Power connector assembly for a communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10756500-B2
Application number	US-201815933955-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2018
Priority date	Nov 28, 2016
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

A power connector assembly includes a power rail having a power supply circuit being configured to be mounted within an equipment cabinet and a sliding power connector configured to be terminated to a host circuit board. The sliding power connector has a power contact electrically connected to the power supply circuit of the power rail. The sliding power connector is configured to be slid along the power rail as an equipment rack holding the circuit board is opened and closed during an extension cycle of the equipment rack. The power contact maintains electrical connection with the power rail during the entire extension cycle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power connector comprising:
a dielectric housing having a top and a bottom, the housing having a track at the bottom, the housing including a first rail at a first side of the housing and a second rail at a second side of the housing, the first and second rails being dielectric, the first rail including a first side wall extending from the bottom and a first end wall extending from the first side wall, the second rail including a second side wall extending from the bottom and a second end wall extending from the second side wall, the track being defined between the first side wall and the second side wall, the track being defined between the first end wall and the bottom, the track being defined between the second end wall and the bottom and wherein the housing further comprising pockets at the top of the housing and openings that extend through the housing between the pockets and the track; and
power contacts received in the pockets and extending through the corresponding openings, the power contacts having mating ends including deflectable spring beams extending into the track and being exposed at the track for electrical connection.

2. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the spring beams extend parallel to a sliding direction of the power connector.

3. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the power contacts are arranged in a first set and in a second set, the power contacts in the first set facing in a first direction, the power contacts in the second set facing in an opposite second direction.

4. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the deflectable spring beams are curved at distal ends.

5. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein two of the power contacts are aligned near the first side of the housing and two of the power contacts are aligned near the second side of the housing.

6. The power connector of claim 5 , wherein the deflectable spring beams of the power contacts near the first side face away from each other and the deflectable spring beams of the power contacts near the second side face away from each other.

7. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the power contacts define cathode contacts and a plurality of the power contacts define anode contacts.

8. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes slots associated with the pockets, the power contacts include tabs extending therefrom, the power contacts being loaded into the pockets with the tabs aligned with corresponding slots.

9. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the first and second end walls face the bottom across the track.

10. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the first rail is hook-shaped to capture a power rail in the track, and wherein the second rail is hook-shaped to capture the power rail in the track.

11. A power connector comprising:
a housing having a top and a bottom, the housing having a track at the bottom, the track including a first rail at a first side of the housing and a second rail at a second side of the housing;
a wiper extending from the housing into the track; and
power contacts held by the housing at the top of the housing, the power contacts having mating ends including deflectable spring beams extending into the track and being exposed at the track for electrical connection.

12. A sliding power connector comprising:
a dielectric housing having a top and a bottom, the top being configured to be mounted to a host circuit board, the housing having a track at the bottom configured to slidably receive a power rail and slide along the power rail, the housing including a first rail at a first side of the housing and a second rail at a second side of the housing, the first and second rails being dielectric, the first and second rails being hook-shaped to define the track and capture the power rail in the track, wherein the housing includes pockets receiving corresponding power contacts and slots associated with the pockets; and
power contacts held by the housing at the top of the housing and including tabs extending therefrom, the power contacts being loaded into the pockets with the tabs aligned with corresponding slots, the power contacts configured to be electrically connected to the host circuit board, the power contacts having mating ends including deflectable spring beams extending into the track and being exposed at the track for electrical connection to a power supply circuit of the power rail.

13. The sliding power connector of claim 12 , wherein the first rail is configured to engage the power rail and the second rail is configured to engage the power rail to guide sliding movement of the housing along the power rail.

14. The sliding power connector of claim 12 , wherein the spring beams extend parallel to a sliding direction of the sliding power connector.

15. The sliding power connector of claim 12 , wherein the power contacts are arranged in a first set and in a second set, the power contacts in the first set facing in a first direction, the power contacts in the second set facing in an opposite second direction.

16. The sliding power connector of claim 12 , further comprising a wiper extending from the housing into the track.

17. The sliding power connector of claim 12 , wherein two of the power contacts are aligned near the first side of the housing and two of the power contacts are aligned near the second side of the housing.

18. The sliding power connector of claim 17 , wherein the deflectable spring beams of the power contacts near the first side face away from each other and the deflectable spring beams of the power contacts near the second side face away from each other.

19. The sliding power connector of claim 12 , wherein the housing includes openings between the pockets and the track, the power contacts passing through the corresponding openings and being exposed at the track for electrical connection.

20. The sliding power connector of claim 12 , wherein a plurality of the power contacts define cathode contacts and a plurality of the power contacts define anode contacts.

21. The sliding power connector of claim 12 , wherein the first rail includes a first side wall extending from the bottom and a first end wall extending from the first side wall, the second rail including a second side wall extending from the bottom and a second end wall extending from the second side wall, the track being defined between the first side wall and the second side wall, the track being defined between the first end wall and the bottom, the track being defined between the second end wall and the bottom.

22. The sliding power connector of claim 21 , wherein the first and second end walls face the bottom across the track.

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Corp
• Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd
• TE Connectivity Services Gmbh

Inventors

• Herring Michael David
• Mason Jeffery Walter
• Sun Zhengguo
• Zhao Guangming

Classifications

• H01R39/24

  Laminated contacts; Wire contacts, e.g. metallic brush, carbon fibres · CPC title

• H01R12/7088

  Arrangements for power supply · CPC title

• H01R41/00 Primary

  Non-rotary current collectors for maintaining contact between moving and stationary parts of an electric circuit (end pieces terminating in a hook or the like H01R11/12; current collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00) · CPC title

• H01R25/14

  Rails or bus-bars constructed so that the counterparts can be connected thereto at any point along their length (supporting elements for lighting devices, displaceable along guiding elements and making electrical contact with conductors running along the guiding elements F21V21/35) · CPC title

• H05K7/1428

  for small modular apparatus with terminal block · CPC title