Patent ID: 9748708
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: H01H,H01R

Claim:
1. An electrical connector comprising: a housing having contact channels and wire channels open to corresponding contact channels, the wire channels being configured to receive an electrical wire during a poke-in termination; electrical contacts received in corresponding contact channels and held by the housing, each electrical contact comprising a poke-in spring beam configured to engage the electrical wire when poked-in to the corresponding wire channel in a loading direction, the spring beam having a separable wire interface configured to engage in physical contact with the electrical wire, the electrical contact being movable between a resting position when no wire is present in the wire channel and a clearance position where the electrical contact allows the electrical wire to be removed from the wire channel, wherein each electrical contact includes pin beams configured to receive therebetween to pinch and electrically mate with a pin of a mating contact to electrically connect the electrical wire to the pin, the pin beams receiving the pin in a mating direction generally perpendicular to the loading direction, wherein each electrical contact is part of a different circuit and configured to mate with the pin of the corresponding mating contact; pivot levers held by the housing and being coupled to corresponding electrical contacts, the pivot levers moving with the corresponding electrical contacts, wherein the electrical contacts include tabs extending from the spring beams and wherein each pivot lever includes at least one opening for receiving at least one corresponding tab to mechanically couple the electrical contacts to the corresponding pivot levers to allow coordinated movement of the electrical contacts with the corresponding pivot levers, each pivot lever extending between a pivot end and a push button end, the pivot end being pivotably coupled to the housing, the push button end having a push button configured to be pressed in a pressing direction by an operator to move the corresponding electrical contact to the clearance position; and wherein, when the electrical wire is loaded into the wire channel, the electrical contact is positioned in a pinching position between the clearance position and the resting position in which the spring beam pinches against the electrical wire in physical contact with the electrical wire.