Electrical connector with female contact element

Details Electrical connector with female contact element Electrical connector with female contact element

1999-09-23

2002-01-08

Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...

Spring actuated or resilient securing part

C439S910000, C439S578000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06336832

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors with a female contact element.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4
shows a conventional connector of this type. An insulating housing has a tubular body
51
with a mouth
53
communicating with a hollow section
52
in which a female contact element
54
is placed.
The female contact element
54
has a pair of contact pieces
55
made by bending a metal strip and supported within the hollow section
52
. The contact pieces
55
have free ends near the mouth
53
and are flexible. A throat portion
56
is provided near the free ends, providing an introducing portion
57
between the free end and the throat portion
56
.
The inside diameter of the mouth
53
is smaller than the diameter of hollow section
52
but sufficiently large to receive a male contact element
61
of a mating connector. The diameter of the knack section
56
is smaller than the diameter of the male contact element
61
.
When the male contact element
61
is inserted through the mouth
53
and introducing section
57
into the throat portion
56
, the contact pieces
55
are flexed by the male contact element
61
as shown by phantom line, and the male and female contact elements
61
and
54
are connected under a predetermined contact pressure.
However, the conventional connector has the following disadvantages.
First of all, it is not certain if the female contact element
54
is placed at a regular position. Usually, the female contact element
54
is inserted into the hollow section
52
from bottom and held at a predetermined position. However, the insertion can be too short to place the introducing section
57
at the regular position, resulting in the poor connection between the female and male contact elements
54
and
61
.
Secondly, the female contact element
54
and the tubular body
51
have manufacturing and assembling errors. These errors, especially between the mouth
53
and the introducing section
57
, should not exceed the nominal tolerance. The position of the introducing section
57
in the free state prior to contact with the male contact element
61
should be aligned with the edge of the mouth
53
. If the tip of the introducing section
57
falls inside the mouth
53
, the male contact element
61
crashes the introducing section
57
, damaging the female contact element
54
. If the crashing force is very large, the male contact element
61
can be damaged, too.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector enabling to check if the female contact element is placed at a regular position.
It is another object of the invention to provide an electrical connector with a wide introducing section.
According to the invention there is provided an electrical connector with a female contact element, comprises a tubular body with a hollow section having a mouth at an end of the tubular body; a air of contact pieces of the female contact element extend within the hollow section along axis of the tubular body, at least one of the contact pieces being bent towards the other contact piece near the mouth to thereby provide a throat portion which is flexed back by a pin-like male contact element of a mating connector, and at least one window provided in the tubular body at a position corresponding to the throat portion.
Whether the throat portion of the female contact element is placed at a regular position is observed through the window. If the female contact element is not at the regular position, it may be eliminated or corrected.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the window has a width greater than that of the hollow section in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the tubular body to thereby provide a wider introducing area of the contact pieces, thereby preventing the male contact from crashing the female contact element. The window is position in an X direction perpendicular to a Y direction in which the contact pieces are opposed. Alternatively, the window is positioned in the Y direction. An outer conductive shell is provided over the tubular body to adapt it to coaxial connector.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3976350 (1976-08-01), Keglewitsch
patent: 4184736 (1980-01-01), Spaulding
patent: 4655522 (1987-04-01), Beck, Jr. et al.
patent: 5037328 (1991-08-01), Karlovich
patent: 5195910 (1993-03-01), Enomoto et al.
patent: 5509821 (1996-04-01), Small et al.
patent: 5532557 (1996-07-01), Saidian
patent: 5542861 (1996-08-01), Anhalt et al.
patent: 5634825 (1997-06-01), Maki
patent: 0993075 (2000-04-01), None
patent: 57-140183 (1981-02-01), None
patent: 63-125381 (1988-08-01), None
patent: 9-270282 (1997-10-01), None

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