EP2696441A2

EP2696441A2 - Electric connector

Info

Publication number: EP2696441A2
Application number: EP13178517.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Noriyuki Akai
Original assignee: Kyocera Connector Products Corp
Current assignee: Kyocera Connector Products Corp
Priority date: 2012-08-07
Filing date: 2013-07-30
Publication date: 2014-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2033-07-30
Also published as: EP2696441B1; EP2696441A3; KR20140019722A; KR101402647B1; JP5781991B2; JP2014035794A

Abstract

A connector includes a plug connector and a receptacle connector, which is provided with a receptacle contact fixed to a receptacle insulator. The receptacle contact includes a fixed portion, a first resilient deformable portion extending from an end of the fixed portion, and a second resilient deformable portion extending toward the fixed portion from an end of the first resilient deformable portion. The second resilient deformable portion includes a first contact protrusion which contacts the plug-side contact portion when a plug insulator and the receptacle insulator are connected, a deformation limit portion which contacts the contacted portion when the plug-side contact portion and the first contact protrusion contact with each other, and a second contact protrusion which contacts the plug-side contact portion when the plug insulator and the receptacle insulator are connected.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a connector having a plug connector and a receptacle connector which are capable of being connected and disconnected to and from each other.

2. Description of the Related Art

A connector disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2010-33714 is known in the related art as a connector having a plug connector and a receptacle connector which are capable of being connected and disconnected to and from each other.
The plug connector of the connector disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2010-33714 is provided with a plug insulator having a recessed portion and a group of plug contacts consisting of two types of contacts which are fitted in the recessed portion. Each plug contact in each of these two types of contacts has a contact portion (plug-side contact portion) which extends linearly in the connection direction (plug-in direction) between the plug connector and the receptacle connector.
The receptacle connector disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2010-33714 is provided with a receptacle insulator having a reception recess which receives the plug insulator and the group of plug contacts, and the receptacle connector is further provided with a group of receptacle contacts consisting of two types of contacts which are installed in the reception recess. Each receptacle contact in each of these two types of contacts has a contact portion (protrusion) which comes in contact with the plug-side contact portion of the associated plug contact when the plug connector and the receptacle connector are connected.
The group of plug contacts of the plug connector is connected to a circuit board and the group of receptacle contacts of the receptacle connector is connected to another circuit board.
Accordingly, connecting the plug connector and the receptacle connector to each other causes the contact portions (protrusions) of the group of receptacle contacts to come into contact with the plug-side contact portions of the group of plug contacts, respectively, which establishes electrical connection between the two circuit boards.
The connector disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2010-33714 is applicable to various products and can be used as a connector in, e.g., a PLC (programmable logic controller/ programmable controller) for use in industrial automated machinery or in a car navigation system.
However, because various minute foreign particles such as dust exist in factories and the interiors of vehicles, there is a possibility of minute foreign particles adhering to the plug-side contact portions of the group of plug contacts. If the plug connector and the receptacle connector are connected with minute foreign particles adhered to the plug-side contact portions of the group of plug contacts, minute foreign particles sandwich between the plug-side contact portions and the contact portions (protrusions) of the group of receptacle contacts, which may cause poor electrical contact therebetween.
In addition, since each plug contact and the associated receptacle contact come in contact with each other at a single point (a contact point between the plug-side contact portion of the plug contact and the contact portion of the receptacle contact), there is a possibility of the contact engagement between the group of plug contacts and the group of receptacle contacts being temporarily (momentarily) disconnected each time vibrations occur during operation of industrial automated machinery or during driving of a vehicle.
As a countermeasure for this type of problem, each receptacle contact only needs to be provided with a first contact portion (protrusion) and a second contact portion (protrusion) as shown in a comparative example shown in FIG. 17. According to this structure, upon the plug connector and the receptacle connector being connected, the first contact portion of each receptacle contact first comes into sliding contact with the plug-side contact portion of the associated plug contact, and subsequently the second contact portion of each receptacle contact comes into contact with the same plug-side contact portion of the associated plug contact.
Minute foreign particles adhered to the plug-side contact portion are cleaned (swept off) by the sliding contact of the first contact portion on the plug-side contact portion, and subsequently the second contact portion comes into contact with this cleared surface (the plug-side contact portion), which reduces the possibility of poor electrical contact occurring between the plug-side contact portion and the associated receptacle contact.
Additionally, since each plug contact and the associated receptacle contact are in contact with each other at two points (a contact point between the plug-side contact portion and the first contact portion and another contact point between the plug-side contact portion and the second contact portion), even if the contact state of one of the two contact points is temporarily (momentarily) released by vibrations, there is a possibility of the contact state of the other contact point being maintained, which improves contact reliability.
However, if the spring length of the receptacle contacts is great, or if the manufacturing dimensions of the plug contacts deviate from the design values or the insertion position (orientation) of the plug contacts (the plug connector) relative to the receptacle connector deviates from the correct position (orientation), the position of the first contact portion slightly deviates from a predetermined position (design position) when the group of receptacle contacts come into contact with the group of plug contacts, which easily changes the position of a portion of each receptacle contact which is closer to the outer end thereof (i.e., closer to the second contact portion side). Accordingly, the second contact portion can be easily spaced from the associated plug contact, or the spring force of each receptacle contact can be easily degraded, so that the contact state between the plug-side contact portions and the second contact portions may become unstable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a connector having a plug connector and a receptacle connector which are capable of being connected and disconnected to and from each other, wherein, although each receptacle contact of the receptacle connector comes in contact with the linearly extending plug-side contact portion of the associated plug contact of the receptacle connector at two points, these two contact portions of each receptacle can be securely made in contact with the plug-side contact portion of the associated plug contact with reliability.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a connector is provided, including a plug connector and a receptacle connector, wherein the plug connector is provided with a plug insulator and at least one plug contact which is supported by the plug insulator and which includes a plug-side contact portion extending linearly, wherein the receptacle connector is provided with a receptacle insulator capable of being connected to the plug insulator and at least one receptacle contact which is fixed to the receptacle insulator and capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the plug-side contact portion. The receptacle contact of the receptacle connector includes a fixed portion which is fixed to the receptacle insulator, a first resilient deformable portion which extends from an end of the fixed portion, and a second resilient deformable portion which extends toward the fixed portion from an end of the first resilient deformable portion to face the first resilient deformable portion with a clearance therebetween. The second resilient deformable portion includes a first contact protrusion which comes into sliding contact with the plug-side contact portion and makes the second resilient deformable portion resiliently deformed toward the first resilient deformable portion when the plug insulator and the receptacle insulator are connected, a deformation limit portion which is positioned closer to an end of the second resilient deformable portion than the first contact protrusion, is spaced from a contacted portion which is formed on one of the receptacle insulator and the first resilient deformable portion to be positioned closer to the first resilient deformable portion than the second resilient deformable portion when the plug-side contact portion and the first contact protrusion are noncontact with each other, and comes into contact with the contacted portion when the plug-side contact portion and the first contact protrusion come into contact with each other; and a second contact protrusion which is positioned closer to the end of the second resilient deformable portion than the deformation limit portion and comes into contact with the plug-side contact portion at a position closer to the end of the second resilient deformable portion than the position at which the plug-side contact portion contacts the first contact protrusion.
It is desirable for a wide-width installation groove, which extends parallel to the first resilient deformable portion and includes the contacted portion at a bottom thereof, to be formed on a surface of the receptacle insulator, wherein a narrow-width installation groove, which extends parallel to the wide-width installation groove and is smaller in width than the wide-width installation groove, is formed at a bottom of the wide-width installation groove, the first resilient deformable portion and the second resilient deformable portion are positioned in the narrow-width installation groove and the wide-width installation groove, respectively, and the deformation limit portion, which is greater in width than the narrow-width installation groove, is formed on the second resilient deformable portion.
It is desirable for the second resilient deformable portion to include a gradually-changing width portion having a curved outer profile, wherein the gradually-changing width portion is positioned between the first contact protrusion and the second contact protrusion, and the deformation limit portion is formed at an intermediate portion of the gradually-changing width portion.
It is desirable for the gradually-changing width portion to be curved to project toward the first resilient deformation portion.
It is desirable for the first resilient deformation portion to be spaced from the receptacle insulator in a state before the plug insulator and the receptacle insulator are connected.
According to the present invention, upon the plug-side contact portion of the plug contact coming into contact with the first contact protrusion of the receptacle contact by connecting the receptacle connector and the plug connector halfway along each other to an intermediate position, the second resilient deformable portion is resiliently deformed toward the first resilient deformable portion, while the deformation limit portion that was spaced from the contacted portion comes into contact with the contacted portion. Thereupon, the spring length of the spring portion of the receptacle contact, which includes the second contact protrusion, becomes shorter than that before the deformation limit portion comes into contact with the contacted portion (i.e., the spring constant of the spring portion changes), so that the spring force of the spring portion becomes great (greater than that before the deformation limit portion comes into contact with the contacted portion). From this state, making the receptacle connector and the plug connector fully engaged with each other causes the plug-side contact portion of the plug contact to slide on the first contact protrusion of the receptacle contact; thereupon, minute foreign particles adhered to the surface of the plug-side contact portion are cleaned (swept) by the first contact protrusion of the receptacle contact. Consequently, the second contact protrusion of the receptacle contact comes in contact securely with the cleaned (swept) surface of the plug-side contact portion with high pressure. In addition, upon the deformation limit portion coming into contact with the contacted portion by connecting the receptacle connector and the plug connector halfway along each other to an intermediate position, a portion of the receptacle contact which is closer to the free end thereof (closer to the second contact protrusion side) than the deformation limit portion is positioned at a predetermined deformation position (design position). Consequently, the second contact protrusion of the receptacle contact can securely be made to contact the plug-side contact portion even if the manufacturing dimensions of the plug contact deviate from the design values or if the insertion position (orientation) of the plug contact (the insertion position (orientation) of the plug connector) deviates from the normal position (orientation) relative to the receptacle connector. Therefore, even if the spring length of the receptacle contact is great, the first contact protrusion and the second contact protrusion can be made to contact the plug-side contact portion in a stable state.
In addition, since the second contact protrusion comes into contact with the cleaned portion of the plug-side contact portion, the possibility of contact failure between the second contact protrusion and the plug-side contact portion is small.
Additionally, since the plug contact and the receptacle contact come into contact with each other at two points, even if the contact state of one of the two contact points is temporarily (momentarily) and accidentally released due to vibrations applied to the connector, there is a possibility of the contact state of the other contact point being maintained, which improves contact reliability between the plug contact and the receptacle contact compared with the case where the plug contact and the receptacle contact come into contact with each other at a single point.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be discussed below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention which includes a plug connector and a receptacle connector, viewed obliquely from below and showing a state where the plug connector and the receptacle connector are disconnected from each other;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle connector, viewed obliquely from below;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first receptacle contact shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;
FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the first receptacle contact;
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the first receptacle contact;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the receptacle connector;
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line VII-VII shown in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of the receptacle connector shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the plug connector, viewed obliquely from above;
FIG. 11 is a plan view of the plug connector;
FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along the line XII-XII line shown in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of the connector in a state where the plug connector is connected halfway into the receptacle connector at an intermediate position, wherein sectional views of the receptacle connector and the plug connector of the connector are similar to those shown in FIGS. 7 and 12, respectively;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the connector in a state where the plug connector and the receptacle connector are fully connected, viewed obliquely from below;
FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view similar to that of FIG. 13, showing a state where the plug connector and the receptacle connector are fully connected;
FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a portion of the connector shown in FIG. 15; and
FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view similar to that of FIG. 15, showing a comparative example which is to be compared with the connector according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

An embodiment of a connector according to the present invention will be hereinafter discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 16.
The present embodiment of the connector 10 can be used as a connector in, e.g., a PLC (programmable logic controller/ programmable controller) for use in industrial automated machinery or in a car navigation system. The connector 10 is provided with a receptacle connector 20 and a plug connector 50 that are capable of being connected and disconnected to and from each other.
First, the overall structure of the receptacle connector 20 will be discussed hereinafter.
The receptacle connector 20 is provided with a receptacle insulator 21 which is formed of electrically-insulative and heat-resistant synthetic resin by injection molding, and a total of sixteen contacts consisting of eight first receptacle contacts 35 and eight second receptacle contacts 45 which are all fixed to the receptacle insulator 21.
The receptacle insulator 21 is integrally provided with a rectangular-ring wall portion 22 and a bottom plate portion 23. The internal space of the rectangular-ring wall portion 22 constitutes a reception recess 22a, and the bottom plate portion 23 closes the bottom of the rectangular-ring wall portion 22. The receptacle insulator 21 is provided with eight first contact installation grooves 25 and eight second contact installation grooves 33, each of which extends upward through the bottom plate portion 23 along an inner surface of the rectangular-ring wall portion 22.
The eight first contact installation grooves 25 are arranged in the leftward/rightward direction, and each first contact installation groove 25 is provided with a tail installation groove 26 and a main body installation groove 28. The tail installation groove 26 is formed in a bottom surface of the bottom plate portion 23. The main body installation groove 28 extends upward from the rear end of the tail installation groove 26, and the upper end of the main body installation groove 28 is open to the upper surface of the rectangular-ring wall portion 22. The main body installation groove 28 of each first contact installation groove 25 is provided with a wide-width installation groove 29 which is grooved in an inner surface (surface) of the front part of the rectangular-ring wall portion 22 and extends in the forward/rearward direction, and is further provided with a narrow-width installation groove 31 which is grooved in the bottom surface of the wide-width installation groove 29 and extends parallel to the wide-width installation groove 29. The narrow-width installation groove 31 is smaller in width (dimension in the leftward/rightward direction) than the wide-width installation groove 29. The bottom of each wide-width installation groove 29 is formed as a contacted portion 30 consisting of a pair of flat surfaces which lie in a plane orthogonal to the forward/rearward direction and are positioned on both the front and rear sides of the narrow-width installation groove 31, respectively. The eight second contact installation grooves 33 are formed such that the eight second contact installation grooves 33 and the eight first contact installation grooves 25 are symmetrically arranged in the forward/rearward direction. Similar to each first contact installation groove 25, each second contact installation groove 33 is provided with a tail installation groove 26 and a main body installation groove 28 (which consists of a wide-width installation groove 29 and a narrow-width installation groove 31).
The eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 are installed in the eight first contact installation grooves 25 and the eight second contact installation grooves 33, respectively. The eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 are each formed from a thin plate made of a spring (resilient) copper alloy (e.g., phosphor bronze, beryllium copper or titanium copper) or a resilient Corson-copper alloy and formed into the shape shown in the drawings by a progressive die (progressive stamping die), and is firstly coated with nickel (Ni) plating as base plating and subsequently with gold (Au) or tin (Sn) plating as finish plating. The eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 are symmetrically arranged in the forward/rearward direction. In addition, the eight first receptacle contacts 35 are bisymmetrical in shape and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 are also bisymmetrical in shape.
Each first receptacle contact 35 is provided with a tail portion 36, a fixed portion 37, an outer resilient deformable portion (first resilient deformable portion) 38 and an inner resilient deformable portion (second resilient deformable portion) 39. The tail portion 36 extends in the forward/rearward direction, the fixed portion 37 extends vertically and linearly upwards from the base end of the tail portion 36, the outer resilient deformable portion 38 extends obliquely rearwardly upwards from the upper end of the fixed portion 37 and subsequently extends vertically and linearly upwards, and the inner resilient deformable portion 39 curves rearwardly and downwardly from the upper end of the outer resilient deformable portion 38 and subsequently extends downward. As shown in the drawings, the inner resilient deformable portion 39 is spaced from and faces the outer resilient deformable portion 38 in the forward/rearward direction. As shown in the drawings, the fixed portion 37 is greater in width than the outer resilient deformable portion 38, and the inner resilient deformable portion 39 is also greater in width than the outer resilient deformable portion 38. In addition, the fixed portion 37 is provided on both the left and right sides (side edges) thereof with two pairs of locking projections 37a, respectively (a total of four locking projections 37a). The inner resilient deformable portion 39 is provided in the vicinity of the upper end thereof with a first contact protrusion 40 which curves to protrude toward the rear. The inner resilient deformable portion 39 is further provided at the lower end thereof with a second contact protrusion 43 which curves to protrude toward the rear. The inner resilient deformable portion 39 is further provided between the first contact protrusion 40 and the second contact protrusion 43 with a gradually-changing width portion 41. As viewed in the forward/rearward direction, the gradually-changing width portion 41 is shaped such that a middle portion thereof is the greatest in width, and from this middle portion the gradually-changing width portion 41 gradually narrows in width with respect to vertically opposite directions away from each other toward the first contact protrusion 40 and the second contact protrusion 43, and both the left and right side edges have a curved outer profile (see FIGS. 3 and 4). As viewed in the leftward/rightward direction, the gradually-changing width portion 41 has a curved outer profile, protruding forward as a whole (see FIGS. 3, 7 and others). The gradually-changing width portions 41 of the inner resilient deformable portions 39 of the eight first receptacle contacts 35 are greater in width than the narrow-width installation grooves 31 of the main body installation grooves 28 of the eight first contact installation grooves 25, respectively. In addition, the gradually-changing width portion 41 of the inner resilient deformable portion 39 of each first receptacle contact 35 is provided with a deformation limit portion 42 in a middle portion (widest width portion) of the gradually-changing width portion 41.
Similar to each first receptacle contact 35, each second receptacle contact 45 is provided with a tail portion 36, a fixed portion 37, an outer resilient deformable portion 38 and an inner resilient deformable portion 39 (which is provided with a first contact protrusion 40, a gradually-changing width portion 41, a deformation limit portion 42 and a second contact protrusion 43) .
The eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 are inserted into the eight first contact installation grooves 25 and the eight second contact installation grooves 33 from below, respectively.
When the eight receptacle contacts 35 are inserted into the eight first contact installation grooves 25 from below, respectively, the tail portion 36 of each receptacle contact 35 is positioned in the tail installation groove 26 of the associated first contact installation groove 25, the fixed portion 37 and the outer resilient deformable portion 38 of each receptacle contact 35 are positioned in the narrow-width installation groove 31 of the associated first contact installation groove 25, and the inner resilient deformable portion 39 (which includes the gradually-changing width portion 41 that is greater in width than the narrow-width installation groove 31) of each receptacle contact 35 is positioned in the wide-width installation groove 29 of the associated first contact installation groove 25 as shown in FIG. 7. In addition, the fixed portion 37 of each first receptacle contact 35 is in contact with the bottom of the narrow-width installation groove 31 of the main body installation groove 28 of the associated first contact installation groove 25, and the two (left and right) pairs of locking projections 37a of the fixed portion 37 of each first receptacle contact 35 respectively dig (bite) into the left and right side surfaces of the narrow-width installation groove 31 of the main body installation groove 28 of the associated first contact installation groove 25, so that the fixed portion 37 of each first receptacle contact 35 is fixed to the narrow-width installation groove 31 of the main body installation groove 28 of the associated first contact installation groove 25. Each second receptacle contact 45 is installed in the associated second contact installation groove 33 in a similar manner to each first receptacle contact 35. Although each of the eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 has the gradually-changing width portion 41 that is greater in width than the narrow-width installation groove 31, the positioning of the fixed portion 37 and the outer resilient deformable portion 38 in the narrow-width installation groove 31 and the positioning of the inner resilient deformable portion 39 in the wide-width installation groove 29 makes the installation of the eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 in the eight first contact installation grooves 25 and the eight second contact installation grooves 33 from below possible, which does not impair the productivity of the receptacle connector 20 (specifically by the gradually-changing width portion 41 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45, which is greater in width than the narrow-width installation groove 31 of each contact installation grooves 25 and 33).
Upon installation of the eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 in the receptacle insulator 21 in the above described manner, each of the outer resilient deformable portions 38 and the inner resilient deformable portions 39 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 enters a free state; in addition, the outer resilient deformable portion 38 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 is disengaged from the bottom of the narrow-width installation groove 31 of the main body installation groove 28 of the associated contact installation groove 25 or 33, and the deformation limit portion 42 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 is spaced (disengaged) from the contacted portion 30 in the main body installation groove 28 of the associated contact installation groove 25 or 33. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the first contact protrusion 40 and the second contact protrusion 43 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 is positioned in the reception recess 22a (inside the wide-width installation groove 29 of the main body installation groove 28 of the associated first or second contact installation groove 25 or 33).
As shown in FIG. 1, the tail portion 36 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 is soldered to a circuit pattern formed on a circuit board CB1 (shown by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 1) which lies in a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction.
The overall structure of the plug connector 50 will be discussed hereinafter.
The plug connector 50 is provided with a plug insulator 51 which is formed of electrical-insulative and heat-resistant synthetic resin by injection molding, and a total of sixteen contacts consisting of eight first plug contacts 57 and eight second plug contacts 62 which are all fixed to the plug insulator 51.
The plug insulator 51 is provided with a fit-in projection 52 which can be engaged in the reception recess 22a of the receptacle insulator 21, a circumferential rectangular-ring wall portion 53 which surrounds the periphery of the fit-in projection 52, and a ceiling portion 54 which connects to the upper end of the fit-in projection 52 and closes the upper end of the circumferential rectangular-ring wall portion 53. An annular space is formed between the fit-in projection 52 and the circumferential annular wall 53 and serves as an engaging recess 55, in which the rectangular-ring wall portion 22 of the receptacle insulator 21 can be fitted.
The eight first plug contacts 57 and the eight second plug contacts 62 are installed in the plug insulator 51.
The eight first plug contacts 57 and the eight second plug contacts 62 are each formed from a thin plate made of a spring (resilient) copper alloy (e.g., phosphor bronze, beryllium copper or titanium copper) or a resilient Corson-copper alloy and formed into the shape shown in the drawings by a progressive die (progressive stamping die), and is firstly coated with nickel (Ni) plating as base plating and subsequently with gold (Au) or tin (Sn) plating as finish plating. The eight first plug contacts 57 and the eight second plug contacts 62 are symmetrically arranged in the forward/rearward direction. In addition, the eight first plug contacts 57 are bisymmetrical in shape and the eight second plug contacts 62 are also bisymmetrical in shape.
Each first plug contact 57 is provided with a tail portion 58, a fixed portion (plug-side contact portion) 59 and an inclined end portion 60. The tail portion 58 extends in the forward/rearward direction, the fixed portion 59 extends vertically linearly downwards from the base end of the tail portion 58, and the inclined end portion 60 is connected to the lower end of the fixed portion 59.
Similar to each first plug contact 57, each second plug contact 62 is provided with a tail portion 58, a fixed portion 59 and an inclined end portion 60.
The eight first plug contacts 57 are fixed to the plug insulator 51 while being arranged in the leftward/rightward direction. The tailed portion 58 of each first plug contact 57 is exposed upward at the ceiling portion 54, and the fixed portion 59 and the inclined end portion 60 of each first plug contact 57 are fixed to the front of the fit-in projection 52. On the other hand, the eight second plug contacts 62 are fixed to the plug insulator 51 while being arranged in the leftward/rightward direction. The tailed portion 58 of each second plug contact 62 is exposed upward at the ceiling portion 54, and the fixed portion 59 and the inclined end portion 60 of each second plug contact 62 are fixed to the rear of the fit-in projection 52.
As shown in FIG. 1, the tail portion 58 of each plug contact 57 and 62 is soldered to a circuit pattern formed on a circuit board CB2 (shown by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 1) which lies in a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction.
As shown in FIGS. 13 through 15, the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 are connected to each other by engaging the fit-in projection 52 of the plug connector 50 into the internal space (the reception recess 22a) of the rectangular-ring wall portion 22 of the receptacle connector 20 and engaging the rectangular-ring wall portion 22 of the receptacle connector 20 into the engaging recess 55 of the plug connector 50.
FIG. 13 shows a state of the connector 10 where the plug connector 50 is connected halfway into the receptacle connector 20 at an intermediate position. At this time, the fixed portion 59 of each plug contact 57 and 62 comes in contact with the first contact protrusion 40 of the associated first or second receptacle contact 35 or 45. Thereupon, the inner resilient deformable portion 39 and the outer resilient deformable portion 38 of each first receptacle contact 35 are resiliently deformed forward and the inner resilient deformable portion 39 and the outer resilient deformable portion 38 of each second receptacle contact 45 are resiliently deformed rearward, which causes the deformation limit portion 42 that was spaced from the contacted portion 30 to come into contact with the contacted portion 30 (at this time, the outer resilient deformable portion 38 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 and the bottom of the narrow-width installation groove 31 of the main body installation groove 28 of the associated first or second contact installation groove 25 or 33 remain spaced from each other). In each receptacle contact 35 and 45, before the deformation limit portion 42 comes into contact with the contacted portion 30 of the wide-width installation groove 29 of the associated main body installation groove 28, the outer resilient deformable portion 38 and the inner resilient deformable portion 39 serve as a single spring, and the length of a portion of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 which extends between the lower end (base end) of the outer resilient deformable portion 38 and the free end (the second contact protrusion 43) of the inner resilient deformable portion 39 substantially corresponds to the spring length of each receptacle contact 35 and 45. However, after the deformation limit portion 42 comes into contact with the contacted portion 30 of the wide-width installation groove 29 of the associated main body installation groove 28, a portion of the inner resilient deformable portion 39 which is closer to the free end thereof (i.e., to the second contact protrusion 43) than the first contact protrusion 40 serves as a spring having a different spring constant (different from the spring constant before the deformation limit portion 42 comes into contact with the contacted portion 30 of the wide-width installation groove 29 of the associated main body installation groove 28). Namely, the spring length of the spring portion of each receptacle contact 35 and 45, which includes the second contact protrusion 43 (the spring portion of the inner resilient deformable portion 39 which is closer to the free end thereof than the first contact protrusion 40), is shortened due to the deformation limit portion 42 contacting the contacted portion 30 (compared with the spring length of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 before the deformation limit portion 42 comes into contact with the contacted portion 30), so that the spring force of the spring portion becomes great (greater than that before the deformation limit portion 42 comes into contact with the contacted portion 30). Specifically, in the present embodiment of the connector, by forming the gradually-changing width portion 41 into a curved shape so that the width of the deformation limit portion 42 becomes the largest in each receptacle contact 35 and 45, the gradually-changing width portion 41 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 is shaped to easily disperse stress when deformed. Therefore, even if a large stress is exerted on the gradually-changing width portion 41, the gradually-changing width portion 41 can be prevented from being plastically deformed, which makes it possible to shorten the spring length of the spring portion that includes the second contact protrusion 43.
When the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 are fully engaged with each other from the state shown in FIG. 13, the fixed portions 59 of the eight first plug contacts 57 and the eight second plug contacts 62 slide downward on the first contact protrusions 40 of the eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45; thereupon, minute foreign particles adhered to the surfaces of the fixed portions 59 (e.g., dust, or oils and fats scattered and adhered, etc.) are cleaned (swept) off by the first contact protrusions 40 of the eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45. Subsequently, the second contact protrusions 43 of the eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 come in firmly contact with the cleaned (swept) surfaces of the fixed portions 59 with high pressure.
In addition, connecting the plug connector 50 to the receptacle connector 20 up to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 13 causes the deformation limit portion 42 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 to contact the contacted portion 30 in the main body installation groove 28 of the associated contact installation groove 25 or 33, thus causing the deformation limit portion 42 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 to be positioned in place (where the deformation limit portion 42 does not move toward the associated outer resilient deformable portion 38) and causing a portion of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 which is closer to the free end thereof (closer to the second contact protrusion 43 side) than the deformation limit portion 42 to be positioned at a predetermined deformation position (design position). Consequently, even if the manufacturing dimensions of the first plug contacts 57 and the second plug contacts 62 deviate from the design values or if the insertion positions (orientation) of the first plug contacts 57 and the second plug contacts 62 (the insertion position (orientation) of the plug connector 50) deviate from the normal positions (orientation) relative to the receptacle connector 20, the second contact protrusion 43 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 can securely be made to contact the fixed portion 59 of the associated first or second plug contact 57 or 62. Additionally, since the reaction force that the second contact protrusion 43 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 receives from the fixed portion 59 of the associated first or second plug contact 57 or 62 reaches the associated first contact protrusion 40 as a force enhancing the contact force between the first contact protrusion 40 and the fixed portion 59, there is no possibility of the first contact protrusion 40 being disengaged from the fixed portion 59.
Therefore, even if the length of a portion of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 between the lower end (base end) of the outer resilient deformable portion 38 and the lower end (the second contact protrusion 43) of the inner resilient deformable portion 39 is great, the first contact protrusion 40 and the second contact protrusion 43 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 can be made to contact the fixed portion 59 of the associated first or second plug contact 57 or 62 in a stable state.
Moreover, in a state where the plug connector 50 is connected halfway into the receptacle connector 20 at an intermediate position (the state shown in FIG. 13), the fixed portion 59 of each plug contact 57 and 62 is in contact only with the first contact protrusion 40 of the associated receptacle contact 35 or 45, so that the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 can be connected to each other by a small force until the intermediate position.
Since each receptacle contact of the eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight second receptacle contacts 45 comes in contact with the fixed portion 59 of the associated first or second plug contact 57 or 62 at two points, i.e, the first contact protrusion 40 and the second contact protrusion 43, the possibility of contact failure between the eight first receptacle contacts 35 and the eight first plug contacts 57 and between the eight second receptacle contacts 45 and the eight second plug contacts 62 becomes small, which ensures electrical conduction between the circuit boards CB1 and CB2.
Additionally, since each first receptacle contact 35 and each second receptacle contact 45 come into contact with the associated first plug contact 57 and the associated second plug contact 62, respectively, at two points (the first contact protrusion 40 and the second contact protrusion 43), even if the contact state of one of the two contact points (e.g., the first contact protrusion 40) is temporarily (momentarily) released by vibrations of the apparatus equipped with the connector 10, there is a possibility of the contact state of the other contact point (e.g., the second contact protrusion 43) being maintained, which makes it possible to obtain high contact reliability.
The receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50, in a fully engaged state, can be disconnected from each other as shown in FIG. 1 by moving the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 in directions away from each other. Upon the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 being separated from each other, each of the outer resilient deformable portion 38 and the inner resilient deformable portion 39 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 resiliently returns to a free state thereof while the deformation limit portion 42 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 is again spaced (disengaged) from the contacted portion 30 in the main body installation groove 28 of the associated contact installation groove 25 or 33.
Although the present invention has been described based on the above illustrated embodiment of the connector, the present invention is not limited solely to this particular embodiment; various modifications to the above illustrated embodiment of the connector is possible.
For instance, the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 of the above illustrated embodiment of the connector is a so-called straight type connector, in which the circuit boards CB1 and CB2 are orthogonal to the engaging/disengaging direction between the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 (i.e., the vertical direction); however, at least one of the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 can be modified into a so-called right-angle type, in which the tailed portion 36 of each first receptacle contact 35 or the tailed portion 58 of each first plug contact 57 is exposed to a side surface of the receptacle insulator 21 or the plug insulator 51, respectively, and a circuit board parallel to the engaging/disengaging direction between the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 is connected to the aforementioned tailed portion 36 or 58.
Additionally, the main body installation groove 28 of each first contact installation groove 25 can be formed of not a combination of the wide-width installation groove 29 and the narrow-width installation groove 31, which are mutually different in width, but a main body installation groove (not shown) which (almost) does not vary in width in the leftward/rightward direction even though varying in position in the forward/rearward direction so that this main body installation groove totally accommodates the fixed portion 37, the outer resilient deformable portion 38 and the inner resilient deformable portion 39. In this case, when the inner resilient deformable portion 39 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 is resiliently deformed in the associated aforementioned main body installation groove by contact of the fixed portion 59 of each plug contact 57 and 62 with the first contact protrusion 40 of the associated receptacle contact 35 or 45, the spring length of the spring portion of the inner resilient deformable portion 39, which includes the second contact protrusion 43 (the spring portion of the inner resilient deformable portion 39 which is closer to the free end thereof than the first contact protrusion 40), is shortened (shorter than that before the deformation limit portion 42 comes into contact with the outer resilient deformable portion 38) by making the deformation limit portion 42 of the inner resilient deformable portions 39 come into contact with the outer resilient deformable portion 38 (in this case, the outer resilient deformable portion 38 serves as a contacted portion).
Additionally, the outer resilient deformable portion 38 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 can be made to contact the bottom of the narrow-width installation groove 31 of the main body installation groove 28 when the outer resilient deformable portion 38 and the inner resilient deformable portion 39 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 are resiliently deformed by contact of the fixed portion 59 of each plug contact 57 and 62 with the first contact protrusion 40 of the associated first or second receptacle contact 35 or 45. With this structure, the first contact protrusion 40 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 can be made to contact the fixed portion 59 of the associated first or second plug contact 57 or 62 by a large contact pressure even if the length of the outer resilient deformable portion 38 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 is long.
Additionally, the fixed portion 59 of each plug contact 57 and 62 can be provided on a surface thereof (which faces the associated receptacle contact 35 or 45) with an elongated contact protrusion which protrudes toward the associated receptacle contact 35 or 45 and which is elongated in the lengthwise direction of the fixed portion 59 so that this elongated contact protrusion comes in contact with the first contact protrusion 40 and the second contact protrusion 43 when the receptacle connector 20 and the plug connector 50 are connected. Additionally, such an elongated contact protrusion can be replaced by a left and right pair of elongated contact protrusions which are elongated in the lengthwise direction of the fixed portion 59 (a predetermined clearance is formed between the pair of elongated contact protrusions).
Additionally, the first contact protrusion 40 and the second contact protrusion 43 of each receptacle contact 35 and 45 can be provided with an elongated contact protrusion which protrudes toward the fixed portion 59 of the associated first or second plug contact 57 or 62 in a manner such that the elongated contact protrusion of the first contact protrusion 40 becomes greater in width (dimension in the leftward/rightward direction) than the elongated contact protrusion of the second contact protrusion 43.
Obvious changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the present invention described herein, such modifications being within the spirit and scope of the invention claimed. It is indicated that all matter contained herein is illustrative and does not limit the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A connector (10) including a plug connector (50) and a receptacle connector (20), wherein said plug connector is provided with a plug insulator (51) and at least one plug contact (57 and 62) which is supported by said plug insulator and which includes a plug-side contact portion (59) extending linearly, wherein said receptacle connector is provided with a receptacle insulator (21) capable of being connected to said plug insulator and at least one receptacle contact (35 and 45) which is fixed to said receptacle insulator and capable of being engaged with and disengaged from said plug-side contact portion, and wherein said receptacle contact of said receptacle connector comprises:
a fixed portion (37) which is fixed to said receptacle insulator;

a first resilient deformable portion (38) which extends from an end of said fixed portion; and

a second resilient deformable portion (39) which extends toward said fixed portion from an end of said first resilient deformable portion to face the first resilient deformable portion with a clearance therebetween,

wherein said second resilient deformable portion comprises:
a first contact protrusion (40) which comes into sliding contact with said plug-side contact portion and makes said second resilient deformable portion resiliently deformed toward said first resilient deformable portion when said plug insulator and said receptacle insulator are connected;

a deformation limit portion (42) which is positioned closer to an end of said second resilient deformable portion than said first contact protrusion, is spaced from a contacted portion (30 or 38) which is formed on one of said receptacle insulator and said first resilient deformable portion to be positioned closer to said first resilient deformable portion than said second resilient deformable portion when said plug-side contact portion and said first contact protrusion are noncontact with each other, and comes into contact with said contacted portion when said plug-side contact portion and said first contact protrusion come into contact with each other; and

a second contact protrusion (43) which is positioned closer to said end of said second resilient deformable portion than said deformation limit portion and comes into contact with said plug-side contact portion at a position closer to said end of said second resilient deformable portion than the position at which said plug-side contact portion contacts said first contact protrusion.
The connector according to claim 1, wherein a wide-width installation groove (29), which extends parallel to said first resilient deformable portion and includes said contacted portion at a bottom thereof, is formed on a surface of said receptacle insulator,
wherein a narrow-width installation groove (31), which extends parallel to said wide-width installation groove and is smaller in width than said wide-width installation groove, is formed at a bottom of said wide-width installation groove,
wherein said first resilient deformable portion and said second resilient deformable portion are positioned in said narrow-width installation groove and said wide-width installation groove, respectively, and
wherein said deformation limit portion, which is greater in width than said narrow-width installation groove, is formed on said second resilient deformable portion.
The connector according to claim 2, wherein said second resilient deformable portion comprises a gradually-changing width portion (41) having a curved outer profile,
wherein said gradually-changing width portion is positioned between said first contact protrusion and said second contact protrusion, and
wherein said deformation limit portion is formed at an intermediate portion of said gradually-changing width portion.
The connector according to claim 3, wherein said gradually-changing width portion is curved to project toward said first resilient deformation portion.
The connector according to any one of claims 1 through 4, wherein said first resilient deformation portion is spaced from said receptacle insulator in a state before said plug insulator and said receptacle insulator are connected.