Connector assembly including a header connector and a socket con

Details Connector assembly including a header connector and a socket con Connector assembly including a header connector and a socket con

1997-10-20

2000-08-29

Paumen, Gary F.

Electrical connectors

With guiding means for mating of coupling part

439682, H01R 1364

Patent

active

06109949&

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a connector, and particularly to a connector for connecting a battery unit.


BACKGROUND ART

Among connectors of this kind, the popular type in which the contact of a male type connector or a female type connector or the contacts of connectors of both types are exposed outwardly.


DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

However, when the number of electrodes becomes great and the distance between the contacts becomes short, the danger of being short-circuited between the contacts becomes correspondingly great. Especially, in a connector attached to a battery unit containing a battery of large capacity therein, a contact leading to the electrode of the battery will suffer from great damage when short-circuiting takes place, and will also be dangerous.
The present invention has as its object to eliminate the above-noted defect peculiar to the connector according to the prior art.
To achieve such object, the present invention provides a connector comprising a header having a plurality of post portions mounted thereon in such a manner as to protrude outwardly, and a socket having mounted thereon a plurality of contacts for contacting with the respective post portions of said header and being electrically connected thereto, said socket further having a plurality of guide grooves for receiving the respective post portions of the header thereinto and guiding them to the corresponding contacts of said socket, said guide grooves forming slots thin enough to be broken when receiving the post portions thereinto or sufficiently narrower than the width of the post portions, these regions of the contacts of said socket which contact with said post portions being provided so as not to be exposed outwardly of said socket.
In the present invention, the contacts of the socket are mounted in the housing of the socket and when the header and the socket fit to each other, the post portions of the header contact with the contacts while breaking or enlarging the guide grooves of the socket.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the header of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the header of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the header of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the housing of the header of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a contact (shorter one) used in the header of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a contact (longer one) used in the header of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a front view showing the socket of the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the socket of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the socket of FIG. 7.
FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the guide groove of the socket of FIG. 7.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a contact used in the socket of FIG. 7.
FIG. 12 is a side view showing the contact used in the socket of FIG. 7.
FIG. 13 is a partly cross-sectional view showing the fitted state of the socket and header.


BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The invention will hereinafter be described with respect to an embodiment thereof shown in the drawings.
FIGS. 1 to 3 show the header 10 of a connector according to the present invention. The header comprises a housing 10A and a plurality of contacts 11 and 12 mounted so that the post portion thereof may protrude outwardly from the housing, and with predetermined intervals provided in the lengthwise direction of the housing (see FIGS. 1 to 3). The details of the contacts are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. As can be seen from these figures, the contacts comprise post portions 11A, 12A, leg portions 11C, 12C and connecting portions 11B, 12B connecting these together.
The cross-sectional shape of the housing 10A with the post portions removed is shown in FIG. 4. As shown the cross-section thereof has a short leg portion 10a provided at its bottom but generally presents a substantially rectangular shape.
As can be seen from FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, at least one (11) of the post portions

REFERENCES:
patent: 4632475 (1986-12-01), Tomita
patent: 4715819 (1987-12-01), Iwasa et al.
patent: 4877409 (1989-10-01), Tanigawa et al.
patent: 4975062 (1990-12-01), Evans et al.
patent: 5727961 (1998-03-01), Landis et al.

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