BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a front view of a double-ended press-fit connector according to the present invention;
FIG. 1B is a partial longitudinal section view of the double-ended press-fit connector;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of mounting the double-ended press-fit connector on a first printed circuit board using a jig;
FIG. 3A is a sectional view of mounting the double-ended press-fit connector on a second printed circuit board using a jig;
FIG. 3B is a sectional view of the double-ended press-fit connector mounted on the first printed circuit board turned upside down for mounting on the second printed circuit board;
FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of mounting the double-ended press-fit connector on two printed circuit boards using a jig;
FIG. 5 is an overall vertical sectional view of mounting the double-ended press-fit connector on two printed circuit boards using a jig;
FIG. 6A is a front view of a conventional double-ended press-fit connector;
FIG. 6B is a partial longitudinal section view of the conventional double-ended press-fit connector;
FIG. 7 is an overall perspective view of mounting the conventional double-ended press-fit connector on two printed circuit boards using a jig;
FIG. 8 is an overall vertical sectional view of mounting the conventional double-ended press-fit connector on two printed circuit boards using a jig;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of mounting the conventional double-ended press-fit connector on a printed circuit board using a jig;
FIG. 10A is a sectional view of mounting the conventional double-ended press-fit connector on a second printed circuit board using a jig;
FIG. 10B is a sectional view of the conventional double-ended press-fit connector mounted on a first printed circuit board turned upside down for mounting on the second printed circuit board;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of pressing a press-fit portion on a side that does not have an engagement portion first when pressing the conventional double-ended press-fit connector into a printed circuit board using a jig;
FIG. 12A is a sectional view of mounting the conventional double-ended press-fit connector on the second printed circuit board using a jig; and
FIG. 12B is a sectional view of the conventional double-ended press-fit connector mounted on the first printed circuit board turned upside down for mounting on the second printed circuit board.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A detailed description will now be given of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, a double-ended press-fit connector 1 according to the present invention is comprised of a plurality of press-fit contacts 6, 6 . . . and an insulated housing 7 for press-fitting and fixing in place the press-fit contacts 6, 6. The insulated housing 7 is made of insulating synthetic resin, and is divided into two parts, upper and lower, so as to be comprised of a pair of sections 7a, 7b. Fixing holes for the purpose of press-fitting and fixing in place the press fit contacts 6 are formed in each of the sections 7a, 7b so as to be vertically symmetrical. The press-fit contacts 6 are pressed and inserted into the fixing holes 7c in the sections 7a, 7b.
The press-fit contacts 6 are formed by being punched out of thin metal plate with a mold, and therefore have on both tip end portions in their long direction introduction portions 8, 9 of narrower width so as to facilitate insertion in the fixing holes 7c; press-fit portions 2, 3 formed so as to bulge elliptically in a width direction on an inside of the introductory portions 8, 9; and a bulge portion 4 of maximum width at a central portion thereof. In addition, between the bulge portion 4 and the press fit portions 2, 3, engagement portions 5, 5 are formed on both outer sides so as to project slightly outward. It should be noted that the insulated housing 7 is divided into upper and lower parts at a center in the long direction of the bulge portion 4.
Like sewing machine needles, the press-fit portions 2, 3 have an expanded portion that bulges outward in the width direction in the shape of an oval, in which a similarly shaped slit is formed. The bulge portion 4, in the embodiment shown in the drawing, is formed in the shape of a rectangle of width wider than that of the engagement portion 5, with a shoulder portion 4a formed between it and the engagement portion 5. The shoulder portion 4a is a press-fit contact 6 slip-stop prevention means.
The engagement portion 5 is comprised of multiple projections, and once the press-fit contacts 6 are pressed and mounted, the engagement of the projections prevents the contacts from slipping out in the reverse direction of the direction of press-fit insertion. The projections of the engagement portion 5 also, as shown in FIG. 1B, are fixed in the vertical direction that is the long direction of the press-fit contacts 6 so that the section 7a and the section 7b cannot move. When a downward force is exerted on the press-fit contacts 6 from above, the projections of the engagement portion 5 on the top side resist, and when an upward force is applied to the press-fit contacts 6 from below, the projections of the engagement portion 5 on the bottom side resist. Consequently, the press-fit contacts 6 are prevented from slipping out of the insulated housing 7, and therefore, the engagement portion 5 also is a press-fit contact 6 slip-stop prevention means.
Thus, as described above, the slip-stop prevention means is the shoulder portion 4a on the bulge portion 4 as well as the projections of the engagement portion 5. Moreover, for example, making the bulge portion 4 of narrower width then the engagement portion 5 creates a stepped portion at the portion where the width changes, and therefore this stepped portion also becomes a press-fit contact 6 slip-stop prevention means. Specifically, it is sufficient if slip-stop prevention means are present in the press-fit contacts 6.
In addition, it is sufficient if the above described slip-stop prevention means is provided with lock means so that the two sections 7a, 7b do not move in the long direction, which may be provided at one location only, and therefore one or the other of the bulge portion 4 and the engagement portion 5 may be provided.
Further, as a method for manufacturing the double-ended press-fit connector 1 according to the present invention, for example, the press-fit contacts 6 may be inserted into a mold and formed as a single integrated unit with the insulated housing 7. In that case, the assembly step of inserting the press-fit contacts 6 into the two sections 7a, 7b becomes unnecessary.
Next, a description is given of the procedure for inserting and mounting the double-ended press-fit connector 1 having the construction described above into and on printed circuit boards 15, 16. First, the press-fit contacts 6 are inserted into the sections 7a, 7b to assemble the double-ended press-fit connector 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the printed circuit board 15 is placed on the receiving jig 17a and the introduction portions 9 of the press-fit contacts 6 of the double-ended press-fit connector 1 are aligned with the through holes 15a in the printed circuit board 15, and the double-ended press-fit connector 1 is pressed downward with the punch jig 18a.
There are no escape holes to which the polarity projections can escape in the receiving jig 17a, and similarly, there are no escape holes to which the polarity projections can escape in the punch jig 18a, either. This point differs from the jigs 17, 18 in the conventional example, rendering the process of making holes in the jig in the jig production step unnecessary.
When the punch jig 18a presses down on the top end surface of the insulated housing 7 of the double-ended press-fit connector 1, the pressing force is transmitted from the insulated housing 7 to all the press-fit contacts 6 through the shoulder portion 4a and the press-fit portions 3 are inserted into the through-holes 15a.
Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, the through-holes 16a in the printed circuit board 16 are aligned with the introduction portions 8 and the printed circuit board 16 is pressed downward with the punch jig 18a so as to press the press-fit contacts 6 into the through-holes 16a in the printed circuit board 16. At this time, the press-fit contacts 6 are pushed downward by a frictional force generated by the sliding contact between the through-holes 16a and the press-fit portions 2. However, the shoulder portion 4b of the press-fit contacts 6 is blocked by section 7b of the insulated housing 7 and thus the press-fit contacts 6 do not slip out of the insulated housing 7. In this manner the double-ended press-fit connector 1 is mounted on the upper and lower printed circuit boards 15, 16.
Moreover, the process is the same when, as shown in FIG. 3B, the printed circuit board 15 into which the double-ended press-fit connector 1 is inserted and attached is inverted to the punch jig 18a side and the printed circuit board 16 is placed on the receiving jig 17a side and mounted, in a state that is the reverse of that shown in FIG. 3A. Specifically, when the insulated housing 7 is pressed with the punch jig 18a through the printed circuit board 15, the section 7b on the top side of the insulated housing 7 pushes against the shoulder portion 4b of the press-fit contacts 6, which causes the press-fit portions 2 of the press-fit contacts 6 to be inserted into the through-holes 16a in the printed circuit board 16, thus mounting the double-ended press-fit connector 1 on the upper and lower printed circuit boards 15, 16.
FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show perspective and sectional views, respectively, of the press-fitting and mounting of the double-ended press-fit connector 1 on the printed circuit boards 15, 16. With the double-ended press-fit connector 1 according to the present invention, it is not necessary to determine the order of assembly, that is, which of the press-fit portions 2, 3 must be inserted in a printed circuit board first, and therefore the double-ended press-fit connector 1 may be turned upside down from the state shown in the drawings. Therefore, an operator can perform the task of inserting the press-fit contacts into the printed circuit boards 15, 16 without being at all concerned about polarity when inserting the double-ended press-fit connector 1.
As many apparently widely different embodiments and variations of the present invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof and described herein, except as defined in the appended claims.
Patent Application
20080050947
