Electrical connector system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11569608-B2
Application number	US-202117217099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2021
Priority date	Mar 30, 2021
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

An electrical connector system includes a first connector comprising first contacts and a plurality of contact guides associated with the respective first contacts. The system also includes a second connector comprising second contacts configured to slide between a respective one of the contact guides and a respective one of the first contacts in response to joining the first and second connectors as a mated pair. Each respective contact guide provides contact pressure to a first surface of the respective one of the second contacts to provide a biasing force of the second contact onto the first contact to electrically couple a second surface of the respective one of the second contacts opposite the first side to an adjoining surface of the respective one of the first contacts to conduct a signal between the respective one of each of the first and second contacts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector system comprising:
a first connector comprising a plurality of first contacts and a plurality of contact guides associated with the respective plurality of first contacts; and
a second connector comprising a plurality of second contacts each configured to slide between a respective one of the contact guides and a respective one of the first contacts in response to joining the first and second connectors as a mated pair, such that the respective one of the contact guides provides contact pressure to a first surface of a respective one of the second contacts to provide a biasing force of the respective one of the second contact contacts onto the respective one of the first contact contacts to electrically couple a second surface of the respective one of the second contacts opposite the first side to an adjoining surface of the respective one of the first contacts to conduct a signal between the respective one of each of the first and second contacts.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second connector further comprises a plurality of support guides, such that each of the support guides provides contact with a respective one of the contact guides in response to joining the first and second connectors as the mated pair to provide the contact pressure to the respective one of the second contacts via the respective one of the contact guides.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the contact guides comprises one of a tapered and non-linear leading edge configured to contact an edge of the respective one of the second contacts to elastically move the respective one of the contact guides from a first position to a second position that is over the edge and in contact with the first surface of the respective one of the second contacts to provide the contact pressure as the first and second connectors are joined as the mated pair.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second contacts are configured to conduct one of a power signal or an alternating current (AC) signal.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein a pair of adjacent first contacts can each be electrically coupled to a first wire in a cable associated with the first connector to propagate the power signal, and wherein a corresponding pair of adjacent second contacts can each be electrically coupled to a second wire in a cable associated with the second connector to propagate the power signal.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first connector comprises a plurality of first keying features and a plurality of second keying features, wherein the second connector comprises a plurality of third keying features and a plurality of fourth keying features, wherein the first keying features are arranged to mate with the third keying features and the second keying features are arranged to mate with the fourth keying features in response to joining the first and second connectors as the mated pair.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first and third keying features are arranged in a cross-sectional region of the first and second connectors, respectively, such that the first and second contacts, respectively, surround the first and third keying features, wherein the second and fourth keying features are arranged in a cross-sectional region of the first and second connectors, respectively, such that the second and fourth keying features surround the first and second contacts, respectively.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein each of the first and second connectors are arranged in a circular cross-section, such that the first and second contacts, respectively, are arranged in a polar array about the circular cross-section of the first and second connectors, wherein the first and third keying features are arranged radially inside the polar array and the second and fourth keying features are arranged radially outside the polar array.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second contacts are formed from a self-passivating transition metal, wherein the first connector comprises a first housing and the second connector comprises a second housing, wherein the first and second housings are configured to be coupled to substantially enclose the signal connector and to create at least one fluid-filled channel between each of the electrically-connected first and second contact pairs in response to fastening the first and second connectors while submerged in a respective fluid to provide a resistive path in the at least one fluid-filled channel for providing signal isolation between each of the electrically-connected first and second contact pairs.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first housing comprises an inner thread pattern and the second housing comprises an outer thread pattern, such that each electrically-connected set of the first and second contacts can have an approximately equal contact pressure in response to joining the first and second connectors as the mated pair.

11. An electrical connector system comprising:
a first connector comprising a plurality of first contacts formed from a metal and a plurality of contact guides associated with the respective plurality of first contacts; and
a second connector comprising a plurality of second contacts formed from the metal and a plurality of support guides, wherein each of the second contacts are configured to slide between a respective one of the contact guides and a respective one of the first contacts in response to joining the first and second connectors as a mated pair, such that each of the support guides provides contact with a respective one of the contact guides in response to joining the first and second connectors as a mated pair to provide contact pressure via the respective one of the contact guides to a first surface of the respective one of the second contacts to provide a biasing force of a respective one of the second contact contacts onto a respective one of the first contact contacts to electrically couple a second surface of the respective one of the second contacts opposite the first side to an adjoining surface of the respective one of the first contacts to conduct a signal between the respective one of each of the first and second contacts.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein each of the contact guides comprises one of a tapered and non-linear leading edge configured to contact an edge of the respective one of the second contacts to elastically move the respective one of the contact guides from a first position to a second position that is over the edge and in contact with the first surface of the respective one of the second contacts to provide the contact pressure as the first and second connectors are joined as the mated pair.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first connector comprises a plurality of first keying features and a plurality of second keying features, wherein the second connector comprises a plurality of third keying features and a plurality of fourth keying features, wherein the first keying features are arranged to mate with the third keying features and the second keying features are arranged to mate with the fourth keying features in response to joining the first and second connectors as the mated pair.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first and third keying features are arranged in a cross-sectional region of the first and second connectors, respectively, such that the first and second contacts, respectively, surround the first and third keying features, wherein the second and fourth keying features are arranged in a cross-sectional region of the first and second connectors, respectively, such that the second and fourth keying f

Assignees

• Czyz Robert Anthony
• Czyz Anthony S
• Regole John
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp
• Iconn Systems Inc

Inventors

• Czyz Robert Anthony
• Czyz Anthony S
• Regole John

Classifications

• H01R13/523 Primary

  for use under water · CPC title

• H01R13/03

  characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials · CPC title

• H01R13/64

  Means for preventing incorrect coupling · CPC title

• H01R13/22

  Contacts for co-operating by abutting · CPC title

• H01R24/86

  Parallel contacts arranged about a common axis · CPC title