Printed circuit board connector

• US 6,514,103 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2001
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bachofen & Meier AG Maschinenfabrik, HARTING Electronics GmbH & Co. KG (Harting KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Harting KGaA
• Inventors: Kohler, Andreas, Pape, Günter
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, TULSIDAS C
• Application Number:
  US09/867,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20010049229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 439/79, 439/607, 439/608, 439/80
• US Class Current: 439/607.01
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/727 Coupling devices presenting arrays of contacts

Abstract

In a compact printed circuit board connector adapted to be mounted at a printed circuit board and intended to be soldered to the printed circuit board simultaneously with other electrical components in a heating oven by using a solder paste for soldering the components, a channel is provided which extends through the interior of the printed circuit board connector. The channel serves for circulating a flow of heated gas through the interior of the connector in order to quickly achieve the required soldering temperature at the soldering ends of the contact elements.

Claims

1. A printed circuit board connector having an isolating housing, contact elements arranged in said housing, each of said contact elements comprising a plug-in side, an intermediate portion and a connecting side with contact ends adapted to be mounted at a printed circuit board, and having a plurality of heated air channels leading from one exterior wall of said connector through said intermediate portions of said contact elements to another exterior wall of said connector and allowing heated air to circulate therethrough;

wherein each of said channel is formed from a first partial channel extending approximately perpendicularly with respect to said printed circuit board, and a second partial channel extending approximately parallel to said printed circuit board.

2. The printed circuit board connector of claim 1, wherein each of said intermediate portions of said contact elements protrudes into one of said channels.

3. The printed circuit board connector of claim 1, wherein each of said intermediate portions of said contact elements is adjacent to one of said channels.

4. The printed circuit board connector of claim 1, further comprising segments which accommodate said contact elements, said first partial channel being formed by a recess in said segment extending approximately perpendicularly with respect to said printed circuit board.

5. The printed circuit board connector of claim 1, further comprising a segment holder for holding segments accommodating said contact elements, said second partial channel being formed by a distance between a surface of said printed circuit board and an intermediate wall of said segment holder.

6. The printed circuit board connector of claim 5, wherein said distance between said intermediate wall of said segment holder and said surface of said printed circuit board varies along said intermediate wall.

7. The printed circuit board connector of claim 1, wherein a plurality of second channels extending approximately perpendicularly with respect to said printed circuit board is provided in said isolating housing at said plug-in side of said contact elements.

8. The printed circuit board connector of claim 7, wherein said housing has openings through which said second channels extend.

9. The printed circuit board connector of claim 1, wherein said isolating housing is formed from a carrier body, a segment holder and individual segments held in said segment holder and accommodating said contact elements.

10. The printed circuit board connector of claim 1, wherein said contact ends of said contact elements are formed as soldering ends.

11. The printed circuit board connector of claim 1, wherein said contact ends of said contact elements are formed as press-in contact ends.

12. The printed circuit board connector of claim 1, wherein said contact elements are formed angled.

13. A printed circuit board connector having an isolating housing, contact elements arranged in said housing, each of said contact elements comprising a plug-in side, an intermediate portion and a connecting side having contact ends adapted to be mounted at a printed circuit board, a plurality of accommodations being formed in the housing for receiving the contact elements, and a plurality of channels being formed in the housing, the plurality of channels leading from one exterior wall of said connector passing adjacent said intermediate portions of said contact elements without passing through the plurality of accommodations and extending to another exterior wall of said connector such that the plurality of channels allows heated air to circulate therethrough.