JP6883305B2 - Electrical connector assembly - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly having a circuit board electrical connector mounted on a mounting surface of a circuit board and another circuit board electrical connector mounted on another circuit board mounting surface.

As an electric connector for a circuit board of this type, Patent Document 1 states that a housing holding a terminal has a fixed housing fixed to the circuit board and a movable housing movable with respect to the fixed housing, and the terminal is provided. A connector spanning the fixed housing and the movable housing is disclosed.

In the connector of Patent Document 1, the fixed housing mounted on the surface of the circuit board has a square frame shape, and the central portion inside the fixed housing is opened vertically through the central portion, and the movable housing is inside the central portion. It is arranged, and a space is formed between the movable housing and the fixed housing around the movable housing. The movable housing has a hollow portion that opens upward, and a mating connector as a mating connector is fitted into the hollow portion from above.

The terminal has an elastic piece with a contact part that makes contact connection with the mating connector on one end side located inside the hollow part of the movable housing, and the board connection part that is solder-connected to the circuit board on the other end side outside the fixed housing. It is provided so as to protrude.

The terminal is provided with an arm portion having an elastic piece portion having the contact portion on one end side extending to the bottom portion of the movable housing, bent at the lower end thereof, and extending out of the movable housing, and at an intermediate position of the arm portion. A fixed piece is erected and is press-fitted into a hole in the movable housing to be fixed. Further, in the terminal, the board connecting portion provided on the other end side is connected to the arm portion located at the bottom of the fixed housing, and the fixed piece portion is erected at the intermediate position of the arm portion of the fixed housing. It is press-fitted into the hole and fixed. The terminal is provided with a movable portion between the arm portion on the movable housing side and the arm portion on the fixed housing side in an open loop shape that rises from the position of the bottom portion to enable elastic displacement, and is provided at the base thereof. Both arms are connected. In order to secure a large amount of elastic deformation of the movable portion, both bases of the movable portion forming an open loop are located close to each other in an attempt to bring the overall shape of the movable portion closer to an annular shape. There is. The movable portion is located in a space between the fixed housing and the movable housing, and the elastic deformation of the movable portion enables the movable portion to move in the direction of any of the orthogonal coordinate axes in the space. So-called floating is done.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-099361

The electric connector for a circuit board is required to have a small height dimension from the surface of the circuit board, while it is desired that the floating amount is large in any direction.

The terminal in the electric connector for a circuit board of Patent Document 1 has a substantially loop-shaped movable portion that enables floating, and thus is in the height direction of the connector (direction perpendicular to the board surface of the circuit board). Alternatively, if an attempt is made to increase the floating amount in the width direction (horizontal direction parallel to the board surface of the circuit board), the movable part must be increased in those directions, and as a result, the connector in the same direction. Will become larger.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides an electric connector for a circuit board that can secure a sufficient floating amount in the height direction and the width direction of the connector without increasing the size of the connector in the height direction of the connector. Make it an issue.

The electric connector assembly according to the present invention is mounted on a first connector mounted on a mounting surface of a circuit board and a mounting surface of another circuit board arranged parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board. A connector assembly having a second connector that is fitted and connected to the first connector with a direction perpendicular to the surface as the connector fitting direction, wherein the first connector is a male first terminal and It has a first housing that holds the first terminal, and the first terminal has a first connection portion for connection with a circuit board on one end side and contact with the second connector on the other end side. The first housing has a fixed housing for mounting on a circuit board via the terminal and a receiving recess that is movable with respect to the fixed housing and receives a second connector. It has been a movable housing, the second connector includes a second terminal of the female has a second housing for holding said second terminal, said second terminal, the other at one end A second connection portion for connection with the circuit board and a second contact portion for contact with the first connector are provided on the other end side.

In such an electric connector assembly, in the present invention, the first terminal is a fixed side held portion held by the fixed housing, a movable side held portion held by the movable housing, and the fixed side held portion. The fixed housing has an elastic portion that connects the portion and the held portion on the movable side and is elastically deformable, and the fixed housing forms a central space penetrating in the peripheral wall of the fixed housing in the connector fitting direction. The movable housing has an intrusion portion housed in the central space and a protrusion portion extending upward from the intrusion portion and protruding outside the central space, and the notched protrusion portion is parallel to the mounting surface. tapered portion for the connector width direction to guide the second connector made is formed on the upper surface of the portion out projecting, the penetration portion, the outer surface of the penetrating, deaths than the outer surface of the projecting portion in the connector width direction A movable side recess located within the range of the tapered portion is formed, and in the fixed housing, the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the fixed housing is recessed in the connector width direction and away from the intrusion portion of the movable housing. Is formed, and the space between the movable side recess and the fixed side recess forms a storage space for accommodating the elastic portion of the first terminal in the connector width direction parallel to the mounting surface. The elastic portion has an upper corrugated portion including a bent portion located above the elastic portion and a lower corrugated portion including a bent portion located below the elastic portion, and a plurality of upper corrugated portions are provided adjacent to each other in the connector width direction. , the connector width direction, the straight portions positioned on the movable held part side with respect to apex at the bent portion of the upper corrugations of the movable concave side is housed in the movable side recess, the fixed connector width direction It is characterized in that the top of the bent portion of the upper corrugated portion located on the side concave portion side is housed in the fixed side concave portion.

As described above, according to the present invention, the terminal held by the fixed housing and the movable housing has an elastic portion located in the accommodation space formed between the fixed housing and the movable housing, and the elastic portion. However, since one continuous band-shaped portion is formed and the corrugated portion is continuously formed through a plurality of bent portions formed by repeatedly inverting the bending direction, the elastic portion is enlarged in the height direction. Even if it is not necessary, a sufficient amount of elastic deformation can be secured, and as a result, the amount of floating can be increased even in a connector in which the height dimension of the connector is suppressed.

A connector assembly having a plug-side connector (first connector), a receptacle-side connector (second connector) to be fitted and connected to the plug-side connector (first connector), and a connector assembly as one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (A) shows the fitting connection. The front and FIG. 1B are external perspective views showing the states after the mating connection. It is a perspective view which is cross-sectioned so as to show the inside of both connectors of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 (A) is before fitting connection corresponding to FIG. 1 (A), FIG. 2 (B) is in FIG. 1 (B). This is the state after the corresponding mating connection. The first connector of FIG. 1 is shown as a single unit, FIG. 3A is an external perspective view, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional perspective view. The second connector of FIG. 1 is shown as a single unit, FIG. 4 (A) is an external perspective view, and FIG. 4 (B) is a cross-sectional perspective view. It is a perspective view which shows only a pair of each of the 1st terminal and the 2nd terminal extracted from the 1st connector and the 2nd connector before the connector fitting connection shown in FIG. 1A.

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

FIG. 1 shows a plug-side connector (hereinafter referred to as “first connector”) as an embodiment of the present invention, a receptacle-side connector (hereinafter referred to as “second connector”) fitted and connected to the plug-side connector, and a connector assembly having the same. 1A is an external perspective view showing a state before the fitting connection, and FIG. 1B is an external perspective view showing the state after the fitting connection. Here, the plug side indicates a male terminal, and the receptacle side indicates a side having a female terminal fitted thereto. 2A and 2B are perspective views cross-sectionald so as to show the insides of both connectors of FIG. 1, FIG. 2A is a diagram before fitting connection corresponding to FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2B is a diagram. The state after the mating connection corresponding to 1 (B) is shown. Further, FIG. 3 shows the first connector as the plug-side connector as a single unit, FIG. 3A is an external perspective view, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional perspective view. FIG. 4 shows the second connector as the receptacle side connector as a single unit, FIG. 4 (A) is an external perspective view, and FIG. 4 (B) is a cross-sectional perspective view.

The first connector 1 is a male first terminal (the terminals and housings that make up the first connector shall be labeled "first", and the second connector 2 shall be labeled "second"). It has a 10 and a first housing 20 made of an electrically insulating material that holds the first terminal 10. The first housing 20 has a fixed housing 21 attached to a circuit board (not shown) via a first terminal 10 and a movable housing 26 movable with respect to the fixed housing 21. The first connector 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape in which the first housing 20 extends in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction on a plane parallel to the circuit board, and forms two rows in the longitudinal direction of the first housing 20. The first terminals 10 are arranged. The first terminals 10 in the two rows face each other in a symmetrical direction in the lateral direction (connector width direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

In the fixed housing 21, a peripheral wall 24 is formed by a side wall 22 that is erected with respect to a circuit board and extends in the longitudinal direction and an end wall 23 that extends in the lateral direction, and the inner side of the peripheral wall 24 penetrates vertically and extends from above. A central space 24A for accommodating the movable housing 26 is formed. The side wall 22 extends over the terminal arrangement range in the longitudinal direction, and a protruding wall 22A for holding the first terminal 10 is provided on the outer wall surface, and the inner wall surface of the side wall 22 is fixed to be opened inward and downward. The side recess 22B is formed. The fixed side recess 22B forms a part of the accommodating space for accommodating the elastic portion of the first terminal 10 described later. The protruding wall 22A and the fixed side recess 22B will be described in detail later in relation to the first terminal 10.

An L-shaped mounting bracket 30 is provided on the outer surface of the end wall 23 of the fixed housing 21, and is firmly fixed to the circuit board by soldering through a mounting hole 31 formed in the mounting bracket 30. To. The mounting bracket 30 is not indispensable when mounting the fixed housing 21 to the circuit board, and when the mounting strength of the first terminal 10 can be sufficiently secured by soldering to the circuit board, the mounting bracket 30 is used. Not needed.

The movable housing 26 has an intrusion portion 26A located so as to penetrate into the central space 24A of the fixed housing 21, and a protrusion 26B located so as to project upward from the central space 24A. The movable housing 26 is formed with a receiving recess 27 that receives a mating connector, for example, a second connector as a mating connector, opening upward in a range extending from the protruding portion 26B to the penetrating portion 26A. In the receiving recess 27, a central protrusion 29A for holding the first terminal 10 rising from the bottom wall 29 of the movable housing 26 is provided. Further, on the outer surface of the penetration portion 26A of the movable housing 26, a movable side recess 26C is formed so as to face the fixed side recess 22B of the fixed housing 21 so as to open downward. The movable side recess 26C and the fixed side recess 22B form a storage space 20A for accommodating the elastic portion of the first terminal 10 described later.

As seen in FIG. 5, the first terminal 10 forming the male terminal is shaped while maintaining the flat surface of the metal plate. The first terminals 10 are arranged in pairs facing each other in the same direction so that terminals having the same shape are symmetrical in the connector width direction, and a plurality of pairs are arranged in the connector longitudinal direction. In FIG. 5, only one pair of the plurality of pairs of first terminals 10 is extracted from the first housing 20, and is shown together with the pair of second terminals 40 of the second connector 2 as mating connectors connected to these. Has been done. Since the two first terminals 10 shown in pairs have the same shape although they are arranged symmetrically, one of the first terminals 10 will be described below.

The first terminal 10 is the movable side pillar portion 11 which is vertically erected at a position close to the second terminal 40 which is a counterparty in the connector width direction and is held by the movable housing 26, and the movable side pillar portion 11 as described above. A fixed side pillar portion 12 that is located on the opposite side in the connector width direction and vertically extends, a connecting portion 13 that extends laterally from the lower end of the fixed side pillar portion 12, and a movable side pillar portion 11 and a fixed side pillar portion 12. It integrally has an elastic portion 14 located between them.

The movable side pillar portion 11 has a contact portion 11A in which the upper half portion is in contact with the female second terminal 40 of the second connector 2, and the lower half portion is fixedly held in the movable housing 26. It forms part 11B. The tip (upper end) of the contact portion 11A is chamfered so as to facilitate fitting into the second terminal 40, and the movable side held portion 11B engages with the side edge of the contact portion 11B in order to lock the movable housing 26. A stop protrusion 11B-1 is provided.

The movable side held portion 11B is press-fitted from below into a holding groove 29B formed in the bottom wall 29 of the movable housing 26 and is held by the holding groove 29B (see FIG. 3B). At that time, the locking projection 11B-1 bites into the corresponding inner surface of the holding groove 29B, and the locking is strengthened.

The portion of the fixed-side pillar portion 12 above the base portion 12A on the lower end side thereof is formed as a fixed-side held portion 12B. The fixed side held portion 12B is provided with a locking projection 12B-1 for locking to the fixed housing 21. The fixed-side held portion 12B is press-fitted from below into a holding groove 22A-1 formed by vertically penetrating within the thickness of a protruding wall 22A protruding from the bottom wall surface of the side wall 22 of the fixed housing 21, and the holding groove 22A. It is held at -1. At that time, the locking projection 12B-1 bites into the corresponding inner surface of the holding groove 22A-1 to strengthen the locking.

A connecting portion 13 extending laterally along the lower surface of the fixed housing 21 and projecting outward from the fixed housing 21 is provided from the lower end of the base portion 12A of the fixed side pillar portion 12.

The first terminal 10 has an elastic portion 14 at a portion located between the movable side held portion 11B and the fixed side held portion 12B. The elastic portion 14 is connected to the movable side held portion 11B to the left via a movable side transition portion 15 extending laterally from the lower end of the movable side held portion 11B, and is fixed to the right. It is connected to the fixed side held portion 12B via a fixed side transition portion 16 extending laterally from the lower base portion 12A of the side held portion 12B.

The elastic portion 14 rises from the movable side transition portion 15 and the fixed side transition portion 16 and is bent in a substantially M shape to form one continuous band-shaped portion. The elastic portion 14 having a substantially M shape has a band shape having a width narrower than that of the movable side held portion 11B and the fixed side held portion 12B, and has two curved portions 14A and 14C at the upper part and a lower part at the lower part. It has one curved portion 14B, an inner straight portion 14D connecting the bent portion 14A and the bent portion 14B, an inner straight portion 14E connecting the bent portion 14C and the bent portion 14B, and further, the bent portion 14A. It has outer straight portions 14F and 14G extending outward from each of the bent portion 14C, and one U-shaped corrugated portion is positioned between two inverted U-shaped corrugated portions, and is substantially M-shaped as a whole. The three corrugated parts form a continuous waveform so as to form a shape, enabling elastic deformation. Thus, each of the three corrugated portions has a bent portion and a straight portion. In the three corrugated portions, each of the straight portions 14D, 14E, 14F, and 14G forms a widened portion that is inclined so as to widen the opening width of the waveform as the distance from the bent portions 14A and 14C or 14B increases. ..

Of the above three corrugated portions, the corrugated portion located on the left side extends downward from the outer straight portion 14F and is inclined inward (on the right side in FIG. 5) downward at a position below the bent portion 14B in the vertical direction. The corrugated portion located on the right side has an inclined portion 14H, which extends downward from the outer straight portion 14G and faces downward inward at a position lower than the lower bent portion 14B (FIG. 5). It has an inclined portion 14I that inclines to the left side). Thus, the inclined portion 14H and the inclined portion 14I are inclined inward toward the lower side, so that the distance between the inclined portion 14H and the inclined portion 14I is narrowed in a range lower than the lower bent portion 14B.

The elastic portion 14 has a narrow band shape and has a corrugated shape so as to obtain elasticity. However, in the present embodiment, the elastic portion 14 is gradually formed from the bent portions 14A and 14C toward the central portion of the straight portions 14D, 14E, 14F, and 14G. The terminal width (band width) is narrower, and the terminal width (band width) is gradually narrower toward the central portion of the inner straight portions 14D and 14E than the bent portion 14B. Further, the elastic portion 14 has a terminal width (band width) gradually narrower toward the central portion of the outer straight portions 14F and 14G than the inclined portions 14H and 14I. The elastic portion 14 may have a terminal width (band width) that is gradually narrowed, and the position of the central portion does not matter. Thus, the elastic portion 14 is likely to undergo elastic flexion deformation with the bent portion as a fulcrum.

Next, as seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the second connector 2 has a female second terminal 40 and a second housing 50 made of an electric insulating material that holds the second terminal 40. The second housing 50 is attached to a circuit board (not shown) via the second terminal 40. The second housing 50 has a substantially rectangular outer shape in which the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the first housing 20 of the first connector 1 are the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the second housing 50, respectively. The second terminals 40 are arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction of the housing 50. The second rows of the second terminals 40 face each other in the lateral direction (connector width direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Note that, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second connector 2 is shown in a posture facing the mating direction with respect to the first connector 1, but in FIG. 4, which shows the second connector 2 alone, the posture is inverted in the vertical direction. It is drawn in.

The second housing 50 of the second connector 2 which is the other party of the first connector 1 has a mounting block portion 51 mounted on a circuit board (not shown) and a fitting of the mounting block portion 51 to the first connector 1. It has a fitting block portion 52 protruding in the direction, and both have a substantially rectangular outer shape in which the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the first connector 1 are also the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, respectively. The second housing 50 has an upper immersive portion 53A on the upper side and a lower immersive portion 53B narrower and deeper than the upper immersive portion 53A on the lower side at the center of the mounting block 51 when viewed from above in FIGS. 1 and 2. A central wall portion 54 is formed in a portion between the upper immersive portion 53A and the lower immersive portion 53B, and extends along the inner walls of the upper immersive portion 53A and the lower immersive portion 53B. A terminal groove 55 penetrating the portion 54 is formed. A second terminal 40, which will be described in detail later, is press-fitted and held in the terminal groove 55.

The outer surface (see FIG. 4A) of the side wall 56 extending in the longitudinal direction of the mounting block portion 51 is formed with a concave wall portion 56A recessed in the lateral direction at the central portion in the longitudinal direction. The connection portion 42 of the second terminal 40, which will be described in detail later, is located, facilitating the solder connection of the connection portion 42 to the circuit board and confirmation of the connection thereof.

An L-shaped mounting bracket 60 is provided on the outer surface of the end wall 57 of the second housing 50, and is firmly fixed to the circuit board by soldering through a mounting hole 61 formed in the mounting bracket 60. Will be done. The mounting bracket 60 is not indispensable when mounting the second housing 50 on the circuit board, and when the mounting strength of the second terminal 40 can be sufficiently secured by soldering to the circuit board, the mounting bracket 60 Is unnecessary.

The second terminal 40 forming the female terminal has a shape in which a metal strip-shaped member is bent in the plate thickness direction as seen in FIG. 5, which shows a state before the connector is fitted and connected in correspondence with the first terminal 10 described above. It is attached. Similar to the first terminal 10, the second terminals 40 are arranged in pairs facing each other in the same direction so that terminals having the same shape are symmetrical in the connector width direction, and a plurality of terminals 40 are arranged in the connector longitudinal direction. The pairs are arranged. In FIG. 5, only one pair of the plurality of pairs of second terminals 40 is shown in a state of being extracted from the second housing 50. Since the two second terminals 40 shown in pairs have the same shape although they are arranged symmetrically, one of the second terminals 40 will be described below.

In FIG. 5, the second terminal 40 includes a flat band-shaped held portion 41 having a plate surface perpendicular to the plate surface of the first terminal 10 at a position of an intermediate portion of the second terminal 40. The cross section has a U-shape at an intermediate position between the connecting portion 42 bent at a right angle to the plate surface of the held portion 41 on the upper end side of the held portion 41 and below the held portion 41. It has an intermediate base portion 43 and a contact portion 44 composed of a pair of contact pieces 44A extending in a finger shape further below the intermediate base portion 43.

The held portion 41 has a flat band shape, and locking projections 41A that bite into the corresponding surfaces of the terminal grooves 55 of the second housing 50 are provided on both side edges.

The supported portion 43 is connected to the held portion 41 via a constricted connecting portion 45, and a plate surface-shaped bottom surface portion 43A in which the plate surface of the held portion 41 is extended downward and the bottom surface portion 43A. The side surface portion 43B is formed at right angles to the plate surface of the bottom surface portion from both side edges of the portion 43A, and the bottom surface portion 43A and the side surface portions 43B on both sides form a U shape.

The contact portion 44 is formed by facing a pair of contact pieces 44A extending downward from the lower ends of the side surface portions 43B on both sides of the intermediate base portion 43 in a finger shape. The pair of contact pieces 44A gradually narrow their intervals downward and incline toward each other, minimize the above interval near the lower end, and spread toward the lower end again, and the throat 44A- at the portion where this interval is the smallest. 1 is formed. The distance between the two contact pieces 44A in the throat portion 44A-1 is smaller than the plate thickness of the contact portion 11A of the first terminal 10 described above, and the contact portion 11A is sandwiched and elastically contacted by the throat portion 44A-1. It has become like.

The second terminal 40 having such a shape is press-fitted into the terminal groove 55 of the second housing 50 from above in FIGS. 1 and 2 (FIG. 4 showing the second connector 2 turned upside down with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2). If there is, it is press-fitted from below). In FIG. 2A, the terminal groove 55 has a U-shaped cross section, that is, the maximum outer peripheral shape of the second terminal 40, that is, the cross section of the second terminal 40 is U in the central wall portion 54 because the second terminal 40 is press-fitted from above. An inner peripherally shaped square tubular hole 54A corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the character-shaped intermediate base portion 43 is formed so as to penetrate the central wall portion 54 vertically, and allows the intermediate base portion 43 to pass through. On the other hand, on the inner wall surface of the square tubular hole 54A and the upper immersive portion 53A, after the intermediate base portion 43 having a U-shaped cross section passes through the square tubular hole 54A of the central wall portion 54, the upper immersive portion 53A The groove portion 55A for accommodating the flat band-shaped held portion 41 located on the inner wall surface is formed as a groove having a depth corresponding to the plate thickness of the held portion 41, and the locking projection 41A of the held portion 41 is the covered portion 41. When the holding portion 41 is press-fitted into the groove portion 55A, the holding portion 41 bites into the inner surface of the groove portion 55A and is held by the second housing 50 to prevent the holding portion 41 from coming off. Further, when the second terminal 40 is press-fitted and assembled at a predetermined position on the inner wall surface of the lower immersion portion 53B below the central wall portion 54 (upper in FIG. 4), the intermediate base portion 43 and the contact portion 44 are formed. A groove portion 55B for accommodating the above is formed. In the groove portion 55B, the groove bottom surface of the groove portion 55B contacts the bottom surface portion 43A of the intermediate base portion 43 or forms a gap with respect to the intermediate base portion 43, and the groove side surface forms a gap with respect to the side surface portion 43B. In addition, a space is formed with respect to the contact portion 44 to allow elastic deformation of the pair of contact pieces 44A.

The procedure for using the electric connector for the circuit board of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described below mainly based on FIGS. 1 and 2.

The first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are attached to the corresponding circuit boards by solder connection. That is, the first connector 1 is soldered by the connection portion 13 of the first terminal 10 and the mounting bracket 30 held in the fixed housing 21, and the second connector 2 is the connecting portion 42 of the second terminal 40 and the mounting bracket 60. By being soldered with, each can be attached to the circuit board. Although the circuit board is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first connector 1 is attached to the circuit board on the lower surface thereof, and the second connector 2 is attached to the circuit board on the upper surface thereof.

First, as seen in FIGS. 1 (A) and 2 (A), the second connector 2 attached to the circuit board on the upper surface is in a posture in which the fitting block portion 52 is facing downward. It is brought to the upper position of the connector 1. After that, the second connector 2 is lowered in the same posture, and the fitting block portion 52 enters the receiving recess 27 of the movable housing 26 of the first connector 1 and is fitted into the movable housing 26 (FIG. 1). (B), see FIG. 2 (B)).

When the second connector 2 is fitted to the first connector 1, the second terminal 40 of the second connector 2 has a contact portion 44 composed of a pair of finger-shaped contact pieces 44A, and the first terminal 10 of the first connector 1 has a contact portion 44. The contact portion 11A of the above is sandwiched and elastically contacts the contact portion 11A.

Since the contact portion 44 of the second terminal 40 has a throat portion 44A-1 near the lower end of the paired contact pieces 44A, the flat band-shaped contact portion of the first terminal 10 to the throat portion 44A-1. When the 11A smoothly enters, the contact portion 11A of the first terminal 10 is elastically pressed and electrically connected to the first terminal 10.

Thus, the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are connected, and the circuit board on the first connector 1 side and the circuit board on the second connector 2 side are in a conductive state via the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 40. Become.

The first terminal 10 of the first connector 1 has an elastic portion 14, and even if the second connector 2 is slightly deviated from the normal position or the normal posture in the longitudinal direction, the lateral direction, and the insertion / extraction direction of the connector, or both connectors. Even if at least one of 1 and 2 receives vibration, the elastic portion 14 absorbs the deviation or vibration. Further, in addition to the elastic portion 14, the contact portion 11A of the first terminal 10 has a flat band shape, so that the contact portion 44 for sandwiching the elastic portion 14 has its throat portion 44A-1 between the plate surface of the contact portion 11A. Although friction is involved in the lateral direction and the insertion / extraction direction of the connector, relative displacement (movement) is possible with respect to the contact portion 11A along the plate surface, and the relative displacement also absorbs the deviation and vibration.

More specifically, the behavior of the elastic portion 14 will be described in more detail. The first terminal 10 has a movable side held portion 11B held by the movable housing 26 and a fixed side held portion 12B held by the fixed housing 21. In between, there is an elastic portion 14 connected to the movable side held portion 11B and the fixed side held portion 12B via each of the movable side transition portion 15 and the fixed side transition portion 16. The elastic portion 14 rises from the movable side transition portion 15 and the fixed side transition portion 16 and forms a substantially M-shaped waveform, and is in any of the connector height direction, the connector longitudinal direction, and the lateral direction (connector width direction). Since it can be elastically displaced in the direction as well, therefore, even if the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are displaced in any of the above directions or are subjected to vibration, they are absorbed.

The elastic portion 14 having a corrugated shape is a corrugated portion in which the straight portions 14D, 14E, 14F, and 14G are inclined to form a U-shape in the center and an inverted U-shape on both sides, and the bent portions 14B, 14A, 14C. Since a widened portion is formed to increase the opening width of the waveform as the distance from the waveform increases, when the elastic portion 14 is compressed from the movable housing 26 and the fixed housing 21 in the connector width direction in the connector width direction, each waveform is formed. Even if the parts are close to each other, it becomes difficult for them to come into contact with each other, and a large amount of elastic displacement is secured accordingly. As shown in the drawing, the elastic portion 14 may be inclined at all straight portions so that a widened portion is formed at each corrugated portion, but at least the movable side located on the outside of both. It is sufficient if the widened portion is formed for the corrugated portion adjacent to the held portion and the fixed side held portion, respectively, and the corrugated portion located in the middle does not have to be inclined and has no widened portion. Good.

Further, both outer straight portions 14F and 14G are inclined portions 14H and 14I inclined so as to approach each other in the connector width direction at a position lower than the lower bent portion 14B located at the center in the connector width direction. Since the movable side transition portion 15 and the fixed side transition portion 16 are connected to each other via the above, there is no corrugated portion between the movable side transition portion 15 and the fixed side transition portion 16, and the elastic portion 14 is Even if an elastic displacement that is compressed in the connector width direction occurs and the movable side transition portion 15 and the fixed side transition portion 16 come very close to each other, they do not come into contact with each other.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the straight portions 14D, 14E, 14F, 14G have a smaller band width than the bent portions 14A, 14B, 14C, bending occurs with the bent portions 14A, 14B, 14C as fulcrums. By making the straight portions 14D, 14E, 14F, and 14G as long as possible, that is, increasing the wave height, the elastic displacement amount of the elastic portion 14 can be adjusted in the connector height direction and the connector longitudinal direction ( A large amount can be secured in either the direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the elastic portion) or the direction in which the connector is short (direction in the width of the connector). Further, since the band width of the straight portions 14D, 14E, 14F, 14G is smaller than that of the bent portions 14A, 14B, 14C, the stress applied to the bent portion when bending occurs is applied to the straight portions 14D, 14E, 14F, 14G. By dispersing the bent portions 14A and 14C, or the bent portions 14B and the straight portions 14F and 14G, or the adjacent straight portions 14A and 14G, or adjacent straight portions are less likely to come into contact with each other during elastic displacement. Further, as shown in the drawing, the elastic portion 14 may have a terminal width (band width) gradually narrowing toward the central portion of the straight portion in all the straight portions, but at least eventually. It is sufficient if the terminal width (band width) is gradually narrowed from the bent portion and the straight portion, and the other bent portion and the straight portion have such a terminal width (band width). It does not have to have a width).

The present invention is applicable not only to the case where the circuit boards to which each of the two connectors is connected as shown in the illustrated form are parallel to each other, but also to, for example, a so-called right angle connector which is at right angles to each other. ..

1 (1st) Connector 14 Elastic part 2 Mating connection member (2nd connector) 14A to C Bending part 10 (1st) Terminal 14D to G Straight part 11A Contact part 20 Housing 11B Movable side held part 20A Storage space 12B Fixed side held part 21 Fixed housing 13 Connector part 26 Movable housing

Claims (2)

The first connector mounted on the mounting surface of the circuit board is mounted on the mounting surface of another circuit board arranged parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board, and the connector is fitted in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface. A connector assembly having a second connector that is fitted and connected to the first connector as a mating direction.
The first connector has a male first terminal and a first housing that holds the first terminal, and the first terminal is a first terminal for connecting to a circuit board on one end side. The connection portion and the other end side have a first contact portion for contact with the second connector, and the first housing is a fixed housing for mounting on a circuit board via the terminal and the fixed housing. It has a movable housing with a receiving recess formed to be movable with respect to the second connector.
The second connector has a female second terminal and a second housing that holds the second terminal, and the second terminal has one end side for connecting to another circuit board. In an electric connector assembly having a second contact portion and a second contact portion for contact with the first connector on the other end side.
The first terminal connects the fixed-side held portion held by the fixed housing, the movable-side held portion held by the movable housing, the fixed-side held portion, and the movable-side held portion. It has an elastic part that can be elastically deformed.
The fixed housing forms a central space penetrating in the connector fitting direction in the peripheral wall of the fixed housing.
The movable housing has a penetrating portion housed in the central space and a protruding portion extending upward from the penetrating portion and projecting out of the central space.
In the protruding portion, a tapered portion for guiding the second connector is formed on the upper surface of the protruding portion in the connector width direction parallel to the mounting surface.
The penetration portion, the outer surface of the penetrating, movable side recess located within the tapered portion in the connector width direction submerged than the outer surface of the projecting portion is formed,
In the fixed housing, a fixed-side recess is formed in which the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the fixed housing is recessed in the direction of the connector width and away from the penetration portion of the movable housing.
In the connector width direction parallel to the mounting surface, the space between the movable side recess and the fixed side recess forms a storage space for accommodating the elastic portion of the first terminal.
The elastic portion has an upper corrugated portion including a bent portion located above the elastic portion and a lower corrugated portion including a bent portion located below the elastic portion, and a plurality of upper corrugated portions are provided adjacent to each other in the connector width direction. is, in the connector width direction, the straight portions positioned on the movable held part side with respect to apex at the bent portion of the upper corrugations of the movable concave side is housed in the movable side recess, the at connector width direction An electric connector assembly characterized in that the top of a bent portion of an upper corrugated portion located on a fixed-side concave portion is housed in the fixed-side concave portion. The movable side recess of the movable housing and the fixed side recess of the fixed housing are formed in the movable housing and the fixed housing, respectively, over the arrangement range of the first terminal, except for both ends in the arrangement direction of the first terminal. The electric connector assembly according to claim 1.

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