EP1530262A2 - Multiconnection device - Google Patents

Multiconnection device Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1530262A2
EP1530262A2 EP04256884A EP04256884A EP1530262A2 EP 1530262 A2 EP1530262 A2 EP 1530262A2 EP 04256884 A EP04256884 A EP 04256884A EP 04256884 A EP04256884 A EP 04256884A EP 1530262 A2 EP1530262 A2 EP 1530262A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
header
connector
socket
contact
housing
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Withdrawn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
EP04256884A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1530262A3 (en
Inventor
Keiji J.S.T. Mfg. Co. Ltd. Kuroda
Ryo J.S.T. Mfg. Co. Ltd. Moriwake
Shohei J.S.T. Mfg. Co. Ltd. Takatsuki
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.)
JST Mfg Co Ltd
Original Assignee
JST Mfg Co Ltd
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 JST Mfg Co Ltd filed Critical JST Mfg Co Ltd
Publication of EP1530262A2 publication Critical patent/EP1530262A2/en
Publication of EP1530262A3 publication Critical patent/EP1530262A3/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • 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
    • H01R13/64—Means for preventing incorrect coupling
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R27/00—Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts
    • 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
    • H01R12/712—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures co-operating with the surface of the printed circuit or with a coupling device exclusively provided on the surface of the printed circuit
    • H01R12/716—Coupling device provided on the PCB

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to multi-connection type header connectors and stack type socket connectors for connection to multi-connection type connectors.
  • the present invention also relates to horizontal type socket connections for connection to multi-connection type connectors.
  • the multi-connection type header connectors may be mounted on a surface of an object for connection to the socket and stack type connections.
  • Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication 2002-93501 discloses a connector structure that comprises a female connector having female contacts and a male connector having male contacts being to fit with the female contacts, the connector structure being structured that a groove is formed in one side face of the female connector in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the female connector, the female contacts are provided in the groove, and both the male contacts and the female contacts are made to contact each other by bringing the male connector toward the female connector in the substantially vertical direction, and in that process inserting the male contacts into the groove and mating the male contacts with the female contacts.
  • Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 8-78107 discloses a connector for printed circuit board comprising a male connector to be mounted on a printed circuit board and a female connector to be connected to connection wires and then to be mated and connected with the male connector, the connector for printed circuit board being of a combined fitting type and being characterized in that the male connector is provided with a horizontal mating port and a vertical mating port on one side face of the circumference and the top face, respectively, so that the female connector can be fitted with the male connector in either the horizontal direction or the vertical direction.
  • Japanese Utility Model Registration Publication 3055808 discloses an electric connector that can be engaged at multiple angles and comprises socket conductive terminals, a plug and a socket and, the electric connector that can be engaged at multiple angles being characterized in that the socket conductive terminal is a longer-than-width slip-shaped thin piece, a concave is provided on each of both sides of the thin piece close to the top end thereof, a pair of parallel nipping pieces extending forward perpendicularly to the longer-than-width slip-shaped thin piece are formed on the concaves, each of the nipping pieces is formed by a pair of ribs being kept apart by an appropriate distance and increasingly tilting inward and an L-shaped vertical piece interconnecting to the front parts of the ribs, a contacting end face is formed to protrude inward so as to oppose to the L-shaped vertical pieces on both sides, the bottom of the L-shaped vertical piece is formed into a circular curved end face, wedge-shaped parts are formed on both sides of the bottom end of the n
  • the connector structure of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication 2002-93501 is used to mount a hard disc drive on a printed circuit board.
  • the male connector When the male connector is inserted into or withdrawn from the female connector, it will not involve any operation of sliding the hard disc drive over the printed circuit board.
  • the printed circuit board there is no need of providing the printed circuit board with an open space for shifting the hard disc drive; thus the printed circuit board can be downsized.
  • the female connector can be fitted in either horizontal direction or the vertical direction, and in the electric connector that can be engaged at multiple angles of Japanese Utility Model Registration Publication 3055808, the plug conductive terminals of the plug can be inserted into spaces between the socket conductive terminals in the insertion hole at any desired angles from above or ahead of the socket.
  • the former connector is mounted on a printed circuit board and the female connector is to be engaged with it in the horizontal direction, it will be necessary to provide the printed circuit board with an open space for shifting the female connector at the time of engaging.
  • the housing insertion part is provided with an insertion & engagement groove that penetrates in the width direction being perpendicular to the engaging direction, there is a possibility that when, for example, the housing insertion part is picked by fingers, the skins of the fingers or a foreign matter might enter through the insertion & engagement groove, thus the possibility of short-circuiting is not eliminated.
  • the insertion & engagement groove opens to both end faces in the width direction of the housing insertion part, there is a possibility of so-called reverse insertion wherein the make connector is engaged with the female connector in such an orientation that the female contacts contact the corresponding male contacts in reverse order.
  • the need of forming the insertion & engagement groove so that it penetrates the housing insertion part in the width direction is attributed to that as the female contacts are engaged with the male contacts in two directions, namely, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, dimensions of the male contacts in these two directions must be secured.
  • Embodiments of the present invention can provide a stack type socket connector, which is stacked in the height direction to be connected, and a horizontal type socket connector, which is placed by the side to be connected, selectively connectable to a header connector that is mounted on a surface of an object for mounting such as a printed circuit board, to make the respective socket connectors engageable with the header connector in the height direction, to use a socket connector from which wires are led out sideward as the above-mentioned sockets so as to eliminate the need of providing the object for mounting with an open space for shifting the socket connector at the time of engagement, and in turn realize reduction in the mounting area, and then enable selection between further reduction in the mounting area or reduction in the height, to promote stabilization of the connection state and reduction in the height of the connection structure by making the wires come out sidewise, to enable provision of a single opening of the insertion & engagement groove that is provided in each socket connector by shortening the protruding dimension of the contacting part of the header contact,
  • a multi-connection type header connector comprising, when a depth direction, a width direction and a height direction all being perpendicular to each other are assumed, a header housing, which is provided with a receiving chamber that penetrates from a top face being one end face in the height direction to a bottom face being the other end face or concaves from the top face toward the bottom face, and extends up to an end face on the front side in the depth direction and of which bottom face is arranged to oppose to an object for mounting, and a header contact, which is provided in the header housing so that its contacting part is exposed to the receiving chamber and its connecting part is exposed to the bottom face or its periphery of the header housing, and the multi-connection type header connector being so structured that a stack type socket connector, which comprises a socket housing, which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, a protruding part that is to fit into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction, and from which, at the other end, a wire is led out in
  • both the stack type socket connector and the horizontal type socket connector are fitted into the multi-connection type header connector in the height direction by means of the protruding part, there is no need of providing the object for mounting with an open space for shifting the socket connector, hence the mounting area is reduced.
  • the stack type socket connector is selected and connected to the multi-connection type header connector, the mounting area of the connection structure of both connectors will be reduced further.
  • the horizontal type socket connector is selected and connected to the multi-connection type header connector, the height of the connection structure of both connectors will be reduced.
  • the wire is led out of the socket housing in a direction that crosses the height direction, hence even when, for example, a casing is arranged to oppose to the surface of the object for mounting, the wire will hardly interfere with this casing or the like.
  • the loads that are exerted to the wire are reduced and the connection state is stabilized, and moreover, the height of the connection structure of both connectors is reduced.
  • the dimension of protrusion of the contacting part of the header contact into the receiving chamber of the header housing can be shortened.
  • the contacting part of the multi-connection type header connector protrudes frontward in the depth direction, it is possible to provide the opening of the insertion & engagement groove that is provided in the protruding part of the stack type socket connector only on the rear side in the depth direction, and it is also possible to provide the opening of the insertion & engagement groove that is provided in the protruding part of the horizontal type socket connector only on one side in the height direction, and with such an arrangement, prevention of short-circuits and prevention of reverse insertion can be realized.
  • the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention is so arranged that the stack type socket connector, which is to be connected by stacking in the height direction, and the horizontal type socket connector, which is to be placed and connected side by side in the depth direction, can be selectively connected to the header connector that is to be mounted on the surface of an object for mounting such as printed circuit board, each socket connector is to be engaged with the header connector in the height direction, and the socket connector from which the wire is led out sideward is used as the above-mentioned socket connector, hence the need of providing the object for mounting with an open space for shifting the socket connector at the time of engagement is eliminated, and reduction in the mounting area is realized, and furthermore, it is made possible to choose either further reduction in the mounting area or reduction in the height, stabilization of the state of connection and reduction in the height of the connection structure are enhanced by making the wire to be led out sideward, and by shortening the protruding dimension of the contacting part of the header contact it is made possible to limit the opening of the insertion & engagement groove of each socket connector
  • the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention may be so arranged that the contacting part of the header contact is formed into a plate shape facing in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction and protrudes from a constituent wall of the receiving chamber into the receiving chamber, and the contacting part of the socket contact contacts both end faces in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part of the header contact.
  • the socket contact contacts the header contact at two points; thus the reliability of connection is enhanced.
  • the contacting part of the socket contact can be bifurcated, and then reduction in the thickness of the socket connector can be made.
  • the stack type socket connector which is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, comprises the socket housing, which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, the protruding part that fits into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction and from which the wire is led out at the other end in a direction that crosses the height direction, and the socket contact, which is provided in the socket housing, contacts the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire.
  • the stack type socket connector which is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, may be so arranged that it comprises the socket housing, which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, the protruding part that fits into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction and from which the wire is led out at the other end in a direction that crosses the height direction, and the socket contact, which is provided in the socket housing, contacts the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire, the stack type socket connector being structured that the contacting part of the socket contact extends in the height direction and its top end is bifurcated so as to contact both end faces in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part of the header contact.
  • the horizontal type socket connector which is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, comprises the socket housing, which has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction thereof, the protruding part that fits into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction and from which the wire is led out at the end on the front side in the depth direction thereof in a direction that crosses the height direction, and the socket contact, which is provided in the socket housing, contacts the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire.
  • the horizontal type socket connector which is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, may be so arranged that it comprises the socket housing, which has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction thereof, the protruding part that fits into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction and from which the wire is led out at the end on the front side in the depth direction thereof in a direction that crosses the height direction, and the socket contact, which is provided in the socket housing, contacts the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire, and the horizontal type socket connector being structured that the contacting part of the socket contact extends in a direction opposing to the protruding direction of the header contact and the top end of the contacting part is bifurcated so that the contacting part contacts both end faces in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part of the header contact.
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the multi-connection type header connector of an embodiment.
  • Fig. 2 is a plan view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment seen in the height direction.
  • Fig. 3 is a front view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment seen from the front in the depth direction.
  • Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment seen in the height direction.
  • Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line V-V of Fig. 3.
  • Fig. 6 is a sectional view along the line VI-VI of Fig. 2.
  • Fig. 7 is a sectional view along the line VII-VII of Fig. 3.
  • Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment.
  • Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment, which is connected with the stack type socket connector.
  • Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment, which is connected with the horizontal type socket connector.
  • Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the stack type socket connector of the embodiment with wires connected thereto. The lid of the stack type socket connector is removed to show the inside.
  • Fig. 13 is a rear view of the stack type socket connector of the embodiment seen from the rear in the depth direction.
  • Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the stack type socket connector of the embodiment, which is sectioned along a plane facing in the depth direction and containing the contacting parts of the socket contact.
  • Fig. 15 is a sectional view along the line XV-XV of Fig. 13.
  • Fig. 16 is a sectional view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment, which is mounted on an object for mounting and to which the stack type socket connector is connected, and they are sectioned along a plane facing in the width direction.
  • Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment with wires connected thereto.
  • Fig. 19 is a rear view of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment seen from the rear in the depth direction.
  • Fig. 20 is a perspective view of the socket contact of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment.
  • Fig. 21 is a sectional view of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment with wires connected thereto, along a plane facing in the width direction.
  • Fig. 22 is a sectional view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment, which is mounted on an object for mounting and to which the horizontal type socket connector is connected, along a plane facing in the width direction.
  • Fig. 23 is a sectional view along the line XXIII-XXIII of Fig. 22.
  • Fig. 1 through Fig. 7 show a multi-connection type header connector 100 being an embodiment of the present invention.
  • a depth direction, a width direction and a height direction all being perpendicular to each other are assumed and these directions are used for description.
  • the top-bottom direction of the diagram is the depth direction
  • the top of the diagram is the rear in the depth direction
  • the bottom of the diagram is the front in the depth direction.
  • a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper of the diagram is the height direction
  • the right-left direction of the diagram is the width direction.
  • the multi-connection type header connector 100 comprises a header housing 110 that is made of an insulative material, and header contacts 120 that are made of a conductive material and provided on the header housing 110. Mounting of the header contacts 120 onto the header housing 110 is made by integral molding, inserting or other methods.
  • the header housing 110 is provided with a receiving chamber 115, which penetrates from the top face 111 being one end face in the height direction to the bottom face 112 being the other end face and extends up to an end face 113 on the front side in the depth direction.
  • a receiving chamber that is concaved from the top face toward the bottom face and extends to the end face on the front side in the depth direction may be provided.
  • This header housing 110 is arranged so that its bottom face 112 opposes to a surface of the object for mounting P such as a printed wiring board, the surface facing in the height direction.
  • the object for mounting P is an object that has a plane surface and conductors being the counterparts for connection with the header contacts 120.
  • the header contact 120 is provided in the header housing 110 in such a way that a contacting part 121 being provided at one end thereof is exposed to the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110 and a connecting part 122 being provided at another end thereof is exposed to the bottom face 112 or its periphery of the header housing 110.
  • the connecting part 122 is fixed onto the object for mounting P by, for example, soldering.
  • the connecting part 122 may be soldered onto the surface of the object for mounting P or may be inserted into a hole made in the object for mounting P and then soldered. It does not matter whether this hole is through the object for mounting P or not.
  • each head contact 120 is provided with two connecting parts 122, but this does not limit, in any way, the number of connecting parts that are to be provided on each header contact.
  • the multi-connection type header connector 100 is arranged so that the stack type socket connector 200 as shown in Fig. 8 and the horizontal type socket connector 300 as shown in Fig. 9 can be selectively connected to them (refer to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11).
  • the stack type socket connector 200 comprises a socket housing 210 that is made of an insulative material, and socket contacts 220 that are made of a conductive material and provided on the socket housing 210.
  • the socket housing 210 has, at one end in the height direction thereof, a protruding part 211 that fits into the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110 in the height direction.
  • the socket housing 210 is arranged so that wires W are led out from the other end in a direction that crosses the height direction.
  • the socket contact 220 contacts the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 and is connected to the wire W.
  • the constituent walls of the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110 and the protruding part 211 of the socket housing 210 are provided with locking mechanisms that enhance the engagement strength when the protruding part 211 is fitted in the receiving chamber 115.
  • the constituent walls of the receiving chamber 115 are provided with concaved parts or locking parts 117, and the protruding part 211 is provided with projecting parts or locking parts 213 so that these locking parts mate together through the use of their flexibility when the protruding part 211 is fitted in the receiving chamber 115.
  • the protruding part 211 may be provided with concaved parts and the constituent walls of the receiving chamber may be provided with projecting parts.
  • the number of header contacts of the multi-connection type header connector according to the present invention is not limited by this embodiment.
  • the contacting part 121 it is sufficient that the contacting part 121 faces in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction, and it is also sufficient that its protruding direction is perpendicular to the height direction.
  • the contacting parts 221, 321 of the socket contacts 220, 320 are so arranged that they contact both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting parts 121 of the header contacts 120.
  • the receiving chamber 115 of the multi-connection type header connector 100 penetrates from the top face 111 to the bottom face 112 and also extends up to the end face 113 on the front side in the depth direction, but the width of the receiving chamber 115 is narrowed at a point close to the end face 113 on the front side in the depth direction to form a necked part.
  • the header housing 110 is provided with fitting-on parts 116 that protrude inward in the width direction to form this necked part, and these fitting-on parts 116 prevent the stack type socket connector 200 or the horizontal type socket connector 300 from slipping off frontward in the depth direction.
  • Such formation of a necked part in the receiving chamber and provision of fitting-on parts on the header housing can be done similarly when the central part of the receiving chamber is formed by concaving the top face of the header housing toward its bottom face.
  • the protruding part 211 is provided with insertion & engagement grooves 212 that receive the contacting parts 121 of the header contacts 120 when the protruding part 211 is fitted into the receiving chamber 115. As shown in Fig. 15, these insertion & engagement grooves 212 are so formed that they are concaved, in the height direction, from the end face in the height direction of the protruding part 211.
  • the insertion & engagement grooves 212 do not penetrate the protruding part 211 in the depth direction, and although insertion & engagement grooves 212 are open to the rear face in the depth direction of the protruding part 211, they are not open to the front face in the depth direction.
  • the contacting part 221 of the socket contact 220 is located in the insertion & engagement groove 212.
  • the contacting part 221 extends in the height direction and its top end is bifurcated to contact both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 (refer particularly to Fig. 14 and Fig. 17).
  • the contacting part 221 is formed by a plate facing in the depth direction, its root end is provided on the body of the socket contact 220, and its other end is bifurcated into two parts being arranged side by side in the width direction and extending on one side of the height direction; thus the contacting part 211 is formed into a substantially inverted-U as a whole when seen in the depth direction.
  • the top ends of the contacting part 221 of the socket contact 220 will undergo elastic deformation, in relation to the root end thereof, to move away from each other in the width direction, and both the top ends will contact, with a contact pressure, both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 due to the restoring forces resulting from the elastic deformation.
  • the connecting part 222 of the socket contact 220 is of the insulation displacement type, and a wire W is connected to it by insulation displacement connection.
  • the wire may be connected to the socket contact by any other method such as crimping or piercing.
  • the socket housing 210 of this stack type socket connector 200 comprises a connector housing body, which is provided with a receiving room that is open to the outside and receives the socket contacts 220, and a lid that fits into the connector housing body to cover the receiving chamber, and the socket housing 210 is so structured that the wires W that are connected to the socket contacts 220 are led out through spaces between the connector housing body and the lid.
  • the socket contacts 220 and the wires W are prevented from dropping out of the receiving chamber of the connector housing body. In this case, it does not matter whether the lid is in contact with the socket contacts 220 and the wires W or not.
  • a socket housing is sometimes provided with strain reliefs that fit on and hold wires that might be subjected to bending or deformation.
  • the strain relief rises in the height direction from a partition wall between socket contacts in the socket housing, hence the socket housing gets thicker and reduction in thickness can not be achieved.
  • the socket contact is of the insulation displacement type, as the strain relief is so arranged that the insulation displacement punch is kept away from the strain relief, the socket housing becomes longer in the direction of expansion of the receiving chamber.
  • socket housing gets thicker, and reduction in thickness can not be achieved.
  • the socket housing 210 when the socket contacts 220 and the wires W are prevented from dropping off by means of the connector housing body and the lid, there is no need of providing a lance structure, and reduction in thickness of the socket housing can be achieved.
  • the socket housing 210 when the socket housing 210 is reduced in length, the mounting area is reduced further, and when the socket housing 210 is reduced in thickness, reduction in the height of the connection structure is advanced furthermore.
  • the structure of the stack type socket connector of the present invention is not limited in any way by the present embodiment wherein the socket housing comprises a connector housing body with a receiving chamber therein and a lid that fits in the connector housing body to cover the receiving chamber.
  • the protruding part 311 is provided with insertion & engagement grooves 312 that receive the contacting parts 121 of the header contacts 120 when the protruding part 311 is fitted into the receiving chamber 115.
  • these insertion & engagement grooves 312 are so formed that they concave in the height direction from one end face in the height direction of the protruding part 311.
  • These insertion & engagement grooves 312 do not penetrate through the protruding part 311 in the height direction. They are open to one face in the height direction of the protruding part 311, but they are not open to the other face.
  • the contacting parts 321 of the socket contacts 320 are located in the insertion & engagement grooves 312.
  • the contacting part 321 extends in a direction opposing to the protruding direction of the header contact 120 and its top end is bifurcated so that they contact both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 (in particular refer to Fig. 20).
  • This contacting part 321 is formed by a plate facing in the height direction, its base end is provided on the body of the socket contact 320 and the other end is bifurcated so that they are arranged side by side in the width direction and extend rearward in the depth direction, and they are substantially formed into a U shape as a whole when seen in the height direction.
  • the connecting part 322 of the socket contact 320 of the horizontal type socket connector 300 is of the insulation displacement type, and a wire W is insulation-displacement-connected to it.
  • the wire can be connected to the socket contact by another method such as crimping or piercing.
  • the functions and effects of the multi-connection type header connector 100, the stack type socket connector 200 and the horizontal type socket connector 300 of the present embodiment will be described.
  • both the stack type socket connector 200 and the horizontal type socket connector 300 are fitted into the multi-connection type header connector 100 in the height direction by means of the protruding parts 211, 311, respectively, there is no need of providing an object for mounting P with an open space for shifting the socket connectors 200, 300 at the time of engagement, and in turn, the mounting area is reduced (refer to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11). This is very advantageous when the multi-connection type header connector 100 is mounted on an object of mounting P on which components are to be mounted densely.
  • the required operation will be pushing the socket connector 200, 300 in the height direction.
  • the workability is improved significantly in comparison with the operations wherein pushing is made in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction, such as the depth direction or the width direction.
  • the wire W is led out of the socket housing 210, 310 in a direction that crosses the height direction, hence even when, for example, a casing B is arranged to oppose to the surface of the object for mounting P, the wire W will hardly interfere with this casing B or the like.
  • the dimension of protrusion of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 into the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110 can be as shortened as to one half of the receiving chamber 115 in the depth direction.
  • the contacting part 121 of the multi-connection type header connector 100 protrudes frontward in the depth direction, it is possible to provide the opening of the insertion & engagement groove 212 that is provided in the protruding part 211 of the stack type socket connector 200 only on the rear side in the depth direction, and it is also possible to provide the opening of the insertion & engagement groove 312 that is provided in the protruding part 311 of the horizontal type socket connector 300 only on one side in the height direction, and with such an arrangement, prevention of short-circuits and prevention of reverse insertion can be realized.
  • the structure of the contacting part of the header contact is not limited in any way with respect to, for example, of the constituent walls of the receiving chamber, which wall is provided with the contacting part, how the configuration of the contacting part is made, and in which direction the contacting part is made to protrude, and the structure of the contacting part of the socket contact is not limited in any way.
  • the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 is formed into a plate shape facing in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction and protrudes from the constituent wall 115a of the receiving chamber 115 into the receiving chamber 115, and the contacting part 221, 321 of the socket contact 220, 320 contacts both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120.
  • the socket contact 220, 320 contacts the header contact 120 at two points, and the reliability of connection is enhanced.
  • the contacting part 221, 321 of the socket contact 220, 320 can be bifurcated, and in turn reduction in the thickness of the socket contacts 200, 300 can be accomplished.
  • both the stack type socket connector 200 and the horizontal type socket connector 300 fits into the multi-connection type header connector 100 in the height direction by means of the protruding part 211, 311, when the edges of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 is to be chamfered, it is sufficient to chamfer only the edge on one side in the height direction, and there is no need of chamfering the edge on the front side in the depth direction. This is advantageous in terms of cost in comparison with the invention described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 8-78107.
  • the present invention includes embodiments wherein features of the embodiments described above are combined.

Abstract

A multi-connection type header connector, and a stack type socket connector and a horizontal type socket connector for connection thereto
A multi-connection type header connector and a stack type socket and a horizontal type socket connectors for connection to the multi-connection type header is disclosed which can accomplish reduction in both the mounting area and the height. The multi-connection type header connector (100) comprises a header housing (110) that is provided with a receiving chamber (115) that concaves from the top face (111) and extends up to an end face (113) on the front side in the depth direction and a header contact (120), of which contacting part (121) is exposed to the receiving chamber (115) and of which connecting part (122) is exposed to the periphery of the bottom face of the header housing (110). A stack type socket connector (200), which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, a protruding part (211) that is to fit into the receiving chamber (115) in the height direction, and from which, at the other end, a wire (W) is led out in a direction that crosses the height direction, and the horizontal type socket contact (300). The horizontal type connector has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction, a protruding part (311) that fits into the receiving chamber (115) in the height direction, and from which, at the end on the front side in the depth direction, a wire (W) is led out in a direction that crosses the height direction, can be selectively connected to the header connector (100).

Description

The present invention relates to multi-connection type header connectors and stack type socket connectors for connection to multi-connection type connectors. The present invention also relates to horizontal type socket connections for connection to multi-connection type connectors. In some embodiments the multi-connection type header connectors may be mounted on a surface of an object for connection to the socket and stack type connections.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication 2002-93501 discloses a connector structure that comprises a female connector having female contacts and a male connector having male contacts being to fit with the female contacts, the connector structure being structured that a groove is formed in one side face of the female connector in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the female connector, the female contacts are provided in the groove, and both the male contacts and the female contacts are made to contact each other by bringing the male connector toward the female connector in the substantially vertical direction, and in that process inserting the male contacts into the groove and mating the male contacts with the female contacts.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 8-78107 discloses a connector for printed circuit board comprising a male connector to be mounted on a printed circuit board and a female connector to be connected to connection wires and then to be mated and connected with the male connector, the connector for printed circuit board being of a combined fitting type and being characterized in that the male connector is provided with a horizontal mating port and a vertical mating port on one side face of the circumference and the top face, respectively, so that the female connector can be fitted with the male connector in either the horizontal direction or the vertical direction.
Japanese Utility Model Registration Publication 3055808 discloses an electric connector that can be engaged at multiple angles and comprises socket conductive terminals, a plug and a socket and, the electric connector that can be engaged at multiple angles being characterized in that the socket conductive terminal is a longer-than-width slip-shaped thin piece, a concave is provided on each of both sides of the thin piece close to the top end thereof, a pair of parallel nipping pieces extending forward perpendicularly to the longer-than-width slip-shaped thin piece are formed on the concaves, each of the nipping pieces is formed by a pair of ribs being kept apart by an appropriate distance and increasingly tilting inward and an L-shaped vertical piece interconnecting to the front parts of the ribs, a contacting end face is formed to protrude inward so as to oppose to the L-shaped vertical pieces on both sides, the bottom of the L-shaped vertical piece is formed into a circular curved end face, wedge-shaped parts are formed on both sides of the bottom end of the nipping piece and a narrow-width slip-shaped insertion end is formed below the wedge-shaped parts.
The connector structure of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication 2002-93501 is used to mount a hard disc drive on a printed circuit board. When the male connector is inserted into or withdrawn from the female connector, it will not involve any operation of sliding the hard disc drive over the printed circuit board. Hence there is no need of providing the printed circuit board with an open space for shifting the hard disc drive; thus the printed circuit board can be downsized.
In the combined-fitting type connector for printed circuit board of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 8-78107, the female connector can be fitted in either horizontal direction or the vertical direction, and in the electric connector that can be engaged at multiple angles of Japanese Utility Model Registration Publication 3055808, the plug conductive terminals of the plug can be inserted into spaces between the socket conductive terminals in the insertion hole at any desired angles from above or ahead of the socket. However, when the former connector is mounted on a printed circuit board and the female connector is to be engaged with it in the horizontal direction, it will be necessary to provide the printed circuit board with an open space for shifting the female connector at the time of engaging. Moreover, when the latter connector is mounted on a printed circuit board and the plug is to be engaged with it from the front, it will be necessary to provide the printed circuit board with an open space for shifting the plug at the time of engaging. In both cases, such needs prevent downsizing of the printed circuit boards.
When the female connector is to be engaged with the combined-fitting type connector for printed circuit board of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 8-78107 in the vertical direction, if, for example, a casing is located to oppose to the printed circuit board, wires being led out of the female connector will interfere with the casing or the like, and loads will be exerted to the female connector, causing troubles of unstable connection state.
In both the male contact of the connector structure of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication 2002-93501 and the plug conductive terminal of the electric connector of Japanese Utility Model Registration Publication 3055808, the contacting part is exposed, hence there is a possibility of short-circuiting caused by inadvertent contact of a finger or a foreign matter. In contrast to them, the female contact of the combined-fitting type connector for printed circuit board of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 8-78107 is enclosed by the housing insertion part, hence the possibility of short-circuits is reduced. As the housing insertion part is provided with an insertion & engagement groove that penetrates in the width direction being perpendicular to the engaging direction, there is a possibility that when, for example, the housing insertion part is picked by fingers, the skins of the fingers or a foreign matter might enter through the insertion & engagement groove, thus the possibility of short-circuiting is not eliminated. Moreover, as the insertion & engagement groove opens to both end faces in the width direction of the housing insertion part, there is a possibility of so-called reverse insertion wherein the make connector is engaged with the female connector in such an orientation that the female contacts contact the corresponding male contacts in reverse order. The need of forming the insertion & engagement groove so that it penetrates the housing insertion part in the width direction is attributed to that as the female contacts are engaged with the male contacts in two directions, namely, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, dimensions of the male contacts in these two directions must be secured.
Various aspects and features of the present invention are defined in the appended claims.
The present invention was made in view of the above points. Embodiments of the present invention can provide a stack type socket connector, which is stacked in the height direction to be connected, and a horizontal type socket connector, which is placed by the side to be connected, selectively connectable to a header connector that is mounted on a surface of an object for mounting such as a printed circuit board, to make the respective socket connectors engageable with the header connector in the height direction, to use a socket connector from which wires are led out sideward as the above-mentioned sockets so as to eliminate the need of providing the object for mounting with an open space for shifting the socket connector at the time of engagement, and in turn realize reduction in the mounting area, and then enable selection between further reduction in the mounting area or reduction in the height, to promote stabilization of the connection state and reduction in the height of the connection structure by making the wires come out sidewise, to enable provision of a single opening of the insertion & engagement groove that is provided in each socket connector by shortening the protruding dimension of the contacting part of the header contact, and in turn realize prevention of short-circuits and reverse insertion.
According to the present invention there is provided a multi-connection type header connector comprising, when a depth direction, a width direction and a height direction all being perpendicular to each other are assumed, a header housing, which is provided with a receiving chamber that penetrates from a top face being one end face in the height direction to a bottom face being the other end face or concaves from the top face toward the bottom face, and extends up to an end face on the front side in the depth direction and of which bottom face is arranged to oppose to an object for mounting, and a header contact, which is provided in the header housing so that its contacting part is exposed to the receiving chamber and its connecting part is exposed to the bottom face or its periphery of the header housing, and the multi-connection type header connector being so structured that a stack type socket connector, which comprises a socket housing, which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, a protruding part that is to fit into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction, and from which, at the other end, a wire is led out in a direction that crosses the height direction, and a socket contact that is to contact the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire, and a horizontal type socket connector, which comprises a socket housing, which has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction, a protruding part that is to fit into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction, and from which, at the end on the front side in the depth direction, a wire is led out in a direction that crosses the height direction, and a socket contact that is to contact the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire, can be selectively connected to the multi-connection type header connector.
As both the stack type socket connector and the horizontal type socket connector are fitted into the multi-connection type header connector in the height direction by means of the protruding part, there is no need of providing the object for mounting with an open space for shifting the socket connector, hence the mounting area is reduced. When the stack type socket connector is selected and connected to the multi-connection type header connector, the mounting area of the connection structure of both connectors will be reduced further. When the horizontal type socket connector is selected and connected to the multi-connection type header connector, the height of the connection structure of both connectors will be reduced. In that case, of the horizontal type socket connector, a portion that is on the front side in the depth direction of the protruding part will be received in a portion of the receiving chamber of the header housing, the portion extending up to the end face on the front side in the depth direction of the header housing. In both cases of the stack type socket connector and the horizontal type socket connector, the wire is led out of the socket housing in a direction that crosses the height direction, hence even when, for example, a casing is arranged to oppose to the surface of the object for mounting, the wire will hardly interfere with this casing or the like. Thus the loads that are exerted to the wire are reduced and the connection state is stabilized, and moreover, the height of the connection structure of both connectors is reduced. As both the stack type socket connector and the horizontal type socket connector are fitted into the multi-connection type header connector in the height direction by means of the protruding part, the dimension of protrusion of the contacting part of the header contact into the receiving chamber of the header housing can be shortened. In such a case, it is possible to limit the opening of the insertion & engagement groove that is provided in the protruding part of the stack type socket connector only to the side opposing to the protruding direction of the contacting part of the multi-connection type header connector, and it is also possible to limit the opening of the insertion & engagement groove that is provided in the protruding part of the horizontal type socket connector only to one side in the height direction, and with such an arrangement, prevention of short-circuits and prevention of reverse insertion can be realized. For example, if the contacting part of the multi-connection type header connector protrudes frontward in the depth direction, it is possible to provide the opening of the insertion & engagement groove that is provided in the protruding part of the stack type socket connector only on the rear side in the depth direction, and it is also possible to provide the opening of the insertion & engagement groove that is provided in the protruding part of the horizontal type socket connector only on one side in the height direction, and with such an arrangement, prevention of short-circuits and prevention of reverse insertion can be realized.
The multi-connection type header connector of the present invention is so arranged that the stack type socket connector, which is to be connected by stacking in the height direction, and the horizontal type socket connector, which is to be placed and connected side by side in the depth direction, can be selectively connected to the header connector that is to be mounted on the surface of an object for mounting such as printed circuit board, each socket connector is to be engaged with the header connector in the height direction, and the socket connector from which the wire is led out sideward is used as the above-mentioned socket connector, hence the need of providing the object for mounting with an open space for shifting the socket connector at the time of engagement is eliminated, and reduction in the mounting area is realized, and furthermore, it is made possible to choose either further reduction in the mounting area or reduction in the height, stabilization of the state of connection and reduction in the height of the connection structure are enhanced by making the wire to be led out sideward, and by shortening the protruding dimension of the contacting part of the header contact it is made possible to limit the opening of the insertion & engagement groove of each socket connector to only one side, thus prevention of short-circuits and prevention of reverse insertion can be realized.
The multi-connection type header connector of the present invention may be so arranged that the contacting part of the header contact is formed into a plate shape facing in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction and protrudes from a constituent wall of the receiving chamber into the receiving chamber, and the contacting part of the socket contact contacts both end faces in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part of the header contact.
With this arrangement, the socket contact contacts the header contact at two points; thus the reliability of connection is enhanced. Moreover, with the use of a plate material, the contacting part of the socket contact can be bifurcated, and then reduction in the thickness of the socket connector can be made.
The stack type socket connector, which is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, comprises the socket housing, which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, the protruding part that fits into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction and from which the wire is led out at the other end in a direction that crosses the height direction, and the socket contact, which is provided in the socket housing, contacts the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire.
When this stack type socket connector and the horizontal type socket connector are selectively connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, the above-mentioned functions are obtained.
The stack type socket connector, which is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, may be so arranged that it comprises the socket housing, which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, the protruding part that fits into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction and from which the wire is led out at the other end in a direction that crosses the height direction, and the socket contact, which is provided in the socket housing, contacts the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire, the stack type socket connector being structured that the contacting part of the socket contact extends in the height direction and its top end is bifurcated so as to contact both end faces in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part of the header contact.
When this stack type socket connector and the horizontal type socket connector are selectively connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, the above-mentioned functions are obtained.
The horizontal type socket connector, which is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, comprises the socket housing, which has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction thereof, the protruding part that fits into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction and from which the wire is led out at the end on the front side in the depth direction thereof in a direction that crosses the height direction, and the socket contact, which is provided in the socket housing, contacts the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire.
When this horizontal type socket connector and the stack type socket connector are selectively connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, the above-mentioned functions are obtained.
The horizontal type socket connector, which is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, may be so arranged that it comprises the socket housing, which has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction thereof, the protruding part that fits into the receiving chamber of the header housing in the height direction and from which the wire is led out at the end on the front side in the depth direction thereof in a direction that crosses the height direction, and the socket contact, which is provided in the socket housing, contacts the contacting part of the header contact and is connected to the wire, and the horizontal type socket connector being structured that the contacting part of the socket contact extends in a direction opposing to the protruding direction of the header contact and the top end of the contacting part is bifurcated so that the contacting part contacts both end faces in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part of the header contact.
When this horizontal type socket connector and the stack type socket connector are selectively connected to the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, the above-mentioned functions are obtained.
In the following, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the multi-connection type header connector of an embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment seen in the height direction.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment seen from the front in the depth direction.
Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment seen in the height direction.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line V-V of Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view along the line VI-VI of Fig. 2.
Fig. 7 is a sectional view along the line VII-VII of Fig. 3.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the stack type socket connector of the embodiment.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment.
Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment, which is connected with the stack type socket connector.
Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment, which is connected with the horizontal type socket connector.
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the stack type socket connector of the embodiment with wires connected thereto. The lid of the stack type socket connector is removed to show the inside.
Fig. 13 is a rear view of the stack type socket connector of the embodiment seen from the rear in the depth direction.
Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the stack type socket connector of the embodiment, which is sectioned along a plane facing in the depth direction and containing the contacting parts of the socket contact.
Fig. 15 is a sectional view along the line XV-XV of Fig. 13.
Fig. 16 is a sectional view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment, which is mounted on an object for mounting and to which the stack type socket connector is connected, and they are sectioned along a plane facing in the width direction.
Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment, which is mounted on an object for mounting and to which the stack type socket connector is connected, and they are sectioned along a plane that is identical to that of the case of Fig. 14.
Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment with wires connected thereto.
Fig. 19 is a rear view of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment seen from the rear in the depth direction.
Fig. 20 is a perspective view of the socket contact of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment.
Fig. 21 is a sectional view of the horizontal type socket connector of the embodiment with wires connected thereto, along a plane facing in the width direction.
Fig. 22 is a sectional view of the multi-connection type header connector of the embodiment, which is mounted on an object for mounting and to which the horizontal type socket connector is connected, along a plane facing in the width direction.
Fig. 23 is a sectional view along the line XXIII-XXIII of Fig. 22.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Fig. 1 through Fig. 7 show a multi-connection type header connector 100 being an embodiment of the present invention. A depth direction, a width direction and a height direction all being perpendicular to each other are assumed and these directions are used for description. In the case of this embodiment, with reference to Fig. 2, the top-bottom direction of the diagram is the depth direction, and the top of the diagram is the rear in the depth direction, and the bottom of the diagram is the front in the depth direction. A direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper of the diagram is the height direction, and the right-left direction of the diagram is the width direction. The multi-connection type header connector 100 comprises a header housing 110 that is made of an insulative material, and header contacts 120 that are made of a conductive material and provided on the header housing 110. Mounting of the header contacts 120 onto the header housing 110 is made by integral molding, inserting or other methods.
The header housing 110 is provided with a receiving chamber 115, which penetrates from the top face 111 being one end face in the height direction to the bottom face 112 being the other end face and extends up to an end face 113 on the front side in the depth direction. Instead of providing the receiving chamber 115 penetrating the header housing 110, a receiving chamber that is concaved from the top face toward the bottom face and extends to the end face on the front side in the depth direction may be provided. This header housing 110 is arranged so that its bottom face 112 opposes to a surface of the object for mounting P such as a printed wiring board, the surface facing in the height direction. The object for mounting P is an object that has a plane surface and conductors being the counterparts for connection with the header contacts 120. This object for mounting P includes, for example, printed circuit board, flat type flexible cable such as FFC (flexible flat cable) and FPC (flexible printed circuit), and casing of electronic equipment. Here the printed circuit board means a board wherein a conductor pattern that is needed for connecting components is formed by printing according to the circuit design on the surface of or an insulative board or on the surface and inside thereof. In the case of a casing of electronic equipment, an example is an insulator wherein conductors are formed on its surface by MID (molded interconnection device) technology that forms conductive plated layers. In the case of the present embodiment, the object for mounting P is a printed circuit board, and the multi-connection type header connector 100 is mounted on a surface of this object for mounting P being a printed circuit board.
The header contact 120 is provided in the header housing 110 in such a way that a contacting part 121 being provided at one end thereof is exposed to the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110 and a connecting part 122 being provided at another end thereof is exposed to the bottom face 112 or its periphery of the header housing 110. The connecting part 122 is fixed onto the object for mounting P by, for example, soldering. The connecting part 122 may be soldered onto the surface of the object for mounting P or may be inserted into a hole made in the object for mounting P and then soldered. It does not matter whether this hole is through the object for mounting P or not. In the present embodiment, each head contact 120 is provided with two connecting parts 122, but this does not limit, in any way, the number of connecting parts that are to be provided on each header contact.
Moreover, the multi-connection type header connector 100 is arranged so that the stack type socket connector 200 as shown in Fig. 8 and the horizontal type socket connector 300 as shown in Fig. 9 can be selectively connected to them (refer to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11).
As shown in Fig. 8, the stack type socket connector 200 comprises a socket housing 210 that is made of an insulative material, and socket contacts 220 that are made of a conductive material and provided on the socket housing 210. The socket housing 210 has, at one end in the height direction thereof, a protruding part 211 that fits into the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110 in the height direction. The socket housing 210 is arranged so that wires W are led out from the other end in a direction that crosses the height direction. The socket contact 220 contacts the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 and is connected to the wire W. The constituent walls of the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110 and the protruding part 211 of the socket housing 210 are provided with locking mechanisms that enhance the engagement strength when the protruding part 211 is fitted in the receiving chamber 115. To be more precise, the constituent walls of the receiving chamber 115 are provided with concaved parts or locking parts 117, and the protruding part 211 is provided with projecting parts or locking parts 213 so that these locking parts mate together through the use of their flexibility when the protruding part 211 is fitted in the receiving chamber 115. Reversely, the protruding part 211 may be provided with concaved parts and the constituent walls of the receiving chamber may be provided with projecting parts.
As shown in Fig. 9, the horizontal type socket connector 300 comprises a socket housing 310 that is made of an insulative material and socket contacts 320 that are made of a conductive material and provided on the socket housing 310. The socket housing 310 has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction thereof, a protruding part 311 that fits into the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110 in the height direction. The socket housing 310 is so arranged that wires W are led out at the end on the front side in the depth direction thereof in a direction that crosses the height direction. The socket contacts 320 contact the contacting parts 121 of the header contacts 120 and are connected to wires W. The socket housing 310 is provided with locking parts 313 that are similar to the locking parts 213 that are provided on the socket housing 210 of the stack type socket connector 200.
As shown in Fig. 1 through Fig. 7, the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 is of a blade type and is formed into a plate shape facing in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction and protrudes from the constituent wall 115a of the receiving chamber 115 into the receiving chamber 115. In the case of the present embodiment, the contacting part 121 extends from the constituent wall 115a, which is one of the walls constituting the receiving chamber 115, is located on the rear side in the depth direction and is facing to the front in the depth direction, and the top end of the contacting part 121 extends only to the middle in the depth direction of the receiving chamber 115. A pair of the header contacts 120 are arranged in the width direction, and their contacting parts 121 are substantially parallel to each other. However, the number of header contacts of the multi-connection type header connector according to the present invention is not limited by this embodiment. As for the contacting part 121, it is sufficient that the contacting part 121 faces in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction, and it is also sufficient that its protruding direction is perpendicular to the height direction. The contacting parts 221, 321 of the socket contacts 220, 320 are so arranged that they contact both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting parts 121 of the header contacts 120.
In the case of the present embodiment, the receiving chamber 115 of the multi-connection type header connector 100 penetrates from the top face 111 to the bottom face 112 and also extends up to the end face 113 on the front side in the depth direction, but the width of the receiving chamber 115 is narrowed at a point close to the end face 113 on the front side in the depth direction to form a necked part. The header housing 110 is provided with fitting-on parts 116 that protrude inward in the width direction to form this necked part, and these fitting-on parts 116 prevent the stack type socket connector 200 or the horizontal type socket connector 300 from slipping off frontward in the depth direction. Such formation of a necked part in the receiving chamber and provision of fitting-on parts on the header housing can be done similarly when the central part of the receiving chamber is formed by concaving the top face of the header housing toward its bottom face.
As shown in Fig. 12 through Fig. 17, in the case of the stack type socket connector 200, the protruding part 211 is provided with insertion & engagement grooves 212 that receive the contacting parts 121 of the header contacts 120 when the protruding part 211 is fitted into the receiving chamber 115. As shown in Fig. 15, these insertion & engagement grooves 212 are so formed that they are concaved, in the height direction, from the end face in the height direction of the protruding part 211. The insertion & engagement grooves 212 do not penetrate the protruding part 211 in the depth direction, and although insertion & engagement grooves 212 are open to the rear face in the depth direction of the protruding part 211, they are not open to the front face in the depth direction. The contacting part 221 of the socket contact 220 is located in the insertion & engagement groove 212. The contacting part 221 extends in the height direction and its top end is bifurcated to contact both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 (refer particularly to Fig. 14 and Fig. 17). The contacting part 221 is formed by a plate facing in the depth direction, its root end is provided on the body of the socket contact 220, and its other end is bifurcated into two parts being arranged side by side in the width direction and extending on one side of the height direction; thus the contacting part 211 is formed into a substantially inverted-U as a whole when seen in the depth direction. It is so arranged that when the protruding part 211 of the stack type socket connector 200 is fitted into the receiving chamber 115 of the multi-connection type header connector 100, the top ends of the contacting part 221 of the socket contact 220 will undergo elastic deformation, in relation to the root end thereof, to move away from each other in the width direction, and both the top ends will contact, with a contact pressure, both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 due to the restoring forces resulting from the elastic deformation. Here, in the stack type socket connector 200, the connecting part 222 of the socket contact 220 is of the insulation displacement type, and a wire W is connected to it by insulation displacement connection. However, the wire may be connected to the socket contact by any other method such as crimping or piercing.
As shown in Fig. 12 through Fig. 17, the socket housing 210 of this stack type socket connector 200 comprises a connector housing body, which is provided with a receiving room that is open to the outside and receives the socket contacts 220, and a lid that fits into the connector housing body to cover the receiving chamber, and the socket housing 210 is so structured that the wires W that are connected to the socket contacts 220 are led out through spaces between the connector housing body and the lid. With this arrangement, by means of the connector housing body and the lid, the socket contacts 220 and the wires W are prevented from dropping out of the receiving chamber of the connector housing body. In this case, it does not matter whether the lid is in contact with the socket contacts 220 and the wires W or not. Generally speaking, to enhance the strength against wire pulling-about that might bend or deform the wires, a socket housing is sometimes provided with strain reliefs that fit on and hold wires that might be subjected to bending or deformation. The strain relief, however, rises in the height direction from a partition wall between socket contacts in the socket housing, hence the socket housing gets thicker and reduction in thickness can not be achieved. Moreover, when the socket contact is of the insulation displacement type, as the strain relief is so arranged that the insulation displacement punch is kept away from the strain relief, the socket housing becomes longer in the direction of expansion of the receiving chamber. However, like the case of the present embodiment, when the socket contacts 220 and the wires W are prevented from coming off by means of the connector housing body and the lid, there is no need of provision of strain reliefs, and reduction in both thickness and length of the socket housing can be achieved. Sometimes a housing lance structure is used, wherein the socket housing is provided with elastic pieces and these elastic pieces are fitted on socket contacts, or a contact lance structure is used, wherein reversely socket contacts are provided with elastic pieces and these elastic pieces are fitted on the socket housing. In either case, the socket housing gets thicker, and reduction in thickness can not be achieved. As is the case of the present embodiment, however, when the socket contacts 220 and the wires W are prevented from dropping off by means of the connector housing body and the lid, there is no need of providing a lance structure, and reduction in thickness of the socket housing can be achieved. As described above, when the socket housing 210 is reduced in length, the mounting area is reduced further, and when the socket housing 210 is reduced in thickness, reduction in the height of the connection structure is advanced furthermore. It should be noted that the structure of the stack type socket connector of the present invention is not limited in any way by the present embodiment wherein the socket housing comprises a connector housing body with a receiving chamber therein and a lid that fits in the connector housing body to cover the receiving chamber.
As shown in Fig. 18 through Fig. 23, in the case of the horizontal type socket connector 300 of the present embodiment, the protruding part 311 is provided with insertion & engagement grooves 312 that receive the contacting parts 121 of the header contacts 120 when the protruding part 311 is fitted into the receiving chamber 115. As shown in Fig. 18, these insertion & engagement grooves 312 are so formed that they concave in the height direction from one end face in the height direction of the protruding part 311. These insertion & engagement grooves 312 do not penetrate through the protruding part 311 in the height direction. They are open to one face in the height direction of the protruding part 311, but they are not open to the other face. The contacting parts 321 of the socket contacts 320 are located in the insertion & engagement grooves 312. The contacting part 321 extends in a direction opposing to the protruding direction of the header contact 120 and its top end is bifurcated so that they contact both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 (in particular refer to Fig. 20). This contacting part 321 is formed by a plate facing in the height direction, its base end is provided on the body of the socket contact 320 and the other end is bifurcated so that they are arranged side by side in the width direction and extend rearward in the depth direction, and they are substantially formed into a U shape as a whole when seen in the height direction. It is so structured that when the protruding part 311 of the horizontal type socket connector 300 is fitted into the receiving chamber 115 of the multi-connection type header connector 100, the top ends of the contacting part 321 of the socket contact 320 will undergo elastic deformation, in relation to their base end, in the width direction to depart from each other and contact both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 with a contact pressure due to their restoring forces gained by the elastic deformation. Here, the connecting part 322 of the socket contact 320 of the horizontal type socket connector 300 is of the insulation displacement type, and a wire W is insulation-displacement-connected to it. The wire, however, can be connected to the socket contact by another method such as crimping or piercing.
The functions and effects of the multi-connection type header connector 100, the stack type socket connector 200 and the horizontal type socket connector 300 of the present embodiment will be described. As both the stack type socket connector 200 and the horizontal type socket connector 300 are fitted into the multi-connection type header connector 100 in the height direction by means of the protruding parts 211, 311, respectively, there is no need of providing an object for mounting P with an open space for shifting the socket connectors 200, 300 at the time of engagement, and in turn, the mounting area is reduced (refer to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11). This is very advantageous when the multi-connection type header connector 100 is mounted on an object of mounting P on which components are to be mounted densely. When the multi-connection type header connector 100 is mounted on an object for mounting P having components densely mounted, and the stack type socket connector 200 or the horizontal type socket connector 300 is to be fitted in it, the required operation will be pushing the socket connector 200, 300 in the height direction. Hence the workability is improved significantly in comparison with the operations wherein pushing is made in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction, such as the depth direction or the width direction. When the stack type socket connector 200 is selected and connected to the multi-connection type header connector 100, the mounting area of the connection structure of both the connectors 100, 200 is reduced further. When the horizontal type socket connector 300 is selected and fitted into the multi-connection type header connector 100, the connection structure of both the connectors 100, 300 is reduced in the height. In that case, of the horizontal type socket connector 300, a portion that is on the front side in the depth direction of the protruding part 311 will be received in a portion of the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110, the portion extending up to the end face 113 on the front side in the depth direction of the header housing 110. In both cases of the stack type socket connector 200 and the horizontal type socket connector 300, the wire W is led out of the socket housing 210, 310 in a direction that crosses the height direction, hence even when, for example, a casing B is arranged to oppose to the surface of the object for mounting P, the wire W will hardly interfere with this casing B or the like. Thus the loads that are exerted to the wire W are reduced and the connection state is stabilized, and moreover, the height of the connection structure of both connectors 100, 200, 300 is reduced (refer to Fig. 16 and Fig. 22). When the multi-connection type header connector 100 is mounted on an object for mounting P and the stack type socket connector 200 is connected to it, if the stack type socket connector 200 interferes with a casing B, the interference with the casing B will be eliminated by replacing the stack type socket connector 200 with the horizontal type socket connector 300, while the multi-connection type header connector 100 is kept as it is; thus the trouble can be solved with ease. As both the stack type socket connector 200 and the horizontal type socket connector 300 are fitted into the multi-connection type header connector 100 in the height direction by means of the protruding part 211, 311, the dimension of protrusion of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 into the receiving chamber 115 of the header housing 110 can be as shortened as to one half of the receiving chamber 115 in the depth direction. In such a case, it is possible to limit the opening of the insertion & engagement groove 212 that is provided in the protruding part 212 of the stack type socket connector 200 only to the side opposing to the protruding direction of the contacting part 121 of the multi-connection type header connector 100, and it is also possible to limit the opening of the insertion & engagement groove 312 that is provided in the protruding part 311 of the horizontal type socket connector 300 only to one side in the height direction, and with such an arrangement, prevention of short-circuits and prevention of reverse insertion can be realized. In this embodiment, as the contacting part 121 of the multi-connection type header connector 100 protrudes frontward in the depth direction, it is possible to provide the opening of the insertion & engagement groove 212 that is provided in the protruding part 211 of the stack type socket connector 200 only on the rear side in the depth direction, and it is also possible to provide the opening of the insertion & engagement groove 312 that is provided in the protruding part 311 of the horizontal type socket connector 300 only on one side in the height direction, and with such an arrangement, prevention of short-circuits and prevention of reverse insertion can be realized.
In the case of the multi-connection type header connector of the present invention, the structure of the contacting part of the header contact is not limited in any way with respect to, for example, of the constituent walls of the receiving chamber, which wall is provided with the contacting part, how the configuration of the contacting part is made, and in which direction the contacting part is made to protrude, and the structure of the contacting part of the socket contact is not limited in any way. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment, however, the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 is formed into a plate shape facing in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction and protrudes from the constituent wall 115a of the receiving chamber 115 into the receiving chamber 115, and the contacting part 221, 321 of the socket contact 220, 320 contacts both end faces 121a, 121a in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120. With this arrangement, the socket contact 220, 320 contacts the header contact 120 at two points, and the reliability of connection is enhanced. Moreover, with the use of a plate material, the contacting part 221, 321 of the socket contact 220, 320 can be bifurcated, and in turn reduction in the thickness of the socket contacts 200, 300 can be accomplished.
As both the stack type socket connector 200 and the horizontal type socket connector 300 fits into the multi-connection type header connector 100 in the height direction by means of the protruding part 211, 311, when the edges of the contacting part 121 of the header contact 120 is to be chamfered, it is sufficient to chamfer only the edge on one side in the height direction, and there is no need of chamfering the edge on the front side in the depth direction. This is advantageous in terms of cost in comparison with the invention described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 8-78107.
The present invention includes embodiments wherein features of the embodiments described above are combined.
Various respective aspects and features of the invention are defined in the appended claims. Features from the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims as appropriate and not merely as explicitly set out in the claims.

Claims (6)

  1. A multi-connection type header connector (100) comprising
    when a depth direction, a width direction and a height direction all being perpendicular to each other are assumed, a header housing (110), which is provided with a receiving chamber (115) that penetrates from a top face (111) being one end face in the height direction to a bottom face (112) being the other end face or concaves from the top face (111) toward the bottom face (112), and extends up to an end face (113) on the front side in the depth direction and of which bottom face (112) is arranged to oppose to an object for mounting, and
    a header contact (120), which is provided in the header housing (110) so that its contacting part (121) is exposed to the receiving chamber (115) and its connecting part (122) is exposed to the bottom face (112) or its periphery of the header housing (110), and
    the multi-connection type header connector (100) being so structured that a stack type socket connector (200), which comprises a socket housing (210), which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, a protruding part (211) that is to fit into the receiving chamber (115) of the header housing (110) in the height direction, and from which, at the other end, a wire (W) is led out in a direction that crosses the height direction, and a socket contact (220) that is to contact the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120) and is connected to the wire (W), and a horizontal type socket connector (300), which comprises a socket housing (310), which has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction, a protruding part (311) that is to fit into the receiving chamber (115) of the header housing (110) in the height direction, and from which, at the end on the front side in the depth direction, a wire (W) is led out in a direction that crosses the height direction, and a socket contact (320) that is to contact the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120) and is connected to the wire (W), can be selectively connected to the multi-connection type header connector (100).
  2. The multi-connection type header connector (100) as recited in claim 1, wherein
    the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120) is formed into a plate shape facing in a direction that is perpendicular to the height direction and protrudes from a constituent wall (115a) of the receiving chamber (115) into the receiving chamber (115), and
    the contacting part (221) of the socket contact (220) contacts both end faces (121a) in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120).
  3. The stack type socket connector (200) that is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector (100) of claim 1, the stack type socket connector (200) comprising
    the socket housing (210), which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, the protruding part (211) that fits into the receiving chamber (115) of the header housing (110) in the height direction and from which the wire (W) is led out at the other end in a direction that crosses the height direction, and
    the socket contact (220), which is provided in the socket housing (210), contacts the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120) and is connected to the wire (W).
  4. The stack type socket connector (200) that is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector (100) of claim 2, the stack type socket connector (200) comprising
    the socket housing (210), which has, at one end in the height direction thereof, the protruding part (211) that fits into the receiving chamber (115) of the header housing (110) in the height direction and from which the wire (W) is led out at the other end in a direction that crosses the height direction, and
    the socket contact (220), which is provided in the socket housing (210), contacts the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120)'and is connected to the wire (W),
    the stack type socket connector (200) being structured that
    the contacting part (221) of the socket contact (220) extends in the height direction and its top end is bifurcated so as to contact both end faces (121a) in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120).
  5. The horizontal type socket connector (300) that is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector (100) of claim 1, the horizontal type socket connector (300) comprising
    the socket housing (310), which has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction thereof, the protruding part (311) that fits into the receiving chamber (115) of the header housing (110) in the height direction and from which the wire (W) is led out at the end on the front side in the depth direction thereof in a direction that crosses the height direction, and
    the socket contact (320), which is provided in the socket housing (310), contacts the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120) and is connected to the wire (W).
  6. The horizontal type socket connector (300) that is to be connected to the multi-connection type header connector (100) of claim 2, the horizontal type socket connector (300) comprising
    the socket housing (310), which has, at the end on the rear side in the depth direction thereof, the protruding part (311) that fits into the receiving chamber (115) of the header housing (110) in the height direction and from which the wire (W) is led out at the end on the front side in the depth direction thereof in a direction that crosses the height direction, and
    the socket contact (320), which is provided in the socket housing (310), contacts the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120) and is connected to the wire (W), and
    the horizontal type socket connector (300) being structured that
    the contacting part (321) of the socket contact (320) extends in a direction opposing to the protruding direction of the header contact (120) and the top end of the contacting part (321) is bifurcated so that the contacting part (321) contacts both end faces (121a) in the plate thickness direction of the contacting part (121) of the header contact (120).
EP04256884A 2003-11-07 2004-11-05 Multiconnection device Withdrawn EP1530262A3 (en)

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JP2012003874A (en) * 2010-06-15 2012-01-05 Fujitsu Ltd Connector, receptacle connector and plug connector
CN102371073A (en) * 2010-08-10 2012-03-14 无锡爱睿芯电子有限公司 Electronic modular system
CN103022838B (en) * 2011-09-23 2015-02-11 鸿富锦精密工业(武汉)有限公司 Connector
CN102496793B (en) * 2011-11-21 2015-07-15 深圳市华星光电技术有限公司 Connector, PCB (printed circuit board) of LED light bar and LED light bar
JP6044609B2 (en) * 2014-09-04 2016-12-14 Smk株式会社 Connector connection structure
WO2016208328A1 (en) 2015-06-26 2016-12-29 堺ディスプレイプロダクト株式会社 Connector, connector mounting substrate, illumination device, and display device
CN109309296A (en) * 2017-07-28 2019-02-05 中航光电科技股份有限公司 A kind of RU case, printing plate module, connector and connector connection part

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JPH0878107A (en) * 1994-09-02 1996-03-22 Nippon Tanshi Kk Combination fitting type printed circuit board connector
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WO1997027650A1 (en) * 1996-01-23 1997-07-31 The Whitaker Corporation Multi-directional interface header assembly

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KR20050044267A (en) 2005-05-12
KR101085481B1 (en) 2011-11-21
TW200520319A (en) 2005-06-16
CN100505434C (en) 2009-06-24
TWI341625B (en) 2011-05-01
CN1614829A (en) 2005-05-11

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