JP7705595B2 - Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly, and in particular to a floating connector having a movable housing that is movable relative to a fixed housing.

In electrical connectors for circuit boards, positional deviations (errors) may occur in the circuit board or housing when assembling and mounting electronic devices. It would be convenient to have a connector that can absorb such errors. As electrical connectors for circuit boards, so-called floating connectors are known in which the mating connector connected to the electrical connector is movable relative to the electrical connector. Such floating connectors have a fixed housing that holds one end of a terminal and is fixed to the circuit board by soldering the terminal to the circuit board, and a movable housing that is separate from the fixed housing, is movable relative to the fixed housing, and holds the other end of the terminal that is connected to the mating connector in contact with the mating connector. The terminal has an elastic portion that is not supported in any way between the held portions of the fixed housing and the movable housing, and the elastic portion elastically deforms, allowing the movable housing to move relative to the fixed housing, enabling the so-called floating.

Examples of technologies related to such floating connectors include those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

JP 2018-195567 A JP 2019-071215 A

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for miniaturization of electronic components used in camera modules, mobile information terminals, and the like. Accordingly, it has become necessary to miniaturize and reduce the height of the connectors used with these electronic components. In particular, in the case of floating connectors, it is difficult to miniaturize and reduce the height of the connector due to the floating function.

Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can realize a smaller and thinner electrical connector while ensuring a tolerance for misalignment when mating with a mating connector.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

A brief overview of representative embodiments disclosed in this application is as follows:

That is, a representative embodiment of an electrical connector includes a fixed housing, a movable housing displaceable relative to the fixed housing, and a terminal held by the fixed housing and the movable housing, the terminal having a first fixed portion held by the fixed housing, a second fixed portion held by the movable housing, an elastic portion between the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion, and a contact portion that contacts a terminal of a mating connector, the terminal being manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate, the elastic portion having a curved shape, the contact portion having a rolled surface shape, the movable housing having a guide portion consisting of a slope on the mating side outer surface, and configured such that when mated with the mating connector, the inner surface of the housing of the mating connector fits along the guide portion.

In addition, an electrical connector assembly according to a representative embodiment includes a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector that is mated with the first electrical connector, the first electrical connector includes a fixed housing, a movable housing displaceable relative to the fixed housing, and a terminal held by the fixed housing and the movable housing, the terminal includes a first fixed portion held by the fixed housing, a second fixed portion held by the movable housing, an elastic portion between the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion, and a second electrical connector. and a contact portion that comes into contact with the terminal of the second electrical connector, the terminal being manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate, the elastic portion having a curved shape, the contact portion having a rolled surface shape, the movable housing having a guide portion consisting of a slope on the mating outer surface, the second electrical connector having a guided portion on the outer inner surface of the housing, and configured such that when the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are mated, the guided portion of the housing of the second electrical connector fits along the guide portion of the first electrical connector.

The effects obtained by the representative embodiments disclosed in this application can be briefly explained as follows:

The connector can be made smaller and thinner while still maintaining a certain tolerance for misalignment when mating with the mating connector.

1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a front view showing a configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a left side view showing a configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a fixed housing in the electrical connector of the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a movable housing in the electrical connector of the present embodiment (as viewed from above). FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a movable housing in the electrical connector of the present embodiment (as viewed from below). FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a terminal in the electrical connector of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of a terminal in the electrical connector of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a support fitting in the electrical connector of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a mating connector. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a floating state when the electrical connector of the present embodiment and a mating connector are mated. 1 is a front view showing a state in which the electrical connector of the present embodiment and the mating connector start to be fitted together; 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 13. 1 is a front view showing a state in which the electrical connector of the embodiment and the mating connector are in the middle of being mated. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 15. 1 is a front view showing a state after the electrical connector of the embodiment and the mating connector are mated. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 17.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In all drawings used to explain the embodiment, the same components are generally designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

In the following embodiments, when necessary for convenience, they will be divided into multiple sections or embodiments for explanation; however, unless otherwise specified, they are not unrelated to one another, and one is a partial or complete modification, detail, supplementary explanation, etc., of the other. Furthermore, in the following embodiments, when the number of elements (including the number, numerical value, amount, range, etc.) is mentioned, it is not limited to that specific number, and may be more or less than the specific number, except when otherwise specified or when it is clearly limited in principle to a specific number.

In the following embodiments, for convenience of explanation, the longitudinal direction (terminal arrangement direction) of _the electrical connector is defined as the X ( _X1X2 ) direction, the transverse direction (terminal facing direction) is defined as _the Y ( _Y1Y2 ) direction, and the height direction (mating/removing direction) is defined as the Z ( _Z1Z2 ) direction. Note that each direction is intended to explain the relative positional relationship of the parts constituting the connector, and does _not indicate an absolute direction.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a front view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a left side view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.

First, an example of the configuration of an electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. The electrical connector 1 of this embodiment is a floating connector mounted on a circuit board (not shown), and as shown in Figures 1 to 4, comprises a fixed housing 10, a movable housing 30 that is displaceable relative to the fixed housing 10, eight terminals 50 whose one end is held by the fixed housing 10 and whose other end is held by the movable housing 30, and four support fittings 70 held by the fixed housing 10. The support fittings 70 are configured to restrict the displacement of the movable housing 30 in the XYZ directions. The electrical connector 1 is incorporated into and used in electronic devices such as camera modules and information communication terminals.

All eight terminals 50 have the same shape and are configured in two rows, with four terminals 50 in each row arranged along the X direction, and the two rows of terminals are arranged opposite each other. That is, the terminals in the first row and the terminals in the second row are arranged symmetrically with respect to the X axis. Note that in this embodiment, the number of terminals is eight, but this is not limited to this, and the number of terminals can be changed as desired. The terminals 50 are press-fitted into the fixed housing 10 and the movable housing 30.

The four support brackets 70 are attached to the four corners of the fixed housing 10. The support brackets 70 are configured to restrict a predetermined displacement of the movable housing 30 in the X, Y, and Z directions. The support brackets 70 are also press-fitted into the fixed housing 10.

The fixed housing 10 and the movable housing 30 are made of insulating materials such as resin, plastic, or carbon fiber. The terminals 50 are made of conductive materials such as metal. The support brackets 70 are made of materials that can be bent, such as metal. However, the components of the electrical connector 1 and the materials of each component are not necessarily limited to these.

Next, the configuration of the fixed housing 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the fixed housing 10. As shown in Fig. 5, the fixed housing 10 has a rectangular shape with a space 14 in the center, and includes a pair of side wall portions 11 extending in the X direction, a pair of connecting wall portions 12 extending in the Y direction, and four movable restricting portions 13 that connect the side wall portions 11 and the connecting wall portions 12 at the four corners and protrude in the fitting direction ( _Z1 direction). The movable restricting portions 13 are configured to restrict the displacement of the movable housing 30. The terminals 50 are press-fitted and fixed in the side wall portions 11. Furthermore, eight recesses 15 in which the elastic portions of the terminals 50 are accommodated are provided on the inner side of the side wall portions 11. Furthermore, the movable restricting portions 13 are provided with through holes 16 penetrating in the Z direction, into which the support fittings 70 are press-fitted and fixed.

Next, the configuration of the movable housing 30 will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing the configuration of the movable housing. Fig. 6 is a view from above, and Fig. 7 is a view from below. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the movable housing 30 includes eight mating recesses 31 into which the terminals 90 of the mating connector 2 are inserted, and a movable restricting portion 32 for restricting the movable range of the movable housing 30 by contacting the support metal fitting 70 and the movable restricting portion 13. The movable housing 30 also includes a guide portion 33 having a slope on the outer surface of the mating side ( _Z1 direction), and is configured so that the inner surface 81 of the housing 80 of the mating connector 2 fits along the guide portion 33 when mated with the mating connector 2. The movable restricting portion 32 also includes a guide portion 34 having a slope on the outer surface of the mating side ( _Z1 direction), and is configured so that the inner surface 82 of the housing 80 of the mating connector 2 fits along the guide portion 34 when mated with the mating connector 2.

Next, the configuration of the terminal 50 will be described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the terminal. Fig. 9 is a side view showing the configuration of the terminal. Fig. 9 shows only the terminals on the first row side, but the terminals on the second row are oriented in the opposite direction and have the same shape. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the terminal 50 includes a first fixed portion 51 held by the fixed housing 10, a second fixed portion 52 held by the movable housing 30, a third fixed portion 53 held by the movable housing 30, an elastic portion 54 between the first fixed portion 51 and the second fixed portion 52, a contact portion 55 that contacts the terminal 90 of the mating connector 2, and a board connection portion 56 for connecting to a circuit board. The elastic portion 54 has a shape curved in the _Z1 direction. The elasticity of the elastic portion 54 allows the movable housing 30 to be displaced relative to the fixed housing 10. The contact portion 55 has a rolled surface shape. The terminal 50 is manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate. The second fixing portion 52 and the third fixing portion 53 are disposed opposite to each other. The first fixing portion 51, the second fixing portion 52 and the third fixing portion 53 are provided with protrusions 57, 58 and 59, respectively, for preventing the first fixing portion 51, the second fixing portion 52 and the third fixing portion 53 from coming off.

Next, the configuration of the support bracket 70 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the support bracket 70. The four support brackets 70 have the same inverted L-shape. As shown in Fig. 10, the support bracket 70 includes a fixed portion 71 that is inserted into and fixed in the through hole 16 of the fixed housing 10, and a movement restricting portion 72 that restricts the displacement of the movable housing 30. The fixed portion 71 is also provided with a protrusion 73 for preventing the movable housing 30 from coming off. The support bracket 70 is manufactured by punching a metal plate. The movement restricting portion 72 abuts against the movable housing 30 to restrict the displacement of the movable housing 30 in the _Z1 direction and the X direction.

Next, the configuration of the mating connector 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the mating connector 2. As shown in FIG. 11, the mating connector 2 includes a housing 80 and eight terminals 90. The housing 80 includes a pair of side walls 85 extending in the X direction and a pair of connecting walls 86 connecting the pair of side walls 85. The side walls 85 and the connecting walls 86 are large enough to cover the entire electrical connector 1. That is, when the mating connector 2 is mated with the electrical connector 1, it is deeply mated so as to cover or cover the electrical connector 1, so that the mating connector 2 is closer to the circuit board and the height of the entire connector is lowered. In addition, the inner surfaces 81 and 82 of the outer walls of the housing 80 are provided with guided portions 83 and 84 that abut against the guide portions 33 and 34 when mated with the electrical connector 1. That is, when the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2 are mated, the guided portions 83 and 84 of the housing 80 are configured to fit along the guide portions 33 and 34 of the electrical connector 1. This makes it easier to align the connectors when mating.

Next, the floating function of the electrical connector 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a floating state when the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention and the mating connector are mated. In FIG. 12, the mating connector 2 is displaced in the _X1 direction, and the movable housing 30 is displaced in the _X1 direction correspondingly. The elasticity of the elastic portion 54 of the terminal 50 allows the movable housing 30 to be flexibly displaced. Note that FIG. 12 shows a case where the movable housing 30 is displaced in the X direction, but the movable housing 30 can be displaced in any direction of the XYZ directions. This makes it possible to absorb the positional deviation with the mating connector. The elastic portion 54 of the terminal 50 is deformed to absorb the positional deviation between the connectors. The movable range of the movable housing 30 is determined by the positions and dimensions of the movable restricting portion 13, the movable restricting portion 32, and the movable restricting portion 72.

Next, the state of mating between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2 will be described with reference to Figures 13 to 18. Figure 13 is a front view showing the state at the start of mating between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2. Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Figure 13. Figure 15 is a front view showing the state in the middle of mating between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2. Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in Figure 15. Figure 17 is a front view showing the state after mating between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2. Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in Figure 17. As shown in Figure 13, when the connectors start mating, the guided portions 83 and 84 of the mating connector 2 abut against the guide portions 33 and 34 of the electrical connector 1 and are aligned. When mating is further advanced, the inner surfaces 81 and 82 of the mating connector 2 abut against the outer surfaces 35 and 36 of the electrical connector 1, as shown in Figure 16, and mating advances. Furthermore, when the connectors are mated, as shown in FIG. 18, the housing 80 of the mating connector 2 covers the electrical connector 1 and is deeply mated when mating is complete. This brings the mating connector 2 closer to the circuit board, making it possible to reduce the height of the entire connector.

Therefore, according to the electrical connector and electrical connector assembly of this embodiment, the floating function can absorb the mating error when mating the electrical connector with the mating connector. In addition, since the electrical connector and the mating connector are deeply mated, a low profile can be achieved.

The invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiment thereof, but it goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the electrical connector 1 has been described as having a floating function, but the mating connector 2 may also have a floating function.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the application was described as being to a connector mounted on a board, but the present invention is not limited to this and may also be applied to a connector connected to a cable, etc.

1 Electrical connector 2 Mating connector 10 Fixed housing 11 Side wall 12 Connecting wall 13 Movable restriction portion 14 Space 15 Recess 16 Through hole 30 Movable housing 31 Fitting recess 32 Movable restriction portion 33 Guide portion 34 Guide portion 35 Outer surface 36 Outer surface 50 Terminal 51 First fixing portion 52 Second fixing portion 53 Third fixing portion 54 Elastic portion 55 Contact portion 56 Board connecting portion 57 Protrusion 58 Protrusion 59 Protrusion 70 Support metal fitting 71 Fixed portion 72 Movable restriction portion 73 Protrusion 80 Housing 81 Inner surface 82 Inner surface 83 Guided portion 84 Guided portion 85 Side wall 86 Connecting wall 90 Terminal

Claims (8)

A fixed housing;
a movable housing displaceable relative to the fixed housing;
a terminal held by the fixed housing and the movable housing,
the terminal has a first fixed portion held by the fixed housing, a second fixed portion held by the movable housing, an elastic portion between the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion, and a contact portion that comes into contact with a terminal of a mating connector;
The terminal is manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate,
The elastic portion has a curved shape,
The contact portion has a roll surface shape,
The movable housing has a guide portion formed of a slope on an outer surface of the fitting side,
When the connector is mated with the mating connector, an inner surface of a housing of the mating connector is fitted along the guide portion,
When the arrangement direction of the terminals is an X direction and the opposing direction of the terminals is a Y direction, the maximum width of the movable housing is larger than the maximum width of the fixed housing in the X direction and the Y direction,
the fixed housing includes a pair of side wall portions extending in the X direction, a pair of connecting wall portions connecting ends of the side wall portions and extending in the Y direction, and a first movable restricting portion protruding in a fitting direction, the first movable restricting portion being configured to restrict a movable range of the movable housing,
The electrical connector further includes a support bracket held by the fixed housing,
the support fitting includes a second movement restricting portion that restricts displacement of the movable housing,
The second movement restricting portion is within a range of a thickness in the X direction of the connecting wall portion of the fixed housing. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first movable restriction portion protrudes in the mating direction at four corners of the fixed housing. The terminal further includes a third fixed portion held by the movable housing,
The electrical connector according to claim 1 , wherein the second fixing portion and the third fixing portion are disposed opposite each other. A first electrical connector;
a second electrical connector mated with the first electrical connector,
The first electrical connector comprises:
A fixed housing;
a movable housing displaceable relative to the fixed housing;
a terminal held by the fixed housing and the movable housing;
the terminal has a first fixed portion held by the fixed housing, a second fixed portion held by the movable housing, an elastic portion between the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion, and a contact portion that contacts a terminal of the second electrical connector;
The terminal is manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate,
The elastic portion has a curved shape,
The contact portion has a roll surface shape,
The movable housing has a guide portion formed of a slope on an outer surface of the fitting side,
The second electrical connector has a guided portion on an outer inner surface of a housing,
a guided portion of a housing of the second electrical connector is configured to mate along the guide portion of the first electrical connector when the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are mated,
When the arrangement direction of the terminals is an X direction and the opposing direction of the terminals is a Y direction, the maximum width of the movable housing is larger than the maximum width of the fixed housing in the X direction and the Y direction,
the fixed housing of the first electrical connector includes a pair of side wall portions extending in the X direction, a pair of connecting wall portions connecting ends of the side wall portions and extending in the Y direction, and a first movable restricting portion protruding in a fitting direction, the first movable restricting portion being configured to restrict a movable range of the movable housing,
The first electrical connector further includes a support bracket held by the fixed housing,
the support fitting includes a second movement restricting portion that restricts displacement of the movable housing,
the second movement restricting portion is within a range of a thickness in the X direction of the connecting wall portion of the fixed housing. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 4, wherein the first movable restriction portion protrudes in the mating direction at four corners of the fixed housing. The terminal of the first electrical connector further includes a third fixed portion held by the movable housing,
6. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 4, wherein the second fixing portion and the third fixing portion are disposed opposite each other. An electronic device equipped with the electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An electronic device equipped with the electrical connector assembly according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

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