Abstract:
Apparatus connectable to a PC board comprising in combination at least one row of mounting terminals to be received in openings on the board; header structure associated with a row of terminals; support structure having openings to pass the terminals and support header structure; connector structure to interfit the terminals and interlock to the support structure, the connector structure adapted to carry wire terminals electrically connectable to the mounting terminals.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to connection of wire and wire terminal components to terminal pins connectable to a circuit board; and more particularly the invention concerns interconnection and interfitting of terminal and header structures to connector structures, and to locking interconnection of a wire connector to the terminal and header structures. 
     There is need for apparatus of the type referred to, and in particular there is need for such apparatus in which the components are easily assembled and remain assembled due to interlocking, and in which they may be easily assembled to a circuit board. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a major object of the invention to provide simple, effective and highly useful apparatus meeting the above needs. Basically, and in one form, the invention comprises 
     a) at least one row of mounting terminals to be received in openings in the board, 
     b) header structure associated with the row of terminals, 
     c) support structure having openings to pass the terminals and support the header structure, 
     d) and connector structure to interfit the terminals and interlock to the support structure, 
     e) the connector structure adapted to carry wire terminals electrically connectable to the mounting terminals. 
     As will be seen, a projection may be provided on the support structure to interlock to said connector structure; and the projection and connector structure may have interengagable camming surfaces to deflect the projection in response to fitting of the connector structure on the mounting terminals. 
     It is another object to provide two longitudinally parallel rows of such mounting terminals, and in which the header structure is associated with the two rows. Typically, the mounting terminals in each of the rows extend laterally of mounting terminals in the other of the rows. Also, the header structure may include multiple heads respectively associated with the mounting terminals, certain pairs of heads extending in adjacent relation and defining break-away structure. 
     A further object is to provide such heads or headers so that selective break-away of groups of headers and associated mounting terminals is enabled. 
     Yet another object is to position the support structure for mounting on a circuit board, between the board and the header structure so that the mounting terminals may pass through interlock notches in the support structure. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which: 
    
    
     DRAWING DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is an elevation showing terminal and header structures; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevation taken on lines  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view taken on lines  3 — 3  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view taken on lines  4 - 4  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the FIGS. 1-4 terminal and header structures; 
     FIG. 6 is an elevation showing support structure; 
     FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the FIG. 6 support structure, and taken on lines  7 — 7  of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the FIG.  6  and FIG. 7 support structure; 
     FIG. 9 is an elevation view showing the support structure assembled to the terminal and header structures, and on a circuit board; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the support structure assembled to the terminal and header structures; 
     FIG. 11 is a view like FIG. 9, but showing a connector partially assembled to the terminals, header and support structure; 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the connector seen in FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 13 is a view like FIG. 11, but showing the connector completely assembled to the terminals, header and lifter structures; 
     FIG. 14 is another perspective view of the connector seen in FIGS. 12 and 13; and 
     FIG. 15 is a perspective view of wire and wire terminal components to be assembled to the connector referred to above. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In FIGS. 1-5, header structure  10  includes a longitudinal row of heads or headers  10   a , of which sequential headers are interconnected at reduced dimension zones  10   b . The latter may have reduced thickness, or width, or height, to enable selective break-away so as to provide a reduced number of headers in a row. Mounting electrical terminals or pins  11  are associated with these headers, for use with a particular circuit, as on a circuit board  12  as seen in FIG.  9 . The headers may consist of molded plastic material. 
     The mounting terminals associated with the headers may be located in two longitudinally parallel rows, as shown. Each header  10   a  is associated with, i.e. for example carries, two laterally spaced, upright mounting terminals, seen at  11   a  and  11   b  in FIGS. 3 and 4. For example, the terminals pass through openings in the headers, to extend above and below the headers, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. The terminals pass through certain portions  10   d  of the headers that are laterally intermediate other portions  10   e  and  10   f  of the headers. Portions  10   e  and  10   f  have greater vertical dimensions than portion  10   d , for reinforcement. 
     Also provided is support structure  13  that extends longitudinally to receive and pass the lower extents of the terminals  11 , as through openings  13   a  in the support structure. Also, as seen in FIG. 9, the support structure is configured to extend beneath the headers  10   a , and to support them, in sandwiched relation between the headers and the top  12   a  of the circuit board  12 . FIG. 9 also shows the lowermost extents  11   b  of the terminals  11  projecting from and below openings  12   b  of board  12 , and electrically connected at  15 , to circuitry  16 , at the underside of the board. 
     FIG. 7 shows openings  13   a  in the form of edge notches in the support structure, for receiving and passing the mounting terminals  11 , whereby the support structure is closely integrated with the heads or headers, and the terminals, as seen in FIG. 9, to provide a firm, stable interfitting structure. Such notches accommodate slight sideward deviation of terminals  11 . 
     Also provided is connector structure to interfit the mounting terminals, and interlock to the support structure. In this regard, the connector structure is adapted to carry wire terminals electrically connectable to said mounting terminals. 
     In the preferred embodiment, as illustrated, a representative connector structure is seen at  40  in FIGS. 11-13 as comprising a body  41  having sides  42 - 45 . It also has two rows of through openings  48  that extend between upper and lower surfaces  46  and  47  of the body. Lower portions of openings  48  receive upper portions of the mounting terminals, above the header structure  13 , when the connector is pressed downwardly at P, as shown in FIG.  13 . 
     An upwardly extending projection  49  at the end of the support structure  13  has a shoulder  49   a  that interferes with shoulders  40   a  on tangs  40   b  on the connector, to initially block further downward movement of the connector on the mounting terminals, whereby the connector is in FIG. 11 stopped position preventing insertion completion downwardly. When the connector  40  is endwise reversed, as shown in FIG. 13, the connector is then and thereby enabled to be completely pressed downwardly on terminals  11 , so that the lower surface  47  of the connector body engages the tops of the headers  10   a , to lock or hold the header structure  10  and support structure  13 , in layered, assembled, sandwiched relation, between the connector  40  and the circuit board  12 . At this time, the projection  49  has been allowed to bend or return resiliently rightwardly to FIG. 13 position, in which a shoulder  49   b  on projection  49  extends over a stop shoulder  50   b  on the connector, to lock the connector in position. Tapered or angled cam surface  60  on the connector acts to initially deflect projection  49  leftwardly in direction  50 , and then to return rightwardly to FIG. 13 locking position. 
     Preferably, the shoulders  50   a  and  50   b  are at opposite ends of the connector, whereby the connector must be endwise positioned with shoulder  50   b  in aligned relation with shoulder  49   b  in order to achieve the interlock. Accordingly, the FIG. 11 position of the connector is a stopped position of the connector, which is blocked against further downward travel, by interengagement of shoulders  49   a  and  40   a . A turned end portion  49   c  of the projection or lever  49  can be manually pushed downwardly to resiliently pivot the projection leftwardly, in FIG. 13, to release the interlock of shoulders  49   b  and  50   b , enabling upward pulling of the connector off the terminals, for disassembly. Cams or lugs  54  and  55  which carry the shoulders at opposite ends of the connector, may be considered as polarizing i.e. endwise orienting cams, in that they pass or block downward travel of the connector to FIG. 13 position, depending upon which end of the connector is presented to cam element  56  on the projection. 
     FIG. 15 shows a wire  65  which is terminated at  66  for downward reception into the top of an opening  48  in the connector. Multiple such wires may thereby be connected with the upper ends of the mounting terminals  11  received in the connector. Note the polygonal opening formed at  67  in metallic female terminal  66   a , to receive the polygonal cross section mounting terminal  11 . A resiliently bendable metallic spring finger  68  on the terminal  66   a  is engagable with or into a window or opening  62  in the connector to provide a retention i.e. locking interfit.