Board connector

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a board connector contained in an electric connection box and fixed to a wiring board forming an internal circuit of the electric connection box with zero insertion force.

Heretofore, junction boxes and electric connection boxes are employed for supplying power to electric equipment, exchange signals among electronic parts and make internal circuits branch off intensively around automotive engine rooms and instrument panels.

In some electric connection box, there are installed a printed circuit board mounted with a fuse, a relay, a connector or the like and a wiring board with a conductor circuit forming an internal circuit formed thereon, whereas the junction box is equipped with the wiring board and a board connector connected to the wiring board. However, as the term ‘junction box’ may be used to collectively mean a junction box inclusive of an electric connection box sometime, the term ‘electric connection box’ is used to collectively mean such an electric connection box in this specification.

The electric connection box contains one sheet of wiring board or a plurality of laminated wiring boards formed with conductor circuits, the number of which depends on the kind or specification of the vehicle. A board connector is connected to the edge portion or onto the surface of the wiring board so as to supply power to electric equipment or exchange signals between electronic parts.

FIG. 7

shows the art related to a board connector of the sort stated in JP-A 9-82427. A board connector

80

includes a connector housing

81

, first and second terminals

85

and

86

contained in the connector housing

81

, and a lever

87

. The connector housing

81

includes a board portion

82

and a side wall portion

84

provided on both sides of the board portion

82

with the upper portion of the board portion

82

open. Further, a number of slits

83

a

and

83

b

respectively cut out from both the front and back are formed in the board portion

82

.

The first and second terminals

85

and

86

are long enough not to more or less overlap each other in the width direction of the connector housing

81

with the terminals

85

and

86

incorporated therein, whereby the positions of the adjoining first and second terminals

85

and

86

are arranged alternately in the longitudinal and width directions of the connector housing

81

.

The lever

87

is pivotably supported above the connector housing

81

and by pivoting the lever

87

in the horizontal direction, a wiring board

88

can be press-fixed to the wiring board

88

. More specifically, mating portions (not shown) curved toward the pivotal center of the lever are provided and the mating portions are mated with the front ends of the elastic support pieces (not shown) of the second terminals whereby to support the lever

87

pivotably on the front ends of the elastic support pieces.

Further, protrusions

87

a

are provided on the front-end side faces of the lever

87

and when the lever is pivoted in the horizontal direction, the protrusions

87

a

are fitted in the respective depressions

84

a

of the side wall portions

84

of the connector housing

81

, so that the lever

87

is prevented from being easily released.

Many terminal portions (not shown) electrically contacting the board connector

80

are provided in longitudinally two rows on the back of the wiring board

88

and when the terminal portions in the front row are brought into contact with the contacts

86

a

of the second terminals

86

, the terminal portions in the back row are brought into contact with the contacts

85

a

of the first terminals.

With the arrangement above, as the high-density arrangement of the terminals

85

and

86

is possible, the pitch of the adjoining terminals

85

and

86

is narrowed, so that the size of the connector becomes reducible.

However, there are following problems to be solved in the case of the related board connector.

Recently, with an increase in the number of electric devices and electronic parts to be loaded in automobiles, spaces available for installation of these electric and electronic components around engine rooms and instrument panels tend to become smaller, whereupon it is requested to make electric connection boxes smaller in size. On the other hand, the number of signal lines for exchanging signals among electronic parts is on the increase and there develops a demand for high-density conductor circuits and multi-pole board connectors.

The related board connector

80

described above is intended to narrow the pitch of the terminals

85

and

86

by arranging the adjoining terminals

85

and

86

in longitudinally two planar rows. However, the board connector

80

is applicable to only the single-sided wiring board but not so structured as to be applicable to a wiring board having a terminal portion formed on both sides of the board.

Further, the board connector

80

is not applicable to the wiring board

88

having the terminal portion formed on both sides of the board because it is to be fixed to one end edge portion of the wiring board

88

. More specifically, the wiring conductors forming the conductor circuit are also not applicable to the wiring board for forming the terminal portions by drawing out the wiring conductors to both the adjoining portions of the wiring board.

Moreover, though the wiring board

88

is press-fixed to the board connector

80

by pivoting the lever

87

of the board connector

80

, there is the possibility of letting the wiring board

88

slip out of the board connector

80

in case where tensile force inadvertently acts on the wiring board

88

.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a board connector which is applicable to a wiring board formed with a conductor circuit formed on both sides of the wiring board to ensure that terminals are multi-polarized with their highly reliable electrical connections to the wiring board and is joined to the wiring board with zero insertion force.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a board connector for fixing a printed circuit board on which a conductor circuit is formed, comprising:

a first connector housing, accommodating a plurality of first terminals therein;

a second connector housing, accommodating a plurality of second terminals therein, and provided above the first connector housing;

an operating lever, pivotably coupled to the first connector housing and the second housing for moving the first connector housing and the second connector to closer each other between a first position and a second position; and

an auxiliary lever, pivotably coupled to the operating lever and the first connector housing for restricting the pivotal range of the operating lever;

wherein the first connector housing and the second connector housing have a space for inserting end portions of the printed circuit board therebetween when the operation lever is located in the first position; and

wherein the printed circuit board is secured between the first connector housing and the second connector housing when the operation lever is located in the second position.

In the above configuration, the connector housing is divided into first housing and the second housing and both the housings are coupled to the operating lever. Thus, the print circuit board is fitted in between both the housing with zero insertion force without rubbing against both the housings and held between both the housing by pivoting the operating lever. As the first housing is provided with the auxiliary lever, the operating lever is supported by the auxiliary lever and the pivotal angle of the operating lever is controllable. Therefore, the printed circuit board can be fitted in the board connector with zero insertion force, so that the terminal portions and the like can be prevented from being deformed and damaged. Moreover, the operability of the operating lever is improved, whereby the printed circuit board and the board connector can easily be combined together.

Preferably, the operating lever includes an operating portion and a pair of arms extended from both ends of the operating portion, and each arm has coupling portions pivotably coupling to the first connector housing and the second connector housing respectively, and the operating portion has a plug-in portion slidably coupled to the auxiliary lever.

In the above configuration, the operating portion is provided with the plug-in portion slidably coupled to the auxiliary lever and the arms are provided with the coupling portions coupled to the connector housing, whereby the operating lever and the auxiliary lever are smoothly operated and the pivoting of the operating lever is controllable. Moreover, both the housings are moved in a manner interlocking with the pivoting of the arms so as to move both the housing closer to each other. Therefore, the operability of the operating lever is improved and the printed circuit board can be fitted in the board connector with zero insertion force.

Preferably, the plug-in portion has a notch and a slide pin provided on an inner face of the notch, and the auxiliary lever has a slot engaged with the slide pin.

In the above configuration, as the plug-in portion has the notch and the slide pin and the auxiliary lever has the slot mating with the slide pin, the operating lever and the auxiliary lever are slidably coupled and the slide pin is reciprocated in the slot in a manner interlocking with the pivoting of the operating lever. Therefore, the operating lever is pivotably supported by the auxiliary lever and this results in improving the stability of the operation of the operating lever.

Preferably, a portion near the first connector housing and the second connector housing side of the auxiliary lever is a L shaped portion, and portions near the first connector housing and the second connector housing side of the arms are L shaped portions.

In the above configurations, the auxiliary lever and the arms are folded and lie on top of another when the operating lever is pushed down so as to fix the board connector to the wiring board. Consequently, the auxiliary lever and the arms are prevented from sticking out and interfering with the outside.

Preferably, a pair of guiding walls are provided on the second connector housing to restrict a pivotal direction of the auxiliary lever, and the auxiliary lever is positioned between the guiding walls.

In the above configuration, as the guiding walls for holding the auxiliary lever are provided in the second housing, the second housing and the auxiliary lever are positioned properly as the former and the latter are restricted mutually. Consequently, the positional deviation of the board connector is prevented with respect to the terminals of the printed circuit board, so that the reliability of the electrical connections is improved.

Preferably, the first terminals are accommodated in a first terminal chambers provided in the first connector housing, and the second terminals are accommodated in a second terminal chambers provided in the second connector housing. The first terminals and second terminals are arranged so as to connected to terminal portions of the conductor circuit, the terminal portions formed on both sides of the printed circuit board when the operation lever is located in the second position.

In the above configuration, the terminals contained in the terminal chambers are positioned in vertical two rows and electrically connected to the terminal portions formed on both sides of the printed circuit board. It is therefore possible to have the terminals multi-polarized and provide a high-density internal circuit as the multi-polarized terminals are brought into contact with the terminal portions of the printed circuit board with the conductor circuit formed on both sides of the printed circuit board.

Preferably, latch portions, respectively engaged with engagement portions which are provided on the printed circuit board, are provided on the second connector housing.

In the above configuration, the engagement portions of the printed circuit board are joined to the latch portions of the housing before being fixed to the insulating board after the wiring board is held by the board connector to ensure that the wiring board is prevented from slipping out. Thus, the reliability of the electrical connections is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1

shows a perspective view of a board connector embodying the invention;

FIG. 2

shows a perspective view of a condition in which a wiring board is fitted in the board connector shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 3

shows a perspective view of a condition in which the wiring board is removed from the board connector;

FIG. 4

shows a sectional view of the vicinity of the central portion when the operating lever of the board connector is raised;

FIG. 5

shows a sectional view of the vicinity of the central portion when the operating lever of the board connector is pushed down;

FIGS. 6A and 6B

shows sectional views of the board connectors:

FIG. 6A

shows the board connector in a condition before the board connector makes contact with the wiring board and

FIG. 6B

shows after the board connector makes contact therewith; and

FIG. 7

shows a perspective view of an example of a related board connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A detailed description will now be given of an embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1

to

6

show a board connector embodying the invention.

A board connector

10

shown in

FIG. 1

is applied to a printed circuit board (wiring board)

60

with a conductor circuit formed on both the front and back of the printed circuit board and used for exchanging signals between electronic parts.

The board connector

10

includes a connector housing

11

, a plurality of terminal fittings (terminals)

55

housed in the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

of the connector housing

11

, an operating lever

35

coupled to the outer walls (wall portions)

16

and

26

of the connector housing

11

, and an auxiliary lever

45

slidably coupled to the operating lever

35

. The connector housing

11

, the operating lever

35

and the auxiliary lever

45

are formed of synthetic resin or the like by injection molding. The terminal fittings

55

(see

FIG. 6

) are formed of conductive metal and made by punching terminal fittings from a sheet of metal and bending the punched ones.

The connector housing

11

essentially consists of two vertically divided housings including a fixed-side housing

15

and a movable-side housing

25

. Both housings

15

and

25

are L-shaped in top plan view and formed in well-balanced bilateral symmetry with respect to a dividing line CL

1

passing a corner portion

32

.

A mating space

13

for receiving the printed circuit board

60

is formed between the fixed-side housing

15

and the movable-side housing

25

. The mating space

13

has an opening greater in dimension than the thickness of the printed circuit board

60

so that the printed circuit board

60

can be fitted in the connector housing

11

with zero insertion force. After the printed circuit board

60

is fitted in the printed circuit board

60

, both housings

15

and

25

are set closer to each other by tilting the operating lever

35

downward as will be described later, whereby the printed circuit board

60

is held therebetween.

For convenience of explanation, the front and back, the top and bottom of the connector housing

11

are distinguished from one another as follows. The front is the side where the printed circuit board

60

is fitted in and the back is the side where electric wires

78

are drawn out. The operating lever

35

and the auxiliary lever

45

are placed on the upper side, whereas the lower side is opposite thereto. Further, though the lateral direction is the direction in which the operating lever

35

is coupled to the outer walls

16

and

26

, the left side is not to be distinguished from the right side as the connector housing

11

is in lateral symmetry.

The outer walls

16

and

26

of both housings

15

and

25

have upper and lower walls

16

a

,

16

b

,

26

a

and

26

b

, front walls

16

c

and

26

c

joined to the printed circuit board

60

, rear walls

16

d

and

26

d

from which the electric wires

78

connected to the terminal fittings

55

are drawn out and side walls

16

e

,

16

f

(not shown),

26

e

and

26

f

on both sides. The terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

are arranged so as to pass longitudinally through the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

in both the fixed-side housing

15

and the movable-side housing

25

. A pair of upright walls

28

are formed on the upper wall

26

a

of the movable-side housing

25

and latching walls

30

bent in a direction perpendicular to a extending direction of the upright walls are coupled to the adjoining end portions of the respective upright walls

28

.

A projected portion (latching portion)

27

(see

FIG. 4

) mating with each cut portion (mating portion)

69

(see

FIG. 3

) of the printed circuit board

60

is provided on both sides of the lower wall

26

b

of the movable-side housing

25

. The cut portion

69

is provided in a pair of opposed corner portions

68

c

and

68

d

of the printed circuit board

60

. In this case, the projected portions may be provided on the printed circuit board

60

, whereas the cut portions may be provided in the movable-side housing

25

.

As the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

are provided in the respective housings

15

and

25

, the connector housing

11

as a whole is arranged over the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

in a double deck form. The terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

are separated from each other by a partition wall (not shown) so that the adjoining terminal fittings

55

are prevented from shorting.

The terminal fittings

55

equal in number to the terminal portions

76

(see

FIG. 3

) of the printed circuit board

60

are housed in the plurality of terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

. The upper and lower terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

are arranged alternately so as to correspond to the terminal portions

76

of the printed circuit board

60

, whereby the terminal fittings

55

are connected to the terminal portions

76

on a one-to-one footing.

As shown in

FIG. 1

, the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

positioned in bilateral symmetry with the dividing line CL

1

held therebetween are directionally matched. In other words, the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

are arranged in the same direction. The direction in which the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

are depend on the dividing line CL

1

, that is, in a 45° direction according to this embodiment of the invention. This is because the board connector

10

according to this embodiment of the invention is applied to the square printed circuit board

60

shown in

FIG. 2

or

3

and because the direction of the diagonal line CL

2

of the printed circuit board

60

is equal to the 45° direction. Consequently, the direction in which the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

are led also changes as the shape of the printed circuit board

60

changes. In case where the printed circuit board

60

is rectangular or parallelogrammic, because the diagonal line CL

2

thereof is not led in the 45° direction, the direction of the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

may be led in a direction smaller or greater than the 45° direction.

The pair of upright walls

28

are provided along the dividing line CL

1

in the corner portion

32

of the movable-side housing

25

. The inner wall surface

28

a

of the upright wall

28

is formed on the same plane as the groove wall surface

29

of a slot

29

provided in a depressed condition. In other words, the provision of the pair of upright walls

28

serves to increase the length of the slot

29

in the vertical direction to ensure that the auxiliary lever

45

is restrained by both the walls as will be described later.

The latching walls

30

are linked with the front end portions of the upright walls

28

and uprightly formed with respect to the dividing line CL

1

and also formed in parallel to the operating portion

36

of the operating lever

35

as will be described later. A pawl portion

30

a

mating with the tapered portion

37

of the operating portion

36

is formed on each latching wall

30

and along the upper end portion of the latching wall

30

, so that the latched condition of the operating lever

35

is prevented from being released by making the pawl portion

30

a

mate with the tapered portion

37

of the operating lever

35

.

The operating lever

35

essentially consists of a pair of arms

40

extended from both sides of the operating portion

36

, which is a flat plate member extending in a direction perpendicular to the dividing line CL

1

. A plug-in portion

38

for the auxiliary lever

45

is provided in the central portion of the operating portion

36

.

The plug-in portion

38

has a notch

38

b

and a slide pin

39

projected from the inner walls

38

a

of the notch

38

b

(see FIGS.

4

and

5

). A framelike slot

46

formed at the other end of the auxiliary lever

45

is slidably coupled to the slide pin

39

. As the slot

46

of the auxiliary lever

45

is coupled to the slide pin

39

, the operating lever

35

is pivotably supported and the pivotal direction of the operating lever

35

is restricted so that the operability of the operating lever

45

is improved.

The arms

40

are pivotably coupled to the outer walls

16

and

26

of the connector housing

11

in a diagonal slidable condition via mating holes

40

a

and

40

b

. More specifically, the arms

40

are coupled to pins

17

and

33

formed on the side walls

16

e

,

16

f

,

26

e

and

26

f

on both sides of the fixed-side housing

15

and the movable-side housing

25

via the pair of mating holes

40

a

and

40

b

. The first pins

17

(only one side is shown) are formed on the side walls

16

e

and

16

f

on both sides of the fixed-side housing

15

and the second pins

33

(only one side is shown) are formed on the side walls

26

e

and

26

f

on both sides of the movable-side housing

25

. The front end side of each arm

40

is curved in L shape so that when the arm

40

is pushed down, the operating portion

36

is put on the top surface of the movable-side housing

25

in parallel.

FIG. 4

shows the raised condition of the operating portion

36

, whereas

FIG. 5

shows the pushed-down condition of the operating portion

36

. When the arms

40

are pivoted with the first pins

17

as fulcrums, the second pins

33

draw an arcuate pivotal locus with the first pins

17

as reference points and the movable-side housing

25

is moved close to or away from the fixed-side housing

15

. In other words, the arms

40

are made to lie down when the operating portion

36

is pushed down (see

FIG. 5

) and the movable-side housing

25

is moved closer to the fixed-side housing

15

, so that the mating space

13

between both housings

15

and

25

is narrowed. When the operating portion

36

is raised (see FIG.

4

), on the other hand, the arms

40

are also raised and the movable-side housing

25

is moved away from the fixed-side housing

15

, so that the mating space

13

between both housings

15

and

25

is widened.

As shown in

FIG. 4

, the auxiliary lever

45

has a mating hole

47

on its one end side, the mating hole

47

being coupled to the third pin

18

of the fixed-side housing

15

in a diagonal slidable condition and the slot

46

slidably coupled to the operating lever

35

on the other end side. The slot

46

of the auxiliary lever

45

is in the form of a frame and the slide pin

39

of the operating portion

36

is fitted and reciprocated in the frame in a manner interlocking with the pivoting of the operating lever

35

. Moreover, a portion of the auxiliary lever

45

on the board coupling side is convexly curved and when the operating lever

35

is pushed down, the auxiliary lever

45

is put on the top surface of the movable-side housing

25

in parallel.

When the operating lever

35

is raised, the slide pin

39

is brought into contact with one side of the slot

46

and as the operating lever

35

becomes unable to be raised further, the pivoting range of the operating lever

35

is thus restricted. In this condition, the printed circuit board

60

can be fitted in or removed. When the operating lever

35

is pushed down, on the other hand, the slide pin

39

is caused to slide toward the opposite side of the slot

46

whereby to put the auxiliary lever

45

and the operating lever

35

on top of each other. In this condition, the printed circuit board

60

is held between both housings

15

and

25

. The dimensions of the slot

46

are optional and by changing the dimensions thereof, the pivotal angle β (pivotable range) of the operating lever

35

can be varied.

FIG. 2

shows a condition in which the printed circuit board

60

has been fitted in the board connector

10

. The printed circuit board

60

is fitted in the mating space

13

(see

FIG. 1

) between both housings

15

and

25

with zero insertion force and brought into contact with the back wall so that the positioning of the direction of insertion is determined. Then the projected portions

27

are mated with the cut portions

69

of the printed circuit board

60

by pushing down the operating lever

35

and the printed circuit board

60

is vertically held between both housings

15

and

25

. The operating lever

35

is latched onto the pawl portions

30

a

of the latching walls

30

so as to prevent the operating lever

35

from being inadvertently raised. In the fitted condition above, the terminal fittings

55

and the terminal portions

76

remain mutually connected.

FIG. 3

shows the board connector

10

in such a condition that the printed circuit board

60

has been removed. When the printed circuit board

60

is removed, it is only needed to reverse the components assembly operation above. More specifically, while the latching walls

30

are being warped so as to release the latched condition of the operating lever

35

, the operating lever

35

is raised so as to release the projected portions

27

from latching the cut portions

69

and the printed circuit board

60

is pulled out, whereupon the removing operation is easily performed.

As shown in

FIG. 6

, the terminal fittings

55

with the electric wires

78

are extending in the mating space

13

(see

FIG. 3

, etc.) between both housings

15

and

25

. The terminal fittings

55

are arranged vertically in the upper and lower terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

so that convexly curved elastic contact portions

57

are opposite to one another. Although the gap between the facing elastic contact portions

57

is set wider than the thickness of the printed circuit board

60

as shown in

FIG. 6A

, the gap therebetween is narrowed when the operating lever

35

(see

FIG. 1

, etc.) is pushed down as shown in FIG.

6

B and the terminal portions

76

(

FIG. 3

) on both sides of the printed circuit board

60

rub against the respective upper and lower elastic contact portions

57

and contact one another.

The terminal fittings

55

are formed by punching terminal fittings from a conductive board and bending the punched ones. An electric-wire connecting portion

56

is formed on one side of each of the terminal fittings

55

, whereas a tab-like front end portion

58

is formed on the other side thereof, the curved elastic contact portion

57

being formed integrally therewith between the electric-wire connecting portion

56

and the tab-like front end portion

58

.

The electric-wire connecting portion

56

has a conductor caulking portion for caulking a conductor and a covered-wire caulking portion for caulking a covered wire and is formed with a pair of pressure-welding pieces. The elastic contact portion

57

is a contact portion for causing the internal circuit to conduct by contacting the terminal portion

76

, so that suitable contact pressure is maintained by making use of its curved configuration so as to resiliently contact the terminal portion

76

.

The tab-like front end portions

58

are inserted into the holes (not shown) of the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

and fixed lest the tab-like front end portions

58

are moved. Mating holes (not shown) are provided in the terminal fittings

55

and by mating with the mating projections (not shown) of the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

, prevented from rearwardly slipping out. Incidentally, the terminal fittings

55

may be provided with the mating projections and the terminal holding chambers

19

and

31

may be provided with the mating holes.

The printed circuit board

60

shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

will be provided briefly hereinbelow. The printed circuit board

60

is in the form of a flat rectangular board and formed by printing wiring conductors

75

integrally on an insulating board

65

made of organic material such as epoxy resin or the like. Although the printed circuit board

60

will be described according to this embodiment of the invention, such a circuit board may be formed by insert-molding or bonding thin wiring conductors

75

on the insulating board

65

. Moreover, conductive resin material may be applicable to the wiring conductors

75

.

The printed circuit board

60

is a so-called double sided printed circuit board having a conductor circuit on both sides. In comparison with a single-sided printed circuit board, not only is the number of wiring conductors on the double sided printed circuit board doubled but also complicated wiring that needs cross wiring is easily formable.

The printed conductor circuit is formed with the parallel wiring conductors

75

arranged regularly with a predetermined pitch. Due to the fact that a very small current for a signal of a several-millimeter ampere flows through the wiring conductors

75

, it is unlikely that the wiring conductors

75

are broken by fusion.

The conductor circuit is printed on both sides of the printed circuit board so that the two circuits are made solidly alternate with each other. The conductor circuit on the surface side forms a conductor circuit in the line direction, whereas the conductor circuit on the undersurface side forms a conductor circuit in the column direction. In other words, the wiring conductors

75

forming both the conductor circuits are subjected to solidly cross wiring.

The lattice points P of the wiring conductors

75

thus subjected to the cross wiring are lined up regularly in the form of a matrix. A through-hole passing through the printed circuit board is formed at each lattice point P. As the through-hole itself is not conductive, the wiring conductors

75

on both sides are not directly and electrically connected together. There are various methods of electrically connecting the wiring conductors

75

and one of them is to form conducting paths for signals by selectively forming a pass-through conductor in each through-hole as the lattice point P. The pass-through conductor may be a hollow pass-through conductor plated with conductive metal or a solid pass-through conductor such a rivet pin or a wire.

The wiring conductors

75

on both sides of the printed circuit board are mutually connected together via the pass-through conductors, whereby an exchange of signals can freely be carried out between electric devices or electronic parts. In other words, it is possible to form a flexible internal circuit because connection ports on input and output signal sides can freely be selected and because an exchange of input and output signals can also be carried out without being restricted by conducting paths.

The terminal portions

76

connected to the terminal fittings

55

housed in the L-shaped board connector

10

are formed in the edge portions

66

a

and

66

b

(see

FIG. 3

) of the printed circuit board

60

. The terminal portions

76

are equivalent to terminal portions of the respective wiring conductors

75

constituting the conductor circuits and drawn out to the adjoining edge portions

66

a

and

66

b

of the printed circuit board

60

. The number of poles of the input and output signals is increased by drawing out the terminal portions

76

from the edge portions

66

a

and

66

b

on the two sides, so that many of electric devices can be controlled simultaneously and electronically. In this case, these positions on the input and output sides are not restricted in particular and can selectively be assigned in either edge portion

66

a

or

66

b

on the two sides.

The terminal portions

76

are formed on both sides of the printed circuit board so that they are made to solidly alternate with each other. The pitch of

20

the terminal portions

76

thus alternately arranged is set at ½ time the pitch of the wiring conductors

75

. In other words, it is made possible to provide multiconductor (multi-pole) terminal portions

76

by arranging the terminal portions

76

drawn out to the edge portions

66

a

and

66

b

of the printed circuit board

60

alternately in the vertical two of upper and lower rows.

The terminal portions

76

are unidirectionally drawn out at a tilted angle α (see

FIG. 3

) of 45° with respect to the ridgelines

67

a

and

67

b

of the edge portions

66

a

and

66

b

. The reason for drawing out the terminal portions

76

unidirectionally is that the adjoining edge portions

66

a

and

66

b

of the printed circuit board

60

are simultaneously incorporated into the L-shaped board connector

10

.

Although it is possible to incorporate the edge portions

66

a

and

66

b

of the printed circuit board

60

separately by dividing out the L-shaped board connector

10

, the terminal portions

76

need not be tilted in the 45° direction but the terminal portions

76

may be drawn out in a direction perpendicular to the ridgelines

67

a

and

67

b

of the edge portions

66

a

and

66

b

. In the case of using the L-shaped board connector

10

, the advantage is that assembly workability is made improvable by simultaneously mating both the edge portions

66

a

and

66

b

of the printed circuit board

60

together.

The reason for setting the tilted angle α of the terminal portions

76

is that the printed circuit board

60

according to this embodiment of the invention is square in shape and that the diagonal line CL

2

connecting the opposed corner portions

68

a

and

68

d

is in the 45° direction.

Not only the board connector

10

according to this embodiment of the invention but also what has been applied for patent separately is applicable to the printed circuit board

60

thus having the conductor circuit on both sides of the board.

Number	Name	Date	Kind
4334728	Reynolds et al.	Jun 1982	A
5580272	Yamaguchi et al.	Dec 1996	A
5624281	Christensson	Apr 1997	A
5904586	Takayasu	May 1999	A
5906498	Nagafuji	May 1999	A
6352442	Kudo	Mar 2002	B1
6431897	Hashiguchi et al.	Aug 2002	B1
6514101	Miura	Feb 2003	B1

Board connector

Information

Patent Number

Date Filed

Date Issued

Inventors

Original Assignees

Examiners

Agents

CPC

US Classifications

Field of Search

US

International Classifications

Abstract

Description

Claims

Priority Claims (1)

US Referenced Citations (8)

Foreign Referenced Citations (1)