EP0590958A2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Electrical connector Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0590958A2
EP0590958A2 EP93307724A EP93307724A EP0590958A2 EP 0590958 A2 EP0590958 A2 EP 0590958A2 EP 93307724 A EP93307724 A EP 93307724A EP 93307724 A EP93307724 A EP 93307724A EP 0590958 A2 EP0590958 A2 EP 0590958A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
pins
printed circuit
circuit board
electrical connector
connector
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP93307724A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0590958B1 (en
EP0590958A3 (en
Inventor
Tin Joon Ou
Boon Cheong Teo
Keng Thai Giam
Kok Soon Wong
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ABB Installation Products Inc
Original Assignee
Thomas and Betts Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Thomas and Betts Corp filed Critical Thomas and Betts Corp
Publication of EP0590958A2 publication Critical patent/EP0590958A2/en
Publication of EP0590958A3 publication Critical patent/EP0590958A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0590958B1 publication Critical patent/EP0590958B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
    • H01R12/70—Coupling devices
    • H01R12/71—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/72—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures
    • H01R12/722—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures coupling devices mounted on the edge of the printed circuits
    • H01R12/724—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures coupling with the edge of the rigid printed circuits or like structures coupling devices mounted on the edge of the printed circuits containing contact members forming a right angle

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an electrical connector.
  • an electrical connector of the type known as "headers” which are generally used for providing connections from printed circuit boards by insertion into holes in an edge of the printed circuit board and soldering to contact pads around the holes and on the printed circuit board.
  • a complementary connector connected to a cable may then be mated with the printed circuit board header.
  • Connectors of this type are known which, in use, are inserted into the edge of a printed circuit board so that a lower wall of the connector is flush with the printed circuit board. Problems arise during soldering since the connector must be held in position to prevent connector pins from floating out of their holes in the printed circuit board during the soldering operation.
  • One solution to this problem has been proposed in which a pair of pins are crimped in opposite directions so that opposite normal forces are exerted on their respective holes across the header. Retention of the connector is dependent on the complementary normal forces against two opposing printed circuit board holes.
  • the present invention seeks to overcome the above problems for right-angled connectors. These connectors have pins which are bent through 90° prior to entry into a printed circuit board.
  • an electrical connector comprising a right-angle header having at least one row of pins, stabilizing means positioned at at least one end of the row of pins, and means for retaining a printed circuit board against the stabilizing means when soldering the connector to the printed circuit board.
  • the stabilizing means may comprise a pair of wings, one at each end of the row of pins.
  • One face of each wing is preferably planar so that the whole of the face will contact that side of the printed circuit board on which the connector is mounted, the other side of the printed circuit board having solder contact pads thereon.
  • the retaining means may comprise at least one projection which cooperates with the stabilizing means to retain the connector in position on the printed circuit board.
  • the printed circuit board will be sandwiched between the stabilizing means and the projection(s) once the connector is mounted on the board.
  • the retaining means may comprise an offset portion of one or more pins.
  • the offset portions are offset in the same direction for all the pins, i.e. the offset portions are single-sided.
  • the offset portions are in a single row of pins. Still more preferably, the offset portions are offset towards an adjacent row of pins.
  • the retaining means may comprise both projection(s) and offset portion(s).
  • the connector may thus be held in position not only by action of the projection(s) which bias the printed circuit board against the stabilizing means but also by the offset portion(s) which lock the pins within holes in the printed circuit board, through which the pins are inserted.
  • Figure 1 shows a connector comprising a right angle header 10 from which two rows of pins 20, 25 extend. At each end of the rows, there is a stabilizing wing 30 in the form of a rectangular block.
  • the header 10 includes a step or stepped portion 40.
  • the stepped portion 40 includes a horizontal part 42 and a vertical part 44. It will be appreciated that orientations 42 and 44 will vary according to the way in which the connector is viewed.
  • Vertical part 44 is in the same plane as faces 32 of the stabilizing wings 30.
  • the row of pins 25 also extends from this vertical part 44. Since the pins are generally square in cross-section, one face 46 of each pin in row 25 forms part of the vertical part 44, prior to the pins bending through 90°.
  • Two projections, or bumps, 50 are located on the horizontal part 42 of stepped portion 40, adjacent their respective stabilizing wings 30 and spaced from the vertical part 44 of the stepped portion 40.
  • pins 60 in row 20 include offset portions 70. All these offset portions, or kinks, are offset in the same direction, i.e. towards row of pins 25.
  • the kinked pins 60 are spaced more or less equally apart along the row 20 and from the stabilizing wings 30 and bumps 50 so that points of retention of the connector are evenly distributed.
  • Figure 2 shows the connector prior to soldering, mounted on a printed circuit board 80.
  • the rows of pins are pushed through holes 90 in the printed circuit board 80.
  • the connector is pushed firmly against the printed circuit board so that the printed circuit board is located between, on the one side, stabilizing wings 30, face 46 of pin 65 and the vertical part 44 of step 40 and, on the other side, bumps 50.
  • Further retention of the connector on the printed circuit board is achieved by the action of offset portions 70.
  • These offset portions or kinks are so located that, when the connector is in its correct position, each pin 60 contacts its hole 90 at two points 72, 74 and adjacent pin 65 contacts its hole 90 along the upper face of the pin 65. Opposing normal forces are thus achieved by adjacent pins to retain the connector in position for soldering.
EP19930307724 1992-09-30 1993-09-29 Electrical connector Expired - Lifetime EP0590958B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9220614 1992-09-30
GB9220614A GB2271221B (en) 1992-09-30 1992-09-30 Electrical connector

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0590958A2 true EP0590958A2 (en) 1994-04-06
EP0590958A3 EP0590958A3 (en) 1996-02-28
EP0590958B1 EP0590958B1 (en) 1999-11-03

Family

ID=10722750

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19930307724 Expired - Lifetime EP0590958B1 (en) 1992-09-30 1993-09-29 Electrical connector

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0590958B1 (es)
CA (1) CA2107395C (es)
DE (1) DE69326933T2 (es)
ES (1) ES2140443T3 (es)
GB (1) GB2271221B (es)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2417371A (en) * 2002-10-21 2006-02-22 Hubbell Inc High performance electrical connector for telecommunications apparatus
GB2394841B (en) * 2002-10-21 2007-04-11 Hubbell Inc High performance jack for telecommunication applications

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3636503A (en) * 1968-10-12 1972-01-18 Int Standard Electric Corp Printed circuit board connector
GB2095485A (en) * 1981-03-20 1982-09-29 Itt Printed circuit board connector
EP0236125A2 (en) * 1986-03-05 1987-09-09 E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Electrical connector with pin retention feature
FR2646293A1 (fr) * 1989-04-24 1990-10-26 Applic Gles Electricite Me Connecteur pour circuit imprime sur un substrat
US5085589A (en) * 1991-01-24 1992-02-04 Foxconn International, Inc. Grounding boardlock for connector

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4698025A (en) * 1986-09-15 1987-10-06 Molex Incorporated Low profile modular phone jack assembly
US4842554A (en) * 1988-06-03 1989-06-27 Amp Incorporated One-piece shield for a circular din
JP2535258Y2 (ja) * 1991-04-30 1997-05-07 日本航空電子工業株式会社 コネクタの係止構造
DE69207261T2 (de) * 1991-05-17 1996-08-01 Whitaker Corp Elektrischer Verbinder mit verbessertem Haltemittel
GB2259613B (en) * 1991-09-16 1995-07-12 Amp Inc Shielded surface mount electrical connector with integral barbed boardlock

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3636503A (en) * 1968-10-12 1972-01-18 Int Standard Electric Corp Printed circuit board connector
GB2095485A (en) * 1981-03-20 1982-09-29 Itt Printed circuit board connector
EP0236125A2 (en) * 1986-03-05 1987-09-09 E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Electrical connector with pin retention feature
FR2646293A1 (fr) * 1989-04-24 1990-10-26 Applic Gles Electricite Me Connecteur pour circuit imprime sur un substrat
US5085589A (en) * 1991-01-24 1992-02-04 Foxconn International, Inc. Grounding boardlock for connector

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2417371A (en) * 2002-10-21 2006-02-22 Hubbell Inc High performance electrical connector for telecommunications apparatus
GB2394841B (en) * 2002-10-21 2007-04-11 Hubbell Inc High performance jack for telecommunication applications
GB2417371B (en) * 2002-10-21 2007-04-11 Hubbell Inc High performance jack for telecommunication applications

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0590958B1 (en) 1999-11-03
GB9220614D0 (en) 1992-11-11
DE69326933T2 (de) 2000-05-25
GB2271221B (en) 1996-07-03
ES2140443T3 (es) 2000-03-01
GB2271221A (en) 1994-04-06
CA2107395C (en) 2002-07-30
DE69326933D1 (de) 1999-12-09
CA2107395A1 (en) 1994-03-31
EP0590958A3 (en) 1996-02-28

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