Modular drawer connector
First Claim
1. A modular drawer connector comprising:
- opposed, mateable, panel-mountable male and female drawer connector housings, each said drawer connector housing comprising a forward mating end and an opposed conductor-receiving end, said conductor-receiving end comprising a plurality of spaced apart rearwardly projecting walls defining at least one rearwardly projecting socket, one said wall of each rearwardly projecting socket comprising a deflectable cantilevered wall having at least one locking aperture extending therethrough;
a plurality of drawer connector terminals mounted in each of the drawer connector housings, each drawer connector terminal comprising a forward mating contact portion and a rear contact portion disposed respectively at the forward mating ends and the conductor-receiving ends of said drawer connector housings, the forward mating contact portions of the drawer connector terminals being electrically mateable upon movement of the forward mating ends of the male and female drawer connector housings to a fully mated condition; and
at least one DC terminal module comprising a nonconductive housing, a plurality of insulated conductors extending into said housing and a plurality of metallic terminals having rearward conductor-engaging portions electrically engaged with the respective conductors of said DC terminal module, each said metallic terminal of said DC terminal module further comprising a forward contact portion selectively mateable to a rear contact portion of one of said drawer connector terminals, said nonconductive housing of said DC terminal module being dimensioned for engagement with the rearwardly directed socket of said drawer connector housing, said nonconductive housing of said DC terminal module further comprising at least one locking protrusion releasably engageable with the locking aperture in the deflectable cantilevered wall of the rearwardly projecting socket of the drawer connector housing, whereby the DC terminal module may be disengaged from the drawer connector housing to permit replacement of the drawer connector housing and the drawer connector terminals mounted therein without retermination of the insulated conductors of said DC terminal module.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A drawer connector is provided with modular components to facilitate the replacement of those portions of the drawer connector that are subject to the greatest wear. The drawer connector comprises mateable female and male panel mount drawer connector housings having mateable terminals press fit or otherwise lockingly engaged therein. The conductive leads are not permanently terminated to the terminals of the drawer connector. Rather, the conductive leads are terminated to modular connector terminals or terminal assemblies which in turn are lockingly but releasably mounted to the respective rear sides of the panel mount assemblies of the drawer connector. Thus, the panel mount assemblies can be discarded and replaced upon the damage of the frequently connected and disconnected terminals therein, while still retaining the time and labor intensive termination work on the conductive leads. Alignment of the drawer connector housings is facilitated by a frangible float collar formed unitarily with at least one of the housings. The float collar is severed from the remainder of the housing as the housing is connected to the panel. However, the size and relative disposition of the float collar relative to the remainder of the housing permits a controlled floating therebetween.
123 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A modular drawer connector comprising:
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opposed, mateable, panel-mountable male and female drawer connector housings, each said drawer connector housing comprising a forward mating end and an opposed conductor-receiving end, said conductor-receiving end comprising a plurality of spaced apart rearwardly projecting walls defining at least one rearwardly projecting socket, one said wall of each rearwardly projecting socket comprising a deflectable cantilevered wall having at least one locking aperture extending therethrough; a plurality of drawer connector terminals mounted in each of the drawer connector housings, each drawer connector terminal comprising a forward mating contact portion and a rear contact portion disposed respectively at the forward mating ends and the conductor-receiving ends of said drawer connector housings, the forward mating contact portions of the drawer connector terminals being electrically mateable upon movement of the forward mating ends of the male and female drawer connector housings to a fully mated condition; and at least one DC terminal module comprising a nonconductive housing, a plurality of insulated conductors extending into said housing and a plurality of metallic terminals having rearward conductor-engaging portions electrically engaged with the respective conductors of said DC terminal module, each said metallic terminal of said DC terminal module further comprising a forward contact portion selectively mateable to a rear contact portion of one of said drawer connector terminals, said nonconductive housing of said DC terminal module being dimensioned for engagement with the rearwardly directed socket of said drawer connector housing, said nonconductive housing of said DC terminal module further comprising at least one locking protrusion releasably engageable with the locking aperture in the deflectable cantilevered wall of the rearwardly projecting socket of the drawer connector housing, whereby the DC terminal module may be disengaged from the drawer connector housing to permit replacement of the drawer connector housing and the drawer connector terminals mounted therein without retermination of the insulated conductors of said DC terminal module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A modular drawer connector comprising:
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opposed, mateable, panel-mountable male and female drawer connector housings, each said drawer connector housing comprising a forward mating end and an opposed conductor-receiving end, the conductor-receiving ends of each said drawer connector housing defining at least one generally centrally disposed rearwardly projecting socket, said socket being defined by a plurality of rearwardly projecting walls, one said wall defining said socket being a deflectable cantilevered wall having locking means for lockingly retaining a terminal module therein, the conductor-receiving end of each said drawer connector housing further comprising rearwardly projecting shrouds disposed respectively on opposite sides of said rearwardly projecting socket, said shrouds being dimensioned to receive at least one quick-disconnect terminal therein; first and second pluralities of drawer connector terminals mounted in each drawer connector housing, each drawer connector terminal comprising a forward mating contact portion disposed at the forward mating end of the associated drawer connector housing and a rear contact portion, the rear contact portions of said first plurality being disposed within the socket at the conductor-receiving end of the associated drawer connector housing, the rear contact portions of said second plurality being disposed in said rearwardly projecting shrouds, the forward mating contact portions of the drawer connector terminals being electrically mateable upon movement of the forward mating ends of the male and female drawer connector housings into a mated condition; at least one DC terminal module comprising a nonconductive housing lockingly engageable with the locking means of the rearwardly projecting socket of the associated drawer connector housing, a plurality of insulated conductors extending into said DC terminal module and a plurality of metallic terminals engaged in said nonconductive housing, each said metallic terminal having a rearward conductor-engaging portion electrically engaging one said conductor in said nonconductive housing and a forward contact portion engageable with the rear contact portion of one of said first plurality of drawer connector terminals; and a plurality of terminated leads releasably electrically contacting the respective rear contact portions of the terminals in said second plurality of terminals, whereby the DC terminal modules and the terminated leads may be unmated from the respective drawer connector housings to permit replacement of the drawer connector housing and the terminals therein without reterminating the DC terminal modules and the terminated leads. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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- 14. A drawer connector comprising a drawer connector housing having a mounting flange, a forward mating end and a rearward conductor-receiving end, a plurality of drawer connector terminals mounted in the drawer connector housing, said mounting flange having a plurality of mounting apertures extending therethrough for receiving mounting means to mount said housing to a panel, said mounting apertures each comprising a mounting collar having an external cross-sectional dimension less than the internal cross-sectional dimension of the corresponding mounting aperture, said mounting collar being initially supported in alignment with said mounting aperture by at least one frangible support, said frangible support being breakable from said mounting flange upon engagement of said mounting means with the drawer connector, the dimensions of said mounting collar relative to said mounting aperture permitting a controlled amount of float of said drawer connector relative to said panel.
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19. A modular drawer connector comprising:
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opposed, mateable, panel-mountable male and female drawer connector housings, each drawer connector housing including a forward mating end and an opposed conductor-receiving end, said conductor-receiving end having a plurality of spaced apart rearwardly projecting walls defining at least one rearwardly projecting socket; a plurality of drawer connector terminals mounted in each of said drawer connector housings, each drawer connector terminal including a forward mating contact portion and a rear contact portion disposed respectively at the forward mating ends and the conductor receiving ends of said drawer connector housings, the forward mating contact portions of the drawer connector housings being electrically mateable upon movement of the forward mating ends of the male and female drawer connector housings to a fully-mated condition; at least one DC terminal module including a nonconductive housing, a plurality of insulated conductors extending into said housing and a plurality of metallic terminals having rearward conductor engaging portions electrically engaged with the respective conductors of said DC terminal modules, each said metallic terminal of said DC terminal module further including a forward contact portion selectively mateable with a rear contact portion of one of said drawer connector terminals, and said nonconductive housing of the DC connector module being dimensioned for engagement with the rearwardly projecting socket of said drawer connector housing; and interengaging means cooperating between said DC terminal module housing and said rearwardly projecting socket for releasably locking the DC terminal module in mated relation to the conductor-receiving end of the drawer connector; whereby, the DC terminal module may be disengaged from the drawer connector housing to permit repair or replacement of the drawer connector housing and the drawer connector terminals mounted therein without retermination of the insulated conductors of said DC terminal module. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification