Patent Publication Number: US-6666706-B1

Title: Insulation displacement connection connector having improved connection features between cover and body thereof

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an Insulation Displacement Connection (IDC) Connector, and particularly to such connector having improved connection structure between a cover and a body of the IDC connector and between the IDC connector and a complementary header connector mounted on a printed circuit board. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     To connect a flat cable to a printed circuit board (PCB), an IDC connector is usually used to terminate the flat cable. A header connector is mounted on the PCB. Then, the IDC connector mates with the header connector so that the flat cable is electrically connected with the PCB. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,773 disclosed an IDC connector which has protuberances on sidewalls of a body of the connector so that a cover of the connector can be positioned at an initial position before being pushed to a final position. At the initial position, a flat cable is movable on a terminating face of the body of the connector. At the final position, the cable is compressed between the cover and the body and pierced by terminals of the connector so that conductors in the cable electrically engage with the terminals. 
     For such a conventional IDC connector, the position of the cover on the body at the initial position is not ensured, since the cover may separate upwardly from the body during transportation of the connector. Furthermore, there is no structure on the body of the IDC connector which can securely fasten the connector to a header connector mounted on a PCB so that a reliable electrical connection between the flat cable and the PCB cannot be always ensured. 
     Therefore, it is necessary to provide an improved IDC connector which can overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an IDC connector in which a cover of the connector can be reliably located at an initial position so that the cover will not separate from the body during transportation of the connector before the connector is motivated to terminate a flat cable therein. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an IDC connector in which a body thereof has hook structure for engaging with a header connector mounted on a PCB, whereby the IDC connector and the header connector can be securely connected together so that a flat cable terminated by the IDC connector can have a reliable electrical connection with the PCB. 
     To achieve the above objects, an IDC connector in accordance with the present invention comprises a cover and a body. The cover has formed at each of two opposite ends thereof an outer U-shaped locker and an inner latch between two vertical beams of the U-shaped locker. The body has formed at each of its two opposite ends a tower, and has an upper terminating face and a lower mating face. A plurality of terminals is secured in the body and each has a terminating section located above the terminating face. The tower defines a passage therein, projections protruding laterally outwardly, and steps located below the projections and beside the passage. The body further has a hook integrally extending downwardly from the tower. The hook is deflectable and has a lower catch. The cover is assembled to the body at two positions, i.e., an initial position and a final position. At the initial position, the outer lockers engage with the projections, the inner latches abut against slated faces formed by the towers and a scalloped bottom face of the cover is spaced from the terminating face a distance so that the flat cable is movable along the terminating face. The cover is pushed towards the body from the initial position to reach the final position in which inner latches engage with the steps and the scalloped bottom face of the cover depresses the flat cable against the terminating face so that termination sections of the terminal pierce through the flat cable and clamp conductors of the flat cable, respectively. The IDC connector mates with a header connector mounted on a printed circuit board. The catches of the hooks of the body of the IDC connector engage with crossbars formed on lateral sides of the header connector to thereby lock the IDC connector and the header connector together. An excessively inward deflection of the hooks is prevented by an engagement between the hooks and lateral side faces of the body. An excessively outward deflection of the hooks is prevented by an engagement between the hooks and the inner latches when the cover is assembled to the body at the final position. 
    
    
     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 DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of an IDC connector and a header connector in accordance with the present invention, in which the IDC connector is for terminating a flat cable and the header connector is for mounting to a PCB; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cover of the IDC connector is mounted to a body thereof at an initial position, the cable being received between the cover and the body, the body mating with the header connector and the header connector being mounted to the PCB; 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing that the cover is moved to a final position so that the cable is tightly compressed between the cover and the body; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view, with a portion shown in a cross-sectional manner, of an assembly of the IDC connector, the cable, the header connector and the PCB of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 5 is a partially cross-sectional view showing a relation between a hook the body and a latch of the cover of the IDC connector when the IDC connector is unmated from the header connector. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, an IDC connector  10  for terminating a flat cable  40  includes a cover  30  and a body  50 . The cable  40  has conductors  402  side-by-side arranged in a jacket  403  (FIG.  2 ). The cover  30  is formed by plastics injection molding and has an elongated configuration with two lateral ends each being provided with an outer U-shaped locker  34  having a horizontal bottom beam  342  and an inner latch  36  consisting of two latching arms  362 . The latching arms  362  are provided with hooked bottom ends  364  pointing forwardly and rearwards. The latch  36  is located between two vertical beams  344  in a front-to-rear direction. The cover  30  further has a scalloped bottom face  32  for fitting with the flat cable  40 . The bottom beam  342  interconnects bottom ends of the vertical beams  344  of the U-shaped locker  34 . 
     The body  50  has an insulating base  52  defining a top terminating face  522  and a bottom mating face  523 . Two slots (not labeled) are defined in the base  52  from the terminating face  522  to the mating face  523 . Each slot receives two rows of terminals  550  therein. Each terminal  550  has a fork-shaped termination section  552  projecting upwardly beyond the terminating face  522 . The termination section  552  is used for piercing through the jacket  403  of the flat cable  40  and clamping a corresponding conductor  402  whereby the terminals  550  and the cable  40  can be electrically connected together. The base  52  has an elongated configuration with two lateral ends each being provided with a tower  524 . The towers  524  has two inner faces  526  above the terminating face  522  and facing each other, which are spaced from each other a distance equal to a width of the flat cable  40 . Thus, the cable  40  can be guided by the inner faces  526  to be precisely terminated by the termination sections  552  of the terminals  550 . Each tower  524  has front and rear walls  528  defining a passage  532  therebetween. Either the front or the rear wall  528  has an inner slanted face  536  facing the passage  532  and flaring upwardly, a laterally outwardly protruding projection  530  and a step  534  facing the passage  532  and located below the projection  530 . A hook  540  integrally extends downwardly from the tower  524 , having a push-button  542  extending laterally outwardly generally from an upper end thereof, and a catch  544  projecting laterally outwardly from a lower end thereof. Also referring to FIG. 5, a gap  525  is defined between a lateral side face  527  of the base  52  and a corresponding hook  540  so that the hooks  540  are deflectable within a limited range. Two vertically extending ridge  521  are formed on a front wall of the base  52  for providing a polarization function to the IDC connector  10  so that it can correctly mate with a header connector  60 . 
     The header connector  60  is used for receiving and electrically connecting with the IDC connector  10 . The header connector  60  has an insulating housing  62  with a front wall  624 , a rear wall  622  and a bottom wall  626  connecting bottom ends of the front and rear walls  624 ,  622 . Header pins  64  are fitted to the bottom wall  626  with solder tails  642  extending downwardly beyond a bottom face of the bottom wall  626 . Two crossbars  627  are respectively provided at two lateral walls  628  of the housing  62 . Each lateral wall  628  is provided with an opening  630  extending downwardly from a top edge thereof to a position below a corresponding crossbar  627 . A rectangular hole  629  is defined in a middle of the front wall  624  for receiving the ridges  521  of the base  52  when the IDC connector  10  mates with the header connector  60 . A post  65  is integrally extended from the bottom face of the bottom wall  626  which is used for properly locating the header connector  60  on a PCB  70 . 
     The PCB  70  defines two rows of plated through holes  72  and an non-plated through hole  74  beside the holes  72 . When the header connector  60  is mounted on the PCB  70 , the solder tails  642  of the terminals  64  are fitted in the plated through holes  72 , and the post  65  is fitted in the hole  74 . Thereafter, the PCB  70  and the header connector  60  combination is subjected to a wave soldering process thereby soldering the solder tails  642  to the PCB  70  (FIG.  2 ). 
     In assembly, referring to FIG. 2, the cover  30  is assembled to the body  50  at an initial position in which the hooked bottom ends  364  of the latching arms  362  engage on the slanted faces  536  (FIG. 1) and the bottom beams  342  (only one shown in FIG. 2) of the U-shaped lockers  34  engage bottoms of the projections  530 . Thus, the cover  30  is reliably located at the initial position in which the scalloped bottom face  32  of the cover  30  is spaced from the terminating face  522  of the base  52  of the body  50  a distance and the flat cable  40  is movable on the terminating face  522 . Since the bottom beams  342  engage with the projections  530 , the cover  30  cannot be moved upwardly to separate from the body  50  during transportation of the combination of the cover  30  and the body  50  at the initial position. Furthermore, unless a sufficiently large predetermined pressing force is applied to the cover  30 , the cover  30  cannot be moved downwardly to lock with the body  50  at a final position. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, after the flat cable  40  is properly positioned on the terminating face  522 , a depressing force larger than the predetermined force is exerted to the cover  30  to push it to reach the final position. At the final position, the scalloped bottom face  32  of the cover  30  fittingly depresses the cable  40  against the terminating face  522  so that the termination sections  552  of the terminals  550  pierce through the jacket  403  of the cable  40  to clamp the conductors  402  of the cable  40 , respectively, whereby the terminals  550  are electrically connected with the respective conductors  402 . Furthermore, the hooked bottom ends  364  of the latching arms  362  of the latches  36  engage the steps  534 , respectively to securely fasten the cover  30  and the body  50  together. During the movement of the cover  30  from the initial position to the final position, the hooked bottom ends  364  move on the inner slanted faces  536  and are deflected towards each other following the downward movement of the cover  30  until the bottom hooked ends  364  engage the steps  534 . Finally, the IDC connector  10  together with the flat cable  40  is assembled to the header connector  60  mounted on the PCB  70  by inserting the base  52  of the body  50  into a space of the header connector  60  defined between the front, rear, lateral side and bottom walls thereof to reach a position in which the ridges  521  are received in the hole  629  (FIG.  4 ), the mating face  523  abuts the bottom wall  626 , the catches  544  engage bottom faces of the crossbars  627 , respectively, and the header pins  64  electrically engage with the terminals  550 , respectively. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, to separate the IDC connector  10  from the header connector  60 , the hooks  540  are deflected inwardly toward each other by exerting a push force F on each of the push buttons  542  so that the catches  544  disengage from the bottom faces of the crossbars  627 . Then, the IDC connector  10  can be separated from the header connector  60  by exerting an upwardly pulling force to the IDC connector  10 . In the present invention, an overstress of the hooks  540  due to the push forces F can be prevented by an engagement between the catches  544  of the hooks  540  and the lateral side faces  527  of the base  52 . 
     Referring to FIG. 5, when the IDC connector  10  is separated from the header connector  60 , a possible outward deflection of the hooks  540  by a careless manipulation to the hooks  540  can be prevented by an engagement between the hooks  540  and the latches  36 , respectively. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.