Communication module connector

Details Communication module connector Communication module connector

2001-11-06

2002-09-10

Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...

For receiving coaxial connector

C439S076100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06447303

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication module connector to be used for mounting a communication module represented by a bluetooth transmission/reception module, on an assembled circuit board of any of a variety of apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
The bluetooth is a short-distance communication technology for which standardization has been started in May 1998 by five companies, i.e., Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba. This is used for communicating, in radio, audio data or asynchronous data in a short distance of about 10 m.
To achieve such a short-distance communication technology, it is required to mount a blue tooth communication module (transmission/reception module) on apparatus which participates in communication, such as a cellular phone, a notebook computer, a digital household electrical appliance and equipment, or the like.
A bluetooth communication module has, for example, a connector portion used for connection with an assembled circuit board of such apparatus. When this connector portion is connected to a connector portion disposed on the assembled circuit board of the apparatus, the apparatus is electrically connected to the bluetooth communication module.
Examples of the bluetooth communication module include a module incorporating an antenna for radio communication, and a module incorporating no antenna but having a coaxial connector for connection with an external antenna. The antenna-incorporating module has, as an external connection, only a connector portion for communicating a signal with the assembled circuit board. On the other hand, the module arranged to use an external antenna, has not only a signal connector portion for communication with the assembled circuit board, but also a coaxial connector for a radio frequency band. The assembled circuit board also has a coaxial connector. Communication of a high frequency signal between the communication module and the assembled circuit board, is achieved through a dedicated cable provided at both ends thereof with coaxial connectors to be respectively fitted to the coaxial connector of the communication module and the coaxial connector of the assembled circuit board.
According to the connection structure above-mentioned, a connector portion is disposed at the bluetooth communication module, and a connector portion to be fitted to this first-mentioned connector portion is mounted on the assembled circuit board of the apparatus. However, there are instances where different manufacturers respectively produce a bluetooth communication module, apparatus on which this communication module is mounted, and connectors for connecting the communication module and the apparatus to each other. In such a case, the connector manufacturer is required to supply, respectively, one of a pair of connector portions to be fitted to each other, to the communication module manufacturer and the other to the apparatus manufacturer. This makes not only handling but also quality control difficult.
The above problem is also applied to coaxial connectors. Further, a coaxial connector disposed at a communication module is very small. This makes it difficult to fit a coaxial connector of a dedicated cable to the coaxial connector of the communication module. Further, such a dedicated cable is disadvantageously very expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication module connector easy to handle.
The present invention relates to a connector (
10
) to be used for mounting, on an assembled circuit board, a communication module (
100
) having a high frequency circuit (
102
) mounted thereon. This connector comprises: a connector body (
1
) to be mounted on an assembled circuit board; contact members (
2
) disposed on the connector body and having contacts (
21
) which come in resilient contact with the terminals of the communication module, and connection portions (
22
) which are electrically connected to the assembled circuit board; and a high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion (
19
) disposed at the connector body for mounting a high-frequency-signal connector element (
7
).
Numerals and alphabets in parentheses refer to corresponding component elements in the embodiments to be discussed later. However, it is a matter of course that the present invention should not be construed as limited to these embodiments. This is also applied to the following description.
The communication module may be a bluetooth transmission/reception module.
The communication module may have, on the surface of a circuit board (
101
), metallic pads (
103
) serving as the terminals above-mentioned.
According to the present invention, the connector body to be mounted on an assembled circuit board, has contact members to be connected to a communication module, and these contact members are arranged to be electrically connected to the assembled circuit board. Accordingly, for example when the terminals formed by metallic pads or the like on the surface of the circuit board as a component element of the communication module, come in resilient contact with the contact members, the communication module can be electrically connected to the assembled circuit board. According to such a connection mode, a connector element is not required to be disposed at the communication module side. This not only simplifies the arrangement of the communication module, but also facilitates the handling of the connector. Further, the connector is solely attached at the side of the assembled circuit board. This is also advantageous in view of the quality control of the connector.
Further, the communication module connector of the present invention has a high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion, and provision is made such that a high-frequency-signal connector element can be mounted, as necessary, on this high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion. Accordingly, when such a high-frequency-signal connector element has been mounted, this achieves both electric connection for an ordinary signal (having low frequency as compared with a high frequency signal), and electric connection for a high frequency signal (e.g., signal of a radio frequency band).
It is preferable that the connector body has a mounting space (
3
) on which the communication module is to be mounted, and that the connector further comprises a cover member (
5
) for opening and closing at least a portion of the mounting space.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, when a communication module is mounted on the module mounting space and the cover member is closed, the communication module can securely be held, and the resilient contact between the communication module and the contact members can securely be held.
Preferably, a locking mechanism (locking pawl or the like) (
54
a
,
56
a
) is disposed at the cover member and/or the connector body for keeping the cover member in the closing state.
It is preferable that the cover member is rotatably attached to one end of the connector body for regulating one end portion of the communication module within the mounting space, and that there is formed, at the other end of the connector body opposite to the one end, a regulating member (
4
) arranged to engage with the other end portion of the communication module opposite to the one end portion, there by to regulate the other end portion of the communication module within the mounting space.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, when the communication module is housed in the mounting space with the other end portion of the communication module regulated by the regulating member, and the cover member is closed, the communication module can securely be held in the mounting space of the connector body. Accordingly, even though a shock is given to the apparatus on which the communication module has been mounted, the communication module cannot get out of the connector, thus securely holding the electric connection between the communication module an

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