Stabilized array pin connector

A connector having a base including a lower surface and a plurality of apertures. The apertures each engage a corresponding one of a quantity of terminating pins. A lock member is provided within a channel formed in the base to engage and lock engaged pins between the lock member and an aperture side wall. The combination of locking centrally located pins via the lock member and preventing over engagement of outwardly positioned pins by action of the pins on end walls of corresponding apertures acting to stabilize the connector relative to the pins.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
Related, commonly assigned, co-pending applications include "Connector Lock 
Arrangement," issued July 23, 1985 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,558, Ser. No. 
562,637; "Connector Wiring Channel," now abandoned, Ser. No. 562,874; 
"Connector Aligning Arrangement," now abandoned, Ser. No. 562,634; and 
"Engagement Limiting Connector," now abandoned, Ser. No. 562,635, all 
filed concurrently herewith and invented by the same inventor. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
(1) Technical Field 
The present invention relates to connectors and more particularly, to 
connectors that include arrangements for locking a connector to an array 
of pins, for routing cable conductors to connector contacts, for aligning 
a pin array connector with associated pins, for limiting engagement of the 
connector on an array of pins, and for stabilizing a connector connected 
to an array of pins. 
(2) Background Art 
Connectors are very well known to those skilled in the art. One type, 
described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,697, issued June 19, 1973, to Darryl J. 
Van Son includes a base portion with vertically disposed walls extending 
therefrom. The walls form a receptacle cavity and the base forms a plug 
which is proportioned such that it may be inserted into the receptacle 
cavity of another connector. The base includes a plurality of pin 
receiving apertures into which connector pins are disposed. A portion of 
each of the pins extends into the cavity to permit connection to 
electrical wiring and to another connector which may be plugged into the 
cavity. 
Another type of connector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,086, issued 
July 31, 1973, to Ralph T. Iversen, and includes an insulated body having 
a plurality of wire receiving pins on one side thereof to which wire ends 
of a multiconductor cable are connected and a plurality of terminal pin 
receiving openings on the other side. The cable pins extend into the body 
and terminate in spring fingers adjacent to the terminal pin receiving 
openings. The spring fingers are formed to leave the openings free of 
obstruction in their normal position to permit a large number of pins to 
be simultaneously received within the openings with a minimum of friction. 
Cam means are provided to simultaneously reposition groups of spring 
fingers into engagement with the pins positioned within the pin openings. 
Yet another type of connector is-described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,318, 
issued Jan. 3, 1978, to David L. Vonder. This patent relates to a 
stackable electrical connector including an enclosure having a floor and a 
divider wall defining first and second aligned partial enclosures. Each 
partial enclosure includes a plurality of apertures extending through the 
floor which are arranged in a predetermined array with a wire connecting 
pin in each aperture including a wire terminating portion extending above 
the floor and a receptacle portion terminating within the floor. A block 
portion is provided adjacent each partial enclosure and includes an 
alignment key and a cable clamp for securing a cable to each block. Each 
wire connecting pin has a plug portion extending above the wire 
terminating portion to engage wire connecting pins positioned within 
apertures of an above stacked connector. 
Still another connector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,924, issued 
Nov. 11, 1980, to Mark H. Kline, et al. This patent includes a connector 
body including a plurality of pin receiving apertures formed therethrough 
and a connector pin including a contact portion positioned within each of 
the apertures. The apertures and the pin contact portion are arranged to 
engage contact pins extending from a circuit card backplane. The connector 
pins extend outward from the back surface of the connector and are 
connected to another circuit card. 
The above arrangements while operating generally satisfactorily include 
characteristics which have been found to be disadvantageous. For example, 
none of the cited arrangements include means to lock the connector on the 
engaged pins. Such connectors have been found to disengage or walk off 
their engaged connectors in the presence of vibration and shock. 
Most of the cited connectors include means for terminating cable conductors 
to respective ones of the connector's contact pins which are positioned in 
an array within the connector body. Such an arrangement has been found to 
promote congestion around the pins thus making maintenance and 
retermination to the pins difficult. 
In the Van Son and Vonder patents the arrangements shown require the 
formation of an alignment wall at least partly surrounding the connected 
pins. This requirement increases the cost and complexity of the 
terminations thus provided. On the other hand, the Iversen and Kline 
patents do not provide alignment means other than the connected pins 
themselves. This arrangement, while simple and economical requires 
accurate alignment of the connector with the pins before engagement can 
occur. 
It is also well known by those skilled in the art that engagement of the 
connector upon engaged pins must be controlled to prevent damage to the 
engaged pins, to wires terminated thereto, and to the pin engaging 
contacts of the connector itself. The Van Son and Vonder patents 
accomplish this control by means of a wall of controlled height at least 
partly surrounding the engaged pins. This method of engagement control 
increases the cost and complexity of the connections thus provided. On the 
other hand, the Iversen and Kline patents permit the connector to bottom 
on the body from which the pins extend. Such an arrangement does not allow 
for pins of varying heights nor space for wire terminations. 
Finally, the Van Son and Vonder patents, while utilizing a wall surrounding 
the connected pins to prevent lateral motion of the connector relative to 
the pins, are susceptible to forces in the direction of the engaged pins 
tending to disengage the connector from the pins. The Iversen and Kline 
patents on the other hand, include the same disadvantages as the Van Son 
and Vonder patents and additionally are not protected from forces tending 
to bend the engaged pins or rock the connector out of engagement with the 
pins. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a connector arranged to establish electrical 
connection with and lock onto at least a portion of a plurality of 
terminating pins and includes a base of rigid electrically insulating 
material including a lower surface and an upper surface. 
A plurality of apertures are formed in the base lower surface and are 
arranged to engage the terminating pins, each aperture including a side 
wall. 
The connector also includes a connector pin including a contact portion, 
the contact portion positioned within each of the apertures, the contact 
portion engaging and establishing electrical connection with corresponding 
ones of the terminating pins and at least one channel formed in the base 
lower surface. 
A lock member positioned within the channel and an actuator is provided and 
operated to deflect the lock member towards the aperture side wall and 
lock the terminating pin therebetween. 
Also provided is an arrangement for routing wires to contact pins of a 
connector from an attached cable. 
The arrangement includes the above mentioned connector pins arranged in an 
array in the base, each pin including a wire terminating portion extending 
from the base upper surface and a pair of walls, each wall located 
adjacent to and outward of the pin terminating portions and spaced inward 
from a respective one of the side surfaces on the base, the walls each 
including an upper edge. 
A ledge extends horizontally outward from the upper edge of each wall 
toward and terminating in an edge parallel to a plane including a 
respective one of the base side edges, the ledge, the corresponding wall, 
and the base upper surface defining a wire routing channel above and 
within the outer dimensions of the base. A wiring access slot is formed in 
each of the walls, the slot providing access to predetermined ones of the 
connector pin wire terminating portions from the respective wiring 
channel. 
The connector is aligned with a plurality of terminating pins prior to 
engagement of the connector therewith and includes a plurality of pin 
alignment slots formed in the base lower surface. The slots are formed 
parallel to each other, each slot coincident with at least one of the 
apertures, the connector base initially positioned to engage the slots 
with corresponding terminating pins, subsequently positioned to relocate 
the terminating pins along the alignment slots and align the pins with the 
apertures, and finally positioned to engage the terminating pins within 
the corresponding apertures. 
In the connector, engagement to the plurality of the terminating pins is 
limited. Connector pins including a contact portion are positioned within 
some of the apertures, the connector pin contact portion engaging a side 
surface of a corresponding terminating pin. 
A plurality of other apertures are formed in the base lower surface, 
include an upper end, and are positioned to engage a corresponding 
terminating pin, the other aperture upper ends abutting corresponding ones 
of the upper ends of the pins, permitting the connector pin contact 
portions to engage the terminating pins along their sides while preventing 
the terminating pin upper ends from contacting the connector pins. 
Additionally, the combination of elements noted above inhibits movement 
between the backplane and the connector of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a first connector 1 rigidly 
attached to a system backplane 2 or a similar mounting element, the 
connector 1 having an array of terminating pins 3 rigidly extending from 
the connector 1 and protruding through the backplane 2. The terminating 
pins 3 are resistant to deformation in directions both perpendicular and 
parallel to themselves and extend upward from the backplane to a distance 
great enough to permit their interconnection by a plurality of circuit 
wires 4. A second connector 10 is provided including a base 11 having an 
upper surface 12, a lower surface 13, a front end 14, a rear end 15, a 
right side surface 16, and a left side surface 17 (both side surfaces are 
shown in FIG. 2). 
The terminating pins 3 include a plurality of contact terminating pins 5 
centrally located on each of the system connectors 1 surrounded by a 
plurality of positioning pins 6 also part of each of the system connectors 
1. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, the connector base 11 includes a plurality of 
contact pin apertures 20 formed in the base lower surface 13 and extending 
upward a predetermined distance. A neck portion 21 extends upward from 
each of the contact pin apertures 20 to the base upper surface 12. The 
connector base 11 also includes a plurality of positioning pin apertures 
25 extending upward from the base lower surface 13 a predetermined 
distance and ending in a blocked upper end or ceiling 26. A contact pin 30 
including a contact portion 31, a retaining portion 32, a wire terminating 
portion 33, and a plug portion 34 is positioned within each of the contact 
pin apertures 20. Each of the contact pins 30 is retained in its position 
by a plurality of dimples 35 formed on each contact retaining portion 32 
surface rigidly engaging the respective contact pin aperture neck portion 
21. The contact portions 31 of the connector pins 30 are biased to 
resiliently engage the pins 5 of the system connector 1. 
Referring again to FIG. 1, a plurality of alignment slots 37 are formed in 
the base lower surface 13 and intersect a pair of the contact pin 
apertures 20 and also a pair of the positioning pin apertures 25 in the 
central portion of the connector 10. The aligning slots 37, on the other 
hand, may engage four of the positioning pin apertures 25 and none of the 
contact pin apertures 20 in the vicinity of the connector base front end 
surface 14 or the connector base rear end surface 15. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, each of the positioning pin apertures 25 includes 
a beveled mouth 38 at the junction between the aperture 25 and each of the 
aligning slots 37. Each of the contact pin apertures 20 includes a beveled 
lip 39 on an outward side of the aperture. 
Each of the contact pin apertures 20 further includes a contact pin 
engaging side wall 27. A channel 41 is formed in the base lower surface 13 
extending inward from the base front end 14 and the base rear end 15 and 
each terminates in a wall 42 (also shown in FIG. 2). The channel 41 may 
alternately extend from base front end 14 to base rear end 15. The channel 
41 also includes a pair of side walls 43 and a ceiling 44. A pair of 
fingers 45 extend inward from the walls 43 of the channel 41 in the plane 
of the base lower surface 13, a predetermined distance between each pair 
of the alignment slots 37. A lock member 47 is positioned within the 
channel 41 and rests on the channel fingers 45 and against the channel 
ceiling 44 (see FIG. 2). The lock member 47 is of insulating material and 
arcuate in cross-section. Retainers 48 are formed protruding downward from 
the channel ceiling 44 to prevent the lock member 47 from sliding out of 
the channel 41 in a direction toward the base front end 14 or the base 
rear end 15, this when the lock member 47 is in its unactuated position. 
Lock member 47 further includes an actuator receiving depression 49 formed 
centrally therein. 
Referring to FIG. 2 again, an actuator 51 is positioned through the base 11 
from the base upper surface 12 to the lock channel ceiling 44 and is 
located to permit the fastener 51 to engage the lock member recess 49 when 
the actuator 51 is actuated. The actuator 51 includes a head portion 52 
and a body portion 53 as shown in FIG. 1. 
Referring to FIG. 1 there is also shown a cable clamp 60 including a clamp 
base 61 attached to the connector base upper surface 12 and including a 
cable receiving channel 62 formed to closely conform to the outer surface 
of an attached cable 63. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, the clamp base 61 includes a pair of wire guide 
surfaces 64 extending from the cable receiving channel 62 in a divergent 
direction toward the connector base rear end 15 and terminating at a 
respective one of the connector base side surfaces 16 or 17. The cable 
clamp 60 additionally includes a cable retaining strap 65 and a pair of 
fasteners 66. The cable 63 is positioned in the cable receiving channel 62 
of the base 61 and under the cable retaining strap 65 which is held in 
relation to the clamp base 61 by the fasteners 66 to retain the cable 63 
therebetween. A wiring guidepost 67 is included extending vertically 
upward from the base upper surface 12 in line with the center of the cable 
63. 
Referring to FIG. 1, a pair of walls 70 extend upward from the base upper 
surface 12 adjacent to the connector pin terminating portions 33 and 
spaced inward from a respective one of the base side surfaces 16 and 17. 
The walls extend a predetermined height greater than that of the connector 
pin terminating portion 33 but less than that of the connector pin plug 
portion 34 thus leaving the plug portion exposed above each of the walls 
70, each of which includes an upper edge 72. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, a ledge 71 extends horizontally outward from an 
upper edge 72 of the walls 70 toward and terminating in an edge 73 
parallel to a plane including a respective one of the base side edges 16 
or 17. The ledge 71, the wall 70, and the base upper surface 12 defining a 
wire routing channel 75 shown in phantom line. 
Referring now to FIG. 1, each wall 70 includes a plurality of wiring access 
slots 77 formed at regular intervals therealong to permit conductors 78 of 
the cable 63 to be routed from the wiring channel 75 to a respective one 
of the connector pin terminating portions 33. Each of the wiring access 
slots 77 includes a neck 79 wide enough to permit forcing the cable 
conductors 78 therethrough, to assist in retaining the conductors 78 
within the slots 77. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, connector 10 is engaged with backplane pins 3 by 
positioning the pin alignment slots 37 into engagement with the backplane 
pins 3. The connector is then slid in the direction of the alignment slots 
37 until the contact pins 5 align with the contact pin apertures 20 and 
the positioning pins 6 align with the positioning pin apertures 25. The 
beveled mouths 38 of the positioning pin apertures 25 and the beveled lips 
39 of the contact pin apertures 20 assist in the alignment of the contact 
pins 5 and the positioning pins 6 with their corresponding apertures. 
Force is then applied to the connector 10 to engage the backplane pins 3 
within their respective apertures to the point where positioning pin 
aperture ceiling 26 contacts the positioning pin 6. 
The connector of the present invention is operated to connect a third 
connector 80 to the connector of the present invention 10 in a manner 
similar to that described above, however, when engaging the third 
connector 80 with the connector 10, force is applied to the third 
connector 80 in a direction to encourage engagement with the connector 10 
until the connector base lower surface 13 of the third connector 80 
contacts the ledge 71 of the connector 10. It will be appreciated when 
joining two connectors that the positioning pin apertures are not used. 
In either of the two cases above, once the connector has been properly 
mated with its respective pins, the actuator head 52 of the connector 10 
or 80 is rotated to deform the lock member 47 outward in a direction 
toward the contact pin aperture side walls 27 and to lock the contact pins 
5 or the connector pin plug portions 34 therebetween. 
It will be appreciated that other variations of the present invention are 
also possible. For example, either of the connectors 10 or 80 may, in 
addition, to terminating cable conductors, be used to terminate a printed 
wiring board or circuit components. When used in this application, it is 
preferred that the connector 10 or 80 not terminate any additional 
connectors via its associated contact pin plug portions 34. 
It will now be apparent that a connector arrangement has been described 
hereinabove which offers significant advantages over prior art assemblies. 
Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated, 
and that form described in detail, it will be readily apparent to those 
skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without 
departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the 
appended claims.