Electrical connector for shielded cables with shielded conductor pairs

DETAILED DESCRIPTION An electrical connector assembly for terminating a plurality of signal conductors and ground conductors in a shielded flat cable to corresponding conductors in a prescribed configuration, differing from the signal and ground conductor configuration in a shielded flat cable, includes a connector adapter consisting of an insulative housing and a plurality of signal terminals with a ground terminal for commoning ground conductors.
The discrete signal terminals have conductor terminating means at one end and, in the preferred embodiment, these conductor terminating means would comprise an insulation displacement termination.
These conductor terminating means would be spaced apart on centerlines which would differ from the spacing of the second ends of the signal conductors which would include a mating contact.
The mating contacts would be located in a prescribed spacing corresponding to the location of the terminals in a standard conductor.
Legs joining the conductor terminating portions of the signal terminals and the mating contacts can be bent or deployed to account for the centerline transition.
A ground terminal, having one or more legs attached to a mating contact, similar to that employed with the signal terminals, is adapted to terminate all of the plurality of separate ground conductors and common these ground conductors.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, this ground terminal has a bus strip extending transversely of the signal terminals and includes shield termination means, such as crimped interconnections to the ground shield.
The bus strip of the ground terminal would be deployed over the signal conductors and extend transversely thereof when positioned in the insulative housing of the connector adapter.
The flat cable would extend into a cable receiving opening at one end of the connector adapter housing with the mating contacts extending from the opposite end where they can be positioned in the prescribed array of terminals in a standard connector