JP2020123483A - Relay electric connector and electric connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a relay electric connector capable of more surely connecting both the relay electric connector and a mating connector without enlarging the connectors even if relative positions thereof are displaced, and an electric connector assembly.SOLUTION: A relay electric connector 1 has a centering structure in which an outer coupling part 23 of a terminal 10 is partially elastically supported, thereby generating an elastic force in a direction where an axis of the terminal 10 is matched to a connection direction of connectors and a position of the axis is matched to a position of a center of a hole part 54A-1 in a state before connection with a mating connector 3. When the mating connector 3 is displaced from a regular position in a direction that is right-angle to the connection direction in the process of connecting the mating connector 3, a contact part 11 of the terminal 10 is abutted to a guide surface 115 of the mating connector 3. Thus, the terminal 10 is tilted in a direction of the displacement of the mating connector 3 against an elastic force in the centering structure, such that the contact part 11 is brought into contact with a mating terminal 70.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a relay electrical connector in which mating connectors are connected one by one from opposite sides to electrically connect the mating connectors to each other, and an electrical connector assembly including the relay electrical connector and the mating connector.

Such a relay electric connector and an electric connector assembly are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-242242. In Patent Document 1, a relay electrical connector has a first electrical connector (a mating connector) mounted on a circuit board connected from above and a second electrical connector (a mating connector) mounted on another circuit board. Are connected from below to electrically connect both electrical connectors.

Each of the first and second electric connectors has a board-side coaxial terminal that extends in the vertical direction and a housing that houses and holds the board-side coaxial terminal. The board-side coaxial terminal has a cylindrical outer conductor, an inner conductor located in the outer conductor and elastically displaceable in the radial direction of the outer conductor, and an insulating portion holding the inner conductor in the outer conductor. doing. The housing is provided with a tapered guide surface for guiding the relay electric connector at an end portion located on the relay electric connector side in the vertical direction.

The relay electrical connector has a relay coaxial terminal that extends in the vertical direction. The relay coaxial terminal has a cylindrical outer conductor, a columnar inner conductor located inside the outer conductor, and an insulating portion that holds the inner conductor over a relatively long vertical range within the outer conductor. .. In the relay coaxial terminal, the inner conductor is firmly held by the inner peripheral surface of the hole formed in the insulating portion over the above vertical range, and the relay coaxial terminal does not incline with respect to the vertical direction.

When connecting the connectors to each other, first, the second electric connector is fitted and connected to the relay electric connector from below, and then the first electric connector is fitted and connected from above. As a result, the outer conductors and inner conductors of the first and second electric connectors are connected to the outer conductors and inner conductors of the relay electric connector, respectively, and the first electric connector and the second electric connector are connected via the relay electric connector. Electrical conduction.

Special table 2018-534733

In Patent Document 1, as described above, since the relay coaxial terminal of the relay electrical connector is firmly held by the insulating portion in the relatively long vertical range, it does not tilt with respect to the vertical direction. Therefore, immediately before connecting the first electrical connector to the relay electrical connector from above, it is assumed that the first electrical connector is normal in the vertical direction (horizontal direction) due to an assembly error or the like. If the first electrical connector and the relay electrical connector are displaced from the position and the relative position in the lateral direction is immovable, both connectors cannot be fitted and connected. Specifically, even if the upper end portion of the relay coaxial terminal is laterally positioned within the range of the guide surface of the first connector, the relay coaxial terminal does not have an inclined posture. The upper end may come into contact with the guide surface and cause deformation such as buckling.

Therefore, in the relay electrical connector, it is assumed that the relay coaxial terminal is located with a gap between it and the hole of the insulating portion, and is held in an extremely narrow range in the vertical direction so that the relay coaxial terminal is within the above-mentioned gap range. If it is possible to take an inclined posture with the holding position as the center, it is possible to cope with a lateral shift between the first electrical connector and the relay electrical connector. That is, when the upper end portion of the relay coaxial terminal comes into contact with the guide surface of the first electric connector, the relay coaxial terminal is tilted so that the relay coaxial terminal is guided to the connection position with the first electric connector and both connectors are fitted. Can be connected.

However, when the relay coaxial terminal is in a posture inclined in a direction opposite to the above-mentioned direction of displacement just before the first electrical connector and the relay electrical connector are mated and connected, the upper end portion of the relay coaxial terminal May lie outside the range of the guide surface of the first electrical connector in the lateral direction. In such a case, as long as the relay coaxial terminal is in the tilted posture, the relay coaxial terminal cannot be guided by the guide surface, and therefore it is necessary to return the relay coaxial terminal to the non-tilted posture. Further, in order to omit such work, in order to position the upper end of the relay coaxial terminal in the inclined posture within the range of the guide surface of the first electrical connector, It is necessary to make it large in the direction, and as a result, the entire connector becomes large in the lateral direction.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a relay electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly that can reliably connect both connectors without increasing the size of the connector even if the relative positions of the relay electrical connector and the mating connector are deviated. The task is to do.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problems are solved by the relay electrical connector according to the following first invention and the electrical connector assembly according to the second invention.

<First invention>
A relay electrical connector according to a first aspect of the invention is a relay electrical connector in which mating connectors are connected one by one from opposite sides to electrically connect the mating connectors to each other, and a connecting direction with the mating connector is an axial direction. A terminal that extends and a housing that accommodates the terminal; the terminals are located at both ends in the axial direction and are in contact with mating terminals provided on corresponding mating connectors; A connecting portion for connecting the contact portions to each other, and the contact portions at the both end portions have elasticity between the peripheral surface around the axis of the contact portion and the peripheral surface of the mating terminal of the mating terminal. The housing is provided with a hole that allows the terminal to be inserted in the connection direction.

In such a relay electrical connector according to the first aspect of the invention, the relay electrical connector elastically supports a part of the connecting portion in the axial direction so that the terminal is in a state before being connected to a mating connector. Has a centering structure that generates an elastic force in a direction in which the axis line of is aligned with the connection direction, and in a direction in which the position of the axis line is aligned with the position of the center of the hole, and has one side of the relay electrical connector. In the process of connecting the mating connector with the mating connector, when the mating connector is displaced from the normal position in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction, the contact portion of the terminal contacts the guide surface provided on the mating connector. As a result, the contact portion can be brought into contact with the mating terminal by inclining the terminal in the direction of displacement of the mating connector against the elastic force of the centering structure.

In the relay electrical connector according to the first aspect of the invention, the terminal is always in a proper posture due to the centering structure, that is, the axis of the terminal is aligned with the connecting direction of the connectors and the position of the axis is aligned with the center of the hole. It is supported by receiving elastic force in a direction in which the posture is changed. Therefore, even if the relative positions of the relay electrical connector and the mating connector are deviated in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction, the contact portions of the terminals of the relay electrical connector are likely to be located within the guide surface of the mating connector. Become. Then, in the process of connecting the connector, the contact portion of the terminal abuts on the guide surface of the mating connector, so that the terminal inclines in the direction of displacement of the mating connector against the elastic force of the centering structure. As a result, the guide surface easily guides the contact portion to a position where it can contact the mating terminal.

In the first invention, a plurality of the terminals may be provided and each of the terminals may be supported by the centering structure in an independent state.

If multiple terminals are provided independently of each other, the relay electrical connector without the centering structure as in the conventional case may have multiple terminals tilted in different directions before connecting with the mating connector. There may be a state in which the posture is changed. In such a state, at least one terminal has a posture inclined in a direction different from the direction in which the relay electric connector and the mating connector are displaced. In the presence of the terminal in such an attitude, the terminal cannot be guided by the guide surface of the mating connector, so that the connectors cannot be connected to each other.

On the other hand, in the relay electrical connector of the present invention in which the terminals are maintained in the proper posture due to the centering structure, even if the relative positions of the connectors are deviated, the contact portions of the terminals fall within the guide portion of the mating connector. It is easy to position inside, and the connectors can be easily connected to each other.

In the first invention, the centering structure may be provided at a position closer to one side in the connection direction of the relay electrical connector.

If the other end connector is already connected to the relay electric connector from the other side immediately before the other end connector is connected to the relay electric connector, the terminal of the relay electric connector is While being supported at the contact position with the mating terminal provided on the mating connector, it is also supported at the position where the centering structure is provided. Therefore, by providing the centering structure at a position closer to one side of the relay electrical connector, the distance between the contact position and the position of the centering structure, that is, the two positions at which the terminal is supported is increased. The posture can be stabilized.

In the first invention, the centering structure is provided between the housing and the connecting portion of the terminal at a position of the hole of the housing, and is elastically displaced in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction to connect the centering structure. It is also possible to have an elastic member that generates an elastic force that urges the portion. By providing the centering structure with the elastic member in this manner, it is not necessary to form an elastic portion in the terminal and the housing.

In the first invention, the centering structure has a housing-side elastic portion that is formed in the housing and elastically displaces in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction to generate an elastic force that urges the connecting portion. May be Further, in the first invention, the centering structure has a terminal side elastic portion which is formed in the connecting portion of the terminal and elastically displaces in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction to generate an elastic force for biasing the housing. It may be that By thus providing the housing with the housing-side elastic portion or the terminal with the terminal-side elastic portion, it is not necessary to separately prepare an elastic member in the centering structure.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the relay electrical connector has a structure in which the housing and the terminal are engaged with each other in the connection direction at a position closer to the other side in the connection direction in the relay electrical connector. A terminal removal prevention structure may be provided to prevent the terminal from coming off toward the side.

When one mating connector is to be pulled out in a state where the relay electrical connector and the two mating connectors are connected to each other, the relay electrical connector is provided with a terminal pull-out preventing structure as in the present invention so as to move from the housing to one side. When the mating connector on one side is pulled by preventing the terminal from coming off, the mating connector on the one side always comes off from the relay electrical connector, and the mating connector on the other side becomes the relay electrical connector. It does not come off. As a result, it is possible to avoid an unexpected situation in which the mating connector on the side not intended to be pulled out comes off.

<Second invention>
An electrical connector assembly according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a relay electrical connector according to the first aspect of the invention, and a mating connector that is connected to the relay electrical connector from opposite sides in the connection direction one by one. The connector has a mating terminal that can come into contact with a contact portion of the terminal of the relay electrical connector, and a mating housing that houses the mating terminal, and the mating terminal extends along the connecting direction as an axial direction. The mating contact portion is configured to elastically contact the circumferential surface of the terminal between the circumferential surface around the axis of the mating contact portion and the circumferential surface around the axis of the contact portion of the terminal. The mating housing has a guide surface for guiding the contact portion of the terminal to a contact position with the mating contact portion of the mating terminal.

In the second invention as well, as in the case of the first invention, the terminals of the relay electrical connector are elastically supported by the centering structure, so that the relay electrical connector is perpendicular to the connecting direction of the connectors. Even if the relative position between the connector and the mating connector is deviated, the contact portion of the terminal abuts the guide surface of the mating housing of the mating connector in the process of connecting the connector, so that the terminal is elastic in the centering structure. Tilt in the direction of displacement of the mating connector against the force. As a result, the contact surface is easily guided by the guide surface to a position where the contact portion can contact the mating contact portion of the mating terminal.

According to the present invention, as described above, since the terminals of the relay electrical connector are elastically supported by the centering structure so as to always be in the regular posture (non-inclined posture), the relay electrical connector and the mating connector are relatively opposed to each other. Even if the positions are deviated, the contact portions of the terminals of the relay electrical connector are likely to be located within the guide surface of the mating connector. Therefore, in the process of connecting the connector, the contact portion of the terminal can be brought into contact with the mating terminal by abutting the contact portion of the terminal against the guide surface of the mating connector and inclining the terminal in the direction of displacement of the mating connector. Both connectors can be brought in position and easily connected.

It is the perspective view which showed the state before the connection of the relay electric connector which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and two mating connectors. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lower mating connector is connected to the relay electric connector of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the relay electric connector of FIG. 1 with terminals separated from a housing. It is sectional drawing which shows the connection operation of the upper mating connector to a relay electric connector, (A) shows the state before connection, (B) shows the connection process, and (C) shows the state after connection. It is a figure which shows the state which the terminal is not inclined in the centering structure which concerns on 2nd embodiment, (A) is a perspective view which shows a terminal and a housing side elastic part, (B) is a top and bottom of (A). FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view at a position of a support protrusion of the housing-side elastic portion in the direction. It is a figure which shows the state when a terminal inclines by the centering structure of FIG. 5, (A) is a perspective view which shows a terminal and a housing side elastic part, (B) is a vertical direction of (A). It is sectional drawing in the position of the support protrusion of a housing side elastic part.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First embodiment>
[Relay connector]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state before connection between a relay electrical connector according to a first embodiment and two mating connectors. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lower mating connector is connected to the relay electric connector of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the relay electrical connector of FIG. 1 with terminals separated from the housing. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing the connecting operation of the upper mating connector to the relay electrical connector, where FIG. 4A shows a state before connection, FIG. 4B shows a connection process, and FIG. 4C shows a state after connection.

In the relay electrical connector 1 according to the present embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as “relay connector 1”), mating connectors 2 and 3 are connected from opposite sides in a vertical direction (Z-axis direction) which is a connector connecting direction, and the mating connector is It is an electrical connector that electrically connects the two and three. Specifically, the mating connector 2 is connected to the relay connector 1 from above (Z1 side) which is one side, and the mating connector 3 is connected from below (Z2 side) which is the other side.

The mating connector 2 is an electric connector for a circuit board mounted on a circuit board B2 (shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1), and the mating connector 3 is mounted on a circuit board B3 (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). It is an electrical connector for a circuit board to be mounted. The mating connectors 2 and 3 are connected to the relay connector 1 with the mounting surfaces of the circuit boards B2 and B3 facing each other in the vertical direction as seen in FIG. In the present embodiment, the mating connector 2 and the mating connector 3 have exactly the same configuration.

The relay connector 1 includes a plurality of terminals 10 extending in the connector connecting direction (vertical direction) as an axial direction, a housing 50 that houses the terminals 10, and an elastic member 60 arranged between the terminals 10 and the housing 50 (FIG. 4(A)).

In this embodiment, four terminals 10 are provided as shown in FIG. 1, and are arranged in two rows in the X-axis direction and two rows in the Y-axis direction. In addition, in the present embodiment, the upper end portion of the terminal 10, which is connected to a later-described mating terminal 70 provided in the mating connector 2, is provided as the “upper contact portion 11 ”in the mating connector 3 as necessary. A lower end side portion connected to a mating terminal 70 described later is referred to as a "lower contact portion 12", and an intermediate portion in the vertical direction connecting the upper contact portion 11 and the lower contact portion 12 is referred to as a "connecting portion 13". (See Figure 3).

The terminal 10 is a so-called coaxial terminal, and as shown in FIG. 4(A), a substantially cylindrical metal outer conductor 20 extending in the vertical direction and a radius of the outer conductor 20 within the outer conductor 20. A center conductor 30 made of metal and located in the center in the vertical direction and extending in the vertical direction; and an insulator 40 made of an electric insulating material located in the outer conductor 20 between the outer conductor 20 and the center conductor 30. ing.

The outer conductors 20 are located at both end portions in the vertical direction and are capable of coming into contact with the mating terminals 70 provided on the mating connectors 2 and 3 respectively corresponding to the outer contact portions 21 and 22 (“upper outer contact portion 21” described later and "Lower outer contact portion 22") and an outer connecting portion 23 that connects the outer contact portions 21, 22 to each other. The upper outer contact portion 21, the lower outer contact portion 22, and the outer connecting portion 23 are included in the upper contact portion 11, the lower contact portion 12, and the connecting portion 13 of the terminal 10, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of upper outer contact portions 21 are formed on the upper end portion of the outer conductor 20 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the upper contact portion 11. Each upper outer contact portion 21 forms a cantilever-shaped elastic piece having an upper end as a free end, is elastically displaceable in the radial direction of the upper contact portion 11, and is connected to a later-described mating terminal 70 of the mating connector 2. It is elastic and can be contacted. At the upper end (free end) of the upper outer contact portion 21, an upper contact protrusion 21A for contact with the mating terminal 70 is formed so as to protrude outward in the radial direction.

The lower end portion of the outer conductor 20 has a shape obtained by vertically inverting the upper end portion described above, and a plurality of lower outer contact portions 22 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the lower contact portion 12. Has been done. The lower outer contact portion 22 is a lower contact protrusion 22A formed at the lower end (free end) of the lower outer contact portion 22 and elastically contacts the mating terminal 70 provided on the mating connector 3.

The outer connecting portion 23 of the outer conductor 20 has a substantially cylindrical shape and extends in the up-down direction to connect the lower end of the upper outer contact portion 21 and the upper end of the lower outer contact portion 22. The outer connecting portion 23 has a locked portion 23A that extends outward in the radial direction of the connecting portion 13 over the entire circumferential direction of the connecting portion 13 at a position closer to the lower outer contact portion 22 in the vertical direction. Have The locked portion 23A is positioned so as to be locked from below with respect to locking portions 54A-3A of the housing 50, which will be described later (see FIG. 4A). The locked portion 23A, together with the locking portions 54A-3A, has a terminal pull-out prevention structure for preventing the terminal 10 from being accidentally pulled out of the housing 50 when the mating connector 2 is pulled out. I am configuring.

The center conductor 30 is located at both ends in the vertical direction and is capable of contacting the mating terminals 70 provided on the corresponding mating connectors 2 and 3 (“upper inner contact portion 31” and “Lower inner contact portion 32”) and an inner connecting portion 33 that connects the inner contact portions 31, 32 to each other. The center conductor 30 has a vertically symmetrical shape with respect to the central position in the vertical direction. The upper inner contact portion 31, the lower inner contact portion 32, and the inner connecting portion 33 are included in the upper contact portion 11, the lower contact portion 12, and the connecting portion 13 of the terminal 10, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the inner contact portions 31 and 32 are pin-shaped and are located in substantially the same range as the outer contact portions 21 and 22 of the outer conductor 20 in the vertical direction. The inner connecting portion 33 is formed thicker than the inner contact portions 31 and 32, and is located in substantially the same range as the outer connecting portion 23 of the outer conductor 20 in the vertical direction.

The insulator 40 is made of an electrical insulating material such as resin, and holds the outer conductor 20 and the center conductor 30 by being integrally molded with the outer conductor 20 and the center conductor 30. As shown in FIG. 4A, the insulator 40 extends in almost the entire area of the terminal 10 in the vertical direction and has a vertically symmetrical shape with respect to the central position in the vertical direction.

An upper cylindrical portion 41, which is located in substantially the same range as the upper outer contact portion 21 of the outer conductor 20 in the vertical direction and opens upward, is formed on the upper end side portion of the insulator 40. When the connectors are connected to each other, the upper cylindrical portion 41 enters from below into an outside mating contact portion 81 of the mating terminal 70 of the mating connector 2 described below, and at the same time, a mating inside contact portion 91 of the mating terminal 70 described below and The central cylindrical portion 102 is adapted to be received from above. A lower cylindrical portion 42 having a shape obtained by vertically inverting the upper cylindrical portion 41 is formed at a lower end side portion of the insulator 40, and the lower cylindrical portion 42 receives the mating terminal 70 of the mating connector 3 from below. It is like this.

An intermediate portion in the up-down direction of the insulator 40, that is, an intermediate portion 43 extending in the up-down direction over substantially the same range as the inner connecting portion 33 of the central conductor 30 is the inner peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23 of the outer conductor 20. The central conductor 30 is formed so as to be in contact with both peripheral surfaces of the inner connecting portion 33 of the central conductor 30, and holds the outer conductor 20 and the central conductor 30 by integral molding.

The upper cylindrical portion 41, the lower cylindrical portion 42, and the intermediate portion 43 are included in the upper contact portion 11, the lower contact portion 12, and the connecting portion 13 of the terminal 10, respectively.

In the terminal 10 having such a configuration, in a state where the central conductor 30 is arranged at the center position of the outer conductor 20 in the radial direction, an electrically insulating material in a molten state is injected into the outer conductor 20 and then solidified to be an insulator. 40 by molding and holding the outer conductor 20 and the center conductor 30 with the insulator 40 by integral molding.

The housing 50 is made by molding an electrically insulating material such as resin, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape extending in the vertical direction as seen in FIGS. 1 to 3. The housing 50 has a peripheral wall 51 of a substantially rectangular tube shape extending in the vertical direction, and an intermediate wall 54 (FIG. 4A) that vertically separates a space inside the peripheral wall 51 at an intermediate position in the vertical direction. There is. An upper receiving portion 55 for receiving the mating connector 2 is formed above the intermediate wall 54 in the peripheral wall 51 by opening upward, and in the peripheral wall 51, below the intermediate wall 54. A lower receiving portion 56 for receiving the mating connector 3 is formed so as to open downward.

The peripheral wall 51 has an upper peripheral wall 52 formed in a substantially upper half portion and a lower peripheral wall 53 formed in a substantially lower half portion. The lower peripheral wall 53 is formed to have a smaller size in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction than the upper peripheral wall 52. As a result, the lower peripheral wall 53 is located at the boundary position between the upper peripheral wall 52 and the lower peripheral wall 53 in the vertical direction. A step is formed. Further, the lower receiving portion 56 is formed to be smaller than the upper receiving portion 55 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper peripheral wall 52 projects from the inner side surface of the wall portion located on the X2 side of the two wall portions located on both sides in the X-axis direction and extends in the vertical direction. The upper guide pillar portion 52A is formed. When the mating connector 2 is connected from above, the upper guide column portion 52A enters into the guide groove portion 112 formed in the mating connector 2 from below to guide the mating connector 2 to a regular connection position. Have a role to play. Similarly to the upper peripheral wall 52, the lower peripheral wall 53 also has a lower guide protrusion (not shown) protruding from the inner side surface of the wall portion located on the X2 side of the two wall portions located on both sides in the X-axis direction. No.) is formed, and the mating connector 3 is guided from above by entering the guide groove portion 112 of the mating connector 3 in the connector connecting process.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lower peripheral wall 53 has two wall portions located on both sides in the Y-axis direction, and is directed downward at the center position of the wall portions in the X-axis direction. A lock arm portion 53A is formed which extends in a cantilever shape and is elastically displaceable in the Y-axis direction. 1 to 3 show a lock arm portion 53A formed on the wall portion located on the Y2 side of the two wall portions. The lock arm portion 53A extends to a lower end position of the lower peripheral wall 53, and a lock claw portion that protrudes inward in the Y axis direction at the lower end portion of the lock arm portion 53A, that is, toward the lower receiving portion 56 side. Are formed. The lock arm portion 53A prevents the careless disconnection of the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 3 by locking the lock arm portion 53A to the lock notch 113 formed on the mating connector 3 with the lock claw portion in the connector connected state. It is supposed to do.

The intermediate wall 54 is formed at a position corresponding to each terminal 10 with a hole portion 54A which allows the terminal 10 to be inserted from below (see FIG. 4A). The hole 54A has a circular cross section (a cross section parallel to the XY plane) perpendicular to the vertical direction, and as shown in FIG. 4A, the inner diameter of the hole 54A. Is larger than the outer diameter of the outer conductor 20 of the terminal 10 over the entire area in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 4(A), the hole 54A includes an upper end hole 54A-1 located on the upper end side, a lower end hole 54A-2 located on the lower end side, and an upper end hole in the vertical direction. 54A-1 and the intermediate hole 54A-3 located between the lower end hole 54A-2. In the present embodiment, the inner diameter increases in the order of the lower end hole 54A-2, the upper end hole 54A-1, and the intermediate hole 54A-3.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), in a state where the terminal 10 is inserted through the hole 54A, the hole 54A accommodates the connecting portion 13 (see FIG. 3) which is an intermediate portion of the terminal 10. It In this state, the upper contact portion 11 (see FIG. 3) of each terminal 10 is located in the upper receiving portion 55, and the lower contact portion 12 of each terminal 10 (see FIG. 3) is in the lower receiving portion 56. ) Is located.

Further, the elastic member 60 is accommodated in the upper end hole 54A-1, and the locked portion 23A formed in the outer conductor 20 of the terminal 10 is accommodated in the lower end hole 54A-2. Further, from the inner peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the intermediate hole portion 54A-3, there is formed a locking portion 54A-3A protruding radially inward over the entire circumference of the intermediate hole portion 54A-3. The locking portion 54A-3A faces the locked portion 23A housed in the lower end hole 54A-2 from above and is positioned so as to be locked with the locked portion 23A. This prevents the terminal 10 from being accidentally pulled out upward from the housing 50.

The elastic member 60 is a ring-shaped member that is elastically displaceable in the radial direction and is made of an electric insulating material such as resin or rubber. The elastic member 60 has an outer peripheral surface depressed at an intermediate position in the vertical direction and an inner peripheral surface protruding inward in the radial direction. As will be described later, the portion having the projecting inner peripheral surface urges the outer peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23 forming a part of the connecting portion 13 of the outer conductor 20 of the terminal 10 inward in the radial direction. It is formed as a support portion 61 that elastically supports.

The maximum outer diameter of the elastic member 60 is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the upper end hole 54A-1. Further, the inner diameter of the supporting portion 61 of the elastic member 60 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer connecting portion 23. Therefore, when the terminal 10 is inserted through the elastic member 60 located in the upper end hole 54A-1, the elastic member 60 attaches the inner peripheral surface of the upper end hole 54A-1 on the outer peripheral surface thereof in the radial direction. By being urged and receiving the reaction force, it is retained in the upper end hole 54A-1 in a state of being compressed in the radial direction. Further, the elastic member 60 urges the outer peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23 with the inner peripheral surface of the supporting portion 61 to elastically support the outer peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23, and as a result, the terminal 10 is Retained within the housing 50.

The elastic member 60 elastically supports a part of the outer coupling portion 23 in the axial direction of the terminal 10 so that the axial line of the terminal 10 is connected between the connectors in the state before the connection with the mating connector 2. The elastic force is generated in the direction that matches the connecting direction (Z-axis direction) and in the direction that matches the position of the axis with the position of the center of the hole. Hereinafter, the application of such elastic force to the terminal 10 is referred to as “centering”. In this embodiment, the elastic member 60 and a part of the outer connecting portion 23 of the terminal 10 supported by the elastic member 60 constitute a centering structure for centering the terminal 10. The plurality of terminals 10 provided on the relay connector 1 are supported by the centering structure in an independent state.

[Mating connector]
Since the mating connector 2 and the mating connector 3 have exactly the same configuration as described above, the configuration of the mating connector 2 will be described here. The parts corresponding to the parts are given the same reference numerals as those of the mating connector 2, and the description thereof will be omitted. However, the front side of the mating connector 2 in the connection direction (the lower side (Z2 side in FIGS. 1 to 4)) is the front side of the mating connector 3 in the connection direction (FIGS. 1 to 4). The description will be made also with reference to the upper side (Z1 side) in FIG.

The mating connector 2 has a mating terminal 70 that can come into contact with the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1, and a mating housing 110 made of an electrically insulating material that houses the mating terminal 70. The mating terminal 70 is a so-called coaxial terminal, and as shown in FIG. 4(A), it is located at the center of the mating terminal 70 in the radial direction and a substantially cylindrical metal outer conductor 80 extending in the up-down direction. And a center conductor 90 made of metal extending in the vertical direction, and an insulator 100 made of an electrically insulating material, which is located between the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90 and holds the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90. ing.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the mating terminals 70 are provided in the same number (4) as the terminals 10 of the relay connector 1, forming two rows in the X-axis direction and in the Y-axis direction. They are arranged in two rows. Further, in the present embodiment, the lower end side portion of the mating terminal 70 that is connected to the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is referred to as a “mate contact portion 71” as needed (FIG. 4A). reference).

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the external conductor 80 has a mating external contact portion 81 for contacting the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 on the lower end side (Z2 side) and is connected to a circuit board. For this purpose, a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of outer connecting portions 82 are provided on the upper end side (Z1 side). The outside mating contact portion 81 has a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as the axial direction, and its inner peripheral surface is in contact with the upper outside contact portion 21 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 (FIG. 4(C)). reference). The plurality of outer connection portions 82 extend straight in the vertical direction at positions at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer conductor 80. The outer connecting portion 82 extends above the upper surface (bottom surface) of the mating housing 110 (see also FIGS. 1 to 3), and has a hole-shaped mounting portion (not shown) formed in the circuit board B2. ) Is soldered to the mounting portion.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the center conductor 90 has an in-mate contact portion 91 for contacting the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 on the lower end side (Z2 side) and is connected to a circuit board. It has one inner connecting portion 92 for the above on the upper end side (Z1 side).

The mating inner contact portion 91 has a substantially cylindrical shape that opens downward, and is adapted to receive the upper inner contact portion 31 of the relay connector 1. The in-mate contact portion 91 is formed with slits extending in the vertical direction at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction, and each strip formed between the slits is directed inward in the radial direction at a position near the lower end. And bent to form a contact protrusion. The strips are elastically displaceable in the radial direction, and the contact protrusions elastically contact the outer peripheral surface of the upper inner contact portion 31 of the relay connector 1. The inner connecting portion 92 extends above the upper surface (bottom surface) of the mating housing 110 (see also FIGS. 1 to 3), and has a hole-shaped mounting portion (not shown) formed in the circuit board B2. It is soldered to the mounting portion in a state of being inserted into.

The insulator 100 is made of an electrical insulating material such as resin, and holds the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90 by being integrally molded with the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90. The insulator 100 has a substantially cylindrical shape having a radius substantially the same as that of the outer conductor 80, and a holding portion 101 that holds the vertical middle portions of the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90, and a radial direction of the holding portion 101. Has a substantially cylindrical shape that extends downward from the holding portion 101 at a central position thereof, and has a central cylindrical portion 102 that accommodates the in-mate contact portion 91 of the central conductor 90. The central cylindrical portion 102 is open at the lower end, and allows the upper inner contact portion 31 of the central conductor 30 of the relay connector 1 to enter.

In the mating terminal 70 having such a configuration, in a state where the central conductor 90 is arranged at the center position of the outer conductor 80 in the radial direction, the molten electrical insulating material is injected into the outer conductor 80 and then solidified to be insulated. It is made by molding the body 100 and holding the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90 with the insulator 100 by integral molding.

The mating housing 110 is made by molding an electrically insulating material such as resin and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, at the bottom portion (upper portion in FIGS. 1 to 4) of the mating housing 110, the bottom surface is sunk in a region excluding the peripheral edge portion, thereby forming a bottom recess 111. ing. The vertical dimension (depth dimension) of the bottom recess 111 is substantially equal to the vertical dimension of the holding portion 101 of the insulator 100 of the mating terminal 70.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the mating housing 110, a guide groove portion that is recessed from the outer surface located on the X2 side of the outer peripheral surface parallel to the up-down direction and extends over the entire area of the mating housing 110 in the up-down direction. 112 is formed. The guide groove portion 112 allows entry from below the upper guide column portion 52A of the relay connector 1 in the process of connecting the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 2, and guides the mating connector 2 to the regular connection position. Play a role.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the peripheral wall forming the bottom recess 111 is provided with a notch at each of the two wall portions extending in the X-axis direction at the center position of the wall portions in the X-axis direction. The cut lock notch 113 is formed. The lock notch 113 is not used in the mating connector 2 that is connected to the relay connector 1 from above, but the mating connector 3 that is connected to the relay connector 1 from below is relayed in the connector connected state. By engaging with the lock claw portion of the lock arm portion 53A of the connector 1, accidental disconnection between the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 3 is prevented.

A plurality of holes 114 for accommodating and holding the mating contact portion 71 of the mating terminal 70 are formed in the mating housing 110 in an array. In the present embodiment, a total of four hole portions 114 are formed in two rows in the X-axis direction and two rows in the Y-axis direction so as to vertically penetrate the mating housing 110. The cross section of each hole 114 in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction is circular, and the inner diameter thereof is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the mating outside contact portion 81 of the outer conductor 80.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the lower surface of the mating housing 110, which is located in front of the connecting direction, is located radially inward as it goes upward, around the lower end opening of each hole 114, that is, the hole 114. A tapered guide surface 115 that is inclined toward the front is formed (see also the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 3 in FIG. 1 for the shape of the guide surface 115). As will be described later, the guide surface 115 slidably contacts with the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 so that the upper contact portion 11 faces the hole portion 114, in other words, the hole. It plays a role of guiding the mating terminal 70 accommodated in the portion 114 toward the mating contact portion 71.

The mating connector 2 having such a configuration is assembled by press-fitting the mating contact portion 71 of the mating terminal 70 into the hole 114 of the mating housing 110 from the bottom side (upper side in FIGS. 1 to 4).

[Connector operation]
The connection operation of the connector will be described. First, the external connectors 82 and the internal connectors 92 of the mating terminals 70 of the mating connectors 2 and 3 are soldered to the corresponding circuit parts of the corresponding circuit boards B2 and B3, respectively, to thereby connect the mating connectors 2 and 3 to the circuit board. It is mounted on B2 and B3.

Next, the mating connector 3 mounted on the circuit board B3 is placed in a posture in which the mating contact portion 71 of the mating terminal 70 faces upward (see FIG. 1), and the relay connector 1 is positioned above the mating connector 3, The relay connector 1 is lowered.

Immediately before the start of the connector connection, the lower contact portion 12 (see FIG. 3) of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is located immediately above the mating contact portion 71 of the mating terminal 70 of the mating connector 3, that is, the mating terminal 71. When not displaced in the lateral direction with respect to the contact portion 71, that is, in the direction parallel to the XY plane, the lower contact portion 12 is not guided by the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 3 and It is inserted into the mating contact portion 71 of the connector 3.

As a result, the lower contact protrusion 22A (see FIG. 3) of the lower outer contact portion 22 of the lower contact portion 12 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer contact portion 81 of the mating contact portion 71, so that the lower side The outer contact portion 22 is elastically displaced inward in the radial direction of the lower contact portion 12. Then, when the connection between the connectors is completed, the lower outer contact portion 22 makes contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mating outer contact portion 81 with a contact pressure with the lower contact protrusion 22A while maintaining the elastically displaced state. As a result, the outer conductor 20 of the terminal 10 and the outer conductor 80 of the mating terminal 70 are electrically connected.

Further, the lower inner contact portion 32 of the lower contact portion 12 enters into the inner contact portion 91 of the other contact portion 71 from above, and the contact formed on each strip of the inner contact portion 91 of the other contact. By contacting the protrusion, each strip is elastically displaced outward in the radial direction of the mating contact portion 71. Then, when the connection between the connectors is completed, the lower inner contact portion 32 contacts the contact protrusion of the inner contact portion 91 while the elastic displacement state of the strip of the inner contact portion 91 is maintained. The central conductor 30 of the terminal 10 and the central conductor 90 of the mating terminal 70 are brought into electrical contact with each other with pressure.

On the other hand, immediately before the connector connection is started, the lower contact portion 12 of the relay connector 1 is laterally displaced with respect to the mating contact portion 71 of the mating connector 3 and is located immediately above the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 3. In this case, as the relay connector 1 descends, the lower contact portion 12 slides on the guide surface 115 and moves radially inward of the mating contact portion 71. After the lower contact portion 12 is guided to the position of the mating contact portion 71, the lower contact portion 12 contacts the mating contact portion 71 in the above-described manner, and the terminals 10 and 70 are electrically connected.

Further, in the process of connecting the connector, the upper guide pillar portion 52A of the relay connector 1 enters the guide groove portion 112 of the mating connector 3 from above, and the lateral displacement of the relay connector 1 with respect to the mating connector 3 is restricted. Further, when the lock claw portions of the pair of lock arm portions 53A provided on the relay connector 1 come into contact with the outer surface of the mating housing 110, they are elastically displaced so as to be separated from each other in the Y-axis direction. Then, when the relay connector 1 moves downward as it is and the lock claw portion reaches the position of the lock cutout portion 113 of the mating housing 110, the pair of lock arm portions 53A returns to the free state and the lock claw portion is locked. Enter the notch 113. As a result, in the connector connected state, the lock claw portion is positioned so as to be able to engage with the lock cutout portion 113, and the careless disconnection of the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 3 is prevented.

In this way, the terminal 10 and the mating terminal 70 are electrically conducted, and the lock claw portion is positioned so as to be able to engage with the lock notch 113, so that the connecting operation between the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 3 is performed. Complete. Further, at this time, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the mating connector 3 is attached to the lower receiving portion 56 of the housing 50 except for the outer connecting portion 82 and the inner connecting portion 92 of the mating terminal 70. Be accommodated.

In the state in which the connection between the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 3 is completed, the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is supported at the contact position with the mating contact portion 71 of the mating terminal 70 of the mating connector 3, and the centering structure is provided. It is supported even in the fixed position. In this embodiment, since the elastic member 60, and by extension, the centering structure is provided at a position closer to the upper end side of the relay connector 1, the distance between the contact position and the position of the centering structure, that is, the terminal 10 is supported. The distance between the two positions becomes large, and the posture of the terminal 10 is easily stabilized.

Next, the mating connector 2 is positioned above the relay connector 1 so that the mating connector 2 is vertically symmetrical with the mating connector 3, and then the mating connector 2 is moved downward. Immediately before the start of the connector connection, the mating contact portion 71 of the mating terminal 70 of the mating connector 2 is located immediately above the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1, and is lateral to the upper contact portion 11. If there is no deviation, the upper connector 11 is not guided by the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 2, and the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 2 are the same as those described above for the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 3. Connected in the same way.

Immediately before starting the connector connection, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the mating contact portion 71 of the mating connector 2 is in the lateral direction (see FIG. 4(A)) with respect to the upper contact portion 11 of the relay connector 1. When the upper contact portion 11 is located right below the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 2, the connectors are connected to each other in the following manner. In FIG. 4A, the right end portion (the end portion on the Y1 side) of the upper contact portion 11 of the relay connector 1 is located within the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 2 in the Y-axis direction.

First, the mating connector 2 is straightly lowered with the laterally displaced state (see FIG. 4B). As a result, the right end portion of the upper contact portion 11 of the relay connector 1 contacts the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 2. Furthermore, when the mating connector 2 is lowered straight, the contact force between the guide surface 115 and the upper contact portion 11 causes the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 to become elastic force in the centering structure, in other words, elastic force from the elastic member 60. In contrast, the connector 2 is inclined in the direction of displacement (Y2 direction) (see FIG. 4C). At this time, in the elastic member 60, the portion located on the side where the terminal 10 is inclined (Y2 side) is compressed in the radial direction. Then, as the mating connector 2 is further lowered, the upper contact portion 11 is guided to the position of the mating contact portion 71 of the mating connector 2 while slidingly contacting the guide surface 115. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the upper contact portion 11 contacts the mating contact portion 71 while the terminal 10 maintains the inclined posture, and the two are electrically conducted, and the connector connecting operation is performed. Is completed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4C, the mating connector 2 is housed in the upper receiving portion 55 of the housing 50 except for the outer connecting portion 82 and the inner connecting portion 92 of the mating terminal 70.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is centered by the centering structure so that the terminal 10 is always in a normal posture, that is, the axis of the terminal 10 is aligned with the connecting direction of the connectors (Z-axis direction). At the same time, it is supported by receiving an elastic force in a direction such that the position of the axis coincides with the position of the center of the hole 54A. Therefore, even if the relative position of the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 2 is deviated in the lateral direction perpendicular to the connecting direction (Z-axis direction), the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 still has the mating connector. It becomes easy to be located within the range of the second guide surface 115. As a result, the upper contact portion 11 is easily guided by the guide surface 115 to a position where the upper contact portion 11 can come into contact with the mating contact portion 71.

Further, when the mating connectors 2 and 3 are connected to the relay connector 1 and the electrical connector assembly is configured, when the mating connectors 2 and 3 are pulled out from the relay connector 1, the mating connector 2 is pulled out. It is preferable to pull out the mating connector 3 from the. In the present embodiment, since the relay connector 1 is provided with the above-described terminal pullout prevention structure, when the mating connector 2 is pulled upward to pull out the mating connector 2, the terminals of the relay connector 1 are pulled out. The locked portion 23A of 10 is locked to the locking portions 54A-3A of the housing 50 from below, so that the mating connector 2 is always disengaged from the relay connector 1, and the mating connector 3 is disengaged from the relay connector 1. Absent. As a result, it is possible to avoid an unexpected situation where the mating connector 3 which is not intended to be pulled out comes off. Further, it is also possible to prevent the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 from being pulled by the mating connector 2 and slipping upward due to the locking of the locked portion 23A and the locking portions 54A-3A.

<Second embodiment>
In the first embodiment, in the centering structure of the relay connector 1, the elastic member 60 is provided between the terminal 10 and the housing 50, and the terminal 10 is centered by the biasing force of the elastic member 60. In the form, in the centering structure, the housing-side elastic portion 57 that biases the terminal 10 is formed in the housing 50 itself without providing an elastic member, and the terminal 10 is centered by the biasing force. This is different from the first embodiment.

The relay connector 1 according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as the relay connector 1 according to the first embodiment except that the elastic member is not provided and the housing-side elastic portion 57 is provided in the housing 50. .. The mating connectors 2 and 3 according to the present embodiment have the same configuration as the mating connectors 2 and 3 according to the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, in the relay connector 1 and the mating connectors 2 and 3, parts common to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. explain.

5A and 5B are views showing a state where the terminal 10 is not inclined in the centering structure according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5A shows the terminal 10 and the housing side elastic portion 57. FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing the same, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view at the position of the support protrusion 57A of the housing-side elastic portion 57 in the vertical direction. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state where the terminal 10 is tilted in the centering structure of FIGS. 5A and 5B. FIG. 6A shows the terminal 10 and the housing side elastic portion 57. It is a perspective view shown, and (B) is a sectional view in the position of support projection 57A of housing side elastic part 57 in the up-and-down direction of (A). FIG. 5B and FIG. 6B show cross sections of the centering structure taken along a plane (XY plane) perpendicular to the vertical direction as seen from below.

In the present embodiment, the housing 50 of the relay connector 1 has, on the upper end side of the relay connector 1, a plurality of housing-side elastic portions 57 extending upward along the outer peripheral surface of the terminal 10. A plurality of housing-side elastic portions 57 (four in this embodiment) are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer coupling portion 23 of the terminal 10, and have a cantilever shape with the upper end as a free end. The connecting portion 23 can be elastically displaced in the radial direction. A supporting protrusion 57A is formed at the upper end of the housing-side elastic portion 57 so as to protrude inward in the radial direction (see also FIG. 6(A)). The surface is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23 of the terminal 10. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the outer connecting portion 23 of the terminal 10 is moved in the radial direction by the protruding top surfaces of the support protrusions 57A of all the housing-side elastic portions 57. By biasing inward, the terminal 10 is elastically supported and centered.

In the present embodiment, the diameter of the circle including the positions of the projecting top surfaces of all the supporting protrusions 57A in the circumference when viewed in the vertical direction is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer connecting portion 23. Therefore, when the terminal 10 is centered and extends straight in the vertical direction, all the housing-side elastic portions 57 are slightly elastically displaced outward in the radial direction, and the restoring force thereof causes the supporting protrusions 57A to move the terminals. The outer connecting portions 23 of 10 are biased.

In this embodiment, immediately before the mating connector 2 is connected to the relay connector 1, when the relative positions of both connectors are laterally displaced, the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 resists the elastic force in the centering structure. The point that the mating connector 2 is inclined in the direction of displacement is the same as in the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the terminal 10 tilts in the direction of the deviation (Y2 side), the terminal 10 is displaced as shown in FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B). 6A, that is, the two housing-side elastic portions 57 are arranged so as to increase the elastic displacement of the two housing-side elastic portions 57 located on the Y2 side in FIG. 6A. Elastically displaced outward in the radial direction. At this time, the other two housing-side elastic portions 57, that is, the two housing-side elastic portions 57 located on the Y1 side in FIGS. 6A and 6B, return to the free state. Further, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a gap is formed between the inclined outer coupling portion 23 of the terminal 10 and the two housing-side elastic portions 57.

In the present embodiment, in the centering structure of the relay connector 1, since the housing-side elastic portion 57 for centering the terminal 10 is formed as a part of the housing 50, it is not necessary to separately prepare an elastic member for centering. ..

In the present embodiment, in the centering structure, the housing-side elastic portion is formed in the housing, but instead of this, the terminal-side elastic portion that urges the housing to generate an elastic force may be formed in the terminal. Good. The terminal-side elastic portion can be formed, for example, as an elastic piece that extends vertically or circumferentially at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of the terminal and can be elastically displaced in the radial direction of the terminal. The elastic piece may be formed in a cantilever shape by cutting and raising the outer conductor of the connecting portion of the terminal. When such a terminal-side elastic portion is provided on the terminal, the terminal-side elastic portion of the terminal urges the inner peripheral surface of the hole portion of the housing that accommodates the connecting portion of the terminal, and a reaction force against the urging force is applied to the housing. The terminals are centered by receiving from. By forming the terminal-side elastic portion on the terminal as described above, it is not necessary to separately prepare a member having elasticity for centering in the centering structure.

In the present embodiment, the supporting protrusion 57A of the housing-side elastic portion 57 provided in the housing 50 of the relay connector 1 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23 of the terminal 10 at its protruding top surface. At this time, a step portion that extends in the circumferential direction of the outer connecting portion 23 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23 by providing, for example, a concave circumferential groove, and the supporting protrusion 57A is vertically arranged with respect to the step portion. It may be locked to. This prevents the terminal 10 from being accidentally pulled out from the housing 50.

Further, in the above-described modified example in which the terminal side elastic portion is provided to the terminal, a step portion extending in the circumferential direction of the hole is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the housing by providing, for example, a concave peripheral groove. The terminal side elastic portion may be locked in the vertical direction with respect to the step portion. This prevents the terminals from accidentally coming out of the housing.

In the first and second embodiments, the mode in which the relay connector is provided with four terminals has been described, but the number of terminals is not limited to this, and may be set appropriately, and may be singular or plural. ..

1 relay connector 54A-1 hole 2 mating connector 54A-3A locking part 3 mating connector 57 housing side elastic part 10 terminal 60 elastic member 11, 12 contact part 70 mating terminal 13 connecting part 71 mating contact part 23A locked part 110 Mating housing 50 Housing 115 Guide surface

Claims (8)

A relay electrical connector in which mating connectors are connected one by one from opposite sides to electrically connect the mating connectors to each other,
A terminal that extends with the connecting direction to the mating connector as the axial direction, and a housing that houses the terminal,
The terminal has contact portions that are located at both ends in the axial direction and that can come into contact with the mating terminals provided on the corresponding mating connectors, and connecting portions that connect the contact portions at the both ends. Cage,
The contact portions at both ends contact the peripheral surface of the counterpart terminal with elasticity between the peripheral surface around the axis of the contact portion and the peripheral surface of the counterpart terminal,
The housing is a relay electrical connector in which a hole portion that allows insertion of the terminal in the connection direction is formed,
The relay electrical connector elastically supports a part of the connecting portion in the axial direction so that the axial line of the terminal is aligned with the connecting direction in a state before being connected to the mating connector. And has a centering structure that produces an elastic force in a direction in which the position of the axis coincides with the position of the center of the hole,
When the mating connector is displaced from the proper position in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction in the process of connecting the mating connector on one side of the relay electrical connector, the terminal is provided on the guide surface provided on the mating connector. When the contact portion abuts, the terminal inclines in the direction of the displacement of the mating connector against the elastic force in the centering structure, whereby the contact portion can come into contact with the mating terminal. Relay electrical connector to. The relay electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the terminals are provided, and each of the terminals is supported by the centering structure in an independent state. The relay electric connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the centering structure is provided at a position closer to one side in the connection direction of the relay electric connector. The centering structure is provided between the housing and the connecting portion of the terminal at the position of the hole of the housing, and elastically displaces in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction to bias the connecting portion. The relay electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an elastic member that generates an elastic force. The centering structure includes a housing-side elastic portion that is formed in the housing and elastically displaces in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction to generate an elastic force that urges the connecting portion. A relay electrical connector according to claim 3. The centering structure includes a terminal-side elastic portion that is formed at a connecting portion of the terminal and elastically displaces in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction to generate an elastic force that urges the housing. The relay electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3. In the relay electric connector, the housing and the terminal are engaged with each other in the connection direction at a position closer to the other side in the connection direction in the relay electric connector, and the relay electric connector is directed toward one side from the housing. 7. The relay electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a terminal disconnection prevention structure for preventing the terminals from disconnecting. The relay electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and a mating connector that is connected to the relay electrical connector one by one from opposite sides in the connection direction,
The mating connector has a mating terminal that can come into contact with a contact portion of a terminal of the relay electrical connector, and a mating housing that houses the mating terminal.
The mating terminal has a mating contact portion extending with the connecting direction as an axial direction,
The mating contact portion elastically contacts the circumferential surface of the terminal between the circumferential surface around the axis of the mating contact portion and the circumferential surface around the axis of the contact portion of the terminal,
The electrical connector assembly, wherein the mating housing has a guide surface for guiding the contact portion of the terminal to a contact position with the mating contact portion of the mating terminal.

Images