Abstract:
A connector (C1) includes a housing (10) and a pair of terminals (T1) adapted to interconnect to a pair of wires (W1, W2) to electrically connect with terminals (33, 35) of a connector (R1); wherein the connector has a key (20) that is movably latchable in the housing in one of two positions in accordance with the orientation of the wires as terminated to terminals (T1) to form an appropriate connector orientation relative to a keyway and the mating connector and assure proper mating of connectors and wires, despite random orientation of wires as terminated.

Description:
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/807,932 filed Dec. 16, 1991, now abandoned. 
    
    
     This invention relates to an electrical connector having variable polarization to enable random interconnection to pairs of wires. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Electrical connectors may be terminated to the ends of electrical wires or in between the ends to form tap connections. When this is done with respect to cables having pairs, or multiples of pairs of wires, and particularly with respect to twisted pairs of wires, care must be taken to properly orient the wires relative to the connectors and the terminals thereof to assure that the appropriate wires relative to voltages, signal, and grounding pathways are maintained. 
     A conventional example of a tap connector utilized with multiple wires is disclosed in Japanese Patent Number 128460/1987. In a use of such connectors, the wires are typically numbered or colored to identify the appropriate wire relative to the terminals of the connector. One problem with such use, particularly experienced with automatic termination through machines arises by virtue of the fact that the wires must be identified in some way prior to termination. This results in either an opportunity for error, or a requirement that the wires be fed in a precise way with some means of detecting the color or identification of the wire in order to assure proper termination. If errors are made and the wire is improperly terminated, the wiring harness resulting therefrom is typically scrapped as it cannot be repaired economically. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel connector capable of being randomly terminated to electrical conductor wires, such as twisted pair wires. It is a further object to provide a tap connector capable of being interconnected to a pair of wires at the ends or intermediate the ends of a cable without the need to initially identify the orientation of the wires. It is still a further object to provide an improved method for terminating multiple conductor wires, and particularly twisted pair wires, to electrical connectors for use in a harness. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention, a connector and method therefor is utilized which enables the random termination of multiple conductor wires. The connector includes mating connector halves in the form of plug and receptacle, which contain mating terminals. One of the halves typically includes a provision wherein the terminals thereof are terminated to a pair of wires such as a twisted pair of a cable without regard to the identity or orientation of the wires relative to the connector. The connector so terminated has a key which can be moved in accordance with a later identity of the wires to occupy one of two positions altering the profile of the connector half. The alteration, by displacement of the key, requires that the terminated half itself be oriented relative to a keyway provided on the opposite connector half; the key of one half fitting in the keyway of the other half during intermating. The connector half, which is terminated, includes latch surfaces which are engaged by key latches to latch the key in one of the two positions to thus polarize the connector half relative to its mating half. 
     In one embodiment, the invention housing terminated to wires includes an aperture through which a key is adapted to slide into one or the other of two positions and be latched thereby. In a further embodiment, the key is formed integrally with the housing and made to extend from the sides thereof to be either snapped into grooves of the housing and frictionally therein or left to project from the housing. An appropriate keyway or keyways can be provided in the mating connector half to accommodate an orientation for intermating of the connector halves and the multiple wires terminated thereby. 
     In accordance with the method of the invention, it is contemplated that connectors having the feature of the invention are first randomly terminated to multiple wires, such as twisted pair wires, and thereafter, the particular wire orientation is identified with the key of the connector manipulated to an appropriate position to force the connector to be oriented relative to its mating half in an appropriate position. Thereafter, the connector halves are mated with the key, keyway feature of the invention, resulting in an appropriate interconnection. 
    
    
     IN THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view showing a pair of connectors in accordance with the invention terminated to a twisted pair of wires with connector halves prior to mating. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view showing the connector halves terminated to wires, the terminals shown in phantom, and including keys in two different positions relative to the connector housings. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the connector housing of the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a connector half intended to mate with the connector half shown in FIG. 3. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a simplified view of one embodiment of a tap connector in accordance with the present invention. A pair of first connectors C1, C2 each include two receptacle contacts (not shown) which are terminated individually to one of two electrical conductor wires W1, W2 of a twisted pair of wires forming a cable such as a jumper cable or a portion of a daisy chain which interconnects circuits and components. Each of the receptacle contacts may typically include a box-shaped receptacle portion extending within a plastic connector housing 10 to a mating face 12 and aligned with apertures 13. The profile of the terminals T1, T2 is shown in phantom in FIG. 2 extending through the housing 10. Also shown in FIG. 2 is an aperture 11 which extends through the sides of the housing 10. The contact terminals T1 and T2 may be insulation displacement contacts (IDC) which are well known to include a slotted plate of terminal material which serves to penetrate the insulation of a conductor wire and grip the conductive strand or strands contained therein to provide an interconnection to the wire. The IDC-type termination may be effected by a portion of the connector housing, such as a cap which pushes the wires into the slot of the terminal; or, alternatively, may be achieved through the use of an IDC tool which serves to push the wire into the appropriate slot with a cap thereafter being added to the housing to hold the wire in place. Such cap 14 may be applied to the housing as shown in FIG. 1. 
     As can be discerned from FIG. 1, the pair of connectors C1, C2 are connected to the twisted pair of wires W1 and W2 such that the wires are relatively reversed as between the connectors C1 and C2, noting the orientation of the wires relative to the sides 16 and 18 of the housings 10 of the two connectors. The invention contemplates that any number of connectors C1, C2 may be applied to the conductor wires W1 and W2 at the end of such wires or intermediate such ends and along the length of the cable formed by the wires. The invention also contemplates that this step of termination of a given connector C1, C2 may be done randomly without a determination during termination of the particular orientation of the wire relative to the connector and the terminal receptacles therein. 
     FIG. 1 also shows a pair of connector receptacles R1, R2 having housings 30 which each include an interior recess 32 and contain contact terminals in the form of pins 33 and 35 extending therewithin. Each of the housings 30 further include side surfaces 34 and 36 with a groove 38 projecting from the side surface 36 as shown. The recess 32 is of a cross-sectional dimension to receive, in mating engagement, the plug portion of the connectors C1, C2 in a manner so that the contact pins 33 and 35 will enter the apertures 13 and engage the terminals within the housings 10. Given the orientation of wires W1, W2 relative to the connectors C1, C2 shown in FIG. 1, an engagement of the connectors with the receptacles R1 and R2 would result in a reversal of circuit paths and an improper interconnection. 
     To that end, each of the housings 10, including the apertures 11, are made to include a key 20 which is movable from within the housing to project outwardly from side 16, in one instance, or side 18 in another instance. The keys 20 for the connectors C1, C2, which may be seen projecting from the sides 16,18 of connectors C1 and C2 in FIGS. 1 and 2, each include upper latches 22,42; 23,43 and lower latches 24,44; 25,45. The latches 22-25 are positioned on the key 20 so as to engage latches 42-45, shown in FIG. 2 to latch the key 20 in a fixed position projecting from one side 16 or the other side 18 of a connector C1, C2. Thus, the key 20 is shown projecting from the right side of connector C1 and from the left side of connector C2 relative to the keyways 38 of such connectors, as shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the keys 20 are oppositely oriented to require a manipulation of the connector C2 relative to the receptacle R2, note the orientation shown in FIG. 1 wherein the conductor wire W1, through the receptacle in connector C1, would be interconnected with contact pin 33 relative to R1 and also contact pin 33 relative to R2. 
     The invention concept, connector and method, allows for a random termination of the connectors C1, C2 to the cable formed by conductor wires W1, W2. This is followed by a continuity test to check the interconnection of the connectors to the wires W1, W2, which test will identify the orientation resulting from the interconnection as well as providing a level of quality control as to the interconnection. With the identification of wires, the key 20 of a given connector C1, C2 may be manipulated within the keyway 38 to force an orientation of the connector relative to the receptacle and thus assure a proper interconnection. 
     The invention contemplates that the key 20 may be manipulated manually through an operator in fabricating a harness made of the component shown, or may be driven automatically by an air cylinder or an electromagnetic plunger associated with a continuity test. 
     FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention, including a connector C&#39; having a housing 10&#39;. The housing 10&#39; includes receptacle terminals which are to be interconnected to wires in a manner not shown but essentially like that shown with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. Opposite to the wire termination end is a face 12&#39; containing a pair of apertures 13&#39; which lead to receptacles within housing 10&#39;. On the sides of the housing 10&#39; are grooves 11&#39; which include recesses 19 at the top and bottom of such grooves. A key 15 is formed on each side of housing 10&#39; and includes a pair of ridges or ribs 17 which project from the top and bottom thereof as shown in FIG. 3. The keys 15 are made integral with the housing 10&#39; in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 and are hingedly mounted thereto at inner ends thereof. Housing 10&#39; is accordingly molded with the keys 15 positioned outwardly and the grooves 11&#39; molded therein. Thereafter, the keys may be selectively forced into the housing 10&#39;, the keys 15 and the ridges 17 thereof lodging in grooves 11&#39; and recesses 19 to latch the keys in position. As can be seen in FIG. 4, a receptacle connector R&#39; is made to include a housing 30&#39; with terminals 33&#39; and 35&#39; and a keyway 38&#39; on one side thereof. The interior recess 32&#39; is made to have a configuration to accept the connector 10&#39; with one and only one of the keys 15 left projecting from the side thereof. In this way, the selective manipulation of the keys 15 forces polarization or orientation of the housing 10&#39; and therefore the wires, not shown, terminated thereto. 
     The invention contemplates that the housings shown are to be made of standard engineering plastic having appropriate dielectric qualities. The invention further contemplates that a variety of different types of terminals may be employed with respect to the connector, including IDC and other types of terminations. Additionally, the keys 20 and 15 may not be limited to push-in types, but may have a pair of keys on the outer surface of the housing to be selectively moved or displaced for polarization purposes. The key 15 may in fact be made separate from the housing 10 and attached thereto by appropriate means. 
     Having now disclosed the invention in terms intended to enable a preferred practice thereof, claims are set forth defining the invention.