Electrical Connection And Distribution System

Abstract

This invention discloses an electrical connection and distribution system including one or more unique distribution connectors. Each of sad distribution connectors is capable of distributing current or voltage to a plurality of wire connections from an individual connection. The connector shell envisioned, for use in this connector, is of a commercially available configuration. By including one or more unique jumper means in these commercially available connectors, a new and novel connector combination is created wherein a single wire enters a terminal one side of the connector and multiple wires leave corresponding multiple terminals on the same side to provide a distribution system for the current or voltage source which entered the single terminal.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the distribution cabling of electrical current in electrical apparatus. It thus concerns the connection and routing of electrical wiring about the apparatus.

Generally such cabling and connection systems utilize multiple pin and socket connectors, particularly rack and panel types and these connectors have been used for many years to make electrical connections to the unit, module or other apparatus.

In the past, commercial electrical connectors generally were used to connect or disconnect a circuit with ease of installation and removal. These connectors usually had equal pluralities of terminals in the male and female portions of the connector. Consequently it was very awkward and expensive to create more than one wire leaving the connector for a single wire entering it.

One of the advantages of using multiple pin connectors is the speed and ease with which the electrical connections can be made or broken and apparatus removed from a parent system for service and/or changes. A system can also be broken down into various components for ease in shipping and then quickly reassembled and reconnected. Another advantage of such connectors is that a harness can be made separately from the wiring of the system for interconnection within and between multiple modules. This harness can be constructed more easily on a form board, or similar method, apart from the parent system.

2. Description of the Prior Art

As previously noted, prior art connectors had a major disadvantage in that only one circuit could be made through any one pin and socket combination. In order to make multiple connections to several modules, such as a common supply line feeding several modules, it previously has been necessary to bring the supply lines to binding posts on terminal boards. Thereafter, multiple single leads were brought out from this common supply on the terminal boards to the various modules. This, in turn, meant that a system having requirements for such multiple circuits could not be completely "plug in." The harness must have different types of wire terminals, such as for example, spade lugs, etc. for use on the terminal board binding posts. Thus to assemble the system after a prior disassembly for shipment, the connections must be made individually to the terminal board binding posts. This type of reassembly of course brings with it the possibility of making incorrect connections. It is possible in some cases to incorporate the terminal blocks into the harness, but when the blocks are large or the mounting position is such that the fastening means are inaccessible, this solution is not feasible.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this invention is to provide means of making common connections to several modules, utilizing connectors similar to the connectors usually incorporated in such systems. Thus instead of going to a terminal block to create the additional lines from the common supply, as was previously done, the wire is merely connected to another identical connector hereafter called the distributor or jumper connector, and a plurality of wires are returned from this connector to the cable. A jumper is inserted into a portion of this identical connector body to provide as many additional wires from a common supply as is desired.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electrical distribution connector for use in a cabling assembly for electrical apparatus which is capable of providing a plurality of output terminal contacts for an individual input terminal contact.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an electrical connector wherein one or more feed and source distribution connections may be made through one side of the connector.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector wherein one or more jumpers are inserted in one portion of the shell of the connector and all of the distribution circuit wiring is accomplished through the second portion of the connector shell.

It is also an object of the present invention to accomplish these aforementioned objectives through the compatible use of presently available commercial connectors.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an electrical distribution system having a plurality of electrical connectors, including said jumper means, which system is entirely "plug in."

It is still a further object to provide an electrical wiring distribution system which system may be preconstructed upon a form board or some similar "jig" type means.

These and other objects will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the remainder of this specification together with the accompanying drawings. A specific embodiment which the inventor considers to be the preferred one is set forth in the following detailed description .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric illustration showing the overall configuration of the suggested embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the distribution connector;

FIG. 3 is a partial, cut away, isometrical view of the connector;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the jumper means used in the distribution connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates the electrical distribution connector and the switch connector in the overall distribution system. It is readily seen that it is utilized to provide a plurality of output wiring connections 1-20, 1-22, 1-24, 1-26 and 1-28 for each input wire 1-18 connected to it. Thus the distribution connector shell has a first 1-14 and a second 1-16 portion. In the present scheme, the female portion of the connector is included in the second portion 1-16 of the shell, while the male portion is created in the first shell portion 1-14 by the insertion in the shell of the jumper. The distribution connector also may be said to have a fixed portion 1-14 mounted, for example, to a module housing, and it also has a removable portion 1-16 which is permanently wired into the cabling of the distribution system. In FIG. 1, for illustrative purposes, the two connectors are shown mounted to a base plate 1-1. More specifically, the fixed members 1-10 and 1-14 of the two connectors are mounted to the base plate 1-1 via a pair of insulative bases 1-2 and 1-4 respectively. When it is desired to remove the cabling from the system for repair, servicing of the module or for dismantling the system for shipment, the cabling can be almost instantaneously unplugged. Conversely when the system is being reconstructed the cabling can be speedily installed. It bears repeating that this installation is not only rapid but foolproof, as well, in that the proper wire must go to the correct connection.

The remaining connector (herein called the switch connector) also has a fixed portion 1-10 and a removable portion 1-12 for ready installation and removal. However, in this connector although a multiplicity of wires 1-30, 1-32, 1-34, 1-36 and 1-38 are connected simultaneously, only a single wire in the fixed portion of the connector goes to a single wire in the removable portion.

From the removable portion of this switch connector selected wires may be separated from the cable and wired to the distribution connector. One of these selected wires 1-18 enters the movable portion 1-16 of the distribution connector for connection to the jumper inserted in the fixed portion. From this jumper shown in detail in FIG. 4 five additional fingers enter the fixed portion 1-14 of the connector to provide five additional common connections to the single wire entering the movable portion. These five wires 1-20, 1-22,1-24,1-26 and 1-28 thereafter leave the distribution connector and reenter the cable. Thus at this point five wires are now in the cable for each selected original one 1-18. It is readily seen that a plurality of these jumpers can be used in the distribution connector to provide almost any combination of wire pluralities.

This, of course, is a vast improvement over the prior art method of having each wire leave the cable and enter a terminal block from which a plurality of common leads had to be derived. The advantages are obvious; ease of installation and removal, lack of mistakes due to rewiring of the terminal block after each disassembly and the capability of prewiring the entire cable on a separate "jig" or form board.

FIG. 2 illustrates a plurality of such jumpers 2-50 and 2-52 inserted through the fixed portion 2-14 of the distribution connector. The fixed portion 2-14 is mounted, in turn, to an insulative base 2-2. As indicated, these inserted jumpers 2-50 and 2-52 become the male prongs of the distribution connector. Thus upon installation of the removable portion 2-16 of the distribution connector, these prongs are engaged by the female socket connections housed in connector portion 2-16.

The insertion of the jumper in the fixed portion of the connector is shown in detail in FIG. 3, wherein a portion of the insulative base 3-2 is removed. Thus in the cut away portion of the drawing, the jumper 3-50 is shown inserted in the fixed portion 3-14 of the distribution connector.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed portrayal of a preferred jumper. It goes without saying that this jumper can have numerous configurations and is therefore not limited to one input finger and five output fingers shown in the figure. Similarly many configurations of the fingers themselves are possible in the existing connector art. Thus they may be round, for example, and they may be held in the connector shell in numerous ways.

What has been shown and described is an electrical connector with a first and a second portion in which a plurality of output terminals are derived from one of the portions for each input wire entering the same portion. This is accomplished through the use of an inserted jumper means on the opposite portion of the connector shell.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described and illustrated.

Claims

I claim:

1. An electrical distribution system comprising a first electrical pin and socket connector having a fixed and a removable portion, a cable having a plurality of individual wires connected to said removable portion for detachable connection to said fixed portion, said wires being arranged one each to a pin and socket, a second electrical pin and socket connector also having a fixed and a removable portion, a selected plurality of the wires of said cable from the first connector connected to the removable portion of said second connector, one or more multipronged jumper means inserted in the fixed portion of said second connector, and a plurality of wires connected to the removable portion of said second connector such that for each wire entering the removable portion of said connector a plurality of wires leave said removable portion and return to said cable, which wires are commonly connected to each of the selected entering wires upon engagement of the fixed and removable portions of said second connector to thereby provide in said cable one or more groups of commonly connected wires for distribution to various locations for each previously selected wire from said cable.

2. The electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said system includes a plurality of first connectors and a plurality of second connectors with each of said plurality of second connectors having a plurality of multipronged jumper means insertably mounted in the fixed portions of said plurality of second connectors.

3. An electrical distribution system comprising a first electrical pin and socket connector having a first and a second portion, a cable having a plurality of individual wires connected to said second portion for detachable connection to said first portion, said wires being arranged, one each to a pin and socket, such that one wire on said first portion is connected to one wire on said second portion upon engagement of connector, a second electrical pin and socket connector also having a first and a second portion, a selected plurality of wires of said cable leaving the first connector connected to the second portion of said second connector, one or more multipronged jumper means inserted in the first portion of said second connector, and a plurality of wires connected to the second portion of said second connector such that for each wire entering the second portion of said second connector a plurality of wires leave said second portion and return to said cable, which wires are commonly connected to each of the selected entering wires upon engagement of said second connector to thereby provide in said cable a plurality of commonly connected wires for distribution to various locations for each previously selected wire from said cable.

4. The electrical distribution system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said system includes a plurality of first electrical connectors and a plurality of second connectors and each of said multipronged jumper means has a plurality of identically shaped and sized prongs.

5. The electrical distribution system of claim 4 wherein said first and second electrical connectors are identical connectors prior to the insertion of said multipronged jumper means in said plurality of second connectors.