Electrical connector

Claim 2

A separable electrical connector comprising a plug part having a laterally extended insulating body said body including upper and lower walls, end walls perpendicular thereto, a central wall extending from end to end between and parallel to said upper and lower wall and a plurality of vertically extending walls intersecting said central wall at right angles, said wall defining two parallel rows of compartments extending rearward from a front face defined by one edge of said walls, shelves defining the rear end of said compartments, slot means penetrating said shelves for introduction therethrough of flat conductors, conductor end securing means on said central wall in each of said compartments spaced back from said front face, flat conductors of one or more flat conductor cables extending rearward from said securing means and having an exposed flat surface contiguous to said central wall and substantially perpendicular to said front face and insulating means disposed around said conductors rearward of said compartments and a receptacle part adapted to be engaged with said plug part, said receptacle part including an outer housing for reception therein of said insulating body, an insulating block disposed rearward of the insulating-body-receiving portion of said housing, said block being penetrated by a plurality of imbedded resilient conductive contact elements projecting forward of said block, the forward projections of said contact elements being arranged in two laterally extending parallel rows corresponding to the compartment rows of said insulating body, each of said forward projections having a vertically displaceable tip portion with an arcuate contact surface for engagement with said exposed flat surface of the conductor in the corresponding compartment, means for joining rear portions of said contact elements to electrical conductors, gasket means disposed forward of said said block for engagement with said front face of said plug part and insulating means disposed between and around the rear portions of said contact elements.

Claim 3

The connector of claim 1 wherein said central wall of said plug part has a thick portion spaced back from said front face and a thin portion extending from said front face to said thick portion and a forward-extending projection in each of said compartments at the juncture of said portions and said conductor end securing means comprises the groove defined by said projection.

Claim 4

The connector of claim 2 wherein said contact elements are so constructed and arranged that projecting rear portions thereof are alined in four spaced-apart, parallel rows.

Claim 5

The connector of claim 3 including means for releasably securing said plug part and said receptacle part together.

Claim 6

The connector of claim 4 wherein said contact elements are so constructed that said arcuate surfaces exert a predetermined force against said exposed conductor surface upon engagement of the connector.

Claim 7

The connector of claim 5 wherein said contact elements have an elongated body of U-shaped transverse cross section and the forward projections thereof include integral, narrowed extensions of the base portion of said body, formed into a loop with said arcuate surface being located on a vertically displaceable tip portion of a leg of said loop.

Claim 8

The connector of claim 6 wherein the body portions of said contact elements are arranged in four longitudinally extending, spaced apart parallel rows, the loop portions of said elements of the outermost two of said rows are displaced inwardly so that legs thereof are disposed in planes parallel to and spaced inwardly from the planes of the base portions thereof and the loop portions of said elements of the innermost two of said rows are displaced outwardly so that legs thereof are disposed in planes parallel to and spaced outwardly from the planes of the base portions thereof.

Claim 9

The connector of claim 7 including round wire electrical conductors joined to said rear portions of said contact elements of said receptacle part.

Claim 10

The connector of claim 7 including flat electrical conductors joined to said rear portions of said contact elements of said receptacle.

Claim 11

A connector for joining two flat conductor cable ends to two other flat conductor cable ends comprising a plug part for the first two of said cable ends and a plug part for the second two of said cable ends, each of said plug parts having a laterally extended insulating body, said body including upper and lower walls, end walls perpendicular thereto, a central wall extending from end to end between and parallel to said upper and lower wall and a plurality of vertically extending walls intersecting said central wall at right angles, said walls defining two parallel rows of compartments extending rearward from a front face defined by one edge of said walls, shelves defining thE rear end of said compartments, slot means penetrating said shelves for introduction therethrough of flat conductors, conductor end securing means on said central wall in each of said compartments spaced back from said front face, flat conductors of said flat conductor cables extending rearward from said securing means and having an exposed flat surface contiguous to said central wall and substantially perpendicular to said front face and insulating means disposed around said conductors rearward of said compartments and a receptacle part having a housing open at opposing ends and defining a cavity adapted to receive one of said plug parts in each of said ends so that the front faces of said plug parts are maintained in opposing, parallel, spaced apart relation therein, insulating contact-element-supporting means disposed across said cavity between said opposing ends, two rows of conductive contact elements penetrating said contact-element-supporting means and rigidly supported thereby, said contact elements being disposed in spaced apart relation, each of said contact elements having at each end a projecting portion including a displaceable arcuate contact surface for engagement with said exposed flat surface of the conductor in the corresponding compartment of a plug part, and gasket means disposed outward of said contact-element-supporting means within each of said housing ends for compressible engagement with the front faces of said plug parts.

Claim 12

A connector for joining two flat conductor cable ends to two other flat conductor cable ends comprising a plug part for the first two of said cable ends and a plug part for the second two of said cable ends, each of said plug parts having a laterally extended insulating body, said body including upper and lower walls, end walls perpendicular thereto, a central wall extending from end to end between and parallel to said upper and lower wall and a plurality of vertically extending walls intersecting said central wall at right angles, said walls defining two parallel rows of compartments extending rearward from a front face defined by one edge of said walls, shelves defining thE rear end of said compartments, slot means penetrating said shelves for introduction therethrough of flat conductors, conductor end securing means on said central wall in each of said compartments spaced back from said front face, flat conductors of said flat conductor cables extending rearward from said securing means and having an exposed flat surface contiguous to said central wall and substantially perpendicular to said front face and insulating means disposed around said conductors rearward of said compartments and a receptacle part having a housing open at opposing ends and defining a cavity adapted to receive one of said plug parts in each of said ends so that the front faces of said plug parts are maintained in opposing, parallel, spaced apart relation therein, insulating contact-element-supporting means disposed across said cavity between said opposing ends, two rows of conductive contact elements penetrating said contact-element-supporting means and rigidly supported thereby, said contact elements being disposed in spaced apart relation, each of said contact elements having at each end a projecting portion including a displaceable arcuate contact surface for engagement with said exposed flat surface of the conductor in the corresponding compartment of a plug part, and gasket means disposed outward of said contact-element-supporting means within each of said housing ends for compressible engagement with the front faces of said plug parts.