Amp LLC

The Whitaker Corporation

Roger N Polk

David S Szczesny

John E Lucius

Glenn E Bennett

Frederick H Rider

Earl R Kreinberg

David A Babow

An initially integral terminal assembly 84; 94 useful for terminating a selected conductor 74; of a flat power cable 72 having at least two insulated conductors 74, 76 includes upper and lower plate sections 26, 50 extending in diverging directions from a common bendable hinge 46 defining a cable receiving region therebetween. Each plate section 26, 50 has at least a first portion 28, 52 corresponding to the first conductor 74 and a second portion 36, 60 associated with a second conductor 76 of the cable 72. Each portion 28, 52; 36, 60 further includes conductor terminating regions 30, 38, 54, 62 intermediate opposed upstanding side walls 42, 66 of the upper and lower plate sections 26, 50. One of the terminating regions 30, 54; 38, 62 of a selected one of the first or second portions 28, 52; 36, 60 of the plate sections 26, 50 corresponds to a selected cable conductor 74; 76 contains respective arrays of shearing means 32, 56; 40, 64 adapted to penetrate the selected conductor 74, 76 inserted therebetween upon the upper and lower plate sections 26, 50 being pressed together to shear the insulation and the selected conductor 74; 76. The terminating regions 38, 62; 30, 54 of the portions 36, 60; 28, 52 corresponding to the remaining cable conductors 76, 74 are severed from the assembly 84, 94 prior to terminating the assembly to the cable 72. Upon termination the assembly 84; 94 is electrically connected to the selected conductor 74; 76 and electrically isolated from the remaining conductors 76; 74.

Electrical connector for mid-cable termination

A system for distributing electrical power to side edges (108, 112) of a daughter card (102) upon insertion into a card cage (10) includes a pair of source and return bus bars (118, 116) mounted on at least one of the side edges and electrically connected by arrays of terminals (172) to power circuits of the card, insulated by a cover (120) having a rail (126) for following the guide channels (18, 20) of the card cage at each card location. Rearward ends of the bus bars have blades (122, 124) which are received into receptacle contacts (46, 44) mounted in the card cage above and below the backplane (14), which are mounted at each card location and electrically connected to source and return busses (68, 58) of the card cage. The receptacle contacts (46, 44) are float mounted to be easily incrementally moved upon blade receipt during card module (100) insertion, and also easily incrementally moved after blade mating when power connections are established, to then permit precision adjustment of rear card edge (104) in two dimensions so that card edge connectors (106) thereon become aligned with corresponding backplane connectors (16) for subsequent high density signal terminal mating.

Card edge power distribution system

A bus bar assembly (110) includes a pair of source and return bus bars (118,116) mounted on at least one of the side edges (108,112) of a daughter card (102) and electrically connected by arrays of terminals (172) to power circuits of the card, for use in a system for distributing electrical power to the daughter card module (100) upon insertion into a card cage (10). The pair of bus bars (118,116) is insulated by a cover (120) having a rail (126) for following the guide channels (18,20) of the card cage at each card location. Rearward ends of the bus bars have blades (122,124) which are received into receptacle contacts (46,44) mounted in the card cage above and below the backplane (14), which are mounted at each card location and electrically connected to source and return busses (68,58) of the card cage, with the receptacle contacts (46,44) preferably being float mounted to be easily incrementally moved upon blade receipt during card module (100) insertion.

Card edge bus bar assembly for power distribution system

An assembly (42) includes plurality of receptacle contacts (46,44) mounted to a clevis block (66) between respective pairs of salients (86) and along a shaft (64) extending through the salients. The receptacle contacts (46,44) are incrementally moveable after assembly and thus define a floating separable interface for an array of blade shaped contacts (122,124) when assembly (42) is mounted within a card cage (10) and blade shaped contacts are along rearward ends of bus bars (118,116) mounted on upper and lower edges (108,112) of daughter cards (102) insertable into the card cage, defining a system for distributing electrical power from the card cage to the daughter cards. The receptacle contacts (46,44) are float mounted to be easily incrementally moved upon blade receipt during card module (100) insertion, and also easily incrementally moved after blade mating when power connections are established, to then permit precision adjustment of rear card edge (104) in two dimensions so that card edge connectors (106) thereon become aligned with corresponding backplane connectors ( 16) for subsequent high density signal terminal mating.

Float mounted receptacle contact assembly for card cage

A daughter card insertable into a card cage receives power distributed to terminals mounted along an active side edge. Power bus members comprise insulatively coated rigid copper alloy strips each capable of carrying for example ten amperes of current are terminated to respective terminals spaced along the active edge. The power bus members extend on edge to the interior of a major side surface of the card to terminations with circuit path segments to which electrical components needing to be powered are terminated. At least one similar bus member can comprise a return path extending from at least one ground path segment in the card's interior to a ground terminal along the active edge. Several power bus members can have their insulated body sections grouped together and optionally mechanically joined along substantial lengths thereof to reach the card's interior while remaining electrically discrete.

Circuit panel assembly with elevated power buses

A power connector for distributing power to an active edge of a daughter card which is insertable into a channel of the power connector, includes a plurality of terminals electrically connected to a power source. A cylindrical cam shaft within a longitudinal aperture of the connector housing is rotatable upong actuation to deflect cantiliver beam portions of the terminals into the card-receiving channel to engage contact sections of the daughter card along the active edge and power the card. The cantilever beams extend through transverse profiled apertures of the cam shaft into recesses along the channel and are cammed into the channel and against card contacts by being engaged by inwardly facing wall surfaces of the profiled aperture upon actuation. The beams may also be similarly cammed out of card contact engagement by opposed inwardly facing camming wall surfaces of the profiled aperture engaging the beams when the cam shaft is rotated in the opposite direction to disengage from the card's contact sections and clear the channel allowing withdrawal of the card from the channel. A return path terminal for the connector has a raised contact section to be the first terminal to engage a card contact section and to be the last to disengage.

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Glendale, AZ, United States of America

Roger N Polk