Electrical connectors – With guiding means for mating of coupling part – For guiding side of movable panel – e.g. – circuit board
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-05
2001-05-08
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With guiding means for mating of coupling part
For guiding side of movable panel, e.g., circuit board
C439S374000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227898
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a card edge connector for electrically connecting a daughter board to a mother board, and more particularly to a card edge connector having removable rail guide for guiding a daughter board into the connector during insertion.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
Every computer device includes a main printed circuit board or a mother board. Additional printed circuit boards or daughter boards must be electrically connected to the mother board. A card edge connector is configured to receive a daughter board and provides electrical interconnection between the daughter board and the mother board to which the card edge connector is mounted. A typical card edge connector includes a dielectric housing having at least an elongate slot for receiving a daughter board and a plurality of passageways for receiving electrical contacts. The contacts include terminal portions downwardly extending from the housing and contact portions for engaging with conductive pads disposed along an edge of the daughter board inserted into the slot. The housing is mounted to a mother board with the terminal portions of the contacts being soldered to conductive areas of the mother board. The card edge connector receives the daughter board therein and the contacts provide conductive paths between the electrical pads of the daughter board and the conductive areas of the mother board. However, daughter boards may be dislocated from the card edge connector due to vibrations thereby causing intermittent or interrupted signal path connections between the daughter board and the mother board.
Taiwan Patent Application No. 84213255 discloses a conventional card edge connector without rail guide as shown in FIG.
1
. In such a design, aligning a daughter board
5
with an elongate slot
6
of a connector
7
becomes difficult. After being inserted into the slot
6
of the connector
7
, a middle portion of the daughter board
5
tends to deform because no rail guide is employed to support the daughter board
5
.
FIG. 2
shows another conventional card edge connector, wherein rail guide
8
is separated from a housing
9
of a connector. The rail guide
8
has a large dimension and must be replaced when damaged thereby increases manufacturing costs. Additionally, since the rail guide
8
has an elongate shape, sophisticated manufacturing technology is required during molding to prevent deformation thereof.
A further conventional card edge connector is shown in FIG.
3
. The connector comprises a dielectric housing
1
′, a plurality of contacts
3
′ arranged in two rows and a pair of guiding protrusions
11
′ integrally formed on opposite ends of the housing
1
′. Each protrusion
11
′ comprises inner guiding surfaces
112
′ for guiding a daughter board
2
′ into an elongate slot
13
′ formed in the housing
1
′. Since the guiding protrusions
11
′ are integral with the housing
1
, daughter boards of different sizes cannot be accommodated. When a relatively high or thin daughter board is inserted into the slot
13
′ of the housing
1
′, the inserted daughter board tends to drift toward one row of the contacts
3
′ resulting in improper connection between the daughter board and the other row of the contacts
3
′. The only way to solve such a problem is to provide different connectors to accommodate the corresponding daughter boards, which is inconvenient and increases manufacturing costs.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,026,292; 5,211,571; 5,242,312 and 5,449,297 also disclose related card edge connectors with the same problems as mentioned above.
Accordingly, there is a need for a card edge connector which accommodates daughter boards of different size and assists in retaining an inserted daughter board in position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a card edge connector having removable rail guide for accommodating daughter boards of different size.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a card edge connector having rail guide for preventing a middle portion of an inserted daughter board from deforming.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a card edge connector having rail guide made from resilient material for properly retaining a daughter board in position.
In order to achieve the objects set forth, a card edge connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the housing, a first rail guide disposed in the housing and extending beyond a top surface thereof, and a second rail guide formed on opposite ends of the housing. The first rail guide includes two pairs of spaced retention posts. Each pair of retention posts is symmetrically arranged in the housing. The second rail guide includes two opposite retention members. Both the first and second rail guides are removable from the housing and adjustable in size and material to accommodate different daughter boards. A daughter board inserted into the housing is properly retained by the first and second rail guide in lateral and longitudinal directions thereby preventing deformation of a middle portion of the daughter board.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4274693 (1981-06-01), Cobaugh et al.
patent: 5129831 (1992-07-01), Locati
Ko Ming-Chung
Meng Ching-Chang
Abrams Neil
Chung Wei Te
Dinh Phuong K. T.
Hon Hai - Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.
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