JP3066810B2 - Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly - 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 electrical connectors and electrical connector assemblies suitable for interconnecting circuit boards.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, electronic circuits of electronic equipment, especially multifunction electronic equipment such as electronic calculators and electronic office equipment, are generally formed on a plurality of circuit boards (printed boards) mounted at high density. It is a target. Various electrical connectors are used to interconnect electrical circuits between such circuit boards or to interconnect one electronic device with other electronic or peripheral devices.

[0003] With the advancement of performance and networking of electronic equipment, there is a tendency to require an electrical connector having a high density, that is, a small size and a large number of contacts. For example, total length 120mm
It is required to develop a connector having about 150 contacts in a housing having a size of about 1 mm.

[0004] A problem with such a small and high-density electrical connector is that since the contact interval is about 1 mm, the size of the mating connector is small.
It is extremely difficult to make an electrical connection by properly aligning all corresponding contacts of a pair of connectors, that is, aligning a pair of connectors. Similarly, a large number of contacts in each connector are connected to openings (through holes) in the circuit board to which this connector is attached.
Or, there is also a problem in correctly aligning the contact pads. The latter problem can be solved to some extent by providing positioning posts and / or elastic holding fittings in the insulating housing of each connector and inserting them into openings formed in predetermined positions on the circuit board. An example is JP-A-62-12009
No. 7 and Japanese Patent Application No. 1-127880. However, no effective means for solving the former problem is disclosed.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a novel electrical connector and electrical connector assembly which can be accurately positioned and mounted on a mounting plate-like member such as a circuit board, and can easily realize positioning between a pair of mating connectors. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

An electrical connector according to claim 1 has a plurality of contacts arranged in at least one row, and in an electrical connector to be fitted with a mating connector, the mating connector near both ends of the mating connector. A plurality of mounting screws having a pin-shaped projection or a tapered center hole are provided on the mating surface side with the connector, and positioning and holding are positioned and fixed in openings of a circuit board near both ends of the electric connector. A metal fitting is mounted, and the mounting screw is screwed with the positioning and holding metal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector assembly including a pair of connectors having a plurality of contacts arranged in at least one row and mating with each other. A plurality of pinned mounting screws having pin-shaped projections protruding from the mating surface near both ends of one of the connectors, and the pinned mounting screws are screwed together and positioned in the opening of the first circuit board. A fixed positioning and holding bracket is provided.
A plurality of mounting screws having a center hole having a center hole tapered rearward from the mating surface side near both ends of the other connector of the pair of connectors, and the mounting screw having the center hole is screwed together with the second circuit board. A positioning and holding metal fitting is positioned and fixed in the opening, and when the pair of connectors are fitted, the pin-mounting screw and the center hole-mounting screw guide the fitting of the pair of connectors. It is characterized by the following.

[0008]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of an electric connector and an electric connector assembly according to the present invention.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a plan view (mating surface), a front view, an enlarged side view, and an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, respectively, of an embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention. This electrical connector 10 has, for example, an elongated insulating housing 12 having a total length of about 120 mm and a width of about 8 mm, and is cut away at the center in FIGS. 1 and 2 for convenience. The insulating housing 12 has an insulating partition wall 14 protruding from the base 12a toward the fitting surface along the longitudinal direction. A large number of contacts 16a, 16b are arranged at predetermined pitches (for example, 1.27 mm) in grooves on both sides of the partition wall 14. In the specific example shown in the drawing, the partition wall 14 is provided with a notch 15 in the middle and is divided into two parts to perform keying with a mating connector. As best shown in FIG. 2, the fitting surface of the electrical connector 10 is covered almost entirely with a shielding metal case 18 except for the inside of the D-shaped portion. The D-shaped portion 18b of the shielding metal case 18 is pressed and deformed inward to form a large number of contact projections 18a. One end of each of the contacts 16a and 16b protrudes from the lower surface of the insulating housing 12, and becomes a connection terminal 16c which is inserted into, for example, a through hole of a circuit board (not shown) and connected by soldering.

As apparent from FIGS. 2 and 3, mounting screws 20 are mounted near both ends of the insulating housing 12, respectively. The mounting screw 20 has a hexagonal head portion 21 and a threaded shaft portion 22 like a conventional screw. The mounting screw 20 of this specific embodiment mounts a positioning and holding bracket 24 as described later, and also mounts a panel (not shown) or the like between the upper surface of the shielding metal case 18 and the head portion 21. Further, the mounting screw 20 has a pin-shaped projection 26 concentric with and opposite to the threaded shaft 22. Therefore, mounting screws 20
Is a mounting screw with a pin projection. The pin-shaped projection 26 of this specific embodiment is in the shape of an elongated round bar having a diameter of about 1.5 mm and a total length of about 10 mm, and protrudes about 5 mm from the front end of the mating surface of the electrical connector 10, that is, the front end of the D-shaped portion 18b. Note that

The mounting screw 20 mounts a panel as necessary and mounts the above-described positioning and holding bracket 24 as described later. As will be apparent from the following description with reference to FIG. 8, the positioning and holding metal fitting 24 is a substantially L-shaped elastic metal plate as a whole. This one side has a screw opening, into which the threaded shaft portion 22 of the mounting screw 20 is screwed. For this reason, the electrical connector 10 has positioning and holding
No need for additional space for mounting, electrical connector
10 miniaturization can be secured. The tip of the other side of the positioning and holding member 24 is preferably a bifurcated elastic leg, and one or more barbs (reverse bar) are formed on the outer surface. Therefore, when the barb is pressed into the mounting opening of the circuit board, the barb bites into the inner wall of the opening to accurately position and fix the electrical connector 10 on the circuit board. If a grounding conductive layer is formed on the inner wall of the circuit board opening, the positioning and holding metal fittings 24 and mounting screws
Via 20, a ground connection between the electrical connector 10, the circuit board and the panel can be achieved with a small number of components.

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along line 4-4 of FIG.
Insulated housing 12, metal case 18, contacts 16a, 16b
The relationship is well shown. In this particular embodiment, the contact
The 16 contact portions 16a and 16b are inserted and held in grooves on both surfaces of the insulating wall 14, and the connection portions 16c are alternately bent in a staggered manner and arranged in four rows to achieve high density. In addition, D of the metal case 18
The depression 1 that is pressed and deformed inward at substantially constant intervals in the character-shaped portion 18b
8a is formed, a plurality of openings 19 are formed in the base portion, and are engaged with a plurality of protrusions 12a on the outer periphery of the insulating housing 12, thereby integrally assembling and fixing the metal case 18 and the insulating housing 12.

Next, another embodiment of the electric connector of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7 show a front view, an enlarged side view, and a sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 5, respectively, as viewed from the mating surface of the electrical connector 30. The electric connector 30 is a right-angled circuit board connector, and has an insulating housing 31 whose fitting surface is covered with a shielding metal cover (or shell) 32. Insulating housing 31 and metal cover 32
Has a D-shaped portion protruding toward the fitting surface. The D-shaped insulating housing 31 has an elongated opening 33 formed in its longitudinal direction. This opening 33 may be divided into two or more by a partition wall 34. A large number of contacts 35 and 36 are arranged and held on both sides of the opening 33 of the insulating housing 31. A large number of contacts 35 and 36 are arranged and held on both sides of the opening 33 of the insulating housing 31. These contacts 35, 36 are bent downward at the back and have connection terminals 37 which are inserted and connected to through holes (not shown) of the circuit board. The insulating housing 31 and the metal case 32 are inserted into a plurality of openings 32a formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the metal case 32.
Are engaged with each other and fixed. Electrical connector 30
The rear connection terminal 37 is bent and aligned via a tine plate 40 having four rows of tapered openings 42a to 42d, respectively.

A pair of mounting screws 50 are mounted on both ends of the insulating housing 31 of the electrical connector 30. Each of the mounting screws 50 is connected to an electrical connector 30 having elastic holding legs.
Mounting and holding metal fittings 44 and metal cover
A panel (not shown) can be attached between the hexagonal head portion 51 of the attachment screw 32 and the attachment screw 43, similarly to the case of the electric connector 10 described above.

As best shown in FIG.
Is similar to a conventional mounting screw in that it has a threaded shaft portion 52 behind the hexagonal head portion 51. However, the mounting screw 50 further has a circular protrusion 54 in front of the head 51. The circular projection 54 has a round hole 56 at the center and a mortar-shaped taper 58 formed around the hole 56. The mounting screw 50 having the tapered hole 56 functions as a guide (guide portion) for an electrical connector assembly having a pair of mutually mating electrical connectors as described later.

Next, an electrical connector assembly 60 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This electrical connector assembly 60
Is constituted by the pair of electrical connectors 10 and 30 described above. FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part in a state where the electric connector assemblies 60 are fitted to each other.

First, the electrical connector 10 is mounted on a circuit board 61. That is, the connection terminals 16c of the contacts 16a and 16b are inserted into the corresponding through holes 63, and the
24 is pressed into the opening 62 of the circuit board 61. Temporarily fix the electrical connector 10 with this positioning and holding bracket, and
The 16 connection terminals 16c are connected to the circuit board 61 by soldering. Furthermore, the mounting screw 20 with the pin projection 26 attaches the panel 64, and causes only the D-shaped projection to project forward. The other electrical connector 30 integrally fixes the panel 65 and the positioning and holding fittings 44 with the mounting screws 50.

Referring to FIG. 8, a description will be given of a fitting operation for fitting the two electrical connectors 10 and 30 to each other. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the height of the D-shaped part of the electrical connectors 10, 30 to be fitted or meshed with each other is determined by the height of the mounting connector 20 having the pin protrusion.
Of the pin projection 26 and the round hole 56 of the mounting screw 50. Therefore, when the electrical connectors 10 and 30 are brought closer to each other for fitting, first, the tip of the pin projection 26 of the electrical connector 10 comes into contact with the tapered portion 58 of the mounting screw 50 of the electrical connector 30. When both electrical connectors 10 and 30 are brought closer together,
26 moves along the tapered surface 58 and is guided into the round hole 56. This ensures that the electrical connectors 10, 30 are aligned, that is, the corresponding number of contacts 16, 35, 36 are exactly opposite each other. When the electrical connectors 10 and 30 are further approached,
The pin projection 26 extends into the round hole 56 to its bottom surface, and the D-shaped projections of the two electrical connectors 10 and 30 are nested with each other, and a corresponding large number of contacts 16a, 16b and 35, 36 are electrically connected. Connected.

The electrical connector and electrical connector assembly of the present invention have been described in detail in accordance with the preferred embodiments. However, it should be understood that the present invention should not be limited to only these examples. Since the multiple contacts of each electrical connector and the through-holes or contact pads on the corresponding circuit board are referenced to the locating hardware, the mounting screws are preferably used with such locating hardware, but should not necessarily be limited thereto. is not. Each contact does not necessarily have to be a tine-shaped terminal inserted into a through hole of a circuit board, and may be a so-called surface mount (SMT) type terminal. Further, the orientation may be determined by making a difference in the dimensional shape of the guide hole corresponding to the plurality of pin protrusions. In this case, the fitting portion of each electrical connector may be formed in a symmetrical shape instead of a D-shape. Further, a pair of connectors to be fitted by fitting a screw having a pin-like projection and a screw having a tapered hole to both ends of each connector may be provided in a fitting direction. Further, such a pin-shaped projection and a screw with a tapered hole may be formed on an arbitrary portion other than both ends of the connector.

[0020]

According to the electrical connector of the first aspect,
A plurality of mounting screws having pin-shaped protrusions or tapered center holes are provided on the mating surface side of the mating connector near both ends of the electric connector, and positioned in the opening of the circuit board near both ends of the electric connector. Since the fixed positioning and holding bracket is attached and the mounting screw is screwed with the positioning and holding bracket, the mounting screw is engaged with the corresponding connector prior to the contact of the corresponding contact when the electric connector and the mating connector are fitted. It has both a function of a guiding means for guiding the fitting of the electric connector and the mating connector, and a function of a fixing means for fixing the electric connector to the panel and fixing the positioning and holding metal fittings to the electric connector. Also,
Since it is not necessary to separately provide a space for mounting screws and a space for mounting positioning and holding brackets in the electrical connector, the electrical connector can be downsized. Further, the ground connection between the electric connector, the circuit board and the panel can be achieved with a small number of parts.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of pin-equipped mounting screws having pin-like projections protruding from the mating surface are provided near both ends of one of the pair of connectors. And a positioning and holding metal fitting into which the mounting screw with the pin is screwed and positioned and fixed in the opening of the first circuit board, is provided near the both ends of the other connector of the pair of connectors from the fitting surface side. A plurality of mounting screws having a center hole having a center hole tapered rearward, and positioning and holding fittings screwed with the mounting screw having the center hole and positioned and fixed in an opening of the second circuit board are provided. When the pair of connectors are mated, the mounting screw with pin and the mounting screw with the center hole guide the mating of the pair of connectors. With bets a function of guiding means for guiding the fitting of the pair of connectors prior to contact, the functions of both the function of fixing means for fixing the connector positioning and holding fixture fixes the connector to the panel. Further, since it is not necessary to separately provide a space for mounting the mounting screw and a space for mounting the positioning and holding brackets in the connector, the size of the connector can be reduced. Also, with a small number of parts, a pair of connectors, a first and a second circuit board,
And a ground connection between the panels.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 4 are a plan view, a front view, an enlarged side view, and an enlarged sectional view, respectively, of an embodiment of an electrical connector according to the present invention.

5 to 7 are a front view, an enlarged side view, and an enlarged cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the electrical connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the electrical connector assembly according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 30 Electrical connector 16, 35, 36 Contact 20, 50 Mounting screw 24, 44 Positioning and holding bracket 26 Pin-like projection 56 Round hole (center hole) 58 Taper 60 Connector assembly 61 Circuit board 62 Opening

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-98272 (JP, A) JP-A-2-142075 (JP, A) JP-A-2-109006 (JP, A) JP-A-1-21879 (JP) , A) Fully open 1986-61886 (JP, U) Fully open 1983-95578 (JP, U) Fully open 1980-33289 (JP, U) Fully open 1983-107589 (JP, U) Fully open 59-96888 (JP, U) JP-A 4-88688 (JP, U) JP-A 59-192283 (JP, U) Jiko 46-826 (JP, Y1) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/64 H01R 12/16

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An electric connector having a large number of contacts arranged in at least one row and mating with a mating connector, wherein pin-like projections are provided near the mating connector near both ends of the electric connector. Alternatively, a plurality of mounting screws having a tapered center hole are provided, and positioning and holding fittings that are positioned and fixed in openings of the circuit board are mounted near both ends of the electrical connector, and the mounting screws are used for the positioning and mounting. An electrical connector characterized by being screwed with a holding fitting. 2. An electrical connector assembly comprising a pair of mating connectors each having a plurality of contacts arranged in at least one row, the electrical connector assembly comprising: A plurality of mounting screws with pins having pin-shaped projections protruding from the fitting surface side, and positioning and holding fittings screwed together with the mounting screws with pins and positioned and fixed in openings in the first circuit board are provided. A plurality of mounting screws having a center hole having a center hole tapered rearward from a fitting surface near both ends of the other connector of the pair of connectors; A positioning and holding metal fitting is positioned and fixed in the opening of the circuit board, and when the pair of connectors are fitted, the mounting screw with pin and the mounting screw with center hole are provided. Electrical connector assembly, characterized by guiding the fitting of serial pair of connectors.