Connector

Abstract

To prevent a liquid in contact with a liquid adhesive part such as a connection part or the like from reaching a protected part such as a contact part or the like in a connector in which a terminal is inserted into a housing.SOLUTION: A terminal 20 of a connector 10 includes a held part 20b held by a housing 30. The held part 20b includes a pair of plate surfaces 21 and 21. Each plate surface 21 includes an adjacent surface 24 that is adjacent to a wall surface of the housing 30. At least one plate surface 21 of the pair of plate surfaces 21 and 21 includes a capillary phenomenon suppression surface 25. The capillary phenomenon suppression surface 25 means a surface that is separated from the wall surface of the housing 30, and means a surface that is provided so as to isolate a liquid adhesive part 20a and a protected part 20c within the plate from each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors. [Background technology]

[0002] In the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, the terminals are inserted into terminal grooves provided in the housing, and the terminals are held by the housing. The connector assembled as described above is mounted by soldering the connection parts of the terminals to a board. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-110122 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above connector, there is a minute gap between the terminal and the wall of the terminal groove. Therefore, foreign matter such as flux contained in the solder paste or liquid coating agent on the board may enter the minute gap through the connection part and creep up to the vicinity of the contact by capillary action. As a result, foreign matter may adhere to the contact and cause a contact failure. Furthermore, if the connector is a movable connector, foreign matter may adhere to the intermediate elastic portion of the terminal, causing a decrease in the movable force.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the first aspect of the present disclosure is to prevent liquid that has come into contact with a liquid-adhering portion, such as a connection portion, from reaching a protected portion, such as a contact portion, in a connector in which terminals are inserted into a housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The connector of the first aspect comprises a terminal portion consisting of at least one terminal, and a housing, the terminal having a liquid adhering portion to which liquid adheres, a protected portion to be protected from the adhesion of liquid, and a held portion provided between the liquid adhering portion and the protected portion and held by the housing, the held portion having a pair of plate surfaces, each plate surface having an adjacent surface that is adjacent to a wall surface of the housing, and at least one of the pair of plate surfaces having a capillary action suppression surface that is a surface separated from the wall surface of the housing and is provided so as to isolate the liquid adhering portion and the protected portion within the plate surface.

[0007] In this aspect, the connector includes a terminal portion including at least one terminal, and a housing. The terminal has a held portion that is held by the housing. The held portion has a pair of plate surfaces. Each plate surface has a proximity surface that is adjacent to a wall surface of the housing. Therefore, in the process of inserting the terminal into the housing, the terminal can be appropriately guided by the wall surface of the housing.

[0008] When the terminal is inserted into the housing, a small gap is formed between the plate surface of the terminal and the wall surface of the housing. The terminal has a liquid-adhering portion to which liquid adheres and a protected portion to be protected from the adhesion of liquid. Therefore, liquid such as flux contained in the solder paste or a coating agent on the board may enter the above-mentioned gap through the liquid-adhering portion and reach the protected portions such as the contact portion and the intermediate elastic portion by capillary action. As a result, there is a risk that foreign matter may adhere to the contact portion, causing poor contact, or foreign matter may adhere to the intermediate elastic portion, causing a decrease in the movable force. In this embodiment, at least one of the pair of plate surfaces has a capillary action suppressing surface. The capillary action suppressing surface means a surface (separating surface) separated from the wall surface of the housing and provided so as to separate the liquid adhering portion from the protected portion within the plate surface. Therefore, even if capillary action occurs in a portion of the plate surface closer to the liquid adhesion portion than the capillary action suppression surface, capillary action does not occur in the capillary action suppression surface, so that the liquid can be prevented from reaching the protected portion as a foreign body. As a result, on at least one of the pair of plate surfaces, liquid that has come into contact with the liquid adhering portion is prevented from flowing through the gap between the plate surface and the housing and reaching the portion to be protected.

[0009] In the embodiment described later, the protected portion is a contact portion, but the protected portion in this embodiment is not limited to this. The protected portion in this embodiment may be any portion that should be protected from adhesion of liquid, and may be, for example, an intermediate elastic portion. The intermediate elastic portion means a portion formed between a portion (held portion) of the terminal that is held by a housing fixed to an attachment object (e.g., a board) and the contact portion, and is formed to be easily elastically deformed so as to allow displacement of the contact portion relative to the held portion. For example, in a case where the connector has a fixed housing and a movable housing, the portion formed to be easily elastically deformed so as to allow relative displacement of the movable housing relative to the fixed housing is the intermediate elastic portion. However, in a case where the terminal has an intermediate elastic portion, the connector does not have to have a movable housing. In the embodiment described below, the terminal is manufactured by punching a plate material and does not have a curved portion (a portion where the plate material is bent), but the terminal of this embodiment is not limited to this. In the embodiment described below, each of the pair of plate surfaces is flat, but the plate surfaces of this embodiment are not limited to this.

[0010] The connector according to a second aspect is the connector of the first aspect, wherein both of the pair of plate surfaces have capillary action suppression surfaces.

[0011] In this embodiment, both of the pair of plate surfaces have capillary action suppression surfaces. Therefore, on both of the pair of plate surfaces, liquid that has come into contact with the liquid adhering portion is prevented from flowing through the gap between the plate surface and the housing and reaching the portion to be protected.

[0012] A third aspect of the connector is the same as that of the second aspect, wherein the terminal has a pair of plate end faces, at least one of the pair of plate end faces has a capillary action suppressing surface, and the capillary action suppressing surface of the at least one plate end face connects the capillary action suppressing surface of one of the pair of plate faces to the capillary action suppressing surface of the other of the pair of plate faces.

[0013] In this aspect, the terminal has a pair of plate end surfaces. At least one of the pair of plate end surfaces has a capillary action suppressing surface. The capillary action suppressing surface of the at least one plate end surface connects the capillary action suppressing surface of one of the pair of plate surfaces to the capillary action suppressing surface of the other of the pair of plate surfaces. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the capillary action inhibiting surface on one plate surface and the capillary action inhibiting surface on the other plate surface are not connected by the capillary action inhibiting surface on the plate end surface, liquid is prevented from reaching the protected portion.

[0014] A fourth aspect of the connector is the same as that of the second aspect, wherein the terminal has a pair of plate end faces, both of which have capillary action suppressing surfaces, and the capillary action suppressing surfaces of both plate end faces connect the capillary action suppressing surface of one of the pair of plate faces to the capillary action suppressing surface of the other of the pair of plate faces.

[0015] In this aspect, the terminal has a pair of plate end surfaces, both of which have capillary action suppressing surfaces, and the capillary action suppressing surfaces of both plate end surfaces connect the capillary action suppressing surface of one of the pair of plate surfaces to the capillary action suppressing surface of the other of the pair of plate surfaces. In other words, the capillary action suppression surfaces are formed on all of the pair of plate surfaces and the pair of plate end surfaces, which are connected to each other. This further prevents the liquid from reaching the portion to be protected.

[0016] The connector of the fifth aspect is, in any one of the second to fourth aspects, such that the capillary action suppression surface of one of the pair of plate surfaces and the capillary action suppression surface of the other of the pair of plate surfaces are provided at different positions in a direction along the plate surfaces.

[0017] In this aspect, the capillary action suppression surface on one plate surface and the capillary action suppression surface on the other plate surface are provided at different positions in a direction along the plate surfaces. Therefore, the space facing the capillary action suppressing surface of one plate surface and the space facing the capillary action suppressing surface of the other plate surface can be provided at different positions in the direction along the plate surfaces, making it easier to ensure the strength of the housing.

[0018] A sixth aspect of the connector is the same as that of the fifth aspect, wherein the terminal portion includes at least one first terminal and at least one second terminal, the first terminal and the second terminal are adjacent to each other so that the other plate surface of the first terminal faces one plate surface of the second terminal, and the capillary action suppressing surface of the other plate surface of the first terminal and the capillary action suppressing surface of the one plate surface of the second terminal face an integral space formed in the housing.

[0019] In this aspect, the terminal portion includes at least one first terminal and at least one second terminal. The first terminal and the second terminal are adjacent to each other such that the other plate surface of the first terminal faces one plate surface of the second terminal. The capillary action suppressing surface of the other plate surface of the first terminal and the capillary action suppressing surface of the one plate surface of the second terminal face an integral space formed in the housing. Therefore, it is easier to ensure the strength of the mold for forming the space compared to an embodiment in which the capillary action suppression surface of the other plate surface of the first terminal and the capillary action suppression surface of one plate surface of the second terminal face separate spaces.

[0020] In the embodiment described below, the capillary action suppressing surface on one plate surface of the first terminal is located at the same position in the insertion direction as the capillary action suppressing surface on the other plate surface of the second terminal. In the embodiment described below, no part of the housing exists between the capillary action suppressing surface on one plate surface of the first terminal and the capillary action suppressing surface on the other plate surface of the second terminal.

[0021] A seventh aspect of the connector is a connector according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the terminal portion includes a plurality of terminals, the housing has an expanded space formed by a first mold for forming a space into which the plurality of terminals are inserted, the expanded space having a dimension larger than the thickness of the terminals in the thickness direction of the terminals, and the terminals have an exposed portion exposed to the expanded space.

[0022] In this aspect, the terminal portion has a plurality of terminals. The housing has an expanded space formed by a first mold for forming a space into which the plurality of terminals are inserted, the expanded space having a dimension larger than the plate thickness of the terminals in the plate thickness direction of the terminals. Here, the terminal has an exposed portion exposed to the enlarged space. Therefore, the expanded space can be made larger than in a configuration in which the terminal does not have an exposed portion, and as a result, it is easy to ensure the strength of the mold.

[0023] The connector of the eighth aspect is any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the housing is a second mold that is inserted from a direction different from the direction in which a first mold is inserted to form a space into which the terminal is inserted, and has an anti-tilt space that is a space formed by the second mold to prevent tilting of the first mold by supporting the first mold, and the capillary action suppression surface faces the anti-tilt space.

[0024] In this embodiment, the housing has a tilt prevention space. The tilt prevention space is a space formed by a second mold. The second mold is a mold inserted from a direction different from the direction in which a first mold for forming a space into which the terminal is inserted is inserted, and is a mold for supporting the first mold to prevent tilting of the first mold. The capillary action suppression surface faces the tilt prevention space. Therefore, the second mold for preventing the first terminal from tilting can also be used to form the space for providing the capillary action suppression surface. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the connector (cross-section perpendicular to the front-rear direction). [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] Fig. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken at the position of an adjacent wall adjacent to one plate surface of the terminal, and Fig. 5B is a view of the terminal as viewed from the one plate surface side. [Figure 6] Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken at the position of an adjacent wall adjacent to the other plate surface of the terminal, and Fig. 6B is a view of the terminal as seen from the other plate surface side. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 3. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 3. [Figure 10] 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13-13 in FIG. 3. [Figure 14] 10 is a cross-sectional view (at the same position as in FIG. 9) showing a first mold and a second mold used when molding the housing. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a connector according to a modified example. [Figure 16] 5 is a cross-sectional view (corresponding to FIG. 4) of a connector according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the connector according to the present disclosure will be described.

[0027] In addition, the arrow X direction in each drawing indicates one side (front side) in the front-rear direction of the connector, the arrow Y direction indicates one side in the width direction of the connector, and the arrow Z direction indicates the upper side in the up-down direction of the connector. In this embodiment, in the process of mounting the connector on the board, the downward direction of the connector coincides with the direction of gravity.

[0028] (Connector 10) 1 and 2 show a connector 10 according to this embodiment.

[0029] 1, the connector 10 includes a terminal portion 20 formed of at least one terminal 20, a housing 30 that holds the terminal portion 20, and a reinforcing portion 40 formed of a pair of reinforcing members 41. For simplicity, the terminal 20 and the terminal portion 20 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0030] The connector 10 is configured to be connectable to a mating connector (not shown) as a connection object. The connection direction between the connector 10 and the mating connector is the Z direction, and the mating connector is connected to the connector 10 from above. The connector 10 is attached to the upper surface of a substrate (not shown) as an attachment object, with the thickness direction of the substrate facing the Z direction.

[0031] (Terminal section 20) As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the terminal portion 20 includes a plurality of terminals 20.

[0032] The multiple terminals 20 are composed of a plurality (large number) of one-side terminals 20 arranged on one widthwise side (+Y direction side) with the X direction as the arrangement direction, and a plurality (large number) of other-side terminals 20 arranged on the other widthwise side (-Y direction side) with the X direction as the arrangement direction. It can also be understood that one side terminal 20 and the other side terminal 20 constitute a pair of terminals 20, and that the pair of terminals 20 are arranged in large numbers with the X direction as the arrangement direction. The one side terminal 20 and the other side terminal 20 constituting the pair of terminals 20 are located at the same position in the arrangement direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of terminals 20 are arranged with their respective contact portions 20c facing inward in the width direction and their respective connection portions 20a facing outward in the width direction.

[0033] The multiple terminals 20 constituting the terminal portion 20 generally have the same structure. However, as shown in Fig. 4 etc., the terminal 20 includes a first terminal 20A and a second terminal 20B. The first terminal 20A and the second terminal 20B are mostly identical in structure. Specifically, the first terminal 20A and the second terminal 20B are different from each other in the structure of the contact portion 20c. The first terminal 20A and the second terminal 20B are alternately provided along the arrangement direction. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the terminal will simply be referred to as terminal 20.

[0034] Terminal 20 does not have a curved portion. A curved portion refers to a portion formed by bending a plate material. Therefore, the plate thickness direction of terminal 20 faces one specific direction in any part of terminal 20. Terminal 20 is arranged with its plate thickness direction facing the arrangement direction (X direction).

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal 20 has a connection portion 20a that is connected to a board, and a contact portion 20c that is in contact with a contact portion of a terminal of a mating connector.

[0036] The connection portion 20a is joined to the upper surface of the substrate by soldering. After being soldered to the upper surface of the substrate, the connection portion 20a may be covered with a coating agent. This prevents short circuits between adjacent terminals 20. The connection portion 20a is a portion to which liquid such as flux contained in solder paste or a coating agent on the substrate adheres. Hereinafter, the connection portion 20a may be referred to as the liquid adhering portion 20a.

[0037] The contact portion 20c is composed of at least one elastic contact portion 20c1. In this embodiment, the contact portion 20c is composed of two elastic contact portions 20c1. Each elastic contact portion 20c1 is configured so that a contact point with a terminal of a mating connector can be elastically displaced.

[0038] The terminal 20 has a held portion 20b that is held by the housing 30. The held portion 20b is formed between the connection portion 20a and the contact portion 20c.

[0039] The held portion 20b has a main body portion 20b1 and a press-fit protruding portion 20b2. The main body portion 20b1 has a substantially rectangular shape. The press-fit protrusion 20b2 has a shape that protrudes upward from the main body 20b1. An outer plate end of the press-fit protrusion 20b2 in the width direction is positioned on the same straight line as an outer plate end of the main body 20b1 of the held portion 20b in the width direction. The press-fit protrusion 20b2 has a protrusion 29 (see FIG. 5B). As a result, the press-fit protrusion 20b2 is held by the housing 30 in the width direction. The protrusion 29 is formed on the plate end on the inner side in the width direction of the press-fit protrusion 20b2. This makes it easier to realize a state in which the plate end on the outer side in the width direction of the press-fit protrusion 20b2 is pressed against the wall surface of the housing 30. When the plate end on the outer side in the width direction of the press-fit protrusion 20b2 is pressed against the wall surface of the housing 30, the terminal 20 is in the position and posture as designed.

[0040] The main body portion 20b1 has a protrusion . The protrusion 28 is formed on a plate end on the inner side in the width direction of the main body portion 20b1. As a result, the main body portion 20b1 of the held portion 20b is sandwiched in the width direction by the housing 30. Specifically, the main body portion 20b1 of the held portion 20b is sandwiched between the width direction side walls 32 and the central wall 33 of the housing 30. It is the upper part of the main body portion 20b1 that is sandwiched between the width direction side walls 32 and the central wall 33 of the housing 30, and the protrusion 28 is formed on the upper part of the main body portion 20b1.

[0041] The main body portion 20b1 has a clamped portion 26 that is clamped by the housing 30 in the plate thickness direction (X direction). The plate thickness of the clamped portion 26 is the same as the plate thickness of the portion of the main body portion 20b1 other than the clamped portion 26. A part of the main body portion 20b1 is press-fitted into the clamping groove 39 of the housing 30, and the part functions as the clamped portion 26. The position of the clamped portion 26 is near the lower end of the main body portion 20b1. The position of the clamped portion 26 is near the outer side in the width direction of the main body portion 20b1. This allows the position of the connection portion 20a of the terminal 20 relative to the housing 30 in the front-rear direction to be accurately determined. The clamped portion 26 is formed in a portion that is expanded outward in the width direction from the plate end surface 22 on the outer side in the width direction of the main body portion 20b1.

[0042] (Housing 30) The housing 30 is a synthetic resin molded product formed by injection molding. The housing 30 is composed of a single molded product. The housing 30 has a structure that is generally symmetrical in both the front-rear direction and the width direction. The housing 30 holds the terminal portion 20 and the reinforcing portion 40.

[0043] 3, the housing 30 has a receiving space 56 for receiving a part of an object to be connected. The receiving space 56 is formed by a mold with the downward insertion direction.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 30 has a plurality of partition walls 31A disposed between two adjacent terminals 20 among the plurality of terminals 20 arranged in the arrangement direction (X direction). In addition, the housing 30 has one side wall 31B arranged on one side of the arrangement direction of the terminal 20 closest to one side of the arrangement direction (+X direction side) among the multiple terminals 20 arranged in the arrangement direction, and the other side wall 31B arranged on the other side of the arrangement direction of the terminal 20 closest to the other side of the arrangement direction.

[0045] One side wall 31B, the multiple partition walls 31A, and the other side wall 31B are all walls adjacent to the terminals 20 in the arrangement direction. Hereinafter, one side wall 31B, the multiple partition walls 31A, and the other side wall 31B may be referred to as multiple adjacent walls 31.

[0046] The housing 30 has a terminal insertion space (reference number omitted) into which the terminal 20 is inserted. The terminal insertion space is formed between two adjacent walls 31 among the plurality of adjacent walls 31. One terminal insertion space is provided corresponding to one terminal 20. The terminal 20 is inserted into the terminal insertion space from the lower side of the housing 30 with the vertical direction as the insertion direction. The X dimension of the terminal insertion space is slightly larger than the plate thickness of the terminal 20. This allows the terminal 20 to be smoothly inserted into the terminal insertion space. A pair of adjacent walls 31 adjacent to one terminal 20 form a small gap between the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21 of the terminal 20.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 8 and other figures, the housing 30 has an expanded space 53 which is a space connected to a plurality of terminal insertion spaces. The expanded space 53 is provided at a widthwise central position of the housing 30, corresponding to the lower portions of the plurality of terminal insertion spaces. As shown in Fig. 8, the expanded space 53 is connected to the widthwise inner portions of each of the terminal insertion spaces.

[0048] 14, the terminal insertion space and the expanded space 53 are formed by a first mold 81 (core pin) that is punched downward with respect to the molded product (housing 30). In the first mold 81, a portion that forms the expanded space 53 and a portion that forms the multiple terminal insertion spaces are integrally formed.

[0049] 9 and other drawings, a part of the held portion 20b of the terminal 20 is exposed in the expanded space 53. In other words, the held portion 20b of the terminal 20 has an exposed portion 27 exposed in the expanded space 53. In the exposed portion 27 of the held portion 20b, in addition to the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21, a plate end surface 22 on the inner side in the width direction becomes a surface (separated surface) separated from the wall surface of the housing 30. For this reason, no capillary action occurs in the exposed portion 27.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 30 has a pair of widthwise side walls 32 and a central wall 33 . An upper portion of the held portion 20b of the terminal 20 is press-fitted between the widthwise side walls 32 and the central wall 33. The lower end of the central wall 33 coincides with the upper end of the expanded space 53 in the up-down direction.

[0051] The widthwise sidewall 32 has an upper portion 32a and a lower portion 32b. The widthwise inner surface of the lower portion 32b of the widthwise side wall 32 is formed widthwise outward of the widthwise inner surface of the upper portion 32a of the widthwise side wall 32. As a result, the plate end surface 22 on the widthwise outer side of the held portion 20b of the terminal 20 is in contact with or close to the upper portion 32a of the widthwise side wall 32, but is spaced apart from the lower portion 32b of the widthwise side wall 32 (see FIG. 3).

[0052] As shown in FIG. 7, the housing 30 has suppression spaces 51 and 52 for suppressing capillary action. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 6A, the suppression spaces 51 and 52 are through holes that open to the width direction side wall 32 and reach the expansion space 53. The suppression spaces 51, 52 are formed by a second mold 82 (see FIG. 14, slide pin) whose insertion direction is the widthwise inner side. The second mold 82 also functions to prevent the first mold 81 from tilting by supporting the first mold 81. The second mold 82 includes a second mold 82 inserted from one side in the width direction, and a second mold 82 inserted from the other side in the width direction. Hereinafter, the suppression spaces 51, 52 may be referred to as tilt prevention spaces 51, 52. 4, the suppression spaces 51, 52 are formed such that a portion of the adjacent wall 31 is missing at a specific position in the Z direction. Therefore, the suppression spaces 51, 52 cause no wall of the housing 30 to exist between two adjacent terminals 20. The portions of the plate surface 21 of the terminal 20 that face the suppression spaces 51, 52 form a surface (separation surface) that is separated from the wall surface of the housing 30. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, this separation surface is formed from one plate end to the other plate end of the plate surface 21. As a result, this separation surface is provided so as to separate the liquid adhering portion 20a and the protected portion 20c within the plate surface 21. This separation surface is called a capillary phenomenon suppression surface 25.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, a tapered surface 34t is formed near the openings of the suppression spaces 51 and 52.

[0054] The multiple suppression spaces 51 , 52 are composed of a multiple number of first suppression spaces 51 and a multiple number of second suppression spaces 52 . The multiple first suppression spaces 51 are provided side by side in the X direction at the same position in the Z direction. The multiple second suppression spaces 52 are provided side by side in the X direction at the same position in the Z direction. The positions of the multiple second suppression spaces 52 in the Z direction are on the +Z direction side (upper side) than the positions of the multiple first suppression spaces 51 in the Z direction.

[0055] The lower end of the second suppression space 52 is located above the upper end of the first suppression space 51. Therefore, the suppression spaces 51, 52 do not exist in the cross-sectional position shown in Figure 10 (see Figure 7).

[0056] As shown in FIGS. 2, 12 and 13, the housing 30 has a plurality of bottomed spaces 54, 55 that open outward in the width direction. The bottomed spaces 54, 55 are formed by a third mold (slide pin, not shown) whose insertion direction is the widthwise inner side. The third mold also functions to prevent the first mold 81 from tilting by supporting the first mold 81. There are two types of third mold: a third mold inserted from one widthwise side, and a third mold inserted from the other widthwise side. Hereinafter, the bottomed spaces 54, 55 may be referred to as tilt prevention spaces 54, 55. The portions of the plate surface 21 of the held portion 20b of the terminal 20 that face the suppression spaces 51, 52 become surfaces (separation surfaces) that are separated from the wall surfaces of the housing 30. However, this separation surface is not formed from one plate end to the other plate end of the plate surface 21. Therefore, this separation surface does not separate the liquid adhering portion 20a and the protected portion 20c within the plate surface 21. Near the openings of the bottomed spaces 54 and 55, a tapered surface 34t is formed.

[0057] The multiple bottomed spaces 54, 55 are composed of a multiple number of first bottomed spaces 54 and a multiple number of second bottomed spaces 55. The first bottomed spaces 54 are arranged side by side in the X direction at the same position in the Z direction. The second bottomed spaces 55 are arranged side by side in the X direction at the same position in the Z direction. The positions of the second bottomed spaces 55 in the Z direction are on the +Z direction side (upper side) than the positions of the first bottomed spaces 54 in the Z direction.

[0058] The multiple bottomed spaces 54, 55 are formed above the multiple suppression spaces 51, 52. The first suppression space 51, the second suppression space 52, the first bottomed space 54 and the second bottomed space 55 are all spaced the same apart in the up-down direction.

[0059] (Reinforcement part 40) The pair of reinforcing members 41 constituting the reinforcing portion 40 have the same structure. Hereinafter, they will be simply referred to as the reinforcing members 41 unless otherwise specified.

[0060] The reinforcing member 41 has a held portion 41a that is held by the housing 30. The held portion 41a is held by the housing 30 by press-fitting.

[0061] The reinforcing member 41 has a joint 41b to be joined to a substrate as an attachment object. The joint 41b is joined to the substrate by soldering. The thickness direction of the joint 41b is oriented in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate (Z direction).

[0062] <Action and effect> Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0063] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the connector 10 includes a terminal portion 20 including at least one terminal 20, and a housing 30. As shown in Fig. 7, the terminal 20 includes a held portion 20b that is held by the housing 30. The held portion 20b includes a pair of plate surfaces 21, 21. Each plate surface 21 includes a proximity surface 24 that is adjacent to a wall surface of the housing 30. Therefore, in the process of inserting the terminals 20 into the housing 30, the terminals 20 can be appropriately guided by the wall surfaces of the housing 30.

[0064] Incidentally, when the terminal 20 is inserted into the housing 30, a small gap is generated between the plate surface 21 of the terminal 20 and the wall surface of the housing 30. The terminal 20 has a liquid adhering portion 20a to which liquid adheres and a protected portion 20c to be protected from the adhesion of liquid. Therefore, liquid such as flux contained in the solder paste or a coating agent on the board may enter the above-mentioned gap through the liquid adhering portion 20a and reach the protected portion 20c such as the contact portion 20c and the intermediate elastic portion by capillary action. As a result, there is a risk that foreign matter may adhere to the contact portion 20c, causing poor contact, or foreign matter may adhere to the intermediate elastic portion, causing a decrease in the movable force. 5(B), 6(B), and 7, in this embodiment, at least one of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21 has a capillary action suppression surface 25. The capillary action suppression surface 25 means a surface (separation surface) separated from the wall surface of the housing 30, and provided so as to separate the liquid adhering portion 20a and the protected portion 20c within the plate surface. Therefore, even if capillary action occurs in a portion of plate surface 21 closer to liquid adhesion portion 20a than capillary action suppression surface 25, it is possible to suppress the liquid from reaching protected portion 20c as a foreign body, since capillary action does not occur in capillary action suppression surface 25. As a result, on at least one plate surface 21 of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21, the liquid that has come into contact with liquid adhesion portion 20a is suppressed from reaching protected portion 20c through the gap between plate surface 21 and housing 30.

[0065] In this embodiment, both of the pair of plate surfaces 21 have capillary action suppression surfaces 25, as shown in FIGS. Therefore, on both plate surfaces 21 of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21, the liquid that has come into contact with the liquid adhering portion 20a is prevented from flowing through the gap between the plate surface 21 and the housing 30 and reaching the protected portion 20c.

[0066] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5(B) and Fig. 6(B), the terminal 20 has a pair of plate end faces 22, 22. As shown in Figs. 8 to 11, at least one of the pair of plate end faces 22, 22 has a capillary action suppressing surface 25. The capillary action suppressing surface 25 of the at least one plate end face 22 connects the capillary action suppressing surface 25 of one plate surface 21 of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21 to the capillary action suppressing surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the capillary phenomenon suppression surface 25 of one plate surface 21 and the capillary phenomenon suppression surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 are not connected by the capillary phenomenon suppression surface 25 of the plate end surface 22, the liquid is prevented from reaching the protected portion 20c.

[0067] 8 to 11, in this embodiment, both of the pair of plate end faces 22, 22 have capillary action suppression surfaces 25. The capillary action suppression surfaces 25 of both plate end faces 22 connect the capillary action suppression surface 25 of one plate surface 21 of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21 to the capillary action suppression surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21. In other words, the capillary action suppression surface 25 is formed on all of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21 and the pair of plate end surfaces 22, 22, which are connected to each other. This further prevents the liquid from reaching the protected portion 20c.

[0068] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 9 and 11, the capillary action suppression surface 25 of one plate surface 21 and the capillary action suppression surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 are provided at different positions in the direction along the plate surface 21 (Z direction). For this reason, the spaces 51, 52 facing the capillary action suppression surface 25 of one plate surface 21 and the spaces 51, 52 facing the capillary action suppression surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 can be provided at different positions in the direction (Z direction) along the plate surface 21. As a result, the strength of the housing 30 can be easily ensured.

[0069] 7, the terminal portion 20 includes at least one first terminal 20A and at least one second terminal 20B. The first terminal 20A and the second terminal 20B are adjacent to each other such that the other plate surface 21 of the first terminal 20A and one plate surface 21 of the second terminal 20B face each other. The capillary action suppressing surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 of the first terminal 20A and the capillary action suppressing surface 25 of the one plate surface 21 of the second terminal 20B face integrated spaces 51, 52 formed in the housing 30. Therefore, it is easier to ensure the strength of the mold for forming the spaces 51, 52 compared to an embodiment in which the capillary action suppression surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 of the first terminal 20A and the capillary action suppression surface 25 of one plate surface 21 of the second terminal 20B face separate spaces. In this embodiment, the capillary action suppressing surface 25 of one plate surface 21 of the first terminal 20A is located at the same position in the insertion direction as the capillary action suppressing surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 of the second terminal 20B.

[0070] In this embodiment, the terminal portion 20 has a plurality of terminals 20. The housing 30 has an expanded space 53, which is a space formed by a first mold 81 (see FIG. 14) for forming a space into which the plurality of terminals 20 are inserted, and has a dimension larger than the plate thickness of the terminals 20 in the plate thickness direction (X direction) of the terminals 20. Here, the terminal 20 has an exposed portion 27 exposed to the expanded space 53 as shown in FIGS. Therefore, the expanded space 53 can be made larger in the width direction compared to a mode in which the terminal 20 does not have the exposed portion 27. As a result, it is easy to ensure the strength of the first mold 81.

[0071] 9 and 11, the housing 30 has tilt prevention spaces 51, 52. The tilt prevention spaces 51, 52 are spaces 51, 52 formed by a second mold 82 (see FIG. 14). The second mold 82 is a mold inserted from a direction (outside in the width direction) different from the direction (+Z direction) in which a first mold 81 for forming a space into which the terminal 20 is inserted is inserted, and is a mold for supporting the first mold 81 to prevent the first mold 81 from tilting. The capillary phenomenon suppression surface 25 faces the tilt prevention spaces 51, 52. Therefore, second mold 82 for preventing first terminal 20A from tilting can also be used for forming spaces 51 and 52 for providing capillary action suppression surface 25.

[0072] [Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment] Although the preferred embodiment of the connector of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The following description is a supplementary explanation for the sake of completeness.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the contact portion is configured such that the contact point is elastically displaceable. However, the contact portion of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the contact point may be configured such that it is not displaceable.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the insertion direction of the terminals into the housing is perpendicular to the surface of the board and away from the board, but the insertion direction of the terminals in the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the housing 30 is formed from one molded part. However, the housing of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and may be formed by assembling two or more molded parts.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the reinforcing portion 40 is composed of a pair of reinforcing members 41. However, the reinforcing portion of the present disclosure is not limited to this. In addition, although the connector 10 includes the reinforcing portion 40, the connector of the present disclosure does not necessarily need to include a reinforcing portion.

[0077] 7, the capillary action suppression surface 25 of one plate surface 21 and the capillary action suppression surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 are provided at different positions in the direction (Z direction) along the plate surface 21. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a connector 110 according to a modified example shown in Figures 15 and 16 may be configured. In the connector 110, a plurality of first suppression spaces 51 and a plurality of second suppression spaces 52 are formed at the same position in the up-down direction of the connector. Therefore, the capillary action suppression surface 25 of one plate surface 21 and the capillary action suppression surface 25 of the other plate surface 21 are provided at the same position in the direction along the plate surface 21 (Z direction).

[0078] In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7 etc., the tilt prevention spaces 51, 52 are provided to face both of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21 of the terminal 20. Therefore, the first die 81 can be supported from both sides by the second die 82. As a result, tilting of the first die 81 can be more reliably prevented. However, the tilt prevention space of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and may be provided so as to face only one of the pair of plate surfaces 21, 21 of the terminal 20. Even in this case, the effect of preventing the first mold 81 from tilting is achieved to a certain degree.

[0079] 14, for simplicity, the first mold 81 and the like are depicted as being formed from one part. However, the first mold and the second mold of the present disclosure are not limited to this, and each may be formed from a plurality of parts.

Explanation of Symbols

[0080] 10,110 Connector 20 Terminals (Terminal Part) 20A First Terminal 20B Second Terminal 20a Connection Part (Liquid Attachment Part) 20b Held Part 20c Contact Part (Protected) 21 Board Surface 22 Board End Face 24 Proximity Surface 25 Capillary Phenomenon Suppression Surface 27 Exposed Part 30 Housing 31A Partition Wall (Adjacent Wall) 31B Side Wall (Adjacent Wall) 51,52 Suppression Space (Anti-Tipping Space) 51 First Suppression Space (Anti-Tipping Space) 52 Second Suppression Space (Anti-Tipping Space) 53 Expansion Space 54,55 Bottomed Space (Anti-Tipping Space) 54 First Bottomed Space (Anti-Tipping Space) 55 Second Bottomed Space (Anti-Tipping Space) 81 First Mold 82 Second Mold

Claims

1. The terminal portion includes at least one terminal, and a housing. The terminal is a liquid adhesion portion to which liquid adheres; a part to be protected from adhesion of liquid; a held portion provided between the liquid adhering portion and the protected portion and held by the housing, The held portion has a pair of plate surfaces, Each plate surface has a proximate surface proximate to a wall surface of the housing, At least one of the pair of plate surfaces has a capillary phenomenon suppression surface that is a surface separated from a wall surface of the housing and is provided so as to isolate the liquid attachment portion and the protected portion within the plate surface. connector.

2. Both of the pair of plate surfaces have capillary action suppression surfaces. The connector of claim 1 .

3. The terminal has a pair of plate end surfaces, At least one of the pair of plate end faces has a capillary action suppression surface, the capillary action suppression surface of the at least one plate end surface connects the capillary action suppression surface of one plate surface of the pair of plate surfaces to the capillary action suppression surface of the other plate surface of the pair of plate surfaces; The connector according to claim 2.

4. The terminal has a pair of plate end surfaces, Both of the pair of plate end faces have capillary action suppression surfaces, The capillary action suppression surfaces of the both plate end surfaces connect the capillary action suppression surface of one plate surface of the pair of plate surfaces to the capillary action suppression surface of the other plate surface of the pair of plate surfaces. The connector according to claim 2.

5. The capillary action suppression surface of one of the pair of plate surfaces and the capillary action suppression surface of the other of the pair of plate surfaces are provided at different positions in a direction along the plate surfaces. The connector according to claim 2.

6. The terminal portion includes at least one first terminal and at least one second terminal, the first terminal and the second terminal are adjacent to each other such that the other plate surface of the first terminal faces one plate surface of the second terminal; the capillary action suppressing surface of the other plate surface of the first terminal and the capillary action suppressing surface of the one plate surface of the second terminal face an integral space formed in the housing; The connector according to claim 5.

7. The terminal portion includes a plurality of terminals, the housing has an expanded space formed by a first mold for forming spaces into which the plurality of terminals are inserted, the expanded space having a dimension larger than a plate thickness of the terminals in a plate thickness direction of the terminals, The terminal has an exposed portion exposed to the expanded space. The connector of claim 1 .

8. the housing has a second mold, which is inserted from a direction different from a direction in which a first mold for forming a space into which the terminal is inserted is inserted, and has a tilt prevention space, which is a space formed by the second mold for preventing tilting of the first mold by supporting the first mold, The capillary action suppression surface faces the tilt prevention space. The connector of claim 1 .

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