Amp LLC

The Whitaker Corporation

Dennis E Smith

Eric Timothy Green

Alexander Hunt, Iii

John S Margosiak

John Mark Myer

Brent David Yohn

William J Rudy, Jr

Daniel J Mignogna

Atahusain E Emadi

Charles R Rhoads

Electrical connectors (1,2) attach to the top and bottom surfaces (22,23) of a circuit board (PCB) (3) and thereby form a sandwich connector (4) such as for board-to-board interconnection. The electrical connectors (1,2) include on their bottom surface (13) a fastener (14) and a recess (15). A first electrical connector (1) attaches to the top surface (22) of the PCB (3) by inserting its latching means (14) into a first aperture (18) of the PCB (3). The second electrical connector (2) attaches to the bottom surface (23) of the PCB (3) through a second aperture (19) of the PCB (3). The leading end of the fastener (14) of each connector (1,2) projects beyond a surface of a PCB (3) for latch (16) to latch, and is received in a recess (15) of the other connector (2,1). Surface mount leads (8) project from the front surface (7 ) of both connectors (1,2) and are soldered to pads (11,12) on the surfaces (22,23) of the PCB (3). Butting contact sections (10) project from the rear surface (9) of the connectors (1,2) to make contact with corresponding conductors of another electrical or electronic device. The recess (15) has an opening (20) allowing access to the fastener (14) to release the electrical connectors (1,2) from the PCB (3).

Edge-mountable circuit board connector

Keying and fastening of mating connectors includes pairs of mating key members, ones of which include central apertures through which extend respective jackscrews having threaded leading ends, and the others of which have threaded apertures into which the jackscrews are threaded to fasten the connectors together after the pairs of keys permit connector mating. The keys in which the jackscrews are mounted permit rotating the jackscrews. The jackscrew leading ends are recessed slightly behind the leading ends of hood-like keying projections of the key members for protection against damage and misalignment, and the threaded apertures of the other keys extend to the leading ends of the keying projections thereof which are adapted to receive the corresponding hood-like keying projections in axial recesses along the outer surfaces extending about halfway around the circumference of the key. The connectors including the jackscrews preferably include shells having recesses or apertures within which the keys and jackscrews are mounted, so that structure of the shells extends forwardly to the key and jackscrew leading ends and extend around most of the circumference of the key members and the jackscrews, thus protecting them during connector handling.

Keyed electrical connectors with jackscrews

A system of keying and fastening together a pair of mating connectors is provided where each of the connectors is of the type having forward and rearward thin walled metal shells clinched together about their flanged edges to retain a housing means therewithin, with the forward and rearward shells having adjacent aperture lateral flanges. The system includes a pair of key members each securable to the front of the forward shell at a respective lateral flange, seated within correspondingly hexagonally shaped flange apertures of the forward shell only, held against the front surface of the rearward shell. On one of the connectors a pair of jackscrews extend through the flange apertures and through with the apertures being slightly larger than the jackscrew portions extending therethrough, the jackscrews being apertures of the key members of the one connector, secured rearwardly of the connector by means permitting rotation after mounting and simultaneously securing the key members to the connector. The key members of the other connector have threaded apertures thereinto from the leading end for being threadedly engaged by the threaded leading ends of the jackscrews of the mating connector, to fasten the connectors together during mating immediately after keying.

An electrical connector assembly of terminals terminated to conductors of cables assures the retention of the terminals in the passageways of the housing by an insert member inserted into a transverse cavity at the cable-receiving face along one side of the cables of a row after the terminated terminals are fully inserted. The insert member has forwardly facing stop surfaces which engage rearwardly facing stop surfaces of annuli of the terminals at rearward ends thereof spaced away from the cable insulation. The terminals are preferably primarily retained in the passageways by conventional means so that the insert is a secondary retention means. The insert is secured such as by a pair of latch arms at ends thereof which latch to the housing when the insert's stop surfaces engage those of the terminals of the row. The terminal annuli can engage corresponding passageway wall portions in any angular direction to limit lateral movement in all directions and thus stabilize the terminal in axial alignment within the passageway in cooperation with the primary retention means forwardly thereof. The stabilization is present even in the absence of the insert member.

Terminal stabilization and retention system for an electrical connector

An insert member is insertable into a rearward section of an electrical connector and securable therewithin, securing terminals therein. Terminal-engaging stop shoulders at a front end of the insert are disposed against and behind stop shoulders on the terminals disposed in respective terminal cavities in the connector, terminated on ends of conductors. Channels in the insert member pair with channels in the housing walls to substantially contain each conductor therealong. The insert member can have lateral latches thereon to latch in recesses in the housing. The terminal cavities can be arranged in rows, and each row has an insert-receiving cavity in the rearward section of the housing which contains the conductors and is in axial communication with the terminal cavities and a lateral wall extends between the insert-receiving cavities. A particular structure of an insert member for such an arrangement comprises a rear transverse section and side sections extending forwardly which are disposed one along each side of the lateral wall and in a respective insert-receiving cavity when the insert member is inserted, thus securing two adjacent rows of terminals in the housing. Stop shoulders thereon during insertion will engage any partially inserted terminals to push them forwardly into a fully seated position.

Means for retaining terminals in a connector

A housing for an electrical connector is provided having one or more terminal-receiving cavities having wall portions which resiliently expand when a terminal is inserted therein and return to an unexpanded condition when the terminal is latchingly secured therein. Preferably the expandable wall portions comprise two arcuate arm-like sections. An opening is provided between the cavities from a front (or rear) surface of the housing. A locking insert is provided that is inserted into the opening from the front (or rear) surface after the terminals are secured and the cavity walls are unexpanded, filling the opening such that the cavity walls cannot expand and the terminals become dislodged when the locking insert is in place. The locking insert is preferably latchingly secured in the housing and can be removed, if desired.

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Elizabethtown, PA, United States of America

Dennis E Smith