ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

CONNECTEUR ELECTRIQUE

English Abstract

An electrical connector which includes a right-
angle header having at least one row of contact pins,
comprises stabilizing means positioned at at least one end
of the row of pins, and means for retaining a printed
circuit board against the stabilizing means when soldering
the connector to the printed circuit board. The stabilizing
means preferably includes a pair of wings, one at each end
of the row of pins, wherein one face of each wing is planar
which is adapted to contact the side of the printed circuit
board on which the electrical connector is mounted. The
retaining means preferably includes at least one projection
which cooperates with the stabilizing means to retain the
connector in position on the printed circuit board.

Claims

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WE CLAIM:
1. An electrical connector comprising a right-angle
header having at least one row of pins, stabilizing means
positioned at at least one end of the row of pins, and means
for retaining a printed circuit board against the
stabilizing means when soldering the connector to the
printed circuit board.
2. An electrical connector according to claim 1, in
which the stabilizing means comprises a pair of wings, one
at each end of the row of pins.
3. An electrical connector according to claim 2, in
which one face of each wing is planar, whereby the whole of
that face will contact that side of the printed circuit
board on which the electrical connector is mounted.
4. An electrical connector according to claim 1, in
which the retaining means comprises at least one projection
which cooperates with the stabilizing means to retain the
connector in position on the printed circuit board.
5. An electrical connector according to claim 4, in
which the retaining means comprises an offset portion of one
or more pins.
6. An electrical connector according to claim 5 in
Which a plurality of pins include offset portions, the
offset portions being offset in the same direction for all
the pins.
7. An electrical connector according to claim 6 in
which the offset portions are in a single row of pins.
8. An electrical connector according to claim 7 in
which the offset portions are offset towards an adjacent row
of pins.

Description

2107~~5
AE-390US PATENT
ELECTRIC11L CO~iNECTOR
1 FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
This invention relates to an electrical connector.
In particular it relates to an electrical connector of the
type known as "headers" which are generally used for
providing connections from printed circuit boards by
insertion into holes in an edge of the printed circuit board
and soldering to contact pads around the holes and on the
printed circuit board. A complementary connector connected
to a cable may then be mated with the printed circuit board
header.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION'
Connectors of this type are known which, in use,
are inserted into the edge of a printed circuit board so
that a lower wall of the connector is flush with the printed
circuit board. Problems arise during soldering since the
connector must be held in position to prevent connector pins
from floating out of their holes in the printed circuit
board during the soldering operation. One solution to this
problem has been proposed in which a pair of pins are
crimped in opposite directions so that opposite normal
forces are exerted on their respective holes across the
header. Retention of the connector is dependent on the
complementary normal forces against two opposing printed
circuit board holes.
Unfortunately, this design presents some further
problems. Whilst the crimping helps to retain the connector
in the printed circuit board, it is still possible for the
connector to tilt up during soldering, thus causing
misplacement of the connector. When a complementary
connector is disconnected, or unmated, a shrouded wall of
the printed circuit board mounted connector is easily
broken. Furthermore, such connectors are insert moulded and
costly.

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1 SUMMAR'L OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention seeks to overcome the above
problems for right-angled connectors. These connectors have
pins Which are bent through 90° prior to entry into a
printed circuit board.
According to the present invention, there is
provided an electrical connector comprising a right-angle
header having at least one row of pins, stabilizing means
positioned at at least one end of the row of pins, and means
for retaining a printed circuit board against the
stabilizing means when soldering the connector to the
printed circuit board.
The stabilizing means may comprise a pair of
wings, one at each end of the row of pins. One face of each
wing is preferably planar so that the whole of the face will
contact that side of the printed circuit board on which the
connector is mounted, the other side of the printed circuit
board having solder contact pads thereon.
The retaining means may comprise at least one
projection which cooperates with the stabilizing means to
retain the connector in position on the printed circuit
board. Usually the printed circuit board will be sandwiched
between the stabilizing means and the projections) once the
connector is mounted on the board.
Alternatively, the retaining means may comprise an
offset portion of one or more pins. Where a plurality of
pins include offset portions, the offset portions are offset
in the same direction for all the pins, i.e. the offset
portions are single-sided. Preferably the offset portions
are in a single row of pins. Still more preferably, the
offset portions are offset towards an adjacent row of pins.
The retaining means may comprise both
projections) and offset portion(s). The connector may thus
be held in position not only by action of the projections)
which bias the printed circuit board against the stabilizing
means but also by the offset portions) which lock the pins

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1 within holes in the printed circuit board, through which the
pins are inserted.
A preferred embodiment of connector will now be
described by way of example only, with reference to the
drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS'
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a right-angle
connector; and
Figure 2 is a section of the connector of Figure
1, mounted on a printed circuit board.
Figure 1 shows a connector comprising a right
angle header 10 from which two rows of pins 20, 25 extend.
At each end of the rows, there is a stabilizing wing 30 in
the form of a rectangular block.
The header 10 includes a step or stepped portion
40. As seen in Figure 1, the stepped portion 40 includes a
horizontal part 42 and a vertical part 44. It will be
appreciated that orientations 42 and 44 will vary according
to the way in which the connector is viewed. Vertical part
44 is in the same plane as faces 32 of the stabilizing wings
30. The row of pins 25 also extends from this vertical part
44. Since the pins are generally square in cross-section,
one face 46 of each pin in row 25 forms part of the vertical
part 44, prior to the pins bending through 90°.
Twa projections, or bumps, 50 are located on the
horizontal part 42 of stepped portion 40, adjacent their
respective stabilizing wings 30 and spaced from the vertical
part 44 of the stepped portion 40.
Faur of the pins 60 in row 20 include offset
portions 70. All these offset portions, or kinks, are
offset in the same direction, i.e. towards row of pins 25.
The kinked pins 60 are spaced more or less equally apart
along the row 20 and fram the stabilizing wings 30 and bumps
50 so that points of retention of the connector are evenly
distributed.
Figure 2 shows the connector prior to soldering,
mounted on a printed circuit board 80. The rows of pins are

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1 pushed through holes 90 in the printed circuit board 80.
The connector is pushed firmly against the printed circuit
board so that the printed circuit board is located between,
on the one side, stabili2ing wings 30, face 46 of pin 65 and
the vertical part 44 of step 40 and, on the other side,
bumps 50. Further retention of the connector on the printed
circuit board is achieved by the action of offset portions
70. These offset portions or kinks are so located that,
when the connector is in its correct position, each pin 60
contacts its hole 90 at two points 72, 74 and adjacent pin
65 contacts its hole 90 along the upper face of the pin 65.
Opposing normal forces are thus achieved by adjacent pins to
retain the connector in position for soldering.
It will be appreciated that the invention has been
described above by way of example only and that changes may
be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
25
3G

Representative Drawing