US 6,089,903 A · Electrical connector with automatic conductor termination

Abstract

An electrical connector includes a housing (12) and a coupling assembly (35) that has a mateable contact (32) at the front of the housing and a conductor-terminating coupling (34). The coupling has a pair of arms (38, 40) with jaws (48) that are biased toward an axis (37). A holder member (54) has a pair of projections (58, 60) with surfaces that hold the arms in a ready position wherein they have been resiliently deflected away from the axis. When a cable conductor (66) is inserted forwardly (F) through a bore (28) in the housing, the forward tip of the cable presses the coupling assembly forwardly. As the coupling assembly moves forward, the arms are released from the holder members, so the arms can move toward the axis and the jaws (48) on the arms can engage the cable conductor.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An electrical connector that can terminate to a conductor of a cable, said connector having a front end that can detachably mate to a connector device that has a mateable contact member, comprising:

a housing which has open front and rear ends;
a coupling assembly that lies in said housing and that includes a contact lying at least partially in said housing front end and positioned to mate with said contact member of said connector device;
said coupling assembly including a coupling that is connected to said contact, said coupling having a plurality of jaws biased toward an axis;
a holder member lying within said housing and having a holder part that engages said coupling and holds said jaws apart in a ready position to allow said cable conductor to move along said axis between said jaws, with said coupling being disengageable from said holder part to allow said jaws to move toward each other under the force of said bias, so said jaws can engage said cable conductor under the force of said bias to provide secure electrically conductive contact between said jaws and said cable conductor under the force of said bias.

1 more element

An electrical connector for terminating to a conductor of predetermined radius, comprising:

a housing which has a front end that is open;
a coupling assembly that lies in said housing, said coupling assembly including a contact with a mateable end lying at least partially in said housing front end and also including a coupling;
said coupling is formed of sheet metal and has at least one arm with a jaw end lying in a ready position radially outward of a conductor axis by at least said predetermined radius, said arm being resiliently deflectable away from said axis to move said jaw end to said ready position, and said arm being resiliently biased toward a position wherein said jaw end tends to lie closer to said axis than said predetermined radius;
said housing including a bore that is open along said axis from the rear of said housing to a position forward of said jaw end, to allow said conductor to be pushed along said bore;
a holder member lying in said housing and holding said arm in a resiliently deflected position away from said axis wherein said jaw lies in said ready position;
of said holder member and said coupling, one of them is moveable to release said arm from said holder member and allow said arm to move away from said ready position and thereby allow said jaw end to move closer to said axis and engage said conductor.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electrical connector with automatic conductor termination

Life of this patent

Electrical connector with automatic conductor termination

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9