Patent Application
20140242833
The subject matter described herein relates generally to an electrical connector having a poke-in wire contact.
Some electrical connectors terminate electrical wires. Such electrical connectors include an electrical contact that engages an electrical wire to establish an electrical connection therebetween. The electrical contacts of some electrical connectors that terminate electrical wires are poke-in wire contacts. Poke-in wire contacts include wire interfaces that extend within a receptacle of the electrical connector. The electrical wire is inserted, or poked, into the receptacle such that the electrical wire engages, and thereby forms an electrical connection with, the wire interface of the poke-in wire contact.
Poke-in wire contacts are not without their disadvantages. For example, in some circumstances the electrical wire is removed from the receptacle to facilitate product testing, inspection, replacement, and/or repair of the electrical connector. But, it may be difficult to release the electrical wire from the poke-in contact and thereby remove the electrical wire from the receptacle without damaging the electrical wire and/or the poke-in contact. Damage to the electrical wire and/or the poke-in contact may require otherwise unnecessary repair and/or replacement of the electrical wire and/or the poke-in contact, which may increase a cost of the electrical connector.
Moreover, at least some known poke-in contacts require a special dedicated tool to release the electrical wire from the contact. The special dedicated tool may not be readily available in the field and therefore may not be used. Instead, an operator may use another tool that was not designed to release the electrical wire from the poke-in contact, which may damage the electrical connector.
The housings of some known electrical connectors include a flexible member that pushes on the poke-in contact to release the electrical wire from the contact. But, the plastic or similar material of the housing may become brittle when the electrical connector is exposed to the heat of a solder reflow process, which may damage the flexible member. For example, heat from the solder reflow process may reduce the elastic range of the flexible member and/or cause the flexible member to fracture, break, and/or the like. The damage may cause the flexible member to fail to sufficiently push on the poke-in contact, which may render the electrical wire as unreleasable from the poke-in contact.
In one embodiment, an electrical connector includes a housing having a receptacle that is configured to receive an electrical wire therein. An electrical contact is held by the housing. The electrical contact includes a contact beam that includes a wire interface that is configured to engage the electrical wire. The contact beam is movable between a closed position and an open position. The wire interface is configured to engage the electrical wire when the contact beam is in the closed position. The wire interface is configured to be disengaged from the electrical wire when the contact beam is in the open position. The electrical connector includes a push-button actuator having a resiliently deflectable spring that is configured to slidably engage the contact beam to thereby move the contact beam from the closed position to the open position.
In another embodiment, an electrical connector includes a housing having a receptacle that is configured to receive an electrical wire therein. An electrical contact is held by the housing. The electrical contact includes a contact beam that includes a wire interface that is configured to engage the electrical wire. The contact beam is movable between a closed position and an open position. The wire interface is configured to engage the electrical wire when the contact beam is in the closed position. The wire interface is configured to be disengaged from the electrical wire when the contact beam is in the open position. The electrical connector includes a push-button actuator having a spring that is configured to be resiliently deflected and thereby moved relative to the contact beam such that slidable engagement between the spring and the contact beam moves the contact beam from the closed position to the open position.
In another embodiment, an electrical connector includes a housing having a receptacle that is configured to receive an electrical wire therein. An electrical contact is held by the housing. The electrical contact includes a contact beam that includes a wire interface that is configured to engage the electrical wire. The contact beam has a wire side and an opposite side. The wire side includes the wire interface of the contact beam. The contact beam is movable between a closed position and an open position. The wire interface is configured to engage the electrical wire when the contact beam is in the closed position. The wire interface is configured to be disengaged from the electrical wire when the contact beam is in the open position. The electrical connector includes a push-button actuator having a resiliently deflectable spring and a spring beam. The spring is configured to slidably engage the contact beam to thereby move the contact beam from the closed position to the open position. The spring beam is engaged in physical contact with the opposite side of the contact beam for biasing the contact beam to the closed position.
The electrical connector 10 includes a housing 16 and one or more electrical contacts 18 (better illustrated in
As will be described below, the electrical contacts 18 include contact beams 26 (
The electrical connector 10 may include any number of push-button actuators 30 for slidable engagement with any number of electrical contacts 18, whether or not the number of push button actuators 30 is the same as the number of electrical contacts 18. Although two windows 36 are shown for exposing two push buttons 34, the housing 16 may include any number of windows 36 for exposing any number of push buttons 34, whether or not the number of windows 34 is the same as the number of push buttons 34. For example, in an exemplary alternative embodiment, the housing 16 may include a single window 36 that exposes two or more push buttons 34.
Although two are shown, the housing 16 may include any number of receptacles 20 for receiving any number of electrical wires 12. Each receptacle 20 may receive any number of electrical wires 12 therein. In the exemplary embodiment, each receptacle 20 receives a single corresponding electrical wire 12 therein. Only one electrical wire 12 is shown in
The contact beams 26 also include actuation surfaces 51 where the spring 32 slidably engages the contact beams 26. The actuation surfaces 51 are edges that extend between the inner sides 44 and edge sides 53 of the contact beams 26. The actuation surfaces 51 may be considered edges of the inner sides 44 and/or of the edge sides 53. In the exemplary embodiment, each actuation surface 51 is a rounded surface that defines a rounded edge that extends between the inner side 44 and an edge side 53 of the corresponding contact beam 26. Alternatively, one or both actuation surfaces 51 is an approximately flat surface that defines an approximately flat edge that extends between the inner side 44 and the edge side 53. In still other alternative embodiments, one or both of the actuation surfaces 51 is a pointed (i.e., sharp) surface that defines a pointed edge that extends between the inner side 44 and the edge side 53. The actuation surfaces 51 are not limited to the location along the length of the contact beams 26 shown herein. Rather, the actuation surfaces 51 may have any other location along the lengths of the contact beams 26 that enables the actuation surfaces 51 to function as described and/or illustrated herein.
The contact beams 26 include the wire interfaces 28 where the contact beams 26 are configured to engage the corresponding electrical wire 12 (
In the exemplary embodiment, the electrical contact 18 includes two contact beams 26, namely the contact beams 26a and 26b. But, the electrical contact 18 may include any number of contact beams 26. For example, in some alternative embodiments, the electrical contact 18 includes a single contact beam 26 (e.g., the contact beam 26a or the contact beam 26b). The inner sides 44 of the contact beams 26a and 26b oppose each other. The contact beams 26a and 26b include respective wire interfaces 28a and 28b that oppose each other. In the exemplary embodiment, the corresponding electrical wire 12 is configured to be received and secured between the wire interfaces 28a and 28b of the contact beams 26a and 26b, respectively. In embodiments wherein the wire interface 28a and/or the wire interface 28b presses into the corresponding electrical wire 12, the corresponding electrical wire 12 is compressed between the wire interfaces 28a and 28b of the contact beams 26a and 26b, respectively. Each of the contact beams 26a and 26b may be referred to herein as a “first” and/or a “second” contact beam. The wire interfaces 28a and 28b may each be referred to herein as a “first” and/or a “second” wire interface.
Each of the contact beams 26 is movable between an open position and one or more closed positions. Specifically, each contact beam 26a and 26b is moveable along a respective arc A and B between an open position and one or more closed positions.
In the exemplary embodiment, each contact beam 26 includes a fully closed position when the corresponding electrical wire 12 is not present and a partially closed position when the contact beam 26 is engaged with the corresponding electrical wire 12. The contact beams 26a and 26b are shown in the fully closed positions in
As can be seen in both
It should be understood that the open position of a contact beam 26 depends on the size of the corresponding electrical wire 12. For example, a position of a contact beam 26 that is open (wherein the contact beam 26 does not engage the corresponding electrical wire 12) with respect to a smaller-sized electrical wire 12 may be closed (wherein the contact beam 26 engages the corresponding electrical wire 12) with respect to a larger-sized electrical wire 12. The open position of a contact beam 26 may or may not be at the end of a range of movement of the contact beam 26. In other words, as a contact beam 26 is moved from the partially closed position to the open position, the contact beam 26 may or may not disengage from the corresponding electrical wire 12 before the contact beam 26 has reached an end of the range of movement of the contact beam 26. For example, the open position of a contact beam 26 may or may not be at the end of a range of deflection and/or an elastic range of the contact beam 26.
Optionally, one or more of the contact beams 26 is a spring that is resiliently deflectable from the fully closed position to the open position. The exemplary embodiment of each of the contact beams 26a and 26b is a spring that is resiliently deflectable from the fully closed position to the open position. In other words, the contact beams 26a and 26b are each resiliently deflectable along the respective arcs A and B in the respective directions C and D. The contact beams 26a and 26b are thus each resiliently deflectable from the fully closed position to the partially closed position, and from the partially closed position to the open position. In some alternative embodiments, the contact beam 26a and/or 26b is movable from a closed position to an open position without being resiliently deflectable from the closed position to the open position.
In the exemplary embodiment, the base 38 includes one or more surface-mount tails 54 that are configured to be surface mounted to contact pads 56 (
The electrical contact 18 includes one or more retention structures that hold the electrical contact 18 within the corresponding receptacle 20 (
The edges sides 72 and 74 define actuation surfaces of the spring 32 where the wedge 66 slidably engages the contact beams 26 of the electrical contact 18. Specifically, the edge side 72 of the wedge 66 slidably engages the actuation surface 51 (
The spring 32 is resiliently deflectable from a natural resting position of the spring 32. Specifically, the end 64 of the spring 32 is resiliently deflectable along an arc E in an actuation direction F. The spring 32 is shown in the natural resting position in
The push button 34 of the spring 32 can be used to deflect the spring 32 in the actuation direction F and thereby slide the spring 32 along the contact beams 26. Although shown as being located at the end 64 of the spring 32, the push button 34 may have any other location along the length of the spring 32 that enables the push button 34 to function as described and/or illustrated herein. In some embodiments, and referring again to
Referring again to
Each spring beam 76a and 76b is resiliently deflectable from a natural resting position of the spring beam 76. Specifically, the ends 78 of the spring beams 76a and 76b are resiliently deflectable along a respective arc G and H in a respective direction I and J. The spring beams 76a and 76b are shown in the natural resting positions in
As will be described below, the spring beams 76a and 76b are configured to engage in physical contact with the contact beams 26a and 26b, respectively, to increase the retention force provided by the contact beams 26. Although two are shown, the push-button actuator 30 may include any number of the spring beams 76, which may or may not be the same as the number of contact beams 26 of the electrical contact 18.
The push-button actuator 30 and the electrical contact 18 may each be fabricated from any material(s). Examples of materials of the electrical contact 18 include electrically conductive materials such as, but are not limited to, copper, gold, silver, aluminum, nickel, platinum, and/or the like. Optionally, the electrical contact 18 includes a base material (not shown) that is coated (e.g., plated and/or the like) with one or more different materials. Examples of materials of the push-button actuator 30 include, but are not limited to, steel, stainless steel, copper, gold, silver, aluminum, nickel, platinum, titanium, magnesium, and/or the like. Optionally, the push-button actuator 30 includes a base material (not shown) that is coated (e.g., plated and/or the like) with one or more different materials.
The push-button actuator 30 may or may not include any electrically conductive materials. In some embodiments, the push-button actuator 30 is fabricated from one or more metallic materials. For example, the spring 32 may be fabricated from one or more metallic materials. Fabricating the spring 32 and/or other portions of the push-button actuator 30 from one or more metallic materials may facilitate preventing damage to the spring 32 from heat experience during a solder reflow operation.
In some embodiments, the push-button actuator 30 is fabricated from one or more different materials than the electrical contact 18. For example, the spring beams 76 of the push-button actuator 30 may be fabricated from one or more different materials than the contact beams 26 of the electrical contact 18 to provide the spring beams 76 of the push-button actuator 30 with a greater yielding tensile strength than the contact beams 26 of the electrical contact 18.
The push-button actuator 30 includes one or more retention structures that hold the push-button actuator 30 within the corresponding receptacle 20 (
The inner sides 80 of the spring beams 76a and 76b of the push-button actuator 30 are engaged in physical contact with the outer sides 46 of the contact beams 26a and 26b, respectively, of the electrical contact 18. In the exemplary embodiment, the contact beams 26a and 26b are received and engaged between the spring beams 76a and 76b, as can be seen in
As described above, the spring 32 can be deflected in the actuation direction F from the natural resting position to cause the wedge 66 to slidably engage the contact beams 26 and thereby move the contact beams 26 from the fully or partially closed positions to the open positions. As can be seen in
The contact beams 26a and 26b are shown in the fully closed position in
In the open positions shown in
In some alternative embodiments, the push-button actuator 30 is not used to install the electrical wire 12 to the electrical contact 18. For example, the spring 32 may remain in the undeflected natural resting position and the insertion force exerted by the electrical wire 12 on the contact beams 26a and/or 26b may be sufficient to move the contact beams 26a and/or 26b from the fully closed position toward the open position a sufficient amount such that the electrical wire 12 can be captured between the wire interfaces 28a and 28b without deflecting the spring 32.
To uninstall the electrical wire 12 from the electrical contact 18, the end 64 (
Referring again to
Accordingly, the spring beams 76 provide the electrical contact 18 with a greater retention force than the retention force provided by the contact beams 26 alone. The increased retention force may enable the electrical contact 18 to accommodate a greater range of differently sized electrical wires 12. Moreover, as described above, the spring beams 76 may be fabricated from one or more different materials than the contact beams 26 of the electrical contact 18 to provide the spring beams 76 of the push-button actuator 30 with a greater yielding tensile strength than the contact beams 26 of the electrical contact 18. For example, the contact beams 26 may be fabricated from copper, while the spring beams 76 may be fabricated from stainless steel, which has a greater yielding tensile strength than copper. The greater yielding tensile strength of the spring beams 76 may facilitate providing an even greater increase in the retention force than embodiments wherein the contact beams 26 and the spring beams 76 are fabricated from the same material(s), which may enable the electrical contact 18 to accommodate an even greater range of different sizes of electrical wires 12.
As described above, the push-button actuator 30 is not limited to being a discrete component from the electrical contact 18. Rather, the push-button actuator 30 may be integrally formed with the electrical contact 18. For example,
The electrical contact 118 includes a base 138 and one or more of contact beams 126 that extend from the base 138. The contact beams 126 include actuation surfaces 151 where the spring 132 slidably engages the contact beams 126. The contact beams 126 include wire interfaces 128 where the contact beams 126 are configured to engage the corresponding electrical wire 12 (
The push-button actuator 130 is integrally formed with a portion of the electrical contact 118 such that the electrical contact 118 and the push-button actuator 130 define an integral structure. Accordingly, the push-button actuator 130 and the electrical contact 118 form a one-piece design, as opposed to the two piece design of the discrete electrical contact 18 (
The push-button actuator 130 includes the spring 132, which extends a length outward from the base 138 to an end 164 of the spring 132. In the exemplary embodiment, the end 164 of the spring 132 includes a wedge 166. The wedge 166 is configured to slidably engage the contact beams 126 to move the contact beams 126 from partially closed positions to open positions and thereby enable the corresponding electrical wire 12 to be removed, or uninstalled, from the electrical contact 118. The wedge 166 is also configured to slidably engage the contact beams 126 to move the contact beams 126 from fully closed positions to the open positions and thereby enable the corresponding electrical wire 12 to be installed to the electrical contact 118. The spring 32 may be referred to herein as an “actuator”. The wedge 66 includes actuation surfaces 172 where the wedge 166 slidably engages the contact beams 126 of the electrical contact 118. The wedge 166 is not limited to being located at the end 164 of the spring 132. Rather, the wedge 166 may have any other location along the length of the spring 132 that enables the wedge 166 to function as described and/or illustrated herein.
The spring 132 is resiliently deflectable from a natural resting position of the spring 132. Specifically, the end 164 of the spring 132 is resiliently deflectable along an arc K in an actuation direction L. The spring 132 is shown in the natural resting position in
In the exemplary embodiment, the actuation surface 172 of the wedge 166 of the spring 132 are disengaged from physical contact with the actuation surfaces 151 of the contact beams 126 when the spring 132 is in the natural resting position, as can be seen in
The spring 132 includes a push button 134 that can be used to deflect the spring 132 in the actuation direction L and thereby slide the spring 132 along the contact beams 126. The push button 134 may have any location along the length of the spring 132 that enables the push button 134 to function as described and/or illustrated herein. In some embodiments, the push button 134 and/or the windows 36 (
The push-button actuator 130 and the reminder of the electrical contact 118 may each be fabricated from any material(s), such as, but are not limited to, copper, gold, silver, aluminum, nickel, platinum, and/or the like. Optionally, the push-button actuator 130 and/or another portion of the electrical contact 118 includes a base material (not shown) that is coated (e.g., plated and/or the like) with one or more different materials. Fabricating the spring 132 and/or other portions of the push-button actuator 130 from one or more metallic materials may facilitate preventing damage to the spring 132 from heat experience during a solder reflow operation.
Operation of the push-button actuator 130 to move the contact beams from the fully and partially closed positions to the open positions is substantially similar to the operation of the push-button actuator 30 and therefore will not be described in more detail herein.
The embodiments described and/or illustrated herein may provide a an electrical contact having a wire interface that can be disengaged from an electrical wire. The embodiments described and/or illustrated herein may provide an electrical contact that enables an electrical wire to be inserted into and/or removed from a receptacle multiple times without damaging the electrical wire and/or the electrical contact. The embodiments described and/or illustrated herein may provide an electrical contact that can accommodate a greater range of different wire sizes than at least some known electrical contacts.
The embodiments described and/or illustrated herein may provide an electrical connector having an actuator for releasing an electrical wire from an electrical contact, wherein the actuator can be actuated to release the electrical wire without using a special dedicated tool. The embodiments described and/or illustrated herein may provide an electrical connector having an actuator for releasing an electrical wire from an electrical contact, wherein the actuator can be actuated using a conventional tool (e.g., a pencil, a pen, a wire, a rod, and/or the like), using a body part (e.g., a person's finger, thumb, and/or the like), and/or the like.
The embodiments described and/or illustrated herein may provide an electrical connector having an actuator for releasing an electrical wire from an electrical contact, wherein the actuator is less likely to be damaged when exposed to heat than the actuators of at least some known electrical connectors. For example, the actuator may be less likely to be damaged when exposed to heat than actuators fabricated from non-metallic (e.g., plastic) materials.
It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Dimensions, types of materials, orientations of the various components, and the number and positions of the various components described herein are intended to define parameters of certain embodiments, and are by no means limiting and are merely exemplary embodiments. Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. Further, the limitations of the following claims are not written in means—plus-function format and are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase “means for” followed by a statement of function void of further structure.
