Angled Contact Pin with Recessed Engagement Surface

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing contact pins are expensive and complex to produce, leading to geometrical and conductive property deviations, and they often transmit high-frequency signals with reduced quality due to imprecise bending and reshaping methods.

Innovation Solution

A contact pin with a recessed engagement surface that allows for easy pressing into a receptacle, eliminating the need for post-press shaping and enabling reproducible production with improved high-frequency signal transmission by minimizing impedance disturbances.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Shape

If contact pins are produced by bending rod-shaped blanks, then the mounting section can be angled relative to the contact section, but the method becomes expensive and complex and leads to deviations in geometry and conductive properties

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveangled mounting sectionVSAvoidgeometry and conductive properties reproducibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The contact pin is stamped out with the mounting section already angled relative to the contact section, rather than bending it afterwards. This preliminary formation of the angled shape during the stamping process eliminates subsequent bending operations and ensures consistent geometry and conductive properties across all contact pins.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The bending process is replaced by a stamping process. Instead of mechanically bending rod-shaped blanks to create the angled mounting section, the contact pin is directly stamped from metal plate with the desired angled geometry, substituting a simpler, more precise forming method.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Shape

If contact pins are bent after pressing into receptacle, then the mounting section achieves correct angle, but the bending process causes imprecise transition regions and reduced high-frequency signal quality

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveangled mounting sectionVSAvoidhigh-frequency signal transmission quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The angled mounting section is formed during the initial stamping process before the contact pin is pressed into the receptacle. This eliminates the need for post-pressing bending operations that would create imprecise transition regions and compromise high-frequency signal quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The post-pressing bending operation is completely eliminated by using a stamping process that directly forms the angled mounting section. This substitution removes the source of transition region imperfections that degrade high-frequency signal transmission.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If a recess is added to the contact pin, then high-frequency signal transmission is improved by reducing impedance disturbances, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehigh-frequency signal transmission qualityVSAvoidcontact pin structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The recess formation is integrated into the stamping process itself, combining the creation of the angled mounting section and the recess into a single forming operation. This merging of operations adds the recess feature without requiring separate manufacturing steps, thus not increasing overall process complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3278401B1Angled contact pin for being pressed into a contact pin receptacle, a connector with at least one contact pin and a method for producing a connector
Publication Date: 2021.11.03 TE CONNECTIVITY GERMANY GMBH
  • EP3278401B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3278401B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3278401B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The invention relates to a contact pin (1) with a contact section (3), which runs substantially parallel to a contacting direction (K), for being pressed into a contact pin receptacle (63) and with a mounting section (5) which is angled with respect to the contact section (3) and which is connected to the contact section (3) in a transition region (7) of the contact pin (1). The invention further relates to a connector with at least one contact pin (1) and to a method for producing a connector. In order to provide a contact pin (1) and a connector which can be produced quickly, at low cost and reproducibly and which have reproducible conductive properties, it is intended, according to the invention, for the contact pin (1) that the transition region (7) has a recess (9) which forms a substantially planar engagement surface (11) for a press-in tool.