Electrical power connector

Abstract

A printed circuit board electrical power contact for connecting a daughter printed circuit hoard to a mating contact on another electrical component. The power contact includes a main section; at least one daughter board electrical contact section extending from the main section; and at least one mating connector contact section extending from the main section. The mating connector contact section includes at least three forward projecting beams. A first one of the beams extends outward in a first direction as the first beam extends forward from the main section and has a contact surface facing the first direction. Two second ones of the beams are located on opposite sides of the first beam and extend outward in a second opposite direction as the second beams extend forward from the main section. The second beams have contact surfaces facing the second direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A printed circuit board electrical power contact for connecting a daughter printed circuit board to a mating contact on another electrical component, the power contact comprising:
 a main section; 
 at least one daughter board electrical contact section extending from the main section; and 
 at least one mating connector contact section extending from the main section, the mating connector contact section comprising at least two forward projecting beams, wherein a first one of the beams extends outward in a first direction as the first beam extends forward from the main section and has a contact surface facing the first direction, and wherein a second one of the beams extends outward in a second opposite direction as the second beam extends forward from the main section and has a contact surface facing the second direction, wherein the first beam is larger than the second beam. 
 
     
     
       2. A system for connecting a daughter printed circuit board to a mother printed circuit board, the system comprising:
 a first power connector adapted to be mounted to the mother printed circuit board, the first power connector having a first housing and first power contacts; 
 a second power connector adapted to be mounted to the daughter printed circuit board, the second power connector having a plurality of second power contacts, each second power contact having a main section with outwardly bent contact beams having outward facing contact areas, the outwardly bent contact beams comprising a first contact beam which is larger than a second contact beam, wherein the first and second contact beams extend in generally opposite directions from a front end of the main section, and wherein the second power contacts are adapted to be inserted into the first housing; 
 a first signal connector adapted to be mounted to the mother printed circuit board, the first signal connector comprising male signal contacts; and 
 a second signal connector adapted to be mounted to the daughter printed circuit board, the second signal connector comprising female signal contacts adapted to receive the male signal contacts therein. 
 
     
     
       3. An electrical contact comprising:
 a main section; 
 a first electrical contact section extending from the main section, wherein the first electrical contact section is adapted to connect to a first device; and 
 a second electrical contact section extending from the main section, wherein the second electrical contact section is adapted to connect to a second device, wherein the second electrical contact section comprises at least two beams projecting from the main section in a connection direction for connecting the second electrical contact section to the second device, wherein a first one of the beams extends outward in a first direction as well as in the connection direction from the main section and has a first contact surface facing the first direction, wherein a second one of the beams extends outward in a second direction as well as in the connection direction from the main section and has a second contact surface facing the second direction, and wherein the first beam is larger than the second beam. 
 
     
     
       4. An electrical contact as in  claim 3  wherein the second direction is generally opposite to the first direction. 
     
     
       5. An electrical contact as in  claim 3  wherein the second direction is a lateral direction relative to the connection direction. 
     
     
       6. An electrical contact as in  claim 5  wherein the second direction is generally opposite to the first direction. 
     
     
       7. An electrical contact as in  claim 3  wherein the second direction is orthogonal to the connection direction. 
     
     
       8. An electrical contact as in  claim 7  wherein the second direction is generally opposite to the first direction. 
     
     
       9. An electrical contact as in  claim 3  wherein the second electrical contact section comprises two of the second beams. 
     
     
       10. An electrical contact as in  claim 9  wherein the two second contact beams are located on opposite sides of the first beam. 
     
     
       11. An electrical contact as in  claim 3  wherein the second electrical contact section comprises a pair of two of the second beams for each first beam, and wherein each of the second beams are located at directly opposite sides of their respective first beam. 
     
     
       12. An electrical connector assembly comprising:
 a first electrical connector comprising a first housing and a first electrical contact, wherein the first housing comprises at least two first heat dissipation holes extending from an exterior side of the first housing to an interior of the first housing, where the at least two first heat dissipation holes are located on opposite sides of the first housing;   a second electrical connector comprising a second housing and a second electrical contact, wherein the second housing comprises at least two second heat dissipation holes extending from an exterior side of the second housing to an interior of the second housing, where the at least two second heat dissipation holes are located on opposite sides of the second housing;   wherein the first housing comprises a receiving area adapted to receive at least a portion of the second housing, wherein the first heat dissipation holes extend into the receiving area of the first housing, wherein a first pair of the first and second heat dissipation holes are located on the housings to at least partially vertically align adjacent each other when the second electrical connector is inserted into the receiving area of the first housing, wherein a second pair of the first and second heat dissipation holes are located on the housings to at least partially vertically align adjacent each other when the second electrical connector is inserted into the receiving area of the first housing, where the first pair of heat dissipation holes is aligned substantially unobstructed relative to the second pair of heat dissipation holes for air to flow from the receiving area of the first housing out of the electrical connector assembly.   
     
     
       13. An electrical connector assembly as in claim 12 wherein the first housing comprises two of the first heat dissipation holes located at the two opposite sides of the first housing. 
     
     
       14. An electrical connector assembly as in claim 13 wherein the second housing comprises two of the second heat dissipation holes located at the two opposite sides of the second housing. 
     
     
       15. An electrical connector assembly as in claim 12 wherein the opposite sides of the first housing comprise a top side and a bottom side of the first housing. 
     
     
       16. An electrical connector assembly comprising:
 a first electrical connector comprising a first housing and a first electrical contact, wherein the first housing comprises a first heat dissipation hole extending from an exterior side of the first housing to an interior of the first housing;   a second electrical connector comprising a second housing and a second electrical contact, wherein the second housing comprises a second heat dissipation hole extending from an exterior side of the second housing to an interior of the second housing;   wherein the first housing comprises a receiving area adapted to receive at least a portion of the second housing, wherein the first heat dissipation hole extends into the receiving area of the first housing, wherein the first and second heat dissipation holes are located on the housings to at least partially vertically align adjacent each other when the second electrical connector is inserted into the receiving area of the first housing where the first and second heat dissipation holes are aligned substantially unobstructed for air to flow from the receiving area of the first housing out of the electrical connector assembly,   
       wherein the first electrical contact comprising:
 a main section; 
 at least one daughter board electrical contact section extending from the main section; and 
 at least one mating connector contact section extending from the main section, the mating connector contact section comprising at least two forward protecting beams, wherein a first one of the beams extends outward in a first direction as the first beam extends forward from the main section and has a contact surface facing the first direction and wherein a second one of the beams extends outward in a second opposite direction as the second beam extends forward from the main section and has a contact surface facing the second direction, wherein the first beam is larger than the second beam. 
 
     
     
       17. An electrical connector comprising:
 an electrical contact, wherein the electrical contact comprises;
 a main section; 
 at least one daughter board electrical contact section extending from the main section; and 
 at least one mating connector contact section extending from the main section, the mating connector contact section comprising at least two forward projecting beams, wherein a first one of the beams extends outward in a first direction as the first beam extends forward from the main section and has a contact surface facing the first direction, and wherein a second one of the beams extends outward in a second opposite direction as the second beam extends forward from the main section and has a contact surface facing the second direction, wherein the first beam is larger than the second beam; 
   a housing having the electrical contact mounted to the housing, wherein the housing comprises a receiving area adapted to receive a portion of a mating electrical connector, wherein the electrical contact extends into the receiving area, wherein the housing comprises heat dissipation holes extending from an exterior side of the housing through different walls of the housing and into the receiving area,   wherein the housing is sized and shaped, and the heat dissipation holes are located at predetermined locations on the housing such that at least some of the heat dissipation holes are aligned relative to each other on opposite sides of the housing, and where the heat dissipation holes are located at the predetermined locations on the housings to at least partially vertically align the heat dissipation holes with heat dissipation holes of a mating electrical connector when the mating electrical connector is connected to the electrical connector for the heat dissipation holes to be substantially unobstructed for air to flow from the receiving area of the first housing out of the electrical connector assembly through the aligned heat dissipation holes.   
     
     
       18. An electrical connector as in claim 17 wherein the different walls of the housing comprise a top side of the housing and an opposite bottom side of the housing. 
     
     
       19. A method comprising:
 connecting a first electrical connector to a second electrical connector, wherein the first and second electrical connectors each comprise a housing having an interior open space with mating portions of electrical contacts in the open spaces; and   when the first and second electrical connectors are being connected to each other, at least partially vertically aligning first heat dissipation holes on the housing of the first electrical connector with second heat dissipation holes of the housing of the second electrical connector as aligned pairs of holes,   wherein the heat dissipation holes extend through the housings between exterior sides of the housings and interior open spaces such that heated air can flow from the interior open spaces out of the housings through the aligned pairs of holes, where a first pair of the first and second heat dissipation holes and a second pair of the heat dissipation holes on opposite sides of the housings are aligned substantially unobstructed for the air to flow through the aligned pairs of heat dissipation holes when the electrical connectors are connected.   
     
     
       20. A method as in claim 19 wherein the housing of the first electrical connector comprises two of the first heat dissipation holes and the housing of the second electrical connector comprises two of the second heat dissipation holes, wherein the pairs of heat dissipation holes are located on opposite sides of the electrical connectors when the electrical connectors are connected to each other. 
     
     
       21. A method as in claim 19 wherein the opposite sides of the housings comprise opposite top and bottom sides of the housings.