JP6041949B2 - Electrical connector with bracket - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fitting-equipped electrical connector having a fitting.

  In many cases, the connector into which the mating connector is inserted or removed is provided with a metal fitting. An example of this type of connector is a pair of connectors disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  In Patent Literature 1, the other connector (referred to as Plug Connector B in Patent Literature 1) is formed as a receiving portion into which the mating connector is fitted, with a space surrounded by the peripheral wall formed by the side wall and the end wall of the housing. The side wall shield and the end shield made of the metal plate member are respectively attached to the side wall forming the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall and the outer surface of the end wall. A shield member is formed. Both the side-side shield and the end-side shield are contact pieces extending from their upper edges and bent in an inverted U shape to form a shield contact piece portion of the mating connector after fitting. In Patent Document 1, it is unclear how the side-side shield and the end-side shield are attached to the housing. However, the side-side shield is formed in a strip shape, With respect to each of the side walls, it is disposed so as to contact the side wall of the housing, and the inner walls of the groove step portions at both ends of the groove portion formed on the outer surface of the side wall hold and hold the longitudinal end surface of the side shield. It is assumed that the end shield is bent in the plate thickness direction so as to form a horizontal U shape when viewed in the connector fitting direction, and the opposite open end legs approach each other. Therefore, it is considered that the two open end leg portions are held so as to elastically clamp one end side of the two side shields from the outside. The end-side shield elastically pinches the two side-side shields with the open legs, so that the end-side shield is in electrical contact with the side-side shield while being held. Thus, a frame-shaped shield member is formed by the side shield and the end shield. The shield member surrounds the housing, and it can be used as a metal fitting for strength improvement from the viewpoint of protecting the housing from wear and damage to the housing at the contact surface with the mating connector against repeated connector insertion / extraction. Function.

JP 2006-59589 A

  In the connector of Patent Document 1, all of the shield contact pieces provided on the shield member are bent in an inverted U shape inward on the receiving portion side, and the free end of the shield contact piece The side portion is located so as to protrude inward toward the receiving portion from the inner surface of the peripheral wall. The side shield has a protrusion on the inner surface side of the shield contact piece, and the end shield has a hole formed inside the shield contact piece, and the hole provided in the corresponding part of the shield member of the mating connector The shield contact pieces are electrically connected to each other by engaging and contacting the portions and the protrusions.

  In Patent Document 1, in order to ensure contact between the shield contact pieces of the connector and the mating connector, the reverse U-shaped shield contact piece of the side shield is also the reverse U-shaped shield contact piece of the end shield. In order to obtain elasticity, the leg on the free end side of both legs having an inverted U-shape is not supported by the housing, and a gap that enables elastic displacement is formed between the leg and the housing.

  Since the shield contact piece is elastically in contact with the counterpart shield contact piece, a contact pressure corresponding to the amount of elastic displacement is generated at the contact portion, and the protrusion and The hole is engaged in the vertical direction. Therefore, when pulling out the mating connector, in addition to the force commensurate with the engagement force between the projection and the hole, a force greater than the frictional force generated by the reaction force due to the contact pressure is pulled out from the mating connector. Must be given as output. This extraction output acts on the shield contact piece as it is, but the shield contact piece is free to be displaced so as to be elastically displaceable and is not supported by the housing. There is a possibility of deformation in the extraction direction. If such a punching force is repeatedly received, the shield contact piece may be plastically deformed and damaged, and it cannot be said that the strength is sufficient as a metal fitting for protecting the housing.

In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector with a metal fitting provided with a metal fitting having a sufficient strength and low wear and damage even by repeated insertion and removal of a mating connector for protecting the housing. To do.

  The above-described problems can be solved by the following first and second inventions.

<First invention>
The electrical connector with bracket according to the first invention is a pair of side walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing while standing up from the periphery of the bottom wall of the housing, and the longitudinal ends of the pair of side walls with respect to the longitudinal direction. The housing has a peripheral wall formed by a pair of end walls connected in a transverse direction perpendicular to the housing, and the housing has a receiving portion for receiving the mating connector from above, and the terminal holding at both ends of the side wall in the longitudinal direction Metal fittings are attached outside the area.

In such an electrical connector with metal fittings, in the first invention, the metal fitting includes an attached portion attached to an attachment portion formed on the end side of the pair of side walls, and a connecting portion for connecting the attached portions. The attached portion has a substantially inverted U-shape and is positioned so as to straddle the above-mentioned attachment portion of the side wall from above, and the connecting portion is exposed to the receiving portion and receives the end wall or the bottom wall It is characterized by being located along the inner wall surface.

  In the first invention configured as described above, the attached portion (inverted U shape) of the metal fitting is positioned so as to straddle the attachment portion of the side wall from above and is held by the side wall, so that it is elastically deformed. The holding strength is improved due to the fixed position. Also, the two mounted parts are connected by a connecting part, and the connecting part is located along the inner surface of the receiving part side of the end wall or the bottom wall and is formed short so that the connecting strength is large, and therefore the entire metal fitting The strength of is improved. In addition to the improvement in wear resistance due to the fact that the metal fitting is a metal, in the first invention, since the attached portion is fixedly held and connected by the connecting portion, the overall strength of the metal fitting is increased. The metal fitting can be prevented from being detached from the housing and plastic deformation damage.

<Second invention>
Similarly to the first invention, the electrical connector with bracket according to the second invention is also erected from the periphery of the bottom wall of the housing and extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing, and the longitudinal ends of the pair of side walls. The housing has a peripheral wall formed by a pair of end walls that are connected in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the housing is formed with a receiving portion for receiving the mating connector from above, in the longitudinal direction. A metal fitting is attached to the outside of the terminal holding area at both ends of the side wall.

In such an electrical connector with metal fittings, in the second invention, the metal fitting includes an attached portion that is attached to an attachment portion formed on the end side of the pair of side walls, and a connecting portion that connects the attached portions. The attached portion has a substantially inverted U shape having an inner leg portion and an outer leg portion, and is positioned so as to straddle the attachment portion of the side wall from above, and the connecting portion is a pair of attached portions. It is characterized in that the inner leg parts of the parts are connected to each other.

In the first and second inventions, the mounted portion of the metal fitting may have a guide surface for guiding the mating connector toward the receiving portion of the housing in the short direction of the housing. The guide surface of the mounting portion of the bracket, it is preferable that no inclined surface on the upper surface of the mounted portion.

  In the first invention and the second invention, the metal fitting also has a secondary attached portion that rises from the connecting portion and has a substantially inverted U-shape, and the secondary attached portion is provided corresponding to the secondary attached portion. It is preferable to be positioned so as to straddle the sub-attachment portion of the end wall.

  Since such a sub-attached portion is substantially U-shaped like the attached portion and is located so as to straddle the sub-attachment portion of the end wall from above, it has the same strength improvement feature as the attached portion. Bring. Accordingly, the strength of the metal fitting is increased by the number of sub-attached parts compared to the case where only two attached parts are provided. For example, only one sub-attached part is provided. Simply, the strength improvement of (2 + 1) /2=1.5 times is obtained.

  Since the sub-attached portion rises from an intermediate position of the connecting portion, it also reinforces the connecting portion itself, which also contributes to improving the strength of the metal fitting.

In the first and second inventions, the metal fitting is widened in which the inner width of the receiving portion is formed in the longitudinal direction and the short direction in the corresponding part of the side wall and the corresponding part of the end wall in the longitudinal direction and in the short direction. It is preferable to be accommodated in the part. When the metal fitting is accommodated in such a widened portion, the inner surface of the metal fitting and the side wall of the housing are almost at the same level surface, and when the metal fitting has a function as a guide metal fitting , Smooth guiding is possible, and the strength at the time of guiding is improved by the guide on the metal surface.

  In the first invention and the second invention, the metal fitting is such that at least the mounted portion of the mounted portion and the sub-mounted portion hangs down to the level of the lower surface of the bottom wall of the housing along the outer peripheral wall surface. It is preferable that the solder can be attached to the solder attaching portion. In this way, by attaching the attached portion to the connector attachment target member, for example, the solder attachment portion of the circuit board, the bracket can also function as a ground member, and the strength of attachment of the connector to the circuit board is also possible. Will also improve.

  As described above, the present invention forms an inverted U-shaped attachment portion on the metal fitting, and attaches it to the attachment portions of the two side walls facing each other at the end in the longitudinal direction of the housing, that is, the position near the end wall. Since the parts are positioned so as to straddle from above, both the attached parts are connected by the connecting part, so that when the mating connector is inserted and removed, not only the wear resistance is improved by metal-to-metal contact, but also the attached part is elastic. Since it is firmly held by the side wall without causing deformation, the mounting strength is improved.

It is a perspective view which shows one connector (receptacle connector) which comprises the electrical connector assembly as one Embodiment of this invention, and the other connector (plug connector) as a mating connector, (A) is one connector, ( B) is the other connector, and both are shown in a posture with the fitting direction on the upper side. It is a perspective view which shows both the connectors of FIG. 1 in the position and attitude | position just before fitting. It is a perspective view which shows one connector of FIG.1 and FIG.2 in the state from which the guide metal fitting was isolate | separated. It is a top view when the connector of FIG. 3 is attached to a circuit board. It is a perspective view which shows the other connector of FIG. 1 in the state from which the guide metal fitting was isolate | separated. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the position of a guide metal fitting shown in the position and attitude | position just before fitting of both the connectors of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the position of a guide metal fitting which shows the time of completion of fitting of both the connectors of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction in the center protrusion wall (center recessed part) position shown by the position and attitude | position just before fitting of both the connectors of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction at the center protruding wall (central recess) position, showing the completion of the fitting of both connectors in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle connector 1 (hereinafter referred to as a connector 1) according to the present embodiment and a plug connector 2 (hereinafter referred to as a mating connector 2) as a mating connector fitted to the receptacle connector 1 from above. In the state before the connector is mated, the mating side is shown upward, (A) is a receptacle connector, and (B) is a plug connector.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of both connectors shown in a posture immediately before mating, in which the mating connector 2 is fitted to the connector 1 positioned below, and the connector 1 is in the same posture as FIG. However, the mating connector 2 has a posture in which the one shown in FIG.

  The connector 1 and the mating connector 2 in this embodiment are electrical connectors for circuit boards that are arranged on mounting surfaces of different circuit boards (not shown), and are in a direction perpendicular to the surface of each circuit board (see FIG. 2, the connector assembly having the insertion / extraction direction is configured. In this embodiment, the fitting direction of the mating connector 2 with respect to the connector 1, that is, the direction in which the mating connector 2 is moved downward in FIG. 2 is defined as the “connector fitting direction”, and the opposite direction, that is, the upper direction in FIG. The direction toward the “connector extraction direction” will be described.

  Of the connector 1 and the mating connector 2, the connector 1 will be described first. As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 2, the connector 1 has a thin housing 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and the housing 10 is arranged and held in two rows by the housing 10 with the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 as a terminal arrangement direction. A plurality of terminals 20 and a guide fitting 30 which is held at the end of the housing 10 in the longitudinal direction and guides the mating connector. The connector 1 is arranged and mounted on a circuit board in the posture shown in FIG.

  The housing 10 is made of, for example, an electrical insulating material such as resin, and has a form extending with a direction parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board as a longitudinal direction (terminal arrangement direction). The housing 10 has a bottom wall 11 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) having a bottom surface parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board, and rises upward from the bottom wall 11 in FIG. It has an island-shaped central protruding wall 12 extending in the arrangement direction, and a frame-shaped peripheral wall 13 that stands upward from the peripheral portion of the bottom wall 11 and surrounds the central protruding wall 12. The peripheral wall 13 includes a pair of side walls 14 extending in the terminal arrangement direction, and a pair of end walls 15 extending in the connector width direction perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction and connecting the ends of the pair of side walls 14. Have. An annular space opened upward between the central protruding wall 12 and the peripheral wall 13 surrounding the central protruding wall 12 is formed as a receiving portion 16 for receiving a corresponding fitting portion of the mating connector 2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the side wall 14 includes a terminal holding portion 14A for arranging and holding a plurality of terminals to define a terminal arrangement region, and a region on both ends in the longitudinal direction with respect to the terminal holding portion 14A, that is, a terminal arrangement. It has the attaching part 14B for attaching the guide metal fitting 30 located outside the area. The mounting portion 14B is provided so as to bulge out from the terminal holding portion 14A in the connector width direction, and when viewed from above, forms a stepped shape with respect to the terminal holding portion 14A. In other words, when viewed from above, the mounting portion 14B is constricted by the terminal holding portion 14A. The position of the outer wall surface of the mounting portion 14B in the width direction is a width from the lower portion of the outer wall surface of the terminal holding portion 14A so that the terminal held by the terminal holding portion 14A of the side wall 14 is soldered to the circuit board. The position is slightly outside the connecting portion extending outward in the direction. Further, the position of the inner wall surface in the width direction of the mounting portion 14B is also a widened portion that is wider than the terminal holding portion 14A by the thickness of the guide fitting 30 described later. And a guide metal fitting is stored in the said wide part. When the guide metal fitting is accommodated in such a widened portion, the inner leg portion 31A and the lock projection 31A-1 of the guide metal fitting, the inner surface of the side wall of the housing, and the protrusion 21A formed on the terminal become substantially the same level surface, The mating connector can be smoothly guided when the connector is inserted, and the strength at the time of guiding is improved by the guide on the metal surface. The housing 10 will be described in detail again in relation to the terminal 20 and the guide fitting 30.

  The terminal 20 is formed by bending a band-shaped metal plate in the thickness direction, and when viewed in the terminal arrangement direction, the terminal 20 has a lateral S-shape obtained by connecting an inverted U-shaped portion and a U-shaped portion. Yes. The inverted U-shaped portion of the terminal 20 has an inner leg portion and an outer leg portion, forms a held portion 21 held by the terminal holding portion 14A of the side wall 14, and straddles the terminal holding portion 14A. For example, it is attached by integral molding, and the inner leg portion and the outer leg portion are respectively located on the inner surface and the outer surface of the side wall 14. The U-shaped portion has a lower curved portion that is concavely bent along the bottom wall 11 and extends from the lower position of the terminal holding portion 14 </ b> A on the side wall to the position of the side surface of the central protruding wall 12. A portion that forms the free end side of the U-shaped portion is located on the side surface of the central protruding wall 12 and forms an elastic arm 22. The inner leg of the held portion 21 is provided with a protruding portion 21A that makes contact with and locks with the mating terminal, and at a position opposite to this, on the free end side of the elastic arm 22 of the U-shaped portion. A contact portion 22A that is bent so as to protrude in a horizontal V shape toward the inner leg portion is provided, and the contact portion 22A contacts the mating terminal of the mating connector with contact pressure, and the opposite side Thus, the protruding portion 21A is locked and locked to prevent it from coming off. Such a terminal 20 is similarly held on both of the two side walls 14 located opposite to each other, is located symmetrically with respect to the island-shaped central protruding wall 12 in the connector width direction, and is regularly spaced in the longitudinal direction. Are arranged in Since the present invention is not intended to be a terminal, further description of the terminal is omitted.

  In the mounting portion 14B forming the both end regions in the longitudinal direction of the side wall 14, the mounting groove 14B-1 is reversed over the upper surface and the inner and outer surfaces of the mounting portion 14B with a groove depth corresponding to the plate thickness of the guide fitting described later. It is formed in a U shape. The auxiliary mounting portion 15A provided on the end wall 15 that connects the mounting portions 14B of the two side walls 14 facing each other in the connector width direction at the same end side position in the longitudinal direction also has a central position in the connector width direction. A sub-mounting groove 15A-1 similar to the mounting groove 14B-1 is formed. Similarly to the mounting groove 14B-1, the sub mounting groove 15A-1 extends in an inverted U shape from the upper surface to the inner and outer surfaces of the end wall 15, and the sub mounting groove 15A-1 is formed on the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10. The connecting groove 17B-1 communicates with the mounting groove 14B-1 by a communication portion 17 formed at the offset position. The two opposing mounting portions 14B in which the mounting groove 14B-1 is formed and the end wall 15 in which the sub mounting groove 15A-1 is formed have a horizontal U shape having a right angle when viewed from above. The upper surface is directed inward, that is, has a slope with a downward slope toward the receiving portion 16.

  The guide fitting 30 is made by bending a metal plate in the plate thickness direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide fitting 30 faces the connector width direction and is formed in the mounting groove 14B formed in the mounting portion 14B of the housing 10. -1 is formed in an inverted U shape so that it can be attached to two attached portions 31 having an inverted U shape so as to be attached to -1, and a sub-attachment groove 15A-1 formed in the end wall 15 of the housing 10. It has a sub-attached portion 32 and a connecting portion 33 located on the inner surface of the end wall 15 so as to form a contact surface or a gap. The two attached portions 31 are connected by the connecting portion 33. In the present embodiment, as described above, the connecting portion 33 is located on the inner surface of the end wall 15, and the connecting portion 33 is shortened by the shortest connecting distance, so that the connecting strength is large. The strength of is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 6 showing the cross section of the attached portion 31, the inner leg portion 31A and the outer leg portion 31B, which are formed in an inverted U shape and are located inside and outside the attaching portion 14B of the side wall 14, And an upper plate portion 31C to be connected. The attached portion 31 is press-fitted and attached to the attachment groove 14B-1 of the attachment portion 14B from above, and after attachment, the inner surface of the attached portion 31 is positioned along the groove surface of the attachment groove 14B-1.

  When the fitting portion 31 is press-fitted into the attachment groove 14B-1, both end edges (thick surfaces located at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the connector) are the inner portions in the groove width direction of the attachment groove 14B-1. The mounting holding force is increased by receiving a reaction force from the edge during press-fitting. A protrusion 31B-1 is provided on the side edge of the outer leg portion 31B, and it bites into the mounting groove 14B-1, thereby strengthening its holding force. The upper plate portion 31C of the attached portion 31 forms an inclining slope toward the inside, that is, toward the receiving portion 16, and forms a guide surface for the mating connector. Further, the inner leg portion 31A is provided with a lock projection 31A-1 that is engaged with the corresponding portion of the mating connector in a horizontally long manner. Further, the top plate portion 31 </ b> C has a vertex that is substantially the same height as the vertex of the mounting portion 14 </ b> B of the housing 10, and is located inward of the slope formed on the housing 10. Note that the lock protrusion of the guide metal fitting 30 may be concave or slit-shaped. In this case, it goes without saying that the mating connector-corresponding portion has a protrusion.

  The sub-attached portion 32 rises from the upper edge of the connecting portion 33 that connects the two attached portions 31 to each other and is bent outward and bent downward at the outer surface position of the end wall 15 to form an inverted U shape. I am doing. The sub-attached portion 32 also has an inner leg portion 32A, an outer leg portion 32B, and an upper plate portion 32C inclined inward, like the above-described attached portion 31, and is similar to the attached portion 31. It functions in the same manner with a reverse U-shape, and the mounting holding force is similarly increased in response to a reaction force caused by press fitting into the sub mounting groove 15A-1. The top plate portion 32C has a vertex that is substantially the same height as the vertex of the end wall 15 of the housing 10 and is located inward of the slope formed on the housing. Note that the inner leg portion 32A may also be provided with a lock protrusion that engages with the mating connector corresponding portion.

  The inner leg portion 31A of the attached portion 31 and the inner leg portion 32A of the sub attached portion 32 are connected by a connecting portion 33 at their lower portions. The connecting portion 33 forms a contact surface or a gap at the lower part of the inner surface of the peripheral wall 13, and the connecting portion 33 has an intermediate L so as to fit the inner corner that is the intersection of the mounting portion 14B and the end wall 15. It is bent in a letter shape.

  In the connector 1, a central protruding wall 12 that rises in an island shape on the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10 has a shape that enters a corresponding central recess of the mating connector 2. A groove for accommodating the elastic arm 22 of the terminal 20 is formed on a side surface of the central projecting wall 12, and only a contact portion 22 </ b> A bent to the elastic arm 22 is located outside the groove. The position of the groove 22 is variable according to the elastic displacement of the contact portion 22A.

  In the central protruding wall 12, longitudinal end surfaces (wall surfaces located at both ends in the longitudinal direction) form a continuous inclined surface 12 </ b> A in a direction approaching the bottom wall 11 and the end wall 15. In this embodiment, the inclined surface 12A transitions with a convex curved surface and a concave curved surface with respect to the upper surface 12B and the bottom wall 11 of the central protruding wall 12, respectively, and the inclination changes continuously, and is discontinuous. The continuous inclined surface is formed over almost the entire height of the central protruding wall 12 without changing the inclination.

  The inclined surface 12A at the longitudinal end surface of the central protruding wall 12 and the inner leg portion 32A of the sub-attached portion 32 of the guide metal fitting 30 on the opposite end wall 15 formed in this way, and further, the longitudinal Is located between the longitudinal end face and the inner leg portion 32A in the direction and forms a space surrounded by the inner leg portion 31A of the attached portion 31 facing in the connector width direction from four directions, and the corresponding portion of the mating connector 2 is formed here. Is inserted. At that time, the upper end side of the inclined surface 12A in the longitudinal direction end surface of the central protruding wall 12 has a convex curved surface as a transition portion to the upper surface 12B, and the guide metal fitting 30 has an upper plate portion 32C of the sub-attachment portion 32, two Since the upper plate portion 31C of the one attached portion 31 is an inwardly inclined surface and is located inward from the inclined surface formed in the housing, the corresponding portion of the mating connector 2 is the inclined surface. To easily enter the space.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the terminal 20 of the connector 1 described above, the connection portion 23 for connecting to the circuit board P extends outward from the lower portion of the outer surface of the terminal holding portion 14 </ b> A of the side wall 14 of the housing 10. ing. Since the outer surface of the mounting portion 14B of the housing 10 is located slightly outside the tip of the connection portion 23 of the terminal 20 in the connector width direction, the strength of the mounting portion is increased and the connection portion 23 Even if the solder pad P1 to be soldered is slightly protruded from the tip of the connection portion 23, the circuit board area occupied for the pad P1 is substantially the same in the connector width direction and the mounting portion 14B. The surface of the substrate can be used effectively.

  Next, although the mating connector 2 is used, in this embodiment, the mating connector 2 is also used by being attached to a corresponding circuit board in the same manner as the connector 1 described above. Therefore, when the connector 1 and the mating connector are fitted and connected, the circuit portions of the two circuit boards are connected to each other.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the mating connector 2 includes a housing 40 made of an electrically insulating material, terminals 50 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the housing 40 held by the housing 40, and out of the terminal arrangement range. And a guide metal fitting 60 attached to both ends of the housing 40.

  The housing 40 is fitted into a receiving portion 16 that forms an annular recess formed in the housing 10 of the connector 1 described above, that is, a space formed between the island-shaped central protruding wall 12 and the peripheral wall 13 that surrounds it. A rectangular frame-shaped peripheral wall 41 and a bottom wall 42 are provided. The peripheral wall 41 includes a side wall 43 and an end wall 44, and forms a central recess 45 that receives the central protruding wall 12 of the connector 1.

  The terminal 50 is made by bending a metal strip member in the thickness direction. The terminal 50 extends laterally from the inverted U-shaped held portion 51 held by the upper portion of the side wall 43 of the housing (the upper portion in the state of FIG. 1B) and the bottom wall 42 of the housing 40. And a connecting portion 52 to be soldered to the substrate. The surface of the inner leg portion of the held portion 51 having an inverted U shape forms a contact portion 51A where the contact portion 22A provided on the elastic arm 22 of the terminal 20 of the connector 1 is elastically contacted, and the held portion On the surface of the outer leg portion of 51, there is provided a lock recess 51B in which a projection 21A for locking the terminal 20 is engaged. Since the present invention is not intended to be a terminal, further description of the terminal is omitted.

  The guide fitting 60 functions to be guided to the normal position by being guided by the guide fitting 30 of the connector 1 when fitted to the connector 1. The metal fittings 30 and 60 are often relatively displaced from their proper mating positions immediately before the mating is started, and at the time of mating, they are in contact with each other, particularly at the ends and corners of the connector. The contact force is relatively large. Therefore, it is meaningful that they are the same metal fitting in that they sufficiently resist the abutting impact force and the frictional force in the fitting process.

  Similar to the guide fitting 30 of the connector 1, the guide fitting 60 is made by bending a metal plate in the plate thickness direction, and is attached to the housing 40 from the upper surface side of the housing 40 at the end in the longitudinal direction. The upper surface portion 61A located on the upper surface side, the side surface portion 61B located on the outer surface of the side wall 43 of the housing 40, and the end surface portion 61C located on the outer surface of the end wall 44 of the housing 40 are integrally provided. As shown in FIG. 4, two upper surface portions extending obliquely from the end surface portion 61 </ b> C extending in the connector width direction along the end wall 44 toward the two opposing side walls 43 to form a V-shaped edge. 61A is bent downward along the outer surface of the side wall 43 to form side portions 61B. A locking slit 62 extending in the lateral direction is formed in the side surface portion 61B. A lock protrusion 31A-1 formed on the attached portion 31 of the guide fitting 30 of the connector 1 is engaged with the slit. The guide fitting 30 of the connector 1 has a form in which the attached portion 31 and the sub attached portion 32 extend from the inner surface side of the peripheral wall 13 of the housing 10 to the outer surface side. At the end, the end of the peripheral wall 41 is covered from the outer surface side.

  The lower end of the side surface portion 61B of the guide metal fitting 60 is bent along the lower surface of the bottom wall 42 of the housing 40 and locked to the lower surface as shown in FIG. ing.

  The guide metal fitting 60 is guided by the attached portion 31 of the guide metal fitting 30 of the connector 1 in a range from the rounded shoulder portion serving as a boundary between the upper surface portion 61A and the side surface portion 61B to the side surface portion 61B. A range from the round shoulder portion to the end surface portion 61 </ b> C serving as a boundary between the portion 61 </ b> A and the end surface portion 61 </ b> C is guided by the sub-attached portion 32 of the guide fitting 30.

  The inner surface of the end wall 44 of the housing 40, that is, the inner end surface of the longitudinal end portion of the central recess 45 that receives the central projecting wall 12 of the connector 1 approaches the longitudinal center portion toward the bottom of the central recess 45. An inclined surface 45A is formed (see FIG. 8). The inclined surface 45A is preferably substantially the same as the inclination angle of the inclined surface 12A formed on the longitudinal end surface of the central protruding wall 12 of the connector 1. Thus, the portion of the housing 40 that is exposed between the two upper surface portions 61A of the guide fitting 60 (the portion that appears in a substantially V shape on the upper surface of the end wall 44) is the inclined surface 45A. It is guided by a central protruding wall 12 which is a housing part of the same connector 1.

  The connector 1 and the mating connector 2 configured as described above are used as an electrical connector assembly.

In use, the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 are attached to the respective circuit boards, and lean to the position just before fitting as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the circuit board itself is not shown, but in FIG. 2, the connector 1 has a circuit board located on the bottom surface of the bottom wall, and the mating connector 2 has a bottom wall facing upward. The circuit boards are respectively positioned on the upper surface of the connector 1 and the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 face each other in a direction in which the circuit boards are fitted to each other in a state where the circuit boards are parallel to each other. In the figure of this embodiment, the circuit board is not shown except for FIG.

  The mating connector 2 is lowered toward the connector 1 as it is in the posture immediately before the mating shown in FIG. When the fitting is started at the normal position, the peripheral wall 41 of the mating connector 2 is fitted into the annular receiving portion 16 of the connector 1, and at the same time, the central protruding wall of the connector 1 is inserted into the central recess 45 of the mating connector 2. 12 enters, and both the connectors 1 and 2 are fitted so as to mesh with each other (see FIGS. 7 and 9). In the start of fitting and the fitting process, the guide fittings 30 and 60 are in sliding contact with each other for guidance. That is, the inner side legs 31A and 32A of the two attached portions 31 and the sub attached portion 32 of the guide fitting 30 provided in the connector 1 are two side portions 61B of the guide fitting 60 provided in the connector 2. Corresponding to the end face portion 61C, they are slidably contacted with each other under the same metal contact and guided to each other to the normal position.

  When the fitting is completed, the contact portion 22A of the terminal 20 of the connector 1 comes into contact with the contact portion 51A of the terminal 50 of the mating connector 2, and the locking projection 21A of the terminal is locked to the lock recess 51B of the mating terminal 50. Thus, the connector can be prevented from coming off and the proper contact position between the terminals can be maintained. On the other hand, in the guide metal fitting 30 of the connector 1, the lock projection 31A-1 is engaged with the slit 62 of the guide metal fitting 60 of the mating connector 2, so that the connector can be prevented from coming off strongly.

  The mating connector 2 has a normal position and posture immediately before mating with the connector 1, and is not necessarily mated as it is. Rather, the actual situation is that there are more cases where the positions are slightly shifted in either direction and are tilted. On the bottom wall of the mating connector 2, a circuit board (not shown) projects around the connector on the top surface of the bottom wall in the posture shown in FIG. It is often difficult to check whether or not. Therefore, an operator who performs connector fitting usually places the circuit board of the mating connector 2 in an inclined state in which only one end in the longitudinal direction of the mating connector 2 is brought close to the connector 1 and the other end in the longitudinal direction is raised. The fitting is surely started on the side, and then the other end is lowered and fitted to complete the fitting.

  When the mating connector 2 is started to be fitted to the connector 1 from one end in the longitudinal direction, the position on the one end side of the mating connector 2 is that the end surface portion 61C of the guide metal fitting 60 of the mating connector 2 is the guide of the connector 1. It slides on the upper plate part 32C formed as an inclined surface in the sub-attachment part 32 of the metal fitting 30, and is guided to the receiving part 16 in the longitudinal direction, and the inner leg part of the sub-attachment part 32 at a predetermined position. It is guided by 32A and enters toward the bottom of the receiving part 16. When there is a displacement in the connector width direction at the beginning of the fitting, one of the two side surfaces 61B of the guide fitting 60 of the mating connector 2 corresponds to one of the two attached portions 31 of the guide fitting 30 of the connector 1. It abuts on one side, slides on the inclined surface of the upper plate portion 31C, moves in the connector width direction, reaches the normal position, and brings it to the fitting position on the one end side.

  Such a start of fitting from one end side in the longitudinal direction is usually performed frequently, and a large contact force acts on the one end side. In the present invention, the guide metal fitting 30 is located at a site where the large contact force acts, and the guide metal fitting 30 is fixedly attached to the housing, so that the metal contact with the guide metal fitting of the mating connector is achieved. Thus, it is possible to improve wear resistance, improve the strength of the guide fitting itself, and secure the mounting strength of the guide fitting.

  When the other end side begins to descend after the mating connector 2 has been fitted to the one end side in the longitudinal direction to some extent, the longitudinal end surface 12A of the central projecting wall 12 of the connector 1 has an inclined surface on the one end side. Therefore, it easily enters the central recess 45 toward the inclined surface 45A similarly formed in the central recess 45 of the mating connector 2, and the mating connector 2 is rotated at the other end so as to rotate around the one end side. When the side is lowered, the end face 12A in the longitudinal direction of the central protruding wall 12 and the inclined surface 45A of the central recess 45 deepen the degree of fitting smoothly.

  When the connector assembly is inadvertently dropped or forcibly subjected to twisting when the connector is pulled out after the connector is fitted, the central protruding wall 12 provided on the connector housing 10 is relatively thin. Since a reinforcing metal plate or the like cannot be provided, external force in the longitudinal direction must be received with a small cross-sectional area. However, in the present invention, the longitudinal end surface 12A of the central protruding wall 12 of the connector 1 is thick in the longitudinal direction, and the corresponding inclined surfaces 45A of the central recess 45 of the mating connector correspond to the corresponding inclined surfaces. Since the contact is made on the surface, the inclined surface, i.e., the contact surface becomes larger and the contact stress decreases, and the external force is applied in the lateral direction, i.e., the longitudinal direction. When acting as a component force in a direction perpendicular to the contact surface, the component force itself is reduced by the inclination, so that the longitudinal end surface 12A greatly contributes not only to the guide but also to the strength. . Further, when the forcible force in the width direction is applied when the connector is pulled out, the longitudinal end surface 12A of the central protruding wall 12 of the connector 1 is thick in the longitudinal direction. Even if a force acts in the width direction of the longitudinal end of the connector 1 center protruding wall 12 by the direction end portion, it greatly contributes to the strength.

1 connector 15 end wall 2 mating connector 17 recess (communication part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Housing 30 Guide metal fitting 11 Bottom wall 31 Mounted part 13 Peripheral wall 31C Upper surface (upper board part)
14 Side wall 33 Connecting portion 14B Mounting portion

Claims (7)

A pair of side walls standing up from the periphery of the bottom wall of the housing and extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing, and a pair of side walls connecting the longitudinal ends of the pair of side walls in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction A peripheral wall formed by an end wall, the housing is formed with a receiving portion for receiving a mating connector from above, and the metal fitting is attached to the outside of the terminal holding region at both ends of the side wall in the longitudinal direction. In electrical connectors,
The metal fitting has a mounted portion that is attached to the mounting portion formed on the end side of the pair of side walls, and a connecting portion that connects the mounted portions, and the mounted portion has a substantially inverted U shape. It is in a shape and is located so as to straddle the attachment part on the side wall from above, and the connection part is exposed to the receiving part and is located along the receiving part side inner wall surface of the end wall or the bottom wall. An electrical connector with metal fittings. A pair of side walls standing up from the periphery of the bottom wall of the housing and extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing, and a pair of side walls connecting the longitudinal ends of the pair of side walls in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction A peripheral wall formed by an end wall, the housing is formed with a receiving portion for receiving a mating connector from above, and the metal fitting is attached to the outside of the terminal holding region at both ends of the side wall in the longitudinal direction. In electrical connectors,
The metal fitting has an attached portion attached to an attaching portion formed on the end side of the pair of side walls, and a connecting portion for connecting the attached portions to each other. It has a substantially inverted U shape having an outer leg portion, and is positioned so as to straddle the attachment portion of the side wall from above, and the connecting portion connects the inner leg portions of the pair of attached portions. An electrical connector with metal fittings. 3. The electrical connector with bracket according to claim 1, wherein the mounted portion of the metal fitting has a guide surface that guides the mating connector toward the receiving portion of the housing in a short direction of the housing. . The electrical connector with bracket according to claim 3 , wherein the guide surface of the mounting portion of the metal fitting forms an inclined surface on the upper surface of the mounting portion. The bracket also has a sub-attached portion that rises from the connecting portion and has a substantially inverted U shape, and the sub-attached portion includes a sub-attachment portion of an end wall provided corresponding to the sub-attached portion. fitting with an electrical connector that as described in one of claims 1 to 4, it is positioned so as to straddle the top. The metal fitting is accommodated in a widened portion in which the inner width of the receiving portion is formed in the longitudinal direction and in the short side direction by the same dimension as the thickness of the metal fitting at the corresponding portion of the side wall and the corresponding portion of the end wall. The electrical connector with a metal fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The bracket has at least the mounted portion of the mounted portion and the sub-mounted portion that hangs down to the level of the lower surface of the bottom wall of the housing along the outer surface of the peripheral wall, and can be soldered to the solder mounting portion of the connector mounting target member fitting with an electrical connector according to one of claims 1 to 6, it has become.

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