# US 10,312,616 B2 · Card edge connector > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,312,616 B2 - Document ID: US10312616B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/034,121 - Filed: 2018-07-12 - Published: 2019-01-17 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-14 - Assignees: Molex Incorporated - Applicants: Molex, LLC - Inventors: Chin Guan Tan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10312616B2 ## CPC - H01R 12/737: {Printed circuits being substantially perpendicular to each other (for printed connections H05K3/366)} - H01R 12/57: surface mounting terminals - H01R 13/112: {forked sockets having two legs} - H01R 13/2407: {characterized by the resilient means} - H01R 13/2442: {with a single cantilevered beam} - H01R 12/721: {cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits} - H01R 12/73: connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures - H01R 13/426: Securing by a separate resilient retaining piece supported by base or case, e.g. collar {or metal contact-retention clip} - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS ## Abstract A card edge connector comprising a plurality of flat plate-shaped terminals, each of which comprises an elastic arm portion. The elastic arm sequentially comprises a lower reverse bent section, an outward inclined arm section, an upper reverse bent section and an inward inclined arm section. The elastic arm is a two-arm configuration with a closed loop, the two-arm configuration has an inner arm and an outer arm. The inner arm and the outer arm each have the corresponding lower reverse bent section, the corresponding outward inclined arm section, the corresponding upper reverse bent section and the corresponding inward inclined arm section. The width of the upper reverse bent section of the inner arm is the largest among the sections of the inner arm and the sections of the outer arm. Because the upper reverse bent section has the largest width, it can prevent excessive deflection of the flat plate-shaped terminal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A card edge connector, comprising: an insulating housing, the insulating housing being formed as an elongated shape extending along a longitudinal direction, the insulating housing having a top surface and a bottom surface which define an up-down direction, the insulating housing having a card edge inserting groove on the top surface along the longitudinal direction, the card edge inserting groove separating the insulating housing into a first wall body and a second wall body, a direction that the first wall body and the second wall body face each other defining a transversal direction, a direction that each of the first wall body and the second wall body faces the card edge inserting groove being an inner direction, and a direction that each of the first wall body and the second wall body is away from the card edge inserting groove being an outer direction, at least one of the first wall body and the second wall body having a plurality of terminal grooves which are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction and each are provided in the transversal direction; and a plurality of flat plate-shaped terminals, each flat plate-shaped terminal being mounted in the corresponding terminal groove, an extending direction of a plate surface of each flat plate-shaped terminal being parallel to the transversal direction, each flat plate-shaped terminal comprising: a base portion positioned at a lower side of the flat plate-shaped terminal; a contact portion positioned above the base portion and extending into the card edge inserting groove; and an elastic arm portion positioned between the base portion the contact portion, the elastic arm portion sequentially comprising: a lower reverse bent section connecting the base portion, extending from the base portion toward the inner direction, reversely bending, and extending toward the outer direction and an inclined upward direction; an outward inclined arm section extending toward the outer direction and the inclined upward direction; an upper reverse bent section reversely bending and extending toward the inner direction and an inclined downward direction; and an inward inclined arm section extending toward the inner direction and the inclined downward direction, wherein the elastic arm portion is a two-arm configuration with a closed loop, the two-arm configuration has an inner arm and an outer arm, the inner arm and the outer arm are arranged along as overall profile of each flat plate-shaped terminal and have different profiles, the inner arm and the outer arm each have the corresponding lower reverse bent section, the corresponding outward inclined arm section, the corresponding upper reverse bent section and the corresponding inward inclined arm section which respectively correspond to the sections of the elastic arm portion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The card edge connector of claim 1, wherein the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm is spaced apart from the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm by a first spacing, the upper reverse bent section of the outer arm is spaced apart from the upper reverse bent section of the inner arm by a second spacing, the inward inclined wall section of the outer arm is spaced apart from the inward inclined wall section of the inner arm by a third spacing, and the second spacing is larger than the first spacing and the third spacing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The card edge connector of claim 2, wherein a thickness refers to a plate thickness of each flat plate-shaped terminal, and a width refers to a width of each section of each flat plate-shaped terminal along a plate surface direction, wherein the width of the upper reverse bent section of the inner arm is the largest among the sections of the inner arm and the sections of the outer arm, wherein the width of the lower reverse bent section of the inner arm is the smallest among the sections of the inner arm, and the width of the lower reverse bent section of the outer arm is the smallest among the sections of the outer arm, wherein the width of the lower reverse bent section of the inner arm is larger than or equal to the width of the lower reverse bent section of the outer arm, the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm is larger than or equal to the width of the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm, the width of the inward inclined arm section of the inner arm is larger than or equal to the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The card edge connector of claim 3, wherein the second spacing is larger than the first spacing, and the first spacing is larger than the third spacing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The card edge connector of claim 4, wherein the width of the lower reverse bent section of the inner arm is equal to the width of the lower reverse bent section of the outer arm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The card edge connector of claim 5, wherein a ratio of the width of the inner arm to the thickness of the inner arm range from 1.3 to 2.3, and a ratio of the width of the outer arm to the thickness of the outer arm range from 1.3 to 2.3. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The card edge connector of claim 1, wherein the contact portion has a contact edge and a guide edge, the guide edge is positioned above the contact edge, wherein the plurality of flat plate-shaped terminals comprise a first row of flat plate-shaped terminals and a second row of flat plate-shaped terminal, each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row is mounted in each terminal groove of the first wall body, each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row is mount in each terminal groove of the second wall body, wherein a height of the contact portion of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row is lower than a height of the contact portion of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row, wherein a sharp angle between the guide edge of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row and the up-down direction is larger than a sharp angle between the guide edge of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row and the up-down direction, and wherein the width of the upper reverse bent section of the inner arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row is larger than the width of the upper reverse bent section of the inner arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The card edge connector of claim 7, wherein the width of the inward inclined arm section of the inner arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row is larger than the width of the inward inclined arm section of the inner arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row, wherein the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row is equal to the width of the upper reverse bent section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first tow, the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row is equal to the width of the upper reverse bent section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row, the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row is larger than the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row, wherein the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row is larger than or equal to the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row, wherein the width of the lower reverse bent section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row, the width of the lower reverse bent section of the inner arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row, the width of the lower reverse bent section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row, the width of the lower reverse bent section of the inner arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row, the width of the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row, the width of the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row and the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm of each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row are equal to each other. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The card edge connector of claim 8, wherein in each flat plate-shaped terminal of the first row: the width of the upper reverse bent section of the inner arm is larger than the width of the upper reverse bent section of the outer arm, the width of the inward inclined arm section of the inner arm is equal to the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm, the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm is larger than or equal to the width of the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm, the width of the lower reverse bent section of the inner arm is equal to the width of the lower reverse bent section of the outer arm, the width of the upper reverse bent section of the inner arm is larger than the width of the inward inclined arm section of the inner arm, the width of the inward inclined arm section of the inner arm is larger than or equal to the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm, the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm is larger than or equal to the width of the lower reverse bent section of the inner arm, the width of the upper reverse bent section of the outer arm is equal to the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm, the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm is larger than the width of the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm, the width of the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm is equal to the width of the lower reverse bent section of the outer arm, the ratio of the width of the inner arm to the thickness of the inner arm and the ratio of the width of the outer arm to the thickness of the outer arm each range from 1.3 to 2.3, wherein in each flat plate-shaped terminal of the second row: the width of the upper reverse bent section of the inner arm is larger than the width of the upper reverse bent section of the outer arm, the width of the inward inclined arm section of the inner arm is larger than the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm, the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm is equal to the width of the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm, the width of the lower reverse bent section of the inner arm equal to the width of the lower reverse bent section of the outer arm, the width of the upper reverse bent section of the inner arm is equal to the width of the inward inclined arm section of the inner arm, the width of the inward inclined arm section of the inner arm is larger than the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm, the width of the outward inclined arm section of the inner arm is equal to the width of the lower reverse bent section of the inner arm, the width of the upper reverse bent section of the outer arm is equal to the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm, the width of the inward inclined arm section of the outer arm is equal to the width of the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm, the width of the outward inclined arm section of the outer arm is equal to the width of the lower reverse bent section of the outer arm, the ratio of the width of the inner arm to the thickness of the inner arm and the ratio of the width of the outer arm to the thickness of the outer arm each range from 1.3 to 2.0. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The card edge connector of claim 1, wherein each flat plate-shaped terminal further comprises a holding portion, the holding portion is configured to be interference fixed with the insulating housing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The card edge connector of claim 10, wherein the holding portion is integrally formed with the flat plate-shaped terminal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The card edge connector of claim 10, wherein the card edge connector further comprises a plurality of support blocks, each support block is positioned between the base portion and the holding portion, wherein each terminal groove further comprises a support block receiving groove, the support block receiving grooves are communicated with each other, the support blocks are arranged side by side along with longitudinal direction in the support block receiving grooves which are communicated with each other. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The card edge connector of claim 12, wherein the holding portion further comprises an interference protrusion, and wherein each support block receiving groove further comprises a shallow groove, the interference protrusion is interference fixed with the shallow groove. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The card edge connector of claim 13, wherein each flat plate-shaped terminal further comprises a tail portion, the insulating housing further comprises a plurality of terminal tail portions fixing grooves, the terminal tail portion fixing groove is configured to position and receive the tail portion of the flat plate-shaped terminal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 7) The card edge connector of claim 7, wherein an upper end of an inside of the first wall body has an inclined insertion guiding surface toward the card edge inserting groove.