Electrical connector

• US 20030171036A1
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cinch Connectors Incorporated (Bel Connector Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cinch Connectors Incorporated (Bel Connector Incorporated)
• Inventors: Elkhatib, Hesham K., Aujla, Sharanjit S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,860,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/660
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2442 with a single cantilevered beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2492 multiple contact points
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/428 by resilient locking means on the contact members; by locking means on resilient contact members
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence

Abstract

An electrical connector is disclosed which includes a plurality of contacts mounted to a housing. The contact includes a first contact portion, a body portion, and a second contact portion. The first contact portion includes a tongue and a pair of retention members. The second contact portion can be bifurcated. The housing includes a plurality of insertion openings which each communicate with a respective cavity. Each cavity includes a pair of side walls, a pair of guide fins, an aperture communicating with a first surface of the housing, a seat, a support, and a slot. The first contact portions of the contacts are retentively engaged with the housing and are disposed in the respective cavities. The electrical connector can be used in an electrical device, such as, a sensor, for example. The electrical device can be mated to another electrical component.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

a housing, the housing including a cavity and an insertion opening, the insertion opening communicating with the cavity; and

a contact, the contact mounted to the housing, the contact including a first contact portion, a second contact portion, and a body portion, the first contact portion having a retention member, the first contact portion being insertable into the insertion opening of the housing, and the retention member engageable with the cavity of the housing.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the cavity of the housing includes a wall surface, the retention member retentively engaging the wall surface.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a first surface, a second surface, and a perimeter surface, the cavity includes an aperture, the aperture communicates with the first surface, the perimeter surface is broken by the insertion opening, and the body portion and the second contact portion of the contact depend from the second surface of the housing.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the first contact portion is accessible through the aperture of the housing.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a dielectric material.

6. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the first contact portion of the contact is generally circular-shaped.

7. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the cavity includes a slot, and the first contact portion of the contact has a protrusion, the protrusion being insertable into the slot of the housing.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7 wherein the protrusion of the first contact portion of the contact is a tongue.

9. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the first contact portion of the contact has a pair of retention members.

10. The electrical connector of claim 9 wherein the cavity includes a pair of side walls, the retention members of the contact retentively engaging the side walls.

11. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the body portion of the contact is generally C-shaped.

12. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the body portion of the contact is disposed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion.

13. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the second contact portion of the contact has a slot.

14. The electrical connector of claim 13 wherein the slot defines a bifurcated contact surface with a pair of arms.

15. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a plurality of insertion openings communicating with a corresponding plurality of cavities and further comprising a corresponding plurality of contacts, the contacts mounted to the housing.

16. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the cavity includes a seat and a support which both span between a pair of side walls of the cavity, the seat and the support being offset from each other such that the first contact portion of the contact can fit therethrough.

17. The electrical connector of claim 16 wherein the first contact portion is disposed upon the support, the tongue of the contact is inserted into the slot of the cavity, the cooperative arrangement of the tongue with the slot prevents the contact from moving along a vertical axis and prevents the contact from pivoting about the contact seat.

18. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the cavity includes a pair of side walls and a pair of guide fins, the guide fins projecting toward each other from the side walls.

19. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a cylinder, the cylinder configured to selectively limit the compressive deflection of the contact.

20. An electrical contact comprising:

a first contact portion, the first contact portion having a retention member and a protrusion;

a second contact portion; and

a resiliently flexible body portion, the body portion disposed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion, the body portion of the contact being generally C-shaped.

21. The electrical contact of claim 20 wherein the first contact portion is generally circular-shaped.

22. The electrical contact of claim 20 wherein the first contact portion is generally planar.

23. The electrical contact of claim 20 wherein the second contact portion includes a contoured contact surface.

24. The electrical contact of claim 23 wherein the contoured contact surface is convex.

25. The electrical contact of claim 20 wherein the second contact portion has a slot.

26. The electrical contact of claim 25 wherein the slot defines a bifurcated contact surface with a pair of arms.

27. The electrical contact of claim 20 wherein the protrusion of the first contact portion is a tongue.

28. The electrical contact of claim 27 wherein the tongue is disposed on an insertion end of the first contact portion and opposes a necked area of the first contact portion.

29. The electrical contact of claim 20 wherein the first contact portion includes a pair of retention members.

30. The electrical contact of claim 29 wherein the retention members are disposed on opposing sides of the first contact portion.

31. The electrical contact of claim 29 wherein the retention members each include a first protrusion having a first ramped surface and a second protrusion having a second ramped surface and a shoulder.

32. The electrical contact of claim 30 wherein the first and second protrusions define a recess disposed therebetween.

33. An electrical device comprising:

a casing;

a printed circuit board mounted to the casing, the printed circuit board including a contact pad; and

an electrical connector, the electrical connector including a housing and a resiliently flexible electrical contact, the housing having a first surface, a second surface, and a cavity, the cavity with an aperture communicating with the first surface, the electrical contact having a first contact portion, a second contact portion, and a body portion, the first contact portion disposed in the cavity, the first contact portion accessible through the aperture of the housing, the body portion and the second contact portion depending from the second surface of the housing, the second contact portion electrically connected to the contact pad of the printed circuit board.

34. The electrical device of claim 33 wherein the electrical device comprises a sensor.

35. The electrical device of claim 34 wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor.

36. The electrical device of claim 33 wherein the housing includes a cylinder, the cylinder disposed adjacent the printed circuit board, the cylinder configured to selectively limit the compressive deflection of the electrical connector.

37. The electrical device of claim 33 wherein the first contact portion is engageable with a pin contact disposed in an electrical component.

38. The electrical device of claim 37 wherein the pin contact is a pogo type.

39. The electrical device of claim 37 wherein the pin contact includes a first end and a second end, the first end being electrically connectable to the first contact portion of the electrical contact, the second end electrically connected to a contact pad of a printed circuit board disposed in the electrical component.

40. An electrical device comprising:

a casing;

a printed circuit board mounted to the-casing, the printed circuit board including a contact pad; and

an electrical connector including a housing, the housing including a cavity and an insertion opening, the insertion opening communicating with the cavity, and a contact, the contact mounted to the housing, the contact including a first contact portion, a second contact portion, and a body portion, the first contact portion having a retention member, the first contact portion being insertable into the insertion opening of the housing, and the retention member engageable with the cavity of the housing.