EP1050928A1 - Contact électrique ayant un insert en élastomère - Google Patents

Contact électrique ayant un insert en élastomère Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP1050928A1
EP1050928A1 EP00109371A EP00109371A EP1050928A1 EP 1050928 A1 EP1050928 A1 EP 1050928A1 EP 00109371 A EP00109371 A EP 00109371A EP 00109371 A EP00109371 A EP 00109371A EP 1050928 A1 EP1050928 A1 EP 1050928A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
electrical contact
fingers
aperture
printed circuit
circuit board
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP00109371A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Keith Tracy
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Northrop Grumman Guidance and Electronics Co Inc
Original Assignee
Litton Systems Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Litton Systems Inc filed Critical Litton Systems Inc
Publication of EP1050928A1 publication Critical patent/EP1050928A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
    • H01R12/50—Fixed connections
    • H01R12/51—Fixed connections for rigid printed circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/55—Fixed connections for rigid printed circuits or like structures characterised by the terminals
    • H01R12/58—Fixed connections for rigid printed circuits or like structures characterised by the terminals terminals for insertion into holes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/40—Securing contact members in or to a base or case; Insulating of contact members
    • H01R13/405—Securing in non-demountable manner, e.g. moulding, riveting
    • H01R13/41—Securing in non-demountable manner, e.g. moulding, riveting by frictional grip in grommet, panel or base

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to electrical contacts, and more particularly to electrical contacts for use in high power carrying applications.
  • the disclosed electrical contacts are particularly useful for use in press fit applications in printed circuit boards where the contact is not required to be soldered to the printed circuit board.
  • Electrical contacts are often used in applications in which the contact is press-fit into a printed circuit board to avoid having to solder or otherwise mechanically fasten the contact to the printed circuit board.
  • Electrical contacts of the type disclosed herein may be installed on printed circuit boards to permit connections to be made between other electrical devices and circuits on the printed circuit board.
  • one or more electrical contacts may be placed in a pattern and may be used to receive the female or male portion of an electrical connector to effect connections between external circuits and the circuits contained on the printed circuit board.
  • Such contacts find extensive use because of the ability to insert the contacts into the printed circuit board without having to perform a subsequent operation to effect retention of the contact to the printed circuit board.
  • Retention of the contact to the printed circuit board is achieved by a press fit or friction fit between the aperture in the printed circuit board into which the electrical contact is inserted and the lower portion of the electrical contact.
  • the press fit is achieved by selecting the size of the aperture into which the contact is fit to insure that the contact is retained within the aperture during normal use.
  • the aperture size must be carefully selected.
  • a first object of the present invention is to provide an electrical contact that does not have to be soldered or otherwise mechanically fastened to a printed circuit board.
  • Still another object of the invention is to provide a press fit electrical contact which may not be easily withdrawn from the aperture into which it is inserted during normal connection and disconnection operations of devices connected to the electrical contact.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide and electrical contact which may be inserted and retained in an aperture in a printed circuit board without the need for an additional fastener or fastening operation to insure retention of the contact within the aperture.
  • an electrical contact that includes a segmented lower section for insertion into an aperture contained in a printed circuit board.
  • the segmented lower section of the electrical contact includes an elastomeric insert which may be compressed only to a limited extent by the pressure exerted on the segmented section of the contact when the contact is forced into the aperture, and which limits the extent to which the lower segmented section of the contact can be compressed if forces applied to the electrical contact act to try to withdraw the contact from the aperture in the printed circuit board.
  • the elastomeric compound may be inserted in the lower segmented section of the electrical contact during manufacture of the contact.
  • the elastomeric compound insures controlled, limited compression of the segmented section of the electrical contact during insertion of the contact into the aperture in a printed circuit board and further prevents additional compression of the segmented lower section of the contact if forces applied to the electrical contact tend to withdraw the contact from the aperture in the printed circuit board.
  • Figure 1 shows a side view of a male electrical contact having an elastomeric retention insert.
  • the electrical contact which is generally shown at 10, includes an upper section 12 and a lower section 14.
  • Upper section 12 is designed to receive the female or male portion of a mating electrical connector or component (not shown) to effect electrical contact between the component and an electrical circuit attached to the lower portion of electrical contact 10.
  • Section 14 is intended to be inserted into an aperture contained in a printed circuit board 16.
  • Electrical contact 10 also includes a shoulder 17 which acts as a mechanical stop when the electrical contact 10 is received within the aperture contained in a printed circuit board.
  • Lower section 14 of electrical contact 10 includes two or more segmented fingers 18 that are designed to pass through and be partially received within an aperture in a printed circuit board.
  • the side wall of the aperture is plated to form an electrical connection with lower section 14 of the contact 10.
  • Figure 2 shows in the preferred embodiment four fingers arranged radially around the longitudinal axis 20 of electrical contact 10. While figure 2 illustrates four fingers 18, it is to be appreciated that any number of fingers can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed invention.
  • each finger 18 includes a rounded outer surface 22.
  • the major diameter "D" of the section 14 is designed to be slightly larger than the aperture into which the fingers 18 are to be received.
  • Spaces 26 are provided between each segmented finger 18 to permit movement of fingers 18 toward each other when the lower section 14 of an electrical contact is inserted into an aperture in a printed circuit board, and the fingers 18 compress toward each other as a result of lower section 14 entering an aperture whose diameter is smaller than diameter D of section 14.
  • the present invention minimizes the possibility of an electrical contact 10 being mechanically withdrawn from an aperture in the printed circuit board during disconnection of electrical circuits made to the contact 10 by providing an elastomeric insert 24 within the space between fingers 18.
  • the elastomeric compound is chosen to snugly fit within the space provided between fingers 18 prior to insertion of the contact 10 into an aperture in a printed circuit board.
  • the fingers 18 tend to compress toward each other.
  • the presence of the elastomeric insert 24 Within the space between fingers 18 minimizes the compression of the fingers 18 while the contact 10 is being inserted into an aperture.
  • Figure 3 illustrates that as a result of the compressive forces imparted on fingers 18 by pushing the contact 10 into an aperture of a printed circuit board, the insert 24 may partially deform and fill a portion of the voids 26 between adjacent fingers 18.
  • the material from which the elastomeric insert 24 is manufactured is selected to provide a press fit within the aperture 27 between fingers 18 and to provide minimum compression when fingers 18 are compressed into the elastomeric compound 24 during the insertion of a contact 10 into an aperture in a printed circuit board.
  • the elastomeric insert 24 may be manufactured from a silicone rubber that has both high heat and compression set resistance.
  • the elastomeric compound may be selected to have a minimum long term shrinkage factor under heat to insure that the elastomeric insert 24 continues to provide resistance to forces imposed on fingers 18 when electrical connections made to contact 10 are disconnected, throughout the anticipated lifetime of electrical contact 10.
  • the diameter of the material can be specified to control the forces acting on the fingers 18.
  • high temperature nitrile or other elastomerics may also be used as a suitable elastomeric insert 24.
  • Elastomeric insert 24 may be inserted between fingers 18 during manufacture of the electrical contact 10, preferably after the electrical contact has been plated with a low resistance, inert plating to insure long term low electrical resistance of the contact surfaces on fingers 18 and section 12 of contact 10.
  • Fixed lengths of a silicone cord for example, each 2/10ths inches long, can be cut to form inserts 24.
  • Inserts 24 may be mechanically placed within the space between fingers 18 and, by properly selecting the diameter of the insert 24 to snugly fit within aperture 27, the insert 24 can be retained within fingers 18 by a friction fit.
  • a controlled amount of adhesive may be used to retain the insert within aperture 27, to insure that the insert remains between fingers 18 prior to insertion of the contact 10 into an aperture in a printed circuit board.
  • fingers 18 can have barbs (not shown) formed on the internal surfaces facing into aperture 27 to grip the insert 24 when the insert is inserted into aperture 27.
  • an elastomeric insert 24 in combination with an electrical contact 10 provides various advantages over prior electrical contacts which either have to be mechanically fastened or electrically soldered to a printed circuit board to insure that they would not be pulled out of the aperture in a printed circuit board due to repeated mechanical connections and disconnections made to the contact. These advantages include eliminating the need for a secondary operation by customers using the contact to add fastening means to mechanically fasten the contact to a printed circuit board, and the ability to insert the contact into a larger aperture on the printed circuit board with lower tolerance being required for the aperture, thereby facilitating automatic mechanical insertion of the contact into a printed circuit board.
  • While a preferred embodiment is disclosed as having elastomeric insert 24 inserted between fingers 18, it is also possible to manufacture an electrical contact having the features of the invention by injecting an elastomeric compound into the apertures between fingers 18 and allowing the elastomeric compound to cure prior to inserting the electrical contact into the aperture of a printed circuit board.
  • the cure process should be completed before the elastomeric compound escapes from the central aperture between fingers 18 and the voids 26 between adjacent fingers 18 to avoid having elastomeric compound adversely affect the low resistance connection between surfaces 22 of fingers 18 and the side walls of the aperture in the printed circuit board.

Landscapes

  • Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
EP00109371A 1999-05-03 2000-05-02 Contact électrique ayant un insert en élastomère Withdrawn EP1050928A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US30385199A 1999-05-03 1999-05-03
US303851 1999-05-03

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1050928A1 true EP1050928A1 (fr) 2000-11-08

Family

ID=23173988

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP00109371A Withdrawn EP1050928A1 (fr) 1999-05-03 2000-05-02 Contact électrique ayant un insert en élastomère

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1050928A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102005023977A1 (de) * 2005-05-20 2006-11-23 Sew-Eurodrive Gmbh & Co. Kg Stift, Vorrichtung und Verfahren
CN110071385A (zh) * 2019-03-29 2019-07-30 番禺得意精密电子工业有限公司 电连接器

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4548450A (en) * 1984-05-29 1985-10-22 Gte Communication Systems Corporation Terminal pin securing arrangement
DE29704161U1 (de) * 1997-03-07 1997-05-07 FCT Electronic GmbH, 81829 München Kontaktelement

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4548450A (en) * 1984-05-29 1985-10-22 Gte Communication Systems Corporation Terminal pin securing arrangement
DE29704161U1 (de) * 1997-03-07 1997-05-07 FCT Electronic GmbH, 81829 München Kontaktelement

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102005023977A1 (de) * 2005-05-20 2006-11-23 Sew-Eurodrive Gmbh & Co. Kg Stift, Vorrichtung und Verfahren
DE102005023977B4 (de) * 2005-05-20 2007-11-29 Sew-Eurodrive Gmbh & Co. Kg Vorrichtung und Verfahren zum Herstellen einer Vorrichtung
CN110071385A (zh) * 2019-03-29 2019-07-30 番禺得意精密电子工业有限公司 电连接器

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