EP0122758B1

EP0122758B1 - Electrical connector assembly

Info

Publication number: EP0122758B1
Application number: EP19840302367
Authority: EP
Inventors: Michael David Harcourt
Original assignee: General Electric Co PLC
Current assignee: GEC PLESSEY TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED TE COVENTRY
Priority date: 1983-04-13
Filing date: 1984-04-06
Publication date: 1987-03-11
Also published as: GB2138222A; CA1207048A; DE3462643D1; GB8409311D0; GB8310001D0; EP0122758A1; GB2138222B

Description

The present invention relates to electrical connector assemblies and more particularly but not exclusively to such assemblies comprising a male connector and a female connector detachably connectable to each other.
Hitherto when a circuit board housing an edge connector (i.e. a «male connector») has been inserted into its socket (i.e. a «female connector») it has been usual for the edge of the board to be used to displace the contacts of the socket to permit the insertion. Thus each time the board is inserted the edge thereof scrapes the electrical contact area. Whilst some wiping action of the electrical contact area on insertion is desirable to remove any film which may have built up, the scraping action causes some damage to the contact area and may, if several insertions and removals of a particular board are required result in the removal of the precious metal plating of the contact area.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector assembly in which one connector causes displacement of the contact members of the other connector on insertion therein without interfering with the electrical contact area of the contact members.
Connector arrangements designed with this general objective in view are disclosed in United States of America Patent Specifications Nos. 3 858 957 and 4 279 459.
According to the present invention in an electrical connector assembly of the kind comprising a male connector and a female connector each of which has at least one respective contact member and which are detachably connectable to one ,another, the male connector having a displacement member associated therewith which is arranged to provide an inclined surface longitudinally of the direction of insertion of the male connector into the female connector and the or each contact member in the female connector having a portion arranged to co-operate with the displacement member as mating of the connectors proceeds such that initially contact between the or each pair of corresponding contact members is prevented and subsequently contact between the or each pair of contact members is permitted so that during mating of the connectors leading edges of each of the contact members are prevented from scraping contact areas of the corresponding opposite contact member, the or each contact member of the male connector has a displacement member disposed on either side thereof, and said portion of the corresponding contact member in the female connector is wider than the adjacent contact area of the contact member such that said portion co-operates with both said displacement members.
Preferably, contact between the or each pair of corresponding contact members is permitted after the leading edges of each of the contact members have passed over the contact areas of the corresponding opposite contact member and before completion of mating of the connectors so that the contact areas wipe across each other to assist displacement of any disruptive film which may be present.
The displacement member may have a second inclined surface sloping in the opposed directions to said inclined surface so as to cause the contact members to come into contact gradually. The two inclined surfaces of the displacement member may be mechanically linked by a plateau such that the displaced contact member traverses apart from and substantially parallel to the corresponding opposite contact member for part of the distance traversed during mating of the connectors.
The male connector may be either attached to or integral with a printed circuit board. The displacement members may be provided as an attachment to the male connector and may be integrally formed in the shape of a comb.
A connector assembly in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: -

Figure 1 shows a view of the assembly with the male and female connectors fully disconnected;
Figure 2 shows a fragmentary view on the line II-II of Figure 1;
Figures 3 and 4 show a similar view to Figure 2 with the two connectors at different stages of mating;
Figure 5 shows a similar view to Figure 2 with the two connectors fully mated;
Figure 6 shows a fragmentary view at right angles to the view of Figure 2 of part of a female connector of the assembly; and
Figure 7 shows an isometric view of a part of the circuit board of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings the assembly has a male connector 1 which is shown as integral with a printed circuit board 2 (only a part of which is shown) and a female connector 3.
The female connector 3 is similar in construction to many known connectors, and comprises an insulated housing holding a number of female contact members 5 in alignment and in pairs. Each female contact member 5 is connected to a respective further member 4 to which connection may be made by soldering or wire wrapping for example. For the purposes of description the face of the female connector 3 at the same end as that at which the contact member 5 is not connected to the further member 4 is referred to as the front of the female connector 3. It is here noted that the term mating face as used herein relates to the front end when applied to the female connector.
Referring particularly to Figures 2 and 6 each of the contact members 5 has a contact area 6 (shown shaded in Figure 6) which is the part of the contact most susceptible to having its plating removed ba the edge of an inserted male connector. The contact members 5 are of resilient material for example phosphor bronze. The contact area 6 being spot plated with a precious metal for example gold.
At the front of each contact member 6 a semi-circular portion 7 is provided which is wider than the contact areas 6 each that, referring also to Figure 7, when the male connector 1 is presented for insertion a respective displacement member 8 of each corresponding male contact member 9 causes the contact member 5 to open.
It is here noted that each of the displacement members 8 forms an upper displacement member for one of the male contact members 9 and a lower displacement member for an adjacent male contact member.
Referring now to Figures 2 to 5 as the circuit board 2 is presented to the female connector 3, the respective displacement members 8 engage with the edges of the semi-circular portions 7 which as mating of the connectors continues are displaced so as to cause the contact members 5 to provide an opening which is wider than the circuit board 2. Thus the semi-circular portions 7 ride up a forward ramp and as the edge of the male connector 1 reaches the respective contact areas 6 so the portions 7 reach (Figure 3) a plateau which is substantially of the same width as the contact area.
As insertion of the male connector 1 continues (Figure 4) so the portions 7 ride down a rearward ramp of the displacement members 8 which permits the contact area 6 of the female contact members 5 to come into contact with the male contact members 9.
It will be appreciated that some wiping of the contact areas 6 on the male contact members 9 is desirable to remove disruptive film and the like. This wiping occurs once the semi-circular portions 7 have reached the end of the rearward ramp of the displacement members 8 as the circuit board 2 and the male connector 1 are pushed fully home in the female connector 3.
Referring again to Figure 1 the displacement members 8 may be suitably provided by a moulding of plastics material which may be in the form of a comb having a continuous rear strip for attachment to the male connector 1 or the circuit board 2 by rivetting for example.
It is noted that whilst as described herein the invention is realised by attachment of a moulding to the circuit board 2, the invention may be similarly implemented by attachment of a suitable moulding to a male connector of the kind arranged for subsequent attachment to tracks of a circuit board or for wiring connections.
In the case of a male connector it will also be realised that displacement members could be integrally moulded with the insulating material of the connector housing.

Claims

1. An electrical connector assembly of the kind comprising a male connector (1) and a female connector (3) each of which has at least one respective contact member (5, 9) and which are detachably connectable to one another, the male connector (1) having a displacement member (8) associated therewith which is arranged to provide an inclined surface longitudinally of the direction of insertion of the male connector (1) into the female connector (3) and the or each contact member (5) in the female connector (3) having a portion (7) arranged to co-operate with the displacement member (8) as mating of the connectors (1, 3) proceeds such that initially contact between the or each pair of corresponding contact members (5, 9) is prevented and subsequently contact between the or each pair of contact members (5, 9) is permitted so that during mating of the connectors (1, 3) leading edges of each of the contact members (5, 9) are prevented from scraping contact areas of the corresponding opposite contact member (9, 5), characterised in that the or each contact member (9) of the male connector (1) has a displacement member (8) disposed on either side thereof, and said portion (7) of the corresponding contact member (5) in the female connector (3) is wider than the adjacent contact area (6) of the contact member (5) such that said portion (7) co-operates with both said displacement members (8).

2. An electrical connector assembly according to Claim 1 further characterised in that contact between the or each pair of corresponding contact members (5, 9) during mating is permitted after the leading edges of each of the contact members (5, 9) have passed over the contact areas (6, 9) of the corresponding opposite contact member (9, 5) and before completion of the mating of the connectors (1, 3) so that the contact areas (6, 9) wipe across each other to assist displacement of any disruptive film which may be present.

3. An electrical connector assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 further characterised in that the displacement member (8) has a second inclined surface sloping in the opposed direction to the first said inclined surface so as to cause the contact members (5, 9) to come into contact gradually.

4. An electrical connector assembly according to Claim 3 further characterised in that said first and second inclined surfaces of the displacement member (8) are mechanically linked by a plateau such that the displaced contact member (5) traverses apart from and substantially parallel to the corresponding opposite contact member (9) for part of the distance traversed during mating of the connectors (1, 3).

5. An electrical connector assembly according to any preceding claim further characterised in that the male connector (1) is either attached to or integral with a printed circuit board (2).

6. An electrical connector assembly according to any preceding claim further characterised in that the displacement members (8) are provided as an attachment to the male connector (1).

7. An electrical connector assembly according to Claim 6 further characterised in that the displacement members (8) are integrally formed in the shape of a comb.