Electrical connectors – Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move... – Having open slot for receiving preformed panel circuit...
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-29
2004-04-20
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part with actuating means urging contact to move...
Having open slot for receiving preformed panel circuit...
C439S495000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06722905
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a board connector contained in an electric connection box and fixed to a wiring board forming an internal circuit of the electric connection box with zero insertion force.
Heretofore, junction boxes and electric connection boxes are employed for supplying power to electric equipment, exchange signals among electronic parts and make internal circuits branch off intensively around automotive engine rooms and instrument panels.
In some electric connection box, there are installed a printed circuit board mounted with a fuse, a relay, a connector or the like and a wiring board with a conductor circuit forming an internal circuit formed thereon, whereas the junction box is equipped with the wiring board and a board connector connected to the wiring board. However, as the term ‘junction box’ may be used to collectively mean a junction box inclusive of an electric connection box sometime, the term ‘electric connection box’ is used to collectively mean such an electric connection box in this specification.
The electric connection box contains one sheet of wiring board or a plurality of laminated wiring boards formed with conductor circuits, the number of which depends on the kind or specification of the vehicle. A board connector is connected to the edge portion or onto the surface of the wiring board so as to supply power to electric equipment or exchange signals between electronic parts.
FIG. 7
shows the art related to a board connector of the sort stated in JP-A 9-82427. A board connector
80
includes a connector housing
81
, first and second terminals
85
and
86
contained in the connector housing
81
, and a lever
87
. The connector housing
81
includes a board portion
82
and a side wall portion
84
provided on both sides of the board portion
82
with the upper portion of the board portion
82
open. Further, a number of slits
83
a
and
83
b
respectively cut out from both the front and back are formed in the board portion
82
.
The first and second terminals
85
and
86
are long enough not to more or less overlap each other in the width direction of the connector housing
81
with the terminals
85
and
86
incorporated therein, whereby the positions of the adjoining first and second terminals
85
and
86
are arranged alternately in the longitudinal and width directions of the connector housing
81
.
The lever
87
is pivotably supported above the connector housing
81
and by pivoting the lever
87
in the horizontal direction, a wiring board
88
can be press-fixed to the wiring board
88
. More specifically, mating portions (not shown) curved toward the pivotal center of the lever are provided and the mating portions are mated with the front ends of the elastic support pieces (not shown) of the second terminals whereby to support the lever
87
pivotably on the front ends of the elastic support pieces.
Further, protrusions
87
a
are provided on the front-end side faces of the lever
87
and when the lever is pivoted in the horizontal direction, the protrusions
87
a
are fitted in the respective depressions
84
a
of the side wall portions
84
of the connector housing
81
, so that the lever
87
is prevented from being easily released.
Many terminal portions (not shown) electrically contacting the board connector
80
are provided in longitudinally two rows on the back of the wiring board
88
and when the terminal portions in the front row are brought into contact with the contacts
86
a
of the second terminals
86
, the terminal portions in the back row are brought into contact with the contacts
85
a
of the first terminals.
With the arrangement above, as the high-density arrangement of the terminals
85
and
86
is possible, the pitch of the adjoining terminals
85
and
86
is narrowed, so that the size of the connector becomes reducible.
However, there are following problems to be solved in the case of the related board connector.
Recently, with an increase in the number of electric devices and electronic parts to be loaded in automobiles, spaces available for installation of these electric and electronic components around engine rooms and instrument panels tend to become smaller, whereupon it is requested to make electric connection boxes smaller in size. On the other hand, the number of signal lines for exchanging signals among electronic parts is on the increase and there develops a demand for high-density conductor circuits and multi-pole board connectors.
The related board connector
80
described above is intended to narrow the pitch of the terminals
85
and
86
by arranging the adjoining terminals
85
and
86
in longitudinally two planar rows. However, the board connector
80
is applicable to only the single-sided wiring board but not so structured as to be applicable to a wiring board having a terminal portion formed on both sides of the board.
Further, the board connector
80
is not applicable to the wiring board
88
having the terminal portion formed on both sides of the board because it is to be fixed to one end edge portion of the wiring board
88
. More specifically, the wiring conductors forming the conductor circuit are also not applicable to the wiring board for forming the terminal portions by drawing out the wiring conductors to both the adjoining portions of the wiring board.
Moreover, though the wiring board
88
is press-fixed to the board connector
80
by pivoting the lever
87
of the board connector
80
, there is the possibility of letting the wiring board
88
slip out of the board connector
80
in case where tensile force inadvertently acts on the wiring board
88
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a board connector which is applicable to a wiring board formed with a conductor circuit formed on both sides of the wiring board to ensure that terminals are multi-polarized with their highly reliable electrical connections to the wiring board and is joined to the wiring board with zero insertion force.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a board connector for fixing a printed circuit board on which a conductor circuit is formed, comprising:
a first connector housing, accommodating a plurality of first terminals therein;
a second connector housing, accommodating a plurality of second terminals therein, and provided above the first connector housing;
an operating lever, pivotably coupled to the first connector housing and the second housing for moving the first connector housing and the second connector to closer each other between a first position and a second position; and
an auxiliary lever, pivotably coupled to the operating lever and the first connector housing for restricting the pivotal range of the operating lever;
wherein the first connector housing and the second connector housing have a space for inserting end portions of the printed circuit board therebetween when the operation lever is located in the first position; and
wherein the printed circuit board is secured between the first connector housing and the second connector housing when the operation lever is located in the second position.
In the above configuration, the connector housing is divided into first housing and the second housing and both the housings are coupled to the operating lever. Thus, the print circuit board is fitted in between both the housing with zero insertion force without rubbing against both the housings and held between both the housing by pivoting the operating lever. As the first housing is provided with the auxiliary lever, the operating lever is supported by the auxiliary lever and the pivotal angle of the operating lever is controllable. Therefore, the printed circuit board can be fitted in the board connector with zero insertion force, so that the terminal portions and the like can be prevented from being deformed and damaged. Moreover, the operability of the operating lever is improved, whereby the printed circuit board and the board connector can easil
Hatagishi Yuji
Negishi Satoshi
Patel Tulsidas
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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