MULTI-DIRECTIONAL INTERFACE HEADER ASSEMBLY

Abstract: An electrical connector header assembly adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board so as to allow multi-directional mating contact with a complementary connector receptacle assembly (104), includes a box-like insulated housing (20) with contact receiving cavities (34) therein having contacts (56) insertable thereinto. Each of the cavities is generally planar and is open to the front (22), rear (24) and bottom (28) surfaces of the housing, with the main portions (36) of the cavities being parallel to each other and to the lateral surfaces (30, 32) of the housing (20). Each cavity (34) also has a second, subsidiary, portion (38) extending laterally from the main portion (36) and open to the rear surface (24). Each of the contacts is generally planar so as to fit within the planar cavity (34) except for the laterally bent tab (66) which extends into the cavity second portion (38) to prevent vertical and rotational movement of the contact. Each contact has a forward blade portion (58) which extends beyond the front surface (22) of the housing and which also extends beyond the bottom surface (28) of the housing. Thus, the cavity being open along the bottom surface (28) of the housing allows the contact to be inserted blade portion first from the rear surface (24) of the housing.

Description: MULTI-DIRECTIONAL INTERFACE HEADER ASSEMBLY This invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to an electrical connector header assembly adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board to allow multi-directional mating contact with a complementary connector receptacle assembly. EP-A-0653817 Al discloses an electrical connector for a package, such as a battery pack, adapted to mate with a header mounted to a circuit board, and further discloses an exemplary header. It is often a requirement that the receptacle connector of the package be receivable by a header to allow mating thereof horizontally, vertically, or anywhere in between, i.e., the header providing a multi-directional interface. When designing an electrical connector header assembly for a particular application, there are numerous packaging constraints that must be satisfied. It is typical to have dimensional restrictions for the header assembly, usually related to the maximum size of the header assembly housing. Even when such size restrictions are in place, there are still requirements that the package be rugged and that multi-directional mating be provided for. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector header assembly in a compact housing which allows multi-directional mating with a complementary connector receptacle assembly. The present invention is an electrical connector header assembly adapted to allow multi-directional mating contact with a complementary connector receptacle assembly. Bladelike contact sections protrude from a mating face and extend below the adjacent face to be exposed for mating in any of several directions, after insertion through cavities open to the front or mating face, the rear or insertion face and the bottom face to permit passage of the blade during assembly. The contacts are held assuredly against movement and rotation after insertion, remaining aligned for mating. In a particular useful embodiment, the connector is adapted for mounting on a circuit board at an edge thereof, and contact terminal portions depend from the bottom or board-mount face for connection to a board. Each of the cavities has a generally planar first portion open to the front, rear and bottom surfaces of the housing, with the plane of the first cavity portion being substantially parallel to the pair of lateral surfaces. Each cavity further has a second portion extending laterally from the first portion and open to the rear surface. The contact body portion has a generally planar main portion within the respective cavity first portion and a laterally bent tab extending from the body main portion into the respective cavity second portion. The terminal portion of the contact is generally co-planar with the body main portion and extends out of the respective cavity beyond the bottom surface of the housing. The blade portion of the contact is generally co-planar with the body main portion and extends out of the respective cavity beyond the front surface of the housing and extends vertically beyond the bottom surface of the housing. The bent tab prevents vertical movement of the contact within the cavity. In accordance with aspects of this invention, the upper edge of the contact is formed substantially as a straight line, and the body main portion of the contact is formed with at least one rearwardly directed barb on the upper edge to engage an upper wall of the cavity and interfere with removal of the contact from the cavity, preventing rearward movement. Each cavity second portion has a front wall against which a forward edge of the contact tab abuts to provide a forward limit for insertion of the contact into the respective cavity. The foregoing will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawings in which like elements in different figures thereof are identified by the same reference numeral and wherein: FIGURE 1 is a top front isometric view of a housing for an electrical connector header assembly according to the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a bottom rear isometric view of the housing; FIGURE 3 is a front top isometric view of an electrical contact for the housing of Figures 1 and 2; FIGURES 4 to 6 are top front, bottom rear and rear elevational views of a complete header assembly using the housing and contact of Figures 1-3; FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 7-7 in Figure 6; FIGURE 8 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in Figure 6; FIGURE 9 is an enlarged rear elevational view of a portion of the housing showing an alternative embodiment which eliminates the barbs on the contact; FIGURE 10 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 10-10 in Figure 9; and FIGURE 11 shows an illustrative environment in which the header assembly according to this invention may be utilized. Referring now to the drawings, shown therein is an electrical connector header assembly according to the present invention which is adapted for mounting on a circuit board. For discussion purposes, the vertical direction will be considered to be orthogonal to the surface of the circuit board and the horizontal direction will be considered to be parallel to the circuit board surface, with the bottom of the header assembly housing being the side of the housing which is adjacent to the circuit board and the front of the housing being the mating face of the header assembly. As shown in the drawings, the header assembly includes an insulated housing, identified generally by the reference numeral 20, which is preferably molded of a plastic material, and which is of generally hexahedral (six sided) shape. Thus, the housing 20 has a front surface 22, a rear surface 24, a top surface 26, a bottom surface 28, and a pair of lateral surfaces 30, 32. As shown, the housing 20 has six contact receiving cavities 34, although the present invention is not limited to any specific number. Each of the cavities 34 has a generally planar first, or main, portion 36 which is open to the front surface 22, the rear surface 24, and the bottom surface 28 of the housing 20. The plane of the cavity first portion 36 is substantially parallel to the lateral surfaces 30, 32 of the housing 20 and its width if! sufficient to allow a contact, to be described hereinafter, to be received therein with minimum clearance. Each cavity 34 further includes a second, or subsidiary, portion 38 which extends laterally from the first portion 36 and is open to the rear surface 24 of the housing 20. Where the cavities 34 intersect the rear surface 24 of the housing 20, the housing 20 is preferably chamfered, as clearly shown in Figure 2, to provide for easy insertion of a contact. The housing 20 is further formed with a pair of alignment posts 40 extending orthogonally from the bottom surface 28 and adapted to extend through openings in a circuit board, as is conventional in the art. In addition, the housing 20 is formed with a plurality of standoffs 42 to space the bottom surface 28 from the mounting surface of a circuit board so as to allow for cleaning after the contacts are soldered to the circuit board, as is conventional in the art. Still further, the housing 20 is formed with a pair of spaced through- apertures 44 adapted to contain board locks which project beyond the bottom surface 28 of the housing 20. A pair of void cores 46 are also formed in - 5 - the housing 20, as is conventional in the art, in order to maintain a substantial uniformity of wall thickness. As will be described in full detail hereinafter, the housing 20 is also formed with a pair of forwardly extending planar side walls 48. The outer surface 50 of each of the side walls 48 is co-planar with a respective lateral surface 30, 32 of the housing 20. The top edge 52 of each of the side walls 48 is a straight line which is an extension of the top surface 26 of the housing 20. However, the bottom edge 54 of each of the side walls 48 extends below the bottom surface 28 of the housing 20, for a reason which will be explained hereinafter. Figure 3 illustrates an electrical contact, identified generally by the reference numeral 56, which is receivable within a cavity 34 of the housing 20.. Preferably, the contact 56 is stamped and formed from conductive sheet material and, if desired, may be selectively plated in localized areas tc enhance mating contact with a complementary connector and solderability. In any event, the contact 56 is generally planar and includes a blade portion 58, a body portion 60, and a terminal portion 62. The body portion 60 includes a generally planar main portion 64 and a laterally bent tab 66. The blade portion 58, the body main portion 64, and the terminal portion 62 are all co-planar, and the tab 66 extends orthogonally thereto. The upper edge 68 of the contact 56 is formed substantially as a straight line. Along the upper edge 68, the body main portion 64 is formed with a pair of rearwardly directed barbs 70, the blade portion 58 being considered to be at the forward end of the contact 56. Further, the distal edge 72 of the tab 66 is also formed with a pair of rearwardly directed barbs 74. To assemble the electrical connector header assembly, each of the contacts 56 is inserted, blade portion 58 first, into its respective cavity 34. It is o noted that there is only one orientation in which the contact 56 can be inserted into the cavity, since the tab 66 and the cavity second portion 38 form a keying arrangement. The vertical dimension of the blade portion 58 from the upper edge 68 to the lower edge 76 is greater than the height of the cavity 34 so that a lower region of the blade portion 58 extends beyond the bottom surface 28 of the housing 20 as the contact 56 is inserted into the cavity 34. Similarly, the terminal portion 62 of the contact 56 also extends beyond the bottom surface 28.. Insertion of the contact 56 from the rear surface 24 of the housing 20 results in the tab 66 being received in the cavity second portion 38, with forward positioning of the contact 56 being limited to the point where the forward edge 78 of the tab 66 abuts the front wall 80 of the cavity second portion 38 (Figure 8) . The barbs 70 on the upper edge 68 of the contact 56 engage the upper wall 82 (Figure 7) of the cavity first portion 36 to interfere with rearward movement (i.e., removal) of the contact 56. Such removal interference is aided by the barbs 74 on the tab 66 which engage the side wall 84 of the cavity second portion 38 (Figure 8) . Vertical movement of the contact 56 within the cavity 34 is prevented by the tab 66 engaging the upper and lower walls of the cavity second portion 38. Assembly is completed by inserting a pair of board locks 86 each in a respective one of the apertures 44 provided therefor. As is known, the board locks 86 hold the header assembly in the circuit board until the terminal portions 62 of the contact 56 are soldered in place. As best shown in Figures 4, 5 and 8, the blade portions 58 of the two outer contacts 56 have a greater horizontal dimension than the four inner contact blade portions 58, thereby extending further forwardly beyond the front surface 22 of the housing 20. This insures that those outer contacts 56 make before and break after the inner contacts 56 when mating and unmating, respectively, with a complementary receptacle assembly. Although in the illustrative embodiment disclosed herein it is the two outer contacts which are shown as making first and breaking last, it is understood that in a particular application any one or more of the contacts can be so arranged. The side walls 48 of the housing 20 have two functions. The first function is to provide an alignment with the mating receptacle assembly, which would be designed to accommodate the side walls 48. The second function of the side walls 48 is to provide protection for the contacts 56, which have their enlarged blade portions 58 totally exposed, since lateral engagement with a blade portion 58 could damage the header assembly by bending the blade portion 58 out of alignment. Thus, to prevent such lateral engagement, the side walls 48 have a horizontal dimension and a vertical dimension each at least as great as the respective largest horizontal and vertical dimensions of that part of a blade portion 58 which extends out of its respective cavity 34 beyond the front surface 22 of the housing 20. Therefore, when an image of each of the blade portions 58 is projected orthogonally laterally onto a side wall 48, such projected image is contained entirely within the side wall 48. Figures 9 and 10 show an alternate embodiment to the disclosed header assembly wherein the barbs 70, 74 are eliminated. Thus, in this alternate embodiment, the upper edge 68 of the contact 56 of Figure 3 and the distal edge 72 of the tab 66 of the contact 56 would both be flat. The modified housing 20' differs from the previously described housing 20 by changing the upper wall 88 and the lower wall 90 of the modified cavity second portion 38' to each have a respective rib 92, 94 thereon. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the ribs 92, 94 are elongated in a direction substantially parallel to the lateral surfaces 30, 32 of the housing 20'. These ribs 92, 94 provide an interference fit for the tab 66 of the contact 56. Preferably, as best seen in Figure 9, the ribs 92, 94 are opposed one to the other in a plane substantially parallel to the lateral surfaces 30, 32 of the housing 20*. By having the ribs 92, 94 so opposed, there is no unbalanced force imposed on the tab 66 which would tend to tilt the tab 66 and the contact 56. When using interference ribs such as shown in Figures 9 and 10, it is desired to maintain the interference only in a vertical orientation. This is because if the interference were to be horizontal across the cavity first portion 36, due to the open bottom of the cavity 34 the housing 20 would tend to curvingly deform. Figure 11 depicts the connection of a battery pack 96 to a system including a circuit board 98 on which an electrical connector header assembly according to the present invention is mounted. The mounting of the header assembly to the circuit board 98 is such that the side walls 48 and the blade portions 58 of the contact 56 extend beyond the edge 100 of the circuit board 94. Therefore, the blade portions 58 are exposed for horizontal or vertical mating with a contact 102 of a complementary connector receptacle assembly 104 mounted to a circuit board 106 within a battery pack 96. Thus, as shown in Figure 11, the electrical connector header assembly according to the present invention is designed to fit within a relatively small, confined space by providing a compact housing which allows the multi-directional mating and ruggedly secures the contacts therein. Accordingly, there has been disclosed an improved electrical connector header assembly adapted for mounting on a circuit board so as to allow multi¬ directional mating contact with a complementary connector receptacle assembly.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS; 1. An electrical connector header assembly of the type having an insulated housing (20) of generally hexahedral shape having a front surface (22) , a rear surface (24) , a top surface (26) , a bottom surface (28) and a pair of lateral surfaces (30,32), the housing having at least one contact receiving cavity (34) therein, and including at least one electrical contact (56) received in a respective one of said at least one cavity, each of said at least one contact (56) including a blade portion (58) , a body portion (60) and a terminal portion (62) extending at right angles with respect to said blade portion (58) , characterized in that: each of the at least one cavity (34) has a generally planar first portion (36) open to the front, rear and bottom surfaces of the housing, the plane of the first portion (36) being substantially parallel to said pair of lateral surfaces (30,32), and each of the at least one cavity having a second portion (38) extending laterally from said first portion (36) and open to said rear surface (24) ; and the contact body portion (60) has a generally planar main portion (64) within the respective cavity first portion (36) and a laterally bent tab (66) extending from said body main portion (64) into the respective cavity second portion (38) , the terminal portion (62) being generally co-planar with said body main portion (64) and extending out of said respective cavity (34) beyond said housing bottom surface (28) , and said blade portion (58) being generally co-planar with said body main portion (64) and extending out of said respective cavity beyond said housing front surface (22) , that part of said blade portion (58) which extends out of said respective cavity (34) having a lower edge (76) spaced vertically beycnd said housing bottom surface (28) ; wherein said at least one contact (56) is insertable blade portion first into said respective cavity (34) from said housing rear surface (28) , with said blade portion (58) extending out of said respective cavity beyond said housing bottom surface (28) while the contact is held within the housing (20) securely against all movement after full insertion, and the assembly is adapted to allow multi-directional mating contact by the blade portion (58) with a complementary connector receptacle assembly (104) . 2. The header assembly according to Claim l further characterized in that the upper edge (68) of said at least one contact (56) is formed substantially as a straight line, and said at least one contact body main portion (64) is formed with at least one rearwardly directed barb (70) on said upper edge (68) to engage an upper wall (82) of said respective cavity first portion (36) and interfere with removal of said at least one contact (56) from said respective cavity (34) . 3. The header assembly according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said at least one contact tab (66) is formed with at least one rearwardly directed barb (74) on a distal edge (72) to engage a side wall (84) of said respective cavity second portion (38) and interfere with removal of said at least one contact from said respective cavity. 4. The header assembly according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said respective cavity second portion (38) has formed on each of a pair of opposed wall surfaces (88,90) a rib (92,94) extending into said respective cavity second portion (38) , each of said ribs (92,94) being elongated in a direction substantially parallel to said housing lateral surfaces (30,32) , wherein said pair of ribs (92,94) provide an interference fit for said at least one contact tab (66) . 5. The header assembly according to Claim 4 further characterized in that said at least one contact tab (66) extends orthogonally to said at least one contact body main portion (64) , said respective cavity second portion (38) extends orthogonally to said respective cavity first portion (36) so as to have an upper wall (88) and a lower wall (90) each with one of said pair of ribs (92,94) thereon, and said pair of ribs are opposed one to the other in a plane substantially parallel to said housing lateral surfaces (30,32) . 6. The header assembly according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said respective cavity second portion (38) has a front wall (80) against which a forward edge (78) of said at least one contact tab (66) abuts to provide a forward limit for insertion of said at least one contact (56) into said respective cavity (34) . 7. The header assembly according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said housing (20) further includes a pair of forwardly extending planar side walls (48) , each of said side walls has an outer surface (50) co-planar with a respective housing lateral surface (30,32), and each of said side walls (48) has a horizontal dimension and a vertical dimension each at least as great as the respective largest horizontal and vertical dimensions of that part of said at least one contact blade portion (58) which extends out of said respective cavity (34) so that an orthogonally lateral image projection oi said at least one contact blade portion (58) is entirely contained on said each side wall (48) . 8. The header assembly according to Claim 1 further characterized in that there are a plurality of parallel side-by-side contact receiving cavities (34) in said housing (20) and an equal plurality of electrical contacts (56) each in a respective one of said cavities, each of the contacts being in either a first group of at least one contact (56) or a second group of at least one contact (56) , and the blade portion (58) of each of the contacts in said first group extends further beyond said housing front surface (22) than the blade portion (58) of each of the contacts in said second group so that the contacts of said first group make before and break after the contacts of said second group when mating and unmating, respectively, with said receptacle assembly (104) .

Inventors: CONRAD RICHARD JAMES, DAVIS WAYNE SAMUEL, CONRAD, RICHARD, JAMES, DAVIS, WAYNE, SAMUEL
Applicants: WHITAKER CORP, THE WHITAKER CORPORATION
Application year: 1997
Main classification: H01R23
IPC codes: H01R12, H01R24, H01R107