Blind matable panel mount connector system

Details Blind matable panel mount connector system Blind matable panel mount connector system

1999-01-11

2001-01-23

Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With supporting means for coupling part

Coupling part or mating part extending into panel opening

C439S552000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06176738

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This relates to the field of electrical connectors and more particularly to connectors mountable to panels.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various approaches have been used to mount electrical connectors to panels to extend through a panel cutout such that a mating face is exposed on one side of the panel and the connector extends to another face on the opposite side of the panel, and circuits are completed from one panel side to the other. One technique is to secure the connector to the panel by fasteners that extend through aligned holes of the panel and flanges extending laterally from the sides of the connector and lying adjacent the panel. Another technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,995,947 and 5,002,497 in which the connector is secured to the panel without the use of discrete fasteners, using features of the connector housing or shell to cooperate with the panel.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,077,693; 4,352,538 and 5,407,363, connectors include flanges in a first layer that pass through recesses along the cutout periphery until moved past the far panel surface whereupon second flanges or bosses of the housing laterally and axially staggered from the flanges of the first layer abut the near panel surface. The connector is then translated or rotated laterally to a mounted position so that the first flanges are no longer aligned with the recesses through which they past, and the connector is locked in the mounted position such as by a separate key member, or a latch arm integral with the housing cooperating with a panel feature. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,363, limited float is available to the connector within the cutout for the connector to adjust its position incrementally during connector mating.
It is desired to provide a connector that selfretains to a panel at a cutout thereof, in a manner that permits floating incrementally in at least two dimensions upon mating with a mating connector along the mating face.
It is further desired to provide such a connector that is permitted to float incrementally in three dimensions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a connector mounting system of a connector and a panel cutout, with the connector having an insulative housing for being mounted to a panel to extend through the cutout and selfretain to the panel, without fasteners, in a manner permitting incremental movement in at least two dimensions (laterally) and preferably in three dimensions (laterally and axially). The connector of the system provides all panel-associated features in an axially compact, low profile arrangement on an easily moldable one-piece housing.
Extending from opposed side walls of the housing are tablike flanges staggered laterally therealong arrayed in a single first layer adjacent the leading end of the housing, that pass through corresponding recesses along the periphery of the panel cutout. Ledges such as arrays of second flanges also extend from each of the opposed side walls as a second layer and are spaced axially rearwardly from the first layer of flanges a distance slightly greater than a panel thickness, and abut the panel adjacent the cutout periphery to stop further axial insertion. Thereafter, the connector is translated laterally until the free end of a resilient beam at one end of the housing resiles from its deflected position after passing a stop surface of the panel along the cutout periphery. The free end has a stop surface aligning with the panel stop surface and is abuttable thereagainst, preventing translation of the connector to its initial position.
The cutout is dimensioned to be larger than the housing to permit not only movement of the housing between two lateral positions but also being sufficiently large to permit incremental movement of the housing within the cutout after the stop surface of the resilient beam has become aligned with the corresponding stop surface of the panel. Incremental axial movement of the connector in its mounted position is permitted by the spacing between the flange layers being greater than the panel thickness.
The connector and panel cutout preferably are polarized to assure that panel mounting occurs only when the connector is in a single desired orientation to assure that the stop surface cooperates with the panel stop surface; polarization may be by shaping the tablike flanges and the panel tabs between the recesses, so that the tablike flanges only pass by the tabs when the connector is in the desired orientation. The ledges or second layer of flanges is preferably an array of elongate tablike flanges sufficiently long to abut the second panel surface outwardly of the outermost cutout extent; optionally, the flanges may be continuous along each housing side to assuredly abut the second panel surfaces of all the panel tabs along the respective side.
In one particular application, a pair of matable connectors are each mounted to a respective panel as described above, where the panels are moved toward each other and whereupon the connectors mate. Each connector is float mounted to incrementally adjust position to become mutually aligned, and to assure that their contacts will thereafter become electrically engaged without damage. One connector preferably has blade-like contacts and the other has receptacle contacts complementary to the blade-like contacts.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.


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U.S. Ser. No. 09/104,407, filed Jun. 25, 1998 (Abstract and drawing only).

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