Electronic connector having flexible region

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9742092-B2
Application number	US-201514972950-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2015
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

An electronic connector includes a housing and a plug extending from the housing. The plug includes at least one flexible region that provides flexing of the plug. In some example embodiments, the plug also includes at least one rigid region. The plug has at least one interconnect. Each interconnect includes a lead and a contact. The contacts are exposed on an exterior surface of the plug, such exposure being provided so as to enable electrical coupling between the plug and an electronic receptacle into which the plug may be removably inserted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic connector configured for removable insertion into an electronic receptacle, comprising:
a housing; and
a plug extending from the housing, the plug including: (a) a flexible region formed of a flexible polymer material having sufficient flexibility so as to support flexing of the plug up to an angle of at least +/−10 degrees from a natural state, (b) a rigid region engaged with the flexible region and including a contact carrier, (c) one or more electrical contacts supported by the contact carrier, and (d) one or more leads electrically coupled to the one or more electrical contacts, wherein said one or more leads extend from the one or more electrical contacts and are at least partially embedded in the flexible polymer material of the flexible region, wherein each of said one or more leads includes a downward bend region extending into the flexible polymer material of the flexible region and spaced from a rear edge of the contact carrier of the rigid region, and wherein the flexible polymer material fills an area between the rear edge of the contact carrier and the downward bend region.

2. The electronic connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more electrical contacts are supported on a first side of the contact carrier and a second side of the contact carrier opposite the first side includes a notched locking component for retaining the electronic connector in a receptacle.

3. The electronic connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flexible region comprises a flexible beam of the flexible polymer material extending between the housing and the contact carrier.

4. The electronic connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said one or more leads extend into the housing.

5. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a printed circuit board at least partially within the housing;
a plurality of leads in communication with the printed circuit board and extending from the housing; and
a connector comprising:
a plug connected to the housing and extending from the housing and having a plurality of exposed contacts connected to the plurality of leads, wherein the plug is configured for insertion into a receptacle to place the contacts in communication with the receptacle and enable electronic communication between the plug and the receptacle;
wherein the plug comprises: (a) a flexible region formed of a flexible polymer material and (b) a rigid region having a rear edge, wherein the flexible region is configured to provide flexing of the plug up to an angle of at least +/−10 degrees from a natural state, wherein each of the plurality of leads includes a downward bend region extending into the flexible polymer material of the flexible region and spaced from the rear edge of the rigid region, and wherein the flexible polymer material of the flexible region has a portion disposed between the rear edge of the rigid region and the downward bend region of each of the plurality of leads.

6. The electronic device claimed in claim 5 , wherein the electronic device is a flash memory drive or a USB plug.

7. The electronic device claimed in claim 5 , wherein the electronic device is an athletic performance monitoring device.

8. The electronic device claimed in claim 5 , wherein the electronic device is a watch having a controller, a user interface, and a plurality of user inputs operably associated with the controller.

9. The electronic device claimed in claim 5 , wherein the rigid region comprises a contact carrier connected to the flexible region and extending from the flexible region, wherein the contacts are at least partially mounted on the contact carrier.

10. The electronic device claimed in claim 9 , wherein the flexible region comprises a beam connected to the housing and the contact carrier and extending between the housing and the contact carrier.

11. The electronic device claimed in claim 10 , wherein the leads are at least partially embedded within the beam.

12. The electronic device claimed in claim 5 , wherein the electronic device further includes a non-electronic receptacle, wherein the plug is configured to be removably received within the non-electronic receptacle.

13. An electronic connector configured for removable insertion into an electronic receptacle, comprising:
a housing; and
a plug extending from the housing, wherein the plug includes:
a flexible region configured to provide flexing of the plug up to an angle of at least ±10 degrees from a natural state, wherein the flexible region includes a flexible polymer material,
a rigid region extending from the flexible region, wherein the rigid region includes a rear edge,
one or more leads extending from the housing, at least one of such leads being at least partially embedded within the flexible region, each of the one or more leads further including a downward bend region at which the lead extends into the flexible polymer material, wherein the downward bend region is spaced from the rear edge of the rigid region, and
wherein the flexible polymer material has a portion disposed between the rear edge of the rigid region and the downward bend region of the one or more leads.

14. The electronic connector as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the flexible region is configured to provide flexing of the plug up to an angle of at least ±30 degrees from the natural state.

15. The electronic connector as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the flexible region is configured to provide flexing of the plug up to an angle of at least ±60 degrees from the natural state.

16. The electronic connector as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the flexible region comprises a flexible beam and the rigid region comprises a contact carrier, the flexible beam extending between the housing and the contact carrier.

17. The electronic connector as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the flexible region is formed of one or more materials having a hardness of between 60-100 Shore A.

18. The electronic connector as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the rigid region is formed of one or more materials having a hardness of at least 70 Shore D.

19. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a printed circuit board at least partially within the housing; and
an electronic connector configured for removable insertion into an electronic receptacle, the electronic connector including:
a plug extending from the housing, wherein the plug includes: (a) a flexible region formed of a flexible polymer material having sufficient flexibility so as to support flexing of the plug up to an angle of at least ±10 degrees from a natural state, (b) a rigid region engaged with the flexible region and including a contact carrier, wherein the rigid region includes a rear edge, (c) one or more electrical contacts supported by the contact carrier, and (d) one or more leads electrically coupled to the one or more electrical contacts, wherein said one or more leads extend from the one or more electrical contacts and are at least partially embedded in the flexible polymer material of the flexible region, wherein each of the one or more leads includes a downward bend region extending into the flexible polymer material and spaced from the rear edge of the rigid region, and wherein the flexible polymer material of the flexible region has a portion disposed between the rear edge of the rigid region and the downward bend region of each of the one or more leads,

wherein the one or more electrical contacts have an exposed surface, the one or more leads are in electrical communication with the printed circui

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Orand Austin
• Kash Brian L
• Weast Aaron B

Classifications

• H01R2107/00

  Four or more poles · CPC title

• H01R43/24

  Assembling by moulding on contact members · CPC title

• H01R24/60

  Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement · CPC title

• H01R13/05 Primary

  Resilient pins or blades (carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15) · CPC title

• H01R43/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors (of trolley lines B60M1/28) · CPC title