The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connector systems.
Some electrical connector systems utilize mating electrical connectors to interconnect two circuit boards, such as a motherboard and daughter card. In order to vary the mated distances between the two circuit boards, such as due to space constraints in an electronic device, at least one of the mating electrical connectors may include multiple housing members stacked on top of one another between a mounting end and a mating end. The conductors of this stacked electrical connector are terminated to one circuit board and extend through the housing members towards the mating end to engage mating conductors of the mating connector terminated to the other circuit board.
Some known electrical connectors with stacked housing members have structural problems. More specifically, some such electrical connectors do not sufficiently retain the respective conductors within the housing members. The conductors may fall out of the housing members, such as during shipment of the connectors, when mating and unmating the electrical connector relative to a mating connector, and/or when mounting and removing the electrical connector relative to a circuit board. Additionally, some such electrical connectors have issues securing the housing members to one another. The housing members may undesirably separate from one another when unmating the electrical connector from the mating connector and/or when removing the electrical connector from the circuit board to which the connector is mounted. Typically, the housing members include complementary interference features at interfacing surfaces to align and hold adjacent housing members together. The interference features may include protrusions, pegs, or posts that are received in complementary grooves or holes, barbs, and the like. But, such interference features typically have low retention forces that are not able to withstand the forces applied on the housing members that pull the housing members apart from one another. To increase the retention forces, additional fasteners and/or adhesives may be applied at the interfaces, but such measures undesirably increase assembly time, complexity, and costs.
A need remains for reliably securing together multiple housing members of an electrical connector and for reliably retaining electrical conductors within the housing members of the electrical connector.
In an embodiment, an electrical connector is provided that includes a housing stack and plural conductors. The housing stack includes a front housing and a rear housing. The front housing defines a mating end of the housing stack. The rear housing defines a mounting end of the housing stack. The rear housing is disposed rearward of the front housing. The housing stack defines plural cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing between the mating end and the mounting end. The front housing includes a forward-facing shoulder within at least some of the cavities. The rear housing includes a rear-facing shoulder associated with the cavities that include the forward-facing shoulder. The conductors are disposed in the cavities of the housing stack. At least some of the conductors have a first projecting feature that engages the forward-facing shoulder in the corresponding cavity and a second projecting feature that engages the rear-facing shoulder to secure the front housing to the rear housing.
In another embodiment, an electrical connector is provided that includes a housing stack and plural conductors. The housing stack includes a front housing and a rear housing. The front housing defines a mating end of the housing stack. The rear housing defines a mounting end of the housing stack. The rear housing is disposed rearward of the front housing. The housing stack defines plural cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing between the mating end and the mounting end. The rear housing includes a rear-facing shoulder associated with at least some of the cavities. The front housing includes a forward-facing shoulder within the cavities associated with the rear-facing shoulder. The forward-facing shoulder is a catch surface of a protrusion that extends into the corresponding cavity from a side wall of the front housing that defines the cavity. The conductors are disposed in the cavities of the housing stack. At least some of the conductors have a first projecting feature that engages the forward-facing shoulder in the corresponding cavity and a second projecting feature that engages the rear-facing shoulder to secure the front housing to the rear housing. The first projecting feature is a deflectable tab that deflects in response to a biasing force exerted on the deflectable tab by the protrusion as the respective conductor is loaded into the corresponding cavity.
In an exemplary embodiment, the first electrical connector 102 is a receptacle connector, and the second electrical connector 102 is a header connector. The first and second electrical connectors 102, 104 are referred to herein as receptacle connector 102 and header connector 104, respectively. In an embodiment, the receptacle connector 102 is modular in design, having at least two modules or units stacked together to define the height of the receptacle connector 102, which affects the distance between the circuit boards 106, 108 when the connectors 102, 104 are mated. Although not shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the header connector 104 includes a header housing 112 and a plurality of contacts 114. The header housing 112 extends between a mating end 122 and a mounting end 124. The header housing 112 includes multiple outer walls 118 that define a socket 120 therebetween. The socket 120 is open at the mating end 122 of the header housing 112 and is configured to receive a portion of the receptacle connector 102 therein. The header housing 112 may be box-shaped with four outer walls 118. All or at least some of the outer walls 118 may be beveled at the mating end 122 to provide a lead-in section to guide the receptacle connector 102 into the socket 120 during mating. In the illustrated embodiment, the header housing 112 has a fixed height between the mating end 122 and the mounting end 124. The header housing 112 may be formed of at least one dielectric material, such as a plastic or one or more other polymers. The mounting end 124 of the header housing 112 faces, and may also engage, a surface 126 of the second circuit board 108.
The contacts 114 protrude through a base wall 129 of the header housing 112 into the socket 120. The base wall 129 extends between the outer walls 118 and defines a back wall of the socket 120. The contacts 114 may define signal contacts and ground contacts. The contacts 114 are formed of a conductive material, such as copper, a copper alloy, and/or another metal or metal alloy. In the illustrated embodiment, the contacts 114 include flat blades 128 that extend into the socket 120. The contacts 114 also include terminating segments (not shown) that are configured to engage and electrically connect to a corresponding conductor (not shown) of the circuit board 108. The conductors of the circuit board 108 may be electric pads or traces, plated vias, or the like.
The receptacle connector 102 includes a housing stack 130 that extends between a mating end 132 and a mounting end 134. The housing stack 130 is modular and includes at least a front housing 136 and a rear housing 138, which are stackable modules or units. The rear housing 138 is positioned or located rearward of the front housing 136. As used herein, relative or spatial terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” and “right” are only used to distinguish the referenced elements and do not necessarily require particular positions or orientations in the electrical connector system 100 or in the surrounding environment of the electrical connector system 100.
The front housing 136 in the illustrated embodiment is box-shaped with an oblong (for example, rectangular) cross-sectional area. The front housing 136 includes four outer walls 150 that each extend between the front side 140 and the rear side 142. At least a portion of the front housing 136 that includes the front side 140 is configured to fit within the socket 120 (shown in
The rear housing 138 in the illustrated embodiment is box-shaped with an oblong (for example, rectangular) cross-sectional area. The rear housing 138 includes four outer walls 158 that each extend between the front side 144 and the rear side 146. Like the front housing 136, the rear housing 138 defines portions of the cavities 154 (shown in
The front housing 136 and the rear housing 138 may be composed of dielectric materials, such as one or more plastics or other polymers. The dielectric materials of the front housing 136 may be the same or different than the dielectric materials of the rear housing 138. The front housing 136 and the rear housing 138 in an embodiment are formed by a molding process.
In the illustrated embodiment, the housing stack 130 includes only the front housing 136 and the rear housing 138, such that no other modules or components separate the front housing 136 from the rear housing 138. For example, no components are located at the interface 148 between the front housing 136 and the rear housing 138. In other embodiments, however, the housing stack 130 may include at least one intermediary housing member or spacer member (not shown) that is located between the front housing 136 and the rear housing 138. The spacer member(s) may be used to increase the height of the receptacle connector 102 along the stack axis 162. Optionally, the housing stack 130 may include a ground bracket (not shown) that is located between the front housing 136 and the rear housing 138. The ground bracket may be a conductive frame that is configured to engage ground conductors 166 (shown in
The receptacle connector 102 includes plural conductors 156 that are disposed in the cavities 154 of the housing stack 130. Each conductor 156 is received in a corresponding one of the cavities 154. The conductors 156 may each extend for at least most of the height of the housing stack 130 between the mating end 132 and the mounting end 134. Therefore, the conductors 156 extend across the interface 148 defined between the front housing 136 and the rear housing 138. The conductors 156 may extend parallel to the stack axis 162. In an embodiment, the conductors 156 are made up of signal conductors 164 and ground conductors 166. The signal conductors 164 are configured to transmit power and/or data signals. The ground conductors 166 are configured to provide an electrical grounding path. In an embodiment, the signal conductors 164 are arranged in a plurality of signal pairs 168 to carry differential signals. The ground conductors 166 are interleaved between the signal pairs 168 to provide shielding between adjacent pairs 166. In the illustrated embodiment, two signal pairs 168 of signal conductors 164 are shown, and each signal pair 168 has a ground conductor 166 located on each side of the respective signal pair 168. The ground conductors 166 may be at least slightly longer than the signal conductors 164 in order to engage the contacts 114 (shown in
Optionally, some of the conductors 156 are staggered and/or arranged in different rotational orientations relative to other conductors 156 in the receptacle connector 102. For example, some signal conductors 164 are rotated 90 degrees from other signal conductors 164, as shown by the terminating interfaces 160 that extend from the rear side 146 of the rear housing 138. For example, the terminating interfaces 160A are parts of the conductors 156 through which the cross-section is taken, while the terminating interfaces 160B are parts of conductors located behind the cross-section.
Referring now to
Referring now back to
The front housing 136 includes a forward-facing shoulder 174 within at least some of the cavities 154. The rear housing 138 includes a rear-facing shoulder 176 that is associated with the cavities 154 that include the forward-facing shoulders 174. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the visible cavities 154 includes a forward-facing shoulder 174 associated with a rear-facing shoulder 176. The forward-facing shoulders 174 and the rear-facing shoulders 176 are surfaces that are transverse to the stack axis 162. For example, the shoulders 174, 176 are transverse to side walls 178 of the respective front and rear housings 136, 138 that define the cavities 154. The forward-facing shoulders 174 of the front housing 136 generally face the front side 140 of the front housing 136 (which defines the mating end 132). The rear-facing shoulders 176 of the rear housing 138 generally face the rear side 146 of the rear housing 146 (which defines the mounting end 134).
The conductors 156 have a first projecting feature 180 that engages the forward-facing shoulder 174 in the corresponding cavity 154 and a second projecting feature 182 (shown in more detail in
The engagement of the first and second projecting features 180, 182 to the forward-facing and rear-facing shoulders 174, 176, respectively, secures the front housing 136 to the rear housing 138. The conductors 156 effectively fasten the front housing 136 to the rear housing 138. Furthermore, such engagement between the projecting features 180, 182 and the shoulders 174, 176 also serves to hold and retain the conductors 156 in position within the corresponding cavities 154. Although all of the conductors 156 visible in the illustrated embodiment include the projecting features 180, 182, some of the conductors 156 of the receptacle connector 102 may not include the projecting features 180, 182.
In an embodiment, the forward-facing shoulder 174 of the front housing 136 is a catch surface of a protrusion 184 that extends into the corresponding cavity 154 from the side wall 178 that defines the cavity 154. The protrusion 184 is an obstruction that reduces the diameter or cross-sectional area of the cavity 154. The first projecting feature 180 may be a deflectable tab that extends from the respective conductor 156. The deflectable tab 180 may extend from the stem 172 of the conductor 156, such as along a portion of the conductor 156 proximate to the mating interface 170. The deflectable tab 180 is configured to deflect around the protrusion 184 as the conductor 156 is loaded into the cavity 154. In an embodiment, the conductors 156 are configured to be loaded into the housing stack 130 in a loading direction 186 from the mounting end 134 towards the mating end 132 (such that the conductors 156 are loaded through the rear housing 138 first and then into the front housing 136). For example, the deflectable tab 180 may deflect or compress in response to a biasing force exerted on the deflectable tab 180 by the protrusion 184 as the conductor 156 is loaded into the cavity 154 past the protrusion 184.
Referring now back to
In the illustrated embodiment, the first projecting feature 180 is a deflectable tab, and the second projecting feature 182 is a crossbar. The conductor 156 has two opposing broad sides 194 and two opposing edge sides 196. The edge sides 196 each extend between the two broad sides 194. In an embodiment, the crossbar 182 extends laterally from both edge sides 196 of the conductor 156. For example, the crossbar 182 may include two arms 198 that each extend from one of the edge sides 196. Thus, the crossbar 182 has a T-shape. In an alternative embodiment, the crossbar 182 may extend from only one of the edge sides 196 and include only one arm 198. In an embodiment, the deflectable tab 180 extends from one of the broad sides 194 (for example, a first broad side 194A) of the conductor 156. The deflectable tab 180 may be cantilevered, including a fixed end 200 at the stem 172 and an opposite free end 202 that is spaced apart from the stem 172. The free end 202 is a distal end of the tab 180. In an embodiment, the deflectable tab 180 has an acute angle relative to the first broad side 194A of the stem 172. The deflectable tab 180 is oriented such that the fixed end 200 of the tab 180 is disposed more proximate to the mating interface 170 of the conductor 156 (and to the mating end 132 (shown in
In an embodiment, the conductor 156 is generally planar, having a planar stem 172 that is defined along or parallel to the broad sides 194. The planar shape may be attributable to a planar sheet or panel of metal from which the conductor 156 is stamped. In an embodiment, the crossbar 182 extends from the stem 172 along the plane of the stem 172. The deflectable tab 180, on the other hand, extends from the stem 172 out of the plane of the stem 172. The deflectable tab 180 and the crossbar 182 may both be integral to the conductor 156. As the conductor 156 is formed, the deflectable tab 180 may be formed by cutting an outline of the tab 180 in the stem 172 and bending the tab 180 out of the plane of the stem 172. The deflectable tab 180 is bent outward from the first broad side 194A, leaving a window 204 in the stem 172. The deflectable tab 180 is configured to deflect inward towards the first broad side 194A in response to a biasing force exerted on the tab 180. For example, the deflectable tab 180 is in an unbiased position in the illustrated embodiment. When experiencing a biasing force, the deflectable tab 180 may deflect in the direction of the arc A from the unbiased position to a biased position. In the biased position, the free end 202 of the tab 180 is more proximate to the stem 172 than the free end 202 when the tab 180 is in the unbiased position. The tab 180 is configured to resiliently return towards the unbiased position when the biasing force is removed, such that the free end 202 of the tab 180 moves in the direction of arc B away from the stem 172.
In the illustrated embodiment, the deflectable tab 180 is disposed within a width of the stem 172 between the two edge sides 196 of the stem 172. The tab 180 is separated from each of the edge sides 196 by a portion of the stem 172. In other embodiments, however, the tab 180 may extend to one of the edge sides 196.
In
In an alternative embodiment, the first projecting feature 180 is a protuberance (for example, a barb, lump, knob, or other protrusion) that extends from the stem 172, but is not a deflectable tab. The protrusion 184 of the front housing 136 may be at least partially compressible, such that the protrusion 184 compresses as the conductor 156 is loaded into the cavity 154 to allow the first projecting feature 180 to pass beyond the protrusion 184 to engage the forward-facing shoulder 174. Optionally, the protuberance 180 and the protrusion 184 include complementary ramped or beveled surfaces. As the conductor 156 is moved in the loading direction 186, the beveled surface of the protuberance 180 engages and slides along the beveled surface of the protrusion 184. Once the protuberance 180 moves beyond the forward-facing shoulder 174 of the protrusion 184, a rear-facing catch surface of the protuberance 180 extends over and engages the forward-facing shoulder 174.
In
In
In the illustrated embodiment, the second projecting feature 182 is a cantilevered beam. The cantilevered beam 182 is disposed proximate to the terminating interface 160 of the conductor 156. The cantilevered beam 182 includes a fixed end 220 at the stem 172 and an opposite free end 222 that is spaced apart from the stem 172. The free end 222 is a distal end of the beam 182. The cantilevered beam 182 may be formed by shearing or punching the free end 222 of the beam 182 out of the plane of the stem 172. In an embodiment, the cantilevered beam 182 extends at an acute angle relative to the second broad side 194B such that the fixed end 220 is more proximate to the mounting end 134 of the housing stack 130 than the proximity of the free end 222 to the mounting end 134. Put another way, the free end 222 is more proximate to the mating end 132 of the housing stack 130 than the proximity of the fixed end 220 to the mating end 132. The free end 222 of the cantilevered beam 182 defines a hard stop surface that is configured to engage the rear-facing shoulder 176 associated with the corresponding cavity 154. In an embodiment, the cantilevered beam 182 is not configured to deflect upon loading the conductor 156 into the cavity 154, unlike the deflectable tab 180 that defines the first projecting feature 180. In an alternative embodiment, the second projecting feature 182 may be a bump or other protrusion that extends from the broad side 194B, instead of a cantilevered beam.
In the illustrated embodiment, the rear-facing shoulder 186 is defined by the ledge 208 within the cavity 154 that is spaced apart from the rear side 146 of the rear housing 138. In an alternative embodiment, the rear-facing shoulder 186 may be defined by regions of the rear side 146 of the rear housing 138 around the cavities 154, as described with reference to
It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Dimensions, types of materials, orientations of the various components, and the number and positions of the various components described herein are intended to define parameters of certain embodiments, and are by no means limiting and are merely exemplary embodiments. Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. Further, the limitations of the following claims are not written in means-plus-function format and are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C. §112(f), unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase “means for” followed by a statement of function void of further structure.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4781628 | Detter | Nov 1988 | A |
7798852 | Laurx | Sep 2010 | B2 |
8137138 | Dowhower | Mar 2012 | B2 |
20110092103 | Dowhower | Apr 2011 | A1 |
20150024635 | McClellan | Jan 2015 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160380371 A1 | Dec 2016 | US |