Plug contact arrangement

Details Plug contact arrangement Plug contact arrangement

1991-10-07

1993-06-08

Bishop, Steven C.

Electrical connectors

Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move...

439 75, H01R 1315

Patent

active

052173836

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a plug contact arrangement for electrically connecting the plug prongs of a first electrical component with contact bores formed in a second electrical component and wherein the plug prongs are shifted perpendicularly to their longitudinal directions and thereby titled in the associated contact bores to make secure electrical contacts.
In modern electronic devices the problem often exists of making electrical contact between components having plug prongs and other components having contact bores for receiving the plug prongs. To assure a good contact the contact prongs are generally soldered into the contact bores. This process is very tedious and expensive. Moreover it has the disadvantage that the connected components cannot be separated and exchanged without destroying the solder connections. To facilitate an exchange of connected components it is already customary to stick sockets onto the contact bore containing component whose feet are soldered to the contact bores. The sockets have plug bushings into which the contact prongs of the plug component are inserted. To assure a good contact in this case the plug bushings generally have contact surfaces which are biased with spring force against the plug prongs. Because of this, particularly in the case of components having many plug prongs, large forces have to be used in coupling and uncoupling the components which often leads to damage of the components.
Another area of application in which customary contact arrangements are not satisfactory is the field of test adapters for testing circuit boards. The circuit boards to be checked generally have a very high density of circuit paths and circuit elements so that the number of test points is very large. Therefore, the test adapter must use an adapter plate with test pins suiting the test points of the circuit board, which test pins in turn are connected with the test circuit. In accordance with the customary WRAP-technique a cable is soldered to the lower ends of the test pins which cable leads to the test circuit. The preparation of such a test adapter is most tedious and leads, because of the uncertainties presented by the large number of cables to be handled by hand, to still further errors which are difficult to recognize and to remove.
A further area of application in which customary contact arrangements no longer provide satisfactory results is that of making contact between several circuit boards arranged parallel to one another. This occurs generally with regard to so-called wiring rear walls into which these circuit boards are plugged and which contain the connecting circuits for connecting the circuit boards.
The object of the present invention is to provide a contact arrangement of the type wherein the plug prongs of one component are shifted perpendicularly to their longitudinal directions and are thereby titled in the contact bores of a second component to make secure electrical contacts which contact arrangement is simple, assures good contact and which is also easily disconnectable.
The contact arrangements of the invention are so-called zero force plug connectors since the contact bores have clear widths which are larger than the external measurements of the plug prongs or contact wires to be received in the bores. Therefore, the plug prongs or contact wires can be inserted into the contact bores without the expenditure of any force. Only after the insertion step are the plug prongs or the contact wires clamped into the contact bores by a tilting of the plug prongs or the contact wires, so that on one hand a secure hold and on the other hand a secure contact of the plug prongs or contact wires is provided with the associated contact bores. To release the contact arrangement the contact bores are again so arranged that no deflection of the plug prongs or contact wires transversely to their longitudinal direction is present so that the contact arrangement can be released with zero force.
Further features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the patent claim

REFERENCES:
patent: 2982883 (1961-05-01), Gordy
patent: 3964813 (1976-06-01), Pizzeck
patent: 4062617 (1977-12-01), Johnson
patent: 4540229 (1985-09-01), Madden
patent: 4887974 (1989-12-01), Ichimura et al.

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