JPS63211584A - Construction of modular electric connector - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a circuit board formed for receiving an edge of a printed circuit board;
A modular electrical connector structure having contacts separated by the same unit distance such that each contact pad, i.e., each keyboard terminal, is separately contacted by the same unit distance along the surface of its printed circuit board. It is related to. In particular, the present invention provides a reversely shaped interlocking portion that engages end-to-end in a similar structure, each extending an integer multiple of the same unit distance from all contact points on all modules. The present invention relates to a connector structure that constitutes a substantially self-supporting connector capable of having any desired number of separated contacts.

[Conventional technology]

U.S. Pat. No. 3,340,440 discloses that the central part is made of a round elastic wire bent into an M shape, and the edges of the printed circuit board are smoothed into the U-shaped central part. A connector or clip that can be inserted into the The sides of the U-shaped central portion are shaped such that they are closest to each other at a small distance from the curved portion forming the central bottom of the U-shaped portion of the clip. The distance between the side members in their closest areas is
A small portion of each side member, called a contact area, presses hard against the printed circuit board to maintain good mechanical engagement with the printed circuit board, and the keyboard is printed at a location along the edge of the printed circuit board. The width is narrower than the thickness of the printed circuit board so as to maintain good electrical contact with the shaped terminals (hereinafter referred to as fingers). Since the wire is round and bent in the contact area,
The surface shape of each contact area is approximately spheroidal, but the lateral extent is very small. The smooth bends in all directions allow the printed circuit board to slide into place without scratching the metal forming the contact fingers at that location, while still allowing the printed circuit board to slide into place without scratching the metal forming the contact fingers at that location. Since the lateral extent is small, a very large elasticity is concentratedly applied to the finger when converted to 1 square centimeter. Its resiliency is sufficient to remove dirt that may adhere to the contact area of the wire or the finger portions that the wire contacts.

The clip described in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. , are bent in opposite directions and extend sufficiently long and parallel to each other beyond the curvature of the U-shaped central portion to be able to enter correspondingly spaced holes in the support member.

The support member is typically a separate printed circuit board, often referred to as a motherboard. The printed circuit board that is fitted into the U-shaped central section and thus supported by the motherboard is often referred to as a daughter board. One of the advantages of the M-shaped lips is that the same number of M-shaped lips can be attached to a pair of parallel baseplates to contact any desired number of contact pads, or fingers, along the edge of the daughter plate. This is something that can be supported in a large format. The clips are soldered to pads surrounding each hole in the motherboard to hold them in place. Unlike other printed circuit board receptacle connectors made with standard dimensions that have only a certain number of contacts supported in molded plastic grooves, connectors formed with wire clips only add extra weight. , do not occupy unnecessary volume of plastic grooves, and do not use more contacts than necessary.

[Problem 3 to be solved by the invention: When the two parallel ends of each M-shaped lip are inserted into the appropriate holes in the base plate, each M-shaped lip must be handled carefully. I need. To solve that problem, another U.S. Pat. A method is disclosed in which a clip can be handled by a depositable carrier. To allow any number of clips to be attached to the motherboard at once, the carrier can be placed end-to-end, but after the clips are soldered in place. Those carriers must be removed. The reason is that each carrier has a central wall that occupies the space later occupied by the daughter plates.

It often happens that both sides of the U-shaped central part of the M-shaped lip tightly engage the daughter plate, but the fingers on one of the two surfaces adjacent to the same edge Assuming electrical isolation from the fingers on the other surface, this means that these clips cannot be used on daughter boards that have fingers on said two surfaces. To solve this problem, pending U.S. patent specification 5
No. 96.096 discloses a clip that is more or less J-shaped rather than M-shaped.

A common problem with all multi-contact printed circuit board edge connectors is that
To make a satisfactory electrical connection, each contact must exert enough pressure on its respective finger on the printed circuit board that friction resists movement during insertion and withdrawal of the connector. It is to awaken the power to do something. As a result, very high forces are required to insert a daughter board with a large number of contact fingers into a connector.

To reduce the force required for insertion, U.S. Pat.
No. 27,955 discloses that each M-shaped lip, or each pair of clips, referred to as a U-shaped lip in that U.S. patent specification, attaches to one of the wafers made of insulating material having a certain total thickness. A structure is described that is placed in a recess provided in one surface. A multi-contact connector receiving the edge of the daughter board can then be made by assembling a stack of wafers of a number of contacts corresponding to the desired number of contacts and then securing the stack together. Two rods are passed through each wafer, and two rods are inserted into each wafer to engage all the enclosed clips.
Two holes can be drilled. The rods can be used either by moving the clip out of the path of the inserted daughter board until the daughter board is in place, or by pressing the clip against the daughter board after the daughter board is in place in the connector. This reduces the insertion force.

A problem that is not immediately obvious with wafer stacks that each carry only one contact layer, consisting of one M-shaped lip or a pair of U-shaped lips arranged in mirror image relationship, is that the wafer thickness varies from wafer to wafer. and because the thickness determines the spacing of successive contact layers, it is very slightly too thick to place one or more contacts at the far end of the stack in the correct finger. It is possible for the 01 set of wafers not to be touched and not to cause any cumulative errors. The possibility of such errors makes the limit on the maximum number of wafers that can be grouped together too small. Also, while the only way to hold a wafer stack is to clip it, we added inverted shapes on each end of each wafer to allow the ends of each wafer to be held together as a self-supporting multi-contact connector. There are no interlocking parts.

[Purpose of the invention]

It is an object of the invention to
suitable for contacting fingers separated by a distance, each module having oppositely shaped interlocking portions and precisely spaced bearing surfaces, thereby allowing two or more to provide a modular electrical connector structure in which modules of the invention can be interlocked together to form a connector having a desired number of contacts, each separated by an integral multiple of a unit distance, whether provided on the same module or on different modules. It is.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a modular electrical connector structure in which contacts are arranged to individually electrically contact separated fingers on both sides of a printed circuit board.

Another object of the present invention is to provide modular electrical connectors with different numbers of contacts, in order to be able to assemble connectors with any desired number of contacts with only a limited number of modules. It's about getting structure.

Another object of the present invention is that each elastic line contact can be easily inserted, each inserted elastic line contact is strongly held, and two or more A modular electrical connector structure is obtained that allows its modules to be easily and reliably assembled to substantially self-supporting locations.

[Means for solving problems]

According to the invention, a module structure is obtained that includes an insulating support member and a plurality of contacts inserted into contact slots spaced a unit distance apart in the longitudinal direction of the module. 2 even before attaching the connector to a more permanent support.
To enable one or more such modules to be coupled together to form an elongated multi-contact connector, the support member has inverted mating means at its longitudinal ends. The insulating support member has two sidewalls that are sufficiently thick to provide contact slots for receiving resilient wire contacts and spaced apart sufficiently to receive a printed circuit board or the like therebetween. The contact slots open into the central space. The central space is called the connector receiving slot or main slot.

Each line contact has a portion that projects into each main slot and contacts a contact finger along the surface of the inserted printed circuit board adjacent one edge thereof.

The depth of the main slot, which determines the extent to which the printed circuit board can be pushed into the main slot, joins the bottom edges of the side walls and forms a U-shape when viewed along its length from one end. It is determined by the bridging means, such as the bottom wall, which gives the module a cross-section.

at each end, or at least a longitudinally facing support surface or standard surface, and one support surface and a support surface spaced from the support surface in an orientation towards the other end; the longitudinal distance between the points of contact closest to the supporting surface, and the distance between the points of contact closest to the supporting surface, separated from that supporting surface in an orientation toward the end distal from the other supporting surface; It is important that the sum is an integer relationship of unit distance between adjacent contact points. By maintaining their dimensions, the longitudinal distance between any two contacts, whether on the same module or on different modules that are connected, can be reduced to an integer multiple of the unit distance. It is possible to

The wire clip is held tightly and securely within the contact slot and is generally J-shaped with a long side and a short side joined together by a rounded curve. The long side is slightly curved to fit into the main slot when the clip is in its respective contact slot. The uppermost end of the contact slot stops short of the top surface of the insulating support member so that the contact can extend a specified length into the contact slot. The other inner surface forming each contact slot extends in alignment from the side portion of the support member so that the long ends of all clips are soldered to aligned pads on a motherboard, etc. Hold each clip as shown. The longer end of the clip can be placed directly into a pair of parallel ends separated by a narrower spacing than would be possible if the ends of the clip were not offset. The ends of the contacts can extend straight from the bottom ends of the respective contact slots or can be offset. Alternatively, the long end can be bent outward to be flush with the top of the motherboard and soldered directly to it.

The oppositely shaped interlocking means at both ends are preferably slides and holes for the slides. The slides and recesses extend across the ends of the insulating support members in a direction perpendicular to the length of the insulating support members, but the slides on each insulating support member cannot pass through the recesses of another insulating support member. The slides are limited in length so that they cannot be inserted into the recesses to the maximum extent possible, and the sides of the mated modules, all of the top and bottom surfaces, and especially the main slots, are precisely aligned with each other. be done.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 illustrate a printed circuit board 12 or similar having connector pads or fingers 13 equally spaced along one or both surfaces adjacent one edge 14. Several modules are shown coupled together to form a multi-contact electrical connector 11 receiving a male connector structure. Reference number 13
is generally used to refer to any finger. When referring to a specific finger, a symbol is added to the reference numeral.

The same reference numerals will be used to indicate other parts.

Connector 11 includes an assembly of modules 16-20.

The modules have contacts 22 arranged at a uniform spacing equal to the spacing of the fingers 13 in order to make electrical connections to the fingers 13. The contacts are held in insulating support members 23-27 molded from a thermoplastic material that has good dimensional stability, good electrical insulation, and is not adversely affected by the heat of melted solder. A suitable material for this purpose is a polyester material with 30% glass addition. Modules 16-20 have different numbers of contacts 2
It has 2. The contacts are arranged in mirror image pairs on opposite sides of the central slot 28 in the embodiment described herein. The central slot 28 will be referred to as a connector receiving slot or a main slot. In order to be able to provide connector 1 with any desired number of contacts or contact pairs, module 16 has two pairs of contacts and module 17 has three pairs of contacts. In theory, a suitable number of modules 16 and 17 can be used to assemble a connector with any number of contacts, but the lengths of the modules differ slightly, although they are supposed to have the same nominal length. Therefore, it is preferable to limit the total number of modules making up the connector to about seven. However, the number of approximately seven is merely an example, and the present invention should not be construed as being limited to this number. At the same time, the module...
It is also undesirable to have too many types of methods. By using modules with 10 pairs of contacts and modules with 2 and 3 pairs of contacts, connectors with almost any number of contacts from 2 to 40 pairs can be made into 7
It can be assembled using no more than one module. It does not require just one or a pair of contacts,
Also, since it is rare that four contacts are required,
There is no need to prepare a module that connects only one pair of contacts. Although modules 18 and 19 in connector 11 are only partially shown, it is assumed that they make ten pairs of contacts.

Connector 11 connects printed circuit board 12 to assist in guiding printed circuit board 12 into position within main slot 28 .
two end members 29,30 engaging edges 31 and 32 of
including. To prevent printed circuit boards from being inserted behind the main slots, modules 16-20 have small alignment slots or keyways 33. These keyways form sidewalls 34 that form the sidewalls of the main slot 28.
a.

34b in juxtaposed pairs. End member 2
Keyway 33 arranged asymmetrically with respect to 9 and 30
one or more keys 36 and 37 in a and 33b;
and by providing slots 38 and 39 in corresponding asymmetric positions relative to edges 31 and 32, it is possible to insert printed circuit board 12 into slot 28 in only one orientation. The printed circuit board 12 can be limited to. A total of four guide means provided on the printed circuit board 12, namely the two edges 31, 32 and the slots 38, 39, then correspond to corresponding guide means provided on the connector, namely the edges. Part 29.30 and key 36.3
The printed four-way board 12 can only be inserted into the slot 28 when it is in the proper relationship to the slot 28.

Asymmetrically provided keys and slots are sufficient, but in the case of a printed circuit board 12 with long edges 14 two
Better results are obtained using one or more keys. If three or more keys are used, it may not be necessary to provide end pieces 29,30 for guiding edges 31 and 32. Furthermore, using one set of keyways 33, such as the two pairs of modules 16 have, is sufficient for all modules that have a pair of keyways between each pair of contacts 22, except for one end of the module. , it is facilitated to select locations for the coding keys and coding slots that do not unduly interfere with the operation of the circuitry formed on the printed circuit board 12.

A dovetail-shaped projection 41 on one end of each module 16-20 and end member 29 is replaced by an inverted recess 4 on the adjacent module and end member 30.
2, the end members 29 and 30 of the modules 16-20 are held together.

The unit distance between each contact 22 and the next adjacent contact is indicated by the value X in FIG. Recalling the basic purpose of the invention, it is important that the unit distance X remains approximately constant across the interface between each module, e.g. from module 19 to module 20. In order to keep its unit distance spacing constant across the interface, the end of one of the modules carrying the dovetail projection 41a also has a support or gauge surface 43a. Moreover, the module 20 having the dovetail-shaped recess 42a
The contact end of also has a bearing surface or gauge surface 44a, and all modules are provided with a similar bearing surface. Projection part 41
The recesses 42 are a very tight fit so that the support surfaces 43 and 44 rub tightly against each other when the modules are assembled to form the connector. Therefore, it is their support surfaces that determine the exact spacing between the contacts of different modules, as illustrated by module 19 and contacts 22a, 22b and module 20 contacts 22c, 22d. This includes starting from the support surface 43a to the next contact pair 22a, 22b to the left of that support surface 43a.
The sum of the distance Y to the central plane of and the distance Z from the supporting surface 44a to the central plane of the next contact pair 22c, 22d on the right side of the supporting surface 44a is the unit distance/! ilX must be exactly equal.

In this embodiment, the protrusions 41 may extend beyond the respective support surface 43 by a length much less than one-third of the longitudinal force unit distance, 1iiX, and in the longitudinal direction of each indentation. Since the depth is made very slightly longer than one-third of the unit distance be. Although this creates a good interlocking relationship between the modules, a broader definition of the relationship between the parameters X, Y, and Z is that within the same module, the most The center of the nearby contact point 22, the μ surface and the support surface 43
The sum of the distance Y between 0 and the distance Z between the center plane of the next contact point 22 and the support surface 44 in the same module toward the far end of that module is the distance X of qt.
It is equal to an integer multiple of . In practice, it is understood in the industry that such measurements are made on the midplane or on comparable parts of the two points of contact, and Y or Z
Suffice it to say that is the distance between the respective support surface and the next adjacent contact point in the direction towards the far end member of the same module.

It will be seen from FIG. 2 that one end of each contact 22 extends below the bottom surface 46 of the support members 23-27 which constitute the largest portion of the connector 11. Their ends extending downward h° are all tightly aligned. For that purpose, the mother plate 47
It is facilitated to insert their ends into similarly aligned holes 45 in a support member such as. A portion of the base plate 47 is shown in FIG.

3.4.5 shows three embodiments of line contact clips suitable for use with the contact 22 shown in FIG.

The structure of the upper part of contacts 22a, 22b shown in FIG. 3 is the same as the structure of the upper part of contact 22e shown in FIG. 4 and contact 22f shown in FIG. , a relatively straight portion 48 called the main portion, a curved portion 49, and a loop or curved portion 50 connecting the upper end of the main portion 48 and the upper end of the curved portion 49. The four bent parts in those examples are L
It includes a portion 52, a lower portion 53, and a relatively sharply bent portion 54 between one portion thereof and the lower portion. The contact area that contacts each finger 13 on the printed circuit board 12 is the convex surface 55 of its sharply bent portion. The relatively sharply bent portion 54 limits the lateral extent of the surface that allows the finger to press and thus makes good contact, known as tightness, between the contact area 55 and the finger 13. The term "tight" means that the spring pressure applied by the elasticity of the contacts 22 is only 283. '
Even on the order of 5 g/cm2 (10 oz/in2), the unit pressure of the contact area applied to the finger is approximately 7030 kg/am' (100000 ps i).
, which means that other substances, even gases, cannot remain between the contact area 55 and the finger 13 and are expelled.

The contacts 22a and 22b shown in FIG.
Contact slots 56 provided in each of a and 34b
a and 56b, respectively. The height of the slots, or the depth to which they extend upwardly into the sidewalls, is slightly less than the height of the sidewalls, limiting the length of the contact 22 into the contact slots 56a, 56b of the cover 57a. , 57b remain. The covers keep all the contacts in the contact slots in approximately the same position and help keep the contacts aligned. In addition to the height, the contact slot also has two other dimensions: a width in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper, ie, in the longitudinal direction of the module, and a depth in a direction perpendicular to the main slot 28. Since the depth of each contact slot 56 is slightly less than the thickness of the side wall 34 in which it is formed, the outside of each contact slot is surrounded by a thinner portion of the side wall, but the inside of each contact slot is surrounded by the main slot 28. It opens towards the front and leads to its main slot.

In order to bring each contact 22 into contact with one of the fingers 13,
The bent portion 49 of the contact must pass into the main slot through the open side of its contact slot. It can be seen from FIG. 3 that the main portion 48 of each contact is pressed against the inwardly facing surface of the thin portion of the side wall 34, and that the vertical distance from that surface to the contact area is less than the depth of the slot 56. Probably. Even before the contacts 22 are soldered into the holes 56, they are forced into position by the resilient pressure of the free ends 58 of the contacts 22 applied to the central five lower portions of the insulating support member 26. 22 is retained in the position shown in contact slot 56. Since the depth of this central portion is the same as the depth of the main slots 28, the central portion forms all of the interior of the contact slots 56.
Also determine the depth of The central section joins together the lower edges of side walls 34a, 34b to provide insulating support member 26 and module 19 itself with a U when viewed from one end as in FIG.
It is also a bridge that gives the shape a cross section.

The depth of each contact slot is such that the free end 58 is directed toward the main portion 48 such that the curved portion 5 advances beyond its elastic recovery point and becomes more permanently bent than previously thought. It is sufficient to allow one contact to be inserted between the central part 59 and the thin part of the side wall 34 without having to push.

It is important not to apply too much stress to the upper portion 52 and the curved portion of the bent portion 49. This is because it is those parts that provide the resiliency to press the contact area 56 against the finger 13 when the printed circuit board], 2 is in the slot 28.

Contact 2, which is the part held in the solder 63 in the hole 45
The lowermost end 61 of 2 is displaced from straight alignment with main portion 48 . The reason for this offset is the standard spacing for holes in printed circuit boards, which is about 0.
This is to align ends 61a and 61b with holes 45a and 45b whose axes are 51 Foam (0,200 inches) apart.

The distance between the axes of the main parts 48a and 48b is approximately 0.635c+n
(approximately 0.'250 inches). The reason why the main parts cannot simply be brought closer together is, as mentioned earlier,
This is because the elasticity of the curvature is an important part of the force that presses the contact area 55 against one finger 13 and must therefore not be lost by bending the cutting tool too sharply. The radius of curvature of the curved portion 50 must be at least approximately the same as the diameter of the wire forming the contact point 22;
You don't have to be too big to receive it,
The width of the insulating support member 26 would have to be oversized to accommodate it. The diameter is approximately 0.051cm (
In the case of beryllium copper, which has a diameter of
25 inches). Bending to that radius of curvature can be accomplished by wrapping the wire around a mandrel having a diameter of about 0.050 inches. Contact area 55
The total direct distance from to the inner surface of the thin wall portion of side wall 34 is about 0. 3-0. 31cm (approximately 0.11.8~0
．． 122 inches).

Also, the distance between the two contact areas 55a and 55b is approximately 0.0 mm thick of the nominal thickness of the printed circuit board 12. 158c+n (approximately 0.0
62 inches) must be somewhat smaller than the thickness, but
Approximately 0.137 cm (approximately 0.0
If it can be made as thin as 54 inches, it will be about 0. '1
It can be as thick as 80c+n (0,071 inches). Contact area 55a before printed circuit board 12 is inserted
and 55b is approximately 0.071-0.0
87 cm (approximately 0.028 to 0.032 inches),
With the above dimensions, the distance between the axes of the main portion 48 is approximately 0. 635a
m (0,250 inches). Therefore, each contact 2
The center distance between the two ends 61a and 61b of 2 is approximately 0.50.
8 cm (approximately 0.200 inch), the end 61 of each contact 22 should be approximately 0.0 in.
It is necessary to shift it by 64 cm (approximately 0.025 inch).

All dimensions mentioned above are based on the use of certain standard materials; other materials or generally similar parts may be used in the modules described herein; therefore, they do not fall within the scope of this invention. It shall not be construed as limiting.

2 and 3, an insulating support member 16 between each contact pair 22 is shown.
A low obstruction 62 is shown extending downwardly from the bottom surface 46 of ~20. These obstacles separate the bottom from the motherboard 47 and are fused to hold the ends 61 of each contact in the holes 45, so that when placed in those holes the solder 63 is applied to the connector wires. and into the slot 56 of the connector, so-called capillary action. The solder that enters the contact slot 56 by its capillary action may join the free end 58 of the contact to the main portion 48 .

The only difference between the contacts 22a, 22b shown in FIG. 3 and the contacts 22e shown in FIG. 4 and the contacts 22f shown in FIG. It is. The end 61 of the contact shown in FIG. 3 is straight from the lower offset. The contact 22e shown in FIG. 4 is the same as the contact described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. , are opposite to each other between third offset portions 67 providing the approximately 0.025 inch offset described with reference to FIG. Offset 64 stabilizes contact 22e against cold flow of solder 63, and offset 65 aligns bottom end 66 with hole 45, as described in the aforementioned US patent application.

The contacts 22f shown in FIG. 5 are bent approximately at right angles to the lower end of the main portion 48 and are slightly flattened to function as soldering tabs 68. The tab 68 is held on the second side of the mother plate 71 by solder 69 and does not need to be inserted into a hole in the mother plate. When the contact 22f is used on the insulating support member 26 of FIG. 3, the tab extends to the side through a passageway bounded by the base plate, the bottom surface 46 of the insulating support member 26, and two obstructions 62.

All support members 23-27 have a keyway between each pair of contacts 22 and the next pair of contacts, but between the last contact and the end with the protrusion 41 or the end with the indentation 42. does not have a keyway. The reason for this is that it crosses at least one of the key protrusion 41 and the corner 42 at either of those locations, weakening the structure at the point where it crosses.

However, this slightly reduces the number of places to put keys 36 or 37, which is not a big deal.

- For example, until the connector 11 is soldered to the support member, the connector can be bent so that the two male end pieces are on the right and the female end piece 30 is on the left. This is acceptable because the contacts 28 are the same on both sides of the main slot 28. Alternatively, or in addition, the modules may be coupled together to connect connector 11
The rows of modules 16-20, ie, two pairs, three pairs, or ten pairs of modules, can be interchanged in any order when forming the module.

6 to 10 are specially prepared for the ten pairs of insulating support members 26, but the two pairs of support members shown in FIG. 1 or the two pairs shown in FIG. It can also be applied to the support member 17 of.

The main slot 28 includes a support member 26 that includes a protrusion 41.
and two side walls 34a.

34b are connected together by central portion 59 and obstruction 62. The central portion not only limits the length to which a daughter printed circuit board can be inserted into the main slot 28, but is also an unobstructed link between the side walls along the length of the main portion of the insulating support member 26. However, since the central portion does not extend below the protrusion 41, the protrusion 41 is divided into two mirror image portions 41a and 41b. The dovetail recess 42 can also be considered to be divided into two parts 42a and 42b.

As shown in FIG. 6, the protrusions 41a and 41b have inclined side surfaces 72a and 72b, respectively. The sloping sides are separated by an equal distance on either side of the central longitudinal force counter surface of the slot 28.

The sides meet the support surface 43 at an acute angle, approximately 45 degrees in the embodiment described here, forming a neck across the narrowest portion of the projection.

The narrowest portions are the intersection between the inclined side surface 72b and the support surface 43, and the intersection between the inclined side surface 72b and the support surface 43. Since the recess 42 has a shape opposite to that of the protrusion 41, the recess naturally has the inclined side surfaces 73a and 73b that intersect with the support surface 44 at the same acute angle as the angle of intersection between the inclined side surfaces 72a and 72b and the support surface 43. have Furthermore, in the same manner as the inclined side surfaces 72a and 72b, the inclined side surfaces 73a and 37b
are spaced on either side of the central longitudinal plane of slot 28. The inclined side surfaces 73a and 73b form a neck portion at the intersection with the support surface 44.

In order for the recess 42 to firmly hold the protrusion 41, the width of the neck of the protrusion is equal to the width of the neck of the recess.

In order to press together the two support surfaces of the modules to be interlocked, the height of the protrusion 41 measured in the longitudinal direction of the insulating support member 26 must be at least slightly greater than the depth of the recess 42 measured in the same direction. Must not be. For example, the height of the protrusion 41 is approximately 0.076 cm (0.0
30 inches), the depth of the groove 42 should be approximately 0.089 cm (approximately 0.035 inches).

Although the dovetail-shaped projection 41 extends beyond the end of the main portion of the insulating support member 26, the support surface 43 can be considered an end thereof. It is easy to recognize that the other support portion 44 is the other end surface of the insulating support member 26. Support surfaces 43 and 44 are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of insulating support member 26.

FIG. 7 is an end view of one of the insulating support members 26 in which the two portions 41a, 41b of the protrusion 41 extend from the support member 74 toward the bottom surface 46 thereof.
Extend the part of the path that crosses the .

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the same protrusions 41a, 41b and support part 43, and more clearly shows the relationship between these parts. The projection 41 is actually a slide with a dovetail cross section. The longitudinal direction of the slide, defined as the direction in which the cross-sectional area and shape of the slide remains constant, is the vertical direction in FIG.

That direction is also the direction in which the daughter printed circuit board would normally be inserted into the main slot 28. An end 76 of the protrusion 41 that is closer to the bottom surface of the insulating support member 26 is coplanar with the upper surface of the central portion 59 of the bottom wall.

All the remaining end portions of the insulating support member 26 for forming the support portion 43 are the two portions 76a of the end surface of the protrusion portion 41 of the portions 41a and 41b of the protrusion portion.

A U-shaped portion bounding the two outer longitudinal sides extends the underside of 76b beyond the insulating support member 26. However, by making the area of the U-shaped surface 43 approximately one-third, preferably half, of the area with the height and width of the end of the insulating support member, and the support surface so measured By extending to the periphery of the surface, the support can maintain the stability of the engagement of the interlocked parts.

The recess 42 has a cross section that is constant in shape and area along the longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal direction h° of the protrusion 41 .

The shape of the recess 42 is that of the end member 30 shown in FIG.
It is best understood from In the end member 30 the recess 42 has exactly the same shape as in the insulating support member 26. Similar to the protrusion 41, the recess 42 extends from the top surface 74 of the insulating support member to a floor 77 coplanar with the top surface of the central member 59.
extending the portion of the path of the insulating support member or to the end of the end member 30 until. The fact that the recess 42 has the same longitudinal dimension as the longitudinal dimension of the protrusion 41 indicates that the protrusion 41 is in the recess of another insulating support member or end member 30 until the end face 76 of the protrusion 41 abuts the floor 77. When longitudinally inserted into 42, the upper surfaces 74 of the two members so interlocked are coplanar.

The dimensions and shape of the support surface 44 adjacent to the depression 42 in the illustrated embodiment are exactly the same as the dimensions and shape of the support surface adjacent to the depression 41. Although not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, for example, insulating support members such as insulating support member 26 may have an overall width of approximately 0.89 (2) (0.3
50 inches), the height from the bottom surface 46 to the top surface 74 is approximately 0
．． It is made to be 8-13 cm (0,320 inches).

Therefore, the total area of the end face of the insulating support member, assuming that no part of that area is lost due to the main slot 28, is:
(approximately 0.723 square cm < 0.112 square inch). The width of the neck of such recess 42 (and protrusion 41) is approximately 0.539 cm (0.270 inches), and the length from top surface 74 to the floor is approximately 0.636 cm (0.636 cm).
, 270 inches). Therefore, support 11i1i
The area of the cross section of 43 (and the supporting surface 43) is the difference between those areas, that is, approximately 0.35329 cm2 (approximately 0.35329 cm2).
0576 square h inch). Its area is slightly less than half the area defined by the height times the width of the end of the insulating support member 26.

FIG. 8 shows the shape of the opening of contact slot 56 in bottom surface 46 of insulating support member 26. FIG. The innermost portion 78 and outermost portion 79 of each contact slot are connected to the insulating support member 2.
6, just wide enough to allow one of the contacts 22 shown in FIGS. 3-5 to fit therein without bending. Approximately 0.051
For contacts made of 0.020 inch (0.020 inch) lines, the width of the innermost portion 78 and outermost portion 79 of each contact slot is approximately 0.02 inch (0.020 inch). It can be 0.053 cm (0.021 inch). The reason why the spacing between wall portions 81 and 82 in the central portion of contact slot 56 is greater than the width of innermost portion 78 and outermost portion 79 of each contact slot is due to the mold in which insulating support member 26 is molded. This is to enable the use of strong parts.

8 and 10 show that the contact slots 56 extend in the longitudinal direction of the insulating support member 26 by a distance X corresponding to the spacing between adjacent fingers 13 on the printed circuit board 12 shown in FIG. It shows how the faults 62 are spaced uniformly and such that the faults 62 are located in the middle of each pair of contact slots.

In FIG. 10, the keyway 33 is directly above one obstacle 62,
As a result, any downward force applied to a key contained within any keyway is absorbed by the obstruction 62 below that keyway and is transmitted directly to the support member overlying the insulating support member 26.

FIG. 9 shows that, except for a small slope or obstruction 83 at the underside of the cover 57 and at the edge of that cover adjacent the main slot 28, the depth of the contact slot is
6 to the lower side of the cover 57. The reason for the small obstruction 83 is to prevent or at least limit the movement of the uppermost part of the contact 22. That portion is shown as a byte 50 in FIG.

No such minor obstruction is shown in FIG. 3, and before the lowermost end 61 of the contact 22 is inserted into the hole 45, the ends 61a and 61b can only be spread apart. , so that the ends and holes are slightly misaligned in order to insert them into the holes 45. Such movement, which is clearly undesirable, occurs when pressure is applied to one or more of the lowermost ends 61 in a direction to turn that end or ends outwardly. Sometimes things happen even when you don't intend to. However, due to its movement occurring around the central portion 59 of the bottom wall, the contact point 22
towards slot 28 or slot 2
Move or lean into 8.

The small obstruction 83 helps to prevent the upper portion of the contact 22 from being moved and thus helps the lowermost end 61 to be moved outwardly and out of alignment with the hole 45. . Since the space occupied by obstruction 83 in FIG. 9 is empty in FIG. Unlike other connectors, since the contacts 22 are inserted into holes in the bottom surface of the insulating support member 26, the correct insertion of the contacts 22 into their respective contact slots 56 is not adversely affected. The cover 57 not only limits the length of the contacts pushed into the contact slot 56, but also protects the contacts from above while the connector 11 is in use.

Most, but not all, connectors on the market require you to insert the contacts from the beginning.

In those connectors, it is the top end of each contact that must be wide open to receive the contacts, so the contacts remain exposed and objects such as screwdrivers, probes, etc. can be inserted into the contact slots along with the contacts. It may go inside. A small obstacle 83 is provided at the corner of each contact slot that would otherwise be vacant if the faults 83 are not provided.
Correct action in step 2 will not have any negative effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 shows one of the multi-contact, multi-module connectors of the present invention.
2 is a side view of the connector in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the connector in FIGS. 1 and 2 along line 3-3 in FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the line contact clip shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, FIG. 8 is an end view of one end of the insulating support member shown in FIG. 6; FIG. 9 is a side view of the insulating support member shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the insulating support member of FIG. 6 taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 6, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the female end member of the connector end member shown in FIG. 1; 11...Connector, 13...Keyboard-shaped terminal, 16~
20...Module, 22...Contact, 23-27.
...Insulating support member, 28...Main contact slot, 29.
30... End member, 33... Keyway, 36.37.
...Key, 38.39.56...Slot, 42...
- Hollow, 43.44... Support surface, 62... Mother disorder. Applicant's agent Sato -Yu Criki 4j Fig, 12 Procedure formalities (method) February 22, 1985

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. (a) of an insulating material to form an insulating support member having an upper surface and a lower surface and a first or longitudinally spaced first end and a second end; (b) defining a first slide extending from and extending across the first end; (c) a protrusion having a dovetail cross-section of predetermined dimensions; (c) extending parallel to the first slide across the second end;
has a cross-sectional shape opposite to the cross-sectional shape of the slide, thereby securing said first slide to said second slide if said first slide is on a different such support member. (d) a first support surface and a second support surface adjacent longitudinally opposite sides of the first and second slides, respectively; (e) a plurality of contact locations equally spaced apart by a unit distance in the longitudinal direction of the support member, oriented from the first support surface toward a distal end of the support member; the sum of the longitudinal distance to the next adjacent contact location and the longitudinal distance from said second support surface to the next adjacent contact location in a direction towards the distal end of said support member; A modular electrical connector structure characterized in that is equal to unit distance. 2. The modular electrical connector structure of claim 1, wherein the distance that the first slide and the second slide extend across their respective ends is less than the total distance therebetween. . 3. Both said slides start from one surface of said support member, said second slide ends at an end face thereof, and said second slide ends at a floor coplanar with an end face of said first slide. 3. A modular electrical connector structure as claimed in claim 2. 4. The modular electrical connector structure of claim 1, wherein said slide begins at the top surface of said support member and extends to a common height portion of the path toward the bottom surface of said support member. 5. The wall of the first slide and the wall of the second slide are spaced apart to form a main slot therebetween extending the overall longitudinal distance of the support member. A modular electrical connector structure according to item 1. 6. The modular electrical connector structure of claim 5, wherein said contact locations include contact slots extending into the sidewall in juxtaposed pairs, each contact slot communicating with a main slot. 7. The modular electrical connector structure of claim 6 further comprising resilient contacts within said contact slots, each contact including a resiliently projecting portion within said main slot. 8. (a) a first side wall, a second side wall, a bottom wall, a top surface, a bottom surface, and a first end and a second end separated in a first direction or a longitudinal direction; (b) a protrusion extending from the first end, having a cross-section of a predetermined dimension, and extending laterally across the first end in a second direction; (c) having a cross-section in the opposite shape to the cross-section of the projection and having dimensions corresponding inversely to the predetermined dimensions of the projection;
a recess extending laterally in an orientation and extending into a second end; (d) a first support surface adjacent said protrusion and recess, respectively, and facing in a longitudinally opposite direction; a second support surface; (e) a plurality of contact locations equally spaced apart by a unit distance in the longitudinal direction of the support member; a longitudinal distance from said first support surface to a next adjacent contact location in an orientation towards a distal end of said support member;
A module characterized in that the sum of the longitudinal distances from the second support surface to the next adjacent contact location in the direction towards the far end of the support member is equal to an integral multiple of a unit distance. Electrical connector structure. 9. The module electrical connector structure according to claim 8, wherein the integer multiple is 1. 10. The end of the support member is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support member, and the first support surface and the second support surface are respectively connected to the first end and the second end. 9. A modular electrical connector structure as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that it includes a portion. 11. the protrusion and the recess are adjacent to a top surface, the first support surface extends above each side of the protrusion and between the protrusion and the bottom surface, and the second support surface is a recess; 11. The modular electrical connector structure of claim 10, wherein the modular electrical connector structure extends over both sides of the recess and between the recess and the bottom surface. 12. The side walls are spaced apart in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to form a main slide therebetween, a top surface and each end of the main slide being open and a central portion of the bottom wall being closed. ,
9. The modular electrical connector structure of claim 8, wherein the contact locations extend into the side walls and open into the main slide in juxtaposed pairs. 13. The module of claim 12, wherein the slides extending into the side wall are contact slides, and the slides extend into the side wall from the bottom surface of the support member. Electrical connector structure. 14. The invention further comprises a curved line contact resiliently retained within the contact slide.
The module electrical connector structure described in Section 3. 15. One end of each of the line contacts extends below the bottom surface of the support member, and a portion of each line contact in each contact slide resiliently contacts the surface of the support member so that the end of the contact extends below the bottom surface of the support member; 15. The modular electrical connector structure of claim 14, wherein the corresponding ends of the contacts and the other contacts maintain their alignment. 16. providing an obstruction means between the main slide and the part of each contact slide closest to the top surface of the support member to prevent that part of each slide from being turned towards the main slide; 16. A modular electrical connector structure as claimed in claim 15. 17. The main member of each contact is bent within its respective contact slide with a first portion substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the contact slide and outside the support member bent substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the support member. 17. The modular electrical connector structure of claim 16, further comprising a second portion extending away from the member. 18. The line contact is generally J-shaped and includes a main member terminating in said one end, a curved member projecting into the main slide, and a curved portion joining said curved member to the main member. 16. A modular electrical connector structure as claimed in claim 15. 19. The main member of each contact has a first portion within its respective contact slide substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the contact slide, and outside the support member, the main member has a first portion bent in the same direction as the first portion of the main member, but bent. 19. The modular electrical connector structure of claim 18, further comprising a second portion laterally offset therefrom in a direction toward the member. 20. The support member includes a plurality of obstacles extending from the bottom surface of the support member parallel to the ends of the support member, each obstacle being between two pairs of slides extending into the side walls. A modular electrical connector structure according to claim 13. 21. One end of each contact extends below the bottom surface of the support member and is curved to extend substantially parallel to the bottom surface, extending no further from the bottom surface than each obstacle extends. A modular electrical connector structure according to claim 20.