JP2012156090A - Floating type connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a floating type connector capable of preventing plastic deformation of a contact.SOLUTION: The connector has a movable side housing 20, on which a receiving recess 26 is formed; a stationary side housing 10 for movably receiving the movable side housing 20; and a receptacle side contact 30. The receptacle side contact 30 is constituted with a lead part 38 exposed to a lower face, a contact part 31 positioned in the receiving recess 26, and an intermediate part connecting the lead part 38 and the contact part 31. The intermediate part is provided with a flexible part which can be elastically deformed, and the movable side housing 20 comprises a base part 21, a central projecting part 22, and an outer restraining wall 25. The flexible part is elastically deformed in a contact housing space 27, and therefore, the movable side housing 20 can freely move relative to the stationary side housing 10. The flexible part is brought into contact with the central projecting part 22 or the outer restraining wall 25, so that the movable side housing 20 can be restrained from moving beyond an allowable moving range.

Description

  The present invention has a fixed-side housing fixed to a substrate and a movable-side housing that fits into the counterpart connector, and the movable-side housing is configured to be movable with respect to the fixed-side housing. The present invention relates to a floating type connector configured so that even if there is a positional shift between the substrates on which the connectors are mounted during the fitting connection, the connectors can be reliably coupled by absorbing them.

  Such a connector called a floating-type connector has, for example, a fixed side housing fixed to a substrate and a movable side housing having a fitting portion for fitting with a mating connector, and a contact is movable with the fixed side housing. It is the structure hold | maintained ranging over both the side housings. The movable housing is movable with respect to the fixed housing by the elastic force of the contact. For example, when mating and mating with the mating connector fixed to the board, the board with the floating connector and the mating connector are installed. Even if there is a misalignment with the printed board, this is absorbed and can be easily coupled to the mating connector. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a floating electrical connector in which a floating housing is movable with respect to a fixed housing by the elastic force of a contact.

  FIG. 15A shows a cross-sectional view of a receptacle connector 500 as an example of a conventional floating connector. A fixed housing 510 fixed to a substrate (not shown) and a mating plug connector are shown. The movable housing 520 having a receiving recess 523 capable of receiving a protrusion (not shown) and a plurality of contacts 530 held across both the housings 510 and 520 are configured. Each contact 530 has a lead portion (joining portion) 533 extending outward from a portion (fixed-side press-fit locking portion 531) held by the fixed-side housing 510, and connected to a wiring pattern (not shown) on the substrate. In addition, a contact portion 534 extending upward from a portion (movable side press-fit locking portion 532) held by the movable side housing 520 is provided in the receiving recess 523. The bent portion 535 formed by being bent between the fixed-side press-fit locking portion 531 and the movable-side press-fit locking portion 532 can be elastically deformed in the left-right direction in FIG. The movable housing 520 can move left and right with respect to the fixed housing 510.

  In the receptacle connector 500 shown in FIG. 15A, the movable housing 520, the plug connector, and the board with the receptacle connector 500 and the board with the plug connector attached are largely displaced in the left-right direction. 15B, for example, as shown in FIG. 15 (b), the movable housing 520 is moved to the left and right (in this case, the right side of the paper) in accordance with the displacement, and is engaged with the mating connector. Is done. As described above, when the movable housing 520 is largely moved with respect to the fixed housing 510, the contact 530 may be plastically deformed in some cases, and the movable housing 520 may not return to the original position. In addition, as shown in FIG. 15C, for example, the movable housing 520 may be greatly swung with respect to the fixed housing 510, and the mating connector may be removed from the receptacle connector 500. However, the contact 530 may be plastically deformed and the movable housing 520 may not return to the original position.

  If the contact 530 is plastically deformed in this manner, it becomes difficult to align the mating connector with the receptacle connector 500 next time. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, for example, a fixing bracket (not shown) for fixing the fixed side housing 510 to the substrate is attached to the fixed side housing 510 in the vicinity of the movable side housing 520. By doing so, while the movable housing 520 is allowed to move relative to the stationary housing 510, the movable bracket 520 is brought into contact with the movable bracket 520 so that the movable housing 520 is moved so as to be plastically deformed. It was prevented by that.

JP-A-10-55856

  By the way, in order to restrict the movement of the movable side housing 520 by bringing the stationary bracket into contact with the movable side housing 520 as in the conventional configuration, a part of the stationary bracket needs to be opposed to the movable side housing 520. As a result, the shape of the fixture is complicated, which may increase the manufacturing cost. Further, when the shape of the fixing bracket becomes complicated, there is a possibility that the work man-hour increases and the working efficiency decreases in the assembling work for attaching the fixing bracket to the fixed-side housing 510. Thus, there has been a problem that it is difficult to prevent plastic deformation of the contact while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost and a reduction in work efficiency.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a floating connector that can prevent plastic deformation of a contact while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost and a decrease in work efficiency.

  In order to achieve the above object, the floating connector according to the present invention is formed with a receiving recess that opens upward to receive a mating connector (for example, the plug connector 101 in the embodiment) and has a movable side having electrical insulation. A housing, a fixed housing that is disposed below the movable housing, receives the movable housing left and right, and has electrical insulation; and is mounted across the fixed housing and the movable housing A plurality of contacts (for example, the receptacle-side contact 30 in the embodiment), each of the contacts is formed by bending a long member having conductivity, and at one end side the fixed side The lead part fixed to the housing and exposed on the lower surface side, and the other end side The contact that is fixed to the movable housing and positioned in the receiving recess is capable of contacting the contacts of the mating connector (for example, the plug-side first contact 130 and the plug-side second contact 140 in the embodiment). And an intermediate portion that connects the lead portion and the contact portion (for example, the inner base portion 32, the inner contact portion 33, the bent portion 34, the outer contact portion 35, the outer base portion 36, and the fixed-side held portion in the embodiment) The intermediate portion is formed in an inverted U-shape that protrudes upward and can be elastically deformed (for example, the inner contact portion 33 in the embodiment). The movable housing includes a flat base, a bottom protruding from the center of the base, and a front side on the upper surface side. A central projecting portion in which a receiving recess is formed; and an outer projecting portion projecting downward from left and right outer end portions of the base portion (for example, the outer regulating wall 25 in the embodiment), wherein the flexible portion is the central projecting portion. The contact portion is housed in a contact housing space that is surrounded by the outer surface of the base member, the lower surface of the base portion, and the inner surface of the outer projecting portion and opens downward, and the flexible portion is elastically deformed in the contact housing space. The movable housing is movable with respect to the stationary housing, and the flexible portion is brought into contact with the central projecting portion or the outer projecting portion in the contact accommodating space, The movable portion is configured to be capable of restricting movement of the movable side housing with respect to the fixed side housing beyond an allowable moving range in which the flexible portion is elastically deformable. And

  Further, in the above-described floating connector, the flexible portion includes an outer abutting portion formed to extend upward on one end side, and a bent portion formed by bending an upper end portion of the outer abutting portion. And an inner contact portion that extends downward from the bent portion, and contacts the outer contact portion and the outer protrusion portion or the inner contact portion and the central protrusion portion. Thus, it is preferable that the movement of the movable housing beyond the allowable movement range can be restricted.

  In the floating connector according to the present invention, the flexible portion is brought into contact with the central projecting portion or the outer projecting portion, so that the flexible portion is elastically deformed and exceeds the allowable movement range in which the movable portion can move. On the other hand, it is configured to be able to restrict the movement of the movable housing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the plastic deformation of the contact without causing the fixing bracket attached to the fixed housing to abut the movable housing to restrict the movement of the movable housing, so that the fixing bracket attached to the fixed housing can be prevented. Can be made into a simple shape. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the floating connector (fixing bracket) can be reduced, and the plastic deformation of the contacts can be prevented while improving the working efficiency in the assembly work in which the fixing bracket is simply attached to the stationary housing.

  In addition, by contacting the outer contact portion of the contact and the outer protruding portion of the movable housing or the inner contact portion of the contact and the central protruding portion of the movable housing, A configuration capable of restricting movement is preferable. When configured in this manner, depending on the moving direction of the movable housing, the outer contact portion and the movable outer protrusion portion can be contacted, and the inner contact portion and the central protrusion portion can be contacted. By bringing the contact and the movable housing into contact with each other at a plurality of portions, the movement of the movable housing exceeding the allowable movement range can be surely restricted.

It is sectional drawing of the state by which the plug connector was fitted with respect to the receptacle connector which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is a cross section corresponding to the arrow direction shown by III-III in FIG.2 (b). It is a figure which shows the said receptacle connector, Comprising: (a) shows a top view, (b) shows a side view, respectively. It is sectional drawing of the III-III part shown in FIG.2 (b). It is a figure which shows the stationary side housing which comprises the said receptacle connector, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) shows a side view, respectively. (A) is a cross-sectional view of a V (a) -V (a) portion shown in FIG. 4 (b), and (b) is a V (b) -V (b) portion shown in FIG. 4 (b). Cross-sectional views are shown respectively. It is a figure which shows the movable side housing which comprises the said receptacle connector, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) shows a side view, respectively. (A) is a sectional view of a VII (a) -VII (a) portion shown in FIG. 6 (a), and (b) is a VII (b) -VII (b) portion shown in FIG. 6 (a). Cross-sectional views are shown respectively. It is a figure which shows the receptacle side contact which comprises the said receptacle connector, Comprising: (a) shows a front view, (b) shows a side view, (c) shows a rear view, respectively. (A) is a side view of the receptacle-side fixing bracket constituting the receptacle connector, and (b) is a side view of the plug-side fixing bracket constituting the plug connector. It is a figure which shows the said plug connector, Comprising: (a) shows a top view, (b) shows a side view, respectively. Sectional drawing of the XI-XI part in FIG.10 (b) is shown. It is a figure which shows the plug side 1st contact which comprises the said plug connector, Comprising: (a) shows a front view, (b) shows a side view, (c) shows a bottom view, respectively. It is a figure which shows the plug side 2nd contact which comprises the said plug connector, Comprising: (a) shows a top view, (b) shows a side view, respectively. It is sectional drawing of the III-III part shown in FIG.2 (b), Comprising: The state by which the movable side housing was rock | fluctuated with respect to the stationary side housing is shown. The sectional view of the conventional receptacle connector is shown, (a) is the state where the other party connector is not fitted, (b) is the state where the movable side housing was greatly moved right and left, and (c) is movable. The state where the side housing is largely swung is shown.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 8, FIG. 9A, and FIG. 14 show a receptacle connector 1 that is a floating connector according to an embodiment of the present invention and components thereof. 1, FIG. 9 (b) and FIGS. 10 to 13 show a plug connector 101 fitted to the receptacle connector 1 and its components. In the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, description is made by defining front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions in the directions of arrows attached to each drawing. However, in actual use, it is not limited to this direction. The same applies to the description of the scope of claims.

  First, the component configuration of the receptacle connector 1 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the receptacle connector 1 includes a fixed housing 10 that is fixed to the receptacle-side substrate 2 on the lower surface side, and a movable housing that is attached to the fixed housing 10 so as to be relatively movable. 20, a plurality of receptacle-side contacts 30 held across both the fixed-side housing 10 and the movable-side housing 20, and a receptacle-side fixture 90 for fixing the fixed-side housing 10 to the receptacle-side substrate 2. It is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the stationary housing 10 has a substantially rectangular shape extending in the front-rear direction, and is formed using a resin having electrical insulation. The fixed housing 10 includes left and right walls 11 and 11 extending in the front-rear direction, and front and rear walls 12 that are formed higher than the left and right walls 11 and 11 at the front and rear ends of the left and right walls 11 and 11 and extend in the left-right direction. 12 and the left and right walls 11 and 11 and the flat bottom 13 connected to the lower ends of the front and rear walls 12 and 12, and is formed in a substantially box shape as a whole. The fixed housing 10 is formed with a movable housing housing space 14 that is surrounded by the left and right walls 11, 11, the front and rear walls 12, 12 and the bottom portion 13 and is opened upward.

  On the left and right outer sides of the left and right walls 11, 11, a plurality of contact holding grooves 11 a formed so as to extend vertically to hold the receptacle-side contacts 30 are provided side by side (see FIG. 5A). . Fixing bracket mounting grooves 12a to which the receptacle-side fixing bracket 90 is mounted are formed on the front and rear outer sides of the front and rear walls 12 and 12 so as to extend vertically (see FIG. 5B). Further, a positioning protrusion 15 for positioning the receptacle side substrate 2 is formed on the lower surface side of the bottom portion 13 so as to protrude downward. The fixed-side housing 10 may have a configuration in which the movable-side housing accommodation space 14 penetrates vertically without providing the bottom portion 13 instead of the configuration in which the bottom portion 13 is provided as described above. May be formed so as to open at least upward.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the movable housing 20 has a substantially rectangular shape extending in the front-rear direction, and is formed using a resin or the like having electrical insulation. The movable-side housing 20 includes a base 21 formed in a rectangular frame shape, a central protrusion 22 having a rectangular shape in a bottom view and extending downward from the inner edge of the base 21 and extending in the front-rear direction, and left and right ends of the base 21 And an outer restricting wall 25 that protrudes downward and extends in the front-rear direction. The central projecting portion 22 includes an inner regulating wall 22a that projects downward from the inner edge of the frame of the base portion 21 and extends in the front-rear and left-right directions, and a flat central bottom portion 23 that is connected to the lower end of the inner regulating wall 22a. .

  On the upper surface side of the central projecting portion 22, a receiving concave portion 26 is formed extending forward and backward, surrounded by the left and right inner surfaces of the inner regulating wall 22 a and the upper surface of the central bottom portion 23 and opened upward. Further, a plate-like fitting protrusion 24 is formed on the upper surface of the central bottom 23 so as to protrude upward and extend back and forth, and this fitting protrusion 24 is positioned in the receiving recess 26. Further, the right and left outer sides of the central projecting portion 22 are surrounded by the lower surface of the base portion 21, the left and right outer surfaces of the inner regulating wall 22a, and the left and right inner surfaces of the outer regulating wall 25, and are opened downward. A contact accommodating space 27 for accommodating the side contact 30 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of contact accommodating grooves 24 a for accommodating the receptacle-side contacts 30 are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the fitting protrusions 24 side by side. The central bottom 23 is provided with a contact holding hole 23a penetrating vertically and connected to the contact receiving groove 24a. Further, on the lower surface side of the center bottom portion 23, a contact receiving groove 23 b that extends from the lower end portion of the contact holding hole 23 a to the left and right outer sides and that receives the receptacle-side contact 30 is provided.

  The receptacle-side contact 30 is configured, for example, by punching a sheet metal (conductive material made of an elastic body) into a long plate shape (wire shape) and then bending it into a predetermined shape as shown in FIG. The receptacle-side contact 30 includes a contact portion 31 that extends vertically, an inner base portion 32 that is formed by bending the lower end portion of the contact portion 31 substantially right and left, and an end portion of the inner base portion 32. An inner contact portion 33 formed by bending obliquely upward, and a bent portion 34 formed such that the upper end portion of the inner contact portion 33 is bent in an inverted U shape so as to be elastically deformable in the left-right direction; An outer abutting portion 35 formed by connecting to the bent portion 34 and extending downward, an outer base portion 36 formed by bending the lower end portion of the outer abutting portion 35 left and right, and an end portion of the outer base portion 36 It has a fixed side held portion 37 formed by bending downward substantially at a right angle, and a lead portion 38 formed by bending the lower end portion of the fixed side held portion 37 substantially right and left. Composed. A movable-side press-fit locking portion 31a having a partially expanded front-rear width is formed at the lower portion of the contact portion 31, and a fixed-side press-fitting member having a partially expanded front-rear width is formed on the fixed-side held portion 37. A stop 37a is formed.

  The receptacle-side fixing metal fitting 90 is configured by being formed into a predetermined shape as shown in FIG. 9A by punching a sheet metal, for example. The receptacle-side fixing bracket 90 protrudes downward from both the left and right ends of the base 91, a base 91 formed to extend left and right, a press-fit locking portion 92 formed to protrude downward from the center of the base 91. And a pair of coupling portions 93 formed to extend to the left and right outside.

  Up to this point, the component configuration of the receptacle connector 1 has been described. Below, the assembly structure of this receptacle connector 1 is demonstrated.

  First, the receptacle-side contact 30 is attached to the movable-side housing 20. At this time, by inserting the contact portion 31 of the receptacle side contact 30 from the lower surface side into the contact holding hole 23a of the movable side housing 20, and engaging the movable side press-fit locking portion 31a with the contact holding hole 23a, The receptacle side contact 30 is fixed to the movable side housing 20. By doing so, the contact portion 31 is accommodated in the contact accommodating groove 24 a and the contact portion 31 is exposed on the left and right side surfaces of the fitting protrusion 24. Further, the inner base portion 32 of the receptacle-side contact 30 is accommodated in the contact accommodating groove 23 b, and the inner abutting portion 33, the bent portion 34, and the outer abutting portion 35 are accommodated in the contact accommodating space 27.

  Next, the movable housing 20 to which the receptacle contacts 30 are attached in this way is attached to the fixed housing 10 so as to be movable. At this time, the fixed-side held portion 37 of the receptacle-side contact 30 is inserted from above into the contact holding groove 11a formed in the fixed-side housing 10, and the fixed-side press-fit locking portion 37a is inserted into the contact holding groove 11a. By engaging, the receptacle-side contact 30 is fixed to the fixed-side housing 10 (see FIG. 3). By doing so, the inner contact portion 33, the bent portion 34, and the outer contact portion 35 are accommodated in the contact accommodating space 27, the inner contact portion 33 faces the inner regulation wall 22a, and the outer contact portion 35. Is positioned facing the outer regulating wall 25. In the contact accommodating space 27, the inner contact portion 33, the bent portion 34, and the outer contact portion 35 are elastically deformed, so that the movable housing 20 can move relative to the fixed housing 10. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, a gap is provided between the outer regulating wall 25 of the movable housing 20 and the left and right walls 11 of the fixed housing 10. By inserting an insertion jig (not shown) and pressing down the contact insertion jig, the fixed-side held portion 37 can be press-fitted into the contact holding groove 11a.

  Further, by inserting the receptacle-side fixing bracket 90 from above into the fixing bracket mounting groove 12a of the fixed-side housing 10, the press-fitting locking portion 92 is engaged with the fixing bracket mounting groove 12a, so that the fixed-side housing 10 Receptacle side fixing metal fitting 90 is fixed.

  When the receptacle connector 1 assembled as described above is surface-mounted on the receptacle-side substrate 2, the positioning hole (not shown) formed in the receptacle-side substrate 2 is positioned in the fixed-side housing 10. By inserting the protrusion 15, the receptacle connector 1 is positioned and placed with respect to the receptacle-side substrate 2.

  In a state where the receptacle connector 1 is placed on the receptacle-side substrate 2, the coupling portion 93 of the receptacle-side fixing bracket 90 is soldered to a mount pattern (not shown) on the receptacle-side substrate 2, and the receptacle-side contact 30. Surface mounting is performed by soldering the lead portion 38 to a wiring pattern (not shown) on the receptacle-side substrate 2. In this way, the receptacle connector 1 (fixed-side housing 10) is firmly fixed to the receptacle-side substrate 2 by soldering the coupling portion 93 of the receptacle-side fixing bracket 90 to the mount pattern.

  So far, the assembly configuration of the receptacle connector 1 has been described. Hereinafter, a plug connector 101 which is a mating connector to be fitted and connected to the receptacle connector 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 9B and FIGS. 10 to 13.

  First, the component configuration of the plug connector 101 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the plug connector 101 includes a plug housing 110 fixed to the plug-side substrate 102, a plurality of plug-side first contacts 130 held by the plug housing 110, and a plug-side first connector. 2 contacts 140 and a plug-side fixture 190 for fixing the plug housing 110 to the plug-side substrate 102.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the plug housing 110 has a substantially rectangular shape extending in the front-rear direction, and is molded using a resin having electrical insulation. The plug housing 110 includes a housing base 111 formed extending in the front-rear direction, and a fitting protrusion 112 formed to protrude leftward from the upper portion of the housing base 111. Fixing bracket mounting grooves (not shown) to which the plug side fixing bracket 190 is mounted are formed at the front and rear end portions of the housing base 111 so as to extend vertically.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a contact accommodating space 114 for accommodating and holding the plug-side first contact 130 and the plug-side second contact 140 is formed in the fitting protrusion 112 so as to extend left and right. The contact accommodating space 114 communicates with a fitting opening 113 formed in the left end portion of the fitting protrusion 112. Further, a positioning projection 115 for positioning with respect to the plug side substrate 102 at the time of mounting is formed on the lower surface side of the housing base 111 so as to protrude downward.

  The plug-side first contact 130 is formed, for example, by punching a sheet metal (conductive material made of an elastic body) into a long plate shape (wire shape) and then bending it into a predetermined shape as shown in FIG. . As shown in FIG. 12 (b), the plug-side first contact 130 is bent in a substantially U-shape so as to be elastically deformable up and down, and to the right from the contact portion 131. A first base portion 132 formed to extend, a second base portion 133 formed by bending the right end portion of the first base portion 132 downward substantially at a right angle, and a lower end portion of the second base portion 133 substantially perpendicular to the right side. And a lead portion 134 that is formed by bending the lead wire. The first base 132 is formed with a first press-fit locking portion 132a having a partially expanded front-rear width, and the second base 133 has a second press-fit locking portion 133a having a partially expanded front-back width. Is formed.

  The plug-side second contact 140 is formed, for example, by punching a sheet metal (conductive material made of an elastic body) into a long plate shape (wire shape) and then bending it into a predetermined shape as shown in FIG. . As shown in FIG. 13 (b), the plug-side second contact 140 is bent into a substantially U-shape and is formed so as to be elastically deformable up and down, and from the contact part 141 to the right. A first base portion 142 formed to extend, a second base portion 143 formed by bending the right end portion of the first base portion 142 downward at a substantially right angle, and a lower end portion of the second base portion 143 at a substantially right angle to the left side. And a lead portion 145 formed by bending the left end portion of the third base portion 144 obliquely downward. The first base 142 is formed with a first press-fit locking portion 142a having a partially expanded front-rear width, and the second base 143 has a second press-fit locking portion 143a having a partially expanded front-rear width. Is formed.

  The plug-side fixture 190 is configured by being molded into a predetermined shape as shown in FIG. 9B, for example, by punching a sheet metal. The plug-side fixing bracket 190 includes a base portion 191 formed at the center portion, a press-fit locking portion 192 formed to protrude downward from the right end portion of the base portion 191, and a lower portion protruding from the left end portion of the base portion 191. And a connecting portion 193 bent on the left side. The press-fitting locking portion 192 is formed with a plurality of bulging portions 194 that are partially punched forward or rearward.

  Up to this point, the component configuration of the plug connector 101 has been described. Hereinafter, an assembly configuration of the plug connector 101 will be described.

  First, the plug-side first contact 130 and the plug-side second contact 140 are attached to the plug housing 110. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the plug-side first contact 130 and the plug-side second contact 140 are inserted toward the left with respect to the contact accommodating space 114. By doing so, the first press-fit locking portion 132a and the second press-fit locking portion 133a of the plug-side first contact 130 are engaged with a contact holding groove (not shown) formed in the contact accommodating space 114. The plug-side first contact 130 is held by the plug housing 110. Further, the first press-fit locking portion 142a and the second press-fit locking portion 143a of the plug-side second contact 140 are engaged with a contact holding groove (not shown) formed in the contact accommodating space 114, and the plug side The second contact 140 is held by the plug housing 110.

  The plug-side first contact 130 and the plug-side second contact 140 are attached at a predetermined pitch in the front-rear direction corresponding to the receptacle-side contact 30 attached to the receptacle connector 1. In this way, when the plug-side first contact 130 and the plug-side second contact 140 are attached to the plug housing 110, the contact portion 131 and the contact portion 141 face each other vertically with a predetermined vertical distance. Elastically deformable up and down.

  Further, by inserting the plug-side fixing bracket 190 from above into the fixing bracket mounting groove of the plug housing 110, the press-fitting locking portion 192 of the plug-side fixing bracket 190 is engaged with the fixing bracket mounting groove, and the plug housing 110. The plug-side fixture 190 is fixed to.

  When the plug connector 101 assembled as described above is surface-mounted on the plug-side board 102, the positioning hole 102a formed in the plug-side board 102 (see FIG. 1) is positioned in the plug housing 110. By inserting the protrusion 115 and placing it, the plug connector 101 is positioned and placed with respect to the plug-side substrate 102.

  In a state where the plug connector 101 is placed on the plug-side substrate 102, the connecting portion 193 of the plug-side fixture 190 is soldered to a mount pattern (not shown) on the plug-side substrate 102, and the plug-side first contact The lead part 134 of 130 and the lead part 145 of the plug-side second contact 140 are surface-mounted and attached by soldering to a wiring pattern (not shown) on the plug-side substrate 102. In this way, the plug connector 101 (plug housing 110) is firmly fixed to the plug-side substrate 102 by soldering the coupling portion 193 of the plug-side fixing metal 190 to the mount pattern.

  The assembly configuration of the plug connector 101 has been described above. Hereinafter, a procedure for electrically connecting the receptacle-side substrate 2 and the plug-side substrate 102 by fitting the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 101 assembled as described above will be described.

  By inserting the fitting protrusion 112 of the plug connector 101 into the receiving recess 26 of the receptacle connector 1 from above as shown in FIG. 1, the fitting protrusion of the receptacle connector 1 is inserted into the fitting opening 113 of the plug connector 101. 24 is inserted. At this time, the contact portion 131 of the plug-side first contact 130 and the contact portion 141 of the plug-side second contact 140 come into contact with the receptacle-side contact 30 (contact portion 31) of the receptacle connector 1 and are elastically deformed in the left-right direction. The receptacle-side contact 30 and the plug-side first contact 130, and the receptacle-side contact 30 and the plug-side second contact 140 are in contact with each other with an appropriate contact force, and the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 101 (the receptacle-side substrate 2 and the plug-side are connected). Board 102).

  Here, in FIG. 1, when the receptacle-side substrate 2 and the plug-side substrate 102 are located at predetermined left and right positions, the receiving recess 26 and the fitting protrusion 112 are not vertically displaced during fitting. The fitting protrusion 112 is inserted into the receiving recess 26 as it is and fitted. On the other hand, if the receptacle-side substrate 2 or the plug-side substrate 102 is not positioned at a predetermined left-right position, that is, if the left-right position of the plug-side substrate 102 with respect to the receptacle-side substrate 2 is shifted, the receiving recess 26 is fitted. The taper portion 26a formed at the opening of the receiving recess 26 and the taper portion 112a formed at the tip of the fitting protrusion 112 abut without fitting with the mating protrusion 112 as it is.

  At this time, since the movable housing 20 is movable with respect to the fixed housing 10 via the receptacle-side contact 30 made of an elastic body, the movable housing 20 generated by the contact of both the tapered portions 26a and 112a is removed. The movable-side housing 20 is moved in that direction (left-right direction) by the force of moving in the left-right direction, and the fitting protrusion 112 is inserted into the receiving recess 26 and fitted therein. In the case of fitting in this way, of the receptacle-side contacts 30 arranged in pairs on the left and right, in one receptacle-side contact 30, the left and right sides of the inner contact portion 33 and the outer contact portion 35 are left and right. The inner contact portion 33, the bent portion 34, and the outer contact portion 35 are elastically deformed so that the interval is narrowed. In the other receptacle-side contact 30, the left and right distances between the inner contact portion 33 and the outer contact portion 35. The inner contact portion 33, the bent portion 34, and the outer contact portion 35 are in an elastically deformed state so as to expand. With such a configuration, the receptacle connector 1 according to the present embodiment configures the receptacle-side contact 30 even when the substrates are misaligned when mated with the mating connector (plug connector 101). Since the inner contact portion 33, the bent portion 34, and the outer contact portion 35 are absorbed by elastic deformation, the housings can be easily and reliably fitted to each other.

  So far, the procedure for fitting the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 101 has been described. By the way, when the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 101 that have been fitted are removed and separated, for example, the plug connector 101 may be removed by swinging (squeezing) the receptacle connector 1 left and right. is there. When the plug connector 101 is pulled out in this way, the movable housing 20 is greatly swung due to the rocking of the plug connector 101 so that the receptacle-side contact 30 is plastically deformed, and the elastic force of the receptacle-side contact 30 causes the deformation. The movable housing 20 may not return to the original position. Thus, when the movable housing 20 does not return to the original position with respect to the fixed housing 10, it becomes difficult to align the plug connector 101 with the receptacle connector 1 next time.

  Therefore, in the conventional configuration, for example, by attaching the receptacle-side fixing bracket to the fixed-side housing close to the movable-side housing, the receptacle-side contact is plastically deformed while allowing the movement of the movable-side housing relative to the fixed-side housing. The movement of the large movable housing has been prevented by bringing the fixed bracket and the movable housing into contact with each other. In this configuration, since the receptacle-side fixing bracket needs to be placed close to the movable housing, the shape of the receptacle-side fixing bracket is inevitably complicated, resulting in an increase in manufacturing cost and complicated assembly work. The work efficiency was reduced. In response to such problems, the receptacle connector 1 according to the present invention has a simple receptacle-side fixture, thereby suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost and improving the work efficiency of assembly work, while the receptacle-side contact is made of plastic. It is characterized by a configuration capable of restricting the movement of the movable housing so as to be deformed.

  Now, the characteristic configuration of the receptacle connector 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. 9A and FIG.

  FIG. 14 shows a state in which the movable housing 20 is swung in the direction of the arrow A with respect to the fixed housing 10. In the state shown in FIG. 14, in the left receptacle-side contact 30, the inner contact portion 33, the bent portion 34, and the outer contact portion 35 are on the left side starting from the connection portion between the outer contact portion 35 and the outer base portion 36. It is elastically deformed so as to protrude to the outside (so as to approach the outer regulating wall 25). On the other hand, the outer regulating wall 25 formed at the left end portion of the movable housing 20 is swung to the right (so as to approach the outer abutting portion 35). For this reason, when the movable housing 20 is swung in the direction of the arrow A, the outer regulating wall 25 and the outer contact portion 35 come into contact with each other at a certain point in time to restrict the swing of the movable housing 20. Accordingly, the receptacle-side contact 30 (the inner contact portion 33, the bent portion 34, and the outer contact portion 35) is movable before the movable housing 20 is moved beyond the allowable movement range in which the receptacle-side contact 30 is elastically deformed and movable. Since the movement of the side housing 20 is restricted, plastic deformation of the receptacle side contact 30 can be reliably prevented.

  At this time, also in the right receptacle-side contact 30, the swinging of the movable housing 20 is restricted by the inner restricting wall 22 a swung to the right contacting the inner contact portion 33. As described above, in the receptacle connector 1, the outer contact portion 35 of one receptacle-side contact 30 is brought into contact with the outer regulation wall 25 of the movable-side housing 20 according to the moving direction of the movable-side housing 20, and the other By causing the inner abutment portion 33 of the receptacle-side contact 30 to abut against the inner regulation wall 22a of the movable-side housing 20, the movement of the movable-side housing 20 exceeding the allowable movement range is surely restricted, and the plasticity of the receptacle-side contact 30 is achieved. It has a configuration that can prevent deformation.

  For this reason, it is not necessary to restrict the movement of the movable housing 20 so as to cause the receptacle contact 30 to be plastically deformed by bringing the receptacle fixed bracket 90 into contact with the movable housing 20. Can be made into a simple shape as shown in FIG. That is, since the receptacle-side fixing bracket 90 only needs to satisfy the original function of firmly fixing the fixed-side housing 10 to the receptacle-side substrate 2, no complicated bending or the like is required, and only the punching process is performed. It can be a simple shape that can be molded. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the work efficiency of the assembly work can be improved as compared with the receptacle-side fixing bracket of the conventional configuration that is attached to the stationary housing in the vicinity of the movable housing. From the above, in the receptacle connector 1 according to the present invention, the movable side housing becomes a fixed side housing that is large enough to plastically deform the receptacle side contact while suppressing the increase in manufacturing cost and improving the work efficiency of the assembly work. In contrast, it is possible to restrict movement.

  In the above-described embodiment, the receptacle connector 1 of the type in which the receptacle-side substrate 2 and the plug-side substrate 102 are electrically connected by being positioned at right angles has been described. However, for example, the receptacle-side substrate, the plug-side substrate, Similarly, the present invention can be applied to a receptacle connector of a type in which the connectors are electrically connected in parallel.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which positioning is performed by inserting the positioning projection 15 of the fixed-side housing 10 into the positioning hole of the receptacle-side substrate 2 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is a receptacle having this configuration. The present invention is not limited to the connector 1. For example, if the fixed-side housing can be sucked and placed at a predetermined position on the receptacle-side substrate 2 with high accuracy, the fixed-side housing can be configured without forming positioning protrusions. The present invention can also be applied to a receptacle connector having a stationary housing.

1 Receptacle connector (floating connector)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fixed side housing 20 Movable side housing 21 Base part 22 Center protrusion part 25 Outer side regulation wall (outer protrusion part)
26 Receiving recess 27 Contact accommodating space 30 Receptacle side contact (contact)
31 Contact part 33 Inner contact part (intermediate part, flexible part)
34 Bent part (intermediate part, flexible part)
35 Outer contact part (intermediate part, flexible part)
38 Lead part 101 Plug connector (mating connector)
130 Plug side first contact (contact of mating connector)
140 Plug side second contact (contact of mating connector)

Claims (2)

A movable housing that is open upward and receives a mating connector and has an electrical insulating property;
A fixed side housing which is disposed below the movable side housing and movably receives the movable side housing left and right and has electrical insulation;
A plurality of contacts that are mounted across the fixed housing and the movable housing;
Each of the contacts is formed by bending a long member having conductivity, and is fixed to the fixed housing at one end and exposed to the lower surface, and the movable housing at the other end. And a contact portion that is positioned in the receiving recess and is capable of contacting the contact of the mating connector, and an intermediate portion that connects the lead portion and the contact portion. It has a flexible part that is formed in an inverted U shape that is convex toward the surface and is elastically deformable,
The movable housing includes a flat base, a central protrusion that protrudes downward from the center of the base and the receiving recess is formed on the upper surface side, and an outer that protrudes downward from the left and right outer ends of the base. With protrusions,
The flexible portion is housed in a contact housing space that opens downward and is surrounded by an outer surface of the central projecting portion, a lower surface of the base portion, and an inner surface of the outer projecting portion. The flexible housing is elastically deformed so that the movable housing is movable with respect to the fixed housing.
By bringing the flexible portion into contact with the central projecting portion or the outer projecting portion in the contact accommodating space, the flexible portion is elastically deformed and exceeds the allowable movement range in which the flexible portion can move. A floating connector configured to be able to restrict movement of the movable housing relative to a housing. The flexible portion includes an outer abutting portion formed to extend upward on one end side, a bent portion formed by bending an upper end portion of the outer abutting portion, and a lower portion from the bent portion. An inner abutting portion formed to extend,
The movement of the movable housing beyond the allowable movement range can be regulated by bringing the outer abutting portion and the outer protruding portion or the inner abutting portion and the central protruding portion into contact with each other. The floating connector according to claim 1, wherein

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