US-12620733-B2 - Insulating piercing contact with wire retention feature

Abstract

An electrical contact includes a base portion extending from a first end of the contact to a second end of the contact, a first set of outer walls extending upward from the base portion, the first set of outer walls being disposed on a first side. The electrical contact also includes a second set of outer walls extending upward from the base portion, the second set of outer walls being disposed on a second side opposite the first set of outer walls and the first side. The electrical contact also includes a piercing member disposed between the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls, the piercing member extending upward in a direction substantially parallel to at least one wall within the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls, the piercing member configured to pierce an insulated wire.

Inventors

• Brent Lybrand

Assignees

• KYOCERA AVX Components Corporation

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20230818

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An electrical contact comprising: a base portion extending from a first end of the electrical contact to a second end of the electrical contact; a first outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the first outer wall being disposed on the first end; a second outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the second outer wall being disposed on the first end; a first side wall connecting between the first outer wall and the second outer wall; and a first piercing member disposed between the first outer wall and the second outer wall, the first piercing member extending upward from the first side wall in a direction substantially parallel to at least one of the first outer wall and the second outer wall, the first piercing member configured to pierce an insulated wire.
2. 2 . The electrical contact of claim 1 , wherein the first piercing member is formed within the first side wall.
3. 3 . The electrical contact of claim 1 , wherein the first side wall has a shape that is complementary to a shape of the insulated wire.
4. 4 . The electrical contact of claim 1 , wherein the first set of outer wall, the second outer wall, and the first side wall form a passage.
5. 5 . The electrical contact of claim 1 , wherein the first piercing member is a blade.
6. 6 . The electrical contact of claim 1 , wherein each of the first outer wall and the second outer wall comprises a protrusion disposed at a terminal upper end.
7. 7 . The electrical contact of claim 1 , wherein each of the first outer wall and the second outer wall is integrally formed with the base portion.
8. 8 . The electrical contact of claim 1 , further comprising: a third outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the third outer wall being disposed on a second side; a fourth outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the fourth outer wall being disposed on the second side; a second side wall connecting between the third outer wall and the fourth outer wall; and a second piercing member disposed between the third outer wall and the fourth outer wall, the second piercing member extending upward from the second side wall in a direction substantially parallel to at least one of the third outer wall and the fourth outer wall, the second piercing member configured to pierce the insulated wire.
9. 9 . An electrical contact assembly comprising: an electrical contact comprising: a base portion; a first outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the first outer wall being disposed on a first end; a second outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the second outer wall being disposed on the first end; wherein the first outer wall and the second outer wall form a passage therebetween; a first side wall connecting between the first outer wall and the second outer wall; a first piercing member disposed between the first outer wall and the second outer wall, the first piercing member extending in a direction substantially parallel to at least one of the first outer wall and the second outer wall; and a plurality of solder tails extending downward from the base portion; and a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB configured to receive the electrical contact; wherein the plurality of solder tails are structured to be received within corresponding connection ports within the PCB.
10. 10 . The electrical contact assembly of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of solder tails comprises two pairs of solder tails, and wherein a first pair of the two pairs of solder tails is disposed at the first end of the electrical contact and a second pair of the two pairs of solder tails is disposed at a second end of the electrical contact.
11. 11 . The electrical contact assembly of claim 10 , wherein the electrical contact further comprises a support base extending from the base portion, the support base being disposed between each of the first pair and the second pair of the two pairs of solder tails.
12. 12 . The electrical contact assembly of claim 11 , wherein the base portion is structured to abut the PCB.
13. 13 . The electrical contact assembly of claim 9 , wherein the first piercing member is formed within the first side wall.
14. 14 . The electrical contact assembly of claim 9 , wherein the electrical contact further comprises: a third outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the third outer wall being disposed on a second side; a fourth outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the fourth outer wall being disposed on the second side; a second side wall connecting between the third outer wall and the fourth outer wall; and a second piercing member disposed between the third outer wall and the fourth outer wall, the second piercing member extending in a direction substantially parallel to at least one of the third outer wall and the fourth outer wall.
15. 15 . A method of forming an electrical connection with an insulated wire, the method comprising: forming a portion of sheet metal to have a shape corresponding to an electrical contact; and soldering the electrical contact to a PCB; wherein the electrical contact comprises: a base portion; a first outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the first outer wall being disposed on a first end; a second outer wall extending upward from the base portion, the second outer wall being disposed on the first end; wherein the first outer wall and the second outer wall form a passage therebetween; a first side wall connecting between the first outer wall and the second outer wall; and a first piercing member disposed between the first set of outer wall and the second set of outer wall, the first piercing member extending in a direction substantially parallel to at least one of the first outer wall and the second outer wall.
16. 16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising cutting the portion of sheet metal.
17. 17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the electrical contact further comprises a pair of solder tails extending downward from the base portion.
18. 18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising inserting the pair of solder tails into corresponding connection ports disposed within the PCB.
19. 19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein forming the portion of sheet metal to have a shape corresponding to the electrical contact comprises bending the sheet metal.
20. 20 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: providing the insulated wire; aligning the insulated wire with the passage; and piercing the insulated wire with the first piercing member by pressing the insulated wire into the passage.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/401,902, filed Aug. 29, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly to a type of connector used to form electrical connections with wire bundles. BACKGROUND Various connectors are used to form electrical connections between a wire and any manner of electronic or electrical component. These connectors may be sockets, plugs, or shrouded headers available in a vast range of sizes, pitches, and plating options. Often, forming connections with insulated wire can be challenging due to difficulty piercing or cutting the wire bundle insulation or due to complicated connector structure. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a quick, efficient, and reliable means of forming electrical connections with insulated wire bundles. SUMMARY One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electrical contact. The electrical contact includes a base portion extending from a first end of the contact to a second end of the contact. The electrical contact also includes a first set of outer walls extending upward from the base portion, where the first set of outer walls is disposed on a first side. The contact also includes a second set of outer walls extending upward from the base portion, where the second set of outer walls is disposed on a second side opposite the first set of outer walls and the first side. The electrical contact further includes a piercing member disposed between the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls, where the piercing member extends upward in a direction substantially parallel to at least one wall within the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls, and where the piercing member is configured to pierce an insulated wire. In various embodiments, the electrical contact also includes a side wall disposed between the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls, where the piercing member is formed within the side wall. In some embodiments, the side wall has a shape that is complementary to a shape of the insulated wire. In other embodiments, each of the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls include two walls, where a first wall of each of the at least one first outer wall and the at least one second outer wall is disposed at the first end and a second wall of each of the at least one first outer wall and the at least one second outer wall is disposed at the second end. In yet other embodiments, the first set of outer walls, the second set of outer walls, and the at least one side wall form a passage. In various embodiments, the at least one piercing member is a blade. In some embodiments, each wall within each of the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls includes a protrusion disposed at a terminal upper end. In some embodiments, each of the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls is integrally formed with the base portion. Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electrical contact assembly. The electrical contact assembly includes an electrical contact. The electrical contact includes a base portion and a first set of outer walls extending upward from the base portion, where the first set of outer walls is disposed on a first side. The electrical contact also includes a second set of outer walls extending upward from the base portion, where the second set of outer walls is disposed on a second side opposite the first set of outer walls and the first side, and where the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls form a passage therebetween; The electrical contact also includes a piercing member disposed between the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls, where the piercing member extends in a direction substantially parallel to at least one wall within the first set of outer walls and the second set of outer walls. The electrical contact further includes a plurality of solder tails extending downward from the base portion. The electrical contact assembly further includes a printed circuit board (PCB), where the PCB is configured to receive the electrical contact, and where the plurality of solder tails are structured to be received within corresponding connection ports within the PCB. In various embodiments, the plurality of solder tails includes two pairs of solder tails, where a first pair of the two pairs of solder tails is disposed at a first end of the electrical contact and a second pair of the two pairs of solder tails is disposed at a second end of the electrical contact. In some embodiments, the electrical contact further includes a support base extending form the base portion, where the support base is disposed between each of the first pair and the secon