TWI384695B - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

Electrical connector

The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector incorporating a light pipe.

In computing systems, electrical connectors (eg, Dual In-line Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets) are typically provided and placed on the motherboard to electrically and mechanically connect the extension boards (eg, perimeter Device panel or memory board). Sometimes, the illuminating element will be placed next to the electrical connector to provide a visual indication when the extension plate inserted into the electrical connector fails. However, since many motherboards are arranged in a tightly arranged arrangement, the light-emitting elements must be placed very close to or under the electrical connectors. As a result, these light-emitting elements are blocked by an opaque electrical connector.

Some electrical connectors use a transparent plastic push-out lever. The transparent plastic push-out bar functions as a light guide and allows the technician to view the activation of the light-emitting elements disposed adjacent to the electrical connector in the event of a failure of the extension. However, since the high melting point lead-free solder requires a high process temperature, the transparent plastic push-out bar is easily deformed, so that it cannot stand well.

A connector ejector lever having a light pipe is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,494,365 to the name of U.S. Pat. The connector ejecting rod is pivotally mounted on at least one of the first end and the second end, and is configured to have an opening, wherein a light guide extends within the opening and is aligned Failure indicator. Typically, the connector push-out lever should be secured in place after the extension panel is installed. However, when the extension panel is installed, the connector ejection lever is generally free to move within a known range, so that the connector ejection lever may still be unable to align with the failure indicator. Since the light pipe will pivot with the connector push-out lever, the light guide will not always align with the fail indicator.

In addition, the aforementioned light pipe technology can only be used in standard DIMM sockets with short memory boards. In computing systems that use high DIMM sockets, the connector push-out bar is often trapped between the high memory boards, making it difficult for the technician to see the failure from the connector that was built in accordance with the aforementioned light pipe technology. The status of the indicator light. Generally, for ease of operation, a high DIMM socket will be designed with a card eject mechanism that is different from the connector eject lever used in a standard DIMM socket. In this card ejecting mechanism, the connector ejecting rod is often not visible from the outside, so that the light guide of the connector with the aforementioned light pipe technology is not visible.

Therefore, an electrical connector that overcomes the above problems and allows the indicator light to be easily observed is highly anticipated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector with a light pipe. The light pipe is not affected by the high temperatures during lead-free soldering and can be illuminated by a status light placed beside or below the high DIMM socket.

To achieve the above object, an electrical connector is provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The electrical connector is adjacent to a status light and includes a housing and a light guide. The housing includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other And the housing is constructed to electrically and mechanically connect a circuit board, wherein the status light is adjacent to the first end. The light guide includes an elongated body, a support member and a clamping member. The body is constructed to optically couple with the status light to direct illumination of the status light. The support member is disposed on the body and is configured to be supported by the first end portion, and supports the body to stand beside the first end portion. A clamping member is disposed on the body that is configured to retain the body at the first end.

The technical features and advantages of the present disclosure are summarized above, and the detailed description of the present disclosure will be better understood. Other technical features and advantages of the subject matter of the claims of the present disclosure will be described below. It is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention disclosed herein may be It is also to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that this invention is not limited to the spirit and scope of the disclosure disclosed in the appended claims.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the electrical connector 1 is disposed on the printed circuit board 2, and the two state lamps 3 are respectively disposed adjacent to the ends of the opposite end portions 111 and the second end portions 112 of the elongated casing 11. . The housing 11 includes a board slot 113 between the first end portion 111 and the second end portion 112 and is configured to face upward to receive a circuit disposed upright with respect to the printed circuit board 2. Board (not shown). In each of the first end portion 111 and the second end portion 112, a combined top fastener 12 is disposed therein, the top fastener 12 is pivotally disposed and constructed to latch and insert the circuit board (not shown) exit. Electrical connector of this embodiment 1 is constructed to accept a high double-row memory module (DIMM), so a pair of high pushers 13 are used to rotate the corresponding top fastener 12 to facilitate the insertion of the inserted circuit board, wherein the pusher 13 is in the The one end portion 111 and the second end portion 112 are supportedly disposed.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of terminals 5 are provided inside, and are provided around the board slot 113, and are electrically and mechanically connected to the board inserted in the board slot 113. The side edges of the first end portion 111 and the second end portion 112 are both defined by an end wall 114 and two side walls 115. The corresponding top fastener 12 is received therein. Each of the top fasteners 12 includes a pair of pivots 121, and the pivots 121 are disposed on respective side surfaces of the top fasteners 12 such that the top fasteners 12 are pivotally movable. Each of the top fasteners 12 further includes a rod portion 122 that is configured to abut the bottom portion 131 of the corresponding pusher member 13. When the force for withdrawing the inserted circuit board is applied to the pusher 13, the bottom portion 131 pushes the corresponding rod portion 122 to rotate the top fastener member 12. In the rotating top fastener 12, the top abutting portion 123 is pushed into the insertion edge of the circuit board to withdraw the inserted circuit board. The top fastener 12 further includes a latching portion 124 that can be snapped into the circuit board to prevent the inserted circuit board from being accidentally pulled out.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the status lamp 3 adjacent to the electrical connector 1 is not easily visible due to its high pusher 13. Compared with the height of the pushing member 13, the top fastener 12 is difficult to match the state lamp 3 due to its low height, so that the state of light of the state lamp 3 can be easily seen by a technician. In addition, each of the top fasteners 12 is located below the pusher member 13, so that the top fastener member 12 is not visible from the outside, and thus the top fastener member 12 cannot be used as a light guide. In order to enable the technician to see the light, a pair of light pipes 4 are provided. The two light pipes 4 are respectively adjacent to the first The end portion 111 and the second end portion 112 are erected along the respective pusher members 13. Each of the light pipes 4 is constructed to optically couple the corresponding state lamp 3 so that the illumination of the state lamp 3 can be transmitted through the light pipe 4 to a position close to the end of the pusher 13. With this arrangement, the illumination of the status light 3 can be easily viewed by a technician. The status light 3 can be a light emitting diode element. Each status light 3 is constructed to display the status of the board adjacent thereto. For example, when the plug-in board fails, the status light 3 can be turned on (turned on) to warn the technician.

Referring to Figures 4 through 7, the embodiments illustrated herein are primarily focused on the description of the first end portion 111; however, the same description applies to the second end portion 112 shown in Figure 3. The light pipe 4 disclosed in the present invention comprises an elongated body 41, a support member 42 and a clamping member 43. The body 41 is constructed to optically couple with a status light 3 to direct illumination of the status light 3 from one end of the body 41 to the other end. The body 41 is supported erected adjacent to the first end portion 111, and the bottom end of the body 41 is adjacent to the status light 3. The body 41 has a support member 42 that is configured to be supported by the top of the first end portion 111 such that the first end portion 111 can support the light pipe 4 through the support member 42 (as shown in Figures 6 and 7).

Referring to FIG. 4, the support member 42 may include a pair of support portions 421, wherein the two support portions 421 extend outwardly opposite to each other in the horizontal direction. Each support member 42 can include a downwardly projecting latch 422 disposed at the end of the corresponding support portion 421. Correspondingly, the top of the first end portion 111, where the support portion 421 is disposed, may be provided with a matching opening 116 for receiving the corresponding plug 422 after the support member 42 is disposed. In one aspect, the engagement of the latch 422 with the aperture 116 allows the light pipe 4 to be properly aligned relative to the first end 111 after installation.

Referring again to FIGS. 4-7, the clamping member 43 is configured to clamp the sidewall 115 of the first end portion 111 to retain the body 41 to the first end portion 111. The clamping member 43 can include a pair of engaging portions 431, wherein the two engaging portions 431 are configured to extend from the side of the body 41 and opposite to each other, and the two engaging portions 431 are outside the first end portion 111. The edge contour extends such that the ends of the two engaging portions 431 extend to the corresponding side walls 115. An engaging end 4311 and a protruding end 4312 are disposed adjacent to the ends of the engaging portions 431 at lateral and opposite positions. According to the embodiment, the protruding end 4312 is disposed below the engaging end 4311. Each of the engaging ends 4311 includes a positioning rib 4313 that protrudes inwardly from a surface, wherein the surface is adjacent to the first end 111 when the light guide 4 is disposed. The protruding end 4312 also includes a positioning rib 4314. The positioning rib 4314 also protrudes inwardly from a surface, wherein the surface is adjacent to the first end 111 when the light guide 4 is disposed. The two positioning ribs 4313 and 4314 can be aligned in the vertical direction.

Correspondingly, each side wall 115 has a recess 1151 formed on the surface of the side wall 115, and as shown in FIG. 6, the recess 1151 is sized to receive the corresponding engaging end 4311. In particular, as shown in FIG. 10, the inner side surface 43111 of each of the engaging ends 4311 protrudes inwardly so that the inner side surface 43111 can be received in the recess 1151, and the upper edge 43112 of the engaging end 4311 can be topped. The top edge of the corresponding recess 1151 is defined, so that the light guide 4 can be prevented from being pulled out.

Referring to FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, during the installation of the light guide 4, when the inner side surface 43111 of the engaging end 4311 contacts the corresponding side wall 115, the pair of engaging portions 431 may be slightly pushed or deformed. When the engaging end 4311 is placed in the corresponding recess 1151, the deformed engaging portion 431 is restored to its original shape. At this point, the snap The inner side 43111 of the end 4311 will reside in the corresponding recess 1151, with the snap end 4311 being defined by one of the edges defining the recess 1151 (as shown in Figures 9 and 10). Therefore, the light guide 4 cannot be pulled out in the insertion direction or the vertical insertion direction.

Referring to FIG. 4, a groove 1152 is formed on each side wall 115 with a corresponding positioning rib 4313, and the groove 1152 is constructed to guide the corresponding positioning ribs 4313 and 4314. The groove 1152 can be disposed along one side of the recess 1151. The groove 1152 can have a leading end 1153 to guide the positioning ribs 4313 and 4314 into the groove 1152.

Referring again to FIG. 4, another recess 1154 may be provided in the path in which the projecting end 4312 and the engaging end 4311 are inserted. The recess 1154 can include a surface that is angled from the top of the first end 111 to the recess 1151, thereby facilitating insertion. When the recess 1154 is disposed such that the engaging end 4311 passes through the recess 1154, the engaging portion 431 is elastically deformable and guided by the recess 1154, and the force required for insertion can be reduced accordingly.

In addition, a slot 4315 can be formed at the end of each of the engaging portions 431 such that the engaging end 4311 and the protruding end 4312 can be individually elastically moved.

In addition, referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 11, on the end wall 114 of the first end portion 111, a groove 1141 which is disposed upright may be disposed. The recess 1141 is configured to receive the body 41 of the light pipe 4. The lateral profile of the recess 1141 can cooperate with a cross-section of one of the support portions 411 of the light pipe 4 such that the body 41 can be partially held by the first end 111 when the light pipe 4 is installed. As shown in Fig. 11, in the present embodiment, the support portion 411 has a polygonal cross section.

Referring to FIG. 12, the status light 3 is disposed adjacent to and adjacent to the first end portion 111. End wall 114. The body 41 is provided with a vertical reflector 44 near the end of the status light 3, and the vertical reflector 44 is constructed to direct the upward illumination of the status light 3 into the body 41. As shown in FIG. 11, the vertical reflector 44 has the shape of a mirror, and the vertical reflector 44 includes a flat high gloss surface 441 in which the high gloss surface 441 is horizontally disposed above the status light 3. On the high gloss surface 441, a plurality of grooving grooves can be formed. Behind the high gloss surface 441, a textured inclined surface 442 can be provided that is constructed to reflect light passing through the high gloss surface 441. On the textured bevel 442, a plurality of grooving grooves can be formed to enhance light reflection. Another texture bevel 443 is disposed below the body 41 and parallel to the texture bevel 442, and the textured bevel 443 is configured to reflect the reflected light from the textured bevel 442 into the body 41. Similarly, a plurality of grooving grooves may be formed in the textured bevel 443. In addition to the two textured bevels 442 and 443, the sides of the vertical reflector 44 and the surface of the body 41 adjacent the vertical reflector 44 can be textured, thereby increasing light reflection efficiency.

Referring to FIG. 3, each of the bodies 41 may have a plurality of sections of bent portions 45 for changing the direction of travel of light within the body 41. To reflect the advancing light more efficiently, the surface of the bend 45 can be textured. At the top of each body 41, a light display 47 can be provided to allow the technician to see the illumination of the corresponding status light 3.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting of the light guide 4 to the housing 11 is performed after the terminal 5 housed in the housing 11 is welded. Initially, the top fastener 12 is pivoted to the latched position. Then, the positioning ribs 4313 and 4314 are inserted by the grooves 1152, and the light pipes 4 are inserted until the engaging end 4311 and the protruding end. 4312 is placed in the corresponding recess 1151.

Referring to Figures 13 through 15, on a crowded printed circuit board, there may be no additional vacancies to arrange the status lights. In this case, the status light 6 can be shown as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 and disposed under the first end portion 111. To collect the lateral illumination of the status light 6, a right angle reflector 46 can be placed on the body 41 near one end of the status light 6. Referring to Figures 16 and 18, the right angle reflector 46 has a surface 461 and a recess 462. The surface 461 faces the status light 6 and the recess 462 is formed on the surface 461. The recess 462 is defined by a plurality of inclined inner surfaces 464, wherein the inner surfaces 464 can each be a high gloss surface. The bottom surface 4111 of the holding portion 411 can also be a high gloss surface to facilitate the introduction of light. The bottom surface 463 of the right angle reflector 46 can be a textured bevel on which a plurality of dicing slots (shown in Figure 17) can be formed to enhance light reflectivity. The back surface of the right angle reflector 46 and a portion of the surface of the body 41 adjacent to the right angle reflector 46 can be textured, thereby improving light reflection efficiency.

In summary, the present invention discloses an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes a pair of light pipes. The light pipes are correspondingly erected beside the ends of the housing of the electrical connector such that the illumination of the status light disposed beside or under the electrical connector can be easily inspected. Each light guide includes a support member and a clamp member. By means of the support, the light pipes can be supported by the tops of the respective ends of the casing, and with the clamps, the light pipes can be engaged with and held by the respective ends. With the aid of the light guide disclosed in the present invention, the status light buried deep between the high DIMMs can be conveniently viewed, and the high soldering temperature does not affect the visibility of the status light.

The technical content and technical features of the disclosure have been disclosed above, but those skilled in the art may still make various modifications based on the teachings and disclosures of the present disclosure. The substitutions and modifications of the spirit of the present disclosure are not deviated. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not to be construed as being limited by the scope of

1‧‧‧Electrical connector

2‧‧‧Printed circuit board

3‧‧‧Status lights

4‧‧‧Light pipes

5‧‧‧terminal

6‧‧‧Status lights

11‧‧‧Shell

12‧‧‧Top fasteners

13‧‧‧Promoters

41‧‧‧Ontology

42‧‧‧Support

43‧‧‧Clamping parts

45‧‧‧Bending

44‧‧‧Vertical reflector

46‧‧‧right angle reflector

47‧‧‧Light display

111‧‧‧First end

112‧‧‧ second end

113‧‧‧ board slot

114‧‧‧End wall

115‧‧‧ side wall

116‧‧‧Opening

121‧‧‧ pivot

122‧‧‧ rod

123‧‧‧Abutment

124‧‧‧Latch Department

131‧‧‧ bottom

411‧‧‧Supporting part

421‧‧‧Support

422‧‧‧ latch

431‧‧‧Care Department

441‧‧‧High gloss surface

442, 443‧‧‧ textured bevel

461‧‧‧ surface

462‧‧‧ recess

463‧‧‧ bottom

464‧‧‧ inner surface

1141, 1152‧‧‧ grooves

1151, 1154‧‧ ‧ recess

1153‧‧‧Leading end

4111‧‧‧ bottom

4311‧‧‧Card end

4312‧‧‧ protruding end

4313, 4314‧‧‧ positioning ribs

4315‧‧‧Slots

43111‧‧‧ inside side

43112‧‧‧ upper edge

1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an electrical connector without a pusher according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view of FIG. An enlarged perspective view of an end portion and a separate light pipe and its supporting member and clamping member according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 shows an end portion and a separating light pipe and supporting members and clamping members thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a combination of a light pipe and an end portion according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another combination of a light pipe and an end portion according to an embodiment of the present invention; 8 is a side view of the line along the line XX of FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the line taken along line YY of FIG. 8; FIG. 11 is a view showing an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a vertical reflector and a state lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 13 is a view showing a state of being placed under the end according to an embodiment of the present invention; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing the bottom of a light pipe for a state lamp placed under an end portion according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 15 is a view showing a separation light pipe and a device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a straight-state reflector according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 17 is another perspective view of a straight-angle reflector according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 18 is a front view of Figure 16.

2‧‧‧Printed circuit board

3‧‧‧Status lights

4‧‧‧Light pipes

11‧‧‧Shell

12‧‧‧Top fasteners

111‧‧‧First end

112‧‧‧ second end

113‧‧‧ board slot

Claims (20)

An electrical connector disposed on a printed circuit board adjacent to a status light on the printed circuit board, the electrical connector comprising: an elongated housing and a plurality of terminals, the elongated housing comprising one of a relative arrangement An end portion and a second end portion and a plate slot between the first end portion and the second end portion, the plurality of terminals being disposed at a periphery of the board slot, the board slot and each of the terminals being Constructing electrically and mechanically connected to a circuit board, wherein the status light is adjacent to the first end, the first end portion comprises a top portion and two side walls; and a light guide comprising: an elongated body having an end near the state a lamp for guiding the illumination of the state light; a support member disposed on the body and configured to be supported by the top of the first end portion, supporting the body to stand beside the first end portion; and A clamping member is disposed on the body and configured to clamp the two side walls of the first end to retain the body at the first end. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the support member comprises two support portions, each of the support portions being connectable to the top portion of the first end portion, wherein the support portions are opposite to each other in a horizontal direction extend. The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein each of the support portions includes a downwardly projecting latch, the latch being disposed at an end of the corresponding support portion, and each of the first ends includes a mating with the latches Holes, wherein the openings are disposed at the top of the first end and are configured to receive the corresponding pins. The electrical connector of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the clamping member comprises two engaging portions, the engaging portions being constructed to be laterally opposite to the body and opposite to each other The outer edge of one end extends. The electrical connector of claim 4, wherein the first end portion includes two first recesses, and the two first recesses are formed on the corresponding two side walls; each of the engaging portions further includes an engaging end The engaging end is disposed in cooperation with the corresponding first recess; and each of the engaging ends includes an inwardly projecting inner side surface, wherein the inner side surface is configured to be received in the corresponding first recess. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein each of the side walls includes a first recess, and each of the engaging ends includes a first positioning rib, and the first positioning rib cooperates with the first recess The first positioning rib is movable in the first groove when the light guide is installed. The electrical connector of claim 6, wherein each of the engaging portions further includes a protruding end, the protruding ends are oppositely disposed below the engaging end, and each protruding end comprises a second positioning rib. The second positioning rib is disposed in cooperation with the first groove, and the second positioning rib is movable in the first groove when the light pipe is installed. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein the first recess comprises a guiding end configured to facilitate insertion of the first positioning rib and the second positioning rib. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein each of the side walls further comprises a second recess, the second recess comprising a surface, wherein the surface is from the top of the first end to the first recess Tilt between. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the body includes a support portion, and the first end portion includes an end wall, the end wall including the standing end a second recess, the second recess being configured to receive the support portion, wherein a cross section of the support portion matches a lateral contour of the second recess. The electrical connector of claim 10, wherein the end of each of the engaging portions includes a slot. The electrical connector of claim 11, wherein the status light is disposed adjacent to the first end, and the body of the light guide comprises a vertical reflector disposed above the status light And being configured to receive and reflect the illumination from the status light to cause the illumination to enter the body. The electrical connector of claim 12, wherein the vertical reflector comprises: a high gloss surface above the status light; a first textured bevel disposed behind the high gloss surface to reflect into the high a light of the glossy surface; and a second textured bevel disposed parallel to the first textured bevel and configured to reflect reflected light from the first textured bevel into the body. The electrical connector of claim 13 wherein the first textured bevel and the second textured bevel comprise a plurality of parallel slots. The electrical connector of claim 11, wherein the status light is disposed below the first end, and the body of the light guide comprises a right angle reflector disposed adjacent to the status light, and The illumination is configured to receive and reflect the illumination from the status light to cause the illumination to enter the body. The electrical connector of claim 15, wherein the right angle reflector comprises: a high gloss surface facing the status light; a recess formed on the high gloss surface; and a plurality of inner surfaces defining the recess, Wherein the inner surfaces are high gloss surfaces. The electrical connector of claim 16 wherein the back side of the right angle reflector is textured. The electrical connector of claim 17, wherein one of the bottom surfaces of the support portion is a high gloss surface. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a plurality of segments of the bend and the surfaces of the bends are textured. The electrical connector of claim 1, further comprising: a pair of top fasteners pivotally disposed on the respective first end portion and the second end portion; and a pair of pushing members configured to Apply force to push the top fastener.