Compliant electrical connectors

Abstract

A compliant electrical connector includes a housing, a flexible diaphragm contained in the housing providing independent spring biased pressure contact for movable solid metal contact pins mounted in the housing, and separate electrical leads in the housing for making electrical contact with the movable contact pins and providing terminals for transmitting electrical signals from the contact pins to the exterior of the housing for surface mount contact with corresponding electrical circuits in an external electric/electronic device. In one embodiment, the contact pins are electrically connected internally to separate circuit traces on a flex circuit extending to the outside of the connector housing. The contact pins can be connected directly to the flex circuit, or the housing can contain separate conductive barrels for sliding contact with the contact pins, in which the barrels are electrically connected to the circuit traces. The contact pins can be connected to the flex circuit directly through separate flexible fingers contained on the flex circuit to move with corresponding travel of the contact pins. In a further embodiment, the flexible diaphragm can be replaced with separate compression springs contained in electrically isolated cavities and biased into direct spring contact with the contact pins.