Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-19
2001-02-13
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186832
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to flex-terminal receptacles having a plurality of flex-terminals, each characterized by a V-shape providing an electrical contact at an apex thereof which is intended for an electrical interface with an exposed contact surface of a pin terminal which is inlaid in a base plane. The present invention is further related to barrel-terminal connectors having a plurality of barrel-terminals, each characterized by an electrical contact in the form of a central aperture intended to electrically interface receivably with a freely projecting pin terminal. Still more particularly, the present invention is related to an adapter for interfacing the flex-terminals of a flex-terminal receptacle with the barrel-terminals of a barrel-terminal receptacle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 3
, a header assembly
10
is used to interconnect between a wiring harness connector (not shown) and a printed circuit board
12
. The header assembly
10
is typically constructed of plastic (but could be of another material, such as aluminum), having a flex-terminal receptacle
14
. Within the flex-terminal receptacle
14
, a plurality of V-shaped, flatly configured flex-terminals
16
are provided, each being connected to a respective anchor pin
18
. The flex-terminals
16
, and their associated anchor pins
18
, are arranged in two rows: an upper row
20
and a lower row
22
(see FIG.
12
). By way of example (and not limitation), there are sixteen flex-terminals
16
to each of the upper and lower rows
20
,
22
, the flex-terminals rowably opposing each other. There is a predetermined distance D between the relaxed position of the apices
32
of rowably opposing flex-terminals
16
, and there is a predetermined width W between of the inner faces
34
,
36
of the flex-terminal receptacle.
At the rear side of the header assembly
10
, the anchor pins
18
horizontally project to a predetermined bend location respectively for each of the upper and lower rows
20
,
22
, whereupon the anchor pins are vertically oriented and terminate at a common plane whereat they are anchored by solder to the printed circuit board
12
. A mylar strip
26
serves as an anchor pin placement keeper prior to the anchor pins being anchored to the printed circuit board.
The flex-terminal receptacle
14
is configured to receive an inlaid pin terminal receptacle of a wiring harness characterized by a base plane having a plurality of inlaid pin terminals, each having an exposed contact surface that is interfaceable with an apex
32
of each flex-terminal. The header assembly
10
includes a pair of seats
28
,
30
, each for receiving a respective U-shaped guide member, having an associated lock arm, of the planar pin terminal receptacle, wherein the resilient lock arms serve to selectively lock the flex-terminal receptacle to the inlaid pin terminal receptacle.
In a typical “dock-and-lock” scenario of operation, the anchor pins
18
are firstly soldered to the PCB
12
. Then, the flex-terminal receptacle
14
receives an inlaid pin terminal receptacle of a wiring harness having a plurality of inlaid pin terminals, wherein an exposed surface thereof slidably interfaces with the apex of a respective flex-terminal as the two receptacles are mated.
Quality assurance practices frequently require that the electrical component associated with the PCB
12
, such as for example an instrument cluster, radio, heating/ventilating/cooling control, etc., be tested. Accordingly, the tester for performing the test must be interfaceable with the flex-terminal receptacle
14
.
In conventional practice, testers
50
, as shown at
FIGS. 2 and 4
, have a box-like configuration including a barrel-terminal receptacle
52
having a plurality of barrel-terminals
54
and a plurality of indexing ribs
62
. The barrel-terminals
54
are arranged in upper and lower rows
56
,
58
, and have the same number of barrel-terminals per row as the flex-terminal receptacle
14
has flex-terminals per row (ie., sixteen). The barrel-terminal receptacle is intended to interface with a projecting pin receptacle having reciprocal indexing slots for receiving the indexing ribs
62
, wherein a plurality of terminal pins freely project so as to be insertable into each barrel-terminal.
Direct electrical interface between a flex-terminal receptacle and a barrel-terminal receptacle is impossible because of the incompatible structures inherent to flex-terminals and barrel-terminals: the resilient V-shape configuration of flex-terminals presupposes that the apex thereof interface with respective inlaid pin terminals that are inlaid into a base plane so as to have an elongated exposed contact surface, whereas barrel-terminals have a central bore
60
which presupposes an interface with pin terminals that freely project so as to be receivable into the central bore.
Accordingly, what remains needed in the art is an adapter which interfaces a flex-terminal receptacle to a barrel-terminal receptacle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an adapter for interfacing, electrically and structurally, a flex-terminal receptacle to a barrel-terminal receptacle.
The adapter according to the present invention has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured as an inlaid pin terminal receptacle, and the second end is configured as a projecting pin terminal receptacle.
The inlaid pin terminal receptacle includes a base plane having a plurality of pin slots formed thereon at the upper and lower sides thereof, wherein each pin slot is oriented axially (that is, oriented parallel to an axis passing through the adapter perpendicularly to each of the rear and front ends). Inaid in each pin slot is a pin, the pin for-ming thereat an inlaid pin terminal, wherein an exposed contact surface thereof lies at the respective upper or lower side of the base plane. Each pin slot is positioned so that the exposed contact surface thereof is interfaceable with the apex of a respective flex-terminal of a flex-terminal receptacle, and the dimension of the base plane is such as to interfit generally snugly within the flex-terminal receptacle.
The projecting pin receptacle includes a shroud which is dimensioned to snugly receive therein a barrel-terminal receptacle, inclusive of the indexing tabs. Each pin of each pin slot passes through a dividing wall of the adapter and therefrom projects as a projecting pin terminal within the shroud. Accordingly, when a barrel-pin receptacle is received into the shroud, each projecting pin terminal is received into the central bore of a respective barrel-terminal.
In a preferred form of the adapter, the first end includes a pair of flexible lock arms, each being flexibly situated in a U-shaped guide member, so that the adapter is lockable to the seats of a header assembly of a flex-terminal receptacle in a conventional manner.
With a flex-terminal receptacle mated to the inlaid pin terminal receptacle of the first end of the adapter, and with a barrel-terminal receptacle mated to the projecting pin terminal receptacle of the second end of the adapter, the flex-terminals of the flex-terminal receptacle are electrically connected to the barrel-terminals of the barrel-terminal receptacle.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adapter which electrically and structurally interfaces a flex-terminal receptacle to a barrel-terminal receptacle.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an adapter which electrically and structurally interfaces a flex-terminal receptacle to a barrel-terminal receptacle, wherein the adapter is selectively lockable to a header assembly of the flex-terminal receptacle.
These, and additional objects, advantages, features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3137537 (1964-06-01), Cole et al.
patent: 3568136 (1971-03-01), Wells
patent: 5697815 (1997-12-01), Drewnicki
patent: 6033265 (2000-03-01), Yeh
patent: 6042425 (2000-03-01), Mo
Bungo Edward M.
Madden William T.
Bradley Paula
Delphi Technologies Inc.
Jones Richard A.
Ta Tho D.
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