Card edge connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9972928-B1
Application number	US-201715672377-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 9, 2017
Priority date	Mar 9, 2017
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A plurality of pairs of contact terminals accommodated in a card edge connector include back surface members having one ends to which lead wires are connected and another ends being folded to form movable members. Until a circuit board of a control unit is inserted, end portions of the movable members are held in conductive contact with each other. When the circuit board is inserted, the movable members are separated and brought into contact with copper foil terminals. When the circuit board is removed, the movable members plastically deform and are opposed to each other with an initial gap smaller than a thickness dimension of the circuit board. With this arrangement, wiring inspection may be performed with opposed movable members shorted to one another, but for subsequent circuit board insertion at the second or subsequent insertion and removal of the circuit board, the movable members will be slightly separated by a gap to suppress slide abrasion during insertion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A card edge connector, which is mainly constructed by a connector housing formed of a resin-molded material to be removably fixed to a control unit including a plurality of front and back pairs of copper foil terminals provided on both surfaces at an end portion of a circuit board, the card edge connector integrally accommodating a plurality of front and back pairs of contact terminals to be brought into conductive contact with the plurality of pairs of copper foil terminals, the card edge connector being configured to be removably mounted to the control unit,
wherein the card edge connector constructs a wire harness including lead wires having one ends connected to the plurality of pairs of contact terminals and another ends connected to at least one mating connector,
wherein each of the plurality of pairs of contact terminals comprises:
a front and back pair of back surface members having one ends connected to the lead wires; and
a front and back pair of movable members formed integrally with the pair of back surface members,

wherein the pair of movable members are held in conductive contact with each other until the circuit board is inserted,
wherein, when the circuit board is inserted, the conductive contact is released, and an elastic stress is reduced by plastic deformation of the pair of movable members, and the circuit board is brought into conductive contact with the plurality of pairs of copper foil terminals,
wherein, when the circuit board is once inserted and then removed, the plastic deformation of the pair of movable members releases the conductive contact of the pair of movable members, and the pair of movable members are opposed to each other with an initial gap having a dimension smaller than a thickness dimension of the circuit board, and
wherein, when the circuit board is inserted again, the initial gap is increased, and the pair of movable members are brought into conductive contact with the pair of copper foil terminals.

2. The card edge connector according to claim 1 ,
wherein a front and back pair of contact surface portions of the pair of contact terminals to be brought into contact with the pair of copper foil terminals are arranged apart by a dimension equal to or more than a predetermined preliminary insertion dimension from positions at which the end surfaces of the circuit board are first brought into abutment against the movable members,
wherein the pair of contact terminals are conductive members having elasticity, which are constructed by the pair of back surface members and the pair of movable members, the pair of back surface members having one ends to which the one ends of the lead wires are connected, the pair of movable members being formed by folding back the another ends of the pair of back surface members,
wherein the pair of movable members include the pair of contact surface portions having folded end portions from the pair of back surface members being supporting points, and
wherein the pair of contact surface portions are separated from the pair of back surface members in a relationship in which the front and back pair of contact surfaces are held in conductive contact with each other until the circuit board is inserted, and an elastic property of the pair of contact terminals is set in a relationship that, when the circuit board is inserted between the pair of contact surfaces beyond the preliminary insertion dimension, and then removed, folded support portions of the pair of movable members are plastically deformed, and the initial gap equal to or less than the thickness dimension of the circuit board is formed between the pair of contact surfaces.

3. The card edge connector according to claim 2 ,
wherein a pair of elastic hooks are provided at intermediate positions of the pair of back surface members of the pair of contact terminals, and a pair of engagement portions to be brought into engagement with the pair of elastic hooks are provided at distal end positions of the pair of movable members,
wherein, when the circuit board is inserted between the pair of movable members, the pair of movable members are separated from each other, and the pair of elastic hooks deform and retreat so that the pair of engagement portions are brought into engagement with the pair of elastic hooks, and
wherein, when the circuit board is removed, the state of engagement of the pair of elastic hooks with the pair of engagement portions is maintained, and the pair of contact surface portions are opposed to each other with the initial gap.

4. The card edge connector according to claim 1 ,
wherein a front and back pair of contact surface portions of the pair of contact terminals to be brought into contact with the pair of copper foil terminals are arranged apart by a dimension equal to or more than a predetermined preliminary insertion dimension from positions at which the end surfaces of the circuit board are first brought into abutment against the movable members,
wherein the pair of contact terminals are conductive members having elasticity, which are constructed by the pair of back surface members and the pair of movable members, the pair of back surface members having one ends to which the one ends of the lead wires are connected, the pair of movable members being formed by being pushed out from intermediate positions of the pair of back surface members,
wherein the pair of movable members include the pair of contact surface portions having pushed-up end portions from the pair of back surface members being supporting points, and
wherein the pair of contact surface portions are separated from the pair of back surface members in a relationship in which the front and back pair of contact surfaces are held in conductive contact with each other until the circuit board is inserted, and an elastic property of the pair of contact terminals is set in a relationship that, when the circuit board is inserted between the pair of contact surfaces beyond the preliminary insertion dimension, and then removed, push-out support portions of the pair of movable members are plastically deformed, and the initial gap equal to or less than the thickness dimension of the circuit board is formed between the pair of contact surfaces.

5. The card edge connector according to claim 4 ,
wherein a pair of elastic hooks are provided at distal end positions of the pair of back surface members of the pair of contact terminals, and a pair of engagement portions to be brought into engagement with the pair of elastic hooks are provided at distal end positions of the pair of movable members,
wherein, when the circuit board is inserted between the pair of movable members, the pair of movable members are separated from each other, and the pair of elastic hooks deform and retreat so that the pair of engagement portions are brought into engagement with the pair of elastic hooks, and
wherein, when the circuit board is removed, the state of engagement of the pair of elastic hooks with the pair of engagement portions is maintained, and the pair of contact surface portions are opposed to each other with the initial gap.

6. The card edge connector according to claim 1 ,
wherein an end surface fixing member is provided at an end surface position of the circuit board to be inserted between the pair of movable members, and
wherein the end surface fixing member and the plurality of pairs of copper foil terminals are arranged at coordinate positions with common reference holes formed in the circuit board being reference points.

7. The card edge connector according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pair of movable members comprise a pair of contact surface portions with one of the folded end portions or push-out end portions from the pair of back surface members being

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kanzaki Shozo
• Arimai Fumiaki
• Nishizaki Hiroyoshi
• Nakanishi Masato
• Iguchi Shingo

Classifications

• H01R12/75

  connecting to cables except for flat or ribbon cables · CPC title

• H01R12/7094

  with switch operated by engagement of PCB · CPC title

• H01R12/721 Primary

  cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits · CPC title

• H01R13/642

  by position or shape of contact members · CPC title

• H05K1/117

  Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors · CPC title