GB1573090A

GB1573090A - Rack for circiut boards

Info

Publication number: GB1573090A
Application number: GB2417978A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: CA Weidmueller GmbH and Co
Current assignee: Weidmueller Interface GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1977-08-02
Filing date: 1978-05-30
Publication date: 1980-08-13
Also published as: DE7724005U1

Description

(54) RACK FOR CIRCUIT BOARDS (71) We, C. A. WEIDMULLER K. G. of 175 Paderborner Strasse, 4930 Detmold 14, Germany (Federal Republic) a German Company, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to racks for receiving plug-in circuit boards, in particular printed circuit boards.

Known racks for plug-in circuit boards comprise a pair of holders with guides for receiving a circuit board, and block-shaped connecting members provided with connections for the contacts of the circuit board and for external conductors, the connecting members being connected to the said holders by tongues and grooves. These have the disadvantage that different types of holder must be provided for connecting members of different heights, in particular for different heights of plug connections. Furthermore, the holders of the known racks have, for mounting, only screw connections for attachment to a plate or the like.

They are therefore not versatile.

According to the present invention there is provided a rack for receiving a plug-in circuit board, which rack comprises a pair of spaced holders provided with guides for receiving respective edges of a plug-in printed circuit board, and a connecting member extending between the holders and detachably connected thereto, the connecting member comprising a plate and electrical connecting means carried by the plate, for connection to the printed circuit board in use, the holders having a plurality of supports at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the guides whereby the said plate can be located selectively at different positions along the said longitudinal direction.

Thus, different plates with connecting members of different heights (the holders normally being mounted with their guides vertical) can be used with identical holders, the plates being fitted to different supports of the holders, as appropriate to match the position of the connecting member and the circuit board to be used.

In particular, a connecting socket strip of the plate can always be mounted at the appropriate position to match a pin strip of the circuit board.

Preferably, each holder has at its bottom end, that is to say, the end towards which the circuit board moves on insertion in the guides) a mounting clip and/or a hole for a mounting screw, to provide versatility of mounting for example on a plate or other flat surface or on a flanged support rail of the well known kind used for clip-on electrical terminals.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a holder of a rack for a circuit board according to the invention, seen from the side which receives the circuit board, Figure 2 shows the holder of Figure 1 in side view, Figure 3 shows the base region of another holder with a different mounting means.

Figure 4 shows schematically a holder according to the invention with yet another mounting arrangement, and Figure 5 is a plan view of a rack embodying the invention, with a circuit board inserted.

Figures 1 and 2 show one of a pair of identical holders 1 which are interconnected by a bottom plate 6 of a connecting member provided with electrical terminals (Figure 5) for connecting electrical conductors to a printed circuit board. The holders and bottom plate together form a rack for the circuit board. The holders have in their mutually opposed faces respective guide grooves 2 extending from top to bottom of each holder, for receiving respective edges of the circuit board. At the top or entry end, each guide has a lead-in ramp and tapered region 4, immediately following which is a detent projection which can engage a corresponding notch of the circuit board for retaining the circuit board in the groove, and in particular for providing a vibration-proof mounting of the circuit board.

The connecting member comprises the bottom plate 6, an upwardly facing socket strip (not shown) thereon, provided with sockets for contact pins of a pin strip 14 of the circuit board 3, which in general is a printed circuit board, and terminal blocks 7 for connection of external conductors to conductors on the plate 6 and thence via the socket strip and pin strip to the circuitry on the board 3. The bottom plate 6 is located on one of a plurality of supports 8 of each holder.

By suitable selection of the support to be used, the connecting member can be set to the appropriate height for connection of the printed circuit board to be used, according to the arrangement of connections on the printed circuit board and/or on the connecting member. On each holder, the supports 8 are provided in pairs on opposite sides of the guide groove, to provide firm and accurate location of the plate 6.

A hole 9 extends theough each set of supports, to receive a fixing screw for fastening the plate 6 at the selected height, and one support of each set is provided with a lateral aperture 10 intersecting the hole 9, for insertion of a square nut to secure the screw.

Since the supports 8 project from each holder towards the opposite holder of the pair, the plate 6 can extend sideways, i.e.

perpendicular to the guide grooves, beyond the holders and the extra area of the plate 6 thus available can be used to carry electrical components, as indicated in Figure 5. The plate may itself be a circuit board, in particular a printed circuit board. This lateral extension of the plate 6 may be so great that the projecting end of the board is received in a further pair of holders, and may be provided with further connecting means for a circuit board inserted into the further pair of holders.

The plate 6 may be provided with terminal blocks providing connections to the components on the plate 6.

The holder shown in Figures 1 and 2 has in its bottom region a hole 11 for a screw 15 for mounting the holder in a plate 12 common to both holders of the pair, or to all the holders of two pairs if a second pair of 6 as described above. The common plate 12 may also be a circuit board and may carry electrical components, as shown in Figure 2.

As shown in Figure 4, the common plate 12 may in turn be permanently or detachably connected to a clip-on base member 13 As shown in Figure 4, the common plate 12 may in turn be permanently or detachably connected to a clip-on base member 13 designed to be clipped on to and unclipped from a metal supporting rail 16 of well known form. Thus only a single clip-on base member is required for the entire rack. The plate 12 can be connected to the clip-on base member for example by screw fastenings, clips, pins, rivets or any other convenient fastening means.

It should be noted that in Figure 4 the holders 1 are shown only schematically.

Figure 3 shows a similar clip own base member 13 permanently or detachably fastened to the bottom of or integral with a holder 1. Thus, both holders of the rack are provided with a clip-on base member and the rack will in use extend alond the support rail 16, whereas in Figure 4 the rack extends across the support rail. The holder can be provided with a screw hole 11 as well as with the clip-on base member.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A rack for receiving a plug-in circuit board, which rack comprises a pair of spaced holders provided with guides for receiving respective edges of a plug-in printed circuit board, and a connecting member extending between the holders and detachably connected thereto, the connecting member comprising a plate and electrical connecting means carried by the plate, for connection to the printed circuit board in use, the holders having a plurality of supports at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the guides whereby the said plate can be located selectively at different positions along the said longitudinal direction.

2. A rack as claimed in claim 1 in which, in each holder, the supports are penetrated by a hole for a screw for fastening the plate in place, and means are provided for locating a nut for entry by the screw.

3. A rack as claimed in claim 2 in which the locating means is an aperture in a support, laterally intersecting the said hole for insertion of the nut.

4. A rack as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which each guide has an entry end provided with a lead-in ramp for the circuit board, the supports adjoining the other end of the guide.

5. A rack as claimed in claim 1,2,3 or 4 in which each guide has an entry end and, adjacent thereto, detent means for retaining a circuit board inserted in the guides.

6. A rack as claimed in any preceding claim in which the plate beyond the holders in

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. by a bottom plate 6 of a connecting member provided with electrical terminals (Figure 5) for connecting electrical conductors to a printed circuit board. The holders and bottom plate together form a rack for the circuit board. The holders have in their mutually opposed faces respective guide grooves 2 extending from top to bottom of each holder, for receiving respective edges of the circuit board. At the top or entry end, each guide has a lead-in ramp and tapered region 4, immediately following which is a detent projection which can engage a corresponding notch of the circuit board for retaining the circuit board in the groove, and in particular for providing a vibration-proof mounting of the circuit board. The connecting member comprises the bottom plate 6, an upwardly facing socket strip (not shown) thereon, provided with sockets for contact pins of a pin strip 14 of the circuit board 3, which in general is a printed circuit board, and terminal blocks 7 for connection of external conductors to conductors on the plate 6 and thence via the socket strip and pin strip to the circuitry on the board 3. The bottom plate 6 is located on one of a plurality of supports 8 of each holder. By suitable selection of the support to be used, the connecting member can be set to the appropriate height for connection of the printed circuit board to be used, according to the arrangement of connections on the printed circuit board and/or on the connecting member. On each holder, the supports 8 are provided in pairs on opposite sides of the guide groove, to provide firm and accurate location of the plate 6. A hole 9 extends theough each set of supports, to receive a fixing screw for fastening the plate 6 at the selected height, and one support of each set is provided with a lateral aperture 10 intersecting the hole 9, for insertion of a square nut to secure the screw. Since the supports 8 project from each holder towards the opposite holder of the pair, the plate 6 can extend sideways, i.e. perpendicular to the guide grooves, beyond the holders and the extra area of the plate 6 thus available can be used to carry electrical components, as indicated in Figure 5. The plate may itself be a circuit board, in particular a printed circuit board. This lateral extension of the plate 6 may be so great that the projecting end of the board is received in a further pair of holders, and may be provided with further connecting means for a circuit board inserted into the further pair of holders. The plate 6 may be provided with terminal blocks providing connections to the components on the plate 6. The holder shown in Figures 1 and 2 has in its bottom region a hole 11 for a screw 15 for mounting the holder in a plate 12 common to both holders of the pair, or to all the holders of two pairs if a second pair of 6 as described above. The common plate 12 may also be a circuit board and may carry electrical components, as shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 4, the common plate 12 may in turn be permanently or detachably connected to a clip-on base member 13 As shown in Figure 4, the common plate 12 may in turn be permanently or detachably connected to a clip-on base member 13 designed to be clipped on to and unclipped from a metal supporting rail 16 of well known form. Thus only a single clip-on base member is required for the entire rack. The plate 12 can be connected to the clip-on base member for example by screw fastenings, clips, pins, rivets or any other convenient fastening means. It should be noted that in Figure 4 the holders

1 are shown only schematically.

a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the guides.

7. A rack as claimed in claim 6 in which the plate is additionally located by a further pair of said holders

8. A rack as claimed in claim 6 or 7 in which the plate is a circuit board.

9. A rack as claimed in any preceding claim in which the holders are provided with a mounting clip.

10. A rack as claimed in any preceding claim, in which each holder has a hole for a mounting screw for mounting the holder on a surface generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the guide.

11. A rack as claimed in any preceding claim in which the holders are mounted on a common further plate.

12. A rack as claimed in claim 11 when dependent on claim 10, in which the holders are attached to the common plate by screws in the said mounting screw holes.

13. A rack as claimed in claim 11 or 12 in which the common plate is provided with a mounting clip.

14. A rack as claimed in claim 11, 12 or 13 in which the common plate is a circuit board.

15. A rack for receiving a plug-in circuit board, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.