Compliant connector

Claim 1

An electrical connector element for insertion into a hole in a printed circuit board to establish contact with a conductive lining in said hole, the connector element being tubular and formed from an elongated flat blank of uniform thickness resilient conductive material, having a single slit of predetermined length formed longitudinally and substantially centrally in said blank without removal of material, said blank also having an unslitted portion integral with and adjoining said slit at one end thereof, the blank being rolled longitudinally about a longitudinal axis to place its edges substantially in abutment, said connector element having a uniform cross-section cylindrical portion formed from said unslitted blank portion and also having an adjoining uniform cross-section board-engaging zone of enlarged transverse extent constituted by two curved substantially semi-cylindrical segments of substantially semi-circular cross-section with effective resiliency therebetween and along a diameter of said zone, said semi-cylindrical segments having substantially the same radius of curvature as said hole, the semi-cylindrical segments of the boardengaging zone being separated by two diametrically opposite longitudinal slots, one formed by deforming said slit without removal of material and the other slot being formed at the abutting edges of said rolled blank, said slots extending throughout substantially the entire length of said enlarged zone, each of said semi-circular segments having a center of curvature offset laterally from the longitudinal axis of the connector element, the cross-sectional arcuate extent of each semi-cylindrical segment being large in relation to the arcuate width of said slots whereby said segments are resiliently urged apart by the resilience of said material to make electrical contact with said hole conductive lining over a substantial portion of the surfaces of said segments and lining.

Claim 5

The method of providing an electrical connector element for insertion into a hole in a printed circuit board to establish contact with a conductive lining in said hole, comprising the steps of providing an elongated flat strip of resilient conductive material of substantially uniform thickness, forming a slit longitudinally along a portion of said strip, substantially centrally thereof, and without removal of material, bending said strip about a longitudinal axis into a tubular substantially cylindrical form to cause its lateral edges substantially to abut to form a seam, and with each segment of said strip between said slit and said seam being substantially circularly curved in cross-section, and substantially semi-cylindrical in shape, forming a portion of said seam and said slit into respective slots by moving said semi-cylindrical segments apart without substantial removal of material, to cause the center of curvature of a cross-section of each of said segments to be spaced on either side of said axis, the cross-sectional curved extent of each of said semi-cylindrical segments being large in relation to the corresponding curved extent of eachof said slots, whereby a connector element is formed having effective resiliency along a diametral direction with said segments forming a board-engaging zone adapted when inserted in a said hole to be pressed together substantially to conform to said hole, and resiliently to engage the wall of said hole to retain said connector element in contact wth said hole.

Claim 6

The method of providing an electrical connector element for insertion into a hole in a printed circuit board to establish contact with a conductive lining in said hole, comprising the steps of providing an elongated flat strip of resilient conductive material of substantially uniform thickness, forming a slit longitudinally along a portion of said strip, substantially centrally thereof, and without removal of material, bending said strip about a longitudinal axis into a tubular substantially cylindrical form to cause its lateral edges substantially to abut to form a seam, and with each segment of said strip between said slit and said seam being substantially circularly curved in cross-section, and substantially semi-cylindrical in shape, forming a portion of said seam and said slit into respective slots by moving said semi-cylindrical segments apart without substantial removal of material, to cause the center of curvature of a cross-section of each of said segments to be spaced on either side of said axis, the cross-sectional curved extent of each of said semi-cylindrical segments being large in relation to the corresponding curved extent of eachof said slots, whereby a connector element is formed having effective resiliency along a diametral direction with said segments forming a board-engaging zone adapted when inserted in a said hole to be pressed together substantially to conform to said hole, and resiliently to engage the wall of said hole to retain said connector element in contact wth said hole.