Electrical connector with mounting members

Abstract

 An electrical connector with mounting members for attaching the connector to a flat cable on a printed circuit board or the like. The mounting members include mounting ears designed to be inserted into slots formed in the sidewalls of the connector. The ears and slots have corresponding dovetail cross-sectional shapes. A resilient latching element attached to the mounting ear and a stop nose element projecting in the slot from the transverse wall mutually cooperate to receive the mounting member to the connector.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to electrical connectors and particularly to a mounting arrangement for such connectors.

[0002] Mounting arrangements for connectors include mounting members adapted to the destined mounting configuration. Such members have included latching plates and mounting ears with ridges adapted to be inserted into a slot formed in a wall of the connector. The latching plate is connected to an extension of the mounting ear and prevents withdrawal of the ridge from the slot. The use of a separate latching plate is considered a disadvantage.

[0003] An object of the present invention is therefor to provide an electrical connector with a reduced number of components, providing a very simple solution for the problem of latching the mounting ear to a selected transverse wall of the electrical connector.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0004] The electrical connector of the present invention includes mounting ears and a transverse wall which comprise latching means, together with a resilient latch element connected to the mounting ear and a stop nose element connected to and projecting from the transverse wall. The elements mutually cooperate in such a way that during insertion of the mounting ear into the slot of a transverse wall. the resilient latching element is temporarily deformed by stop nose element. Upon full insertion, the latching element locks behind the nose fixing element and thereby latches the mounting ear to the transversal wall.

[0005] The invention will now be further explained in detail with reference to the attached drawings in which the same reference numbers are used for identical components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] 

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of an electrical connector according to the invention mounted at the end of a flat ribbon cable.

Figure 2 illustrates a sideview of the electrical connector with detail of the locking means.

[0007] The Figures 3, 4, and 5 are an upper view, front view and side view respectively of a mounting ear.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0008] In Figure 1. the electrical connector is in general indicated by reference number 10. The connector comprises two longitudinal walls 12 and 14 and two transverse walls 13 and 15 which, together with a base section (not shown), define an inner space within the connector, open at the top. Contact elements 16 are positioned within this space. The general construction of such a connector is well known.

[0009] Connector 10 is shown in Figure 1 attached to a flat ribbon cable 11. It should be clear, however, that connectors destined for mounting onto a printed circuit board, connectors with wire wrapping contact elements and others are all within the scope of the invention.

[0010] Two mounting ears 17 and 18 are shown which can be attached to the electrical connector 10. Transverse walls 13 and 15 each have a slot which in the embodiment of Figure 1 has a dovetail cross-sectional shape. This dovetail shape can be seen in Figure 1 wherein the edges slant inward so that the slot broadens from its outer surface inwardly to the transverse wall. The slot is shown in greater detail in Figure 2. Each of the mounting ears 17 and 18 has a stud 30 having a ridge section with dovetail cross sectional shape destined to be inserted into the slot in the respective transversal walls 13 and 15. The mounting ears are described in greater detail below.

[0011] Figure 2 illustrates a side view of either transverse wall 13 or 15. The slot 20 within the wall is bounded by the edge sections 21 and 22. A stop nose element 23 is attached to and projects from each of transverse wall 13 or 15 of the slot 20. The thickness of stop nose element 23 is approximately equal to the thickness of the side edge elements 21 and 22.

[0012] The mounting ear 17 or 18 is illustrated in greater detail in Figures 3. 4 and 5. Each mounting ear comprises a mounting lug 31 which has a through passage 33 and the stud 30 with the dovetail cross section edge extending from one of the flat walls of the mounting lug 31. As is more clearly illustrated in Figure 4, the stud 30 has an aperture 32 in which a resilient latch element 34 is positioned attached to the upper edge of the aperture 32. It will be clear from the drawings that the latched element 34 cooperates with the stop nose 23 to maintain the mounting ear fixed to the electrical connector after inserting the stud 30 into the slot 20 over a sufficient distance. During insertion, the resilient latched element 34 is, as soon as the stop nose element 23 is reached, deformed by the left hand edge of said stop nose 23 (as viewed in Figure 2). At the end, the latched element 34 locks underneath the stop nose 23 thereby fixing the mounting ear to the electrical connector.

[0013] It should be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are but preferred embodiments. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Electrical connector comprising of

a housing formed of two longitudinal walls and two transverse walls which together with a base section define an inner space within the connector and an opening on a side opposite the base section, said opening adapted to receive another electrical connector, each transverse wall including a slot having a dovetail cross-sectional shape, said slot extending perpendicular to the base section and being open at the end opposite the base section:

a plurality of contact elements, at least a portion of each contact element positioned within and extending through the inner space within the connector;

mounting members having mounting ears of a shape designed to be inserted into the slot, each mounting ear including a stud having a flat surface with an outwardly extending ridge defining a dovetail cross-sectional shape corresponding to the dovetail cross-section shape of the slot so that said stud may be inserted into said slot at its open end: and

a resilient latching element attached to each mounting ear and positioned so as to cooperate with a corresponding stop nose element projecting within each slot whereby when the stud of the mounting ear is inserted into the slot. the resilient latching element is temporarily deformed by the stop nose element until the stud is fully inserted, at which time the latching element locks behind the stop nose element thereby latching the mounting ear in said slot.

Drawing