JP2011243425A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector capable of absorbing displacement in a direction almost perpendicular to a connecting direction of a plug connector and a receptacle connector, and easily providing a predetermined spring property to a receptacle contact even when the connector is made thin and short.SOLUTION: An elastic deformation part 37 of a receptacle contact 32 comprises a first inclined part 38, a second inclined part 39, and a third inclined part 40.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector capable of maintaining an electrical connection state by absorbing an external force even after the external force is applied.

As a conventional technology of this type of connector, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1.
24 and 25 are vertical side views schematically showing this connector, and the connector 100 includes a receptacle connector 105 and a plug connector 115 that can be connected to and separated from each other.
The receptacle connector 105 is supported by the fixed insulator 106 and the fixed insulator 106 in a cantilever state, with one end protruding from one end surface of the fixed insulator 106 and the other end protruding from the other end surface of the fixed insulator 106 (paper surface). A plurality of receptacle contacts 107 arranged in a direction orthogonal to the movable contact 110 and a movable insulator 110 supported by the receptacle contacts 107. As shown in the figure, an elastically deforming portion 108 having a substantially S-shape when viewed from the side is formed in the intermediate portion of the receptacle contact 107, and the distal end portion (left end portion) of the receptacle contact 107 has a pair of upper and lower gripping pieces. Part 109. In the movable insulator 110, the same number of through-holes 111 as the receptacle contacts 107 are formed side by side in the predetermined direction. The elastic deformation portions 108 of the receptacle contacts 107 are inserted into the large diameter portions of the corresponding through holes 111 so as to be relatively movable. The portion of each receptacle contact 107 located on the free end side from the elastic deformation portion 108 is inserted into the small diameter portion of the through hole 111, and the portion positioned between the elastic deformation portion 108 and the connection portion 109 is fitted to the small diameter portion. It is fixed.
The plug connector 115 indicated by an imaginary line includes a plug insulator and the same number of plug contacts 116 as the receptacle contacts 107 supported in a cantilever state on the plug insulator. The receptacle connector 105 and the plug connector 115 are connected to each other by connecting the end portion of each plug contact 116 protruding from the plug insulator to the connecting portion 109 located in the through hole 111 through the corresponding through hole 111.

  When the mounting surface of the electronic device (not shown) to which the connector 100 is attached is not a perfect plane, an external force in the thickness direction of the receptacle connector 105 (vertical direction in the figure) may reach the plug connector 115 from the mounting surface. is there. When such an external force is applied, the elastic deformation portion 108 is elastically deformed as shown in FIG. 25, so that the plug connector 115 and the movable insulator 110 slide in this direction with respect to the fixed insulator 106 to absorb this force. Even if the plug connector 115 and the movable insulator 110 slide, the connection state between the receptacle contact 107 (connection portion 109) and the plug contact 116 is maintained. That is, the connector 100 is a so-called floating connector.

JP 2007-194171 A

As shown in FIG. 25, when the fixed insulator 106 is displaced (slid) upward with respect to the movable insulator 110, the elastic deformation portion 108 is also elastically deformed upward in the through hole 111. Although not shown, when the fixed insulator is displaced in the opposite direction (downward) from FIG. 25, the elastic deformation portion 108 is elastically deformed downward. That is, in order to enable the elastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion 108 due to the positional deviation, the upper surface of the elastic deformation portion 108 and the upper surface of the through-hole 111 when the receptacle contact 107 is in a free state as shown in FIG. A region (gap A ′) that allows elastic deformation without interfering with the positional deviation of the elastic deformation portion 108 must be secured between the lower surface of the elastic deformation portion 108 and the lower surface of the through hole 111.
However, in order to realize a thin floating connector, which is a market requirement, both the gap A ′ and the thickness B ′ of the elastically deformable portion 108 must be reduced. However, if the gap A ′ is reduced, the amount of displacement is reduced. Since the spring property is reduced when the thickness B ′ is reduced, the purpose of “thinning” and “ensuring a sufficient amount of positional displacement and restoring force” have a contradictory relationship in the connector of Patent Document 1. End up.
Further, when the spring length L ′ of the elastic deformation portion 108 is increased in order to give the predetermined contact performance to the receptacle contact 107 (elastic deformation portion 108) while reducing the thickness of the receptacle connector 105, the entire length of the receptacle connector 105 (FIG. 24, FIG. 24). 25 in the left-right direction).

  An object of the present invention is to absorb a positional shift in a direction substantially perpendicular to the connection direction of the plug connector and the receptacle connector, and to achieve a predetermined spring with respect to the receptacle contact even when the thickness and thickness are reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that is easy to impart performance.

  The connector of the present invention is a receptacle having a fixed insulator and an elastically deformable portion that is cantilevered by the fixed insulator and can be deformed in a direction facing and facing away from the facing surface that is the inner surface of the fixed insulator. A receptacle connector comprising a contact and a movable insulator supported by the receptacle contact, the inner surface of which is opposed to the elastically deforming portion from the opposite side of the inner surface of the fixed insulator; the plug insulator; and the plug insulator A plug connector having a plug contact connectable to the free end of the receptacle contact, and the elastically deforming portion extends from the fixed insulator side to the free end side, and the free end when in a free state Away from the facing surface as it extends to the side A second inclined portion that extends from the tip of the first inclined portion toward the fixed insulator on the bottom side of the first inclined portion, and approaches the opposing surface as it extends toward the fixed insulator in a free state. A third inclined portion extending from the tip of the second inclined portion toward the free end on the bottom side of the second inclined portion and moving away from the facing surface toward the free end side in a free state; It is characterized by providing.

  A position restricting portion may be formed on one of the movable insulator and the fixed insulator, and a position restricting hole may be formed on the other to fit the position restricting portion while forming a predetermined separation distance in the vertical direction.

  The position restricting portion extends in an axial direction substantially orthogonal to the deformation direction of the elastic deformation portion, and is rotatable about the axis with respect to the position restricting hole, and the extending direction of the position restricting portion You may position the said elastic deformation part on the top.

  The position restricting hole is formed by a position restricting recess formed in the fixed insulator and a fitting provided in the fixed insulator for closing the opening of the position restricting recess and connecting to the ground pattern of the first substrate. Also good.

  A lock mechanism may be provided between the movable insulator and the plug insulator to restrict relative movement of the movable insulator relative to the plug insulator when the receptacle contact and the plug contact are connected.

According to the present invention, the elastically deforming portion of the receptacle contact that connects the fixed insulator and the movable insulator can be elastically deformed in the direction of coming into contact with and separating from the inner surface (opposed surface) of the fixed insulator, so that the fixed insulator of the plug connector and the movable insulator It is possible to absorb the positional deviation in the contact / separation direction with respect to.
In addition, when a gap of a predetermined size is formed between the opposing surface of the fixed insulator and the inner surface of the movable insulator and the elastic deformation portion, a part of the elastic deformation portion in the free state is positioned at the same height as the gap. Therefore, the thickness of the elastic deformation portion (the interval between the first inclination portion and the third inclination portion) can be increased as compared with the case where the elastic deformation portion is not inclined. Therefore, even when the receptacle connector is thinned, a predetermined spring performance can be imparted to the elastically deformable portion (receptacle contact), and it is easy to ensure a sufficient amount of positional deviation and restoring force.
Furthermore, since the first inclined portion, the second inclined portion, and the third inclined portion are inclined when the elastically deforming portion is in a free state, even when the longitudinal dimension of the elastically deforming portion is shortened, Spring length can be increased. Therefore, even if the spring length of the elastically deforming portion is increased, the total length of the receptacle connector does not increase.

It is the side view which represented typically the internal structure of the LED lighting apparatus using the connector of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the upper direction of the connector in a separation state. It is the perspective view seen from the upper part of the connector in a connection state. It is a disassembled perspective view of a plug connector. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the downward direction of the receptacle connector. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the upper direction of the receptacle connector. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the top showing the state in the middle of the assembly of a receptacle connector. It is the perspective view seen from the downward direction of the receptacle contact. It is a front view of a receptacle contact. It is a top view of the connector in a connection state. It is sectional drawing which follows the XI-XI arrow line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the XII-XII arrow line of FIG. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 11 when a plug connector slides below with respect to a fixed insulator. It is a top view when a plug connector slides to the side with respect to a fixed insulator. It is the perspective view seen from the upper part when a plug connector rotates with respect to a fixed insulator. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 11 when a plug connector rotates with respect to a fixed insulator. It is the perspective view seen from upper direction when connecting a plug connector and a receptacle connector, sliding on the same plane. It is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 of the modification of this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the direction different from FIG. It is a top view of the connector in a connection state. It is sectional drawing which follows the XXI-XXI arrow line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the XXII-XXII arrow line of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the upper part when connecting a plug connector and a receptacle connector in the modification, sliding on the same plane. It is a vertical side view when the plug connector and receptacle connector of a prior art example are connected. It is a vertical side view similar to FIG. 24 when a plug connector slides downward.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions are based on the directions of arrows in the figure.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing the internal structure of an elongated lighting device to which a connector 10 of the present invention is applied. As shown in the drawing, the lighting device has a long translucent case, and a large number of circuit boards CB are arranged in the translucent case in the longitudinal direction of the translucent case. The circuit boards CB are arranged on substantially the same straight line, and a plurality of LEDs are fixed on the surface of each circuit board CB. Further, a receptacle connector 15 is fixed to one end (left end in FIG. 1) of the surface of each circuit board CB except for the circuit boards CB located at both ends, and the other end (right end in FIG. 1). The plug connector 70 is fixed. The receptacle connector 15 and the plug connector 70 are components of the connector 10, and the adjacent circuit boards CB are connected to each other by connecting the adjacent receptacle connector 15 and the plug connector 70. Further, a plug connector 70 connected to the receptacle connector 15 of the adjacent (right adjacent) circuit board CB is fixed to the surface of the circuit board CB at one end (left end in FIG. 1), and the other end. A receptacle connector 15 connected to the plug connector 70 of the adjacent (left adjacent) circuit board CB is fixed to the surface of the circuit board CB (right end in FIG. 1).

Next, the structure of the receptacle connector 15 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the receptacle connector 15 includes a fixed insulator 20, three receptacle contacts 32, a movable insulator 50, and two retaining brackets 60 as large components.
The fixed insulator 20 is an integrally molded product obtained by injection molding an insulating and heat resistant synthetic resin material. The rear portion of the fixed insulator 20 constitutes a contact support portion 21, and a storage recess 22 is formed in the front portion of the fixed insulator 20, and a portion located directly below the storage recess 22 is a bottom portion 23 (the upper surface is opposed). Constituting the surface 23a). Position restricting recesses 24 are respectively provided in the left and right side walls of the front portion of the fixed insulator 20, and a metal fitting recess 25 is provided in the rear portion of the upper surface of each side wall. On both sides, metal fitting fixing holes 26 are recessed downward. Further, three contact support grooves 27 are formed in the upper surface of the contact support portion 21. The fixed insulator 20 is formed with three through support holes 28 for connecting the bottom surface of each contact support groove 27 and the bottom surface of the fixed insulator 20 (see FIG. 5). Three backside grooves 29 communicating with the support groove 27 are recessed.

The three receptacle contacts 32 are formed by using a progressive metal mold (stamping) so that a thin plate of a copper alloy (for example, phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, titanium copper) having a spring elasticity or a Corson type copper alloy has a shape shown in the drawing. The surface is formed and gold-plated after a base is formed on the surface by nickel plating.
The rear end portion of the receptacle contact 32 is a fixed end portion 33 having a tail piece 34 and a fixed hanging piece 35 extending downward. From the front surface of the fixed end portion 33, an elastic deformation portion 37 having a substantially S shape in a side view extends forward. The elastically deformable portion 37 includes a rear end horizontal portion 37a extending forward from the fixed end portion 33, a first inclined portion 38 extending forward from the front end of the rear end horizontal portion 37a, and a first inclined portion immediately below the first inclined portion 38. A second inclined portion 39 extending rearward from the front end of 38, a third inclined portion 40 extending forward from the rear end of the second inclined portion 39 immediately below the second inclined portion 39, and a third inclined portion 40. And a front end horizontal portion 37b extending forward from the front end. As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 8, and 11, the rear end horizontal portion 37 a and the front end horizontal portion 37 b are substantially horizontal in a free state, while the first inclined portion 38, the second inclined portion 39, and The third inclined portions 40 are both substantially parallel, and when the receptacle contact 32 is in a free state, the first inclined portion 38 is directed upward as it extends forward, and the second inclined portion 39 is downward as it extends rearward. The third inclined portion 40 faces upward as it extends forward.
A portion located in front of the front end horizontal portion 37b is a fitting portion 42 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. Locking projections 43 project from the lower surfaces of the left and right side walls of the fitting portion 42, and the free end portion (front end portion) of the receptacle contact 32 is a connection portion 44 that extends forward from the fitting portion 42. . The connecting portion 44 includes a pair of gripping pieces 45 that respectively extend forward from the left and right side walls of the fitting portion 42. The left and right gripping pieces 45 are symmetrical and approach each other as they extend forward, and the front end surfaces of the left and right gripping pieces 45 are R surfaces 46 (bent inwardly so that both ends of the gripping pieces 45 face each other. As a result of forming the contact portion 45a, an R surface appears on the front end surface of the gripping piece 45). In addition, symmetrical lower guide pieces 47 project from the lower surfaces of the left and right grip pieces 45 (contact portions 45a). When the receptacle contact 32 is in a free state, the left and right lower guide pieces 47 have a square shape in a bottom view and a front view.

The movable insulator 50 is an integrally molded product obtained by injection molding an insulating and heat-resistant synthetic resin material, and its thickness (vertical dimension) is substantially the same as the thickness of the fixed insulator 20.
On the lower surface of the rear portion of the movable insulator 50, a contact housing space 51 whose planar shape is substantially the same as that of the bottom portion 23 is formed. The front surface of the movable insulator 50 is formed with three front end grooves 52 that open at the front and lower surfaces and extend rearward. The front end of the movable insulator 50 communicates with the corresponding front end groove 52. In addition, three contact holding holes 53 whose rear ends communicate with the contact storage space 51 are formed.
Position restricting portions 55 that extend in the left-right direction and are coaxial with each other protrude from the left and right side surfaces of the rear portion of the movable insulator 50.
Further, a pair of left and right front lock portions 56 project from the front end surface of the movable insulator 50, and a pair of left and right front lock claws 57 project from the left and right side surfaces of the front lock portion 56. A pair of left and right side locking claws 58 protrude from the side surface of the movable insulator 50.

The pair of left and right retaining metal fittings 60 are press-formed products of a metal plate (conductive material).
The left and right retaining brackets 60 are bilaterally symmetrical, and include a retaining portion 61 that extends in the front-rear direction, a fixed insertion piece 62 that hangs from the rear end of the retaining portion 61, and a rearward portion that extends downward from the side surface of the front end of the retaining portion 61. And a tail piece 63 extending toward the front.

The receptacle connector 15 including the fixed insulator 20, the receptacle contact 32, the movable insulator 50, and the retaining bracket 60 described above as components is assembled by the following procedure.
The fixed insulator 20, the receptacle contact 32, the movable insulator 50, and the retaining bracket 60 in the completely disassembled state shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are first connected to the connection portions 44 and fittings of the three receptacle contacts 32 as shown in FIG. 7. The joint portion 42 is inserted into the three contact holding holes 53 of the movable insulator 50 from the rear, and the fitting portion 42 is positioned in the contact holding hole 53. Then, the upper surface of each fitting portion 42 comes into contact with the ceiling surface of the corresponding contact holding hole 53, and the locking projection 43 formed on the lower surface of each fitting portion 42 presses against the bottom surface of the corresponding contact holding hole 53. Therefore, each fitting portion 42 is fixed to the contact holding hole 53. When the three receptacle contacts 32 are fixed to the movable insulator 50 in this way, each connection portion 44 is located in the corresponding front end groove 52 and the elastic deformation portion 37 is located in the contact storage space 51.
When the three receptacle contacts 32 and the movable insulator 50 are integrated in this manner, the movable insulator 50 positioned immediately above the fixed insulator 20 is moved downward to support the fixed end 33 of each receptacle contact 32. Each receptacle contact 32 is contact-supported by being fitted and fixed in the groove 27 (the fixed hanging piece 35 is fitted in the through-supporting hole 28 and the portion extending upward from the tail piece 34 is fitted in the rear groove 29). The left and right position restricting portions 55 are positioned in the left and right position restricting recesses 24 with a small clearance in the front-rear direction. Next, the left and right retaining metal fittings 60 positioned immediately above the fixed insulator 20 are moved downward to fit the fixed insertion pieces 62 into the left and right metal fitting fixing holes 26, respectively. Then, the front end portion of the retaining portion 61 fits into the left and right metal fitting recesses 25, and the rear end portion of the retaining portion 61 is a recess formed on the upper surface of the contact support portion 21 (no symbol; formed around the bracket fixing hole 26). The tail piece 63 is positioned on the side of the fixed insulator 20. Since the receptacle connector 15 can be assembled simply by moving the movable insulator 50 and the stopper fitting 60 integrated with the receptacle contact 32 from the upper side to the lower side in this way, the number of assembling steps is small and the assembling is easy.
When the receptacle connector 15 is assembled in this manner, the upper surface of the position restricting recess 24 is closed by the retaining portion 61 of the retaining bracket 60 as shown in FIG. 2 (the inner surface of the position restricting recess 24 and the lower surface of the retaining portion 61 are In the state where the left and right position restricting portions 55 of the movable insulator 50 are secured by the retaining portions 61, the inside of the position restricting recess 24 (the retaining portions 61 and the position restricting recesses). It can be moved up and down and rotated (by a distance of 24). Note that the rotation range of the movable insulator 50 relative to the fixed insulator 20 is reduced to a very small range (about 4 ° in the vertical direction from the position in FIG. 2 where the lower surface of the movable insulator 50 contacts the bottom 23) by the rotation range restricting means (not shown). Limited.

  After the receptacle connector 15 having the above configuration is mounted on the upper surface of the circuit board CB, the tail piece 34 of each receptacle contact 32 is soldered to a circuit pattern (not shown) formed on the upper surface of the circuit board CB in a reflow furnace. In addition, the tail piece 63 of the retaining metal fitting 60 is integrated with the circuit board CB by soldering to a ground pattern (not shown) formed on the upper surface of the circuit board CB (see FIGS. 1, 11 and the like).

Next, the structure of the plug connector 70 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 4, the plug connector 70 includes a plug insulator 71, three plug contacts 85, and two fixing brackets 90 as large components.
The plug insulator 71 is an integrally molded product obtained by injection-molding an insulating and heat-resistant synthetic resin material, and includes a pair of left and right side walls 72, a front wall 73 connecting the front ends of the left and right side walls 72, left and right side walls 72, and The space surrounded by the side wall 72, the front wall 73, and the bottom plate 74 is a fitting space 75.
The front wall 73 is formed with three contact support grooves 76 that penetrate the front wall 73 in the front-rear direction. Further, a pair of lock grooves 77 are formed in the left and right ends of the rear surface of the front wall 73, and lock claws 78 are provided on the left and right side surfaces (opposing surfaces) of the lock groove 77.
A protrusion is formed on the front portion of the side wall 72 toward the outside, and a forward mounting hole 80 is formed on the rear end surface of the protrusion. Further, a locking projection 81 having a substantially triangular prism shape projects inwardly at the rear of the inner surface of the side wall 72.

The three plug contacts 85 are formed of the same material and in the same manner as the receptacle contacts 32, a fixed end portion 86 constituting the front portion thereof, a tail piece 87 extending forward from the lower surface of the fixed end portion 86, and And a connection piece 88 extending rearward from the fixed end portion 86.
Each plug contact 85 inserts the connecting piece 88 into the fitting space 75 from the front of the front wall 73 through each contact support groove 76, and each fixed end 86 is fitted and fixed to the corresponding contact support groove 76. Thus, it is integrated with the plug insulator 71.
The pair of left and right fixing brackets 90 are press-formed products of a metal plate (conductive material), and the left and right fixing brackets 90 are symmetrical. A fixing piece 91 is formed at the front end portion of the fixing metal 90, and a tail piece 92 extending in the lateral direction protrudes from the lower end of the rear end portion of the fixing metal 90. The left and right fixing brackets 90 are integrated with the plug insulator 71 by fitting and fixing the fixing pieces 91 to the corresponding mounting holes 80 of the plug insulator 71 from the rear.
After the plug connector 70 having the above configuration is mounted on the upper surface of the circuit board CB, the tail piece 87 of each plug contact 85 is soldered to the circuit pattern formed on the upper surface of the circuit board CB in a reflow furnace, The tail piece 92 of 90 is soldered to a ground pattern formed on the upper surface of the circuit board CB to be integrated with the circuit board CB (see FIGS. 1 and 11).

As shown in FIG. 2 (illustration of the circuit board CB is omitted), the receptacle connector 15 and the plug connector 70 are a receptacle integrated with another circuit board CB with respect to the plug connector 70 integrated with the circuit board CB. After the connector 15 is positioned upward, the receptacle connector 15 is moved downward, and the front half of the movable insulator 50 is fitted into the fitting space 75 of the plug insulator 71 to be connected to each other.
When the front half of the movable insulator 50 is fitted into the fitting space 75, the left and right front lock portions 56 of the movable insulator 50 are fitted into the left and right lock grooves 77 of the plug insulator 71 from above, and each front lock claw 57 is locked. Since the claw 78 is overcome (while the front lock claw 57 and the lock claw 78 are elastically deformed) and located below the lock claw 78 and the lower surface of the movable insulator 50 contacts the bottom plate 74, the plug insulator 71 of the movable insulator 50. Movement up and down is restricted. Further, since the front end portion of the movable insulator 50 is in contact with the rear surface of the front wall 73 and the rear portions of the left and right side lock claws 58 are in contact with the front portions of the corresponding locking projections 81, the plug of the movable insulator 50 Back and forth movement with respect to the insulator 71 is also restricted. Further, since the left and right side lock claws 58 come into contact with the front portions of the corresponding locking projections 81, the left and right movement of the movable insulator 50 with respect to the plug insulator 71 is also restricted. Thus, the movable insulator 50 is relatively moved with respect to the plug insulator 71 by the lock mechanism having the front lock portion 56, the front lock claw 57, the side lock claw 58, the lock groove 77, the lock claw 78, and the lock projection 81. Is regulated.
11 and 12, the connection piece 88 of each plug contact 85 is guided by the opposing surfaces of the pair of lower guide pieces 47 of the corresponding receptacle contact 32, while the pair of gripping pieces 45 (contact portions 45a). Since it enters between the pair of gripping pieces 45 while pushing and spreading the pair of gripping pieces 45 (elastically deforming), the left and right contact portions 45a come into contact with both side surfaces of the connection piece 88 while elastically deforming. To do. Therefore, adjacent circuit boards CB are electrically connected to each other through the receptacle contact 32 and the plug contact 85. Moreover, since the relative movement of the movable insulator 50 with respect to the plug insulator 71 is restricted, this conduction state is not released unless the connection between the receptacle connector 15 and the plug connector 70 is intentionally released.
As shown in FIG. 17 (illustration of the circuit board CB is omitted), the receptacle connector 15 integrated with another circuit board CB is rearward and flush with the plug connector 70 integrated with the circuit board CB. The receptacle connector 15 and the plug connector 70 may be connected by linearly moving adjacent circuit boards CB in a direction approaching each other after being positioned in the position. In this case, the side lock claw 58 and the lock projection 81 are elastically deformed, so that the side lock claw 58 gets over the lock projection 81 (moves to the front of the lock projection 81). On the other hand, since the front lock claw 57 of the front lock portion 56 is fitted below the lock groove 77 while being positioned below the lock claw 78, the front lock claw 57 and the lock claw 78 are not elastically deformed. In this case, the connection piece 88 of the plug contact 85 is guided between the pair of gripping pieces 45 by the pair of R surfaces 46.

When the adjacent circuit boards CB are connected using the connector 10 (receptacle connector 15 and plug connector 70) in this way, the circuit boards CB are positioned on substantially the same plane as shown in FIG. The connected receptacle connector 15 and plug connector 70 are also located on substantially the same plane.
However, there may be a deviation in the vertical position between adjacent circuit boards CB due to reasons such as the mounting surface for the circuit board CB formed on the inner surface of the lighting device being not a perfect plane. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, when the right circuit board CB is positioned above the left circuit board CB, the space between the movable insulator 50 and the facing surface 23a of the bottom 23 (the storage recess 22 and the contact storage space 51). Inside, the elastic deformation portion 37 of each receptacle contact 32 is elastically deformed from the state shown in FIG. 11 to the state shown in FIG. 13 (elastically deformed substantially in the vertical direction), and is fixed to the right circuit board CB. Allows the plug connector 70 and the movable insulator 50 to slide upward. Although not shown, when the right circuit board CB is positioned below the left circuit board CB, the space between the movable insulator 50 and the facing surface 23a (the storage recess 22, the contact storage space). 51), the elastically deforming portion 37 of each receptacle contact 32 is elastically deformed from the state shown in FIG. 11 in the opposite direction (substantially up and down direction) to FIG. 13, and the fixed insulator 20 integrated with the right circuit board CB is provided. The plug connector 70 and the movable insulator 50 are allowed to slide downward. Since the elastic deformation portion 37 is elastically deformed in this way, the vertical displacement of the left and right circuit boards CB is absorbed. Therefore, even if the fixed insulator 20 slides up and down with respect to the plug connector 70 and the movable insulator 50, the receptacle. The connection state between the contact 32 (grip piece 45) and the plug contact 85 (connection piece 88) is reliably maintained.
The vertical movement of the movable insulator with respect to the fixed insulator 20 is regulated by the bottom surface (opposing surface 23a) of the position regulating recess 24, the bottom surface of the retaining portion 61, and the position regulating portion 55, and the initial position (the position regulating recess 24 of the position regulating recess 24). The maximum positional deviation allowable amount from the bottom surface and the lower surface of the retaining portion 61 and the position restricting portion 55 is determined by this restriction.

In order to allow such movement of the receptacle connector 15, the rear end portion (rear end horizontal portion 37 a) of the first inclined portion 38 and the ceiling surface of the movable insulator 50 when the elastically deformable portion 37 is in a free state. The elastic deformation portion 37 is allowed to elastically deform in the vertical direction between 50a (inner surface) and between the front end portion (front end horizontal portion 37b) of the third inclined portion 40 and the facing surface 23a of the fixed insulator 20. Therefore, the shapes (dimensions) of the fixed insulator 20, the receptacle contact 32, and the movable insulator 50 are set so that a gap A (the same dimension as the gap A ′ in FIG. 24) is formed.
However, when the elastically deforming portion 37 is in the free state, the first inclined portion 38 is located at the same height as the upper gap A and the third inclined portion 40 is located at the same height as the lower gap A. The thickness B of the elastically deformable portion 37 in the free state is equal to the thickness B ′ of the elastically deformable portion 108 shown in FIG. 24 even if the connector 15 is thinned so as to have the same height as the receptacle connector 15 shown in FIGS. It is possible to make it larger. For this reason, sufficient elasticity is imparted to the elastic deformation portion 37 without hindering the displacement behavior such as the elastic deformation portion 37 coming into contact with the fixed insulator 20 (opposing surface 23a) or the movable insulator 50 (ceiling surface 50a). Thus, a desired positional shift amount and restoring force can be ensured.
Further, since the first inclined portion 38, the second inclined portion 39, and the third inclined portion 40 are inclined with respect to the horizontal line in the free state, even if the longitudinal length L of the elastic deformation portion 37 is shortened, the spring length is increased. Is possible. Therefore, even if the spring length of the elastically deforming portion 37 is increased, the longitudinal length of the receptacle connector 15 does not increase.

In addition, when the left and right positions of the adjacent circuit boards CB are displaced, the elastic deformation portions 37 of the receptacle contacts 32 are elastically deformed in the left and right directions, so that FIG. 14 (illustration of the circuit board CB is omitted). The fixed insulator 20 integrated with the right circuit board CB is allowed to slide to the left and right with respect to the plug connector 70 (and the movable insulator 50) integrated with the left circuit board CB as shown in FIG. To do.
Furthermore, the movement of the movable insulator in the left-right direction with respect to the fixed insulator 20 is regulated by the inner side surfaces of the left and right side walls of the storage recess 22 and both side surfaces of the movable insulator 50, and the initial position (the inner side surfaces of the left and right side walls of the storage recess 22). And the maximum allowable amount of positional deviation from a position where a separation distance of 0.5 mm is formed between both side surfaces of the movable insulator 50 is also determined by this regulation.

Furthermore, the left and right circuit boards CB rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 11 about the position restricting portion 55 of the movable insulator 50 with respect to the right circuit board CB due to the vertical displacement between the adjacent circuit boards CB. When trying to do so, the elastic deformation portion 37 of each receptacle contact 32 is elastically deformed in substantially the same direction as the clockwise direction. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the plug connector 70 (and the movable insulator 50) integrated with the left circuit board CB is clockwise with respect to the fixed insulator 20 integrated with the right circuit board CB. It is allowed to rotate.
Moreover, since each elastic deformation portion 37 is positioned on the axis of the left and right position restricting portions 55 in a side view (see phantom lines in FIG. 11), the elastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion 37 at this time is smoothly performed. .

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the said embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can implement, giving various deformation | transformation.
For example, you may implement in the aspect shown in FIGS.
The basic configuration of the connector 10 ′ (receptacle connector 15 ′, plug connector 70 ′) of this modification is the same as that of the connector 10 (receptacle connector 15, plug connector 70), but the receptacle connector 15 ′ and plug connector 70 ′ are connected. The two locking mechanisms are different from the connector 10.
That is, although a pair of left and right front lock protrusions 95 project from the front end surface of the movable insulator 50 of the receptacle connector 15 ′, the front lock protrusion 95 has no protrusion corresponding to the front lock claw 57. In addition, side lock projections 96 project from the left and right side surfaces of the movable insulator 50. On the other hand, front lock recesses 97 are formed on the left and right sides of the front wall 73 of the plug insulator 71 of the plug connector 70 ′, and side lock grooves 98 are recessed on the inner side surface of the side wall 72. In the present modification, the front lock projection 95, the side lock projection 96, the front lock recess 97, and the side lock groove 98 are components of the lock mechanism.
In this modification, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 (illustration of the circuit board CB is omitted), the plug connector 70 in which the receptacle connector 15 ′ integrated with the circuit board CB is integrated with another circuit board CB is provided. After being positioned obliquely above ', the receptacle connector 15' is brought closer to the plug connector 70 'while being inclined. First, the left and right front lock projections 95 are inserted into the left and right front lock recesses 97 from the rear, and then the side lock projections 96 are brought into contact with the inner surface of the side wall 72 (the portion located above the side lock groove 98). The left and right side lock grooves 98 are fitted while being elastically deformed (see FIGS. 21 and 22). Then, the front lock projection 95, the front lock recess 97, the side lock projection 96, and the side lock groove 98 restrict the vertical movement and the horizontal movement of the both, and the front end surface of the movable insulator 50 is located on the rear surface of the front wall 73. Since the rear end portion of the side lock protrusion 96 comes into contact with the rear end portion of the side lock groove 98 (see FIG. 22), the longitudinal movement of both is also restricted.
As shown in FIG. 23 (illustration of the circuit board CB is omitted), the plug connector 70 ′ integrated with the circuit board CB is connected to the receptacle connector 15 ′ integrated with another circuit board CB backward and After being positioned on the same plane, the receptacle connector 15 ′ and the plug connector 70 ′ may be connected by linearly moving adjacent circuit boards CB toward each other. In this case, the side lock projection 96 is fitted into the side lock groove 98 after being elastically deformed by coming into contact with the inner side surface of the side wall 72 (portion located behind the side lock groove 98).
Although not shown, it is also possible to connect the receptacle connector 15 ′ and the plug connector 70 ′ by linearly moving the receptacle connector 15 ′ located above the plug connector 70 ′ downward. In this case, the front lock projection 95 is fitted into the front lock recess 97 after being elastically deformed by contacting the rear surface of the front wall 73 (the portion located above the front lock recess 97), and the side lock projection 96 Is elastically deformed by contacting the inner surface of the side wall 72 (the portion located above the side lock groove 98) and then fitted into the side lock groove 98.

  Further, a position restricting hole corresponding to the position restricting recess 24 may be formed on the movable insulator 50 side, and a member corresponding to the position restricting portion 55 may be formed on the fixed insulator 20 side.

10 10 'Connector 15 15' Receptacle Connector 20 Fixed Insulator 21 Contact Support 22 Storage Recess 23 Bottom 23a Opposing Surface (Inner Surface)
24 Position restriction recess (position restriction hole)
25 Metal fitting recess 26 Metal fitting fixing hole 27 Contact support groove 32 Receptacle contact 33 Fixed end 34 Tail piece 35 Fixed hanging piece 37 Elastic deformation portion 38 First inclined portion 39 Second inclined portion 40 Third inclined portion 42 Fitting portion 43 Locking protrusion 44 Connection portion 45 Holding piece 45a Contact portion 46 R surface 47 Downward guide piece 50 Movable insulator 50a Ceiling surface (inner surface)
51 Contact storage space 52 Front end groove 53 Contact holding hole 55 Position restricting portion 56 Front lock portion (lock mechanism)
57 Front lock claw (lock mechanism)
58 Side lock claw (lock mechanism)
60 retaining bracket (bracket)
61 Stopper (Position restriction hole)
62 Fixed insertion piece 63 Tail piece 70 70 'Plug connector 71 Plug insulator 72 Side wall 73 Front wall 74 Bottom plate 75 Fitting space 76 Contact support groove 77 Lock groove (lock mechanism)
78 Locking claw (Locking mechanism)
80 Mounting hole 81 Locking protrusion (locking mechanism)
85 Plug contact 86 Fixed end 87 Tail piece 88 Connection piece 90 Fixing bracket 91 Fixing piece 92 Tail piece 95 Front lock protrusion (lock mechanism)
96 Side lock protrusion (lock mechanism)
97 Front lock recess (lock mechanism)
98 Side lock groove (lock mechanism)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Connector 105 Receptacle connector 106 Fixed insulator 107 Receptacle contact 108 Elastic deformation part 109 Connection part 110 Movable insulator 111 Through-hole 115 Plug connector 116 Plug contact CB Circuit board

Claims (5)

A fixed insulator, a receptacle contact that is cantilevered by the fixed insulator, and has an elastically deformable portion that can be deformed in a direction opposite to and facing the opposing surface that is the inner surface of the fixed insulator, and the receptacle A receptacle connector comprising a movable insulator supported by a contact, the inner surface of which is opposed to the elastically deforming portion from the side opposite to the inner surface of the fixed insulator;
A plug connector including a plug insulator and a plug contact supported by the plug insulator and connectable to a free end of the receptacle contact;
The elastic deformation part is
A first inclined portion extending from the fixed insulator side to the free end side, and away from the facing surface as it extends to the free end side in a free state;
A second inclined portion extending from the tip of the first inclined portion to the fixed insulator side on the bottom side from the first inclined portion, and approaching the opposing surface as it extends to the fixed insulator side in a free state;
A third inclined portion extending from the tip of the second inclined portion to the free end side on the bottom side from the second inclined portion, and separating from the facing surface toward the free end side in a free state;
A connector comprising: The connector according to claim 1, wherein
A connector in which a position restricting portion is formed on one of the movable insulator and the fixed insulator, and a position restricting hole is formed on the other to fit the position restricting portion while forming a predetermined separation distance in the vertical direction. The connector according to claim 2, wherein
The position restricting portion extends in an axial direction substantially orthogonal to the deformation direction of the elastic deformation portion, and is rotatable about the axis with respect to the position restricting hole;
A connector in which the elastically deforming portion is positioned on the extending direction of the position restricting portion. The connector according to claim 3, wherein
The position restricting hole is formed by a position restricting recess formed in the fixed insulator and a fitting provided in the fixed insulator for closing the opening of the position restricting recess and connecting to the ground pattern of the first substrate. Connector. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A connector provided with a lock mechanism for restricting relative movement of the movable insulator relative to the plug insulator when the receptacle contact and the plug contact are connected between the movable insulator and the plug insulator.

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