover to the insulation displacement terminal with the terminals mounted on the box. Although, an improved stapling of the cable is achieved with this type of connector assembly and the assembly is an improvement over the prior art, the cable still being carried to the terminals lacks the precision required for such miniature electronic devices. Another attempt to solve these problems is an electrical connector assembly where the movable covers are eliminated, and the terminals themselves move within an insulating displacement termination, with the cable conductors. More particularly, a one-piece box includes a recess into which the multi-conductor flat cable is inserted. The terminals are pre-loaded in the box and moved to the positions of insulating displacement by piercing the insulation of the cable and terminating the conductors after the cable is inserted into the recess. However, even this type of assembly does not provide accurate placement of the cable itself with respect to the movable terminals. The present invention is directed to solve all these problems and conflicting structural attempts by providing an electrical connector assembly of the character described, wherein both a cover and the terminals are movable with respect to the box, and the cover precisely staples the cable, and then the terminals move to the insulation displacement positions, where the cable conductors terminate.
An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an improved electrical connector assembly of the insulating displacement for the conductors of an electrical cable, where they terminate electrically, such as an insulated multi-conductor flat cable. In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector assembly includes a box or base having a plurality of terminal receiving passages, a cover is movable in the base to provide a base receiving passage therethrough. The cable receiver passage passes through the terminal receiver passages. Interlocking locking means are provided between the base and the cover to be stopped together by a cable grip in the cable receiving passage. With the base and the cover stopped together with the cable placed intermediately, the cable is caught relieving the effort when placing on the terminals. A plurality of the insulating displacement terminals are movably mounted in the terminal receiving passages for movement between the inactive positions out of engagement with the cable conductors and insulation displacement positions which perforate the insulation of the cable and electrically terminate the conductors. This configuration not only helps locate the cable but also helps to grab the cable. As shown here, the base and the cover have opposite faces that define the cable receiving passage. At least one of the faces has at least one corrugated portion that couples with a corrugated transverse configuration of the flat cable a multi-conductor.
Each terminal is bifurcated to define a pair of insulation displacement arms with a conductor receiving recess that is intermediate. Intercompacting cam means are provided between the cover and the insulating displacement arms to propel the arms inward toward each other against the driver in response to the movement of the respective terminal from its inactive position to its insulating displacement position. Another feature of the invention is to provide the interlocking closure means with recess means for stopping the cover on the base in a preload position allowing free loading of the cable in a cable receiver passage before moving the cover to a position of grip stapling the cable in the step. Other characteristic objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent by the following detailed description made referring to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The characteristics of the invention that are believed to be novel are established particularly in the claims. The invention, together with its objects and advantages, can be better tended with reference to the following description and in relation to the accompanying drawings, wherein the reference figures identify like elements in the figures and in which: FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of an electrical collector assembly that incorporates the concepts of the invention with the cover removed from the box or base, FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of one of the terminals. FIGURE 3 is a fragmented elevation view of the terminal that is perpendicular to the view of figure 2. , -. FIGURE 4 is a vertical section through the collector assembly with the cover in its pre-loaded position to receive the flat cable and with one of the terminals in its inactive position. FIGURE 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but shows the cover in its gripped position. FIGURE 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the terminal is a displacement-isolation position. FIGURE 7 is a section taken generally along line 7-7 of Figure 6. Referring to the drawings in greater detail and firstly to Figure 1, the invention is embodied in an insulating displacement electrical connector assembly 10 which is designed to form the electrical terminals of the conductors of a multiconductor insulated flat cable, as will be described in more detail. Generally, the connector assembly 10 is a two-part assembly that includes a generally designated box or base 12 and a cover 14 each of the base and the cover is unitarily molded of dielectric material such as plastic or the like. The connector box or base 12 includes a pair of vertical side walls defining a receiving recess of the cover 18. The base has a plurality of terminal receiving steps 20 the steps extend in a vertical direction as seen in Figure 1 The front portion facing upward of the recess 18 is wavy as in -2-2, through the box to provide a half of a corrugated configuration that couples the wavy cross-sectional configuration of the multi-conductor flat cable that will be described later. . Finally, four closing shoulders 24 downwards and inwards at the four corners of the base in the recesses 18 to lock with appropriate complementary closure means on the cover 14, as will be described. The cover 14 has an upper wall 26 and a pair of side walls 28. The upper wall 26 has a plurality of passages 30 alignable with the terminal receiving passages 20 in the base 12. The passages 30 in the cover 14 are provided for receiving movably the insulating displacement portions of the terminals, a front portion of the cover is corrugated at 32 to engage with the corrugated configuration 22 of the base 12 to sandwich the multi-conductor flat cable between both corrugated portions. Finally, each of the four corners of the cover 14 on the outer side of the side walls 28 is provided with two hinge latches 34 and 36 each pair of protrusion 34 and 36 providing assembly, in two positions of the cover 14 and the base 12 with the snap protuberances cooperating with the inner snap-on shoulders 24 of the base 12. Figures 2 and 3 show a terminal of the plurality of terminals marked with 1-figure 40, mounted on each of the receiver steps 20 terminal of the base 12. Each terminal has a terminating portion 42, a retaining portion 44 and a driving portion designated with the digit 46. The terminal portion 42 of each terminal 40 is bifurcated to define a pair of insulating displacement arms 48 with a conductor receiving intermediate recess 50. The tips of the arms are as in 48a and the notch has a mouth that extends outwards as in 50a. The arms have external cam surfaces 48b near the tips 48a and the lateral tips 48c. When the terminal is driven into the isolated multi-conductor flat cable, the pointed ends 48a of the arms 48 pierce the fabric or web between the conductors of the cable when one of the conductors is guided by the mouth 50a to the notch 50 which further pierces the insulation and establishes a mechanical and electrical termination with one of the conductors. The lateral tips 48c slide over the walls 30 of the terminal passage when the insulating displacement arms 48 and the cover 14 move towards each other. The arms 48 can not be moved out of the coupling with the cover by the side tips 48c which penetrate to thin out in the terminal passage portions 30 of the cover 14. The retainer portion 44 of each terminal 40 includes snap-fit tooth 52 and a retention tooth 54 formed and; print. The detent tooth will angle an angle slightly outward and downward to allow the terminal to be propelled upward in the direction of arrow "A" (Fig 3) where a sharp bottom edge 54a of the tooth will prevent the Terminal recoils out of the way when the tooth digs into the plastic material of the box. The driving portion 46 of each terminal 40 includes a rigid planar section 56 that terminates in a downwardly projecting outer leg 58. The terminal is urged from an inactive position (described below) to an insulating displacement position in the direction of travel. arrow "A" by an appropriate insertion tool taking leg 58 as in arrow "B" figure 4 shows cover 12 in a pre-loaded position with respect to base 12 to define a cable receiver passageway generally designated with the figure 60 between the cover and the base. This pre-loaded position is defined by the buckle protrusions 34 of the cover 14 that fit behind the broach shoulders 24 of the cover 12. In the pre-loaded position of the cover the cable receiving passage 60 is sufficiently wide to allow free insertion. of the multiconductor cable. It can be seen that in the pre-loaded position of the cover the terminals 40 are in lower inactive positions so that the sharp points 48a of the insulating displacement arms 48 of the terminals and do not project upwards in the cable receiving passage 60. .- fj.gura 5 - move & a cc.bJ.-e multiconductor isolated plane 62, inserted in a cable receiving passage 60 between the cover 14 and the base 12, now with the cover that is already moved towards down in the direction of the arrow "C" to a cable clamping position, This position is defined by the buckle protrusions 36 of the cover that fit behind the broach shoulders 24 of the base. The multiconductor cable has a plurality of conductors 64 aligned respectively with the corrugations 22 of the base and the aligned and coupling corrugations 32 of the cover. Therefore not only is the flat multiconductor cable grasped between the cover and the base, but the conductors are aligned exactly with the terminals, as seen by the left hand terminal shown in FIG. 5 specifically the left hand driver 64 it is exactly aligned with the insulating displacement notch 50 between the arms 48 of the left hand terminal. It can be seen that the conductors 64 are surrounded by the insulating material 66 which sits on the corrugations 22 and 32 as well as insulating material defining the webs 68 between the terminals.
Figures 6 and 8 show the last stage at the termination of the multiconductor cable 62 where the terminals 40 have been carried either individually or simultaneously upwards in the direction of the arrow n DM. When each terminal is carried upwards the pointed ends 48a of the insulation displacement arms 48 pierce through the insulating webs t_68 of? .. Cable The conductors 6 of the cabla are guided by the mouths 50a of the terminals in the recesses 50, with a posterior cut through the insulation 66 until the arms 48 establish a mechanical and electrical connection with the conductors. During the movement of the terminals 40 upwards from their inactive positions to their insulating displacement positions the outer surfaces 48b of the insulating displacement arms 48 engage the corners or bottom edges 30a (Fig. 5) of each passage 30 in the cover 14 and the arms are propelled in toward each other against the respective conductor, in other words the arms are automatically propelled inward in response to the movement of the terminal from its inactive position to its insulating displacement position. Once the upward movement of the terminals in the cover 14 stops, the side tips 48c are driven into the terminal cover passage walls 30 preventing disengagement between the terminals and the cover. Fig. 7 shows how the legs 58 of the driving portions 56 of the terminals are exposed on the underside of the base or box 12 to allow access of an insertion tool that can drive the terminals to their insulating displacement positions and either individually or simultaneously by a joint terminal operation. It is understood that although the invention has been presented in a concrete form there are many possible variations for the technician without leaving the field of the present invention.