JP2012164575A - Electric connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connector which allows measures to be taken against warpage of a housing before molding the housing and also allows adjustment of the warpage.SOLUTION: A housing 10 is configured such that, at a position of a first terminal 20 in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10, a plate thickness of a lateral wall 13 is thinner than an average plate thickness of portions other than the lateral wall 13 and including a bottom wall 11. The first terminal 20 has arbitrary two press-fit protrusions 21B-1 and 21B-2 which are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. The upper press-fit protrusion 21B-2 located on the upper side has a greater press-fitting margin with respect to a terminal holding groove 16A-2 than that of the lower press-fit protrusion 21B-1 located on the lower side.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector.

  For example, an electrical connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as an electrical connector in which terminals are press-fitted into a terminal holding groove formed on a side wall of a housing and held in an array.

  In the connector of Patent Document 1, the housing has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and has a bottom wall that forms an attachment surface to a circuit board and the like, and a peripheral wall that stands upward from the bottom wall. The peripheral wall has two side walls facing each other and extending in the terminal arrangement direction, and a plurality of terminal holding grooves for holding terminals are arranged in the side wall in the terminal arrangement direction. The terminal holding groove is formed so as to be immersed in the outer side surface, upper part and inner side surface of the side wall, and extends in an inverted U shape. The terminal is formed by bending a metal plate strip in the plate thickness direction, and a held portion that is press-fitted and held in a terminal holding groove of the housing is bent in an inverted U shape. The two leg portions of the inverted U-shaped portion constituting the held portion are press-fitted from above into an outer groove portion formed on the outer surface of the side wall and an inner groove portion formed on the inner surface. .

JP2008-305797

  In a connector in which the housing has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, such as the connector of Patent Document 1, in the manufacturing process of the connector, both longitudinal ends of the housing are displaced upward or downward and the housing warps (hereinafter referred to as the housing). , “Warping deformation”). In other words, the former is a deformation that warps so that the housing is convexly curved downward (hereinafter referred to as “downward curved deformation”), and the latter is a deformation that warps so that the housing is convexly curved upward (hereinafter “upward”). This is called “curvature deformation”. Whether the warp deformation of the housing is a downward bending deformation or an upward bending deformation depends on the form of the housing, but it is unclear what factors determine it, so it can be determined after the housing is actually made. In many cases, conventionally, it is necessary to deal with after confirming which warp deformation has occurred.

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that can be dealt with before the housing is molded and can adjust the warpage of the housing.

  According to the inventors, whether the warp deformation of the housing is lower curved deformation or upper curved deformation includes the thickness of the side wall of the housing at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction of the housing (terminal arrangement direction) and the bottom wall. It has been found that there is a tendency to be determined by the size relationship with the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall. Specifically, when the plate thickness dimension of the side wall is smaller than the average plate thickness dimension of the portion other than the side wall, the housing is curved downward due to the relationship with the fluidity of the resin at the time of molding the housing. The tendency is strong. Further, when the plate thickness dimension of the side wall is larger than the average plate thickness dimension of the portion other than the side wall, the housing has a strong tendency to bend upward due to the fluidity of the resin at the time of molding the housing. .

  In the present invention, it is grasped before the molding of the housing which of the lower curved deformation and the upper curved deformation is caused, and a terminal corresponding to the warped deformation is press-fitted and held in the housing. Thus, the warp deformation of the housing is reduced and the shape of the housing is corrected in the following manner.

  The electrical connector according to the present invention includes a housing that holds a plurality of terminals arranged in one direction, a bottom wall that faces the mounting target surface and extends in the longitudinal direction of the terminals, and rises upward from the bottom wall to face each other And two side walls extending in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of terminal holding grooves extending in the vertical direction for holding the terminals are arranged in the longitudinal direction on the side surfaces of the two side walls. The terminal is formed by bending a metal plate strip in the plate thickness direction, and has a held portion that extends in the vertical direction and is press-fitted and held in the terminal holding groove. The press-fitting protrusions that are press-fitted so as to bite into the opposite inner wall surface of the terminal holding groove at a plurality of positions in the direction are formed so as to protrude from both side edges of the held part, and from above or below the inside of the terminal holding groove It is press-fitted into.

<First invention>
In such an electrical connector, in the first invention, in the first housing, the thickness of the side wall is smaller than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall including the bottom wall at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction. Of the two press-fitting protrusions adjacent in the vertical direction, the terminal has a press-fitting allowance of the upper press-fitting protrusion positioned above to the terminal holding groove. It is characterized by being larger than the generation.

  In the first invention, at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction, the thickness of the side wall of the housing is smaller than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall including the bottom wall. That is, the housing has a strong tendency to bend downward. By the way, when the terminal is press-fitted into the terminal holding groove, the press-fitting protrusion pushes the terminal holding groove in the groove width direction. The magnitude of the pressing force of the press-fitting protrusion depends on the press-fitting allowance of the press-fitting protrusion with respect to the terminal holding groove. In the first aspect of the invention, the terminal has an insertion allowance for the terminal holding groove of the upper press-fitting protrusion located above among any two press-fitting protrusions adjacent in the vertical direction. It is larger than the press-fitting allowance. That is, the pressing force of the press-fitting protrusion is greater in the upper press-fitting protrusion than in the lower press-fitting protrusion. Therefore, the pressing force increases toward the upper side of the housing, and tries to extend the housing in the longitudinal direction on the upper side. As a result, since the upper portion extends more than the lower portion, the warping deformation of the housing that is deformed downward is reduced, and the side wall has a shape that extends straight in the longitudinal direction.

<Second invention>
In the second invention, in the housing, at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction, the plate thickness dimension of the side wall is larger than the average plate thickness dimension of the portion other than the side wall including the bottom wall, and the terminal Among the arbitrary two press-fitting protrusions adjacent in the vertical direction, the press-fitting allowance of the upper press-fitting protrusion located above to the terminal holding groove is smaller than the press-fitting allowance of the lower press-fitting protrusion located below. It is characterized by having.

  In the second invention, the thickness of the side wall of the housing is larger than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall including the bottom wall at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction. That is, the housing has a strong tendency to bend upward. In the second invention, the terminal is a lower press-fitting protrusion in which a press-fitting allowance of the upper press-fitting protrusion located above the terminal holding groove is located below among any two press-fitting protrusions adjacent in the vertical direction. It is smaller than the press-fitting allowance. That is, the pressing force of the press-fit protrusion is greater in the lower press-fit protrusion than in the upper press-fit protrusion. Therefore, the pressing force becomes larger toward the lower side of the housing, and tries to extend the housing in the longitudinal direction on the lower side. As a result, since the lower portion extends more than the upper portion, the warping deformation of the housing that is deformed upward is reduced, and the side wall has a shape that extends straight in the longitudinal direction.

  In the first and second aspects of the invention, the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall of the housing is a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction of the housing, and the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall is cut off. The area can be a dimension obtained by dividing the area by the width dimension of the bottom wall in the facing direction of the side walls.

  In the first and second aspects of the invention, the held portion of the terminal is formed from the two side edges of the held portion of the rear press-fitting protrusion positioned rearward in the press-fitting direction among any two press-fitting protrusions adjacent in the vertical direction. The amount of protrusion is larger than the amount of protrusion of the front press-fitting protrusion located in front of the press-fitting direction, and the terminal holding groove of the housing has a groove inner width dimension at the position corresponding to the rear press-fitting protrusion. It is preferable that it is larger than the width in the groove at the position corresponding to the press-fitting protrusion.

  Thus, the protrusion amount of the rear press-fitting protrusion of the held portion of the terminal is larger than the protrusion amount of the front press-fitting protrusion, and in the groove at the position corresponding to the rear press-fitting protrusion in the terminal holding groove of the housing. By making the width dimension larger than the groove width dimension of the inner wall of the facing groove at the position corresponding to the front press-fitting protrusion, the front press-fitting protrusion that is press-fitted in advance is opposed in the terminal press-fitting process. The inner wall surface of the groove is shaved and the press-fitting allowance of the subsequent rear press-fitting protrusion is not reduced, or even if it is cut, the amount of cutting, that is, the press-fitting allowance is reduced. Accordingly, the rear press-fitting protrusion firmly bites into the opposed groove inner wall surface, so that the terminal can be press-fitted and held more reliably. In addition, the amount of shavings on the inner wall surface of the terminal holding groove can be reduced.

  As described above, in the present invention, it is grasped before molding of the housing whether the warp deformation of the housing is a lower curve deformation or an upper curve deformation, and a terminal of a type corresponding to the warp deformation is attached to the housing. By press-fitting and adjusting the press-fitting allowance of the press-fitting protrusion of the terminal with respect to the terminal holding groove at the vertical position, the warp deformation of the housing can be reduced and the shape of the housing can be corrected. As a result, even after the connector is connected to the circuit board, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the terminal is poorly connected due to the warp of the housing and the stress between the circuit board is generated.

It is a perspective view shown with a section in a field at right angles to a longitudinal direction of a connector concerning a first embodiment. It is sectional drawing which looked at the cross section of the connector of FIG. 1 from the longitudinal direction of the connector. It is sectional drawing in the position of the outer leg part of the 1st terminal in the transversal direction of the connector of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the width dimension of the outer side leg part of the 1st terminal of the connector of FIG. 1, and the outer side groove part of a housing. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first terminal of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the width dimension of the outer side leg part of the 2nd terminal of the connector of FIG. 6, and the outer side groove part of a housing. It is sectional drawing which shows a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the connector which concerns on 3rd embodiment.

  As described above, in the present invention, it is possible to grasp whether the housing is warped deformation of “lower bending deformation” or “upper bending deformation” before mounting the terminal of the housing, and cope with the warping deformation. The type of terminal is pressed into the housing. Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electrical connector according to the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings, with a case where a lower bending deformation occurs in the housing as a first embodiment and a case where an upper bending deformation occurs as a second embodiment. The terminal provided in the first embodiment is referred to as a “first terminal”, and the terminal provided in the second embodiment is referred to as a “second terminal”. In the third embodiment, an embodiment in which a position for holding a terminal is different from the electrical connector according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described.

<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cross section in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of an electrical connector 1 (hereinafter referred to as “connector 1”) according to the present embodiment. In the illustrated example, the terminal arrangement direction is the longitudinal direction. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector 1 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the longitudinal direction of the connector 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view at the position of the outer leg 21B of the first terminal 20 on a plane perpendicular to the short direction of the connector 1 to which the first terminal 20 is attached. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the width dimensions of the first terminal 20 and the outer groove 16A-2. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the first terminal 20.

  The connector 1 according to the present embodiment is a connector that is mounted on a circuit board (not shown) and a mating connector (not shown) is fitted and connected from above, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Further, a synthetic resin housing 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a plurality of metal first terminals 20 arranged and held in the housing 10 in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10, and four corners of the housing 10 are connected to the housing. And a plurality of metal fixtures 30 to be held.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 faces a surface of a circuit board, which is a surface to be attached, and has a bottom wall 11 extending in the terminal arrangement direction as a longitudinal direction, and extending in the longitudinal direction and the bottom wall 11. A projecting wall portion 12 that protrudes upward from the bottom wall 11, and a peripheral wall that stands up from the bottom wall 11 and surrounds the projecting wall portion 12. The peripheral wall extends in the longitudinal direction so as to face each other, and is connected to the side walls 13 positioned in parallel to the protruding wall portion 12 and the ends of the two side walls 13 are connected to each other at a right angle to the longitudinal direction. And two end walls 14 extending in the short direction. A square annular space opened upward between the peripheral wall and the projecting wall portion 12 is formed as a receiving recess 15 for receiving the fitting portion of the mating connector.

  The bottom wall 11 has a lower surface of the intermediate portion in the short direction (left and right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2), and has a portion where the thickness of the intermediate portion is smaller than that of the other portion. is doing. In the present embodiment, at the position of the first terminal 20 in the longitudinal direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2), the plate thickness dimension (dimension L <b> 1 in FIG. 2) of the side wall 13 is other than the side wall 13. It is smaller than the average plate thickness dimension of the portion, that is, the portion including the bottom wall 11 and the protruding wall portion 12. That is, the housing 10 has a strong tendency to bend downward due to the relationship with the fluidity of the resin when the housing 10 is molded. The average thickness of the portion other than the side wall 13 is a cross section (cross section shown in FIG. 2) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction at the position of the first terminal 20 in the longitudinal direction. Is a dimension obtained by dividing the cross-sectional area of the part by the width dimension (L2 in FIG. 2) of the bottom wall 11 in the lateral direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 10 is formed with a terminal groove 16 for accommodating and holding the first terminal 20 at a position corresponding to the first terminal 20 in the longitudinal direction. The terminal groove 16 includes a substantially inverted U-shaped side wall groove portion 16 </ b> A formed by sunk on the inner side surface of the side wall 13 (a surface facing the side surface of the protruding wall portion 12), and the upper and outer surfaces, and the protruding wall portion 12. Projecting wall groove 16B that sunk on the side surface (the surface extending in the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction) and extending in the vertical direction, and sunk on the upper surface of the bottom wall 11 and extending in the short direction of the housing 10 and projecting on the side wall groove 16A. A bottom wall groove portion 16C for connecting the wall groove portion 16B is provided, and the entire terminal groove 16 has a substantially horizontal S shape.

  The side wall groove portion 16A includes an inner groove portion 16A-1 in which the inner side surface of the side wall 13 sunk in the entire vertical direction and extends in the same direction, and an outer groove portion in which the outer side surface of the side wall 13 sunk in the entire vertical direction and extends in the same direction. 16A-2 and an upper groove portion 16A-3 connecting the inner groove portion 16A-1 and the outer groove portion 16A-2 with the upper surface of the side wall 13 submerged, and as described above, the entire sidewall groove portion 16A Has a substantially inverted U-shape. The outer groove portion 16A-2 is longer than the inner groove portion 16A-1, and the lower end of the outer groove portion 16A-2 is located below the lower end of the inner groove portion 16A-1.

  The outer groove portion 16A-2 has a function as a terminal holding groove for press-fitting and holding an outer leg portion 21B of the first terminal 20 described later. As is often seen in FIG. 1, the outer groove portion 16A-2 is formed with two groove portions that are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and are parallel to each other, and are recessed throughout the entire vertical direction. Press-fit protrusions 21B-1 and 21B-2 formed on an outer leg 21B of the first terminal 20 to be described later bite into the opposed inner wall surface of the groove. As seen in FIG. 1, the groove portion forms an I-shaped portion on the side wall 13 when viewed from above.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the opposing inner wall surface (the inner wall surfaces facing each other in the longitudinal direction) of the outer groove portion 16 </ b> A- 2 of the housing 10 has a stepped shape that becomes wider from the bottom to the top. Therefore, the width dimension (the dimension in the left-right direction in FIGS. 3 and 4) of the lower part, the middle part, and the upper part is sequentially increased. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the width dimensions A1, A2, and A3 of the lower portion, the middle portion, and the upper portion are in a relationship of A1 <A2 <A3. Note that it is not essential to make the width dimension of the upper part larger than the width dimension of the intermediate part. For example, the width dimension of the upper part and the intermediate part may be the same (A2 = A3).

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the first terminal 20 is formed by bending a metal strip in the thickness direction, and the entire first terminal 20 has a substantially horizontal S shape. ing. The first terminal 20 includes an inverted U-shaped portion 21 accommodated in the side wall groove portion 16A of the housing 10 and an elastic arm portion which is accommodated in the protruding wall groove portion 16B and extends in the vertical direction and can be elastically bent in the short direction of the housing 10. 22 and a base portion 23 that is accommodated in the bottom wall groove portion 16 </ b> C and extends in the short-side direction to connect the one leg portion of the inverted U-shaped portion 21 (“inner leg portion 21 </ b> A” to be described later) and the elastic arm portion 22. And extending from the other leg portion of the inverted U-shaped portion 21 ("outer leg portion 21B", which will be described later) to the outside of the housing 10 in the short direction and soldered to a corresponding circuit on a circuit board (not shown). Connecting portion 24 to be connected.

  The inverted U-shaped portion 21 includes the one leg portion 21 </ b> A (hereinafter referred to as “inner leg portion 21 </ b> A”) that extends along the inner surface of the side wall 13 and the other leg portion that extends along the outer surface of the side wall 13. 21B (hereinafter referred to as “outer leg portion 21B”), and these upper end portions are connected by a connecting portion 21C to form an inverted U shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner leg 21A, the outer leg 21B, and the connecting part 21C are formed by the inner groove 16A-1, the outer groove 16A-2, and the upper groove 16A of the side wall groove 16A of the housing 10, respectively. -3.

  As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner leg 21 </ b> A is formed with a lock protrusion 21 </ b> A- 1 that protrudes into the receiving recess 15 at a position near the upper end. As shown in FIG. 1, the lock protrusion 21A-1 is formed so as to protrude from the plate surface of the inner leg 21A by, for example, embossing or the like, and the width of the lock protrusion 21A-1 The dimension is smaller than the width dimension of the inner leg 21A. The locking projection 21A-1 maintains the connector fitting state by engaging with a locked portion (not shown) of the mating terminal of the mating connector.

  The outer leg 21B is formed longer than the inner leg 21A, and the lower end of the outer leg 21B is located below the lower end of the inner leg 21A. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the outer leg 21 </ b> B is formed with press-fitting protrusions that protrude from both side edges of the outer leg 21 </ b> B at two positions of the upper half and the lower half. In the present embodiment, the press-fitting protrusion located below is referred to as “lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1”, and the press-fitting protrusion located above is referred to as “upward press-fitting protrusion 21B-2”. In this embodiment, as is often seen in FIGS. 3 to 5, the lower press-fitting projection 21B-1 is formed within the lower half of the outer leg 21B and is positioned below the inner leg 21A. The upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 is formed within the upper half, and is positioned within the range corresponding to the inner leg 21A in the vertical direction.

  The outer leg portion 21 </ b> B has a function as a held portion that is press-fitted and held by the outer groove portion 16 </ b> A- 2 of the housing 10. Specifically, the outer leg 21B is press-fitted into the outer groove 16A-2 from above, and the press-fitting protrusions 21B-1 and 21B-2 bite into the opposed inner wall surface of the outer groove 16A-2. Thus, the first terminal 20 is held in the housing 10.

  As can be seen in FIG. 4, the width dimension B2 of the outer leg 21B at the position of the upper press-fit protrusion 21B-2 is larger than the width dimension B1 of the outer leg 21B at the position of the lower press-fit protrusion 21B-1. Largely, the protruding amount of the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 at both side edges of the outer leg 21B is larger than the protruding amount of the lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1.

  The width dimension B1 is larger than the width dimension A1 of the lower part of the outer groove 16A-2 of the housing 10, and smaller than the width dimension A2 of the intermediate part and the width dimension A3 of the upper part. Further, the width dimension B2 is larger than the width dimension A1 of the lower part of the outer groove 16A-2 of the housing 10 and the width dimension A2 of the middle part, and smaller than the width dimension A3 of the upper part.

  The outer leg 21B of the first terminal 20 is press-fitted into the outer groove 16A-2 of the housing 10 from above, and the lower press-fitting projection 21B-1 is held by the lower portion of the width dimension A1 of the outer groove 16A-2. Then, the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 is held at an intermediate portion of the width dimension A2 of the outer groove 16A-2.

  In the present embodiment, in a state where the outer leg portion 21B of the first terminal 20 is press-fitted and held in the outer groove portion 16A-2 of the housing 10, the upper press-fitting protrusion portion 21B-2 with respect to the intermediate portion of the outer groove portion 16A-2. The press-fitting allowance is larger than the press-fitting allowance of the lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1 with respect to the lower portion of the outer groove portion 16A-2. The magnitude of the pressing force that acts so that the press-fitting protrusion pushes the outer groove 16A-2 in the groove width direction depends on the press-fitting allowance of the press-fitting protrusion with respect to the outer groove 16A-2. The pressing force of the protrusion is higher in the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 than in the lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1. Therefore, the pressing force tends to extend the housing 10 in the longitudinal direction on the upper side.

  As is often seen in FIG. 2, the elastic arm portion 22 extends upward in the protruding wall groove portion 16 </ b> B of the protruding wall portion 12, so that the elastic arm portion 22 bends in the plate thickness direction. In addition, the housing 10 can be elastically displaced in the short direction. The elastic arm portion 22 is formed as a contact portion 22A whose upper end portion on the free end side is convexly curved toward the lock projection portion 21A-1 of the inner leg portion 21A. The contact portion 22A comes into contact with the mating terminal by clamping the mating terminal (not shown) of the mating connector together with the inner leg portion 21A. The curved top portion of the contact portion 22 </ b> A protrudes from the side surface of the protruding wall portion 12 of the housing 10.

  The base portion 23 extends in the short direction in the bottom wall groove portion 16 </ b> C of the bottom wall 11. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the base portion 23 has locking portions 23 </ b> A that protrude from both side edges of the base portion 23 at the intermediate position in the short direction. When the mating connector 23A is pulled out from the connector fitting state, the locking portion 23A is elastically displaced so that the first terminal 20 is lifted upward by friction with the mating terminal. Lock to the side of the. As a result, the displacement of the first terminal 20 remains an elastic displacement, further displacement (movement) is restricted, and the first terminal 20 is prevented from coming off from the housing 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connecting portion 24 has a lower surface of the connecting portion 24 positioned substantially at the same height as the lowermost surface of the bottom wall 11, and a corresponding circuit portion (see FIG. (Not shown) can be connected to the solder.

  The fixing bracket 30 is made of a metal plate, and, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the slit-shaped fixing bracket mounting groove 17 (FIG. 3) opened downward at a position sandwiching the terminal arrangement range in the longitudinal direction. (See) from below and held in the housing 10. The lower end edge of the fixing bracket 30 is located at the same position as the lower surface of the terminal connecting portion 24 in the vertical direction, and is fixed to a corresponding mounting portion (not shown) of the circuit board with solder.

  Next, assembly of the connector 1 will be described. First, before forming the housing 10, the housing 10 is deformed downward and upward based on the magnitude relationship between the thickness of the side wall 13 of the housing 10 and the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall 13. Which warpage deformation is more likely to occur. In the present embodiment, since the thickness of the side wall 13 is smaller than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall 13, the housing 10 has a strong tendency to bend downward.

  Next, in order to reduce the warpage deformation and correct the shape of the housing 10 according to which warpage deformation is likely to occur, the type of terminal to be mounted on the housing 10 is determined. In the present embodiment, since the lower bending deformation is likely to occur, the first terminal 20 is used in which the press-fitting allowance at the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 is larger than the press-fitting allowance at the lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1. The type of the terminal may be determined after the housing 10 is molded and before the terminal is attached to the housing 10.

  Next, the housing 10 is molded. In the present embodiment, the molded housing 10 has a strong tendency to bend downward because of the relationship with the fluidity of the resin during molding of the housing 10. Accordingly, the outer leg portion 21 </ b> B of the first terminal 20 is pressed into the outer groove portion 16 </ b> A- 2, which is a terminal holding groove of the housing 10, from above to hold the first terminal 20 in the housing 10. That is, the lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1 and the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 of the outer leg 21B are press-fitted at the lower part and the middle part of the outer groove part 16A-2, respectively, and held by the press-fitting allowance.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the outer leg portion 21B of the first terminal 20 has the width dimension B1 at the position of the lower press-fitting projection 21B-1 in the middle portion of the outer groove portion 16A-2 of the housing 10. The width dimension A2 is smaller than the width dimension A3 of the upper portion, and the width dimension B2 at the position of the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 is smaller than the width dimension A3 of the upper portion of the outer groove portion 16A-2 of the housing 10. Therefore, until the press-fitting projection reaches the press-fitting start position, that is, until the lower press-fitting projection 21B-1 and the upper press-fitting projection 21B-2 reach the lower part and the middle part of the outer groove 16A-2, respectively. The outer leg 21B proceeds without difficulty.

  That is, in the press-fitting process of the outer leg portion 21B, the lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1 does not damage the upper groove portion 16A-2 on the upper portion and the middle portion of the opposing groove inner wall surface. The same can be said for the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 and the upper part. Therefore, as long as the press-fitting process is performed in a normal state, no scrap residue is generated on the inner wall surface of the outer groove 16A-2 until the press-fitting protrusion reaches the press-fitting start position. In addition, since the lower press-fitting projection 21B-1 preceding at the time of press-fitting does not damage the intermediate portion and reduce the press-fitting allowance, when the press-fitting of the outer leg 21B is completed, the subsequent upper press-fitting projection 21B is completed. -2 securely bites into the inner wall of the opposed groove in the intermediate portion with a sufficient press-fitting allowance, so that the outer leg 21B can be press-fitted and held more reliably. Further, the shaving residue does not adversely affect the electrical connection at the connecting portion.

  In the present embodiment, the width dimension B1 at the position of the lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1 is smaller than the width dimension A2 of the intermediate portion of the outer groove portion 16A-2. When the press-fitting allowance of the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 with respect to the inner wall surface can be secured sufficiently large, the width dimension B1 may be slightly larger than the width dimension A2. Even with such dimensions, the amount by which the preceding lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1 scrapes the inner surface of the opposing groove in the intermediate portion of the outer groove 16A-2 into which the subsequent upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 is press-fitted is as follows. The amount of shavings does not increase significantly.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the press-fitting allowance at the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 is larger than the press-fitting allowance at the lower press-fitting protrusion 21B-1, so these press-fitting protrusions define the outer groove 16A-2. The pressing force spreading in the groove width direction is larger in the upper press-fitting projection 21B-2 than in the lower press-fitting projection 21B-1, and tries to extend the housing 10 in the longitudinal direction on the upper side. As a result, since the upper portion extends more than the lower portion, warping deformation of the housing 10 that is deformed downward is reduced, and the side wall 13 is corrected to a shape that extends straight in the longitudinal direction. As a result, even after the connector 1 is connected to the circuit board, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a terminal is poorly connected due to the warp of the housing 10 or stress is generated between the connector 1 and the circuit board.

  Next, the fixing bracket 30 is press-fitted and attached to the fixing bracket mounting groove 17 of the housing 10 from below, and the assembly of the connector 1 is completed. In this embodiment, the fixing bracket 30 is mounted after the first terminal 20 is mounted. However, the order of mounting the first terminal 20 and the fixing bracket 30 is not limited to this, and the mounting of the fixing bracket 30 is first. The first terminal 20 and the fixing bracket 30 may be attached at the same time.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the press-fitting allowance of the press-fitting protrusion of the terminal with respect to the terminal holding groove (in this embodiment, “outer groove” in the present embodiment) of the housing varies in the vertical direction according to the tendency of the housing to warp. And the shape of the housing is corrected by the pressing force generated at the position of the press-fitting protrusion. The adjustment of the press-fitting allowance is not limited to this embodiment, and can be realized in various forms by adjusting the width dimension of the terminal holding groove of the housing and the protrusion amount of the press-fitting protrusion of the terminal.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the outer groove portion of the housing has a step shape such that the groove width dimension of the intermediate portion corresponding to the upper press-fit protrusion is larger than the lower portion corresponding to the lower press-fit protrusion. However, when the upper press-fitting protrusion can be held firmly and the amount of scraps generated during press-fitting is small, instead of this, for example, a taper shape in which the groove width increases toward the upper side, or a groove over the entire vertical direction The outer groove may be formed in a shape having a constant width dimension.

  In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the first terminal is used to correct the shape of the housing that is deformed downward, but instead of the first terminal, the width dimension at the position of the press-fitting protrusion is the same as that of the first terminal. Other different terminals can be used to correct the shape of the housing. That is, the width dimension of the outer groove portion of the housing may be set so that the press-fit allowance at the position of the upper press-fit protrusion is larger than the press-fit allowance at the position of the lower press-fit protrusion. For example, it is also possible to use the second terminal of the second embodiment described later.

  In the present embodiment, the press-fit protrusions of the first terminal are formed at two positions in the vertical direction, but instead of this, the press-fit protrusions may be formed at three or more positions. In this case, of two arbitrary press-fitting protrusions adjacent in the vertical direction, the press-fitting allowance of the upper press-fitting protrusion positioned above to the outer groove is larger than the press-fitting allowance of the lower press-fitting protrusion positioned below. It is necessary to make the terminal and the housing with the width dimension of the terminal and the groove width dimension of the outer groove portion.

  In the present embodiment, the first terminal is press-fitted into the outer groove portion from above, but the first terminal may be press-fitted from below. In this case, it is necessary to make the terminal and the housing with the width dimension of the terminal and the groove width dimension of the outer groove so that the press-fitting allowance of the press-fitting protrusion located above is larger than the press-fitting allowance of the press-fitting protrusion located below. .

  In the present embodiment, the terminal has a different amount of protrusion between the upper press-fitting protrusion and the lower press-fitting protrusion. However, when the first terminal is press-fitted from below as described above, The press-fitting protrusion and the lower press-fitting protrusion are formed so that the protruding amounts of both are equal, and the width of the outer groove of the housing corresponding to the upper press-fitting protrusion is a width corresponding to the lower press-fitting protrusion. It is also possible to adjust the press-fitting allowance at both positions by forming a stepped shape or a tapered shape so as to be smaller than the size.

<Second embodiment>
This embodiment is an embodiment in the case where the housing has a strong tendency to bend upward, and the thickness of the side wall of the housing at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction of the housing is larger than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall. Since the thickness of the side wall is smaller than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall and the second terminal is attached, the first terminal is attached. This is different from the first embodiment.

  The housing in this embodiment is made in the same shape as the housing of the first embodiment except that the thickness of the side wall of the housing is larger than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall. . As described above, the housing according to the present embodiment has a strong tendency to bend upward because the thickness of the side wall is larger than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall.

  FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the width dimensions of the press-fit protrusions 51B-1 and 51B-2 of the second terminal 50 and the outer groove 46A-2 of the housing 40 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the outer groove 46A-2 is formed with the same width as the outer groove 16A-2 of the housing 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the outer groove 46A-2 has the same width dimensions C1, C2, and C3 of the lower portion, the middle portion, and the upper portion as in the relationship A1 <A2 <A3 in the first embodiment. The relationship is C3.

  The second terminal 50 is formed in the same shape as the first terminal 20 in the first embodiment described above, except for the protruding amount of the press-fitting protrusion. As seen in FIG. 6, the second terminal 50 has a width dimension D2 at the position of the upper press-fit protrusion 51B-2 larger than a width dimension D1 at the position of the lower press-fit protrusion 51B-1. Further, the width dimension D1 at the position of the lower press-fit protrusion 51B-1 is larger than the width dimension B1 at the position of the lower press-fit protrusion 21B-1 of the first terminal 20 of the first embodiment. The width dimension D2 of the second terminal 50 at the position of the upper press-fit protrusion 51B-2 is smaller than the width dimension B2 of the first terminal 20 at the position of the upper press-fit protrusion 21B-2. Based on this relationship, the second terminal 50 has a lower press-fitting projection 51B-1 protruding larger than the lower press-fitting projection 21B-1 of the first terminal 20, and the upper press-fitting protrusion 51B-. 2 is smaller than the protruding amount of the upper press-fitting protrusion 21B-2 of the first terminal 20.

  The width dimension D1 of the second terminal 50 is larger than the width dimension C1 of the lower part of the outer groove 46A-2 of the housing 40, and smaller than the width dimension C2 of the intermediate part and the width dimension C3 of the upper part. The width dimension D2 is larger than the width dimension C1 of the lower portion of the outer groove 46A-2 of the housing 40, the width dimension C2 of the middle portion, and smaller than the width dimension C3 of the upper portion.

  The outer leg portion 51B of the second terminal 50 is press-fitted into the outer groove portion 46A-2 of the housing 40 from above, and the lower press-fitting protrusion 51B-1 is held by the lower portion of the outer groove portion 46A-2. The protrusion 51B-2 is held by an intermediate portion of the outer groove 46A-2.

  In the present embodiment, in a state where the outer leg portion 51B of the second terminal 50 is press-fitted and held in the outer groove portion 46A-2 of the housing 40, the lower press-fitting protrusion 51B-1 with respect to the lower portion of the outer groove portion 46A-2. Is larger than the press-fitting allowance of the upper press-fitting protrusion 51B-2 with respect to the intermediate portion of the outer groove 46A-2. Accordingly, the pressing force of the press-fitting protrusion is greater in the lower press-fitting protrusion 51B-1 than in the upper press-fitting protrusion 51B-2. Therefore, the pressing force tends to extend the housing 40 in the longitudinal direction on the lower side. As a result, since the lower part of the housing 40 extends more than the upper part, the warp deformation of the housing 40 that is deformed upward is reduced, and the side wall of the housing 40 is corrected to a shape that extends straight in the longitudinal direction. .

  The connector of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the connector of the first embodiment except that the press-fitting allowance of the upper press-fitting protrusion and the lower press-fitting protrusion of the terminal is different. If the width dimension of the terminal and the width dimension of the outer groove portion of the housing are set so that the press-fit allowance at the position is larger than the press-fit allowance at the position of the upper press-fitting protrusion, It goes without saying that the same modification as in the embodiment can be applied.

<Third embodiment>
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the terminal is held by press-fitting in the outer groove formed on the outer surface of the side wall of the housing. However, in the present invention, the position where the terminal is press-fitted and held is in the outer groove. There is no limit. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment and the second embodiment in that the terminal is press-fitted and held by an inner groove formed on the inner side surface of the side wall of the housing.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the connector 2 according to this embodiment, and shows a cross section at the position of the terminal 70 in the longitudinal direction. The connector 2 according to the present embodiment is a connector that is mounted on a circuit board (not shown) and a mating connector (not shown) is fitted and connected from above, and a housing 60 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, Terminals 70 arranged and held on the side wall 63 of the housing 60 in the longitudinal direction of the housing 60 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 7), and fixing brackets (not shown) held at the four corners of the housing 60 have.

  The housing 60 has a bottom wall 61 that faces the surface of the circuit board and extends in the terminal arrangement direction as a longitudinal direction, and a peripheral wall that stands up from the bottom wall 61. The peripheral wall has two side walls 63 facing each other and extending in the longitudinal direction, and a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction connecting the end portions of the two side walls 63 (left and right direction in FIG. 7). And two end walls 64 extending in the direction. A space surrounded by the peripheral wall and opened upward is formed as a receiving recess 65 for receiving the fitting portion of the mating connector.

  As seen in FIG. 7, the side wall 63 is formed with a terminal holding groove 63 </ b> A that sunk on the inner side surface and extends over the entire vertical direction. The bottom wall 61 extends in the lateral direction over the range of the receiving recess 65, but does not reach the position below the terminal holding groove 63A of the side wall 63, and the terminal holding groove 63A is opened downward. . The terminal holding groove 63A is formed with a width of the lower half wider than that of the upper half (the width of the groove in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 7). Is press-fitted to hold the terminal 70.

  When the thickness of the side wall 63 at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall 63 (in this embodiment, the thickness of the bottom wall 61), the housing 60 is curved downward. When the thickness of the side wall 63 is larger than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall 63, the tendency to bend upward is strong.

  The terminal 70 is formed by bending a metal plate-shaped piece in the plate thickness direction, extends in the vertical direction in the terminal holding groove 63A, and is a held portion 71 that is press-fitted and held in the terminal holding groove 63A. A contact arm portion 72 that is folded back at the upper end of the holding portion 71 and extends in the vertical direction in parallel with the held portion 61 in the terminal holding groove 63A, and is bent at a right angle from the lower end of the held portion 71 and is short in the short direction. And an extending portion 73 extending outside the housing 60 and a connecting portion 74 extending from the extending portion 73 in a substantially crank shape outside the housing 60.

  The contact arm portion 72 comes into contact with a mating terminal (not shown) of the mating connector at a surface located on the receiving recess 65 side, and is a lock projection protruding toward the receiving recess 65 at a position near the upper end. The portion 72A is engaged with the locked portion of the mating terminal to maintain the connector fitting state. The lower surface of the connecting portion 74 is located below the lower surface of the bottom wall 61 of the housing 60 and is solder-connected to a corresponding circuit portion (not shown) of the circuit board.

  The held portion 71 projects in the terminal width direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 7) from both side edges of the held portion 71 at two positions in the vertical direction, and is opposed to the upper terminal holding groove 63A. It has a press-fit protrusion (not shown) that bites into the wall surface and is held, and the upper press-fit protrusion located above is located within the upper half of the terminal holding groove 63A and located below The lower press-fitting protrusion is positioned within the lower half of the terminal holding groove 63A.

  Also in this embodiment, the type of terminal 70 corresponding to the warp deformation of the housing 60 is press-fitted and held in the housing 60. In the present embodiment, the terminal 70 to be mounted when the housing 60 has a strong tendency to bend downward is referred to as a “first terminal”, and the terminal to be mounted when the housing 60 has a strong tendency to bend downward is referred to as a “second terminal”. . The first terminal is a terminal in which the press-fitting allowance at the upper press-fitting protrusion with respect to the terminal holding groove 63A is larger than the press-fitting allowance at the lower press-fitting protrusion. On the other hand, the second terminal is a terminal whose press-fitting allowance at the lower press-fitting protrusion with respect to the terminal holding groove 63A is larger than the press-fitting allowance at the upper press-fitting protrusion. In both the first terminal and the second terminal, the protruding amount of the lower press-fitting protrusion is larger than the protruding amount of the upper press-fitting protrusion.

  Also in this embodiment, the first terminal is used when the housing 60 is easily deformed downward, and the second terminal is used when the housing 60 is easily deformed upward. Similar to the configuration, the warp deformation of the housing 60 is reduced by the pressing force against the terminal holding groove 63A at the position of the press-fitting protrusion, and the side wall 63 of the housing 60 is corrected to a shape extending straight in the longitudinal direction.

  Since the holding form of the terminal of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment and the second embodiment except for the holding position of the terminal on the side wall of the housing, the first embodiment and the second embodiment also in this embodiment. Needless to say, a modification similar to the embodiment can be applied.

1 Connector 46A-2 Outer groove (terminal holding groove)
2 Connector 50 Second terminal 10 Housing 51B Outer leg (held part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Bottom wall 51B-1 Lower press-fit protrusion 13 Side wall 51B-2 Upper press-fit protrusion 16A-2 Outer groove part (terminal holding groove) 60 Housing 20 First terminal 61 Bottom wall 21B Outer leg part (held part) 63 Side wall 21B -1 Lower press-fit protrusion 63A Terminal holding groove 21B-2 Upper press-fit protrusion 70 Terminal 40 Housing 71 Holding part

Claims (4)

A housing that holds a plurality of terminals arranged in one direction has a bottom wall that faces the mounting target surface and extends in the longitudinal direction of the terminal arrangement direction, and a housing that stands upward from the bottom wall and extends in the longitudinal direction opposite to each other. A plurality of terminal holding grooves extending in the vertical direction for holding the terminals, respectively, are arranged in the longitudinal direction on the side surfaces of the two side walls. It is made by bending a piece in the plate thickness direction, and has a held portion that extends in the vertical direction and is press-fitted and held in the terminal holding groove, and the held portion has the terminals at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction. In an electrical connector in which press-fitting protrusions that are press-fitted so as to bite into the opposing inner wall surface of the holding groove are formed protruding from both side edges of the held part and are press-fitted into the terminal holding groove from above or below ,
In the housing, at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction, the thickness of the side wall is smaller than the average thickness of the portion other than the side wall including the bottom wall. Of any two adjacent press-fit protrusions, the press-fit allowance of the upper press-fit protrusion located above to the terminal holding groove is larger than the press-fit allowance of the lower press-fit protrusion located below And electrical connector. A housing that holds a plurality of terminals arranged in one direction has a bottom wall that faces the mounting target surface and extends in the longitudinal direction of the terminal arrangement direction, and a housing that stands upward from the bottom wall and extends in the longitudinal direction opposite to each other. A plurality of terminal holding grooves extending in the vertical direction for holding the terminals, respectively, are arranged in the longitudinal direction on the side surfaces of the two side walls. It is made by bending a piece in the plate thickness direction, and has a held portion that extends in the vertical direction and is press-fitted and held in the terminal holding groove, and the held portion has the terminals at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction. In an electrical connector in which press-fitting protrusions that are press-fitted so as to bite into the opposing inner wall surface of the holding groove are formed protruding from both side edges of the held part and are press-fitted into the terminal holding groove from above or below ,
In the housing, at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction, the plate thickness dimension of the side wall is larger than the average plate thickness dimension of the portion other than the side wall including the bottom wall, and the terminal extends in the vertical direction. Of any two adjacent press-fit protrusions, the press-fit allowance of the upper press-fit protrusion located above to the terminal holding groove is smaller than the press-fit allowance of the lower press-fit protrusion located below. And electrical connector.   The average thickness of the portion other than the side wall of the housing is the cross-sectional area of the portion other than the side wall in the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction at the terminal position in the longitudinal direction of the housing. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connector has a dimension obtained by dividing by a width dimension of the bottom wall.   The held portion of the terminal is such that the protruding amount from the both side edges of the held portion of the rear press-fitting projection located rearward in the press-fitting direction among any two press-fitting projections adjacent in the vertical direction is forward in the press-fitting direction. The terminal holding groove of the housing has a groove inner width at a position corresponding to the rear press-fitting protrusion at a position corresponding to the front press-fitting protrusion. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electrical connector is larger than a width dimension in the groove.

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