U.S. patent application number 10/271288 was filed with the patent office on 2004-04-15 for adapter for power connectors.
Invention is credited to Wu, Jerry.
Application Number | 20040072473 10/271288 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30000235 |
Filed Date | 2004-04-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040072473 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu, Jerry |
April 15, 2004 |
ADAPTER FOR POWER CONNECTORS
Abstract
A power adapter (100) for use with power connectors includes a
printed circuit board (3), first and second connectors (1, 2)
attached on opposite surfaces of the printed circuit board. The
first electrical connector is configured with a Serial Advanced
Technology Attachment (SATA) interface and has a number of first
terminals (11) conductively received in first through-holes (31) of
the printed circuit board. The second electrical connector is
configured as a conventional power connector and has a number of
second terminals (21) conductively received in second through-holes
(30) of the printed circuit board. The power trace is transmitted
from the first connector to the second connector via the printed
circuit board, in which circuits are defined between predetermined
first through-holes and the second through-holes.
Inventors: |
Wu, Jerry; (Irvine,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WEI TE CHUNG
FOXCONN INTERNATIONAL, INC.
1650 MEMOREX DRIVE
SANTA CLARA
CA
95050
US
|
Family ID: |
30000235 |
Appl. No.: |
10/271288 |
Filed: |
October 15, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/638 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 31/06 20130101;
H01R 13/506 20130101; H05K 1/141 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
439/638 |
International
Class: |
H05K 001/00; H01R
012/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A power adapter comprising: a printed circuit board defining a
first surface, an opposite second surface; a first electrical
connector configured with a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
(SATA) interface thereof and conductively attached on said first
surface of said printed circuit board; and a second electrical
connector configured as a conventional power connector and
conductively attached to the second surface of said printed circuit
board.
2. The power adapter as described in claim 1, wherein said printed
circuit board defines thereon a number of first and second
through-holes arranged in rows, said second through-holes being
disposed between said first through-holes.
3. The power adapter as described in claim 2, wherein said first
electrical connector includes a number of terminals conductively
received in said first through-holes of said printed circuit board,
each terminal having a press-fit end fixedly received in
corresponding first through-hole.
4. The power adapter as described in claim 2, wherein said second
electrical connector includes a number of power pins arranged in a
row and conductively received in said second through-holes.
5. An interconnection system comprising: a first and a second
connectors arranged back to back spaced from each other, said first
and second connectors respectively having terminals thereon,
wherein said first connector has a larger number of terminals than
said second connector; and a printed circuit board sandwiched
between said first and second connectors, said printed circuit
board having a number of through-holes arranged in rows for
conductively receiving said terminals of said first and second
connectors; wherein said first connector forms at least one
engaging member therewith and said second connector defines at
least a receiving cavity thereon for engaging with said at least
one engaging member so as to securely join said first and second
connectors together.
6. The interconnection system as described in claim 5, wherein said
first connector is configured with a Serial Advanced Technology
Attachment (SATA) interface thereof and each terminal of said first
connector has an end press-fitted in corresponding through-hole of
said printed circuit board.
7. The interconnection system as described in claim 5, wherein said
second connector is configured as a conventional power connector
and has four power pins conductively connecting with said terminals
of said first connector via said printed circuit board.
8. An adaptor comprising: a first connector including a first
insulative housing defining a first mating port with a plurality of
first contacts therein; a second connector including a second
insulative housing defining a second mating port with a plurality
of second contacts therein; said first connector and said second
connector being back to back assembled to each other with a printed
circuit board therebetween; wherein the first contacts are first
soldered on one side of the printed circuit board while the second
contacts are of compliant pins and are successively press fit into
corresponding through holes of said printed circuit board, so as to
form the whole adaptor.
9. The adaptor as described in claim 8, wherein said first mating
port defines a first mating direction perpendicular to said printed
circuit board.
10. The adaptor as described in claim 8, wherein said second mating
port defines a second mating direction perpendicular to said
printed circuit board.
11. The adaptor as described in claim 8, wherein said first mating
port defines a first mating direction, said second mating port
defines a second mating direction, and said first mating direction
is opposite to said second mating direction.
12. The adaptor as described in claim 8, wherein said first housing
and said second housing define locking and guiding means for back
to back assembling said first housing and said second housing
together.
13. The adaptor as described in claim 8, wherein said first
contacts and said second contacts have different numbers and
different positions relative to each other.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is related to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/211,464, entitled "ELECTRICAL ADAPTER",
filed on Aug. 1, 2002; and is a co-pending application of U.S.
patent application with an unknown serial number, entitled "POWER
ADAPTER FOR INTERCONNECTING DIFFERENT TYPES OF POWER CONNECTORS";
and another application with an unknown serial number entitled
"ELECTRICAL ADAPTER" all assigned to the same assignee.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention generally relates to an electrical
adapter, and particularly to an electrical adapter for joining two
power connectors having different designs and configurations.
[0004] 2. Description of Prior Arts
[0005] The design of a mother printed circuit board is repeatedly
upgraded for complying with an issuance of each new electrical
member to be mounted thereon. Some peripheral electrical devices
such as a power supply and the related power connector must also be
adapted to accommodate the new type of printed circuit board.
Therefore, various interface standard power connectors are
continually proposed to be applied in a computer interior
structure. However, such power connectors according different
interface standards are generally featured in different
configurations and each has different numbers electrical contacts
therein. Understandably, such different interface standard power
connectors cannot mate directly. Many electrical adapters, thereby,
are designed to interconnect those different interface standard
connectors.
[0006] There exists in the art an electrical connector known as a
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (Serial ATA) connector which
is generally used for disk drives and storage peripherals
connecting with the mother printed circuit board. It should be
noted that the Serial ATA power connectors according the Serial ATA
standard are in added power contacts than other conventional power
connectors used in Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) and are
relatively different in configurations. Correspondingly, the
present problem people in the art confronts, is that a storage
peripheral using a Serial ATA power connector may be required to
connect with an existing mother printed circuit board which
originally uses a conventional IDE power connector to connect with
the storage peripheral. Obviously, it is not convenient to wholly
replace the system, which adds cost. Accordingly, a power adapter
interconnecting the Serial ATA power connector and the conventional
IDE power connector is desired.
[0007] Hence, a power adapter for interconnecting the Serial ATA
power connector and the conventional IDE power connector is highly
desired.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to
provide a power adapter for electrically interconnecting a Serial
ATA power connector and a conventional IDE power connector.
[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a power
adapter in accordance with the present invention includes a printed
circuit board, first and second connectors attached on opposite
surfaces of the printed circuit board. The first electrical
connector is configured with a Serial Advanced Technology
Attachment (SATA) interface and has a number of first terminals
conductively received in first through-holes of the printed circuit
board. The second electrical connector is configured as a
conventional power connector and has a number of second terminals
conductively received in second through-holes of the printed
circuit board. The power trace is transmitted from the first
connector to the second connector via the printed circuit board, in
which circuits are defined between predetermined first
through-holes and the second through-holes.
[0010] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of an adapter in
accordance with the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 while taken from another
aspect;
[0013] FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partially assembled view of the
adapter shown in FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partially assembled view of the
adapter shown in FIG. 2;
[0015] FIG. 5 is an assembled, perspective view of the adapter
shown in FIG. 3; and
[0016] FIG. 6 is an assembled, perspective view of the adapter
shown in FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to
describe the present invention in detail.
[0018] Together referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an adapter 100 for
interconnecting two power connectors in accordance with the present
invention, comprises a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)
connector 1, a conventional power connector 2, and a printed
circuit board 3 sandwiched between the SATA connector 1 and the
power connector 2.
[0019] The SATA connector 1 includes a dielectric first housing 10
having a number of passageways 101 therethrough and a number of
terminals 11 received in corresponding passageways 101. Each
terminal 11 comprises a contacting portion 110, a press-fit portion
112 and an intermediate portion 114 interconnecting the contacting
portion 110 and the press-fit portion 112. The contacting portion
110 is formed at a distal end of the terminal 11 and disposed in a
tongue portion 102 (FIG. 2) of the first housing 10, while the
press-fit portion 112 is formed at an opposite distal end and
disposed on a rear face 103 of the first housing 10. The first
housing 10 of the SATA connector 1 includes a board lock 104 formed
on a lateral side thereof and a cutout 105 defined on an opposite
lateral side. A number of notches 106 are defined on opposite
surfaces of the first housing 10, respectively, and a number of
cavities 107 are disposed on the rear face 103 adjacent to
corresponding notches 106.
[0020] The conventional power connector 2 comprises a second
housing 20 and four power pins 21 received in the second housing
20. Each power pin 21 includes an engaging portion 210 for engaging
with a complementary connector (not shown) and a soldering tail 212
extending rearwardly. The second housing 20 forms a latch 201 (FIG.
2) on a lateral side thereof for being mechanically received in the
cutout 105 of the first housing 10, and defines a board lock
receiving opening 202 on an opposite side for receiving the board
lock 104 of the first housing 10 to thereby securely interlock the
first and second housings 10, 20. The second housing 20 also has a
number of board locks 204 and guiding posts 203 formed thereon
corresponding to the notches 106 and the cavities 107 of the first
housing 10 for engaging therewith.
[0021] The printed circuit board 3 defines four first through-holes
30 through opposite surfaces thereof for receiving corresponding
soldering tails 212 of the power pins 21, and a number of second
through-holes 31 for receiving corresponding press-fit portions 112
of the terminals 11. The second through-holes 31 are arranged in
two rows with the first through-holes 30 being disposed
therebetween. A number of electrical traces (not shown) are
arranged on the printed circuit board 3 to thereby conductively
connecting the four power pins 21 of the conventional power
connector 2 and predetermined terminals 11 of the SATA connector 1
via corresponding first and second through-holes 30, 31.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1-2 in conjunction with FIGS. 3-6, in
assembly, the printed circuit board 3 is firstly attached onto a
rear side of the conventional power connector 2 whereby the
soldering tails 212 of the power pins 21 are received and soldered
in the first through-holes 30 of the printed circuit board 3. The
SATA connector 1 is then assembled to the rear side of the
conventional power connector 2 and the printed circuit board 3 with
the press-fit portions 112 of the terminals 11 being press-fitted
in the second through-holes 31 of the printed circuit board 3.
Meanwhile, the guiding posts 203, the latch 201 and the board locks
204 of the conventional power connector 2 are received in the
cavities 107, the cutout 105 and the notches 106 of the SATA
connector 1, respectively. The board lock 104 of the SATA connector
1 is accommodated in the board lock receiving opening 202 of the
conventional power connector 2. Consequently, the two connectors 1,
2 are firmly interlocked with the printed circuit board 3 being
securely and conductively sandwiched therebetween.
[0023] It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous
characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been
set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of
the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is
illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in
matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the
principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the
broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are
expressed.
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