Patent Publication Number: US-6709298-B2

Title: Insulator coring and contact configuration to prevent pin stubbing in the throat of tuning fork socket connector contacts

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/281,826 filed Apr. 6, 2001. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly, to a pin and socket connector system which employs a tuning fork style socket contact. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Electrical contacts using a two-piece pin and socket connector system employing a tuning fork style socket contact have been used in the art. The difficulty with such a contact system is that the pin contact often tends to run into the base of the tuning fork shaped socket if the pin is not kept in proper alignment. In other words, if the pin is not properly aligned as the pin and tuning fork style socket contact are brought into full mating position, the pin contact, being an unsupported straight beam, will tend to crumple and become damaged. This causes the loss of a single pin contact and signal connection and will require the pin contact to be replaced. Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a pin and tuning fork style pin and socket connector system which prevents or eliminates the pin contact from being damaged when the pin is inserted into the mated position through the throat of the tuning fork style contact. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a pin and tuning fork style pin and socket connector system in which the pin is guided or prevented from being damaged when brought into a mated position with the tuning fork style socket contact. 
     The present invention provides a socket connector for a pin including a module body with a plurality of slots. A plurality of wafers are installable in a corresponding plurality of slots wherein each wafer has multiple offset tuning forks. The module body has a coring wall with multiple wedge shaped protrusions for each of the offset tuning forks. 
     In another embodiment, the present invention provides a socket connector for a pin connector including a module body having a plurality of slots. A wafer block is installable in a corresponding plurality of slots wherein the wafer block has multiple offset tuning forks. The module body has a coring wall with multiple wedge shaped protrusions for receiving each of the offset tuning forks. 
     Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description thereof are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein element having the same reference numeral designations represent like elements throughout and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a fully assembled socket side connector; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view, similar to FIG. 1, with one wafer not installed; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wafer with five tuning fork contacts molded into the wafer body; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-section through the module with a wafer shown in a fully installed position and two pin contacts having different lengths; 
     FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view, in cross-section, of the module showing the coring wall wedge shaped protrusion; 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a single wafer showing the offset of the tuning fork beam; 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a sectional view through a wafer installed in the module illustrating how the combination of the offset and the contact beams and the wedge shaped protrusion in the coring wall provide a means to prevent the pin contact from stubbing into the base of the throat of the socket contact; and 
     FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view through a module, wafer and pin contact illustrating the relationship between the surfaces of the socket contact base area, the wedge shape protrusion of the coring wall and the tip of the mating pin contact. 
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Reference is now made to FIG. 1 wherein a socket side connector assembly  10  is depicted. The socket side connector assembly  10  includes two socket connector housing assemblies  20 , each including an insulator module  22 , which are connected together by a connector  25 . Each of the insulator modules  22  receives a plurality of wafers  30  which are fixed in place in the insulator modules  22 , as described below. The socket connectors depicted in FIG. 1 are from the Winchester Electronics 2 mm product line, but the principles of the present invention are applicable to any two-piece pin and socket connector system employing a tuning fork style socket contact. 
     As depicted in FIG. 1, each insulator module  22  accepts eleven wafers  30 . Each wafer in turn includes five tuning fork style contacts and five right angle pin contacts and therefore each assembly  20  forms an 11×5 matrix which includes 55 signal contacts. It is to be understood that any number of signal contacts could be used in the present invention. Additionally, any number of modules  22  can be used. Further, the present invention is illustrated as a right angle connector but the principles of the present invention can be used with any type of tuning fork contact. 
     Further still, even though the connector assembly  10  is depicted and described as comprising multiple wafers  30  inserted into insulator module  22 , it is to be understood that multiple wafers can be replaced by a single larger wafer, i.e., a wafer block, having the appropriate number of tuning fork style contacts and pin contacts. 
     As depicted in FIG. 2, each wafer assembly  30  is inserted into the insulator module  22 . The insulator module  22  has a plurality of contact windows  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50  in which a corresponding pin is inserted to be received in a corresponding fork style socket contact  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  60 . 
     To secure each wafer  30 , each of the wafers has a flexible beam type retention mechanism  62  which has a retention member  66  which snaps into a corresponding hole  64  in the insulator module  22 . 
     Reference is now made to FIG. 3 depicting an enlarged perspective view of the wafer  30  of FIGS. 1 and 2. Each wafer  30  has an insulated body portion  70 . Each fork style socket contact has a straight portion  100 , an offset portion  102 , and a mating portion  104 . The mating portion  104  includes opposed mating v-ramps  106  each having a front ramp  108  to facilitate insertion of the pin into the tuning fork style contact  52 , for example. Each tuning fork style contact has a throat defined by the opposing beams  120  and  130  as depicted in FIG.  3 . Beams  120  and  130  are joined at a base of the throat section  140 . 
     Each of the tuning fork style contacts  52 - 60  is electrically connected through housing  70  to a corresponding pin connector  72 - 80  in a conventional manner. 
     As depicted in FIG. 4, pin contacts  152 ,  154  are shown in the mated position. It should be noted that the pin contacts  152 ,  154  pass beyond the base of the throat  140  of the socket contacts. As depicted in FIG. 4, the two pin contacts  152 ,  154  have different lengths. Pin contact  154  extends into a receiving portion  254  formed in the wafer  30  and which is positioned and aligned with openings  42 - 50  for example. As depicted in FIG. 4, pin  154  is a sufficient length to be received by receiving portion  254 , whereas pin  152  is shorter and is not received by receiving portion  252 . 
     The configuration of the coring wall  200  which receives the tuning fork style contact is depicted in FIG.  5 . The coring wall  200  includes a central wedge shape portion  202  and an offset wall  204  and a straight wall  206 . Advantageously, the wedge shape protrusion  202  extends nearly to the base of the contact throat  140  when the wafer  30  is installed in the module  30  such that the pins  152 ,  154  when inserted through the tuning fork style contact are prevented from stubbing into the base of the throat  140  of the socket contact  52 ,  54 . 
     FIG. 6 is a top view of the wafer  30  depicting the offset of the tuning fork beams  120 ,  130 . As depicted in FIG. 5, wedge shaped protrusion  202  of wall  204  conforms to the offset portion  102  of the tuning beams  120 ,  130  such that the wedge shaped protrusion  202  fits closely or nearly to the base of the throat  140  so that the pins  152 ,  154  when inserted as depicted in FIG. 6, even if the pins  152 ,  154  bend slightly towards the base of the contact throat  140 , are prevented from entering the contact throat and thereby becoming deformed. 
     FIG. 7 is a view through a section of the wafer  30  installed in the insulator module  22  that depicts how the combination of the offset and the contact beams  120 ,  130  and the wedge shaped protrusion  202  and the coring wall  200  provide a mechanism to prevent the pin contact  152  from stubbing into the base of the throat  140  of the socket contact  52 . 
     FIG. 8 is another section through the insulator module  22 , wafer  30  and pin contact  52  depicting the relationship between the surfaces of the socket contact base area  140 , the wedge shaped protrusion  202  of the coring wall  200  and the tip of the mating pin contact  152 . These relationships contribute to prevent the pin contact from stubbing into the base of the throat  140  of the socket contact  52 . 
     It will be readily seen by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention fulfills all of the objects set forth above. After reading the foregoing specification, one of ordinary skill will be able to affect various changes, substitutions of equivalents and various other aspects of the invention as broadly disclosed herein. It is therefore intended that the protection granted hereon be limited only by the definition contained in the appended claims and equivalents thereof.