Cable assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9948019-B2
Application number	US-201615216808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2016
Priority date	Jul 22, 2016
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A connector for a cable assembly includes a shell, a contact housing, and multiple finger clips. The contact housing is held in a chamber of the shell. The contact housing defines contact cavities extending through the contact housing between front and rear ends thereof. The finger clips are held in the contact cavities. The finger clips have deflectable latches. The contact cavities of the contact housing are configured to removably receive electrical contacts therein through the rear end. The deflectable latch of the finger clip in the corresponding contact cavity is configured to engage a retention shoulder of the electrical contact to removably secure the electrical contact in the contact cavity. The electrical contacts held in the contact housing are configured to mate with corresponding mating contacts of a mating connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cable-mountable connector comprising:
a shell having a mating end and a cable end opposite the mating end, the shell defining a chamber extending through the shell between the mating and cable ends;
a contact housing held in the chamber of the shell and extending between a front end and a rear end, the contact housing defining contact cavities extending through the contact housing between the front and rear ends; and
multiple finger clips held in the contact cavities of the contact housing, the finger clips having curved bodies and deflectable latches extending from the curved bodies, each curved body extending along less than an entirety of a perimeter of the corresponding contact cavity, all of the finger clips in the contact cavities having a common angular orientation relative to the contact housing,
wherein the contact cavities of the contact housing are configured to removably receive electrical contacts therein through the rear end, the deflectable latch of the finger clip in the corresponding contact cavity configured to engage a retention shoulder of the electrical contact to removably secure the electrical contact in the contact cavity, the electrical contacts held in the contact housing configured to mate with corresponding mating contacts of a mating connector.

2. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the deflectable latches of the finger clips in the contact cavities are configured to be deflected radially outward towards a peripheral wall of the corresponding contact cavity by a blade of a removal tool that enters the contact cavity through the rear end, the latch disengaging the retention shoulder of the electrical contact upon deflecting outward to allow removal of the electrical contact from the contact cavity.

3. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the contact cavities at the rear end of the contact housing include a clearance indent extending radially outward from the perimeter of the contact cavity, the clearance indent angularly aligning with the deflectable latch of the finger clip, the clearance indent providing a path for at least one of a removal tool or an insertion tool to enter the contact cavity to move the corresponding electrical contact relative to the contact cavity.

4. The connector of claim 1 , further comprising a grommet held in the chamber of the shell, the grommet extending between a front end and a rear end, the front end facing the rear end of the contact housing, the grommet defining apertures through the grommet between the front and rear ends that align with the contact cavities of the contact housing, the grommet composed of a dielectric material.

5. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the contact cavities have a cross-sectional profile that includes clip region and a reduced diameter region, the contact housing including a ledge at each of two interfaces between the clip region and the reduced diameter region, the finger clip disposed in the clip region and configured to engage the ledges to retain an orientation of the finger clip relative to the contact housing.

6. The connector of claim 5 , wherein the contact cavities at the rear end of the contact housing include a notch extending radially outward from the perimeter of the contact cavity along the reduced diameter region, the notch configured to receive a protrusion of one of the electrical contacts therein as the electrical contact is inserted into the contact cavity to ensure that the electrical contact is angularly aligned with the finger clip in the contact cavity.

7. The connector of claim 5 , wherein the curved body of each finger clip includes an outer side and an inner side, the outer side facing a peripheral wall of the contact cavity along the clip region, the inner side of the curved body having a radius approximately equal to a radius of the reduced diameter region of the contact cavity.

8. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the deflectable latches of the finger clips are cantilevered and extend from a fixed end attached to a body of the respective finger clip to a free end that is not attached to the body, the free end disposed more proximate to the front end of the contact housing than a proximity of the fixed end to the front end.

9. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the contact housing is defined by a front housing and a rear housing that are secured together, the front housing defining the front end of the contact housing and the rear housing defining the rear end, the front and rear housings defining respective front and rear portions of the contact cavities, the finger clips held in the front portions of the contact cavities, the rear portions of the contact cavities having at least one of a smaller cross-sectional size or a different cross-sectional shape than the front portions such that the rear housing blocks the finger clips from moving rearward out of the front portions of the contact cavities.

10. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the curved bodies of the finger clips are generally semi-circular and extend along approximately half of the perimeter of the corresponding contact cavity.

11. A cable assembly comprising:
a connector including a shell, a contact housing, and multiple finger clips, the shell having a mating end and a cable end opposite the mating end, the shell defining a chamber extending through the shell between the mating and cable ends, the contact housing held in the chamber of the shell and extending between a front end and a rear end, the contact housing defining contact cavities extending through the contact housing between the front and rear ends, the finger clips held in the contact cavities of the contact housing, the finger clips having deflectable latches, the contact cavities each defining a notch extending outward from a perimeter of the contact cavity; and
multiple electrical contacts removably received in the contact cavities through the rear end of the contact housing, the electrical contacts having mating segments disposed at least proximate to the front end of the contact housing for compliant mating with corresponding mating contacts of a mating connector, the electrical contacts including rear-facing retention shoulders that engage the deflectable latches of the finger clips in the corresponding contact cavities to removably secure the electrical contacts in the contact cavities,
wherein the rear-facing shoulder of each electrical contact extends along less than an entirety of a perimeter of the electrical contact, the electrical contacts each including a protrusion extending radially outward from the electrical contact at a location along the perimeter of the electrical contact that is angularly spaced apart from the rear-facing shoulder, the protrusion configured to be received in the notch of the corresponding contact cavity as the electrical contact is received in the contact cavity to ensure that the rear-facing shoulder of the electrical contact is angularly aligned with the deflectable latch of the finger clip in the contact cavity.

12. The cable assembly of claim 11 , wherein the electrical contacts include the mating segment, a termination barrel surrounding and mechanically and electrically connecting to an end of an electrical cable that extends from the cable end of the shell, and an intermediate segment between the termination barrel and the mating segment, the intermediate segment defining the rear-facing retention shoulder.

13. The cable assembly of claim 11 , wherein the electrical contacts are stamped and formed into a generally cylindrical shape from a sheet of metal, the electrical contacts defining a seam along a length of the electrical contact.

14. The

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp
• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Annis Kyle Gary
• Storry Mitchell Kunane

Classifications

• H01R13/5208

  having at least two cable receiving openings · CPC title

• H01R13/426 Primary

  Securing by a separate resilient retaining piece supported by base or case, e.g. collar {or metal contact-retention clip} · CPC title

• H01R43/22

  Hand tools · CPC title

• H01R13/502

  composed of different pieces (H01R13/514 takes precedence) · CPC title