U.S. patent number 3,874,762 [Application Number 05/355,617] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-01 for electrical cable connecting device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Frank A. Shott, Dean W. Skinner, Vincent P. Subik.
United States Patent |
3,874,762 |
Shott , et al. |
April 1, 1975 |
ELECTRICAL CABLE CONNECTING DEVICE
Abstract
An electrical connector plug assembly for terminating the
conductor elements of a cable to enable disengageable electrical
connection with other terminal means. The plug assembly comprises a
molded connector housing having a pair of male type metal pins
projecting from one end of the housing while the other end portion
of the housing defines a cable-receiving channel. A set of
combination insulation strippers and conductor connecting members
are mounted in the cable-receiving channel of the housing. The
insulation strippers are slotted and tapered in their upper portion
and perform a wire insulation piercing and stripping function and
make electrical contact with the conductor elements of the cable.
Conductive members electrically couple the insulation strippers
with the projecting pins. A cable-contacting cap member is adapted
to overlie the cable receiving channel and is functionally operable
to forceably press a cable into the cable-receiving channel wherein
the insulation strippers remove the insulation and make electrical
contact with the conducting elements of the cable. An actuator
grouper member enables the ganging of the electrical connector plug
assemblies thereby enabling multiple plug connecting and
disengaging operations.
Inventors: |
Shott; Frank A. (Vestal,
NY), Skinner; Dean W. (Binghamton, NY), Subik; Vincent
P. (Binghamton, NY) |
Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation (Armonk, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23398132 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/355,617 |
Filed: |
April 30, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/425;
439/357 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/518 (20130101); H01R 12/675 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/518 (20060101); H01R 13/516 (20060101); H01r
013/54 (); H01r 011/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/59-61,91,95,97-99,185,196,206,207,208,210 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
699,856 |
|
Nov 1953 |
|
UK |
|
479,961 |
|
Nov 1969 |
|
CH |
|
508,583 |
|
Feb 1952 |
|
BE |
|
Primary Examiner: McGlynn; Joseph H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Neave; Charles S.
Claims
We claim:
1. An electrical connector plug assembly for terminating the
conductor elements of a cable and enabling electrical connection
with other electrical terminal means, the assembly comprising:
a. a molded plastic connector housing including a pair of overlying
transversely offset quadrilateral extensions at one end thereof and
provided with T-shaped cap retaining slots therein,
b. a pair of male type metal pins projecting from the pair of
overlying transversely offset quardilateral extensions of said
connector housing,
c. the other end portion of said connector housing defining a
channel for receiving an electrical cable therein,
d. a set of insulation strippers mounted in the channel of said
connector housing comprising three stripper elements adapted to
accommodate a tri-lead cable in which a center conductor functions
as a signal conductor and is flanked by two outer conductors which
function as the ground conductors, each insulation stripper
including a cylindrical member having a U-shaped slot therein with
the upper portions being tapered to perform a wire insulation
piercing and stripping function and make electrical contact with a
respective conductor element when disposed therebetween,
e. conductive means electrically coupling each metal pin with a
respective one of the insulation strippers wherein the center
conductor stripper couples with a signal projecting pin and the
outer conductor strippers are coupled with a ground projecting pin,
and
f. a cable-contacting cap member adapted to overlie the cable and
channel and to forceably press the cable into the channel thereby
to cause the insulation strippers to remove the insulation from the
conductor elements of the cable and cause the conductor elements to
enter into the U-shaped slots and make electrical contact with the
strippers, said cable-contacting cap member is provided with
T-shaped cap retaining projections adapted to cooperate with the
T-shaped cap retaining slots in the connector housing for securing
the cap to the housing.
2. An electrical connector plug assembly as defined in claim 1
wherein the overlying quadrilateral extensions are of such
configuration as to be adapted to be pluggably connected into a
respective one of a plurality of lattice-like apertures in an
acutator grouper member.
3. An electrical connector plug assembly as defined in claim 2
wherein one of the quarilateral extensions of each connector
housing is provided with a retainer means for maintaining said
connector housing in locked position within said acutator grouper
member.
4. An electrical connector plug assembly as defined in claim 2
wherein one of the quadrilateral extensions of each connector
housing and the related quadrilateral apertures in the actuator
grouper member are provided with cooperating retainer means for
maintaining said connector housings in a releaseably locked
position within said actuator grouper member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to disengageable electrical connector plug
assemblies for connecting the cable conductors with other
electrical terminal means of a panel board, printed circuit board
or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of connectors have been either used or proposed for
connecting cables to the panel boards of a data processing system;
but a lack of reliability, versatility, economy and ruggedness is a
common failing. Modern electronic technology has created new needs
in wiring techniques. With the advent of micro-miniaturization of
printed circuit technology, there is a need for a cable connecting
assembly which is readily attachable and detachable and adaptable
for nesting or ganging to accommodate a plurality of cable
connections with a printed circuit board or the like.
Flat cables comprising a plurality of small diameter round wire
conductors arranged in spaced parallel side-by-side relation within
a flat plastic or insulating strip have many advantages not
afforded by single or multiple conductor wires or cables of the
conventional constructions. Flat cables of this character under
consideration are particularly adapted for use in electronics and
data processing systems.
In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,219 discloses a solderless
connector for individual insulated small wires wherein no
preliminary stripping of insulation is required. The connector
penetrates and displaces the insulative covering during application
and makes a positive metal-to-metal connection. U.S. Pat. No.
3,189,863 discloses multiple contact connectors for application to
multiple conductor insulated cables consisting of a plurality of
parallel side-by-side mutually insulated small-diameter copper
wires. Means are provided for making electrical contact with the
conductors of flat cable without any previous removal of insulation
from the cable or conductors. U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,833 discloses
another type of improved electrical connector assemblies adapted
for use with flat cable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The electrical connecting device of the present invention overcomes
certain well-known disadvantages of prior constructions such as the
utilization of excessive space, labor costs involved in wire
stripping, and requirements of individual wire handling to
accomplish the connecting of a plurality of wires, and includes the
features and advantages of providing a good disengageable
electrical connector assembly enabling the quick connecting and
disconnecting of wires of a cable with other terminal means of a
printed circuit board or the like.
Briefly, the electrical connecting device comprises a molded
plastic connector housing including a pair of overlying
quadrilateral extensions at one end thereof and with a male type
metal pin protruding from each of the quadrilateral extensions. The
opposite end portion of the molded connector housing defines an
electrical cable-receiving channel in which is mounted a set of
insulation strippers, each insulation stripper including a
cylindrical member having a U-shaped slot therein with the upper
portions being tapered to perform a wire insulation piercing and
stripping function. A cable-contacting cap member is adapted to
overlie the cable-receiving channel and functionally operates to
forceably press the cable into the cable-receiving channel wherein
the insulation strippers remove the insulation from the conductive
elements of the cable and the conductive elements are forced into
the U-shaped slots and make a reliable electrical connection
therewith. An actuator grouper member having a plurality of
complementary paired quadrilateral apertures therein can be
utilized to receive and hold a plurality of the plastic connector
housings to enable multiple cable connecting and detaching
operations simultaneously.
A feature of the instant device is that it enables a high
performance cable wiring system. It is particularly adapted for the
printed circuit board art. It facilitates the connection of
multi-conductor wire flat cable, tri-lead cable or twin lead cables
and the like. It permits a low-cost method of terminating the
cables. It provides a low-cost connector housing. The cable
terminating means may be latched into an actuator grouper member
for retention therein and for concurrent attachment or detachment
of a group of cables.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide an improved
electrical cable connecting device for connecting conductors of a
cable with other terminal means attached to a printed circuit
board.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved
cable connector assembly structure including means for ensuring the
precise positioning and connecting of the connector elements within
the connector assembly.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an
improved cable connector construction having unique means for
removably attaching a plurality of cable connector assemblies with
other terminal connecting devices.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the
invention will be apparent from the following more particular
description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of an electrical connector
plug assembly for terminating the conductor elements of a tri-lead
cable in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of an electrical connector plug housing.
FIG. 3 is an end view of the cable-receiving channel portion of the
electrical connector plug housing.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the electrical connector plug housing.
FIG. 5 is an end view showing the quadrilateral extensions of the
electrical connector plug housing.
FIG. 6 is a side view of a cap member adapted to overlie the
cable-receiving channel portion of the electrical connector plug
housing.
FIG. 7 is a top view of the cap member.
FIG. 8 is an end view of the cap member.
FIG. 9 is an exploded isometric view of an electrical connector
plug assembly for terminating the conductor elements of a twin-lead
cable in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 10 is a top view of the electrical connector plug housing for
the twin-lead cable.
FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a composite electrical connector
plug assembly showing a single cable connector housing in place in
accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1 and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 8,
there is shown one embodiment in accordance with the present
invention, an electrical connector plug assembly for terminating
the conductive elements 10, 11 and 12 of a cable 13 and enabling
electrical connection with other electrical terminating means. The
connector plug assembly of the present invention is adapted to be
disengageably mounted with the other terminal means. The connector
plug assembly comprises a molded plastic housing 14 having a pair
of overlying quadrilateral extensions 15 and 16 protruding from the
forward end of the housing 14. The extensions 15 and 16 may be of
equal round, square, or rectangular size. Alternatively, the
extensions 15 and 16 may be of unequal round, square or rectangular
size for the purpose of polarizing the connector plug electrically.
In the preferred embodiment, the extension 15 overlies the
extension 16 and is arbitrarily offset to one side, as shown more
clearly in FIG. 5. The extensions 15 and 16 could be in a
horizontal or vertical alignment without departing from the spirit
of the invention.
To establish connection with other electrical terminal devices,
there is provided male type metal pins 17 and 18 which protrude
from extensions 15 and 16, respectively. These pins 17 and 18 may
be round, square, rectangular or flat as the need dictates.
Actually, the shape of the mating female connector is controlling
for the shape to be used for the male pins 17 and 18.
The after end of the connector housing 14 is provided with a
longitudinally extending cable-receiving channel 19. The sides 20
and 21 of the channel 19 are tapered inwardly to the bottom and
inner portion of the channel 19. In the channel 19 are located
three cyclindrical members 22, 23 and 24 of metal material, each
with the upper end portion being tapered downwardly and having a
U-shaped slot 25, 26 and 27 therein, respectively. The members 22,
23 and 24 function as insulation strippers, with the functions and
operation being more particularly described later in this
description.
The cylindrical members 22, 23 and 24 are electrically and
metallically coupled with the pins 17 and 18 as shown in FIGS. 2
and 4 and wherein the outer stripper members 22 and 24 are coupled
together and with the round pin 17 by means of the coupling element
38. The center stripper member 23 is coupled with the signal pin 18
by means of the coupling element 39.
A connector assembly of the instant invention is a pluggable
electrical connect and disconnect means for connecting tri-lead
cables with other electrical terminal devices. The tri-lead cable
13 comprises three dissimilar parallel conductors 10, 11 and 12 in
a predetermined side-by-side space relationship, not necessarily
symmetrical, and wherein the outer conductors 10 and 12 are of a
larger size functioning as ground wires and the center conductor 11
is of a smaller size functioning as the signal conductor. The
conductors 10, 11 and 12 are covered with an insulative material
28.
A molded cap member 30 is a part of the electrical connector plug
assembly. It is a longitudinal cap adapted to overlie the cable
receiving channel 19 of the housing 14. The cap member 30 has a
recess 31 with inwardly tapered sides 32 and 33. A pair of inverted
T shaped projections 34 and 35 depend inwardly from the cap member
30 sides.
During an assembly operation for the connector plug an end of cable
13 is placed above the cable-receiving channel 19. The cap member
30 is positioned over the cable end and above the cable-receiving
channel 19. The cap member 30 is manually and forceably urged
downwardly until its sides contact the connector housing 14 during
which operation the insulation material 28 in contact with the
cylindrical members 22, 23 and 24 will be pierced and removed from
the conductive elements 10, 11 and 12 in the area of contact. The
elements 10, 11 and 12 will be forceably urged into the slots 25,
26 and 27, respectively. The sides of the cylindrical members 22,
23 and 24 formed by the U-shaped slots 25, 26 and 27 therein will
yield sufficiently to permit the conductive elements 10, 11 and 12
to enter the slots 25, 26 and 27, respectively. Consequently, each
of the cylindrical members 25, 26 and 27 will make a firm or
positive metal-to-metal contact with its related conductive
element.
The cap member 30 being of plastic material provides the "T" shaped
projections 34 and 35 with some resiliency wherein they can be
moved to the sides of the connector housing 14 during an assembly
operation and until the cap member 30 is fully seated whereupon the
inverted T-shaped projections 34 and 35 will snap into and latch in
the correspondingly shaped slots 36 and 37 in the connector housing
14. This action serves to lock the cap member 30 and cable 13 in
position. As a result, an electrical connector plug is assembled to
a tri-lead cable and can be readily and easily connected with other
terminal means such as might be associated with a printed circuit
terminal board or the like.
A connector plug assembly of the instant invention is also
adaptable to provide an electrical connect and disconnect means for
connecting twin-lead cables comprising a signal and ground
conductors with a printed circuit panel board. Referring to FIGS. 9
and 10, there is shown in accordance with the present invention, an
embodiment of an electrical connector plug assembly for terminating
the conductive elements 40 and 41 of a twin-lead cable 42. In the
twin-lead connector plug housing 43 the cable receiving channel 44
is shown to include two cylindrical insulation stripper members 45
and 46 which are identical in structure with the previously
disclosed stripper members 22, 23 and 24. The cylindrical member 45
is coupled to the ground pin 47 by means of the coupling element 48
and the stripper member 46 is coupled to the signal pin 49 by means
of the coupling element 50. As the result of such electrical
connector plug assembly, a twin-lead cable can be readily and
easily connected with other terminal means such as the terminal
devices associated with a printed circuit terminal board or the
like.
Referring now to FIG. 11, there is shown a composite electrical
connector plug assembly, according to the present invention,
wherein a plurality of individual connector plug assemblies such as
is shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 can be releasably or detachably inserted
into appropriate apertures in an actuator grouper member 60. The
actuator grouper member 60 is a molded plastic material having a
lattice like structure including a plurality of paired
quadrilateral apertures 61 therein. The apertures 61 are postioned
in an overlying manner and designed to be mateable with the
connector plug extensions 15 and 16, respectively. Accordingly, the
paired apertures 61 must have the same shape as the mating
extensions 15 and 16 but are slightly larger in size in order to
receive the connector plug extensions 15 and 16. It can be pointed
out that one of the paired apertures may be larger in size than the
other aperture 61 in order to provide desired electrical polarity
characteristics.
The actuator grouper member 60 and the connector housings 14 or 43
may additionally include methods for maintaining the housings
within the apertures of the grouper members 60. In the preferred
showings of FIGS. 1, 9 and 11, in the actuator grouper member 60,
one of each of the paired quadrilateral apertures 61 has been
provided with a transverse boss 62 while an extension of the
connector housing 14 or 43 has been provided with a mateable
transverse indentation 63. The mating boss 62 and indentation 63
function to retain the housing 14 or 43 within the apertures 61 in
the actuator grouper member 60 after being inserted therein. Other
detenting or retaining arrangements are conceivable without
departing from the spirit of the invention.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood
by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and
details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention.
* * * * *