Molex Corporation

Robinson Nugent, Inc.

David C Bowen

Jerry A Long

Irvin R Triner

Philip J Dambach

Joseph W Nelligan, Jr

Frank A Harwath

Russell J Leonard

Patrick D Bakke

A connector for an edge card includes a card slot having a plurality of contact terminals disposed in a predetermined spacing. The connector also includes two latch/eject members pivotally mounted to the connector at the ends thereof in alignment with the connector card slot. The latch/eject members include an alignment surface positioned opposite the end edges of an edge card during insertion and the alignment surfaces are further positioned on the latch/eject members above an ejection surface such that the contact area between the connector housing terminals and the circuit card lies between the ejection and alignment surfaces. The alignment surface is a surface of potential revolution.

Edge card connector with alignment member

Edge card connector with alignment means

A locating fixture system is provided for aligning a multi-conductor flat electrical cable with an elongated electrical connector having a plurality of terminals for termination to the conductors of the cable. A fixture base defines a cable platform for supporting the multi-conductor flat electrical cable. A receptacle in the base receives the elongated electrical connector generally transversely of the cable, with the terminals projecting above the cable platform for termination to the conductors of the cable. A locating pin is provided on the base within the receptacle for insertion into a locating hole in the connector intermediate opposite ends of the connector for properly locating the connector transversely of the cable.

Locating fixture system for electrical connectors

A cable strain relief system is provided for an electrical connector assembly which terminates a multi-conductor ribbon cable. A pair of interengageable elongated strain relief members clamp the ribbon cable therebetween. A flexible latch arm with a latch hook is provided on at least one of the strain relief members. A latch passage and a latch shoulder is provided on at least the other of the strain relief members for receiving the latch arm and latchingly engaging the latch hook of the one strain relief member. A rigid alignment element is provided on at least one of the strain relief members, and an alignment opening is provided on at least the other of the strain relief members for receiving the rigid alignment element. The latch passage is sized to receive the latch arm and latch hook freely thereinto with the pair of strain relief members offset relative to each other, and with the latch arm in an initial unflexed condition. The rigid alignment element is adapted to be inserted into the alignment opening after the latch arm has been inserted into the latch passage to draw the offset strain relief members laterally into alignment and to guide the members into fully engaged and latched condition with the latch arm flexed and the latch hook engaged with the latch shoulder.

Strain relief means in an electrical connector assembly for ribbon cable

An electrical connector includes a shell having a cavity and a cable-receiving opening adapted to receive an electrical cable. The opening defines an axis, and a pair of screw posts are located in the cavity spaced on opposite sides of the axis such that the cable can be positioned therebetween. A cable clamp member includes a center section adapted to embrace one side of the cable, and a pair of wing sections extending from the center section and having screw-receiving holes alignable with the screw posts. The clamp member includes flanges projecting from the wing sections, with the flanges having slots for embracing ribs on the shell to preposition the cable clamp member over the cable with the screw-receiving holes aligned with the screw posts.

Electrical connector with improved strain relief means

An electrical connector is provided for insulation displacing termination of ribbon cable having insulated conductors in predetermined close centerline spacing. The connector includes a dielectric housing having a mating face, an opposed cable-receiving face and a plurality of terminal-receiving passages extending between the faces for receiving a plurality of terminals. Each terminal includes a mating portion toward the mating face and slotted U-shaped insulation displacement portion toward the cable-receiving face. The insulation displacement portions of the terminals are arranged staggered in at least two rows. A dielectric cover forces the conductors into the U-shaped insulation displacement portions and embraces the cable between the cover and the cable-receiving face of the housing. The cover includes a surface for engaging the cable and recesses in the surface for receiving the U-shaped insulation displacement portions of the terminals. The surface of the cover defines a plurality of parallel conductor support channels. Each channel defines upper and lower conductor support levels arranged such that a lower conductor support level of one channel is between two upper conductor support levels of adjacent channels. Projections are formed in each channel to hold a respective conductor therein. Therefore, the ribbon cable can be pressed into the conductor support channels of the cover and held on the cover for subsequent termination of the cable to the terminals on the connector housing.

Electrical connector for high density ribbon cable

An electrical connector is provided for insulation displacing termination of ribbon cable having conductors in predetermined close centerline spacing. The connector includes a dielectric housing having a mating face, an opposed cable-receiving face and a plurality of terminal-receiving passages extending between the faces for receiving a plurality of terminals. Each terminal includes a mating portion toward the mating face and slotted U-shaped insulation displacement portion toward the cable-receiving face. The insulation displacement portions of the terminals are arranged staggered in at least two rows. A dielectric cover forces the conductors into the U-shaped insulation displacement portions and embraces the cable between the cover and the cable-receiving face of the housing. The cover includes a surface for engaging the cable and holes in the surface for receiving the U-shaped insulation displacement portions of the terminals. Recessed areas are provided adjacent the holes in the cover which receive the insulation displacement portions of the terminals. Therefore, the conductors on opposite sides of any given conductor being terminated can float into the recessed areas as a respective insulation displacement portion is forced into termination with the given conductor.

An edge connector is disclosed for a printed circuit board having a mating edge and a plurality of contact pads adjacent the edge. The connector includes an elongated insulating housing having a plurality of contacts mounted on the housing along the length thereof for engaging the printed circuit board contact pads when the printed circuit board is inserted into the housing at a first angular position and subsequently pivoted to a second angular position. The contacts exert an opposing force against the printed circuit board when pivoted to the second angular position. A latching device has a latching section for engaging the printed circuit board. The latching device is rotatably mounted on the housing for rotation from a first position to a second position in response to pivoting the printed circuit board from its first angular position to its second angular position. The latching device is linearly moveable from its second position to a third locking position under the influence of the opposing force of the spring contacts. Complementary interengaging latching surfaces are provided between the latching device and the housing for automatically locking the printed circuit board to the housing when the latching device moves to its third locking position.

Latching device for an edge connector

An electrical connector is disclosed with a housing having a through passage. A male electrical contact is stamped and formed from generally planar smooth metal material for mating with a female contact having a contact-engaging surface. The male contact includes a generally planar body portion which, when the male contact is mated with the female contact, is oriented generally perpendicular to the contact-engaging surface. The male contact includes a pin portion projecting from the body portion for engaging the contact-engaging surface of the female contact. The pin portion is twisted approximately 90.degree. relative to and in the plane of the body portion to present a smooth side of the pin portion for engaging the contact-engaging surface of the female contact. The twisted area of the pin portion is press-fit into the through passage in the housing.

Male electrical contact and connector embodying same

A shielded electrical connector is formed by the mating of upper and lower housing covers and is used with twisted pair cables, each of which includes a pair of signal wires and a drain wire enclosed within an outer insulation. Each pair of terminated signal wires is disposed in a contact module which is positioned in one of a plurality of shielded compartments formed between adjacent separating walls extending from the outer housing covers when the covers are mated with each other. Each of the separating walls has a positioning slot into which a positioning rib on the contact modules may be disposed in order to properly position and retain the contact module in one of the shielded compartments. A ferrule assembly is crimped about the end of the insulation of each of the cables and is coupled to the drain wire of the twisted pair cable. A bus bar coupled to ground terminals disposed in contact modules in the connector is positioned within the connector housing so as to be in contact with each of the ferrule assemblies and includes resilient fingers that engage one of the housing covers to thereby couple the drain wires to the ground terminals and the housing covers. A pull tab may be secured to the rear of the connector housing to aid in extracting the connector from an other connector.

Method of making shielded electrical connector

Shielded electrical connector

Shielded electrical connection

A connector is provided for mounting on a circuit board. The connector includes a body member and rows of first and second electrical contact pins coupled to the body member. The first contact pins are configured to extend downwardly below a bottom wall of the body member so that they align with the bottom wall to define an acute included angle therebetween. The second contact pins are configured to extend downwardly below the bottom wall in splayed relation to the first electrical contact pins and are aligned with the bottom wall to define an obtuse included angle therebetween. The first and second contact pins are made of spring material and cooperate to define a spring clip for yieldably drawing the bottom wall of the body member into seating engagement with the circuit board upon insertion of the first and second electrical contact pins into a pair of pin-receiving apertures formed in the circuit board.

Growing community of inventors

Downers Grove, IL, United States of America

David C Bowen