Patent Publication Number: US-10326226-B2

Title: Contact with a first cylindrical section, a second cylindrical section, and a transition section and a connector using the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) of Chinese Patent Application No. 201610971160.X, filed on Nov. 1, 2016. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to a contact of the electrical connector. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Known electrical connectors generally have an insulative body and a contact disposed in the insulative body. A rear end of the contact is crimped on a conductor of a wire and a front end of the contact is mated with a contact of a mating connector. 
     The contact is commonly formed by stamping and bending a metal plate and a gap is disposed between the contact and the insulative body after the contact is assembled into the insulative body. As a result, the contact is movable within the insulative body and may be easily offset from its correct installation position. A large positional deviation may occur after the contact is assembled into the insulative body, leading to an unreliable electrical connection between the connector and the mating connector. 
     SUMMARY 
     A contact according to the invention comprises a first cylindrical section, a second cylindrical section, and a transition section connected between the first cylindrical section and the second cylindrical section. The first cylindrical section has a first peripheral wall with a first diameter and a first protrusion rib disposed on the first peripheral wall. The second cylindrical section has a second peripheral wall with a second diameter less than the first diameter and a second protrusion rib disposed on the second peripheral wall. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a contact according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the contact of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the contact of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of a connector according to an embodiment of the invention having the contact of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S) 
     Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     A connector according to the invention is shown in  FIG. 4 . The connector comprises an insulative body  200  and at least one contact  100  disposed in the insulative body  200 . A first end of the contact  100 , a right end in the orientation of  FIG. 4 , is electrically connected to a conductor  310  of a wire  300 . A second end of the contact  100  opposite the first end, a left end in the orientation of  FIG. 4 , is electrically mated with a contact of a mating connector (not shown). In an embodiment, the contact  100  is monolithically formed by stamping and bending a single metal plate. 
     The contact  100 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , comprises a first cylindrical section  110  at a first end of the contact  100 , a second cylindrical section  120  at an opposite second end of the contact  100 , a transition section  130  between the first cylindrical section  110  and the second cylindrical section  120 , and a wing  140  connected to the first cylindrical section  110 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the second cylindrical section  120  has a diameter less than that of the first cylindrical section  110 . The transition section  130  is connected between a second end of the first cylindrical section  110  and a first end of the second cylindrical section  120 . A diameter of the transition section  130  is gradually reduced from a diameter equal to the first cylindrical section  110  at the first cylindrical section  110  to a diameter equal to the second cylindrical section  120  at the second cylindrical section  120 , so as to realize a smooth transition between the first cylindrical section  110  and the second cylindrical section  120 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the contact  100  has a first protrusion rib  111  disposed circumferentially around a first peripheral wall of the first cylindrical section  110  and a second protrusion rib  121  disposed circumferentially around a second peripheral wall of the second cylindrical section  120 . In an embodiment, the first protrusion rib  111  and the second protrusion rib  121  each have a circular cross section. 
     The second protrusion rib  121 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , is positioned adjacent the transition section  130  and spaced apart from the transition section  130  by a predetermined distance d in a longitudinal direction of the contact  100 . The positioning of the second protrusion rib  121  reduces the difficulty of forming the contact  100  by stamping, ensuring the shape and dimensional precision of the second protrusion rib  121 . In an embodiment, the predetermined distance d is set according to an actual situation; the predetermined distance d may be set to be greater than 1/50 of a total length of the contact  100  and less than 1/10 of the total length of the contact  100 . 
     The wing  140 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , is connected to a first end of the first cylindrical section  110  opposite the second end of the first cylindrical section  110  connected to the transition section  130 . The wing  140 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , is adapted to be crimped around an outer insulation layer  320  of the wire  300  while the first cylindrical section  110  is adapted to be crimped around the conductor  310  of the wire  300  inserted into the first cylindrical section  110 . The wire  300  is fixed and electrically connected to the first end of the contact  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , when the contact  100  is inserted into the insulative body  200 , the first protrusion rib  111  and the second protrusion rib  121  each engage the insulative body  200  by an interference fit. The contact  100  is thereby positioned in the insulative body  200  at a plurality of different points and is reliably fixed in the insulative body  200 . The first protrusion rib  111  and the second protrusion rib  121  effectively prevent the contact  100  from being offset from its correct installation position in the insulative body  200 , improving the reliability of the electrical connection between the connector and the mating connector to be mated with the connector.