Electrical connector and system for automatic insertion machinery

Claim 2

An electrical connector mountable on a first surface of a printed circuit board having a mounting aperture extending through the board to a second surface, comprising: an electrical contact for connection to an external electrical source; a housing containing the electrical contact and including a mounting surface for mating engagement with the first surface of the printed circuit board; a terminal extending from the mounting surface and electrically connected to the contact; and a snap fit post for insertion into the mounting aperture of the printed circuit board to hold the housing against the first surface of the printed circuit board, said snap fit post having a neck extending from the mounting surface and being located in an intermediate area between an edge of the housing and the terminal and an enlarged snap fit head which compresses inwardly to pass through the mounting aperture and expands outwardly after passing beyond the second surface of the printed circuit board for snug engagement against the second surface surrounding the mounting aperture to thereby capture and hold the connector to the printed circuit board.

Claim 3

The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the housing includes side surfaces extending from the mounting surface and generally enclosing the electrical contact, an access aperture located in one of the side surfaces which defines with the mounting surface said edge of the housing and aligned to allow the external electrical source to be connected through the access aperture to the electrical contact, and the snap-fit post being off-center and located closer to said one side surface containing the access aperture.

Claim 4

The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the snap fit post has an end portion insertable into an aperture on the printed circuit board and a canted surface spaced between the end portion and the mounting surface for snug engagement with the printed circuit board.

Claim 5

The electrical connector of claim 3 wherein the canted surface is a canted shoulder which provides an interference fit with the aperture in the printed circuit board.

Claim 6

The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the snap-fit post has at least one slot through the snap fit post to form at least two fingers that may be compressed together.

Claim 7

The electrical connector of claim 5 wherein each finger has a tapered end portion.

Claim 8

The electrical connector of claim 1 including at least two alignment posts and at least two terminals and the alignment posts and terminals extend substantially the same distance from the mounting surface to end in a plane substantially parallel to the mounting surface, and said snap fit post extends further from the mounting surface than the alignment posts and the terminals to project beyond said plane.

Claim 9

The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the housing includes an upper surface spaced from and parallel to the mounting surface with the electrical contact being located between the upper surface and the mounting surface, and said upper surface being substantially flat and smooth to provide a pick up surface for a suction head.

Claim 10

The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the electrical contact is formed by a generally cylindrical pin, a leaf spring located within the housing and having a movable portion to form a make and break electrical contact, and a second terminal extending from the mounting surface and electrically connected to the leaf spring.

Claim 11

The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein a single snap fit post extends from the mounting surface to form the sole extension which is engageable with the opposite side of the printed circuit board to thereby retain the connector firmly against the printed circuit board.

Claim 12

The electrical connector of claim 1 including an alignment post extending from the mounting surface and spaced from the terminal, and the neck of the snap fit post is located in an intermediate area between the terminal and the alignment post.

Claim 13

The electrical connector of claim 11 wherein the snap-fit post is off-center in said intermediate area.

Claim 14

An electrical connector mountable on a first surface of a printed circuit board having a mounting aperture extending through the board to a second surface, comprising: an electrical contact for connection to an external electrical source; a housing containing the electrical contact and including a mounting surface for mating engagement with the first surface of the printed circuit board; a terminal extending from the mounting surface and electrically connected to the contact; and a snap-fit post for insertion into the mounting aperture of the printed circuit board to hold the housing against the first surface of the printed circuit board, said snap-fit post being located in an intermediate area between an edge of the housing and the terminal and having a neck extending from the mounting surface and terminating in an enlarged snap-fit head, the length of the neck being approximately the same as the distance between the first and second surfaces of the printed circuit board, the enlarged snap-fit head including a plurality of resilient fingers which compress inwardly to pass through the mounting aperture and expand outwardly after protruding beyond the second surface of the printed circuit board, each resilient finger including a canted shoulder which extends to the neck and which is engagable with the second surface surrounding the mounting aperture to create an interference fit to securely capture and hold the housing against the first surface of the printed circuit board.

Claim 15

An electrical connector mountable on a first surface of a printed circuit board having a mounting aperture extending through the board to a second surface, comprising: an electrical contact for connection to an external electrical source; a housing containing the electrical contact and including a mounting surface for mating engagement with the first surface of the printed circuit board; a terminal extending from the mounting surface and electrically connected to the contact; and a snap-fit post for insertion into the mounting aperture of the printed circuit board to hold the housing against the first surface of the printed circuit board, said snap-fit post being located in an intermediate area between an edge of the housing and the terminal and having a neck extending from the mounting surface and terminating in an enlarged snap-fit head, the length of the neck being approximately the same as the distance between the first and second surfaces of the printed circuit board, the enlarged snap-fit head including a plurality of resilient fingers which compress inwardly to pass through the mounting aperture and expand outwardly after protruding beyond the second surface of the printed circuit board, each resilient finger including a canted shoulder which extends to the neck and which is engagable with the second surface surrounding the mounting aperture to create an interference fit to securely capture and hold the housing against the first surface of the printed circuit board.

Claim 16

The electrical connector of claim 13 wherein the canted shoulder of each flexible finger forms a cam seating surface which snugly engages the edge of the mounting aperture.

Claim 17

The electrical connector of claim 13 wherein the plurality of resilient fingers each have a tapered outer wall which tapers to a terminating end having a diameter less than the diameter of the mounting aperture and a center opening which allows the plurality of resilient fingers to flex inwardly in order to pass through the mounting aperture.

Claim 18

The electrical connector of claim 13 wherein the neck is located off-center and closer to a wall containing an access opening to the housing and the snap-fit post forms the sole extension which is engagable with the second side of the printed circuit board for the purpose of retaining the connector against the second surface of the printed circuit board.