CA1115371A - Connector including a contact for forming a crimped insulation-piercing electrical connection - Google Patents
Connector including a contact for forming a crimped insulation-piercing electrical connectionInfo
- Publication number
- CA1115371A CA1115371A CA325,637A CA325637A CA1115371A CA 1115371 A CA1115371 A CA 1115371A CA 325637 A CA325637 A CA 325637A CA 1115371 A CA1115371 A CA 1115371A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- sidewalls
- contact
- conductor
- insulation
- piercing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
- H01R4/24—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands
- H01R4/2416—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type
- H01R4/2445—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type the contact members having additional means acting on the insulation or the wire, e.g. additional insulation penetrating means, strain relief means or wire cutting knives
- H01R4/2466—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type the contact members having additional means acting on the insulation or the wire, e.g. additional insulation penetrating means, strain relief means or wire cutting knives the contact members having a channel-shaped part, the opposite sidewalls of which comprise insulation-cutting means
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
- H01R4/24—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands
- H01R4/2495—Insulation penetration combined with permanent deformation of the contact member, e.g. crimping
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R43/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors
- H01R43/01—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors for connecting unstripped conductors to contact members having insulation cutting edges
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R43/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors
- H01R43/04—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors for forming connections by deformation, e.g. crimping tool
- H01R43/058—Crimping mandrels
Landscapes
- Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
- Multi-Conductor Connections (AREA)
- Connections By Means Of Piercing Elements, Nuts, Or Screws (AREA)
- Connections Effected By Soldering, Adhesion, Or Permanent Deformation (AREA)
- Manufacturing Of Electrical Connectors (AREA)
- Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The present invention is directed generally to an elec-trical connector including a contact for forming a crimped, insula-tion-piercing electrical connection. Prior art insulation-piercing type connectors have proven unacceptable when used with stranded wire core conductors, because tensile forces applied to the conductors, as well as the cold flow of the insulation sur-rounding the core, causes the individual strands of the wire core to move and reposition within the insulation-piercing contacts causing changes in contact resistance. The present invention overcomes these deficiencies of the prior art by providing an improved connector including a dielectric insert, a plurality of electrical contacts and means providing access to the contacts for effecting the crimped, insulation-piercing termination. The contacts each include a terminal portion with opposed sidewalls mounted within a cavity of the insert, and the access means com-prises a passageway in the insert which accommodates a crimp tool used to deform the sidewalls of the contact terminal and secure the conductors in termination position within the contacts.
The present invention is directed generally to an elec-trical connector including a contact for forming a crimped, insula-tion-piercing electrical connection. Prior art insulation-piercing type connectors have proven unacceptable when used with stranded wire core conductors, because tensile forces applied to the conductors, as well as the cold flow of the insulation sur-rounding the core, causes the individual strands of the wire core to move and reposition within the insulation-piercing contacts causing changes in contact resistance. The present invention overcomes these deficiencies of the prior art by providing an improved connector including a dielectric insert, a plurality of electrical contacts and means providing access to the contacts for effecting the crimped, insulation-piercing termination. The contacts each include a terminal portion with opposed sidewalls mounted within a cavity of the insert, and the access means com-prises a passageway in the insert which accommodates a crimp tool used to deform the sidewalls of the contact terminal and secure the conductors in termination position within the contacts.
Description
-`` 111537t CRIMPED STRANDED WIRE MICROPIERCE
TERMINATION SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed generally to solderless electrical connections andg more partlcu-larlyg to a novel electrical connector including a con-tact for forming a crimped/ insulation-piercing ele¢tri-cal connection and a termination tool used to effect such a connection.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART
In recenk yearsg increasing numbers of applica-tionæ have developed in the communications, data process-ing and transportation industries requiring electrical connectors which provide reliable solderless intercon-nections wlth insulated electrlcal conductors. Thisdemand has perhaps been greatest in the telecommunica-tions industry where miniaturizedg high contact density ribbon connectors are used extensively. Connectors of this general type are dlsclosed in United States Patent Nos. 3g8679005g 3g902gl54; and 3g926g498~ Because of the great number Qf individual conductors terminated in these connectors and because of the close spaclng be-tween the individual contactsg reliable solder termina-tions are dlfficult to achieveg as well as time consuming and costly to maintain and serviceO For these reasons lnsulation-piercing contacts have been developed for use in ribbon connectors and have met with ~ide acceptance when used to terminate insulated conductors having solid wire cores. Un~ortunatelyg due to the demanding stan-dards in the industry requiring almost negligible changein contact reslstance~ the insulation-piercing type rlbbon connectors have proven unacceptable when used with stranded wire core conductorsO Experience has shown that tensile forces applied to the conductorsg as well as the cold flow of the insulation surrounding the coreg cause~ tlle individual strands of the wire core to move and reposition within the insulation-plercing con-tacts, causing changes in contact resistance. Thus, solder ter~ination ribbon connectors are still used with standard core insulated conductors.
. ~ . .
,: ' ~ ,' ' ' - .
li~53~7 1 Accordingly, a need exists for a ribbon connector which provides a satisfactory solderless termination to stranded core insulated conductor, and preferably both stranded and solid core conductors. In addition, in order that the conDector be commercially practicable, the termination must be performed with the electrical contact premounted within the connector.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, therefore, is directed to an electrical connector including means to effectively and reliably terminate both solid and stranded wire core insulated conductors in an insulation-piercing contact, without the need for any soldering operation, and while the contacts are assembled within the connector.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the electrical connector generally comprises a dielectric insert, including a plurality of contact receiving cavities;
a plurality of electrical contact members each having a terminal portion with opposed sidewalls disposed within one of the cavities; and access means formed in the dielectric insert : providing access to the sidewalls, said sidewalls e~tending into said access means, whereby a crimp tool may be inserted into the access means to deform the portions of the sidewalls adjacent the access means to secure the conductors in ter-minated position within the contact terminal portions The present invention also provides a method for terminating an electrical conductor to a contact member premounted in an electrical connector, said contact member having a terminal portion including at least one conductor engaging element, said method comprising the steps of:
inserting the conductor into the contact member to seat the conductor within said terminal portion and make electrical ~ -2-111'.37:1 engagement between the conductor and said element; and thereafter crimping a segment of the contact member terminal portion other than said element onto said conductor to mechanically retain said conductor in electrical engagement with said contact members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE D~?AWINGS
... . _ . ..
The novel features which are believed to be chara-cteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together with further objects and attendant advantages thereof, will be best under-stood by reference to the following description taken in con-nection with the accompanying drawings in which: --2a-~11.1537i FI&URE 1 is a side elevational view of an electri-cal connector embodylng the features of the present invention and showing the individual conductors of a multi-conductor electrical cable terminated therein;
FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the connector of FI&URE 1 with portions broken away to illustrate the crimp-pierce termination obtained with the present inven-tion;
FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating the sequence of steps performed to obtain the desired crimp-pierce termination;
FIGURE 4 is a perspective view illustrating a pre-ferred termination tool made in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the terminal portion of a preferred contact member used in the connector illustrated in FIGURE l; and FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the contact member of FIGURE 5, DETAILED DESCRI~TION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to the drawings, and specifically FIGURE 1, an electrical conductor 10 is shown with individual insulated conductors 12 terminated to each of the connector's electrical contacts. The connector 10 is a ribbon connector and comprises a dielectric insert 14, a plurality of electrical contacts 16 mounted in the ~nsert, and a metal skirt 18 which houses the insert and contacts subassembly. A detailed de-scription of the structure and function of ribbon connectors and their components is provided in U.S. Patents Nos.
3,867,005 B _3_ l~lS371 ~nd 3,926,498, The insert 14 includes a plurality of elongated contact-receiving cavities 20 and an access passageway in the form of a slot 22 extending transversely to the cavities 20. The slot 22 provides access to the electrical contacts 16 to permit crimp-pierce termination of the conductors 12 as described in greater detail below.
Referring now to FIGURE 2, the subassembly comprising insert 14 and contacts 16 is shown in greater detail. The insert includes a plurality of partitions or upstanding barriers 24 which form the sides of the contact-receiving cavities 20. Each of the contacts 16 has an active contact portion 26 adapted to electri-cally engage a compatible contact and a terminal portion 28 for electrically and mechanically engaging the insulated conductors ~-12. In the illustrated embodiment, the terminal portion 28 of each contact is channel-shaped, having a bottom wall 30 and op-posed side walls 32 and 34, and includes insulation-piercing means which serve to provide the electrical and mechanical engagement with a conductor inserted and pressed into the channel.
In accordance with the present invention, the insert 14 is designed to permit crimping of the terminal portion 28 while the contacts 16 are mounted in place in the connector. To accom-plish this end, the slot 22 is formed in each barrier 24 to pro-vide access for a crimping tool. The slot 22 need not extend to the base of cavity 20 but must terminate at a point below the top ;~
of the side walls 32 and 34 of the contact terminal portion 28.
In other words, the side walls 32 and 34 extend upwardly into the slot 22 As shown in FIGURE 3 the crimp tool is inserted into the cavity 20 along a path of travel generally perpendicular to the terminal portion 28 and acts to deform a portion of the side walls 32 and 34 coinc~de~ wl~ th~ 81~t ?2 to hold the conductor 12 in final terminated 4~S~ t~.
A preferred configuration for the terminal portion 28 is illustrated in FIGURES 3, 5 and 6. In accordance ~ ~.rr, ~ - 4 -with this embodimeilt~ the side walls 32 and 34 lnclude conventional insula~:~on-piercing protuberances or de-tents 36 whose structure and function are well known in the art. In addition~ the terminal portion 28 of the contact includes a further insulation-piercing extrusion in the bottom wall 30. In the illustrated embodiment~
the extrusion is an upstanding cone 37. The side walls also include lnwardly extendingg offset upper edges 38 which form a lead-in for the crimp tool. The detents 36 are pos~tioned longitudinally on the sidewalls 32 and 34 remote from the slot 22 of insert 14 and their function and operation remain substantially the same as in prior art connectors. The cone 37 and edges 38 are positioned coincldent with the slot 22 and serve to improve both the mechanical and electric characteristics of the termination. As the conductor is pressed into the terminal portion of the contact, the cone 37 pierces the conductor's insulation and engages the conductor core. Likewiseg as the walls 32 and 34 are deformed by the crimp tool~ the edges 38 pierce the conductor's lnsulation and also engage the conductor core. Thus, in the illustrated embodiments electrical contact is made at the sidesg top and bottom of the conductor via the de-tents 36, cone 37 and edges 38. In additiong mechanical retention o~ the conductor within the contact is en-hanced~ and the opportunity for movement of even stranded core conductors is thereby minimized. -A preferred termination tool is lllustrated in FIGURE 4 and includes a bifurcated terminatlon head 40 3 havlng separate insertion and crimping members, 42 and 449 respectively. The insertion member 40 has a g~ner-ally planar end face ~6 for engaging and pressing the conductor into electrical engagement with the terminal portion 28 of the contact 16. The crimplng member 44 has a specially configured end face 48 including means for cutting portions of the contact's side walls 32 and 34 and means for crimping or folding these cut portions inwardly onto the conductor. In the ~llustrated embodi-ment, the cutting means are curved edges 50 which shear :
~.
~ 111.~37~
the side walls of the contact as the tool is inserted into the c~vlt~ 20, and the foldin~ means are the curved surfaces 52 which meet at a central apex 540 It will be appreciated that as the insertion tool is inserted into cavity 20 to the ~ull extent~ the surfaces 52 will direct the cut portions of side walls 32 and 34 over and into the conductorg thereby crimping the contact and conductor in a fixed lnsulation-piercing termination.
In a conventional ribbon connector as many as twenty-five conductors wil,l be terminated to twenty-five separate contacts on each side ~ the connector, Each o~ the conductors ~ aligned adjacent the terminal por-tion of a respective contact and then terminated by means of a suitable termination tool. The sequence of steps employed to effect a crimp-pierce termination with the connector and tool of the present invention are illustrated in FIGURE 3. After the conductors have been aligned adjacent the appropriate contact terminal por-tions 28, the tool carrying head 40 presses each con-ductor into the terminal portion and then crimps thecontact o~to the conductor. Since the tool moves rela-tlve to the connector (right to left in FIGURE 3) with each insertion~ the insertion member 42 flrst seats the conductor within the contact and properly positions the conductor for the subsequent insertion of the crimping member 44. As can be clearly seen in FIGURE 3 the crimp-lng member 44 extends latera~ly beyond the side walls 32 and 34 of the contact~ thereby necessitating the access passageway or slot 22. The slot 22 must have a 3 depth suf~icient to allow full insertion of the crimping member 44 to properly sheer the side walls 32 and 34 and completely crimp the sheered portions over and into the conductor.
Of course~ it should be understood that various changes and modifications to the preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in I the art. Such changes and modifications can be made ; without departing ~rom the spirit and scope of the pres-ent inventlon and without diminishing its attendant ` ~
..~
11~537~l , advantages. It isg thereforeg intended that such changes and modif~cations be covered by the ~ollowing claims.
-~ . '
TERMINATION SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed generally to solderless electrical connections andg more partlcu-larlyg to a novel electrical connector including a con-tact for forming a crimped/ insulation-piercing ele¢tri-cal connection and a termination tool used to effect such a connection.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART
In recenk yearsg increasing numbers of applica-tionæ have developed in the communications, data process-ing and transportation industries requiring electrical connectors which provide reliable solderless intercon-nections wlth insulated electrlcal conductors. Thisdemand has perhaps been greatest in the telecommunica-tions industry where miniaturizedg high contact density ribbon connectors are used extensively. Connectors of this general type are dlsclosed in United States Patent Nos. 3g8679005g 3g902gl54; and 3g926g498~ Because of the great number Qf individual conductors terminated in these connectors and because of the close spaclng be-tween the individual contactsg reliable solder termina-tions are dlfficult to achieveg as well as time consuming and costly to maintain and serviceO For these reasons lnsulation-piercing contacts have been developed for use in ribbon connectors and have met with ~ide acceptance when used to terminate insulated conductors having solid wire cores. Un~ortunatelyg due to the demanding stan-dards in the industry requiring almost negligible changein contact reslstance~ the insulation-piercing type rlbbon connectors have proven unacceptable when used with stranded wire core conductorsO Experience has shown that tensile forces applied to the conductorsg as well as the cold flow of the insulation surrounding the coreg cause~ tlle individual strands of the wire core to move and reposition within the insulation-plercing con-tacts, causing changes in contact resistance. Thus, solder ter~ination ribbon connectors are still used with standard core insulated conductors.
. ~ . .
,: ' ~ ,' ' ' - .
li~53~7 1 Accordingly, a need exists for a ribbon connector which provides a satisfactory solderless termination to stranded core insulated conductor, and preferably both stranded and solid core conductors. In addition, in order that the conDector be commercially practicable, the termination must be performed with the electrical contact premounted within the connector.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, therefore, is directed to an electrical connector including means to effectively and reliably terminate both solid and stranded wire core insulated conductors in an insulation-piercing contact, without the need for any soldering operation, and while the contacts are assembled within the connector.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the electrical connector generally comprises a dielectric insert, including a plurality of contact receiving cavities;
a plurality of electrical contact members each having a terminal portion with opposed sidewalls disposed within one of the cavities; and access means formed in the dielectric insert : providing access to the sidewalls, said sidewalls e~tending into said access means, whereby a crimp tool may be inserted into the access means to deform the portions of the sidewalls adjacent the access means to secure the conductors in ter-minated position within the contact terminal portions The present invention also provides a method for terminating an electrical conductor to a contact member premounted in an electrical connector, said contact member having a terminal portion including at least one conductor engaging element, said method comprising the steps of:
inserting the conductor into the contact member to seat the conductor within said terminal portion and make electrical ~ -2-111'.37:1 engagement between the conductor and said element; and thereafter crimping a segment of the contact member terminal portion other than said element onto said conductor to mechanically retain said conductor in electrical engagement with said contact members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE D~?AWINGS
... . _ . ..
The novel features which are believed to be chara-cteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together with further objects and attendant advantages thereof, will be best under-stood by reference to the following description taken in con-nection with the accompanying drawings in which: --2a-~11.1537i FI&URE 1 is a side elevational view of an electri-cal connector embodylng the features of the present invention and showing the individual conductors of a multi-conductor electrical cable terminated therein;
FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the connector of FI&URE 1 with portions broken away to illustrate the crimp-pierce termination obtained with the present inven-tion;
FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating the sequence of steps performed to obtain the desired crimp-pierce termination;
FIGURE 4 is a perspective view illustrating a pre-ferred termination tool made in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the terminal portion of a preferred contact member used in the connector illustrated in FIGURE l; and FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the contact member of FIGURE 5, DETAILED DESCRI~TION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to the drawings, and specifically FIGURE 1, an electrical conductor 10 is shown with individual insulated conductors 12 terminated to each of the connector's electrical contacts. The connector 10 is a ribbon connector and comprises a dielectric insert 14, a plurality of electrical contacts 16 mounted in the ~nsert, and a metal skirt 18 which houses the insert and contacts subassembly. A detailed de-scription of the structure and function of ribbon connectors and their components is provided in U.S. Patents Nos.
3,867,005 B _3_ l~lS371 ~nd 3,926,498, The insert 14 includes a plurality of elongated contact-receiving cavities 20 and an access passageway in the form of a slot 22 extending transversely to the cavities 20. The slot 22 provides access to the electrical contacts 16 to permit crimp-pierce termination of the conductors 12 as described in greater detail below.
Referring now to FIGURE 2, the subassembly comprising insert 14 and contacts 16 is shown in greater detail. The insert includes a plurality of partitions or upstanding barriers 24 which form the sides of the contact-receiving cavities 20. Each of the contacts 16 has an active contact portion 26 adapted to electri-cally engage a compatible contact and a terminal portion 28 for electrically and mechanically engaging the insulated conductors ~-12. In the illustrated embodiment, the terminal portion 28 of each contact is channel-shaped, having a bottom wall 30 and op-posed side walls 32 and 34, and includes insulation-piercing means which serve to provide the electrical and mechanical engagement with a conductor inserted and pressed into the channel.
In accordance with the present invention, the insert 14 is designed to permit crimping of the terminal portion 28 while the contacts 16 are mounted in place in the connector. To accom-plish this end, the slot 22 is formed in each barrier 24 to pro-vide access for a crimping tool. The slot 22 need not extend to the base of cavity 20 but must terminate at a point below the top ;~
of the side walls 32 and 34 of the contact terminal portion 28.
In other words, the side walls 32 and 34 extend upwardly into the slot 22 As shown in FIGURE 3 the crimp tool is inserted into the cavity 20 along a path of travel generally perpendicular to the terminal portion 28 and acts to deform a portion of the side walls 32 and 34 coinc~de~ wl~ th~ 81~t ?2 to hold the conductor 12 in final terminated 4~S~ t~.
A preferred configuration for the terminal portion 28 is illustrated in FIGURES 3, 5 and 6. In accordance ~ ~.rr, ~ - 4 -with this embodimeilt~ the side walls 32 and 34 lnclude conventional insula~:~on-piercing protuberances or de-tents 36 whose structure and function are well known in the art. In addition~ the terminal portion 28 of the contact includes a further insulation-piercing extrusion in the bottom wall 30. In the illustrated embodiment~
the extrusion is an upstanding cone 37. The side walls also include lnwardly extendingg offset upper edges 38 which form a lead-in for the crimp tool. The detents 36 are pos~tioned longitudinally on the sidewalls 32 and 34 remote from the slot 22 of insert 14 and their function and operation remain substantially the same as in prior art connectors. The cone 37 and edges 38 are positioned coincldent with the slot 22 and serve to improve both the mechanical and electric characteristics of the termination. As the conductor is pressed into the terminal portion of the contact, the cone 37 pierces the conductor's insulation and engages the conductor core. Likewiseg as the walls 32 and 34 are deformed by the crimp tool~ the edges 38 pierce the conductor's lnsulation and also engage the conductor core. Thus, in the illustrated embodiments electrical contact is made at the sidesg top and bottom of the conductor via the de-tents 36, cone 37 and edges 38. In additiong mechanical retention o~ the conductor within the contact is en-hanced~ and the opportunity for movement of even stranded core conductors is thereby minimized. -A preferred termination tool is lllustrated in FIGURE 4 and includes a bifurcated terminatlon head 40 3 havlng separate insertion and crimping members, 42 and 449 respectively. The insertion member 40 has a g~ner-ally planar end face ~6 for engaging and pressing the conductor into electrical engagement with the terminal portion 28 of the contact 16. The crimplng member 44 has a specially configured end face 48 including means for cutting portions of the contact's side walls 32 and 34 and means for crimping or folding these cut portions inwardly onto the conductor. In the ~llustrated embodi-ment, the cutting means are curved edges 50 which shear :
~.
~ 111.~37~
the side walls of the contact as the tool is inserted into the c~vlt~ 20, and the foldin~ means are the curved surfaces 52 which meet at a central apex 540 It will be appreciated that as the insertion tool is inserted into cavity 20 to the ~ull extent~ the surfaces 52 will direct the cut portions of side walls 32 and 34 over and into the conductorg thereby crimping the contact and conductor in a fixed lnsulation-piercing termination.
In a conventional ribbon connector as many as twenty-five conductors wil,l be terminated to twenty-five separate contacts on each side ~ the connector, Each o~ the conductors ~ aligned adjacent the terminal por-tion of a respective contact and then terminated by means of a suitable termination tool. The sequence of steps employed to effect a crimp-pierce termination with the connector and tool of the present invention are illustrated in FIGURE 3. After the conductors have been aligned adjacent the appropriate contact terminal por-tions 28, the tool carrying head 40 presses each con-ductor into the terminal portion and then crimps thecontact o~to the conductor. Since the tool moves rela-tlve to the connector (right to left in FIGURE 3) with each insertion~ the insertion member 42 flrst seats the conductor within the contact and properly positions the conductor for the subsequent insertion of the crimping member 44. As can be clearly seen in FIGURE 3 the crimp-lng member 44 extends latera~ly beyond the side walls 32 and 34 of the contact~ thereby necessitating the access passageway or slot 22. The slot 22 must have a 3 depth suf~icient to allow full insertion of the crimping member 44 to properly sheer the side walls 32 and 34 and completely crimp the sheered portions over and into the conductor.
Of course~ it should be understood that various changes and modifications to the preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in I the art. Such changes and modifications can be made ; without departing ~rom the spirit and scope of the pres-ent inventlon and without diminishing its attendant ` ~
..~
11~537~l , advantages. It isg thereforeg intended that such changes and modif~cations be covered by the ~ollowing claims.
-~ . '
Claims (14)
1. An electrical connector for interconnecting electrical circuits including insulated conductors comprising:
a dielectric insert including a plurality of contact receiving cavities; a plurality of electrical contact members each having a terminal portion with opposed sidewalls disposed within one of said cavities; access means formed in said dielectric insert providing access to said sidewalls, said sidewalls extending into said access means, whereby a crimp tool may be inserted into said access means to deform the portions of said sidewalls adjacent said access means to secure the conductors in termin-ated position within said contact terminal portions.
a dielectric insert including a plurality of contact receiving cavities; a plurality of electrical contact members each having a terminal portion with opposed sidewalls disposed within one of said cavities; access means formed in said dielectric insert providing access to said sidewalls, said sidewalls extending into said access means, whereby a crimp tool may be inserted into said access means to deform the portions of said sidewalls adjacent said access means to secure the conductors in termin-ated position within said contact terminal portions.
2. The electrical connector as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said dielectric insert includes partition means defining said contact-receiving cavities and said access means comprises a passageway formed in said partition means.
3. The electrical connector as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said partition means comprises a plurality of elongated upstanding barriers and said passageway comprises a slot exten-ding transversely through said barriers.
4. The electrical connector as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said contact terminal portion includes a bottom wall integral with said sidewalls and having an insulation-piercing means located generally coincident with said insert access means.
5. The electrical connector as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said contact terminal portion comprises an elongated channel having continuous sidewalls along the entire length thereof, said sidewalls also having opposed inwardly extending insulation-piercing means located remote from said insert access means.
6. The electrical connector as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said bottom wall insulation-piercing means comprises an upwardly extending insulation-piercing extrusion formed integrally therein.
7. The electrical connector as claimed in Claim 5, wherein each said contact terminal portion includes two pairs of said inwardly extending insulation-piercing means formed integrally in said sidewalls and located remote from and on opposite sides of said transverse slot.
8. The electrical connector as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said insert includes two rows of said cavities facing outwardly from opposite surfaces thereof and a slot in each said opposite surface extending transversely through said cavities.
9. The electrical connector as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said sidewalls extend upwardly into said transverse slot but terminate below the outermost surface of said up-standing barriers, and whereby a crimp tool may be inserted into said slot to deform the portion of said sidewalls adjacent said slot into insulation-piercing engagement with conductors disposed within said contact terminal portions.
10. The electrical connector as claimed in Claim 9, wherein said terminal portion sidewalls are of generally uni-form height.
11. A method for terminating an electrical conductor to a contact member premounted in an electrical connector, said contact member having a terminal portion including at least one conductor engaging element, said method comprising the steps of:
inserting the conductor into the contact member to seat the conductor within said terminal portion and make electrical engagement between the conductor and said element; and there-after crimping a segment of the contact member terminal portion other than said element onto said conductor to mechanically retain said conductor in electrical engagement with said contact members.
inserting the conductor into the contact member to seat the conductor within said terminal portion and make electrical engagement between the conductor and said element; and there-after crimping a segment of the contact member terminal portion other than said element onto said conductor to mechanically retain said conductor in electrical engagement with said contact members.
12. The method of Claim 11 wherein said crimping step comprises shearing said segment from a wall of said terminal portion and forming said segment onto said conductor.
13. The method of Claim 12 wherein said terminal por-tion comprises a generally U-shaped channel and said conductor engaging element comprises a pair of detents extending inwardly from opposing sidewalls of said channel, and said crimping step includes shearing said segment from at least one of said sidewalls.
14. The method of Claim 13 wherein a segment is sheared from both said sidewalls.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US89707678A | 1978-04-17 | 1978-04-17 | |
| US897,076 | 1997-07-18 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1115371A true CA1115371A (en) | 1981-12-29 |
Family
ID=25407306
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA325,637A Expired CA1115371A (en) | 1978-04-17 | 1979-04-12 | Connector including a contact for forming a crimped insulation-piercing electrical connection |
Country Status (16)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS54158689A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU4588679A (en) |
| BE (1) | BE875636A (en) |
| BR (1) | BR7902191A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1115371A (en) |
| DD (1) | DD143129A5 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2913799A1 (en) |
| DK (1) | DK150179A (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2423880A1 (en) |
| GB (2) | GB2100529B (en) |
| IL (1) | IL56995A0 (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1112208B (en) |
| NL (1) | NL7902956A (en) |
| PL (1) | PL214884A1 (en) |
| SE (1) | SE7903165L (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA791746B (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0057780A1 (en) * | 1981-02-11 | 1982-08-18 | AMP INCORPORATED (a New Jersey corporation) | Electrical connector with a terminal having a slotted wire receiving portion and wire strain relief means |
| US4734296A (en) * | 1982-09-27 | 1988-03-29 | Etd Technology, Inc. | Electroless plating of through-holes using pressure differential |
| JP3276876B2 (en) * | 1997-03-19 | 2002-04-22 | 矢崎総業株式会社 | IDT terminal and method of manufacturing IDT terminal |
-
1979
- 1979-03-30 GB GB8201507A patent/GB2100529B/en not_active Expired
- 1979-03-30 GB GB7911252A patent/GB2019119B/en not_active Expired
- 1979-04-02 IL IL56995A patent/IL56995A0/en unknown
- 1979-04-05 DE DE19792913799 patent/DE2913799A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1979-04-06 AU AU45886/79A patent/AU4588679A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1979-04-09 BR BR7902191A patent/BR7902191A/en unknown
- 1979-04-10 SE SE7903165A patent/SE7903165L/en unknown
- 1979-04-10 DK DK150179A patent/DK150179A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1979-04-11 ZA ZA791746A patent/ZA791746B/en unknown
- 1979-04-11 FR FR7910262A patent/FR2423880A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1979-04-12 CA CA325,637A patent/CA1115371A/en not_active Expired
- 1979-04-12 NL NL7902956A patent/NL7902956A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1979-04-13 PL PL21488479A patent/PL214884A1/xx unknown
- 1979-04-16 JP JP4654779A patent/JPS54158689A/en active Pending
- 1979-04-17 BE BE0/194653A patent/BE875636A/en unknown
- 1979-04-17 DD DD79212274A patent/DD143129A5/en unknown
- 1979-04-17 IT IT21907/79A patent/IT1112208B/en active
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| IT1112208B (en) | 1986-01-13 |
| BR7902191A (en) | 1979-12-04 |
| DD143129A5 (en) | 1980-07-30 |
| NL7902956A (en) | 1979-10-19 |
| JPS54158689A (en) | 1979-12-14 |
| IL56995A0 (en) | 1979-07-25 |
| ZA791746B (en) | 1980-05-28 |
| SE7903165L (en) | 1979-10-18 |
| GB2019119B (en) | 1983-01-26 |
| GB2019119A (en) | 1979-10-24 |
| GB2100529A (en) | 1982-12-22 |
| FR2423880A1 (en) | 1979-11-16 |
| IT7921907A0 (en) | 1979-04-17 |
| BE875636A (en) | 1979-10-17 |
| AU4588679A (en) | 1979-10-25 |
| DE2913799A1 (en) | 1979-10-18 |
| GB2100529B (en) | 1983-06-02 |
| DK150179A (en) | 1979-10-18 |
| PL214884A1 (en) | 1980-05-05 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |