Patent Publication Number: US-7210964-B2

Title: Electrical connector backshell assemblies

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention is directed to electrical connector backshell assemblies and, more particularly, to electrical connector backshell assemblies for one or more electrical cables. 
   BACKGROUND 
   In some conventional electrical connector backshell assemblies, individual electrical cable shield braid terminations consume large amounts of space inside the connector backshell, thus leaving little room for the signal-carrying wires inside the backshell. Also, individually terminating each of the shield braids consumes large amounts of labor time. However, collectively terminating multiple shield braids that are not carefully organized and dressed may lead to partial or incomplete electrical contact between the shield braids and a termination area. 
   Thus, it may be desirable to provide electrical connector backshell assemblies having shield braid terminations outside of the connector backshell. It may further be desirable to collectively terminate multiple shield braids. In collectively terminating multiple shield braids, it may be desirable to organize and/or dress the shield braids to maximize electrical contact of the shield braids with the termination area. 
   Some conventional electrical connector backshell assemblies have an opening for receiving cable bundles having a wide range of diameters. When a bundle does not occupy the entire opening, electrical interference can enter the backshell via the unoccupied portion of the opening. 
   Therefore, it may be desirable to provide electrical connector backshell assemblies with an adjustably-variable opening that can be customized for any size bundle of cables at the time of cable installation. 
   The electrical connector backshell assemblies of the present invention solve one or more of the problems set forth above. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to various aspects, an electrical connector backshell assembly may comprise a housing, an opening in the housing, and a termination area electrically coupled to the housing. The housing may be configured to receive at least one cable containing at least one electrical wire that is protected by a shield. The shield may be separable from at least one electrical wire. The opening may be configured such that a portion of the shield separated from at least one electrical wire is passable through the opening out of the housing. The termination area may be configured to receive a clamping member. The clamping member may be configured to urge the separated portion of the shield in electrical contact with the termination area. 
   In accordance with various aspects, an electrical connector backshell assembly may comprise a housing, and a cover member coupled to the housing. The housing may have a variable-sized opening configured to accommodate a width of at least one cable containing at least one electrical wire. The connection portion may be configured to be electrically coupled with at least one electrical wire and to define an electrical interface to at least one electrical wire. The cover member may be configured to vary the size of the opening to minimize a portion of the opening that is not occupied by at least one cable. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary electrical connector backshell assembly with an attached cable in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure; 
       FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the electrical connector backshell assembly and cable of  FIG. 1  with a cover removed; 
       FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of another exemplary electrical connector backshell assembly with a plurality of attached cables in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure; 
       FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view of another exemplary electrical connector backshell assembly in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure; and 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the electrical connector backshell assembly of  FIG. 4  with a plurality of attached cables. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   An exemplary embodiment of an electrical connector backshell assembly  100  is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The electrical connector backshell assembly  100  may include a connection portion  110  and a housing  120 . The housing  120  may be of various sizes to accommodate various sized electrical connectors. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the connection portion  110  may comprise a multi-receptacle connector  112  configured to be mated with a complementary multi-pin connector (not shown). The connector  112  may define an electrical interface to at least one electrical wire  114 . 
   The housing  120  may comprise a first portion  122 , for example, a backshell, and a second portion  124 , for example, a cover. The second portion  124  may be removably attachable to the first portion  122  via fasteners such as screws or the like (not shown). The first portion  122  may also include a termination area  126 . Although  FIG. 1  depicts the termination area  126  on an exterior surface  128  of the first portion  122 , one skilled in the art would understand that the termination area  126  may be on an exterior surface of the second portion  124 . 
   The housing  120 , including the termination area  126 , may comprise any conductive material such as, for example, an aluminum, zinc, steel, or other metal alloy with a plating of nickel, tin, chromate conversion, or the like. According to one exemplary aspect, the housing  120  and termination area  126  may comprise an aluminum alloy with nickel plating. According to some aspects, the housing  120  and termination area  126  may comprise a conductive plastic. 
   The housing  120  may comprise an opening  130  configured to receive at least one cable  118 . The cable  118  may contain at least one electrical wire  114 , which is protected by a shield  116 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cable  118  may pass through the opening  130  to facilitate connection of the at least one electrical wire  114  to the connection portion  110 . A portion  1116  of the shield  116  may be separable from the at least one electrical wire  114 . The separated portion  1116  of the shield  116  may be routed back out of the opening  130  and to the termination area  126 . According to various aspects, the separated portion  1116  may be twisted into a pigtail to provide a more orderly appearance. 
   The electrical connector backshell assembly  100  may further include a clamping member  132 . According to various aspects, the clamping member  132  may comprise, for example, a plate. The clamping member  132  may be configured to urge the separated portion  1116  of the shield  116  in electrical contact with the termination area  126 . For example, the clamping member  132  may be coupled to the housing  120  with one or more fasteners  134 . The one or more fasteners  134  may comprise any screw or the like known in the art. 
   The termination area  126  can have a variable surface or a flat surface. It should be appreciated that a variable surface termination area may cooperate with the clamping member  132  to provide a better grip on the separated portions  1116  of the shield  116 , which may thus provide better electrical contact. 
   The electrical connector backshell assembly  100  may also include one or more strain relief members  136 ,  138  configured to relieve strain on the at least one cable  118  terminated at the electrical connector  100 . The strain relief members  136 ,  138  may be of unitary construction with the first portion  122  or may be separate from the first portion  122  and subsequently coupled with the first portion  122  via assembly. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an exemplary electrical connector backshell assembly  300  may comprise a housing  320 , a termination area  326 , and a clamping member  332 , similar to the connector  100  described above. According to various aspects, the housing  320  may include an extension  340  extending from a first portion  322  of the housing  320 . The extension  340  may include an elongated slot  342  configured to receive one or more separated portions  1316  of shield braids  316  from one or more cables  318 . It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the extension and slot may extend from a second portion  324  of the housing  320 . 
   According to various aspects, the elongated slot  342  may have a width  344  sized greater than the width of a single separated portion  1316  of a shield braid  316 , but less than a combined width of any two separated portions  1316 . Consequently, when a plurality of separated portions  1316  are fed through the slot  342 , the width  344  of the slot  342  dictates that the separated portions  1316  pass through the slot  342  in a side-by-side manner without overlapping. The separated portions  1316  thus exit the slot  342  in a side-by-side arrangement, which facilitates a similar side-by-side arrangement of the separated portions  1316  at the termination area  326 . The clamping member  332  may clamp the separated portions  1316  to the termination area  326  in a substantially side-by-side arrangement, thus maximizing electrical contact between the separated portions  1316  and the termination area  326 . It should be appreciated that the width of the single separated portion  1316  may comprise, for example, a diameter of a pigtailed portion having a substantially round cross-section. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , according to various aspects, an exemplary electrical connector backshell assembly  500  may comprise a connection portion  510  and a housing  520 . The housing  520  may include a first portion  522 , for example, a backshell, and a second portion  524 , for example, a cover. The second portion  524  may be removably attachable to the first portion  522  via fasteners such as screws or the like (not shown). 
   The housing  520  may comprise an opening  530  configured to receive at least one cable  518 . Each of the cables  518  may contain at least one electrical wire (not shown), which is protected by a shield (not shown), similar to that shown in  FIG. 2  above. The at least one cable  518  may pass through the opening  530  to facilitate connection of the at least one electrical wire to the connection portion  510 . A strain relief member  536  may extend from the housing  520  at a first end  1530  of the opening  530 . 
   According to various embodiments, the housing  520  may include a pair of slots  550 ,  552 , one at each side of the opening  530 . For example, a first slot  550  may be defined by the first portion  522  and the second slot  552  may be defined by the second portion  524 . It should be appreciated that the first and second slots  550 ,  552  may be defined by the same portion of the housing, as long as the slots  550 ,  552  are arranged at opposite sides of the opening  530 . The slots  550 ,  552  may extend from a first end  1520  of the housing  520  to the strain relief member  536 . 
   The connector backshell assembly  500  further comprises a cover member  554  configured to be slidably received by the first and second slots  550 ,  552 . For example, the cover member  554  may be substantially j-shaped, with the long segment  556  of the “j” being substantially planar. The long segment  556  may be slidably received by the opposed slots  550 ,  552 . The cover member  554  and slots  550 ,  552  may be arranged such that the cover member  554  can be slidably moved toward the at least one cable  518  and strain relief member  536  to adjust the size of the opening  530 . The slidable cover member  554  may thus render the opening  530  a variable-sized opening. 
   According to various aspects, the long segment  556  may have a thickness substantially the same as the width of the slots  550 ,  552  such that the segment  556  can be inserted into the slots  550 ,  552  with a close sliding fit. According to some aspects, the long segment  556  may have a width substantially the same as the distance between the slots  550 ,  552  (measured between the depths of each slot) such that the segment  556  can be inserted into and retained by the slots  550 ,  552  in a close sliding fit to reduce gaps that could allow electrical interference to enter the backshell assembly  500 . 
   A transverse segment  562  of the j-shaped cover member  554  may assist in relieving strain from the at least one cable  518 . For example, once all of the cables  518  are passed through the opening  530  and connected to the connection portion  510 , the cover member  554  may be slid toward the cable(s)  518 . According to various aspects, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the cover member  554  may contact one or more of the cables  518 . The cable(s)  518  may be coupled to the strain relief member  536  and the cover member  554  with a bundling member  560 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   The bundling member  560  may comprise a cord, band, wrap, or the like, as would be understood by one skilled in the art. Coupling the cable(s)  518  to the strain relief member  536  and cover member  554  may reduce strain on one or more of the cables  518 , thus reducing the likelihood of the cables detaching from the connection portion  510 . The bundling member  560  may also help retain the cover member  554  in the slots  550 ,  552 . 
   The long segment  556  of the cover member  554  may comprise a plurality of segments  558  delimited by notches  560 . Each of the notches  560  provides a weakened region of the long segment  556  that facilitates breakage. Accordingly, after one or more cables  518  are passed through the opening  530  to facilitate connection of the at least one electrical wire to the connection portion  510 , the cover member  554  may be inserted into the slots  550 ,  552  and slidably moved toward the one or more cables  518  to adjust the size of the opening  530  to a desired size. If at least one segment  558  or a portion thereof extends past the first end  1520  of the housing  520 , the extending segment(s) or portion can be removed by breaking the long segment  556  at the notch  560  nearest the first end  1520 . Thus, the length of the cover member  554  can be customized such that it does not extend past the first end  1520  of the housing  520  or such that a minimum portion of the cover member  554  extends past the first end  1520  of the housing  520 . 
   According to various aspects, a portion  1516  of the shield of one or more of the cables  518  may be separable from the at least one electrical wire. According to various aspects, one or more of the separated portions  1516  may be twisted into a pigtail to provide a more orderly appearance. 
   The separated portions  1516  of the shields may be routed back out of the opening  530  and to a termination area  526 . Although  FIGS. 4 and 5  depict the termination area  526  on an exterior surface  528  of the first portion  522 , one skilled in the art would understand that the termination area  526  may be on an interior surface of the first portion  522  or on an interior or exterior surface of the second portion  524 . 
   According to various aspects, the electrical connector backshell assembly  500  may further include a clamping member  532 . According to various aspects, the clamping member  532  may comprise, for example, a plate. The clamping member  532  may be configured to urge the separated portions  1516  of the shields in electrical contact with the termination area  526 . For example, the clamping member  532  may be coupled to the housing  520  with one or more fasteners  534 . The one or more fasteners  534  may comprise any screw or the like known in the art. 
   According to various exemplary aspects, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the housing  520  may include an extension  540  extending from a first portion  522  of the housing  520 . The extension  540  may include an elongated slot  542  configured to receive one or more separated portions  1516  of shield braids. 
   According to various aspects, the elongated slot  542  may have a width  544  sized greater than the width of a single separated portion  1516  of a shield braid, but less than a combined width of any two separated portions  1516 . Consequently, when a plurality of separated portions  1516  are fed through the slot  542 , the width  544  of the slot  542  dictates that the separated portions  1516  pass through the slot  542  in a side-by-side manner without overlapping. The separated portions  1516  thus exit the slot  542  in a side-by-side arrangement, which facilitates a similar side-by-side arrangement of the separated portions  1516  at the termination area  526 . The clamping member  532  may clamp the separated portions  1516  to the termination area  526  in a substantially side-by-side arrangement, thus maximizing electrical contact between the separated portions  1516  and the termination area  526 . It should be appreciated that the width of the single separated portion  1516  may comprise, for example, a diameter of a pigtailed portion having a substantially round cross-section. 
   It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the electrical connector backshell assemblies of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only.