Amp LLC

Songchin S Lu

John K Daly

Frederick H Rider

Dean A Puerner

David S Szczesny

A tap or splice connector especially useful for a pair of dual conductor flat power cables includes two pairs of upper and lower structures which are applied to the stacked in-line cables side-by-side and then enclosed in a housing. The upper and lower structures each have a transverse array of cable-engaging wave-shaped bosses alternating with wave-receiving relief recesses when pressed together, so that the waves press strips of both cables in upper and lower arrays into the opposing recesses thus exposing conductor edges of the strips for electrical connection. Outer surfaces of the structures are then staked to urge the metal thereof laterally and tightly against the conductor edges adjacent thereto. The cables may first be prepared by punching medial slots thereinto at the interconnection site; the structures when applied are spaced from each other; and the housing covers include axial wall sections which extend between the side-by-side structures and through the cable slots, assuring isolation of the circuits. The structures preferably are self-locking upon being staked to secure the upper and lower structures to each other and to the cables. The housing covers may have opposed integral resilient cable-clamping sections to compensate for cable thickness differences.

Electrical connector and method of interconnecting flat power cables

Upper and lower connecting structures for use with flat power cable by being applied to major surfaces thereof, include arrays of cable-engaging bosses alternating with boss-receiving relief recesses; when pressed together the structures at least press conductor strips out of the cable plane and into opposing recesses of the opposing structures, exposing conductor strip edges for electrical connection and defining an array of interdigitated joints. The upper and lower structures are mechanically locked together by forming pockets in the side walls of the relief recesses of each structure to be disposed beside forwardmost portions of the cable-engaging bosses of the opposing structure upon application to the cable, and then deeply staking each of the interdigitated joints to split axially the forwardmost portion of the cable-engaging bosses and force the split portions laterally into the pockets, so that a portion of each structure is locked behind an associated portion of the other structure. The method and structures can be used for terminating an end portion of a cable for connection to another electrical article, or for forming a tap or splice connection between two flat cables.

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Santa Monica, CA, United States of America

Songchin S Lu