Electrical connector and power terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12586940-B2
Application number	US-202318517521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2023
Priority date	Nov 25, 2022
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

An electrical connector includes conductive terminals arranged to contact pads of a card inserted into the electrical connector. Each conductive terminal includes tiers of fingers configured to contact the card. The tiers of fingers include at least an outer tier of outer fingers and an inner tier of inner fingers. The outer tier may be parallel to the inner tier and may be parallel to a row direction. Contact surfaces of the outer fingers of the outer tier may be aligned in at least a first row parallel to the row direction. Contact surfaces of the inner fingers of the inner tier may be aligned in at least a second row different from and parallel to the first row. The conductive terminals may be arrayed along opposites sides of a card receiving slot so as to contact first and second sides of a card inserted into the slot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrical connector, comprising:
an insulative housing comprising a slot configured to receive a removable mating component; and a plurality of conductive terminal assemblies comprising a plurality of contact surfaces and disposed in the housing such that the contact surfaces are exposed in the slot, each conductive terminal assembly comprising a plurality of conductive terminal layers, wherein:
each of the conductive terminal layers comprises a plurality of fingers disposed in a plurality of tiers including an outer tier and an inner tier, with contact points of the contact surfaces being disposed on the fingers, the fingers including at least outer fingers disposed in the outer tier and inner fingers disposed in the inner tier, the outer tier and the inner tier being parallel to a row direction,
the outer fingers of the outer tier are interspersed such that an outer finger of a first conductive terminal layer is adjacent an outer finger of a second conductive terminal layer of the plurality of conductive terminal layers,
the inner fingers of the inner tiers of the plurality of conductive terminal layers are interspersed such that an inner finger of the first conductive terminal layer is adjacent an inner finger of the second conductive terminal layer of the plurality of conductive terminal layers,
first outer contact surfaces of the outer fingers of the outer tier of the first conductive terminal layer are aligned in at least a first row parallel to the row direction,
second outer contact surfaces of the outer fingers of the second conductive terminal layer are aligned in at least a second row parallel to the row direction,
first inner contact surfaces of the inner fingers of the inner tier of the first conductive terminal layer are aligned in at least a third row parallel to the row direction, and
second inner contact surfaces of the inner fingers of the second conductive terminal layer are aligned in at least a fourth row parallel to the row direction.

2 . The connector of claim 1 , wherein the outer fingers and the inner fingers are arranged in columns, each column extending parallel to a column direction and perpendicular to the row direction, and each column comprising a finger of the first conductive terminal layer and a finger of the second conductive terminal layer.

3 . The connector of claim 1 , wherein:
each conductive terminal assembly comprises a conductive outer member positioned adjacent a first surface of the first conductive terminal layer, and the second conductive terminal layer comprises a second conductive terminal layer positioned adjacent a second surface of the first conductive terminal layer.

4 . The connector of claim 3 , wherein, for each conductive terminal assembly,
the first conductive terminal layer comprises a first frame that forms at least part of a periphery of the first conductive terminal layer, the second conductive terminal layer comprises a second frame that forms at least part of a periphery of the second conductive terminal layer, and the first and second frames are aligned with each other to form an outer frame of the conductive terminal assembly.

5 . An electrical connector, comprising:
an insulative housing comprising a slot configured to receive a removable mating component; a first row of conductive terminal assemblies comprising a plurality of contact surfaces and disposed in the housing such that the contact surfaces of the first row are exposed in the slot; and a second row of conductive terminal assemblies comprising a plurality of contact surfaces and disposed in the housing such that the contact surfaces of the second row are exposed in the slot, wherein:
the first and second rows comprise a plurality of pairs of conductive terminal assemblies, each pair of conductive terminal assemblies including a conductive terminal assembly of the first row facing a conductive terminal assembly of the second row,
each conductive terminal assembly of the first and second rows comprises a plurality of fingers disposed in a plurality of tiers including an outer tier and an inner tier, with contact points of the contact surfaces of the first and second rows being disposed on the fingers, the fingers including at least outer fingers disposed in the outer tier and inner fingers disposed in the inner tier, the outer tier and the inner tier being parallel to a row direction,
the contact surfaces of the outer fingers of the outer tier are aligned in at least one row parallel to the row direction,
the contact surfaces of the inner fingers of the inner tier are aligned in at least one other row different from and parallel to the at least one row.

6 . The connector of claim 5 , wherein:
the housing comprises first and second rows of terminal compartments configured to house the first and second row of conductive terminal assemblies, respectively, the first and second rows of terminal compartments comprising a plurality of pairs of terminal compartments housing the pairs of conductive terminal assemblies, and for each pair of terminal compartments, the terminal compartment of the first row of terminal compartments is a mirror image of the terminal compartment of the second row of terminal compartments.

7 . The connector of claim 5 , wherein:
each conductive terminal assembly of the first and second rows comprises a plurality of conductive terminal layers, each of the conductive terminal layers comprises a portion of the outer fingers of the outer tier and a portion of the inner fingers of the inner tier, the outer fingers of the outer tier are interspersed such that an outer finger of a first conductive terminal layer is adjacent an outer finger of another one of the conductive terminal layers, and the inner fingers of the inner tier are interspersed such that an inner finger of the first conductive terminal layer is adjacent an inner finger of another one of the conductive terminal layers.

8 . The connector of claim 7 , wherein the outer fingers and the inner fingers are arranged in columns, each column extending parallel to a column direction and perpendicular to the row direction, and each column comprising a finger of the first conductive terminal layer and a finger of another one of the conductive terminal layers.

9 . The connector of claim 5 , wherein, for each conductive terminal assembly of the first and second rows,
the first conductive terminal layer comprises a first frame that forms at least part of a periphery of the first conductive terminal layer, the second conductive terminal layer comprises a second frame that forms at least part of a periphery of the second conductive terminal layer, and the first and second frames are aligned with each other to form an outer frame of the conductive terminal assembly.

10 . The connector of claim 9 , wherein the conductive terminal layers of each conductive terminal assembly of the first and second rows are held together by grooves in the housing.

11 . An electrical power terminal, comprising:
a plurality of conductive terminal layers stacked on each other, wherein:
each conductive terminal layer comprises a plurality of fingers disposed in a plurality of tiers including an outer tier and an inner tier, with contact surfaces being disposed on the fingers, the fingers including at least first fingers of a first tier and second fingers of a second tier, the first tier and the second tier being parallel to a row direction,
the first fingers of the first tier are interspersed such that a first finger of a first conductive terminal layer is adjacent a first finger of a second conductive terminal layer of the plurality of conductive

Assignees

• Amphenol Commercial Products Chengdu Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zou Chao
• Cheng Yanming

Classifications

• H01R12/721

  cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits · CPC title

• H01R12/58

  terminals for insertion into holes · CPC title

• H01R13/245

  by stamped-out resilient contact arm · CPC title

• H01R13/2492

  multiple contact points · CPC title

• H01R12/735 Primary

  Printed circuits including an angle between each other · CPC title