Electric connector

An electrical connector for electrically connecting a first conductive part of a first article with a second conductive part of a second article, said electrical connector comprising:

• an electrically insulating housing having a cavity therein and having plural housing outer sidewalls, with a fitting member provided on at least one of said sidewalls, wherein said fitting member is configured and adapted to fittingly engage the first article or the second article so as to mechanically connect said electrical connector to the first article or the second article;
• and
• an electrically conductive contact member that is received at least partially in said cavity of said housing and that comprises:
• a connecting part adapted to be mechanically and electrically connected to the first conductive part of the first article;
• a contacting part exposed from said housing and adapted to electrically contact the second conductive part of the second article;
• a flexible elastic part that extends between and interconnects said connecting part and said contacting part, and that is elastically flexed into an elastically preloaded condition and is further elastically deflectable when said contacting part is pressed, so that said contacting part is movably supported by said flexible elastic part so as to be movable against an elastic bias force exerted by said flexible elastic part;
• and
• a holding member, as a part of said contact member, that physically contacts at least one of said elastic part and said contacting part so as to restrain said elastic part in said elastically preloaded condition to prevent said elastic part from unflexing and relaxing out of said elastically preloaded condition.

An electrical connector for electrically connecting a first conductive part of a first article with a second conductive part of a second article, said electrical connector comprising:

• an electrically insulating housing having a cavity therein and having plural housing outer sidewalls, with a fitting member provided on at least one of said sidewalls, wherein said fitting member is configured and adapted to fittingly engage the first article or the second article so as to mechanically connect said electrical connector to the first article or the second article;
• and
• an electrically conductive contact member that is received at least partially in said cavity of said housing and that comprises:
• a connecting part adapted to be mechanically and electrically connected to the first conductive part of the first article;
• two separate contacting parts that are each respectively exposed from said housing and adapted to electrically contact the second conductive part of the second article;
• a flexible elastic part that extends between and interconnects said connecting part and said two separate contacting parts, and that is elastically flexed into an elastically preloaded condition and is further elastically deflectable when said two separate contacting parts are respectively pressed, so that said two separate contacting parts are separately and independently movably supported by said flexible elastic part so as to be movable against an elastic bias force exerted by said flexible elastic part;
• and
• a holding member, as a part of said contact member, that physically contacts at least one of said elastic part and said two separate contacting parts so as to restrain said elastic part in said elastically preloaded condition to prevent said elastic part from unflexing and relaxing out of said elastically preloaded condition.

A combination for establishing an electrical and mechanical interconnection, comprising:

• a first article including a first article casing and a first conductive part;
• a second article including a second article casing and a second conductive part;
• and
• an electrical connector including an electrically insulating housing with a cavity therein, an electrically conductive contact member that is received at least partially in said cavity of said housing, and a connector-side mechanical fixing structure provided on said housing;
• wherein said contact member includes:
• a connecting part that is mechanically and electrically connected to said first conductive part of said first article;
• a contacting part that is exposed from said housing and pressed against and electrically contacted with said second conductive part of said second article;
• a flexible elastic part that extends between and interconnects said connecting part and said contacting part, and that is elastically flexed into an elastically preloaded condition and is further elastically deflectable when said contacting part is pressed so as to movably support said contacting part and elastically bias said contacting part with an elastic bias force into contact with said second conductive part of said second article;
• and a holding member, as a part of said contact member, that physically contacts at least one of said elastic part and said contacting part so as to restrain said elastic part in said elastically pre-loaded condition to prevent said elastic part from unflexing and relaxing out of said elastically pre-loaded condition;
• and
• wherein one of said first article casing and said second article casing has a first recess in said casing, said housing of said electrical connector is at least partially fitted into and received in said first recess, and said connector-side mechanical fixing structure mechanically engages with a portion of said one of said first article casing and said second article casing and thereby mechanically fixes said electrical connector thereto.