JP4326871B2 - Connector and connector manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector and a method for manufacturing the connector, and more particularly, to a connector including a fixed housing, a connection terminal, and a movable housing that is displaceable with respect to the fixed housing by the connection terminal, and manufacture of the connector. Regarding the method.

As an example of a conventional connector, by attaching a connection terminal with spring characteristics to a fixed housing (fixed housing) and a movable housing (movable housing), the movable housing can be moved relative to the fixed housing (that is, freely displaceable). The connector (floating type board mounting connector) disposed in the above is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-260508 A (pages 2 to 4, FIG. 2)

  FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 together with the counterpart connector, and FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector fitted to the counterpart connector.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the connector 1 includes a fixed housing 2 that is fixed to the electric circuit board 5, a movable housing 3 that is movably arranged with respect to the fixed housing 2, and connection terminals (electrical terminals). 4).

  The connection terminal 4 is formed by bending a metal plate at right angles at a plurality of positions so as to include a crank shape having a spread in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and the leg portion (tine) 4a and the contact portion 4b are It is integrally formed by being connected by an elastic part (connecting part) 4c having spring characteristics. The leg portion 4 a is press-fitted and fixed to the bottom of the fixed housing 2, and the contact portion 4 b is press-fitted and fixed to the movable housing 3, so that the movable housing 3 is supported loosely with respect to the fixed housing 2.

  Therefore, the movable housing 3 can be displaced with respect to the fixed housing 2 by elastic deformation of the elastic portion 4 c of the connection terminal 4. That is, the fixed housing 2 and the movable housing 3 are connected to each other only by a plurality of connection terminals 4 press-fitted and fixed to the fixed housing 2 and the contact portions 4b to the movable housing 3.

  The fixed housing 2 and the movable housing 3 are individually formed by injection molding a synthetic resin having electrical insulation characteristics, and then a plurality of connection terminals 4 are press-fitted and assembled.

  For the connector 1, the molding of the fixed housing 2, the molding of the movable housing 3, the production of the connection terminal 4, the assembly work of the leg 4 a to the fixed housing 2, the assembly work of the contact part 4 b to the movable housing 3, etc. Since it is manufactured through many steps, not only does it take time to manufacture, but it also requires significant manufacturing costs.

  Since the connection terminal 4 is assembled to two independently manufactured parts, that is, the fixed housing 2 and the movable housing 3, the positional accuracy of the leg portion 4a and the contact portion 4b in the connector 1 after completion may vary. High nature. Therefore, there is a possibility that a problem occurs in contact with the circuit board 5 and the counterpart connector.

  In addition, since it is the inner surface of the side wall portion of the fixed housing 2 that restricts the displaceable distance of the movable housing 3, when an excessive external force acts on the movable housing 3 when the movable housing 3 and the mating connector 6 are fitted. There is a possibility that the movable housing 3 is excessively displaced and the connecting terminal 4 is plastically deformed. When the connection terminal 4 is plastically deformed, there is a possibility that the connection with the counterpart connector may be hindered. Further, when the connection terminal 4 is greatly plastically deformed, the adjacent connection terminals 4 may come into contact with each other and be electrically short-circuited (that is, short-circuited).

  Further, when the mating connector 6 is inserted into and removed from the movable housing 3, the entire insertion / extraction force is applied to the connection terminal 4, and excessive stress acts on the connection terminal 4, causing the connection terminal 4 to be plastically deformed or in an extreme case. There is also a possibility that the press-fitting portion of the connector 1 to which the connection terminal 4 is press-fitted and fixed is damaged.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, The objective is to provide the manufacturing method of a connector and connector which can be manufactured accurately and cheaply with few manufacturing processes. Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of preventing an excessive stress from being applied to the connection terminal when the connector is inserted and removed (that is, when the movable housing is displaced), and a method of manufacturing the connector. .

In order to achieve the above-described object, the connector according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1 ) .
(1) A fixed housing having a fitting hole for restricting a moving distance formed on the side wall along the longitudinal direction of the frame-shaped main body ,
A movable housing disposed in a side wall portion facing the side wall and having a protrusion portion loosely fitted in the fitting hole, surrounded by the side wall of the fixed housing;
The movable part so that the leg fixed to the fixed housing so as to partially protrude out of the fixed housing and the connection terminal of the counterpart connector are in contact with and electrically connected to the counterpart connector when fitted. a contact portion which is fixed to the housing, and a corresponding leg and a resilient portion formed integrally with the contact portion between said leg portion and the contact portion possess respectively, along the longitudinal direction of the fixed housing A plurality of connection terminals arranged in a row,
A connecting portion for connecting together the said movable housing and the fixed housing in a state arranged within said fitting hole of said stationary housing said protrusion of said movable housing,
With
By cutting the connecting portion, the fixed housing and the movable housing are separated from each other, and the movable housing is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fitting hole with respect to the fixed housing. The movable housing is supported by the plurality of connection terminals so that the movable housing can be displaced until the movement of the movable housing is restricted .

  According to the connector of the present invention, the connecting portion that integrally connects the fixed housing and the movable housing is provided, the fixed housing and the movable housing are separated by cutting the connecting portion, and the movable housing is separated by a plurality of connection terminals. Since it is displaceably arranged with respect to the fixed housing, the legs of the plurality of connection terminals are connected to the fixed housing with respect to the housing integrally formed with the connecting portion (ie, the fixed housing and the movable housing), and The contact portions of the plurality of connection terminals can be mounted on the movable housing, so that the connector can be manufactured with high accuracy and low cost with a small number of manufacturing steps. As described above, the assembling property of the plurality of connection terminals is greatly improved (in other words, the assembling property of the fixed housing and the movable housing is greatly improved), so that there is a variation in positional accuracy between the leg portion and the contact portion. It becomes small and can be reliably brought into contact with the electric circuit board and the mating connector, and the reliability of connection can be greatly improved.

  According to the connector of the present invention, the fixed housing and the movable housing are connected by the connecting portion in a state where the protruding portion of the movable housing is disposed in the fitting hole of the fixed housing, and after the connecting portion is cut, the fixed housing The movable housing is fixed to the fixed housing by the distance of the fitting gap between the inner peripheral surface defining the fitting hole and the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion so that the movable distance of the movable housing relative to the predetermined distance is limited to a predetermined distance or less. Since it is freely displaceable, it is possible to prevent an excessive displacement of the movable housing and to prevent an excessive stress applied to the connection terminal, thereby preventing a plastic deformation of the connection terminal. Further, the insertion / extraction force generated when the connector is inserted / removed can be received by the projection part loosely fitted in the fitting hole, and the force applied to the connection terminal can be reduced to prevent the connection terminal from being damaged. Further, since the protrusion is loosely fitted in the fitting hole, it is possible to prevent the movable housing from being detached from the fixed housing.

  According to the connector of the present invention, the fixed housing can be fixed to one electric circuit board, the legs of the plurality of connection terminals can be electrically connected to the one electric circuit board, and the movable housing However, since it can be fitted to a mating connector that can be fixed to the other electric circuit board, a connector suitable for board-to-board connection can be provided.

  According to the connector of the present invention, the movable distance of the movable housing relative to the fixed housing is set such that the movable distance in the insertion / removal direction with respect to the mating connector is smaller than the movable distance in the direction parallel to the one electric circuit board. Therefore, the insertion / extraction force generated when the connector is inserted / extracted is received by the projection part loosely fitted into the fitting hole, and the force applied to the connection terminal can be reduced to prevent the connection terminal from being damaged. In addition, this makes it possible to maintain a highly reliable electrical connection.

  Further, according to the method of manufacturing a connector according to the present invention, a fixed housing, a movable housing disposed in the fixed housing, and a connecting portion that connects the fixed housing and the movable housing are integrally formed, and a plurality of connections are formed. After attaching one end of the terminal to the fixed housing and the other end of the plurality of connection terminals to the movable housing, the connecting portion is cut to separate the fixed housing from the movable housing, and the movable housing is separated by the plurality of connection terminals. Since it is displaceably supported with respect to the fixed housing, one end of a plurality of connection terminals is attached to the fixed housing and the plurality of connection terminals with respect to the housing integrally formed with the connecting portion (that is, the fixed housing and the movable housing). The other end of the connection terminal can be attached to the movable housing, thus making it possible to manufacture a connector accurately and inexpensively with a small number of manufacturing processes. It can be. As described above, the assembling property of the plurality of connection terminals is greatly improved (in other words, the assembling property of the fixed housing and the movable housing is greatly improved), so that there is a variation in positional accuracy between the leg portion and the contact portion. It becomes small and can be reliably brought into contact with the electric circuit board and the mating connector, and the reliability of connection can be greatly improved.

  Further, according to the connector manufacturing method of the present invention, at least one fitting hole is provided in the side wall portion of the fixed housing, and the protrusion portion loosely fitted in the fitting hole of the fixed housing has the side wall portion of the movable housing. Since the fixed housing, the movable housing, and the connecting portion are integrally formed so as to protrude from the portion, the protruding portion is long and embedded in the side wall portion of the fixed housing (that is, the protruding portion and the fitting hole overlap each other). It is possible to easily assemble a movable housing, which is difficult to assemble with ordinary means, such as a fixed housing. In addition, since the movable housing is displaceable with respect to the fixed housing by the distance of the fitting gap between the inner circumferential surface defining the fitting hole and the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion, it prevents excessive displacement of the movable housing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent excessive stress applied to the connection terminal, and thus to prevent plastic deformation of the connection terminal. Further, the insertion / extraction force generated when the connector is inserted / removed can be received by the projection part loosely fitted in the fitting hole, and the force applied to the connection terminal can be reduced to prevent the connection terminal from being damaged. Further, since the protrusion is loosely fitted in the fitting hole, it is possible to prevent the movable housing from being detached from the fixed housing.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the best mode for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention together with a mating connector which is an example of a fitting object, FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a back surface of the connector of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the connector of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow V-V in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a VI-VI in FIG. 3 showing a free state in which the movable connector is located at a predetermined position. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the arrow and a longitudinal sectional view of one example of the mating connector shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the arrow VII-VII in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the connector showing a state displaced in the X direction from the free state of FIG. 6, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the connector showing a state where the movable connector is displaced in the X direction from the free state of FIG. The principal part top view of the connector in the free state, figure 1 is an enlarged view of the main part of the arrow A in FIG. 10, FIG. 12 is a plan view of the main part of the connector showing the movable connector displaced in the Y direction from the free state of FIG. 10, and FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 13, a connector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a board-to-board male connector, and includes a fixed housing 11, a movable housing 12, and a plurality of connection terminals 13. . Each of the plurality of connection terminals 13 is mated with a mating connector 30 which is a female connector for board-to-board connection, and a leg portion 13b fixed to the fixed housing 11 so as to partially protrude out of the fixed housing 11. The contact portion 13a fixed in the movable housing 12 so as to be in contact with and electrically connected to the connection terminal 31 of the connector 30, and the leg portion 13b so as to be provided between the leg portion 13b and the contact portion 13a, and It has the elastic part 13c formed integrally with the contact part 13a. The movable housing 12 is disposed so as to be displaceable with respect to the fixed housing 11 by these connection terminals 13. The fixed housing 11 includes a side wall portion 11a and a plurality of partition walls 11e that are formed in the side wall portion 11a and partition the inside of the side wall portion 11a so as to form a plurality of elastic portion accommodating chambers 11f in the side wall portion 11a. . The elastic portions 13c of the connection terminals 13 are accommodated in the elastic portion accommodating chambers 11f of the fixed housing 11, respectively.

  Further, the side wall portion 11a of the fixed housing 11 communicates from the elastic portion accommodating chamber 11f to the outside of the fixed housing 11 and is an elongated hole formed so as to allow elastic displacement of the elastic portion 13c toward the outside of the fixed housing 11 (that is, , Through-hole) 11d.

  The fixed housing 11 is fixed to one printed circuit board (that is, one electric circuit board) 14. The leg portions 13 b of the plurality of connection terminals 13 are electrically connected to one printed circuit board 14. The mating connector 30 is fixed to the other printed circuit board (that is, the other electric circuit board) 24. The movable housing 12 is fitted with the counterpart connector 30.

  Details of the connector 10 thus configured will be described below.

  The fixed housing 11 is for holding the movable housing 12 inside thereof, and is formed by injection molding a synthetic resin having electrical insulation.

  The fixed housing 11 has a hollow, substantially square frame-shaped main body that includes a side wall 11a, a side wall 11a, a side wall 11b, and a side wall 11b, and is provided with a rectangular through hole 11c at the center. A long hole 11d is formed in the upper part of both side wall portions 11a in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of partition walls 11e are vertically extended from the side wall portions 11a at predetermined intervals along the side wall portion 11a. As a result, a large number (for example, 30 at 0.8 mm intervals) of the elastic portion accommodating chambers 11f are formed between the adjacent partition walls 11e so as to be separated from each other at a predetermined interval. A part (upper part in FIG. 1) of each elastic part accommodating chamber 11 f communicates with the long hole 11 d and opens to the outside of the fixed housing 11. In addition, a large number of slits 11k are provided in the lower portion of the side wall portion 11a so as to correspond to the elastic portion accommodating chamber 11f. And the one end part of the connection terminal 13 is inserted and accommodated in the elastic part accommodating chamber 11f and the slit 11k.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, 11, and 13, four rectangular fitting holes 11 g are formed in the lower portions at both ends of the side wall portion 11 a so as to penetrate the side wall portion 11 a. The fitting hole 11g engages with the protrusion 12a of the movable housing 12 to limit the movable distance δ1 in the Y direction and the movable distance δ2 in the Z direction. An uneven surface is formed on the lower surface. The movable displacement distance δ1 in the Y direction and the movable distance δ2 in the Z direction of the movable housing 12 are determined by the gap between the fitting hole 11g and the protrusion 12a fitted to the fitting hole 11g. For example, the movable distance δ1 in the Y direction. Is approximately 0.5 mm, and the displaceable distance δ2 in the Z direction is set to approximately 0.1 mm.

  Note that the upper and lower surfaces of the fitting hole 11g are uneven. The ribs are provided on a mold (not shown) for removing the fitting hole 11g when the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 are simultaneously formed. This is to increase the mechanical strength of the mold. Further, when the movable housing 12 is displaced with respect to the fixed housing 11, the contact area between the fitting hole 11g and the protrusion 12a is reduced to reduce the sliding resistance, and the displacement of the movable housing 12 is smoothed. Have.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, two positioning pins 11 h are protruded from the lower surface of the fixed housing 11, and are fitted into positioning holes 14 a provided in the printed circuit board 14. The printed circuit board 14 is positioned. Further, a slot 11i for mounting the fixing bracket 16 is formed in the side wall portion 11b of the fixed housing 11 from the lower surface to the upper surface of the fixing housing 11. The fixing bracket having an L-shaped cross section is formed in the slot 11i. 16 is inserted and mounted. The lower surface of the fixing bracket 16 is the same surface as the lower surface of the fixed housing 11, and the fixed housing 11 can be firmly fixed to the printed circuit board 14 by soldering to the printed circuit board 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the movable housing 12 is disposed in the rectangular through hole 11 c of the fixed housing 11 and is fitted with the mating connector 30 fixed to the other printed circuit board 24. And is disposed so as to be displaceable with respect to the fixed housing 11. The movable housing 12 is formed by injection molding a synthetic resin having electrical insulation.

  Further, referring to FIG. 6, the movable housing 12 is provided with a separation wall portion 12b along the longitudinal direction at the center in the short side direction, and the separation wall portion between the separation wall portion 12b and the side wall portion 12c. Two slit-shaped chambers partitioned by 12b are formed. And the connection terminal (male connection terminal) 31 of the other party connector 30 is received in a slit-shaped chamber.

  In the separation wall portion 12b and the side wall portion 12c, a plurality of partition walls 12d are formed along the separation wall portion 12b and the side wall portion 12c in a direction perpendicular to the side wall portion 12b. As a result, a large number of contact portion accommodating chambers 12e are formed between the adjacent partition walls 12d at a predetermined interval (for example, 30 pieces at an interval of 0.8 mm), and the connection terminals 13 are connected to the respective contact portion accommodating chambers 12e. The end portion is inserted and accommodated.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7, four projecting portions 12 a having a rectangular cross section are provided on both sides of the lower portion of the side wall portion 12 c of the movable housing 12 so as to protrude laterally. Are freely fitted in the fitting holes 11g. That is, the fitting hole 11g and the protrusion 12a are loosely fitted with a Y-direction gap 2 × δ1 and a Z-direction gap 2 × δ2 (see FIG. 11). When the movable housing 12 is displaced in the Y direction or the Z direction (see FIG. 1) with respect to the fixed housing 11, the protrusion 12a abuts on the fitting hole 11g to limit the amount of displacement of the movable housing 12, which is excessive. It is designed to prevent any displacement. In other words, the excessive displacement prevention mechanism 18 is configured by the fitting hole 11g and the protrusion 12a.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of hemispherical protrusions 12f are provided on the lower surface of the movable housing 12, and when the movable housing 12 is displaced, it slides into contact with the printed circuit board 14 in a small area and slide resistance. The force is reduced and the movable housing 12 is easily displaced.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 are integrally formed by being connected by the connecting portion 19 with the protruding portions 12a loosely fitted in the fitting holes 11g at four locations. It is formed simultaneously by injection molding synthetic resin. The connecting portion 19 is later cut away so that the movable housing 12 is separated from the fixed housing 11. This is for reasons of assembly, and the assembly will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the connection terminal 13 electrically connects a conductive pattern (not shown) of one printed circuit board 14 and a conductive pattern (not shown) of the other printed circuit board 24. And is formed by pressing a conductive metal plate and has a spring property. The connection terminal 13 is formed in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the contact portion 13a connected to the connection terminal 31 disposed in the counterpart connector 30, and is soldered to the conductive pattern of the printed circuit board 14. A leg portion 13b to be connected and an elastic portion 13c formed in an inverted U shape (U shape in FIG. 2) are integrally formed between the contact portion 13a and the leg portion 13b.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the connection terminal 13 is a female connection terminal, the contact portion 13 a is formed in a tuning fork shape (that is, a bifurcated shape), and the male connector disposed in the mating connector 30. The connection terminal 31 is sandwiched between the two forks so as to make a reliable contact. In addition, the elastic portion 13c formed in an inverted U shape is provided with a spring property on the connection terminal 13 by elastic deformation of the inverted U shape portion.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of connection terminals 13 are inserted and attached in the direction of arrow C from the bottom surface side of the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 that are connected by the connecting portion 19 and are integrally formed. The That is, the contact portion 13a is inserted into the contact portion receiving chamber 12e of the movable housing 12 partitioned by the partition wall 12d, and the elastic portion 13c and the leg portion 13b are respectively accommodated by the elastic portion of the fixed housing 11 partitioned by the partition wall 11e. After being inserted and attached to the chamber 11f and the slit 11k, the connecting portion 19 is cut off by an appropriate tool, and the movable housing 12 is separated from the fixed housing 11.

  As a result, the movable housing 12 is supported so as to be displaceable with respect to the fixed housing 11 by, for example, 60 connection terminals 13 arranged in two rows of 30 at intervals of 0.8 mm. Each connection terminal 13 is mounted in a state of being electrically insulated from each other by being separated from each other by a partition wall 11e and a partition wall 12d.

  The fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 are integrally formed by connecting the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 by the connecting portion 19 in a state where the protrusion 12a is loosely fitted in the fitting hole 11g. After forming and attaching the connection terminal 13, the connecting portion 19 is cut off, so that it cannot be assembled by ordinary means, that is, the protrusion of the movable housing 12 is larger than the inner dimension of the fixed housing 11. This is because even if the length of 12a is longer (that is, an overlapping shape), it can be easily manufactured with the protrusion 12a loosely fitted in the fitting hole 11g.

  As described above, the manufacturing method of the connector 10 of the present invention is provided with the plurality of elastic portion accommodating chambers 11f for accommodating the elastic portions 13c of the plurality of connection terminals 13 arranged as described above, and the side wall portion 11a. A fixed housing 11 having at least one fitting hole 11g formed therein, a plurality of contact portion accommodating chambers 12e for accommodating the contact portions 13a of the connection terminals 13, and the protrusions 12a laterally from the side wall portion 12c. The movable housing 12 projectingly is connected by the connecting portion 19 in a state where the protruding portion 12a is loosely fitted in the fitting hole 11g, and is integrally formed. The leg portions 13b and the elastic portions 13c of the plurality of connection terminals 13 are inserted into the elastic portion accommodation chamber 11f of the fixed housing 11, and the contact portions 13a of the connection terminals 13 are inserted into the contact portion accommodation chambers 12e of the movable housing 12 to be mounted. To do. Thereafter, the connecting portion 19 that connects the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 is cut off to separate the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12, and the movable housing 12 can be displaced with respect to the fixed housing 11 by a plurality of connection terminals 13. To support.

  The operation of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 10 of the present invention is formed by fitting a mating connector 30 disposed on the other printed circuit board 24 into the connector 10 disposed on one printed circuit board 14. The bifurcated contact portion 13a of the connection terminal 13 disposed on the movable housing 12 firmly holds the male connection terminal 31 of the mating connector 30, and the conductive pattern of one printed circuit board 14 and the other printed circuit. The conductive pattern of the substrate 24 is connected.

  Since the contact portion 13a of the connection terminal 13 holds the counterpart male connection terminal 31 and contacts at two points on both sides, the movable housing 12 is fixed to the fixed housing 11 as compared with the conventional connector that contacts on one side. The contact pressure between the connection terminal 13 and the mating male connection terminal 31 does not change even when the connection is displaced, and the electrical connection is maintained well. Further, the contact point does not slide due to the displacement of the movable housing 12. Therefore, fine wear at the contact point does not occur, and a highly reliable connection is possible over a long period of time.

  Here, if there is a position error between the connector 10 and the counterpart connector 30, the movable housing 12 is displaced with respect to the fixed housing 11 to absorb the position error, and the connector 10 and the counterpart connector 30 are fitted. Accordingly, the connection terminal 13 comes into contact with the male connection terminal 31 disposed in the counterpart connector 30 and is securely connected.

  6 and 7 show a normal state in which the movable housing 12 is not displaced in the X direction (see FIG. 1) with respect to the fixed housing 11, and the shape of the elastic portion 13c of the connection terminal 13 is symmetrical. It has become. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, a gap is formed between the inner wall surface of the side wall portion 11a and the lower side wall portion 12g of the movable housing 12, and a displaceable distance δ3 is secured. The displaceable distance δ3 is set to 0.5 mm, for example.

  When the mating connector 30 having a position error in the X direction is inserted, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the inverted U-shaped elastic portion 13c of the connection terminal 13 is deformed, that is, one inverted U-shaped portion. Is deformed in the direction in which the width is increased, and the other inverted U-shaped portion is deformed in the direction in which the width is reduced, and the movable housing 12 is displaced in the X direction with respect to the fixed housing 11 and follows the mating connector 30. The position error between the counterpart connectors 30 is absorbed.

  The maximum movable distance in the X direction of the movable housing 12 is a displaceable distance δ3, and beyond that, the lower side wall portion 12g of the movable housing 12 abuts on the inner wall surface of the side wall portion 11a and is limited (FIG. 9). Therefore, an excessive stress does not act on the connection terminal 13 due to the displacement of the movable housing 12. This also prevents an excessive force applied to the slit 11k that supports one end (the leg portion 13b side) of the connection terminal 13, and the slit 11k is not damaged.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the connection terminal 13 is housed in an elastic part housing chamber 11f in which the elastic part 13c is partitioned by the partition wall 11e, so that even if the elastic part 13c is deformed. There is no possibility that the adjacent connection terminals 13 contact each other. In addition, since each elastic portion accommodating chamber 11f is opened to the outside of the fixed housing 11 through the long hole 11d, the elastic portion 13c can be deformed while projecting to the outside of the fixed housing 11, and the elastic portion 13c can be elastically deformed. The part 13c does not interfere with the side wall part 11a. Therefore, the fixed housing 11 (that is, the connector 10) can be downsized together with the prevention of contact between the connection terminals 13 by the partition wall 11e.

  10 and 11 show a normal state in which the movable housing 12 is not displaced in the Y direction (see FIG. 1) with respect to the fixed housing 11, and the protrusion 12a is formed in the left-right direction (Y (Direction) Located at the center, a gap of a displaceable distance δ1 is equally formed on the left and right between the protrusion 12a and the fitting hole 11g.

  When the mating connector 30 having a position error in the Y direction is inserted, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the connection terminal 13 is bent mainly in the Y direction by the elastic portion 13 c, and the movable housing 12 is moved to the fixed housing 11. On the other hand, it is displaced in the Y direction and follows the mating connector 30 to absorb a positional error between the connector 10 and the mating connector 30.

  The movable maximum distance in the Y direction of the movable housing 12 is a displaceable distance δ1, and beyond that, the protrusion 12a abuts against the fitting hole 11g (see FIG. 13) and is restricted, so that excessive stress is applied to the connection terminal 13. Does not act on. Further, each connection terminal 13 is separated from each other in the elastic portion accommodating chamber 11f partitioned by the partition wall 11e, and is accommodated in a narrow gap, so that deformation of the connection terminal 13 in the Y direction is restricted and adjacent to each other. The connecting terminals 13 that do not come into contact with each other. Accordingly, excessive stress acting on the connection terminal 13 is also prevented by this, and the force applied to the slit 11k that supports one end of the connection terminal 13 is also limited.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the mating connector 30 is inserted into or removed from the connector 10, an insertion / extraction force in the Z direction acts on the connector 10. As shown in FIG. 11, the gap in the Z direction between the protrusion 12a and the fitting hole 11g is extremely narrow (for example, 0.1 mm) and is a displaceable distance δ2.

  Accordingly, when the mating connector 30 is inserted, as soon as the connection terminal 13 is slightly deformed in the Z direction, the lower surface of the projection 12a comes into contact with the lower surface of the fitting hole 11g. Further, when the mating connector 30 is removed from the connector 10, as soon as the connection terminal 13 is slightly deformed in the Z direction, the upper surface of the projection 12a comes into contact with the upper surface of the fitting hole 11g and the movement is restricted.

  As a result, the insertion / extraction force of the mating connector 30 is received by the protrusion 12 a and the fitting hole 11 g, and excessive stress does not act on the connection terminal 13. The insertion / extraction force of the mating connector 30 is received by the fixed housing 11 via the protrusion 12a and the fitting hole 11g. The fixed housing 11 is firmly attached to the printed circuit board 14 by the two positioning pins 11h and the fixing bracket 16. Since it is fixed, it can easily withstand the insertion / extraction force.

  As described above, according to the connector 10 of this embodiment, the connecting portion 19 that integrally connects the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 is provided, and the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 11 are movable by cutting the connecting portion 19. Since the movable housing 12 is separated from the housing 12 by the plurality of connection terminals 13 so as to be displaceable with respect to the fixed housing 11, the housing (ie, the fixed housing 11 and the fixed housing 11 and the housing formed integrally with the connecting portion 19). With respect to the movable housing 12), the leg portions 13b of the plurality of connection terminals 13 can be mounted on the fixed housing 11, and the contact portions 13a of the plurality of connection terminals 13 can be mounted on the movable housing 12, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced with a small number of manufacturing steps. The connector 10 can be manufactured. As described above, the assembling property of the plurality of connection terminals 13 is greatly improved (in other words, the assembling property of the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 is greatly improved), so that the leg portion 13b and the contact portion 13a are connected to each other. The variation in positional accuracy is reduced, and the electrical circuit board 14 and the mating connector 30 can be reliably brought into contact with each other, and the connection reliability can be greatly increased.

  Further, according to the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 are connected by the connecting portion 19 in a state where the protruding portion 12a of the movable housing 12 is disposed in the fitting hole 11g of the fixed housing 11. After the connection portion 19 is cut, the inner peripheral surface that defines the fitting hole 11g and the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 12a so that the displaceable distance of the movable housing 12 relative to the fixed housing 11 is limited to a predetermined distance or less. Since the movable housing 12 can be displaced relative to the fixed housing 11 by the distance of the fitting gap, it is possible to prevent an excessive displacement of the movable housing 12 and an excessive stress applied to the connection terminal 13. The plastic deformation of the connection terminal 13 can be prevented. Further, the insertion / extraction force generated when the connector 10 is inserted / removed can be received by the protrusion 12a loosely fitted in the fitting hole 11g, and the force applied to the connection terminal 13 can be reduced to prevent the connection terminal 13 from being damaged. Furthermore, since the protruding portion 12a is loosely fitted in the fitting hole 11g, the movable housing 12 can be prevented from coming off from the fixed housing 11.

  Further, according to the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the fixed housing 11 can be fixed to one electric circuit board 14, and the leg portions 13 b of the plurality of connection terminals 13 are electrically connected to the one electric circuit board 14. The movable housing 12 can be fitted with a mating connector 30 that can be fixed to the other electric circuit board 24, so that a connector suitable for board-to-board connection can be provided.

  Further, according to the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the movable distance of the movable housing 12 with respect to the fixed housing 11 is such that the movable distance δ2 in the insertion / removal direction with respect to the mating connector 30 is displaceable in a direction parallel to one electric circuit board 14. Since it is set to be smaller than the distance δ1, the insertion / extraction force generated when the connector is inserted / removed is received by the protrusion 12a loosely fitted into the fitting hole 11g, and the force applied to the connection terminal 13 is reduced to damage the connection terminal 13. Can be prevented. In addition, this makes it possible to maintain a highly reliable electrical connection.

  Further, according to the manufacturing method of the connector 10 according to the present embodiment, the fixed housing 11, the movable housing 12 disposed in the fixed housing 11, and the connecting portion 19 that connects the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 are integrated. After one end of the plurality of connection terminals 13 is mounted on the fixed housing 11 and the other end of the plurality of connection terminals 13 is mounted on the movable housing 12, the connecting portion 19 is cut to move with the fixed housing 11. Since the movable housing 12 is separated from the housing 12 and is supported by the plurality of connection terminals 13 so as to be displaceable with respect to the fixed housing 11, the housing formed integrally with the connecting portion 19 (that is, the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 11). One end of a plurality of connection terminals 13 with respect to the housing 12) The other end of the connection terminal 13 can be attached to the movable housing 12, it is possible to accurately produce a low cost connector 10 thus fewer manufacturing steps. As described above, the assembling property of the plurality of connection terminals 13 is greatly improved (in other words, the assembling property of the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 is greatly improved), so that the leg portion 13b and the contact portion 13a are connected to each other. The variation in positional accuracy is reduced, and the electrical circuit board 14 and the mating connector 30 can be reliably brought into contact with each other, and the connection reliability can be greatly increased.

  Further, according to the method for manufacturing the connector 10 according to the present embodiment, at least one fitting hole 11 g is provided in the side wall portion 11 a of the fixed housing 11 and loosely fitted in the fitting hole 11 g of the fixed housing 11. Since the fixed housing 11, the movable housing 12, and the connecting portion 19 are integrally formed so that the protrusion 12a protrudes from the side wall 11a of the movable housing 12, the protrusion 12a is long and embedded in the side wall of the fixed housing 11. The movable housing 12 that is difficult to be assembled by ordinary means, such as being formed (that is, the shape in which the protrusion 12a and the fitting hole 11g overlap), can be easily assembled to the fixed housing 11. Further, since the movable housing 12 is displaceable with respect to the fixed housing 11 by the distance of the fitting gap between the inner peripheral surface defining the fitting hole 11g and the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 12a, the excessive movement of the movable housing 12 is increased. Displacement can be prevented and excessive stress applied to the connection terminal 13 can be prevented, so that plastic deformation of the connection terminal 13 can be prevented. Further, the insertion / extraction force generated when the connector is inserted / removed can be received by the protrusion 12a loosely fitted in the fitting hole 11g, and the force applied to the connection terminal 13 can be reduced to prevent the connection terminal 13 from being damaged. Furthermore, since the protruding portion 12a is loosely fitted in the fitting hole 11g, the movable housing 12 can be prevented from coming off from the fixed housing 11.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. can be made as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, dimension, numerical value, form, number, location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

  In the above embodiment, the connector for connecting the two printed circuit boards so as to be arranged in parallel has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the two printed circuit boards are arranged vertically. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to such connectors.

  Moreover, although the board-to-board connector has been described as an example in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cable is disposed at the end of the cable to electrically connect the cables. The present invention can be effectively applied to other types of connectors such as a connector to be used.

It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the connector which concerns on this invention with the other party connector which is an example of a fitting object. It is a partially exploded perspective view which shows the back surface of the connector of FIG. It is a top view of the connector of FIG. It is a side view of the connector of FIG. It is a VV arrow sectional view in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 3 showing a free state in which the movable connector is located at a predetermined position, and a vertical cross-sectional view of an example of the counterpart connector shown in FIG. It is a VII-VII arrow sectional view in Drawing 3 showing the free state where a movable connector is located in a predetermined position. It is sectional drawing of the connector which shows the state which the movable connector displaced to the X direction from the free state of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the connector which shows the state which the movable connector displaced to the X direction from the free state of FIG. It is a principal part top view of the connector in which a movable connector is in a free state. It is an A arrow main part enlarged view in FIG. It is a principal part top view of the connector which shows the state which the movable connector displaced to the Y direction from the free state of FIG. It is a B arrow main part enlarged view in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional connector with the other party connector. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the conventional connector fitted with the other party connector in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Connector 11 Fixed housing 11a Side wall part 11f Elastic part accommodating chamber 11g Fitting hole 12 Movable housing 12a Protrusion part 12c Side wall part 12e Contact part accommodating chamber 13 Connection terminal 13a Contact part 13b Leg part 13c Elastic part 14 One printed circuit board ( One electrical circuit board)
18 Excessive displacement prevention mechanism 19 Connecting part 24 The other printed circuit board (the other electric circuit board)
30 counterpart connector 31 connection terminal δ1 movable distance of movable housing in parallel direction (Y direction) to one printed circuit board δ2 movable distance in movable housing insertion / removal direction (Z direction) δ3 to one printed circuit board The movable distance of the movable housing in the parallel direction (X direction)

Claims (1)

A fixed housing having a fitting hole for movement distance regulation formed through the side wall on a side wall along the longitudinal direction of the frame-shaped main body ;
A movable housing disposed in a side wall portion facing the side wall and having a protrusion portion loosely fitted in the fitting hole, surrounded by the side wall of the fixed housing;
The movable part so that the leg fixed to the fixed housing so as to partially protrude out of the fixed housing and the connection terminal of the counterpart connector are in contact with and electrically connected to the counterpart connector when fitted. a contact portion which is fixed to the housing, and a corresponding leg and a resilient portion formed integrally with the contact portion between said leg portion and the contact portion possess respectively, along the longitudinal direction of the fixed housing A plurality of connection terminals arranged in a row,
A connecting portion that integrally connects the fixed housing and the movable housing in a state in which the protruding portion of the movable housing is disposed in the fitting hole of the fixed housing;
With
By cutting the connecting portion, the fixed housing and the movable housing are separated from each other, and the movable housing is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fitting hole with respect to the fixed housing. The connector is supported by the plurality of connection terminals so that it can be displaced until the movement of the movable housing is restricted .

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