JP2892903B2 - Shielded electrical connector for PCB - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a molded electrical connector for a circuit board, and more particularly to a molded electrical connector for a circuit board having improved mounting and shielding properties on a circuit board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art U.S. Pat.
A right angle electrical connector having a metal shield with side walls is disclosed. A closed flange projects from the side wall and engages an outer groove in the insulating housing of the connector received in the shield. The arcuate mounting legs project from the bottom end of the shield sidewall and are inserted into through holes in the circuit board to hold the connector on the circuit board.

The electrical connector having the above structure has the following advantages. That is, the metal shield has a pair of mounting legs for easy assembly and covers the entire upper and lower electrical connector body. In addition, the shield has a catch that provides a stable connection to the electrical connector.

[0004]

However, on the other hand,
The electrical connector having the above structure has the following disadvantages. This connector lacks a mounting portion to the board on its bottom surface and therefore is not held firmly in place until the metal shield covers the connector. Also, the mounting legs of the metal shield have only one leg each, so that the electrical connector cannot be firmly fixed to the printed circuit board. Furthermore, because of the single leg structure, it may be curved or damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a shielded electrical connector for a board which has improved mounting and shielding properties on a circuit board.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A shielded electrical connector for a board according to the present invention comprises a metal housing having a bottom wall mounted on a board, and at least one housing mounted within the housing and having a plurality of terminals. A shielded electrical connector for a board, comprising: a plurality of header inserts; and a shield substantially surrounding the header insert and the terminals with the housing, wherein the bottom wall of the housing connects the housing to the board. And at least one projection hanging down from the bottom wall. A shielded electrical connector for a board according to the present invention includes a header insert having a plurality of terminals and substantially surrounded by a shield formed of a metal housing and a metal plate, and a header insert formed on a bottom wall of the housing. A shielded electrical connector for a board having at least one hollow board lock for securing to a board, wherein a grounding tab hanging from the shield has a hollow shape for connecting the shield to the board by soldering. It is inserted into the board lock and is protected by the locking leg of the hollow board lock.

[0007]

In accordance with the present invention, an electrical connector includes a housing having a bottom wall having a bottom surface for attachment to and engagement with a circuit board. The bottom wall has a through bore opening into the bottom surface. The hollow board lock supported by the through bore has locking feet protruding below the bottom surface for insertion into the first hole of the circuit board. A header insert in the housing holds the electrical terminals with the terminal legs. The terminal legs protrude from the header insert and terminate with the solder tail. The solder tail hangs below the bottom surface of the housing and the bottom surface of the housing is inserted into and engaged with a second hole in the circuit board. A metal shield covering the terminal legs has a grounding tab extending through the board lock, projecting between the locking legs, and hanging.

When the connector is mounted on a circuit board with the locking feet of the board lock protruding through the first hole and the solder tail protruding through the second hole, the board lock and the solder tail are separated. Soldered to the respective ground and signal conductors on the underside of the board. The ground tabs projecting between the locking feet of the boardlock are soldered to the same ground conductor. Therefore,
The drilling program for the substrate is simplified and the lining metal is saved. In addition, the board lock has the function of preventing the grounding tab from hitting the board when the connector is attached to the board, preventing damage during handling of the connector.

The board locking bore is formed in the base bottom wall of the spaced housing. The housing has a top wall and the shield has a top flap resiliently engaged below the top wall of the housing. As a result, the side wall of the shield from which the ground tab protrudes is elastically abutted against the bottom wall of the housing. The shield is receivable between side walls projecting from the front wall of the housing to which the header insert is fixed. The side wall of the shield has a latching tongue engaged in a groove in the housing side wall. When assembling the shield into the housing, as the shield is moved vertically down between the side walls, the ground tabs enter the board lock and the latching tongue engages the groove. At this time, the flap is elastically depressed and will be located below the top wall of the housing. To install a ground tab for insertion through a boardlock, the ground tab is offset inward from the side wall of the shield.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a right angle electrical connector for mounting to a circuit board has a die cast metal housing having a front wall formed by upper and lower through openings. The side wall protrudes rearward from the opposite lateral end of the front wall, and the substrate is engaged with a bottom wall extending in the opposite direction from the inner surface of the side wall. The projection depends from the bottom wall and electrically couples the die-cast metal housing to ground via a circuit board. A first hollow metal shell defining a through opening is secured within the upper through opening of the metal housing;
A second hollow metal shell is secured within the lower through opening of the metal housing. A first insulating header insert is received in the opening of the first hollow shell, and a second insulating header insert is received in the opening of the second hollow shell. Each header insert has a mating surface exposed forward of the housing front wall and a terminal receiving surface facing rearward from the housing front wall. The first header insert has a first group of electrical terminals and the second header insert has a second group of electrical terminals. Each terminal has a fitting portion in the header insert that is exposed facing the fitting surface of the header insert, and a terminal that projects rearward diagonally downward between the terminal receiving surface of the header insert and the housing side wall. It has legs and a solder tail projecting below the housing bottom wall. The solder tails of the terminals of each group of terminals are arranged in at least one row, and all the rows of terminals are parallel.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. Circuit board PC
A shielded, stacked right angle electrical connector 1 attached to B is shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. As an input / output port, the connector available in the computer field comprises a die-cast metal housing 2 which receives upper and lower hollow metal shells 4 and 6, respectively.
Shells 4 and 6 have upper and lower header inserts 8 and 1
0 is insulated and received. Also, header inserts 8 and 10 receive respective upper and lower groups 12 and 14 of the electrical terminal row. The connector 1 also includes a terminal tail spacer plate 16 and a metal shield 18 covering the rear portion of the housing 2. The connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The die-cast housing 2 includes a front wall 20.
And an opposing side wall 2 tapering rearward from the opposing end.
2 Each side wall 22 has a downwardly sloping top end 24, a horizontal bottom end 26 extending perpendicular to the front wall 20, and a vertical rear end 28 parallel to the front wall 20 and joining the ends 24 and 26.
The housing 2 is best shown in FIGS.
The housing 2 has a pair of board engaging members that are the basic bottom walls 30 protruding inward of the housing 2 from the side walls 22 near the bottom end 26 and facing each other. Each wall 30 has a substrate engaging bottom surface 31 (FIGS. 5, 10 and 11). The housing 2 also has a basic front top wall 32 extending rearward from the upper end of the front wall 20 and extending the side wall 22. Each end 24 is connected to the top wall 32 only slightly to the horizontal top end 33.

The front wall 20 is formed by a pair of spacing keys 36 which are cast into the front wall or securely screwed. The keys 36 are representative of both versions near the upper end of the front wall, and each key 36 is provided near the respective side wall 22. Below each key 36, a front wall 20 is formed with a threaded screw lock 38.
The key 36 and the screw lock 38 are for mating with the connector 1 in cooperation with respective complementary keyways and jack screws of an electrical connector (not shown).

The key 36 has a threaded shank receivable in a threaded opening in the front wall 20,
Also, it can be cast inside the housing 2. The key 36 projects forward of the wall 20 and has a keying rib 87 thereon. Typically, the keys are provided in pairs with ribs 87 on each key 36 pointing in the direction to be aligned. The ribs 87 can also assume other angular positions. Typical positions are as shown, i.e. vertically, both laterally outward, i.e. the left key rib to the left, the right key rib to the right, and both vertically downwards. They are oriented at the same angle. The key bore is
Screwed to accept jack screw. The screw lock has the same configuration as the key 36 without the rib 87.

As shown in FIG. 6, a front opening 20 is formed in the front wall 20 between the keys 36 so as to extend upward in the lateral direction. A through opening 133 extending in the direction is formed. Each bottom wall 30 is formed with a lower step 40 extending the entire length of the bottom wall and projecting inwardly, and each bottom wall has a central through bore 39 extending through the substrate engaging surface 31 of the wall 30. Have. Secured within the wall 30 is a hollow boardlock in the manner and arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,552. Each boardlock 41 has an annular strap supported in a respective bore 39 and four locking feet 37 from which the strap hangs below surface 31. The board mounting projections 43 hang from each bottom wall 30 of the housing 2 into and on each side of each board lock 41. On the inner surface of each side wall 22, each bottom wall 3
Immediately above 0, a longitudinal latching groove 42 is formed which extends the entire length of the side wall 22.

The hollow shells 4 and 6 are disclosed in US Pat.
08,125 and attached to openings 35 and 133, respectively. Thus, both shells 4 and 6 are electrically common to housing 2. The shielded mating connector that engages the shell 4 or the shell 6 is grounded to a circuit board where the electrical connector 1 is attached to a ground trace on the circuit board via the housing 2 and the board lock 41. Header inserts 8 and 10 are disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,808,1.
It is fixed to shells 4 and 6 by the method disclosed in US Pat. Each header insert 8 and 10 has an upper row of terminal receiving through cavities 46. Each cavity 44 and 46 opens into a front mating surface 48 and a rear terminal receiving surface 50 of the respective header inserts 8 and 10.

The terminal plate 16 for terminal tail is composed of 1
U.S. Patent Application No. 757, filed September 991,
No. 806. Plate 16 is
Located on the step 40 of the bottom wall 30 and having lugs 52 and 54 at each end of the plate. These lugs complementarily engage recesses in the inner surface 56 of the bottom wall 30. Plate 16
Has a rear wall 63 extending the full length thereof. The plate 16 has a plurality of rows of terminal tail receiving through holes 62 extending in the longitudinal direction.

The group of terminals 12 has an upper row of first terminals 64 and a lower row of 66 second terminals, and the group of terminals 14 has an upper row of third terminals 68 and a lower row of fourth terminals 70. . Each terminal 64, 66, 68, 70 is coplanar and includes a branched front mating portion 72 and a retaining portion 74 extending rearward therefrom. Portions 72 and 74 are straight and longitudinally aligned with one another. A straight leg 76 extends rearwardly from portion 74 and is angled downwardly therefrom and is terminated in a solder tail 78 depending from the bottom of leg 76 at right angles to portions 72 and 74. The mating portions 72 of the terminals 64 are received in respective cavities 44 in the upper row of cavities of the header insert 8 and the mating portions 72 of the terminals 66 are
In the lower row of cavities 46. Also, terminal 6
Eight mating portions 72 are received in cavities 44 in the upper row of cavities of header insert 10, and mating portions 72 of terminals 70 are received in cavities 46 in the lower row of header insert 10. The terminal retaining portions 74 each extend laterally in their own plane, and serve to retain the terminals within the cavity. The branched fitting portions 72 of the terminals project toward the respective fitting surfaces 48. The leg 76 of the terminal 64 is longer than the leg of the terminal 66, the leg 76 of the terminal 66 is longer than the leg of the terminal 68, and
The leg 76 of the terminal 68 is longer than the leg 76 of the terminal 70. Terminal 6
The downward angle of the fourth leg 76 is smaller than the angle of the leg 76 of the terminal 70. The angle of the leg 76 of the terminal 66 is smaller than the angle of the terminal 68, and the angle of the leg 76 of the terminal 68 is smaller than the angle of the leg of the terminal 70.

The leg 76 has such a structure, and the terminal 6
No. 4 solder tail 78 extends through the last row of holes 62 in plate 16, and tail 78 of terminal 66 extends through the next last row of holes 62, and tail 7 of terminal 68.
8 extends forward through holes 62 in the next row, and tails 78 of terminals 70 extend through holes in the front row of holes in plate 16. The spacer plate 16 presses on the tail 78 in accordance with the disclosure of the aforementioned U.S. patent application.

As best shown in FIGS. 7-9, the shield 18 stamped and formed from a single sheet of metal stock has substantially triangular opposing side walls 80. The back wall is 82
The shield 1 has a top wall as a cantilever flap 84 which freely projects forward from the side wall 80.
8 is open forward. The rear wall 82 has an upper front portion 86 inclined downward and rearward, a lower rear portion 88, and a lowermost rear wall portion 90 hanging downward from the side wall 80 and having a bottom end 91. The side wall 80 comprises wall portions 86 and 8
8 only. The side wall 80 has a vertical forward end 92 that rises along a forwardly downwardly sloping end portion 94 that is formed to allow elastic flexing of the flap 84, as can be seen in FIG. Each side wall 80 has a lateral positioning window 97 (see FIGS. 9, 13 and 14),
Shield 18 in housing 2 before soldering
Prevent lateral movement of the The window engages the inner surface of the side wall,
It prevents lateral movement and provides additional electrical continuity between the shield and the side wall 22.

The side wall 80 has a bottom end 96. Each side wall 8
0 has a pair of latch tongues 98 that are inclined outward, upward near their bottom end 96 and closed. Each side wall 80 has a central flat ground tab 100 connected to the bottom end 96 of the wall 80 between its tongues 98, typically by its horizontal straps 102.
Having. As a result, each tab 100 has a respective wall 8
It is offset inward parallel to zero. In addition, a pair of flat ground tabs 104 hang from the bottom end 91 of the wall portion 88. The tabs 104 are coplanar with one another, and their planes extend at right angles to the plane of the tab 100. The free end of tab 104 is located below the free end of tab 100.

When attaching the shield 18 to the partially completed connector shown in FIG.
Is vertically moved into the die-cast metal housing 2 guided by the tabs 100 and 104. Thus, the latching tongues 98 on each side wall 80 of the shield 18 are initially squeezed inward and then return outward to latch into the respective grooves 42 in the side wall 22 of the housing 2. If the window 97 is present, the window 97 is pressed inward and biasedly engages the inner surface of the side wall 22. The flap 84 of the shield 18 is simultaneously elastically pressed and inserted under the top wall 32 of the housing 2. Thus, the rear wall portions 86 and 88 of the shield 18 are group 1
The rear ends of the terminals 2 and 14 are covered in a separated state. The lowest rear wall portion 90 of the shield 18 contacts the rear wall 63 of the spacer plate in face-to-face relationship, and the tabs 104 project below and behind them. In the shield 18 thus assembled, each tab 100 protrudes from a respective one of the annular straps of the board lock 41 and extends between the locking feet 37, as best shown in FIG. . The resilient engagement of the flap 84 with the top wall 32 squeezes the bottom end 96 of the shield 18 against the bottom wall 30. A fully assembled connector 1
This is shown in FIG. 2 and FIGS.

Circuit board PC on which connector 1 is surface-mounted
B (FIG. 2) includes rows H1 of small plated through holes H1 for receiving terminal tails 78, board lock 41.
Two large plated through holes H to receive
2. It has two plated through holes H3 for receiving the tabs 104 and four unplated through holes H4 for receiving the mounting projections 43 of the housing 2.

When the connector 1 is attached to the board PCB by the terminal tail 78, the board lock 41, the tab 104, and the mounting projection 43, the portion of the terminal tail 78 protruding downward from the board PCB is located on the board PCB. Soldered to each signal conductor (not shown). The locking leg 37 and the tab 104 of the board lock 41
Are soldered to a ground conductor (not shown) on the board PCB. Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the mounting protrusion 43 protrudes through a hole provided in the substrate PCB. Since the tab 100 protruding from the hole in the board PCB extends into the board lock 41, as shown in FIG.
Legs 37 are similarly soldered to the ground conductor to be soldered. No further plated through holes are formed in the substrate PCB for the tab 100. The substrate drilling program is therefore simplified and the lining metal is saved.

Just as the connector has multiple board locks, the shield 18 can have multiple tabs 100 (or 1).
No. 04), no additional plated through holes needed only to accommodate additional shield ground tabs. If the shield 18 has more tabs 100 (or 104) than the board lock, the number of through holes required will depend on the board lock function, preferably providing a ground path to the ground tab on the shield 18, as well as providing It can be minimized by having at least some through holes to perform the dual function of an additional grounding function via the board lock.

Further, while the connector 1 is being attached to the board, the tab 100
It serves to protect you from hitting the CB. Otherwise, the connector 1 will be damaged during handling.

The connector 1 'shown in FIG. 12 is the same as the connector 1 described above except that the shield tab 104 is not provided. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the through hole H3 of the circuit board.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a shield 18 'according to another embodiment introduces a fluid cleaning, such as liquid or gas, into a wall portion 86' of a rear wall 82 'to provide a spacer plate for terminal tail. Identical to shield 18 except that a row of holes 108 is provided with a closed semi-circular funnel 110 for flushing debris below. The liquid can wash away debris that can short circuit between the solder tails and can be dried by air. This can be achieved with the shield 18 'in place. The wall portion 88 'is provided with a rearwardly inclined flap 112 for the fluid outlet.

[0029]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the bottom wall of the metal housing integrally has at least one projection hanging from the bottom wall to ground-connect the housing to the substrate, It is advantageous in that the housing can be positioned with respect to the board and the housing can be grounded to the board without requiring additional components. Further, according to the present invention, the ground tab hanging from the shield is inserted into the hollow board lock and connected to the locking leg of the hollow board lock in order to connect the shield to the board by soldering. Because of the protection, the number of plated through holes to be formed in the substrate can be reduced, and the ground tab can be prevented from colliding with the substrate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a laminated right angle electrical connector, showing a preferred embodiment of a metal shield thereof.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the connector in a state where it is detached from a circuit board and is assembled.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the connector of FIG. 2 with the shield removed.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the connector shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a metal shield of the connector shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the inside of the shield shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an end view of the shield shown in FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 10 is a partial side view showing details of the connector shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a partial side view of a partial cross section showing details of the connector when the connector shown in FIG. 2 is attached to a board.

FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view similar to FIG. 2 showing the improvement of the metal shield.

FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view showing a further improvement of the metal shield.

FIG. 14 is an end view of the shield shown in FIG. 13;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical connector 2 Metal housing 8, 10 Header insert 18 Shield 41 Hollow board lock 64, 66, 68, 70 Terminal 100 Grounding tab

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (72) Inventor John Allen Roots United States of America Pennsylvania 17057 Middletown Shirley Drive 102 (72) Inventor Wayne Samuel Davis United States of America Pennsylvania 17110 Harrisburg North Sixth Street 4108 (56) References Special JP-A-63-21772 (JP, A) JP-A-3-134978 (JP, A) JP-A-61-171073 (JP, A) JP-A-64-46976 (JP, U) JP-A-3-24284 (Japanese) JP, U) JP-A-1-104413 (JP, U) JP-A-63-139783 (JP, U) JP-T2-503846 (JP, A) JP-T-2-501174 (JP, A) US Patent 5161999 (US, A) US Patent 4,902,242 (US, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01 R 13/648-13/658 H01R 23/02

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A metal housing having a bottom wall mounted on a substrate, at least one header insert having a plurality of terminals mounted in the housing, and the header insert and the terminals being connected to the housing. And a shield substantially surrounding the substrate.
In the electrical connector, the bottom wall of the housing is formed by connecting the housing to the base.
Less hanging from said bottom wall for ground connection to the board
A shielded electrical connector for a board, wherein the electrical connector has a single projection . 2. A metal housing having a plurality of terminals.
Substantially due to the shielding formed from the
An enclosed header insert formed on the bottom wall of the housing for securing to a substrate;
For substrates having at least one hollow board lock
In a shielded electrical connector, the ground tab hanging from the shield is
To connect the shield to the substrate,
The hollow board inserted in the board lock
A shielded electrical connector for a board, which is protected by a locking leg of a lock .