Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-26
2001-10-09
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
C439S091000, C439S266000, C439S330000, C439S081000, C439S591000, C439S751000, C439S862000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299458
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to intermediate electrical connector for interconnecting two connectors or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,598 discloses an intermediate electrical connector of this type. The electrical connector comprises an insulating housing having a slot and a contact element provided in the slot. The contact element is made by stamping a metal sheet and formed in the V-shape such that the two free ends project from the upper and lower openings of the slot to form contact portions.
Mating connectors are provided on opposite faces of the housing and are pressed against the contact portions for electrical connection. The contact portions are offset slightly in the thicknesswise direction and, in use, brought into resilient contact with each other to form a shortcircuit.
However, the shortcircuit has a small sectional area so that the electrical resistance is large and, when the opposite ends are abutted to each other, the contact element becomes so rigid that it must be pressed against the connection portion with a large force and has a small amount of resilient deflection.
Contact arms are provided at the free ends and are brought into contact with each other. Since the shortcircuit is made by the contact arms, the sectional area of the shortcircuit is small, thereby providing a high electrical resistance.
After the two contact portions are contacted, the contact area shifts into the slot interior so that the difference in the thicknesswise direction is large. Consequently, the contact pressure becomes high, thereby increasing the rigidity. Usually, the connector has a large number of contact elements which are pressed simultaneously so that it must be pressed against the connection portion with a very large force.
Since the upper and lower springs are provided in a plane, there is provided a limited space to form a soft spring. Consequently, in order to provide an optimal pressure, the amount of resilient displacement must be small with a certain spring constant, resulting in the low contact reliability. That is, the amount of resilient displacement is so small and so different among the contact elements that the flexure or unevenness of mating connectors cannot be absorbed, resulting in the unstable contact and self inductance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an intermediate electrical connector having a contact element which has small electrical resistance and inductance and provides satisfactory amount of resilient deflection under a small force.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an intermediate electrical connector comprising a plate-like insulating housing having first and second major faces and at least one slot extending through the first and second major faces of the insulating housing and having firs and second major and minor sides; at least one contact element having a rigid fixed section for insertion in the slot along the first minor side of the slot, a flexible section extending from the fixed section toward the second minor side of the slot in a plane and being flexible in the plane, and a pair of contact portions extending from the flexible section so as to project from the first and second major faces, the fixed section, the flexible section, and the contact portions being in the plane which is parallel to the major faces of the slot; at least one conductive layer or sheet provided on at least one of the first and second major faces of the slot; and at least one boss for making sliding contact with the conductive layer or sheet.
In use, mating connectors or interfaces are provided on opposite major faces of the insulating housing such that the contact sections of the mating connectors are brought into resilient contact with the contact portions to interconnect both the connectors. The shortcircuit made by the contact element between the mating connectors has a large cross sectional area in the conductive layer or sheet.
According to another aspect of the invention, the contact element has a conductive plate in parallel to the major faces of the slot in place of the conductive layer or sheet. The conductive plate is bent at the fixed section of the contact element and formed integrally with the flexible section and the contact portions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4161346 (1979-07-01), Cherian et al.
patent: 5437556 (1995-08-01), Bargain et al.
patent: 5957703 (1999-09-01), Arai et al.
Matsuo Tsutomu
Nagawatari Takashi
Sakata Tsuyoshi
Yamagami Yoku
Bradley Paula
Hirose Electric Co. Ltd.
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Nguyen Truc
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