Connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9252514-B2
Application number	US-201414556421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2014
Priority date	Feb 4, 2014
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A contact unit includes a first conduction path in the form of a thin film arranged along a peripheral surface of an insulating elastic body, a second conduction path arranged along the first conduction path, and a connecting conduction path electrically connecting the first and second conduction paths to each other. A frame has a through hole. The frame supports the contact unit so that the first conduction path exposed from both openings of the through hole is brought into contact with connection objects and that the second conduction path is entirely received in the through hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector adapted to be held between two connection objects for electrically connecting the two connection objects to each other and comprising a contact unit and a frame,
wherein the contact unit comprises:
an insulating elastic body;
a first conduction path comprising a conductor thin film that is arranged along a peripheral surface of the elastic body;
a second conduction path comprising a conductor that is arranged along the conductor thin film of the first conduction path; and
a connecting conduction path electrically connecting the first conduction path and the second conduction path to each other,
wherein the frame is non-conductive and has a through hole passing through the frame,
wherein the frame supports the contact unit so that the second conduction path is entirely received in the through hole, and
wherein the frame supports the contact unit so that the first conduction path exposed from one of openings of the through hole is brought into contact with one of the two connection objects, while the first conduction path exposed from the other of the openings of the through hole is brought into contact with the other of the two connection objects.

2. The connector according to claim 1 ,
wherein the elastic body is columnar,
wherein a plurality of first conduction paths are arranged at a predetermined pitch in a longitudinal direction of the columnar elastic body,
wherein the frame supports the contact unit so that the first conduction paths are brought into contact with one of the two connection objects at one side in a short-side direction of the columnar elastic body and brought into contact with the other of the two connection objects at the other side in the short-side direction of the columnar elastic body, and
wherein mutually independent conducting paths are established between the two connection objects through the first conduction paths.

3. The connector according to claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of columnar elastic bodies, wherein the frame comprises a plurality of through holes each corresponding to one of the columnar elastic bodies.

4. The connector according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first conduction path has a belt-like shape,
wherein the second conduction path has a width equal to that of the first conduction path, and
wherein the second conduction path comprises a plate-like conductor member having a thickness greater than that of the first conduction path.

5. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting conduction path is formed by joining a part or the whole of the second conduction path to the first conduction path.

6. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the second conduction path is arranged between the first conduction path and the elastic body.

7. The connector according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first conduction path is arranged between the second conduction path and the elastic body, and
wherein the connecting conduction path is formed by joining a part or the whole of the second conduction path to the first conduction path.

8. The connector according to claim 1 , further comprising a third conduction path that is formed by the thin film of the first conduction path and is independent from the second conduction path and a connecting conduction path that electrically connects the first conduction path and the third conduction path to each other,
wherein the first conduction path is arranged between the second conduction path and the third conduction path.

9. The connector according to claim 1 , further comprising a columnar body comprising the elastic body at each of upper and lower end portions thereof and a conductor serving as the second conduction path between the upper and lower end portions, wherein the conductor thin film of the first conduction path is arranged along a peripheral surface of the columnar body.

10. The connector according to claim 1 , further comprising an insulating film,
wherein the insulating film has a through hole, and
wherein the connecting conduction path passes through the through hole of the insulating film.

Assignees

• Japan Aviation Electron

Inventors

• Tatebe Yu
• Matsuo Seiya

Classifications

• H01R12/7082

  Coupling device supported only by cooperation with PCB · CPC title

• H01R13/2435

  with opposite contact points, e.g. C beam · CPC title

• H01R12/714 Primary

  with contacts abutting directly the printed circuit; Button contacts therefore provided on the printed circuit · CPC title

• H05K7/1069

  with spring contact pieces · CPC title

• H05K3/32

  electrically connecting electric components or wires to printed circuits · CPC title