GB2546081B

GB2546081B - Pin for adapting electrical connectors, and a kit of parts inlcuding same

Info

Publication number: GB2546081B
Application number: GB1600228.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Taylor James
Original assignee: Amphenol Ltd; Amphenol Corp
Current assignee: Amphenol Ltd; Amphenol Corp
Priority date: 2016-01-06
Filing date: 2016-01-06
Publication date: 2019-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 2036-01-06
Also published as: GB2546081A; GB201600228D0; EP3190666A1

Description

PIN FOR ADAPTING ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS, AND A KIT OF PARTS INCLUDINGSAME

The present invention relates to a pin for adapting electrical connectors, and inparticular for adapting a socket contact within an existing connector for use with a matingconnector with sprung contacts. The invention also relates to a kit of parts for adapting asocket contact, and a mating connector with sprung contacts.

Electrical connectors consisting of a mating pair, made up of a plug half andreceptacle half, are well known. These types of connector pairs are often designed basedon military standards.

They advantageously provide secure connections, and are used in aerospace,industrial, marine, and automotive applications. Often for this particular style of connectorsthe socket contacts are located in the plug connector side. These are often permanentlyincorporated into equipment and are difficult, costly and time consuming to replace inservice. The mating receptacle half, is usually provided on a removable portion of theequipment.

When coupled together, the pin contacts are inserted into the socket contacts and theconnector is sealed. However it has been found that certain environments can result indebris, dirt, dust, and/or moisture ingress into the socket cavities when the two halves areunmated which can negatively affect the electrical performance.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means for enabling the useof equipment in environments where debris, dirt, dust, and/or moisture is present, withoutdegrading the electrical connection between the mating connectors, and without replacingthe portion of the mating pair permanently incorporated into equipment while in service.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pin for adaptinga socket contact of a connector, comprising: a shaft portion having a first end and a secondend, the first end being tapered; an electrical contact portion provided at the second end,having a greater diameter than the shaft portion; and at least one barb, disposed on theshaft portion, configured to engage with the connector upon insertion of the pin into thesocket contact.

Advantageously, providing such a pin enables a plug and receptacle mating pairhaving socket contacts to be adapted for use with a sprung contacts as opposed toinsertion contacts. Providing the pin with at least one barb which engages with theconnector prevents the pin from being removed once it is inserted, and thus permanentlyadapts the connector. The pin therefore prevents the ingress of debris, dirt, dust, and/ormoisture into the socket contact, and where such debris, dirt, dust and/or moisture is deposited on the connector it may be easily wiped off the contact portion of the pin beforethe sprung contact receptacle connector is coupled to the plug connector.

As such, use of the pins means that the existing, difficult to replace, socket contactconnectors can remain in place, but be provided with the advantages associated with asprung contact connector mating pair.

For ease of understanding, the invention will now be described with reference to usein adapting socket contacts in a plug connector for use with a receptacle connector havingsprung contacts. However, as will be appreciated, the socket contacts may be provided ina receptacle connector, the sprung contacts being provided in the plug connector.

It should also be appreciated that the present invention may be used to adapt anysuitable socket contact type connector for use with sprung contacts.

Providing a tapered end, for insertion into the socket contact, enables the pins to befitted to the plug connector more easily, and therefore reduces the probability of damagingthe face of the plug connector, and reduces the time required to fit each pin. In a preferredembodiment, the tapered first end is hemispherical. Alternatively, the first end may beconical, orfrustoconical.

Preferably, the pin has a substantially circular cross-section, and is preferably sized tobe a locational interference fit within the socket contact. Sizing the pin in this mannerensures a good electrical connection between the pin and the socket contact.

The or each barb may comprise a tapered face, facing the first end of the shaftportion, and an engagement face, facing the second end of the shaft portion. The taperedface may enable the pin to be more easily located and inserted into the socket contact. Theengagement face is configured to engage with the socket contact, and may engage with therear face of a housing of the plug connector. That is to say, it engages with the internalface of the housing. The housing of such a plug connector may be a socket insert, the plugconnector having an outer shell for receiving the insert. The pin is therefore, in effect,permanently attached to the plug connector. As described above, it will be appreciated thatthe socket insert may be provided in an outer shell of the receptacle connector half of themating pair of connectors.

The radius of the barb portion preferably has a minimum tolerance of about 0.05 mmlarger than the maximum tolerance value for the hole in the plug connector, for example thehole in the plug connector housing known as the socket insert which the pin passes throughupon insertion into the socket contact. This means that when the barb portion passesthrough the hole it will temporarily cause the socket insert to deform, and when it haspassed through returns to its original form preventing the contact from being removed forthe plug connector.

In a preferred embodiment, the pin comprises a single barb, the tapered faceextending around substantially the entire circumference of the shaft portion, and theengagement face extending around substantially the entire circumference of shaft portion.

The electrical contact portion is preferably in the form of a disc. The disc has acontact face for electrically coupling with an electrical connector, such as a sprung contactreceptacle connector, and a mating face, for mechanically mating with a portion of the plugconnector. The mating face is preferably frustoconical.

Preferably, the contact face of the contact portion is planar. Alternatively, the contactface of the contact portion may be concave. The cross-sectional profile of the concave facemay be curved, and may be symmetrical such that a dome shape is provided. Alternatively,the concave face of the contact portion has a cross-sectional profile that is triangular. Inthis way, a cone shaped indentation in the contact face may be provided.

The distance, along the length of the shaft portion, between the at least one barb andthe contact portion is configured such that, upon insertion of the pin into the socket contactof the plug connector, the barb engages with an internal surface of the connector, and anouter edge of the contact portion is substantially planar with an outer surface of theconnector. It is also preferable that the distance along the length of the shaft portionbetween the mating face of the contact portion and the engagement face of the or eachbarb, is configured such that, upon insertion of the pin into the socket contact of the plugconnector, a housing portion of the connector, disposed between the barb and the contactportion is placed under compression by the barb and contact portion. In this way, a securefit is provided preventing movement of the pin relative to the plug connector’s mating faceand also substantially preventing the ingress of debris, dust, dirt and/or moisture into thesocket contact.

At least the surface of the shaft portion and the surface of the contact portion may begold-plated. Preferably, the entire pin is gold-plated, for ease of manufacture. Alternatively,the pin may be coated with another non-corrosive, highly conductive, metal. The electricalcontacts surfaces of the pin are the outer surface of the shaft portion between the first endand the barb, and the contact face of the contact portion. It is therefore advantageous thatthe plating extends at least along and between these surfaces. The pin may be formed ofBeryllium copper (BeCu) or Phosphor bronze, and then plated with gold, or another non-corrosive, highly conductive metal.

As will now be appreciated, it is not important that the tapered portion at the first endof the shaft be plated, because it does not form part of the electrical pathway.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit of partsfor adapting a socket contact of a connector, comprising: at least one pin for adapting a socket contact of a connector as described herein; and a mating connector with sprungcontacts for electrically coupling with the adapted connector, comprising: a housingconfigured to be mechanically coupled to the adapted connector; at least one sprungelectrical contact, mounted to the housing, to be electrically coupled to the pin, or arespective one of the pins, upon mechanical coupling of the mating connector and theconnector.

Preferably, the kit comprises a plurality of pins, the mating connector comprising acorresponding plurality of sprung electrical contacts.

The adapted connector is preferably a plug connector, the mating connectorpreferably being a receptacle connector. Alternatively, the adapted connector may be areceptacle connector, the mating connector being a plug connector.

Any feature in one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of theinvention, in any appropriate combination. Furthermore, any, some and/or all features inone aspect can be applied to any, some and/or all features in any other aspect, in anyappropriate combination.

It should also be appreciated that particular combinations of the various featuresdescribed and defined in any aspects of the invention can be implemented and/or suppliedand/or used independently.

The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a side view of a pin according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the pin of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the pin of Figure 1, taken along thelongitudinal axis of the pin;

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a pin accordingto the present invention, taken along the longitudinal axis of the pin;

Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a further alternative embodiment of a pinaccording to the present invention, taken along the longitudinal axis of the pin;

Figures 6(a) and (b) show the pin of Figure 1 being inserted into a socket contact of aplug connector; and

Figures 7(a) and (b) show an example of a mating pair of connectors having areceptacle connector with sprung contacts and an adapted plug connector.

Figures 1 and 2 show a pin 100 according to the present invention. The pin 100comprises a shaft portion 102 having a first end 104 with a taper, and in this embodimentrounded taper, a second end 106 in the form of a contact portion, and a barb 108. Thecontact portion 106 has a contact face 110 and a mating face 112. The barb 108 has an engagement face 114. The pin is configured to adapt a plug connector, upon insertion ofthe pin into the or each socket contact, to enable use with a receptacle connector havingsprung contacts. The shaft is substantially cylindrical in shape, and thus has a circularcross-sectional shape.

To adapt the plug connector, the pin is inserted in the existing socket contact by auser. The rounded end 104 of the pin, enables the pin to be more easily located andaligned in the socket contact. As the pin is inserted, and the barb 108 meets the outer faceof the connector, the user must exert sufficient force to push the barb passed the outerhousing, until it emerges on the other side of the outer housing, and engages with the rear,internal, surface of the outer housing.

The distance along the length of the shaft, between the engagement face 114 and themating face 112 is configured such that engagement face 114 and the mating facecooperate to retain the pin within the plug connector without the pin being able to move inthe axial direction of the pin 100. That is to say, the housing of the plug connector, such asa socket insert, is clamped between the barb and the contact portion. In addition, thedimensions of the pin are such that the outer edge of the contact face 110 is planar with theouter surface of the housing. That is to say, the contact face is flush with the socket insertmating face.

As can be seen, the barb 108 is of a frustoconical shape facing the first end 104 of thepin 100. The shape enables the pin 100 to be more easily inserted into the socket contactof the plug connector. The mating face 112 of the contact portion 106 is also of afrustoconical shape, and also faces the first end 104 of the pin 100. The shape of themating face 112 is configured to correspond to the shape of the opening of the socketinsert, and so may not be frustoconical.

Referring to Figure 3, which shows a cross-sectional view of the pin 100, it can beseen that the contact face 110 is substantially flat. Alternatively, as shown in Figures 4 and5, the contact face may be concave, which may improve the electrical connection betweenthe sprung contact and the pin. In Figure 4, the pin 400 shows the cross-sectional shape ofthe contact face with a smooth curve 402, and thus a dome shaped contact face isprovided. In Figure 5, the pin 500 shows the cross-sectional shape of the contact face asbeing triangular 502, and thus a cone shaped contact face is provided.

The pin may be formed of any suitable electrically conductive material, such asBeryllium copper (BeCu) or Phosphor bronze, and may be coated with a non-corrosive,highly conductive, metal such as gold.

Figure 6(a) shows the pin 100 being inserted into a plug connector 600. As can beseen, the plug connector 600 has an outer casing, known as a shell, which in use mechanically couples with the other half of the mating pair of connectors, a socketconnector housing 604, in the form of a socket insert, having an external face 606 and aninternal face 608, and a socket contact 610. The diameter of the pin 100 is such that alocational interference fit is formed between the pin 100 and the socket contact 610.

As the user continues to insert the pin 100 into the plug connector 600, as shown inFigure 6(b), the barb 108 passes through the opening in the socket insert 604, and engageswith the internal face 608 of the socket insert 604. The mating face of the contact portionmates with the outer surface 606 of the socket insert 604, the contact face of the pin 100being flush with the outer surface 606. Using such a snap-fit to locate and retain the pin100 eliminates the need for soldering, and therefore enables the connector to be adaptedquickly and easily.

Figure 7(a) shows a sprung contact receptacle connector 700, which is also known asa pogo connector, and Figure 7(b) shows the permanently adapted plug connector. Thereceptacle connector 700 and the plug connector 600 form the complete assembly.

As will be appreciated, the socket insert 604 may alternatively be provided in thereceptacle connector 700 outer shell. In this alternative example, the sprung contacts areprovided in the plug connector outer shell.

Claims

1. A pin for adapting a socket contact of a connector, comprising: a shaft portion having a first end and a second end, the first end beingtapered; an electrical contact portion provided at the second end, having a greaterdiameter than the shaft portion; and at least one barb, disposed on the shaft portion, configured to engage withthe connector upon insertion of the pin into the socket contact.

2. A pin according to Claim 1, wherein the tapered first end is hemispherical.

3. A pin according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the or each barb comprises a tapered face,facing the first end of the shaft portion, and an engagement face, facing the second end ofthe shaft portion.

4. A pin according to Claim 3, wherein the pin comprises a single barb, the taperedface extending around substantially the entire circumference of the shaft portion, and theengagement face extending around substantially the entire circumference of shaft portion.

5. A pin according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein the or each engagement face extendssubstantially perpendicular from the surface of the shaft portion.

6. A pin according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical contact portionis in the form of a disc, having a contact face for electrically coupling with an electricalconnector configured to couple with the connector to be adapted, and a mating face, formechanically mating with a portion of the connector to be adapted.

7. A pin according to Claim 6, wherein the mating face is frustoconical.

8. A pin according to Claim 6 or 7, wherein the contact face is concave.

9. A pin according to Claim 8, wherein the cross-sectional profile of the concave face is curved.

10. A pin according to Claim 8, wherein the cross-sectional profile of the concave face istriangular.

11. A pin according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the distance, along thelength of the shaft portion, between the at least one barb and the contact portion isconfigured such that, upon insertion of the pin into the connector, the barb engages with aninternal surface of the connector, and an outer edge of the contact portion is substantiallyplanar with an outer surface of the connector.

12. A pin according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least the surface of theshaft portion and the surface of the contact portion are gold-plated.

13. A kit of parts for adapting a socket contact of a connector, comprising: at least one pin according to any of claims 1 to 12; and a mating connector for electrically coupling with the adapted connector,comprising: a housing configured to be mechanically coupled to the adaptedconnector; at least one sprung electrical contact, mounted to the housing, to beelectrically coupled to the pin, or a respective one of the pins, uponmechanical coupling of the mating connector and the connector.

14. A kit of parts according to Claim 13, comprising a plurality of pins according to any ofclaims 1 to 12, wherein the connector comprises a corresponding plurality of sprungelectrical contacts.

15. A kit of parts according to Claim 13 or 14, wherein the connector is a plug connectorand the mating connector is a receptacle connector.