Connector

Abstract

Provided is a connector capable of achieving a low-back and short size, which does not cause a blocking phenomenon and can ensure firmness and sealability. The connector is provided with: a bottomed cylindrical tube; and a spring pin having a contact point portion protruding from the opening of the tube, a contact portion in contact with the inner bottom surface of the tube, and an elastic deformation portion located between the contact point portion and the contact portion, the contact point portion, the contact portion, and the elastic deformation portion being configured from a single continuous member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector. Background Art

[0002] In conventional connectors, particularly in a structure called a pogo pin in which a spring in a tube applies force to a plunger in contact with a connection object to make it conductive, when the connector is made low-profile and short, a phenomenon in which the plunger gets stuck in the tube may occur, resulting in a risk of poor connection.

[0003] Therefore, a tubeless connector is used in which a thin plate is bent into a box shape as described in Patent Document 1 below. Although this solves the jamming problem, it still has disadvantages in terms of firmness and sealing after assembly to a housing.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6829082 Summary of the invention

[0007] As described above, in the connector in which the plunger slides in the tube, there is a possibility of a jamming phenomenon, and in the case of a tubeless structure, there are disadvantages in firmness and sealing performance.

[0008] One object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can achieve a low profile and short size, which does not cause a jamming phenomenon and can ensure firmness and sealing. Other objects of the present invention will become clear from the description of this specification.

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention is a connector comprising: a tube with a bottom; and a spring pin, the spring pin having a contact portion protruding from an opening of the tube, a contact portion abutting against an inner bottom surface of the tube, and an elastic deformation portion located between the contact portion and the contact portion, wherein the contact portion, the contact portion and the elastic deformation portion are composed of a continuous component.

[0010] According to the above aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a connector that does not cause a jamming phenomenon and can ensure firmness and sealing properties. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 This is an embodiment of the connector of the present invention, and is a front view showing a cross section of the tube 10 .

[0012] Figure 2 This is an embodiment of the connector of the present invention, and is a front view showing a cross section of the tube 10 with the spring pin 20 in a pushed-in state.

[0013] Figure 3 It is a front view of an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 4 It is a perspective view of an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 5 This is a front view of a spring pin 20 used in the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 6 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the spring pin 20 .

[0017] Figure 7 2 is a top view of the spring pin 20 .

[0018] Figure 8 It is a right side view of the spring pin 20.

[0019] Fig. 9 It is a bottom view of the spring pin 20.

[0020] Fig.10 It is a perspective view of the spring pin 20 as viewed from approximately the upper left.

[0021] Fig.11 It is a perspective view of the spring pin 20 as viewed from approximately the upper right side.

[0022] Fig.12 It is a perspective view of the spring pin 20 as viewed from substantially the lower left side.

[0023] Fig.13 It is a perspective view of the spring pin 20 as viewed from substantially the lower right side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Figures 1 to 4 is an embodiment of the connector of the present invention, Figures 5 to 13 1 and 2 represent spring pins used in the embodiment. In these figures, the connector 1 has: a conductive bottomed cylindrical tube 10; and a conductive spring pin 20, which is arranged inside the tube 10 and has one end protruding from the opening 11 of the tube 10 to serve as a contact portion 21 that presses the contact portion. The bottom surface of the tube 10 in this embodiment is circular. However, it can also be a polygonal shape such as a quadrilateral or a hexagon. In the case where the bottom surface is polygonal, the tube can also be a polygonal cylindrical shape that matches the bottom surface.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, the tube 10 has a substantially conical concave portion 13 on the inner bottom surface of the inner space 12 having the opening 11. The concave portion 13 can also utilize the depression when the inner space 12 is formed by drilling. In the base of the tube 10, a flange portion 14 is formed on the outer periphery, and the outer bottom surface of the base becomes a flat surface so that it can be used for contact with the contact pad of the device configured for the connector 1 and soldering installation to the device. In addition, it is also possible to have a structure in which no flange portion is provided on the outer periphery of the tube 10.

[0026] Also like Figures 5 to 13 As shown, the spring pin 20 is, for example, a so-called sheet metal processed product formed by punching and bending a conductive plate (metal plate). As the conductive material, for example, copper alloys such as beryllium copper, titanium copper, and phosphor bronze are used, but are not limited thereto. One end (hereinafter referred to as the front end) of the spring pin 20 becomes the contact portion 21, and the other end (hereinafter referred to as the base end) becomes the contact portion 31 that abuts against the inner bottom surface of the tube 10, and the spring pin 20 has an elastic deformation portion 41 as a spring function portion that expands and contracts between the contact portion 21 and the contact portion 31. The spring pin 20 is arranged in the inner space 12 of the tube 10, and the opening 11 of the tube 10 is riveted, so that the spring pin 20 is held inside the tube 10. The contact portion 31 and the elastic deformation portion 41 are located inside the tube 10, and the contact portion 21 protrudes from the opening 11.

[0027] The contact portion 21 on the front end side is formed as a front end side convex portion 23 in a substantially hemispherical shape on the front end side plate-like portion 22 by, for example, drawing, and becomes a convex surface facing toward the tube 10. The front end side plate-like portion 22 has a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the opening 11 after processing by riveting, etc., in order to prevent it from falling off. Therefore, the outer diameter of the flange-like portion 24 remaining around the front end side convex portion 23 is larger than the inner diameter of the opening 11, and has a function of preventing it from falling off and a function of stabilizing the protruding posture of the front end side convex portion 23.

[0028] The contact portion 31 on the base end side is formed as a base end side convex portion 33 in a substantially hemispherical shape on the base end side plate-like portion 32 by, for example, drawing, and becomes a convex surface protruding toward the inner bottom surface of the tube 10. The base end side convex portion 33 abuts against the substantially conical concave portion 13 on the tube side and makes electrical contact. Since the base end side convex portion 33 suppresses the height dimension of the tube 10, the diameter is smaller than the front end side convex portion 23 and the height is also lower.

[0029] The elastic deformation portion 41 connects the front end side plate-like portion 22 of the contact portion 21 side with the base end side plate-like portion 32 of the contact portion 31 side, and has: an arc-shaped surrounding portion 42, which surrounds approximately one circle; a first connecting portion 43, which connects one end of the surrounding portion 42 to the front end side plate-like portion 22; and a second connecting portion 44, which connects the other end of the surrounding portion 42 to the base end side plate-like portion 32. In this embodiment, since the spring pin 20 is a sheet metal processed product, the surrounding portion 42 in the elastic deformation portion 41 is Figure 5 , Figure 6 The width of the spring pin 20 shown in the figure in the direction perpendicular to the central axis 20a is greater than the thickness of the surrounding portion 42 in the direction of the central axis 20a, wherein the central axis 20a is an axis connecting the center of the contact portion 21 and the center of the contact portion 31. Alternatively, the thickness and width of the surrounding portion 42 may be substantially equal. The first connecting portion 43 has a length along the central axis 20a in order to ensure a predetermined gap between the front end side plate-shaped portion 22 and the surrounding portion 42. Similarly, the second connecting portion 44 has a length along the central axis 20a in order to ensure a predetermined gap between the base end side plate-shaped portion 32 and the surrounding portion 42.

[0030] In addition, the outer diameter of the base end plate-shaped portion 32 is set smaller than the inner diameter of the arc-shaped surrounding portion 42. This setting is effective in the following situation: when the elastic deformation portion 41 is compressed, by avoiding the surrounding portion 42 from contacting the base end plate-shaped portion 32, the extension stroke of the elastic deformation portion 41 can be ensured. In addition, it is preferred that Figure 1 , Figure 2 The spring pin 20 is arranged in the pipe 10 so that the direction of the central axis 10 a of the pipe 10 shown in the figure substantially coincides with the direction of the center line 20 a of the spring pin 20 .

[0031] In the above embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, for example, the electrode 51 of the counterpart device 50 abuts against the contact portion 21 of the spring pin 20 of the connector 1, and the spring pin 20 is pushed in. Then, the elastic deformation portion 41 of the spring pin 20 is compressed in the direction along the central axis 10a of the tube 10, and a predetermined contact pressure is applied between the counterpart electrode 51 and the contact portion 21 by the spring function, thereby ensuring the electrical connection between the counterpart electrode 51 and the contact portion 21. On the other hand, the contact portion 31 of the spring pin 20 also abuts against the recessed portion 13 of the inner bottom surface of the tube 10 at a predetermined contact pressure, thereby ensuring the electrical connection between the spring pin 20 and the tube 10. As a result, an electrical conduction path from the electrode 51 of the counterpart device 50, the spring pin 20, to the tube 10 is formed, and the electrical connection between the counterpart device 50 and the device to which the tube 10 is attached (connected) is reliably achieved.

[0032] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0033] (1) Since the spring pin 20 is surrounded by the bottomed cylindrical tube 10 in which the spring pin 20 is disposed, the connector 1 has a stronger firmness than a conventional product having a tubeless structure in which a thin plate is folded back into a box shape. For example, the spring pin 20 can be prevented from lateral displacement and excessive deformation when pushed in. In addition, the spring pin 20 can be pressed into the mounting housing and sealed with resin, thereby having an advantage of improving the sealing performance after the mounting housing is assembled.

[0034] (2) Although the spring pin 20 has the elastic deformation portion 41 between the contact portion 21 and the contact portion 31, these components can be efficiently manufactured as sheet metal processed products. In addition, the spring pin 20 can achieve a low profile and short size compared to a conventional structure in which a plunger and a spring are independent, by making the contact portion 21, the contact portion 31, and the elastic deformation portion 41 a continuous component, and can also reduce the number of components.

[0035] (3) The base end of the spring pin 20, which is an integrated plunger and spring, is electrically conductive to the tube 10, so that the spring pin 20 does not need to be tilted relative to the tube central axis 10a, and a jamming phenomenon is less likely to occur.

[0036] (4) The concave portion 13 is formed on the inner bottom surface of the tube 10, and the contact portion 31 of the spring pin 20 has the proximal end convex portion 33 that abuts against the concave portion 13, thereby making the contact portion of both parties clear and stabilizing the electrical connection. That is, the contact pressure generated by the spring function of the elastic deformation portion 41 can be applied to the contact portion between the concave portion 13 and the proximal end convex portion 33, and reliable electrical connection between the tube 10 and the spring pin 20 can be achieved. In addition, the concave portion 13 is formed by drilling when the inner space 12 is formed, thereby eliminating the need for a manufacturing process for forming the concave portion 13, and thus does not increase the manufacturing workload.

[0037] (5) In the spring pin 20 , the front end side convex portion 23 of the contact portion 21 and the base end side convex portion 33 of the contact portion 31 can be easily formed by press working, and efficient manufacturing is possible.

[0038] (6) The elastic deformation portion 41 has an arc-shaped surrounding portion 42, and the outer circumference of the base end side plate-like portion 32 formed with the base end side convex portion 33 is smaller than the inner circumference of the surrounding portion 42. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the surrounding portion 42 from contacting the base end side plate-like portion 32, and the extension and contraction stroke of the elastic deformation portion 41 can be fully ensured, and it is helpful to reduce the height of the spring pin.

[0039] (7) The flange portion 14 is formed at the base of the pipe 10 , thereby facilitating the assembly of the connector 1 to the mounting housing side by providing a double hole corresponding to the flange portion 14 on the mounting housing side, for example.

[0040] As mentioned above, although embodiment and modification of this invention were demonstrated referring drawings, these are illustrations of this invention, and various structures other than what was described above can also be adopted.

[0041] In the embodiment, the concave portion 13 is formed on the inner bottom surface of the tube 10, and the proximal end side convex portion 33 is formed on the spring pin 20 side, and contact is achieved based on the concave and convex portions. The structure is not limited to this, and the concave portion 13 and / or the proximal end side convex portion 33 may be omitted. That is, it is also possible to configure so that the base end bottom surface of the spring pin 20 (the bottom surface of the proximal end side plate-shaped portion 32) is in contact with the inner bottom surface of the tube 10. As a result, the electrical connection between the spring pin 20 and the tube 10 is stable. In addition, the shaking of the spring pin 20 can be suppressed.

[0042] In the embodiment, the elastic deformation portion 41 of the spring pin 20 is configured as a circular arc-shaped surrounding portion 42 having one. Not limited to this configuration, in order to increase the telescopic stroke, it is also possible to have multiple circular arc-shaped surrounding portions. In this case, the surrounding portion may also be such that the outer circumference becomes smaller as it approaches the base end side, and the surrounding portion on the base end side is embedded in the inner side of the surrounding portion on the front end side. In this way, the telescopic stroke and length of the spring pin 20 can be freely set.

[0043] In the embodiment, the spring pin 20 is held inside the tube 10 by riveting the opening 11 of the tube 10, but it can also be held by other mechanisms. For example, it can also be the following mechanism: after the spring pin 20 is arranged in the tube 10, a through-tube component with one end riveted inside or with a step difference on the inner circumferential surface is pressed between the tube 10 and the spring pin 20 to prevent the spring pin 20 from falling off. The spring pin 20 is held together with the tube 10 by an independent component such as a through-tube component, thereby, there is no processing restriction compared to riveting the tube 10, and manufacturing becomes easier. In addition, it is not necessary to design the tube 10 for different lengths when the length of the spring pin 20 is different, thereby having the advantage of being able to achieve commonality of components. On this basis, the type of plating can be changed in the tube 10 and the through-tube component, and it is possible to seek improvements in durability and food resistance, or cost reduction based on omitting unnecessary plating.

[0044] According to this specification, a connector in the following manner is provided.

[0045] (Method 1)

[0046] Method 1 provides a connector comprising: a tube with a bottom; and a spring pin, the spring pin having a contact portion protruding from the opening of the tube, a contact portion abutting against the inner bottom surface of the tube, and an elastic deformation portion located between the contact portion and the contact portion, wherein the contact portion, the contact portion and the elastic deformation portion are composed of a continuous component.

[0047] According to the above-mentioned method 1, the spring pin is surrounded by the tube, so it is more durable than the previous product with a tubeless structure in which a thin plate is folded back into a box shape. For example, it is possible to prevent the spring pin from lateral displacement and excessive deformation when pushed in. In addition, it has the advantage of being applicable to applications where resin sealing is performed after assembly to the mounting housing. The spring pin is configured by making the contact portion, the contact portion, and the elastic deformation portion consist of a continuous component, so that it can be short-sized and low-profile compared to the previous structure in which the plunger and the spring are independent, and the number of components can be reduced. Moreover, the structure is configured so that the base end side of the spring pin is electrically conductive relative to the tube, so there is no need to tilt the spring pin relative to the center axis of the tube, and jamming is less likely to occur.

[0048] (Method 2)

[0049] In aspect 2, a recessed portion is formed on the inner bottom surface of the tube, and the contact portion has a convex portion that abuts against the recessed portion.

[0050] According to the second aspect, the contact portion of the spring pin and the contact position of the tube are clear, and the electrical connection is stabilized. That is, the contact pressure generated by the spring function of the elastic deformation portion can be applied to the contact position between the concave portion and the convex portion, and a reliable electrical connection between the tube and the spring pin can be achieved. In addition, the concave portion is formed by drilling when the inner space is formed, thereby eliminating the need for a manufacturing process for forming the concave portion and preventing an increase in manufacturing workload.

[0051] (Method 3)

[0052] In the third aspect, the spring pin has a base end side plate-shaped portion, and the convex portion of the contact portion is formed on the base end side plate-shaped portion as a substantially hemispherical convex portion.

[0053] According to the above-mentioned aspect 3, the convex portion of the contact portion can be easily formed by press working.

[0054] (Method 4)

[0055] In aspect 4, the contact portion is formed as a substantially hemispherical convex portion protruding from the tube.

[0056] According to the above-mentioned aspect 4, the contact portion can be easily formed by press working.

[0057] (Method 5)

[0058] In aspect 5, the elastic deformation portion has an arc-shaped surrounding portion, and the outer circumferential diameter of the base end side plate-shaped portion is smaller than the inner circumferential diameter of the surrounding portion.

[0059] According to the fifth aspect, the telescopic stroke of the elastic deformation portion, that is, the telescopic stroke of the spring pin can be sufficiently ensured.

[0060] (Method 6)

[0061] In aspect 6, the elastic deformation portion has an arc-shaped surrounding portion, and the outer peripheral diameter of the surrounding portion decreases from the contact point portion toward the contact portion.

[0062] According to the above-mentioned method 6, the outer diameter of the surrounding portion decreases from the contact portion toward the contact portion. Therefore, when there are multiple surrounding portions, the surrounding portion on the base end side can be embedded in the inner side of the surrounding portion on the front end side, which is effective in increasing the stroke of the elastic deformation portion.

[0063] Description of Reference Numerals

[0064] 1 Connector

[0065] 10 tubes

[0066] 11 Opening

[0067] 12Inside Space

[0068] 13 recesses

[0069] 14 Flange

[0070] 20 Spring pin

[0071] 21 Contacts

[0072] 22 front end side plate-shaped portion

[0073] 23 front end side convex part

[0074] 24 flange portion

[0075] 31 Contact Department

[0076] 32 base end side plate-shaped portion

[0077] 33 proximal end side convex portion

[0078] 41 Elastic deformation part

[0079] 42 Surrounding part

[0080] 43, 44 connecting parts.

Claims

1. A connector, characterized in that: have: a tube having a bottom cylindrical shape; and A spring pin having a contact portion protruding from the opening of the tube, a contact portion abutting against the inner bottom surface of the tube, and an elastic deformation portion located between the contact portion and the contact portion, wherein the contact portion, the contact portion and the elastic deformation portion are composed of a continuous component.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein: A recessed portion is formed on the inner bottom surface of the tube, and the contact portion has a raised portion that abuts against the recessed portion.

3. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The spring pin has a base end side plate-shaped portion, and the convex portion of the contact portion is formed on the base end side plate-shaped portion as a substantially hemispherical convex portion.

4. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The contact portion is formed as a substantially hemispherical convex portion protruding from the tube.

5. The connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The elastic deformation portion has an arc-shaped surrounding portion, and the outer circumferential diameter of the base end side plate-shaped portion is smaller than the inner circumferential diameter of the surrounding portion.

6. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The elastic deformation portion has an arc-shaped surrounding portion, and an outer peripheral diameter of the surrounding portion decreases from the contact point portion toward the contact portion.

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