Mating contacts for high speed electrical connectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9780493-B2
Application number	US-201414332125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2014
Priority date	Sep 9, 2009
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

An electrical interconnection system with high speed, high density electrical connectors. One of the connectors includes a mating contact portion that has multiple contact surface. The mating contact portion has multiple segments, each with a contact surface, such that multiple points of contact to a complementary mating contact portion in a mating connector are provided for mechanical robustness. Such a mating contact may have parallel elongated members on which the mating surface are positioned, providing for the possibility of more than two contact surface per mating contact portion. The mating contact surfaces may be positioned on the elongated members such that the points of contact are at different distances from the distal end of the mating contact portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector configured for mating with a mating electrical connector, the electrical connector comprising:
a plurality of conductive elements positioned in a housing to make electrical connections with mating contacts of a mating connector, each of the plurality of conductive elements comprising:
a straight portion disposed in a cavity in the housing and held by an insulative wall of the housing;
a wavy portion extending into the cavity in a first direction and having a proximal end connected to the straight portion and a free distal end away from the proximal end, wherein:
the wavy portion comprises a first inflection point near the free distal end and disposed a first distance from the straight portion and a second inflection point disposed a second distance from the straight portion, the second distance being smaller than the first distance; and wherein:
the wavy portion further comprises a first mating contact surface at a convex surface of the first inflection point, and a second mating contact surface at a convex surface of the second inflection point,
the first mating contact surface and the second mating contact surface face a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and away from the insulative wall of the housing; and
when the beam wavy portion is in an unmated position:
the first mating contact surface is offset from the insulative wall of the housing in the second direction by a third distance;
the second mating contact surface is offset from the insulative wall of the housing in the second direction by a fourth distance;
the distal end is offset from the insulative wall of the housing in the second direction by a fifth distance, and
the fourth distance is smaller than the third distance, the fifth distance is smaller than the third distance.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1 , in combination with the mating electrical connector, the mating electrical connector comprising a plurality of mating contacts aligned with the plurality of conductive elements, and wherein:
for conductive elements of the plurality of conductive elements, each conductive element makes electrical contact with a respective mating contact on the first contact surface and the second contact surface.

3. The electrical connector of claim 2 , wherein:
when the electrical connector is mated to the mating electrical connector, contact between the plurality of conductive elements and the plurality of mating contacts provides a shape to the beams of the plurality of conductive elements to position the first contact surface and the second contact surface in a position different than the resting position such that the first contact surface and the second contact surface of said each conductive element makes contact to a planar portion of a respective mating contact.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein:
for said each of the plurality of conductive elements, the respective planar portion is offset from the base insulative wall of the housing in the second direction by a uniform amount.

5. The electrical connector of claim 2 , wherein the mating contacts comprise planar portions and the first and second contact surfaces of said each conductive element make electrical contact to the planar portion of the same mating contact.

6. The electrical connector of claim 2 , wherein the electrical connector is a backplane connector.

7. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein,
the distal end curves away from the second direction.

Assignees

• Amphenol Corp

Inventors

• Cohen Thomas S
• Do Trent K
• Kirk Brian

Classifications

• Y10T29/49208

  by assembling plural parts · CPC title

• Y10T29/49174

  Assembling terminal to elongated conductor · CPC title

• H01R13/6471

  by special arrangement of ground and signal conductors, e.g. GSGS [Ground-Signal-Ground-Signal] · 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

• H01R13/658 Primary

  High frequency shielding arrangements, e.g. against EMI [Electro-Magnetic Interference] or EMP [Electro-Magnetic Pulse] {(coaxial coupling devices specially adapted for high frequency H01R24/40; for flat or ribbon cable connectors H01R12/774; for coaxial cable H01R9/05)} · CPC title