Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Direct grounding of coupling part member passing into aperture
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-21
2004-08-03
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision
Direct grounding of coupling part member passing into aperture
C439S492000, C439S329000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06769925
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a male connector terminal used for connecting to a female connector terminal.
Floppy disk units (floptical disk units) have recently been extensively used as one of external memory units used for connecting to an information processing unit such as a computer unit. In such a floppy disk unit, a magnetic disk, comprising a flexible disk-like substrate having a magnetic coating formed on a main face thereof, is used as a recording medium, and the magnetic disk can be inserted into and ejected from the floppy disk unit.
Hence, one of component parts of the floppy disk unit is a connector terminal for communicating to a computer unit by transmitting and receiving signals which are to record on and read from a magnetic disk.
The connector terminal includes a plurality of terminal pairs each comprising a signal terminal and an earth terminal, and the plurality of terminal pairs are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement of each pair of signal terminal and earth terminal. There are two types of such connector terminal, one of which is a female connector terminal having terminal holes corresponding to the signal terminals and the earth terminals, and the other is a male connector terminal having terminal pins corresponding to the signal terminals and the earth terminals.
Generally, a male connector terminal is provided in a floppy disk unit which is connected to a computer unit via a flat cable having female connector terminals provided respectively at both ends thereof.
As one construction of a related male connector, the related male connector terminal mounted on a floppy disk unit
10
as shown in
FIG. 1
will be described.
A slot (not shown) for a floppy disk
20
is formed in a front face of a unit body
11
of the floppy disk unit
10
. The floppy disk
20
can be inserted into and ejected from the floppy disk unit
10
through the slot. A reader/writer for the floppy disk
20
, a signal processing circuit, and so on are provided within the unit body
11
.
A power connector terminal
12
, for supplying with power for driving the reader/writer, the signal processing circuit and so on, is provided at a rear face of the floppy disk unit
10
which is opposite side of the front face in which the slot is provided. Also, the male connector terminal
13
for communicating to a computer unit by transmitting and receiving signals is provided at the rear face of the floppy disk unit
10
.
The floppy disk unit
10
is mounted on the computer unit, and a first female connector terminal
31
provided at one end of a flat cable
30
is connected to the male connector terminal
13
. A second female connector terminal
31
is provided at the other end of the flat cable
30
which is opposite of the one end thereof adapted to be connected to the floppy disk unit
10
. Both female connector terminals
31
are respectively connected to the floppy disk unit
10
and the computer unit.
FIG. 2A
shows a structure of a terminal face of each of the female connector terminals
31
provided at the flat cable
30
. More specifically, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the female connector terminal
31
includes a plurality of terminal hole pairs
42
each comprising a signal terminal hole
40
and an earth terminal hole
41
, and the plurality of terminal hole pairs
42
are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement of the signal terminal hole
40
and the earth terminal hole
41
of the terminal hole pairs
42
.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, the related male connector terminal
100
has signal terminal pins
51
corresponding respectively to the signal terminal holes
40
and earth terminal pins
52
corresponding respectively to the earth terminal holes
41
of the female connector terminal
31
.
However, with the recent widespread use of computer units, it has been increasingly desired to reduce the cost of a floppy disk unit, and it has been required to reduce the cost of component parts of the floppy disk unit. The male connector terminal mounted on the floppy disk unit has room for improvement in the cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a male connector terminal, in which the number of component parts can be reduced so as to achieve the reduction in cost thereof.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a male connector connected to a female connector in which a plurality of terminal hole pairs, each including a signal terminal hole and an earth terminal hole are arranged in a first direction, and the plurality of terminal hole pairs are arranged on the female connector body in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the male connector comprising:
a male connector body;
a plurality of signal terminal pins, provided on the male connector body, and accommodated in the signal terminal holes respectively; and
a plurality of earth terminal pins, provided on the male connector body, and accommodated in the earth terminal holes, the earth terminal pins being smaller in number than the earth terminal holes of the female connector.
Preferably, the plurality of earth terminal pins are arranged on the male connector body so as to be accommodated in at least earth terminal holes situated at both ends of the second direction.
Preferably, the male connector further comprises a plurality of connection terminals, provided on a first face of the male connector body which is mounted on an external member, and electrically connected to the signal terminal pins and the earth terminal pins respectively.
Here, it is preferable that, the male connector further comprises at least one dummy terminal, provided on the first face of the male connector body, without being electrically connected to any terminal pins.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a method of manufacturing a male connector connected to a female connector in which a plurality of terminal hole pairs, each including a signal terminal hole and an earth terminal hole are arranged in a first direction, and the plurality of terminal hole pairs are arranged on the female connector body in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
providing a male connector body;
determining a minimum number of earth terminal pins so that a desired grounding function can be realized; and
determining a minimum number of connection terminals so that a desired connection strength between the male connector body and an external member on which the male connector is mounted can be secured; assembling the minimum number of the earth terminal pins and the minimum number of the connection terminals on the male connector body.
The male connector terminal of the present invention can be used for connecting to the female connector terminal, and the reduction in cost thereof can be achieved by reducing the number of the earth terminal pins.
Therefore, when the male connector terminal of the present invention is used, for example, as a connector terminal mounted on a floppy disk unit, it can contribute to the reduction in the overall cost of the floppy disk unit.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3966295 (1976-06-01), Hyland et al.
patent: 6033238 (2000-03-01), Fogg et al.
patent: 6604966 (2003-08-01), Hayes et al.
Otomo Yoshihito
Shibata Akira
Harvey James R.
Mitsumi Electric Co. Ltd.
Ta Tho D.
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