US2958724A - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 1, 1960 H. A. MILLOIT ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Nov. 28, 1958 2/: ver/cir .Zng zfierf WZW zgx/m,%, am M United States Patent ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Henry Albert Milloit, Birmingham, Ala., assignor to Perfection Mica Company, a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 28, 1958, 'Ser. No. 776,969

3 'Claims. (Cl. 174-88) This application relates to an electrical connector and more particularly to an electrical connector with which radiation from and pickup due to external magnetic fields are substantially completely eliminated.

The simpler methods of reducing radiation and pickup in conductors, as the use of twisted pairs and a woven conductive shield for the conductor are inadequate for use in many situations where signals of low level are present and interference cannot be tolerated.

A principal object of the present invention is the provision of a connector having a large number of loops and transpositions so that radiation from and inductive pickup by the connector are eliminated.

One feature of the invention is the provision of an electrical connector for interconnect-ion between first and second pairs of terminals, including at least four conductors interwoven to form a cable with two of the conductors being connected between one of each pair of terminals and another two of the conductors being connected between the other of each pair of terminals. Another feature is that the four conductors are braided by pairs, with the pairs having alternate cross-over points, and one wire of each pair is connected between one of each pair of terminals, with the other wire of each pair connected between the other of each pair of terminals. A further feature is that the pairs of braided conductors have alternate cross-over points with the conductors being transposed in each pair between each cross-over point.

Further features and advantages will readily be apparent from the following specification and from the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention with the conductors loosely woven;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of the connector in a circuit; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the conductors tightly woven.

The electrical connector disclosed and claimed here in provides substantially complete cancellation of inductive pickup and radiation by means of a particular type of weave and interconnection in the circuit, without the need for separate shielding. The materials used in the connector are standard conductors, without additional shielding material, as a woven conductive cover, resulting in a connector of light weight which is essential in many missile and aircraft applications. In addition, the material cost for a given connector is less than that where shielding is necessary.

Turning now to Figure 1 of the drawings, a preferred weave for the conductors or wires of a connector is shown. The connector, indicated generally as 10, includes four individual conductors 11, 12, 13 and 14, each of which comprises a wire with a suitable insulating coating or covering. The conductors are woven together or braided by pairs, with the conductors 11 and 14 forming one pair and conductors 12 and 13 2,958,724 Patented Nov. 1, 1960 forming the other pair. In the weave, the two pairs of conductors have alternate cross-over and loop points, with the loops of one pair being adjacent the cross-over points of the other pair.

For example, at the point A, conductors 12 and 13 cross each other, while conductors 11 and 14 form loops. At the point B, conductors 11 and 14 cross each other and conductors 12 and 13 form loops. Similarly, at C conductors 12 and 13 cross each other while conductors 11 and 14 form loops and at D, as at B, conductors 11 and 14 cross and conductors 12 and 13 form loops. It will be appreciated that the loops of conductors 11 and 14 will normally fall in one plane while those of conductors 12 and 13 are in another plane offset therefrom. The rather diagrammatic showing of Figure l is intended primarily for illustrating the weave.

In addition to the multiple loops and cross-overs provided by this weave, the conductors in each pair are transposed at each cross-over point, with respect to each other and thus also to the conductors of the other pair. For example in the embodiment of Figure l, at point A, conductor 12 is on top of conductor 13, while at point C, conductor 13 is on top. Similarly, at point B, conductor 12 is on top. The same holds true for conductors 11 and 14 with conductor 11 on top at point B, conductor 14 on top at point D and conductor 11 on top at point F. Thus, not only does the weave provide a maximum of cross-overs and loops between the conductors, but also the maximum possible transpositions of conductor position in a given length of cable.

The connector, although it has four individual conductors, is used to make a connection between two pairs of terminals. In order to achieve substantially complete cancellation of inductive pickup in and radiation from the connector, conductors from each of the two pairs are connected in parallel so that current flowing through the connector divides with one portion of the current flowing through a conductor in each of the two pairs. For example, conductors 11 and 12 may be connected with each other while conductors 13 and 14 are also connected together, forming a return path.

The preferred interconnection of the connector in a circuit is illustrated in Figure 2 which shows an amplifier 15 having cathode, grid and anode elements with input terminals 16 and 17, output terminals 18 and 19, and B supply connections 20 and 21 (which in this instance is the same electrical point as terminal 19). A signal source for the amplifier has terminals 22 and 23, the load-terminals 24 and 25, and the B supply-terminals 26 and 27. In utilizing the connector of Figure 1 in completing the circuits of amplifier 13, conductors 11 and 12 are connected between terminals 22 and 16 while conductors 13 and 14 are connected between terminals 23 and 17, in the input. Similarly, conductors 11 and 12 of a second connector are connected between terminals 18 and 24, conductors 13 and 14 between terminals 19 and 25; and in a third connector, conductors 11 and 12 between terminals 20 and 26 and conductors 13 and 14 between terminals 27 and 21.

Figure 3 illustrates a section of the cable 10 as it appears with the individual conductors tightly woven together. The insulating coverings 11a, 12a, 13a and 14a of the wires 11, 12, 13 and 14 are shaded in different manners to simplify identification. In addition, the points A-F along the length of the cable are indicated so that Figure 3 may be compared with Figure 1.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

- I claim: I

1. A low inductive pickup and radiation electrical connector for interconnection between a first pair of terminals and a second pair of terminals, comprising: at least four conductor's insulated from each other braided by pairs, one conductor of each pair being connected between one of each pair of terminals, the other conductor of each pair being connected between the other of each pair of terminals, the fields established by currents flowing through the conductors of each pair tending to cancel.

2. A low inductive pickup and radiation electrical connector for interconnection between a first pair of terminals and a second pair of terminals, comprising: at least four conductors insulated from each other braided by pairs, with the pairs having alternate cross-over points, one conductor of each pair being connected between one of each pair of terminals, the other conductor of each pair being connected between the other of each pair of terminals, the fields established by currents flowing through the conductors of each pair tending to cancel. 20

3. A low inductive pickup and radiation electrical connector for interconnection between a first pair of terminals and a second pair of terminals, comprising: at least four conductors insulated from each other braided by pairs, the pairs having alternate cross-over points with the conductors in each pair being transposed between the cross-over points, with respect to each other and with respect to the conductors in the other pair, one conductor of each pair being connected between one of each pair of terminals, the other conductor of each pair being connected between the other of each pair of terminals, the fields established by currents flowing through the conductors of each pair tending to cancel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Dorian Oct. 15, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 583,697 France Nov. 5, 1924

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