JP7730144B2 - electrical connectors - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical connector. In particular, it relates to the structure of an electrical connector that electrically connects to a battery (rechargeable battery) built into a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone.

Battery electrical connectors electrically connect electronic devices, such as mobile phones that use batteries as their power source, to their batteries. Generally, battery electrical connectors are small electrical connectors (printed circuit board connectors) that can be mounted on printed circuit boards built into electronic devices.

Such battery electrical connectors (hereafter referred to as "connectors") consist of an insulating housing and multiple contacts housed within this housing. These contacts are typically so-called bellows contacts, made by stamping a conductive metal plate into an extremely thin strip, which is then bent to achieve uniform spring characteristics.

Portable electronic devices and the batteries built into them are becoming smaller and thinner. Due to these circumstances, bellows contacts are also becoming smaller. In response to this further miniaturization of electrical connectors, electrical connectors have been disclosed that use contacts with long spring lengths, but do not allow the spring portions of the contacts to come into contact with each other (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-174477

Figure 15 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electrical connector according to conventional technology, showing the state in which the spring portion is not elastically deformed. Figure 16 is a perspective view of a contact provided in an electrical connector according to conventional technology, with Figure 16(A) showing the state in which the spring portion is not elastically deformed and Figure 16(B) showing the state in which the spring portion is elastically deformed.

Note that Figure 15 of this application corresponds to Figure 2 of Patent Document 1. Also, Figure 16 of this application corresponds to Figure 5 of Patent Document 1.

Referring to Figure 15, a conventional electrical connector (hereinafter simply referred to as "connector") 9 includes one or more bellows-shaped contacts 91 and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 92. The contacts 91 are formed by bending a strip of metal plate. The housing 92 houses the contacts.

Referring to Figure 15, the connector 9 is mounted on one side of the printed circuit board 9p. The connector 9 can electrically connect the battery Bt to the printed circuit board 9p via contacts 91. The multiple contacts 91 are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the housing 92. The housing 92 has a housing chamber 92r that penetrates in the width direction (Y direction) and houses the contacts 91.

Referring to Figures 15 and 16, the contact 91 has a flat base 911 and a spring portion 912 that can expand and contract in the direction in which the contact 91 extends. The base 911 is fixed to the back of the accommodation chamber 92r. The spring portion 912 is formed so that a portion of the tip of the base 911 extends in one direction and oscillates in a wave-like manner. The spring portion 912 forms a so-called snake spring that snakes in the expansion and contraction direction.

Also, referring to Figures 15 and 16, the contact 91 has a contact spring piece 913 and a pair of hooks 914. The contact spring piece 913 forms a contact 91s on a curved surface that slopes upward from the tip of the spring portion 912 and then inverts, allowing it to come into contact with an electrode terminal Et (mating terminal) provided on the end surface of the battery Bt. The contact spring piece 913 also protrudes from a window 92w in the housing 92 (see Figure 15).

Referring to Figures 15 and 16, the pair of hooks 914 are positioned facing the contact spring piece 913 with a predetermined gap between them. The pair of hooks 914 are engaged with the protruding wall 92t provided on the window 92w side of the housing 92 (see Figure 15). This applies a predetermined preload to the contact spring piece 913.

Referring to Figure 16, the contact spring piece 913 has a rectangular notch 91c at its tip that can accommodate the spring portion 912. Referring to Figure 16, when the battery Bt is moved toward the contact 91s, the contact spring piece 913 retracts, but the spring portion 912 also retracts, and the spring portion 912 is accommodated in the notch 91c, thereby preventing a short circuit between the contact spring piece 913 and the spring portion 912.

Referring to Figure 15 or Figure 16 (A), the snake spring contact 91 has many bends other than right-angle bends from P1 to P4, which makes it difficult to ensure the dimensional positional accuracy of the contact 91. Furthermore, the snake spring contact 91 has the problem that the contact pressure with the electrode terminal Et of the battery Bt is relatively weak.

There was a need for an electrical connector with contacts that could be easily pressed while maintaining a compact size, and an electrical connector with contacts that could increase contact pressure with the electrode terminals Et of the battery Bt and prevent momentary disconnections with the battery Bt. These are the objectives of the present invention.

The present invention was developed in response to these problems, and aims to provide an electrical connector with contacts that can ensure dimensional positional accuracy, are easy to press, and have increased contact pressure with the mating terminal.

The inventors believed that by forming the contacts, which are made by bending metal plate, into a box shape, it would be possible to reduce the number of bends other than right-angle bends from the contact spring piece that comes into contact with the mating terminal to the fixing part that is fixed to the housing. This led to the creation of a new electrical connector that solves the above-mentioned problems.

(1) The electrical connector of the present invention comprises one or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, and a rectangular parallelepiped housing with the contacts mounted inside. The contacts have a rectangular box-shaped portion consisting of a flat top plate, a pair of side plates bent from both ends of the top plate, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates bent from the side plates facing the top plate and arranged with their thickness surfaces facing each other with a specified gap between them; contact spring pieces that partially protrude in one direction from the top plate and slope downward toward the pair of bottom plates before inverting, forming contacts that can come into contact with mating terminals; and a fixing portion that is arranged in the other direction opposite the direction in which the contact spring pieces protrude and is fixed to the housing. The housing has an accommodation chamber that accommodates at least the box portion, and a window that communicates with the accommodation chamber and allows the contact spring pieces to protrude to the outside.

(2) It is preferable that the fixed portion of the contact has a lead piece that is soldered to one side of the printed circuit board.

(3) The contact may further include a pair of trailing side plates bent in the width direction from the tip ends of the pair of bottom plates and arranged opposite each other, a trailing top plate arranged opposite the pair of bottom plates and connecting the tip ends of the pair of trailing side plates, and a rectangular frame-shaped trailing box portion composed of a strip-shaped piece extending opposite the top plate, and the fixing portion may include a pair of first press-fit pieces that extend continuously from the tip ends of the strip-shaped piece toward the bottom plate and can be press-fitted into the housing.

(4) The pair of bottom plates may have second press-fit pieces at their tip ends that can be press-fitted into the housing.

This invention provides an electrical connector that can guarantee dimensional positional accuracy, is easy to press, and has contacts with increased contact pressure with the mating terminal.

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the configuration of the electrical connector according to the first embodiment, in which FIG. 3A is a front view showing a partial configuration of the electrical connector, and FIG. 3B is a view taken along the arrows XX in FIG. 3A. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the configuration of a housing provided in the electrical connector according to the first embodiment, in which FIG. 4A is a front view of the housing and FIG. 4B is a rear view of the housing. 5A and 5B are perspective views showing the configuration of contacts provided in the electrical connector according to the first embodiment, where FIG. 5A is a view of the contacts as seen from the top side, and FIG. 5B is a view of the contacts as seen from the bottom side. 6A and 6B are right side views showing the configuration of contacts provided in the electrical connector according to the first embodiment, in which FIG. 6A is a diagram showing the state before the contacts are elastically deformed, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the state after the contacts have elastically deformed. FIG. 2 is a development view of a contact provided in the electrical connector according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is a front view showing a partial configuration of the electrical connector, and FIG. 10B is a view taken along the arrows X-X in FIG. 10A. 10A to 10C are diagrams showing the configuration of a housing provided in an electrical connector according to a second embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is a front view of the housing, FIG. 10B is a rear view of the housing, and FIG. 10C is a plan view of the housing. 12A and 12B are perspective views showing the configuration of contacts provided in an electrical connector according to a second embodiment, where FIG. 12A is a view of the contacts as seen from the top side, and FIG. 12B is a view of the contacts as seen from the bottom side. 13A and 13B are right side views showing the configuration of contacts provided in an electrical connector according to a second embodiment, in which FIG. 13A is a diagram showing the state before the contacts are elastically deformed, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing the state after the contacts have elastically deformed. FIG. 10 is a development view of a contact provided in the electrical connector according to the second embodiment. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional electrical connector, showing a state in which a spring portion is not elastically deformed. 16A and 16B are perspective views of a contact provided in an electrical connector according to the prior art, in which FIG. 16A shows a state in which the spring portion is not elastically deformed, and FIG. 16B shows a state in which the spring portion is elastically deformed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
(Configuration of Electrical Connector)
First, the configuration of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(Overall structure)
1 to 3, an electrical connector (hereinafter simply referred to as connector) 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention can be electrically connected to a battery Bt (see FIG. 15) built into a portable telephone. The connector 10 includes a pair of bellows-shaped contacts 1 and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 3.

Referring to Figures 2, 3, and 5, the contact 1 is formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate. The housing 3 mounts the contact 1 therein (see Figure 3(B)). The housing 3 has an accommodating chamber 3r that accommodates the contact 1 (see Figure 3(B)). The housing 3 also has a window 3w that communicates with the accommodating chamber 3r and allows the contact spring piece 111 to protrude to the outside (see Figure 4(B)).

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, contact 1 is a power contact that connects to the power terminal of the mating terminal and is located at both ends of housing 3. Between the pair of contacts 1, multiple signal contacts 1s are arranged in parallel to connect to the signal terminal of the mating terminal. The signal contacts 1s have the same structure as the power contact 1, but the contact spring pieces (described below) are configured to be narrower.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the connector 10 is mounted on a printed circuit board 1p. Referring to Figure 2, the printed circuit board 1p has a rectangular slot St cut out at one end. Referring to Figure 3(B), the connector 10 is inserted into the slot St from the bottom side. By soldering the lead pieces 5r on the shunt terminals 5 (described below) to pads on the printed circuit board 1p, and soldering the lead pieces 13r of the contacts 1 to pads, the connector 10 can be mounted on the printed circuit board 1p with a low profile.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the connector 10 further includes a pair of shunt terminals 5, 5 and a pair of reinforcing tabs 1t, 1t. The shunt terminal 5 is made of a conductive metal plate that is bent into a C-shape. The shunt terminal 5 surrounds the contact 1 from the outside and is located inside the housing 3. The shunt terminal 5 is positioned so that the inner wall of the top plate 5t contacts the top plate 11t of the contact 1. The shunt terminal 5 also has a lead piece 5r that can be soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 1p (see Figure 2). When the shunt terminal 5 contacts the contact 1, the current flowing through the contact 1 can be shunted.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the reinforcing tab 1t is formed in a crank shape. The base end of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the side of the housing 3. The tip end of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the printed circuit board 1p. This allows the connector 10 to be securely fixed to the printed circuit board 1p.

(Contact configuration)
The contact 1 is made of a conductive metal plate, and a desired shape can be obtained by bending a stamped, expanded plate (see FIG. 7). The contact 1 is preferably made of a conductive metal plate such as a copper alloy, but is not limited to a copper alloy.

Referring to Figure 3(B) or Figures 5 and 6, the contact 1 has a rectangular frame-shaped box portion 11, a contact spring piece 111, and a fixed portion 13. The box portion 11 is composed of a flat top plate 11t, a pair of side plates 11a, 11a, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates 11b, 11b.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the pair of side panels 11a, 11a are bent at approximately right angles from both widthwise ends of the top panel 11t. The pair of bottom panels 11b, 11b are bent at approximately right angles from these side panels 11a, 11a, facing the top panel 11t. The pair of bottom panels 11b, 11b are arranged with their thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap between them (see Figure 5(B)).

Referring to Figures 3, 5, and 6, the contact spring piece 111 has a strip-like portion that protrudes in one direction from the top plate 11t. The contact spring piece 111 forms a contact 11s on a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates 11b and then inverts, allowing it to come into contact with the electrode terminal Et (mating terminal).

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the fixed portion 13 is arranged in the opposite direction to the direction in which the contact spring piece 111 protrudes. The fixed portion 13 is fixed to the housing 3 from the bottom surface of the housing 3.

Referring to Figures 3, 5, and 6, the contact 1 further includes a rectangular frame-shaped trailing box portion 12. The trailing box portion 12 is composed of a pair of opposing trailing side plates 12a, 12a, a flat trailing top plate 12t, and a strip-shaped piece 121.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the pair of trailing side panels 12a are bent at approximately a right angle in the width direction from the tips of the pair of bottom panels 11b. The trailing top panel 12t is positioned opposite the pair of bottom panels 11b. The trailing top panel 12t connects the tips of the pair of trailing side panels 12a. The strip-shaped piece 121 extends in a strip shape on the opposite side from the top panel 11t.

Referring to Figures 3, 5, and 6, the fixed portion 13 has a pair of first press-fit pieces 13p. The pair of first press-fit pieces 13p extends continuously from the tip of the strip-shaped piece 121 toward the bottom plate 11b. The pair of first press-fit pieces 13p are bifurcated. The pair of first press-fit pieces 13p can be press-fit into the housing 3 from the bottom surface of the housing 3. The fixed portion 13 also has a lead piece 13r that is bent at a substantially right angle from the middle of the strip-shaped piece 121 and soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 1p (see Figure 3).

The contacts 1 can be obtained by bending a development plate such as that shown in Figure 7. After bending, the contacts 1 are connected to a strip-shaped contact carrier Cc. The contacts 1 can be connected in the direction in which the contact carrier Cc extends, and loose contacts 1 can be obtained by cutting the notches 1n (see Figure 2).

(Electrical Connector Action)
Next, the function and effect of the connector 10 will be explained while explaining the operation of the contact 1. Referring to Fig. 3(B), when the battery Bt (see Fig. 15) is moved toward the contact 11s (in the direction of arrow F) with the electrode terminal Et at the front, the contact 1 elastically deforms from the state shown in Fig. 6(A) to the state shown in Fig. 6(B). The contact 11s retracts toward the pair of first press-fit pieces 13p.

In the process of elastically deforming from the state shown in Figure 6(A) to the state shown in Figure 6(B), the box section 11 and the subsequent box section 12 do not easily deform elastically, and as shown in Figure 6(B), the contact spring piece 111, the pair of bottom plates 11b, 11b, and the strip piece 121 elastically deform.

Referring to Figure 6, the contact 1 according to the embodiment displaces in the depth direction from D1 to D2, but the amount of heightwise displacement from H1 to H2 is smaller than the displacement in the depth direction. On the other hand, the contact spring piece 111 easily bends in the height direction, allowing for a sufficient wiping effect as the contact 11s slides against the electrode terminal Et. The contact 1 according to the embodiment is a small contact, yet can ensure a sufficient wiping amount.

5, the contact 1 according to the embodiment has a box-shaped intermediate portion from the contact point 11s to the fixed portion 13, thereby reducing the number of bends other than right-angle bends to two, M1 and M2. This makes it easier to ensure the dimensional positional accuracy of the contact. Furthermore, by forming a box-shaped intermediate portion from the contact point 11s to the fixed portion 13, it is possible to increase the contact pressure with the electrode terminal Et of the battery Bt while maintaining a compact size.

Second Embodiment
(Configuration of Electrical Connector)
Next, the configuration of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(Overall structure)
8 to 10, a connector 20 according to a second embodiment of the present invention can be electrically connected to a battery Bt (see FIG. 15) built into a portable telephone. The connector 20 includes a pair of bellows-shaped contacts 2 and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 4.

Referring to Figures 9, 10, and 12, the contact 2 is formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate. The housing 4 has the contact 2 mounted therein (see Figure 10(B)). The housing 4 has an accommodating chamber 4r that accommodates the contact 2 (see Figure 10(B)). The housing 4 is preferably made of insulating synthetic resin.

Referring to Figures 8 and 9, contact 1 is a power contact that connects to the power terminal of the mating terminal and is located at both ends of the housing 4. Between a pair of contacts 2, 2, multiple signal contacts 2s are arranged in parallel to connect to the signal terminal of the mating terminal. The signal contacts 2s have the same structure as the power contacts 2, but the contact spring pieces (described below) are configured to be narrower.

Referring to Figures 8 and 9, the connector 20 is mounted on a printed circuit board 2p. Referring to Figure 9, the printed circuit board 2p has a rectangular slot St cut out at one end. Referring to Figure 10(B), the connector 20 is introduced into the slot St from the bottom side. By soldering the lead pieces 6r on the shunt terminals 6 (described below) to pads on the printed circuit board 2p, and soldering the lead pieces 23r of the contacts 2 to pads, the connector 20 can be mounted on the printed circuit board 2p with a low profile.

Referring to Figures 8 to 10, the connector 20 further includes a pair of shunt terminals 6 and a pair of reinforcing tabs 1t. The shunt terminal 6 is made of conductive metal plate, which is bent into a box shape. The shunt terminal 6 surrounds the contact 2 from the outside and is disposed inside the housing 4. The shunt terminal 6 is disposed so that the top of the cantilevered spring piece 6s contacts the top plate 21t of the contact 2 from the inner wall side (see Figure 10(B)). The shunt terminal 5 also has a lead piece 6r that can be soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 2p (see Figure 9). When the shunt terminal 6 contacts the contact 2, the current flowing through the contact 2 can be shunted.

Referring to Figures 8 and 9, the reinforcing tab 1t is formed in a crank shape. The base end of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the side of the housing 4. The tip end of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the printed circuit board 2p. This allows the connector 20 to be securely fixed to the printed circuit board 2p.

(Contact configuration)
The contacts 2 are made of conductive metal plate, and can be formed into a desired shape by bending a stamped, expanded plate (see FIG. 14). The contacts 2 are preferably made of a conductive metal plate such as a copper alloy, but are not limited to copper alloys.

Referring to Figure 10(B) or Figures 12 and 13, the contact 2 has a rectangular frame-shaped box portion 21, a contact spring piece 211, and a fixing portion 23. The box portion 21 is composed of a flat top plate 21t, a pair of side plates 21a, 21a, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates 21b, 21b.

Referring to Figures 12 and 13, the pair of side panels 21a are bent at approximately right angles from both widthwise ends of the top panel 21t. The pair of bottom panels 21b are bent at approximately right angles from the side panels 21a, 21a, facing the top panel 21t. The pair of bottom panels 21b are also arranged with their thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap between them (see Figure 12(B)).

Referring to Figures 10, 12, and 13, the contact spring piece 211 has a strip-like portion that protrudes in one direction from the top plate 21t. The contact spring piece 211 forms a contact 21s on its curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates 21b and then inverts, allowing it to come into contact with the electrode terminal Et (mating terminal).

Referring to Figures 12 and 13, the fixed portion 23 is positioned in the opposite direction from the direction in which the contact spring piece 211 protrudes. The fixed portion 23 is fixed to the housing 4 from the window 4w side of the housing 4 (see Figure 11 (A)).

Referring to Figures 12 and 13, the fixed portion 23 has a pair of second press-fit pieces 23p. The pair of second press-fit pieces 23p are formed on the tip end side of the pair of bottom plates 21b, which extend in the opposite direction from the contact spring piece 211, via a step that rises from the pair of bottom plates 21b (see Figure 12(B)). The pair of second press-fit pieces 23p can be press-fit into the housing 4 from the window 4w side of the housing 4.

Referring to Figures 10, 12, and 13, the fixed portion 23 has a pair of reeds 23r. The reeds 23r are formed as a pair of strips that extend in the opposite direction from the contact spring piece 211, passing over a step that rises from the tip of the press-fit piece 23p (see Figure 12). The pair of reeds 23r can be soldered to one side of the printed circuit board 2p.

The contacts 2 can be obtained by bending a development plate such as that shown in Figure 14. After bending, the contacts 2 are connected to a strip-shaped contact carrier Cc. The contacts 2 can be connected in the direction in which the contact carrier Cc extends, and loose contacts 2 can be obtained by cutting the notches 2n (see Figure 9).

(Electrical Connector Action)
Next, the function and effect of the connector 20 will be described while explaining the operation of the contact 2. Referring to Fig. 10(B), when the battery Bt (see Fig. 15) is moved toward the contact 21s (in the direction of arrow F) with the electrode terminal Et at the front, the contact 2 elastically deforms from the state shown in Fig. 13(A) to the state shown in Fig. 13(B). The contact 21s retracts toward the pair of second press-fit pieces 23p, 23p.

In the process of elastically deforming from the state shown in Figure 13(A) to the state shown in Figure 13(B), the box portion 21 does not easily deform elastically, and as shown in Figure 13(B), the contact spring piece 211 and the strip-shaped piece continuing from the pair of bottom plates 21b, 21b elastically deform.

Referring to Figure 13, the contact 2 according to the embodiment displaces in the depth direction from D3 to D4, but the amount of heightwise displacement from H3 to H4 is smaller than the displacement in the depth direction. On the other hand, the contact spring piece 211 easily bends in the height direction, allowing for a sufficient wiping effect as the contact 211s slides against the electrode terminal Et. The contact 2 according to the embodiment is a small contact, yet can ensure a sufficient wiping amount.

Referring to Figure 12, the contact 2 according to this embodiment has a box-shaped intermediate section from the contact point 21s to the fixed portion 23, thereby reducing the number of bends other than right-angle bends to one M3. This makes it easier to ensure the dimensional positional accuracy of the contact. Furthermore, by having a box-shaped intermediate section from the contact point 21s to the fixed portion 23, it is possible to increase the contact pressure with the electrode terminal Et of the battery Bt despite the compact size.

Referring to Figures 10, 12, and 13, the contact 2 according to this embodiment has a special advantage in that the depth of the contact can be reduced compared to the first embodiment by having only one box-shaped portion at the front. This also has the advantage of reducing the depth of the housing (see Figure 8).

1 Contact 3 Housing 3r Receiving chamber 3w Window 10 Connector (electrical connector)
11 Box portion 11t Top plate 11s Contact 11a, 11a Pair of side plates 11b, 11b Pair of bottom plates 13 Fixing portion 111 Contact spring piece

Claims (3)

one or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate;
a rectangular parallelepiped housing in which the contacts are mounted,
The contact
a rectangular frame-shaped box portion including a flat top plate, a pair of side plates bent from both ends of the top plate, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates bent from the side plates in a state facing the top plate and arranged with their thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap provided;
a contact spring piece that partially protrudes in one direction from the top plate, and has a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates and then turns over, and on this curved surface, a contact that can come into contact with a mating terminal is formed;
a fixing portion that is disposed in a direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece protrudes and is fixed to the housing,
The housing includes:
a storage chamber that stores at least the box portion;
a window that communicates with the accommodation chamber and allows the contact spring piece to project to the outside,
the contact further includes a pair of trailing side plates bent in the width direction from the tip ends of the pair of bottom plates and arranged opposite to each other, a trailing top plate arranged opposite to the pair of bottom plates and connecting the tip ends of the pair of trailing side plates, and a rectangular frame-shaped trailing box portion formed by a strip-shaped piece extending on the opposite side from the top plate,
The pair of bottom plates are flat, strip-shaped plate pieces that are elastically deformable . An electrical connector as described in claim 1, wherein the fixed portion of the contact has a lead piece that is soldered to one side of the printed circuit board. An electrical connector as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the fixing portion has a pair of first press-fit pieces that extend continuously from the tip of the strip toward the bottom plate and can be press-fit into the housing.