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US-20260128538-A1 - TWO-PIECE RIGHT ANGLE MALE TERMINAL FOR A HEADER ASSEMBLY OF AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR, AND THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR THEREOF

US20260128538A1US 20260128538 A1US20260128538 A1US 20260128538A1US-20260128538-A1

Abstract

A right angle male terminal of an electrical connector has first and second separate pins which are press fit together to form an interference fit. One pin has an unthreaded socket and the pin has A mating projection of one pin is coupled to a socket of the other pin by an interference fit, and axial centerlines of the pins are perpendicular. This structure optimizes flatness and hole true position, provides electrical stability, and eliminates issues resulting from material squeezing and/or material expansion.

Inventors

  • Muttanna Belle
  • Harsha Thyagaraj

Assignees

  • MOLEX, LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20231122
Priority Date
20221125

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A right angle male terminal of a header assembly of an electrical connector which is configured to be electrically coupled to a wired receptacle of the electrical connector and to a circuit board, comprising: a first pin comprising an elongated solid conductive rod having first and second opposite ends and defining an axial centerline, the first pin being configured to be electrically coupled to the wired receptacle; and a second pin comprising an elongated solid conductive rod having first and second opposite ends and defining an axial centerline, the second pin being configured to be electrically coupled to the circuit board, wherein one of the first and second pins has an unthreaded socket provided therein and the other of the first and second pins has a mating projection, wherein the mating projection and the socket are coupled by an interference fit, and wherein the axial centerline of the first pin is perpendicular to the axial centerline of the second pin.
  2. 2 . The male terminal of claim 1 , wherein the socket is cylindrical and the mating projection is cylindrical.
  3. 3 . The male terminal of claim 1 , wherein the second pin has a blind bore therein which is configured to receive a threaded screw that passes through the circuit board.
  4. 4 . The male terminal of claim 3 , wherein the first pin has the unthreaded socket therein.
  5. 5 . The male terminal of claim 3 , wherein the second pin has the unthreaded socket therein.
  6. 6 . The male terminal of claim 1 , wherein the second pin has an enlarged portion having a planar lower surface that is configured to seat on the circuit board.
  7. 7 . The male terminal of claim 1 , wherein the second pin is soldered to a through hole of the circuit board.
  8. 8 . The male terminal of claim 7 , wherein the first pin has the unthreaded socket therein.
  9. 9 . The male terminal of claim 7 , wherein the second pin has the unthreaded socket therein.
  10. 10 . (canceled)
  11. 11 . An electrical connector for coupling to a circuit board, comprising: a receptacle having wires coupled thereto; and a header assembly comprising a housing and a male terminal insert molded into the housing, the male terminal being configured to be coupled to the wires and to the circuit board, the male terminal including: a first pin comprising an elongated solid conductive rod having first and second opposite ends and defining an axial centerline, the first pin being configured to be electrically coupled to the wire, and a second pin comprising an elongated solid conductive rod having first and second opposite ends and defining an axial centerline, the second pin being configured to be electrically coupled to the circuit board, wherein one of the first and second pins has an unthreaded socket provided therein and the other of the first and second pins has a mating projection, wherein the mating projection and the socket are coupled by an interference fit, and wherein the axial centerline of the first pin is perpendicular to the axial centerline of the second pin.
  12. 12 . The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the socket is cylindrical and the mating projection is cylindrical.
  13. 13 . The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the second pin is configured to be coupled to the circuit board, the second pin having a blind bore therein which is configured to receive a threaded screw that passes through the circuit board.
  14. 14 . The electrical connector of claim 13 , wherein the first pin has the unthreaded socket therein.
  15. 15 . The electrical connector of claim 13 , wherein the second pin has the unthreaded socket therein.
  16. 16 . The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the second pin has an enlarged portion having a planar lower surface that is configured to seat on the circuit board.
  17. 17 . The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the second pin is soldered to a through hole of the circuit board.
  18. 18 . The electrical connector of claim 17 , wherein the second pin has the unthreaded socket therein.
  19. 19 . The electrical connector of claim 17 , wherein the second pin has an enlarged portion having a planar lower surface that is configured to seat on the circuit board.
  20. 20 - 27 . (canceled)

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to Indian Provisional Application No. 202241067885 filed Nov. 25, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure generally relates to a right angle male terminal for a header assembly of an electrical connector. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Connectors, such as high-current wire-to-board/wire-to-busbar connectors for high power applications for computers, data servers, busbar applications, etc., use a header assembly having right angle terminals to provide connections between the wires and the circuit board/busbar. Electrical contact occurs between the male terminal and the substrate of the circuit board. In a surface mounting coupling, a tail portion of the male terminal is soldered to a conductive contact pad on the surface of the circuit board. In a through hole coupling, the tail portion of the male terminal extends through a hole in the circuit board and is electrically coupled to conductive material in the hole by soldering. In a screw mounting assembly, threaded shank of a screw is threaded into the tail portion of the male terminal from a second side of the circuit board, and a washer, which may a flat washer or a Belleville washer, is positioned between the circuit board and an enlarged head of the screw. As shown in the FIGS. 21 and 22, it is known to bend a solid elongated cylindrical rod to form the right angle terminal 2. Prior to bending, the solid rod has opposite ends which define a centerline of the rod. The solid rod is bent in an area of bending portion to form the right angle terminal 2. In an ideal situation, the solid rod is bent to exactly 90 degrees such that centerlines 4a, 6a of a resulting wire connecting portion 4 and tail portion 6 of the male terminal 2 are perpendicular to each other. The tail portion 6 may have an enlarged portion 8 proximate to its end. The male terminal 2 is insert molded into a header of a header assembly. The wire connecting portion 4 is within the header and the tail portion 6 extends downward from the header for connection to a circuit board 16. When a larger diameter rod is bent or when a shorter length of tail portion 6 is provided in this process, electrical performance problems may result in the resulting connector as a result of the following considerations. In the area of bending, the material on an inner side of the solid rod (material squeezing area SA, see FIG. 21) is squeezed along the internal bend radius as a result of compression. The squeezed material can bulge from the cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 23. In addition, as a result of bending the solid rod, the material on an outer side (material expansion area EA, see FIG. 21) along the external bend radius expands as a result of tension. This can cause a crack in the outer side of the resulting terminal because of microstructure movements. These affect the electrical performance of the resulting terminal. In addition, an important consideration to provide proper electrical contact in a surface mounting coupling is that a flat planar end 10 formed as part of the tail portion 6 sits flush against a planar surface 20 of the circuit board 16. This eliminates any air gaps which would impact the electrical performance. In the known bending of the solid rod, because of springback that occurs during bending, the centerline 6a of the tail portion 6 and the planar surface 20 of the circuit board 16 are often not completely perpendicular to each other such s point contact 12 between the flat planar end 10 and the planar surface 20 forms such that an air gap 6 also arises. This can lead to improper electrical contact between the planar surface 10 of the tail portion 6 and the planar surface 20 of the circuit board 16, which may result into higher resistance to current transfer and higher heat generation because of the reduced surface contact. The same issues impact electrical performance in a through hole coupling because the tail portion 6 may be tilted relative to a central axis 22a of the through hole 22, thereby compromising the electrical performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not limited, in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements. FIG. 1 depicts a bottom perspective view of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment mounted onto a circuit board; FIG. 2 depicts an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector and the circuit board; FIG. 3 depicts a side elevation view of a two-piece right angle male terminal which forms part of the electrical connector and shown mounted onto the circuit board; FIG. 4 depicts an exploded side elevation view of the two-piece right angle male terminal; FIG. 5 depicts an end elevation view of the two-piece right angle male terminal; FIG. 6 depicts a cross-sectional view of a header assembly of the electrical connector having the two-piece r