Flat cable connector

Claim 2

A connector for flat cables, said cables each having at least one insulation covered conductor comprising: a housing having at least one cable receiving slot; a moveable contact mounted in said housing adjacent said slot, said contact having, on the side thereof adjacent said slot, a pointed projection for each of the cables to be joined and having a cam follower surface on the opposite side thereof; a cam eccentrically mounted in said housing adjacent the cam follower surface of said contact, said cam being rotatable between an inoperative and an operative position, the cam in said operative position coacting with the cam follower surface to drive the contact against cables positioned in the slot, said projections piercing the cable insulation to make physical and electrical contact with the conductors of the cables, and a second contact mounted in said housing on the opposite side of said slot from the moveable contact, said second contact having a pointed projection for each cable to be joined, corresponding projections on said moveable and second contacts being relatively positioned so as to pinch the cable conductor therebetween when the cam is in its operative position.

Claim 3

A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second contact is mounted so as to not be moveable in said housing.

Claim 4

A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of conductors in each of the flat cables to be joined; and including a separate moveable contact for each pair of conductors to be connected; and an eccentrically mounted cam for each of said contacts.

Claim 5

A connector as claimed in claim3 3 including a single common means for rotating all of said cams between their operative and inoperative positions.

Claim 6

A connector as claimed in claim 4 wherein said cam and cam rotating means are formed as a single element of a conducting material; and including a coating of a dielectric material on at least the camming surfaces of said element.

Claim 7

A connector as claimed in claim 1 including a conductive shield layered on each of said cables; and including an additional moveable contact mounted in said housing adjacent said moveable contact, said additional contact having projections for each cable on the slot side thereof and a cam follower surface on the opposite side thereof; and an additional eccentrically mounted cam rotatable with said cam and effective when in its operative position to coact with the addItional contact cam follower surface to drive the projections of the additional contact into physical and electrical contact with the shield of the corresponding cable.

Claim 8

A connector as claimed in claim 6 wherein there are a plurality of conductors for each of the flat cables to be joined; and including a separate moveable contact for each pair of conductors to be connected; and an eccentrically mounted cam for each of said contacts; and wherein said additional moveable contact is substituted for one of said separate moveable contacts.

Claim 9

A connector as claimed in claim 7 wherein the shielding on said cables is cut back so as not to be contacted by the projections on said separate moveable contacts and wherein the projections on said additional moveable contacts are positioned so as to engage said shielding.

Claim 10

A connector as claimed in claim 1 including means formed as part of said housing for permitting said connector to be stacked with additional like connectors.

Claim 11

A connector for multiconductor flat cables, said cables having insulation covering the conductors, said connector comprising: a housing having at least one cable receiving slot; a separate moveable contact mounted in said housing adjacent said slot for each of said cable conductors, each of said contacts having, on the side thereof adjacent said slot, a pointed projection for each of the cables to be joined and having a follower surface on the opposite side thereof; a second contact mounted in said housing on the opposite side of said slot from the moveable contact, said second contact having a pointed projection for each cable to be joined, corresponding projections on said moveable and second contacts being relatively positioned so as to pinch the cable conductor therebetween when said moveable contact is driven towards said second contact, means operative when actuated for bearing against the follower surface of each of said moveable contacts to drive the moveable contact towards its respective second contact and against the cable positioned in the slot, said projections piercing the cable insulation to make physical and electrical contact with the conductors of the cables; and common means for simultaneously actuating all of said contact drive means.

Claim 12

A connector for multiconductor flat cables, said cables having insulation covering the conductors, said connector comprising: a housing having at least one cable receiving slot; a separate moveable contact mounted in said housing adjacent said slot for each of said cable conductors, each of said contacts having, on the side thereof adjacent said slot, a pointed projection for each of the cables to be joined and having a follower surface on the opposite side thereof; a second contact mounted in said housing on the opposite side of said slot from the moveable contact, said second contact having a pointed projection for each cable to be joined, corresponding projections on said moveable and second contacts being relatively positioned so as to pinch the cable conductor therebetween when said moveable contact is driven towards said second contact, means operative when actuated for bearing against the follower surface of each of said moveable contacts to drive the moveable contact towards its respective second contact and against the cable positioned in the slot, said projections piercing the cable insulation to make physical and electrical contact with the conductors of the cables; and common means for simultaneously actuating all of said contact drive means.