Electrical connector for circuit board

Abstract

To provide an electrical connector for a circuit board that can achieve good impedance matching while allowing relative movement of a movable housing to a fixed housing.SOLUTION: It has a dielectric member 40, which is located in an internal space formed in a fixed housing 20 and attached to a movable housing 30, the dielectric member 40 has an aligment portion 42A along a middle portion 15 of a terminal 10 with a gap between it and the middle portion 15, and the alignment portion 42A can follow the middle portion 15 when the middle portion 15 is elastically deformed in the connector width direction perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector for a circuit board that is disposed on a mounting surface of the circuit board. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of this type of electrical connector for a circuit board, the electrical connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In the electrical connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of terminals arranged in a direction parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board are bridged across a fixed housing and a movable housing which are separate from each other. The fixed housing is fixed to the circuit board via the terminals. The movable housing is movable relative to the fixed housing due to elastic deformation of the terminals.

[0003] The terminal is made by bending a metal strip in the thickness direction, and has a connection part formed on the lower end that can be soldered to the mounting surface of the circuit board, and a contact part formed on the upper end that can contact a mating terminal provided on a mating connector. In addition, between the connection part and the contact part, there are a fixed-side held part held by the fixed housing, a movable-side held part held by the movable housing, and a deformation part that connects the fixed-side held part and the movable-side held part.

[0004] The deformation portion extends between the fixed housing and the movable housing without being held by either of the two housings, and allows the movable housing to move due to elastic deformation of the deformation portion. The deformation portion is covered by an impedance matching portion made of a dielectric material. The impedance matching portion is formed in contact with the outer surface of the deformation portion by integral molding with the deformation portion, and is elastically deformable together with the deformation portion. In Patent Document 1, the impedance at the terminal is adjusted by covering the deformation portion with the impedance matching portion in this manner, and as a result, impedance matching is achieved. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-222576 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In Patent Document 1, the impedance matching part is formed in contact with the deformed part of the terminal. If the impedance matching part made of a dielectric material is in contact with the deformed part in this way, the impedance at the deformed part may be excessively reduced, making impedance matching at the terminal difficult.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVETION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an electrical connector for circuit boards that is capable of achieving good impedance matching while allowing relative movement of a movable housing with respect to a fixed housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) An electrical connector for a circuit board according to the present invention is an electrical connector for a circuit board placed on a mounting surface of a circuit board, and has a plurality of terminals arranged with a terminal arrangement direction being in a direction parallel to the mounting surface, a fixed housing fixed to the circuit board via the terminals, and a movable housing movable relative to the fixed housing, and the terminals have a fixed side held portion held by the fixed housing, a movable side held portion held by the movable housing, and an intermediate portion located between the fixed side held portion and the movable side held portion and elastically deformable, and are arranged to bridge the fixed housing and the movable housing.

[0009] In such an electrical connector for a circuit board, the present invention has a dielectric member at least a portion of which is arranged in an internal space formed in at least one of the fixed housing and the movable housing and attached to the fixed housing or the movable housing, the dielectric member having a longitudinal extension portion extending along the intermediate portion with a gap between it and the intermediate portion, and the longitudinal extension portion being capable of following the intermediate portion when the intermediate portion elastically deforms in the connector width direction perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction.

[0010] In the present invention, the dielectric member attached to the movable housing has a lateral portion that extends along the intermediate portion of the terminal with a gap between the lateral portion and the intermediate portion. Since the lateral portion of the dielectric member extends along the intermediate portion in this manner, the characteristic impedance at the intermediate portion can be adjusted, and as a result, characteristic impedance matching at the terminal can be achieved. At this time, since the lateral portion is located with a gap between it and the intermediate portion, it is not in contact with the intermediate portion. Therefore, the characteristic impedance at the intermediate portion does not decrease excessively, and good characteristic impedance matching can be easily achieved. Furthermore, since the lateral portion is capable of following the intermediate portion, it does not hinder the elastic deformation of the intermediate portion and thus the movement of the movable housing.

[0011] (2) In the invention of (1), the dielectric member may have a regulated portion attached to the movable housing and capable of abutting against the fixed housing in the connector width direction at a position different from the longitudinal portion.

[0012] With this configuration, when the movable housing moves in the connector width direction, the restricted portion of the dielectric abuts against the fixed housing, thereby restricting the movement of the dielectric member in accordance with the movable housing. As a result, the longitudinal portion of the dielectric member displaces with the abutment position between the restricted portion and the fixed housing as a fulcrum, thereby following the movement of the movable housing together with the intermediate portion of the terminal. As a result, even after the movable housing moves, it becomes easier to maintain a state in which a gap is secured between the longitudinal portion and the intermediate portion, and thus a state in which characteristic impedance matching is well achieved.

[0013] (3) In the invention of (1) or (2), the dielectric member may not have a portion that abuts against the fixed housing in the terminal arrangement direction, and the entire dielectric member may be movable in the terminal arrangement direction together with the movable housing.

[0014] With this configuration, when the movable housing moves in the terminal arrangement direction, the entire dielectric member can smoothly follow the movement of the movable housing without interfering with the fixed housing. Effect of the Invention

[0015] The present invention can provide an electrical connector for a circuit board that can realize good characteristic impedance matching while allowing the movable housing to move relative to the fixed housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a socket connector and a plug connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state before mating and connection. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing the components of the socket connector in FIG. 1 separated from each other. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction of the socket connector and the plug connector in FIG. 1, illustrating a state prior to mating connection. [Figure 4] 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing a mounting state of a dielectric member to a movable housing, in which (A) shows a state before mounting, and (B) shows a state after mounting. [Diagram 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction of the socket connector and the plug connector, showing the state after mating and connection. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction of a socket connector and a plug connector, showing a floating state after mating connection. FIG. [Figure 7] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a socket connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction. [Figure 8] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a socket connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction. [Figure 9] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a socket connector according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a socket connector 1 and a plug connector 2 according to this embodiment, showing the state before mating and connection. The socket connector 1 is an electrical connector for a circuit board mounted on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown). The plug connector 2, which serves as a mating connector (mating connector) connected to the socket connector 1, is an electrical connector for a circuit board mounted on the mounting surface of another circuit board (not shown). The socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are mated and connected in a connector height direction (up and down direction shown as Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the mounting surfaces with the mounting surfaces of the circuit boards facing each other, to form an electrical connector assembly. In this embodiment, the plug connector 2 is mated and connected to the socket connector 1 from above.

[0019] The socket connector 1 has a plurality of socket terminals 10 made of a metal plate arranged in one direction (Y-axis direction) parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board, socket housings 20, 30 (fixed housing 20 and movable housing 30 described later) made of a dielectric material (electrically insulating material) such as resin that holds the plurality of socket terminals 10, and a dielectric member 40 (see Figs. 2 and 3) made of a dielectric material such as resin that is attached to the movable housing 30. Examples of dielectric materials that constitute the socket housings 20, 30 include engineering plastics such as polyamide (PA) and liquid crystal polymer (LCP). Examples of dielectric materials that constitute the dielectric member 40 include engineering plastics such as polyamide (PA) and liquid crystal polymer (LCP), elastomers, rubber, etc.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing each component of the socket connector 1 in a separated state. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 in a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction before mating and shows the cross section at the position of the socket terminal 10. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the socket terminals 10 are arranged in two rows. The two rows of socket terminals 10 are provided symmetrically to each other in the connector width direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to both the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction) and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction). In this embodiment, the two rows of socket terminals 10 are arranged in a staggered manner, and the socket terminals 10 in one row and the socket terminals 10 in the other row are positioned differently from each other in the terminal arrangement direction.

[0021] The socket housings 20, 30 have a fixed housing 20 that is fixed to a circuit board (not shown) via socket terminals 10, and a movable housing 30 that is movable relative to the fixed housing 20. The socket terminals 10 are provided to bridge between the fixed housing 20 and the movable housing 30.

[0022] The socket terminal 10 is made by bending a metal strip in its thickness direction, and is arranged so that the terminal width direction (direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the socket terminal 10) coincides with the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction) as shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the socket terminal 10 has a connection part 11 formed at one end located below, a fixed-side held part 12 extending upward from the connection part 11, a contact arm part 13 formed at the other end located above the connection part 11 and inward in the connector width direction, a movable-side held part 14 extending downward from the contact arm part 13, and an intermediate part 15 and a transition part 16 located between the fixed-side held part 12 and the movable-side held part 14.

[0023] Prior to further description of the socket terminal 10, the configurations of the fixed housing 20 and the movable housing 30 will be described. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the fixed housing 20 has a rectangular tubular shape with the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction) as its longitudinal direction. The fixed housing 20 has a pair of side walls 21 extending in the terminal arrangement direction and a pair of end walls 22 extending in the connector width direction (X-axis direction) and connecting the ends of the pair of side walls 21, and the pair of side walls 21 and the pair of end walls 22 form a peripheral wall. An internal space 23 surrounded by the peripheral wall and penetrating in the vertical direction accommodates a part of the movable housing 30, a part of the socket terminal 10, and a dielectric member 40, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0024] 3, groove-shaped fixed-side holding portions 21A are formed in the lower portion of the side wall 21, recessed from the inner wall surface of the side wall 21 and extending in the vertical direction. The fixed-side holding portions 21A have open lower ends and are adapted to hold the fixed-side held portions 12 of the socket terminals 10 press-fitted from below. Furthermore, the portions of the lower portion of the side wall 21 located on both sides of each fixed-side holding portion 21A in the terminal arrangement direction form restricting portions 21B for restricting movement of the dielectric member 40 in the connector width direction beyond a predetermined amount.

[0025] The movable housing 30 is inserted into the internal space 23 of the fixed housing 20 from below, and as shown in Fig. 3, the lower part of the movable housing 30 is accommodated in the upper part of the internal space 23. As shown in Fig. 2, the movable housing 30 has a pair of long walls 31 extending in the terminal arrangement direction, a pair of short walls 32 extending in the connector width direction and connecting ends of the pair of long walls 31, and a bottom wall 33 (see Fig. 3) that closes from below the space surrounded by the peripheral walls consisting of the pair of long walls 31 and the pair of short walls 32. The space surrounded by the peripheral walls and opening upward forms a socket-side receiving portion 34 for receiving a part of the plug connector 2.

[0026] 3, an array of socket terminal grooves 31A are formed on the upper portion of the long wall 31, recessed from the inner wall surface of the long wall 31. The socket terminal grooves 31A extend in the vertical direction along the upper portion of the contact arm 13 of the socket terminal 10, and are capable of allowing elastic deformation of the upper portion of the contact arm 13.

[0027] 3, the bottom wall 33 has movable holding portions 33A for press-fitting and holding the movable held portions 14 of the socket terminals 10 formed as holes penetrating the bottom wall 33 in the up-down direction. The bottom wall 33 also has mounting protrusions 33B for mounting the dielectric members 40 at multiple positions (three positions in this embodiment) in the terminal arrangement direction (see also FIGS. 4(A) and (B)). The mounting protrusions 33B are located in the center in the connector width direction and protrude from the bottom surface of the bottom wall 33 in the shape of a square pillar.

[0028] Returning to the explanation of the socket terminal 10, as shown in Fig. 3, the connection portion 11 extends outward in the connector width direction at a position below the bottom surface of the fixed housing 20, and is adapted to be soldered to a corresponding circuit portion (not shown) on the mounting surface of the circuit board. The fixed-side held portion 12 is bent at the inner end of the connection portion 11 in the connector width direction and extends straight upward, and is press-fitted and held by the fixed-side holding portion 21A of the fixed housing 20 with press-fit protrusions formed on both side edges (edges extending vertically on both sides in the terminal width direction).

[0029] The contact arm 13 extends in the vertical direction along the inner wall surface of the long wall 31 of the movable housing 30, and the upper part is elastically deformable in the connector width direction (the plate thickness direction of the contact arm 13). Specifically, the lower part of the contact arm 13 is in contact with the inner wall surface of the long wall 31 as shown in Fig. 3, and is supported from the outside in the connector width direction by the inner wall surface. The upper part of the contact arm 13 is located in correspondence with the socket terminal groove 31A of the long wall 31 in the vertical direction as shown in Fig. 3, and in a state of contact with the plug terminal 50, which is the mating terminal, elastic deformation toward the outside in the connector width direction is permitted by the socket terminal groove 31A. At the upper end of the contact arm 13, a contact part 13A for contacting the plug terminal 50 is formed by bending so as to protrude inward in the connector width direction.

[0030] 3, the movable-side held portion 14 extends linearly downward from the lower end of the contact arm portion 13, and is held by the bottom wall 33 of the movable housing 30. Specifically, the movable-side held portion 14 is press-fit and held by the movable-side holding portion 33A of the movable housing 30 at press-fit protrusions formed on both side edges (edges extending in the vertical direction on both sides in the terminal width direction).

[0031] The intermediate portion 15 has a first leg portion 15A extending in the vertical direction and a second leg portion 15B extending in the connector width direction, and has an overall shape of a generally inverted L-shape. The first leg portion 15A extends straight in the vertical direction along the inner wall surface of the side wall 21 of the fixed housing 20, and is elastically deformable in the connector width direction. The elastic deformation of the first leg portion 15A allows the movable housing 30 to move (float) in the connector width direction (see FIG. 6). The first leg portion 15A is connected to the upper end of the fixed-side held portion 12 via a transition portion 16 extending from its lower end toward the outside in the connector width direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the first leg portion 15A is provided at a position where a gap is formed between the first leg portion 15A and the inner wall surface of the side wall 21 in the connector width direction.

[0032] The first leg 15A is also elastically deformable in the terminal arrangement direction. This elastic deformation of the first leg 15A allows the movable housing 30 to move (float) in the terminal arrangement direction.

[0033] The second leg 15B is bent at a right angle at the upper end of the first leg 15A, extends inward in the connector width direction, and is connected to the lower end of the movable-side held portion 14. The second leg 15B extends straight along the bottom surface (lower surface) of the bottom wall 33 of the movable housing 30.

[0034] The dielectric member 40 is attached to the movable housing 30 from below and disposed within the internal space 23 of the fixed housing 20 (see FIG. 3), and is positioned so as to include the terminal arrangement range of all the socket terminals 10 in the terminal arrangement direction (see FIG. 4(B)). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the dielectric member 40 has a plate-shaped bottom plate portion 41 that faces the mounting surface (not shown) of the circuit board and extends in the terminal arrangement direction, side plate portions 42 that extend upward from both ends of the bottom plate portion 41 in the connector width direction, and an upper plate portion 43 that connects the upper ends of the two side plate portions 42 and extends in the terminal arrangement direction. In this embodiment, the bottom plate portion 41, the side plate portion 42, and the upper plate portion 43 do not have any intermittent portions in the terminal arrangement direction, that is, they are continuously solid over the entire area in the terminal arrangement direction.

[0035] 3, the bottom plate portion 41 is located at the bottom of the internal space 23 of the fixed housing 20, and its bottom surface (lower surface) is located at the same height as the bottom surface of the fixed housing 20. The side surfaces (surfaces located at both ends in the connector width direction) of the bottom plate portion 41 face the inner wall surface of the internal space 23 in the connector width direction, in other words, the inner wall surface of the restricting portion 21B, with a slight gap between them.

[0036] The side plate portion 42 is provided over the same range as the bottom plate portion 41 in the terminal arrangement direction, and is a thin plate whose plate thickness direction is the connector width direction. The lower portion of the side plate portion 42 is located slightly outward in the connector width direction from the other portions of the side plate portion 42, and faces the inner wall surface of the internal space 23 in the connector width direction, in other words, the inner wall surface of the regulating portion 21B, with a slight gap between the inner wall surface and the inner wall surface. The side surface of the lower portion of the side plate portion 42 and the side surface of the bottom plate portion 41 are formed at the same position in the connector width direction, and form one flat surface. In this embodiment, the lower portion of the side plate portion 42 and the side portion of the bottom plate portion 41, i.e., the portion forming the one flat surface, function as a regulated portion 44 that can come into contact with the regulating portion 21B of the fixed housing 20.

[0037] The portion of the side plate portion 42 extending upward from the lower portion is formed as a first extending portion 42A that is elastically deformable in the connector width direction. The first extending portion 42A is located between the inner surface (the plate surface located on the inside in the connector width direction) of the first leg portion 15A in the intermediate portion 15 of the socket terminal 10 with a small gap in the connector width direction, and extends in the vertical direction along the first leg portion 15A. The gap between the first extending portion 42A and the first leg portion 15A is formed with a dimension that ensures an appropriate impedance in the socket terminal 10. Here, the value of the "appropriate impedance" is set within a predetermined allowable range, and therefore the above dimension is also set within a predetermined allowable range. The first extending portion 42A is elastically deformable in the connector width direction together with the first leg portion 15A, and a gap of a dimension within the above allowable range is ensured between the first leg portion 15A and the first leg portion 15A even in the elastically deformed state (see FIG. 6).

[0038] The upper plate portion 43 is provided extending in the terminal arrangement direction along the bottom surface of the bottom wall 33 of the movable housing 30. The upper plate portion 43 has an attachment plate portion 43A provided in a central region in the connector width direction, and second longitudinal portions 43B provided on both sides of the attachment plate portion 43A in the connector width direction.

[0039] The mounting plate portion 43A is thicker than the second extending portion 43B and thinner than the bottom plate portion 41, and has a plate shape with its upper surface protruding upward from the second extending portion 43B. As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting plate portion 43A has mounting holes 43A-1 for mounting to the movable housing 30 formed at a plurality of positions (three positions in this embodiment) corresponding to the mounting protrusions 33B of the movable housing 30, penetrating the mounting plate portion 43A in the vertical direction. The mounting holes 43A-1 have a shape that matches the mounting protrusions 33B, that is, a rectangular shape when viewed in the vertical direction. The mounting protrusions 33B are press-fitted from above into the corresponding mounting holes 43A-1, so that the dielectric member 40 is attached to the movable housing 30.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 3, the second extending portion 43B is in the form of a plate having the same thickness as the side plate portion 42, and connects the upper side end of the mounting plate portion 43A and the upper end of the first extending portion. The second extending portion 43B is located between the lower surface of the second leg portion 15B of the intermediate portion 15 of the socket terminal 10 and the lower surface of the second leg portion 15B with a slight gap in the vertical direction, and extends in the connector width direction along the lower surface of the second leg portion 15B. The gap between the second extending portion 43B and the second leg portion 15B is formed with a dimension that ensures an appropriate impedance in the socket terminal 10. Here, the value of "appropriate impedance" is set within a predetermined tolerance range, and therefore the above dimension is also set within a predetermined tolerance range.

[0041] In this embodiment, as described above, the first longitudinal portion 42A and the first leg portion 15A, and the second longitudinal portion 43B and the second leg portion 15B are positioned with a gap of a dimension that ensures an appropriate impedance, and are not in contact with each other. Therefore, the characteristic impedance in the intermediate portion 15 does not decrease excessively, and good characteristic impedance matching is achieved.

[0042] 3, the entire dielectric member 40 is provided away from the inner surface of the fixed housing 20 and has no portion overlapping with the fixed housing 20 when viewed in the terminal arrangement direction. In other words, the dielectric member 40 has no portion that abuts against the fixed housing 20 in the terminal arrangement direction. Therefore, the entire dielectric member 40 is movable in the terminal arrangement direction together with the movable housing 30 without interfering with the fixed housing 20.

[0043] Next, a method for assembling the socket connector 1 will be described. First, the movable-side held portion 14 of the socket terminal 10 is press-fitted from below into the movable-side holding portion 33A of the movable housing 30, thereby attaching the socket terminal 10 to the movable housing 30. Then, the dielectric member 40 is attached to the movable housing 30 from below. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4(A), the dielectric member 40 is moved from below toward the bottom wall 33 of the movable housing 30 (see the arrow in Fig. 4(A)), and as shown in Fig. 4(B), the attachment protrusion 33B of the movable housing 30 is press-fitted from above into the attachment hole portion 43A-1 of the dielectric member 40.

[0044] Furthermore, the movable housing 30 to which the socket terminals 10 and the dielectric member 40 are attached is advanced into the internal space 23 of the fixed housing 20 from below, and the fixed-side held portions 12 of the socket terminals 10 are press-fitted into the fixed-side holding portions 21A of the fixed housing 20. As a result, the socket terminals 10 are attached to the fixed housing 20, and the assembly of the socket connector 1 is completed.

[0045] Next, the configuration of the plug connector 2, which is a mating connector, will be described. The plug connector 2 has a plurality of plug terminals 50 made of a metal plate as mating terminals, and a plug housing 60 made of a dielectric material (electrically insulating material) such as resin that holds the plug terminals 50. Examples of the dielectric material that constitutes the plug housing 60 include engineering plastics such as polyamide (PA) and liquid crystal polymer (LCP). As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the plug terminals 50 are arranged in two rows with the terminal arrangement direction being the same direction as the arrangement direction of the socket terminals 10 (Y-axis direction). The two rows of plug terminals 50 are arranged in a staggered pattern corresponding to the socket terminals 10.

[0046] Plug terminal 50 is made by bending a metal strip in the thickness direction, and is arranged so that the terminal width direction coincides with the terminal arrangement direction. As shown in Fig. 3, plug terminal 50 has connection portion 51 formed at one end (upper end in Fig. 3), contact arm portion 52 formed at the other end (lower end in Fig. 3), and contact arm portion 53 bent in a step shape between connection portion 51 and contact arm portion 52.

[0047] Prior to further description of the plug terminals 50, the configuration of the plug housing 60 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the plug housing 60 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction) as the longitudinal direction. The plug housing 60 has a pair of side walls 61 extending in the terminal arrangement direction and a pair of end walls 62 extending in the connector width direction (X-axis direction) and connecting the ends of the pair of side walls 61, and the pair of side walls 61 and the pair of end walls 62 form a peripheral wall. As shown in FIG. 3, the internal space formed by the peripheral wall is divided vertically by an intermediate wall 63 provided at the middle position in the vertical direction, and a part of the socket connector 1 can be received by a plug-side receiving portion 64, which is the lower internal space. In addition, a protruding wall 65 is provided in the plug-side receiving portion 64, protruding downward from the lower surface of the intermediate wall 63 and extending in the terminal arrangement direction. At the lower part of the protruding wall 65, plug terminal grooves 65A are formed in an array, recessed from the side surface of the protruding wall 65 and extending in the vertical direction.

[0048] Returning to the explanation of the plug terminal 50, the connection portion 51 is located above the bottom surface (upper surface in FIG. 3) of the plug housing 60, extends outward in the connector width direction from the upper end of the coupling portion 53, and is adapted to be soldered to a corresponding circuit portion on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown). The contact arm portion 52 has the same shape as the contact arm portion 13 of the socket terminal 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the contact arm portion 52 extends downward from the lower end of the coupling portion 53 along the side surface of the protruding wall 65 of the plug housing 60, and is elastically deformable in the connector width direction (plate thickness direction of the contact arm portion 52). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper portion of the contact arm portion 52 comes into contact with the side surface of the protruding wall 65, and is supported from the inside in the connector width direction by the side surface. 3, the lower part of the contact arm 52 is located in correspondence with the plug terminal groove 65A of the protruding wall 65 in the up-down direction, and the plug terminal groove 65A allows elastic deformation inward in the connector width direction when in contact with the socket terminal 10. At the lower end of the contact arm 52, a contact part 52A for contacting the socket terminal 10 is bent so as to protrude outward in the connector width direction.

[0049] The plug terminal 50 is attached to the plug housing 60 from the bottom side (the top side in FIG. 3 ) of the plug housing 60. Specifically, the lower end of the coupling portion 53 is press-fitted and held in a plug terminal holding hole 63A formed penetrating the intermediate wall 63, and the upper end of the coupling portion 53 is press-fitted and held in a plug terminal holding groove 61A formed by recessing from the inner wall surface of the side wall 61.

[0050] Next, the mating operation between the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 will be described. First, the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are mounted on the mounting surfaces of the corresponding circuit boards (not shown) by soldering. That is, the connection portion 11 of the socket terminal 10 is soldered to a corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board, and the connection portion 51 of the plug terminal 50 is soldered to a corresponding circuit portion of another circuit board, whereby the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are attached to the corresponding circuit boards.

[0051] 1 and 3, the plug connector 2 is positioned above the socket connector 1 with the plug-side receiving portion 64 (see FIG. 3) open downward. The plug connector 2 is then lowered in this position, causing the protruding wall 65 to enter the socket-side receiving portion 34 of the movable housing 30 of the socket connector 1 from above. At the same time, the peripheral wall of the movable housing 30 enters the plug-side receiving portion 64 of the plug connector 2 from below. As a result, the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are fitted together, as shown in FIG.

[0052] When the plug connector 2 is fitted into the socket connector 1, as shown in FIG. 5, the contact arm 13 of the socket terminal 10 elastically deforms and contacts the upper part of the contact arm 52 of the plug terminal 50, i.e., the root side part, with contact pressure at the contact portion 13A. Also, the contact arm 52 of the plug terminal 50 elastically deforms and contacts the lower part of the contact arm 13 of the socket terminal 10, i.e., the root side part, with contact pressure at the contact portion 52A. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the socket terminal 10 and the plug terminal 50 contact each other at two points and are electrically connected. In this embodiment, the upper part of the contact arm 52 is supported by the protruding wall 65 of the plug housing 60, and the lower part of the contact arm 13 is supported by the long wall 31 of the movable housing 30, so that the socket terminal 10 and the plug terminal 50 contact each other with a sufficiently high contact pressure. In this manner, the fitting and connecting operation of the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 is completed.

[0053] When there is no deviation in the relative positions of the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 at the time when the fitting and connecting operation is completed, the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are in the normal position shown in FIG. 5. In this normal position, the first leg 15A of the socket terminal 10 is positioned so as to have a predetermined gap between it and the inner wall surface of the side wall 21 of the fixed housing 20 in the connector width direction. The second leg 15B of the socket terminal 10 is positioned so as to have a predetermined gap between it and the bottom surface of the bottom wall 33 of the movable housing 30 in the vertical direction. In addition, the first extending portion 42A of the dielectric member 40 is positioned so as to have a predetermined gap between it and the inner wall surface of the first leg 15A of the socket terminal 10 in the connector width direction. The second extending portion 43B of the dielectric member 40 is positioned so as to have a predetermined gap between it and the bottom surface of the second leg 15B of the socket terminal 10 in the vertical direction.

[0054] If the relative positions of the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are misaligned immediately before the connector mating operation is started, the movable housing 30 moves (floats) in the direction in which the misalignment occurs during and after the connector mating operation, making it possible to perform the mating connection with the misalignment absorbed (see Figure 6).

[0055] Furthermore, even if the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are in the correct position (see Figure 5) when the mating connection operation is completed, if the connectors are subsequently used in an environment where vibrations occur, for example, the vibrations are absorbed by the floating of the movable housing 30 of the socket connector 1.

[0056] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the socket connector 1 and plug connector 2 that are mated and connected, showing a state in which the movable housing 30 is floating. FIG. 6 shows a cross section taken along a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction at the position of the socket terminal 10. FIG. 6 also shows a state in which the movable housing 30 is floating toward the X1 side in the connector width direction (X-axis direction). When the movable housing 30 is floating toward the X1 side, the first leg 15A of the two socket terminals 10 shown in FIG. 6, i.e., the first leg 15A of both socket terminals 10 located on the X1 side and the X2 side, elastically deforms so as to incline toward the X1 side with the vicinity of the lower end of the first leg 15A as a fulcrum. At this time, the first leg 15A of the socket terminal 10 on the X1 side elastically deforms within the range of the gap formed between the first leg 15A and the inner wall surface of the side wall 21 of the fixed housing 20.

[0057] 6, when the movable housing 30 floats toward the X1 side in the connector width direction, the dielectric member 40 attached to the movable housing 30 first moves slightly toward the X1 side together with the movable housing 30, and the restricted portion 44 on the X1 side abuts against the restricting portion 21B on the X1 side of the fixed housing 20. In this way, the restricted portion 44 abuts against the restricting portion 21B on the X1 side, thereby restricting the movement of the entire dielectric member 40. At this time, since the restricted portion 44 moves away from the restricting portion 21B on the X2 side, the restricted portion 44 and the restricting portion 21B do not abut against each other.

[0058] 6, when the movable housing 30 moves further toward the X1 side, the first longitudinal portion 42A on the X1 side of the dielectric member 40 elastically deforms with the contact position between the regulated portion 44 and the regulating portion 21B as a fulcrum so as to incline toward the X1 side following the elastic deformation of the first leg portion 15A on the X1 side of the socket terminal 10. At this time, the first longitudinal portion 42A on the X2 side elastically deforms toward the X1 side following the elastic deformation of the first leg portion 15A on the X2 side.

[0059] In this embodiment, as described above, when the movable housing 30 floats in the connector width direction, the two first longitudinal portions 42A of the dielectric member 40 elastically deform in the connector width direction together with the first leg portion 15A adjacent to the first longitudinal portions 42A. In this manner, the first longitudinal portions 42A are capable of following the first leg portions 15A, and therefore do not impede the elastic deformation of the first leg portions 15A and thus the movement of the movable housing 30.

[0060] Even in an elastically deformed state, the first longitudinal portion 42A maintains a gap between itself and the first leg portion 15A within the above-mentioned predetermined allowable range, and does not come into contact with the first leg portion 15A. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6, when floating in the connector width direction, the second leg portion 15B of the socket terminal 10 and the second longitudinal portion 43B of the dielectric member 40 do not elastically deform. Therefore, the gap between the second leg portion 15B and the second longitudinal portion 43B in the up-down direction is maintained, and the two do not come into contact with each other.

[0061] Even if the movable housing 30 is floating in this manner, a state in which a gap is formed between the first and second longitudinal portions 42A, 43B of the dielectric member 40 and the intermediate portion 15 of the socket terminal 10 is maintained. Therefore, the characteristic impedance at the intermediate portion 15 does not decrease excessively, so that a state in which characteristic impedance matching is achieved at the socket terminal 10 can be maintained.

[0062] In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the first longitudinal portion 42A of the dielectric member 40 elastically deforms together with the first leg 15A of the socket terminal 10 in response to the movement of the movable housing 30, with the abutment position between the regulated portion 44 of the dielectric member 40 and the regulating portion 21B of the fixed housing 20 as a fulcrum. Therefore, even when the first longitudinal portion 42A and the first leg 15A are in an elastically deformed state, it becomes easier to maintain a state in which a gap is secured between them, and thus a state in which characteristic impedance matching is favorably achieved.

[0063] Furthermore, when the movable housing 30 floats in the terminal arrangement direction, the floating is permitted by the elastic deformation of the intermediate portions 15 of the socket terminals 10 in the terminal arrangement direction. In this embodiment, the dielectric member 40 does not have a portion that abuts against the fixed housing 20 in the terminal arrangement direction. Therefore, the entire dielectric member 40 does not interfere with the fixed housing 20 in the terminal arrangement direction, and can smoothly follow the movement of the movable housing 30.

[0064] At this time, the first longitudinal portion 42A itself and the second longitudinal portion 43B itself do not elastically deform in the terminal arrangement direction, but move following the elastically deforming intermediate portion 15 while maintaining a state in which they cover the intermediate portion 15 of the socket terminal 10. In this embodiment, the first longitudinal portion 42A and the second longitudinal portion 43B are formed continuously and solidly over the entire area in the terminal arrangement direction, so that they reliably cover the intermediate portion 15 even when the intermediate portion 15 is in a state in which it is elastically deformed in the terminal arrangement direction, and as a result, a state in which characteristic impedance matching is achieved in the socket terminal 10 can be satisfactorily ensured.

[0065] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, the first and second longitudinal portions 42A and 43B are formed as continuous solid portions over the entire area in the terminal arrangement direction, but in the second embodiment, the first and second longitudinal portions are discontinuous in the terminal arrangement direction by forming slits at predetermined intervals in the terminal arrangement direction, and in this respect, the configuration differs from that of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be assigned reference numbers with "100" added to the reference numbers in the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a socket connector 101 according to the second embodiment taken along a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction. Fig. 7 shows a cross section at the center position of the socket connector 101 in the connector width direction. Also, Fig. 7 omits illustration of the end portion on the Y2 side in the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction). In this embodiment, the lower part of the dielectric member 140 is fixed to the lower part of the fixed housing 120, and in this respect, the configuration is different from that of the socket connector 1 of the first embodiment in which the dielectric member 40 is not fixed to the fixed housing 20.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 7, the first and second longitudinal portions 142A and 142B of the dielectric member 140 (not shown in FIG. 7) are provided with slits 144 at positions corresponding to the spaces between the socket terminals 110 in the terminal arrangement direction. The slits 144 extend continuously over almost the entire range of the first and second longitudinal portions 142A in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and over almost the entire range of the second longitudinal portion in the connector width direction (X-axis direction), and penetrate the first and second longitudinal portions 142A and 142B in the plate thickness direction. As a result, strips 145 are formed on both sides of each slit 144 in the terminal arrangement direction in the first and second longitudinal portions. The strips 145 are formed to have almost the same width as the middle portions of the socket terminals 110 (not shown in FIG. 7). The strips 145 therefore cover the middle portions corresponding to the strips 145 from the inside and below in the connector width direction.

[0068] In this embodiment, the first and second longitudinal portions 142A and 43B are formed by a plurality of strips 145 and are discontinuous in the terminal arrangement direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first and second longitudinal portions 42A and 43B are more easily elastically deformed in the connector width direction than in the first embodiment, in which the first and second longitudinal portions 42A and 43B are continuously and solidly formed over the entire area in the terminal arrangement direction, making it easier for the movable housing 130 to float in these directions.

[0069] In this embodiment, the dielectric member 140 is fixed at its upper part to the movable housing 130 and at its lower part to the fixed housing 120. Therefore, when the movable housing 130 is floating in the terminal arrangement direction, if the middle part of the socket terminal 110 is elastically deformed in the terminal arrangement direction, the strip 145 of the dielectric member 140 is elastically deformed in the terminal arrangement direction so as to follow the middle part. Therefore, even when the movable housing 130 is floating, the strip 145 of the dielectric member 140 is maintained covering the middle part of the socket terminal 110. At this time, a state in which a predetermined gap is formed between the strip 145 and the middle part is also maintained. As a result, the state in which the characteristic impedance of the socket terminal 110 is matched can be satisfactorily ensured.

[0070] <Third embodiment> In the first embodiment, the overall shape of the intermediate portion 15 of the socket terminal 10 is generally inverted L-shaped, but the shape of the intermediate portion is not limited to this. In the third embodiment, the intermediate portion of the socket terminal has a portion that is bent into a generally S-shape, and in this respect the configuration differs from the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same parts as in the first embodiment will be assigned reference numbers with "200" added to the reference numbers in the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0071] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction of a socket connector 201 according to a third embodiment. In Fig. 8, the half on the X1 side in the connector width direction is omitted. As shown in Fig. 8, in this embodiment, a first leg 215A of an intermediate portion 215 of a socket terminal 210 has a bending elastic portion 217 bent in a substantially horizontal S-shape at its lower portion and elastically deformable. The bending elastic portion 217 has an outer leg 217A, an intermediate leg 217C, and an inner leg 217E extending in the vertical direction, and an upper bent portion 217B and a lower bent portion 217D that connect two of these legs together.

[0072] Specifically, outer leg 217A, middle leg 217C, and inner leg 217E are provided side by side in that order from the outside in the connector width direction, with upper ends of outer leg 217A and middle leg 217C connected to each other by upper bent portion 217B, and lower ends of middle leg 217C and inner leg 217E connected to each other by lower bent portion 217D. In this embodiment, by providing bent elastic portion 217 in a part of first leg 215A in this manner, it is possible to ensure a large spring length of first leg 215A without increasing the vertical dimension of first leg 215A.

[0073] 8, the first longitudinal portion 242A of the dielectric member 240 has an extension 246 extending upward to a position directly below the upper bent portion 217B between the outer leg 217A and the middle leg 217C. The extension 246 is located with a gap of a predetermined dimension between the outer leg 217A, the upper bent portion 217B, and the middle leg 217C. This gap is formed with a dimension that ensures an appropriate impedance at the socket terminal 210. Here, the value of the "appropriate impedance" is set within a predetermined tolerance range, and therefore the above dimension is also set within a predetermined tolerance range.

[0074] The extension 246 is formed on a part of the elastically deformable first longitudinal portion 242A, and is displaceable in the connector width direction together with the substantially inverted U-shaped portion formed by the outer leg 217A, the upper bent portion 217B, and the middle leg 217C. When the substantially inverted U-shaped portion is elastically deformed, the extension 246 is displaced to follow the substantially inverted U-shaped portion. As a result, even when the substantially inverted U-shaped portion is in an elastically deformed state, a gap of a dimension within the above-mentioned allowable range is secured between the substantially inverted U-shaped portion and the extension 246.

[0075] 8, a recess 247 that opens upward is formed between the extension 246 and another part of the first extension portion 242A, specifically, a part 242A-1 located inside the extension 246 in the connector width direction and located in the same range as the extension 246 in the vertical direction. The recess 247 accommodates a substantially U-shaped part formed by the middle leg 217C, the lower bent part 217D, and the inner leg 217E. This substantially U-shaped part is located with a gap of a predetermined dimension between it and the inner wall surface of the recess 247. This gap is formed with a dimension that ensures an appropriate impedance in the socket terminal 210. Here, the value of the "appropriate impedance" is set within a predetermined allowable range, and therefore the above dimension is also set within a predetermined allowable range. Even in the elastically deformed state of the substantially U-shaped part, a gap of a dimension within the above allowable range is ensured between the substantially U-shaped part and the inner wall surface of the recess 247.

[0076] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the second leg 215B of the socket terminal 210 is shorter than the second leg 15B (see FIG. 5) of the first embodiment, and accordingly, the second along portion 243B of the dielectric member 240 is also shorter than the second along portion 43B (see FIG. 5) of the first embodiment.

[0077] <Fourth embodiment> In the first embodiment, the socket connector 1 was mated with the plug connector 2, which is the mating connector, with the connection direction being perpendicular to the mounting surface of the circuit board on which the socket connector 1 is mounted, but in the fourth embodiment, the socket connector 1 is mated with the plug connector, which is the mating connector, with the connection direction being parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board, and in this respect the configuration differs from the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same parts as in the first embodiment will be assigned reference numbers with "300" added to them, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0078] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section on a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction of a socket connector 301 according to a fourth embodiment. Fig. 9 shows a cross section at the position of a socket terminal 310 in the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction). As shown in Fig. 9, in this embodiment, socket connector 301 is adapted to be fitted and connected to a mating connector, a plug connector (not shown), with the connection direction being the left-right direction (X-axis direction in Fig. 9) parallel to the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown).

[0079] The socket connector 301 of this embodiment has a configuration in which the socket connector 1 (see FIG. 3) of the first embodiment is laid on its side and one end portion of the socket terminal 10 on the side where the connection portion 11 is provided is extended. As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the socket terminal 310 is provided with an extension portion 318 that is bent at the right end (end portion on the X1 side) of the fixed-side held portion 312 and extends linearly downward, and the connection portion 311 is provided extending rightward from the lower end of the extension portion 318. As shown in FIG. 9, the extension portion 318 of the upper (Z1 side) socket terminal 310 is located to the right (X1 side) of the extension portion 318 of the lower (Z2 side) socket terminal 310 and is formed longer than the extension portion 318.

[0080] In the socket connector 301 of this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the gap between the first longitudinal portion 342A of the dielectric member 340 and the first leg portion 315A of the socket terminal 310, and the gap between the second longitudinal portion 343B of the dielectric member 340 and the second leg portion 315B of the socket terminal 310 are formed with dimensions such that an appropriate impedance is ensured in the socket terminal 310. The state in which a gap is formed between the first longitudinal portion 342A and the first leg portion 315A, and between the second longitudinal portion 343B and the second leg portion 315B, is maintained even when the movable housing 330 is in a floating state.

[0081] In the first to fourth embodiments described above, the entire dielectric member is accommodated in the internal space formed in the fixed housing, but as an alternative modification, only a part of the dielectric member may be accommodated in the internal space. Also, in the first to fourth embodiments, the dielectric member is accommodated in the internal space of the fixed housing, but as an alternative modification, an internal space may be formed in the movable housing and the dielectric member may be accommodated in the internal space.

[0082] In the first to fourth embodiments, the dielectric member is attached to the movable housing. However, as an alternative modification, the dielectric member may be attached to the fixed housing without being attached to the movable housing. In this modification, a restricted portion formed on a part of the dielectric member is capable of abutting against a restricting portion formed on the movable housing in the connector width direction. As a result, when the movable housing is floating in the connector width direction, the restricted portion abuts against the restricting portion, and the first longitudinal portion of the dielectric member elastically deforms in the connector width direction so as to follow the socket terminals. Also, in this modification, the dielectric member may not have a portion that abuts against the movable housing in the terminal arrangement direction. In that case, even if the movable housing floats in the terminal arrangement direction, the dielectric member does not move together with the movable housing.

[0083] In the first to fourth embodiments, the longitudinal portion of the dielectric member elastically deforms when it conforms to the intermediate portion of the socket terminal, but it is not essential that the longitudinal portion elastically deforms, and the longitudinal portion may be adapted to be displaced without elastic deformation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1,101,201,301 Socket connectors (electrical connectors for circuit boards) 10,110,210,310 Socket terminal 12,312 Fixed side held part 14 Movable side held part 15,215,315 Middle 20,120,220,320 Fixed housing 23,123,223,323 Internal space 30,130,230,330 Movable housing 40,140,240,340 Dielectric member 42A,142A,242A,342A First extending portion 43B,243B,343B Second extending portion 44 Restricted portion

Claims

1. An electrical connector for a circuit board to be disposed on a mounting surface of the circuit board, a plurality of terminals arranged in a terminal arrangement direction parallel to the mounting surface, a fixed housing fixed to the circuit board via the terminals, and a movable housing movable relative to the fixed housing; The terminals each have a fixed-side held portion held by the fixed housing, a movable-side held portion held by the movable housing, and an elastically deformable intermediate portion located between the fixed-side held portion and the movable-side held portion, and the terminals are disposed so as to span the fixed housing and the movable housing, a dielectric member at least a portion of which is disposed in an internal space formed in at least one of the fixed housing and the movable housing and attached to the fixed housing or the movable housing; the dielectric member has a longitudinal portion extending along the intermediate portion with a gap between the longitudinal portion and the intermediate portion, 2. An electrical connector for a circuit board, comprising: a first terminal for connecting a first terminal to a first terminal arranged in a first direction;

2. 2. An electrical connector for a circuit board as described in claim 1, wherein the dielectric member is attached to the movable housing and has a regulated portion that can abut against the fixed housing in the connector width direction, at a position different from the longitudinal portion.

3. 3. An electrical connector for a circuit board as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the dielectric member does not have a portion that abuts against the fixed housing in the terminal arrangement direction, and the entire dielectric member is movable in the terminal arrangement direction together with the movable housing.

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