Stackable clamping carrier elements for flat assemblies

• US 9,197,001 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Geitner, Manuel, Holmer, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Michael P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amiri, Nahid
• Application Number:
  US13/643,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20130039698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 403/361, 403/364, 439 43- 46, 439/101, 439/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/721 cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/514 composed as a modular blocks or assembly, i.e. composed of co-operating parts provided with contact members or holding contact members between them
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/2408 Modular blocks H01R9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7045 Interdigitated ends

Abstract

A clamping carrier element for flat assemblies includes a housing. In at least one embodiment, the clamping carrier element is configured on the upper face of the housing in such a manner that a plurality of clamping carrier elements can be stacked one above the other via a connection technique.

Claims

1. A clamping carrier element for a flat assembly, comprising:

a first housing including,

an upper face,

a lower face,

a side face connecting the lower face to the upper face, and

a contact interface projecting from the side face, the contact interface being configured to serve as an electrical interface for external contact elements, the lower face including at least one first cutout that contains connecting pins configured to interact with holes in the flat assembly to connect the first housing to the flat assembly, the at least one first cutout allowing for a portion of the first housing to hang over an outer edge of the flat assembly such that an entire length of a lowermost surface of the side face is below an uppermost surface of the flat assembly, the upper face including at least one second cutout configured to engage with connecting pins of a second housing to connect the first housing to the second housing in a stackable manner wherein the first housing includes a recess formed in the upper face and the side face, the contact interface protruding from the side face at a bottom surface of the recess, the recess being configured to engage with a protrusion of the second housing in the stackable manner; and

wherein the contact interface is a male electrical connector for connecting to corresponding female electrical connectors of the external contact elements.

2. The clamping carrier element of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second housings includes a latching stud and the other of the first and second housings includes a latching opening such that the first and second housings are latchable into one another via a latching operation.

3. The clamping carrier element of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second housings includes a plug-in unit and the other of the first and second housings includes an opening such that the first and second housings are plugable into one another via a plugging operation.

4. The clamping carrier element of claim 1, wherein the first and second housings include clamping units such that the first and second housings are clampable to one another via a clamping operation.

5. The clamping carrier element of claim 1, wherein the connecting pins include different cross sections over their length and the holes have different cross sections in the flat assembly.

6. The clamping carrier element of claim 5, wherein the connecting pins are configured concentrically.

7. The clamping carrier element of claim 6, wherein positioning pins are disposed on the lower faces of the first and second housings.

8. The clamping carrier element of claim 5, wherein positioning pins are disposed on the lower faces of the first and second housings.