Filter connector

A filter connector includes a dielectric housing having a mounting face. At least one row of terminal-receiving passages are formed in the housing through the mounting face. A row of filter-receiving pockets are formed in the housing through the mounting face respectively in alignment with the passages, and with one side of each pocket communicating with its respective passage. A slot is formed in the mounting face of the housing and extends along the row of pockets in communication with opposite sides thereof. A plurality of terminals are mounted into the passages. A plurality of filters are inserted into the pockets through the mounting face, with one side of the filters respectively engageable with the terminals. A single shorting bar is inserted into the slot in the housing through the mounting face and into engagement with opposite sides of the filters.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and, particularly, to a filter connector which mounts a plurality of electronic components, such as capacitors or the like, between the terminals and a shorting bar of the connector. The shorting bar may be a ground plate. The invention also relates to a method of fabricating the filter connector.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are a variety of electrical connectors which are termed “filter” connectors, in that an electronic component, such as a capacitor, is coupled between the terminals of the connector and a ground plate or plane or a shorting bar normally mounted to a face of a dielectric housing of the connector. The filters are used to suppress electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference entering the connector system.

One of the problems with such filter connectors simply is their cost. Normally, a ground plate or shorting bar is fabricated of stamped and formed conductive metal material and must be mounted separately to the dielectric housing of the connector. Terminals then are mounted in the connector housing. The filter capacitors then must be coupled between the terminals and the ground plate. These steps are time consuming and require assembly tooling, all of which adds considerably to the cost of the connectors. In a mass production environment, reliability and performance often have much to be desired. Typically, the terminals are mounted or inserted into a connector housing in one direction, the capacitors are mounted or inserted into the housing in a different direction and the ground plate or shorting bar is mounted or assembled in the same or different direction. All of these assembly operations require relatively expensive assembly tooling. The present invention is directed to solving these various problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved filter connector of the character described, along with a method of fabricating or assembling the connector.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector includes a dielectric housing having a mounting face. At least one row of terminal-receiving passages are formed in the housing through the mounting face. A row of filter-receiving pockets are formed in the housing through the mounting face respectively in alignment with the passages, and with one side of each pocket communicating with its respective passage. A slot is formed in the mounting face of the housing and extends along the row of pockets in communication with opposite sides thereof. A plurality of terminals are mounted into the passages. A plurality of filters are inserted into the pockets through the mounting face, with one side of the filters respectively engageable with the terminals. A single shorting bar is inserted into the slot in the housing through the mounting face and into engagement with opposite sides of the plurality of filters.

According to one aspect of the invention, biasing means are provided between the shorting bar and the filters to bias the filters against the terminals. Preferably, the biasing means is integral with the shorting bar. As disclosed herein, the shorting bar is stamped and formed of sheet metal material, and the biasing means comprise an integral leaf spring portion of the bar engageable with each filter. Therefore, the filters can be easily mounted fairly loosely into their respective passage, and the biasing means or leaf spring is effective to tighten the assembly.

According to other aspects of the invention, the terminals comprise terminal pins. The filters comprise capacitors. The housing has a mating face and a terminating face, and the mounting face comprises the terminating face of the connector. In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of generally parallel rows of the terminal-receiving passages are formed in the housing along with a corresponding plurality of generally parallel rows of the filter-receiving pockets. One of the slots is formed along each row of pockets to relieve the shorting bar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and first toFIG. 1, the invention is embodied in a filtered electrical connector, generally designated10, which includes a dielectric housing, generally designated12, a plurality of terminals in the form of terminal pins14, a plurality of ground plates or shorting bars16and a plurality of filters in the form of capacitors18. Before proceeding further, it should be noted that housing12of connector10receives four rows of terminal pins14, with fourteen pins in each row. On the other hand, the drawing shows only five capacitors18for each row. This has been done in order to avoid cluttering the drawings, with the understanding that there may be fourteen capacitors for each row of fourteen terminal pins. In addition, shorting bars16are shown inFIG. 1as being cut-off to engage only the five capacitors in the rows thereof. It should be understood that each shorting bar will run the entire length of the row of fourteen capacitors corresponding to the fourteen pins in each row.

With those understandings, housing12of connector10may be molded of dielectric material or the like. The housing includes a mating face12aand a terminating face12b. Under this configuration, the terminating face will be considered the mounting face herein and in the claims hereof. The mounting face is recessed, as at20, to receive an encapsulant (not shown) after terminal pins14, shorting bars16and capacitors18have been inserted into the housing through the mating face12aor the mounting face12bthereof. The housing has a plug portion12cat the terminating end thereof, and the plug portion is surrounded by a peripheral groove22. A metal casing of the connector (not shown) is assembled into the peripheral groove, and shorting bars16are grounded to the metal casing as will be seen hereinafter.

Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3in conjunction withFIG. 1, housing12has four rows of terminal-receiving passages24through mounting face12bthereof. The housing has four rows of filter-receiving pockets26through the mounting face and respectively in alignment with the terminal-receiving passages. A slot28is formed in the mounting face of the housing and extends along each row of filter-receiving pockets26and in communication with opposite sides of the filter-receiving pockets.

Further details of the various components will now be described in conjunction with a unique method of fabricating or assembling connector10, referring to the enlarged depictions ofFIGS. 4 and 5. Specifically, terminal pins14first are inserted into passages24in housing12through the mating face12aor the mounting face12bthereof. The terminals are inserted into the passage fairly tightly, as by a press-fit which secures the terminals in their assembled condition within the passages. Capacitors18then are inserted or assembled into filter-receiving pockets26, again through mounting face12bof the housing. A unique concept of the invention is that the capacitors are assembled into the pockets fairly loosely, or at least loose enough to make it quite easy to insert the capacitors into their respective sockets. In actual practice, the capacitors are “gang placed” into their respective pockets, one row at a time. The relative loose fit between the capacitors and the pockets facilitate this gang insertion process.

Shorting bars16, having a first bar portion and a second bar portion folded over the first bar portion, are then inserted into their respective generally narrow slots28, again through mounting face12bof the housing. The shorting bars are stamped and formed of sheet metal material, such as tin-plated steel. The shorting bars are formed with biasing means in the form of a plurality of leaf springs30which respectively engage capacitors18to bias the capacitors against the terminal pins. In essence, the springs are effective to “tighten” the assembly in view of the somewhat loose assembly of the capacitors into their respective pockets.

When finally assembled as shown inFIG. 5, one side18aof each capacitor18is biased by the respective leaf spring30through one side of the respective pocket26which communicates with the respective terminal-receiving passage. The respective leaf, spring30engages an opposite side18bof the capacitor in view of the fact that the opposite side of the respective pocket26communicates with the respective slot28that receives the respective shorting bar16.

When terminals pins14, capacitors18and shorting bars16are assembled into the housing, recess20in mounting face12bis filled with a sealing encapsulant. The encapsulant is poured into the recess in liquid form and is allowed to cure and completely seal the entire mounting face of the connector through which the terminal pins, capacitors and shorting bars were assembled. In addition, the encapsulent secures all components with respect to one another to maintain mechanical and electrical connections throughout its life.

Finally, referring back toFIG. 3, it can be seen that the extreme outer edges of shorting bars16are jagged or saw-toothed, as at36. These irregular or sharp edges bite into the metal casing within groove22of the housing to ground the shorting bars to the metal casing.

It can be seen from the foregoing that the fabrication or assembly of connector10is made quite simple by assembling terminals pins14, capacitors18and shorting bars16into the same face of the housing. This considerably simplifies the assembly tooling for the connector. The terminal pins can be assembled from either the mating face or the mounting face of the housing regardless of the orientation of the housing, because of the press-fit of the terminal pins into passages24. Sealing the connector also is made quite simple in that the sealing encapsulant must simply fill one recess at one face of the connector to seal all of the passages/pockets/slots into which the components are assembled.