Electrical Connector with Electrical Contacts Protected by a Layer of Compressible Material and Method of Making It

摘要

Disclosed is an electrical connector having a substrate and movable electrical contacts which are mounted to the substrate and extend a distance D from the substrate. A layer of compressible material (such as a foam or elastomeric material) is positioned on the substrate adjacent at least some of the electrical contacts and ideally has an uncompressed thickness slightly greater than the distance D to provide for protection of the electrical contacts. When a mating electrical device such as an electrical connector or other circuit member is mated to the electrical connector with its electrical contacts and its layer of compressible material, the layer of compressible material is compressed to a thickness less than the distance D, allowing the contacts to make a suitable electrical interconnection to the mating electrical device. The compressible material may be selected which has a force-to-compression plot which includes at least one inflection, defining a first region on one side of the inflection where a given increment of force provides a larger increment of compression and a second region on the other side of the inflection where the same increment of compressive force provides a substantially smaller increment of compression. The compressible material can function to prevent damage to the movable electrical contacts from handling, packing, shipping, assembly, testing, connection and/or mating of the connector.

主权项

1. An electrical connector comprising:
A substrate; A plurality of movable electrical contacts mounted to the substrate and extending a distance D from the substrate; A layer of compressible material mounted to the substrate, said layer of compressible material extending a thickness H, which is more than the distance D, from the substrate when uncompressed, and which when compressed by a mating circuit element or connector to have a thickness less than the height D when mated.