Patent Publication Number: US-7902954-B2

Title: Dual sided connector block

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a dual sided connector block for a solenoid. It is generally known that the orientation of a solenoid coil may be different in different applications. The magnet wire of a solenoid coil is in electric communication with the vehicle, and the electrical attachment of the solenoid coil to the vehicle may occur through an insulation displacement connector wherein the base for the insulation displacement contact is integral to the solenoid bobbin. 
     Insulation displacement contacts or insulation displacement connectors are particularly useful in the manufacture and assembly of solenoid systems. Such connectors allow for quick and easy electrical communication from one component to another component. Under insulation displacement contact technology, individual wires or conductors keep their insulation while being pressed against at least one electrically conductive blade. The at least one blade cuts through the insulation to make contact with the conductor. This saves time during the assembly process because the insulation is displaced or pushed aside around the conductors or wires, thereby making direct electrical contact with the at least one electrically conductive blade. 
     Accordingly, the wiring used in conjunction with insulation displacement contacts is insulated, and the insulation may be displaced at the same time the electrical connection is made. It is to be understood that a blade connector is generally implemented for insertion into the insulation displacement contact block. The blade connector includes both a blade and an electrical contact wherein the blade cuts through the insulation of the wire within the insulation displacement contact block to establish the connection between the wire within the connection block and a wire connected to the blade connector. 
     With respect to solenoid coil wiring, wiring from the solenoid coil is routed from the coil to the insulation displacement contact block where electrical contact is established with the vehicle electrical system. 
     SUMMARY 
     A dual sided connector block for a solenoid according to embodiment(s) as disclosed herein includes a base, a first terminal insertion slot on a first side of the base, a second terminal insertion slot on the second side of the base, a tie-off post, and a magnet wire. The magnet wire is operatively configured as a solenoid coil and is routed inside of the base and wound around the tie off post. The magnet wire is accessible to a connector blade through either of the first terminal insertion slot or the second terminal insertion slot. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and drawings, in which like reference numerals correspond to the same or similar, though perhaps not identical, components. For the sake of brevity, reference numerals or features having a previously described function may or may not be described in connection with other drawings in which they appear. 
         FIG. 1A  is an isometric view of an embodiment of the present disclosure with the dual sided connector shown on a first end of the solenoid coil with the wiring housing and coil housing installed; 
         FIG. 1B  is an isometric view of a prior art insulation displacement contact block having three support walls and a terminal slot on only one side of the block; 
         FIG. 2  is a first isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1A  with the wiring housing and coil housing removed; 
         FIG. 3  is a second isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1A  with the wire housing and coil housing removed; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 3  with the wire housing and coil housing removed; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of another embodiment of the present disclosure with the dual sided connector shown on the second end of the solenoid coil with the wiring housing and coil housing installed; 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 5  with the dual sided connector shown on the second end of the solenoid coil with the wiring housing and coil housing removed; and 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 5  with the wire housing coil housing removed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure provides a dual orientation connector block  10  that may be integral to a solenoid bobbin  20  such that the component may be used in different system designs such as but not limited to various solenoid valves. Implementing the same connector block  10  in different designs provides economies of scale realized, for example, through reduced manufacturing complexity, tooling costs, and design time. A magnet wire  42  in a traditional insulation displacement contact (IDC) connector block  2  must be sufficiently supported within the insulation displacement contact (IDC) connector block  2 . Therefore, as shown in  FIG. 1B , a prior art IDC connector block  2  traditionally has a left side  4 , a right side (not shown) and a backside (not shown) in addition to the front side  6  that includes at least one terminal slot  8 . The left side  4 , a right side (not shown) and a backside (not shown) in a traditional IDC connector  2  support the magnet wire (not shown in  FIG. 1B ). Therefore, there is traditionally only one side remaining in the connector block  2 , the fourth or front side  6 , which may define the terminal slot  8  for receiving a connector blade  50  (shown in  FIGS. 2-4 ). Accordingly, the terminal slot  8  is provided on only one side, therefore providing access from only one direction. This limitation restricts the configuration of a design given that such a traditional IDC connector  2  receives electrical connections (e.g., connector blade  50  in  FIG. 2 ) from only one direction relative to the IDC connector  2 . 
     The present inventors identified this limiting design restriction in the prior art and fortuitously discovered that wire tension may be used to load the magnet wire  42  from the top/third side  32  so that the magnet wire  42  only needs to be supported on the bottom and top/third side  32  (shown in  FIGS. 2-7 ) of the connector block  10  through the wire routing and containment slots and the tie posts  38 . As a non-limiting example, the magnet wire  42  may be supported by the tie off posts  38  by winding the magnet wire  42  around the tie off posts  38  as shown in  FIGS. 2-4  and  6 - 7 . As a result of implementing wire tension to support the magnet wire  42  instead of the sides of the prior connector block  2  (shown in  FIG. 1B ), a terminal slot  34 ,  36  (shown in  FIGS. 2-7 ) may be defined in at least two sides  28 ,  30  of the connector block  10  of the present disclosure. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1A , a dual sided insulated displacement contact block  10 , hereinafter referred to as a “dual sided connector block”  10  or “connector block”  10 , is shown on a solenoid  12  in an isometric view. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the dual sided connector block  10  may be disposed on a first end  18  of solenoid coil  14  and may be integral to the bobbin  20 . It is to be understood that, at times, it is desirable to house the connector block  10  so that the wiring or connector blades ( 50  in  FIG. 2 ) is/are routed over the housing  22  of the solenoid coil  14  and connects to the vehicle system (not shown) at the second end  24  of the solenoid coil  14 . With reference to  FIGS. 1A and 2  together, the orientation of the solenoid system  11  is such that the dual sided connector block  10  is adjacent valve body  13  at the first end  18  of the solenoid coil  14 . In another embodiment, the connector block  10  is housed on the first end  18  of the solenoid coil  14  such that the wiring or connector blades  50  for the solenoid coil  14  to the vehicle V is/are also adjacent to the first end  18  of the solenoid coil  14  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ). 
     Traditionally, separate designs for the solenoid bobbin  20  and connector block  10  would be required to execute the two different orientations shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , given that insulation displacement connector (IDC) connector blocks  10  operate in one direction where the IDC terminal slots  34 ,  36  are generally disposed on a single side of the connector block  10 . In order to reduce the cost associated with having separate designs for the different orientations for the wiring or connector blade arrangement, the present inventors have provided a solution where a dual sided connector block  10  may be implemented in conjunction with a bobbin  20  for a solenoid coil  14  so that the same design and component may be used in different design arrangements. Thus, this dual sided connector block  10  reduces cost and facilitates the manufacturing and distribution process by providing a single product that could be used in multiple design arrangements. 
     As indicated,  FIG. 1A  illustrates the dual sided connector block  10  on a first end  18  of a solenoid  12  so that the wiring system is routed over the housing  22  of the solenoid coil  14  and connects to the vehicle system (not shown in  FIG. 1A ) at the second end  24  of the solenoid coil  14 . This is one of two different orientations or arrangements for the connector block  10  component. It is to be understood that the connector block  10  is integral to the bobbin  20  for the solenoid coil  14 , and the present disclosure provides a user with the flexibility to use this connector block  10  and its associated solenoid bobbin  20  in different designs. The dual sided connector block  10  includes a base  26  having a first side  28  (shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ), a second side  30  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) opposite the first side  28 , and an intermediate wall  32  (shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ) extending therebetween. As indicated, the base  26  of the dual sided connector block  10  is integral to the bobbin  20  for a solenoid coil  14 . 
     Further included on the dual sided connector block  10  is a first terminal insertion slot  34  which is defined on the first side  28  of the base  26 . A second terminal insertion slot  36  is defined on the second side  30  of the base  26 . Moreover, at least one tie off post  38  may be removeably disposed on the top/third side  32  of the base  26 . It is to be understood that the tie off post  38  may be designed to be disposed on the base  26  through a weakened connecting joint  40  such as, e.g., a living hinge, snap fit, or small bridging connection  40  (shown in  FIGS. 2-4  and  6 - 7 ) between the tie off post  38  and the base  26  so that the tie off post  38  may be removed from the base  26  manually and with ease after the connection has been made with the dual sided connector through any one or more of the first and second terminal insertion slots  34 ,  36 , respectively. 
     The dual sided connector block  10  further includes a magnet wire  42  that is operatively configured as a solenoid coil  14  on the bobbin  20  wherein the magnet wire  42  is wound about the bobbin  20 . The magnet wire  42  includes two ends  44 ,  46  that are not wound on the bobbin  20  for the solenoid  12  and are routed through at least one wire routing and containment slot  48  to the tie off post  38 . It is to be understood that the wire routing and containment slot(s)  48  may be defined in the base  26  of the dual sided connector block  10  (as shown in  FIGS. 1-4 ). 
     Furthermore, the wire routing and containment slots  48  may be defined in the base  26  as apertures or recesses within the base  26 , rather than the slots  48  shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . Wire routing and containment slots  48  may generally be used within the base  26  to better facilitate a user to route each end of the magnet wire  42  within the base  26  and wind the magnet wire  42  around the tie off post  38 . Accordingly, the magnet wire  42  is suspended within the base  26  and is exposed to a connector blade  50  through either the first terminal insertion slot  34  or the second terminal insertion slot  36 , as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 . 
     Where insulated displacement connector blocks  10  are used, the magnet wire  42  is generally an insulated wire  42  wherein the insulation around the wire  42  must be cut or otherwise displaced in order to make the electrical connection. Accordingly, during the assembly process, the tie off post  38  serves to suspend the magnet wire  42  in its appropriate location within the interior of the connector block  10  and accessible from either the first terminal insertion slot  34  or the second terminal insertion slot  36 . Once the connector blade  50  has been inserted through either the first terminal insertion slot  34  or the second terminal insertion slot  36 , the connector blade  50  cuts through the insulation of the magnet wire  42  and provides the electrical connection between the magnet wire  42  and the vehicle V. Accordingly, the portion of the magnet wire  42  between the connector blade  50  and the tie off post  38  may be severed, thereby allowing an excess portion of magnet wire  42  to be removed with the tie off post  38  as the tie off post  38  is detached from the connector block  10 . 
     It is to be understood that the connector block  10  may be made of polyamide (nylon) such as, but not limited to, Zytel HTN35HSL 35% glass filled polyamide resin (commercially available from E.I. duPont de Nemours and Co.), or of any other suitable polymeric material having similar chemical and mechanical properties to nylon. As indicated, the base  26  of the dual sided connector block  10  may be integral to the bobbin  20  of the solenoid coil  14 . The bobbin  20  for the solenoid coil  14  includes a first end  18  and a second end  24 , and the dual sided connector of the present disclosure is disposed on a first end  18  of the bobbin  20  for the solenoid coil  14 . Since the dual sided connector block  10  has terminal insertion slots on both of the first and second sides, the blade connector  50  may be routed either adjacent to the first end  18  of the bobbin  20  (as shown in  FIGS. 5-7 ), or over the housing  22  of the solenoid coil  14  (as shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  2 - 4 ). 
     As indicated, the completed connector block  10  of the present disclosure generally does not include the tie off posts  38  once the electrical connection has been made between a connector blade  50  and the connector block  10 . Therefore, in reference to FIGS.  1 A and  2 - 7  together, upon completed manufacture of the connector block  10  of the present disclosure, the dual sided connector block  10  may include a base  26 , a first terminal insertion slot  34  on the first side  28  of the base  26 , a second terminal insertion slot  36  on the second side  30  of the base  26 , and a magnet wire  42  that is in electrical communication with a vehicle V through a connector blade  50 . The magnet wire  42  terminates at the connector blade  50  where the connector blade  50  intersects and cuts (not shown) into the magnet wire  42 . Accordingly, the magnet wire  42  is accessed by the connector blade  50  through one of the first terminal insertion slot  34  or the second terminal insertion slot  36 . 
     The magnet wire  42  may be operatively configured as the solenoid coil  14 . The terminal ends  44 ,  46  of the magnet wire  42 , however, are disposed within the base  26  and as indicated, are in communication with the vehicle V through its electrical connection with the connector blade  50 . Moreover, the wire routing and containment slot  48  maintains the magnet wire  42  within the slot  48  even after the connector blade  50  has joined with the magnet wire  42  which is insulated except where the connector blade  50  has cut through the insulation in order to create the electrical connection between the vehicle V and the magnet wire  42 . 
     While multiple embodiments have been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments may be modified. Therefore, the foregoing description is to be considered exemplary rather than limiting.