Patent Abstract:
A low profile connector assembly comprises at least one contact having a surface mount portion and a wire engagement portion extending from the surface mount portion, and a housing insertable over the at least one contact and retained to the at least one contact. The housing encloses the wire engagement portion and has a wire receiving aperture therethrough. The wire receiving aperture provides access to the wire engagement portion when the housing is retained to the contact.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and, more particularly, to low profile connectors for mounting to substrates and connecting wires thereto.  
         [0002]     Recent advances in illumination technology have resulted in the prolific use of distributed lighting assemblies in many applications. Distributed lighting assemblies are desirable, for example, for interior and exterior illumination of a vehicle, for decorative, accent, and safety lighting in business, homes, and outdoor illumination of sidewalks, swimming pools, steps, and even for directional and advertisement signage.  
         [0003]     Conventional distributed light assemblies include a high intensity light source and a plurality of light transmission conduits (e.g., fiber optic cables, light pipes, and the like) for illuminating locations remote from the light source. A plurality of light sources (e.g., incandescent bulbs, halogen lamps, and the like) have been employed with an equal plurality of light transmission members to produce distributed lighting effects. It is difficult, however, to produce even lighting from the multiple light sources, and the assemblies are not as reliable as desired. Tubular light sources (e.g., neon, fluorescent, and the like) have been utilized to produce more even lighting, but are notably disadvantaged as requiring high voltage power supply converters to operate the tubes. Additionally, tubular light sources have poor impact resistance, rendering them unsuitable for many applications.  
         [0004]     Recent technological advances in low voltage light sources, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), now present low voltage light sources as viable candidates as light sources for distributed lighting assemblies. Low voltage light sources operate at a small fraction of the electrical power of conventionally used light sources and are an attractive option for use in distributed lighting assemblies due to generally lower cost and higher efficiency than conventionally used light sources. Thus far, however, obtaining a reliable and even light output from low voltage light sources in a distributed lighting assembly has proven difficult.  
         [0005]     In certain applications, low voltage light devices including LEDs are connected to an aluminum substrate in use, and connecting wires from the low voltage light devices are hand soldered to the substrate. It would be desirable to provide a lower cost and more time efficient manner of connecting the low voltage lighting devices to the substrates. Known connectors, however, are disadvantaged for purposes.  
         [0006]     For example, known connectors are typically too large to be effectively used with low voltage lighting devices such as LED packages, because when mounted to the substrate the relative sizes of the connectors and the LED packages can lead to shadows and a non-uniform light emission from the LEDs. Additionally, mounting the connectors to the substrate and retaining the connector to the substrate can itself become problematic due to the low profile of the LED packages.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     According to an exemplary embodiment, a low profile connector assembly comprises at least one contact having a surface mount portion and a wire engagement portion extending from the surface mount portion, and a housing insertable over the at least one contact and retained to the at least one contact. The housing encloses the wire engagement portion and has a wire receiving aperture therethrough. The wire receiving aperture provides access to the wire engagement portion when the housing is retained to the contact.  
         [0008]     Optionally, the housing and contact define a low profile dimension of approximately 10 mm or less measured substantially perpendicular to a substrate to which the surface mount portion is mounted. The wire engagement portion may include an insulation displacement contact section, a plurality of deflectable fingers configured to engage a wire, a contact beam pivoting in a plane parallel to the surface mount portion when a wire is engaged thereto, or a box clamp contact. The wire engagement portion may be configured for two stage engagement with the housing. A plurality of contacts may be provided, and the contacts may be staggered or offset from one another on opposite sides of the housing.  
         [0009]     According to another exemplary embodiment, a low profile connector assembly for mounting to a substrate is provided. The connector assembly comprises a housing, first and second contacts each having a surface mount portion and a wire engagement portion extending from the surface mount portion, and a housing insertable over the first and second contacts and retained to the at least one contact. The housing encloses the wire engagement portion and has a first wire receiving aperture and a second wire receiving aperture each configured to receive respective wires. The wire engagement portions of the first and second contacts are configured to engage and retain the wires, wherein the first and second contacts define a low profile dimension of about 10 mm or less measured perpendicularly to the substrate on which the surface mount portions are to be mounted.  
         [0010]     According to another exemplary embodiment, a low profile connector assembly for mounting to a substrate is provided. The connector assembly comprises a housing, and first and second contacts each having a surface mount portion and a wire engagement portion extending from the surface mount portion. Each wire engagement portion comprises a deflectable contact beam extending obliquely to a distal end of the surface mount portion. A housing is insertable over the first and second contacts and is retained to the first and second contacts. The housing encloses the contact beams and has a first wire receiving aperture and a second wire receiving aperture configured to receive respective wires. The contact beams deflect and clamp the wires within the housing.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly formed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of a second exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly formed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a third exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly formed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly formed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a portion of  FIG. 4  along line  5 - 5 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is an exploded view of a fifth exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly formed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is an assembled view of the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]     While various embodiments low profile connectors are described below in an exemplary application of interfacing low voltage lighting devices, such as light emitting diode (LED) packages, it is understood that the low profile connector of the present invention may be beneficial in other applications as well. Low voltage lighting applications are but one potential application of the present invention, and the invention is not intended to be limited to any particular end use or application. The following embodiments are therefore provided for illustrative purposes only.  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly  100  formed in accordance with the present invention. The connector assembly  100  includes a substrate  102 , contacts  104  mounted to the substrate  102 , and a housing  106  inserted over the contacts  104  and retained thereto.  
         [0020]     The substrate  102  is generally flat and planar, and in one embodiment is fabricated from aluminum or another substrate material familiar to those in the art. The contacts  104  are fabricated from a conductive material and in an illustrative embodiment include generally flat and planer surface mount portions  108  in an abutting relationship with the substrate  102 , and wire engagement portions  110  extending generally perpendicularly from the surface mount portions  108 . The wire engagement portions  110  in one embodiment are insulation displacement contact sections having a wire receiving channel  112  and upper edges (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) configured to pierce outer insulation of a connecting wire (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) in a manner known in the art. The insulation displacement sections of the contacts  104  allow connection to connecting wires of, for example, low voltage lighting devices and LED packages, without stripping the connecting wires of insulation and without hand soldered connections, and thus result in time and cost savings for installing the connector assembly  100 . The connector assembly  100  has an assembled configuration and a terminated configuration (achieved by downward insertion of the housing  106  in the direction of arrow A.  
         [0021]     The housing  106  has T-shaped end walls  120 ,  122 , front and rear sides  124  and  126 , and top and bottom surfaces  128  and  130 . The end walls  120 ,  122  have a first width W 1  near the bottom surface  130  and a second width W 2  near the top surface  128  that is greater than the width W 1 . Due to the difference in widths W 1  and W 2 , overhanging ledges  129  are formed in the housing  106  between the top and bottom surface  128  and  130 .  
         [0022]     Contact cavities  132  are formed in the housing  106  and extend from the top surface  128  to the underside of the overhanging ledges  129  opposite the top surface  128 . The contact cavities  132  receive the wire engagement portions  110  of the respective contacts  104  when the housing  106  is inserted downwardly over the contacts  104  in the direction of arrow A. The wire engagement portions  110  of the contacts  104  are retained to the housing  106  with an interference fit, or by other locking and latching arrangements known in the art.  
         [0023]     The contacts  104  in the illustrated embodiment are arranged in first and second rows corresponding the housing cavities  132 , and accordingly the housing  106  includes three contact cavities  132  arranged in a row along the housing front side  124 , and two contact cavities arranged in a row along the housing rear side  126 . The contact cavities  132  along the rear side  126  are staggered or offset in relation to the contact cavities  132  extending along the front side  124 . As such, the housing  106  may accommodate five contacts  104  oriented in opposite directions along the housing front and rear sides  124  and  126 . Greater or fewer contact cavities  132  and associated contacts may be provided in similar or different arrangements in alternative embodiments.  
         [0024]     The housing  106  further includes wire receiving apertures  134  in communication with the housing contact cavities  132  such that a connecting wire may be inserted through the wire receiving apertures  134  and into the contact cavities  132 . Once the wires are inserted in into the contact cavities  132 , the housing  106  may be fitted downwardly onto the contacts  104  from above. As the housing  106  is moved downward in the direction of arrow A, the wire engagement portions  110  of the contacts  104  are received in the contact cavities  132  through the overhanging ledges  129 , and the wires are brought into mechanical and electrical engagement with the wire engagement portions  110  of the contacts  104 . Because the wire engagement portions  110  include insulation displacement sections, the insulation displacement sections penetrate the wire insulation and the wire conductors are received in the wire channels  112 .  
         [0025]     The connector  100 , in the assembled configuration, may be surface mounted to the substrate  102  using known surface mount soldering techniques. Wires are inserted into the apertures  34  and terminated to the contacts  104  by being pressed downward in the direction of arrow A to a terminated configuration. The wires, therefore, need not be individually terminated to the substrate  102 , but rather may be collectively and simultaneously engaged to the contacts  104  by virtue of the housing  106 . The wires need not be stripped of insulation, and tools are not necessary to connect the wires, thereby simplifying installation and reducing installation time and cost.  
         [0026]     Further, because the wire engagement portions  110  of the contacts  104  extend upwardly in an L-shape configuration from the contact surface mount portions  108 , the connector assembly has a particularly low profile and is amenable for use with low voltage light sources, such as LED packages in distributed lighting assemblies. For example, the connector assembly  100  may extend for a total low profile dimension H, measured generally perpendicular from the top surface of the substrate  102  to the top surface  128  of the housing  106 , of about 10 mm or less, and thus, unlike known connectors, the connector assembly  100  may be used with low voltage lighting devices on the substrate  102  without creating shadows in the emitted light from the devices. In a particular embodiment, H is approximately 6.35 mm when the housing  106  is fully installed over the contacts  104 , although greater or lesser low profile dimensions H may be employed in other embodiments.  
         [0027]     Additionally, the staggered contacts  104  and housing contact cavities  132  provides a compact, space saving configuration providing multiple connections in comparison to other known connectors.  
         [0028]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of a second exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly  150  formed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0029]     The connector assembly  150  includes a substrate  152 , contacts  154  mounted to the substrate  152 , and a housing  156  inserted over the contacts  154  and retained thereto.  
         [0030]     The substrate  152  is generally flat and planar, and in one embodiment is fabricated from aluminum or another substrate material familiar to those in the art. The contacts  154  are fabricated from a conductive material and in an illustrative embodiment include generally flat and planer surface mount portions  158  in an abutting relationship with the substrate  152 , and wire engagement portions  160  extending generally perpendicularly from the surface mount portions  158 . The wire engagement portions  160  in one embodiment are insulation displacement contact sections having a wire receiving channel  162  and upper edges  164  configured to pierce outer insulation of a wire  166  in a manner known in the art. The insulation displacement sections of the contacts  154  allow connection to connecting wires  166  of, for example, low voltage lighting devices, without stripping the wire of insulation, and thus result in time and cost savings for installing the connector assembly  150 .  
         [0031]     The housing  156  has end walls  170 ,  172 , front and rear sides  174  and  176 , and top and bottom surfaces  178  and  180 . Contact cavities  182  are formed in the housing  156  and extend from the top surface  178  through the bottom surface  180 . The contact cavities  182  receive the wire engagement portions  160  of the respective contacts  154  when the housing  156  is inserted downward over the contacts  154  in the direction of arrow B. The wire engagement portions  160  of the contacts  154  include an upper pair of notches  184  and a lower pair of notches  186  which cooperate with retaining features or projections in the housing cavities  182  to retain the housing  156  to the contacts  154 . More specifically, the upper notches  186  receive the housing retaining features at a first elevation relative to the substrate  152 , and the lower notches  186  receive the housing retaining features at a second elevation relative to the substrate  152  that is lower and closer to the substrate than the first elevation. When the housing is engaged to the upper notches  186 , wires  166  may be inserted into the housing  156 , and the housing may then be moved to downward in the direction of arrow B to engage the housing  156  to the lower notches  186 , wherein the wires are fully engaged to the contacts  154 .  
         [0032]     The housing  156  includes wire receiving apertures  188  in communication with the housing contact cavities  182  such that a wire  166  may be inserted through the wire receiving apertures  182  and into the contact cavities  182 . Once the wires  166  are inserted into the contact cavities  182 , the housing  156  may be fitted downwardly onto the contacts  154  from above to enclose and protect the contacts  154 . As the housing  156  is moved downward in the direction of arrow B toward the contacts  154 , the wire engagement portions  160  of the contacts  154  are received in the contact cavities  182  and the wires are brought into mechanical and electrical engagement with the wire engagement portions  160  of the contacts  154 . Because the wire engagement portions  154  include insulation displacement sections, the insulation displacement sections penetrate the wire insulation and the wire conductors are received in the wire channels  162 .  
         [0033]     The connector  150 , in a pre-assembled state wherein the housing  156  is engaged to the upper notches  184  of the contacts  154 , may be surface mounted to the substrate  152  using known surface mount soldering techniques. The wires  166  are then inserted into the housing  156  through the apertures  188  and into the contact cavities  182 . Once the wires  166  are inserted, the housing  156  may be moved downwardly to engage the lower notches  186  of the contacts  154 . Because of the insulation displacement sections of the contact wire engagement portions  160 , the wires  166  need not be individually terminated to the substrate  102 , but rather may be collectively and simultaneously engaged to the contacts  104  by virtue of the downward movement of the housing  106 . The wires  166  need not be stripped of insulation, and tools are not necessary to connect the wires, thereby simplifying installation and reducing installation time and cost.  
         [0034]     Further, because the wire engagement portions  160  of the contacts  154  extend upwardly in an L-shape configuration from the contact surface mount portions  158 , the connector assembly  150  has a particularly low profile and is amenable for use with low voltage light sources, such as LED packages in distributed lighting assemblies. For example, the connector assembly  150  may extend for a total low profile dimension, measured generally perpendicularly from the top surface of the board to the top surface  178  of the housing  156 , of about 10 mm or less, although greater or lesser low profile dimensions H may be employed in other embodiments. Unlike known connectors, the connector assembly  150  may therefore be used with low voltage lighting devices on the substrate  102  without creating shadows in the emitted light from the devices.  
         [0035]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a third exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly  200  formed in accordance with the present invention. The connector assembly  200  is similar is some aspects to the connector assembly  150  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). Like elements of the connector assembly  200  and the connector assembly  150  are therefore indicated with like reference characters in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0036]     The connector assembly  200  includes the substrate  152 , contacts  202  mounted to the substrate  152 , and a housing  156  inserted over the contacts  202  and retained thereto.  
         [0037]     The contacts  202  are fabricated from a conductive material and in an illustrative embodiment include generally flat and planer surface mount portions  204  in an abutting relationship with the substrate  152 , and wire engagement portions  206  extending generally perpendicularly from the surface mount portions  204 . The wire engagement portions  206  in one embodiment are poke-in wire engagement sections having a generally rectangular frame  208  and deflectable contact fingers  210  extending inwardly from the frame  208  to define a four sided web extending from the inner periphery of the frame  208 . When a wire  212  is stripped of insulation  214  on one end thereof to expose inner conductors  216  of the wire, the conductors  216  are received through the inner web of the contact frame  208  and the fingers  210  are resiliently deflected around the respective sides of the conductors  216  to mechanically and electrically engage the conductors  216  to contacts  202 . The poke-in wire engagement portions  206  allow for termination of the wires  212  to the contacts  202  with relative ease, especially in comparison to hand soldered termination of the wires  212  which is common to known distributed lighting assemblies.  
         [0038]     While the contacts  202  in the illustrated embodiment include four deflectable fingers  210  defining a contact web, it is understood that other numbers of contact fingers (e.g., two contact fingers) may likewise be employed in alternative embodiments while still achieving the benefits of the instant invention.  
         [0039]     The housing  156  has end walls  170 ,  172 , front and rear sides  174  and  176 , and top and bottom surfaces  178  and  180 . Contact cavities  182  are formed in the housing  156  and extend from the top surface  178  through the bottom surface  180 . The contact cavities  182  receive the wire engagement portions  206  of the respective contacts  202  when the housing  156  is inserted downward over the contacts  202  in the direction of arrow B. The wire engagement portions  206  of the contacts  202  are retained to the housing  156  with an interference fit in the contact cavities  182 , although it is appreciated that other retention features may be employed that are known in the art to retain the contacts  202  to the housing  156 .  
         [0040]     The housing  156  includes wire receiving apertures  188  in communication with the housing contact cavities  182  such that a wire  212  may be inserted through the wire receiving apertures  182  and into the contact cavities  182 . Once the housing  156  is retained to the contacts  202 , wires  212  may be inserted though the housing apertures  188  to engage the wire receiving portions  206  of the contacts  202 . Because of the poke-in wire engagement portions  206  of the contacts  202 , the wires  212  may be reliably connected to the contacts with reduced installation time and cost.  
         [0041]     Further, because the wire engagement portions  206  of the contacts  202  extend upwardly in an L-shape configuration from the contact surface mount portions  204 , the connector assembly  200  has a particularly low profile and is amenable for use with low voltage light sources, such as LED packages in distributed lighting assemblies. For example, the connector assembly  200  may extend for a total low profile dimension, measured generally perpendicularly from the top surface of the substrate  152  to the top surface  178  of the housing  156 , of about 10 mm or less, although greater or lesser low profile dimensions may be employed in other embodiments. Unlike known connectors, the connector assembly  200  may therefore be used with low voltage lighting devices on the substrate  152  without creating shadows in the emitted light from the devices.  
         [0042]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly  250  formed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0043]     The connector assembly  250  includes the substrate  152 , contacts  252  mounted to the substrate  152 , and a housing  254  inserted over the contacts  252  and retained thereto.  
         [0044]     The contacts  252  are fabricated from a conductive material and in an illustrative embodiment include generally flat and planer surface mount portions  256  in an abutting relationship with the substrate  152 , and wire engagement portions  258  extending generally perpendicularly from the surface mount portions  256 . The wire engagement portions  258  in one embodiment are box clamp contact sections having a top wall  260  and opposite side walls  262  extending from the top wall  260  in a rectangular configuration. The side walls  260  and  262  include cutout portions or windows  264  therein which cooperate with latching features on the housing  254  to retain the housing  204  to the contacts  252 . The top wall  260  of the box clamp wire engaging portions  258  includes a deflectable contact beam  266  which clamps to conductors  216  of a wire  212  in the manner explained below.  
         [0045]     The housing  254  has end walls  270 ,  272 , front and rear sides  274  and  276 , and top and bottom surfaces  278  and  280 . Contact cavities  282  are formed in the housing  254  and extend from the top surface  278  through the bottom surface  280 . The contact cavities  282  receive the wire engagement portions  258  of the respective contacts  252  when the housing  254  is inserted downward over the contacts  252  in the direction of arrow B and the housing  254  is latched to the retention windows  264  of the contacts  252 . The housing  254  also includes wire receiving apertures  288  in communication with the housing contact cavities  282  such that a wire  212  may be inserted through the wire receiving apertures  288 , into the contact cavities  282 , and engaged to the wire engagement portions  258  of the contacts  252 .  
         [0046]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of one of the contacts  252  surface mounted to the substrate  152 , and illustrating the box clamp connection of one of the wires  212  to the wire engaging portion  258 . As seen in  FIG. 5 , the top wall  260  of the wire engaging portion  258  includes the deflectable contact beam  266  extending obliquely from the top wall  260  into the path of the wire  212  when inserted between the side walls  262  of the box clamp section. The beam  266  is deflectable in the direction of arrow D away from the wire  214  and toward the top wall  260  when contacted by the conductors  216  of the wire  212  to a loading position indicated in phantom in  FIG. 5 . A bottom wall  290  of the box clamp section includes a guide ramp  292  to guide the conductors  216  of the wire  212  into the beam  266  and toward the loading position. When the wire conductors  216  are sufficiently inserted between the contact side walls  262 , the contact beam returns  266  toward its original position, thereby clamping the wire conductors  216  between the contact beam  266  and the guide ramp  292  of the contact bottom wall  290 .  
         [0047]     Because of the box clamp wire engagement portions  258  of the contacts  252 , the wires  212  may be reliably connected to the contacts with reduced installation time and cost. Further, the side walls  262  of the contact wire engagement portions  258  extend upwardly in a substantially perpendicular manner to the contact surface mount portions  256 , and the connector assembly  250  has a particularly low profile and is amenable for use with low voltage light sources, such as LED packages in distributed lighting assemblies. For example, the connector assembly  250  may extend for a total low profile dimension, measured generally perpendicular from the top surface of the substrate  152  to the top surface  278  ( FIG. 5 ) of the housing  254  of about 10 mm or less, although greater or lesser low profile dimensions may be employed in other embodiments. Unlike known connectors, the connector assembly  250  may therefore be used with low voltage lighting devices on the substrate  152  without creating shadows in the emitted light from the devices.  
         [0048]      FIG. 6  is an exploded view of a fifth exemplary embodiment of a low profile connector assembly  300  formed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0049]     The connector assembly  300  includes the substrate  152 , contacts  302  mounted to the substrate  152 , and a housing  304  inserted over the contacts  302  and retained thereto.  
         [0050]     The contacts  302  are fabricated from a conductive material and in an illustrative embodiment each contact  302  includes a generally flat and planer surface mount portion  306  in an abutting relationship with the substrate  152 , a housing engagement section  308  extending substantially perpendicular to the surface mount portions  306 , and a wire engagement portion  310  extending from the housing engagement section  308 .  
         [0051]     The contact surface mount portions  306  are generally rectangular in an illustrative embodiment and lie in a common plane tangential to the substrate  152 . The housing engagement portion  308  of the contacts  302  are generally flat and planar and extend perpendicularly or in an L-shape configuration from the surface mount portions  306 . The housing engagement portions  308  include retaining projections or bumps  309  extending outwardly therefrom. The housing engagement portions  308  of the contacts  302  are received in slots (not shown) in the housing  304  and are retained thereto with an interference fit by virtue of the retaining projections or bumps  309 .  
         [0052]     The wire engagement portions  310  of each contact  302  includes a deflectable contact beam  312  extending obliquely from the housing engagement section  308  and also extending over and vertically spaced from the surface mount portion  306 . The contact beams  312  extend along a longitudinal axis which is parallel to the surface mount portions  306 , and also extend obliquely to the edges of the surface mount portion  306 . That is, the contact beam  308  of each contact  302  extends at an angle with the each of the side edges of the rectangular surface mount portion  306  so that a distal end  313  of the contact beam  212  extends beyond and overhangs the distal end  315  of the surface mount portions  306  opposite the housing engagement portions  308 . In an exemplary embodiment, the contacts  302  are oriented inversely to one another in a mirror image arrangement with the contact beams  312  extending in opposite directions and away from one another. The contact beams  312  are constructed to pivot, rotate or deflect about a respective vertical axis  316  extending normally or perpendicularly to the surface mount portions  306  when engaged by a wire  212 . Stated another way, the contact beams  312  may rotate in the direction of arrow E about the axis  316  such that the longitudinal axis of the contact beams  312  are deflected in a plane parallel to the plane of the surface mount portions  306  when engaged by a wire  212 . That is, the distal ends  313  of the contact beams  212  are moved inwardly in the direction of arrows F and G toward the respective engagement portions  208  when engaged by a wire  212 , or more particularly the conductors  216  of the wire  212 .  
         [0053]     The housing  304  has end walls  320 ,  322 , front and rear sides  324  and  326 , and top and bottom surfaces  328  and  330 . Contact cavities (not shown in  FIG. 6 ) are formed in the housing  320  and extend from the top surface  328  through the bottom surface  330 . The contact cavities receive the wire engagement portions  310  of the respective contacts  302  when the housing  304  is inserted downwardly over the contacts  302  in the direction of arrow B. The housing  320  also includes wire receiving apertures  332  in communication with the housing contact cavities such that a connecting wire  212  may be inserted through the wire receiving apertures  332  into the contact cavities and engaged to the wire engagement portions  310  of the contacts  302 . The connector  300  may be surface mounted to the substrate  152  using known surface mount soldering techniques.  
         [0054]      FIG. 7  is an assembled view of the connector assembly  300  illustrating the contacts  302  secured to the housing  304  via the housing engagement portions  308  ( FIG. 6 ) and located in contact cavities  340  extending through the housing bottom surface  330 . The surface mount portions  306  of the contact  302  are exposed through the housing bottom surface  330  for surface mounting to the substrate  152  ( FIG. 6 ), and the contact beams  312  are angled toward the end walls  320  and  322  of the housing  304  such that the distal ends  313  of the contact beams  312  are located adjacent the respective housing end walls  320  and  322 . When a connecting wire  212  is passed through the wire receiving apertures  332  of the housing front side  324 , the wire conductors  216  deflect the contact beams  312 , and the wire conductors  216  are clamped between the distal ends  313  of the contact beams  212  and the housing end walls  320 ,  322 .  
         [0055]     The contact beams  312  provide for reliable connection to the contacts  302  with reduced installation time and cost. Further, the oblique contact beams  312  result in a particularly compact profile of the contacts  302  and the housing  304 . The connector assembly  300  is therefore amenable for use with low voltage light sources, such as LED packages in distributed lighting assemblies. For example, the connector assembly  300  may extend for a total low profile dimension H 1 , measured generally perpendicularly from the top surface of the substrate  152  ( FIG. 6 ) to the top surface  328  of the housing  304  of about 10 mm or less, and in a particular embodiment H 1  is about 3.28 mm and may therefore accommodate smaller lighting devices in comparison to known connectors. It is appreciated, however, that greater or lesser low profile dimensions H 1  may be employed in other embodiments. Unlike known connectors, the connector assembly  300  may therefore be used with low voltage lighting devices on the substrate  152  without creating shadows in the emitted light from the devices.  
         [0056]     While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7