JP2022186850A - movable connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a movable connector capable of expanding the degree of freedom in the shape of a movable portion of a first terminal piece and the shape of a contact portion of a second terminal piece.

SOLUTION: A movable connector includes a fixed housing 3, a movable housing 2 that is movable relative to the fixed housing 3, a movable-side terminal piece 8 that is held by the fixed housing 3 and has a movable portion 8c that movably supports the movable housing 2, and a contact-side terminal piece 9 that is held by the movable housing 2 and has a contact portion 9c that comes into conduct contact with a pin terminal P2. The movable housing 2 is configured to be movable in both a first direction that intersects a fitting direction of the pin terminals P2 and a second direction that intersects both the fitting direction and the first direction. The movable-side terminal piece 8 and the contact-side terminal piece 9 are formed as metal processed bodies having different shapes, respectively. The movable-side terminal piece 8 and the contact-side terminal piece 9 have a connecting piece portion 8d and a locking piece portion 9a that connect them to each other.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical connector having a floating function, ie a movable connector.

A movable connector having a floating function is known as a connector that electrically connects with a connection object. The movable connector includes, for example, a fixed housing mounted on a substrate, a movable housing having a fitting chamber into which a connection object is inserted, one end fixed to the fixed housing, and the other end fixed to the movable housing. and a plurality of terminals having a movable portion that movably supports the movable housing between them.

Such movable connectors are subdivided according to the difference in terminal structure. First, there is known a movable connector (movable socket connector) having a socket terminal in which the contact portion that conducts contact with the object to be connected has a spring structure (Patent Document 1: JP-A-2007-165128). As another movable connector, there is known a movable connector (movable plug connector) having a plug terminal having a pin-shaped contact portion that conducts contact with an object to be connected (Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-93531). Gazette).

In the conventional movable connector having such a basic configuration, when the object to be connected is inserted into the fitting chamber, if the insertion position of the object to be connected is deviated from the insertion opening of the fitting chamber, the object to be connected may The movable housing in contact with the terminal is displaced by the movable portion of the terminal, thereby absorbing the positional deviation of the object to be connected. In addition, when the object to be connected is fitted and connected to the fitting chamber, the relative positional deviation between the object to be connected and the board on which the movable connector is mounted can be displaced by the movable housing of the terminal. It has the function of absorbing with Therefore, the movable connector is required to have flexibility in the movable portion of the terminal that supports the displacement of the movable housing. Further, in the movable connector having a socket terminal in which the contact portion has a spring structure, the contact portion can maintain stable conductive contact with the object to be connected even if the movable housing is displaced. Appropriate contact pressure is required to be exerted on the object.

JP 2007-165128 A JP-A-2002-93531

However, the terminals of conventional movable connectors are formed as a single piece of metal. Therefore, for example, if the plate thickness of the metal piece of the terminal material is made as thin as possible in order to increase the flexibility of the movable portion of the terminal, for example, in the movable connector having the socket terminal, it is necessary to obtain stable conductive contact. It becomes difficult to obtain the contact pressure of the contact portion with respect to the object to be connected. In addition, in the movable connector having the plug terminal, since the plate thickness of the pin-shaped contact portion is reduced, the rigidity of the contact portion is reduced and the contact portion is easily bent. Then, there is a risk of bending or buckling due to contact with the mating terminal when fitting and connecting with the mating terminal, which is a connection object.

Therefore, if the plate thickness of the metal piece of the terminal material is increased in order to increase the contact pressure of the contact portion of the spring structure and to increase the rigidity of the pin-shaped contact portion, the flexibility of the movable portion is reduced, resulting in a movable portion. There is a problem that the housing becomes difficult to displace.

In order to achieve both the flexibility of the movable part and the appropriate function of the contact part, which are in a trade-off relationship, for example, a terminal material having an appropriate plate thickness that does not cause the above problem is used as the contact part. It is conceivable to realize the flexibility of the movable part by forming the spring length of the part as long as possible. However, the longer the spring length of the movable portion, the larger the overall size of the movable connector.

The present invention was conceived against the background of the prior art as described above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a movable connector capable of achieving both the function required for the movable portion of the terminal and the function required for the contact portion.

In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention is configured to have the following features.

That is, the present invention includes a first housing, a second housing having a fitting chamber into which a connection target is inserted and movable with respect to the first housing, and a connector held by the first housing. a first terminal piece having a movable portion for movably supporting the second housing; and a first terminal piece held by the second housing and electrically connected to the connection object in the fitting chamber. In the movable connector including a second terminal strip having a contact portion that makes contact, the first terminal strip and the second terminal strip are formed as separate members from metal strips, respectively. The terminal piece and the second terminal piece are characterized by having an inter-terminal connecting portion for connecting them to each other.

According to the movable connector of the present invention, since the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece are each formed of a metal piece as separate members, the first terminal piece having the movable portion and the second terminal piece having the contact portion are separated from each other. The two terminal strips can be configured as terminals having different characteristics in terms of shape, plate thickness, material, etc., depending on the functions required of them. In addition, according to the movable connector of the present invention, the first terminal strip can be manufactured in a movable manner compared to the case where the first terminal strip and the second terminal strip are formed as an integrated body by a single metal strip. It is possible to expand the degree of freedom in the shape of the portion and the shape of the contact portion of the second terminal piece. As the contact portion, a contact portion (socket terminal) having a spring structure that makes pressure contact with the object to be connected, and a pin-shaped contact portion (plug terminal) that makes conductive contact by receiving pressure contact with the object to be connected, etc. Can be configured.

Further, since the first terminal strip and the second terminal strip of the present invention have the inter-terminal connecting portion, the first terminal strip and the second terminal strip are provided as separate members, but the first terminal strip and the second terminal strip are provided as separate members. Since the movable portion of the terminal strip of 1 exhibits a floating function, it is possible to reliably support the second housing movably with respect to the first housing.

In the present invention, the plate thickness of the first terminal piece can be formed thinner than the plate thickness of the second terminal piece.

According to the present invention, since the plate thickness of the first terminal piece having the movable portion can be configured to be relatively thinner than the plate thickness of the second terminal piece having the contact portion, the flexibility of the movable portion can be improved. and facilitates movement of the second housing. On the other hand, with respect to the contact portion, it is possible to realize an appropriate contact pressure in the contact portion having a spring structure and to increase the rigidity of the pin-shaped contact portion, without being restricted by the plate thickness of the first terminal piece. can be done. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both the function required of the movable portion and the function required of the contact portion.

In the present invention, the plate thickness of the first terminal piece can be made thicker than the plate thickness of the second terminal piece.

According to the present invention, since the plate thickness of the first terminal piece having the movable portion can be made relatively thicker than the plate thickness of the second terminal piece having the contact portion, the sectional area of the movable portion can be increased. Thus, impedance matching can be performed. In this case, by increasing the flexibility of the contact portion while maintaining impedance matching characteristics in the movable portion, the function required of the contact portion can be realized according to the type of the movable connector. For example, among movable connectors, there is a multipolar connector having a large number of contact portions with a spring structure. However, since the multipolar connector has a large number of terminals, the insertion force required to fit and connect the object to be connected is high. There is a problem that the insertion of the object to be connected becomes hard and the fitting operation becomes difficult. According to the present invention in which the plate thickness of the contact portion is thin and the spring structure is flexible, the insertion force of the object to be connected can be reduced. Thus, in the present invention as well, it is possible to achieve both the function required of the movable portion and the function required of the contact portion.

The inter-terminal connecting portion of the present invention includes a connecting piece portion provided on either one of the first terminal piece or the second terminal piece, and a connecting piece portion provided on the other of the terminal pieces and engaged with the connecting piece portion. It can be configured to have a locking piece portion for locking.

According to the present invention, the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece are connected by the locking of the connecting piece portion and the locking piece portion so as not to move relative to each other, so that the first terminal piece is movable. The second housing can be movably and reliably supported by the inter-terminal connecting portion and the second terminal piece. Further, even if the second housing moves, the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece are not separated.

The locking piece portion of the present invention can be configured as a crimping locking piece that bites into the connecting piece portion.

According to the present invention, since the crimped locking piece bites into the connecting piece portion, the locking piece portion can be firmly fixed to the connecting piece portion with a simple connecting structure.

The locking piece portion of the present invention can be configured as a pressing contact piece having a locking edge that press-contacts with the connecting piece portion.

According to the present invention, the locking edge of the locking piece portion press-contacts and locks the connecting piece portion. can be fixed to

The second housing of the present invention can be configured to have a connection piece portion fixing groove into which the connection piece portion is press-fitted.

According to the present invention, the fixing force of the first terminal piece to the second housing is reinforced by press-fitting the connecting piece portion of the first terminal piece into the fixing groove for the connecting piece portion of the second housing. Thus, the movable portion of the first terminal can move the second housing and reliably support the second housing with a simple connection structure.

According to the movable connector of the present invention, since the first terminal piece having the movable portion and the second terminal piece having the contact portion are separate members, the terminals are configured to have characteristics according to the functions required of each. can do. In addition, since the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece have the connecting portion between the terminals, the movable portion of the first terminal piece exerts a floating function, and the second housing is connected to the first housing. can be reliably supported movably.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view including the front, top, and right side of the movable connector according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view including the front, top, and right side of the movable connector of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view including the front, top, and right side of terminals provided in the movable connector of FIG. 1 ; 3A is a front view of the contact-side terminal piece, FIG. 3B is a right side view of the contact-side terminal piece, and FIG. Fig. (d) is a bottom view of the contact-side terminal strip, (e) is a right side view of the movable-side terminal strip, and (f) is a rear view of the movable-side terminal strip. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the movable connector of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the YZ plane at the center of the movable connector in the X direction of FIG. 1; FIG. 11 is a perspective view including the front, top, and right side of the movable connector according to the second embodiment; FIG. 9 is a partially exploded perspective view including the front, top, and right side of the movable connector of FIG. 8; FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view including the front, top, and right side of terminals provided in the movable connector of FIG. 8 ; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the terminal in FIG. 10, where (a) is a front view of the contact-side terminal piece, (b) is a right side view of the contact-side terminal piece, and (c) is a rear view of the contact-side terminal piece. Fig. (d) is a right side view of the movable terminal piece, and Fig. (e) is a front view of the movable terminal piece. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view along the YZ plane at the center of the movable connector in the X direction of FIG. 8;

Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the movable connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The movable connector 1 shown in the following embodiments is mounted on a board P1, and the pin terminals P2 provided in the housing of the mating connector, which is the "connection object", are vertically inserted toward the board P1 for mating connection. By doing so, the pin terminal P2 is conductively connected to the circuit of the substrate P1. In addition to the pin terminals P2, the housing of the mating connector is provided with shield connection terminals (not shown) that electrically contact with the shield member 7, which will be described later. In this manner, the movable connector 1 is configured as a "movable coaxial connector" electrically connected to the pin terminal P2 having a circular cross section and the shield connection terminal of the mating connector.

The terms "first" and "second" described in this specification and claims are used to distinguish different constituent elements of the invention, and are used to indicate a specific order or superiority or inferiority. not a thing In this specification and claims, for convenience of explanation, the horizontal direction of the movable connector 1 is defined as the X direction, the front-rear direction as the Y direction, and the height direction as the Z direction, as shown in FIG. The board P1 side (see FIGS. 6 and 7) in the height direction (Z direction) of the movable connector 1 is referred to as the "lower side", and the movable connector 1 side is referred to as the "upper side". The fitting direction of the connector 1 and the method of mounting on the substrate P1 are not limited.

First embodiment [Figs. 1 to 7]

A movable connector 1 includes a movable housing 2 , a fixed housing 3 , terminals 4 and a plurality of holding metal fittings 5 . The movable housing 2 is supported by terminals 4 so as to be movable with respect to a fixed housing 3 mounted on the substrate P1. As a result, even if the central axis of the pin terminal P2 as the object to be connected is deviated from the central axis of the movable housing 2, the movable housing 2 receiving the insertion force of the pin terminal P2 moves in the X direction, the Y direction, or the XY direction. By moving in the direction, a conductive connection can be achieved while absorbing the deviation of the center axes. At this time, the movable housing 2 can also move in the Z direction, which is the insertion direction of the pin terminal P2.

Movable housing 2

The movable housing 2 has a housing body 6 made of electrically insulating synthetic resin and a conductive shield member 7 made of metal. The shield member 7 is insert-molded into the housing body 6, so that the movable housing 2 is constructed as an integral molding.

The housing body 6 has a cylindrical peripheral wall 6a formed in a cylindrical shape with a central axis along the Z direction. The cylindrical peripheral wall 6a is formed in a cylindrical shape, and has an insertion opening 6b for the pin terminal P2 formed at one end of the center axis thereof, and an opening 6c formed at the other end.

A protruding portion 6d is formed to protrude in the XY direction from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a on the side of the opening 6c. The projecting portion 6d is formed as a plate-like piece projecting from the right side and the left side of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a. The housing of the mating connector, which is the "connection object" of the movable connector 1, is fitted and connected to the outer periphery of the housing body 6 and the shield body 7a, which will be described later. As a result, the shield connection terminals of the mating connector are brought into conductive contact with the shield main body 7a. During the fitting connection, the eaves 6a1 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a act as a stopper to stop the insertion of the housing of the mating connector in the Z direction. Since the eaves portion 6 a 1 is arranged to cover the upper surface of the fixed housing 3 , it functions to prevent foreign matter from entering the inside of the fixed housing 3 . A constricted portion 6a2 is formed between the eaves portion 6a1 and the projecting portion 6d.

A fitting chamber 6e into which the pin terminal P2 is inserted is formed inside the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a. A contact-side terminal piece 9 of the terminal 4, which will be described later, is arranged in the fitting chamber 6e. A pair of terminal holding grooves 6f communicating with the fitting chamber 6e are formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a. The terminal holding groove 6f is formed corresponding to a pair of press-fitting pieces 9b2 of the terminal 4, which will be described later, and is formed in a groove shape into which each press-fitting piece 9b2 can be inserted. A pressure receiving portion 6g that receives pressure from a base piece 9b1 of a contact-side terminal piece 9 of the terminal 4, which will be described later, is formed at a position facing the terminal holding groove 6f.

The shield member 7 includes a shield body 7a covering the entire outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical peripheral wall 6a and a shield contact piece 7b extending from the shield body 7a.

The shield body 7a is formed in a cylindrical shape. Specifically, with its cylindrical shape, the shield body 7a surrounds the contact-side terminal piece 9 of the terminal 4 arranged in the fitting chamber 6e at the outer side of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a. The upper end position of the shield body 7a is formed above the end of the fitting chamber 6e on the side of the insertion port 6b. As a result, the portion of the terminal 4 (the connecting piece portion 8d of the contact-side terminal piece 9 and the movable-side terminal piece 8) arranged inside the housing body 6 is prevented from electromagnetic wave noise and static electricity over the entire circumference and the entire length along the Z direction. is blocked to avoid being affected by it.

The shield contact piece 7b is composed of a vertical piece 7b1 extending downward in the Z direction from the lower end of the cylindrical shield body 7a, and a vertical piece 7b1 bent from the lower end of the vertical piece 7b1 to form each projecting portion 6d of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a. and a contact piece portion 7b2 extending along the bottom surface 6d1. The contact piece portion 7b2 is arranged at an in-plane position of the bottom surface 6d1 of the projecting portion 6d, and has a contact surface 7b3 extending in the XY direction. This contact surface 7b3 is in conductive contact with a holding metal fitting 5, which will be described later.

Fixed housing 3

The fixed housing 3 is configured as a base member to which the movable housing 2, terminals 4, and a plurality of holding metal fittings 5 are attached. The stationary housing 3 is an electrically insulating resin molding, and is formed as a plate piece in the shape of a polygonal frame.

The fixed housing 3 is formed with a base portion 3a which is a flat surface opposed to the bottom surface 6d1 of each projecting portion 6d of the movable housing 2 described above. A pair of base portions 3a are provided so as to constitute two sides of the fixed housing 3 having a rectangular frame shape. The base portion 3a is formed as a rectangular surface corresponding to the shape of the facing surface of the projecting portion 6d, that is, the rectangular shape.

Each base portion 3a is provided with a support piece accommodating portion 3a1. The supporting piece accommodation portion 3a1 is formed in two grooves for each base portion 3a. A support piece 5d of a holding metal fitting 5, which will be described later, is accommodated in the support piece accommodating portion 3a1 so as to be movable at least in the Z direction. Therefore, the inner space of the support piece accommodating portion 3a1 is formed as a displacement-allowing space that allows movement of the support piece 5d.

A housing portion 3b is formed between the right base portion 3a and the left base portion 3a in the X direction. The accommodating portion 3b is formed as a rectangular through-hole in plan view that penetrates the plate thickness of the fixed housing 3 in the Z direction, and the movable-side terminal piece 8 of the terminal 4 described above is arranged therein. By forming the receiving portion 3b as a through hole instead of a concave shape with a bottom and utilizing the plate thickness of the fixed housing 3 as a receiving space for arranging the movable side terminal pieces 8, the total height of the fixed housing 3 and the movable connector 1 can be increased. The height is lowered by suppressing it.

A pair of side wall portions 3c forming two sides of the fixed housing 3 are provided at front and rear positions of the base portion 3a in the Y direction. The side wall portion 3c is formed higher than the base portion 3a in the Z direction, and has a protruding surface portion 3c1 protruding from the base portion 3a. The projecting surface portion 3c1 is formed as a movement restricting portion that prevents excessive movement of the movable housing 2 in the Y direction. In addition, the upper surface of the base portion 3a is formed lower in the Z direction than the upper surface of the side wall portion 3c. The projecting portion 6d of the movable housing 2 is arranged between the pair of projecting surface portions 3c1 so as not to project upward in the Z direction from the upper surface of the side wall portion 3c. The height of the movable connector 1 can be reduced as a whole as compared with the case where it is arranged exceeding .

Further, the side wall portion 3c is provided with holding portions 3c2 for holding metal fittings for holding fixing pieces 5b of the plurality of holding metal fittings 5, which will be described later. The holding portion 3c2 for the holding metal fitting is configured as a press-fitting groove for holding the fixing piece 5b by press-fitting, and holds the holding metal fitting 5 firmly.

A terminal holding portion 3c3 for holding a fixed housing mounting piece portion 8b of a movable terminal piece 8 of a terminal 4, which will be described later, is provided on the inner surface of the side wall portion 3c on the front side in the Z direction (FIG. 7). The terminal holding portion 3c3 is formed as a groove for holding the left and right plate edges of the terminal piece that constitutes the fixed housing mounting piece portion 8b.

terminal 4

The terminal 4 has a movable side terminal piece 8 as a "first terminal piece" and a contact side terminal piece 9 as a "second terminal piece". These terminal strips 8 and 9 are each constructed as a metal processed body of separate metal strips. The plate thickness of the movable-side terminal piece 8 and the plate thickness of the contact-side terminal piece 9 are the same.

Movable side terminal piece 8

The movable-side terminal piece 8 has a board connecting portion 8a, a fixed housing mounting piece portion 8b, a movable portion 8c, and a connecting piece portion 8d forming a "connecting portion between terminals".

The board connection portion 8a is soldered to the circuit of the board P1.

The fixed housing mounting piece portion 8b is held by the terminal holding portion 3c3 (FIG. 7) of the fixed housing 3 described above. Press-fit projections 8b1 are formed on the left and right plate edges of the fixed housing mounting piece portion 8b, and the movable side terminal piece 8 is held by the fixed housing 3 by being press-fitted into the terminal holding portions 3c3. .

The movable portion 8 c is formed as a spring piece that movably supports the movable housing 2 with respect to the fixed housing 3 . The movable portion 8c is formed in a shape bent in a trapezoidal wave shape, and includes a first elongated portion 8c1, a first horizontal piece portion 8c2, a second elongated portion 8c3, a second horizontal piece portion 8c4, and a third horizontal piece portion 8c4. and an extension portion 8c5. The movable portion 8c is arranged inside the accommodating portion 3b and the pair of side wall portions 3c of the fixed housing 3, and is accommodated within the height range of the fixed housing 3 in the Z direction, thereby reducing the height of the movable connector 1. contributes to

The first extending portion 8c1 is formed as a spring piece extending in the Z direction so as to connect the fixed housing mounting piece portion 8b and one end of the first horizontal piece portion 8c2. The first horizontal piece portion 8c2 is formed as a linear spring piece extending in the direction (Y direction) intersecting the insertion direction (Z direction) for inserting the pin terminal P2 into the movable housing 2. As shown in FIG. The second elongated portion 8c3 is formed as a spring piece connecting the first horizontal piece portion 8c2 and the second horizontal piece portion 8c4. Like the first horizontal piece 8c2, the second horizontal piece 8c4 is a linear spring piece extending in the direction (Y direction) intersecting the insertion direction (Z direction) of the pin terminal P2 into the movable housing 2. formed. The third extending portion 8c5 is formed as a spring piece that connects the second horizontal piece portion 8c4 and the connecting piece portion 8d.

Thus, the movable portion 8c extends in the movable portion of the conventional movable connector, that is, the upward arcuate bend in the Z direction, the downward arcuate bend, and the vertical direction connecting these arcuate bends. It has a shape different from a circular wave-shaped spring piece having an elongated portion. That is, the movable portion 8c is formed as a trapezoidal wave-like spring piece in which adjacent linear spring pieces are connected at the bent corner portion 8c6. Specifically, the movable portion 8c connects the first horizontal piece portion 8c2, the first elongated portion 8c1, and the second elongated portion 8c3 at the bent corner portion 8c6, and the second horizontal piece portion 8c4 and the second elongated portion 8c4. The extending portion 8c3 and the third extending portion 8c5 are connected by a bent corner portion 8c6.

In the circular wave-shaped movable part of the prior art, for example, when a forward load acts in the Y direction (front-rear direction), stress is generated over the entire length of the arc-shaped bent part, and deep stress is generated in the plate thickness direction. Stress is generated in the entire moving part. Further, when an upward load acts in the Z direction (vertical direction), a deep stress is generated in the plate thickness direction. On the other hand, the movable portion 8c having a trapezoidal wave shape is similarly subjected to a forward load in the Y direction (front-to-rear direction), the first horizontal piece portion 8c2, the second horizontal piece portion 8c4, and the bending corner portions 8c6 are bent. It is possible to prevent stress from occurring deep in the plate thickness direction. Further, when an upward load acts in the Z direction, only stress is generated in the surface layer of each bent corner portion 8c6. Therefore, the trapezoidal wave-shaped movable portion 8c of the present embodiment can make the displacement load smaller than the circular wave-shaped movable portion of the prior art, and the flexible elastic deformation of the movable portion 8c allows the movable housing 2 to move in the X direction and the Y direction. It can be a movable connector 1 that can be easily moved in the Z direction, the Z direction, and combinations thereof. In addition, the second elongated portion 8c3 has a shape that obliquely elongates from the first horizontal piece portion 8c2 to the second horizontal piece portion 8c4 so as to gradually separate from the first elongated portion 8c1. Therefore, when the first horizontal piece 8c2 and the second horizontal piece 8c4 are displaced in the direction (Y direction) to approach each other, the second elongated portion 8c3 contacts the first elongated portion 8c1. can prevent

The connecting piece portion 8d is formed in a rectangular shape, and has a protrusion 8d1 that protrudes rearward in the Y direction. The protrusion 8d1 is engaged downward in the Z direction with an engaging recess 9b3 of a base piece 9b1 of the contact-side terminal piece 9, which will be described later, so that the movable-side terminal piece 8 and the contact-side terminal piece 9 are not separated. stop it from slipping out.

Contact side terminal piece 9

The contact-side terminal piece 9 has a locking piece portion 9a, a mounting base portion 9b, and a contact portion 9c as an "inter-terminal connecting portion."

The locking piece portion 9a has a pair of crimped locking pieces 9a1. The crimping locking pieces 9a1 are formed in the shape of a pair of elastic arms, and by biting into and locking against the connecting piece portion 8d of the movable side terminal piece 8, the contact side terminal piece 9 and the movable side terminal piece 9a1 are engaged. The terminal pieces 8 are strongly connected to each other.

The mounting base 9b has a base piece 9b1 and a pair of press-fit pieces 9b2 extending in the Y direction from the left and right plate edges of the base piece 9b1. The base piece 9b1 has an engagement concave portion 9b3 on the surface facing the connecting piece portion 8d of the movable-side terminal piece 8. As shown in FIG. The protrusion 8d1 of the connecting piece portion 8d described above enters and engages with the engaging concave portion 9b3. As a result, the connecting piece 8d and the base piece 9b1 move relatively away from each other in the Z direction and do not come off. The movable-side terminal piece 8 and the contact-side terminal piece 9 are not separated from each other by the engagement between the protrusion 8d1 and the engaging recess 9b3 in addition to the crimping and fixing to the connecting piece portion 8d by the crimping locking piece 9a1 described above. , are securely held to each other.

The contact portion 9c has a support base portion 9c1 connected to the mounting base portion 9b and a plurality of contact pieces 9c2.

The support base portion 9c1 includes a connecting portion 9c3 extending in the Z direction and connected to the mounting base portion 9b, a first annular support portion 9c4 connected to the connecting portion 9c3, and a metal member having an arcuate cross section extending in the Z direction from the first annular support portion 9c4. It has a pair of support arm portions 9c5 formed of pieces and a second annular support portion 9c6 connected to the support arm portions 9c5.

The plurality of contact pieces 9c2 are each formed as a spring piece extending downward in the Z direction like a cantilever beam from the second annular support portion 9c6. In this embodiment, three contact pieces 9c2 having such a spring structure are formed. Each contact piece 9c2 is formed in a funnel shape that narrows from the base end side to the tip end side toward the central axis of the insertion port 6b of the movable housing 2. As shown in FIG. Then, when receiving the insertion force of the pin terminal P2 inserted from the insertion opening 6b, the pin terminal P2 is pressed against the pin terminal P2 by being elastically deformed so as to separate from the center axis and open.

The three contact pieces 9c2 are spaced apart via slits at intervals of 120°, and are pressed against the pin terminal P2 from three directions while their respective springs are effective. Thereby, the contact piece 9c2 has a function of centering the inserted pin terminal P2 at the center of the three contact pieces 9c2. Also, the three contact pieces 9c2 make multi-point contact (three-point contact) along the circumferential direction at predetermined positions in the length direction of the pin terminal P2. For this reason, even if the pin terminal P2 is not inserted straight into the insertion opening 6b but is inserted obliquely at an angle and fitted, the multi-point contact allows the pin terminal P2 to follow the inclined attitude of the pin terminal P2. can do. Furthermore, since the holding force with which the plurality of contact pieces 9c2 hold the pin terminal P2 is stronger than the spring force of the movable portion 8c, the pin terminal P2 is held by the three contact pieces 9c2, thereby moving the movable housing 2 in the X direction. , the Y direction or the XY direction to eliminate the misalignment of the insertion axis of the pin terminal P2.

Holding metal fitting 5

The holding metal fitting 5 is configured as a metal processed body made of a metal piece. The movable connector 1 is provided with two holding metal fittings 5 . Each holding metal fitting 5 has a pair of fixed legs 5a, a pair of fixed pieces 5b, a movable housing holding piece 5c, and a pair of support pieces 5d.

The fixed leg portion 5a is a portion to be soldered to the substrate P1.

The fixed piece 5b is press-fitted into the holding portion 3c2 for the holding metal fitting of the side wall portion 3c of the fixed housing 3 as described above. As a result, the holding metal fitting 5 is fixed to the fixed housing 3 . Further, the movable housing 2 is fixed to the fixed housing 3 via the holding metal fittings 5 .

The movable housing holding piece 5c is a bridge extending in the Y direction so as to connect the base ends of the fixed leg portion 5a and the fixed piece 5b on the front side and the base ends of the fixed leg portion 5a and the fixed piece 5b on the rear side in the Y direction. formed in the shape of The movable housing holding piece 5c functions as a stopper that restricts the movement of the projecting portion 6d of the movable housing 2 so that it is not excessively displaced in the X and Z directions. As a result, the movable housing 2 is restricted from moving excessively in the X direction, and is restricted from being detached upward in the Z direction.

The support piece 5d is formed as a spring piece having a support projection 5d2 at the tip of an elastic arm 5d1 having a spring structure. The elastic arm 5d1 is formed as a spring piece that extends in the Y direction on the left and right side surfaces of the movable connector 1, and bends and extends from a central front position in the Y direction toward the support piece accommodating portion 3a1 of the fixed housing 3. there is The support projection 5d2 presses against the contact surface 7b3 of the shield member 7 exposed on the bottom surface 6d1 of the projecting portion 6d of the movable housing 2 from below in the Z direction. That is, the support projection 5d2 is in pressing contact with the contact surface 7b3 so as to always urge the movable housing 2 upward by the spring of the elastic arm 5d1.

If the movable housing 2 is not always urged upward and the projecting portion 6d is separated from the movable housing holding piece 5c, the board P1 on which the movable connector 1 is mounted and the device containing the board P1 will be displaced. When subjected to vibration or shock, the projecting portion 6d may come into contact with the movable housing holding piece 5c and generate an abnormal noise, which may lead to suspicion of failure of the device or the like. However, if the projecting portion 6d presses and contacts the movable housing holding piece 5c as described above, such a problem will not occur.

How to use movable connector 1

Next, the usage and operation of the movable connector 1 having the structure described above will be described.

Movable connector 1 in non-fitting connection state of pin terminal P2

The movable connector 1 is fixed by soldering the board connection portion 8a of the terminal 4 and the fixing leg portion 5a of the holding metal fitting 5 to the board P1 when the pin terminals P2 are not fitted and connected. In this state, the movable housing 2 is constantly urged upward in the Z direction via the support projections 5d2 by the spring force of the elastic arms 5d1 of the four support pieces 5d. The four support pieces 5d are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line along the X direction and the center line along the Y direction, and elastically support the movable housing 2 from below without deviation. The upper surfaces of the projecting portions 6d of the movable housing 2 are in contact with the movable housing holding pieces 5c of the holding metal fittings 5 from below in the Z direction. Each projecting portion 6d of the movable housing 2 is arranged above the base portion 3a of the fixed housing 3 with a gap therebetween.

The movable housing 2 can move in the X direction until the constricted portion 6a2 of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a comes into contact with the movable housing holding piece 5c. In addition, the movable housing 2 can move in the Y direction until the projecting portion 6d comes into contact with the projecting surface portion 3c1 of the side wall portion 3c of the fixed housing 3. As shown in FIG. Further, the movable housing 2 cannot move upward in the Z direction any more because the projecting portion 6d is always in contact with the movable housing holding piece 5c as described above. On the other hand, the movable housing 2 can move downward in the Z direction until the projecting portion 6 d pushes the support piece 5 d downward and contacts the base portion 3 a of the fixed housing 3 .

Fitting connection of pin terminal P2 to movable connector 1

To fit and connect the pin terminal P2 of the mating connector to the movable connector 1, the housing of the mating connector is fitted and connected to the movable housing 2, and the pin terminal P2 is inserted from the insertion opening 6b. When the central axis of the pin terminal P2 and the central axis of the insertion opening 6b are misaligned in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction, the pin terminal P2 abuts on the guiding inclined surface forming the insertion opening 6b. Insertion can be guided. At this time, the movable housing 2 can move in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction. During this movement, the movable housing 2 moves while the contact surfaces 7b3 of the shield member 7 are in sliding contact with the support projections 5d2 of the support pieces 5d. Therefore, the ground connection made from the shield member 7 via the holding metal fitting 5 is not interrupted, and even when the movable housing 2 is fitted and connected to the pin terminal P2 that moves, the substrate of the shield member 7 is always connected. A ground connection to P1 can be maintained. Therefore, the pin terminal P2 and the circuit of the substrate P1 can be appropriately electrically connected to each other without being affected by external electromagnetic waves or static electricity during fitting connection.

The pin terminal P2 entering the fitting chamber 6e from the insertion port 6b is inserted downward while being pressed against the three contact pieces 9c2. At this time, the movable housing 2 can move downward while resisting the urging force of the support piece 5d until the projecting portion 6d comes into contact with the base portion 3a. When the pin terminal P2 is inserted to a predetermined depth, the pin terminal P2 is fitted and connected to the movable connector 1. As shown in FIG. In this fitted connection state, the movable housing 2 can move with respect to the fixed housing 3 by the movable portion 8c of the terminal 4. As shown in FIG. Therefore, even in a use environment where vibrations and impacts act, the elastic deformation of the movable portion 8c absorbs the vibrations and impacts applied to the movable housing 2 and the fixed housing 3, and prevents cracks in the soldered portion of the substrate connecting portion 8a. It is possible to prevent such occurrences.

Second embodiment [Figs. 8 to 12]

Next, the movable connector 10 of 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated. The movable connector 10 differs from the movable connector 1 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the movable housing 11 and the terminals 12 . The rest of the configuration is the same as in the first embodiment. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected about the structure same as 1st Embodiment in this embodiment, and duplication description is abbreviate|omitted.

The movable housing 11 of the second embodiment has a rectangular housing main body 13 made of a resin molding and a conductive shield member 14 made of a cylindrical metal material. The housing main body 13 is fixedly arranged inside a shield member 14 formed to be thicker than the housing main body 13 . The housing body 13 and the shield member 14 may be fixed by any method such as adhesion or press-fitting, but in this embodiment, they are fixed by press-fitting.

The shield member 14 has a cylindrical shield body 14a. The shield body 14a has an insertion opening 14b that communicates with the insertion opening 13a of the housing body 13 for the pin terminal P2. The shield member 14 is formed with a shield contact piece 14c projecting in the XY direction from the shield main body 14a at the lower end side. In this embodiment, the support projection 5d2 of the support piece 5d of the holding metal fitting 5 is pressed into contact with the shield contact piece 14c and electrically connected. Further, the shield contact piece 14c has the same function as the projecting portion 6d of the housing body 6 of the first embodiment when the movable housing 2 is moved.

The terminal 12 has a movable side terminal piece 8 and a contact side terminal piece 9 . The plate thickness of the movable-side terminal piece 8 and the plate thickness of the contact-side terminal piece 9 are the same. A connecting piece portion 8d of the movable terminal piece 8 is press-fitted into a terminal holding groove 13b as a "fixing groove for connecting piece portion" provided in the housing body 13 (FIG. 12). The terminal holding grooves 13b hold the connecting piece portion 8d by sandwiching the left and right plate edges along the longitudinal direction (Z direction) of the connecting piece portion 8d. A ridge portion 8e is formed on the connecting piece portion 8d. The contact-side terminal piece 9 is formed with a pressing contact piece 9d as a "locking piece portion" that press-contacts with the ridge portion 8e. The pressing contact piece 9d is formed as a short spring piece obtained by partially cutting and raising the base piece 9b1 of the mounting base portion 9b. The pressing contact piece 9d has an engaging edge 9d1 that presses and contacts the protrusion 8e. The locking edge 9d1 presses and contacts the projection 8e to lock the connecting piece 8d (movable-side terminal piece 8) and the base piece 9b1 (contact-side terminal piece 9). It moves in the direction of Z direction and does not detach.

The terminal 4 of the first embodiment requires a crimping step for crimping the pair of crimping locking pieces 9a1 of the contact-side terminal piece 9 to the connecting piece portion 8d of the movable-side terminal piece 8 during its manufacture. . However, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to integrate the movable-side terminal piece 8 and the contact-side terminal piece 9 in advance. can be connected to That is, in this embodiment, by press-fitting the connecting piece portion 8d into the terminal holding groove 13b of the housing body 13, the pressing contact piece 9d is engaged with the projection portion 8e to reinforce the retention. Therefore, the present embodiment has the advantage of being easy to manufacture because the caulking process as in the first embodiment is not required.

Modified example of the embodiment

The embodiments of the movable connectors 1 and 10 described above can be modified and implemented according to various purposes.

In the above-described embodiment, the metal material used for the movable-side terminal piece 8 and the contact-side terminal piece 9 have the same plate thickness, but they may have different plate thicknesses.

That is, for example, the plate thickness of the movable-side terminal piece 8 having the movable portion 8c can be formed thinner than the plate thickness of the contact-side terminal piece 9 having the contact portion 9c. According to this, the flexibility of the movable portion 8c can be enhanced, and the movable housings 2 and 11 can be easily moved. On the other hand, the contact portion 9c having a spring structure can exert an appropriate contact pressure against the pin terminal P2 regardless of the plate thickness of the movable-side terminal piece 8. As shown in FIG. Therefore, in this modified example, both the function required of the movable portion 8c and the function required of the contact portion 9c can be achieved.

Contrary to the above, the plate thickness of the movable-side terminal piece 8 having the movable portion 8c can be formed thicker than the plate thickness of the contact-side terminal piece 9 having the contact portion 9c. By increasing the plate thickness of the movable portion 8c regardless of the plate thickness of the contact-side terminal piece 9, the cross-sectional area of the movable portion 8c can be increased to perform impedance matching. In this case, the contact portion 9c can be made thinner than the movable portion 8c without being restricted by the plate thickness of the movable portion 8c, thereby increasing the flexibility of the contact portion 9c. For example, although the contact portion 9c has three contact pieces 9c2, as the number of contact pieces increases, the insertion of the pin terminal P2 becomes more difficult, and it is assumed that the workability at the time of fitting and connection decreases. However, even in such a case, workability can be improved by adjusting the plate thickness of the contact portion 9c to soften the insertion force regardless of the plate thickness of the impedance-matched movable terminal piece 8. become. Therefore, also in this modification, it is possible to achieve both the function required of the movable portion 8c and the function required of the contact portion 9c.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the contact-side terminal piece 9 has the spring-structured contact portion 9c, that is, an example in which the socket terminal is used is shown. However, it may be in the form of a pin-shaped contact portion, that is, in the form of a plug terminal. Of course, in this case, the structures of the movable housings 2 and 11 also need to be modified accordingly.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of using three contact pieces 9c2 was shown, but other than that is also possible. However, in order to maintain the followability to the pin terminal P2 by the multi-point contact described above, it is preferable to use three or more contact pieces 9c2 instead of one or two.

In the first embodiment, the movable housing 2 is provided with the shield member 7. However, if the shield member 7 is unnecessary in the movable connector 1, it can be omitted. In that case, the support projection 5d2 of the holding metal fitting 5 is pressed against the bottom surface 6d1 of the projecting portion 6d made of resin molding.

In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the support projections 5d2 of the holding metal fittings 5 always urge the movable housing 2 upward in the Z direction, but the movable housing 2 may simply be placed without always urging. . In this case, the elastic arms 5d1 may support the movable housing 2 by being elastically deformed when the movable housing 2 is pushed downward in the Z direction.

1 Movable connector (first embodiment)
2 Movable housing 3 Fixed housing 3a Base portion 3a1 Support piece accommodating portion 3b Accommodating portion 3c Side wall portion 3c1 Protruding surface portion 3c2 Holding portion for holding metal fitting 3c3 Terminal holding portion 4 Terminal 5 Holding metal fitting 5a Fixed leg portion 5b Fixed piece 5c For movable housing Holding piece 5d Supporting piece 5d1 Elastic arm 5d2 Supporting projection 6 Housing body 6a Cylindrical peripheral wall 6a1 Eaves 6a2 Constricted portion 6b Insertion opening 6c Opening 6d Protruding portion 6d1 Bottom surface 6e Fitting chamber 6f Terminal holding groove 6g Press receiving portion 7 Shield member 7a Shield body 7b Shield contact piece 7b1 Vertical piece portion 7b2 Contact piece portion 7b3 Contact surface 8 Movable side terminal piece (first terminal piece)
8a Board connection portion 8b Fixed housing mounting piece portion 8b1 Press-fit projection 8c Movable portion 8c1 First extension portion 8c2 First horizontal piece portion 8c3 Second extension portion 8c4 Second horizontal piece portion 8c5 Third extension portion 8c6 bent corner portion 8d connecting piece portion (connecting portion between terminals)
8d1 Projection 8e Ridge 9 Contact-side terminal piece (second terminal piece)
9a Locking piece portion (connecting portion between terminals)
9a1 Crimping engagement piece 9b Mounting base 9b1 Base piece 9b2 Press-fitting piece 9b3 Engagement recess 9c Contact portion 9c1 Support base 9c2 Contact piece 9c3 Connecting portion 9c4 First annular support portion 9c5 Support arm portion 9c6 Second annular support portion 9d Pressing contact piece (locking piece)
9d1 Locking edge 10 Movable connector (second embodiment)
11 movable housing 12 terminal 13 housing main body 13a insertion opening 13b terminal holding groove (fixing groove for connecting piece)
14 shield member 14a shield body 14b insertion opening 14c shield contact piece

Claims (5)

a first housing;
a second housing movable relative to the first housing;
a first terminal piece held by the first housing and having a movable portion that movably supports the second housing;
A movable connector that is held by the second housing and includes a second terminal piece having a contact portion that conducts contact with an object to be connected,
The second housing extends in both directions of a first direction intersecting the fitting direction of the connection object and a second direction intersecting both the fitting direction and the first direction. configured to be movable,
The first terminal piece and the second terminal piece are formed as metal processed bodies having different shapes, respectively, and the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece are connected to each other. A movable connector characterized by having an inter-terminal connecting portion that connects the terminals. comprising a first terminal strip and a second terminal strip,
the first terminal piece has a movable portion that movably supports the second terminal piece,
In the movable connector, wherein the second terminal piece has a contact portion that conducts contact with a connection object,
the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece have an inter-terminal connecting portion that connects them to each other;
The second terminal piece extends in both directions of a first direction intersecting the fitting direction of the connection object and a second direction intersecting both the fitting direction and the first direction. It is configured to be movable with
A movable connector according to claim 1, wherein said first terminal piece and said second terminal piece are respectively formed as metal processed bodies having different shapes. 2. A plate thickness of said first terminal strip is formed thicker than a plate thickness of said second terminal strip in order to increase the cross-sectional area of said movable portion and perform impedance matching in said movable portion. Or the movable connector according to claim 2. 4. The movable connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contact portion is formed with a plurality of contact pieces that contact the object to be connected at multiple points. The plurality of contact pieces are each formed as a spring piece extending in a cantilever shape in the fitting direction. 5. The movable connector according to claim 4, wherein the movable connector is formed in a funnel shape narrowing from the proximal side to the distal side so as to be pressed against an object.

Images