Electrical connectors – Including or for use with tape cable – Plural cables to multicontact connector or single cable...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-30
2004-04-20
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Including or for use with tape cable
Plural cables to multicontact connector or single cable...
C439S493000, C439S637000, C439S857000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06722915
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector that connects printed circuit boards to cables and more particularly relates to an electrical connector that connects a daughter board to a flexible cable.
In certain computer applications, such as servers, large circuit boards called motherboards are retained within a server cabinet and are electrically connected to several smaller circuit boards called daughter cards. The terms card and board shall be used interchangeably hereafter. Usually a power supply is provided in the server cabinet. The daughter card is connected to a sensing location within the power supply by an electrical connector. The sensing location monitors the power supply throughout the motherboard within the power supply to determine where the electrical power should be routed within the server.
Therefore, the typical electrical connector includes a housing having a card slot that receives the daughter card at a first end. The housing carries power contacts and signal contacts which are generally similar in size. The power and signal contacts extend through a second end of the housing to power and signal wires, respectively. The power wires extend to the power supply and the motherboard within the server cabinet, and the signal wires extend to the sensing location.
The power contacts are retained in a group on one side of the housing in parallel channels that are perpendicular to the card slot. Each channel carries a top power contact aligned with a corresponding bottom power contact along a vertical axis. The corresponding top and bottom power contacts each have a deflectable contact prong at a first end. The contact prongs of the corresponding top and bottom power contacts extend toward each other into the card slot. Each top and bottom power contact also has a barrel that extends out of the second end of the housing and is crimped around a power wire. The top and bottom power contacts are preloaded within the housing apart from each other along the vertical axis within the channels. When the daughter card is inserted into the card slot, the daughter card biases the top and bottom power contacts in a channel away from each other along the vertical axis such that the top and bottom power contacts press firmly against electrical traces on the top and bottom sides of the daughter card. Thus, the power contacts electrically connect the daughter card to the power supply.
The signal contacts are retained in a group next to the power contacts in parallel channels that are perpendicular to the card slot. Each channel carries a top signal contact aligned with a corresponding bottom signal contact along the vertical axis. The corresponding top and bottom signal contacts each have a deflectable contact prong at a first end. The contact prongs of the corresponding top and bottom signal contacts extend toward each other into the card slot. Each top and bottom signal contact also has a barrel that extends out of the second end of the housing and is crimped around a signal wire. When the daughter card is inserted into the card slot, the daughter card deflects the contact prongs of corresponding top and bottom signal contacts away from each other along the vertical axis such that the contact prongs press firmly against electrical traces on the top and bottom sides of the daughter card. Thus, the signal contacts electrically connect the daughter card to the electronic sensor.
The typical card-to-wire electrical connector suffers from a number of drawbacks. First, because the power and signal contacts are wide and have a large pitch across the first end of the housing, the electrical connector takes up a great deal of space within the power supply such that the power supply is larger and takes up a great deal of space within the server cabinet. The server cabinet is already tightly packed with printed circuit boards, thus the electrical connector takes up space that could be used for additional printed circuit boards. The electrical connector also blocks air that is forced through the server cabinet to cool the power supply. The power and signal wires extending from the electrical connector take up space within the power supply and server cabinet as well. Additionally, a tool is required to connect the power and signal wires to the power and signal contacts, respectively. The tool is bulky and thus difficult to use in the server cabinet or any other constrained space. Further, it is inconvenient for an operator to always have the available tool to connect the power and signal wires to the electrical connector. Finally, because all the contacts are crimped about the wires, the wires cannot be disconnected from the electrical connector without first removing the contacts from the housing.
A need remains for an electrical connector that overcomes the above problems and addresses other concerns experienced in the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Certain embodiments of the present invention include an electrical connector having a housing with a front end configured to receive a circuit board and a rear end configured to receive at least one flexible cable. The electrical connector includes top and bottom contacts retained in alignment along a vertical axis in corresponding channels in the housing. At least one of the top and bottom contacts has a first contact prong configured to engage the circuit board and a second contact prong configured to engage the at least one flexible cable. The electrical connector includes a stuffer received at the second end of the housing that is configured to retain the flexible cable in contact with the second contact prong.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3966295 (1976-06-01), Hyland et al.
patent: 4959030 (1990-09-01), Tatebe et al.
patent: 5501610 (1996-03-01), Ikemoto
patent: 6210174 (2001-04-01), Pei et al.
patent: 6250966 (2001-06-01), Hashimoto et al.
Conner Troy E.
McAlonis Matthew R.
Ta Tho D.
Tyco Electronics Corporation
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