Patent Publication Number: US-7717721-B2

Title: Card edge connector with improved spacer

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention generally relates to a card edge connector, and particularly relates to a card edge connector having an improved spacer for adjusting the height of the card edge connector. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   A card edge connector is widely used to connect a daughter board to a mother board. A conventional card edge connector comprises an insulative housing as one-piece, and a plurality of terminals received in the insulative housing. The insulative housing includes a front wall, a rear wall opposite to the front wall, and a central slot recessed from a front face thereof and disposed between the front wall and the rear wall for receiving the daughter board. When the daughter board is inserted into the central slot, there is a litter space between the daughter board and the mother board along a height direction of the insulative housing, the space between the daughter board and the mother board is not big enough to receive other electrical elements. 
   Hence, it is desirable to have an improved card edge connector to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the related art. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to one aspect of the present invention, a card edge connector for connecting a daughter board to a mother board, comprises an insulative housing defining a front mating face, a top portion, a bottom portion opposite to the top portion, and a central slot recessed from the mating face between the top portion and the bottom portion for receiving the daughter board, a plurality of terminals retained in the insulative housing and extending into the central slot to electrically and mechanically engaging with the daughter board, wherein both of the top portion and the bottom portion define a plurality of receiving passages to receive the terminals, and a spacer disposed under the insulative housing. wherein the spacer having a preselected height and a mounting surface toward the mother board. wherein the spacer and the bottom portion of the insulative housing are assembled by snap-fastening. wherein the spacer includes a base portion, a support portion extending forwardly from the base portion, and a stopper portion protruding upwardly from the base portion. The insulative housing is supported on the support portion. The stopper portion is disposed behind the insulative housing to prevent the inusulaive housing from moving rearwardly. 
   The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a card edge connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the card edge connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the card edge connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is an another exploded perspective view of the card edge connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is an inner perspective view of a plurality of terminals engaging with a cover of the card edge connector of  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 6  is an inner perspective view of a cover of the card edge connector of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
   With reference to  FIGS. 1-6 , a card edge connector  100  in accordance with the present invention for connecting a daughter board (not shown) to a mother board (not shown) includes an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of terminals  2  retained in the insulative housing  1 , a spacer  3  fixed on a bottom portion of the insulative housing  1 , a cover  4  attached to the insulative housing  1  and the spacer  3 . 
   The insulative housing  1  includes a front mating face  10 , a rear portion  11  opposite to the mating face  10 , a top portion  12 , a bottom portion  13  opposite to the top portion  12 , two opposite side ends  14 , and a central slot  15  recessed rearwardly from the mating face  10  and disposed between the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  13 . The central slot  15  is also disposed between the side ends  14 . Two rows of receiving passages  16  are formed in the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  13 . The receiving passages  16  communicate to the central slot  15  and extend backwardly through the rear portion  11  of the insulative housing  1 . A pair of latch holes  140  are recessed rearwardly from the mating face  10  through opposite side ends  14  to secure the cover  4 . The side ends  14  each defines two circle first protrusions  142  extending downwardly out of the bottom portion  13  to be retained on the mother board. The bottom portion  13  forms another circle first protrusion  142  under the central slot  15 . 
   The terminals  2  each defines a first securing portion  22  retained in the receiving passage  16  of the insulative housing  1 , a contact portion  21  extending forwardly from the first securing portion  22  into the central slot  15  to electrically and mechanically engaging with the daughter board, a vertical second securing portion  24 , a soldering tail  25  extending downwardly from the second securing portion  24  to be soldered on the mother board, and a bending portion  23  between the first securing portion  22  and the second securing portion  24 . 
   The spacer  3  has a preselected height and includes a base portion  31 , a support portion  32  extending forwardly from the base portion  31  to support the insulative housing  1 , and a stopper portion  33  protruding upwardly from the base portion  31 . The stopper portion  33  is higher than the support portion  32  and disposed behind the support portion  32  to prevent the insulative housing  1  from moving rearwardly. A plurality of through holes  34  extend downwardly through both the stopper portion  33  and the base portion  31  respectively. The second securing portions  24  of the terminals  2  are retained in the through holes  34  respectively. The soldering tails  25  extend downwardly out of the spacer  3 . 
   The support portion  32  forms three circle first depressions  35  corresponding to the first protrusions  142  of the insulative housing  1  on a top surface thereof, a plurality of posts  36  extending downwardly to be mounted in position holes of the mother board, and a plurality of openings  37  recessed from a top surface thereof and extending through therein in a front-to-back direction to reduce weight thereof. The first protrusions  142  of the insulative housing  1  are solidly attached to the first depressions  35  of the spacer  3 . The stopper portion  33  also forms two second depressions  38  on opposite ends thereof. The central slot  15  is raised after the spacer  3  solidly attached to the insulative housing. A space between the daughter board and the mother board along a height direction of the insulative housing  1  would be big enough to receive other electrical elements. 
   The cover  4  is made of insulative material. The cover  4  defines a pair of latch arms  41  extending forwardly from opposite end sides thereof to be inserted into the latch holes  140  of the insulative housing  1 , two circle protrusions  42  are solidly attached to the second depressions  38  of the spacer  3 , and a plurality of retaining cavities  43  disposed on an inner wall thereof for retaining the bending portion  23  of the terminals  2 . 
   The insulative housing  1  and the cover  4  each defines a top surface, opposite lateral surface. The spacer  3  defines a rear surface, a mounting surface opposite to the top surface of the insulative housing  1  and disposed toward the mother board, and two opposite lateral surfaces. The cover  4  defines a rear surface too. The top surfaces of the insulative housing  1  and the cover  4  are in a same level plane. The lateral surfaces of the insulative housing  1 , the spacer  3  and the cover  4  are in a vertical plane. The rear surface of the spacer  3  and the cover  4  are in another vertical plane. 
   It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set fourth 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.