GB2225492A

GB2225492A - Electrical connector for PCB

Info

Publication number: GB2225492A
Application number: GB8824179A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Covell Collier; Keith Davies
Original assignee: ITT Industries Ltd
Current assignee: ITT Industries Ltd
Priority date: 1988-10-14
Filing date: 1988-10-14
Publication date: 1990-05-30
Also published as: DE3933658A1; FR2638029A1; GB8824179D0; JPH02270277A

Description

1 is ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS This invention relates to electrical

connectors, and in particular to electrical connectors for surface mounting onto a printed circuit board.

It is known to provide an electrical connector with a plurality of electrical contacts for surface mounting onto a printed circuit board. The contacts may be vapour phase soldered onto the board, or alternatively may penetrate the coating of the board, as in U.S. Patent No. 2853382 to Burndy Corporation.

The present invention seeks to provide an improvement to the known connectors described above.

According to the invention there is provided an electrical connector for a printed circuit board, comprising an insulating housing, a plurality of electrical contacts received withir. the housing, at least one pin adapted to form a p.Less fit connection with a hole in a printed circuit board, and part of at least one of the electrical contacts beina adapted to form a high pressure connection with a -P the printed circuit board.

conductive surface o Two embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- E a connector Fic7-,re 1 is a perspective v-ew of according to a firrst e,-,.bod"Lr,en- and, Fig-re 2 is a section through the connector of 2 Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a section through a connector from the same viewpoint as Figure 2 but showing a different embodiment.

The connector shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a housing 1 of insulating material adapted to be mounted on a printed circuit board 2 and held in contact therewith by at least one pin 3 which is a press fit in a hole 4 in the board. In the construction shown it is assumed that there are in fact, two pins 3 at opposite ends of the housing which are press fits in respective holes 4 in the board 2. It is to be noted that, since the only function of the pin or pins 3 is to hold the housing 1 against the board 2, the hole 3 can be a plain hole through the insulating part of the board and does not have to be plated through or otherwise provided with electrically conductive material.

Mounted in a downwardly-facing opening 5 in the housing 1 are conductive tails 6 of respective electrical contacts 7 housed in separate recesses 8 on either side of a central slot 9 in the upper part of the housing 1. The slot 9 serves to receive an inserted body (which could be part of another printed circuit board) provided with conductive tracks or other contact surfaces adapted to mate with respective contacts 7. The latter are bowed as shown, in order to exert a lateral force on the inserted body, both to maintain it in housing 1 and to ensure low-resistance contact between the contacts 7 and the conductive tracks or surfaces on the inserted body.

The tails 6 of the contacts 7 ternJinate in sharp-edged recions 10 which are adapte.. tC, 3r, penetrate and deforj. the contact recions 11 on the 3 board 2 which are formed of a ductile metallic material. In this way a low resistance electrical connection is established between the tails 6 (and their associated contacts 7) and the contact regions 11.

In an alternative construction (not shown), the tails 6 may terminate in curved ends which are resiliently pressed into contact with the contact regions 11.

The pins 3 are, as shown in Figure 1, formed integrally with metal strips 12 in order to maintain them rigidly in the housing 1. Other methods of securing the pins in the housing can, of course, be used.

The number of pins 3 used to clamp the housing 1 to the board 2 will depend on such factors as the length of the housing and the resilience of the tails 6. In this latter connection, it may be necessary to employ a plurality of pins to counteract any tendency of the board to bow due to the force generated by the high pressure on the contact tails.

The embodiment shown in Figure 3 differs from that shown in Figures 1 and 2 only in the form of the contacts in the housing 1. According to this embodiment, the contacts have a straight portion 13, embedded at its lower end in the base of the housing 1, and a shorter bowed portion 14 joined to the upper end of the straight portion 13. Resilient deformation of the contact when a board is inserted results in both flexing of the portion 14, about the upper end of the portion 13 and flexing of the latter about its lower end enbedded in the housinc. This greatly enhances the overall resiliency of the 4 contact and facilitates the insertion having a high contact density.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An electrical connector for a printed circuit board, comprising an insulating housing, a plurality of electrical contacts received within the housing, at least one pin adapted to form a press fit connection with a hole in a printed circuit board, and part of at least one of the electrical high pressure connection with a conductive surface of the printed circuit board.

2. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein the part of the electrical contact which is adapted to form a high pressure connection includes a sharp-edged region capable of establishing a low resistance electrical connection with a contact region on the printed circuit board, the contact region being formed of a ductile metallic material, and the sharp-edged region being adapted to penetrate and deform the ductile metallic material of the contact region.

3. An electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2 wherein there is provided at least one row of electrical contacts having parts adapted to form a high pressure connection with respective conductive surfaces of the printed circuit board.

contacts being adapted to form a

4. An electrical connector according to claim 3 wherein there are provided two rows of electrical contacts each having parts adapted to forin a high pressure connection with a respective conductive surface of the printed circuit board.

5. An electrical connector according to clain, 4 wherein two or more pins adapted to form a press fil. connection with respective holes in the printed circu-l± board are located between the two rows of electrical contacts adapted to forr, high pressure 6 within joined joined whereby into the connections.

6. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 4 or 5 in which two rows of resilient electrical contacts are provided on either side of a slot in the housing to receive and retain an inserted body having conductive surfaces mating with the contacts.

7. An electrical connector as claimed in any preceding claim in which the electrical contacts the housing each include a straight portion at one end to the housing and a bowed portion to the other end of the straightportion on the insertion of a printed circuit board housing, the bowed portion can flex relative to the straight portion and the latter can flex relative to the housing.

8. An electrical connector substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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