Accurate positioning of solder tail leads in an electrical...

Details Accurate positioning of solder tail leads in an electrical... Accurate positioning of solder tail leads in an electrical...

2001-09-19

2003-03-25

Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With supporting means for coupling part

Supporting plural, independent coupling parts

C439S676000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06537107

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an electrical connector including a housing that holds an array of contacts which are formed as a contact insert, and in particular, to a structure for holding a contact insert accurately in position in a connector housing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An electrical connector housing that holds a number of contacts may have the contacts pre-assembled in the form of a contact insert, or subassembly, that can be installed into the housing as a unit. In a prior art electrical connector as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a connector housing
10
holds upper contact inserts
12
and lower contact inserts
22
. Each of the contact inserts
12
,
22
comprises an array of contacts
13
,
23
having portions which are surrounded by a dielectric molding
14
,
24
, respectively, such that the contacts
13
,
23
in each array are held in fixed relative positions. The contacts
13
,
23
include mating portions
15
,
25
that are engagable with contacts of a mating electrical connector (not shown), and board-mounting portions in the form of solder tails
16
,
26
that are arranged for insertion into through-holes in a circuit board (not shown). Pairs of upper and lower contact inserts
12
,
22
are installed into the housing
10
through an open rear of the housing, with the molding
14
of the upper contact insert being positioned behind the molding
24
of the lower contact insert. The moldings
14
,
24
have rails
17
,
27
that are received in channels
28
in the housing
10
. Each pair of upper and lower contact inserts
12
,
22
is secured in the housing by a molded latch arm
18
of the housing which has a latch tab
19
that engages in a pocket
20
at the rear of the molding
14
of the upper contact insert
12
. A problem arises in that dimensional tolerances on the parts permit the contact inserts
12
,
22
to have some free play in the connector housing
10
, thereby resulting in a positional variation of the solder tails
16
,
26
with respect to the connector housing
10
. If the positional variation of the solder tails
16
,
26
is too great, assembly operations will not be able to insert the solder tails into their respective through-holes in the circuit board. There is a need for a device that will hold the contact inserts accurately in position relative to the connector housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to secure a contact insert in a connector housing.
It is another object of the invention to eliminate free play between a contact insert and a connector housing.
It is yet another object of the invention to accurately position contact solder tails relative to a connector housing.
The invention is an electrical connector comprising a dielectric housing and a contact insert carried by the housing, the contact insert including contacts carried by a molding, and a lock member that cooperates with the housing to secure the contact insert in the housing and to bias the molding against a wall of the housing.
According to one embodiment, the lock member has a head that is secured to the housing, and a tail that is arranged to urge the molding toward the head. The head is interference fitted in a stall in the housing, and the stall is open through a board-mounting face of the housing.
According to another embodiment, the lock member is wedged between the molding and a portion of the housing. The lock member has a main portion, and nose portions that project from the main portion, and the nose portions engage the molding.
According to another embodiment, the lock member includes a protrusion of the molding that is interference fitted in an aperture in the housing.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5066236 (1991-11-01), Brocksteeg
patent: 6080011 (2000-06-01), Tsao et al.
patent: 6193560 (2001-02-01), Morana et al.

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