"8"-SHAPED ELASTIC CONTACT ELEMENT AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR USING SAID CONTACT ELEMENT

Abstract

Disclosed are an “8”-shaped elastic contact element and an electrical connector using the contact element. The “8”-shaped elastic contact element comprises two contact parts in conductive contact with two corresponding connectors respectively and a connecting part (12) located between the two contact parts, the elastic contact element is formed by ending a strip-shaped conductive material, a fracture is formed between the two ends of the conductive material, the contact parts and the connecting part are arranged in an “8” shape, and each contact part has at least one arc-shaped contact structure which is bulged towards the periphery. Each bent part of the “8” shape of the elastic contact element forms a bending deformation structure to disperse the deformation process, thereby prolonging the servide life of the elastic contact element, and the elastic contact element, which is only formed by simple arcs, does not have a special requirement for materials.

Claims

1. An “8”-shaped elastic contact element, including two contact parts in conductive contact with two corresponding connectors respectively and a connecting part located between the two contact parts, wherein the elastic contact element is formed by ending a strip-shaped conductive material, a fracture is formed between the two ends of the conductive material, the elastic contact element is “8”-shaped, and each contact part has at least one arc-shaped contact structure which is bulged towards the periphery.

2. The “8”-shaped elastic contact element as forth in claim 1, wherein the conductive material is a plate or a band.

3. The “8”-shaped elastic contact element as set forth in claim 1, wherein transition parts between the connecting part and the contact parts are arc-shaped.

4. An electrical connector, including an insulating plate, the insulating plate is provided with penetrating mounting holes, elastic contact elements are fixedly assembled in the mounting holes: the elastic contact element includes two contact parts in conductive contact with two corresponding connectors respectively and a connecting part located between the two contact parts, wherein the elastic contact element is formed by bending a strip-shaped conductive material, a fracture is formed between the two ends of the conductive material, the elastic contact element is “8”-shaped, and each contact part has at least one arc-shaped contact structure which is bulged towards the periphery.

5. The electrical connector as set forth in claim 4 wherein the conductive material is a plate or a band.

6. The electrical connector as set forth in claim 4, wherein transition parts between the connecting part and the contact parts are arc-shaped.

7. The “8”-shaped elastic contact element as set forth in claim 2, wherein transition parts between the connecting part and the contact part are arc-shaped.

8. The electrical connector as set forth m claim 5, wherein transition parts between the connecting part and the contact parts are arc-shaped.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a C-shaped elastic contact element;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a spatial V-shaped elastic contact element;

[0016] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a helical spring-shaped elastic contact element;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic is diagram of embodiment 1 of an “8”-shaped elastic contact element;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of embodiment 2 of an “8”-shaped elastic contact element;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of embodiment 3 of an “8”-shaped elastic contact element;

[0020] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of embodiment 4 of an “8”-shaped elastic contact element;

[0021] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of embodiment 1 of an electrical connector;

[0022] FIG. 9 is a matching schematic diagram of an insulator in embodiment 1 of the electrical connector and elastic contact elements;

[0023] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of embodiment 2 of an electrical connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Embodiment 1 of an “8”-shaped elastic contact element is shown in FIG. 4, the elastic contact element is formed by bending a strip-shaped conductive material, the elastic contact element includes two contact parts 11 in conductive contact with corresponding connectors and a connecting part 12 located between the two contact parts, and the transition parts between the connecting part and the contact parts are arc-shaped. The whole elastic contact element is “8”-shaped. “The whole elastic contact element is ‘8’-shaped” indicates that the contact parts and the connecting part form a similar “8”-shaped structure. The two contact parts 11 are used for being respectively in conductive contact with two corresponding connectors to electrically connect the both, the connecting part is connected between the two contact parts, and in this embodiment, each contact part has only one arc-shaped contact structure which is bulged towards the periphery.

[0025] Because the elastic contact element is formed by bending a strip-shaped conductive material, a fracture 13 is formed on the elastic contact element, the fracture 13 is located between the two ends of the conductive material, in this embodiment, the fracture is located on one of circles of the “8” shape of the elastic contact element, and the conductive material is a plate material, i.e., a conductive band.

[0026] Embodiment 2 of an “8”-shaped elastic contact element is shown in FIG. 5, and this embodiment differs from embodiment 1 of the above-mentioned “8”-shaped elastic contact element only in that the fracture is located at the adjacent position of the two circles of the “8” shape of the elastic contact element.

[0027] Embodiment 3 of an “8”-shaped elastic contact element is shown in FIG. 6, and this embodiment differs from embodiment 2 of the above-mentioned “8”-shaped elastic contact element only in that each contact part has two arc-shaped contact structures which are bulged towards the periphery.

[0028] Embodiment 4 of an “8”-shaped elastic contact element is shown in FIG. 7, and this embodiment differs from embodiment 3 of the above-mentioned “8”-shaped elastic contact element only in that the arc-shaped and inward bent part is removed from the connecting part, so that the contact element forms an “8” shape lying on one side.

[0029] Embodiment 1 of an electrical connector is shown in FIGS. 8-9, the electrical connector includes an insulating plate 21 and elastic contact elements 22, the insulating plate 21 is provided with mounting holes, the elastic contact elements 22 are fixedly assembled in the corresponding mounting holes, and in this embodiment, the structure of the elastic contact elements 22 is the same as that of embodiment 1 of the above-mentioned elastic contact element and is thus not redundantly described herein.

[0030] Embodiment 2 of an electrical connector is shown in FIG. 10, and this embodiment differs from embodiment 1 of the above-mentioned electrical connector only in that the structure of the contact elements is the same as that of embodiment 2 of the above-mentioned “8”-shaped elastic contact element.

[0031] In other embodiments of the electrical connector, contact elements can also be of a hybrid structure of embodiments 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the above-mentioned “8”-shaped elastic contact element.