MULTI-STAGE BEAM CONTACTS

• US 20120196482A1
• Filed: 08/22/2011
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Original Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Inventors: STOKOE, Philip T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,512,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/626
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/193 Means for increasing contact pressure at the end of engagement of coupling part , e.g. zero insertion force or no friction
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/62 Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6473 Impedance matching

Abstract

An electrical connector has a first wafer having a first housing with a first plurality of contact beams extending from the first housing in a first plane. A second wafer has a second housing with a second plurality of contact beams extending from said second housing in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane. A dividing panel member extends from the insulative housing between the first plurality of contact beams and the second plurality of contact beams. Each of the contact beams extending from the wafer pair is configured to mate with a corresponding backplane contact in a backplane connector. The contact beams extending from the wafer pair and the backplane contacts are configured such that each pair of corresponding contacts includes a first contact point and a second contact point. When the wafer pair is fully received by the backplane connector, contact between the contact beam and the backplane contact is maintained at both the first and second contact points. Each of the contact beams includes a pivot member configured such that the electrical connector has a low initial insertion force, but a high normal force when fully mated with the backplane connector.

Claims

1. An electrical interconnection assembly comprising:

a first electrical connector comprising a wafer having an insulative housing, a first panel member extending outward with respect to the insulative housing, and a first beam contact extending outward from the insulative housing, the first beam contact having a first contact section that protrudes outward with respect to the first panel member to form a first contact point; and

a second electrical connector comprising a second panel member and a second beam contact, the second beam contact having a second contact section that protrudes outward with respect to the second panel member to form a second contact point,

wherein the first beam contact slidably engages the second beam contact, such that the first contact point contacts the second beam contact, and the second contact point contacts the first beam contact.

2. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a first pivot member disposed on the first panel member; and

a second pivot member disposed on the second panel member,

wherein the first pivot member contacts the first beam contact and the second pivot member contacts the second beam contact.

3. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 2, wherein as the first beam contact slidably engages the second beam contact, the first beam contact pivots about the first pivot member and the second beam contact pivots about the second pivot member such that a distal end of the first beam contact is forced toward the first panel member and a distal end of the second beam contact is forced toward the second panel member.

4. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 2, wherein said first pivot member comprises a curved projection disposed on said first panel member and said second pivot member comprises a curved projection disposed on said second panel member.

5. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 1, wherein said first panel member is substantially parallel to said first beam contact, and wherein said first panel member, said first beam contact, and said insulative housing are substantially co-planar.

6. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 1, wherein said first beam contact comprises a proximal end, an intermediate portion, and a distal end, wherein a portion of the first beam contact nearest its distal end is split to form first and second fingers.

7. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 6, wherein the first finger protrudes in a first direction away from said first panel member to form a contact section, and wherein the first finger extends beyond the second finger to form a tab that engages with an insulative nose disposed at an end of the first panel member.

8. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 6, wherein the first finger protrudes in a first direction away from said first panel member to form a contact section, and wherein the second finger extends beyond the first finger to form a tab that engages with a pre-load stop disposed at an end of the first panel member.

9. An electrical interconnection assembly comprising:

a first electrical connector comprising a wafer having an insulative housing with a first conductor and a first panel member extending therefrom; and

a second electrical connector comprising a shroud having a second conductor and a second panel member disposed therein, the second conductor having a contact section that protrudes outward with respect to the second panel member to form a first contact point,

wherein the wafer is received in the shroud such that the first contact point contacts the first conductor.

10. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 9, wherein the second conductor is flexible.

11. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 9, wherein the second conductor has a preload force.

12. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 9, wherein the first conductor has a section that protrudes outward with respect to the first panel member to form a second contact point, and wherein the second contact point contacts the second conductor.

13. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 9, wherein said first electrical connector comprises a daughtercard connector and said second electrical connector comprises a backplane connector.

14. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 9, wherein said shroud comprises a housing having a bottom, and said second conductor extends substantially upward from the bottom of said housing.

15. An electrical interconnection assembly comprising:

a first electrical connector having a first conductor, the first conductor having a proximal end, an intermediate portion, and a distal end,

wherein a portion of the first conductor nearest its distal end is split to form first and second fingers,

wherein the first finger protrudes in a first direction.

16. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 15, wherein the first finger engages an insulative nose disposed at an end of the first electrical connector.

17. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 15, wherein the second finger protrudes in a second direction opposite the first direction, and wherein the second finger engages an insulative nose disposed at an end of the first electrical connector.

18. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 15, wherein the first finger forms a first curved contact point.

19. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 15, wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the intermediate portion.

20. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 15, further comprising:

a second electrical connector having a second conductor configured to mate with the first conductor, the second conductor having a proximal end, an intermediate portion and a distal end,

wherein a portion of the second conductor nearest its distal end is split to form third and fourth fingers,

wherein the third finger protrudes in the second direction.

21. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 20, wherein the first finger is aligned with the fourth finger and the second finger is aligned with the third finger.

22. The electrical interconnection assembly of claim 20, wherein the third finger forms a second contact point, and wherein the first contact point engages the proximal end of the second conductor and the second contact point engages the proximal end of the first conductor.

23. An electrical connector, comprising:

a wafer having an insulative housing;

a panel member extending from said insulative housing; and

a contact beam extending from said insulative housing and having a pivot member which contacts said panel member, a first contact section which projects outward from said panel member to form a first contact point, and a second contact section separate from the first contact section, the second contact section projecting outward from said panel member to form a second contact point, wherein the pivot member is positioned between said first contact section and said second contact section.

24. The electrical connector of claim 23, wherein said wafer is slidably received in a channel having a contact blade.

25. The electrical connector of claim 24, wherein when said first contact section contacts the contact blade as said wafer is slidably received in the channel, said contact beam pivots about said pivot member against said panel member and forces said second contact section outward.

26. The electrical connector of claim 25, wherein when said second contact section contacts the contact blade as said wafer is further slidably received in the channel, said contact beam pivots about said pivot member against said panel member and forces said first contact section outward.

27. The electrical connector of claim 26, wherein said pivot member comprises a curved section and said panel member is flat, and said curved section contacts the flat panel member.

28. The electrical connector of claim 26, wherein said panel member has a pivot bar projecting outward from a surface of said panel member, and said panel member is flat and contacts said pivot bar.

29. The electrical connector of claim 28, wherein said second contact section includes a prong which extends outward from said contact beam and a curved contact point.

30. The electrical connector of claim 23, further comprising a first plurality of contact beams extending from said insulative housing and aligned in a first plane, each of said first plurality of contact beams having a respective pivot member which contacts a first side of said panel member.

31. The electrical connector of claim 30, further comprising a second wafer having second housing and a plurality of second contact beams extending from said second housing and aligned in a second plane substantially parallel to said first plane, each of said second plurality of contact beams having a respective pivot member which contacts a second side of said panel member opposite said first side.

32. The electrical connector of claim 23, wherein said panel member includes a panel section and a nose section which projects outward from said panel member, wherein said nose section has an opening for receiving a distal end of said beam contact.

33. The electrical connector of claim 32, wherein said opening forms a stop in said nose section and said distal end is biased outward against said stop and can be compressed inward in said opening toward said panel section.

34. An electrical connector assembly, comprising:

a first wafer having a first housing with a first plurality of contact beams extending from said first housing in a first plane;

a second wafer having a second housing with a second plurality of contact beams extending from said second housing in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane; and

,

a panel member extending from said insulative housing between said first plurality of contact beams and said second plurality of contact beams;

wherein each of said first plurality of contact beams and said second plurality of contact beams have a pivot member, a first contact section which projects outward to form a first contact point, and a second contact section which projects outward to form a second contact point, wherein the pivot member is positioned between said first contact section and said second contact section.

35. The electrical connector assembly of claim 34, wherein said first and second wafer form a wafer pair comprising a daughtercard connector, said wafer pair having a first side including said first plurality of contact beams and a second side including said second plurality of contact beams, and further comprising a backplane connector having a plurality of backplane blades aligned in first and second rows with a channel therebetween, wherein said wafer pair is received in the channel so that said first plurality of contact beams mate with said first row of backplane blades and said second plurality of contact beams mate with said second row of backplane blades.