Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-29
2001-07-10
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With provision to conduct electricity from panel circuit to...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257901
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector structure for connecting one wiring substrate with another wiring substrate through the intermediary of a female connector and a male connector under their engagement condition. Particularly, the invention relates to an improvement of the male connector constituting the connector structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional connector structure, a female connector is attached to one substrate, while a male connector is attached to another substrate. The female connector consists of a female housing and a plurality of male tabs attached to the female housing and also soldered to the substrate through respective legs of the tabs. The male connector consists of a male housing and resilient female tabs accommodated in rectangular tab chambers formed in the male housing. The female tabs has respective legs soldered to the substrate. When the male connector is inserted into the female housing of the female connector, the male tabs are engaged in resilient portions of the female tabs, so that the male and female tabs are electrically connected with each other.
Since the rectangular tab chambers are successively formed in the male housing of the connector structure, the male housing is provided, on both sides of opposing sidewalls of short widths, with outer sidewalls of long widths. The formation of the outer sidewalls of long widths causes the male connector to be large-sized as much. Correspondingly, there is a problem that the female connector is also large-sized.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Under the circumstances, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector structure which is miniaturized by improving the structure of the male housing.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the object of the present invention described above can be accomplished by a connector structure having a male connector attached to a substrate and a female connector attached to another substrate for engagement with the male connector, both of the substrates being connectable with each other through the male connector and the female connector under engagement condition, the mail connector of the connector structure comprising:
a male housing in which a plurality of tab accommodating chambers are successively defined by partition walls constituting the male housing;
a plurality of resilient female tabs to be inserted into the tab accommodating chambers and accommodated therein, respectively;
wherein the tab accommodating chambers are partially exposed to an exterior of the male housing through respective outside portions of the tab accommodating chambers.
Since respective outside walls defining the chambers are removed for the partial exposure of the tab accommodating chambers, the width (short side) of the male housing is reduced in comparison with that of the conventional male housing having the outside walls. Therefore, the female connector and the male connector can be small-sized.
According to the second aspect of the invention, in the above-mentioned connector structure, the female connector includes a plurality of male tabs for connection with the female tabs and each of the female tabs comprises:
a resilient part into which one of the male tabs is inserted; and
a leg part formed integrally with a side portion of the resilient part so as to extend in one direction.
In this case, owing to the provision of the resilient part in the female tab, the electrical connection between the male connector and the female connector can be ensured by the resilient part's frictional engagement with the male tab.
According to the third embodiment, in the connector structure of the second aspect, the male housing has a plurality of butt parts formed outside respective downstream ends of the tab accommodating chambers in a direction to insert the female tabs into the tab accommodating chambers,
In arrangement, the female tabs are accommodated in the tab accommodating chambers while allowing respective under faces of the resilient parts to contact with the butt parts.
Owing to the provision of the butt parts, it is possible to extend the outer edges of the resilient parts of the female tab up to a position to agree with the outer edges of the partition walls. Therefore, without decreasing the width of each resilient part, only the male housing can be small-sized.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in the connector structure of the third aspect, each of the female tabs further comprises a pair of projections which are formed so as to project from both edges of the leg part laterally.
In this case, the position of the female tab in the tab accommodating chamber can be ensured by the engagement of the projections with the male housing.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in the connector structure of the fourth aspect, each of the female tabs further comprises a pair of crimping pieces which are formed so as to project from both edges of the leg part laterally, for fastening a wire on the leg part.
In this case, the female tabs in the male connector can be also connected to the wire.
According to the sixth aspect of the invention, in the connector structure of the first aspect, the female connector includes a plurality of male tabs for connection with the female tabs and each of the female tabs comprises:
a box part into which one of the male tabs is inserted, the box part having one side portion opened to the outside;
a resilient part formed integrally with the box part and folded back into the box part; and
a leg part formed integrally with a lower portion of the box part so as to extend in one direction.
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, in the connector structure of the sixth aspect, the male housing has a plurality of butt parts formed outside respective downstream ends of the tab accommodating chambers in a direction to insert the female tabs into the tab accommodating chambers.
In the arrangement, the female tabs are accommodated in the tab accommodating chambers while allowing respective bottom sides of the box parts to contact with the butt parts.
In this case, each of the female tabs is attached to the male housing under condition that the bottom side of the box part comes into contact with the butt part. During the engagement of the male tabs with the female tabs, the fitting load can be received by the butt parts thereby to prevent the box parts from being deformed.
According to the eighth aspect of the invention, in the connector structure of the seventh aspect, each of the female tabs further comprising a pair of projections which are formed so as to project from both edges of the leg part laterally, for positioning the female tab in the tab accommodating chamber.
In this case, the position of the female tab in the tab accommodating chamber can be ensured by the engagement of the projections with the male housing.
According to the ninth aspect of the invention, in the connector structure of the eighth aspect, each of the female tabs further comprises a pair of crimping pieces which are formed so as to project from both edges of the leg part laterally, for fastening a wire on the leg part.
In this case, the female tabs in the male connector can be also connected to the wire.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings.
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patent: 5181855 (1993-01-01), Mosquera et al.
patent: 5876217 (1999-03-01), Ito et al.
patent: 5904581 (1999-06-01), Pope et al.
patent: 5915976 (1999-06-01), McHugh
patent: 5921787 (1999-06-01), Pope et al.
patent: 5928003 (1999-07-01), Kajiunuma
patent: 5975916 (1999-11-01), Okura
patent: 6045371 (2000-04-01), Kagawa et al.
patent: 6062875 (2000-05-01), Konno et al.
Duverne J. F.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Sircus Brian
Yazaki -Corporation
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