JP6651427B2 - Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric connector that is fitted and connected to a mating connector so as to be able to be inserted and withdrawn, and an electric connector assembly having the electric connector and a mating connector.

  In this type of electrical connector assembly, an electrical connector and a mating connector that are fitted and connected to each other sometimes have a lock function for maintaining the connector fitted state. For example, the electrical connector assembly of Patent Document 1 includes a receptacle connector having a lock fitting, and a plug connector as a mating connector that has the locked fitting and is fitted and connected to the receptacle connector from above. .

  The receptacle connector includes a housing made of an electrically insulating material, a plurality of terminals arranged and held in the housing, a metal shield member attached to the housing, a lock fitting, and an elastic deformation member. The elastic deformation member is a member separate from a shield member provided to bias the lock fitting to the lock position.

  The lock fitting of the receptacle connector is made of a single metal plate member, and has a band-shaped base extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing that is the terminal arrangement direction, and a plurality of uprights that stand upward from the base. A lock portion projecting from the upper portion of the upright portion in the longitudinal direction; the base portion, the upright portion and the lock portion are integrally formed as a plate portion having one flat plate surface. The lock member is movable in the longitudinal direction between a lock position where the lock portion protrudes from the storage groove portion and a lock release position where the lock portion is stored in the storage groove portion, and is held in the housing. Urged toward the lock position by the elastically deformable member. When the lock portion is at the lock position, the lock member is engaged with a locked portion of a lock fitting provided on the plug connector, so that the locked state of the connectors can be maintained.

JP-A-2005-170500

  In the electrical connector assembly of Patent Document 1, when an inadvertent force is applied to the plug connector in a state of being fitted and connected to the receptacle connector in the connector extraction direction (upward), the lock fitting is configured to: The locking portion receives an upward force (extraction force) from the locked portion of the locked metal fitting. This removal force also acts on the base and the upright portion which are integral with the lock portion. By receiving the above output, it is easy to be deformed so as to bend upward. The base, the upright portion, and the lock portion are integrally formed by a single plate having a flat plate surface, and in particular, since the base has a shape extending long in the longitudinal direction of the housing. In the case where the ejection force is large, the base may be bent significantly upward and may be damaged.

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly that can reliably prevent the lock fitting from being deformed and, therefore, damaged even when an output force acts on the lock portion of the lock fitting. I do.

  According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problem is solved by the following electrical connector according to the first invention and an electrical connector assembly according to the second invention.

<First invention>
The electrical connector according to the first invention is an electrical connector that is fitted and connected to a mating connector so as to be able to be inserted and withdrawn, and the electrical connector has a housing that extends in one direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction as a longitudinal direction, The housing includes terminals arranged and held in the housing with the longitudinal direction as a terminal arrangement direction, a lock member held by the housing, and an elastically deformable portion, and the housing has a receiving portion for receiving a mating connector. are doing.

  In the electric connector, in the first invention, the lock member includes a base having a portion extending in the terminal arrangement direction, and a part of the base in a connector fitting direction forward within a range of the housing in the terminal arrangement direction. An upright standing portion, which protrudes from the upstanding portion toward one end of the housing in the terminal arrangement direction and can be prevented from being pulled out when locked to a locked portion provided in a mating connector. A lock projection, and a terminal arranged at a position adjacent to the lock projection in a connector width direction perpendicular to both the connector fitting direction and the terminal arrangement direction from the base toward the connector fitting direction. A reinforcing portion extending in a direction including the lock protrusion in a direction, wherein the lock member is disposed in a housing portion of the housing, and the lock protrusion is provided in the receiving portion. It is movable between a lock position that protrudes to lock the locked part of the mating connector and a lock release position that moves to the other end of the housing in the terminal arrangement direction and can be unlocked. The deforming portion biases the lock member toward the lock position.

  As described above, in the first invention, the lock member stands up from the base in the connector fitting direction at a position adjacent to the lock protrusion in the connector width direction and extends over a range including the lock protrusion in the terminal arrangement direction. It has a reinforcing part. Therefore, in the range in which the reinforcing portion is provided in the terminal arrangement direction, the size of the lock member in the connector fitting direction is larger by the amount of the reinforcing portion than in the conventional case where only the base portion is present. Become. As a result, the strength of the lock member against bending deformation in the connector fitting direction is improved, so that even if the locking member receives a large extraction force from the mating connector, it can be opposed without bending deformation.

  In the first invention, the lock member is made of a metal plate, and has a stacked shape in which a plurality of plate portions are stacked in the connector width direction in a state of being bent in the thickness direction of the metal plate. The protrusion is formed on a portion of the plurality of plate portions, and the reinforcing portion is formed on another plate portion of the plurality of plate portions adjacent to the portion of the plurality of plate portions. Is also good. With such a configuration of the lock member, the lock member can be easily manufactured from a single metal plate member.

  In the first invention, the lock member is a solid member in which the material is continuous in any of the connector fitting direction, the terminal arrangement direction, and the connector width direction, and the lock protrusion is a connector of the lock member. The reinforcing member may be formed in a part of the entire range in the width direction, and the reinforcing portion may be formed in the remaining portion of the entire range in the connector width direction of the lock member.

  With such a configuration of the lock member, the lock protrusion and the reinforcing portion are directly connected in the thickness direction to be integrated, so that the lock protrusion is strongly reinforced. Further, since the lock fitting is formed integrally with a thickness dimension over the entire area in the connector width direction except for the lock protrusion and the reinforcing part, the strength of each part itself is also improved. Therefore, a greater strength is obtained over the entire lock fitting, so that it is possible to sufficiently prevent inadvertent output of the connector.

  In the first invention, when the lock projection of the lock member is at the lock position in the connector-fitted state, the projection end is urged by the elastically deformable portion and the protruding tip abuts on the member having the locked portion of the mating connector. Is also good. With such a configuration, the member having the locked portion is pressed by the lock projection in the terminal arrangement direction, and the movement of the plug connector in the same direction is regulated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the connector from reciprocating relatively in the terminal arrangement direction and to prevent the lock projection and the member having the locked portion from colliding with each other, thereby generating abnormal noise. It is possible to prevent the member having the portion and the locked portion from being damaged.

  In the first invention, the electrical connector may include a shield member attached to the housing, and the elastically deformable portion may be formed integrally with the shield member. By thus forming the elastically deformable portion integrally with the shield member, the number of components can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional case where the elastically deformable member is provided as a member separate from the shield member. . Further, when the connector is manufactured, the elastically deformable portion can be simultaneously mounted by mounting the shield member on the housing, so that the step of mounting the elastically deformable member on the housing can be omitted, and the manufacture of the connector is simplified.

<Second invention>
An electric connector assembly according to a second invention includes the electric connector according to the first invention, and a mating connector fitted and connected to the electric connector. The connector is characterized in that it has a locked portion that can be locked in the locking protrusion of the locking member of the connector in a direction that prevents the connector from being pulled out.

The present invention, as described above, by providing the reinforcing portion at a position adjacent to the locking portion of the locking member, the locking member is in the connector fitting direction within a range in which the reinforcing portions in the terminal arrangement direction is provided The size of the lock member is larger than that of the related art by the amount of the reinforcing portion, the strength against bending deformation in the connector fitting direction is improved, and it is possible to sufficiently prevent the output force from the mating connector.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector according to the embodiment of the present invention and a plug connector fitted to the receptacle connector from above, showing a state before the connector is fitted. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the receptacle connector and the plug connector shown in FIG. 1 upside down and in a posture in which the plug connector is fitted from below. (A) is a perspective view showing the lock fitting of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1 in a posture held by the receptacle connector of FIG. 1, and (B) is a state before bending the lock fitting of (A). It is a top view which shows the metal plate member of FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1 taken along a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction, showing a cross section at a position of a lock fitting in the connector width direction. FIGS. 2A and 2B are views showing a locked metal member provided on a rear end side in a terminal arrangement direction of the plug connector of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 1A is a perspective view as viewed from the rear side, and FIG. It is the perspective view seen from. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a lock fitting and a shield member of the receptacle connector and a locked metal fitting of the plug connector when the connector is in a fitted state, wherein (A) is a perspective view in the same direction as FIG. 1, and (B) is a perspective view; FIG. 3 is a perspective view seen in the same direction as FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing in the surface orthogonal to the connector width direction of a receptacle connector and a plug connector in a fitting state, (A) has shown the locked state, (B) has shown the unlocked state. It is a perspective view showing a lock fitting concerning a modification.

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

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle connector 1 according to the present embodiment and a plug connector 2 fitted to the receptacle connector 1 from above, and shows a state before the connector is fitted. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 2 of FIG. 1 upside down, and is a perspective view showing the plug connector 2 in a posture to be fitted from below.

  The receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 2 which is a mating connector of the receptacle connector 1 in the present embodiment are circuit board electrical connectors arranged on mounting surfaces of different circuit boards (not shown), respectively. The connector assembly is configured such that a direction perpendicular to the plane (a vertical direction in FIG. 1 (Z-axis direction)) is a direction of insertion and removal. Regarding the receptacle connector 1, the connector fitting direction with respect to the plug connector 2 is the upper direction (Z1 direction) in FIG. 1, and the connector unplugging direction is the lower direction (Z2 direction) in FIG. Also, regarding the plug connector 2, the connector fitting direction with respect to the receptacle connector 1 is downward (Z2 direction) in FIG. 1, and the connector extraction direction is upward (Z1 direction) in FIG. In the present embodiment, the plug connector 2 is described as a mating connector, but the receptacle connector 1 is a mating connector when viewed from the plug connector 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the receptacle connector 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and two rows of the receptacle side housing 10 with the longitudinal direction of the receptacle side housing 10 being a terminal arrangement direction (X-axis direction). A plurality of receptacle terminals 20 arranged and held in the receptacle side, a lock fitting 30 as a lock member held in the receptacle side housing 10 along the longitudinal direction, and the receptacle side so as to cover a peripheral wall of the receptacle side housing 10. And a shield member 40 attached to the housing 10. The receptacle connector 1 is arranged and mounted on a circuit board (not shown) in the posture shown in FIG.

  The receptacle-side housing 10 is made of, for example, an electrical insulating material such as a resin, and extends in one direction parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board as a longitudinal direction (terminal arrangement direction). The receptacle-side housing 10 has a bottom wall 11 (see FIG. 2) parallel to the mounting surface and, in FIG. 1, stands up from the bottom wall 11 (in the Z1 direction) and extends in the terminal arrangement direction. It has a protruding protruding wall 12 that extends, and a frame-shaped peripheral wall 13 that stands upward from the bottom wall 11 and surrounds the protruding wall 12. The peripheral wall 13 has a pair of side walls 14 extending in the terminal arrangement direction (X-axis direction) and ends of the pair of side walls 14 extending in a connector width direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction. And a pair of end walls 15 for connecting the two. The annular space opened upward between the protruding wall 12 and the peripheral wall 13 is formed as a receiving portion 16 for receiving the peripheral wall 53 as a fitting portion of the plug connector 2.

  Although the receptacle-side housing 10 is configured to hold the receptacle terminal 20, the lock fitting 30, and the shield member 40, for the purpose of understanding the configuration, first, before further description of the receptacle-side housing 10, the receptacle terminal 20 will be described. The lock fitting 30 and the shield member 40 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the receptacle terminal 20 is formed by bending a strip obtained by punching a metal plate in the thickness direction. The receptacle terminal 20 includes a base 21 (see FIG. 2) extending in the connector width direction, a contact arm 22 (see FIG. 1) that is bent at a right angle at one end of the base 21 and extends upward. A held portion 23 (see FIG. 1) extending in an inverted U-shape from the other end, and a portion outward from the held portion 23 in the connector width direction (in FIG. 2, the receptacle terminals 20 in the front row are in the Y2 direction, A connection portion 24 (see FIG. 2) extending toward the receptacle terminal 20 in the back row in the Y1 direction). The receptacle terminal 20 has a base portion 21 and a held portion 23 held by the bottom wall 11 and the side wall 14 of the receptacle-side housing 10 by integral molding.

  The contact arm 22 is accommodated in a vertical groove 12D, which will be described later, formed in the projecting wall 12 of the receptacle-side housing 10. The contact arm 22 is elastically deformable in the thickness direction of the contact arm 22, in other words, in the connector width direction. Has become. At the upper end of the contact arm portion 22, a contact portion 22A for contact with a plug terminal 60 as a mating terminal provided on the plug connector 2 is formed so as to protrude outward in the connector width direction. It is located in the part 16. The held portion 23 having an inverted U-shape (see FIG. 1) has a plate surface of an inner leg portion located inward in the connector width direction of the two leg portions, which is exposed from an inner surface of the side wall 14. A lock portion 23 </ b> A for locking with the plug terminal 60 is formed to protrude from an upper portion of the surface. In addition, the connecting portion 24 is configured such that a receptacle-side housing extends outward from the lower end (the upper end in FIG. 2) of the outer leg portion of the two legs of the held portion 23 that is located outward in the connector width direction. 10 and is connected to a corresponding circuit portion (not shown) of the circuit board by soldering.

  Next, the configuration of the lock fitting 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 (A) is a perspective view showing the lock fitting 30 of the receptacle connector 1 of FIG. 1 in a state of being held by the receptacle connector of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 (B) is a view of FIG. 3 (A). FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a metal plate member 30 ′ before bending the lock fitting 30 of FIG. As described later, the lock fitting 30 is configured to move in the terminal arrangement direction by receiving a lock release operation pressed rightward (X1 direction) in FIG. 3A. In the present embodiment, the right side (X1 direction) in FIG. 3A, that is, the front in the moving direction of the lock fitting 30 at the time of unlocking is referred to as “front”, and the left side (X2 in FIG. 3A). Direction) is referred to as “backward”.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the lock fitting 30 is formed by bending a flat metal plate member 30 '(see FIG. 3B) in the plate thickness direction. The lock fitting 30 includes two outer plate parts 30A and two inner plate parts 30B (collectively referred to as “plate parts 30A and 30B” as necessary) stacked in the connector width direction, and a lock fitting 30. It has a lock release operation part 30C formed at the rear end, and a connection part 30D that connects the two inner plate parts 30B and the lock release operation part 30C.

  The plate portions 30A and 30B are formed by bending the metal plate member 30 'so as to be bent back plural times in the plate thickness direction, and one sheet is provided on each outer side of two inner plate portions 30B adjacent to each other. The outer plate part 30A is located. The dimensions of the plate portions 30A and 30B in the front-rear direction (terminal arrangement direction) are all the same. The lower edges of the outer plate portion 30A and the inner plate portion 30B adjacent to each other are connected by a folded portion over the entire region in the front-rear direction. The inner edges of the inner plate portions 30B adjacent to each other are connected at their rear ends (inwardly extending portions 36B to be described later) by folded portions.

  The outer plate portion 30A includes an outer base portion 31A extending linearly over the entire region in the front-rear direction of the outer plate portion 30A, and three rising portions extending from the upper edge of the outer base portion 31A and extending in the front-rear direction, that is, terminals. It has a front upright portion 32A, an intermediate upright portion 32B, and a rear upright portion 32C (collectively referred to as "upright portions 32A, 32B, and 32C" as necessary) located in order from the front in the arrangement direction. Further, as will be described later, the outer plate portion 30A includes a front supported portion 33A, a rear supported portion 33B, and an outer front restricted portion 34A extending from any of the upright portions 32A, 32B, and 32C. It has an outer rear regulated portion 34B, a front lock portion 35A, a rear lock portion 35B, and an outer extension portion 36A. Hereinafter, as needed, the front supported portion 33A and the rear supported portion 33B are collectively referred to as “supported portions 33A and 33B”, and the outer front restricted portion 34A and the outer rear regulated portion 34B are referred to as the “controlled portion 34A. , 34B ", and the front lock portion 35A and the rear lock portion 35B are collectively referred to as" lock portions 35A, 35B ".

  The three upright portions are larger in the front-rear direction in the order of the intermediate upright portion 32B, the rear upright portion 32C, and the front upright portion 32A. The supported portions 33A and 33B are engaged with corresponding portions (a front central support portion 12A-1 and a rear support portion 12C-2, which will be described later) of the receptacle-side housing 10 so as to be locked downward from the receptacle-side housing 10. It is a portion for preventing the lock fitting 30 from dropping downward (see FIG. 4), and is provided at two different positions in the front-rear direction at the intermediate upright portion 32B (the front supported portion 33A is located forward of the rear supported portion 33B). ) Extending upward from the intermediate upright portion 32B and then bent rearward to form an inverted L-shape. As will be described later, the vertical portions of the inverted L-shaped portions of the supported portions 33A and 33B that extend in the vertical direction are respectively restricted by the regulating surfaces 12A-1A and 12A-1A of the front central support portion 12A-1 and the rear support portion 12C-2. 12C-2A (an end surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction) and functions as a portion for regulating the maximum movement amount of the lock fitting 30 rearward (see FIG. 4).

  The outer front regulated portion 34A contacts the regulating surface 17E-1 of the receptacle-side housing 10 (the inner wall surface of the front protruding wall groove 17E described later) and moves the lock fitting 30 rearward and rearward as described later. And extends upward straight from the front end of the intermediate upright portion 32B. On the other hand, the outer and rear restricted portions 34B are located in front of tip pieces 45A-1 and 45B-1 of elastic deformation portions 45 described later provided on the shield member 40, as described later. , 45B-1 is a portion for regulating the maximum elastic deformation amount in the forward direction, and extends straight upward from the intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the rear upright portion 32C.

  The front lock portion 35A extends upward and rearward from the rear end of the front upright portion 32A, and a portion projecting rearward from the rear edge of the front upright portion 32A is provided on the mating portion provided on the plug connector 2. It is formed as a front lock projection 35A-1 that can be locked with the locked metal member 70 as a lock metal member. On the other hand, the rear locking portion 35B extends upward and rearward from the rear end of the intermediate upright portion 32B, and the portion protruding rearward from the rear edge of the intermediate upright portion 32B is the same as the locked metal fitting 70. It is formed as a lockable rear lock projection 35B-1. The front lock projection 35A-1 and the rear lock projection 35B-1 have beveled edges whose upper edges are inclined downward as they go rearward, and the lower edges are substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction ( It extends in the front-rear direction and is formed in a hook shape (see also FIG. 4).

  The outer extension portion 36A extends straight upward from the rear end of the rear upright portion 32C, and is formed between the outer extension portion 36A and the outer rear regulated portion 34B located in front of the outer extension portion 36A. Thus, the distal end pieces 45A-1 and 45B-1 of the elastic deformation portion 45 of the shield member 40 are accommodated (see FIG. 4).

  The inner plate portion 30B extends straight in the front-rear direction of the inner plate portion 30B over the entire region in the front-rear direction, and rises from the upper edge of the inner base portion 31B and extends in the front-rear direction. A main reinforcing portion 37, an inner front regulated portion 34C extending from the main reinforcing portion 37, an inner rear regulated portion 34D, an inner extending portion 36B (see FIG. 3 (B)), a front sub reinforcing portion 38A, and a rear sub reinforcing. It has a portion 38B. Hereinafter, if necessary, the inner front regulated portion 34C and the inner rear regulated portion 34D are collectively referred to as “regulated portions 34C and 34D”, and the front auxiliary reinforcing portion 38A and the rear auxiliary reinforcing portion 38B are referred to as “auxiliary reinforcing portions 38A”. , 38B ".

  The inner base portion 31B is formed to have the same height dimension (vertical dimension) as the outer base portion 31A of the outer plate portion 30A, and the inner base portion 31B and the lower edge are connected to each other via a folded portion to form the inner base portion 31A. One base is formed by the base 31B and the outer base 31A. The main reinforcing portion 37 extends over the entire region in the front-rear direction of the inner plate portion 30B, and stands upright at the same height dimension as the upright portions 32A, 32B, 32C of the outer plate portion 30A. The inner front regulated portion 34C is formed at a position corresponding to the outer front regulated portion 34A of the outer plate portion 30A in the front-rear direction, and the rear edges of both are located at the same position in the front-rear direction. The inner front regulated portion 34C is connected to and integrally formed with a front auxiliary reinforcing portion 38A located in front of the inner front regulated portion 34C. The inner rear regulated portion 34D has the same shape as the outer rear regulated portion 34B of the outer plate portion 30A, and is formed at the same position in the front-rear direction as the outer rear regulated portion 34B.

The inner extending portion 36B extends straight upward from a position corresponding to the outer extending portion 36A of the outer plate portion 30A in the front-rear direction, that is, from the rear end of the main reinforcing portion 37. The front edge of 36B is located slightly ahead of the front edge of the outer extension 36A (see FIG. 4). The inner extension portion 36B is a space formed between the inner extension portion 36B and the inner and rear restricted portion 34D located in front of the inner extension portion 36B. 45B-1. Further, the front end portion of the inner extending portion 36B, by abutting the tip piece 45A-1,45B-1 of the elastic deformation portion 45 at its front edge, from the tip piece 45A-1,45B- 1 It functions as the contact part 36B-1 that receives the urging force (spring force) toward the rear.

  The front sub-reinforcing portion 38A stands up at the front end of the main reinforcing portion 37, and includes a range including the front lock portion 35A of the outer plate portion 30A in the front-rear direction, specifically, the front upright portion 32A of the outer plate portion 30A. It extends in a range from the front end position to an intermediate position of the outer front regulated portion 34A. As described above, the front auxiliary reinforcing portion 38A is connected to the inner front regulated portion 34C to be integrated. The rear sub-reinforcing portion 38B stands up at an intermediate portion of the main reinforcing portion 37, and includes a range including the rear locking portion 35B of the outer plate portion 30A in the front-rear direction, specifically, from the front end position of the rear locking portion 35B to the outer plate. It extends in a range extending to a position between the upright portions 32B and 32C of the portion 30A.

  In the present embodiment, an inner plate portion 30B is provided adjacent to an outer plate portion 30A having lock portions 35A and 35B, and the inner plate portion 30B has not only an inner base portion 31B but also a main reinforcing portion 37 and a sub reinforcing portion 38A, By providing the 38B, a large height dimension of the inner plate portion 30B is ensured, so that the strength of the lock fitting 30 as a whole against bending deformation with respect to the lock fitting 30, particularly bending deformation in the connector insertion / removal direction is improved. Further, in the inner plate portion 30B, not only the main reinforcing portion 37 and the sub reinforcing portions 38A and 38B, but also the regulated portions 34C and 34D and the inner extending portion 36B contribute to the improvement in the strength described above.

  The connecting portion 30D has a two-layered shape, and has a shape in which the inner extending portion 36B whose upper edges are connected to each other is directly extended rearward. The lock release operation portion 30C is formed to bend at the lower end of each plate portion of the connecting portion 30D, extend outward in the connector width direction, and then extend rearward. The rear part of the unlocking operation portion 30C is bent downward, and a plate surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction functions as a pressing surface 30C-1 which receives a pressing force directed forward during an unlocking operation described later. I do.

  The lock fitting 30 having such a configuration is formed by bending the metal plate member 30 ′ shown in FIG. 3B in the thickness direction at the position of each dashed line. First, the outer plate portion 30A and the inner plate portion 30B are formed by valley-folding the metal plate member 30 'so as to be folded at two dashed lines A. Next, the metal plate member 30 'is mountain-folded so as to be folded at the dashed-dotted line B so that the plate surfaces of the inner plate portion 30B face each other and the connecting portion 30D is formed. Furthermore, by unlocking the metal plate member 30 ′ at a right angle with a dashed line C and further fold the metal plate member 30 ′ at a right angle with a dashed line D to form an unlocking operation section 30 C, FIG. The lock fitting 30 shown in A) is completed. Note that the order in which the metal plate member 30 'is bent at the position of each dashed line is not limited to the order of the dashed lines A, B, C, and D as described above, and may be any order.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the shield member 40 is formed by punching a metal plate into a predetermined shape and then bending the metal plate in the thickness direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the shield member 40 includes an upper plate portion 41 that covers the upper surfaces of both end walls 15 and end portions of the side wall 14 of the receptacle-side housing 10, and both end edges of the upper plate portion 41 in the connector width direction. The side plate portion 42 is bent downward at a right angle, extends in the terminal arrangement direction, covers the side wall 14 and is held by the receptacle-side housing 10, and the both ends of the side plate portion 42 in the terminal arrangement direction have the connector width direction. An inner end plate 43 (see FIG. 2) which is bent inward to cover the end wall surfaces of both end walls 15 and a side edge of the upper plate 41 at a position near both ends of the upper plate 41 in the terminal arrangement direction. An outer end plate portion 44 which is bent downward at a right angle to cover the outer surface of the inner end plate portion 43, and extends rearward from an inner edge of the inner end plate portion 43 in the connector width direction as described later. And an elastic deformation portion 45.

  The upper plate portion 41 has a substantially U-shape when viewed from above at an end portion covering the upper surface of the end wall 15 and a side portion covering the ends of the two side walls 14. Two end mounting pieces 46 are formed to bend downward from the inner side edges (side edges extending in the connector width direction) of the end portions in the terminal arrangement direction and extend to the lower portion of the end wall 15. Further, an outer contact piece 47 that is bent downward and extends to a position near the upper end of the side wall 14 is formed from a side edge (a side edge extending in the terminal arrangement direction) inside the connector width direction inside the side portion.

  Outside the terminal arrangement range in the terminal arrangement direction, the side plate portion 42 has a lower edge portion cut out to form an attachment groove portion 42A for press-fitting attachment to a corresponding portion of the receptacle side housing 10, and On both outer sides of the mounting groove portion 42A, fixed leg portions 42B fixed to the corresponding circuit portions of the circuit board by soldering are formed. From the upper edge of the side plate portion 42, at a position outside the terminal arrangement range in the terminal arrangement direction and inside the outer contact piece 47, extends inward in the connector width direction and then moves downward to the upper end of the side wall 14. An inner contact piece 48 extending to the deviated position is formed.

  The two inner end plates 43 are located at intermediate positions inward in the connector width direction in the same direction, specifically, side edges of end wall grooves 17B and 17C of the end wall 15 described later (edges extending in the vertical direction). ), And the tips (inner ends) are located at an interval. The elastically deformable portions 45 are formed by two elastic pieces 45A and 45B that are folded from the inner ends of the respective inner end plate portions 43 outward in the connector width direction and then further folded inward in the connector width direction. Have been. The resilient pieces 45A and 45B are provided on the upper ends of the tip portions (inner edges) at different positions in the vertical direction so as to extend toward the inside in the connector width direction so as to approach each other. have. The tip piece 45A-1 of the elastic piece 45A faces the inner edge of the other elastic piece 45B, and the tip piece 45B-1 of the elastic piece 45B is located below the tip piece 45A-1 and the other elastic piece. The piece 45A extends so as to face the inner edge of the piece 45A. Further, below the tip pieces 45A-1 and 45B-1, there is formed a housing part 45C for housing the rear ends of the bases 31A and 31B of the lock fitting 30.

  Return to the description of the receptacle side housing 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom wall 11 of the receptacle-side housing 10 has a bottom hole vertically penetrating adjacent to a bottom groove 17 </ b> A of a lock fitting housing groove 17 described later at a position near the center in the connector width direction. 11B and a bottom recess 11C which is recessed from the bottom surface of the bottom wall (upper surface in FIG. 2) at both edges of the bottom wall 11 in the connector width direction and opened outward in the connector width direction. Are arranged symmetrically with respect to a center line extending in the terminal arrangement direction through the center in the direction, and are arranged at equal intervals in the terminal arrangement direction. The bottom hole 11B and the bottom recess 11C are arranged and formed corresponding to the receptacle terminals 20 in the terminal arrangement direction. A part of the base 21 of the receptacle terminal 20 is accommodated in the bottom hole 11B, and the receptacle is located in the bottom recess 11C. The connection portion 24 of the terminal 20 is accommodated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the protruding wall 12 is disposed at the same position as the bottom hole 11 </ b> B and the bottom recess 11 </ b> C of the bottom wall 11 in the terminal arrangement direction, and penetrates vertically from both sides of the protruding wall 12. A vertically extending vertical groove portion 12D is formed. The vertical groove portion 12D communicates with the bottom hole portion 11B, and accommodates the contact arm portion 22 of the receptacle terminal 20 while allowing elastic displacement in the thickness direction thereof.

  The side wall 14 has side recesses 14A which are immersed from the inner surface of the inner surface of the side wall 14 (walls forming the receiving portion 16) on both outer sides of the terminal arrangement range. The side recess 14 </ b> A houses the distal ends of the outer contact piece 47 and the inner contact piece 48 of the shield member 40. The mounting portion 14B, which is press-fitted into the mounting groove portion 42A of the shield member 40, is formed on both sides of the side wall 14 outside the terminal arrangement range so as to protrude from a lower outer surface of the lower portion of the side wall 14.

  The end wall 15 is immersed from the inner surface of the end wall 15 (the wall surface forming the receiving portion 16) and vertically in both side positions in the connector width direction of end wall grooves 17 </ b> B and 17 </ b> C of the lock fitting housing groove 17 described later. Is formed. The end recess 15 </ b> A accommodates the end mounting piece 46 of the shield member 40.

  Also, in the receptacle side housing 10, one lock fitting accommodating groove portion 17 for containing the plate portions 30A and 30B of the lock fitting 30 extends at right angles to the connector width direction at a central position in the connector width direction. It is formed in a slit shape and extends over the entire area of the receptacle-side housing 10 in the terminal arrangement direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the lock fitting receiving groove 17 has a shape symmetrical in the terminal arrangement direction (a left-right symmetry in FIG. 4) with respect to a center line (not shown) passing through the center in the connector width direction. ing.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector 1 of FIG. 1 in a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction, and shows a cross section at the position of the outer plate portion 30A in the connector width direction. In FIG. 4, the right side is forward and the left side is backward. The lock fitting accommodation groove 17 is formed by communicating grooves or holes for accommodating respective parts of the outer plate part 30A and the inner plate part 30B of the lock fitting 30.

  Hereinafter, the shape of the lock fitting housing groove 17 will be described separately for the shape at the position of the outer plate 30A and the shape at the position of the inner plate 30B in the connector width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface). At the position of the outer plate portion 30A, as shown in FIG. 4, the lock fitting accommodating groove 17 has a bottom groove 17A (see FIG. 2) for accommodating the outer base 31A of the lock fitting 30, a front upright portion 32A and A front end wall groove 17B for accommodating the front lock portion 35A, a rear end wall groove 17C for accommodating the front half of the rear upright portion 32C, and a lower protruding wall groove 17D for accommodating the intermediate upright portion 32B ( 1), a front protruding wall groove 17E for accommodating the front regulated portion 34A, a rear protruding wall groove 17F for accommodating the rear lock portion 35B, and a front for accommodating the front supported portion 33A. It has a projecting wall hole 17G and a rear projecting wall hole 17H for accommodating the rear supported portion 33B.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom groove 17 </ b> A extends through the entire area in the terminal arrangement direction along the bottom wall 11 in the same direction. The bottom groove 17A penetrates vertically in a range corresponding to the receiving portion 16 in the terminal arrangement direction, that is, a range between the protruding wall 12 and the end wall 15, and communicates with the receiving portion 16. I have. As seen in FIG. 4, the front end wall groove 17B is the end wall 15 located on the front side (the right end side in FIG. 4) in the terminal arrangement direction, and the rear end wall groove 17C is the terminal arrangement direction. 4 (the left end side in FIG. 4), extends vertically and penetrates in the wall thickness direction (terminal arrangement direction) of each end wall 15. The upper inner wall surface (the surface perpendicular to the vertical direction) of the front half (the right half in FIG. 4) of the front end wall groove 17B and the rear half (the left half in FIG. 4) of the rear end wall groove 17C is As will be described later, the regulating surfaces 17B-1 and 17C- which contact the upper edge of the front upright portion 32A and the upper edge of the rear upright portion 32C of the lock fitting 30 to regulate the upward movement of the lock fitting 30 respectively. Functions as 1.

  The lower protruding wall groove portion 17D (see FIG. 1) penetrates the lower portion of the protruding wall 12 in the front-rear direction, and has a bottom groove portion 17A, a front protruding wall groove portion 17E, a rear protruding wall groove portion 17F, a front protruding wall hole portion 17G, and a rear protruding portion. It communicates with each of the wall holes 17H.

  The front protruding wall groove portion 17E is formed as a groove portion that opens forward on the front end side (the right end side in FIG. 4) of the protruding wall 12. The rear protruding wall groove 17F is formed as a groove penetrating in the up-down direction and opening rearward on the rear end side (the left end side in FIG. 4) of the protruding wall 12. The front projecting wall hole 17G is located at a position closer to the front than the center position of the projecting wall 12 in the terminal arrangement direction, and the rear projecting wall hole 17H is located at a position closer to the rear than the center position of the projecting wall 12. , Are formed as holes penetrating vertically.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the protruding wall 12 has a central partition wall portion 12A separating the front protruding wall hole portion 17G and the rear protruding wall hole portion 17H at a center position in the terminal arrangement direction, and a front end (in the same direction). A front partition wall portion 12B separating the front protruding wall groove portion 17E and the front protruding wall hole portion 17G at a position closer to the right end), and a rear protruding wall groove portion 17F and a rear protruding wall hole portion 17H at a position closer to the rear end (left end) in the same direction. And a rear partition wall 12C that separates them from each other is formed in an island shape.

  The central partition 12A has a front central support 12A-1 and a rear central support 12A-2 that protrude forward and backward at the lower portion, respectively, and have an inverted T-shaped cross section as a whole. . The front partition 12B has an upper wall 12B-1 extending forward at the upper part and closing the upper end of the front protruding wall groove 17E, and a front support part 12B-2 projecting rearward at the lower part. And the cross-sectional shape is a crank shape as a whole. The rear partition 12C includes an upper wall 12C-1 extending rearward at the upper portion and closing an upper end of a part of the rear protruding wall groove 17F, and a rear support portion 12C-2 protruding forward at the lower portion. The cross-sectional shape has a crank shape in which the cross-sectional shape of the front partition 12B is reversed left and right as a whole. The lower surfaces of the upper wall portions 12B-1 and 12C-1 (surfaces perpendicular to the vertical direction), in other words, the upper inner wall surfaces of the protruding wall grooves 17E and 17F, respectively, cover the outer front cover of the lock fitting 30 as described later. It functions as regulating surfaces 17E-2 and 17F-2 that regulate the upward movement of the lock fitting 30 by contacting the upper edge of the regulating portion 34A and the upper edge of the rear lock portion 35B at the unlock position described below.

  The lower portion of the front protruding wall hole portion 17G is narrowed by a front central support portion 12A-1 and a front support portion 12B-2 which protrude toward each other in the terminal arrangement direction, and have a T-shape as a whole. The lower portion of the rear projecting wall hole portion 17H is narrowed by a rear central support portion 12A-2 and a rear support portion 12C-2 which project toward each other in the terminal arrangement direction, and have a T-shape as a whole. .

  As can be seen in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the front center support portion 12A-1 is engaged with the front supported portion 33A of the lock fitting 30, and the rear support portion 12C-2 is connected to the rear supported portion of the lock fitting 30. By locking to the 33B, it functions as a support for preventing the lock fitting 30 from dropping from the receptacle side housing 10 downward. In the present embodiment, the front support portion 12B-2 and the rear center support portion 12A-2 are not used as support portions.

  The front end surfaces (the surfaces perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction) of the front central support portion 12A-1 and the rear support portion 12C-2 abut against the vertical portions of the supported portions 33A and 33B of the lock fitting 30, It functions as regulating surfaces 12A-1A and 12C-2A for regulating the rearward movement of the lock fitting 30 in the terminal arrangement direction.

  The front end surface of the front support portion 12B-2 perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, in other words, the inner wall surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the front protruding wall groove portion 17E, is the outer front regulated portion of the lock fitting 30 respectively. 34A, which functions as a regulating surface 17E-1 that regulates the rearward movement of the lock fitting 30 in the terminal arrangement direction.

  At the position of the inner plate portion 30B in the connector width direction, the lock fitting accommodating groove portion 17 is, when viewed in the connector width direction, from the groove portion at the position of the outer plate portion 30A shown in FIG. The shape is such that the projecting wall hole 17H is omitted.

  The receptacle connector 1 having the above configuration is assembled in the following manner. First, the receptacle terminals 20 are arranged and held by the receptacle housing 10 by integrally molding the receptacle terminals 10 and the plurality of receptacle terminals 20 arranged in two rows. As a result, a part of the base 21 of the receptacle terminal 20 is held by the bottom wall 11, and the held portion 23 of the receptacle terminal 20 is held by the side wall 14. The contact arm 22 is accommodated in the vertical groove 12 </ b> D of the protruding wall 12 so as to be elastically displaceable, and the connecting portion 24 is exposed and located in the bottom recess 11 </ b> C of the bottom wall 11.

  Next, the shield member 40 is attached to the receptacle-side housing 10 from above. At this time, the mounting portion 14B of the side wall 14 of the receptacle-side housing 10 is pressed into the mounting groove 42A of the side plate portion 42 of the shield member 40. The outer contact piece 47 and the inner contact piece 48 are accommodated in the side recess 14A of the side wall 14, and the end mounting piece 46 is accommodated in the end recess 15A of the end wall 15.

Further, the lock fitting 30 is housed in the lock fitting housing groove 17 from below the receptacle side housing 10 as follows. First, the lock fitting 30 is placed below the receptacle-side housing 10 so that the supported portions 33A and 33B of the lock fitting 30 are located at the same positions as the protruding wall holes 17G and 17H of the receptacle-side housing 10 in the terminal arrangement direction. Position. Then, the lock fitting 30 is moved upward to cause the supported portions 33A and 33B to enter the protruding wall holes 17G and 17H, respectively. At this time, the outer base portion 31 A, the front upright 32A of the outer plate portion 30A of the lock fitting 30, intermediate upright portion 32B, the rear upright portion 32C, forward the restricted portion 34A, the front locking portion 35A and a rear locking portion 35B are respectively It enters the bottom groove 17A, the front end wall groove 17B, the lower protrusion wall groove 17D, the rear end wall groove 17C, the front protrusion wall groove 17E, the front end wall groove 17B, and the rear protrusion wall groove 17F of the receptacle side housing 10. At the same time, the inner base portion 31B of the inner plate portion 30B of the lock fitting 30, the inner front regulated portion 34C, the main reinforcing portion 37, and the sub reinforcing portions 38A and 38B are also accommodated in the space corresponding to the lock fitting accommodating groove portion 17. Is done.

  The rear regulated parts 34B, 34D, the extending parts 36A, 36B, the unlocking operation part 30C and the connecting part 30D are located outside the receptacle side housing 10 behind the receptacle side housing 10. Outside the receptacle-side housing 10, the rear ends of the bases 31A and 31B of the lock fitting 30 are accommodated in the accommodation part 45C of the shield member 40, and the restricted parts 34B and 34D of the lock fitting 30 and the extension part are provided. The tip pieces 45A-1 and 45B-1 of the elastic pieces 45A and 45B of the shield member 40 are accommodated in the space between 36A and 36B.

In the process in which the lock fitting 30 moves upward in the lock fitting accommodating groove 17, the contact portion 36B-1, which is the front end of the inner extending portion 36B, is moved by the tip pieces 45A-1, 45B-. 1 is pushed forward to elastically deform the elastic pieces 45A and 45B forward. When the respective lateral portions of the supported portions 33A and 33B of the lock fitting 30 are brought above the front center support portion 12A-1 and the rear support portion 12C-2, the restoring force of the elastic pieces 45A and 45B causes The contact portion 36B-1 of the inner extension portion 36B is pushed back. As a result, the respective lateral portions of the supported portions 33A and 33B are provided immediately above the front central support portion 12A-1 and the rear support portion 12C-2.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, each lateral portion is supported so as to be lockable downward with respect to the front center support portion 12 </ b> A- 1 and the rear support portion 12 </ b> C- 2, and is locked from the receptacle side housing 10. The metal fitting 30 is prevented from falling off. At this time, the lock projections 35A-1 and 35B-1 of the lock fitting 30 project out of the front end wall groove 17B and the rear protrusion wall groove 17F of the receptacle side housing 10, respectively, and are located in the receiving portion 16. Thus, the receptacle connector 1 is completed by attaching the lock fitting 30 and the shield member 40 to the receptacle-side housing 10.

  In the receptacle connector 1 assembled as described above, the side edges (left edge) of the vertical portions of the supported portions 33A and 33B and the side edge (left edge) of the front regulated portion 34A are respectively connected to the front center supporting portion 12A. -1 restricting surface 12A-1A, the restricting surface 12C-2A of the rear support portion 12C-2, and the restricting surface 17E-1 of the front protruding wall groove portion 17E. Is done. By regulating the maximum amount of movement of the lock member 30 in this manner, the maximum value of the lock amount of the lock portions 35A and 35B with respect to the locked portions 75C and 72C of the locked member 70 of the plug connector 2 described later is regulated. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lock portions 35A, 35B from being damaged when the locked metal member 70 comes into contact with the lock portions 35A, 35B from above during the connector fitting process due to the excessive lock amount. Can be prevented.

In the present embodiment, the lock member 30 receives the urging force from the elastically deformable portion 45 of the shield member 40, and the lock portions 35A and 35B project from the front end wall groove portion 17B and the rear protruding wall groove portion 17F, respectively. 4 (a position shown in FIG. 4) and a "lock release position" in which the lock portions 35A and 35B are respectively housed in the front end wall groove 17B and the rear protruding wall groove 17F against the urging force. It can be moved in the terminal arrangement direction.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, since the lock fitting accommodating groove portion 17 has a symmetrical shape, the lock fitting 30 can be locked even if the attitude shown in FIG. It can be housed in the bracket housing groove 17.

  Next, the configuration of the plug connector 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The plug connector 2 includes a plug-side housing 50 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and a plurality of plug terminals as mating terminals arranged and held in two rows by the plug-side housing 50 with the longitudinal direction of the plug-side housing 50 as a terminal arrangement direction. 60, and two locked metal members 70 held at both ends (an end wall 55 described later) of the plug-side housing 50 in the longitudinal direction. The plug connector 2 is manufactured by integrally molding the plug side housing 50 so as to hold the plurality of plug terminals 60 and the locked metal member 70. The plug connector 2 is arranged and mounted on a circuit board in a posture shown in FIG. 2, and is fitted and connected to the receptacle connector 1 in an upside down posture as shown in FIG.

  The plug-side housing 50 is made of, for example, an electrical insulating material such as a resin, and extends in one direction parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board as a longitudinal direction (terminal arrangement direction). The plug-side housing 50 has a bottom wall 51 (see FIG. 1) parallel to the mounting surface, and a frame-shaped fitting portion standing upward from the bottom wall 51 as shown in FIG. 2. And a peripheral wall 53. The peripheral wall 53 includes a pair of side walls 54 extending in the terminal arrangement direction, and a pair of end walls 55 extending in a connector width direction perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction and connecting ends of the pair of side walls 54. Have. A space that is surrounded by the peripheral wall 53 and opens upward (Z2 direction) in FIG. 2 is formed as a receiving portion 56 for receiving the protruding wall 12 of the receptacle connector 1. The end wall 55 has an end groove 55A as a recess for receiving a part of the lock fitting 30 of the receptacle connector 1 at the center position in the connector width direction, and the end wall 55 is arranged in the wall thickness direction (terminal arrangement direction). It is formed so as to penetrate and open upward (downward in FIG. 1).

  Although the plug-side housing 50 is configured to hold the plug terminal 60 and the locked metal member 70, the plug terminal 60 and the locked terminal 70 are first described prior to further description of the plug-side housing 50 for understanding the configuration. The lock fitting 70 will be described.

  The plug terminal 60 is formed by bending a strip obtained by stamping a metal plate in the thickness direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plug terminals 60 are integrally molded and held on the respective side walls 54 of the plug-side housing 50, and are equally spaced with the longitudinal direction of the side walls 54 being the terminal arrangement direction. Are arranged. In this embodiment, the plug terminals 60 located at both ends in the terminal arrangement direction are used as ground terminals that come into contact with the inner contact pieces 48 of the shield member 40 of the receptacle connector 1, and the other plug terminals 60 come into contact with the receptacle terminals 20. Used as a signal terminal. The plug terminal 60 has a straight connection portion 61 extending outward in the connector width direction at substantially the same height as the bottom wall 51 of the plug-side housing 50, and is continuous with the connection portion 61 in FIG. It has a held portion 62 that is bent upward (downward in FIG. 1), extends in an inverted U-shape (U-shape in FIG. 1), and is buried and held in the side wall 54.

  The held portion 62 having an inverted U-shape is formed as a contact leg portion 62A for contacting the receptacle terminal 20 of the receptacle connector 1 with a leg portion located inside in the connector width direction, and a leg located outside. The portion is formed as a lock leg 62 </ b> B for locking with the receptacle terminal 20. The contact leg 62A extends along the inner surface of the side wall 54, and is exposed toward the receiving portion 56 such that the plate surface of the contact leg 62A forms the same plane as the inner surface of the side wall 54. are doing. On the other hand, the lock leg 62B extends along the outer surface of the side wall 54, and is exposed so that the plate surface of the lock leg 62B forms the same plane as the outer surface of the side wall 54. On the exposed plate surface of the lock leg 62B, a lock step 62B-1 for locking with the lock 23A of the receptacle terminal 20 of the receptacle connector 1 is formed.

  The locked metal member 70 is formed by punching a metal plate into a predetermined shape and then bending the metal plate in the plate thickness direction as seen in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B). FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the locked metal member 70 provided on the rear end side in the terminal arrangement direction as viewed from the rear side, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the locked metal member 70 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front view from the front side. The locked metal member 70 has a locking function of locking the locking metal member 30 of the receptacle connector 1 in the connector withdrawal direction in the connector fitted state, and also has a shielding member 40 of the receptacle connector 1 as described later. It also has a function as a ground terminal that contacts and electrically conducts.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5A and 5B, the locked metal member 70 includes a bottom plate portion 71 (see also FIG. 1) extending along the bottom surface of the bottom wall 51 of the plug-side housing 50. inner edge of the bottom plate portion 71 extending in the connector width direction (Y axis direction) piled four sheets extending from the (rear side of the side edge in FIG. 5 (a), the hand side edge of the front side in FIG. 5 (B)) shape Plate portions 72, 73, 74, 75 (inside locked plate portions 72, inner reinforcing plate portions 73, outer reinforcing plate portions 74, and outer locked plate portions 75, which will be described later), and the inner edges of the bottom plate portion 71. A side plate 76 extending outward (X2 direction) in the terminal arrangement direction from both sides of the directly locked inner locked plate 72 in the connector width direction, and a top extending inward from the side plate 76 in the connector width direction. It has a plate portion 77 and an end plate portion 78 extending downward (Z1 direction) from the outer edge of the upper plate portion 77. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bottom plate portion 71 has a plate surface exposed from the bottom surface of the bottom wall 51 of the plug-side housing 50, and is connected to a ground circuit portion of a circuit board by soldering. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the four-layered plate portions 72, 73, 74, and 75 are located above the bottom plate portion 71, and extend upward from the inner edge of the bottom plate portion 71. The inner locked plate portion 72 extending to the inner side, the inner reinforcing plate portion 73 which is folded back at the upper edge of the inner locked plate portion 72 and extends downward, and which is folded back at the lower edge of the inner reinforcing plate portion 73 and extends upward It comprises an outer reinforcing plate portion 74 and an outer locked plate portion 75 that is folded back at the upper edge of the outer reinforcing plate portion 74 and extends downward.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the inner locked plate portion 72 extends in the connector width direction and is connected to an inner edge of the bottom plate portion 71, and an inner portion that rises upward from both ends of the base portion 72A. It has an upright portion 72B and an inner locked portion 72C that protrudes inward in the connector width direction from above the inner upright portion 72B.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (B), the inner reinforcing plate 73 has a base 73A extending in the connector width direction, and an inner reinforcing portion 73B rising upward from both ends of the base 73A. The base portion 73A is connected to the outer reinforcing plate portion 74 via a folded portion at the lower edge thereof, and the inner reinforcing portion 73B is connected to the inner standing portion 72B of the inner locked plate portion 72 via the folded portion at the upper edge thereof. Have been. The inner reinforcing portion 73B is formed to be wider in the connector width direction than the upright portion 72B of the inner locked plate portion 72, and the inner edge (side edge extending in the vertical direction) of the inner reinforcing portion 73B is formed in the connector width direction. At the same position as the tip (inner end) of the locked portion 72C of the inner standing portion 72B. As described above, in the present embodiment, the inner reinforcing portion 73B of the inner reinforcing plate portion 73 extends over a range including the inner rising portion 72B and the inner locked portion 72C of the inner locked plate portion 72 in the connector width direction. The inner standing portion 72B and the inner locked portion 72C are reinforced.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the outer reinforcing plate 74 and the outer locked plate 75 reverse the inner reinforcing plate 73 and the inner locked plate 72 in the terminal arrangement direction (plate thickness direction). It has a shape like that. The outer reinforcing plate 74 has a base 74A extending in the connector width direction, and two outer reinforcing portions 74B rising from the base 74A. The outer locked plate portion 75 includes a base 75A extending in the connector width direction and having a free end at the lower end, two outer rising portions 75B rising from the base 75A, and an upper inner edge of the outer rising portion 75B. And an outer locked portion 75C protruding from the outside. The outer reinforcing portion 74B of the outer reinforcing plate portion 74 extends in the connector width direction over a range including the outer raised portion 75B and the outer locked portion 75C of the outer locked plate portion 75, and the outer raised portion 75B and the outer locked portion 75B. The portion 75C is reinforced.

  As described above, the plate portions 72, 73, 74, and 75 having such a shape are arranged so as to be overlapped in the terminal arrangement direction, and at the center position in the connector width direction, the plate portions 72 are arranged in the terminal arrangement direction. , 73, 74, and 75, and a receiving groove 79 that opens upward. The receiving groove portion 79 lowers a part of the lock fitting 30 provided on the receptacle connector 1, specifically, the main reinforcing portion 37 and the sub reinforcing portions 38A, 38B of the inner plate portion 30B in the connector fitted state. Accept from.

  The plate portions 72, 73, 74, 75 are held by the plug-side housing 50, and as shown in FIG. 2, the locked portions 72 </ b> C of the inner locked plate portion 72 and the inner reinforcing plate portions 73 are formed. An inner edge (a side edge in a range corresponding to the locked portion 72C of the inner locked plate portion 72 in the connector width direction) is an inner wall surface of the end groove portion 55A of the plug-side housing 50 (a surface perpendicular to the connector width direction). ) And is located in the end groove 55A.

  In a state in which the locked metal fitting 70 is held by integral molding with the end wall 55 of the plug-side housing 50, the respective bases 72A, 73A, 74A, 75A of the plate portions 72, 73, 74, 75 of the locked metal fitting 70. Extends in a range including the end groove portion 55A in the connector width direction, and the upright portions 72B and 75B and a part of the reinforcing portions 73B and 74B (portions except for an inner edge portion described later) are connected to the inner wall surface of the end groove portion 55A ( The end wall 55 extends upward along a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction). Also, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner edges of the locked portions 72C and 75C of the locked plate portions 72 and 75 and the reinforcing portions 73B and 74B of the reinforcing plate portions 73 and 74 (72C and 72C in the connector width direction). A side edge in a range corresponding to 75C protrudes from the inner wall surface of the end groove 55A and is located in the end groove 55A. The receiving groove 79 of the locked metal fitting 70 is located at the center in the connector width direction in the end groove 55A.

  The side plate portion 76, the upper plate portion 77, and the end plate portion 78 are respectively a side surface (a surface perpendicular to the connector width direction), an upper surface (a lower surface in FIG. 1), and an end surface of the end wall 55 of the plug-side housing 50. The plate surface is exposed from (a surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction), and protects the side surface, the upper surface, and the end surface of the end wall 55. The side plate portion 76 is electrically connected to the outer contact piece 47 of the shield member 40 of the receptacle connector 1 on the plate surface exposed from the side surface of the end wall 55 in the connector fitted state. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in the present embodiment, the outer locked portion 75 </ b> C of the locked metal member 70 located forward (to the right in FIG. 7A) is the lock projection 35 </ b> A of the lock metal member 30. -1 and the inside locked portion 72C of the locked metal member 70 located rearward (to the left in FIG. 7A) is locked with the lock projection 35B-1 of the lock metal member 30. ing. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the inner locked portion 72C of the locked metal member 70 located forward and the outer locked portion 75C of the locked metal member 70 positioned rearward are not used. As described above, the lock fitting 30 can be provided in a posture in which the posture shown in FIG. 4 is reversed left and right. In this case, the inside of the locked fitting 70 located forward is locked. The portion 72C and the outer locked portion 75C of the locked metal fitting 70 located at the rear are used as locked portions.

  Next, a connector fitting operation between the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 4, 6, and 7A. First, the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are attached to the corresponding circuit boards by soldering. Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the receptacle connector 1 is set to the posture in which the receiving portion 16 is directed upward, and the receiving portion 56 of the plug connector 2 (see FIG. 2) is positioned above the receptacle connector 1. Posture.

  Next, the plug connector 2 is lowered while maintaining the posture of FIG. 1 so that the protruding wall 12 of the receptacle connector 1 enters the receiving portion 56 of the plug connector 2 from below, and the peripheral wall 53 of the plug connector 2 is connected to the receptacle. The connector 1 is caused to enter the receiving portion 16 from above. As a result, the contact leg 62A of the plug terminal 60 of the plug connector 2 comes into contact with the contact portion 22A of the receptacle terminal 20 of the receptacle connector 1 or the inner contact piece 48 of the shield member 40 with a contact pressure. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the side plate 76 of the locked metal fitting 70 of the plug connector 2 is brought into contact with the outer contact piece 47 of the shield member 40 of the corresponding receptacle connector 1 by contact pressure. Contact.

  Further, in the connector fitting process, the locked portions 75C and 72C of the two locked metal members 70 provided on the plug connector 2 are connected to the lock projections 35A-1 and 35B-1 of the lock metal member 30 at the lock positions, respectively. The lock portions 35A, 35B are pressed against the upper edge (inclined edge) with a pressing force directed forward (to the right in FIG. 4) in the terminal arrangement direction. When receiving the pressing force, the lock portions 35A and 35B move forward, are accommodated in the front end wall groove portion 17B and the rear protruding wall groove portion 17F, respectively, and move to the lock release position (see FIG. 7B). Brought. At this time, the movement of the lock portions 35A and 35B is allowed by the elastic deformation (compression) of the elastic deformation portion 45 pressed by the contact portion 36B-1 of the lock fitting 30.

  As described above, when the lock portions 35A and 35B are brought to the unlock position, further lowering of the plug connector 2 is allowed. Then, as seen in FIG. 7 (A), the outer locked portion 75C of the front (to the right in FIG. 7 (A)) locked metal fitting 70 and the rear (to the left in FIG. 7 (A)). When the inside locked portion 72C of the locked metal fitting 70 reaches a position below the lock projections 35A-1 and 35B-1 of the lock metal fitting 30, the locking portions 35A and 35B are released from the above-described pressing force. As a result, the elastic deformation portion 45 is restored backward so as to reduce the amount of elastic deformation, and returns to the original lock position. The lock projections 35A-1 and 35B-1 that have returned to the lock positions are located above the corresponding locked parts 75C and 72C, respectively, as shown in FIG. , 72C are locked in the connector withdrawing direction (upward) and are locked. At this time, the protruding front end of the front lock protruding portion 35A-1 contacts the plate surface of the outer reinforcing portion 74B of the locked metal fitting 70 provided forward, and the protruding front end of the rear locking protruding portion 35B-1 moves rearward. It comes into contact with the plate surface of the inner reinforcing portion 73B of the provided locked metal member 70.

In addition, the front sub-reinforcement portion 38A of the lock fitting 30 and the main reinforcement portion 37 in a range corresponding to the front sub-reinforcement portion 38A are correspondingly received from below into the receiving groove portion 79 of the locked fitting 70 located forward. enter in. On the other hand, the rear sub-reinforcing portion 38B of the lock fitting 30 and the main reinforcing portion 37 in a range corresponding to the rear sub-reinforcing portion 38B correspond to the receiving groove portion 79 of the locked fitting 70 located rearward from below. enter in. As a result, the reinforcing portions 37, 38A, 38B of the lock fitting 30 enter the end grooves 55A of the end wall 55 of the plug connector 2 .

  As described above, the terminals 20 and 60 are connected to each other, the outer contact piece 47 and the side plate portion 76 are connected to each other, and the lock fittings 30 and 70 are locked together, thereby completing the connector fitting operation. Even if the plug connector 2 is inadvertently lifted in the connector unplugging direction (upward) in the connector fitted state, the upper edges of the upright portions 32A, 32C and the restricted portion 34A are formed by the receptacle-side housing 10. Since the abutting surfaces 17B-1, 17C-1, and 17E-2 abut, the upward movement of the lock fitting 30 is restricted. As a result, the locked state between the lock portions 35A, 35B of the lock fitting 30 and the locked portions 75C, 72C of the locked fitting 70 is maintained, and a stable locked state can be maintained.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, in the lock fitting 30 of the receptacle connector 1, the inner plate portion 30B is provided, and the inner plate portion 30B has not only the inner base portion 31B but also the lock portions 35A, 35A in the terminal arrangement direction. By providing the main reinforcing portion 37 and the sub-reinforcing portions 38A and 38B in a range including 35B, a large height dimension of the inner plate portion 30B is secured. Therefore, the lock fitting 30 as a whole has sufficient strength against bending deformation with respect to the locking fitting 30, particularly bending deformation in the connector insertion / removal direction. Even if a large output force is inadvertently received from the lock fitting 70, the lock fitting 30 can withstand the removal output without bending deformation.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the locked metal fitting 70 of the plug connector 2, the reinforcing plates 73 and 74 are provided, and the reinforcing parts 73B and 74B located in the range including the locked parts 72C and 75C. This reinforces the locked portions 72C and 75C. Therefore, even if the locked portions 72C and 75C receive carelessly large output force from the lock fitting 30 of the receptacle connector 1, it is possible to compete with sufficient strength.

  In the present embodiment, the main reinforcing portion 37 and the sub-reinforcing portions 38A, 38B of the lock fitting 30 of the receptacle connector 1 are located in the receiving groove 79 of the locked metal fitting 70 of the plug connector 2 and the inner groove 55A of the plug-side housing 50. The lock fitting 30 and the locked fitting 70 are overlapped in the connector fitting direction by an amount corresponding to the dimension of the entry because the part enters from below. Therefore, the height of the connector assembly can be reduced by the above-described size in the connector fitted state.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, when the lock fitting 30 is brought to the lock position by receiving the urging force from the elastic deformation portion 45 of the shield member 40 in the connector fitted state, the lock fitting 30 is locked. The protruding tips of the lock projections 35A-1 and 35B-1 come into contact with the corresponding plate surfaces of the reinforcing portions 74B and 73B of the locked metal fitting 70, respectively. As a result, the reinforcing portions 74B and 73B are pressed in the terminal arrangement direction by the lock projections 35A-1 and 35B-1, and the movement of the plug connector 2 in the same direction is restricted. Therefore, generation of abnormal noise caused by relative reciprocation of the connectors 1 and 2 in the terminal arrangement direction and collision of the lock projections 35A-1, 35B-1 with the reinforcements 74B, 73B is prevented. Also, it is possible to prevent the lock projections 35A-1, 35B-1 and the reinforcements 74B, 73B from being damaged.

Next, the connector unplugging operation will be described with reference to FIGS. When pulling out the plug connector 2 which is in a connector fitted state with the receptacle connector 1, the pressing surface 30C-1 of the lock release operation portion 30C of the lock fitting 30 of the receptacle connector 1 is moved forward in the terminal arrangement direction (FIG. 7). (A) to the right) to perform a release operation. When the unlocking operation portion 30C receives a forward pressing force as an unlocking operation force, the elastic pieces 45A and 45B of the elastic deformation portion 45 of the shield member 40 are pressed by the abutting portions 36B-1 of the lock fitting 30 and move forward. Elastically deformed. Then, as described in the connector fitting process described above, the elastic deformation portion 45 is compressed and elastically deformed, and the lock portions 35A and 35B move forward.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, the lock projections 35A-1 and 35B-1 are accommodated in the front end wall groove 17B and the rear protrusion wall groove 17F and brought to the unlock position. The locked state in which the lock projections 35A-1, 35B-1 and the locked parts 75C, 72C of the metal fitting 70 of the plug connector 2 can be locked is released. Then, by lifting the plug connector 2 in the connector removal direction (upward), the plug connector 2 is removed without difficulty, and the connector removal operation is completed.

  In the lock portions 35A and 35B of the lock fitting 30, the lock protrusions 35A-1 and 35B-1 are located in the receiving portion 16, and the other portions are in the front end wall groove 17B and the rear protrusion wall groove 17F. It is located in. In other words, the lock portions 35A and 35B are located within the range of the receptacle-side housing 10 in the terminal arrangement direction, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the receptacle-side housing 10, and move within this range. Therefore, even if the amount of protrusion of the lock projections 35A-1 and 35B-1 is ensured to be large, regardless of the presence or absence of the lock fitting 30, the lock arrangement in the terminal arrangement direction of the lock parts 35A and 35B is within the above-mentioned range originally existing. Since the space for allowing the movement of the connector can be easily secured, it is possible to avoid an increase in size of the connector in the terminal arrangement direction.

  In the present embodiment, the movement of the lock fitting 30 in the terminal arrangement direction is allowed by the elastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion 45 of the shield member 40. As described above, since the elastic deformation portion 45 is provided on the shield member 40, which is a separate member from the lock fitting 30, it is not necessary to provide the lock portions 35A, 35B with elasticity. Therefore, the rigidity of the lock portions 35A, 35B itself is eliminated. Consequently, the strength can be increased and a stable locked state can be obtained. Further, by increasing the amount of protrusion of the lock portions 35A and 35B, the rigidity and thus the strength of the lock portions 35A and 35B can be further increased, so that the stability of the locked state can be further improved.

  Further, in Patent Document 1 described above as a prior document, since the elastically deformable member is provided as a member separate from the shield member, the number of parts constituting the connector increases by that much, and the manufacturing cost increases. In addition, there is a problem that the step of attaching the elastically deformable member to the housing is required at the time of manufacturing the connector, which complicates the manufacturing process of the connector. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the elastically deformable portion 45 is provided integrally with the shield member 40, the elastically deformable member is separated from the shield member as in Patent Document 1. The number of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced, as compared with the case where it is provided as a member. Further, when the connector is manufactured, the elastically deformable portion 45 is also attached by attaching the shield member 40, so that the step of attaching the elastically deformable member to the housing can be omitted, and the manufacture of the connector is simplified.

  In the above-described embodiment, the plate portions 30A and 30B of the lock fitting 30 of the receptacle connector 1 are formed by bending a metal plate member. However, instead of this, the plate portion of the lock fitting is used. May be made, for example, by cutting a metal member as described below.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a lock 130 according to a modification. As shown in FIG. 8, the lock member 130 has a plate portion formed by cutting a rod-shaped metal member extending in the front-rear direction (terminal arrangement direction), and the unlocking operation portion 130 </ b> C is formed by bending the metal member. It is made. The plate part of the lock fitting 130 is formed by integrating the four plate parts of the lock fitting 30 shown in FIG. 3, that is, two outer plate parts 30A and two inner plate parts 30B in the plate thickness direction (connector width direction). It has a shape that looks like it was made. That is, the lock fitting 130 is a solid member in which the material is continuous in any of the connector fitting direction, the terminal arrangement direction, and the connector width direction. In FIG. 8, portions corresponding to the respective portions of the lock fitting 30 according to the above-described embodiment are denoted by reference numerals to which “100” is added, and description thereof is omitted. In this lock fitting 130, the connecting part 130D also has a shape in which the two plates of the connecting part 30D of the lock fitting 30 in FIG. 3 are integrated, and the unlocking operation part 130C is connected to the connecting part 130D. Are located on one side in the connector width direction.

  In the lock fitting 130, at the positions of the lock protrusions 135A-1 and 135B-1 in the terminal arrangement direction, the lock protrusions 135A-1 and 135B-1 are in the thickness direction (connector width direction) of the lock fitting 130. The reinforcing portion 137 is formed in a part of the entire range, and the reinforcing portion 137 is formed in the remaining portion of the entire range. Since the lock projections 135A-1 and 135B-1 and the reinforcing portion 137 are directly connected in the thickness direction and are integrated, the lock projections 135A-1 and 135B-1 are more strongly reinforced. Have been. In addition, the plate portion of the lock fitting 130 is formed integrally with a thickness dimension over the entire area in the connector width direction except for the lock protrusions 135A-1, 135B-1 and the reinforcing portion 137 described above. The strength of each part itself is also improved. As described above, a greater strength can be obtained over the entire plate portion, so that it is possible to sufficiently prevent inadvertent connector disconnection and output.

  Here, as a modification, the lock fitting 130 made of a metal member has been described with reference to FIG. 8, but instead, for example, a lock member having a shape shown in FIG. It is also possible to make it.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Receptacle connector 51 Bottom wall 2 Plug connector 53 Peripheral wall 10 Receptacle side housing 54 Side wall 11 Bottom wall 55 End wall 12 Projecting wall 55A End groove 13 Peripheral wall 56 Receiving part 14 Side wall 60 Plug terminal 15 End wall 70 Locking fitting 16 Receiving part 72 Inner locked plate portion 17 Lock fitting accommodating groove 72A Base 20 Receptacle terminal 72B Inner stand 30 Lock fitting 72C Inner locked portion 31A Outer base 73 Inner reinforcing plate 31B Inner base 73A Base 38B Rear auxiliary reinforcing portion 73B Inner reinforcing portion 32C Rear standing portion 74 Outside reinforcing plate portion 32A Front standing portion 74A Base 35A-1 Front locking protrusion 74B Outside reinforcing portion 35B-1 Rear locking protrusion 75 Outside locked plate portion 37 Main reinforcing portion 75A Base 38A Front auxiliary reinforcing portion 75B Outer standing part 32B Intermediate upright portion 75C Outer locked portion 50 Plug side housing 79 Receiving groove

Claims (6)

An electrical connector that is fitted and connected to a mating connector so as to be able to be inserted and removed, the electrical connector having a housing extending in one direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction as a longitudinal direction, and the longitudinal direction as a terminal arrangement direction. A terminal arranged and held in a housing, having a lock member and an elastically deformable portion held by the housing, wherein the housing has a receiving portion for receiving a mating connector.
The lock member includes a base having a portion extending in the terminal arrangement direction, an erect part that erects from a part of the base in a connector fitting direction forward within a range of the housing in the terminal arrangement direction, and an erect part from the erect part. A lock portion that protrudes toward one end side of the housing in the terminal arrangement direction and has a lock protrusion that can prevent the locked portion from being pulled out when locked to a locked portion provided on a mating connector; At the position adjacent to the lock portion in the connector width direction perpendicular to both the connector fitting direction and the terminal arranging direction, the connector stands up from the base in the connector fitting direction and the range of the lock portion in the terminal arranging direction. And a reinforcing portion extending over a wider range than the lock portion ,
The lock member is disposed in the housing portion of the housing, the lock protrusion projects to the receiving portion, and is locked to the locked portion of the mating connector, and the other end of the housing in the terminal arrangement direction. It is movable between the unlock position where it can be unlocked by moving to
The electric connector, wherein the elastically deforming portion urges the lock member toward the lock position. The lock member is made of a metal plate, and has a stacked shape in which a plurality of plate portions are stacked in the connector width direction in a state of being bent in the thickness direction of the metal plate,
The lock projection is formed on a part of the plurality of plate portions,
The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing portion is formed on another of the plurality of plate portions adjacent to the one or more plate portions. The lock member is a solid member in which the material is continuous in any direction of the connector fitting direction, the terminal arrangement direction and the connector width direction,
The lock projection is formed in a part of the entire range of the lock member in the connector width direction,
The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing portion is formed in a remaining portion of the lock member in the entire range in the connector width direction.   The lock projection of the lock member is urged by the elastically deformable portion when the connector is in the lock position in the fitted state, and the projecting tip is in contact with the member having the locked portion of the mating connector. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The electrical connector has a shield member attached to the housing,
The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an elastic deformation portion is formed integrally with the shield member. An electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and a mating connector that is fitted and connected to the electrical connector, wherein the mating connector is in a connector fitted state. An electrical connector assembly, characterized in that the electrical connector assembly further comprises a locked portion which can be locked in a direction for preventing the connector from being pulled out with respect to the lock projection of the lock member.

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