DE102022117751A1 - PCB connectors, connector system and PCB arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to make the assembly, connection and separation of several parallel circuit cards (3, 3', 3") more flexible and easier, it is proposed to provide a circuit card connector (1') with contact slots (110) extending over the entire top surface (11). Through these contact slots (110), blade contacts (21) of a mating connector (2') can be guided in and against the plug-in direction (S), making electrical and mechanical contact with the connection contacts (5) of the circuit board connector (1').

Description

The invention is based on a circuit card connector according to the preamble of independent claim 1.

Furthermore, the invention is based on a connector system, formed from a circuit card connector according to claim 1 and a mating connector.

In addition, the invention is based on a circuit card arrangement, having at least three circuit cards aligned parallel to one another, of which at least one circuit card is equipped with a connector system according to claim 8.

Such circuit card connectors are required to electrically connect several circuit cards arranged parallel to one another. In particular, by using such circuit board connectors, the need for an additional circuit card aligned at right angles to the circuit cards in question, namely a so-called “backplane”/a so-called “motherboard”, can be dispensed with.

State of the art

It is known in the prior art to equip a motherboard/backplane with conductor tracks and circuit board edge connectors and to insert several circuit cards, each of which are usually specialized for certain functions, into the circuit board edge connectors on their circuit board edge with connections provided on them. As a result, the circuit boards are usually aligned parallel to each other and perpendicular to the motherboard/backplane. This arrangement has the advantage that each of the circuit cards can be pulled out separately from the assembly, i.e. from the said circuit card arrangement, and inserted again. The disadvantage is that a backplane/motherboard with the associated effort and costs has to be accepted and that the signals, which are sometimes extremely sensitive, have to go through an unnecessary number of plugging processes, for example. B. from one circuit board to another circuit board, which is detrimental to signal integrity. This also increases the number of connectors required.

Alternatively, PCB connectors are known for “directly” connecting parallel PCBs, i.e. H. e.g. B. a circuit card has such a circuit card connector and an adjacent and parallel to the aforementioned circuit card arranged further circuit card has a mating connector, and the connector is plugged into the mating connector in order to electrically connect the circuit cards to each other, e.g. B. for signal exchange and/or power supply.

This latter variant is advantageous because, with an advantageous arrangement, the electrical signals only have to travel short distances and only go through a few plug connections, which is beneficial for signal integrity. The disadvantage, however, is that not each circuit card can be individually inserted into the assembly of several circuit cards in one plug-in direction and pulled out again in the opposite direction to this plug-in direction. This problem already exists for at least one of the two circuit boards when two circuit boards are arranged. In particular, if there are more than two circuit cards in an arrangement, the assembly must be at least partially separated in order to create a single circuit card, e.g. B. from the middle of the composite.

Task

The object of the invention is to provide a circuit card connector that makes the assembly, connection and separation of several parallel circuit cards more flexible and simplified.

The task is solved by the respective subject matter of the independent claims.

A circuit board connector is used for electrical connection to a first circuit board and for pluggable electrical connection to a mating connector of a second circuit card adjacent to the first circuit card and arranged parallel to the first circuit card.

The circuit card connector has several connection contacts that are made of an electrically conductive material. Each of these connection contacts has, on the one hand, a connection area with at least one connection contact for electrical connection to the first circuit board and, on the other hand, at least one plug-in area, each with at least one contact surface for plug-in electrical connection with one electrical mating contact of the mating connector of the second circuit card.

In addition, the circuit card connector has a connector housing made of an electrically insulating material. On the one hand, the connector housing has a base surface aligned with the first circuit card when the circuit board connector is connected. On the other hand, the connector housing has a base surface opposite and connected and plugged in, the top surface is aligned with the second circuit board.

The connector housing has contact slots which extend in a straight line and parallel to one another along a plug-in direction over the entire top surface of the connector housing. Thus, the contact surfaces of the connection contacts through the contact slots with the mating contacts of the mating connector can be connected to one another both electrically and mechanically in an electrically conductive and mechanical manner by means of a translational movement of the first circuit card relative to the second circuit card, which takes place parallel to the alignment of the said circuit cards and can be carried out both in and against the plug-in direction can also be separated electrically and mechanically.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims and the following description.

The invention has the advantage that each of the circuit cards can be inserted into an arrangement of further parallel circuit cards in the plug-in direction and removed in the opposite direction to the plug-in direction.

An additional advantage is the improvement in signal quality/signal integrity, since the signals, at least with a sensible arrangement of the circuit boards, have to pass through fewer plug connections than with an alternative circuit card arrangement that provides a motherboard/backplane.

Another additional advantage is that the circuit boards can be removed and reinserted individually both in and against the said plug-in direction. The term “plugging direction” therefore refers - from a vectorial perspective - to both a direction and an orientation, but the latter in the sense of a circuit card arrangement, in which, by definition, it is specified from which direction another circuit card is usually to be inserted into the circuit card arrangement. The invention advantageously makes it possible in principle to remove each circuit board both in and against the firmly defined insertion direction and in particular to insert it back into the circuit board arrangement from both directions, i.e. viewed vectorially, to remove it in both vector orientations and also in both orientations - i.e both in and against the said plugging direction - to be able to plug it back in. The resulting possibility of removal on both sides and, in particular, insertion on both sides can advantageously represent a particularly high level of flexibility both when replacing individual circuit boards and when building devices. If necessary, a device housing that forms or has a holder can be designed to be open on two opposite sides or be equipped on both sides with an openable flap or removable side wall or similar.

In a preferred embodiment, the connecting contacts are each stamped and bent parts that are made from resilient sheet metal, i.e. are produced in the manufacturing process in a stamping and bending process from resilient sheet metal by punching and bending.

This has the advantage that the production of the connecting contacts is considerably simplified compared to other manufacturing processes and in particular for certain designs. It is also advantageous that, as will be explained in more detail below, the spring elasticity of the connecting contacts particularly benefits the aforementioned plug-in principle.

In one embodiment, the plug-in area of each connection contact has two contact surfaces with which the connection contact is able to electrically and mechanically contact the mating contact on both sides. This is particularly advantageous because, on the one hand, it ensures particularly high security of contacting and, on the other hand, because the common contact area increases accordingly, which benefits the current-carrying capacity on the one hand and also the signal integrity on the other.

For this purpose, the plug-in area can have two connecting arms which are resilient against one another, namely a first and a second connecting arm, each of which has one of the two said contact surfaces. Particularly due to the spring elasticity of the connecting arms, a particularly good and secure, double-sided and therefore particularly large-area electrical contacting of mating contacts of different widths is possible. The two connecting arms preferably point in the opposite direction to the said insertion direction.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the first connecting arm of the plug-in area can essentially represent a geometric extension of the connection area of the connection contact. In particular, the second connecting arm can then continue to be held on the connection area and thus on the first connecting arm via a connecting web.

This design is particularly advantageous because it enables the mating contacts, in particular the blade contacts, of the mating connector to be pushed through with particularly little effort light, since the connecting contacts ultimately only deform as little as possible.

This design can be used e.g. B. optimize particularly advantageously in stamping bending technology, which represents a further advantage of the use of stamping bending technology already mentioned above.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the two connecting arms can have free-standing ends on the plug-in side, on which the contact surfaces are arranged. Furthermore, the two connecting arms can extend conically towards each other towards these contact surfaces in order to then widen in a funnel shape against the insertion direction. The connecting arms can therefore be curved outwards at their ends, which makes it easier to insert the mating contact.

Particularly preferably, the connecting web can run essentially at right angles to each of the two connecting arms. This creates a particularly high level of stability of the connection contact while at the same time making optimal use of the elasticity.

In a preferred development, the connecting contact can also have two plug-in areas, in particular each with two connecting arms of the aforementioned type, with the plug-in areas preferably pointing in opposite directions. This simplifies the said insertability of the circuit board into the circuit board arrangement on both sides, i.e. the insertability from two opposite directions in and against the said insertion direction, and at the same time increases the size of the contact surfaces and thus the current-carrying capacity.

A particularly advantageous embodiment relates to a connector system consisting of the aforementioned circuit board connector and the said mating connector. The mating connector can have knife contacts as mating contacts. Then the mating contacts have contact blades for plug-in connection with the plug-in areas of the connection contacts of the circuit board connector. The counter contacts are. e.g. B. during the plugging process, along the top surface of the PCB connector both in and against the said plugging direction into the contact slots of the connector housing of the PCB connector in and out of the PCB connector and the connection contacts of the PCB connector continue to be electrically and mechanically contacting both in and out along the contact slots can be guided against the direction of insertion.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, a circuit card arrangement has at least three circuit cards aligned parallel to one another. At least one of these circuit boards is equipped with a circuit board connector of the aforementioned type on a first side and with the said mating connector on a second side opposite the first side.

In a particularly advantageous development, the aforementioned circuit card arrangement additionally has a holder in which the circuit cards are advantageously aligned parallel to one another and are held so that they can be displaced parallel to one another in and/or against the plug-in direction.

Example embodiment

• 1a, b zwei verschiedene Leiterkartensteckverbinder, die dem Stand der Technik entsprechen;
• 2a-d eine Anordnung von Leiterkarten, die dem Stand der Technik entspricht;
• 3a-c ein erfindungsgemäßer Leiterkartensteckverbinder mit durchgehenden Kontaktschlitzen;
• 3d einen Verbindungskontakt des vorgenannten Leiterkartensteckverbinders;
• 4a, b einen Gegensteckverbinder aus zwei verschiedenen Ansichten;
• 5a-c eine erfindungsgemäße Leiterkartenanordnung mit unabhängig voneinander entnehmbaren Leiterkarten.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and is explained in more detail below. Show it:

• 1a, b two different PCB connectors that correspond to the state of the art;
• 2a-d an arrangement of circuit boards that corresponds to the state of the art;
• 3a-c a circuit card connector according to the invention with continuous contact slots;
• 3d a connection contact of the aforementioned circuit board connector;
• 4a, b a mating connector from two different views;
• 5a-c a circuit card arrangement according to the invention with circuit cards that can be removed independently of one another.

The figures contain partly simplified, schematic representations. In some cases, identical reference numbers are used for identical but possibly not identical elements. Different views of the same elements could be scaled differently. Directional information such as “left”, “right”, “up” and “down” are to be understood with reference to the respective figure and can vary in the individual representations compared to the object shown.

The 1a and 1b show two different circuit card connectors 1, both of which correspond to the state of the art. These two circuit card connectors 1 differ from each other essentially by the number of their contact openings 130 in their connector housings 10 and possibly by their respective contact openings 130 which can be contacted on the plug-in side ren connection contacts 5, which can hardly be seen in this illustration. The contact openings 130 are located in one of four side walls 13 of the connector housing 10. Arranged in the drawing below is a base surface that is optically hidden by the connector housing 10 (not visible here) and is shown opposite the base surface in the drawing above (and can therefore be easily seen ) a cover surface 11. For secure attachment to the respective circuit board 3, 3 ', 3", the connector housings 10 have cuboid fastening formations on both sides, to which so-called "holddown elements" 16 are attached. These holddown elements 16 are made of sheet metal, are designed as stamped and bent parts and have on the one hand, both a holding window for fastening to the connector housing 10 and, on the other hand, a soldering area in the form of soldering surfaces for fastening soldering to the respective circuit board 3 ', 3".

The 2a-d show an example of a state-of-the-art circuit board arrangement consisting of three circuit cards 3, 3 ', 3", namely a first circuit card 3, a second circuit card 3' and a third circuit card 3", in which circuit card connectors 1 of the aforementioned type and matching mating connectors 2 are used.

As a result, with this circuit board arrangement - which corresponds to the state of the art - the two circuit boards 3 ', 3" shown above can only come from the left in the drawing, as in the 2a shown, can be inserted into the circuit board arrangement in a defined plugging direction S.

Furthermore, due to the connector design described above, it is impossible to move individual circuit cards 3 ', 3" out of the circuit board arrangement to the right in the drawing, i.e. to the right in the drawing, i.e. by a translational movement which takes place in the said plug-in direction S to pull it out and/or push it out without also moving the circuit boards arranged underneath, in particular the first circuit board 3 shown at the bottom, to the right.

Furthermore, it is not possible to insert the two circuit boards 3', 3" shown above, which come from the right in the drawing, into this circuit board arrangement.

The biggest problem, however, is that it is not possible, for example, to make use of this disadvantageous, state-of-the-art circuit board arrangement, as in the 2 B and 2c What can be seen particularly clearly is that the middle, i.e. the second circuit board 3', is removed in the opposite direction to the insertion direction S, i.e. in a removal direction S' opposite to the insertion direction, without first pulling out the third circuit board 3" above it to the left. This basically means that The main problem with this state-of-the-art type of direct connection of circuit boards via circuit board connectors (ie without a motherboard/backplane or similar).

In the 3a , 3b and 3c On the other hand, a circuit card connector 1 'according to the invention is shown, having a substantially cuboid connector housing 10, which overcomes this problem. The 3b gives a look at its base area 12; the 3a and 3c each allow a view of its top surface 11, which is opposite the base surface 12.

Continuous contact slots 110 are arranged in the top surface 11. These run in a straight line and parallel to one another and extend over the entire top surface 11, i.e. H. they begin in a first side wall 13 and end in a second side wall 14 opposite the first side wall 13. In the assembled state, the contact slots 110 are aligned in the plugging direction S.

3d shows a connection contact 5 optimized for this circuit card connector 1'.

The connection contact 5 has a connection area 51 with a connection contact 511 for soldering on the respective circuit board 3, 3 ', and adjacent thereto a plug-in area 52. The plug-in area 52 has two connecting arms 521, 522 which are elastically resilient against one another, namely a first 521 and a second 522 Connecting arm, each of which has a contact surface 523, 524 for electrical and mechanical contacting of a mating contact 21 inserted between the two connecting arms 521, 522.

The first connecting arm 521 essentially forms a geometric extension of the connecting area 51 of the connecting contact 5, whereas the second connecting arm 522 is held on the connecting area 51 and thus on the first connecting arm 521 via a connecting web 525.

In the 4a and 4b a mating connector 2' is shown from two different perspectives. This mating connector 2 'has as mating contacts 21 knife contacts, which protrude with their contact knives 212 from a mating side 22 of the mating connector housing 20. Opposite, soldering pins 211 of the knife contacts 21 protrude from the mating connector housing 20, for example for soldering to a circuit board 3". The mating connector 2' also has for attachment to e.g. B. the aforementioned circuit board 3 "two unmarked holddown elements.

Knowing the previously discussed representations, it is clear from this that the contact surfaces 523, 524 of the connecting contacts 5 are inserted through the contact slots 110 of the circuit card connector 1 'with the mating contacts 21, namely with the contact blades 212 of the blade contacts 21 of the mating connector 2', by means of a translational movement can be connected and separated. This translational movement can take place both in a defined insertion direction S and against this insertion direction S, i.e. in an oppositely directed removal direction S '.

The associated mating connector 2 'has, as already mentioned, mating contacts 21 which protrude from a plug-in side 22 and are designed as knife contacts, i.e. H. Have contact knife 212. As can be easily seen, the contact blades 212 of these mating contacts can be easily guided through the continuous contact slots 110 of the aforementioned circuit card connector 1' in order to make contact with the plug-in area 52 of the connecting contact 5, in particular between the connecting arms 521, which thereby move elastically slightly away from one another. 522 to be recorded and to contact them electrically and mechanically at the contact surfaces 523, 524.

Like in the 5a-c , and especially in the 5c , can be seen, by means of a connector system, having the aforementioned connector 1 'and the aforementioned mating connector 2', a middle circuit board 3' equipped with it can now be removed separately from the aforementioned circuit board arrangement, here against the plugging direction S and thus in the removal direction S' ( i.e. to the left in the drawing), pull it out. It is also easy to understand that it would therefore also be possible to pull and/or push this circuit board 3 'to the right out of the circuit board arrangement, at least if a holder, not shown here, in which the circuit boards are held so that they can be moved parallel to one another, does not allow this process stands in the way. Of course, as can easily be seen from the drawing, only connectors 1' and mating connectors 2' of the aforementioned type according to the invention are used in this circuit card arrangement.

In the drawing, the circuit cards are initially inserted from the left, i.e. in the insertion direction S. The reason is that in the 3b Connection contact 5 shown specifies a preferred insertion direction, in which the said knife contacts 21 of the mating connector initially engage between the free-standing ends of the two connecting arms 521, 522. Nevertheless, in principle it is also possible to insert the circuit boards 3, 3', 3" from the right into the circuit board arrangement shown here, but with the connection contact 5 shown here, this may require a slightly higher degree of manual dexterity.

To improve this, if the previously described insertability on both sides is desired, an adjustment can be made to the connecting contact 5, for example by providing two further connecting arms (not shown here), which point in the opposite direction than those in the 3b connecting arms 521, 522 shown, so that the respective connecting contact 5 has a total of four connecting arms. It should be expressly emphasized at this point that this embodiment, which is not shown in the figures, is hereby deemed to be disclosed as clearly and directly belonging to the invention.

Otherwise, as already mentioned, when using the connection contact 5 shown in the figures, which only has one plug-in area 52, a slightly higher degree of manual dexterity may have to be applied in order to insert a circuit card 3 ', 3 "in the opposite direction to the plug-in direction, but is It is basically possible. In principle, not only a separate removal, but also a separate insertion of all the circuit cards 3, 3', 3" involved from the circuit board arrangement both in and against the plug-in direction S is possible through the continuous contact slots 110 of the circuit board connector 1' with the knife contacts 21 of the mating connector 2 'enables.

Reference symbol list

1, 1'

PCB connectors

10

Connector housing

11

Cover surface

110

contact slots

12

base area

13, 14

first, second side wall

130

Contact openings

16

Holddown element

2, 2'

Mating connector

20

Mating connector housing

21

Counter contact, knife contact

211

Solder pin

212

Contact knife

22

plug-in side

3, 3', 3"

first, second, third circuit board

5

Connection contact

51

Connection area

511

Connection contact

52

Plugging area

521, 522

first, second connecting arm

523, 524

contact surfaces

525

connecting bridge

S

Plugging direction

S'

Removal direction (opposite to insertion direction)

Claims (10)

PCB connector (1') for electrical connection to a first PCB (3) and for pluggable electrical connection to a mating connector (2') of a second PCB (3') adjacent to the first PCB (3) and arranged parallel to the first PCB (3) , wherein the printed circuit card connector (1 ') has a plurality of connection contacts (15) made of an electrically conductive material, each of which, on the one hand, has a connection area (51) with at least one connection contact (511) for electrical connection to the first printed circuit card (3) and, on the other hand, at least one Plug-in area (52) each with at least one contact surface (523, 524) for plugging electrical connection with one electrical mating contact (21) of the mating connector (2 ') of the second circuit board (3'), wherein the circuit board connector (1') also has a Has a connector housing (10) made of an electrically insulating material, wherein the connector housing (10) on the one hand has a base surface (12) aligned with the first circuit card (3) when the circuit board connector (1 ') is connected, and wherein the connector housing (10) on the other hand has a The base surface (12) has a cover surface (11) opposite the base surface (12) and aligned with the second circuit card (3 ') when connected and plugged in, characterized in that the connector housing (10) has contact slots (110) which are straight and parallel to one another along a plug-in direction (S) extend over the entire top surface (11) of the connector housing (10), so that the contact surfaces (523, 524) of the connecting contacts (5) are inserted through the contact slots (110) with the mating contacts (21) of the mating connector (2 ') by means of a translational movement of the first circuit card (3) relative to the second circuit card (3'), which can be carried out both electrically and mechanically, both in and against the plug-in direction (S), which takes place parallel to the alignment of said circuit cards (3, 3'). can also be separated from one another electrically and mechanically. PCB connector (1') according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the connecting contacts (5) are each stamped and bent parts made of resilient sheet metal. Circuit card connector (1') according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plug-in area (52) of each connection contact (5) has at least two contact surfaces (523, 524) with which the connection contact (5) is able to make the mating contact (21) to be contacted electrically and mechanically on both sides. PCB connector (1') according to Claim 3 , wherein the plug-in area (52) has two connecting arms (521, 522) which are resilient against one another, namely a first (521) and a second (522) connecting arm, each of which has one of the two said contact surfaces (523, 524). PCB connector (1') according to Claim 4 , characterized in that the first connecting arm (521) essentially represents a geometric extension of the connection area (51) of the connection contact (5), whereas the second connection arm (522) has a connecting web (525) on the connection area (51) and thus on the first Connecting arm (521) is held. PCB connector (1') according to Claim 5 , characterized in that the two connecting arms (521, 522) have free-standing ends on the plug-in side, on which the contact surfaces (523, 524) are arranged, and that the two connecting arms (521, 522) are conical towards these contact surfaces (523, 524). towards each other and then widen in a funnel shape. Circuit card connector (1 ') according to one of Claims 5 until 6 , wherein the connecting web (525) runs essentially at right angles to each of the two connecting arms (521, 522). Connector system consisting of the circuit card connector (1') according to one of the preceding claims and a mating connector (2'), wherein the mating connector (2') has knife contacts as mating contacts (21), which have contact knives (212) with which they run along the deck surface (11) can be guided in and out of the contact slots (110) of the connector housing (10) of the circuit board connector (1 ') both in and against the plug-in direction (S) and along the contact slots (110) both in and against the plug-in direction ( S), the connection contacts (5) of the circuit board connector (1') can be guided in an electrically and mechanically contacting manner. Circuit board arrangement, comprising at least three circuit cards (3, 3', 3") aligned parallel to one another, of which at least one circuit card (3') has a connector system according to Claim 8 , namely on a first circuit board side with a circuit board connector (1 ') of said type, and on a second circuit board side opposite the first side with said mating connector (2'). Circuit board arrangement according to Claim 9 , further comprising a holder in which the circuit cards (3, 3 ', 3") are aligned parallel to one another and are held so that they can be moved parallel to one another in and/or against the plug-in direction (S).

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