Backpanel Connector

The invention relates to a backpanel connector comprising a first and a second housing, wherein said first housing is provided with a bottom with an opening and four side walls upstanding from the bottom and lying opposite each other two by two and wherein said second housing is provided with four side walls lying opposite each other two by two, said second housing being mounted slidably in the first housing in a z-direction perpendicular to the bottom of the first housing, the second housing having a receiving space for a connector plug.

Such a backpanel connector is part of a backpanel connector system as described for example in a patent application of the same date of the same applicant. In a known connector system of this type the backpanel connector and the board connector comprise special provisions to guarantee that when disconnecting the plug connector from the backpanel connector the second housing is retracted into a rest position directed away from the bottom of the first housing by the board connector. In this known connector system the bottom of the first housing consists moreover of a separate bottom part which is attached to the first housing after mounting the second housing within the first housing. Thereby the known connector system is rather complicated.

The invention aims to provide an improved backpanel connector of the above-mentioned type.

To this end the backpanel connector according to the invention is characterized in that two opposite side walls of the second housing each carry a first stop means and two corresponding side walls of the first housing each comprise a second stop means, wherein the stop means engage each other in a rest position of the second housing directed away from the bottom of the first housing and wherein a spring means is provided, said spring means loading the second housing in the direction of the rest position.

In this manner a backpanel connector is obtained wherein by a simple spring means it is always guaranteed that when the board connector is disconnected the second housing is located in the rest position. Manufacturing is also simplified whereas further the board connector can be simplified.

The invention will be further explained by reference to the drawings in which an embodiment of the backpanel connector of the invention is shown. <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none" compact="compact"><li>Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the backpanel connector according to the invention.</li><li>Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the backpanel connector of Fig. 1 as assembled.</li></ul>

Figs. 1 and 2 show a backpanel connector adapted to cooperate with a board connector not shown and connector plugs not shown which are further described in a patent application of the same date of the applicant which is deemed to be incorporated by reference. The backpanel connector comprises a first housing 1 and a second housing 2. The first housing 1 has a bottom 3 with an opening 4 and four side walls 5-8 upstanding from the bottom, wherein the side walls 5 and 6, and 7 and 8, respectively, are lying opposite each other two by two. The second housing 2 also has four side walls 9-12, the side walls 9 and 10, and 11 and 12, respectively, lying opposite each other two by two. Further, the second housing has a wide intermediate wall 13, which together with the further walls 9-12 determines two receiving spaces 14 for receiving a connector plug. The walls 9 and 10 carry at the location of each receiving space 14 locking fingers 15 for retaining an inserted connector plug as further described in an earlier patent application of the applicant and reference is made to this application for a further explanation.

The second housing 2 is mounted slidably in the first housing 1 in a z-direction extending perpendicular to the bottom 3 of the first housing. For this purpose the walls 7, 8 of the first housing 1 each are provided with a slot 16 closed at least partially at the side of the bottom 3 by stop edges 17. At the side opposite the bottom 3 the slots 16 are open. Further, the walls 11, 12 each carry a guiding lug 18 which can be received with play in x- and y-directions in a corresponding slot 16. Further each lug 18 carries a projection 19 which snaps into a slot opening 20 when the housing 2 is pushed into the housing 1. The side of each projection 19 directed away from the bottom 3 determines as a first stop means together with the end edge of the corresponding slot opening 20 directed away from the bottom 3 as a second stop means a rest position of the second housing 2 in the first housing 1, in which rest position the second housing is located at its greatest distance from the bottom 3.

When the backpanel connector is assembled a spring means 21 made as spiral spring is received in a cavity 22 in the intermediate wall 13 of the second housing 2 and a carrier 23 for the spring means is provided on the bottom 3 of the housing 1. This spring means 21 exerts a spring force on the second housing 2 into the direction of the rest position. Thereby it is guaranteed that when the board connector is removed the second housing 2 will always be in the rest position.

Manufacturing of both the first and the second housing is relatively simply as both parts can be made as a unit. The second housing 2 can be mounted within the housing 1 in a very simple manner just by pushing the second housing 2 with the lugs 18 into the slots 16 of the first housing 1 until the projections 19 snap into the slot openings 20.

It is noted that in the specification and claims the x-, y- and z-directions indicate an orthogonal coordinate system.

The invention is not restricted to the above described embodiment which can be varied in a number of ways within the scope of the claims.