Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6379181
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Patent Number
6,379,181
-
Date Filed
Thursday, March 1, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 30, 200222 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 439 567
- 439 571
- 439 572
- 439 357
- 439 358
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International Classifications
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Abstract
An electrical connector (1) comprises an insulating housing (10) receiving a plurality of terminals (20) therein. A pair of grounding devices (50) and locking devices (40) are assembled to the housing and engage with each other. The housing defines first and second receiving slots (16a, 16b). The housing also defines an arced recess between the first and second slots. Each locking device comprises first and second locking arms (44, 46). A circular nut (48) is integrally formed with the first arm, and is fittingly received in an arced lower portion of the arced recess. The nut threadedly engages with a locking portion (56) of a corresponding grounding device.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector having a locking device for securely locking the connector to a printed circuit board.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,336 discloses an electrical connector
2
comprises a pair of locking devices
50
for securing the connector to a printed circuit board. The pair of locking devices are assembled to two opposite lateral ends of an insulating housing
20
with two lateral edges of the upper and the bottom plates
54
,
52
engaging with slots
36
and
38
of the housing. However, this securing relationship is not so reliable that the locking devices
50
may shift from their intended position whereby fastening members
120
cannot have a proper threaded engagement with threaded members
58
when the fastening members
120
are extended through holes
86
of a shield member
70
to threadedly engage with the threaded members
58
.
Hence, an improved electrical connector having a locking device is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having a locking device which integrally forms an internal threaded portion therein and can be securely positioned to a housing of the connector so that a member having an external thread can readily engage with the internal threaded portion of the locking device.
To fulfill the above-mentioned object, an electrical connector of the present invention comprises an insulating housing having first, second slots and a recess between the first and second slots. A plurality of terminals are received within the housing. At least a locking device is assembled to the housing, each locking device comprising first and second locking arms connected to each other, said first and second locking arms being respectively received within the first and the second receiving slots, the locking device further having a nut fixed with the first locking arm and being fitted within the recess. A shield encloses the housing defining a through hole aligned with the holes of the housing. A grounding device is assembled to and engaged with the locking device.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is an exploded view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a perspective view of an insulating housing of the connector of
FIG. 1
from a different aspect in which a portion of the housing is cut away;
FIG. 3
is an assembled view of the present invention;
FIG. 4
is a top view of
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 5
is a cross-sectional view taken from line V—V of
FIG. 4
;
FIG. 6
is a cross-sectional view taken from line VI—VI of
FIG. 4
; and
FIG. 7
is a cross-sectional view taken from line VII—VII of FIG.
4
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to
FIG. 1
, an electrical connector
1
of the present invention comprises an insulating housing
10
, a plurality of terminals
20
fixed to an insulating insert
11
, a shield
30
for enclosing a shroud
14
of the housing
10
, a pair of metallic locking devices
40
to be secured on two lateral ends of the housing
10
and a pair of metallic grounding devices
50
for engaging with the locking devices
40
.
Also referring to
FIGS. 2-4
, the housing
10
comprises a base
12
having a mating face
12
a
, a shroud
14
extending forwardly from the mating face
12
a
and a plurality of terminal receiving channels
18
defined in the shroud
14
. A block
16
is formed at each of two lateral ends of the housing
10
. The housing
10
also defines first and second receiving slots
16
a
,
16
b
both parallel to the mating face
12
a
and extending through an upper face
12
b
and a bottom face
12
c
of the housing
10
. An arced recess
16
c
depressed from the top face
12
b
is defined in each block
16
between the first and second receiving slots
16
a
,
16
b
. The housing
10
further defines apair of holes
19
in the mating face
12
a
communicating with the first receiving slot
16
a
and the arced recesses
16
c.
The housing
10
further forms a spacer
24
at a rear, lower portion thereof. A pair of rails are formed by the housing
10
between the shroud
14
and the spacer
24
along the front-to-rear direction and between the blocks
16
along the lateral direction. A pair of hooks
122
is formed to project from each of top and bottom faces of the base
12
of the housing
10
. A hole
124
is defined in the base
12
neighboring a corresponding hook
122
. An opening
126
is defined in the base
12
communicating with the terminal receiving channels
18
. The insert
11
forms a pair of protrusions
222
on each of its top and bottom faces (only a pair being shown). A groove
22
is defined in each of lateral sides of the insert
11
. The terminals
20
each have a mating portion
20
a
in front of the insert
11
and a right-angled tail portion
20
b
in rear of the insert
11
. The terminals
20
are assembled with the housing
10
by inserting the insert
11
into the opening
126
to reach aposition in which the rails
13
fit in the grooves
22
, the protrusions
222
fit into the holes
124
, the mating portions
20
a
of the terminals
20
are received in the receiving channels
18
, and the tail portions
20
b
extend through the spacer
24
.
Each locking device
40
comprises a flat connecting portion
42
, a first locking arm
44
extending from an end of the connecting portion
42
and a second locking arm
46
extending from the other end of the connecting portion
42
parallel to the first locking arm
44
so that the locking device
40
has a U-shaped configuration. Each locking arm
44
and
46
forms a plurality of protrusions
44
a
,
46
a
on two opposite edges thereof. The second locking arm
46
also forms two separate resilient legs
49
at a free end thereof. A circular nut
48
is integrally formed with the first locking arm
44
and protrudes toward the second locking arm
46
. The nut
48
has an inner threaded portion
48
a.
The shield
30
comprises an abutting portion
32
for abutting against the mating face
12
a
of the housing
10
, and a shielding portion
34
for enclosing the shroud
14
. The shield
30
further defines two through holes
32
a
correspondent to the holes
19
of the housing
10
.
Each grounding device
50
comprises a body portion
52
, a driving portion
54
and a locking portion
56
having an outer thread
56
a
. A helical spring
58
is assembled to the grounding device
50
between the body portion
52
and the locking portion
56
. The grounding devices
50
are used to connect with a shield of a mating connector and the locking devices
40
.
Referring to
FIGS. 1
,
2
and
5
, in assembly, the locking devices
40
are assembled to two lateral ends of the housing
10
from the upper face
12
b
of the housing
10
, wherein the first and second locking arms
44
,
46
respectively fit within the first and second receiving slots
16
a
,
16
b
, thereby preventing the locking devices
40
from moving along the front-to-rear direction. The nuts
48
of the locking devices
40
fit within the third receiving slots
16
c
with a lower semi-circular portion of each of the nuts
48
being fitted in a lower arced portion of a corresponding arced recess
16
c
, whereby the inner threaded portion
48
a
is accurately aligned with a corresponding through hole
19
. The protrusions
44
a
,
46
a
of the first and the second locking arms
44
,
46
have an interferential engagement with two blokes
16
of the housing
10
thereby preventing the locking devices
40
from having an upward movement. The shield
30
is then assembled to the housing
10
from the mating face
12
a
thereof, wherein the through holes
32
a
are alignedwith the through holes
19
of the housing
10
. The shield
30
forms rearwardly extending ears
36
engaging with the hooks
122
. The shielding portion
34
of the shield
30
encloses the shroud
14
. Finally, the locking portions
56
of the grounding devices
50
are inserted to engage with the thread
48
a
of the nuts
48
through the holes
32
a
of the shield
30
and the through holes
19
of the housing
10
. The helical springs
58
are compressed between the abutting portion
32
of the shield
30
and the body portions
52
of the grounding devices
50
.
An advantage of the present invention is that the nuts
48
each have a circular configuration fitted in the lower arced portion of the arced recess
16
c
thereby accurately aligning the inner threaded portion
48
a
with the through holes
19
so that the locking portions can easily and reliably extend through the through hole
19
to threadedly engage with the inner threaded portions
48
a.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
Claims
- 1. An electrical connector comprising:an insulating housing; a plurality of terminals received within the housing; at least a U shaped locking device having first and second locking arms connected by a connecting portion, said first arm having integrally formed hereon a circular nut protruding toward the second arm, said first and second arms extending into first and second slots defined by the housing and having an interferential engagement with the housing, said circular nut being fitted in an arced recess defined by the housing and located between the first and second slots, said nut defining a threaded hole in alignment with a hole defined by the housing; a metal shield enclosing the housing; and a grounding device having a locking portion threadedly engaging with the threaded hole of the nut; wherein the second arm forms resilient legs adapted for engaging with a printed circuit board thereby securing the connector to the printed circuit board; wherein the terminals are fixed to an insulating insert; wherein the housing forms a spacer at a rear, lower portion thereof, the terminals each having a mating portion located in front of the insert and received in a passageway defined in the housing, and a right angled tail portion extending through the spacer; wherein the insert forms grooves in lateral sides thereof, said groove fittingly receiving rails formed by the housing; wherein protrusions are formed on top and bottom faces of the insert, the protrusions fitting into holes defined in the housing thereby fixing the insert together with the terminals to the housing; wherein the grounding device further has a body portion, a helical spring located between the locking portion and the body portion, the helical spring being compressed between the shield and the body portion of the grounding device.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
89221274 U |
Dec 2000 |
TW |
|
US Referenced Citations (10)