Connector for flat electrical cables

Claim 1

A connector for two flat electrical cables each having the same plurality of individual conductors which are enclosed with an insulative material, except for one flat side of an end portion of each cable which has the insulative material removed leaving bare conductors exposed, comprising: first and second metal shells which when fitted together form a hollow housing with first and second slots located on opposite sides of the housing, respectively, each of said slots having a length substantially equal to a cable width and a thickness such as to enable passage of a flat cable therethrough; an elongated strip of insulative plastic having a plurality of openings arranged along the strip in a spaced-apart relation identical to that of the conductors in the flat cables, said openings each passing completely through the strip; a plurality of highly conductive spheres having an outer diameter greater than the insulative plastic strip thickness, said conductive spheres being individually received within the strip openings with portions of each sphere extending outwardly of both sides of said strip; a conductive elastomeric support means received in the first metal shell; a conductive elastomeric pressue transmitting means received within the second metal shell; a leaf spring located between the pressure transmitting means and the second metal shell; the elongated strip with spheres in the strip openings being located within the first and second shells to establish conductor-to-conductor electrical paths between the bare conductor cable end portions received through the respective slots; and means for securing the first and second shells together clamping the pressure transmitting means, two flat cable bare end portions, elastomeric support means, strip with spheres, and leaf spring in a unitary arrangement.