Patent Application
20080280488
This invention relates generally to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to electrical connectors for circuit boards.
Mating circuit board connectors typically include plug connectors mounted to an edge of a daughtercard, and socket connectors mounted to a surface of a motherboard. Custom-designed circuit board connectors include a multitude of different types of specialized contacts and varying mounting footprints, are relatively expensive, require long lead times to design and manufacture, and have unique mounting footprints that present product packaging problems. Rows of side-by-side standard connectors occupy much space on circuit boards, are difficult to precisely align to traces on an underlying circuit board, and also have varying mounting footprints.
In one aspect, this invention provides an electrical connector assembly comprising a plurality of electrical connectors arranged side-by-side and including at least partially superimposed mounting flanges. Accordingly, the invention may provide a relatively high density connector assembly. Additionally, the connectors may be provided according to integer multiples of a given mounting footprint so as to standardize the assembly. Also, fasteners may be provided through all of the mounting flanges for good alignment with traces on an underlying circuit board. Moreover, the assembly may include two or more different types of connectors, such as fiber optic, coaxial, digital, differential pair, or radio frequency connectors.
Referring now to the drawings,
Referring to
The surface-mount connectors 20, 22, 24 include bodies 26 having circuit board mounting surfaces 27, first mounting flanges 28 extending laterally from sides of the bodies 26 and being substantially flush with the first surface 13 of the first circuit board 14, and second mounting flanges 30 extending laterally from opposite sides of the bodies 26 generally opposite the first mounting flanges 28 and being spaced from the first surface 13 of the first circuit board 14. The bodies 26 may be adapted to carry any electrical terminals or the like (not shown) in any suitable fashion.
The mounting flanges 28, 20 of the adjacent connectors 20, 22, 24 are at least partially superimposed. As used herein, the terminology superimposed mounting flanges includes at least portions of mounting flanges that are overlapping one another along a direction normal to the surface 13 of the circuit board 14. In other words, adjacent connectors 20, 22, 24 are at least partially shingled or laid over one another at their mounting flanges 20, 28.
The connectors 20, 22, 24 may be mounted to the circuit board 14 in any suitable fashion, such as using polarizing hardware. At sides of the row of connectors 12 having only one mounting flange, mounting blocks 32 may be provided in place of a mounting flange of an adjacent connector to help fasten the plurality of connectors to the circuit board 14. The flanges 28, 30 and blocks 32 include mounting holes 34 that are aligned with corresponding mounting holes 36 of the circuit board 14. Polarizing fasteners such as fastening pins 38 are inserted through the mounting holes 34, 36 from one side of the circuit board 14 such that shoulders 40 of the pins 38 trap the superimposed flanges 28, 30 and/or blocks 32 to the circuit board 14, and threaded ends 42 of the pins 38 extend beyond a second surface 15 of the circuit board 14. Fasteners, such as nuts 44, are threaded to the threaded ends 42 of the pins 38 to fasten the connectors 20, 22, 24 and/or blocks 32 to the circuit board 14. Accordingly, the polarizing fastening pins 38 and nuts 44 serve as fastening hardware and, as will be described below, polarizing hardware.
Still referring to
The edge-mount connectors 50, 52, 54 include bodies 56, first flanges 58 extending laterally from sides of the bodies 56 and being substantially flush with a front surface 19 of the second circuit board 18, and second flanges 60 extending laterally from opposite sides of the bodies 56 generally opposite the first flanges 58 and being substantially flush with a rear surface 21 of the second circuit board 18. The bodies 56 include opposed flanges 55, 57 and a channel 59 therebetween. The flanges 55, 57 are adapted to mount against the front and rear surfaces 19, 21, respectively, of the circuit board 18, wherein the channel 59 is adapted to accept the edge 17 of the circuit board 18 therein. The bodies 56 may be adapted to carry any electrical terminals or the like (not shown) in any suitable fashion. One of the mounting flanges 58 or 60 is disposed on one side of the channel 59, and the other 58 or 60 is disposed on another side of the channel 59. The mounting flanges 58, 60 of the adjacent connectors 50, 52, 54 are at least partially superimposed.
The connectors 50, 52, 54 may be mounted to the circuit board 18 in any suitable fashion. At sides of the row of connectors 16 having only one mounting flange, mounting blocks 62 may be provided to help fasten the connectors 16 to the circuit board 18. The flanges 58, 60 and blocks 62 include semi-cylindrical pockets 64 including semi-annular grooves 66. The pockets 64 receive polarizing guide sockets 68 that include annular projections 70 that fit within the semi-annular grooves 66 of the pockets 64 to axially retain the sockets 68 to their respective flanges 58, 60 and/or blocks 62. The polarizing guide sockets 68 also include set screws 72 extending transversely therein.
In
Referring to the connectors 16 in
Referring now to
It will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those described above, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being limited only by the following claims and the equivalents thereof.
