WO2015092742A1

WO2015092742A1 - Electrical connector with two spring arms, having a separator which opens or widens the spring arms, to ease the entrance of the mating connector.

Info

Publication number: WO2015092742A1
Application number: PCT/IB2014/067088
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hua Li; Chao Ye; Zhigui GAO
Original assignee: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; Tyco Electronics Uk Ltd
Priority date: 2013-12-19
Filing date: 2014-12-18
Publication date: 2015-06-25
Also published as: CN104733919B; CN104733919A; TW201539891A; TWI645631B

Abstract

An electrical connector, comprising: a housing; a pair of contacts provided in the housing, each contact comprising an elastic terminal configured to electrically contact an insertion terminal of a mate connector; and a separator configured to be moveable between a first position, in which two elastic terminals of the pair of contacts are separated by the separator so that the insertion terminal is inserted between the two elastic terminals in an inserting direction, and a second position, in which the separator withdraws from between the two elastic terminals so that the two elastic terminals move close to each other and clamp the inserting terminal.

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH TWO SPRING ARMS, HAVING A SEPARATOR WHICH OPENS OR WIDENS THE SPRING ARMS, TO EASE THE ENTRANCE OF THE MATING CONNECTOR.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 201310703143.4 filed on December 19, 2013 in the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and more

particularly, relates to a female power connector or a receptacle power connector for supplying electric power.

Description of the Related Art

So far, electric power is supplied to an electrical apparatus generally by mating a male connector and a female connector. Since a size tolerance is unavoidable during manufacturing and assembling, it is difficut to ensure that a plug of the male connector is centerally inserted in an port of the female connector. Thereby, the port of the female connector is required to provide an enough large floating space for the plug of the male connector, so that the plug of the male connector can be easily inserted into the port of the female connector.

Meanwhile, in order to protect components of the connectors from being damaged or failed, it is also necessary to reduce a force of inserting the plug of the male connector into the port of the female connector.

Unfortunately, electrical connectors in the prior arts do not satisfy the requirements on providing the large floating space and reducing the inserting force.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the above and other problem and disadvantages.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved electrical connector capable of providing a large floating space and reducing an inserting force during mating a male connector and a female connector. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector, comprising: a housing; a pair of contacts provided in the housing, each contact comprising an elastic terminal configured to electrically contact an insertion terminal of a mate connector; and a separator configured to be moveable between a first position, in which two elastic terminals of the pair of contacts are separated by the separator so that the insertion terminal is inserted between the two elastic terminals in an inserting direction, and a second position, in which the separator is withdrawn from between the two elastic terminals so that the two elastic terminals move close to each other and clamp the inserting terminal.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the separator may comprises a body, a first separating portion extending from one end of the body in a direction opposite to the inserting direction, and a pushing portion provided on the other end of the body opposite to the one end; the first separating portion may be configured to separate the two elastic terminals in the first position, and the separator may be driven to move between the first position and the second position by pushing and pulling the pushing portion.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pushing portion is configured to prevent the separator from further being moved in the direction opposite to the inserting direction when the separator is in the first position.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connector may further comprise: a clamping device comprising a pair of clamping arms configured to clamp the two elastic terminals, so as to hold an electrical contact between the two elastic terminals and the insertion terminal.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the separator may further comprise a second separating portion provided on the body, and the second separating portion is configured to drive the pair of clamping arms to move far away from each other when the separator in the first position.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second separating portion may be further configured to drive the pair of clamping arms to move far away from each other before the two elastic terminals is separated by the first separating portion during movement of the separator from the second position to the first position.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first separating portion may be further configured to drive the pair of clamping arms to move far away from each other before the second separating portion contacts the pair of clamping arms during movement of the separator from the second position to the first position.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second separating portion may have a size larger than that of the first separating portion in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connector may further comprise a base plate electrically connected to the pair of contacts. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, each contact may further comprise a first U-shaped portion comprising a first arm and a second arm, the first arm is fixed on the base plate, and each elastic terminal extends from the respective second arm in the direction opposite to the inserting direction.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the clamping device may further comprise a second U-shaped portion and a pair of narrow portions located between the second U-shaped portion and the pair of clamping arms, the second U-shaped portion comprises a pair of sidewalls and a rear wall between the pair of sidewalls, and each narrowed portion extends and is gradually tapered from one of the pair of sidewalls to the respective clamping arm.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a first slit may be formed in the rear wall to allow the body to partly move therethrough.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pushing portion may be configured to abut against an outer surface of the rear wall when the separator is in the first position.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a stopper may be provided on the body and configured to abut against an inner surface of the rear wall to prevent the separator from being further moved in the inserting direction when the separator is in the second position.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a second slit may be formed in each second arm, and the body and the first separating portion at least partly move through the second slit when the separator is moved between the first position and the second position.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first slit and the second slit may be located in the same plane, and the clamping device may be supported on the pair of contacts by means of the separator passing through the first and second slits and the pair of clamping arms exerting a clamping force on the pair of contacts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. lA is an illustrative perspective view of an electrical connector in an initial state, when viewed from a rear side thereof, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. IB is an illustrative perspective view of the electrical connector of Fig. lA when viewed from a front side thereof;

Fig.2A is an illustrative perspective view of the electrical connector of Fig. lA when viewed from the front side thereof, in which a housing of the electrical connector is removed;

Fig.2B is an illustrative perspective view of the electrical connector of Fig.1 A when viewed from the rear side thereof, in which a housing of the electrical connector is removed;

Fig.2C is an illustrative cross section view of the electrical connector of Fig.2B taken along a plane where a separator is located;

Fig.3 is an illustrative perspective view showing a mating state after an insertion terminal of a mate connector is inserted into the electrical connector shown in Fig. lA;

Fig.4A is an illustrative perspective view of the electrical connector of Fig.3 when viewed from the front side thereof, in which a housing of the electrical connector is removed;

Fig.4B is an illustrative perspective view of the electrical connector of Fig.3 when viewed from the rear side thereof, in which a housing of the electrical connector is removed;

Fig.4C is an illustrative cross section view of the electrical connector of Fig.4B taken along a plane where a separator is located;

Fig.4D is an illustrative perspective view of the electrical connector of Fig.3 when viewed from the front side thereof, in which a housing and a clamping device of the electrical connector are removed;

Fig.5 is an illustrative perspective view showing a state after separating the insertion terminal of the mate connector from the electrical connector shown in Fig. lA;

Fig.6 A is an illustrative perspective view of the electrical connector of Fig.5 when viewed from the front side thereof, in which a housing of the electrical connector is removed;

Fig.6B is an illustrative perspective view of the electrical connector of Fig.5 when viewed from the front side thereof, in which the housing and the clamping device of the electrical connector are removed;

Fig.6C is an illustrative cross section view of the electrical connector of Fig.6B taken along a plane where a separator is located; and

Figs.7A-7C illustrate the process of mating and separating the electrical connector and the mate connector, wherein Fig.7A shows the electrical connector in the initial state, Fig.7B shows the electrical connector in the mating state, and Fig.7C shows a state of separating the insertion terminal of the mate connector from the electrical connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE IVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed

embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

According to a general concept of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector, comprising: a housing; a pair of contacts provided in the housing, each contact comprising an elastic terminal configured to electrically contact an insertion terminal of a mate connector; and a separator configured to be moveable between a first position, in which two elastic terminals of the pair of contacts are separated by the separator so that the insertion terminal is inserted between the two elastic terminals in an inserting direction, and a second position, in which the separator is withdrawn from between the two elastic terminals so that the two elastic terminals move close to each other and clamp the inserting terminal.

Figs.1 A and IB show an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment, the electrical connector 1000 may be a female or a receptacle power connector for mating with a mate connector, such as a male or a plug power connector, so as to supply electric power to an electrical apparatus.

As shown in Figs.1 A and IB, the electrical connector 1000 comprises a housing 1 100 and a pair of contacts 1200 provided in the housing 1 100. The pair of contacts 1200 may be electrically connected to a base plate 1500 (see Fig.2B), and the base plate 1500 may be fixed on the electrical apparatus by screws. Each contact 1200 comprises an elastic terminal 1210 configured to electrically contact an insertion terminal FT (see Fig.3 and Fig.7B) of a mate connector (not shown). The electrical connector further comprises a separator 1300. The separator 1300 is configured to be moveable between a first position, in which two elastic terminals 1210 of the pair of contacts 1200 are separated by the separator 1300 so that the insertion terminal FT is inserted between the two elastic terminals 1210 in an inserting direction R, and a second position, in which the separator 1300 is withdrawn from between the two elastic terminals 1210 so that the two elastic terminals 1210 move close to each other and clamp the inserting terminal FT. Generally, the housing 1 100 is made of insulation material, for example, plastic, by injection molding. The elastic conduct 1210 is made of elastic conductive material, for example, a metal sheet, by mould pressing.

Figs.2A-2C show the electrical connector 1000 in an initial state, in which the separator 1300 is in the first position. In the initial state, the two elastic terminals 1210 of the electrical connector are separated by the separator 1300 to form a space for receiving the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector. In an example, as shown in Fig.2A and Fig.2B, each contact 1200 comprises a first U-shaped portion 1220, and the first U-shaped portion 1220 comprises a first arm 1221 and a second arm 1222. The first arm 1221 extends downward to be electrically connected to the base plate 1500. Each elastic terminal 1210 extends from the respective second arm 1222 in a direction opposite to the inserting direction R (see Fig.3). The two elastic terminals 1210 face to each other and tend to move close to each other by means of their elastic force or by means of a clamping device (which will be described later), so as to tightly clamp and reliably electrically contact the insertion terminal FT.

As shown in Figs.2A-2C, in an exemplary embodiment, the separator 1300 comprises a first separating portion 1310. The first separating portion 131 Oi s configured to separate the two elastic terminals 1210 when the separator 1300 is in the first position (shown in Fig.2C) or when the separator 1300 is moved from the second position (shown in Figs.7B and 7C) to the first position. In this way, an inserting force required to insert the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector can be reduced, for example, the inserting force may be reduced to 10Lbs~15Lbs (pounds). Consequently, damage to electrical components and electrical connection fault, which are caused due to a large inserting force in the prior art connectors, can be effectively avoided.

In addition, since an enough large gap is formed between the two elastic terminals 1210 by the separator 1300, the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector can be easily inserted between the elastic terminals 1210 of the electrical connector 1000, even in a case where the inserting direction R of the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector is slightly offset from a center axis of the gap (or is not centered) between the two elastic terminals 1210 due to a size tolerance generated during manufacturing and assembling. In other words, a floating space for receiving the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector is formed in the electrical connector 1000 by means of the separator 1300, for example, it can permit an offset distance within ±1.4mm for the insertion terminal.

In an exemplary embodiment, the separator 1300 may further comprise a body 1330 having, for example, a substantially plate shape. The first separating 1310 extends from one end of the body 1330 in the direction opposite to the inserting direction R. The first separating 1310 may have a tip end that can be easily inserted between the elastic terminals 1210. A pushing portion (or referred as a handle) 1320 may be provided on the other end of the body 1330 opposite to the one end. The separator 1300 is driven to move between the first position and the second position by means of the pushing portion 1320. As it will be described later, the pushing portion 1320 may be configured to prevent the separator 1300 from being further moved in the direction opposite to the inserting direction R when the separator 1300 is in the first position.

As described above, the electrical connector 1000 may further comprise a clamping device 1400. As shown in Fig.2B, the clamping device 1400 comprises a pair of clamping arms 1430. The pair of clamping arms 1430 is configured to clamp the two elastic terminals 1210, so as to hold an electrical contact between the two elastic terminals 1210 and the insertion terminal FT. In this case, even if the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector inserted into the electrical connector 1000 is not centered in the electrical connector 1000 due to the size tolerance, a good electrical contact between the two connectors can also be achieved by clamping the two elastic terminals 1210 with the clamping device 1400. As shown in Fig.6A, a plurality of grooves 1211 may be formed in an outer surface of each elastic terminal 1210. Correspondingly, a plurality of protrusions 1431 may be formed on an end of the respective clamping arm 1430. In this way, the protrusions 1431 may be engaged in the grooves 1211 and can slide in the grooves 1211 during the two elastic terminals 1210 move close to or far away from each other. Consequently, the two elastic terminals 1210 are always clamped by the clamping device 1400, even in the case where the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector is offset.

The body 1330 may be provided with a second separating portion 1331. The second separating portion 1331 is configured to drive the pair of clamping arms 1430 to move far away from each other when the separator 1300 in the first position. In this way, the force required to insert the insertion terminal of the mate connector can be further reduced. As shown in Fig.2C, the body 1330 may have a substantially rectangle plate shape. A shoulder may be formed, as the second separating portion 1331 or a part thereof, between the first separating portion 1310 and the second separating portion 1331.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second separating portion 1331 is configured to drive the pair of clamping arms 1430 to move far away from each other before the two elastic terminals 1210 is separated by the first separating portion 1310 when the separator 1300 is moved from the second position to the first position. With this configuration, it can reduce a resistance force when separating the two elastic terminals 1210. The present invention, however, is not limited to this, and the second separating portion 1331 may be configured to drive the pair of clamping arms 1430 to move far away from each other at the same time when or after the two elastic terminals 1210 is separated by the first separating portion 1310 during movement of the separator 1300 from the second position to the first position.

In addition, the first separating portion 1310 may configured to drive the pair of clamping arms 1430 to move far away from each other before the second separating portion 1331 contacts the pair of clamping arms 1430 when the separator 1300 is moved from the second position to the first position. In an example, the second separating portion 1331 has a size larger than that of the first separating portion 1310 in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction R. In this case, during returning the two elastic terminals 1210 from a closed state (see Fig.7C) to the initial state (see Fig.7A), the separator 1300 is pushed to move in the direction opposite to the inserting direction R, the first separating portion 1310 having the smaller size firstly contacts and drives the pair of clamping arms 1430 of the clamping device 1400 to separate far away from each other, then the second separating portion 1331 drives the pair of clamping arms 1430 of the clamping device 1400 to further separate far away from each other, and the first separating portion 1310 drives the two elastic terminals 1210 to separate far away from each other, so as to form the space for receiving the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector.

Referring to Fig.2B again, the clamping device 1400 is formed in whole as a substantially U-shaped member. The clamping device 1400 may further comprise a second U-shaped portion 1410 and, a pair of narrowed portions 1420 located between the second U-shaped portion 1410 and the pair of clamping arms 1430. The second U-shaped portion 1410 comprises a pair of sidewalls and a rear wall 1411 between the pair of sidewalls. Each narrowed portion 1420 extends and is gradually tapered from one of the sidewalls to a respective clamping arm 1430. The clamping device 1400 is also provided in the housing 1100 and encloses most of the pair of contacts 1200 to clamp the elastic terminals 1210.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a first slit or slot 1412 is formed in the rear wall 1411. The body 1330 of the separator 1300 passes through the first slit 1412. In this way, the separator 1300 is allowed to partly move through the first slit 1412 when the separator 1300 is moved between the first position and the second position. In this case, the pushing portion 1320 of the separator 1300 is configured to abut against an outer surface of the rear wall 1411 when the separator 1300 is in the first position, so as to prevent the separator 1300 from being further moved in the direction opposite to the inserting direction R. For example, the pushing portion 1320 may be a portion extending from the body 1330 in a direction substantially parallel to the outer surface of the rear wall 1411. In this case, the body 1330 exhibits a substantially L-shape.

In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in Fig.2C, a stopper 1340 may be provided on the body 1330. The stopper 1340 is configured to abut against an inner surface of the rear wall 1411 to prevent the separator 1300 from being further moved in the inserting direction R when the separator 1300 is in the second position, so as to prevent the separator 1300 from falling off the clamping device 1400. For example, the stopper 1340 may be a protruding portion formed on the surface of the body 1330.

As shown in Fig.4D and Fig.6B, a second slit 1223 may be formed in each second arm 1222 of each contact 1200. The body 1330 and the first separating portion 1310 of the separator 1300 at least partly move through the second slits 1223 to separate the two elastic terminals 1210 when the separator 1300 is moved between the first position and the second position, thereby facilitating separation or clamping of the two elastic terminals 1210. In an embodiment, in order to facilitate the movement of the separator 1300, the second slit 1223 may be formed in a portion of the first U-shaped portion 1220 except for the first arm 1221. The first slit 1412 and the second slits 1223 are located in the same plane. With this configuration, the clamping device 1400 is supported on the pair of contacts 1200 by means of the separator 1300 passing through the first and second slits 1412, 1223 and by a clamping force exerted by the pair of clamping arms 1430 on the pair of contacts 1200.

The structure of the electrical connector 1000 according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been described above in detail. But, it should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the present invention is not limited to the above exemplary embodiments.

Hereafter, mating operation between the electrical connector and the mate connector will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figs. lA-2C and Fig.7A show an electrical connector 1000 in an initial state according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figs. lA-2C and Fig.7A, when the electrical connector 1000 is in the initial state, the separator 1300 has been moved to the first position by means of the pushing portion 1320. At this time, the two elastic terminals 1210 of the electrical connector 1000 have been separated far away from each other by the first separating portion 1310, and the two clamping arms 1430 of the clamping device 1400 have been separated far away from each other by the second separating portion 1331. In this way, the insertion force for inserting the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector can be reduced. In addition, the pushing portion 1320 abuts against the rear wall 1411 of the clamping device 1400 to prevent the separator 1300 from being further moved in the direction opposite to the inserting direction R.

Figs.3-4D and Fig.7B show a mating state where the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector is inserted into the electrical connector 1000. During converting the electrical connector 1000 from the initial state to the mating state, the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector is inserted between the two elastic terminals 1210 in the inserting direction R, and then pushes the separator 1300 (for example, abuts against the tip end of the first separating portion 1310) to move in the inserting direction R. In this way, the first separating portion 1310 is moved or withdrawn in the inserting direction R so as to be out of contact with the two elastic terminals 1210, so that the two elastic terminals 1210 can move close to each other to clamp and contact the insertion terminal FT. At the same time, the second separating portion 1331 slides over the inner surface of the clamping arms 1430 in the inserting direction R. Thereafter, the separator 1300 is pulled in the inserting direction R, so that the first separating portion 1310 and the body 1330 comprising the second separating portion 1331 partly move through the second slit 1223. In this way, the two elastic terminals 1210 are not prevented from being moved close to each other and being clamped by the clamping arms 1430.

In the mating state shown in Fig.7B, the two elastic terminals 1210 tightly contact the insertion terminal FT by means of the clamping arms 1430, and a reliable electrical connection is formed between the electrical connector 1000 and the mate connector. At this time, the first separating portion 1310 of the separator 1300 may be partly located between the pair of clamping arms 1430, or partly located between the two second arms 1222 of the pair of contacts 1200 and does not exert a force on the contacts 1200. At this time, the second separating portion 1331 of the separator 1300 does not exert a force on the clamping arms 1430, either. For example, the second separating portion 1331 may be located between the narrowed portions 1420 or in the second U-shaped portions 1410. At this time, the pushing portion 1320 of the separator 1300 has been moved far away from the rear wall 141 1 of the clamping device 1400, and the stopper 1340 of the separator 1300 abuts against the inner surface of the rear wall 141 1 to prevent the separator 1300 from being further moved in the inserting direction R.

Figs.5-6C and Fig.7C show a state where the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector is separated from the electrical connector 1000. In this state, the separator 1300 is in the second position, and there is no any obstacle between the two elastic terminals 1210 of the contacts 1200, thereby the two elastic terminals 1210 contact with each other by the clamping force provided by the clamping arms 1430, for example, two front ends of the two elastic terminals 1210 are crossed, so as to prevent the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector from being accidentally inserted therebetween. At this time, the first separating portion 1310 and the body 1330 comprising the second separating portion 1331 partly move through the second slits 1223, so as not to interfere with the two elastic terminals 1210 from be moved close to each other and being clamped by the clamping arms 1430. In addition, the second separating portion 133 1 of the separator 1300 does not exert a force on the clamping device 1400 for separating the pair of clamping arms 1430, either. As shown in Fig.7C, the first separating portion 1310 may be partly located between the pair of clamping arms 1430, so that the first separating portion 1310 can firstly separate the pair of clamping arms 1430 and then separate the two elastic terminals 1210 once the electrical connector 1000 needs to be returned to the initial state.

On the contrary, when it needs to return the electrical connector 1000 from the state shown in Fig.7C to the initial state shown in Fig.7A, that is, during moving the separator 1300 from the second position to the first position, as described above, the separator 1300 is driven to move in the direction opposite to the inserting direction R, the first separating portion 1310 firstly contacts and drives the pair of clamping arms 1430 of the clamping device 1400 to separate far away from each other, and then the second separating portion 1331 drives the pair of clamping arms 1430 of the clamping device 1400 to further separate far away from each other, and the first separating portion 1310 drives the two elastic terminals 1210 to separate far away from each other, so as to form the space for receiving the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector.

As described above, since the electrical connector of the present invention is provided with the separator for separating the two elastic terminals, the insertion force for inserting the insertion terminal FT of the mate connector can be reduced, for example, the insertion force may be reduced to 10Lbs~15Lbs. Consequently, damage to electrical components and electrical connection fault, which are caused due to a large inserting force in the prior art connectors, can be effectively avoided.

In addition, since an enough large gap can be formed between the two elastic terminals by the separator, the insertion terminal of the mate connector can be easily inserted between the elastic terminals of the electrical connector, even in a case where the inserting direction of the insertion terminal of the mate connector is slightly offset from a center axis of the gap (or is not centered) between the two elastic terminals 1210 due to a size tolerance generated during manufacturing and assembling. In other words, a floating space for receiving the insertion terminal of the mate connector is formed in the electrical connector by means of the separator, for example, it can permit an offset distance within ±1.4 mm for the insertion terminal.

It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.

Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word "a" or "an" should be understood as not excluding plural of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to "one embodiment" of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments "comprising" or "having" an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.

Claims

What is claimed is,

1. An electrical connector (1000), comprising:

a housing (1100);

a pair of contacts (1200) provided in the housing (1100), each contact (1200) comprising an elastic terminal (1210) configured to electrically contact an insertion terminal (FT) of a mate connector; and

a separator (1300) configured to be moveable between a first position, in which two elastic terminals (1210) of the pair of contacts (1200) are separated by the separator (1300) so that the insertion terminal (FT) is inserted between the two elastic terminals (1210) in an inserting direction (R), and a second position, in which the separator (1300) is withdrawn from between the two elastic terminals (1210) so that the two elastic terminals (1210) move close to each other and clamp the inserting terminal (FT).

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1,

wherein the separator (1300) comprising:

a body (1330);

a first separating portion (1310) extending from one end of the body (1330) in a direction opposite to the inserting direction (R); and

a pushing portion (1320) provided on the other end of the body (1330) opposite to the one end,

wherein the first separating portion (1310) is configured to separate the two elastic terminals (1210) in the first position, and

wherein the separator (1300) is driven to move between the first position and the second position by pushing and pulling the pushing portion (1320).

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2,

wherein the pushing portion (1320) is configured to prevent the separator (1300) from further being moved in the direction opposite to the inserting direction (R) when the separator (1300) is in the first position.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, further comprising:

a clamping device (1400) comprising a pair of clamping arms (1430) configured to clamp the two elastic terminals (1210), so as to hold an electrical contact between the two elastic terminals (1210) and the insertion terminal (FT).

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4,

wherein the separator (1300) further comprises a second separating portion (1331) provided on the body (1330), and wherein the second separating portion (1331) is configured to drive the pair of clamping arms (1430) to move far away from each other when the separator (1300) in the first position.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 5,

wherein the second separating portion (1331) is further configured to drive the pair of clamping arms (1430) to move far away from each other before the two elastic terminals (1210) are separated by the first separating portion (1310) during movement of the separator (1300) from the second position to the first position.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 6,

wherein the first separating portion (1310) is further configured to drive the pair of clamping arms (1430) to move far away from each other before the second separating portion (1331) contacts the pair of clamping arms (1430) during movement of the separator (1300) from the second position to the first position.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 6 or 7,

wherein the second separating portion (1331) has a size larger than that of the first separating portion (1310) in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction (R).

9. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1-7, further comprising a base plate (1500) electrically connected to the pair of contacts (1200).

10. The electrical connector according to claim 9,

wherein each contact (1200) further comprises a first U-shaped portion (1220) comprising a first arm (1221) and a second arm (1222),

wherein the first arm (1221) is fixed on the base plate (1500), and

wherein each elastic terminal (1210) extends from the respective second arm (1222) in the direction opposite to the inserting direction (R).

11. The electrical connector according to claim 10,

wherein the clamping device (1400) further comprises a second U-shaped portion (1410) and a pair of narrowed portions (1420) located between the second U-shaped portion (1410) and the pair of clamping arms (1430),

wherein the second U-shaped portion (1410) comprises a pair of sidewalls and a rear wall (1411) between the pair of sidewalls, and

wherein each narrowed portion (1420) extends and is gradually tapered from one of the pair of sidewalls to the respective clamping arm.

12. The electrical connector according to claim 11,

wherein a first slit (1412) is formed in the rear wall (1411) to allow the body (1330) to partly move therethrough.

13. The electrical connector according to claim 11,

wherein the pushing portion (1320) is configured to abut against an outer surface of the rear wall (1411) when the separator (1300) is in the first position.

14. The electrical connector according to claim 11,

wherein a stopper (1340) is provided on the body (1330) and configured to abut against an inner surface of the rear wall (1411) to prevent the separator (1300) from being further moved in the inserting direction (R) when the separator (1300) is in the second position.

15. The electrical connector according to claim 12,

wherein a second slit (1223) is formed in each second arm, and

wherein the body (1330) and the first separating portion (1310) at least partly move through the second slits (1223) when the separator (1300) is moved between the first position and the second position.

16. The electrical connector according to claim 15,

wherein the first slit (1412) and the second slit (1223) are located in the same plane, and wherein the clamping device (1400) is supported on the pair of contacts (1200) by means of the separator (1300) passing through the first and second slits (1412, 1223) and by a clamping force exerted by the pair of clamping arms (1430) on the pair of contacts (1200).