Card Edge Connector

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to card edge connectors.

2. Brief Description of Prior Developments

Edge connectors may be attached to printed circuit boards and may be used for connection of cards used for the retrieving or storage of information. Various card edge connectors are known in the art in which the front edge of a card is inserted in a longitudinal groove of a insulated housing. Adjacent that groove there are a plurality of contacts with arcuate conductive contacts arranged in side by side relation adjacent the groove so that conductive pads on the printed wiring board contact the arcuate sections of the contacts as the board is inserted into the groove. A continuing need exists for improved means for engaging the card with the contacts and for mounting the contacts in the insulative housing.

A need also exists in such card edge connectors for means for protecting the housing against excessive stresses, for providing a stop for the card, for providing a solderable hold down and for simplifying overall tooling.

A card edge connector of the present invention comprises an insulative housing having a body and opposed perpendicular arms. There is a card receiving side having a longitudinal groove and an opposed side on the body. The groove has opposed lateral first and second sides. These first and second sides have at least one first and second contact receiving opening and there is at least one recess in the card receiving side of the body communicating with said first opening. There is also at least one recess in the opposed side of the body communicating with the second opening. A first contact is fixed in the recess in the card receiving side of the body and extends through said first opening into the groove. A second contact is fixed in the recess in said opposed side of the body and extends through said second opening into the groove. Both of the contacts have a body with a projection that engages an axial groove in their respective recesses to fix them in those recesses. The first contact has a resilient arm which first extends from the body toward the opposed side and then extends back toward the card receiving side of the body to pass through the opening in the lateral wall of the groove where it has curved around the terminal end and engages the card. The second contact also has a resilient arm which has a first section which extends back toward the opposed side of the housing and then extends toward the card receiving side of the housing to pass through an opening in the opposed lateral wall where it also has a rounded terminal end that contacts the card. By means of this construction, the contacts may be securely fixed in the housing and the card may be efficiently engaged with the contacts.

Another feature of the card edge connector of the present invention is metal inserts which are positioned on the housing adjacent the perpendicular arms. These inserts protect the housing against overstress, provide a stop for the card, provide a solderable hold down and simplify the overall tooling for the edge connector.

The card edge connector of the present invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a DIMM socket which represents a preferred embodiment of the card edge connector of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the DIMM socket shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the DIMM socket shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the DIMM socket shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cutaway front elevational view of the DIMM socket shown in FIG. 1 prior to engagement to the card;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the contact used in the DIMM socket shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an end view of the contact shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of another contact used in the DIMM socket shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an end view of the contact shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10a is a cross sectional view through X--X in FIG. 3 showing the mounting of the contact shown in FIGS. 5-6;

FIG. 10b is a view similar to FIG. 9a showing the initial insertion of the contact prior to mounting as is shown in FIG. 9a;

FIG. 11a is a cross sectional view through X--X in FIG. 2 showing the mounting of the contact shown in FIGS. 7-8;

FIG. 11b is a view similar to FIG. 10a showing the initial insertion of the contact prior to mounting as is shown in FIG. 10a;

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross sectional view of the DIMM socket shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the insertion of the card.

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of one of the entire metallic insert supports shown in FIGS. 1-2, 4 and 12;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the metallic insert shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a rear elevational view of the metallic insert shown in FIG. 13; and

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the metallic insert shown in FIG. 13.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the DIMM socket of the present invention is shown generally at numeral 10. In FIGS. 1 and 5 a card held by this socket is shown in phantom lines at numeral 12. The DIMM socket includes an insulated housing shown generally at numeral 14 which is comprised of a main body 16 and two opposed perpendicular arms 18 and 20. On each of these arms there is a card engagement axial projections shown respectively at numerals 22 and 24 generally for engagement of the card. The body of the insulating housing includes a card receiving side 26 and an opposed side 28.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 10a-10b and FIGS. 5-6, there is on the card receiving side of the housing a longitudinal groove 30 which engages the lower end of the card 12. This longitudinal groove has opposed lateral wall 32 and 34 which have, respectively, openings 36 and 38 (FIGS. 11a-11b). There is also a transverse recess in the card receiving side 40 which is in communication through the opening or groove 36 with the longitudinal groove 30. In this recess there is an axial groove 42. Recess 40 receives a first contact shown generally at numeral 44. This first contact includes a body 46 with a projection 48 that engages groove 42 to fix this contact in recess 40. This contact also includes a lead 50 and a resilient arm shown generally at numeral 52. The resilient arm 52 includes a downward extension 54, an upward extension 56 and a curved or rounded terminal end 58 which extends into the longitudinal groove 30. The terminal end 58 of resilient arm 52 is compressible toward the contact body 46 to allow a card edge to be inserted into groove 30.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 11a-11b and FIGS. 8-9, there is also a transverse recess 60 in the opposed side of the body 16 of the insulated housing 14. This recess also has an axial groove 62. A second contact shown generally at numeral 64 is positioned in this recess 60. This second contact includes a body 66 with a projection 68 that engages groove 62 in recess 60 to fix the second contact in this recess. This second contact also includes a base 70 from which a lead 72 depends. The second contact also includes a resilient arm shown generally at numeral 74 which includes a downward extension 76, an upward extension 78 and a rounded terminal end 80 which extends into the longitudinal groove. The terminal end 80 of resilient arm 64 is compressible away from contact body 66 to allow a card edge to be inserted into groove 30.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 10 and 11, it will be seen that the first and second contacts are respectively initially mounted in their recesses on the card receiving side and the opposed side. They are then fixed in these recesses by the application of further axial force on them from their initial positions.

Referring particularly to FIG. 12, it will be seen that the rounded terminal ends of contacts 44 and 66 are horizontally and vertically spaced from each other so that the card may initially be inserted between them at an angular position as at 12'. The card may then be pivoted on the rounded terminal ends of contacts to be fixed into its final position as at 12.

It will be appreciated that a means for efficiently and economically mounting the contacts in the insulative housing of the card edge connector has been described. It will also be appreciated that an efficient and economical means for engaging the card with the contacts has also been provided.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1-5 and FIGS. 13-16 it will be seen that another feature of the present invention comprises metal inserts 82 and 84 which project upwardly from the body of the housing. Referring particularly to FIGS. 1-2 and 13-16, will be seen that the metal insert 84 includes a main body section shown generally at numeral 86 which is comprised of a front panel 88, a rear panel 90 and a transverse section 92 which connects said front and rear panels. Extending upwardly and rearwardly from the rear panel 90 there is a resilient diagonal arm 94 which connects to a resilient tab 96. On the front panel 88 there is a front transverse spacing tang 98 and a rear transverse spacing tang 100. Extending downwardly from the main body section there is a lower depending leg 102 with a longitudinal rib 104 which is mounted in a vertical projection 106 (FIG. 2) on the card receiving side of the insulated housing. This mounting is accomplished by engaging the lower depending leg 106 of the metal insert with a vertical slot 108 which extends downwardly through the vertical projection and into the insulating housing. It will be understood that metal insert 84, 15 similiarly mounted by engaging projection 110 in slot 112 (FIG. 2). The card engagement axial projections also include longitudinal mounting member as at 114 (FIG. 3) and a transverse leg as at 116 (FIG. 3). These metal inserts function as an overstress protector for the plastic latch, a stop for the daughter board, and a solderable hold-down. That is, overstress is prevented by interaction of tang 98 with mounting member 114 and with leg 116. Under stress, tang 98 may abut against mounting member 114 and leg 116 may abut against front panel 88 of the metal insert 84. The tooling for the plastic housing can be simplified by the use of these metal inserts. Further these metal inserts achieve these results as a simple one piece part.

While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims.