Protection type electric connector

Abstract

To provide an electric connector having a construction that a tip end of a contact is exposed and is connected with the contact of a mating electric connector, capable of protecting the tip end of the contact to be exposed.SOLUTION: A plug connector 30 connected to a receptacle connector 10, comprises: a shell member 40 forming at least an outer peripheral part; an insulation material insulator 60 that is distributed into an internal part of the shell member; and a plurality of contact pins 70 held by the insulator. At a connection side where the plug connector is connected to the receptacle connector 10 in the shell member, a tip end of the contact pin 70 is exposed, and the plug connector comprises a tip end cover 31 that is attached so as to be movable to a protection position that covers and protects the tip end of each contact pin 70 and an exposure position that allows the tip end to be exposed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protective type electrical connector configured to protect contacts exposed at the tip side. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for high-speed transmission of large amounts of information, and electrical connectors are also required to have the ability to transmit large amounts of electrical signals at high speed. For this reason, a signal transmission method (differential transmission method) using signals (generally called "differential signals") that are in opposite phase to each other using a pair of signal lines has come to be used. Since differential signals sent using a pair of signal lines have opposite signal voltages, a signal with twice the voltage amplitude can be obtained by calculating the difference in signal voltages at the receiving side. In addition, when the same noise is added to each of the pair of differential signals, the noise can be subtracted when the difference in signal voltages is calculated at the receiving side, and the effect of the noise can be reduced or eliminated. As can be seen from this, signal transmission using the differential transmission method is resistant to noise and is suitable for increasing the transmission speed. Electrical connectors to which such a differential transmission method can be applied include, for example, electrical connectors disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-130321 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2022-96201 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Electrical connectors include those used to connect electrical cables together, those used to connect electrical cables to signal lines of a circuit board, and those used to connect circuit boards together. In these electrical connectors, the connection between the contact of the electrical connector and the core wire of the electrical cable, and the connection between the contact and the signal line (wiring pattern) of the circuit board are often performed using solder. However, the use of solder causes a problem that the impedance variation becomes large, which becomes a factor that inhibits high-speed transmission, and there is a problem that it is desirable to configure an electrical connector without using solder as much as possible. In addition, an electrical connector connected to an electrical cable is likely to become a factor that inhibits high-speed transmission in a signal line, and there is a problem that the structure of the electrical connector should be closer to a structure in which the core wire structure of the electrical cable is directly connected.

[0005] In view of these problems, the applicant has been considering an electrical connector that does not require soldering of signal lines and is suitable for increasing transmission speeds. In this case, the tips of the contacts may be exposed to connect with the contacts of the mating electrical connector, but such a configuration in which the tips of the contacts are exposed may pose a problem that when handling the contacts (when transporting the contacts or connecting them to the mating connector), the exposed tips of the contacts may accidentally hit an external object and bend or deform the contacts.

[0006] In view of these issues and problems, the present invention aims to provide an electrical connector in which the tips of the contacts are exposed to connect with the contacts of a mating electrical connector, and which is configured to protect the exposed tips of the contacts and prevent the tips of the contacts from being accidentally bent or damaged during handling, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the protective type electrical connector of the present invention (e.g., plug connector 30 in the embodiments) is an electrical connector that is connected to a mating electrical connector (e.g., receptacle connector 10 in the embodiments), and is configured to include a shell member (e.g., outer shell member 40 and inner shell member 50 in the embodiments) that forms at least the outer periphery, a retaining member made of an insulating material that is arranged inside the shell member (e.g., insulator 60 in the embodiments), and a plurality of contact members (e.g., contact pins 70 in the embodiments) that are held by the retaining member, and the tips of the contact members are exposed on the connection side of the shell member that is connected to the mating electrical connector, and the connector is provided with a cover member (e.g., tip cover 31 in the embodiments) that is attached to the connection side so as to be movable between a protective position that covers and protects the tips of the contact members and an exposed position that exposes the tips.

[0008] In the above-mentioned board-side electrical connector, preferably, a retaining opening space (e.g., lower retaining opening space 41 in the embodiment) is formed on the connection side of the shell member, surrounding the tips of the contact members and opening in the direction of connection with the mating electrical connector, the tips of the multiple contact members held by the retaining member are exposed within the retaining opening space and further protrude outside the retaining opening space, and the cover member is attached within the retaining opening space and is movable between the protected position and the exposed position.

[0009] In the above-mentioned board-side electrical connector, a biasing member (e.g., spring member 35 in the embodiment) is preferably disposed within the retaining opening space, positioned further back than the cover member, and when the cover member is subjected to the biasing force of the biasing member to be positioned at the protected position, and when the cover member is subjected to an external force and pushed into the retaining space against the biasing force of the biasing member, the cover member can be moved to the exposed position.

[0010] In the above board-side electrical connector, preferably, the mating electrical connector (e.g., receptacle connector 10 in the embodiments) is configured to have a receiving space (e.g., receiving space 16 in the embodiments) that opens at one end side and receives the mating electrical connector, and a mounting portion at the other end side that is joined and attached to the board, and is configured to include a connector housing (e.g., receptacle housing 11 in the embodiments) made of a conductive material through which the receiving space is formed from the one end side to the other end side, and the mounting portion is joined and attached to a mounting pattern formed on the surface of the board, and in a state in which the mounting portion is joined to the mounting pattern and the connector housing is attached to the board, a plurality of contact patterns formed in an area facing the receiving space on the surface of the board are used as contacts that are electrically connected to contact members of the mating electrical connector, and when the protective type electrical connector is inserted into the receiving space and mated and connected to the connector housing, the cover member abuts against the surface of the board and is pushed in toward the exposed position, and tips of the plurality of contact members abut against the plurality of contact patterns and are electrically connected.

[0011] In the above-described board-side electrical connector, preferably, each of the multiple contact members is composed of a main body portion held by the holding member, a contact pin portion (e.g., contact pin 77 in the embodiment) that protrudes toward the tip side of the main body portion and is attached so as to be movable in the protruding direction, and a biasing member (e.g., coil spring 75 in the embodiment) that biases the contact pin portion to protrude toward the tip side within the main body portion, and when the shell member is inserted into the receiving space and engaged with the board-side electrical connector and the tips of the multiple contact members are abutted against the multiple contact patterns, the tips of the contact pin portions abut against the multiple contact patterns, and the biasing member applies contact pressure between the tips of the contact pin portions and the contact patterns. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the protective type electrical connector of the present invention, the multiple contact members are held by a retaining member made of an insulating material arranged inside the shell member, and the tips of the contact members are exposed on the connection side of the shell member that is connected to the mating electrical connector, and a cover member is attached to the connection side so that it can be moved between a protective position that covers and protects the tips of the contact members, and an exposed position that exposes the tips.Therefore, when the protective type electrical connector is not in use or during handling, the cover member can be positioned in the protective position to protect the tips of the contacts, and it is possible to prevent the tips of the contacts from being accidentally bent or damaged during handling, etc.

[0013] In the above-mentioned protective type electrical connector, it is preferable that the tips of the multiple contact members are exposed within the retaining opening space and further protrude outwardly beyond the retaining opening space, and that the cover member is attached within the retaining opening space and is movable between the protected position and the exposed position. By positioning the cover member in the protected position, the tips of the contacts can be protected to prevent the tips of the contacts from being accidentally bent or damaged during handling, and by positioning the cover member in the exposed position, the tips of the multiple contact members protruding outwardly beyond the retaining opening space can be abutted without any problems against the contacts of the mating electrical connector for electrical connection.

[0014] In the above protective type electrical connector, it is preferable that the cover member is positioned at the protective position by the biasing force of the biasing member, and when the cover member is pushed into the holding space against the biasing force of the biasing member by an external force, the cover member is movable to the exposed position, so that when the protective type electrical connector is not in use or during handling, the cover member is positioned at the protective position by the biasing member, and the tips of the contacts can be prevented from being bent or damaged. On the other hand, when the protective type electrical connector is used, if the cover member is pushed into the holding space against the biasing force of the biasing member, the tips of the multiple contact members protrude outward from the holding opening space, so that the tips of the multiple contact members can be brought into contact with the contacts of the mating electrical connector for electrical connection.

[0015] In the above protective type electrical connector, it is preferable that, when the protective type electrical connector is inserted into the receiving space of the mating electrical connector and mated with the connector housing, the cover member abuts against the surface of the board and is pushed toward the exposed position, and the tips of the multiple contact members abut against the multiple contact patterns to be electrically connected. Thus, when using the protective type electrical connector, simply by inserting the protective type electrical connector into the receiving space of the mating electrical connector and mating it with the connector housing, the tips of the multiple contact members can be abutted against the contacts of the mating electrical connector to be electrically connected.

[0016] In the above-mentioned board-side electrical connector, it is preferable that each of the multiple contact members is configured so that the contact pin portion is attached to the main body portion held by the holding member so as to protrude toward the tip and be movable in the protruding direction, and the contact pin portion is moved to protrude toward the tip side by the biasing member, and when the tips of the multiple contact members are abutted against the multiple contact patterns, the tip of the contact pin portion abuts against the multiple contact patterns and a contact pressure is applied between the tip of the contact pin portion and the contact pattern by the biasing member, whereby the contact pressure between the tip of the contact pin portion and the contact pattern can be secured by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the reliability of the electrical connection can be ensured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state before a receptacle connector and a plug connector according to an embodiment of the present invention are connected to each other; [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a receptacle connector and a plug connector according to an embodiment of the present invention are connected together; [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view showing a receptacle connector and a wiring board to which the receptacle connector is joined and arranged. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connector housing of the receptacle connector. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an electric cable connected to a plug connector. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an electric cable is connected to a plug connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing components of the plug connector. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a tip cover constituting the plug connector. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a contact pin that constitutes the plug connector. [Figure 10]4 is a perspective view showing a state before contact pins are inserted into an insulator that constitutes the plug connector. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a contact pin is inserted into an insulator. [Figure 12] 3A and 3B are a cross-sectional view and a side view showing a state in which a contact pin is inserted into an insulator. [Figure 13] 1A and 1B are perspective views showing a state before and after an electric cable is attached to an inner shell member constituting a plug connector. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an insulator is attached to a tip of an electric cable. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an insulator is attached to a tip of an electric cable. [Figure 16] 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a state in which an insulator is attached to a tip of an electric cable. [Figure 17] 1 is a perspective view illustrating an operation of attaching a contact to a tip of an electric cable. FIG. [Figure 18] 11 is a perspective view showing a procedure for disposing the inner shell member in a state in which an electric cable having an insulator attached to its tip is held by the inner shell member. FIG. [Figure 19] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an insulator attached to a tip of an electric cable and an inner shell member are not yet attached to an outer shell member. FIG. [Figure 20] 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing an insulator attached to an end of an electric cable and an inner shell member before being attached to an outer shell member. FIG. [Figure 21] 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing an insulator attached to an end of an electric cable and an inner shell member being attached to an outer shell member. FIG. [Figure 22] 1A and 1B are a partial cross-sectional front view and a cross-sectional side view showing an insulator attached to an end of an electric cable and an inner shell member attached to an outer shell member. [Figure 23]1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an insulator attached to a tip of an electric cable and an inner shell member are attached to an outer shell member. FIG. [Figure 24] 11 is a perspective view showing a procedure for attaching a spring member to a state in which an insulator attached to a tip of an electric cable and an inner shell member are attached to an outer shell member. FIG. [Diagram 25] 10A to 10C are perspective views showing a procedure for attaching the tip cover after the spring member is attached as described above. [Figure 26] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which the tip cover is attached as described above. [Figure 27] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the tip cover is attached as described above. [Figure 28] 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the tip cover has been pushed upward and moved from the state in which it has been attached as described above. FIG. [Figure 29] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a state in the middle of connecting the receptacle connector and the plug connector. [Diagram 30] 3A and 3B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the receptacle connector and the plug connector are connected. [Diagram 31] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the receptacle connector and the plug connector are connected. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the basic configuration of a receptacle connector 10 as a board-side electrical connector according to the present invention and a plug connector 30 as a mating electrical connector will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 shows a state before the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 30 are connected, and Fig. 2 shows a state after the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 30 are connected. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are described as front (F), rear (B), right (R), left (L), up (U), and down (D) as shown by arrows in Figs. 1 and 2. However, the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 30 have no directionality in their usage form, and these directions are defined only for convenience of explanation.

[0019] The receptacle connector 10 is made of a rectangular cylindrical receptacle housing 11 formed by bending a metal plate made of a conductive material and having front, rear, left and right sides 12-15, and is used by joining (for example, soldering) it onto the wiring board 1. The receptacle housing 11 has a rectangular cylindrical receiving space 16 surrounded by the front, rear, left and right sides 12-15. As will be described later, a mount pattern 3 is provided on the surface of the wiring board 1, and the lower end of the receptacle housing 11 is soldered to the mount pattern 3. A plurality of contact patterns 5 are further formed on the surface of the wiring board 1 within an area surrounded by the mount pattern 3, and these contact patterns 5 function as contacts of the receptacle connector 10. Note that in Figs. 1 to 3, only the area where the receptacle housing 11 is attached is shown as the wiring board 1, but in reality it is a large flat plate-like member that extends outward.

[0020] The plug connector 30 has an outer shell member 40 on its outer periphery, and the tips of a plurality of (eight in this embodiment) electric cables 80 are connected to its inner side. The outer shell member 40 has a rectangular tubular outer shape corresponding to the receiving space 16 formed inside the receptacle housing 11, and as shown in Fig. 2, the outer shell member 40 is inserted into the receiving space 16 to fit and connect the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 30.

[0021] First, the detailed configuration of receptacle connector 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As described above, receptacle connector 10 is used by joining receptacle housing 11 onto wiring board 1. Receptacle housing 11 is formed by bending a metal plate made of a conductive material into a rectangular tubular shape having front surface 12, rear surface 13, left surface 14, and right surface 15, and having a receiving space 16 penetrating vertically. Elastic arms 12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a that protrude inwardly in a cantilevered manner are formed on front, rear, left, and right surfaces 12 to 15, respectively, as shown in the figure. In addition, a fitting retention opening 18 is formed in front surface 12, approximately at the center.

[0022] Receptacle housing 11 is made by bending a single metal plate, and as shown in Figure 4, the ends of right rear plate portion 21 and left rear plate portion 24 that form rear surface 13 abut against each other at abutment portion 23. When configured in this manner, when plug connector 30 is mated with receptacle connector 10, a force acts on receptacle housing 11 to spread it outward, which may cause abutment portion 23 to deform and move away from it. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, right and left locking pieces 22, 25 are provided by extending the upper parts of the right rear panel portion 21 and the left rear panel portion 24 and folding them outward, and a connecting member 26 shown in FIG. 4(B) is attached across these to prevent the abutment portions 23 from being deformed so as to separate.

[0023] The right and left locking pieces 22 and 25 are formed with locking holes 22a and 25a for attaching the connecting member 26. The connecting member 26 has a pair of upper projections 28a and 28b on the upper part of a rectangular plate material 27, and a pair of lower projections 29a and 29b on the lower part. The connecting member 26 is inserted from below into the gap between the right and left locking pieces 22 and 25 and the right and left rear plate parts 21 and 24, which opens downward. Then, the upper projections 28a and 28b enter the locking holes 22a and 25a and are locked and held, and the lower projections 29a and 29b are attached by abutting against the lower ends of the right and left locking pieces 22 and 25. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the connecting member 26 connects and holds the right and left locking pieces 22 and 25, and prevents the abutment parts 23 from being deformed so as to be separated.

[0024] 3, wiring board 1 is made by providing a mount pattern 3 and multiple contact patterns 5 on the surface of flat substrate material 2. As described above, substrate material 2 has a large, flat shape and is provided with multiple wiring patterns, etc. Mount pattern 3 is formed in a shape that corresponds to the bottom end surface of receptacle housing 11, and mount portion 17 that forms the bottom end of receptacle housing 11 is soldered to mount pattern 3 to be used as receptacle connector 10.

[0025] Next, the configuration of the plug connector 30 will be described. As described above, the tip of the electric cable 80 is connected to the plug connector 30, and the electric cable 80 will be described first with reference to Fig. 5. The electric cable 80 has a pair of signal core wires 81, 81 to perform a signal transmission method (differential transmission method) using an operating signal, and is composed of a core wire holding part 82 made of an insulating material that holds the pair of core wires 81, 81 side by side, a shield part 83 made of a conductive material that surrounds the outer periphery of the core wire holding part 82, and a covering part 84 made of an insulating material that covers the shield part 83. A total of eight electric cables 80 are connected to the plug connector 30, arranged in two rows of four each, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0026] The plug connector 30 to which the ends of eight electric cables 80 are thus connected is configured, in order from the end (lower end) as shown in Fig. 7, with a end cover 31, a spring member 35, an outer shell member 40, an inner shell member 50, eight insulators 60, and sixteen contact pins 70. The end cover 31, the spring member 35, the outer shell member 40, and the inner shell member 50 are made of conductive material, i.e., metallic material. As shown in the figure, these have complex shapes and are required to have the desired dimensional accuracy, so are made, for example, by a metal injection molding (MIM) method. The insulators 60 are made of insulating material As described above, a total of eight electric cables 80 are connected to the plug connector 30 in two rows of four cables each, but for ease of explanation, Fig. 7 only shows one row of four electric cables 80, eight contact pins 70 connected thereto, and four insulators 60. In reality, another row of four electric cables 80, eight contact pins 70 connected thereto, and four insulators 60 are arranged in a line in the front-rear direction.

[0027] The tip cover 31 is a rectangular plate having front, rear, left and right sides, a predetermined thickness on the top and bottom, and has eight cover openings 32 that penetrate from top to bottom. These cover openings 32 face eight insulators 60 arranged in two rows, front to back, from top to bottom. A pair of left and right cover engagement projections 33 that protrude outward are provided on both the front and rear surfaces of the tip cover 31. The spring member 35 is composed of a rectangular frame portion 36 and a pair of spring arms 37 provided on the front and rear of the lower surface side of the frame portion 36.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 8, the outer shell member 40 has a lower retaining opening space 41 at the lower end side for receiving the tip cover 31 and the spring member 37, and as shown in FIG. 20 (not shown in FIG. 7 but described later), has an upper retaining opening space 43 at the upper end side for receiving the inner shell member 50, and eight outer retaining holes 45 arranged in two rows in the front and rear directions are formed through the outer shell member 40, connecting the lower retaining opening space 41 and the upper retaining opening space 43. The outer retaining holes 45 are composed of an upper outer retaining hole 45a and a lower outer retaining hole 45b. A pair of left and right lower locking holes 42 communicating with the lower retaining opening space 41 are formed on the front and rear faces of the lower part of the outer shell member 40, respectively, and a pair of left and right upper locking holes 44 communicating with the upper retaining opening space 43 are formed on the front and rear faces of the upper part. Furthermore, an electric connector engaging arm 47 is provided on the front face, which protrudes outward from the lower side and extends upward in parallel along the front face. The electrical connector engaging arm 47 extends in a cantilever shape from the connection with the front surface at the bottom, and is elastically deformable back and forth. An electrical connector engaging protrusion 48 is provided on the front surface of the electrical connector engaging arm 47, and an operating portion 49 for external operation is provided at the tip (upper end) of the electrical connector engaging arm 47.

[0029] The inner shell member 50 is composed of a rectangular base portion 51 whose upper end is fitted into the upper retaining opening space 43, two rows of eight inner retaining holes 53 (see FIG. 13(A)) that vertically penetrate the base portion 51, and retaining plates 55 that are provided so as to sandwich from above and below the portion that extends downward from the base portion 51 and connects to the inner retaining holes 53. The retaining plates 55 extend downward from the base portion 51 in a cantilever shape, and as shown in FIG. 18, a pair of upper and lower retaining plates 55 are provided so as to sandwich from above and below the electric cable 80 inserted into the inner retaining holes 53. Pressure-receiving projections 56 are provided on the outer surfaces of these retaining plates 55 so as to extend vertically. A pair of left and right inner shell engaging projections 52 is provided on the front and rear surfaces of the base portion 51, respectively, as shown in the figure.

[0030] The insulators 60 are made of an insulating material and each include a main body 61 and a pin holding portion 65 that is connected to the main body 61 and extends downward. As shown in Figures 10 to 12, the main body 61 is formed with a cable insertion hole 62 that opens upward, and the pin holding portion 65 is formed with a pair of pin insertion holes 63, 63 that penetrate downward from the cable insertion hole 62. As shown in Figures 12(A), 16, 18, 19, etc., a gap 65a is formed that penetrates the vertical middle portion of the pin holding portion 65 from front to rear.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 9, each contact pin 70 is composed of a cylindrical main body 71, a coil spring 75 disposed in an internal hole 74 of the main body 71, and a contact pin 77 whose upper end is inserted into the internal hole 74 and protrudes downward. The contact pin 77 is movable up and down along the internal hole 74 relative to the main body 71, is pushed downward by the coil spring 75, and when the contact pin 77 is pushed upward, it can move upward against the bias of the coil spring 75. A core wire receiving hole 72 is formed at the top of the main body 71 and opens upward. A protrusion 73 protruding inward is provided within the core wire receiving hole 72.

[0032] The plug connector 30 is constructed from the above-mentioned components, and the procedure for assembling the plug connector 30 will be described below. First, as shown in Figs. 10 to 12, the contact pin 70 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 63 of the insulator 60. The inlet portion 64 of the pin insertion hole 63 has protrusions 64 facing each other and having a shape slightly smaller than the diameter of the main body portion 71 of the contact pin 70. The contact pin 70 is pressed into the pin insertion hole 63 by pushing and spreading the facing protrusions 64. When the contact pin 70 is completely inserted, the rear end (upper end) of the main body portion 71 passes over the protrusions 64 and enters the pin insertion hole 63. As a result, the protrusions 64 return to their original shape and hold the main body portion 71 in the pin insertion hole 63 so that it does not slip out. As shown in Fig. 12(A), a reduced diameter portion 66 is formed at the tip (lower end) of the pin insertion hole 63. The reduced diameter portion 66 is smaller than the outer diameter of the main body portion 71, and the main body portion 71 is inserted to a position where it abuts against the reduced diameter portion 66. When the main body 71 is inserted until it abuts against the reduced diameter portion 66 in this manner, the rear end (upper end) of the main body 71 exceeds the protrusion 64. In addition, reduced diameter portion 66 is designed to enter pin insertion hole 63. The reduced diameter portion 66 has a diameter that allows contact pin 77 to pass through, and when contact pin 70 is inserted into pin insertion hole 63 of insulator 60 as described above, contact pin 77 protrudes downward from the lower end of insulator 60 as shown in FIG.

[0033] In parallel with the above assembly, as shown in Fig. 13, eight electric cables 80 are inserted into the eight inner holding holes 53 of the inner shell member 50. As a result, the inner shell member 50 aligns and holds the eight electric cables 80, as shown in Fig. 13(B). At this time, at the tip of the electric cable 80, as shown in Fig. 5, a predetermined length of a pair of core wires 81, 81 is exposed, followed by a predetermined length of a core wire holding portion 82, followed by a predetermined length of a shield portion 83 made of a conductive material.

[0034] As shown in Figs. 14 to 16, the insulator 60 to which the contact pin 70 is attached as described above is attached to the tip of each of the eight electric cables 80 aligned and held by the inner shell member 50. This attachment is performed by inserting the core wire holding portion 82 into the cable insertion hole 62. At this time, the pair of core wires 81, 81 protruding from the core wire holding portion 82 are pushed into the core wire receiving hole 72 of the pair of contact pins 70 attached to the insulator 60 as shown in Fig. 17. A protrusion 73 is provided protruding inward in the core wire receiving hole 72, and this protrusion 73 engages with the core wire 81 pushed into the core wire receiving hole 72 to reliably connect them electrically. As a result, the contact pin 70 is reliably connected to the tip of the core wire 81. As can be seen from Fig. 17, the core wire 81 and the contact pin 70 are connected in a straight line, and the signal line in the electric connector is configured similarly to a configuration in which the core wire configuration of the electric cable is directly connected, which is suitable for high-speed transmission.

[0035] In this manner, as shown in Fig. 18(A), the insulators 60 with the contact pins 70 attached thereto are attached to the ends of all of the eight electric cables 80 aligned and held by the inner shell member 50. In this state, the inner shell member 50 is located away from the ends of the electric cables 80 as shown in Fig. 18(A), so the inner shell member 50 is moved toward the ends as shown by the arrow in Fig. 18(A) and is brought into contact with and engaged with the insulator 60 as shown in Fig. 18(B).

[0036] In this manner, the eight electric cables 80 are aligned and held by the inner shell member 50, and with the insulators 60 and the inner shell member 50 attached to the ends of the eight electric cables 80, this state is attached to the outer shell member 40 as shown in Fig. 19. This attachment is performed by inserting the eight aligned insulators 60 and the inner shell member 50 attached to the ends of the eight electric cables 80 into the upper holding opening space 43 of the outer shell member 40 as shown in Fig. 19 and Fig. 20. Fig. 21 shows a state where this insertion has been completed halfway, with the pin holding portion 65 of the insulator 60 inserted into the lower outer holding hole 45b of the outer shell member 40, the main body portion 61 of the insulator 60 and the holding plate 55 of the inner shell member 50 inserted into the upper outer holding hole 45a, and the base portion 51 of the inner shell member 50 inserted into the upper holding opening space 43.

[0037] 22 and 23 show the eight aligned insulators 60 attached to the ends of the eight electric cables 80 and the inner shell member 50 completely inserted into the upper holding opening space 43 of the outer shell member 40. In this state, the main body 61 of the insulator 60 and the holding plate 55 of the inner shell member 50 are inserted into the upper outer holding hole 45a until the lower end of the main body 61 of the insulator 60 abuts against the lower end of the upper outer holding hole 45a. At this time, the pin holding portion 65 of the insulator 60 is inserted into the lower outer holding hole 45b of the outer shell member 40, with its lower portion protruding into the lower holding opening space 41. In this manner, When fully inserted, as shown in Fig. 23, the inner shell engaging projections 52 of the inner shell member 50 are pressed into the upper retaining opening space 43, and when fully inserted, they protrude into the upper retaining hole 44 and are retained. This allows the insulator 60 and the inner shell member 50 to be retained by the outer shell member 40 in the fully inserted state. Also, when the retaining plate 55 of the inner shell member 50 is inserted into the upper outer retaining hole 45a, as shown in Fig. 22(B), the pressure-receiving projections 56 formed on the outer surface of the retaining plate 55 come into contact with the wall surface of the upper outer retaining hole 45b and are pressed inward, bringing the retaining plate 55 into reliable contact with the exposed shield portion 83 of the electric cable 80.

[0038] Next, as shown in Fig. 24, the spring member 35 is inserted and positioned in the lower holding opening space 41 of the outer shell member 40. The frame portion 36 of the outer shell member 40 has a rectangular shape corresponding to the lower holding opening space 41, and the frame portion 36 can be inserted so as to fit into the lower holding opening space 41. At this time, the spring member 35 is inserted so that the spring arm 37 faces upward in the figure.

[0039] Then, as shown in FIG. 25, the tip cover 31 is inserted and arranged in the lower holding opening space 41. The tip cover 31 has a rectangular shape corresponding to the lower holding opening space 41, and can be inserted so as to fit into the lower holding opening space 41. The cover openings 32 of the tip cover 31 are provided at eight locations corresponding to the pin holding parts 65 of the eight insulators 60 held by the outer shell member 40 via the inner shell member 50 as described above, and the tip cover 31 is inserted into the lower holding opening space 41 while the pin holding parts 65 are inserted into the cover openings 32. At this time, as shown in FIG. 26, the tip cover 31 is inserted into the lower holding opening space 41 while the cover engagement projections 33 are pressed in, and enters the lower locking holes 42. As a result, the tip cover 31 is held in the inserted and arranged state in the lower holding opening space 41 so as not to come out. The vertical dimension of the lower locking hole 42 is larger than the vertical dimension of the cover engaging projection 33, and the cover locking projection 33 is capable of moving vertically within the lower locking hole 42. Therefore, the tip cover 31 inserted and disposed in the lower holding opening space 41 is capable of moving vertically within the lower locking hole 42 within the range in which the cover locking projection 33 can move vertically.

[0040] As described above, the spring member 31 is first inserted into the lower holding opening space 41, and then the tip cover 31 is inserted and attached. Therefore, the tip cover 31 inserted and arranged in the lower holding opening space 41 is pressed by the spring arm 37 of the spring member 31, and the cover engagement projection 33 abuts against the lower end of the lower locking hole 42, and is moved downward as shown in FIG. 27. In this state, the pin holding portion 65 of the insulator 60 is located in the cover opening 32 of the tip cover 31, and the tip of the contact pin 77 protruding from the tip (lower end) of the pin holding portion 65 is located in the cover opening 32. The position of the tip cover 31 in this state is referred to as the "protection position". Therefore, the tip of the contact pin 77 is protected from being bent or damaged by external force. When the tip cover 31 is pushed into the lower holding opening space 41 from this state, the tip cover 31 is pushed into the lower holding opening space 41 against the bias of the spring arm 37 and moves upward, as shown in Fig. 28. As a result, the pin holding portion 65 is inserted further into the cover opening 32, and the tip of the contact pin 77 protruding from the tip (lower end) of the pin holding portion 65 becomes exposed, as shown in Fig. 28. The position of the tip cover 31 thus pushed in until the tip of the contact pin 77 is exposed is referred to as the "exposed position".

[0041] The receptacle connector 10 and plug connector 30 constructed as described above are used by inserting the outer shell member 40 into the receiving space 16 and mating and connecting, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 29 shows a mated and connected state at an intermediate stage where the outer shell member 40 has been inserted into the receiving space 16. When the outer shell member 40 is inserted into the receiving space 16, the elastic arms 12a, 13a, 14a, 15a formed on the front, rear, left and right sides 12-15 of the receptacle housing 11 come into contact with the front, rear, left and right outer sides of the outer shell member 40, pressing and holding the plug connector 30 against the receptacle housing 11 and electrically connecting them together. As the tip cover 31 is inserted and attached, the insertion arrangement is arranged in the lower holding opening space 41. Until the attached tip cover 31 comes into contact with the wiring board 1, the tip cover 31 is pressed by the spring arms 37 of the spring member 31 and is moved downward as shown in Fig. 27. In other words, it is in the protection position. Therefore, the tip of the contact pin 77 protruding from the tip (lower end) of the pin holding portion 65 of the insulator 60 is positioned within the cover opening 32, and the tip of the contact pin 77 is protected from being bent or damaged by an external force.

[0042] When the outer shell member 40 is further inserted into the receiving space 16 from the state where the tip cover 31 is in contact with the wiring board 1 as shown in FIG. 29(B), the tip cover 31 in contact with the wiring board 1 is pushed into the lower holding opening space 41 of the outer shell member 40 against the bias of the spring arm 37 (moves toward the exposed position). As a result, the tip of the contact pin 77 protruding from the tip (lower end) of the pin holding portion 65 is exposed and comes into contact with the wiring board 1. The state where the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 30 are completely fitted and connected is shown in FIG. 30 and FIG. 31, and as shown in FIG. 30(B), the tip of the contact pin 77 comes into contact with the surface of the wiring board 1 and moves upward along the internal hole 74 of the main body portion 71 so as to push back the coil spring 75. Therefore, the contact pin 77 comes into contact with the surface of the wiring board 1 under the bias of the coil spring 75.

[0043] As described above, the lower end of receptacle housing 11 is soldered to mount pattern 3 formed on the surface of wiring board 1, and contact pin 77 abuts and contacts multiple contact patterns 5 formed within the area surrounded by mount pattern 3. As a result, signal core wire 81 of electric cable 80 is electrically connected to contact pattern 5 via contact pin 70 of plug connector 30. At this time, contact pin 77 abuts against contact pattern 5 under the biasing force of coil spring 75, so that contact pressure is ensured and a reliable electrical connection can be made.

[0044] When the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 30 are completely mated and connected, as shown in Figures 30(A) and 31, the electric connector engaging projection 48 formed on the electric connector engaging arm 47 protrudes into the mating retention opening 18 of the receptacle housing 11 and engages with the upper end of the mating retention opening 18, thereby holding the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 30 in a completely mated and connected state. If the operating portion 49 is pressed in from this state, the engagement between the electric connector engaging projection 48 and the mating retention opening 18 can be released, and the plug connector 30 can be removed from the receptacle connector 10.

[0045] In the embodiment described above, the electric cable 80 is configured to have a pair of signal core wires 81, 81 in order to perform a signal transmission method (differential transmission method) using an operating signal, but an electric cable having only one signal core wire may also be used.

[0046] In addition, in receptacle housing 11 made by bending a single metal plate, right rear plate portion 21 and left rear plate portion 24 forming rear surface 13 are configured to abut at abutment portion 23 as shown in Fig. 4, and connecting member 26 shown in Fig. 4(B) is attached across right and left locking pieces 22, 25 to prevent abutment portion 23 from being deformed so as to be separated, but the configuration is not limited to this. In other words, any configuration may be used as long as right rear plate portion 21 and left rear plate portion 24 forming rear surface 13 can be configured to maintain a state in which they abut at abutment portion 23, and for example, right and left locking pieces 22, 25 may be shaped to engage with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Wiring board 1 3 Mount pattern 5 Contact pattern 2 Board material 10 receptacle connector 10 11 receptacle housing 16 Receiving space 18 Fitting retention opening 21 Right rear plate section 23 Contact section 24 Left rear plate 26 Connection member 30 Plug connector 31 Tip cover 32 Cover opening 33 Cover engagement projection 35 Spring member 37 Spring arm 40 outer shell member 41 lower retaining opening space 42 Lower locking hole 43 Upper retaining opening space 45 Outer retaining hole 42 Lower locking hole 44 Upper locking hole 44 47 Electrical connector engagement arm 48 Electrical connector engagement projection 49 Operation portion 50 Inner shell member 51 Base portion 53 Inner retaining hole 55 Retaining plate 56 Pressure receiving projection 52 Internal shell engagement projection 60 Insulator 61 Main body 65 Pin holding portion 62 Cable insertion hole 63 Pin insertion hole 70 Contact pin 71 Main body 72 Wire receiving hole 73 Protrusion 74 Internal hole 75 Coil spring 77 Contact pin 80 Electrical cable 81 Signal core wire 82 Core wire holding part 83 Shield part 84 Covering part

Claims

1. An electrical connector to be connected to a mating electrical connector, A shell member forming at least an outer periphery; a retaining member made of an insulating material and disposed inside the shell member; a plurality of contact members held by the holding member, a tip end of the contact member is exposed on a connection side of the shell member that is to be connected to the mating electrical connector, A protective type electrical connector comprising a cover member attached to the connection side and movable between a protective position for covering and protecting the tip of the contact member and an exposed position for exposing the tip.

2. a retaining opening space is formed on the connecting side of the shell member so as to surround the tip of the contact member and to open in a connecting direction with the mating electrical connector, the tips of the contact members held by the holding member are exposed in the holding opening space and further protrude outward from the holding opening space; 2. The protective type electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein said cover member is mounted within said retaining opening space and is movable between said protected position and said exposed position.

3. A biasing member is disposed in the holding opening space and positioned on the rear side of the cover member, The cover member is positioned at the protection position by receiving the biasing force of the biasing member, 3. The protective type electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein said cover member is movable to said exposed position when said cover member is pushed into said holding space against the biasing force of said biasing member by an external force.

4. The mating electrical connector is The connector housing is made of a conductive material and has a receiving space that opens at one end to receive the mating electrical connector, and a mounting portion at the other end that is joined and attached to a board, and the receiving space is formed to extend from the one end to the other end. The mounting portion is attached by being joined to a mounting pattern formed on a surface of the substrate, a contact member of the mating electrical connector, the contact member being electrically connected to the contact member of the mating electrical connector, the contact member being electrically connected to the contact member of the mating electrical connector, the contact member being electrically connected to the contact member of the mating electrical connector, and a contact member being electrically connected to the contact member of the mating electrical connector, the contact member being electrically connected to the contact member of the mating electrical connector, the contact member being electrically connected to the contact member of the mating electrical connector, and a contact member being electrically connected to the contact member of the mating electrical connector, the contact member being electrically connected to the contact member of the mating electrical connector, and the ... When the protective type electrical connector is inserted into the receiving space and mated with the connector housing, A protective type electrical connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cover member abuts against the surface of the substrate and is pushed in toward the exposed position, and the tips of the multiple contact members abut against the multiple contact patterns to be electrically connected.

5. Each of the plurality of contact members includes a main body portion held by the holding member, a contact pin portion attached to the main body portion so as to protrude toward a tip end and to be movable in a protruding direction, and a biasing member that biases the contact pin portion so as to protrude toward the tip end within the main body portion, When the shell member is inserted into the receiving space and fitted and connected to the board-side electrical connector, and the tips of the plurality of contact members are brought into contact with the plurality of contact patterns, the tips of the contact pin portions come into contact with the plurality of contact patterns, and contact pressure is applied between the tips of the contact pin portions and the contact patterns by the biasing member.

5. The protective type electrical connector according to claim 4, characterized in that said protective type electrical connector is configured as follows:

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