Electrical contact and connector and method of manufacture
View Patent ↗An electrical contact ( 2 ) and method of making the electrical contact ( 2 ), and a connector ( 11 ) and method making the connector ( 11 ), wherein the electrical contact ( 2 ) is an electrically conducting, interlaced mesh ( 40 ), with edges of the mesh providing multiple contact points for edgewise electrical connection of the electrical contact ( 2 ), wherein the mesh ( 40 ) is annealed while restrained in the form of the electrical contact ( 2 ) wherein the mesh ( 40 ) is free of internal elastic strain, or the mesh ( 40 ) is hardened, and wherein the connector ( 11 ) retains the electrical contact ( 2 ) for edgewise connection.
1. An electrical connector suitable for electrically interconnecting confronting conductive pads, said electrical connector, comprising:
one or more electrical contacts, wherein each of the electrical contacts is in the form of an electrically conducting interlaced mesh that forms a tube having spaced-apart open ends defined by conducting edges, wherein the electrical contact is hardened, and wherein the conducting edges of the mesh tube provide multiple contact points for edgewise electrical connection by axial compression of the electrical contact so as to provide an electrical pathway to a conducting pad; and
a carrier spaced from at least one of said spaced-apart open ends and holding each of the electrical contacts for edgewise electrical connection.
2. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the carrier is a housing having blind openings, the electrical contacts are in the blind openings, a first end of each of the electrical contacts that comprises said multiple points disposed in substantially surrounding relation to said open end is positioned above a surface of the carrier, and a second end of each of the electrical contacts is located in the blind opening.
3. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the carrier is a housing having blind openings, one of said conducting pads cover the blind openings, and the electrical contacts are in the openings, wherein each electrical contact has a first end positioned above a surface of the carrier, and each contact has a second end that comprises said multiple points disposed in substantially surrounding, peripheral relation to said open end engaging one of the conducting pads.
4. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein, the carrier is a housing having blind openings, conducting pads at a bottom surface of the carrier cover the blind openings, the electrical contacts are in the openings, each electrical contact has a first end positioned above a surface of the carrier, each contact has a second end that comprises said multiple points disposed in substantially surrounding, peripheral relation to said open end engaging one of the conducting pads, and the bottom surface of the carrier is substantially planar.
5. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein each electrical contact is in a retention hole of the carrier, and wherein an adhesive in the retention hole retains the electrical contact.
6. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein each electrical contact is in a retention hole of the carrier, and wherein one or more protrusions in the retention hole retain the electrical contact.
7. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein each electrical contact is constricted in a retention hole of the carrier to retain the electrical contact in the retention hole.