Hybrid electrical connectors

Abstract

A connector system with a board connector and a cable assembly terminated with a cable connector. Either or both of the connectors may have a housing with a mating face and a first member disposed on the mating face. The connector includes a first set of electrical contacts and second set of electrical contacts exposed at the mating face. The first set of electrical contacts may be power contacts and may include a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact. The second plurality of electrical contacts may be disposed in the first member and may be signal contacts.

Description

[0001] HYBRID ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS

[0002] BACKGROUND

[0003] Some power connectors have two circular contacts, which may be conductive pins in a board connector or may be bands in a cable connector.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] According to aspects of the disclosure, there is provided a hybrid connector configured for making power and signal connections, the connector comprising: a housing comprising a mating face and a first member disposed on the mating face; a first plurality of electrical contacts comprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact exposed at the mating face; and a second plurality of electrical contacts disposed in the first member, wherein the first electrical contact, the second electrical contact, and the first member are disposed not in a line at the mating face.

[0006] According to aspects of the disclosure, there is provided a hybrid connector configured for making power and signal connections, the connector comprising: a housing comprising a mating face and a first member disposed on the mating face, the mating face having a first edge and a second edge orthogonal to the first edge; a first plurality of electrical contacts comprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact exposed at the mating face along a line that is not parallel to the first edge or the second edge; and a second plurality of electrical contacts disposed in the first member.

[0007] Optionally, the housing comprises at least one opening configured to have a first cable and a second cable disposed therein; the first electrical contact is configured to connect to a first electrical conductor of the first cable; and the second electrical contact is configured to connect to a second electrical conductor of the second cable.

[0008] Optionally, the connector is configured to be mounted to a printed circuit board; the first electrical contact is configured to connect to a first electrical conductor of the printed circuit board; and the second electrical contact is configured to connect to a second electrical conductor of the printed circuit board.

[0009] Optionally, the first plurality of electrical contacts comprise power contacts; and the second plurality of electrical contacts comprise signal contacts. Optionally, the first member comprises a protrusion and an opening; the second plurality of electrical contacts are disposed within the protrusion; and the first member is configured to couple with a second member of a complementary connector.

[0010] Optionally, a first latching portion configured to engage a second latching portion of a complementary connector to couple the connector and the complementary connector.

[0011] Optionally, the first latching portion is disposed on the mating face not in a corner of the mating face.

[0012] Optionally, the first latching portion is configured to establish a position of the connector relative to the complementary connector.

[0013] Optionally, the first plurality of electrical contacts have a first width; and the second plurality of electrical contacts have a second width smaller than the first width.

[0014] Optionally, the first width is at least five times greater than the second width.

[0015] Optionally, the first plurality of electrical contacts comprises only two electrical contacts.

[0016] Optionally, the second plurality of electrical contacts comprises only two electrical contacts.

[0017] According to aspects of the disclosure, there is provided a hybrid connector configured for making power and signal connections, the connector comprising: a housing; a first circular electrical contact supported by the housing; a second circular electrical contact supported by the housing; a first latching portion supported by the housing; and a signal portion supported by the housing and comprising a plurality of signal contacts, wherein: the first circular electrical contact, the second circular electrical contact, the first latching portion and the signal portion a positioned within a rectangular region bounded by a first side, and a second side perpendicular to the first side; the first latching portion is disposed adjacent the first side; the signal portion is disposed adjacent the second side; and the first circular electrical contact and the second circular electrical contact are disposed along a line transverse to the first side, and the second side.

[0018] Optionally, the first circular electrical contact is disposed in a comer of the rectangular region.

[0019] Optionally, the first side and the second side of the rectangular region are each less than 25 mm long. Optionally, the first circular electrical contact is a first cylindrical pin; and the second circular electrical contact is a second cylindrical pin.

[0020] Optionally, the housing comprises a base; the signal portion comprises a protrusion extending from the base and having an opening therein; and the plurality of signal contacts comprise pins exposed within the opening.

[0021] Optionally, the latching portion comprises a post extending from the base, and the post comprises: a face parallel to the first side and a catch extending from the face perpendicular to the first side.

[0022] Optionally, the hybrid connector is a board connector.

[0023] Optionally, the first circular electrical contact is a first band; and the second circular electrical contact is a second band.

[0024] Optionally, the housing comprises a first cavity and a first opening through the housing into the first cavity and a second opening through the housing into the first cavity; the first circular electrical contact is disposed within the cavity and aligned with the first opening; the second circular electrical contact is disposed within the cavity and aligned with the second opening; the signal portion comprises a second cavity and a plurality of openings through the housing into the second cavity; and the plurality of signal contacts are disposed within the second cavity and aligned with respective openings of the plurality of openings.

[0025] Optionally, the latching portion comprises: a hinge, and an arm comprising a distal end; and the arm is mounted to the hinge such that the distal end moves perpendicularly to the first side when the arm is pivoted about the hinge.

[0026] Optionally, the housing comprises a face parallel to the first side; the face comprises an inset portion at a central portion of the first side; and the hinge is disposed within the inset portion.

[0027] Optionally, the hybrid connector is a cable connector.

[0028] According to aspects of the disclosure, there is provided an electrical system for passing power and signal connections, the system comprising: a first electrical connector, the first electrical connector comprising: a first housing comprising a first mating face and a first member recessed in the first mating face, the first mating face having a first edge and a second edge orthogonal to the first edge; a first plurality of electrical contacts comprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact each recessed in the first mating face along a first line that is not parallel to the first edge or the second edge; and a second plurality of electrical contacts disposed in the first member; and a second electrical connector mated to the first electrical connector, the second electrical connector comprising: a second housing comprising a second mating face and a second member protruding from the second mating face, the second mating face having a third edge and a fourth edge orthogonal to the third edge; a third plurality of electrical contacts comprising a third electrical contact and a fourth electrical contact each protruding from the second mating face along a line that is not parallel to the third edge or the fourth edge; and a fourth plurality of electrical contacts disposed in the second member, wherein the second member is engaged in the first member, the third electrical contact is connected to the first electrical contact, and the fourth electrical contact is connected to the second electrical contact.

[0029] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] FIGs. 1A and IB show an electrical connector system according to some embodiments;

[0031] FIGs. 2A, 2B, and 2C show the plug connector of the electrical connector system of FIGs. 1A and IB;

[0032] FIGs. 3A and 3B show the board connector of the electrical connector system of FIGs. 1A and IB;

[0033] FIGs. 4A and 4B show rectangular regions enclosing mating elements of the board connector and cable connector of FIGs. 1A and IB;

[0034] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a blank of an electrical socket according to an exemplary example of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the blank illustrated in FIG. 5; FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective and elevational views, respectively, of an electrical socket according to an exemplary example of the present disclosure, after the blank of the electrical socket has been rolled and twisted;

[0036] FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the electrical socket illustrated in FIGS. 7 A and 7B, showing a mating pin received in the electrical socket;

[0037] FIGS. 9A and 9B are partial plan and perspective views of tooling used to make an electrical socket according to an exemplary example of the present disclosure; FIGS. 10A and 1OB are cross-sectional views of an electrical socket according to an exemplary example of the present disclosure, after the blank of the electrical socket is rolled (FIG. 10A) and twisted (FIG. 10B); and

[0038] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the electrical socket illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, showing a mating pin received in the electrical socket.

[0039] DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] L Overview

[0041] The inventors have recognized an appreciated design techniques for electrical connectors in which signal contacts are integrated into the connector along with power contacts with a compact connector footprint. For example, an electrical connector may include a housing comprising a mating face, with a first member disposed on the mating face. The connector may include a first plurality of electrical power contacts comprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact exposed at the mating face, as well as a second plurality of electrical contacts disposed in the first member.

[0042] The first plurality of electrical contacts and the member may be compactly arranged on the mating face relative to each other. For example, the mating face may comprise at least two orthogonal edges. The first electrical contact and the second electrical contact may be arranged on at mating face along a line that is not parallel to either of the two edges, e.g., along a diagonal of the mating face. Further, the member may be arranged not in a line with the first and second electrical contacts, forming a triangle arrangement relative to the first and second contacts. By arranging the mating face of the connector in this manner, the size of the mating face may be reduced, allowing for more compact connections, and thus denser and more efficient distribution of electrical power.

[0043] The first plurality of electrical power contacts may comprise power contacts and the second plurality of electrical contacts may comprise signal contacts. As such, the electrical connector may comprise a hybrid connector. The connector may also comprise a latching portion compactly arranged on the mating face. For example, the latching portion may be arranged not in a comer of the mating face, to provide more room for the first and second contacts along the direction not aligned with the two edges of the mating face. FIGs. 1A and IB show an electrical connector system 100. Electrical connector system 100 includes an electrical connector 200 and a complementary electrical connector 300. FIG. 1A shows electrical connector 200 mated with electrical connector 300. FIG. IB shows electrical connector 200 not mated with electrical connector 300. Electrical connector 200 may be mated with electrical connector 300 by moving it along insertion direction 102.

[0044] FIGs. 2A, 2B, and 2C show electrical connector 200, which may be arranged as a plug connector and may be configured for terminating one or more cables. In the example illustrated, connector 200, and the cables it terminates, form one end of a cable assembly. One or more other ends of the cable assembly (not shown) may be terminated by like connectors or may be terminated in other ways or may be directly attached to one or more components in an electronic system.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2B, the electrical connector 200 includes a mating face 230 at which electrical contacts are exposed. The electrical connector 200 includes a first set of electrical contacts including a first electrical contact 202a and a second electrical contact 202b. Each of the first electrical contact 202a and the second electrical contact 202b may be arranged in a respective comer of the mating face 330.

[0046] In some embodiments, each of the first electrical contact 202a and the second electrical contact 202b may be electrical sockets with contoured contact beams described in Appendix A and Appendix B. The first set of electrical contacts may be power contacts. The electrical connector 200 further includes a second set of electrical contacts including third electrical contact 222a and fourth electrical contact 222b. The second set of electrical contacts may be signal contacts. In the embodiment illustrated, there are two power contacts and two signal contacts in the connector, but in other embodiments, there may be more or fewer signal contacts and / or power contacts.

[0047] Contacts of the first set of electrical contacts may be larger than the contacts of the second set of electrical contacts. For example, in the plane of the mating face 230, the first plurality of electrical contacts may have a first width, and the second plurality of electrical contacts may have a second width smaller than the first width. The first width may be at least two times, at least five times, or at least ten times greater than the second width. The first set of electrical contacts may be larger than the second set of electrical contacts because the first set of electrical contacts may pass large amounts of power while the second set of electrical contacts pass signals. In the example illustrated, contacts of the first set of contacts have the same shape and contacts of the second set of contacts have the same shape, which differs from the shape of contacts of the first set. In other examples, contacts in either or both sets may have different shapes.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 2C, the first electrical contact 202a and the second electrical contact 202b may each comprise a band 204, which may be arranged within a receptacle 206. Receptacle 206 in this example is a conductive receptacle. The conductive receptacle 206 in this example, has a mounting portion configured for direct or indirect attachment to a cable, such as by welding the cable or a sleeve attached to the cable to the receptacle 206. The electrical connector may further comprise a barrier portion 208 formed as a ring. The barrier portion 208 optionally may be insulative. The first electrical contact 202a and the second electrical contact 202b may comprise circular electrical contacts, such as cylindrical bands disposed in cavities within the housing. Openings in the housing into the cavity may expose the contacts for mating with complementary mating components of a complementary connector.

[0049] The third electrical contact 222a and the fourth electrical contact 222b may be disposed in a first housing member 220. The first housing member 220 may comprise a signal portion. The first housing member 220 may include a first opening 224 and a first protrusion 226. The first opening 224 may be configured to receive a complementary second protrusion 324 of the electrical connector 300. The first protrusion 226 may be configured to fit within a complementary second opening 326 of the electrical connector 300.

[0050] Respective conductors of the cables 201 may be connected to contacts of the first set of electrical contacts. Respective conductors of cables 221 may be connected to contacts of the second set of electrical contacts.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2A, electrical connector 200 includes a first latching portion 210. The first latching portion 210 includes a first latching surface 212 and an actuating member 214, which may be arranged as an arm configured to pivot about a hinge. First latching surface is configured to engage a second latching surface 312 of the second latching portion 310 (of the electrical connector 300) in order to couple the electrical connector 200 and the electrical connector 300.

[0052] The mating face 230 includes a first edge 232a, a second edge 232b, a third edge 232c, a fourth edge 232d, and a fifth edge 232e. The first edge 232a, second edge 232b, fourth edge 232d, and fifth edge 232e may be arranged in a rectangle such that adjacent edges are orthogonal to each other, while the third edge 232c may be nonorthogonal to adjacent edges. The fifth edge 232e may include a cavity 234 in which the first latching portion 210 is disposed, which may facilitate user actuation of the actuating member 214. As such, the first latching portion 210 may be arranged on an edge of the mating face 230 and not in a corner of the mating face 230. In some embodiments, the fifth edge 232e may comprise a first side, which may be about 25mm long, and the first edge 232a may comprise a second side.

[0053] The first latching portion 210 may be configured to establish a position of the electrical connector 200 relative to the electrical connector 300 by restricting separation of the connectors when mated. Furthermore, the first electrical contact 202a, the second electrical contact 202b, the first latching portion 210, and the first housing member 220 may be arranged on the mating face 230 in a pattern that reduces a size of the mating face 230, such as a pattern with compact packing. For example, any respective three items in the group consisting of the first electrical contact 202a, the second electrical contact 202b, the first latching portion 210, and the first housing member 220 may be arranged not in a line. For example, the items of the group may be positioned such that the third item is offset from a line between the other two items in the group. For purposes of determining co-linearity of items, each item may be treated as a point positioned at the geometric center of the area occupied by the item in a plane at or parallel to the mating face. Furthermore, the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact may be arranged along a line that forms a diagonal of the area bounded by the rectangularly arranged edges of the mating face 230 or otherwise is not parallel to the rectangularly arranged edges of the mating face 230.

[0054] FIG. 2C shows an exploded view of the electrical connector 200. As shown in FIG. 2C, electrical connector 200 includes a housing 240 formed of a first housing portion 242 and a second housing portion 244, which may be coupled with a fastener 246 (such as a screw and nut).

[0055] FIGs. 3 A and 3B show electrical connector 300, which may be arranged as a board connector. Electrical connector 300 may be configured to be mounted to a printed circuit board. As shown in FIG. 3A, the electrical connector 300 includes a mating face 330 at which electrical contacts are exposed. Those electrical contacts may be sized and positioned as described above for the contacts of connector 200, but with complementary shapes, such that the contacts of connector 300 mate with the contacts of connector 200. The electrical connector 300 includes a first set of electrical contacts including a first electrical contact 302a and a second electrical contact 302b. Each of the first electrical contact 302a and the second electrical contact 302b may be arranged in respective comers of the mating face 330. The first set of electrical contacts may be power contacts. The electrical connector 300 further includes a second set of electrical contacts including third electrical contact 322a and fourth electrical contact 322b. The second set of electrical contacts may be signal contacts.

[0056] The first set of electrical contacts may be larger than the second set of electrical contacts. For example, in the plane of the mating face 330, the first plurality of electrical contacts may have a first width, and the second plurality of electrical contacts may have a second width smaller than the first width. The first width may be at least two times, at least 5 times, or at least ten times greater than the second width. The first set of electrical contacts may be larger than the second set of electrical contacts because the first set of electrical contacts may pass large amounts of power while the second set of electrical contacts pass signals.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 3B, the first electrical contact 302a and the second electrical contact 302b may each comprise a pin 306. The first electrical contact 302a and the second electrical contact 302b may comprise circular electrical contacts, such as cylindrical pins.

[0058] The third electrical contact 222a and the fourth electrical contact 222b may be disposed in a second housing member 320. The second housing member 320 may comprise a signal portion. The second housing member 320 may include a second protrusion 324 and a second opening 326. The second protrusion 324 may be configured to fit within complementary first opening 224 of the electrical connector 200. The second opening 326 may be configured to engage a complementary first protrusion 226 of the electrical connector 200.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 3A, electrical connector 300 includes a second latching portion 310. The second latching portion 310 includes a second latching surface 312. Second latching surface is configured to engage a first latching surface 212 of the first latching portion 210 (of the electrical connector 200) in order to couple the electrical connector 300 and the electrical connector 200.

[0060] The mating face 330 includes a first edge 332a, a second edge 332b, a third edge 332c, a fourth edge 332d, and a fifth edge 332e. The first edge 332a, second edge 332b, fourth edge 332d, and fifth edge 332e may be arranged in a rectangle such that adjacent edges are orthogonal to each other, while the third edge 343c may be nonorthogonal to adjacent edges. The first latching portion 210 may be arranged on fifth edge 332e of the mating face 330 and not in a corner of the mating face 330. In some embodiments, the fifth edge 332e may comprise a first side, which may be about 25mm long, and the first edge 332a may comprise a second side.

[0061] The second latching portion 310 may be configured establish a position of the electrical connector 300 relative to the electrical connector 200 by restricting separation of the connectors when mated. Furthermore, the first electrical contact 302a, the second electrical contact 302b, the second latching portion 310, and the second housing member 320 may be arranged on the mating face 330 in a pattern that reduces a size of the mace, such as a pattern with compact packing. For example, any respective three items in the group consisting of the first electrical contact 302a, the second electrical contact 302b, the second latching portion 310, and the second housing member 320 may be arranged not in a line. Furthermore, the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact may be arranged along a line that is not parallel to the rectangularly arranged edges of the mating face 330.

[0062] FIG. 3B shows an exploded view of the electrical connector 300. As shown in FIG, 3B, electrical connector includes a housing 340.

[0063] FIGs. 4A and 4B show rectangular regions enclosing mating elements of the board connector and cable connector of FIGs. 1A and IB, respectively. One or more of the techniques described herein may be used in a connector to enable the enclosing rectangular region, which may define the footprint of the connector in an electronic system, to be compact. The rectangular region for example, may enclose at least two power contacts and at least two signal contacts and may have a longer dimension of less than 25 mm, or less than 20 mm, or less than 18 mm in some examples. A shorter dimension of the rectangular region may be less than 18 mm, or less than 5 mm or less than 13 mm, in some examples. As a specific example, the rectangular region may be approximately 18 mm x 13 mm or smaller. In some examples, a rectangular region may be square such that any side may define the longer dimension or the shorter dimension. II. Electrical socket with contoured contact beams

[0064] This section, along with FIGs. 5, 6, 7A, 7B, 8, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, and 11, describe additional examples and features, including circular contacts, such as band contacts, that can be incorporated with various embodiments of systems and methods described above in Section I.

[0065] An electrical socket and method of making an electrical socket. The socket includes a body that has spaced contact beams extending between the first and second ends and an inner receiving area for accepting a mating pin. The contact beams are configured for aligning into a hyperbolic geometry. Each of the contact beams has a middle section between first and second end sections. Each middle section has a preformed contour that defines a cross-section of each contact beam that defines a fully radiused, inner contact area without sharp edges such that each middle section extends further into the inner receiving area than the first and second end sections when the contact beams are aligned into the hyperbolic geometry and such that the fully radiused, inner contact areas of the contact beams are positioned for contact with the mating pin when inserted into the inner receiving area of the socket body.

[0066] Conventional electrical sockets, such as barrel terminals, are configured to accept an electrical pin or prong. The designs of such conventional electrical sockets can, however, lead to reduced performance and service life of the socket, namely due to deformation of the socket contacts, misalignment of the mating pin when inserted into the socket, and skiving of the mating pin.

[0067] Therefore, a need exists for an improved electrical socket that is designed to address the above problems and maintain high performance of the socket.

[0068] Accordingly, the present disclosure may provide an electrical socket that comprises a cylindrical body defining a longitudinal axis and having opposite first and second end rings, a plurality of spaced contact beams extending between the first and second end rings, and an inner receiving area for accepting a mating pin. The first and second end rings are rotatably offset from one another with respect to the longitudinal axis, thereby twisting the contact beams into a hyperbolic geometry. Each of the contact beams may comprise a middle section between first and second end sections. The first and second end sections are attached to the first and second end rings, respectively, and the middle section of each contact beam may be longer and wider than each of the first and second end sections, such that each contact beam has a generally teardrop shape. The middle section of each contact beam has a contour that defines an inner contact area such that the middle section extends further into the inner receiving area than the first and second end sections and such that the inner contact areas are positioned for contact with the mating pin when inserted into the inner receiving area.

[0069] In certain examples, the contour of the middle section of each contact beam comprises a substantially concave form extending into the inner receiving area; the contour of the middle section of each contact beam comprises angled radii forms extending across the middle section substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis; the end rings have substantially the same diameter and width; the width of each end ring is greater than the width of each middle section of the contact beams; the hyperbolic geometry has a twist of about 40 to 70 degrees; the cylindrical body is a one-piece unitary member; the contact beams are uniformly spaced; and / or the cylindrical body is made of copper, copper alloy, or silver plating.

[0070] The present disclosure may also provide a method of making an electrical socket, that comprises the steps of providing a conductive blank having opposite first and second connecting portions and a plurality of contact beams extending between the first and second connecting portions, each contact beam having a middle section between first and second end sections, the first and second end sections being attached to the first and second connecting portions, respectively; contouring each of the middle sections of the contact beams of the blank to define a contact area; after contouring, rolling the blank to form a cylindrical body wherein the first and second connecting portions form opposite first and second end rings of the body; and then twisting the first and second end rings in opposite directions with respect to a longitudinal axis of the body, thereby twisting the contact beams into a hyperbolic geometry and forming an inner receiving area of the body configured to accept a mating pin with the contact areas of the contact beams facing inside.

[0071] In accordance with some examples of the method, the step of contouring provides a substantially concave form in each middle section of each contact beam such that the middle sections extend into the inner receiving area after the step of twisting the first and second end rings; the step of contouring provides angled radii forms across each middle section of each contact beam; the step of twisting includes twisting the first and second end rings until the angled radii forms are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis; the step of twisting the first and second end rings provides a twist between about 40 and 70 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis; after the step of rolling the blank, attaching respective ends of the first and second connecting portions to form the first and second end rings, respectively; further comprising the step of welding or mechanically locking end edges of the blank after contouring and rolling the blank to form the cylindrical body; further comprising the step of stamping the blank from a sheet of conductive material; the sheet is made of copper, copper alloy, or silver plating; further comprising the step of forming the cylindrical body as a one-piece unitary member; and / or further comprising the step of uniformly spacing the contact beams.

[0072] The present disclosure may yet further provide an electrical socket that comprises a cylindrical body that defines a longitudinal axis and has opposite first and second end rings, a plurality of spaced contact beams extending between the first and second end rings, and an inner receiving area for accepting a mating pin, wherein the first and second end rings are rotatably offset from one another with respect to the longitudinal axis, thereby twisting the contact beams into a hyperbolic geometry. Each of the contact beams comprises a middle section between first and second end sections and the first and second end sections is attached to the first and second end rings. The middle section of each contact beam has a pre-formed contour that defines a fully radiused, inner contact area without sharp edges such that each middle section extends further into the inner receiving area than the first and second end sections and such that the fully radiused, inner contact areas are positioned for contact with the mating pin when inserted into the inner receiving area.

[0073] In an example, each pre-formed contour is configured to match the radius of the mating pin for the contact with the mating pin when inserted into the inner receiving area of the cylindrical body.

[0074] The present disclosure may yet still provide an electrical socket, comprising a cylindrical body that defines a longitudinal axis and having opposite first and second end rings, a plurality of spaced contact beams extend between the first and second end rings, and an inner receiving area for accepting a mating pin, wherein the first and second end rings are rotatably offset from one another with respect to the longitudinal axis, thereby twisting the contact beams into a hyperbolic geometry. Each of the contact beams comprises a middle section between first and second end sections and the first and second end sections are attached to the first and second end rings, respectively. The middle section of each contact beam is longer and wider than each of the first and second end sections. The middle section of each contact beam has a contour that defines a fully radiused, inner contact area without sharp edges such that each middle section has a generally C-shaped cross-section and extends further into the inner receiving area than the first and second end sections and each contour of each contact beam is configured to match the radius of the mating pin such that the fully radiused, inner contact areas are positioned for contact with the mating pin when inserted into the inner receiving area.

[0075] The present disclosure may further provide a method of making an electrical socket, comprising the steps of contouring contact beams of a conductive blank that has opposite first and second connecting portions and the contact beams extend between the first and second connecting portions, each contact beam has a middle section between first and second end sections, the first and second end sections is attached to the first and second connecting portions, respectively, the step of contouring the contact beams includes contouring each of the middle sections of the contact beams of the blank to have an inner contact area; after the step of contouring the middle sections of the contact beams, rolling the blank to form a cylindrical body wherein the first and second connecting portions form opposite first and second end rings of the body; and then twisting the first and second end rings in opposite directions with respect to a longitudinal axis of the body, thereby twisting the contact beams into a hyperbolic geometry and forming an inner receiving area of the body configured to accept a mating pin with the inner contact areas of the contact beams facing inside.

[0076] The present disclosure may relate to an electrical socket that has a socket body defining a longitudinal axis and having opposite first and second ends, a plurality of spaced contact beams extending between the first and second ends, and an inner receiving area for accepting a mating pin. The contact beams are configured for aligning into a hyperbolic geometry Each of the contact beams comprises a middle section between first and second end sections. The first and second end sections are attached to the first and second ends, respectively. The middle section of each contact beam has a pre-formed contour that defines a cross-section of each contact beam that defines a fully radiused, inner contact area without sharp edges such that each middle section extends further into the inner receiving area than the first and second end sections when the contact beams are aligned into the hyperbolic geometry and such that the fully radiused, inner contact areas of the contact beams are positioned for contact with the mating pin when inserted into the inner receiving area of the socket body. In certain examples of the present disclosure, the contact beams are configured for aligning into the hyperbolic geometry by twisting the contact beams; the pre-formed contour of each contact beam is a pre-twist, pre-formed contour; and / or each pre-formed contour is configured to match a radius of the mating pin for the contact with the mating pin when the mating pin is inserted into the inner receiving area of the socket body.

[0077] In other examples, the socket body is substantially cylindrical; each of the first and second ends of the socket body is an end ring; the end rings have substantially the same diameter; the middle section of each contact beam is longer and wider than each of the first and second end sections; each contact beam has a teardrop shape; the socket body is a one-piece unitary member; and / or the contact beams are uniformly spaced.

[0078] The present disclosure may further relate to an electrical socket that comprises a socket body defining a longitudinal axis and having opposite first and second end rings, a plurality of spaced contact beams extending between the first and second end rings, and an inner receiving area for accepting a mating pin. The first and second end rings can be positioned with respect to the longitudinal axis for aligning the contact beams into a hyperbolic geometry. Each of the contact beams comprises a middle section between first and second end sections. The first and second end sections are attached to the first and second end rings, respectively. The middle section of each contact beam is longer and wider than each of the first and second end sections. The middle section of each contact beam has a pre-formed longitudinal contour prior to aligning the contact beams into the hyperbolic geometry. The pre-formed longitudinal contour defines a fully radiused, inner contact area without sharp edges such that each middle section of each contact beam has a generally C-shaped cross-section and extends further into the inner receiving area than the first and second end sections. Each pre-formed longitudinal contour of each contact beam is configured to match the radius of the mating pin such that the fully radiused, inner contact areas of the contact beams are positioned for contact with the mating pin when the mating pin is inserted into the inner receiving area of the socket body.

[0079] In some examples, the contact beams are configured for aligning into the hyperbolic geometry by twisting the contact beams and the pre-formed contour of each contact beam is a pre-twist, pre-formed contour; the first and second end rings of the socket body are rotatably offset from one another with respect to the longitudinal axis of the socket body; each contact beam has a teardrop shape; the socket body is substantially cylindrical; and / or the socket body is a one-piece unitary member.

[0080] The present disclosure may yet further relate to a method of making an electrical socket that comprises the steps of contouring contact beams of a conductive blank that has opposite first and second connecting portions and the contact beams extend between the first and second connecting portions, each contact beam has a middle section between first and second end sections and the first and second end sections are attached to the first and second connecting portions, respectively, wherein contouring the contact beams includes contouring each of the middle sections of the contact beams of the conductive blank to have an inner contact area; and after the step of contouring the middle sections of the contact beams, forming a socket body wherein the first and second connecting portions form opposite first and second ends of the socket body with the contact beams extending therebetween, thereby forming an inner receiving area of the socket body configured to accept a mating pin with the inner contact areas of the contact beams facing inside.

[0081] In certain examples of the method, the step of forming the inner receiving area of the socket body includes aligning the contact beams into a hyperbolic geometry; the step of aligning the contact beams into the hyperbolic geometry includes twisting the contact beams; the step of forming the socket body includes rolling the conductive blank to form a substantially cylindrical body; the step of contouring provides a substantially concave form in each middle section of each contact beam such that the middle sections extend into the inner receiving area of the socket body after the step of twisting the first and second end rings; and / or the method further comprises the step of forming the socket body as a one-piece unitary member.

[0082] This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and are intended to provide an overview or framework to understand the nature and character of the disclosure.

[0083] The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. It is to be understood that the drawings illustrate only some examples of the disclosure and other examples or combinations of various examples that are not specifically illustrated in the figures may still fall within the scope of this disclosure. Examples will now be described with additional detail through the use of the drawings, in which:

[0084] Referring to the figures, the present disclosure relates to an electrical socket, such as for high current applications, with improved durability and performance. In an example, the present disclosure relates to an electrical socket 1000 that is configured to be radially resilient for accepting a mating pin 1110. In a preferred example, the electrical socket 1000 is adapted for high current applications. In general, the electrical socket 1000 may be a stamped and formed electrical contact grid or blank 1002 that is rolled and then twisted into a hyperbolic geometry inside of which the mating pin 1110 is received. Contact beams 1010 of the electrical socket 1000 may be particularly shaped and contoured to aid in mating pin contact with the inner contact surface area of the electrical socket 1000 and increase the contact cycle life of the mating pin 1110.

[0085] The design of electrical socket 1000 of the present disclosure is configured to provide high radial resilience which allows, among other things, misalignment between the pin 1110 and the electrical socket 100 at the connection interface; contact pressure (i.e. normal force) between the pin 1110 and the electrical socket 1000 that is delivered by both normal beam deflection forces as well as tensile forces of contact beams; low electrical resistance due to a relatively high amount of contact interface area between the hyperbolically formed contact beams 1010 wrapping around the mating pin 1110; low mating forces due to the distribution of the normal contact forces over a large surface area; tolerance of damage to one or more of the contact beams 1010 by debris or foreign material; and / or the capability of a high number of mating cycles due to the distribution of plating wear (friction) over large surface.

[0086] Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the blank 1002 of the electrical socket 1000 prior to rolling and twisting the same into the hyperbolic geometry (seen in Figs. 7A and 7B). Blank 1002 is a grid comprising connecting portion 1004 and 1006 with the contact beams 1010 extending therebetween. Blank 1002 may be stamped from a sheet of conductive material, such as copper or copper alloy, or metal plating, such as gold, silver, or nickel plating and the like. Fig. 5 shows the contact beams 1010a before being formed or contoured. Fig. 6 shows some of the contact beams 1010b after the contact beams 1010 have been contoured, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0087] As seen in Figs. 7 A and 7B, once the blank 1002 is rolled and twisted, the electrical socket 1000 generally comprises a cylindrical body 1020 with one or more of the contoured contact beams 1010 extending between opposite end rings 1022 and 1024. End rings 1022 and 1024 are preferably rotatably offset from one another with respect to a longitudinal axis 1026 (Fig. 7B) defined by cylindrical body 1020, thereby twisting contact beams 1010 into a hyperbolic geometry, inside of which defines an inner receiving area 1014 for accepting the mating pin 1110. The end rings 1022 and 1024 may have substantially the same diameter and width. The width of each end ring 1022 and 1024 is preferably selected to provide an increased strength to the cylindrical body 1020 and / or to provide a press-fit engagement with either a bore of a connector or outer housing sleeve.

[0088] Each contact beam 1010 comprises a middle section 1030 that is between two end sections 1032 and 1034. End sections 1032 and 1034 are connected or attached to end rings 1022 and 1024, respectively. Each middle section 1030 of each contact beam 1010 is preferably longer and wider than each end section 1032 and 1034, such that each contact beam 1010 has a generally teardrop shape, as seen in Fig. 5. This generally teardrop shape provides more mass in the center of the electrical socket 1000.

[0089] The middle sections 1030 of each contact beam 1010 may have a contour 1040 that defines an inner contact area 1042 for engaging the mating pin 1110. The inner contact areas 1042 preferably extend into inner receiving area 1014 of the electrical socket 1000. As such, the middle sections 1030 extend further or deeper into inner receiving area 1014 than end sections 1032 and 1034 so that the inner contact areas 1042 are positioned for smooth and resilient contact with the mating pin 1110 when it is inserted into inner receiving area 1014. In a preferred example, the middle sections 1030 are contoured so that the contour 1040 is a substantially concave form that curves into inner receiving area 1014 such that the cross-section of each middle section 1030 is generally curved and not straight rectangular, and preferably generally C-shaped, as best seen in Fig. 8. The contoured teardrop or ellipsoid shape of the contact beams 1010 adds bending resistance thereto and a fully radiused, smooth contact area at the pin-to-socket interface. As seen in Fig. 8, when the mating pin 1110 is received in the inner receiving area 1014 of the electrical socket 1000, its outer contact surface of a pin engages the smooth inner contact areas 1042 of the middle sections 1030 of the contoured contact beams 1010 without sharp edges ever contacting the pin’s outer surface 1112.

[0090] The shape and contour 1040 of the contact beams 1010 achieves several performance benefits to the electrical socket such as, an increase in the beam bending strength of each contact beam 1010 due to its three dimensional contoured form; enabling delivery of higher normal contact forces between the mating pin 1110 and the electrical socket 1000; a wider radial depth of an arched profile of contact beams 1010, thereby serving to limit the maximum radial offset possible to eliminate the risk of mechanical overstressing and plastic deformation of contact beams 1010, particularly in a misaligned condition between the mating pin 1110 and the electrical socket 1000; and / or an arched profile of contact beams 1010 which serves to eliminate sharp edges from the pin-to-socket interface area, thereby eliminating the possibility of skiving plating off the mating pin 1110 and extending the mating service life of the interface connection.

[0091] In one example, the electrical socket 1000 is preferably one-piece. Also, the contact beams 1010 may be uniformly spaced around the cylindrical body 1020. However, the electrical socket 1000 may be formed as more than one-piece and the contact beams 1010 may be spaced non-uniformly. Also, although the end rings 1022 and 1024 preferably have substantially the same diameter and width; end rings 1022 and 1024 may have different diameters and widths. In another example, the end rings 1022 and 1024 have an increased width to increase the strength of the electrical socket 1000 and protect the electrical socket 1000 from being over stressed. For example, the width of each end ring 1022 and 1024 may be greater that the width of each middle section 1030 of the contact beams 1000.

[0092] The design of the electrical socket 1000 of the present disclosure provides sufficient mechanical structure such that the socket 1000 may be used as a standalone socket, which is without an outer housing. Due to the contoured contact beam profiles of the socket 1000, the socket 1000 may be simply press-fit into a bore, such as zero clearance bore, such as in a contact holder body of a cable connector. As an option, however, the electrical socket 1000 may be inserted into a holder sleeve 1050, as seen in Fig. 8. The holder sleeve 1050 may receive the electrical socket 1000, in a press-fit, for example. In either case, the design and contour 1040 of the contact beams 1010 help prevent overstressing and plastic deformation of the contact beams 1010, particularly if there is misalignment between the mating pin 1110 and the electrical socket 1000. That is because the contour of the contact beams 1010 creates minimal space between the contact beams 1010 and inner surface of the bore or the holder sleeve 1050, such that the contact beams 1010 would travel only a minimal distance d (Fig. 8) before they hit the inner surface 1052 of the bore or the holder sleeve 1050.

[0093] A method for making the electrical socket 1000, according to an example of the present disclosure, may comprise the steps of stamping a conductive sheet to form the blank 1002 with the connecting portions 1004 and 1006 and the substantially teardrop shaped contact beams 1010 therebetween, as seen in Fig. 5. The size of the blank 1002 may be selected based on the application, e.g., the diameter of the mating pin (such as 8mm or 12mm diameter pin). After forming the blank 1002, each of the middle sections 1030 of the contact beams 1010 is contoured, as described above. That is, each middle section 1030 is shaped and contoured to have contour 1040. After contouring the contact beams 1010, the blank 1002 may be rolled to form the cylindrical body 1020 and the connecting portions 1004 and 1006 will form the opposite end rings 1022 and 1024, respectively, of the body 1020. The end edges of the rolled blank may be attached to one another by welding, mechanically such as by interlocking protrusions, or the like. Alternatively, the end edges of the rolled blank may not be attached and left un-joined.

[0094] Once rolled into the cylindrical body 1020, the end rings 1022 and 1024 are rotated with respect to the longitudinal axis 1026 of the body 1020 in opposite directions, thereby twisting the contact beams 1010 into the hyperbolic geometry and forming the inner receiving area 1014 of the body 1020 configured to accept the mating pin 1110 with the contact areas 1042 of the contact beams 1010 facing inside. The amount or degree of twist may be customized, that is, it may be any degree or range of degrees based on a particular application (e.g., the diameter of mating pin 1110). Factors that determine the amount of twist include, but are not limited to, having enough twist to pull the contoured contact beams 1010 inwardly enough so that they do not interfere with the connector bore or housing the electrical socket 1000 is going inserted into; having enough twist to ensure no sharp edges can contact the mating pin 1110 when inserted into the inner receiving area 1014 of the socket 1000; and having sufficient pin engaging forces between the contact beams 1010 and the mating pin 1110, particularly in view of the size of the mating pin. In one example, the degree of twist may be about 40 to 70 degrees. In a preferred example, the degree of twist may be about a 58 degree twist for a 12mm sized mating pin 1110.

[0095] In one example, after the cylindrical body 1020 is twisted into the hyperbolic geometry, the electrical socket 1000 may be inserted into the housing sleeve 1050. The electrical socket 1000 may be press-fit or welded, for example, into the housing sleeve 1050. Alternatively, the leading edge of a holder sleeve 1050 may be formed after the electrical socket 1000 is inserted therein to trap it inside the holder sleeve 1050.

[0096] Figs. 9 A through 11 illustrate an alternative example of the electrical socket 1000’ according to the present disclosure. The electrical socket 1000’ of this example is similar to the electrical socket 1000 of the first example, except that the contour 1040’ of the middle sections 1030’ of the contact beams 1010’ comprises angle radii forms 1040a’ and 1040b’ (Figs. 9B, 10A, and 10B) that extend across the width of the middle sections 1030’ and define a formed radius contact area 1042’ therebetween that corresponds to the size of the mating pin 1110.

[0097] Like the first example, the electrical socket 1000’ generally includes a cylindrical body 1020’ with opposing end rings 1022’ and 1024’ and teardrop shaped contact beams 1010’ therebetween. The electrical socket 1000’ is made in the same manner and steps as described above regarding the electrical socket 1000 of the first example, except that a different contour 1040’ is applied to the contact beams 1010’.

[0098] Figs. 9A and 9B illustrate a tool 2000 for forming the contour 1040’, which comprises the angled radii forms 1040a’ and 1040b’ and the formed radius contact area 1042’, in the contact beams 1010’. The tool 2000 has upper and lower parts 2002 and 2004 with the blank 1002’ of the electrical socket 1000’ sandwiched therebetween. Blank 1002’ and blank 1002 of the first example may be substantially the same. Angled and curved inward extensions 2006 and 2008 of each tool upper and lower parts 2002 and 2004, respectively, are positioned to form the contact area 1042’ between the angled radii forms 1040a’ and 1040b’ in each middle section 1030’ of each contact beam 1010’. Each middle section 1030’ is between end sections 1032’ and 1034’ of the contact beam 1010’. The angled radii forms 1040a’ and 1040b’ preferably correspond to the radius of the mating pin 1110, such that the angled radii forms 1040a’ and 1040b’ define tangent points of where the mating pin radius feathers out and the contact area 1042’ therebetween is the radius of the mating pin 1110. The placement and angle of the angled radii forms 1040a’ and 1040b’ and contact area 1042’ with respect to the length of the contact beams 1010’ is selected such that when the cylindrical body 1020’ is twisted (at end rings 1022’ and 1024’) to form the hyperbolic geometry, the angled radii forms 1040a’ and 1040b’ are oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 1026’ of the cylindrical body 1020’, as seen in Fig. 10B. The placement and angle of the angled radii forms 1040a’ and 1040b’ may be customized depending on the application, such as the diameter of the mating pin 1110.

[0099] As seen in Fig. 11, when the mating pin 1110 is received in the electrical socket 1000’, the contact areas 1042’ of each contact beam 1010’ extend into the inner receiving area 1014’ (Fig. 10A) of the socket 1000’ and engage the outer surface 1112 of the mating pin 1110. Because the angled radii forms 1040a’ and 1040b’ are generally parallel to the longitudinal axis 1026’ (after twisting) and each formed contact area 1042’ therebetween corresponds to the size of the selected mating pin 1110, smooth contact with the mating pin 1110 when it is inserted into the socket’s inner receiving area 1014’ is achieved.

[0100] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings that modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Likewise, the various examples described may be used individually or in combination with other examples. Those skilled in the art will appreciate various combinations of examples not specifically described or illustrated herein that are still within the scope of this disclosure. In this respect, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the specific examples set forth and the examples of the disclosure are intended to be illustrative, not limiting.

[0101] The following are exemplary aspects of the disclosure.

[0102] 1. An electrical socket comprising: a socket body having a first end ring, a second end ring, a plurality of spaced contact beams extending between said first and second end rings, each of said plurality of contact beams having a first end section coupled to said first end ring, a second end section coupled to said second end ring and a middle section positioned between said first end section and said second end section, wherein a cross-section of said middle section of at least one of said plurality of contact beams taken in a plane oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said socket body is generally C-shaped and extends toward an interior of said socket body, said middle section having an inner contact area for contacting a mating pin receivable within said socket body. 2. The electrical socket of aspect 1, wherein a diameter of said socket body at said middle section of said plurality of spaced contact beams is less than a diameter of the socket body at at least one of said first end ring and said second end ring.

[0103] 3. The electrical socket of aspect 1, wherein only said inner contact area of said at least one of said plurality of contact beams is configured to contact said mating pin receivable within said socket body.

[0104] 4. The electrical socket of aspect 1, wherein said middle section of said at least one of said plurality of contact beams is longer and wider than each of said first end section and said second end section.

[0105] 5. The electrical socket of aspect 4, wherein said at least one of said plurality of contact beams has a teardrop shape.

[0106] 6. The electrical socket of aspect 1, wherein said socket body has a hyperbolic geometry.

[0107] 7. The electrical socket of aspect 6, wherein said first end ring rotatably offset from said second end ring about said longitudinal axis of said socket body.

[0108] 8. The electrical socket of aspect 1, wherein said inner contact area of said at least one of said plurality of contact beams has a smooth surface.

[0109] 9. The electrical socket of aspect 1, wherein said socket body is formed as a single piece.

[0110] 10. The electrical socket of aspect 1, wherein said cross-section of said middle section of said at least one of said plurality of contact beams has a concave curvature.

[0111] 11. The electrical socket of aspect 1, wherein said cross-section of said at least one contact beam between said first end and said second end is C-shaped.

[0112] 12. A method of making an electrical socket, comprising the steps of: contouring a middle section of at least one contact beam of a conductive blank to have a non-planar inner contact area for contacting a mating pin receivable within the electrical socket; and rolling said conductive blank to form a cylindrical body, wherein said inner contact area extends inwardly towards an interior of said cylindrical body when viewed in a plane oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said cylindrical body.

[0113] 13. The method of aspect 12, further comprising twisting said at least one contact beam into a hyperbolic geometry. 14. The method of aspect 13, wherein said twisting said at least one contact beam into said hyperbolic geometry further comprises twisting a first end of said cylindrical body relative to a second end of said cylindrical body about said longitudinal axis.

[0114] 15. The method of aspect 12, wherein contouring said middle section of said at least one contact beam of said conductive blank to have said inner contact area further comprises contouring said middle section of said at least one contact beam to have a concave form.

[0115] 16. The method of aspect 12, wherein contouring said middle section of said at least one contact beam of the conductive blank to have said inner contact area further comprises contouring said middle section of said at least one contact beam to have a C- shape.

[0116] 17. The method of aspect 12, further comprising stamping said conductive blank to form said at least one contact beam.

[0117] 18. The method of aspect 12, further comprising attaching opposite edges of said conductive blank together after said rolling said conductive blank to form the cylindrical body.

[0118] 19. An electrical socket comprising: a rolled body having a first end, a second end, and a plurality of connectors connected to and extending between said first end and said second end; wherein at least one of said plurality of connectors has a longitudinally extending contour and a cross-section of said at least one of said plurality of connectors, taken in a plane oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the rolled body is directionally shaped toward an interior of said socket body and has an inwardly facing surface for contacting a mating pin receivable within said socket body.

[0119] 20. The electrical socket of aspect 19, wherein a diameter at said central portion of said plurality of connectors is less than a diameter at at least one of said first end and said second end of said plurality of connectors.

[0120] 21. The electrical socket of aspect 19, wherein only said inwardly facing surface of said at least one of said connectors is configured to contact said mating pin receivable within said socket body.

[0121] 22. The electrical socket of aspect 19, wherein each of said plurality of connectors has opposite ends connected to said first end and said second end, respectively, said central portion of said at least one of said plurality of connectors being longer and wider than said ends of said connector,

[0122] 23. The electrical socket of aspect 22, wherein said central portion of said at least one of said plurality of connectors has a teardrop shape.

[0123] 24. The electrical socket of aspect 19, wherein said at least one of said plurality of connectors has a hyperbolic geometry.

[0124] 25. The electrical socket of aspect 24, wherein said first end is rotatably offset from said second end about said longitudinal axis of said socket body.

[0125] 26. The electrical socket of aspect 19, wherein said central portion of said at least one of said plurality of connectors has a concave curvature.

[0126] 27. The electrical socket of aspect 19, wherein said cross-section of said central portion of said at least one of said plurality of connectors is C-shaped.

[0127] U.S. Application Serial No. 17 / 901,503, filed September 1, 2022, and entitled “ELECTRICAL SOCKET WITH CONTOURED CONTACT BEAMS,” is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. U.S. Application Serial No. 17 / 901,503 additional examples and features, including circular contacts, such as band contacts, which can be incorporated with various embodiments of systems and methods described above in Section I.

[0128] Having thus described several embodiments, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements may readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0129] Terms signifying direction, such as “upwards” and “downwards,” were used in connection with some embodiments. These terms were used to signify direction based on the orientation of components illustrated or connection to another component, such as a surface of a printed circuit board to which a termination assembly is mounted. It should be understood that electronic components may be used in any suitable orientation. Accordingly, terms of direction should be understood to be relative, rather than fixed to a coordinate system perceived as unchanging, such as the earth’s surface.

[0130] Further, though advantages of the present invention are indicated, it should be appreciated that not every embodiment of the invention will include every described advantage. Some embodiments may not implement any features described as advantageous herein and in some instances. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

[0131] Various aspects of the present invention may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in its application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments.

[0132] Also, the invention may be embodied as a method, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[0133] Also, circuits and modules depicted and described may be reordered in any order, and signals may be provided to enable reordering accordingly.

[0134] Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

[0135] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0136] The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

[0137] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0138] The phrase “and / or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and / or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and / or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and / or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.

[0139] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and / or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and / or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of’ or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

[0140] Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” or “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter (or equivalents thereof) and / or as additional items.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A hybrid connector configured for making power and signal connections, the connector comprising: a housing comprising a mating face and a first member disposed on the mating face; a first plurality of electrical contacts comprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact exposed at the mating face; and a second plurality of electrical contacts disposed in the first member, wherein the first electrical contact, the second electrical contact, and the first member are disposed not in a line at the mating face.

2. A hybrid connector configured for making power and signal connections, the connector comprising: a housing comprising a mating face and a first member disposed on the mating face, the mating face having a first edge and a second edge orthogonal to the first edge; a first plurality of electrical contacts comprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact exposed at the mating face along a line that is not parallel to the first edge or the second edge; and a second plurality of electrical contacts disposed in the first member.

3. The connector of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the housing comprises at least one opening configured to have a first cable and a second cable disposed therein; the first electrical contact is configured to connect to a first electrical conductor of the first cable; and the second electrical contact is configured to connect to a second electrical conductor of the second cable.

4. The connector of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the connector is configured to be mounted to a printed circuit board;the first electrical contact is configured to connect to a first electrical conductor of the printed circuit board; and the second electrical contact is configured to connect to a second electrical conductor of the printed circuit board.

5. The connector of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the first plurality of electrical contacts comprise power contacts; and the second plurality of electrical contacts comprise signal contacts.

6. The connector of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the first member comprises a protrusion and an opening; the second plurality of electrical contacts are disposed within the protrusion; and the first member is configured to couple with a second member of a complementary connector.

7. The connector of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a first latching portion configured to engage a second latching portion of a complementary connector to couple the connector and the complementary connector.

8. The connector of claim 7, wherein: the first latching portion is disposed on the mating face not in a comer of the mating face.

9. The connector of claim 7, wherein: the first latching portion is configured to establish a position of the connector relative to the complementary connector.

10. The connector of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the first plurality of electrical contacts have a first width; and the second plurality of electrical contacts have a second width smaller than the first width.

11. The connector of claim 10, wherein:the first width is at least five times greater than the second width.

12. The connector of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the first plurality of electrical contacts comprises only two electrical contacts.

13. The connector of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the second plurality of electrical contacts comprises only two electrical contacts.

14. A hybrid connector configured for making power and signal connections, the connector comprising: a housing; a first circular electrical contact supported by the housing; a second circular electrical contact supported by the housing; a first latching portion supported by the housing; and a signal portion supported by the housing and comprising a plurality of signal contacts, wherein: the first circular electrical contact, the second circular electrical contact, the first latching portion and the signal portion a positioned within a rectangular region bounded by a first side, and a second side perpendicular to the first side; the first latching portion is disposed adjacent the first side; the signal portion is disposed adjacent the second side; and the first circular electrical contact and the second circular electrical contact are disposed along a line transverse to the first side, and the second side.

15. The hybrid connector of claim 14, wherein the first circular electrical contact is disposed in a corner of the rectangular region.

16. The hybrid connector of claim 15, wherein the first side and the second side of the rectangular region are each less than 25 mm long.

17. The hybrid connector of claim 14, wherein: the first circular electrical contact is a first cylindrical pin; andthe second circular electrical contact is a second cylindrical pin.

18. The hybrid connector of claim 17, wherein: the housing comprises a base; the signal portion comprises a protrusion extending from the base and having an opening therein; and the plurality of signal contacts comprise pins exposed within the opening.

19. The hybrid connector of claim 18, wherein: the latching portion comprises a post extending from the base, and the post comprises: a face parallel to the first side and a catch extending from the face perpendicular to the first side.

20. The hybrid connector of claim 19, wherein: the hybrid connector is a board connector.

21. The hybrid connector of claim 14, wherein: the first circular electrical contact is a first band; and the second circular electrical contact is a second band.

22. The hybrid connector of claim 21, wherein: the housing comprises a first cavity and a first opening through the housing into the first cavity and a second opening through the housing into the first cavity; the first circular electrical contact is disposed within the cavity and aligned with the first opening; the second circular electrical contact is disposed within the cavity and aligned with the second opening; the signal portion comprises a second cavity and a plurality of openings through the housing into the second cavity; and the plurality of signal contacts are disposed within the second cavity and aligned with respective openings of the plurality of openings.

23. The hybrid connector of claim 22, wherein: the latching portion comprises: a hinge, and an arm comprising a distal end; and the arm is mounted to the hinge such that the distal end moves perpendicularly to the first side when the arm is pivoted about the hinge.

24. The hybrid connector of claim 23, wherein: the housing comprises a face parallel to the first side; the face comprises an inset portion at a central portion of the first side; and the hinge is disposed within the inset portion.

25. The hybrid connector of claim 24, wherein: the hybrid connector is a cable connector.

26. An electrical system for passing power and signal connections, the system comprising: a first electrical connector, the first electrical connector comprising: a first housing comprising a first mating face and a first member recessed in the first mating face, the first mating face having a first edge and a second edge orthogonal to the first edge; a first plurality of electrical contacts comprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact each recessed in the first mating face along a first line that is not parallel to the first edge or the second edge; and a second plurality of electrical contacts disposed in the first member; and a second electrical connector mated to the first electrical connector, the second electrical connector comprising: a second housing comprising a second mating face and a second member protruding from the second mating face, the second mating face having a third edge and a fourth edge orthogonal to the third edge;a third plurality of electrical contacts comprising a third electrical contact and a fourth electrical contact each protruding from the second mating face along a line that is not parallel to the third edge or the fourth edge; and a fourth plurality of electrical contacts disposed in the second member, wherein the second member is engaged in the first member, the third electrical contact is connected to the first electrical contact, and the fourth electrical contact is connected to the second electrical contact.

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