KR101877990B1 - Electric connector - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide an electrical connector which is disposed on a mounting surface of a circuit board and in which a plug of a mating connector is fitted along a direction parallel to the mounting surface, the housing is reliably prevented from being displaced with respect to the circuit board, Make the cost low.
The electrical connector (9) includes a first contact (11), a second contact (12), and a housing (10) holding these contacts (11, 12). The first substrate side mounting portion 11e of the first contact 11 is disposed on the side of the fitting direction D1 with respect to the housing 10 and is also mounted on the circuit board 2. [ The second connecting portion 12g of the second contact 12 is disposed on the mounting surface 2a side with respect to the first connecting portion 11b of the first contact 11 with respect to the height direction Z1. The second substrate side mounting portion 12d of the second contact 12 is disposed on the side opposite to the fitting direction D1 with respect to the second connecting portion 12g and mounted on the circuit board 2. [

Description

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR

The present invention relates to an electrical connector mounted on a circuit board.

As disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is known a board-to-wire type electrical connector for connecting an electric circuit of a circuit board to a wire. Patent Document 1 discloses a male connector connected to an electric wire and a male connector detachably attached to the female connector and fixed to a circuit board. The male connector includes a housing and a needle-like tool hole (male terminal fitting). The housing has a box-like shape that opens in the lateral direction (direction parallel to the surface of the circuit board). In the housing, a plurality of holes are formed in a wall opposite to a portion where the opening is formed (vertical wall extending vertically). These holes are formed in the upper and lower two stages in the housing, and are arranged in plural in the width direction of the housing (the direction parallel to the surface of the circuit board). And a needle-like tool hole is inserted and passed through each hole.

One end of each of the tool apertures is disposed in the housing and is configured to contact the female terminal fitting of the female connector inserted into the housing. The other end of each of the tool apertures is disposed on the outer side of the housing and constitutes a fixed portion fixed to the surface of the circuit board. With this configuration, the tool apertures are arranged in the upper and lower two stages in the housing, and on the outer side of the housing, the respective tool apertures are aligned in a row and fixed to the circuit board.

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-197035 (paragraph [0011], Fig. 8)

In the structure described in Patent Document 1, all the tool apertures project in the same direction from the housing. Therefore, the housing is fixed to the circuit board through the through-hole only at one side of the housing. In such a fixing structure, for example, when the female connector is inserted into the female connector or when the female connector is pulled out from the female connector, a force acts on each portion of the male connector. This force is received at the fixing portion with the circuit board and the circuit board among the respective means funding means. Thus, displacement of the housing is suppressed.

However, in the configuration in which the housing is fixed to the circuit board only on one surface side of the housing by using the tool housing, it is not sufficient to suppress the displacement of the housing. Specifically, by the force acting when the male connector and the female connector are attached to or detached from each other, the means of the means is deformed with the fixed portion on the circuit board side of the means means being the fulcrum, The housing connected to the sphere may be displaced.

Therefore, in order to prevent the housing from being displaced with respect to the circuit board even when a large force is applied to the housing, it is necessary to fix the reinforcing metal to the housing at a position opposite to that of the circuit board fixed to the circuit board. The reinforcing metal is fixed to the circuit board. When the reinforcing bracket is provided, the housing can be firmly fixed to the circuit board by cooperation of the respective terminal brackets and the reinforcing bracket. However, in this case, a reinforcing metal is required, which leads to an increase in parts cost and an increase in the number of steps of assembling the reinforcing metal to the housing separately from the terminal metal. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the connector increases due to an increase in the assembly cost due to an increase in the component cost and a decrease in the assembly efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector which can reliably suppress displacement of a housing relative to a circuit board and which is inexpensive to manufacture, in view of the above-described circumstances.

The terminal (contact) of the electrical connector is not limited to the above-mentioned bed, and there is also a sheet metal which is formed by pressing a sheet metal. However, since the contact of the sheet metal is high in rigidity, it can not be easily deformed. Therefore, when the mounting position of the contact of the sheet metal with respect to the housing deviates from the regular position, the contact of the sheet metal in contact with the mating connector can not be bent if the mating connector is inserted into the housing. As a result, there is a possibility that the counterpart connector can not be connected to the electrical connector. For this reason, in the case of using the contacts made of sheet metal, it is necessary to assemble the contacts to the housing in a state in which the contacts are precisely positioned with respect to the housing. Therefore, it takes time to assemble the contacts into the housing. Therefore, the manufacturing efficiency of the electrical connector is poor. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the electrical connector is increased. Particularly, the contact of the sheet metal disposed on the upper side of the housing has a vertically long shape. As a result, the contact of the sheet metal disposed on the upper side of the housing tends to have a large difference in position with respect to the housing, and the contact failure with the mating connector tends to occur due to the difference in position. In addition, if all the terminals of the electrical connector are made of sheet metal members, the manufacturing cost is increased. As a result of intensive studies, the inventor of the present invention has obtained the above knowledge and came up with the present invention.

An electrical connector according to a first aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is an electrical connector disposed on a mounting surface of a circuit board and fitted with a plug of a mating connector along a predetermined fitting direction parallel to the mounting surface, A housing which forms a fitting space in which the plug is fitted, a first contact which is linearly or axially held by the housing, and a second contact which is held by the housing. The first contact includes a first housing-side fixing portion fixed to the housing, a first connection portion disposed in the fitting space and electrically connectable to the mating connector, And a first substrate side mounting portion which is disposed on the side of the first board and is mountable on the circuit board. The second contact is disposed on the mounting surface side with respect to the first connecting portion with respect to the height direction orthogonal to the mounting surface, the second housing-side fixing portion fixed to the housing, And a second board side mounting portion that is disposed on the side opposite to the fitting direction with respect to the second connecting portion and that can be mounted on the circuit board.

According to the present invention, in the fitting space, the distance of the first contact from the circuit board is longer than the distance of the second contact from the circuit board. The first contact is disposed on the upper side within the fitting space. As a result of the first contact being formed on a line or an axis, the first contact is easily bent. Therefore, when the first contact is in contact with the plug, the first contact can be bent by the contact with the plug and can be aligned with the plug. Therefore, the first contact can be reliably brought into contact with the conductive member of the plug to achieve an electrical connection. As a result, at the time of manufacturing the electrical connector, there is no need to precisely align the first contact with the housing when assembling the first contact to the housing. Therefore, the speed (efficiency) of the mounting operation of the first contact to the housing can be increased. As a result, the number of assembled electrical connectors per unit time can be increased. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the electrical connector can be reduced. In addition, the first contact on the line can be manufactured at low cost by a wire or the like without expensive press forming. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced. The first board side mounting portion and the second board side mounting portion are disposed on both sides in the fitting direction with respect to the fitting space. Thereby, the circuit board can support the housing from both sides in the fitting direction through the first and second contacts. Therefore, the bonding strength between the electrical connector and the circuit board can be increased. For example, a force parallel to the fitting direction may act on the housing as a force to tilt the housing against the circuit board. At this time, it is possible to reliably prevent the housing from falling on the circuit board by cooperation of the first and second board side mounting portions. In addition, it is not necessary to separately provide a member (a reinforcing metal or the like) for preventing the housing from falling down. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced by reducing the number of parts. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical connector which can reliably suppress the displacement of the housing relative to the circuit board, and which has a low manufacturing cost.

An electrical connector according to a second invention is characterized in that, in the electrical connector according to the first invention, the first contact is formed by using a part of a wire having a constant cross-sectional shape.

According to the present invention, since the first contact is formed on the basis of the wire member, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, since the wire can be made thinner, the first contact can be made shorter in the direction parallel to the fitting direction. As a result, the length of the first contact and the housing in the direction parallel to the fitting direction as a whole can be shortened. Therefore, miniaturization of the electrical connector can be achieved.

The electrical connector according to the third invention is the electrical connector according to the first or second invention, wherein the first contact has a first intermediate portion disposed between the first connecting portion and the first board side mounting portion, Wherein the first intermediate portion has a portion bent in a direction from the first connecting portion side toward the first board side mounting portion side in the height direction and the width of the housing perpendicular to the fitting direction The position of at least a part of the first intermediate portion overlaps the position of the housing.

According to the present invention, the second board side mounting portion and the first board side mounting portion are arranged in a fitting direction (spaced apart). Thereby, the second board side mounting portion does not interfere with the arrangement of the first board side mounting portion. Therefore, the first substrate-side mounting portion can be disposed closer to the housing. Therefore, the first intermediate portion can also be disposed in the vicinity of the housing. Since the first intermediate portion and the first board side mounting portion are disposed in the vicinity of the housing, the effect of preventing the fall of the electrical connector due to the cooperation of the first and second board side mounting portions is enhanced, Other effects that the connector can be miniaturized can be exhibited in an integrated manner.

An electrical connector according to a fourth invention is characterized in that in the electrical connector according to the first or second invention, the second contact is formed by pressing a metal material.

According to the present invention, since the second contact formed by press working can increase the moment of moment of inertia, the rigidity is higher than that of the first contact and the coupling strength with the circuit board can be increased. The second contact is small since the height from the circuit board is low. Therefore, even when the position of the second contact with respect to the housing is shifted slightly from the regular position, it is possible to suppress the insertion of the plug of the mating connector into the housing by the second contact. Therefore, during assembling of the electrical connector, it is unnecessary to labor (time) to accurately position the second contact with respect to the housing. Therefore, the contacts can be assembled to the housing at a high speed. As a result, the manufacturing efficiency of the electrical connector is increased, and the manufacturing cost of the electrical connector can be further reduced.

In the electrical connector according to the fifth invention, in the electrical connector according to the first or second invention, the housing is opened to the end opposite to the fitting direction, and a part of the second contact extends along the fitting direction And a second contact fixing portion which is disposed on the fitting direction side with respect to the slit and fixes the second housing fixing portion.

According to the present invention, the second contact can be guided toward the second contact fixing portion of the housing by inserting and passing the second contact through the slit. Thereby, the second housing-side fixing portion of the second contact is fixed at the correct position to the housing while omitting the precise positioning operation with respect to the housing. As a result, the plate-shaped second contact, which is difficult to increase the fixing speed to the housing as compared with the first contact on the line, can be fastened to the housing at high speed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical connector which can reliably suppress displacement of the housing relative to the circuit board, and which has a low manufacturing cost.

1 is a perspective view showing an electrical connecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 (a) is a plan view of the electrical connector, and Fig. 2 (b) is a bottom view of the electrical connector.
3 is a front view and a sectional view of the circuit board viewed from the upstream side in the fitting direction of the electrical connector.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the electrical connector taken along the line IV-IV in Fig. 3, a side view of the mating connector, and a sectional view of the circuit board, showing the electrical connector viewed from the width direction.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an electrical connector and a mating connector are combined;
Fig. 6A is a front view of the mating connector, partially omitted, showing a state in which the mating connector is viewed from the upstream side in the drawing direction, Fig. 6B is a bottom view of the mating connector, As viewed from the height direction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Further, the present invention is a board-to-wire type electrical connector for electrically connecting an electric wire and a circuit board, and can be widely applied for various purposes.

1 is a perspective view showing an electrical connection apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electrical connecting apparatus 1 is provided for electrically connecting the circuit board 2 and the first and second coated electric wires 3 and 4. The circuit board 2 is, for example, a circuit board provided in a liquid crystal display device. The circuit board 2 is formed in a flat plate shape and a plurality of conductive portions 2b and a plurality of conductive portions 2c are formed in the mounting surface 2a as one side surface. Each of the conductive parts 2b and 2c is formed of a metal material and is electrically connected to a semiconductor or the like not shown.

The electrical connecting apparatus 1 is provided with an electrical connector 9 and a mating connector 29 connected to the electrical connector 9.

The electrical connector 9 is mounted on the mounting surface 2a of the circuit board 2 and is electrically connected to the plurality of conductive portions 2b and the plurality of conductive portions 2c of the circuit board 2 . The mating connector 29 is electrically connected to the electric wires of the plurality of first covered electric wires 3 and the electric wires of the plurality of second covered electric wires 4 and is detachably attached to the electric connector 9 .

When the mating connector 29 is connected to the electrical connector 9, the mating connector 29 is aligned with the electrical connector 9 in a predetermined fitting direction D1 parallel to the mounting surface 2a. Then, the mating connector 29 is displaced toward the electrical connector 9 along the fitting direction D1. As a result, the plug 39 described later of the mating connector 29 is fitted to the electrical connector 9, and electrical connection and mechanical connection between these connectors 9, 29 are achieved.

On the other hand, when the mating connector 29 is detached from the electrical connector 9, the mating connector 29 is pulled out from the electrical connector 9 in the pulling direction D2, which is the direction opposite to the fitting direction D1. . Thereby, the mating connector 29 is detached from the electrical connector 9, and the electrical connection and the mechanical connection between these connectors 9, 29 are released.

Next, the electrical connector 9 will be described in detail. The following description will be made with reference to a state in which the electrical connector 9 is mounted on the mounting surface 2a. The electrical connector 9 is a multi-pole connector (2x10 = 20 poles in this embodiment). The electrical connector 9 includes a housing 10, a plurality of first contacts 11, and a plurality of second contacts 12. The housing 10 is provided as a holding member for holding a plurality of first contacts 11 and a plurality of second contacts 12. The housing 10 is configured to form a fitting space 13 in which a plug 39 to be described later of the mating connector 29 is fitted.

The housing 10 is formed of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and is disposed on the mounting surface 2a. The housing 10 is formed in a box shape opened toward the drawing direction D2 and extends in the width direction X1, the depth direction Y1 and the height direction Z1. The depth direction Y1 is a direction parallel to the fitting direction D1 and the drawing direction D2. The height direction Z1 is orthogonal to the depth direction Y1 and perpendicular to the mounting surface 2a. The width direction X1 is a direction orthogonal to both the depth direction Y1 and the height direction Z1. The housing 10 is formed in a flat shape and has a larger length in the width direction X1 than the length in the depth direction Y1 and the length in the height direction Z1.

Fig. 2 (a) is a plan view of the electrical connector 9, and Fig. 2 (b) is a bottom view of the electrical connector 9. Fig. 3 is a front view of the electrical connector 9 viewed from the upstream side in the fitting direction D1 and a cross-sectional view of the circuit board 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the housing 10 includes a lower wall 14, an upper wall 15, and a pair of left and right side walls 16, 17, an inner wall 18, and a middle wall 19. As shown in FIG.

The lower wall 14 is elongated in the width direction X1 and is formed in a rectangular shape extending in the depth direction Y1 and is disposed on the mounting surface 2a. As shown in Fig. 2A and Fig. 3, the upper wall 15 is formed into a rectangular shape that elongates in the width direction X1 and extends in the depth direction Y1. The upper wall 15 is disposed parallel to the lower wall 14 in a height direction Z1. The pair of side walls 16 and 17 extend in the height direction Z1 and connect the ends of the upper wall 15 and the lower wall 14 in the width direction X1.

4 is a sectional view of the electrical connector 9 taken along the line IV-IV in Fig. 3, a partial side view of the mating connector 29 and a sectional view of the circuit board 2, As shown in Fig. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the long wall 18 extends in the width direction X1 and the height direction Z1. The long wall 18 is connected to each of the lower wall 14, the upper wall 15 and the side walls 16 and 17 at one end in the depth direction Y1 (end on the fitting direction D1 side). As a result, the long wall 18 covers the fitting space 13 as a space formed in the housing 10 from one end side in the depth direction Y1. The middle portion in the height direction Z1 of the outer side surface of the long wall 18 is concave toward the drawing direction D2.

With the above configuration, the housing 10 forms the fitting space 13 surrounded by the lower wall 14, the upper wall 15, the side walls 16, 17, and the wall 18. The fitting space 13 is a block-shaped space elongated in the width direction X1 and is a fitting space for fitting with the plug 39 of the mating connector 29 displaced along the fitting direction D1 Consists of. An opening 10a opened toward the mating connector 29 is formed at the end of the housing 10 opposite to the end on which the wall 18 is provided and the middle wall 19 ) Is revealed.

The middle wall 19 is provided as a guide member for guiding the insertion operation of the plug 39 of the mating connector 29 toward the fitting space 13. The middle wall 19 is a plate-like portion arranged substantially in parallel with the lower wall 14 and the upper wall 15, and is elongated in the width direction X1. Both ends of the middle wall 19 in the width direction X1 are disposed apart from the side walls 16, Further, in the height direction Z1, the middle wall 19 is disposed substantially at the center of the fitting space 13.

As shown in Fig. 2 (b) and Fig. 4, a pair of protection walls 20, 21 are formed in the housing 10. [ The pair of protection walls 20 and 21 are provided to protect the portion of the first contact 11 protruding from the housing 10. The pair of protection walls 20 and 21 protrude from the pair of side walls 16 and 17 toward the fitting direction D1 and the length in the height direction Z1 is substantially equal to the length of the rectangular parallelepiped As shown in FIG.

The first contact 11 is electrically conductive (fixed) to the conductive portion 2b of the circuit board 2 and can be brought into contact with the first mating contact 31 of the mating connector 29 And is provided as a conductive member. The first contact 11 is provided as a first mounting member for mounting the housing 10 on the circuit board 2 from the fitting direction D1 side (one end side in the depth direction Y1). The first contacts 11 are provided in a plurality of (10 in this embodiment) lattices at regular intervals along the width direction X1 parallel to the mounting surface 2a. Each of the first contacts 11 is held in the housing 10.

The shapes of the first contacts 11 are the same. Therefore, in the following description, one of the first contacts 11 of the first contacts 11 having the same structure will be described, and the description of the other first contacts 11 will be omitted.

4, the first contact 11 is configured to be assembled to the housing 10 by being displaced toward the pull-out direction D2 with respect to the long wall 18 of the housing 10. As shown in Fig. That is, the first contact 11 is configured to be assembled to the housing 10 by being displaced from the downstream side of the fitting direction D1 with respect to the housing 10 toward the upstream side.

The first contacts 11 are formed linearly or axially. More specifically, the first contact 11 is formed using a part of a wire material having a constant cross-sectional shape, which is made of a metal material or the like. The first contact 11 is made of, for example, a copper alloy. The surface of the first contact 11 is plated with, for example, tin plating or gold plating. The cross-sectional shape of the wire is a polygonal shape such as a ring shape or a rectangular shape, and is formed in a rectangular shape in the present embodiment. The material of the first contact 11 is subjected to a bending process, and the first contact 11 has a shape in which a part of the first contact 11 is bent (curved).

The first contact 11 is formed in a crank shape that is smoothly bent when viewed from the width direction X1. More specifically, the first contact 11 has a portion extending straightly in the fitting direction D1, a portion where the position of the height direction Z1 changes, and a portion extending in the fitting direction D1 from the upstream side of the fitting direction D1. And has a portion extending straight in the fitting direction D1. The first contact 11 includes an end portion 11a, a first connecting portion 11b, a first housing side fixing portion 11c, a first intermediate portion 11d, a first substrate side mounting portion 11e And the other end 11f.

One end 11a of the first contact 11 is provided to facilitate insertion of the first contact 11 when the first contact 11 is inserted into the wall 18 of the housing 10. The one end portion 11a is a leading end portion which is tapered as it proceeds along the pulling direction D2. The one end 11a is disposed in the fitting space 13 and is disposed in the vicinity of the opening 10a of the housing 10. [

The first connection portion 11b is configured to be contactable (electrically connectable) to the first mating contact 31 of the mating connector 29. [ The first connecting portion 11b extends straight from the one end 11a along the fitting direction D1. The first connecting portion 11b is disposed in the fitting space 13 between the middle wall 19 and the upper wall 15 of the housing 10 together with the one end portion 11a. The first connecting portion 11b is elongated and elongated, and the first housing-side fixing portion 11c serves as a fulcrum, so that the first connecting portion 11b can be easily deformed.

The first housing-side fixing portion 11c is provided as a fixing portion fixed to the housing 10. The first housing-side fixing portion 11c extends linearly along the fitting direction D1 from the first connecting portion 11b. The first housing-side fixing portion 11c is press-fitted into a tubular first fixing portion 18a formed so as to penetrate the long wall 18 in the fitting direction D1. According to the above configuration, the first contact 11 is fixed to the housing 10. A chamfer portion is provided at the edge of the first fixing portion 18a on the downstream side in the fitting direction D1. This makes it easy to insert the first contact 11 (insert one end 11a) into the first fixing portion 18a.

The first intermediate portion 11d is provided for connecting the first housing side fixing portion 11c (the first connecting portion 11b) different in the height direction Z1 from the first housing side mounting portion 11e have. The first intermediate portion 11d is disposed between the first connection portion 11b and the first substrate side mounting portion 11e and is disposed outside the housing 10. One end 11g of the first intermediate portion 11d is connected to the first housing-side fixing portion 11c and bent (curved) toward the first substrate side mounting portion 11e. The midway portion 11h of the first intermediate portion 11d extends in a straight line and is inclined obliquely with respect to the first housing-side fixing portion 11c as viewed in the width direction X1. The other end 11j of the first intermediate portion 11d is curved (curved) from the midway portion 11h toward a direction parallel to the fitting direction D1.

The first intermediate portion 11d has a part bent in the direction of the height Z1 from the first connecting portion 11b side toward the first substrate side mounting portion 11e, And has a configuration in which the position changes. The first intermediate portion 11d is formed so that the position of at least a part (one end portion 11g and the middle portion 11h in this embodiment) of the direction parallel to the fitting direction D1 is the position of the housing 10 Is overlapped with the position of the protection walls 20 and 21 (in FIG. 4, the protection wall 21 is not shown). That is, at least a part of the first intermediate portion 11d (one end portion 11g and the midway portion 11h in this embodiment) in the widthwise direction X1 perpendicular to the fitting direction D1 And overlaps with the position of the protective walls 20, 21 of the housing 10.

One end 11g of the first intermediate portion 11d is bent in the vicinity of the first housing side fixing portion 11c fixed to the housing 10 and is disposed outside the fitting space 13 . For this reason, there is a possibility that a high stress is generated when the one end 11g comes into contact with foreign matter. As described above, the one end 11g of the first intermediate portion 11d, which may cause high stress due to contact with the foreign object, is protected by the protection walls 20 and 21 to securely protect the first contact 11 .

The first substrate side mounting portion 11e is provided as a mounting portion to be mounted on the circuit board 2. [ The first substrate side mounting portion 11e extends linearly along the fitting direction D1 from the other end portion 11j of the first intermediate portion 11d and extends in the fitting direction D1 (the downstream side in the fitting direction D1). The first substrate side mounting portion 11e is fixed to the conductive portion 2b of the circuit board 2 by using solder (not shown) or the like. With the above arrangement, the first contacts 11 are fixed to the circuit board 2. [ The other end 11f of the first contact 11 is formed in a linear shape whose tip is tapered as it proceeds along the fitting direction D1.

3 and 4, the second contact 12 is conductively mounted (fixed) to the conductive portion 2c of the circuit board 2, and the second contact 12 of the mating connector 29 And is provided as a conductive member capable of contacting the mating contact 32. [

The second contact 12 is provided as a second mounting member for mounting the housing 10 on the circuit board 2 from the side opposite to the fitting direction D1 (the other end side in the depth direction Y1) . The second contacts 12 are provided in a plurality of (10 in this embodiment) lanes at regular intervals along the width direction X1 parallel to the mounting surface 2a. Each of the second contacts 12 is held in the housing 10. That is, the plurality of second contacts 12 are arranged in a direction parallel to the direction in which the plurality of first contacts 11 are arranged.

Each of the plurality of second contacts 12 is aligned with the plurality of first contacts 11 in the width direction X1. The first contact 11 and the second contact 12 are arranged alternately with respect to the width direction X1 so that the position of the first contact 11 with respect to the width direction X1 and the position of the second contact 12 with respect to the width direction X1, As shown in FIG.

The shapes of the second contacts 12 are the same. Therefore, in the following description, the second contact 12 of one of the second contacts 12 having the same structure will be described, and the description of the structure of the other second contact 12 will be omitted.

The second contact 12 is formed by pressing a metal material, and is made of, for example, a copper alloy. The surface of the second contact 12 is plated with, for example, tin plating or gold plating. The second contact 12 is formed in a plate shape, and the thickness (plate thickness) is substantially constant.

The second contact 12 is configured to be assembled to the housing 10 by being displaced with respect to the housing 10 along the fitting direction D1. The second contacts 12 are arranged so as to be surrounded by the first contacts 11 and the circuit board 2 when viewed from the width direction X1. The second contact 12 has a shape in which the middle portion of the fitting direction D1 is heightened in the height direction Z1 as compared with other portions of the second contact 12. The second contact 12 is held in the housing 10 in a standing position perpendicular to the mounting surface 2a of the circuit board 2. [ The second contact 12 includes a first portion 12a, a second portion 12b and a second housing-side fixing portion 12c arranged along the fitting direction D1.

The first portion 12a of the second contact 12 is a member extending along the fitting direction D1 and having a substantially constant height in the height direction Z1. The first portion 12a is provided as a mounting portion to be mounted on the circuit board 2. [ The first part 12a protrudes from the opening 10a of the housing 10 in the pulling direction D2 and the remaining part of the first part 12a is fitted into the slit 14a formed in the lower wall 14 of the housing 10 Are inserted and arranged along the fitting direction D1.

The slit 14a is formed by notching the inner side face of the lower wall 14 along the fitting direction D1 and the peripheral portion of the opening 10a among the slits 14a is formed in the height direction Z1. The slit 14a is opened in the opening 10a as an end opposite to the fitting direction D1 among the lower wall 14. [ The portion of the first portion 12a facing the mounting surface 2a of the circuit board 2 is formed parallel to the fitting direction D1 and constitutes the second board side mounting portion 12d have.

The second substrate side mounting portion 12d is disposed on the side opposite to the fitting direction D1 (on the pull-out direction D2 side) with respect to the second connecting portion 12g described later. The second board side mounting portion 12d is fixed to the conductive portion 2c of the mounting surface 2a by soldering or the like (not shown). The second substrate side mounting portion 12d is arranged in the height direction Z1 with one end portion 11a of the first contact 11. An engaging portion 12e is formed at the downstream end of the first portion 12a on the fitting direction D1 side. The locking portion 12e is provided to prevent the second contact 12 from floating against the housing 10. [ The engaging portion 12e is opposed to the outer surface of the lower wall 14 and is engaged with the outer surface.

The second portion 12b is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the width direction X1 and includes a fitting portion 12f to be fitted to the slit 14a and a second connecting portion 12g. The fitting portion 12f is fitted to the lower wall 14 from both sides in the width direction X1 by fitting the slit 14a. One end of the fitting portion 12f on the opening 10a side is continuous with the first portion 12a. A portion of the first portion 12a and the fitting portion 12f of the second portion 12b of the second contact 12 are engaged with the slit 14a along the fitting direction D1, As shown in Fig. A minute gap C1 is formed between the second portion 12b and the long wall 18. As a result, the positional difference (difference from the normal position) of the second contact 12 due to the contact between the second portion 12b and the obturator 18 is suppressed.

The second connecting portion 12g is provided for electrically connecting to the second mating contact 32 of the mating connector 29, which will be described later. The second connecting portion 12g protrudes from the fitting portion 12f toward the middle wall 19 in the height direction Z1 and extends in the fitting direction D1. One end of the second connecting portion 12g on the side of the opening 10a is formed to have a tapered shape along the pulling direction D2. As a result, one end of the second connecting portion 12g on the side of the opening 10a has a function as a guide when fitting the second mating contact 32 to the second connecting portion 12g. The second connecting portion 12g is arranged on the side of the mounting surface 2a of the circuit board 2 with respect to the first connecting portion 11b of the first contact 11 with respect to the height direction Z1. The second connecting portion 12g is arranged in the height direction Z1 with respect to the first connecting portion 11b.

The second housing-side fixing portion 12c is provided as a fixing portion fixed to the housing 10. The second housing-side fixing portion 12c extends substantially straight along the fitting direction D1 from the fitting portion 12f of the second portion 12b and is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the width direction X1 have. The second housing-side fixing portion 12c is press-fitted into a tubular second fixing portion (second contact fixing portion) 18b formed so as to penetrate the long wall 18 in the fitting direction D1. The protruding portion formed on a part of the second housing-side fixing portion 12c is firmly engaged with the inner circumferential surface of the second fixing portion 18b.

The second fixing portion 18b is disposed on the downstream side of the slit 14a in the fitting direction D1. With the above configuration, the second contact 12 is fixed to the housing 10. The second housing-side fixing portion 12c is disposed between the first housing-side fixing portion 11c and the mounting surface 2a, and the first housing-side fixing portion 11c and the second housing- And so on.

Next, the mating connector 29 will be described. The mating connector 29 will be described with reference to a state when it is connected to the electrical connector 9. [ Therefore, the width direction X1, the depth direction Y1, and the height direction Z1 are also the depth direction, the height direction, and the width direction of the mating connector 29, respectively.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the electrical connector 9 and the mating connector 29 are engaged. 6 (a) is a front view showing a part of the mating connector 29, with the part of the mating connector 29 omitted, showing the state in which the mating connector 29 is viewed from the upstream side in the pulling direction D2. 6B is a bottom view of the mating connector 29, and shows the state viewed from the height direction Z1. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6A, the mating connector 29 includes a mating housing 30, a plurality of first mating contacts 31, a plurality of second mating contacts 32 , And a lock plate (33).

The mating housing 30 is formed of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The mating housing 30 includes a first receptacle 34, a second receptacle 35 and a fitting recess 36 disposed between the first receptacle 34 and the second receptacle 35 have. The first receiver 34, the fitting recess 36 and the second receiver 35 are arranged in this order along the height direction Z1.

The first receiver (34) is provided as a receiving member for receiving a plurality of first mating contacts (31). The first receiver 34 is formed in the shape of a flat plate extending in the width direction X1 so as to be elongated. A plurality of first storage chambers (37) are formed in the first receiver (34). The first housing chamber 37 is provided in the same number as the first contacts 11 of the electrical connector 9. The first accommodating chambers 37 are arranged at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch of the first contacts 11 along the width direction X1. Each of the first accommodation chambers 37 penetrates the first receiver 34 in the depth direction Y1.

The first storage chambers 37 have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description, one of the first containing chambers 37, which is the same as the first containing chambers 37, will be described, and the description of the configuration of the other first containing chamber 37 will be omitted . The shape of the first mating contact 31 accommodated in the first housing chamber 37 is the same. Therefore, in the following description, one of the first mating contacts 31 of the same first mating contact 31 will be described, and a description of the structure of the other first mating contact 31 .

The first housing chamber 37 is provided as a tubular portion extending along the fitting direction D1. The first mating contact 31 is accommodated in the first housing chamber 37. In the first housing chamber 37, a first contact insertion hole 37a, a first projection hole 37b, and a first stopper prevention portion 37c are formed.

The first contact insertion hole 37a is provided for introducing the first contact 11 of the electrical connector 9 into the first accommodation chamber 37. [ The first contact insertion hole 37a is formed in an end portion (distal end portion) of the first accommodation chamber 37 on the fitting direction D1 side and is provided with a through hole 37a between the inside and the outside of the first accommodation chamber 37 It is communicating. A chamfer is formed in the periphery of the first contact insertion hole 37a on the side of the fitting direction D1 to facilitate introduction of the first contact 11 into the first contact insertion hole 37a.

The first projection hole 37b is provided to protrude the first stopper projection 31d of the first mating contact 31 to be described later from the first housing chamber 37. [ The first projecting hole 37b is spaced apart from the first contact through hole 37a in the pull-out direction D2 and is opened in one of the height directions Z1 (downward in Fig. 5) have.

The first missing portion 37c is a small piece portion for preventing the first mating contact 31 from escaping from the first containing chamber 37 and is disposed adjacent to the first projecting hole 37b . In the present embodiment, the first slipping-off preventing portion 37c is disposed in the fitting recess portion 36. [

The fitting concave portion 36 is formed between the first receptor 34 and the second receptor 35. The fitting concave portion 36 is configured to be fitted to the middle wall 19 of the electrical connector 9. The fitting concave portion 36 defines a space elongated in the width direction X1. The fitting concave portion 36 and the middle wall 19 are fitted to each other when the mating connector 29 is coupled to the electrical connector 9. [ The fitting concave portion 36 functions as a guide portion when the mating housing 30 is fitted to the housing 10 of the electrical connector 9.

The second receiver (35) is provided as a receiving member for receiving the plurality of second mating contacts (32). The second receiver (35) is formed in a flat plate shape elongated in the width direction (X1). A plurality of second containing chambers (38) are formed in the second receptor (35). The second housing chamber 38 is provided in the same number as the number of the second contacts 12 of the electrical connector 9. The second accommodating chambers 38 are arranged at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch of the second contacts 12 along the width direction X1. Each of the second accommodation chambers 38 penetrates the second receiver 35 in the depth direction Y1.

The second storage chambers 38 have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description, the second containing chamber 38 of one of the second containing chambers 38 is constructed similarly, and the description of the configuration of the other second containing chamber 38 is omitted . The shape of the second mating contact 32 housed in the second housing chamber 38 is the same. For this reason, in the following description, the second mating contact 32 of one of the second mating contacts 32, which is constructed in the same manner, will be described, and the description of the structure of the other second mating contact 32 .

The second housing chamber 38 is provided as a tubular portion extending along the fitting direction D1. The second mating contact 32 is accommodated in the second housing chamber 38. The second housing chamber 38 is provided with a second contact insertion slit 38a and a second slip prevention portion 38b.

The second contact insertion slit 38a is provided for introducing the second contact 12 of the electrical connector 9 into the second accommodation chamber 38 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 (b) . The second contact insertion slit 38a extends from the tip end of the second housing chamber 38 in the fitting direction D1 toward the base end side (along the drawing direction D2). The slit 38a for the second contact insertion opens the second containing chamber 38 to one side (the lower side in FIG. 5) in the height direction Z1, Respectively. The second slip prevention portion 38b is disposed at a position on the pull-out direction D2 side with respect to the slit 38a for the second contact insertion.

The second falling prevention portion 38b is a small piece portion provided to prevent the second mating contact 32 from coming off from the second containing chamber 38 and is disposed adjacent to the slit 38a for second contact insertion have.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6A, the first mating contact 31 is disposed in the first housing chamber 37, as described above. The first mating contact 31 is provided for electrically connecting the electric wire of the first covered electric wire 3 and the first contact 11. The first coated wire 3 has a constitution in which wires such as copper wires are covered with a coating made of an insulating material and wires are exposed from one end of the coated wire. The first mating contact 31 is a conductive member formed using the same material as the first contact 11.

The first mating contact 31 includes a first mating contact 31a, a first mating contact 31b, a second mating contact 31c and a first mating contact protrusion 31d. The first relative-side connecting portion 31a is provided for electrically connecting with the first contact 11 by making contact with the first contact 11.

The first relative-side connecting portion 31a is disposed in the first housing chamber 37 near the fitting direction D1. The first counterpart side connecting portion 31a has a pair of elastic piece portions extending along the fitting direction D1 and facing the width direction X1. In Fig. 5, only one elastic piece portion of the pair of elastic piece portions is shown. The pair of elastic piece portions of the first mating side connecting portion 31a are configured to elastically press (contact) the first contacts 11 inserted between the pair of elastic piece portions. The base end (the end on the pull-out direction D2 side) of the first mating side connecting portion 31a is supported by the first pressure-contacting portion 31b.

The first press-contact portion 31b is provided to be engaged with one end of the electric wire of the first covered electric wire 3. The first pressure-contacting portion 31b has a pair of piece portions aligned in the width direction X1 (only one of the pair of piece portions is shown in Fig. 5), and these pair of pieces are bent. As a result, the pair of single piece portions sandwich the electric wire of the first covered electric wire 3, and the electric wire is fixed by the first pressed portion 31b. And the second pressure-contacting portion 31c is disposed on the pull-out direction D2 side with respect to the first pressure-contacting portion 31b.

The second press-contacting portion 31c is provided for engaging with one end of the covering of the first covered electric wire 3. The second pressure-contacting portion 31c has a pair of piece portions aligned in the width direction X1 (only one of the pair of piece portions is shown in Fig. 5), and these pair of pieces are bent. As a result, the pair of single piece portions sandwich the covering of the first covered electric wire 3, and the fixing of the first covered electric wire 3 by the second pressed portion 31c is achieved.

The first slip prevention protrusion 31d is disposed between the first mating side connection portion 31a and the first pressure contact portion 31b. The first slip-off preventing protrusion 31d has a pair of side pieces aligned in the width direction X1 (only one side of the pair of side pieces is shown in Fig. 5), and these pair of side pieces are bent . The first slip prevention protrusion 31d protrudes from the first protrusion hole 37b of the first housing chamber 37 and is engaged with the first slip prevention portion 37c. Therefore, when a force directed toward the pull-out direction D2 acts on the first mating contact 31 with respect to the mating housing 30, the first slipping prevention protrusion 31d comes into contact with the first slipping prevention portion 37c, And the displacement of the first mating contact 31 is regulated.

As described above, the second mating contact 32 is disposed in the second containing chamber 38. The second mating contact 32 is formed in the same shape as the first mating contact 31. As a result, the same component can be used as the first mating contact 31 or the second mating contact 32, and the manufacturing cost of the electrical connecting device 1 can be reduced by improving the versatility of the component have.

The second mating contact 32 includes a second mating contact 32a, a third mating contact 32b, a fourth mating contact 32c and a second mating contact protrusion 32d. The second mating contact portion 32a is provided for making electrical contact with the second contact 12 by making contact with the second contact 12. The second relative-side connecting portion 32a is disposed in the second housing chamber 38 near the fitting direction D1. The second mating side connecting portion 32a has a pair of elastic piece portions extending along the fitting direction D1 and facing the width direction X1. In Fig. 5, only one elastic piece portion of the pair of elastic piece portions is shown. And the pair of elastic piece portions of the second relative-side connecting portion 32a is elastically pressed (contacted) with the second contact 12 inserted between the pair of elastic piece portions. The base end portion (the end on the pull-out direction D2 side) of the second mating side connecting portion 32a is supported by the third pressure-contacting portion 32b.

The third pressure-contacted portion 32b is provided for coupling to one end of the electric wire of the second covered electric wire 4. The second coated wire (4) has a configuration in which wires such as copper wire are covered with a coating made of an insulating material, and the wire is exposed from one end of the coated wire. The third pressure-contacting portion 32b has a pair of piece portions aligned in the width direction X1 (only one of the pair of piece portions is shown in Fig. 5), and these pair of piece portions are bent. As a result, the pair of single piece portions sandwich the electric wire of the second covered electric wire 4, and the electric wire is fixed by the third pressed portion 32b. And the fourth pressure-contacting portion 32c is disposed on the drawing-out direction D2 side with respect to the third pressure-contacting portion 32b.

The fourth pressure-contacting portion 32c is provided to be engaged with one end of the covering of the second covered electric wire 4. [ The fourth pressure-contacting portion 32c has a pair of piece portions aligned in the width direction X1 (only one of the pair of piece portions is shown in Fig. 5), and these pair of pieces are bent. As a result, the pair of single piece portions sandwich the covering of the second covered electric wire 4, and the securing of the second covered electric wire 4 by the fourth pressed portion 32c is achieved.

And the second slip prevention protrusion 32d is disposed between the second relative-side connecting portion 32a and the third pressure-contacting portion 32b. The second falling prevention protrusion 32d has a pair of side pieces arranged in the width direction X1 (only one side of the pair of side pieces is shown in Fig. 5), and these pair of side pieces are bent . The second slip prevention protrusion 32d protrudes from the second contact insertion slit 38a of the second housing chamber 38 and is engaged with the second slip prevention portion 38b. Therefore, when a force toward the pull-out direction D2 acts on the second mating contact 32 with respect to the mating housing 30, the second mating protrusion 32d comes into contact with the second mating preventing portion 38b And the displacement of the second mating contact 32 is regulated.

The mating connector 29 includes a plug 39. The plug 39 has a portion of the first housing chamber 37 near the fitting direction D1 and the first mating side connecting portion 31a of the first mating contact 31 and the fitting concave portion 36, A part near the fitting direction D1 of the second mating contact 32 and a part of the second accommodation chamber 38 near the fitting direction D1 and the second mating connection 32a of the second mating contact 32 . The plug 39 is provided as a fitting element to be fitted into the fitting space 13 of the electrical connector 9 among the mating connector 29.

1 and 5, the electrical connecting device 1 includes a lock mechanism 40. [ The lock mechanism 40 is provided for releasably locking the mating connector 29 to the electrical connector 9. The lock mechanism 40 includes a lock plate 33 provided on the mating housing 30 and a lock projection 22 provided on the housing 10.

The lock plate 33 is integrally formed with the mating housing 30 and is provided as a movable member capable of oscillating with respect to the mating housing 30. The lock plate 33 is connected to a support 41 disposed on one side of the first receiver 34 of the mating housing 30. The lock plate 33 is formed in a rectangular plate shape that extends widely in the width direction X1 and extends from the support post 41 in the fitting direction D1. A locking claw portion 42 is provided at the tip end of the lock plate 33 on the fitting direction D1 side. The lock claw portion 42 is a small piece portion projecting from the lock plate 33 toward the housing 10 along the height direction Z1.

The locking projection 22 is configured to engage with the lock claw portion 42 so as to regulate the displacement of the mating housing 30 toward the drawing direction D2. The lock projection 22 is disposed at the end on the side of the drawing direction D2 from the outer surface of the upper wall 15 of the housing 10. One or a plurality (four in this embodiment) of the lock projections 22 are provided and extend along the width direction X1. The surface of the lock projection 22 has an inclined portion to be separated from the upper wall 15 as it proceeds along the fitting direction D1. The lock claw portion 42 is configured to be able to cross this surface.

The electrical connecting device 1 further includes a mechanism for guiding the displacement operation of the mating housing 30 with respect to the housing 10. [ Specifically, a pair of guide convex portions 43 and 44 are provided on one side of the first receiver 34 among the mating housing 30, and a pair of guide projections 43 and 44 are provided on the inner side surface of the upper wall 15 of the housing 10 A pair of guide recesses 23 and 24 are provided. The guide convex portions 43 and 44 are convex portions extending linearly along the fitting direction D1 and are provided with a pair so as to sandwich the lock plate 33 in the width direction X1. The guide recesses 23 and 24 are concave portions extending linearly along the fitting direction D1 and are fittable to the corresponding guide convex portions 43 and 44. [

Next, the attaching / detaching operation between the electrical connector 9 and the mating connector 29 in the electrical connecting device 1 will be described. 1, when the mating connector 29 is coupled to the electrical connector 9 mounted on the circuit board 2, the mating connector 29 is first brought into contact with the electrical connector 9 do. Next, the mating connector 29 is displaced toward the electrical connector 9 along the fitting direction D1. As a result, the pair of guide convex portions 43, 44 of the mating housing 30 are fitted to the pair of guide concave portions 23, 24, and as shown in Fig. 5, The fitting concave portion 36 of the plug 39 of the housing 30 is fitted with the middle wall 19 of the housing 10. The first receptacle 34 and the second receptacle 35 of the plug 39 are fitted into the fitting space 13.

As a result, the first connecting portion 11b of the first contact 11 passes through the first contact insertion hole 37a and enters the first housing chamber 37, and the first contact 11b of the first contact 11 Side contact portion 31a. The second connecting portion 12g of the second contact 12 passes through the second contact insertion slit 38a and enters the second housing chamber 38. The second contact portion 12g of the second contact 12, Side contact portion 32a.

At this time, the lock plate 33 rocks with respect to the mating housing 30 with the support 41 as a fulcrum, and the lock claw portion 42 rides over the locking projection 22. Thereafter, the lock claw portion 42 is engaged with the locking projection 22 on the side of the fitting direction D1 with respect to the locking projection 22, thereby preventing the mating housing 30 from slipping out.

On the other hand, when the mating connector 29 is detached from the electrical connector 9, the lock plate 33 is pressed with a finger or the like. As a result, the lock plate 33 rocks about the support 41 as a fulcrum, and the lock claw portion 42 is lifted. As a result, engagement between the lock claw portion 42 and the locking projection 22 is released. In this state, the mating housing 30 is pulled toward the housing 10 in the pulling direction D2. Thereby, the plug 39 is pulled out from the housing 10 toward the pull-out direction D2.

At this time, the first mating contact 31 is pulled out from the first contact insertion hole 37a, and the second mating contact 32 is pulled out from the second contact insertion slit 38a. As a result, the first and second mating contacts 31 and 32 are released from contact with the first contact 11 and the second contact 12, respectively. At this time, the engagement between the fitting concave portion 36 of the mating housing and the middle wall 19 is released. As described above, the mating connector 29 is pulled out from the electrical connector 9, whereby the engagement of these connectors 9 and 29 is released as shown in Fig.

5, when the mating connector 29 is coupled to the electrical connector 9, a force is applied from the mating connector 29 to the electrical connector 9 along the fitting direction D1. This force is transmitted to the plurality of first contacts 11 of the electrical connector 9 and is received by the first substrate side mounting portion 11e of the first contacts 11. [

On the other hand, when the mating connector 29 is pulled out of the electrical connector 9, a force is applied from the mating connector 29 to the electrical connector 9 along the pulling direction D2. This force is transmitted to the second contact 12 and is received at the second substrate side mounting portion 12d of the second contact 12. [ That is, in any case when a force in the fitting direction D1 is applied to the electrical connector 9 and when a force in the drawing direction D2 is applied, the contacts 11 and 12, So that the housing 10 can be reliably supported.

The distance of the first contact 11 from the circuit board 2 in the fitting space 13 is smaller than the distance between the first contact 11 and the second contact 11 from the circuit board 2, Is longer than the distance of the contact 12. In addition, the first contact 11 is disposed on the upper side in the fitting space 13. As a result of the first contact 11 being formed in a line or an axis, it is liable to be bent. The first contact 11 can be bent and brought into contact with the plug 39 by contact with the plug 39 when the plug contacts the plug 39. [ Therefore, the first contact 11 can be electrically connected to the first contact 11 of the plug 39 reliably. As a result, there is no need to precisely align the first contacts 11 with respect to the housing 10 when assembling the first contacts 11 to the housing 10 at the time of manufacturing the electrical connector 9 . Therefore, the speed (efficiency) of the mounting operation of the first contacts 11 to the housing 10 can be increased. Thus, the number of assembled electrical connectors 9 per unit time can be increased. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the electrical connector 9 can be reduced.

In addition, the first contacts 11 on the line can be manufactured at low cost by wire rods or the like, without expensive press forming. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced. The first substrate side mounting portion 11e of the first contact 11 and the second substrate side mounting portion 12d of the second contact 12 are fitted to the fitting space 13 in the fitting direction D1, On both the upstream side and the downstream side. The circuit board 2 can support the housing 10 from both sides of the fitting direction D1 through the first contacts 11 and the second contacts 12. [ Therefore, the coupling strength between the electrical connector 9 and the circuit board 2 can be increased. For example, a force parallel to the fitting direction D1 may act on the housing 10 as a force to tilt the housing 10 against the circuit board 2. At this time, it is possible to more reliably prevent the housing 10 from falling on the circuit board 2 by the cooperation of the first contact 11 and the second contact 12.

In addition, it is not necessary to separately provide a member (reinforcement metal or the like) for preventing the housing 10 from falling down. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the electrical connector 9 can be further reduced by reducing the number of parts. Therefore, it is possible to reliably suppress the displacement of the housing 10 with respect to the circuit board, and to provide the electric connector 9 with a low manufacturing cost.

Further, in the electrical connector 9, since the first contacts 11 are formed on the basis of the wire material, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, since the wire can be made thinner, the first contact 11 can be made shorter in the direction parallel to the fitting direction D1. Thus, the length of the first contact 11 and the housing 10 in the fitting direction D1 as a whole can be shortened. Therefore, the miniaturization of the electrical connector 9 can be achieved.

In the electrical connector 9, the second substrate side mounting portion 12d of the second contact 12 and the first substrate side mounting portion 11e of the first contact 11 are engaged with each other in the fitting direction D1. Respectively. Thereby, the second substrate side mounting portion 12d is not interfered with the arrangement of the first substrate side mounting portion 11e. Therefore, the first substrate side mounting portion 11e can be disposed closer to the housing 10 than the first substrate side mounting portion 11e. Therefore, the first intermediate portion 11d can also be disposed in the vicinity of the housing 10. [ The first intermediate portion 11d and the first board side mounting portion 11e are disposed in the vicinity of the housing 10 so that the electrical connectors 9 It is possible to increase the effect of reducing the size of the electrical connector 9 with respect to the fitting direction D1.

In the electrical connector 9, the second contact 12 is formed by pressing a metal material. As described above, since the second contact 12 formed by press working can have a larger moment of inertia in cross section, the rigidity is higher than that of the first contact 11 and the bonding strength with the circuit board 2 is increased . The second contact 12 is small because the height from the circuit board 2 is low. This prevents the second contact 12 from interfering with the insertion of the plug 39 into the housing 10 even if the position of the second contact 12 with respect to the housing 10 slightly deviates from the regular position can do. Therefore, in assembling the electrical connector 9, labor (time) for precisely positioning the second contact 12 with respect to the housing 10 is unnecessary. Therefore, the second contacts 12 can be assembled to the housing at a high speed. As a result, the manufacturing efficiency of the electrical connector 9 can be increased, and the manufacturing cost of the electrical connector 9 can be further reduced.

According to the electrical connector 9, the second contact 12 is inserted into the slit 14a of the housing 10 along the fitting direction D1, and the second contact 12 is inserted into the housing 10 To the second fixing portion 18b of the second guide portion 18b. The second housing side fixing portion 12c of the second contact 12 is fixed at the correct position to the housing 10 while omitting the accurate positioning operation with respect to the housing 10. [ As a result, the plate-shaped second contact 12, which is less likely to increase the fixing speed to the housing 10 as compared with the first contact 11 on the line, can be fastened to the housing at high speed.

According to the electrical connector 9, the first contact 11 and the second contact 12 are formed on both sides of the housing 10 in the depth direction Y1 (the pulling direction D2 side and the fitting direction D1 To the housing 10, as shown in Fig. Therefore, with respect to the housing 10 having a generally small shape (for example, the length in the width direction X1 is about 20 mm), the apparatus for assembling the first contacts 11 and the second contacts 12 The devices to be assembled can be arranged without interfering with each other. This makes it possible to simultaneously assemble the first contacts 11 and the second contacts 12 to the housing 10 on both sides of the depth direction Y1 and consequently to increase the assembling speed of the electrical connector 9 can do.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. For example, the following changes may be made.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the structure in which a plurality of first contacts and a plurality of second contacts are provided is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Only one of the first contact and the second contact may be provided.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the position of at least a part of the first intermediate portion of the first housing overlaps with the position of the housing as viewed from the width direction orthogonal to the fitting direction has been described as an example. . The position of the first intermediate portion of the first housing may be the downstream side in the fitting direction with respect to the position of the housing as viewed from the width direction by providing a portion extending linearly from the first housing side fixing portion of the first contact .

(3) In the above embodiment, the second contact is formed by pressing the metal material. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second contact may be formed by using a part of the wire material separated as in the case of the first contact.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the first intermediate portion of the first contact is disposed on the outside of the wall of the housing. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a groove continuous to the first fixing portion of the housing may be formed on the outer surface of the rear wall of the housing, and a part of the first middle portion may be accommodated in the groove. As a result, at least a part of the first intermediate portion can be received in the wall of the housing, so that the length occupied by the electrical connector in the direction parallel to the fitting direction can be further shortened.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the shape of the electrical connector of the surface mount type (SMT) type in which the first contact and the second contact are disposed on the mounting surface of the circuit board is described as an example, Do not. The present invention may be applied to an insertion-mounting type electrical connector such as a DIP (Dual Inline Package) connector in which a first contact and a second contact are inserted into a through hole of a circuit board.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the electrical connecting device is a board-to-wire type connecting device that electrically connects the circuit board and the electric wire. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a board-to-board type electrical connection apparatus in which circuit boards are electrically connected to each other.

(7) In the above-described embodiments, the electrical connector in which the contacts are arranged in two stages in the height direction has been described as an example, but the invention is not limited thereto. The present invention is applicable to an electrical connector in which the contacts are arranged in three or more stages in the height direction. In this case, at least the contact at the lower end is configured as the second contact of the present invention, and is mounted on the circuit board at the upstream side in the fitting direction with respect to the housing. Further, the uppermost contact is configured as the first contact of the present invention, and is mounted on the circuit board at the downstream side in the fitting direction with respect to the housing.

(8) The shape of each of the housing, the first contact, the second contact, and the plug is not limited to the shape exemplified in the above embodiments, and various modifications may be made.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely applied as an electrical connector which is disposed on a mounting surface of a circuit board and in which a plug of a mating connector is fitted along a predetermined fitting direction parallel to a mounting surface.

2 circuit board 2a room scene
9 electrical connector 10 housing
11 first contact 11b first connection portion
11c First housing side fixing portion 11d First intermediate portion
11e First substrate side mounting portion 12 Second contact
12c Second housing side fixing portion 12d Second board side mounting portion
12g The second connection portion 13
14a Slit 18b Second fixing portion (second contact fixing portion)
29 Mating connector 39 Plug
D1 fitting direction Z1 height direction

Claims (5)

An electrical connector for mounting a plug of a mating connector on a mounting surface of a circuit board and fitting in a predetermined fitting direction parallel to the mounting surface,
A housing defining a fitting space in which the plug is fitted,
A linear or axial first contact held in the housing,
And a second contact held in the housing,
The first contact includes a first housing side fixing portion fixed to the housing, a first connection portion disposed in the fitting space and electrically connectable to the mating connector, and a second connecting portion disposed on the fitting direction side And a first board side mounting portion that is disposed on the circuit board and is mountable on the circuit board,
Wherein the second contact is disposed on the mounting surface side with respect to the first connection portion with respect to the height direction orthogonal to the mounting surface, the second contact-side fixing portion being fixed to the housing, And a second board side mounting portion that is disposed on the side opposite to the fitting direction with respect to the second connecting portion and is mountable on the circuit board,
The second contact is formed in a plate shape and the second contact further includes an engaging portion which is adjacent to the second substrate side mounting portion and accommodates an outer side surface of the housing which faces the mounting surface An electrical connector characterized by: The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first contact is formed using a part of a wire having a constant cross-sectional shape. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The first contact has a first intermediate portion disposed between the first connecting portion and the first substrate side mounting portion,
Wherein the first intermediate portion has a portion bent in a direction from the first connecting portion side toward the first board side mounting portion side in the height direction and the width of the housing perpendicular to the fitting direction The position of at least a part of the first intermediate portion overlaps the position of the housing. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And the second contact is formed by pressing a metal material. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the housing is open to an end opposite to the fitting direction, and a part of the second contact is inserted and passed along the fitting direction, and a slit which is arranged on the fitting direction side with respect to the slit, And a second contact fixing portion for fixing the second housing-side fixing portion.

Images