The Whitaker Corporation

Michael L Demeter

Larry L Davis

Daniel DeLessert

Scott S Corbett, Iii

Jerry Martyniuk

James Francis McIntire

David F Miller

Robert F Stanton

An electrical connector for connection to multiple cables comprises, multiple conductor elements (36), and multiple insulating separator elements (38) separating the conductor elements (36) from each other, body portions (40) of the conductor elements (36) and the separator elements (38) are fabricated from sheets of material laminated together, an array of spaced apart spring contact portions (22) project from the body portions (40), and an array of spaced apart termination portions (56) project from the body portions (40) for connection to respective conductors of multiple cables, and a transverse shield (48) extending across edges on the conductor elements (36) and edges on the separator elements (38).

Laminated miniature multi-conductor connector and method for manufacture

Connectors for attachment to cables including a large number of very small flexible conductors (26) or coaxial conductor pairs (74). In a first embodiment very small contacts (36) are arrayed on a flat mating surface (28) of the connector body (22). Contacts (36) are raised slightly above the mating surface by plating conductive metal to form raised bumps (42) on one of a pair of connectors (14, 16). Insulated individual conductors (26) are placed through apertures (48) defined in a substrate acting as a template, and are fastened in place by potting material (50) before shaping the mating surface (28) of the connector body (22) or (24) is shaped. Pin and socket combinations (30, 32) are used to align mating connectors with each other. In other connectors (176, 178) contact bases (198, 200) to be plated may be defined precisely by photoresist lithography on a cover layer (192) attached to the template substrate (180, 182), and an elastomeric layer (190 ) may be provided between the cover layer and the template substrate. In other connectors (90, 146, 240, 460) shields of coaxial conductor pairs and shields of flex circuits are connected electrically to conductive common layers (98, 154, 246, 474) on the rear side of the substrate. In one connector (370) flex circuit conductor traces are exposed on a mating face (394) as contacts (396, 398).

Connector with monolithic multi-contact array

An electrical connector (12) comprises, two rows (14) of opposed electrical contacts (13, 16) for clamping a flat cable (5), at least one row (11) of coaxial cables (5) having signal wires (6) connected to signal contacts (13) of one contact row (14), and conductive shields (8) of the cables (5) connected to a ground bus (17), in turn, connected to each available ground contact (16) of the one contact row (14), both rows (14) of contacts (13, 16) being held by insulative holders (24), cover plates (28) over the contacts (13, 16) and the ground bus (17), and a removable ground plate (19) connected to the ground bus (17) by bendable grounding tails (18) extending from the ground bus (17).

Connector for flexible flat cable

A small, high-contact density connector, and a method for manufacturing such a connector for reliably and quickly connecting many small conductors such as coaxial conductor pairs of a flexible cable to respective terminals in a planar array. Sets of conductive strips jacketed by molded plastic insulating material have cable conductor terminals at one end and contact surfaces exposed at the opposite end, as connector modules. Several modules are held together, defining a connector mating face with a closely-spaced array of contact surfaces, and anisotropically conductive connector sheet material is used between the connector mating face and an array of conductor terminals to which the conductors are being connected.

Modular connector for use with multi-conductor cable

Connectors for attachment to cables including a large number of very small flexible conductors or conductor pairs, in which very small contacts are provided as an array exposed on a flat mating surface. Contacts may be raised slightly above the flat surface by plating conductive metal to form raised bumps on one of a pair of connectors. Individual conductors are placed through apertures defined in a substrate acting as a template, and are potted in place before shaping the mating surface of the connector. Contact bases to be plated may be defined precisely by photoresist lithography on a cover layer attached to the template substrate, and an elastomeric layer may be provided between the cover layer and the template substrate. Pin and socket combinations are used to align mating connectors with each other.

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Vernonia, OR, United States of America

Michael L Demeter