Electric connector assembly with improved locking characteristics

• US 5,931,689 A
• Filed: 08/06/1997
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Molex Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Molex Incorporated
• Inventors: Patel, Arvind
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHIEM M
• Application Number:
  US08/906,694
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 439/74, 439/78, 439/83, 439/346, 439/350, 439/357, 439/660
• US Class Current: 439/346
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/57 surface mounting terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/73 connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/20 Pins, blades, or sockets shaped, or provided with separate member, to retain co-operating parts together

Abstract

A connector assembly for holding connector components together. A plug connector in the assembly has a housing with side walls and a pedestal for housing contact portions of terminals which engage contact portions of terminals in an opposing receptacle connector. End walls of the pedestal include a laterally, central projection for engagement with corresponding indentations in end walls of an opposing receptacle connector. The projection is disposed in the plug connector at a different elevation than the tops of the contact portions so engagement with corresponding components of the receptacle connector are not simultaneous to dilute insertion force.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for mating with a corresponding opposing electrical connector in order to effect a connection between two curcuit boards, said connector comprising:

a housing formed from an electrically insulative material, including a bottom, a pedestal projecting from said bottom of said housing, said pedestal including a pair of opposed pedestal side walls and a pair of opposed pedestal end walls, a plurality of electrically conductive terminals disposed in spaced-apart order in said housing along a longitudinal axis of said housing, the terminals each including a retention portion for retaining said terminal in place in said spaced-apart order in said housing and a contact portion disposed along said pedestal side walls for contacting an opposing terminal of the opposing connector, and a rigid projection centrally disposed directly on the pedestal end wall for engaging a correspondingly configured indentation in a complementary wall of the opposing connector during mating to maintain said connector in mating engagement with the opposing connector.

2. The connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said terminals further include a locking portion for engaging a portion of a housing of the opposing connector upon mating said connector with the opposing connector.

3. The connector as defined in claim 2, wherein said locking portion of said terminals is spaced apart from said contact portion to define an intervening nest therebetween that receives part of the opposing connector when the opposing connector is mated to said connector.

4. The connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said projection is disposed at a higher elevation above said floor than a top of said contact portion.

5. The connector as defined in claim 2, wherein a top of said contact portion is disposed at a higher elevation above said floor than a top of said locking portion.

6. The connector as defined in claim 1, wherein a top of said contact portion and said projection are disposed at different elevations above said bottom of said housing.

7. The connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said retention portion has opposing, symmetrical edges defining a face, each opposing edge includes an insertion segment said insertion segment adjoining a first vertical segment, said first vertical segment being angularly related to said insertion segment, said first vertical segment adjoining a radially recessed segment, said recessed segment adjoining a second vertical segment, an area of said face adjacent said insertion segment of each edge tapering in a plane which is angularly related to the plane defined by said face.

8. The connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said retention portion is disposed on said terminal on said locking portion.

9. The connector as defined in claim 7, wherein said vertical edges of said retention portion skive into inner walls of a lock cavity in said housing.

10. The connector as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes a pair of opposed side walls projecting from said bottom, each of said side walls facing a respective one of said pedestal side walls.

11. The connector as defined in claim 10 wherein said pedestal is disposed higher above said bottom of said housing than said side walls.

12. The connector as defined in claim 1 in combination with the opposing electrical connector comprising an electrical connector assembly.

14. The connector defined in claim 11, wherein said terminals further include a locking portion for engaging a portion of a housing of the opposing connector during mating of said connector with the opposing connector, said locking portion being spaced apart from said contact portion and a top of said locking portion being disposed at an elevation with respect to said bottom which avoids simultaneous initial contact by said top of said locking portion with the opposing connector and by one of said projection and said contact portions with respective portions of the opposing connector.

13. An electrical connector for mating with a corresponding opposing electrical connector in order to effect a connection between two circuit boards, said connector comprising:

a housing formed from an electrically insulative material, including a bottom, a pair of opposed side walls projecting from said bottom, a pedestal projecting from said bottom of said housing comprising a pair of opposed pedestal side walls each facing a respective one of said pair of opposed side walls of said housing and a pair of opposed pedestal end walls, a plurality of electrically conductive terminals disposed in spaced-apart order in said housing along a longitudinal axis of said housing, the terminals each including a retention portion for retaining said terminal in place in said spaced-apart order in said housing, a contact portion disposed along said pedestal walls for contacting a respective terminal of the opposing connector upon mating said connector with the opposing connector and a locking portion for engaging a portion of a housing of the opposing connector during mating of said connector with the opposing connector, said locking portion being spaced apart from said contact portion, and a projection disposed on at least one of said end pedestal walls for engaging a correspondingly configured indentation in a complementary wall of the opposing connector during mating to maintain said connector in mating engagement with the opposing connector, tops of said projection, said locking portions and said contact portions being disposed at different elevations with respect to said bottom to avoid simultaneous initial contact by said tops of said projection, said locking portions and said contact portions with respective portions of the opposing connector.

15. A terminal for an electrical connector having a contact portion, a tail portion and a retention portion, said retention portion comprising:

two substantially similar edges, each of said edges including an insertion segment, a first vertical segment adjoining said insertion segment, said insertion segment being angularly related to said first vertical segment, a radially recessed segment adjoining said first vertical segment, and a second vertical segment adjoining said radially recessed segment; and

said retention portion defining a face and areas of said face adjacent to said insertion segment of each edge being tapered angularly with respect to a plane defined by said face.

16. An electrical connector for mating with a corresponding opposing electrical connector in order to effect a connection between two circuit boards, said connector comprising:

a housing formed from an electrically insulative material, including a bottom, a pedestal projecting from said bottom of said housing, said pedestal including a pair of opposed pedestal side walls and a pair of opposed pedestal end walls, a plurality of electrically conductive terminals disposed in spaced-apart order in said housing along a longitudinal axis of said housing, the terminals each including a retention portion for retaining said terminal in place in said spaced-apart order in said housing, a locking portion for engaging a portion of a housing of the opposing connector upon mating said connector with the opposing connector and a contact portion disposed along said pedestal side walls for contacting an opposing terminal of the opposing connector, said locking portion of said terminals being spaced apart from said contact portion to define an intervening nest therebetween that receives part of the opposing connector when the opposing connector is mated to said connector and a projection centrally disposed on the pedestal end wall for engaging a correspondingly configured indentation in a complementary wall of the opposing connector during mating to maintain said connector in mating engagement with the opposing connector.

17. An electrical connector for mating with a corresponding opposing electrical connector in order to effect a connection between two circuit boards, said connector comprising:

a housing formed from an electrically insulative material, including a bottom, a pedestal projecting from said bottom of said housing, said pedestal including a pair of opposed pedestal side walls and a pair of opposed pedestal end walls, a plurality of electrically conductive terminals disposed in spaced-apart order in said housing along a longitudinal axis of said housing, the terminals each including a retention portion for retaining said terminal in place in said spaced-apart order in said housing, a locking portion for engaging a portion of a housing of the opposing connector upon mating said connector with the opposing connector and a contact portion disposed along said pedestal side walls for contacting an opposing terminal of the opposing connector, a top of said contact portion being disposed at a higher elevation above said floor than a top of said locking portion, and a projection centrally disposed on the pedestal end wall for engaging a correspondingly configured indentation in a complementary wall of the opposing connector during mating to maintain said connector in mating engagement with the opposing connector.