Card edge connector

Card edge connector

This creation generally relates to the technology of electrical connectors and, in particular, relates to an electrical connector assembly for accommodating the edge of a printed circuit card with a plurality of conductive pads along its edge.

Various electrical circuits, especially those related to computer applications, are formed on one or both sides of circuit boards or similar substrates to form separate circuits that can be added to computers or other electronic devices after they are manufactured. Regardless of whether these separate circuit boards are added at the beginning of manufacturing or afterwards, they must be reliably connected to the main computer printed circuit board, which is generally referred to as the "mother" board in this technology. These separate printed circuit boards are usually called "daughter" boards.

Various connectors have been designed to be permanently installed on the mother board and include a device for receiving the daughter board, such as a slot, to create a connection between the mother board circuit and the daughter board circuit. The daughter board is often called an "edge card" because one edge of the card has many joint parts or pads. The edge of the circuit card usually has a plurality of such joint pads arranged along the interval, and one or both sides of the edge card may have such joint pads. This edge is inserted into the slot hole of the connector including a plurality of electrical connector parts. The electrical connector parts can be arranged along one or both sides of the connector slot to combine the edge card connector pads. The connector connector usually includes a plurality of tails for connecting the circuit of the motherboard installed under or near the connector.

Due to the continuous miniaturization of electronic components of computers or other electronic devices and the continuous increase in the density of related connector assemblies, problems continue to occur in the design of connectors for this purpose, especially in the card edge connection with the above-mentioned characteristics Especially when the device.

One of the problems encountered by the card edge connector assembly is to provide a device for assisting the insertion and/or ejection of the edge card into the card edge connector assembly. When the number of connector elements combined with the printed circuit card increases, the The force required for card insertion and ejection also increases. One type of card ejection device that is effective for its required purpose is an ejection mechanism that includes installation at one or both ends of an elongated connector housing, such as at a single joint point usually provided by a pivoting device A relatively short ejection arm. This kind of ejection arm or lever imposes considerable restrictions on the total length of the connector, especially the effective joint or terminal length of the connector. The length of the connector originally limits the number of connection points or terminals. When a predetermined connection is made When the device has a specific total length, the pop-up lever limits the number of connection points available in the predetermined or specific length.

This creation aims to solve these problems by providing an improved connector/ejection lever assembly, which is effective for increasing the area available for terminal connection and including the force exerted by the user. .

Therefore, one purpose of this invention is to provide a card edge connector assembly for accommodating a printed circuit card with an insertion edge that can be inserted into and withdrawn from the connector assembly.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the connector assembly includes an elongated insulating housing with opposite ends, and a card receiving slot between the opposite ends and a plurality of terminals along the slot In the receiving hole, a plurality of conductive terminals are accommodated in the holes and have a plurality of connector parts extending into the slot hole to be combined with a plurality of connector pads on the printed circuit card. A lock/eject lever is pivotally mounted on the housing at each of its opposite ends, and each lever includes a lock portion to hold the circuit card inserted into the slot for coupling the card to it The insertion edge at a corner and an ejection part that responds to the pivoting of the lever to eject the card from the slot, and when the card is inserted into the slot, is used to restrict one side of the card A restricted part of the longitudinal movement of the edge. The lever also includes a hollow area between the eject portion and the restricting portion to accommodate the corner of the circuit card when the lever pivots and the card is ejected.

As disclosed herein, each lock/eject lever includes a groove for accommodating the side edge of the printed circuit card, the ejection portion of the lever is formed by a bottom wall of the groove, and the lever The restricting portion is formed by an inner side wall of the groove, the groove is formed in a front surface of the lever, and the locking portion protrudes forward from the front surface. The bottom wall of the groove forming the eject part of the lever has a round edge for joining the insertion edge of the circuit card.

Another feature of the present creation is that each of the latch/ejection parts includes a bottom end that diverges and defines a flexible side wall, and the hollow area of the lever extends between the flexible side walls. The side walls have a non-return device that works together with the non-return device on the housing to detachably hold the lever at a locking position that holds the circuit card inserted into the card receiving slot.

The other purposes, features and advantages of this creation will be understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

<p>12Card edge connector assembly</p><p>14Printed Circuit Card</p><p>16Insert the edge</p><p>18Insulating shell</p><p>18aopposite end</p><p>18bupright opposite wall</p><p>18cRelative inner wall</p><p>18dSlot</p><p>18eCard combination part</p><p>19Concave hole</p><p>19a bump</p><p>19bBeveled surface</p><p>20Card receiving slot</p><p>20aend wall</p><p>22Terminal</p><p>22atail</p><p>24Plate lock</p><p>24aLeg</p><p>26Lock/Eject lever</p><p>28Pivot point</p><p>30Head</p><p>32Pivot</p><p>32aOuter side</p><p>34Front surface</p><p>36Groove</p><p>36aTop horizontal wall</p><p>36bSide vertical wall</p><p>36cSide vertical wall</p><p>37bUpper</p><p>37cUpper</p><p>38Lock part</p><p>39Bottom wall; pop-up part</p><p>39aFoot</p><p>40Inner wall; restricted part</p><p>40aOntology</p><p>41aVertical surface</p><p>41bSloping surface</p><p>42Hollow area</p><p>46Flexible sidewall</p><p>48Concave hole</p><p>50Return member</p><p>52Check recessed hole</p><p>53Cutting round bump</p><p>54Lock notch</p><p>56Side edge</p><p>58Corner</p><p>60corner</p><p>62Inner channel</p><p>64hole</p>

We believe that the new features are specifically disclosed in the scope of the following patent applications. This creation and its purpose and advantages can be best understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals are shown in the figure Similar components and among them: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the card edge connector assembly that implements one of the creative concepts; Figure 2 is a top plan view of the connector assembly; Figure 3 is a view of the connector assembly Side plan view; Figure 4 is a plan view of one end of the connector assembly; Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the lock/eject levers; Figure 6 is a plan view of the inside of one of the levers; Figure 7 is roughly along the first A cross-sectional view taken by line 7-7 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a plan view of an outside of the lever; Fig. 9 is a plan view of a part of one end of the connector assembly, a cutaway side plan view, and a printed circuit card Insert and lock in the assembly; and Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9, and the lock/eject lever pivots to eject the circuit card.

Please refer to the drawings in detail, and firstly refer to Figures 1-4. This creation is based on a card edge connector assembly shown as 12 as an embodiment to accommodate one of the card edge connector assemblies shown in Figures 9 and 10. Printed circuit card, which will be explained later. In this regard, the printed circuit card has an insertion edge 16 that can be inserted into and withdrawn from the connector assembly. As is well known in the art, the circuit card has circuits printed on it, and most of the contact pads are along the The insertion edges of the card are separated on one or both sides (in this case, both sides).

The card edge connector assembly 12 includes an elongated insulating housing 18 having opposite ends 18a. A card receiving slot generally indicated by 20 extends between the opposite ends of the housing, and most of the terminal receiving holes are along the The two sides of the slot are separated, and the end walls 20a are arranged at both ends of the slot 20. Most conductive terminals 22 are accommodated in the holes on opposite sides of the slot 20. The terminals can have a variety of configurations. However, as those skilled in the art know, the terminals have extensions into the slot 20. Most of the connector parts of the printed circuit card 14 are combined with the plurality of connector pads on the opposite side of the printed circuit card 14. As shown in Figure 3, preferably, the terminals have a plurality of tail portions 22a protruding from the bottom of the housing 18 for insertion into holes in a printed circuit board or for mounting on a connector pad to connect to the circuit Circuit lines on the board. Each end 18a includes opposite walls 18b that stand upright and opposite inner walls 18c defining a slot 18d therebetween. The opposite upper edges of the inner walls 18c include a card engaging portion 18e. The slot 18d is wide enough to accommodate a circuit. One side edge 56 of the card 14. A recessed hole 19 is provided between the end wall 20a and the inner wall 18c. The side wall of the recessed hole 19 includes a plurality of bumps 19a with a beveled surface 19b.

As described in the "Background" above, the card edge connector assembly 12 can be used to be permanently mounted on a "mother board", while the printed circuit card 14 is often referred to as a "daughter board". For this purpose, most of the board locks 24 are fixed in the housing 18. One of the board locks can be seen most clearly in Figure 4. Each board lock 24 has a suitable installation for inserting into the motherboard. A pair of legs 24a of the hole.

Generally, the card edge connector assembly 12 includes a latch/eject lever generally indicated by 26, which is mounted on each opposite end 18a of the housing 18, and the levers are pivotally mounted on the housing In order to rotate along the direction of the double arrow "A" (Figures 1 and 3) with the pivot point 28 as the center.

In detail, Figures 5-8 show one of the lock/eject levers in more detail. Each lever is a one-piece structure that is integrally molded from an insulating material, such as plastic. Each lever has an enlarged, inclined, and saw-toothed head 30 for coupling with an operators thumb or finger, and the lever has a pair of pivots 32 protruding from opposite sides of a body 40a for coupling to the shell The appropriate pivot holes in the opposite end 18a of the body 18 make the levers pivot around the pivots as shown by the arrow "A" (Figures 1 and 3). In other words, the pivot 32 defines the pivot point 28 described above. The slot 18d is narrow enough to block the inward movement of the lever 26, but the outer side of the end 18a is open to allow the lever 26 to rotate outward.

Still referring to Figures 5-8, each lock/eject lever 26 includes a front surface 34 facing inwardly of the slot 20 of the connector assembly, and a groove 36 is formed in the front surface and the slot 20 They are aligned and defined by a horizontal wall 36a, side vertical walls 36b, 36c, and a bottom wall 39. The lever includes a lock portion 38 formed by the top wall 36a of the groove to hold the circuit card 14 inserted into the slot 20, and the lever has an eject portion formed by the bottom wall 39 of the groove 36 In order to join an insertion edge 16 of the card at one corner thereof and eject the card from the slot 20 in response to the pivoting of the lever. A trapezoidal foot 39a hangs down from the ejection portion 39 to increase the strength of the ejection portion 39. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the lever has a restricting portion at an inner side wall 40 of the groove 36 to restrict the longitudinal movement of a side edge of the card when the card is inserted into the slot 20. The restricting The portion 40 is disposed between the latch portion 38 and the eject portion 39 and on the body portion 40a. The restricting portion includes a vertical surface 41a and an inclined surface 41b. The lever has a hollow area 42 between the ejection portion 39 and the restriction portion 40 to accommodate the corner 60 of the circuit card 14 when the lever pivots and the card is ejected. As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the locking portion 38 formed by the top wall 36a of the groove 36 protrudes forward from the front surface 34, and the ejection portion 39 formed by the bottom wall of the groove 36 The front surface 34 protrudes rearward. The upper portions 37b, 37c of the side walls 36b and 36c protrude forward from the front surface to support the top wall 36 of the latch portion 38.

Separate flexible side walls 46 are provided at the bottom of the lever 26. These side walls can be clearly seen in Figure 8 and, in fact, are formed by a bifurcated bottom end of the lever. The recessed hole 48 is formed on the outer side of the lever, as shown in Figures 5 and 8, so that the side wall 46 is made thin enough to provide it with proper flexibility. A round or hemispherical non-return member 50 protrudes outward from each flexible side wall 46 so as to snap-fit the non-return recessed hole 52 (Figures 9 and 10) in the housing 18 to hold the lever in a lock The detent position, as shown in Figure 9, holds the circuit card 14 inserted into the card receiving slot 20 of the connector assembly. The concave holes 52 are arranged behind the rounded bump 53, and the hollow area 42 of the corner 60 of the circuit card 14 extends between the flexible side walls 46, and the foot 39a extends downward to below the bottom edge of the side wall 46 .

Figures 9 and 10 show the operation of one of the lock/eject lever 26 and the circuit card 14. Please refer to Figure 9 first, which shows that the lever 26 has a locking part 38 formed by the top wall of the groove 36 in combination with the circuit card A lock notch 54 of one of 14 can be seen here that the lock portion 38 extends forward from the front surface 34 of the lever. In this state, the insertion edge 16 of the circuit card 14 has been inserted into the slot 20 of the connector housing 18 (Figures 1 and 2), and the contact pads on the opposite side of the circuit card are between the terminals 22 The joint part is combined.

As shown in Figure 9, the circuit card 14 is usually not combined with the vertical surface 41a of the restricting portion 40 formed by the inner side wall of the groove 36. However, the restricting portion serves as a gap between the circuit card and the lever. An outer restricting member for longitudinal movement.

When the printed circuit card 14 is to be ejected from the card edge connector assembly 12, the lock/eject lever 26 is rotated in the direction of arrow "B" (Figure 10) at the lock position shown in Figure 9 To the ejection position shown in Figure 10, the levers rotate around the pivot 32. When rotating, the ejection portion 39 formed by the bottom wall of the groove 36 enters the recessed hole 19 and is combined with the insertion of the circuit card 14 Edge 16 to scrap the card in the direction of arrow "C". When the front surface 34 is combined with the surface 19b, the inward rotation of the lever in the direction of the arrow "B" is limited to the beveled surface 19b. During insertion and ejection, the lock/ejection is along the arrow "B". When the direction is rotated, the inclined surface 41b assumes a vertical orientation to limit the longitudinal movement of the card. As clearly seen in FIG. 10, when ejecting and inserting, a corner 60 of the circuit card 14 freely moves within the hollow area 42 and between the ejecting portion 39 and the restricting portion 40 of the lever. The hollow area extends between the flexible side walls 46. By providing a pop-up portion 39 rearward from the front surface 34 and a hollow area 42 used to accommodate the corner 60 of the circuit card, the connector assembly The total length is reduced. In addition, it can be seen here that the ejection portion 39 can be combined with the insertion edge 16 from the side edge 56 of the circuit card and then inward when the opening or the hollow area is used to fit the storage of the corner of the card 14. The moment arm of the lever is increased, and therefore the mechanical benefit of the lever is increased and the amount by which the card is ejected for a predetermined rotation increment of the lever is also increased. The reverse operation occurs when the card 14 is inserted into the connector assembly 12.

Figure 10 also shows that the housing 18 has inner channels 62 in the wall 18b to facilitate the installation of the lever 26 in the opposite end 18a of the housing. These channels accommodate the pivots 32, and Figure 6 shows one of these pivots. The outer side surface 32a is angled to facilitate insertion into the channel 62 until the pivots snap into the holes 64 in the housing at the bottom of the channel 62.

Finally, the front edge of the corner 58 of the ejection portion 39 of the insertion edge 16 of the circuit card is rounded or rounded, as shown in Figure 10, to prevent damage to the card material.

It can be understood here that this creation can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit and central characteristics. Therefore, the above examples and embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive in any case, and this creation Not limited to the above details.