Itt Corporation

Thomas & Betts Corporation

Molex Corporation

Cray Research, Inc.

Albert H Wilson

David E Welsh

Melvin C August

Eugene F Neumann

Ronald S Narozny

Amir-Akbar Sadigh-Behzadi

Daniel C Mansur

An electrical connector includes an insulative housing having a forward mating end, a rear terminating end and a plurality of terminal-receiving passages extending between the ends. A conductive front shell is disposed about a substantial portion of at least the forward mating end of the housing. A pair of conductive rear backshells are disposed about a substantial portion of at least the rear terminating end of the housing. The backshells are swivelably mounted to the front shell on front-to-rear axes for movement between open and closed positions.

Shielded electrical connector

A completely shielded metallized connector block for use in multiple circuit modules of an electronic device. Electrical communication between the circuit boards is effected by an array of metallic pins which run through the blocks. The metallization on the nonconductive blocks can be held at ground or at a constant potential to increase the shielding between pins as well as maintaining voltage and ground planes at constant levels throughout the modules. The metallization is insulated from the pins and circuit boards by nonconductive bushings inserted in holes in the blocks. In one embodiment, the metallization consists of copper and solder plating and the blocks are constructed of liquid crystal polymer.

Method of manufacturing metallized connector block

A contact assembly is provided for connecting pairs of terminals of two circuits, which allows terminals to be positioned at high densities with minimum crosstalk, selected impedances, and minimum inductances for fast pulse rise times. The apparatus includes a dielectric frame (30, FIG. 2) having multiple miniature cavities (46), and an extendable contact assembly (26) lying in each cavity and having a pair of probes (32, 34) projecting from opposite faces of the frame. The two probes of each contact assembly are slideably engaged and are biased apart by a spring (70), the spring being constructed of dielectric material to avoid inductances and to allow for a high characteristic impedance. The frame can include a body (104, FIG. 6) having multiple plated through holes or cavities (106), and end wall structures (114) having dielectric bushings (122) shorter than the body holes and fitting into the body cavities.

Contact assembly

An electrical coupling is provided which has a dielectric body with numerous contact-holding holes, which provides electromagnetic shielding between contacts in a simple and low cost construction. The body (20, FIG. 3) has through holes extending between its opposite faces, and has a metal plating (34) which covers the walls of the holes as well as at least a portion of a face to interconnect all of the hole platings. A plurality of dielectric bushings (54, 56) lie in many of the holes to prevent contacts (36) in the holes from touching the plating on the walls of the holes. At least one of the holes not occupied by one of the bushings, holds a metal grounding device (60) securely connected to the plating on the hole wall and forming a contact for connecting to a grounded terminal (16G).

Intermodule electrical coupling

A circuit apparatus connector is described, of the type which includes a body holding rows of contacts (92, FIG. 2) and a flexible circuit for connecting the contacts to terminal pads (144, 146) on a circuit board device (140), to allow the circuit board device to be shifted slightly relative to the contacts. An insulator (84) is provided which includes a body (86) with holes for holding the contacts and with an integral elongated arm (100) whose end can bear against a side of the circuit board device. Conducting plating regions are formed on the insulator, each region plating the walls of a contact-receiving hole (90) and forming a trace (120) on one side of the arm that ends in a contact pad (122) that engages a terminal pad on the circuit board device.

One-piece insulator body and flexible circuit

A method is described for installing contacts with their rear tail ends soldered to holes of a circuit board and their front mating ends insulative housing layers, which facilitates inspection of the solder connections to the circuit board and defluxing of the assembly after soldering. The front contact portions are partially inserted into holes in an elastomeric housing layer (50, FIG. 3) until a first forwardly-facing shoulder (76) on each contact abuts an abutment (92) on the elastomeric layer. The contact rear ends are inserted into corresponding holes in the circuit board (56) until a second rearwardly-facing shoulder on each contact abuts the front face of the board, and the contacts are then soldered to the board. The distance (H, FIG. 2) between the first and second contact shoulders is sufficient to provide a considerable gap (A) between the board and the elastomeric layer, so the solder connectiosn can be visually inspected. Finally, the contacts are pushed further into the housing until the rear face of the elastomeric layer lies facewise against the front face of the board. The elastomeric layer can be formed with a tubular extension (170, FIG. 7) around each plug contact front portion to extend partially into a hole in a more rigid forward insulative layer of the housing. When a socket contact mates with the plug contact, the extreme tip (176) of the socket contact compresses the elastomeric tubular portion to seal to the tubular extension and to compress the tubular extension so it expands and seals against the hole in the more rigid forward layer.

Contact retention and sealing system

A connector is described, which includes a radio interference shield in the shell assembly, and yet which has a shell assembly whose forward portion can fit into a very narrow space. The shell assembly includes a shell (14, FIG. 2), a sheet metal hood (30) extending forwardly from the shell to receive another connector, and a sheet metal shield (34) lying on the inner shide of the hood. The hood has a forward end (46) extending in a short loop, while the shield has a forward end (58) extending in a loop immediately rearward of the hood loop. The shield includes an outer portion (54) extending along the inner surface of the hood, and a resilient inner portion (56) that forms spring fingers (62) that contact the other connector and that have tips (78) that make facewise contact with the outer portion of the shield.

Connector with EMI/RFI grounding spring

An EMI/RFI shield is disclosed in which the shield is mounted in a continuous groove formed about the outside surface of the connector plug. The shield comprises a metal spring which is mounted over the outside of an elastomeric backup ring. Marginal portions of the spring are wrapped around the side edges of the ring so that the spring will pipe along sidewalls of the groove when the plug is mated with the receptacle, thereby enhancing the electrical connection between the plug and receptacle shells, and increasing shielding effectiveness.

Electrical connector shield

A metal clip is described which retains a modular insert containing an insulator body with contacts thereon, in a shell of a connector, while also providing a ground plane and shield against electromagnetic interference. The clip includes a flat middle portion that extends across most of the width of the connector and a pair of opposite ends bent out of the plane of the middle portion and having edges that abut shoulders formed on the shell and that press against shell surfaces lying adjacent to the shoulders. The flat middle portion lays facewise against a face of the insulator body of the connector to prevent movement of the insulator body and contacts therein. The middle portion of the clip spans most of the area within the shell to provide an electromagnetic shield that is electrically terminated to the shell.

Retention and ground plane connector clip

An electronic package is disclosed including a socket assembly for connecting an electronic component to a circuit board. A header is secured to the circuit board, and receives the socket assembly which is connected to the header along a direction parallel to the plane of the circuit board. The socket assembly includes a housing and tray. The tray which accommodates the electronic component, is slidably inserted into the housing.

Socket assembly connector for an electrical component

An electrical connector for stacking over a printed circuit board or other electronic component. The connector which electrically connects flat cable, includes a plurality of insulation displacing contacts, each having a socket portion capable of receiving a further contact stacked thereover, and an insertion portion for insertion into a further contact, printed circuit board or other electronic component.

Stackable electrical connector

Multiconductor flat cable is terminated to a printed circuit board (PCB) through an insulation-piercing connector seated in a clip member having an upwardly bowed extent engaging the PCB undersurface. A camming actuator is lever-operable both to force the connector upon the PCB and to apply anti-warpage force to the PCB undersurface.

PCB-Mountable connector for terminating flat cable

A socket for a printed circuit board to permit the selective connection and disconnection of jumper cables from such boards. The socket has a tail portion for insertion into a plated through hole in a board and attachment to the underside thereof. Two spaced apart, generally parallel arms provide a cavity for the selectively releasable receipt of a jumper conductor. Each arm has an inwardly directed intermediate portion and an outwardly directed distal end to aid in inserting the conductor into the cavity and preventing its unwanted withdrawal. A downturned end of the inturned opposite end of one of the arms cooperates with the base to position the socket and maintain its stability.

Jumper socket

A remote socket for a DIP component composed of a panel mounting means for mounting in a console panel or the like, a socket in said panel mounting means to accept the DIP component, a first connector coupled to the panel mounting means and adjacent the socket to also receive the DIP component, a second connector at the desired location on a printed circuit board or the like and cable connecting said first and second connectors. Various panel mounting means and means to couple the connector to the panel mounting means are described.

Remote socket for DIP components

A connector is disclosed which includes a base having a first and second surface and first and second rows of contacts, each having a conductor engaging portion upstanding from the aforementioned first surface. A cover is connected to the base and is movable between a first position in which clearance is provided between the conductor engaging portions of the contacts and the cover and a second position in which the conductors of a multiconductor cable inserted between the conductor engaging portions of the contacts and the cover are brought into electrical engagement with the conductor engaging portions of the contacts. Cable guide means are positioned between the first and second rows of contacts for guiding the multiconductor cable on its path of travel between the first and second rows of contacts. In an alternative embodiment, the cable guide means are temporarily inserted through the base to facilitate the insertion of the multiconductor cable through the connector and thereafter removed before the cover is moved to its second position.

Growing community of inventors

Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Albert H Wilson