Connector

Abstract: In a connector having a group of contacts arrayed at narrow pitches on a base member, a contact fixture device is formed separately from the base member forming a connector body. The contact fixture device is provided with a retaining claw adapted to secure the fixture device to the base member. The contact fixture device is further provided with a presser portion disposed across a group of seat elements of the group of contacts. The presser portion is laid across the group of seat elements to urge the group of seat elements against a surface of the base member when the fixture device is secured to the base member through the retaining claw. By this, the group of contacts can be arrayed on the base member.

Description: 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a connector having a number of contacts arrayed at narrow pitches on its base member, and particularly to an array structure of a group of contacts on the base member. 2. Brief Description of the Prior Art The conventional mount-to-contact type IC socket as represented by Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 2-31790 has a structure in which each contact has a horizontal U-shaped contact element, an upper U-curved element of the horizontal U-shaped contact element being formed as a contact element on which a terminal of an IC is to be mounted for contact, a lower U-curved element thereof being formed as a seat element received on an upper surface of the base member, a male terminal extending downward from the seat element being pressingly fitted in an implanting hole formed in the base member beforehand, a press-fit claw disposed at a basal portion of the male terminal being caused to bite into an inner wall of the implanting hole, thereby providing an array structure of a plurality of contacts arranged at narrow pitches on the base member. In recent years, as the manufacturing technique progresses, IC is increased in pole number and miniaturized. Therefore, IC of narrow pitches, in which IC terminals are arranged at 0.2 mm pitches or similar pitches, are commercially available. Therefore, sockets which are suitable for such IC are demanded. Especially, a group of contacts arrayed on a socket are required to be implanted at so narrow pitches as to correspond to the narrow pitches of the IC terminals. This naturally follows that the pitches of implanting holes of contacts are required to be reduced, and the sizes of contacts are required to be more and more miniaturized. However, the conventional structure, in which contact implanting holes are formed in a base member beforehand and male terminals of contacts are press fitted therein, has the following problems. By reason of the reduced pitches of the contact implanting holes, the thickness of a wall between adjacent contact implanting holes becomes extremely thin, thereby making it difficult to shape thereof. Even if shaping is possible, a wall having a thickness enough to bear the press-fit of a press-fit claw is unobtainable. On the contrary, the male terminals become thinner and thinner as the miniaturization of contacts is progressed and a sufficient amount of projection of the press-fit claw is difficult to obtain. As a result, it is difficult provide a sufficient strength able to bear the press-fit. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector which is capable of fundamentally solving the above-mentioned problems. As means for solving the problems, in a connector having a group of contacts arrayed at narrow pitches on a base member, a contact fixture device is formed separately from the base member forming a connector body, the contact fixture device being provided with a retaining claw adapted to secure the fixture device to the base member, the contact fixture device being provided with a presser portion disposed across a group of seat elements of the group of contacts, the presser portion being laid across the group of seat elements to urge the group of seat elements against a surface of the base member when the fixture device is secured to the base member through the retaining claw, thereby the group of contacts being arrayed on the base member. As another means for solving the above problems according to the present invention, each of the seat elements is projected forward and backward from a basal portion of a contact element of each contact, the contact fixture device being provided with a front presser portion disposed across the group of front seat elements and a rear presser portion disposed across the group of rear seat elements, the front and rear presser portions being laid across the groups of front and rear contact elements to urge the front and rear seat elements against a surface of the base member when the fixture device is secured to the base member through the retaining claw, thereby the group of contacts being arrayed on the base member. As a further means for solving the above problems according to the present invention, a pair of the fixture devices are formed, a front presser portion disposed at one of the fixture devices being laid across the group of front seat elements to urge the front seat elements against the base member, a rear presser portion disposed at the other fixture device being laid across the group of rear seat elements to urge the rear seat elements against the base member, thereby the group of contacts being arrayed on the base member. According to the present invention, by securing the fixture device to the base member through the retaining claw, the presser portion disposed across the group of seat elements received on the base member urges the group of seat elements against the receiving surface of the base member, thereby the group of contacts can be collectively mounted on the base member. Since the group of contacts can be collectively mounted on the base member by urging the group of seat elements, which are received on the base member beforehand, through the presser portion of the fixture device disposed across the group of seat elements, there can be provided a simple structure in which the base member, the group of seat elements received on the base member, and the fixture device for urging the group of seat elements against the receiving surface are coacted to stably and firmly secure the contacts to the surface of the base member. Moreover, an assembling work of the group of contacts onto the base member becomes very easy, too. According to the present invention, the conventional structure, in which a group of contacts are press fitted into implanting holes through a press-fit claw in order to attain a required strength, is excluded thereby to obviate the above problems inherent in the conventional structure. The above and other objects, and further features of the present invention will become more manifest to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention, with contact fixture devices exploded therefrom; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a base member to which a group of contacts are pressed by the contact fixture devices such that the contacts are arrayed on the base member; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of an important portion of the connector in which the contact fixture device is not yet secured to the base member; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of an important portion of the connector in which the contact fixture device is secured to the base member so that a group of contacts are pressed to the base member; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of an important portion of the connector in which a group of seat elements of the group of contacts bite into a rib disposed at the contact fixture device in order to press the group of contacts; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a means for exerting the contact fixture device a downward force directing toward the surface of the base member; Fig. 7 is a sectional view of an important portion of the connector according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which a contact fixture device is not yet secured to a base member; and Fig. 8 is a sectional view of an important portion of the connector of Fig. 7, in which the contact fixture device is secured to the base member in order to press the group of contacts to the base member such that the group of contacts are arrayed on the base member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT The embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter with referece to Figs. 1 through 8 of the accompanying drawing. FIRST EMBODIMENT (Figs. 1 through 6) The numeral 1 denotes a generally rectangular base member forming a connector body. The base member 1 is formed from an insulated material and has at a central portion thereof an accommodation portion 2 for accommodating therein an electric part such as IC, etc. A number of contacts 3 are disposed in outer regions of at least two opposing sides of the electric part accommodation portion 2 and arrayed at narrow pitches along the two opposing sides. Each of the contacts 3 has a seat element 4 received on the upper surface of the base member 1 in parallel relation with each other and extending in a forward and backward direction. The contact 3 also has a male terminal 5 extending downward from the seat element 4, and a contact element 6 upstanding from the seat element 4 and further extending forwardly. A free end of the contact element 6 terminates into a contact end 7 on which a terminal of an electric part accommodated in the accommodation portion 2 is to be mounted for contact. A direction perpendicular to the arraying direction of the group of contacts is herein referred to as a forward and backward direction. In the illustrated embodiment, therefore, the IC accommodation portion 2 side with respect to the group of contacts 3 is forward and the other side is backward. Each of the seat elements 4 is consist of a front seat element 8 extending forward from a basal portion of the contact element 6 and a rear seat element 9 extending backward therefrom. The base member 1 is also provided, as means for stably receiving the contacts on the surface of the base member 1, with a plurality of shallow regulation grooves 10 cut into its surface at an external region of the IC accommodation portion 2 and extending forwardly and backwardly in parallel relation with each other. To receive the seat elements 9 on the surface of the base member 1, the seat elements 4 are fitted into the corresponding grooves 10 there-along so that they would be received on and supported by the bottom faces of the grooves 10, with upper edges of the seat elements 9 slightly projecting upward from open tops of the grooves 10. Each of the regulation grooves 10 is provided with a through-hole 11 formed in the bottom face thereof, i.e., seat element receiving face. The male terminal 5 is loosely inserted all the way throughout the through-hole 11 such that the terminal 5 would project downward from a lower surface of the base member 1, with the seat element 4 being supported by the bottom face of the groove 10. The male terminal 5 is loosely, but with almost no play, inserted into the through-hole 11, or otherwise it is inserted into the through-hole 11 with an auxiliary weak press-fit force. Each of the contacts 3 is supported at its seat element 4 by the bottom face of each of the regulation grooves 10 and regulated at its side faces by walls defining the groove 10. Each of the contacts 3 is held in its upstanding posture by loosely inserting its male terminal into each of the through-holes 11, thereby each of the contacts 3 is temporarily assembled in a predetermined position with its prescribed posture. A contact fixture device 12 is formed on the base member 1 as means for integrally assembling the group of contacts 3 on the surface of the base member 1. The fixture member 12 is made from a synthetic resin material. The fixture device 12 has a presser portion 13 extending across each group of the seat elements 4 and a retaining claw 16 adapted to secure the fixure device 12 to the base member 1. When the fixture device 12 is secured to the base member 1 through the retaining claw 16, the presser portion 13 is laid across the group of seat elements 4, as shown in Fig. 2, to urge the seat elements 4 against the surface of the base member 1, i.e., bottom faces of the regulation grooves 10, thereby the group of contacts 3 are arrayed on the base member 1. In the illustrated embodiment, the fixture device 12 has a front presser portion 14 extending across the group of front seat elements 8 and a rear presser portion 15 extending across the group of rear seat elements 9, so that when the fixture device 12 is secured to the base member 1 through the retaining claw 16, the front and rear presser portions 14, 15 are laid across the groups of front and rear seat elements 8, 9, as mentioned above, to urge the seat elements 8, 9 against the surface of the base member 1, i.e., bottom faces of the regulation grooves 10, thereby the group of contacts 2 are arrayed on the base member 1. The front presser portion 14 and the rear presser portion 15 are interconnected at both ends thereof to define a window 19 between the presser portions 14 and 15. In other words, the fixture device 12 is formed into a rectangular frame, and the front and rear presser portions 14, 15 are formed by opposing frame plates which define the window 19. As is shown in Fig. 4, when the fixture device 12 is secured to the base member 1 through the retaining claw 16, the contact element 6 projects upward through the window 19. The retaining claw 16 comprises a front retaining claw 17 projecting downward from the front presser portion 14 formed of the frame plate, and a rear retaining claw 18 projecting downward from the rear presser portion 15 formed of the frame plate. The retaining claws 17 and 18 are provided with a claw tip 20, respectively, which projects forward at generally right angles. A plurality of such front retaining claws 17 are disposed along a front edge of the front presser portion 14 at equal distances. Likewise, a plurality of such rear retaining claws 18 are disposed along a rear edge of the rear presser portion 15 at equal distances. On the other hand, the base member 1 is provided with a front retaining recess portion 21 for receiving the front retaining claws 17 and a rear retaining recess portion 22 for receiving the rear retaining claws 18. The front and rear retaining recess portions 21 and 22 are provided with a step portion 23, respectively, by which the claw tips 20 are retained. For example, a vertical retaining hole is formed in the surface of the base member 1 in front of the group of front seat elements 8 so that it may be served as the retaining recess portion 21. Similarly, a retaining hole is formed behind the rear seat elements 9. Otherwise, as illustrated, a plurality of vertical retaining grooves are formed in a side face of the base member 1 behind the rear seat elements 9, so that they may be served as the retaining recess portion 22. A plurality of such retaining portions 21 and 22 are formed in such a manner as to correspond to the retaining claws 17 and 18. The respective retaining claws 17, 18 are generally vertically inserted into the corresponding retaining recess portions 21, 22 from the upper surface side of the base member 1. By inserting the retaining claws 17, 18 into the retaining recess portions 21, 22, the presser portions 14, 15 are disposed across the upper surfaces of the groups of seat elements 8, 9. After insertion of the retaining claws 17, 18, by sliding the fixture device 12 forward along the upper surfaces of the seat elements 8, 9, the claw tips 20 are firmly retained by the step portions 23, thereby the fixture device 12 is secured to the base member 1. When the fixture device 12 is slid forward, the presser portions 14, 15 guide the forward sliding movement of the fixture device 12 while being slid on the surfaces of the seat elements 8, 9. Because of retention of the claw tips 20 by the step portions 23, the presser portions 14, 15 disposed across the groups of seat elements 8, 9 urge the seat elements 8, 9 against the surface of the base member 1 in order to firmly secure the seat elements 8, 9 thereto. By this, the group of contacts 3 are integrally assembled on the base member 1 in an array pattern. As one means for ensuring a firmer securement of the groups of seat elements 8, 9 by the presser portions 14, 15, for example, a rib 24 may be disposed on lower surfaces of the presser portions 14, 15, i.e., surfaces disposed across the groups of seat elements 8, 9, in such a manner as to extend across the groups of seat elements 8, 9. As mentioned above, the groups of seat elements slightly project upward at upper edges thereof from the regulation grooves 10, and when the retaining claws 17, 18 are retained by the step portions 23 as shown in Fig. 5, the upper edges of the groups of seat elements bite into the rib 24, thereby the seat elements, i.e., contacts group are more firmly secured to the base member 1. As another means for ensuring a firmer securement of the group of seat elements 8, 9 by the presser portions 14, 15, a fastening element 28, which is indicated by the imaginary lines of Fig. 1, is disposed at two sides of the fixture device 12 respectively, and a retaining surface of either of the fastening element 28 and the retaining portion 29 disposed at the base member 1 is formed as an inclined surface, so that the fastening element 28 would be brought into engagement with the retaining portion 29 of the base member 1 upon a sliding movement of the fixture device 12 in a foward direction, in order to exert downward force to the fixture device 12 and presser portions 14, 15. That is, because of retention of the fastening element 28 on the fixture device 12 side by the retaining portion 29 on the base member 1 side, downward force is exerted to the presser portions 14, 15, so that the seat elements 8, 9 groups are more firmly urged against the surface of the base member 1 (bottom faces of the regulation grooves 10). At that time, in case the rib 24 is provided, a biting into the group of seat elements is enhanced by the downward force. In the first embodiment, although a single number of fixture device is provided with a presser portion 13 comprising a front presser portion 14 and a rear presser portion 15, a single number of the presser portion may be provided depending on the shapes of the contacts 3. SECOND EMBODIMENT (Figs. 7 and 8) In the second embodiment, the contact fixture device 12 of the first embodiment is divided into two parts; one as a front fixture device 25 and the other as a rear fixture device 26, and the front fixture device 25 is provided with a front presser portion 14 disposed across the group of front seat elements 8 and the rear fixture device 26 is provided with a rear presser portion 15 disposed across the group of rear seat elements 9. The fixture devices 25, 26 are provided with corresponding front and rear retaining claws 17, 18, respectively, for securing the respective fixture devices to the base member 1, so that when the fixture devices 25, 26 are secured to the base member 1 through the retaining claws 17, 18, the front and rear presser portions 14, 15 would be laid across the groups of front and rear seat elements 8, 9 to urge the seat elements 8, 9 against the surface of the base member, thereby the contacts 3 group are arrayed on the base member 1. The retaining claw 17 formed on the front fixture device 25 projects backward at its claw tip 20, while the retaining claw 18 formed on the rear fixture device 26 projects forward at its claw tip 20. The front fixture device 25 is operated to slide backward to press the group of front seat elements, while the rear fixture device 26 is operated to slide forward to press the group of rear seat elements. As one means for firmly pressing the group of seat elements 4 to the surface of the base member 1, each of the seat elements 4 is provided with a vertically displaceable elastic seat element portion 27 as shown in Fig. 7, so that the elastic seat element portion 27 can be pressed by the presser portion 13 as shown in Fig. 8. As shown in the first and second embodiments, the fixture device 12 is disposed at each group of contacts which are arralyed along each side of the electric part accommodation portion 2. That is, where the contacts groups are arrayed along opposing two sides of the electric part accommodation portion 2, two fixture devices are prepared, and where the contacts groups are arrayed along four sides, four fixture devices are prepared. Each of the fixture devices may have the same configuration and can be commonly used for each group of contacts. Although not shown, it may be designed such that fixture devices formed for each group of contacts are interally formed, and then separated into individual fixture devices. That is, it may be designed such that two or four fixture devices are integrally formed from a synthetic resin material, and two or four groups of contacts are collectively and simultaneously implanted in the surface of the base member. In that case, all of the claw tips of the retaining claws may be projected in a direction for retaining the fixture devices by laterally sliding thereof. According to the present invention, by securing the fixture device to the base member through the retaining claw, the presser portion is laid across the group of seat elements received on the base member to urge the seat elements against the receiving surface, thereby the contacts group can be collectively mounted on the base member. Since the contacts group can be collectively mounted on the base member by urging the group of seat elements, which are received on the surface of the base member beforehand, against the receiving surface through the presser portion of the fixture device disposed across the group of seat elements, there can be provided a simple structure in which the base member, the group of seat elements received on the base member, and the fixture device for urging the seat elements to the receiving surface are coacted to stably and firmly secure the contacts to the surface of the base member. Moreover, an assembling work of the group of contacts onto the base member becomes very easy, too. According to the present invention, the conventional structure, in which a group of contacts are press fitted into implanting holes through a press-fit claw in order to attain a required strength, is excluded, thereby to obviate the above problems inherent in the conventional structure.

Claims: A connector having a group of contacts arrayed at narrow pitches on a base member, said contacts each having a seat element to be received on a surface of said base member in parallel relation with each other, a contact fixture device being formed, said contact fixture device being provided with a presser portion disposed across said group of seat elements and a retaining claw adapted to secure said fixture element to said base member, said presser portion being laid across said group of seat elements to urge said group of seat elements against said base member when said fixture device is secured to said base member through said retaining claw, thereby said group of contacts being arrayed on said base member. A connector having a group of contacts arrayed at narrow pitches on a base member, said contacts each having a seat element to be received on a surface of said base member in parallel relation with each other, each of said seat elements being projected forward and backward from a basal portion of a contact element of each of said contacts, a contact fixture device being formed, said contact fixture device being provided with a front presser portion disposed across said group of front seat elements and a rear presser portion disposed across said group of rear seat elements, said contact fixture device being further provided with a retaining claw for securing said fixture device to said base member, said front and rear presser portions being laid across said groups of front and rear seat elements to urge said groups of front and rear seat elements against said base member when said fixture device is secured to said base member through said retaining claw, thereby said group of contacts being arrayed on said base member. A connector having a group of contacts arrayed at narrow pitches on a base member, said contacts each having a seat element to be received on a surface of said base member in parallel relation with each other, each of said seat elements being projected forward and backward from a basal portion of a contact element of each of said contacts, front and rear fixture devices adapted to secure said group of contacts being formed, said front fixture device being provided with a front presser portion disposed across said group of front seat elements, said rear fixture device being provided with a rear presser portion disposed across said group of rear seat elements, said front and rear fixture devices each being further provided with a retaining claw for securing said fixture device to said base member, said front and rear presser portions being laid across said groups of front and rear seat elements to urge said groups of front and rear seat elements against said base member when said front and rear fixture devices are secured to said base member through said retaining claws, thereby said group of contacts being arrayed on said base member. An array structure of a group of contacts in a connector as claimed in claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein said presser portion is provided on a lower surface thereof with a rib disposed across said group of seat elements, so that upper edges of said group of seat elements would bite into said rib to effect a pressing by said presser portion. An array structure of contacts in a connector as claimed in claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein said seat element is provided with an elastic seat element portion able to be displaced in a vertical direction, so that said elastic seat element portion would be pressed by said presser portion.

Inventors: EGAWA MASANORI, MATSUOKA NORIYUKI, EGAWA, MASANORI, MATSUOKA, NORIYUKI
Applicants: YAMAICHI ELECTRONICS CO LTD, YAMAICHI ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: H05K7
IPC codes: H01R13, H05K7, H01R33