GB2237154A - Electrical connector - Google Patents
Electrical connector Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2237154A GB2237154A GB8923548A GB8923548A GB2237154A GB 2237154 A GB2237154 A GB 2237154A GB 8923548 A GB8923548 A GB 8923548A GB 8923548 A GB8923548 A GB 8923548A GB 2237154 A GB2237154 A GB 2237154A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- board
- connector
- contacts
- edge
- electrical
- 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- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
- H01R12/70—Coupling devices
- H01R12/71—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures
- H01R12/72—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures
- H01R12/721—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits
-
- 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
- H01R13/642—Means for preventing incorrect coupling by position or shape of contact members
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/40—Forming printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits
- H05K3/4007—Surface contacts, e.g. bumps
Landscapes
- Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
Abstract
An electrical edge connector is provided with an insulating body accommodating spring contacts 2, 3 for engaging dome-shaped contacts 9, 10 of a printed circuit board 8. The body has a board-receiving opening the size and/or configuration of which is determined by the provision of spaced fingers at the opening so as to prevent the insertion of a board having raised contacts not of a predetermined size, form or spacing or to allow insertion of a board having conventional contact strips but to prevent the engagement of such contacts strips with the spring contacts within the connector body. <IMAGE>
Description
IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS
This invention relates to electrical connectors and relates more specifically to electrical edge connectors for making electrical connections to printed circuit or wiring boards by the pressure engagement of spring contacts of the edge connector with raised contacts (e.g. dome-shaped contacts) provided near the edge of the printed circuit or wiring board.
As is well known, the contacts of printed circuit or wiring boards conventionally comprise parallel contact strips which extend to the edge of the printed circuit or wiring board, on one or both sides thereof. Boards of this form can inadvertently be inserted into edge connectors of the above-described construction adapted for use with boards having raised (e.g. dome-shaped) contacts so that the spring contacts of the edge connector may or may not make contact with the contact strips at the edge of the inserted board. Furthermore, it may be desired to restrict the use of the edge connector to printed circuit or wiring boards having raised contacts of a particular size or form and/or having a particular spacing between contacts.
With a view to positively preventing contact being made between the spring contacts of the edge connector and contact strips on a printed circuit board when the board is inserted into the edge connector or to preventing insertion of the board into the connector there is provided in accordance with the present invention an edge connector having an insulating body accommodating a plurality of spring contacts for making electrical contact with raised (e.g. dome-shaped) contacts near an edge of a printed circuit or wiring board when the board is inserted into a board-receiving opening of the connector body, in which the size and/or configuration of the board-receiving opening is adapted to prevent insertion of printed circuit boards not having raised contacts of the requisite size, form or spacing between contacts or to allow insertion of the board edge into the opening but to prevent engagement of the spring contacts within the connector body with contact strips provided along the inserted edge of the printed circuit board.
In carrying out the present invention the Insulating body of the connector may be provided with spaced teeth or fingers where the opening for insertion of the board into the connector is provided, these spaced teeth which are preferably tapered at their ends extending generally in a direction perpendicular to the major surfaces of the board to be inserted and serving effectively to restrict the configuration of the board-receiving opening whereby raised contacts of a predetermined size, form and/or spacing therebetween may pass through the spaces between adjacent teeth so that they are engaged by the spring contacts of the connector aligned therewith within the connector body as the board edge is inserted into the connector body. The tips of the tapered spaced teeth also serve to determine the overall dimension of the general opening for insertion of the board.The spring contacts will be set back laterally from the general path of entry of a board so that they would not be engaged by the contact strips conventionally provided on the edge of a printed circuit board if such a board were inserted.
For use with printed circuit or wiring boards having raised contacts on both sides of the board the edge connector would be provided at the board-receiving opening thereof with two opposed sets of spaced teeth.
The electrical contact arrangement between the edge connector spring contacts and the raised (e.g. dome-shaped) contacts may be as described in our co-pending Patent
Application No. 8919167.0 (Collier 18-4) to which attention is hereby directed, in which inter alia the raised board contacts are formed with a convex profile (e.g. domeshaped) and the depth of the board receiving opening in the connector body and the distance of the raised contacts from the edge of the board are such that during insertion of the board into the connector the spring contacts ride up and over the convex profile of the board contacts and come to rest on part of the raised contacts beyond the centre lines of the convex profile when the board is fully inserted.
This facilitates a snap-action engagement between the board and connector and promotes retention of the board within the connector after insertion therein.
The present invention is also applicable to the electrically shielded connector arrangement forming the subject of our co-pending Patent Application No. 8920537.1 (Collier 20) and to the electrical connector forming the subject of our co-pending Patent Application No.
(Collier 22).
By way of example the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:
Figures 1 and 2 show partial cross-sectional and end views, respectively, of an electrical edge connector according to the present invention accommodating the inserted edge of a printed circuit or wiring board provided with raised contacts; and,
Figures 3 and 4 show partial cross-sectional and end views, respectively, of the edge connector shown in
Figures 1 and 2 but accommodating the inserted edge of a printed circuit or wiring board having conventional parallel contact strip contacts.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the edge connector depicted comprises an insulating body 1 which accommodates two opposed rows of spring contacts 2 and 3.
The body 1 in the present embodiment is formed integrally, as during moulding thereof, with two sets of opposed teeth 4 and 5 having tapered ends 6 and spaced apart in the manner shown. The spaced teeth serve to adapt the general boardreceiving opening 7 of the connector for receiving a printed circuit board 8 having rows of dome-shaped contacts 9 and 10 located on opposite sides of the board 8 near the edge 11 thereof. As will readily be appreciated from Figure 2 the dome-shaped contacts 9 and 10 pass between the spaced teeth 4 and 5, respectively, and make contact with the spring contacts 2 and 3 of the connector as depicted in Figure 1.
The location of the abutment 12 and thus the depth of the opening 7 and the spacing of the dome-shaped contacts 9 and iO from the end 11 of the board ensures that the convex parts 13 and 14 of the spring contacts pass beyond the centre lines of the convex profiles of contacts 9 and 10 thereby producing a snap-action engagement between the board and the connector and improving retentivity, as fully explained in our co-pending Patent Application No. 8919167.0 (Collier 18-4).
Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings in whIch the connector components are designated with the same numerals as in Figures 1 and 2, these show the connector having inserted therein a printed circuit or wiring board 15 conventionally provided along one edge on opposite sides of the board with strip contacts 16 and 17. As will be seen from the Figures, although the board can just be inserted into the connector opening 7 the size of the opening and the setting back of the spring contacts 2 and 3 laterally with respect to the path of entry of the board into the opening prevents engagement of the strip contacts 16 and 17 with the spring contacts 2 and 3.
It will also be understood that the gaps provided between the tapered teeth 4 and 5 and the spacing between the teeth will also dictate the shape, size and spacing of the raised board contacts that can be admitted by the connector board-receiving opening 7 thereby helping to prevent the insertion of incorrect boards.
Claims (8)
1. An electrical edge connector comprising an insulating body accommodating a plurality of spring contacts for making electrical contact with raised (e.g. dome-shaped) contacts near an edge of a printed circuit or wiring board when the board is inserted into a board-receiving opening of the connector body, in which the size and/or configuration of the board-receiving opening is adapted to prevent insertion of a printed circuit or wiring board not having raised contacts of a predetermined size, form and/or spacing between contacts or to allow insertion of the board into the opening but to prevent engagement of the spring contacts within the connector body with contact strips conventionally provided along the inserted edge of the printed circuit board
2.An electrical edge connector as claimed in claIm 1, in which the connector body is provided with spaced teeth or fingers at the opening for insertion of the board into the connector, the teeth extending generally in a direction perpendicular to the major surfaces of the board to be inserted and serving effectively to restrict the configuration of the board-receiving opening whereby raised board contacts of a predetermined size, form and/or spacing therebetween can pass through the spaces between adjacent teeth so that they are engaged by the spring contacts of the connector aligned therewith within the connector body as the board edge is inserted into the connector.
3. An electrical edge connector as claimed in claim 2, in which the teeth have tapered ends the tips of which determine the overall size of the board-receiving opening of the connector body.
4. An electrical edge connector as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the spring contacts are set back laterally from the path of a printed circuit board into the connector as permitted by the board-receiving opening so as to prevent contact between the spring contacts and contact strips conventionally provided at the edge of a printed circuit board.
5. An electrical edge connector as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, in which the spaced teeth of the connector body are arranged as two opposed sets at the board-receiving opening.
6. An electrical edge connector as claimed in any preceding claim as part of an electrical connecting arrangement as claimed in our co-pending Patent Application
No. 8919167.0 (Collier 18-4).
7. An electrical edge connector as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the connector is electrically shielded as claimed in our copending Patent Application
No.8920537 (Collier 20).
8. An electrical edge connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8923548A GB2237154A (en) | 1989-10-19 | 1989-10-19 | Electrical connector |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8923548A GB2237154A (en) | 1989-10-19 | 1989-10-19 | Electrical connector |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB8923548D0 GB8923548D0 (en) | 1989-12-06 |
| GB2237154A true GB2237154A (en) | 1991-04-24 |
Family
ID=10664820
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8923548A Withdrawn GB2237154A (en) | 1989-10-19 | 1989-10-19 | Electrical connector |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2237154A (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1995035585A2 (en) * | 1994-06-10 | 1995-12-28 | Xetel Corporation | Surface mountable substrate edge terminal |
| US5509197A (en) * | 1994-06-10 | 1996-04-23 | Xetel Corporation | Method of making substrate edge connector |
| US5759104A (en) * | 1994-01-25 | 1998-06-02 | Nintendo Co., Ltd. | Connector and adapter utilizing connector |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1429371A (en) * | 1972-06-19 | 1976-03-24 | Hartmann & Braun Ag | Connectors |
| US4298237A (en) * | 1979-12-20 | 1981-11-03 | Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated | Printed wiring board interconnection apparatus |
| EP0130556A1 (en) * | 1983-07-01 | 1985-01-09 | International Business Machines Corporation | Zero insertion force connector-card retention and polarization device |
-
1989
- 1989-10-19 GB GB8923548A patent/GB2237154A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1429371A (en) * | 1972-06-19 | 1976-03-24 | Hartmann & Braun Ag | Connectors |
| US4298237A (en) * | 1979-12-20 | 1981-11-03 | Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated | Printed wiring board interconnection apparatus |
| EP0130556A1 (en) * | 1983-07-01 | 1985-01-09 | International Business Machines Corporation | Zero insertion force connector-card retention and polarization device |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5759104A (en) * | 1994-01-25 | 1998-06-02 | Nintendo Co., Ltd. | Connector and adapter utilizing connector |
| WO1995035585A2 (en) * | 1994-06-10 | 1995-12-28 | Xetel Corporation | Surface mountable substrate edge terminal |
| WO1995035585A3 (en) * | 1994-06-10 | 1996-02-15 | Xetel Corp | Surface mountable substrate edge terminal |
| US5509197A (en) * | 1994-06-10 | 1996-04-23 | Xetel Corporation | Method of making substrate edge connector |
| US5644839A (en) * | 1994-06-10 | 1997-07-08 | Xetel Corporation | Surface mountable substrate edge terminal |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB8923548D0 (en) | 1989-12-06 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US7025617B2 (en) | Edge card connector assembly with tuned impedance terminals | |
| US7198519B2 (en) | Edge card connector assembly with keying means for ensuring proper connection | |
| US5161987A (en) | Connector with one piece ground bus | |
| US4552423A (en) | Shunted electrical connectors | |
| US4655518A (en) | Backplane connector | |
| US7074085B2 (en) | Shielded electrical connector assembly | |
| US5876217A (en) | Electric connector assembly with improved retention characteristics | |
| US4975084A (en) | Electrical connector system | |
| US4556264A (en) | Telephone connector | |
| US5876222A (en) | Electrical connector for printed circuit boards | |
| EP0567007B1 (en) | Electrical connector for surface mouting | |
| US5692928A (en) | Electrical connector having terminals with improved retention means | |
| US3706954A (en) | Connector and arrangement for circuit board assembly therewith | |
| US7108567B1 (en) | Electrical device for interconnecting two printed circuit boards at a large distance | |
| US5403215A (en) | Electrical connector with improved contact retention | |
| US5281165A (en) | Electrical connector shroud adapted for shorting bar removal | |
| US6648657B1 (en) | Electrical connector having ground buses | |
| KR960044000A (en) | Printed circuit board used with card edge connector and its manufacturing method | |
| US6524130B1 (en) | Electrical connector assembly | |
| GB2296829A (en) | Printed circuit board connector | |
| EP0365179B1 (en) | Electrical connector system | |
| JP3424150B2 (en) | Electrical connector | |
| US6997756B2 (en) | Connector terminal, a connector and a mounting method | |
| US3346834A (en) | Feed-thru connector | |
| US6135785A (en) | Small pitch electrical connector having narrowed portion |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |