ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

Abstract: An electrical connector (10) for establishing electrical connection between electrical conductors (16) carried by an inner insulating housing (14) and another circuit element includes an outer insulating housing (12) having slots (48) defined in a wall (26), the outer housing having an interior chamber (30) adapted to receive the inner insulating housing (14) along sloped surfaces (82 a ). The housing (14) carries electrical terminals (16) having male portions (44) of sufficient length to extend outwardly from the wall (26) of the outer housing, and female portions (46) disposed within the interior chamber (30) of the outer insulating housing. An end insulating wafer (18) encloses the interior chamber (30) and carries electrical conductors (20) for termination to the female contacts (46). Wafer (18) includes drive surfaces (84) for contacting the inner housing (14) to force it toward the outer housing wall (26) to an extent sufficient to establish electrical connection between the male contacts (44) and another circuit element. The female socket-type contacts (46) disposed within the interior chamber (30) are cammed onto the male contacts (20) of the wafer (18) to provide weak or zero insertion force termination.

Description: The present invention relates to an electrical connector and is directed to an intermediate electrical connector assembly. One of the problems associated with multi-contact electrical connectors having socket-type female contacts and pin-type male contacts is that termination requires a substantial amount of force. Any force required to make a single termination of a male pin into a female socket-type contact is multiplied by the number of electrical connectors being terminated. Particularly in the field of multi-contact electrical connectors, others have provided various connector configurations to provide a weak or zero insertion force termination between sockets and pins. Examples include the following U.S. Patents: 4,118,093; 4,274,701; 4,101,192 and an IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Volume 2 No. 8-10 January - March 1969 page 1333. In accordance with the Biinerle et al patent No. 4,101,192 and the Bannert et al patent No. 4,274,701, separate insertable releasing tools are used to engage or release the pin and socket electrical connection. In accordance with the Obeissart patent No. 4,118,093, a resilient strip of material is included in the terminal housing and an insulating connector body is axially movable. The resilient strip of material bears against a sloped surface on the interior of the terminal housing so that axial movement of the insulating body progressively tightens the resilient clip to establish electrical contact between the male pins and the female socket-type contacts. A similar arrangement is disclosed in US-A-4118094. The present invention provides an intermediate connector assembly for providing selective electrical interconnection between a pin conductor (20) and a remote female terminal comprising a dielectric housing (12) having a cavity with an opening communicating with said cavity and an interior camming surface (82 a , 82 b ) facing said cavity, a dielectric carrier (14) mounted within said cavity for movement between an unterminated position and a terminated position, a terminal (16) mounted on said carrier, said terminal including a female portion moveable with the carrier (14) and mateable with said pin conductor and a male portion, said female portion having spaced-apart resilient contact portions for receiving said pin conductor (20) therebetween and cam means engageable with said housing camming surface as said carrier is moved between said unterminated and said terminated positions, said contact portions being movable relative to each other between pin engaging and pin releasing positions in response to the cam means engaging said camming surface, characterised in that the male portion of the terminal (16) is mounted for movement with the carrier (14) relative to the housing for selective mating and unmating with said remote female terminal, and said terminal and said carrier comprise a unitary assembly such that upon withdrawal of said pin conductor from said cavity a withdrawal force is applied to said contact portions by frictional engagement with said pin conductor and is transmitted to said terminal camming means and said male portion, said male portion extending through a slotted end wall of said housing and being moved between first and second positions as said carrier is moved between said unterminated and said terminated positions. The pin conductor makes electrical connection with the terminal with weak or zero insertion force to establish the electrical connection. The carrier then can be moved toward the slotted outer housing wall for termination of the terminal to the remote female terminal. One way of carrying out the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to drawings by way of example, and not by way of limitation. In the drawings: FIG. 1 is an exploded, partially broken-away, perspective view of an electrical connector including an intermediate connector assembly constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partially broken-away, perspective view of the intermediate connector assembly of Fig. 1; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the intermediate connector assembly wherein the terminal is terminated to a pin conductor carried by an end housing; and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the intermediate connector assembly wherein the pin conductor is disconnected from the assembly. Turning now to the drawings, and initially to Fig. 1, the intermediate connector assembly of the present invention, generally designated 10, includes an outer insulating housing, generally designated 12 and an inner insulating housing or carrier, generally designated 14 carrying one or more electrical terminals, generally designated 16. An end housing or header, generally designated 18, carries one or more electrical conductors or terminals, generally designated 20. The outer insulating housing 12 includes upper and lower walls 22 and 24, respectively, a slotted end wall 26 and sidewalls 28 (one of which is not shown) to define a five-sided central interior chamber 30 adapted to receive the inner insulating housing 14 and one or more conductors 20 carried by end housing 18. The inner insulating housing 14 is co-operatively shaped to the central interior chamber 30 of the outer insulating housing 12. The inner insulating housing 14 includes an upper wall and a lower wall 34 and end walls 36 (one of which is not shown). The upper and lower walls of the inner insulating housing 14 contact interior upper and lower walls 38 and 40, respectively in sliding engagement thereagainst, to maintain proper alignment of the inner insualting housing 14 within the central interior chamber 30 of the outer insulating housing 12. The interior walls 38 and 40 of the outer housing 12 and the exterior upper and lower walls of the inner housing 14 are formed of a suitable insulating material having good lubricity for low force sliding movement, such as a polyolefin, e.g. polyethylene or polypropylene or other polymers or copolymers. The inner insulating housing 14 includes a plurality of terminal receiving slots generally designated 42, for fixedly retaining the electrical terminals 16 in the inner insulating housing 14 in a transverse, horizontal disposition through the inner insulating housing 14. The terminals 16 extend horizontally completely through the inner insulating housing 14, as shown in Figs. 2 to 4. The electrical terminals 16 carried by the inner insulating housing 14 include a first portion 44 forming a male pin-type contact and a second portion, generally designated 46, forming a female socket-type contact. The male pin contacts 44 of the terminals 16 extend through slots 48 extending horizontally completely through the slotted end wall 26 of the outer insulating housing 12 for termination to an electrical circuit element (not shown) disposed outside of the outer insulating housing 12. The terminal receiving slots designated generally 42 in the inner insulating housing 14 are generally U-shaped at a front wall 56 of the inner insulating housing 14 with a base 50 of the U vertical and legs 52 and 54 of the U in a horizontal disposition to fixedly receive the female socket type contacts 46 of the terminals 16 in fixed relationship to the inner insulating housing 14. The U-shaped slots 42 extend laterally about half way through the inner insulating housing 14 and then continue through the inner insulating housing 14 as a smaller, rectangular, horizontal slot 58 extending through to a rearward wall 60 of the inner insulating housing 14 for receiving the male pin type contacts 44 of the terminals 16. The slot juncture, between the U-shaped female socket contact receiving slots and the smaller rectangular male pin-receiving slots, forms upper and lower slot stop walls 62 and 64 for contact against end surfaces 66, 68 of flat portions 80, 82 (as will be more fully explained below). This engagement limits the penetration of terminal 16 into the inner insulating housing 14 to provide a consistent uniform depth of insertion for terminals 16 within each of the slots 42 of the inner insulating housing 14. The second portion, or female socket type contact portion 46, of the electrical terminal 16 includes a vertical wall portion 70 in electrical contact with the male pin-type contacts 44 of the terminals 16, received within the vertical base portion 50 of the U-shaped slots 42. The vertical wall portion 70 of the female socket contact 46 extends between and is integral with a pair of resilient electrical conductors 72 and 74 each having an electrical contact area 76 and 78, respectively, for electrical contact against the conductors or terminals 20 extending from the end housing 18. The resilient electrical conductors 72 and 74 are in electrical contact with the vertical wall portion 70 of the female socket type contact 46 at their respective horizontal flat plate portions 80 and 82. Flat plate portions 80, 82 include end surfaces 66, 68, respectively, as described above. Upper plate 80 has on its lateral edge, a pair of teeth 81 a , and lower plate 82 has a similar pair of teeth 81 b . These teeth, and vertical wall portion 70 are received in terminal receiving slots 42, and form an interference fit with inner insulating housing 14. Thus, the female contact socket portion 46 is retained within housing 14. With this arrangement, retaining forces are provided immediately adjacent each resilient conductor 72, 74. The longitudinally-separate teeth 81 a , 81 b provide lateral stability, rigidity, and alignment of each conductor 72, 74. The resilient electrical conductors designated generally 72 and 74 forming the female socket type contact 46 of the terminal 16 are capable of flexing to widen or lessen the spacing between the contact areas 76 and 78 of the electrical conductors 72 and 74 to terminate or release the contact areas 76 and 78 against the conductors or terminals 20 carried by the end housing 18. The resilient electrical conductors 72 and 74 are initially formed to provide a spacing between the contact areas 76 and 78 having a greater dimension than the height or cross-sectional dimension of the conductors 20 carried by the end housing 18. In this manner, the conductors 20 can be inserted between the electrical contact areas 76 and 78 with a weak or zero insertion force until the electrical conductors 72 and 74 are flexed toward each other to contact the contact areas 76 and 78 against the electrical conductors 20 of the end housing 18, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. With reference to Figs. 3 and 4, the interior upper and lower walls 38 and 40, respectively, of the outer insulating housing 12 include slanted wall portions 82 a and 82 b , respectively, for contact against the camming surfaces 83 a , 83 b formed adjacent the free ends of resilient female electrical conductors 72 and 74. As the inner insulating housing 14 is forced toward the slotted end wall 26 of the outer insulating housing 12, the electrical conductors 72 and 74 flex toward each other to contact the electrical contact areas 76 and 78 against the conductors 20 carried by the end housing 18. The frictional engagement between conductors 72, 74 and pin 20 is provided such that translational forces applied to pin 20 will be transferred to conductors 72, 74 and, in turn, to inner housing 14. Thus, as end housing is retracted during disconnection, inner housing 14 is also displaced, with spring conductors 72, 74 being allowed to move away from each other so as to release pin 20 with a zero or near-zero disconnector force. As noted above, the upper and lower walls of housing 14 are formed of an insulating material having good lubricity, such that the frictional forces generated by camming surfaces of conductors 72, 74, during connection and disconnection, are negligible compared to the frictional engagement between pin 20 and contact surfaces 74, 76. The inner insulating housing 14 is forced manually toward the slotted end wall 26 of the outer insulating housing 12 by one or a plurality of drive surfaces 84 extending from the end housing 18. The end housing 18 generally includes a rectangular block of insulating material 86 carrying a plurality of the conductors or terminals 20 extending laterally through the insulating block 86, horizontally, from an outer surface 88 through an inner surface 90 of the insulating block 86. A plurality of elongated inner housing drive members 92 extend from the inner surface 90 of the insulating block 86 and form the vertical drive surfaces 84 forming the ends of the inner housing drive member 92. As the conductors 20 and drive members 92 of the end housing 18 are inserted within the central interior chamber 30 of the outer insulating housing 12, the drive surfaces 84 on the inner housing drive members 92 contact the front wall 56 of the inner insulating housing 14 to force the inner insulating housing 14 toward the slotted end wall 26 in the outer insulating housing 12. As the inner insulating housing 14 is forced toward the slotted end wall 26 of the outer insulating housing 12, an uppermost surface 94 of resilient electrical conductor 72 and a lowermost surface 96 of resilient electrical conductor 74 are forced toward each other by movement against converging slanted interior wall portions 82 a and 82 b of the outer insulating housing 12, converging in a direction toward the slotted outer housing wall 26, to force the electrical contact area 76 and 78 against the conductors or terminals 20 carried by the end housing 18 to terminate, as shown in Fig. 3. The resilient electrical conductors 72 and 74 are formed in a V-shpae in opposed relationship, with the base of each V on each electrical conductor 72 and 74 facing the other so that a leg portion 98 of electrical conductor 72 extends toward the upper interior outer insulating housing wall 38 and a leg portion 100 of the electrical conductor 74 extends toward the lower interior outer insulating housing wall 40, for contact against the slanted interior wall portions 82 a and 82 b at the uppermost and lowermost female conductor surfaces 94 and 96, respectively, to provide this camming action on the electrical conductors 72 and 74 to achieve termination of the female socket-type contacts 46 on the pin-conductors 20 within the central interior chamber 30 of the outer insulating housing 12. The interior upper and lower walls 38 and 40 of the outer insulating housing 12 include integral separating walls 106 disposed between adjacent female socket portions 46 of the electrical terminals 16 to maintain vertical alignment of the socket terminal portions 46 and separation between adjacent female socket portions 46 within the central interior chamber 30 of the outer insulating housing 12. The end housing 18 further includes an alignment boss 102 co-operatively shaped to fit within an alignment slot 104 in the outer insulating housing 12 to maintain alignment of the conductors 20, carried by the end housing 18, with the female socket portions 46 of the terminals 16 carried by the inner insulating housing 14 for proper weak or zero insertion force termination. When the conductors 20 are fully inserted into the interior chamber 30, the interior chamber 30 is completely enclosed, as shown in Fig. 3. The end housing 18 could be provided with the female contact portion 46 extending into the interior chamber 30, and the inner housing 14 could be a wafer having male pin type contacts extending through the front and rear walls 56 and 60. The sloped or bevelled surfaces 82 a and 82 b , in this embodiment, could be re-positioned within the interior chamber 30 to achieve termination after the male and female contacts are properly positioned within the interior chamber 30.

Claims: An intermediate connector assembly for providing selective electrical interconnection between a pin conductor (20) and a remote female terminal comprising: a dielectric housing (12) having a cavity (30) with an opening communicating with said cavity and an interior camming surface (82 a , 82 b ) facing said cavity, a dielectric carrier (14) mounted within said cavity for movement between an unterminated position and a terminated position, a terminal (16) mounted on said carrier, said terminal including a female portion (46) moveable with the carrier (14) and mateable with said pin conductor and a male portion (44), said female portion having spaced-apart resilient contact portions (76, 78) for receiving said pin conductor (20) therebetween, and cam means engageable with said housing camming surface as said carrier is moved between said unterminated and said terminated positions, said contact portions being movable relative to each other between pin engaging and pin releasing positions in response to the cam means engaging said camming surface, characterised in that the male portion (44) of the terminal (16) is mounted for movement with the carrier (14) relative to the housing (12) for selective mating and unmating with said remote female terminal, and said terminal and said carrier comprise a unitary assembly such that upon withdrawal of said pin conductor from said cavity a withdrawal force is applied to said contact portions by frictional engagement with said pin conductor and is transmitted to said terminal camming means and said male portion, said male portion extending through a slotted end wall (26) of said housing and being moved between first and second positions as said carrier is moved between said unterminated and said terminated positions. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said terminal female portion frictionally engages said pin conductor when said carrier is in said terminated position, and maintains said frictional engagement as said pin conductor is moved toward said withdrawn position to thereby move said carrier toward said unterminated position. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein said housing camming surface is located immediately adjacent said housing opening. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein said housing camming surface comprises an opposed pair of inner housing surfaces (82 a , 82 b ) diverging toward said housing opening, said unterminated position being located immediately adjacent said housing opening, and said terminated position being located remote from said housing opening. A connector assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, further including alignment means (102, 104, 106) in said cavity for aligning the pin conductor with the female portion. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 4 further including a pair of opposed converging arm portions (72, 74) joined at a first end to said male portion, and joined at a second end through said contact portions to a pair of opposed diverging arm portions (98, 100) having free ends carrying camming surfaces (94, 96) comprising said terminal cam means, said camming surfaces being engageable with said housing camming surface to selectively reduce the spacing between said contact portions, thereby terminating said pin conductor as said carrier is moved toward said terminated position, and to selectively increase the spacing between said contact portions thereby releasing the pin conductor, as said carrier is moved toward said unterminated position. The combination of a connector assembly as claimed in any preceding claim and a header (18) comprising a dielectric wafer mounting said pin conductor, with alignment means comprising a guide boss (102) extending outwardly from the header wafer, and wherein the housing further includes means defining a slot (104) co-operably shaped for receiving the guide boss to maintain alignment of said pin conductor with said female portion. A combination as claimed in claim 7 wherein the header further includes terminating means (92) for moving said carrier from said unterminated to said terminated position.

Inventors: DAMBACH, PHILIP J.
Applicants: MOLEX INCORPORATED
Application year: 1985
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13, H01R24