Pin holder

Abstract: Pin holder for a separable electronic plug connection, having a number of resilient lips (5) which are formed on the holder (1) and are provided at their free ends with an inwardly protruding hook-shaped part (6), and outwardly directed protruding parts (11) which are formed on the pin carrier (8) and, in the assembled state, engage behind the hook-shaped parts (6), the said one parts being provided with obliquely running contact surfaces (6′). Preferably stopping means are formed by at least one shoulder (7) inside the holder (1), whereas in the holder there is an intermediate wall (12) which is provided with openings through which the pins (10) extend.

Description: The invention relates to a pin holder for a separable electronic plug connection, comprising a holder having located in it a pin carrier provided with plug-on pins. Such a pin holder is generally known. In the case of the known pin holder, the pin carrier forms a whole with the holder, so that in the production of the pin holder from a plastic material, the plug-on pins have to be inserted into the injection-moulding machine or first the holder has to be produced with pin carrier provided with openings and thereafter the pins have to be inserted into the openings. The pins are in this case provided in advance with a surface coating, for example of tin-lead, by means of a galvanic treatment of the pins. However, for an application in today's auto-electronics in particular, it is of importance that the surface coatings are not the same for all pins but differ from each other in connection with the much smaller control voltages or currents. This means that in manufacturing of the known pin holder the various pin types have to be inserted very precisely into their respective positions in the injection-moulding machine or that, in the subsequent insertion of the pins into the openings of the pin carriers, this insertion process has to be carried out in steps, a pin or pins of a certain type being inserted in each step. The methods of production described above are complex and expensive. The invention aims at creating an improved pin holder of the said type which can be assembled less expensively. This object is achieved in the case of the pin holder according to the invention by the pin carrier having been fixed essentially detachably in the holder by means of fixing elements. Preferably, in this case the fixing elements are formed by a number of resilient lips which are formed on the holder and are provided at their free ends with an inwardly protruding hook-shaped part, and by outwardly directed protruding parts which are formed on the pin carrier and, in the assembled state, engage behind the hook-shaped parts, the said one parts being provided with obliquely running contact surfaces which can interact with the other parts in such a way that, when the pin carrier is pushed into the holder, the resilient lips are initially pushed away sideways and thereafter, due to their spring force, engage with their hook-shaped parts behind the protruding parts, and stopping means have been fitted which prevent the pin carrier being pushed further into the holder. In the case of a pin holder designed in this way according to the invention, any desired, previously produced or commercially available pin carrier can be inserted into the holder in a very simple way, so that a pin holder having the pins desired with regard to their shape length, number or surface coating can be assembled very quickly as required. The resilient lips are advantageously formed by wall parts of the holder, which are limited by means of slits made in the wall concerned of the holder. The stopping means may advantageously be formed by at least one shoulder inside the holder, formed on the wall of the latter, against which shoulder or shoulders the upper side of the pin carrier bears. In the holder there may be an intermediate wall which is provided with openings through which the pins extend, as a result of which the depth of insertion of the plug interacting with the pin holder is limited. For production engineering reasons, this intermediate wall is preferably interrupted opposite the resilient lips. The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which: Figure 1 shows in perspective a pin holder according to the invention and a pin carrier to be inserted therein, Figure 2 shows the pin holder according to Figure 1, in assembled state in side view and partially in longitudinal cross-section, Figure 3 shows a cross-section of the pin holder according to Figure 2 and Figure 4 shows another type of the pin carrier which can be fixed in the pin holder. As shown in the drawing, the pin holder comprises a holder 1 of rectangular shape with longitudinal walls 2 and transverse walls 3. In the longitudinal walls 2, slits 4 have been made, so that the wall parts 5 limited by these slits 4 form resilient lips, these resilient lips 5 being provided with hook-shaped parts 6 with contact surfaces 6′. The transverse walls 3 are provided at their lower ends with a shoulder 7. The pin carrier 8 consists of the actual carrier 9, into which a series of pins 10 has been inserted. On the longitudinal sides, the carrier is provided with protruding parts 11, which can engage behind the hook-shaped parts 6, as shown in Figure 3, when the pin carrier 8 is pressed into the holder 1, until the upper side of the carrier 9 bears against the shoulders 7. In the holder 1, an intermediate wall 12 is fitted, which is interrupted opposite the resilient lips 4 and in which a series of openings 13 are formed, through which the pins 10 extend in the assembled state shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, the holder 2 is provided with positioning pins 14, by means of which pins the assembled pin holder can be positioned, for example, on a circuit board. In Figure 4, another type of pin carrier 15 with pins 16 is shown, which likewise can be fixed by means of the hook-shaped parts 6 in the holder 1, the protruding parts 17 formed on the carrier 16 engaging behind the hook-shaped parts 6.

Claims: Pin holder assembly for a separable electronic plug connection, comprising a holder (1) having located in it a pin carrier (9) provided with plug-on pins (10), characterized in that the pin carrier (9) has been fixed essentially detachably in the holder by means of fixing elements (4,6,11). Pin holder assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing elements are formed by a number of resilient lips (5) which are formed on the holder and are provided at their free ends with an inwardly protruding hook-shaped part (6), and by outwardly directed protruding parts (11) which are formed on the pin carrier and, in the assembled state, engage behind the hook-shaped parts, the said one parts being provided with obliquely running contact surfaces (6') which can interact with the other parts in such a way that, when the pin carrier is pushed into the holder, the resilient lips are initially pushed away sideways and thereafter, due to their spring force, engage with their hook-shaped parts behind the protruding parts, and stopping means (7) have been fitted which prevent the pin carrier being used further into the holder. Pin holder assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the resilient lips are formed by wall parts (2) of the holder, which are limited by means of slits (4) made in the wall concerned of the holder. Pin holder assembly according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the stopping means (7) are formed by at least one shoulder inside the holder, formed on the wall of the latter, against which shoulder or shoulders the upper side of the pin carrier bears. Pin holder assembly according to claims 1-4, characterized in that in the holder there is an intermediate wall (12) which is provided with openings (13) through which the pins extend. Pin holder assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that the intermediate wall is interrupted opposite the resilient lips. Holder (1) for a pin carrier (9) having fixing means for locking engagement of the pin carrier (9), comprising a number of resilient lips (5) which are provided at their free ends with an inwardly protruding hook-shaped part (6) and by outwardly directed protruding parts (11) which are formed on the pin carrier and, in the assembled state, engage behind the hook-shaped parts, the said one parts being provided with obliquely running contact surfaces (6') which can interact with the other parts in such a way that when the pin carrier is pushed into the holder the resilient lips are initially pushed away sideways and thereafter due to their spring force engage with their hook-shaped parts behind the protruding parts, and stopping means (7) to prevent the pin carrier being pushed further into the holder.

Inventors: MOUISSIE BOB, MOUISSIE, BOB
Applicants: CONNECTOR SYSTEMS TECH NV, DU PONT NEDERLAND, CONNECTOR SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY N.V., DU PONT DE NEMOURS (NEDERLAND) B.V.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R24, H01R13