JP7637272B2 - Movable Connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a movable connector, and in particular to a movable connector suitable for use with large currents.

A movable connector is known that includes a fixed housing, a movable housing that fits and connects to an object to be connected, and multiple terminals that have contact portions that make conductive contact with the object to be connected and a movable portion that supports the movable housing so that it can be displaced relative to the fixed housing. The movable connector is configured so that the movable portion, which is located in the terminal movable space that is the area between the fixed housing and the movable housing, elastically deforms, causing the movable housing to displace relative to the fixed housing, absorbing misalignment that occurs when the connector is fitted to the object to be connected.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for movable connectors to handle large currents. However, when a large current is passed through them, the conductor resistance of the terminals becomes an issue. In a movable connector, if the cross-sectional area of the terminals is increased in order to reduce the conductor resistance, the movable part becomes less flexible and elastically deformable. For this reason, movable connectors in which the movable part is divided are known, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example.

JP 2006-286530 A, FIG.

In a movable connector with divided movable parts, in order to reduce the conductor resistance, it is necessary to increase the number of movable parts to ensure the cross-sectional area of the movable parts. However, as the number of movable parts increases, they take up more width, especially in the terminal arrangement direction, and the movable connector also becomes larger.

The present invention was made against the background of the conventional technology described above. The object of the present invention is to miniaturize a movable connector having multiple movable parts in the terminal.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention is configured to have the following features.

That is, the present invention is a movable connector having a first housing attached to a board, a second housing that fits and connects to an object to be connected, and a terminal that supports the second housing so that it can be displaced relative to the first housing, the terminal having a first housing held portion held by the first housing, a second housing held portion held by the second housing, a movable portion that can elastically deform between the first housing held portion and the second housing held portion, and a contact portion that electrically connects to the object to be connected, the movable portion having a first movable terminal portion and a second movable terminal portion, and the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion are arranged without overlapping each other when viewed from the perspective of the arrangement direction of the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion.

The movable connector of the present invention is configured to divide the movable parts and increase their number, which allows it to be used with large currents while maintaining the flexibility of the movable parts. Furthermore, according to the present invention, when viewed from the direction in which the first and second movable terminal parts are arranged (terminal arrangement direction), the first and second movable terminal parts are arranged without overlapping each other. Therefore, even if the first and second movable terminal parts are close to each other in the terminal arrangement direction, they are unlikely to come into contact with each other, so the first and second movable terminal parts can be arranged as close as possible to each other in the terminal arrangement direction, and the movable connector can be made smaller.

The first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion can be configured to be arranged so that they at least partially overlap when viewed from the fitting direction of the connection objects.

According to the present invention, the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion are arranged so that at least a portion of them overlap when viewed from the fitting direction of the objects to be connected. Therefore, the movable connector can be made smaller in size in the terminal arrangement direction by the amount of overlap between the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion.

The first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion can be configured so as not to overlap when viewed from the fitting direction of the connection objects.

According to the present invention, the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed from the fitting direction of the objects to be connected. Therefore, no matter in what direction the movable portion is displaced, the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion are unlikely to come into contact with each other.

The terminal further has a first board connection portion and a second board connection portion, the first board connection portion extending from a first side in the arrangement direction of the first housing held portion, and the second board connection portion extending from a second side in the arrangement direction of the first housing held portion that is opposite to the first side.

According to the present invention, the first board connection portion extends from a first side in the terminal arrangement direction of the first housing held portion. On the other hand, the second board connection portion extends from a second side in the terminal arrangement direction of the first housing held portion, which is the opposite side to the first side. Therefore, the first board connection portion and the second board connection portion can be arranged close to each other in the terminal arrangement direction. Therefore, the movable connector can be made smaller in size in the terminal arrangement direction.

The terminal has a connecting portion that connects the contact portion to the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion, and the connecting portion can be configured to connect the first movable terminal portion to the front side and the second movable terminal portion to the back side.

According to the present invention, the connecting portion connects the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion with their positions shifted on the front side and the back side. Therefore, even in the connecting portion where the terminal conduction path branches from the contact portion to the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion, the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion can be arranged without overlapping each other when viewed from the terminal arrangement direction. Therefore, the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion can be arranged as close as possible in the terminal arrangement direction over the entire extension direction of both, and the movable connector can be made smaller.

The first movable terminal portion has a first vertical piece extending from the first housing held portion, and the first vertical piece of the first movable terminal portion can be configured to be arranged so as to overlap the second movable terminal portion without protruding from it when viewed from the connection direction.

The first movable terminal portion has a first bent portion that is curved in a U-shape at the end of the first vertical piece, and the first bent portion of the first movable terminal portion can be configured to be positioned so as to overlap the second movable terminal portion without protruding from the second movable terminal portion when viewed from the connection direction.

The first movable terminal portion has a second vertical piece extending from the first bent portion, and the second vertical piece of the first movable terminal portion can be configured to be arranged so as to overlap the second movable terminal portion without protruding from the second movable terminal portion when viewed from the connection direction.

The first movable terminal portion has a first front and rear piece portion extending from the second vertical piece portion via a second bend portion, and the first front and rear piece portion of the first movable terminal portion can be configured to be arranged so as to overlap the second movable terminal portion without protruding from the second movable terminal portion when viewed from the connection direction.

According to the present invention, it is possible to miniaturize the movable connector while maintaining the flexibility of the movable part.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view including a front view, a right side view, and a plan view showing the movable connector according to the first embodiment. Cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 2 is a front, left side, and plan view showing a terminal included in the movable connector of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view including a rear side, a left side side, and a plan view of the terminal of FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is a left side view of the terminal of FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is a plan view of the terminal of FIG. 3 . 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the movable connector according to the second embodiment, taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 8 is an external perspective view including a rear view, a left side view, and a plan view showing a terminal provided in the movable connector of FIG. 7 . FIG. 9 is a plan view of the terminal of FIG. 8 .

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A socket connector 1, which is one embodiment of the "movable connector" of the present invention, is mounted on a circuit board P1 (see FIG. 2, etc.) as a "substrate." The socket connector 1 is then mated with a plug connector (not shown) as an "object to be connected" to electrically connect to the circuit board P1.

When the terms "first" and "second" are used in this specification and claims, they are used to distinguish different components of the invention, and are not used to indicate a specific order or superiority. In this specification and claims, for convenience, as shown in FIG. 1, the width direction (left and right direction) of the socket connector 1 is described as the X direction, the depth direction (front and back direction) is described as the Y direction, and the height direction (up and down direction) is described as the Z direction. The side of the socket connector 1 facing the circuit board P1 in the Z direction is described as the lower side, and the side of the socket connector 1 is described as the upper side. However, they do not limit the direction of mating connection of the socket connector 1, etc., or the way of mounting on the circuit board P1. The socket connector 1 here is arranged so that the "terminal arrangement direction" is the X direction, the "terminal extension direction" and the "contact direction with the connection object" are the Y direction, the "mating direction of the connection object" is downward in the Z direction, and the "removal direction of the connection object" is upward in the Z direction.

First embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 6)

Configuration of socket connector 1 (Figs. 1 to 6)

As shown in FIG. 1 etc., the socket connector 1 comprises a fixed housing 2 as a "first housing", a movable housing 3 as a "second housing", and a number of terminals 4. This socket connector 1 is mounted on a top surface P2 as a "board surface", which is one surface of a circuit board P1 arranged along the X and Y directions. The socket connector 1 is configured so that the movable housing 3 can be displaced relative to the fixed housing 2. The plug connector is configured so that it fits into the socket connector 1 from above, with the fitting direction being the downward direction in the Z direction approaching the top surface P2 of the circuit board P1, and the respective contacts are electrically connected to each other.

Fixed housing 2

The fixed housing 2 is formed of a resin molded body. As shown in FIG. 1 etc., the fixed housing 2 is formed in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape that is shortest in the Z direction and slightly longer in the X direction than in the Y direction. The fixed housing 2 is disposed on the upper surface P2 of the circuit board P1. The plate piece of the fixed housing 2 is folded in half and fixed to the circuit board P1 by a fixing bracket 5 that is L-shaped in a front view. The fixed housing 2 has fixing bracket attachment parts 2b that extend in a groove shape in the Z direction at each of the four corners in a plan view. The fixing bracket 5 is configured so that one side of the L-shaped plate piece is pressed into the lower end side of the fixing bracket attachment part 2b to be fixed to the fixed housing 2, and the other side of the L-shaped plate piece is fixed to the circuit board P1 by soldering or the like.

The hollow fixed housing 2 is attached to the circuit board P1 with an accommodation space 2a formed inside the housing 2 and between the upper surface P2 of the circuit board P1. The accommodation space 2a accommodates the movable housing 3 and the terminals 4. As described below, the terminals 4 have movable parts 4a that are accommodated in the accommodation space 2a and support the movable housing 3 so that it can be displaced relative to the fixed housing 2 (see FIG. 3, etc.).

The fixed housing 2 has a hollow rectangular exterior and includes a flat front wall 2c, a rear wall 2d, side walls 2e, 2e, and upper walls 2f, 2f that surround the storage space 2a. The front wall 2c located at the front in the Y direction and the rear wall 2d located at the rear in the Y direction are both aligned along the X and Z directions. The side walls 2e, 2e located on both the left and right outer sides in the X direction are both aligned along the Y and Z directions, and connect the front wall 2c and the rear wall 2d. The upper walls 2f, 2f located at the front and rear in the Y direction are connected to the upper end of the front wall 2c and the upper end of the rear wall 2d, respectively. Both the upper walls 2f, 2f are aligned along the X and Y directions, and connect the left and right side walls 2e, 2e.

The upper surface of the fixed housing 2 is formed with an upper opening 2g having a rectangular periphery in a plan view. The periphery of the upper opening 2g is composed of front and rear upper wall portions 2f, 2f and left and right side wall portions 2e, 2e. The upper portion of the movable housing 3 housed in the housing space 2a is exposed to the outside from the upper opening 2g. The fixed housing 2 restricts the displacement of the movable housing 3 in the Y direction by the front and rear upper wall portions 2f, 2f that constitute the periphery of the upper opening 2g, and restricts the displacement of the movable housing 3 in the X direction by the left and right side wall portions 2e, 2e that constitute the periphery of the upper opening 2g. Furthermore, the fixed housing 2 restricts the displacement of the movable housing 3 upward in the Z direction by the upper wall portions 2f, 2f, that is, in the direction of removal of the plug connector, which is the opposite direction to the mating direction of the plug connector.

A low-back terminal piece holding portion 2hA (see FIG. 7) and a high-back terminal piece holding portion 2hB (see FIG. 7) are formed on the inner surface (accommodation space 2a) of the front wall portion 2c and the rear wall portion 2d. Both the low-back terminal piece holding portion 2hA and the high-back terminal piece holding portion 2hB have the function of holding terminals 4. Both the low-back terminal piece holding portion 2hA and the high-back terminal piece holding portion 2hB are formed in a groove shape extending from the lower end in the Z direction to the upper side along the X direction. The low-back terminal piece holding portion 2hA is located in front of the high-back terminal piece holding portion 2hB in the Y direction.

The lower ends of the front wall 2c and the rear wall 2d are spaced apart from the upper surface P2 of the circuit board P1 in the area where the low-back terminal piece holding portion 2hA and the high-back terminal piece holding portion 2hB are formed. In other words, the external space and the accommodation space 2a are connected below the low-back terminal piece holding portion 2hA and the high-back terminal piece holding portion 2hB.

Such low-back terminal piece holding portions 2hA and high-back terminal piece holding portions 2hB are formed in a row along the X direction on each of the front wall portion 2c and the rear wall portion 2d. In this embodiment, since the socket connector 1 has two terminals 4 at the front and rear, respectively, two low-back terminal piece holding portions 2hA and two high-back terminal piece holding portions 2hB are also formed on each of the front wall portion 2c and the rear wall portion 2d.

Movable housing 3

The movable housing 3 is formed of a resin molded body. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the movable housing 3 corresponds to the fixed housing 2 and is formed in a hollow rectangular shape that is longer in the X direction than in other directions. The movable housing 3 is disposed so as to be displaceable relative to the fixed housing 2, and is configured to be mated and connected to a plug connector.

The movable housing 3 has a hollow rectangular exterior and includes a flat front wall 3c, a rear wall 3d, side walls 3e, 3e, and a top wall 3f. The front wall 3c located in the front in the Y direction and the rear wall 3d located in the rear in the Y direction are aligned along the X and Z directions so as to face each other. The side walls 3e, 3e located on both the left and right outer sides in the X direction are aligned along the Y and Z directions so as to face each other, connecting the front wall 3c and the rear wall 3d. The top wall 3f located above in the Z direction is connected to the upper end of the front wall 3c, the upper end of the rear wall 3d, and the upper ends of the side walls 3e, 3e.

The upper parts of the front wall 3c, rear wall 3d and side walls 3e, 3e protrude above the top opening 2g formed on the top surface of the fixed housing 2. The front wall 3c and rear wall 3d come into contact with the front and rear upper wall portions 2f, 2f that form the periphery of the top opening 2g, thereby restricting excessive displacement of the movable housing 3 in the Y direction relative to the fixed housing 2. Similarly, the side walls 3e, 3e come into contact with the left and right lateral wall portions 2e, 2e that form the periphery of the top opening 2g, thereby restricting excessive displacement of the movable housing 3 in the X direction relative to the fixed housing 2.

Furthermore, the movable housing 3 of this embodiment has a partition wall 3g that extends in the Y and Z directions to connect between the opposing front wall 3c and rear wall 3d. A mating chamber 3h with a plug connector is formed inside the movable housing 3 (see FIG. 2, etc.), and an opening formed at the upper end of the mating chamber 3h serves as an insertion port 3i for the plug connector. In this embodiment, the partition wall 3g divides the internal space of the movable housing 3 in two at the center in the X direction, and the movable housing 3 has two mating chambers 3h and two insertion ports 3i along the X direction.

Between the upper ends of both the top wall 3f and the partition wall 3g and the lower ends (insertion opening 3i) of both the top wall 3f and the partition wall 3g, an insertion guide surface 3j, which is an inclined surface shaped like an inverted pyramid, is formed. The insertion guide surface 3j is a portion that guides the plug connector that is to be fitted to the movable housing 3 toward the insertion opening 3i and drops it into the fitting chamber 3h.

As shown in FIG. 2, the movable housing 3 has a movable side engagement portion 3a. The movable side engagement portion 3a comes into contact with the upper wall portion 2f of the fixed housing 2, and serves to restrict the upward displacement of the movable housing 3 relative to the fixed housing 2 in the Z direction, i.e., in the direction in which the plug connector is removed.

The movable engagement portion 3a has a heat dissipation portion 3b through which heat within the accommodation space 2a convects to the external space. This not only allows heat within the accommodation space 2a to move between the accommodation space 2a and the external space by thermal conduction, but also allows hot air within the accommodation space 2a to move directly to the external space by convection through the heat dissipation portion 3b. Therefore, according to this embodiment, heat within the accommodation space 2a can be dissipated to the outside of the socket connector 1 via the heat dissipation portion 3b.

A movable terminal holding portion 3k is formed along the X direction on the inner surface (fitting chamber 3h) of the front wall 3c and the rear wall 3d, and is a groove extending upward from the lower end in the Z direction. The movable terminal holding portion 3k has the function of holding the terminal 4.

Multiple such movable terminal holding portions 3k are formed in a line along the X direction on each of the front wall 3c and the rear wall 3d. In this embodiment, since the socket connector 1 has two terminals 4 at the front and rear, two movable terminal holding portions 3k are also formed on each of the front wall 3c and the rear wall 3d.

Terminal 4

The socket connector 1 of this embodiment has two terminals 4, one at the front and one at the back. All four terminals 4 have the same shape. Each of the four terminals 4 is arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line of the socket connector 1 in the X direction, and is also arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line in the Y direction. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each of the multiple terminals 4 is attached to the socket connector 1 so that the plate surface is along the Y direction and the Z direction, with the plate width direction being the X direction. Therefore, each of the multiple terminals 4 is arranged in the X direction and extends mainly in the Y direction. Here, one terminal 4 arranged on the rear side of the socket connector 1 in the Y direction will be described. The terminal 4 arranged on the front side of the socket connector 1 in the Y direction is the same as the terminal 4 arranged on the rear side, except that the front-to-back positional relationship is reversed.

The terminal 4 is an electrical conductor made of a conductive metal piece. The terminal 4 has a movable part 4a that can be elastically deformed. The terminal 4 supports the movable housing 3 so that it can be displaced relative to the fixed housing 2. In this embodiment, the terminal 4 is composed of three types of terminal pieces: a contact terminal piece 10 as a "contact part", a plurality of low-back side terminal pieces 20, for example, three, and a plurality of high-back side terminal pieces 30, for example, two. The movable part 4a is formed on both the high-back side terminal piece 30 and the low-back side terminal piece 20. There may be at least one movable part 4a for each of the low-back side terminal piece 20 and the high-back side terminal piece 30.

The contact terminal piece 10 is configured as a flat plate extending approximately along the XZ plane. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the contact terminal piece 10 has a movable side held portion 11 as a "second housing held portion", a front contact piece 12, and a rear contact piece 13. In this embodiment, two front contact pieces 12 and one rear contact piece 13 are connected to one movable side held portion 11.

The movable side held portion 11 is located on the lower end side of the contact terminal piece 10. The movable side held portion 11 is a portion for fixing the contact terminal piece 10 to the movable housing 3. The movable side held portion 11 has a flat plate shape whose plate surface is along the XZ plane, and is formed into a rectangular shape that is longer in the X direction than in the Z direction when viewed from the front. The movable side held portion 11 has press-fit protrusions 11a that protrude outward to the left and right from the edges at both the left and right ends. The press-fit protrusions 11a are fixed by press-fitting into the movable side terminal holding portion 3k when the contact terminal piece 10 is attached to the movable housing 3 and accommodated in the fitting chamber 3h.

The terminal 4 has a connecting surface 14A as a "connecting portion" and a connecting back surface 14B as a "connecting portion". The connecting surface 14A and the connecting back surface 14B have the function of connecting the contact terminal piece 10 to the low-back side terminal piece 20 and the high-back side terminal piece 30. The connecting surface 14A is formed on the front surface of the movable side held part 11, and the connecting back surface 14B is formed on the back surface of the movable side held part 11. Both the connecting surface 14A and the connecting back surface 14B are formed as planes extending along the XZ plane. The connecting surface 14A connects the low-back side terminal piece 20 to the front surface of the movable side held part 11 as the "front side", and the connecting back surface 14B connects the high-back side terminal piece 30 to the back surface of the movable side held part 11 as the "back side".

According to this embodiment, the connecting surface 14A and the connecting back surface 14B connect the low-back side terminal piece 20 and the high-back side terminal piece 30 to the front and back of the movable-side held portion 11 at shifted positions. The terminal 4 branches its conductive path from the contact terminal piece 10 to the low-back side terminal piece 20 and the high-back side terminal piece 30 by the connecting surface 14A and the connecting back surface 14B. Therefore, even on the connecting surface 14A and the connecting back surface 14B, the low-back side terminal piece 20 and the high-back side terminal piece 30 can be arranged without overlapping each other when viewed from the terminal arrangement direction. Therefore, the low-back side terminal piece 20 and the high-back side terminal piece 30 can be arranged as close as possible in the X direction, which is the terminal arrangement direction, over the entire Y direction, which is the extension direction of both, and the socket connector 1 can be made smaller.

The front contact piece 12 has a front elastic arm 12a and a front contact portion 12b. The front elastic arm 12a extends upward from the movable held portion 11 with a forward inclination in the Y direction along the insertion direction of the plug connector. The front elastic arm 12a supports the front contact portion 12b connected to its tip (upper) end so that it can be displaced. The front elastic arm 12a is configured to press the front contact portion 12b against the terminal of the plug connector from the rear to the front in the Y direction. The front contact pieces 12 in this embodiment extend upward one by one from the upper end of the movable held portion 11 and positions offset to the left and right from the center in the X direction.

The front contact portion 12b is bent in a mountain shape that protrudes forward in the Y direction in side view. That is, the front contact portion 12b is formed as a rolled surface, and the plate surface is configured to make rolled surface contact with the terminal of the plug connector. The front contact portion 12b is positioned so that the top that contacts the terminal of the plug connector protrudes forward in the Y direction beyond the insertion opening 3i of the movable housing 3 in a plan view.

The rear contact piece 13 has a similar configuration to the front contact piece 12, and is provided adjacent to the two front contact pieces 12 arranged in the X direction. The tip (upper) end of the rear contact piece 13 is located lower than the tip (upper) end of the front contact piece 12. The rear contact piece 13 has a rear elastic arm 13a and a rear contact portion 13b. The rear elastic arm 13a extends upward from the movable side held portion 11 along the insertion direction of the plug connector, with a larger inclination forward in the Y direction than the front elastic arm 12a. The rear elastic arm 13a supports the rear contact portion 13b connected to its tip (upper) end in a displaceable manner. The rear elastic arm 13a is configured to press the rear contact portion 13b against the terminal of the plug connector from the rear to the front in the Y direction.

The rear contact portion 13b is bent in a mountain shape that protrudes forward in the Y direction in side view. That is, the rear contact portion 13b is formed as a rolled surface, and the plate surface is configured to make rolled surface contact with the terminal of the plug connector. The rear contact portion 13b is positioned so that the top that contacts the terminal of the plug connector protrudes forward in the Y direction beyond the insertion opening 3i of the movable housing 3 in a plan view.

The low-back side terminal piece 20 has a movable housing side base 21, a low-back side movable part 22 as the "first movable terminal part", a fixed side held part 23 as the "first housing held part", and a board connection part 24 as the "first board connection part". The low-back side terminal piece 20 is formed as a single part with different functions for each part by punching a flat conductive metal piece as the material into a long and thin plate and then bending it.

The low-back terminal piece 20 is a portion that can elastically deform when the plug connector is fitted into the movable housing 3. On the other hand, the contact terminal piece 10 requires a certain contact pressure against the terminal of the plug connector with which it is electrically connected. For this reason, the low-back terminal piece 20 is formed with a thinner plate thickness than the contact terminal piece 10. In this embodiment, the low-back terminal piece 20 has a plate thickness that is 70 to 80% of that of the contact terminal piece 10.

The movable housing side base 21 is a portion for connecting the low back terminal piece 20 to the contact terminal piece 10. The movable housing side base 21 is located at the front end of the low back terminal piece 20. The movable housing side base 21 has a flat plate shape with its plate surface along the XZ plane, and is formed into a rectangular shape that is longer in the Z direction than in the X direction when viewed from the front. The movable housing side base 21 is arranged so that the plate surface on the rear side faces the connecting surface 14A of the contact terminal piece 10. The movable housing side base 21 is joined to the connecting surface 14A by laser welding, resistance welding, or the like. In this way, the movable housing side base 21 is joined to the movable side held portion 11 of the contact terminal piece 10.

The socket connector 1 only needs to have a conductive connection between the contact terminal piece 10 and the low-back side terminal piece 20. Therefore, the method of connecting the contact terminal piece 10 and the low-back side terminal piece 20 is not limited to welding. For example, the socket connector 1 may be configured so that the contact terminal piece 10 and the low-back side terminal piece 20 are conductively connected by pressing both the contact terminal piece 10 and the low-back side terminal piece 20 into the movable terminal holding portion 3k that holds the terminal 4.

The low-back side movable part 22 is the movable part 4a of the low-back side terminal piece 20. The low-back side movable part 22 extends between the fixed side held part 23 and the movable side held part 11. The low-back side movable part 22 has a floating function that supports the movable housing 3 so that it can be displaced in three dimensions relative to the fixed housing 2. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the low-back side movable part 22 has, in order from the side closest to the fixed side held part 23, a first vertical piece 22a, a first bent part 22b, a second vertical piece 22c, a second bent part 22d, a first front and rear piece 22e, and a third bent part 22f.

The first vertical piece 22a extends obliquely upward from the fixed-side retained portion 23 toward the front in the Y direction. The first bent portion 22b is bent in an inverted U shape in side view at the upper end of the first vertical piece 22a. The second vertical piece 22c extends obliquely downward from the first bent portion 22b toward the front in the Y direction. The second bent portion 22d is bent toward the front in the Y direction at the lower end of the second vertical piece 22c. The first front-rear piece 22e extends forward in the Y direction from the second bent portion 22d. The third bent portion 22f is bent upward at the front end in the Y direction of the first front-rear piece 22e.

In the low-back side movable part 22, stress during elastic deformation tends to concentrate in the first bent part 22b, the second bent part 22d, and the third bent part 22f, compared to the first vertical piece part 22a, the second vertical piece part 22c, and the first front and rear piece part 22e. However, in this embodiment, the plate widths of the first bent part 22b, the second bent part 22d, and the third bent part 22f are formed wider than the plate widths of the first vertical piece part 22a, the second vertical piece part 22c, and the first front and rear piece part 22e. Therefore, according to this embodiment, stress during elastic deformation of the low-back side movable part 22 is easily dispersed.

The fixed-side held portion 23 is a portion for fixing the low-back side terminal piece 20 to the fixed housing 2. The fixed-side held portion 23 extends in the Z direction between the lower end of the first vertical piece portion 22a and the front end of the board connection portion 24. A press-fit protrusion 23a that protrudes outward in the X direction is formed on both side edges of the fixed-side held portion 23 in the plate width direction (X direction). The press-fit protrusions 23a are pressed into and bite into the low-back side terminal piece holding portion 2hA provided on the rear wall portion 2d of the fixed housing 2, thereby fixing the low-back side terminal piece 20 to the fixed housing 2 (see FIG. 7).

The board connection portion 24 is located in a portion including one end of the low-back side terminal piece 20, and is a portion for electrically connecting the low-back side terminal piece 20 to the circuit of the circuit board P1 and fixing it to the circuit board P1. When the low-back side terminal piece 20 is attached to the fixed housing 2, one end (rear end) of the board connection portion 24 protrudes rearward in the Y direction from below the rear wall portion 2d of the fixed housing 2 (see FIG. 2). A soldering portion is formed by mainly the lower plate surface of the board connection portion 24 and the upper surface of the circuit board P1 (see FIG. 2).

The high-back side terminal piece 30 has a movable housing side base 31, a high-back side movable part 32 as a "second movable terminal part", a fixed side held part 33 as a "first housing held part", and a board connection part 34 as a "second board connection part". The high-back side terminal piece 30 is formed as a single part with different functions for each part by punching a flat conductive metal piece as the material into a long and thin plate and then bending it.

The high-back side terminal piece 30, like the low-back side terminal piece 20, is a portion that can elastically deform when the plug connector is fitted into the movable housing 3. For this reason, the high-back side terminal piece 30 is also formed with a thinner plate thickness than the contact terminal piece 10. In this embodiment, the high-back side terminal piece 30, like the low-back side terminal piece 20, has a plate thickness that is 70 to 80% of that of the contact terminal piece 10.

The movable housing side base 31 is a portion for connecting the high back terminal piece 30 to the contact terminal piece 10. The movable housing side base 31 is located at the front end of the high back terminal piece 30. The movable housing side base 31 has a flat plate shape along the XZ plane, and is formed into a rectangular shape that is longer in the Z direction than in the X direction when viewed from the front. The movable housing side base 31 is arranged so that the front side plate surface faces the connecting back surface 14B of the contact terminal piece 10. The movable housing side base 31 is joined to the connecting back surface 14B by laser welding, resistance welding, or the like. In this way, the movable housing side base 31 is joined to the movable side held portion 11 of the contact terminal piece 10.

The socket connector 1 only needs to have a conductive connection between the contact terminal piece 10 and the high-back terminal piece 30. Therefore, the method of connecting the contact terminal piece 10 and the high-back terminal piece 30 is not limited to welding. For example, the socket connector 1 may be configured so that the contact terminal piece 10 and the high-back terminal piece 30 are both press-fitted into the movable terminal holding portion 3k that holds the terminal 4, thereby conductively connecting the contact terminal piece 10 and the high-back terminal piece 30.

The high-back side movable part 32 is the movable part 4a of the high-back side terminal piece 30. The high-back side movable part 32 extends between the fixed side held part 33 and the movable side held part 11. The high-back side movable part 32 has a floating function that supports the movable housing 3 so that it can be displaced in three dimensions relative to the fixed housing 2. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the high-back side movable part 32 has, in order from the side closest to the fixed side held part 33, a first vertical piece 32a, a first bent part 32b, a second vertical piece 32c, a second bent part 32d, a first front and rear piece 32e, and a third bent part 32f.

The first vertical piece 32a extends obliquely upward from the fixed-side retained portion 33 toward the front in the Y direction. The first bent portion 32b is bent in an inverted U shape in side view at the upper end of the first vertical piece 32a. The second vertical piece 32c extends obliquely downward from the first bent portion 32b toward the front in the Y direction. The second bent portion 32d is bent toward the front in the Y direction at the lower end of the second vertical piece 32c. The first front-rear piece 32e extends forward in the Y direction from the second bent portion 32d. The third bent portion 32f is bent upward at the front end in the Y direction of the first front-rear piece 32e.

In the high-back movable part 32, stress during elastic deformation tends to concentrate in the first bent part 32b, the second bent part 32d, and the third bent part 32f, compared to the first vertical piece part 32a, the second vertical piece part 32c, and the first front-rear piece part 32e. However, in this embodiment, the plate widths of the first bent part 32b, the second bent part 32d, and the third bent part 32f are formed wider than the plate widths of the first vertical piece part 32a, the second vertical piece part 32c, and the first front-rear piece part 32e. Therefore, according to this embodiment, stress during elastic deformation of the high-back movable part 32 is easily dispersed.

In the terminal 4, particularly in the movable part 4a, if a spring length is ensured to facilitate elastic deformation, that part will become soft but the electrical resistance will increase. To accommodate this, the plate width of the movable part 4a may be made thicker in the extension direction of the movable part 4a, i.e., in the parts that are long in the Y and Z directions, and the plate width of the movable part 4a may be made narrower in the parts that are short in the Y and Z directions. In this way, the electrical resistance is reduced in the parts that are long in the extension direction of the movable part 4a, and the spring is soft in the parts that are short in the extension direction of the movable part 4a. This makes it possible to equalize both the ease of elastic deformation and the electrical resistance in the movable part 4a regardless of the part.

Furthermore, the plate width may be different at the portion where the low-back terminal piece 20 and the high-back terminal piece 30 face each other. For example, the first vertical piece 22a and the first vertical piece 32a may be formed so that the shorter first vertical piece 22a is thinner in the extension direction and the longer first vertical piece 32a is thicker. The first front-rear piece 22e and the first front-rear piece 32e may be formed so that the longer first front-rear piece 22e is thicker in the extension direction and the shorter first front-rear piece 32e is thinner. The second vertical piece 22c and the second vertical piece 32c have the same length in the extension direction, so the plate width may also be the same.

In addition, the movable housing side base 21 and the movable housing side base 31 may be similarly formed so that the longer movable housing side base 21 is thicker and the shorter movable housing side base 31 is thinner.

The fixed-side held portion 33 is a portion for fixing the high-back side terminal piece 30 to the fixed housing 2. The fixed-side held portion 33 extends in the Z direction between the lower end of the first vertical piece portion 32a and the front end of the board connection portion 34. Press-fit protrusions 33a that protrude outward in the X direction are formed on both side edges of the fixed-side held portion 33 in the plate width direction (X direction). These press-fit protrusions 33a are pressed into and bite into the high-back side terminal piece holding portion 2hB provided on the rear wall portion 2d of the fixed housing 2, thereby fixing the high-back side terminal piece 30 to the fixed housing 2 (see FIG. 7).

The board connection portion 34 is located in a portion including one end of the high-back side terminal piece 30, and is a portion for electrically connecting the high-back side terminal piece 30 to the circuit of the circuit board P1 and fixing it to the circuit board P1. When the high-back side terminal piece 30 is attached to the fixed housing 2, one end (rear end) of the board connection portion 34 protrudes rearward in the Y direction from below the rear wall portion 2d of the fixed housing 2 (see FIG. 2). A soldering portion is formed by mainly the lower plate surface of the board connection portion 34 and the upper surface of the circuit board P1 (see FIG. 2).

As described above, the low-back terminal piece 20 has the same configuration as the high-back terminal piece 30, and the shapes are similar. In addition, in a side view, the low-back terminal piece 20 extends in a manner such that the portions other than the board connection portion are aligned with the high-back terminal piece 30 and do not overlap each other.

In other words, the socket connector 1 of this embodiment is configured to divide the movable parts 4a to increase their number, thereby making it possible to apply the socket connector 1 to a large current while maintaining the flexibility of the movable parts 4a. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when viewed from the perspective of the arrangement direction of the low-back side movable parts 22 and the high-back side movable parts 32, that is, when viewed from the side, the low-back side movable parts 22 and the high-back side movable parts 32 are arranged without overlapping each other. Therefore, even if the low-back side movable parts 22 and the high-back side movable parts 32 are close to each other in the arrangement direction, that is, the X direction, they are unlikely to come into contact with each other. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the low-back side movable parts 22 and the high-back side movable parts 32 can be arranged as close as possible to each other in the arrangement direction, and the socket connector 1 can be made smaller.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32 are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed from the mating direction of the plug connector, i.e., in a plan view. For example, the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32 are arranged alternately at equal intervals along the X direction as shown in FIG. 6. In this way, adjacent low-back side movable parts 22 and high-back side movable parts 32 are arranged so as not to overlap in any of the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction. Therefore, according to the socket connector 1 of this embodiment, the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32 can be made less likely to come into contact with each other regardless of the direction in which the movable part 4a is displaced.

The low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32 may be arranged so that the gap between them is as small as possible in their respective arrangement directions, i.e., the X direction, to the extent that they do not overlap in a plan view. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the socket connector 1 in the X direction while keeping the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32 from coming into contact with each other.

Second embodiment (FIGS. 7 to 9)

Below, we will explain the socket connector 101 as a second embodiment of the "movable connector" of the present invention, with reference to the drawings, mainly focusing on the parts of the configuration that differ from the socket connector 1 described above. In other words, unless otherwise specified, the socket connector 101 can achieve the same effects as the socket connector 1 described above.

Configuration of socket connector 101 (FIGS. 7 to 9)

The socket connector 101 of this embodiment includes a fixed housing 2 as a "first housing", a movable housing 3 as a "second housing", and a number of terminals 104. The fixed housing 2 and the movable housing 3 are the same in the socket connector 1 and the socket connector 101.

Terminal 104

In the socket connector 101 of this embodiment, four terminals 104 having the same shape are arranged in the same manner as terminal 4. Therefore, here, we will explain one terminal 104 that is arranged on the rear side of the socket connector 101 in the Y direction.

The terminal 104 has a movable part 104a that can be elastically deformed. In this embodiment, the terminal 104 is composed of three types of terminal pieces: a contact terminal piece 10 as a "contact part", a plurality of low-back side terminal pieces 120, for example, five, and a plurality of high-back side terminal pieces 130, for example, five. The movable part 104a is formed on both the high-back side terminal piece 130 and the low-back side terminal piece 120. The low-back side terminal piece 120 has a movable housing side base 21, a low-back side movable part 22 as a "first movable terminal part", a fixed side held part 23 as a "first housing held part", and a board connection part 124 as a "first board connection part". The high-back side terminal piece 130 has a movable housing side base portion 31, a high-back side movable portion 32 as a "second movable terminal portion", a fixed side held portion 33 as a "first housing held portion", and a board connection portion 134 as a "second board connection portion".

In this way, terminal 104 is the same as terminal 4, except that the low-back side terminal piece 120 has a board connection portion 124, the high-back side terminal piece 130 has a board connection portion 134, and the low-back side terminal piece 120 and the high-back side terminal piece 130 are each composed of five pieces.

In this embodiment, when viewed from the mating direction of the plug connector, i.e., in a plan view, the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32 are arranged so that at least a portion of them overlap. Therefore, the socket connector 101 can be made smaller in the arrangement direction of the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32, i.e., in the X direction, by the amount of overlap between the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the five low-back side movable parts 22 and the five high-back side movable parts 32 are both arranged at equal intervals along the X direction. All five low-back side movable parts 22 and high-back side movable parts 32 are arranged so that they completely overlap each other in a plan view without protruding from each other in the X direction. Therefore, while the socket connector 101 has two movable parts 104a, the low-back side movable parts 22 and the high-back side movable parts 32, the width in the X direction, which is the arrangement direction of these, is the same length as a configuration with one movable part 104a. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the socket connector 101 can be made smaller while maintaining flexibility due to the divided movable parts 104a.

As shown in FIG. 9, if the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32 are arranged so as to completely overlap each other without protruding from each other in the X direction in a plan view, the board connection part 124 and the board connection part 134 will interfere with each other.

In contrast, in the socket connector 101, the board connection part 124 at the end of the extension from the low-back side movable part 22 extends from the left side of the fixed-side held part 23, which is the "first side in the arrangement direction". On the other hand, the board connection part 134 at the end of the extension from the high-back side movable part 32 extends from the right side of the fixed-side held part 33, which is the "second side in the arrangement direction", which is the opposite side to the "first side". Therefore, the board connection part 124 and the board connection part 134 can be arranged close to each other in the arrangement direction, i.e., the X direction. Therefore, the socket connector 101 can be made smaller in size in the arrangement direction of the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32, i.e., the X direction.

In this embodiment, it is sufficient that the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32 are arranged so that at least a portion of them overlap when viewed from the top, but this does not exclude the low-back side movable part 22 and the high-back side movable part 32 from overlapping at least a portion of them when viewed from the side.

Variations

In the first embodiment, the terminal 4 is composed of three types of terminal pieces: a contact terminal piece 10, a low-back terminal piece 20, and a high-back terminal piece 30. However, the contact terminal piece 10 and one of the low-back terminal piece 20 and the high-back terminal piece 30 may be formed as a single part that is previously joined together. This is also the case in the second embodiment.

1. Socket connector (movable connector)
2 Fixed housing (first housing)
2a Accommodation space 2b Fixing bracket attachment part 2c Front wall part 2d Rear wall part 2e Side wall part 2f Upper wall part 2g Top opening part 2hA Low back side terminal piece holding part 2hB High back side terminal piece holding part 3 Movable housing (second housing)
3a Movable side engaging part 3b Heat dissipation part 3c Front wall 3d Rear wall 3e Side wall 3f Top wall 3g Partition wall 3h Fitting chamber 3i Insertion port 3j Insertion guide surface 3k Movable side terminal holding part 4 Terminal 4a Movable part 5 Fixing bracket 10 Contact terminal piece (contact part)
11 Movable side held portion (second housing held portion)
11a Press-fit protrusion 12 Front contact piece 12a Front elastic arm 12b Front contact portion 13 Rear contact piece 13a Rear elastic arm 13b Rear contact portion 14A Connecting surface (connecting portion)
14B Connecting back side (connecting part)
20: Lower back terminal piece 21: Movable housing side base portion 22: Lower back movable portion (first movable terminal portion)
22a: First vertical piece 22b: First bent portion 22c: Second vertical piece 22d: Second bent portion 22e: First front/rear piece 22f: Third bent portion 23: Fixed side held portion (first housing held portion)
23a: Press-fit protrusion 24: Board connection portion (first board connection portion)
30 High-back side terminal piece 31 Movable housing side base portion 32 High-back side movable portion (second movable terminal portion)
32a: First vertical piece 32b: First bent portion 32c: Second vertical piece 32d: Second bent portion 32e: First front/rear piece 32f: Third bent portion 33: Fixed side held portion (first housing held portion)
33a: Press-fit protrusion 34: Board connection portion (second board connection portion)
101 Socket connector (movable connector)
104 Terminal 104a Movable portion 120 Low-back terminal piece 124 Board connection portion (first board connection portion)
130 High-back terminal piece 134 Board connection portion (second board connection portion)
P1 Circuit board P2 Top surface (board surface)
X: width direction, left-right direction Y: depth direction, front-rear direction (first direction)
Z height direction, up and down direction

Claims (5)

A first housing;
a second housing displaceable relative to the first housing;
a terminal supporting the second housing so as to be displaceable relative to the first housing,
The terminal is
a first housing held portion held by the first housing;
a second housing held portion held by the second housing;
a movable portion that is elastically deformable between the first housing held portion and the second housing held portion;
A contact portion that is electrically connected to a connection object,
the movable portion has a first movable terminal portion and a second movable terminal portion formed as a separate part from the first movable terminal portion,
the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion are arranged to overlap each other when viewed from a direction in which the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion are connected to the connection object,
The first movable terminal portion is
a plurality of linearly extending first portions;
a bent portion that is curved in a U-shape and connects the first portions to each other,
The movable connector is characterized in that the first movable terminal portion has the first portion and the bent portion disposed on the rear side of the second movable terminal portion in the connection direction . The first portion of the first movable terminal portion is disposed so as to overlap the second movable terminal portion without protruding from the second movable terminal portion when viewed from the connecting direction.
The movable connector according to claim 1. The first housing includes:
a first terminal piece holding portion that holds the first housing held portion of the first movable terminal portion;
a second terminal piece holding portion that holds the first housing held portion of the second movable terminal portion,
3. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal piece holding portion is positioned apart from the second terminal piece holding portion in a direction intersecting the connecting direction and a plate width direction of the terminal. 4. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the first movable terminal portion and the second movable terminal portion have different plate widths at predetermined locations where they face each other. The first movable terminal portion is
a first bent portion that is bent in an inverted U-shape from the first housing held portion side toward the connection direction;
a second bent portion and a third bent portion bent in a direction opposite to the connection direction from the first bent portion side,
A movable connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second movable terminal portion is arranged opposite the outside of the outer periphery of the first bent portion and opposite the inside of the inner periphery of the second bent portion and the third bent portion.

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