Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Distinct contact secured to panel circuit
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-02
2001-05-08
Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Distinct contact secured to panel circuit
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227876
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electrical contact and a method for making the same, and more particularly, to a compliant pin or compliant contact that press fits into a plated or conductive hole of a printed circuit. The method aspect of the present invention relates to a method of making the compliant contact and more specifically the compliant section of the contact.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical contacts, commonly referred to as compliant contacts, are used in place of soldered pins to make connections to plated or conductive through holes in printed circuit boards or the like. Because a compliant contact is not soldered, it can be more readily removed and reinserted than a soldered pin, thereby facilitating maintenance. A primary problem with compliant contacts, however, is that repeated insertion and removal, particularly insertion and removal with a poorly fitting contact or a contact that does not have the right flex, can damage the plated hole. For example, a primary objective of a non-soldered compliant contact is for the contact to engage the plated hole with sufficient surface area and force so that a good electrical connection can be made, but not so great as to damage or scrape off or otherwise damage some of the electrically conductive plating layers on the inside of the contact hole. This is a problem compounded because of the variance in diameters and tolerances of the plated holes.
A variety of compliant contacts are known in the art. A common compliant contact known as a “fish eye” includes a centrally positioned portion having an elongated opening or “fish eye” extending through the center section to provide a pair of compliant blades. Such a compliant contact is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,666 issued to Dent. The center opening in many prior art compliant contacts is formed by stamping. Although such technique is satisfactory for various types of contacts, several limitations exist. First, the tooling for a stamping operation is quite expensive. Second, stamping operations become more difficult as the size of the contact and the material thickness increases. Thus, stamping processes become less desirable for larger compliant contacts. Thirdly, the impact of stamping can sometimes lead to work hardening and thus a change of the material properties.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved compliant contact and an improved method for making a compliant contact which overcomes the limitations in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In contrast to the prior art, the present invention relates to an electrical contact, and specifically a compliant contact, which is particularly applicable to larger contacts and which overcomes the limitations of stamping processes commonly utilized in the prior art to form the compliant section. The compliant contact in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a first or forward shank/entry region which has an outer diametrical dimension less than the diametrical size of the conductive hole into which the compliant contact is intended to be inserted and includes a central contact hole extending through the shank/entry region along the longitudinal axis of the contact. Positioned rearwardly of the forward shank region is a second or compliant region which comprises a pair of compliant bridges extending rearwardly of the shank region and being spaced from one another. Positioned rearwardly of the complaint region is a relief region connected to the rearward ends of the compliant bridges and having an outer diametrical less than that of the conductive hole. The relief region is in turn connected to a mounting portion for mounting the contact to a connector in a manner known in the art.
In the preferred embodiment, the contact hole which extends through the forward shank region also preferably extends through at least a portion of the compliant region to define the spacing between the pair of compliant bridges and most preferably extends into a portion of the relief region as well. The compliant region preferably includes a first section with an outer surface which tapers outwardly and rearwardly, a second section which is positioned rearwardly of the first section and has an outer diametrical dimension greater than the dimension of the conductive hole and a third section with an outer surface which tapers rearwardly and inwardly.
The method aspect of the present invention includes forming a contact member having a longitudinal axis and forward and rearward sections with first and second diametrical dimensions. In the preferred embodiment, the contact member is formed by a turning, milling or other machining operations. Next, a contact hole is formed through the entire forward section of the contact member and through at least a portion of the rearward section along the longitudinal axis. Finally, a recess is formed in the outer wall of the rearward section. The recess extends inwardly from the outer wall of the rearward section toward the longitudinal axis for a sufficient distance to expose a portion of the contact hole. This recess, together with the central contact hole forms a pair of compliant bridges in the rearward section.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention is to provide an improved electrical contact, and more specifically, a compliant contact which overcomes the limitations in the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a compliant contact which has particular applicability to larger contacts intended to carry power.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having an improved compliant contact.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for making a compliant contact.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of making the compliant portion of a compliant contact.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the drawings, the description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4486068 (1984-12-01), Ghigliotti et al.
patent: 4596437 (1986-06-01), Rush
patent: 5397253 (1995-03-01), Fries
patent: 5695357 (1997-12-01), Wright
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Nguyen Phuongchi
Paumen Gary F.
RMS
LandOfFree
Electrical contact and method of making the same does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Electrical contact and method of making the same, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electrical contact and method of making the same will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2521540