Connector

Details Connector Connector

2002-04-12

2003-09-23

Gushi, Ross (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With insulation other than conductor sheath

Plural-contact coupling part

C439S660000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06623308

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector having a socket and a header arranged connectable to a couple of printed circuit boards respectively for connection between the printed circuit boards.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a connector is known comprising a socket
50
and a header
60
which can be connected to a couple of unshown printed circuit boards respectively as shown in FIG.
21
.
The socket
50
includes a set of contacts
59
and a socket body
51
which is made of a resin mold having substantially a rectangular cylinder shape where the contacts
59
are aligned on two lengthwisely extending side walls
55
,
55
of the socket body
51
. Each of the contacts
59
has a substantially rectangular, narrow shape extending along the axial direction of the cylindrical socket body
51
. One end of the contact
59
projecting out from one opening of the socket body
51
is bent outwardly to extend in substantially the vertical direction and designated as a connecting tab
59
b
arranged connectable with a wiring pattern of the printed circuit board.
The header
60
includes a set of receiver contacts (namely posts)
69
arranged directly connectable with the contacts
59
of the socket
50
and a header body
61
made of a resin mold having a substantially rectangular shape on which the receiver contacts
69
are mounted.
The header body
61
includes two lengthwisely extending sides
65
,
65
, each side having a row of recesses
65
a
provided therein extending substantially vertical to the lengthwise direction and linked to a lengthwisely extending flange
66
projected substantially orthogonal to the side.
The receiver contacts
69
are accommodated in the corresponding recesses
65
a
with their connecting tabs
69
a
extending outwardly from each side
65
of the header body
61
for direct contact with the contacts
59
of the socket
50
and arranged flexible for extending in the outward direction of the flange
66
. One end of the receiver contact
69
projects from the rear of the header body
61
and extends in the outward direction of the flange
66
and, similar to the contact
59
of the socket
50
, designated as a connecting tab
69
b
arranged connectable with a wiring pattern of a printed circuit board.
The socket
50
and the header
60
are joined at the connecting tabs
59
b
and
69
b
of the contacts
59
and the receiver contacts
69
by soldering to the corresponding wiring patterns of two different printed circuit boards respectively. When the header
60
is inserted into an insertion slot of the socket body
51
, its receiver contacts
69
engage directly with the corresponding contacts
59
of the socket
50
to electrically connect between the two printed circuit boards.
In connection, both the socket
50
and the header
60
of the connector support their respective printed circuit boards on which other components are mounted and remain loaded by the total weight of the boards and the components. Accordingly, in case that two different printed circuit boards joined to each other by a combination of the socket
50
and the header
60
are installed in a mobile instrument and when carried and fallen down to the ground accidentally, they may receive a great impact on the socket body
51
and the header body
61
. As a result, the socket body
51
will possibly be stressed by an undesired load and fractured at its lengthwise sides which are thinner than the other portions.
Also, as the socket body
51
of a molded structure is commonly shaped by injection forming, its one end opposite to the other end having an inlet gate for filling the cavity with a molten resin acts as a final confluence point where separate flows of the molten resin are joined up. At the final confluence point, the molded structure may have a weld line depending on the material resin, the shape of the structure, and the molding conditions, thus being declined in the physical strength or the structural stability.
For example, the socket body
51
shown in
FIG. 21
has one end of the lengthwise structure thereof designated as the final confluence point where a weld line denoted by “a” is possibly developed and may hence be fractured in the end.
It is only practical for avoiding the fracture of the socket body
51
to increase the thicknesses Wa and Wb of both lengthwise end walls of the socket body
51
. This will however enlarge the overall dimensions of the connector.
Also, the greater the number of the contacts
59
or the receiver contacts
69
, the longer the length of the socket body
51
or the header body
61
is increased. This may result in variations in the positioning accuracy of the socket body
51
or the header body
61
due to thermal expansion or contraction during the molding. For minimizing its dimensions, the connector having large numbers of the contacts
59
and the receiver contacts
69
is adapted by reducing the width of the contacts
59
and the receiver contacts
69
as well as the pitch between them. If the positioning accuracy is varied, the connection between the contacts
59
and the receiver contacts
69
may be disturbed.
It is an object of the present invention for eliminating the above problems to provide a connector which is minimized in the dimensions while inhibiting any injury of the socket by adverse impact and failure of the connection between the socket and the header.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to claim
1
of the present invention, a connector having a socket which consists mainly of a plurality of contacts and a socket body of a molded form on which the contacts are aligned and a header which consists mainly of a plurality of receiver contacts arranged connectable with the corresponding contacts and a header body on which the receiver contacts are aligned, so that the header is inserted into an insertion slot of the socket body to electrically connect between the contacts and the receiver contacts, is featured in that an engaging rib is provided at the bottom of the insertion slot on the facing side of the socket body and an engaging slot is provided in the facing side of the header so that the two can be engaged with each other along the direction of header insertion, and also at least one or more sets of engaging recesses and engaging projections are provided in the facing side of the engaging rib and at the engaging slot on the facing side of the header respectively so that each set of the two can be engaged with each other along the direction of head insertion.
Consequently, when the header is inserted into the socket, its engaging recess tightly engages with the engaging projection of the socket thus allowing an adverse impact of load generated substantially orthogonal to the direction of header insertion to be received by the socket body about the engaging recess where the physical strength is consistently high but not by the rim of the insertion slot of the socket body where weld lines may easily be developed and thus protecting the socket from injury. Hence, as the rim of the socket body is reduced in the thickness, the overall dimensions of the connector can be minimized. Also, the positioning accuracy between the socket body and the header body can be improved by the effect of close engagement of the engaging recess with the engaging projection thus ensuring the electrical connection between the contacts of the socket and the receiver contacts of the header without contact errors.
According to claims
2
and
3
of the present invention, the connector defined in claim
1
may be modified in which the width at the distal end of at lease either the engaging rib or the engaging projection is arranged greater than the width at the opening end of the engaging slot or the engaging recess. Therefore, when the header is inserted into the socket, the distal end of either the engaging rib or the engaging projection engages with the distal end of the engaging slot or the engaging recess thus creating a touch of click. As a result, the insertion of the header into the socket can be acknow

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