[0001] The present invention relates to a card edge electrical connector which is to be
mounted onto and electrically connected to a mother board, and to which a daughter
board is electrically connected in a latchable manner.
[0002] The electrical connector shown in Figure 9 as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2,649,988
is a card edge electrical connector 100 which is attached to a mother board, and to
which a daughter board is connected in a latchable manner.
[0003] Card edge connector 100 is equipped with an insulating housing 110, which has a daughter
board-accommodating recess 111 extending in the direction of length thereof and latch-accommodating
recesses 112 (only one being shown) located in both ends of the daughter board-accommodating
recess 111 and which is attached to a mother board 130, a plurality of electrical
contacts (not shown) are disposed in row form along the direction of length of the
housing 110, and a pair of metal latch members 120 are accommodated in the latch-accommodating
recesses 112 of the housing 110, and they are fastened to the housing 110. Furthermore,
each of the electrical contacts is electrically connected by soldering to the mother
board 130, and the metal latch members 120 are also attached to the mother board 130.
[0004] Furthermore, the daughter board 140 is accommodated at a first angle inside the daughter
board-accommodating recess 111 of the housing 110, and it is then rotated in the direction
indicated by arrow R in Figure 9 so that the daughter board 140 electrically engages
the electrical contacts at a second angle; the second angle is maintained by the latch
members 120. As a result, the daughter board 140 is electrically connected to the
mother board 130 via the electrical contacts of the card edge connector 100. Moreover,
when the daughter board 140 is held by the latch members 120, the daughter board 140
enters the daughter board-accommodating openings 121 of the latch members 120, and
it is held in a specified position by the latch projections 122 of the latch members
120 and stop members 113 of the housing 110.
[0005] Grounding of the daughter board 140 to the mother board 130 is accomplished by electrically
connecting ground path 141 on the daughter board 140 with a ground path (not shown)
on the mother board 130 via the latch members 120, i.e., by causing the ground path
141 on the daughter board 140 to electrically engage the latch members 120.
[0006] However, in conventional card edge connector 100, the width of the portions of the
latch members 120 electrically engaging the ground path 141 on the daughter board
140, i.e., the width of the daughter board-accommodating openings 121 of the latch
members 120, is slightly larger than the thickness of the daughter board 140. As a
result, in cases where a force oriented in the direction indicated by arrow R acts
on the daughter board 140 as a result of some external cause, there is a danger that
the ground path 141 on the daughter board 140 will be separated from the latch members
120, so that grounding of the daughter board 140 to the mother board 130 cannot be
accomplished. On the other hand, if the width of the daughter board-accommodating
openings 121 in the latch members 120 is made the same as the thickness of the daughter
board 140 in order to prevent rotation of the daughter board 140 inside the daughter
board-accommodating openings 121, there is a danger that the daughter board 140 will
be unable to enter the daughter board-accommodating openings 121 as a result of dimensional
error.
[0007] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a card edge electrical
connector which can reliably accomplish grounding of a daughter board to a mother
board via latch members.
[0008] A card edge electrical connector of the present invention is equipped with an insulating
housing which is to be attached to a mother board and which has a daughter board-accommodating
recess that extends in a direction of length thereof, and metal latch members are
disposed in the vicinity of end portions of the housing with respect to the direction
of length of the housing and which hold a daughter board at a second angle when the
daughter board is rotated to the second angle after being inserted into the daughter
board-accommodating recess at a first angle, the latch members are electrically connected
to a ground path of the mother board, and metal ground auxiliary contact members having
a first resilient contact member that resiliently engages the ground path of the daughter
board and a second resilient contact member that resiliently engages one of the latch
members are attached to the housing.
[0009] Furthermore, it is effective if the first resilient contact member of each ground
auxiliary contact member flexes in a direction that causes an increase in the resilient
force applied to the daughter board when the first resilient contact member resiliently
engages the ground path of the daughter board upon the rotation of the daughter board
from the first angle to the second angle. The resilient contact member, which electrically
engages the ground path of the daughter board, is integral with each of the latch
members.
[0010] It is desirable that an overstress prevention member, which prevents excessive flexing
of the resilient contact member, be integral with each of the latch members.
[0011] Furthermore, it is advisable that the latch members be equipped with two plate sections
that are folded and superimposed on each other, a connection member, which is connected
with the ground path of the mother board, a daughter board-holding member, which holds
the daughter board at the second angle, and the overstress prevention member, be integrally
formed on one of the plate sections, and the resilient contact member be integrally
formed on the other of the plate sections.
[0012] Furthermore, it is effective if the overstress prevention member engages the second
plate section when the daughter board held by the daughter board-holding member is
forcibly driven upward, thereby preventing the first plate section from floating upward.
[0013] It is much more effective if an excessive movement-prevention member, which prevents
excessive movement of the daughter board when the daughter board engages the resilient
contact member, is integrally formed on the first plate section.
[0014] In addition, it is much more effective if the excessive movement-prevention member
prevents excessive displacement of the first plate section to the outside by engaging
the second plate section when the daughter board-holding member is displaced to the
outside so that the holding of the daughter board is released.
[0015] An electrical connector for electrical connection to a mother board and for receiving
a daughter board which comprises a dielectric housing having a board-accommodating
recess extending therealong in which an edge of the daughter board is to be accommodated;
electrical contacts mounted in the dielectric housing and having contact sections
for electrical connection to the daughter board and connection sections for electrical
connection to the mother board when the dielectric housing is mounted thereon; and
metal latch members mounted on the dielectric housing adjacent respective ends of
the board-accommodating recess and having connection sections for electrical connection
to a ground path on the mother board, board-holding members for engaging a surface
of the daughter board and holding the daughter board at a second angle after the edge
of the daughter board has been inserted into the board-accommodating recess at a first
angle and then moved to the second angle, and resilient contact sections for electrical
connection to a grounding path on the daughter board.
[0016] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0017] Figure 1 is a top plan view of a card edge electrical connector of the present invention.
[0018] Figure 2 is a left-side view of the card edge connector shown in Figure 1.
[0019] Figure 3 is a front view of the card edge connector shown in Figure 1 with electrical
contacts omitted therefrom.
[0020] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by arrow A in Figure 1.
[0021] Figures 5A-5C show a dielectric housing used in the card edge electrical connector
shown in Figure 1; Figure 5A is a part top plan view, Figure 5B is a part front view,
and Figure 5C is a part cross-sectional view taken along line 5C-5C in Figure 5A.
[0022] Figures 6A-6C show a ground auxiliary contact member used in the card edge electrical
connector shown in Figure 1; Figure 6A is a plan view, Figure 6B is a front view,
and Figure 6C is a right-side view of Figure 6A.
[0023] Figures 7A and 7B show a ground auxiliary contact member attached to the housing;
Figure 7A is a front view, and Figure 7B is a part cross-sectional side view.
[0024] Figures 8A and 8B show the rotating operation of a daughter board inserted into the
card edge electrical connector shown in Figure 1; Figure 8A is a cross-sectional view
showing the daughter board inserted at a first angle, and Figure 8B is a cross-sectional
view showing the daughter board rotated to a second angle.
[0025] Figure 9 is a part perspective view of a conventional card edge electrical connector.
[0026] Figure 10 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the card edge electrical
connector of the present invention.
[0027] Figure 11 is a front view of the card edge electrical connector shown in Figure 10.
[0028] Figure 12 is a top plan view of one latch member used in the card edge electrical
connector shown in Figure 10.
[0029] Figure 13 is a right-side view of the latch member shown in Figure 12.
[0030] Figure 14 is a bottom view of the latch member shown in Figure 12.
[0031] Figure 15 is a front view of the latch member shown in Figure 12.
[0032] Figure 16 is a part cross-sectional view illustrating the state in which the daughter
board has been rotated to the second angle in the latch member shown in Figure 12.
[0033] In Figures 1-4 and Figure 8, card edge electrical connector 1 is equipped with an
insulating housing 10, which is attached to a mother board 50 and which has a daughter
board-accommodating recess 11 that extends in the direction of length, a plurality
of electrical contacts 20, which are electrically connected to the mother board 50
and which are arranged in upper and lower rows along the direction of length of the
housing 10, a pair of metal latch members 30, which are disposed in the vicinity of
both end portions of the housing 10, with respect to the direction of length of the
housing 10 and which hold a daughter board 60 at a second angle after the daughter
board has been inserted into the daughter board-accommodating recess 11 at a first
angle and then rotated to the second angle, and a pair of metal ground auxiliary contact
members 40, which are attached to the housing 10 and which also resiliently engage
a ground path (not shown) of the daughter board 60 and resiliently engage the latch
members 30. Furthermore, when the daughter board 60 is inserted into the daughter
board-accommodating recess 11 at the first angle (see Figure 8A), the daughter board
60 enters the area between the rows of electrical contacts 20 arranged in upper and
lower rows; then, when the daughter board 60 is rotated and held at the second angle
(see Figure 8B), the daughter board 60 electrically engages the electrical contacts
20 in the upper and lower rows. As a result of this, the daughter board 60 and mother
board 50 are electrically connected to each other. Here, in the present embodiment,
the first angle is an angle inclined by approximately 30 degrees with respect to the
mother board 50, while the second angle is an angle that is substantially parallel
to the mother board 50; however, the angles used are not limited to these angles.
[0034] Here, as shown in Figures 1-5, the housing 10 is an integral member with insulating
properties, which is molded substantially in the shape of a rectangular solid with
the daughter board-accommodating recess 11 extending in the direction of length inside.
A pair of arm members 12 extend as protruding members from both end portions of the
housing 10. As shown in Figures 4, 5 and 7, latch-accommodating recesses 13, which
accommodate the latch members 30 and to fasten the latch members 30 by press-fitting
therein, are located in the respective arm members 20. Furthermore, a pair of seat
members 15, which communicate with the side walls 12a of the arm members 12 are protruding
members on both ends of a bottom wall 14 of the daughter board-accommodating recess
11, and a press-fitting recess 16, in which the press-fitting section 41 of the corresponding
ground auxiliary contact member 40 (described later) is press-fitted, is located in
each of the seat members 15. The end 15a of each seat member 15 is located in the
same plane as the rear wall 13a (with respect to the forward-rearward direction, i.e.,
the left-right direction in Figure 5C) of the latch-accommodating recess 13 in each
arm member 12. A long and slender projecting section 15b, which communicates with
the other side wall 12b of the corresponding arm member 12, and which is recessed
further than the side wall 12a, is as a protruding section on the end 15a of each
seat member 15.
[0035] Furthermore, the latch members 30 are formed by stamping and forming metal sheets.
As shown most clearly in Figures 4 and 8, each of the latch members 30 is equipped
with a press-fitting plate section 31, which is press-fitted in the corresponding
latch-accommodating recess 13 of the housing 10, a daughter board-holding section
32, which is folded forward from the press-fitting plate section 31 in substantially
a U-shape therefrom, an overstress-prevention section 33, which extends forward from
the press-fitting plate section 31, and a connection section 34, which is bent inward
(toward the right in Figure 4) from a lower end of the overstress-prevention section
33 and which is connected by soldering to a ground path (not shown) of the mother
board 50. For example, stainless steel sheets are desirable as the metal sheets from
which the latch members 30 are stamped and formed. The daughter board-holding section
32 is equipped with a plate section 32a, which is folded back in substantially a U-shape
from the press-fitting plate section 31, a hook section 32b, which is located at an
outer end of the plate section 32a and which protrudes inward, and a daughter board-holding
member 32c, which is bent inward from an upper end of the plate section 32a. Here,
as shown in Figure 8, the daughter board-holding member 32c is temporarily moved to
the outside by the resilient force of the plate section 32a when the daughter board
60 inserted into the daughter board-accommodating recess 11 rotates from the first
angle to the second angle; the daughter board-holding member 32c then returns to its
original position so that it engages an upper surface of an edge portion of the daughter
board 60, thereby preventing the daughter board 60 from floating upward. Furthermore,
the hook section 32b enters a cut-out (not shown) in the edge portion of the daughter
board 60 when the daughter board 60 is positioned at the second angle, so that the
daughter board 60 is prevented from slipping out of the connector 1. Furthermore,
when the daughter board-holding section 32 attempts to flex outward by an excessive
amount, the daughter board-holding portion 32c engages the overstress-prevention section
33, so that the application of an excessive stress to the plate section 32a is prevented.
Furthermore, the latch members 30 are press-fitted in the latch-accommodating recesses
13 after the ground auxiliary contact members 40 (described later) have been fastened
to the housing by press-fitting as shown in Figure 7.
[0036] The ground auxiliary contact members 40 are formed by stamping and forming metal
plates. As shown most clearly in Figures 6 and 7, each of the ground auxiliary contact
members 40 is equipped with a press-fitting plate portion 41, which is press-fitted
inside the corresponding press-fitting recess 16 of the housing 10, a U-shaped portion
42, which extends forward from the press-fitting plate portion 41, a first resilient
contact portion 43, which is folded back from a front end of an upper leg of the U-shaped
portion 42 so that it extends toward a rear end thereof with an upward inclination
in the form of a cantilever member and which resiliently engages the ground path (not
shown) on an undersurface of the daughter board 60, and a second resilient contact
portion 44, which is bent upward from a side edge of the upper leg of the U-shaped
portion 42 so that it extends rearward toward the outside in the form of a cantilever
member and which resiliently engages a side surface of the plate section 32a of the
corresponding latch member 30 (see Figure 4). For example, it is desirable that stainless
steel be used as the metal plates of the ground auxiliary contact members 40. The
U-shaped portion 42 of each ground auxiliary contact member 40 clamps onto projection
15b on the housing 10 as shown in Figure 7A when the press-fitting plate portion 41
of the ground auxiliary contact member 40 is press-fitted in the press-fitting recess
16 of the housing 10 thereby assisting in restricting the movement of the ground auxiliary
contact member 40 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, when the latch member 30
is press-fitted inside the latch-accommodating recess 13, a projecting section 32d,
which is bent inward from the lower end of the plate section 32a of the latch member
30 enters the U-shaped portion 42 as shown in Figure 4, thereby assisting in restricting
the movement of the latch member 30 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, when the
press-fitting plate section 31 of the latch member 30 is press-fitted inside the latch-accommodating
recess 13 after the press-fitting plate portion 41 of the ground auxiliary contact
member 40 has been press-fitted inside the press-fitting recess 16, the second resilient
contact portion 44 resiliently engages the side surface of the plate section 32a of
the latch member 30 as shown in Figures 4 and 8. Since the resilient force of the
second resilient contact portion 44 is much smaller than the resilient force of the
plate section 32a of the latch member 30, the daughter board-holding member 32c of
the latch member 30 is not removed from the edge of the daughter board 60 by the resilient
force of the second resilient contact portion 44. Meanwhile, when the daughter board
60 rotates from the first angle to the second angle as shown in Figure 8, the first
resilient contact portion 43 electrically engages the ground path of the daughter
board 60, and flexes in such a direction that the resilient force applied to the daughter
board 60 is increased.
[0037] As shown in Figure 8B, when the daughter board 60 is held at the second angle, the
first resilient contact portion 43 of each ground auxiliary contact member 40 electrically
engages the ground path of the daughter board 60; furthermore, the second resilient
contact portion 44 electrically engages the plate section 32a of the corresponding
latch member 30, and the solder section 34 of the latch member 30 is connected by
soldering to the ground path of the mother board 50. Accordingly, the ground path
of the daughter board 60 is grounded to the ground path of the mother board 50. In
this case, even if the daughter board 60 is further rotated from the second angle
as a result of some external cause so that the daughter board 60 is removed from the
daughter board-holding members 32c of the latch members 30, the grounded state of
the daughter board 60 with respect to the mother board 50 is not disrupted, since
the first resilient contact portions 43 of the ground auxiliary contact members 40
are in electrical engagement with the ground path of the daughter board 60. Furthermore,
the first resilient contact portions 43 electrically engage the ground path of the
daughter board 60 and flex in a direction that causes an increase in the resilient
force applied to the daughter board 60 when the daughter board 60 rotates from the
first angle to the second angle; accordingly, even if the daughter board 60 is caused
to rotate further from the second angle, the resilient force applied to the daughter
board 60 by the first resilient contact portions 43 is greatly increased, so that
the first resilient contact portions 43 are reliably prevented from leaving the daughter
board 60, thereby insuring a much more reliable grounding connection of the daughter
board 60 to the mother board 50.
[0038] Next, an alternative embodiment of the card edge electrical connector of the present
invention will be described with reference to Figures 10-16. Card edge electrical
connector 201 is equipped with an insulating housing 210, which is attached to a mother
board 240 and which has a daughter board-accommodating recess 211 that extends in
the direction of length, a plurality of electrical contacts 220, which are electrically
connected to the mother board 240 and which are arranged in upper and lower rows along
the direction of length of the housing, and a pair of metal latch members 230, which
are disposed in the vicinity of end portions of the housing 210 with respect to the
direction of length of the housing 210 and which hold a daughter board 250 (Figure
16) at a second angle when the daughter board is rotated to the second angle after
being inserted into the daughter board-accommodating recess 211 at a first angle.
The card edge electrical connector 201 differs from the card edge electrical connector
1 shown in Figures 1-8 in that no ground auxiliary contact members are provided. Furthermore,
when the daughter board 250 is inserted into the daughter board-accommodating recess
211 at the first angle, the daughter board 250 enters the area between the upper and
lower rows of electrical contacts 220; then, when the daughter board 250 is rotated
and held at the second angle (see Figure 16), the daughter board 250 electrically
engages the contacts 220 of the upper and lower rows, so that the daughter board 250
is electrically connected to the mother board 240 thereby.
[0039] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the housing 210 is an integral member with insulating
properties which is molded substantially in the shape of a rectangular solid with
the daughter board-accommodating recess 211 extending in the direction of length inside.
The housing 210 is formed by molding from a suitable insulating resin material. A
pair of latch press-fitting recesses 212, which are used to fasten press-fitting sections
233 of the latch members 230 by press-fitting therein, are located in the vicinity
of both ends of the housing 210 with respect to the direction of length of the housing
210. Furthermore, a rib 213 to prevent inverted insertion of the daughter board 250
is located in the vicinity of the right end in Figure 11 of the daughter board-accommodating
recess 211 with respect to the direction of length thereof. The rib 213 extends from
an upper wall 214 of the daughter board-accommodating recess 211 toward a lower wall
215; however, a gap 216 is located between the rib 213 and the lower wall 215. If
the rib 213 were connected to the lower wall 215 of the daughter board-accommodating
recess 211, the lower wall 215 of the daughter board-accommodating recess 211 might
be pulled by the rib 213 when the housing 210 is being molded, thus resulting in deformation.
However, as a result of the gap 216, the lower wall 215 of the daughter board-accommodating
recess 211 is not pulled by the rib 213, and it is therefore not deformed.
[0040] Furthermore, the latch members 230 are formed by stamping and forming metal sheets.
As shown in Figures 12-16, each of the latch members 230 is equipped with flat sections
231, 232, that are folded and superimposed on each other via connecting section 230a.
Moreover, the press-fitting section 233 is located at an inner end (i.e., the right
end in Figure 12) of plate section 231 and is press-fitted inside the latch press-fitting
recess 212 of the housing 210. A connection section 234 is formed by being bent toward
an outside (upper side in Figure 12) from a lower end of plate section 231 and is
connected by soldering to a ground path of the mother board 240. A daughter board-holding
member 235 is positioned at an outer end of plate section 231 and holds the daughter
board 250 at the second angle. An overstress-prevention section 236 is bent inward
from the lower end of plate section 231. Furthermore, a resilient contact section
237 is bent inward from a lower end of plate section 232 and extends forward and resiliently
engages the ground path of the daughter board 250. The overstress-prevention section
236 is positioned on an underside of the resilient contact section 237 and prevents
excessive downward flexing thereof. As a result, there is no deformation of the resilient
contact section 237. Furthermore, the overstress-prevention section 236 is positioned
on the underside of the plate section 232 and engages the lower end of the plate section
232 when the daughter board 250 held by the daughter board-holding member 235 is forcibly
driven upward, so that the plate section 231 is prevented from floating upward. As
a result, there is no deformation of the daughter board-holding member 235 when the
daughter board 250 is forcibly driven upward. The daughter board-holding member 235
is provided with a hook section 235a, which extends from the outer end of the plate
section 231 and protrudes inward, a daughter board-holding portion 235b, which is
bent inward from an upper end of the plate section 231 and an excessive movement-prevention
portion 235c, which is bent inward from the lower end of the plate section 231. Here,
as shown in Figure 16, the daughter board-holding portion 235b temporarily moves to
the outside as a result of the resilient force of the plate section 231 when the daughter
board 250 inserted into the daughter board-accommodating recess 211 rotates from the
first angle to the second angle; afterward, the daughter board-holding portion 235b
returns to its original position and engages an upper surface of an edge portion of
the daughter board 250 so that the daughter board 250 is prevented from floating upward.
Furthermore, the hook section 235a enters a cut-out (not shown) in the edge portion
of the daughter board 250 when the daughter board 250 is positioned at the second
angle, so that the daughter board 250 is prevented from slipping out of the connector
201. The excessive movement-prevention portion 235c prevents excessive downward movement
of the daughter board 250 when the daughter board 250 engages the resilient contact
section 237 and also prevents excessive displacement of the plate section 231 to the
outside by engaging the plate section 232 when the holding of the daughter board 250
is released by the displacement of the daughter board-holding portion 235b to the
outside. Since the downward movement of the daughter board 250 is prevented by the
excessive movement-prevention portion 235c, there is no separation of the daughter
board 250 from the daughter board-holding member 235 in the position of the second
angle. Furthermore, since the excessive movement-prevention portion 235c prevents
the excessive displacement of the plate section 231 to the outside by engaging the
plate section 232 when the holding of the daughter board 250 is released by the displacement
of the daughter board-holding portion 235b to the outside, deformation of the plate
section 231 that might otherwise occur when the holding of the daughter board 250
is released is prevented.
[0041] When the daughter board 250 is held at the second angle, as shown in Figure 16, the
resilient contact sections 237 of the latch members 230 are in electrical engagement
with the ground path of the daughter board 250; furthermore, the connection sections
234 of the latch members 230 are electrically connected by soldering to the ground
path of the mother board 240. Accordingly, the ground path of the daughter board 250
is grounded to the ground path of the mother board 240. The card edge electrical connector
201 shown in Figures 10-16 is more advantageous than the card edge electrical connector
1 shown in Figures 1-8 in that the grounding of the daughter board 250 to the mother
board 240 is accomplished solely by means of the latch members 230, so that ground
auxiliary contact members 40 are not used. Furthermore, even if the daughter board
250 should be further rotated from the second angle as a result of some external cause
so that the daughter board 250 is separated from the daughter board-holding portions
235b of the latch members 230, the resilient contact sections 237 of the latch members
230 are in resilient electrical engagement with the ground path of the daughter board
250, so that there is no dissolution of the grounded state of the daughter board 250
with respect to the mother board 240. Moreover, when the daughter board 250 rotates
from the first angle to the second angle, the resilient contact sections 237 electrically
engage the ground path of the daughter board 250 and flex in a direction that causes
an increase in the resilient force applied to the daughter board 250; accordingly,
even if the daughter board 250 is further rotated from the second angle, the resilient
force applied to the daughter board 250 by the resilient contact sections 237 increases
greatly, so that separation of the resilient contact sections 237 from the daughter
board 250 is reliably prevented, thereby insuring a much more reliable grounding connection
of the daughter board 250 to the mother board 240.
[0042] In the card edge electrical connector of the present invention, metal ground auxiliary
contact members, which have first resilient contact portions, that resiliently engage
a ground path of the daughter board and second resilient contact portions that resiliently
engage latch members, are attached to a housing; accordingly, the ground path of the
daughter board is reliably grounded to a ground path of the mother board via the ground
auxiliary contact members and latch members.
[0043] Furthermore, in the card edge electrical connector of the present invention, the
first resilient contact portions of the ground auxiliary contact members are constructed
so that they electrically engage the ground path of the daughter board and flex in
a direction that causes an increase in the resilient force applied to the daughter
board when the daughter board rotates from a first angle to a second angle; accordingly,
even if the daughter board is further rotated from the second angle, the resilient
force applied to the daughter board by the first resilient contact portions is greatly
increased, so that separation of the first resilient contact portions from the daughter
board is reliably prevented, thereby insuring a much more reliable grounding connection
of the daughter board to the mother board.
[0044] In the card edge electrical connector of the present invention, resilient contact
portions, which resiliently engage the ground path of the daughter board are integral
portions of the latch members; accordingly, the ground path of the daughter board
is reliably grounded to the ground path of the mother board by means of the latch
members alone.
[0045] In the card edge electrical connector of the present invention, overstress-prevention
sections, which prevent excessive flexing of the resilient contact portions, are integral
sections of the latch members; accordingly, there is no deformation of the resilient
contact sections when the ground path of the daughter board engages the resilient
contact sections.
[0046] In the card edge electrical connector of the present invention, the latch members
are equipped with flat sections, which are folded back and superimposed on each other.
A connection section, which is electrically connected to a ground path of the mother
board, a daughter board-holding section, which holds a daughter board at a second
angle, and an overstress-prevention section, are integral sections of one of the plate
sections, and a resilient contact section is an integral section of the other plate
section. Accordingly, latch members of an integral structure equipped with a function
that holds the daughter board, a function that securely grounds the daughter board
to the mother board, and a function that prevents overstressing of the resilient contact
section, can be simply manufactured.
[0047] In the card edge electrical connector of the present invention, the overstress-prevention
section of each latch member engages the other plate section when the daughter board
held by the daughter board-holding section is forcibly driven upward, so that the
one plate section is prevented from floating upward. Accordingly, when the daughter
board is forcibly driven upward, there is no resilient deformation of the daughter
board-holding section on the one plate section.
[0048] In the card edge electrical connector of the present invention, an excessive-movement
prevention section, which prevents excessive movement of the daughter board when the
daughter board engages the resilient contact section, is an integral section of the
one plate section; accordingly, there is no separation of the daughter board from
the daughter board-holding section in the second angle position in which the daughter
board is held by the daughter board-holding section.
[0049] In the card edge electrical connector of the present invention, the excessive-movement
prevention section prevents excessive displacement of the one plate section to the
outside by engaging the other plate section when the holding of the daughter board
is released by the displacement of the daughter board-holding section to the outside.
Accordingly, deformation of the one plate section that might otherwise occur when
the holding of the daughter board is released can be prevented.
1. An electrical connector (1) for electrical connection to a mother board (50) and for
receiving a daughter board (60), comprising
a dielectric housing (10) having a board-accommodating recess (11) extending therealong
in which an edge of the daughter board (60) is to be accommodated;
electrical contacts (20) mounted in the dielectric housing (10) and having contact
sections for electrical connection to the daughter board (60) and connection sections
for electrical connection to the mother board (50) when the dielectric housing (10)
is mounted thereon; and
metal latch members (30) mounted on the dielectric housing (10) adjacent respective
ends of the board-accommodating recess (11) and having connection sections (34) for
electrical connection to a ground path on the mother board (50), board-holding members
(32) for engaging a surface of the daughter board (60) and holding the daughter board
(60) at a second angle after the edge of the daughter board (60) has been inserted
into the board-accommodating recess (11) at a first angle and then moved to the second
angle, and resilient contact sections (43) for electrical connection to a grounding
path on the daughter board (60).
2. An electrical connector (1) according to claim 1 wherein the board-holding members
(32) include plate sections (31) defining mounting sections for engaging latch-mounting
recesses (13) in the dielectric housing (10).
3. An electrical connector (1) according to claim 2 wherein the plate sections include
hook sections (32b) for engagement with cut-outs located in side edges of the daughter
board (60).
4. An electrical connector (1) according to claim 1 wherein the metal latch members (30)
have first and second plate sections (31, 32) joined together at inner ends in a U-shape,
the first plate sections (31) have the connection sections (34) and constitute mounting
sections for engaging latch-mounting recesses (13) in the dielectric housing (10),
the second plate sections (32) have the board-holding members (32c), and auxiliary
contact members (40) equipped with press-fitting plate portions (41) for being press-fitted
into press-fitting recesses (16) in the dielectric housing (10) and resilient contact
portions (43, 44) constituting the resilient contact sections with one of the resilient
contact portions (44) electrically engaging the latch members (30) and another of
the resilient contact portions (43) electrically engaging the grounding path on the
daughter board (60).
5. An electrical connector according to claim 4 wherein the first plate sections (31)
have overstress-prevention sections (33) disposed opposite the board-holding members
(32c).
6. An electrical connector (201) according to claim 1 wherein the metal latch members
(230) have first and second plate sections (231, 232) joined together so as to extend
substantially parallel to each other, the first plate sections (231) include press-fitting
sections (233) for being press-fitted into press-fitting recesses (212) in the dielectric
housing (210), the connection sections (234), and the board-holding members (235),
the second plate sections (232) include the resilient contact sections (237).
7. An electrical connector (201) according to claim 6 wherein the first plate sections
(231) include overstress-prevention sections (236) under outer ends of the resilient
contact sections (237).
8. An electrical connector (201) according to claim 5 or 6 wherein the first plate sections
(231) include excessive movement-prevention portions (235c) for preventing excessive
downward movement of the daughter board (250) when the daughter board (250) engages
the resilient contact sections (237).