US 5,411,404 AGranted

Electrical connector having bus bars providing circuit board retention

AssigneeThe Whitaker Corporation

InventorsIosif Korsunsky, Tod M. Harlan, Joanne E. Shipe

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Abstract

An electrical connector (10) of the type having an array of signal contacts (22) surface mountable to pads of a circuit board (20), with at least one ground bus (40) having a plurality of post sections (44,50,52) insertable into through holes (34) of the circuit board. At least two of the post sections (50,52) include protuberances (54,56) proximate free ends thereof adapted to bear against side walls of the respective through holes upon insertion thereinto, for deflection of the shanks (62,64) of the post sections in the opposite direction. The protuberance of each of the at least two post sections extends in opposed directions along the row of posts, thus cooperating to act as a clamp of modest force to retain the connector to the board prior to contact soldering. The deflectable shank (62,64) preferably has a reduced cross-sectional area at root (66,68) facilitating deflection in the plastic region.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A ground bus for an electrical connector of the type mountable onto a circuit board and including an array of signal terminals having solder tails electrically connectable to circuits of the circuit board and further including contact sections exposed at the connector mating face, the ground bus having a mating section exposed at a mating face of the connector and a plurality of ground posts extending from a board mounting face of the connector adapted to be inserted into respective through holes of the circuit board and soldered, the ground bus comprising:

a body section disposed within a dielectric housing of the connector and including a mating section exposed at a mating face of the connector, and a plurality of pairs of said ground posts extending from the body section, each of said ground posts being spaced apart from the others for insertion into a respective through hole of the circuit board, each said ground post including a base section disposed within a respective passageway of the housing, and a beam section extending beyond the mounting face of the housing to a free end adapted to be inserted into a respective said through hole of the circuit board to be soldered therewithin,
one of said ground posts of each of said pairs including a protuberance extending from an edge of a respective said beam section proximate said free end in a first direction parallel to said ground bus body section, and the other of said ground posts of each of said pairs including a protuberance extending from an edge of a respective said beam section proximate said free end in a direction opposite said first direction,
said protuberances extending from an edge of a respective said beam section to engage side walls of said respective through holes and deflect said beam section toward opposing side walls of said through holes with the thus-deflected beam sections bearing against the engaged side walls under spring bias sufficient to provide a modest mechanical retention of the connector to the circuit board until soldering.

An electrical bus member for an electrical connector of the type mountable onto a circuit board, the bus member having a mating section exposed at a mating face of the connector and a plurality of posts extending from a board mounting face of the connector adapted to be inserted into respective through holes of the circuit board and soldered, the bus member comprising:

a body section disposed within a dielectric housing of the connector and including a mating section exposed at a mating face of the connector, and a plurality of said posts extending from the body section and spaced from each other for insertion into respective through holes of the circuit board, each said post including a base section disposed within a respective passageway of the housing, and a beam section extending beyond the mounting face of the housing to a free end adapted to be inserted into a respective through hole of a circuit board to be soldered therewithin,
at least one of said posts including a protuberance extending from an edge of a respective said beam section proximate said free end in a first direction parallel to said bus body section, and at least another of said posts including a protuberance extending from an edge of a respective said beam section proximate said free end in a direction opposite said first direction;
said protuberances extending from an edge of a respective said beam section to engage side:walls of said respective through holes and deflect said beam section toward opposing side walls of said through holes with the thus-deflected beam sections bearing against the engaged side walls under spring bias sufficient to provide a modest mechanical retention of the connector to the circuit board until soldering;
each said one and said other of said posts includes a root joining said beam section to a respective said base section having a cross-sectional area reduced from a general cross-sectional area of the remainder of said beam section between said root and said protuberance;
and
each said one of said posts is separated from each said other of said posts by a said post having no protuberance.

3 more elements

An electrical connector of the type mountable onto a circuit board, comprising:

a dielectric housing having a mating face and a mounting face, and including at least a conductive member having a plurality of posts extending from the mounting face for insertion into respective through holes of the circuit board and soldering thereto;
each said post including a beam section extending beyond the mounting face of the housing for a free end adapted to be inserted into a respective through hole of the circuit board to be soldered therewithin,
at least one of said posts including a protuberance extending from an edge of a respective said beam section proximate said free end in a first direction, and at least another of said posts including a protuberance extending from an edge of a respective said beam section proximate said free end in a direction opposite said first direction;
said protuberances extending from an edge of a respective said beam section to engage side walls of said respective through holes and deflect said beam section toward opposing side walls of said through holes with the thus-deflected beam sections bearing against the engaged side walls under spring bias sufficient to provide a modest mechanical retention of the connector to the circuit board until soldering;
and
each said one and said other of said posts includes a root joining said beam section to a respective said base section having a cross-sectional area reduced from a general cross-sectional area of the remainder of said beam section between said root and said protuberance.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.