US3271728A

US3271728A - Electrical connector

Info

Publication number: US3271728A
Application number: US308437A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alvah D Beauchaine
Original assignee: W A BEAUCHAINE AND SONS Inc
Current assignee: W A BEAUCHAINE AND SONS Inc
Priority date: 1963-09-12
Filing date: 1963-09-12
Publication date: 1966-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 1983-09-06

Description

A. D. BEAUCHAINE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Sept. 6, 1966 Filed Sept. 12, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

BY ALVAH D. BEAUCHAINE wee mfw ATTORNEYS p 1966 A. 0. BEAUCHAINE 3,271,728

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 12, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ALVAH 0. BEAUQHAINE A ORNEYS Sept. 6, 1966 A. D. BEAUCHAINE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 12, 1963 C k. C l ra I INVENTOR ALVAH D. BEAUCHAINE FIGH E an 106 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,271,728 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Alvah ll). Beauchaine, Lakeport, N.H., assignor to W. A. Beauchaine & Sons, Inc., Lalreport, N.H., a corporation of New Hampshire Filed Sept. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 308,437 3 Claims. (Cl. 339-217) This invention relates generally to electrical devices and in particular to an improved electrical connector block having a multiplicity of female contacts therein adapted for functional engagement with a standard type cooperating connector block having a plurality of male contact pins.

Existing types of female multiple contact connectors used in the electrical industry present many problems in their manufacture and use. One problem is to simplify the manufacturing procedures involved in preparing the connector block. Another problem is that of obtaining proper alignment of the female contacts within the con nector blocks during assembly. A further problem is to provide that the contact members can be securely held in the connector block and not become dislodged as a result of external forces.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an electrical connector in which the connector block can be manufactured by use of a simple two part mold.

It is another object of this invention to provide an electrical connector in which, during assembly with the assistance of a male spacer, the female contact members can be inserted into the connector block receptacles with a quick upward thrust that causes the contact members to seat themselves in proper alignment.

It is another object of this invention to provide an electrical connector in which the female contact members are securely seated in the connector block and adapted to resist forces tending to dislodge them therefrom.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an electrical connector having a plurality of female contact members seated and held in the connector block, the contact members being self-maintaining in proper alignment over an extended period of use.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an electrical connector having female contact members adapted to securely grip mating male contact pins which are inserted therein 'to form an operative current carrying path.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the block of the electrical connector showing two contact members only inserted therein;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the block of the electrical connector of FIG. 1 similarly showing only two contact members inserted therein;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the fern-ale contact member prior to assembly in the connector block;

FIG. 4 is a view in front elevation of the female contact member;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the female contact member;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a receptacle of the connector block;

FIG. 7 is a view in section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view in section taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a view in perspective partly broken away of the receptacle prior to installation of the female contact member;

FIG. 10 is a view in perspective partly broken away of 3,271,728 Patented Sept. 6, 1966 the receptacle illustrating a female contact member in assembly;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the receptacle illustrating a female contact member partially inserted therein; and

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the receptacle with the female contact member completely inserted therein.

Reference is now directed to the drawings wherein an illustrated embodiment of the electrical connector, designated by the reference numeral 10, is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The connector 10 is formed by a block 11 composed of a die-electric substance such as phenolic, other plastic or hard rubber. A plurality of linearly aligned laterally spaced openings formed through block 11 define multiple lreceptacles 12 for the receipt and retention of female contact members 14. In FIGS. 1 and 2, only two contact members 14 are shown, but it will be understood that, in use, all of the receptacles 12 will be filled. There can be any number or geometric arrangement of receptacles formed in block 11. For purposes of illustration FIGS. 1 and 2 show three

rows

16, 18 and 20 of receptacles 12 which are adapted for cooperative engagement with a male connector (not shown).

It will be noted that all transverse surfaces in receptacles 12 are in direct line to (i.e. are directly reachable through) one of the exterior openings of block 11. This permits the employment of a simple two part mold to make multiple receptacles in a single block. This is a major manufacturing advantage and an important feature of this invention.

An alignment or polarizing contact is optionally provided through the center of the working surface of the connector block 11 and is positioned to receive a guide pin from the male connector (not shown). The guide pin (not shown) extends further from the male connector device than do the male contact pins and therefore makes the initial contact with connector 10. The inter-action between the guide pin and the polarizing contact serves to align the mating connector devices so that a simple rotation of the devices positions each male contact member over its corresponding female contact member 14. The guide pin and alignment aperture (not shown) are also capable of serving as a suitable ground connection.

Each of the receptacles 12, as illustrated in FIGS. 6-12 has an identical interior configuration and is adapted to receive and retain a female contact member 14 therein. The receptacles 12 are generally rectangular in crosssection with oppositely disposed

stop members

24 and 25 positioned on

end walls

26 and 28. The stop members have stop surfaces 27 and 29 and are spaced beneath upper surface 30 of connector 10 and extend toward the central interior portion of receptacle 12. From

side walls

32 and 34,

cam members

36 and 38 extend inwardly, having, respectively, inclined cam faces 40 and 41 and

top surfaces

42 and 43. The

top surfaces

42 and 43 are parallel to and spaced below stop surfaces 27 and 29 of

stop members

24 and 25.

Cam members

36 and 38 are positioned adjacent the opposed

diagonal corners

44 and 45 of receptacles 12 and the distance from

cam faces

40 and 41 to opposing

side walls

54 and 32 is less than the overall width of female contact member 14 as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. Vertically extending

recesses

79 and 81 are formed in

side Walls

32 and 34 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 12 to accommodate the lateral movement of female contact member 14 during the insertion process described hereafter.

The female contact member 14 is formed of electrical- -ly conductive material such as sheet metal which further possesses inherent resilient qualities. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen that contact member 14 has a pair of

legs

46 and 47 radiating from bottom bend 48. Each leg has a substantially right angle bend 50 therein which is equally spaced from bottom bend 48. Short

horizontal spacer lengths

52 and 54 extend in opposite directions ending in substantially right angle bends 56.

Legs

46 and 47 continue in upwardly diverging directions defining vertical lengths 58 and 60 which terminate in

acute bends

62 and 64 having

lateral edges

78 and 80.

Legs

46 and 47 continue downwardly and toward each other to form spring arms 63 and 65 with terminal ends 66 and 68 disposed adjacent each other and adapted to receive the prong of a male contact pin and frictionally hold said pin in electrical connection. The

resilient legs

46 and 47 have longitudinally extending rib members 71) and 71 formed therein to provide strengthening and to prevent deformation thereof when contact member 14 is inserted into receptacle 12, and also to resist deformation due to stresses on the wire during or after attachment to the contact member 14. Furthermore, an aperture 72 is formed through

legs

46 and 47 at a point just above bottom bend 48 and is arranged to facilitate the attachment of a wire lead (not shown). The two pairs of opposed prot-uberances 74 and 76 are positioned between

acute bends

62 and 64 to limit the possible spreading distance between terminal ends 66 and 68 thereby ensuring that spring arms 63 and 65 will continuously press against and grip the male contact pin inserted therein.

Operation To assemble the connector 10, a male probe 90 indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 6 is inserted into the receptacle 12. The contact member 14 is then forced into the receptacle 14 from the bottom. When the contact member 14 reaches the probe 90, spring arms 63 and 65 are forced into vertical alignment as may be seen also in FIG. 6. In this position, contact member 14 is then pushed upwardly while vertical lengths 58 and 60 press outwardly in sliding contact against

end walls

26 and 28. Continued upward travel causes edges 78 and 80 to contact and bear against cam faces 40 and 41 of opposing

cam members

36 and 38.

Referring to FIG. 11, it can be seen that as contact member 14 continues its upward movement, the bottom bend 48 and vertical lengths 58 and 60 remain parallel to end

walls

26 and 28. However, the camming action of cam faces 40 and 41 on

edges

78 and 80 causes vertical lengths 58 and 60 to be shifted laterally into

recesses

79 and 81. This shifting does not cause horizontal rotation of contact member 14 within receptacle 12 because the probe 90 positions spring arms 63 and 65 parallel to vertical lengths 58 and 61D permitting these portions of the contact member 14 freely to move into

recesses

79 and 81. Also considerable resilient pressure is exerted against

end Walls

26 and 28 by lengths 58 and 60. It will be noted that the lateral movements of vertical lengths 58 and 60 in recesses '79 and 81 become greater as the insertion of contact members 14 progresses. Final upward travel of contact member 14 causes the

acute bends

62 and 64 to raise above and snap back over the

top surfaces

42 and 43 of

cam members

36 and 38 with the result that

acute bends

62 and 64 become firmly seated upon

cam members

36 and 38 as shown in FIG. 10. This seating process is facilitated by the tensional forces which are built up in the biased vertical lengths 58 and 60 in opposition to the camming action. At the completion of the seating procedure and upon removal of the probe 90, the contact member 14 regains its original configuration as shown in FIGS. and 12.

Further upward movement of contact member 14 is prevented by the lower faces 27 and 29 of

stop members

24 and 25 which protrude over

acute bends

62 and 64 of vertical lengths 58 and 6t). Downward movement is prevented by the

top surfaces

42 and 43 of

cam members

36 and 38 which bear against the upper interior surfaces of the hollows formed by

acute bends

62 and 64.

Insertion of each contact member 14 is accomplished by simply pushing the contact member vertically into the bottom opening of receptacle 12 after the probe has been inserted from the other side as is shown in FIG. 6. The lateral biasing action is caused entirely by

cam members

36 and 38 and there is no requirement of a twisting force from the means causing the initial insertion. Therefore, automatic equipment, such as is now generally used in the industry, can continue to be utilized to insert the herein described contact members 14 into receptacles 12 either individually or all simul taneously.

Once contact member 14 is securely seated in receptacle 12, it cannot be easily dislodged therefrom despite frequently encountered twisting and pulling forces to which it is subjected during repeated insertions and withdrawals of the male contact member, or the twisting and pulling caused by wire leads attached to the contact member 14 through hole 72. Furthermore, tension or pull on the wire lead does not reduce the spring arm pressure exerted on the male contact member. The structural elements most contributing to the ability of contact member 14 to withstand rough treatment without becoming misaligned or unseated may best be seen in FIG. 10. The female contact member 14 cannot be upwardly pulled from receptacle 12 because of the

overriding stop members

24 and 25. Downward tugs on the wire lead cannot dislodge contact member 14 from

cam members

36 and 38. The contact member 14 is securely positioned in the receptacle 12 and held there by the inherent outward spring tension of vertical lengths 58 and 60. It can therefore be seen that these elements cooperate to lock the contact member into the receptacle in such a manner as to enable the contact member to withstand exterior forces applied thereto. On the other hand, it will be understood that a specially designed tool having a probe similar to the probe 90 and a pair of laterally acting knife prongs can be used to spread and thereafter shift the parts of the contact member free of

cams

36 and 38 to facilitate disassembly.

Whereas the invention has been described by reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that numerous changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

For example, there is no requirement that there be two cams and two recesses. The invention will operate with but one opposed cam and recess whereby one contact leg is cammed and seated and the other leg is held against the receptacle wall by its inherent spring pressure. Furthermore, the configuration of the female contact member can have the legs turned outwardly as well as inwardly. Likewise the wire leads may be attached in any conventional manner as by soldering, welding, or by the use of solderless connectors. These are but a few of the changes possible within the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An electrical connector assembly comprising: a female contact member having a pair of upwardly diverging legs connected at the lower ends thereof and bent inwardly and downwardly at the upper ends thereof to form abutting spring arms; and a dielectric block housing having a receptacle formed therethrough to receive and mount said female contact member therein, said receptacle having vertical side and end walls and being substantially rectangular in horizontal cross-section, said receptacle having a pair of cam members adjacent diagonal corners thereof integral with said side Walls, said receptacle having a pair of vertical recesses adjacent the opposite diagonal corners thereof in said side walls, said cam members and said vertical recesses disposed in facing relationship, and stop members integral with said end walls and ex tending therefrom, said stop members spaced above said cam members whereby said female contact member is adapted to be assembled into said receptacle by initially being inserted upwardly through the bottom opening of said receptacle, its spring arms then being spread by a male probe inserted downwardly therebetween, its contact legs then being cammed into said vertical recesses by said diagonally opposed cam members, said contact legs then recovering to their original configuration after clearing the top of said cam members, said contact member thereby becoming securely seated into said receptacle and prevented from further upward movement by said stop members.

2. In an electrical connector assembly, a female connector comprising a female contact member having a pair of upwardly extending legs joined at the lower ends thereof and bent inwardly and downwardly at the upper ends thereof to form abutting spring arms; and a dielectric block housing having a receptacle formed therethrough to receive and mount said female contact member therein, said receptacle having vertical side and end walls and being substantially rectangular in horizontal crosssection, said receptacle having a vertically extending recess formed in one of said side walls adjacent to a corner of said receptacle, said recess being smaller than said receptacle and extending beyond the periphery thereof when viewed in plan, said receptacle having a cam member positioned on the other of said side walls in facing relation to said recess, said receptacle having a stop member extending into said receptacle above said cam member, whereby bending one of the spring arms toward its leg permits the female contact member to be inserted upwardly Without rotation into the receptacle, said one arm and leg being initially cammed laterally into the recess and then recovering to their original configuration upon clearing the top of the cam member, the female contact member becoming thereupon retained in assembled position by the cam member and the stop member.

3. In an electrical connector assembly, a female connector comprising a female contact member having a pair of upwardly extending legs joined at the lower ends thereof and bent inwardly and downwardly at the upper ends thereof to form abutting spring arms; and a dielectric block housing having a receptacle formed therethrough to receive and mount said female contact member therein, said receptacle having vertical side and end walls and being substantially rectangular in horizontal cross-section, said receptacle having a pair of vertically extending recesses formed in said side Walls adjacent diagonal corners of said receptacle, said recesses being smaller than said receptacle and extending beyond the periphery thereof when viewed in plan, said receptacle having a pair of cam members positioned on said side walls in facing relation to said recesses, said receptacle having a stop member extending into said receptacle above said cam members, whereby bending the spring arms toward their respective legs permits the female contact member to be inserted upwardly without rotation into the receptacle, the arms and legs being initially cammed laterally into the recesses and then recovering to their original configuration upon clearing the tops of the cam members, the female contact mem'ber becoming thereupon retained in assembled position by the cam members and the stop member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,688,123 8/1954 Benham et al 339217 X 2,980,881 4/1961 McKee 339217 X 3,047,831 7/1962 Majewski 339--217 X FOREIGN PATENTS 531,393 9/1954 Belgium. 896,105 5/1962 Great Britain.

BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Examiner.

Claims

1. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A FEMALE CONTACT MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF UPWARDLY DIVERGING LEGS CONNECTED AT THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF AND BENT INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY AT THE UPPER ENDS THEREOF TO FORM ABUTTING SPRING ARMS; AND A DIELECTRIC BLOCK HOUSING HAVING A RECEPTACLE FORMED THERETHROUGH TO RECEIVE AND MOUNTED SAID FEMALE CONTACT MEMBER THEREIN, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING VERTICAL SIDE AND END WALLS AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR IN HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTION, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING A PAIR OF CAM MEMBERS ADAJCENT DIAGONAL CORNERS THEREOF INTEGRAL WITH SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING A PAIR OF VERTICAL RECESSES ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE DIAGONAL CORNERS THEREOF IN SAID SIDE WALLS, CAM MEMBERS AND SAID VERTICAL RECESSES DISPOSED IN FACING RELATIONSHIP, AND STOP MEMBERS INTEGRAL WITH SAID END WALLS AND EXTENDING THEREFROM, SAID STOP MEMBERS SPACED ABOVE SAID CAM MEMBERS WHEREBY SAID FEMALE CONTACT MEMBER IS ADAPTED TO BE ASSEMBLED INTO SAID RECEPTACLE BY INITIALLY BEING INSERTED UPWARDLY THROUGH THE BOTTOM OPENING OF SAID RECEPTACLE, ITS SPRING ARMS THEN BEING SPREAD BY MALE PROBE INSERTED DOWNWADLY THEREBETWEEN, ITS CONTACT LEGS THEN BEING CAMMED INTO SAID VERTICAL RECESSES BY SAID DIAGONALLY CAM MEMBERS, SAID CONTACT LEGS THE RECOVERING TO THEIR ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION AFTER CLEARING THE TOP OF SAID CAM MEMEBERS, SAID CONTACT MEMBER THEREBY BECOMING SECURELY SEATED INTO SAID RECEPTACLE AND PREVENTED FROM FURTHER UPWARD MOVEMENT BY SAID STOP MEMBERS.