This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-222190, filed on Sep. 10, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a method of detachment of a connector, a connector detachment tool, and a connector.
A computer circuit board has memory modules and other devices mounted to it through connectors. Since the circuit board has expensive controlling circuit components etc. mounted on it, if a connector turns out to be defective, it is preferable to remove just the connector from the board. In recent years, sometimes control circuit components, memory modules, and other devices have been mounted on the front surfaces of thick boards and SMT devices have been mounted on the back surfaces. In such cases, the connector terminals do not pass through the boards, so detachment of the connectors becomes more difficult. Therefore, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-264976 discloses the technique of utilizing the lever principle so as to pull out electronic circuit packages.
However, if using the lever principle to detach a connector, the board is liable to be damaged. Further, when other components etc. are arranged near the connector from the viewpoint of saving space, the other components are liable to end up being damaged when detaching the connector.
Accordingly, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a method of detachment of a connector, a connector detachment tool, and a connector, which enable the effects on the board and other components etc. to be suppressed when detaching a connector.
According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of detachment of a connector which is provided with a housing which has connector pins to be inserted into a board and with a first member which is located between the housing and the board and through which the connector pins are inserted, the method including a process of utilizing a lever principle, which uses the first member as a fulcrum and which uses any point on the housing as a point of action, so as to pull out the connector pins from the board.
According to a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a detachment tool of a connector which is provided with a housing which has connector pins to be inserted into a board and a first member which is located between the housing and the board and through which the connector pins are inserted, the housing provided with a second member which covers the first member, the detachment tool of a connector provided with a cutting part for cutting the second member and an action member which uses a contact point between the cutting part and the first member as a fulcrum and acts on the housing in a direction which pulls out the connector pins from the board.
According to a third aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a connector which is provided with a housing which has connector pins to be inserted into a board and a first member which is located between the housing and the board and through which the connector pins are inserted, wherein the housing has a second member which covers the first member, and the second member has a partial cut in a longitudinal direction of the housing so that part of the first member is exposed.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of the preferred embodiments given with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
Additional objects and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure, as claimed.
The method of detachment of a connector, the connector detachment tool, and the connector of the disclosure of the specification enable a connector to be detached while minimizing any effects on the board and other components etc.
First, a connector 10 which is used in the following embodiments will be explained. The connector 10, as one example, is a press-fit (PF) type dual in-line memory module (DIMM) connector.
Referring to
The two short side wall surface parts 16 are surface parts which extend in a width (short side) direction of the connector 10. The two long side wall surface parts 15 are connected at their respective ends by the respective short side wall surface parts 16. Due to this, the two long side wall surface parts 15 and the two short side wall surface parts 16 form the side walls of the molded part 11. Further, the two long side wall surface parts 15 are connected by the skeleton 17. Referring to
The base plate 12 is arranged under the bottom of the skeleton 17 (between ends of the two short side wall surface parts 16 at the board side). The base plate 12 is formed with through holes for passage of the connector pins 15. When the connector 10 is connected to the board, the connector pins 14 are inserted via the through holes of the base plate 12 to the terminal holes of the board. The base plate 12 is a separate member from the long side wall surface parts 15 and can be separated from the long side wall surface parts 15 without cutting any specific members. Further, the base plate 12 may be bonded to the long side wall surface parts 15, but can be separated from the long side wall surface parts 15 by applying a predetermined force. The base plate 12 is, for example, made of a plastic etc. The latches 13 are members which fasten the memory module to the connector 10.
Referring to
As one example, each connector 10 is provided with 240 connector pins 14. Further, the holding force for the connector pins 14 at the board 20 is, for example, 2 kg/pin. In this case, to detach a connector 10 from the board 20, a force of about 500 kg is required. From the viewpoint of saving space, the connectors 10 are often arranged with high density. Therefore, if applying a large force to a specific connector, the other connectors, the other components, etc. may also be damaged. In particular, when the board 20 is formed thicker than the lengths by which the connector pins 14 extend from the base plate 12, the connector pins 14 will end up not passing through the board 20 to its back surface. Therefore, in this case, it is not possible to push the connector pins 14 upward from the back surface side of the board, so detachment of a connector 10 becomes more difficult.
In the following embodiments, it is possible to detach a specific connector from a board while minimizing the effects on the other connectors and other components. Embodiments of the method of detachment of a connector, connector detachment tool, and connector will be explained.
First, referring to
Next, referring to
Next, a method of detachment of the connector 10 according to a second embodiment will be explained.
First, referring to
Next, referring to
Note that the process from
Next, referring to
The detachment tool 40 includes a pair of action members 41a and 41b and a support member 42. The support member 42 is a member which extends along the long side wall surface parts 15. The support member 42 rotatably supports the action member 41a at one end and rotatably supports the action member 41b at the other end. To enable adjustment of the distance between the action member 41a and the action member 41b and to enable the fulcrums of the support member 42 to be slid, it is also possible that the support member 42 be formed with slits extending in the longitudinal direction of the connector 10. The action members 41a and 41b can pivot about the points supported by the support member 42 with the longitudinal directions as the radial directions, of the action members 41a and 41b. The planes drawn by rotation of the action members 41a and 41b match the surfaces of the long side wall surface parts 15 facing these members 41a and 41b.
The action members 41a and 41b are provided with projections 43 which engage with recesses in the short side wall surface parts 16, at the outsides in the longitudinal direction of the connector 10 and at the board 20 side. To make the action members 41a and 41b rotate so that forces are applied, via the projections 43, to the recesses in the short side wall surface parts 16 in the opposite direction from the board 20, it is necessary to apply forces to the ends of the action members 41a and 41b at the opposite sides to the board 20. In this case, the ends of the action members 41a and 41b, at the opposite sides from the board 20, function as the force application points. The connector 10 is fastened to the board 20, so rotation of the action members 41a and 41b is obstructed by the recesses in the short side wall surface parts 16. In this case, the ends of the action members 41a and 41b, at the board 20 side, function as the fulcrums. Further, the projections 43 function as the points of action.
In this case, rather than using the board 20 for the fulcrums, the base plate 12, which is provided at the connector 10, is used for the fulcrums, so it is possible to minimize damage to the board 20. Further, the points of action are set at the short side wall surface parts 16, so it is possible to apply the lever principle utilizing the longitudinal direction of the long side wall surface parts 15. Due to this, it is possible to reduce the forces required at the force application points compared with the forces required at the points of action. As a result, detachment of the connector 10 becomes easy, so damage to the adjoining other connectors, other components, etc. is suppressed.
According to the above configuration, by applying forces to the ends of the force application members 53a and 53b at the opposite sides to the fulcrum member 51 and at the opposite side from the board 20, tensile forces act on the action point members 52a and 52b in a direction at the opposite side from the board 20. However, the connector 10 is held at the board 20, so the forces, which are applied to the force application members 53, act to the base plate 12 through the fulcrum member 51. In this case, the ends of the force application members 53a and 53b, at the opposite sides from the fulcrum member 51, function as force application members, the portion where the fulcrum member 51 contacts the base plate 12 functions as fulcrum, and the recesses in the short side wall surface parts 16, with which the projections of the action point members 52a and 52b engage, function as points of action.
In this case, rather than using the board 20 for the fulcrum, the base plate 12, which is provided at the connector 10, is used for the fulcrum, so it is possible to minimize damage to the board 20. Further, the points of action are set at the short side wall surface parts 16, so it is possible to apply the lever principle utilizing the longitudinal direction of the long side wall surface parts 15. Due to this, it is possible to reduce the force required at the force application point compared with the forces required at the points of action. As a result, detachment of the connector 10 becomes easy, so damage to the adjoining other connectors, other components, etc. is suppressed.
The force application members 63a and 63b are rod-shaped members which extend in the longitudinal direction of the long side wall surface parts 15. The force application member 63a is supported at its approximate center so that it can rotate about the support member 61a. The force application member 63b is supported at its approximate center so that it can rotate about the support member 61b. The force application members 63a and 63b can rotate about the supported points with the longitudinal directions, as the radial directions, of the force application members 63a and 63b. The planes which are drawn by rotation of the force application members 63a and 63b match the surfaces of the long side wall surface parts 15 facing these members 63a and 63b. The action point member 62a is connected, at one end, to the force application member 63a and has a projection at the other end engaged with the recess in the short side wall surface part 16. The action point member 62b is connected, at one end, to the force application member 63b and has a projection at the other end engaged with the recess in the short side wall surface part 16. The locations at which the action point members 62a and 62b are connected to the force application members 63a and 63b are at the outer sides from the supports members 61a and 61b in the longitudinal direction of the connector 10.
According to the above configuration, by applying force in the direction to the board 20 side to the inner ends of the force application members 63a and 63b, tensile forces act on the action point members 62a and 62b in the opposite direction from the board 20. However, the connector 10 is held at the board 20, so the forces acting on the force application members 63a and 63b are applied to the base plate 12 through the fulcrum member 61. In this case, the inside ends of the force application members 63a and 63b function as the force application members, the fulcrum member 61 functions as the fulcrum, and the recesses in the short side wall surface parts 16, with which the projections of the action point members 62a and 62b engage, function as the points of action.
In this case, rather than using the board 20 for the fulcrum, the base plate 12, which is provided at the connector 10, is used for the fulcrum, so it is possible to minimize damage to the board 20. Further, the points of action are set at the short side wall surface parts 16, so it is possible to apply the lever principle utilizing the longitudinal direction of the long side wall surface parts 15. Due to this, it is possible to reduce the force required at the force application point compared with the force required at the point of action. As a result, detachment of the connector 10 becomes easy, so damage to the adjoining other connectors, other components, etc. is suppressed.
Note that in the example of
Next, a method of detachment of the connector 10 according to the third embodiment will be explained.
First, referring to
Next, referring to
Next, a detachment tool 70 of the connector 10 will be explained. The detachment tool 70 is a tool which enables the skeleton 17 to be cut and the connector pins 14 to be pulled out by the same process. The detachment tool 70 is a tool of a modification of the detachment tool 40 of
Referring to
Referring to
Further, the action members 41a and 41b are turned so that force acts at the opposite side from the board 20, via the projections 43, to the recesses in the short side wall surface parts 16. In this case, the projections 43 function as fulcrums and the blades 71 act as points of action. Due to this, the blades 71 cut the skeleton 17. If further trying to make the action members 41a and 41b rotate, the blades 71 contact the base plate 12. In this case, the points where the blades 71 contact the base plate 12 function as fulcrums. Further, the projections 43 function as points of action.
In this case, rather than using the board 20 for the fulcrums, the base plate 12, which is provided at the connector 10, is used for the fulcrums, so it is possible to minimize damage to the board 20. Further, the points of action are set at the short side wall surface parts 16, so it is possible to apply the lever principle utilizing the longitudinal direction of the long side wall surface parts 15. Due to this, it is possible to reduce the forces required at the force application points compared with the forces required at the points of action. As a result, detachment of the connector 10 becomes easy, so damage to the adjoining other connectors, other components, etc. is suppressed.
Next, a connector 10a according to a fifth embodiment will be explained.
According to this configuration, the base plate 12 is exposed even without later cutting the skeleton 17. Due to this, by using the exposed base plate 12 for the fulcrums and using the short side wall surface parts 16 for the points of action, it is possible to detach the connector 10a while minimizing damage to the board 20.
Note that in the above embodiments, the base plate 12 corresponds to the first member which is arranged between the housing and board and through which the connector pins pass, while the skeleton 17 corresponds to the second member which covers the first member and corresponds to the connection part which connects the pair of long side wall surface parts.
All examples and conditional language recited above were intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although the embodiments of the disclosure have been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2010-222190 | Sep 2010 | JP | national |