Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Grounding of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-03
2002-01-29
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision
Grounding of coupling part
C439S074000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06341966
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector connecting system and an intermediate board support for the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,893 discloses an electrical connectors assembly of this type. As shown in
FIG. 6
, the connection system connects two connectors
50
and
60
, each of which has two rows of contact elements. The connector
50
comprises a housing
51
and a plurality of male terminals
52
each having a contact pin while the connector
60
comprises a housing
61
and a plurality of female terminals
62
therein. Each of ground plates
53
and
63
is put into a space between the two terminal rows of each of the connectors
50
and
60
. The ground plates
53
and
63
are connected by a linking terminal
70
with the connection grooves
71
and
72
put into the connection notches
53
A and
63
A, respectively, such that the planes of the linking terminal
70
and ground plates
53
and
63
are at right angles. The connectors
50
and
60
are joined together by fitting the end portions
51
A of the connector
50
over the end portions
61
A of the other connector
60
.
In the above connection system, the signal terminals
52
and
62
and the ground plates
53
and
63
are made of different materials, respectively, and there are housing walls between them so that there are limits to minimization of the distance between the signal terminals and the ground plates. In addition, not only it is difficult to make impedance match but also the distance is too unstable to process high-speed signals. Sometimes, these connectors are mounted on a pair of circuit boards to connect them. If one or both of the connectors are offset from the regular mounting positions, it is no longer possible to connect them.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector connection system suitable for process of high-speed signals and capable of absorbing small errors in the mounting positions of the connectors.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an electrical connector connecting system for connecting a pair of electrical connectors of the receptacle type, which comprises at least one intermediate board with opposite edges fitted into the electrical connectors to electrically connect them. The intermediate board has signal and ground connection portions on the opposite edges and signal and ground transmission portions for interconnecting the signal and ground connection portions, respectively. Both the signal and ground transmission portions are provided on the same intermediate board so that the distance between the transmission portions are minimized and constant, making impedance match and high-speed transmission possible.
Either the signal or ground transmission portion may be provided on an surface of the intermediate board, with the other within the intermediate board so that the ground transmission portion can cover a plurality of signal transmission portions, providing the improved shield effect. A pair of one guide frames support opposite ends of the intermediate board, respectively, with each guide frame having at least a pair of guide section which is fitted into the electrical connectors for determining relative positions so that mating of the intermediate board and the electrical connectors is made easy. The guide frame may have at least one lock means for locking the intermediate board to one of the electrical connectors to facilitate connection of the intermediate board to the other electrical connector. The guide sections may have different edges to prevent the electrical connectors from being connected to a wrong side of the intermediate board.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an electrical connector connection system comprising a pair of electrical connectors, each having at least one terminal with a flexible contact finger; and at least one intermediate board having at least a pair of connection portions provided opposite edges thereof for contact with the flexible contact finger such that the intermediate board absorbs errors in a thicknesswise direction thereof with which the electrical connectors are positioned. The resilient deformation of the contact elements allows tilt of the intermediate plate, absorbing relative positional errors of the connectors.
The electrical connector connection system further comprises a pair of guide frames for supporting opposite ends of the intermediate so as to allow tilting of the intermediate board in the thicknesswise direction. The electrical connector connection system further comprises a support member for determining a distance between the connectors, the support member having at least one connection means for connecting the intermediate board so that not only the plugging depth between the intermediate plate and the connectors can be checked but also the application of an excessive plugging force can be prevented.
The support member has a pair of opposite faces with which a pair of the intermediate boards are brought into contact for support. The support member and the intermediate boards may be detachably attached. The support member may have a pair of spherical stopper faces opposed to the electrical connectors, respectively. The spherical stopper faces may have a radius of a half of a distance between the spherical stopper faces so as to keep the distance between the connectors substantially constant even if the intermediate plate is tiled.
According to still another aspect of the invention, the support member supporting a pair of intermediate boards, comprises a connection member for connecting the intermediate boards; and a support member for contact with the intermediate boards for support, the connection and support members being made integrally as a unit. The support member comprises a pair of guide frames for supporting opposite ends of the intermediate boards; a pair of stopper faces for abutment with a pair of electrical connectors to determine a distance between them; and a connection section detachably attached to the intermediate boards. The guide frames each comprises a pair of guide sections put into the electrical connector to determine relative positions and at least one lock means for locking the electrical connector to the guide frame.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4869676 (1989-09-01), Demler, Jr. et al.
patent: 4981438 (1991-01-01), Bekhiet
patent: 5026292 (1991-06-01), Pickles et al
patent: 5775923 (1998-07-01), Tomioka
patent: 5825630 (1998-10-01), Taylor
patent: 5999097 (1999-12-01), Liddle et al.
patent: 6053747 (2000-04-01), Aggus et al.
Ishida Mitsuo
Takada Toshiyuki
Hammond Briggitte R.
Hirose Electric Co. Ltd.
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Luebke Renee
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