Abstract: An electrical connector housing for removably retaining an electrical contact consisting of a dielectric body with a passageway having a flexible latch which cooperates with a forward stop and abutment shoulders to lock the contact in the housing without interfering with the termination section of the contact.

Abstract: This invention relates to electrical and optical fibre connectors. In the past, the terminal ends of electrical conductors or optical fibres retained in a connector have not reliably maintained a desired separation of the ends of optical fibres or a secure conducting connection formed between electrical conductors. According to the present invention, there is provided an improved optical fibre or electrical connector, comprising a termination member suitable for terminating an electrical conductor or an optical fibre, the termination member being slidably mounted through an aperture in a connector body-member, and a biasing element resiliently biasing the termination member against sliding movement in a first direction relative to the connector body-member.

Abstract: A system is provided for disconnecting a retained electrical connector on a missile launcher, from a launched connector on the missile, as the missile begins moving during launch, which is simple, reliable, and reusable. The retained connector, which is supported by a parallogram linkage to cause automatic retraction during launch, is initially fastened to the launched connector by a bolt. The bolt is automatically released during launch by the initial retraction of a sleeve on the retained connector which releases a split threaded collet on the mating connector to allow the collet to open and release from the bolt.

Abstract: A connector assembly is disclosed which includes first and second mating connector members, and a coupling ring carried by one of the connector members for moving the other connector member axially into mating relation therewith. A visual and tactile indicating assembly is operatively associated with the connector members and the coupling ring and includes a radially inwardly self-biased split indicating ring carried by the coupling ring. The indicating ring is movable radially relative to the coupling ring from a retracted position to an outwardly projecting indicating position in response to a predetermined positioning of the other connector member in relation to the one connector member and the coupling ring. The ring provides an omni-directional visual and tactile indication of the relative positioning of the mating connector members. The connector assembly also includes an audible indicating mechanism which provides a self-locking feature for the connector assembly.

Abstract: An insulated conductor is terminated in an insulation-opening portion of an electrical contact and the contact jaws are crimped over the conductor to secure the conductor therein. A tool includes a pair of cutting edges and crimping surfaces for cutting and folding over sections of the contact jaws as the tool presses an insulated conductor into an insulation-opening notch formed by the contact jaws. The tool includes a forward end having a surface for engaging and pressing the conductor into the notch, the surface acting against the conductor as a stop to limit the depth of cut of the cutting edges. The tool may also be used after conductor insertion by other techniques to perform the crimping operation. The side surfaces of the tool slidingly engage the cut edges of the contact jaws and prevent an inward movement of the jaws during cutting and crimping.

Abstract: Apparatus is shown for use in loading contacts in contact receiving bores of a resilient insert body. The insert body is provided with internal shoulders and bores forming restrictive passages for holding the contacts and for holding wires attached to the contacts. The apparatus includes an adapter associated with a breech loading assembly for accepting and holding the insert body. An assembly including a bullet within a barrel is pushed into the insert body to gently enlarge the shoulders and the bores. The bullet is then retracted to a stop position, leaving the barrel in place in the bore. The breech lock is then opened and contacts are loaded by hand, or other means, into the bore to the stop position. The barrel is then retracted from the bore permitting the internal shoulders of the resilient insert body to expand and grip the contacts. Thereafter, the resilient insert body, with its contacts and appropriate leads in place, is removed from the apparatus.

Abstract: A novel mass termination assembly for flat cable is disclosed for use with cable having very closely spaced conductors. The assembly includes connector means to terminate selected conductors, isolation means to inactivate certain other selected conductors at the locus of the termination and bridging means to electrically couple the inactivated conductors to the connector means. The assembly allows the use of insulation-piercing termination devices without the danger of shorting between the closely spaced adjacent conductors.

Abstract: A high density arrangement for interconnecting integrated circuit devices, of a type which includes a stack of numerous wafers formed primarily of metal, wherein some of the wafers holding integrated circuit chips have overhanging edge portions at one side of the stack that extend beyond other wafers of the stack, and wherein there are cooling fluid tubes clamped against the overhanging edge portions to carry away heat to a cooling fluid flowing through the tube. The wafers are interconnected at numerous locations by button portions of malleable material such as gold, and the stack of wafers are clamped together to slightly deform the button portions to provide a considerable area of contact. The stack clamping device is separate from the cooling fluid tube clamping device, to provide different degrees of pressure and compressive strain.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for electroplating a selected portion of an article by carefully confining electrolyte contact to the selected portion of the article and establishing a generally uniform electrical field adjacent that selected portion. Electrolyte wetting of the article, which is partially immersed in an electrolytic plating bath maintained under agitation, is minimized by surrounding the article with a dielectric baffle to establish a quiescent zone on the bath surface adjacent the article. Thus, the selected portion of the article is fully exposed to the bath while electrolyte wetting of portions of the article outside of the selected portion is minimized by the baffle. A generally uniform plating of the selected portion is obtained by positioning an electrode in close proximity to the selected portion and maintaining a generally uniform separation between the selected portion and the electrode while an electrical potential is applied between the electrode and the article.

Abstract: A hermaphroditic fiber optic connector for use in an assembly for aligning mating ends of at least one pair of optical fibers is disclosed. The connector includes a terminating member having a passage therein dimensioned for receiving one of the optical fibers. An adapter associated with a mating end of the terminating member and communicating with the passage is provided wherein the adapter has a hermaphroditic face exposed at the mating end of the terminating member. The connector also includes means associated with the adapter for securing the one optical fiber in a preselected position relative to the mating end of the terminating member. In a more specific sense, the connector is adapted for use in an assembly including a second identical connector for aligning mating ends of optical fibers in a pair of fiber optic cables in which the various elements may be formed in a manner making them interchangeable with other like elements in order to form a modular hermaphroditic connector.

Abstract: This invention relates to fiber optic connectors. Connectors are known in which the optical fiber end to be connected is held in a guiding sleeve which can be shifted in a transverse direction by means of a bolt in one wall of the connector. However, alignment of the ends of the optical fibers being connected to those of a mating connector requires manual mechanical adjustment. Another fault of the prior art is that the ends of the optical fibers are unprotected when the two mating connector parts are disconnected. The present invention provides means by which an automatic adjustment of the alignment of the ends of the optical fibers is made possible, and other means by which the ends of the optical fibers are protected when the two mating connectors are separated. An optical fiber holder resiliently mounted within a connector housing permits limited displacement of the optical fibers contained within the holder, in directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the optical fibers.

Abstract: A multiple contact filter connector capable of accommodating high RF currents and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The connector includes an outer metallic shell, a dielectric body within the shell and at least one network filter contact assembly. The inner body has at least one through channel and a transverse cavity which communicates with the channel and an annular metallic ring disposed inwardly of the shell. The network filter contact assembly has a ground electrode and a pin electrode and is disposed within the portion of the channel bridging the cavity. Conductive curable filler material is charged into the cavity around and in contact with the ground electrode and annular ring to form a ground plate for the connector. A pair of spaced apart conductive plates may be disposed transversely to the ground electrode and ring to be in electrical contact therewith and the filler material.

Abstract: An electrical connector is disclosed particularlity for use between a printed circuit board and another electrical component. A body member of dielectric material is provided having first and second exterior surfaces and a plurality of spaced-apart, contact-receiving apertures extending therethrough between the surfaces. Each aperture has a narrow cavity region, a shoulder cavity region, and a wide cavity region extending seriatim from the first to the second exterior surfaces. A plurality of electrical contacts are disposed in respective ones of the apertures, each contact including a terminal portion press-fit within the narrow cavity region, a shoulder cavity region, and an active contact portion extending into the wide cavity region for connection to another electrically conductive element.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the connection of insulated electric wires, and it pertains more precisely to a terminal and a connection block for electrically connecting two insulated wires without prestripping them. Prior art connecting devices that operate without prestripping are usually in the form of a flat spring, cut in a U shape, the branches of which define a slot. In such devices, the insulated wire to be connected is introduced at the end of the slot adjacent the free ends of the branches. This type of device has a disadvantage since the perforation of the insulation is made where the deformation of the branches is the easiest. The self-stripping connecting device of the present invention is constituted by a flat spring including a portion forming a U, the branches of which are elastically biased one against the other, and an opening to allow the introduction of the insulated wire at the end of the slot adjacent the base of the U.

Abstract: A flexible connector cable for providing high density and reliable electrical interconnections between printed circuit boards or any other surfaces having conductive paths that need connection to conductive paths on adjacent surfaces. The connector cable comprises a flat flexible laminar structure including an electrically-insulative layer and an electrically-conductive layer. The insulative layer is typically formed on a bonded plastic such as Polyimide and the conductive layer is typically formed of copper. Openings are formed in the insulative layer to expose the conductive layer and raised contacts or buttons are deposited on the conductive layer on both surfaces of the cable. The raised contacts are formed of ductile conductive material which exhibits plastic deformation under pressure to form good electrical connections.

Abstract: A compressed fluid hover control system for a submersible buoy in which the water level in a buoyancy chamber is controlled in accordance with external water pressure and predetermined levels of water in the buoyancy chamber. More specifically, a submersible buoy having a fluid-containing chamber containing a compressed fluid is connected to a buoyancy chamber by a gas inlet valve. A gas exhaust valve connects an upper portion of the buoyancy chamber to the surrounding water and a relief duct connects a lower portion of the buoyancy chamber to the surrounding water. Both the gas inlet and gas exhaust valves are controlled by a valve control circuit which opens and closes the valves in accordance with predetermined criteria related to water levels within the buoyancy chamber and the depth of the buoy as determined by a water pressure transducer.

Abstract: An electrical connector useful for interconnecting circuits of adjacent guided missile stages and the like includes first and second interengageable housings. Each connector housing supports contact members which are interengageable when the first and second housings are brought into engagement. Actuator means are provided for engaging and disengaging the connector contact members independent of the engagement and disengagement of the connector housings and include a movable insert member disposed within the second housing for movement between mating and non-mating positions. The contact members supported within the second housing each include a terminal portion, an active contact portion carried by the insert member for engagement with a first housing contact member, and an extendable portion for maintaining continuous electrical connection between the active and terminal portions as the insert member is moved between its mating and non-mating positions.

Abstract: An electrical connector and termination tool are disclosed for making crimped, insulation-piercing terminations with insulation covered conductors. The connector includes a dielectric insert, a plurality of electrical contacts mounted in the insert and an access passage for insertion of a termination tool to effect the crimp-pierce termination in situ. The termination tool has a bifurcated termination head including separate insertion and crimping members which are used sequentially to first press the conductor into the terminal portion of the contact and then to crimp the contact over the conductor to complete the termination.

Abstract: A cylindrical electric penetration assembly carrying instrumentation leads from the interior of a nuclear reactor and having thin layers of polyethylene and lead radiation shielding installed at both its entrance and exit regions, the shielding layers being separated by a large hollow cavity located inside the central portion of the penetrator nozzle. Each layer attenuates and extinguishes either gamma ray or neutron radiation emanating from the reactor's core. The combination of the shielding and central air pocket prevents excessive radiation leakage through the penetration assembly and excessive heating inside the penetration nozzle.

Abstract: A low power digital memory comprised of a matrix of memory cells suitable for fabrication by large scale integrated circuit techniques. Each memory cell is comprised of field effect transistors, preferably metal oxide semiconductors. A plurality of cells are fabricated on a single monolithic chip and are interconnected for coincident signal addressing. Power is conserved by periodically pulsing load transistors rather than biasing them continuously on.