Electrical connectors – With selectable circuit – e.g. – plug board
Patent
1986-04-16
1987-10-20
Abrams, Neil
Electrical connectors
With selectable circuit, e.g., plug board
200252, 439189, H01R 2900
Patent
active
047011343
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to an electrical connector device, and particularly such a device with provision for selective switching of individual connections made through the device.
The invention has particular, but not exclusive, practical application to the provision of switchable connections between respective terminals of two circuit elements, for example between respective terminal pins of a circuit component such as an integrated circuit element and a circuit which may consist of a circuit board having sockets provided with sprung contacts such that individual terminal pins of the integrated circuit element may be inserted removably into the sockets. Alternatively the circuit board may have apertures in which the individual terminal pins of the integrated circuit element are inserted and subsequently secured as by soldering.
Where a circuit component such as an integrated circuit element having, for example, "dual in-line" (DIL) terminal pins is connected directly to a circuit board the task of monitoring the performance of the circuit component, for fault-finding or diagnosis, is a difficult one for the electronic technician. In order to make electrical contact with individual terminal pins of the circuit component it is usually necessary to employ a special adaptor tool which grips the circuit component and makes separate electrical contact with each of the terminal pins. It is then possible for the technician to make connections to individual terminal pins of the circuit component through the adaptor, using suitable probe devices. The use of such an adaptor is time consuming, and therefore expensive in technician labour time. Moreover, the use of the adaptor may be difficult or impossible where space is restricted around a circuit component and a circuit board.
A further difficulty associated with the use of a multi-way adaptor for making connections to individual terminal pins of a circuit component is that it is not generally possible, using such an adaptor to isolate individual terminal pins electrically from the circuit to which the component is connected in order to monitor the component's performance. Nor is it possible to isolate electrically the circuit board from the circuit component in order to monitor the performance of the circuit itself.
According to the present invention there is provided an electrical connector device for use in providing selectively switchable electrical connections between respective terminals of two circuit elements, the device including a plurality of individually operable switching elements each operable selectively between a conductive state providing an electrical connection between respective terminals of the two circuit elements, and at least one non-conductive state providing an electrical connection to only one of said respective terminals of the two circuit elements.
The switching elements may be electronic switches, for example transistor elements, although mechanically movable switching elements are preferred as they can afford an immediate visual check of the state of each switching element.
By disposing any selected one of the switching elements in its non-conductive state, or one of its such states, it is possible to monitor electrically one of the circuit elements in isolation from the other circuit element, while when the switching element is in its conductive state the respective terminals of the two circuit elements are interconnected electrically, and are electrically connected to the switching element, to which a probe may, for example, be attached to monitor circuit performance.
Preferably the device of the invention comprises an electrically insulating housing carrying a plurality of socket terminals open to one face for receipt of terminals of a first circuit element and carrying a plurality of terminals projecting from a face of the housing opposite to said one face, for connection to the second circuit element, each of the switching elements when in the conductive state providing an electrical connection between a socket terminal and an ass
REFERENCES:
patent: 3621157 (1971-11-01), Schwab
patent: 4393281 (1983-07-01), Ohmori et al.
Electronics, Dip Switch Isolates Faults in System, p. 112, 5-15-1975.
Abrams Neil
Polyhitech
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