WO2009083757A1

WO2009083757A1 - Electrical connector and shroud therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2009083757A1
Application number: PCT/IB2007/055410
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erik Derks; Gert Droesbeke; Eddy Creelle
Original assignee: Fci
Priority date: 2007-12-28
Filing date: 2007-12-28
Publication date: 2009-07-09

Abstract

A connector (1) is provided, comprising a plurality of terminal blocks (3) for connecting a plurality of terminals to a counterconnector, and a shroud (4). The terminals are arranged within the terminal blocks (3) in at least one row and being separated from each other by insulating walls. The shroud (4) has a front side and a rear side, an upper wall, a lower wall and left and right side walls defining a chamber. The shroud (4) accommodates the terminal blocks (3) in a row or column within said volume. The shroud (4) comprises at least one insulating partition wall dividing the volume in adjacent compartments and therewith dividing the row or column of terminal blocks (3) in adjacent portions.

Description

Electrical connector and shroud therefor

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Generally, the present invention relates to the field of electrical connectors. More specifically, the invention relates to the field of electrical connectors having a plurality of terminals, such as connectors that are arranged for contacting a mating board connector of a circuit board. Such a connector may be a cable connector or an interconnector between two board connectors .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electrical connectors typically establish an electrical connection between the terminals of the connector and corresponding mating terminals of a mating connector for purposes of e.g. signal transfer. For efficiently transmitting a plurality of electrical signals the connectors may comprise a plurality of terminals connected to wires of a cable or other conductors. The terminals may be suitably arranged in rows and columns and be separated by insulating walls.

In general, when designing such a connector, a trade- off should be found between electrical and mechanical properties of the connector. On the one hand, this favours large and spaced-out terminals for optimum accessibility of the individual terminals for connecting them to the wires or conductors and/or for providing electrical insulation to high voltages. On the other hand, there exists an ongoing desire to miniaturise components in electrical devices, saving space and material costs. Another important factor is the manufacturing costs of the connector.

Consequently, there exists a need in the art for an electrical connector comprising a plurality of contacts having improved mechanical and electrical properties, allowing a relatively compact design and relatively good insulation properties .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an aspect of the invention, a connector is provided comprising a plurality of terminal blocks for connecting a plurality of terminals to a counterconnector, the terminals being arranged within the terminal blocks in at least one row and being separated from each other by an insulating wall. The connector also comprises a shroud, having a front side and a rear side, an upper wall and a lower wall and left and right side walls defining a chamber. The shroud accommodates the terminal blocks in a row or column within said volume. The shroud comprises at least one insulating partition wall extending between two walls, dividing the volume in adjacent compartments and therewith dividing the row or column of terminal blocks in adjacent portions.

Thus, the partition wall electrically and mechanically separates adjacent terminal blocks allowing maintaining a relatively high voltage difference between terminals of the adjacent terminal blocks. Conversely, by using a partition wall, the minimum distance between adjacent terminals required for insulating particular voltages may be reduced, allowing the connector to be relatively small. The partition wall may also help maintaining structural integrity of the shroud and its staying in the desired shape. Thus the shroud and/or the terminal blocks may be constructed with relatively weak outer walls, leading to a net saving of material.

The connector according to claim 2 allows a single terminal block to be suitably insulated from adjacent terminal blocks.

The connector according to claim 3 provides insulation between adjacent terminal blocks over essentially their entire facing surface areas .

The connectors according to claims 4 and/or 5 facilitate assembly of the connector, since hindering of insertion of a terminal block in the shroud by a deflected or warped partition wall is substantially prevented.

The connector according to claim 6 allows a relatively compact design of the connector and allows to use relatively little material for the partition wall while allowing proper insulation of the terminals of adjacent terminal blocks and within the terminal blocks.

In the connector according to claim 7 the spacing between terminals within a row in a terminal block and within the portion of a column spanning a partition wall and terminal rows of adjacent terminal blocks can be essentially equal, such that, e.g. for at least a portion of the terminals the pitch in two directions may be matched, resulting in an equidistant lattice-like pattern. This may facilitate designing of both the connector and a counterconnector . The connector may have a relatively small overall size.

Another aspect is a connector according to claim 9. Such a connector provides electrical insulation between adjacent terminal blocks and facilitates its assembly.

Another aspect is a connector, according to claim 10. Such a connector may be assembled in a relatively easy manner with relatively large numbers of terminals arranged over an essentially regular lattice. In accordance with the above-mentioned aspects and benefits, a shroud is provided having the features of a shroud according to any one of the claims 1-10.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above-mentioned aspects and additional benefits will hereafter be further elucidated by means of the attached drawings, showing embodiments by way of non-limiting example only. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a connector; Figs. 2A and 2B are a front view and a rear view in perspective, respectively, of a terminal block;

Figs. 3A-3C are different views of a shroud; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the shroud of Figs. 3A-3C as indicated with the line IV-IV in Fig. 3C; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a shroud;

Figs. 6A and 6B are perspective views of a shroud assembly comprising a shroud and a plurality of terminal blocks.

Fig. 6C is a close-up view of the shroud assembly of Figs. 6A, 6B, as indicated in Fig 6B .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of a connector 1 having a mating or front side CF and a rear side CR. The connector 1 is a three-fold cable connector for connecting three multi-wire cables (not shown) to three counterconnectors (also not shown) . The connector 1 is a modular connector and comprises a housing with two housing shells 2A and 2B. The connector 1 further comprises a plurality of terminal blocks 3 and three shrouds 4. The housing shells 2A, 2B are held together with screws 5A and 5B. Cables may be fixed to the housing with cable clamps 6 and screws 7.

Figs. 2A and 2B show a terminal block 3 from above (Fig. 2A) and from below (Fig. 2B) . The terminal block 3 has a front side TF and a rear side TR. The terminal block 3 comprises a housing 8 of an insulating material, e.g. a plastic material, having a top outer wall 9, a bottom outer wall 10, two outer side walls 11 and separation walls 12A and 12B, respectively. The separation wall 12B is intermediate between the outer walls 9, 10 and extends essentially parallel thereto. Here, the thicknesses of the walls 12A and 12B are essentially equal. On the rear side of the side walls 11 attachment structures 13 are provided. The walls 9-12B define a plurality of compartments 14, here arranged in two parallel rows. The compartments 14 are arranged essentially equidistant within a row and between rows, forming a substantially regular square lattice. The housing 8 of the terminal block 3 is essentially symmetric with respect to the separation wall 12B. The compartments are configured for accommodating a terminal 15. Compartments 14 may also be left empty or be filled with insulating material, essentially acting as insulation barriers as shown in Fig 2A with reference 14' .

It should be noted that the terminal block 3 shown in Fig 2A, 2B is especially adapted to provide a cable connector with improved signal integrity, as disclosed in the international patent application PCT/IB2007/052716, which is incorporated herewith by reference. The terminal block 3 receives in the compartments 14, terminals in a staggered pattern; the terminals 15 are arranged in row wise pairs such that, in the first row, a first pair of the terminals are accommodated in a first and a second column of the terminal block and in the second adjacent row, a second pair of terminals 15 are received in a third and a fourth column. Hence the positions corresponding respectively to the first row and the third column and to the first column and the second row are free of terminal. The unused compartment 14' are filled, at least partly, with insulating material, whose purpose is to prevent wrong positioning of the terminals into undesired allotted compartments with the consequence that the manufacturing process is rendered easier.

Further the terminal block 3 according to Fig. 2A and 2B is also advantageous in term of manufacturing when the terminal block implements IDC terminals. For connecting cable wires to the IDC terminals, two opposite terminals of the two adjacent rows of a same column are processed at the same time with a tool. Due to the above-described staggered configuration of the terminals, during the wire loading process, the IDC tool should be inevitably localized in column position where one of the compartments is free of terminal (free-terminal compartment) , however thanks to the presence of filling material in the free compartment 14' which provides improved robustness and rigidity, risk of deformation of terminal block is greatly reduced in the course of wire loading step.

As can be also noted, the free-terminal compartment is not necessarily entirely filled with insulating material. As shown in the disclosed embodiment, it suffices that only a portion of said free-terminal compartment is filled. In Fig 2B, it can be seen that at its rear side TR, the free-terminal compartment 14' is provided with a hollowing out 12C. The purpose is to provide separation walls 12A with equal thickness in order to further reduce injection moulding cycle time. As seen in Fig. 2A and 2B, the free-terminal compartment filled with insulating material includes through- holes extending from the front side TF towards the rear side TR. Said through-holes are sized to accommodate corresponding mating pin of a counter connector. In the case of insertion of a mating pin into a wrong compartment, it can be received into the through-hole with reduced risk of damages (bending) .

For the skilled person it is obvious that the presence of filling (or potting) material into the free-terminal compartment is an independent feature which can be used independently from that one set out in claim 1. The top and bottom outer walls 9, 10 of the terminal block 3 cover a portion of its top and bottom surface area, leaving the terminals 15 partially exposed, facilitating connecting a wire thereto. In the embodiments shown, the terminals 15 are female terminals provided with insulation displacement features 16. However, any other type of terminals, e.g. male or female soldering terminals, may be used. Also, the arrangement of the terminals 15 within a terminal block 3 may be varied. Here, the terminals 15 are fixed into their respective compartments 14 by a latch feature (not shown) which snaps into the latch-opening 14A upon insertion of the terminal 15 into the compartment 14. The latch opening 14A allows access, e.g. with a tool, to the latch feature to allow disengaging the latch and removing the terminal 15. Figs. 3A-5 show two embodiments of a shroud 4. In these figures, like parts and elements are indicated with the same reference numerals. The shroud 4 comprises a front side SF and a rear side SR, an upper wall 17, a lower wall 18 and left and right side walls 19 defining a chamber. The shroud further has a rim or flange 20 at its rear side SR. The upper and lower walls 17 and 18 are provided with polarization and guiding profiles. The shroud 4 further comprises two partition walls 21 extending between the opposed side walls 19 of the shroud 4, connecting these, and dividing the interior volume of the shroud in adjacent compartments 2OA, 2OB and 2OC, each being arranged for accommodating a single terminal block 3. Each compartment 20A-20C is provided with an attachment structure 22 in the rim 20.

In the embodiment of Figs. 3A-4, the partition walls 21 have essentially parallel front and rear edges, respectively, therewith spanning essentially the entire cross sectional area of the shroud 4 within the side walls 19 and the front and rear sides SF, SR. In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the rear edges of the partition walls are formed receding into (the chamber of) the shroud 4, as seen most clearly in comparison with Fig. 3B.

For assembly of the connector 1, the terminal blocks 3 are inserted into the shroud 4 from its rear side SR (see Fig. 1) forming a shroud assembly with a column of terminal blocks 3. Figs. 6A, 6B show such a shroud assembly 23, comprising the shroud 4 of Figs 3A-4 and three terminal blocks 3. The shroud assembly has a front side AF and a rear side AR. In the shown embodiment, the partition walls 21 and the facing outer walls 9, 10 of the terminal blocks 3 on opposite sides of the partition wall 21 are essentially parallel, lying against each other, and together they have a thickness on the order of that of the insulating walls 12B of the terminal blocks 3 parallel to the walls 9, 10, 21. Here, these thicknesses are substantially equal and equal to that of insulating walls 12A. Thus, all compartments 14 are equidistant within a row and within a column, forming a regular square lattice of compartments 14, thus allowing a regular lattice of terminals 15.

It is preferred that the partition wall 21 extends at least over a part of the exposed portions of terminals 15, preferably over the entire exposed portions thereof, for providing additional insulation, other than physical separation. Most preferably, the partition wall 21 extends over a larger area than the exposed portions of terminals 15, for protection against creepage . The spacing between adjacent compartments 14 may range from approximately 1 to approximately 5 mm, and is preferably about 2 to 2.5 mm. The walls 12A, 12B may have a thickness of about 0.5-5 mm and are preferably about 0.7-2.5, e.g. 1 mm thick. The thicknesses of the insulating walls 12A, 12B may be different. The partition wall 21 may have a larger thickness but preferably is of the same order or smaller than the thickness of the insulating walls 12A, 12B, especially the insulating walls 12A, 12B parallel to the partition wall 21. Different compartment sizes, shapes, arrangements and thicknesses of one or more walls 12A, 12B, 21 may of course also be used for obtaining any desired spacing of the compartments 14 and/or terminals 15.

In general the thickness of each (insulating or partition) wall 9-12B, 21 may be chosen independently and be different from one or more of the other walls 9-12B, 21. The thickness of a wall may also accommodate asymmetric parts, e.g. asymmetric terminals 15, while providing a regular pitch of the terminals 15 in two directions in a terminal block 3 and/or in the shroud assembly 23. The insulating walls 12A, 12B and 21 ensure electrical insulation between terminals 15 of adjacent terminal blocks 3. With a pitch between terminals of ca. 2.5 mm and using polybutyleneterephtalate as a material for the shroud 4 (including the partition walls 21) of Figs. 3A-4, and/or the terminal blocks 3, possibly with additives such as glass, DC voltage differences of about 0.5-1 kV/mm or even up to 2.5 kV/mm can be maintained. Voltage peaks or spikes of higher voltages can also effectively be insulated. The partition walls 21 and/or the insulating walls 12A, 12B may extend beyond the terminals 15 and/or be provided with one or more additional profiles, e.g. rounded, rectangular and/or saw-tooth ribs, to increase the path length for voltage creep between adjacent terminals 15. Thus, the present connector 1 assists electrical robustness against spark-overs and shortings in case of elevated voltage differences between terminals 15. The creepage distance between terminals along a surface should be equal to the shortest distance through air between the terminals to prevent voltage creep from limiting the insulation voltage. Preferably, the creepage distance is longer. The resistance to voltage creep of an electrical device may depend, i.a. on material properties and environmental conditions (humidity, dust, grease, wear, etc) .

The terminal blocks 3 and/or the shroud 4 may be made by known methods such as molding. As indicated, the partition walls 21 may be formed as a rather thin wall or membrane while still providing relatively high electrical insulation. However, such molded thin walls may warp, bend or deflect, which may hinder insertion of terminal blocks 3 into a compartment 20A- 2OC. The shroud 4 of Fig. 5 facilitates insertion of a terminal block 3. The (positions of) the sides of the rear edges of the partition walls 21 are fixed to the side walls 19 of the shroud 4, presenting a fixed position for entering a terminal block 3. The receded portion of the edge, even when warped, does not hinder the initial insertion. Due to the edge of the partition wall 21 being gradually receding, the edge may be engaged by the front of the terminal block 3, such that during its insertion into the shroud 4 the terminal block 3 may push the partition wall 21 out of the way, leading to a relatively easy insertion and assembly, unhindered by a warped partition wall 21. A similar design may be used for a shroud into which a terminal block is inserted from the front side. In such case, any attachment structures should be formed to allow such assembly from the front. Insertion of a terminal block 3 into the shroud 4 may also be facilitated by forming the relevant edge with a portion protruding from the front or rear side SF or SR of the shroud 4, against which the terminal block 3 may be guided during insertion into the shroud 4. Combinations of receding and protruding portions of a front and/or rear edge within one shroud 4 or even within one partition wall 21 are possible. A protruding portion may be provided with a break- or tear-off zone for relatively easy removal thereof, preventing the protruding portion from obstructing the connector 1. When fully inserted, the attachment structures 13 and

22 of the terminal block 3 and of the shroud 4, respectively, fit together, attaching the parts (most clearly visible in Fig. 6B) . The attachment structures 13, 22 are held together by small protrusions 22A on the shroud 4 and latch surfaces 13A on the terminal block 3 (Fig. 6C) . Other attachment features, such as protrusions, latches, edges, etc. may also be used for providing or increasing the holding force.

For assembling the connector 1, the desired number of shroud assemblies 23 is mounted into the housing shells 2A, 2B which are then closed together with the screws 5A, 5B. The shroud assemblies 23 may be fixed within the connector housing. In a beneficial arrangement, the shroud assemblies 23 are floatingly mounted in the connector housing, such that movement of the shroud 4 and the terminal blocks 3 in the front-and-rear direction, i.e. the mating direction of the terminals 15, is substantially prevented, but movement in directions perpendicular thereto, i.e. parallel to the front rim 20 of the shroud 4 is possible. This facilitates mating of the connector 1 while allowing the connector 1 to absorb manufacturing tolerances of the connector 1 and/or counterconnector .

In case the shroud assembly 23 is suitably mounted in the housing of the connector 1, e.g. by being clamped onto a rim, the holding force of the attachment structures 13, 22 need not be designed to withstand forces occurring during mating of the connector 1 to a counterconnector . The holding force may be just sufficient to prevent disengagement of the terminal block 3 and the shroud 4 when handling the shroud assembly 23 during assembly and/or disassembly of the connector 1, while facilitating (dis-) assembling of the shroud assembly 23 itself in a relatively easy manner.

The connector 1 may be provided as an assembled package or as a kit of parts, e.g. comprising a housing 2A, 2B, a plurality of terminal blocks 3 for connecting a plurality of terminals 15 to a counterconnector, wherein the terminals 15 are arrangable or arranged within the terminal blocks 3 in at least one row and being separated from each other by insulating walls 12A, 12B, and one or more shrouds 4 having the features of a shroud 4 according to any one of the claims 1-10. The kit may comprise various types and numbers of suitable terminals.

When connecting the connector to one or more cables, in particular a multi-wire cable, it is advantageous to connect the wires to the terminals 15 before or after inserting the terminals 15 into a terminal block 3, but prior to inserting the terminal block 3 into the shroud 4. The connector 1 may then be assembled with final shroud assembly 23 together with the attached cable (s).

It should be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are described by way of example only. Modifications can be envisaged by a skilled person, including providing less or more terminals, terminal blocks, partition walls and/or shrouds and different arrangements thereof. Elements and aspects of different discussed embodiments may be suitably combined for providing a connector and/or a shroud falling within the scope of the appended claims.

For instance, the partition wall 21 may extend from one side wall, spanning only a portion of the cross sectional area of the shroud. Two such portional walls may overlap or join so as to provide a partition wall which span the entire cross- sectional area of the shroud.

In addition, the terminal blocks may have upper and lower outer walls fully covering the terminals. Terminal blocks may also be provided without an outer upper and/or lower outer wall, since the partition walls provide for an electrical insulation of terminals between adjacent terminal blocks. This further saves material costs for terminal blocks and increases accessibility of the terminals for connecting wires and/or inspection, repair etc. A partition wall may be formed with ribs corresponding to or mating with the insulating walls of such a terminal block.

The shroud and one or more terminal blocks may comprise polarization features defining a particular orientation of the terminal block with respect to the shroud and thus a particular arrangement of terminals in the assembled connector. The shroud and one or more terminal blocks may also comprise guiding features for facilitating assembling of a shroud assembly.

Attachment structures of a terminal block with respect to the shroud may be formed as a protrusion, e.g. a latch, on the side walls of the terminal block or shroud and corresponding holes in the side walls of the shroud or terminal block.

Claims

1. Connector (1), comprising a plurality of terminal blocks (3) for connecting a plurality of terminals (15) to a counterconnector, the terminals (15) being arranged within the terminal blocks (3) in at least one row and being separated from each other by an insulating wall (12A, 12B) ; and a shroud (4), having a front side (F) and a rear side (R), an upper wall (17), a lower wall (18) and left and right side walls (19) defining a chamber, the shroud (4) accommodating the terminal blocks (3) in a row or column within said volume wherein the shroud (4) comprises at least one insulating partition wall (21) dividing the volume in adjacent compartments (2OA, 2OB, 20C) and therewith dividing the row or column of terminal blocks (3) in adjacent portions.

2. Connector (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one compartment (2OA, 2OB, 20C) is arranged for accommodating a single terminal block (3) .

3. Connector (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the partition wall (21) extends between the front side (F) and rear side (R) of the shroud (4), spanning essentially the entire cross sectional area of the shroud (4).

4. Connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one partition wall (21) is formed with a front edge and/or rear edge protruding from and/or receding into the shroud (4) with respect to its front side (F) and/or rear side (R) , respectively.

5. Connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shroud (4) and at least one terminal block (3) are provided with mating attachment structures (13,22) for at least temporarily fixing them together.

6. Connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the terminal blocks (3) have outer walls (9,10) and at least one insulating wall (12B) extending essentially parallel to the outer walls (9,10) and wherein the partition wall (21) has a thickness which is less than or on the order of that of the insulating walls (12B) of the terminal blocks (3) .

7. Connector (1) according to claim 6, wherein the partition wall (21) and the facing outer walls (9,10) of terminal blocks (3) on opposite sides of the partition wall (21) are essentially parallel and together have a thickness on the order of that of the insulating walls (12B) of the terminal blocks (3) parallel to the partition wall (21).

8. Connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the partition wall (21) is provided with a profile for increasing the path length for voltage creep between adjacent terminals (15).

9. Connector (1), comprising a plurality of terminal blocks (3) for connecting a plurality of terminals (15) to a counterconnector, the terminals (15) being arranged within the terminal blocks (3) in at least one row and being separated from each other by an insulating wall (12A, 12B) ; and a shroud (4), having a front side (F) and a rear side (R), an upper wall (17) and a lower wall (18) and left and right side walls (19) defining a chamber, the shroud (4) accommodating the terminal blocks (3) within said volume wherein the shroud (4) comprises at least one insulating partition wall (21), dividing the volume in adjacent compartments (2OA, 2OB, 20C) accommodating one terminal block (3), forming a row or column of terminal blocks (3) in adjacent compartments (2OA, 2OB, 20C) .

10. Connector (1), comprising a plurality of terminal blocks (3) for connecting a plurality of terminals (15) to a counterconnector, the terminals (15) being arranged within the terminal blocks (3) in at least one row and being separated from each other by an insulating wall (12A, 12B), the terminal blocks (3) having top and bottom outer walls (9,10); and a shroud (4), having a front side (F) and a rear side (R), an upper wall (17) and a lower wall (18) and left and right side walls (9) defining a chamber, the shroud (4) accommodating the terminal blocks (3) within said volume wherein the shroud (4) comprises at least one insulating partition wall (21), dividing the volume in adjacent compartments (20A, 20B, 20C) accommodating one terminal block (3), forming a row or column of terminal blocks (3) in adjacent compartments (2OA, 2OB, 20C) , wherein the partition wall (21) and the facing outer walls (9,10) of terminal blocks (3) on opposite sides of the partition wall (21) together have a thickness on the order of that of the insulating walls (12A, 12B) of the terminal blocks (3) .

11. Shroud (4) for a connector (1), the shroud (4) having the features of a shroud (4) according to any one of the claims 1-10.

12. Kit of parts for forming a connector (1) according to any one of the claims 1-10, comprising a housing (2A, 2B), a plurality of terminal blocks (3) for connecting a plurality of terminals (15) to a counterconnector, wherein the terminals (15) are arrangable or arranged within the terminal blocks (3) in at least one row and being separated from each other by insulating walls (12A, 12B), and one or more shrouds (4) having the features of a shroud (4) according to any one of the claims 1-10.