Electrical Connector

The present invention relates to an improved electrical connector, and particularly, to a low-cost connector capable of applying constant pressure between a large number of electrical conductors of an electrical component and the conductors of a printed circuit board. Prior electrical connectors have been limited to the number of conductors that they are capable of connecting. Normally, the connectors of the prior art have been designed to connect flat, flexible cables to printed circuit boards. These connectors have been quite costly due to their complicated construction or the requirement of their use in a connecting system which requires other members to coact with the connecting member to provide their required connection. Examples of this type of connector are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,879,099, 4,018,496, 4,019,798 and 4,023,878. The coupling operation involving each of these connectors requires a setup procedure which includes the use of an interfacing device between the printed circuit board and the electrical conductors in the electrical members, thereby increasing the cost of the connectors.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a connector for connecting a plurality of electrical conductors of one component to associated conductors of a second component, such as, for example, a gas discharge display and a printed circuit board, which is simple in construction and therefore low in cost. It is another object of this invention to provide a connector which is easily mounted and demounted from engagement with the circuit board and the component. It is a further object of this invention to provide an electrical connector for connecting any size conductors or spacings of such conductors of an electrical component to a printed circuit board. In order to obtain these and other objects of the invention, there is provided an elongated connector formed of an elastic material having a pair of lever portions joined together at a fulcrum portion whose thickness allows the fulcrum portion to flex as the result of the movement of the lever portions towards each other, which flexing movement opens the end of the connector comprising a pair of jaw portions to accommodate the conductors of the electrical component and the conductors of the printed circuit board. The lever portions of the connector are interconnected by a pressure portion which is deformed upon movement of the lever portions towards each other, the deformation generating forces within the pressure portion urging the lever portions towards their original positions. Upon release of the lever portions, the deformed pressure portion returns to its original position thereby urging the jaw portions toward a closed position, thereby clamping the conductors of the electrical component to the conductors in the printed circuit board. There are disclosed several embodiments of the pressure portion which may be used to provide the necessary clamping forces.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electrical connector prior to engagement with the printed circuit board and the electrical conductors of a gas discharge display component.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the connector engaging the printed circuit board and the conductors of the gas discharge display.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the pressure portion of the electrical connector.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of the pressure portion of the electrical connector.

FIG. 5 is a force diagram of the pressure portion disclosed in FIG. 3.

The connector 20 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 prior to coupling a number of electrical conductors 22 of a gas discharge display 24 to conductors 26 embedded in a printed circuit board 28 in a manner that is well-known in the art. The gas discharge display 24 may have up to 100 conductors with the display having a width of up to 12 inches long. The connector 20 may be molded of a plastic material such as polypropylene or any other type of plastic material which can be compressed and still return to its nearly original configuration upon release of the compression forces.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connector 20 is formed with a pair of elongated lever portions 30 and 31 joined at one end by an outwardly extending pressure portion 32 which portion flexes outwardly upon movement of the lever portions 30 and 31 towards each other. The flexing of the pressure portion 32 outwardly generates forces within the pressure portion tending to restore it and move the lever portions 30 and 31 away from each other, thereby restoring the pressure portion 32 nearly to its unflexed position.

The other ends of the lever portions 30 and 31 are joined by a fulcrum portion 33 formed by a recessed portion 34 located in each of the lever portions 30 and 31. Located adjacent the fulcrum portion 33 is a slot portion 35 formed by adjacent spaced-apart edges of the lever portions 30 and 31, the width of the slot 35 being selected to control the length of inward movement of the lever portions 30 and 31 and therefore the amount of deformation that occurs in the pressure portion 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the lever portions 30 and 31 terminate in jaw portions 36 and 37 respectively, having opposed flat engaging surfaces 38 (FIGS. 1 and 2) for engaging and forcing the conductors 22 of the gas discharge display 24 (FIG. 1) into engagement with the conductors 26 embedded in the printed circuit board 28. As further shown in FIG. 2, the upper engaging surface 38 of the jaw portion 36 includes a pointed protrusion 40 extending lengthwise of the surface 38 for providing a concentrated force on the conductors 22 ensuring a more positive electrical contact between the conductors 22 and 26.

In operation, the lever portions 30 and 31 of the connector 20 will be squeezed together forcing the pressure portion 32 outwardly and opening the jaw portions 36, 37 to receive within an interior opening 42 formed by the jaw portions 36 and 37 the edge of the printed circuit board 28 together with the conductors 22 of the display 24. Prior to insertion within the opening 42, the conductors 22 and 26 will have been aligned. Upon release of the lever portions 30 and 31, the pressure portion 32 will attempt to return to its original configuration, forcing the jaw portions 36 and 37 of the connector 20 to move the conductors 22 of the display 24 into engagement with the conductors 26 of the printed circuit board 28. Since the thickness of the circuit board 28 will prevent the jaw portions 36 and 37 from returning to their home position, a constant pressure will be applied to the jaw portions 36 and 37 by the pressure portion 32 as the pressure portion is prevented by such engagement to return fully to its home or normal position. The pressure portion 32 thus remains in a flexed configuration until the connector 20 is removed from engagement with the printed circuit board 28.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a second embodiment of a pressure portion 32 which may be formed as part of the connector 20, the pressure portion 32 comprising a horizontally extending elongated arm portion 44 having one end terminating as part of the lever portion 31 of the connector 20. Formed as part of the arm portion 44 and located intermediate the ends of the arm portion 44 is a deformed portion 46 having a pair of off-set apex portions 47, 49, said deformed portion 46 orientated to collapse on itself when an axial load is applied inwardly on the arm portion 44. The other end of the arm portion 44 adjacent the deformed portion 46 terminates in a Y-shape arrangement comprising the arm portions 48 and 50 attached to the outer ends of the lever portions 30 and 31 respectively. In its normal position (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3), the deformed portion 46 will provide a constant force on the arm portions 48 and 50, urging the arm portions to move in an outward direction. FIG. 5 illustrates a force diagram of this arrangement, wherein the deformed portion 46 exerts a force P at the junction of the arm portions 48 and 50 resulting in each of the arm portions 48, 50 exerting a force F on the lever portions 30 and 31, resulting in an outward movement of each of the lever portions 30 and 31. This outward movement of the lever portions 30 and 31 results in the jaw portions 36 and 37 moving inwardly towards a closed position. Movement of the lever portions 30 and 31 inwardly toward each other results in the deformed portion 46 being squeezed upon itself thereby allowing the junction of the arm portions 48 and 50 to move in an axial direction towards the fulcrum portion 33, shown in solid lines in FIG. 3. In this position, the deformed portion 46 will exert a constant pressure on the lever portions 30 and 31 to return such portions outwardly to their home position in the manner described previously.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a third embodiment of the pressure portion 32 which comprises a pair of curved arm portions 52 and 54, each portion depending from the lever portions 30 and 31 respectively and so formed to engage each other thereby locating the lever portions 30 and 31 of the connector 20 in a home position. Upon movement of the lever portions 30 and 31 towards each other, the arm portions 52 and 54 will be compressed, resulting in the ends of the arm portions 52 and 54 slidably moving rearwardly and thereby exerting a constant outward pressure on the lever portions 30 and 31 to return to their home position.

It is obvious that each of the embodiments of the electrical connector disclosed in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 provides a low-cost electrical connector which is of a one-piece molded or extruded plastic construction. Also, it is clear that such connector is capable of being cut to any width to hold any number of conductors of an electrical component in contact with electrical conductors in a printed circuit board. Due to the inherent deformation of the pressure portion 32 when the connector engages the electrical component and the printed circuit board, the connector provides a constant pressure on the conductors despite thickness tolerances insuring a more positive contact between the conductors of the printed circuit board and the component.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in the illustrated embodiments, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications of structure, arrangements, elements and components can be made which are particularly adapted for specific environments and operating requirements without departing from these principles. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover any such modification, within the limits of the true spirit and scope of the invention.