Electrical contact
An electrical contact formed from a plurality of interlaced and annealed wires by weaving or braiding the wires together to form a mesh, annealing the mesh, and cutting the annealed mesh so as to form a plurality of individual electrical contacts. A method for forming a precursor material for use in manufacturing an electrical contact is also provided that includes manipulating a plurality of wires so as to interlace the wires into a unitary structure. The unitary structure is then annealed. An electrical contact may then be formed from the precursor material by elastically rolling a portion of the unitary structure so as to form a tube, annealing the tube, and then cutting the unitary structure so as to release the tube thereby to form an electrical contact. An electrical contact may also be formed by folding a portion of the unitary structure so as to form one or more pleats, annealing the pleated unitary structure, and then cutting the pleated unitary structure so as to release one or more electrical contacts. The precursor material may also be formed by photo-etching a sheet of conductive material so as to form a mesh, and then annealing the mesh. A connector system may be formed including a housing defining a plurality of openings that are each filled with an electrical contact comprising a plurality of interlaced and annealed wires that have been previously either rolled or pleated.
1. An electrical contact for electrically engaging first and second confronting conductive pads comprising a plurality of interlaced, annealed, and unsupported wires comprising at least three discrete wires that have been manipulated together so as to interlace them to form a unitary open-ended tubular structure that is substantially free of elastic strain while in the form of said unsupported, open-ended tubular structure, having a first circumferential contact edge that is (i) formed by a first free end of each of said at least three discrete wires, and (ii) engapeble by axial compression of said electrical contact, and a second circumferential contact edge spaced axially from said first circumferential contact edge that is (iii) formed by a second free end of each of said at least three discrete wires, and (iv) engagable by said axial compression of said electrical contact.
2. An electrical contact according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of interlaced and annealed wires comprise a woven and annealed structure that provides a plurality of individual beam-sections.
3. An electrical contact according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of interlaced and annealed wires comprise at least three discrete wires that have been manipulated together so as to interlace them to form said unitary tube that is substantially free of elastic strain, wherein said unitary tube may be axially, compressively loaded in the absence of an extruded resiliently supporting structure during said axial compression.
4. An electrical contact according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of interlaced and annealed wires comprise three discrete wires that have been manipulated together so as to interlace them to form a unitary tubular structure in the absence of at least one of a central support structure around which said wires are wound and an enclosing and substantially encasing support structure.
5. An electrical contact according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of interlaced and annealed wires comprise at least three discrete wires that have been manipulated together so as to interlace them to form a unitary tubular structure without at least one of an outer and inner support structure.
6. A connector system comprising, in combination:
a housing defining a plurality of openings each having a first open end and a second open end; and
an electrical contact comprising a plurality of interlaced, annealed and unsupported wires disposed in each of said openings wherein said plurality of interlaced and annealed wires comprise at least three discrete wires that have been manipulated together so as to interlace them to form a unitary open-ended tubular structure having a top conducting edge that provides at least three contact points each formed by a first free end of one of said at least three discrete wires and projecting outwardly from said first open end for electrical engagement with a first one of said confronting conductive pads by axial compression of said electrical contact and a bottom conducting edge that provides at least three contact points each formed by a second free end of one of said at least three discrete wires projecting outwardly from said second open end for electrical engagement with a second one of said confronting conductive pads by axial compression of said electrical contact so as to provide an electrical pathway that is substantially free of elastic strain while in the form of said unsupported, open-ended tubular structure.