Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Coupling part for receiving edge of planar board moving...
Patent
1996-02-06
1998-03-24
Abrams, Neil
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Coupling part for receiving edge of planar board moving...
H01R 1362
Patent
active
057306141
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, in particular, to a connector for establishing board-to-board interconnection.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various electrical connectors have been known which are adapted to connect a mother board (first circuit board) to a daughter board (second circuit board), such as a single in-line memory module, or SIMM connector.
For example, JPN. UM. Appln. KOKAI Publication 2-95183 (JPN. UM. Application 1-4128 specification) discloses an electrical connector having a resin housing attachable to a mother board and a pair of metal latches for latching a daughter board.
The housing has an opening in its upper surface receiving the daughter board and contact terminals provided in the opening so as to set the daughter board in electrical contact with the other board.
The metal latch comprises a fitting section fitted between both ends of the housing, an elastic section extending upwardly from the fitting section and a latching section extending from the elastic section and latching the daughter board in place. Here the fitting section of the latch is inverse U-shaped in cross section. The inverse U-shaped fitting section is set in contact with the top surface and both the side surfaces of the housing, a total of three surfaces, and fitted there whereby the latch is fixed to the housing.
The daughter board, being obliquely inserted into the opening in the housing, is swung with the daughter board set between a pair of latches. In that operation process, the pair of latches are pushed away from each other by the side edges of the daughter board and hence the latches are elastically flexed in such a direction as to push the paired latches away from each other. Then when the daughter board achieves a predetermined attitude, the paired latches are elastically returned back to their original state, so that the daughter board is latched to the housing. By so doing, the daughter board is held at a predetermined attitude.
However, the following considerations arise with respect to this type of connector.
(i) The latch has its inverse U-shaped fitting section fitted in the housing in a three-surface fitting relation. The three-surface fitting structure is inadequate in its strength and, if the daughter board is repeatedly attached and detached, the fitting section of the latch is deformed due to stress caused thereby and the fixing of the latch to the housing is incomplete.
(ii) When the daughter board is inserted into the housing, if any excessive reaction force from the daughter board acts upon the latch or any unwanted stress acts upon the latch due to, for example, an operation error, the latch is deformed beyond its elastic deformation limit and hence there is a risk that the characteristics of the latch will be impaired. However, the aforementioned conventional electrical connector has not any restriction mechanism for restricting the latch from being deformed beyond its elastic deformation limit.
(iii) Since the elastic section extending from the fitting section of the latch, that is, the effective spring length of the latch, is relatively short, a strong force is required in operating the latch. For example, assume that the length of the spring section extending from the fitting section of the latch is simply made longer in order to obtain a greater effective spring length. Then the fixing of the latch to the housing becomes unstable in addition to the drawback that the latch becomes undesirably longer and more costly to manufacture.
Thus, there is a need for an improved connector for establishing board-to-board interconnection with a latching mechanism that provides for reliable attachment of the boards in a firmly fixed state and which can withstand the stresses associated with repeated attaching and detaching of the boards. The present invention provides an electrical connector that satisfies this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention an electrical connector is provided which connects a first circuit b
REFERENCES:
patent: 5112242 (1992-05-01), Choy et al.
patent: 5161995 (1992-11-01), Bakke et al.
patent: 5169333 (1992-12-01), Lee
patent: 5226833 (1993-07-01), Lwee
patent: 5383792 (1995-01-01), Korsunsky et al.
Abrams Neil
Berg Technology Inc.
Standig Barry M. L.
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