CN1213873A - Transversely matable electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

The connector (10) mates with a complementary connector (70) by moving vertically in a direction transverse to its mating surfaces (14, 74). The keys (34,76) of each housing extend in a common direction at both ends of the mating face and have key receiving grooves (36,78) behind it, so that the keys (34,76) of each connector into the key receiving groove (36,78) of the other connector. Connectors can be of a single type. The spring arm contact portion (24,84) of the contact piece (26,82) extends upright and slightly forward to a free end and is deflected rearwardly by the contact portion of the mating connector.

Description

Transversely engageable electrical connectors

The invention relates to the field of electrical connectors, in particular laterally engageable electrical connectors.

Electrical connectors are generally known to engage along opposing mating surfaces by relative movement in a direction parallel to the mating surfaces rather than perpendicular thereto. In this type of connector, the blade contacts and socket contacts are alternately arranged along the mating surface, and the socket contacts are recessed in the vertical blade receiving grooves of the housing tabs for protection; the mating connector includes There are complementary knife-edge and socket contacts, possibly identical to the first connector, with the tabs of the mating connector inserted into the gaps between the tabs of the first connector in which the knife-edge contacts are fitted. The connector has alignment means including a key and keyway to ensure proper positioning and alignment prior to mating blade and receptacle contact portions engaging. Such a connector is particularly useful where the connector is to be mounted in a close-packed array of modular components on respective circuit boards in the same plane.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a laterally engageable connector pair with very closely spaced contacts.

The connector of the present invention provides an array along a mating face of the housing of substantially identical spring arm contacts that, when the connectors are mated, respond to a mating connection that translates laterally or parallel to the mating face. The corresponding contacts of the device can each be deflected slightly rearward when engaged. The free ends of the contact portions of the spring arms project outwardly from respective recesses between the barrier walls separating the respective contact pieces along the joint.

Preferably, a pair of housing flanges project forwardly beyond the contact portion and include keys extending in the same direction toward a selected side, the two keys at the front ends of the two flanges, and the keys and A key-receiving groove is defined between the mating surfaces of the housing. A connector may be mounted on a circuit support substrate, such as a circuit board, and may mate with a like connector mounted on a second circuit support substrate, with the two substrates moving substantially to the same plane.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. in

Figure 1 is an isometric view along the mating surface of the connector of the present invention mounted on a circuit board;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the connector in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is the elevation view of the connector in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, part is a section;

Figure 4 is an isometric view of the holder of the connector of Figures 1 to 3;

Figures 5 and 6 are the equidistances of a pair of identical connectors before and after mating;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the mated connector of Figure 6; and

8 to 10 are cross-sectional views of the mating face portions of the connectors in FIGS. 5 to 7 before mating, during mating and after mating, respectively, wherein FIG. 10 is taken from line 10-10 of FIG. 7 .

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector 10 of the present invention includes an insulating housing 12 having a mating face 14 and a board mounting face 16 perpendicular thereto. The connector 10 is mounted on, for example, a circuit board 18. A circuit support substrate. Along the mating surface 14 is an array of barriers 20 with gaps 22 between the barriers in which spring arm contact portions 24 of electrical contacts 26 are visible. Also seen are contact posts 28 having contact pads 26 depending below the board mounting surface 16 of the housing 12 and being received in corresponding holes in the circuit board 18 for electrical connection thereto. On each side of the joint surface 14 there is a flange 30 of the housing 12, the flange comprising at least a front portion 32 protruding from the front of the joint surface 14, each front portion 32 comprising a Keys 34, both of which are shown protrude in a common direction and define key receiving slots 36 behind them, as can be seen more clearly in FIG.

In FIG. 3 it can be seen that a representative one of the spring arm contact portions 24 protrudes upwardly and slightly forwardly from the circuit board 18 with its free end 38 protruding forwardly just beyond the front surface 40 of the screen wall. The free end 38 is arcuately convex to form a contact surface 42 . It can be seen that the housing 12 between the screen walls 20 defines a forward facing surface 44 just behind the spring arm contact portion 24 at an angle offset from the forwardly bent spring arm contact portion 24. One plane is inclined backwards so as to allow the contact portion 24 to bend backwards against it after being inserted forwardly through the corresponding channel 46 ( FIGS. 8 to 10 ) during assembly, after which the contact portion will Slack takes the slightly forward angle they want. The board mounting legs 48 of the connector retainer 50 project below the board mounting surface 16 to be received into corresponding mounting holes in the circuit board 18 to capture the connector on the circuit board.

The retainer 50 is shown in FIG. 4 and has an upstanding plate-like body portion 52 which is insertable in an upstanding slot 60 along the rear or mating face of the connector housing (see connector 70 of FIGS. 5 and 6). . A first retaining portion 54 is extruded sideways from the upper edge of the body portion 52 and is received in the L-shaped slot portion 62 of the upstanding slot 60 when assembled to secure the retainer against relative vertical movement. inside the shell. Retaining portion 54 is an elongated projection attached at its end 56 to body portion 52 and protrudes sufficiently outwardly to be press-fit in L-shaped slot portion 62, its upwardly facing edge comprising A plurality of protrusions 58 snap into the upper wall of the L-shaped slot portion 62 to anchor the retainer within the slot 60 . An elongated slit separates the projection 54 from the main body portion 52 along its length. The board mounting legs 48 also preferably include a plurality of retention projections along their outer edges to anchor under the circuit board 18 and to compensate for the thickness range of the board; Can be deflected towards each other.

5 to 10 illustrate the mating of the connector 10 with another connector 70 mounted on a corresponding circuit board 72 and having a complementary mating surface 74 . Connector 70 is shown identical to connector 10, but oriented in reverse, so that the connector is of a single type. The two connectors are moved relative to each other in a direction either transverse or parallel to the mating surfaces 14,74 until the two circuit boards 18,72 are substantially coplanar with each other. The connectors may fit at the ends of respective components (not shown) and the components may ultimately be placed and secured on a common mounting surface (not shown).

It can be seen in FIG. 7 that the key 76 of the connector 70 extends in the direction opposite to the direction of the key 34 of the connector 10 and is received and fitted in the groove 36 of the connector 10, while the key 34 of the connector 10 is then received in slot 78 . Referring to Fig. 10, the contact surface 42 of the contact piece 26 is elastically biased on the contact surface 80 of the corresponding contact piece 82 of the connector 70, and the spring arm contact portions 24, 84 of the contact pieces of the two connectors are mutually mutually deflected backwards.

The mating of the two connectors is depicted in Figures 8-10. The keys are preferably provided with chamfered corners and sides to provide guiding surfaces suitable for initial engagement and mutual abutment during the initial stages of mating of the connectors. The keys and key-receiving slots are used to align and maintain the three-dimensional alignment of the connectors for proper mating engagement of the corresponding contact arrays. The arcuate free ends of the contact blades of one of the connectors are arranged to initially engage the mating contact blades along the middle of the angled spring contact portion to cause mutual deflection of the contact blades of the two arrays.

Claims (4)

1. electric connector, it has an insulation shell, housing comprises a composition surface and a perpendicular bottom surface, also be included in the mounting flange of relative two ends in described composition surface, described housing is equipped with at least one electric contact piece and extends to a contact portion that exposes along described composition surface, mounting flange comprises outside the foremost portion that protrudes in described at least one contact chip forward and the previous section that is spaced from the side, housing includes two keys and projects to common direction outside the termination of opening with described at least one contact chip lateral spacing to side surface direction with transverse to described composition surface from the previous section of mounting flange, and the key receiving channel is positioned near the back of described key and upper and lower opening so that be contained in wherein from the keyed jointing of either direction with the correspondence of butt connector when connector docks, keyway also is an opening on described common direction, it is characterized in that:

The described contact portion of each described contact chip is a spring arm, be bent into an angle, from described bottom surface and a little onwards extend to a free end, described housing leaves the space in each described at least one spring arm contact portion back, in order to it at when butt joint deviation backward

Therefore described connector is suitable for vertically moving in the direction upper edge transverse to described composition surface, to engage with a butt connector that has a complimentary engagement face at least, its corresponding key enters in the described key receiving channel of this connector, and its corresponding key receiving channel is then admitted the described key of this connector.

2. connector as claimed in claim 1, its feature are that also described bottom surface is a plate installed surface, and described electric contact piece comprises second contact portion, are used to be electrically connected to the circuit near a circuit board of described plate installed surface.

3. connector as claimed in claim 2, its feature also is, connector includes a pair of keeper, in order to connector is fixed on the circuit board, each described keeper can be inserted in the slit of described housing and comprise one from main part hang from above and protrude in described installed surface below the plate bonding part, so that be inserted in the installing hole of circuit board, described keeper also comprises one from the described main part microscler bossy body outstanding in the side, so as by interference fit be received in the L shaped slotted section in described housing slit.

4. connector as claimed in claim 3, its feature are that also described bossy body is connected on the described main part in its end and comprises a plurality of maintenance excrescences outstanding from one bar edge.

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