INSULATION DISPLACEMENT CONNECTOR

• US 20170170615A1
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCI USA LLC (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC (Amphenol Corporation)
• Inventors: NGO, Hung Viet, GROSS, Charles M., KOLIVOSKI, Christopher J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,050,395 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/18 with the spring member surrounding the socket
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/432 by stamped-out resilient tongue snapping behind shoulder in base or case
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6275 Latching arms not integral with the housing H01R13/6276, H01R13/6277, H01R13/6278 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/74 Means for mounting coupling parts in openings of a panel
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/161 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/162 Electrical connections between or with rails or bus-bars rails having primarily a non electrical function H01R4/64
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/023 between cables or wires and terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/72 using a heat shrinking insulating sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/28 for wire processing before connecting to contact members, not provided for in groups H01R43/02 - H01R43/26

Abstract

Electrical cables are described having strands of fibers of wire that are fused together at their ends to facilitate attachment to a respective mating member and mounting member.

Claims

1. An electrical cable assembly comprising:

a plurality of stranded electrically conductive fibers of wire extending from a first end to a second end;

an electrical insulator surrounding the plurality of strands of wire, such that each of the first and second ends extends out from the electrical insulator;

wherein the fibers of wire of at least one of the first and second ends are shaped so as to define at least one keyed surface, and fused to each other while shaped so as to define a solidified shape having the at least one keyed surface, prior to electrically connecting the at least one of the first and second ends to a mating member or mounting member, respectively.

2. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one keyed surface is configured to be placed in contact with at least one contact surface that is in electrical communication with the mating member or mounting member, respectively, thereby establishing an electrical connection between the at least one of the first and second ends and the mating member or mounting member, respectively.

3. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the at least one keyed surface of the first end is sized and shaped to be placed in surface contact with the at least one contact surface prior to placing the at least one keyed surface in contact with the at least one contact surface.

4. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one keyed surface is a flat surface.

5. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein the at least one contact surface is a flat surface.

6. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the at least one keyed surface is configured to be fused to the at least one contact surface after the at least one keyed surface is placed in contact with the at least one contact surface.

9. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 2, further comprising an electrically insulative material that surrounds at least a portion of the electrical insulator, surrounds the at least one of the first and second ends, and further surrounds the contact surface.

11. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the stranded electrically conductive fibers of wire are braided with each other between the first end and the second end.

19. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising an electrically insulative housing that surrounds the mating member and is configured to be mounted onto a panel.

29. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 19, wherein the mating member is configured to be inserted into a channel of the housing along a forward direction, and the mating member comprises at least one latch arm that is configured to interfere with the housing so as to prevent removal of the mating member from the housing along a rearward direction opposite the forward direction.

40. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 2, further comprising an electrically conductive plate that defines the mounting member and the at least one contact surface.

43. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the fibers of wire are ultrasonically bonded, welded, or soldered to each other at the at least one of the first and second ends so as to fuse the fibers of wire to each other at the at least one of the first and second ends.

44. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the shaped first end defines a first centerline with respect to a lateral direction that is perpendicular to both the forward direction and the upward direction, the cable assembly further comprises a contact member that defines the contact surface, the contact member defining a second centerline with respect to the lateral direction, and the first and second centerlines are offset from each other along the lateral direction.

45. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 19, wherein the housing comprises a housing body and a latch member rotatably supported by the housing body about a pivot axis so as to couple the latch member to the complementary electrical device.

48. The electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 45, wherein the housing further defines an anti-rotation wall that is configured to be inserted into a slot defined by the complementary electrical device so as to limit rotation of the housing body about an axis that extends through at least one or both of the aperture of the complementary electrical device and the head.

49. An electrical assembly comprising the electrical cable assembly as recited in claim 1 and the complementary electrical device.

51. The electrical assembly as recited in claim 49, wherein the complementary electrical device comprises a power rail, the electrical assembly further comprising an electrically conductive substrate, wherein the power rail is configured to be mounted to the electrically conductive substrate.

7-8. -8. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

12-17. -17. (canceled)

20-22. -22. (canceled)

24-28. -28. (canceled)

30-39. -39. (canceled)

41-42. -42. (canceled)

46-47. -47. (canceled)

50. (canceled)

52-56. -56. (canceled)

57. An electrical cable assembly comprising:

a plurality of stranded electrically conductive fibers of wire extending from a first end to a second end;

an electrical insulator surrounding the plurality of strands of wire, such that each of the first and second ends extends out from the electrical insulator;

wherein the fibers of wire of at least one of the first and second ends are shaped so as to define at least one keyed surface, and fused to each other while shaped so as to define a solidified shape having the at least one keyed surface, prior to electrically connecting the at least one of the first and second ends to a mating member or mounting member, respectively.

58-69. -69. (canceled)