EP0002114B1 - Zero insertion force printed circuit board edge connector - Google Patents

Zero insertion force printed circuit board edge connector Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0002114B1
EP0002114B1 EP78300558A EP78300558A EP0002114B1 EP 0002114 B1 EP0002114 B1 EP 0002114B1 EP 78300558 A EP78300558 A EP 78300558A EP 78300558 A EP78300558 A EP 78300558A EP 0002114 B1 EP0002114 B1 EP 0002114B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
contact
channel
housing
board
contacts
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP78300558A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0002114A1 (en
Inventor
Marvin Leo Yeager
Jerome Andrew Desso
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TE Connectivity Corp
Original Assignee
AMP Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by AMP Inc filed Critical AMP Inc
Publication of EP0002114A1 publication Critical patent/EP0002114A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0002114B1 publication Critical patent/EP0002114B1/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
    • H01R12/70—Coupling devices
    • H01R12/82—Coupling devices connected with low or zero insertion force
    • H01R12/85—Coupling devices connected with low or zero insertion force contact pressure producing means, contacts activated after insertion of printed circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/88—Coupling devices connected with low or zero insertion force contact pressure producing means, contacts activated after insertion of printed circuits or like structures acting manually by rotating or pivoting connector housing parts

Definitions

  • a zero insertion force printed circuit board edge connector comprising an insulating housing having a channel therein for receiving a printed circuit board along a board insertion path, a row of electrical contacts positioned on each side of the channel and extending in a longitudinal direction thereof, each contact having a contact surface for engaging the printed circuit board when such has been inserted into the channel, and contact-operating means comprising a cam mean movable to displace a contact driving means in the direction in which the board insertion path extends, to move each contact between a board receiving first position in which the contact surface of the contact is withdrawn from the board insertion path and a board engaging second position in which such contact surface intersects the board insertion path, the contact-operating means being formed with relatively stepped surfaces succeeding one another in the longitudinal direction of the channel so that the contacts are moved sequentially between their first and second positions, in response to the movement of the cam means.
  • the stepped surfaces are provided on the cam means and the contact driving means are in the form of a plurality of contact driving members each of which is engageable with only two opposed contacts of the rows.
  • the present invention is intended to provide a connector of the above kind which is substantially simplified in that it has only one contact driving member despite the fact that the connector may comprise a multiplicity of contacts in each row.
  • a connector as defined in the first paragraph of this specification is, according to the present invention therefore, characterised in that the relatively stepped surfaces are provided on the contact driving means, these relatively stepped surfaces serving sequentially to engage the contacts of the rows; and in that the contact driving means is in the form of a single contact driving member which comprises a base from opposite edges of which extend side walls, the stepped surfaces being formed in the free longitudinal edges of the side walls, so that the height of each side wall increases in one longitudinal direction of the channel.
  • a contact driving means sequentially to move the contacts of an electrical connector between contact making and contact breaking positions, at least one contact driving member is, and indeed must be, provided for each row of contacts.
  • each stepped surface may be conveniently dimensioned to engage a group of contacts connected to a respective circuit, for example a power circuit, a ground circuit or a signal circuit, whereby these circuits are made and broken sequentially.
  • two rows of contacts of a zero insertion force printed circuit edge connector may be independently driven between board engaging and board disengaging positions. However, all the contacts of each row can be driven only simultaneously between positions.
  • the connector comprises four primary components, namely, an elongate insulating housing. 12, a cam member 14, a contact driving member 16, and a plurality of spring electrical contacts 18.
  • the housing 12 has mounting flanges 20 and 22 at the opposite ends thereof for securing the connector to a mother printed circuit board 24 by means of fasteners 26 ( Figure 2).
  • the housing 12 has formed therein an elongate central guide channel 28 for receiving a daughter circuit board 30, the longitudinal side walls 2 of the housing 12 being formed with spaced ribs 22 projecting inwardly from the side walls 2 and defining recesses 34.
  • Each recess 34 which communicates with the channel 28, receives a respective contact 18.
  • a passage 36 extends from the lower (as seen in Figure 4) end of each recess 34 through a base 38 of the housing 12.
  • the base of the channel 28 is formed with a central longitudinal groove 40 which communicates with a slot 41 in one end of the housing 12 and with an opening 39 in the other end thereof, opposed recesses 42 being formed in the upper (as seen in Figure 1) portions of the side walls of the slot 41 and opening into the upper surface of the housing 12.
  • the contact driving member 16, which lies in the channel 28 is, as best seen in Figure 6, channel shaped, having a base 44 and parallel side walls 46 and 48, the free longitudinal edges of the side walls 46 and 48 being formed, as best seen in Figure 6, with steps 49 so that the height of the free longitudinal edges of these side walls increases from right to left, as seen in Figures 2 and 6.
  • These free longitudinal edges which have chamfered outer faces 47, comprise at least two relatively stepped surfaces succeeding one another in the longitudinal direction of the channel 28.
  • the ends of the base 44 have bevelled surfaces 50 and 52. As shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5, the outer or lower surface of the base 44 faces the mouth of the groove 40.
  • the cam member 14 comprises an elongate cam portion 60 and a resilient, loop-shaped, handle 62.
  • the cam portion 60 which is slidably and rotatably received in the groove 40, is shaped, as seen in cross-section ( Figures 4 and 5), as an elongate quadrilateral having parattet sides joined by radii.
  • the handle 62 which has a free end portion 64, extends from the cam portion 60 externally of the housing 12, for rotating the cam portion 60 about its longitudinal axis and for sliding the cam portion 60 longitudinally of the groove 40.
  • the contacts 18 may be formed for example by stamping and forming metal strips, or by rolling and forming wire. Each contact 18 has a resilient, inwardly bowed, board engaging contact surface 54 and a terminal portion 56 which extends through one of the passages 36 for mechanical and electrical connection to a printed conductor 58 ( Figure 2) on the mother board 24 and to further conductors (not shown) and thus to electrical circuits (not shown) by wire wrap connections (not shown), for example. Each contact 18 is retained against withdrawal from the housing by means, for example, of a locking lance (not shown) or by the flow of the housing material during manufacture of the connector, into an aperture (not shown) in the contact 18.
  • the free end portion 64 of the handle 62 is receivable in the recesses 42 of the housing, for the avoidance of unintended rotation of, and removal, in the direction of the arrow B in Figure 1, from the connector of, the cam member 14.
  • the connector is assembled by inserting the cam portion 60 of the member 14 into the groove 40 and the contact driving member 16 into the channel 28, aided by the bevelled surfaces 50 or 52.
  • the cam portion 60 is rotated about its longitudinal axis towards the position of Figure 5 in which the broader sides 61 of the portion 60 extend normally of the base of the groove 40 and of the outer surface of the base 44.
  • the driving member 16 is progressively forced by the cam portion 60 in a direction normal to the base of the groove 40 and thus of the base of the channel 28, and away therefrom, so that the chamfered faces 47 of the free longitudinal edges of the side walls 46 and 48 of the driving member 16 sequentially engage respective groups of the contacts 18 to move the contact surfaces 54 thereof outwardly into the recesses 34 and thus into their board receiving positions shown in Figure 5, in which the contact surfaces 54 are withdrawn from the insertion path of the board 30.
  • the leftward group of contact surfaces, 54a are first driven into their board receiving positions followed by the next adjacent group of contact surfaces, 54b, and so on in predetermined sequence.
  • the daughter board 30 is inserted into the channel 28 and the handle 62 is rotated back to its position of Figure 1, to move the groups of surfaces 54 sequentially back into their board engaging positions.
  • the handle 62 is then pushed rightwardly, i.e. in the opposite direction to that of the arrow B, towards its position of Figure 2 and the free end portion 64 of the handle 62 is resiliently introduced in the recesses 42 so that the contact surfaces 54 are secured in their engagement with the daughter board 30.
  • the daughter board 30 can be subsequently released from the connector by again rotating the handle 62 in the direction indicated by the arrow A, after removing the free end portion 64 of the handle 62 from the recesses 42 and withdrawing the handle 62 in the direction of the arrow B in Figure 1.
  • the groups of contacts 18 are thereby released sequentially so that damage to the circuits to which the contacts 18 are connected and which might arise if the contacts 18 were simultaneously disconnected from the conductors of the board 30, can be avoided.
  • printed circuit board is used herein in its most general aspect and is intended to include any circuit boards, cards or substrates on which electrical conductors have been provided by printing or by analogous means.

Landscapes

  • Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
EP78300558A 1977-11-14 1978-10-27 Zero insertion force printed circuit board edge connector Expired EP0002114B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US85102177A 1977-11-14 1977-11-14
US851021 1977-11-14

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0002114A1 EP0002114A1 (en) 1979-05-30
EP0002114B1 true EP0002114B1 (en) 1981-01-07

Family

ID=25309744

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP78300558A Expired EP0002114B1 (en) 1977-11-14 1978-10-27 Zero insertion force printed circuit board edge connector

Country Status (8)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0002114B1 (pt)
JP (1) JPS5482078A (pt)
BR (1) BR7807359A (pt)
CA (1) CA1088170A (pt)
DE (1) DE2860439D1 (pt)
ES (1) ES475022A1 (pt)
IT (1) IT1100681B (pt)
MX (1) MX144500A (pt)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5922502B2 (ja) * 1979-06-16 1984-05-26 太任 権 袋状パンおよびその製造方法
AU532967B2 (en) * 1980-03-03 1983-10-20 Amp Incorporated Zero force electrical connector
US4303294A (en) * 1980-03-17 1981-12-01 Amp Incorporated Compound spring contact
US4700998A (en) * 1986-08-19 1987-10-20 Northern Telecom Limited Multiple contact connector having a low insertion force
JP2572248Y2 (ja) * 1992-01-13 1998-05-20 日本エー・エム・ピー株式会社 低挿入力型コネクタ及び低挿入力型コネクタ組立体

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1433439A (fr) * 1965-02-15 1966-04-01 Csf Connecteur femelle à enfichage sans frottement
US3648221A (en) * 1969-08-07 1972-03-07 Burndy Corp Multilayer programmable wiring board
US3744005A (en) * 1971-07-02 1973-07-03 Berg Electronics Inc Zero force type connector block
DE2238951C2 (de) * 1972-08-08 1982-12-09 Robert Bosch Gmbh, 7000 Stuttgart Andrück-Steckverbinder
FR2278222A1 (fr) * 1974-07-12 1976-02-06 Socapex Connecteur a enfichage sans frottement
DE7705029U1 (de) * 1976-02-20 1977-06-02 Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Ltd., Tokio Ko nta ktverbindu ngsele me nt
US4069403A (en) * 1976-09-13 1978-01-17 The Singer Company Switching apparatus for electrically contacting conductive terminals on a circuit-carrying board

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BR7807359A (pt) 1979-07-24
IT1100681B (it) 1985-09-28
MX144500A (es) 1981-10-20
JPS5482078A (en) 1979-06-29
ES475022A1 (es) 1979-04-16
CA1088170A (en) 1980-10-21
DE2860439D1 (en) 1981-02-26
IT7829484A0 (it) 1978-11-06
JPS616511B2 (pt) 1986-02-27
EP0002114A1 (en) 1979-05-30

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