Low insertion force connector for modular circuit packages

Claim 2

A connector for a modular circuit package including plural male leads, said connector comprising: a housing including a base and having base wall means defining a cavity therein and a carriage mounted in said cavity for movement between outer and inner positions; retaining means on said base and carriage for preventing movement of said carriage from said cavity beyond said outer position; an externally directed support surface on said carriage adapted to receive the circuit package; recess means in said base wall means housing defining a plurality of lead receiving paths for receiving the leads of a circuit package disposed on said support surface; a plurality of terminals mounted in said housing, each including a spring contact normally positioned partly within said cavity adjacent one said lead receiving path and permitting unobstructed entry of a lead into said path; and means on said carriage slidably engaging said terminals upon movement of the carriage from the outer position to the inner position and camming said spring contacts transversely into said lead receiving paths and against the inserted leads.

Claim 3

The connector of claim 1, further comprising releasable latch means on said base and carriage for retaining said carriage in said inner position.

Claim 4

The connector of claim 2, said carriage including carriage wall means telescoped within said base wall means, said releasable latch means including resilient tab means formed integrally with one said wall means and latch shoulder means on the other said wall means.

Claim 5

The connector of claim 3, two sets of said tab and shoulder means disposed at opposite points on the outer periphery of said housing.

Claim 6

The connector of claim 1, said base wall means including opposed side walls and opposed end walls surrounding said cavity, said recess means comprising two rows of recesses, one row in each of said side walls flanking said cavity.

Claim 7

The connector of claim 5, a slot extending between each said recess and said cavity, each spring contact being disposed partly in said cavity and partly in said slot in the outer position of said carriage, and said camming means including cam surfaces on the carriage engaging each said spring contact in said cavity to move said contacts through said slots toward said recesses upon movement of said carriage to its inner position.

Claim 8

The connector of claim 6, each said spring contact including an enlarged portion received in said recess for retaining said enlarged portion outside of said slot.

Claim 9

The connector of claim 5, channel means extending from each said recess to the exterior of said base, and each terminal including an additional contact structure extending into said channel means.

Claim 10

The connector of claim 8, said additional contact structure comprising a pin contact.

Claim 11

The connector of claim 8, resilient tang means on said terminals and shoulder means in said base for retaining said terminals in said base.

Claim 12

The connector of claim 1, said carriage including guard walls flanking said support surface and extending outwardly from the support surface a distance larger than the height of the package.

Claim 13

A connector for a modular circuit package including plural male leads, said connector comprising; a housing including a base having a cavity defined in part between a pair of opposed side walls; a carriage mounted in said cavity for movement between outer and inner positions; an externally directed support surface on said carriage adapted to receive the circuit package; recess means in said housing defining a plurality of lead receiving paths for receiving the leads of a circuit package disposed on said support surface, said recess means comprising two rows of recesses, one row in each of said opposed side walls flanking said cavity, each recess including a portion open to said cavity; a terminal mounted in said housing adjacent each recess, each including a first terminal portion held by said housing and an otherwise unsupported spring contact extending from said first portion and normally positioned adjacent one said lead receiving path and permitting unobstructed entry of a lead into said path, each spring contact in its normal position including a first segment disposed in said recess and a second segment extending into said cavity from the corresponding one of said side wall; and a pair of opposed cam surfaces on said carriage engageable with said second segments of said terminals upon movement of the carriage from the outer position to the inner position for forcing said spring contacts transversely outwardly into said lead receiving paths and against the inserted leads.

Claim 14

A connector for a modular circuit package including plural male leads, said connector comprising; a housing including a base having a cavity defined in part between a pair of opposed side walls; a carriage mounted in said cavity for movement between outer and inner positions; an externally directed support surface on said carriage adapted to receive the circuit package; recess means in said housing defining a plurality of lead receiving paths for receiving the leads of a circuit package disposed on said support surface, said recess means comprising two rows of recesses, one row in each of said opposed side walls flanking said cavity, each recess including a portion open to said cavity; a terminal mounted in said housing adjacent each recess, each including a first terminal portion held by said housing and an otherwise unsupported spring contact extending from said first portion and normally positioned adjacent one said lead receiving path and permitting unobstructed entry of a lead into said path, each spring contact in its normal position including a first segment disposed in said recess and a second segment extending into said cavity from the corresponding one of said side wall; and a pair of opposed cam surfaces on said carriage engageable with said second segments of said terminals upon movement of the carriage from the outer position to the inner position for forcing said spring contacts transversely outwardly into said lead receiving paths and against the inserted leads.

Claim 15

A connector as claimed in claim 12 each said portions of said recesses open to said cavity comprising a slot of reduced width, said first segment of said spring contact of each terminal including a head portion wider than said slot.