[0001] The invention relates to an electrical connector having the features of the preamble
to claim 1.
[0002] Such a connector is known from US-A-4,780,095.
[0003] Electrical connector assemblies for making large numbers of interconnections are
used extensively in the electrical connector industry, such as for use in computers
and other electronic devices. With the ever-increasing miniaturization of the electronics
in such devices and the ever-increasing density of the related connector assemblies,
continuing problems occur in designing connectors for such use. This is particularly
true with connectors commonly known as card edge connectors which are constructed
to receive printed circuit cards having conductive pads on one or both sides of the
card along the edge of the card which is inserted into the connector assembly.
[0004] One of the problems with card edge connector assemblies of the character described
above is achieving a desired range of contact engaging forces between the contact
elements of the connector assembly and the conductive pads on the printed circuit
card. In most such connector assemblies, contact elements are arranged along opposite
sides of the card receiving slot of a housing for the connector assembly. The contact
elements engage conductive pads on opposite sides of the printed circuit board. Heretofore,
a common thickness for a printed circuit card for use with card edge connector assemblies
has been on the order of 1,57 mm (0.062 inch). With the ever-increasing miniaturization
of electronic systems utilizing these connector assemblies, it is desirable to reduce
the thickness of such printed circuit cards. This, however creates problems in maintaining
the desired range of forces between the contact elements and the conductive pads on
the printed circuit card.
[0005] More particularly, it is known that the force generated by a spring is equal to the
spring constant multiplied by the deflection of the spring (i.e., F=kd). Using this
formula, a desired normal forces between the contact elements and the card conductive
pads can be achieved with a spring contact having a long travel (i.e., deflection)
or with a spring contact having a short travel (i.e., deflection). In the connector
art, it is generally desirable to use contact elements with a long travel (i.e., deflection)
to achieve the desired range of forces because such a long travel will minimize the
affect of any variations due to manufacturing tolerances. That is, for a give variation
in travel due to tolerances, the percentage of variation will be smaller with a contact
element that is deflected a greater distance. This commonly is termed a low spring
rate system. Lower spring rates, in the context of electrical contact elements, normally
are accomplished by providing long spring contacts. Of course, there are limitations
placed on the contact structure by the miniaturization of the overall connector assembly.
[0006] In the prior art (US-A-4,780,095) preloaded contact elements provided for a lower
spring rate system in card edge connector assemblies of the character described in
order to achieve a desired range of contact forces. However, pre-loading the contact
elements causes problems and/or creates limitations in fabricating and usage of the
connector assemblies.
[0007] When a large number of contact elements are placed under a pre-load, stresses are
placed on the housing itself which conventionally is fabricated of molded plastic
material or the like. These pre-loading stresses place limitations on the types of
plastic material that can be used in certain applications. For instance, it often
is desirable to surface mount such connector assemblies on a printed circuit board.
During such surface mounting procedures, the housing and contact elements are exposed
to elevated temperatures of 220°C. When certain plastics reach that temperature, and
the plastic material is subjected to the forces of the pre-loaded contact elements,
the plastic material has a tendency to creep. Consequently, pre-loading of contact
elements in card edge connector assemblies has definite limitations.
[0008] This invention is directed to solving these problems by providing a card edge connector
assembly in which the contact elements have a relatively low spring rate but are not
pre-loaded.
[0009] The invention is defined in claim 1.
[0010] In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector assembly cooperates with
a printed circuit card having an edge and a plurality of first conductive pads arranged
in a pattern on one side of the card at least near the edge. A plurality of second
conductive pads are arranged in a pattern on the opposite side of the card spaced
inwardly of the edge and the first conductive pads. An elongated housing is provided
with a card receiving slot for receiving the edge of the printed circuit card. A plurality
of first spring contact elements are mounted in the housing along one side of the
slot means and having first contact portions for contacting respective ones of the
first conductive pads. A plurality of second spring contact elements are mounted in
the housing along the opposite side of the slot means and having second contact portions
for contacting respective ones of the second conductive pads. The first contact portions
of the first contact elements spatially overlap the second contact portions of the
second contact elements in a direction transversely of the slot means to increase
the deflection capabilities of the contact elements.
[0011] Still further, as disclosed herein, one of the first contact elements is disposed
in registry with one of the second contact elements on direct opposite sides of the
slot means. The printed circuit card includes a plurality of the first and second
conductive pads on each side of the printed circuit card, and a plurality of the first
and second contact elements are located on each side of the slot means. The first
and second contact elements are disposed in an alternating array on each side of the
slot.
[0012] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the
following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0013] The features of this invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with
particularity in the appended claims. The invention together with its objects and
the advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals
identify like elements in the figures and in which:
FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a printed circuit card of the present invention
for use with the card edge connector assembly of the invention;
FIGURE 2 is a fragmented elevational view, on an enlarged scale, showing two pairs
of pads in each row of conductive pads on the printed circuit card of Figure 1;
FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the card edge connector assembly of the invention with
the contact elements removed;
FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the connector assembly, with the ends thereof
cut away to illustrate the latching and ejecting lever means;
FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken generally along line 5-5 of Figure 4;
FIGURE 6 is a vertical section taken generally along line 6-6 of Figure 3, with the
contact elements and latching and ejecting lever means removed to facilitate the illustration
of the connector housing;
FIGURE 7 is a vertical section similar to that of Figure 5, with the printed circuit
card removed to show the contact elements in their unbiased condition;
FIGURE 8 is a schematic view of the contact elements illustrating the path lengths
of the contact elements;
FIGURE 9 is a vertical section taken generally along line 9-9 of Figure 3 with the
latch arm removed for clarity; and
FIGURE 10 is a vertical section taken generally along line 10-10 of Figure 3 with
the latch arm removed for clarity.
Detailed Description
[0014] Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and first to Figure 1, the invention
is directed to a card edge connector assembly, described below, for use in conjunction
with a printed circuit card, generally designated 10. The card has an elongated insertion
edge 12 and opposite side edges 14. For purposes described hereinafter, insertion
edge 12 is provided with a locating notch 16, and each side edge 14 is provided with
a pair of spaced insertion/eject rounded notches 18.
[0015] Generally, printed circuit card 10 has two rows, generally designated 20 and 22,
of conductive pads 20a and 22a, respectively, in linear arrays running generally parallel
to insertion edge 12 of the card. Although not shown in the drawings, each conductive
pad 20a and 22a is connected by means of circuit traces 20b and 22b to appropriate
circuitry (not shown) on the card as is known in the art. Only two circuit traces
20b and 22b are shown in Figure 1 in order not to clutter the illustration. It can
be seen that row 20 of conductive pads 20a are located nearer to insertion edge 12
of the card than is row 22 of conductive pads 22a.
[0016] Referring to Figure 2 in conjunction with Figure 1, a pair of each of the conductive
pads 20a and 22a from the respective rows thereof are isolated to illustrate the high
density of printed circuit card 10. In particular, as represented by arrows "A", conductive
pads 20a in row 20 and conductive pads 22b in row 22 have equal spacing which is approximately
1.5 mm (0.060 inches). It can be seen that the conductive pads in each row are staggered
relative to the pads in the other row. Therefore, the spacing or pitch between alternating
conductive pads in the combined rows, as represented by arrows "B", is half of "A"
or approximately 0.75 mm (0.030 inches). It should be noted that this array of conductive
pads 20a and 22a in rows 20 and 22, respectively, is repeated on the opposite side
of printed circuit card 10 but the rows on one side of the card are offset from the
rows on the opposite side.
[0017] Referring to Figure 3, the card edge connector assembly of the invention includes
an elongated housing, generally designated 24, which is unitarily molded of a dielectric
material. The housing has opposed side walls 26 and opposite end walls 28 which define
an elongated interior cavity 30 therewithin. A plurality of contact elements are mounted
in contact receiving cavities 31 in housing 24 with contact portions projecting towards
the center of cavity 30, as will be described in relation to Figure 5 hereinafter.
The contacts are spaced or have a pitch that is complementary to the pitch of conductive
pads 20a and 22a as described in relation to Figure 2. This high density, i.e., small
pitch, between the contact elements prevents the molding of partition walls between
the contact elements that extend far enough towards the center of housing 24 to define
the lateral component of a card receiving slot, as heretofore has been done.
[0018] The lateral component of the card receiving slot 25 of housing 24 is provided, in
part, by two pairs of opposing partition portions 34 which define openings between
inner edges 36 of the partition portions. Each pair of end walls 28 also similarly
have opposed inner edges that define an opening 37 therebetween. The openings defined
by inner edges 36 and 37 are in alignment longitudinally of the housing to define
a portion of the lateral component of the card receiving slot 25. Referring back to
Figure 1, gaps, generally designated 38, are provided in each row 20 and 22 of conductive
pads 20a and 22a, respectively, to accommodate partition portions 34. In essence,
one conductive pad is eliminated from each respective row 20 and 22 in order to accommodate
each partition portions 34.
[0019] The invention contemplates the provision of complementary interengaging card locating
means between printed circuit card 10 and housing 24 intermediate the ends of the
housing for locating the card longitudinally of the housing. Because of the high density
circuitry involved in the card edge connector assembly of the invention, preferably
the card locating means is the sole locating means, exclusive of the latch means described
hereinafter, for properly locating the card longitudinally of the housing.
[0020] More particularly, referring to Figure 6 in conjunction with Figure 2, a center partition
40 spans cavity 30 and is integrally molded with and between side walls 26 of the
housing. This partition serves multiple functions in laterally supporting side walls
28, in longitudinally and laterally locating the printed circuit card and in polarizing
the printed circuit card relative to the housing.
[0021] Center partition 40 includes a center narrow portion 42 which has a width (in a direction
longitudinally of the housing) to be embraced by notch 16 (Fig. 1) of printed circuit
card 10 when the card is inserted into the housing. As seen in Figure 6, the top 42a
of partition portion 42 has a tapered lead-in to facilitate guiding notch 16 over
the partition in the insertion direction as indicated by arrow "C". Although difficult
to see in the Figures, narrow portion 42 is also tapered along its length so that
its widest point is at 43 in order to accurately position card 10 longitudinally to
define the longitudinal position of card receiving slot 25.
[0022] Partition 40, preferably is offset to one side of a mid-point between opposite ends
28 of housing 24, and notch 16 in printed circuit card 10 correspondingly is offset
from a mid-point thereof, to provide polarization means for the card relative to the
housing.
[0023] In addition to the functions of longitudinally locating the printed circuit card,
supporting side walls 26 of the housing and polarizing the circuit card relative to
the housing, partition 40 also combines with partition portions 34 and end walls 28
to define the lateral boundary of card receiving slot 25. In particular, it can be
seen that with the major body portions of partition 40 being wider than the narrower
portion 42 which is embraced by notch 16 of the card, shoulders 44 generally parallel
to side walls 26 are provided for engaging the sides of the printed circuit card.
These shoulders 44 are in alignment with the inner edges 36 of partition portions
34 and inner edges 37 of end walls 28 to combine therewith to define the lateral position
of the card receiving slot 25 of the housing.
[0024] Referring to Figure 4 in conjunction with Figure 3, the invention contemplates the
provision of insertion and ejecting latch arms at the opposite ends of housing 24
for assisting in inserting printed circuit card 10 into the card receiving slot means
of the connector assembly and ejecting the card therefrom.
[0025] More particularly, a latching and ejecting lever arm, generally designated 46, is
provided at each opposite end of housing 24. Each lever arm is pivotally mounted to
the housing about a shaft 48 dimensioned to rotate within hole 52 in laterally spaced
wing portions 54 of housing 24. It is contemplated that the shaft 48 could either
be a dowel pin inserted into arm 46 or an integrally molded portion of arm 46.
[0026] Each lever arm 46 is pivotally movable between a latching or insertion position shown
in full lines in Figure 4, and an eject position shown in phantom lines in Figure
4, as indicated by double-headed arrow "D". Each lever means 46 has a projecting actuating
portion 56 for engagement by an operator's thumb or finger. The actuating portion
has laterally outwardly projecting flanges 58 terminating in distal ends 60 for engaging
wing portions 54 of the housing to define stop means, as at 62, which defines the
ejecting position of the lever means and also defines the loading position of the
printed circuit card.
[0027] In order to interengage each lever means 46 with opposite edges 14 of printed circuit
card 10, each lever means is provided with at least a pair of rounded projections
64 which nest for interengagement within rounded recesses 18 (Fig. 1) in side edges
14 of the printed circuit card. In operation, the projections move seriatim into and
out of the recesses in response to pivoting of the lever means to thereby insert the
card into the slot means of housing 24 in response to pivoting of the lever means
toward the latching position shown in full lines in Figure 4, and to eject the card
from the slot means in response to pivoting the lever means toward the eject position
as shown in phantom in Figure 4. The interengagement of the plural projections 64
of the lever means in the plural recesses 18 in the printed circuit card provides
a sort of rack-and-pinion arrangement to permit the insertion/ejection of the printed
circuit card without the user contacting the card and possibly bending or otherwise
damaging it.
[0028] Still further, each lever arm 46 is provided with a third projection 64a which, when
the lever means is in its eject or loading position, provides a locating means for
corners 68 (Fig. 1) of the printed circuit card to seat the card when an operator
initially positions the card before actuating or pivoting the lever arm to insert
the card into the slot 25 of the housing. This enables the operator to easily position
the card and then move actuating portions 56 of the lever arm inwardly toward the
card simultaneously to insert the card fully into the connector assembly.
[0029] Referring to Figure 5, the contact elements of the present invention are shown in
detail. Specifically, the contact elements include what, for simplicity purposes,
will be termed long contact elements, generally designated 32a, and short contact
elements, generally designated 32b. Such contacts are stamped from a sheet of metal,
preferably in pairs of opposed long and short contact element which are retained on
a carrier strip (not shown) until insertion into housing 24. The contact elements
are similar to those disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,071,371, filed on March 30, 1990
and published on Dec. 10, 1991.
[0030] Each contact element includes a base 70, a solder tail 72 projecting downwardly from
the base, a locking arm 74 projecting upwardly from the base, a beam section 76 projecting
angularly upward from the base, and a generally inverted U-shaped contact portion
78 formed at the upper end of beam section 76. Base 70 of each contact is rigidly
mounted within housing 24 by means of locking arm 74 pressed into passages 80 in the
housing. Locking arms 74 have barbs 74a for digging into the plastic material of the
housing within the passages 80. Solder tails 72 are provided for insertion into holes
82 in a printed circuit board 84 for soldering to circuit traces on the board and/or
within the holes. To that end, housing 24 has standoffs 86 for spacing the housing
from the printed circuit board, and the housing has conventional board lock pegs 88
(Fig. 4) for locking the housing to the printed circuit board at least prior to soldering
procedures.
[0031] Although similarly shaped, the beam section 76 of long contact element 32a is different
from that of short contact element 32b. In particular, the long contact element 32a
and short contact element 32b are configured so that each exerts an equal normal force
on its respective contact pad 22a and 20a at contact point 79 of contact portion 78
when the long and short contact elements are displaced an equal amount. In order to
achieve this result, since the contact point 79 of long contact element 32a is further
from its base 70 than contact point 79 of short contact element 32b is from its base
70, the combination of beam section 76 and contact portion 78 of long contact element
32a must have a spring rate equal to that of the combination of beam section 76 and
contact portion 78 of short contact element 32b. Since the contact portions 78 of
both contact elements are identically shaped, beam section 76 of long contact element
32a is shown as being wider (transverse to the housing 24 as shown in Fig. 5) than
the beam section of short contact element 32b at equal distances along their respective
beams from their respective bases. Of course, other configurations could be utilized
to achieve such equal normal forces including stamping the long and short contact
elements from different thickness materials.
[0032] Contact portions 78 at the end of beam sections 76 of long and short contact elements
32a and 32b, respectively, are mounted within housing 24 of the connector assembly
in opposing pairs spaced longitudinally of the housing such that contact portion 78
of one long contact element 32a engages one of the conductive pads 22a in one of the
rows 22 thereof on the respective side of printed circuit card 10. Contact portion
78 of the opposed short contact element 32b engages the conductive pad 20a in the
row 20 thereof on the opposite side of printed circuit card 10. On each side of the
housing 24, the long and short contact elements alternate. As a result, the end of
one side wall begins with a short contact element and the other side wall begins with
a long contact element. With an understanding that contact elements 32a and 32b are
mounted within housing 24 in pairs thereof projecting perpendicular to side walls
26 of the housing as shown in Figure 5, the arrays of conductive pads 20a and 22a
on opposite sides of printed circuit card 20 must be correspondingly arranged. In
other words, "looking through" printed circuit card 10 in Figures 1 and 2, one conductive
pad 20a on one side of the printed circuit card will be positioned beneath one conductive
pad 22a on the opposite side of the printed circuit card. This is why the printed
circuit card must be polarized within the connector assembly.
[0033] As shown in Figure 7, which depicts the contact elements in an undeflected state,
contact point 79 of each contact element extends slightly across the lateral centerline
81 of the card receiving slot 25. However, because the contact elements are arranged
in opposed pairs of long and short contact elements 32a and 32b, the opposed contacts
do not touch each other. By extending the contact point past the centerline, the contact
point of each element is able to travel a greater distance without the beam section
76 contacting side wall 26. That is, if the contact point 79 did not extend to the
centerline 81, the contact elements would not be able to deflect as far before the
edge of beam section 76 would contact the inner portion of the side wall 26. This
configuration permits the use of a contact element having a lower spring rate which
is desirable because it minimizes the affect of manufacturing variations on the forces
exerted between the contact elements and their respective pads. As a result, less
wear is likely to occur between the contact elements and the pads. Further, it desired,
the contact element configuration permits the use of thinner printed circuit cards
as compared to those known in the prior art.
[0034] Because of the configuration of the contact element, including the fact that they
are stamped rather than stamped and formed, they have a greater tendency to bend along
the longitudinal axis of the housing. As a result, relatively thin support walls 83
project perpendicularly from each side wall 26 to support the contact elements one
each side and prevent them from bending and contacting the adjacent contact elements.
Thus, each contact element has a pair of support walls 83 positioned on opposite longitudinal
sides thereof. These support walls project inwardly from side walls 26 and upwardly
from base support members 85 which span the housing 24 from one side wall 26 to the
other. The top of the base support members 85 form the bottom surface of the card
receiving slot 25. Due to the close spacing between the contact elements, the support
walls 81 must be extremely thin which prevents them from projecting to and defining
the edge of card receiving slot 25. Accordingly, as discussed above, partitions 34,
end walls 28 and partition 40 act to laterally define the card receiving slot 25.
[0035] Finally, as shown in Figure 7, an optional dust cover 90 can be positioned over a
portion of cavity 30 in order to restrict air flow within the cavity. This could be
utilized to reduce the build-up of films, oxides and the like on the contact point
79 of the contact elements. Of course, the cover would not impede in any way the insertion
and ejection of board 10 to and from the connector housing 24.
[0036] It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms
without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The present examples and
embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not
restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein.
1. An electrical connector for providing electrical connection between a plurality of
card contacts (20a, 22a) on a printed circuit card (10) generally adjacent an edge
(12) thereof and a plurality of board contacts on a printed circuit board (84), said
printed circuit card (10) being generally planar and having first and second faces,
said first and second faces each having upper and lower rows (22, 20) of card contacts
generally parallel to said edge (12), said upper row (22) being positioned further
from said edge (12) than said lower row (20) and being displaced from said lower row
(20) along said edge (12), said card contacts (22a) of said upper row (22) being electrically
isolated from those (20a) of said lower row (20), said connector comprising:
a housing (24) having a mounting base, an elongated cavity (30) for receiving said
card contacts, and a plurality of contact element receiving slots (31) spaced along
the cavity (30); and
a plurality of first and second resiliently deflectable contact elements (32a, 32b)
stamped from sheet metal stock to create a stamped edge which is perpendicular to
said sheet metal stock, each contact element (32a, 32b) having a base (70) and a beam
section (76), each base section (70) being shaped for being locked in said housing
(24), each beam section extending in cantilever fashion away from said base (70) to
a contacting portion (79) formed from a portion of the stamped edge, each contacting
portion (79) of said first contact elements (32a) contacting one of said plurality
of lower card contacts (20a) and each contacting portion (79) of said second contact
elements (32b) contacting one of said plurality of upper card contacts (22a), said
contacting portions (79) of said first contact elements (32a) being at a different
elevation relative to said mounting base than said contacting portions (79) of said
second contact element (32b);
said first and second contact elements (32a, 32b) being positioned in said contact
element receiving slots (31) on opposite sides of said elongated cavity (30) as opposed
pairs of first and second contact elements, each pair being located along a plane
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said cavity;
said contacting portions (79) being movable from an undeflected position to a deflected
position by movement of said printed circuit card (10) to a fully operational position,
characterized in that
said first and second contact elements (32a, 32b) being sized and configured so
that the contacting portion (79) of each said contact element extends along said perpendicular
plane at least to the longitudinal centerline (81) of said elongated cavity (30) before
said printed circuit card (10) is being inserted into said cavity (30).
2. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein said contact elements (32a, 32b) are longitudinally
spaced along said cavity (30) with said first and second contact elements alternating
along each side of said cavity, said contact elements being positioned to create alternating
pairs of first and second contact elements located on opposite sides of said cavity.
3. The electrical connector of claim 1 or 2 wherein each of said first and second contact
elements (32a, 32b) includes only one beam section.
4. The electrical connector of claim 2 or 3 wherein the contacting portion (79) of each
contact element (32a, 32b) is located on a generally U-shaped member (78).
5. The electrical connector of any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the beam sections (76) of
said first and second contact elements (32a, 32b) are dimensioned so that the contacting
portion (79) of said first and second contact elements exert equal normal forces on
said card contacts (20a, 20b).
6. The electrical connector of any of claims 1 to 5 wherein said first and second contacting
portions (79) slidingly engage respective card contacts (20a, 20b) on said printed
circuit card as said printed circuit card (10) is positioned at an operational position
within said cavity (30).
7. The electrical connector of any of claims 4 to 6 wherein the beam section (76) of
each said first and second contact elements (32a, 32b) taper uniformly from the respective
base (70) thereof to the respective U-shaped section (78).
8. The electrical connector of claim 7 wherein the beam section (76) on said first contact
element (32a) emerges from its respective base (70) at a first point and the beam
section (76) of said second contact element (32b) emerges from its respective base
(70) at a second point, the cross-sectional dimension of the beam section (76) of
said first contact element (32a) being greater than the cross-sectional dimension
of the second contact element (32b) taken at equal distances along the respective
beam sections (76) from the first and second points.
9. The electrical connector of any of claims 1 to 8 wherein an injection and ejection
latch arm (46) is positioned adjacent each end of said elongated cavity (30) of said
connector housing (24) and adapted to insert said card (10) into said cavity (30)
when the latch arms (46) are moved from a first position to a second position, and
to eject said card (10) from said cavity (30) when the latch arms (46) are moved from
said second position to said first position, and wherein the cards (20) are shaped
with recesses (18) at their side edges (14) to be engaged by a respective said latch
arm (46), each recess (18) being formed by a pair of straight portions beginning at
and extending away from its respective side edge (14) at an angle thereto and intersecting
a common radius at opposite ends thereof.
1. Elektrischer Steckverbinder zur Herstellung einer elektrischen Verbindung zwischen
einer Mehrzahl von Kartenkontakten (20a, 22a), die generell benachbart einer Kante
(12) einer gedruckten Schaltungsplatte (10) angebracht sind, und einer Mehrzahl von
Kontakten auf einer gedruckten Schaltungsplatte (84), wobei die gedruckte Schaltungskarte
(10) im großen und ganzen eben ist und erste und zweite Seiten aufweist, die jeweils
obere und untere Reihen (22, 20) von zu der Kante (12) generell parallelen Kartenkontakten
umfassen, wobei die obere Reihe (22) weiter von der Kante (12) als die untere Reihe
angeordnet ist und gegenüber der unteren Reihe (20) entlang der Kante (12) versetzt
ist, wobei ferner die Kartenkontakte (22a) der oberen Reihe (22) elektrisch von denen
(20a) der unteren Reihe (20) isoliert sind, mit folgenden Merkmalen des
Steckverbinders:
ein Gehäuse (24) umfaßt eine Montagebasis, einen länglichen Hohlraum (30) zur Aufnahme
der Kartenkontakte und eine Mehrzahl von Kontaktelement-Aufnahmeschlitze (31), die
im Abstand entlang des Hohlraums (30) angeordnet sind; und
eine Mehrzahl von ersten und zweiten federnd nachgiebigen Kontaktelementen (32a, 32b)
sind aus Blechmetall gestanzt, um eine gestanzte Kante zu schaffen, die senkrecht
zu der Ebene des Metallblechs verläuft; jedes Kontaktelement (32a, 32b) weist einen
Basisabschnitt (70) und einen Strahlabschnitt (76) auf, jeder Basisabschnitt (70)
ist zur Verriegelung in dem Gehäuse (24) gestaltet, jeder Strahlabschnitt erstreckt
sich auskragend weg vom Basisabschnitt (70) zu einem Kontaktteil (79) hin, der aus
einem Abschnitt der gestanzten Kante gebildet wird; jeder Kontaktteil (79) der ersten
Kontaktelemente (32a) berührt einen Kontakt der Mehrzahl der unteren Kartenkontakte
(20a) und jeder Kontaktteil (79) der zweiten Kontaktelemente (32b) berührt einen Kontakt
der Mehrzahl der oberen Kartenkontakte (22a) die Kontaktteile (79) der ersten Kontaktelemente
(32a) sind auf unterschiedlicher Höhe relativ zu der Montagebasis gegenüber den Kontaktteilen
(79) des zweiten Kontaktelements (32b) angeordnet;
die ersten und zweiten Kontaktelemente (32a, 32b) sind in den Kontaktelement-Aufnahmeschlitzen
(31) an entgegengesetzten Seiten des länglichen Hohlraums (30) als sich gegenüberstehende
Paare von ersten und zweiten Kontaktelementen angeordnet, jedes Paar ist entlang einer
Ebene senkrecht zur Längsachse des Hohlraumes gelegen;
die Kontaktteile (79) sind von einer unausgelenkten Stellung zu einer ausgelenkten
Stellung durch die Verschiebung der gedruckten Schaltungskarte (10) ganz in die Betriebsstellung
bewegbar,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die ersten und zweiten Kontaktelemente (32a, 32b) so
bemessen und gestaltet sind, daß der Kontaktteil (79) des jeweiligen Kontaktelements
sich entlang der senkrechten Ebene mindestens bis zur Längs-Mittellinie (81) des länglichen
Hohlraums (30) erstreckt, bevor die gedruckte Schaltungskarte (10) in den Hohlraum
(30) eingesteckt worden ist.
2. Elektrischer Steckverbinder nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Kontaktelemente
(32a, 32b) im Abstand längs des Hohlraums (30) sitzen, wobei die ersten und zweiten
Kontaktelemente sich entlang jeder Seite des Hohlraums abwechseln, und daß die Kontaktelemente
zur Schaffung abwechselnder Paare von ersten und zweiten Kontaktelementen angeordnet
sind, die an entgegengesetzten Seiten des Hohlraums sitzen.
3. Elektrischer Steckverbinder nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die
jeweiligen ersten und zweiten Kontaktelemente (32a, 32b) jeweils nur einen Strahlabschnitt
umfassen.
4. Elektrischer Steckverbinder nach Anspruch 2 oder 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der
Kontaktteil (79) jedes Kontaktelements (32a, 32b) an einem generell U-förmigen Abschnitt
(78) sitzt.
5. Elektrischer Steckverbinder nach einem der Ansprüche 1-4, dadurch gekennzeichnet,
daß die Strahlabschnitte (76) der ersten und zweiten Kontaktelemente (32a, 32b) so
dimensioniert sind, daß die jeweiligen r Kontaktteile (79) des ersten und zweiten
Kontaktelements in senkrechter Richtung auf die Kartenkontakte (20a, 20b) gleiche
Kräfte ausüben.
6. Elektrischer Steckverbinder nach einem der Ansprüche 1-5, dadurch gekennzeichnet,
daß die ersten und zweiten Kontaktteile (79) jeweilige Kartenkontakte (20a, 20b) auf
der gedruckten Schaltungskarte gleitend beaufschlagen, wenn die gedruckte Schaltungskarte
(10) bei einer Betriebsstellung innerhalb des Hohlraums (30) positioniert wird.
7. Elektrischer Steckverbinder nach einem der Ansprüche 4-6, dadurch gekennzeichnet,
daß die jeweiligen Strahlabschnitte (76) der ersten und zweiten Kontaktelemente (32a,
32b) sich gleichförmig von dem jeweiligen Basisabschnitt (70) zu dem jeweiligen U-förmigen
Abschnitt (78) verjüngen.
8. Elektrischer Steckverbinder nach Anspruch 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Strahlabschnitt
(76) des ersten Kontaktelements (32a) aus seinem jeweiligen Basisabschnitt (70) an
einer ersten Stelle heraustritt und der Basisabschnitt (76) des zweiten Kontaktelements
(32b) aus seinem jeweiligen Basisabschnitt (70) an einer zweiten Stelle heraustritt
und daß die Querschnittsabmessung des Strahlabschnitts (76) des ersten Kontaktelements
(32a) größer als die Querschnittsabmessung des zweiten Kontaktelements (32b) ist,
gemessen bei gleichen Abständen von den ersten und zweiten Stellen entlang den jeweiligen
Strahlabschnitten (76).
9. Elektrischer Steckverbinder nach einem der Ansprüche 1-8, dadurch gekennzeichnet,
daß ein zum Einfügen und Auswerfen dienender Verriegelungsarm (46) benachbart dem
jeweiligen Ende des länglichen Hohlraums (30) des Steckverbindergehäuses (24) angeordnet
ist und zur Einfügung der Karte (10) in den Hohlraum (30) dient, wenn die Verriegelungsarme
(46) aus einer ersten Stellung in eine zweite Stellung bewegt werden, und zum Auswerfen
der Karte (10) aus dem Hohlraum (30) dient, wenn die Verriegelungsarme (46) aus der
zweiten Stellung in die erste Stellung bewegt werden und daß die Karten (10) mit Aussparungen
(18) an ihren Seitenkanten (14) zum Eingriff durch einen jeweiligen Verriegelungsarm
(46) ausgebildet sind, wobei jede Aussparung (18) mit zwei geraden Abschnitten ausgebildet
ist, die an der jeweiligen Seitenkante (14) beginnen und von dieser mit einem Winkel
wegstreben sowie auf einen gemeinsamen Krümmungsabschnitt an dessen entgegengesetzten
Enden treffen.
1. Connecteur électrique pour réaliser une connexion électrique entre une pluralité de
contacts de carte (20a, 22a) sur une carte à circuit imprimé (10), globalement adjacents
à un bord (12) de celle-ci et une pluralité de contacts de carte sur une carte à circuit
imprimé (84), ladite carte à circuit imprimé (10) étant globalement plane et comportant
des première et seconde faces, lesdites première et seconde faces comportant chacune
des rangées supérieure et inférieure (22, 20) de contacts de carte globalement parallèles
audit bord (12), ladite rangée supérieure (22) étant placée plus loin dudit bord (12)
que ladite rangée inférieure (20) et étant décalée de ladite rangée inférieure (20)
le long dudit bord (12), lesdits contacts de carte (22a) de ladite rangée supérieure
(22) étant isolés électriquement de ceux (20a) de ladite rangée inférieure (20), ledit
connecteur comprenant :
un boîtier (24) comportant une base de montage, une cavité allongée (30) pour recevoir
lesdits contacts de carte, et une pluralité de fentes de réception d'élément contact
(31) espacées le long de la cavité (30) ; et
une pluralité de premiers et de seconds éléments contacts déformables élastiquement
(32a, 32b) découpés à la presse à partir d'une matière métallique en feuille pour
créer un bord découpé qui est perpendiculaire à ladite matière métallique en feuille,
chaque élément contact (32a, 32b) comportant une base (70) et une section formant
barrette (76), chaque section formant base (70) ayant une forme appropriée pour se
verrouiller dans ledit boîtier (24), chaque section formant barrette s'étendant en
porte-à-faux en s'écartant de ladite base (70) jusqu'à une partie formant contact
(79) formée à partir d'une partie du bord découpé, chaque partie formant contact (79)
desdits premiers éléments contacts (32a) contactant l'un de ladite pluralité de contacts
de carte inférieurs (20a) et chaque partie formant contact (79) desdits seconds éléments
contacts (32b) contactant l'un de ladite pluralité de contacts de carte supérieurs
(22a), lesdites parties formant contacts (79) desdits premiers éléments contacts (32a)
étant, par rapport à ladite base de montage, à une hauteur différente desdites parties
formant contacts (79) du second élément contact desdits seconds éléments contacts
(32b) ;
lesdits premiers et seconds éléments contacts (32a, 32b) étant placés dans lesdites
fentes de réception d'élément contact (31) de chaque côté de ladite cavité allongée
(30), sous forme de paires opposées de premier et second éléments contacts, chaque
paire étant située le long d'un plan perpendiculaire à l'axe longitudinal de ladite
cavité ;
lesdites parties formant contacts (79) étant mobiles depuis une position non fléchie
jusqu'à une position fléchie par le fait d'amener ladite carte à circuit imprimé (10)
dans une position pleinement fonctionnelle ; caractérisé en ce que :
lesdits premiers et seconds éléments contacts (32a, 32b) sont dimensionnés et conformés
pour que la partie formant contact (79) de chacun desdits éléments contacts s'étende
le long dudit plan perpendiculaire au moins à l'axe longitudinal (81) de ladite cavité
allongée (30) avant que ladite carte à circuit imprimé (10) ne soit introduite dans
ladite cavité (20).
2. Connecteur électrique selon la revendication 1, dans lequel lesdits éléments contacts
(32a, 32b) sont espacés longitudinalement le long de ladite cavité (30), lesdits premiers
et seconds éléments contacts alternant le long de chaque côté de ladite cavité, lesdits
éléments contacts étant placés de façon à créer des paires alternées de premier et
second éléments contacts situés de chaque côté de ladite cavité.
3. Connecteur électrique selon la revendication 1 ou 2, dans lequel chacun desdits premiers
et seconds éléments contacts (32a, 32b) comprend seulement une section formant barrette.
4. Connecteur électrique selon la revendication 2 ou 3, dans lequel la partie formant
contact (79) de chaque élément contact (32a, 32b) est située sur un élément de forme
globalement en U (78).
5. Connecteur électrique selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 4, dans lequel
les sections formant barrettes (76) desdits premiers et seconds éléments contacts
(32a, 32b) sont dimensionnées pour que la partie formant contact (79) desdits premiers
et seconds éléments contacts exerce des forces perpendiculaires égales sur lesdits
contacts de carte (20a, 20b).
6. Connecteur électrique selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 5, dans lequel
lesdites première et seconde parties formant contacts (79) contactent de façon glissante
les contacts de carte (20a, 20b) respectifs sur ladite carte à circuit imprimé lorsque
ladite carte à circuit imprimé (10) est mise dans une position fonctionnelle à l'intérieur
de ladite cavité (30).
7. Connecteur électrique selon l'une quelconque des revendications 4 à 6, dans lequel
la section formant barrette (76) de chacun desdits premiers et seconds éléments contacts
(32a, 32b) va en diminuant uniformément depuis sa base (70) respective jusqu'à la
section en forme de U (78) respective.
8. Connecteur électrique selon la revendication 7, dans lequel la section formant barrette
(76) sur ledit premier élément contact (32a) émerge de sa base (70) respective au
droit d'un premier point et la section formant barrette (76) dudit second élément
contact (32b) émerge de sa base (70) respective au droit d'un second point, la dimension
de section transversale de la section formant barrette (76) dudit premier élément
contact (32a) étant plus grande que la dimension de section transversale du second
élément contact (32b), prises à des distances égales, le long des sections formant
barrettes (76) respectives, des premier et second points.
9. Connecteur électrique selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 8, dans lequel
un bras de verrou d'introduction et d'éjection (46) est situé au voisinage de chaque
extrémité de ladite cavité allongée (30) dudit boîtier de connecteur (24) et est conçu
pour introduire ladite carte (10) dans ladite cavité (30), lorsque l'on déplace lesdits
bras de verrou (46) d'une première position à une seconde position, et pour éjecter
ladite carte (10) de ladite cavité (30), lorsque l'on déplace les bras de verrou (46)
de ladite seconde position à ladite première position, et dans lequel les cartes (20)
sont conformées avec des évidements (18) au droit de leurs bords latéraux (14) pour
coopérer avec l'un desdits bras de verrou (46) respectifs, chaque évidement (18) étant
constitué par une paire de parties droites commençant à, et s'étendant depuis, son
bord latéral (14) respectif, à un certain angle de celui-ci, et coupant un rayon commun
au droit de ses extrémités opposées.