JP2011204453A - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical connector configured to suppress insertion force required when being fitted to be small.SOLUTION: This electrical connector is formed with a contact part 25 extending from a bent part 23, which is formed by bending a metal plate in the plate thickness direction, to a free end positioning ahead in the fitting direction of a mating connector 40, and has a terminal which guides the mating terminal 50 to the contact part 25 on an outer surface forming a projecting curved surface side of the bent part 23. The terminal 20 is formed with a slit 26 passing through the fitting direction and the plate thickness direction from the inside of a range of the bent part 23 to the free end. The contact part 25 is divided into two contact leg parts 25A and 25B formed by the slit 26, and at least one of the two contact leg parts 25A and 25B has elasticity in the cross direction of the slit 26.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly, to an electrical connector in which a terminal is formed by bending a metal plate in a plate thickness direction and contacts a mating terminal provided on the mating connector in the plate thickness direction.

  As an electrical connector having terminals made by bending a metal plate in the thickness direction, for example, a connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The connector terminal of this Patent Document 1 is attached to the housing such that a U-shaped bent portion formed by bending a metal plate in the thickness direction straddles the side wall of the housing. The flat portion extending from the bent portion along the side wall forms a contact portion, and when the connector is fitted, the mating terminal comes into sliding contact with the surface and comes into contact with the contact portion at a predetermined position.

  Although the contact portion forms a slight gap with the side wall, the contact portion has no room for elastic deformation in the thickness direction of the contact portion, and immediately comes into contact with the side wall by the contact pressure from the mating terminal. Is supported under high rigidity. Therefore, when the connector is fitted, contact pressure is obtained by elastic deformation of the terminal of the mating connector.

JP2009-032425

  The metal plate is inherently easy to bend and deform in the thickness direction, and is difficult to deform in a direction parallel to the plate surface. In Patent Document 1, a terminal made by bending a metal plate in the thickness direction is supported by the side wall of the housing under high rigidity at the contact portion, and the contact portion does not deform. Yes. The connector is required to be multipolar and to have a pitch dimension between terminals as small as possible. Therefore, it is preferable that a terminal made by bending the metal plate in the thickness direction contacts the mating terminal within its width. Therefore, the mating terminal is made while maintaining the flat surface of the metal plate, and the contact portion of the mating terminal is formed by the thickness of the plate so as to be within the above width. In Patent Document 1, the above-described metal plate bent in the plate thickness direction is supported by the housing so as not to be deformed, and contacts the counterpart terminal that is not easily deformed in the plate surface direction. Seeking elastic deformation for. As a result, the mating terminal is complicated and fragile. Without such consideration, the amount of elastic deformation required for contact cannot be obtained sufficiently, and the connector insertion force required during connector fitting increases. In a connector having a large number of terminals, the required insertion force is extremely large and fitting is difficult.

  In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector that can reduce the required insertion force during connector fitting without unilaterally requesting the amount of elastic deformation of the mating terminal.

  The electrical connector according to the present invention is formed with a contact portion extending from a bent portion formed by bending a metal plate in the plate thickness direction toward a free end positioned in the mating connector in the fitting direction. A terminal that guides the mating terminal to the contact portion on the outer surface that is the convex curved surface side of the portion.

  In such an electrical connector, in the present invention, the terminal extends in the fitting direction from the range of the bent portion to the free end and penetrates in the plate thickness direction to form a slit, and the contact portion has two contact leg portions by the slit. And at least one of the two contact legs has elasticity in the width direction of the slit.

  According to the electrical connector of the present invention having such a configuration, when the mating with the mating connector, the contact leg portion of the contact portion of the terminal provided in the connector of the present invention is engaged with the mating terminal in the slit, Upon receiving contact pressure from the mating terminal, it is elastically deformed in the direction of the opening leg. As a result, the slit is widened to facilitate entry of the mating terminal, the insertion force at the time of connector fitting is small, and the amount of relative elastic deformation between the terminals is increased, resulting in good contact. According to the present invention, even if the contact portion of the terminal is abutted and supported on the side wall of the housing, the elastic deformation is generated in the above-described leg direction, so that the effect of reducing the insertion force and good contact can be obtained.

  In the present invention, the contact leg portion preferably has elasticity in the plate thickness direction. When a space allowing elastic deformation in the plate thickness direction of the contact portion is formed behind the contact portion, the contact leg portion can be elastically deformed not only in the opening leg direction but also in the plate thickness direction. Reduction of insertion force and good contact can be secured.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the inner edge of the contact leg portion facing the slit on the outer surface side is a tapered edge. If the taper edge is formed, the mating terminal is easily introduced into the slit at the taper edge, and the contact leg portion reliably obtains the contact pressure in the opening leg direction to widen the slit.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the slit has a curved edge portion that forms a width larger than the width of the slit in the contact portion within the range of the bent portion. When the contact leg receives a bending moment in the opening leg direction from the mating terminal, the stress is dispersed at the bent end edge of the base of the contact leg, and local cracking due to stress concentration is avoided.

  In the present invention, as described above, a slit extending in the connector fitting direction is formed in a range from the bent portion where the mating terminal is guided to the contact portion where the mating terminal contacts, and two slits having elasticity by the slit. Since the contact leg is provided, the two contact legs are elastically deformed in the direction of the open leg, which is the slit widening, by the contact pressure from the other terminal, and a part of the other terminal enters the slit. The connector insertion force can be kept small. Moreover, a sufficient amount of elastic deformation for securing contact between the terminals can be obtained. Furthermore, the contact position of the mating terminal is stabilized by the engagement with the slit.

It is a perspective view before fitting of the connector of one embodiment of the present invention and the other party connector. It has shown in the state which extracted one of several terminals of the connector of FIG. 1, (A) is a front view, (B) is a perspective view. The terminal of FIG. 1 and the counterpart terminal corresponding thereto are shown in a state immediately before the connector is fitted, (A) is a front sectional view, and (B) is a side sectional view. The modification of the terminal of FIG. 2 is shown, (A) is a front view, (B) is a perspective view. The further modification of the terminal of FIG. 2 is shown, (A) is a front view, (B) is a perspective view.

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

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing an electrical connector 10 and a mating connector 40 fitted thereto. In FIG. 1, a connector 10 and a mating connector 40 are respectively attached to a circuit board (not shown) on the bottom side in the figure, and when used, the mating connector 40 is fitted to the connector 10 from above in an inverted state. The

  The connector 10 includes a housing 11 made of an electrical insulating material, a terminal 20 held by the housing 11, and a mounting bracket 30. The housing 11 has two parallel side walls 12 for arranging and holding a plurality of terminals 20, an end wall 13 connecting the side walls 12 at both ends, and a bottom wall 14. The wall 13 and the bottom wall 14 form a receiving recess 15 for receiving an island-shaped central wall to which a mating connector 40 described later corresponds.

  Each of the two side walls 12 is formed with a plurality of terminal grooves 16 continuous to the inner surface, the upper surface, and the outer surface thereof, and the corresponding portions of the terminals are accommodated in the respective terminal grooves 16. The end wall 13 is formed with a metal groove 17, and the metal fitting groove 17 accommodates an attachment metal 30 for fixing the connector 10 to a circuit board (not shown).

  The terminal 20 of the connector 10 is made by bending a strip-shaped metal material that has been shaped by punching or the like in the thickness direction. 2A and 2B, one terminal 20 is extracted from one side wall 12 out of the plurality of terminals 20 attached to the two side walls 12 that are parallel and opposite to each other in FIG. ing. The terminals 20 are arranged symmetrically facing each other on the two side walls 12, but are made in exactly the same form. 2A is a front view, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which the terminal 20 is attached to the side wall 12 of the housing 11 together with the mating terminal 50 just before fitting, with only the side wall 12 broken away, and FIG. B) is a side sectional view.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the terminal 20 has an inverted U-shaped portion 21 and a horizontal portion 22 that extends in a horizontal direction from one leg portion of the inverted U-shaped portion 21. . The inverted U-shaped portion 21 has a bent portion 23, a mounting portion 24 that forms one leg hanging from the top of the bent portion 23 on both sides, and a contact portion 25 that forms the other leg. The attachment portion 24 has a flat surface, and protrusions 24B are formed on both side edges in the width direction. When the attachment portion 24 is attached to the terminal groove 16 of the housing 11 from above, the protrusion 24B is a terminal. The opposing groove inner surface of the groove 16 is pressed, and the attachment to the side wall 12 at the attachment portion 24 is strengthened. The contact portion 25 is slightly spaced from the groove bottom surface of the terminal groove 16 formed in the side wall 12 in the terminal mounting state on the side wall 12 (see FIG. 3B). Is given elasticity in the thickness direction. Further, as can be seen from FIG. 3A, the outer edges of the both ends in the width direction of the contact portion 25 are opposed to the inner surface of the opposing groove of the terminal groove 16 with a gap.

  The mounting portion 24 is connected to a horizontal portion 22 whose lower end is bent in an L shape and extends in the horizontal direction. The horizontal portion 22 is formed as a connection portion whose lower surface is in contact with the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board and soldered.

  The contact portion 25 as the other leg portion of the inverted U-shaped portion 21 has a free end at the lower end, and two contact leg portions in the width direction from the free end to the position of the top portion of the bent portion 23. A slit 26 that divides into 25A and 25B extends. The two contact leg portions 25 </ b> A and 25 </ b> B have elasticity in a direction in which the slit 26 is widened in a direction parallel to the plate surface of the contact portion 25. A window-like portion 26A penetrating in the thickness direction is formed on the free end side portion in the direction in which the slit 26 extends. The upper edge surface of the window-shaped portion 26A has an arch shape and forms a locking portion 26A-1 with a terminal 50 of a mating connector 40 described later. The lower side edge surface extends straight from the locking portion 26A-1 to the free end. Thus, the window-like portion 26A of the slit 26 has a gate shape. In the window-like portion 26A, an introduction portion 26A-2 chamfered with a slope as a tapered edge is formed in a part of the outer edge of the contact portion 25. In the present invention, the window-shaped portion 26A is not essential, and may be a slit that extends straight downward.

  In the bent portion 23, a hole portion 27 penetrating in the plate thickness direction is wider than the width of the slit 26 below the upper end portion of the slit 26 extending upward through the window-like portion 26A. It is formed with a width. In other words, the upper end edge of the slit 26 forms a curved end edge having a large curvature radius by the hole 27. Thus, local cracks are avoided at the holes 27 due to stress concentration.

  The mating connector 40 fitted to the connector 10 includes a housing 41 made of an electrically insulating material, a mating terminal 50 held by the housing 41, and a mounting bracket 60. The housing 41 includes two parallel side walls 42 for arranging and holding a plurality of mating terminals 50, an end wall 43 that connects the side walls 42 at both ends, a bottom wall 44, and a center provided in an island shape on the bottom wall 44. The side wall 42, the end wall 43, the central wall 45, and the bottom wall 44 form a square annular receiving recess 46. The receiving recess 46 receives the side wall 12 and the end wall 13 of the connector 10 described above, and the central wall 45 is received in the receiving recess 15 of the connector 10.

  Terminal grooves 47 are formed in the housing 41 on both sides of the central wall 45. The terminal groove 47 on each side is formed at a position corresponding to the terminal 20 in the arrangement direction of the terminals 20 of the connector 10 when fitted to the connector 10. The terminal groove 47 is formed continuously on the side surface of the central wall 45, the upper surface of the bottom wall 44, the inner surface, the upper surface, and the outer surface of the side wall 42. Accordingly, the terminal groove 47 is formed in an S shape over these surfaces. Further, the end wall 43 is formed with a metal fitting groove 48, and the metal fitting groove 48 accommodates an attachment metal fitting 60 for fixing the mating connector 40 to a circuit board (not shown). .

  The mating terminal 50 which is a terminal of the mating connector 40 is formed by punching while maintaining a flat surface of the metal plate, as shown in FIG. 3, and has a substantially S shape.

  The mating terminal 50 is a U-shaped mounting portion as shown in FIG. 3 which is inverted together with the terminal 20 from the state of FIG. 51, an elastic portion 52 extending in an inverted L shape from the inner upper end of the mounting portion 51, and a connection portion 53 extending outward from the outer upper end of the mounting portion 51. Here, the up-down direction with respect to the mating terminal 50 in FIG. 3 is opposite to the mating terminal 50 shown in FIG. 1 because the mating terminal 50 is shown upside down in FIG. Become. Therefore, in FIG. 3, when the mating terminal 50 is held by the housing 41, the circuit board for the mating connector 40 is positioned on the upper side of the mating terminal 50.

  The elastic portion 52 extending in an inverted L shape from the inner upper end of the U-shaped attachment portion 51 is an inner upper end of the attachment portion 51 when the mating terminal 50 is attached to the housing 41 by the attachment portion 51. It is possible to be elastically deformed by using as a fulcrum.

  The elastic portion 52 includes a bottom arm portion 54 that extends laterally along the bottom wall 44 of the housing 41 from an inner upper end of the mounting portion 51, and a mating contact portion 55 that is bent from the bottom arm portion 54 and extends downward. have.

  The mating contact portion 55, the bottom arm portion 54, and one leg portion of the attachment portion 51 connected to the bottom arm portion 54 form an inverted U shape, and the inverted U shape portion 21 of the terminal 20 of the connector 10, In other words, the shape is such that the bent portion 23, the attachment portion 24, and the contact portion 25 are inserted.

  The mating contact portion 55 has a contact projection 57 that forms a hook-like portion projecting inwardly at a lower end that is a free end. The contact protrusion 57 is introduced into the window-like portion 26A of the slit 26 of the terminal 20 through the inclined surface of the window-like portion 26A at the time of fitting with the connector 10, and due to the elasticity of the counterpart contact portion 55. Then, the two contact leg portions 25A and 25B are elastically deformed so as to open the slit 26 of the terminal 20 in the direction of expanding the width. At that time, the two contact leg portions 25A and 25B can be elastically deformed in the opening leg direction until they abut against the inner surface of the opposing groove of the terminal groove 16 in FIG. Since the two contact leg portions 25A and 25B have a gap with the groove bottom surface of the terminal groove 16, as shown in FIG. 3B, the gap between the contact leg portions 25A and 25B in the plate thickness direction is also provided. It can be elastically deformed by the amount. Due to the elastic deformation of the contact legs 25A and 25B in the opening leg direction and the plate thickness direction, the contact protrusion 57 easily enters the slit 26, and the contact pressure with the contact legs 25A and 25B is reduced. Furthermore, when the mating connector 40 after being fitted to the connector 10 is lifted upward, it is locked with the locking portion 26A-1 formed on the terminal 20 of the connector 10 to prevent the connector 10 from coming off. It also produces a lock function.

  When the mating terminal 50 is mounted so as to be received in the terminal groove 47 of the housing 41, the contact protrusion 57 is formed in the contact protrusion 57 as shown in FIG. Projecting from the terminal groove 47.

  When the mating connector 40 is fitted to the connector 10 of this embodiment from the state immediately before the mating shown in FIG. 3, the mating terminal 50 of the mating connector 40 is an elastic made up of the bottom arm portion 54 and the mating contact portion 55. The contact portion 25 of the terminal 20 of the connector 10, the bent portion 23, and the attachment portion 24 are fitted between the portion 52 and the leg portion of the attachment portion 51 formed on the bottom arm portion 54.

  The leg portion on the bottom arm portion 54 side of the mounting portion 51 of the mating terminal 50 is guided by the outer surface of the mounting portion 24 of the terminal 20, while the mating contact portion 55 of the mating terminal 50 is in contact with the hook-shaped contact protrusion 57. Then, the slit 26 is guided from the end of the bent portion 23 of the terminal 20 to the contact portion 25. At the start of mating of the mating connector 40 to the connector 10, the contact protrusion 57 of the mating contact portion 55 comes into contact with the slit edge of the bent portion 23 to widen the slit 26. As a result, the insertion force of the connector is reduced. When the contact projection 57 enters the window-shaped portion 26A, the contact projection 57 presses the inner edge surface of the slit 26 to bend in the plate thickness direction and easily widen the width of the slit 26. Therefore, due to the reaction force from the inner edge surface, the mating contact portion 55 increases the contact pressure with the contact portion 25.

  The present invention is not limited to the form shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and can be variously modified.

  In the form shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the slit 26 does not have the hole 27 and the window-like portion 26A seen in FIG. The width of the slit 26 is constant from the bent end edge to the free end (lower end). Therefore, the locked portion of the mating terminal of the mating connector can be stopped at any position of the slit 26 to open the two contact leg portions 25A and 25B. Further, in order to easily introduce the locked portion of the mating terminal into the slit 26, as a preferred form, as shown in FIGS. 2 can also be formed. Such a tapered edge is also applicable to the embodiment shown in FIGS. The mating terminal at the completion of fitting may be in contact with the taper edge or the inner surface of the slit against the contact leg portion having the taper edge.

10 Connector 25B Contact leg 20 Terminal 26 Slit
23 Bent part 26A-2 Tapered edge (introduction part)
25 Contact part 40 Mating connector 25A Contact leg part 50 Mating terminal

Claims (4)

  A contact portion is formed extending from a bent portion formed by bending the metal plate in the plate thickness direction toward a free end located in the mating connector in the fitting direction, and is on the convex curved surface side of the bent portion. In the electrical connector having a terminal for guiding the mating terminal to the contact portion on the outer surface, the terminal extends in the fitting direction from the range of the bent portion to the free end and penetrates in the plate thickness direction, and a slit is formed. An electrical connector characterized in that it is divided into two contact legs by the slit, and at least one of the two contact legs has elasticity in the width direction of the slit.   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the contact leg portion has elasticity also in a plate thickness direction.   The electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the contact leg portion has an inner edge facing the slit on the outer surface side, which is a tapered edge.   4. The electricity according to claim 1, wherein the slit has a bent end edge that forms a width larger than the width of the slit in the contact portion within the range of the bent portion. connector.

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