U.S. patent number 3,743,979 [Application Number 05/162,864] was granted by the patent office on 1973-07-03 for filtered connector with barrel spring contact.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AMP Incorporated. Invention is credited to Ferdinand William Schor.
United States Patent |
3,743,979 |
Schor |
July 3, 1973 |
FILTERED CONNECTOR WITH BARREL SPRING CONTACT
Abstract
In a filtered connector a conductive metal tube has a barrel
spring contact for receiving a mating pin and another spring
contact for making electrical connection to the inside conductive
surface of the pin filter. Both of the aforesaid spring contacts
are formed from wall portions of the metal tube, and are therefore
integral with the tube itself. A wire well at the end of the tube
receives the wire which is crimped into the well. A molded plastic
jacket has protruding hollow cylinders which form a jacket for the
tube. The tube has an open end which receives the pins of a mating
connector.
Inventors: |
Schor; Ferdinand William
(Altadena, CA) |
Assignee: |
AMP Incorporated (Harrisburg,
PA)
|
Family
ID: |
22587438 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/162,864 |
Filed: |
July 15, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
333/183; 333/185;
439/825; 333/182; 439/620.05 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/7197 (20130101); H01R 13/20 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/719 (20060101); H01R 13/02 (20060101); H01R
13/20 (20060101); H01h 007/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;333/70,79
;339/143,143R,252P |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Rolinec; Rudolph V.
Assistant Examiner: Chatmon, Jr.; Saxfield
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A filtering connector assembly comprising,
a tubular conductive shell open at its ends and provided with
insulation means therewithin,
the insulation means having a longitudinally extending bore
therethrough,
an elongated hollow tubular filter removably held within at least
one portion of the bore,
an elongated tubular contact element removably mounted within the
filter and conductively engaged with the inner wall thereof,
the ends of the contact element being accessible at both ends of
the bore within the insulation means for engagement with mating
contacts, and
means within the shell for grounding the outer wall of the filter
to the shell.
2. A filtering connector assembly according to claim 8 including
means for retaining the contact element within the filter.
3. A filtering connector assembly according to claim 8 wherein the
insulation means is provided with a plurality of bores
therethrough, there being a said filter within each bore and a said
contact element within each filter mounted in the said manner, the
means within the shell for grounding the outer wall of a filter
being a substantially conductive planar element extending in a
plane normal to that of the filters and in direct contact with the
outer wall of each of the filters.
4. A filtering connector assembly according to claim 10 and in
which at least one further conductive planar element parallel to
and spaced from the first planar element is in direct contact with
the outer wall of each of the filters for grounding them to the
shell.
5. A filtering connector assembly according to claim 8 wherein the
insulator means is comprised of a pair of longitudinally spaced
sections,
one of said sections being removably mounted within the shell and
substantially thereacross,
the filter being mounted within the other insulator section with
one end protruding therefrom and against the adjacent wall of the
first insulator section,
whereby removal of the first section permits removal of the filter
from the shell.
6. A filtering connector assembly according to claim 12 wherein the
insulation means is provided with an outwardly protruding
insulating cylindrical member secured thereto in coaxially
alignment with the bore therein,
at least one end of the contact element normally extending through
the insulation means and within the cylindrical member and
terminating at the free end thereof.
7. A filtering connector assembly according to claim 13 wherein the
cylindrical member protrudes from the first section.
8. A filtering connector assembly according to claim 8 wherein an
exposed end of the insulation means within an exposed end of the
insulation means within the shell is provided with a protruding
insulating cylinder secured thereto and coaxial with the bore
therein,
the contact member extending in said cylinder and substantially
terminating at its free end.
9. A filter assembly according to claim 8 in which the elongated
contact member is substantially hollow,
an intermediate section thereof being formed with longitudinal
slits angularly spaced thereabout,
the material between the slits being bowed outwardly to form spring
members for engaging the inner wall of the filter.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to filtered connectors and more particularly
to a connector in which a tubular member provides spring contact
for both the mating pin and the filter.
Connector pin filters are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,447,104 Schor,
3,435,387 Reinke et al., 3,002,162 Garstang. Copending application
Ser. No. 883,501, filed Dec. 9, 1969, in the name of William B.
Fritz, describes a particularly advantageous pin filter.
These filters commonly include an extruded tube of ferrite. The pin
is inserted in the extruded tube and makes contact with an inner
conducting layer deposited on the ferrite. A dielectric layer is
coated on the ferrite and an outer conductive layer is deposited,
as by plating or painting, on the dielectric. This outer conductive
layer is generally the common or ground terminal for all filters in
a connector. A ground plane in the connector provides a common
connection to all of the outer conductors of the filters in the
connector.
Some connectors have extremely small, closely spaced pins. In some
connectors of this type, the filters have been assembled to the
contact pin. Such a connector has the disadvantage that breakage of
the filter pin assemblies sometimes occurs while crimping on the
lead-in wires. Since the filter pin assemblies are relatively
expensive, this is a decided disadvantage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with an important aspect of this invention the wire
is pre-crimped into the wire well of the tubular member having two
spring contacts. Thereafter the tube is inserted through the filter
which is permanently assembled in the connector body. The
protruding end of the tube is relatively thick and is not subject
to breakage. However, even if there is breakage, the tube can be
withdrawn and another inexpensive tube can be inserted in the
connector.
The protruding end of the tube has an opening to receive the thin
pins of a mating connector. These pins are recessed so that they
are not as subject to breakage as would otherwise be the case. The
protruding, or contact end of the tube has a barrel spring integral
with the tube itself, which spring exerts pressure against the
mating pin. The center of the tube has another integral spring
which makes contact with the filter. In this manner, electrical
connection is made to the pin and the filter by the same conductive
metal tube.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, a molded
plastic jacket has a plurality of protruding hollow cylinders which
fit over the protruding metallic tubes of the connector. These form
a jacket for the contact section of the metal tube.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the
invention will be better understood from the following more
detailed description and appended claims.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a portion of the connector; and
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the connector and the mating
pins.
DESCRIPTION OF A PARTICULAR EMBODIMENT
The connector assembly of the invention comprises a connector shell
11. A plurality of pin filters are mounted in the shell, only one
of the filters 12 being shown for clarity. These filters are
tubular and are commonly an extruded tube of ferrite coated with a
dielectric, commonly a barium titanate compound. An outer
conductive layer is deposited on the barium titanate. The outer
conductive layer on the filter is usually the common connection. A
pair of ground planes 13 and 14 of conductive metal provide a low
impedance common connection to the outer conductors of all filters.
This ground plane arrangement is more fully described in a
copending application entitled "Filter Pin Connector Having Low
Ground Return Impedance," application Ser. No. 109,423, filed Jan.
25, 1971, Fritz and Schor.
The connector assembly further includes a front insulator 15 and
rear insulators 16 and 17 which are of hard phenolic material. A
retention spring 18 holds the front assembly in place.
In accordance with this invention a conductive metal tube 19 makes
electrical contact with the inside conductor of the filter 12 and
with the mating pin. Commonly the tube 19 will be constructed of
hard beryllium copper. The tube 19 has a wire receiving portion at
one end comprising, for example, a wire well 20 which is crimped
onto the tube 19.
The tube 19 has a barrel-type outer spring 21 in the middle. The
tube is inserted in the filter 12. This spring 21 exerts pressure
against the inner surface of the filter to make a good electrical
connection to it.
A contact section 22 at the outer end of tube 19 extends from the
front assembly. This section has an end opening 23 adapted to
receive a pin of the mating conductor. The contact section 22 has
an inner, barrel-type, spring 24 which exerts pressure against the
mating pin to establish a good electrical connection to the pin. As
an important aspect of the invention, each of the two spring
contacts 21 and 24 is formed by cutting a number of narrow parallel
slots in the wall of tube 19, directed along the longitudinal axis
of the tube, and bending or bowing the arms thus formed between the
slots away from the surface of the tube to serve as spring contact
elements 21a and 24a. The contact 21 of course has the elements 21a
thereof bent outwardly of the tube and the other contact 24 has its
elements 24a bent inwardly. It should be noted that the protruding
contact section 22 is of larger size than the mating pin and hence
is more sturdy. Furthermore, the mating pins are recessed so that
they are not as subject to breakage, as is seen in FIG. 2.
In assembling the connector, the wire 25 is first crimped into the
wire well 20 before the tube is inserted therein. A retaining
spring 26 snaps over a shoulder of the wire well to hold the tube
in place in the connector. Even if the tube 19 is bent or damaged
during assembly, it can be easily removed without damage to the
filter 12.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, a soft plastic
insulator 27 has a plurality of protruding plastic cylinders, the
cylinder 28 being shown. These protruding cylinders form jackets
for the contact section 22 of the tube. This is particularly
advantageous in a water-proof type connector.
A defective filter 12 can also be easily replaced by releasing
spring 18 and removing elements 15 and 27, thus gaining access to
the filter array. The filter in question is removed from its tube
19 and replaced.
While a particular embodiment has been shown and described, it will
be understood that various modifications are within the true spirit
and scope of the invention. The appended claims are intended to
cover these modifications.
* * * * *