Connector assembly with a series of electrical contacts

Abstract: A connector assembly (6) comprises, conductive contacts (9) for connection to wires of at least one electrical cable, and an insulative housing block (16) for the contacts (9), the contacts (9) being on superimposed lead frames (12A,12B) and the lead frames (12A,12B) are bent for positioning the contacts (9) parallel with one another in a row. The housing block (16) holds the contacts (9) parallel with one another.

Description: The invention relates to a connector assembly for connection to conductive wires to form a cable assembly. A connector assembly disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,875,877 comprises a conductive ground bus for connection to ground wires of at least one electrical cable, and conductive signal contacts for connection to signal wires of at least one electrical cable, the signal contacts being joined to the ground bus, an insulative housing block applied over the contacts, at least a selected one of the contacts being detached from the ground bus, and at least one of the signal contacts remaining joined to the ground bus. The connector assembly is constructed for ease of manufacture. For example, the contacts and the ground bus are joined together in a lead frame to eliminate separate parts. The housing block advantageously holds the contacts in desired positions when the contacts are connected to the wires. The contacts are held on pitch spacings that correspond to the pitch spacings of contact receiving cavities of an insulative housing. The contacts are assembled into the cavities of the housing as a group, rather than as individual contacts. The contacts on the lead frame, being fabricated of thin metal, are easily deflected to misaligned positions. A concern exists that the contacts will be held by a housing block in these misaligned positions. For example, a housing can be applied over the contacts by injection molding fluent plastic material over portions of the contacts. The solidified plastic material is relied on to hold the contacts in their positions. If the contacts are misaligned while the housing is applied, the contacts will be held by the housing in misaligned positions. A concern exists that, when the contacts are ready for assembly into contact receiving cavities of the housing, the contacts will be out of alignment with the contact receiving cavities. Some degree of misalignment of the contacts and the cavities would be present, due to dimensional tolerance differences in such contacts and in such cavities. More pronounced misalignment could be present because of difficulties experienced in applying the housing block to the contacts, as described in the previous paragraph of text. The misaligned contacts can be damaged by forced insertion within the cavities. In addition, the contacts can be misaligned while in the cavities. Thus, there is a need to prevent damage to contacts during insertion in the cavities, and to reduce the manufacturing time expended to assure careful insertion of the contacts. Further, a need exists to prevent rotation, a form of misalignment, of the contacts in the cavities. The present invention consists in a connector assembly as defined in claim 1. For a better understanding of the invention, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an insulative housing block and two lead frames of a connector assembly; FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the two lead frames shown in Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a side view of the structure shown in Figure 1; FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 3; FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1; FIGURE 6 is a section view taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 1; FIGURE 7 is a section view taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 1; FIGURE 8 is a section view taken along the line 8-8 of Figure 1; FIGURE 9 is a section view taken along the line 9-9 of Figure 1; FIGURE 10 is a plan view of an insulative housing block of a connector assembly, with ground contacts connected to a ground bus, and a ground bus shown removed from signal contacts; FIGURE 11 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 9 with each of three of the contacts connected to a corresponding electrical cable; FIGURE 12 is a plan view of an insulative housing block of a connector assembly, with ground contacts and signal contacts and without a ground bus; FIGURE 13 is a plan view of an insulative housing block of a connector assembly, with ground contacts connected to a corresponding ground bus and signal contacts separated from a corresponding ground bus; FIGURE 14 is a perspective view of an insulative housing receiving corresponding electrical contacts of a type as shown in Figure 1; FIGURE 15 is a perspective view of an insulative housing of a connector assembly with contact receiving cavities; FIGURE 16 is a front elevation view of the housing shown in Figure 14; FIGURE 17 is a fragmentary section view taken along the line 17-17 of Figure 16; FIGURES 18 and 19 are fragmentary section views of the housing taken along the line 18-18 of Figure 16, and further illustrating a corresponding contact as shown in Figure 10; and FIGURES 20 and 21 are fragmentary section views of the housing shown in Figure 16, and further illustrating a corresponding contact as shown in Figure 10. With reference to Figure 11, at least one electrical cable 1 is constructed with an elongated signal wire 2 or center conductor concentrically encircled by a dielectric 3, in turn encircled by a flexible insulative outer jacket 4 or sheath. A corresponding, elongated and conductive ground wire 5 or drain wire extends along the exterior of the dielectric 3 and is within the jacket 4. The cable may include a single ground wire 5, as shown, or may include first and second ground wires 5 to provide a combination of a signal wire 2 between two ground wires 5. The invention applies to either cable construction, or to any other cable construction, not shown. The cable construction is cut to expose and to project the signal wire 2, the dielectric 3 and the corresponding ground wire 5 from the jacket 4. With reference to Figure 14, an electrical connector assembly 6 is to be connected to multiple cables 1 in a manner described below. Construction of the connector assembly 6 begins with a row of electrical contacts 9. With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the contacts 9 project forwardly from a corresponding, elongated ground bus 10. A series of pilot holes 11 extend through the ground bus 10. The contacts 9 when joined to the ground bus 10 provide a lead frame, correspondingly numbered 12A or 12B, shown in Figure 2, known as an array of conductive paths for conducting electricity, with the paths joined together and cut out from a strip of metal. Each of the contacts 9 includes a pair of spaced apart fingers 13 defining an electrical receptacle 14 at a front end. The fingers 13 are cut out from the strip of metal while the metal is in a flat plane. The fingers 13 of each of the contacts 9 are formed by bending, such that the fingers 13 are pivoted out of the plane of the metal to oppose each other and to define therebetween the receptacle 14. The contacts 9 are on pitch spacings, that are the repeated spacings between longitudinal axes of the multiple contacts 9 in a row. The fingers 13 are cut out of portions of the metal strip that bridge between adjacent contacts 9. As shown in Figure 2, two lead frames 12A, 12B with attached contacts 9 can be stacked and superimposed, laid one on the other, to provide a series of contacts 9 in a row. The pitch spacing of the series of contacts 9 in the row is desirably decreased to attain a compact size, when two lead frames 12A, 12B are superimposed. With reference to Figure 2, a construction is depicted wherein one of the contacts 9 is depicted in phantom outline to indicate that the contact 9 can be removed from the corresponding lead frame 12A and eliminated from the series of contacts 9. The contacts 9 of the lead frame 12A alternate with the contacts 9 of the second lead frame 12B in an alternating series of said contacts 9. Figure 13 shows a series of contacts 9 wherein no contact 9 is eliminated from the series of contacts 9. With reference to Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5, an insulative housing block 16 is applied to each contact 9 that remains joined to a corresponding frame 12A, 12B. For example, the housing block 16 is formed by injection molding a fluent plastics material that embeds the contacts 9. A front end 17 of the housing block is formed with a front wall 18 extending transverse to the row of contacts. The housing block 16 extends to a rear wall 20 from which each ground bus 10 projects. Wire connecting portions 21 of the contacts 9 appear at corresponding spaced apart, openings 22 formed by molding the housing block 16. The housing block 16 holds all the contacts 9 on a desired pitch spacing. The contacts 9 are on the first and second lead frames 12A, 12B, and comprise a series of contacts 9 in a row wherein the contacts 9 of the first lead frame 12A, 12B, and the contacts 9 of the second lead frame 12A, 12B, are in the row. Wire receiving channels 25, formed by molding the housing block 16, extend from the rear wall 20 and forwardly and axially of corresponding contacts 9. With reference to Figure 11, the signal wire 2 of the cable 1 and each corresponding ground wire 5 of the cable 1 extend along corresponding channels 25. The signal wire 2 extends along the channel 25 to the wire connecting portion 21 of a corresponding contact 9. Each corresponding ground wire 5 extends along a corresponding channel 25 to the wire connecting portion 21 of a corresponding contact 9. Further details of construction of the housing block 16 are described in U.S. Patent 4,875,877, according to which, wire gripping portions 33 of the housing block 16 are provided for gripping and positioning the wires 2 and 5 that extend across corresponding wire connecting portions 21, and further according to which, the connection between a corresponding wire 2 or 5 and a corresponding wire connecting portion 21 is accomplished by a welding operation or a soldering operation. As shown in Figure 11, each contact 9 that is connected to a signal wire 2 is designated a signal contact 9A. Each contact 9 that is connected to a ground wire is designated a ground contact 9B. Each contact 9 is joined to a corresponding lead frame 12A, 12B by a removable portion 38 in the form of a narrow portion of the lead frame 12A, 12B. With reference to Figure 2, an advantage of the invention resides in all the signal contacts 9A being removably joined to one lead frame 12A by the corresponding removable portions 38. The advantage becomes more evident with reference to Figures 10 and 11, which depict the signal contacts 9A as being separated from the remainder of the lead frame 12A, and from one another, for example, by severing and removing the removable portions 38 and the ground bus 10 from the signal contacts 9. The remainder of the lead frame 12A is discarded when no longer needed. With reference to Figures 3 and 4, another advantage of the invention is that the lead frames 12A,12B are bent, as shown at 7, to bring the contacts 9 of both lead frames 12A, 12B into a common plane. A common plane for the contacts 9 contributes to the object of achieving precise location of the contacts 9, especially important for locating the contacts precisely, and especially important to prevent damage to the contacts 9 when they are connected to corresponding wires 2 and 5 and when they are inserted into an insulative housing 39. With reference to Figures 3 and 4, precise alignment of the contacts 9 is achieved further in the following manner. The removable portions 38 are attached and extend between the contacts 9 and the corresponding ground busses 10. The removable portions 38 are bent along their lengths to bring their forward ends into a common plane. Thereby, the bent removable portions 38 orient the contacts 9 of both lead frames 12A, 12B in coplanar relationship. With reference to Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9, the coplanar contacts 9 are held in precise alignment when the insulative material of the housing block 16 is applied. For example, the insulative material is applied by an injection molding process, with molding dies 8, 15 of a conventional, injection molding apparatus 19 holding the contacts 9 along a parting line 23 of the dies 8, 15 while the insulative material is injected into die cavities 24, 26 to form the housing block 16. The metal thickness of the contacts 9 is clamped between the dies 8, 15 and is held stationary. The metal thickness, where clamped, blocks the flow of fluent insulative material. In this matter, the insulative material is blocked from covering over the wire connecting portions 21 of the contacts 9 and those portions of the contacts 9 that project from the front end 14 and from the rear wall 20 of the housing block 16. The solidified housing block 16 holds the contacts 9 in desired positions, including desired pitch spacings, after ejection from the dies 8, 15. The row of contacts 9 in Figures 10 and 11 are arranged in a series of contacts 9 wherein each of the contacts 9 of the first lead frame 12A alternates in the series with a contact 9 of the second lead frame 12B. Upon removal of the first lead frame 12A, the corresponding contacts 9 will be separate from one another and are designated signal contacts 9A. The contacts 9 of the second lead frame 12B are designated ground contacts 9 connected to the ground bus 10 of the second lead frame 12B. The series of contacts 9 is arranged in a desired pattern of a signal alternating with a ground or reference. The pattern can be repeated along the series. The pattern is useful in a construction wherein the pitch spacings are close together, and each signal contact 9A is required to be adjacent to at least one ground contact 9B connected to a reference potential. Thereby each ground contact 9B tends to shield a corresponding signal contact 9A from electrical influences that would induce an undesired voltage in the signal contact 9A. A construction is shown in Figure 11 wherein two ground wires 5 of two different cables 1 are connected to the same ground contact 9. Other constructions are permitted, for example, with one ground wire 5 connected to one ground contact 9. With reference to Figure 12, another construction is disclosed wherein the second lead frame 12B is disconnected from the ground contacts 9B to separate the ground contacts 9B from one another and to eliminate the corresponding ground bus 10. This construction allows each ground contact 9B to be connected to a corresponding ground wire 5 without a bus connection to other ground contacts 9B. With reference to Figure 13, another construction is disclosed wherein the first ground bus 10 and the second ground bus 10 are connected, for example, by a welding operation or a soldering operation. At least one contact 9 of the first lead frame 12A remains joined to the ground bus 10 of the first lead frame 12A and thereby becomes a ground contact 9B. Any contact 9 that is separated from the lead frames 12A or 12B, for example, by removal of a corresponding removable portion 38, becomes a signal contact 9A that is separated from both lead frames 12A, 12B and from the other contacts 9. Thereby, Figure 13 discloses a construction wherein selected contacts 9A are removed from a respective lead frame 12A, 12B and both lead frames 12A, 12B provide a conductive ground bus 10 connected to respective contacts 9B remaining joined to the lead frames 12A, 12B. As shown in Figures 20 and 21, the contacts 9 have corresponding fins 27 which project in the plane of the metal thickness laterally of the longitudinal axes of the contacts 9. The fins 27 of the contacts 9 of both the first lead frame 12A and second lead frame 12B are urged into a common plane prior to applying the insulative housing block 16, and prior to retaining the fins 27 in the common plane by the housing block 16. Reference will now be made to Figures 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21. The contacts 9 project forward of the housing block 16 for assembly with an insulative housing 39. The housing 39 includes multiple contact receiving cavities 40 spaced apart on pitch spacings corresponding to that of the series of contacts 9. A group of contacts 9 is shown fully assembled in corresponding cavities 40 in a representative row, Figure 14, with the front end 17 of the housing block 16 engaging a rear of the housing 39. For illustration purposes, the cables 1 that are connected to the contacts 9 are omitted from Figure 14. With reference to Figures 18, 19, 20 and 21, insertion of the contacts 9 into corresponding cavities 40 will now be described. Generous dimensional clearances, shown at 28, exist between the cavities 40 and the fingers 13 of the contacts 9 to permit insertion of the fingers 13 into the cavities 40 without undue frictional resistance. Further, the clearances 28 permit movement of the fingers 13 in response to insertion of conductive terminal posts, not shown, into the receptacles 14. The clearances 28 would permit undesired movement of the contacts 9 in the cavities 40. As further described below, the fins 27 hold the contacts 9 in the cavities 40 against undesired movement. The fins 27 are inserted along corresponding slits 29 in the housing 39 to guide the contacts 9 into alignment along corresponding cavities 40. The front edges 30 of the fins 27 are tapered to reduce frictional resistance to insertion of the tapered surfaces 30 along corresponding slits 29. Each of the fins 27 includes a laterally projecting barb 31 that extends diagonally rearward and penetrates the housing 39, Figure 21, to resist withdrawal of the contacts 9 in a rearward direction. The barbs 31 are dimensioned laterally with an interference fit with the sides of the corresponding slits 29. The barbs 31 are rearward of the fingers 13, which allows the contacts 9 to be inserted along the cavities 40 before the barbs 31 engage the sides of the slits 29. Each fin 27 is stepped laterally wider to provide a forward facing shoulder 32 that faces a rear facing shoulder 34 at a stepped wider portion of each slit 29. To resist movement of the contact 9 in a forward direction, the front end 17 of the housing block 16 engages the housing 39. The fins 27 in the slits 29 hold flat sides 36, Figures 18 and 19, of the corresponding contacts 9 against flat side walls 35 of the cavities 40, and resist rotation of the contacts 9 in corresponding cavities 40. Thus, the contacts 9 are held in precise locations within corresponding cavities 40.

Claims: A connector assembly for connection to conductive wires to form a cable assembly comprising, conductive signal contacts (9) for connection to wires (2,5) of at least one electrical cable (1), an insulative housing block (16) applied to the contacts (9) and holding the contacts (9) during connection to wires (2,5) of at least one electrical cable (1), the housing block (16) holding all the contacts (9) on a desired pitch spacing, characterized in that the contacts (9) are on first and second lead frames (12A,12B) and the contacts (9) comprise a series of contacts (9) in a row wherein the contacts (9) of the first lead frame (12A) and the contacts (9) of the second lead frame (12B) are in the row, the lead frames (12A,12B) are bent for positioning the contacts (9) parallel with one another, and the housing block (16) holds the contacts (9) parallel with one another. A connector assembly as recited in claim 1, further characterized by; a ground bus (10) on the second lead frame (12B) connected to all of the contacts (9) of the second lead frame (12B) and the contacts (9) of the first lead frame (12A) being removably joined to a disposable remainder of the first lead frame (12A). A connector assembly as recited in claim 2, characterized in that; each of the contacts (9) of the second lead frame (12B) is between two contacts (9) of the first lead frame (12A). A connector assembly as recited in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that; each of the contacts (9) of the first lead frame (12A) alternate with the contacts (9) of the second lead frame (12B) in an alternating series of said contacts (9). A connector assembly as recited in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, further characterized in that; selected contacts (9) are removed from respective lead frames (12A,12B) and each of the lead frames (12A,12B) provides a conductive ground bus (10,10) connected to respective contacts (9) remaining joined to the lead frames (12A,12B).

Inventors: CAPP RANDOLPH ERIC, KOEGEL KEITH SCOTT, SMITH TRACY LEE, CAPP, RANDOLPH ERIC, KOEGEL, KEITH SCOTT, SMITH, TRACY LEE
Applicants: WHITAKER CORP, THE WHITAKER CORPORATION
Application year: 1991
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13, H01R24, H01R12, H01R43