Electrical connector with reduced stack height

• US 9,871,323 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2017
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCI USA LLC (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: FCI Americas Technology Incorporated (FCI)
• Inventors: Horchler, David C., Johnson, Lewis Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Amy Cohen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US15/402,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20170125946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• 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:

a connector housing;

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 wherein mating ends of the electrical contacts in the array have curved shapes and are configured to mate with a mating end of another electrical contact having a like curved shape; and

an alignment member that is disposed at substantially a geometric center of the array of electrical contacts such that the alignment member is disposed between the least two rows of electrical contacts and further disposed between the at least two columns of electrical contacts, wherein the alignment member is configured to mate with another alignment member having a like alignment member.

2. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein the alignment member comprises a post that extends outward with respect to the connector housing along a third direction that is substantially perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction.

3. The electrical connector as recited in claim 2, wherein the alignment member further comprises a receptacle that is disposed adjacent to the post.

4. The electrical connector as recited in claim 3, wherein the receptacle is spaced from, and aligned with, the post along the second direction.

5. The electrical connector as recited in claim 4, wherein each electrical contact of the array of electrical contacts includes the mating end and an opposed mounting end, and a fusible element disposed at the mounting end.

6. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein the connector housing includes a housing body that defines an outer perimeter and the connector housing further includes a second alignment member that protrudes from the housing body along a portion of the perimeter.

7. The electrical connector as recited in claim 6, wherein the second alignment member comprises one or more sidewalls disposed on the outer perimeter.

8. 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 are press-fit into respective ones of the retention apertures, 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.

9. The electrical connector as recited in claim 8, 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.

10. An electrical connector assembly comprising:

a first electrical connector having a first connector housing including a first monolithic housing body, a first array of electrical contacts supported by the first monolithic housing body, and a first alignment member that defines an outer perimeter, the first alignment member supported by the first monolithic housing body and disposed at substantially a geometric center of the first array of electrical contacts such that the outer perimeter of the first alignment member is substantially surrounded by respective electrical contacts of the first array of electrical contacts; and

a second electrical connector configured to be mated to the first electrical connector, the second electrical connector having a second connector housing including a second monolithic housing body, a second array of electrical contacts supported by the second monolithic housing body, and a second alignment member that defines an outer perimeter, the second alignment member supported by the second monolithic housing body and disposed at substantially a geometric center of the second array of electrical contacts such that the outer perimeter of the second alignment member is substantially surrounded by respective electrical contacts of the second array of electrical contacts, the second alignment member configured to mate with the first alignment member of the first electrical connector so as to substantially align the first and second arrays of electrical contacts relative to each other as the first and second electrical connectors are mated to each other.

11. The electrical connector assembly as recited in claim 10, wherein the electrical contacts of the first array do not mate with the electrical contacts of the second array unless the first and second alignment members are aligned with each other.

12. The electrical connector assembly as recited in claim 10, wherein the first alignment member comprises a first post and a first receptacle disposed adjacent the first post and the second alignment member comprises a second post and a second receptacle disposed adjacent the second post, the first post received in the second receptacle and the second post received in the first receptacle when the first electrical connector is mated to the second electrical connector.

13. The electrical connector assembly as recited in claim 10, each electrical contact of the first array of electrical contacts includes a mating end and an opposed mounting end supporting a fusible element and each electrical contact of the second array of electrical contacts includes a mating end and an opposed mounting end supporting a fusible element.

14. The electrical connector assembly as recited in claim 13, wherein when the first and second electrical connectors are mated to each other each fusible element of the first array of electrical contacts is spaced from a corresponding fusible element of the second array of electrical contacts a distance of between 1 mm and 4 mm.

15. The electrical connector assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the distance is approximately 2 mm.

16. The electrical connector assembly as recited in claim 10, wherein the first and second electrical connectors are substantially identical with respect to each other.

17. The electrical connector as recited in claim 10, wherein 1) each of the connector housings includes a plurality of retention apertures that extend through the respective 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 are press-fit into respective ones of the retention apertures, 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.

18. The electrical connector as recited in claim 17, 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.