Cable terminal with flexible contacts

Abstract

A cable assembly connector has a body with a number of contact elements connected to the body. Each of the contact elements is an elongated conductor formed into a serpentine shape, and has a contact end portion protruding from the body. The contact end portion of each contact element includes a curved portion having a convex surface facing away from the body, and a free end of each contact end portion is recurved toward the body. The connector may include a planar circuit element connected to the rear end portions of the contact elements, and a flexible cable may be connected to the connector. The connector may be employed in a method of testing a printed circuit assembly having an exposed contact array at a position away from the edge of the printed circuit assembly by aligning the contact elements of the connector with the contact array, pressing the terminal against the contact array, and transmitting a signal via the cable from the contact array to an instrument connected to the flexible cable.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.