Environmentally sealed, reusable connector for printed flexible electronics

An environmentally sealed connector for connecting a spring-loaded terminal to a flexible circuit, said environmentally sealed connector comprising:

• a spring-loaded terminal comprising a conductive component coupled thereto, said spring-loaded terminal further comprising a flexible arm;
• a connector base comprising:
• a first mating surface;
• a terminal cavity comprising an opening defined in said first mating surface, said terminal cavity receiving at least a portion of said spring-loaded terminal in order to electrically couple said spring-loaded terminal to the flexible circuit, said flexible arm extending through said opening and beyond said first mating surface to fix the spring-loaded terminal in the connector base;
• a cable access hole in communication with said terminal cavity, said conductive component extending through said cable access hole;
• and
• a central cavity for receiving an electrically conductive element therein;
• a connector cap releasably coupled to said connector base, wherein said connector cap covers said central cavity, said terminal cavity, and the at least a portion of said spring-loaded terminal;
• a first elastic member disposed between said connector cap and said connector base, said first elastic member being in sealing engagement therewith and surrounding said terminal cavity and the at least a portion of said spring-loaded terminal;
• and
• a second elastic member disposed between said connector cap and said connector base, said second elastic member being in sealing engagement therewith and surrounding said central cavity.

A method for releasably coupling a flexible circuit to a connector, said method comprising:

• coupling a conductive component to a spring-loaded terminal;
• coupling the spring-loaded terminal to a connector housing, the spring-loaded terminal having a flexible arm that extends through an opening defined in the connector housing to fix the spring-loaded terminal in the connector housing;
• removably inserting the flexible circuit into the connector housing, comprising positioning the flexible circuit between a connector cap and a connector base attached to each other,
• the flexible circuit having an electrical connection portion positioned proximate an end of the flexible circuit,
• the connector cap including the spring-loaded terminal fixed therein, a cable access hole, and a terminal cavity coupled to the cable access hole, and
• the connector base having an alignment slot for receiving the end of the flexible circuit,
• the flexible circuit contacting the spring-loaded terminal of the connector to form an electrical connection within the connector housing;
• and
• sealing around the electrical connection to provide ingress protection,
• wherein coupling the spring-loaded terminal to the connector housing comprises inserting the spring-loaded terminal into the terminal cavity through the cable access hole such that the conductive component extends through the cable access hole.