EP0000623B1

EP0000623B1 - Printed circuit edge connector

Info

Publication number: EP0000623B1
Application number: EP19780300098
Authority: EP
Inventors: Anthony John Hulse
Original assignee: Lucas Industries Ltd
Current assignee: ZF International UK Ltd
Priority date: 1977-07-08
Filing date: 1978-06-28
Publication date: 1981-12-30
Also published as: EP0000623A1; DE2861462D1; JPS5419194A

Description

This invention relates to an electrical connector of the kind arranged to receive an edge of a printed circuit board or the like and to make a plurality of electrical connections thereto, including a body having an end face, a plurality of passages for housing terminals, said passages extending into said body from said end face, said passages being positioned with respect to one another in accordance with the printed circuit board to be received by the connector, and, a slot in each of the partitioned walls of the passages, said slot extending inwardly of the body from said end face to permit, in use, insertion of an edge of a printed circuit board sufficiently far into the body to engage the terminals housed in use in said passages.
An electrical connector of the kind specified is described in DE-A 2 004 420. A problem which is found with electrical connectors of the kind specified is that the printed circuit board is a loose fit in the connector and can be disturbed by vibrations in use to the detriment of the electrical connections. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector wherein this problem is minimised.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic end elevational view to an enlarged scale of a part of the connector shown in Figure 1; and
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a terminal utilised in the connector of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, the electrical connector includes a moulded synthetic resin body 11 having therein a plurality of passages 12 of rectangular cross-section. The passages 12 are parallel and co-planar, and each open at an end face 13 of the body 1 1, the passages 12 extending at right angles to the end face 13. Each of the passages receives an electrical terminal 14 having deformable tags 15, 16 whereby the terminal is electrically and physically connected to a conductive lead in use. Each of the terminals 14 includes a pair of resilient arms 17 between which a planar component can be gripped, the terminal making electrical connection to the planar component. Each of the terminals 14 is received in a respective passage 12 with its arms 17 extending towards the end face 13 of the body. Each terminal includes a latch 18 which in use co-operates with a shoulder within the respective passage to resist movement of the terminal 14 relative to the body in a direction away from the end face 13.
The electrical connector is intended to make electrical connection to an edge region of a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is planar, and has a plurality of exposed contact regions adjacent one edge thereof. The contact regions are equal in number to the passages and therefore terminals 14 of the body 11.
In order that the printed circuit board may be inserted into the body 11 sufficiently far to engage the edge region of the printed circuit board between the arms 17 of the terminals 14 the partition walls 19 of the body which define between them the passages 12 are formed with slots 21 of width sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the printed circuit board. The positioning of the slots 21 is such that the board when accommodated by the slots 21 is engaged between the limbs 17 of the terminals 14.
In order that the body 11 firmly grips the printed circuit board the slots 21 a of the two end partition walls 19a are offset from the plane of the remaining slots 21. The two slots 21 a are offset in the same direction from the plane of the remaining slots 21 and thus in order for the printed circuit board to be engaged in the body it is necessary for the printed circuit board to be flexed from its normal planar configuration so as to engage simultaneously in the slots 21 and 21 a. Upon release of the printed circuit board after insertion into the slots 21, 21a the inherent resilience of the printed circuit tending to restore the printed circuit board to its planar configuration, causes the printed circuit board to bear tightly against the walls of the slots 21, 21 a so that the printed circuit board is gripped in the body.
It will be understood that in some constructions the flexure necessary to introduce the printed circuit board into the slots of the partition walls could be flexure of the body or flexure of both the body and the printed circuit board. Furthermore, while in the construction described the two outermost slots 21 a are displaced it is to be understood that other slots could be displaced in addition to, or instead of the outermost slots. The displacement of the chosen slots is in excess of the clearance between the width of the slots and the thickness of the board.
It is to be understood that while a printed circuit board has been referred to above, the connector can be used with a flexible printed circuit supported on a panel or the like, and with arrangements of a similar nature such as boards having the bared ends of conductive leads bent around an edge thereof and boards having strip-like terminals clipped or otherwise secured at an edge thereof.
In all of the arrangements envisaged above, some means will be provided for locating the printed circuit board laterally relative to the body so that the terminals received within the _. passages engage the appropriate conductive regions of the printed circuit board or the like. For example the body can be provided with a wall or walls which engage an edge or edges of the printed circuit board to ensure correct lateral location.

Claims

1. An electrical connector of the kind arranged to receive an edge of a printed circuit board or the like to make electrical connections thereto, the electrical connector including a body having an end face, a plurality of passages for housing terminals, said passages extending into said body from said end face, said passages being positioned with respect to one another in accordance with the printed circuit board to be received by the connector, and, a slot in each of the partition walls of the passages, said slots extending inwardly of the body from said end face to permit, in use, insertion of an edge of a printed circuit board sufficiently far into the body to engage the terminals housed in use in said passages, characterised in that the spatial relationship between at least one of said slots (21a) and the centre line of the respective passage (12) is different to the common spatial relationship between all of the remaining slots (21) and the centre lines of their respective passages (12), whereby, in use, at least one of the two components constituted by the printed circuit board and the body (11) must be flexed from a rest configuration in order to engage the board in all of said slots (21, 21 1 a), so that after engagement of the board and the body (11) the inherent resilience of the flexed component causes the board to be gripped in the body (11).

2. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 intended for use with a planar printed circuit board or the like, and characterised in that the passages (12) of the connector are co-planar, and the slots (21 ) are co-planar with the exception of the two outermost slots (21a) which are displaced in position both to the same side of the plane of the remaining slots (21).