System, method, and device for a pre-loaded straddle mounted connector assembly

• US 6,315,620 B1
• Filed: 04/24/1998
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Moir, Michael Bruce, Thantrakul, Virat, Rosales, Michael A. Jr., Baxter, Scott Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): Sircus, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prasad, Chandrika
• Application Number:
  US09/066,007
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 439/79, 439/80, 439/59, 439/862, 439/66
• US Class Current: 439/862
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7082 Coupling device supported only by cooperation with PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/721 cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/24 resilient; resiliently-mounted
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 2211/03 Machines characterised by circuit boards, e.g. pcb
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/225 Terminal boxes or connection arrangements specially adapted for submersible motors H02K5/132

Abstract

A system, method, and device for electrical connection is disclosed. The system comprises a leaf-spring connector member having a leaf-spring connector housing and a plurality of leaf-spring elements for carrying electrical signals, and a pad connector member having a base and a plurality of electrically conductive pad elements aligned to be pressed against the plurality of leaf-spring elements. The leaf-spring elements are pre-loaded to exert increased spring forces when compressed by the electrically conductive pad elements, resulting in decreased ohmic resistance between the leaf-spring elements and the electrically conductive pad elements.

Claims

1. An electrical connector system comprising:

a first pad connector member having a plurality of primary electrically conductive pad elements;

a second pad connector member having a plurality of secondary electrically conductive pad elements positioned along an edge of a planar support structure; and

a straddle-mount electrical connector comprising;

a plurality of electrically conductive leaf-spring elements configured for alignment with the plurality of primary pad elements, each leaf-spring element including an exposed contact portion, a retained end adjacent the exposed contact portion, an elongated footing portion, and a spring-biased contact end adjacent the elongated footing portion; and

a housing having a base member, opposing side members and a retaining member extending between the opposing side members, the base member supporting substantially the entire length of the elongated footing portion of each leaf-spring element, and the retaining member including a lip securing the retained end of each leaf-spring element to allow the exposed contact portion of each leaf-spring element to extend above the housing, the opposing side members defining substantially parallel outward-facing grooves for receiving inward-facing parallel edges of the planar support structure to provide a straddle-mount connection of the housing to the planar support structure, and the spring-biased contact ends extending forward from the base member to slidably engage the secondary pad elements as the substantially parallel outward-facing grooves receive the inward-facing parallel edges of the planar support structure, the spring-biased contact ends pressing against the secondary pad elements with a spring force to facilitate frictional contact with the secondary pad elements.

2. The electrical connector system of claim 1, wherein the opposing side members of the housing extend forward from the base member to a greater extent than the spring-biased contact ends to protect the spring-biased contact ends prior to connecting the housing to the planar support structure.

3. The electrical connector system of claim 2, wherein the leaf-spring elements are pre-loaded by bending each leaf-spring element against its natural state to define a bend between the exposed contact portion and the elongated footing portion such that the retained end of each leaf-spring element is urged against the housing lip and the elongated footing portion of each leaf-spring element is urged against the housing base member by the natural spring force of the leaf-spring element.

4. The electrical connector system of claim 2, wherein leading openings of the substantially parallel outward-facing grooves are chamfered for self-alignment of the inward-facing parallel edges of the planar support structure when the inward-facing parallel edges are received within the outward-facing grooves.

5. The electrical connector system of claim 2, wherein the substantially parallel outward-facing grooves further include:

a malleable vertical rib for vertical alignment and self-retention of the housing to the inward-facing parallel edges of the planar support structure; and

a malleable horizontal rib for horizontal alignment and self-retention of the housing to the inward-facing parallel edges of the planar support structure.

6. The electrical connector system of claim 5, wherein:

each vertical rib is chamfered for self-alignment of the planar support structure when the inward-facing parallel edges of the planar support structure are received within the outward-facing grooves; and

each horizontal rib is chamfered for self-alignment of the planar support structure when the inward-facing parallel edges of the planar support structure are received within the outward-facing grooves.

7. The electrical connector system of claim 2, further comprising:

a protective cap including a top surface, a bottom surface, a rear surface and partial side walls defining an open mouth at a front end of the protective cap for receiving substantially the entire housing and covering the exposed contact portions of the leaf-spring elements.

8. The electrical connector system of claim 7, wherein the partial side walls of the protective cap contact an outer surface of each of the opposing side members of the connector housing to center the connector housing within the open mouth of the protective cap.

9. The electrical connector system of claim 8, wherein the partial side walls of the protective cap extend vertically from one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the protective cap to define a gap with the other one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the protective cap, the gap having a height dimension greater than a height dimension of the outward-facing grooves formed in the opposing side members of the connector housing to prevent interfering with the straddle-mount connection of the connector housing to the planar support structure.

10. The electrical connector system of claim 9, wherein a height dimension between the top surface and the bottom surface of the protective cap is smaller than a height dimension between the base member of the connector housing and an apex of the exposed contact portions of the leaf-spring elements to compress the leaf-spring elements and retentively hold the connector within the open mouth of the protective cap.

11. The electrical connector system of claim 10, wherein the rear surface of the protective cap defines an indentation for properly aligning the protective cap during automated assembly of the straddle-mount electrical connector to the planar support structure.

12. A method of attaching a straddle-mount electrical connector to a planar support structure, the connector including a housing having a base member, opposing side members and a retaining member extending between the opposing side members, the opposing side members defining substantially parallel outward-facing grooves, the method comprising the steps of:

retaining a plurality of electrically conductive, pre-loaded leaf-spring elements within the housing, each leaf-spring element including an exposed contact portion extending above the retaining member of the connector housing and a spring-biased contact end extending forward from the base member between the opposing side members of the connector housing;

inserting the connector housing within a protective cap, the protective cap including a top surface, a bottom surface, a rear surface and partial side walls defining an open mouth for receiving the connector housing, the top surface of the cap having a length dimension sufficient to cover the exposed contact portions of the leaf-spring elements, and the connector housing oriented within the protective cap so that the outward facing grooves and the spring-biased contact ends extend from the open mouth of the cap;

aligning the protective cap with a notch defined in the planar support structure, the notch defining inward-facing parallel edges separated by a distance substantially equal to a distance separating the outward-facing grooves in the opposing side members of the connector housing;

pushing the rear surface of the protective cap toward the notch to fit the outward-facing grooves of the connector side members over the inward-facing edges of the planar support structure and produce a tongue-in-groove straddle-mount attachment of the connector to the planar support structure;

sliding the spring-biased contact ends over a plurality of electrically conductive pad elements formed on a surface of the planar support structure adjacent a leading edge of the notch;

vertically deflecting the spring-biased contact ends upon contact with the electrically conductive pad elements to create a compressive force between the spring-biased contact ends and the pad elements of the planar support structure; and

removing the cap from the connector to uncover the exposed contact portions of the leaf-spring elements.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising the step of soldering the spring-biased contact ends to the conductive pad elements after the step of removing the cap from the connector.

14. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the step of inserting the connector housing within a protective cap further comprises the step of engaging the partial side walls of the protective cap with the opposing side members of the connector housing to center the connector housing within the open mouth of the protective cap.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein the partial side walls of the protective cap extend vertically from one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the protective cap to define a gap with the other one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the protective cap, the gap having a height dimension greater than a height dimension of the outward-facing grooves formed in the opposing side members of the connector housing to prevent the protective cap from interfering with the tongue-in-groove straddle-mount attachment of the connector to the planar support structure.

16. A method as defined in claim 12 wherein:

a height dimension between the top surface and the bottom surface of the protective cap is smaller than a height dimension between the base member of the connector housing and an apex of the exposed contact portions of the leaf-spring elements; and

the step of inserting the connector housing within the protective cap further comprises compressing the leaf-spring elements to retentively hold the connector within the open mouth of the protective cap.

17. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

inserting a plurality of the straddle-mount electrical connectors within a plurality of the protective caps; and

stacking the plurality of protective caps on top of one another to facilitate automated assembly of the plurality of straddle-mount electrical connectors to a plurality of planar support structures.

18. A protective cap for a straddle-mount electrical connector, the connector having a base member, opposing side members and a retaining member extending between the opposing side members, the opposing side members defining substantially parallel outward-facing grooves for receiving inward-facing parallel edges of a planar support structure to provide a straddle-mount connection between the connector and the planar support structure, the connector further including a plurality of conductive leaf-spring elements, each leaf-spring element including an exposed contact portion extending above the retaining member of the connector and a spring-biased contact end extending forward from the base member between the opposing side members of the connector, the protective cap comprising a top surface, a bottom surface, a rear surface and partial side walls defining an open mouth for receiving the connector, and wherein:

the top surface extends from the rear surface of the protective cap and is adapted to cover the exposed contact portions of the leaf-spring elements when the connector is inserted within the open mouth of the protective cap;

a height dimension between the top surface and the bottom surface of the protective cap is smaller than a height dimension between the base member of the connector and an apex of the exposed contact portions of the leaf-spring elements so that the leaf-spring elements are compressed to retentively hold the connector when the connector is inserted within the open mouth of the protective cap; and

the partial side walls of the protective cap extend vertically from one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the protective cap to define a gap with the other one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the protective cap, the gap having a height dimension greater than a height dimension of the outward-facing grooves formed in the opposing side members of he connector to prevent interfering with the straddle-mount connection when the connector is inserted within the open mouth of the protective cap and the combination connector and protective cap are engaged with the planar support structure.