Filter Connector

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a filter connector, and more specifically to a connector wherein every signal transmitting pin has a through type capacitor for eliminating high frequency noise.

2. Description of Related Art

FIG. 6 shows a conventional filter connector. The filter connector has a housing 20 made of insulating material, signal transmitting pins 21 each of which is provided with a through type capacitor 22, a ground pin 23 and an earth plate 24. The ground pin 23 and the capacitor 22 are electrically connected with the earth plate 24. After the ground pin 23 was fitted to the housing 20, kink processing is carried out toward the lower part of the pin 23 to form a protrusion 23a. When the ground pin 23 is inserted into a hole 26 made in a circuit board 25, the protrusion 23a is engaged with the hole 26, thereby preventing the connector from moving up and separating from the circuit board 25. The ground pin 23 is connected with a ground conductor on the circuit board 25, and the pins 21 are inserted into holes 27 made in the board 25 and connected with specified signal conductors respectively.

In such a connector, a ground pin is indispensable to earth a through type capacitor. Accordingly, it costs more to produce such a connector, and a produced connector is large because of the ground pin.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an economy and compact filter connector by eliminating a ground pin.

In order to attain this object, a filter connector according to the present invention comprises an insulating housing, and an earth plate fitted to the housing, which earth plate has engaging means to be engaged with a circuit board. When the filter connector is mounted on a circuit board, the engaging means prevents the connector from separating from the circuit board. The earth plate is connected directly with a ground conductor on the circuit board.

Since the earth plate has the engaging means to be engaged with a circuit board, a ground pin is not necessary any more, and also there is no need to perform kink processing toward the ground pin, which processing has been troublesome. Accordingly, it costs less to produce such a filter connector, and a produced connector is smaller than a conventional connector having a ground pin by the space for the ground pin.

This and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the connector according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which the connector is mounted on a circuit board;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the connector is mounted on a circuit board;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the connector according to the third embodiment, showing a state in which the connector is mounted on a circuit board;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a conventional connector, showing a state in which the connector is mounted on a circuit board.

Exemplary filter connectors embodying the principles and features of the present invention are hereinafter described in reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, which show a first embodiment of the present invention, numeral 1 denotes a resin housing for a body of the connector. Numeral 2 denotes a signal transmitting pin, and in this connector, a specified number of signal transmitting pins 2 pierce the housing 1. Every of the signal transmitting pins 2 has a through type capacitor 3. Numeral 5 is an earth plate. The inner surface of the housing 1 is covered with the earth plate 5, and the through type capacitors 3 of the pins 2 are connected with the earth plate 5 by external electrodes of the capacitors 3. The lower end part of the earth plate 5 is stuck out of the housing 1, and protrusions 6a and 6b are formed on the lower end part in a manner in which the protrusions 6a and 6b are protruded from the opposite surface.

This connector is mounted on a circuit board 10 by inserting the pins 2 and the lower end part 6 of the earth plate 5 into holes 11 and 12 of the board 10. Because of the protrusions 6a and 6b, the earth plate 5 is locked in the hole 12, thereby preventing the connector from separating from the circuit board 10. The end part 6 of the earth plate 5 and the pins 2 are electrically connected with a ground conductor and specified signal conductors on the circuit board 10 respectively by soldering or the like.

According to this first embodiment, no ground pin is necessary. As shown in FIG. 2, the connector which has no ground pin is smaller than a conventional connector which has a ground pin by the space A. Also, since the protrusions 6a and 6b of the earth plate 5 are formed before the assembly of the connector, there is no need to perform kink processing toward the earth plate 5 fitted to the housing 1.

According to a second embodiment, the housing 1 extends an end 1a downward so that the end 1a of the housing 1 as well as the end part 6 of the earth plate 5 is inserted into the hole 12 of the circuit board 10. A protrusion 6c is formed at the end part 6 of the earth plate 5, and the earth plate 5 is locked in the hole 12 because of the protrusion 6c, thereby preventing the connector from separating from the circuit board 10.

The connector according to the second embodiment has the same structure and effect as the connector according to the first embodiment except for the above-described point.

According to a third embodiment, tabs 6d are formed at the end part 6 of the earth plate 5 by projecting processing. When the connector is mounted on the circuit board 10, the end part 6 of the earth plate 5 pierces the board 10 through the hole 12 so that the tabs 6d come into contact with the board 10 from below. Thereby, the connector is prevented from separating from the circuit board 10.

The connector according to the third embodiment has the same structure and effect as the connector according to the first embodiment except for the above-described point.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications are apparent to those who are skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.