US2876274A

US2876274A - Shielded electric connector

Info

Publication number: US2876274A
Application number: US575138A
Authority: US
Inventors: Judson C Cole; James R Hall
Original assignee: Bendix Aviation Corp
Current assignee: Bendix Aviation Corp
Priority date: 1956-03-30
Filing date: 1956-03-30
Publication date: 1959-03-03
Anticipated expiration: 1976-03-03
Also published as: DE1032814B; GB828789A; GB828790A; FR1186908A; DE1032813B

Description

March 3, 1959 J. c. COLE ETAL 2,876,274

SHIELDED ELECTRIC CONNECTOR Filed March 30, 1956 I l I I I I I J INVENTORS.

2/ JUDSON C. COLE.

JAMES R. HALL ATTORNEY.

United States PatentO SHIELDED ELECTRIC CUNNECTGR Judson C. Cole, Sidney, and James R. Hall, Unadilla Township, N. Y., assignors to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Sidney, N. L, a corporation of Delaware Application March 30, 1956, Serial No. 575,138

16 Claims. (Cl. 17 -77) This invention relates to electrical apparatus and more particularly to wiring assemblies or harnesses embodying radio shielded conductors or cables.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide novel means for grounding radio shielding conduits which are enclosed by electrical insulation in a wiring assembly or harness.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical wiring assembly embodying shielded conductors and novel means for effecting a ground or like connection for the shielding.

The above and further objects and novel features of the present invention will more fully appear from the following detail description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view, partly in section and with parts broken away, showing an electrical connector at the terminus 'of one branch of an'electrical wiring harness;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale illustrating parts of the embodiment of Fig. l in partially assembled relation;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of a grounding strip; and,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modification.

For purposes of both physical and electrical protection, it has become common practice to suitably enclose electrical wiring by insulation or the like, particularly at the point where a plurality of conductors from a wiring harness or cable are connected to the terminals of the pin or socket contacts of an electrical connector. This type of construction has introduced the problem of providing a satisfactory and convenient ground connection for the metallic radio shielding conduits which may surround some or all of the conductors. The present invention provides a unique solution to this problem.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, by way of example, one form of the invention is illustrated in combination with an electrical connector having a grounded metallic shell ill. Mounted within said shell is a contact supporting insert 11 which is preferably made of resilient insulating material and has a compression fit in the shell. The insert is shown as having an annular groove into which a land or rib 12 in the shell projects for retaining the insert in the shell. Mounted in and extending through insert 11 are a plurality of either pin or socket contacts 14 of any known construction. The bared end of an insulated conductor 15 is connected by soldering or other suitable known means to each of said contacts.

At a short distance from shell the conductors are shown as entering an enclosure sleeve 16 which may 2,375,27d Patented Mar. 3, 1959 be of insulating material, such as a plastisol covered fiber glass tube. Between sleeve 16 and shell 10 the conductors 15 and the relatively fragile connections thereof to contacts 14 are protected and insulated by being embedded in a molded mass 17 of plastisol or other suitable compound. Said mass also surrounds and prefrably adheres to an end portion of sleeve 16 and the adjacent end of shell lit. The end portion of sleeve 16 may be radially supported by a short adaptor tube 18 which may be made of paper or cardboard. I

In constructions of the type above described, it is not uncommon to have at least some insulated conductors 15 which are enclosed or sheathed in braided metal conduits 19. The present invention comprehends novel means for connecting these sheaths to ground either through the connector shell 10 or one of the contacts 14 of the connector. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each of the sheaths 19 is stripped from that portion of the conductor 15 between sleeve 16 and the contact 14-. The stripped portions 20 are first bent radially outward from the bundle of conductors l5, and the latter are then bound together by means of several layers or turns of tape 21 which is preferably heat resistant. Fiber glass tape has been found very suitable. The stripped ends 2% of the braided wire sheaths are then bent down against the outer surface of the tape or other suitable binding 21 and a metallic band 22 is applied to electrically connect all of said ends 29. The band 22 is preferably a fiat strip of tinned copper so that the same may be readily soldered to each of the ends 20 by the mere momentary application of heat and pressure. The insulated conductors 15 are satisfactorily shielded from the heat bythe tape 21.

The band 22 of tinned copper or other suitable metal is in turn connected to shell 10 by means of a strip or ribbon of metal 23. One end of the latter preferably extends between band 22 and tape 21 and may be soldered or otherwise suitably connected to the band. Although the ends 20 and strip 23 are shown superposed in Figs. 1 and 2, the same will generally be laid side by side between band 22 and tape 21. T he other end of strip 23 extends into shell 10 and is pressed into firm electrical engagement therewith by the resilient insert 11. Said strip may be suitably bent or contoured to fit over the insert retaining rib or land 12. The exposed portion of strip 23 and band 22 are then embedded with the conductors 15 in the solid insulating mass 17.

In some installations the connector shell or similar fitting may not be grounded or it may be desirable to ground the shielding 19 other than through the connector shell. In these events the connecting band 22 for the stripped ends 20 of the shielding conduits 19 is connected by an insulated conductor 24 to one of the contacts 14, as shown in Fig. 4. The shielding 19 may thus be connected to a suitable ground or the like through the half of a plug and socket connector which mates with the half illustrated in the drawings in a manner well understood in the art.

There is thus provided a unique and effective ground or similar connection for the conductor shielding sheaths which terminate short of and are not otherwise normally connected to a grounded part in a wiring assembly or harness. The invention is particularly useful where the shielding conduits are enclosed in electrical insulation or other sealed enclosure means.

Although only two embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in the foregoing specification, it is to be expressly understood that the same is not limited thereto. For example, other specific types of connectors and contacts may be used in lieu of those illustrated and described. Various other changes may also be made in the design and arrangement of the parts illustrated, and materials other than those suggested may be used, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as the same will now be understood by those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. Electrical apparatus comprising a tubular metallic shell, having an annular shoulder therein, a resilient contact supporting insert having a compression fit in said shell, a plurality of contacts supported by said insert, an insulated conductor connected to each of a plurality of said contacts, a braided wire sheath on at least one of said conductors, an end of said sheath being stripped from said conductor, a strip of tape binding said conductors together, a metallic band surrounding said tape, said stripped end of said sheath extending between said tape and band and being electrically connected to the latter, and means electrically connecting said band to said shell comprising a metal strap having an end portion pressed between said insert and said shell and contoured to operatively engage said shoulder.

2. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 1 comprising a solid mass of electrical insulation embedding said band, the end portion of said shell, said last-named connecting means and the connections between said conductors and contacts.

3. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 2 comprising a sleeve surrounding said conductors and having the end portion thereof bounded to said mass.

4. Electrical apparatus comprising a group of insulated wires, a braided metallic sheath on at least one of said wires, an end of said sheath being stripped from said wire, binding means surrounding said group of wires, and a metallic band surrounding said binding means, said stripped end of the sheath extending between said binding means and band and being electrically connected to the latter.

5. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 4 comprising a metallic shell, an insert in said shell, and a conductor electrically connected to said band and extending between said shell and insert to electrically connect said shell and band.

6. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said insert is resilient and has a compression fit in said shell.

7. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 4 comprising a shell, a connector contact supported in and insulated from said shell, and meatis electrically connecting said band to said contact.

8. Electrical apparatus comprising a plurality of in sulated conductors, a tape surrounding and binding said conductors in a group, a metallic sheath on at least one of said conductors, an end portion of said sheath overlying said tape, and a metallic band overlying said end portion of the sheath and said tape.

9; Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 8' wherein said sheath is a braided wire conduit.

10. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said band is tinned copper and said end portion of the sheath is soldered to the band. 7

11. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said tape is made of a material, such as fibre glass, having poor heat conductivity.

12. In electrical apparatus, an electrical connector comprising a shell, an insert in said shell and contacts in said insert, insulated conductors connected to said contacts, metallic sheaths on at least one of said conductors and terminating short of said contacts, means electrically connecting the ends of said sheaths, and a solid mass of insulating material embedding an end portion of said shell and the ends of said sheaths.

13. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 12 comprising means embedded in said mass and electrically connecting said connecting means for the sheaths to a contact in said insert.

14. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 12 comprising a conductor embedded in said mass and connecting said sheath connecting means to said shell.

15. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein said last-named conductor extends between said shell and insert.

16. Electrical apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein said last-named conductor and said shell comprise me chanically cooperative means to hold the same in assembled relation.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,871,397 Watts Aug. 9, 1932