GB2082401A - Locking and extracting mechanism for electrical connectors - Google Patents

Abstract

A socket (10) adapted to receive a plug (38) has a pivotable latching lever (24) at each end. Each latching lever (24) has a nose portion (26) which retains the plug in place when the plug is fully inserted and has a heel portion (32) which, when the levers are pressed outwards, rises from the socket to eject the plug directly upwards. The heel portions (32) are pushed down by the plug (38) on insertion of the plug in order to bring the latching levers (24) into engagement with the plug. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electrical connectors This invention relates to electrical connectors, and in particular to an improved socket designed to facilitate the removal of a plug-in unit which fits into the socket.

The present invention is particularly applicable to the type of electrical socket used to retain dual-in-line packages and plugs used to provide electrical connections to integrated circuit boards. References hereinafter to a dual-in-line plug (D.l.P.) and to a dual-in-line socket mean plugs and sockets which carry two parallel rows of contact pins, in the case of the plug for insertion into a socket, and in the case of the socket for insertion into a printed circuit board for example. References hereinafter to a plug include any device or unit which has male contact elements designed to fit into a socket.

One conventional type of dual-in-line plug has two parallel rows of contact pins connected to a multiple conductor insulated cable in the form of a flat tape having a plurality of longitudinally extending parallel insulated wire conductors secured together in a common plane by an enveloping film of plastics material. The contact pins of the plug pierce the plastics material to make electrical connection to the conductor wires. It is known to provide a socket for such plugs, the socket having recesses equal in number to the contact pins to receive them in tight fitting relationship, and also having a resilient upstanding arm at each end of the rectangular socket. When the plug is pushed into the socket these resilient arms are pushed back until, when the plug is fully received in the socket, they spring inwards and latch over the plug to hold it in place.

However, this conventional connector has a number of disadvantages. The main drawback is that it is extremely difficult subsequently to remove the plug from the socket without damaging the very fragile contact pins. In order to remove the plug it is necessary manually to push each of the resilient arms outwards, and then while keeping them held apart lever the plug out of the socket. This is extremely difficult to do without bending or otherwise damaging the contact pins of the plug and/or of the socket. When using integrated circuits it is important to be able to remove these plugs readily and reliably without damage, particularly for the servicing of equipment. This is just not possible with the aforesaid known type of socket.A further disadvantage of this known socket is that it is unsuitable for applications which are subject to vibration because the structure of the socket and the form of the plug/socket connection makes it susceptible to vibration and to loss of electrical contact between the pins and the female connectors.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved socket for an electrical connector, especially for a dual-in-line package or plug, which enables the D.l.P. to be ejected easily from the socket without damaging the contact pins, and which also will hold a D.l.P. locked in position in the socket in such a manner that it is not adversely affected by vibration.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an electrical connector socket comprising a plurality of female recesses to receive corresponding contact pins of a plug, and latch means capable both of retaining the plug in the socket and of ejecting the plug from the socket, said latch means being movable in a first sense by the insertion of the plug automatically to hold the plug in the socket and being movable manually in a second sense thereby automatically to eject the plug from the socket.

Preferably, the latch means comprises a pair of pivotable levers mounted on respective shafts carried by the socket. In the case of a dual-in-line socket the levers are positioned at opposite ends of the socket and centrally between the two parallel rows of recesses.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the latch levers has a heel portion which is engaged by the incoming plug and which by its movement as the plug is pushed into mating relationship causes pivotal movement of the lever and the sliding of a lever nose portion over the surface of the plug, thereby to prevent undesired removal thereof.

Also in accordance with the present invention there is provided an electrical connector comprising a socket in accordance with the invention and as defined above in combination with a plug having contact pins arranged to fit into said recesses.

Preferably, the plug is a dual-in-line plug having two parallel tows of contact pins connected to a plurality of parallel insulated conductor wires forming part of a multi-conductor flat cable.

The socket of the present invention enables one to remove a plug from the socket by a simple manual movement of the latch means, the ejection being such that the plug is lifted straight up out of the socket and thereby minimising the likelihood of any of the contact pins being damaged.

In order that the invention may be fully understood a presently preferred embodiment of electrical connector socket will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a dual-in-line socket in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the socket of Fig.

1; Figure 3 is an end view of the socket of Fig.

1; and, Figure 4 is a perspective view of a dual-inline socket which is slightly modified as compared with that shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and illustrating the insertion of a dual-in-line plug into the socket.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3, these show a dual-in-line socket, indicated generally at 10, which comprises a base 12 equipped with a plurality of connector pins 14 projecting from the underside of the base. The particular socket shown in the drawings has fourteen contact pins arranged in two parallel rows, each with seven pins. The number of contact pins 14 can be greater or less than this number as desired. The socket base 1 2 acts as a bed for a socket cover 1 6 which is fitted down on to the base. The socket cover 1 6 has an equivalent number of suitably flared apertures 18 to match the contact pins 14 with each aperture being located above a respective pin.The socket cover 1 6 has an upstanding pillar 20 at each corner and is cut away as indicated at 22 between each pair of end pillars.

A latching lever 24 is fitted at each end of the socket. Each latching lever 24 has a nose portion 26 at its upper end projecting inwardly towards the centre of the socket. The latching levers are each pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 28 which extends through the lower part of the lever and through each of the pillars 20 positioned on either side of the lever. The lower portion of each lever below the level of the pivot pin 28 has a heel portion 30 which is rounded on the underside and which, in the upright position of the lever as shown in Fig. 2, has a horizontally extending flat surface 32 which lies in the same plane as the flat top surface of the socket cover 1 6. The rounded underside of the heel portion of each latching lever is provided with a notch 34 extending across the width of the lever. This notch engages with a locating rib 36.The purpose of this is to ensure that the latching levers, when in their upright position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, cannot be pivoted outwards by vibration, but only as a result of a positive manual movement of the levers.

Fig. 4 shows a slightly modified form of socket, having sixteen contact pins 14. Fig. 4 shows how the socket receives a dual-in-line package or plug, indicated generally at 38.

This dual-in-line plug (D.l.P.) is connected to a flat multi-conductor cable 40 which has a plurality of longitudinally extending parallel conductor wires 42 secured together and electrically insulated from each other by an enveloping film of plastics material 44. The plug has contact pins 46 which are connected to respective selected conductor wires 42 by a suitable internal connector assembly (not shown).

In order to insert the D.l.P. into the socket the lever arms 24 are moved to their fully open, outwardly pivoted positions with their heel portions 30 projecting up above the flat top surface of the socket cover 16. As the D.l.P. is pushed firmly down into the socket, it engages the upwardly projecting heels 30 of the latching levers, pushing these down and causing the latching levers to pivot towards their upright position, as shown in Fig.

4. When the D.l.P. is pushed fully home into the socket the latching levers will have been pivoted into their fully upright positions with their nose portions 26 automatically closing over the top of the D.l.P. and locking it in place in the socket.

In order subsequently to eject the plug from the socket, it is simply necessary manually to press the two latching levers 24 outwards, whereby the heels 30 move upwards and automatically lift the D.l.P. straight up out of the socket.

Claims (11)

1. An electrical connector socket comprises ing a plurality of female recesses to receive corresponding contact pins of a plug, and latch means capable both of retaining the plug in the socket and of ejecting the plug from the socket, said latch means being movable in a first sense by the insertion of the plug automatically to hold the plug in the socket and being movable manually in a second sense thereby automatically to eject the plug from the socket.

2. A socket as claimed in claim 1, in which said latch means are arranged to perform pivotal movements.

3. A socket as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the latch means comprises a pair of pivotable levers which by their pivotal movement effect both said retaining and ejecting capabilities.

4. A socket as claimed in claim 3, in which each lever has a nose portion which in a first position of the lever retains the plug in the socket, and a heel portion which as the lever is moved from said first position causes ejection of the plug from the socket.

5. A socket as claimed in claim 3 or 4, in which each of said levers includes locating means to lock the lever automatically in place when the lever is carrying out its retaining function.

6. A socket as claimed in claim 5, in which said locating means comprises a recess formed in the surface of the lever and a fixed detent on the socket engageable by said recess.

7. A socket as claimed in any preceding claim in which the socket is substantially rectangular in horizontal cross-section and said latch means are positioned one at each end of the socket.

8. A socket as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a dual-in-line socket with said plurality of female recesses arranged in two parallel rows along the length of the socket.

9. The combination of an electrical connector socket as claimed in any preceding claim with a dual-in-line plug having a plural ity of contact pins arranged in two parallel rows.

10. An electrical connector socket sub stantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. An electrical plug and socket combination substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.