Electrical connector

Claim 2

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members, comprising: first and second substrates having aligned contact receiving hole arrays therein, each of said hole arrays lying along a linear path; a plurality of contacts press fitted into the holes in each of said substrates, said contacts each including a contactor portion resilient in a direction transverse to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays; an insulative receptacle housing placed down over to substantially enclose the press fitted contacts on the first substrate, said receptacle housing having bottom openings of sufficient size to receive the contactor portions of said contacts and a top opening to receive a plug member, said receptacle housing having substantially planar inner wall surfaces extending parallel to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays and spaced from any engagement with the rear portions of said receptacle contacts; and an insulative plug housing placed down over to substantially enclose the press fitted contacts on the second substrate, said plug housing having bottom openings of sufficient size to receive the contactor portions of said contacts, and a top opening surrounding a central rib, said central rib having substantially planar inner wall surfaces extending parallel to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays and spaced from any engagement with the rear portions of said plug contacts, said plug and receptacle members being interengagable by inserting the central rib of said plug into the top opening of said receptacle to receive the receptacle housing into the top opening of said plug housing and bring the respective plug and receptacle contacts into generally parallel, facing electrical engagement along a line parallel to said linear hole arrays and spaced from the inner wall surfaces of both said plug and said receptacle housings with the forces of engagement between contacts being in a direction perpendicular to said line of engagement.

Claim 3

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members so set forth in claim 1 wherein: the contacts are press fitted into the first substrate in two parallel rows along said linear paths with the contactor portions of adjacent receptacle contacts in different rows, forming contact pairs, facing toward one another and spaced from the inner wall surfaces of said receptacle housing; the contacts are press fitted into the second substrate in two parallel rows along said linear paths with the contactor portions of adjacent plug contacts in different rows forming contact pairs, facing away from one another and being separated by the central rib of said plug housing and spaced from the inner wall surfaces of said central rib; and the contactor portions of said plug and receptacle contacts electrically connect one another when said plug and receptacle members are interengaged along a line parallel to said linear paths with forces of engagement being perpendicular to said paths.

Claim 4

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members as set forth in claim 2 wherein: each of said receptacle contacts are preloaded to exert a force toward the adjacent contacts in said pairs; and each of said plug contacts are preloaded to exert a force away from the adjacent contacts in said pairs.

Claim 5

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members as set forth in claim 3 wherein: said contacts each include a flange portion at the upper end thereof; said receptacle housing includes a pair of lip portions parallel to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays and spaced from one another on opposite sides of the top opening, said contact flanges engaging said lip portions to preload said receptacle contacts with forces acting in a direction perpendicular to said linear paths; and said plug housing including a pair of lip portions extending on opposite sides of said central rib to engage the contact flanges and preload said plug contacts with forces acting in a direction perpendicular to said linear paths.

Claim 6

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said contacts each include a central, axially extending stiffening ridge formed in the contact region press fitted into the holes in the substrates.

Claim 7

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members as set forth in claim 5 wherein: said contacts are of generally uniform thinness and each also include a groove formed in the opposite surface thereof from said ridge.

Claim 8

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members comprising: a pair of planar mounting substrates; a plurality of contact terminals mounted in each of said substrates in contact arrays wherein said contacts mounted in each substrate lie along linear paths; a pair of interengagable, insulative plug and receptacle housings each comprising an outer shell having side walls open at the bottom to permit said shells to fit down over and substantially enclose said contact terminals above said substrates and top openings adapted for interengagement with one another the inner surfaces of said outer shells being substantially planar and extending parallel to said linear paths spaced from said contacts, said plug housing being fitted down over contact terminals mounted in one substrate and said receptacle housing being fitted down over contact terminals mounted in the other substrate, contact terminals in one substrate being electrically coupled to aligned contact terminals in the other substrate along a line of engagement parallel to said linear paths by forces perpendicular to said linear paths when the plug and receptacle members are interengaged.

Claim 9

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members comprising: a pair of planar mounting substrates; a plurality of contact terminals mounted in each of said substrates in contact arrays wherein said contacts mounted in each substrate lie along linear paths; a pair of interengagable, insulative plug and receptacle housings each comprising an outer shell having side walls open at the bottom to permit said shells to fit down over and substantially enclose said contact terminals above said substrates and top openings adapted for interengagement with one another the inner surfaces of said outer shells being substantially planar and extending parallel to said linear paths spaced from said contacts, said plug housing being fitted down over contact terminals mounted in one substrate and said receptacle housing being fitted down over contact terminals mounted in the other substrate, contact terminals in one substrate being electrically coupled to aligned contact terminals in the other substrate along a line of engagement parallel to said linear paths by forces perpendicular to said linear paths when the plug and receptacle members are interengaged.

Claim 10

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members as set forth in claim 7 wherein: each of said contact terminals includes a flange portion at one end thereof, a neck section at the opposite end thereof mounted in said substrate and a contactor portion in between; and said outer shells including lip portions adjacent the top openings which engage the flange portions of said contact terminals to flex each of said contacts above the point of engagement of said contacts in said substrate and uniformly preload said contacts with forces acting in a direction perpendicular to said linear paths.

Claim 11

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members as set forth in claim 8 wherein: each of said contact terminals are of generally uniform thinness and also include a central, axially extending stiffening rib formed in one surface thereof in the region of the neck section to ensure said contact terminals flex above the surfaces of said subtrates.

Claim 12

An electrical connector including interengagable receptacle and plug members as set forth in claim 7 wherein: said contact terminals are mounted in said substrates in opposed contact pairs; and said insulative housings each include wall surfaces spaced from said contacts and extending perpendicular to said linear paths to separate adjacent ones of said contact pairs.

Claim 13

An electrical connector member adapted for interengagement with a cable connector, comprising: a planar substrate having aligned contact receiving holes therein; a plurality of contacts press fitted into the holes in said substrate, said contacts each being resilient in a direction transverse to said aligned holEs; and an insulative housing having bottom openings of sufficient size to receive said contacts and a top opening to receive a cable connector, said housing being placed down over said press fitted contacts to substantially enclose said contacts and to receive a cable connector in the top opening with the contacts of said cable connector in conductive engagement with the contacts of said connector member; a cable including a plurality of wires, each attached respectively to one of said press fitted contacts on the opposite side of said substrate from said insulative housing; and a cable hood attached to said substrate and enclosing said wires and their respective points of attachment.

Claim 14

An electrical connector member adapted for interengagement with a cable connector, comprising: a planar substrate having aligned contact receiving holes therein; a plurality of contacts press fitted into the holes in said substrate, said contacts each being resilient in a direction transverse to said aligned holEs; and an insulative housing having bottom openings of sufficient size to receive said contacts and a top opening to receive a cable connector, said housing being placed down over said press fitted contacts to substantially enclose said contacts and to receive a cable connector in the top opening with the contacts of said cable connector in conductive engagement with the contacts of said connector member; a cable including a plurality of wires, each attached respectively to one of said press fitted contacts on the opposite side of said substrate from said insulative housing; and a cable hood attached to said substrate and enclosing said wires and their respective points of attachment.

Claim 15

A plurality of stacked, interconnected printed circuit substrate arrays comprising: a plurality of insulative substrates arranged in parallel planes and spaced from one another a preselected distance; a plurality of longitudinally spaced contact receiving hole arrays in each of said substrates, each of said holes being plated and in electrical connection with circuitry on said substrate, said hole arrays lying along linear paths of predetermined length, each path being opposite to a path on a parallel adjacent substrate; a plurality of contacts press fitted into the holes in each of said substrates, said contacts each including a contactor portion resilient in a direction transverse to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays, the contacts on one substrate extending toward an adjacent substrate; an insulative receptacle housing placed down over to substantially enclose the press fitted contacts on a first one of said plurality of substrates and extending toward said spaced parallel adjacent substrate, said receptacle housing having bottom openings of sufficient size to receive the contactor portions of said contacts and a top opening to receive an interconnecting plug member, said receptacle housing having substantially planar inner wall surfaces extending parallel to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays and spaced from any engagement with the rear portions of said receptacle contacts; an insulative plug housing placed down over to substantially enclose the press fitted contacts on a second one of said plurality of substrates and extending toward said spaced, parallel adjacent substrate and in alignment with said receptacle housing, said plug housing having bottom openings of sufficient size to receive the contactor portions of said contacts, and a top opening surrounding a central rib, said central rib having substantially planar inner wall surfaces extending parallel to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays and spaced from any engagement with the rear portions of said plug contacts, said plug and receptacle members being interengagable by inserting the central rib of said plug into the top opening of said receptacle to receive the receptacle housing into the top opening of said plug housing and electrically connect circuitry on said adjacent substrates by bringing the respective plug and receptacle contacts into generally parallel, facing electrical engagement along a line parallel to said linear hole arrays and spaced from the inner wall surfaces of both said plug and said receptacle housings with the forces of engagement between contacts being in a direction perpendicular to said line of engagement.

Claim 16

A plurality of stacked, interconnected printed circuit substrate arrays comprising: a plurality of insulative substrates arranged in parallel planes and spaced from one another a preselected distance; a plurality of longitudinally spaced contact receiving hole arrays in each of said substrates, each of said holes being plated and in electrical connection with circuitry on said substrate, said hole arrays lying along linear paths of predetermined length, each path being opposite to a path on a parallel adjacent substrate; a plurality of contacts press fitted into the holes in each of said substrates, said contacts each including a contactor portion resilient in a direction transverse to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays, the contacts on one substrate extending toward an adjacent substrate; an insulative receptacle housing placed down over to substantially enclose the press fitted contacts on a first one of said plurality of substrates and extending toward said spaced parallel adjacent substrate, said receptacle housing having bottom openings of sufficient size to receive the contactor portions of said contacts and a top opening to receive an interconnecting plug member, said receptacle housing having substantially planar inner wall surfaces extending parallel to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays and spaced from any engagement with the rear portions of said receptacle contacts; an insulative plug housing placed down over to substantially enclose the press fitted contacts on a second one of said plurality of substrates and extending toward said spaced, parallel adjacent substrate and in alignment with said receptacle housing, said plug housing having bottom openings of sufficient size to receive the contactor portions of said contacts, and a top opening surrounding a central rib, said central rib having substantially planar inner wall surfaces extending parallel to said linear paths lying along said hole arrays and spaced from any engagement with the rear portions of said plug contacts, said plug and receptacle members being interengagable by inserting the central rib of said plug into the top opening of said receptacle to receive the receptacle housing into the top opening of said plug housing and electrically connect circuitry on said adjacent substrates by bringing the respective plug and receptacle contacts into generally parallel, facing electrical engagement along a line parallel to said linear hole arrays and spaced from the inner wall surfaces of both said plug and said receptacle housings with the forces of engagement between contacts being in a direction perpendicular to said line of engagement.

Claim 17

A plurality of stacked, interconnected printed circuit substrates as set forth in claim 12, wherein: said substrate arrays comprise at least three substrates; each substrate includes a housing enclosed array of contacts projecting toward the surface of a parallel adjacent substrate; and each housing and contact array is interconnected with a mating housing on the adjacent substrate to electrically couple each of the substrates in said stack.