Ribbon cable connector, connector assembly and use of a connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11545774-B2
Application number	US-202017101777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2020
Priority date	May 17, 2018
Publication date	Jan 3, 2023
Grant date	Jan 3, 2023

Abstract

A ribbon cable connector for attachment to an end of a ribbon cable comprises a plurality of contact element receptacles adapted to receive a plurality of contact elements. A pair of adjacent contact element receptacles is separated from one another.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector assembly, comprising:
a ribbon cable connector having a plurality of contact element receptacles adapted to receive a plurality of contact elements, each pair of adjacent contact element receptacles are separated from one another by a wall; and
a ribbon cable connected to the ribbon cable connector and having a plurality of individualized conductors, the conductors at least partially insulated in an insulating element in sections attached to the contact elements at a connector-side end, a plurality of gaps in the insulating element are defined between the at least partially insulated conductors at the connector-side end, the insulating element defining a plurality of edges between adjacent conductors, the insulating element includes a portion extending into the contact element receptacles, wherein the wall between each pair of adjacent contact element receptacles extends into one of the gaps.

2. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least partially insulated conductors at the connector-side end are arranged within respective contact element receptacles.

3. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the conductors are embedded within the insulating element at the connector-side end.

4. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of edges of the insulating element comprise a plurality of opposing edges between adjacent conductors.

5. The connector assembly of claim 4 , wherein the edges define an open-ended rectangular gap in the insulating element for receiving the walls separating the contact element receptacles.

6. The connector assembly of claim 5 , wherein the edges define rounded corners at an end of the gap opposite an open end thereof receiving the contact element receptacles.

7. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the conductors is partially stripped of the insulating element at an outermost end of the connector-side end.

8. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the contact elements are attached to the conductors through the insulating element.

9. The connector assembly of claim 8 , wherein the conductors are attached to the contact elements at the connector-side end via a plurality of crimps, wherein the crimps break through the insulating element for attaching the contact elements to the conductors.

10. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the insulating element extends to a free end of each of the conductors such that each conductor is at least partially surrounded by the insulating element along its length.

11. A connector assembly, comprising:
a ribbon cable including a plurality of conductors embedded in an insulating material, the cable defining a plurality of gaps formed through the insulating material in areas between adjacent conductors, each gap extending into the insulating material from a free end thereof in an axial direction of the cable for defining a plurality of at least partially insulated individualized conductor ends, the insulating material extending to a free end of each of the conductors such that each conductor is at least partially surrounded by the insulating material along its entire length; and
a ribbon cable connector including a plurality of contact element receptacles each having a contact element arranged therein, each contact element receptacle receiving one of the plurality of at least partially insulated individualized conductor ends therein, a portion of a plurality of insulting elements extending beyond the contact element receptacles in a direction opposite a plug-in direction.

12. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein each pair of adjacent contact element receptacles are separated by a wall of the ribbon cable connector, wherein the wall extends into one of the gaps defined in the insulating material of the ribbon cable.

13. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein the ribbon cable comprises a jointly coated section wherein the connectors are continuously joined by the insulating material in a direction transverse to the axial direction of the cable.

14. The connector assembly of claim 13 , wherein the gaps extend from the free end of the insulating material to the jointly coated section.

15. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein each of the contact elements are attached to one of the at least partially insulated individualized conductor ends through the insulating material.

16. The connector assembly of claim 15 , wherein each of the contact elements comprises a crimp, wherein the crimp breaks through the insulating material for attaching the contact element to the conductor.

17. The connector assembly of claim 16 , wherein the crimps are arranged within the contact element receptacles.

18. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein the gaps extend through the insulating material to a depth that corresponds to at least a difference between a plug-in depth by which the individualized conductor ends are inserted into the ribbon cable connector and a contact length along outmost ends thereof.

19. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein the individualized conductor ends are each embedded within the insulating material.

20. The connector assembly of claim 11 , wherein the contact element receptacles are adapted to receive the plurality contact elements in the plug-in direction in which the contact elements are plugged into the contact element receptacles from a wire side end of the connector, each contact element receptacle defining a plug-in aperture at a first end thereof, the plug-in aperture defined within the connector at a first distance in the plug-in direction from the wire side end, each pair of adjacent contact element receptacles are separated by a wall of the connector, the wall extending into one of the gaps defined in the insulating material of the ribbon cable, the ribbon cable connector further including a plurality of insulating elements, each insulating element extending from the wall between each pair of adjacent contact elements and into one of the plurality of the contact element receptacles in a direction transverse to the plug-in direction.

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Germany Gmbh

Inventors

• Veihl Maximilian
• Kosmalski Christoph
• Schall Michael
• Stab Robert
• Stjepanovic Zoran
• Baltes Marcel
• Dietrich Willi

Classifications

• H01R12/69

  deformable terminals, e.g. crimping terminals · CPC title

• H01R12/771

  Details · CPC title

• H01R13/40

  Securing contact members in or to a base or case; Insulating of contact members · CPC title

• H01R12/778 Primary

  Coupling parts carrying sockets, clips or analogous counter-contacts (H01R12/78, H01R12/79 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01R13/46

  Bases; Cases · CPC title