The invention is in the field of electrical connectors and electrical interconnect systems.
Many various types of electrical connection systems have been used in the past. An example is the hermaphroditic interconnect system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,311, in which electrical contacts from different connector parts engage one another to make electrical connection, with the engagement of ramps on opposite sides of the contacts being engaged for alternating contacts in a linear array, to balance the forces of engagement. While in service, the unprotected contacts can be deformed accidentally causing possible failure of the connector. Connections having multiple rows of contact arrays (such as having more than two rows) of contact arrays are particularly vulnerable, as they are exposed to any intrusion that can enter the width of the opening formed by the protective housing. It is desirable to provide greater protection for electrical contacts such as these.
A grid is used to protect parts of contacts of a header.
A grid may be made of hollow plastic, and is mechanically coupled to a header body, to protect parts of contacts that stick out from the header body.
Interlocking grids may be used to protect contact ends of mating headers.
An interlocking grid has ribs between every other contact, with the ribs extending in the same direction as a contact axis of the contacts.
According to an aspect of the invention, a grid for an electrical connector header includes: a hollow plastic element to be mechanically coupled to a plastic header body of the electrical connector header. The grid includes plural grid fingers. When the grid is installed on the plastic header body, each of the grid fingers protects tips and the non-engagement surfaces of a respective pair of adjacent contacts of a linear array of contacts, where the plastic header body maintains the contacts in the linear array.
According to another aspect of the invention, an electrical connector header includes: a linear array of electrical contacts with alternating orientation of engagement surfaces for mating with mating electrical contacts of a mating header, and non-engagement surfaces on opposite sides of the contacts, facing away from the engagement surfaces, the engagement surfaces alternating in facing between a first direction, and a second direction that is opposite to the first direction; a plastic body molded onto the contacts, and maintaining the contacts in the linear array; and a grid mechanically coupled to the plastic header body, wherein the grid includes plural grid fingers, each of the grid fingers protecting tips and the non-engagement surfaces of a respective pair of adjacent of the contacts
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, each of the grid fingers further includes a rib that passes between the contacts of the pair of contacts protected by the element
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, the ribs are parallel to axes along which the contacts extend from the body.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, the grid is made of plastic.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, the grid snaps onto the header body.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, each of the grid fingers includes: a pair of surface protectors for protecting the non-engagement surfaces of the pair of contacts; a pair of tip protectors for protecting the tips of the pair of contacts; and a rib running between the contacts of the pair of contacts.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, the rib is directly attached to the surface protectors and the tip protectors.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, for each of the grid fingers the surface protectors extend in opposite directions away from the rib.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, for each of the grid fingers the tip protectors extend in opposite directions away from the rib.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, the tip protectors have chamfers.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, the contacts are hermaphroditic contacts, configured to mate with contacts having the same shape.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, the header is in combination with other headers stacked together.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, the header is mated with an additional header having an additional grid.
According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this summary, the grid and the additional grid interdigitate when mated together.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, an electrical connector header includes: a linear array of electrical contacts; a plastic body molded onto the contacts, and maintaining the contacts in the linear array; and a grid mechanically coupled to the plastic body, wherein the grid includes plural grid fingers, the grid fingers protecting tips and non-engagement surfaces of the contacts.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The annexed drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, show various aspects of the invention.
An electrical connector header includes a grid that is placed over the linear array of contacts on the header, to protect the electrical contacts. The contacts may be hermaphroditic contacts that mate with similarly-shaped contacts, and the contacts may alternate in orientation along the line of contacts, to equalize forces when connectors are joined. The grid may cover the faces of the contacts that are opposite the faces that engage mating contacts, and may cover tips at the free ends of the contacts. The grid may be molded out of plastic, and may be mechanically coupled to a header body that secures and maintains spacing of the linear contacts, for example with the grid snapping onto the body. The grids of mating headers may interfit with each other to protect the contacts, while still allowing mating of the contacts. The headers with the grids may be stacked together in the same connector, with a larger opening in such a connector for the stacked contacts enhancing the need for protection of the contacts from damage prior to mating.
The contacts 12 may be hermaphroditic electrical contacts that are neither male nor female, and are configured to make connection with corresponding contacts having the same or similar shapes. The contacts 12 may be similar to those in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,311, the text and drawings of which are incorporated herein by reference. The contacts 12 may alternate their facing, with even numbered contacts in the line of the contacts 12 facing in a first direction, and odd numbered contacts facing in the opposite direction. This has the advantage of balancing the forces on the connectors that are caused by the deflection of the contacts 12 as they come into contact with mating contacts. These forces are spread throughout the connectors, for example along the contacts 12 of an individual header 10, with the forces on adjacent (oppositely-facing) contacts cancelling one another out.
The contacts 12 may alternatively have any of a variety of other configurations than the hermaphroditic contacts 12 shown in
Each of the grid fingers 42 includes features to shield and protect parts of two of the contacts 12. With reference in addition to
Since adjacent of the contacts 12 face in different directions the surface protectors 52 and 54 are on opposite sides (opposite faces) of the grid 40. The grid fingers 42 thus each have a Z shape, with the surface protectors 52 and 54 extending from opposite ends of the rib 60, and in opposite directions along the line of the contacts 12. The fingers each have a chamfer 64, such as on the caps 56 and 58, that guides insertion and nesting as the grid 40 engages a mating grid.
The mated pair of grids 40 and 70 consist of different plastic molded parts; the “S” grid 70 and the “Z” grid 40. These grids protect the contacts with ribs that extend parallel to the contact axis and have caps on the top of these ribs that shroud the tip of the contact to prevent any intrusion or “stub” from unwanted insertion. The cap also has a tapered edge that guides proper insertion of a mating contact. The body of the grid has windows that snap over the header body and retain the grid permanently in place. The grids are the same thickness as the headers that they protect, and therefore allow the headers to stack in a lateral array.
As described above, the grids 40 and 70 protect the contacts 12 (
Many alternatives to the illustrated embodiments are possible. The contacts may have different configurations, for instance, and the grid may have a different configuration to correspond to the portions of the contacts to be protected.
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain preferred embodiment or embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described elements (components, assemblies, devices, compositions, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such elements are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any element which performs the specified function of the described element (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiment or embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been described above with respect to only one or more of several illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other embodiments, as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.