JP2014135184A - Electric connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connector configured to connect a plurality of spring contact probes in a predetermined order, in which the spring contact probes can be provided suitably with a common contact probe.SOLUTION: In an electric connector 1, ground spring contact probes 10, 10 and signal spring contact probes 20, 20 have the substantially same upward projection amount from an elastic cover 50. In other words, the upper ends (contact parts with a counter device) of the ground spring contact probes 10, 10 and signal spring contact probes 20, 20 have the substantially same axial position. A contact sequence function is achieved by differentiating the axial position of the lower ends (contact parts with a substrate 40) of the ground spring contact probes 10, 10 and signal spring contact probes 20, 20, i.e., differentiating the distance from the substrate 40 to the lower end of each spring contact probe.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector including a plurality of spring contact probes.

  For example, an electrical connector that secures an electrical connection in a medical device such as an infusion device used in a medical field is required to have a waterproof function for preventing liquid such as a medicine from entering the inside of the device. Patent Document 1 below discloses a drip-proof connector that electrically connects a circuit board and a cartridge of a transpulmonary medication apparatus. The drip-proof connector includes a hollow body pin 11 that is press-fitted into the mounting hole 2 of the housing 1, a movable pin 12 that is removably inserted into the body pin 11, and the body. A coil spring 17 interposed between the inner bottom surface of the pin 11 and the bottom surface of the movable pin 12 ”(paragraph [0020] of Patent Document 1), a drip-proof cover in the fitting groove 16 on the side surface of the movable pin 12. 20 (silicone rubber or the like) is tightly fitted (paragraph [0027] in the same document).

  On the other hand, it is known that a connector used for electrical connection is configured to be connected in the order of, for example, a ground, a signal, and a power supply when the connector is attached (Patent Document 2 below). According to the configuration having such a contact sequence function, it is possible to prevent an abrupt current from being generated when the connector is connected due to the electric charge remaining in the circuit before the connector is connected. In Patent Document 2, in order to provide a contact sequence function, the projecting lengths of the ground, signal, and power connectors to the other party are different from each other.

JP 2007-173073 A JP-A-5-40377

  In an electrical connector provided with a plurality of spring contact probes, if the spring contact probes have different contact lengths and have a contact sequence function, a drip-proof cover as in Patent Document 1 is provided for each spring contact probe. Is provided in common, there is a problem that the drip-proof cover is pulled by the expansion and contraction operation of each spring contact probe at different timings, resulting in insufficient waterproofness (described later in FIGS. 11 and 12 if necessary). See comparative example). Also, assuming that each spring contact probe is provided with a non-elastic cover (resin plate, etc.) in common, the non-elastic cover cannot follow the expansion and contraction operations of each spring contact probe at different timings, and excessive stress is applied to the non-elastic cover. There is a problem that a non-elastic cover interferes with expansion and contraction of the spring contact probe.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to connect a plurality of spring contact probes in a predetermined order and to suitably provide a common cover for each spring contact probe. Is to provide a simple electrical connector.

One embodiment of the present invention is an electrical connector. This electrical connector
A plurality of spring contact probes, a support for supporting each spring contact probe so as to be movable in the axial direction, a substrate provided so as to be in contact with one end of each spring contact probe, and a side surface on the other end side of each spring contact probe And a cover provided in common,
The axial positions of the other ends of the spring contact probes are substantially the same as each other, and in the extended state of the spring contact probes, the one end of some spring contact probes and the one end of the other spring contact probes The distance from the substrate is different from each other.

  Each spring contact probe is attached in a direction to separate the first conductive member located on the one end side, the second conductive member located on the other end side, and the first and second conductive members from each other. Biasing means for biasing, and the cover may be provided on a side surface of the second conductive member.

  The one end of the part of the spring contact probes may be in contact with the substrate in the extended state, and the one end of the other spring contact probe may be separated from the substrate in the extended state.

  The partial spring contact probe may be for ground.

  The cover may be a waterproof elastic member.

  You may provide the watertight sealing member pinched | interposed by the side surface of the said other end side of each spring contact probe, and the said cover.

  A waterproof elastic member may be attached to the cover.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, and those obtained by converting the expression of the present invention between methods and systems are also effective as aspects of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is the structure which connects a some spring contact probe in a predetermined order, and can provide the electrical connector which can provide a common cover suitably for each spring contact probe.

Sectional drawing of the expansion | extension state (non-connection state) of the electrical connector 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Sectional drawing of the contraction state (connection state) of the electrical connector 1 shown in FIG. The disassembled perspective view of the electrical connector 1 shown in FIG. The perspective view of the electrical connector 1 shown in FIG. Sectional drawing of the expansion | extension state (non-connection state) of the electrical connector 2 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. Sectional drawing of the contracted state (connection state) of the electrical connector 2 shown in FIG. Sectional drawing of the expansion | extension state (non-connection state) of the electrical connector 3 which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. Sectional drawing of the contraction state (connection state) of the electrical connector 3 shown in FIG. Sectional drawing of the expansion | extension state (non-connection state) of the electrical connector 4 which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. Sectional drawing of the contraction state (connection state) of the electrical connector 4 shown in FIG. Sectional drawing of the expansion | extension state (non-connection state) of the electrical connector which concerns on a comparative example. Sectional drawing of the contraction state (connection state) of the electrical connector shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or equivalent component, member, etc. which are shown by each drawing, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably. In addition, the embodiments do not limit the invention but are exemplifications, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention in an extended state (non-connected state). In this figure, only the left ground spring contact probe 10 shows the inside of the conductive tube 11. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the electrical connector 1 shown in FIG. 1 in a contracted state (connected state). FIG. 3A is an exploded top perspective view of the electrical connector 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 3B is an exploded lower perspective view of the same. FIG. 4A is an upper perspective view of the electrical connector 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 4B is a lower perspective view of the same.

  The electrical connector 1 includes ground spring contact probes 10, 10, signal spring contact probes 20, 20, an insulating support 30, a substrate 40, an insulating elastic cover 50, and an insulating lid 60. With. The ground spring contact probe 10 includes a conductive tube 11, a conductive pin 12, and a spring 19 as a biasing means. The conductive pin 12 is an example of a first conductive member, and the conductive tube 11 is an example of a second conductive member.

  The conductive tube 11 is a conductive metal body such as a copper alloy, and is used for connection with the counterpart device 70 (see FIG. 2). The conductive pin 12 is a conductive metal body such as a copper alloy, and is used for connection to the substrate 40. Illustration of electrodes and conductive patterns of the substrate 40 and the counterpart device 70 is omitted. The spring 19 is a coil spring formed of a general material such as a piano wire or a stainless wire, and is held inside the conductive tube 11. One end of the spring 19 is in contact with the bottom surface of the conductive tube 11, and the other end presses the inclined surface 18 at the end of the conductive pin 12 to urge the conductive pin 12 in the protruding direction. The end of the conductive tube 11 is a caulking portion 15. Since the large-diameter portion 16 of the conductive pin 12 is locked to the caulking portion 15, the conductive pin 12 is prevented from coming off from the conductive tube 11. The small diameter portion 17 of the conductive pin 12 protrudes from the caulking portion 15 of the conductive tube 11, and the tip contacts an electrode (not shown) on the substrate 40.

  The ground spring contact probe 10 and the signal spring contact probe 20 have the same configuration except that the small diameter portion 17 of the ground spring contact probe 10 is longer than the small diameter portion 17 of the signal spring contact probe 20. The tip of the small-diameter portion 17 of the ground spring contact probe 10 is in contact with an electrode (not shown) on the substrate 40 in an extended state, while the tip of the small-diameter portion 17 of the signal spring contact probe 20 is in an extended state and is not in contact with the electrode. (The tip of the small-diameter portion 17 of the ground spring contact probe 10 and the tip of the small-diameter portion 17 of the signal spring contact probe 20 have different distances from the substrate 40).

  The elastic cover 50 is a waterproof rubber, such as silicone rubber, and has a through hole 52 into which the conductive tube 11 is inserted and is in close contact with the side surface of the conductive tube 11. The groove 11a is fitted and elastically contacted, and the groove 11a is watertightly sealed. The elastic cover 50 extends in a bowl shape from the side surface of the conductive tube 11. The elastic cover 50 is provided in common for the ground spring contact probe 10 and the signal spring contact probe 20. The elastic cover 50 has ring-shaped convex portions 51 whose thickness is partially increased on both surfaces at a position separated from the side surface of the conductive tube 11 by a predetermined distance. The convex portion 51 is sandwiched and compressed between the upper surface of the support 30 and the lid 60 over the entire circumference, and the space between the support 30 and the lid 60 is watertightly sealed. The lid | cover 60 is a frame shape which the center part opened.

  The support 30 is made of, for example, an insulating resin, and includes through holes 32 that support the ground spring contact probes 10 and 10 and the signal spring contact probes 20 and 20 movably in the axial direction. A concave portion 31 is provided at the center of the upper surface 34 of the support 30, and a through hole 32 opens at the bottom surface of the concave portion 31. A protrusion 33 is provided on the inner surface of the through hole 32. The ridge 33 engages with the ridge 14 on the side surface of the conductive tube 11 to prevent the conductive tube 11 from coming off upward, and defines the maximum protruding amount of the conductive tube 11. The ridge 33 is further engaged with the step portion 13 on the side surface of the conductive tube 11 to prevent the conductive tube 11 from being pulled out downward, and defines the maximum drawing position of the conductive tube 11. A substrate 40 is attached and fixed to the bottom surface of the support 30.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ground spring contact probe 10 and the signal spring contact probe 20 have substantially the same amount of upward protrusion from the elastic cover 50 fixed to the concave groove 11 a of the conductive tube 11. . That is, the axial positions of the upper ends of the ground spring contact probes 10 and 10 and the signal spring contact probes 20 and 20 (contact portions with the counterpart device 70) are substantially the same. The contact sequence function is the axial position of the lower ends (contact portions with the substrate 40) of the ground spring contact probes 10, 10 and the signal spring contact probes 20, 20, that is, the distance from the substrate 40 to the lower end of each spring contact probe. It is realized by making different from each other. Specifically, in the process of shifting from the extended state shown in FIG. 1 to the contracted state shown in FIG. 2, first, the counterpart device 70 is connected to the upper ends of the ground spring contact probes 10, 10 and the signal spring contact probes 20, 20. Contact almost simultaneously. At this time, since the lower ends of the ground spring contact probes 10 and 10 are already in contact with the substrate 40, the electrical connection between the substrate 40 and the counterpart device 70 by the ground spring contact probes 10 and 10 is established. On the other hand, since the lower ends of the signal spring contact probes 20, 20 are separated from the substrate 40, the connection between the substrate 40 and the counterpart device 70 by the signal spring contact probes 20, 20 is not yet established. Thereafter, when the counterpart device 70 is pressed toward the substrate 40, the lower ends of the signal spring contact probes 20, 20 come into contact with the substrate 40, and the signal spring contact probes 20, 20 contact the substrate 40 and the counterpart device 70. An electrical connection is established.

  According to the electrical connector of the present embodiment, the upper end of each spring contact probe descends at the same timing during the transition from the extended state shown in FIG. 1 to the contracted state shown in FIG. It is never done. In contrast, as in the comparative example shown in FIG. 11, the contact sequence function is realized by changing the axial positions of the upper ends of the ground spring contact probes 810 and 810 and the signal spring contact probes 820 and 820 in the extended state. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the elastic cover 50 is pulled between the ground spring contact probes 810 and 810 and the signal spring contact probes 820 and 820 when contracted, particularly when the spring contact probes are arranged at a narrow pitch. It becomes difficult to ensure waterproofness. In the electrical connector of the present embodiment, even when the spring contact probes are arranged at a narrow pitch, the contact sequence function can be realized without causing the problem as shown in the comparative example.

Embodiment 2
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector 2 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention in an extended state (non-connected state). 6 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector 2 shown in FIG. 5 in a contracted state (connected state). The electrical connector 2 of the present embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the like, and includes an elastic cover 50 and a non-elastic cover 60 instead of the elastic cover 50 of the first embodiment. A step portion 11b is formed on the side surface of the conductive tube 11 of each spring contact probe, not a groove, and an O-ring 62 serving as a watertight sealing member provided on the step portion 11b is compressed by the non-elastic cover 61 to thereby form water. It is tightly sealed. The inelastic cover 61 is, for example, a resin plate. Inelasticity indicates that it is less likely to be elastically deformed than an elastic member such as rubber. The elastic cover 50 is fitted into the groove 61a on the side surface of the non-elastic cover 61 and elastically contacted, and the groove 61a is watertightly sealed. In the first embodiment, the elastic cover 50 made of rubber such as silicone rubber supports the weight of the signal spring contact probes 20 and 20 in the extended state. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the inelastic cover 61 that is less elastically deformed than rubber or the like in the extended state supports the weight of the signal spring contact probes 20 and 20 by compressing the O-ring 62. Compared with the first embodiment, the signal spring contact probes 20 and 20 are more firmly supported. Other points of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same effects can be achieved.

Embodiment 3
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector 3 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention in an extended state (non-connected state). FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the electrical connector 3 shown in FIG. 7 in a contracted state (connected state). The electrical connector 3 of the present embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the like in that the elastic cover 50 and the lid 60 are not provided, and the non-elastic cover 63 such as a resin plate is used as the spring contact probe 10 for ground. , 10 and the signal spring contact probes 20, 20 are attached to the side surfaces of the conductive tube 11 by, for example, press-fitting. The upper surface of the inelastic cover 63 may be substantially flush with the upper surface 34 of the support 30. Although the present embodiment does not have the waterproof function as in the first embodiment, the non-elastic cover 63 provides a dustproof effect and an appearance improvement effect.

Embodiment 4
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector 4 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention in an extended state (non-connected state). FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the electrical connector 4 shown in FIG. 9 in a contracted state (connected state). The electrical connector 4 of the present embodiment is different from that of the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 in that the conductive tubes 11 of the ground spring contact probes 10 and 10 and the signal spring contact probes 20 and 20 are used. The tip is in contact with the substrate 40, and the tip of the conductive pin 12 is in contact with the counterpart device 70. The non-elastic cover 63 is attached to the side surface of the conductive pin 12 by, for example, press fitting. In other embodiments, the contact sequence function is realized by making the lengths of the small diameter portions 17 of the conductive pins 12 of the ground spring contact probe 10 and the signal spring contact probe 20 different from each other. In the embodiment, all the conductive pins 12 have the same length, and instead, the length of the conductive tube 11 is changed.

  The present invention has been described above by taking the embodiment as an example. However, it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to each component and each processing process of the embodiment within the scope of the claims. By the way. Hereinafter, modifications will be described.

  In each embodiment, the lower ends of the ground spring contact probes 10, 10 may be separated from the substrate 40. In this case, the distance between the lower ends of the ground spring contact probes 10, 10 from the substrate 40 may be smaller than the distance from the substrate 40 at the lower ends of the signal spring contact probes 20, 20.

  The ground spring contact probes 10 and 10 and the signal spring contact probes 20 and 20 are not limited to the structure of the embodiment, and other known spring contact probes may be used.

1-4 Electrical connector, 10 Spring contact probe for ground, 11 Conductive tube, 11a Concave groove, 12 Conductive pin, 13 Step part, 14 Convex strip, 15 Caulking part, 16 Large diameter part, 17 Small diameter part, 18 Inclined Surface, 19 Spring, 20 Signal Spring Contact Probe, 30 Support, 31 Concave, 32 Through-hole, 33 Convex, 34 Top, 40 Substrate, 50 Elastic Cover, 51 Convex, 52 Through-hole, 60 Lid, 61 Non Elastic cover, 61a concave groove, 62 O-ring, 63 non-elastic cover, 70 counterpart device

Claims (7)

A plurality of spring contact probes, a support for supporting each spring contact probe so as to be movable in the axial direction, a substrate provided so as to be in contact with one end of each spring contact probe, and a side surface on the other end side of each spring contact probe And a cover provided in common,
The axial positions of the other ends of the spring contact probes are substantially the same as each other, and in the extended state of the spring contact probes, the one end of some spring contact probes and the one end of the other spring contact probes Electrical connectors with different distances from the board.   Each spring contact probe is attached in a direction to separate the first conductive member located on the one end side, the second conductive member located on the other end side, and the first and second conductive members from each other. The electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising an urging unit that urges, wherein the cover is provided on a side surface of the second conductive member.   3. The electricity according to claim 1, wherein the one end of the part of the spring contact probes is in contact with the substrate in an extended state, and the one end of the other spring contact probe is in an extended state and separated from the substrate. connector.   The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein the part of the spring contact probes is for ground.   The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cover is a waterproof elastic member.   5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a watertight sealing member sandwiched between a side surface of the other end side of each spring contact probe and the cover.   The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein a waterproof elastic member is attached to the cover.