ELECTRICAL POWER CONTACTS AND CONNECTORS COMPRISING SAME

• US 20070202748A1
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: FCI Americas Technology Incorporated (FCI)
• Inventors: Daily, Christopher, Swain, Wilfred, Stoner, Stuart, Johnescu, Douglas, Kolivoski, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,402,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/607.50
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/712 co-operating with the surface of the printed circuit or with a coupling device exclusively provided on the surface of the printed circuit H01R12/72 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/724 containing contact members forming a right angle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/725 containing contact members presenting a contact carrying strip, e.g. edge-like strip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/727 Coupling devices presenting arrays of contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/73 connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/113 co-operating with pins or blades having a rectangular transverse section
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/514 composed as a modular blocks or assembly, i.e. composed of co-operating parts provided with contact members or holding contact members between them

Abstract

Electrical connectors and contacts for transmitting power are provided. One power contact embodiment includes a first plate that defines a first non-deflecting beam and a first deflectable beam, and a second plate that defines a second non-deflecting beam and a second deflectable beam. The first and second plates are positioned beside one another to form the power contact.

Claims

1. A power contact, comprising a first and a second plate-like body member;

a third and a fourth plate-like body member positioned between the first and second plate-like body members;

a first flared portion adjoining the first plate-like body member, a second flared portion adjoining the second plate-like body member, and one or more terminal pins mechanically and electrically connected to at least one of the first and second flared portions.

2. The power contact of claim 1, further comprising a first, a second, a third, and a fourth contact beam electrically and mechanically connected to the respective first, second, third, and fourth plate-like body members, wherein a major surface of the first contact beam faces a major surface of the second contact beam, and a major surface of the third contact beam faces a major surface of the fourth contact beam.

3. The power contact of claim 1, wherein the third plate-like body member is positioned between the first and the fourth plate-like body members, and the fourth plate-like body member is positioned between the second and the third plate-like body members.

4. The power contact of claim 3, wherein the third plate-like body member abuts the first and the fourth plate-like body members, and the fourth plate-like body member further abuts the second plate-like body member.

5. The power contact of claim 2, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth contact beams adjoin the respective first, second, third, and fourth plate-like body members.

6. A connector system, comprising:

a plug contact; and

a receptacle contact comprising at least four plate-like body members, and at least four contact beams each adjoining an associated one of the plate-like body members, wherein two of the contact beams face each other and define a space that receives a portion of the plug contact when the plug and receptacle contacts are mated, and another two of the contact beams face each other and define another space that receives another portion of the plug contact when the plug and receptacle contacts are mated.

7. The connector system of claim 6, wherein:

the plug contact comprises a first, a second, a third, and a fourth plate-like body member; and

the third and fourth plate-like body members of the plug contact are positioned between the first and second plate-like body members of the plug contact.

8. The connector system of claim 7, wherein:

the first plate-like body member of the plug contact has a cut-out formed therein that permits a first of contact beams of the receptacle contact to contact the third plate-like body member of the plug contact when the plug and receptacle contacts are mated; and

the second plate-like body member of the plug contact has a cut-out formed therein that permits a second of the contact beams of the receptacle contact to contact the fourth plate-like body member of the plug contact when the plug and receptacle contacts are mated.

9. The connector system of claim 8, wherein a third of the contact beams contacts the first plate-like body member of the plug contact when the plug and receptacle contacts are mated, and a fourth of the contact beams contacts the second plate-like body member of the plug contact when the plug and receptacle contacts are mated.

10. The connector system of claim 9, wherein:

the first of the contact beams adjoins a first of the plate-like body members of the receptacle contact;

the second of the contact beams adjoins a second of the plate-like body members of the receptacle contact;

the third of the contact beam adjoins a third of the plate-like body members of the receptacle contact;

the fourth of the contact beams adjoins a fourth of the plate-like body members of the receptacle contact; and

the first and second of the plate-like body members of the receptacle contact are positioned between the third and fourth of the plate-like body members of the receptacle contact.

11. The connector system of claim 7, wherein the receptacle contact further comprises a plurality of terminal pins that each adjoin an associated one of the plate-like body members of the receptacle contact.

12. The connector system of claim 11, wherein a first and a second of the plate-like body members of the receptacle contact each have a flared portion and the terminal pins associated with the first and the second of the plate-like body members of the receptacle contact each adjoin the flared portion of the first or the second plate-like body member of the receptacle contact.

13. The connector system of claim 12, wherein the plug contact further comprises a plurality of terminal pins that each adjoin an associated one of the first, second, third, or fourth plate-like body members of the plug contact.

14. The connector system of claim 13, where the terminal pins of the receptacle contact extend substantially in a mating direction of the plug and receptacle contacts, and the terminal pins of the plug contact extend substantially in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction of the plug and receptacle contacts.

15. A power contact, comprising a first and a second plate-like body member;

a third and a fourth plate-like body member positioned between the first and second plate-like body members; and

a first, a second, a third, and a fourth contact beam electrically and mechanically connected to the respective first, second, third, and fourth plate-like body members;

wherein a major surface of the first contact beam faces a major surface of the second contact beam, and a major surface of the third contact beam faces a major surface of the fourth contact beam.

16. The power contact of claim 15, wherein a side edge of the first contact beam faces a side edge of the third contact beam, and a side edge of the second contact beam faces a side edge of the fourth contact beam.

17. The power contact of claim 15, wherein a portion of the third contact beam is offset from the third plate-like body member so that the portion of the third contact beam and the first plate-like body member lie substantially in a common plane;

and a portion of the fourth contact beam is offset from the fourth plate-like body member so that the portion of the fourth contact beam and the second plate-like body member lie substantially in another common plane.

18. The power contact of claim 15, wherein the first and second contact beams are substantially coterminous with the third and fourth contact beams.

19. The power contact of claim 22, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth contact beams adjoin the respective first, second, third, and fourth plate-like body members.

20. The power contact of claim 15, wherein the first and the second contact beams define a channel therebetween, and the third and the fourth contact beams define another channel therebetween.

21. The power contact of claim 15, wherein the first and the third contact beams define a channel therebetween, and the second and the fourth contact beams define another channel therebetween.

22. The power contact of claim 15, wherein the first and the second contact beams are spaced apart so that the first and the second contact beams define a space therebetween that receives a portion of another power contact, and the third and the fourth contact beams are spaced apart so that the third and the fourth contact beams define another space therebetween that receives another portion of the another power contact.