JP7795362B2 - electrical connectors - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical connector used for electrical connections, particularly an electrical connector suitable for transmitting large amounts of electrical signals and power, and having a small, compact design.

Electrical connectors are used to transmit electrical signals and power. Because connectors for transmitting electrical signals often transmit small signal power, there is a trend toward miniaturization by arranging multiple contacts at a small pitch. On the other hand, connectors used to transmit large-capacity electrical signals, such as power from a power source, require relatively large contacts corresponding to the magnitude of the transmitted signal or power. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a board-connecting connector that is equipped with multiple signal contacts arranged at a small pitch and a pair of relatively wide power contacts, and is capable of transmitting and connecting signals and power from a power source.

In connectors, the power contacts used to transmit power from a power source must transmit a large amount of power, so they must be larger in size than the signal contacts used to transmit general electrical signals. Furthermore, at least one pair of power transmission lines is required to supply power, and power contacts are also provided in pairs. For example, the electrical connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a pair of power contacts 22ai arranged side by side on each of the front and rear side walls of the connector housing.

Patent No. 6428781

It is necessary to avoid the problem of adjacent contacts shorting out, both for signal contacts and power contacts. A short in power contacts in particular can easily lead to major problems, such as large currents flowing throughout the entire power line, so careful design is required to prevent foreign matter from becoming caught and causing a short between adjacent contacts when the male and female connectors are mated. One possible solution to prevent shorts caused by foreign matter being caught in the contacts is to install an insulating wall between adjacent contacts, but this requires increasing the dimension in the contact arrangement direction (pitch direction), which can result in the connector becoming larger.

The present invention was developed in light of these issues, and aims to provide an electrical connector that can be used to connect large-capacity power lines, such as power supply connectors, that prevents electrical shorts between adjacent contacts, and that can be made small and compact.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the electrical connector of the present invention is an electrical connector that is mated and connected to a mating connector, and is configured to include an insulating connector housing having a plurality of mating recesses that open upward to receive the mating protrusions of the mating connector, and a plurality of pairs of contact members that are arranged in pairs within each of the plurality of mating recesses and are held by the connector housing. The pair of contact elements arranged in each of the plurality of mating recesses is composed of a first contact element and a second contact element, and in each of the plurality of mating recesses, the first contact element has a first lead element extending in the front-rear direction at the lower part of the front side of the connector housing in the front-rear direction and exposed on the underside, a first contact element extending along one of the inner surfaces of the mating recess in the left-right direction, and a first intermediate element connecting the first lead element and the first contact element, and the second contact element has a second lead element extending in the front-rear direction at the lower part of the rear side of the connector housing in the front-rear direction and exposed on the underside, a second contact element extending along the other inner surface of the mating recess in the left-right direction, and a second intermediate element connecting the second lead element and the second contact element .
Furthermore, the first and second contact members are made from elongated plate material made of a conductive material, the first and second lead portions are formed so that their plate material surfaces extend parallel to the lower surface of the connector housing, the first and second intermediate portions are composed of a first bent surface portion having a plate material surface connected to the first and second lead portions and extending in the up-down and left-right directions, and a second bent surface portion bent laterally from the first bent surface portion and extending in the up-down and front-to-back directions, the first and second contact portions are formed by connecting to the second bent surface portion and extending in the up-down and front-to-back directions, and the first contact portion and the second contact portion are positioned opposite each other within the mating recess.

Furthermore, in the above electrical connector, preferably, the first contact portion is located at the front of one of the inner surfaces in the left-right direction within the mating recess, and the second contact portion is located at the rear of the other inner surface in the left-right direction within the mating recess, with the first contact portion and the second contact portion positioned diagonally opposite each other in the front-to-rear direction within the mating recess.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned electrical connector, preferably, the multiple mating recesses are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the connector housing, the multiple first lead portions of the multiple pairs of contacts are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the lower front side of the connector housing, and the multiple second lead portions of the multiple pairs of contacts are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the lower rear side of the connector housing.

Furthermore, in the above electrical connector, preferably, the connector housing is composed of a fixed housing that is fixedly held, and a movable housing that is located above the fixed housing and is movable relative to the fixed housing; the mating recess is provided on the movable housing and opens upward; the first lead portion is attached to the lower front side of the fixed housing, extending in the front-rear direction and exposed on the underside; the second lead portion is attached to the lower rear side of the fixed housing, extending in the front-rear direction and exposed on the underside; the first contact portion extends along one inner surface of the mating recess in the left-right direction and is attached to the movable housing; the second contact portion extends along the other inner surface of the mating recess in the left-right direction and is attached to the movable housing; the first and second intermediate portions are provided with first and second elastic portions that are elastically deformable; and the movable housing is movable relative to the fixed housing due to elastic deformation of the first and second elastic portions.

Furthermore, in the above electrical connector, preferably, the pair of contact members are each configured so that power from a power source can be transmitted through them, and are used to connect power lines.

In the electrical connector of the present invention, the first lead portion extends in the front-rear direction from the lower front side of the connector housing and is exposed on the underside, and the second lead portion extends in the front-rear direction from the lower rear side of the connector housing and is exposed on the underside. The first and second lead portions, which extend separately from the front and rear of the connector housing, and the first and second contact portions, which are connected via the first and second intermediate portions, are positioned opposite each other within the mating recess. Therefore, even if a foreign object is caught when this electrical connector is mated with a mating connector, there is no risk of the first and second contact portions shorting out due to this foreign object. Furthermore, relatively large contact members can be used, making this an electrical connector for connecting power lines. Furthermore, by arranging the lead portions of a pair of contact members (first and second contact members) to extend in the front-rear direction from the underside of the connector housing and arranging the contact portions opposite each other within the mating recess, it is easy to make the electrical connector smaller and more compact.

In the above electrical connector, it is preferable that the first and second contact members are made from a long, conductive plate, the first and second lead portions are formed so that their plate surfaces extend parallel to the underside, and the first and second intermediate portions are composed of a first bent surface portion having plate surfaces that connect to the first and second lead portions and extend in the up-down and left-right directions, and a second bent surface portion that bends laterally from the first bent surface portion and extends in the up-down and front-to-back directions, and the first and second contact portions are formed by connecting to the second bent surface portion and extending in the up-down and front-to-back directions. With this configuration, the first and second contact portions can be positioned opposite each other on the left and right inner surfaces of the mating recess via the first and second bent surface portions, relative to the first and second leads that extend parallel to the underside, making it easy to create contact members from a long, plate-like material.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned electrical connector, it is preferable that the first contact portion is located at the front of one of the inner surfaces in the left-right direction within the mating recess, and the second contact portion is located at the rear of the other inner surface in the left-right direction within the mating recess, with the first contact portion and the second contact portion positioned diagonally opposite each other in the front-to-rear direction within the mating recess. In this way, the first and second contact portions can be placed diagonally opposite each other rather than directly opposite each other, increasing the distance between them and more reliably preventing short circuits during mating connection.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned electrical connector, it is preferable that a plurality of pairs of contact members are provided, a plurality of mating recesses are provided in the connector housing, and the first and second contact portions of the plurality of pairs of contact members are provided in each of the plurality of mating recesses. With this configuration, when a large number of pairs of contact members are required, these contact members can be compactly arranged in rows on the left and right, making the electrical connector smaller and more compact.

In the electrical connector described above, the connector housing preferably comprises a fixed housing that is fixed and held, and a movable housing that is located above the fixed housing and is movable relative to the fixed housing, the mating recess is provided on the movable housing so as to open upward, the first lead portion is attached to a lower front side of the fixed housing so as to extend in the front-rear direction and be exposed on the lower surface, the second lead portion is attached to a lower rear side of the fixed housing so as to extend in the front-rear direction and be exposed on the lower surface, the first contact portion extends along one inner surface of the mating recess in the left-right direction and is attached to the movable housing, the second contact portion extends along the other inner surface of the mating recess in the left-right direction and is attached to the movable housing, and the first and second intermediate portions are provided with first and second elastic portions that are elastically deformable, so that the movable housing can move relative to the fixed housing due to elastic deformation of the first and second elastic portions.

Furthermore, in the above electrical connector, preferably, the contact members are each configured so that power from a power source can be transmitted through the pair of contact members, and it is preferable that the electrical connector be used to connect a power line, thereby obtaining a power connector.

1 is a perspective view of a receptacle connector (electrical connector) according to an embodiment of the present invention mated and connected with a mating plug connector, viewed obliquely from above. 10 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector mated with a mating plug connector, as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the receptacle connector as seen obliquely from above, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the receptacle connector as seen obliquely from below. 4A is a plan view of the receptacle connector, FIG. 4B is a front view of the receptacle connector, and FIG. 4C is a side view of the receptacle connector. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the receptacle connector. FIG. 6A is a side cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector, and FIG. 6B is a side view showing a pair of front and rear contact members that make up the receptacle connector. Figure 7(A) is a perspective view showing all contact members used in the receptacle connector, Figure 7(B) is a perspective view showing only one front contact member, and Figure 7(C) is a perspective view showing only one rear contact member. FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the plug connector as seen obliquely from above, and FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the plug connector as seen obliquely from below. Figure 9(A) is a plan view of the plug connector, Figure 9(B) is a front view of the plug connector, Figure 9(C) is a bottom view of the plug connector, Figure 9(D) is a right side view of the plug connector, and Figure 9(E) is a left side view of the plug connector. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the plug connector. FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing all plug contact members used in the plug connector, and FIG. 11B is a perspective view showing only one plug contact member. 10 is a perspective view showing the receptacle connector and the mating plug connector immediately before mating connection. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state immediately before the receptacle connector is mated and connected to a mating plug connector. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the receptacle connector and the mating plug connector mated and connected state. FIG.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. First, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the overall configuration of a receptacle connector 1 as an electrical connector according to the present invention and a plug connector 7 as a mating connector will be outlined. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the receptacle connector 1 and plug connector 7 mated and connected. For convenience of explanation, the following description will refer to front (F), rear (B), right (R), left (L), top (U), and bottom (D) directions as indicated by arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2. These directions will also be used to define the configuration in the claims. However, the electrical connector that is the subject of the present invention has no directional characteristics in its usage, and these directions are defined solely for convenience of explanation.

The receptacle connector 1 and plug connector 7 of this embodiment are used to connect power lines (electricity supply lines). One power line is made up of a pair of lines, and this connector is provided with three pairs of contacts so that three pairs of power lines can be connected. Note that the connector of this invention is not limited to power line connections and may also be used for signal line connections. However, due to its configuration, it is suitable for connecting power lines and signal lines with large transmission capacities.

As shown in Figure 3, the receptacle connector 1 has a fixed housing 10, a movable housing 30, three pairs of contact members 50, 60 (three pairs consisting of a front contact member 50 and a rear contact member 60) mounted across both housings, and a pair of left and right fixing brackets 20 attached to the fixed housing 10. As shown in Figure 8, the plug connector 7 has a plug connector housing 70, three pairs of plug contact members 80 attached thereto, and a pair of left and right fixing brackets 90.

The detailed configuration of the receptacle connector 1 is described below with reference to Figures 3 to 7. The fixed housing 10 is made of insulating resin and has left and right sidewalls 11, 11, which are walls that stand upright and extend forward and backward, and a flat bottom wall 12 that connects the lower parts of the left and right sidewalls 11, 11 and extends left and right on the underside. Positioning protrusions 13, 13 are formed on the underside of the bottom wall 12, as shown in Figure 3(B). Mounting grooves 11a are formed on the front and rear outer surfaces and top surfaces of the left and right sidewalls 11, and front and rear legs 21, 21 are press-fitted into these mounting grooves 11a to attach the fixing bracket 20, which has an inverted U-shape in side view, to the fixed housing 10. A rectangular retaining recess 11b, open at the top, is formed in the front-rear center of each of the left and right sidewalls 11. When the fixing bracket 20 is attached to the left and right sidewalls 11, the middle portion 22 of the fixing bracket 20 covers the retaining recess 11b from above, forming a rectangular retaining space 15. Mounting sections 23 are exposed on the underside of the lower ends of the front and rear legs 21, and can be soldered to the mounting pattern on the circuit board to secure the connector to the circuit board.

The movable housing 30 is also made of insulating resin and, as shown in Figure 6(A), has a front wall 31 located at the front and having a front internal space 31a that is open downward and extends laterally; a rear wall 32 located at the rear and having a rear internal space 32a that is open downward and extends laterally; and left and right side walls 33, 33 connecting the front wall 31 and rear wall 32 at their left and right ends. Furthermore, the movable housing 30 has two partition walls 36, 36 that divide a vertically extending rectangular space 35 bounded by the front wall 31, rear wall 32, and left and right side walls 33, 33 into three first through third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, and a retaining portion 37 extending laterally at the bottom of the rectangular space 35. The three first through third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c are basically identical in shape, but the first mating space 35a has a space 35d to prevent incorrect insertion. Additionally, rectangular pillar-shaped movement restriction protrusions 37, 37 that protrude outward in the left-right direction are provided on the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 33, 33, respectively.

With the movable housing 30 positioned above the fixed housing 10, three pairs of contact members 50, 60, a total of six, are attached across both housings 10, 30 as shown in Figure 7(A). Each pair of front contact member 50 is located on the front side and the rear contact member 60 is located on the rear side opposite it in the front-to-rear direction, making a total of three pairs of front and rear contact members 50, 60 attached. Each pair of front and rear contact members 50, 60 is shown in Figures 6(B), 7(B), and (C). These front and rear contact members 50, 60 have the same shape and are arranged symmetrically in reverse from front to back. These front and rear contact members 50, 60 are composed of lead portions 51, 61 surface-mounted on a substrate (not shown), fixed-side press-fit portions 52, 62 bending and extending upward from the inner ends of the lead portions 51, 61, elastic portions 53, 63 connecting to the fixed-side press-fit portions 52, 62 and extending upward, and also bending in an inverted U shape and extending downward, bent portions 54, 64 connecting to the lower ends of the elastic portions 53, 63 and bending at a right angle, movable-side press-fit portions 55, 65 connecting to the bent portions 54, 64 and extending upward, and contact portions 56, 66 connecting to the movable-side press-fit portions 55, 65 and extending upward on the same plane. As shown in the figure, the elastic portions 53, 63 are shaped in two by an open groove 53a, 63a extending in the longitudinal direction, making them prone to elastic deformation. The bending portions 54, 64 are composed of a first bending surface portion 54a, 64a which is connected to the lower end of the elastic portion 53, 63 and has a plate surface extending in the up-down and left-right directions, and a second bending surface portion 54b, 64b which is bent laterally from the first bending surface portion 54a, 64a and has a plate surface extending in the up-down and front-to-back directions, and the second bending surface portion 54b, 64b is connected to the movable side press-fit portion 55, 65.

These front and rear contact members 50, 60 are first attached to the movable housing 30 by press-fitting the movable-side press-fit portions 55, 65 into the retaining grooves 37a provided in the retaining portion 37 from the underside of the movable housing 30. In this state, as shown in FIG. 6A, the elastic portion 53 of the front contact member 50 is positioned within the front internal space 31a of the front wall portion 31, and the elastic portion 63 of the rear contact member 60 is positioned within the rear internal space 32a of the rear wall portion 32. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the contact portions 56, 66 of the three pairs of front and rear contact members 50, 60 protrude into the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, 35c. As a result, the three pairs of front and rear contact members 50, 60 are attached to the movable housing 30 in the arrangement shown in FIG. 7A. At this time, as shown in Figure 5, in each of the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, the contact portion 56 of the front contact member 50 is positioned on the front side along the left inner wall surface, and the contact portion 66 of the rear contact member 60 is positioned on the rear side along the right inner wall surface. In this way, in each of the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, the front and rear contact portions 56, 66 are offset from each other in the front to back direction and diagonally face each other, separated by a space.

Next, the movable housing 30, with the front and rear contact members 50, 60 attached in this manner, is attached to the fixed housing 10 from above. At this time, the fixed-side press-fit portions 52, 62 are press-fit into the front and rear retaining grooves (not shown) on the bottom wall 12 of the fixed housing 10. That is, the movable-side press-fit portions 55, 65 of the front and rear contact members 50, 60 are press-fit into the retaining portions 37 to attach them to the movable housing 30, and the fixed-side press-fit portions 52, 62 are press-fit into the bottom wall 12 to attach them to the fixed housing 10. As a result, the movable housing 30 is connected to the fixed housing 10 via the front and rear contact members 50, 60. At this time, the movement-restricting protrusions 37, 37 protruding outward to the left and right from the left and right side walls 33, 33 of the movable housing 30 fit into the retaining recesses 11b of the fixed housing 10. In this state, the fixing brackets 20 are attached to the left and right side walls 11, and the middle portions 22 cover the holding recesses 11b from above, holding the movement restricting protrusions 37 within the holding space 15.

In the receptacle connector 1 configured in this manner, the movable housing 30 is connected to the fixed housing 10 via the front and rear contact members 50, 60, and the elastic deformation of the elastic portions 53, 63 allows the movable housing 30 to move forward and backward, left and right, and up and down relative to the fixed housing 10. In other words, the movable housing 30 is in a floating state relative to the fixed housing 10. Floating movement in the up and down and forward and backward directions is limited to the amount of movement permitted by the movement restricting protrusion 37 within the retention space 15, preventing excessive floating movement that would cause the elastic portions 53, 63 to deform beyond the allowable elastic deformation limit. Floating movement in the left and right directions is restricted by the left and right side walls 33, 33 of the movable housing 30 being sandwiched between the left and right side walls 11, 11 of the fixed housing 10.

The receptacle connector 1 configured as described above is surface-mounted on a circuit board (not shown) as follows: First, the positioning projections 13 are inserted into the positioning holes in the circuit board to determine the mounting position. Then, the mounting portion 23 of the fixing bracket 20 is solder-bonded to the mounting pattern on the circuit board, and the lead portions 51, 61 of the front and rear contact members 50, 60 are solder-bonded to the wiring pattern on the circuit board, thereby surface-mounting the receptacle connector 1 on the circuit board.

Next, the plug connector 7 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. The plug connector 7 is composed of a plug housing 70 made of an insulating material, three pairs of plug contact members 80 mounted within the plug housing 70 in the arrangement shown in Figure 11(A), and a pair of left and right fixing brackets 90, 90 mounted within the plug housing 70. The plug housing 70 has a rectangular base 71, a pair of positioning protrusions 72, 72 provided on the underside of the base 71, and three first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, 75 aligned on the left and right and protruding upward above the base 71. These three first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 correspond to the three first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c formed in the movable housing 30 of the receptacle connector 1. When mating the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 7, the mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 are fitted into the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c. To prevent incorrect insertion, the first mating protrusion 73 is formed with an incorrect insertion prevention protrusion 73a. The incorrect insertion prevention protrusion 73a fits into the incorrect insertion prevention space 35d formed in the first mating space 35a, ensuring that the first mating protrusion 73 fits correctly into the first mating space 35a.

The three pairs of plug contact members 80 mounted within the plug housing 70 in the arrangement shown in FIG. 11(A) are each configured as shown in FIG. 11(B). Each plug contact member 80 is formed from a single metal plate as shown and has a lead portion 81 exposed on the underside of the plug housing 70, a leg portion 82 connected to the lead portion 81, a press-fit portion 83 connected to the leg portion 82, an elastic portion 84 extending from the press-fit portion 83, and a contact portion 85 formed at the tip of the elastic portion 84. Each plug contact 80 is inserted from the underside into an insertion hole formed in the plug housing 70, and the press-fit portion 83 is press-fit into the retaining hole to be fixed and held in place. When fixed and held in place in this manner, the lead portions 81 are lined up and exposed on the underside of the plug housing 70, and the contact portions 85 are exposed on the left and right side surfaces of the first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the lead portions 81 are positioned three on the front side and three on the rear side of the underside of the plug housing 70, extending in the front-to-rear direction. As shown in the enlarged view of Figure 10, the contact portions 85 are positioned offset from each other in the front-to-rear direction on the side surfaces of the first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75. This allows the contact portions 85 to abut and electrically connect with the contact portions 56 and 66 of the receptacle connector 1 when the receptacle connector 1 and plug connector 7 are mated and connected. The fixing bracket 90 is fixed to the plug housing 70, and the mount portion 91 located on its underside is exposed from the underside.

The plug connector 7 configured as described above is surface-mounted on a substrate (not shown) as follows: First, the positioning protrusions 72, 72 are inserted into the positioning holes in the substrate to determine the mounting position. Then, the mounting portion 91 of the fixing bracket 90 is solder-bonded to the mounting pattern on the substrate, and the lead portion 81 of the plug contact member 80 is solder-bonded to the wiring pattern on the substrate, thereby surface-mounting the plug connector 7 on the substrate.

The mating and connection of the receptacle connector 1 and plug connector 7 configured as described above will be described below with reference to Figures 12 to 14. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 of the plug connector 7 are aligned with the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c of the receptacle connector 1. Then, as shown in Figure 14, the first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 are inserted into the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, respectively, thereby mating and connecting the two connectors 1 and 7. As a result, the contact portions 56 and 66 of the receptacle connector 1 come into contact with the corresponding contact portions 85 of the plug connector 7, establishing an electrical connection.

In this case, the front and rear contact portions 56, 66 are offset from each other in the first through third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, respectively, and are separated by a space, so even if dust or foreign matter becomes caught when the first through third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 are inserted into the first through third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, respectively, there is no risk of a short circuit occurring between the front and rear contact portions 56, 66. Furthermore, in the receptacle connector 1, the movable housing 30 is floatingly supported relative to the fixed housing 10 by the elastic portions 53, 63 of the front and rear contact members 50, 60, so misalignment can be absorbed when the two connectors 1, 7 are mated and connected.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, three pairs of lines are connected via the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 7, the receptacle connector 1 has three pairs of front and rear contact members 50, 60, and the plug connector 7 also has three corresponding pairs of plug contact members 80. However, the receptacle connector 1 may have only one pair of the front and rear contact members 50, 60 and the plug contact members 80, or may have two or four or more pairs. Furthermore, while the receptacle connector 1 has a floating configuration using contact members with elastic portions 53, 63, it may also be a connector without a floating function, in which contact members without elastic portions are provided in a single housing. Specifically, the fixed housing 10 and the movable housing 30 may be integrated into a single housing, and contact members without elastic portions may be provided in this housing.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 receptacle connector 7 plug connector 10 fixed housing 11 left or right wall 15 holding space 30 movable housing 31 front wall portion 31a front internal space 32 rear wall portion 32a rear internal space 35a, 35b, 35c first to third mating spaces 37 restricting protrusion 50 front contact member 60 rear contact member 51, 61 lead portion 53, 63 elastic portion 54, 64 bent portion 56, 66 contact portion 70 plug housing 73, 74, 75 first to third mating protrusions 80 plug contact

Claims (5)

An electrical connector that is mated and connected to a mating connector,
The connector is configured to include an insulating connector housing having a plurality of mating recesses that open upward and receive mating protrusions of the mating connector, and a plurality of pairs of contact members that are arranged in pairs in the plurality of mating recesses and are held by the connector housing,
the pair of contact members arranged in each of the plurality of fitting recesses is composed of a first contact member and a second contact member,
In each of the plurality of fitting recesses,
the first contact member includes a first lead portion extending in the front-rear direction at a lower portion of the front side of the connector housing in the front-rear direction and exposed on the lower surface side, a first contact portion extending along one of the inner surfaces in the left-right direction of the fitting recess, and a first intermediate portion connecting the first lead portion and the first contact portion,
the second contact member includes a second lead portion extending in the front-rear direction at a lower portion of the rear side of the connector housing in the front-rear direction and exposed on the underside, a second contact portion extending along the other inner surface in the left-right direction of the fitting recess, and a second intermediate portion connecting the second lead portion and the second contact portion,
the first and second contact members are made of a long plate material made of a conductive material,
the first and second lead portions are formed so that their plate surfaces extend parallel to the lower surface of the connector housing,
the first and second intermediate portions are composed of a first bent surface portion having a plate surface that is connected to the first and second lead portions and extends in the up-down and left-right directions, and a second bent surface portion that is bent laterally from the first bent surface portion and extends in the up-down and front-rear directions, and the first and second contact portions are formed by connecting to the second bent surface portion and extending in the up-down and front-rear directions,
The electrical connector is characterized in that the first contact portion and the second contact portion are positioned opposite each other within the mating recess. the first contact portion is provided at a front side of one of the inner surfaces in the left-right direction within the fitting recess, and the second contact portion is provided at a rear side of the other inner surface in the left-right direction within the fitting recess,
2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first contact portion and the second contact portion are positioned diagonally opposite each other in the front-rear direction within the mating recess. The plurality of fitting recesses are provided side by side in the left-right direction on the connector housing,
The first lead portions of the contacts in the pairs are arranged side by side in the left-right direction at a lower portion of the front side of the connector housing,
3. The electrical connector according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of said second lead portions of said plurality of pairs of contacts are provided side by side in the left-right direction on a lower rear side of said connector housing. The connector housing is composed of a fixed housing that is fixedly held, and a movable housing that is located above the fixed housing and is movable relative to the fixed housing, and the fitting recess is provided in the movable housing so as to open upward,
the first lead portion is attached to a lower portion of a front side of the fixed housing, extending in a front-rear direction and exposed on a lower surface side thereof, and the second lead portion is attached to a lower portion of a rear side of the fixed housing, extending in a front-rear direction and exposed on a lower surface side thereof,
the first contact portion extends along one inner surface of the fitting recess in the left-right direction and is attached to the movable housing, and the second contact portion extends along the other inner surface of the fitting recess in the left-right direction and is attached to the movable housing,
An electrical connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that first and second elastic portions that are elastically deformable are provided in the first and second intermediate portions, respectively, and the movable housing is movable relative to the fixed housing due to the elastic deformation of the first and second elastic portions. 5. An electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the contact members are each set so that power from a power source can be transmitted through the pair of contact members, and the electrical connector is used to connect a power supply line.