WO2022069902A1

WO2022069902A1 - Rotational electrical connector

Info

Publication number: WO2022069902A1
Application number: PCT/GB2021/052548
Authority: WO
Inventors: Owen HISSEY
Original assignee: Bare Conductive Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-02
Filing date: 2021-10-01
Publication date: 2022-04-07
Also published as: GB202015693D0; GB2599440A

Abstract

An electrical connector system for connecting a first electrode to a second electrode on a substrate. The system comprises: a female connector comprising a cavity with a base; and a male connector configured to screw into the cavity of the female connector, the male connector comprising a support for a first electrode. The electrical connector system is configured such that screwing the male connector into the cavity of the female connector urges the support of the male connector towards the base of the cavity of the female connector to form an electrical connection between the first electrode and a second electrode located between the male connector and the base of the cavity of the female connector.

Description

Rotational Electrical Connector

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to electrical connectors. In particular, but without limitation, this disclosure relates to rotational electrical connectors for connecting to electrodes printed on substrates, such as flexible substrates.

BACKGROUND

Electrical connectors, generally, attempt to provide an electrical connection between two contacts or electrodes. Some electrical connectors include “male” and “female” connectors. A male connector is generally a component that is received within a corresponding female connector. Female connector generally has an internal cavity for receiving the male connector. The two parts may be generally configured such that the male connector may be secured within the female connector, thereby providing an electrical and mechanical connection between the two parts.

Generally, in use, the electrodes of the two parts may be urged together to ensure a reliable and consistent electrical connection. This may be achieved through providing sprung contacts. Sprung contacts may be resilient contacts, or contacts located on a resilient support structure, that may be displaced when the two parts are connected and are therefore urged against the opposing contact to maintain electrical connection.

Sprung contacts are, however, more complicated and expensive to manufacture, and more liable to being broken when compared to non-resilient or sprung contacts. For instance, to provide resilience, sprung contacts tend to be made of shaped metal that can be fixed within the connector. This means that such contacts cannot be manufactured via printing onto a substrate, such as in printed electronics (e.g. conductive ink) or etching away layers of a substrate, such as in printed circuits (e.g. etched PBCs).

Recent developments in printed electronics allow electronic circuits to be formed quickly and inexpensively, for instance by printing using conductive ink. Such circuits may be printed onto not only rigid substrates but also flexible substrates (for instance, paper or cardboard). This allows inexpensive, disposable circuits to be manufactured. Having said this, such circuits can be difficult to connect to as the contacts on such circuits will inherently be non-resilient. Furthermore, contacts printed using conductive ink may be prone to being worn off of the substrate if repeatedly connected and disconnected. Equally, flexible substrates may be prone to buckling as they are inserted into a connector.

UK patent application GB1812109.5 discloses an electrical connector for connecting a first electrode proximal to a first end of a male connector to a second electrode positioned between the first end of the male connector and a base of a female connector. The female connector comprises a coupling portion with one or more biasing surfaces opposing the base which urge the first electrode towards the base when the male connector is urged into the female connector.

There is therefore a need for a simple and effective method for connecting to flat, non- resilient contacts, such as those printed onto a substrate.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect there is provided an electrical connector system for connecting a first electrode to a second electrode on a substrate. The system comprises: a female connector comprising a cavity with a base; and a male connector configured to screw into the cavity of the female connector, the male connector comprising a support for a first electrode. The electrical connector system is configured such that screwing the male connector into the cavity of the female connector urges the support of the male connector towards the base of the cavity of the female connector to form an electrical connection between the first electrode and a second electrode located between the male connector and the base of the cavity of the female connector.

Accordingly, embodiments of the invention provide a simple and effective method of mechanically and electrically connecting to an electrode provided within the cavity. The electrode may be provided on (e.g. printed onto) a substrate that can be inserted between the base and the first electrode, or the electrode may be provided on (e.g. printed onto) the base itself.

In some embodiments, the electrical connector system may be configured for the male connector to screw into the cavity of the female connector to clamp a substrate comprising the second electrode thereon between the base of the cavity of the female connector and the male connector.

The electrical connector system may be configured such that screwing the male connector into the cavity of the female connector urges the support of the male connector towards the base of the cavity of the female connector to clamp a substrate comprising a second electrode thereon between the base of the cavity of the female connector and a first electrode supported by the male connector, such that an electrical connection is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode

The system comprises two separate parts, a first part (male connector) and second part (female connector). The descriptors “male” and “female” relate to how the male connector is received within the female connector, and do not necessarily relate in any way to the direction of power/electricity transfer.

The male connector is configured to screw into the cavity of the female connector. Screwing into the cavity meaning being displaced, urged or biased along an axis into the cavity by rotation relative to the cavity about that axis. In some embodiments, the male connector is also configured to be unscrewed out of the cavity.

In some embodiments, the male connector may be configured to screw into the female connector up to a limit. At such a limit, if the male connector comprises or supports a first electrode, it may be arranged to clamp a substrate with a second electrode to the base of the cavity, if such a substrate is arranged within the cavity, such that an electrical connection is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The male connector may be described as fully screwed into the cavity at such a limit.

In some embodiments, one of the male and female connectors may comprise one or more biasing surfaces for pressing against one or more engaging portions of the other of the male and female connector to urge the male connector into the cavity as it is rotated relative to the female connector.

The biasing surfaces are preferably sloped and/or follow at least a portion of a helical path. The one or more engaging portions of the other of the male and female connector may be protrusions thereof, or may be biasing surfaces comprised thereby. In some embodiments, the one or more biasing surfaces may be defined by one or more grooves or threads and the one or more engaging portions may be one or more projections of the other of the male and female connectors.

In some embodiments, the female connector may comprise one or more biasing surfaces facing towards, and at an acute angle to, the base of the cavity. Such biasing surfaces may therefore force engaging elements of the male connector that are rotated along the biasing surfaces towards the base of the cavity. Such biasing surfaces may be defined by one or more grooves, channels, or threads and/or may be comprised by one or more sidewalls of the cavity. In such embodiments, the engaging elements of the male connector may be one or more lugs, threads, or other protrusions for engaging with the one or biasing surfaces of the female connector.

Alternatively, or additionally, the male connector may comprise one or more biasing surfaces facing away from and at an angle to a plane in which the support supports, or is for supporting, a first electrode. Such biasing surfaces may therefore be forced towards the base of the cavity as they are rotated against engaging portions of the female connector, such as protrusions from sidewalls of the cavity.

The end of the one or more biasing surfaces as described above, or of threads, channels or grooves that define them, may define the limit to which the male connector is screwable into the cavity of the female connector.

In some embodiments, the one or more grooves may comprise first and second grooves and the one or more projections may comprise a first and second differently shaped projections, wherein the first projection does not fit into the second groove, thereby limiting the orientation in which the male connector is screwable into the cavity of the female connector.

In some embodiments, each of the male and female connectors comprises a mark on a surface thereof, the two marks aligning with each other when the male connector is fully screwed into the female connector.

The biasing surfaces may provide a biasing force to clamp a first electrode supported by the male connector against a second electrode on a substrate within the cavity.

The male connector comprises a support for a first electrode. In some embodiments, the support may be or may comprise a surface on which a first electrode is located or locatable, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). Such a surface is preferably held parallel to the base of the cavity of the female connector when the male connector is fully screwed into the cavity, and in preferred embodiments is held parallel to the base of the female connector as the male connector is screwed into the cavity. Such a surface may define a base of the male connector.

Alternatively, or additionally, the support may be or may comprise one or more clips or other means for securing a surface as described above to the male connector. In some embodiments, the male connector may comprise such one or more clips or means and a surface held by such clips or means (and may further comprise a first electrode on the surface). For example, the support may comprise one or more clips for securing a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising the first electrode to the male connector.

In some embodiments, the male connector may comprise the first electrode supported by the support.

In some embodiments, the cavity of the female connector may be configured to receive the substrate comprising a second electrode and the system may be configured to clamp such a received substrate between the base of the cavity and the male connector when it is screwed into the cavity. For example, the substrate may be clamped between the base of the cavity and the first electrode, a surface on which the first electrode is formed, a base of the male connector, and or the support for the first electrode.

In some embodiments, the female connector may comprise a substrate holder for holding and/or gripping a substrate on the base of the cavity of the female connector without the male connector being screwed into the cavity of the female connector. This substrate holder is a means for holding and/or gripping the substrate. Such a means may prevent displacement of a substrate away from the base the cavity and/or across the surface of the base (for example, to ensure that a second electrode on the substrate remains in a location for connection with a first electrode upon insertion of the male connector). The substrate holder may comprise one or more protrusions (e.g. barbs) and/or clips. In some embodiments, such a means may be configured to receive and hold the substrate in an interference fit prior to the male connector being screwed into the cavity of the female connector. The means may be a holder with an internal height that is less than the thickness of the substrate to enable the interference fit. The interference fit may be between an upper lip of the substrate holder and the base of the cavity of the female connector.

In some embodiments, the female connector may comprise a substrate aligner for aligning or guiding a substrate into an arrangement on the base of the cavity for connecting to the male connector. The substrate aligner may be a means for aligning or guiding a substrate into an arrangement on the base of the cavity for connecting to the male connector. The means may comprise elements on either side of the base of the cavity separated by a distance equal to the width of a substrate to be connected using the system. Such a substrate aligner may be defined by a substrate holder for holding and/or gripping a substrate on the base as described above, for example by one or more barbs, clips and/or interference fittings for receiving and/or holding a substrate only in a specific location and/or alignment.

In some embodiments, the cavity of the female connector may comprise one or more lateral openings in a sidewall of the cavity. Such an openings may allow a substrate to be inserted therethrough into the cavity and/or may be for a substrate to extend through. The sidewalls of the cavity preferably surrounding and being substantially perpendicular to the base of the cavity. In some embodiments, the one or more lateral openings may extend from the base of the cavity, such that a flat substrate can extend therethrough and lie against the base. In some such embodiments, the one or more lateral openings may extend the full height of the sidewalls between the base and an opening opposite the base into which the male connector is inserted in use. A slope between the base of the cavity and the base of the exterior of the female connector bay define a base of each of the one or more lateral openings, across which a substrate may extend into the cavity.

In some embodiments, the cavity may comprise two or more lateral openings as described above, the two or more lateral openings may be on opposite sides of the cavity, the two or more lateral openings being for a substrate to extend through across the cavity. Such openings may allow a substrate to extend through the cavity and the male connector may clamp and electrically connect to a point part way along the length of the substrate.

In some embodiments, the base of the cavity may comprise a raised portion, which may be arranged to align with and/or be disposed opposite a first electrode comprised and/or supported by the support of the male connector when the male connector is screwed into the cavity of the female connector to secure a substrate between the raised portion and the first electrode. The raised portion may be configured to pinch a substrate between the raised portion and the first electrode and/or to ensure a strong mechanical and electrical connection between such a first electrode and a second electrode located on the raised portion.

In some embodiments, a raised portion as described above may be resiliently deformable. This may be a resiliently deformable portion of the base, such as an elastomeric portion of the base and/or a rubberised portion of the base. In some embodiments, the resiliently deformable portion of the base may be a resiliently deformable strip. Such a resiliently deformable strip may be provided within a recess formed in the base of the cavity of the female connector. Alternatively, or additionally, a resiliently deformable portion of the base may be provided that is not raised above the remainder of the base. Resiliently deformable portions may increase friction between a substrate and the base before a male connector is screwed into the cavity, thereby reducing the probability of a substrate becoming misaligned before the male connector is screwed in.

In some embodiments, the second electrode is preferably connected to and/or clamped by the male connector between the male connector and a resiliently deformable portion of the base. Such a resiliently deformable portion may deform in use to provide a more even contact force across the connection between the first and second electrodes, and/or across the portion of the substrate clamped between the male connector and the base of the cavity. This may be particularly advantageous in situations in which irregularities in the construction of the connector system, or stresses applied by external forces, would otherwise result in an irregular pressure.

The connector system is for connecting a first electrode comprised and/or supported by the male connector to a second electrode on a substrate. The substrate may be flexible and/or in the form of a strip which may be inserted between the base and the first electrode. The second electrode may be printed onto the substrate. Electrodes printed on flexible substrates cannot provide their own biasing forces to establish connections to other electrodes. The clamping force provided by the connector system therefore enables a secure connection to flexible substrates. Furthermore, the clamping force being provided by screwing a first electrode towards the base of the cavity on which the flexible substrate is supported can avoid the flexible substrate buckling and reduce wear on the electrodes.

The first and/or the second electrode may be or may comprise an electrical terminal, and/or may comprise one or more electrical pins, leads and/or contacts. The connection established between the first and second electrodes may be for transferring power and/or information.

In some embodiments, the male connector may comprise a further input for electrical power and/or information, which may be in the form of a socked, such as a socket in a sidewall of the male connector that is obstructed by a sidewall of the cavity of the female connector when the male connector is screwed into the cavity.

In some embodiments, the connector system comprises one or more releasable locking mechanisms configured to releasably secure the male connector within the cavity of the female connector once the male connector has been screwed into the cavity. For example, the one or more releasable locking mechanisms may be configured to releasably secure the male connector fully screwed into the cavity of the female connector, in which it may be configured to clamp a substrate comprising a second electrode thereon between the base of the female connector and a first electrode supported by the male connector, such that an electrical connection is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode.

The one or more releasable locking mechanisms may comprise one or more resiliently deformable clips. For example, the one or more releasable locking mechanisms may comprise one or more releasable clips comprised by the female connector, which may engage with portions of the male connector, such as clips thereof for securing a PCB, to releasable secure the male connector screwed into the cavity. Resiliently deformable clips may be released by applying a torque above a threshold when unscrewing the male connector.

Alternatively or additionally, the one or more releasable locking mechanisms may comprise a locking screw or pin and an elongate hole for receiving such a locking screw or pin. The elongate hole may comprise sections through both the male and female connectors that are aligned when the male connector is screwed into the cavity of the female connector, such as when the male connector is fully screwed into the cavity. Alternatively the elongate hole may comprise sections through one of the male and female connector on either side of a thread or groove, such that when the locking screw or pin is inserted into the elongate hole, it obstructs a portion of the thread or groove, so as to secure the male connector within the cavity, and/or fully screwed into the cavity.

In some embodiments, a first channel may be formed in the male connector and a second channel may be formed in the female connector, wherein the first and second channels align to form an elongate hole when the male connector is screwed into the cavity of the female connector, the elongate hole being for receiving a locking pin or screw for preventing the male connector from rotating with respect to the female connector. In some such embodiments, one of the first and second channels may be formed in a projection of one of the male and female connectors and the other may intersect with a groove, which may define a biasing surface for engaging with said protrusion as described above.

According to an embodiment, for at least a portion of the cavity, the internal height of the cavity may be less than a height of the male connector, preferably by an amount substantially equal to or less than the thickness of a substrate to be clamped therein.

The dimensions of the cavity may substantially correspond to the dimensions of the male connector.

In some embodiments, the first electrode may be formed on a printed circuit board (PCB) which may be comprised by, secured to, and/or housed within, the male connector. The PCB may be exposed at least at the first electrode. The male connector may support the PCB to avoid the PCB breaking as the two electrodes are urged together and to ensure a reliable electrical connection between the first and second electrodes. In some embodiments, the PCB may define a base of the male connector, in such embodiments the male connector may comprise an internal brace aligned with the first electrode to support the portion of the PCB on which the first electrode is formed. A PCB as described above may be comprised by the male connector and/or secured to the male connector by the support for the first electrode. Such a PCB may comprise circuitry connected to the first electrode.

In some embodiments, the male connector may comprise a plurality of first electrodes, and/or a support for a plurality of first electrodes. For example, a plurality of first electrodes may be located on a printed circuit board as described above. Such an electrical connector system may be configured to clamp a substrate comprising a plurality of second electrodes between the base of the cavity female connector and a first electrode supported by the male connector, such that electrical connections are formed between the plurality of first electrodes and the second electrodes. Each of the plurality of first and second electrodes may comprise any of the optional features of individual first and second electrodes described herein.

The male connector screwing into the cavity of the female connector may allow even pressure to be provided between the base of the male connector and the base of the female connector, allowing mechanical and electrical connections to be made at a plurality of locations therebetween. The location and number of electrodes may be varied between different embodiments of the connector system.

According to an aspect there is provided a male connector as defined herein and configured for use in an electrical connector system as defined herein. The male connector may comprise any of the optional features described above with reference to a male connector of the connector system.

According to an aspect there is provided a female connector as defined herein and configured for use in an electrical connector system as defined herein. The female connector may comprise any of the optional features described above with reference to a female connector of the connector system.

According to an aspect there is provided a computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to control an additive manufacture an apparatus to manufacture a male connector and/or a female connector as described above.

According to an aspect there is provided a method of manufacturing a device via additive manufacturing, the method comprising obtaining an electronic file representing a geometry of a male connector and/or a female connector as described above; and controlling an additive manufacturing apparatus to manufacture, over one or more additive manufacturing steps, the product according to the geometry specified in the electronic file.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Arrangements of the present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description, made by way of example only and taken in conjunction with drawings in which:

Fig. 1A shows an unclaimed example of a connector system in assembled form;

Fig. 1B shows a top-down view of the inside of the outer housing of the connector system of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 2 shows cross-sectional, underside, side, top, front and rear views of the outer housing of the connector system of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 3 shows via cross-sectional, underside, side, top, front and rear views of the outer housing of the connector system of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view and front and side cross-sectional views of the contacts of the PCB mounted within the inner housing of the connector system of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 5 shows top-down views of the insertion of a substrate into the outer housing of the connector system of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 6 shows perspective views of the insertion of the inner housing into the outer housing of the connector system of Fig. 1A in order to provide a mechanical and electrical connection between the contacts of the inner housing and the contacts of a substrate inserted into the outer housing;

Fig. 7 shows side, top, and cross-sectional views of the insertion of the inner housing into the outer housing in the connector system of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 8 shows magnified cross-sectional perspective views of the insertion of the inner housing into the outer housing in the connector system of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 9 shows magnified cross-sectional views of the inner housing partially inserted into the outer housing of the connector system of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 10A shows an embodiment of an electrical connector system with a male connector screwed into a cavity of a female connector; Fig. 10B shows the electrical connector system of Fig. 10A with the male connector removed from the female connector;

Fig. 11 shows above and below perspective views of the male connector of the electrical connector system of Fig. 10A with a PCB secured and removed from a pair of supporting clips;

Fig. 12 shows the female connector of the electrical connector system of Fig. 10A;

Fig. 13 shows top-down, front and side views of the male and female connectors of the electrical connector system of Fig. 10A;

Fig. 14 shows perspective step-by-step views of the electrical connector system of Fig. 10A securing and electrically connecting to a substrate with an electrode printed thereon;

Fig. 15 shows top-down, underside and cross sectional views of the electrical connector system of Fig. 10A with a substrate secured therein; and

Fig. 16 shows top-down views of two substrates for use with the electrical connector system of Fig. 10A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figs. 1A to 9 show an unclaimed example of an electrical connector system 50 comprising an inner housing 200 and an outer housing 100. The electrical connector system 50 being configured to connect an electrode at a front end of the inner housing 200 to an electrode on a substrate 300 between the front end of the inner housing 200 and a flat base 110 of the outer housing 100.

Fig. 1A shows the electrical connector system 50 according in assembled form.

The electrical connector system 50 is configured to mechanically and electrically connect to a substrate 300. The inner housing 200 is configured to be received within the outer housing 100. The interaction between the inner housing 200 and outer housing 100 causes the substrate 300 to be secured within the system 50. The inner housing 200 comprises at least one electrode that is urged against an electrode on the substrate 300 when the inner housing 200 is received within the outer housing 100.

Fig. 1 B shows a top-down view of the inside of the outer housing 100 of Fig. 1A. Furthermore, Fig. 2 shows cross-sectional, underside, side, top, front and rear views of the outer housing of Fig. 1A. The planes through which the cross sections are taken are indicated via dashed lines A and B.

The outer housing 100 comprises a flat base 110, opposing sidewalls 120 and a rear wall 130. The sidewalls 120 and rear wall 130 protrude from the edges of the base 110, perpendicular to the base 110. The sidewalls 120 are located along longitudinal edges of the base 110 and the rear wall 130 is located on a transverse edge at a rear, or distal, end of the outer housing 100. Each sidewall 120 is connected to the rear wall 130 at corresponding corners. The base 110, sidewalls 120 and rear wall 130 form a cavity into which the inner housing 100 may be received. The base 110 has two longitudinal cutouts that run along the length of the outer housing 100, adjacent to the sidewalls 110, and spaced away from the central longitudinal axis of the outer housing 100.

A coupling section is located at a forward, or proximal, end of the outer housing 100 (at an opposite end to the rear end). The coupling section comprises a substrate holder 140 and two jaws 150 that protrude from the base 110 of the outer housing 100, perpendicular to the base 110. The jaws are spaced apart forming an opening such that the substrate 300 may be inserted between the jaws 115, into the substrate holder 140.

The substrate holder 140 forms a cavity into which the substrate 300 may be received and secured within the substrate holder 140 by means of an interference fit between the substrate holder 140 and the base 110.

The jaws 150 are means for receiving and securing the inner housing 200 against a substrate received within the substrate holder 140. The jaws 150 form a cavity into which the front end of the inner housing 200 may be received. Each jaw has a sloped upper face that opposes the base 110 of the outer housing 100. The sloped upper face means that the internal height of each jaw 115 decreases from an entrance of the jaw 115 back to the rear of the jaw 115. The decreasing internal height of the jaws 115 serves to urge the front of the inner housing 200 downwards, against the base 110 of the outer housing 100, when the front of the inner housing 200 is urged into the jaws 115. This provides a clamping force that serves to ensure that there is a strong connection between the contacts of the inner housing 200 and the contacts of the substrate 300. Furthermore, this clamping action serves to secure the substrate 300 within the connector system 50.

A locking mechanism 160 protrudes from the base 110 towards the rear end of the base 110. The locking mechanism 160 is configured to releasably engage with a corresponding locking mechanism in the inner housing 200 to lock the inner housing 200 in place within the outer housing 100 when the inner housing 100 is fully inserted into the outer housing 100.

Fig. 3 shows the inner housing 200 of Fig. 1A via cross-sectional, underside, side, top, front and rear views. The plane through which the cross section is taken is indicated via a dashed line.

The inner housing 200 comprises a casing that is formed of two parts, an upper part 202 (or lid) and a lower part 204. These form a case or housing for a printed circuit board (PCB) 210. The inner housing 200 is therefore a PCB holder. The front, rear and top views (the bottom three views) show only the lower part 204 of the inner housing 200. Accordingly, the PCB can be seen in the top view, although this would be covered once the upper part 202 was secured over the top of the lower part 204.

The lower part 204 forms a cavity into which the PCB 210 may be lowered to lie flat on a base of the lower part 204. The PCB 210 can be secured in place via clips 206 located in sidewalls of the lower part 204. Each clip 206 protrudes into the cavity and is resilient such that it may be displaced outwards as the PCB 210 is inserted into the cavity. Once the PCB 210 is fully inserted, such that it lies flat against the base of the lower part 204, the clips 206 spring back into their original position to lock the PCB 210 into place. Each clip 206 can therefore be considered a latch.

The PCB 210 sits within a recess in the base of the lower part 204 to prevent the PCB 210 from moving around once locked into position. Once the PCB 210 is secured within the lower part 204, the upper part 202 may be locked into position over the lower part 204 to enclose the PCB 210. A clip is provided at the rear of the upper part 202 for engaging with the lower part 204 to lock the upper part 202 in place on the lower part 204.

The base of the lower part 202 comprises a cutout for exposing a portion of the underside of the PCB 210 when the PCB is secured within the inner housing 200.

The PCB 210 comprises contacts 220 (or electrodes) on the underside of the PCB 210 at a proximal (near) edge of the PCB 210. The contacts 220 are located on rectangular tabs protruding from the proximal edge of the PCB 210, in the plane of the PCB 210. Two contacts 220 are located on each of the two tabs. The inner housing 200 encases the PCB 220 with the exception of the cutout on the underside of the inner housing 210 which exposes the PCB 220, and in particular exposes the contacts 220. The tabs of the PCB 220 slot underneath the underside of the lower part 204. This provides support for the contacts 220 when urged against the contacts of the substrate 300.

The lower part 204 comprises a locking mechanism 208 that is configured to engage with a corresponding locking mechanism 160 of the outer housing 100 to lock the inner housing 200 in place within the outer housing 100.

Two recesses 212 are located at upper front edge of the inner housing 200, that is, at the proximal end of the inner housing 200 on the top of the inner housing 200. The recesses are arranged such that the jaws 150 of the outer housing 100 may be received within, and engage with, the recesses 212. Each recess 212 has a lower surface that slopes downwards towards the proximal end of the inner housing 200. That is, the depth of each recess 212 increases towards the proximal end of the inner housing 200.

The lower part 204 comprises a rear wall 214 that is located at the distal end of the lower parts 204, that is, at the opposite end to the two recesses 212. The rear wall 214 slopes outwards from the base of the lower part 210. The sloping of the rear wall 214 provides a means for urging the inner housing 200 forward, against the jaws 115 of the outer housing 100, when the inner housing 200 is inserted into the outer housing 100.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view and front and side cross-sectional views of the contacts of the PCB 220 mounted within the inner housing 200 of Fig. 1 A. As discussed with reference to Fig. 3, the contacts 220 are located on tabs that protrude from the end of the PCB 210. Two contacts 220 are located on each tab.

In the illustrated connector system 50 the contacts 220 are exposed by etching away a solder resist (shown with cross-hatching in Fig. 4) that forms an upper resistive layer. To ensure an effective connection between the contacts 220 of the PCB 210 and the contacts 310 of the substrate 300, the solder resist between the contacts 220 is also etched away. This can be seen in the middle cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 4. Removing solder resist from between the contacts 220 provides an improved connection as there is no chance of solder resist rising above the contacts 220 and preventing connection with the contacts 310 on the substrate 300.

To further improve the connection, the contacts 220 are wrapped around the edge of the PCB 210. Each contact 220 wraps around the front and side faces of the respective tab, and around to the underside of the tab (see bottom of Fig. 4). Edge plating around the side of the PCB 210 helps in two ways. Firstly, it ensures that the conductive electrode extends all the way to the edge of the PCB 210, improving contact by having no “dead” zone at the board edge that may contact the substrate 300 first and impede contact with the conductive electrode. Secondly, if the connection is made by rotationally “camming down” onto the substrate 300, then it creates a conductive corner which is locally sharp and ensures good contact.

Fig. 5 shows a top-down view of the outer housing 100 and substrate 300 both before (top) and after (bottom) the substrate 300 has been inserted into the outer housing 100.

The substrate 300 has contacts printed onto one side of a proximal end of the substrate 300. The contacts 310 may be formed from conductive ink printed onto the substrate 300. Alternatively, the contacts may form part of the substrate 300 and may be exposed via etching. The contacts 310 may be connected to interwoven or interdigitated conductive tracks for the detection of pests. For instance, a pest may be detected when the tracks are short-circuited via droppings from the pest. In Fig. 5 the tracks are hidden by a cover; however, in use, the tracks would be exposed.

The substrate 300 may be flexible and may be manufactured using inexpensive materials. This means that the substrate may be cut down to size to fit a particular use case and may be discarded and replaced relatively inexpensively. In the illustrated connector system 50 the substrate 300 is made from card. To secure the substrate 300 within the connector system 50, the substrate 300 is first inserted into the substrate holder 140. This happens when the outer housing 100 has been separated from the inner housing 200. That is, this occurs before the inner housing 200 is mounted within the outer housing 100.

The base 110 of the outer housing 100 becomes thinner towards the proximal edge of the outer housing 100. This forms a ramp that leads to the substrate holder 140 to help guide the substrate 300 into the substrate holder 140.

The substrate holder 140 is raised jaw that has an internal height that is smaller than the thickness of the substrate 300. The substrate holder 140 holds the substrate 300 in place via an interference fit. That is, the substrate holder 140 urges the substrate 300 against the base 110 of the outer housing 100. The base 110 is cut away underneath the substrate holder 140 to allow the substrate 300 to flex downwards when the substrate 300 is inserted into the substrate holder 140.

Figs. 5 and 6 show how the inner housing 100 may be mounted within the outer housing 200 to provide a mechanical and electrical connection between the contacts 220 of the inner housing 100 and the contacts 310 of the substrate 300.

The substrate 300 is mechanically secured within the system 50 and electrically connected to the system 50 via a pinching or pinning action. The pinching action is provided as the inner housing 200 is urged into the jaws 150 outer housing 100 at an angle and rotated into position flat against the base of the outer housing 100.

As shown at the top of Fig. 6, the proximal end of the inner housing 200 is inserted into the jaws 150 of the outer housing 100 when the substrate 300 is held in the substrate holder 140. Inner housing 200 is inserted into the jaws 150 at an angle to the base 110 of the outer housing 100. The tip of each jaw 150 is received within a corresponding recess 212 in the top edge of the inner housing 200.

The pinching action caused by the system allows the electrical connector system 50 to connect to a flat, non-sprung (non-resilient) electrode such as one printed on to a flat substrate. Furthermore, the rotating action avoids wear on the electrodes through repeated opening and closing of the system 50. In addition, the rotating and pinching action allows the system 50 to connect to an electrode on a flexible substrate without risking the substrate buckling as the system 50 is closed. As can be seen in Fig. 7, the sloped rear wall 214 of the inner housing 200 provides a means for urging the front of the inner housing 200 further into the jaws 115 as the inner housing 200 is rotated into the outer housing 100. This is via the sloped rear wall 214 of the inner housing 200 contacting the rear wall 130 of the outer housing 100. Accordingly, as the inner housing 200 is rotated into the outer housing 100, the front of the inner housing 200 is urged further into the jaws 115 as the rear wall 130 of the outer housing 100 slides up the sloped rear wall 214 of the inner housing 200. The inner housing 200 is at least partially secured within the outer housing 100 via an interference fit between the jaws 115 and the rear wall 130 of the outer housing 100.

Figs. 8 and 9 show magnified cross-sectional views of the inner 200 and outer 100 housings as the system is rotated closed. The jaws 115 are formed of resilient material. They therefore provide a spring action to further urge the inner housing 200 towards the base 110 of the outer housing 100 to clamp system around the substrate 300.

When fully inserted into the outer housing, the height of the front end of the inner housing 200 is slightly larger than the internal height of each jaw 115. This causes the jaws 115 to flex outwards slightly as the inner housing 200 is rotated towards the base 110 of the outer housing 100. In the illustrated connector system 50, the outer housing 100 is formed of moulded plastic that is resilient to flexing. Accordingly, the jaws 115 apply a resistive force to oppose the flexing. This provides additional clamping force to further improve the mechanical and electrical connection between the two sets of contacts.

The illustrated connector system 50 makes use of the rotational camming action to provide a strong electrical and mechanical connection between one or more contacts on a PCB and one or more corresponding contacts on a flexible substrate. This allows more complicated circuitry to be easily and effectively connected to an inexpensive and disposable printed sensor. The flexible substrate is clamped into position between the inner housing and the base of the outer housing.

Alternative connector systems 50 may make use of the similar clamping action; however, connection is made to one or more contacts that form part of the base of the outer housing. That is, one or more electrodes may be printed or otherwise deposited onto the base of the outer housing, and one or more electrodes of the inner housing may be urged against one or more corresponding electrodes of the outer housing as discussed herein. In other words, the substrate upon which the one or more electrodes/contacts are deposited/located may be integrated into the base of the outer housing (or vice versa). This can be advantageous where circuitry is printed or otherwise deposited onto a solid substrate.

For instance, circuitry (e.g. the interdigitated tracks discussed above) may be located on or in a solid object, such as furniture, with the outer housing being integrated into or secured on to the object itself. The PCB may therefore be connected to circuitry printed onto the object, and may be easily removed after use. This means that the circuitry in the PCB may be more easily and efficiently recycled using electronic recycling techniques, whilst the object itself can be recycled using traditional techniques.

Where connection is made to electrodes printed onto the base of the outer housing, the base itself may be a surface of a solid object (such as the underside of some furniture) whilst the jaws and side and rear walls of the outer housing may be secured to said surface, e.g. via screws or other securing means. Alternatively, the outer housing may be milled, cut away, moulded or otherwise formed out of the object itself.

Whilst the illustrated connector system 50 includes two jaws, alternative connector systems could make use of one or more jaws, each of which could be considered to be a biasing member forming a cavity for receiving a front end of the inner housing.

Whilst the illustrated connector system 50 makes use of one or more resilient jaws, one or more jaws could alternatively be non-resilient. The wedge-shaped cavity within each jaw could still provide the downward force required to urge the contacts together as the inner housing is urged into each jaw. In this case, the inner housing may be biased or otherwise continually urged into the one or more jaws, for instance, via one or more springs or other biasing members.

Alternatively, each jaw may be resilient; however, in this case each jaw need not form a wedge-shaped cavity. Instead, the upper surface of the cavity may run parallel to the base of the inner housing. In this case, the internal height of the jaw is less than the height of the front end of the inner housing. The resilience of the jaw provides a downward force as the inner housing is rotated into the jaw. Whilst in the illustrated connector system 50 the inner housing is rotated into the one or more jaws, alternative connector systems could make use of a linear sliding action. In this case, the opening of each jaw could have a height that is larger than the height of front end of the inner housing. This would allow the inner housing to be slid into the jaw before making contact with the downward sloping upper surface of the jaw which provides the downward clamping force.

The above embodiments describe the use of an inner housing for housing a PCB. This provides the advantage that the housing provides structural support to allow the contacts to be urged together without risk of breaking the PCB. Furthermore, the additional height provided by the housing increases the torsional force provided as the inner housing is rotated within the one or more jaws. Nevertheless, in alternative embodiments the PCB itself may be directly inserted into the one or more jaws to urge the one or more contacts of the PCB against one or more corresponding contacts on the substrate. Alternatively, the one or more contacts, and the corresponding secretary of the PCB, may be integrated within the inner housing without the use of a PCB, for instance via soldering and wires.

Examples of an electrical connector with features as described above are set out below in the following clauses:

A. An electrical connector system suitable for electrically connecting a first electrode to a second electrode printed onto a substrate, the system comprising: a male connector comprising the first electrode located proximal to a first end of the male connector; and a female connector comprising a coupling portion forming a cavity with an opening into which the first end of the male connector may be received, the coupling portion having one or more biasing surfaces that each oppose a base of the female connector; wherein the electrical connector system is configured such that when the male connector is urged into the coupling portion, the first electrode is urged towards the base of the female connector by the one or more biasing surfaces to form an electrical connection between the first electrode and the second electrode positioned between the base and the first end of the male connector.

B. The system of clause B wherein each of the one or more biasing surfaces is angled relative to the base such that the internal height of the cavity decreases from the opening towards a rear portion of the cavity. C. The system of clause A or clause B wherein the female connector comprises a substrate receiving section configured to receive the substrate upon which the second electrode is printed and wherein the system is configured to clamp the substrate between the base and the first electrode when the male connector is urged into the coupling portion.

D. The system of clause C wherein the receiving section comprises a substrate holder that is configured to receive and hold the substrate in an interference fit prior to the male connector being received into the female connector.

E. The system of any preceding clause wherein the second electrode is incorporated into a flexible strip for insertion between the base and the first electrode.

F. The system of any preceding clause wherein the base forms part of the substrate and wherein the second electrode is printed onto the base.

G. The system of any preceding clause wherein the coupling portion is resilient and configured to be deflected at least partially when the first end is urged into the coupling portion thereby urging the first electrode against the base of the female connector.

H. The system of any preceding clause herein the female connector comprises a releasable locking mechanism configured to releasably secure the male connector into position in the female connector once the male connector has been urged into the coupling portion to secure the first electrode against the second electrode.

I. The system of any preceding clause wherein for at least a portion of the cavity, the internal height of the cavity is less than a thickness of the first end of the male connector.

J. The system of any preceding clause wherein the female connector comprises housing including a wall that opposes the coupling portion, wherein a distance between the coupling portion and the wall is substantially the same as a length of the male connector from the first end of the male connector to a second end of the male connector that is opposite to the first end, and wherein the system is configured such that the first electrode is urged towards the base of the female connector in response to the first end of the male connector being inserted into the coupling portion at an angle to the base of the female connector and being rotated towards the base of the female connector.

K. The system of clause J wherein the male connector comprises a sloped rear wall located at the second end of the male connector and configured to contact the wall of the female connector when the male connector is rotated towards the base of the female connector to urge the male connector further into the coupling portion.

L. The system of any proceeding clause wherein the first electrode of the male connector comprises two surfaces joined by an edge that is configured to contact the second electrode as the male connector is urged into the coupling portion.

M. The system of any preceding clause wherein the first electrode is formed on a printed circuit board housed within the male connector and exposed at least at the first electrode.

N. The system of clause M wherein the male connector comprises a plurality of first electrodes formed on the printed circuit board, proximal to the first end of the male connector, wherein solder resist is removed from between the contacts to improve connection with one or more corresponding second electrodes positioned between the base and the first end of the male connector.

O. The system of any proceeding clause wherein the male connector comprises one or more indentations for receiving one or more protrusions from the coupling portion.

P. A male connector as defined in any preceding clause and configured for use in the electrical connector system of any preceding clause.

Q. A female connector as defined in any of clauses A to O and configured for use in the electrical connector system of any of clauses A to O.

Rotational Electrical Connector

Embodiments described below relate to an improved electrical connector comprising a first male part (an inner container or housing) that is configured to be screwed into a cavity of a second part (an outer container or housing) in order to clamp a substrate between the male part and a base of the cavity and to form an electrical connection between an electrode on the male part and an electrode on the substrate. Figs. 10A to 15 show an electrical connector system 1000 according to an embodiment. The electrical connector system 1000 comprises a male inner housing 400 and a female outer housing 500.

Similar to the connector system 50 described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 9, the connector system 1000 shown in Figs. 10A to 15 is configured to mechanically and electrically connect to a substrate 600 with an electrode 610 thereon by inserting the male inner housing 400 into the female outer housing 500 so as to clamp the substrate 600.

The connector system 1000 shown in Figs. 10A to 15 differs from the system 50 shown in Figs. 1 to 9 in that the male inner housing 400 screws into the female outer housing 500 rather than being inserted in a pivoting action as described above. This ensures that a base 512 of the male inner housing 400 on which a first electrode 422 is provided is parallel to the base 512 of the cavity 510 of the female outer housing 500 as it is urged into the cavity 510 to clamp a substrate 600 therein.

Instead of using biasing surfaces in the form of jaws 115 that receive an end of the inner housing, the connector system 1000 uses biasing surfaces defined by grooves 520 in the outer housing that follow part of a helical path. These grooves 520 receive protrusions 420 of the inner housing 400 that may be rotated along the grooves 520 to screw the inner housing 400 into the cavity 510 of the outer housing 500, in order to clamp a substrate 600 between the base of the inner housing 400 and the base 512 of the cavity 510.

The connector system 1000 shown in Figs. 10A to 15 is advantageously able to clamp and electrically connect to electrodes 610 part way along the length of elongate substrates 600, rather than only electrodes at the end of substrates which may be inserted into the connector system. Additionally, the inner housing 400 being screwed into the outer housing, rather than being held therein by an interference fit is more secure and less likely to be inadvertently dislodged in use. Furthermore, electrodes can be located at any location on the base 512 of the male inner housing 400, rather than having to be located towards a first end of the male inner housing 400. The system 1000 additionally includes clips 535 and an aperture 560 for a locking screw or pin to more securely hold the inner housing 400 in position. Fig. 10A shows the connector system 1000 with the male inner housing 400 fully screwed into the cavity 510 of the female outer housing 500 and Fig. 10B shows the connector system 1000 with the male inner housing 400 removed so as to show the interior of the cavity 510 of the female connector.

The male inner housing 400 has a main body that is the same shape as cavity 510 such that it generally fills the cavity 510 when fully screwed into the cavity 510 with a narrow gap for a substrate between a base 512 of the inner housing and the base 512 of cavity 510. The height of the gap between the base 512 of the cavity 510 and the PCB 420 may selected to correspond to the thickness of a specific substrate 600.

In the illustrated connector system 1000, the body of the inner housing 400 and the cavity 510 of the female connector have substantially identical cross sections parallel to their bases 512 in the shape of circles with two parallel segments removed therefrom. This allows the male inner housing 400 to rotate within the cavity 510 and allows the connector system 1000 to form a cuboid when the male inner housing 400 is fully screwed into the cavity 510 of the female outer housing 500, as shown in Fig. 1A.

Fig. 11 shows top-down and underside perspective views of the male inner housing 400 with and without a printed circuit board (PCB) 420 secured thereto. The male inner housing 400 comprises a hollow main body 410 with a pair of clips 430 for securing the PCB within a base thereof and a pair of projections 440, 445 for screwing the inner housing 400 into the outer housing 500. The inner housing 400 further comprises a mark 450 for aligning with a corresponding mark 550 on the outer housing 500 when the inner housing 400 is fully screwed into the cavity.

The hollow main body 410 of the inner housing 400 comprises a closed upper surface, sidewalls, and an open base for receiving the PCB 420. A plurality of buttresses 412 around the perimeter of the hollow interior of the main body and a central brace 414 support the PCB 420 from within the inner housing and the pair of clips 430 secure the PCB 420 to the main body 410. The central brace 414 is aligned with the first electrode 422 on the PCB 420 and braces the first electrode against a second electrode 610 on a substrate 600 that is located between the first electrode 414 and a raised portion 540 of the base 512 of the cavity 510 of the outer housing 500 in use. The brace 414 and the raised portion 540 of the base ensure a strong mechanical and electrical connection between the inner housing 400 and the substrate 600. In some embodiments, the inner housing 400 may be considered to comprise the PCB 420 and the first electrode 422 thereon. In other embodiments, the inner housing may be considered to a PCB holder for the PCB 420 without actually comprising the PCB 420 and the first electrode 422 thereon itself.

The clips 430 are resiliently deformable clips formed of the same plastics material as the rest of the main body 410 of the inner housing 400, and extend below the base of the main body 410 of the inner housing so as to secure the PCB flush to the annular base of the main body 410. The PCB 420 secured by the clips thereby defines the base of the male inner housing 400.

The PCB 420 comprises an outer surface with a first electrode 422 extending along a central axis of thereof, between the two clips 430 when the PCB 420 is secured to the inner housing 400. The first electrode 422 defines an electrical terminal comprising a plurality of electrical contacts. In inner surface of the PCB supports electrical components 424 that are located within the hollow interior of the inner housing 400 in use.

The inner housing 400 comprises two projections 440, 445 on opposite sides thereof. The projections 440, 445 are in the form of generally rectangular tabs near the base of curved portions of sidewalls of the main body 410 of the inner housing 400. The two projections 440, 445 are at acute angles with respect to the base defined by the PCB 420. The heights and angles of the two projections 440, 445 correspond to angles and heights of two grooves 520 comprised by the female outer housing 500. The two grooves 520 each follow a portion of a helical path around the cavity 510 of the outer housing and in use the two tabs may be inserted into and rotated along the two grooves 520 to screw the inner housing 400 into the cavity 510 of the outer housing 500. An example the inner housing 400 being screwed into the cavity 510 of the outer housing 510 is shown in Fig. 14.

One of the two projections 445 comprises a semi-circular indent in its distal edge from the main body 410 of the inner housing. When the inner housing 400 is fully screwed into the cavity 510 of the outer housing 500, the semi-circular indent aligns with a locking hole 560 comprised by the outer housing that partially intersects with one of the two grooves 520. In use a locking screw or pin may be inserted into the locking hole 560 such that it fits into the semi-circular indent and prevents the projection 445 from moving along the groove 520, thereby locking the inner body 400 screwed into the cavity 510.

Fig. 12 shows a detailed view of the female outer housing 500. The outer housing 500 comprises a cavity 510 with a base 512 and two curved sidewalls 514. Two lateral openings are defined between the curved sidewalls 514 along straight edges 516 of the base 512. The straight edges 516 being sloped downwards away from the centre of the base 512. Two screw holes 570 are formed in the base for connecting the outer housing 500 to a surface on which it is provided.

Each of the curved walls 514 of the cavity 510 has an angled groove 520 or thread formed therein. The grooves 520 each follow a part of a helical path from a first end adjacent the base 512 of the cavity to a second end at which an opening 522 is formed in their upper surface to allow one of the protrusions 440, 445 of the inner housing 400 to be displaced into and out of the grooves in a direction orthogonal to the base 512. In use the protrusions 440, 445 may be inserted into the grooves through the openings 522, and then rotated clockwise (when viewed from above) downwards along the lengths of the grooves, thereby screwing the inner housing 400 into the cavity 510 of the outer housing 500. An example of this being performed is shown in Fig. 14.

The openings 522 are in the upper edges of the grooves 522, such that inserting or removing the protrusions 440, 445 through the openings requires displacing the male connector in a direction orthogonal to the base 512 of the cavity 510. This vertical displacement is in a different direction to the rotational displacement of the protrusions 440, 445 along the grooves 520. Removing the male inner housing 400 from the cavity 510 therefore comprises an initial generally horizontal twisting motion followed by a vertical displacement out of the openings 522. This minimises the likelihood of the male inner housing 400 being inadvertently dislodged from the cavity 510.

In the illustrated connector system, the two grooves 520 and openings 522 thereof are the same size and shape, and the two projections 440, 445 that are received therein are the same size and shape (with the exception of the semi-circular indent of projection 445). In alternative embodiments, one of the two projections may be larger and/or a different shape to the other and the two openings 522 may have corresponding different shapes. This may ensure that the inner housing 400 can only screwed into the outer housing 500 in a single intended orientation. The female outer housing 500 further comprises two curved grooves 530 in the base 512 of the cavity 510, each along a portion of the base of one of the curved sidewalls 514. The grooves 530 each extend between a shallow end proximate to an edge of the sidewall 514 beneath the opening 522 of the groove formed therein, and a deeper end near the midpoint of the sidewall 514. In use these grooves 530 receive the ends of the clips 430 of the inner housing 400 that extend below the base of the inner housing 400 defined by the PCB 420. The ends of the clips 430 being received by the grooves 530 allows the PCB 420 and the first electrode 422 thereon to be located closer to the base 512 of the cavity when fully screwed into the cavity 510.

A resiliently deformable clip 535 is formed in each of the curved grooves 530. The resiliently deformable clips 535 are configured to releasably secure the ends of the clips 430 of the inner housing 400 in the deeper ends of the grooves 530 when the inner housing 400 is fully screwed into the cavity 510 of the outer housing 500. The portions of the grooves 530 surrounding the resiliently deformable clips 535 extend through the base 512 to define an aperture therethrough.

The base 512 of the cavity 513 comprises an elongate raised portion 540 extending between the deeper ends of the two grooves 530 parallel to the straight edges 516 of the base 512. The raised portion is arranged opposite and aligned with the first electrode 422 on the base of the inner housing 400 when it is fully screwed into the cavity 510 of the outer housing 500. The raised portion 540 of the base 512 narrows the gap between the base 512 of the cavity and the base of the screwed in inner housing beneath the first electrode 422. In use a substrate 600 is arranged with its second electrode 610 on and aligned with the raised portion 540 of the base 512 such that it is securely clamped between the raised portion 512 of the base and the first electrode 422, thereby providing a strong electrical and mechanical connection. The elongate raised portion 540 allows a flat PCB 420 and first electrode 422 thereon to be used in the connector system 1000 while maintaining a strong connection. The elongate raised portion 540 may be provided by a raised moulded plastics portion of the base 512, or by a resiliently deformable strip, such as an elastomeric or rubberised strip provided within an elongate recess extending across the base 512.

In addition, the outer housing 500 comprises a cylindrical locking hole 560 that extends through one of the sidewalls 514 and partially intersects with the groove 520 formed therein. In use a locking screw or pin may be inserted into the locking hole 560 such that it fits into the semi-circular indent and prevents the projection 445 from moving along the groove 520, thereby locking the inner body 400 screwed into the cavity 510. The locking screw may be provided with a characteristically shaped head, such as a key hole, configured to receive a specifically shaped key or tool for screwing or unscrewing the locking screw. The head may be a traditional screw head or may be provided with a unique shape that is particular to the specifically shaped key or tool. This provides an anti-tamper locking mechanism.

The outer housing 500 further comprises a mark 550 for aligning with a corresponding mark 450 on the inner housing 400 when the inner housing 400 is fully screwed into the cavity 510. The mark 550 on the illustrated outer housing 500 is in the form of a padlock for showing when the inner housing 400 is locked in by the resiliently deformable clips 535.

Fig. 13 shows to-down, front and side views of the inner housing 400 and the outer housing 500.

Fig. 14 shows a step-by-step process of using the connector system 1000 to mechanically and electrically connect to an elongate substrate 600 with a second electrode 610 thereon part way along its length. The substrate 600 being in the form of a flexible strip.

The substrate 600 is laid over the base 512 of the cavity 510 of the outer housing such that it extends through the two lateral openings defined between the curved sidewalls 514 along the straight edges 516 of the base 512. The substrate electrode 610 is arranged on top of the raised portion 540 of the base 512 such that it faces away from the base 512 towards the open side of the cavity 510.

The inner housing 400 is then inserted into the upper open end of the cavity 510, with the projections 440,445 being inserted into the openings 522 at the upper ends of the grooves 520. The inner housing 400 is then rotated clockwise, rotating the projections down and along the length of the grooves 520 and screwing the inner housing 400 into the cavity 510. This rotation also rotates the lower ends of the clips 430 of the inner housing 400 into the grooves 530 in the base 512 of the cavity 510 to be secured by the clips 535 therein. As the inner housing 400 is screwed into the cavity 510, its base, which is defined by the PCB 420 and which supports the first electrode 422 is displaced towards the base 512 and into contact with the substrate 600 supported thereon. The base of the inner housing remains parallel to the base 512 of the cavity 510 as it is screwed in. Screwing the inner housing 400 into the cavity 510 displaces the first electrode into contact with the second electrode 610, defining an electrical connection therebetween, and clamps the substrate 600 between the inner housing 400 and the base 512 of the cavity 510.

Fig. 15 shows top-down and underside views of the connector system 1000 connected to a substrate 600, as well as cross sectional views along dashed lines C and D.

Fig. 16 shows partial top-down views of two substrates 600, 650 for use with the connector system. A first of the two substrates 600 is a substrate as shown in Figs. 14 and 15 with an electrode part way along its length. The second of the two substrates 600 comprises an electrode proximate to an end thereof. Either of the two substrates is mechanically and electrically connectable using the system.

The electrodes 610, 660 may be printed onto the substrates 600, 650 via electronic ink. Further tracks of electronic ink may be formed on the exposed surface of the substrate to act as a sensor, for instance a pest sensor. For instance, dropping from a pest, such as a bedbug, may be detected by a short circuit between the tracks. While the substrates shown in Figs. 14 to 16 are flexible, the connector system 1000 is also suitable for connecting to rigid substrates.

It will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-described embodiment of a connector system without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, in some embodiments the electrical contacts of the first electrode may be elongate and curved. Such elongate contacts may extend part or all of the way between their locations in the embodiment described above (a line between the clips 430 that aligns with the raised portion 560 when the inner housing 400 is fully screwed into the cavity 510) and a line on the PCB that aligns with the raised portion 560 of the base 512 when the protruding elements 440, 445 of the male connector 400 have been inserted into the openings 522 of the grooves 420 but the inner housing has not been screwed in. This may allow an electrical connection to be made between the first electrode and a second electrode on the raised portion 560 even when the inner housing is out of alignment and/or not fully screwed into the cavity 510. Examples according to the disclosure, including connector systems 1000, individual male inner housings 400 and/or female housings 500 as described above, may be formed using additive manufacturing processes.

For example, a female outer housing 500 and/or a male inner housing 400 as described above may be formed from a plastic material using an additive manufacturing process. Such a male inner housing 400 may be formed comprising an outer body 410, protrusions 440, 445, and clips 430 formed as a single continuous piece of plastics material. A PCB 420 with a first electrode 422 may be inserted into such clips 430 in use.

A common example of additive manufacturing is 3D printing; however, other methods of additive manufacturing are available. Rapid prototyping or rapid manufacturing are also terms which may be used to describe additive manufacturing processes.

As used herein, “additive manufacturing” refers generally to manufacturing processes wherein successive layers of material(s) are provided on each other to “build-up” layer- by-layer or “additively fabricate”, a three-dimensional component. This is compared to some subtractive manufacturing methods (such as milling or drilling), wherein material is successively removed to fabricate the part. The successive layers generally fuse together to form a monolithic component which may have a variety of integral subcomponents. In particular, the manufacturing process may allow an example of the disclosure to be integrally formed and include a variety of features not possible when using prior manufacturing methods.

Additive manufacturing methods described herein enable manufacture to any suitable size and shape with various features which may not have been possible using prior manufacturing methods. Additive manufacturing can create complex geometries without the use of any sort of tools, molds or fixtures, and with little or no waste material. Instead of machining components from solid billets of plastic or metal, much of which is cut away and discarded, the only material used in additive manufacturing is what is required to shape the part.

Suitable additive manufacturing techniques in accordance with the present disclosure include, for example, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), 3D printing such as by inkjets and laserjets, Sterolithography (SLA), Direct Selective Laser Sintering (DSLS), Electron Beam Sintering (EBS), Electron Beam Melting (EBM), Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS), Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM), Laser Net Shape Manufacturing (LNSM), Direct Metal Deposition (DMD), Digital Light Processing (DLP), Continuous Digital Light Processing (CDLP), Direct Selective Laser Melting (DSLM), Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM), Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), Material Jetting (MJ), NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ), Drop On Demand (DOD), Binder Jetting (BJ), Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) and other known processes.

The additive manufacturing processes described herein may be used for forming components using any suitable material. For example, the material may be plastic, metal, composite, concrete, ceramic, polymer, epoxy, photopolymer resin, or any other suitable material that may be in solid, liquid, powder, sheet material, wire, or any other suitable form or combinations thereof. More specifically, according to exemplary embodiments of the present subject matter, the additively manufactured components described herein may be formed in part, in whole, or in some combination of materials including but not limited to pure metals, nickel alloys, chrome alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, magnesium, magnesium alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, iron, iron alloys, stainless steel, and nickel or cobalt based superalloys (e.g., those available under the name Inconel® available from Special Metals Corporation). These materials are examples of materials suitable for use in additive manufacturing processes which may be suitable for the fabrication of examples described herein. The and/or a male inner housing 400 shown in Figs. 10A to 15 are formed from a plastics material, but alternative embodiments may be formed from different materials.

As noted above, the additive manufacturing process disclosed herein allows a single component to be formed from multiple materials. Thus, the examples described herein may be formed from any suitable mixtures of the above materials. For example, a component may include multiple layers, segments, or parts that are formed using different materials, processes, and/or on different additive manufacturing machines. In this manner, components may be constructed which have different materials and material properties for meeting the demands of any particular application. In addition, although the components described herein are constructed entirely by additive manufacturing processes, it should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, all or a portion of these components may be formed via casting, machining, and/or any other suitable manufacturing process. Indeed, any suitable combination of materials and manufacturing methods may be used to form these components. Additive manufacturing processes typically fabricate components based on three- dimensional (3D) information, for example a three-dimensional computer model (or design file), of the component.

Accordingly, examples described herein not only include products or components as described herein, but also methods of manufacturing such products or components via additive manufacturing and computer software, firmware or hardware for controlling the manufacture of such products via additive manufacturing.

The structure of one or more parts of the product may be represented digitally in the form of a design file. A design file, or computer aided design (CAD) file, is a configuration file that encodes one or more of the surface or volumetric configuration of the shape of the product. That is, a design file represents the geometrical arrangement or shape of the product.

Design files can take any now known or later developed file format. For example, design files may be in the Stereolithography or “Standard Tessellation Language” (.stl) format which was created for stereolithography CAD programs of 3D Systems, or the Additive Manufacturing File (.amf) format, which is an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standard that is an extensible markup-language (XML) based format designed to allow any CAD software to describe the shape and composition of any three-dimensional object to be fabricated on any additive manufacturing printer.

Further examples of design file formats include AutoCAD (.dwg) files, Blender (.blend) files, Parasolid (,x_t) files, 3D Manufacturing Format (,3mf) files, Autodesk (3ds) files, Collada (.dae) files and Wavefront (.obj) files, although many other file formats exist.

Design files can be produced using modelling (e.g. CAD modelling) software and/or through scanning the surface of a product to measure the surface configuration of the product.

Once obtained, a design file may be converted into a set of computer executable instructions that, once executed by a processer, cause the processor to control an additive manufacturing apparatus to produce a product according to the geometrical arrangement specified in the design file. The conversion may convert the design file into slices or layers that are to be formed sequentially by the additive manufacturing apparatus. The instructions (otherwise known as geometric code or “G-code”) may be calibrated to the specific additive manufacturing apparatus and may specify the precise location and amount of material that is to be formed at each stage in the manufacturing process. As discussed above, the formation may be through deposition, through sintering, or through any other form of additive manufacturing method.

The code or instructions may be translated between different formats, converted into a set of data signals and transmitted, received as a set of data signals and converted to code, stored, etc., as necessary. The instructions may be an input to the additive manufacturing system and may come from a part designer, an intellectual property (IP) provider, a design company, the operator or owner of the additive manufacturing system, or from other sources. An additive manufacturing system may execute the instructions to fabricate the product using any of the technologies or methods disclosed herein.

Design files or computer executable instructions may be stored in a (transitory or non- transitory) computer readable storage medium (e.g., memory, storage system, etc.) storing code, or computer readable instructions, representative of the product to be produced. As noted, the code or computer readable instructions defining the product that can be used to physically generate the object, upon execution of the code or instructions by an additive manufacturing system. For example, the instructions may include a precisely defined 3D model of the product and can be generated from any of a large variety of well-known computer aided design (CAD) software systems such as AutoCAD®, TurboCAD®, DesignCAD 3D Max, etc. Alternatively, a model or prototype of the component may be scanned to determine the three-dimensional information of the component.

Accordingly, by controlling an additive manufacturing apparatus according to the computer executable instructions, the additive manufacturing apparatus can be instructed to print out one or more parts of the product. These can be printed either in assembled or unassembled form. For instance, different sections of the product may be printed separately (as a kit of unassembled parts) and then subsequently assembled. Alternatively, the different parts may be printed in assembled form.

In light of the above, embodiments include methods of manufacture via additive manufacturing. This includes the steps of obtaining a design file representing the product and instructing an additive manufacturing apparatus to manufacture the product in assembled or unassembled form according to the design file. The additive manufacturing apparatus may include a processor that is configured to automatically convert the design file into computer executable instructions for controlling the manufacture of the product. In these embodiments, the design file itself can automatically cause the production of the product once input into the additive manufacturing device. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the design file itself may be considered computer executable instructions that cause the additive manufacturing apparatus to manufacture the product. Alternatively, the design file may be converted into instructions by an external computing system, with the resulting computer executable instructions being provided to the additive manufacturing device.

Given the above, the design and manufacture of implementations of the subject matter and the operations described in this specification can be realized using digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. For instance, hardware may include processors, microprocessors, electronic circuitry, electronic components, integrated circuits, etc. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be realized using one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively or in addition, the program instructions can be encoded on an artificially-generated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus for execution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium can be, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, a computer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memory array or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover, while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computer storage medium can be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in an artificially-generated propagated signal. The computer storage medium can also be, or be included in, one or more separate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices).

Although additive manufacturing technology is described herein as enabling fabrication of complex objects by building objects point-by-point, layer-by-layer, typically in a vertical direction, other methods of fabrication are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter. For example, although the discussion herein refers to the addition of material to form successive layers, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods and structures disclosed herein may be practiced with any additive manufacturing technique or other manufacturing technology.

While certain arrangements have been described, the arrangements have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. The inventive concepts described herein may be implemented in a variety of other forms. In addition, various omissions, substitutions and changes to the specific implementations described herein may be made without departing from the scope of protection defined in the following claims.

1. An electrical connector system suitable for electrically connecting a first electrode to a second electrode, the system comprising: a female connector comprising a cavity with a base; and a male connector configured to screw into the cavity of the female connector, the male connector comprising a support for a first electrode; wherein the electrical connector system is configured such that screwing the male connector into the cavity of the female connector urges the support of the male connector towards the base of the cavity of the female connector to form an electrical connection between the first electrode and a second electrode located between the male connector and the base of the cavity of the female connector.

2. The electrical connector system of claim 1 wherein the electrical connector system is configured for the male connector to screw into the cavity of the female connector to clamp a substrate comprising the second electrode thereon between the base of the cavity of the female connector and the male connector.

3. The electrical connector system of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein one of the male and female connectors comprises one or more biasing surfaces for pressing against one or more engaging portions of the other of the male and female connectors to urge the male connector into the cavity as it is rotated relative to the female connector.

4. The electrical connector system of claim 3 wherein the one or more biasing surfaces are defined by one or more grooves and wherein the one or more engaging portions are one or more projections of the other of the male and female connectors.

5. The electrical connector system of claim 4 wherein the one or more grooves comprise first and second grooves, and wherein the one or more projections comprise a first and second differently shaped projections, wherein the first projection does not fit into the second groove, thereby limiting the orientation in which the male connector is screwable into the cavity of the female connector.

Claims

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6. The electrical connector system of any preceding claim wherein the support comprises one or more clips for securing a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising the first electrode to the male connector.

7. The electrical connector system of any preceding claim wherein the male connector comprises the first electrode supported by the support.

8. The electrical connector system of any preceding claim wherein the cavity of the female connector comprises one or more lateral openings in a sidewall of the cavity of the female connector, the lateral openings being for a substrate to extend through.

9. The electrical connector system of claim 8 wherein the female connector comprises two or more lateral openings in sidewalls on opposite sides of the cavity, the two or more lateral openings being for a substrate to extend through across the base of the cavity.

10. The electrical connector system of any preceding claim wherein each of the male and female connectors comprises a mark on a surface thereof, the two marks aligning with each other when the male connector is fully screwed into the female connector.

11. The electrical connector according to any preceding claim wherein the base of the cavity of the female connector comprises a raised portion arranged to align with a first electrode supported by the support of the male connector when the male connector is screwed into the cavity of the female connector to secure a substrate between the raised portion and the first electrode.

12. The electrical connector of claim 11 wherein the raised portion is resiliently deformable.

13. The electrical connector of any preceding claim further comprising one or more resiliently deformable clips for securing the male connector screwed into the cavity of the female connector. 38

14. The electrical connector of claim 13 when dependent upon claim 6, wherein the female connector comprises the one or more resiliently deformable clips within the cavity and each of the one or more resiliently deformable clips engages with one of the clips comprised by the support of the male connector when the male connector is screwed into the cavity to hold the male connector.

15. The electrical connector of any preceding claim wherein a first channel is formed in the male connector and a second channel is formed in the female connector, wherein the first and second channels align to form an elongate hole when the male connector is screwed into the cavity of the female connector, the elongate hole being for receiving a locking pin or screw for preventing the male connector from rotating with respect to the female connector.

16. The electrical connector of claim 15 when dependent upon claim 4 wherein one of the first and second channels is formed in one of the one or more projections and the other of the first and second channels intersects with one of the grooves.

17. The electrical connector of any preceding claim comprising a substrate holder for holding a substrate on the base of the cavity of the female connector without the male connector being screwed into the cavity of the female connector.

18. A male connector as defined in any preceding claim and configured for use in the electrical connector system of any preceding claim.

19. A female connector as defined in any of claims 1 to 17 and configured for use in the electrical connector system of any of claims 1 to 17.

20. A computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to control an additive manufacturing apparatus to manufacture an electrical connector system according to any of claims 1 to 17, a male connector according to claim 18, or a female connector according to claim 19.

21. A method of manufacturing a device via additive manufacturing, the method comprising: obtaining an electronic file representing a geometry of a product wherein the product is a connector system according to any of claims 1 to 17 a male connector according to claim 18, or a female connector according to claim 19; and controlling an additive manufacturing apparatus to manufacture, over one or more additive manufacturing steps, the product according to the geometry specified in the electronic file.