Electrical connectors – With supporting means for coupling part – Having resilient means engaging panel opening
Patent
1992-04-15
1995-05-16
Paumen, Gary F.
Electrical connectors
With supporting means for coupling part
Having resilient means engaging panel opening
439571, H01R 1373
Patent
active
054155657
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Electrical connectors that mount on the surface of a circuit board, can each include a connector housing that lies on the circuit board, multiple contacts with tails that press against corresponding pads on the surface of the circuit board, and a pair of keys at opposite ends of the connector housing that project through holes in the circuit board to retain the connector housing to the board. The keys may include a pair of largely vertical legs that are pressed down into the circuit board holes and that have barbs that dig into the walls of the holes. As the legs are pressed into the hole, the legs are resiliently deflected toward each other to provide a large holding force at the barbs. The keys hold the connector in place prior to soldering, and serve to relieve pressure on the solder joints that join the contact tails and circuit board pads when the connector is unmated from another connector and forces are applied that tend to pull the connector off of the board.
At present, a "standard" and widely used holdown key is formed of sheet metal and has a pair of legs whose upper ends merge and whose lower ends are free to deflect together. U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,611 describes keys of this type. Such legs can apply only a moderate resistance to deflection, and therefore can apply only a moderate retention force. Keys have been proposed wherein both the upper and lower ends of the legs merge, resulting in high resistance to bending of the beams toward each other. U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,987 describes keys of this type. Although merging the upper and lower ends of the keys makes the legs highly resistant to deflection toward each other, they can deflect only a moderate distance before plastic deformation begins. As a result, if there is poor matching of the key and circuit board hole, as where the hole is of maximum diameter and the distance between the key legs is minimum, this may result in only a very small or nonexistent retention force. Also, such keys can be difficult to stably mount in the connector so they remain stably in position prior to installation on a circuit board. A connector with holdown keys which could apply large retention forces in the most common cases, but which still applied moderate holdown force under "worst" case conditions, and which facilitated retention on the connector prior to mounting of the connector on a circuit board, would be of considerable value.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided which has a pair of keys for insertion in holes of a circuit board, wherein each key can provide high retention force in the circuit board under normal conditions, which reduces the possibility of plastic deformation under conditions of high interference fit, and which provides moderate retention force under conditions of low interference fit, and wherein the key is easily securely installed in the housing of the connector. Each key lies in a slot at the end of the connector housing and has a pair of largely vertically extending legs, with the legs extending below the bottom of the connector to enter a circuit board hole which deflects the legs toward each other. First ends of the legs merge and the opposite ends of the leg are free of each other but have locations that abut each other when the legs are deflected toward each other. The abutting locations are close enough that the legs can be deflected together until the locations abut each other, without substantial plastic deformation of any portion of the key. The presence of free ends allows the legs to be resiliently deflected by a large amount, which can assure at least moderate retention force in a large board hole and which can aid in retention of the key in the connector housing before the connector is installed on the circuit board. The fact that the free ends abut each other when the key is fully installed in the circuit board, results in large resistance to further deflection of the legs toward each other, to provide for hi
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ITT Corporation
Paumen Gary F.
Peterson Thomas L.
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