Electrical connection system having wafer connectors
An electrical connection system comprises a connector shell and a plurality of wafer connectors that plug into the connector shell. Each wafer connector holds a plurality of electric terminals that are attached to ends of electric cables, and a lock bar that is attached to the connector shell to retain the wafer connectors in the connector shell. The connector shell has an upper wall, a lower wall and side walls that are spaced apart to define a stack of wafer connector compartments that extends from the upper wall to the lower wall, an uppermost compartment being defined in part by the upper wall and an lowermost compartment being defined in part by the lower wall. The side walls each have slots in their confronting surfaces for each compartment in the stack of wafer connector compartments for locating a wafer connector in each compartment, the slots being longitudinal and open ended so that a wafer connector can be inserted longitudinally into each compartment from an insertion end of the shell.
1. An electrical connection system comprising:
a connector shell and a plurality of wafer connectors holding a plurality of electric terminals that are attached to ends of electric cables,
the connector shell having an upper wall, a lower wall and side walls that are spaced apart to define a stack of wafer compartments that extends from the upper wall to the lower wall, an uppermost compartment being defined in part by the upper wall and an lowermost compartment being defined in part by the lower wall, and
the side walls each have slots in their confronting surfaces for each wafer compartment in the stack of wafer compartments for locating a wafer connector in each compartment, the slots being longitudinal and open ended so that a wafer connector can be inserted longitudinally into each wafer compartment from an insertion end of the shell,
each wafer connector being insertable longitudinally into and withdrawable longitudinally from a wafer compartment individually through an opening at an insertion end of the connector shell,
wherein the slots in the respective side walls for each compartment are different and wherein each wafer connector has a connector body that has side ribs that are different on each side of the connector of the body that match the different slots in the respective side walls of each wafer compartment,
wherein one side rib of the connector body is a depressible beam that carries a lock nib that cooperates with a lock shoulder to latch the wafer connector in one of the wafer compartments,
wherein the lock shoulder is in an outer side wall of the connector shell and the one side rib that is the depressible beam that carries the lock nib cooperates with the slot that is in the outer side wall, and
wherein another side of the connector body cooperates with a lateral protrusion at the end of the connector body to provide a lock groove and wherein a lock bar that is attached to the connector shell passes through the lock groove to lock the connector body to the connector shell.
2. The electrical connection system as defined in claim 1 further including a lock bar that is attached to the connector shell to retain several of the wafer connectors in the connector shell, the lock bar passing through the lock groove in respective ones of the several of the wafer connectors to retain the wafer connectors in the wafer compartments.
3. The electrical connection system as defined in claim 2 wherein the lock bar passes through loops that project from the rear ends of the upper and lower walls which align with the rear end of the partition wall, the lock bar having a head and a resilient lock nib near the head that engage opposite sides of one of the loops to retain the lock bar.
4. An electrical connection system comprising:
a connector shell and a plurality of wafer connectors holding a plurality of electric terminals that are attached to ends of electric cables,
the connector shell having an upper wall, a lower wall and side walls that are spaced apart to define a stack of wafer compartments that extends from the upper wall to the lower wall, an uppermost compartment being defined in part by the upper wall and an lowermost compartment being defined in part by the lower wall, and
the side walls each have slots in their confronting surfaces for each wafer compartment in the stack of wafer compartments for locating a wafer connector in each compartment, the slots being longitudinal and open ended so that a wafer connector can be inserted longitudinally into each wafer compartment from an insertion end of the shell,
each wafer connector being insertable longitudinally into and withdrawable longitudinally from a wafer compartment individually through an opening at an insertion end of the connector shell,
wherein the connector shell has a second stack of wafer compartments that is separated from the stack of wafer compartments by a common side wall that that is between outer side walls and wherein the common side wall has slots in both surfaces for the respective stacks of wafer compartments, wherein the slots in the respective side walls for each wafer connector compartment are different for insuring receipt of the water connectors in the respective compartments in the correct orientation, wherein each wafer connector has a connector body that has side ribs that are different on each side of the connector body that match the slots in the respective side walls of each wafer compartment.
5. The electrical connection system as defined in claim 4 and wherein the slots in the respective side walls for the second stack of wafer compartments are upside down with respect to the slots in the respective side walls for the first stack of wafer compartments.
6. The electrical connection system as defined in claim 4 further including a lock bar that is attached to the connector shell to retain the wafer connectors in the connector shell, the lock bar passing through the lock grooves of the wafer connectors to retain the wafer connectors in the wafer compartments.
7. The electrical connection system as defined in claim 6 wherein the lock bar passes through loops that project from the rear ends of the upper and lower walls which align with the rear end of the partition wall, the lock bar having a head and a resilient lock nib near the head that engage opposite sides of one of the loops to retain the lock bar.
8. An electrical connection system comprising a connector shell and a plurality of wafer connectors that plug into the connector shell, each wafer connector having a connector body holding a plurality of electric terminals that are attached to ends of electric cables and a lock bar that is attached to the connector shell to retain the wafer connectors in the connector shell said lock bar passing through a lock groove formed by a side rib and a non-aligned lateral protrusion of the connector body of each wafer connector wherein the non-aligned lateral protrusion of the connector body of each wafer connector is outside the connector shell and the lock bar passes through loops that project from the connector shell.
9. An electrical connection system comprising:
a connector shell and a plurality of wafer connectors holding a plurality of electric terminals that are attached to ends of electric cables,
the connector shell having an upper wall, a lower wall and side walls that are spaced apart to define a stack of wafer compartments that extends from the upper wall to the lower wall, an uppermost compartment being defined in part by the upper wall and an lowermost compartment being defined in part by the lower wall, and
the side walls each have slots in their confronting surfaces for each wafer compartment in the stack of wafer compartments for locating a wafer connector in each compartment, the slots being longitudinal and open ended so that a wafer connector can be inserted longitudinally into each wafer compartment from an insertion end of the shell,
each wafer connector being insertable longitudinally into and withdrawable longitudinally from a wafer compartment individually through an opening at an insertion end of the connector shell,
wherein each wafer connector has a connector body that has side ribs that match the slots in the respective side walls of each wafer compartment,
wherein one side rib of the connector body carries a lock nib that cooperates with a lock shoulder to latch the wafer connector in one of the wafer compartments,
wherein another side rib of the connector body cooperates with a lateral protrusion at the end of the connector body to provide a lock groove, and
wherein a lock bar that is attached to the connector shell passes through the lock groove to lock the connector body to the connector shell.
10. The electrical connection system as defined in claim 9 wherein the shell includes a face plate.
11. The electrical connection system as defined in claim 10 wherein the one side rib of the connector body is a depressible beam that carries the lock nib that cooperates with the lock shoulder to latch the wafer connector in the one of the wafer compartments.
12. The electrical connection system as defined in claim 11 wherein the lock shoulder is formed by a slot in an outer side wall of the connector shell.