Hinged electrical connector

An electrical connector comprises first and second dielectric housings each having cavities in which male and female electrical contacts are respectively secured, the male electrical contacts have male contact portions extending outwardly from the first housing and are disposed in respective female contact portions of the female electrical contacts, hinge sections on the first and second housings hingedly connecting the housings together so that when the male and female electrical contacts are connected to respective printed circuit boards, the boards can be moved from a position at which the boards are at right angles to a position at which the boards are substantially coplanar.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an electrical connector and in particular 
to a hinge-type electrical connector which electrically interconnects a 
pair of printed circuit boards and which permits one of the printed 
circuit boards to rotate by a predetermined angle with respect to the 
other printed circuit board. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
A hinged electrical connector is known in which two housings arranged 
opposite each other are connected to each other at the opposed surfaces 
thereof by a hinged so as to render the housings bendable and in which 
electrical contacts are accommodated in each housing, the contacts being 
connected electrically to each other by a bendable conductor extending 
between the housings. 
In this connector, the connector is detachably connected to post contacts 
of post headers, which are respectively secured on a pair of printed 
circuit boards so that the printed circuit boards are electrically 
connected to each other through the post contacts, contacts, and bendable 
conductors. 
The electrical connector of the above construction has the following 
advantages. Since it is bendable via the hinge, it permits a pair of 
printed circuit boards to be arranged in a coplanar manner on an assembly 
line so that electrical and mechanical tests or adjustments of components 
or devices on the printed circuit boards can be easily conducted. Also, 
after completion of such tests and adjustments, either of the pair of 
printed circuit boards can be rotated by a predetermined angle so that the 
printed circuit boards can be installed in a smaller area. This enables 
the equipment to be smaller and the manufacturing efficiency higher. 
However, on the other hand, the connector having the above construction has 
the following disadvantages. In order to electrically connect a pair of 
printed circuit boards to each other, it is indispensable that each 
printed circuit board have a post header to which the electrical connector 
is connected. This not only increases the number of components or parts of 
the printed circuit boards but also increases the number of assembly 
operations so that the manufacturing cost is increased. Furthermore, 
contacts accommodated in the two housings are connected to each other by 
the bendable conductors so that the connection is indirect with the result 
that the wiring length is increased which affects the electrical and 
mechanical properties of the connector. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned problems. The object of 
the present invention is to provide a hinge-type electrical connector 
which is small and light and which avoids electrical and mechanical 
properties. Also, housings and contacts of the connector are separable, 
respectively, so that maintenance thereof can be easily conducted. 
Furthermore, a pair of printed circuit boards can be disposed in a 
substantially coplanar manner while maintaining an electrical connection 
therebetween so that electrical and mechanical adjustments and tests of 
electrical components or devices on the printed circuit boards on an 
assembly line can be easily and readily conducted. 
According to the present invention, an electrical connector comprises first 
and second dielectric housings each having cavities in which male and 
female electrical contacts are respectively secured, the male electrical 
contacts have male contact portions extending outwardly from the first 
housing and are disposed in respective female contact portions of the 
female electrical contacts, hinge sections on the first and second 
housings hingedly connecting the housings together so that when the male 
and female electrical contacts are connected to respective printed circuit 
boards, the boards can be moved from a position at which the boards are at 
right angles to a position at which the boards are substantially coplanar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1A shows a male housing 10 and FIG. 1B shows a female housing 11. Male 
and female housing 10, 11 accommodate a plurality of male contacts 12 and 
female contacts 13, respectively, as shown in FIG. 2, and male housing 10 
having male contacts 12 is rotatably connected to female housing 11 
including female contacts 13 as shown in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8. 
Housings 10, 11 are molded from suitable dielectric material having 
desirable dielectric and flexible characteristics and contacts 12, 13 are 
stamped and formed from suitable metal having desirable electrical and 
spring characteristics. 
Male housing 10, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, has a plurality of cavities 14 
which are equidistantly spaced in a longitudinal direction of housing 10. 
Each cavity 14 is provided at the end portion thereof with a square 
aperture through which post portion 12a of male contact 12 extends. 
Notched portions 16 respectively communicate with each cavity 14 and 
stepped portions 17 are formed in each cavity 14 and are engaged by first 
projection 12b and the second projection 12c on male contact 12 so that 
male contact 12 is retained in cavity 14. 
Male housing 10 has at opposite ends flexible arms 19, each arm 19 having a 
projection 18 which engages with female housing 11. An inclined surface 
18a (FIG. 3) is located on each projection 18 so that projection 18 
engages easily with female housing 11 as explained hereafter. 
Female housing 11 accommodating female contacts 13 has a plurality of 
cavities 20 which are equidistantly spaced in a longitudinal direction of 
the housing as shown in FIG. 2. Cavities 20 correspond to cavities 14 of 
male housing 10. Each cavity 20 is formed by separating walls 21, each 
wall 21 having on an inner surface a recess 24 (FIG. 4) which communicates 
with an aperture 23 extending through a bottom 22 of cavity 20. Post 
portion 13a of female contact 13 is inserted into aperture 23, and a lance 
25 on receptacle portion 13b engages with recess 24 so that female contact 
13 is retained in cavity 20. Female housing 11 has at opposite ends open 
U-shaped recesses 26 which receive projections 18 of male housing 10, 
thereby forming a hinge therebetween as shown in FIG. 5C. 
Each recess 26 includes an inner surface which has an inclined surface 27 
and a hole 28 which receives a respective projection 18 therein. As shown 
in FIGS. 5A to 5C, inclined surfaces 18a of projections 18 of male housing 
10 slide downward along inclined surfaces 27 of recesses 26 of female 
housing 11 and the inner surfaces of projections 18 then slide along the 
inner surfaces of recesses 26 which causes arms 19 of male housing 10 to 
resiliently bend outward and then projections 18 are snap-fitted into 
respective holes 28. Projections 18 are reciprocally movable in holes 28 
and this arrangement forms a hinge for both housings 10, 11. 
Male contact 12 includes, as shown in FIG. 6A, post portion 12a, to be 
inserted into a hole of a printed circuit board 33 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 
8, first projection 12b which is disposed in notched portion 16 of male 
housing 10, second projection 12c which engages with stepped portion 17 of 
male housing 10. Projection tongues 12d of contacts 12 are inserted into 
respective receptacle portions 13b of female contacts 13 when housings 10, 
11 are hingedly connected together as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. 
Female contact 13 includes, as shown in FIG. 6B, post portion 13a to be 
inserted into a hole of printed circuit board 34, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 
8, in the same manner as post portion 12a of male contact 12, and a 
receptacle portion 13b having a U-shaped cross section, which has a lance 
25 in one leg of receptacle portion 13b and which receives projecting 
tongue 12d therein when housings 10, 11 are hingedly connected together as 
shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. 
FIGS. 7A to 7C show the connectors mounted on printed circuit boards 33, 
34, which are in the course of being moved from a right angle position to 
a position beyond being coplanar, and also, FIGS. 8A and 8B show a cross 
section of the connectors in positions before and after the rotation 
thereof. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, male and female housings 10, 11 having male 
contacts 12 and female contacts 13 respectively mounted therein are 
secured to printed circuit boards 33, 34 by use of solder 35 to solder 
post portions 12a, 13a of both contacts 12, 13 to respective conductive 
paths on boards 33, 34, post portions 12a, 13a extending through 
respective holes 36 of printed circuit boards 33, 34. 
In order to connect connectors 10, 11 to each other, projecting tongues 12d 
of male contacts 12 in male housing 10 are inserted into respective 
receptacle portions 13b of female contacts 13 in female housing 11, and at 
the same time, projections 18 at the opposite ends of male housing 10 are 
slid along recesses 26 at the opposite ends of female housing 11 and are 
snap-fitted into respective holes 28 of recesses 26 so that a hinge is 
formed thereby hingedly connecting housings 10, 11 together. 
The connector, in a normal position, takes a position in which printed 
circuit boards 33 and 34 are arranged at right angles to each other, as 
shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, and when electrical and mechanical tests and 
adjustments of components or devices are to be conducted on printed 
circuit boards 33, 34, the connector is rotated to the position shown in 
FIGS. 7C and 8C via that of FIG. 7B so that printed circuit boards 33, 34 
are in a substantially coplanar relationship with each other. By this 
arrangement, such tests and adjustments as needed can be easily and 
effectively conducted. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, housings 10, 11 engage 
each other defining a stop to position boards 33, 34 at a right angle 
while in FIGS. 7C and 8B, housing 10 engages the edge of board 34 defining 
a stop. 
In order to disengage housings 10, 11 from each other, flexible legs 19 
carrying projections 18 are flexed outwardly and housing 10 moved 
upwardly. 
According to the present invention, the connector uses thin and flat male 
and female contacts which are made from a conductive metal sheet so that 
the distance between the adjacent cavities accommodating the contacts can 
be small and thus a small connector can be utilized. Also, the male 
contacts are rotatable with respect to the female contacts so that a 
wiping action takes place at the contact surface between the contacts and 
thus a stable electrical connection is always provided. Furthermore, the 
connector can be mounted directly on the printed circuit boards without 
using post headers as in the conventional connector, with the result that 
the number of parts to be mounted on the printed circuit boards is 
decreased and a small and low-profile connector is realized. Also, since 
it is easy for hinge portions of the connector to be assembled and 
released, the printed circuit boards can be easily loaded on an assembly 
line of electrical components and easy adjustments, tests, and maintenance 
of electronic equipment can be conducted.