JPH0261763B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a jumper cable assembly (assembly), in particular a jumper cable assembly comprising a flat conductor (flat cable) having a large number of parallel conductors, and connecting members to a printed circuit board etc. provided at both ends of each conductor. The present invention relates to an assembly for interconnecting a plurality of physically separated circuit portions.

Jumper cable assemblies made from flat conductor cables are widely used in industrial electronic equipment, primarily for interconnecting printed circuit boards.

Conventionally, jumper cable assemblies have been manufactured one by one by cutting a cable to a required length and terminating both ends thereof, or by laminating a flexible membrane on a conductor with a terminal end formed thereon.

A typical jumper cable assembly includes a plurality of insulated electrical conductors, each conductor having first and second connection means (terminals) attached to opposite ends thereof and extending outwardly from the respective ends. Consists of one cable with Each connecting means has a mounting part, an intermediate part and a joining part, and both the first and second connecting means do not necessarily have to be identical.

The present invention is directed to the production of continuous strips of separable jumper cable assemblies that can be rolled onto reels for storage and shipping to customers. Customers can install the assemblies individually or use the strips in an automated process.

A series of jumper cable assemblies according to the present invention includes each jumper cable assembly that is sequentially interconnected and individually separable. Each jumper cable assembly consists of a predetermined length of flat cable including a plurality of conductors insulated through an insulator and connected in parallel to each other, each conductor having a first A second connection terminal is provided. A short intervening segment is provided between each adjacent jumper cable assembly, and a seam between the intervening segment and each adjacent jumper cable assembly is connected to the first and second connection terminals and formed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conductor. A connection terminal is connected to each of the conductors adjacent to the perforation line through each attachment part such that the first and second connection terminals each comprising a joint part and an attachment part face the intervening segment side. By electrically connecting both ends and cutting out the intervening segments along the perforation line, a single jumper cable assembly is obtained in sequence.

A preferred embodiment of the cable is a ribbon-like cable having a plurality of parallel conductors of sufficient length insulated with a flat ribbon-like insulating material. The perforation line traverses the strip in a direction essentially perpendicular to the direction of the conductor. Because of the difference in length between the jumper cable assembly and the intervening segments, the pair of perforation lines defining the length of each intervening segment are spaced apart more than the pair of perforation lines defining the predetermined length of each jumper cable assembly. small.

A plurality of spaced apart connecting means are attached to each conductor, the connecting means having an attaching portion, an intermediate portion, a joining portion, and having a row adjacent to and essentially parallel to the perforation line. attached to the cable. The perforation line can be provided above the joining or intermediate part or attachment part of the connecting means. The abutment of the connecting means along one of each pair of perforation lines defining an intervening segment is essentially above the intervening segment opposite the abutment along the other one of both perforation lines. To position. Individual jumper cable assemblies can be removed from the strip by cutting the cable at the perforation line and removing the intervening segments.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the reel 50
The cable 14 from the cable 14 and the strip of both the first and second connecting means 46, 46' from the reel 52, 52' are fed into the device 54 and the strip of both the first and second connecting means 46, 46' is fed across the cable. 46' rows 24, 26 are installed and perforations 34, 36 are punched out to connect adjacent jumper cable assemblies 12.
and the intervening segment 38 and the reel 56
sent to.

As seen in Figures 2 and 3, cable 1
4 is a flat ribbon-like cable having an upper surface 16 and a lower surface 18, and is composed of a plurality of conductors 20 insulated with a flat ribbon-like insulating material 22. Each pair of perforations 32 defining an intervening segment is formed by punching out the upper surface 16 of the cable 14 using a conventional punching machine. The perforation wire cuts substantially all of the conductor, but not all of the insulating material. The perforation line pairs 32 are separated from each other by a predetermined jumper cable assembly length 40, with the first perforation line 34 connecting one end of the jumper cable assembly 12 to the intervening segment 38.
The second perforation line 36 defines the seam between the beginning of the adjacent jumper cable assembly 12 and the intervening segment. These perforation line pairs 3
2 traverses cable 14 in a direction essentially perpendicular to the direction of conductor 20 . An intervening portion or segment 38 of the cable between wires 34, 36 is located above the body of the connecting means.

As shown in FIG. 2, both opposing first and second rows 24, 26 of connecting means 46, 46' are attached to the cable proximate the perforation lines 34, 36. Note that both the first and second connecting means do not need to be the same. The same connection means are shown here only by way of example. Connection means 46, 46'
is the attachment part 28, the intermediate part 29, and the joint part 3.
0. The joining portions 30 of the connecting means 46 of the first row 24 are opposite the joining portions 30 of the connecting means 46' of the second row 26. These joint parts 30
extend over the first and second perforation lines 34, 36 and the intervening segment 38 of the finished jumper cable assembly strip 10. The connecting means may be attached to the cable in such a way that the perforation line is under any one of the three parts of the connecting means, depending mainly on its shape. Both first and second connecting means 46, 46'
The joint portion 30 of is visible on the underside 18 of the cable 14. Figure 3 shows both the first and second connection means 4.
6 and 46' are shown visible on the upper surface of the cable 14.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the jumper cable assembly units 12 are individually separated by removing the separable cable portion or intervening segment 38 between the two closely spaced perforations 34, 36. Ru. Removal of the intervening segment 38 exposes the joint portion 30 of the connecting means 46, 46' of both the first and second rows 24, 26;
Individual jumper cable assembly units are produced.

The method disclosed herein allows the cable to be fitted with a variety of connection means. especially,
The present invention is suitable for crimp-type connections with attachment portions of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,402. This type of terminal is disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,553,836 and US Pat.
It can be crimped onto the cable using a machine such as that described in No. 4290179.

The method of connecting the connecting means 46 to the conductor 20 of the flat cable is known. For example, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-48833 assigned to the applicant of the present application. That is, the attachment portion of the connecting means having a relatively sharp blade is passed through the insulated conductor of the flatket cable, and the cable is caulked with a jig to ensure electrical connection at four locations.

The methods disclosed herein can be used to make jumper cable assemblies of any desired length. All that is required is an intermittent feeding device, as known in the art, to measure the required cable length between pairs of perforated wires. The spacing between the two wires of each pair of perforated wires and the size of the intervening segments are determined by the length and shape of the joint of the connecting means attached to the cable. The intervening segment to be cut is of sufficient width to allow the joining portions of the connecting means applied along each pair of parallel perforation lines to face each other and to be substantially completely exposed by removal of the intervening segment. is necessary.

This jumper cable assembly strip can be stored on a reel. The diameter of the reel should be large enough to prevent distortion of the shape of the connecting means attached to the jumper cable assembly. Jumper cable assemblies can be supplied to the customer either in the form of individual assemblies or in the form of strips.

It is believed that the jumper cable assembly strip of the present invention and its many advantages are understood from the foregoing description. It will also be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or diminishing its important advantages. The form described here is only one preferred embodiment thereof.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view showing the process of manufacturing a continuous strip of jumper cable assemblies, FIG. Figure 4 is a cutaway top view of the cable showing a pair of perforations separating adjacent jumper cable assemblies; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view taken along line 4--4 of Figure 3; FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the separation portion of the cable removed from between the jumper cable assemblies; 10... Continuous strip of jumper cable assembly, 12... Jumper cable assembly, 14... Cable, 16, 18... Top and bottom surfaces of cable, 20... Cable conductor, 22...
Insulating material, 24, 26... Row of connecting means, 28,
29, 30... Mounting part, intermediate part and joint part of the connecting means, 32... Perforation line pair (34, 36),
38... Intervening segment, 40... Length of jumper cable assembly, 46, 46'... Connection means (connection terminal), 52, 56... Reel, 54...
...Stripe processing equipment.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Each jumper cable assembly consists of a flat cable of a predetermined length, and the flat cable includes a plurality of conductors insulated through an insulator and connected in parallel to each other, The conductor is connected to the first
and a second jumper cable assembly, wherein a short intervening segment is provided between each adjacent jumper cable assembly, and the seam between the intervening segment and each adjacent jumper cable assembly is connected to the first jumper cable assembly. and a perforation line formed adjacent to the second connection terminal and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conductor, the first and second connection terminals each consisting of a joint part and a mounting part, and the joint part electrically connecting the connection terminals to both ends of the conductor close to the perforation line through the respective attachment portions so as to face the intervening segment; and cutting off the intervening segment along the perforation line. A series of jumper cable assemblies characterized in that single jumper cable assemblies are obtained one after the other in succession.