Power connector for a bus bar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11355902-B2
Application number	US-202016739917-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2020
Priority date	Jan 28, 2019
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A power connector includes first and second power terminals having first and second contact stacks and first and second plates for termination to corresponding power element. The contact stacks have contacts separate and discrete from each other and from the plate. Each contact has a base and a mating beam. The bases are aligned and mechanically and electrically coupled to the plate. A housing has an end wall and a fastener that mechanically and electrically couples the bases to the plate. The power terminals are arranged such that the first and second mating beams oppose each other across a mating slot that receives a bus bar with the first mating beams mechanically and electrically engaging a first bus rail at a first side of the bus bar and the second mating beams mechanically and electrically engaging a second bus rail at a second side of the bus bar.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power connector comprising:
a first power terminal having a first contact stack and a first plate for termination to a first power element, the first contact stack having first contacts separate and discrete from each other and separate and discrete from the first plate, the first contacts being mechanically and electrically coupled together in the first contact stack, each of the first contacts having a base and a mating beam extending from the base, the bases of the first contacts being aligned with each other and being mechanically and electrically coupled to the first plate, the mating beams extending forward of an end of the first plate; and
a second power terminal having a second contact stack and a second plate for termination to a second power element, the second contact stack having second contacts separate and discrete from each other and separate and discrete from the second plate, the second contacts being mechanically and electrically coupled together in the second contact stack, each of the second contacts having a base and a mating beam extending from the base, the bases of the second contacts being aligned with each other and being mechanically and electrically coupled to the second plate, the mating beams extending forward of an end of the second plate; and
a housing including an end wall and at least one fastener, the end wall extending along each of the bases of the first contacts and each of the bases of the second contacts, the at least one fastener secured to the end wall to mechanically and electrically couple the bases of the first contacts to the first plate and the bases of the second contacts to the second plate;
wherein the first power terminal and the second power terminal are arranged such that the mating beams of the first power terminal and the mating beams of the second power terminal oppose each other across a mating slot configured to receive a bus bar, the mating beams of the first power terminal being configured to mechanically and electrically engage a first bus rail at a first side of the bus bar and the mating beams of the second power terminal being configured to mechanically and electrically engage a second bus rail at a second side of the bus bar.

2. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the mating beams of adjacent ones of the first contacts within the first contact stack are independently movable relative to each other and wherein the mating beams of adjacent ones of the second contacts within the second contact stack are independently movable relative to each other.

3. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the bases of adjacent ones of the first contacts within the first contact stack abut against each other and the mating beams of the adjacent ones of the first contacts within the first contact stack abut against each other, and wherein the bases of adjacent ones of the second contacts within the second contact stack abut against each other and the mating beams of the adjacent ones of the second contacts within the second contact stack abut against each other.

4. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the first plate includes an opening and the bases of the first contacts include openings aligned with the opening of the first plate, the second plate includes an opening and the bases of the second contacts includes openings aligned with the opening of the second plate, the at least one fastener includes a first fastener passing through the opening in the first plate and the openings in the bases of the first contacts and the at least one fastener includes a second fastener passing through the opening in the second plate and the openings in the bases of the second contacts.

5. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the first contacts are stamped and formed contacts having shear edges facing the mating slot, the second contacts being stamped and formed contacts having shear edges facing the mating slot.

6. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein for each of the first contacts, the mating beam has a mating finger at a tip of the mating beam, the mating finger being angled transverse to a plane of the base of the corresponding one of the first contacts.

7. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the first contacts are arranged horizontally within the first contact stack, the mating beams of the first contacts having mating fingers at tips of the mating beams, the mating fingers being angled non-horizontally for mating with the bus bar.

8. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the first plate is aligned with the second plate along a plane oriented perpendicular to the mating slot, the first plate being spaced apart from the second plate by a gap aligned with the mating slot.

9. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the first power terminal includes a third contact stack having third contacts separate and discrete from each other and separate and discrete from the first plate, the third contacts being mechanically and electrically coupled together in the third contact stack, each third contact having a base and a mating beam extending from the base, the bases of the third contacts being aligned with each other and being mechanically and electrically coupled to the first plate, the mating beams extending forward of the end of the first plate, and wherein the second power terminal includes a fourth contact stack having fourth contacts separate and discrete from each other and separate and discrete from the second plate, the fourth contacts being mechanically and electrically coupled together in the fourth contact stack, each fourth contact having a base and a mating beam extending from the base, the bases of the fourth contacts being aligned with each other and being mechanically and electrically coupled to the second plate, the mating beams extending forward of the end of the second plate, and wherein the first power terminal and the second power terminal are arranged such that the mating beams of the third contacts and the mating beams of the fourth contacts oppose each other across the mating slot, the mating beams of the third contacts being configured to mechanically and electrically engage the first bus rail at the first side of the bus bar and the mating beams of the fourth contacts being configured to mechanically and electrically engage the second bus rail at the second side of the bus bar.

10. The power connector of claim 9 , wherein the bases of the third contacts are aligned with the bases of the first contacts on opposite sides of the first plate and wherein the bases of the fourth contacts are aligned with the bases of the second contacts on opposite sides of the second plate, the at least one fastener sandwiching the first plate between the bases of the first contacts and the bases of the third contacts and sandwiching the second plate between the bases of the second contacts and the bases of the fourth contacts.

11. The power connector of claim 9 , wherein the mating beams of the third contacts are aligned with the mating beams of the first contacts and the mating beams of the fourth contacts are aligned with the mating beams of the second contacts.

12. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the first power terminal is electrically isolated from the second power terminal as dual pole power terminals having opposite polarity.

13. The power connector of claim 1 , wherein the first power terminal is electrically connected to the second power terminal as single pole power terminals having single polarity.

14. The power connector of claim 13 , wherein the end wall is electrically conductive between the first power terminal and the second power terminal.

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Corp
• TE Connectivity Services Gmbh

Inventors

• Corban Jevon Ryan
• Orris David Patrick
• Horning Michael James
• Andrews Jr Howard Wallace
• Shirk Douglas Edward
• Baechtle David Robert

Classifications

• H01R25/145 Primary

  Details, e.g. end pieces or joints (H01R25/147 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02G5/00

  Installations of bus-bars · CPC title

• H01R25/142 Primary

  Their counterparts · CPC title

• H05K7/1492

  having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications · CPC title

• H01R13/113

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