JP7591900B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector that is mounted on a circuit board, and in particular to a connector that has a guide member that guides a mating connector.

Patent document 1 discloses an example of a connector that is mounted on a board and has a guide member. As can be seen from Figure 19, the connector 90 of Patent document 1 is mounted on a board (not shown) in the vertical direction and can be mated with and separated from a mating connector 95.

As shown in FIG. 19, the mating connector 95 has a terminal board 951 and an adjacent wall 953. The terminal board 951 and the adjacent wall 953 each protrude downward in the vertical direction. The terminal board 951 is provided with a plurality of mating contacts (not shown). The adjacent wall 953 is located near the terminal board 951 and away from the terminal board 951 in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 19, the connector 90 has an insulating body (housing) 92 and a metal housing (guide member) 94. The insulating body 92 defines an accommodation space 921 that accommodates a terminal board 951 of the mating connector 95. The accommodation space 921 opens upward. The insulating body 92 holds a plurality of contacts 923. The contacts 923 are partially exposed in the accommodation space 921. The metal housing 94 surrounds the periphery of the insulating body 92 in a plane perpendicular to the up-down direction. The metal housing 94 defines an adjacent groove 941 that receives an adjacent wall 953 of the mating connector 95 together with one side of the insulating body 92. The metal housing 94 is provided with a plurality of legs 943 that are fixed to a board (not shown) when the connector 90 is mounted on the board.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,060,181

The connector 90 in Patent Document 1 is mounted on the mounting surface of a circuit board. Here, there is a demand for improving the area utilization efficiency of the mounting surface in order to increase the mounting density of the circuit board.

The present invention aims to provide a connector that can improve the area utilization efficiency of the mounting surface of the board.

The present invention provides a first connector that is adapted to be mated with a mating connector along an up-down direction,
the connector is mounted on a substrate in the up-down direction,
The mating connector includes a mating contact portion and a protruding block,
The protruding block protrudes along the up-down direction,
The protruding block is provided with a mating locking portion,
The connector includes a terminal, a housing, a guide member, and a lock portion,
The terminal has a contact portion,
the contact portion comes into contact with the mating contact portion when the connector and the mating connector are in a mated state,
The housing holds the terminals,
The housing has an end surface in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction,
the locking portion locks the fitted state together with the mating locking portion ,
The guide member has a side portion and two support portions that support the side portion,
the side portion is located away from the end surface of the housing in the orthogonal direction;
the end surface, the side portion, and the support portion of the housing form a receiving portion that guides and receives the protruding block when the connector and the mating connector are mated,
the side portion and the support portion are located away from the board when the connector is mounted on the board,
a lower space communicating with the receiving portion is formed on an outer side of the end surface of the housing in the orthogonal direction and below the side portion and the support portion in the up-down direction,
A connector is provided in the lower space, in which the guide member is not positioned.

The present invention provides a second connector, the first connector,
The locking portion provides a connector provided on the side.

The present invention provides a third connector, which is the first or second connector,
The number of the guide members is two,
The guide members provide connectors that extend outwardly from opposite ends of the housing in the orthogonal direction.

The present invention provides a fourth connector, which is the third connector,
The number of the terminals is plural,
The terminals are arranged in a pitch direction,
The guide members are separate from each other,
The pitch direction provides a connector that is the orthogonal direction.

The present invention provides a fifth connector, which is any one of the first to fourth connectors,
The lock portion extends over a predetermined range in the up-down direction,
A connector is provided in which the contact portions of the terminals are positioned within the predetermined range in the vertical direction.

The connector of the present invention includes a housing and a guide member. The guide member corresponds to an end face of the housing. The guide member has a side portion and two support portions. The side portion and the two support portions, together with the corresponding end face, form a receiving portion. The receiving portion guides and receives a protruding block of a mating connector. When the connector is mounted on a board, the side portion and the support portion are spaced apart from the board, and a lower space is formed below the side portion and the support portion. In the connector 90 of Patent Document 1, the leg portion 943 creates a dead space, but in the present invention, the guide member is not located in the lower space. With this configuration, the mounting surface of the board facing the lower space can be effectively utilized, and the area utilization efficiency of the mounting surface of the board can be improved.

1 is a perspective view showing a connector assembly including a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the connector and a mating connector being separated from each other; Figure 2 is another perspective view of the connector assembly of Figure 1, with the connector and the mating connector mated to each other; FIG. 2 is a front view showing the connector assembly of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a front view showing the connector assembly of FIG. 2 . 2 is a bottom perspective view showing a mating connector included in the connector assembly of FIG. 1 . FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the mating connector of FIG. 5 . 2 is a top view showing a connector included in the connector assembly of FIG. 1; FIG. 8 is a side view showing the connector of FIG. 7 . FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector of FIG. 7 . 10 is a front view showing one of the guide members included in the connector of FIG. 9 . FIG. 11 is a top view showing the guide member of FIG. 10 . FIG. 11 is a side view showing the guide member of FIG. 10 . FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a top view showing the connector of FIG. 13 . FIG. 14 is a rear view showing the connector of FIG. 13 . FIG. 14 is a side view showing the connector of FIG. 13 . FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector of FIG. 13 . FIG. 18 is a rear view showing the connector of FIG. 17 . FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector assembly described in Patent Document 1.

(First embodiment)
As can be seen from Figures 1 to 4, a connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is a connector that can be mated with and separated from a mating connector 50 along the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the connector 10 is a receptacle connector, and the mating connector 50 is a plug connector. The connector 10 is mounted on one surface of a board 80 in the vertical direction when in use. In this embodiment, the vertical direction is the Z direction. The +Z direction is upward, and the -Z direction is downward.

As shown in Figures 1, 5, and 6, in this embodiment, the mating connector 50 is an angle-type connector connected to one end of the flexible flat cable 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The mating connector 50 may be a straight-type connector. The mating connector 50 may also be connected to a multi-core cable or mounted on a mating board.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the mating connector 50 includes a housing body 52, a tongue portion 54, at least one protruding block 56, and at least one locking spring 58. In this embodiment, the mating connector 50 includes two protruding blocks 56 and two locking springs 58.

As can be seen from Figures 1, 3, and 6, the housing body 52 is made of insulating resin and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the pitch direction. The housing body 52 has lock spring retaining portions 521 on both ends in the pitch direction. In this embodiment, the pitch direction is the X direction.

3 and 5, the tongue-shaped portion 54 extends in the pitch direction and protrudes downward from the lower surface 523 of the housing body 52. As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of mating contact portions 545 arranged along the pitch direction are formed on the front surface 541 and the rear surface 543 of the tongue-shaped portion 54. More specifically, the mating contact portion 545 is a conductor pad formed on an insulating substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The mating connector 50 may have a plurality of metal terminals instead of the tongue-shaped portion 54. In any case, the mating connector 50 has at least one mating contact portion 545.

As shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, the protruding blocks 56 are positioned apart from one another in the pitch direction. The protruding blocks 56 correspond to the lock spring holding portions 521 of the housing body 52, respectively. Each of the protruding blocks 56 protrudes in the up-down direction from the corresponding lock spring holding portion 521. In this embodiment, the protruding blocks 56 protrude downward from the corresponding lock spring holding portion 521. The protruding blocks 56 and the corresponding lock spring holding portion 521 define a lock spring accommodating portion 561 that is open outward and upward in the pitch direction.

1 and 5, the lock springs 58 are partially housed in the lock spring housings 561. In this embodiment, each of the lock springs 58 is made of a metal plate and has a pair of claws 581, a support portion 583, and an operating portion 585. The support portion 583 supports the claws 581 and is at least partially elastically deformable. Each of the claws 581 protrudes outward in the pitch direction. The operating portion 585 is provided at one end of the support portion 583. By operating the operating portion 585, the support portion 583 can be elastically deformed. The claws 581 can move at least in the pitch direction due to the elastic deformation of the support portion 583. In the initial state, the tip of the claw 581 is located outside the lock spring housing 561. Each claw 581 of the lock spring 58 functions as a mating lock portion 60. In this way, each of the protruding blocks 56 is provided with a mating lock portion 60.

Referring to Figures 1, 7 and 8, the connector 10 includes at least one terminal 12, a housing 14, at least one guide member 16, and at least one locking portion 18. In this embodiment, the connector 10 includes a plurality of terminals 12. Also, in this embodiment, the connector 10 includes two guide members 16 and two locking portions 18.

As shown in Fig. 7, the terminals 12 are aligned in the pitch direction. In this embodiment, the terminals 12 are aligned in two rows along the pitch direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The terminals 12 correspond to the respective mating contact portions 545, and the arrangement of the terminals 12 depends on the arrangement of the mating contact portions 545. For example, the terminals 12 may be aligned in a single row in the pitch direction in accordance with the arrangement of the mating contact portions 545.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 7, each of the terminals 12 has a contact portion 121 that contacts the mating contact portion 545 (see Fig. 3 or 5) when the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 are in a mated state. In this embodiment, each of the terminals 12 is a metal spring contact. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the mating contact portion 545 is a metal spring contact, the terminal 12 may be a conductor pad formed on an insulating substrate.

As can be seen from FIG. 7, the housing 14 holds the terminals 12. The housing 14 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the pitch direction, and defines an accommodation space 141 that is open upward. Each of the terminals 12 is partially exposed in the accommodation space 141. More specifically, at least the contact portion 121 is exposed in the accommodation space 141.

As shown in Figures 7 and 9, the housing 14 has end faces 143 in an orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the up-down direction. In this embodiment, the orthogonal direction coincides with the pitch direction. In this embodiment, the housing 14 has end faces 143 on both ends in the pitch direction. The end faces 143 of the housing 14 each correspond to a protruding block 56 (see Figure 3) of the mating connector 50. In this embodiment, each of the end faces 143 faces outward in the pitch direction.

As shown in FIG. 9, the housing 14 is formed with a number of slits 145 for mounting the guide member 16, and a number of holes (not shown) that follow the slits. In this embodiment, the slits 145 open upward and outward in the pitch direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Depending on the shape of the guide member 16, the slits 145 may open only upward or only outward in the pitch direction.

As can be seen from FIG. 9, the two guide members 16 are separate from each other. In this embodiment, the guide members 16 have shapes that are symmetrical to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The guide members 16 may have the same shape as each other or different shapes as long as they correspond to the protruding blocks 56 of the mating connector 50.

As shown in Figures 9 to 12, in this embodiment, each guide member 16 is made of a metal plate and has a side portion 161 and two support portions 163, 165 that support the side portion 161. The side portion 161 is a flat plate perpendicular to the pitch direction. Each of the support portions 163, 165 is a flat plate that extends inward in the pitch direction from the edge of the side portion 161 in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the front-to-rear direction is the Y direction. The -Y direction is the front, and the +Y direction is the rear.

As shown in Figures 10 to 12, the support parts 163, 165 have different lengths in the pitch direction. In addition, each of the support parts 163, 165 is provided with a leg part 167 extending downward. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The support parts 163, 165 may have equal lengths in the pitch direction. In addition, each of the support parts 163, 165 may not be provided with a leg part 167. However, by providing at least one leg part 167 on one or both of the support parts 163, 165, the guide member 16 can be fixed directly to the substrate 80 using the leg part 167.

7 and 9, the guide members 16 correspond to the end faces 143 of the housing 14, so that the side portions 161 and the support portions 163 and 165 of each guide member 16 correspond to one of the end faces 143 of the housing 14. The guide members 16 are attached to both ends of the housing 14 in the pitch direction. More specifically, the support portions 163 and 165 are partially pressed into the slits 145 of the housing 14. As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 8, at this time, the legs 167 provided on the support portions 163 are inserted into holes (not shown) formed in the housing 14 and partially protrude downward from the lower surface 147 of the housing 14.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the guide members 16 are attached to the housing 14, the guide members 16 protrude outward from both ends of the housing 14 in the pitch direction. In other words, the side portions 161 of each guide member 16 are positioned away from the corresponding end faces 143 in the pitch direction. The side portions 161, the support portions 163 and 165, and the corresponding end faces 143 form a receiving portion 169. When the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 are mated, the receiving portion 169 guides and receives the protruding block 56 that corresponds to the end face 143 that forms the receiving portion 169.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the locking portions 18 correspond to the guide members 16, respectively. In other words, the locking portions 18 are provided on the guide members 16, respectively. As shown in FIG. 12, the locking portions 18 are two long holes 181 provided on the side portions 161 of the guide members 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The locking portions 18 may be a single hole provided on the guide members 16. Alternatively, the locking portions 18 may be one or more holes or recesses provided on the housing 14. Alternatively, the locking portions 18 may be at least one protrusion or claw, and the mating locking portion 60 may be at least one hole or recess that engages with the protrusion or claw.

As can be seen from FIG. 12, each of the long holes 181 that are the locking portion 18 has an upper end 183 and a lower end 185 in the vertical direction. In other words, the locking portion 18 spans a predetermined range defined by the upper end 183 and the lower end 185. In this embodiment, the contact portion 121 of the terminal 12 (see FIG. 1) is located within a predetermined range in the vertical direction. In this way, by positioning the contact portion 121 of the terminal 12 within a predetermined range defined by the locking portion 18 in the vertical direction, the connector 10 can be made low-profile. In more detail, by positioning the locking portion 18 as low as possible in the vertical direction and positioning the contact portion 121 within a predetermined range, the connector 10 can be made low-profile.

2 and 4, in the mated state where the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 are mated, the locking portion 18 locks the mated state together with the mating locking portion 60. In this embodiment, when the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 are mated, the mating locking portion 60 is at least partially received by the locking portion 18. The mating locking portion 60 and the locking portion 18 then engage with each other to lock the mated state. The lock can be released by operating the operating portion 585 of the locking spring 58 to elastically deform the support portion 583.

3 and 4, when the connector 10 is mounted on the board 80, the side portions 161 and the support portions 163 and 165 of the guide member 16 are located away from the board 80. More specifically, the side portions 161 and the support portions 163 and 165 are located above and away from the board 80 in the vertical direction. As a result, a lower space 20 that is connected to the receiving portion 169 (see FIG. 7) is formed on the outside of each end face 143 of the housing 14 in the pitch direction and below the side portions 161 and the support portions 163 and 165 in the vertical direction. At this time, the leg portions 167 are located inside the end faces 143 of the housing 14 in the pitch direction. Therefore, the guide member 16 is not located in the lower space 20.

According to this embodiment, the guide member 16 is not located in the lower space 20 located below the guide member 16. Therefore, a conductor pattern can be formed on the mounting surface of the board 80 on which the connector 10 is mounted, in the area facing the lower space 20. This reduces the dead space on the mounting surface of the board 80, allowing the mounting surface to be used effectively. In particular, when multiple connectors 10 are mounted on the board 80, a continuous area can be formed on the mounting surface of the board 80 by arranging the connectors 10 along the front-to-rear direction and lining up multiple lower spaces 20 in the front-to-rear direction, allowing the mounting surface of the board 80 to be used more effectively.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the two guide members 16 are separate from each other, so they can be used with housings 14 of various shapes and sizes. In other words, the guide member 16 can be used as a common part for multiple types of connectors.

Second Embodiment
A connector 10A according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 13 to 18. Components that are the same as or similar to those of the connector 10 according to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. Note that a mating connector (not shown) that can be mated with and separated from the connector 10A has a shape different from that of the mating connector 50 (see Figure 1).

Referring to FIG. 13, the connector 10A includes a plurality of terminals 12, a housing 14A, a guide member 16A, and a locking portion 18A.

As can be seen from FIG. 13, the guide member 16A is attached to the housing 14A. The locking portion 18A corresponds to the guide member 16A. In this embodiment, the locking portion 18A is a pair of elongated holes 181 formed in the guide member 16A.

As shown in FIG. 14, the housing 14A has an end surface 143A in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. In this embodiment, the orthogonal direction coincides with the front-to-rear direction. The end surface 143A is a surface that faces outward in the orthogonal direction. In other words, the end surface 143A faces rearward in the front-to-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 14, the guide member 16A is made of a metal plate and has a side portion 161 and two support portions 163A and 165A that support the side portion 161. The side portion 161 is a flat plate that is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. The support portions 163A and 165A have symmetrical shapes. Each of the support portions 163A and 165A extends forward in the front-to-rear direction from the edge of the side portion 161 in the pitch direction and further extends outward in the pitch direction.

As can be seen from FIG. 14, the guide member 16A corresponds to the end surface 143A of the housing 14A, and therefore the side portion 161A and the support portions 163A and 165A correspond to the end surface 143A of the housing 14A. When the guide member 16A is attached to the housing 14A, the guide member 16A protrudes rearward from the housing 14A in the front-rear direction. In other words, the side portion 161 of the guide member 16A is located away from the end surface 143A in the front-rear direction. The side portion 161, the support portions 163A and 165A, and the end surface 143A form a receiving portion 169. The receiving portion 169 guides and receives the protruding block (not shown) when the connector 10 and the mating connector (not shown) are mated.

As shown in FIG. 15, in this embodiment, the locking portion 18A is two long holes 181 provided in the side portion 161 of the guide member 16A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The locking portion 18A may be a single hole provided in the guide member 16A. Alternatively, the locking portion 18A may be one or more holes or recesses provided in the housing 14A. Alternatively, the locking portion 18A may be at least one protrusion or claw, and the mating locking portion (not shown) may be at least one hole or recess that engages with the protrusion or claw.

As shown in Figures 17 and 18, the housing 14A has two slits 145A for mounting the guide member 16A. Each of the slits 145A opens upward and backward. The support portions 163A and 165A are each partially pressed into the slits 145A of the housing 14A, and the guide member 16A is mounted to the housing 14A.

As can be seen from Figures 15 and 16, when the connector 10A is mounted on the board 80, the side portion 161 and the support portions 163A and 165A of the guide member 16A are positioned away from the board 80. More specifically, the side portion 161 and the support portions 163A and 165A are positioned above and away from the board 80 in the vertical direction. As a result, a lower space 20 that communicates with the receiving portion 169 (see Figure 14) is formed behind the end face 143A of the housing 14A in the front-rear direction and below the side portion 161 and the support portions 163A and 165A in the vertical direction. The guide member 16A is not positioned in the lower space 20.

As described above, even in the connector 10A of this embodiment, the guide member 16A is not located in the lower space 20. Therefore, as with the connector 10 of the first embodiment, the dead space on the mounting surface of the board 80 can be reduced, and the mounting surface can be effectively utilized.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to several embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the housing 14 or 14A may be composed of a housing body and a metal shell or a reinforcing metal part that partially covers the surface of the housing body. In this case, the locking part 18 may be provided on the metal shell or the reinforcing metal part. Furthermore, the guide member 16 may be configured to be attached to the metal shell or the reinforcing metal part. Furthermore, the housing body and the metal shell or the reinforcing metal part may be integrally molded.

10, 10A Connector 12 Terminal 121 Contact portion 14, 14A Housing 141 Storage space 143, 143A End face 145, 145A Slit 147 Lower face 16, 16A Guide member 161 Side portion 163, 163A, 165, 165A Support portion 167 Leg portion 169 Receptacle portion 18 Lock portion 181 Slot 183 Upper end 185 Lower end 20, 20A Lower space 50 Mating connector 52 Housing body 521 Lock spring retaining portion 523 Lower face 54 Tongue-shaped portion 541 Front face 543 Rear face 545 Mating contact portion 56 Protruding block 561 Lock spring accommodating portion 58 Lock spring 581 Claw 583 Support portion 585 Operation portion 60 Counterpart lock portion 70 Flexible flat cable 80 Circuit board

Claims (3)

A connector that mates with a mating connector along the vertical direction,
the connector is mounted on a substrate in the up-down direction,
The mating connector includes a mating contact portion and a protruding block,
The protruding block protrudes along the up-down direction,
The protruding block is provided with a mating locking portion,
The connector includes a terminal, a housing, a guide member, and a lock portion,
The terminal has a contact portion,
the contact portion comes into contact with the mating contact portion when the connector and the mating connector are in a mated state,
The housing holds the terminals,
The housing has an end surface in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction,
the locking portion locks the fitted state together with the mating locking portion,
The guide member has a side portion and two support portions that support the side portion,
the side portion is located away from the end surface of the housing in the orthogonal direction;
the end surface, the side portion, and the support portion of the housing form a receiving portion that guides and receives the protruding block when the connector and the mating connector are mated,
the side portion and the support portion are located away from the board when the connector is mounted on the board,
a lower space communicating with the receiving portion is formed on an outer side of the end surface of the housing in the orthogonal direction and below the side portion and the support portion in the up-down direction,
The guide member is not located in the lower space,
The number of the guide members is two,
The guide members protrude outward from both ends of the housing in the perpendicular direction,
The number of the terminals is plural,
The terminals are arranged in a pitch direction,
The guide members are separate from each other,
The pitch direction is the orthogonal direction.
connector. 2. The connector of claim 1,
The lock portion is a connector provided on the side portion. The connector according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The lock portion extends over a predetermined range in the up-down direction,
A connector in which the contact portion of the terminal is located within the predetermined range in the vertical direction.

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