Battery connector

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a battery connector, and more particularly to a battery connector capable of making terminals and a printed circuit board electrically connected with each other steadily.

2. The Related Art

It is well known that mobile phones or other portable electronic devices often use rechargeable batteries as power sources. Traditionally, the mobile phone and the electronic device need a battery connector mounted therein for electrically connecting the rechargeable battery with a printed circuit board mounted in the mobile phone and the electronic device. The battery connector is connected with the printed circuit board by soldering terminals thereof to the printed circuit board by means of a SMT method. However, when the terminals are not coplanar due to the inaccurate manufacturing, some terminals near the printed circuit board are easily soldered to the printed circuit board while other terminals apart from the printed circuit board are difficultly soldered to the printed circuit board. It results in a bad electrical connection between the terminals and the printed circuit board. Thus a battery connector which can make the terminals and the printed circuit board electrically connected with each other steadily is required.

An object of the present invention is to provide a battery connector adapted for being electrically connected with a printed circuit board. The battery connector includes an insulating housing defining a plurality of terminal passageways passing through a top surface and a bottom surface thereof and extending longitudinally, a plurality of fixing members fastened in the insulating housing and stretching beyond the top surface of the insulating housing for being soldered to the printed circuit board, and a plurality of electrical terminals disposed in the corresponding terminal passageways. Each of the electrical terminals has a fixing board disposed vertically, a first contact portion stretching out of the bottom surface of the insulating housing, and a substantially lying-V shaped second elastic portion extended from a top of the fixing board. A free end of the second elastic portion stretches out of the top surface of the insulating housing and is arched upward to form a second contact portion capable of elastically abutting against the printed circuit board.

As described above, the battery connector and the printed circuit board are electrically connected with each other by way of the second contact portions of the electrical terminals elastically abutting against the printed circuit board because of the elasticity of the second elastic portions in order to ensure a steady electrical connection between the battery connector and the printed circuit board even if the second contact portions are not coplanar due to the inaccurate manufacturing.

The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery connector in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the battery connector of FIG. 1 , wherein an insulating housing of the battery connector is cut open in part;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a preloading board disposed on the battery connector;

FIG. 4 is another perspective view showing the preloading board disposed on the battery connector;

FIG. 5 is a lateral view showing a printed circuit board assembled on the battery connector, wherein the preloading board is disposed on the battery connector; and

FIG. 6 is a lateral view showing the printed circuit board assembled on the battery connector, wherein the preloading board is withdrawn from the battery connector.

With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , a battery connector 1 of the present invention includes an insulating housing 10 , a plurality of electrical terminals 20 and four fixing members 30 received in the insulating housing 10 respectively.

The insulating housing 10 is of rectangular shape and has a top surface 11 , a bottom surface 12 , two side surfaces 13 , a front surface 14 and a rear surface 15 . A middle of the insulating housing 10 defines a plurality of substantially rectangular terminal passageways 16 arranged at regular intervals along a transverse direction thereof and each vertically passing through the top surface 11 and the bottom surface 12 . A front of each terminal passageway 16 extends toward two sides to form a pair of fixing fillisters 161 . A top front of each of the terminal passageways 16 extends forward to penetrate through the front surface 14 and the top surface 11 to form a locating cavity 17 . A top of each side surface 13 protrudes outward to form a rectangular first fixing block 18 adjacent to the front surface 14 and extending beyond the top surface 11 . Each of the first fixing blocks 18 defines a first fixing aperture 181 vertically passing therethrough. Two top ends of the first fixing blocks 18 extend face-to-face to form a pair of preventing boards 182 spaced away from the top surface 11 . Accordingly, a pair of guiding channels 183 is formed between the corresponding preventing boards 182 and the top surface 11 . A top of the rear surface 15 protrudes rearward to form two rectangular second fixing blocks 19 extending beyond the top surface 11 and apart from each other. Each of the second fixing blocks 19 defines a second fixing aperture 191 vertically passing therethrough.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, each of the electrical terminals 20 has a rectangular fixing board 21 disposed vertically. A bottom middle of the fixing board 21 extends downward and is bent rearward to form a first elastic portion 22 . A free end of the first elastic portion 22 extends rearward to form a first contact portion 23 . A free end of the first contact portion 23 is bent upward and then forward to form a fastening portion 231 . A substantially lying-V shaped second elastic portion 24 is extended from a top middle of the fixing board 21 . The second elastic portion 24 has a lower arm 241 extended rearward and inclined upward from the top middle of the fixing board 21 , and an upper arm 242 extended forward and inclined upward from a free end of the lower arm 241 . A free end of the second elastic portion 24 stretches beyond a front of the fixing board 21 and is arched upward to form a second contact portion 26 .

Referring to FIG. 1 again, in assembly, the fixing board 21 , the elastic portions 22 , 24 and the fastening portion 231 of the electrical terminal 20 are received in the corresponding terminal passageway 16 of the insulating housing 10 . Two sides of the fixing board 21 are buckled into the corresponding fixing Misters 161 . The first contact portion 23 stretches out of the bottom surface 12 . The free end of the second elastic portion 24 stretches out of the top surface 11 and is located above the corresponding locating cavity 17 . The second contact portion 26 is located in front of the front surface 14 and higher than the first fixing blocks 18 . The fixing members 30 are fastened in the fixing apertures 181 , 191 of the corresponding fixing blocks 18 , 19 and a top end of each fixing member 30 stretches out of a top of the corresponding fixing block 18 , 19 .

Referring to FIGS. 3-6 , a T-shaped preloading board 4 which has a pressing board 41 extending transversely and a driving board 42 extending rearward from a rear middle of the pressing board 41 is movably disposed on the battery connector 1 before the battery connector 1 is assembled to a printed circuit board 5 , wherein the pressing board 41 is movably disposed on a rear of the top surface 11 of the insulating housing 10 and the driving board 42 is movably located between the second fixing blocks 19 . Then the driving board 42 is pushed forward to make the pressing board 41 slide forward along the guiding channels 183 so as to press the second contact portions 26 downward and make the free end of the corresponding second elastic portions 24 received in the corresponding locating cavities 17 . At this moment, the top ends of the fixing members 30 pass through the printed circuit board 5 and are further soldered to the printed circuit board 5 so as to secure the battery connector 1 to the printed circuit board 5 firmly. At last, the driving board 42 is further pushed forward so as to make the preloading board 4 withdrawn from a front of the battery connector 1 . After the preloading board 4 being withdrawn from the battery connector 1 , the second contact portions 26 of the electrical terminals 20 abut against a bottom of the printed circuit board 5 because of elasticity of the second elastic portions 24 that ensures an electrical connection between the battery connector 1 and the printed circuit board 5 .

As described above, the battery connector 1 and the printed circuit board 5 are electrically connected with each other by way of the second contact portions 26 of the electrical terminals 20 elastically abutting against the bottom of the printed circuit board 5 because of the elasticity of the second elastic portions 24 in order to ensure a steady electrical connection between the battery connector 1 and the printed circuit board 5 even if the second contact portions 26 are not coplanar due to the inaccurate manufacturing.