Amp LLC

The Whitaker Corporation

John C Farrar

James L Schroeder

Reuben E Ney

James M English

Patrick F Yeager

Christopher J Collins

Hung Thai Nguyen

Robert C Hosler, Sr

Gunter Feldmeier

Richard K Childers

John H Bunch

Manfred Schaarschmidt

Douglas J Pirc

Teresa K Black

James F Iannella

Paul J Anastasio

Andrew J Dawson, Jr

Ram P Goel

Bernard J Janoss

Robert J McLean

Atalee S Taylor

David R Dudukovich

An electrical overstress protection apparatus and method includes the provision of an overstress element (22) comprised of a lamination including a conducting ground path (26) and a dielectric sheet (30) engaging discrete signal paths (16) connected to contacts (44), the sheet (30) containing holes (32) or pores or thread or fiber interstices filled with an electrical overstress protection material (36) with the sheet thickness and hole area in conjunction with area of signal and ground paths and characteristics of the material adapted to provide breakdown and clamping voltages via a path to ground from signal contacts to ground to protect components from excessive voltage levels. Electrical connectors (40,40', 40') incorporate the apparatus in different embodiments of housing (42,42') and contact (44) configurations.

Electrical overstress protection apparatus and method

An electrical connector (2) comprising rows of terminals (6) therein has capacitance filter elements (36,38) bonded to side walls (14,16) thereof. The filter elements are comprised of a thin dielectric film laminated on either side with conductive material, the one side serving as a ground electrode and the other side divided into a plurality of signal electrodes separated by gaps formed by conventional etching process. The filter elements also have connection tabs (48,49) extending from a lower end (50) thereof, each tab connected to a separate electrode (42,44) and electrically connected to corresponding terminals (6) of the connector (2). The invention therefore provides for a readily manufacturable and cost effective filtered connector for filtering unwanted frequency components of a signal to be carried, the filter being mountable to the connector housing in an unobtrusive and compact manner.

Filtered connector

The filtered tap connector 10 includes a body member 12, having a pair of contact members 40 secured therein; a pusher member 50 receivable into a large recess 18 of the body member 12, the pusher member 50 having wire engaging surfaces 52 adapted to engage portions of wires 92 and urge them into electrical engagement with contact members 40; a pair of electrical components 60 of the type having a pair of spaced exterior electrodes 62, 64 disposed within cavities 26 of the body member 12 such that one of the component electrodes 62 is engaged with the corresponding contact member 40; and a biasing member 70 securable to the body member 12 remote from the large recess 18 and including a pair of arm portions 82 for engaging respective ones of the second 64 of the pair of electrodes 60, the biasing member 70 including a conductive path extending from component engaging surfaces 84 to an exposed outer surface portion and means for maintaining the biasing member 70 in the closed position. A pair of wire receiving channels 24 extend through the body member 12, along an inner-most surface of the large recess 18. Wire receiving sections 46 of the contact members 40 project outwardly into the large recess 18 transverse of the wire receiving channels 24. The biasing member 70 is movable between open and closed positions with respect to the body member 12.

EMI protected tap connector

An electrical connector assembly 10, and method of assembling, comprising a front electrical connector 12 and a rear electrical connector 23 secured together at a separable interface, the front electrical connector 12 including securing means 19 and guiding means 68 and a rear electrical connector 23 including receiving means 56 and aligning means 74. The securing means is engaged by the receiving means to assemble the electrical connector assembly 10 by drawing the front electrical connector 12 relatively toward the rear electrical connector 23, and the guiding means 68 being engaged by the aligning means 74 to maintain the front electrical connector 12 in a precise spatial relationship with respect to the rear electrical connector 23 during assembly and disassembly. The front entry electrical connector 12 further includes first electrical contacts 14 designed to mate with second electrical contacts 48 of the rear electrical connector 23 at the separable interface, the first electrical contacts 14 being removable through the rearward end 34 of the front electrical connector 12 exposed when the front and rear connectors are separated.

Electrical connector assembly

A device (24) for protecting against electrical over stress (EOS) of electrical components includes first contacts (50, 56) that interconnect to signal contacts (18) of a connector (12) and second contacts (68) that connect to the ground circuit (20) of a connector with a rigid plastic housing (26) holding the device contacts so that ends (55, 65) have a precise spacing gap (71), the gap being filled with a material matrix (72) of insulating and conductive materials having characteristics in conjunction with the gap to define transit voltage suppression by grounding the signal contacts of a connector. The device is made bendable to fit onto connectors and conform to the connector geometry.

Electrical over stress device and connector

The present invention discloses a filtered cable harness connector assembly 10 including a multiterminal connector 12 having at least one row of terminals 18 therein terminated to conductors 28 of a cable 26, at least one filter subassembly 30 secured to the conductors 28 rearward of the multiterminal connector 12 and means covering the connector 12 and subassembly 30. The cable conductors are arranged in at least one planar array 29 and extend rearwardly from the connector 12 in a given lateral spacing. One filter subassembly 30 is associated with each at least one array of conductors. The subassembly 30 has plurality of contact members 32, a purality of filter members 58, means 50 housing the contact members 32 and filter members 58, and bus means 46. The plurality of contact members 32 have first and second contact portions 34, 40, the first contact portions 34 extending from a conductor proximate surface 52 of the housing means 50 and are appropriately spaced and adapted to become electrically connected with respective ones of the conductors 28 of the at least one array 29. The housing means 50 includes a plurality of filter receiving apertures 54 along a selected face thereof, and have the second contact portions 40 paired with third contact portions 44 and are exposed along respective bottom aperture surfaces. Filter member 58 are disposed in respective ones of the apertures and are electrically joined to respective pairs of said second and third contact portions 40, 44. Bus means extends from and commons third contact portions 44 and includes at least one ground engageable portion 48.

Filtered cable harness connector assembly

Modular electrical connector assemblies and filtered connector inserts therefor. The assembly includes one or more filtered connector inserts releasably mounted within an outer conductive shell. A plurality of filtered contact assemblies are releasably retained within the insert. Each filtered contact assembly includes an electrical contact, a filter electrically coupled to the contact, and a first grounding means electrically coupled to said filter. The filtered contact assemblies are releasably and electrically coupled to the insert when the assemblies are releasably mounted to the insert, and to the outer shell when the insert is mounted within the shell. With the invention, a grounding path is automatically provided from the filter associated with each filtered contact assembly to the outer shell to dissipate filtered interference, while allowing individual removal and replacement of each filtered contact assembly from the insert, and removal and replacement of each insert from the shell. The filtered inserts have the same dimensions and contact placement as their corresponding unfiltered inserts, and are fully interchangeable therewith.

Modular connector assembly and filtered insert therefor

An electrical connector is provided which has both transient suppression and filtering means for protecting electronic equipment from energy generated by RFI, EMI, EMP and ESD. The connector is comprised of a conductive housing member having an axially extending passageway therethrough, and a circuit assembly disposed therein, the circuit assembly including a transient suppression subassembly and a pi-network filter assembly in electrical engagement with a plurality of electrical terminals. The transient suppression subassembly is comprised of a dielectric substrate having conductive path disposed thereon, a plurality of apertures extending therethrough for receiving electrical terminal members and preferably a bidirectional diode electrically connected to the terminal members and conductive path means and grounding means. The filter assembly, comprised of capacitor and inductor members is electrically engageable with the terminal members and ground. The connector is further provided with sealing members to provide protection from the environment.

Filtered electrical connector

A transient suppression assembly for protecting individual circuits on printed circuit boards and for retrofitting existing electrical connectors is disclosed. The assembly is comprised of a dielectric substrate means having terminal engaging means disposed thereon, a grounding means and transient suppression means such as diodes electrically connecting said terminal engaging means and said ground means for suppressing voltages outside a specified level as they are conducted through terminals of the connector and said terminal engaging means.

Transient suppression assembly

Modular electrical connector assemblies and filtered connector inserts therefor. The assembly includes one or more connector inserts removably mounted within an outer shell. The filtered insert comprises a housing means, at least a portion of which is electrically conductive; at least one electrical contact within the housing means; and filter means within the housing electrically coupled to the contact for filtering interference, and electrically coupled to the conductive housing portion for providing a grounding path from the filter means to the conductive housing portion. Means are also provided for electrically coupling the conductive housing portion of the insert to the outer shell automatically when the insert is positioned in and mounted to the shell to provide an external grounding path from the conductive housing portion to the shell. With the invention connection of the grounding plane of the insert to external ground is achieved automatically upon mounting of the insert to the shell without requiring a solder connection and without using complex mounting springs or grounding clips, thus retaining the ability to easily mount and remove the filtered insert from the shell. The filtered insert preferably also has the same dimensions and contact placement as its corresponding unfiltered insert, and is fully interchangeable therewith.

A filtered electrical connector for connection to a complementary electrical connector is disclosed. The connector is comprised of a dielectric housing means having a plurality of terminal receiving passageways therein; electrical terminal means disposed in the terminal receiving passageways, the terminal means being terminated onto electrical conductor means; filter means electrically coupled to the conductor means; grounding means electrically coupled to the filter means; and conductive housing means for receiving the dielectric housing means. The conductive housing means is electrically connectable to the grounding means. In accordance with the invention, the filter means may be tubular sleeve members or a monolithic planar filter member.

Growing community of inventors

Harrisburg, PA, United States of America

John C Farrar