Source: http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5536182.html
Timestamp: 2018-08-19 09:35:08
Document Index: 796860359

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 32', 'art 34', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 34', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 33', 'art 32', 'art 31', 'art 32', 'arts 31', 'arts 3', 'arts 33', 'arts 32', 'arts 34', 'arts 34', 'arts 31', 'arts 33', 'arts 32', 'arts 34', 'arts 30', 'arts 3', 'arts 32', 'art 31', 'art 33', 'art 32', 'art 34', 'arts 31', 'arts 31', 'arts 33', 'arts 31', 'arts 31', 'arts 33', 'arts 31', 'arts 33']

Insulation displacement connector - Patent # 5536182 - PatentGenius
5536182 Insulation displacement connector
Inventor: Atoh, et al.
Application: 08/308,800
Inventors: Atoh; Kiyoshi (Tokyo, JP)
Doi; Etsuro (Saitama, JP)
Koiso; Mazakazu (Tama, JP)
Mochizuki; Shoichi (Tama, JP)
U.S. Class: 439/404; 439/405; 439/417; 439/941
Field Of Search: 439/395; 439/396; 439/397; 439/398; 439/399; 439/400; 439/401; 439/402; 439/403; 439/404; 439/405; 439/417; 439/418; 439/419; 439/465; 439/941
U.S Patent Documents: 4006957; 4009922; 4143935; 4713025; 4753608; 4902242; 5104336; 5209672
Foreign Patent Documents: 57-49347; 63-86373
Abstract: An insulation displacement connector for flat cable comprising an insulating housing and one piece terminals, each having a mating contact portion and a slotted plate wire connecting portion joined by a conducting lead portion. All the mating contact portions are mounted in a common plane at the mating face as a row extending transversely of a mating direction and the wire connecting portions are arranged as four rows extending transversely of the cable axis and at predetermined spacings apart in an axially rearward direction. Respective wire connecting portions of first and third rows being at predetermined transverse separations from respective adjacent wire connecting portions of the second and fourth rows, respectively, and conducting lead portions of the first and second rows are crooked upward and transversly of the axis so that respective wire connecting portions of the third and fourth rows are axially aligned behind them and at a lower level so that respective flat cable conductors can be terminated therein at the two levels without interfering with each other.
1. An insulation displacement connector for flat cable comprising an insulating housing having a front mating face and a wire connecting face and a series of terminals, each stamped andformed in one-piece from metal stock and comprising a mating portion and a wire connecting portion joined by a conducting portion, the terminals being mounted in the housing with respective mating portions in a common plane at the mating face as asingle, flat row extending transversely of a mating direction, and with the wire connecting portions at the wire connecting face, each wire connecting portion comprising a plate formed with a wire receiving slot opening to a wire receiving mouth so thatopposed edges of the slot will penetrate insulation of a cable wire forcibly inserted transversely of an axis thereof through the wire receiving mouth into the slot and effect electrical connection to a conductive core of the cable wire, the wireconnecting portions being arranged as four, parallel, rows extending transversely of the axis and transversely of the mating direction at predetermined spacings apart in an axially rearward direction and with the respective plates thereof all extendingtransversely of the axis and transversely of the mating direction, perpendicularly to the common plane of the mating portions and with the respective mouths opening in a common direction perpendicularly of the plane of the mating portions, respectivewire connecting portions of first and third rows being at predetermined transverse separations from respective adjacent wire connecting portions of the second and fourth rows, respectively, wire connecting portions of the first and second rows being at ahigher level than a level of the wire connecting portions of the third and fourth rows, and conducting portions joining the respective wire connecting portions of the rows at one level being crooked transversely relatively towards adjacent wireconnecting portions at another level as they extend from their respective mating portions towards their respective connecting portions.
2. An insulation displacement connector according to claim 1 in which the conducting portions joining wire connecting portions of the first and second rows are crooked toward the respective adjacent wire connecting portions of the third andfourth rows.
3. An insulation displacement connector according to claim 1 in which the lead portions are crooked transversely so that respective plates of the first and second rows are axially alignment behind said respective adjacent plates of the third andfourth rows.
4. An insulation displacement connector according to claim 1 in which the wire connecting face extends rearward of the mating face and the conducting portions comprise elongate lead portions and rearward extending parts of the lead portionsjoining wire connecting portions of the first and second rows are bent up from the plane of the mating portions to the higher level and means are provided on the housing to support the wire connecting portion of the first and the second rows at thehigher level during termination of wires therein.
5. An insulation displacement connector according to claim 3 in which the housing includes a rearward extending terminal support plate at the wire connecting face and a terminal mounting plate for face-to-face engagement with the support plateand having grooves on respective opposite faces thereof for receiving and supporting lead portions joining wire connecting portions of the first and second rows and lead portions joining wire connecting portions of the third and fourth rows,respectively.
6. An insulation displacement connector for flat cable comprising an insulating housing having a front mating face and a wire connecting face and a series of terminals, each stamped and formed in one-piece from metal stock and comprising amating portion and a wire connecting portion joined by a conducting portion, the terminals being mounted in the housing with respective mating portions in a common plane at the mating face as a single, flat row extending transversely of a matingdirection, and with the wire connecting portions at the wire connecting face, each wire connecting portion comprising a plate formed with a wire receiving slot opening to a wire receiving mouth so that opposed edges of the slot will penetrate insulationof a cable wire forcibly inserted transversely of an axis thereof through the wire receiving mouth into the slot and effect electrical connection to a conductive core of the cable wire, the wire connecting portions being arranged as four, parallel, rowsextending transversely of the axis and transversely of the mating direction at predetermined spacings apart in an axially rearward direction and with the respective plates thereof all extending transversely of the axis and transversely of the matingdirection, perpendicularly to the common plane of the mating portions and with the respective mouths opening in a common direction perpendicularly of the plane of the mating portions, respective wire connecting portions of first and third rows being atpredetermined transverse separations from respective adjacent wire connecting portions of the second and fourth rows, respectively, first and second rows being at a higher level than wire connecting portions of the third and fourth rows, respectively.
7. An insulation displacement connector for flat cable comprising an insulating housing having a front mating face and a wire connecting face and a series of terminals, each stamped and formed in one-piece from metal stock and comprising amating portion and a wire connecting portion joined by a conducting portion, the terminals being mounted in the housing with respective mating portions in a common plane at the mating face as a single, flat row extending transversely of a matingdirection, and with the wire connecting portions at the wire connecting face, each wire connecting portion comprising a plate formed with a wire receiving slot opening to a wire receiving mouth so that opposed edges of the slot will penetrate insulationof a cable wire forcibly inserted transversely of an axis thereof through the wire receiving mouth into the slot and effect electrical connection to a conductive core of the cable wire, the wire connecting portions being arranged as a plurality ofparallel, rows extending transversely of the axis and transversely of the mating direction at predetermined spacings apart in an axially rearward direction and with the respective plates thereof all extending transversely of the axis and transversely ofthe mating direction, perpendicularly to the common plane of the mating portions and with the respective mouths opening in a common direction perpendicularly of the plane of the mating portions, and conducting portions joining the wire connectingportions of one row being crooked upwards as they extend rearward so that wire connecting portions of the one row are at a higher level than a level of the wire connecting portion of another row and conducting portions joining the respective wireconnecting portions of the rows at one level being crooked transversely relatively towards adjacent wire connecting portions at another level.
8. An insulation displacement connector for flat cable comprising an insulating housing having a front mating face and a wire connecting face and a series of terminals, each stamped and formed in one-piece from metal stock and comprising amating portion and a wire connecting portion joined by a conducting portion, the terminals being mounted in the housing with respective mating portions in a common plane at the mating face as a row extending transversely of a mating direction, and withthe wire connecting portions at the wire connecting face, each wire connecting portion comprising a plate formed with a wire receiving slot opening to a wire receiving mouth so that opposed edges of the slot will penetrate insulation of a cable wireforcibly inserted transversely of an axis thereof through the wire receiving mouth into the slot and effect electrical connection to a conductive core of the cable wire, the wire connecting portions being arranged as four rows extending transversely ofthe axis and at predetermined spacings apart in an axially rearward direction and with the plates thereof extending transversely of the axis and the mouths opening in a common direction, respective wire connecting portions of first and third rows beingat predetermined transverse separations from respective adjacent wire connecting portions of the second and fourth rows, respectively, wire connecting portions of the first and second rows being at a higher level than a level of the wire connectingportions of the third and fourth rows and conducting portions joining the respective wire connecting portions of the rows at one level being crooked transversely relatively towards adjacent wire connecting portions at another level so that respectiveplates of the first and second rows are axially aligned behind said respective adjacent plates of the third and fourth rows.
An insulation displacement connector for flat cable is taught by Japanese Patent 63-86373 published 1988, and comprises an insulating housing having a front mating face and a wire connecting face and a series of terminals, each stamped and formedin one-piece from metal stock and comprising a mating portion and a wire connecting portion at respective opposite ends of a conducting portion. The terminals are mounted in the housing with respective mating portions in a common plane at the matingface as a row extending transversely of a mating direction, and the wire connecting portions at the wire connecting face, each wire connecting portion comprising a plate formed with a wire receiving slot opening to a wire receiving mouth so that opposededges of the slot will penetrate insulation of a cable wire forcibly inserted transversely of an axis thereof through the wire receiving mouth into the slot and effect electrical connection to a conductive core of the cable wire.
In the prior connector not only are slotted plates arranged in two rows at a common level, but, in an attempt to reduce the transverse width of the connector by narrowing the effective pitch of the wire connecting portions below that of the flatcable while avoiding interference between the connections, an additional row of slotted plate wire connecting portions is also provided at the wire connecting face, at a higher level than the other two rows so that cable wires can be terminated one abovethe other.
However, in the prior connector the wire connecting portions are aligned rearward with their corresponding mating contact portions, thereby requiring an additional row of mating contact portions at the mating face which increases undesirably theoverall size of the connector.
As the transverse pitch of the terminals is normally matched to the pitch of the flat cable, the external dimensions of the connector are determined significantly by the diameters and quantities of cables to be terminated thereby, while as thecables have a coating of uniform thickness it is common for the mating part of the terminal, (which has a cross sectional size or diameter (width) corresponding to that of the conductive core), to be narrower than the external diameter of the cable wire,a narrower mating contact pitch is theoretically possible, which would permit the mating face to be more compact than if the mating contact portions were required to form additional rows.
A further object of the invention is to provide an insulation displacement connector in which the mating contact portions can be arranged as a single row enabling a compact mating face with the wire connecting portions at different levels toincrease the density of termination at the wire connecting face.
According to the invention there is provided an insulation displacement connector for flat cable comprising an insulating housing having a front mating face and a wire connecting face and a series of terminals, each stamped and formed inone-piece from sheet metal stock and comprising a mating portion and a wire connecting portion joined by a conducting portion, the terminals being mounted in the housing with respective mating portions in a common plane at the mating face as a rowextending transversely of a mating direction, and the wire connecting portions at the wire connecting face, each wire connecting portion comprising a plate formed with a wire receiving slot opening to a wire receiving mouth so that opposed edges of theslot will penetrate insulation of a cable wire forcibly inserted transversely of an axis thereof through the wire receiving mouth into the slot and effect electrical connection to a conductive core of the cable wire, in which respective wire connectingportions of first and third rows are at predetermined transverse separations from respective adjacent wire connecting portions of the second and fourth rows, respectively, conducting portions joining the wire connecting portions of the first and secondrows being crooked upwards as they extend rearward so that wire connecting portions of the first and second rows are at a higher level than a level of the wire connecting portions of the third and fourth rows and conducting portions of the rows at onelevel being crooked, having portions extending transversely relatively towards adjacent wire connecting portions at another level.
The placement of the wire connecting portions at different levels enables the respective adjacent conducting portions of different levels to be crooked or bent toward each other without interference therebetween, permitting a reduction of overalltransverse pitch of the wire connecting portions while the mating portions can still be maintained as a single row at the mating face, minimizing the overall size of the connector.
In a particular construction, the wire connecting face extends rearward of the mating face and the conducting portions comprise elongate lead portions and rearward extending parts of the lead portions joining wire connecting portions of the firstand second rows are bent up from the plane of the mating portions to the higher level and means are provided on the housing to support the wire connecting portion of the first and the second rows at the higher level during termination of wires therein.
Preferably, the lead portions are crooked transversely so that respective plates of the first and second rows are in substantial axial alignment behind said respective adjacent plates of the third and fourth rows enabling the pitch to be narrowedby one half.
As shown in FIG. 1, the insulation displacement connector consists of a plug 1 and a receptacle 2, which each terminate end portions of four flat cables 40 and 50, respectively, by an insulation displacement technique so that correspondingindividual conductors of the respective cables are interconnected by coupling the mating faces 10a and 20a together.
Each terminal 34 of the fourth type, consists of a wire connecting, insulation displacement part 34b for terminating an individual wire of a flat cable 40, an mating contact part 34d for mating engagement with a mating contact portion of thesocket and, a conducting lead part 34c which links the insulation displacement part 34b and the terminal part 34d.
The insulation displacement part 34b comprising a plate having the same width as the diameter of an individual wire of the flat cable 40 to be terminated and formed with a central wire receiving narrow slot or slit 34e opening at an upper freeend at a V-shape mouth having sharp lips 34a so that flat cable 40 can be aligned on the mouth and pressed transversely of the cable axis into the slit with the sharp edges 34a breaking or penetrating the insulating coating of the flat cable 40 so thatopposite edges of the slit establish between them reliable electrical connection with wire core 41.
A conducting lead part 34c, which has a cross-sectional area greater than the cross-sectional area of the conductor or core wire 41 depends from the lower end of the insulation displacement part 34b and is bent forward through 90.degree. andextends in straight fashion through the housing to form the mating contact portion 34d at the mating face.
The second terminal 32 is located adjacent the fourth terminal 34 and has an insulation displacement part 32b formed in a similar shape to the insulation displacement part 34b of the fourth terminal 34 but of greater height, and the conductinglead part 32c is crooked so that the insulation displacement part 32b is aligned in front of the insulation displacement part 34b of the fourth terminal, separated therefrom by an axial pitch P4.
As the conducting lead part 32c extends forward from the 90.degree. bend below the insulation displacement part, it extends first horizontally leftward (transversely) and then forward, crank fashion, at part 32g, and then is bent through90.degree., downward at step 32f and then again bent forward through 90.degree., subsequently extending in straight fashion through the housing in the mating direction to form the mating contact portion 32d at the mating face.
The third terminal 33 is formed in the same shape as the fourth terminal 34 except that its conducting lead part 33c is shorter than the conducting lead part 32c of the fourth terminal so as to be separated forward therefrom by pitch P5 which isequal to half the pitch P4.
Similarly, the first terminal 31 is formed in the same shape as the second terminal 32, except that it has a conducting lead part 31c shorter than the conducting lead part 32c of the second terminal 32 so as to be separated forward therefrom bypitch P5.
The insulation displacement parts 31 of the respective terminals 30 are positioned at the wire connecting face at the rear of the plug body 10 in respective rows which extend transversely of the mating direction and the cable axis, (left-to-rightin FIG. 2). All slotted plates in a common row are aligned with each other and extend transversely in coplanar relation and the respective rows of first, second, third and fourth terminals extend separated at predetermined pitches P5 in an axiallyrearward direction.
The mating contact portions 31d of the first terminals 31 whose insulation displacement parts 3lb are set in the foremost row are arranged at a half-pitch P3, pitch conversion relative to the mating contact portions 33d of the third terminals 33whose insulation displacement parts 33b are set in the third row. In addition, the mating contact portions 32d of the second terminals 32 whose insulation displacement parts 32b are set in the second row are similarly arranged at a half-pitch P3, pitchconversion relative to the contact parts 34d of the fourth terminals 34 whose insulation displacement parts 34b are set in the fourth row.
As a result of this arrangement, the insulation displacement parts 31b of the first terminals 31 and the insulation displacement parts 33b of the third terminals 33 are located in line one in front of the other both in the mating and axialdirection, when viewed from above, while the insulation displacement parts 32b of the second terminals 32 and the insulation displacement parts 34b of the fourth terminals 34 are also located in line, one in front of the other at an interval of pitch P2from the aforementioned line. As a result, the insulation displacement parts 30b of the respective terminals 30 are in a zigzag or staggered array when viewed from above, as shown by FIG. 3(A).
Although the insulation displacement parts 3lb and 33b are aligned, and the insulation displacement parts 32b and 34b are aligned as described above, as the conducting lead part 31c of the first terminal 31 is separated from the conducting leadpart 33c of the third terminal 33 by the height of the step 31f, and as the conducting lead part 32c of the second terminal 32 is separated from the conducting lead part 34c of the fourth terminal 34 by the height of the step 32f, there is nointerference between the respective conducting lead parts 31c and 33c, and 32c and 34c.
As is shown particularly in FIG. 3(B), the sharp lips 31a of the first terminal 31 are positioned higher by more than the diameter of the flat cable 40 than the lips 33a of the third terminal 33. As a result, even if the respective insulationdisplacement parts 31b,33b and 32b,34b are on the same line, the respective flat cables 40, do not interfere and can be located and terminated on two vertically separate levels.
The substrate 11 extends centrally of the plug body 10 in the axial direction for supporting terminals on respective opposite faces thereof both at the mating face and at the wire connecting face where it provides a rearward extending rib forcarrying the terminal holding members 12.
An inner face of the terminal holding member 12 which engages the surface of the rib of the substrate 11 is formed with lower terminal locating grooves 12a receiving and locating the conducting lead parts 33c and 34c of the third and fourthterminals 33 and 34, respectively, which grooves communicate at rears ends thereof with respective throughholes 12b in the terminal holding member 12. These lower, terminal locating grooves 12a and throughholes 12b are formed in positions matching thepositions of the respective terminals 30 and at the intervals specified above.
An outer terminal locating groove 12c, which is configured to locate the conducting lead parts 31c and 32c of the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 32, is formed on the opposite, outer (upper), exposed surface of the terminal holdingmember 12, and matches the crank-like shape of the respective conducting lead parts 31c and 32c. Furthermore, the outer terminal locating groove 12c has a depth such that the thickness of the terminal holding member 12, after groove formation, is thesame as the descent dimension or heights of the descending parts or steps 31f and 32f of the terminals 31 and 32, respectively.
In assembling the connector, the terminals 31b, 32b are mounted in the grooves of the terminal holding member 12 from the upper surface thereof and the contacts 33b and 34b are mounted in the grooves of the terminal holding member from the lowersurface thereof. The substrate member 11 with the terminal holding members are then inserted through a slot formed centrally of the mating shroud member 15 and mounted thereto.
More particularly, the mating contact portions 33d and 34d of the third terminal 33 and the fourth terminal 34, respectively, are positioned at the top of the forward end 11c of the substrate 11, and by locating the third terminal 33 and thefourth terminal 34 in the lower terminal locating groove 12a and throughhole 12b of the terminal holding member 12, the insulation displacement parts 33b and 34b are positioned accurately in the third and the fourth rows, respectively, installing theterminals 33 and 34.
The mating contact portions 31d and 32d of the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 32 are positioned at the outer, forward end 11c of the substrate 11 and the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 32 located in the upper arrangementgroove 12c of the terminal holding member 12, thereby positioning the insulation displacement parts 31b and 32b in the foremost and second row, respectively.
The lower level flat cable presser bar 13A has a cable engaging surface formed with a series of flat cable holding grooves 13d with a profile and pitch matching that of the outer diameter and pitch of the upper or outer surface of the lower levelflat cable 40b, and slotted plated receiving apertures 13c matching the positions and dimensions of the sharp lips 33a and 34a and the locations and external dimensions of the insulation displacement parts or slotted plates 33b and 34b of the respectiveterminals
The flat cable 40 is terminated by first placing a lower level flat cable 40b on the sharp lips 33a and 34a of the insulation displacement parts 33b and 34b of the third and fourth terminals 33 and 34 arranged in the third row and last row, asshown in FIG. 5(A).
As shown in FIG. 5(B), when the lower level flat cable holding member 13 is pushed downward, the sharp lips 33a and 34a of the terminals 33 and 34 cut through the insulation coating 42 of the lower level flat cable 40b, and bite into the flatcable 40b. Furthermore, when the cable is pushed downward so that the bottom of the lower level flat cable 40b engages the top of the terminal holding member 12, the wires cores 41 enter and move down the slits 33e and 34e. As the respective sharp lips33a and 34a form press fits with the slotted plate receiving holes 13c, the wire cores 41 are firmly held in the slotted plates 33b and 34b.
Similarly to the procedure described above, termination is effected by placing the upper or outer level flat cable 40a on the sharp lips 31a and 32a of the first and second terminals 31 and 32 which are arranged in the foremost row and the secondrow, respectively, aligning the upper level flat cable 40a with the flat cable holding grooves 14d is formed at the bottom of the upper level flat cable holding member 14, and aligning the insulation displacement parts or slotted plates 31b and 32b ofthe respective terminals to the insulation displacement part receiving holes 14c, and pushing the upper level flat cable holding member 14 downward until the bottom of the upper level flat cable 40a makes contact with the top of the lower level flatcable holding member 13.
Although termination of the upper level flat cable 40a is conducted after the termination of the lower level flat cable 40b in the procedure described above, but it is also acceptable to position the lower level flat cable holding member 13 onthe lower level flat cable 40b positioned on the sharp lips 33a and 34a, to place the upper level flat cable 40a on the sharp lips 31a and 32a, and to simultaneously terminate the two flat cables 40a and 40b by pressing the upper level flat cable holdingmember 14 downward.
During the final stages of termination, projections 11a and 11b of resilient locking arms which extend vertically from opposite (left and right) sides of the substrate 11 snap into engagement with shoulders 14a and 14b which are formed at the topof the upper level flat cable holding member 14, ensuring that the respective flat cable holding members 13 and 14 are firmly engaged with the plug body 10 in terminated condition of the cable.
In the above embodiment, the terminals 31 of the foremost row and the terminals 33 of the third row, the terminals 32 of the second row and the terminals 34 of the last row (the upper level contacts and the lower level terminals) are respectivelyin precise axial alignment but a degree of transverse misalignment is acceptable to the extent that the insulation displacement parts of the upper level terminals and the conducting lead parts of the lower level terminals do not interfere with eachother.
As explained above, as the front two rows of insulation displacement parts are located at a higher (outer) level from the two rear rows, a lower level flat cable can be terminated to the terminals of the rear two rows and an upper level flatcable can be terminated to the terminals of the forward two rows whose insulation displacement parts are positioned on the upper level while all insulation displacement parts are joined to respective mating contact portions located in a single row at acommon level at the mating face.
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