BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the flat cable insulation-piercing connector arrangement of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view illustrating an initial preparatory step for operating the connector device;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views illustrating the connector arrangement when in initial and intermediate conditions of operation, respectively;
FIGS. 5
a and 5b; 6a and 6b; and 7a, 7b and 7c are longitudinal sectional and detailed views of the connector arrangement with the cover member in the initial, intermediate and final positions relative to the housing base member, respectively;
FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the connector arrangement;
FIG. 9
a is a plan view of one of the flat conductors used in connection with the invention; 9b is an enlarged detailed view of the portion X of the flat conductor of FIG. 9a; FIG. 9c is and end view of the flat conductor of FIG. 9a; and FIGS. 9d and 9e are sectional views taken along lines d-d and e-e of FIG. 9a; and
FIG. 10
a is a plan view of a second flat cable embodiment; FIG. 10b is a corresponding view with certain parts broken away; FIG. 10c is an end view of the flat cable of FIG. 10a; FIGS. 10d and 10e are sectional views taken along lines d-d and e-e, respectively, of FIG. 10a; and 10f is a detained view of the circled portion X of FIG. 10a.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring first more particularly to FIG. 1, the connector arrangement 1 of the present invention is adapted for use with a flat cable 2 having a plurality of insulated conductors 3 that are enclosed in an outer casing 4. The connector arrangement includes housing means 5 having base means 6 for supporting the flat cable 2, and top cover means 7 for enclosing the area above the cable 2.
The base means 6 includes a generally rectangular base member 8 formed from electrically-insulating synthetic plastic material and having a horizontal upper surface in which are mounted a plurality of upwardly-extending electrical contacts 9 that terminate at their upper extremities in knife edges 10 and 11 (FIG. 5). The contacts are stabilized by a stabilizing plate 18 that contains a plurality of slits 21 through which the contacts 9 extend. The contact stabilizing plate is fastened to the base member 8 by downwardly extending first catch means 19 that engage corresponding catch means 20 on the base member. Mounted above the contact stabilizing plate 18 is a horizontal support member 22 having a contoured upper surface 23 that corresponds with the adjacent surface of the flat cable 2. The cable support member 22 is arranged for vertical displacement relative to the base member 8 by means of downwardly extending guide legs 24 that engage in corresponding catch openings provided in the base member 8. Thus, the cable support plate 22 is operable to support the flat cable 2 longitudinally of the base member 8. The cable support plate contains a plurality of slits 26 that receive the contacts 9 when the cable support plate is in its lower position. Furthermore, the base plate 8 is provided with longitudinally-extending centering walls 12 and 13 also served to align the flat cable 2 in a longitudinal orientation relative to the base member 8.
In accordance with a characterizing feature of the invention, an actuator plate 27 is provided above the flat cable 2, which actuator plate is provided with laterally extending guide tabs 29 that extend within corresponding guide grooves 29a contained in the adjacent surfaces of the housing centering walls 12 and 13. The cover means 7 includes a cover member 28 that is connected for longitudinal sliding movement relative to the housing base member 8. As will be described in greater detail below, first wedge means 30 (FIG. 5) are provided between the actuator plate 27 and the lower surface of the cover member 28, which wedge means serve to force the flat cable 2 downwardly together with the cable support member 22 toward the contacts 9 that are supported by the base member 8, whereupon the knife edges 10 and 11 of the insulation-piercing contacts 9 sever the insulation layers of the associated conductor to electrically engage the conductor contained therein. The wedge means 30 include wedge members 34 carried by the upper surface of the actuator plate 27, and wedge members 32 (FIG. 5) carried by the lower surface of the cover member 28.
Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that tap-off branch conductors 17 extend from channels 33 contained in the bottom surface of the base member 8. At one end the tap-off branch conductors 17 are connected with the corresponding insulation-piercing contacts 9 via resilient contact means 14 (FIG. 5), and the other ends of the branch conductors are connected with associated electrical equipment, not shown. During the assembly of the connector arrangement, the flat cable 2 is inserted longitudinally between the centering walls 12 and 13 of the base member 8, whereupon the actuating plate 27 is downwardly displaced in seated arrangement on the flat cable 2, as guided by the cooperation between the lateral guide tabs 29 on the actuator plate and the corresponding guide grooves 29a contained in the centering side walls. The cover member 28 is then longitudinally slidably connected with one end of the base member 8 by the cooperation between inwardly directed guide rails 31 (FIG. 8) on the lower ends of the side walls of the cover member 28 and the lateral guide tabs 40 on the base member 8. The cover member is displaced from the first end position adjacent the end of the base member 8 by operation of the screw driver 50 toward an intermediate position shown in FIG. 4.
During this initial displacement of a cover member 28 toward the right, the cooperation between the inclined surfaces on the wedge members 32 carried by the cover member with the inclined surfaces on the wedge members 34 carried by the actuator plate 27 causes the actuator plate to be displaced downwardly toward the base member 8. The wedge surfaces between the first wedge members 32 and 34 have a common wedge angle a as shown in FIG. 5b. The cable 2 is supported by the cable support plate 22 at a position just above the knife edges 10 and 11 of the insulation-piercing contacts 9. The base member 8 contains chambers 15 in which are mounted the spring-biased contacts 14 that are electrically connected with the insulation-piercing contacts 9, respectively. The tap-off branch conductors 17 are connected at one end with the spring contacts 14 via openings 16 contained in the bottom portion of the base plate 8.
As the cover member 28 is slidably displaced to the right relative to the base member 8 toward the intermediate position of FIG. 6a, the cooperation between the wedge members 32 and 34 caused the actuator plate 27 to be displaced downwardly, thereby to cause the knife edges 10, 11 on the contacts 9 to pierce the insulation layers of the corresponding conductors on the flat cable 2. The contacts 9 are now electrically connected between the cable conductors 3 and the respective tap-off branch conductors 17.
According to a characterizing feature of the invention, during further pivotal movement of the screw driver 50 toward the right, the cover member 28 is displaced to its final position (FIG. 7a) relative to the base member 8, thereby to cause second wedge means to displace the end portions 35a and 35b downwardly toward tight clamped positions relative to the flat cable 2. These second wedge means include a cover wedge member 36 at one end of the cover member that engages the flexible end portion 35a of the actuator plate 27, and a further cover wedge member 37 at the other end of the cover member 28 which engages a flexible portion 35b at the other end of the actuator plate 27. By clamping the end portions 35a and 35b of the actuator plate 27 to the adjacent surfaces of the flat cable 2, strain relief protection is provided that relieves the strain on the contacts 9 relative to the flat cable 2.
As shown in FIG. 8, the cover member 28 serves to maintain the actuator plate 27 in the downwardly displaced position relative to the flat cable 2, thereby to cause the contacts 9 to penetrate the outer casing 4 and the insulation layers of the conductors.
Referring now to FIG. 9a, a typical flat cable 2 may be provided with segmented severed portions 39, thereby to define in those conductors end portions that may be connected by the contacts 9 with associated electrical apparatus (not shown). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the outermost conductors 3a and 3b may be twisted together, thereby to define on the flat cable an enlarged widened coding area 38.
The cover member 28 and the actuator plate 27 are formed from metal or a hard synthetic plastic material. The clamping end portions of the actuator plate are preferably flexibly connected with the main body portion of the actuator plate. The support member 22, the stabilizing plate 18 and the base member 8 are formed from a suitable electrically insulating synthetic plastic material.
While in accordance with the provisions of the Patent Statutes the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made without deviating from the invention described above.