Brush contact electrical connector

Abstract

 A brush contact electrical connector assembly (14) is disclosed in which alternating towers (34) and recesses (36) are formed into each molded connector body (17). A brush contact is mounted within cavities in each tower and recess respectively, with the towers offset to provide an overlap with a successive series of towers to prevent mismating of the connectors while at the same time surrounding each set of brush contacts to prevent damage during handling. In one of the connectors the towers and recesses are formed above an interfacing surface while in the mating connector the towers and recesses lie below the interface surface.

Description

[0001] This invention concerns electrical connectors and more particularly electrical connectors of the type incorporating brush contacts.

[0002] Such brush contacts consist of a group of finely sized wires having the exposed ends chiselled, such as to be able to be intermeshed with a corresponding brush contact set during mating of the connector. This mating is achieved with very low insertion forces and the resultant electrical connection is quite reliable and resistant to vibration, high temperatures, and other environmental factors. The brush contacts are relatively fragile and subject to mechanical distortion if exposed such as to be able to be distorted by inadvertently applied distorting forces. The usual prior art approach has been to recess the brush contact in one of the mating connectors within openings in towers, and protecting the mating contact with a thin metal tube which provides a shrouding of the brush contact. The tower openings receive the shrouds during connector mating in which the respective brush contacts are intermeshed.

[0003] This arrangement has worked very satisfactorily in the past due to the good protection afforded both sets of brush contacts. However, in some applications the contacts, due to space requirements, must be very closely spaced. For such applications the shrouding cannot be employed since it increases the area required for each contact set. It has heretofore been proposed and implemented to alternate the towers on each of the mating . connectors such that a grid like pattern of towers and recesses results. The checkerboard pattern thus enables the brush contacts disposed within the recesses to be protected by the adjacent towers to thus eliminate the need for shrouding and enable very closely spaced contacts. Such connectors as were heretofore'proposed have however been made up of individual modules in which each module is staggered the full distance of the full dimension of the tower to provide a built up design of checkerboard pattern. The inherently, symmetrical configuration thus created the possibility of mismating of the connectors without providing a special keying of the respective connector bodies to preclude such mismating.

Disclosure of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a fully protected brush contact connector while allowing very closely spaced contacts. This is achieved by the providing of a one piece molded connector body in which at least two linear series of towers and recesses are provided located immediately along side each other. The brush contacts are adapted to be mounted within the towers and recesses and protected in the recesses by the adjacent towers in the series. According to the present invention the connector body is characterized by a one piece molded construction in which the towers are offset to provide a partial overlap between adjacent towers in each of the series rather than the checkerboard pattern of the prior art design. The partial overlap produces integral construction of the adjacent towers and produces an asymmetrical pattern which has the advantage of completely eliminating the possibility of mismating of the complementary connectors. In one of the connectors the towers are projected above a connector interface surface while in the other recesses are formed into an interface surface creating towers in the intervening spaces.

[0005] One of the connector bodies is designed with a molded integral side ribs which come into mating engagement with a relieved area of the other connector upon corresponding mating of the respective connectors. The rib extends alongside each of the series of towers and recesses thereby protecting the brush contacts from exposure from forces which may be inadvertently imposed during handling through the side openings.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

[0006] 

FIGURE 1. is a perspective view of a pair of separated brush contact connectors to be mated into an assembly according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the upper connector shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view through the upper connector shown in FIGURE 1.

[0007] For illustrative purposes, a brush contact electrical assembly will be described with a limited number of contacts, but it will be understood that normally a relatively large number of contacts will be incorporated for typical applications.

[0008] FIGURE 1 shows a pair of brush contact electrical connectors 12 and 14 which are separated but are adapted to be mated with each other, to form an assembly 10. The lower connector 14 shown in FIGURE 1 includes a molded body 17 which has a pair of spaced apart end sections 16 which define a space therebetween adapted to receive the body 18 of the upper connector 12 during mating of the connectors.

[0009] A pair of pivotally mounted retainers 20 are provided which are movable between detent positions by detent lugs 22 being positioned into respective detent grooves 24 and 26 corresponding to the released and secured position respectively. The retainers 20 are adapted to grip a slot formed on the upper connector 12 (not shown).

[0010] A pair of projecting locators 28 are carried by the upper connector body 18 and adapted to mate with mating recesses 30 formed in inserts 32 received in the lower connector body 17.

[0011] These details do not form a part of the present invention but are included in the description for the sake of. completeness. For this reason, further details of each of the connectors 12 and 14 will not be given inasmuch as these do not form a part of the present invention.

[0012] The molded body 17 is formed with two adjacent linear series of alternating towers 34 and recesses 36, corresponding to a similar series of alternating towers and recesses molded integrally with the upper connector body 18 as will be described hereinafter.

[0013] The towers 34 projected above interface surface 46 which abuts interface surface 48 of the upper connector body 18 when mated therewith, and are each formed with cavities 38. In each cavity 38 there is mounted a brush contact 40, slightly recessed below the surface of the towers 34.

[0014] Each of the recesses 36 has disposed within it a brush contact 40 which is centered between the towers 34 and thus is protected from mechanical abuse. Also molded integrally with the connector body 17 is a pair of side ribs 42. The upper connector body 18 is also provided with a pair of side ribs 44 as will be described hereinafter.

[0015] FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate the molded body 18 of the upper connector 12 in which the "towers" 52 are located beneath the interface surface 48 and relief areas 44 are provided 44 which mate with the 42 side ribs 42. Interface surfaces 48 and 46 are in abutment in the full mating position of the upper connector 12 and the lower connector 14. Similarly, the recesses 50 corresponding to the towers 34 of the lower connector 14 are recessed below the interface surface 48 and the intervening spaces define "towers" adapted to be interfit with the recess spaces 36 of the lower connector assembly 14. The brush contact assemblies 40 are disposed in cavities 54 located at the bottom of recesses 50 and cavities 56 located extending into the tower sections 52.

[0016] In similar fashion to the lower connector, the towers 52 and recesses 50 are offset with respect to an adjacent tower in the next series to partially overlap each other rather than being matched corner to corner to create the asymmetric pattern which will not allow mismating of the connectors. That is, only a single orientation of the upper connector 12 and lower connector 14 allows the interfitting of the towers and recesses.

[0017] The brushes 40 are recessed slightly below the surface such that they remain fully protected even with attempted mismating of the respective connectors.

[0018] It can be seen that the entirely recessed design of the upper connector eliminates entirely the need for shielding the brush contacts 40 such that the brush contacts 40 may be located at the outboard end recesses without the need for shielding. Accordingly, it can be appreciated that the present invention provides a superior mounting for brush type contacts greatly minimizing the risk of distortion of the brush type contacts by providing protection thereof by the surrounding structure and yet enabling very close spacing between the contacts due to the elimination of the need for separate shrouding, which inherently precludes mismating of the respective connectors.

Claims

1. A brush contact electrical connector (14) of the type including adjacent linear series of brush contacts (40) carried by a connector body (17), with said brush contacts (40) disposed in a series of alternating towers (34) and recesses (36) formed by said connector body (17), adapted to be mated with a complementary located series of towers and recesses on a mating connector (12), and a pair of side ribs (42) extending alongside said series of towers and recesses to protect exposed brush contacts (40) in said recesses (36), said connector characterized by being formed with at least two adjacent linear. series of alternating towers (34) and recesses (36), each of said towers (34) offset with respect to a tower in the adjacent series to partially overlap each other, whereby said brush contacts (40) exposed in said recesses (36) are protected by said towers (34), and mismating is prevented by said partial overlap.

2. The brush contact connector (14) according to Claim 1 wherein said connector body (17) is of one piece molded construction, with said partially overlapped towers (34) integral with each other.

3. The brush contact connector (14) according to Claim 2 wherein said side ribs (42) extending alongside the towers (34) and recesses (36) to protect said brush contacts (40) exposed in said recesses (36) are integral with said connector body (17).

4. A brush contact electrical connector assembly (10 of the type including a pair of mating electrical connectors (12, 14), each including a connector body (17, 18), and linear series of towers (34, 52) and recesses (36, 50) adapted to be mated with each aother and a brush contact (40),housed within a cavity (38, 54) in each tower (34, 52), and a brush contact (40) mounted in each recess (36, 50), the connector assembly (10) characterized by one of said connector bodies (17) being formed with said towers (34) and recesses (36) above an interfacing surface (46) and the other of said connector bodies (18) formed with said recesses (50) and towers (52) below an interfacing surface (48) brought into contact upon assembly of said connectors (12, 14).

5. The brush contact electrical connector assembly according to Claim 4 including at least two adjacent series of towers (34, 52) and recesses (36, 50) in each connector and wherein each of said towers (34, 52) is offset with an adjacent tower (34, 52) in the next series to overlap, whereby mismating of said connectors (12, 14) is precluded.

6. The brush contact connector assembly (10) according to Claim 5 wherein said one of said connector bodies (17) is formed with upstanding ribs (42) extending above said surface (46) and alongside said towers (34) and recesses (36) and wherein the other of said connector bodies (18) is formed with corresponding reliefs (44) to receive said ribs (42) upon mating of said one and other connectors (12, 14).

Drawing