×

Low insertion force connector

  • US 4,466,684 A
  • Filed: 12/17/1981
  • Issued: 08/21/1984
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1981
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A connector comprising an electrically insulating body having openings therein and having electrical conductors formed from a metal strip material disposed in the respective openings, characterized in that, each conductor has an integral bridge part disposed inside its respective opening in the body and has four integral leaf springs extending from the bridge part toward one end of the opening with pairs of the leaf springs being disposed so that the leaf springs of each pair are in facing relation to each other around a common axis which extends into the opening, the leaf springs each have a first surface disposed obliquely relative to the axis to initially intercept and be moved by a terminal being inserted into the opening along the axis from said one end of the opening to establish a selected spring force in the leaf spring and have an adjacent contact surface to electrically engage a terminal with said selected spring force when the terminal is positioned in the opening, the contact surfaces of a first pair of the leaf springs are spaced relatively closer to said one end of the body opening than the contact surfaces of the second pair of leaf springs for reducing the force required for inserting the terminal into the opening, the obliquely disposed terminal-intercepting surfaces of said second pair of leaf springs are spaced relatively further from said one end of the body opening than said contact surfaces of said first pair of leaf springs, the conductor strip material has an integral gauge part connected to distal ends of said second pair of leaf springs which are relatively longer than said first pair of leaf springs, opposite ends of the gauge part are fitted together so that the gauge part defines the perimeter of a gauge aperture of selected size for defining and limiting the cross-section of a terminal-receiving space located along said common axis between the springs of the two leaf spring pairs, and said contact and obliquely disposed terminal-intercepting surfaces of said second spring pair extend into said space for a relatively lesser distance than the corresponding surfaces of the first pair of springs for limiting the spring forces provided by the springs connected to said gauge part.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×