Itt Corporation

David E Welsh

Albert H Wilson

Peter Joseph Hyzin

David Rofer

William C Gore

Piyapote Pisalyaput

A method is described for fabricating an arrangement where a connector (12, FIG. 1) lies on a circuit board (14) and contacts (26) have forward contact parts lying in passages (18) of the connector insulator (16) and board-received contact parts lying in interference fit in holes (24) of the circuit board, which facilitates replacement of a single damaged contact. An installing tool (70, FIG. 3) has channels (80) that receive the forward contact parts (40) and leave the board-received contact parts (32) projecting therefrom. The installing tool with contacts therein is moved towards the circuit board to press the projecting board-received parts of the contacts into the circuit board holes (24). The installing tool is then removed, leaving the contacts behind with their forward parts projecting up from the circuit board. The connector insulator (16, FIG. 4) is then moved so its passages receive the forward contact parts, the connector then being fastened to the circuit board. Because of the fact that the insulator does not press the contacts into place, there is no need for abutments on the insulator to engage shoulders on the contacts, and therefore an individual contact can be pulled forwardly out of the circuit board and connector.

Repairable solderless connector arrangement

A fiber optic connector is described, which has a retention clip (100, FIG. 4 ) that is part of the terminus so the clip is removed with the terminus from a connector housing, to enable replacement of a broken clip as well as to provide a more compact and low cost connector. The clip has a rear end (102) forming a ring that slides along the terminus body, and has a plurality of tines (104-107) that extend forwardly and radially outwardly. The free forward end of each tine has a rearwardly-facing clip shoulder (112) which abuts a forwardly-facing housing shoulder (114) so the clip cannot be removed in a rearward direction until the tines are deflected together. The front ends of the tines abut the rear end (92) of a spring that lies around the terminus body. The termini of the plug and receptacle connectors are identical except that one of the connectors (14, FIG. 5 ) uses a spacer (140) in place of a helical spring.

High density fiber optic connector

A system is provided for mounting shielded cables in a manner to provide good EMI (electromagnetic interference) shielding, which facilitates terminations and enables field replacements. The system includes a backshell housing having a conductive shell (16, FIG. 1) holding an insert, the housing also having a conductive cover (24) that mounts over the rear end of the shell and that has rows of holes (46) that each pass a prepared cable end (44). After the cables are inserted through the cover holes, a ferrule assembly is attached to the cable. The ferrule assembly (60) includes a ferrule (40) crimped to each cable, a conductive elastomeric seal (50) lying closely about each ferrule crimped portion, and a clip (56) with a rear end that abuts the seal. A grating (62) with parallel beams is inserted sideways between ferrule assemblies to organize them into rows and to abut the forward ends of the clips. When the cover is attached to the shell, the clip compresses the seal against the cover and against the ferrule.

EMI shielding backshell system

A connector is described, which has several rows of contacts connected to two rows of leads that engage terminals on a circuit board assembly, which enables a large number of contacts to be located in a connector of moderate cost. A connector insert comprises a wafer device (44, FIG. 3) and multiple leads, the leads having front lead portions (50) connected to multiple rows of contacts (30) on the wafer device, middle lead portions (56) molded into the wafer device, and rearward lead portions (52) lying in two parallel rows for contacting terminals on opposite sides of the circuit board assembly. Each wafer device includes two substantially identical wafers (74, 76, FIG. 6), to allow molding of a single row of leads at a time into a wafer. Each wafer has forwardly projecting towers (130, FIG. 5) that each lie around the front portion of a lead, and each contact has a periphery captured by a tower portion and a hole that receives a lead front portion. The contacts are arranged in columns on the wafer device, with at least four contacts in each column, and some of the lead middle portions extend both laterally and longitudinally to provide a small spacing or pitch of the lead rear portions. The insert has leaf springs (150, 152, FIG. 3) at opposite sides for centering the insert in the connector housing while allowing the insert to 'float' within the housing.

Modular connector system

A high reliability socket contact assembly is provided, of the type that has a seamless exterior, which has tines with closely spaced initial and final points of pin contact engagement, and which has a closed entry region limiting the size of pin contacts that can be inserted, which can be constructed at low cost. The assembly includes a seamless barrel (12, FIG. 3) having a cylindrical cavity (16) extending into its front end, and a clip (20) formed of sheet metal rolled into a tube and lying in the cavity. The clip has a rearward portion (32), tines (42a-42d) extending forwardly from the rearward portion and having free forward tips, and a forward portion. The tips (56) of the tines have radially inner edges (60) lying on a first imaginary circle, and the forward portion of the barrel forms a closed entry region (72) having an inside diameter no greater than the diameter of the first imaginary circle, to prevent entry of pins of a diameter that could damage the tines. In one barrel (FIG. 3 ), the forward barrel portion has a flared front part (80), with the narrowest part of the flare forming the closed end region. In another clip, (FIG. 9) the sheet metal forming the clip is thinner at the tines than at the forward portion (146) lying forward of the tines.

Closed entry socket contact assembly

Polarizing keys are provided to allow only selected pairs of connectors to be mated, which allow one connector to be displaced slightly after mating, while also providing a large area of interference between nonmating keys to prevent their connectors from mating. Each key has an elongated keying portion with an interfitting side 94 (Fig. 9) which lies opposite the interfitting side of a similar corresponding key when the connectors are mated. Each interfitting side has forward and rearward parts 120, 122, with the rearward part 122 being indented with respect to the forward part.

Polarizing key permitting connector displacement

An electrical connector system is provided, of the type that includes housings of plastic-metal hybrid construction, which provides good moisture-tight sealing between the plastic shells and metal inserts and around grounding springs. The receptacle connector has a front edge to which the plastic shell and metal insert extend, and the plug connector includes a ring-shaped elastomeric first seal (90, FIG. 3) that is compressed by the front edge of the receptacle shell and insert (96, 98), to not only seal the inside of the mating regions of the connector but also to seal any slight gap (100) between the plastic shell and metal insert of the receptacle. The forward edge of the plug presses against a second elastomeric seal (92) which is on the receptacle, with the first and second seals sealing a region containing a grounding spring (80) that electrically connects the inserts of the plug and receptacle. Threaded connection between the plug and receptacle is through plastic threads (76, 78) on the outside of the receptacle shell and on the inside of the coupling nut on the plug. The system also includes a backshell device (24, FIG. 4) of similar construction.

Hybrid connector

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 provided which retains its contacts in a simple, reliable, and low cost manner, without requiring retaining clips. A housing that holds the contacts includes two insulative layers with aligned contact-receiving holes, the first layer (50 in FIG. 2) formed of rigid material and the second layer (52) formed of elastomeric material. Each contact has a rearwardly-facing first shoulder (66) that engages a first abutment (74) formed in the first rigid layer, to withstand large mating forces as the connector is moved forwardly to mate with another connector. Each contact also has a second forwardly-facing shoulder (72) that engages a second abutment (76) in the second elastomeric layer, to withstand the lower unmating forces. The contact has forward and rearward parts (66, 70), one forming the first shoulder and the other forming the second shoulder. The hole (54) in the forwardmost layer is large enough to readily pass the rearwardmost one of the contact parts (70) to enable installation and removal of the contacts from the front of the housing.

Electrical connector contact retention system

A system is provided wherein a circuit module moves along an insertion path into a rack, and jackscrews are used to advance the module and mate multiple contacts on it and on the rack, which provides secure installation in a minimum of space. A jackscrew (46, FIG. 3) is rotatably mounted at the rear of a long module, and is coupled through a long torque member (60) to a drive member at the front of the module. The jackscrew member has a shoulder (106) that engages a shoulder (80) at the rear of the module, so insulation forces are applied to the rear of the module. The jackscrew member threadably connects to an internally-threaded jacksocket (52) on the rack which has an external precision guide surface (100) concentric with its internal threading. The module has a precision internal guide surface (94) that mates with the external guide surface on the rack before the jackscrews engage. Two jackscrew devices are located at the top and bottom of the rack, and may be connected so they turn together, but with a ratchet mechanism at each device to limit installation torque.

Circuit system with jackscrew installation device

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

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.

Growing community of inventors

Tustin, CA, United States of America

David E Welsh