Connector and test fixture
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-06-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-02
Smart Images
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a connector that can be mated with a mating connector that has two hooks. [Background technology]
[0002] Referring to FIG. 9, Patent Document 1 discloses a printed circuit board (connector) 900 of this type. The connector 900 can be fitted to a connector (mating connector) 950 in the X direction. The mating connector 950 has two hooks 952, a button 954, and a contact (mating contact) not shown. The hooks 952 are provided on both sides of the mating connector 950 in the Y direction. The hooks 952 can be opened and closed by the button 954. The connector 900 is made of epoxy resin or the like. The connector 900 has a protruding plate 910. A pair of protrusions 912 and a contact portion (contact) 914 are provided at the tip of the protruding plate 910.
[0003] 9 and 10, the operation of fitting the connector 900 and the mating connector 950 is performed as follows. First, the button 954 is pressed to open the hook 952, and the mating connector 950 is inserted into the protruding plate 910 of the connector 900 to fit the connector 900 and the mating connector 950. As a result, the mating contact of the mating connector 950 is electrically connected to the contact 914 of the connector 900. After that, when the button 954 is released to close the hook 952, the hook 952 is caught by the protruding portion 912, and the mating state of the connector 900 and the mating connector 950 is locked. Note that the above-mentioned mating connector 950 uses the button 954 to open and close the hook 952. However, Patent Document 1 also discloses a mating connector 950 having a hook 952 that can be opened and closed by its own elasticity without providing the button 954. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-221417 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] As described above, the printed circuit board 900, which is the connector 900, is made of epoxy resin or the like, but when a mating connector 950 having a hook 952 made of a metal or the like harder than the material of the printed circuit board 900 is fitted to the printed circuit board 900 and locking / unlocking operations are repeated, the hook 952 causes the printed circuit board 900 to wear and deteriorate, and wear powder is generated, which may cause poor continuity between the connector 900 and the mating connector 950 and reduce the reliability of the electrical connection between the connector 900 and the mating connector 950. In particular, when the mating connector 950 having the hook 952 that can be opened and closed by its own elasticity is repeatedly inserted and removed from the printed circuit board 900, the hook 952 repeatedly slides against the side surface of the printed circuit board 900, causing the printed circuit board 900 to wear even more severely, and a lot of wear powder is generated, which may further reduce the reliability of the electrical connection between the connector 900 and the mating connector 950.
[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a structure that uses a hook of the mating connector to lock the mated state between the mating connector and the connector, and that can suppress the generation of wear powder when the mating connector and the connector are mated. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The present invention provides a first connector, A connector that can be mated with a mating connector in the front-rear direction, The mating connector includes two hooks and a mating contact, The hooks are spaced apart from each other in a lateral direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, Each of the hooks extends in the front-rear direction, Each of the hooks has a locking portion, The locking portion faces inward in the lateral direction, The connector has a tongue-shaped main portion, The hooks correspond to both side surfaces of the main portion in the lateral direction, The main body is made of a multilayer wiring board, The multilayer wiring board includes a first metal conductor layer and a second metal conductor layer, the first metal conductor layer and the second metal conductor layer are insulated from each other; The main portion includes a plurality of contacts, Each of the contacts is formed in the first metal conductor layer; Each of the contacts is at least partially exposed and can come into contact with the mating contact in a vertical direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the lateral direction, the second metal conductor layer has two exposed conductor portions; the conductor exposed portion is exposed on each of the two side surfaces of the main portion, The conductor exposed portions correspond to the hooks, a thickness of each of the conductor exposed portions is greater than a thickness of the lock portion of the corresponding hook of the mating connector; When the locking portion locks the mating state in which the mating connector and the connector are mated, the locking portion of each of the hooks contacts the corresponding exposed conductor portion. Provide a connector.
[0008] The present invention provides a first connector as a second connector, When the mating connector is mated with the connector, the locking portions of the hooks slide over a predetermined range on the corresponding side surfaces of the main portion, Each of the conductor exposed portions extends over the entire length of the corresponding side surface in the front-rear direction within the predetermined range. Provide a connector.
[0009] The present invention provides a third connector, which is the first connector, The multilayer wiring board further includes two resin insulator layers, The resin insulator layers are located on both the upper and lower sides of the second metal conductor layer. Provide a connector.
[0010] The present invention provides a fourth connector, which is any one of the first to third connectors, each of the hooks is made of metal; the second metal conductor layer is a ground layer, In the fitted state, the locking portions of the hooks are electrically connected to the corresponding exposed conductor portions. Provide a connector.
[0011] The present invention provides a first test fixture, A test fixture for evaluating transmission characteristics of the mating connector, The test fixture comprises a connector according to claim 4. Provide test fixtures. Effect of the Invention
[0012] The connector of the present invention is configured as follows: the second metal conductor layer of the multilayer wiring board has two conductor exposed parts; the conductor exposed parts are exposed on both side surfaces of the main part; the thickness of each conductor exposed part is greater than the thickness of the lock part of the corresponding hook of the mating connector; when the lock part locks the mating state of the mating connector and the connector, each lock part of the hook comes into contact with the corresponding conductor exposed part. As a result, compared to the connector 900 of Patent Document 1, the connector of the present invention avoids wear of the multilayer wiring board of the connector when the mating connector and the connector are mated, and the generation of wear powder during this mating is also suppressed. In other words, in the connector of the present invention, a decrease in reliability of the electrical connection between the connector and the mating connector due to the generation of wear powder is avoided. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a test fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which only a portion of a mating connector is shown, and a portion of the test fixture is shown in an enlarged manner. [Diagram 2] 2 is a top view showing the test fixture of FIG 1. In the figure, a part of the test fixture is shown in an enlarged manner. [Diagram 3] 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the test fixture of FIG 1. In the figure, a part of the test fixture is shown in an enlarged manner. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged view showing a portion surrounded by dotted line A in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 4 is a partially cutaway top view of the test fixture of FIG. 3, in which a portion of the test fixture is shown in an enlarged scale. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part included in the test fixture of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 7 is an enlarged view showing a portion surrounded by dotted line B in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] Fig. 7 is a top view showing the main part of Fig. 6. In the figure, a part of the main part is shown in an enlarged manner. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a top view showing the printed circuit board and connector of Patent Document 1. In the figure, the printed circuit board and the connector are not yet mated, and the hooks are in an open state. [Figure 10] Fig. 10 is a top view showing the printed circuit board and the connector of Fig. 9. In the figure, the printed circuit board and the connector are in a mated state, and the hooks are in a closed state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Referring to FIG. 1, a test fixture 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention is used for evaluating the transmission characteristics of a mating connector 700 .
[0015] As shown in FIG. 5, the mating connector 700 of this embodiment includes two hooks 710 and a mating contact 720.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 5, each of the hooks 710 in this embodiment is made of metal. Each of the hooks 710 extends in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the front-rear direction is the X direction. Here, the front is the +X direction, and the rear is the -X direction. Each of the hooks 710 has elasticity. The hooks 710 are located apart from each other in a lateral direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the lateral direction is the Y direction. The two hooks 710 can be opened and closed by their own elasticity. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and the two hooks 710 may be configured to be opened and closed by a button, similar to the hook 952 of the mating connector 950 of Patent Document 1. Each of the hooks 710 has a locking portion 712. The locking portion 712 faces inward in the lateral direction.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the test fixture 500 includes a connector 100 .
[0018] 1, a connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be mated with a mating connector 700 in the front-rear direction. The connector 100 has a metal shell 150. The front end of the shell 150 in the front-rear direction is open. That is, the connector 100 has an opening 110 at the front end in the front-rear direction.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 8, the connector 100 of this embodiment has a tongue-shaped main portion 200.
[0020] 5, the main part 200 of this embodiment has two lateral sides 220. The hooks 710 of the mating connector 700 correspond to the two lateral sides 220 of the main part 200, respectively.
[0021] Referring to FIG. 8, the main portion 200 has two guide portions 230 , two protruding portions 240 , and two recessed portions 250 .
[0022] 8, the inviting portions 230 in this embodiment are located at both ends of the main portion 200 in the lateral direction. Each of the inviting portions 230 intersects with both the front-rear direction and the lateral direction. More specifically, each of the inviting portions 230 intersects with both the front-rear direction and the lateral direction obliquely. Each of the inviting portions 230 is located at the front end of the main portion 200 in the lateral direction. The inviting portions 230 correspond to the protruding portions 240 and the recessed portions 250, respectively. Each of the inviting portions 230 is located in front of the corresponding protruding portions 240 in the lateral direction.
[0023] 8, the protruding portions 240 in this embodiment are located at both lateral ends of the main portion 200. Each of the protruding portions 240 protrudes outward in the lateral direction. Each of the protruding portions 240 is located between the corresponding inviting portion 230 and the corresponding recessed portion 250 in the front-rear direction. Each of the protruding portions 240 is located rearward of the corresponding inviting portion 230 in the front-rear direction. Each of the protruding portions 240 is located forward of the corresponding recessed portion 250 in the front-rear direction.
[0024] 8, the recesses 250 in this embodiment are located at both lateral ends of the main portion 200. Each of the recesses 250 is recessed inward in the lateral direction. Each of the recesses 250 is located rearward of the corresponding protrusion 240 in the front-rear direction.
[0025] 7, the main part 200 is made of a multilayer wiring board 300. The multilayer wiring board 300 includes a first metal conductor layer 310 and a second metal conductor layer 320.
[0026] 7, in the present embodiment, the first metal conductor layer 310 is exposed upward in the vertical direction of the multilayer wiring substrate 300. In the present embodiment, the vertical direction is the Z direction. Here, the upward direction is the +Z direction, and the downward direction is the -Z direction.
[0027] 7, the second metal conductor layer 320 of the present embodiment is a ground layer 320. The second metal conductor layer 320 is located below the first metal conductor layer 310 in the up-down direction. The second metal conductor layer 320 has two conductor exposed portions 322.
[0028] 7, the conductor exposed portions 322 of the present embodiment are exposed on both side surfaces 220 of the main portion 200. With reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the conductor exposed portions 322 correspond to the hooks 710, respectively. With reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 7, the thickness TA of each of the conductor exposed portions 322 is thicker than the thickness TB of the locking portion 712 of the corresponding hook 710 of the mating connector 700.
[0029] 7, the conductor exposed portion 322 corresponds to the leading portion 230, the protruding portion 240, and the recessed portion 250, respectively.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 7, each of the conductor exposed portions 322 in this embodiment has a first exposed portion 3223, a second exposed portion 3224, and a third exposed portion 3225.
[0031] 7, the first exposed portion 3223 of the present embodiment is exposed on the corresponding inviting portion 230. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 7, the thickness TA1 of each of the first exposed portions 3223 is greater than the thickness TB of the lock portion 712 of the corresponding hook 710 of the mating connector 700.
[0032] 7, the second exposed portions 3224 of the present embodiment are exposed on the corresponding protrusions 240. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 7, the thickness TA2 of each of the second exposed portions 3224 is greater than the thickness TB of the locking portions 712 of the corresponding hooks 710 of the mating connector 700.
[0033] 7, the third exposed portions 3225 of the present embodiment are exposed in the corresponding recesses 250. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 7, the thickness TA3 of each of the third exposed portions 3225 is greater than the thickness TB of the locking portions 712 of the corresponding hooks 710 of the mating connector 700.
[0034] 7, the multilayer wiring board 300 of the present embodiment further includes two resin insulator layers 340, 360. The resin insulator layers 340, 360 are located above and below the second metal conductor layer 320, respectively. The resin insulator layer 340 is located between the first metal conductor layer 310 and the second metal conductor layer 320 in the vertical direction. As a result, the first metal conductor layer 310 and the second metal conductor layer 320 are insulated from each other.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 7, the main portion 200 includes a plurality of contacts 312 .
[0036] 7, each of the contacts 312 of the present embodiment is formed on the first metal conductor layer 310. Each of the contacts 312 is at least partially exposed. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 7, each of the contacts 312 can come into contact with a mating contact 720 in a top-bottom direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the lateral direction.
[0037] The contact state between the main portion 200 of the connector 100 and the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 when the connector 100 of the test fixture 500 of this embodiment is mated with the mating connector 700 will be described in detail below.
[0038] First, when the mating connector 700 is inserted backward through the opening 110 into the connector 100 of the test fixture 500, the rear end of the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 comes into contact with the first exposed portion 3223 of the corresponding conductor exposed portion 322 of the connector 100. At this time, the rear end of the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 does not come into contact with the resin insulator layers 340, 360 of the connector 100.
[0039] In this state, when the mating connector 700 is moved further backward relative to the connector 100, the locking portion 712 of the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 rides up onto the first exposed portion 3223 of the corresponding conductor exposed portion 322 of the connector 100. As described above, since the thickness TA1 of each of the first exposed portions 3223 is thicker than the thickness TB of the locking portion 712 of the corresponding hook 710 of the mating connector 700, in this state, the locking portion 712 of the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 does not contact the resin insulator layers 340, 360 of the connector 100.
[0040] Thereafter, when the mating connector 700 is further moved backward relative to the connector 100, the locking portion 712 of the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 rides up onto the second exposed portion 3224 of the corresponding conductor exposed portion 322 of the connector 100. As described above, since the thickness TA2 of each of the second exposed portions 3224 is thicker than the thickness TB of the locking portion 712 of the corresponding hook 710 of the mating connector 700, in this state, the locking portion 712 of the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 does not contact the resin insulation layers 340, 360 of the connector 100.
[0041] When the mating connector 700 is moved further backward relative to the connector 100 in this state, the connector 100 and the mating connector 700 are in the state shown in Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. In this state, the contact 312 of the connector 100 is in contact with the mating contact 720 of the mating connector 700. Also in this state, the locking portion 712 of the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 has reached the corresponding recess 250 of the connector 100, and the locking portion 712 locks the mated state in which the mating connector 700 and the connector 100 are mated. Furthermore, in this state, the locking portion 712 of the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 is in contact with the third exposed portion 3225 of the corresponding conductor exposed portion 322 of the connector 100. That is, when the locking portion 712 locks the mating state in which the mating connector 700 and the connector 100 are mated, each locking portion 712 of the hook 710 contacts the corresponding conductor exposed portion 322. In this state, each locking portion 712 of the hook 710 is electrically connected to the corresponding conductor exposed portion 322. As described above, the second metal conductor layer 320 having the conductor exposed portion 322 is the ground layer 320, and therefore the mating connector 700 is grounded to the connector 100. As described above, the thickness TA3 of each of the third exposed portions 3225 is thicker than the thickness TB of the locking portion 712 of the corresponding hook 710 of the mating connector 700, and therefore in this state, the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 does not contact the resin insulator layers 340, 360 of the connector 100.
[0042] As described above, the thickness TA of each of the conductor exposed portions 322 is thicker than the thickness TB of the locking portion 712 of the corresponding hook 710 of the mating connector 700, and when the locking portion 712 locks the mating state in which the mating connector 700 and the connector 100 are mated, each of the locking portions 712 of the hooks 710 contacts the corresponding conductor exposed portion 322. As a result, the connector 100 of this embodiment avoids wear of the multilayer wiring board 300 of the connector 100 when the mating connector 700 and the connector 100 are mated, and the generation of wear powder during this mating is also suppressed, compared to the connector 900 of Patent Document 1. That is, in the connector 100 of this embodiment, a decrease in the reliability of the electrical connection between the connector 100 and the mating connector 700 due to the generation of wear powder is avoided. Note that, unlike hook 952 of mating connector 950 of Patent Document 1, hook 710 of mating connector 700 of the present embodiment is openable and closable by its own elasticity, but even if hook 710 of mating connector 700 is openable and closable by a button like hook 952 of mating connector 950 of Patent Document 1, the same effect as described above can be enjoyed when mating with connector 100 of the present embodiment. That is, regardless of whether hook 710 of mating connector 700 is openable and closable by its own elasticity or by a button, the above-mentioned effect can be enjoyed when mating with connector 100 of the present embodiment.
[0043] 7 and 8, each of the conductor exposed portions 322 extends over the entire length in the front-rear direction of a predetermined range PA of the corresponding side surface 220. Also, with reference to Figs. 5 and 8, when the mating connector 700 is mated with the connector 100, each of the locking portions 712 of the hooks 710 slides over the predetermined range PA on the corresponding side surface 220 of the main portion 200. As a result, when the mating connector 700 having the two hooks 710 that can be opened and closed by their own elasticity is inserted into or removed from the connector 100 of the test fixture 500, the locking portions 712 of the hooks 710 slide only over the corresponding conductor exposed portions 322 without sliding over the resin insulator layers 340, 360 of the multilayer wiring board 300. Therefore, the connector 100 of this embodiment prevents wear of the multilayer wiring board 300 of the connector 100 when mating with a mating connector 700 having two hooks 710 that can be opened and closed by their own elasticity, and also prevents the generation of wear powder during this mating. That is, in the connector 100 of this embodiment, deterioration in the reliability of the electrical connection between the connector 100 and the mating connector 700 due to the generation of wear powder is prevented.
[0044] Although the present invention has been specifically described above by way of the embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto and various modifications are possible. In addition, a plurality of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined.
[0045] In the connector 100 of the test fixture 500 of the present embodiment, each of the conductor exposed portions 322 extends over the entire length of the predetermined range PA of the corresponding side surface 220 in the front-rear direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the conductor exposed portion 322 may not extend over the entire length of the predetermined range PA of the corresponding side surface 220 in the front-rear direction. However, when a mating connector 700 such as the mating connector 700 of the present embodiment, in which two hooks 710 can be opened and closed by their own elasticity, is fitted to the connector 100, the locking portion 712 of the hook 710 of the mating connector 700 slides over a part of the side surface 220 of the connector 100 where the conductor exposed portion 322 is not exposed, and the part of the side surface 220 may be worn, generating wear powder. For this reason, it is more preferable that each of the conductor exposed portions 322 extends over the entire length of the predetermined range PA of the corresponding side surface 220 in the front-rear direction, as in the connector 100 of the present embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]
[0046] 100 Connectors 110 Opening 150 shells 200 Main Section 220 Side 230 Invitation Department 240 Protrusion 250 Recess 300 Multilayer wiring board 310 First metal conductor layer 312 Contact 320 Second metal conductor layer (ground layer) 322 Exposed conductor 3223 1st exposed part 3224 2nd exposed part 3225 3rd exposed part 340 Resin insulation layer 360 Resin insulation layer 500 Test Fixtures 700 Mating Connector 710 Hook 712 Rock Department 720 Counterpart Contact PA Prescribed range TA Thickness TA1 Thickness TA2 thickness TA3 Thickness TB Thickness
Claims
1. A connector that can be mated with a mating connector in the front-rear direction, The mating connector includes two hooks and a mating contact, The hooks are spaced apart from each other in a lateral direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, Each of the hooks extends in the front-rear direction, Each of the hooks has a locking portion, The locking portion faces inward in the lateral direction, The connector has a tongue-shaped main portion, The hooks correspond to both side surfaces of the main portion in the lateral direction, The main body is made of a multilayer wiring board, The multilayer wiring board includes a first metal conductor layer and a second metal conductor layer, the first metal conductor layer and the second metal conductor layer are insulated from each other; The main portion includes a plurality of contacts, Each of the contacts is formed in the first metal conductor layer; Each of the contacts is at least partially exposed and can come into contact with the mating contact in a vertical direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the lateral direction, the second metal conductor layer has two exposed conductor portions; the conductor exposed portion is exposed on each of the two side surfaces of the main portion, The conductor exposed portions correspond to the hooks, a thickness of each of the conductor exposed portions is greater than a thickness of the lock portion of the corresponding hook of the mating connector; When the locking portion locks the mating state in which the mating connector and the connector are mated, the locking portion of each of the hooks contacts the corresponding exposed conductor portion. connector.
2. 2. The connector of claim 1, When the mating connector is mated with the connector, the locking portions of the hooks slide over a predetermined range on the corresponding side surfaces of the main portion, Each of the conductor exposed portions extends over the entire length of the corresponding side surface in the front-rear direction within the predetermined range. connector.
3. 2. The connector of claim 1, The multilayer wiring board further includes two resin insulator layers, The resin insulator layers are located on both the upper and lower sides of the second metal conductor layer. connector.
4. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, each of the hooks is made of metal; the second metal conductor layer is a ground layer, In the fitted state, the locking portions of the hooks are electrically connected to the corresponding exposed conductor portions. connector.
5. A test fixture for evaluating transmission characteristics of the mating connector, The test fixture includes a connector according to claim 4. Test fixture.