Dual connector system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10297963-B2
Application number	US-201715685069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2017
Priority date	Sep 15, 2016
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A dual connector system includes a host circuit board with first and second electrical connectors. The first electrical connector has a housing with a card slot. The second electrical connector has a housing having a latch member including a latching tab. The dual connector system includes a dual connector module having a module circuit board having contact pads. The dual connector module has a latching element that engages the latching tab to hold the dual connector module in the mated position with the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector. The dual connector system includes an ejector actuated to release the latching tab from the latch member to allow the dual connector module to unmate from the electrical connectors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual connector system comprising:
a host circuit board having a front mounting area and a rear mounting area;
a first electrical connector at the front mounting area of the host circuit board, the first electrical connector having a housing having a card slot;
a second electrical connector at the rear mounting area of the host circuit board, the second electrical connector having a housing having an upper mating surface, the second electrical connector having a latch member coupled to the housing, the latch member having a latching tab;
a dual connector module movable between a mated position and an unmated position with the first and second electrical connectors, the dual connector module having a module circuit board including an upper surface and a lower surface facing the host circuit board, the module circuit board having at least one communication component on the upper surface, the module circuit board having first and second side edges extending between a front edge and a rear edge, the module circuit board having front contact pads proximate to the front edge for electrically connecting to the first electrical connector, the module circuit board having rear contact pads remote from the front edge for electrically connecting to the second electrical connector, the dual connector module having a latching element proximate to the rear contact pads, the latching element engages the latching tab to hold the dual connector module in the mated position with the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector; and
an ejector coupled to the dual connector module, the ejector being actuated to release the latching tab from the latch member to allow the dual connector module to unmate from the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector.

2. The dual connector system of claim 1 , wherein the ejector includes a handle actuated to release the latching tab, the handle being pulled in a direction away from the first electrical connector to unmate the dual connector module from the first electrical connector.

3. The dual connector system of claim 1 , wherein the latching member is on the first side of the module circuit board, the latching tab engages the latching member on the module circuit board to hold the module circuit board in the first electrical connector.

4. The dual connector system of claim 1 , wherein the latch member includes a base coupled to the housing of the second electrical connector and a beam extending from the base, the latching tab being provided at a distal end of the beam.

5. The dual connector system of claim 4 , wherein the latch member includes a pocket receiving a tower of the housing of the second electrical connector, the tower having a hook configured to engage and secure the module circuit board to the second electrical connector, the beam extending around a side of the tower to a front of the tower, the latching tab extending forward of the tower.

6. The dual connector system of claim 4 , wherein the beam includes an abutment shoulder rearward of the latching tab, the abutment shoulder engaging the housing of the second electrical connector to support the latching tab.

7. The dual connector system of claim 1 , wherein the module circuit board includes a notch in the first side, the latching tab being received in the notch and engaging the latching element at the front of the notch.

8. The dual connector system of claim 1 , wherein the latching tab includes a board release tab at a top of the latching tab, the board release tab configured to engage the module circuit board as the module circuit board is being loaded downward onto the second electrical connector to force the latching tab outward to an unlatched position.

9. The dual connector system of claim 8 , wherein the dual connector module is slid forward to a mated position, the latching tab springing inward to a latched position against the latching element when the dual connector module is slid forward to the mated position.

10. The dual connector system of claim 1 , wherein the latch member includes an ejector release tab at a top of the latch member, the ejector engaging the ejector release tab when actuated to force the latch member outward to an unlatched position.

11. The dual connector system of claim 10 , wherein the ejector includes a release finger aligned with the ejector release tab, the release finger engaging the ejector release tab when the ejector is actuated to move the latching tab to the unlatched position.

12. A dual connector system comprising:
a host circuit board having a front mounting area and a rear mounting area;
a first electrical connector at the front mounting area of the host circuit board, the first electrical connector having a housing having a card slot, the housing holding first contacts at the card slot;
a second electrical connector at the rear mounting area of the host circuit board, the second electrical connector having a housing having an upper mating surface, the housing holding second contacts at the upper mating surface, the second electrical connector having a latch member coupled to the housing of the second electrical connector, the latch member having a latching tab;
a dual connector module matable with the first and second electrical connectors at first and second connector interfaces of the dual connector module, the dual connector module having a module circuit board including an upper surface and a lower surface facing the host circuit board, the module circuit board having at least one communication component on the upper surface, the module circuit board having first and second side edges extending between a front edge and a rear edge, the module circuit board having front contact pads proximate to the front edge for electrically connecting to the first electrical connector, the module circuit board having rear contact pads remote from the front edge for electrically connecting to the second electrical connector, the dual connector module having a latching element proximate to the rear contact pads, the latching element engages the latching tab to hold the dual connector module in the mated position with the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector, wherein the dual connector module is coupled to the host circuit board by lowering the dual connector module in a loading direction generally perpendicular to the host circuit board to a pre-staged, unmated position where the first connector interface is adjacent to the first electrical connector and the second connector interface is adjacent to the second electrical connector, the latching tab being unmated from the latching element in the unmated position, and wherein the dual connector module is slid forward from the pre-staged, unmated position to a mated position in a mating direction generally parallel to the upper surface of the host circuit board to mate the first connector interface to the first electrical connector by loading the front edge of the module circuit board into the card slot of the first electrical connector to mate the first contacts to the first contact pads and to mate the second connector interface to the second electrical connector to mate the second contacts to the second contact pads, the latching tab engaging the latching element in the mated position; and
an ejector coupled to the dual connector module, the ejector being actuated to release the latching tab from the latch member to allow the dual connector module to unmate from the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector and move to the unmated position.

13. The dual connector system of claim 12 , wherei

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Herring Michael David
• Tracy Nathan Lincoln

Classifications

• H01R12/714

  with contacts abutting directly the printed circuit; Button contacts therefore provided on the printed circuit · CPC title

• H01R13/6275

  Latching arms not integral with the housing (H01R13/6276, H01R13/6277, H01R13/6278 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01R24/005

  requiring successive relative motions to complete the coupling, e.g. bayonet type · CPC title

• H01R2107/00

  Four or more poles · CPC title

• H01R27/02 Primary

  for simultaneous co-operation with two or more {dissimilar} counterparts · CPC title