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(11) | EP 0 000 623 B1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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| (54) |
Printed circuit edge connector Kantenverbinder für eine gedruckte Schaltung Connecteur en bordure pour circuit imprimé |
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| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). |
[0001] This invention relates to an electrical connector of the kind arranged to receive an edge of a printed circuit board or the like and to make a plurality of electrical connections thereto, including a body having an end face, a plurality of passages for housing terminals, said passages extending into said body from said end face, said passages being positioned with respect to one another in accordance with the printed circuit board to be received by the connector, and, a slot in each of the partitioned walls of the passages, said slot extending inwardly of the body from said end face to permit, in use, insertion of an edge of a printed circuit board sufficiently far into the body to engage the terminals housed in use in said passages.
[0002] An electrical connector of the kind specified is described in DE-A 2 004 420. A problem which is found with electrical connectors of the kind specified is that the printed circuit board is a loose fit in the connector and can be disturbed by vibrations in use to the detriment of the electrical connections. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector wherein this problem is minimised.
[0004]
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic end elevational view to an enlarged scale of a part of the connector shown in Figure 1; and
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a terminal utilised in the connector of Figure 1.
[0005] Referring to the drawing, the electrical connector includes a moulded synthetic resin body 11 having therein a plurality of passages 12 of rectangular cross-section. The passages 12 are parallel and co-planar, and each open at an end face 13 of the body 1 1, the passages 12 extending at right angles to the end face 13. Each of the passages receives an electrical terminal 14 having deformable tags 15, 16 whereby the terminal is electrically and physically connected to a conductive lead in use. Each of the terminals 14 includes a pair of resilient arms 17 between which a planar component can be gripped, the terminal making electrical connection to the planar component. Each of the terminals 14 is received in a respective passage 12 with its arms 17 extending towards the end face 13 of the body. Each terminal includes a latch 18 which in use co-operates with a shoulder within the respective passage to resist movement of the terminal 14 relative to the body in a direction away from the end face 13.
[0006] The electrical connector is intended to make electrical connection to an edge region of a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is planar, and has a plurality of exposed contact regions adjacent one edge thereof. The contact regions are equal in number to the passages and therefore terminals 14 of the body 11.
[0007] In order that the printed circuit board may be inserted into the body 11 sufficiently far to engage the edge region of the printed circuit board between the arms 17 of the terminals 14 the partition walls 19 of the body which define between them the passages 12 are formed with slots 21 of width sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the printed circuit board. The positioning of the slots 21 is such that the board when accommodated by the slots 21 is engaged between the limbs 17 of the terminals 14.
[0008] In order that the body 11 firmly grips the printed circuit board the slots 21 a of the two end partition walls 19a are offset from the plane of the remaining slots 21. The two slots 21 a are offset in the same direction from the plane of the remaining slots 21 and thus in order for the printed circuit board to be engaged in the body it is necessary for the printed circuit board to be flexed from its normal planar configuration so as to engage simultaneously in the slots 21 and 21 a. Upon release of the printed circuit board after insertion into the slots 21, 21a the inherent resilience of the printed circuit tending to restore the printed circuit board to its planar configuration, causes the printed circuit board to bear tightly against the walls of the slots 21, 21 a so that the printed circuit board is gripped in the body.
[0009] It will be understood that in some constructions the flexure necessary to introduce the printed circuit board into the slots of the partition walls could be flexure of the body or flexure of both the body and the printed circuit board. Furthermore, while in the construction described the two outermost slots 21 a are displaced it is to be understood that other slots could be displaced in addition to, or instead of the outermost slots. The displacement of the chosen slots is in excess of the clearance between the width of the slots and the thickness of the board.
[0010] It is to be understood that while a printed circuit board has been referred to above, the connector can be used with a flexible printed circuit supported on a panel or the like, and with arrangements of a similar nature such as boards having the bared ends of conductive leads bent around an edge thereof and boards having strip-like terminals clipped or otherwise secured at an edge thereof.
[0011] In all of the arrangements envisaged above, some means will be provided for locating the printed circuit board laterally relative to the body so that the terminals received within the . passages engage the appropriate conductive regions of the printed circuit board or the like. For example the body can be provided with a wall or walls which engage an edge or edges of the printed circuit board to ensure correct lateral location.
1. An electrical connector of the kind arranged to receive an edge of a printed circuit
board or the like to make electrical connections thereto, the electrical connector
including a body having an end face, a plurality of passages for housing terminals,
said passages extending into said body from said end face, said passages being positioned
with respect to one another in accordance with the printed circuit board to be received
by the connector, and, a slot in each of the partition walls of the passages, said
slots extending inwardly of the body from said end face to permit, in use, insertion
of an edge of a printed circuit board sufficiently far into the body to engage the
terminals housed in use in said passages, characterised in that the spatial relationship
between at least one of said slots (21a) and the centre line of the respective passage
(12) is different to the common spatial relationship between all of the remaining
slots (21) and the centre lines of their respective passages (12), whereby, in use,
at least one of the two components constituted by the printed circuit board and the
body (11) must be flexed from a rest configuration in order to engage the board in
all of said slots (21, 21 1 a), so that after engagement of the board and the body
(11) the inherent resilience of the flexed component causes the board to be gripped
in the body (11).
2. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 intended for use with a planar printed
circuit board or the like, and characterised in that the passages (12) of the connector
are co-planar, and the slots (21 ) are co-planar with the exception of the two outermost
slots (21a) which are displaced in position both to the same side of the plane of
the remaining slots (21).
1. Connecteur électrique du genre agencé pour recevoir un bord d'une plaquette de
circuit imprimé ou analogue et pour y établir des connexions, ce connecteur comprenant
un corps ayant une face d'extrémité et des passages pour recevoir des bornes, ces
passages s'y étendant à partir de cette face, et étant situés, relativement entre
eux, selon la plaquette de circuits devant être reçue par le connecteur, et une fente
dans chacune des parois de séparation des passages, ces fentes s'étendant vers l'intérieur
du corps à partir de ladite face d'extrémité pour permettre, en utilisation, l'insertion
d'un bord d'une plaquette de circuit imprimé suffisamment en profondeur dans le corps
pour s'adapter aux bornes utilisées dans lesdits passages, ce connecteur étant caractérisé
en ce que la relation, dans l'espace, d'au moins l'une desdites fentes (21 a) et l'axe
du passage respectif (12) diffère de la relation qui est commune à toutes les autres
fentes (21) et les axes des passages respectifs (12), de sorte qu'en utilisation,
au moins l'un des deux composants constitués par la plaquette de circuits et le corps
(11) doit être fléchi depuis sa forme au repos afin d'être introduit dans toutes lesdites
fentes (21, 21a) de sorte qu'après cette adaptation de la plaquette et du corps (11),
la résilience inhérente de l'élément fléchi amène la plaquette à être serrée dans
le corps (1 1 ).
2. Connecteur électrique selon la revendication 1, destiné à l'utilisation avec une
plaquette de circuit imprimé ou analogue, ce connecteur étant caractérisé en ce que
les passages (12) sont coplanaires et les fentes (21 ) également coplanaires à l'exception
des deux fentes extrêmes (21 a) qui sont en positions déplacées d'un même côté du
plan des autres fentes (21 ).
1. Ein elektrischer Verbinder der zur Aufnahme einer Kante einer gedruckten Schaltungsplatte
oder dergleichen zur Herstellung elektrischer Verbindungen damit eingerichteten Art.
welcher elektrische Verbinder einen Körper aufweist, der eine Stirnfläche, eine Mehrzahl
von Kanälen zur Aufnahme von Anschlüssen, welche Kanäle von der Stirnfläche in den
Körper hineinreichen und welche Kanäle untereinander entsprechend der vom Verbinder
aufzunehmenden gedruckten Schaltungsplatte angeordnet sind, und einen Schlitz in jeder
der Trennwände der Kanäle hat, welche Schlitze sich von der Stirnfläche in den Körper
hinein erstrecken, um beim Gebrauch das Einschieben einer Kante einer gedruckten Schaltungsplatte
ausreichend weit in den Körper zu ermöglichen, um die beim Gebrauch in den Kanälen
aufgenommenen Anschlüsse zu erfassen, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die räumliche Beziehung
zwischen wenigstens einem der Schlitze (21 a) und der Mitellinie des zugehörigen Kanals
(12) von der gemeinsamen räumlichen Beziehung zwischen sämtlichen der übrigen Schlitze
(21 ) und der Mitellinie ihrer zugehörigen Kanäle ( 12) verschieden ist, wodurch beim
Gebrauch wenigstens einer der beiden aus der gedruckten Schaltungsplatte und dem Körper
(11) bestehenden Bestandteile aus einer Ruhelage gebogen werden muß, um die Platte
in allen Schlitzen (21, 21 a) aufzunehmen, so daß nach Eingriff der Platte und des
Körpers (11) die eigene Federkraft des gebogenen Bestandteils bewirkt, daß die Platte
im Körper (11) festgehalten wird.
2. Elektrischer Verbinder nach Anspruch 1, der zum Gebrauch mit einer ebenen gedruckten
Schaltungsplatte oder dergleichen bestimmt ist, und dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die
Kanäle (12) des Verbinders koplanar sind und die Schlitze (21) mit der Ausnahme der
zwei äußersten Schlitze (21 a) koplanar sind, die in ihrer Lage beide zur gleichen
Seite der Ebene der übrigen Schlitze (21 ) verschoben sind.