Connector device and mating method between connector device and mating connector

Abstract

To provide a connector device with a structure that allows easy alignment of connectors with each other while providing a substrate with a predetermined strength without increasing its size.SOLUTION: A connector device 10 has a substrate 20, and a connector 30 integrated with a substrate 20. The substrate 20 has a through hole 22 through the substrate 20. The connector 30 has a mounting surface 34, and the mounting surface 34 is oriented toward the substrate 20. A visible mark 345 is formed on the mounting surface 34. The visible mark 345 is visible through the through hole 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector device and a method for fitting the connector device to a mating connector device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that enables a smooth mating operation to be performed with both electrical connectors in a state where they are easily and reliably aligned with each other using a simple configuration.

[0003] 10, a first electrical connector 91 of Patent Document 1 is mounted on a first wiring board 93. A reinforcing plate 95 is attached to the back surface of the first wiring board 93. A second electrical connector 97 is provided on a second wiring board 99. The first electrical connector 91 and the second electrical connector 97 can be fitted together by facing each other and bringing them close to each other.

[0004] 10, the reinforcing plate 95 has a notch 953 at an end 951 in the pitch direction. The first wiring board 93 also has a notch corresponding to the notch 953. This allows a part of the first electrical connector 91, i.e., the end, to be visually observed. As a result, when the first electrical connector 91 and the second electrical connector 97 are mated, the first electrical connector 91 can be easily and reliably aligned with the second electrical connector 97. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-096079 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When the first electrical connector 91 is removed from the second electrical connector 97, an upward force is applied by hooking a finger on the end 951 of the reinforcing plate 95 in the pitch direction. Since the reinforcing plate 95 has a notch 953 at the end 951 in the pitch direction, the width of the portion where the finger can be hooked is small. Therefore, when the first electrical connector 91 is removed from the second electrical connector 97, stress is concentrated at the base portion of the end 951 of the reinforcing plate 95, and the reinforcing plate 95 may be damaged. Although such damage can be prevented by increasing the width of the reinforcing plate 95, this leads to an increase in the size of the reinforcing plate and, in turn, the size of the connector device.

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a connector device that has a structure that gives a reinforcing plate (substrate) a predetermined strength without making the size larger than necessary, and that makes it easy to align connectors with each other. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides a first connector device comprising a substrate and a connector integrated with the substrate, the substrate is provided with a through hole that penetrates the substrate in a vertical direction and is closed in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, the connector has a mating portion that mates with a mating connector located below in the up-down direction, and a mounting surface that is a back surface of the mating portion, The mounting surface faces the substrate, A visually recognizable mark is formed on the mounting surface, The visual mark is visible through the through hole. A connector arrangement is provided.

[0009] The present invention provides a second connector device, which is a first connector device, The connector has a length in a pitch direction, The board has a size larger than the connector in the pitch direction, the board has a corresponding pitch range corresponding to the connector in the pitch direction, The through holes are formed only inside the corresponding pitch range. A connector arrangement is provided.

[0010] The present invention provides a third connector device, which is the second connector device, the board has a size larger than the connector in a width direction perpendicular to the pitch direction, the substrate has a corresponding width range in the width direction corresponding to the connector, The through holes are formed only inside the corresponding width range. A connector arrangement is provided.

[0011] The present invention provides a fourth connector device, which is the first connector device, The connector device further includes a flexible printed circuit board having a transparent film substrate and wiring formed on the film substrate, the flexible printed circuit board is sandwiched between the board and the connector, the connector is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board with the mounting surface facing the flexible printed circuit board, The substrate is fixed to the flexible printed circuit board. A connector arrangement is provided.

[0012] The present invention provides a fifth connector device, which is the fourth connector device, the film substrate has a predetermined area corresponding to the visual identification mark of the connector; The wiring is formed only in the area outside the predetermined area. A connector arrangement is provided.

[0013] The present invention provides a sixth connector device, which is the first connector device, The visual recognition mark has a concave-convex structure. A connector arrangement is provided.

[0014] The present invention provides a seventh connector device, which is the first connector device, The visual mark is printed. A connector arrangement is provided.

[0015] The present invention provides an eighth connector device, which is a first connector device, The connector has a length in a pitch direction, The size of the end of the board in the pitch direction is larger than the size of the end of the connector in the pitch direction in a width direction perpendicular to the pitch direction. A connector arrangement is provided.

[0016] The present invention provides a method for fitting a connector device to a mating connector device, comprising the steps of: the mating connector device includes a mating board and the mating connector fixed onto the mating board; a step of image-recognizing the connector device and the mating connector device located below the connector device using an image recognition sensor located above the connector device; calculating positions of the connector and the mating connector in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the up-down direction based on a result of the image recognition; aligning the connector and the mating connector in the horizontal plane based on the calculated positions; a step of moving the connector relative to the mating connector in the up-down direction after the alignment to fit the connector to the mating connector; Equipped A method for fitting a connector device to a mating connector device is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0017] In the connector device of the present invention, the visual identification mark formed on the mounting surface of the connector is visible through the through hole provided in the substrate, so that when the connector is mated with the mating connector, the position of the connector relative to the mating connector can be visually confirmed, and the connector can be easily aligned with the mating connector.

[0018] In addition, in the connector device of the present invention, the through hole provided in the board is closed in a plane perpendicular to the up-down direction. This means that the through hole is away from the edge of the board. In other words, the through hole is away from the part of the board where a finger would be placed when removing the connector from the mating connector. This allows the board to have a predetermined strength without making it larger than necessary, and prevents damage to the board.

[0019] The method of fitting a connector device and a mating connector device of the present invention uses the connector device to image-recognize the positions of the connector and the mating connector using a single image recognition sensor, thereby simplifying the configuration of the fitting system that fits the connector to the mating connector and also simplifying the image processing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a connector device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a bottom view showing the connector device of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a plan view showing a connector included in the connector device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the connector of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 5 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the connector in FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a plan view showing a mating connector device having a mating connector that can be mated with the connector device of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 7]Fig. 7 is a side view for explaining a fitting process in which the connector device of Fig. 1 and the mating connector device of Fig. 6 are fitted together. The connector of the connector device and the mating connector of the mating connector device are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction and also in the width direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is another side view for illustrating the mating process in which the connector device of Fig. 1 and the mating connector device of Fig. 6 are mated together. The connector and the mating connector are separated from each other in the up-down direction but coincide with each other in the width direction. [Figure 9] Fig. 7 is still another side view for illustrating the mating process in which the connector device of Fig. 1 and the mating connector device of Fig. 6 are mated with each other. The connector and the mating connector are mated with each other. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector disclosed in Patent Document 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] 1 and 2, a connector device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate 20 and a connector 30 integrated with the substrate 20. In this embodiment, the connector device 10 further includes a flexible printed circuit board 40, and the connector 30 is integrated with the substrate 20 via the flexible printed circuit board 40. In this embodiment, the substrate 20 functions as a reinforcing plate. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The flexible printed circuit board 40 is not essential to the present invention. The present invention is also applicable to a connector device that does not include a flexible printed circuit board 40, and in which the substrate 20 is a rigid circuit board.

[0022] 1 and 2, the substrate 20, the flexible printed circuit board 40, and the connector 30 are arranged in this order in the vertical direction. That is, the flexible printed circuit board 40 is sandwiched between the substrate 20 and the connector 30 in the vertical direction. More specifically, the connector 30 is mounted on the lower surface of the flexible printed circuit board 40, and the substrate 20 is fixed to the upper surface of the flexible printed circuit board 40. In this embodiment, the vertical direction is the Z direction. The +Z direction is upward, and the -Z direction is downward.

[0023] 3 and 4, the connector 30 has a shape with a long side in a pitch direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. The connector 30 includes a plurality of terminals 32 and a housing 34 that holds the terminals 32. In this embodiment, the pitch direction is the X direction.

[0024] 1 and 2, the board 20 has a rectangular shape that is long in the pitch direction. As can be seen from Fig. 1 and 2, the board 20 has a size larger than the connector 30 in the pitch direction. The connector 30 is spaced apart from both edges of the board 20 in the pitch direction, and the board 20 has a corresponding pitch range Rp corresponding to the connector 30 in the pitch direction.

[0025] 1 and 2, the board 20 is larger than the connector 30 in a width direction perpendicular to both the up-down direction and the pitch direction. The connector 30 is spaced apart from both edges of the board 20 in the width direction, and the board 20 has a corresponding width range Rw in the width direction that corresponds to the connector 30. In this embodiment, the corresponding width range Rw corresponds to the housing 34 of the connector 30. In this embodiment, the width direction is the Y direction.

[0026] As described above, in this embodiment, the board 20 has a rectangular shape (see FIG. 1). In other words, the board 20 does not have a notch like the notch 953 formed in the reinforcing plate of Patent Document 1. Therefore, in the width direction, the size of the end of the board 20 in the pitch direction is larger than the size of the end of the connector 30 in the pitch direction. This allows the board 20 to have a predetermined strength without making the size in the width direction larger than necessary. Therefore, when the connector 30 is removed from the mating connector 70 (see FIG. 6), the board 20 is prevented from being damaged by the stress acting on the board 20.

[0027] 1 and 2, the flexible printed circuit board 40 has the same size as the substrate 20 in the pitch direction. In addition, the flexible printed circuit board 40 has a larger size than the substrate 20 in the width direction. In the width direction, one edge of the flexible printed circuit board 40 coincides with one edge of the substrate 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The flexible printed circuit board 40 may have a smaller size than the substrate 20 in the pitch direction.

[0028] 1, the substrate 20 is provided with a through hole 22 that penetrates the substrate 20 in the vertical direction and is closed in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The shape of the through hole 22 is not particularly limited and may be polygonal. However, in consideration of the stress acting on the substrate 20, the shape of the through hole 22 is preferably circular. In addition, the size of the through hole 22 is preferably as small as possible to suppress a decrease in the strength of the substrate 20. However, this is on the condition that a visual recognition mark 345, which will be described later, can be visually recognized through the through hole 22.

[0029] As can be seen from FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the through hole 22 is formed only inside the corresponding pitch range Rp of the substrate 20. Also, the through hole 22 is formed only inside the corresponding width range Rw of the substrate 20. This is to make it possible to visually recognize a visual recognition mark 345 described later through the through hole 22. In this embodiment, the through hole 22 is located at the center of the substrate 20 in the pitch direction. Also, in this embodiment, the through hole 22 is located at the center of the substrate 20 in the width direction. The position of the through hole 22 is not particularly limited as long as it is inside the corresponding pitch range Rp and inside the corresponding width range Rw. However, in consideration of the stress acting on the substrate 20 when the connector 30 is inserted and removed, it is preferable that the through hole 22 is located at the center of the substrate 20 in each of the pitch direction and the width direction.

[0030] 1 and 2, as well as Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the connector 30 has a mating portion 341 that mates with a mating connector 70 (see Fig. 6), and a mounting surface 343 that serves as the back surface of the mating portion 341. In this embodiment, the mating portion 341 faces downward in the vertical direction, and mates with the mating connector 70 (see Fig. 6) located below the connector device 10 in the vertical direction.

[0031] 3 and 4, a visually recognizable mark 345 is formed on the mounting surface 343 of the connector 30. In the present embodiment, the visual mark 345 is located at the center of the connector 30 in both the pitch direction and the width direction. In the present invention, the position of the visual mark 345 is not particularly limited, but is determined in consideration of the shape and size of the substrate 20 and the positions of the through holes 22.

[0032] 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the visual identification mark 345 has a cross shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The visual identification mark 345 may have a shape other than a cross shape, such as a circle.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the visual identification mark 345 is a depression recessed downward from the mounting surface 343. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The visual identification mark 345 may be a protuberance rising upward from the mounting surface 343. In this manner, the visual identification mark 345 may have a concave structure, a convex structure, or a concave-convex structure. Furthermore, the visual identification mark 345 may be substantially flush with the mounting surface 343 as shown in FIG. 5. The visual identification mark 345 may be formed, for example, by laser processing the mounting surface 343, or may be formed by printing.

[0034] 1 and 2, the connector 30 is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board 40 so that the mounting surface 343 faces the substrate 20. In this embodiment, the connector 30 is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board 40 so that the mounting surface 343 faces the flexible printed circuit board 40. As a result, the mounting surface 343 of the connector 30 faces the substrate 20.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, the visual recognition mark 345 formed on the mounting surface 343 of the connector 30 is visible through the through hole 22 provided in the substrate 20. To achieve this, the connector 30 is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board 40 so that the visual recognition mark 345 at least partially overlaps with the through hole 22 in each of the pitch direction and the width direction. Here, the flexible printed circuit board 40 has a film substrate 42 and wiring (not shown) formed on the film substrate 42. The film substrate 42 has transparency so that the visual recognition mark 345 can be visually recognized through the film substrate 42. In addition, the film substrate 42 has a predetermined area corresponding to the visual recognition mark 345, and the wiring is formed only in an area outside the predetermined area. In addition, "visibility" in the present invention means that it can be recognized by the image recognition sensor 80 (see FIG. 7), that is, that it can be image recognized. In addition, "transparency" means that the light used for image recognition is transmitted, and the film substrate 42 does not need to be colorless and transparent. For example, the film substrate 42 may have a color such as yellowish brown.

[0036] 6, the mating connector device 50 includes a mating board 60 and a mating connector 70 fixed onto the upper surface of the mating board 60. The connector device 10 is fitted into the mating connector device 50 as follows.

[0037] First, as shown in Fig. 7, the connector device 10 and the mating connector device 50 are placed in their initial positions. The initial position of the connector device 10 is a position above the initial position of the mating connector device 50 in the up-down direction. The initial position of the connector device 10 is a position where the visual recognition mark 345 can be image-recognized by one image recognition sensor 80 located above the connector device 10. Furthermore, the initial position of the mating connector device 50 is a position where at least a part of the mating connector 70 can be image-recognized by the image recognition sensor 80.

[0038] Next, the image recognition sensor 80 recognizes the images of the connector device 10 and the mating connector device 50 that are respectively placed in their initial positions.

[0039] Next, a control device (not shown) connected to the image recognition sensor 80 calculates the position of the connector device 10 and the position of the mating connector device 50 in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the up-down direction based on the image recognition result by the image recognition sensor 80. At this time, the relative position of the connector device 10 or the mating connector device 50 may be calculated using one of the connector device 10 and the mating connector device 50 as a reference.

[0040] Next, the control device (not shown) operates a manipulator (not shown) based on the calculated positions of the connector device 10 and the mating connector device 50 to align the connector 30 and the mating connector 70 in the horizontal plane. In detail, as shown in Fig. 8, at least one of the connector device 10 and the mating connector device 50 is moved in the horizontal plane so that the connector 30 is positioned directly above the mating connector 70.

[0041] Finally, the control device (not shown) operates a manipulator (not shown) to move one of the connector device 10 and the mating connector device 50 relative to the other in the vertical direction, thereby mating the connector 30 with the mating connector 70, as shown in Figure 9.

[0042] As described above, according to the method of mating the connector device 10 and the mating connector device 50 of this embodiment, the positions of the connector device 10 and the mating connector device 50 can be image-recognized using a single image recognition sensor 80. This makes it possible to simplify the configuration of the mating system that mates the connector 30 with the mating connector 70. Also, the image processing process in the mating system can be simplified.

[0043] When the connector 30 in the mated state (see FIG. 9 ) is to be removed from the mating connector 70, a finger is placed on the end of the board 20 in the pitch direction, and a force is applied to the board 20 in a direction that pulls the connector device 10 away from the mating connector device 50. As described above, in the width direction, the size of the end of the board 20 in the pitch direction is larger than the size of the end of the connector 30 in the pitch direction. This allows the board 20 to have a predetermined strength without making the size in the width direction larger than necessary. And because the board 20 has a predetermined strength, damage to the board 20 when the connector 30 is removed from the mating connector 70 can be prevented.

[0044] Although the present invention has been described above by way of an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the size of the through hole 22 is larger than the size of the visual identification mark 345 when viewed in the vertical direction, but the size of the through hole 22 may be smaller than the size of the visual identification mark 345 as long as the orientation and position of the visual identification mark 345 can be image-recognized. Furthermore, a plurality of through holes 22 and a plurality of visual identification marks 345 may be provided. However, in consideration of a decrease in strength of the substrate 20, it is preferable that there is only one through hole 22 and one visual identification mark 345. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Connector device 20 Substrate 22 Through hole 30 Connectors 32 terminals 34 Housing 341 Fitting part 343 Mounting surface 345 Visibility Mark 40 Flexible Printed Circuit Board 42 Film Substrate 50 Mating connector device 60 Counterpart board 70 Mating connector 80 Image Recognition Sensor Rp Pitch range Rw Corresponding width range

Claims

1. A connector device comprising a substrate and a connector integrated with the substrate, the substrate is provided with a through hole that penetrates the substrate in a vertical direction and is closed in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, the connector has a mating portion that mates with a mating connector located below in the up-down direction, and a mounting surface that is a back surface of the mating portion, The mounting surface faces the substrate, A visually recognizable mark is formed on the mounting surface, The visual mark is visible through the through hole. Connector device.

2. 2. The connector device according to claim 1, The connector has a length in a pitch direction, The board has a size larger than the connector in the pitch direction, the board has a corresponding pitch range corresponding to the connector in the pitch direction, The through holes are formed only inside the corresponding pitch range. Connector device.

3. 3. The connector device according to claim 2, the board has a size larger than the connector in a width direction perpendicular to the pitch direction, the substrate has a corresponding width range in the width direction corresponding to the connector, The through holes are formed only inside the corresponding width range. Connector device.

4. 2. The connector device according to claim 1, The connector device further includes a flexible printed circuit board having a transparent film substrate and wiring formed on the film substrate, the flexible printed circuit board is sandwiched between the board and the connector, the connector is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board with the mounting surface facing the flexible printed circuit board, The substrate is fixed to the flexible printed circuit board. Connector device.

5. 5. The connector device according to claim 4, the film substrate has a predetermined area corresponding to the visual identification mark of the connector; The wiring is formed only in the area outside the predetermined area. Connector device.

6. 2. The connector device according to claim 1, The visual recognition mark has a concave-convex structure. Connector device.

7. 2. The connector device according to claim 1, The visual mark is printed. Connector device.

8. 2. The connector device according to claim 1, The connector has a length in a pitch direction, The size of the end of the board in the pitch direction is larger than the size of the end of the connector in the pitch direction in a width direction perpendicular to the pitch direction. Connector device.

9. A method for fitting the connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to a mating connector device, comprising the steps of: the mating connector device includes a mating board and the mating connector fixed onto the mating board; a step of image-recognizing the connector device and the mating connector device located below the connector device using an image recognition sensor located above the connector device; calculating positions of the connector and the mating connector in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the up-down direction based on a result of the image recognition; aligning the connector and the mating connector in the horizontal plane based on the calculated positions; a step of moving the connector relative to the mating connector in the up-down direction after the alignment to fit the connector to the mating connector; Equipped A method for fitting a connector device to a mating connector device.

Images