Surface Mounting Connector

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a surface mounting connector, and in one aspect to an improved alignment block supported by the connector to engage the terminal leads.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A surface mounting technique has been developed recently, wherein electronic components are mounted on a wiring pattern formed on the surface of a circuit board. This has evoked a demand for a surface mounting connector having high-density terminal leads. When terminal leads are close spaced or dense, the terminal leads must still be isolated mutually. The tail contacts of the terminal leads must be in contact with a soldering pad of a circuit board without any positional deviation.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-134972 has disclosed that an alignment block for holding terminal leads at regular intervals is combined with a connector body having terminal leads. FIG. 7 shows an example of such a surface mounting connector. In FIG. 7, a connector body 1 has terminal leads 2, which itself functions as a connector. The connector body 1 has locating bosses 3 to be inserted into holes of a circuit board (not shown) and holes 4 for fixing the connector body 1 on the circuit board. An alignment block 5 having holes through which the terminal leads are routed is attached to the connector body 1. The alignment block 5 holds the terminal leads 2 in the vicinity of the tail contacts at regular intervals.

An alignment block 5 is used in combination with a connector body 1, which however, must be mounted on a circuit board independently of the connector body 1. Therefore, the alignment block 5 has locating bosses 3 to be fitted into holes on the circuit board, tail contacts of terminal leads 2 are inserted into dedicated holes on the circuit board. Therefore, holes for receiving the locating bosses 3 and holes for receiving the tail contacts of the terminal leads 2 must be formed on the circuit board.

However, in surface mounting it is not preferable that redundant holes be bored on a circuit board. When a doublesided surface mounted circuit board is concerned, for example, if holes are bored to mount components on one side, a circuit pattern to be formed on the reverse side is restricted. This is a disadvantage. There is, therefore, increasing demand for a surface mounting connector having an alignment block that is usable without boring redundant holes on a circuit board. It is time-consuming to sequentially route terminal leads 2 through holes of the alignment block 5. Incorporation of a holding means is required to permit easy holding and isolation of the terminal leads 2.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a surface mounting connector having an alignment block that is usable without boring redundant holes on a circuit board.

A surface mounting connector according to the present invention comprises a connector body having terminal leads exiting therefrom and disposed to engage the surface of a circuit board, and an alignment block supported by the connector body to engage the terminal leads intermediate the ends thereof and having grooves for receiving the terminal leads, the connector body having locating means for locating the alignment block at a given position.

In the foregoing configuration, the alignment block is supported by the connector body, located at a given position by the locating means, and then locked thereat. The alignment block has holding grooves for holding the terminal leads. The terminal leads are sequentially held in the holding grooves.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an alignment block

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of part of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along a line 6--6 of FIG. 5 of an assembled connector.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the prior art.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a surface mounting connector of an embodiment of the present invention. The surface mounting connector comprises a connector body 10 and an alignment block 12. The connector body 10 has many terminal leads 14 arranged in such a way that the distal portions will be positioned lower.

In FIG. 1, the alignment block 12 is not attached to the connector body 10. FIG. 2 is a front view of the assembled surface mounting connector of FIG. 1, which is viewed in the F arrow direction. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the assembled surface mounting connector of FIG. 1.

The connector body 10 has locating bosses 16 on its bottom (FIG. 2). The locating bosses 16 are inserted into locating holes on a circuit board 18. Ground plates 20 are attached to the sides of the connector body 10, and when the ground plates 20 are soldered or screwed on the circuit board 18, the connector body 10 is fixed to the circuit board 18. The ground plate 20 is an L-shaped plate made up of a base section lying parallel with the circuit board and a vertical section. The vertical section is connected to a shield enclosing the connector body 10.

The connector body 10 has a front wall 22. Terminal leads 14 are locked in internal holes of the front wall 22 and the leads extend forward in array from the front wall 22. Body side sections 24 are located outside the array of the terminal leads 14, and extend forward from the front wall 22. The ground plates 20 are located immediately outside the body side sections 24. The body side sections 24 have horizontal guides 24a. Locking pawls 24b are formed at the deep end of the guides 24a.

An alignment block 12 comprises a rod-type transverse member 30 extending across terminal leads 14 and locating fixtures 32 are formed on both ends of the transverse member 30 as part of the transverse member 30. The transverse member 30 is provided with holding grooves 34 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. The holding grooves 34 are formed on the bottom of the transverse member 30 with the same pitch as the terminal leads 14 fixed on a connector body 10. The width (a) of each of the holding grooves 34 is a little larger than that of each of the terminal leads 14. The terminal leads 14 fixed on the connector body 10 are, therefore, easily fitted in the holding grooves 34 of the alignment block 12.

Both sides of each of the holding grooves 34 are distanced by the width (a) see FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the bottom of the holding groove 34 includes a first surface 30a and a second surface 30b. The first surface 30a matches an almost horizontal section of the terminal lead 14, and the second surface 30b matches an oblique section of the terminal lead 14. Thus, the holding groove 34 restricts a lateral position of the terminal lead 14 using both sides and the vertical and axial positions of the terminal lead 14 using the surfaces 30a and 30b. Therefore, tail contacts 14a can be brought into contact with a pad on a circuit board 18 without causing a positional deviation. As a result, according to the present invention, the distance from the front wall 22 of a connector body 10 to the tail contacts 14a of the terminal leads 14 can be reduced and thereby help achieve high-density surface mounting.

In FIGS. 1 to 4, locating fixtures 32 are attached to both sides of an alignment block 12. The locating fixtures 32 have V-shaped locating projections 36 to be fitted in locating grooves 26 on a front wall 22 of a connector body 10. The locating projections 36 are fitted in the locating grooves 26 by matching an alignment block 12 and the connector body 10.

In FIGS. 1 to 4, locating fixtures 32, attached to both sides of an alignment block 12, have guides 38 that cooperate with guides 24a of body side sections 24 of a connector body 10. The guides 38 can slide along the guides 24a to restrict the positions of the alignment block in the lateral and vertical directions of the connector body 10, and when the guides 38 are slide along the guides 24a, the alignment block 12 and connector body 10 match each other. Finally, locating projections 36 are fitted in locating grooves 26. The locating grooves 26 are formed approximately on the axial lines of locating bosses 16 of the connector body 10. Therefore, the alignment block 12 can be located precisely despite warps of the connector body 10 and alignment block 12 that is made of plastic. The guides 38 have elongated holes 40. The end walls of the elongated holes go beyond pawls 24b of the guides 24a. When the pawls 24b of the guides 24a are fitted in the elongated holes 40, the alignment block 12 is fixed to the connector body 10. The lower guides 38 press against a surface of the base sections of the ground plates 20 located parallel with a circuit board. This prevents the tilting of ground plates 20.

As described previously, according to the present invention, an alignment block is supported by a connector body even when redundant holes are not bored on a circuit board. Terminal leads can be easily held at given positions.