Attachment plug-type connector, and method for installing a printed circuit board

Abstract

In order to make it possible to install a printed circuit board in a device housing of an electrical device in as uncomplicated, inexpensive and largely automatable a manner as possible and in so doing largely avoid the occurrence of mechanical stresses in the printed circuit board, it is proposed that the printed circuit board is fastened to plug inserts (1) by soldering, and the plug inserts (1) are then each introduced into and latched to an attachment housing (2), which is attached to a device wall of the electrical device. This firstly has the effect that plug-in and pulling forces are kept away from the printed circuit board. Secondly, with this design, no mechanical stresses owing to housing component tolerances occur between the printed circuit board and the housing wall in which the attachment housings are mounted. The installation process is thus simplified and can be exceptionally well automated. Furthermore, the attachment housings (2) can be molded onto the housing wall, for example in an injection-molding process, and thus formed integrally with the housing wall.

Description

[0001] Title: Surface-mount connectors and methods for mounting a printed circuit board

[0002] Description

[0003] The invention, in a first aspect, starts from an attachment connector according to the preamble of independent claim 1.

[0004] Such a surface-mount connector is characterized by having both a plug insert and a mounting housing, the mounting housing being designed for attachment to a housing wall of an electrical device, in particular to a wall opening in this housing wall.

[0005] The connector insert can have a contact carrier and plug contacts held within it, with the plug contacts being electrically conductive and solderable to an internal circuit board on the connection side. This soldering serves two purposes: firstly, to electrically connect the plug contacts to the circuit board's traces, and secondly, to mechanically fasten the connector insert and the circuit board together. In particular, the plug contacts can be inserted and soldered on the connection side through so-called "vias"—that is, through-holes in the circuit board with an electrically conductive coating that are electrically connected to the respective trace of the circuit board—enabling a particularly robust mechanical connection. Alternatively or additionally, the plug contacts can also be soldered to solder pads on the circuit board's traces, especially using corresponding solder terminals.

[0006] On the plug side, the plug insert and contacts can protrude at least partially into the mounting housing to be inserted into an external mating connector. This insertion allows the plug contacts to be electrically connected to the mating contacts of the mating connector, thus connecting these contacts to the conductor tracks of the circuit board located inside the device housing.

[0007] Furthermore, the invention relates to a system comprising a device housing of an electrical device, a circuit board and several add-on connectors, wherein the add-on connectors are each designed according to independent claim 1.

[0008] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for mounting a circuit board in a device housing of an electrical device using at least one plug connector, which is designed according to independent claim 1.

[0009] Such add-on connectors and methods are typically required to electrically connect circuit boards located in the housings of electrical devices to the environment of the respective device, e.g. with mating connectors.

[0010] State of the art

[0011] In current technology, it is common to connect printed circuit boards with connector inserts for mechanical tolerance compensation using so-called "PCB adapters". These PCB adapters have interface contacts and are thus, on the one hand, permanently soldered to the PCB and, on the other hand, are in an electrically conductive connection with the contact areas of the connector inserts, which is characterized by a variable insertion depth.

[0012] This variable insertion depth allows the circuit board to be secured with the mechanical tolerances typical in enclosure construction, usually around 1 mm. This can be done by, for example, plugging, fixing, and / or screwing the board in place, without creating mechanical stress between the circuit board / its connections on the one hand and the connector inserts on the other. However, this design has the disadvantage of increased assembly effort and the additional costs that naturally arise from it.

[0013] The German Patent and Trademark Office has searched the following prior art in the priority application for the present application: DE 10 2013 101 267 A1 and DE 10 2017 115 914 B3.

[0014] Task

[0015] The object of the invention is to provide the simplest possible design for a surface-mount connector, which enables the simplest possible installation of the circuit board in the housing of an electrical device. Mechanical stresses on the circuit board should be avoided or at least reduced to such an extent that damage to the circuit board and the solder joints on it is prevented, particularly over a long period, e.g., during years of operation.

[0016] In particular, a method is to be specified which serves to mount a printed circuit board, which is to be electrically connected with several plug-in connectors of the aforementioned type, in the device housing in a cost-effective and simple manner, while avoiding the aforementioned mechanical stresses. Preferably, the assembly should also be largely automated.

[0017] This task is solved by the respective subject matter of the independent claims.

[0018] A surface-mount connector is used to electrically connect a printed circuit board (PCB) to a mating connector and to mount the PCB in the housing of an electrical device. The surface-mount connector consists of a plug insert and a mounting housing.

[0019] The plug insert has a contact carrier made of an electrically insulating material.

[0020] The contact carrier has a connection section with a connection side, a plug section with a plug side opposite the connection side, an intermediate section which connects the connection section with the plug section and at least one continuous contact receptacle which connects the connection side with the plug side, as well as a circumferential or segmented collar arranged on its intermediate section.

[0021] Furthermore, the plug insert has two locking arms arranged opposite each other on the contact carrier, each molded onto a respective section of the collar, each having a locking element.

[0022] In addition, the plug insert has for each contact point an electrical plug contact held therein with a connection area arranged in the connection section of the contact carrier for end-side soldering on a circuit board and a plug area arranged in the plug section of the contact carrier for plugging in electrical connection with a corresponding mating plug contact of a mating plug connector.

[0023] The mounting housing has a surrounding frame for at least partially accommodating the plug-in section of the contact carrier. Furthermore, the mounting housing has at least one flange arranged on the outside of the frame for attaching, in particular by mounting or molding, the mounting housing to a wall opening in the housing wall of an electrical device. Hereinafter, the term "mounting" also includes "screwing" and "riveting." The term "molding" implies the mounting housing being manufactured as a single piece with the housing wall, for example, as a single injection-molded or die-cast part. A mounting housing molded onto the housing wall is therefore integrally manufactured together with the housing wall.

[0024] In addition, the mounting housing has two locking tabs molded opposite each other on the frame and / or the flange, each of which has a counter-locking element for locking with one of the aforementioned locking elements of the contact carrier.

[0025] A system comprises a device housing of an electrical device, a circuit board and several plug connectors of the aforementioned type.

[0026] The device housing has a housing wall in which a separate wall opening is arranged for each add-on connector.

[0027] At each wall penetration, the respective mounting housing of one of the aforementioned mounting connectors is attached. In particular, the mounting housing with its flange can be molded onto the housing wall.

[0028] Furthermore, each of the plug inserts is at least partially inserted into its respective mounting housing with its plug section and is secured to the counter-locking means of the respective mounting housing by means of its locking means.

[0029] Each connector insert is mounted on the circuit board at the connection side, thus not only electrically connecting the circuit board to the plug contacts but also securing it to the connector inserts. This positions and secures the circuit board within the device housing, effectively mounting it therein. A method for mounting a circuit board in the housing of an electrical device using at least one plug-in connector of the aforementioned type comprises the following steps: a. Attaching, in particular mounting or molding, the housing of each plug-in connector to a wall opening in the housing of an electrical device; b. Mounting / fastening the respective connector insert of the respective plug-in connector in a position corresponding to the respective housing on the circuit board; c.at least partial insertion of the plug section of the respective connector insert into the respective mounting housing; d. securing the respective connector insert to the respective mounting housing by means of its locking means and the anti-rust means of the respective mounting housing; e. thereby arranging and holding the circuit board in the device housing and thus mounting it therein.

[0030] As mentioned above, the term "mounting" also includes "bolting" and "riveting." The term "molding" refers to the joint, one-piece production of the respective mounting housing and the housing wall, for example, as a single injection-molded or die-cast part.

[0031] The present invention therefore offers the following advantages:

[0032] The invention significantly simplifies the assembly of the circuit board in the device housing. Only the connector inserts need to be plugged into the respective mounting housings, which, incidentally, is necessary anyway during the assembly of the electrical device, thus requiring no additional effort. Furthermore, the connector inserts advantageously rust automatically within the mounting housings. Therefore, no comparatively complex screw fastening is required. This mounting method is particularly efficient when using multiple connector inserts and multiple mounting housings attached to the housing wall, especially those molded onto it, particularly in automated device production.

[0033] The contact carrier is then fixed to the mounting housing – i.e., in its assembled state – and thus held in place. This advantageously keeps insertion and, in particular, withdrawal forces occurring when inserting / removing the mating connector away from the circuit board. This is especially true if, as mentioned previously, the circuit board itself is not directly attached to or within the device housing, but is advantageously held and secured solely by the connector inserts within the device housing.

[0034] Because the circuit board is no longer directly attached to the device housing—for example, not by direct screws, plugging, or a snap-in mechanism—mechanical stresses caused by tolerances in the housing components can no longer occur between the circuit board and the housing wall to which the add-on housings are mounted. Such tolerances are typically quite high and usually estimated at 1 mm. At the same time, the connector inserts are held securely in the add-on housing, thus preventing insertion and withdrawal forces from affecting the circuit board.

[0035] This allows for the compensation of the usual component-related mechanical tolerances, which are a common problem in device housing construction. In particular, this is possible without the need for further measures to prevent resulting mechanical stresses acting on the circuit board. Such measures would require additional intermediate connectors, acting as so-called "circuit board adapters," which would be soldered to the circuit board and connected to a matching circuit board connector. These adapters would compensate for the aforementioned housing tolerances compared to a circuit board directly mounted in the device housing by adjusting the insertion depth. It is obvious that such a design would be more complex to assemble in many respects and, due to the higher number of individual components, significantly more expensive than the solution described above.

[0036] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims and the following description.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the locking means can be locking hooks and the counter-locking means can be locking windows and / or locking undercuts.

[0038] Conversely, in an alternative design, the locking devices can be locking windows and / or locking undercuts, and the counter-locking devices can be locking hooks.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the locking arms and / or the locking tabs can have sliding ramps or counter-sliding ramps for automatically interlocking the locking means of the connector insert with the anti-rust means of the mounting housing when the connector insert is inserted into the mounting housing.

[0040] This is advantageous because in this way the locking elements automatically rust with the anti-rust agents when the respective plug insert is inserted into the corresponding mounting housing.

[0041] Advantageously, the rusting can at least keep the insertion and, in particular, the pulling forces that occur when inserting or removing the mating connectors away from the circuit board.

[0042] In an advantageous further development, the contact carrier can also have at least one stop molding on each of two opposing side surfaces, and the mounting housing can have at least one counter-stop on each of two opposing frame walls on the frame of the mounting housing for interaction with each of the aforementioned stop moldings.

[0043] This is particularly advantageous because it effectively keeps not only insertion forces but also withdrawal forces from the mating connectors away from the circuit board. This is especially true when using multiple connector inserts on a single circuit board.

[0044] In an advantageous further development, the arrangement of the locking means and counter-locking means as well as the arrangement of the stop forming and the counter-stop can be coordinated in such a way that in the assembled state a mechanical tolerance, i.e. a so-called "play", remains between the plug insert and the connector housing.

[0045] This is particularly advantageous because it also allows for the compensation of mechanical tolerances between the individual connector inserts and their soldered connections to the circuit board.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the said mechanical tolerance, i.e. the so-called "play", can be greater than 0.1 mm ("millimeters") and less than 0.8 mm, and preferably, for example, between 0.1 mm and 0.4 mm, in particular between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm, so that corresponding deviations can be compensated for without causing mechanical stresses on the circuit board during assembly.

[0047] This clearance / tolerance also allows multiple plug-in connectors to be used with a single circuit board in the aforementioned manner, compensating for minor deviations in their plug inserts mounted on the circuit board and / or minor assembly-related deviations in their soldering to the circuit board without mechanical stress. In an advantageous embodiment, the contact carrier, collar, and locking arms can be manufactured as a single unit.

[0048] In a further advantageous embodiment, the mounting housing can be manufactured as a single piece. In this case, at least one flange can be integrally formed with the frame. As already mentioned, the mounting housing, including its flange, can also be directly integrally formed with the housing wall. In this case, several, and in particular all, mounting housings can be manufactured as a single piece together with the housing wall. Specifically, the flange can then be considered, at least partially, as part of the housing wall.

[0049] Preferably, the flange and, in particular, the respective mounting housing can be an integral part of the housing wall of the electrical device. The device housing can thus be equipped with a housing wall into which the mounting housings are already integrated. The housing wall and mounting housings can be formed as a single unit. For example, the housing wall can be a preferably one-piece injection-molded or die-cast part into which the mounting housings are already integrated as a fixed component, e.g., by means of the respective injection or die-casting mold.

[0050] The contact carrier and the frame of the mounting housing can each have an essentially rectangular basic shape.

[0051] The flange of the mounting housing can be circumferential. It can also consist of several flanges, in particular two, one of which is integrally formed on each narrow side of the rectangular frame.

[0052] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting / attachment of the at least one connector insert to the circuit board can be accomplished by soldering the connector contacts to traces on the circuit board. In a further embodiment, the contact carrier can alternatively or additionally be attached to the circuit board in another way, e.g., by brazing and / or gluing, etc.

[0053] Example of implementation

[0054] An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and is explained in more detail below. The drawings show:

[0055] Fig. 1 shows a plug connector in its unmounted state;

[0056] Fig. 2 shows the mounting connector in the assembled state.

[0057] The figures contain simplified, schematic representations. In some cases, identical reference symbols are used for elements that are the same but may not be identical. Different views of the same elements may be scaled differently. Directional indications such as "left," "right," "up," and "down" are to be understood in relation to the respective figure and may vary from one representation to the actual object depicted.

[0058] Fig. 1 shows a surface-mount connector in its unassembled state. It has a separate plug insert 1 and a separate mounting housing 2, whereby the plug insert 1 is not yet inserted into the mounting housing 2 and is therefore rusted in place.

[0059] The plug insert 1 has a contact carrier 10 made of an electrically insulating material.

[0060] The contact carrier 10 has a connection section 11 with a connection side 111, a plug-in section 12 with a plug-in side 122 opposite the connection side 111, an intermediate section 13 which connects the connection section 11 with the plug-in section 12 and at least one continuous contact receptacle designed as a through-hole (not shown) which connects the connection side 111 with the plug-in side 122.

[0061] In addition, the contact carrier 10 has a circumferential collar 130 arranged on its intermediate section 13.

[0062] Furthermore, the plug insert 1 has two locking arms 131 arranged opposite each other on the contact carrier 10, each formed on a respective section of the collar 130, each with a locking element designed as a locking hook 133.

[0063] Furthermore, the connector insert 1 has, for each contact receptacle (not visible in the drawing from the respective viewing angle), an electrical plug contact 14 held in the respective contact receptacle, of which only the connection area 141 is visible in the drawing. This connection area 141 is used for end-soldering on a circuit board (not shown). For this purpose, they are inserted through appropriately arranged vias in the circuit board and soldered to them. In addition, each plug contact 14 has a plug-in area arranged in the plug section 12 of the contact carrier 10 for plug-in electrical connection with a corresponding mating contact (not shown) of a mating connector (not shown).

[0064] The mounting housing 2 has a surrounding frame 22 for at least partially receiving the plug section 12 of the contact carrier 10. Furthermore, the mounting housing 2 has at least one flange 23 arranged on the outside of the frame 22 for attaching the mounting housing 2 to a wall opening in the housing wall of an electrical device (not shown). In addition, the mounting housing 2 has two locking tabs 231 molded onto the flange 23 opposite each other, each of which has a counter-locking element designed as a locking window 233 for locking with one of the aforementioned locking hooks 133 of the contact carrier 10. Both the locking arms 131 and the locking tabs 231 have sliding ramps 132 and counter-sliding ramps 232, respectively, for automatically engaging the locking hooks 133 of the plug insert 1 with the locking windows 233 of the mounting housing 2 when the plug insert 1 is inserted into the mounting housing 2.

[0065] The contact carrier 10 has at least one stop molding 134 on each of two opposing side surfaces, and the mounting housing 2 has at least one counter stop 234 on each of two opposing frame walls on its frame 22.

[0066] Fig. 2 shows the plug connector in its assembled state. It shows how the plug insert 1 with the plug section 12 of its contact carrier 10 is inserted into the frame 22 of the mounting housing 2, while its locking arms 131 with their locking hooks 133 are rusting against the locking windows 233 of the locking tabs 231 of the mounting housing 2.

[0067] Simultaneously, the stop profile 134 can abut the counter-stop 234. A so-called "play", i.e., a mechanical tolerance of, for example, between 0.1 mm and 0.4 mm, can remain between the stop and the corrosion.

[0068] On the connection side 111 of its connection section 11, the plug contacts 14 of the plug insert 1 with their connection areas 141 protrude from its contact carrier 10 in order to be soldered to the circuit board (not shown) beforehand. The connection areas 141 shown here can be particularly advantageously inserted through conductively coated through-holes in the circuit board and soldered to them, which guarantees a particularly stable hold.

[0069] Thus, the circuit board can be mounted easily and without significant effort, for example, inside a device housing, in whose housing the mounting housings 2 are attached at respective wall openings. If several such connector inserts 1 are soldered onto the circuit board and each inserted into a mounting housing 2 in the housing wall and secured there, minor inaccuracies can be compensated for by the aforementioned play / mechanical tolerance of, for example, up to 0.8 mm, i.e., between 0.1 mm and 0.4 mm, particularly between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm, without causing mechanical stress on the circuit board. Furthermore, the connector insert 1 has a coding pin 15, which serves to distinguish between male and female connector inserts and to fundamentally prevent mix-ups during installation on the circuit board.

[0070] Even though the figures show various aspects or features of the invention in combination, it is apparent to the person skilled in the art – unless otherwise stated – that the combinations shown and discussed are not the only possible ones. In particular, corresponding units or sets of features from different embodiments can be interchanged.

[0071] Reference symbol list

[0072] 1 plug insert

[0073] 10 contact carriers

[0074] 11 Connection section

[0075] 111 Connection side

[0076] 12 Plug section

[0077] 122 Plug-in page

[0078] 13 Intermediate section

[0079] 130 collars

[0080] 131 Raster arm

[0081] 132 Sliding slope

[0082] 133 locking hooks

[0083] 134 Stop shape

[0084] 1 plug connector

[0085] 141 Connection area

[0086] 15 coding pin

[0087] 2 mounting housings

[0088] 22 frames

[0089] 23 flange

[0090] 231 latches

[0091] 232 counter-sliding ramps

[0092] 233 Latching windows

[0093] 234 Counterattack

Claims

Claims 1. A plug-in connector for electrically connecting a printed circuit board to a mating connector and for mounting the printed circuit board in a device housing of an electrical device, wherein the plug-in connector has the following: a plug insert (1) comprising the following: o a contact carrier (10) made of an electrically insulating material, comprising: ■ a connection section (11 ) with a connection side (111 ); ■ a plug section (12) with a plug side (122) opposite the connection side (111); ■ an intermediate section (13) which connects the connecting section (11) to the plugging section (12); ■ at least one continuous contact connecting the connection side (111 ) to the plug-in side (122); ■ a continuous or segmented collar (130) which is formed on the intermediate section (13) of the contact carrier (10), - wherein the plug insert further comprises: o two opposite each other arranged on the contact carrier (10), each connected to a respective section of the Collar (130) integrally formed locking arms (131), each having a locking element (133); o for each contact point of the contact carrier (10) a plug-in contact (14) held therein, each with a connection area (141) arranged in the connection section (11) of the contact carrier (10) for end-side soldering on a circuit board and a plug-in area arranged in the plug-in section (12) of the contact carrier (10) for plug-in electrical connection with a corresponding mating plug-in contact of a mating plug-in connector, and wherein the plug-in connector further comprises a mounting housing (2) which has the following: o a circumferential frame (22) for at least partially receiving the plug-in section (12) of the contact carrier (10); o at least one flange (23) arranged on the outside of the frame (22) for attaching the mounting housing (2) to a wall opening in a housing wall of a device housing of an electrical device;o two locking tabs (231) formed opposite each other on the frame and / or flange (23), each having a counter-locking element (233) for locking with one of the said locking elements (133) of the contact carrier (10).; 2. Attachment connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking means are locking hooks (133) and the anti-locking means are locking windows (233) and / or locking undercuts.

3. Plug-in connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking means are locking windows and / or locking undercuts and the counter-locking means are locking hooks.

4. Add-on connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking arms (131) have sliding ramps (132) and / or the locking tabs (231) have counter-sliding ramps (232) for automatic rusting of the locking means (133) of the connector insert (1) with the anti-rust means (233) of the mounting housing (2) when the connector insert (1) is inserted into the mounting housing (2).

5. Add-on connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact carrier (10) has at least one stop molding (134) on each of two opposing side surfaces and wherein the mounting housing (2) has at least one counter stop (234) on each of two opposing frame walls on the frame (22) of the mounting housing (2).

6. Mounting connector according to claim 5, wherein the locking means (133) and anti-rust means (233) as well as the stop shaping (134) and the counter-stop (234) are matched to each other such that in the assembled state a mechanical tolerance remains between the connector insert (1 ) and the mounting housing (2).

7. Mounting connector according to claim 6, wherein said mechanical tolerance is greater than 0.1 mm and less than < 0.8 mm.

8. Add-on connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact carrier (10) is formed in one piece together with the collar (130) and the locking arms (131).

9. Add-on connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the add-on housing (2) is made in one piece.

10. Add-on connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein both the contact carrier (10) and the frame (22) of the add-on housing (2) have a substantially rectangular cross-section when viewed in the plug-in direction.

11. System comprising a device housing of an electrical device, a circuit board and several plug-in connectors, each of which is configured according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the device housing has a housing wall in which a separate wall opening is arranged for each add-on connector; - wherein the respective mounting housing (2) of one of the said mounting connectors is attached to each wall penetration; - wherein each of the plug inserts (1 ) is at least partially arranged with its plug section (12) in the respective mounting housing (2) and is rusted by means of its locking means (133) on the counter locking means (233) of the respective mounting housing (2); - wherein each of the plug inserts (1 ) is mounted on the circuit board on the connection side, thereby connecting the circuit board both electrically to the plug contacts (14) and attaching it to the plug inserts (1 ); - whereby the circuit board is arranged and secured within the device housing and thus mounted inside it.

12. System according to claim 11, wherein the mounting housings (2) are integrally formed on said housing wall.

13. System according to one of claims 11 to 12, wherein at least the flange (23) of the respective mounting housing (2) is an integral part of said housing wall.

14. A method for mounting a printed circuit board in the housing of an electrical device using at least one plug-in connector according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the method comprising the following steps: a. Attaching the mounting housing (2) of each plug-in connector to a wall opening in the housing wall of an electrical device; b. Mounting the respective plug insert (1) of the respective plug-in connector in a position on the printed circuit board corresponding to the respective mounting housing (2); c. At least partially inserting the plug section (12) of the respective plug insert (1) into the respective mounting housing (2); d. Securing the respective plug insert (1) to the respective mounting housing (2) by means of its locking means (133) and the anti-seize means (233) of the respective mounting housing (2); e. thereby arranging and holding the printed circuit board in the device housing and thus mounting it therein.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein - the term "attaching" in process step a. includes both attaching and forming, and o where the term "attaching" includes both screwing and riveting, and where o the term "forming" includes a joint one-piece production of the attachment housing with the device wall.

16. Method according to one of claims 14 to 15, wherein said mounting of the at least one plug insert (1) on the The circuit board is connected by soldering the plug contacts (14) of the circuit board connector on the connection side.

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