Edge card connector
AssigneeMolex Incorporated
InventorsShoji Yamada, Yoshihisa Yamamoto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A connector for an edge card has a plurality of contact terminals spaced apart in an elongated connector housing. Each terminal has a general U-shape contact portion which extends transverse through a contact cavity slot. The contact portion is horizontally cantilevered from a vertical cantilevered positioning portion which is disposed within a recess associated with the contact cavity, and is further displaceable therein in response to insertion of an edge card into the connector card slot. The insertion of the edge card into the card slot causes the terminal to partially deflect within the recess to bring an opposing contact surface into reliable contact with the edge card.
Claims26
A push/pull edge card connector for providing an electrical connection between a first plurality of contacts on a primary circuit member and a second plurality of contacts on a printed circuit card, the circuit card having a plurality of contacts disposed on an edge thereof, the circuit card edge being insertable into and removable from the connector, said circuit card being generally planar in nature and having first and second circuit faces, each of the first and second circuit faces having a row of circuit card contacts generally parallel to and adjacent an edge of said circuit card, one card contact of each row being laterally aligned with and electrically connected to a card contact of the other row to establish a pair of aligned contact pads, and wherein said connector includes means for mounting said connector to the primary circuit member, said connector comprising:
- a generally elongated connector housing formed from an electrically insulative material, the connector housing having a lower face adapted for positioning adjacent said primary circuit member and an upper face spaced-apart therefrom having an elongated card slot disposed therein and extending between two opposing end portions of said connector, the card slot being adapted to receive said circuit card edge therein in an electrically operative manner, the connector housing further including a plurality of contact-receiving cavities spaced apart along said card slot and at least partially in communication therewith, said card slot having a predetermined longitudinal centerline;
- a stamped and formed resilient contact terminal disposed in each of said contact-receiving cavities, each contact terminal including a tail for electrically and mechanically interconnecting said contact terminal to one of said first plurality of contacts on said primary circuit member, a positioning portion integrally joined to the tail portion at one end of said positioning portion and a generally U-shaped circuit card-receiving portion integrally joined to the positioning portion at a second end of said positioning portion, the positioning portion including a cantilevered member extending within said contact cavity and being deflectable within said contact cavity, the card-receiving portion including first and second spring arms, contact portions of the first and second spring arms protruding into said card slot for slidingly engaging said contact pads upon insertion of said circuit card into said elongated slot, each said contact terminal having a width in a direction parallel to the longitudinal centerline of said card slot substantially greater than the thickness of the material from which it is formed;
- and
- said housing being configured and said contact terminals being positioned in said contact-receiving cavities such that said tail portions of adjacent contact elements are positioned on opposite sides of said longitudinal centerline of said elongated slot to define a staggered pattern.
In an electrical connector for providing an electrical connection between a plurality of card contacts on a circuit card generally adjacent an edge thereof and a plurality of board contacts on a circuit board, said circuit card being generally planar and having first and second faces, said first and second faces each having a row of card contacts generally parallel to and adjacent said edge, one card contact of each row being laterally aligned with and electrically connected to a card contact of the other row to establish a pair of aligned contact pads, said connector including an insulative housing having a lower face for positioning adjacent said circuit board, an upper face having an elongated card slot therein for receiving said edge of said circuit card, and a plurality of contact-receiving cavities spaced along the card slot and in communication therewith, said card slot having a longitudinal centerline, a stamped and formed resiliently deflectable contact terminal positioned in each of said contact-receiving cavities, each contact terminal having a tail portion for electrically and mechanically interconnecting said contact terminal to one of the board contacts of said circuit board, and a generally U-shaped circuit card receiving portion for contacting both contact pads of one of said pairs of contact pads, said generally U-shaped card-receiving portion having first and second resilient arms with contact portions thereon for slidingly engaging said contact pads when said circuit card is inserted into said card slot, each said contact terminal having a width in a direction parallel to the longitudinal centerline of said card slot substantially greater than the thickness of the material from which it is formed, wherein the improvement comprises:
- said tail portion being offset from the longitudinal centerline of said elongated slot;
- and
- said contact terminals being positioned in said contact-receiving cavities such that said tail portions of adjacent contact elements are positioned on opposite sides of said longitudinal centerline of said elongated slot.
An edge card connector for receiving the edge of a circuit card comprising:
- an elongated housing having a circuit card receiving face with an elongated circuit card slot longitudinally extending therein between two opposing ends of the housing, the housing having a plurality of equally spaced contact terminal-receiving cavities separated by partition walls, each of said cavities having a distinct recess associated therewith, each cavity having an aperture extending therethrough;
- a plurality of stamped and formed resilient contact terminals being disposed in respective cavities, each said contact terminal having a width in a direction parallel to the longitudinal centerline of said card slot substantially greater than the thickness of the material from which it is formed and including a tail portion extending through said cavity aperture, a positioning portion extending upwardly from the terminal tail portion through said cavity recess and a circuit card-receiving portion extending from an end of said positioning portion opposite said tail portion and projecting into said card slot, each card-receiving portion including a pair of opposing contact arms extending upwardly from an interconnecting bight portion, said two contact arms and said bight portion defining said U-shaped circuit card-receiving portion of said terminal, a first of said two contact arms being integrally joined to said positioning portion, the second of said two contact arms having a free end, the terminal positioning portion being deflectable in said cavity recess between distinct first and second operative positions, said terminal further including at least one shoulder portion adjacent a junction of said positioning portion and said circuit card-receiving portion, each shoulder being positioned adjacent a respective stop surface of said cavity recess when said terminal is in said first operative position, thereby preventing said positioning portion from deflecting into said card slot, said positioning portion being deflected into the second operative position upon insertion of a circuit card into said card slot whereby said positioning portion is deflected into said cavity recess and the second contact arm is deflected towards the centerline of said card slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.