Board mounted power connector

• US 7,001,189 B1
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Molex Incorporated
• Inventors: Patel, Arvind, McGowan, Daniel B., Purkis, Timothy E., Bogiel, Steven B., Hendrickson, William P.
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, PHUONG K
• Application Number:
  US10/981,295
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 439/947, 439/79, 439/80, 439/541.5
• US Class Current: 439/79
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/0256 for soldering or welding connectors to a printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/947 PCB mounted connector with ground terminal

Abstract

An electrical power connector is mountable on a printed circuit board. The connector includes an outer terminal and an inner terminal, both of which are of generally inverted U-shaped configurations, with the inner terminal nested in the outer terminal. Solder tails project downwardly from bottom edges of side walls of the two terminals. Both terminals have a pair of blade portions projecting forwardly from the respective side walls of the terminals, whereby the blade portions of each terminal are spaced from each other. The blade portions of one terminal are generally coplanar with the blade portions of the other terminal. A dielectric housing is overmolded about the side walls of the outer terminal, leaving the solder tails and the outside surfaces of the blade portions exposed. The housing has a projecting portion extending into the spacing between the blade portions of the two terminals against the inside surfaces of the blade portions, leaving the outside surfaces of the blade portions exposed.

Claims

1. An electrical power connector mountable on a printed circuit board, comprising:

an outer terminal of a generally inverted U-shape and including a pair of side walls joined by a top connecting beam, the side walls including upper sections and lower sections, a plurality of solder tails projecting downwardly along a bottom edge of the lower section of each side wall, and a blade portion projecting forwardly from an edge of the upper section of each side wall in a direction generally parallel to the circuit board whereby the blade portions are spaced from each other;

an inner terminal of a generally inverted U-shape and nested in the outer terminal between the lower sections of the side walls thereof, the inner terminal including a pair of side walls joined by a top connecting beam, a plurality of solder tails projecting downwardly along a bottom edge of the side walls, and a blade portion projecting forwardly from an edge of each side wall in a spaced relationship and in a direction generally parallel to the circuit board beneath and generally coplanar with the respective blade portions of the outer terminal; and

a dielectric housing overmolded about the side walls of the outer and inner terminals leaving the solder tails and the outside surfaces of the blade portions exposed, the housing having a projecting portion extending into the spacing between the respective blade portions of the two terminals against the inside surfaces of the blade portions.

2. The electrical power connector of claim 1 wherein said overmolded housing is disposed between the upper sections of the side walls of the outer terminal and between the side walls of the inner terminal.

3. The electrical power connector of claim 1 wherein the side walls of the inner terminal are in engagement with the lower sections of the side walls of the outer terminal.

4. The electrical power connector of claim 1 wherein said housing includes a projecting shroud around and spaced from the blade portions of the terminals, the shroud being open to define a receptacle for receiving a mating connecting device.

5. The electrical power connector of claim 4 wherein said shroud is generally rectangular and includes integral reinforcing ribs in the inside corners thereof.

6. The electrical power connector of claim 1 wherein the blade portions of the inner terminal are generally coplanar with the blade portions of the outer terminal.

7. An electrical power connector mountable on a printed circuit board, comprising:

a dielectric housing;

an outer terminal of a generally inverted U-shape mounted on the housing and including a pair of side walls joined by a top connecting beam, the side walls including upper sections and lower sections, a plurality of solder tails projecting downwardly along a bottom edge of the lower section of each side wall, and a blade portion projecting forwardly from an edge of the upper section of each side wall in a direction generally parallel to the circuit board whereby the blade portions are spaced from each other; and

an inner terminal of a generally inverted U-shape mounted on the housing and nested in the outer terminal between the lower sections of the side walls thereof, the inner terminal including a pair of side walls joined by a top connecting beam, a plurality of solder tails projecting downwardly along a bottom edge of the side walls, and a blade portion projecting forwardly from an edge of each side wall in a spaced relationship and in a direction generally parallel to the circuit board beneath and generally coplanar with the respective blade portions of the outer terminal.

8. The electrical power connector of claim 7 wherein the side walls of the inner terminal are in engagement with the lower sections of the side walls of the outer terminal.