Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly

• US 8,550,837 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2012
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dai-Ichi Seiko Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai-Ichi Seiko Company Limited
• Inventors: Tagawa, Tetsuya, Hirakawa, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Amy Cohen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Imas, Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US13/348,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20120225575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 439/345, 439/660, 439/495, 439/76.1, 439/76.2
• US Class Current: 439/345
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7023 integral with the coupling device
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/714 with contacts abutting directly the printed circuit; Button contacts therefore provided on the printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/721 cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0284 Details of three-dimensional rigid printed circuit boards H05K1/119 takes precedence; shaping of the substrate H05K3/0014
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0999 Circuit printed on or in housing, e.g. housing as PCB; Circuit printed on the case of a component; PCB affixed to housing

Abstract

A configuration in which a stand-alone plug connector is directly fitted to the wall of a product case, and in the fitting state of the stand-alone plug connector, the contact part of a contact comes in contact with the contact part of a wiring pattern conductive path exposed on the surface of a fit connecting hole, and the electrical connection of a signal transmitting medium can be performed in a simple configuration.

Claims

1. An electrical connector having a connector main body to be connected with a terminal portion of a signal transmitting medium, being configured in such a manner that, through the connector main body thereof, a signal transmitting medium is electrically connected to a conductive path provided on the wall of a product case which constitutes an electronic device having an predetermined electronic circuit,

the electrical connector is configured in such a manner that a conductive contact that comes in contact with the conductive path of the product case and a pair of connected legs that protrude from the connector main body so as to face each other are provided in the connector main body, a fit fixing part formed in a beam shape extending so as to be arranged in a portion between the pair of connected legs themselves is provided in the product case,

wherein a sandwiching supporter that reciprocatably comes in contact along with the surface of the fit fixing part of the product case and sandwiches the fit fixing part of the product case in the thickness direction between the conductive contact and the connected legs is provided in the connected legs, an engagement locking part that protrudes in the thickness direction of the product case and has an inclined engaging surface approaching both of extending directions of the fit fixing part is provided in the sandwiching supporter of the connected leg, and

when the connector main body moves in either one of the extending directions of the fit fixing part, the engagement locking part is fitted to the product case side through the inclined engaging surface and brings the connector main body into a locked state in the extending directions of the fit fixing part.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a lock locking part to which the engagement locking part can be fitted is provided in the fit fixing part of the product case.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the fit fixing part of the product case has a both side edge portion in a board width direction that is perpendicular to an extending direction of said fit fixing part, and the both side edge portion of the fit fixing part is formed by an edge portion that defines a long hole formed penetrating through the wall of the product case.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the fit fixing part is configured by a member in which a part of the wall of the product case is protruded in a cantilevered shape.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the engagement locking part is formed by a dimple that has been processed to form a protruding shape as a part of the sandwiching supporter, and the engagement locking part comprising said dimple is disposed at a substantially central portion in the extending direction of the sandwiching supporter.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein an interference preventing recess which allows space from the connector main body and maintains the connector main body in a non-contact state when the connector main body moves in the extending directions of the fit fixing part in the fit fixing part of the product case.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the interference preventing recess is formed so as to be larger than a length in a moving direction of the connector main body in the conductive path with which a contact part of the conductive contact comes in contact, and smaller than the whole length of the connector main body.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein a bottom surface of the connector main body, which is arranged so as to face the surface of the product case, is such that when the connector main body moves in the extending directions of the fit fixing part, a portion not opposing to the interference preventing recess is formed in a shape more recessed than a portion opposing to the interference preventing recess.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein, in the bottom surface of the interference preventing recess, a contact part of the conductive path is provided, and a contact part of the conductive contact is arranged so as to come in contact with a contact part of the interference preventing recess.

10. An electrical connector assembly provided with, a product case which constitutes an electronic device having an predetermined electronic circuit, and in which a signal transmitting conductive path is formed, and the electrical connector according to any one of claim 1 to claim 9.