JP2856142B2 - Connector and assembly method thereof - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector and a method of assembling the connector, and more particularly to a locator for suppressing terminal deflection of the connector and a method of assembling the locator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as such a connector and a method of assembling the same, for example, as disclosed in JP-A-5-121131 or JP-A-1-296576, A locator is used in order to improve the alignment of terminals inserted into the through holes.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a connector showing an example of a conventional connector. As shown in FIG. 8, this connector 1a has a structure as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-296576.
The contact portions 10 formed at the tips of the plurality of terminal pins 11 are accommodated in the housing 2, and the other end of the terminal pins 11 is bent at a substantially right angle in order to be inserted into a through hole (not shown) of the board. Is formed. In the middle of the tail portion 11a, a step-shaped locator 5a having a rectangular or circular tail insertion hole 9a formed at the same position as the substrate through hole and slightly larger than the through hole is attached. The tail insertion hole 9a of the locator 5a is provided with a hole in the thickness direction of the locator 5a, and the upper portion thereof is tapered inward so that the tail portion 11a can be easily inserted. In addition, 4
a are provided on both sides of the housing 2 and the connector 1
This is an arm for mounting a on a substrate.

In mounting such a connector 1a, a contact portion 1 incorporated in a housing 2 of the connector 1a
From 0, the tail portion 11a extends through the guide member and is bent at a right angle so as to be inserted into the board through hole on the way. Therefore, when the locator 5a is not yet attached to the tail portion 11a, the tail portion 11a is not provided. The tip of the board is waving, and in this state, it is difficult to mount the board in the through hole.

Therefore, the step-like locator 5a is connected to the tail 1
1a, the tail insertion hole 9a of the locator 5a is tapered inward when it is mounted from below.
The tail portion 11a easily enters the tail insertion hole 9a.
For this reason, the swinging tail portion 11 a
By inscribed in a, the run-out can be suppressed, and as a result, the run-out of the tail portion 11a becomes small, and the tail portion 11a easily enters the through hole.

[0006]

In the above-described conventional connector and the method of assembling the same, the problem is reduced if the tail is incorporated into the locator itself, but it is difficult to insert the tail into the locator itself. There is a problem that is. The reason is that it is necessary to make the center of the tail end meet the center of the substrate through hole in order to make the tail easily enter the board through hole. This is because the run-out must be minimized. However, when this tail insertion hole is small, it becomes difficult for the tail portion itself to enter the insertion hole.

[0007] Usually, it is conceivable to open the upper portion of the insertion hole in a funnel shape in order to eliminate the difficulty of entering the tail portion. However, since the tip of the tail portion is tapered to some extent and sharpened, In many cases, this tip is caught at the tail part insertion hole and the joint that opens in a funnel shape. May not enter hole.

In addition, the above-described conventional connector and the method of assembling the same have a problem that even when a locator is mounted, the deflection of the tail end cannot be completely eliminated. The reason is that the tail insertion hole formed in the locator allows a certain amount of clearance for inserting the tail part.

For example, in an ideal state, when the tail portion is perpendicular to the locator and at the center of the insertion hole and is not in contact with the locator, if such a state is maintained, it is bothersome. Although there is no need to attach a locator, the tail part usually has run-out and misalignment because the actual tail part has processing and assembly errors. For this reason, even if the locator is attached in such a state, the tail portion contacts only a part of the tail insertion hole (1).
Point contact), and swings with the contact point as a fulcrum.

In order to prevent this, the tail insertion hole must be narrowed or the depth of the hole must be increased. However, when the hole is narrowed, the tip of the tail portion is difficult to enter by being caught in the hole as described above, and when the hole is deepened, the thickness of the locator increases.
However, as conceivable in FIG. 8 described above, in the lowermost contact of the multi-tiered connector,
Increasing the locator thickness also has its limitations.

An object of the present invention is to increase the straightening force for suppressing the deflection of the tail portion of the terminal pin inserted into the through hole of the board, to make it easier to insert the locator into the tail portion, and to improve operability and productivity. An object of the present invention is to provide a connector which can be improved and a method for assembling the connector.

[0012]

According to the connector of the present invention, a housing for accommodating a contact formed at the tip of a terminal pin, and a tail portion formed by bending the other end of the terminal pin at a substantially right angle are provided with a tapered tail insertion. A locator to be inserted into the hole, and an arm portion formed at both ends of the housing and having a plurality of protrusions formed at different height positions inside are provided, and the locator is inserted from the tail portion and the arm portion is inserted into the hole. When fitted to the projection, the locator is inclined and fixed, and the tapered tail insertion hole is inclined.

Further, the locator in the connector of the present invention can be formed in a flat plate shape from a synthetic resin material.

In the connector of the present invention, the locator may be formed such that the tapered tail insertion hole is formed in a matrix and is in contact with the tapered portion of the terminal pin at a plurality of locations.

In the connector of the present invention, the locator may be formed of a synthetic resin material with different thicknesses, and the size of the tapered tail insertion hole may be formed in proportion to the thickness. it can.

In the method of assembling a connector according to the present invention, a terminal pin having a contact formed at a tip is accommodated in a housing, and a tail portion of the terminal pin is led out to the outside of the housing while being bent substantially at a right angle. Inserting the locator from the tail portion of the terminal pin through the tapered tail insertion hole of the locator; further pushing the locator to a different height inside arm portions provided at both ends of the housing. Fitting the locator with a plurality of projections formed at positions, and fixing the locator in an inclined manner, and inclining the tapered tail insertion hole.

[0017]

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector showing an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment accommodates the contact portions formed at the tips of the plurality of terminal pins 3 in the housing 2, and inserts the other end of the terminal pin 3 into the substrate through hole. For this purpose, a tail portion 3A bent substantially at a right angle is formed. In the middle of the tail portion 3A, a flat locator 5 having a rectangular or circular tail insertion hole formed at the same position as the substrate through hole and slightly larger than the through hole is attached. Further, on both sides of the housing 2, there are provided arm portions 6 each having a fixing hole 6 for fixing the connector 1 to the board. Further, inside the arm portion 6, the locator 5 is inclined and fixed. Are formed (here, not shown).

FIGS. 2A to 2C are cross-sectional views taken along the line AA for explaining the procedure for assembling the connector shown in FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 2A, this state is a state before the locator 5 is incorporated into the connector 1, and the connector 1 has a plurality of terminal pins (contacts) in the housing 2.
The contact 3 has a tail portion 3A which is inserted into a through hole of the substrate and makes an electrical connection. The tail portion 3A is configured to bend at a right angle on the way and inserted into a through hole.

The locator 5 has a plate-like structure made of a synthetic resin or the like, and has the same arrangement as a through hole formed on a board on which the connector 1 is mounted, and has a tail portion 3A inserted into the through hole. The same number or more of the tapered tail insertion holes 9 are formed. The size of the tapered tail portion insertion hole 9 is rectangular or circular larger than the cross section of the tail portion 3A so that the tail portion 3A can be inserted, and the upper surface is open in a funnel shape.

As described above, the projections 7 for fixing the locator 5 from both sides are formed on the arm portion 4 of the connector 1 and are provided at positions where the locator 5 is inclined and fixed. A bottom 8 is formed on the lower surface of the arm 4. The button 8 has a function of temporarily fixing the connector 1 to a hole in the board.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, this state shows a state in which the locator 5 is raised to a lower portion of the tail portion 3A. Next, when the locator 5 is further raised and the tail portion 3A is inserted into each tail portion insertion hole 9, the locator 5 temporarily stops at the projection 7 formed inside the arm portion 4.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, this state shows a state where the locator 5 is completely attached to the connector 1. That is, when the locator 5 is pushed up beyond the lower one of the protrusions 7 of the arm part 4, the locator 5 is fitted between the upper protrusion 7 and the lower protrusion 7, and is fixed in an inclined state. You. Since the locator 4 is tilted in this manner, the tail portion 3A can be sandwiched between the upper and lower portions of the tail portion insertion hole 9 at symmetrical positions. Can be suppressed.

FIGS. 3A and 3B respectively show FIGS.
It is the expanded sectional view shown in the order of assembling of the locator and the tail part of the terminal pin in (b) and (c). First, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2A, this cross section shows an enlarged cross section of the locator 5 and the tail 3A in FIG. 2B. In the initial stage when the tail 3A enters the tail insertion hole 9 of the locator 5, the locator 5 5 is located substantially horizontally (parallel to the substrate). At this time, the tail portion 3A is rarely at the true position due to an error in processing or an error in assembly, and the center 3A is displaced or wobbled. For this reason, a part of the tail part 3 </ b> A is inscribed in the tail part insertion hole 9. Due to this inscribing, the run-out may be improved as compared to before the locator 5 is inserted, but it is still insufficient. That is, this is because the size of the tail insertion hole 9 requires a certain amount of clearance (gap) in order to insert the tail 3A. If this clearance is eliminated, the tail portion 3A is firmly pressed by the locator 5, so that there is no run-out, but it is almost impossible to insert the tail portion 3A into the tail insertion hole 9. .
For this reason, at present, a clearance is provided while allowing a certain amount of shake.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, this cross-section shows an enlarged cross-section of the locator 5 and the tail portion 3A in FIG. 2C.
The inside of the tail insertion hole 9 on the rising side (upper right part) of the inclined locator 5 is inscribed in the tail 3A, and the inside of the tail insertion hole 9 on the lower side is the tail 3A.
Inscribe in such a way as to sandwich Thereby, especially in the direction in which the locator 5 is inclined (left-right direction), the locator 5 is sandwiched from both sides, so that a large correcting force can be obtained.

The principle of generating a correction force by inclining a series of locators 5 is as shown in FIG.

FIGS. 4A to 4D respectively show FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation principle of the locator in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), when the locators 5 having different heights at which the tail portion insertion holes 9 are opened are tilted vertically, the locators 5 become as shown in FIGS. In addition,
Each dimension in FIGS. 4A and 4B, that is, height A,
B is A <B, and the hole diameters C and C 'are C = C'.

Here, when the locator 5 is inclined by the same angle (inclination angle θ1 = θ2), the respective hole diameters C and C ′ are apparently D and D ′, and appear to be narrow. When the height (the depth of the hole) is increased, the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 are increased.
4B, the apparent hole diameter D ′ is smaller (D> D ′) in the deeper hole, that is, in FIG. 4B. In the present embodiment, such a principle is applied.

Since the locator 5 is fitted and fixed by the plurality of projections 7 formed on the arm 4 of the connector 1, the tail 3A can be stably maintained for a long time without any vibration.

FIGS. 5A and 5B respectively show FIGS.
It is a top view near the tail insertion part of the locator in (b) and (c). 5 (a) and 5 (b) and FIG.
A specific example of the present embodiment will be described with reference to (b) and (c).

First, in FIG. 2 (b), a terminal pin (contact) 3 obtained by punching a plate material made of a copper alloy such as phosphor bronze into a housing 2 made of a synthetic resin by a press process and processing it into a predetermined shape. Arrange multiple items.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5A, the dimensions of the tail portion 3A and the insertion hole 9 including the tapered portion 9A and the straight portion 9B are defined. That is, the thickness of the tail portion 3A is 0.3 mm, and the diameter of the insertion hole 9 is 0.8 mm. The dimension of the straight portion 9B of the tail insertion hole 9 is 0.44 mm in the horizontal direction and 1.0 mm in the vertical direction, and the width of the tapered portion 9A which is attached to the upper surface and spreads in a funnel shape for easy access. The direction is 1.44 mm and the vertical direction is 2.0 mm. Further, the thickness of locator 5 itself is 2 mm, and the depth of tail insertion hole 9 is 1 mm.

The locator 5 thus formed is similar to the locator 5 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5 (c), the connector is tilted at 10 degrees and the positional relationship between the tail portion 3A and the locator 5 is viewed from above the connector 1, as shown in FIG. 5 (b). That is, as described above, since the opening of the tail insertion hole 9 can be apparently narrowed by inclining the locator 5, the tail portion 3A is inscribed at a plurality of places inside the tail insertion hole,
The deflection of the tail 3A can be corrected.

In the above-described embodiment, the locator 5 is inclined when the connector is mounted, so that the tail portion 3A can be prevented from swinging even if the tail portion insertion hole 9 for inserting the tail portion 3A is large. . After each tail portion 3A is inserted into the locator 5, the locator 5 itself is held in an inclined manner. The locator 5 is held in an inclined manner by a plurality of protrusions 7 formed on the arm portion 4 having different heights. This is achieved by clamping both ends. As a result, the inner wall of the tail insertion hole 9 of the locator 5 held inclined is inscribed at each of the tail portions 3A at a plurality of locations.

In short, since the insertion hole 9 formed in the locator 5 is formed to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the tail 3A, the tail 3A can be smoothly inserted into the insertion hole 9 and easily. The locator 5 can be mounted. After that, the locator 5 is clamped by the projections 7 formed on the arm portion 4, so that the locator 5 can be held continuously inclined without being dislodged by vibration. The tail insertion hole 9 formed in the locator 5 held in an inclined manner is reduced in size when viewed from the vertical direction by forming a taper, so that a plurality of inner surfaces of the hole are formed in the tail 3A. Contact at
As a result, the correcting force for the tail 3A is improved, and the deflection of the tail 3A is suppressed.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views of a connector according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
As shown in (a), the state of the connector 1 represents an initial state in which the locator 5 is incorporated in the arm portion 5, and when one surface is made parallel to the substrate, the other surface is inclined. This is different from the above-described embodiment. Also,
As for the locator 5, as for the tail portion insertion hole 9, naturally, the thicker one is longer and the thinner one is shorter. In short, the cross-sectional shape of the locator 5 is formed in a wedge shape in which the height of the upper surface is changed according to the height of the bent portion of the tail portion 3A extending from the contact 3 incorporated in the connector 1.

In this embodiment, in addition to the functions of the above-described embodiment, the size of the tail insertion hole 9 can be made larger than that of the above-described one, and the locator 5 can be further easily incorporated.

The reason is that, since the thickness of the locator 5 itself is increased, the tail insertion hole 9 can be necessarily deepened. When the tail insertion hole 9 is made deeper, as described with reference to FIG. 4 above, when the locator 5 is inclined at a certain angle, the vertical opening area becomes substantially smaller by the depth of the tail insertion hole 9. Go.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the state of the connector 1 indicates a state in which the locator 5 is completely incorporated in the arm 5. That is, as shown in FIG. 6B, if the final inclination angle of the locator 5 is made the same and the final apparent opening width is made the same, the deeper end of the tail insertion hole 9 is opened. Since the width can be increased, the tail portion 3A can be smoothly inserted.

Tail insertion hole 9 in this embodiment
Is based on the premise that the locator 5 is tilted, so that when the locator 5 is tilted, the tail portion 3A is considered to be at the true position, so that the lower surface of the locator 5 is horizontal to the substrate. Then, it does not coincide with the center.
In addition, the size of the tail insertion hole 9 varies for each row. However, as described with reference to FIG. 4 described above, when the depth of the tail insertion hole 9 changes, the locator 5 is tilted. This is because the apparent size of the opening of the tail insertion hole 9 changes, and it is necessary to press the tail portion 3A without excess or deficiency when the locator 5 is finally inclined.

FIGS. 7A and 7B respectively show FIGS.
It is a top view near the tail insertion part of the locator in (a) and (b). As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, in the present embodiment, the width of the tail insertion hole 9 increases as it goes to the right. That is, the dimensions of the tail insertion hole 9 into which the left end tail portion 3A is inserted are substantially the same as those in the above-described embodiment, but the dimensions of the tail insertion hole 9 into which the right end tail portion 3A is inserted are determined in the lateral direction of the hole. Is 0.6 mm.
This is approximately 1.5 times the size of the tail insertion hole 9 at the left end of the above-described embodiment. Further, the depth of the hole is 3.8 mm, and the inclination angle of the locator 4 is 10 degrees. In short, the size of each tail insertion hole 9 between the left end tail insertion hole 9 and the right end tail insertion hole 9 is determined by the proportional relationship between the left end and the right end.

The locator 5 is fixed at an angle by fitting the locator 5 into the projections 7 of the arm portions 4 formed at both ends of the housing 2 as in the above-described embodiment.

[0043]

As described above, according to the connector of the present invention and the method of assembling the connector, a plurality of projections are provided at different positions on the arm portions formed at both ends of the housing, whereby the locator is mounted obliquely. By doing so, the clearance between the tail insertion hole of the locator and the tail portion of the terminal pin (contact) is substantially eliminated, and the tail portion is inscribed in the tail insertion hole, so that a correction force is generated, thereby suppressing the deflection of the tail portion. There is an effect that can be.
As a result, the tail portion of the terminal pin can be arranged at the same position as the through hole of the board, so that the tail portion can be smoothly inserted into the board through hole even in a connector having a high contact density.

Further, according to the connector of the present invention and the method of assembling the connector, the size of the hole can be made larger in consideration of the size of the tail insertion hole when the locator is inclined. And the locator mounting operation can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA for explaining the procedure for assembling the connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing an assembling order of a locator and a tail portion of a terminal pin in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation principle of the locator in FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the vicinity of a tail insertion portion of the locator in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a connector showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the vicinity of a tail insertion portion of the locator in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a connector showing an example of the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 2 Housing 3 Terminal pin 3A Terminal pin tail part 4 Arm part 5 Locator 6 Fixing hole 7 Projection 8 Bocch 9 Tapered tail insertion hole 9A Tapered part 9B Linear part

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A housing for accommodating a contact formed at a tip of a terminal pin, a locator for bending a second end of the terminal pin at a substantially right angle and inserting a tail portion into a tapered tail insertion hole, and a locator for the housing. An arm portion formed at both ends and having a plurality of protrusions formed at different inner height positions, and when the locator is inserted from the tail portion and fitted to the protrusion of the arm portion, the locator And a tapered tail insertion hole. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein said locator is formed in a flat plate shape from a synthetic resin material. 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the locator has the tapered tail insertion hole formed in a matrix and contacts the tapered portion of the terminal pin at a plurality of locations. 4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the locator is formed of a synthetic resin material having a different thickness, and the size of the tapered tail insertion hole is formed in proportion to the thickness. 5. A step of accommodating a terminal pin having a contact formed at a tip thereof in a housing, and guiding a tail portion of the terminal pin to the outside of the housing while bending the tail portion substantially at a right angle, wherein the tail portion of the terminal pin is provided. A step of inserting the locator through a tapered tail insertion hole of the locator, and further pushing the locator, and a plurality of protrusions formed at different heights inside arms provided at both ends of the housing. Fitting the locator, wherein the locator is inclined and fixed, and the tapered tail insertion hole is inclined.