Foldable plug assembly

Abstract

A plug assembly in which the insulator part can be moved from an unfolded state to a folded state. The insulator may be utilised in the unfolded state for assembly of a wiring loom and then folded into the folded state for insertion into a connector body.

Claims

1. A method of assembling a plug or socket of an electrical connector, the method comprising the steps of: providing an insulator in an unrolled state, the insulator comprising a plurality of segments, wherein; the plurality of segments comprises a first segment and a last segment, the first and last segment being separated by at least one intermediate segment and wherein the intermediate segment is hingeably attached to the first segment and the last segment, and wherein at least one of the plurality of segments has at least one pin retaining means; attaching a pin to a respective wire, the pin being configured for retention by the at least one pin retaining means; inserting the pin into one of the at least one pin retaining means; rolling the insulator into a rolled state so that the first segment and last segment engage, the rolled insulator being receivable by a housing of the plug or socket; and inserting the rolled insulator into the housing.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate segment is one intermediate section.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate segment comprises a plurality of intermediate sub-sections, the intermediate sub-sections being hingeably attached to one another.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the unrolled state the plurality of segments present the pin retaining means adjacent to each other in substantially the same plane in a linear array.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of wires are attached to a plurality of pins and inserted into the insulator to form a wiring loom.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein between the steps of rolling the insulator and inserting the insulator in the housing the wiring loom is installed.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising connecting an earth material to at least one of the wires.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of inserting the pin into the insulator is automated.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing a continuity check between the steps of inserting a pin into the insulator and folding the insulator.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the insulator is movable between the unrolled and rolled state by bending a plurality of hinges.

11. An insulator component for carrying electrical pins in a plug or socket of an electrical connector, the insulator component comprising: an insulator comprising a plurality of segments, wherein the plurality of segments comprise a first segment and a last segment, the first and last segment being separated by at least one intermediate segment, wherein the intermediate section is hingeably attached to the first segment and the last segment, wherein at least one of the plurality of segments has at least one pin retaining means, the pin retaining means being configured for retention of at least one pin when attached to a respective wire, and wherein the plurality of segments are configured to be movable between an unrolled state and a rolled state so that the first segment and the last segment engage, wherein the rolled state is configured to be received within a housing part of an electrical plug or socket.

12. The insulator component according to claim 11, further comprising means to retain the insulator in the folded state.

13. The insulator component according to claim 11, further comprising machine-readable markings for the identification of segments and/or pin retaining means.

14. A connector assembly comprising a connector housing and an insulator component according to claim 11.

15. A plug or socket obtainable by the method of assembling a plug or socket of an electrical connector of claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a conventional plug and socket,

(3) FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show an insulator component according to the current disclosure, and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a method for assembling an electrical connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) Further details, aspects and embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings. Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Like reference numerals have been included in the respective drawings to ease understanding.

(6) The current disclosure describes a new design of insulator component for holding pins in plugs and sockets which offers improved assembly and testing compared to the prior art. The insulator is provided in an unfolded (unrolled) state in which pins can be easily inserted and connections verified. After insertion of all pins, the insulator is folded (rolled) into the state required for insertion into the connector body. In the folded state the insulator is significantly smaller than the connector body and can thus be fed through small spaces during installation of the wiring loom prior to insertion in the connector body. The pins and insulator can thus be assembled with the loom during manufacture of the loom on the layout board thus giving a more convenient manufacturing location. In the unrolled state, the insulator is essentially flat, thus enabling easier wire pin installation and inspection.

(7) In an example, the unfolded insulator may present the pin locations in a linear array (that is, with the pin locations lying in a single plane and along a single axis such that the pins are generally parallel to one another). The position of each pin is thus readily apparent to a user. This simplifies the correct matching of wires to pin locations compared to a conventional plug or socket where locations must be identified through the rear of the housing. Correct fitment of pins into the insulator is thus simplified. Furthermore, verification of correct matching is also simpler as a visual inspection readily shows which wire is connected at which location. For example, the unfolded insulator may present the pin locations in a linear array, numbered sequentially. Sequentially numbered wires can then match the location numbers. Other location layouts may also be provided for convenient assembly. The open, flat nature of the unrolled/unfolded design enables automation techniques to be applied for example robot pin installation and inspection.

(8) Once the wiring loom is positioned in the required location the insulator is inserted into the relevant connector body and assembly is complete. Since this final step does not define the location or electrical connections of wires within the connector verification at this stage may be minimised.

(9) FIGS. 2A and 2B show a schematic diagram of an example insulator according to the current disclosure. FIG. 2a shows end and plan views in the unfolded state, FIG. 2b shows an end view in the folded state, and FIG. 2c shows a side elevation view of the example insulator being inserted into a housing 24, which is also herein referred to as a connector body 24.

(10) The insulator 20 comprises four segments 21a-d, each formed as a triangle shape. Each segment comprises a pin retaining means 22a-d for receiving and retaining a pin. The segments 21a-d are connected such that they can be rotated relative to each other about their point of connection and folded or rolled up to form the folded state shown in FIG. 2b. The connector body is configured to receive and retain the insulator in the folded state using configurations known in the art. A means to retain the insulator in the folded state may be provided, for example clips or tape may be provided to retain each segment in location. Alternatively a separate retaining component may be utilised. The retaining means may be designed to be permanent or reversible.

(11) The example of FIGS. 2A and 2B is only one example of an insulator design in accordance with the current disclosure for use in an electrical connector, for example a plug or socket. The number of pin retaining means in each segment may be varied and the number of segments may be varied. For example there may be 1 to 5 pin retaining means, for example 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 pin retaining means. There may also be from 3 to 20 segments, or 3 to 10 segments, for example, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 segments. The shape of the folded insulator may be selected as desired for a particular connector arrangement, for example, it may be triangular, rectangular or semi-circular. The shape and number of segments may be selected as appropriate to give the desired shape.

(12) The folding mechanism may also be varied to provide the required unfolded and folded shape. For example a concertina structure may be utilised, or folding hinges 23 as shown in the example of FIGS. 2A and 2B. The terms folded and unfolded should not therefore be read to limit the insulator design to only those in which a purely folding mechanism is used.

(13) The insulator may not fold to provide a solid shape, but may leave voids which may or may not be filled with other pieces of insulator material. For example the folding insulator with pins may form a circle which may be wrapped around a cylindrical central insulator. The central insulator may, or may not, have further pin retaining means and may, or may not, be connected to the other segments.

(14) Any convenient arrangement of pin retaining means may be used which can receive and retain pins. In the example of FIGS. 2A and 2B, conventional through-holes from a rear face to a front face are provided. In an alternative arrangement, slots may be provided on a side face (i.e. a face orthogonal to the front and back faces) of the segments, for example the face which will be uppermost (which may be termed a top face) when the unfolded insulator is positioned on a surface for pins to be inserted. Any appropriate means for receiving and retaining pins may be utilised.

(15) The insulator may be formed from any appropriate insulating material, for example a plastic such as polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, silicone, cross-linked polyethylene, polyurethane or a rubber.

(16) FIG. 3 shows a method of assembly using an insulator of the type shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. At step 30, an insulator in the unfolded state is positioned on a wiring layout board. At step 31, wires are laid out using the layout board in the required design. At step 32, pins are attached to the wires and the pins are inserted into the required location in the insulator. Steps 31 and 32 may be performed sequentially, or may be performed in turn for each wire. That is, all wires may be laid out, then all pins attached and inserted, or individual wires (or groups of wires) may be laid out, a pin attached and inserted into the insulator, and then the process repeated for other wires. These processes may be automated, by a suitable robot, due to the improved identification of, and access to, the pin retaining means. The segments and/or pin locations may be marked with machine- or human-readable identifiers to facilitate correct assembly.

(17) At step 33 any required verification testing is performed. For example, visual and continuity testing may be conducted. Such testing may also be simpler than in previous designs due to the layout of the insulator and pin arrangement in the unfolded state.

(18) At step 34 the insulator is folded or otherwise converted into the folded state and may be secured in that position using means provided on the insulator, for example sticky tape, or a separate temporary or permanent retaining means, for example a clip.

(19) At step 35 the loom is installed in the required location, for example on a vehicle such as an aircraft, and at step 36 the insulators are inserted into respective connector bodies.

(20) At step 37 any further testing is performed, but this may be minimal due to the earlier verification of correct wire and pin installation in the insulators.

(21) In one embodiment of the method of FIG. 3, an additional step is performed to earth a selection of the pins/wires. Prior to step 33, in step 32.5, an earth material (for example a metal mesh) is electrically connected to wires which require an earth connection. This may be performed in the conventional manner, but, due to the easier-to-access layout, as described above, the process is easier to perform. In such embodiments, the earth material is rolled with the insulator and wires upon assembly and connected to an earth location in the conventional manner. This embodiment is also graphically depicted in FIG. 2C.

(22) Although the present invention has been described in connection with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the scope of the present invention is limited only by the accompanying claims. Additionally, although a feature may appear to be described in connection with particular embodiments, one skilled in the art would recognize that various features of the described embodiments may be combined in accordance with the invention. In the claims, the term ‘comprising’ does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps.

(23) Furthermore, the order of features in the claims does not imply any specific order in which the features must be performed and in particular the order of individual steps in a method claim does not imply that the steps must be performed in this order. Rather, the steps may be performed in any suitable order. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. Thus, references to ‘a’, ‘an’, ‘first’, ‘second’, etc. do not preclude a plurality. In the claims, the term ‘comprising’ or “including” does not exclude the presence of other elements.