Molex Corporation

Mathew Wilhite

Tom Cruise

Niallo Donal Carroll

Brian Bryce

An electrical connector assembly is disclosed for connecting a mating connector to a printed circuit board. The assembly includes a dielectric housing having a plurality of terminal-receiving cavities and a plurality of terminals insertable into the cavities. Each terminal includes a base section insertable into a respective cavity in an insertion direction for securing the terminal in the cavity. The terminal includes a tail section for contacting the printed circuit board and spring contact beam for electrically engaging a conductor of the mating connector. The tail section and the spring contact beam extend from the base section and are spaced apart transverse to the insertion direction, whereby an insertion tool can be inserted therebetween into engagement with the base section to readily force the terminal into its terminal-receiving cavity.

Electrical connector assembly

An anti-overstress system is provided in an electrical connector which includes a dielectric housing having a contact-receiving cavity with a slot communicating the cavity with a mating surface on the outside of the housing. A contact is received in the cavity and includes a cantilevered spring contact arm disposed in the slot. The arm has a contacting portion projecting beyond the mating surface of the housing for engagement with a complementary contact of the mating connector. The spring contact arm flexes in the slot upon engagement of the contacting portion by the complementary contact. The anti-overstress system is provided between the contact and the housing and includes a pair of wings projecting from opposite sides of the spring contact arm engageable with a pair of ledges formed in opposite sides of the slot after a given amount of flexing of the spring contact arm.

Electrical connector with contact anti-overstress means

An electrical connector includes a dielectric body mounting a flexible leaf-type terminal which has a spring contact portion for surface engagement with a contact element of a mating connector component. The body includes a partition-like wall defining oppositely facing sides and an end face thereof. The terminal is fixed adjacent one side of the wall, and the spring contact portion of the terminal is bowed around the end face of the wall and spaced therefrom for flexingly surface engaging the contact element of the mating connector component in a given direction generally perpendicular to the end face of the wall. The terminal has a distal end at the end of the spring contact portion located in a recessed area in the other side of the wall. The distal end thereby preloads the spring contact portion and resists flexing of the spring contact portion if engaged in a direction generally toward the one side of the wall.

Growing community of inventors

Limerick, Ireland

Mathew Wilhite