Amp LLC

The Whitaker Corporation

Homer E Henschen

Joseph M Pawlikowski

Michael J McKee

Brian A Wolfe

Joseph Kurtz

Terry P Bowen

David T Shaffer

Leon T Ritchie

Ernest L Beinhaur

James M English

Marvin Leo Yeager

Richard L Schaeffer, Jr

Teresa K Black

Paul D Zakary

Alexander M Sharpe

A connector (10) having two rows of signal terminals (20) easily terminated to conductors (106) of discrete wires (14) and including an integral shield ground (40) to ground the shielding braid (16) of the cable (12). A wire-carrying subassembly (130) having the discrete wires secured thereto is moved against the rear (36) of the front housing member (30) to place stripped conductor portions (108) of the wires adjacent the rear terminal sections (28) for termination. The wire-carrying subassembly (130) includes a body member (50) having a wire-receiving region along a forward edge in which ends of the wires will be secured, and a conductive shield ground section (40) having one or two rearward extensions (42) having tabular end portions (44) for termination to the cable braid (16), and one or two ground contact sections (48) extending forwardly to be terminated to a ground terminal of the connector subassembly.

Connector assembly for discrete wires of a shielded cable

A device 10 usable in conjunction with a source of constant amplitude high frequency alternating current of known frequency for providing sufficient thermal energy to melt a fusible electrically conductive material 24 includes an integral member formed from strip 12 of a first metal having a carrier strip section 14 and a plurality of fingers 20 initially integrally coextending therefrom. The carrier strip section 14 further has a thin magnetic layer 18 thereon, transforming the carrier strip into a Curie point heater. The fingers 20 including end portions 22 having layers of solder affixed to opposite sides thereof are adapted to be inserted into apertures 36 defined through a first electrical article 30 from a first surface 32 to a remote surface 34 thereof and adjacent contact pads 40 thereon. The first and second electrical articles 30,46 are placed together with the respective contact pads 40,48 opposed from each other and separated by the finger end portions 22. Upon subjecting the heater body 14 to the constant current of known frequency, the heater body 14 generates and transfers sufficient thermal energy to the finger end portions 22 to melt the fusible material 24 disposed therealong thereby electrically and mechanically interconnecting the arrays of contact pads 40,48. The heater body 14 is then detached from the fingers 20 thereby electrically isolating the interconnections.

Device for electrically interconnecting opposed contact arrays

A connector (10) having two rows of signal terminals (20) is easily terminated to conductors (106) of discrete wires (14) by providing rear sections (28) of the terminals extending from the front housing member (30). A wire-carrying subassembly (130) having the discrete wires secured thereto is moved against the rear (36) of the front housing member (30) to place stripped conductor portions (108) adjacent the rear terminal sections (28) to be soldered. The wire-carrying subassembly (130) includes a body member (50) having upper and lower arrays of axial grooves (56) therealong between a front support ledge (60) and a rear support section (62), and upper and lower forward and rearward clamping bars (72,82) securable to the body member () to clamp the wires (14) thereto by clamping insulated end portions (104) forwardly of stripped conductor portions (108) within the grooves (56) and insulated wire portions behind the grooves, with the rear terminal sections (28) receivable into the grooves.

Method of assembling a connector to electrical conductors

This invention is directed to an electrical interconnection system composed of a plurality of interconnected circuit panel subassemblies, where each subassembly is preferably formed by a reaction injection molding (RIM) process. Each subassembly includes a plurality of spaced apart sites for establishing electrical contact to an electrical component, and an encapsulated conductive grid network joining certain of the respective spaced apart sites. A feature of this invention is that the conductive grid network includes flexible, insulative conductors which are unencapsulated and extend between adjacent pairs of subassemblies. By this arrangement, it is possible to fabricate and terminate the subassemblies, planarly arranged, by robotics, whereupon the subassemblies may then be moved relative to each other to form a nonplanar or three-dimensional assembly, such as an electromechanical structure to which further electrical components may be secured.

Electrical interconnection system

A connector (10) having two rows of signal terminals (20) is easily terminated to conductors (106) of discrete wires (14) by providing rear sections (28) of the terminals extending from the front housing member (30). A wire-carrying subassembly (130) having the discrete wires secured thereto is moved against the rear (36) of the front housing member (30) to place stripped conductor portions (108) adjacent the rear terminal sections (28) to be soldered. The wire-carrying subassembly (130) includes a body member (50) having upper and lower arrays of axial grooves (56) therealong between a front support ledge (60) and a rear support section (62), and upper and lower forward and rearward clamping bars (72,82) securable to the body member (50) to clamp the wires (14) thereto by clamping insulated end portions (104) forwardly of stripped conductor portions (108) within the grooves (56) and insulated wire portions behind the grooves, with the rear terminal sections (28 ) receivable into the grooves.

Connector housing assembly for discrete wires

An electrical connector adapted to protect its signal circuits against power surges for at least ESD protection, having a conductive shell (60) with a transverse flange (64) on which are mounted components such as diodes (100) having first electrodes soldered thereto for grounding. A plurality of discrete straps (114) extend from second electrodes of the diodes to respective the contacts (20) and define circuits electrically connecting the contacts to the diodes. The dielectric housing (30) includes slots (46) along side surfaces within which the straps are retained, and a lateral housing flange (42) has recesses (54) within which the diodes are disposed. The method of fabricating the connector includes providing on at least a portion of each strap (114) a thin second layer (152) of magnetic material which in conjunction with the nonmagnetic copper layer (150) defines a self-regulating temperature heater when subjected to RF current, to reflow solder to join to and electrically connect the diodes (100) and contacts (20).

Electrical connector containing components and method of making same

Soldering of surface mount connector terminals to contact pads on a circuit board is facilitated by configuring the terminals and their solder tails as spaced integrally-formed projections of a selectively actuable heater. Thermal energy developed in the heater is conducted along the projections to the solder tails to melt fusible conductive material (e.g., solder, at the connection sites). After cooling, the projections are severed from the heater. The terminals, which are formed at the distal ends of the projections, are typically supplied partially inserted in respective terminal-receiving passages of the connector housing. After the soldering operation, the terminals are fully inserted into the passages. The heater is preferably a self-regulating heater in the form of a copper substrate having a skin layer of magnetically permeable, high resistance material. An alternating current of constant amplitude and high frequency is passed through the heater and concentrated in the skin layer at temperatures below the Curie temperature of the skin layer material. At higher temperatures the current is distributed through the lower resistance substrate to limit further heating. During the time interval required for the surface layer to reach its Curie temperature, the resistive power dissipation creates thermal energy that is conducted to the solder tails.

Surface mount technology breakaway self regulating temperature heater

A connector (10) having one or more arrays of elongate cantilever beam arms (22) of contacts (20) can have contact sections (26) on free ends (24) thereof soldered to respective traces (94) of a circuit element (90), by securing a lead frame (50) to free ends (24) which includes a corresponding plurality of fingers (56) extending from a carrier strip (52). On the finger ends (58) are affixed preforms (80,82) of solder; on the carrier strip (52) is defined a thin magnetic layer, transforming the brass carrier strip into a Curie point heater. When the carrier strip is subjected to RF current, it generates thermal energy which melts the solder preforms to join the fingers first to the contact sections (26) of the connector contacts (20), and in a remote location later subjected to RF current to reflow solder preform (82) to join contact sections (26) to traces (94).

Method of assembling a connector to a circuit element and soldering lead

A self-regulating heater includes an electrically-conductive substrate (11), having a magnetic surface layer (13) of one skin depth, folded 180 degrees to define two heater sections joined by a fold section. The magnetic material has a considerably higher resistance than the substrate material. The surface of the two sections clad with the surface layer are in closely spaced parallel relation and connected in series by the fold section (23) such that a constant amplitude alternating energizing current flows in opposite directions through the two sections at any instant of time to thereby establish an electric field between the two heaters. The field concentrates current flow at the two facing surfaces. Depth of the current is determined by the skin effect phenomenon and increases significantly at temperatures above the Curie temperature of the magnetic material.

Generating electromagnetic fields in a self regulating temperature

Simultaneous solder connections of multiple electrical terminals to respective electrical leads is achieved by conducting thermal energy from an actuable heater body (10,40,50,60,70) to the multiple connection sites via the terminals (20,21,45) themselves, the terminals being formed integrally with the heater body. The terminals are scored, perforated, etc., to facilitate severence from the heater body after soldering. The preferred heater body takes the form of a copper substrate (17,27,41,51,61) having a skin depth surface layer (19,29,43,53,63,65) of magnetically-permeable, high resistance alloy. Alternating current of constant amplitude and high frequency is passed through the heater body and concentrated in the surface layer at temperatures below the Curie temperature of the alloy. For higher temperatures the current is distributed through the lower resistance substrate to limit further heating. During the time interval required for the surface layer to reach its Curie temperature, the resistive power dissipation creates sufficient thermal energy to melt solder that is pre-deposited on the terminals and/or leads.

Self regulating temperature heater carrier strip

A heater (20,40,50,70,80) is secured to or embedded in a circuit board (10,30,75,86) and is selectively energizable by current to melt solder in a connection or disconnection operation. The heater is spaced from circuit board contact pads (13,34) by circuit board structure material that transmits the generated thermal energy to the contact pads to melt solder or other fusible material. The heater is a self-regulating heater in the form of a copper substrate having a thin surface layer of magnetically permeable, high resistance material. An alternating current of constant amplitude and high frequency is passed through the heater and concentrated in the surface layer at temperatures below the surface layer Curie temperature. At higher temperatures the current is distributed through the lower resistance substrate to limit further heating. A current return path (21,43,53,73,85) or bus is disposed in closely-spaced parallel relation to the surface layer and establishes an electric field between the substrate and the return bus to bias current in the substrate toward the surface layer. The return bus may be embedded in the circuit board or provided as part of external tooling employed to deliver energizing current.

Self regulating temperature heater as an integral part of a printed

A self-redulanting heater includes an electrically-conductive substrate (11), having a magnetic surface layer (13) of one skin depth, folded 180 degrees to define two heater sections joined by a fold section. The magnetic material has a considerably higher resistance than the substrate material. The surfaces of the two sections clad with the surface layer are in closely spaced parallel relation and connected in series by the fold section (23) such that a constant amplitude alternating energizing current flows in opposite directions through the two sections at any instant of time to thereby establish an electric field between the two heaters. The field concentrates current flow at the two facing surfaces. Depth of the current is determined by the skin effect phenomenon and increases significantly at temperatures above the Curie temperature of the magnetic material.

A strap comprised of a layer of magnetic material on a layer of nonmagnetic conductive metal comprises a self-regulating heater, which is wrapped around a length of heat recoverable tubing disposed around a terminal being terminated to a conductor wire, or a pair of wires being spliced. When energized, the strap generates thermal energy melting solder of a preform within the tubing, terminating the terminal to the wire, or the two wires together, and sealing the termination simultaneously. A plurality of terminals in a connector housing include solder tails extending rearwardly from the housing so that respective wire ends may be placed therealong within solder preforms within heat recoverable tubing therearound. A strap comprising a self-regulating temperature source is wrapped around the array of solder tails and wire ends and is energized to solder the array and seal the terminations. A high frequency alternating current induced in or transmitted to the magnetic layer of the strap causes the strap to generate thermal energy sufficient to melt the solder and shrink the tubing. The strap may have several layers and may be shapable to conform to the outer surfaces of the heat recoverable tubing lengths. A strap may seal an open end of a length of heat recoverable tubing having a sealant preform therewithin, when wrapped therearound and energized.

Methods of terminating and sealing electrical conductor means

An improved connector is disclosed for interconnecting and terminating bundles of light transmitting fibers in such a manner as to have low light loss at the points of connection. The subject connector is suitable for use in either splicing or terminating individual bundles of light transmitting fibers, each bundle including at least one fiber, as well as for connecting a plurality of light transmitting fiber bundles in a single connector assembly. The subject connector includes an annular crimping ring, an annular cap member, and a profiled ferrule member all of which are slipped over the prepared end of a light transmitting fiber bundle. The end of the bundle is prepared by stripping the exterior layer therefrom to expose the light transmitting fibers. In the case of the bundle including a plurality of fibers, it may be preferable to also pretreat the bundle by applying a potting compound to the fibers to form them into a cohesive unit. The prepared end of the bundle is inserted through a profiled axial bore in the ferrule which guides and gathers the fibers at the face of the assembly. The bundle is secured in the ferrule by deforming the crimp ring in a conventional manner. The face of the ferrule and the fibers projecting therefrom are polished to present a smooth surface. The cap means is adopted to both engage the ferrule and a bushing, which can be a portion of a terminal, a multiple position connector, or a splice. An optional tubular strain relief member can be included to engage the bundle and be secured to the ferrule by the crimp ring.

Light transmitting fiber bundle connector

A shunt assembly is disclosed for interconnecting closely spaced terminal contacts. The contacts of the subject shunt are strip formed in a conventional fashion with a shunting bar interconnecting adjacent pairs of contacts. The required number of contacts are cut from the carrier strip and the interconnecting shunting bars are bent to a folded configuration thereby drawing the contacts closer together to achieve the desired spacing. The closely spaced contacts can be inserted into an appropriate housing of insulating material if so desired.

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Carlisle, PA, United States of America

Homer E Henschen