Printed circuit board connector having hermaphroditic contact elements

Abstract

A printed circuit board connector for connecting at least one circuit board to at least one additional circuit board or at least one corresponding circuit board connector, comprises a housing, at least two contact elements which are arranged in pairs and have at least two narrow sides and at least two wide sides, the contact elements having at least one flexible contact region, at least the flexible contact region of the contact elements being substantially identically shaped, the housing being designed to orient the contact elements substantially perpendicularly to the receiving circuit board, each contact having a rigid contact region that adjoins the flexible contact region, the rigid contact region having at least one fastening element for fastening the contact element in the housing.

Claims

1.-16. (canceled)

17. A printed circuit board connector (1) for connecting a printed circuit board to a further printed circuit board or to a corresponding printed circuit board connector, comprising: a housing (2); at least two contact elements (3) arranged in pairs, which are each formed with at least two narrow sides (36) and at least two wide sides (37), wherein the at least two contact elements (3) each have a flexible contact region (33), wherein the flexible contact regions (33) of the at least two contact elements (3) are shaped in substantially the same way, wherein the housing (2) is designed to align the contact elements (3) substantially orthogonally to the printed circuit board, wherein each contact element (3) has a rigid contact region (34) following the flexible contact region (33), and wherein the rigid contact region (34) has a fixing element for fixing the contact element (3) in the housing (2).

18. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 17, wherein the contact elements (3) are arranged in pairs along a wide side of the housing (2), so that at least two positions along the wide side of the housing (2) are each provided with at least two contact elements (3).

19. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 17, wherein the contact elements arranged in pairs have an at least substantially identical design.

20. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 17, wherein one of the narrow sides (37) of a contact element (3) is formed with at least one contact tip (32) and one contact surface (35) in each case.

21. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 20, wherein the contact tips (32) and contact surfaces (35) of the contact elements (3) arranged in pairs are oriented in opposite directions to one another.

22. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 20, wherein the housing (2) is formed with contact receptacles (23) which have a recess (24) towards a plug-in side of the housing (2) to receive the flexible contact region (33).

23. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 17, wherein the contacts are spaced at a distance of less than 0.8 mm along a longitudinal axis of the housing.

24. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 22, wherein the recess (24) in the contact receptacle (2) allows the contact tip (32) to make contact with the contact surface (35) of a flexible contact region (33) which is substantially identical.

25. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 22, wherein the recess (24) is configured to receive a contact element (3) with a width that is less than, or equal to, 0.35 mm.

26. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 22, wherein the contact receptacle (23) encloses the contact elements (3) in a substantially u-shape through the recess (24), so that at least some of the contact tips (32) project from the contact receptacle (23), at least in an unplugged state.

27. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 22, wherein the contact receptacle (23) encloses the contact elements (3) substantially in a u-shape through the recess (24), so that at least some of the contact surfaces (35) project from the contact receptacle (23), at least in an unplugged state.

28. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 17, wherein the printed circuit board connector (1) is a hermaphroditic printed circuit board connector (1), and wherein the housing (20) is configured with at least three contact receptacles (23), wherein the contact receptacles (23) receive at least two contact elements (3) and at least four contact elements (3) alternately.

29. The hermaphroditic printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 28, wherein two contact receptacles (23), each having two contact elements (3), are arranged following on a single contact receptacle (23) having four contact elements (3), or vice versa, wherein the contact receptacles (23) are each arranged with two contact elements (3) on opposite edges along a wide side of the housing (20).

30. The hermaphroditic printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 28, wherein a narrow side of the housing (20) has a wall which extends over a length of the housing (20) and a length of at least one contact receptacle (23).

31. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 17, wherein the printed circuit board connector (1) is female, and wherein the housing (21) has at least two contact receptacles (23) for receiving at least two contact elements (3) in each case, wherein the contact receptacles (23) are arranged on opposite edges along a wide side of the housing (21).

32. The printed circuit board connector (1) as claimed in claim 17, wherein the printed circuit board connector (1) is male, and wherein the housing (22) has at least one contact receptacle (23) for receiving at least four contact elements (3) in each case, wherein the contact receptacle (23) is arranged substantially centrally along a wide side of the housing (22).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and is explained in greater detail below.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a hermaphroditic printed circuit board connector;

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a hermaphroditic printed circuit board connector from below;

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a hermaphroditic printed circuit board connector in the plugged-in state with an identical printed circuit board connector;

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a female printed circuit board connector;

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a male printed circuit board connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The figures contain partially simplified, schematic representations. In some cases, identical reference signs are used for the same, but possibly not identical elements. Different views of the same elements could be scaled differently.

[0032] Directions such as left, right, up and down are to be understood with reference to the respective figure and may vary in the individual representations by comparison with the depicted object.

[0033] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show different perspective views of a hermaphroditic printed circuit board connector 1 according to the invention with hermaphroditic contact elements 3, according to claim 1. The housing 2 that can be seen in this case, configured as a hermaphroditic housing 20, includes a plurality of contact elements 3. The contact elements 3 have a substantially identical design. The contact elements 3 each have a contact tip 32 and a contact surface 35. These are formed along a narrow side 37 of the contact elements 3. A fixing element provides for the anchoring of the contact elements 3 in the housing 2. At the same time, the fixing element in the housing 2 serves as are understood to be a border region for distinguishing between the flexible contact region 33 and the rigid contact regions 34. The housing 2 is at least partially enclosed by shielding elements 4 and 4. The housing 2 furthermore has at least one connecting element 5 which is used for connecting to a printed circuit board. In order to allow secure positioning of the printed circuit board connector 1 with respect to a printed circuit board according to the poka yoke principle, it is proposed that at least two connecting elements 5 and 5 should be added, wherein the connecting elements 5 and 5 differ in their shape. Both differences in geometric form and differences in sizing are helpful and useful in this case. The housing 2 also has at least one contact receptacle 23. This contact receptacle 23 cleverly has at least one recess 24 for each contact element 3.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a hermaphroditic printed circuit board connector 1 as an isometric view from below. The structure of the printed circuit board connector 1 becomes clear in this case. The hermaphroditic housing 20 begins below an upper screen element 40. The hermaphroditic housing 20 has a plurality of contact receptacles 23 which receive two contact elements 3 and four contact elements 3 alternately. In this case, two contact receptacles 23 for receiving two contact elements 3 in each case are arranged on the edges of the hermaphroditic housing 20. The contact receptacle 23 for receiving four contact elements 3 is assigned substantially centrally to this side of the hermaphroditic housing 20, which is referred to as the connector face. Each contact receptacle 23 provides a recess 24 for each contact element 3 received. It can be clearly seen in this case that the flexible contact region 33 is at least partially enclosed by the recess 24, substantially in a u-shape. A web formed by two u-shaped recesses 24 prevents accidental contact from being made between two adjacently arranged contact elements 3. Likewise, it becomes clear that the contact tip 32 of each contact element 3 is received substantially within this u-shaped recess 24. Furthermore, it can be seen that the contact surfaces 35 project slightly from precisely these u-shaped recesses 24, so that when the printed circuit board connector 1 is connected to a printed circuit board connector 1 of the same design, the contact tips 32 can establish a secure contact on the contact surface 35. The hermaphroditic housing 20 has a side wall formed thereon. This is formed to prevent the hermaphroditic printed circuit board connectors 1 from being wrongly connected. It is furthermore shown that the upper contact elements 30 and 30 are oriented in opposite directions. Likewise, the lower contact elements 31 and 31 point in opposite directions. The configuration of the printed circuit board connector 1 thereby means that only one design of the contact elements 3 having identical flexible contact regions 33 and identical rigid contact regions 34 is required. Finally, FIG. 2 shows a lower shielding element 41 in the lower region of the hermaphroditic housing 20, as well as two connecting elements 5 and 5. The shielding elements 4, that is to say both the upper shielding element 40 and the lower shielding element 41, have shielding contact elements 42 and shielding contact surfaces 43 formed alternately thereon.

[0035] FIG. 3 shows two identical printed circuit board connectors 1 with a hermaphroditic housing 20 in the plugged-in state. The printed circuit board connectors 1 are each connectable to a printed circuit board and soldering regions located thereon. The connecting elements 5 and 5 can be inserted in corresponding through-openings in the printed circuit board. The shielding elements 4 make mutual contact with the shielding contact elements 42 and shielding contact surfaces 43 illustrated in FIG. 2. In this case, the shielding contact elements 42 are brought into an elastically deformable position and have a ridge shape pointing outwards. This ridge shape makes it easier for there to be a secure plugging process between two printed circuit board connectors 1 and the corresponding shielding elements 4.

[0036] FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of a printed circuit board connector 1 according to the invention. This is an embodiment with a so-called female housing 21. The contact elements 3 in this case are housed in two contact receptacles 23 which are each arranged on the edges of the female housing 21 on the plug-in side. The contact receptacle 23 accommodates the upper contact elements 30 with the contact tip 32 and contact surface 35 pointing downwards, and the lower contact elements 31 with the contact tip 32 and contact surface 35 pointing upwards. The shielding elements are located above the upper contact elements 30 and below the lower contact elements 31. In this case, the shielding elements in this embodiment are designed exclusively with shielding contact surfaces 43.

[0037] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a printed circuit board connector 1 with a male housing 22 that corresponds to the printed circuit board connector 1 with a female housing 21. The male housing 22 has only one centrally arranged contact receptacle 23. The contact receptacle 23 receives the upper contact elements 30 with the contact tip 32 and contact surface 35 pointing upwards, and the lower contact elements 31 with the contact tip 32 and contact surface 35 pointing downwards. The shielding elements are designed exclusively with shielding contact elements 42 which are configured to be elastically deformable. The shielding contact elements make an electrical contact with the shielding contact surfaces 43 of a printed circuit board connector 1 with a female housing 21.

[0038] Even if different aspects or features of the invention are shown in combination in the figures, it is obvious to the person skilled in the artunless otherwise statedthat the combinations shown and discussed are not the only possible ones. In particular, mutually corresponding units or groups of features from different exemplary embodiments can be exchanged for one another.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0039] 1 printed circuit board connector [0040] 2 housing [0041] 3 contact element [0042] 4 shielding element [0043] 5 connecting element [0044] 20 hermaphroditic housing [0045] 21 female housing [0046] 22 male housing [0047] 23 contact receptacle [0048] 24 recess [0049] 30 upper contact element [0050] 31 lower contact element [0051] 32 contact tip [0052] 33 flexible contact region [0053] 34 rigid contact region [0054] 35 contact surface [0055] 36 narrow side [0056] 37 wide side [0057] 40 upper shielding element [0058] 41 lower shielding element [0059] 42 shielding contact element [0060] 43 shielding contact surface