Electrical connector

Details Electrical connector Electrical connector

1999-12-06

2002-01-22

Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...

Coupling part for receiving edge of planar board moving...

C439S636000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06340308

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical connector which is used for information exchange with a card-like memory module, such as a miniature card, which has a plurality of flat contacts for signal transmission on its surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An example of card-like memory module of the type mentioned above, which has a plurality of flat contacts arranged on a surface for signal transmission, is a miniature card which is made smaller than a conventional IC card and is used as memory, for example, in a small size computer. As shown in
FIG. 10
, the miniature card
70
is a plate-like rectangular form and includes three power-supply contacts
71
and first and second grooves
72
and
73
, each having a different width. The first groove
72
, which is wider, is used to position the miniature card correctly in the housing of a connecter, into which the miniature card is inserted. The second groove
73
, which is narrower, is to prevent accidental insertion into a connector which has a different voltage rating other than the one rated for the miniature card. For a miniature card whose voltage rating is different, the second groove
73
is provided at a different position. Therefore, the miniature card
70
can be inserted into only those connectors which have a right voltage rating. The miniature card
70
further includes a plurality of signal-transmission contacts
75
, which are fixed in the laterally extending two rows of contact-mounting grooves
74
that are provided near the lower end
70
a
on the rear surface
70
b
of the miniature card
70
. Furthermore, near the contact-mounting grooves
74
and on the lateral sides of the card, recesses
76
are provided for engagement.
The miniature card
70
is installed into an electrical connector of a computer, which connector comprises a plurality of signal-transmission contacts in a plate-like housing. In this installed condition, the signal-transmission contacts
75
and the power-supply contacts
71
of the miniature card
70
are in contact with the corresponding signal-transmission contacts and the corresponding power-supply contacts of the connector and ready for information exchange with the computer. In the installation of the miniature card
70
into the connector, at first, the lower end
70
a
of the miniature card
70
is inserted obliquely into a groove which is provided in the housing of the connector, and the power-supply contacts
71
of the miniature card
70
are pressed onto the power-supply contacts of the connector which are provided in the groove. Then, the miniature card
70
is turned around the lower end
70
a
thereof to bring the miniature card
70
substantially parallel to the housing of the connector. As a result, the signal-transmission contacts
75
of the miniature card
70
are brought into contact with the signal-transmission contacts of the connector. In this condition, the miniature card
70
is retained securely in the housing of the connector and is locked therein by a locking mechanism which is provided on the housing. In general, the signal-transmission contacts of the connector are mounted in contact grooves which are provided in the housing of the connector, such that the signal-transmission contacts extend parallel to the length of the housing for a certain distance, and then the contact portions which are provided at the front ends of the signal-transmission contacts come out of the housing for electrical contact, each bending in a Z-shape.
A so-called horizontally mounted connector is such a connector which is mounted in the front and rear direction horizontally on a printed circuit board. In this connector, the contact portions of the signal-transmission contacts are aligned in two front and rear rows, protruding upward from the upper surface of the housing. The first signal-transmission contacts whose contact portions are aligned in the front row and the second signal-transmission contacts whose contact portions are aligned in the rear row are mounted into the housing from the front side and the rear side of the housing, respectively. In this case, the lead portions of the first signal-transmission contacts extend forward from the lower surface of the housing while the lead portions of the second signal-transmission contacts extend rearward from the lower surface of the housing. In another example of horizontally mounted connector, the first signal-transmission contacts and the second signal-transmission contacts are mounted into the housing being interchanged one after another from the front end of the housing in a laterally extending zigzag pattern, and all the lead portions of the first and second signal-transmission contacts extend in the same direction (to the front side ). In this case, the second signal-transmission contacts are formed longer than the first signal-transmission contacts, and the top ends of the second signal-transmission contacts are bent laterally in a Z shape, so that the contact portions of the second signal-transmission contacts are positioned rearward than those of the first signal-transmission contacts.
On the other hand, a vertically mounted connector, i.e., the above described connector which is mounted vertically on a printed circuit board, requires the contact portions of the signal-transmission contacts to be aligned in two upper and lower rows while the lead portions of all the signal-transmission contacts must be extended downward. This requirement makes it impossible for the signal-transmission contacts to be mounted into the housing both from the upper side and from the lower side of the housing. If the signal-transmission contacts whose ends are bent laterally in a Z shape as mentioned above are to be used, then each of the contacts must be produced individually because they cannot be produced together in a lot from a plate material in a single process. Such design for the contacts is not cost-effective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an electrical connector that reduces the number of steps involved for producing the signal-transmission contacts, which are easily mountable into the housing, thereby improving productivity.
The present invention provides an electrical connector which comprises a housing and a plurality of signal-transmission contacts (e.g., the first and second signal-transmission contacts
30
and
40
of the following embodiment). The housing comprises a rear wall, which extends substantially vertically, and a front wall, which is provided in front of and parallel with the lower part of the rear wall. The front wall is connected with the rear wall at the lateral sides of the walls. The signal-transmission contacts are arranged in parallel with one another in a laterally extending row in the rear wall, and each of the signal-transmission contacts has a contact portion at one end thereof, each contact portion protruding forward from the rear wall. In this connector, the housing is capable of receiving a card-like memory module (e.g., the miniature card
70
of the following embodiment), which is swung from an inserted position to an installed position in the housing for installation. The inserted position is defined as a condition where the memory module is tilted forward with the upper end thereof being positioned forward and the lower end thereof being shifted downward and inserted into and positioned in a groove that is defined between the rear wall and the front wall of the housing. The installed position is defined as a condition where the memory module is turned around the lower end thereof from the inserted position and is positioned substantially parallel with the rear wall. The memory module has a plurality of flat signal-transmission contacts arranged in a row on a flat surface thereof. When the memory module is brought into the installed position, the signal-transmission contacts of the memory module come into contact with the contact portions of the signal-transmission contacts of the connector. In the rear wall of the housing, a plural

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