1. Technical Field
The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the invention relate generally to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to connection between two contacts.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,779 discloses an electrical connector having header terminals with flat blades and offset bends having stamped ribs.
The following summary is merely intended to be exemplary. The summary is not intended to limit scope.
In accordance with one aspect, an electrical connector is provided comprising a housing; and a plurality of first ground contacts connected to the housing. The first ground contacts each comprise a first end configured to be connected to a first component and a second end. The second end forms a male contact blade configured to be inserted into a contact channel of a housing of a mating electrical connector. The male contact blade is configured to make a removable connection with a deflectable beam of a mating contact of the mating electrical connector. The male contact blade has a portion configured to contact the housing of the mating electrical connector during connection of the electrical connector to the mating electrical connector, after the male contact blade makes electrical contact with the deflectable beam, to move the male contact blade in the contact channel, increase deflection of the deflectable beam by the male contact blade, and increase normal force, or maintain normal force, between the mating contact and the ground contact generally perpendicular to a direction of insertion of the male contact blade into the contact channel.
In accordance with another aspect, an electrical connector is provided comprising a housing; a plurality of ground contacts connected to the housing, where the ground contacts comprise first male contact blades; and a plurality of signal contacts connected to the housing. The signal contacts comprise second male contact blades at a same side of the housing as the first male contact blades. The signal contacts and the ground contacts are formed from one or more sheet metal members having a same thickness such that the first and second male contact blades have a same thickness. Each of the first male contact blades have a portion configured to contact a housing of a mating electrical connector during connection of the electrical connector to the mating electrical connector which, after the first male contact blade makes electrical contact with a deflectable beam of a mating contact in the mating electrical connector and after a majority of insertion of the first male contact blade into the mating electrical connector, and during further insertion of the ground contact into the housing of the mating electrical connector contact, causes the first male contact blade to move in a direction to increase deflection of the deflectable beam and thereby increase normal force, or maintain normal force, between the deflectable beam and the first male contact blade.
In accordance with another aspect, a method comprises inserting first male contact blades of a plurality of ground contacts of a first electrical connector into first contact channels of a second electrical connector; and inserting second male contact blades of a plurality of signal contacts of the first electrical connector into second contact channels of the second electrical connector. The ground and signal contacts are formed from one or more sheet metal members having a same thickness such that the first and second male contact blades have a substantially same thickness. After the first and second male contact blades have moved deflectable beams of mating contacts of the second electrical connector and slid along the deflectable beams along a majority of length of the first and second male contact blades, a portion of the first male contact blades contacts a housing of the second electrical connector and, with further insertion of the first male contact blade into the second electrical connector, the portion and the housing cause the first male contact blade to deflect and move the respective deflectable beams to increase normal force, or maintain normal force.
The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to
The assembly 10 generally comprises two electrical connectors 12, 14 which are used to removably connect two components 16, 18 (such as printed circuit boards for example) to each other. The first connector 12 is a backpanel connector, and the second connector 16 is a right angle connector. However, in alternate embodiments the connectors 12, 14 could be any suitable right angle or vertical type of connector as further understood from the description below. In this example, both connectors have contacts which comprise through hole mounting posts to be located in holes of the printed circuit boards 16, 18. However, in alternate embodiments the contacts might comprise other types of component connection areas, such as surface mounted contact areas.
Referring also to
The signal and ground contacts 22, 24 in this example are formed for a sheet metal member which has been stamped and formed. Thus, the contacts 22, 24 have substantially the same cross sectional thickness, such as 2 mm for example. A column of the contacts are preferably provided on a single lead frame with intermixed signal and ground contacts 22, 24. In this fashion the contacts 22, 24 can be stitched as a single column together into the housing 20 in one operation, or the housing 20 can be overmolded onto the contacts while the contacts are on a leadframe; and the contacts 22, 24 in the column can be subsequently electrically separated from each other by cutting out portions of the leadframe.
In this example embodiment, the signal contacts 22 have a male contact blade 38 which is substantially straight with a uniform cross sectional shape except at its distal tip. The male contact blade 38 extends forward from the housing 20 in a general cantilever fashion.
In this example embodiment, the ground contacts have a male contact blade 40 which is substantially straight for a majority of its length. The male contact blade 40, because it is stamped from sheet metal, has a substantially uniform cross sectional shape along its length except at its distal tip. The male contact blade extends forward from the housing 20 in a general cantilever fashion. In the example shown, as illustrated by
Referring also to
As seen in
Referring also to
As the two connectors 12, 14 continue to mate the blades 38, 40 are further inserted into the channels 30 with the beams 34 wiping against the blades. Finally, towards the end of mating of the connectors 12, 14, the portion 42 of the ground contact 24 contacts the housing 32 as shown in
Referring also to
The contacts 62, 64 have first ends 68 and second ends 70. The first ends 68 are configured to be connected to the component, such as component 16. In this example the first ends 68 are through-hole press-fit tails. However, in an alternate embodiment any suitable first end could be used, such as a surface mounted solder tail for example. The second ends 70 forms male contact blades configured to be inserted into a contact channel of a housing of the mating electrical connector. The male contact blades are each configured to make a removable connection with a deflectable beam of a mating contact of the mating electrical connector.
The signal and ground contacts 62, 64 in this example are formed for a sheet metal member which has been stamped and formed. Thus, the contacts 62, 64 have substantially the same cross sectional thickness, such as mm for example. A column of the contacts are preferably provided on a single lead frame with intermixed signal and ground contacts 62, 64. In this fashion the housing 66 can be overmolded onto the contacts while the contacts are on a leadframe; and the contacts 62, 64 in the column subsequently electrically separated from each other by cutting out portions of the leadframe.
In this example embodiment, the signal contacts 62 have a male contact blade 38 which is substantially straight with a uniform cross sectional shape except at its distal tip. The male contact blade 38 extends forward from the housing 66 in a general cantilever fashion.
In this example embodiment, the ground contacts have a male contact blade 40 which is substantially straight for a majority of its length. The male contact blade 40, because it is stamped from sheet metal, has a substantially uniform cross sectional shape along its length except at its distal tip. The male contact blade extends forward from the housing 20 in a general cantilever fashion. In the example shown at least one of the male contact blades of the ground contacts has a longer length than the male contact blade of the signal contacts.
Although a majority of the male contact blade 40 is straight along its length, each male contact blade 40 has a portion 42 which is not straight. The portion 42 has a general bend or curve shape along the longitudinal length proximate the rear end of the male contact blade 40. The cross sectional shape of the contact at the portion 42 is still substantially uniform with the rest of the male contact blade; such as rectangularly flat for example. The portion 42 in this example is formed merely by stamping a bend into the contact. Sections 44 and 46 (see
In accordance with one example embodiment, an electrical connector 12 is provided comprising a housing 20; and a plurality of first ground contacts 24 connected to the housing, where the first ground contacts each comprise a first end 26 configured to be connected to a first component 16 and a second end 28, where the second end 28 forms a male contact blade 40 configured to be inserted into a contact channel 30 of a housing 32 of a mating electrical connector 14, where the male contact blade 40 is configured to make a removable connection with a deflectable beam 34 of a mating contact 36 of the mating electrical connector 14, where the male contact blade 40 has a portion 42 configured to contact the housing 32 of the mating electrical connector 14 during connection of the electrical connector to the mating electrical connector, after the male contact blade makes electrical contact with the deflectable beam, to move the male contact blade in the contact channel, increase deflection of the deflectable beam by the male contact blade, and increase normal force 56/58 between the mating contact and the ground contact generally perpendicular to a direction of insertion of the male contact blade into the contact channel.
The portion may comprise a lateral jog in a rear end of the male contact blade. The ground contacts may be formed from one or more sheet metal members such that the male contact blade has a cross sectionally flat shape, and where the portion comprises a bent portion of the cross sectionally flat shaped male contact blade. The portion may comprise a general lateral rounded hill shape. The male contact blade may be substantially straight except for the portion, where the portion extends laterally outward from a center axis of the substantially straight male contact blade between coaxially aligned front and rear sections of the male contact blade which are located on opposite ends of the portion. The portion may be sized and shaped to cause the male contact blade to pivotably deflect in a general cantilever fashion proximate a rear end of the male contact blade as the portion contacts and moves along the housing of the mating electrical connector. The electrical connector may further comprise second signal contacts connected to the housing, where the signal contacts comprise male contacts blades at a same side of the housing as the male contacts blades of the first ground contacts, where the signal contacts and the ground contacts are formed from one or more sheet metal members having a same thickness such that the male contact blades of the first ground contacts and second signal contacts have a substantially same thickness. The male contact blades of the second signal contacts may be straight without the portion. The connector may be used in an assembly comprising a mating electrical connector connected to the electrical connector, where the mating electrical connector comprises a housing with contact channels, and mating contacts with deflectable beams. The mating contacts may comprise mating ground contacts having their respective deflectable beams on only one side of the first ground contacts.
Another example can be provided in an electrical connector comprising a housing 20 or 66; a plurality of ground contacts 24 or 64 connected to the housing, where the ground contacts comprise first male contact blades; and a plurality of signal contacts 22 or connected to the housing, where the signal contacts comprise second male contact blades at a same side of the housing as the first male contact blades, where the signal contacts and the ground contacts are formed from one or more sheet metal members having a same thickness such that the first and second male contact blades have a same thickness, where, each of the first male contact blades have a portion configured to contact a housing of a mating electrical connector during connection of the electrical connector to the mating electrical connector which, after the first male contact blade makes electrical contact with a deflectable beam of a mating contact in the mating electrical connector and after a majority of insertion of the first male contact blade into the mating electrical connector, and during further insertion of the ground contact into the housing of the mating electrical connector contact, causes the first male contact blade to move in a direction to increase deflection of the deflectable beam and thereby increase normal force between the deflectable beam and the first male contact blade.
The portion 42 may comprise a lateral jog proximate a rear end of the first male contact blades. The ground contacts may have a cross sectionally flat shape, and where the portion comprises a bent portion of the cross sectionally flat shaped first male contact blade. The portion may comprise a general lateral extending arc shape. The first male contact blade may be substantially straight except for the portion, where the portion extends laterally outward from a center axis of the substantially straight first male contact blade between coaxially aligned front and rear sections of the first male contact blade which are located on opposite ends of the portion. The portion may be sized and shaped to cause the first male contact blade to pivotably deflect in a general cantilever fashion proximate a rear end of the first male contact blade as the portion contacts and moves along the housing of the mating electrical connector. The second male contact blades of the signal contacts may be straight without the portion.
An example method may comprise inserting first male contact blades 40 of a plurality of ground contacts of a first electrical connector into first contact channels of a second electrical connector; and inserting second male contact blades 38 of a plurality of signal contacts of the first electrical connector into second contact channels of the second electrical connector, where the ground and signal contacts are formed from one or more sheet metal members having a same thickness such that the first and second male contact blades have a substantially same thickness, where, after the first and second male contact blades have moved deflectable beams 34 of mating contacts of the second electrical connector and slide along the deflectable beams along a majority of length of the first and second male contact blades, a portion 42 of the first male contact blades contacts a housing of the second electrical connector and, with further insertion of the first male contact blade into the second electrical connector, the portion and the housing cause the first male contact blade to deflect and move the respective deflectable beams to increase normal force.
Another example may be provided in an electrical connector comprising a housing; and a plurality of first contacts connected to the housing. The first contacts might not be ground contacts. The first contacts might comprise a signal contact or a power contact for example. The first contacts may each comprise a first end configured to be connected to a first component and a second end, where the second end forms a male contact blade configured to be inserted into a contact channel of a housing of a mating electrical connector, where the male contact blade is configured to make a removable connection with a deflectable beam of a mating contact of the mating electrical connector. The male contact blade may have a portion configured to contact the housing of the mating electrical connector during connection of the electrical connector to the mating electrical connector, after the male contact blade makes electrical contact with the deflectable beam, to move the male contact blade in the contact channel, increase deflection of the deflectable beam by the male contact blade, and increase or maintain normal force between the mating contact and the contact generally perpendicular to a direction of insertion of the male contact blade into the contact channel.
It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, features recited in the various dependent claims could be combined with each other in any suitable combination(s). In addition, features from different embodiments described above could be selectively combined into a new embodiment. Accordingly, the description is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/489,414 filed May 24, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61489414 | May 2011 | US |