Strain relief system for connecting cables

A cable and connector assembly comprising:

• (a) a longitudinally elongated cable assembly comprising;
• (i) a sheath having a free end,
• (ii) a conductor extending within said sheath and having a free end portion projecting from the free end of said sheath,
• (iii) a pair of strain bearing cables extending within said sheath, said strain bearing cables having a substantially higher modulus of elasticity than that of the conductor, each strain bearing cable having a free end portion projecting from the free end of said sheath, the free end portions of the strain bearing cables being located laterally outwardly from and arranged one on either side of the free end portion of the conductor,
• (b) a connector member having first connector means located thereon adapted to cooperate with complimentary second connector means to form an electrical connection therebetween in use,
• a first conductor connection point on said connector member at which an end of the free end portion of said conductor is connected to the connector member and through which it communicates with said first connector means,
• a pair of strain bearing cable connection points on said connector member, each of said strain bearing cable connection points being located laterally outwardly from and one on either side of said first connection point,
• the free end portions of the strain bearing cables being connected, one at each strain bearing cable connection point, to the connector member in a manner such that any slack whch is provided in the free end portions of the strain bearing cables is less than that provided in the free end portion of the conductor such that substantially all of a tensile load applied to the connector member by a load applied to the cable assembly will be transmitted to the connector member through the strain bearing cables at the strain bearing cable connection points,
• wherein said cable assembly is a flat cable which has oppositely disposed side edges and said connector member is a flat connector member, said strain bearing cables being embedded in said flat cable and arranged one adjacent each of said oppositely disposed side edges.