Electrical connectors – Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient... – Spring actuated or resilient securing part
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-02
2001-06-12
Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...
Spring actuated or resilient securing part
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244909
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a metal terminal and a connector for mounting on a board which connector employs such metal terminals.
The Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 8-203591 discloses a board-mounted-type connector
100
shown in
FIGS. 18
to
21
. This board-mounted-type connector
100
comprises a housing
110
, metal terminals
120
A and
120
B, and a retainer
130
.
The large-size metal terminal
120
A includes a fitting portion
121
A for receiving a mating male metal terminal (not shown), and a board-mounting portion
123
A. The board-mounting portion
123
A has a resilient flexing portion
122
A of a V-shape, and this portion is resiliently deformable so as to prevent an excessive stress from developing in the other portion of the metal terminal
120
A. The board-mounting portion
123
A is adapted to be inserted into a mounting hole H formed through a board P. The small-size metal terminal
120
B also includes a fitting portion
121
B, a resilient flexing portion
122
B and a board-mounting portion
123
B which achieve similar functions as described above for the large-size metal terminal.
Large-size cavities
111
A for respectively receiving the large-size metal terminals
120
A are formed in opposite (right and left in
FIG. 18
) end portions of the housing
110
, and a plurality of small-size cavities
111
B for respectively receiving the small-size metal terminals
120
B are also formed in the housing, and are arranged between the opposite-end large-size cavities
111
A. Fitting holes
113
A and
113
B for respectively passing the mating male metal terminals therethrough are formed in an upper surface (
FIG. 18
) (hereinafter referred to as “fitting surface
112
”), and communicate respectively with the cavities
111
A and
111
B, the fitting holes
113
A and
113
B being open to the outer surface (i.e., the fitting surface). The cavities
111
A and
111
B are open to a mounting surface
114
facing away from the fitting surface
112
, and the retainer
130
is mounted on this mounting surface
114
. Engagement portions
118
each having an engagement hole
118
A are formed on and project from side marginal portions of the mounting surface
114
of the housing
110
. The engagement holes
118
A are engageable respectively with engagement projections
139
A formed on the retainer
130
, and the housing
110
and the retainer
130
are held in an interconnected condition by this engagement. Bosses
119
are formed on the opposite ends of the housing
110
, respectively, and these bosses
119
are fitted respectively in boss holes
141
, formed in the retainer
130
, when the housing
110
is connected to the retainer
130
. A screw hole
119
A is formed through each boss
119
, and can be aligned with a corresponding screw hole (not shown) in the board P, and a screw (not shown) can pass through this screw hole
119
A so as to fixedly secure the board-mounted-type connector
100
to the board P.
The retainer
130
conforms in configuration to the mounting surface
114
of the housing
110
, and has receiving chambers
133
A and
133
B which can be aligned with the cavities
111
A and
111
B, respectively. When the retainer
130
and the housing
110
are connected together, the resilient flexing portions
122
A and
122
B are received respectively in the receiving chambers
133
A and
133
B in such a manner that each resilient flexing portion
122
A,
122
B is sufficiently spaced from the peripheral surface of the receiving chamber
133
A,
133
B that it can be resiliently deformed. The receiving chambers
133
A and
133
B have positioning holes
136
A and
136
B, respectively, which are open to that surface of the retainer
130
to be abutted against the board P. The engagement projections
139
A, engageable respectively in the engagement holes
118
A in the housing
110
, are formed on the side surfaces of the retainer
130
. Plate-like portions
140
extend respectively from the opposite ends of the retainer
130
, and have the boss holes
141
, respectively, into which the bosses
119
on the housing
110
can be fitted, respectively.
For assembling the board-mounted-type connector
100
, the housing
110
is disposed with its mounting surface
114
directed upwardly, and the metal terminals
120
A and
120
B are disposed with their fitting portions
121
A and
121
B directed downwardly, and then are caused to drop respectively into the cavities
111
A and
111
B by their own weight.
After the metal terminals
120
A and
120
B are thus inserted respectively into the cavities
111
A and
111
B, the retainer
130
is connected to the housing
110
. When the engagement projections
139
A are engaged respectively in the engagement holes
118
A of the engagement portions
118
, the retainer
130
is locked to the housing
110
against disengagement. At this time, the bosses
119
on the housing
110
are fitted respectively into the boss holes
141
in the retainer
130
.
In this assembled condition of the board-mounted-type connector
100
, the board-mounting portions
123
A and
123
B, projecting from the retainer
130
, pass respectively through the positioning holes
136
A and
136
B, and therefore are properly positioned as shown in FIG.
20
.
For mounting the board-mounted-type connector
100
on the board P, the board-mounted-type connector
100
is disposed with the board-mounting portions
123
A and
123
B opposed to the board P, and the screw holes
119
A are aligned respectively with the screw holes (not shown) in the board P, and the board-mounted-type connector
100
is fixedly secured to the board P by screws (not shown).
After the board-mounting portions
123
A and
123
B are thus fitted respectively in the mounting holes H, the board-mounting portions
123
A and
123
B are fixedly secured to the board P by soldering Q (see FIG.
21
).
In the condition shown in
FIG. 21
, a mating connector (not shown), having the mating male metal terminals (not shown) mounted therein, is fitted relative to the board-mounted-type connector
100
from the upper side. When the two connectors are fitted together, the distance between the mutually-connected portions of each mating pair of metal terminals and the board P is equal to the distance (hereinafter referred to as “distance R”) between the fitting surface
112
and the upper surface of the board P. This distance R is generally equal to the overall length of the metal terminals
120
A and
120
B.
When the two connectors, after fitted together, are vibrated independently of each other (for example, if these connectors are mounted on an automobile, such a situation can be encountered depending on the type of vibration of the automobile), a force, acting on those portions of the two metal terminals in contact with each other, is received by the soldered portion Q. A moment, acting on the soldered portion Q, is proportional to the distance R, and in the conventional construction, this distance R is inevitably equal to the overall length of the metal terminals
120
A and
120
B, and as a result the large moment acts on the soldered portion Q.
In the conventional construction, since the distance between the board P and the mutually-connected portions of the two metal terminals is equal to-the distance R, and therefore a large moment can inevitably act on the soldered portion Q, depending on the type of vibration.
The board-mounted-type connector
100
is mounted on the board P, and then is fitted relative to the mating connector, and in this condition, when the two connectors are energized, heat is often generated at part of the board P with the lapse of time. When part of the board P generates heat, the board P thermally expands according to the distribution of the heat. As a result, a force, tending to bring the board-mounting portions
123
A and
123
B out of alignment with the respective mounting holes H, acts on the soldered portions Q.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the invention is to provi
Kojima Eiji
Okada Hajime
Shirouzu Koichi
Nguyen Phuongchi
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Paumen Gary F.
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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