Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Including compound movement of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-07
2001-12-11
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Including compound movement of coupling part
C439S856000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328585
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to contact elements for electrical connectors and electrical connectors having the same.
2. Related Art
Intermediate electrical connectors for connecting two connection objects or circuit boards are well known.
Japanese patent application Kokai No. 4-144083 discloses such a connector. As shown in
FIG. 4
, a housing
51
is provided with a comb-like guide
52
having a plurality of guide grooves
53
in which contact elements
54
are placed so as to be parallel to the faces of the guide grooves.
The contact elements
54
are stamped from sheet metal so as to have a U-shaped resilient section
55
with a contact portion
56
at a free end and a connection section
57
at the other end. The contact section
56
projects upwardly while the connection section
57
extends downwardly. Opposed edge portions
56
A and
57
A of the contact and connection sections
56
and
57
, respectively, are curved in opposite directions to form contact points. The connection section
57
is connected to a circuit trace of a connection object (not shown) by soldering or the like.
In operation, another connection object (not shown) is pressed against the contact sections
56
to deform the U-shaped resilient sections
55
, thereby bringing the opposed edge portions
56
A and
57
A into contact with each other under a predetermined pressure. Thus, the two connection objects are connected electrically.
However, when the contact points are closed, the spring constant of the resilient sections abruptly rises and the resilient sections are hardly deformed thereafter. Consequently, in order to provide a satisfactory contact area, it is necessary to apply a large force to the connection object.
Since the opposed edge portions of the contact and connection sections are curved in the opposite directions, if there are errors between the contact and connection sections in the thicknesswise direction, the above contact pressure varies with the contact elements. Consequently, poor or uneven contact is produced between the opposed edge portions.
In addition, there is frequently a short-circuit between the contact points of the contact element. In order to provide the resilient section with satisfactory resilience, the resilient sections are made so long that the terminal becomes long.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector capable of providing satisfactory resiliency and maintaining the resiliency after contact with the contact elements of a connection object without contact points.
Relative to the invention, a contact element for an electrical connector comprises a base section; and a connection section extending from said base section.
According to the invention, the contact element comprises a first contact piece extending from said base section at a first position and having a first contact portion at a free end thereof; and a second contact piece extending from said base section at a second position and successively bent in three dimensions to provide a second contact portion at a free end thereof which is flexible in said three dimensions.
Since the second contact piece is bent in three dimensions, the effective contact length is large for the small size to thereby assure satisfactory resilience. The contact portions of the first and second contact pieces hold the terminal of a mating connection object between them so that the resilience is maintained after contact. In addition, there is no conventional contact point within the contact element.
According to the invention, said second contact piece comprises a bearing face for abutment with a terminal of a mating connection object so that the insertion position of the terminal is determined automatically. The bearing face is spaced from the contact portions at right angles with an axis of the terminal of a mating connection object so that the terminal is put into the accommodation hole in the axial direction with no resistance and then moved laterally to the contact portions.
The contact portion of said first contact piece is in the same plane as and linked together with said connection section via a substantially straight transmission path so that the electrical resistance of the transmission path is so low that the electrical characteristics are improved.
Moreover, there is provided an electrical connector comprising a housing having a plate-like form in which at least one accommodation hole is provided; a contact element according the invention which is put in said accommodation hole such that said connection section project from a face of said housing and a terminal of a mating connection object is put into said accommodation hole through the other face of said housing for contact with said contact portions of said contact element.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4498725 (1985-02-01), Bright et al.
patent: 4647134 (1987-03-01), Nonaka
patent: 5443591 (1995-08-01), Tsai
patent: 5454727 (1995-10-01), Hsu
patent: 5569045 (1996-10-01), Hsu
patent: 5807127 (1998-09-01), Ohshima
patent: 6074233 (2000-06-01), Lin
Hirose Electric Co. Ltd.
Hyeon Hae Moon
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Sircus Brian
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