This invention relates to a device for keyed (mated) connection between a cable and a connector, the cable consisting of a system of several con¬ ductors and being non-circular_

The use of conductors of so-called flat cable type, all conductors lying in one and the same plane, is known for electrical cables with a number of conductors, especially for low-voltage and electronic applications* Connection of terminations for different units or compone-nts to such a cable can be done by placing the cable in a socket which supports the cable across its entire width and along part of its length, and then, pressing a clamp against the socket, so clamping the cable to the socket. The clamp or socket has terminals made to penetrate the cable insulation and produce electrical contact with one or more desired conductors in the cable. The terminals may consist of points or knives or of flat prongs with two shanks and a Y-shaped groove between- them, the shanks straddling the conductor and penetrating ^' the insulation from opposite directions until the Y-shaped tip or edge reaches the. conductor and orms an electric¬ ally conductive connection.

The use is also known for different purposes, among which high-voltage installations, of flat cables consisting of a number of conductors situ¬ ated side by side in the same plane. In one such construction the insul¬ ation of the conductors exhibits different profiles -or sections in cross-section. The conductors are connected to each other by thin sec¬ tions which can be torn off, so that the desired conductor or conductors _ can be separated from the others and connected to the desired point. The different profiles of the conductors constitute an identification, so that each conductor can be identified even if it stands alone. The various conductors are connected in the conventional way to the relevant termin¬ ation points by stripping off the insulation, soldering, screw termination or the like .

This invention offers a duvice for con ection of connectors to mainly flat or pl .-.e cables, the dovie*, exhibiting _:.;_.inl or in part the following

OMPI

- Cable and connector so mate with one another that they can be connected together in only one, non-reversible way.

- The cable may consist of one or more sections, each of which constitutes a part congruent with a section of the cable, this part as well being connectable to a connector in only one, non-reversible way.

- At every connection between cable and connector, where the keying open¬ ing of the connector can accommodate one or more cable sections, connec¬ tion can take place in only one, non-reversible way.

- In one embodiment the cable has a single symmetry plane so that^ when drawn between two connectors, the cable can be drawn first to one of them and then drawn to the other without loss of non-reversibility.

- The connectors can be made in such a way as to constitute either- "ter¬ minal connectors" or can be connected to the cable at any point along its length without, in the case of electrical cables, for example, having to bare or strip the conductors.

- Time-saving connection is ^' obtained.

- Connection and strain relief can be achieved in one operation.

- Safety aspects, in the case _of electrical cables for example, are auto¬ matically ensured;

• Compulsorily correct connection of protective earth.

• Compulsory breaking of phase in a 2-wire cable (phase + neutral). . Compulsorily correct phase sequence.

- A cable of "higher order" - for example an electrical cable with protect¬ ive earth - can be connected to a connector of "lower order" - for example a terminal without protective earth.

- A cable of a ^' certain order cannot be connected to a. connector of a higher- order (for example an unearthed cable cannot be connected to an. earthed terminal).

The inventio .offers great ^' advantages as a means for connecting a connector to a cable/conduit containing one or more conductors for electricity, fluid or light for example. The advantages are achieved through the fact that the cable is bounded by an outer contour exhibiting at most one symmetry plane and that the conductors of the cable are arranged in an unequivocal and specific way in relation to the cable's contour. The connector has one or more keying openings, each of which for accommodation of one cable. Each keying opening is bounded by walls with an inner contour which mates comple entarily with the cable's keying contour. One or more ter∑ainals .1x9 so arr;_n; ^e _-ύ ar.d laced. ::. t o connector that each terminal cor ects to -". single-, speci ic c rai-.- ->r i tho cable.

OMPI

In one embodiment the cable's keying contour exhibits a single symmetry plane, the. conductors of the cable being mainly symmetrically arranged in relation to the symmetry plane of the cable. The conductors may also- lie in a plane close to the symmetry plane or be arranged individually in the vicinity of this plane. A conductor can be divided into specific, de¬ fined cable sections, two or more, so designed that they are bounded both by the dividng plane between the cable sections and by surfaces that form, a specific part of the keying contour of the entire cable. The device is such that a cable section fits into a connector's keying opening in only one way, provided that the keying opening is large enough at least to ac¬ commodate the keying contour of that cable section.

A connectors keying opening may thus be arranged to accommodate one or more cable sections. Likewise the connector may have several keying open¬ ings which may differ among themselves. For a connector for a through cable or for a terminal connector the keying opening can be designed to accord therewith, i.e. straight-through or not.

When appropriate, the connector can be divided into at least two parts, the dividing plane extending in, or essentially in, the direction of the symmetry plane. By this means the cable can be laid on one part of the. connector or, alternatively_ _> part of the ^' connector can be laid close to a running length of the cable, after which the other part of the connector is fitted to the first part and grips the cable _t for example by screwing, orriveting the parts together. In this way strain ^' relief, for example, can also be obtained _*

In the connector the terminals are so arranged that they can be brought into conductive connection with a specific conductor in the cable.

In one embodiment the cable contains conductors for electricity and the connector contains terminals in the form of points, knives or the like, designed to penetrate the conductor insulation and make contact with the conductor.

In another embodiment the cable contains conductors in the form of tubes or hoses, preferentially of soft material with some elasticity, and in¬ tended for fluids.

In still another embodiment the conductors are of optical type and the connector is made to penetrate the surface of the conductor and make con¬ tact between the inside of the- conductor and terminals.

The invention exhibits, in one embodiment, a further development of the basic idea for systems where different quality requirements or "levels of order" exist. As a simple example it may be mentioned that an. elec¬ trical connector of an order for connection of one phase in a _5-P ^nase system and the neutral conductor of the syte , i.e. a 1-phase terminal without protective earth can also accept a -cable of higher order with additional functions, e.g. with a phase conductor, a neutral con¬ ductor and a conductor for protective earth. On the other hand a con¬ nector of an order for ϊ-phase terminal with protective earth cannot be connected to a cable of lower order that lacks any of the necessary con¬ ductors (the protective earth conductor).

The same principle can be applied for gases, in which case a connection, for example, for welding with acetylene and oxygen can accept a cable ^* containing also a conductor for protective gas, whilst a connection for welding with protective gas does not accept butforbids connection to cables without protective gas.

The invention is usually given such an embodiment that the terminals are brought into connection with the cable conductors when, the parts of the connector are fitted or clamped round the cable. Alternatively the con¬ nection is so arranged that the connector exhibits an opening or channel, . extending mainly perpendicular to the symmetry plane of the cable, and a body, carrying one or more terminals, which is displaceable in the open¬ ing or channel. When the connecting body is inserted in the connector, every terminal is brought into contact with the desired conductor- in. the same way as described above in conjunction with the fitting of the con- ^■ nector.

The invention will now be described with reference to the attached draw¬ ing, where fig. 1 sho?.s a "keyed" cable with five conductors, fig. 2 a cross-section through a "keyed" connector with terminals for the conductor in fig. 1, fig. 3 an alternative embodiment of a cable in cross-section, fig. 4 ^a keyed cable section with two conduct.ors and, mating with it, a keyed terminal for four conductors, fig. 5 a connection between a cable section and a connector of the same order, fig. 6 a connection between a cable section and a connector, both of highe order than those .-.hov.r. in fig. 5, and

fig. 7 a connection between a cable section of higher and a cable section of lower order, fig. 8 showing diagrammatically an installation with cables and connectors.

In fig. 1 the whole cable, denoted 1, has five conductors 11-15 lying one after the other from the top downwards ^" in the direction ^' 10 for the outer contour 3 of the cable. In its lower part in the figure the cross-section of the cable has anasymmetrical part 16.

Fig. 2 shows a connector for the cable in fig. 1. The connector 2 is shown in cross-section and consists of two parts, 2' and 2", which can be fitted together round the cable 1 in a direction essentially perpendic¬ ular to the direction 10 for the cable, corresponding to or coinciding with the direction 20 for the connector 2. The two parts 2 and 2" are _> guided by surfaces 2β when they are brought together. In the position shown in fig. 2 the parts 2' and 2" are held together by screws, rivets, spring straps or other suitable elements not shown.

Part 2 of the connector exhibits five terminals 21-25, the inner parts of which end where conductors 11-15 respectively of cable 1 are situated when cable and connector are mating,. If the conductors 11-15 are, for example, electrical conductors, the terminals 21-25 may consist of metal -pins the ends of which penetrate through the insulation of cable 1 and make contact with conductors 11-15 respectively. As is apparent from figs. 1 and 2,. owing to the keying profile cable 1 and connector 2 can mate in only one, non-reversible way, namely so that conductors and ter¬ minals mate in pairs, i.e. 11-21, 12-22 _. , 13-23, 14-24 and 15-2 _*

Fig. shows another embodiment of a cable accrding to the invention with a symmetrical keying contour. It comprises five conductors 41-45 symmet¬ rically arranged in the symmetry plane 40. Opposite each conductor there are projections 31-35 in the contour of the cable, their length along the surface of the conductor decreasing in the'direction from 31 ^' "to 35 _» e.g. in five uniform steps, whilst their height increases in the direction from 31 to 35 _. again for example in five uniform steps.

Fig. 3 shows a complete keyed cable with, in a certain system, maximal number of conductors 41-45• According to the invention a smaller number of conductors can also be brought together to a keyed cable section, which then constitutes a part of the complete cable. Such cable sections can be obtained by dividing the complete cable as shown by the lines denoted 49

Fig. 4 shows a cable section comprising two conductors 52 and 53 _. corres¬ ponding to conductors 42 and 43 in fig. 3« The cable section is bounded by the dividing lines 49, which in fig. ^' 3 are situated immediately above conductor 4 and immediately below conductor 43 _* Apart from the cross- section through the cable section 5 /53 the figure shows a cross-section through a connector consisting of two parts 66' and 67 which, when assemble together, form a keying opening for a cable consisting of at most four con ductors 51-54 with associated part of the keying contour* of the complete cable.

As is easily understood from fig. 4 _. owing to the keying of the cable's contour and, mating with it, the keying opening in the connector the cable section 52/53 can fit into the connector in only one way, namely that show in the figure. For if the conductor is shifted upward in the figure, the projections on the side of conductors 52 and 53 will be higher than the depths of the corresponding recesses in the keying openings, corresponding to 51 and 52, so that the two parts 66 and 67 of the connector cannot be brought together. If, on the other hand, one tries to place the cable one step lower, it is impossible to insert the projections 32 and 33 in ^" the corresponding recesses in parts 66 and 67, since the width of the projec¬ tions, is too large to allow them to enter into the recesses.

To sum up, this means that cable and connector can only mate in a single, non-reversible 'way. This, then, also means that the conductors 52 and 55 assume a single, specific position in relation to the- connector, so that the terminals .62 and 63 of the latter, in the fitting together of parts 66 and 67, penetrate the cable and make contact v/ith conductors 52 and 53 respectively in a non-reversible way. It is also self-evident that the- terminals 62 and 63 can be placed in part 67 and penetrate the cable sec¬ tion 52/53 in the fitting of part 67 to the housing 66.

•If it is desirable to introduce different"levels of order" in a system, this ^' too is possible. Figs. 5-7 show the mating between cables and con¬ nectors of different orders. Electrical cables and mating connectors have been chosen as example. The aforementioned principle can also be used, fo example, for gas, for which purpose the three conductors exemplified in. th sequel may serve, for example, for acetylene, oxygen and protective gas.

Fig. 5 shows a cable 81 containing two conductors 82 and 83, and a connect consisting of two parts 06 and 87 which form an inner opening cor _^ -respondi to the cable's keyir.;- con our. In part 86 of t e connector two terminals

f OMPI

84 and 85 are arranged to mate with conductors 82 and 83. The keying contour in this case has downward-directed, pointed projections both for the cable and the connector.

Fig. 6 shows a connection' between a cable 91 'with three conductors 92, 93 and 94 and three terminals 95 _> and 97 Eating with them. The ter¬ minal device is intended for earthed terminals from cable 91 _> conductor 92 being the conductor for one phase in a three-phase system, 93 ^" the neutral conductor in the system and 94 "the earth conductor. The termin¬ als 95 _. ^' and 97 connect to the cable that leads to the earthed terminal or appliance.

The keying contour in fig. 6 ^' also consists of pointed projections, in the same way as those in fig. 5 out in the opposite direction. _ It is thus impossible to connect an unearthed cable 81, according to fig. 5 _. "to the connector in fig. 6. The condition described thus implies that the con¬ nector in fig. 6 is of a higher order, constituted by its requirement of an earthed cable, and therefore does not accept a cable of lower order. The different levels of order in connector and cable have been obtained through the different keying contours.

According to the invention, however, a connector of lower order can be connected to a cable of higher order, as exemplified in fig. 7 where, in the connector's keying contour, there are recesses from the bottom of which, an elongated, pointed contour 90 projects. - The connector is de¬ signed for an unearthed terminal, i.e. for connection to a line phase or neutral.

On comparison between figs. 7 and 5 t is clearly evident that the connector in fig. 7 can mate with cable 81 in fig. 5 and that cable 81 can only be connected to the connector in one way, as described above, owing to the difference in width and height of the projections of the keying contour.

The cable 91 in fig. 6 is, in fig 7 _. inserted in the connector 86'/87 °

Through the form of the recesses in the connector it is possible to place the cable 91 i fig. 6 in the connector 86'/87', which can be done in only one, non-reversible way o-.ving to the form of the projections on cable

91- For connection between cable and connector the terminals 84' and 85

'will make contact with conductors 9 and 93 respectively in cable 91j whilst conductor 94 will not be used. The example in fig. 7 consequently shows that a connector of a lower order (no protective earth required) c n ~--_to with a cable of hi. or order (containing a protective earth wire). C the other h:_i;.l, .-3 -.:__. beer, described above, a cable of lower

._ ^■ cr.::-..-'.. _' :-i "..J -•. ^■ -; .'. ^{■ ■} :c rιr of hi : .; ^• or-i._r_ A$ REA -

In the cables and terminating devices described above the conductors are either arranged round the direction of the cable (10 in fig. l) or in the symmetry plane of the keying contour of the cable or of the key¬ ing opening in the connector. As the connection between conductors and terminating devices takes place through- a movement that is mainly per- pendicular to the plane of direction 10 or to the symmetry plane, it is also clear that the conductors need not lie in these planes but that one or more conductors can be displaced in the said assembly direotion for the parts of the connector. This is the case, for example, in the cable in fig. 1.

The examples presented have been based mainly on electrical cables and connectors for them. It is, however, clear that the invention can be ap¬ plied in other cases as well, e.g. when a cable contains conductors for fluids, e.g. gases, like air, acetylene, oxygen, nitrogen, protective gas, etc. The conductors may in this case consist of hoses or tubes wit soft walls and the terminating/outlet devices may have the form of pointed tubes, like injection needles, which, on mating between cable and ter¬ minating device, are pushed through the wall and into the conductor so that the channel in the terminating device is placed in contact with the inside of the conductor. In terminal connectors for fluids the connector cab then be fitted with an additional device that seals the conductor after tapping of the fluid.

The invention can also be applied in cases where the conductors- are of optical type, the connectors having terminations which mate with the con¬ ductors through appropriately ground -optical junction surfaces.

Fig. 8 shows part of an electrical installation. The cable 71 contains conductors for three-phase alternating current with phases R, S and T, neutral and protective earth. This cable runs from left to right in the figure as a continuous cable. On this cable a connector 82 is fitted.

This has terminals which connect cable 72 to one of the alternating cur- rent phases, namely R, the neutral and the protective earth. These are the conductors required, for example, for an earthed wall socket.

A little further off along cable 71 there is ^" another connector 83 with a lead 73 which, like cable 72, constitutes a section of cable 71 (cf. figs. 4-7)• The cable section 73 contains the three alternating current phases R, S and T and earth wire. The cable section may, for example, serve for conrtection to a tr.ree-phase πotor.

A little further to the right in the figure is a terminal connector 84 fitted to cable 71- From this connector issues a cable section 74 contain¬ ing one of the phases, e.g. S, and the neutral. The cable section 74 °ay serve, for example, for light fittings or heavy-duty insulated appliances.

In the same way as ^" is shown in fig. 8 for an electrical installation, an. installation can be constructed for distribution of gas, e.g. in industry or hospitals. The conductors may in such case contain, for example, acety¬ lene, oxygen or protective gases for industrial use _. or oxygen, anaesthetic gas and vacuum leads for surgical use for example. It is also self-evident that a cable may contain conductors for different purposes, e.g. both for electricity and fluids as above, signalling and communication conductors, or conductors for other purposes. It is also self-evident that the number of conductors may be more or less than the five used for the purpose of exemplification.

To obtain a flexible installation with the aid of cables and connectors according to the invention there are also sealing devices. ^" When a conduc¬ tor is connected to a terminating device, the- conductor will be acted upon in some way, e.g. by penetration of the insulation of an electrical con¬ ductor or- he. aking of a hole in a tube. If one wishes to remove or move connectors, e.g. connectors 82-84 in fig. 8, from the cable 71 n fig. 8, one can insert a connector of sealing type, i.e. a connector with ter¬ minals in the form of dummy plugs, which seals the openings or holes made by the connector.

The expert can easily find within the scope of the invention other solu¬ tions than those exemplified above without abandoning the idea of the invention as specified in the claims.