JP4053515B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector that electrically connects two connection objects. In particular, the present invention relates to a relay connector in which two connection objects are inserted into a housing from two opposed openings, and these connection objects are arranged in the same plane and electrically connected.

  Conventionally, as a connector for connecting two connection objects such as an electronic component having an electronic circuit, a connector in which a contact made of a conductive material is fixed inside a housing made of an insulating material is known. (For example, Patent Document 1).

  The connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a pair of opposed plate-shaped housings, is substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and has a first opening and a second opening formed on a pair of opposed end surfaces. Contacts are respectively fixed to the pair of plate-shaped housings. The contact fixed to the housing is formed of a single long metal plate, and both ends of the long metal plate are bent into a bellows shape so that the first contact portion and the second contact portion are the same. It is formed on a straight line. Between the 1st contact part and the 2nd contact part, the flat part which connects these contact parts is formed.

  A 1st contact part is located in the 1st opening side of a connector, and contacts the 1st connection target object inserted from 1st opening. On the other hand, a 2nd contact part is located in the 2nd opening side, and contacts the 2nd connection target object inserted from 2nd opening. The first contact part and the second contact part are connected via a flat part, and the first connection object that contacts the first contact part and the second connection object that contacts the second contact part are electrically connected. Connected.

  By the way, the contact of the connector is a bellows type contact in which both ends of a long metal plate are bent, and a contact portion of the contact requires a predetermined length in order to ensure a predetermined elasticity (hereinafter, this is referred to as this). Let the length be “L”).

However, since the contact of the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the first contact portion and the second contact portion located on the same straight line, the total length in the longitudinal direction of the contact is the length of the two contact portions and the flat portion. Is the sum of the lengths of (L) and that is 2L + α. For this reason, the total length of the contact becomes long, and the connector cannot be miniaturized.
JP 2001-297843 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can reduce the overall length of a contact and reduce the size of the contact.

  The present invention provides the following inventions in order to solve the above problems.

  (1) A pair of cylindrical housings having a first opening and a second opening at both ends, and contacts held inside the housing, and inserted from each of the first opening and the second opening A connector for electrically connecting a connection object, wherein the contact extends from the first opening side toward the second opening side, and a tip side comes into contact with a connection object inserted from the second opening. A first contact terminal; a second contact terminal extending from the second opening side toward the first opening side; and a tip end side of which is in contact with an object to be inserted from the first opening; the first contact terminal; A connector for connecting the second contact terminal, wherein the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal are arranged in parallel.

  In the invention described in (1), the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal of the contacts provided in the connector are disposed such that the tips extend in opposite directions, and are disposed in parallel. The first contact terminal and the second contact terminal are arranged in opposite directions, thereby contacting each of the two connection objects inserted into the housing from the two opposite directions. In addition, by arranging the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal in parallel, that is, in a planar shape, the total length of the contact can be shortened.

  Here, “arranged in parallel” in this specification means that they are not arranged in series on the same straight line, and the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal are not necessarily parallel.

  In the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal, the proximal end of the first contact terminal and the distal end of the second contact terminal are substantially adjacent to each other, and the distal end of the first contact terminal and the proximal end of the second contact terminal are approximately adjacent to each other. It is preferable to arrange so as to. In this case, the total length of the contacts is approximately equal to the length of these contact terminals, that is, a value approximate to L, and the total length of the contacts can be shortened.

  The shape of the contact connecting member is not particularly limited as long as the base ends of the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal can be connected to each other. For example, the connecting member may be one long member that extends straight without bending from the base end of the first contact terminal to the base end of the second contact terminal. Further, the connecting member may have a substantially U-shape in plan view, and the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal may be connected to the two opposing sides.

  (2) A pair of grooves facing each other and extending from the first opening toward the second opening are provided in the housing, and the connection member of the contact has a substantially rectangular frame shape. The base end of the contact terminal and the base end of the second contact terminal are provided at two opposite sides of the contact member, and the contact is inserted into the groove so that the housing has the housing. The connector according to (1), wherein the connector is held inside.

  In the invention described in (2), the connecting member has a pair of two substantially parallel sides (hereinafter referred to as “connection sides”) and a pair of sides orthogonal to the connection sides (hereinafter referred to as “side sides”). It has a substantially rectangular frame shape. A 1st contact terminal and a 2nd contact terminal are arrange | positioned inside this rectangular frame in parallel with a side part, and a base end is connected to a connection side part. Since both ends of the two connection pieces provided with these contact terminals are connected to the side portions, it is possible to prevent the deformation of the connection member.

  A pair of grooves extending from the first opening to the second opening side are provided inside the housing. On the other hand, of the sides of the rectangular frame constituting the connecting member, a pair of side sides parallel to these grooves are fitted into the grooves of the housing, and the contacts are fixed to the housing. In this way, since the contacts are held on both sides of the housing, the posture of the contacts inside the housing can be stabilized. Note that a fixing piece that protrudes outward, that is, toward the housing may be provided on the side portion, and this fixing piece may be fitted into the groove of the housing, but the side portion is fixed to the housing as described above. Then, a connector can be reduced in size in the width direction.

  (3) The connector according to (1) or (2), wherein the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal are elastically deformable.

  The contact according to the invention described in (3) is a contact including a contact terminal that can be elastically deformed (hereinafter referred to as “movable contact” in particular). The contact terminal of the movable contact swings when inserting and removing the connection object to facilitate insertion and removal of the connection object, and presses the connection object inserted into the housing to Apply contact pressure.

  As will be described later, the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal of the movable contact are inclined from the proximal end to the distal end and rise up so that the distal end side is separated from the surface on which the proximal end and the connecting member are disposed. Particularly preferred. Such a contact terminal swings in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the connection object is inserted, and applies contact pressure to the connection object inserted in the housing.

  (4) The connector according to (3), wherein a second contact facing the contact is further provided inside the housing.

  In the connector according to the invention described in (4), the contact (movable contact) and the second contact face each other, and a pair of connection objects are inserted between these contacts. Of the surfaces of the pair of connection objects, the surface facing the movable contact is electrically connected to the counterpart connection object by contacting the movable contact. Further, the other surfaces of the pair of connection objects that are opposed to the second contact come into contact with the second contact and are electrically connected to each other.

  Thus, according to the connector which concerns on invention of (4) description, the connection target object in which the electronic circuit was formed in both surfaces of a plate-shaped board | substrate can be electrically connected. As a connection object provided with electronic circuits on both sides of a substrate, there is a double-sided printed wiring board in which electronic circuits are formed on both sides of the substrate. Further, a light source unit including a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode (LED) on one side of the substrate and wiring for supplying electricity to the light emitting element on both sides of the substrate is also included.

  (5) The connector according to (4), wherein the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal are inclined from the proximal end toward the distal end, and the distal end side approaches the second contact.

  In the invention described in (5), the second contact does not substantially elastically deform and is a contact that maintains a fixed shape without swinging before and after insertion / removal of a connection object (hereinafter, particularly referred to as “fixed contact”). It is preferable. A movable contact having a contact terminal that is elastically deformed and a fixed contact that is not elastically deformed are provided opposite to each other, and the contact terminal of the movable contact is inclined so that the tip side approaches the fixed contact side. The terminal pushes the object to be connected to the fixed contact side. Since the connection object pushed up to the fixed contact side is pressed by the fixed contact, it is possible to prevent the connection object from rattling inside the housing and to fix the connection object in a predetermined position. .

  (6) The second contact includes a plate-like main body fixed to the housing, and a pair of protrusions protruding so as to oppose the first contact terminal and the distal end side of the second contact terminal. The connector according to (5), which is characterized.

  It is preferable that the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal of the contact (movable contact) have a top portion protruding to the second contact side on the tip side. In addition, the pair of protrusions of the second contact is preferably formed at the front end side of the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal, particularly at a position facing the top of these contact terminals. By making the top of the contact terminal of the movable contact and the protrusion of the second contact face each other, it is possible to prevent the connection object from rattling or misalignment.

  According to the present invention, the total length of the contacts can be shortened and the connector can be miniaturized. Moreover, two surfaces of two connection objects can be electrically connected to each other with one small connector. Furthermore, according to the present invention, even if the connector is downsized, the posture of the connection object can be prevented from becoming unstable, and the connection object can be placed at an accurate position and electrically connected.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The connector 1 includes a housing 2, a movable contact 3 as a contact, and a fixed contact 4 as a second contact. The movable contact 3 and the fixed contact 4 are held in a state of facing the inside of the housing 2. The movable contact 3 includes a first contact terminal 31 and a second contact terminal 32 that are elastically deformable, while the fixed contact 4 is not substantially elastically deformed.

  2 is a front view of the connector 1 in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a rear view thereof, FIG. 4 is a bottom view thereof, FIG. 5 is a side view thereof, and FIG. 6 is a view of the connector 1 from the lid wall 14 side. FIG. 7 to 12 show the housing 2 of the connector 1 shown in FIG. 1. The movable contact 3 and the fixed contact 4 are not held inside the housing 2. FIG. 7 is a front view of the housing 2, FIG. 8 is a rear view thereof, and FIG. 19 is a plan view of the housing 2 as viewed from the lid wall 14 side.

  10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. . Since the bottom view and the side view of the housing 2 are the same as those of the connector 1 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the illustration is omitted.

  The housing 2 has a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape including a pair of side walls 15 and 16 that are substantially parallel, and a bottom wall 13 and a lid wall 14 that connect both ends of the side walls 15 and 16. Thereby, both ends of the housing 2 are the first opening 11 and the second opening 12.

  Hereinafter, the first opening 11 side of the connector 1 will be described as a front surface, the second opening 12 side as a back surface, the bottom wall 13 side as a bottom surface, and the lid wall 14 with respect to the bottom wall 13 as an upper side. Further, the direction in which the first opening 11 and the second opening 12 face each other is the longitudinal direction of the connector 1, the direction in which the side walls 15 and 16 face each other in the width direction, and the direction in which the bottom wall 13 and the lid wall 14 face each other. The height direction. These terms are used for convenience of explanation.

  As shown in FIG. 12, grooves 17 and 18 extending from the first opening 11 toward the second opening 12 are formed in the side walls 15 and 16 of the housing 2 on the surface located on the inner side of the housing 2, respectively. ing. A rear wall 19 is provided at the end of the housing 2 on the second opening 12 side. As shown in FIG. 10, the rear wall 19 rises from the bottom wall 13 and extends to the height of the upper edges of the grooves 17, 18, that is, the edge on the lid wall 14 side.

  Further, the side walls 15 and 16 of the housing 2 are provided with a locking structure for positioning and holding the first connection object 51 and the second connection object 52 at predetermined positions in the housing 2. . Specifically, the side wall 15 of the housing 2 is provided with a pair of locking pieces 21 and 23 protruding on the inner surface, and the side wall 16 similarly protrudes on the inner surface and is locked. Is provided with a pair of locking pieces 22 and 24 facing each other.

  Next, the movable contact 3 will be described in detail. FIG. 13 is a view in which the movable contact 3 is cut out from a single metal plate 30. 14 is a side view of the metal plate 30 of FIG. 13, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the movable contact 3 taken along line DD.

  The contact 3 includes a first contact terminal 31, a second contact terminal 32, and a connection member 33. The first contact terminal 31 and the second contact terminal 32 are constituted by metal leaf springs, and both have base ends connected to the connection member 33. The first contact terminal 31 and the second contact terminal 32 are electrically connected by being connected via the connection member 33.

  The connection member 33 includes a pair of substantially parallel side portions (connection side portions) 33c and 33d, and a pair of side portions (side side portions) 33a and 33b that connect both ends of the connection side portions. Form a rectangular frame. A first contact terminal 31 is provided on the connection side 33c, and a second contact terminal 32 is provided on the connection side 33d.

The first contact terminal 31 is in the connected proximal end to the connecting member 33 is bent along the fold lines P _1, the distal end side is raised in a direction away from the connection member 33. Similarly, the second contact terminal 32 is also bent along the crease line P < _b > ₂ at the proximal end connected to the connection member 33, and the distal end side is raised in a direction away from the contact member 33.

Further, the distal end sides of the first contact terminal 31 and the second contact terminal 32 are bent along the line R ₁ or the line R ₂ in a direction (lower side) opposite to the bending direction (upper side) of the base end, A top 35 or a top 36 is provided. The first contact terminal 31 is at the top portion 35 and the second contact terminal 32 is at the top portion 36 to contact the second connection object 52 or the first connection object 51, respectively, and apply contact pressure to these connection objects. .

  On the other hand, the fixed contact 4 is not substantially elastically deformed, and these connection objects pushed up by the movable contact 3 are positioned at a predetermined height. Hereinafter, the fixed contact 4 will be described in detail. FIG. 16 shows a state in which the fixed contact 4 is cut out from the metal plate 40. FIG. 17 is a side view of the metal plate 40 of FIG.

  The fixed contact 4 includes a plate-shaped main body 43 and a pair of protrusions 41 and 42 formed to protrude from one surface of the plate-shaped main body 43. The protrusion 41 and the protrusion 42 are formed by punching the metal plate 40, are hemispherical, and do not substantially elastically deform. The protrusion 41 is provided on the distal end side of the first contact terminal 31 of the movable contact 3 and is formed at a position facing the top portion 35. On the other hand, the protrusion 42 is provided at the distal end side of the second contact terminal 32 of the movable contact 3 and is formed at a position facing the top portion 36.

As shown in FIG. 1, the movable contact 3 and the fixed contact 4 are held facing the inside of the housing 2. The movable contact 3 is held inside the housing 2 when the side portion 33 a provided on the connecting member 33 is fitted into the groove 17 and the side portion 33 b is fitted into the groove 18. The movable contact 3 is inserted into the housing 2 from the front side of the housing 2, is advanced in the direction of the second opening 12 along the grooves 17, 18, contacts the rear wall 19, and is held at a predetermined position.

  The first contact terminal 31 and the second contact terminal 32 of the movable contact 3 are inclined from the proximal end toward the distal end, and both distal end sides rise toward the lid wall 14 side (hereinafter “upper side”). That is, the first contact terminal 31 has a proximal end located on the first opening 11 side, a distal end extending toward the second opening 12 side and the second contact 4, and can be elastically deformed toward the bottom wall 13 side.

  On the other hand, the second contact terminal 32 is arranged in parallel with the first contact terminal 31 with the base end and the distal end being in the opposite direction to the first contact terminal 31. Specifically, the proximal end of the second contact terminal 32 is located on the second opening 12 side, the distal end extends toward the first opening 11 side and the second contact 4, and can be elastically deformed toward the bottom wall 13 side.

  Here, electrical connection between the first connection object 51 and the second connection object 52 by the connector 1 will be described. 18 shows a state in which the first connection object 51 and the second connection object 52 are inserted into the housing 2 of the connector 1 of FIG. 1, and these connection objects are parallel to the line AA of FIG. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the connector 1 of the state which inserted the thing. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the connector 1 in the same state as FIG. 16 taken along the line BB of FIG. FIG. 20 is a side view of the first connection object 51 as viewed from the side facing the locking groove 61, and FIG. 21 is a plan view of the first connection object 51.

The first connection object 51 and the second connection object 52 (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as “connection objects 51, 52”) are plate shapes having substantially the same shape, and two opposing surfaces Each of S and B is provided with wiring as an electronic circuit. The edges of the connection objects 51 and 52 are provided with steps to reduce the thickness of the plate, and the edge of the connection objects 51 and 52 are respectively connected to the housing 2 from the first opening 11 and the second opening 12. Inserted inside.

  The connection objects 51 and 52 held in the housing 2 are in contact with the fixed contact 4 on the surface S side, and are in contact with the movable contact 3 on the surface B side. Thereby, the wiring on the surface S of the first connection object 51 and the wiring on the surface S of the second connection object are electrically connected, and the wiring on the surface B of the first connection object 51 and the second connection object. The wires on the surface B are electrically connected to each other.

That is, in the movable contact 3 facing the surface B of the connection objects 51 and 52, the top portion 35 of the first contact terminal 31 is in contact with the second connection object 52, and the top portion 36 of the second contact terminal 32 is the first connection. It contacts the object 51 and electrically connects the wirings of these connection objects 51 and 52. On the other hand, the fixed contacts 4 facing the surface S of the connection objects 51 and 52 are connected to each other by the protrusion 41 being in contact with the first connection object 51 and the protrusion 42 being in contact with the second connection object 52. The objects 51 and 52 are electrically connected. Thus, the connector 1 can short-circuit the wiring formed on the two surfaces of the plate-like connection objects 51 and 52, respectively.

  Further, the first contact terminal 31 and the second contact terminal 32 of the movable contact 3 can be elastically deformed, and when the connection objects 51 and 52 are inserted into the housing 2, the connection objects 51 and 52 It is pushed down to the bottom wall 13 side. Therefore, the first connection object 51 smoothly moves in the housing 2 from the first opening 11 to the second opening side, and the second connection object 52 is moved from the second opening 12 to the first opening 11 side. 2 can move smoothly.

A first connection object 51 second connection object 52 is approximately in the middle, i.e., substantially in the middle, each tip of the proximal and distal ends of the first contact terminal 31 and the second contact terminal 32 within the housing 2 Is inserted into the housing 2 so as to be positioned. In this state, the first contact terminal 31 comes into contact with the second connection object 52 at the top 35 and pushes up the second connection object 52 toward the lid wall 14 by the elasticity of the leaf spring. Similarly, the second contact terminal 32 is in contact with the first connection object 51 in the top 36, it pushes up the first connection object 51.

  In the housing 2, the fixed contact 4 having protrusions 41 and 42 formed at positions facing the top portions 35 and 36 with the first connection object 51 and the second connection object 52 interposed therebetween is held. For this reason, the second connection object 52 pushed up by the first contact terminal 31 is sandwiched between the top portion 35 and the protrusion 41. Similarly, the first connection object 51 pushed up by the second contact terminal 32 is sandwiched between the top portion 36 and the protrusion 42.

  This prevents rattling of the first connection object 51 and the second connection object 52 in the housing 2, and the height of the surface S of the first connection object 51 and the second connection object 52. Can be held in place. As described above, the connector according to the present invention can arrange two connection objects on the same plane, electrically connect these connection objects, and make the heights of these connection objects uniform.

  The first connection object 51 is provided with a locking groove 61 that is locked to the locking piece 21 and a locking groove 62 that is locked to the locking piece 22. Similarly, the first connection object 52 is provided with a locking groove 63 that is locked to the locking piece 23 and a locking groove 64 that is locked to the locking piece 24. As shown in FIG. 20, the locking groove 61 continues from the edge on the surface B side (right side in FIG. 20) facing the bottom wall 13 to the edge on the surface S side (left side in FIG. 20) facing this. To do. Similarly, the locking grooves 62, 63, and 64 extend continuously from the side facing the bottom wall 13 to the edge facing the lid wall 14.

  With the above-described locking structure, as shown in FIG. 19, the first connecting object 51 has the locking grooves 61 and 62 fitted into the locking pieces 21 and 22, respectively, so that the tip is inside the housing 2. It is located in the center and is held in the housing 2. Similarly, the second connection object 52 is engaged with the engagement grooves 63, 64 and the engagement pieces 23, 24, so that the front end is substantially in the center of the housing 2 and the front end of the first connection object 51. Abut. For this reason, almost the same length of the end edges of these connection objects 51 and 52 is inserted into the housing 2.

Further, since the locking grooves 61, 62, 63, 64 provided on the connection object 51 are continuous from the surface S side to the surface B side, these connection object 51 and 52, the locking piece Even in the state of being locked to 21, 22, 23, 24, the connector 1 can move in the height direction. Therefore, when inserted into the housing 2, these connection objects 51 and 52 approaching the bottom wall 13 side are inserted into the housing 2 and then restored to the first contact terminal 31 or the second contact terminal 32. It is pushed up to the lid wall 14 side by force and can move to the lid wall 14 side.

  In the present invention, two connection objects such as a double-sided printed circuit board in which electronic circuits are formed on both sides of the board and a light source unit in which wiring is provided on both sides of the board are arranged on the same plane to be electrically connected. Available in case.

It is a perspective view of the connector concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the connector. It is a rear view of the connector. It is a bottom view of the connector. It is a side view of the connector. It is a top view of the connector. It is a front view of the housing of the connector. It is a rear view of the housing. It is a top view of the said housing. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line BB in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line CC in FIG. 5. It is the figure where the contact of the said connector was cut out from the metal plate. Figure 1 is a side view of the third metal plate. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of the contact in FIG. 14. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the said connector in which the 1st connection target object and the 2nd connection target object were cut | disconnected by the line AA of FIG. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the line BB of FIG. 5 of the connector of FIG. It is the figure where the 2nd contact of the said connector was cut out from the metal plate. It is a side view of the metal plate of FIG. It is a side view of the 1st connection subject inserted in the connector. It is a top view of the said 1st connection target object.

Explanation of symbols

1 Connector 2 Housing 3 Movable contact (contact)
4 Fixed contact (second contact)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 1st opening 12 2nd opening 31 1st contact terminal 32 2nd contact terminal 33 Connection member

Claims (5)

A cylindrical housing having a first opening and a second opening at both ends and a first contact and a second contact held inside the housing are inserted from each of the first opening and the second opening. A connector for electrically connecting a pair of connection objects,
The first contact extends from the first opening side toward the second opening side, and a first contact terminal whose tip side contacts a connection object inserted from the second opening, and from the second opening side A second contact terminal extending toward the first opening and having a tip side in contact with a connection object inserted from the first opening and arranged in parallel with the first contact terminal; and the first contact terminal and A connecting member for connecting the second contact terminal,
The second contact has a pair of protrusions that are held to face the first contact and protrude so as to face the distal end side of the first contact terminal and the distal end side of the second contact terminal, respectively. Features a connector. Inside the housing, a pair of grooves that are opposed to each other and extend from the first opening toward the second opening are provided,
The connection member of the first contact has a substantially rectangular frame shape,
Wherein the proximal end of the first contact terminal and the base end of the second contact terminals, provided in two side portion opposed to each other of said connecting member,
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first contact is held inside the housing when the connection member is inserted into the groove.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal are elastically deformable. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal are inclined from the proximal end toward the distal end, and the distal end side approaches the second contact. Said second contact has a plate-like body fixed to the housing,
The pair of protrusions, according to claim 4, wherein the support member protrudes so as to face the front end side of the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal to the first contact side of the body connector.

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