Flexible cable electrical connector
AssigneeFCI Americas Technology, Inc.
InventorsEarl James Hayes, Michael Jerome Alloway, Raymond Bruce McLauchlan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical connector housing including a main body having a receiving area which is sized and shaped to receive a flat conductor cable with contacts attached thereto into the receiving area; and a locking section connected to the main body by a living hinge. The locking section comprising a front end and a rear end. When the locking section is inserted into a receiving aperture of the main body, the front end is adapted to block withdrawal of at least one of the contacts located in the receiving area and, the rear end includes at least one strain relief projection which is sized and shaped to press the flat conductor cable against the main body to form a strain relief for the cable.
Claims17
An electrical connector housing comprising:
- a main body having a receiving area which is sized and shaped to receive a flat conductor cable with contacts attached thereto into the receiving area;
- and
- a locking section connected to the main body by a living hinge, the locking section comprising a front end and a rear end, wherein when the locking section is inserted into a receiving aperture of the main body the front end is adapted to block withdrawal of at least one of the contacts located in the receiving area and, the rear end includes at least one strain relief projection which is sized and shaped to press the flat conductor cable against the main body to form a strain relief for the cable.
An electrical connector assembly comprising:
- a flat conductor cable;
- electrical contacts attached to the cable;
- and
- a housing having the contacts and a portion of the cable located therein, the housing comprising a main body, a locking section and a living hinge connecting the locking section to the main body, wherein the locking section is insertable into a receiving aperture in the main body with a front end of the locking section blocking withdrawal of the contacts from the housing and a rear end of the locking section clamping the flat conductor cable against the main body to form a strain relief for the cable.
A method of assembling an electrical connector comprising steps of:
- connecting electrical contacts to a flat conductor cable;
- inserting the contacts and a portion of the flat conductor cable into a main section of a connector housing;
- inserting a locking section of the connector housing into a receiving aperture of the main section, the connector housing comprising a living hinge which connects the locking section to the main section,
- wherein the step of inserting the locking section comprises bending the living hinge, wherein the locking section blocks withdrawal of the contacts from the housing;
- and
- clamping a portion of the flat conductor cable against the main section and the locking section when the locking section is inserted into the connector housing to form a strain relief for the flat conductor cable.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.