Electrical connector with reduced stack height

• US 9,543,703 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: FCI Americas Technology LLC (Amphenol Corporation)
• Inventors: Horchler, David C., Johnson, Lewis Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Amy Cohen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US13/938,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20140017957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 439/680, 439/378, 439/66, 439/71, 439/74
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/73 connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/05 Resilient pins or blades carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/631 for engagement only
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/64 Means for preventing incorrect coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/84 Hermaphroditic coupling devices

Abstract

An electrical connector assembly includes first and second mezzanine electrical connectors that include respective first and second arrays of electrical contacts. The electrical contacts can be receptacle, or one can be a plug and the other can be a receptacle. Each electrical connector can further include at least one alignment member that cooperate to align the first and second arrays of electrical contacts relative to each other. Each electrical connector can further include at least one orientation member that allows the first and second electrical connectors to mate when in a predetermined orientation relative to each other.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

an electrically insulative connector housing; and

an array of gender-neutral electrical contacts supported by the connector housing so as to define a mounting end configured to mount onto a substrate and a mating end that is disposed opposite the mounting end, each of the electrical contacts of the array of electrical contacts defining first and second opposed broadsides and first and second opposed edges, the broadsides longer than the edges, the array of electrical contacts defining a plurality of rows that are spaced along a column direction and a plurality of columns that are spaced along a row direction, such that edges of adjacent ones of the electrical contacts of each row face each other, and the broadsides of adjacent ones of the electrical contacts of each column face each other;

wherein each of the mating ends are curved so as to define a curvature, and the electrical contacts define first, second, and third electrical contacts that are aligned along the column direction, such that the second electrical contact is adjacent and disposed between the first and third electrical contacts, the curvature of the mating ends of the first and second electrical contacts face each other, and the curvature of the mating ends of the second and third electrical contacts face away from each other, such a first distance is defined along the column direction from the mating end of the first electrical contact to the mating end of the second electrical contact, and a second distance is defined along the column direction from the mating end of the second electrical contact to the mating end of the third electrical contact, and the first distance is less than the second distance.

2. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein each mounting end carries a fusible element.

3. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein the mating end of the first electrical contact is concave with respect to the second electrical contact.

4. The electrical connector as recited in claim 3, wherein the mating end of the second electrical contact is concave with respect to the first electrical contact.

5. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, and third electrical contacts is configured to mate with a respective one electrical contact shaped substantially identical to the first, second, and third electrical contacts, respectively.

6. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein the array of electrical contacts defines an open pinfield.

7. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein curvature of the electrical contacts alternates in direction from contact to adjacent contact of each column.

8. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein a line extending through the mating ends of the electrical contacts of each column along the column direction passes through the curvature of each electrical contact in the respective column without passing through the connector housing.

9. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein a line that extends through the mating end of each electrical contact in one of the columns passes only through air between the curvatures of adjacent ones of the electrical contacts.

10. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein 1) the connector housing includes a housing body and a plurality of retention apertures that extend through the housing body in a transverse direction so as to define respective pluralities of first and second retention ribs spaced from each other along a dimension along a direction perpendicular to the transverse direction, 2) the electrical contacts disposed in the respective ones of the retention apertures such that the first and second broadsides are press-fit against respective ones of the first and second retention ribs, and 3) each of the first and second retention ribs has a height along the transverse direction between 0.02 mm and 0.15 mm.

11. The electrical connector as recited in claim 10, wherein the height of one of the first and second retention ribs is 0.04 mm, and the height of the other of the first and second retention ribs is 0.08 mm.

12. An electrical connector comprising:

a connector housing; and

a plurality of electrical contacts supported by the connector housing, each electrical contact defining

     1) first and second opposed broadsides spaced from each other along a longitudinal direction and

     2) first and second opposed edges spaced from each other along a lateral direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the broadsides being longer than the edges in a plane defined by the longitudinal and lateral directions;

wherein each electrical contact only touches the connector housing at two locations along the lateral direction, without touching the housing along the longitudinal direction, and each of the two locations defines a contact area of 0.001 square millimeters to 0.015 square millimeters.

13. The electrical connector as recited in claim 12, wherein the electrical contacts each have a thickness along the longitudinal direction of 0.1 mm.

14. The electrical connector as recited in claim 13, wherein each of the locations defines a contact height dimension along the transverse direction of from 0.01 mm to 0.15 mm.

15. The electrical connector as recited in claim 14, wherein the contact height dimension of each location is 0.06 mm.

16. The electrical connector as recited in claim 12, wherein the electrical contacts define two retention wings, and the two locations are defined by respective abutments between the retention wings and the connector housing.

17. The electrical connector as recited in claim 16, wherein the retention wings are each defined by a 0.6 mm radius.

18. An electrical connector comprising:

a connector housing including a housing body and a plurality of retention cavities that extend through the housing body, each retention cavity defined by at least one inner wall of the housing body, each retention cavity defining cross-sectional dimension along a select direction;

an array of electrical contacts supported by the connector housing, the array of electrical contacts including at least two rows of electrical contacts that are spaced from each other and extend along a first direction, and at least two columns of electrical contacts that are spaced from each other and extend along a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, each of the at least two rows of electrical contacts intersecting each of the at least two columns of electrical contacts; and

each of the electrical contacts define a mating end, a mounting end opposite the mating end, a respective solder ball fused to each of the electrical contacts at the respective mounting ends, and a lead portion that extends between the mating end and the mounting end,

wherein each of the electrical contacts further includes a pair of retention wings that project out from opposite sides of the lead portion to respective free distal tips that are spaced from each other a distance along the select direction that is greater than the cross-sectional dimension such that the free distal tips are press-fit into respective ones of the retention cavity, and an entirety of the electrical contact within the retention cavity is spaced from the housing body along a second direction that is perpendicular to the select direction so as to define a gap between the lead portion and the housing body in the second direction that extends from one of the retention wings to the other of the retention wings.

19. The electrical connector of claim 18, wherein the mating end of each of the electrical contacts is a receptacle defined by a pair of spring arms that are configured to receive a plug mating end of an electrical contact of a complementary electrical connector when the electrical connectors are mated with each other, thereby defining a stack height that is in a range between approximately 1 mm and approximately 4 mm.

20. The electrical connector of claim 18, wherein the mating end of each of the electrical contacts is a planar blade configured to be received by a pair of spring arms that are of an electrical contact of a complementary electrical connector when the electrical connectors are mated with each other, thereby defining a stack height that is in a range between approximately 1 mm and approximately 4 mm.

21. The electrical connector of claim 18, wherein each electrical contact defines a pair of edges spaced from each other along the select direction, and a pair of opposed broadsides spaced from each other along the second direction that is perpendicular with respect to the first direction, such that the broadsides are longer than the edges along an intersection of the electrical contact and a plane that is oriented substantially orthogonal to the electrical contact at the intersection.

22. The electrical connector of claim 21, wherein each of the broadsides is continuous from one of the retention wings to the other of the retention wings.

23. The electrical connector of claim 22, wherein the electrical contacts are devoid of enclosed apertures that extends through the contact body from one broadside to the other broadside.

24. The electrical connector of claim 18, wherein the mating end of each of the electrical contacts is a receptacle defined by a pair of spring arms that are configured to receive a plug mating end of an electrical contact of a complementary electrical connector, and each of the broadsides is further continuous from each of the spring arms to the respective mounting end.

25. The electrical connector of claim 24, wherein the electrical contacts are devoid of enclosed apertures that extends through the contact body from one broadside to the other broadside.