Abstract:
A battery connector ( 100 ) is generally assembled in a corner of a case and includes contacts ( 2 ) of the battery connector ( 100 ) each have a mating portion ( 21 ) defining a rib in the center of the mating portion ( 21 ). An insulative housing ( 1 ) defining a plurality of slots ( 111 ) receiving the contacts ( 2 ) therein has recesses ( 112 ) in the slots ( 111 ). When the contacts ( 2 ) is pressed by a battery, the rib ( 211 ) is plunged into the recess ( 112 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a battery connector, and in particularly to a battery connector having a spacing structure permitting a mating section of a contact in the battery connector to displace with respect to a complementary element within a predetermined distance in order to prevent disengagement of the contact and the complementary element. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     Battery connector used in a mobile device is generally positioned in a lateral wall of a case. A plate-shaped battery inserted in the case is pressed to touch contacts of the battery connector. 
     A battery connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,359 B1 illustrates a kind of batter connector. The battery connector comprises a housing having slots, a plurality of contacts disposed in the slots. Each contact includes a mating portion, an elastic arm, and a soldering foot in an end thereof. The battery connector is fixed in a corner of two lateral walls meeting with each other. When the battery is inserted into the case, the contacts of the battery connector usually depart from central axis of the slots. It results in a bad contact between the battery and the battery connector. 
     It is thus desirable to provide a battery connector that alleviates and even overcomes the above disadvantage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a battery connector designed with a spacing structure permitting a mating section of a contact in the battery connector to displace with respect to a complementary element within a predetermined distance in order to prevent disengagement of the contact and the complementary element. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a battery connector comprises: an insulative housing having a plurality of passageways extending through the housing along a front-to-back direction; a plurality of terminals received in the respective passageways with each having a mating section extending forwardly from a front face of the housing, a rib defined on the mating section of each of said contacts; a plurality of recesses on said front face of the housing to extend from the front face toward a back face of the housing and being in communication with the respective passageways, each of the recesses in correspondence with each of the ribs and defining opposed side walls to limit the rib of the contact to move along a left-to-right direction within a predetermined distance defined by said opposed side walls of the recess. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Hereinafter, the above object will become more apparent from the following description for embodiments of the present invention with reference to accompanying drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled, perspective view of a battery connector. 
         FIG. 2  is another assembled, perspective view of the battery connector of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded, perspective view of the battery connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another exploded, perspective view of the battery connector of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a partly-enlarged drawing of  FIG.1 , showing a mating section of the battery connector moveable to a left position. 
         FIG. 6  is another partly-enlarged drawing of  FIG. 1 , showing the mating section of the battery connector moveable to a right position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, in order to make the above object, features and advantage to be easily understood, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a battery connector  100  in accordance with the present invention comprises a housing  1  defining a pair of reinforcements  14  in both sides of the housing  1  and a plurality of slots  111 , a plurality of contacts  2  received in the slots  111 , a pair of reinforce metal parts  31  and a pair of soldering hooks  32 . The metal parts  31  and the solding hooks  32  serve as a plurality of retention elements  3  for retaining the battery connector  100  onto a printed circuit board (not shown) securely. 
     The housing  1  is generally a block-shaped member and made of plastic material or the like. The housing  1  comprises a base portion  11  and a protruding portion  12  extending backwardly from the base portion  11 . The slots/passageways  111  of the housing  1  are through holes from the rear end of the housing  1  to the front end. Each slot/passageway  111  has two sidewalls, every middle wall between adjacent two slots/passageways  111  defines an inserting opening  15 , and every sidewall has a narrow gap. The housing  1  defines a mounting face  13  in the rear portion thereof. The housing  1  further defines an abutment face  16  in each of the slots/passageways  111  and extending along the mating direction. The mounting face  13  is higher than the abutment face  16 . Each slot/passageway  111  has a mating opening at the front end of the slot/passageway  111 , and defines lateral wall  113  in which a recess  112  locates. The recess  112  defines opposed side walls to limit the rib  211  of the contact  2  to move along a left-to-right direction within a predetermined distance defined by said opposed side walls of the recess  112 . Said pair of reinforcement  14  in both sides of the housing  1  form U-shape grooves  141  in which the metal parts  31  are inserted and positioned. 
     Each contact  2  includes a mating portion  21  defining a rib  211  in a centre of the mating portion  21  and an elastic arm  22  adjoining the mating portion  21  and a soldering foot  23  defining a pair of fins inserted in the gap of sidewall in sides of the foot  23 . The soldering foot  23  has a soldering face  231 . 
     A pair of L-shaped hook  32  inserted into the inserting openings  15  of the housing  1 , the hook  32  can fixed in a print circuit board into which the battery connector  100  is assembled. The hooks  32  have agnail in order to seize the housing  1  and bind the housing  1  and the print circuit board together. 
     Said U-shaped metal part  31  can put in the grooves  141 , and one side face  311  of the metal part  31  coplanar with the soldering faces  231  of the contacts  2  is soldered to the print circuit board. 
     When assembled, the contacts  2  is inserted in the slots  111  of the housing  1 , the mating portions  21  of the contacts extend out from the mating opening of the slots  111 , the fins of the soldering foot  23  is received in gaps of the housing  1 , the metal part  31  is fixed in the grooves  141 , the hook  32  inserted into the inserting openings  15  of the housing  1 , U-shaped metal part  31  and the soldering face of the contacts  2  have the common mounting face  13  soldering to a print circuit board. 
     With reference to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , the pushed contact  2  respectively moves to a left side position and a right position. The rib  211  restrictively moves along a left-to-right direction within a predetermined distance defined by said opposed side walls of the recess  112  in order to prevent disengagement of the contact  2  and a complementary element. 
     A battery connector is generally assembled in a corner of a case, when a battery is inserted in the case, the contacts  2  of the battery connector  100  would be pushed departing from central axis of the slots  111 . In the present invention the rib  211  of the contacts  2  plunged into the recess  112  of the slots  111  solving the displacement of the contacts  2 . 
     The forgoing descriptions disclose the embodiments of the present invention but do not intend to limit the present invention. Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.