Abstract:
A connector device is provided, which device includes a housing including first and second sides opposing each other, first terminal members attached to the first side of the housing, and second terminal members attached to the second side of the housing. Each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side, and the first and second terminal members have respective contact portions for external connection, the contact portions being arranged side by side.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to connector devices, and more particularly to a card edge connector device into which a card edge having a plurality of terminals arranged in a row thereon is inserted to be connected thereto. 
     A common card edge connector device includes a housing formed of a synthetic resin and a plurality of terminal members fixedly inserted side by side in a row into the housing, and is provided to, for example, the input section of an information device. As an amount of information processed by an information device increases, there is a greater need for the card edge connector device to include an increased number of the terminal members without changing its outer dimensions, that is, to narrow a pitch between each two adjacent terminal members. Needless to say, the terminal members are required to be fixed with sufficient strength. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     FIG. 1 shows a conventional card edge connector device  10 . The card edge connector device  10  includes a housing  20  and a plurality of terminal members  30  fixedly inserted side by side in a row into the housing  20 . X 1 -X 2  represents the longitudinal dimension, Y 1 -Y 2  represents the rear-and-front dimension and Z 1 -Z 2  represents the vertical dimension, respectively, of the card edge connector device  10 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 through 4, the housing  20 , which is formed of an electrically insulating synthetic resin, is shaped like a rectangular solid. On the front (Y 2 ) side, the housing  20  includes a card edge insertion slot  21  into which an edge  41  of a card  40  is inserted, and on the rear (Y 1 ) side, a plurality of slits  22  arranged side by side in a row along the longitudinal (X 1 -X 2 ) length of the housing  20 . Each two adjacent slits  22  have a pitch P 1  therebetween. Each of the slits  22  has a shape corresponding to that of each of the terminal members  30 , and includes a hole-like slit portion  22   a  as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. 
     Each of the terminal members  30  includes a connection terminal portion  31  of a fork-like shape for receiving a card edge, a mounting terminal portion  32  and an arm portion  33 . 
     As indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 2, the terminal members  30  are incorporated into the housing  20  with the connection terminal portions  31  being inserted into the slits  22  from the rear side of the housing  20  so that the arm portions  33  are fixedly pressed into the hole-like slit portions  22   a . According to this structure, each two adjacent terminal members  30  have the pitch P 1  therebetween as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     The card edge connector device  10  having the above-described structure is mounted on a circuit board  50  with the mounting terminal portions  32  soldered thereto. The card  40  includes the edge  41  on which terminals  42  are arranged in a row. The edge  41  of the card  40  is inserted into the card edge insertion slot  21  to be connected to the card edge connector device  10 . 
     According to the above-described card edge connector device  10 , all of the terminal members  30  are incorporated into the housing  20  from the same side, that is, from its rear side. Therefore, all of the hole-like slit portions  22   a  are formed on the rear side of the housing  20 . As a result, positions  60  at which the arm portions  33  are fixed are arranged side by side in a row in the housing  20  along the X 1 -X 2  direction. 
     In order that the arm portions  33  can be fixedly pressed into the hole-like slit portions  22   a , it is necessary to prevent a wall portion  23  formed between each two adjacent hole-like slit portions  22   a  from being broken when the arm portions  33  are pressed into the hole-like slit portions  22   a . This is because breakages of the wall portions  23  weaken the forces of the hole-like slit portions  22   a  to lock the arm portions  33 . For the convenience of graphical representation, the thickness of the wall portion  23  is shown considerably thicker in FIG. 4 than it really is. 
     According to the above-described conventional card edge connector device  10 , each of the wall portions  23  is formed to have a thickness t 1  so as not to be broken when the arm portions  33  are pressed into the hole-like slit portions  22   a , and the pitch P 1  between each two adjacent terminal members  30  is determined by the thickness t 1  of each of the wall portions  23 . Therefore, it is difficult to further narrow the pitch P 1  between each two adjacent terminal members  30 . 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a general object of the present invention to provide a connector device in which the above disadvantages are eliminated. 
     A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a connector device including a narrowed pitch between each two adjacent terminal members. 
     The above objects of the present invention are achieved by a connector device including a housing including first and second sides opposing each other, first terminal members attached to the first side of the housing, and second terminal members attached to the second side of the housing, wherein each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side, and the first and second terminal members have respective contact portions for external connection, the contact portions being arranged side by side. 
     According to the above-described structure, the connector apparatus is allowed to include a narrower pitch between each two adjacent terminal members. Therefore, the connector apparatus can hold an increased number of the terminal members without changing its outer dimensions. 
     The above objects of the present invention are also achieved by a connector device including a housing including first and second sides opposing each other, first terminal members attached to the first side of the housing, and second terminal members attached to the second side of the housing, wherein each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side, and each of the first and second terminal members has first and second contact portions for external connection, the first contact portions of said first and second terminal members being alternately arranged side by side. 
     The above objects of the present invention are further achieved by a connector device including: a housing including first and second sides opposing each other; first slits which include respective first slit portions and are formed in the housing from the first side thereof; second slits which include respective second slit portions and are formed in the housing from the second side thereof; first terminal members which include respective first connection terminal portions, first mounting terminal portions and first arm portions and are inserted into the respective first slits with the respective first arm portions being fixedly pressed into the respective first slit portions; and second terminal members which include respective second connection terminal portions, second mounting terminal portions and second arm portions and are inserted into the respective second slits with the respective second arm portions being fixedly pressed into the respective second slit portions, wherein each of the first slits and each of the second slits are alternately arranged side by side so that each of the first slit portions and each of the second slit portions are alternately arranged in a staggered fashion, and each of the first terminal members and each of the second terminal members are alternately arranged side by side in a row in said housing so that each of positions a t which said respective first arm portions are fixed and each of positions at which said respective second arm portions are fixed are arranged in the staggered fashion. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional card edge connector device; 
     FIG. 2 shows a terminal member and a housing of the conventional card edge connector device of FIG. 1, the housing being cut off by a Y-Z plane II; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the housing of the conventional card edge connector device of FIG. 1 taken from its rear side; 
     FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the housing of the conventional card edge connector device of FIG. 1 taken along an X-Y plane IV; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a card edge connector device according to an embodiment of the present invention: 
     FIGS. 6A and 6B are a perspective cross-sectional view and a sectional side elevation view, respectively, of the card edge connector device of FIG. 5 taken along a Y-Z plane VI; 
     FIGS. 7A and 7B are a perspective cross-sectional view and a sectional side elevation view, respectively, of the card edge connector device of FIG. 5 taken along a Y-Z plane VII; 
     FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a rear terminal member and a housing of the card edge connector device shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B; 
     FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a front terminal member and the housing of the card edge connector device shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B; 
     FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views of the housing of the card edge connector device of FIG. 5 taken from its front and rear sides, respectively; 
     FIG. 11 shows rear and front slits of the housing of the card edge connector device of FIG.  5  and rear and front terminal members corresponding to the rear and front slits, respectively; 
     FIG. 12 is a horizontal sectional view of the card edge connector device shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B taken along an X-Y plane XII; and 
     FIGS. 13A through 13C are diagrams for illustrating a production process of the rear and front terminal members. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A description will now be given, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 shows a card edge connector device  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention. As also shown in FIGS. 6A through 7B, the card edge connector device  100  includes a housing  110  and a plurality of terminal members  120  inserted from a rear (Y 1 ) side  110   b  of the housing  110  (hereinafter, rear terminal members) and terminal members  130  inserted from a front (Y 2 ) side  110   a  of the housing  110  (hereinafter, front terminal members) fixedly inserted into the housing  110 . The rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  are alternately arranged side by side in a row so that one of the rear terminal members  120  and one of the front terminal members  130 , which are adjacent to each other, have a pitch P 2  therebetween. X 1 -X 2  represents the longitudinal dimension, Y 1 -Y 2  represents the rear-and-front dimension and Z 1 -Z 2  represents the vertical dimension, respectively, of the card edge connector device  100 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 6A through 12, the housing  110  formed of an electrically-insulating synthetic resin is shaped like a rectangular solid. On the front side  110   a , the housing  110  includes a card edge insertion slot  111  extending along its longitudinal (X 1 -X 2 ) length. The edge  41  of the card  40  is inserted into the card edge insertion slot  111 . On the rear side  110   b , the housing  110  includes a plurality of rear-side slits  112  arranged side by side in a row along the longitudinal length of the housing  110 . The rear terminal members  120  are inserted into the rear-side slits  112 . Further, on the front side  110   a , the housing  110  includes a plurality of front-side slits  113  arranged side by side in a row along the longitudinal length of the housing  110 . The front terminal members  130  are inserted into the front-side slits  113 . 
     As shown in FIG. 12, the rear-side and front-side slits  112  and  113  are alternately arranged so that each two adjacent rear-side slits  112  are equally arranged with a pitch P 3  therebetween, and each two adjacent front-side slits  113  are also arranged with the pitch P 3  therebetween. In other words, one of the rear-side slits  112  and one of the front-side slits  113 , which are adjacent to each other in a staggered fashion, are arranged with a pitch P 2  which is half of the above-described pitch P 3 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 8,  9  and  11 , each of the rear-side slits  112  has a shape corresponding to that of each of the rear terminal members  120 , and includes a first rear holding portion  112   a , a second rear holding portion  112   b  and a rear hole-like slit portion  112   c . Each of the front-side slits  113  has a shape corresponding to that of each of the front terminal members  130 , and includes a first front holding portion  113   a , a second front holding portion  113   b  and a front hole-like slit portion  113   c . Each of the first rear and front holding portions  112   a  and  113   a  has an opening in the card edge insertion slot  111  so that the card edge insertion slot  111  has an opening on the front side  110   a  of the housing  110 . Each of the second rear holding portions  112   b  has openings on the rear side  110   b  and on a bottom side  110   c , respectively, of the housing  110 . The second front holding portions  113   b  each have openings on the front side  110   a  and on the bottom side  110   c , respectively, of the housing  110 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, each of the rear terminal members  120  has a rear connection terminal portion  121  of a fork-like shape for receiving a card edge, a rear mounting terminal portion  122 , a rear post portion  123  formed between the rear connection terminal portion  121  and the rear mounting terminal portion  122 , and a rear arm portion  124  protruding in the Y 2  direction from the rear post portion  123 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, each of the front terminal members  130  has a front connection terminal portion  131  of a fork-like shape for receiving a card edge, a front mounting terminal portion  132 , a front post portion  133  formed between the front connection terminal portion  131  and the front mounting terminal portion  132 , and a front arm portion  134  protruding in the Y 1  direction from the front post portion  133 . 
     As indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 8, the rear terminal members  120  are fixed in the housing  110  with the rear connection terminal portions  121  being inserted into the rear-side slits  112  from the rear side  110   b  of the housing  110  so that the rear arm portions  124  are pressed into the rear hole-like slit portions  112   c  as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The rear connection terminal portions  121  are held in the first rear holding portions  112   a  so as to be exposed to the card edge insertion slot  111 . The rear post portions  123  are held in the second rear holding portions  112   b , and the rear mounting terminal portions  122  protrude in the Y 1  direction from the bottom side  110   c  of the housing  110 . 
     As indicated by an arrow B in FIG. 9, the front terminal members  130  are fixed in the housing  110  with the front connection terminal portions  131  being inserted into the front-side slits  113  from the front side  110   a  of the housing  110  so that the front arm portions  134  are pressed into the front hole-like slit portions  113   c  as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The front connection terminal portions  131  are held in the first front holding portions  113   a  so as to be exposed to the card edge insertion slot  111 . The front post portions  133  are held in the second front holding portions  113   b , and the front mounting terminal portions  132  protrude in the Y 2  direction from the bottom side  110   c  of the housing  110 . 
     According to the card edge connector device  100 , the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  are alternately arranged side by side in a row with the pitch P 2  between each two adjacent rear and front terminal members  120  and  130 . Positions  140  at which the rear arm portions  124  are fixed and positions  150  at which the front arm portions  134  are fixed are alternately arranged in a staggered fashion along the longitudinal length of the housing  110 . 
     According to this embodiment, the positions  140  and  150  are alternately arranged in a horizontally staggered fashion because a first distance from the bottom side  110   c  to each of the rear hole-like slit portions  112   a  is equal to a second distance from the bottom side  110   c  to each of the front hole-like slit portions  113   a . However, the first distance does not have to be equal to the second distance. In such a case, the positions  140  and  150  are alternately arranged in a vertically staggered fashion. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5,  6 B and  7 B, the card edge connector device  100  having the above-described structure is mounted on the circuit board  50  with the rear and front mounting terminals  122  and  132  being soldered thereto. As the rear and front mounting terminals  122  and  132  are arranged in different rows so as to have wider pitches between each two adjacent rear mounting terminals  122  and between each two adjacent front mounting terminals  32 , respectively, the rear and front mounting terminals can be soldered easily to the circuit board  50 . The card  40  includes the edge  41  on which the terminals  42  are arranged in a row. The edge  41  of the card  40  is inserted into the card edge insertion slot  111  so as to be connected to the card edge connector device  100 . 
     Now, a description will again be given of the characteristics of the above-described card edge connector device  100 . 
     1. Narrower Pitches: 
     As shown in FIG. 12, in the housing  110 , the rear and front hole-like slit portions  112   c  and  113   c  are alternately arranged in the staggered fashion along the longitudinal (X 1 -X 2 ) length of the card edge connector device  100 . Therefore, a rear wall portion  114  formed between each two adjacent rear hole-like slit portions  112   c  on the rear side  110   b  of the housing  110  has a sufficient thickness t 10 . Likewise, a front wall portion  115  formed between each two adjacent front hole-like slit portions  113   c  on the front side  110   a  of the housing  110  also has the sufficient thickness t 10 . The thickness t 10  of each of the rear and front wall portions  114  and  115  is thicker than the thickness t 1  of each of the wall portions  23  of FIG.  4 . 
     The rear and front hole-like slit portions  112   c  and  113   c  are alternately arranged in the staggered fashion along the longitudinal (X 1 -X 2 ) length of the card edge connector device  100  so as to have a distance g in the rear-and-front (Y 1 -Y 2 ) dimension of the card edge connector device  100  between the bottom portions of each of the rear hole-like slit portions  112   c  and each of the front hole-like slit portions  113   c  when viewing the Y-Z plane. In other words, the rear and front hole-like slit portions  112   c  and  113   c  do not overlap each other when viewing the Y-Z plane. Therefore, expansive deformations of the rear hole-like slit portions  112   c  caused by pressing the rear arm portions  124  thereinto do not easily affect the respective front hole-like slit portions  113   c  adjacent to the respective rear hole-like slit portions  112   c  in the staggered fashion. Likewise, the expansive deformations of the front hole-like slit portions  113   c  caused by pressing the front arm portions  134  thereinto do not easily affect the respective rear hole-like slit portions  112   c  adjacent to the respective front hole-like slit portions  113   c  in the staggered fashion. Thus, the thickness of a wall portion  116  formed between each of the rear hole-like slit portions  112   c  and each of the front hole-like slit portions  113   c  has a thickness t 11  which is thinner than the thickness t 1  of each of the wall portions  23  in FIG. 4 when viewing the X-Z plane. 
     When the rear arm portions  124  are pressed into the rear hole-like slit portions  112   c , the wall portions  116  as well as the wall portions  114  are prevented from being broken. Similarly, when the front arm portions  134  are pressed into the front hole-like slit portions  113   c , the wall portions  116  as well as the wall portions  115  are prevented from being broken. Therefore, the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  are firmly fixed. 
     According to the card edge connector device  100 , as the wall portions  116  each have the thickness t 11  which is thinner than the thickness t 1  of each of the wall portions  23  of FIG. 4, the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  are alternately arranged so that each adjacent two thereof have therebetween the pitch P 2  which is narrower than the pitch P 1  with which each two adjacent terminal members  30  of the card edge connector  10  are arranged. 
     In FIG. 12, for the convenience of graphical representation, the thickness t 10  of each of the wall portions  114  and  115 , the thickness t 11  of each of the wall portions  116  and so on are shown enlarged compared with the real dimensions thereof. Further, the rear and front hole-like slit portions  112   c  and  113   c  can be alternately arranged in the staggered fashion along the longitudinal (X 1 -X 2 ) length of the card edge connector device  100  so as to have no distance in the rear-and-front (Y 1 -Y 2 ) dimension of the card edge connector device  100  between the bottom portions of each of the rear hole-like slit portions  112   c  and each of the front hole-like slit portions  113   c  when viewing the Y-Z plane. 
     2. Reduction of the Production Cost of the Rear and Front Terminal Members  120  and  130 : 
     The rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, respectively, are produced in a production process illustrated by FIGS. 13A through 13C. 
     First, a primary workpiece  300  shown in FIG. 13A is stamped out of a metal strip by means of a first press die  201 . The primary workpiece  300  includes a bridge  301 , a plurality of first patterns  302  and a plurality of connection arm portions  303  connecting the bridge  301  and the first patterns  302 . Each of the first patterns  302  includes a frame portion  304  of a rectangular shape, a mounting terminal portion  305 , a post portion  306  connecting the frame portion  304  and the mounting terminal portion  305 , and an arm portion  307  protruding from the post portion  306 . In FIG. 13A, the frame portion  304  includes upper and lower longitudinal portions  304   a  and  304   b  and first and second side portions  304   c  and  304   d.    
     Next, the primary workpiece  300  is set in a second press die  202  as shown in FIG. 13B to have the center portions of the first side portions  304   c  cut off, so that a plurality of first secondary workpieces  400  each having the frame portion  304  formed into a fork-like shape are obtained. A numeral  401  indicates one of the cut-off portions. Finally, each of the first secondary workpieces  400  is cut off at the arm portion  303  along a line  402 . Thus, each of the rear terminal members  120  shown in FIG. 8 is produced. 
     Further, the primary workpiece  300  is set in a third press die  203  as shown in FIG. 13C to have the center portions of the second side portions  304   d  cut off, so that a plurality of second secondary workpieces  500  each having the frame portion  304  formed into a fork-like shape are obtained. A numeral  501  indicates one of the cut-off portions. Finally, each of the second secondary workpieces  500  is cut off at the arm portion  303  along a line  502 . Thus, each of the front terminal members  130  shown in FIG. 9 is produced. 
     As described above, the primary workpiece  300  is common to both of the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130 . The rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  are formed by cutting off the center portions of the first and second side portions  304   c  and  304   d , respectively. In other words, the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  are allowed to share the primary workpiece  300  by forming each of the first patterns  302  of the primary workpiece  300  to have a shape shown in FIG.  13 A. 
     Therefore, the differently-shaped rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  are produced by employing the first, second and third press dies  201 ,  202  and  203 . 
     If the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  are independently formed without employing the above-described primary workpiece  300 , separate press dies are required to directly stamp out the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130 . Both of the press dies for directly stamping out the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130  have complicated shapes and structures, thus turning out to be expensive. 
     On the other hand, the above-described first press die  201  also has a complicated shape and structure and, therefore, is expensive. However, the second and third press dies  202  and  203  each have a simple shape and structure and, therefore, are inexpensive. Therefore, the costs of preparation for the first, second and third press dies  201 ,  202  and  203  are lower than those of preparation for the press dies for directly stamping out the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130 , thus reducing the production cost of the rear and front terminal members  120  and  130 . 
     The present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiment, and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is also applicable to a connector device other than a card edge connector device. Such a connector device includes, instead of a card edge insertion slot as described above, a connection slot into which the connector of a device to be connected is inserted so that the device is connected to the connector device. 
     The present application is based on Japanese priority application No. 2000-016093 filed on Jan. 25, 2000, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.