HK1154312B - Wire to board connector - Google Patents

Description

Wire-to-board connector

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a connector for connecting one or more insulated conductors to a component, such as a Printed Circuit Board (PCB).

Background

Various types of connectors are known in the art for forming a connection between an insulated conductor and any form of electronic component. These connectors are commonly available, such as receptacle, plug and header connectors with various size, spacing and plating options. Many of these conventional connectors are referred to as Insulation Displacement Connectors (IDCs) because they have one or more contact elements that include a set of blades or jaws that cut through the insulation surrounding the conductor and make electrical contact with the conductive wire core in a one-step process, thereby eliminating the need for wire stripping, crimping, or other wire preparation. IDCs are widely used in the telecommunications industry and are increasingly used in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) applications.

AVX corporation of mertelbidge, south carolina, usa provides a board connector (series 9175-9177) with a row of low-profile IDC wires that is mounted to a circuit board by Surface Mount Technology (SMT) prior to insertion of the wires into contact slots by a hand tool. This process cuts through the wire insulation and enables the conductive core to make a reliable conductive connection with the connector.

U.S. patent No.6,050,845 describes an IDC device that can be mounted to a circuit board and secured thereto before the conductors are terminated to a connector. The electrical connector includes a housing having at least one conductor-receiving aperture and an associated terminal-receiving channel extending from the plate mounting surface and intersecting each conductor-receiving aperture. A terminal is disposed in each terminal-receiving passageway and includes a body portion having a first connection section extending from one end adapted for insertion into a through-hole of a circuit board and a pair of perpendicular arms forming an IDC slot for receiving a wire. Each terminal is partially inserted into the housing at a first position such that a portion of the terminal body and the first connecting portion extend below a board mounting surface of the housing. The terminals can be secured to the board by positioning the first connecting portions in the respective through holes of the circuit board, and thereafter the ends of the insulated conductors are inserted into the respective conductor receiving holes and terminated at their inner ends to the respective terminals by moving the housing toward the board to a second position against the board and by pushing all of the respective wires simultaneously into the respective IDC slots.

There have been many attempts to provide IDCs that are also used in Surface Mount Technology (SMT). For example, U.S. patent No.7,320,616 describes an IDC specifically configured for SMT mounting to a PCB. The connector device has at least one contact member having a piercing end (or cut end) slidably disposed within the body and a mounting end extending from the body and connected to the printed circuit board by conventional SMT methods. An insulated conductor, such as a wire, cable and/or cable tie, is inserted into the passage in the body without being penetrated by the piercing ends of the contact elements. When the user presses down on the upper portion of the body, the contact element slides into the channel and pierces the insulated conductor. The upper portion of the body also provides a surface for vacuum pick-up nozzles during automated pick-and-place assembly.

IDC wires connected to a board connector are not suitable for all applications where it is desired to connect one or more wires to a component. For example, the IDCs in the above-cited references are quite complex because they require that part or all of the body be movable or slidable relative to the contact element to make the final connection with the wire after the end of the contact element has been inserted into a through hole of the PCB or surface mounted to the PCB. Furthermore, some in the industry believe that IDCs are not well suited for stressed environments where the electrical components are subjected to prolonged shock and vibration because the wires tend to dislodge or pull out the contact blades.

The present invention provides an alternative to IDC wire to board connectors that is stable, reliable, and independent of SMT applications.

Disclosure of Invention

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.

According to some aspects of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided that is particularly well suited for connecting one or more insulated conductor cores to an electronic component, such as a PCB. It should be appreciated that the electrical connector according to the present invention is not limited to use with boards, but may be used in any application where a reliable electrical connection between wires and other types of components is desired. For purposes of illustration only, the connector will be described herein as being used to connect wires to a board.

The connector includes an elongated body member (also referred to in the art as a "module") formed of any conventional dielectric material. The body member may be of different shapes and sizes, but generally includes a bottom wall, a front wall, longitudinal end walls, and longitudinally extending legs formed between the end walls. A plurality of spaced apart side walls are disposed transverse to the legs and form a plurality of adjacently disposed spaced apart connector positions along the legs between the longitudinal ends of the body members. Any number of desired connector positions may be included in a connector.

Conductor insertion holes are formed in the wall of the body member at each connector position. The aperture is sized to receive a conductive core member of a wire of a particular gauge. The lead wire insertion hole may be considered to be formed on a front wall or a bottom wall or the like of the body member, depending on the positioning of the body member.

The connector parts are arranged transversely to the legs at the respective connector positions. Each connector member includes a first closed end wrapped around an edge of the leg and a first resilient contact arm extending from the first closed end and angled away from the leg to extend over the side wall. The first resilient arm includes an outwardly facing contact surface for press contacting the conductive pads of the individual electronic components. The connector component further includes a transverse portion extending from the first closed end, the transverse portion extending along and abutting the leg portion.

The transverse portion extends to a second closed end of the connector component, and a second resilient contact arm extends at an angle from the second closed end away from the transverse portion and toward the first closed end. The second resilient contact arm abuts a shoulder of the body member in biased engagement and includes a contact surface extending into a wire receiving cavity formed below the leg at each connector position. With this construction, by inserting the bare conductive wire core into the receiving cavity through the wire insertion aperture, the wire core causes the second resilient contact arm to flex toward the transverse portion while remaining in biased electrical contact engagement against the wire core. The biased contact also serves to ensure that the wire is held securely within the bore, particularly in situations where the edge of the second contact arm "bites" into the exposed wire core making it difficult to pull the wire core out of the bore.

In a particular embodiment, the body side walls form the uppermost surface of the body member, and open recesses (at the top end) are formed at each connector location for the first resilient contact arms between adjacent side walls, wherein the first resilient contact arms are pressed into these recesses by engaging individual ones of the electronic components.

The body member may include a bottom wall extending transversely from the front wall. In this embodiment, the wire receiving cavity may be closed and formed between the lateral portion of the connector part and the bottom wall. In an alternative embodiment, the wire containment chamber may be only partially enclosed by the structure of the body member, such as between lower side wall portions extending below the legs.

The connector member may be held in the connector position by any suitable means. For example, the connector components may be press-fit into the body member at each connector location. Any form of retention structure may be provided at the connector location to ensure that the connector component remains fixed relative to the body component. For example, a combination of press tips, grooves, protrusions, barbs, pressure bumps (pressure bumps), etc. may be molded to the body member at the respective connector locations, particularly on the side walls, for this purpose. The connector member may also include any manner of retention structure that engages the body member. For example, barbs, projections, etc. may be incorporated at any location on the connector components for this purpose.

In a unique embodiment, the body portion further includes a top wall extending above the connector location and forming a component slot for insertion of an edge or extension of each electronic component for mating contact with the first resilient contact arm. The channel may extend between longitudinal end side walls of the body member. The slot is sized such that the edge or extension of the electronic component is press-fit into the slot without the need for additional retention means to secure the component to the connector body.

In another embodiment, the body member further includes an elongated wall extending transversely from the front wall at a location adjacent the wire insertion aperture. The elongated wall may include a clamping surface for a wire harness device that may be used to secure or retain a plurality of wires in electrical contact with a connector engaged by a body member.

The connector may be connected to a circuit board or other component in any suitable manner. For example, the body member may include any form of male or female structure that engages a complementary female or male structure of the plate. In certain embodiments, a male feature, such as a protruding member, may be included on any location of the body member that engages a hole or recess on the board to hold the board firmly in place relative to the connector. It is contemplated that any manner of mounting technique may be incorporated with the connector or component arrangement according to the present invention.

The present invention also includes any form of electronic component assembly that includes a unique connector component for electrically connecting a plurality of wires to an electronic component. For example, the component device may include a PCB in electrical abutting contact with the plurality of wires through the electrical connector. The connector is particularly suitable for connecting multiple wires to an LED board in a light fixture or other type of LED application.

Specific embodiments of the unique insulation displacement connector are described in more detail below with reference to examples shown in the figures.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a connector according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the connector embodiment of FIG. 1 in abutting electrical contact with a board and a wire;

FIG. 3 is a front upper side perspective view of a multi-wire connector according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a rear upper perspective view of the connector embodiment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial side cutaway perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a wire connector according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector embodiment of FIG. 5 mated with a plurality of wires;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an electronics component assembly using the wire connector embodiment of FIG. 6;

fig. 8 is another perspective view of the electronic assembly device of fig. 7.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made to the embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. These embodiments are illustrative of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the invention.

One exemplary embodiment of an electrical connector 10 according to the present invention is shown in fig. 1-4. The electrical connector 10 is provided for connecting the conductive core of one or more insulated conductors to any form of electronic component, such as a PCB. For ease of explanation and illustration, the connector 10 connecting wires to a board (e.g., a PCB or LED board) is described and referenced herein in the context.

Referring particularly to fig. 1 and 2, the connector 10 includes an elongated body member 12 formed of any conventional insulative material, such as a high temperature plastic material, for example, stany high temperature nylon. The body member 12 may have different shapes and sizes depending on the intended use, but generally includes a bottom wall 22, longitudinal end walls 16, and longitudinally extending legs 18 formed between these end walls 16. A plurality of spaced apart side walls 26 are disposed transverse to the leg 18 and form a plurality of adjacently disposed and spaced apart connector locations 42 along the longitudinal length of the leg 18 between the end walls 16. It should be readily appreciated that a single connector 10 may include any number of desired connector positions 42. For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 3 and 4, connector 10 is configured as an 8-way connector for mating up to eight wires to an electronic component.

Still referring to fig. 1 and 2, a wire insertion hole 44 is formed in a wall of the body member 12, such as the front wall 24, and is provided for receiving a conductive core member 70 of a wire 66 of a particular gauge. The hole 44 allows insertion of a conductive core 70 on the bare end of the wire 66 therein, but desirably prevents the insulation 68 of the wire 66 from fitting through the hole 44, as shown in fig. 2.

The connector member 46 is disposed transversely with respect to the leg 18 at each connector location 42. The connector component 46 may be formed of any conventional conductive material, for example, a conventional copper alloy material having any desired thickness. Each connector member 46 includes a first closed end 48 formed by a generally U-shaped bend of the connector member 46. The first closed end 48 wraps around the edge 20 of the leg 18 as shown in detail in fig. 1. A first resilient contact arm 50 extends at an angle from the first closed end 48 of the connector component. In the illustrated embodiment, the first resilient contact arm 50 extends over the transverse leg 18 of the body member 12 and forms an acute angle with the transverse arm 18. The resilient contact arms 50 include contact surfaces 52 that face generally outward toward the distal ends of the contact arms 50. As particularly shown in fig. 1, the resilient arms 50 and the contact surfaces 52 extend above the top surfaces of the side walls 26 and end walls 16 of the body member 12. The contact surfaces 52 are designed for pressing, butting contact against conductive pads of individual electronic components. For example, fig. 2 shows an electronic device 74 in which an electronic component 76, and in particular a PCB78, is in electrical interfacing contact with the connector 10. In particular, the board 78 includes an encapsulation (footprint) of contact pads 80, the individual contact pads 80 pressing against the contact surfaces 52 of the respective resilient contact arms 50 at the respective connector locations 42 in a mating contact. Fig. 2 will be described in more detail below.

Each connector member 46 also includes a transverse portion 54 extending from the first closed end 48. The transverse portion 54 extends along the leg 18 of the body member 12 and abuts the leg 18. The transverse portion 54 extends to a second closed end 58 of the connector member 46, the second closed end 58 being formed by a different U-shaped bend of the connector member. A second resilient contact arm 60 extends from the second closed end 58 and is biased against the shoulder member 28 of the body member 12. The second resilient contact arm 60 includes an outwardly facing contact surface 62, the contact surface 62 extending into the wire receiving cavity 30 formed at each connector location 42 (e.g., below the leg 18). Contact arm 60 terminates in an edge 61. Referring to fig. 2, with the unique construction of the connector component 10, the conductive core 70 of the wire 66 is inserted through the wire insertion aperture 44 such that the core 70 presses against the contact surface 62 of the second resilient contact arm 60 and such that the resilient arm 60 flexes into the wire receiving cavity 30. The deflection of the contact arm 60, and particularly the edge 61, against the conductive core 70 ensures that electrical contact is maintained between the contact surface 62 and the exposed surface of the conductive core 70, as particularly shown in fig. 2. This engagement also ensures that the core 70 is retained within the bore 44, particularly when the edge 61 tends to "bite" into the core 70.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1-4, the body side wall 26 forms the uppermost surface of the body member 12 and is open at the top end. A recess 32 is formed in each connector position 42 for receiving a first resilient contact arm 50. The grooves are formed between adjacent side walls 26 and have a bottom or lower surface formed by the upper surface of the leg 18. Referring to fig. 2, when the electronic component 76 is pressed into mating contact with the connector 10, the electronic component 76 engages the upper surfaces of the side walls 26 and end walls 16 of the body member 12. The first resilient contact arm 50 engages a contact pad of the member 76 and is bent into the recess 32 as particularly shown by the arrow in fig. 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, the body member 12 includes a bottom wall 22 extending transversely from a front wall 24. The wire-receiving cavity 30 in this embodiment is a partially enclosed space formed between the transverse leg 18 and the bottom wall 22, as shown in particular in fig. 1 and 2. As shown in fig. 4, the lead-receiving cavity 30 may be open at the rear side of the body member 12. In an alternative embodiment, the rear wall 40 of the body member 12 may surround the rear end of the space 30. In another embodiment, the wire containment cavity 30 may also be open at the lower end. For example, bottom wall 22 may not be necessary in certain embodiments of connector 10, such that receiving cavity 30 is open at the bottom of body 12.

Each connector member 46 may be retained at each connector position 42 by any suitable means. For example, the connector members 46 may be press-fit into the body member 12 at the respective connector locations 42. Any manner of engagement retention structure may be provided at each connector location for this purpose. For example, as shown particularly in fig. 4, the side walls 26 are formed with recesses 86 for receiving the transverse portions 54 of the connector members 46. Referring to fig. 1, a pressure projection 56 or similar engagement structure is provided on the transverse portion 54, which ensures a secure press-fit of the transverse portion 54 within the recess 86. In an alternative embodiment, the structure 56 may be a barb or other similar structure. Referring to fig. 4, it can be seen that the first closed end 48 of each connector member 46 may have a wider width at the closed end such that the member frictionally abuts the side wall 26 in this area. It should be readily appreciated that a combination of crush tips, grooves, protrusions, barbs, friction fits, and the like may be molded into the body member 12 to ensure a secure press fit of the connector members 46 at the various connector locations 42.

Any manner of engagement structure may be provided on the body member 12 to secure the connector 10 to a board or other component. For example, such structure may include a male member 92 disposed on the body member 12 that engages a female member 94 disposed on a board or other component, such as the structure shown in phantom in fig. 2, 3 and 4. In an alternative embodiment, a female feature 94, such as a hole or recess, may be provided on the body member 12 that engages a male feature 92, such as a protruding projection or similar structure, on a plate or other element. In the embodiment of fig. 4, body member extension 15 includes a female member 94 on one end wall 16 and a male member 92 on the opposite end wall. These structures interface with complementary male and female structures, respectively, on the board 78 (fig. 3) such that the contact pads 80 are held in electrical engagement with the contact surfaces 52 of the first resilient contact arms 50.

One particular embodiment of the connector 10 is shown in fig. 5-8. In this particular embodiment, the body member 12 includes a top wall 34 extending longitudinally between the end walls 16 of the body member 12 above the connector locations 42. Top wall 34 defines a component slot 36 above first resilient contact arm 50 along the longitudinal length of connector 10. The component slot 36 is configured to receive an edge or extension of an electronic component, as shown in detail in fig. 7 and 8. The edge or extension includes contact pads 80 that engage the first resilient contact arms 50 by inserting the extension or edge into the slot 36. Engagement of the edges or extensions of elements 76 within slot 36 may be of any form necessary to ensure a rigid secured engagement between the elements. In this manner, the electronic component 76 can be easily disconnected from the connector 10 if desired.

Other features of an alternative embodiment of the connector 10, in the form of an elongate wall 38, are shown in fig. 5 to 8. The wall 38 is specifically configured to provide support and retention for a plurality of wires 66 that engage the connector 10. In this regard, the extension wall 38 may include a clamping surface 40 for receiving a wire harness 72 that clamps around the plurality of wires 66 and relatively secures the wires to the extension wall 38. The wiring harness 72 may be any form of clamping device that surrounds the wires 66 and the extension wall 38, such as a conventional cable tie as specifically shown in fig. 7 and 8.

As mentioned above, the present invention also includes any form of electronic component assembly that includes the unique connector 10 of the present invention for electrically connecting a plurality of wires to an electronic component. This concept is illustrated in fig. 2, 7 and 8, in which a component arrangement 74 is shown. As mentioned, in fig. 2, the component assembly 74 includes an electronic component 76 in the form of a PCB 78. In the embodiment shown in fig. 7 and 8, the component arrangement comprises electronic components in the form of LED boards 82. The connector 10 is particularly suitable for connecting a plurality of wires to the LED board 82 in a light fixture or other type of LED application. It should be readily appreciated that the component assembly 74 is not limited to any particular type of electronic component 76.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous modifications and variations from the specific embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included in the following claims.

Claims (18)

1. An electrical connector configured to connect a wire to a component, the electrical connector comprising:

an insulative body member having a longitudinally extending leg formed between opposite longitudinal ends and a plurality of spaced apart connector positions adjacently disposed along the leg between the longitudinal ends;

a conductor insertion hole formed in a wall of the body member at each of the connector positions;

a connector member disposed transversely to said leg at each of said connector locations, said connector member including a first closed end surrounding an edge of said leg and a first resilient contact arm extending from said first closed end and angled away from said leg to extend over said leg, said first resilient contact arm including an outwardly facing contact surface for crimping contact with the conductive pad of each individual component;

the connector member further comprises a transverse portion extending from the first closed end along the leg to a second closed end of the connector member;

a second resilient contact arm extending from said second closed end and sloping away from said transverse portion toward said first closed end, said second resilient contact arm being in biased engagement with a shoulder of said body member and including a contact surface; and

wherein upon insertion of a bare conductive wire core through the wire insertion aperture, the wire core causes the second resilient contact arm to flex toward the transverse portion while remaining in biased electrical contact engagement with the wire core,

wherein the body member further includes a top wall extending above the connector locations and defining element slots for insertion of individual elements for abutting contact with the first resilient contact arms, the element slots extending between longitudinal end side walls of the body member.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein said plurality of connector positions are formed by a plurality of lateral side walls forming an uppermost surface of said body member, and further comprising a recess for said first resilient contact arm between adjacent said side walls and above said leg portion at each of said connector positions, wherein said first resilient contact arm is pressed into said recess by engagement with each individual member.

3. A connector as recited in claim 2, wherein said connector member is press-fit to said body member at each of said connector locations.

4. A connector according to claim 3, wherein said connector includes retention structure at each of said connector locations, said retention structure engaging said press-fit connector components at said connector locations and retaining the connector components in position.

5. The connector of claim 4, wherein the retention feature is formed on the sidewall.

6. The connector of claim 1, wherein said body member includes a bottom wall extending transversely from a front wall, and a wire receiving cavity formed between a transverse portion of said connector member and said bottom wall, wherein a conductive wire core inserted through said wire insertion hole extends into said wire receiving cavity.

7. The connector of claim 1, wherein each of said connector positions is open at a top end thereof.

8. The connector of claim 1, wherein said body member further includes an elongated wall adjacent to said wire insertion hole, said elongated wall forming a clamping surface for the wire harness device.

9. The connector of claim 8, further comprising a harness arrangement engaging the elongated wall at the clamping surface, the harness arrangement being configured to hold a plurality of wires in electrical contact with the connector engaged by the body member.

10. An electronic component device, comprising:

an electronic component having a contact pad package formed thereon;

a plurality of wires;

an electrical connector maintaining each of the wires in electrical abutting contact with a respective one of the contact pads, wherein the electrical connector comprises:

an insulative body member having a longitudinally extending leg portion formed between opposite longitudinal ends and a plurality of side walls spaced apart transversely of the leg portion, the side walls forming adjacently disposed and spaced apart connector positions along the leg portion between the longitudinal ends;

a conductor insertion hole formed in the front wall of the body member at each of the connector positions;

a connector member disposed transverse to the leg at each of the connector locations, the connector member including a first closed end surrounding an edge of the leg;

said connector component further comprising a first resilient contact arm extending from said first closed end and sloping away from said leg portion so as to extend above said side wall, said first resilient contact arm including an outwardly facing contact surface for press-contacting said contact pad of said electronic component;

the connector component further comprising a transverse portion extending from the first closed end, along and joined by the leg portion, the transverse portion extending to a second closed end of the connector component;

a second resilient contact arm extending from said second closed end and sloping away from said transverse portion toward said first closed end, said second resilient contact arm biasingly engaging a shoulder of said body member and including a contact surface extending into a wire receiving cavity formed below said leg in said connector position; and

wherein, by inserting a bare conductive core of said wire through said wire insertion aperture and into said wire receiving cavity, said core causes said second resilient contact arm to flex toward said transverse portion while remaining in biased electrical contact engagement with said core,

wherein the body member further includes a top wall extending above the connector position and defining a component slot for insertion of the electronic component for abutting contact with the first resilient contact arm, the component slot extending between longitudinal end side walls of the body member.

11. The electrical component assembly of claim 10, wherein said side walls form an uppermost surface of said body member, and further comprising a recess for said first resilient contact arm between adjacent said side walls and above said leg portion at each of said connector positions, wherein said first resilient contact arm is pressed into said recess by engagement with an electrical component.

12. The electrical component assembly of claim 10, wherein said body member includes a bottom wall extending transversely from said front wall, and a guide receiving cavity formed between a transverse portion of said connector member and said bottom wall.

13. An electrical component assembly in accordance with claim 10 wherein said connector member is press-fit to said body member at each of said connector locations.

14. An electrical component assembly according to claim 13, including retaining structure at each of said connector positions, said retaining structure engaging said press-fit connector components at said connector positions and retaining the connector components in position.

15. The electrical component assembly of claim 10, wherein each connector position is open at a top end thereof, the electrical component being held in crimping contact with the side walls.

16. The electrical component assembly of claim 10, wherein the body member further includes an elongated wall extending transversely from the front wall and adjacent the wire insertion apertures in the front wall, the elongated wall forming a clamping surface on which the wire harness assembly engages the elongated wall, and a wire harness assembly configured to hold a plurality of wires in electrical contact with the connector engaged by the body member.

17. The electrical component assembly of claim 10, wherein the electrical component comprises a PCB.

18. The electrical component device of claim 10, wherein the electrical component comprises an LED board.