US3920301A - Electrical connectors for flat cable and methods of making same - Google Patents

Electrical connectors for flat cable and methods of making same Download PDF

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Publication number
US3920301A
US3920301A US413092A US41309273A US3920301A US 3920301 A US3920301 A US 3920301A US 413092 A US413092 A US 413092A US 41309273 A US41309273 A US 41309273A US 3920301 A US3920301 A US 3920301A
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Prior art keywords
conductors
cable
plate
conductor
members
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US413092A
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Lincoln Edwin Roberts
John Robert Shoemaker
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TE Connectivity Corp
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AMP Inc
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
    • H01R12/50—Fixed connections
    • H01R12/59—Fixed connections for flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures
    • H01R12/65—Fixed connections for flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures characterised by the terminal
    • H01R12/67—Fixed connections for flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures characterised by the terminal insulation penetrating terminals
    • H01R12/675—Fixed connections for flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures characterised by the terminal insulation penetrating terminals with contacts having at least a slotted plate for penetration of cable insulation, e.g. insulation displacement contacts for round conductor flat cables
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
    • H01R4/24—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands
    • H01R4/2416—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type
    • H01R4/2445—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type the contact members having additional means acting on the insulation or the wire, e.g. additional insulation penetrating means, strain relief means or wire cutting knives
    • H01R4/2462—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type the contact members having additional means acting on the insulation or the wire, e.g. additional insulation penetrating means, strain relief means or wire cutting knives the contact members being in a slotted bent configuration, e.g. slotted bight
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R43/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors
    • H01R43/01—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors for connecting unstripped conductors to contact members having insulation cutting edges
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
    • Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
    • Y10T29/49117—Conductor or circuit manufacturing
    • Y10T29/49174—Assembling terminal to elongated conductor
    • Y10T29/49181—Assembling terminal to elongated conductor by deforming
    • Y10T29/49183—Assembling terminal to elongated conductor by deforming of ferrule about conductor and terminal
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/53—Means to assemble or disassemble
    • Y10T29/5313—Means to assemble electrical device
    • Y10T29/532—Conductor
    • Y10T29/53209—Terminal or connector
    • Y10T29/53213—Assembled to wire-type conductor
    • Y10T29/53217—Means to simultaneously assemble multiple, independent conductors to terminal
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/53—Means to assemble or disassemble
    • Y10T29/5313—Means to assemble electrical device
    • Y10T29/532—Conductor
    • Y10T29/53209—Terminal or connector
    • Y10T29/53213—Assembled to wire-type conductor
    • Y10T29/53235—Means to fasten by deformation

Definitions

  • the end of the conductor is folded to form a U-shaped cross-section portion which is disposed in the slot.
  • a wedge member is located in the slot within the U-shaped portion and presses the external surface of the U-shaped portion against the edges of the slot.
  • Plural electrical connections are formed by simultaneously moving a plurality of wedges laterally against the conductors of a cable and into the slots of a like plurality of connecting devices.
  • This invention relates to electrical connections for ribbon-like conductors such as those in flat conductor cable.
  • the invention is herein disclosed as an embodiment comprising a multi-contact electrical connector of the type fully described by Lincoln E. Roberts in U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,335 and the herein disclosed embodiment permits the formation of electrical connections between all of the conductors of a cable and all of the contact terminals in the multi-contact electrical connector. It will be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that the principles of the invention can be employed to connect flat ribbon-like conductors to electrical connecting devices under a wide variety of circumstances.
  • flat conductor cable as used herein is intended to denote a flat cable comprising a plurality of parallel ribbon-like conductors contained in a web of insulating plastic such as Mylar (polyethyleneterephthalate). Cables of this type are being used to an increasing extent in the electrical and electronics industry and, while several effective techniques have been developed for making electrical connections tov the conductors of such cables, there is an existing need for additional techniques to permit achievement of electrical connections under circumstances which cannot be satisfied by known connecting techniques for flat cable. For example, the above-identified Roberts Application discloses a multi-contact electrical connector which is pre-loaded with electrical contact terminals to which wires can be connected.
  • the known methods of making electrical connections to the conductors of a flat cable are not compatible with preloaded connecting devices of the type disclosed in the above-identified Roberts Application.
  • the instant invention teaches the structure of electrical connections and methods of forming connections which are compatible with connectors of the above-identified type and which can be used under a variety of circumstances for which known flat cable connecting methods are not suitable.
  • a further object is to provide an improved connecting means for ribbon-like conductors contained in a flat multi-conductor cable.
  • a still further object is to provide methods for connecting ribbon-like conductors to terminal members.
  • a further object is to provide an electrical connection between a ribbon-like conductor and a slotted plate-type connecting device.
  • a further object is to provide a method of simultaneously connecting a plurality of conductors in a flat cable to each of a like plurality of terminals in an electrical connector or the like.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a flat conductor cable, the end of which has been prepared for the formation of electrical connections in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wire-connecting portion of an electrical contact terminal of a type suitable for use in the practice of the invention.
  • FIG. 3 is an end view of the contact terminals of FIG. 2 showing the relative positions of a conductor and a wedge member prior to formation of an electrical connection in accordance with the invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale of a completed electrical connection in accordance with the invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a strip of wedge members used in the practice of the invention.
  • FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are views similar to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 respectively but illustrating an alternative embodiment.
  • FIG. 6A is a fragmentary view of an end portion of a cable which has been prepared for termination in accordance with a further embodiment.
  • FIG. 8A is a sectional side view of a contact terminal of the type shown in FIG. 6 having a conductor in accordance with FIG. 6 attached thereto.
  • FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rearward side of an electrical connector having two cables connected thereto in accordance with the invention.
  • FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the lines 1010 of FIG. 9.
  • FIG. 11 is a perspective view of one form of apparatus for connecting the conductors of a flat cable to the contact terminals in a connector of the type shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
  • FIG. 12 is an end view, looking from the left in FIG. 11, of the apparatus of FIG. 11, this view showing the parts in their opened positions.
  • FIG. 13 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 12 but showing the parts in their closed positions.
  • FIG. 14 is a view taken along the lines 14-14 of FIG. 13.
  • FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view of an enlarged scale of a connector positioned in the apparatus preparatory to the formation of electrical connections to the conductors of a flat cable.
  • FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 but showing the positions of the parts at the completion of the conductor connecting process.
  • FIG. 17 shows the end portion of a cable having holes punched therein in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an alternative form of a strip of wedge members.
  • FIG. 19 is a plan view of the strip of FIG. 18.
  • FIG. 20 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating use of the strip of FIG. 19 in connecting the conductors of a cable having punched holes therein to a connector.
  • FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the rearward side of a connector having flat cables connected thereto by means of the wedge member strip of FIG. 18.
  • FIG. 22 is a fragmentary plane view of the connector of FIG. 21.
  • FIG. 23 is a fragmentary view of the end portion of a flat cable having round conductors therein and having punched holes between adjacent conductors.
  • a typical flat conductor cable 2, FIG. 1, comprises a plurality of flat ribbon-like conductors 4 contained in a web 6 of insulating plastic. Conductors of this type are made in varying sizes, one such cable having conductors which are 0.003 inches in thickness and 0.042
  • electrical connections in accordance with the invention can be made to electrical contact terminals 8 having a shank 10 which is integral with a wire connecting portion 12 having a first plate-like portion 14 which extends normally from the shank.
  • Parallel spaced apart strap portions 16 extend from the upper side of the plate-like member 14 to a second plate-like member 18 which is parallel to the plate-like section 14.
  • Aligned slots 22, 24 are provided in the plate-sections 14, 18 and are enlarged at their upper ends as shown at 23, these slots merging with the gap 20 between the strap members 16 which provides a relatively wide area for insertion of the contacts as will be described below.
  • the end of the cable 2 is prepared for termination by first cutting the web 6 between adjacent conductors as shown at 30 so that the end portion of the conductors are independent of each other.
  • the underside of the insulating web is stripped back so that these end portions are exposed as shown at 26 and have insulation 28 on their upper surfaces which extends laterally beyond the side edges of the conductors.
  • the end portions of the conductors are then partially formed into a V-shape as shown in FIG. 3 and located above the gap 20 of the connecting device.
  • a wedge member 32 hav' ing a rounded or champhered underside 34 is then located centrally above the formed conductor and the conductor and wedge are moved downwardly until they are located against the inner ends 25, 27 of the slots 22, 24.
  • the conductor and the insulating material are folded along their common axis until they have a generally U-shaped cross-section comprising a bight and sides.
  • the wedge member, the conductor and the insulation are tightly wedged in the slots and the insulation will have been extruded somewhat on each side of the wedge as shown in the drawing.
  • the ribbon-like conductors will also have been extruded so that the external surfaces of the conductors are pressed entirely against the opposed edges of the inner portions of the slots 22, 24.
  • connections of the type described above have been found to be highly satisfactory from an electrical and a mechanical standpoint and offer several other advantages which are not achieved with previously known cable termination techniques.
  • connections of this type can be made to slotted plate-type electrical connecting devices which were originally developed for use on or with conventional round wires.
  • electrical connectors of the general type disclosed in the above-identified Roberts Application can be used either on conventional round wires or on flat cables and the same is true of other electrical connectors or connecting devices having slotted plate type termination means.
  • the connecting method shown in FIGS. 1-4 permits the simultaneous connection of all of the conductors of a cable to individual contact terminals in a connecting device.
  • the wedge members 32 can be loose piece (i.e. separate) articles as shown in FIG. 3 but for convenience of handling and for use with a connecting apparatus described below, theymay be manufactured as a continuous strip, FIG. 5, of side-byside wedge members each of which is joined by a laterally extending connecting section 28 to a continuous 7 carrier strip 36.
  • FIGS. 6-8 show an alternative embodiment in which j the insulating material is removed from both sides of i the conductors at the end of the cable so that these conductors 26a are fully exposed.
  • the method of making the electrical connection with the plate members 14, 18 is the same in the practice of this embodiment as described above and in the finished connection,.FIG. 8, a y
  • the wedge member presses against the internal surfaces of the U-shaped end portion of the conductor.
  • the cable can be prepared as shown in FIG..6a in. a manner such that the insulating material is removed. entirely from a short section of the cable end and is removed on the underside only from the adjacent 'portions of the cable. If the end of this cable is connected to the wire connecting portion 12 of the terminal 8,the. connection of FIG. 8 will be achieved in the plate-section 14 and the connection of FIG. 4 will be obtained in the plate-member 18. 1
  • FIGS. 6A and 8A illustrate a further alternative ;in which the insulation is removed completely from the end of the cable and adjacent to this completely stripped section, the insulation is removed from only the lower side of the cable (FIG. 6).
  • the connection of the cable to the plate member 18 is as shown in FIG. 4 1
  • connection between the cable and this plate section serves only as a mechanical connection and strain relief.
  • widths of the slots 22, 24 should be judiciously selected to produce optimum mechanical and/or electrical connections and the ac-v tual slot widths will depend upon such factors as the particular type of connection being made (the type;
  • the thick-. 3 ness of the conductors the thickness and flow characteristics of the insulating film, and the mechanical and physical properties of the metal from which the termi- 1 nal is manufactured.
  • FIGS. 9 and 10 show a multi-contact electrical connector 40 of the type disclosed in the above-identified Roberts application having an insulating housing 42 in which a plurality of contact terminals 8 are mounted.
  • the housing 42 has an intermediate body portion 44 and a hood 46 extending from the mating side thereof in surrounding relationship to a rib or projection 58.
  • a projection 48 extends rearwardly from the body portion and provides upwardly and downwardly facing surfaces as viewed in FIGS. 10, 50, 52 on which the terminals 8 are supported.
  • Cavities 54 extend leftwardly through the body portion of the housing and open onto the upper and lower side of the rib 58.
  • the shank portions 10 of the terminals extend through these cavities and merge with contact portions 56 which are engaged by the contact portions of complementary terminals in a complementary connector.
  • the individual contact terminals 8 are separated by spaced apart barriers 60 extending from the surfaces 50, 52 and these barriers extend leftwardly or forwardly and merge with ledges 62 which in turn extend to rearwardly facing walls 64 on the upper and lower sides of the rib 48.
  • the cables 6 extend in parallel relationship to each other towards the rearward side of the connector 40 and the end portions of the conductors of the cables are connected to the connecting portions 12 of the terminals in accordance with the embodiment 'of the invention shown in FIG. 8.
  • the conductors of a cable 6 can be connected to the terminals in each row of the connector 40 by means of a tool 66, FIGS. 11-14 comprising an L-shaped frame block 68 having a recess 70 on the one side thereof which is dimensioned to accomodate the connector housing 42.
  • a locating plate 72 is mounted against the lefthand side of block 68 and has spaced apart upstanding ears 74, the opposed edges 76 of which are adapted to bear snugly against the sides 49 of the rib 48 of the housing.
  • the side 78 of the recess 70 is spaced from the plate 72 such that the connector housing will be properly located when it is placed in the recess with the edge 47 of the hood 46 against the surface 78 as shown in FIG. 15.
  • the wire connecting portions 12 of the terminals 8 will be precisely located with reference to a shearing and inserting block described below.
  • a shearing and clamping member 80 is mounted on the upper side of the block 68 and comprises a flat plate section 82 having a flange 84 extending from the side thereof which is adjacent to recess 70.
  • the central section 86 of this flange is of reduced thickness and a plurality of spaced apart slots 88 are provided in the flange and extend into the plate section 82 as shown at 89, FIG. 15.
  • the plate-section 82 of the shearing and clamping member 80 is suitably secured to a mounting bar 90 which is located between upstanding ears 92 on the frame block 68.
  • the bar 90 is pivoted to these ears on pins 94 so that the shearing and clamping member 80 can be swung in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 11 to the position shown in FIG. 15.
  • a handle plate 70 is advantageously secured to the plate section 82 to facilitate swinging of this plate between its two extreme positions.
  • the shearing and inserting member 98 comprises a thin plate secured by fasteners 100 to a pivoted handle 102.
  • the outer edge 104 of this plate is centrally recessed as shown at 106 and a plurality of conductor inserting pins 108 are mounted in this recess at locations corresponding to the spacing between adjacent terminals in the connector housing.
  • the pins 108 have a generally rectangular cross-section and are dimensioned such that they can enter the gaps 20 of the connecting portions 12 of the terminals and move downwardly between the plate sections 14, 18 as shown in FIG. 16.
  • Clearance 110 is provided on each side of each pin 108 for reception of the plate sections when the shearing and inserting block is moved to its closed position.
  • the handle 102 is pivotally mounted in the frame block 68 and can be swung in a clockwise direction from the position of FIG. 1 1 until the inserting member 98 is in its closed condition, FIG. 16, as willbe described below. It is advantageous to firmly clamp the cable 6 on which the connector is being installed and to this end there is provided a cable clamp on a block 112 secured to the side of the frame block 68 by means of fasteners mounted in holes 113. A recess 114 is provided adjacent to the outer end of block 112 and a fixed arm 116 secured is rigidly in this recess extends laterally from the block 112 and parallel to a connector mounted in the frame block recess 70.
  • the cable is clamped between the fixed arm 116 and a pivoted arm 118 which has spaced apart ears 122 on its inner end.
  • a suitable pivot pin extends through the mounting block 112 and between these ears and a torsion spring 126 is advantageously provided on the pin to bias the pivoted arm against the fixed arm and clamp the cable firmly adjacent to the end being terminated.
  • a facing of material having a high coefficient of friction may be provided on the opposed surfaces of the arms 116, 118 to ensure a firm grip on the cable.
  • the connector When a cable 6 is to be attached to a connector 40, the connector is first positioned in the recess 70 with one side of the rib 48 facing upwardly.
  • the shearing and clamping member 80 is swung downwardly from the position of FIG. 11 to the position of FIG. 15.
  • the prepared end of the cable is then located against the leftwardly facing side of the central portion 86 of the flange 84 of the clamping member 80 and the cable is clamped by lowering the clamping arm 118.
  • a section of strip as shown in FIG. 5 is then positioned on the upper surface of the plate member 82 with the individual wedge members disposedcentrally over the conductors of the cable and over the gaps 20 of the contact terminals.
  • the lever 102 is then swung downwardly until it reaches its closed position, FIG. 16.
  • the edge 128 of the shearing and inserting member 98 moves past the edge 93 of the flange 86 and the individual wedge members 32 are sheared from the carrier strip and from the connecting necks 38.
  • the wedges 32 are moved downwardly, then fold the conductors about their longitudinal axes as previously described and the conductors and wedges are moved into the inner portions of the slots 22, 24.
  • the connector can be reversed and a cable connected on the other side of the rib.
  • FIGS. 1722 show a further embodiment in which the wedge members are provided as a carrier strip as disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 368,387 filed June 8, 1973.
  • the wedge members or stuffer pins are punched from a strip 132 of sheet metal, each wedge member comprising a central relatively wide portion 136 having relatively narrow portions 134 on each side of the wide portion.
  • the pins are connected to parallel carrier strips 138 but these metallic carrier strips are removed from the pins and plastic carrier strips 140 are bonded to relatively wide end portions 137 of the pins. Since the carrier strips 140 are .now of plastic, the pins or wedge members are electrically separate from each other.
  • rectangular holes 130 are punched in the cable between adjacent conductors 4 but these holes do not extend to the end of the cable so that a continuous section of insulation extends across the cable at the end as shown at 131.
  • the conductors of the cable are connected to the conductor receiving portions of the contact terminals 12 by locating each conductor above a contact receiving portion 12.
  • the holes 130 between adjacent conductors permit the cable to be moved downwardly from the position of FIG. 20 to the position of FIG. 21 with a barrier plate 60 and portions of two adjacent terminals extending through each hole 130.
  • a section of the wedge member strip 142 is positioned above the cable prior to insertion with the individual wedge members or stuffer pins in alignment with the individual conductors.
  • the cable is connected to the terminals by insertion tooling of the general type described above (although no shearing of the pins is required) and the carrier strips 141) are not removed as indicated in FIGS. 21 and 22.
  • the central relatively wide portions 136 of the wedge members are received between the plate sections 14, -18 of the conductor receiving portions 12, the upper portions 20 of the slots being sufficiently wide to admit these wide central portions of the stuffer members.
  • This embodiment of the invention is advantageous in that the wedge members are maintained in precise positions relative to each other during insertion and can be accurately guided into the conductor receiving portions of the terminals. Furthermore, the continuous end portion 131 of the cable which is on the left in FIG. 22 provides an added degree of strain relief for the cable if a tensile pull is applied to the cable.
  • a back cover means 146 is preferably mounted on the connector and straddles the conductor receiving portions of the terminals as disclosed in US. Patent 3,760,335 identified above.
  • FIG. 23 shows a flat cable 144 which has round wires 148 therein rather than flat ribbon-like conductors as described in the previous embodiments. Cable of the type shown in FIG. 23 can also be connected to contact terminals in accordance with the invention if the slots in the conductor receiving portions of the terminals are properly dimensioned with reference to the diameters of the conductors 148. Wedge strip as described above can also be used to make connections to these types of 1 conductors.
  • said portion of said ribbon-like conductor being disposed in, and extending transversely of, the plane a of said member and through said inner portions of said slot, a wedge member in said slot, 1 at least one part of said portion of said conductor being between said wedge member and one of said edges with said wedge member being against one side of said part of said portion of said conductor and with the other side of said part of said portion being pressed against said one edge thereby to establish said electrical connection.
  • I connecting device comprising a platelike member having a conductor-receiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least inner portions of said slot which are re-. mote from said one side having edges which are spaced-apart by a distance which is substantially, less than the width of said conductor,
  • said portion of said ribbon-like conductor being folded along itslongitudinal axis so that said portion has a U-shaped cross-section having a bight and sides,
  • a wedge member in said slot disposed between said sides of said portion of said conductor, said wedge member functioning to press said sides of said portion against said edges of said slot thereby to establish said electrical connection.
  • said ribbon-like conductor having a layer of insulating material on one surface thereof, said one surface being the inner surface of said U-shaped folded portion, said layer being between said wedge member and said conductor.
  • said wedge member having a generally arcuate crosssection on the side of said wedge member which is remote from said one side of said plate-like member.
  • An electrical cable having electrical connecting means on one portion thereof, said cable comprising a plurality of flat ribbon-like conductors extending in spaced-apart parallel relationship in a single plane, said conductors being contained in a web of insulating material, said connecting means comprising:
  • each of said terminals comprising a substantially flat plate-like member having a conductor receiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least the inner portions of said slots having opposed edges which are spacedapart by a distance which is substantially less than the widths of said conductors,
  • each of said conductors being folded along its longitudinal axis in said portion of said cable to form a bight and sides, said wedge being between said sides.
  • An electrical cable having connecting means on one end thereof, said cable comprising a plurality of spaced-apart flat ribbon-like conductors contained in a web' of plastic insulating material, said connecting means comprising:
  • each of said terminals comprising a substantially flat plate-like member having a conductorreceiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least the inner portions of said slots having opposed edges which are spaced-apart by a distance which is substantially less than the width of one of said conductors, said plate-like members being arranged in side-by-side coplanar relationship in a common orientation,
  • said web at said end of said cable being axially out between adjacent ones of said conductors, end portions of said conductors in said end extending transversely of said plate-like members and through said slots, and
  • An electrical cable having connecting means on one end thereof as set forth in claim 13, said end portion of each of said conductors being folded along it longitudinal axis into a U-shaped cross section having a bight and sides extending from said bight, each of said sides being against one of said opposed edges, said wedge member for each of said conductors being between said sides.
  • each of said conductors having said insulating material removed from one side thereof and being folded along its longitudinal axis into a'U-shaped cross-sections having a bight and sides extending from said bight, said one side being the external side of said U-shaped cross-section, each of said sides of said U- shaped cross-section being against one of said opposed edges, said wedge member for each of said conductors being between said sides.
  • each of said terminals having an additional substantially flat plate-like member, said additional plate-like member being in axial alignment with said plate-like member, said end portion of each of said conductors extending through a said slot in said plate-like member and said additional plate-like member, said wedge member extending between said plate-like members and being in said slot in said additional plate-like member.
  • An electrical device such as a multi-contact electrical connector, said device comprising an insulating housing having electrical contact terminals therein, each of said terminals having a plate-like portion having a free end, each of said plate-like portions having a conductor receiving slot extending therein from said free end, said plate-like portions being in spaced-apart side-by-side co-planar relationship to each other, and a flat cable in combination with said electrical device, said cable comprising a plurality of flat, ribbon-like spaced-apart, parallel conductors which are contained 1 1 1 in a continuous web of insulating material and the improvement comprising: i
  • each of said wedge members urging said portions of said conductors against edge portions of said slots thereby to establish electrical contact between said conductors and said plate-like'members
  • each of said plate-like members extending through two adjacent openings in straddling relationship to one of said conductors
  • said wedge members comprising pins extending through said slots normally of said plate-like members, said pins having ends disposed beyond said platelike members.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Multi-Conductor Connections (AREA)
  • Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)

Abstract

An electrical connection between a ribbon-like conductor and a plate-like member having a wire-receiving slot extending from one side thereof is disclosed. The end of the conductor is folded to form a U-shaped cross-section portion which is disposed in the slot. A wedge member is located in the slot within the U-shaped portion and presses the external surface of the U-shaped portion against the edges of the slot. Plural electrical connections are formed by simultaneously moving a plurality of wedges laterally against the conductors of a cable and into the slots of a like plurality of connecting devices.

Description

United States Patent [191 Roberts et a1.
[ Nov. 18, 1975 Fla.; John Robert Shoemaker, Walkertown, NC.
[73] Assignee: AMP lnc., Harrisburg, Pa.
[22] Filed: Nov. 30, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 413,092
Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 310,056, Nov. 28,
1972, abandoned.
[52] U.S. Cl. 339/17 F; 339/99 R; 339/176 MF [51] Int. Cl. H01R 9/08; l-lOSK 1/02 [58] Field of Search..... 339/17 F, 17 R, 17 L, 17 C, 339/17 G, 18, 95-99, 103, 119-126, 174,
3,377,611 4/1968 Pawl 339/97 P 3,380,013 4/1968 Krone et a1 339/97 P 3,414,867 12/1968 Travis 339/99 R 3,434,093 3/1969 Wedekind 339/17 F 3,760,335 9/1973 Roberts 339/99 R Primary ExaminerRoy D. Frazier Assistant ExaminerTerre1l P. Lewis Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Frederick W. Raring; Jay L. Seitchik; Robert W. Pitts ABSTRACT An electrical connection between a ribbon-like conductor and a plate-like member having a wirereceiving slot extending from one side thereof is disclosed. The end of the conductor is folded to form a U-shaped cross-section portion which is disposed in the slot. A wedge member is located in the slot within the U-shaped portion and presses the external surface of the U-shaped portion against the edges of the slot. Plural electrical connections are formed by simultaneously moving a plurality of wedges laterally against the conductors of a cable and into the slots of a like plurality of connecting devices.
Sheet 1 of 10 U .S. Patent Nov. 18,1975
U.S.- Patent N v.18,1975 SheetZof 10 3,920,301
U.S. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet3 of 10 3,920,301
Sheet 4 of 10 3,920,301
U.S-. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 .s. Patent Nov.18,1975 Sheet5of1 0 3,920,301
Sheet 7 of 10 3,920,301
. US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 U.S.Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet8of 10 3,920,301
U.S. Patent Nov. 18,1975 Sheet90f 10 3,920,301
U.S. Patent Nov. 18,1975 Sheet 10 of 10 3,920,301
ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS FOR FLAT CABLE AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 310,056 filed Nov. 28, 1972 now abancloned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to electrical connections for ribbon-like conductors such as those in flat conductor cable. The invention is herein disclosed as an embodiment comprising a multi-contact electrical connector of the type fully described by Lincoln E. Roberts in U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,335 and the herein disclosed embodiment permits the formation of electrical connections between all of the conductors of a cable and all of the contact terminals in the multi-contact electrical connector. It will be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that the principles of the invention can be employed to connect flat ribbon-like conductors to electrical connecting devices under a wide variety of circumstances.
The term flat conductor cable as used herein is intended to denote a flat cable comprising a plurality of parallel ribbon-like conductors contained in a web of insulating plastic such as Mylar (polyethyleneterephthalate). Cables of this type are being used to an increasing extent in the electrical and electronics industry and, while several effective techniques have been developed for making electrical connections tov the conductors of such cables, there is an existing need for additional techniques to permit achievement of electrical connections under circumstances which cannot be satisfied by known connecting techniques for flat cable. For example, the above-identified Roberts Application discloses a multi-contact electrical connector which is pre-loaded with electrical contact terminals to which wires can be connected. The known methods of making electrical connections to the conductors of a flat cable are not compatible with preloaded connecting devices of the type disclosed in the above-identified Roberts Application. The instant invention teaches the structure of electrical connections and methods of forming connections which are compatible with connectors of the above-identified type and which can be used under a variety of circumstances for which known flat cable connecting methods are not suitable.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved electrical connection for a ribbon-like conductor. A further object is to provide an improved connecting means for ribbon-like conductors contained in a flat multi-conductor cable. A still further object is to provide methods for connecting ribbon-like conductors to terminal members. A further object is to provide an electrical connection between a ribbon-like conductor and a slotted plate-type connecting device. A further object is to provide a method of simultaneously connecting a plurality of conductors in a flat cable to each of a like plurality of terminals in an electrical connector or the like.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved in a a preferred embodiment thereof which is briefly described in the foregoing abstract, which is described in detail below, and which is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a flat conductor cable, the end of which has been prepared for the formation of electrical connections in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wire-connecting portion of an electrical contact terminal of a type suitable for use in the practice of the invention.
FIG. 3 is an end view of the contact terminals of FIG. 2 showing the relative positions of a conductor and a wedge member prior to formation of an electrical connection in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale of a completed electrical connection in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a strip of wedge members used in the practice of the invention.
FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are views similar to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 respectively but illustrating an alternative embodiment.
FIG. 6A is a fragmentary view of an end portion of a cable which has been prepared for termination in accordance with a further embodiment.
FIG. 8A is a sectional side view of a contact terminal of the type shown in FIG. 6 having a conductor in accordance with FIG. 6 attached thereto.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rearward side of an electrical connector having two cables connected thereto in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the lines 1010 of FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of one form of apparatus for connecting the conductors of a flat cable to the contact terminals in a connector of the type shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
FIG. 12 is an end view, looking from the left in FIG. 11, of the apparatus of FIG. 11, this view showing the parts in their opened positions.
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 12 but showing the parts in their closed positions.
FIG. 14 is a view taken along the lines 14-14 of FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view of an enlarged scale of a connector positioned in the apparatus preparatory to the formation of electrical connections to the conductors of a flat cable.
FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 but showing the positions of the parts at the completion of the conductor connecting process.
FIG. 17 shows the end portion of a cable having holes punched therein in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an alternative form of a strip of wedge members.
FIG. 19 is a plan view of the strip of FIG. 18.
FIG. 20 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating use of the strip of FIG. 19 in connecting the conductors of a cable having punched holes therein to a connector.
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the rearward side of a connector having flat cables connected thereto by means of the wedge member strip of FIG. 18.
FIG. 22 is a fragmentary plane view of the connector of FIG. 21.
FIG. 23 is a fragmentary view of the end portion of a flat cable having round conductors therein and having punched holes between adjacent conductors.
A typical flat conductor cable 2, FIG. 1, comprises a plurality of flat ribbon-like conductors 4 contained in a web 6 of insulating plastic. Conductors of this type are made in varying sizes, one such cable having conductors which are 0.003 inches in thickness and 0.042
3 inches wide, the centers of adjacent conductors being spaced apart in the cable by 0.085 inches. Thespecific embodiment of the invention described is intended for cables having these dimensions andhaving twenty-five conductors therein.
Electrical connections in accordance with the invention can be made to electrical contact terminals 8 having a shank 10 which is integral with a wire connecting portion 12 having a first plate-like portion 14 which extends normally from the shank. Parallel spaced apart strap portions 16 extend from the upper side of the plate-like member 14 to a second plate-like member 18 which is parallel to the plate-like section 14. Aligned slots 22, 24 are provided in the plate- sections 14, 18 and are enlarged at their upper ends as shown at 23, these slots merging with the gap 20 between the strap members 16 which provides a relatively wide area for insertion of the contacts as will be described below.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the end of the cable 2 is prepared for termination by first cutting the web 6 between adjacent conductors as shown at 30 so that the end portion of the conductors are independent of each other. The underside of the insulating web is stripped back so that these end portions are exposed as shown at 26 and have insulation 28 on their upper surfaces which extends laterally beyond the side edges of the conductors. The end portions of the conductors are then partially formed into a V-shape as shown in FIG. 3 and located above the gap 20 of the connecting device. A wedge member 32 hav' ing a rounded or champhered underside 34 is then located centrally above the formed conductor and the conductor and wedge are moved downwardly until they are located against the inner ends 25, 27 of the slots 22, 24. During such downward movement of the conductor and wedge, the conductor and the insulating material are folded along their common axis until they have a generally U-shaped cross-section comprising a bight and sides. In the finished electrical connection, FIG. 4, the wedge member, the conductor and the insulation are tightly wedged in the slots and the insulation will have been extruded somewhat on each side of the wedge as shown in the drawing. The ribbon-like conductors will also have been extruded so that the external surfaces of the conductors are pressed entirely against the opposed edges of the inner portions of the slots 22, 24.
Connections of the type described above, have been found to be highly satisfactory from an electrical and a mechanical standpoint and offer several other advantages which are not achieved with previously known cable termination techniques. For example, connections of this type can be made to slotted plate-type electrical connecting devices which were originally developed for use on or with conventional round wires. This means that electrical connectors of the general type disclosed in the above-identified Roberts Application can be used either on conventional round wires or on flat cables and the same is true of other electrical connectors or connecting devices having slotted plate type termination means. As will also be discussed below, the connecting method shown in FIGS. 1-4 permits the simultaneous connection of all of the conductors of a cable to individual contact terminals in a connecting device.
It will be understood that the wedge members 32 can be loose piece (i.e. separate) articles as shown in FIG. 3 but for convenience of handling and for use with a connecting apparatus described below, theymay be manufactured as a continuous strip, FIG. 5, of side-byside wedge members each of which is joined by a laterally extending connecting section 28 to a continuous 7 carrier strip 36.
FIGS. 6-8 show an alternative embodiment in which j the insulating material is removed from both sides of i the conductors at the end of the cable so that these conductors 26a are fully exposed. The method of making the electrical connection with the plate members 14, 18 is the same in the practice of this embodiment as described above and in the finished connection,.FIG. 8, a y
the wedge member presses against the internal surfaces of the U-shaped end portion of the conductor. If desired, the cable can be prepared as shown in FIG..6a in. a manner such that the insulating material is removed. entirely from a short section of the cable end and is removed on the underside only from the adjacent 'portions of the cable. If the end of this cable is connected to the wire connecting portion 12 of the terminal 8,the. connection of FIG. 8 will be achieved in the plate-section 14 and the connection of FIG. 4 will be obtained in the plate-member 18. 1
FIGS. 6A and 8A illustrate a further alternative ;in which the insulation is removed completely from the end of the cable and adjacent to this completely stripped section, the insulation is removed from only the lower side of the cable (FIG. 6). In the finished connection as shown in FIG. 8A, the connection of the cable to the plate member 18 is as shown in FIG. 4 1
tirely unstripped of its insulation so that the connection between the cable and this plate section serves only as a mechanical connection and strain relief.
It will be understood that the widths of the slots 22, 24 should be judiciously selected to produce optimum mechanical and/or electrical connections and the ac-v tual slot widths will depend upon such factors as the particular type of connection being made (the type;
shown in FIG. 4 or the type shown in FIG. 8), the thick-. 3 ness of the conductors, the thickness and flow characteristics of the insulating film, and the mechanical and physical properties of the metal from which the termi- 1 nal is manufactured.
Some stripping of the insulation of the cable is carried out in all of the embodiments described above, however, it is practical, under some circumstances, to
form the electrical connection without stripping any of the insulation from the cable. If the insulation is ex:
tremely thin and/or if its properties are such that it is i I relatively easily ruptured, the insulation will be penej trated by the edges of the slots when the conductor is forced into the terminal. Slotted plate-type connection devices are usually applied to ordinary round wires without stripping the insulation, the edges serving to penetrate the insulation during movement of the wire into the slots, and this same technique can be used under some circumstances when the terminal is being applied to an insulated flat conductor. I
FIGS. 9 and 10 show a multi-contact electrical connector 40 of the type disclosed in the above-identified Roberts application having an insulating housing 42 in which a plurality of contact terminals 8 are mounted. The housing 42 has an intermediate body portion 44 and a hood 46 extending from the mating side thereof in surrounding relationship to a rib or projection 58. A projection 48 extends rearwardly from the body portion and provides upwardly and downwardly facing surfaces as viewed in FIGS. 10, 50, 52 on which the terminals 8 are supported. Cavities 54 extend leftwardly through the body portion of the housing and open onto the upper and lower side of the rib 58. The shank portions 10 of the terminals extend through these cavities and merge with contact portions 56 which are engaged by the contact portions of complementary terminals in a complementary connector.
The individual contact terminals 8 are separated by spaced apart barriers 60 extending from the surfaces 50, 52 and these barriers extend leftwardly or forwardly and merge with ledges 62 which in turn extend to rearwardly facing walls 64 on the upper and lower sides of the rib 48. The cables 6 extend in parallel relationship to each other towards the rearward side of the connector 40 and the end portions of the conductors of the cables are connected to the connecting portions 12 of the terminals in accordance with the embodiment 'of the invention shown in FIG. 8.
The conductors of a cable 6 can be connected to the terminals in each row of the connector 40 by means of a tool 66, FIGS. 11-14 comprising an L-shaped frame block 68 having a recess 70 on the one side thereof which is dimensioned to accomodate the connector housing 42. A locating plate 72 is mounted against the lefthand side of block 68 and has spaced apart upstanding ears 74, the opposed edges 76 of which are adapted to bear snugly against the sides 49 of the rib 48 of the housing. The side 78 of the recess 70 is spaced from the plate 72 such that the connector housing will be properly located when it is placed in the recess with the edge 47 of the hood 46 against the surface 78 as shown in FIG. 15. When the connector is so located, the wire connecting portions 12 of the terminals 8 will be precisely located with reference to a shearing and inserting block described below.
A shearing and clamping member 80 is mounted on the upper side of the block 68 and comprises a flat plate section 82 having a flange 84 extending from the side thereof which is adjacent to recess 70. The central section 86 of this flange is of reduced thickness and a plurality of spaced apart slots 88 are provided in the flange and extend into the plate section 82 as shown at 89, FIG. 15.
The plate-section 82 of the shearing and clamping member 80 is suitably secured to a mounting bar 90 which is located between upstanding ears 92 on the frame block 68. The bar 90 is pivoted to these ears on pins 94 so that the shearing and clamping member 80 can be swung in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 11 to the position shown in FIG. 15. A handle plate 70 is advantageously secured to the plate section 82 to facilitate swinging of this plate between its two extreme positions.
When a connector housing 42 is positioned in recess 70 and the shearing and clamping member 80 is swung to its lower position, the lower edge 91 or the flange 84 (FIG. will be located against the ledge portion 62 on one side of the housing and the lower ends of the slots 88 will be substantially even with the upper sides of the strap portions 16 of the terminals. The edges 93 of these slots serve as fixed shearing members for the wedge members 32 as will be described below.
The shearing and inserting member 98 comprises a thin plate secured by fasteners 100 to a pivoted handle 102. The outer edge 104 of this plate is centrally recessed as shown at 106 and a plurality of conductor inserting pins 108 are mounted in this recess at locations corresponding to the spacing between adjacent terminals in the connector housing. The pins 108 have a generally rectangular cross-section and are dimensioned such that they can enter the gaps 20 of the connecting portions 12 of the terminals and move downwardly between the plate sections 14, 18 as shown in FIG. 16. Clearance 110 is provided on each side of each pin 108 for reception of the plate sections when the shearing and inserting block is moved to its closed position.
The handle 102 is pivotally mounted in the frame block 68 and can be swung in a clockwise direction from the position of FIG. 1 1 until the inserting member 98 is in its closed condition, FIG. 16, as willbe described below. It is advantageous to firmly clamp the cable 6 on which the connector is being installed and to this end there is provided a cable clamp on a block 112 secured to the side of the frame block 68 by means of fasteners mounted in holes 113. A recess 114 is provided adjacent to the outer end of block 112 and a fixed arm 116 secured is rigidly in this recess extends laterally from the block 112 and parallel to a connector mounted in the frame block recess 70. The cable is clamped between the fixed arm 116 and a pivoted arm 118 which has spaced apart ears 122 on its inner end. A suitable pivot pin extends through the mounting block 112 and between these ears and a torsion spring 126 is advantageously provided on the pin to bias the pivoted arm against the fixed arm and clamp the cable firmly adjacent to the end being terminated. A facing of material having a high coefficient of friction may be provided on the opposed surfaces of the arms 116, 118 to ensure a firm grip on the cable.
When a cable 6 is to be attached to a connector 40, the connector is first positioned in the recess 70 with one side of the rib 48 facing upwardly. The shearing and clamping member 80 is swung downwardly from the position of FIG. 11 to the position of FIG. 15. The prepared end of the cable is then located against the leftwardly facing side of the central portion 86 of the flange 84 of the clamping member 80 and the cable is clamped by lowering the clamping arm 118. A section of strip as shown in FIG. 5 is then positioned on the upper surface of the plate member 82 with the individual wedge members disposedcentrally over the conductors of the cable and over the gaps 20 of the contact terminals. The lever 102 is then swung downwardly until it reaches its closed position, FIG. 16. During such movement of the lever arm, the edge 128 of the shearing and inserting member 98 moves past the edge 93 of the flange 86 and the individual wedge members 32 are sheared from the carrier strip and from the connecting necks 38. As the wedges 32 are moved downwardly, then fold the conductors about their longitudinal axes as previously described and the conductors and wedges are moved into the inner portions of the slots 22, 24. After a cable 6 has been installed on one side of the rib 48, the connector can be reversed and a cable connected on the other side of the rib.
FIGS. 1722 show a further embodiment in which the wedge members are provided as a carrier strip as disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 368,387 filed June 8, 1973. In accordance with this embodiment the wedge members or stuffer pins are punched from a strip 132 of sheet metal, each wedge member comprising a central relatively wide portion 136 having relatively narrow portions 134 on each side of the wide portion. The pins are connected to parallel carrier strips 138 but these metallic carrier strips are removed from the pins and plastic carrier strips 140 are bonded to relatively wide end portions 137 of the pins. Since the carrier strips 140 are .now of plastic, the pins or wedge members are electrically separate from each other.
As shown in FIG. 17., rectangular holes 130 are punched in the cable between adjacent conductors 4 but these holes do not extend to the end of the cable so that a continuous section of insulation extends across the cable at the end as shown at 131.
Referring now to FIG. 20, the conductors of the cable are connected to the conductor receiving portions of the contact terminals 12 by locating each conductor above a contact receiving portion 12. The holes 130 between adjacent conductors permit the cable to be moved downwardly from the position of FIG. 20 to the position of FIG. 21 with a barrier plate 60 and portions of two adjacent terminals extending through each hole 130. A section of the wedge member strip 142 is positioned above the cable prior to insertion with the individual wedge members or stuffer pins in alignment with the individual conductors. The cable is connected to the terminals by insertion tooling of the general type described above (although no shearing of the pins is required) and the carrier strips 141) are not removed as indicated in FIGS. 21 and 22. The central relatively wide portions 136 of the wedge members are received between the plate sections 14, -18 of the conductor receiving portions 12, the upper portions 20 of the slots being sufficiently wide to admit these wide central portions of the stuffer members.
This embodiment of the invention is advantageous in that the wedge members are maintained in precise positions relative to each other during insertion and can be accurately guided into the conductor receiving portions of the terminals. Furthermore, the continuous end portion 131 of the cable which is on the left in FIG. 22 provides an added degree of strain relief for the cable if a tensile pull is applied to the cable.
A back cover means 146 is preferably mounted on the connector and straddles the conductor receiving portions of the terminals as disclosed in US. Patent 3,760,335 identified above.
It will be noted that the insulation has not been removed from the under sides of the conductors in the embodiments of FIGS. 17-22. As explained above, good electrical contact can'often be obtained without removing insulation since the edges of the slots penetrate the insulation at the time of insulation. It has been found that excellent contact can be obtained with the embodiment of FIGS. 17-22 when the insulation is of the thickness usually found in fiat conductor cables of the size under consideration.
FIG. 23 shows a flat cable 144 which has round wires 148 therein rather than flat ribbon-like conductors as described in the previous embodiments. Cable of the type shown in FIG. 23 can also be connected to contact terminals in accordance with the invention if the slots in the conductor receiving portions of the terminals are properly dimensioned with reference to the diameters of the conductors 148. Wedge strip as described above can also be used to make connections to these types of 1 conductors.
Modifications and additional embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those familiar with the con-. nector arts. For example, electrical connections in accordance with the invention might be provided on a fiat 2 cable intermediate the ends thereof rather than at the ends. To form such intermediate connections, the cable is slit or holes are punched between adjacent conductors at the location desired and the end portion of the cable is located above terminals having connectingpon tions of the type shown at 12 in FIG. 2. The individual conductors are then forced downwardly into the wireconnecting portions 12 by meansof a suitable insertion tool as described above. It will also be apparent that connectors and terminals in accordance with the invention can be provided on a wide variety of types of connectors' such as those intended to be mounted on I printed circuit boards.
Changes in construction will occur to tires: skilled in the art and various apparently different modifications and embodiments may be made without departing f om. k V the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is which are remote from said one side having opposed edges which are spaced-apart by a distance which is substantially less than the width of said conductor,
said portion of said ribbon-like conductor being disposed in, and extending transversely of, the plane a of said member and through said inner portions of said slot, a wedge member in said slot, 1 at least one part of said portion of said conductor being between said wedge member and one of said edges with said wedge member being against one side of said part of said portion of said conductor and with the other side of said part of said portion being pressed against said one edge thereby to establish said electrical connection.
2. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 1, said portion of said ribbon-like conductor beingfolded along its longitudinal axis into a U-shaped cross-section having a bight and sides extending from said bight, each of said sides being against one of said opposed edges, said wedge member being between said sides.
3. An electrical connection between a portion of a ribbon-like conductor and a connecting device, said I connecting device comprising a platelike member having a conductor-receiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least inner portions of said slot which are re-. mote from said one side having edges which are spaced-apart by a distance which is substantially, less than the width of said conductor,
said portion of said ribbon-like conductor being folded along itslongitudinal axis so that said portion has a U-shaped cross-section having a bight and sides,
-said portion being disposed in said innerportions of said slot with the longitudinal axis of said portion extending normally of said plate-like member, said sides being against said edges,.and,
a wedge member in said slot disposed between said sides of said portion of said conductor, said wedge member functioning to press said sides of said portion against said edges of said slot thereby to establish said electrical connection.
4. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 3, said ribbon-like conductor having a layer of insulating material on one surface thereof, said one surface being the inner surface of said U-shaped folded portion, said layer being between said wedge member and said conductor.
5. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 3, said slot having an inner end in said plate-like member, said bight being against said inner end, said wedge member being against said bight and said sides.
6. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 3, said wedge member having a generally arcuate crosssection on the side of said wedge member which is remote from said one side of said plate-like member.
7. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 3 and an additional plate-like member, said additional platelike member being in axial alignment with said platelike member, said conductor and said wedge member extending through said slot in said additional plate-like member.
8. An electrical cable having electrical connecting means on one portion thereof, said cable comprising a plurality of flat ribbon-like conductors extending in spaced-apart parallel relationship in a single plane, said conductors being contained in a web of insulating material, said connecting means comprising:
a plurality of contact terminals, each of said terminals comprising a substantially flat plate-like member having a conductor receiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least the inner portions of said slots having opposed edges which are spacedapart by a distance which is substantially less than the widths of said conductors,
housing means, said contact terminals being contained at spaced-apart locations in said housing means,
portions of said conductors extending transversely of said plate-like members and through said slots, and
a wedge member in each of said slots, said wedge members being against parts of said portions of said conductors and pressing said parts of said conductors against said edges of said slots thereby to electrically connect said conductors to said contact terminals.
9. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 8, said connecting means being on one end of said cable.
10. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 9, each of said conductors being folded along its longitudinal axis in said portion of said cable to form a bight and sides, said wedge being between said sides.
11. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 10, said insulating material being removed from at least one side of said cable at said one end thereof thereby to expose one side of each of said conductors, said one side of each of said conductors being against said edges of said slots.
12. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 11, said insulating material being removed from both sides of said cable at said one end.
10 13. An electrical cable having connecting means on one end thereof, said cable comprising a plurality of spaced-apart flat ribbon-like conductors contained in a web' of plastic insulating material, said connecting means comprising:
an insulating housing,
a plurality of electrical contact terminals in said housing, each of said terminals comprising a substantially flat plate-like member having a conductorreceiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least the inner portions of said slots having opposed edges which are spaced-apart by a distance which is substantially less than the width of one of said conductors, said plate-like members being arranged in side-by-side coplanar relationship in a common orientation,
said web at said end of said cable being axially out between adjacent ones of said conductors, end portions of said conductors in said end extending transversely of said plate-like members and through said slots, and
a wedge member in each of said slots, said wedge members being against at least parts of said end portions of said conductors and pressing said parts of said conductors against said edges of said slots thereby to electrically connect said conductors to said contact terminals.
14. An electrical cable having connecting means on one end thereof as set forth in claim 13, said end portion of each of said conductors being folded along it longitudinal axis into a U-shaped cross section having a bight and sides extending from said bight, each of said sides being against one of said opposed edges, said wedge member for each of said conductors being between said sides.
15. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 13, said endportion of each of said conductors having said insulating material removed from one side thereof and being folded along its longitudinal axis into a'U-shaped cross-sections having a bight and sides extending from said bight, said one side being the external side of said U-shaped cross-section, each of said sides of said U- shaped cross-section being against one of said opposed edges, said wedge member for each of said conductors being between said sides.
16. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 15, said insulating material being removed from both sides of said end portions of said conductors.
17. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 13 each of said terminals having an additional substantially flat plate-like member, said additional plate-like member being in axial alignment with said plate-like member, said end portion of each of said conductors extending through a said slot in said plate-like member and said additional plate-like member, said wedge member extending between said plate-like members and being in said slot in said additional plate-like member.
18. An electrical device such as a multi-contact electrical connector, said device comprising an insulating housing having electrical contact terminals therein, each of said terminals having a plate-like portion having a free end, each of said plate-like portions having a conductor receiving slot extending therein from said free end, said plate-like portions being in spaced-apart side-by-side co-planar relationship to each other, and a flat cable in combination with said electrical device, said cable comprising a plurality of flat, ribbon-like spaced-apart, parallel conductors which are contained 1 1 1 in a continuous web of insulating material and the improvement comprising: i
a plurality of punched openings in said web, said openings being between adjacent conductors in said cable and being in alignment in the direction of the width of said cable,
portions of said conductors which are between said openings being disposed in said slots of said platelike members,
a wedge member in each of said slots, each of said wedge members urging said portions of said conductors against edge portions of said slots thereby to establish electrical contact between said conductors and said plate-like'members,
each of said plate-like members extending through two adjacent openings in straddling relationship to one of said conductors, and
the ends of said openings being adjacent to said platelike members.
19. An electrical device and a cable as set forth in claim 18, said wedge members comprising pins extending through said slots normally of said plate-like members, said pins having ends disposed beyond said platelike members.
20. A method of providing an electrical connecting means on one portion of an electrical cable of the type comprising a plurality of flat ribbon-like conductors extending in spaced-apart parallel relationship in a single plane, said conductors being contained in a flat web of insulating material, said method comprising the steps of:
locating said portion of said cable in alignment with a plurality of plate-like connecting members dis- I posed in side-by-side co-planar relationship, said connecting members each having a conductor receiving slot extending into the one side thereof which is proximate to said portion of said cable,
locating a wedge member in alignment with each of said conductors and on the opposite side of said cable,
moving said wedge members laterally of their axes f against said conductors and into said slots whereby, said conductors are folded around said wedge members and moved laterally of their axes into said slots whereby said conductors, are urged against edge portions of said slots to connect said conductors to said,
plate-like members.
21. The method of providing an electrical connecting means on one end of an electrical cable of the type, comprising a plurality of fiat ribbon-like conductors ex I I tending in spaced-apart parallel relationship in a single plane, said conductors being contained in a flat web of said cable in coplanar relationship with each other i and with conductor-receiving slots in said connecting members in alignment with said conductors in said cable, locating a wedge member in alignment with each of said conductors on the other side of said cable,
moving said wedge members laterally against said I conductors and into said slots of said connecting members whereby, each of said conductors is partially wrapped and U-ed around one of said wedge members and each said U-ed conductor is moved into one of said conductorireceiving slots so that said conductors are maintained against, and in electrical contact with, edge portions of said slots.

Claims (21)

1. An electrical connection between a portion of an elongated ribbon-like conductor and a connecting device, said connecting device comprising a sheet metal member having a conductor-receiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least inner portions of said slot which are remote from said one side having opposed edges which are spaced-apart by a distance which is substantially less than the width of said conductor, said portion of said ribbon-like conductor being disposed in, and extending transversely of, the plane of said member and through said inner portions of said slot, a wedge member in said slot, at least one part of said portion of said conductor being between said wedge member and one Of said edges with said wedge member being against one side of said part of said portion of said conductor and with the other side of said part of said portion being pressed against said one edge thereby to establish said electrical connection.
2. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 1, said portion of said ribbon-like conductor being folded along its longitudinal axis into a U-shaped cross-section having a bight and sides extending from said bight, each of said sides being against one of said opposed edges, said wedge member being between said sides.
3. An electrical connection between a portion of a ribbon-like conductor and a connecting device, said connecting device comprising a plate-like member having a conductor-receiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least inner portions of said slot which are remote from said one side having edges which are spaced-apart by a distance which is substantially less than the width of said conductor, said portion of said ribbon-like conductor being folded along its longitudinal axis so that said portion has a U-shaped cross-section having a bight and sides, said portion being disposed in said inner portions of said slot with the longitudinal axis of said portion extending normally of said plate-like member, said sides being against said edges, and, a wedge member in said slot disposed between said sides of said portion of said conductor, said wedge member functioning to press said sides of said portion against said edges of said slot thereby to establish said electrical connection.
4. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 3, said ribbon-like conductor having a layer of insulating material on one surface thereof, said one surface being the inner surface of said U-shaped folded portion, said layer being between said wedge member and said conductor.
5. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 3, said slot having an inner end in said plate-like member, said bight being against said inner end, said wedge member being against said bight and said sides.
6. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 3, said wedge member having a generally arcuate cross-section on the side of said wedge member which is remote from said one side of said plate-like member.
7. An electrical connection as set forth in claim 3 and an additional plate-like member, said additional plate-like member being in axial alignment with said plate-like member, said conductor and said wedge member extending through said slot in said additional plate-like member.
8. An electrical cable having electrical connecting means on one portion thereof, said cable comprising a plurality of flat ribbon-like conductors extending in spaced-apart parallel relationship in a single plane, said conductors being contained in a web of insulating material, said connecting means comprising: a plurality of contact terminals, each of said terminals comprising a substantially flat plate-like member having a conductor receiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least the inner portions of said slots having opposed edges which are spaced-apart by a distance which is substantially less than the widths of said conductors, housing means, said contact terminals being contained at spaced-apart locations in said housing means, portions of said conductors extending transversely of said plate-like members and through said slots, and a wedge member in each of said slots, said wedge members being against parts of said portions of said conductors and pressing said parts of said conductors against said edges of said slots thereby to electrically connect said conductors to said contact terminals.
9. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 8, said connecting means being on one end of said cable.
10. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 9, each of said conductors being folded along its longitudinal axis in said portion of said cable to form a bight and sides, said wedge being between said sides.
11. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 10, said insulating material being removed from at least one side of said cable at said one end thereof thereby to expose one side of each of said conductors, said one side of each of said conductors being against said edges of said slots.
12. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 11, said insulating material being removed from both sides of said cable at said one end.
13. An electrical cable having connecting means on one end thereof, said cable comprising a plurality of spaced-apart flat ribbon-like conductors contained in a web of plastic insulating material, said connecting means comprising: an insulating housing, a plurality of electrical contact terminals in said housing, each of said terminals comprising a substantially flat plate-like member having a conductorreceiving slot extending into one side thereof, at least the inner portions of said slots having opposed edges which are spaced-apart by a distance which is substantially less than the width of one of said conductors, said plate-like members being arranged in side-by-side coplanar relationship in a common orientation, said web at said end of said cable being axially cut between adjacent ones of said conductors, end portions of said conductors in said end extending transversely of said plate-like members and through said slots, and a wedge member in each of said slots, said wedge members being against at least parts of said end portions of said conductors and pressing said parts of said conductors against said edges of said slots thereby to electrically connect said conductors to said contact terminals.
14. An electrical cable having connecting means on one end thereof as set forth in claim 13, said end portion of each of said conductors being folded along it longitudinal axis into a U-shaped cross section having a bight and sides extending from said bight, each of said sides being against one of said opposed edges, said wedge member for each of said conductors being between said sides.
15. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 13, said end portion of each of said conductors having said insulating material removed from one side thereof and being folded along its longitudinal axis into a U-shaped cross-sections having a bight and sides extending from said bight, said one side being the external side of said U-shaped cross-section, each of said sides of said U-shaped cross-section being against one of said opposed edges, said wedge member for each of said conductors being between said sides.
16. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 15, said insulating material being removed from both sides of said end portions of said conductors.
17. An electrical cable as set forth in claim 13 each of said terminals having an additional substantially flat plate-like member, said additional plate-like member being in axial alignment with said plate-like member, said end portion of each of said conductors extending through a said slot in said plate-like member and said additional plate-like member, said wedge member extending between said plate-like members and being in said slot in said additional plate-like member.
18. An electrical device such as a multi-contact electrical connector, said device comprising an insulating housing having electrical contact terminals therein, each of said terminals having a plate-like portion having a free end, each of said plate-like portions having a conductor receiving slot extending therein from said free end, said plate-like portions being in spaced-apart side-by-side co-planar relationship to each other, and a flat cable in combination with said electrical device, said cable comprising a plurality of flat, ribbon-like spaced-apart, parallel conductors which are contained in a continuous web of insulating material and the improvement comprising: a plurality of punched openings in said web, said openings being between adjacent conductors in said cable and being in alignment in the Direction of the width of said cable, portions of said conductors which are between said openings being disposed in said slots of said plate-like members, a wedge member in each of said slots, each of said wedge members urging said portions of said conductors against edge portions of said slots thereby to establish electrical contact between said conductors and said plate-like members, each of said plate-like members extending through two adjacent openings in straddling relationship to one of said conductors, and the ends of said openings being adjacent to said plate-like members.
19. An electrical device and a cable as set forth in claim 18, said wedge members comprising pins extending through said slots normally of said plate-like members, said pins having ends disposed beyond said plate-like members.
20. A method of providing an electrical connecting means on one portion of an electrical cable of the type comprising a plurality of flat ribbon-like conductors extending in spaced-apart parallel relationship in a single plane, said conductors being contained in a flat web of insulating material, said method comprising the steps of: locating said portion of said cable in alignment with a plurality of plate-like connecting members disposed in side-by-side co-planar relationship, said connecting members each having a conductor receiving slot extending into the one side thereof which is proximate to said portion of said cable, locating a wedge member in alignment with each of said conductors and on the opposite side of said cable, moving said wedge members laterally of their axes against said conductors and into said slots whereby, said conductors are folded around said wedge members and moved laterally of their axes into said slots whereby said conductors are urged against edge portions of said slots to connect said conductors to said plate-like members.
21. The method of providing an electrical connecting means on one end of an electrical cable of the type comprising a plurality of flat ribbon-like conductors extending in spaced-apart parallel relationship in a single plane, said conductors being contained in a flat web of insulating material, said method comprising the steps of: axially cutting through said web at said one end of said cable between adjacent conductors, locating said one end of said cable in alignment with a plurality of plate-like connecting members with said connecting members disposed on one side of said cable in co-planar relationship with each other and with conductor-receiving slots in said connecting members in alignment with said conductors in said cable, locating a wedge member in alignment with each of said conductors on the other side of said cable, moving said wedge members laterally against said conductors and into said slots of said connecting members whereby, each of said conductors is partially wrapped and U-ed around one of said wedge members and each said U-ed conductor is moved into one of said conductor receiving slots so that said conductors are maintained against, and in electrical contact with, edge portions of said slots.
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Cited By (20)

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US4064622A (en) * 1976-04-30 1977-12-27 Teledyne Electro Mechanisms Method of making a flexible jumper strip
US4147399A (en) * 1978-02-01 1979-04-03 Amp Incorporated Flat cable connector assembly
US4187606A (en) * 1978-05-08 1980-02-12 Aries Electronics, Inc. Flexible electrical jumper and method of making same
US4188714A (en) * 1978-04-17 1980-02-19 Teledyne Electro-Mechanisms Rigid termination for flexible printed circuits
EP0027696A1 (en) * 1979-10-19 1981-04-29 AMP INCORPORATED (a New Jersey corporation) Method of terminating shielded electrical cable and an assembly comprising an electrical connector terminating such cable
US4278314A (en) * 1979-10-31 1981-07-14 Amp Incorporated Connector assembly for flat cable conductors in multiple rows
US4288917A (en) * 1978-06-26 1981-09-15 Akzona Incorporated Method of forming connector-cable with crimped electrical terminations
DE3151563A1 (en) * 1980-12-30 1982-09-02 Thomas & Betts Corp., 08869 Raritan, N.J. THREE-ROW CONNECTOR FOR QUANTITY CONNECTION OF FLAT CABLES AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE CONNECTOR
US4382652A (en) * 1981-01-19 1983-05-10 Aries Electronics, Inc. Stackable flat conductor cable connector assembly
EP0093398A2 (en) * 1982-04-30 1983-11-09 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Internal connection cable
US4718863A (en) * 1986-05-02 1988-01-12 Thomas & Betts Corporation Jumper cable having clips for solder connections
US4898544A (en) * 1988-03-23 1990-02-06 Thinking Machines Corporation Flat cable support comb
US5306874A (en) * 1991-07-12 1994-04-26 W.I.T. Inc. Electrical interconnect and method of its manufacture
US5658164A (en) * 1995-03-24 1997-08-19 The Whitaker Corporation Flexible flat electrical cable connector with a conductive shield
US5944554A (en) * 1998-03-20 1999-08-31 Molex Incorporated Electrical connector for flat flexible circuits
US5984711A (en) * 1998-09-10 1999-11-16 Scimed Life Systems, Inc. Methods and apparatus for increasing wire diameter to improve connectability
US6325657B1 (en) * 1998-09-30 2001-12-04 Nexans Contact element for connecting a ribbon cable with circular conductors and rotary connector with such contact element
US20040074665A1 (en) * 2002-10-21 2004-04-22 Masahiko Sugaya Wiring harness
FR2956780A1 (en) * 2010-02-24 2011-08-26 Nicomatic Sa Electrical contact assembly for flexible sheet, has electrical contacts placed at regular intervals on support strip and fixed on support strip by adhesive layer interposed between electrical contacts and support strip
US10186789B1 (en) 2018-04-13 2019-01-22 Rustcraft Industries LLC Keyed cable and connector system

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4064622A (en) * 1976-04-30 1977-12-27 Teledyne Electro Mechanisms Method of making a flexible jumper strip
US4147399A (en) * 1978-02-01 1979-04-03 Amp Incorporated Flat cable connector assembly
EP0003435A1 (en) * 1978-02-01 1979-08-08 AMP INCORPORATED (a New Jersey corporation) Electrical connector for establishing connections between a flat flexible cable and a further connector
US4188714A (en) * 1978-04-17 1980-02-19 Teledyne Electro-Mechanisms Rigid termination for flexible printed circuits
US4187606A (en) * 1978-05-08 1980-02-12 Aries Electronics, Inc. Flexible electrical jumper and method of making same
US4288917A (en) * 1978-06-26 1981-09-15 Akzona Incorporated Method of forming connector-cable with crimped electrical terminations
EP0027696A1 (en) * 1979-10-19 1981-04-29 AMP INCORPORATED (a New Jersey corporation) Method of terminating shielded electrical cable and an assembly comprising an electrical connector terminating such cable
US4278314A (en) * 1979-10-31 1981-07-14 Amp Incorporated Connector assembly for flat cable conductors in multiple rows
DE3151563A1 (en) * 1980-12-30 1982-09-02 Thomas & Betts Corp., 08869 Raritan, N.J. THREE-ROW CONNECTOR FOR QUANTITY CONNECTION OF FLAT CABLES AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE CONNECTOR
US4382652A (en) * 1981-01-19 1983-05-10 Aries Electronics, Inc. Stackable flat conductor cable connector assembly
EP0093398A2 (en) * 1982-04-30 1983-11-09 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Internal connection cable
EP0093398A3 (en) * 1982-04-30 1986-01-08 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Internal connection cable
US4718863A (en) * 1986-05-02 1988-01-12 Thomas & Betts Corporation Jumper cable having clips for solder connections
US4898544A (en) * 1988-03-23 1990-02-06 Thinking Machines Corporation Flat cable support comb
US5306874A (en) * 1991-07-12 1994-04-26 W.I.T. Inc. Electrical interconnect and method of its manufacture
US5658164A (en) * 1995-03-24 1997-08-19 The Whitaker Corporation Flexible flat electrical cable connector with a conductive shield
US5944554A (en) * 1998-03-20 1999-08-31 Molex Incorporated Electrical connector for flat flexible circuits
US5984711A (en) * 1998-09-10 1999-11-16 Scimed Life Systems, Inc. Methods and apparatus for increasing wire diameter to improve connectability
US6325657B1 (en) * 1998-09-30 2001-12-04 Nexans Contact element for connecting a ribbon cable with circular conductors and rotary connector with such contact element
US20040074665A1 (en) * 2002-10-21 2004-04-22 Masahiko Sugaya Wiring harness
US6972375B2 (en) * 2002-10-21 2005-12-06 Denso Corporation Wiring harness
FR2956780A1 (en) * 2010-02-24 2011-08-26 Nicomatic Sa Electrical contact assembly for flexible sheet, has electrical contacts placed at regular intervals on support strip and fixed on support strip by adhesive layer interposed between electrical contacts and support strip
US10186789B1 (en) 2018-04-13 2019-01-22 Rustcraft Industries LLC Keyed cable and connector system
US10833431B2 (en) 2018-04-13 2020-11-10 Rustcraft Industries LLC Keyed cable and connector system

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