EP1389354A1 - Connector and contact wafer - Google Patents

Connector and contact wafer

Info

Publication number
EP1389354A1
EP1389354A1 EP02711907A EP02711907A EP1389354A1 EP 1389354 A1 EP1389354 A1 EP 1389354A1 EP 02711907 A EP02711907 A EP 02711907A EP 02711907 A EP02711907 A EP 02711907A EP 1389354 A1 EP1389354 A1 EP 1389354A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
contact
connector
wafer
contacts
space
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP02711907A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Arvo Varis
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.)
Lite On Mobile Oyj
Original Assignee
Lite On Mobile Oyj
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 Lite On Mobile Oyj filed Critical Lite On Mobile Oyj
Publication of EP1389354A1 publication Critical patent/EP1389354A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

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
    • H01R12/71—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/72—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/722—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures coupling devices mounted on the edge of the printed circuits
    • H01R12/727—Coupling devices presenting arrays of contacts
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
    • H01R13/514—Bases; Cases composed as a modular blocks or assembly, i.e. composed of co-operating parts provided with contact members or holding contact members between them
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/648—Protective earth or shield arrangements on coupling devices, e.g. anti-static shielding  
    • H01R13/658—High frequency shielding arrangements, e.g. against EMI [Electro-Magnetic Interference] or EMP [Electro-Magnetic Pulse]
    • H01R13/6581—Shield structure
    • H01R13/659—Shield structure with plural ports for distinct connectors

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a connector which comprises a wafer, to which at least one contact comprising a contact arm is attached, and a connector body, which comprises at least one contact space, inside of which the con- tact arm is arranged and where the contact of a counter connector connects to the contact.
  • the invention further relates to a contact wafer which comprises at least one contact, whose contact arm can be arranged in a contact space provided in the connector body, the wafer being arrangeable parallel with at least one other wafer in the connector body.
  • the connectors concerned are used particularly for transmitting electric current between circuit boards, transmitting signals and generally in applications which require fast data transmission and/or high signal frequency.
  • Connectors are attached to a circuit board by the 'Pin-in-Paste' method where paste is spread onto the circuit board and then the connector is positioned on the circuit board.
  • the circuit board and its connectors and other components are put in a convection oven or in a similar heated and closed section of the assembly line.
  • the circuit boards and the components thereon are heated by actively circulating hot air around the components and the circuit board. Thermal energy solders the contact pins of the connector to the circuit board.
  • connectors typically comprise several contacts which are arranged one on top of another and in parallel.
  • contacts with a standard width are used in the male connectors of the above-mentioned connectors. Contacts are available in several widths and the width of the male connector to be used is selected according to the requirements set by the given application.
  • Prior art female connectors correspondingly comprise a contact corresponding to each male connector, i.e. the electric current or signal of the male connector is transmitted through the connector via one female contact.
  • the female contacts and wafers including them are designed according to the dimensions of the male contact concerned and thus it is necessary to produce a female contact and a wafer with corresponding measurements for each male contact with a different width. The production, storage, handling and management of numerous contacts of different widths and their wafers cause considerable costs.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a connector and a contact wafer to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages.
  • the connector of the invention is characterized in that the connector comprises at least two wafers and that the contact arms of at least two con- tacts arranged in different wafers are arranged in the same contact space.
  • the contact wafer of the invention is characterized in that the wafer is designed so as to allow simultaneous arrangement of the contact arm of a contact arranged in at least one other wafer in the same connector contact space.
  • the basic idea of the invention is that the connector comprises at least two wafers to which the contacts are attached and which are arranged in parallel in the connector body and that the contact arms of at least two different contacts arranged in different wafers are arranged in the same contact space.
  • An advantage of the invention is that as many similar wafers can be arranged in parallel as is required by the width of the given male connector. Thus it is unnecessary to produce, handle and manage several wafers of different widths, which reduces the production costs of connectors considerably.
  • Figure 1 is a partially cross-sectional and schematic top view of an embodiment of the connector according to the invention.
  • Figure 2 is a partially cross-sectional and schematic front view of an embodiment of the connector according to the invention.
  • a connector body 2 comprises contact spaces 3, inside of which the contact arms 6 of contacts 4 are arranged.
  • the connector body 2 is most often made of plastic by injection-moulding or pressing, for example.
  • the contacts 4 are arranged one on top of another and in parallel in the connector body 2.
  • Each of the contacts 4 arranged one on top of another is attached to the same wafer 7 in a manner known per se: in the embodiment of the invention shown in the figures there are six parallel contacts and thus the connector 1 includes six wafers 7.
  • there are five contacts 4 one on top of an- other in other words, each wafer 7 includes five contacts 4 and the whole connector 1 altogether 30 contacts 4.
  • the structure of the wafers 7 is very familiar to a person skilled in the art, for which reason it is not discussed in greater detail in this application.
  • the contact 4 is made of a suitable conductive material, usually of a metal or a metal alloy.
  • the wafers 7 are most often attached to the connector body 2 by providing the contact arms 6 with claw-like protrusions, which cling to the body 2 made of plastic.
  • Flat standard-sized male contacts of the other member of the connector pair i.e. the male connector, which are not shown in the figures, are pushed into the contact spaces 3 of the connector 1 and thus they come into contact with the contact arms 6. In that case electric signals and/or supply current can be transmitted via the connector pair.
  • each contact space 3 comprises three contact arms 6, the electric current or signal of one male connector contact is transmitted via three female contacts 4.
  • the wafer 7 is designed so as to allow arrangement of as many wafers in parallel as is required by the width of the counter connector in question.
  • the contact arms 6 of the outermost contacts 4 are bent inwards closer to the middle contact arm 6 of the contact space 3. This ensures sufficient contact of the outermost contact arms 6 with the male contact. Bending of the contact arms 6 is a quick and simple operation which does not substantially increase the production costs of a connector.
  • the contact arms 6 can also be shaped in some other manner known per se.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic front view of the embodiment of the connector shown in Figure 1.
  • the contacts of the counter connector of the contacts are pushed into the connector contact spaces 3 from this direction.
  • the connector 1 comprises five contact spaces 3 one on top of another in each of two parallel rows.
  • the number of contact spaces 3 arranged one on top of another and in parallel can naturally differ from the one shown here.
  • the contact spaces 3 are designed for a counter contact of a certain width, which is typically the standard width.
  • the contact space 3 comprises contact arms 6 from three different wafers 7.
  • the wafers 7 are designed so as to allow ar- rangement of as many of their contacts 4 in the same contact space 3 as is required by the width of the counter contact.
  • the wafer 7 is similar regardless of the width of the counter contact.
  • the production and logistics costs of the wafer 7 and the production costs of the connector 3 are considerably lower than in prior art solutions, where a separate wafer is produced for each counter contact.
  • a contact pin 5 which is soldered to a circuit board or to another similar mounting plate intended to be connected to the connector 1.
  • the connector body 2 is also soldered to the circuit board by means of a specific soldering board.
  • a positioning pin 8 which positions the connector 1 to the right spot on its mounting plate; this part is not, however, always necessary.
  • the connector 1 is also provided with coding parts 9 needed in its mechanical detection. Naturally the connector 1 may also comprise other functional parts which are not shown in the figures to simplify the illustration.
  • the connector body 2 may comprise surfaces or elements inside the contact space 3 that support the contacts and in particular the contact arms 6.
  • the number of contacts 4 arranged in the same contact space may also dif- fer from three.
  • Each contact space 3 in the connector 1 is not necessarily designed for a counter contact of equal width, neither is each contact space 3 necessarily provided with equal number of contacts 4.

Landscapes

  • Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
  • Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
  • Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)

Abstract

A connector and a contact wafer. The connector (1) comprises at least two wafers (7) and the contact arms (6) of at least two contacts (4) arranged in different wafers (7) is arranged in the same connector contact space (3). The connector wafer (7) is designed so as to allow simultaneous arrangement of the contact arm (6) of a contact (4) arranged in at least one other wafer (7) in the same connector (1) contact space (3).

Description

CONNECTORAND CONTACTWAFER
The invention relates to a connector which comprises a wafer, to which at least one contact comprising a contact arm is attached, and a connector body, which comprises at least one contact space, inside of which the con- tact arm is arranged and where the contact of a counter connector connects to the contact.
The invention further relates to a contact wafer which comprises at least one contact, whose contact arm can be arranged in a contact space provided in the connector body, the wafer being arrangeable parallel with at least one other wafer in the connector body.
The connectors concerned are used particularly for transmitting electric current between circuit boards, transmitting signals and generally in applications which require fast data transmission and/or high signal frequency. Connectors are attached to a circuit board by the 'Pin-in-Paste' method where paste is spread onto the circuit board and then the connector is positioned on the circuit board. The circuit board and its connectors and other components are put in a convection oven or in a similar heated and closed section of the assembly line. The circuit boards and the components thereon are heated by actively circulating hot air around the components and the circuit board. Thermal energy solders the contact pins of the connector to the circuit board.
It is known to assemble a connector from wafers which are typically produced by injection-moulding a plastic body around the contact pins of contacts arranged in one row one on top of another. A necessary number of con- tact pieces are assembled next to one another in the connector at hand, after which the contacts are placed inside the connector body. Wafers facilitate handling of small contacts, keep contacts pins at a correct distance from one another and also support one another. Thus connectors typically comprise several contacts which are arranged one on top of another and in parallel. Usually contacts with a standard width are used in the male connectors of the above-mentioned connectors. Contacts are available in several widths and the width of the male connector to be used is selected according to the requirements set by the given application. Prior art female connectors correspondingly comprise a contact corresponding to each male connector, i.e. the electric current or signal of the male connector is transmitted through the connector via one female contact. The female contacts and wafers including them are designed according to the dimensions of the male contact concerned and thus it is necessary to produce a female contact and a wafer with corresponding measurements for each male contact with a different width. The production, storage, handling and management of numerous contacts of different widths and their wafers cause considerable costs.
The object of the present invention is to provide a connector and a contact wafer to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages.
The connector of the invention is characterized in that the connector comprises at least two wafers and that the contact arms of at least two con- tacts arranged in different wafers are arranged in the same contact space.
The contact wafer of the invention is characterized in that the wafer is designed so as to allow simultaneous arrangement of the contact arm of a contact arranged in at least one other wafer in the same connector contact space. The basic idea of the invention is that the connector comprises at least two wafers to which the contacts are attached and which are arranged in parallel in the connector body and that the contact arms of at least two different contacts arranged in different wafers are arranged in the same contact space. An advantage of the invention is that as many similar wafers can be arranged in parallel as is required by the width of the given male connector. Thus it is unnecessary to produce, handle and manage several wafers of different widths, which reduces the production costs of connectors considerably.
The invention will be described in greater detail in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a partially cross-sectional and schematic top view of an embodiment of the connector according to the invention, and
Figure 2 is a partially cross-sectional and schematic front view of an embodiment of the connector according to the invention.
A connector body 2 comprises contact spaces 3, inside of which the contact arms 6 of contacts 4 are arranged. The connector body 2 is most often made of plastic by injection-moulding or pressing, for example. The contacts 4 are arranged one on top of another and in parallel in the connector body 2. Each of the contacts 4 arranged one on top of another is attached to the same wafer 7 in a manner known per se: in the embodiment of the invention shown in the figures there are six parallel contacts and thus the connector 1 includes six wafers 7. As is seen in Figure 2, there are five contacts 4 one on top of an- other, in other words, each wafer 7 includes five contacts 4 and the whole connector 1 altogether 30 contacts 4. It should be noted here that the shape and dimensions of the details of the connector shown in the figures are only exemplary. The structure of the wafers 7 is very familiar to a person skilled in the art, for which reason it is not discussed in greater detail in this application. The contact 4 is made of a suitable conductive material, usually of a metal or a metal alloy. The wafers 7 are most often attached to the connector body 2 by providing the contact arms 6 with claw-like protrusions, which cling to the body 2 made of plastic. Flat standard-sized male contacts of the other member of the connector pair, i.e. the male connector, which are not shown in the figures, are pushed into the contact spaces 3 of the connector 1 and thus they come into contact with the contact arms 6. In that case electric signals and/or supply current can be transmitted via the connector pair. Since in the embodiment shown each contact space 3 comprises three contact arms 6, the electric current or signal of one male connector contact is transmitted via three female contacts 4. Thus the wafer 7 is designed so as to allow arrangement of as many wafers in parallel as is required by the width of the counter connector in question. In the embodiments shown in the figures the contact arms 6 of the outermost contacts 4 are bent inwards closer to the middle contact arm 6 of the contact space 3. This ensures sufficient contact of the outermost contact arms 6 with the male contact. Bending of the contact arms 6 is a quick and simple operation which does not substantially increase the production costs of a connector. Naturally the contact arms 6 can also be shaped in some other manner known per se.
Figure 2 is a schematic front view of the embodiment of the connector shown in Figure 1. The contacts of the counter connector of the contacts are pushed into the connector contact spaces 3 from this direction. The connector 1 comprises five contact spaces 3 one on top of another in each of two parallel rows. The number of contact spaces 3 arranged one on top of another and in parallel can naturally differ from the one shown here. The contact spaces 3 are designed for a counter contact of a certain width, which is typically the standard width. Now the contact space 3 comprises contact arms 6 from three different wafers 7. The wafers 7 are designed so as to allow ar- rangement of as many of their contacts 4 in the same contact space 3 as is required by the width of the counter contact. The wafer 7 is similar regardless of the width of the counter contact. In that case the production and logistics costs of the wafer 7 and the production costs of the connector 3 are considerably lower than in prior art solutions, where a separate wafer is produced for each counter contact. At one end of the contact 4 there is a contact pin 5, which is soldered to a circuit board or to another similar mounting plate intended to be connected to the connector 1. Often the connector body 2 is also soldered to the circuit board by means of a specific soldering board. At the bottom of the connector body 2 shown in the figure there is also a positioning pin 8, which positions the connector 1 to the right spot on its mounting plate; this part is not, however, always necessary. The connector 1 is also provided with coding parts 9 needed in its mechanical detection. Naturally the connector 1 may also comprise other functional parts which are not shown in the figures to simplify the illustration. The drawings and the related description are only intended to illustrate the inventive concept. The details of the invention may vary within the claims. Thus the connector body 2 may comprise surfaces or elements inside the contact space 3 that support the contacts and in particular the contact arms 6. The number of contacts 4 arranged in the same contact space may also dif- fer from three. Each contact space 3 in the connector 1 is not necessarily designed for a counter contact of equal width, neither is each contact space 3 necessarily provided with equal number of contacts 4.

Claims

1. A connector which comprises a wafer (7) to which at least one contact (4) comprising a contact arm (6) is attached, and a connector body (2), which comprises at least one contact space (3), inside of which the contact arm (6) is arranged and where the contact of a counter connector connects to the contact (4), characterized in that the connector (1 ) comprises at least two wafers (7) and that the contact arms (6) of at least two contacts (4) arranged in different wafers (7) are arranged in the same contact space (3).
2. A connector according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two contacts (4) arranged one on top of another are attached to the wafer (7) and that the connector body (2) is provided with the same number of contact spaces (3) arranged one on top of another.
3. A connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that all the contact arms (6) in the same contact space (3) are similar to one another.
4. A connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the same contact space (3) comprises contact arms (6) shaped in at least two different ways.
5. A connector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connector (1 ) is a female connector.
6. A connector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connector (1 ) is a signal connector.
7. A connector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connector (1 ) is a current supply connector.
8. A contact wafer which comprises at least one contact (4) whose contact arm (6) can be arranged in a contact space (3) provided in a connector body (2), the wafer (7) being arrangeable parallel with at least one other wafer (7) in the connector body (2), characterized in that the wafer is de- signed so as to allow simultaneous arrangement of the contact arm (6) of a contact (4) arranged in at least one other wafer (7) in the same connector (1) contact space (3).
9. A contact wafer according to claim 8, characterized in that at least two contacts (4) arranged one on top of another are attached to the wafer.
EP02711907A 2001-02-12 2002-02-11 Connector and contact wafer Withdrawn EP1389354A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FI20010262A FI110554B (en) 2001-02-12 2001-02-12 Connectors and a loose piece for a connector
FI20010262 2001-02-12
PCT/FI2002/000103 WO2002065590A1 (en) 2001-02-12 2002-02-11 Connector and contact wafer

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1389354A1 true EP1389354A1 (en) 2004-02-18

Family

ID=8560323

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP02711907A Withdrawn EP1389354A1 (en) 2001-02-12 2002-02-11 Connector and contact wafer

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1389354A1 (en)
CN (1) CN1222084C (en)
FI (1) FI110554B (en)
WO (1) WO2002065590A1 (en)

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA1244531A (en) * 1985-08-05 1988-11-08 Amir-Akbar Sadigh-Behzadi High density, controlled impedance connector
US4927388A (en) 1989-09-29 1990-05-22 Amp Incorporated Electrical connector shell assembly and module retention clip
US5961355A (en) * 1997-12-17 1999-10-05 Berg Technology, Inc. High density interstitial connector system

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO02065590A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI20010262A0 (en) 2001-02-12
WO2002065590A8 (en) 2003-11-20
CN1491461A (en) 2004-04-21
FI20010262A (en) 2002-08-13
FI110554B (en) 2003-02-14
CN1222084C (en) 2005-10-05
WO2002065590A1 (en) 2002-08-22

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US5727956A (en) Connector assembly including metal strips as contact members
US4381134A (en) Electrical connector for plated-through holes
US7811128B2 (en) Electrical connector having improved shielding plate
US5641291A (en) Printed circuit board connector
EP1058352B1 (en) Electrical connector
US7775828B2 (en) Electrical connector having improved grounding member
US20070042643A1 (en) Electrical connector assembly having an improved inner shield
US3868162A (en) Electrical connector
EP0661779B1 (en) Multi-connector assembly
EP1044486A1 (en) Shielded electrical connector
US5308248A (en) High density interconnection system
EP0558782B1 (en) Connector with press-fit terminal pins
EP1388187B1 (en) Connector and contact wafer
US6589068B2 (en) Electrical connector connecting one or more flexible printed circuits
US6896558B1 (en) Connector and contact wafer
EP1389354A1 (en) Connector and contact wafer
JP5026439B2 (en) connector
US6012931A (en) Connector having surface mount terminals for connecting to a printed circuit board
CN101617445B (en) Surface mount connectors
EP0458483B1 (en) Improvements in or relating to connectors
GB2386481A (en) PCB connector with redundant contacts
US7066743B2 (en) Electrical connector with spacer
US11735849B2 (en) Electrical connector manufacturing method
KR200259756Y1 (en) electric connector
US6780040B2 (en) Electrical connector with standoffs

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20030822

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: AL LT LV MK RO SI

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 20071105

GRAP Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20110329