Connector assembly having signal and ground terminals

• US 5,984,698 A
• Filed: 02/27/1998
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Molex Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Molex Incorporated
• Inventors: Hirata, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): DONOVAN, LINCOLN D
• Application Number:
  US09/032,210
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 439/101, 439/497, 439/606, 439/607, 439/608, 439/609, 439/610
• US Class Current: 439/101
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/725 containing contact members presenting a contact carrying strip, e.g. edge-like strip

Abstract

An improved electrical connector assembly for mounting to a printed circuit board (6) and for receiving a PC card. The electrical connector assembly includes a housing (3) having signal terminals (1) and ground terminals (2), wherein the tail portions (11) of the signal terminals are of surface mount type and the tail portions (21) of the ground terminals are of through-hole type. The tail portions of the ground terminals extend in at least one row toward the circuit board between the tail portions of the signal terminals and the rear end of the housing. In this configuration, the signal terminal tail portions and the ground terminal tail portions can be simultaneously soldered and all of the solder joints can be inspected without obstruction, the surface mount solder joints inspected from an upper surface (7) of the circuit board and the through-hole solder joints can be inspected from a lower surface (8) of the circuit board. The ground terminals, in the form of a unitary ground shield, are positioned on an upper surface of the housing (3).

Claims

1. An electrical connector assembly for mounting to a printed circuit board (6) comprising:

a housing (3) having a forward mating end for receiving a PC card and a rear end (5);

a plurality of signal terminals (2) mounted in the housing, each signal terminal including a contact portion (12) for contacting the card and a surface mount tail portion (11) adapted to be solder connected to conductors on the circuit board, the surface mount tail portion (11) having an extending portion (13) extending from the rear end of the housing and a mounting portion (14) adapted to make contact with a surface (7) of the circuit board; and

a plurality of ground terminals (2) mounted on the housing, each ground terminal including a contact portion (22) for contacting a portion of the card and a through-hole tail portion (21) adapted to be solder connected to conductors of the circuit board, the through-hole tail portion (21) extending toward the circuit board (6) and having a tip portion (24) adapted to be inserted into a hole in the circuit board (6), wherein the through-hole tail portions of the ground terminals extend to the circuit board between adjacent extending portions of the surface mount tail portions of the signal terminals,

said surface mount tail portions (11) of said signal terminals (1) forming a single row of surface mount tail portions, and said through-hole tail portions (21) of said ground terminals (2) forming a single row of through-hole tail portions, wherein the single row of through-hole tail portions is positioned between the single row of surface mount tail portions and said rear end (5) of said housing.

2. The electrical connector assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the through-hole tail portion of the ground terminal includes a recessed portion (23) located on a portion of the tail portion so as to avoid contact with an adjacent signal terminal tail portion (11).

3. The electrical connector assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the ground terminals are in the form of a unitary stamped and formed ground shroud mounted on an upper surface of the housing (3).

4. The electrical connector assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the surface mount tail portions and the through-hole tail portions are adapted to be reflow soldered to the underlying circuit board simultaneously, and the solder joints of the surface mount tail portions (11) can be inspected from the upper surface (7) of the printed circuit board and the solder joints of the through-hole tail portions (21) can be inspected from an opposite surface (8) of the printed circuit board (6).