Gender-Neutral Electrical Connector
AssigneeFCI Americas Technology, Inc.
InventorStuart C. Stoner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical connector assembly includes a pair of electrical connectors, each having a housing and a plurality of gender-neutral electrical contacts supported by the housing. The gender-neutral contacts of each connector are configured to mate with the gender-neutral contacts of the other connector, such that insertion forces associated with mating the contacts provide tactile feedback as the contacts are mated.
Claims20
An electrical connector comprising:
- a housing;
- and
- at least one electrical contact supported by the housing, the electrical contact defining a contact body extending out from the housing, a mounting end disposed upstream of the contact body, and a mating end disposed downstream of the contact body, wherein the mating end extends inward toward the housing such that the mating end is spaced from the contact body, the mating end defines a mating surface having a concave region and a convex region disposed downstream of the concave region, and the convex region defines a peak disposed between a pair of downsloped surfaces that extend toward the contact body in a direction outward from the peak.
The electrical connector as recited in claim 2, wherein the convex region is a first convex region, and the mating end comprises a second convex region disposed downstream of first the concave region, such that the concave region is disposed between the first and second convex regions.
An electrical connector comprising:
- a housing;
- at least one electrical contact supported by the housing, the electrical contact including:
- a stem;
- a mounting portion connected to one end of the stem, the mounting end configured to electrically connect to a complementary electrical component;
- and
- a mating end connected to another end of the stem by a substantially u-shaped bent portion, the mating end defining a concave mating surface disposed adjacent to a convex mating surfaces, wherein each of the convex mating surfaces that defines a peak disposed between a pair of adjacent inwardly sloped surfaces such that the mating end is configured to electrically connect to an substantially identically constructed mating end of an electrical contact of a complementary connector when the electrical connector and the complementary connector are mated.
An electrical connector assembly comprising:
- a first electrical connector configured to mate with a second electrical connector, each electrical connector including a housing and at least one electrical contact supported by the housing, such that the electrical contacts of the first and second electrical connectors are configured to mate at a first contact location and a second contact location;
- wherein an insertion force that mates the first and second electrical connectors undergoes a first increase as the first contact locations are mated, a first reduction when the first contact locations are mated, a second increase as the second contact locations are mated, and a second reduction when the second contact locations are mated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.