Connector

Abstract

Provided is a connector having a structure in which terminals can be arranged at a narrow pitch. A connector (10) is provided with a plurality of terminals (50) and a housing (20). Each terminal has a fixed portion (52) fixed to the substrate (not shown), a held portion (54) extending from the fixed portion, and a spring portion (56) extending from the held portion. The terminals are arranged in the pitch direction (Y direction). The fixed portions of two terminals adjacent to each other in the pitch direction are located at different positions in the width direction (X direction). The housing is provided with a plurality of holding parts (32) which respectively hold the held parts of the terminals, and a plurality of accommodating parts (34) which respectively accommodate the spring parts of the terminals. A holding portion (32) held by the holding portion (54) of one of two terminals (50) adjacent to each other in the pitch direction and a housing portion (34) housing the spring portion (56) of the other of the two terminals (50) do not overlap in the width direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a connector installed on a substrate. Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses this type of connector.

[0003] Reference Fig.13 The connector 90 of patent document 1 is a so-called on-board connector mounted on a substrate (not shown). The connector 90 comprises: a housing 92 made of resin, and a plurality of terminals 94 held in the housing 92. The terminals 94 form two terminal rows extending in the pitch direction (Y direction). The terminals 94 of each terminal row include: a plurality of first terminals 96, and a plurality of second terminals 98. The second terminal 98 has a shape obtained by rotating the first terminal 96 180° around an axis extending parallel to the up-down direction (Z direction). In each terminal row, the first terminal 96 and the second terminal 98 are alternately arranged. By utilizing the above-mentioned alternating arrangement (staggered arrangement), the distance between two terminals 94 adjacent to each other in the pitch direction can be shortened. That is, the terminals 94 can be arranged at a narrower pitch, thereby reducing the size of the connector 90 in the pitch direction.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-110817 Summary of the invention

[0007] 1. Technical issues to be resolved

[0008] It is desired to further reduce the dimension of the connector in the pitch direction.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a structure capable of arranging terminals at a narrow pitch.

[0010] (II) Technical solution

[0011] As a first connector, the present invention provides a connector, which is installed on a substrate, the connector comprises: a plurality of terminals, a shell, each of the terminals comprises: a fixed portion, a held portion, a spring portion, and a contact, the fixed portion is fixed to the substrate, the held portion extends from the fixed portion, the spring portion extends from the held portion, the contact is supported by the spring portion, the terminals are arranged along a pitch direction, the fixed portions of two terminals adjacent to each other in the pitch direction are located at different positions in a width direction orthogonal to the pitch direction, and the shell is formed with: A plurality of retaining portions corresponding to the terminals, and a plurality of receiving portions respectively corresponding to the terminals, each of the retaining portions retains the retained portion of the corresponding terminal, each of the receiving portions receives the spring portion of the corresponding terminal, the receiving portions are arranged along the pitch direction, a partition wall is provided between two of the receiving portions adjacent to each other in the pitch direction, and with respect to two of the terminals adjacent to each other in the pitch direction, the retaining portion that retains the retained portion of one of the two terminals and the receiving portion that receives the spring portion of the other of the two terminals do not overlap in the width direction.

[0012] As a second connector, the present invention provides a connector in which, with respect to the first connector, a dimension of the fixed portion in the pitch direction is larger than a dimension of the spring portion in the pitch direction.

[0013] (III) Beneficial effects

[0014] According to the present invention, the fixed parts of two terminals (first terminal and second terminal) adjacent to each other in the pitch direction are located at different positions in the width direction. That is, the terminals of the present invention are staggered, thereby enabling the terminals to be arranged at a narrower pitch. In addition, the retaining portion of the retained portion that retains the first terminal and the receiving portion that receives the spring portion of the second terminal are staggered in the width direction so as not to overlap each other. According to this structure, even if the pitch between the terminals is further reduced, it is possible to ensure that the partition wall between the two receiving portions is thicker than necessary, thereby preventing the strength of the housing from deteriorating. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector having a structure that enables the terminals to be arranged at a narrower pitch. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a part of the connector (a part surrounded by a dotted line) is enlarged and depicted.

[0016] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 A top view of the connector.

[0017] Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 The side view of the connector and the counterpart connector together shows the outline of the upper surface of the substrate on which the connector is mounted and the outline of the lower surface of the counterpart substrate on which the counterpart connector is mounted with dotted lines.

[0018] Figure 4 Yes means Figure 1 A bottom view of the connector is shown, without depicting the middle portion of the connector in the pitch direction.

[0019] Figure 5 Yes Figure 4 A portion of the connector (the portion surrounded by the dotted line A) is shown in an enlarged bottom view, and the outline of the terminal is depicted by a single-dot chain line.

[0020] Figure 6 Yes means Figure 3 A perspective view of the mating side connector.

[0021] Figure 7 It is represented along line VII-VII Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a connector of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 1 , in which the outline of a holding portion for holding a first terminal shown in the figure and a second terminal adjacent to the first terminal in the pitch direction is depicted by a dotted line.

[0022] Figure 8 It is represented along the line VIII-VIII Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a connector of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 1 , in which the outline of a holding portion for holding the second terminal shown in the figure and the first terminal adjacent in the pitch direction is depicted by a dotted line.

[0023] Fig. 9 Yes means Figure 7 A perspective view of a first terminal.

[0024] Fig.10 Yes means Fig. 9 FIG. 1 is a side view of the first terminal, with the outline of the receiving portion of the housing being depicted by a dotted line.

[0025] Fig.11 Yes means Fig. 9 A top view of a first terminal.

[0026] Fig.12 Yes means Figure 8 A side view of the second terminal of FIG.

[0027] Fig.13 This is a perspective view showing the connector of Patent Document 1, in which a part of the connector (a part surrounded by a dotted line) is enlarged and depicted.

[0028] Description of Reference Numerals

[0029] 10-connector; 20-housing; 22-peripheral wall; 23-long wall; 23R-right long wall; 23L-left long wall; 24-short wall; 26-island; 262-side wall; 26R-right wall; 26L-left wall; 27-middle hole; 29-bottom; 32-holding part; 32F-first holding column (holding column); 32S-second holding column (holding column); 34-storage part; 342-accommodating part; 344-groove; 346-allowing part; 38-next wall; 50-terminal ;50R-terminal row;50F-first terminal;50S-second terminal;52-fixed portion;54-retained portion;542-pressed protrusion;56-spring portion;562-lower extension portion;564-bottom;566-upper extension portion;58-contact;582-main contact;584-auxiliary contact;60-clamping piece;PA-specified area;PL-specified line;70-object side connector;72-object side housing;76-object side terminal;78-object side clamping piece;82-substrate;84-object side substrate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 The connector 10 of the embodiment of the present invention is an on-board connector mounted on a substrate 82. The connector 10 can be mated with the counterpart connector 70 mounted on the counterpart substrate 84 in the up-down direction. The up-down direction of the present embodiment is the Z direction. In the present embodiment, the upward direction is the +Z direction and the downward direction is the -Z direction. The terms such as the up-down direction do not indicate an absolute positional relationship relative to the ground, but only indicate a relative positional relationship in the drawings.

[0031] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The connector 10 of this embodiment includes: a shell 20 composed of an insulator, a plurality of terminals 50 composed of a conductor, and two clamps 60 composed of a conductor. The clamps 60 are respectively installed at both ends of the shell 20 in a spacing direction orthogonal to the up and down direction to reinforce the shell 20. The spacing direction of this embodiment is the Y direction. The connector 10 of this embodiment only has the above-mentioned components. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the connector 10 may also have other components in addition to the above-mentioned components. In addition, the clamps 60 can be set as needed.

[0032] Next, the mating side connector 70 (see Figure 6 ) for explanation.

[0033] Reference Figure 6The counterpart connector 70 of this embodiment includes: a counterpart housing 72 made of an insulator, a plurality of counterpart terminals 76 made of a conductor, and two counterpart clamps 78 made of a conductor. The counterpart clamps 78 are respectively mounted on both ends of the counterpart housing 72 in the pitch direction to reinforce the counterpart housing 72.

[0034] Reference Figure 3 , the counterpart side terminals 76 and the terminals 50 are respectively arranged correspondingly. In the mating state where the connector 10 and the counterpart side connector 70 are mated with each other, each terminal 50 contacts the corresponding counterpart side terminal 76, thereby the substrate 82 and the counterpart side substrate 84 are electrically connected to each other. The counterpart side connector 70 of the present embodiment has the above-mentioned structure. However, the structure of the counterpart side connector 70 of the present invention is not particularly limited.

[0035] Hereinafter, the basic structure of the housing 20 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0036] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The housing 20 of this embodiment is a single component formed by resin, and has a peripheral wall portion 22, an island portion 26, and a bottom portion 29. The peripheral wall portion 22 has two long wall portions 23 and two short wall portions 24. That is, the housing 20 has two long wall portions 23 and two short wall portions 24.

[0037] The long wall portions 23 of the present embodiment extend in the pitch direction. The short wall portions 24 of the present embodiment extend in the width direction orthogonal to both the up-down direction and the pitch direction, and the two long wall portions 23 are connected to each other in the width direction. The width direction of the present embodiment is the X direction. In the present embodiment, the left side is the +X side and the right side is the -X side. The dimension of the long wall portion 23 in the pitch direction is larger than the dimension of the short wall portion 24 in the width direction. In other words, the long wall portion 23 is longer than the short wall portion 24.

[0038] The peripheral wall 22 of this embodiment is formed by the long wall 23 and the short wall 24, and is in a rectangular frame shape without interruptions on the horizontal plane (XY plane) defined by the pitch direction and the width direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the structure of the peripheral wall 22 can be modified as needed.

[0039] like Figure 1As shown, the island-shaped portion 26 of the present embodiment is surrounded by the long wall portion 23 and the short wall portion 24 on the horizontal plane, and extends in the pitch direction. An intermediate hole 27 is formed in the island-shaped portion 26. The intermediate hole 27 is located in the middle portion of the island-shaped portion 26 in the width direction. The intermediate hole 27 extends in the pitch direction and penetrates the island-shaped portion 26 in the up and down directions. As a result, two side wall portions 262 are formed in the island-shaped portion 26. The two side wall portions 262 are respectively located on both sides of the intermediate hole 27 in the width direction, and extend in the pitch direction. The island-shaped portion 26 of the present embodiment has the above-mentioned structure. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the intermediate hole 27 can be formed as needed. In addition, the island-shaped portion 26 can be formed as needed.

[0040] Reference Figure 2 The two long wall portions 23 of this embodiment are composed of a right long wall portion 23R and a left long wall portion 23L. The two side wall portions 262 of the island portion 26 of this embodiment are composed of a right wall portion 26R and a left wall portion 26L. The right long wall portion 23R and the right wall portion 26R are opposite in the width direction. The left long wall portion 23L and the left wall portion 26L are opposite in the width direction.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The bottom 29 of this embodiment is located at the lower side of the housing 20. The island 26 is connected to the long wall 23 and the short wall 24 respectively through the bottom 29. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the island 26 may be connected only to the short wall 24 through the bottom 29.

[0042] The terminal 50 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0043] The terminal 50 of this embodiment is composed of a plurality of first terminals 50F and a plurality of second terminals 50S. Fig.10 and Fig.12 It can be seen that the second terminal 50S has a shape obtained by rotating the first terminal 50F by 180° with an axis extending parallel to the vertical direction as the center. That is, although the first terminal 50F and the second terminal 50S are configured in different postures, they are the same components. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first terminal 50F and the second terminal 50S may also have different structures.

[0044] The following describes the structure of one of the terminals 50 (first terminal 50F) according to the present embodiment. The following description is applicable to each terminal 50 including the second terminal 50S.

[0045] Reference Fig. 9 and Fig.10The terminal 50 of this embodiment is not a contact formed by cutting a piece of metal plate, but a contact formed by bending a piece of metal plate (hereinafter referred to as a "bent contact"). That is, the terminal 50 is a piece of metal plate with a bend. The terminal 50 of this embodiment has: a fixed portion 52, a held portion 54, a spring portion 56, and two contacts 58.

[0046] Reference Figure 3 The terminal 50 of this embodiment is surface mounted on the substrate 82. More specifically, the fixed portion 52 of this embodiment is fixed to the substrate 82 by welding. Fig. 9 As shown, the fixed portion 52 of this embodiment is in the shape of a rectangular flat plate. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the fixed portion 52 is disposed on the substrate 82 (see Figure 3 ) is not particularly limited to the fixing method.

[0047] like Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, the retained portion 54 of the present embodiment extends from the fixed portion 52. Specifically, the retained portion 54 extends upward in an arc shape from the end portion in the width direction of the fixed portion 52, and then extends straight upward. Two press-in protrusions 542 are provided on the retained portion 54. The press-in protrusions 542 protrude respectively on both sides in the spacing direction. The retained portion 54 of the present embodiment has the above-mentioned structure. However, as long as the retained portion 54 partially protrudes on both sides in the spacing direction, the structure of the retained portion 54 of the present invention is not particularly limited.

[0048] The spring portion 56 extends from the held portion 54. Specifically, the spring portion 56 of the present embodiment includes a lower extension portion 562, a bottom portion 564, and an upper extension portion 566. The lower extension portion 562 extends in an arc shape from the upper end of the held portion 54 so as to be away from the fixed portion 52 in the width direction, and then extends downward. The bottom portion 564 extends in the width direction away from the held portion 54 from the lower end of the lower extension portion 562. The upper extension portion 566 extends upward from one end of the bottom portion 564 away from the held portion 54.

[0049] The spring portion 56 of this embodiment has the above-mentioned structure. The spring portion 56 of this embodiment is in a U-shape as a whole and is easily elastically deformed. However, as long as the spring portion 56 has spring characteristics, the structure of the spring portion 56 of the present invention is not particularly limited.

[0050] The contact 58 is supported by the spring portion 56 and can move with the elastic deformation of the spring portion 56. Specifically, one of the two contacts 58 of the present embodiment is a main contact 582 provided at the upper extension portion 566. The main contact 582 moves relatively largely in the width direction with the elastic deformation of the spring portion 56. The other of the two contacts 58 is an auxiliary contact 584 provided at the lower extension portion 562. Even if the spring portion 56 is elastically deformed, the auxiliary contact 584 hardly moves. The contact 58 of the present embodiment is provided as described above. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the number of the contact 58 may be one.

[0051] Hereinafter, the arrangement of the terminal 50 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0052] Reference Figure 2 The terminals 50 of this embodiment are divided into two terminal rows 50R. The two terminal rows 50R are composed of a right terminal row 50R located on the right side of the shell 20 in the width direction, and a left terminal row 50R located on the left side of the shell 20 in the width direction. In each terminal row 50R, the terminals 50 are arranged in a straight line along the pitch direction. Each terminal row 50R is composed of a plurality of first terminals 50F and a plurality of second terminals 50S. In each terminal row 50R, the first terminals 50F and the second terminals 50S are alternately arranged at equal intervals in the pitch direction. Refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 The first terminal 50F and the second terminal 50S are arranged so that the fixed portion 52 faces opposite to each other in the width direction.

[0053] As a result of the above arrangement, the fixed portions 52 of two terminals 50 (i.e., the first terminal 50F and the second terminal 50S) adjacent to each other in the pitch direction are located at different positions in the width direction. That is, the terminals 50 of this embodiment are alternately arranged (staggered arrangement), thereby enabling the terminals 50 to be arranged at a narrow pitch.

[0054] like Fig.11 As shown, in each terminal 50 of the present embodiment, the dimension (width WF) of the fixed portion 52 in the pitch direction is larger than the dimension (width WS) of the spring portion 56 in the pitch direction. In particular, according to the present embodiment, the dimension (width) of the spring portion 56 in the pitch direction is smaller than the width WF of the fixed portion 52 at all locations. In addition, the width WS of the spring portion 56 is constant throughout the entire spring portion 56 except for the upper portion of the upper extension portion 566. The width of the upper portion of the upper extension portion 566 is less than the width WS.

[0055] According to the above structure, the fixed portion 52 can be firmly fixed to the substrate 82 (see Figure 3), and the spacing between the terminals 50 can be reduced. In addition, according to this embodiment, since each terminal 50 is a bent contact, it is easy to make the width WS narrower than the width WF. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the width WF may also be equal to the width WS.

[0056] Reference Figure 4 The housing 20 is formed with: a plurality of holding portions 32 corresponding to the terminals 50, and a plurality of receiving portions 34 corresponding to the terminals 50. Figure 7 and Figure 8 Each holding portion 32 and the receiving portion 34 is a space opened upward and downward from the housing 20. Each terminal 50 of the present embodiment is inserted into the corresponding holding portion 32 and the receiving portion 34 from below.

[0057] Specifically, refer to Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig.10 The held portion 54 of each terminal 50 is pressed into the corresponding holding portion 32 from below, thereby being firmly held. That is, each holding portion 32 holds the held portion 54 of the corresponding terminal 50.

[0058] Each terminal 50 may be retained in the retaining portion 32 by insert molding the retained portion 54 having a protrusion for preventing it from coming off, instead of pressing the retained portion 54. However, in this case, in order to prevent the spring portion 56 of the terminal 50 from being embedded in the resin during insert molding, it is necessary to surround the spring portion 56 with a mold. As a result, a larger space than necessary may be formed around the spring portion 56, and the spacing between the terminals 50 may be widened. Therefore, from the viewpoint of configuring the terminals 50 at a narrower spacing, this embodiment is preferred.

[0059] When the held portion 54 is pressed into the holding portion 32, the spring portion 56 of each terminal 50 is accommodated in the corresponding receiving portion 34. That is, each receiving portion 34 accommodates the spring portion 56 of the corresponding terminal 50. Specifically, each receiving portion 34 has: a receiving portion 342, a groove portion 344, and an allowance portion 346. The lower extension portion 562, the bottom portion 564, and the upper extension portion 566 of each spring portion 56 are respectively accommodated in the receiving portion 342, the groove portion 344, and the allowance portion 346 of the corresponding receiving portion 34. The inner wall surface in the width direction of each allowance portion 346 is greatly separated from the upper end of the upper extension portion 566 in the width direction, allowing the upper extension portion 566 to move with the elastic deformation of the spring portion 56.

[0060] Reference Figure 4In the present embodiment, the housing 20 is provided with two first retaining columns (retaining columns) 32F and two second retaining columns (retaining columns) 32S. Each retaining column 32F, 32S is a column consisting of a plurality of retaining portions 32, and extends in the pitch direction. In other words, the retaining portions 32 in each retaining column 32F, 32S are arranged in a straight line in the pitch direction. Figure 5 Each holding portion 32 of the first holding row 32F holds the held portion 54 of the first terminal 50F. Each holding portion 32 of the second holding row 32S holds the held portion 54 of the second terminal 50S.

[0061] Reference Figure 4 One of the two first holding columns 32F is formed in the left long wall portion 23L, and one of the two second holding columns 32S is formed in the left side wall portion 26L of the island portion 26. The other of the two first holding columns 32F is formed in the right side wall portion 26R of the island portion 26, and the other of the two second holding columns 32S is formed in the right long wall portion 23R.

[0062] The holding portions 32 of the first holding column 32F of the left long wall portion 23L and the holding portions 32 of the second holding column 32S of the left long wall portion 26L respectively hold the held portions 54 of the terminals 50 of one of the two terminal columns 50R (the left terminal column 50R). The holding portions 32 of the first holding column 32F of the right long wall portion 26R and the holding portions 32 of the second holding column 32S of the right long wall portion 23R respectively hold the held portions 54 of the terminals 50 of the other of the two terminal columns 50R (the right terminal column 50R).

[0063] According to the present embodiment, by forming two first holding columns 32F and two second holding columns 32S, two terminal columns 50R extending linearly in the pitch direction can be provided. That is, the number of terminal columns 50R in the present embodiment is 2. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the number of terminal columns 50R may also be 1. In this case, the number of first holding columns 32F may be 1, and the number of second holding columns 32S may also be 1. For example, the island portion 26 may not be provided, and the first holding column 32F may be provided in the left long wall portion 23L, and the second holding column 32S may be provided in the right long wall portion 23R.

[0064] According to the present embodiment, a plurality of retaining portions 32 are formed on the two long wall portions 23 and the two side wall portions 262, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, only one retaining portion 32 may be formed on each of the two long wall portions 23 and the two side wall portions 262. However, in this case, even if the spacing between the terminals 50 is reduced, the size of the connector 10 in the spacing direction remains almost unchanged. The present invention is suitable for a connector 10 in which a plurality of retaining portions 32 are formed on each of the two long wall portions 23 and the two side wall portions 262, respectively.

[0065] The storage section 34 of the present embodiment is divided into two columns corresponding to the two terminal columns 50R. The storage sections 34 of each column are arranged in a straight line along the pitch direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the number of the terminal column 50R is 1, the storage section 34 can be arranged in one column along the pitch direction.

[0066] Reference Figure 5 According to the present embodiment, two storage sections 34 adjacent to each other in the pitch direction are located at substantially the same position in the width direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, two storage sections 34 adjacent to each other in the pitch direction may be located at least partially at the same position in the width direction.

[0067] Refer to Figure 5 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 A partition wall 38 is provided between two receiving portions 34 adjacent to each other in the pitch direction. Each partition wall 38 is located between the receiving portion 342, the groove portion 344 and the allowance portion 346 of the two receiving portions 34 adjacent to each other, so that the two terminals 50 adjacent to each other in the pitch direction are reliably insulated from each other. Since the partition wall 38 is provided, the pitch between the terminals 50 can be reduced.

[0068] According to the present embodiment, all the retaining portions 32 of the retaining columns 32F and 32S are located at completely different positions from all the receiving portions 34 in the width direction and do not overlap. If the configuration is explained from another point of view, the retaining portion 32 that holds the retained portion 54 of one of the two terminals 50 and the receiving portion 34 that receives the spring portion 56 of the other of the two terminals 50 do not overlap in the width direction. More specifically, the retaining portion 32 of the retained portion 54 that holds the first terminal 50F and the receiving portion 34 that receives the spring portion 56 of the second terminal 50S are offset in the width direction so as not to overlap each other. In addition, the retaining portion 32 of the retained portion 54 that holds the second terminal 50S and the receiving portion 34 that receives the spring portion 56 of the first terminal 50F are offset in the width direction so as not to overlap each other.

[0069] Reference Figure 5 , the retaining portion 32 of one of the two terminals 50 (adjacent terminals 50) adjacent to each other in the pitch direction is separated from the receiving portion 34 of the other of the adjacent terminals 50 by a distance DS in the pitch direction. The distance DS becomes shorter as the pitch between the terminals 50 decreases. Assuming that the position of the retaining portion 32 of one of the adjacent terminals 50 and the position of the receiving portion 34 of the other of the adjacent terminals 50 overlap with each other in the prescribed area PA in the width direction, the path for the resin to flow in the prescribed area PA becomes narrower when the housing 20 is molded, which may result in the inability to properly form the partition wall 38.

[0070] On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, even if the pitch between the terminals 50 is further reduced, the path for the resin to flow can be fully expanded when molding the housing 20. As a result, the thickness of the partition wall 38 between two receiving portions 34 adjacent to each other in the pitch direction can be ensured to be greater than the necessary thickness, thereby preventing the strength of the housing 20 from being deteriorated. That is, according to the present invention, a connector 10 having a structure capable of arranging the terminals 50 at a narrow pitch can be provided.

[0071] According to the present embodiment, each terminal row 50R (see Figure 4 ), the holding portion 32 of the held portion 54 holding the first terminal 50F and the receiving portion 34 of the spring portion 56 receiving the second terminal 50S are adjacent to each other across a linear boundary (first boundary) in the width direction. With respect to each terminal row 50R, the first boundaries are all located on a prescribed line PL extending in the pitch direction. Similarly, in each terminal row 50R, the holding portion 32 of the held portion 54 holding the second terminal 50S and the receiving portion 34 of the spring portion 56 receiving the first terminal 50F are adjacent to each other across a linear boundary (second boundary) in the width direction. With respect to each terminal row 50R, the second boundaries are all located on a prescribed line PL extending in the pitch direction.

[0072] However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the boundary in the width direction of the holding portion 32 of the held portion 54 holding the first terminal 50F may be separated from the boundary in the width direction of the receiving portion 34 that accommodates the spring portion 56 of the second terminal 50S. Similarly, the boundary in the width direction of the holding portion 32 of the held portion 54 holding the second terminal 50S may be separated from the boundary in the width direction of the receiving portion 34 that accommodates the spring portion 56 of the first terminal 50F. However, from the viewpoint of minimizing the increase in the size of the connector 10 in the width direction, this embodiment is preferred.

[0073] Reference Figure 2 According to the present embodiment, the number of terminals 50 of the right terminal row 50R is equal to the number of terminals 50 of the left terminal row 50R. Each terminal 50 of the right terminal row 50R is located at the same position as one of the terminals 50 of the left terminal row 50R in the pitch direction. According to this configuration, the size of the connector 10 in the pitch direction can be made smaller. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each terminal 50 of the right terminal row 50R is located at a different position from each terminal 50 of the left terminal row 50R in the pitch direction.

[0074] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8According to the present embodiment, each first terminal 50F of the right terminal row 50R is located at the same position as one of the first terminals 50F of the left terminal row 50R in the pitch direction, and each second terminal 50S of the right terminal row 50R is located at the same position as one of the second terminals 50S of the left terminal row 50R in the pitch direction. According to this configuration, the fixed portions 52 of the two terminals 50 located at the same position as each other in the pitch direction can be welded to the substrate 82 (refer to Figure 3 ) are located at positions that are greatly separated from each other, thereby preventing short circuits between the terminals 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each first terminal 50F of the right terminal row 50R may be located at the same position as one of the second terminals 50S of the left terminal row 50R in the pitch direction.

[0075] In addition to the various modifications described above, various modifications can be made to this embodiment. Figure 2 According to the present embodiment, the island portion 26 is provided with a middle hole 27, so that it is possible to visually confirm through the middle hole 27 whether the fixed portion 52 is properly soldered to the substrate 82 (see Figure 3 ). However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the middle hole 27 can be formed as required.

Claims

1. A connector mounted on a substrate. The connector comprises: a plurality of terminals and a housing. Each of the terminals comprises: a fixed portion, a held portion, a spring portion, and a contact point. The fixed portion is fixed to the substrate, The held portion extends from the fixed portion, The spring portion extends from the held portion, The contact is supported by the spring portion, The terminals are arranged along the pitch direction, The fixed portions of two terminals adjacent to each other in the pitch direction are located at different positions in a width direction orthogonal to the pitch direction. The housing is provided with: a plurality of holding portions corresponding to the terminals respectively, and a plurality of receiving portions corresponding to the terminals respectively. Each of the holding portions holds the held portion of the corresponding terminal, Each of the receiving portions receives the spring portion of the corresponding terminal. The storage portion is arranged along the pitch direction, A partition wall is provided between two of the storage portions adjacent to each other in the pitch direction. Regarding the two terminals adjacent to each other in the pitch direction, the holding portion that holds the held portion of one of the two terminals and the receiving portion that receives the spring portion of the other of the two terminals do not overlap in the width direction.

2. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: A dimension of the fixed portion in the pitch direction is larger than a dimension of the spring portion in the pitch direction.

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