Connector device with connector and assembly method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10424857-B2
Application number	US-201815949433-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2018
Priority date	Apr 21, 2017
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

A connector is disclosed comprising at least one contact clip. The contact clip comprises an electrically conductive substrate having a longitudinal axis, a first terminal located at a first end of the substrate, wherein the first terminal comprises at least two contact tongues between which a longitudinal slot is formed, which contact tongues are elastically deformable with respect to each other in a first direction which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a second terminal located at a second end of the substrate. The connector may further comprise a chassis and a PCB. In addition, a device comprising an energy consumer, an electrical energy source, a PCB and at least one connector is disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector comprising at least one contact clip, the contact clip comprising:
an electrically conductive substrate having a longitudinal axis,
at least one lateral guiding rib extending substantially perpendicular to the substrate,
a first terminal located at a first end of the substrate, wherein the first terminal comprises at least two contact tongues between which a longitudinal slot is formed, which contact tongues are elastically deformable with respect to each other in a first direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and
a second terminal located at a second end of the substrate, wherein in its unstressed condition, the second terminal is bent with respect to the substrate and the first terminal and is elastically deformable with respect to the substrate in a second direction which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

2. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the contact clip further comprises at least one elastically deformable lug which, in its unstressed condition, is bent with respect to the substrate.

3. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate, the first terminal and the second terminal of the contact clip are a single-piece component part comprising copper or a copper alloy.

4. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the contact tongues of the first terminal have a thickness between about 0.1 mm and about 0.35 mm.

5. A connector comprising at least one contact clip and a chassis,
wherein the at least one contact clip comprises:
an electrically conductive substrate having a longitudinal axis,
a first terminal located at a first end of the substrate, wherein the first terminal comprises at least two contact tongues between which a longitudinal slot is formed, which contact tongues are elastically deformable with respect to each other in a first direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and
a second terminal located at a second end of the substrate, wherein in its unstressed condition, the second terminal is bent with respect to the substrate and the first terminal and is elastically deformable with respect to the substrate in a second direction which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
wherein the chassis comprises:
a first area adapted for attachment of a PCB, the first area comprising at least one slotted male plug, and
a second area adapted for attachment of at least one electronic component, wherein the first terminal of the at least one contact clip is received in the slot of the at least one male plug.

6. The connector according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one male plug has the form of a slotted cylinder or a slotted round pipe, wherein the slot formed in the male plug extends in a plane defined by a central longitudinal axis of the male plug and an axis substantially perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis.

7. The connector according to claim 5 , wherein the slot formed in the male plug has a width which is equal to or larger than the thickness of the first terminal of the at least one contact clip.

8. The connector according to claim 5 , wherein the chassis further comprises a guiding channel receiving the substrate and the at least one lateral guiding rib of the at least one contact clip.

9. The connector according to claim 5 , wherein the first area further comprises at least one positioning pin extending parallel to the at least one slotted male plug.

10. The connector according to claim 5 , wherein the second area comprises a compartment for receiving an electric motor and a compartment for receiving an energy storage.

11. The connector according to claim 5 , wherein the first area comprises six slotted male plugs, each receiving the first terminal of a respective one of the at least one contact clips, and that the second area comprises:
a first compartment for receiving an electric motor, with the second terminals of two contact clips extending in the first compartment, and
a second compartment for receiving an energy storage, with the second terminals of another two contact clips extending in the second compartment,
wherein the second terminals of two further contact clips are positioned at a lateral side of the chassis.

12. The connector according to claim 5 , further comprising a PCB releasably attached to the first area of the chassis, wherein the PCB comprises at least one plated-through opening receiving one of the at least one slotted male plugs of the chassis and the contact tongues of the first terminal of one of the at least one contact clips.

13. The connector according to claim 12 , wherein the plated-through opening has a diameter in the direction of the slot of the one male plug which is smaller than the maximum width of the first terminal received in the respective plated-through opening.

14. The connector according to claim 12 , wherein the plated-through opening has a diameter in the direction substantially perpendicular to the slot of the one male plug which is smaller than the maximum width of the one male plug received in the respective plated-through opening.

15. A body treatment device comprising an energy consumer, an electrical energy source, a PCB and at least one connector according to claim 1 .

16. Assembly method for a connector comprising the steps of:
providing a chassis, an at least one contact clip and a PCB, wherein the at least one contact clip comprises:
an electrically conductive substrate having a longitudinal axis,
a first terminal located at a first end of the substrate, wherein the first terminal comprises at least two contact tongues between which a longitudinal slot is formed, which contact tongues are elastically deformable with respect to each other in a first direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and
a second terminal located at a second end of the substrate, wherein in its unstressed condition, the second terminal is bent with respect to the substrate and the first terminal and is elastically deformable with respect to the substrate in a second direction which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
wherein the chassis comprises:
a first area adapted for attachment of a PCB, the first area comprising at least one slotted male plug, and
a second area adapted for attachment of at least one electronic component,
preassembling the chassis and the at least one contact clip by inserting the first terminal of the at least one contact clip into a slot of the at least one male plug of the chassis such that the at least two contact tongues of the first terminal laterally protrude from the at least one male plug in a first direction, and
releasably attaching the PCB on a first area of the chassis by inserting at least one slotted male plug into a plated-through opening of the PCB, wherein an elastic clamping force is generated between the PCB and the at least one contact clip by elastic deformation of the at least two contact tongues of the first terminal in the first direction.

17. The assembly method of claim 16 , further comprising inserting the chassis, the at least one contact clip and the PCB into a housing so as to be fitted therein such that non release of the PCB from the chassis is secured.

Assignees

• Braun Gmbh

Inventors

• Erndt Andreas
• Steghaus Michael
• Langsdorf Jan Christian
• Klemm Torsten

Classifications

• A61C17/16 Primary

  Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices · CPC title

• H01R12/585

  Terminals having a press fit or a compliant portion and a shank passing through a hole in the printed circuit board · CPC title

• H01R13/26

  Pin or blade contacts for sliding co-operation on one side only {(for modular jack type connectors H01R24/62)} · CPC title

• H01R13/052

  co-operating with sockets having a circular transverse section · CPC title

• H01R13/2442

  with a single cantilevered beam · CPC title