JP2767537B2 - Movable electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a movable electrical connector comprising a pair of connectors mounted on a circuit board and interconnecting electrical circuits formed on the circuit board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When interconnecting a mechanical deck of a car audio and an electric circuit formed on two circuit boards such as a main board, the two circuit boards may not be accurately aligned with each other. In order to easily and surely achieve the interconnection even if there is such a slight misalignment, a movable electrical connector that makes the connector itself movable within a certain range is required. In addition, a movable electrical connector is also required in the case where a positional shift occurs between the two circuit boards due to vibration and impact.

[0003] In such a movable electrical connector, it is conceivable to interconnect the circuit boards using a flexible cable such as a flat cable. However, when the movable range is on the order of mm, for example, as disclosed in JP-A-4-370677, a two-body housing (a fixed housing part and a movable housing part) is used, and a zigzag structure is formed between the two housing parts. Movable electrical connectors using flexible terminals have been proposed and put into practical use.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional movable electric connector, excessive stress is generated in the terminal when the pair of connectors are mated and unplugged, and the terminal or the housing is damaged, and the terminal or the terminal is damaged. It is necessary to provide a restricting means for restricting the movable range between the two housings in order to prevent a short circuit between the housing and the external conductor. Also, it has been difficult to mount a large number of terminals on separate fixed and movable housing portions and to assemble the two housings with each other stably and reliably.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable movable electrical connector which can easily regulate a movable range, does not break a terminal or a housing at the time of fitting and disengagement, and is simple and inexpensive to assemble and manufacture. It is to be.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, a movable electrical connector according to the present invention comprises a fixed and a movable housing portion which are mutually connected by terminals having a beam portion inclined inward. connect. Therefore, the terminal is provided with sufficient flexibility by the inclined beam portion, and the terminal does not protrude out of the housing even when the movable housing portion moves on a plane. Can be eliminated. In addition, the fixed and movable housing portions are integrally formed at the time of assembling the terminal, and are configured to be cut and separated after the terminal is mounted. Therefore, the assembly and manufacture of the movable electrical connector is simple and inexpensive.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the movable electrical connector according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a board-to-board connecting apparatus using a movable electrical connector according to the present invention. This connection device includes a movable electric connector (or plug connector) 10 and a mating connector (or cap connector) 100 of the present invention.

The movable electrical connector 10 includes an elongated fixed housing portion 30 fixed to the first circuit board 20 and a movable housing portion.
And two rows of terminals 50 for connecting the housing portions 30 and 40 to each other movably from both sides. As will be described later, it is preferable that the two housing portions 30, 40 are integrally molded of an insulating plastic material, cut and separated after the terminal 50 is mounted, and are movable with respect to each other.

The circuit board 20 preferably has a predetermined pitch, for example, 2
2 rows of plated through holes 22, 24 formed in mm
Having. The solder legs 51 of the terminals 50 extending downward from the fixed housing portion 30 of the movable electrical connector 10 are inserted into the through holes 22 and 24. The solder legs are soldered by a well-known technique and connected to conductive paths (runs) formed on the surface of the circuit board 20.

The fixed housing portion 30 is substantially rectangular and has a terminal pressure receiving slot 32 formed by a partition wall 31 on both sides. In each terminal receiving slot 32, a lateral groove 33 for fixing the terminal 50 and a concave portion 34 which is parallel to and slightly larger in size are formed. The movable housing section 40 is a substantially rectangular member arranged in parallel with a gap above the fixed housing section 30. This movable housing part 40 has a fixed housing part
It has a slot 42 corresponding to the terminal receiving slot 32 of 30 and a lateral groove 44 for fixing.

The terminal 50 includes a solder leg 51, a fixed portion 53 with a barb, a substantially ear-shaped beam portion 54 inclined inward, and a fixed housing portion 30.
A stopper portion 55 extending into the concave portion 34, a neck portion 56, a tab-shaped contact portion 57, and a fixing portion 58 which is press-fitted and fixed in the lateral groove 44 of the movable housing portion 40. As shown, terminal 50
Is a substantially flat plate formed by stamping (punching) a conductive metal plate. The solder leg 51 and the neck portion 56 may be reinforced by beading along the central longitudinal direction. Although a short gap is formed between the solder leg 51 and the neck portion 56, the connection therebetween is performed via a beam portion 54 which extends downward and outward and then obliquely extends inward and upward. . From the upper end of the beam portion 56, the lower portion of the neck portion 56 and the substantially ear shape are again formed, and the solder leg 51 and the tab-like contact 57 are formed.
The effective length between them is increased, and sufficient elasticity or flexibility is imparted to the terminal 50. The technical effect of forming the beam portion 54 at an angle will be described later.

The stopper 55 of the terminal 50 extends laterally from the lower end of the neck 56. The stopper 55 is configured to fit in the lateral recess 34 of the fixed housing 30. The width of the stopper 55 and the width of the recess 34 are predetermined dimensions, respectively. Under normal conditions where no external force is applied to the terminal 50 or the electrical connector 10, the stopper 55 is
It should be noted that there is a predetermined gap between the upper and lower wall surfaces of the concave portion 34 and the upper and lower edges of the stopper portion 55. The lateral depth of the concave portion 34 is selected so as to have a predetermined gap from the tip of the stopper portion 55. Therefore, when the movable housing part 40 is pressed in the left-right direction in the figure, the left and right terminals 50
Any one of the ends of the stopper portion 55 contacts the inner wall of the concave portion 34 to determine the maximum displacement amount.

Further, when the movable housing part 40 is pressed or tensioned in the vertical direction, the stopper part 55 of the terminal 50
By contacting the upper and lower wall surfaces of the concave portion 34, the terminal 50 is prevented from being excessively displaced or bent. Such displacement occurs when the mating connector 100 is inserted into or removed from the movable electrical connector 10. The movable electrical connector 10 is connected to the mating connector by the concave portion 34 of the fixed housing portion 30 and the stopper portion 55 of the terminal 50.
Excessive stress generated in the terminal 50 when the terminal 50 is fitted or pulled out from the terminal 100 can be effectively avoided.

The fixed portion 58 of the terminal 50 is press-fitted into the lateral groove 44 of the movable housing portion 40. Accordingly, the terminal 50 has a function of press-fitting one fixed portion 53 into the lateral groove 33 of the fixed housing portion 30 and press-fitting the other fixed portion 55 into the lateral groove 44 of the movable housing portion 40 and mutually connecting them. Both fixed parts 53,
58 is formed with barbs (upside-down thorns), and both housing parts
30 and 40 are movably connected to each other. As will be described later, the terminal 50 is press-fitted and held in the fixed housing part 30 and the movable housing part 40 from the respective sides.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a mating (cap) connector 100 which cooperates with the movable electrical connector 10 of the present invention.
Will be described briefly. The mating connector 100 is, for example, a connector mounted on another circuit board 120 by surface mounting (SMT). The connector 100 receives the movable housing portion 40 of the movable electrical connector 10. It has a housing 130 having a recess 131 larger than the movable housing part 40. The recess 131 of the housing 130 has a bottom wall 132 and side walls 1.
33 and 134. As shown, both side walls 133, 1
An air gap is intentionally and positively provided between the movable housing 34 and both side surfaces of the movable housing 40 so as to absorb the alignment of the connectors 10 and 100.

In the housing 130 of the mating connector 100, two rows of terminals 15 are erected on a bottom wall 132. Each of the terminals 150 has a tuning fork-shaped contact portion 151, and the relatively wide tab-shaped contact 57 of the movable electrical connector 10 is provided.
Is in contact with Further, an engagement or press-fit fixing portion 152 which engages with the bottom wall 132 of the housing 130 is provided at an intermediate portion of the terminal 150,
Further, the other end has a solder tine portion 153 extending outwardly from the bottom wall 132 of the housing 130 and bent at substantially right angles in the opposite lateral direction (parallel to the surface of the circuit board 120).

A taper 135 is formed on both outer surfaces of the bottom wall 132 of the housing 130 as shown in the drawing. After the terminal 150 is pressed into the opening 136 of the bottom wall 132 of the housing 130, the solder tine 153 is pressed and bent along the taper 135.
When this pressing force is released, the terminal 150 springs back due to the elasticity of the metal material and becomes substantially parallel to the surface of the circuit board 120. Although not shown, circuit pads coated with, for example, cream solder are formed on the surface of the circuit board 120 corresponding to the solder tines 153. By radiating a heat ray such as an infrared ray or a laser beam to the solder tine portion 153, the cream solder is melted and soldered to the circuit board 120. As shown by the broken line in the figure, the holding projection 13 is located at an arbitrary position on the outer surface of the bottom wall 132 of the housing 130 of the connector 100.
6 is formed, and is frictionally engaged with an engagement hole (not shown) formed at a corresponding position of the circuit board 120, so that the circuit board 120 and the connector 10 are formed.
The holding power of 0 may be reinforced.

When the movable electrical connector 10 and the mating connector 100 described above are used, the left and right (horizontal) of the circuit boards 20 and 120 can be used.
The direction misalignment is dealt with by fitting the tuning fork-shaped contact portions 151 of the terminals 150 to different positions of the wide tab-shaped contacts 57.
In addition, any misalignment or spacing error between the circuit boards 20 and 120 in the vertical direction (vertical direction) is absorbed by adjusting the fitting length of the terminals 50 and 150. Further, the movable housing portion 40 of the movable electrical connector 10 can move up and down and right and left within a certain range because of the flexibility including the beam portion 54 of the terminal 50. Absorbs effectively. The beam portion 54 of the terminal 50 is inclined inward from the relatively large fixed housing portion 30 to the relatively small movable housing portion 40. Therefore, even if the movable housing part 40 moves in the left-right direction with respect to the fixed housing part 30,
It can be seen that the 50 does not project outside the housing parts 30,40.

Next, FIG. 2 shows the movable electric connector 10 shown in FIG.
The fixed (first) housing part 30 that constitutes the movable (second)
FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing a housing part 40 and a pair of flexible terminals 50a, 50b which are press-fitted from both side surfaces of the housing parts 30, 40 and movably connect the housing parts 30, 40 to each other. In FIG. 2, the two housing portions 30, 40 are shown separately, but preferably at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction thereof.
For example, assembly workability can be greatly improved by being integrally connected at both ends and integrally molded. That is, the terminals 50a and 50b are sequentially driven (press-fitted) into the terminal receiving slots of the housing portions 30 and 40 from both sides of the connected housing portions 30 and 40 by using, for example, a robot hand. When the operation of driving the terminal 50 is completed, the movable electrical connector 10 of the present invention is obtained by cutting the connecting portion between the two housing portions 30 and 40 with a cutter or the like.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are an enlarged end view and a sectional view showing an assembled state of the movable electrical connector 10 of FIG.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are a front view and a side view of the movable electrical connector 10 of FIG. In particular, FIG.
As can be seen from (B), the two housing portions 30, 40 are connected at both ends by connecting portions 45 to improve the assembling workability. In the movable electrical connector 10 of this specific embodiment, two terminals 50 are arranged in two rows, and the pitch between adjacent terminals is 2 mm.
It is. The tab-shaped contact portion 57 of each terminal 50 is formed by folding a metal plate to have a thickness of about 0.4 mm.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the mating (cap) connector 100 as viewed from the mating surface thereof. Each terminal 150 indicates a tuning fork-like contact portion 151 in which a slot for inserting and fitting the tab-like contact portion 54 of the terminal 50 of the movable electrical connector 10 is formed.

The preferred embodiment of the movable electrical connector of the present invention has been described in detail, including the mating connector. However, the present invention should not be limited to only such a specific embodiment, and those skilled in the art can easily understand that various modifications can be made depending on the application.

[0025]

As can be understood from the above description, according to the movable electrical connector of the present invention, the movable housing is press-fitted from the side surfaces of the fixed housing portion and the movable housing portion so as to be substantially ear-shaped and inwardly connecting the two housing portions. A terminal having an inclined beam portion is used. Accordingly, a movable electrical connector having relatively large flexibility can be obtained even when the distance between the two circuit board surfaces is a minute interval of about 10 mm or less. In addition, even if the movable housing moves, the terminals do not protrude out of the housing, and the terminals are effectively protected even when the connector is fitted or removed, so that there is no risk of damaging the terminals or the housing. Fixed (first) and movable (second) together with the above-described side-press-fit terminal structure.
Since the housing is formed by integral molding with the connection and the connection is cut after the terminals are mounted, the assembly workability is good and suitable for automatic assembly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of a movable electric connector according to the present invention and a mating state of a mating connector.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded view of the movable electrical connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged end view and a cross-sectional view of the movable electrical connector of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front view and a side view of the movable electrical connector of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the mating connector of FIG. 1 as viewed from the mating surface;

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Movable electrical connector 20, 120 Circuit board 30 Fixed (first) housing part 40 Movable (second) housing part 50 Terminal 54 Beam part (connection part)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of connectors each attached to a circuit board and interconnecting electric circuits formed on the circuit board. One of the pair of connectors has a fixed housing and a movable housing having a plurality of terminals. A movable electrical connector which is connected via a movable beam portion, wherein a contact portion of the plurality of terminals is fixed to the movable housing, and a portion near a solder leg of the plurality of terminals is fixed to the fixed housing. A press-fit portion that is press-fitted and fixed to the movable housing is provided at an inner edge of the contact portion, and a press-fit protrusion protruding inward is formed near the solder leg so as to be press-fit into the fixed housing. An outer edge substantially coincident with an outer edge of the contact portion with the movable beam interposed therebetween is formed at an opposite edge of the press-fitting projection. A stopper is provided so as to extend in a horizontal direction from an end of a neck portion hanging from the tact portion and continuing to the movable beam, and the stopper is configured to be movably received in a groove of the fixed housing. A movable electric connector characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. A movable electric connector comprising a pair of connectors mounted on a circuit board and interconnecting electric circuits formed on the circuit board, wherein one of the pair of connectors is connected by a plurality of terminals. A connection portion between the first and second housing portions of each of the terminals is formed in a flexible structure, and the first and second housing portions are integrally formed, A movable electrical connector, wherein the movable electrical connector is configured to be separable after the terminal assembly.