Connector having floating structure

• US 7,628,628 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SMK Corporation
• Original Assignee: SMK Corporation
• Inventors: Matsuda, Takeshi, Komuro, Masaji
• Primary Examiner(s): Zarroli; Michael C
• Application Number:
  US12/269,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20090264008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 439247-248, 439/460, 439/246, 439/378
• US Class Current: 439/248
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6315 allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence

Abstract

A connector assembly having a floating structure includes a connector moveably mounted in a cradle housing. A part of this connector connects to and detaches from another connector facing, through a spacing, a connector-mounting window of the cradle housing. The connector on the moveable side is moveable freely within the range of the spacing. An elastic member of flexible material is provided on the exterior of the moveable-side connector and closely contacts and is housed in a housing part formed in the cradle housing. An elastic member restoring force, acting when coupling between the moveable-side connector and the other connector is released, causes the moveable-side connector to return its original position in the cradle housing.

Claims

1. A connector assembly having a floating structure, comprising:

a cradle housing; and

a connector moveably mounted in the cradle housing, the connector including a portion configured for connecting to and detaching from a coupling connector;

wherein;

the cradle housing further comprises a connector-mounting window for receiving an attachment base of the moveably-mounted connector,

the moveably-mounted connector is freely moveable within a spacing defined between the connector-mounting window and the attachment base,

an elastic member of flexible material is provided on the exterior of a connector housing of the moveably-mounted connector, the elastic member being configured to deform to permit the moveably-mounted connector to move a lateral distance from an uncoupled position to a coupling position for alignment and coupling with the coupling connector, the lateral distance falling within the spacing between the connector-mounting window and the attachment base,

the connector housing provided with the elastic member closely contacts and is housed in a housing part formed in the cradle housing,

an elastic member restoring force is generated in the elastic member when the moveably-mounted connector and the coupling connector are coupled and the elastic member is deformed, the elastic member restoring force operating when coupling between the moveably-mounted connector and the coupling connector is released to return the attachment base of the moveably-mounted connector to the uncoupled position within the connector-mounting window,

on the exterior of the connector housing of the moveably-mounted connector, the elastic member comprises a secondary molding including flexible material that has elasticity, and further comprises a plurality of protrusions on an exterior surface of the secondary molding, and

the connector housing is housed such that the protrusions are in close contact with an interior surface of the housing part.

2. The connector having a floating structure cited in claim 1, wherein, on the exterior of the connector housing of the moveably-mounted connector, the elastic member comprises a secondary molding including a flexible material that has elasticity.

3. A connector assembly having a floating structure, comprising:

a cradle housing; and

two connectors separated by a certain distance and mounted in the cradle housing;

wherein;

at least one of the two connectors is moveably mounted in the cradle housing, the at least one moveably-mounted connectors including a portion configured for connecting to and detaching from a coupling connector,

the cradle housing further comprises at least one connector-mounting window for receiving an attachment base of the at least one moveably-mounted connector,

the at least one moveably-mounted connector is freely moveable within a spacing defined between the at least one connector-mounting window and the attachment base,

an elastic member of flexible material is provided on the exterior of a connector housing of the at least one moveably-mounted connector, the elastic member being configured to deform to permit the moveably-mounted connector to move a lateral distance from an uncoupled position to a coupling position for alignment and coupling with the coupling connector, the lateral distance falling within the spacing between the connector-mounting window and the attachment base,

the connector housing provided with the elastic member closely contacts and is housed in a housing part formed in the cradle housing,

an elastic member restoring force is generated in the elastic member when the moveably-mounted connector and the coupling connector are coupled and the elastic member is deformed, the elastic member restoring force operating when coupling between the at least one moveably-mounted connector and the coupling connector is released to return the attachment base of the at least one moveable-side connector to the uncoupled position within the at least one connector-mounting window,

on the exterior of the connector housing of the at least one moveably-mounted connector, the elastic member comprises a secondary molding including flexible material that has elasticity, and further comprises a plurality of protrusions on an exterior surface of the secondary molding, and

the connector housing is housed such that the protrusions are in close contact with an interior surface of the housing part.

4. A connector assembly having a floating structure, comprising:

a cradle housing; and

two connectors separated by a certain distance and moveably mounted in the cradle housing, wherein;

the two moveably-mounted connectors each include a portion configured for connecting to and detaching from a respective coupling connector,

the cradle housing further comprises two connector-mounting windows each for receiving an attachment base of a respective one of the two moveably-mounted connectors,

the two moveably-mounted connectors each being freely moveable within a spacing defined between a respective connector-mounting window and the attachment base of the moveably-mounted connector,

an elastic member of flexible material is provided on the exterior of a connector housing for each of the two moveably-mounted connectors, the elastic member being configured to deform to permit the moveably-mounted connector to move a lateral distance from an uncoupled position to a coupling position for alignment and coupling with the coupling connector, the lateral distance falling within the spacing between the connector-mounting window and the attachment base,

the connector housing provided with the elastic member for each of the two moveably-mounted connectors closely contacts and is housed in a respective one of two housing parts formed in the cradle housing,

an elastic member restoring force is generated in the elastic members for each of the two moveably-mounted connectors when the moveably-mounted connector and the coupling connector are coupled and the elastic member is deformed, the elastic member restoring force operating when coupling between the moveably-mounted connector and the coupling connector is released to return the attachment base of the moveably-mounted connector to the uncoupled position within the respective connector-mounting window,

the coupling connectors and the moveably-mounted connectors are configured so that, during coupling, the portion of a first one of the two moveably-mounted connectors is connected to its respective coupling connector before the portion of a second one of the two moveably-mounted connectors is connected to its respective coupling connector, and

a moving distance within the spacing defined between the attachment base of the first one of the two moveable-side connectors is set to a smaller value than a moving distance within the spacing defined between the attachment base of the second one of the two moveable-side connectors.

5. A connector for a connector assembly having a floating structure, the connector assembly including a cradle housing having a connector-mounting window and a housing part for receiving the connector, the connector comprising:

a portion configured for connecting to and detaching from a coupling connector;

an attachment base;

a connector housing; and

an elastic member of flexible material provided on an exterior surface of the connector housing;

wherein;

the attachment base is configured to be received by the connector-mounting window;

the elastic member is configured to closely contact the housing part when the connector housing is housed in the housing part and is configured to deform to permit the moveably-mounted connector to move a lateral distance from an uncoupled position to a coupling position for alignment and coupling with the coupling connector, the lateral distance falling within the spacing between the connector-mounting window and the attachment base,

the connector is freely moveable within a spacing defined between the connector-mounting window and the attachment base, and

an elastic member restoring force is operable when a coupling between the moveable-side connector and the coupling connector is released to return the attachment base of the moveable-side connector to an uncoupled position within the connector-mounting window,

an elastic member restoring force is generated in the elastic member when the connector and the coupling connector are coupled and the elastic member is deformed, the elastic member restoring force operating when coupling between the connector and the coupling connector is released to return the attachment base of the connector to the uncoupled position within the connector-mounting window,

on the exterior of the connector housing of the moveably-mounted connector, the elastic member comprises a secondary molding including flexible material that has elasticity, and further comprises a plurality of protrusions on an exterior surface of the secondary molding, and

the connector housing is housed such that the protrusions are in close contact with an interior surface of the housing part.

6. A connector assembly having a floating structure, comprising:

a cradle housing; and

a connector moveably mounted in the cradle housing, the connector including a portion configured for connecting to and detaching from a coupling connector;

wherein;

the cradle housing further comprises a connector-mounting window for receiving an attachment base of the moveably-mounted connector,

the moveably-mounted connector is freely moveable within a spacing defined between the connector-mounting window and the attachment base,

an elastic member of flexible material is provided on the exterior of a connector housing of the moveable-side connector, the elastic member being configured to deform to permit the moveably-mounted connector to move a lateral distance from an uncoupled position to a coupling position for alignment and coupling with the coupling connector, the lateral distance falling within the spacing between the connector-mounting window and the attachment base,

the elastic member comprises a secondary molding including a flexible material that has elasticity,

the connector housing provided with the elastic member closely contacts and is housed in a housing part formed in the cradle housing,

an elastic member restoring force is generated in the elastic member when the moveably-mounted connector and the coupling connector are coupled and the elastic member is deformed, the elastic member restoring force operating when coupling between the moveable-side connector and the coupling connector is released to return the attachment base of the moveable-side connector to the uncoupled position within the connector-mounting window.