JP2020074343A - Electrical connector for circuit board - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electrical connector for circuit board capable of preventing damage to both protruding wall and end wall of a housing in connector removal process.SOLUTION: A reinforcing bracket 30 has an end wall inner face reinforcement part 31 held on the housing 10 by integral molding, extending along the inner face of an end wall 15 facing the end face of a protruding wall 12 in the connector width direction and held on the end wall 15, a protruding wall end face reinforcement part 35 extending along the end face of the protruding wall 12 facing the end wall inner face reinforcement part 31 in the connector width direction in the range of the end wall inner face reinforcement part 31 and held by the protruding wall 12, and a junction bottom 38 where a plate surface making a right angle to the plate thickness direction of the reinforcing bracket 30 extends along the bottom wall, and concatenating the bottom wall side ends of the end wall inner face reinforcement part 31 and the protruding wall end face reinforcement part 35. The plate surface of the junction bottom 38 is exposed to a receiving part 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric connector for circuit boards arranged on a mounting surface of a circuit board.

  As such an electric connector for a circuit board, for example, a receptacle connector of Patent Document 1 is known. The receptacle connector of Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of terminals arranged in one terminal parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board as a terminal arrangement direction and a reinforcing metal fitting arranged at a position outside the terminal arrangement range in the terminal arrangement direction. It is held by integral molding in a resin housing. The housing has a bottom wall that is parallel to the mounting surface, a protruding wall that stands upright from the bottom wall and extends in the terminal arrangement direction, and a peripheral wall that stands upright from the bottom wall and surrounds the protruding wall. ing. The peripheral wall has a pair of side walls as outer walls extending in the terminal arrangement direction and a pair of end walls as outer walls extending in the connector width direction orthogonal to the terminal arrangement direction and connecting end portions of the pair of side walls. is doing. An annular space between the projecting wall and the peripheral wall is formed as a receiving portion that receives the frame-shaped fitting portion of the plug connector from the opening side of the annular space.

  The reinforcing metal fittings are made by bending a metal plate member, and extend along the bottom wall of the housing in the connector width direction, and the inner edge of the bottom plate portion in the connector width center (in the terminal arrangement direction). An inner plate portion that rises upward from the inner side edge) and two outer plate portions that rise upward from the outer edge (the outer side edge in the terminal arrangement direction) of the bottom plate portion at both end regions in the connector width direction. And have. The inner plate portion has a standing plate portion having a plate surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction. The standing plate portion extends along an end surface (a surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction) of the end of the protruding wall in the terminal arrangement direction, and the plate surface is exposed at the end surface. Further, the two outer plate portions are bent into an L shape when viewed from above, and are embedded inside the end wall without being exposed on the inner surface of the end wall.

  In the receptacle connector having such a configuration, the plate surface of the standing plate portion of the reinforcing metal member is exposed at the end surface of the projecting wall, and the fitting portion of the plug connector is connected to the receptacle connector in the process of inserting / removing the connectors. Even when the fitting portion is displaced from the regular fitting position in the arrangement direction, the fitting portion comes into contact with the plate surface of the upright plate portion, and therefore does not come into direct contact with the end surface of the protruding wall of the housing. In Patent Document 1, in this way, damage such as scraping of the end surface of the projecting wall is prevented.

JP, 2006-331679, A

  However, in Patent Document 1, when the fitting portion of the plug connector is displaced from the normal position in the terminal arrangement direction, the standing plate portion exposed at the end surface of the projecting wall of the receptacle connector on one end side in the same direction is formed. When abutting, the fitting portion comes into abutment with the inner surface (wall surface forming the receiving portion) of the end wall on the other end side. In Patent Document 1, since the inner surface of the end wall is not covered with the reinforcing metal fitting, the fitting portion of the plug connector comes into direct contact with the inner surface of the end wall, which may cause damage such as scraping of the inner surface. is there.

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric connector for a circuit board that can prevent damage to both the protruding wall and the outer wall of the housing during the connector insertion / removal process.

  An electric connector for a circuit board according to the present invention is an electric connector for a circuit board, which is arranged on a mounting surface of a circuit board and in which a mating connector is inserted / removed with a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface being a connector insertion / removal direction. A reinforcing metal fitting made of a plate and having a bent shape, a terminal formed as a member separate from the reinforcing metal fitting or formed as a part of the reinforcing metal fitting, and a receiving portion for inserting / removing the mating connector in the connector insertion / removal direction. A housing that is formed to have an opening and that directly or indirectly holds the reinforcing metal member and the terminal, the housing being made of an electrically insulating material, and a bottom wall facing the mounting surface, It has a projecting wall that stands up from the bottom wall and a peripheral wall that stands up from the bottom wall and surrounds the projecting wall. The circumferential wall extends in the connector length direction, and the pair of side walls extends in the connector width direction. At both ends of the side wall And a pair of end walls connecting the side walls to each other.

  In the electric connector for a circuit board according to the present invention, the reinforcing metal fitting is held in the housing by integral molding, and extends in the connector width direction along the inner surface of the end wall facing the end surface of the protruding wall. The end wall inner surface reinforcing portion held by the end wall, and extending within the range of the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion in the connector width direction along the end surface of the projecting wall facing the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion, and retained by the projecting wall. And a plate surface that is perpendicular to the plate thickness direction of the reinforcing metal fitting extends along the bottom wall, and the end wall inner surface reinforcing part and the bottom wall side end part of the projecting wall end surface reinforcing part. It has a connecting bottom part for connecting each other, and the plate surface of the connecting bottom part is exposed to the receiving part.

  According to the present invention, the outer wall standing surface reinforcing portion of the reinforcing metal member is exposed on the outer wall rising surface of the housing, and the protruding wall rising surface reinforcing portion of the reinforcing metal member is exposed on the housing wall protruding surface. Therefore, in the connector insertion / removal process, when the mating portion of the mating connector is displaced from the regular mating position toward the outer wall side in the connector insertion / removal process, the mating portion will be the outer wall standing surface reinforcement portion. Since it abuts against, it does not come into direct contact with the standing surface of the outer wall. Further, when the fitting portion is displaced from the regular fitting position toward the protruding wall side, the fitting portion abuts on the protruding wall rising surface reinforcing portion, so that it directly contacts the rising surface of the protruding wall. There is no contact. As a result, damage to both the outer wall and the protruding wall is prevented.

  Further, in the present invention, the outer wall rising surface reinforcing portion and the protruding wall rising surface reinforcing portion are integrally formed by being connected by the connecting bottom portion. Therefore, since the outer wall rising surface reinforcing portion and the protruding wall rising surface reinforcing portion are in a relationship of supplementing each other's strength, the strength of the reinforcing metal fitting itself is improved, and inadvertent deformation of the reinforcing metal fitting is prevented. .. As a result, the housing is reinforced more strongly.

  In the present invention, the bottom wall of the housing is formed with a first bottom hole portion penetrating the bottom wall at a position corresponding to the connecting bottom portion of the reinforcing metal member, and the first bottom hole portion is It may be closed by the connecting bottom.

  In the present invention, the terminal is made of a metal plate and has a bent shape, and a plate surface that is perpendicular to the plate thickness direction of the terminal extends in the connector width direction along the bottom wall of the housing. A contact arm extending from the end on the protruding wall side of the base in the connector insertion / removal direction, and a connecting portion formed on a portion extending from the end on the side wall side of the base and capable of being soldered to the mounting surface, The bottom wall of the housing is formed with a second bottom hole penetrating the bottom wall at a position corresponding to the base of the terminal, and the second bottom hole is closed by the base. Good.

  As described above, in the present invention, the outer wall upright surface reinforcing portion extending along the upright surface of the outer wall of the housing and the protruding wall upright surface reinforcing portion extending along the upright surface of the protruding wall are provided in the reinforcing metal fitting. , When the mating part of the mating connector is displaced from the regular mating position to the outer wall side during the connector insertion / removal process, the mating part abuts the outer wall uprighting surface reinforcement part and moves from the regular mating position to the projecting wall side. When it is displaced, it comes into contact with the protruding wall upstanding surface reinforcing portion. Therefore, since the fitting portion does not directly contact the rising surface of the outer wall itself and the rising surface of the protruding wall itself, damage to both the outer wall and the protruding wall is prevented. Further, since the outer wall rising surface reinforcing portion and the protruding wall rising surface reinforcing portion are integrally formed by being connected by the connecting bottom portion, the reinforcing metal fitting itself has a relationship to complement each other's strength. And the housing is reinforced more strongly.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector according to the embodiment of the present invention and the plug connector fitted to the receptacle connector from above, showing a state before fitting the connector. 1A is a sectional perspective view of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1 taken along a plane perpendicular to the connector length direction, and FIG. 1B is a sectional perspective view of the plug connector taken along a plane perpendicular to the connector length direction of FIG. It is a diagram, showing the cross section at the center position in the connector length direction, showing a state in which the housing is omitted in the left half part, and a reinforcing metal fitting held in the right half part at the lower position of the right half part. Shows. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the plug connector of FIG. 1 turned upside down, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a housing of the plug connector of FIG. FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing a bottom surface of a part of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1, in which a receptacle signal terminal and a receptacle reinforcing metal fitting are indicated by broken lines. It is sectional drawing in the surface orthogonal to the connector length direction of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1, and a plug connector, and has shown the cross section in the position of a signal terminal, (A) is a state before connector fitting, (A) B) shows a connector fitting state. It is sectional drawing in the surface orthogonal to the connector width direction of the receptacle connector and plug connector of FIG. 1, and has shown the cross section in the connector width direction center position, (A) is a state before connector fitting, B) shows a connector fitting state.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle connector according to the present embodiment and a plug connector as a mating connector that is fitted to the receptacle connector from above, and shows a state before connector fitting. The receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 2 in this embodiment are circuit board electrical connectors arranged on the mounting surfaces of different circuit boards (not shown), respectively, and are in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surfaces of the circuit boards. A connector assembly having a (up and down direction in FIG. 1) as an insertion / removal direction is configured. In this embodiment, the fitting direction of the plug connector 2 with respect to the receptacle connector 1, that is, the direction in which the plug connector 2 is moved downward in FIG. 1 is referred to as the “connector fitting direction”, and the opposite direction, that is, in FIG. The upward direction will be described as the “connector withdrawal direction”. Further, the mating direction and the withdrawing direction of the receptacle connector 1 which is the mating connector with respect to the plug connector 2 are opposite to the "connector mating direction" and the "connector withdrawing direction" of the plug connector 2 described above, respectively.

[Configuration of receptacle connector 1]
As shown in FIG. 1, the receptacle connector 1 includes a housing 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and a housing 10 in the connector length direction (longitudinal direction of the housing 10) which is one direction parallel to the mounting surface. It has a plurality of receptacle signal terminals 20 and a plurality of receptacle reinforcing metal fittings 30 which are arrayed and held by integral molding. The receptacle connector 1 is arranged and mounted on a circuit board in the posture shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the receptacle signal terminals 20 are provided in two symmetrical rows in the connector width direction in the range of a protrusion wall 12 of the housing 10 described later in the connector length direction. The receptacle reinforcing metal member 30 is provided in the housing 10 at both outer positions with respect to the arrangement range of the receptacle signal terminals 20 in the connector length direction. As will be described later, the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 has a receptacle power supply terminal 45 as a part of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the receptacle power supply terminals 45 are located on both outer sides of the array range of the receptacle signal terminals 20 in both end regions of the projecting wall 12 in the connector length direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 is made of an electrically insulating material such as resin, has a bottom surface parallel to the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown) that is a mounting target surface, and has the above connector length. A bottom wall 11 (see FIG. 4) extending in the vertical direction, and a projecting wall 12 standing upright from the bottom wall 11 in the central region of the bottom wall 11 in the connector width direction and extending in the connector length direction. It has a rectangular frame-shaped peripheral wall 13 standing upright from the bottom wall 11 and surrounding the protruding wall 12. The peripheral walls 13 are side walls 14 as a pair of outer walls standing up from the edges of the bottom wall 11 facing each other in the connector width direction and extending in the connector length direction, and the edges of the bottom wall 11 facing each other in the connector length direction. And a pair of end walls 15 as an outer wall extending in the connector width direction that connect the ends of the pair of side walls 14 to each other. A square annular space that opens upward between the peripheral wall 13 and the protruding wall 12 forms a receiving portion 16 for receiving the fitting portion of the plug connector 2.

  As shown in FIG. 4, which is a bottom view of the receptacle connector 1, the bottom wall 11 is positioned at the terminal position in the connector length direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 4) at the connector insertion / removal direction (perpendicular to the paper surface). Bottom holes 11A penetrating in the direction) are arrayed in the connector length direction (see also FIGS. 5A and 5B). The bottom hole portion 11A is formed when the housing 10 is integrally molded with the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 and then the mold is pulled out downward. The bottom hole portions 11A are arranged at equal intervals except for the bottom hole portions 11A located at both ends in the connector length direction (see FIG. 4). The distance between the two bottom hole portions 11A located at both ends in the connector length direction is slightly smaller than the distance between the other bottom hole portions 11A (see FIG. 4). The bottom hole portions 11A located at both ends in the connector length direction are slightly smaller in size in the connector width direction than the other bottom hole portions 11A.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, which are cross-sectional views at the position of the receptacle terminal 20, the bottom hole portion 11A has the connector when viewed in the connector length direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface). In the width direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 5A and 5B), it is formed in a range extending from a position slightly outside the side surface of the protruding wall 12 to a position slightly outside the inner surface of the side wall 14. .. That is, the bottom hole portion 11A is formed in a range outside the contact arm portion 22 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 described later in the connector width direction. Similarly, the bottom hole portion 11A formed at the position of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 in the connector length direction is also formed in a range outside the contact arm portion 44 of the receptacle power supply terminal 45 described later of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30. There is. In other words, the bottom wall 11 is closed in the range corresponding to the contact arm portions 22 and 44 in the connector width direction. Hereinafter, the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the receptacle power supply terminal 45 are collectively referred to as “receptacle terminals 20, 45” unless it is necessary to distinguish them.

  Further, at the position where the bottom wall 11 corresponds to the connecting portion 24 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the lateral fixing portion 42 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30, the bottom surface of the bottom wall 11 is the upper surface and the lateral fixing portion of the connecting portion 24. It is in contact with the upper surface of 42. Further, in the bottom wall 11, at the position between the connecting portions 24 and the position between the connecting portion 24 and the lateral fixing portion 42, the bottom surface of the bottom wall 11 is the upper surface of the connecting portion 24 and the lateral fixing portion. It is located above the upper surface of 42 and a bottom groove 11B is formed below the bottom surface (see also FIG. 4).

  The protruding wall 12 has a signal terminal groove 12A at a position corresponding to the receptacle signal terminal 20 in the connector length direction, and a power terminal groove 12B at a position corresponding to the receptacle power terminal 45, and a side surface of the protruding wall 12 ( It is formed so as to be recessed from a surface (perpendicular to the connector width direction) and extend in the vertical direction (see FIGS. 5A and 5B). Hereinafter, the signal terminal groove portion 12A and the power supply terminal groove portion 12B are collectively referred to as "terminal groove portions 12A and 12B" unless it is necessary to distinguish them. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the terminal groove portions 12A and 12B are formed over the entire standing range of the projecting wall 12, are open at the upper end position, and are open at the lower end position. It is blocked by 11. The terminal groove portions 12A and 12B accommodate the contact arm portions 22 and 44 of the receptacle terminals 20 and 45, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the signal terminal groove 12A and the power terminal groove 12B are formed with the same groove width dimension (dimension in the connector length direction).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 is formed such that the end portion in the connector length direction is higher than the portion in the arrangement range of the receptacle terminals 20 and 30. At the above-mentioned end, a side guide surface 14A is formed on the inner surface of the side wall 14 (the surface located on the receiving portion 16 side) so as to incline inward in the connector width direction as it goes downward. The side guide surface 14A guides the plug connector 2 into the receiving portion 16 in the connector width direction during the connector fitting process.

  At the upper part of the inner surface of the end wall 15 (the surface located on the receiving portion 16 side), an end guide surface 15A that is inclined inward in the connector length direction as it goes downward at both end regions in the connector width direction is formed. .. As seen in FIG. 1, the upper and lower edges of the end guide surface 15A are located at the same height as the upper and lower edges of the side guide surface 14A. The end guide surface 15A guides the plug connector 2 into the receiving portion 16 in the connector length direction during the connector fitting process.

  Further, between the side guide surface 14A and the end guide surface 15A, a corner guide surface 10A is formed which is inclined inward in the connector width direction and inward in the connector length direction as it goes downward. As seen in FIG. 1, the upper and lower edges of the end guide surface 15A are located at the same height as the upper and lower edges of the side guide surface 14A and the end guide surface 15A. The corner guide surface 10A guides the plug connector 2 into the receiving portion 16 in the connector width direction and the connector length direction during the connector fitting process.

  2A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the receptacle connector 1 of FIG. 1 taken along a plane perpendicular to the connector length direction, and FIG. 2B is of the plug connector 2 of FIG. 1 with respect to the connector length direction. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along a plane perpendicular to the plane. 2 (A) and 2 (B) show a cross section of the housing at the center position in the connector length direction, showing a state in which the housing is omitted in the left half part, and the right half part is shown in the lower position. The reinforcing metal fitting held in half is shown. Further, in the left half of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the distance between terminals and the distance between the terminals and the reinforcing metal member are shown larger than those in FIG. 1 for convenience of description.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the receptacle signal terminal 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2B and 5A. The receptacle signal terminal 20 is made by bending a strip-shaped metal plate strip in the plate thickness direction, and extends along the bottom wall 11 of the housing in the connector width direction, and the projecting wall 12 side of the base 21. A signal contact arm portion 22 extending upward from an end portion of the base portion 21 and an inverted U-shaped held portion 23 extending upward at an end portion of the base portion 21 on the side wall 14 side and then folded back downward. , And a connecting portion 24 extending outward from the lower end of the held portion 23 in the connector width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the base portion 21 extends over the range including the receiving portion 16 in the connector width direction and is held by the bottom wall 11 by integral molding. The upper surface of the base portion 21 is exposed toward the inside of the receiving portion 16, and the lower surface thereof is exposed to the circuit board side in a range corresponding to the bottom hole portion 11A of the bottom wall 11. Further, in the base portion 21, a portion on the side of the projecting wall 12 is formed as a narrow portion in the longitudinal direction (connector width direction), and a portion on the side wall 14 side is wider than the narrow portion in the terminal width (connector length direction). Dimension) is formed as a wide portion.

  As shown by the broken line in FIG. 4, in the base portion 21, the wide portion is located in the connector width direction so as to correspond to a large range of the bottom hole portion 11A of the bottom wall 11, and the narrow portion is formed. The portion is located corresponding to the remaining range of the bottom hole portion 11A. Further, the narrow portion and the wide portion of the base portion 21 have a terminal width larger than that of the bottom hole portion 11A of the bottom wall 11, and both side end surfaces and both side edge portions of the base portion 21 (an edge portion extending in the connector width direction). The bottom surface (plate surface) at () is held by the bottom wall 11. Therefore, there is no gap between both end surfaces (side end surfaces extending in the connector width direction) of the base portion 21 and the bottom wall 11, and the bottom hole portion 11A has its upper end opening covered by the lower surface of the base portion 21. Have been blocked. In addition, it is not essential that the plate surface of the side edge portion of the base portion 21 is held by the bottom wall 11 in a range corresponding to the bottom hole portion 11A, and at least only both end surfaces of the base portion 21 may be held. .. Further, when the plate surface of the side end portion of the base portion 21 is held by the bottom wall 11, only the upper surface of the side end portion or both the lower surface and the upper surface may be held.

  The signal contact arm portion 22 is housed in the signal terminal groove portion 12A of the projecting wall 12, and is elastically displaceable in the plate thickness direction (connector width direction) thereof. The signal contact arm portion 22 has a lower portion formed to have the same width dimension (dimension in the connector length direction) as the base portion 21, and an upper portion formed to have a smaller width dimension than the lower portion. Further, the signal contact arm portion 22 has a signal contact protrusion 22A for contacting a plug signal terminal 60 of the plug connector 2 which will be described later, with an upper end side portion which is a free end side thereof being convexly curved toward the side wall 14. It is formed (see FIG. 5B). In the free state of the signal contact arm portion 22, the curved top portion of the signal contact protrusion portion 22A projects from the signal terminal groove portion 12A of the housing 10 and is positioned in the receiving portion 16 (see FIG. 5A).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the held portion 23 includes an inner arm portion 23A extending upward from an end portion on the side wall 14 side of the base portion 21 along an inner surface of the side wall 14 and an upper end of the inner arm portion 23A. From the inner arm portion 23A at a position outside the connector width direction to be folded back downward, and has an outer arm portion 23C extending downward through the transition portion 23B, The side wall 14 is held by integral molding.

  The plate surface of the inner arm portion 23A is exposed toward the inside of the receiving portion 16, and a lock recess 23A-1 that is recessed in a rectangular shape from the plate surface is formed. The lock recess 23A-1 is formed by, for example, press working, and the width dimension (dimension in the arrangement direction) is smaller than the width dimension of the inner arm portion 23A. The lock recess 23A-1 is locked to the locked stepped portion 61A-1 of the plug signal terminal 60 of the plug connector 2 described later to maintain the connector fitting state and prevent the connectors from coming off. By contacting and electrically conducting when locked with the locked stepped portion 61A-1, it also plays a role of assisting the signal contact projection 22A (see FIG. 5B).

  The transition portion 23B is convexly curved upward, and the upper surface of the transition portion 23B is exposed from the side wall 14. The outer arm portion 23C is embedded and held in the side wall 14 without being exposed from the side wall 14 (see also FIG. 5A). As is often seen in FIG. 2B, the outer arm portion 23C has a lower end portion formed with a width dimension (dimension in the arrangement direction) smaller than other portions.

  The connection portion 24 is located below the base portion 21 and extends straight from the lower end of the outer arm portion 23C outward in the connector width direction to a position substantially the same as the outer surface of the side wall 14, and the bottom wall of the housing 10 is provided. It is exposed from 11. The connecting portion 24 is adapted to be soldered to the corresponding signal circuit portion of the circuit board.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the tip end position of the connection portion 24 in the connector width direction is set to be substantially the same as the outer surface of the side wall 14, so that the receptacle connector 1 is prevented from becoming large in the connector width direction. .. Further, as described above, the bottom groove portion 11B is formed in the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10 at the position between the connecting portions 24. Therefore, at the time of solder connection, the molten solder flows into the bottom groove portion 11B, so that both end surfaces (side surfaces extending in the connector width direction) of the connection portion 24 can be soldered. As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to secure a sufficiently large area of the solderable portion of the connection portion 24 while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector in the connector width direction.

  Next, the configuration of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 will be described based on FIGS. 1 and 2B. In the present embodiment, the receptacle reinforcing metal member 30 has not only a function of reinforcing the housing 10, but also a function of a lock metal member and a function of a power supply terminal as described later. However, it is not essential for the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 to have a function as a lock fitting and a function as a power supply terminal.

  The receptacle reinforcing metal member 30 is made by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction, and has a portion provided at the position of the end wall 15 and a portion provided at the position of the projecting wall 12 when viewed from above. The side wall 14 is roughly divided into a part provided at each position and a part provided at the receiving part 16 position.

  The portion of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 provided at the position of the end wall 15 is folded back downward from the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 extending along the inner surface of the end wall 15 and the upper end of the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31. End wall top surface reinforcing portion 32, end wall side retained portion 33 extending downward along the outer surface of the end wall 15 via the end wall top surface reinforcing portion 32, and end wall inner surface reinforcing portion in the connector width direction. An end fixing portion 34 extending outward from the lower end of the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 at a position near both ends of the connector 31 in the connector length direction is provided.

  The end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 has a lower half portion extending over the entire end wall 15 in the connector width direction, and an upper half portion extending upward from the upper edge of the lower half portion in the central region of the lower half connector width direction. ing. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2B, the plate surface of the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 is exposed by slightly projecting from the inner surface of the end wall 15. The end wall top surface reinforcing portion 32 is formed with the same width dimension (dimension in the connector width direction) as the upper half portion of the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31, and is continuously projected to the upper half portion upward. It is curved and its upper surface slightly projects from the upper surface of the end wall 15. The end wall side retained portion 33 is formed with the same width dimension as the end wall top surface reinforcing portion 32, extends continuously to the end wall top surface reinforcing portion 32, and has a plate surface from the outer surface of the end wall 15. It is slightly protruding. In this embodiment, since the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 and the end wall top surface reinforcing portion 32 cover the inner surface and the upper surface of the end wall 15, respectively, the inner surface and the upper surface of the end wall 15 are plugged during the connector insertion / removal process. It is possible to prevent damage due to interference with the connector 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the end fixing portion 34 is exposed from the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10, and the lower surface thereof is soldered and fixed to the corresponding power supply circuit portion of the circuit board. The end fixing portion 34 extends to almost the same position as the outer surface of the end wall 15 in the connector length direction. In this way, by making the tip end position of the end fixing portion 34 substantially the same as the outer surface of the end wall 15, it is possible to prevent the receptacle connector 1 from increasing in size in the connector length direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the portion of the receptacle reinforcing member 30 provided at the position of the protruding wall 12 extends along the end surface (the surface perpendicular to the connector length direction) as the rising surface of the protruding wall 12. The protruding wall end surface reinforcing portion 35, the protruding wall top surface reinforcing portion 36 that is folded back downward from the upper end of the protruding wall end surface reinforcing portion 35, and the protruding wall side cover that extends downward through the protruding wall top surface reinforcing portion 36. The holding portion 37 and a power supply contact arm portion 44 extending upward from the below-described extension portion 43 in the power supply terminal groove portion 12B of the protruding wall 12 are provided.

  The projecting wall end surface reinforcing portion 35 and the projecting wall top surface reinforcing portion 36 are held by the projecting wall 12, and each plate surface exposes the same level surface as the end surface and the upper surface (top surface) of the projecting wall 12. ing. In this embodiment, since the projecting wall end surface reinforcing portion 35 and the projecting wall top surface reinforcing portion 36 cover the projecting wall 12 end surface and upper surface, respectively, the projecting wall 12 end surface and upper surface are plug connector during the connector insertion / removal process. It is possible to prevent damage due to interference with 2.

  The power supply contact arm portion 44 is located in the same row as the signal contact arm portion 22 of the receptacle terminal 20, elastically displaced in the plate thickness direction (connector width direction), and the corresponding power supply provided on the plug reinforcing metal fitting 70 described later. It is possible to make contact with the inner side plate portion 73 (see FIG. 2A) as a contact portion with a contact pressure (see FIG. 5B). The power source contact arm portion 44 is formed as a power source contact protrusion 44A for allowing the upper end portion, which is the free end side, to be convexly curved toward the side wall 14, and the convexly curved portion being in contact with the inner side plate portion 73. Has been done. In the free state of the power contact arm 44, the curved top of the power contact protrusion 44A projects from the power terminal groove 12B of the housing 10 and is positioned inside the receiving portion 16. When the receptacle reinforcing metal member 30 does not have a function as a power supply terminal, the power supply contact arm portion 44 is omitted.

  The portion of the receptacle reinforcing metal member 30 provided at the position of the side wall 14 is a side wall-side retained portion that extends inward in the connector length direction from both ends of the lower half of the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 in the connector width direction. 39, a transition portion 40 that is folded back downward from the upper edge of the sidewall-side retained portion 39, a lock plate portion 41 that extends downward along the inner surface of the sidewall 14 via the transition portion 40, and a sidewall-side retained portion 39. It has a lateral fixing portion 42 extending outward from the lower edge of the holding portion 39 in the connector width direction.

  The side wall-side held portion 39 is embedded and held in the side wall 14. The transition portion 40 is convexly curved upward, and its upper surface is exposed at the same level as the upper surface of the side wall 14 as seen in FIG. 1. The lock plate portion 41 is held by the side wall 14 in a state in which the plate surface located on the receiving portion 16 side is exposed from the inner surface of the side wall 14, and a lock recess 41 </ b> A formed in a rectangular shape is formed from the exposed plate surface. Has been done. The lock plate portion 41 may be omitted when the receptacle reinforcing metal member 30 does not have a function as a lock metal member.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lateral fixing portion 42 is exposed from the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10, and is fixed on the lower surface thereof by soldering and fixing it to the corresponding power supply circuit portion of the circuit board. It also has a function as a connection part for. The lateral fixing portion 42 extends to approximately the same position as the outer surface of the side wall 14 in the connector width direction. In the present embodiment, the tip end position of the lateral fixing portion 42 in the connector width direction is set to be substantially the same as the outer surface of the side wall 14 in this manner, so that the receptacle connector 1 is prevented from becoming large in the connector width direction. There is. Further, a bottom groove 11B is formed in the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10 at a position between the lateral fixing portion 42 and the connecting portion 24 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 which are adjacent to each other in the connector length direction. The molten solder flows into the bottom groove portion 11B and can be soldered to the side end surface of the lateral fixing portion 42. In this way, as a result, it is possible to secure the area of the solder-connectable portion of the connection portion 24 while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector in the connector width direction.

  The portion of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 provided at the position of the receiving portion 16 extends in the connector length direction along the bottom wall 11, and connects the lower end portions of the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 and the projecting wall end surface reinforcing portion 35 to each other. An extension that extends in the connector width direction along the bottom wall 11 and connects the lower ends of the power contact arm portion 44 and the lock plate portion 41 with the connection bottom portion 38 (see also FIGS. 6A and 6B). And a portion 43. The connecting bottom portion 38 and the extending portion 43 are held by the bottom wall 11 with their upper surfaces exposed to the receiving portion 16. In addition, if the receptacle reinforcing metal member 30 is not provided with a function as a power supply terminal, the extending portion 43 may be omitted.

  The extending portion 43 has the same terminal width dimension as the lock plate portion 41 and extends from the lower edge of the lock plate portion toward the protruding wall 12 side. Further, at the same position as the power supply terminal groove 12B of the projecting wall 12 in the connector length direction, upward from the edge of the extending portion 43 near the projecting wall 12 (the edge extending in the connector length direction). The power contact arm portion 44 extends. Hereinafter, a portion including the extension portion 43 and the power source contact arm portion 44 is referred to as a “power source terminal 45”. In the present embodiment, an example in which the power supply terminal 45 is formed as a part of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 will be described, but instead of this, the power supply terminal is made as a member separate from the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting. Good.

  The extension 43 forms the base of the power supply terminal 45. Like the base portion 21 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 described above, the extension portion 43 extends over the range including the receiving portion 16 in the connector width direction (the base portion 21 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 is shown in FIG. 5A). , (B)). Further, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 4, the extending portion 43 is formed to include a range corresponding to the two bottom hole portions 11A located at both end regions in the connector length direction, The bottom wall 11 holds both end surfaces of the extending portion 43 and lower surfaces (plate surfaces) at both edge portions (edge portions extending in the connector width direction). Therefore, there is no gap between both end surfaces (side end surfaces extending in the connector width direction) of the extension portion 43 and the bottom wall 11, and the upper end openings of the two bottom hole portions 11A have one extension. The lower surface of the projecting portion 43 is covered and closed.

  The receptacle connector 1 having the above configuration is manufactured as follows. First, the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 are arranged in the connector length direction. Next, the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 are brought from above by a die provided from above (referred to as “upper die”) and from a die provided from below (“lower die”). It is fixed by pressing it from below with a "mold". At this time, the upper mold and the lower mold are pressed so as to sandwich the upper surface and the lower surface of the base portion 21 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the extending portion 43 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30, respectively.

  By the way, when a plurality of terminals with the same terminal width are held in a housing by integral molding, conventionally, when pressing the terminals with a mold during integral molding, all the terminals must be held in one place with the same area. There are many. However, when the base of some of the plurality of terminals is wider than the bases of other terminals, one of the bases of the some of the terminals is used as the base of the other terminal. If the pressing area is the same as the pressing area (the area pressed by the mold), the postures of some of the terminals will become unstable during integral molding.

  In the present embodiment, the extension portion 43 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 is wider than the base portion 21 of the receptacle signal terminal 20, but the extension portion 43 is provided at a plurality of positions (in the present embodiment, in the connector length direction). It is pressed by the mold at two places, and the pressing area is almost the same as the total area of the two bottom hole portions 11A. Therefore, as compared with the case where the wide extension 43 is held in one place with the area of one bottom hole portion 11A, the number of places to hold is increased and the holding area is widened, so that the receptacle reinforcement during integral molding is performed. The posture of the metal fitting 30 can be made more stable.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the bottom wall 11 is closed in a region other than the plurality (two in the present embodiment) of the bottom hole portions 11A in the region corresponding to the extension portion 32, and the extension portion 32 is held by the bottom wall 11. Therefore, in comparison with the case where the bottom hole is formed in the bottom wall in the almost entire area of the extension part to secure a large holding area and the stability of the terminal at the time of integral molding, the extension part The strength of the housing 10 in the region corresponding to 32 can be increased.

  Next, resin is injected into the upper and lower molds that have been combined, and the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 are integrally molded with the housing 10 to be held in the housing 10. In the present embodiment, the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the receptacle reinforcing metal member 30 are held by the mold at a plurality of positions at substantially equal intervals when viewed from the entire connector, so that the resin can be poured evenly over the entire connector. it can.

  After the integral molding, the upper mold and the lower mold are moved upward and downward, respectively, and removed to complete the receptacle connector 1. At this time, by pulling out the lower mold downward, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, at the terminal position in the connector length direction, the terminal of the protruding wall 12 in the connector width direction is obtained. A bottom hole portion 11A is formed in the bottom wall 11 outside the use groove portions 12A and 12B. Further, a bottom groove portion 11B is formed at a position between the connecting portions 24 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 and at a position between the lateral fixing portion 42 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 and the connecting portion 24.

  In this embodiment, the terminal groove portions 12A and 12B of the projecting wall 12 are formed over the entire standing range of the projecting wall 12, and are opened upward at the upper surface (top surface) position of the projecting wall 12. Therefore, the protruding wall 12 having the terminal groove portions 12A and 12B can be formed by moving and disposing the upper mold from above. Therefore, at the terminal position in the connector length direction, in a range corresponding to the terminal groove portions 12A, 12B in the connector width direction, in other words, in the receptacle groove 20, 45 accommodated in the terminal groove portions 12A, 12B. The bottom wall 11 can be formed in a range corresponding to the contact arm portions 22 and 44.

  When the receptacle connector 1 is mounted on the mounting surface of the circuit board, when the connecting portion 24 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the lateral fixing portion 42 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 are soldered to the mounting surface, the molten solder is the bottom of the housing 10. The wall 11 and the mounting surface may try to flow toward the contact arm portions 22, 44 of the receptacle terminals 20, 45. However, in this embodiment, since the bottom wall 11 is closed in the range corresponding to the contact arm portions 22 and 44, the molten solder does not creep up on the surface of the contact arm portion.

  Further, the bottom wall 11 is formed with a bottom hole portion 11A, but all the bottom hole portions 11A have their upper end openings closed by the base portion 21 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 or the extension portion 43 of the receptacle power supply terminal 45. Therefore, even if the molten solder may flow into the bottom hole 11A from the mounting surface side, the solder is prevented from further proceeding by the bottom surface of the base portion 21 and the extending portion 43, Since it stays in the hole 11A, it does not creep up to the contact arm portions 22 and 44.

  Further, even when the coating agent is applied to the solder connection portion after the connector is mounted, the coating agent is prevented from creeping up to the contact arm portions 22 and 44, as in the case of the solder described above. As a result, it is possible to prevent the solder and the coating agent from adhering to the contact arm portions 22 and 44, and to ensure the elastically displaced state of the contact arm portions 22 and 44 and the contact state with the mating terminal.

[Configuration of plug connector 2]
Next, the configuration of the plug connector 2 will be described based on FIGS. 1, 2A, 3 and 5. 3A is a perspective view showing the plug connector 2 of FIG. 1 turned upside down, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the plug connector 2 shown in FIG. 3A with the housing 50 omitted. Is.

  The plug connector 2 has a frame-shaped fitting portion (see FIG. 3 (A)) adapted to the receiving portion 16 of the receptacle connector 1, and by fitting the fitting portion into the receiving portion 16, The connectors 1 and 2 are fitted and connected to each other. The plug connector 2 is integrally molded with the housing 50 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and the housing 50 in a connector length direction (longitudinal direction of the housing 50) parallel to a mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown). It has a plurality of plug signal terminals 60 and a plug reinforcing metal fitting 70 that are held in an array.

  The housing 50 is made of an electrically insulating material such as resin, and has a bottom surface parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board (not shown) that is the mounting target surface and has a connector length as shown in FIG. It has a bottom wall 51 extending in the direction and a peripheral wall 53 as a fitting portion which stands up from the bottom wall 51 downward (upward in FIG. 3A). The peripheral wall 53 has two side walls 54 that face each other and extend in the arrangement direction, and a connector width direction that connects the end portions of the two side walls 54 and is perpendicular to the connector length direction (short side direction of the housing 50). ) And two end walls 55 extending to A space surrounded by the peripheral wall 53 and opened downward (upward in FIG. 3A) in FIG. 1 forms a receiving portion 56 (see FIG. 3A) for receiving the projecting wall 12 of the receptacle connector 1. ing.

  As often seen in FIGS. 1 and 3A, the bottom wall 51 is formed with an overhanging portion 51A that projects outward in the connector width direction over the entire area of the side wall 54 in the connector length direction. The projecting portion 51A is located corresponding to the transitional portion 23B of the receptacle terminal 20 and the transitional portion 40 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 (see FIG. 5B for the positional relationship with the transitional portion 23B of the receptacle terminal 20). reference). As is often seen in FIG. 3A, the upper surface of the overhanging portion 51A is located higher than the upper surfaces of the connecting portion 62 of the plug signal terminal 60 and the side fixing portion 74 of the plug reinforcing metal fitting 70, which will be described later. There is. By providing the overhanging portion 51A having such a shape, even when the molten solder tries to flow inward in the connector width direction during solder mounting of the connecting portion 62 and the lateral fixing portion 74, the side surface of the overhanging portion 51A ( A surface perpendicular to the connector width direction) prevents further progress. That is, the molten solder does not flow into the positions corresponding to the transition portions 23B and 40 in the connector width direction.

  Conventionally, the plug connector does not have a housing portion in the range corresponding to the transition portion of the receptacle terminal in the connector width direction, and the molten solder flows into the above range during solder mounting. At this time, the solder solidified in the above range may interfere with the transition section. In the present embodiment, as described above, the overhanging portion 51A of the housing 50 prevents the molten solder from flowing into the above range, so that when the connector is fitted, the solidified solder becomes the transitional portions 23B and 40. Interference can be prevented.

  The plug signal terminals 60 are provided in two rows that are symmetrical in the connector width direction in the range near the center of the housing 50 in the connector length direction. The plug signal terminal 60 is formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate strip in the plate thickness direction, and is held by the side wall 54 as is often seen in FIGS. 2 (A) and 3 (B). 2A of the U-shaped portion 61 having a U-shape and one of the two arm portions of the U-shaped portion 61 located on the receiving portion 56 side (inner arm portion 61C described later). From the upper end (lower end in FIG. 3 (B)) of the connector extending outward in the connector width direction and connected to the corresponding signal circuit portion of the circuit board. The plug signal terminal 60 is held by the U-shaped portion 61 by integral molding with the housing 50.

  The U-shaped portion 61 is a portion that protrudes between the signal contact arm portion 22 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 of the receptacle connector 1 and the inner arm portion 23A in the connector fitted state, and the side wall 54 is located downward (see FIG. 3). It is embedded in the side wall 54 so as to straddle it from above (A) and (B). As is often seen in FIG. 2 (A), the U-shaped portion 61 has an outer arm portion 61A extending downward along the outer surface of the side wall 54 and an inner position in the connector width direction from the lower end of the outer arm portion 61A. It has a transition portion 61B that is folded back upward, and an inner arm portion 61C that extends upward through the transition portion 61B. The size of the U-shaped portion 61 in the connector width direction is slightly larger than the distance between the signal contact protrusion 22A of the receptacle signal terminal 20 and the plate surface of the inner arm portion 23A facing the signal contact protrusion 22A. There is.

  The outer arm portion 61A of the U-shaped portion 61 has a plate surface exposed from the outer surface of the side wall 54 as seen in FIG. On the exposed plate surface, a locked stepped portion 61A-1 is formed which has a stepped shape formed by sinking the upper portion of the plate surface and extends in the width direction (connector length direction) of the outer arm portion 61A. The locked stepped portion 61A-1 engages with the lock recess 23A-1 of the receptacle terminal 20. As shown in FIG. 2A, the transition portion 61B extends in the connector width direction, and the lower surface (upper surface in FIG. 3A) of the transition portion 61B is exposed from the side wall 54. As shown in FIG. 3A, in the inner arm portion 61C, the plate surface on the receiving portion 56 side is exposed from the inner surface of the side wall 54, and the exposed plate surface is the receptacle signal in the connector fitted state. It is formed as a corresponding signal contact portion that comes into contact with the signal contact protrusion 22A of the terminal 20 with a contact pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the connecting portion 62 extends straight from the upper end of the inner arm portion 61C along the bottom surface of the bottom wall 51 outward in the connector width direction, and extends outside the housing 50. (See also FIG. 1), it can be soldered to the corresponding signal circuit portion of the circuit board.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plug reinforcing metal fittings 70 are provided one at each end of the housing 10 in the connector length direction, corresponding to the receptacle reinforcing metal fittings 30 of the receptacle connector 1. The plug reinforcing metal fitting 70 not only has a function of reinforcing the housing 50, but also has a locking function of locking with the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30, and further has a power supply contacting the power supply contact arm portion 44 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 and electrically conducting. It also functions as a terminal. However, it is not essential that the plug reinforcing metal fitting 70 has a function as a lock metal fitting and a function as a power supply terminal.

  The plug reinforcing metal fitting 70 is made by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction, and as shown in FIG. 2A, an outer plate portion 71 extending along the outer surface of the side wall 54 of the housing 50, A lateral transition portion 72 that extends inward from the lower end of the outer plate portion 71 toward the connector width direction, an inner plate portion 73 that extends upward along the inner surface of the side wall 54 through the lateral transition portion 72, and the inner side A lateral fixing portion 74 extending outward from the upper end of the plate portion 73 in the connector width direction, a connecting portion 75 extending in the connector width direction and connecting the two inner plate portions 73, and a connector length from the lower edge of the connecting portion 75. From the upper edge of the connecting portion 75, an end transition portion 76 that is folded back upward at an outer position in the direction, an end held portion 77 that extends upward along the outer surface of the end wall 55 via the end transition portion 76, And an end fixing portion 78 extending outward in the length direction. There.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the outer plate portion 71 has a plate surface exposed from the outer surface of the side wall 54, and the exposed plate surface is formed by immersing the upper part of the plate surface. A locked stepped portion 71A which is stepwise and extends in the width direction of the outer plate portion 71 (connector length direction) is formed. The locked stepped portion 71A is formed at the same height position as the locked stepped portion 61A-1 of the outer arm portion 61A of the plug signal terminal 60. The locked stepped portion 71A is adapted to lock with the lock recess 41A of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 in a state of being fitted with the receptacle connector 1.

  The lateral transition portion 72 extends in the connector width direction along the lower surface (the upper surface in FIG. 3A) of the side wall 54, and the lower surface (the upper surface in FIG. 3A) of the lateral transition portion 72 is the sidewall. It is exposed from 54 (see FIG. 3 (A)). As shown in FIG. 3A, the inner plate portion 73 has a plate surface exposed from the inner surface of the side wall 54 and is in contact with the power source contact arm portion 44 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 with a contact pressure. Is formed as.

  The lateral fixing portion 74 extends outward from the upper end (lower end in FIGS. 3A and 3B) of the inner plate portion 73 as seen in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, it extends to the outside of the housing 50 and can be soldered to the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the connecting portion 75 has a connecting base portion 75A having a plate surface perpendicular to the connector length direction and extending in the connector width direction, and is bent at both ends of the connecting base portion 75A to form a connector. The connecting end portion 75B extends inward in the length direction. The connecting portion 75 is embedded and held in the end wall 55.

  The end transition portion 76 extends in the connector width direction along the lower surface (the upper surface in FIG. 3A) of the end wall 55, and a part of the lower surface (the upper surface in FIG. 3A) of the end transition portion 76. Is exposed from the end wall 55 (see FIG. 3 (A)). The end held portion 77 is held by the end wall 55, and the plate surface is exposed from the outer surface of the end wall 55 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3A. As shown in FIG. 1, the end fixing portion 78 projects from the bottom wall 51 of the housing 50 in the connector length direction, and its upper surface (lower surface in FIG. 3A) is soldered to the corresponding portion of the circuit board. Is fixed.

[Connecting operation of connector]
Next, the fitting operation of the connectors 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 2 of FIG. 1 taken along a plane perpendicular to the connector length direction, showing a cross section at the position of the signal terminal. The state before fitting, (B) shows the connector fitted state. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector and the plug connector of FIG. 1 taken along a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction, showing a cross section at the center position in the connector width direction. And (B) shows the connector fitted state.

  First, the connection portion 24 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 of the receptacle connector 1 and the lateral fixing portion 42 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 are soldered to the corresponding circuit portions of the circuit board, respectively, and the end fixing portion 34 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 is connected to the circuit. The receptacle connector 1 is mounted on the circuit board by soldering to the corresponding portion of the board. Further, the connecting portion 62 of the plug signal terminal 60 of the plug connector 2 and the side fixing portion 74 of the plug reinforcing metal fitting 70 are soldered to corresponding circuit portions of other circuit boards, respectively, and the end fixing portion 78 of the plug reinforcing metal fitting 70 is connected. Is soldered to the corresponding portion of the other circuit board, and the plug connector 2 is mounted on the other circuit board. In addition, a coating agent for preventing corrosion may be applied to each solder connection portion of the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 2 as necessary.

  Next, as seen in FIGS. 1, 5A, and 6A, the receptacle connector 1 is placed in a posture in which the receiving portion 16 is opened upward, and the plug connector 2 is moved downward in the receiving portion 56. The receptacle connector 1 is positioned above the receptacle connector 1 in an open posture. Then, as shown by the arrows in FIGS. 1, 5A and 6A, the plug connector 2 is moved downward, and the fitting portion of the plug connector 2 is received by the receiving portion 16 of the receptacle connector 1. Insert it inside.

  As a result, the U-shaped portion 61 of the plug signal terminal 60 of the plug connector 2 pushes the space between the signal contact projection 22A and the lock recess 23A-1 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 of the receptacle connector 1 and projects. Then, the signal contact arm portion 22 is elastically displaced inward in the connector width direction. Further, when the U-shaped portion 61 is further inserted, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), the signal contact protruding portion 22A becomes the inner arm portion 61C (corresponding signal) of the U-shaped portion 61 in the connector fitted state. Contacting portion) with a contact pressure, and the locked stepped portion 61A-1 of the outer arm portion 61A of the U-shaped portion 61 projects into the lock recess 23A-1 and the upper edge of the lock recess 23A-1. On the other hand, it is located so that it can be locked in the connector extraction direction. As a result, the terminals 20 and 60 of the connectors 1 and 2 are electrically conducted and locked to each other.

  Further, the power source contact protrusion 44A of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 comes into contact with the inner plate portion 73 (corresponding power source contact portion) of the plug reinforcing metal fitting 70 located corresponding to the power source contact arm portion 44 with a contact pressure. Further, in the connector fitted state, the locked stepped portion 71A of the plug reinforcing metal fitting 70 projects into the lock concave portion 41A of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 and engages with the upper edge of the lock concave portion 41A in the connector withdrawing direction. It can be stopped. As a result, the reinforcing metal fittings 30 and 70 are electrically connected to each other and locked to each other. In this way, the fitting and connecting operation of the connectors 1 and 2 is completed. When the connector is pulled out, the plug connector 2 can be pulled out by lifting the plug connector 2 upward to release the locked state between the terminals and between the reinforcing metal fittings.

  In the present embodiment, the plate surface of the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 is exposed on the inner surface of the end wall 15 of the housing 10, and the end surface of the protruding wall 12 of the housing 10 protrudes from the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30. The plate surface of the wall end surface reinforcing portion 35 is exposed. Therefore, when the fitting portion of the plug connector 2 deviates from the regular fitting position toward the end wall 15 in the connector length direction during the connector insertion / removal process, the fitting portion is the inner wall reinforcing portion of the end wall. Since it comes into contact with the plate surface of 31, the inner surface of the end wall 15 does not come into direct contact. Further, when the fitting portion is displaced from the regular fitting position toward the protruding wall 12 side in the connector length direction, the fitting portion contacts the plate surface of the protruding wall end surface reinforcing portion 35. It does not directly contact the end surface of the protruding wall 12. As a result, damage to the end wall 15 and the projecting wall 12 can be prevented.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the plate surface of the end wall top surface reinforcing portion 32 is exposed at the top surface of the end wall 15 of the housing 10, and the projection wall top surface reinforcing portion is provided at the top surface of the projecting wall 12 of the housing 10. The plate surface of 36 is exposed. Therefore, in the process of fitting the connector, the fitting portion of the plug connector 2 shifts from the regular fitting position to the end wall 15 side in the connector length direction and is fitted and abuts on the top surface side of the end wall 15. However, since the fitting portion contacts the end wall top surface reinforcing portion 32, it does not directly contact the top surface of the end wall 15 of the housing 10. Further, in the connector fitting process, the fitting portion of the plug connector 2 shifts from the regular fitting position to the protruding wall 12 side in the connector length direction and is fitted and abuts on the top surface side of the protruding wall 12. However, since the fitting portion comes into contact with the protruding wall top surface reinforcing portion 36, it does not come into direct contact with the top surface of the protruding wall 12 of the housing 10. As a result, damage to the end wall 15 and the protruding wall 12 can be prevented more reliably. It should be noted that it is not essential to provide the end wall top surface reinforcing portion 32 and the protruding wall top surface reinforcing portion 36 on the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30, and the end wall top surface reinforcing portion 32 and the protruding wall top surface reinforcing portion 36 should not be provided. Only one of them may be provided.

  Further, since the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 of the present embodiment is held by the end wall 15 by the end wall side held portion 33 and is held by the projecting wall side held portion 37 by the projecting wall 12, the connector insertion / removal process Thus, it is possible to more reliably prevent the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 from coming off the housing 10 due to the contact force from the fitting portion of the plug connector 2. It should be noted that it is not essential to provide the end wall side held portion 33 and the protruding wall side held portion 37 on the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30, and the end wall side held portion 33 and the protruding wall side held portion 37 are not required. Only one of them may be provided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 and the projecting wall end surface reinforcing portion 35 are integrally formed by being connected by the connecting bottom portion 38, and the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 and the projecting wall end surface reinforcing portion are formed. Since the portion 35 and the portion 35 are in a relationship of supplementing each other's strength, the strength of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 itself is improved, inadvertent deformation of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 is prevented, and the housing 10 is made stronger. Can be reinforced.

  In the present embodiment, the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion 31 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 and the projecting wall end surface reinforcing portion 35 are connected by the connecting bottom portion 38 to prevent damage to the housing 10 due to displacement of the connectors in the connector length direction. In addition, the strength of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 itself is improved, but the configuration of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 30 can be further changed. For example, in the receptacle reinforcing metal member, a side wall inner surface reinforcing portion as a peripheral wall inner surface reinforcing portion that extends along the inner surface of the side wall of the housing and is retained by the side wall, and a rising surface of the protruding wall of the housing facing the side wall inner surface reinforcing portion ( A protruding wall side surface reinforcing portion as a protruding wall upright surface reinforcing portion that extends along the side wall) and the lower ends of the side wall inner surface reinforcing portion and the protruding wall side surface reinforcing portion are provided on the bottom wall. You may make it connect by the connection bottom part extended along a connector width direction. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the housing from being damaged due to the displacement of the connectors in the connector width direction and to improve the strength of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting itself.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the receptacle connector 1 having both types of terminals, that is, a receptacle signal terminal and a receptacle power supply terminal has been described. However, according to the present invention, only one type of terminal is used. The present invention can also be applied to a terminal having the same.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the groove portion that accommodates the contact arm portion of the terminal is formed in the projecting wall has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to the case where the groove portion is formed in the side wall. In this case, the bottom wall is formed so as to include the range corresponding to the groove portion of the side wall at the terminal position in the connector length direction.

1 Connector 24 Connection Part 2 Plug Connector 30 Receptacle Reinforcing Metal Fitting 10 Housing 31 End Wall Inner Surface Reinforcing Section (Outer Wall Standing Surface Reinforcing Section)
11 bottom wall 32 end wall top surface reinforcing portion (outer wall top surface reinforcing portion)
11A Bottom hole 33 End wall side held part (outer wall side held part)
12 Projection wall 35 Projection wall end surface reinforcement (projection wall upright surface reinforcement)
12A Groove for signal terminal 36 Reinforcing portion on top surface of protruding wall 12B Groove for power terminal 37 Retaining portion on protruding wall side 14 Side wall 38 Connecting bottom 15 End wall 42 Side fixing portion (connecting portion)
16 receiving part 44 power contact arm part 20 receptacle signal terminal 43 extension part (base part)
21 Base 45 Receptacle Power Supply Terminal 22 Signal Contact Arm

Claims (1)

An electric connector for a circuit board, which is arranged on a mounting surface of a circuit board, and in which a mating connector is inserted / removed with a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface being a connector insertion / removal direction,
Reinforcing metal fittings made of metal plate in a bent form,
A terminal formed separately from the reinforcing metal member or formed as a part of the reinforcing metal member,
The receiving portion for inserting and removing the mating connector is formed to open in the connector inserting and extracting direction, and includes a housing that directly or indirectly holds the reinforcing metal member and the terminal,
The housing is made of an electrically insulating material, and has a bottom wall facing the mounting surface, a projecting wall standing upright from the bottom wall, and a peripheral wall standing upright from the bottom wall and surrounding the projecting wall.
In the electrical connector for a circuit board, the peripheral wall has a pair of side walls extending in the connector length direction and a pair of end walls extending in the connector width direction and connecting the side walls to each other at both ends of the pair of side walls.
The reinforcing metal fitting is held in the housing by integral molding, and extends along the inner surface of the end wall facing the end surface of the projecting wall in the connector width direction and is held by the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion. A protruding wall end surface reinforcing portion that extends along the end surface of the protruding wall facing the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion within the range of the end wall inner surface reinforcing portion in the connector width direction and is retained by the protruding wall; A plate surface that is perpendicular to the plate thickness direction extends along the bottom wall, and has an end wall inner surface reinforcing portion and a connecting bottom portion that connects the bottom wall side end portions of the projecting wall end surface reinforcing portion to each other. An electrical connector for a circuit board, wherein the plate surface of the connecting bottom portion is exposed at the receiving portion.

Images