Hot-plug connector small in size and excellent in contact-flatness and method of manufacturing the same

• US 6,461,173 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2000
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Limited
• Original Assignee: Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Limited
• Inventors: Mizuno, Tamotsu, Nakamura, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, P. Austin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gilman, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US09/618,601
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 439/79, 439/83, 439/55, 439/876, 439/571
• US Class Current: 439/79
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/721 cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits

Abstract

In a hot-plug connector comprising a plurality of contacts used for a plurality of the uses, each of the contacts being provided with a peg portion for being mounted on a main surface of an electrical circuit board, a contact portion for removable connection to a mating contact of a mating connector, and a squeezed portion for being pushed into and hold by an insulator, the peg portions are equal in length to one another in a depth direction. The squeezed portions are equal in length to one another in the depth direction. The contact portions are different in length in the depth direction from one another so as to correspond to the uses. Therefore, the peg and the squeezed portions are located at the same location in the depth direction. The contact portions are protruded to the different location from each other in the depth direction.

Claims

1. A hot-plug connector capable of carrying out an electrical and removable connection between an electrical circuit board mounting said hot-plug connector thereon and an electrical device having a mating connector removably connected to said hot-plug connector even while electric power is supplied to the electrical circuit board and/or the electrical device, said hot-plug connector comprising a plurality of contacts used for a plurality of different uses and an insulator used for holding said contacts on the electrical circuit board so that said contacts are arranged in a width direction which is parallel to a main surface of the electrical circuit board, each of said contacts having a peg portion, located on one end of said contact in a depth direction which is parallel to the main surface of the electrical circuit board and along which the mating connector is connected to/removed from said hot-plug connector, for being mounted on the main surface of the electrical circuit board, an extended portion extending from said peg portion;

a contact portion, located on the other end of said contact in said depth direction, for making a removable connection to a mating contact of the mating connector, and a squeezed portion, located between said extended and said contact portions in said depth direction, for being pushed into and held by said insulator;

wherein;

said connector being constructed by use of a surface technology;

said peg portions have lengths which are equal to one another in said depth direction;

said extended portions being parallel to each other in an inclined direction;

said squeezed portions have a length which is equal to one another in said depth direction;

said contact portions have a length which is different from one another in said depth direction in order to correspond to the uses;

said peg portions, said squeezed portions and said contact portions being arranged to extend parallel to the main surface;

said peg portions of all of said contacts being located on the main surface of the electrical circuit board at the same location in said depth direction and at the some level, a height direction, said height direction being perpendicular to the main surface of the electrical circuit board;

said squeezed portions being located at the same location in said depth direction; and

said contact portions protruding to the different location from one another in said depth direction.

2. A hot-plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein;

said hot-plug connector comprises first and second contact groups having said contacts, respectively;

said first and said second contact groups being arranged and superposed on each other in said height direction;

said contacts being further provided with an extended portion, located between said peg and said squeezed portions in said depth direction;

said extended portions of said second contact group extending longer than said extended portions of said first contact group in said height direction;

said peg portions of every one of said contacts of said first and said second contact groups being located on a main surface of the electrical circuit board at the same level in said height direction and the same location in said depth direction;

said squeezed portions of said first and said second contact groups being superposed on each other in said height direction and located at the same location in said height direction; and

said contact portions of said first and said second contact groups being superposed on each other in said height direction and protruding to the different location in said depth direction.

3. A method of manufacturing a hot-plug connector by use of a surface mounted technology, said hot-plug connector being capable of carrying out an electrical and removable connection between an electrical circuit board mounting said hot-plug connector thereon and an electrical device having a mating connector removably connected to said hot-plug connector even while electric power is supplied to the electrical circuit board and/or the electrical device, said hot-plug connector comprising a plurality of contacts used for a plurality of different uses and an insulator used for holding said contacts on the electrical circuit board so that said contacts are arranged in a width direction which is parallel to a main surface of the electrical circuit board, each of said contacts being provided with a peg portion, located on one end of said contact in a depth direction which is parallel to the main surface of the electrical circuit board and along which the mating connector is connected to/removed from said hot-plug connector, for being mounted on the main surface of the electrical circuit board, a contact portion located on the other end of said contact in said depth direction, for the removable connection to a mating contact of the mating connector, and a squeezed portion located between said peg and said contact portions in said depth direction, for being pushed into and held by said insulator;

wherein said method comprises the steps of;

preparing said contacts so that lengths of said peg portions are equal to one another in said depth direction, that lengths of said squeezed portions are equal to one another in said depth direction, that lengths of said contact portions are different from one another in said depth direction so as to correspond to the uses, and that said contacts are connected to one another by a carrier-frame so that said peg portions are arranged in line;

attaching said contacts to said insulator by pushing said contacts into said insulator so that said peg portions, said squeezed portions, and said contact portions are arranged and to be extended in parallel to the main surface, said peg portions of all of said contacts are located at the same level in a height direction and the same location in said depth direction, that said squeezed portions being located at the same location in said depth direction, and that said contact portions protruding to the different location from one another in said depth direction, said height direction being perpendicular to the main surface of the electrical circuit board; and

cutting said carrier-frame away from said contacts.

4. A method of manufacturing a hot-plug connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the preparing step preparing said contacts so that said contacts serve as first and second contact groups having said contacts, respectively, that said carrier-frame serve as first and second carrier frames connected to said peg portions of said first and said second contact groups, respectively, that said contacts have an extended portion, located between said peg and said squeezed portions in said depth direction, and that said extended portions of said second contact group are extended longer than said extended portions of said first contact group in said height direction;

the attaching step attaching said contacts to said insulator so that said first and said second contact groups are superposed on each other in said height direction so that said peg portions of every one of said contacts of said first and said second contact groups are located at the same level in said height direction and the same location in said depth direction, that said squeezed portions of said first and said second contact groups are superposed on each other in said height direction and located at the same location in said depth direction, and that said contact portions of said first and said second contact groups are superposed on each other in said height direction and protrude to the different location in said depth direction.