Thomas & Betts Corporation

Ronald S Narozny

Albert H Wilson

Robert P Wyss

Dennis Bossi

A header for self-securement to terminal posts extending from a printed circuit board (PCB) includes a member selectively movable into frictional engagement with terminal posts to provide for an increase in retention force as between the header and PCB independently of the force established for insertion of the header upon the terminal posts.

Header for imposing frictional force on terminal posts

A three-row, fifty-position D-connector for mass termination of flat multiconductor cable includes contact elements having insulation-piercing end portions in longitudinally singular locations and terminal end portions conforming in position to the industry-dedicated D-pattern. A method for making the connector provides for deriving diverse contact element sets from a common contact element strip configuration.

Method for making an electrical connector

Three-row connector for mass terminating flat cable

A connector receives a multiconductor cable with one channel receiving ground conductors of the cable in disposition running lengthwise with the cable and another channel receiving signal conductors of the cable bent sidewise to the cable length. Individual contacts engage the cable signal conductors and a common electrical interface is obtained with the ground conductors. At least one of the individual contacts is interconnected with the common interface and all of the contacts are accessible exteriorly of the connector housing, whereby each signal conductor and the common ground are conveyed to accessory apparatus through the cable-terminating connector.

Connector for mass-ground termination of multiconductor cable

A connector for terminating flat cable has insulation piercing teeth adapted, by disposition on different longitudinal side margins of a web, to provide strain relief for a cable along a plurality of separate longitudinal axes.

Electrical connector for terminating flat multiconductor cable

A connector for effecting releasable contact between individual electrical conductors of a printed circuit board and corresponding overlapping exposed conductors of a flat multiconductor cable comprises an elongate U-shaped resilient member having a pair of longitudinally extending legs. A plurality of cantilevered spring members are spaced longitudinally along one of said legs, projecting transversely therefrom in a direction toward the other leg. Means are provided for releasably affixing the connector to the board such that the spring members are positioned in registry with the overlapping conductors. The spring members are dimensioned with respect to the affixing means such that when the connector is assembled to the board the spring members engage and resiliently press the overlapping exposed cable conductors against the corresponding circuit board conductors thereby establishing electrical connection therebetween. A cantilevered member extending lengthwise on the other leg substantially opposite the spring members is dimensioned with respect to the affixing means so as to press the connected cable against the circuit board thereby providing strain relief therefor.

Connector for electrical interconnection of circuit board and flat

The invention teaches the incorporation of passages in a fully enclosed cable connector, through which an electrical probe can be inserted to engage the electrical contacts therein permitting the related electrical circuits to be checked. The passages are placed in the connector body or cover and are probeable from one or both sides so that the contacts can be engaged regardless of the position of the connector with respect to its mounting or the cable position or the incorporation of cable strain reliefs.

Side probeable connector using flat cable

A zero insertion force type connector for receiving a printed circuit board or the like for making selective electrical contact with the electrical circuitry thereon. The connector comprises a housing having one side thereof with an opening for insertion of a printed circuit board into the housing and a plurality of individual conductors supported within the housing. Each of the individual conductors is movable between a contact position in which the conductor is adapted to engage an associated contact portion on the printed circuit board and a non-contact position in which the conductor is spaced from the printed circuit board when the printed circuit board is in the housing. The individual conductors are normally biased toward and non-contact position so that the printed circuit board may be inserted into the housing with minimal force. A corresponding individual selectively operable actuator member is provided for each of the individual conductors. Each of the actuator members is independently movable between a first position in which the actuator member urges its corresponding conductor into the contact position and a second position in which the corresponding conductor is free to assume its non-contact position.

Zero insertion force connector

A coaxial cable connector for providing an electrical connection to a conductor of a coaxial cable, the conductor being surrounded by an insulating member. The connector comprises an elongated longitudinally extending sleeve member for arrangement coaxially about the insulating member. The longitudinally extending sleeve member includes a tongue member which is adapted to bend on a bending axis, which is transverse to the longitudinal direction of the sleeve member. The tongue member has a pair of spaced insulation piercing tines which are spaced apart less than the diameter of the conductor to be engaged. The pair of tines thus define a slot which is adapted to receive the conductor. In this manner, when the tongue member is bent along the transverse bending axis, the insulation piercing tines traverse the insulation and pass on opposite longitudinal sides of the conductor so that the conductor is received within the slot and engaged by the tines to make electrical contact with the conductor. Such a coaxial cable connector may be used for providing electrical connection to either the inner conductor of a coaxial cable or the outer annular conductor arranged about the insulation surrounding the inner conductor.

Coaxial cable connector

A remote socket for a DIP component composed of a panel mounting means for mounting in a console panel or the like, a socket in said panel mounting means to accept the DIP component, a first connector coupled to the panel mounting means and adjacent the socket to also receive the DIP component, a second connector at the desired location on a printed circuit board or the like and cable connecting said first and second connectors. Various panel mounting means and means to couple the connector to the panel mounting means are described.

Remote socket for DIP components

A multiposition modular connector assembly includes lower and upper halves each comprising a series of frangibly interconnected connector elements, each upper element being individually engaged to a lower element by latch means to provide a composite structure preselectively partable into segments of a predetermined number of positions.

Electrical connector

An electrical contact for use preferably in connection with ribbon-type flat cable comprises a rectangularly configured head portion having discrete, individually sloped cutting edges at the upper end thereof for piercing through the webbed insulation between adjacent conductors of the cable, the front and rear walls of the head portion being suitably slotted to receive a conductor and make electrical contact therewith.

Electrical contact

Means for simultaneously interconnecting selective conductors of an insulated multiconductor flat cable include a pair of mating metallic strips adapted to overlie opposite sides of a given segment of the cable and include a first strip having bifurcated contact elements arranged to pierce through the cable insulation about selective conductors and enter preformed apertures in the other strip, which apertures are dimensioned to snugly receive and contain the tines of the bifurcated contact elements. A dielectric housing may be provided to enclose and insulate the various elements of the assembly.

Termination method and apparatus for flat flexible cable

An electrical contact adapted for resilient engagement with a substrate having a conductive surface thereon includes a highly deflective preferably spirally looped tail portion arranged to provide relatively uniform contact pressure over its elastic range of deflection. In one embodiment the tail portion is interconnected to a generally tubular head portion having cutting edges thereon for piercing through the insulation of an insulated conductor, a plurality of such electrical contacts being further designed to be contained within a connector housing adapted to interconnect a flat cable to a conductively surfaced substrate and including mounting means on the housing for maintaining the tail portions of the contacts in firm engagement with the substrate while minimizing the force required to assemble the connector to the substrate.

Electrical contact and support means therefor

An improved connector for coupling the individual conductors of a multi-conductor flat cable to a termination point which may be a socket for receiving the pins of a further connector or the like comprising a base member having a plurality of apertures extending from a first to a second surface, the number of apertures being equal to the number of individual conductors found in the flat cable. Placed in each of these apertures is a contact having a first end which can pierce through the insulation of the multi-conductor cable and make contact with an individual conductor placed in association therewith and which end is placed adjacent the first surface of the base member of the connector. The contact terminates in a contact tail portion which extends towards the second surface of the base member in a socket for receipt therein and contact with the pin of a further connector, or the like. By providing a generally rectangular aperture within the base member to receive the electrical contacts and by making the aperture larger at the first surface a shelf is provided to prevent the contact from moving downwardly through the base member and out of the aperture adjacent the second surface of the base member. Placed atop and coupled to the first surface of the base member is a keeper means which has a plurality of apertures of a different configuration than those of the apertures in the base member and when so coupled to the base member are aligned with the apertures of the base member so as to contain the contacts within the base member preventing their withdrawal in the direction of the first surface and which provides support for the contacts at their insulation piercing ends. A cover member, provided with selectively operable latch members, is attached to the base member such that a channel is provided to permit the passage of flat cable therethrough without contacting the contact means and which can be moved to a second position to cause engagement between the individual conductors of a flat cable and their associated contacts. Finally, with an additional set of latch members, a strain relief means is provided whereby the flat cable can be, to a degree, isolated from the shocks provided by attempted movement of the cable along its longitudinal direction and which causes a clamping of the flat cable between such strain relief member and the outer surface of the cover.

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Panorama City, CA, United States of America

Ronald S Narozny