Abstract:
A system for electrically connecting electrical components. The system comprises a ribbon cable, a connector cap and a connector base. The connector cap includes a track area adapted to operably engage the ribbon cable, a cap alignment guide, and a cap orientation guide. The connector base has a first ribbon cable receptacle area adapted to electrically engage the first ribbon cable, a second receptacle area adapted to electrically engage a second ribbon cable, electrical interconnection means electrically interconnecting the first and second receptacles, first and second base alignment guides respectively positioned adjacent the first and second receptacle areas for alignment with the cap alignment guide, and a orientation receptacle operably positioned to receive the cap orientation guide.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a bus connector which includes a pair of bus connector caps secured to a bus connector base so that each cap secures a bus cable in operable connection with the connector base. For purposes of this application, the words “bus”, “cable” and “bus cable” are intended to encompass both a physical communications medium and the transmissions over that medium, unless it is otherwise apparent from the context. 
     In connecting electrical components to a communications bus or other similar bus cable, it is desirable that the connector of the bus be fixed relative to each other prior to the actual connector being completed. If the bus and the connector were slideably arranged, then the positioning of the electrical component and the connector relative to the bus could change prior to the connection being fixed. 
     It is also desirable that the connectors can be only assembled in one orientation so that the corresponding lines of a pair of buses being connected by the connector will be connected, as opposed to the connection of opposed lines if one of the buses were somehow reversed. 
     It is a problem of previous connectors that they cannot be tested on an individual connector basis since they are enclosed in a sealed insulated housing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object, feature and advantage of the present invention to solve the problem with prior electrical connectors. 
     It is an object, feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a bus connector including electrical test points for each of the electrical connections. 
     It is an object, feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a bus connector having a cap which can be placed in non-slideable relation with a communications bus. 
     It is a further object, feature and advantage of the present invention that the communications bus be a flat ribbon cable. 
     It is an object, feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an alignment guide to assist an assembler in correctly interconnecting a pair of buses with a bus connector device. 
     It is an object, feature and advantage of the present invention to provide projections, apertures and the like which can only be assembled in one orientation. 
     The present invention provides a system for electrically connecting electrical components. The system comprises a ribbon cable, a connector cap and a connector base. The ribbon cable has a first sized conductor, a second sized conductor, and a web around the first and second conductors. The connector cap includes a track area adapted to operably engage the ribbon cable, a cap alignment guide, and a cap orientation guide. The connector base has a first ribbon cable receptacle area adapted to electrically engage a ribbon cable, a second receptacle area adapted to electrically engage a second ribbon cable, electrical interconnection means electrically interconnecting the first and second receptacles, first and second base alignment guides respectively positioned adjacent the first and second receptacle areas for alignment with the cap alignment guide, and a orientation receptacle operably positioned to receive the cap orientation guide. 
     The present invention also provides a connector for operably connecting a first and a second communications bus. The connector comprises a connector base and a connector cap. The connector base includes first and second substantially identical cap engagement areas. Each cap engagement area includes tracks adapted to receive the first or second communications bus and contacts for each track adapted to electrically engage a portion of the communications bus. Each contact in a cap engagement area is in electrical connection with a corresponding contact in the other cap engagement area to form electrically connected pairs of contact. The first bus connector cap includes tracks sized to receive and retain the first or second communications bus. The connector base includes an external aperture in association with each pair of electrically connected contacts providing an external electrical access point thereto. 
     The present invention further provides an electrical connector for connecting first and second communications buses where each bus includes at least first and second conduits. The connector comprises a non-conductive housing and first and second cover portions. The non-conductive housing includes a first receptacle portion and first contacts for receiving a first bus and a second receptacle portion and second contacts for receiving a second bus. The housing further includes electrical connections operably and electrically interconnecting the first contacts with the second contacts. The first cover portion is adapted for and operably engages the first receptacle portion to form a first electrical connection between the first contacts and the first bus such that the first electrical connection is insulated from external electrical contacts. The second cover portion is adapted for and operably engages the second receptacle portion to form a second electrical connection between the second contacts and the second bus such that the second electrical connection is insulated from external electrical contacts. The housing further includes at least one electrical test point in operable connection with the first electrical connection wherein the electrical test point has an external contact surface allowing an external device to monitor at least one electrical condition of the respective connection. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bus connector cap in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a off side view of the connector cap of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a guide side view of the connector cap of FIG. 1 taken along lines  3 — 3 . 
     FIG. 4 is a view of the connector cap of FIG. 1 taken along lines  4 — 4 . 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the connector base of the present invention taken from a first upper orientation. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector base of FIG. 5 taken from a second lower orientation. 
     FIG. 7 is a drawing of the connector cap of FIG. 1 in line slideable relation with a ribbon bus. 
     FIG. 8 shows the cap and bus of FIG. 7 in pre-assembly relation with the connector base. 
     FIG. 9 is a drawing of the bus connector of the present invention in perspective with a pair of connector caps securing a pair of ribbon buses to a connector base. 
     FIG. 10 shows the assembled connector of FIG. 9 along lines  10 — 10 . 
     FIG. 11 shows the assembled connector of FIG. 9 along lines  11 — 11 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to all the figures of the drawing, the present invention is directed to a bus connector  10  which includes a pair of bus connector caps  12  secured to bus connector base  14  such that each cap  12  secures a bus  16  in operable connection with the base  14 . 
     Now referring specifically to FIGS. 1-4, each cap includes a bus alignment guide  18  which is preferably color coded to enable an assembler to correctly align the bus  16  with the bus connector cap  12 . The bus connector cap  12  preferably includes molded tracks  20  wherein the length of the bus connector cap  12  parallel to the direction of the guide  18  and sized to receive and retain an appropriate bus  16 . Preferably, the tracks include a sealant  22  overlaying the tracks  20  on the cap  12  in a shape preformed to the bus  16  so as to provide a relatively impermeable seal about the bus  16  when the bus connector  10  is fully assembled. 
     The bus connector cap  12  also includes a pair of retaining arms  26  from a first end  28 , and a second pair of retaining arms  30  on a second end  32 . The guide  18  is on a top side  34  of the bus connector cap  12 , while the tracks  20  are on a bottom side  36  of the bus connector cap  12 . The bus connector cap  12  includes a guide side  40  nearest the guide  18  and an offside  42  farthest from the guide  18  where both the guide side  40  and the offside  42  are parallel to the guide  18 . The guide side  40  includes an alignment projection  46  while the offside  42  includes an alignment projection  48 . The alignment projection  46  and the alignment projection  48  have unique shapes to ensure that the bus connector cap  12  can only be attached to a bus connector base  14  in one unique arrangement. In the preferred embodiment, the alignment projection  46  has the shape of a half circle while the alignment projection  48  has a rectangular shape. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, each base  14  preferably includes a first cap engagement area  60  and a second cap engagement area  62  where the first and second cap engagement areas  60 ,  62  are substantially identical. Each cap engagement area  60 ,  62  includes molded tracks  64  adapted to receive a bus connector  16  and are preferably overlain with a sealant  66  in a shape preformed to the bus  16  so as to seal around the bus connector  16  in a weatherproof manner. Each track  64  includes a contact  70  having one or more edges  72  adapted for engaging a particular electrical connecting line  80  in the bus connector  16 , cutting through the insulating cover and making electrical connection between the contact and the actual electrical conductive line  80 . In the preferred embodiment, the bus connector  16  includes four electrical connector lines  82 ,  84 ,  86  and  88  held in flat relationship by a plastic ribbon  90  to form a plastic ribbon cable  92 . 
     Each cap engagement area  60 ,  62  includes a contact  94  adapted to engage the line  88 , a contact  96  adapted to engage the line  86 , a contact  98  adapted to engage the line  84 , and a contact  100  adapted to engage the line  82 . Within and insulated by the base  14  itself, the contact  100  of cap engagement area  60  is electrically connected to the contact  100  of cap engagement area  62 . Similarly, contacts  98 ,  96  and  94  of cap engagement area  60  are respectively electrically connected within the base  14  to the contacts  98 ,  96  and  94  of the cap engagement area  62 . 
     The cap engagement areas  60 ,  62  are located on a top side  110  of the base  14 . The bottom side  112  of the base  14  includes apertures  114 ,  116 ,  118  and  120 . The aperture  116  provides an electrical access point to an electrical connection  122  connecting the contacts  94 . The aperture  114  provides access to an electrical connector  124  connecting the contacts  96 . The aperture  120  provides access to an electrical connector  124  connecting the contacts  98 , and the aperture  118  provides access to an electrical connector  128  providing access to the contacts  100 . The apertures  114 ,  116  are generally associated with the cap engagement area  60 , while the apertures  118 ,  120  are generally associated with the cap engagement area  62  so as to provide a maximum over surface distance between the lines  82 ,  84  and the lines  86 ,  88  and thereby minimize corrosion crossover. Each aperture  114 ,  116 ,  118  and  120  basically functions as an electrical test point  130  allowing the effectiveness of the bus connector  10  to be tested by testing and reading the electrical signals through the test points  30  of each line  82 ,  84 ,  86  and  88  of the bus  16  itself. 
     The base  14  includes cap alignment guides  140  aligned with the track  64  holding the contacts  94 . Both a first side  142  and a second side  144  preferably include the guides  140 . 
     The base  14  includes projections  150  for engaging mating indentations on bus connector caps  12 . The base  14  also includes a receptacle  160  in each cap engagement area  60 ,  62  adapted to receive the projection  46 . Similarly, the base  14  includes a second receptacle  162  adapted to receive the projection  48 . 
     To assemble the bus connector  10 , a bus connector cap  12  is aligned with and placed on a bus  16  such that the electrical lines  80  are in the tracks  20 . In the preferred embodiment, the electrical lines  94 ,  96  are of a different gauge than the lines  98 ,  100  and there are two sizes of tracks  170 ,  172  to help ensure that the bus  16  and the bus connector cap  12  are aligned in a single alignment. Additionally, the guide  18  is aligned with the electrical line  88  thru the use of color coding the line  88  and the guide  18 . The retainers  30  and the sealant  22  engage the flat ribbon cable  92  in an interfering manner so as to prevent the sliding of the bus connector cap  12  with relation to the cable  16  in a frictional manner. 
     As is shown in FIG. 8, the bus  16  and the bus connector cap  12  are then moved over the desired cap engagement area  60 ,  62 , the projection  46  is aligned with the retention area  160 , the projection  48  is aligned with the rejection area  48 , and the bus retainer cap  12  is pressed into engagement with a cap engagement area  62  such that the projections  150  retain and operably engage the receptacles  152 . The same procedure is repeated with a second receptacle connector cap  12  and a second bus  16 . This completed bus connector  10  is shown in FIGS. 9,  10  and  11 . Correct assembly is assured by aligning the guides  18 , the electrical lines  88  and the guides  140  of the respective bus connector cap  12 , the bus  16 , and the bus connector base  14 . 
     In the preferred embodiment the electrical line  88  provides power, the line  86  is also part of the power circuit acting as a ground or common line, while the lines  84  and  82  provide a conventional two line RS- 485  communications protocol. 
     What has been shown is a bus connector for connecting two ribbon cable buses operably and electrically using a pair of connector caps and a connector base. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications could be made. The nature of the bus itself could be varied to a variety of conventional media including increasing or decreasing the number of electrical connecting lines in the ribbon bus, changing from a ribbon bus to other forms of electrical connecting buses or other conventional modifications. Additionally, the alignment and orienteering guides can be modified to other shapes and arrangements. Moreover, the electrical test points are shown in the preferred embodiment to include half of the test points relating to each connector cap. A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that all of the test points could be in direct relation to either cap or in various proportions thereto. All such modifications and alterations are contemplated to fall within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. 
     What is desired to be secured for Letter Patent of the United States is set forth in the following claims.