CA1065975A

CA1065975A - Method of manufacturing an electrical connector

Info

Publication number: CA1065975A
Application number: CA271,309A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Helen Dechelette
Original assignee: AMP Inc
Current assignee: TE Connectivity Corp
Priority date: 1976-03-08
Filing date: 1977-02-08
Publication date: 1979-11-06
Also published as: BR7701348A; JPS52107570A; FR2344151B1; NL7701519A; FR2344151A1; AU2215077A; SE7702461L; ES455706A1; GB1529668A; IT1084010B; DE2709520A1; BE851622A

Abstract

ABSTRACT
A method of manufacturing an electrical connector includes the steps of removing parts of a planar metal sheet to provide a plurality of contact portions interconnected by readily frangible portions, sandwiching the metal sheet between the sheets of electrically insulating material each formed with cut-outs which align with the frangible portions of the metal sheet, and breaking the frangible portions of the metal sheet through the aligned cut-outs in the sheets of electrically insulating material thereby to isolate electrically the contact portions of the metal sheet.

Description

5~75 This invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electrical connector, to an electrical connector manufactured by the method, and to an electrical assembly including such an electrical connector.
Many electrical assemblies utilise discrete wiring, that is indivi-dual wires with appropriate electrical terminals at their ends, to provide the necessary electrical connections, but the manufacture and installation of such wiring is time consuming and thus normally expensive, and the final assembly is often untidy and may have wires which can readily be accidently pulled whereby the electrical connections provided thereby become broken.
A well known alternative to discrete wiring is the printed circuit board which normally comprises an electrically insulating substrate having conductive tracks constituting the required wiring formed on one or both surfaces.
However, such printed circuit boards are relatively expensive to manufacture and serve only as a substitute for the actual wires of a discrete wiring arrangement, it still being necessary to mount electrical terminals on the board in order to connect electrical components thereto. Further, since the conductive tracks are exposed, arrangements must be made to prevent the establishment of short-circuits between the tracks.
According to thls invention a method of manufacturing an electrical connector includes the steps of removing parts of a planar metal sheet to pro-vide a plurality of contact portions intorconnected by readily frangible portions, each contact portion being formed with an aperture or apertures each to receive, and electrically connect the contact portion to, a male con-tact member; sandwiching the meta:L sheet between two sheets of electrically insulating material each formed with cut-outs which align with the frangible portions of, and the apertures in, the metal sheet; and breaking the frangible portions of the metal sheet through the aligned cut-outs in the sheets of

-2-electrically insulating material thereby to isolate electrically the contact portions of the metal sheet.
The method of this invention has the advantages that it can be cheaply and simply carried out, and provides a connector to which other electrical components having appropriate male contact members can be directly connected, and which also provides the required electrical connections between such components connected thereto. Further since the portions of the metal sheet providing the wiring and receptacles are sandwiched between two eledtri-cally insulating shee~s, no other arrangements to avoid the establishment of short-circuits need be made.
The parts of the metal sheet to be re~oved prior to production of the sandwich can be removed by known etching techniques, and the metal sheet and the sheets of electrically insulating material can be secured together in the sandwich by means of an electrically non-conduotive adhesive or by means of some of the frangible portions of the metal sheet, after breaking and prefera-bly before breaking of the remainder of the frangible portions, being bent to embrace the sheets of electrically insulating material. Preferably those franqible portions used to secure the layers o$ the sandwich together are located at the periphery of the sandwich.
Also according to this invention there is provided an electrical connector compri~lng two superposed sheets of electrically in~ulating material having allgned cut-out~ thereint and a plurality of contact portions of a metal sheet sandwlched between the sheets of electrically insulating material, each contact portion having therein at lea~t one aperture to receive, and electrically connect the contact portion to, a male contact member, the apertures each being aligned with an individual pair of allgned cut-outs in the sheet~ of electrically insulating material, the contact portions of the metal sheet having been isolated electrically from each other after sandwichlng of the metal sheet between the sheets of electrically insulating material.
mis invention will now be described by way of example with refer-ence to the drawings, in which:~
Figure 1 is a plan view of a metal sheet;
Figure 2 is a plan view of a sheet of electrically insulating material;
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic cross-section through an electrical assembly including an electrical connector manufactured according to the invention from sheets as shown in Figures l and 2; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of an electrical assembly including an electrical connector manufactured according to the invention from sheets as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and electrical components plugged into the connector.
Figure 1 shows a metal sheet of, for example, brass 0.008 inches thick, parts of the sheet 1 having been removed to leave holes 2 and a plurality of contact portions 3 interconnected by narrow frangible portions 4. Each contact portion 3 is formed with one or more substantially ~-shaped apertures 5 each providing a pair of inwardly directed tongues 6 between which a male contact member, for example a tab or post, can be received and gripped thereby to connect electrically the contact member and the contact portion (see Figure 3).
me sheet 1 can be manufactured by the use of known etchlng tech-niques or by known stamping technlques.
Figure 2 shows a sheet 7 of electrically insulating material having a circular cut-out ~ substantially at its centre. me sheet 7 also has other, rectangular cut-outs 9 and 10 which are located such that when the sheet 7 is superposed on the sheet 1 of Figure 1 the cut-outs 9 are aligned with the apertures 5, and the cut-outs 10 are aligned with the frangible portions 4.
To ensure that the sheet 7 is superpoæed on the sheet 1 in the correct 1~659~5 orientation, each of the sheets 1 and 7 has asymmetrical ends which match those of the other sheet 7 or 1. The sheet 7 also has cut-outs 11 at its periphery which align with frangible portions 4 of the sheet 1 at the periphery thereof.
To manufacture an electrical connector, a sheet 1 as shown in Figure 1 is sandwiched between two sheets 7 as shown in Figure 2 such that each aperture 5 in the sheet 1 is aligned with a cut-out 9 in each of the sheets 7, and each frangible portion 4 of the sheet 1 is aligned with a cut-out 10 or 11 in each of the sheets 7.
The sheets 1 and 7 are secured together in the sandwich either by means of an elactrically non-conductive adhesive or by the frangible portions 4 at the periphery of the sheet 1 being broken and bent about the sheets 7, that is about the ends of the cut-outs 11 in the sheets 7.
The frangible portions 4 of the sheet 1 visible through the cut-outs 10 in the sheets 7 are then removed, for example by punching, such that the contact portions 3 of the sheet 1, containing the apertures 5, become elect-rically isolated from each other.
As shown in Figure 3, the connector is then ready to receive electrical components 12 having male contact members 13 extending therefrom.
Each contact member 13 i6 inserted through a cut-out 9 in one of the outer sheets 7 and then between the tongues 6 provided by the aperture 5 in the sheet 1, aligned with that cut-out 9. As shown in Figure 3, the tongues 6 are deflected by the contact member 13 such that they reslliently engage the contact member 13, and thus provide an electrical and mechanical connection between the contact member 13, and thus the component 12, and the contact portion 3 of the sheet 1 containing the aperture 5.
Thus, with a plurality of components 12 so mounted on the connector sandwich the contact portions 3 of the sheet 1 provide the necessary electrical ~1065975 connections between the components 12.
It will be appreciated that components 12 can be mounted on either side of the connector sandwich, and that the length of the contact members 13 is not critical since the contact members 13 can pass right through the connector sandwich.
As shown in Figure 4, an electrical connector as described above is particularly suitable for use with an electric motor, for example an electric motor as used in domestic equipment. The connector can be mounted in the motor casing ~not shown) with the motor rotor (not shown) passing through the central hole through the connector. The motor stator windings 14 can be terminated in male contact members 15 which plug directly into the conne~tor, and the motor brush housings 16 and connections can also plug directly into the connector. The connector sandwich can also carry any other electrical components to be associated with the motor, for example switches 17 and resistors 18, which can also be plugged directly into the connector, as can any necessary supply leads 19 for the motor.
The motor and associated components can thus be provided as a unitary as6embly which has no loose wiring, and which i9 easy to manufacture.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method of manufacturing an electrical connector including the steps of removing parts of a planar metal sheet to provide a plurality of contact portions interconnected by readily frangible portions, each contact portion being formed with an aperture or apertures each to receive, and electrically connect the contact portion to, a male contact member; sand-wiching the metal sheet between two sheets of electrically insulating material each formed with cut-outs which align with the frangible portions of, and the apertures in, the metal sheet; and breaking the frangible portions of the metal sheet through the aligned cut-outs in the sheets of electrically insulating material thereby to isolate electrically the contact portions of the metal sheet.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, including the steps of securing the metal sheet and the sheets of electrically insulating material to each other by means of an electrically non-conductive adhesive.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, including the steps of securing the metal sheet and the sheets of electrically insulating material to each other by bending some of the frangible portions of the metal sheet, after breaking thereof, to embrace the sheets of electrically insulating material.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, in which those frangible portions which serve to secure the metal sheet and the sheets of electrically insulating material together, are located at the periphery of the sandwich.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the apertures formed in the contact portions of the metal sheet are substantially H-shaped, and provide two inwardly directed tongues between which a male contact member can be gripped.

6. An electrical connector comprising two superposed sheets of electrically insulating material having aligned cut-outs therein; and a plurality of contact portions of a metal sheet sandwiched between the sheets of electrically insulating material, each contact portion having therein at least one aperture to receive, and electrically connect the contact portion to, a male contact member, the apertures each being aligned with an individual pair of aligned cut-outs in the sheets of electrically insulating material, the contact portions of the metal sheet having been isolated electrically from each other after sandwiching of the metal sheet between the sheets of electrically insulating material.

7. A connector as claimed in claim 6, in which the contact portions of the metal sheet and the sheets of electrically insulating material are secured together in the sandwich by means of an electrically non-conductive adhesive.

8. A connector as claimed in claim 6, in which portions of the metal sheet embrace the sheets of electrically insulating material thereby to secure the layers of the sandwich together.

9. A connector as claimed in claim 8, in which the portions of the metal sheet serving to secure the layers of the sandwich together are the remains of readily frangible portions which initially served to connect the contact portions of the metal sheet together as an integral sheet.

10. A connector as claimed in claim 6, in which the apertures in the contact portions of the metal sheet are substantially H-shaped, and provide two inwardly directed tongues between which a male contact member can be gripped.

11. An electrical assembly comprising a connector as claimed in claim 6, and one or more electrical components having male contact members received in individual apertures in the contact portions of the metal sheet, the contact portions of the metal sheet thus serving to provide electrical connections between the male contact members.

12. An assembly as claimed in claim 11, in which the electrical components include the stator windings and brushes of an electrical motor.