Male / female fitting type electric connector
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- KEL CORP
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-24
AI Technical Summary
In the point contact structure, existing electrical connectors have problems of low contact reliability and poor connection stability, especially in two-point contact structures, where contact points are prone to shift, resulting in a decrease in contact reliability.
The contact surface design with arc or planar shape is adopted to make contact point contact during contact, increasing contact reliability, and adapting to contact offset through elastic deformation to ensure stable connection.
Improve contact reliability and connection stability, reduce the impact of contact offset on signal transmission, and enhance the reliability of electrical connections.
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a male-female mating type electrical connector. [Background technology]
[0002] Electrical connectors are used to connect signal lines and power lines between boards, between boards and cables, and between cables, and those with a male-female mating type connection configuration are generally well known. In a connection configuration using a male-female mating type connector (generally, one is a female connector called a receptacle connector and the other is a male connector called a plug connector), the female and male connectors each have a signal contact connected to a signal line and a power contact connected to a power line, and these contacts are abutted against each other to make an electrical connection (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Recently, there is often a demand for faster signal transmission through signal lines, and in such cases, it is desirable to shorten the length of the stub of the contact (the part of the contact that is not used for signal transmission), and it is required to shorten the stub length as much as possible.
[0003] In some female-male mating type connectors, the contact of one connector is elastically deformable and has a contact portion with the mating contact at its tip, and the contact of the other connector (the mating contact) is provided with a plate-shaped abutment portion extending in the mating direction, so that when the female and male connectors are mated and connected, the contact portion of the contact of one connector abuts against the abutment portion of the contact of the other connector (single-point contact configuration). For example, the connector described in Patent Document 1 also has this configuration. In this way, in the case of a configuration in which the contact portion abuts against the abutment portion at one point, that is, a so-called single-point contact configuration, the part of the contact of one connector that is on the tip side from the contact portion becomes a stub, and the part of the contact of the other connector that is on the tip side from the abutment portion becomes a stub. In the case of a single-point contact configuration, it is required to ensure that the effective mating length of the contact is sufficient to increase the contact reliability, and there is a problem that the stub length tends to be long.
[0004] In the female-male mating type connector, there is a two-point contact configuration as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3. In a connector with a two-point contact configuration, the contact of one connector is elastically deformable, and a contact portion with a mating contact is provided at its tip and a plate-shaped abutment portion extending in the mating direction is provided at its base side, and the contact of the other connector is also elastically deformable, and a contact portion with a mating contact is provided at its tip and a plate-shaped abutment portion extending in the mating direction is provided at its base side. When the female and male connectors are mated and connected, the contact portion of the contact of one connector abuts against the abutment portion of the contact of the other connector (first contact point), and the contact portion of the contact of the other connector abuts against the abutment portion of the contact of the one connector (second contact point). With this two-point contact configuration, the tip side of the contact portion of the contact of one connector becomes a stub, and the tip side of the contact portion of the contact of the other connector becomes a stub. Therefore, even if the contact position is shifted in the fitting direction, the stub length remains unchanged, and there is an advantage that it is not affected by the shift in the fitting position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-178434 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-269478 [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-35300 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0006] Incidentally, in the two-point contact female-male mating type connectors disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the contacts are made by bending a metal plate cut into a long shape, and the cross section is rectangular, and the contact portion and the abutting portion are in surface contact or line contact. When the abutting contact between the contacts is made in a surface contact or line contact like this, the positions of the contact points become multiple or vary, so there is a problem that the contact reliability is likely to be low. Therefore, for example, it is conceivable to improve the contact reliability by making the contact portion spherical and making a point contact, but there is a problem that it is difficult to process only the contact portion into a spherical shape. This problem is not limited to connectors with two-point contact, but is similar to connectors with one-point contact. Furthermore, when the female and male connectors are mated and connected, the spherical contact portions abut each other in the initial mating stage and move over each other to fit, but since the spherical surfaces abut each other, an action that tends to shift the mating side in the lateral direction (the direction perpendicular to the mating direction) is likely to occur, and the connection stability is impaired.
[0007] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide a male and female mating type electrical connector which has point contact at both contact portions when mated and connected, thereby increasing contact reliability. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] In order to achieve this objective, the first male-female mating type electrical connector of the present invention comprises a one-side connector (e.g., plug connector PC in the embodiments) configured by holding a plurality of conductive one-side contacts (e.g., plug side signal contacts 80 in the embodiments) by an insulating one-side retaining member, and a other-side connector (e.g., receptacle connector RC in the embodiments) configured by holding a plurality of conductive other-side contacts (e.g., receptacle side signal contacts 50 in the embodiments) by an insulating other-side retaining member, and is configured so that the one-side retaining member and the other-side retaining member are engaged to abut the one-side contacts with the corresponding other-side contacts to establish an electrical connection. In this female-male mating type electrical connector, the one-side contact is made of a plate material with a rectangular cross section that is cantilevered by the one-side holding member and extends forward in the mating direction, and has a one-side contact portion (e.g., plug signal side contact portion 86 in the embodiment) at a tip end thereof that protrudes toward the side that contacts the other-side contact and has a surface that contacts the other-side contact formed in an arc-shaped cross section, and a one-side abutment portion (e.g., plug signal side abutment portion the other-side contact has a contact portion 85), and further, the other-side contact is made of a plate material with a rectangular cross section that is cantilevered by the other-side holding member and extends forward in the mating direction, and at its tip, has a other-side contact portion (for example, receptacle signal side contact portion 56 in the embodiment) whose surface on the side that comes into contact with the one-side contact is formed flat and protrudes toward the side that comes into contact with the one-side contact, and has a other-side abutment portion (for example, receptacle signal side abutment portion 55 in the embodiment) that extends rearward in the mating direction from the other-side contact portion and whose surface on the side that comes into contact with the one-side contact is formed flat.
[0009] The male-female mating type electrical connector according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises a one-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive one-side contacts by an insulating one-side holding member, and a other-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive other-side contacts by an insulating other-side holding member, and is configured so that the one-side holding member and the other-side holding member are fitted together to bring the one-side contacts into contact with the corresponding other-side contacts for electrical connection. In this male-female mating type electrical connector, the one-side contacts are made of a plate material with a rectangular cross section that is cantilevered by the one-side holding member and extends forward in the mating direction, and have one-side contact portions at their tip ends that have a flat surface on the side that comes into contact with the other-side contacts and that protrude toward the side that comes into contact with the other-side contacts, and a contact is formed from the one-side contact portions. the other-side contact is composed of a plate material with a rectangular cross section that is cantilevered by the other-side holding member and extends forward in the mating direction, and at its tip, has a other-side contact portion that has a flat surface that contacts the one-side contact and protrudes toward the side that contacts the one-side contact, and has a other-side abutment portion that extends rearward in the mating direction from the other-side contact portion and has a surface that contacts the one-side contact that is formed into an arc-shaped cross section.
[0010] In the female-male mating type electrical connectors according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, preferably, when the one-side retaining member and the other-side retaining member are mated, the one-side contact portion and the other-side contact portion protrude in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction toward each other, abutting against each other and elastically deforming to overcome each other, the one-side contact portion abutting against the other-side abutment portion under elastic force, and the other-side contact portion abutting against the one-side abutment portion under elastic force.
[0011] A third male-female mating type electrical connector according to the present invention comprises a first connector configured by holding a plurality of first-side contacts having electrical conductivity by an insulating first-side holding member, and a second connector configured by holding a plurality of second-side contacts having electrical conductivity by an insulating second-side holding member, and configured to electrically connect the first-side contacts to the corresponding second-side contacts by mating the first-side holding member and the second-side holding member. In this female-female mating type electrical connector, the first-side contacts are made of a plate material with a rectangular cross section that is cantilevered by the first-side holding member and extends forward in the mating direction, have a first-side contact portion at a tip end of which the surface that contacts the second-side contact is formed into an arcuate cross section and protrudes toward the side that contacts the second-side contact, and have a resilient arm portion that extends rearward in the mating direction from the first-side contact portion, and the second-side contacts are made of a plate material with a rectangular cross section that is supported by the second-side holding member and extends in the mating direction, and have a second-side abutment portion whose surface that contacts the first-side contact is formed into a flat surface.
[0012] A fourth male-female mating type electrical connector according to the present invention comprises a first connector configured by holding a plurality of first-side contacts having electrical conductivity by an insulating first-side holding member, and a second connector configured by holding a plurality of second-side contacts having electrical conductivity by an insulating second-side holding member, and is configured such that the first-side holding member and the second-side holding member are fitted together to bring the first-side contacts into contact with the corresponding second-side contacts for electrical connection. In this female-female mating type electrical connector, the first-side contacts are made of a plate material having a rectangular cross section that is cantilevered by the first-side holding member and extends forward in the mating direction, and at their tip ends, have a first-side contact portion that is rectangular in cross section and whose surface that comes into contact with the second-side contact protrudes in a curved shape toward the side that comes into contact with the second-side contact, and have elastic arms that extend rearward in the mating direction from the first-side contact portion, and the second-side contacts have a second-side abutment portion that extends in the mating direction and whose surface that comes into contact with the first-side contact is formed in an arc-shaped cross section.
[0013] In the above-described male and female mating type electrical connector according to the present invention, the one side contact and the other side contact preferably function as signal contacts for transmitting electrical signals.
[0014] In the above-described female-male mating type electrical connector according to the present invention, the one side contact and the other side contact preferably function as power supply contacts for transmitting electric power. Effect of the Invention
[0015] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the one-side contact is connected to the other-side contact at a tip portion thereof. The one-side contact portion has a protruding one-side contact surface formed in an arc-shaped cross section, and the one-side abutment portion extends rearward in the mating direction from the one-side contact portion and comes into contact with the other-side contact, and the other-side contact has a protruding other-side contact portion with a flat surface formed in a flat shape at its tip, and the other-side abutment portion extends rearward in the mating direction from the other-side contact portion and has a flat surface formed in a flat shape on the side that comes into contact with the one-side contact.Therefore, when the one-side retaining member and the other-side retaining member are engaged, the one-side contact portion abuts against the other-side abutment portion under an elastic force, and the other-side contact portion abuts against the one-side abutment portion under an elastic force, thereby making two-point contact. Furthermore, at this time, the one-side contact portion, which is formed in an arc-shaped cross section and protrudes toward the side that comes into contact with the other-side contact, abuts against the other-side abutment portion, which is formed in a flat surface, resulting in point contact, and the other-side contact portion, which is formed in an arc-shaped cross section and protrudes toward the side that comes into contact with the one-side contact, abuts against the one-side abutment portion, which is formed in a flat surface, also resulting in point contact, and point contact can be achieved at both of the two-point contact portions, increasing contact reliability.
[0016] In addition, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the one-side contact has a one-side contact portion at its tip end, the surface that comes into contact with the other-side contact being formed flat and protruding, and a one-side abutment portion extending rearward in the mating direction from the one-side contact portion and the surface that comes into contact with the other-side contact being formed in an arc-shaped cross section, and the other-side contact has a other-side contact portion at its tip end, the surface that comes into contact with the one-side contact being formed flat and protruding, and a other-side abutment portion extending rearward in the mating direction from the other-side contact portion and the surface that comes into contact with the one-side contact being formed in an arc-shaped cross section, so that when the one-side holding member and the other-side holding member are mated, the one-side contact portion abuts against the other-side abutment portion under an elastic force, and the other-side contact portion abuts against the one-side abutment portion under an elastic force, thereby making two-point contact. Furthermore, at this time, the one-side contact portion which is formed in a flat shape and protrudes toward the side that comes into contact with the other-side contact abuts against the other-side abutment portion which is formed in an arc-shaped cross section, resulting in point contact, and the other-side contact portion which is formed in a flat shape and protrudes toward the side that comes into contact with the one-side contact abuts against the one-side abutment portion which is formed in an arc-shaped cross section, also resulting in point contact, and point contact can be achieved at both of the two-point contact portions, increasing contact reliability.
[0017] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the one-side contact has, at its tip, a one-side contact portion whose surface that comes into contact with the other-side contact is formed in an arc-shaped cross section and which protrudes toward the side that comes into contact with the other-side contact, and the other-side contact is made of a plate material with a rectangular cross section that is supported by the other-side retaining member and extends forward in the mating direction, and has a other-side abutment portion whose surface that comes into contact with the one-side contact is formed in a flat shape, so that the one-side contact portion and the other-side abutment portion can be made into point contact, thereby improving contact reliability.
[0018] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the one-side contact has, at its tip, a one-side contact portion which has a rectangular cross-section and whose surface which comes into contact with the other-side contact protrudes curvedly toward the side which comes into contact with the other-side contact, and the other-side contact has a other-side abutment portion which extends in the mating direction and whose surface which comes into contact with the one-side contact is formed into an arc-shaped cross-section. Therefore, the one-side contact portion and the other-side abutment portion can be made into point contact, thereby improving contact reliability. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a male-female mating type electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in a mated state; [Diagram 2] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the male-female mating type electrical connector in a mated state. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is an external perspective view of a receptacle connector RC constituting the female-male fitting type electrical connector. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle connector RC. [Diagram 5] 2 is a left-right cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector RC. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a front-rear cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector RC. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a plug connector PC constituting the female-male fitting type electrical connector. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the plug connector PC. [Figure 9] 3 is a left-right cross-sectional view of the plug connector PC. FIG. [Figure 10] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the plug connector PC in a front-rear direction. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11(A) is a side view showing the state in which the receptacle signal side connection arm portion and the plug signal side connection arm portion are abutted and electrically connected, FIG. 11(B) is a side view showing an enlarged receptacle side signal contact, and FIG. 11(C) is a side view showing an enlarged plug side signal contact. [Figure 12]12A and 12B are a side view and a perspective view, respectively, of a receptacle signal side connecting arm portion. [Figure 13] 14A and 14B are a perspective view and an end view showing a cross section of a receptacle signal side connecting arm portion taken along arrows X1-X1 in FIG. 13. [Figure 14] 14A and 14B are a perspective view and an end view showing a cross section of a receptacle signal side connecting arm portion taken along arrows X2-X2 in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] 15(A) and 15(B) are a side view and a perspective view of a plug-side signal contact. [Figure 16] 16A and 16B are a perspective view and an end view showing a cross section of the plug-side signal contact along arrows Y1-Y1 in FIG. 15. [Figure 17] 16A and 16B are a perspective view and an end view showing a cross section of the plug-side signal contact along arrows Y2-Y2 in FIG. 15. [Figure 18] 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which a receptacle signal side connection arm portion and a plug signal side connection arm portion are in contact with each other and electrically connected to each other; FIG. [Figure 19] 19A and 19B are a perspective view and an end view showing the cross-sectional shape in a region R1 of FIG. 18 in a state in which the receptacle signal side connection arm portion and the plug signal side connection arm portion are in contact with each other and electrically connected. [Figure 20] 19A and 19B are a perspective view and an end view showing the cross-sectional shape in a region R2 of FIG. 18 in a state in which the receptacle signal side connection arm portion and the plug signal side connection arm portion are in contact with each other and electrically connected. [Figure 21] 21A is a perspective view showing the abutting state of a receptacle signal side connecting arm portion and a plug signal side connecting arm portion in an initial mating state between the receptacle connector RC and the plug connector PC, and FIG. 21B is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the abutting state of a receptacle signal side connecting arm portion and a plug signal side connecting arm portion in an initial mating state between the receptacle connector RC and the plug connector PC. [Figure 22] 13 is a cross-sectional view of a contact portion between the receptacle signal side connecting arm portion and the plug signal side connecting arm portion in an initial state of fitting between the receptacle connector RC and the plug connector PC. FIG. [Figure 23]23(A) and 23(B) are a perspective view and a cross-sectional perspective view showing the abutting state of the receptacle signal side connecting arm portion and the plug signal side connecting arm portion in the initial mating state of the receptacle connector and the plug connector when the present invention is not applied. [Figure 24] 11 is a cross-sectional view of a contact portion of a receptacle connector and a plug connector in an initial mating state when the present invention is not applied; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Figs. 1 and 2 show a male-female mating type electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. This electrical connector comprises a receptacle connector RC and a plug connector PC, and Figs. 1 and 2 show the two connectors RC and PC mated and connected. As shown in Fig. 2, the receptacle connector RC is attached to a first board CB1, and the plug connector PC is attached to a second board CB2, and the two connectors mated and connected as shown in the figure. Signal transmission and power transmission are performed between the first and second boards CB1, CB2 via the terminals RC and PC.
[0021] First, the receptacle connector RC will be described. The appearance of the receptacle connector RC is shown in Fig. 3, and the component parts are shown in Fig. 4. Furthermore, the left-right and front-back cross sections are shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. The receptacle connector RC comprises a fixed housing 10 made of an insulating material, a movable housing 20 made of an insulating material, a number of receptacle-side signal contacts 50 and receptacle-side power contacts 30 made of a conductive material attached across both housings 10, 20, and receptacle-side fixing metal fittings 40 made of a conductive material attached to the four corners of the lower part of the fixed housing 10. The fixed housing 10 is formed into a rectangular frame shape by front and rear walls 11, 11 and left and right walls 12, 12, with a fixed-side space 14 penetrating vertically. The inner surfaces of the front and rear walls 11, 11 are formed with a number of vertically extending receptacle side signal press-fit grooves 15 used for pressing and holding the receptacle signal side fixing portions 51b of the receptacle side signal contacts 50, and a number of vertically extending receptacle side power supply press-fit grooves 16 used for pressing and holding the receptacle power supply side fixing portions 31b of the receptacle side power supply contacts 30. The left and right walls 12, 12 extend upward, and guide spaces 12a are formed on their inner surfaces.
[0022] The movable housing 20 is formed into a rectangular box shape with openings at the top and bottom by front and rear walls 21, 21 and left and right walls 22, 22. The left and right walls 22 each have a guide protrusion 27 at the bottom, which is located in the guide space 12a to perform floating guide. A partition wall is formed extending vertically and horizontally in the rectangular box-shaped internal space 23, dividing the internal space 23 into front and rear spaces. The partition wall is made up of a signal contact holding partition wall 25 located in the center and power contact holding partition walls 24, 24 located on the left and right of the signal contact holding wall 25. The signal contact holding partition wall 25 holds the receptacle signal side connection arm portion 53 of the receptacle side signal contact 50 in a cantilever manner at its front and rear surfaces, and the power contact holding partition wall 24 holds the receptacle power side contact portion 33 of the receptacle power contact 30 at its front and rear surfaces.
[0023] The receptacle-side signal contacts 50 are made by bending a long, thin plate material made of conductive material, and a pair of front and rear receptacle-side signal contacts 50 are arranged symmetrically from front to back, side by side. The receptacle-side signal base 51 of each of the receptacle-side signal contacts 50 includes a receptacle-side fixed portion 51b that is press-fitted and fixed into the signal press-fit groove 15, and a receptacle-side mounting portion 51a that extends laterally from the lower end of the receptacle-side fixed portion 51b and is surface-mounted on the first board CB1. A receptacle-side intermediate portion 52 is provided that extends upward from the receptacle-side base 51 while bending in a crank shape, and a receptacle-side connecting arm portion 53 is provided that is connected to the upper portion of the receptacle-side intermediate portion 52. The receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 53 is fixed to and held by the signal contact holding partition wall 25 and is formed to extend in a cantilever shape, the configuration of which will be described later. The receptacle signal side intermediate portion 52 is shaped to extend while bending upward in a crank shape, and is easily elastically deformed, providing a floating function for the movable housing 20 relative to the fixed housing 10.
[0024] The receptacle-side power contacts 30 are made by bending a comparatively wide plate material made of conductive material, and a pair of front and rear receptacle-side power contacts 30 are arranged symmetrically in the front and rear, with two pairs arranged side by side on the left and right of the receptacle-side signal contacts 50 arranged as described above. The receptacle-side power supply base 31 of the receptacle-side power contacts 30 is a receptacle-side power supply base that is press-fitted and fixed into the receptacle-side power supply press-fit groove 16. The receptacle power supply side contact 30 has a receptacle power supply side fixed portion 31b and a receptacle power supply side mounting portion 31a that is connected to the receptacle power supply side fixed portion 31b, extends downward, and is mounted in a through hole of the first board CB1. A receptacle power supply side intermediate portion 32 is provided that extends while bending upward from the receptacle power supply side base portion 31, and a receptacle power supply side contact portion 33 is provided that is connected to the upper portion of the receptacle power supply side intermediate portion 32. In each receptacle side power supply contact 30, as shown in Fig. 4, the receptacle power supply side fixed portion 31 and the receptacle power supply side contact portion 33 are formed by using a wide plate material as it is, but the receptacle power supply side intermediate portion 32 is divided into multiple portions by slits that extend vertically, and the receptacle power supply side intermediate portion 33 is easily elastically deformed, providing a floating function for the movable housing 20 with respect to the fixed housing 10.
[0025] The receptacle connector RC configured as above is surface mounted on the first board CB1 as shown in Fig. 2. This surface mounting is performed by soldering receptacle side fixing metal fittings 40 to the mounting pattern of the first board CB1, and at the same time, receptacle signal side mounting portion 51a of receptacle side signal contacts 50 is soldered to the signal pattern, and receptacle power supply side mounting portion 31a of receptacle side power contacts 30 is inserted and joined to the power through hole.
[0026] Next, the plug connector PC will be described. The appearance of the plug connector PC is shown in Fig. 7, and is exploded into its component parts in Fig. 8. Furthermore, its left-right and front-back cross sections are shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. The plug connector PC comprises a holding housing 60 made of an insulating material, a number of plug-side signal contacts 80 and plug-side power contacts 70 made of a conductive material attached to the holding housing 60, and plug-side fixing metal fittings 90 made of a conductive material attached to the left and right lower parts of the holding housing 60. The holding housing 60 is formed into a rectangular frame shape by front and rear walls 61, 61 and left and right walls 62, 62, having an arrangement space 64 extending vertically. The inner surfaces of the front and rear walls 61, 61 are formed with a number of plug side signal press-fit grooves 65 extending vertically and used for pressing in and holding the plug signal side fixing portions 81b of the plug side signal contacts 80, and plug side power supply press-fit grooves 66 extending vertically and used for pressing in and holding the plug power supply side fixing portions 71b of the plug side power supply contacts 70.
[0027] The plug-side signal contacts 80 are made by bending a long and thin plate material made of conductive material, and a pair of front and rear plug-side signal contacts 80 arranged symmetrically in the front and rear are arranged side by side. The plug-side signal base 81 of each of the plug-side signal contacts 80 includes a plug-signal side fixing portion 81b that is fixed by being pressed into the plug-side signal press-fit groove 65, and a plug-signal side mounting portion 81a that extends laterally from the lower end of the plug-signal side fixing portion 81b and is surface-mounted on the second board CB2. The plug-side signal contacts 80 further include a plug-signal side connecting arm portion 83 that is bent upward and connected to the plug-signal side base 81. The plug-signal side connecting arm portion 83 is fixed and held in the plug-side signal press-fit groove 65, and is further formed to extend in a cantilever shape, and the configuration of this portion will be described later.
[0028] The plug-side power supply contacts 70 are made by bending a comparatively wide plate material made of conductive material, and two pairs of front and rear plug-side power supply contacts 70 are arranged symmetrically in the front and rear, side by side on the left and right of the plug-side signal contacts 80 arranged as described above. The plug-side power supply base 71 of the plug-side power supply contacts 70 includes a plug-side power supply fixing portion 71b which is pressed into and fixed in the plug-side power supply press-fit groove 66, and a plug-side power supply mounting portion 71a which is connected to the plug-side power supply fixing portion 71b, extends downward, and is mounted in a through-hole of the second board CB2. The plug-side power supply contacts 70 further include a plug-side power supply contact portion 73 which is bent upward and connected to the plug-side power supply base 71. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the plug-side power supply contact portion 73 is formed by being opened at the tip and divided into multiple portions. It has been made.
[0029] The plug connector PC configured as above is surface mounted on the second board CB2 as shown in Fig. 2. This surface mounting is performed by soldering the plug-side fixing metal fittings 90 to the mounting pattern of the second board CB2, and at the same time, the plug signal-side mounting portion 81a of the plug-side signal contacts 80 is soldered to the signal pattern, and the plug power-side mounting portion 71a of the plug-side power contacts 70 is inserted and joined to the power through-hole.
[0030] The receptacle connector RC and plug connector PC configured as described above are mated and connected by inserting the retaining housing 60 of the plug connector PC into the movable housing 20 of the receptacle connector RC, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. When mated and connected in this manner, the receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 53 of the receptacle side signal contact 50 and the plug signal side connecting arm portion 83 of the plug side signal contact 80 abut and are electrically connected, and the receptacle power supply side contact portion 33 of the receptacle side power contact 30 and the receptacle power supply side contact portion 73 of the plug side power contact 70 abut and are electrically connected.
[0031] The configuration in which receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 53 of receptacle side signal contact 50 and plug signal side connecting arm portion 83 of plug side signal contact 80 come into contact and are electrically connected will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 24. Figure 11(A) shows the abutting connection state of receptacle side signal contact 50 and plug side signal contact 80 when receptacle connector RC and plug connector PC are mated and connected. Figure 11(B) shows an enlarged view of receptacle side signal contact 50, and Figure 11(C) shows an enlarged view of plug side signal contact 80.
[0032] 11(B), receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 53 of receptacle side signal contact 50 extends connected to receptacle signal side intermediate portion 52 and includes receptacle signal side held portion 54 fixedly held by signal contact holding partition wall 25, receptacle signal side abutting portion 55 extending in a cantilever shape from receptacle signal side held portion 54, and receptacle signal side contact portion 56 protruding in a convex shape toward the abutting side at the tip of receptacle signal side abutting portion 55. Furthermore, receptacle signal side stub portion 57 is provided on the tip side of receptacle signal side contact portion 56. 11(C), the plug signal side connecting arm portion 83 of the plug side signal contact 80 includes a plug signal side abutting portion 85 that is bent in a crank shape and extends in a cantilever shape from the plug signal side fixing portion 81b, and a plug signal side contacting portion 86 that protrudes in a convex shape toward the abutting side at the tip of the plug side abutting portion 55. Furthermore, a plug signal side stub portion 87 is provided on the tip side of the plug signal side contacting portion 86.
[0033] When the receptacle connector RC and the plug connector PC are mated and connected, the receptacle side signal contacts 50 and the plug side signal contacts 80 come into contact with each other, as shown in Fig. 11(A). At this time, the receptacle signal side contact portion 56 comes into contact with the plug signal side abutment portion 85 (this is referred to as a first contact point), and the plug signal side contact portion 86 comes into contact with the receptacle signal side abutment portion 55 (this is referred to as a second contact point). The cantilevered receptacle signal side abutment portion 55 and the cantilevered plug signal side abutment portion 85 are elastically deformable, and thus apply a pressing force when the receptacle signal side contact portion 56 and the plug signal side contact portion 86 come into contact with the contact counterparts (the plug signal side abutment portion 85 and the receptacle signal side abutment portion 55) at the first and second contact points. In order to ensure contact reliability by having the two make point contact at these contact points, the shapes of receptacle signal side contact portion 56 and receptacle signal side abutment portion 55 of receptacle side signal contact 50, and the shapes of plug signal side contact portion 86 and plug signal side abutment portion 85 of plug side signal contact 80 are configured as described below.
[0034] First, FIG. 12 shows an enlarged view of the receptacle signal side connecting arm 53 of the receptacle side signal contact 50. FIG. 12(A) shows a side view of the receptacle signal side connecting arm 53, and FIG. 12(B) shows a perspective view. As described above, the receptacle side signal contact 50 is made by bending a thin and long conductive plate material, and its cross section is rectangular. Specifically, the cross section of the receptacle signal side contacting portion 56 in the area of the circled portion P1 as viewed from the arrow X1-X1 is rectangular as shown in FIG. 13. The receptacle signal side contacting portion 56 is bent so as to be convex on the abutment side, and its longitudinal shape (shape as viewed from the side) is an arc shape. The cross section of the receptacle signal side abutting portion 55 in the area of the circled portion P2 as viewed from the arrow X2-X2 is also rectangular as shown in FIG. 14. The receptacle signal side contact portion 55 extends straight in the longitudinal direction, and the surface on the contact side is flat.
[0035] The plug-side signal contact 80 is shown in FIG. 15. The plug-side signal contact 80 is shown in a side view in FIG. 15(A) and in a perspective view in FIG. 15(B). As described above, the plug-side signal contact 80 is made by bending a long and thin plate material made of a conductive material, and all of its cross sections are originally rectangular. However, in the plug-side signal contact 80, the cross-sectional shape of the Y1-Y1 arrow in the region of the circled portion Q1 including the plug signal side contact portion 86 is formed so that the abutting side surface (the surface abutting the receptacle signal side abutting portion 55) is arc-shaped, as shown in FIG. 16. That is, the abutting side surface of the long and thin plate material with a rectangular cross section is formed so as to have an arc-shaped cross section and a cylindrical shape (semi-cylindrical shape), and is further bent so as to have a convex shape on the abutting side in a side view. As a result, the plug signal side contact portion 86 has a spherical convex shape. 17, the cross-sectional shape of the plug signal side contact portion 85 in the area of the circled portion Q2 along the arrow Y2-Y2 is formed so that the contact side surface (the surface that contacts the receptacle signal side contact portion 56) has an arc shape. In other words, the contact side surface of the elongated plate material with a rectangular cross section is formed into a cylindrical shape (semi-cylindrical shape) that extends straight and has an arc shape in cross section.
[0036] Fig. 18 shows an enlarged view of the portion where the receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 53 of the receptacle side signal contact 50 and the plug signal side connecting arm portion 83 of the plug side signal contact 80, which are configured as described above, come into contact and are electrically connected. That is, Fig. 18 is an enlarged view of the connection portion between the receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 53 and the plug signal side connecting arm portion 83 in Fig. 11(A). As can be seen from Fig. 18, when the receptacle connector RC and the plug connector PC are mated and connected, the receptacle signal side contact portion 56 comes into contact with the plug signal side abutment portion 85 (first contact point indicated by a circled R1), and the plug signal side contact portion 86 comes into contact with the receptacle signal side abutment portion 55 (second contact point indicated by a circled R2).
[0037] At the first contact point indicated by the circle R1, as shown in FIG. 19, the receptacle signal side contact portion 56 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape 56a, and the side view shape is a shape that is bent in a convex shape toward the abutment side. On the other hand, the cross-sectional shape 85a of the plug signal side abutment portion 85 is a cylindrical shape (semi-cylindrical shape) that extends straight with an arc-shaped abutment side surface (the surface that abuts against the receptacle signal side contact portion 56). Therefore, the two make point contact at the first contact point. At the second contact point indicated by the circle R1, as shown in FIG. 20, the receptacle signal side abutment portion 55 extends straight with a rectangular cross-sectional shape 55a, and the abutment side surface is flat. On the other hand, the plug signal side contact portion 86 has a spherical convex shape as described above. Therefore, the two also make point contact at the second contact point. In this way, since both the first and second contact points are point contacts, high contact reliability is obtained. Furthermore, even if these first and second contact points are slightly misaligned due to dimensional tolerances, etc., i.e., even if the mating position is slightly misaligned, the length of the stub portions 57, 87 is not affected, so that the effect of the mating position misalignment on the transmission signal characteristics is suppressed.
[0038] The receptacle side signal contact 50 and the plug side signal contact 8 0 also has advantages when mating and connecting the two, which will be described with reference to Figures 21 to 24. Figure 21 shows a state in which receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 53 and plug signal side connecting arm portion 83 abut against each other in the initial mating state when mating and connecting receptacle connector RC and plug connector PC.
[0039] At the beginning of the mating, the receptacle signal side stub portion 57 and the plug signal side stub portion 87 come into contact with each other, and the receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 53 and the plug signal side connecting arm portion 83 elastically deform while pushing against each other along the inclinations of the two portions. Then, the receptacle signal side contact portion 56 and the plug signal side contact portion 86 climb over each other to reach the connected state shown in Fig. 18. At this time, as shown in Fig. 22, since the receptacle signal side contact portion 56 and the receptacle signal side stub portion 57 have a rectangular cross section 57a, the abutment surface is flat, and since the cross section 87a of the plug signal side contact portion 86 and the plug signal side stub portion 87 has an arc-shaped cross section on the abutment surface side, the receptacle signal side contact portion 56 and the plug signal side contact portion 86 can smoothly climb over each other to reach the connected state shown in Fig. 18.
[0040] Incidentally, even if receptacle signal side contact portion 56 and plug signal side contact portion 86 are both formed into a spherical convex shape and receptacle signal side abutment portion 55 and plug signal side abutment portion 85 are both formed into a rectangular cross section, they can still be brought into point contact. The initial mating state in this configuration is shown in Fig. 23, in which receptacle signal side stub portion 157 and plug signal side stub portion 187 abut against each other, and receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 153 and plug signal side connecting arm portion 183 elastically deform while pushing against each other along their inclinations, causing receptacle signal side contact portion 156 and plug signal side contact portion 186 to climb over each other. In this case, however, since receptacle signal side stub portion 157 and plug signal side stub portion 187, both of which have arc-shaped abutment surfaces, come into abutment as shown in Fig. 24(A), if the abutment position shifts sideways, there is a problem that they are pushed sideways along the arc, causing misalignment, as shown by arrow C in Fig. 24(B). For this reason, a configuration in which receptacle signal side contact portion 56 and plug signal side contact portion 86 are both spherically convex and receptacle signal side abutment portion 55 and plug signal side abutment portion 85 are both rectangular in cross section is not desirable and is not subject to the application of the present invention.
[0041] Instead of the above-described configuration, as a second embodiment, both the receptacle signal side contact portion and the plug signal side contact portion may be formed by bending a rectangular cross-section plate material, and both the receptacle signal side abutment portion and the plug signal side abutment portion may be formed into a cylindrical shape (semi-cylindrical shape) that extends straight and has an arc-shaped cross section on the abutting side of the elongated rectangular cross-section plate material. That is, the plug signal side contact portion 86 may be formed in the same shape as the receptacle signal side contact portion 56, and the receptacle signal side abutment portion 55 may be formed in the same shape as the plug signal side abutment portion 85. Even with this configuration, both the first and second contact points can be in point contact. In this configuration, the abutment surfaces of the receptacle signal side stub portion and the plug signal side stub portion are flat, and they can be smoothly fitted together by passing over each other.
[0042] Although the above describes a two-point contact type hermaphroditic connector, the one-point contact type can also be configured as follows to have a point contact configuration and improve contact reliability. For example, the receptacle signal side connecting arm portion 53 of the receptacle side signal contact 50 may be left as is, and the plug signal side connecting arm portion 83 of the plug side signal contact 80 may have only the plug signal side abutment portion 85, without the plug signal side contact portion 86 and the plug signal side stub portion 87. In this case, the plug signal side abutment portion 85 does not need to be configured to elastically deform in a cantilever shape. In this configuration, the receptacle signal side contact portion 56, which has a rectangular cross section and a convexly bent shape in side view, abuts and makes one-point contact with the plug signal side abutment portion 85, which has an arcuate cross section and a straight cylindrical shape (semi-cylindrical shape). Since the abutment portion is in point contact in this manner, high contact reliability can be ensured.
[0043] Conversely, the plug signal side connecting arm 83 of the plug side signal contact 80 may be left as is, and the receptacle signal side connecting arm 53 of the receptacle side signal contact 50 may have only the receptacle signal side abutment 55, without the receptacle signal side contact portion 56 and the receptacle signal side stub portion 57. In this case, the receptacle signal side abutment 55 does not need to be configured to elastically deform in a cantilever shape. In this case, the plug signal side contact portion 86, which is formed by bending a plate material having an arc-shaped cross section into a convex shape and becoming spherical, comes into one-point contact with the receptacle signal side abutment portion 55, which has a rectangular cross section, extends straight, and has a flat abutment surface. Since the abutment portion is in point contact in this manner, high contact reliability can be ensured.
[0044] The connection configuration used for the receptacle side signal contacts 50 and the plug side signal contacts 80 in the receptacle connector RC and the plug connector PC described above is as follows: It may also be used to configure the contact portions of the receptacle power contacts 30 and the plug side power contacts 70. Also, although the receptacle connector RC is configured as a floating type connector, it may be a connector other than the floating type. [Explanation of symbols]
[0045] RC Receptacle Connector PC Plug Connector 10 Fixed housing 15 Receptacle side signal press-fit groove 16 Receptacle side power supply press-fit groove 20 Movable housing 24 Power contact retaining partition 25 Signal contact retaining partition 30 Receptacle power contact 31 Receptacle power base 31a Receptacle power supply side mounting part 31b Receptacle power supply side fixing part 32 Receptacle power side intermediate portion 33 Receptacle power side contact portion 40 Receptacle side fixing metal fitting 50 Receptacle side signal contact 51 Receptacle signal side base portion 51a Receptacle signal side mounting portion 51b Receptacle signal side fixed portion 52 Receptacle signal side intermediate portion 53 Receptacle signal side connection arm portion 54 Receptacle signal side held portion 55 Receptacle signal side abutment portion 56 Receptacle signal side contact portion 57 receptacle signal side stub portion 60 retention housing 65 Press-fit groove for signal on plug side 66 Press-fit groove for power on plug side 70 Plug power contact 71 Plug power base 71a Plug power supply side mounting part 71b Plug power supply side fixing part 73 Plug power contact 80 Plug signal contact 81 Plug signal side base 81a Plug signal side mounting part 81b Plug signal side fixing part 83 Plug signal side connection arm part 85 Plug signal side abutment portion 86 Plug signal side contact portion 87 Plug signal side stub 90 Plug side fixing bracket 90
Claims
1. A male-female mating type electrical connector comprising a one-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive one-side contacts by an insulating one-side holding member, and a second-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive other-side contacts by an insulating other-side holding member, the one-side holding member and the other-side holding member being fitted together to bring the one-side contacts into contact with the corresponding other-side contacts for electrical connection, The one side contact is The plate member is cantilevered by the one-side holding member and extends forward in the fitting direction. a first contact portion having a surface that comes into contact with the second contact and that is formed in an arc-shaped cross section at a tip end portion thereof, the first contact portion protruding toward the side that comes into contact with the second contact, a first abutment portion extending rearward in a fitting direction from the first contact portion and having a surface that comes into contact with the second contact formed in an arc-shaped cross section; The other contact is The plate member is cantilevered by the other holding member and extends forward in the fitting direction. a tip end portion having a flat surface that comes into contact with the one-side contact and a second-side contact portion that protrudes toward the one-side contact, a second abutment portion extending rearward in the mating direction from said second contact portion and having a flat surface on the side that comes into contact with said first contact;
2. A male-female mating type electrical connector comprising a one-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive one-side contacts by an insulating one-side holding member, and a second-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive other-side contacts by an insulating other-side holding member, the one-side holding member and the other-side holding member being fitted together to bring the one-side contacts into contact with the corresponding other-side contacts for electrical connection, The one side contact is The plate member is cantilevered by the one-side holding member and extends forward in the fitting direction. a first contact portion having a flat surface on a side that comes into contact with the second contact at a tip portion and protruding toward the side that comes into contact with the second contact, a first abutment portion extending rearward in a fitting direction from the first contact portion and having a surface that comes into contact with the second contact formed in an arc-shaped cross section; The other contact is The plate member is cantilevered by the other holding member and extends forward in the fitting direction. a tip end portion having a flat surface that comes into contact with the one-side contact and a second-side contact portion that protrudes toward the one-side contact, a second contact portion extending rearward in the mating direction from the second contact portion and having a second abutment portion having a cross-sectional surface that comes into contact with the first contact and is formed into an arcuate shape;
3. When the one-side holding member and the other-side holding member are fitted together, The one-side contact portion and the other-side contact portion protrude in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction toward each other, and come into contact with each other and undergo elastic deformation to overcome each other, 3. A female-male mating type electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the one side contact portion abuts against the other side abutment portion under elastic force, and the other side contact portion abuts against the one side abutment portion under elastic force.
4. A male-female mating type electrical connector comprising a one-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive one-side contacts by an insulating one-side holding member, and a second-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive other-side contacts by an insulating other-side holding member, the one-side holding member and the other-side holding member being fitted together to bring the one-side contacts into contact with the corresponding other-side contacts for electrical connection, The one side contact is The plate member is cantilevered by the one-side holding member and extends forward in the fitting direction. a first contact portion having a surface that comes into contact with the second contact and that is formed in an arc-shaped cross section at a tip end portion thereof, the first contact portion protruding toward the side that comes into contact with the second contact, a resilient arm portion extending rearward in a fitting direction from the one side contact portion, The other contact is A male-female mating type electrical connector characterized in that it is made of a plate material with a rectangular cross section that is supported by the other-side retaining member and extends in the mating direction, and has a other-side abutment portion whose surface that comes into contact with the one-side contact is formed into a flat surface.
5. A male-female mating type electrical connector comprising a one-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive one-side contacts by an insulating one-side holding member, and a second-side connector configured by holding a plurality of conductive other-side contacts by an insulating other-side holding member, the one-side holding member and the other-side holding member being fitted together to bring the one-side contacts into contact with the corresponding other-side contacts for electrical connection, The one side contact is The plate member is cantilevered by the one-side holding member and extends forward in the fitting direction. a first contact portion having a rectangular cross section and a surface that contacts the second contact protruding in a curved shape toward the first contact, a resilient arm portion extending rearward in a fitting direction from the one side contact portion, The other contact is 1. A male-female mating type electrical connector, comprising: a mating contact portion having a surface that extends in a mating direction and that contacts the one contact and that has an arcuate cross section.
6. 6. The male and female mating type electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the one side contact and the other side contact function as signal contacts for transmitting electrical signals.
7. 6. The male and female mating type electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the one side contact and the other side contact function as power supply contacts for transmitting electric power.