GB2207011A

GB2207011A - Earth connector

Info

Publication number: GB2207011A
Application number: GB08715573A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Maurice Alfred Matthews
Original assignee: AB Electronic Components Ltd
Current assignee: AB Electronic Components Ltd
Priority date: 1987-07-02
Filing date: 1987-07-02
Publication date: 1989-01-18
Anticipated expiration: 2007-07-02
Also published as: EP0297925A2; EP0297925A3; GB2207011B; DE297925T1; ES2007316A4; GB8715573D0

Description

1 EARTH CONNECTOR 22070 1 '4i The present invention relates to an earth

connector and in particular to an earth connector in a ferrule electrical connector.

Ferrule electrical connectors are well known in the art for providing electrical connections between apparatus. However, previously proposed ferrule electrical connectors used with military equipment have not been provided with an earth connector.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an earth connector for both pin and socket contacts of a ferrule electrical connector.

Accordingly there is provided an earth connector in a ferrule electrical connector having an insulating body, a conductive outer sleeve ' and a plurality of pin, contacts for providing at least one electrical connection and at leAst one earth connection, in which the earth connector comprises a spring contact clip coupled to the pin contact, and extending through the insulating body, and a spring ring disposed between the insulating body and the outer sleeve making firm electrical contact with the spring contact clip and the outer sleeve.

Furthermore there is also provided an earth connector in a ferrule electrical connector having an insulating body, a conductive outer sleeve, and a plurality of socket contacts providing at least one electrical connection and at least one earth connection, in which the earth connector comprises a spring contact clip coupled to the socket contact, providing the earth connection, and extending through the 1 z 2 insulating body, and a spring ring disposed between the insulating body and the outer sleeve making firm electrical contact with the spring contact clip and the outer sleeve.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will now further be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a schematic end view of the connecting face of a ferrule electrical connector; Figure 2 is a schematic enlarged partial cross-section in the plane zz of two ferrule electrical connectors, showing both pin and socket contacts; Figure 3 is an enlarged diagram of the earth connector in accordance with the present invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a spring contact clip; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a spring ring.

In figure 1, there is shown an end view of a ferrule electrical connector 2 which comprises an insulating body 4 and an outer conductive sleeve 6. The preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2 is provided with five pin contacts 8. Each pin contact 8 is designed to mate with a socket contact 10 of a corresponding ferrule electrical connector.

It is envisaged that for each connector 2, there will be at least one earth connector. The following description is described with reference to an earth connector for a pin contact 8. However, the description is equally applicable to a socket contact 10.

The earth connector comprises a spring contact clip 12 and a spring ring 14 as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The spring contact clip I i 1 3 12 is formed from a thin regular sheet of malleable material curved into a hollow cylinder 16 which at one end, is integral with a flat tab 18. The flat tab 18 is designed to extend substantially perpendicularly of the axis of the cylinder 16. The spring contact clip 12 is further provided with a plurality of tangs 20 in -the cylinder wall 16. The cylinder 16 is a spring fit over the base of the pin contact 8e to form an electrical and mechanical connection via the tangs 20.

After the pin contact 8e and spring contact clip 12 have been inserted into the hole provided in the insulating body 4, a wire sealing grommet 26, which is also an insulator, is bonded to the insulating body 4. The flat tab 18 is thus sandwiched between the insulating body 4 and the wire sealing grommet 26.

As shown in Figure 5, the spring ring 14 is a U-sectioned ring with a plurality of tangs 20 disposed along the outer wall of the spring ring 14. The spring ring 14 fits into a- recess 30 provided at the junction of the insulating body 4 and wire sealing grommet 26 and forms an electrical connection with the tab 18.

The sleeve 6 then fits over the insulating body 4 and spring ring 14. The tangs 20 fit into V-shaped cuts 36 disposed along the inner surface of the sleeve 6. These tangs 20 provide pressure contacts, thereby enabling a good electrical connection with the sleeve 6.

Thus an earth connection is provided by the spring contact clip 12 and spring ring 14 from the pin contact 8e to the outer sleeve 6. Both the spring contact clip 12 and spring ring 14 are fabricated i 4 from a malleable material such as Beryllium copper or spring steel for providing good electrical and mechanical connections.

It will he appreciated by a man skilled in the art that the foregoing description has been given by way of example only and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Such modifications may include that the conducting surfaces of the sleeve 6, the spring ring 14 and spring contact clip 12 are appropriately soldered or adhered to provide even better electrical contacts.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An earth connector in a ferrule electrical connector having an insulating body, a conductive outer sleeve and a plurality of pin contacts providing at least one electrical connection and at least one earth connection, in which the earth connector comprises a spring contact clip coupled to the pin contact, and extending through the insulating body, and a spring ring disposed between the insulating body and the outer sleeve making firm electrical contact with the spring contact clip and the outer sleeve.

2. An earth connector in a ferrule electrical connector having an insulating body, a conductive outer sleeve and a plurality of socket contacts providing at least one electrical connection and at least one earth connection, in which the earth connector comprises a spring contact clip coupled to the socket contact, and extending through the insulating body, and a spring ring disposed between the insulating body and the outer sleeve making firm electrical contact with the spring contact clip and the outer sleeve.

3. An earth connector according to claim 1 or 2, in which the spring contact clip comprises a hollow cylindrical body which at one end is integral with a tab for extending through the insulating body.

4. An earth connector according to claim 3, in which there is at least one tang provided in the hollow cylindrical body of the spring contact clip.

5. An earth connector according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the spring ring is a U-sectioned ring.

6

6. An earth connector according to claim 5, in which the open portion of the U-sectioned spring ring is in the same plane as the radius of the spring ring.

7. An earth connector according to claim 6, in which there is at least one tang provided in the outer wall of the spring ring.

8. An earth connector according to claim 7, in which there is at least one Vshaped cut disposed along the inner surface of the outer sleeve for coupling with the at least one tang in the spring ring.

9. An earth connector according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the spring contact clip andlor the spring ring comprises beryllium copper.

10. An earth connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A ferrule electrical connector system, comprising male and female ferrule electrical connectors the male connector comprising a plurality of pin contacts and the female connector comprising a plurality of socket contacts arranged, on coupling, to mate with the pin contacts, at least one pin and socket contact connection providing an electrical connection and at least one pin and socket contact connection providing an earth connection in accordance to any one of the preceding claims.

F'd h - copi ay be obtained from The Patent Office, ublisheci 19b13 at The Pater--- Offl-e. S-.a.e Hz,-se. ea'71 Hig11-, M'oorn. London V.1111R 4TF rt e. sm Sae-z Brar-ch. St Mary Cray. Orpington, 7Zent BR5!RD. Printed by Mult,11,, ,6X tec]7rITjes ltd, S, Cray. Kent. Con187.

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