Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~30~ 2~
DUAL PURPOSE CARD EDGE CONNECTOR
The invention disclosed herein relates to card edge
connectors for electrically connecting circuits on a
printed circuit card to circuits on a printed circuit
board or back plane.
Known card edge connectors; e.g., U.S. Patent
4,6~6,021, are constructed to receive circuit cards having
conductive traces or pads on a given center-line spacing;
e.g., 0.050 inches between adjacent pads. Thus, a card
having a different spacing could not be accepted therein.
This means that if a user wanted to use a new circuit card
having a different pad spacing, he would have to remove
the first card edge connector (a difficult, time consuming
task) and install a second connector which would accept
the new card.
Therefore, it is now proposed to provide a card edge
connector which will accept one or another card each
having a different conductive pad spacing.
According to the invention, a dual purpose card edge
connector is provided which can receive either one of two
different printed circuit cards having conductive pads on
different center-line spacing. The connector includes a
dielectric housing having a card receiving slot and
conductive contact elements disposed therein with contact
portions thereon alternatingly projecting into the slot at
high and low levels. Further, positioning members are
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provided in the slot to position one circuit card so that
only the contact portions at the high level engage
conductive pads thereon and to position a different
circuit card so that the contact portions at both levels
will engage conductive pads thereon.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electrical
connector constructed in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention and also of two printed circuit
cards which may be inserted into the connector for
electrical engagement notwithstanding the fact that the
conductive pads thereon are on different center-line
spaciny;
Figure 2 is a cut-away view of the connector to show
the details with regard to the contact elements contained
therein;
Figures 3 and 4 are end cross-sectional views of the
connector showing details of the cavities and contact
elements positioned therein;
Figure 5 is a side view of the connector with
portions cut away and one of the two circuit cards which
may be inserted therein;
Figure 6 is an end view of the connector with one of
the two circuit cards inserted therein;
Figure 7 is the side view of the connector shown in
Figure 5 and with the other of the two circuit cards which
may be inserted therein; and
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Figure ~ is an end view of the connector with the
other circuit card inserted therein.
With reference to Figure 1, card edge connector 10,
constructed in accordance with the present invention, is
capable of receiving either printed circuit card 12,
having closely-spaced conductive pads 14; e.g., pads 14
being on 0.050 inch center-line spacing, or card 16 having
pads 18 on a less-dense spacing; e.g., 0.100 inches.
Connector 10, as more clearly shown in Figure 2,
includes an elongated, dielectric housing 20 having a
card-edge receiving slot 22 and a plurality of conductive
contact elements 24, 26. Contact elements 24, 26 are
respectively located in cavities 28, 30 which preferably
border both sides of slot 22 and which open thereinto. As
shown, cavities 28 alternate with cavities 30. Spaced
along floor 32 of slot 22 and extending upwardly therefrom
are positioning members 34 (only one is shown in Figure
2). Additionally, transverse keying walls 36 (Figures 1
and S) are provided in slot 22 to insure that cards 12 and
16 are inserted thereinto in the proper orientation and
registration.
With reference to Figure 3, cavities 28 include
pre-loading bar 38 extending thereacross adjacent the top
thereof. Further, passages 40, located near the center of
housing 20, extends therethrough, opening into cavities 28
and onto the housing's bottom surface 42. Contacts 24 are
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positioned in cavities 28 with free ends 44 bearing
against bar 38 and leads 46 extending outwardly from
surface 42 of housing 20 through passages 40. Further,
contact portions 4~ on resilient beams 50 project into
slot 22 near top surface 52 of housing 20.
With reference to Figure 4, cavities 30 open only
into the lower half of slot 22 with walls 54 closing off
access to the upper half. Passages 56, adjacent side
walls 58, extend through housing 20, opening into cavities
30 and onto bottom surface 42. Contacts 26 are positioned
in cavities 30 with an upper portion 60 on reversely bent
resilient beams 62 being preloaded by free ends 64 of
walls 54 and contact portions 66 adjacent free ends 68 of
beams 62 projecting into the lower half of slot 22; i.e.,
below walls 54. Leads 70 extend outwardly from surface 42
of housing 20 through passages 56.
From the foregoing description and Figures 2-4, it is
clear that contact portions 48 on elements 24, alternating
with contact portions 66 on elements 26, project into the
upper half or upper level of slot 22 while contact
portions 66 project into the lower half or lower level of
slot 22.
Both contact elements 24, 26 are stamped and formed
from a suitable conductive material; e.g., beryllium
copper or phosphor bronze.
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--5--
Figure 5 shows card 12 positioned above connector 10.
Pads 14 include pads 14a which are adjacent card edge 72
and pads 14b which are located interiorly from edge 72.
Further spaced notches 74 are provided in edge 72 with the
spacing of positioning members 34 in slot 22. Keying
notches 76 are provided to cooperate with keying walls 36.
As card 12 is inserted into slot 22, notches 74 receive
positioning members 34 so tha~ card edge 72 abuts slot
floor 32. Accordingly, and as shown in Figure 6, contact
portions 48 on elements 24 engage pads 14b and contact
portions 66 engage pads 14a adjacent card edge 72; ie., in
the lower half of slot 22.
Figure 7 shows card 16 positioned above connector 10.
Pads 18 are adjacent card edge 78. Keying notches 76 in
edge 78 are provided to cooperate with keying walls 36 in
slot 22. As card 16 is inserted into slot 22, edge 78
abuts positioning members 34 to position card 16 in the
upper half thereof. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 8,
only contact portions 48 on contact elements 24 engage
pads 18 on card 16.
In the illustrated embodiment, positioning members 34
are shown as transverse walls extending upwardly from slot
floor 32. However, equivalent positioning members can
take other forms; e.g., pins crossing slot 22 at the
appropriate height. Further, the profile of slot 22 can
be tailored to accept different cards of different
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thicknesses so that, for example, a thin card would go to
the floor while a thicker card would be stopped above the
floor.
As can be discerned, a c:ard edge connector has been
S disclosed which can accept, without modification, printed
circuit c~rds having conductive pads on one center-line
spacing or other circuit cards having conductive pads on
another center-line spacing. The connector includes
conductive contact elements positioned along a card
edge-receiving slot and having contact portions thereon
projecting into the slot at alternatingly high and low
levels. Further, positioning members in the slot
cooperate with the cards such that cards having notches
along the edge thereof are permitted to slide past the
positioning members so that the pads thereon are engaged
by the contact portions at both levels. Alternatively, a
card without notches are prevented by the positioning
members from entering the slot too far so that the
conductive pads thereon are engaged only to the upper
level contact portions.
2S
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