Omron Corp. has launched its XD2B battery connector. With a pitch of 2 mm and a depth of 2.6 mm, this connecter is one of the smallest currently available in the industry. The compact XD2B battery connector is compatible with batteries for smartphones and other mobile devices.
As mobile devices such as smartphones incorporate increasingly higher functionality and slimmer designs, it is necessary to reduce the size of components embedded in these devices without compromising reliability. Connector contacts are usually formed by a pressing process, but currently available pressing technology has several drawbacks. For instance, with the conventional technology it is difficult to make the width of formed products smaller than the thickness of the original sheet to be pressed, and there are limitations to how far the bending radius of metal can be reduced. These drawbacks make it difficult to satisfy customer demand for greater miniaturization and higher contact reliability.
Omron has circumvented these problems by developing an electroforming technology based on further advancement of its microfabrication and materials technologies. This advancement has led to the development of a battery connector with a 2 mm pitch and a 2.6 mm depth, using subminiature contacts that are impossible to form with conventional press technology.
