Electrical connector

• US 7,850,473 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2010
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dai-Ichi Seiko Company Limited (DMC Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: I-PEX Co., Ltd. (DMC Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ozeki, Kosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond; Briggitte R
• Application Number:
  US12/791,515
• Time in Patent Office: 196 Days
• Field of Search: 439/269, 439/329
• US Class Current: 439/260
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/00 Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures printed connections to, or between, printed circuits H05K1/11
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/774 Retainers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/775 Ground or shield arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/79 connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/633 for disengagement only in combination with safety switch H01R13/7132

Abstract

An electrical connector including a housing provided with an opening through which a flat circuit device is inserted into the housing, a plurality of conductive contacts arranged on the housing, a conductive shell mounted on the housing for covering partially the same and provided with a holding member for engaging with the flat circuit device inserted in the housing to hold the same, and a releasing member formed in the housing with a first end portion thereof operative to be in contact with the holding member and a second end portion thereof operative to project from the inside to the outside of the conductive shell, wherein the releasing member is moved so that the first end portion thereof causes the holding member to be released from engagement with the flat circuit device inserted in the housing when the second end portion thereof is pushed toward the inside of the conductive shell under a condition wherein the holding member is put in the engagement with the flat circuit device inserted in the housing.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising;

a housing made of insulator to be mounted on a solid circuit board and provided thereon with an opening through which a flat circuit device is inserted into the housing,

a plurality of conductive contacts arranged on the housing to be electrically connected respectively with circuit terminals provided on the solid circuit board and positioned to correspond respectively to connecting terminals provided on the flat circuit device when the flat circuit device is inserted in the housing through the opening provided thereon,

a conductive shell mounted on the housing to cover a major part of the same and to be electrically connected with a grounded portion provided on the solid circuit board and provided with a holding member formed in a body therein to extend into the housing for engaging with the flat circuit device inserted in the housing to hold the same, and

a releasing member formed in a body in the housing to be movable with a first end portion thereof operative to be in contact with the holding member and a second end portion thereof operative to project from the inside to the outside of the conductive shell on the side of a first end surface of the housing opposite to a second end surface of the housing which faces the solid circuit board,

wherein the releasing member is moved so that the first end portion of the releasing member causes the holding member to be released from engagement with the flat circuit device inserted in the housing when the second end portion of the releasing member is pushed toward the inside of the conductive shell under a condition wherein the holding member is put in the engagement with the flat circuit device to hold the same in the housing.

2. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the holding member is provided with an engaging portion for engaging with an engaging edged portion provided on the flat circuit device inserted in the housing to hold the flat circuit device in the housing and a resilient arm portion for supporting the engaging portion to be shiftable in its position in the housing, and the first end portion of the releasing member is operative to be in contact with the resilient arm portion of the holding member.

3. An electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the first end portion of the releasing member is operative to deform resiliently the resilient arm portion of the holding member to shift the engaging portion of the holding member in its position so that the engaging portion of the holding member is released from the engagement with the engaging edged portion provided on the flat circuit device inserted in the housing when the second end portion of the releasing member is pushed toward the inside of the conductive shell under a condition wherein the engaging portion of the holding member is put in engagement with the engaging edged portion provided on the flat circuit device inserted in the housing.

4. An electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the resilient arm portion of the holding member is operative to hit with resilient force against a portion of the housing when the engaging portion of the holding member comes to the engagement with the engaging edged portion provided on the flat circuit device inserted in the housing.

5. An electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the engaging portion of the holding member has an upper end thereof on which a slanted end plane is formed to ascend gradually in a direction along which the flat circuit device is inserted into the housing 11 through the opening provided thereon and the upper end of the engaging portion of the holding member is operative to engage with the engaging edged portion provided on the flat circuit device inserted in the housing.

6. An electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein an end portion of the engaging portion of the holding member on the side of the opening provided on the housing is positioned in close vicinity to a portion of the housing in which the opening is formed.

7. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a first projection is provided on the second end portion of the releasing member to be positioned at the outside of the conductive shell for coming into contact with the conductive shell from the outside thereof.

8. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a second projection is provided on the second end portion of the releasing member to be positioned at the inside of the conductive shell for coming into contact with the conductive shell from the inside thereof.

9. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the releasing member is provided at each of end portions of the housing opposite each other in a direction along which the conductive contacts are arranged and the holding member is provided at each of end portions of the conductive shell opposite each other to correspond to the end portions of the housing.

10. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the conductive shell is provided, in addition to the holding member, with a ground connecting portion operative to be connected electrically with the grounded portion provided on the solid circuit board on which the housing is mounted.