US3573718A

US3573718A - Miniature electrical connector

Info

Publication number: US3573718A
Application number: US759971A
Authority: US
Inventors: Linn Stephen Lightner
Original assignee: AMP Inc
Current assignee: TE Connectivity Corp
Priority date: 1968-09-16
Filing date: 1968-09-16
Publication date: 1971-04-06
Anticipated expiration: 1988-04-06
Also published as: BE738621A; DE1946683A1; NL143403B; NL6913676A; GB1239174A; DE1946683B2; FR2018160A1; SE365094B; ES175162Y; ES175162U

Abstract

An electrical connector for a board or other panel member having wire conductors or printed circuitry associated therewith and comprising a housing formed of a dielectric material having a plurality of electrical contacts mounted therein. The contacts are provided with tab portions which permit easy insertion into the housing and the housing is provided with shoulder means for cooperating with the tab portions to retain the contacts in position.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Linn Stephen Lightner Camp Hill, Pa. [21] Appl. No. 759,971 [22] Filed Sept. 16,1968 [45] Patented Apr. 6, 1971 [73] Assignee AMP Incorporated Harrisburg, Pa.

[54] MINIATURE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 9 Claims, 11 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 339/176, 339/17, 339/217 [51] Int. Cl H05k 1/07, HOIk 13/50 [50] Field ofSearch 339/17, 176 (M), 176 (MP), 220 (T), 217 (S) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,085,220 4/1963 Sitz 339/18 3,160,459 12/1964 Greco et al. 339/176 2,911,612 11/1959 .lacksonetal. 339/176(MP) 3,008,113 l1/196l Johnson 339/17 3,015,083 12/1961 Juris 339/176(MP) 3,422,394 1/1969 Antes 339/176(MP) FOREIGN PATENTS 882,698 11/1961 GreatBritain 339/176(MP) Primary Examiner-Marvin A. Cahmpion Assistant Examiner-Lawrence J. Staab Attorneys-Curtis, Morris and Safford, Marshall M.

I-Iolcombe, William Hintze, William .1. Keating, Frederick W. Raring, John R. Hopkins, Adrian J. LaRue and Jay L. Seitchik ABSTRACT: An electrical connector for a board or other panel member having wire conductors or printed circuitry associated therewith and comprising a housing formed of a dielectric material having a plurality of electrical contacts mounted therein. The contacts are provided with tab portions which permit easy insertion into the housing and the housing is provided with shoulder means for cooperating with the tab portions to retain the contacts in position.

Patented April 6, 1971 s sums-sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Lnm sum: umu-uln. BY L I t '44 1| Patented April 6, 1971 3,573,718

5 Sheets-Sheet s NVENTOR. umv 811M411" Him-r nit BYJ Patented April 6, 1971 3,573,718

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. 5 LINN T 'PNIN HQHTNGR,

'P..ma Aprae,19i1 l Y3,573,71s

s sheezmm s} I 7 a p INVENTORY Y um: s'renucp carom.

MINIATURE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR This invention provides an electrical connector for use as an edge connector on a circuitry board. Throughout the specification and claims when the term circuitry board" is used it is to be understood that this term broadly encompasses any panel member, or memory frame, provided with electrical conductors in either wire or printed form. The connector of the instant invention utilizes an insulating housing formed as a one-piece mold which receives electrical contacts along one side and receives the circuitry board along its opposite side. Constricted passages are provided so that the contacts are in communication with the circuitry board.

The contacts retained in the housings of edge connectors are normally intended to be subsequently soldered to the conductors of a circuitry board. The means provided by this invention for retaining the contacts within the housing is sufficient to permit the soldering operation and is also sufficient to withstand normal mating forces between the edge connector and its mating connector. However, the contacts may be removed from the housing if desired by applying a force to the contacts which is in excess of the normal mating force.

It is therefore, an object of this invention to provide an edge connector for a circuitry board.

A further object is to provide a connector of simple and inexpensive construction.

A further object is to provide a one-piece housing for an edge connector which housing is capable of being interfitted with adjacent housings to provide undisturbed contact spacing between housings.

Another object is to provide a contact having a tab portion which performs the dual function of retaining the contact in position within a housing and for connecting the contact to the circuitry of a board.

A still further object is to provide an edge connector which may receive a circuitry board having circuitry on one side or on both sides thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts:

FIG. I is a perspective view showing the edge connector of the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the reverse side of the connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a female receptacle for use with the connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a male pin member for use with the connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the tab portion of the contacts shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the connector showing a contact being inserted within the housing FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6 and showing the contact just prior to being fully seated within the housmg;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7 and showing the contact fully seated in the housing;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8 and showing the connector mounted on a circuitry board;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8 and showing an alternative disposition of the contact tab portions; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector of FIG. 10 mounted on a circuitry board.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there are shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that these embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but are given for purpose of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

In FIG. 1 there is shown an edge connector 20 made in ac cordance with the teachings of this invention. The connector comprises a contact housing 22 which is preferably molded from a dielectric material such as diallyl phthalate or other similar material. The housing 22 is provided with a plurality of contact-receiving

apertures

24 and 26 disposed respectively along two parallel planes. The apertures 24 are offset or staggered in relation to the apertures 26 to permit minimum spacing between apertures thus yielding maximum contact density. The opposite side of the housing from the

apertures

24 and 26 is provided with a generally rectangular opening 28 for receiving an edge of a circuitry board.

Within each of the

apertures

24 and 26 there is disposed an electrical contact 30. The contacts shown in the connectors of FIGS. 1 and 2 are female receptacle but it will be apparent as this description proceeds that the contacts may alternatively be male pin members rather than receptacles as desired for a particular use.

Turning now to FIG. 3 the contact 30 will now be described. The contact comprises a mating portion 32 and a tab portion 34. The mating portion in this instance comprises a female receptacle arranged to receive a male pin member along its longitudinal axis as indicated in FIG. 3 by the arrow 36. Various types of receptacles may be used in place of the specific receptacle shown in- FIG. 3. However, for purposes of illustration the receptacle of FIG. 3 comprises a pair of generally V- shaped spring members 38 which cooperate to resiliently engage a pin member to form an electrical connection therebetween.

The tab portion 34 of the contact 30 extends away from the mating portion 32 and, as will be apparent, serves to secure the contact within the housing 22 and further serves to connect the contact with the circuitry on a board. The tab portion 34 is made up generally of three sections. The first section 40 extends from the mating portion of the contact and is disposed angularly inwardly toward the central axis of the contact mating portion. The section 40 is preferably disposed at an angle of approximately 35 (see FIG. 5) with the mating portion axis and this section serves a camming function as will be apparent hereafter.

A second section 42 of tab 34 extends from the first section 40 and is disposed angularly outwardly away from the central axis of the mating portion and makes an angle of generally (see FIG. 5) with the section 40.

This second section 42 serves to lock the contact in its associated housing 22. A third section 44 of the tab portion extends from the second section and is disposed along a plane which is generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis of mating portion 32. Section 44 is offset from the mating portion so that the plane containing section 44 lies outside of the confines of the contact mating portion.

The section 44 of the contact tab portion is ultimately to be electrically connected to circuitry associated with a board. For ease of assembly it is preferred that the tab be provided with a plating of solder properly positioned along the tab so that by merely adding heat at a later time the tab may be connected with the external circuitry. The section 44 of the tab portion is provided with means for retaining the solder plating in position and this means comprises a pair of

cuplike portions

46 and 48 which are arcuate troughs formed along the tab portion and oppositely disposed for a purpose to be described.

In FIG. 4 there is shown a pin member 50 having a nose portion 52 mateable with the contact receptacle 30 previously described. Pin 50 is provided with a tab portion which is identical to the tab portion described in connection with the receptacle of FIG. 3 and for this reason the illustration and description of the tab portion is being omitted in connection with pin member 50.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 through 9 there is shown the manner of inserting and retaining the contacts within housing 22. Although the contact receptacle 30 is shown in the drawings it is to be understood that the following description would apply equally to the pin member 50 being inserted and held within the housing.

The

housing apertures

24 and 26 are provided with tapered entrances 54 so as to aid in leading the contacts into the respective apertures. The contact is inserted into the housing by first placing the tab portion into the aperture with the mating portion trailing. The

apertures

24 and 26 are provided at their innermost ends with constricted passageways 56 which join the apertures with the rectangular board receiving opening 28 and permit passage of the tab portions therethrough. It can be seen in FIG. 6 that the offset disposition of the tab portions relative to the mating portions of the contact prevents the mating portion from entering the contact aperture while the tab portion remains in its initial position parallel to the axis of the mating portion. Turning now to FIG. 7 the contact has been inserted further into aperture 24 and such insertion has caused the tab portion to be deflected inwardly as the various sections of the tab portion endeavor to pass through theconstricted passageway 56.

In FIG. 8 the contact is shown fully seated in the aperture 24 and in this position the tab portion is permitted to return to its initial position of parallelism. The first portion 40 of the tab portion cooperates with the inner surface of the passageway 56 to thus act as a cam forcing the second section 42 of the tab portion to cooperate with a shoulder 58 formed along the inner surface of the opening 28. The opening 28 has grooves 60 disposed therein for receiving the third section 44 of the various tab portions. It can be seen in FIG. 8 that the contacts which are disposed in the

apertures

24 and 26 are locked in position and are ready to receive a board member. It should be noted at this point that the locking effect of the tab portions may be overcome by exerting sufficient force on the contacts if it is desired to remove a selected contact from its housing. The solder cups 46 on the tab portions face outwardly and contain a small pool of solder 62 therein. The tab portions are severed between the solder cups 46 and 48 since the cups 48 are not necessary in this particular application of the contacts.

In FIG. 9 a board member 64 is shown positioned within the opening 28 of the connector. The board has

conductors

66 and 68 disposed along its upper and lower surfaces respectively and these conductors are positioned in alignment with the tab portions of the contacts within

apertures

24 and 26. In this position heat may be applied in the vicinity of solder cups 46 to cause the solder 62 to flow and thereby effect an electrical connection between the contact tabs and the conductors. It can also be seen in FIG. 9 that the board member 64 acts against section 42 of the tab portions to further aid in main taining the contacts in position within the housing by prevent ing movement of the tab portion into the position shown in FIG. 7.

In FIGS. 10 and 11 there is shown a connector which is identical to the connector previously described with the exception that the contact located within the lower aperture 26 has its tab portion bent upwardly so as to lie along the same plane as the tab portions extending from the contacts disposed in the row of apertures 24. Since the

apertures

24 and 26 are staggered relative to each other the tab portions may extend in the same plane without any interference between tab portions. In FIGS. 1 and 2 the tab portions extending from all of the contacts are shown disposed along a single plane in the same manner as shown in FIG. 10.

Referring again to FIG. 10 the tab portions of the contacts disposed in the row of apertures 24 are severed between

solder cups

46 and 48 as previously described. However, the tab portions extending from the contacts disposed in the row of apertures 26 are not severed since the cups 48 will now be utilized to effect the connection with the circuitry board. It is believed to be obvious at this point that the opposite disposition of the solder cups 46 and 48 is to permit crossover of the tab portions as shown in FIG. 10. A board 70 is shown in FIG. 11 positioned within the connector and having conductors 72 disposed only along the upper surface of the board. These conductors are in alignment with the tab portions of both rows of contacts and, therefore, heat may be applied to the solder cups to effect the connection. Also the board 70 again serves as an additional aid in maintaining the contacts in position within the housing.

The connector of the instant invention may be formed in various lengths to accommodate various numbers of contacts. Also, a plurality of connectors may be utilized together along an edge of a board without destroying the spacing between contacts. This is achieved by forming the two ends of the housing 22 with cutback portions 74 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) whereby the housing will interfit with an adjacent housing and will permit the contact spacing to be carried uniformly from one connector to an adjacent connector. Housing 22 is also provided with a series of regularly spaced notches 76 along its upper and lower faces in alignment with the contact apertures. These notches may be used to temporarily position conductors which are to be soldered to the contact tab portions.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art and various apparently different modifications and embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only.

lclaim:

l. A one-piece housing for an edge connector for a circuitry board or the like, said housing comprising a body portion formed of a dielectric material, a plurality of regularly spaced apertures disposed in said body portion, said apertures being of cylindrical configuration for receiving complementaryshaped electrical contacts, abutment means disposed within said body portion for limiting the extent of contact insertion within said apertures, a generally rectangular opening extending along said housing for receiving an edge of a circuitry board, said apertures and said opening being disposed along opposite side faces of said housing, constructed passageways extending between said apertures and said rectangular opening for receiving contact tab portions, shoulder means disposed at the intersection of said passageways and said rectangular opening, and camming means disposed within said passageways between said abutment means and said shoulder means for camming the contact tab portions into engagement with said shoulder means for preventing withdrawal of the contacts.

2. A one-piece housing as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of grooves disposed in parallel relation along said rectangular opening for receiving the contact tab portions.

3. A one-piece housing as set forth in claim 1 wherein said apertures are disposed along two parallel rows and wherein the apertures in one row are staggered in relation to the apertures in the second row.

4. An electrical connector for a circuitry board or the like comprising a housing formed of a dielectric material and having a plurality of regularly spaced apertures disposed therein, said apertures being of generally cylindrical configuration and being disposed along a first side face of said housing, a generally rectangular opening disposed in said housing and lying along a second side face of said housing opposite to said first side face for receiving a circuitry board, a plurality of electrical contacts disposed respectively in said plurality of apertures and being of complementary shape therewith and insertable from said first side face of said housing, means integral with said housing for preventing said contacts from being insertable from said second side face of said housing, a constricted passageway in said housing for joining each said aperture with said opening, tab means extending from each said contact and having an undulation adjacent the contact passing through said passageway for connection with said circuit board, shoulder means disposed at the intersection of said passageways and said rectangular opening, means mounting the tabs with a segment of the undulation in contact with the shoulder means and passageway to hold said tab means in engagement with said shoulder means for preventing withdrawal of said contacts from said apertures.

5. An electrical connector as set forth in claim 4 wherein said contacts comprise female receptacles for receiving pin members.

6. An electrical connector as set forth in claim 4 wherein said contacts comprise male pin members for insertion in receptacles.

7. An electrical connector as set forth in claim 4 wherein said apertures are disposed along two parallel rows and wherein the apertures in one row are staggered in relation to the apertures in a second row.

8. An electrical connector as set forth in claim 7 wherein said tab means extending from one row of said contacts are disposed along a first side of said rectangular opening and wherein said tab means extending from a second row of said contacts are disposed along a second side of said rectangular opening.

9. An electrical connector as set forth in claim 7 wherein said tab means extending from both rows of electrical contacts are disposed along the same side of said rectangular opening.

Claims

1. A one-piece housing for an edge connector for a circuitry board or the like, said housing comprising a body portion formed of a dielectric material, a plurality of regularly spaced apertures disposed in said body portion, said apertures being of cylindrical configuration for receiving complementary-shaped electrical contacts, abutment means disposed within said body portion for limiting the extent of contact insertion within said apertures, a generally rectangular opening extending along said housing for receiving an edge of a circuitry board, said apertures and said opening being disposed along opposite side faces of said housing, constructed passageways extending between said apertures and said rectangular opening for receiving contact tab portions, shoulder means disposed at the intersection of said passageways and said rectangular opening, and camming means disposed within said passageways between said abutment means and said shoulder means for camming the contact tab portions into engagement with said shoulder means for preventing withdrawal of the contacts.