Surface mount connector

The surface mount connector comprises male and female interconnectable housings. The male housing includes a plurality of male contacts that are connected to a plurality of wires and the female housing accommodates a plurality of female contacts for receiving and holding the male contacts in assembly. The female contacts each further include a resilient lead for surface mount connection to a conductive electrode disposed on a printed circuit board surface. The female housing further includes a connection portion that in a preferred form, includes slots formed in flanges extending outwardly from the female housing, the slots in the flanges being adapted to receive and resiliently hold the printed circuit board therein while the leads of the female contacts are attached to the conductive electrodes on the printed circuit board.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more 
particularly, to connectors mounted on a surface, for example, of a 
printed circuit board. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
There are printed circuit boards, for example, of a ceramic material which 
can withstand use under severe conditions, such as thermal environments. 
Connectors mounted on such a printed board must be mounted securely by 
designing the connector structure considering that the printed board 
itself could be broken. The connection between the contacts of a connector 
or terminals and a pattern (electrodes) on the board is effected by 
putting contacts on solder before being attached to the pattern, heating 
the solder to solder together the contact or terminals and the pattern. To 
achieve this connection the connector must be held during soldering. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention has been developed to satisfy the above requirements. 
The present invention mounts electronic parts such as a connector, onto a 
ceramic board or the like to thereby form a package of electronic parts 
and widen applications of the ceramic board. 
In accordance with a preferred form of the invention, a surface mount 
connector comprises first and second connector housings, the first 
connector housing supporting a plurality of male contacts to be connected 
to wires, the male contacts being held removably within the first 
connector housing with the contact end portions extending therethrough. A 
plurality of female contacts are accommodated within the second connector 
housing, each female contact having means for receiving and holding the 
end portion of a corresponding male contact. The female contacts further 
include a resilient lead for contacting a conductive electrode disposed on 
a surface of a substrate, such as a printed circuit board. The second 
connector housing further includes a connection portion for resiliently 
receiving and holding the substrate, the female contact lead portions 
adapted to be placed into contact with the electrodes of the substrate to 
thereby establish electrical connection when the substrate is inserted 
into the connection portion of the second connector housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawing figures, there is shown in FIG. 1 an exploded 
view of a package in which a connector according to the present invention 
is mounted. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a male housing of the 
connector according to the present invention and to be described in more 
detail hereinbelow. A female housing 2 (FIG. 2) of the inventive connector 
is mounted within a unit casing 300, and is not shown in FIG. 1. Reference 
numeral 301 denotes a waterproof rubber seal. 
Reference numeral 100 denotes a wire material as a connected member. 
Reference numeral 3 denotes a male conductive contact which terminates the 
wire material. Reference numeral 302 denotes a screw which fixes the male 
housing to the unit casing. 
FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the female housing 2 of the connector 
of the present invention and a ceramic board 200. 
The female housing 2 mounts therein female contacts 4, to be described in 
more detail hereinafter and has a connection portion 2A, which receives an 
end of the board 200 and is connected thereto. The connection portion 2A 
includes a groove 2E for receiving the board and flanges 2B which each 
have a slot 2C opening outwardly from the housing. The slot 2C in the 
flange communicates with the groove 2E which receive the board and 
functions as a spring to open when it receives the board to thereby hold 
the board securely. The flanges 2B each have a hole 2D through which a 
screw is inserted to fix the connector to the casing 300. 
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the inventive connector mounted on the 
board 200 with the wires 100 being connected to the connector. 
The male housing 1 includes lance-like retainers 1A to receive the 
corresponding male contacts 3 of pieces of wire 100 and a stop 1B mating 
with the retainers to hold the male contacts received in the retainers 1A. 
The male housing has an opening 1C through which the pieces of wire 100 are 
guided to the retainer 1A. In the particular embodiment, the opening is 
sealed with a rubber bushing 10 to fulfill a waterproof function for the 
connector together with a rubber seal 301 intervening between the fitting 
portions of the male and female housings. 
Ends 3A of the male contacts on the pieces of wire 100 extend through the 
retainers 1A and are engaged at their shoulders 3B with the lances of the 
corresponding retainers. 
The female housing 2 includes openings 21 which guide therethrough the ends 
of the corresponding male contacts extending from the male housing, and a 
cavity 22 communicating with the openings 21 and accommodating the female 
conductive contacts 4 electrically connected to the corresponding male 
contacts. 
Each female contact 4 includes a retainer 4A for receiving and holding the 
end portion 3A of the corresponding male contact, and an resilient 
conductive lead 4B extending from the back of the female housing and 
contacting a conductive electrode 200A, for example, of a printed board. 
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 23 denotes a spacer to space female contacts 
at predetermined intervals within the cavity 22 and made integrally with 
the female housing. 
When a printed board 200 is inserted into the connection portion 2A of the 
female housing, the conductive pattern 200A on the printed board contacts 
the leads 4B of the female contacts, (which is performed effectively by 
bending the ends of the leads, as shown), and the board is held in the 
slots 2C in the connection portions by the gripping operation of the slots 
2C. 
FIG. 4 illustrates the accommodation, within the unit casing 300, of a 
board on which connections according to the invention are mounted. Screws 
303 are threaded through mounting holes 2D in the flanges of the female 
housing into the unit casing 300. 
By the above arrangement described in detail, the inventive connectors are 
mounted securely and easily on a fragile ceramic board. Even if an 
external force is applied through pieces of wire to the inventive 
connector, such force is not applied to the board because the connector 
housing itself has a structure in which it holds and connects the board. 
Having described the preferred embodiments herein, it should be appreciated 
that variations thereof may be made within the contemplated scope of the 
invention. Accordingly, the embodiments described herein are illustrative 
rather than limiting, the true scope of the invention being set forth in 
the claims appended hereto.