JP3168519B2 - Shielded electrical connector assembly and auxiliary mounting shield - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a shielded electrical connector assembly that can be securely mounted to a circuit board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a connector used in a computer generally has an insulating housing for holding a plurality of conductive terminals. On one side of such a connector,
The terminal is configured to connect to an electrical contact on a circuit board,
Then, on the other side of the connector, the terminal is configured to be fitted to the mating plug. It is known to substantially enclose the housing with a metallic shield to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI). Conventional connector shields have mounting legs that extend downward. By soldering the terminals of the insulating housing and the mounting legs of the metal shield to the circuit board, the connector can be fixed and electrically connected to the circuit board.

[0003]

The connector of the computer accepts a plug of a peripheral device of the computer,
It functions to communicate signals and supply power.
In this environment, the connector is subjected to frequent insertion and removal of the plug, and is also subject to forces on the plug, such as by pulling on the cord during use. Conventional connectors are not configured to withstand these forces well. Conventional connectors have been found to tend to loosen and undesirably displace from the circuit board.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an improved connector assembly that includes an auxiliary shield surrounding the connector and providing secure mounting support to a circuit board. This improved mounting fully withstands the insertion force and thus avoids the loosening problems associated with conventional connectors. According to the present invention, there is provided a shielded electrical connector assembly including a connector and an auxiliary mounting shield or second shield. The connector includes a housing in which the terminal cavity extends, and a plurality of electrical terminals housed in the terminal cavity. The terminal has a tail portion projecting from the housing for terminating to a conductor of the circuit board and a contact portion for engaging each terminal of the complementary plug-in connector. Further, the connector includes a conductive or first shield surrounding the outer portion of the housing. The second shield surrounds and electrically engages an outer portion of the first conductive shield. The mounting shield is
It has mounting feet extending from its lower edge, which are inserted into the circuit board to secure the connector to the circuit board.

It is an advantage of the present invention that an improved connector assembly for mounting to a circuit board is provided. Another advantage of the present invention is that the connector is securely reinforced on the circuit board. An advantage of the present invention in this regard is that the connector is supported to withstand the forces from the mating plug, and that the connector is not loosened with respect to the circuit board. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that an additional shield for the connector is provided. Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, the claims and the accompanying drawings.

[0006]

Referring to the embodiment of the invention the accompanying drawings in which like parts have been designated with the same numbers, Figures 1 and 2 show a conventional shielded connector 5. The connector 5 is configured to be attached to the circuit board 2. Furthermore, connector 5
Receives, in a generally known manner, mating plugs (not shown) of the computer peripherals and establishes a connection between them for supplying signals and power. The conventional connector 5 has an outer conductive shield 1 substantially surrounding an insulating housing holding a plurality of conductive terminals 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the shield 1 has a pair of thin mounting legs 10 extending downward from side portions of the shield 1 through mounting holes in the circuit board 2. Shield 1
Further, a front mounting leg 12 extending downward from the bottom surface of the shield 1 through each mounting hole of the circuit board 2 is provided. Terminal 1
The tail end of 1 protrudes downward from the shield 1 via the circuit board 2. On the lower surface of the circuit board 2, solder is applied to the mounting legs 10 and the terminals 11, and the connector 5 is connected to the circuit board 2.
Is fixed at the mounting position.

[0008] Conventional connector structures have been found to loosen or fail when subjected to significant forces. For example, FIGS. 1 and 2, connector 5 indicates an undesired movement and the positional deviation of the connector 5 to the circuit board 2 which normally occur when subjected to various forces. During use, the connector 5 is repeatedly subjected to forces caused by insertion, removal, pulling and / or vibration of the plug. If such a force becomes excessive, or if such a force is applied to the connector 5 at an angle from the intended plug-in direction, the connector 5 will move forward or forward as shown in FIG. It can be tilted backwards or twisted to the right or left as shown in FIG. Such movements
Loose or bent attachment legs 10 and terminal pins 11, or in the worst case, disconnect these elements or solder connections.

The present invention provides a connector assembly in which the connector can be easily and securely and completely mounted, and which can effectively avoid the loosening, moving and cutting problems described for the conventional connector. I do. Figures 3 to to 10, two embodiments according to the connector assembly 20 of the present invention (FIGS. 3-6) and 120 (Figures 7-10)
It is shown. Each of the connector assemblies 20, 120 includes a connector 30. This connector 30
It is similar to the conventional connector 5 described for FIGS.

The connector 30 is attached to the circuit board 22 and receives a mating plug (not shown) from its front. The connector 30 includes an external conductive shield 31.
And an insulating housing 32 that holds a plurality of conductive terminals 33 (FIG. 3). Each terminal 33 is connected to the circuit board 2
It has a tail portion 34 extending from the housing for termination to the two conductors. Opposite the tail portion 34, each terminal 33 has a contact portion 35 in the housing 32, which is engaged with each mating terminal of the plug. As shown, the connector 30 has a 90-configuration such that the tail portion 34 is perpendicular to the plug-in direction with respect to the contact portion 35.

[0011] The conductive shield or first shield 31 comprises:
It substantially surrounds the housing 32 and has a front profile with a front opening for receiving a plug. FIG.
1, the first shield 31 includes a pair of side mounting protrusions 36, which extend downward from the side of the shield 31 through the mounting holes 50 of the circuit board 22. These side mounting projections are bent such that their distal ends are inclined inward, as shown. Further, as shown, the connector 30 also has a front mounting projection 37 that extends downwardly from the lower surface of the shield 31 for insertion into the mounting hole 52 of the circuit board 22.

[0012] The connector 30 substantially surrounds, each to ensure reinforced mounting the connector 30 to the circuit board 22, the connector assembly 20 (FIGS. 3-6) and 120 (Figures 7-10) Further comprises auxiliary mounting or second shields 40, 140, respectively. This second shield 40, 140 substantially surrounds and electrically engages the first shield 31. The mounting shields 40, 140 are securely attached to the circuit board 22 while tightly holding the connector 30 to provide reliable electrical contact and structural integrity to withstand the forces from the mating plugs. It is configured as follows.

More specifically, in the embodiment of FIGS . 3-6, the mounting shield 40 includes two spaced-apart opposing side plates 41 and a top plate 42 joining them together, these plates comprising: Connector 30
Define an internal cavity shaped to cooperate to receive. As shown, the second shield 40 receives the connector 30 such that the front contour of the first shield 31 projects forward from the front edge of the second shield 40. Mounting shield 4
0 further includes a plurality of mounting legs 43 extending downward from the lower edge of the side plate 41. To securely hold the connector 30 within the mounting shield 40, the mounting shield 40
Has a plurality of clamp flanges 44, which extend from the lower edge of each side plate 41 and are bent inward at substantially right angles to hold the lower surface of connector 30 as shown in FIGS. I do. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the clamp tab 45 extends from the trailing edge of the top plate 42 and is bent around the trailing edge of the connector 30. The second shields 40, 140 are formed by stamping and folding the metal sheet into the shape shown.

In the embodiment of FIGS . 3-6, the mounting shield 40 includes a rear leg support 46 extending rearward from the side plate 41, for retaining the rear of the connector 30 within the mounting shield 40. Inner bend 48
(4, 5) is shaped with. Rear mounting leg 47
Project downward from the rear leg support 46 so as to be inserted into the hole (FIG. 7) of the circuit board 22.

When the connector 30 is inserted into the mounting shield 40 to form the connector assembly 20, the connector assembly 20 is ready to be mounted on the circuit board 22.
As shown in FIG. 3, the circuit board 22 has a plurality of holes 50, 5 and
1, 52. These holes are correspondingly arranged to receive the mounting protrusions and terminals of connector assembly 20. More specifically, the connector mounting protrusion 3
6, 37 are inserted into holes 50, 52, respectively. Also, the second
The mounting legs 43 and 47 of the shield 40 are inserted into the holes 51.

As is apparent from the drawing, the mounting shield 4
The mounting legs 43, 47 of the connector 30 are the mounting legs 36 of the connector 30,
It is considerably wider than 37. Further, the mounting legs 43 and 47 of the mounting shield 40 are arranged at the foremost position and the last position of the mounting shield 40, respectively. These features of the mounting legs 43, 47 act to provide a mechanically stable force distribution on the circuit board.

Referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 7-10, the mounting shield 140 comprises two spaced-apart opposing side plates 141 and a top plate 142 joining them together, the plates comprising the connector 30.
Together to define an internal cavity shaped to receive. The connector 30 is configured such that its front contour projects beyond the front edge of the second shield 140 to receive a mating plug.
It is mounted inside the second shield 140.

In order to fix the mounting shield 140 to the circuit board 22, the mounting shield 140 further includes a plurality of mounting legs 14 extending downward from the lower edge of the side plate 141.
3, 147. Attach shield 30 to connector 30
Mounting shield 140 to hold it securely within
Has a plurality of clamping flanges 144 which extend from the lower edge of each side plate 141 and are bent inward at a substantially right angle to retain the lower surface of connector 30 as shown in FIG. . Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the clamp tab 145 extends from the trailing edge of the top plate 142 and is bent downward at a substantially right angle about the trailing edge of the connector 30.

In the embodiment of FIGS . 7 to 10, the mounting shield 140 has a rear mounting leg 147 extending downward from the side plate 141. Still referring to FIG. 9, a rear tab 148 extends from the side plate 141 and is bent inward at a substantially right angle to retain the rear surface of the connector 30. When the connector 30 is inserted into the mounting shield 140 to form the connector assembly 120, the connector assembly 120 can be mounted on the circuit board 22. As shown in FIG. 7, the circuit board 22
It has a plurality of holes 50,51,52. These holes are correspondingly arranged to receive the mounting protrusions and terminals of connector assembly 120. In particular, the connector mounting projections 36 and front mounting projections 37 are provided with holes 50, 52.
Respectively. Also, the mounting leg 1 of the second shield 140
43 and 147 are inserted into holes 51.

As is apparent from the drawing, the mounting shield 1
The mounting legs 143 and 147 of the forty are wider than the mounting protrusions 36 and 37 that protrude directly from the connector 30. Furthermore,
The mounting legs 143 and 147 of the mounting shield 140 are arranged at the foremost position and the last position of the mounting shield 140, respectively. These features of the mounting feet 143, 147 act to provide a mechanically stable force distribution on the circuit board.

The connector assemblies 40 and 140 are mounted on the circuit board 2
2 and its mounting legs 43, 47 (FIG. 6) and 1
When the protrusions 43 and 147 (FIG. 8) protrude from the lower surface of the circuit board 22, solder is attached to the protruding portions of the mounting legs 43, 47, 143 and 147. Solder is attached to these mounting legs 43,
47, 143 and 147 are fixed to the circuit board 22, and the second
It works to fix the shields 40,140.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular features of this embodiment. Various changes and substitutions will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that such changes and substitutions be included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0023]

【The invention's effect】 According to the present invention, attached to a circuit board
Connector assembly is provided. Also,
According to the present invention, the connector is securely reinforced on the circuit board.
Connector to withstand the force from the mating plug
Is supported, and the connector is loose with respect to the circuit board.
Is avoided, and additional shielding for the connector
Is also provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a conventional connector at an undesired displaced position on a circuit board caused by a force having an upper or lower component.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a conventional connector at an undesirably displaced position on a circuit board caused by a force having a left or right component.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing components of the connector assembly according to the present invention and a circuit board on which the connector assembly is mounted.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the connector assembly of FIG. 3 in an assembled state;
It is the perspective view which looked at the connector assembly from the lower front.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the connector assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector assembly of FIG. 4 inserted into a circuit board.

FIG. 7 illustrates another connector assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a circuit board to which the connector assembly is attached.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where the connector assembly of FIG. 7 is inserted into a circuit board.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the connector assembly of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of the connector assembly of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols] 22 Circuit board 30 Connector 31 First conductive shield 32 housing 33 electrical terminals 34 Tail 35 contacts 36 Mounting part 40,140 Second shield 43, 47, 143, 147 Mounting legs 44,144 Clamp flange

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-10-41022 (JP, A) JP-A-8-339861 (JP, A) JP-A-2-86078 (JP, U) JP-A-6 26174 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/56-13/72 H01R 12/16-12/22

Claims (20)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1 further comprising a connector (30), the connector includes a housing (32) in which the terminal cavities extend, a plurality of electrical terminals (33) and accommodated in the terminal cavities of the housing, these electrical terminals (33) is a circuit board (2)
A tail portion extending from the housing for terminating the conductors of 2) (34), the contact portion which is engaged to the terminals of a complementary connector to be fitted to the upper logger connector (30) (35)
And a circuit surrounding the outer portion of the housing and a circuit
Inserted into the substrate (22) to fix the connector (30)
A first conductive shield (31) having a plurality of mounting portions (36); and a second shield (40, 140) surrounding and electrically engaging an outer portion of the first conductive shield.
And the second shield has a plurality of mounting legs (43, 47, 143, 147) extending from a lower edge thereof, and the mounting legs are inserted into the circuit board (22) to be connected to the connector. (30) is securely fixed to a circuit board (22).
0, 120). 2. A clamp flange (44, 144) extends from a lower edge of the second shield (40, 140) and is bent around the connector (30) to secure the second shield (40). The shielded electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the shielded electrical connector assembly is secured to the connector (30). 3. The second shield (40, 140).
Are opposed side plates (41, 141) and a top plate (42, 1) extending between these side plates.
42) and the mounting legs (43, 47, 143, 1).
47. The shielded electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein 47) extends from a lower edge of said side plate. 4. The shielded electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein a clamping tab extends from a trailing edge of the top plate and is bent around a trailing edge of the first shield. Assembly. 5. The combination of claim 3, wherein a pair of rear leg supports (46) extend from a rear edge of the side plate (41) and are bent around a rear edge of the connector (30).
Shielded electrical connector assembly. 6. The seal of claim 5, wherein a rear mounting leg (47) descends from the rear leg support (46) so as to be mounted in a hole (51) in the circuit board (22).
C-type electrical connector assembly. 7. The first conductive shield (31),
It has a front edge portion surrounding the contact portion (35) of the electric terminals (33), and said second shield (4
4. The shielded electrical connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein the leading edge of the (0,140) is located at the rear of the contoured portion. 8. A housing (32) comprising a connector (30) having a front mating portion, the housing (32) having a terminal cavity extending through the housing to the front mating portion, and the housing (32). A plurality of electrical terminals (33) housed in the terminal cavities of
An electrical terminal (33) having a tail portion (34) extending from the housing for termination to a conductor of the circuit board (22);
In the above fitting portion, the contact portion which is engaged to the terminals of a complementary connector to be fitted to the upper logger connector (30) (3
5) further comprising a circuit surrounding the outer part of the housing and a circuit
Inserted into the substrate (22) to fix the connector (30)
A first conductive shield having a plurality of mounting portions (36) (31), the one conductive shield has a front edge portion surrounding the fitting portion of the housing (31) the first substantially outer portion of the conductive shield surrounds and a second shield electrically engage (40, 140), the second shield clamp flange (44 extending from its edge, has 144), the flanges are bent around the connector (30), the second shield is fixed around said first conductive shield, and further, the second shield, It has a plurality of mounting legs (43, 47, 143, 147) extending from its lower edge, and these mounting legs are inserted into through holes of the circuit board (22) to connect the connector (30) to the circuit board (22). 22) firmly A shielded electrical connector assembly (20, 120) characterized by being fixed. 9. The second shield (40, 140).
Includes side plates (41, 141) and a top plate (42, 142) facing each other.
The shielded electrical connector assembly according to claim 8, wherein (3, 47, 143, 147) extends from a lower edge of the side plate. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein a clamping tab extends from a trailing edge of the top plate and is bent around a trailing edge of the first conductive shield. A shielded electrical connector assembly as described. 11. A rear leg support (46) extends from a rear edge of said side plate (41) and is bent (48) around a rear edge of said connector (30).
3. The shielded electrical connector assembly according to claim 1 . 12. A pair of the mounting legs (47), according to claim 1, descending from the corresponding hole (51) to the mounting is as above rear leg support of the circuit board (22) (46)
2. The shielded electrical connector assembly according to claim 1. 13. The second shield (40, 140)
9. The shielded electrical connector assembly according to claim 8, wherein a leading edge of the shielded electrical connector is located at a rear portion of the contoured portion. 14. a connector (30), the connector includes a housing (32) having a plurality of terminals cavity extends, comprises a plurality of electrical terminals (33) and accommodated in the terminal cavities, these electrical terminals A tail portion (34) extending from the housing for termination to a conductor of the circuit board (22).
When, and a contact portion (35) engaged to the terminals of a complementary connector to be fitted to the upper logger connector (30), further, circuits with surrounding outer portions of the housing
Inserted into the substrate (22) to fix the connector (30)
A first conductive shield (31) having a plurality of mounting portions (36) and a second shield (40, 140) are provided, the second shield comprising a pair of opposed side plates (41, 14).
1) and a top plate (42, 142) extending between the side plates, the plates comprising a second plate.
The shield forms a cavity for surrounding substantially the outer portion of the first conductive shield receiving connector (30) to electrically engage, further, the second seal <br/> de is has a plurality of mounting legs extending from the lower edge of the side plates (43,47,143,147), preparative thereof
With legs, shielded electrical connector assembly, characterized by firmly fixing the inserted circuit board (22) the connector (30) to the circuit board (22) (20, 1
20). 15. A clamp flange (44, 144) extending from a lower edge of said side plate (41, 141) of said second shield (40, 140) and bent around a connector (30), The second shield (4)
15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first and second connectors are fixed to the connector.
Shielded electrical connector assembly. 16. A clamp tab (45, 145) extending from a trailing edge of said top plate (42, 142) and being bent around a trailing edge of said first shield.
5. The shielded electrical connector assembly according to claim 4. 17. The shielded electric machine according to claim 14, wherein a pair of rear leg supports (46) extend from a rear edge of the side plate (41) and are bent around a rear edge of the connector (30). Connector assembly. 18. rear part of a pair of mounting legs (47), according to claim 17 which falls from the hole above to be mounted on (51) the rear leg support (46) corresponding of the circuit board (22) Shielded electrical connector assembly. 19. The first conductive shield, the electrocoating
Has a front edge portion surrounding the contact portion (35) of the gas terminal (33), and said second shield (40,1
The shielded electrical connector assembly according to claim 14, wherein the leading edge of (40) is located at the rear of the contoured portion. 20. A connector (30) connected to a circuit board (22).
A supplementary attachment shield for fixing to the connector (30) includes a housings (32), a plurality of electrical terminals held in 該Ha Ujingu (33), inserted into the circuit board
And a conductive shield (31) having a mounting portion for fixing the connector.
The auxiliary mounting shield is configured to receive a mating plug for contacting an electrical terminal, the auxiliary mounting shield comprising a pair of spaced apart opposing side plates (41, 14).
1) and the side plate (41) to define a cavity for receiving the connector (30) such that the auxiliary mounting shield substantially surrounds and electrically engages the conductive shield of the connector (30). , 141) and a plurality of clamping tabs (44, 45, 48, 144) extending from the side plate to hold the connector (30) against the auxiliary mounting shield. , 145, 1
48) and a plurality of mounting legs (43, 47, 143, 147) extending downward so as to be inserted into through holes of the circuit board (22).