Patent Publication Number: US-8523615-B2

Title: Compression connector configured with two housing liminted contacts therebetween

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a compression connector which is configured with two insulating housings to limit contacts therebetween. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     An electrical connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,878,818 issued to Cheng et al. on Feb. 1, 2011. Said connector includes an insulative housing and a number of terminals received in the housing. The housing has a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to each other. A number of terminal passageways are disposed through the top and bottom surfaces. Each of the terminals includes a base portion and two retaining portion extending from opposite sides of the base portion for securing the terminals in the terminal passageways. However, securing the terminals by this way generally causes the terminals break off the housing. 
     Hence, a compression connector to prevent terminals from breaking off the housing is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector to prevent terminals from breaking off the housing. 
     To achieve the above object, a compression connector for mounting to two print circuit boards comprises an insulative housing and a plurality of terminals received in the housing. The housing includes a first mating surface and a second mating surface opposite to the first mating surface. A plurality of passageways is disposed between and run through the first and second mating faces. Each terminal includes a retaining section, two spring sections extending from opposite sides of the retaining section with contacting sections thereon which project outward the first and second mating surfaces respectively. Each of passageway defines a retaining slot along a height direction orienting from the first mating surface to the second mating surface to receive the retaining section of the terminal and two limited portions at two ends of the retaining slot in the height direction so as to allow the retaining section to move in the height direction without dropping out. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a compression connector in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the compression connector from another view; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the compression connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the compression connector shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a terminal of the compression connector; and 
         FIG. 6  is a cross section view of the compression connector taken along a broken line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a compression connector  100  of the present invention, used for connecting with two print circuit boards (not shown), includes an insulative housing  1  and a plurality of terminals  2  received in the housing  1 . The insulative housing  1  includes a first housing  11  and a second housing  12  combining with the first housing  11 , the first housing defines a first mating surface  13  and the second housing  12  defines a second mating surface  14  opposite to the first mating surface. A number of passageways  17  are disposed running through the first and second mating surfaces, the number of passageways are divided into two rows extending along a longitudinal direction of the insulative housing  1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the first housing  11  defines a first contacting surface  15  opposite to the first mating surface  13  and the second housing  12  defines a second contacting surface  16  opposite to the second mating surface  14  and to confront with the first contacting surface  15 . The passageways  17  of housing  1  includes a retaining slot  172   a ,  172   b  on opposite side walls  171  of the first and the second housings  11 , 12  respectively, which are running through the first and second contacting surfaces  15 ,  16  respectively, not through the first and second mating surfaces  13 ,  14 . Detail Referring to  FIG. 6 , when the first housing  11  is mounted together with the second housing  12 , the first contacting surface  15  confronts with the second contacting surface  16  and two retaining slots  172   a ,  172   b  are combined to a common retaining slot  172 . The retaining slot  172  is disposed in a height direction oriented from the first mating surface  13  to the second mating surface  14  and partitioned from the first and second mating surface  13 ,  14  with limiting portions or walls  1721  facing to each other and perpendicular to the height direction. An inner side wall  173  is disposed opposite to the outer side wall  171  to separate said two rows of passageways in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The inner side wall  173  near the first and second mating surface  13 ,  14  are provided with arc portions  174  which slant with a tendency to terminal passageways  17 . 
     Back referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a number of rectangular holes  150  is set along the longitudinal direction of the first housing  11  between said two rows of the passageways and guide posts  151   a ,  151   b  are arranged between the holes  150 . The two guiding posts are in different shape for mis-mating of said first and second housing, one guide post  151   a  is in a cylinder shape and another guide post  151   b  is in a rectangle shape. When the first and second housing are assembled together, the guiding posts  151   a ,  151   b  are inserted and retaining in corresponding guide holes  161   a ,  161   b  defined on the second housing. The guiding posts further define guiding rib  152  at an outer periphery of the posts along the height direction so as to interference with the guiding holes of the second housing for further retention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the plurality of terminals  2  is symmetrical received in the two rows of passageways  17 . Each of the terminal  2  includes a retaining section  21 , two spring sections  23  symmetrically extending from an upper and lower edges of the retaining section. In the preferred embodiment, said retaining section  21  is in “H” shape which includes a transverse portion  21   a  and two vertical portions  21   b  located on both sides of the transverse portion  21   a . Said two spring sections  23  split from the retaining section and extend from opposite sides of the transverse portion  21   a , thereby said two vertical portions  21   b  being configured at both sides of the spring section  23 . Said two the retaining sections  23  are located at a same side of the retaining portion, the spring sections extend away from said same side and then bend transversely towards the retaining section, therefore the free ends of the spring section are located substantially above the retaining section or adjacent to the retaining section with a contacting portion  24  at top thereof. Referring to  FIG. 6 , the contacting sections  24  project outwards the first and second mating surfaces respectively, the two rows of contacting sections orient in opposite directions. Each spring section  23  includes two arc shape sections  231 ,  232  continued in turn from a root thereof The first arc shape section  231  opens orienting to the inner side wall  173  and the second arc shape section  232  opens orienting to the outer side wall  171 , wherein the retaining slots disposed. The second arc shape section  232  has a similar shape to the arc portion  174  so that the second arc shaped section will press on the arc portion  174  when the spring section is deformed downwardly into the passageway by the PCB. The retaining section  21  and two spring sections  23  are commonly formed as a shape similar to a bow for big compression, an appropriate distance between the spring section and the inner side wall  173  for terminals with a appropriate deformation space. 
     The terminals are inserted into one of the first and second housing and then the other one of the first and second housing are combined with said one of the first and second housing. Said the retaining sections  21  of the terminals are received in retaining slot  172  or the retaining slot  172   a . The length of the retaining section  21  is shorter than the length of the retaining slot  172  in the height direction so that the retaining sections are limited in the retaining slot by the limited portions  1721  and do a slight movement between limited portions. The slight movement allow the terminals adjust to a preferred work statue during the terminals are pressed inwards by the PCB. 
     While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention has been shown and described, equivalent modifications and changes known to persons skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present invention as described in the appended claims.