US 5,447,442 A · Compliant electrical connectors

Abstract

A compliant electrical connector includes a housing, a flexible diaphragm contained in the housing providing independent spring biased pressure contact for movable solid metal contact pins mounted in the housing, and separate electrical leads in the housing for making electrical contact with the movable contact pins and providing terminals for transmitting electrical signals from the contact pins to the exterior of the housing for surface mount contact with corresponding electrical circuits in an external electric/electronic device. In one embodiment, the contact pins are electrically connected internally to separate circuit traces on a flex circuit extending to the outside of the connector housing. The contact pins can be connected directly to the flex circuit, or the housing can contain separate conductive barrels for sliding contact with the contact pins, in which the barrels are electrically connected to the circuit traces. The contact pins can be connected to the flex circuit directly through separate flexible fingers contained on the flex circuit to move with corresponding travel of the contact pins. In a further embodiment, the flexible diaphragm can be replaced with separate compression springs contained in electrically isolated cavities and biased into direct spring contact with the contact pins.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A compliant electrical connector for making electrical contact with terminals on a first electrical/electronic device and spring force electrical contact with fixed contacts of a second electrical/electronic device, the compliant connector comprising:

a rigid pin housing made from a dielectric material and including an exterior face having a plurality of openings to passages for containing electrical contact pins and a hollow interior region having a rigid support surface spaced from the exterior face of the housing;
a plurality of contact pins extending through respective passages in the pin housing which support the contact pins in a pattern corresponding to the contacts of the second electrical/electronic device, a contact end of each supported contact pin being aligned for contact with a corresponding contact of the second electrical/electronic device, each contact pin having an opposite compliancy control end adjacent the interior support surface of the housing;
a thin, flexible elastomeric diaphragm normally held in a first position supported by the interior support surface of the pin housing, the diaphragm contacting the compliancy control ends of the contact pins, the hollow interior of the pin housing having a void space on a side of the diaphragm opposite from the contact pins so the elastomeric diaphragm is free to stretch elastically and expand into the void space in response to movement of each contact pin under an axial force directed toward the diaphragm;
and
a thin, flexible dielectric film containing passive electrical termination leads, the film supported by the interior support surface and disposed between the interior support surface and the flexible diaphragm, the termination leads being individually electrically coupled to corresponding contact pins, the flexible film extending to the exterior of the housing for connection of its leads to the first electrical/electronic device.

2 more elements

An electrical connector for making releasable electrical contact with a mating electrical connector having a plurality of fixed electrical contacts, the compliant electrical connector comprising:

a rigid electrically insulative housing containing a plurality of separate passage extending through the housing and opening through an internal support surface within the housing;
separate movable electrically conductive contact pins disposed in the respective passages of the housing, the contact pins having contact ends projecting from an exterior face of the housing for alignment with corresponding fixed electrical contacts on the mating electrical connector, the separate contact pins being freely movable independently within the passages of the housing in a direction away from said exterior face of the housing, the contact pins having compliancy control ends opposite from the contact ends thereof;
a thin, flexible elastomeric diaphragm supported in the housing by said internal support surface and maintained in direct contact with the compliancy control ends of the contact pins;
a rigid electrically insulative end cap secured to the housing and securely retaining the flexible elastomeric diaphragm in said supported position in contact with the contact pins, the end cap containing an internal cavity forming an open space on a side of the diaphragm opposite from the compliancy control ends of the movable contact pins so that the diaphragm is elastically stretchable freely into the open space within the cavity in response to axial pressure contact from each contact pin moving axially in the passage toward the diaphragm;
and
terminal means comprising a plurality of separate electrically conductive passive leads disposed within the housing between the elastomeric diaphragm and said interior support surface within the housing, including means electrically connecting each electrical lead to a corresponding contact pin at a juncture near said internal support surface of the housing and below the compliancy control end of the contact pin and its point of contact with the diaphragm, said passive electrical leads extending to the exterior of the housing for connection to an electrical/electronic device to be interfaced with a separate electrical/electronic device contacted by the contact pins,
the contact pins being separate and independently slidable in their respective passages into the elastomeric diaphragm for producing and retaining a spring biased means of electrical contact with said cooperating fixed electrical contacts on the mating electrical connector, the diaphragm being stretched freely into said open space to produce said spring biasing force on each movable contact pin for producing a high reliability electrical connection between the biased contact pin and its cooperating electrical contact.

4 more elements

a rigid pin housing made from a dielectric material and including an exterior face having a plurality of openings to passages for containing electrical contact pins and a hollow interior region having a rigid support surface spaced from the exterior face of the housing;
a plurality of contact pins extending through respective passages in the pin housing which support the contact pins in a pattern corresponding to the contacts of the second electrical/electronic device, a contact end of each supported contact pin being aligned for contact with a corresponding contact of the second electrical/electronic device, each contact pin having an opposite compliancy control end adjacent the interior support surface of the housing, the housing containing a plurality of electrically isolated internal void spaces aligned with the compliancy control ends of the contact pins;
separate control springs disposed within the internal void spaces and normally biased against the corresponding compliancy control ends of the contact pins, each control spring providing an independent means of compliancy for each contact pin in response to movement of each contact pin under an axial force directed toward its control spring;
and
a thin, flexible dielectric film containing passive electrical termination leads, the film supported by the interior support surface in the housing, the termination leads being individually electrically coupled to corresponding contact pins, the flexible film extending to the exterior of the housing for connection of its leads to the first electrical/electronic device.