Contact of an electrical connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10622745-B2
Application number	US-201816117464-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2018
Priority date	Sep 1, 2017
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

A contact for an electrical connector is formed of a single piece of stamped and bent sheet metal. The contact includes a body having a base, a limit stop, and a latching tongue connected to the body at the base and having a free end opposite the base. The latching tongue is spaced apart from the limit stop in a resting position of the latching tongue and the latching tongue abuts the limit stop in a deflected position of the latching tongue.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A contact for an electrical connector formed of a single piece of stamped and bent sheet metal, the contact comprising:
a body having a base;
a limit stop; and
a latching tongue connected to the body at the base and having a free end opposite the base, at least one of the latching tongue and the limit stop includes an embossing elongating the at least one of the latching tongue and the limit stop, the latching tongue is spaced apart from the limit stop in a resting position of the latching tongue and the latching tongue abuts the limit stop in a deflected position of the latching tongue.

2. The contact of claim 1 , wherein the latching tongue includes the embossing elongating the latching tongue in a direction away from the base to form an overlap at which the latching tongue abuts the limit stop.

3. The contact of claim 1 , wherein the limit stop includes the embossing elongating the limit stop in a direction toward the base to form an overlap at which the latching tongue abuts the limit stop.

4. The contact of claim 2 , wherein the latching tongue includes a plurality of embossings.

5. The contact of claim 2 , wherein the embossing is elongated in a direction parallel to the base.

6. The contact of claim 2 , wherein the embossing has a straight side and an inclined side, the inclined side having a smaller inclination than the straight side with respect to an embossed surface of the latching tongue in which the embossing is disposed.

7. The contact of claim 1 , wherein the latching tongue has a stiffening feature.

8. The contact of claim 1 , wherein the limit stop protrudes from the body toward the base.

9. The contact of claim 1 , wherein, in the deflected position of the latching tongue, the free end of the latching tongue abuts the limit stop.

10. The contact of claim 1 , wherein the limit stop is formed by a bent flap.

11. The contact of claim 1 , further comprising a support bent underneath the limit stop.

12. The contact of claim 11 , wherein the limit stop is disposed between the support and the latching tongue in the deflected position of the latching tongue.

13. The contact of claim 1 , wherein the limit stop is shifted with respect to the body in a direction facing away from the latching tongue.

14. The contact of claim 1 , wherein the body has a cuboid section and the latching tongue is arranged in the cuboid section.

15. The contact of claim 14 , wherein the latching tongue extends obliquely away from an interior of the cuboid section and the limit stop is arranged between the latching tongue and the interior.

16. A method for manufacturing a contact from sheet metal, comprising:
forming a latching tongue from a single piece of the sheet metal, the latching tongue remaining attached to a body of the single piece of the sheet metal by a base;
forming a limit stop for the latching tongue from the single piece of the sheet metal, the limit stop overlapping the latching tongue; and
embossing at least one of the latching tongue and the limit stop to elongate the at least one of the latching tongue and the limit stop.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of forming the latching tongue includes severing the latching tongue from the limit stop.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics France Sas
• Tyco Electronics Belgium Ec Bv
• Te Connectivity India Private Ltd

Inventors

• Rouillard Xavier
• Dossche Lieven
• Shettar Vinayakumar

Classifications

• H01R13/428

  by resilient locking means on the contact members; by locking means on resilient contact members · CPC title

• H01R43/16

  for manufacturing contact members, e.g. by punching and by bending · CPC title

• H01R13/114

  co-operating with pins or blades having a square transverse section · CPC title

• H01R13/02 Primary

  Contact members · CPC title

• H01R13/11

  Resilient sockets (carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15) · CPC title