JPH0512946Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial field of application) The present invention is a tuning fork-shaped member that can receive and hold the contact portion of a male insertion member such as a blade-shaped contact so as to be inserted into and removed from the contact portion, and can be abutted and connected thereto. The present invention relates to an improvement in a female contact having a contact portion.

(Prior Art) As an example of a connector using this type of female contact, there is a metal coupling connector consisting of a male connector M and a female connector F, as shown in FIG. Male side connector M is base print BP
The insulator MI is inserted into the contact insertion hole BH of
A male contact with a blade-shaped tip is inserted through the MC.
is installed and configured. This male contact MC is attached to the printed circuit board PC as shown.

On the other hand, the female connector F consists of a box-shaped metal base B, a tuning fork-shaped female contact FC that is fixed through the bottom of the base B, and a resin insulator FI that insulates the female contacts FC from each other. It is composed of. The insulator FI is press-fitted into the insertion hole of the base B and fixed therein, and the female contact FC is press-fitted into the insertion hole formed through the insulator FI and fixed thereon. Because this female contact FC is press-fitted, the wide locking part C4 is the female contact.
FC, and this locking portion C4 is press-fitted and locked into the insertion hole of the insulator FI, so that the female contact FC is fixed to the insulator FI.

At this time, if the amount of press-fitting of the locking part C4 into the insertion hole of the insulator FI is large, there is a problem that the press-in force becomes excessive and cracks occur in the resin insulator. There is a problem that the pressing force of the female contact FC is insufficient and there is a risk that the female contact FC may slip out. Therefore, it is necessary to set the amount of press-fitting with high precision.

Note that the female contact FC is attached to the motherboard BD etc. as shown in the figure.

A connector configured in this way does not directly use the printed circuit board edge, which has poor dimensional accuracy, but uses blade-shaped male contacts with good dimensional accuracy.
The configuration allows the MC to be inserted into and removed from the tuning fork type female contact FC. For this reason,
Because the stability of contact pressure is improved compared to card edge type connectors, it is widely used in aircraft, computer main equipment and peripheral equipment, communications equipment, system equipment, etc.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) As can be seen from FIG. 1, the contact portion C1 in such a tuning fork-shaped female contact FC is composed of a pair of rod-shaped contact pieces extending parallel to each other from the root portion C3 toward the tip. It is formed. here,
The cross-sectional area of the contact part C1 of the conventional female contact FC is, excluding the tip part (the part with the contact convex part that first contacts the male contact) C2 and the root part C3.
Since it is constant in the longitudinal direction, it has the following disadvantages.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
When inserting the female contact FC into the contact insertion hole FIa of the insulator FI, the contact piece C1 may hit the inner surface of the contact insertion hole FIa, and this insertion force may become large or the insertion may become impossible. There is a problem.

In addition, connect the tip of the male contact MC to the contact portion C1 of the female contact FC (between a pair of rod-shaped contact pieces).
When inserted into the contact hole B1, each contact piece elastically deforms to expand outward to receive and hold the tip of the male contact MC, but at this time, the outer end of the contact piece hits the inner surface of the contact insertion hole B1. , further elastic deformation of each contact piece is prevented, and insertion of the male contact MC may require a large insertion force or may become impossible. There is also the problem that it is difficult to obtain.

Note that when the tip of the male contact MC is inserted into the contact portion C1, the pair of rod-shaped contact pieces are pushed apart by the tip and clamp the tip, and a contact pressure is obtained by this clamping force. At this time, the greatest moment acts on the root portion of the rod-shaped contact piece due to the force of spreading the rod-shaped contact piece as described above, so that this root portion is likely to be deformed. In particular, in the conventional female contact, since the cross-sectional area of the contact piece is constant in the longitudinal direction as described above, the stress at the root portion C3 causes maximum deformation in this portion.

Therefore, if a configuration is adopted in which a locking protrusion is provided close to this root portion C3 and this locking protrusion is press-fitted into the insertion hole of the insulator FI, the press-fit locking portion C4 will also be elastically deformed and the pressure will be reduced. There is a risk that the input power will decrease and the press-fitting and locking of the female contact may become unstable. For this reason, conventionally, a connecting portion C5 is provided between the press-fit locking portion C4 and the root portion C3 to separate the press-fit locking portion C4 from the root portion C3. However, if the connecting portion C5 is provided in this way, the total length of the female contact FC becomes longer, the overall length (height) of the female connector F also increases, and the low profile of the connector increases.
The problem is that it is difficult to achieve this goal.

The present invention was developed in consideration of these problems, and it is possible to easily and reliably press-fit and fix the contact into the contact insertion hole of the insulator. To provide a female contact in which each contact piece is freely elastically deformable and can apply stable contact pressure, and the length of the entire contact can be shortened to make the connector compact. With the goal.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve such an object, the female contact of the present invention has a tuning fork-shaped contact portion having a pair of bar-shaped contact pieces that receive and hold a male contact so as to be inserted and removed, It has a locking part formed close to the root of the part and an end part extending from the locking part to the side opposite to the tuning fork-shaped contact part, and is made by punching and integrally molding a conductive plate material. It will be done. The widthwise dimension of the tuning fork-shaped contact portion is smaller than the widthwise dimension of the locking portion, and locking protrusions are formed at both widthwise ends of the locking portion for press-fitting and fixing the female contact to a fixed portion such as an insulator. ing. Furthermore, the rod-shaped contact piece is formed in the shape of a square rod with a rectangular cross section, and the width direction dimension and thickness direction dimension are almost constant from the tip to the middle part, and gradually increase from the middle part to the root part. In other words, the cross-sectional area of the rod-shaped contact piece increases from the longitudinally intermediate portion toward the root portion.

(Function) In the case of a female contact with such a configuration,
Since the tip is tapered, it can be easily inserted into the insertion hole of the insulator, making it easy to assemble. Furthermore, the press-fit locking part is press-fitted into the insertion hole when inserted into the insertion hole of the insulator, but since the rod-shaped contact piece is narrower than the press-fit locking part, there is a gap between the rod-shaped contact piece and the inner surface of the insertion hole. There is a gap so that each contact piece can be sufficiently elastically deformed when receiving a male contact in the contact portion. Therefore, the male contact can be reliably received and held by the contact portion, and the contact pressure with the male contact is stabilized.

Furthermore, since the width and thickness of each rod-shaped contact piece increase from the middle part to the root part, when a male contact is inserted into the tuning-fork-shaped contact part, each contact piece increases from the tip to the middle part. It undergoes large elastic deformation to receive and clamp this male contact.
On the other hand, since the width and thickness of the portion from the intermediate portion to the root portion are increased, the stress generated on the root portion side is small, and the deformation thereof is also small. Therefore, even if a press-fit locking part is formed adjacent to this root part, the press-fit locking part will hardly be deformed, the press-fitting force will not decrease, and the female contact can be reliably and stably press-fitted. It can be locked and held in the locked state.

(Example) Hereinafter, the female contact of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

First, the schematic structure of the female contact 1 will be explained with reference to the perspective view of FIG. This female contact 1
consists of a tuning fork-shaped contact portion 20, an end portion 15, and a connecting portion 10 that connects the two, and is integrally formed by stamping a metal plate.

The contact portion 20 has a pair of square bar-shaped contact pieces 21 that protrude in parallel from the root portion 23 in the longitudinal direction.
At the tip of each contact piece 21, contact convex portions 21a are formed that protrude in directions facing each other. Also,
The tip side of each contact piece 21 has almost the same cross-sectional area in the longitudinal direction except for the contact convex part 21a, but from the middle part to the base side, the side surface 22a widens in a tapered shape and its thickness increases. 6, and the opposing inner surface 22c is tapered inward and its width gradually increases, as shown in FIG. Once increased.

The connecting portion 10 includes a locking portion 12 that is close to and integrally connected to the root portion 23 of the contact portion 20, and this locking portion 12.
It consists of a bent part 11 that is bent almost at right angles to the plane of
are integrally connected. As shown in FIG. 7a, two locking protrusions 12a are formed on both ends of the locking portion 12 in the width direction. Further, each side end surface in the width direction of the locking portion 12 and the outer end surface of each contact piece 21 are connected via a tapered surface 22b, and the outer end surface of each contact piece 21 is located inside the side end surface of the locking portion 12. . That is, the width dimension between the outer end surfaces of both contact pieces 21 is smaller than the width dimension of the locking part 12.

Figures 5 and 6 show multiple female contacts 1.
are shown connected to the carrier 30 and held in alignment. In manufacturing this female contact 1, first, a conductive plate material is sequentially punched out using a press or the like, so that the contact portion 20, the connecting portion 10, and the terminal portion 15 are formed into a flat shape, and the carrier 30 is formed at the neck portion 30a. Create a connected state. At this stage, the bent portion 11 of the connecting portion 10 has not been bent yet, and the connecting portion 10 also has a flat plate shape.

Next, this bent portion 11 is
Bend it at right angles as shown in the figure. Then, while connected to the carrier 30 and aligned in this way, the contact portion 20 side of the plurality of female contacts 1 is inserted, for example, into the insulator FI held on the base B as shown in FIG. Each row is inserted all at once into the hole FIa.

At the time of this insertion, each contact piece 21 has a small cross-sectional area at the tip, and its width and thickness gradually increase from the middle part toward the base part 23, so that each contact piece 21 is inserted into the contact insertion hole FIa. The piece 21 can be easily inserted and the assembly is easy.

In this way, insert the insertion hole FIa of the insulator FI.
When the female contact 1 is inserted, each contact piece 21 enters into the insertion hole FIa as shown in FIG. 8, and the locking protrusion 12a of the locking portion 12 bites into the inner wall of the insertion hole FIa. It is press-fitted and held fixed in this state. In this state, as can be seen from FIG. 9, the outer end surface of each contact piece 21 is located inward by the step created by the tapered surface 22b and is separated from the inner wall surface of the insertion hole FIa. Therefore, each contact piece 21 can freely elastically deform outward by this amount, so when a male contact is inserted into the contact portion 20, each contact piece 21 elastically deforms outward in an arched shape. , which receives and clamps this male contact.

The contact convex portion 21a receives the elastic deformation force at this time.
is pressed against the male contact to connect both contacts, and the contact pressure at this time is obtained by the elastic deformation force of the contact piece 21, resulting in a stable contact pressure.

However, since the cross-sectional area of the contact piece 21 of the female contact 1 gradually increases from the middle part to the base side, when the male contact is inserted in this way, the tip side part is largely elastically deformed. Deformation on the root side is extremely small. Therefore, this elastic deformation does not affect the locking portion 12 that is connected to the root portion 23 in close proximity to the base portion 23, and the press-fitting portion of the locking protrusion 12a is hardly affected by this elastic deformation. There is no risk of problems such as a decrease in power.

As can be seen from this, if the contact piece 21 is configured as in this example, the locking part 12 can be provided close to the contact part 20, and therefore the connecting part as shown in FIG. C5 becomes unnecessary. If the connecting portion C5 is unnecessary, the overall length of the female contact 1 can be shortened by that much, and the connector can be made more compact.

In addition, by gradually increasing the cross-sectional area toward the root side in this way, the internal stress generated in the contact piece 21 when the contact piece 21 is pushed outward by insertion of the male contact can be reduced evenly. As can be seen from the principle, it is possible to make the stress uniform and prevent concentration of stress at the root portion, thereby improving the strength of the contact.

(Effects of the invention) As explained above, according to the invention, the widthwise dimension of the tuning fork-shaped contact part is smaller than the widthwise dimension of the locking part, and the female contacts are arranged at both ends of the locking part in the width direction. A locking protrusion is formed for press-fitting the rod-shaped contact piece into the fixing part of the rod-shaped contact piece, and the width and thickness of the rod-shaped contact piece increase from the longitudinally intermediate portion toward the root portion, that is, Since the tip of the contact piece is tapered, it can be easily inserted into the insertion hole of the insulator, and the female contact is easy to assemble.

Furthermore, the press-fit locking part is press-fitted into the insertion hole when inserted into the insertion hole of the insulator, but since the rod-shaped contact piece is narrower than the press-fit locking part, there is a gap between the rod-shaped contact and the inner surface of the insertion hole. Each contact piece can be sufficiently elastically deformed when the male contact is received in the contact portion. Therefore, the male contact can be reliably received and held by the contact portion, and the contact pressure with the male contact is stabilized.

In addition, since the width and thickness of each rod-shaped contact piece increase from the middle part to the root part, when a male contact is inserted into the tuning-fork-shaped contact part, each contact piece undergoes large elastic deformation at the tip. Receives and clamps the male contact. At this time, since the cross-sectional area is larger on the root side than on the tip side, the stress generated at the root is small and the deformation thereof is also small. Therefore, even if a press-fit locking part is formed adjacent to this root part, the press-fit locking part will hardly deform in response to the insertion of the male contact, and the press-fit force will not decrease, and the female contact It is possible to securely and stably lock and hold the press-fitted state. By providing the press-fit locking portion close to the base of the contact portion in this manner, the overall length of the female contact can be shortened, and the connector can be made more compact.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a connector using conventional female contacts, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing this female contact inserted into the contact insertion hole of an insulator, and Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2. 4 is a sectional view taken along the arrow -, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a female contact according to the present invention, and FIG.
6 and 6 are a plan view and a front view showing a state in which this female contact is connected to a carrier and held in alignment, and FIGS. 7e is a side view of the female contact, FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view showing the female contact inserted into the insulator, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the corresponding arrow. Arrow in Figure 8 -
FIG. 1...Female contact, 10...Connection part, 12
... Locking portion, 15 ... Terminal portion, 20 ... Tuning fork-shaped contact portion, 23 ... Root portion.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A tuning fork-shaped contact portion comprising a pair of mutually parallel bar-shaped contact pieces capable of receiving and holding the contact portion of the male insertion member in a freely insertable and removable manner and abutting connection thereto; It has a locking part formed close to the root part of this contact part, and an end part extending from this locking part to the side opposite to the tuning fork-shaped contact part, and is integrally formed by punching a conductive plate material. In the molded tuning fork-shaped female contact, the widthwise dimension of the tuning fork-shaped contact part is smaller than the widthwise dimension of the locking part, and the female contact is fixed to a fixing part such as an insulator at both widthwise ends of the locking part. A locking protrusion is formed for press-fitting and fixing the rod-shaped contact piece, and the rod-shaped contact piece is formed in the shape of a square rod with a rectangular cross section, and the width direction dimension and thickness direction dimension are the same from the tip to the middle part. is almost constant;
A female contact characterized by being formed so as to gradually increase in size from the middle part toward the root part. 2. The female contact according to claim 1, wherein contact convex portions are formed at the tips of the pair of rod-shaped contact pieces to protrude so as to face each other.