JP3501442B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plug type or a plug type in which contacts are arranged so as to form a pair of rows along both side surfaces of a fitting projection provided on a housing. The present invention relates to an electrical connector which is a male electrical connector and can be fitted with a mating connector with low insertion force. 2. Description of the Related Art An electrical connector of this kind is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-5.
No. 7,785. The disclosed male electrical connector forms a pair of contact rows along the fitting projection of the housing, and is mated with a mating female connector with low insertion force to achieve mating. A warp-shaped portion covered with a metal surface is provided at the tip of the protrusion. As a result, the contact of the mating connector and the contact on the side surface of the fitting projection are smoothly engaged. [0003] However, according to the above-described structure, the structure of the electric connector is relatively complicated and the number of parts is large. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to realize an electrical connector that can be smoothly mated with a mating female connector with a low insertion force with a relatively simple configuration. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a plug type in which a plurality of contacts are arranged back to back in a pair along the opposite side surface of a fitting projection provided on a housing. In the electrical connector, each of the plurality of contacts is provided on a fitting end side of a flat contact portion ,
A mating guide portion having a thickness smaller than that of the contact portion , and a mating connector provided on the mating protrusion at a tip end side of the mating guide portion.
An engagement portion held in an engagement groove extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of engagement with the connector , wherein the engagement guide portion is outside the contact portion.
By separating from the housing without protruding to the side, an elastically deformable doubly supported beam is constituted. Preferably, the fitting guide section is formed by thinning a metal plate by coining or the like and bending the metal plate to be curved. Preferably, the fitting projection has an engagement groove capable of receiving the engagement portion. [0007] Preferably, the plurality of contacts are received in respective cavities formed in the housing from a side opposite to a fitting side. Preferably, the fitting guide portion and the engaging portion have a relatively narrow width so that the fitting guide portion and the engaging portion can be inserted when the plurality of contacts are inserted. A groove is formed in communication with each of the cavities. Preferably, a guide surface inclined outward is formed in the insertion groove so as to smoothly guide the engaging portion into the engaging groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An electric connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a view showing an electric connector according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a plan view and (b) is a front view. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a cross section of the electrical connector of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A is a cross sectional view along line AA in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2B is a line in FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows BB. Referring to FIG. 1, an electrical connector 10 is a male connector received in a housing of a mating connector (not shown), and has an elongated housing 20, a plurality of contacts 50 fixed thereto and a plurality of fixing connectors. And a metal fitting 30. The electrical connector 10 is mounted on a circuit board (not shown). The fixing fitting 30 includes a compliant portion 31. By engaging the compliant portion 31 with a through hole formed in the circuit board, the electrical connector 10 can be firmly fixed to the circuit board. The housing 20 includes a base 23 located on the circuit board mounting side,
And a fitting projection 21 that projects from the base 23 so as to be received by the mating connector. Each contact 50
Are the board contact portions 51 for elastic contact with the circuit board and the contact portions 5 located along both side surfaces 22 of the fitting protrusion 21.
2 A fitting receiving groove 25 is formed on a side surface 24 of the base 23. A metal plate 40 is mounted in the metal fitting receiving groove 25 for reinforcing the housing 20. Referring to FIG. 2A, the internal structure of the electrical connector 10 is shown in more detail. The contact 50 is received and fixed in the cavity 26 formed in the housing 20 by press fitting. The details of the shape of the contact 50 will be described later.
It can be seen that they are arranged so as to be in the same row as the zero compliant part 31. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2B, since the fixing fitting 30 is engaged so as to press down the metal plate 40, it is understood that the electrical connector 10 can be firmly fixed to the circuit board. FIGS. 3A and 3B are views showing the contacts used in the electric connector of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view and FIG. 3B is a side view. As shown in FIG. 3, the contact 50 is formed by processing a metal plate, and has a relatively wide and relatively thick contact base 5 located at the center.
3 and a substrate contact portion 51 located on the bottom side thereof.
The contact base 53 has a contact portion 52 on its top side,
It has a press-fit projection 81 on the bottom side. The substrate contact portion 51 is thinner and narrower than the contact base portion 53, is formed to have an angle at an intermediate position, and defines first and second beams 54 and 55 extending linearly, respectively. The end of the first beam 54 located on the free end side is bent so as to form a contact point 56. The contact 50 further includes a contact base 53.
A thin beam (fitting guide) 57 narrower than the contact base 53 is provided on the top side. The thin beam 57 has an outer surface 59 that is continuous with the surface 58 of the contact portion 52, is curved and extends to the top side, and has a hook portion (engaging portion) 61 that is protruded from the tip thereof in the horizontal direction. Having. As can be understood from FIG. 2A, the contact 50 is pressed into the cavity 26 of the housing 20 from the bottom. An insertion groove 27 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed inside the cavity 26, and a partition wall 28 is formed inside the pair of opposed insertion grooves 27. Insertion groove 2
7 shows a thin beam 57 and a hook portion 61 of the contact 50 when the contact 50 is mounted on the housing 20.
Is allowed. The upper end side of the insertion groove 27,
That is, a guide surface 29 extending outward and inclined is formed on the upper end side of the partition wall 28, and further provided with an engagement groove 91 that can receive the hook portion 61 of the contact 50. When the contact 50 is press-fitted into the housing 20, the thin beam 57 passes through the insertion groove 27 and is spread outward by the guide surface 29. When the press-fitting is further advanced and the contact 50 reaches a predetermined position, The hook 61 at the tip is returned by the elastic force of the thin beam 57 itself and is engaged in the engagement groove 91. Since the distal end wall portion 92 is formed to have a wide width projecting sufficiently outward from the upper end of the guide surface 29, the hook portion 6 is formed.
1 is reliably engaged with the engaging groove 91. An advantage of the electrical connector 10 according to the present embodiment is that it can be smoothly fitted to a mating female connector, particularly that it can be fitted with a low insertion force. . More specifically, even when the female contact of the mating connector is a connector preloaded to obtain a high contact pressure, the fitting can be performed smoothly with a relatively low insertion force. This is because the thin beam 57 of the contact 50 located near the tip of the fitting projection 21 can smoothly guide the mating female contact to the contact surface 58 of the contact portion 51. In particular, it should be noted that the thin beam 57 is separated from the resin portion of the housing 20 and constitutes an elastically deformable doubly supported beam, so that it can be slightly deformed when the mating female contact is brought into contact. As a result, when the engagement with the mating female contact advances, the mating contact is gradually elastically deformed, so that a large peak does not occur in the insertion force in the process of the engagement, which is necessary for fitting the connectors. The resulting insertion force is relatively low. According to the electrical connector of the present invention, each of the plurality of contacts has a thin fitting guide portion provided on the fitting end side, and a fitting projection at the tip end side of the fitting guide portion. Since it is configured to have an engaging portion or a hook portion held by the portion,
Since the acting force received from the mating contact (or received by the mating contact) at the time of mating with the mating connector gradually increases with the progress of the engagement, the mating can be performed with a relatively low insertion force with a simple structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows an electrical connector according to the invention;
(A) is a plan view, and (b) is a front view. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section of the electrical connector of FIG. 1,
1A is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1A. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing contacts used in the electrical connector of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view and FIG. 3B is a side view. [Description of Signs] 10 Electrical connector 20 Housing 21 Fitting projection 22 Side face of fitting projection 50 Contact 57 Fitting guide (thin beam) 61 Engagement (hook)

Claims (1)

(57) Claims 1. A plug-type electrical connector in which a plurality of contacts are arranged back-to-back along a pair of rows along opposite side surfaces of a fitting projection provided on a housing. In the above, each of the plurality of contacts may be provided on a fitting end side of a flat contact portion, the fitting guide portion having a smaller thickness than the contact portion, and the fitting may be formed on a distal end side of the fitting guide portion. Extending in the direction orthogonal to the mating direction of the mating connector
Has an engaging portion held in the building engagement groove, by which the fitting guide portion is spaced apart from the housing without projecting outward from the contact portion, to constitute a doubly supported beam elastically deformable An electrical connector characterized by the following: