Socket connector

Abstract

To provide an improved socket connector. [Solution] The present invention relates to a socket connector designed for soldering to an electrical circuit board, comprising an insulating housing and a plurality of electrical contact elements, wherein the electrical contact elements are fixed within the insulating housing, arranged in a row direction, spaced apart from one another, and each contact element has at least one electrical plug contact designed for inserting a mating plug contact assigned as a mating component on the insertion side of the socket connector, and at least one soldering portion designed for soldering or soldering to a soldering portion of an electrical circuit board, wherein the electrical plug contacts are spaced evenly apart from one another at a predetermined pitch dimension in the row direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a socket connector configured to be soldered to an electric circuit board, comprising an insulating housing and a plurality of electrical contact elements, wherein the electrical contact elements are fixed within the insulating housing, arranged side by side in a row direction, spaced apart from each other, and each contact element has at least one electrical plug contact configured for insertion of a mating plug contact assigned as a mating component on the insertion surface side of the socket connector, and at least one soldering portion configured to be soldered within or on a soldering connection portion of the electric circuit board, and the electrical plug contacts are evenly spaced from each other in the row direction at a predetermined pitch dimension.

Background Art

[0002] Such a socket connector is known, for example, from German Patent Application Publication No. 102012105508A1. The plug contacts of the contact elements therein are arranged at a predetermined pitch dimension of the socket connector system, and this pitch dimension has an equal interval between adjacent plug contacts.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a socket connector that is further improved in this regard.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] This objective is achieved in the type of socket connector described at the beginning by having the distance between solder joints in a first pair of directly adjacent contact elements be greater than the distance defined by the pitch dimension, and / or greater than the distance between solder joints in a second pair of directly adjacent contact elements. Here, the above distance between solder joints is measured in the row direction of the contact elements. The present invention makes it possible to generate locally increased spacing between solder joints without increasing the dimensions of the socket connector. Since the local increase needs to be done only in the soldering area, the plug contact side of the socket connector can be left unchanged, and in particular, the conventional pitch dimension can be maintained.

[0006] Such solutions allow for a localized increase in spatial and creepage distances in the soldering area of ​​electrical contact elements without affecting the overall size of the system. In particular, plug contacts can still be spaced evenly apart from each other at a predetermined pitch dimension. A modified variable pitch dimension or modified spacing can be achieved only on the soldering side, relative to the pitch dimension on the plug contact side.

[0007] This saves installation space, as the solution according to the present invention does not require such air poles, compared to solutions where the required space and creepage distance are increased or achieved by omitting individual contact elements, i.e., by inserting air poles. In particular, it is not necessary to increase the pitch dimension on the plug contact side to achieve the required space and creepage distance.

[0008] Therefore, the pitch dimension can be made uniform on the plug contact side, while a variable spacing dimension can be achieved on the soldering side. Soldering points or their contact elements that are more widely spaced apart from each other can be used, for example, to conduct a special potential, such as ground potential. For example, a socket connector may have at least four or more contact elements.

[0009] Each contact element can be constructed as a metal sheet of one or more pieces, for example, as a stamped bent part. In particular, the plug contact of a contact element can be formed from a soldered connection and a piece of the same contact element. The plug contact can be constructed as a male or female plug contact, for example, a pin contact, a blade contact, or a fork contact. Socket connectors can also be equipped with various contact elements that use different types of plug contacts. Each electrical plug contact is designed to receive a mating plug contact assigned as the mating component, thereby forming an electrical plug connection.

[0010] In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, each contact element has a connecting portion, the connecting portion connecting the plug contact of the contact element to the soldered portion of the contact element, and the first pair of contact elements are intended to be formed differently from each other in the area of ​​the soldered portion and / or connecting portion of the contact element. Thus, the contact elements can be reshaped on the side away from the plug contact. The plug contact itself can be left unchanged.

[0011] The soldering area can be configured as a soldering area designed for surface mount (SMD mounting). In this case, the soldering area is fixed by soldering on the surface of the electrical circuit board.

[0012] In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the soldering portion is intended to be configured as a soldering pin that is inserted into a through-opening in an electrical circuit board. This allows for particularly firm fastening of the socket connector to the electrical circuit board by the soldering pin.

[0013] In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the socket connector is designed such that a socket plane is defined for each plug contact, and the socket planes of the plug contacts arranged side by side are evenly spaced apart by a pitch dimension, and in a first pair of contact elements, the soldering portion of at least one contact element is positioned outside the socket plane of the contact element. The socket plane can extend, for example, through the center of each plug contact in a direction perpendicular to the row direction of the plug contacts. Such a soldering portion offset from the socket plane makes it possible to easily achieve the desired increased spacing of the soldering portions, particularly through the manufacture of simple and cost-effective contact elements. For this purpose, it is not necessary to design the contact elements entirely anew, and it is sufficient to simply modify the shape of the contact elements in the row direction.

[0014] The socket connector may be equipped with, for example, contact elements, and one, more, or all but one of the contact elements may be configured such that the soldering portion of each contact element is centered on the insertion plane of the contact element.

[0015] In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the soldering portion of each contact element is intended to be located outside the insertion plane of the contact element. This maximizes the spacing between the first pair of soldering portions of the contact elements without excessively increasing the number of variable shapes of the contact elements. For example, it is possible to simply realize two different shapes of contact elements, such as contact elements configured to be mirror-symmetric to each other.

[0016] In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the soldering portions of the first pair of contact elements are intended to be arranged mirror-symmetrically to one another. This makes it easy to maximize the spacing between the soldering portions of the first pair of contact elements.

[0017] According to an advantageous form of the present invention, it is contemplated that the contact element is configured as an angled contact element and the insertion direction of the plug contact is determined to be parallel to the plane of the electrical circuit board. Thus, when viewed in the column direction, the contact elements are angled, the insertion direction of the plug contact points in one direction, and the direction in which the soldering portions project from the respective joints points in another direction perpendicular thereto.

[0018] According to an advantageous form of the present invention, it is contemplated that the contact elements are arranged in the insulating housing without spatial interruption in terms of pitch dimension, especially without an air gap between adjacent contact elements. Thereby, the installation space required for the socket connector can be minimized.

[0019] In the present invention, the indefinite concept of "one" should not be understood as a numeral. That is, for example, when referring to a component, this should be interpreted in the sense of "at least one component". If the angle is given in degrees, it is based on a circumference of 360 degrees (360°).

[0020] Hereinafter, based on exemplary embodiments, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a socket connector. [Figure 2] It is a view showing the socket connector according to FIG. I in a state where the mating connector is inserted. [Figure 3] It is a view showing the socket connector according to FIG. I as seen from the insertion surface side. [Figure 4] It is a rear view of the socket connector according to FIG. I as seen from the housing side opposite to the insertion surface side. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view of the contact element. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view of the contact element.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Figure 1 shows a socket connector 1 having an insulating housing 2. A plurality of chambers 4 are formed in the insulating housing 2, and in each chamber 4, one electrical contact element 10, or at least the plug contacts 6 of such contact elements 10, are arranged.

[0023] Figures 5 and 6 show two contact elements 10 from different viewpoints. The contact elements 10 are formed mirror-symmetric to each other. Each contact element 10 has an electrical plug contact 6, and the electrical plug contact 6 is designed to be inserted into and connected to the mating plug contact of the mating connector. Each contact element 10 has at least one soldering part 7, and in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, each contact element 10 can have three soldering parts 7 in the form of soldering pins. The soldering part 7 is connected to the plug contact 6 via a connecting part 8 and is formed as part of the plug contact 6. As an alternative to the soldering pins, plug contacts can also be used, and the plug contacts are inserted into the plug contact openings of the circuit board by means of a fitting connection and / or a friction connection.

[0024] The contact elements 10 are arranged side by side in the insulating housing 2 in the column direction A shown in Figure 1. As can be seen from Figure 2, the socket connector 1 is used for insertion connection with a mating connector 5. The socket connector 1 can be inserted into and connected to the mating connector 5 in the insertion direction S. Here, the electrical contact elements 10 or their plug contacts present in the insulating housing 2 are electrically contacted by the mating contacts of the mating connector 5, thereby establishing an electrical plug connection. Here, the mating connector 5 can be inserted into and connected to the socket connector 1 from the insertion surface side 3 of the socket connector 1.

[0025] Figure 3 shows the socket connector 1 as seen from the insertion side 3. It can be seen that one electrical plug contact 6 is located in each housing chamber 4. On a housing side different from the insertion side 3, the soldering portions 7 of various contact elements 10 protrude from the insulating housing 2. For example, each contact element 10 may have exactly one electrical plug contact 6 and one soldering portion 7 assigned to it. Here, the plug contacts 6 are arranged at a predetermined pitch dimension (in other words, the distance between contacts) R, that is, they are evenly spaced apart from each other by a pitch dimension R.

[0026] Figure 3 further shows the insertion plane E, that is, the insertion plane E for each plug contact 6, with the longitudinally extending portion of the plug contact 6 extending within the insertion plane E. Each insertion plane E extends perpendicular to the column direction A. In each contact element 10, its soldering portion 7 is positioned offset with respect to the insertion plane E in the column direction A. For example, in each contact element 10, the soldering portion 7 is positioned outside the insertion plane E of that contact element 10.

[0027] Furthermore, it can be seen that the soldered portions 7 have different spacings from each other. In the first pair P1 of adjacent contact elements 10, their adjacent soldered portions 7 are spaced D1 apart from each other. In the second pair P2 of adjacent contact elements, their soldered portions are spaced D2 apart from each other. In the third pair P3 of contact elements, their soldered portions 7 are spaced D2 apart from each other. As can be seen, here spacing D1 is greater than spacing D2.

[0028] Figure 4 shows a rear view of the socket connector according to Figure 1 or 3, in which the soldered portion 7 of each contact element 10 together with the connecting portion 8 can be seen. Furthermore, it is shown that the socket connector 1 is fixed to an electrical circuit board 9. It can be seen that the different spacings D1 and D2 are achieved by the different shapes of the individual contact elements 10, in particular the different forms of the connecting portion 8. In particular, the first pair of contact elements 10 P1 are formed and arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to each other, at least in the area of ​​their connecting portion 8. Here, the soldered portion 7 is offset with respect to the insertion plane E of the plug contact 6, i.e., positioned outside the insertion plane E.

[0029] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the connector 8 has a horizontal section 80, which extends parallel to the insertion direction S and the column direction A when mounted within the insulating housing 2 of the connector 1. The horizontal section 80 transitions to the vertical section 81 of the connector 8 via an arc section. The vertical section 81 is positioned substantially parallel to the insertion plane E.

[0030] Therefore, the contact elements 10 are available in at least two embodiments, in particular, configured to be mirror-symmetric with respect to the form of their connecting portion 8. This allows for the setting of a desired spacing D1 or D2 between each pair of contact elements through the proper installation of the insulating housing 2. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Socket connector 2. Insulating Housing 3. Insertion side 4 containment chamber 5. The other side connector 6 Plug contacts 7 Soldering section 8 Connecting part 9 Circuit board 10 Contact elements 80 Horizontal section 81 Vertical section A column direction D1 Distance D2 distance E Insertion Plane P1 First pair of adjacent contact elements P2 Second pair of adjacent contact elements P3 Third pair of adjacent contact elements R pitch dimension S Insertion direction

Claims

1. A socket connector (1) configured to be soldered to an electrical circuit board (9), comprising an insulating housing (2) and a plurality of electrical contact elements (10), wherein the electrical contact elements (10) are fixed within the insulating housing (2), arranged side by side in a row direction (A), spaced apart from each other, and each contact element (10) has at least one electrical plug contact (6) configured for insertion of a mating plug contact assigned as a mating component on the insertion side (3) of the socket connector (1), and at least one soldering portion (7) configured to be soldered within or on the soldering portion of the electrical circuit board (9), wherein the electrical plug contacts (6) are spaced evenly apart from each other at a predetermined pitch dimension (R) in the row direction (A), In a first pair (P1) of directly adjacent contact elements (10), the distance (D1) between the soldered portions (7) is greater than the distance defined by the pitch dimension (R), and / or greater than the distance (D2) between the soldered portions (7) of a second pair (P2) of directly adjacent contact elements (10). A socket connector (1) characterized by the following:

2. The socket connector according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the contact elements (10) has a connecting portion (8), the connecting portion (8) connects the plug contact (6) of the contact element (10) to the soldering portion (7) of the contact element (10), and the first pair (P1) of contact elements (10) are shaped differently from each other in the area of ​​the soldering portion (7) and / or connecting portion (8) of the contact element (10).

3. The socket connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the soldering portion (7) is configured as a soldering pin that is inserted into a through-opening of the electrical circuit board (9).

4. The socket connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the socket connector (1) defines an insertion plane (E) for each plug contact (6), the insertion planes (E) of the plug contacts (6) arranged side by side are spaced evenly apart by the pitch dimension (R), and in the first pair (P1) of the contact elements (10), the soldering portion (7) of at least one contact element (10) is positioned outside the insertion plane (E) of the contact element (10).

5. The socket connector according to claim 4, characterized in that, in each contact element (10), the soldering portion (7) is arranged outside the insertion plane (E) of the contact element (10).

6. The socket connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the soldering portions (7) of the first pair (P1) of the contact elements (10) are arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to each other.

7. The socket connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the contact element (10) is configured as an angled contact element, and the insertion direction (S) of the plug contact (6) is oriented parallel to the plane of the electrical circuit board (9).

8. The socket connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the contact elements (10) are arranged within the insulating housing (2) without spatial interruption in the pitch dimension (R) or without air poles between adjacent contact elements (10).

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