JP2019102285A - Movable connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a movable connector capable of achieving both a function required for a movable portion of a terminal and a function required for a contact portion of a terminal.SOLUTION: A terminal 4 of a movable connector 1 includes a movable side terminal piece 8 and a contact side terminal piece 9 formed of metal pieces, as separate members, respectively. The movable side terminal piece 8 and the contact side terminal piece 9 are connected to each other by a connecting piece part 8d provided to the movable side terminal piece 8 and a locking piece part 9a provided to the contact side terminal piece 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector having a floating function, ie, a movable connector.

  A movable connector having a floating function is known as a connector which is conductively connected to a connection object. The movable connector is, for example, a fixed housing mounted on a substrate, a movable housing having a fitting chamber for inserting a connection object, one end is fixed to the fixed housing, the other end is fixed to the movable housing, one end and the other And a plurality of terminals each having a movable portion for movably supporting the movable housing between the side and the base.

  When such a movable connector is subdivided according to the difference in terminal structure, first, a movable connector (movable socket connector) having a socket terminal whose contact portion in conductive contact with the connection object is a spring structure is known (Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-165128). Further, as another movable connector, a movable connector (movable plug connector) having a plug terminal whose contact portion in conductive contact with a connection object has a pin shape is known (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-93531). Gazette).

  In the conventional movable connector having such a basic configuration, when the connection object is inserted into the fitting chamber, if the insertion position of the connection object is shifted with respect to the insertion port of the fitting chamber, the connection object is The movable housing in contact with the movable member is displaced by the movable portion of the terminal, and has a function of absorbing positional deviation of the connection object. Further, in a state in which the connection object is fitted and connected to the fitting chamber, the movable housing displaces the relative positional deviation generated between the connection object and the substrate on which the movable connector is mounted by the movable portion of the terminal. Have the ability to absorb Therefore, the movable connector is required to have flexibility of the movable portion of the terminal that supports the displacement of the movable housing. Further, particularly in the movable connector having a socket terminal whose contact portion is a spring structure, the contact portion is connected in order to be able to maintain stable conductive contact with the connection object even when the movable housing is displaced. It is required to exert an appropriate contact pressure on the object.

JP 2007-165128 A JP 2002-93531 A

  However, the terminals of the conventional movable connector are formed as a single piece of a single piece of metal. Thus, for example, in order to increase the flexibility of the movable part of the terminal, making the plate thickness of the metal piece of the terminal material as thin as possible, for example, in the movable connector having the socket terminal is necessary to obtain stable conductive contact. It becomes difficult to obtain the contact pressure of the contact portion to the connection object. Further, in the movable connector having the plug terminal, when the plate thickness of the pin-shaped contact portion is reduced, the rigidity of the contact portion is reduced and it is easily bent. Then, at the time of the fitting connection with the mating terminal as the connection object, there is a risk of bending or buckling due to contact with the mating terminal.

  Therefore, if the plate thickness of the metal piece of the terminal material is increased in order to increase the contact pressure by the contact portion of the spring structure and also to increase the rigidity of the pin-shaped contact portion, the flexibility of the movable portion decreases and the movable portion moves There is a problem that the housing becomes difficult to displace.

  As described above, in order to achieve compatibility between the flexibility of the movable part and the appropriate function of the contact part in a trade-off relationship, for example, the movable part can be used while using a terminal material of an appropriate thickness not causing the above problem as the contact part. It is conceivable to realize the flexibility of the movable part by forming the spring length of the part as long as possible. However, the longer the spring length of the movable portion is, the larger the movable connector as a whole, which causes another problem that it becomes more difficult to meet the demand for downsizing of the movable connector.

  The present invention is made on the background of the prior art as described above. The object is to provide a movable connector capable of achieving both the function required for the movable portion of the terminal and the function required for the contact portion.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured to have the following features.

  That is, according to the present invention, there is provided a second housing having a first housing, and a fitting chamber for inserting an object to be connected, the second housing being movable relative to the first housing, and being held by the first housing A first terminal piece having a movable portion for movably supporting the second housing, and the second terminal being held by the second housing and electrically connected to the connection object in the chamber of the fitting chamber In the movable connector provided with a second terminal strip having a contact portion to be in contact, the first terminal strip and the second terminal strip are respectively formed as separate members by a metal strip, and the first terminal strip and the second terminal strip are separately formed. The terminal strip and the second terminal strip are characterized by having an inter-terminal connecting portion connecting them to each other.

  According to the movable connector of the present invention, since the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece are respectively formed of metal pieces as separate members, the first terminal piece having the movable portion and the contact portion are provided. The terminal pieces 2 and 3 can be configured as terminals having different characteristics in shape, thickness, material and the like according to the functions required for them. Further, according to the movable connector of the present invention, the movable first terminal piece can be manufactured compared to the case where the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece are integrally formed of a single metal piece. The degree of freedom of the shape of the portion and the shape of the contact portion of the second terminal piece can be expanded. As the contact portion, a contact portion (socket terminal) having a spring structure for pressing against the connection object and a pin-shaped contact portion (plug terminal) for conducting contact by receiving the pressing contact of the connection object It can be configured.

  And since the 1st terminal piece and the 2nd terminal piece of the present invention have the terminal-to-terminal connecting portion, the 1st terminal piece and the 2nd terminal piece can be separated even though they have the 1st terminal piece and the 2nd terminal piece as separate members. When the movable portion of the terminal piece of the second embodiment exerts a floating function, the second housing can be reliably supported movably with respect to the first housing.

  In the present invention, the plate thickness of the first terminal piece can be thinner than the plate thickness of the second terminal piece.

  According to the present invention, the plate thickness of the first terminal strip having the movable portion can be made relatively thinner than the plate thickness of the second terminal strip having the contact portion, so that the flexibility of the movable portion can be enhanced. And the second housing can be made easy to move. On the other hand, for the contact portion, for example, to achieve an appropriate contact pressure at the contact portion having a spring structure and to increase the rigidity of the pin-shaped contact portion without being restricted by the thickness of the first terminal strip. Can. Therefore, the function required as the movable part and the function required as the contact part can be compatible.

  In the present invention, the plate thickness of the first terminal piece can be formed thicker than the plate thickness of the second terminal piece.

  According to the present invention, the plate thickness of the first terminal strip having the movable portion can be made relatively thicker than the plate thickness of the second terminal strip having the contact portion, so the cross-sectional area of the movable portion is increased. Impedance matching can be performed. In this case, the contact portion can realize the function required as the contact portion according to the type of the movable connector by enhancing the flexibility of the contact portion while maintaining the characteristic of impedance matching in the movable portion. For example, although the movable connector includes a multipolar connector having a large number of spring structure contact parts, the multipolar connector has a large number of terminals, so the insertion force at the time of fitting connection with the connection object becomes high. There is a problem that the insertion of the connection object becomes hard and the fitting operation becomes difficult. According to the present invention, in which the thickness of the contact portion is thin and the spring structure has flexibility, the insertion force of the connection object can be reduced. As described above, also in the present invention, the function required as the movable portion and the function required as the contact portion can be compatible.

  The inter-terminal connection portion of the present invention is provided to the connection piece portion provided to either one of the first terminal piece or the second terminal piece, and is provided to the other one and is engaged with the connection piece portion. It can comprise so that it may have the stop piece part which stops.

  According to the present invention, since the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece are connected so as not to move relative to each other by the locking of the coupling piece and the locking piece, the first terminal piece is movable The part can movably support the second housing via the inter-terminal connection part and the second terminal piece. Further, even if the second housing moves, the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece do not separate.

  The locking piece of the present invention can be configured as a caulking locking piece that bites against the connection piece.

  According to the present invention, as the caulking locking piece bites into the connecting piece, the locking piece can be firmly fixed to the connecting piece while having a simple connection structure.

  The locking piece of the present invention can be configured as a pressing contact piece having a locking edge in pressing contact with the connection piece.

  According to the present invention, the locking edge of the locking piece is pressed against and in contact with the coupling piece to lock the locking piece against the coupling piece while having a simple connection structure. It can be fixed to

  The second housing of the present invention can be configured to have a connecting piece fixing groove into which the connecting piece is pressed.

  According to the present invention, the fixing force of the first terminal piece to the second housing is reinforced by press-fitting the connecting piece portion of the first terminal piece into the fixing groove for the connecting piece portion of the second housing. Thus, the movable portion of the first terminal can support the second housing movably and reliably while having a simple connection structure.

  According to the movable connector of the present invention, since the first terminal piece having the movable portion and the second terminal piece having the contact portion are separate members, they are configured as terminals having features according to the functions required for each. can do. In addition, since the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece have the inter-terminal connection portion, the movable portion of the first terminal piece exhibits the floating function, and the second housing is made with respect to the first housing. Can be movably supported.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The perspective view containing the front, the plane, and the right side of the movable connector by 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view including a front surface, a flat surface, and a right side surface of the movable connector of FIG. 1. The disassembled perspective view containing the front, the plane, and the right side of the terminal with which the movable connector of FIG. 1 is equipped. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the terminal of FIG. 3, where (a) is a front view of the contact-side terminal, (b) is a right side view of the contact-side, and (c) is a back of the contact-side Fig. 6 (d) is a bottom view of the contact-side terminal piece, Fig. 6 (e) is a right side view of the movable-side terminal piece, and Fig. 6 (f) is a rear view of the movable-side terminal piece. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the movable connector of FIG. 1; VI-VI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. Sectional drawing in alignment with the YZ plane in the X direction center of the movable connector of FIG. The perspective view containing the front, the plane, and the right side of the movable connector by a 2nd embodiment. FIG. 9 is a partial exploded perspective view including a front surface, a flat surface, and a right side surface of the movable connector of FIG. 8. The disassembled perspective view containing the front, the plane, and the right side of the terminal with which the movable connector of FIG. 8 is equipped. 10A and 10B are explanatory views of the terminal of FIG. 10, where the division (a) is a front view of the contact side terminal piece, the division (b) is a right side view of the contact side terminal piece, and the division (c) is the back side of the contact side terminal piece The figure, (d) is a right side view of the movable terminal piece, and (e) is a front view of the movable terminal piece. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the YZ plane at the center of the movable connector of FIG. 8 in the X direction.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a movable connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The movable connector 1 shown in the following embodiment is mounted on the substrate P1, and the pin terminal P2 provided in the housing of the mating connector to be the "connection object" is vertically inserted toward the substrate P1 and fitted and connected By doing this, the pin terminal P2 is conductively connected to the circuit of the substrate P1. The housing of the mating connector is provided with a shield connection terminal (not shown) in conductive contact with the shield member 7 described later, in addition to the pin terminal P2. As described above, the movable connector 1 is configured as a "movable coaxial connector" which is conductively connected to the circular pin terminal P2 of the mating connector and the terminal for shield connection.

  The terms "first" and "second" described in the specification and claims are used to distinguish different components of the invention, and are used to indicate a specific order or superiority. It is not a thing. In the present specification and claims, for convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the lateral direction of the movable connector 1 will be described as an X direction, the longitudinal direction as a Y direction, and the height direction as a Z direction. The side of the substrate P1 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) in the height direction (Z direction) of the movable connector 1 is referred to as “lower side” and the side of the movable connector 1 is referred to as “upper side”. It does not limit the fitting direction of the connector 1 or the method of mounting on the substrate P1.

First embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 7)

  The movable connector 1 includes a movable housing 2, a fixed housing 3, a terminal 4, and a plurality of holding fittings 5. The movable housing 2 is supported by the terminals 4 so as to be movable with respect to the fixed housing 3 mounted on the substrate P. Thereby, even if the central axis of the pin terminal P2 as the connection object is shifted with respect to the central axis of the movable housing 2, the movable housing 2 which has received the insertion force of the pin terminal P2 is X direction, Y direction or XY By moving in the direction, the conductive connection can be achieved while absorbing the deviation between the central axes. At this time, the movable housing 2 can also move in the Z direction, which is the insertion direction of the pin terminal P2.

Movable housing 2

  The movable housing 2 has a housing main body 6 made of an electrically insulating synthetic resin, and a conductive shield member 7 made of a metal material. The shield member 7 is insert-molded in the housing body 6 so that the movable housing 2 is configured as an integral molded body.

  The housing body 6 has a cylindrical peripheral wall 6 a formed in a cylindrical shape whose central axis extends in the Z direction. The cylindrical peripheral wall 6a is formed in a cylindrical shape, the insertion port 6b of the pin terminal P2 is formed at one end of the central axis, and the opening 6c is formed at the other end.

  A protrusion 6 d is formed to protrude in the XY direction on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6 a on the opening 6 c side. The protrusion 6 d is formed as a plate-like piece that protrudes from the right side surface and the left side surface of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6 a. The housing of the mating connector which is the “connection object” of the movable connector 1 is fitted and connected to the housing main body 6 and the outer periphery of a shield main body 7 a described later. As a result, the shield connection terminal of the mating connector is brought into conductive contact with the shield body 7a. At the time of the fitting connection, the flange portion 6a1 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a serves as a stopper to stop the insertion of the mating connector in the Z direction. In addition, since the flange portion 6a1 is disposed so as to cover the upper surface of the fixed housing 3, the flange portion 6a1 functions to prevent the entry of foreign matter into the inside of the fixed housing 3. A constricted portion 6a2 is formed between the flange portion 6a1 and the projecting portion 6d.

  Inside the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a, a fitting chamber 6e into which the pin terminal P2 is inserted is formed. In the fitting chamber 6e, a contact-side terminal piece 9 of the terminal 4 described later is disposed. A pair of terminal holding grooves 6f communicating with the fitting chamber 6e are formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a. The terminal holding groove 6f is formed corresponding to a pair of press-fit pieces 9b2 of the terminal 4 described later, and is formed in a groove shape into which each press-fit piece 9b2 can be inserted. At a position opposite to the terminal holding groove 6f, a pressure receiving portion 6g which receives a pressure of a base piece 9b1 of the contact side terminal piece 9 of the terminal 4 described later is formed.

  The shield member 7 is formed with a shield main body 7a covering the entire outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical cylindrical peripheral wall 6a and a shield contact piece 7b extending from the shield main body 7a.

  The shield body 7a is formed in a cylindrical shape. Specifically, the shield body 7a surrounds the entire circumference of the contact-side terminal piece 9 of the terminal 4 disposed in the fitting chamber 6e at the outside position of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a by its cylindrical shape. Further, the upper end position of the shield body 7a is formed at the upper position beyond the end of the fitting chamber 6e on the insertion port 6b side. As a result, electromagnetic noise and static electricity are generated over the entire circumference and the entire length along the Z direction of the portion of the terminal 4 (the contact-side terminal strip 9 and the connecting strip 8d of the movable-side terminal strip 8) disposed inside the housing body 6. To prevent it from being affected.

  The shield contact piece 7b is a vertical piece portion 7b1 extending downward in the Z direction from the lower end of the cylindrical shield body 7a, and each protrusion 6d of the cylindrical peripheral wall 6a described above bent from the lower end of the vertical piece 7b1. And a contact piece 7b2 extending along the bottom surface 6d1. The contact piece 7b2 is disposed at an in-plane position of the bottom surface 6d1 of the protrusion 6d, and has a contact surface 7b3 that spreads in the XY direction. The contact surface 7b3 is in conductive contact with a holding member 5 described later.

Fixed housing 3

  The fixed housing 3 is configured as a base member to which the movable housing 2, the terminal 4 and the plurality of holding fittings 5 are attached. The fixed housing 3 is an electrically insulating resin molding, and its shape is formed as a polygonal frame-shaped plate piece.

  The fixed housing 3 is formed with a base portion 3a which is a flat surface opposed to the bottom surface 6d1 of each of the protrusions 6d of the movable housing 2 described above. The base portions 3a are provided in a pair so as to constitute two sides of the rectangular frame-shaped fixed housing 3. The base portion 3a is formed as a rectangular surface corresponding to the shape of the facing surface of the protrusion 6d, that is, the rectangular shape.

  Each base portion 3a is provided with a support piece accommodating portion 3a1. The support piece accommodating portion 3a1 is formed in the shape of two grooves for each base portion 3a. A supporting piece 5d of a holding member 5 described later is accommodated in the supporting piece accommodating portion 3a1 as movable at least in the Z direction. Therefore, the inner space of the support piece accommodating portion 3a1 is formed as a displacement allowing space for allowing movement of the support piece 5d.

  An accommodating portion 3 b is formed between the right side base portion 3 a and the left side base portion 3 a in the X direction. The housing portion 3 b is formed as a rectangular through hole in a plan view penetrating the plate thickness of the fixed housing 3 in the Z direction, and the movable side terminal piece 8 of the terminal 4 described above is disposed here. The entire height of the fixed housing 3 and the movable connector 1 can be obtained by forming the housing portion 3b as a through hole instead of a concave shape with a bottom and using the thickness of the fixed housing 3 as a housing space for disposing the movable side terminal piece 8 It is curtailed and low profile.

  A pair of side wall portions 3c constituting two sides of the fixed housing 3 is provided at the front position and the rear position of the base portion 3a in the Y direction. The side wall portion 3c is formed higher than the base portion 3a in the Z direction, and has a projecting surface portion 3c1 projecting from the base portion 3a. The protruding surface portion 3c1 is formed as a movement restricting portion that prevents excessive movement of the movable housing 2 in the Y direction. Further, the upper surface of the base portion 3a is formed lower in the Z direction than the upper surface of the side wall portion 3c. Then, the protruding portion 6d is disposed between the pair of protruding surface portions 3c1 so that the protruding portion 6d of the movable housing 2 does not protrude upward in the Z direction from the upper surface of the side wall 3c, so that the protruding portion 6d is the upper surface of the side wall 3c. The height of the movable connector 1 can be reduced as a whole, as compared to the case where the movable connector 1 is disposed beyond.

  Further, the side wall 3c is provided with a holding portion 3c2 for holding a fixing piece 5b which each of a plurality of holding pieces 5 described later has. The holding metal fitting holding portion 3c2 is configured as a press-fit groove for holding the fixing piece 5b by press-fitting, and holds the holding metal fitting 5 firmly.

  A terminal holding portion 3c3 is provided on the inner surface of the side wall portion 3c on the front side in the Z direction, for holding the fixed housing attachment piece 8b of the movable side terminal piece 8 of the terminal 4 described later (FIG. 7). The terminal holding portion 3c3 is formed as a groove for holding the left and right plate edges of the terminal pieces constituting the fixed housing mounting piece portion 8b.

Terminal 4

  The terminal 4 has a movable side terminal piece 8 as a "first terminal piece" and a contact side terminal piece 9 as a "second terminal piece". These terminal pieces 8 and 9 are each configured as a metal processing body by separate metal pieces. In addition, the plate thickness of the movable side terminal piece 8 of this embodiment and the plate thickness of the contact side terminal piece 9 are the same.

Movable side terminal strip 8

  The movable side terminal piece 8 has a board connection portion 8a, a fixed housing mounting piece portion 8b, a movable portion 8c, and a connection piece portion 8d forming a "terminal connection portion".

  The substrate connection portion 8a is soldered to the circuit of the substrate P1.

  The fixed housing attachment piece 8b is held by the terminal holding portion 3c3 (FIG. 7) of the fixed housing 3 described above. Press-fit projections 8b1 are formed on the left and right plate edges of the fixed housing attachment piece 8b, and the movable terminal piece 8 is held by the fixed housing 3 by being press-fitted into the terminal holding portion 3c3. .

  The movable portion 8 c is formed as a spring piece for movably supporting the movable housing 2 with respect to the fixed housing 3. The movable portion 8c is formed to be bent in a trapezoidal wave shape, and has a first extension 8c1, a first lateral piece 8c2, a second extension 8c3, a second lateral piece 8c4, a third And an extending portion 8c5. The movable portion 8c is disposed inside the housing portion 3b of the fixed housing 3 and the pair of side wall portions 3c, and is housed within the height range of the fixed housing 3 in the Z direction. It contributes to

  The first extending portion 8c1 is formed as a spring piece extending in the Z direction so as to connect the fixed housing mounting piece 8b and one end of the first horizontal piece 8c2. The first horizontal piece portion 8c2 is formed as a linear spring piece extending in a direction (Y direction) transverse to the insertion direction (Z direction) in which the pin terminal P2 is inserted into the movable housing 2. The second extending portion 8c3 is formed as a spring piece that connects the first lateral piece 8c2 and the second lateral piece 8c4. Similarly to the first lateral piece 8c2, the second lateral piece 8c4 is a linear spring piece that extends in a direction (Y direction) transverse to the insertion direction (Z direction) of the pin terminal P2 with respect to the movable housing 2 It is formed. The third extension portion 8c5 is formed as a spring piece that connects the second horizontal piece portion 8c4 and the connection piece portion 8d.

  Thus, the movable portion 8c extends in the vertical direction connecting the movable portion of the prior art movable connector, that is, the arc-shaped bending portion upward in the Z direction, the downward arc-shaped bending portion, and these arc-shaped bending portions It has a different shape from the round wave spring piece having the extension. That is, the movable portion 8c is formed as a trapezoidal wave-like spring piece in which adjacent linear spring pieces are connected by the bending corner 8c6. Specifically, the movable portion 8c connects the first horizontal piece 8c2 to the first extension 8c1 and the second extension 8c3 at the bending corner 8c6, and the second horizontal piece 8c4 to the second The third extension 8c3 and the third extension 8c5 are connected by a bending corner 8c6.

  For example, when a forward load is applied in the Y direction (longitudinal direction) in the circular wave movable portion of the prior art, stress is generated over the entire length of the arc-like bent portion, and stress is generated deeply in the plate thickness direction, Stress occurs in the entire movable part. In addition, when an upward load is applied in the Z direction (vertical direction), a deep stress is generated in the thickness direction. On the other hand, the trapezoidal wave-like movable portion 8c similarly exerts a first lateral piece portion 8c2, a second lateral piece portion 8c4, and respective bending corner portions 8c6 when a forward load is applied in the Y direction (longitudinal direction). It is possible to prevent stress from being generated in the surface layer and to generate stress deeply in the thickness direction. In addition, when an upward load is applied in the Z direction, stress is only generated in the surface layer of each bending corner 8c6. Therefore, the trapezoidal wave-like movable part 8c of the present embodiment can make the displacement load smaller than that of the round wave movable part of the prior art, and the flexible housing 2 is movable in the X direction by Y due to the flexible elastic deformation of the movable part 8c. The movable connector 1 can be easily moved in the direction, the Z direction, and the combined direction thereof. The second extension 8c3 extends obliquely from the first lateral portion 8c2 to the second lateral portion 8c4 so as to gradually separate from the first extension 8c1. For this reason, when the first horizontal piece 8c2 and the second horizontal piece 8c4 are displaced in the direction (Y direction) approaching each other, the second extension 8c3 contacts the first extension 8c1. You can prevent that.

  The connecting piece portion 8d is formed in a rectangular shape, and is formed with a protrusion 8d1 projecting rearward in the Y direction. The projection 8d1 is locked downward in the Z direction with respect to the engagement recess 9b3 of the base piece 9b1 of the contact side terminal piece 9 described later, so that the movable side terminal piece 8 and the contact side terminal piece 9 are not separated. Stop it.

Contact side terminal strip 9

  The contact side terminal piece 9 has a locking piece portion 9a as a "terminal connecting portion", a mounting base 9b, and a contact portion 9c.

  The locking piece 9a has a pair of crimped locking pieces 9a1. The caulking locking piece 9a1 is formed in a pair of elastic arm shapes, and is engaged with and engaged with the connecting piece 8d of the movable side terminal piece 8, whereby the contact side terminal piece 9 and the movable side are fixed. The terminal pieces 8 are firmly connected to each other.

  The mounting base 9 b has a base piece 9 b 1 and a pair of press-fit pieces 9 b 2 extending in the Y direction from the left and right plate edges of the base piece 9 b 1. The base piece 9b1 has an engagement recess 9b3 on the surface facing the connecting piece 8d of the movable side terminal piece 8. The projection 8d1 of the connecting piece 8d described above is engaged with and engaged with the engagement recess 9b3. As a result, the connecting piece 8d and the base piece 9b1 are moved relatively in the Z direction so as not to be detached. In addition to the caulking fixation to the connecting piece 8d by the caulking locking piece 9a1 described above, the movable side terminal piece 8 and the contact side terminal piece 9 are not separated even by the engagement of the projection 8d1 and the engagement recess 9b3. , Mutually held securely.

  The contact portion 9c has a support base 9c1 connected to the mounting base 9b and a plurality of contact pieces 9c2.

  The supporting base 9c1 has a connecting portion 9c3 extending in the Z direction and connected to the mounting base 9b, a first annular supporting portion 9c4 connecting to the connecting portion 9c3, and an arc-shaped metal extending in the Z direction from the first annular supporting portion 9c4. It has a pair of support arm portions 9c5 formed of one piece and a second annular support portion 9c6 connected to the support arm portions 9c5.

  The plurality of contact pieces 9c2 are each formed as a spring piece which extends in a cantilever shape downward in the Z direction from the second annular support 9c6. In the present embodiment, three contact pieces 9c2 having such a spring structure are formed. Each contact piece 9c2 is formed in the shape of a funnel which is narrowed toward the central axis of the insertion opening 6b of the movable housing 2 from the proximal end side to the distal end side. Then, when receiving the insertion force of the pin terminal P2 inserted from the insertion port 6b, the pin terminal P2 is elastically deformed so as to be separated and opened from the central axis thereof, thereby pressing and contacting the pin terminal P2.

  The three contact pieces 9c2 are spaced apart through slits at an interval of 120 °, and press-contact the pin terminal P2 from three directions while activating the respective springs. Thus, the contact piece 9c2 has a function of centering the inserted pin terminal P2 on the centers of the three contact pieces 9c2. Further, the three contact pieces 9c2 make multipoint contact (three-point contact) along the circumferential direction at predetermined positions in the longitudinal direction of the pin terminal P2. For this reason, even if the pin terminal P2 is not inserted straight into the insertion port 6b but inserted at an oblique angle and fitted, the inclined attitude of the pin terminal P2 is tracked by multipoint contact, and contact is made can do. Furthermore, since the holding force for holding the pin terminal P2 by the plurality of contact pieces 9c2 is stronger than the spring force of the movable portion 8c, the three contact pieces 9c2 hold the pin terminal P2 to move the movable housing 2 in the X direction. By displacing in the Y direction or the X-Y direction, it is possible to eliminate the positional deviation of the insertion axis of the pin terminal P2.

Holding bracket 5

  The holding fixture 5 is configured as a metal processing body of metal pieces. The movable connector 1 is provided with two holding fittings 5. Each holding fixture 5 has a pair of fixed legs 5a, a pair of fixed pieces 5b, a movable housing holding piece 5c, and a pair of support pieces 5d.

  The fixed leg portion 5a is a portion to be soldered to the substrate P1.

  The fixing piece 5b is press-fit into the holding bracket 3c2 of the side wall 3c of the fixed housing 3 as described above. Thereby, the holding metal fitting 5 is fixed to the fixed housing 3. Furthermore, the movable housing 2 is fixed to the fixed housing 3 via the holding bracket 5.

  The movable housing holding piece 5c is a bridge extending in the Y direction so as to connect the fixed leg 5a on the front side in the Y direction, the base end of the fixed piece 5b and the base end of the fixed leg 5a on the rear side, and the fixed piece 5b. It is formed in the shape of a circle. The movable housing holding piece 5c functions as a stopper for restricting the movement so as not to excessively displace the protrusion 6d of the movable housing 2 in the X direction and the Z direction. As a result, excessive movement of the movable housing 2 in the X direction is restricted, and upward separation of the Z direction is restricted.

  The support piece 5d is formed as a spring piece having a support protrusion 5d2 at the tip of an elastic arm 5d1 having a spring structure. The elastic arm 5d1 extends in the Y direction on the left and right side surfaces of the movable connector 1, and is formed as a spring piece that bends and extends from the center near position in the Y direction toward the support piece accommodating portion 3a1 of the fixed housing 3 There is. The support projection 5d2 is pressed from below in the Z direction with respect to the contact surface 7b3 of the shield member 7 exposed to the bottom surface 6d1 of the protrusion 6d of the movable housing 2. That is, the support projection 5d2 is in pressure contact with the contact surface 7b3 so that the movable housing 2 is always urged upward by the spring of the elastic arm 5d1.

  As described above, when the movable housing 2 is not always urged upward and the protrusion 6 d is separated from the movable housing holding piece 5 c, there are devices P1 on which the movable connector 1 is mounted and devices incorporating the substrate P1. When the vibration or impact is received, the protrusion 6d hits the movable housing holding piece 5c to generate noise, which may cause a failure of the device or the like. However, if the protrusion 6d is in pressure contact with the movable housing holding piece 5c as described above, such a problem does not occur.

How to use movable connector 1

  Next, usage and operation of the movable connector 1 having the above-described structure will be described.

Movable connector 1 in the non-fitting connection state of the pin terminal P2

  In the movable connector 1, in the non-fitting connection state of the pin terminal P 2, the substrate connecting portion 8 a of the terminal 4 and the fixing leg portion 5 a of the holding bracket 5 are soldered and fixed to the substrate P 1. In this state, the movable housing 2 is always urged upward in the Z direction by the spring force of the elastic arms 5d1 of the four support pieces 5d via the support protrusions 5d2. The four support pieces 5d are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line along the X direction and the center line along the Y direction, and elastically support the movable housing 2 from the lower side without bias. The upper surfaces of the protrusions 6 d of the movable housing 2 are in contact with the movable housing holding piece 5 c of the holding member 5 from below in the Z direction. The protrusions 6 d of the movable housing 2 are disposed above the base 3 a of the fixed housing 3 with a gap therebetween.

  The movable housing 2 can move in the X direction until the constricted portion 6a2 of the cylindrical circumferential wall 6a abuts on the movable housing holding piece 5c. The movable housing 2 can move in the Y direction until the protrusion 6 d abuts on the protruding surface 3 c 1 of the side wall 3 c of the fixed housing 3. Further, the movable housing 2 can not move further upward in the upward direction of the Z direction because the projection 6d is always in contact with the movable housing holding piece 5c as described above. On the other hand, the movable housing 2 can be moved downward in the Z direction until the projection 6 d pushes the support piece 5 d downward and abuts on the base 3 a of the fixed housing 3.

Mating connection of pin terminal P2 to movable connector 1

  In order to fit and connect the pin terminal P2 of the mating connector to the movable connector 1, by fitting and connecting the housing of the mating connector to the movable housing 2, the pin terminal P2 is inserted from the insertion port 6b. When the central axis of the pin terminal P2 and the central axis of the insertion port 6b are misaligned in at least either the X direction or the Y direction, the pin terminal P2 abuts on the guiding inclined surface forming the insertion port 6b. It can guide the insertion. At this time, the movable housing 2 can move in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction. At the time of this movement, the movable housing 2 is moved while the contact surface 7b3 of the shield member 7 is in sliding contact with the support projection 5d2 of the support piece 5d. For this reason, the ground connection made from the shield member 7 through the holding member 5 is not disconnected, and the substrate of the shield member 7 is always fitted even at the time of fitting connection with the pin terminal P2 to which the movable housing 2 moves. The ground connection to P1 can be maintained. Therefore, the pin terminal P2 and the circuit of the substrate P1 can be appropriately conductively connected without the influence of external electromagnetic waves and the influence of static electricity at the time of the fitting connection.

  The pin terminal P2 which has entered the fitting chamber 6e from the insertion opening 6b is inserted downward while receiving the pressing contact of the three contact pieces 9c2. At this time, the movable housing 2 can move downward while resisting the biasing force of the support piece 5d until the protrusion 6d abuts on the base 3a. When the pin terminal P2 is inserted to a predetermined depth, the pin terminal P2 is fitted and connected to the movable connector 1. In this fitted connection state, the movable housing 2 can be moved relative to the fixed housing 3 by the movable portion 8 c of the terminal 4. Therefore, even in the use environment where vibration or impact acts, the elastic deformation of the movable portion 8c absorbs the vibration or impact applied to the movable housing 2 and the fixed housing 3, and the crack in the soldered portion of the board connection portion 8a. Occurrence can be prevented.

Second Embodiment (FIGS. 8 to 12)

  Next, the movable connector 10 of the second embodiment will be described. The movable connector 10 differs from the movable connector 1 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the movable housing 11 and the terminal 12. The remaining configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. In addition, about the structure same as 1st Embodiment in this embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and duplication description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The movable housing 11 of the second embodiment has a rectangular cylindrical housing main body 13 made of a resin molded body, and a conductive shield member 14 made of a cylindrical metal material. The housing body 13 is fixed to the inside of the shield member 14 formed thicker than the housing body 13. The fixing method between the housing body 13 and the shield member 14 may be any method such as bonding and press fitting, but in the present embodiment, the method is fixed by press fitting.

  The shield member 14 has a cylindrical shield body 14a. The shield body 14 a has an insertion port 14 b communicating with the insertion port 13 a of the pin terminal P 2 of the housing body 13. Further, the shield member 14 is formed with a shield contact piece 14c that protrudes in a plate shape in the XY direction on the lower end side from the shield main body 14a. In the present embodiment, the support projection 5d2 of the support piece 5d of the holding metal fitting 5 is in pressure contact with the shield contact piece 14c to be conductively connected. Moreover, the shield contact piece 14c has the same function as the protrusion 6d of the housing main body 6 of the first embodiment when the movable housing 2 is movable.

  The terminal 12 has a movable terminal piece 8 and a contact terminal piece 9. In addition, the plate thickness of the movable side terminal piece 8 of this embodiment and the plate thickness of the contact side terminal piece 9 are the same. The connection piece portion 8d of the movable side terminal piece 8 is press-fit into a terminal holding groove 13b as a "connection piece portion fixing groove" provided in the housing main body 13 (FIG. 12). The terminal holding groove 13b holds the connecting piece 8d so as to sandwich the left and right plate edges along the longitudinal direction (Z direction) of the connecting piece 8d. Further, a protrusion 8e is formed on the connecting piece 8d. The contact-side terminal piece 9 is formed with a pressing contact piece 9d as a "locking piece" that presses against the protrusion 8e. The pressing contact piece 9d is formed as a short spring piece obtained by partially cutting and raising the base piece 9b1 of the mounting base 9b. The pressing contact piece 9d has a locking edge 9d1 that presses against the protrusion 8e. The engagement edge 9d1 is pressed against and in contact with the projection 8e and engaged, whereby the connection piece 8d (the movable terminal piece 8) and the base piece 9b1 (the contact terminal piece 9) are in relative relation It moves in the direction away in the Z direction to prevent detachment.

  The terminal 4 of the first embodiment requires a caulking step for caulking the pair of caulking locking pieces 9a1 of the contact side terminal piece 9 to the connecting piece portion 8d of the movable side terminal piece 8 at the time of manufacture. . However, in the present embodiment, there is no need to integrate the movable side terminal piece 8 and the contact side terminal piece 9 in advance, and the movable side terminal piece 8 and the contact side terminal piece 9 are assembled in the assembly process of the movable connector 10. And can be connected. That is, in the present embodiment, by pressing the connection piece 8d into the terminal holding groove 13b of the housing main body 13, the pressing contact piece 9d is engaged with the protrusion 8e to reinforce the detachment prevention. Therefore, as the caulking process as in the first embodiment is unnecessary, the present embodiment has an advantage that the manufacturing can be easily performed.

Modification of the embodiment

  The embodiments of the movable connectors 1 and 10 described above can be modified and implemented according to various purposes.

  In the embodiment described above, an example is shown in which the plate thickness of the metal material used for the movable side terminal piece 8 and the contact side terminal piece 9 is the same, but may be different from each other.

  That is, for example, the plate thickness of the movable side terminal piece 8 having the movable portion 8c can be thinner than the plate thickness of the contact side terminal piece 9 having the contact portion 9c. According to this, the flexibility of the movable portion 8c can be enhanced, and the movable housings 2 and 11 can be made easy to move. On the other hand, with regard to the contact portion 9c, regardless of the thickness of the movable terminal piece 8, the contact portion 9c having a spring structure can exhibit an appropriate contact pressure to the pin terminal P2. Therefore, in this modification, the function required as the movable portion 8c and the function required as the contact portion 9c can be compatible.

  In contrast to the above, the plate thickness of the movable side terminal piece 8 having the movable portion 8c can be formed thicker than the plate thickness of the contact side terminal piece 9 having the contact portion 9c. Irrespective of the plate thickness of the contact-side terminal piece 9, by forming the plate thickness of the movable portion 8c thick, the cross-sectional area of the movable portion 8c can be increased to perform impedance matching. In this case, the contact portion 9c can be made thinner than the movable portion 8c without being restricted by the thickness of the movable portion 8c, and the flexibility of the contact portion 9c can be enhanced. For example, although the number of contact pieces 9c2 of the above-mentioned contact part 9c is three, as the number thereof increases, the insertion of the pin terminal P2 becomes harder and the workability at the time of the fitting and connection is reduced. However, even in such a case, the workability can be improved by adjusting the thickness of the contact portion 9c and relieving the insertion force regardless of the thickness of the movable-side terminal piece 8 subjected to impedance matching. It will be. Therefore, also in this modification, the function required as the movable portion 8c and the function required as the contact portion 9c can be compatible.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the contact-side terminal strip 9 has the contact portion 9c having a spring structure, that is, an example in which the socket terminal is used is described. However, a form having a pin-shaped contact portion, that is, a form of a plug terminal may be used. Of course, in this case, the structure of the movable housings 2 and 11 also needs to be modified accordingly.

  Although the example which makes the contact piece 9c2 three is shown in the said embodiment, it may be other than that. However, in order to maintain the followability to the pin terminal P2 by the multipoint contact described above, it is preferable to use three or more contact pieces 9c2 instead of one or two.

  In the first embodiment, an example in which the shield member 7 is provided in the movable housing 2 has been described. However, if the shielding effect is unnecessary in the movable connector 1, the shield member 7 may be omitted. In that case, the support projection 5d2 of the holding metal fitting 5 comes into pressure contact with the bottom surface 6d1 of the protrusion 6d made of a resin molded body.

  In the embodiment described above, the support projection 5d2 of the holding member 5 always urges the movable housing 2 upward in the Z direction. However, the movable housing 2 may be merely mounted without being urged at all times. . In this case, the elastic arm 5d1 may support the movable housing 2 by being elastically deformed when the movable housing 2 is pushed downward in the Z direction.

1 Movable connector (first embodiment)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 movable housing 3 fixed housing 3a base part 3a1 support piece storage part 3b storage part 3c side wall part 3c1 protrusion surface part 3c2 holding bracket holding part 3c3 terminal holding part 4 terminal 5 holding bracket 5a fixed leg 5a fixed piece 5b fixed piece 5c for movable housing Holding piece 5d Support piece 5d1 Elastic arm 5d2 Support projection 6 Housing main body 6a Tubular peripheral wall 6a1 Flange portion 6a2 Convex portion 6b Opening 6c Opening 6d Protrusive portion 6d1 Bottom surface 6e Fitting room 6f Terminal holding groove 6g Press receiving portion 7 Shield member 7a Shield body 7b Shield contact piece 7b1 Vertical piece 7b2 Contact piece 7b3 Contact surface 8 Movable side terminal piece (first terminal piece)
8a Substrate connecting portion 8b Mounting piece for fixed housing 8b1 Press-in projection 8c Movable portion 8c1 First extension 8c2 First lateral piece 8c3 Second extension 8c4 Second lateral piece 8c5 Third extension 8c6 Bent corner 8d connecting piece (inter-terminal connecting part)
8d1 Protrusions 8e Projections 9 Contact-side terminal pieces (second terminal pieces)
9a Locking piece 9a1 Crimping piece 9b Mounting base 9b1 Base piece 9b2 Press-in piece 9b3 Engaging recess 9c Contacting part 9c1 Supporting base 9c2 Contacting piece 9c3 Connecting part 9c4 First annular supporting part 9c5 Supporting arm 9c6 Second annular supporting Section 9d Pressing contact piece (locking piece)
9d1 Locking edge 10 Movable connector (second embodiment)
11 movable housing 12 terminal 13 housing main body 13a insertion hole 13b terminal holding groove (connection groove fixing groove)
14 shield member 14a shield body 14b insertion port 14c shield contact piece

Claims (7)

A first housing,
A second housing having a fitting chamber into which the connection object is inserted and movable relative to the first housing;
A first terminal strip having a movable portion held by the first housing and movably supporting the second housing;
A movable connector comprising: a second terminal piece held by the second housing and having a contact portion in conductive contact with the connection object in a chamber of the fitting chamber;
The first terminal piece and the second terminal piece are respectively formed as separate members by metal pieces,
A movable connector characterized in that the first terminal piece and the second terminal piece have an inter-terminal connecting portion for connecting them.
The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein a plate thickness of the first terminal piece is thinner than a plate thickness of the second terminal piece.
The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein a plate thickness of the first terminal piece is formed to be thicker than a plate thickness of the second terminal piece.
The inter-terminal connection portion is a connection piece provided on either one of the first terminal piece or the second terminal piece, and an engagement provided on the other one and locked with the connection piece. The movable connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a stop piece.
The movable connector according to claim 4, wherein the locking piece is a caulking locking piece that is crimped to the connection piece.
The movable connector according to claim 4, wherein the locking piece portion is a pressing contact piece having a locking edge in pressing contact with the connection piece portion.
The movable connector according to claim 6, wherein the second housing has a connecting piece fixing groove into which the connecting piece is pressed.

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