[0001] This invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to electrical
connectors for use with printed circuit boards and multiterminal pin plugs.
[0002] It is often desired to provide a direct readily interchangeable electrical connection
between external input devices, such as multiterminal pin plugs, and internal system
devices, such as printed circuit boards. In the past such a connection has typically
been accomplished by two connector assemblies individually mounted using a printed
circuit back panel or a chassis/cabling interface. This arrangement is relatively
expensive since two separate connector assemblies are required as well as interfacing
hardware. This arrangement also creates a rather long electrical signal path, with
consequent opportunity for signal degradation, and results in a rather high volume
package, rendering it difficult to use where installation space is at a premium.
[0003] It is an object of the invention to provide a compact and inexpensive electrical
connector providing a direct, readily interchangeable electrical hardware connection
between multiterminal pin plugs and printed circuit boards.
[0004] The electrical connector according to the invention includes a two-piece housing
of insulative material, and a plurality of elongated electrical contacts of conductive
springy material and each including a circuit board engaging section and a terminal
engaging section. The forward housing piece defines a transversely extending slot
in its forward outboard face adapted to receive an edge of a printed circuit board
and further defines cavity means opening at its rearward inboard face to individually
receive the circuit board engaging sections of the respective contacts. The rearward
housing piece defines cavity means opening at its forward inboard face to individually
receive the terminal engaging sections of the respective contacts, and the housing
pieces include coacting snap lock means which operate in response to movement of the
inboard faces of the housing pieces into abutting engagement to snappingly secure
the housing pieces together and capture the contacts therewithin. With this arrangement,
the contacts may be loaded into one of the housing pieces through its inboard face
to seat the appropriate contact sections in that piece with the other contact sections
projecting from the inboard face of that piece, whereafter the other housing pieces
may be slipped over the projecting contact sections to bring its inboard face into
abutment with the inboard face of the one housing piece and snap the housing pieces
together.
[0005] In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, the circuit board engaging sections
of the contacts are loaded into the forward housing piece and the rearward housing
piece is thereafter slipped over the projecting terminal engaging contact sections
and brought into snapping engagement with the forward housing piece.
[0006] According to another aspect of the invention, the invention connector includes a
housing of insulative material, and a plurality of elongated electrical contacts each
including a circuit board engaging section and a tubular terminal pin engaging section.
The housing defines a circuit board slot in its forward face, upper and lower rows
of parallel longitudinally extending cavities in the forward portion of the housing
receiving the circuit board engaging sections of the respective contacts, upper and
lower horizontal rows of holes in its rearward face, and upper and lower rows of parallel
longitudinally extending bores in the rear portion of the housing receiving the tubular
terminal pin engaging sections of the respective contacts with each bore communicating
at its rearward end with a respective hole on the rear housing face so that a multiterminal
pin plug plugged into the rows of holes in the rear housing face establishes individual
electrical connection with the respective conductive strip on a circuit board inserted
into the slot in the forward face of the housing.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are top, front and rear views, respectively of an electrical connector
according to the invention;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and
Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the invention connector.
[0007] The invention electrical connector, broadly considered, comprises a housing assembly
10 and a plurality of contacts 12 extending within the housing assembly.
[0008] Housing assembly 10 comprises a forward housing piece 14 and a rearward housing piece
16. Both housing pieces are formed of an insulative material such, for example, as
Nylon 6/6 U.L. Rated 94 V-0, 30% glass filled; or Zytel F.R. 50, U.L. Rated 94 V-O.
[0009] Forward housing piece 14 is monolithic and is bounded by a plurality of generally
planar surfaces including a front or outboard surface 18, a rear or inboard surface
20, a top surface 22, a bottom surface 24, side surfaces 26, 28, and chamfered surfaces
30, 32. A printed circuit board slot 34 opens in front housing face 18. Slot 34 extends
laterally across front face 18 and rearwardly within the' housing to blind end wall
36. The entrance to slot 34 is chamfered at 34a to facilitate insertion of a printed
circuit board 35. A series of 13 upper notches or cavities 38 open in front housing
face 18 at laterally spaced locations thereacross and a series of 12 lower notches
or cavities 40 open in front housing face 18 at laterally spaced locations that are
staggered with respect to upper notches 38. The forward portions of lower notches
40 open at their upper sides in slot 34 and the forward portions of upper notches
38 open at their lower sides in slot 34. A locking groove 41 is provided in the top
of each upper notch 38 and a locking groove 42 is provided in the bottom of each lower
notch 40. The rearward portions of notches 38, 40 flare outwardly and open in inboard
housing face 20. A plurality of integral snap locking tabs 43 extend rearwardly from
inboard housing face 20 and an integral support bar 44 extends transversely across
the inboard housing face 20 between snap tabs 43.
[0010] Rearward housing piece 16 is monolithic and includes an inboard surface 46, side
surfaces 48, 50, forward upper and lower surfaces 52, 54, and beveled upper and lower
surfaces 56, 58. The rear portion of rearward housing piece 16 includes outer interface
connector mounting tab portions 60, 62 and a central "D" sub-miniature plug mounting
portion 64 having a rear face 66. An upper horizontal row of 13 circular holes 68
and a lower horizontal row of 12 circular holes 70 are provided in rear face 66. Upper
holes 68 are beveled at 68A and lower holes 70 are beveled at 70a to facilitate entry
of the terminal pins of a multi- terminal plug 71 into holes 68, 70. An upper horizontal
row of 13 circular bores 72 and a lower horizontal row of 12 circular bores 74 extend
longitudinally within rear housing piece 16. Bores 72, 74 have a diameter substantially
larger than that of holes 68, 70. Each upper bore 72 communicates at its rearward
end with a respective upper hole 68 and opens at its forward end in a forward inboard
face 76 that is recessed relative to forward inboard face 46. Each lower bore 74 communicates
at its rearward end with a respective lower hole 70 and opens at its forward end in
face 76. The inboard portions of bores 72, 74 are enlarged at 72a, 74a. Upper and
lower bores 72, 74 are in general axial alignment with respective upper and lower
notches 38, 40. Holes 78 are provided in upper and lower surfaces 52, 54 for coaction
with snap tabs 43 on the forward housing piece. Pivotal panel locking tabs 80 are
provided at the top and bottom of housing piece 16 between holes 78 to facilitate
attachment of the housing to a suitable mounting surface or structure.
[0011] Contacts 12 are formed of a suitable springy conductive material such, for example,
as phosphor bronze and each include a circuit board engaging section 82 and a terminal
pin engaging section 84. Circuit board engaging sections 82 are preferably tin plated
and terminal pin engaging sections 84 are preferably gold plated over nickel plating.
Each circuit board engaging section 82 includes a wiping portion 86 and a tab 88 struck
from the main body of the contact. Each terminal pin engaging section is tubular and
includes longitudinal slots 84a opening at the rear end of the contact.
[0012] To assemble the invention connector, contacts 12 are loaded individually, circuit
board engaging section leading, into cavities or notches 38, 40 through the rearward
inboard face 20 of forward housing piece 14. As the circuit board engaging sections
slide into the respective cavities or notches 38, 40, tabs 88 snap into grooves 41,
42 to preclude rearward withdrawal of the contacts, and the rearward tips 86a of wiping
portions 86 resiliently press against the adjacent surfaces 38a, 40a of the respective
notches to preload wiping portions 86. Rearward housing piece 16 is now slipped over
the projecting terminal pin engaging sections of the contacts to slide the terminal
pin engaging sections into the respective bores 72, 74 and bring the inboard faces
20, 46 of the housing pieces into abutting engagement. As the inboard faces of the
housing pieces move into abutting engagement, locking tabs 43 deflect inwardly and
then spring outwardly to seat in holes 78 to snappingly secure the housing pieces
together. With the housing pieces snapped together, locking bar 44 on forward housing
piece 14 engages the forward ends 84c of the terminal pin engaging sections of the
contacts to preclude forward movement of the contacts within the housing. Locking
bar 44 thus coacts with locking tabs 88 to preclude longitudinal movement of the contacts
within the housing. The assembled connector may now be mounted in known manner to
a suitable mounting panel, not shown, utilizing panel locking tabs 80.
[0013] In use, printed circuit boards 35 may be selectively and interchangeably plugged
into slot 34 in the front face of the connector and multiterminal "D" subminiature
pin plugs 71 may be selectively and interchangeably plugged into holes 68, 70 in the
rear face of the connector. As each plug 71 seats over mounting portion 64 of rearward
housing piece 16, integral latching ears 90 on each side of the plug latchingly coact
with tab portions 60, 62 on piece 16 to preclude inadvertent separation of the plug
from the connector. As a printed circuit board 35 enters slot 34, the wiping portions
86 of the upper and lower contacts respectively engage conductive strips on the upper
and lower surfaces of the board. As the pins of a multi-terminal plug 71 enter holes
68, 70, the outboard tips of terminal pin engaging sections 84 splay resiliently outwardly
to slidably and resiliently receive the entering terminal pins. The invention connector
thus provides a compact inexpensive connector providing direct readily interchangeable
electrical hardware connection between the contact strips on a selected circuit board
and the terminal pins on a selected multiterminal pin plug. For example, and as disclosed,
the invention connector has particular applicability to use with the popular "D" subminiature
25 terminal pin plugs.
[0014] Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described
in detail, it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the disclosed embodiment
without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
1. An electrical connector comprising
A. a plurality of elongated contacts formed of a springy conductive material and each
including a circuit board engaging section and a terminal engaging section;
B. a forward housing piece defining a transversely extending slot in its forward,
outboard face adapted to receive an edge of a printed circuit board and further defining
cavity means opening at its rearward, inboard face to individually receive the circuit
board engaging sections of the respective contacts;
C. a rearward housing piece defining cavity means opening at its forward inboard face
to individually receive the terminal engaging sections of the respective contacts;
and
D. coacting snap lock means on said housing pieces operative in response to movement
of the inboard faces of the housing pieces into abutting engagement to snappingly
secure the housing pieces together and capture said contacts therewithin.
2. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein
E. said contacts and said housing cavity means are configured and dimensioned to allow
loading of said contacts into one of said housing pieces through the inboard face
thereof to seat the appropriate contact sections individually in the cavity means
of that housing piece with the other contact sections projecting from the inboard
face of that piece whereafter the other housing piece may be slipped over the projecting
contact sections to slide those sections into the cavity means of that other housing
piece and bring the inboard face of the other housing piece into abutting engagement
with the inboard face of the one housing piece and snap the housing pieces together.
3. An electrical connector according to claim 2 wherein
F. said one housing piece is said forward piece so that said contacts are loaded into
said forward piece and the rearward piece is thereafter slipped over the projecting
terminal engaging contact sections and moved into abutting snapping interengagement
with the forward housing piece.
4. An electrical connector comprising
A. a plurality of elongated contacts formed of a springy conductive material and each
including a circuit board engaging section and a terminal pin engaging section;
B. a forward housing piece defining a transversely extending slot in the forward,
outboard face thereof adapted to receive an edge of a printed circuit board and further
defining a plurality of longitudinally extending cavities opening at their forward
ends in said slot and at their rearward ends in the rearward, inboard housing face
and adapted to respectively receive the circuit board engaging sections of the contacts;
C. a rearward housing piece defining a plurality of holes in the rearward, outboard
face thereof and further defining a plurality of longitudinally extending bores each
opening at its forward end in the forward, inboard face of the rearward housing piece
and communicating at its rearward end with a respective hole and adapted to receive
the terminal pin engaging sections of the contacts; and
D. coacting snap lock means on said housing pieces operative in response to movement
of the inboard faces of the housing pieces into abutting engagement to snappingly
secure said pieces together.
5. An electrical connector according to claim 4 wherein
E. said contacts, cavities and bores are configured and dimensioned to allow loading
of said contacts into one of said housing pieces through the inboard face thereof
to seat the appropriate contact sections in that housing piece with the other contact
section projecting from the inboard face of that piece whereafter the other housing
piece may be slipped over the projecting sections of the contacts to bring its inboard
face into abutting engagement with the inboard face of the one housing piece and snap
said housing pieces together.
6. An electrical connector according to claim 5 wherein
F. said one housing piece is said forward piece so that said contacts are loaded,
circuit board engaging section first, into the cavities of said forward piece and
the rearward piece is thereafter slipped over the projecting terminal pin engaging
contact sections to slide the terminal pin engaging sections into the respective bores
and move the inboard face of the rearward housing piece into abutting snapping interengagement
with the forward housing piece.
7. An electrical connector comprising
A. a housing of insulative material defining
1. an elongated generally horizontal slot in a front face of the housing adapted to
receive an edge of a printed circuit board,
2. an upper and a lower horizontal row of holes in a rear surface of the housing adapted
to pluggingly receive corresponding rows of terminal pins of a multiterminal pin plug,
3. an upper and a lower horizontal row of parallel longitudinally extending bores
in the rear portion of the housing of a larger diameter than said holes, each upper
and lower bore axially aligned with a respective upper or lower hole and communicating
at its rearward end with that hole, and
4. upper and lower horizontal rows of parallel longitudinally extending cavities in
the forward portion of the housing, each upper cavity in general axial alignment with
a respective upper bore and opening at the underside of its forward end in said slot,
each lower cavity in general axial alignment with a respective lower bore and opening
at the upper side of its forward end in said slot; and
B. a plurality of upper and lower elongated contacts formed of a springy conductive
material and each including a single circuit board engaging section, including a single
wiping portion, and a single tubular terminal pin engaging section,
1. each upper contact having its circuit board engaging section positioned in a respective
upper cavity, with its wiping portion projecting downwardly into said slot for resilient
wiping engagement with a contact on the upper surface of a printed circuit board inserted
into said slot, and having its tubular terminal pin engaging section positioned in
the corresponding upper bore for resilient sliding receipt of an upper terminal pin
on a multiterminal pin plug plugged into the rear face of the connector,
2. each lower contact having its circuit board engaging section positioned in a respective
lower cavity, with its wiping portion projecting upwardly into said slot for resilient
wiping engagement with a contact on the lower surface ot a printed circuit board inserted
into said slot, and having its tubular terminal pin engaging section positioned in
the corresponding lower bore for resilient sliding receipt of a lower terminal pin
on a multiterminal pin plug plugged into the rear face of the connector.
8. A connector according to claim 7 wherein
C. said housing comprises a two-piece assembly including
1. a forward housing piece defining said slot and said cavities and
2. a rearward housing piece defining said bores and said holes; and
D. said housing pieces include coacting snap lock means adjacent their inboard faces
operative in response to movement of their inboard faces into abutting engagement
to snappingly secure the housing pieces together.
9. A connector according to claim 8 wherein
E. said cavities, bores and contacts are dimensioned and configured such that, to
assemble the connector,
1. said contacts are inserted, with the circuit board engaging sections leading, into
the inboard end of said forward section to seat the circuit board engaging sections
in the respective cavities with the terminal engaging sections projecting from the
inboard end of the forward section whereafter,
2. the inboard end of the rearward section is slipped over the projecting terminal
engaging sections to seat such sections in the respective bores whereafter the inboard
ends of the two housing pieces may be brought together to snappingly join the housing
pieces and securely capture the contacts within the housing.
10. A connector according to claim 9 wherein
F. said forward section includes means, operative in response to insertion of a contact,
circuit board engaging section first, into the inboard end of the forward section
to preclude rearward withdrawal of the contact through such inboard end and
G. said forward section includes further means operative with the connector assembled
to abuttingly engage the inboard ends of the terminal engaging sections of the contacts
to preclude forward axial movement of the contacts within the housing.