JP6706549B2 - Terminal used for contact with substrate, connector using this terminal, and connector device having this connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a terminal used for contact with a substrate, a connector using this terminal, and a connector device having this connector.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the field of the automobile industry such as automobiles and motorcycles, a terminal that can be used for contact with a substrate and a connector that accommodates the terminal (hereinafter, referred to as "terminal accommodating connector") have been rapidly developed. . This terminal, unlike a general electric connector, does not connect the terminals to each other, but is connected to a board on which various electronic parts are mounted. Similarly, although it has a plurality of terminals and a housing for accommodating the plurality of terminals, the terminals used for contact with the substrate are accommodated here.
The board is generally supported by a connector that supports the board (hereinafter, referred to as "board support connector"), and the terminal and the board are brought into contact by fitting the board support connector with the terminal accommodating connector. When the board supporting connector and the terminal accommodating connector are mated, the board is inserted and installed in the housing of the terminal accommodating connector through the board inserting portion of the terminal accommodating connector, but the board used at this time is usually not completely flat. There is some distortion. This distortion may cause a contact failure between the terminal and the contact portion, even if it is slight, and this contact failure may seriously affect the control of an automobile or the like. Therefore, it is desired to develop a terminal capable of allowing the substrate to be distorted and exhibiting high contact reliability, and a terminal-accommodating connector using such a terminal.

As one measure for improving contact reliability, a terminal having a special shape as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been developed in recent years. This terminal is a terminal formed from a single metal plate, and unlike a terminal used in a general electric connector, is formed in a box shape as a whole, and the cross section in the plate thickness direction of the metal plate has a substantially concave shape. It has a main body, and a contact piece is arranged on the opening side of the main body (recess).

In this type of terminal, a large load is applied to the contact piece from the opening side of the main body toward the bottom side when contacting the substrate. Moreover, such a load may be suddenly applied. If it does not have sufficient strength, the contact piece cannot withstand such a load and is deformed or destroyed. The terminal of Patent Document 1 is further provided with one piece in addition to the contact piece. This piece is displaced on the side opposite to the bottom of the main body, in other words, the contact piece is displaced when contacting the substrate. Since it is provided on the side opposite to the side, it does not reinforce the contact piece.

JP, 2016-9604, A

The present invention is thus a terminal having a special shape that can be used for contact with a substrate, more specifically, a terminal formed from a single metal plate, which is formed into a box shape as a whole, It was made in order to solve this problem, focusing on a new problem in a specially shaped terminal such that the contact piece is arranged on the opening side of the main body whose cross section in the plate thickness direction is substantially concave. An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal capable of increasing the strength of a contact piece so as to withstand a load received at the time of contact with the connector, a connector using the terminal, and a connector device having the connector. Another object of the present invention is to provide a terminal that can prevent a load from being suddenly applied and can prevent deformation or damage of the terminal, and a connector and the like using the terminal.

In order to solve the above problems, a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is a terminal formed from a single metal plate, the main body having a substantially concave cross section in the plate thickness direction of the metal plate, A contact piece and a reinforcing piece arranged on the opening side of the main body in a state of facing the bottom portion; the contact piece being connected to one side wall of the main body over a predetermined length; And a contact portion that is supported in a cantilever shape through the first connection portion and that is elastically displaceable from the opening side of the main body toward the bottom side of the main body. At least a portion is provided in a state of being projected from the bottom side toward the opening side rather than the first connecting portion, and the reinforcing piece has a predetermined length on the other side wall of the main body. Having a second connecting portion connected across, at least a portion of the contact piece and at least a portion of the reinforcing piece, facing in the plate thickness direction of the metal plate, the reinforcing piece, It is characterized in that it is arranged on the bottom side of the main body with respect to the contact piece.
According to the terminal of this aspect, the reinforcing piece that can reinforce the contact piece is provided on the displacement side of the contact portion of the contact piece that is particularly heavily loaded at the time of contact, in other words, on the bottom side of the main body. Therefore, the strength of the contact piece can be increased.

In the terminal of the above aspect, it is preferable that at least a part of the first connecting portion and at least a part of the second connecting portion face each other in the plate thickness direction of the metal plate.
According to the terminal of this aspect, the contact pieces can be reinforced more efficiently by facing the particularly strong connecting portions connected to the body of the terminal.

Further, in the terminal of the above aspect, the length along the longitudinal direction of the second connecting portion that connects the other side wall of the main body and the second connecting portion is in the longitudinal direction of the first connecting portion. It is preferably longer than the length.
According to the terminal of this aspect, the fixing strength of the reinforcing piece with respect to the main body that connects the one side wall of the main body and the first connecting portion can be made higher than that of the contact piece.

Further, in the terminal of the above aspect, an end portion of a second connecting portion that connects the other side wall of the main body and the second connecting portion is located on a side closer to a contact point of the contact portion in the longitudinal direction, The contact point of the contact portion is more than the end portion of the first connecting portion that connects the one side wall of the main body and the first connecting portion, which is located closer to the contact point of the contact portion in the longitudinal direction. It is preferably located on the near side.
According to the terminal of this aspect, since the reinforcing piece is fixed to the rear end portion of the contact portion that is particularly loaded at the time of contact, on the side closer to the contact piece, the fixing strength of the reinforcing piece to the main body can be improved. Can be increased than that.

Furthermore, in the terminal of the above aspect, the contact piece includes an intermediate portion supported in a cantilever shape together with the contact portion through the first connecting portion between the first connecting portion and the contact portion. You may have.
According to the terminal of this aspect, since the contact portion 61C is connected to the cantilever portion by providing the intermediate portion, the elastic displacement action of the contact portion 61C can be further increased.

Furthermore, in the terminal of the above aspect, it is preferable that at least a part of the second connecting portion faces at least one of the first connecting portion, the intermediate portion, and the contact portion.
According to the terminal of this aspect, the contact piece can be more firmly supported by the connecting portion connected to the main body of the terminal.

Further, in the terminal of the above aspect, the reinforcing piece has an extending portion supported in a cantilever shape through the second connecting portion, and at least a part of the extending portion is the first connecting portion. It is preferable to face at least one of the portion, the intermediate portion, and the contact portion.
According to the terminal of this aspect, since the extension portion is provided, the contact piece can be supported over a larger length portion.

Further, in the terminal of the above aspect, the reinforcing piece may be extended to the free end side of the contact portion rather than the end portion located on the opposite side in the longitudinal direction from the free end of the contact portion. preferable.
According to the terminal of this aspect, it is possible to more reliably support the end portion of the contact portion on the opposite side to the free end of the contact portion to which a large load is applied at the time of contact, by the reinforcing piece.

It is provided with a terminal of the above-mentioned aspect and a housing which stores the terminal, the housing has an insertion part in which the substrate is inserted and installed along the longitudinal direction, and at least a contact part of the terminal. The contact point with the substrate may be a connector provided in a state of protruding from the bottom side toward the opening side into the insertion section.
Further, the connector device may be a combination of the connector of the above aspect and a connector that can be fitted to the connector and that supports the substrate.

According to the present invention, there are provided a terminal in which the strength of a contact piece is increased so as to withstand a load received when it comes into contact with a substrate, a connector using this terminal, and a connector device having this connector. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the load from being suddenly applied to the terminal and prevent the terminal from being deformed or damaged.

It is a perspective view showing an example of the state of use of the connector device by one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a usage state of the terminal housing connector according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing an example of the use state of the substrate support connector by one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a right side perspective view of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a left perspective view of the terminal of FIG. 4. It is a top view of the terminal of FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 7. It is a top view of the terminal before bending. It is a front view of a terminal accommodation connector. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a top view of a terminal accommodation connector and a board support connector in the middle of fitting. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line in FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 13 when the fitting is completed.

Hereinafter, a terminal and a connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that here, for convenience of description, only preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown, but of course, the present invention is not intended to be limited thereby.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a usage state of a connector device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIGS. 2 and 3 show two connectors constituting the connector device, that is, a terminal accommodating connector. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a usage state of each of the board supporting connector and the board supporting connector. The connector device 1 of FIG. 1 is composed of a set of the terminal accommodating connector 20 and the board supporting connector 70 which can be fitted, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. FIG. 1 shows the state after fitting, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show the state before fitting. In the present specification, for convenience, the front-back direction of the connector device 1 will be referred to as the “α” direction, the height direction of the connector device 1 will be referred to as the “β” direction, and the width direction of the connector device 1 will be referred to as the “γ” direction.

The terminal accommodating connector 20 and the board supporting connector 70 can be fitted to each other by abutting each other in the “α” direction on their front sides, and can also be pulled out. At the time of fitting, the cable 3 connected to the terminal housing connector 20 and the board 10 supported by the board supporting connector 70 are electrically connected to each other.

The terminal housing connector 20 includes a housing 21 formed of an insulating material such as resin, and a plurality of terminals 50 housed in the housing 21. The housing 21 may include a main body 22 and a rear cover 23. The main body 22 is formed as a tubular body having a substantially circular flat cross section as a whole. The front side of the rear cover 23 has a substantially circular flat cross section corresponding to the rear shape of the main body 22, and is attached to the rear part of the main body 22 in a state in which the cable 3 can be inserted. By being attached to the main body 22, the rear cover 23 closes the rear portion of the main body 22, and the waterproof packing 28 (see FIG. 11) can be sandwiched between the main body 22 and the rear cover 23.

A retainer insertion opening 26 into which the retainer 4 is inserted is provided on the side surface of the main body 22. The retainer 4 can prevent the terminal 50 from falling off from the housing 21. The front side of the main body 22 is provided with an insertion port 24 into which a part of the front side of the board supporting connector 70 is inserted. A terminal array portion 34 projecting from the rear side to the front side is provided at a position recessed from the insertion port 24 along the “α” direction. The terminal array portion 34 has a plurality of terminal insertion portions 48 (48-1, 48-2) into which the terminals 50 are inserted along the “α” direction, and these terminal insertion portions 48 extend in the “β” direction. Along the upper and lower sides are formed. The board insertion portion 38 is formed by the gap formed between the upper terminal insertion portion 48-1 and the lower terminal insertion portion 48-2. When the terminal accommodating connector 20 and the board supporting connector 70 are fitted, the board 10 arranged in the board supporting connector 70 is inserted and set in the board inserting portion 38 along the “α” direction.

The board support connector 70 is made of an insulating material such as resin and has a bottomed tubular body as a whole. The front side has a substantially circular flat cross section corresponding to the main body 22 of the terminal housing connector 20. Similarly, the rear side also has a substantially round cross section, but has a smaller diameter than the front side.

An accommodation space 80 for accommodating the terminal array portion 34 provided in the terminal accommodation connector 20 is provided on the front side of the board supporting connector 70. When the terminal accommodating connector 20 and the board supporting connector 70 are fitted, the board supporting connector 70 is inserted into the insertion space 36 of the terminal accommodating connector 20, and the terminal array portion 34 is accommodated in the accommodating space 80 of the board supporting connector 70. ..

In order to determine the fitting direction of the terminal housing connector 20 and the board supporting connector 70, each of the terminal housing connector 20 and the board supporting connector 70 may be provided with a member that decides the fitting direction. These members include guide grooves 46 provided on the left and right inner walls of the terminal accommodating connector 20 and extending from the front end to the rear side along the “α” direction, and the board supporting connector 70 corresponding thereto. It includes guide ribs 73 provided on the left and right outer walls of the guide rib extending from the front end to the rear side along the “α” direction.

A locking mechanism may be provided to lock the fitted state. The lock mechanism is composed of a lock 30 provided inside the terminal accommodating connector 20 and a lock protrusion 77 correspondingly provided on the upper outer wall of the front side of the board supporting connector 70. When the terminal accommodating connector 20 and the board supporting connector 70 are fitted to each other, the corresponding lock protrusion 30 ′ of the lock 30 is locked to the lock protrusion 77. The corresponding lock protrusion 30 ′ can be operated through the lock operating part 31, and by operating this lock operating part 31, the locking can be released. In order to enable the lock operation, the lock operation portion 31 is provided in a state of being exposed to the outside on the upper side surface of the rear cover 23 attached to the rear surface side of the main body 22 of the terminal accommodating connector 20.

The structure of the terminal 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9. The terminal 50 is formed by punching and bending a single metal plate. 4 is a right perspective view of the terminal 50, FIG. 5 is a left perspective view thereof, FIG. 6 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is B of FIG. A cross-sectional view taken along line B and FIG. 9 are plan views of the terminal 50 before bending.

The terminal 50 has a substantially rectangular tube shape as a whole, and extends along the longitudinal direction (corresponding to the front-back direction “α” of the board connector device 1 shown in FIG. 1). By forming it into a substantially rectangular tube shape, its strength is increased as compared with a simple plate surface, and contact reliability can be improved even with a distorted substrate. The terminal 50 mainly includes a substantially concave main body 54, a tongue-shaped inspection portion 53 provided at the tip of the main body 54, and two plate-like pieces provided above the main body 54, that is, a contact piece 61 and A reinforcing piece 62 is included, and further, a retainer recess 59, a core wire holding portion 55, and an outer cover holding portion 56 are included in this order behind the main body 54.

The retainer recess 59 is formed by cutting out a part of the upper side of the terminal 50. A part of the retainer (the retainer 4 in FIG. 1) is caught in the retainer recess 59. This prevents the terminal 50 from coming off from the terminal insertion portion 48.

The core wire holding portion 55 holds the core wire of the cable 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and the outer cover holding portion 56 holds the outer cover of the cable 3. In order to increase the strength of the core wire holding portion 55, two semicircular cross-section portions may be formed in the thickness direction “β”.

The inspection unit 53 is used to perform a continuity inspection of the terminal 50. At the time of the continuity inspection, an inspection jig (not shown) is brought into contact with the vertical portion 53A of the inspection portion 53. At this time, a predetermined stress is applied to the inspection unit 53. In order to increase the strength with respect to the inspection jig or the like, a bent portion 53B may be provided at the end of the vertically extending portion 53A toward the contact piece 61 side.

The main body 54 mainly includes a right side wall 52A, a left side wall 52B facing the right side wall 52A via a predetermined space 54a, and a bottom wall 60. As a result, the cross section of the main body 54 in the plate thickness direction “β” (“γ”) of the metal plate is substantially concave.

A recess 58 for a lance is formed in the bottom wall 60 of the main body 54 by cutting a part of the bottom side of the terminal 50. A part of the terminal array portion 34 (see FIG. 2) is caught in the lance recess 58. As a result, the terminals 50 are locked in the terminal array portion. It should be noted that the cross section of the main body 54 is not completely concave at the portion where the lance recess 58 is provided, but for example, such a portion also has at least a substantially concave cross section. You can Therefore, it can be said that the cross section of the main body 54 is substantially concave, including the portion in which the lance recess 58 is provided.

The external protrusion 52' (see FIG. 5) may be provided on either the right side wall 52A or the left side wall 52B (the left side wall 52B in the embodiment). When inserting the terminal 50 into the terminal insertion portion 48, the terminal 50 can be press-fitted into the inner wall of the terminal insertion portion 48 by using the external protruding portion 52 ′ to stabilize the position of the terminal 50 in the terminal insertion portion 48. it can. Of course, such an external protrusion may be provided on both the right side wall 52A and the left side wall 52B.

The contact piece 61 and the reinforcing piece 62 were placed on the opening side (arrow “β” side) of the substantially concave main body 54 such that the opening of the main body 54 was covered with the bottom piece 60 of the main body 54. Arranged in a state.

The contact piece 61 includes a connecting portion 61A provided on the rear side, a contact portion 61C provided on the front side, and an intermediate portion 61B provided therebetween.
The connecting portion 61A is connected to the right side wall 52A at one side of the connecting portion 64 via a connecting portion 64 having a predetermined length "L1" along the longitudinal direction "α". The spring property of the contact piece 61 can be freely controlled by adjusting the length of this "L1". For example, by shortening the length of “L1”, the spring property of the contact piece 61 can be increased and the contact piece 61 can be made soft. Further, the spring property of the contact piece 61 can be freely controlled by adjusting the width (size in the “γ” direction of FIG. 9) of the connecting portion 61A. The contact portion 61C and the intermediate portion 61B are supported like a cantilever through the connecting portion 61A.
The contact portion 61C is formed in a mountain shape by bending from the bottom portion 60 side of the main body 54 toward the opening side. The top of the contact portion 61C is formed as a contact 51A that comes into contact with an object to be contacted, for example, the contact 13 (see FIG. 3) of the substrate 10. The contact 51A is provided so as to protrude from the bottom portion 60 side of the main body 54 toward the opening side beyond the connecting portion 61A. The tip portion of the contact portion 61C is formed as a tongue-shaped free end 51B by bending downward toward the main body 54, and is located in the space 54a formed by the concave portion of the main body 54. The contact portion 61C is elastically displaceable from the opening side of the main body 54 toward the bottom portion 60 side. The elastic displacement is performed around the rear end portion 51C of the contact portion 61C, which is located on the opposite side of the free end 51B in the longitudinal direction “α”.
Although the intermediate portion 61B is not always necessary, the contact portion 61C is connected to the cantilever portion by providing the intermediate portion, so that the elastic displacement action of the contact portion 61C can be further increased.

The reinforcing piece 62 includes a connecting portion 62A provided on the rear side and an extending portion 62B provided on the front side.
The connecting portion 62A is connected to the left side wall 52B at one side of the connecting portion 62A via a connecting portion 65 having a predetermined length "L2" along the longitudinal direction "α". Similar to the contact piece 61, the elasticity of the reinforcing piece 62 can be freely controlled by adjusting the length of “L2”. Further, the elasticity can be freely controlled by adjusting the width (size in the “γ” direction of FIG. 9) of the connecting portion 62A. At least a part of the reinforcing piece 62 and at least a part of the contact piece 61 are arranged so as to face each other in the plate thickness direction “β” of the metal plate. It is arranged on the bottom 60 side of 54. According to this configuration, the reinforcing piece 62 that can reinforce the contact piece 61 is provided on the displacement side of the contact portion 61C of the contact piece 61, in other words, on the bottom portion 60 side of the main body 54, to which a particularly large load is applied at the time of contact. As a result, the contact piece 61 can be supported and its strength can be increased.
Thus, the contact piece 61 is connected to the one side wall 52A via the connecting portion 61A, and the reinforcing piece 62 is connected to the other side wall 52B different from the one side wall 52A via the connecting portion 62A. As shown in FIG. 9, the shape of the unfolded state before bending can be made simple, and the bending process can be made easy.

The reinforcing piece 62 uses the extension portion 62B as in the illustrated embodiment or the like, or by the connecting portion 62A itself, in the longitudinal direction “α” rather than the rear end portion 51C of the contact portion 61C. Is preferably extended to the free end 51B side. According to this configuration, the rear end portion 51C of the contact portion 61C to which a particularly large load is applied at the time of contact can be more reliably supported by the reinforcing piece 62, in the present embodiment, in particular, the extending portion 62B.

It is preferable that at least a part of the connecting portion 61A of the contact piece 61 and at least a part of the connecting portion 62A of the reinforcing piece 62 face each other in the plate thickness direction “β” of the metal plate. The contact pieces 61 can be reinforced more efficiently by making the particularly strong connecting portions 61A and 62A connected to the main body 54 of the terminal 50 face each other.

Further, it is preferable that the connecting portion 62A of the reinforcing piece 62 faces not only the connecting portion 61A of the contact piece 61 but also the intermediate portion 61B and the contact portion 61C. According to this configuration, the contact piece 61 can be more firmly supported by the connecting portion 62A of the reinforcing piece 62.

Further, the extending portion 62B of the reinforcing piece 62 may face at least one of the connecting portion 61A, the intermediate portion 61B, and the contact portion 61C of the contact piece 61. According to this configuration, the contact piece 61 can be supported over a larger length portion as much as the extension portion 62B is provided.

As well shown in FIG. 9, the length “L2” along the longitudinal direction “α” of the connecting portion 65 connecting the connecting portion 62A of the reinforcing piece 62 and the main body 54 is determined by the connection of the contact piece 61. It is preferably longer than the length "L1" along the longitudinal direction "α" of the connecting portion 64 connecting the portion 61A and the main body 54. According to this configuration, the fixing strength of the reinforcing piece 62 to the main body 54 can be made higher than that of the contact piece 61, and as a result, for example, in order to increase the elastic displacement action of the contact portion 61C of the contact piece 61, contact Even when the length of the connecting portion 64 of the piece 61 is set to be short, the strength of the contact piece 61 can be sufficiently maintained by the reinforcing piece 62.

In addition, the end portion “n” of the connecting portion 65 that connects the connecting portion 62A of the reinforcing piece 62 and the main body 54 is located closer to the contact 51A of the contact portion 61C in the longitudinal direction “α”. The end portion “n” is the end portion “m” of the connecting portion 64 that connects the connecting portion 61A of the contact piece 61 and the main body 54, and more specifically, the contact point 51A of the contact portion 61C in the longitudinal direction “α”. It is preferable to be positioned closer to the contact 51A of the contact portion 61C than to the end "m" located closer to the contact point 51C. According to this configuration, the reinforcing piece 62 is fixed to the rear end portion 51C of the contact portion 61C that is particularly loaded at the time of contact, on the side closer to the contact piece 61, and thus the fixing strength of the reinforcing piece 62 to the main body 54. Can be made higher than that of the contact piece 61. As a result, for example, in order to increase the elastic displacement action of the contact portion 51 of the contact piece 61, the length “L1” of the connecting portion 64 of the contact piece 61 can be increased. Even when set to be short, the reinforcing piece 62 can sufficiently maintain the strength of the contact piece 61.

FIG. 10 shows a front view of the terminal accommodating connector 20, and FIG. 11 shows a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. On the front surface of the terminal array portion 34, a plurality of windows 40 for exposing the inspection portion 53 of the terminal 50 inserted in the terminal insertion portion 48 are provided. These windows 40 can be used as inspection holes that allow access to the inspection portion 53 of each terminal 50.

The terminal array portion 34 is provided with a space 42 extending along the “α” direction in parallel with the terminal insertion portion 48. This space 42 is used as a moving space for the lance 44 when the terminal 50 is inserted into the terminal insertion portion 48. When the terminal 50 is inserted into the terminal insertion portion 48, the lance 44 is displaced toward the space 42 through contact with the front side of the terminal 50, and then locked in the lance recess 58. As a result, the terminal 50 is prevented from coming off from the terminal insertion portion 48.

In the board insertion portion 38 provided on the front surface of the terminal array portion 34, the contact 51A-1 of the terminal 50-1 provided on the upper terminal insertion portion 48 and the terminal 50-2 provided on the lower stage opposite to the contact 51A-1. The contact points 51A-2 and the contact points 51A-2 project into the board insertion portion 38 in a direction approaching each other, and a gap 39 is formed therebetween. The upper terminal 50-1 and the lower terminal 50-2 may be displaced from each other in the terminal pitch direction as in the illustrated embodiment, but of course, the terminal 50 and the substrate 10 in the thickness direction “β”. ", it may be in a completely overlapped state. It is sufficient that the upper terminal 50-1 and the lower terminal 50-2 are arranged so as to form the gap 39 in which the substrate 10 is sandwiched by using the contact 51A of either terminal.

In order to enhance the waterproof function, it is preferable to provide a waterproof packing 28 (see FIG. 11) around the cable 3 when the rear cover 23 is attached to the main body housing 22 of the terminal housing connector 20. As a result, the gap that may be formed on the outer circumference of the cable 3 can be closed and water can be prevented from entering the terminal housing connector 20.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the terminal accommodating connector 20 and the board supporting connector 70 in the middle of fitting, FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 12, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view similar to FIG.

The function of the terminal 50 when the terminal accommodating connector 20 and the board supporting connector 70 are fitted together will be described with reference to these figures and FIGS. 3 to 9 as well. At the time of fitting, the board 10 supported by the board supporting connector 70 forms a gap 39 between the contact 51A-1 of the upper terminal 50-1 and the contact 51A-2 of the lower terminal 50-2. Are sandwiched in the thickness direction “β” of the substrate 10. Initially, the terminal 50 receives a force mainly by the contact portion 61C of the contact piece 61 forming the contact 51, but as the fitting progresses, the intermediate portion 61B and the connecting portion 61C connected to the contact portion 61C also receive a force. As a result, as a result, a force is applied to the elastic piece 62 provided on the elastic displacement side of the contact piece 61. Therefore, the terminal 50 can exert an elastic force not only by the contact piece 61 but also by the reinforcing piece 62, and even if the thickness of the substrate 10 varies a little, the contact portion 13 of the substrate 10 (see FIG. 3). A sufficient contact pressure can be obtained. Further, since the contact piece 61 is reinforced by the reinforcing piece 62, even when the substrate is inserted and removed a plurality of times, the contact piece 61 does not easily sag, and only the contact piece 61 is provided. Compared with, it is possible to exert sufficient contact pressure for a longer period of time.
Further, since the terminal 50 is formed by bending a single metal plate, a slight gap (not shown) is formed between the contact piece 61 and the reinforcing piece 62, and when the board 10 is in contact with the terminal piece 50. A force is applied so as to gradually fill this gap from the contact portion 61C of the contact piece 61 toward the connecting portion 61A and from the extended portion 62B of the reinforcing piece 62 toward the connecting portion 62A. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent a sudden load from being applied to the terminal 50.
In this case, the elastic force of the contact piece 61 and the reinforcing piece 62 is gradually applied to the substrate 10. Further, since the contact piece 61 and the reinforcing piece 62 are provided in the shape of a cantilever, the elastic force of the contact piece 61 and the reinforcing piece 62 is gradually applied to the substrate 10 also with this configuration. . As a result, according to this configuration, the substrate 10 can be smoothly brought into contact with the terminals 50, and scraping of the contact portion 13 of the substrate 10 can be effectively prevented.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the contact 51A has been described as a single-point contact structure capable of contacting only at one place, but it may be a two-point contact structure capable of contacting at two places. For example, a slit penetrating the metal plate along the longitudinal direction “α” of the terminal 50 in the vicinity of the center of the contact portion 61C can substantially make the contact point “two points”.

Further aspects, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, showing only a number of specific embodiments and examples, including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. Will be obvious. The present invention may also be constructed in other and different embodiments, and numerous details thereof can be modified in various obvious respects without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the drawings and description are merely illustrative and not limiting.

The present invention can be applied to a connector of a type in which an object to be connected such as a board is inserted through an insertion portion provided in a housing, for example, a terminal used in a board connector which is currently under rapid development.

1 Board Connector Device 10 Board 20 Terminal Housing Connector 24 Insertion Port 34 Terminal Arrangement 36 Insertion Space 38 Board Insertion/Extraction 39 Gap 50 Terminal 51 Contact 51A Contact 51B Tip (Free End)
51C Rear end part 52A Right side wall 52B Left side wall 61 Contact piece 61A Connecting part 61B Intermediate part 61C Contact part 64 Connecting part 62 Reinforcing piece 62A Connecting part 62B Extension part 65 Connecting part 70 Board support connector 80 Storage space

Claims (10)

A terminal formed from a single metal plate,
A main body having a substantially concave cross-sectional shape including a pair of side walls and a bottom portion facing each other through a space ,
A contact piece and a reinforcing piece arranged on the opening side of the main body in a state of facing the bottom portion of the main body,
The contact piece includes a first connecting portion which is connected to one side wall of the main body along a longitudinal direction for a predetermined length and is located on one side in the longitudinal direction, and the first connecting portion. Is supported in a cantilever shape through and is formed so as to be elastically displaceable from the opening side of the main body toward the bottom side into the space, and is located on the other side opposite to the one side in the longitudinal direction. And a contact portion, and at least a part of the contact portion is provided in a state of being projected from the bottom portion side toward the opening side more than the first connecting portion,
The reinforcing piece has a second connecting portion located on the one side in the longitudinal direction connected to the other side wall of the main body along the longitudinal direction for a predetermined length,
The contact piece and the reinforcing piece face each other on the side of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion located on the side opposite to the contact portion in the longitudinal direction, and face each other on the side of the contact portion. The terminal is characterized in that the reinforcing piece is arranged on the bottom side of the main body with respect to the contact piece. At least a part of the first connecting part and at least a part of the second connecting part face each other in the plate thickness direction of the metal plate forming the bottom part of the main body. The terminal shown. The length along the longitudinal direction of the second connecting portion connecting the other side wall of the main body and the second connecting portion is the first connecting the one side wall of the main body and the first connecting portion. Longer than the length of the connecting portion along the longitudinal direction,
The terminal according to claim 2. An end portion of the second connecting portion that connects the other side wall of the main body and the second connecting portion to the side closer to the contact point of the contact portion in the longitudinal direction is one side wall of the main body and the side wall. The first connecting portion that connects the first connecting portion is positioned closer to the contact point of the contact portion than an end portion of the first connecting portion that is closer to the contact point of the contact portion in the longitudinal direction, The terminal according to Item 2 or 3. The contact piece, between the contact portion and the first connecting portion, an intermediate portion supported like a cantilever with the contact portion through the first coupling part, according to claim 1 to 3 Terminal described in either. The terminal according to claim 5, wherein at least a part of the second connecting portion faces at least one of the first connecting portion, the intermediate portion, and the contact portion. The reinforcing piece has an extending portion supported in a cantilever shape through the second connecting portion, and at least a part of the extending portion includes the first connecting portion, the intermediate portion, and the contact portion. The terminal according to claim 5 or 6, which faces at least one of the terminals. 8. The reinforcing piece according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing piece extends on the free end side of the contact portion more than an end portion located on the opposite side to the free end of the contact portion in the longitudinal direction. The terminal shown. A terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a housing for accommodating the terminal,
The housing has an insertion portion into which the substrate is inserted and installed along the longitudinal direction, and at least a contact portion with the substrate among the contact portions of the terminals is directed from the bottom side toward the opening side. A connector provided so as to project into the insertion portion. A connector device comprising a set of the connector according to claim 9 and a substrate support connector that can be fitted to the connector and supports the substrate.

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