Modular electrical connector system
First Claim
1. A modular connector system, comprising plural terminator means for terminating respective signal conductors at respective contacts;
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for receiving and holding respective terminator means with said contacts thereof aligned for connection with further contacts inserted to engage the same;
frame means for holding said connector blocks securely in relative position to each other; and
a dovetail connecting means for connecting said connector blocks with said frame means;
said dovetail connecting means including one portion of a dovetail prism-shape member on one connector block and another portion of a dovetail prism-shape member on another connector block, said frame means having a dovetail slot, and said dovetail prism-shape members being cooperative with each other and with said slot thereby to connect the same securely in said frame means.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A modular electrical connector system provides relatively high density pin out capability for high speed signal transmission and coupling while maintaining discrete wire capability. The system includes plural cable terminators, plural connector blocks, each having plural cells to receive and hold respective terminators with the contacts thereof aligned for connection with further contacts inserted to engage the same, and a frame to hold the connector blocks securely in relative position to each other. Each cable terminator includes one or more contacts for electrically connecting with the cable conductor, electrical insulating molded about the junction of the contact and conductor, and a flexible locking mechanism to facilitate locking and removal of the terminator from its connector block cell, preferably from the back thereof, without disturbing other terminators in the connector block. Means are provided to probe the signals carried by respective terminators while positioned in the connector block, and for such probing and for the inserting/removing function special tools are provided. Methods also are disclosed for servicing such electrical connector systems to insert and/or to remove respective terminators without affecting others and for probing electrical signals carried via respective terminators.
237 Citations
49 Claims
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1. A modular connector system, comprising plural terminator means for terminating respective signal conductors at respective contacts;
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for receiving and holding respective terminator means with said contacts thereof aligned for connection with further contacts inserted to engage the same;
frame means for holding said connector blocks securely in relative position to each other; and
a dovetail connecting means for connecting said connector blocks with said frame means;
said dovetail connecting means including one portion of a dovetail prism-shape member on one connector block and another portion of a dovetail prism-shape member on another connector block, said frame means having a dovetail slot, and said dovetail prism-shape members being cooperative with each other and with said slot thereby to connect the same securely in said frame means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for receiving and holding respective terminator means with said contacts thereof aligned for connection with further contacts inserted to engage the same;
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5. A modular connector system, comprising plural terminator means for terminating respective signal conductors at respective contacts;
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for receiving and holding respective terminator means with said contacts thereof aligned for connection with other contacts inserted to engage the same, and respective pairs of connector blocks forming respective modular groups thereof;
frame means for holding said connector blocks securely in relative position to each other; and
means for aligning respective modular groups of said connector blocks in side-by-side, spaced-apart relation;
said means for aligning including a protrusion on each modular group of connecting blocks and a respective opening in said frame means for cooperating with said protrusion permitting entry of the protrusion in the opening when alignment is achieved, said protrusion in each modular group including a portion thereof on each connector block of such group cooperative to form a substantially integral protrusion when correctly aligned.
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for receiving and holding respective terminator means with said contacts thereof aligned for connection with other contacts inserted to engage the same, and respective pairs of connector blocks forming respective modular groups thereof;
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6. A modular connector system, comprising plural terminator means for terminating respective signal conductors at respective contacts;
- plural connector blocks each having plural cell means for receiving and holding respective terminator means with said contacts thereof aligned for connection with other contacts inserted to engage the same; and
frame means for holding said connector blocks securely in relative position to each other;
at least one connector block including impediment means for holding a terminator means thereto, such terminator means including ramp locking surface means for locking with said impediment means, said impediment means being positioned in respective cell means and such cell means having adequate space to permit selective flexing of said terminator means to unlock said ramp lock surface means from said impediment means, and each connector block being paired with another to form a modular group thereof, such cell means extending into both connector blocks of the respective modular group, and said impediment means including a recess in part of one wall of such cell means. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- plural connector blocks each having plural cell means for receiving and holding respective terminator means with said contacts thereof aligned for connection with other contacts inserted to engage the same; and
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15. A modular connector system, comprising plural cable means for high speed signal transmission, each including at least one signal conductor for carrying high speed signals and at least one reference conductor for maintaining a reference potential relative to such signals;
- plural terminator means for terminating respective cable means, each including respective contact means for terminating each conductor of the respective cable means;
plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for receiving and holding coupled therein respective terminator means with the contact means thereof aligned for connection with contacts inserted to engage the same, and said connector blocks being arranged in plural modular groups thereof each including a pair of connector blocks; and
frame means for holding said plural modular groups securely in relative position to each other;
each cable means including coaxial type cable, said reference conductor including shielding about said signal conductor, and said frame means including electrically conductive material maintained at a reference potential to provide a shielding force at said contact means and the connections thereof to said signal conductors within said frame means.
- plural terminator means for terminating respective cable means, each including respective contact means for terminating each conductor of the respective cable means;
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16. A modular connector system, comprising plural terminator means for terminating respective conductors, each including contact means for electrically connecting the respective conductor with another device and electrically insulating body means encasing a part of the respective conductor and a part of said contact means with another part of the conductor extending from a rear end of said body means and another part of said contact means from a front end;
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for insertably receiving and holding respective terminating means at the body means thereof with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device; and
frame means for holding said connector blocks securely in relative position to each other;
the body means of at least one terminator means having a relief surface defining with an adjacent surface of the respective cell means a rearwardly opening access passage for a probe permitting electrical connection to such another part of the respective contact means while the body means is in the respective connector block and the contact means is connected to such another device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for insertably receiving and holding respective terminating means at the body means thereof with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device; and
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23. A modular connector system, comprising plural terminator means for terminating respective insulated conductors, each including contact means for electrically connecting the respective conductor with another device and electrically insulating body means encasing a part of the respective conductor and a part of said contact means with another part of the conductor extending from a rear end of said body means and another part of said contact means from a front end;
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for insertably receiving and holding respective terminating means at the body means thereof with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device, and at least one cell means having impediment means associated therewith for holding the respective terminating means in said one cell means; and
frame means for holding said connector blocks securely in relative position to each other;
the body means of said respective terminating means having a deflectable portion and locking means on said deflectable portion cooperative with said impediment means to lock said respective terminator means in said one cell means, said deflectable portion being capable of selective flexure sufficient to effect release of said locking means from said impediment means to permit removal of said respective terminator means from said one cell means. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for insertably receiving and holding respective terminating means at the body means thereof with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device, and at least one cell means having impediment means associated therewith for holding the respective terminating means in said one cell means; and
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35. A modular connector system, comprising plural terminator means for terminating respective conductors, each including contact means for electrically connecting the respective conductor with another device and electrically insulating body means encasing a part of the respective conductor and a part of said contact means with another part of the conductor extending from a rear end of said body means and another part of said contact means from a front end;
- at least one connector block having plural cell means for insertably receiving and holding respective terminating means at the body means thereof with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device;
the body means of at least one terminator means having a relief surface defining with an adjacent surface of the respective cell means a rearwardly opening access passage for a probe permitting electrical connection to such another part of the respective contact means while the body means is in the connector block and the contact means is connected to such another device. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
- at least one connector block having plural cell means for insertably receiving and holding respective terminating means at the body means thereof with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device;
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42. A modular connector system comprising plural terminator means for terminating respective insulated conductors, each including contact means for electrically connecting the respective conductor with another device and electrically insulating body means encasing a part of the respective conductor and a part of said contact means with another part of the conductor extending from a rear end of said body means and another part of said contact means from a front end;
- at least one connector block having plural cell means for insertably receiving and holding respective terminating means at the body means thereof with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device, and at least one cell means having impediment means associated therewith for holding the respective terminating means in said one cell means;
the body means of said respective terminating means having a deflectable portion and locking means on said deflectable portion cooperative with said impediment means to lock said respective terminator means in said one cell means, said deflectable portion being capable of selective flexure sufficient to effect release of said locking means from said impediment means to permit removal of said respective terminator means from said one cell means. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
- at least one connector block having plural cell means for insertably receiving and holding respective terminating means at the body means thereof with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device, and at least one cell means having impediment means associated therewith for holding the respective terminating means in said one cell means;
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49. A modular connector system comprising plural terminator means for terminating respective insulated conductors, each including contact means for electrically connecting the respective conductor with another device;
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for holding respective terminator means with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device; and
frame means for holding said connector blocks securely in relative position to each other, said frame means and each connector block including cooperating protrusion and detent means for laterally locating respective pairs of said connector blocks in side-by-side, spaced apart relation; and
said connector blocks comprising plural modular groups thereof, each said modular group comprising a pair of connector blocks, said frame means comprising means for holding a plurality of said modular groups, and said terminator means comprising a plurality of terminators, each being coupled in a respective cell means and each comprising a body of electrically insulating material molded directly to at least part of each contact and each conductor and about the juncture of respective contacts and conductors.
- plural connector blocks, each having plural cell means for holding respective terminator means with said contact means thereof aligned for connection with a contact of such another device; and
Specification