Electrical connector assembly

摘要

1,049,435. Two-part couplings. AMP Inc. March 3, 1965 [March 5, 1964], No. 9018/65. Heading H2E. An electrical connector assembly comprises a rigid housing H, e.g. of nylon or polyethylene, comprising one or more elongated channels 2 each communicating with two parallel rows of elongated pockets 4 each of which receives an electrical contact element E. In Fig. 2, the contact element comprises a portion 13 for connection to a lead, e.g. by wrapping, and a tapered contact spring 121 for engaging a printed circuit panel P, the portions 13, 121 being connected by a neck 22. The contact element E is formed from a planar blank (Fig. 4, not shown) comprising elongated portions 12, 13 separated by a rectangular plate 14, a neck 22, and opposed projections 20. The part 12 is bent to form the contact spring 121 and the element E is inserted into the housing H, the plate 14 being guided in opposed axial grooves 19 in the pocket 4. The portion 13 is then rotated relatively to the portion 121 through 90 degrees helically to twist the neck 22 so that the projections 20 engage shoulders 7, 9 (Fig. 3, not shown) in a recess 5 adjacent the pocket and a locking tongue 21 formed on the plate 141 engages a rectangular projection 6 in the pocket 4 to lock the contact element in the housing. In a modification (Fig. 7, not shown) the portion 13 has a square cross-section and two opposite elongated channels 23 for a lead connection as described in Specification 1,008,673. There may be only one row of contact elements E engaging the panel P. The invention may be applied to electrical plugboards. The contact spring 121 may be replaced by a portion similar to 13 or 131 for connection to a lead to provide a junction block.