Electrical contact for termination to flat conductive member

• US 6,152,763 A
• Filed: 03/04/1999
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC), Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation), Tyco Electronics Services GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Inventors: Sai, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): NASRI, JAVAID H
• Application Number:
  US09/202,115
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 439/948, 439/977, 439/866, 439/492, 439/495, 439/535
• US Class Current: 439/492
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/69 deformable terminals, e.g. crimping terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/115 U-shaped sockets having inwardly bent legs, e.g. spade type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/948 Contact or connector with insertion depth limiter

Abstract

Electrical contact (1) having a terminating section (20) that terminates a foil-form conductive member (60), and an elastic contact part (30) that elastically contacts the conductive member (60). The elastic contact part (30) has: [a] a spring arm (33) that has an embossment (34) with a substantially spherical surface that presses against the conductive member (60); and [b] a substantially circular hole (38) that faces the embossment (34) of the spring arm (33), and that has a rim that is contacted in a substantially circumferential state of contact by the conductive part (62) of the conductive member (60) pressed by the embossment (34).

Claims

1. An electrical contact comprising:

a terminating section that terminates a flat conductive member formed by disposing a foil-form conductive part on at least one side of a flat insulating body;

an elastic contact part that elastically contacts said conductive member and has a spring arm that has an embossment with a rounded surface that presses against the conductive member; and

a base that has a substantially circular hole that faces the embossment of the spring arm, and that has a rim about said hole that is contacted in a substantially circumferential state of contact by the conductive part of the conductive member pressed by the embossment,

said spring arm extending to a free end and being moveable between a first position and a second position such that, when in the first position, insertion of said conductive member into the electrical contact is permitted, and when in the second position said conductive member is pressed by the embossment, thereby forcing the conductive part against said rim of said circular hole, with anchoring sections of said spring arm free end becoming locked with latching arms of the base.

2. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 1, wherein said contact includes a tab shaped contact part at one end and said terminating section at an opposed end.

3. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 1, wherein said terminating section includes at least one pair of arms adapted to be crimped over a portion of said conductive member.

4. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 1, wherein said base of said contact includes a stopper that checks forward movement of said conductive member.

5. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 1, wherein said base of said contact includes a pair of opposed side walls, and said spring arm is joined to one of said side walls and is bent inward therefrom to extend between and along said side walls to said free end.

6. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 5, wherein the other of said side walls includes a protective part extending across a top of said spring arm.

7. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 1, wherein the anchoring sections extend laterally from edges of the spring arm free end.

8. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 7, wherein the latching arms have openings which receive the anchoring sections when the spring arm is in the second position.

9. An electrical contact comprising:

a terminating section that terminates a flat conductive member having a conductive surface opposite an insulating surface;

an elastic contact part having a spring arm with an embossment that contacts the insulating surface; and

a base having an opening with a peripheral rim, wherein the embossment is disposed opposite the opening, the conductive surface being positionable on said base and over the opening,

the spring arm extending to a free end and being moveable between a first position and a second position such that, when in the first position, insertion of the conductive member into the electrical contact is permitted, and when in the second position, the insulating surface is contacted by the embossment, thereby pressing the conductive surface against the rim of the opening.

10. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 9, wherein the spring arm free end has anchoring sections that become locked with latching arms of the base upon movement of the spring arm into the second position.

11. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 9, wherein the contact includes a tab shaped contact part at one end and the terminating section at an opposed end.

12. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 9, wherein the terminating section includes at least one pair of arms adapted to be crimped over a portion of the conductive member.

13. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 9, wherein the base of the contact includes a stopper that checks forward movement of the conductive member.

14. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 9, wherein the base of the contact includes a pair of opposed side walls, and the spring arm is joined to one of the side walls and is bent inwardly therefrom to extend between and along the side walls to the free end.

15. The electrical contact as set forth in claim 14, wherein the other of the side walls includes a protective part extending across a top of the spring arm.