CA1179748A - Brush contact electrical connector - Google Patents
Brush contact electrical connectorInfo
- Publication number
- CA1179748A CA1179748A CA000404200A CA404200A CA1179748A CA 1179748 A CA1179748 A CA 1179748A CA 000404200 A CA000404200 A CA 000404200A CA 404200 A CA404200 A CA 404200A CA 1179748 A CA1179748 A CA 1179748A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- towers
- recesses
- connector
- connectors
- brush
- 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
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/02—Contact members
- H01R13/33—Contact members made of resilient wire
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/02—Contact members
- H01R13/28—Contacts for sliding cooperation with identically-shaped contact, e.g. for hermaphroditic coupling devices
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/44—Means for preventing access to live contacts
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/64—Means for preventing incorrect coupling
- H01R13/645—Means for preventing incorrect coupling by exchangeable elements on case or base
Landscapes
- Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
- Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract: 370-80-0360 BRUSH CONTACT ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
A brush contact electrical connector assembly is disclosed in which alternating towers and recesses are formed into each molded connector body. A brush contact is mounted within cavities in each tower and recess respectively, with the towers offset to provide an overlap with a successive series of towers to prevent mismating of the connectors while at the same time surrounding each set of brush contacts to prevent damage during handling. In one of the connectors the towers and recesses are formed above an interfacing surface while in the mating connector the towers and recesses lie below the interface surface.
A brush contact electrical connector assembly is disclosed in which alternating towers and recesses are formed into each molded connector body. A brush contact is mounted within cavities in each tower and recess respectively, with the towers offset to provide an overlap with a successive series of towers to prevent mismating of the connectors while at the same time surrounding each set of brush contacts to prevent damage during handling. In one of the connectors the towers and recesses are formed above an interfacing surface while in the mating connector the towers and recesses lie below the interface surface.
Description
$
BRUSH CONTACT ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
This invention concerns electrical connectors and more particularly electrical connectors of the type incorporating brush contacts.
Such brush contacts consist of a group of finely sized wires having the exposed ends chiselled, such as to be able to be intermeshed with a corresponding brush contact set during mating of the connector. This mating is achieved with very low insertion forces and the resultant electrical connection is quite reliable and resistant to vibration, high temperatures, and other environmental factors. The brush contacts are relatively fragile and subject to mechanical distortion if exposed such as to be able to be distorted by inadvertently applied distorting forces. The ùsual prior art approach has been to recess the brush contact in one of the mating connectors within openings in towers, and protecting the mating contact with a thin metal tube which provides a shrouding of the brush contact. The tower openings receive the shrouds during connector mating in which the respective brush contacts are intermeshed.
This arrangement has worked very satisfactorily in the past due to the good protection afforded both sets of brush contacts. However, in some applications the contacts, due to space requirements, must be very closely spaced. For such applications the shrouding cannot be employed since it increases the area required for each contact set. It has heretofore been proposed and implemented to alternate the towers on each of the mating connectors such that a grid like pattern of towers and recesses results. The checkerboard pattern thus enables the brush contacts disposed within the recesses to be protected by the adjacent towers to thus eliminate the crJ~ ~J~
need for shrouding and enable very closely spaced contacts.
Such connectors as were heretofore proposed have however been made up of individual modules in which each module is staggered the full dis-tance of the full dimension of the tower to provide a built up design of checkerboard pattern.
Disclosure of the Invention The present invention is used in combination with a brush contact electrical connector assembly of the type including a pair of mating electrical connectors, each including a connector body, and at least two adjacent linear series of towers and recesses adapted to be mated with each other and a set of brush contacts housed within a cavity in each tower, and a set of brush contacts mounted in each recess. The invention relates to the irnprovement wherein one of the connector bodies is formed with the towers and recesses above an interfacing surfac~ and the other of the connector bodies formed with the recesses and towers below an interfacing surface brought into contact upon assembly of the connectors, each of the towers offset with an adjacent tower in the next adjacent series to produce an overlap, and wherein the one of the connector bodies is formed with upstanding ribs asymmetrically configured and extending above the surface and alongside the towers and recesses and wherein the other of the connector bodies is formed with corresponding reliefs to receive the ribs upon mating of the one and other connectors, the asymmetrical configuring preventing mismating of the connector.
Thus, the present invention provides a fully protected brush contact connector while allowing very closely spaced contacts. This is achieved by the providing of a one piece molded connector body in which at least two linear series oE towers and recesses are provided located immediatcly along side each other. The brush contacts are adapted to be mounted within the towers and recesses and protected in the recesses by the adjacent towers in the series. ~ccording to the present inven-tion the connector body is characteriæed by a one piece molded construction in which the towers are offset ~l ~ a ~ 3 to provide a partial overlap between adjacent towers in each of the series rather than the checkerboard pattern of the prior art design. In one of the connectors the towers are projected abcve a connector interface surface while in the other recesses are formed into an interface surface creating towers in the intervening spaces.
- 2a -~7~
One of the connector bodies is designed with a molded inte~ral side ribs which come into matin~ engagement with a relieved area of the other connector upon corresponding mating of the respective connectors. ~he rib extends alongside each of the series of -towers and recesses thereby protecting the brush contacts frorn e~posure from forces which may be inadvertently imposed during handling through the side openings. The ribs are asymmetrically configured to prevent mismating of the connectors.
Detailed Description of the Drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pair of separated brush contact connectors to be mated into an assembly according to the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the upper connector shown in FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 3 is a sectional view through the upper connector shown in FIGURE 1.
For illustrative purposes, a brush contact electrical assembly will be described with a limited number of contacts, but it will be understood ~hat normally a relatively large number of contacts will be incorporated for typical applications.
FIGURE 1 shows a pair of brush contact electrical connectors 12 and 14 which are separated but are adapted to be mated with each other, to form an assemb]y 10. The lower connector 14 shown in FIGURE 1 inc]udes a molded body 17 which has a pair of spaced apar-t end sectiorls 16 which define a space therebetween adapted to receive the hody 18 of the upper connector 12 during mating of the connec-tors.
A pair of pivotally mounted retainers 20 are provided which are nlovable between detent positions by detent lu~s 22 being positioned in-to respective de-tent CC/,~
grooves 2~ and 26 corresponding to the released and secured position respectively~ The retainers 20 are adapted to grip a slot formed on the upper connector 12 (not shown)~
A pair of projectiny locators 28 are carried by the upper connector body 18 and adapted to mate with mating recesses 30 formed in inserts 32 received in the lower connector body 17.
These details do not form a part of the present invention but are included in the description for the sake of completenessO For this reason, further details of each of the connectors 12 and 14 will not be given inasmuch as these do not form a part of the present invention.
The molded body 17 is formed with two adjacent linear series of alternating towers 34 and recesses 36, corresponding to a similar series of alternating towers and recesses molded integrally with the upper connector body 18 as will be described hereinafterO
The towers 34 projected above interface surface 46 which abuts interface surface 48 of the upper connector body 18 when mated therewith, and are each formed with cavities 38.
In each cavity 38 there is mounted a brush contact 40, slightly recessed below the surface of the towers 34O
Each of the recesses 36 has disposed within it a brush contact 40 which is centered between the towers 34 and thus is protected from mechanical abuse Also molded integrally with the connector body 17 is a pair of side ribs 42 projecting upward from the interface surface 346, and extending alongside the recesses 36 to protect the brushes 40 from contact from the side. The upper connector body 18 is also provided with a pair of corresponding mating relief areas 44 as will be described hereinafter.
FIGURES 2 and 3 illus-trate the molded body 18 of the upper connector 12 in which the "towers" 52 are located beneath the interface surface 48 and relief areas ~4 ar~
provided which mate with the side ribs ~2. Interface '7~
surfaces 4~ and 46 are in abutrnen-t in the full ma-ting position of the upper connector 12 and the lower connector 1~.
Similarly, the recesses 50 corresponding to the towers 34 of the lower connector 14 are recessed below the interface surface 4~ and the intervening spaces define "towers" adapted to be interfit with the recess spaces 36 of the lower connector assembly 14. The brush contact assemblies 40 are disposed in cavities 54 located at the bottom of recesses 50 and cavities 56 located e~tending into the tower sections 52.
In similar fashion to the lower connector, the towers 52 and recesses 50 are offset with respec-t to an adjacent tower in the next series to partially overlap each other rather than being matched corner to corner to allow very closely spaced conductors to be connected to the brush contacts 40. The ribs 42 are asymmetrically configured as shown in FIGURE 2 to create an asymmetric pattern which will not allow mismating of the connectors. That is, only a single orientation of the upper connector 12 and lower connector 14 allows the interfitting of the side ribs 42 and relief areas 44.
The brushes 40 are recessed slightly below -the surface such that they remain fully protected even with attempted mismating of the respective connectorsO
It can be seen that the entirely recessed design of the upper connector eliminates entirely the need for shielding the brush contacts 40 such that the brush contacts 40 may be located at the outboard end recesses without the need for shielding. Accordingly, it can be appreciated that the present invention provides a superior mounting for brush type contacts greatly minir~ ing the risk of distortion of the brush type contacts by providing protection thereof by the surrounding structure and yet enabling very close spacing between the contacts due to the elimination of the need for separate shrouding.
BRUSH CONTACT ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
This invention concerns electrical connectors and more particularly electrical connectors of the type incorporating brush contacts.
Such brush contacts consist of a group of finely sized wires having the exposed ends chiselled, such as to be able to be intermeshed with a corresponding brush contact set during mating of the connector. This mating is achieved with very low insertion forces and the resultant electrical connection is quite reliable and resistant to vibration, high temperatures, and other environmental factors. The brush contacts are relatively fragile and subject to mechanical distortion if exposed such as to be able to be distorted by inadvertently applied distorting forces. The ùsual prior art approach has been to recess the brush contact in one of the mating connectors within openings in towers, and protecting the mating contact with a thin metal tube which provides a shrouding of the brush contact. The tower openings receive the shrouds during connector mating in which the respective brush contacts are intermeshed.
This arrangement has worked very satisfactorily in the past due to the good protection afforded both sets of brush contacts. However, in some applications the contacts, due to space requirements, must be very closely spaced. For such applications the shrouding cannot be employed since it increases the area required for each contact set. It has heretofore been proposed and implemented to alternate the towers on each of the mating connectors such that a grid like pattern of towers and recesses results. The checkerboard pattern thus enables the brush contacts disposed within the recesses to be protected by the adjacent towers to thus eliminate the crJ~ ~J~
need for shrouding and enable very closely spaced contacts.
Such connectors as were heretofore proposed have however been made up of individual modules in which each module is staggered the full dis-tance of the full dimension of the tower to provide a built up design of checkerboard pattern.
Disclosure of the Invention The present invention is used in combination with a brush contact electrical connector assembly of the type including a pair of mating electrical connectors, each including a connector body, and at least two adjacent linear series of towers and recesses adapted to be mated with each other and a set of brush contacts housed within a cavity in each tower, and a set of brush contacts mounted in each recess. The invention relates to the irnprovement wherein one of the connector bodies is formed with the towers and recesses above an interfacing surfac~ and the other of the connector bodies formed with the recesses and towers below an interfacing surface brought into contact upon assembly of the connectors, each of the towers offset with an adjacent tower in the next adjacent series to produce an overlap, and wherein the one of the connector bodies is formed with upstanding ribs asymmetrically configured and extending above the surface and alongside the towers and recesses and wherein the other of the connector bodies is formed with corresponding reliefs to receive the ribs upon mating of the one and other connectors, the asymmetrical configuring preventing mismating of the connector.
Thus, the present invention provides a fully protected brush contact connector while allowing very closely spaced contacts. This is achieved by the providing of a one piece molded connector body in which at least two linear series oE towers and recesses are provided located immediatcly along side each other. The brush contacts are adapted to be mounted within the towers and recesses and protected in the recesses by the adjacent towers in the series. ~ccording to the present inven-tion the connector body is characteriæed by a one piece molded construction in which the towers are offset ~l ~ a ~ 3 to provide a partial overlap between adjacent towers in each of the series rather than the checkerboard pattern of the prior art design. In one of the connectors the towers are projected abcve a connector interface surface while in the other recesses are formed into an interface surface creating towers in the intervening spaces.
- 2a -~7~
One of the connector bodies is designed with a molded inte~ral side ribs which come into matin~ engagement with a relieved area of the other connector upon corresponding mating of the respective connectors. ~he rib extends alongside each of the series of -towers and recesses thereby protecting the brush contacts frorn e~posure from forces which may be inadvertently imposed during handling through the side openings. The ribs are asymmetrically configured to prevent mismating of the connectors.
Detailed Description of the Drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pair of separated brush contact connectors to be mated into an assembly according to the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the upper connector shown in FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 3 is a sectional view through the upper connector shown in FIGURE 1.
For illustrative purposes, a brush contact electrical assembly will be described with a limited number of contacts, but it will be understood ~hat normally a relatively large number of contacts will be incorporated for typical applications.
FIGURE 1 shows a pair of brush contact electrical connectors 12 and 14 which are separated but are adapted to be mated with each other, to form an assemb]y 10. The lower connector 14 shown in FIGURE 1 inc]udes a molded body 17 which has a pair of spaced apar-t end sectiorls 16 which define a space therebetween adapted to receive the hody 18 of the upper connector 12 during mating of the connec-tors.
A pair of pivotally mounted retainers 20 are provided which are nlovable between detent positions by detent lu~s 22 being positioned in-to respective de-tent CC/,~
grooves 2~ and 26 corresponding to the released and secured position respectively~ The retainers 20 are adapted to grip a slot formed on the upper connector 12 (not shown)~
A pair of projectiny locators 28 are carried by the upper connector body 18 and adapted to mate with mating recesses 30 formed in inserts 32 received in the lower connector body 17.
These details do not form a part of the present invention but are included in the description for the sake of completenessO For this reason, further details of each of the connectors 12 and 14 will not be given inasmuch as these do not form a part of the present invention.
The molded body 17 is formed with two adjacent linear series of alternating towers 34 and recesses 36, corresponding to a similar series of alternating towers and recesses molded integrally with the upper connector body 18 as will be described hereinafterO
The towers 34 projected above interface surface 46 which abuts interface surface 48 of the upper connector body 18 when mated therewith, and are each formed with cavities 38.
In each cavity 38 there is mounted a brush contact 40, slightly recessed below the surface of the towers 34O
Each of the recesses 36 has disposed within it a brush contact 40 which is centered between the towers 34 and thus is protected from mechanical abuse Also molded integrally with the connector body 17 is a pair of side ribs 42 projecting upward from the interface surface 346, and extending alongside the recesses 36 to protect the brushes 40 from contact from the side. The upper connector body 18 is also provided with a pair of corresponding mating relief areas 44 as will be described hereinafter.
FIGURES 2 and 3 illus-trate the molded body 18 of the upper connector 12 in which the "towers" 52 are located beneath the interface surface 48 and relief areas ~4 ar~
provided which mate with the side ribs ~2. Interface '7~
surfaces 4~ and 46 are in abutrnen-t in the full ma-ting position of the upper connector 12 and the lower connector 1~.
Similarly, the recesses 50 corresponding to the towers 34 of the lower connector 14 are recessed below the interface surface 4~ and the intervening spaces define "towers" adapted to be interfit with the recess spaces 36 of the lower connector assembly 14. The brush contact assemblies 40 are disposed in cavities 54 located at the bottom of recesses 50 and cavities 56 located e~tending into the tower sections 52.
In similar fashion to the lower connector, the towers 52 and recesses 50 are offset with respec-t to an adjacent tower in the next series to partially overlap each other rather than being matched corner to corner to allow very closely spaced conductors to be connected to the brush contacts 40. The ribs 42 are asymmetrically configured as shown in FIGURE 2 to create an asymmetric pattern which will not allow mismating of the connectors. That is, only a single orientation of the upper connector 12 and lower connector 14 allows the interfitting of the side ribs 42 and relief areas 44.
The brushes 40 are recessed slightly below -the surface such that they remain fully protected even with attempted mismating of the respective connectorsO
It can be seen that the entirely recessed design of the upper connector eliminates entirely the need for shielding the brush contacts 40 such that the brush contacts 40 may be located at the outboard end recesses without the need for shielding. Accordingly, it can be appreciated that the present invention provides a superior mounting for brush type contacts greatly minir~ ing the risk of distortion of the brush type contacts by providing protection thereof by the surrounding structure and yet enabling very close spacing between the contacts due to the elimination of the need for separate shrouding.
Claims
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. In combination with a brush contact electrical connector assembly of the type including a pair of mating electrical connectors, each including a connector body, and at least two adjacent linear series of towers and recesses adapted to be mated with each other and a set of brush contacts housed within a cavity in each tower, and a set of brush contacts mounted in each recess, the improvement wherein one of said connector bodies is formed with said towers and recesses above an interfacing surface and the other of said connector bodies formed with said recesses and towers below an interfacing surface brought into contact upon assembly of said connectors, each of said towers offset with an adjacent tower in the next adjacent series to produce an overlap, and wherein said one of said connector bodies is formed with upstanding ribs asymmetrically configured and extending above said surface and alongside said towers and recesses and wherein the other of said connector bodies is formed with corresponding reliefs to receive said ribs upon mating of said one and other connectors, said asymmetrical configuring preventing mismating of said connector.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US31600281A | 1981-10-29 | 1981-10-29 | |
| US316,002 | 1981-10-29 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1179748A true CA1179748A (en) | 1984-12-18 |
Family
ID=23227035
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000404200A Expired CA1179748A (en) | 1981-10-29 | 1982-06-01 | Brush contact electrical connector |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0078723A1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS5882484A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1179748A (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS6375966U (en) * | 1986-11-05 | 1988-05-20 | ||
| JP2510484Y2 (en) * | 1991-04-23 | 1996-09-11 | ヒロセ電機株式会社 | Small connector with erroneous insertion prevention mechanism |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR977303A (en) * | 1948-11-08 | 1951-03-30 | Improvements to multiple combination sockets | |
| DE1515417B2 (en) * | 1963-03-28 | 1971-06-09 | AMP Inc , Harrisburg Pa (VStA) | TWO-PIECE MULTIPLE CONNECTOR |
| US3725844A (en) * | 1971-03-15 | 1973-04-03 | Bendix Corp | Hermaphroditic electrical contact |
| GB1571656A (en) * | 1977-03-25 | 1980-07-16 | Akzona Inc | Electrical connector |
| US4206958A (en) * | 1978-03-27 | 1980-06-10 | The Bendix Corporation | Electrical conductor having an integral electrical contact |
-
1982
- 1982-06-01 CA CA000404200A patent/CA1179748A/en not_active Expired
- 1982-10-14 EP EP82401889A patent/EP0078723A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1982-10-26 JP JP18809782A patent/JPS5882484A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPS5882484A (en) | 1983-05-18 |
| EP0078723A1 (en) | 1983-05-11 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEC | Expiry (correction) | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |