Patent ID: 6299459
Filing Date: 2001-10-09
Classification: G01R,H01R,H05K

Abstract:
An interface for providing electrical continuity between a first group of contacts and a second group of contacts in the presence of an applied compression force between the first group of contacts and the second group of contacts, comprising:an insulating housing having at least one channel recessed in a first side and a matrix of apertures between a bottom of the at least one channel and a second side of the insulating housing;at least one compressible bar having a pair of opposing sides, a base adjacent to the opposing sides, and a convex nose adjacent to the opposing sides and opposite to the base, the at least one compressible bar positioned in designated ones of the at least one channel with the nose at the bottom of the at least one channel; anda series of conductive elements, each conductive element including a conductive frame with a frame bottom and a pair of opposing walls extending from the frame bottom, each of the opposing walls having an inner surface terminated in a stop, each conductive frame positioned with the frame bottom contacting the base of the at least one compressible bar and the opposing walls straddling the opposing sides of the at least one compressible bar and extending beyond the nose of the at least one bar into a corresponding aperture in the matrix, the frame bottoms of the conductive elements adapted to mate with the second group of contacts, and each conductive element including a conductive slider with a pair of legs extending from a head, each of the legs terminated in a foot, the legs received between the pair of opposing walls of a corresponding conductive frame, so that a bottom of each foot contacts the nose of the bar and an end of each foot slidably contacts the inner surface of a corresponding one of the opposing walls of the conductive frame with a contact force, the heads extending beyond the second side of the insulating housing and adapted to mate with the first group of contacts, each conductive element having a neutral state wherein the compressible bar biases the conductive slider of the conductive element so that a top of each foot rests against the stop on a corresponding one of the opposing walls of the conductive frame of the conductive element, and having a loaded state wherein the head of the conductive slider of the conductive element is biased toward the frame bottom of the conductive frame of the conductive element by the compression force applied between the first group of contacts and the second group of contacts, the compression force reducing a distance between the nose and the base of the at least one compressible bar as the compression force is increased, the nose translating a component of the compression force to proportionately increase the contact force as the compression force is increased.