Electrical Connector With Cover

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector having a cover attached thereto which receives a suction force from a vacuum nozzle for mounting the connector onto a printed circuit board wherein the cover can be used with connectors of varying length.

2. The Prior Art

As the trend of the computer industry continues toward miniaturization, electrical connector terminal density increases and unoccupied space on the connector decreases which results in complications when accurately aligning the terminals with corresponding traces on a printed circuit board (PCB). If the improperly positioned terminals are soldered to the corresponding traces, a poor electrical connection between the connector and the PCB will result.

In order to ensure accurate alignment of the connector on the PCB, an adhesive film, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,645,278 and 5,383,797 and Taiwan Pat. Nos. 83207484 and 85202861, is attached to the connector before the connector is positioned on the PCB whereby the terminals of the PCB can be aligned with the corresponding traces of the PCB. The connector is then fixedly soldered to the connector and the adhesive film is removed therefrom. This method requires manual attachment of the film, therefore, the lack of automation complicates assembly and increases manufacturing costs. In addition, the adhesive film is neither reusable nor recyclable which adversely affects the environment.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,977 discloses a cover for attaching to a mating surface of the connector whereby a vacuum nozzle can be attached thereto for aligning the connector onto a PCB before soldering thereto. However, the cover does not fully conceal a mating surface of the connector. Thus, foreign particles such as dust may enter the connector during transportation or storage and hinder the performance thereof.

A cover which fully conceals the mating surface of a connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,396,245 and 5,026,295. However, connectors of varying length each require a suitably sized cover which increases the cost of the cover molding process and complicates parts management.

Therefore, an improved connector cover is required which can overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a cover for a connector, having a flat surface for receiving a suction force from a vacuum nozzle whereby the connector can be properly aligned on a printed circuit board during automated assembly.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a cover for an electrical connector, having an adjustable length whereby the cover can be used with connectors of different size.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a board-to-board connector assembled with an elongate cover, includes a housing forming a mating face, a soldering face, and a longitudinal channel in the mating face. The cover includes a central connecting portion having a pair of resilient arms perpendicularly extending from each lateral end thereof, a flat second surface for attachment of a vacuum nozzle, and a plurality of serially connected extension portions outwardly extending from the lateral ends of the connecting portion. A plurality of grooves are defined on both sides of the cover between adjacent extension portions, whereby a predetermined number of extension portions can be readily removed to accommodate connectors of different size. After the connector is accurately aligned and soldered onto a mother board, the cover is removed from the connector so that a daughter board can be received in the channel .

These and additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of an electrical connector and a cover in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1 showing a first surface of the cover;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III--III of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment of the present invention showing how the length of the cover can be adjusted to accommodate a connector of different size.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a board-to-board connector 11 assembled with an elongate cover 13, includes a housing 112 forming a mating face 1123, a soldering face 1124, and a longitudinal channel 1121 in the mating face 1123. An inner wall 1122 of the channel 1121 defines passageways 1126 for respectively receiving a plurality of contacts 114. Soldering ends 1142 of the contacts 114 outwardly project from the soldering face 1124 of the housing 112 for being soldered to corresponding traces on a mother board (not shown).

The cover 13 includes a central connecting portion 132 having a first surface 1321 and a flat second surface 1322 for attachment of a vacuum nozzle (not shown), and a plurality of serially connected extension portions 134 outwardly extending from lateral ends of the central portion 132, wherein the connecting portion 132 is thicker than the extension portions 134. A plurality of grooves 133 are defined on both sides of the cover 13 between adjacent extension portions 134. A pair of resilient arms 136 perpendicularly extend from each lateral end of the first surface 1321 of the connecting portion 132, and slots 137 are defined through the connecting portion 132 on each side of each arm 136 for providing the arms 136 with more flexibility. Each arm 136 forms a tapered guiding and abutting head 138 at a free end thereof for facilitating insertion of the arms 136 into the channel 1121.

In assembly, after the contacts 114 are received in the corresponding passageways 1126 of the housing 112, the guiding and abutting heads 138 of the arms 136 are brought to contact the inner wall 1122 of the housing 112 which urges each pair of arms 136 together. A force is exerted on the second surface 1322 of the connecting portion 132 and the guiding and abutting heads of the arms 136 slide along the inner wall 1122 of the housing 112 until the first surface 1321 of the connecting portion 132 contacts the mating surface 1123 of the housing 112, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the cover 13 is retained within the channel 1121 of the housing 112.

An automated vacuum nozzle can be attached to the second surface 1322 of the cover 13 whereby the cover 13 together with the connector 11 can be accurately aligned and soldered onto a mother board. Thereafter, the cover 13 is removed from the connector 11 so that a daughter board (not shown) can be received in the channel 1121.

Referring to FIG. 4, a cover 23 can be easily altered to accommodate a shorter connector 21 by removing the required number of extension portions 134. This is accomplished by bending the outer extension portions 134 at the appropriate groove 133 until the undesired extension portions 134 are separated from the cover 23.

While the present invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention.

Therefore, various modifications to the present invention can be made to the preferred embodiment by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.