JP2008084878A - Manufacturing method of electrical connector having fixing bracket - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method of an electrical connector having a low-cost and robust fixing bracket. <P>SOLUTION: A metal band is processed into a shape, having a band carrier A1 and a plurality of thin pieces A2 extended with a regular interval from the band carrier and is formed, and the desired number of thin pieces are put under a bending process together in the plate thickness direction into a desired shape. These thin pieces A2 are retained inside the housing 2, by being integrally formed with the housing 2 or inserted into the housing 2; and after an appropriate time, the carrier A1 is cut and removed from the thin pieces A2, one end which is arranged at a position of a housing, capable of connection to a counterpart connector, is set as a terminal 3, and a thin piece A1 with a buried part buried in the housing to be retained is set as a fixing bracket 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electrical connector having a fixture.

  As an electrical connector having a fixing metal fitting, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.

  In this known connector, as shown in FIG. 9 of the accompanying drawings, a plurality of terminals 51 are implanted in the housing 50, and the terminals 51 are bent and extended toward the side at the bottom portion of the housing. 51A. In addition, a fixing bracket 52 having strength is attached in the vicinity of the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the housing 50. The fixing metal 52 also has leg portions 52A that extend laterally at the bottom position of the housing. As shown in the upper part of the drawing, the fixing bracket 52 has a mounting portion 53 having a complicated shape, and this mounting portion is press-fitted into a corresponding groove of the housing and held by the housing 50.

In use, the connector is disposed on an attachment surface to be attached, for example, on the surface of the circuit board, and the connection portion 51A of the terminal 51 and the leg portion 52A of the fixing bracket 52 are in contact with the surface of the circuit board. The connecting portion 51A is soldered to the corresponding circuit portion to be contacted, and the leg portion 52A is soldered to the corresponding portion. The connector is held on the circuit board by fixing the legs 52A of the fixing metal 52 with solder.
JP-A-9-139242

  However, the known connector of FIG. 9 has some problems to be solved due to the need for a separate fixing bracket. First, fixing fixtures must be prepared, the number of parts is increased, the number of processes and assembly are complicated, and the cost is increased. Next, the fixing bracket needs to be positioned at a certain distance from the terminal in relation to the assembling work, and the size of the connector increases accordingly.

  Furthermore, since the manufacturing process of the terminal and the fixing bracket is different, the management of the dimensions is also different. When the connector is mounted on the circuit board, a step is generated between the terminal and the fixing bracket, and the flatness with respect to the circuit board is increased. There is a problem that they do not match.

  The present invention solves such a problem, and provides an electrical connector manufacturing method that has a mounting bracket that is inexpensive and can be miniaturized, has a flatness with respect to a circuit board, and can be reliably mounted on the circuit board. For the purpose.

  In the electrical connector according to the present invention, a plurality of terminals and a plurality of fixing brackets are held in the housing, the other end side of the terminal having a contact portion on one end side is used as a connection portion, and an embedded portion in the housing is provided on one end side. The other end side of the fixing bracket has a leg portion for fixing that extends outside the housing and is positioned on the mounting surface to be connected. The terminals and the fixing bracket are arranged in the same row. Yes.

  In such an electrical connector manufacturing method, in the present invention, a metal strip is processed into a shape having a strip-shaped carrier and a plurality of strips extending from the strip-shaped carrier at regular intervals to form a strip with a carrier, A number of strips are collectively bent into a predetermined shape in the thickness direction, and these strips are held in the housing by integral molding with the housing or by insertion into the housing, and then the carrier is Separate and remove the strip from the strip, and use the strip that is located at the position of the housing where one end can be connected to the mating connector as a terminal, and fix the strip that is buried and held in the housing. It is characterized as a bracket.

  In such a manufacturing method of the present invention, when forming the strip with carrier, the strip-shaped carrier is cut into a length corresponding to the range of the predetermined number of strips, and the plurality of connector housings are formed. The strips may be held and may be cut when separated into individual connectors after the strips are bent.

  In the present invention, as described above, the fixing bracket is formed of a strip having the same shape as the terminal, and the end portion in the housing is held by the housing, so that the types of parts constituting the connector are reduced, and the fixing bracket and The terminal can be molded and assembled at the same time with the same mold, and the cost of the connector can be reduced. In addition, since the fixing bracket and the terminal are similarly assembled at the same time, they can be arranged close to each other and the connector can be miniaturized in the arrangement direction. In addition, since the fixing bracket and the terminal are formed from strips having the same shape, the flatness with respect to the circuit board matches, and reliable mounting on the circuit board can be obtained. Also in the manufacturing method, the process can be simplified.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (A) is a partially broken plan view of the connector, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a side view.

  A connector 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a plurality of terminals 3 and a fixture 4 are held by a housing 2 made of an insulating material. The housing 2 is formed in a horizontally long shape as seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and terminals 3 and fixing brackets 4 are arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction on both sides thereof. Two fixing brackets 4 are provided at both ends in the arrangement direction.

  The housing 2 is opened upward, and a receiving portion 5 for receiving a mating connector is formed in a bottomed concave shape. An introduction taper portion 5A for facilitating the reception of the mating connector is provided on the upper edges of both ends of the receiving portion 5 in the longitudinal direction as the terminal arrangement direction.

  The terminal 3 is disposed along the opposing inner edge extending in the longitudinal direction of the receiving portion 5, and the fixing bracket 4 is positioned on both ends thereof. The terminals 3 and the fixtures 4 have the same shape and dimensions, and are made of the same metal plate at the same time from the same metal plate. For example, in the case of FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 2, two points having a series of strips A2 that are punched out of a metal plate and extend in a comb-teeth shape from the strip-shaped carrier A1 at a constant interval p. A member indicated by a chain line is formed and bent as shown by a solid line. These strips A2 are used as terminals and as fixtures. This bending process is performed before these strips A2 are held in the housing. The carrier A1 may be disconnected before being held by the housing, or may be disconnected after the holding.

  Thus, since the terminal 3 and the fixture 4 are the same shape, the terminal 3 is demonstrated regarding the shape here. As shown in FIG. 3A, the terminal 3 has a straight contact portion 3A on one end side and a straight connection portion 3B on the other end side with respect to the intermediate portion bent in an approximately L shape. is doing. The contact portion 3A faces inward of the receiving portion 5 of the housing and protrudes on the same surface as the receiving portion or slightly protrudes, and the upper end portion is curved in a substantially semicircular shape to form an introduction portion 3C. As can be seen from FIG. 1A and FIG. 2, the introduction portion 3C is wider than the other portions. The connecting portion 3B extends horizontally from the intermediate portion 3D to the other end bent slightly in a crank shape, and is positioned at substantially the same level as the bottom surface 2A of the housing 2. The bottom surface 2A of the housing is disposed on the circuit board. When in contact with the surface of the corresponding fixing portion of the circuit board. In the fixing metal 4 having the same shape as the terminal 3, as shown in FIG. 3B, the portion corresponding to the connecting portion 3B of the terminal 3 becomes a fixing leg portion 4B, and the connecting portion 3B of the terminal 3 The flatness with respect to the circuit board is the same as the leg portion 4B of the fixture 4 (becomes on the same plane).

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 3 and the fixture 4 are connected to the carrier A <b> 1 in a bent shape and are arranged in a molding die (not shown). 2 and is held by the housing 2, and then the carrier A1 is cut off to take a form as shown in FIGS. After the molding, the contact portion 3A of the terminal 3 is located on the same surface or slightly protruding from the inner surface of the receiving portion 5 as described above (see FIG. 3A), and the fixing bracket 4 is located above the intermediate portion. The portion (the portion corresponding to the portion extending from the intermediate portion of the terminal 3 to the introduction portion 3C) is buried in the wall portions at both ends of the housing 2 in the terminal arrangement direction, and is firmly held by the housing 2 (FIG. 3B ))reference).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the mating connector 10 has terminals 12 implanted in the housing 11. In this form, the terminal 12 is obtained by punching a metal plate parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 4 into the shape shown in the figure, and has a C-shaped contact portion 12A having elasticity, a locking 12B having locking protrusions, A leg portion 12 </ b> C extending horizontally outside the housing 11 is provided. The housing 11 has slits 13 formed at positions corresponding to the arrangement positions of the terminals 3 of the connector 1, and the terminals 12 are inserted into the slits 13 from above in FIG. 4. When the locking portion 12B is press-fitted into the slit, the locking protrusion 12B prevents the locking protrusion 12B from coming off from a predetermined position.

  In use, the connection portion 3B of the terminal 3 and the leg portion 4B of the fixing bracket 4 are soldered to the corresponding circuit portion and the fixing portion of the circuit board, respectively, and the connector 12 of the connector 1 of the present invention is connected. 12C is soldered to the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board. Thus, the connector of the present invention obtains a fixing force on the circuit board even by soldering at the connection portions 3B of many terminals, but the fixing metal 4 firmly held by the housing at the portions 4A, 4C, 4D. Most fixing force can be secured by soldering at the leg 4B. Both circuit boards are electrically connected by elastic contact between the contact portions 3A and 12A of the terminals when the connectors 1 and 10 are fitted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described forms, and other forms are possible. For example, in the example of FIGS. 1 to 4, the terminals and the fixing metal fittings are held in the housing by integral molding with the housing, but these can be press-fitted into the housing and attached. FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B) show the situation at the positions corresponding to FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), respectively, and each part of the terminal and the fixing bracket is also indicated by the same reference numerals as in FIG. Yes. The terminal 3 press-fitted from below in FIG. 5A is supported by both surfaces of the slit 5 </ b> A of the housing 2 (opposing surfaces parallel to the paper surface), and the contact portion 3 </ b> A faces the receiving portion 5. Further, the fixing bracket 4 is held on the left and right end surfaces of the slit by using the elasticity of the portion 4A by being press-fitted into the slit 5A from below.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the shape of the contact portion 3 </ b> A of the terminal 3 is different from that of FIG. 5, and the terminal and the fixture are held by integral molding as in FIGS. 1 to 4. Show. As shown in FIG. 6A, the terminal 3 has an S-shaped contact portion 3A that extends along the bottom of the receiving portion 5 of the housing 2 and is bent upward. The intermediate portion 3D is bent in a U-shape, and strengthens the holding force by molding with the housing. And the connection part 3B is extended horizontally from the housing lower part. On the other hand, all of the fixing brackets 4 are integrally molded with the housing except for the leg portions 4B extending outside the housing, and are firmly held.

  The present invention can also be applied to the mating connector type shown in the embodiment of FIGS. In the connector of FIG. 7, terminals not shown are exactly the same as the terminals of the connector of FIG. 7, the fixing bracket 22 having the same form as the terminal 12 in FIG. 4 has a curved elastic press-fit portion 22A, a locking portion 22B provided with a locking projection, and a leg portion 22C. . The elastic press-fit portion 22A, the locking portion 22B, and the leg portion 22C of the fixing bracket 22 correspond to the contact portion 12A, the locking portion 12B, and the connection portion 12C of the terminal 12 in FIG. 7 is press-fitted into the corresponding groove 11A of the housing 11, and thus the fixing fitting 22 is firmly fixed by press-fitting both the elastic press-fit portion 22A and the locking portion 22B into the housing. Retained.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a connector of a type in which the contact portion of the terminal protrudes from the side surface of the housing. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, step portions are formed on both side portions of the housing 31, and a window portion 31 </ b> B is formed on the step portion side surface 31 </ b> A, and the contact portion 3 </ b> A of the terminal 3 projects therefrom. The fixing metal 4 is made in exactly the same shape as the terminal 3 and the other part is buried in the housing by integral molding with the housing except that the leg part 4B corresponding to the connecting part 3B of the terminal 3 protrudes outside the housing. Is retained.

  In the present invention as described above, the number of terminals and fixing metal fittings can be easily changed only by changing the size of the receiving portion of the housing at the time of molding. That is, when a large fixing force is required for the fixing bracket, the number of terminals can be slightly reduced to increase the number of fixing brackets, and when the fixing force may be small, all terminals can be used. it can.

  If you want to change after molding, mold the housing with the housing holding part of the fixing bracket open, and use only the required number of fixing brackets as a fixing bracket by press-fitting additional holding members. If is left open, it can be used as a terminal. And when a fixture is unnecessary, all fixtures can be used as terminals.

The connector of one Embodiment of this invention is shown, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, (C) is a partially broken side view. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 1 and a fixing bracket before insertion into a housing. FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of the connector of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 1A is a terminal position, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector and the mating connector of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the connector of other embodiment of this invention, (A) is a terminal position, (B) is a cross section in a fixing bracket position. It is sectional drawing of the connector of further another embodiment of this invention, (A) is a terminal position, (B) is a cross section in a fixing bracket position. It is sectional drawing of the connector of further another embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the connector of further another embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the conventional connector.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 4B Leg part 2 Housing 5 Receiving part 3 Terminal 22 Fixing metal fitting 3A Contact part A1 Carrier 3B Connection part A2 Strip strip 4 Fixing metal fitting

Claims (1)

  A plurality of terminals and a plurality of fixing brackets are held in the housing, the other end side of the terminal having a contact portion on one end side is a connection portion, and the other end side of the fixing bracket having a buried portion in the housing is fixed on one end side In the method of manufacturing an electrical connector in which terminals and fixing brackets are arranged in the same row, the metal strip is used as a band-shaped carrier. And a strip having a plurality of strips extending from the strip carrier at regular intervals to form a strip with a carrier, and a predetermined number of strips are collectively bent into a predetermined shape in the thickness direction. The strips are held in the housing by integral molding with the housing or by insertion into the housing, and then the carrier is separated from the strips and removed, and one end is connected to the other end. A fixing bracket characterized in that a strip provided at a position of the housing connectable to the Kuta is used as a terminal, and a strip that is buried and held in the housing is used as a fixing bracket. Manufacturing method of electrical connector.

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