Connector, contact for connectors and housing

Abstract

To provide a connector for providing a contact of which a contact part smoothly moves up and down even in a case where there is one portion to which a contact preload of a housing is provided.SOLUTION: A housing comprises a penetrating inner space in which a contact can be accommodated. The housing includes a contact part, which protrudes outside from a housing opening end and can be in contact with a mating electronic substrate, and a spring part in a meandering shape continued with the contact part. An inside formation surface, which is located in the inner space of the housing in a preload state and prepares the inner space of the housing with the spring part of the contact in the preload state, can be in contact with at least two contact portions at different heights in a long axis direction of the contact. The contact portions are preload receiving portions in which the housing receives a preload from the spring part. The at least two contact portions include a first contact portion and a second contact portion. The first contact portion is a contact portion at the maximum height, and the second contact portion is lower than the first contact portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector, as well as contacts and housings for a connector.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a mode of electrically connecting electronic substrates to each other via a connector has been known. The connector includes a contact and a housing. As the contact, one having a contact portion capable of contacting the other electronic substrate and a spring portion formed in a meandering shape can be used. As the housing, one having an inner space that houses the contact and has an open end through which the contact can move up and down along the long axis direction can be used.

[0003] Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose an aspect in which extending portions are formed to extend in contact with inner forming surfaces that form an inner space located on the open end side of the housing from both end portions of the contact portion, and both extending portions are at the same height level in the long axis direction of the contact.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, the inventors of the present application newly found that there are matters to be improved in the following cases. Specifically, depending on the use of the other party's electronic base material, there may be restrictions on the forms of the contact and the housing. Specifically, there may be restrictions on the height of the contact and the size of the opening end of the housing. Along with this, there may be a case where it is necessary to arrange an extending portion that can contact the inner forming surface located near the opening end of the housing only from one side end, rather than both side ends, of the contact portion located on the tip side of the contact.

[0006] In this case, when the contact and the inner forming surface of the housing are in mutual contact, the portion of the housing that receives the preload of the contact by the spring portion is one location on the opening end side of the housing. Therefore, the stress distribution generated in the spring portion of the contact is unlikely to be balanced between one side and the other side of the spring portion in a cross-sectional view, and there is a risk that the contact portion of the contact will tilt to one side. As a result, when the pad or the like of the other party's electronic base material is pressed against the contact portion of the contact, during the downward movement of the contact portion in the major axis direction due to the compression of the spring portion and the upward movement of the contact portion due to the extension of the spring portion, there is a risk that the contact portion will rub against the inner forming surface of the housing. Therefore, overall, it may be difficult to provide a contact that enables smooth vertical movement of the contact portion along the major axis direction.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector capable of providing a contact that enables smooth vertical movement of the contact portion along the major axis direction even when the portion where the preload of the contact with respect to the housing is provided is one location on the opening end side of the housing, as well as a contact and a housing for the connector.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] To achieve the above object, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector having a contact and a housing provided with a through inner space capable of accommodating the contact, The contact includes a contact portion that protrudes externally from an open end of the housing and is capable of contacting a mating electronic base material, and a spring portion that is continuous with the contact portion and forms a meandering shape, and is provided in the inner space of the housing in a preloaded state, the spring portion of the contact in the preloaded state and an inner forming surface that forms the inner space of the housing are capable of contacting at at least two contact portions having different height levels from each other in the longitudinal axis direction of the contact, the contact portions are preload receiving portions that the housing receives from the spring portion, and the at least two contact portions include a first contact portion and a second contact portion, In a cross-sectional view, the first contact portion is the contact portion at the highest height level, and the second contact portion is at a height level lower than that of the first contact portion, and a connector is provided.

[0009] To achieve the above object, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a contact for a connector, is capable of being accommodated in a housing having a penetrated inner space, has a contact portion capable of contacting a mating electronic base material and a spring portion that is continuous with the contact portion and forms a meandering shape, and is provided in the inner space in a preloaded state, the spring portion of the contact in the preloaded state is capable of contacting the inner forming surface that forms the inner space of the housing at at least two local regions having different height levels from each other in the longitudinal axis direction, the at least two local regions include a first local region and a second local region, In a cross-sectional view, the first local region is capable of contacting the inner forming surface of the housing at the highest height level, and the second local region is at a height level lower than that of the first local region, and a contact is provided.

[0010] To achieve the above object, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a housing for a connector, A housing is provided that has a through inner space capable of accommodating a contact, and an inner forming surface that forms the inner space is capable of contacting the contact in the preloaded state at at least two locations, and the thickness dimensions of the housing at the at least two contact portions are different from each other.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, even when there is one location on the opening end side of the housing where the preload of the contact against the housing is provided, it is possible to provide a contact in which the contact portion smoothly moves up and down along the major axis direction.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the connector of the present disclosure, as well as the contacts and the housing for the connector, will be described in more detail. Various elements in the drawings are only schematically and exemplarily shown for the understanding of the present disclosure, and the appearance, dimensional ratios, etc. may be different from the actual objects.

[0014] [Overall Configuration of Connector] First, the overall configuration of the connector of the present disclosure will be described. Thereafter, the characteristic parts of the connector of the present disclosure will be described.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the connector of the present disclosure as viewed from the upper surface side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the connector of the present disclosure as viewed from the bottom surface side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the connector of the present disclosure in which a part of the internal cross-sectional structure is visually recognizable. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the connector of the present disclosure.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the connector 100 of the present disclosure is composed of integrally combined contacts 10 and a housing 20.

[0017] The housing 20 includes a through inner space 23 capable of accommodating the contacts 10 in a cross-sectional view (see FIG. 4). The "capable of accommodating" as used herein refers to a state in which all of the spring part and the block part that are components of the contact 10 and at least a part of the contact part are accommodated before and after the pressing contact of the pad or the like of the mating electronic base material to the contact part of the contact 10 described later. The "through inner space" as used herein refers to a space region having two openings facing each other at both ends, and refers to a space in which the contact part located on one side of the contact described later and the connection part located on the other side can project from the two openings respectively.

[0018] The inner space 23 is formed by the inner forming surface 27. The inner forming surface 27 can be in a substantially straight line shape parallel to the major axis direction A of the contact 10 (or the direction of the center line L or L1 along the major axis direction A of the contact 10) in a cross-sectional view (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 9). The housing 20 can adopt a substantially cuboid shape as an overall structure (see FIG. 1).

[0019] In this case, as an example, the longitudinal and lateral dimensions of the upper surface 21 can be 5 mm to 100 mm, preferably 10 mm to 50 mm, for example 15 mm. The thickness dimension can be 2 mm to 20 mm, preferably 3 mm to 10 mm, for example 5 mm. Note that the longitudinal and lateral dimensions do not have to be the same.

[0020] The housing 20 of the present disclosure can include a resin material having insulating properties. Although not particularly limited, the housing 20 can include at least one thermosetting resin material selected from the group consisting of, for example, phenolic resins, epoxy resins, silicone resins, and unsaturated polyester resins.

[0021] The contact 10 of the present disclosure includes a contact portion 11, a spring portion 12, a block portion 13, and a connection portion 14. Although not particularly limited, the contact 10 includes a metal material, for example, a copper-based material, and can include phosphor bronze as an example. As will be described later, the contact 10 can be inserted into the inner space 23 of the housing 20 in order to be combinable integrally with the housing 20 (see FIG. 6).

[0022] Among these, the contact portion 11 and the connection portion 14 are respectively positioned on one tip side and the other tip side of the contact 10, and are positioned in the same row along the major axis direction of the contact 10. On the other hand, both the spring portion 12 and the block portion 13 can be positioned within the inner space 23 of the housing.

[0023] (Contact portion) The contact portion 11 is positioned on one tip side of the contact 10. From the viewpoint of reducing the pressing pressure of the counterpart electronic base material against the contact portion 11 per unit contact area with the counterpart electronic base material, it is preferable that the cross-sectional shape of the contact portion 11 is tapered at least on the tip side. The contact portion 11 protrudes outward from the open end 26 formed on the upper surface 21 of the housing 20 by the spring portion 12 and can contact the counterpart electronic base material. Although not particularly limited, as an example, along the direction of arrow X in FIG. 1, three contact portions 11 are arranged in a row at a predetermined interval, and two contact portions 11 are arranged in a row at a certain interval. They can be arranged alternately at a predetermined interval along the direction of arrow Y (a direction perpendicular to the X direction).

[0024] Regarding the said predetermined interval, as an example, the interval between one contact portion 11 and the other contact portion 11 adjacent to each other can be 0.3 mm to 10 mm, preferably 0.5 mm to 5 mm, for example, 1 mm. The height of the contact portion 11 itself protruding from the upper surface 21 of the housing 20 can be 0.3 mm to 10 mm, preferably 0.5 mm to 5 mm, for example, 1 mm. The longitudinal width of the contact portion 11 itself protruding from the upper surface 21 of the housing 20 can be 0.3 mm to 10 mm, preferably 0.5 mm to 5 mm, for example, 1 mm. The short-width of the contact portion 11 itself protruding from the upper surface 21 of the housing 20 can be 0.05 mm to 5 mm, preferably 0.1 mm to 3 mm, for example, 0.2 mm.

[0025] (Spring portion) One side of the spring portion 12 is continuous with the contact portion 11 and the other side is continuous with the block portion 13, and it forms a meandering shape. Also, when an external force is applied, the spring portion 12 is in a compressed state and can then be deformed back to its original extended state due to its elastic properties.

[0026] Due to the properties of the spring portion 12 described above, which enables compression and extension, the contact portion 11 continuous with the spring portion 12 can move up and down in the longitudinal direction of the contact 10 through the open end 26 of the housing 20. Specifically, when a pad or the like of a counterpart electronic base material presses against and contacts the contact portion 11 of the contact 10, the spring portion 12 is compressed accordingly, and the contact portion 11 can move downward in the longitudinal direction.

[0027] Subsequently, once the compressed spring portion 12 extends due to its elastic properties, the contact portion 11 can move upward in the longitudinal direction. Due to such upward movement, the contact portion 11 protrudes outward from the open end 26 formed on the upper surface 21 of the housing 20 and can contact the counterpart electronic base material.

[0028] From the perspective of facilitating the compression and extension of the spring portion 12, in a cross-sectional view, the spring portion 12 does not contact the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20 in the longitudinal direction of the contact (see FIG. 4). That is, in the longitudinal direction of the contact, a clearance is provided between the curved portions 12X, 12Y, 12Z of the spring portion 12 and the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20, and the two are separated from each other.

[0029] Note that the curved portions 12X and 12Y are positioned on the same plane in a cross-sectional view. On the other hand, from the perspective of ensuring a space where the locking portions 13a and 13b described later can be locked to the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20, the curved portion 12Z is positioned more inward than the curved portions 12X and 12Y (see FIG. 4).

[0030] Also, it is configured such that the preload (which may also be referred to as the preload force) becomes maximum when the insertion of the contact 10 into the inner space 23 of the housing 20 is completed. As a result, overall, the contact 10 including the spring portion in the preloaded state can also have the maximum preloaded state in the inner space 23 when the insertion is completed. By setting the contact 10 including the spring portion 12 in the preloaded state, the spring portion 12 of the contact 10 is in a state of being partially compressed in advance.

[0031] Therefore, when the pad or the like of the other party's electronic substrate is pressed against and contacted with the contact portion 11, the vertical resistance force to the stretching side with respect to a predetermined displacement amount of the contact portion 11 can be relatively reduced as compared with the case where no preload is applied. As a result, the force acting from the contact 10 side to the other party's electronic substrate is reduced as compared with the case where no preload is applied, so that the quality of the other party's electronic substrate can be continuously ensured.

[0032] Regarding the maximum state of the preload of the spring portion, when the insertion of the contact 10 is completed, the press-fitting of the block portion 13 described later can be completed, and as described later, the local region of the spring portion 12 is pressed against the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20, thereby making it achievable.

[0033] As a result, at the completion of the insertion of the contact 10, the spring portion 12 can be in a state where it is partially compressed as compared with the spring portion or the like that is stretched in the pre-insertion stage. As a result, it becomes possible to maximize the preload state of the spring portion at a stage prior to pressing the pad or the like of the other party's electronic substrate against the contact portion 11 of the contact 10.

[0034] (Block portion) The block portion 13 is continuous with the spring portion 12 on one side and continuous with the connecting portion 14 on the other side. The block portion 13 can be press-fitted into the inner space 23 of the housing 20 while contacting the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20 when the contact 10 is inserted into the inner space 23 of the housing 20.

[0035] Further, the block portion 13 has locking portions 13a, 13b that can be locked to the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20 at both end portions in a cross-sectional view. Due to the presence of such locking portions 13a, 13b, after the insertion of the contact 10 into the inner space 23 of the housing 20 is completed, the contact 10 can be prevented from completely coming out of the inner space 23 to the outside in order to be locked to the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20.

[0036] Although not particularly limited, from the viewpoint of preventing the occurrence of cracks associated with press-fitting on the housing 20 side during press-fitting, the height levels of the locking portions 13a and 13b are not the same and there may be a slight height difference. The definition of the height level will be described later.

[0037] (Connection part) The connection part 14 is positioned on the other tip side of the contact 10. The connection part 14 is continuous with the block part 13, protrudes outside from the opening end 28 formed on the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20 when the insertion of the contact 10 is completed, and can be soldered to a predetermined electronic base material or the like.

[0038] [Characteristic part of the present disclosure] Hereinafter, the characteristic part of the connector 100 of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the contact portion between the contact and the housing of the connector of the present disclosure.

[0039] The inventors of the present application earnestly studied improvement measures for providing a contact 10 in which the contact portion 11 smoothly moves up and down along the long axis direction even when the portion where the preload of the spring portion 12 on the housing 20 is applied is at one location on the opening end 26 side of the housing 20. As a result, the inventors of the present application have arrived at the present disclosure based on the following idea.

[0040] Specifically, the present disclosure is based on the idea of providing at least two contact portions 30 that "contact the inner forming surface 27 that forms the inner space 23 of the housing 20 with the spring portion 12 of the contact 10 in the preloaded state and have different height levels in the long axis direction of the contact 10".

[0041] Based on such an idea, in the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 5, in a cross-sectional view, one of the components of at least two contact portions 30, the first contact portion 31, is set as the contact portion at the highest height level, and the other second contact portion 32 is set at a height level lower than that of the first contact portion 31. When not referring to specific contact portions such as the first contact portion 31 and the second contact portion 32, 30 is used as the reference numeral for the contact portion.

[0042] From another perspective, the features of the present disclosure can also be described according to the difference in distance from a predetermined position. Specifically, in the present disclosure, with reference to the position of the opening end 26 of the housing 20, the first contact portion 31 is located proximal to the opening end 26, while the second contact portion 32 can be located distal to the opening end 26 (see FIG. 5).

[0043] Note that the "height level" referred to in the present disclosure indicates the relative coordinate position when the major axis direction A of the contact is used as the coordinate axis or coordinate line, and "different height levels" means that the positions on the coordinate axis in the major axis direction A are different and / or there is a magnitude relationship between the coordinate values on the coordinate axis in the major axis direction A.

[0044] Also, the "contact portion at the highest height level" referred to in the present disclosure, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, refers to the portion that is located closest to the opening end 26 in the major axis direction A with reference to the position of the opening end 26 of the housing 20. From another perspective, the "contact portion at the highest height level" referred to in the present disclosure refers to the portion where the extension start region where the spring portion 12 in a meandering form starts to extend from one side of the contact portion 11 contacts the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20.

[0045] The "extension start region of the spring portion 12" referred to in the present disclosure refers to a substantially horizontal region located between the boundary portion between the contact portion 11 and the spring portion 12 and the first curved portion of the spring portion in a meandering form. The "substantially horizontal region of the spring portion 12" referred to in the present disclosure refers to a region extending in a direction intersecting the major axis direction of the contact 10, for example, a perpendicular direction.

[0046] According to such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, at least two contact portions 30 can be provided. Since the spring portion 12 adopts a meandering form, due to this, a total of two or more contact portions 30 can be respectively positioned on both sides with reference to the center line L along the major axis direction of the contact. That is, the first contact portion 31 and the second contact portion 32 are not arranged biased to one side with reference to the center line L.

[0047] As described above, in the contact portion 30, the housing 20 becomes the portion that receives the preload of the spring portion 12. That is, the contact portion 30 is a preload receiving portion (which can also be referred to as a preload load receiving portion or a preload receiving portion or a preload force receiving portion). Therefore, the portions of the housing 20 that receive the preload force of the spring portion 12 are also two or more in total, and can be respectively positioned on both sides with reference to the center line L.

[0048] Thereby, even when the portion of the contact 10 that receives the preload with respect to the housing 20 is one location on the opening end side of the housing 20, the stress distribution generated in the spring portion 12 can be made balanced between one side and the other side of the spring portion 12 in a cross-sectional view.

[0049] As a result, it is possible to prevent the contact portion 11 of the contact from tilting to one side. Therefore, when the pad or the like of the other electronic base material is pressed against the contact portion 11 of the contact, during the downward movement of the contact portion 11 in the major axis direction due to the compression of the spring portion 12 and the upward movement of the contact portion 11 due to the extension of the spring portion 12, it is possible to prevent the contact portion 11 from rubbing against the inner forming surface 27 of the housing.

[0050] From the above, even when the portion of the contact 10 that receives the preload with respect to the housing 20 is one location on the opening end side of the housing 20, as a whole, it is possible to provide a contact 10 that enables smooth vertical movement of the contact portion 11 along the major axis direction.

[0051] In addition to the above technical effects, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the following technical effects can also be achieved.

[0052] As described above, when the contact portion 11 moves up and down along the major axis direction, it is possible to prevent the contact portion 11 from rubbing against the inner forming surface 27 of the housing. Therefore, the movement locus of the contact portion 11 during downward movement and the movement locus of the contact portion 11 during upward movement can be made substantially the same line. That is, the movement locus of the contact portion 11 of the contact 10 can be kept constant.

[0053] As a result, it is possible to repeatedly and stably press the pad or the like of the mating electronic base material against the contact portion 11 located at a predetermined position with high accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to press the pad or the like against the contact portion 11 dozens of times, for example, 30 times, without replacing the predetermined contact portion 11.

[0054] From the above, a stable connection between the contact portion 11 and the mating electronic base material can be achieved, thereby improving the reliability of the electrical connection between the connector 100 and the mating electronic base material. Furthermore, since the movement locus of the contact portion 11 of the contact 10 can be kept constant, it is also advantageous in that the management accuracy of the displacement amount of the up and down movement of the contact portion 11 of the contact 10 can be improved.

[0055] Also, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there are two or more portions of the housing 20 that receive the preload of the spring portion 12. Therefore, in terms of the physical force that can be applied to the housing 20, it is possible to avoid the preload of the spring portion 12 applied to the housing 20 from concentrating at one location. In other words, the preload of the spring portion 12 applied to the housing 20 can be dispersed as compared with the case of concentration at one location.

[0056] In terms of the heat load that can be applied to the housing 20, when soldering the predetermined electronic base material and the contact 10 via the connection portion 14 of the contact 10, heat can be generated during the connection. Since the contact 10 is made of metal as described above, it has heat conductivity. Therefore, the housing 20 in contact with the spring portion 12 of the housing 20 can also be subjected to a heat load.

[0057] Regarding this point, there are at least two or more portions of the housing 20 that receive the preload of the spring portion 12. That is, there are at least two or more portions where the housing 20 and the spring portion 12 are in contact. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the heat load on the housing 20 concentrating at one location. In other words, compared with the case of concentration at one location, the heat load on the housing 20 can be dispersed.

[0058] From the above, both the physical force (equivalent to the preload) (or which can also be referred to as the preload force) and the heat load that can be applied to the housing 20 can be dispersed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the housing and reduce the amount of deformation of the housing associated therewith.

[0059] In addition, in order to preferably provide at least two first contact portions 31 and second contact portions 32 having different height levels from each other as described above, it is necessary that the thickness dimensions of the housing 20 where the spring portion 12 can be partially in contact at the contact portions are different from each other. On the other hand, in the conventional connector, two extending portions that are contact components and extend from both end portions of the contact portion are at the same height level in the longitudinal direction of the contact. From the above, the thickness dimensions of the housing at the portions where these extending portions contact the inner forming surface of the housing are the same as each other. Also in this regard, the housing 20, which is a component of the connector 100, has a unique configuration compared with the conventional one.

[0060] Specifically, the housing 20 for the connector has a through inner space 23 capable of accommodating the contact 10, and the inner forming surface 27 forming the inner space 23 can be in contact with the contact 10 in the preloaded state at at least two locations, and the thickness dimensions of the housing 20 at two or more contact portions are different from each other.

[0061] According to such a configuration, since there are portions where the thickness dimensions of the housing 20 are different from those of the conventional housing, the thickness dimension of the contact portion, that is, the portion where the housing 20 receives the preload of the contact 10 can be relatively increased. As a result, the strength of the housing 20 itself can be improved as a whole.

[0062] According to such a configuration, since housings with different thickness dimensions are used at two or more contact portions, the two contact portions can be at mutually different height levels. In order to realize the contact 10 in the preloaded state, a spring portion, a spring portion in a serpentine form can be used. As a result, a total of two or more contact portions can be respectively positioned on both sides with respect to the center line along the major axis direction of the contact. Thereby, the stress distribution generated in the spring portion can be made balanced between one side and the other side of the spring portion in a cross-sectional view, and it is possible to prevent the inclination to one side of the contact portion of the contact.

[0063] Furthermore, in order to preferably provide at least two first contact portions 31 and second contact portions 32 having different height levels from each other as described above, corresponding to the above characteristics of the connector 100 itself, the contact 10 which is a component thereof can also have the following characteristics.

[0064] Specifically, the spring portion 12 of the contact 10 in the preloaded state can be in contact with at least two local regions having mutually different height levels in the major axis direction on the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20. These at least two contact regions include a first local region 12a and a second local region 12b. Further, in a cross-sectional view, the first local region 12a can be in contact with the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20 at the highest height level, and the second local region 12b is at a lower height level than the first local region 12a.

[0065] Regarding this point, conventionally, even if there were multiple local regions of the spring portion of the contact, each contacted the housing at the same height level. In contrast, in the contact of the present disclosure, the local regions 12a and 12b of the spring portion 12 of the component contact the housing at mutually different height levels. That is, the contact points of the contact with the housing are not the same. In this regard, the above contact 10 also has a unique configuration compared to the conventional ones.

[0066] (Contact in preload state) FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the insertion mode of the contact into the inner space of the housing over time. The left figure in FIG. 6 shows the stage of starting the insertion of the contact 10α into the inner space 23. The central figure in FIG. 6 shows the stage of continuing the insertion of the contact 10β into the inner space 23. The right figure in FIG. 6 shows the stage of completing the insertion of the contact 10γ into the inner space 23. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view schematically showing the contact before preload. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view schematically showing the contact after the completion of preload.

[0067] As described above, the contact can be inserted into the inner space 23 of the housing 20 in order to be integrally combined with the housing 20. Specifically, first, as shown in the left figure of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the insertion of the contact 10α into the inner space 23 is started. At this stage, since no external force is applied to the contact 10α, the contact 10α is in an extended state.

[0068] Next, as shown in the central figure of FIG. 6, the insertion of the contact 10α into the inner space 23 is continued. Specifically, the insertion of the contact 10α into the inner space 23 is continued such that the contact portion 11 of the contact passes through the open end 26 of the housing 20 and the block portion 13 comes into contact with the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20 and is press-fitted into the inner space 23. Due to the start of such press-fitting, the spring portion 12β can be in a compressed state compared to the spring portion 12α at the stage of the left figure in FIG. 6.

[0069] Subsequently, continue to insert the contact 10α into the inner space 23 so that all of the block portions 13 are accommodated within the inner space 23, and complete the insertion of the contact 10 into the inner space 23 as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 6 and FIG. 8. At such a stage of completion of the insertion, the press-fitting of the block portion 13 is completed.

[0070] Specifically, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 6, at this stage, the extension start region 12γa where the spring portion 12γ starts to extend from one side of the contact portion 11 is pressed against the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20. In addition to this, a substantially horizontal region 12γb close to the second curved portion is also pressed against the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20. From the above, in the state where the press-fitting of the block portion 13 is completed, since both the extension start region 12γa and the substantially horizontal region 12γb of the spring portion 12γ are pressed against the inner forming surface 27, the preload of the spring portion 12γ can be maximized. That is, as a whole, the preload of the contact including the spring portion 12γ can be maximized.

[0071] In one embodiment, the present disclosure preferably adopts the following aspects.

[0072] First, it is preferable that at least the first contact portion 31 is located outside the contour line 26a of the opening end 26 of the housing 20 (see FIG. 5).

[0073] As described above, the first contact portion 31 is the portion where the extension start region where the meandering spring portion 12 extends from one side of the contact portion 11 contacts the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20. In this regard, even if there is a partially protruding extension portion from the other side opposite to one side of the contact portion 11 in a cross-sectional view, since the first contact portion 31 is still outside the contour line 26a, it is possible to preferably avoid the extension portion and the contact portion 11 from contacting the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20. As a result, smoother vertical movement of the contact portion 11 along the long axis direction can be achieved.

[0074] Second, in a cross-sectional view, it is preferable that the spring portion 12 is continuous only from one side of the contact portion 11, and the other side of the contact portion 11 and the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20 are separated from each other.

[0075] According to such an aspect, the spring portion 12 in a meandering form extends only from one side of the contact portion 11, there is no extending portion from the other side opposite to one side of the contact portion 11, and the other side and the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20 are separated from each other. As a result, a clearance, for example, a minute clearance can be secured between the other side of the contact portion 11 and the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20. Thereby, it is possible to suitably avoid the contact between the contact portion 11 and the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20. As a result, smoother vertical movement of the contact portion 11 along the major axis direction can be performed. In addition, from the viewpoint of more suitably avoiding the contact with the inner forming surface 27 of the housing 20 in a cross-sectional view, the lower corner portion 11b of the other side 11a of the contact portion 11 can be formed into a partially cutout shape (see FIG. 5).

[0076] Third, it is preferable that the second contact portion is a contact portion at a height level lower than that of the first contact portion.

[0077] As described above, in order to prevent the contact portion 11 of the contact from tilting to one side, it is effective to make the stress distribution generated in the spring portion 12 balanced between one side and the other side of the spring portion 12 in a cross-sectional view.

[0078] Regarding this point, for example, when the housing 20 is integrally formed by combining two parts, a protrusion can be provided at an arbitrary position on the inner forming surface of either one of the housing parts. For example, the protrusion can be inserted and arranged on a substantially horizontal region close to the curved portion of the spring portion 12 located relatively below the second contact portion 32 shown in FIG. 5.

[0079] In this case, both the first contact portion and the second contact portion may be arranged offset to one side with respect to the center line L. In view of appropriately positioning the first contact portion and the second contact portion on both sides with respect to the center line L, it is preferable that the second contact portion is at a lower height level next to (immediately next to) the first contact portion.

[0080] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the present disclosure more preferably adopts the following aspect.

[0081] Specifically, it is more preferable that three or more contact portions 30A are provided between the inner forming surface 27A of the housing and the spring portion 12A (see FIG. 9). Although it depends on the number of curved portions of the spring portion 12A, as an example, the upper limit of the number of contact portions 30A can be 20 or less, preferably 10 or less, and for example, it can be five as shown in FIG. 9.

[0082] Regarding the aspect of the three or more contact portions 30A described above, as an example, it can be realized by configuring the housing 20A and the contact 10A as follows.

[0083] As an example, in a cross-sectional view, a contact 10A can be used in which the width dimension of the serpentine spring portion 12A gradually increases as the height level of the contact portion 30A decreases. In other words, as shown in FIG. 9, in a cross-sectional view, a contact 10A including a contact portion 11A and a spring portion 12A that is continuous with the contact portion 11A and has an outer edge shape substantially in the shape of a pyramid can be used.

[0084] In this case, the housing 20A is preferably configured to follow the shape of the spring portion 12A. As an example, in a cross-sectional view, a housing 20A can be used in which the inner forming surface 27A of the housing 20A has a stepped structure, that is, a structure of a plurality of continuous steps.

[0085] Note that, without being limited thereto, even when the inner formation surface of the housing has a substantially linear shape parallel to the major axis direction of the contact in a cross-sectional view (see FIG. 4), the following configuration can be adopted to realize the aspects regarding the three or more contact portions 30A described above.

[0086] As an example, when the housing is integrally formed by combining two or more parts, protrusions that can contact the spring portion 12A are provided at arbitrary positions on the inner formation surface of each housing part, and these protrusions are inserted and arranged on the substantially horizontal region of the spring portion 12A at a predetermined position. Thereby, the aspects regarding the three or more contact portions 30A can also be realized.

[0087] As an example, as shown in FIG. 9, an aspect in which five contact portions 30A are provided can be adopted. Specifically, the five contact portions 30A are composed of a first contact portion 31A, a second contact portion 32A, a third contact portion 33A, a fourth contact portion 34A, and a fifth contact portion 35A.

[0088] In a cross-sectional view, the first contact portion 31A is the contact portion at the highest height level. The second contact portion 32A is the contact portion at the next lower height level than the first contact portion 31A. The third contact portion 33A is the contact portion at the next lower height level than the second contact portion 32A. The fourth contact portion 34A is the contact portion at the next lower height level than the third contact portion 33A. The fifth contact portion 35A is the contact portion at the next lower height level than the fourth contact portion 34A.

[0089] Here, since the spring portion 12A adopts a meandering form in a cross-sectional view, due to this, each contact portion 30A can be sequentially positioned alternately on both sides with reference to the center line L1 along the major axis direction of the contact 10A. Specifically, the first contact portion 31A, the second contact portion 32A, the third contact portion 33A, the fourth contact portion 34A, and the fifth contact portion 35A can be sequentially positioned alternately on both sides with reference to the center line L1.

[0090] Each contact portion 30A becomes the portion where the housing 20A receives the preload of the spring portion 12A. Therefore, the portion where the housing 20A receives the preload of the spring portion 12A can also be sequentially positioned alternately on both sides with respect to the center line L1. As a result, compared with the aspect shown in FIG. 5 where the number of contact portions is two, the stress distribution generated in the spring portion 12A can be made more balanced between one side and the other side of the spring portion 12A in cross-sectional view. As a result, it is possible to more preferably prevent the contact portion 11A of the contact from tilting to one side.

[0091] Furthermore, the number of portions where the housing 20A receives the preload of the spring portion 12A is three or more, and in the aspect shown in FIG. 9 as an example, there are five in total. Therefore, compared with the aspect shown in FIG. 5, the preload of the spring portion 12A applied to the housing 20A can be more dispersed.

[0092] Also, the fact that the number of portions where the housing 20A receives the preload of the spring portion 12A is three or more means that the number of portions where the housing 20A and the spring portion 12A are in contact is three or more. Therefore, compared with the aspect shown in FIG. 5 (the number of contact portions: two), the thermal load on the housing 20A can be more dispersed.

[0093] From the above, compared with the aspect shown in FIG. 5 (the number of contact portions: two), both the physical force (preload force) and the thermal load that can be applied to the housing 20A can be more dispersed. As a result, it becomes possible to further suppress the deformation of the housing and reduce the amount of deformation of the housing associated therewith.

[0094] Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and various improvements and design changes are possible without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

Industrial Applicability

[0095] The connector of the present disclosure, as well as the contacts and housings for the connector, can be used for electrical connection with a predetermined electronic substrate.

Description of Signs

[0096] 100, 100A connector 10, 10A contact Contact before 10α preload Contact at the intermediate stage of 10β preload Contact after 10γ preload (preload completion stage) 11, 11A, 11α, 11β, 11γ contact part The other side of the 11a contact part Lower corner part on the other side of the 11b contact part 12, 12A, 12α, 12β, 12γ spring part First local region of the 12a spring part Second local region of the 12b spring part Extension start region of the 12γa spring part Substantially horizontal region of the 12γb spring part 13, 13A, 13α, 13β, 13γ block part 14, 14α, 14β, 14γ connection part 20, 20A housing Upper surface of the 21 housing Bottom surface of the 22 housing Inner space of the 23 housing Open end of the 26 housing Contour line of the 26a open end Inner forming surface of the 27, 27A housing 30, 30A contact part 31, 31A first contact part 32, 32A second contact part 33A third contact part 34A fourth contact part 35A fifth contact part Longitudinal axis direction of the A contact Center line along the longitudinal axis direction of the L, L1 contact The direction in which the X contact portions are arranged in a row with a predetermined interval Y The direction orthogonal to the X direction (the direction in which the contact portions are arranged in a row with a predetermined interval)

Claims

1. A connector comprising a housing having a contact and an internal space through which the contact can be received, the contact includes a contact portion protruding from an open end of the housing to the outside and capable of contacting a mating electronic substrate, and a spring portion continuing from the contact portion and forming a serpentine shape, and is provided in the inner space of the housing in a preloaded state; The spring portion of the contact in the preloaded state and an inner forming surface that defines the inner space of the housing can come into contact with each other at at least two contact portions that are at different height levels in the longitudinal direction of the contact, The contact portion is a preload receiving portion where the housing receives the preload from the spring portion, and the at least two contact portions include a first contact portion and a second contact portion. A connector, in a cross-sectional view, wherein the first contact portion is the contact portion at the highest height level and the second contact portion is at a lower height level than the first contact portion.

2. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the first contact portion is located proximal to the open end and the second contact portion is located distal to the open end with respect to the position of the open end.

3. 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first contact portion and the second contact portion are positioned on either side of a center line along the longitudinal direction of the contact.

4. 4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein at least the first contact portion is located outside a contour line of the opening end.

5. A connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, in a cross-sectional view, the spring portion continues from only one side of the contact portion, and the other side of the contact portion is spaced apart from the inner forming surface of the housing.

6. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second contact portion is a contact portion at a height level next lower than that of the first contact portion.

7. 7. The connector according to claim 1, wherein thickness dimensions of said housing at said at least two contact portions are different from each other.

8. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein three or more of the contact portions are provided as the preload receiving portion.

9. The connector according to claim 8 dependent on claim 3, wherein the three or more contact portions are positioned alternately on both sides of a center line along the longitudinal axis of the contact.

10. 10. The connector according to claim 8, wherein, in a cross-sectional view, a width dimension of the meandering spring portion gradually increases as the height level of the contact portion decreases.

11. The connector according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the inner forming surface of the housing has a stepped structure in a cross-sectional view.

12. A contact for a connector, comprising: It can be housed in a housing with a through inner space, The spring portion includes a contact portion capable of contacting a mating electronic substrate and a meandering spring portion continuous with the contact portion, and is provided in the inner space in a preloaded state; The spring portion of the contact in the preloaded state is capable of contacting an inner forming surface that defines the inner space of the housing in at least two local areas that are different in height level from each other in the longitudinal direction, the at least two local regions include a first local region and a second local region; A contact, in a cross-sectional view, wherein the first localized region is capable of contacting the inner forming surface of the housing at a highest elevation level and the second localized region is at a lower elevation level than the first localized region.

13. 13. The contact of claim 12, wherein, in a cross-sectional view, a width dimension of the meandering spring portion gradually increases as the height level of the localized area contactable with the inner forming surface of the housing decreases.

14. 1. A housing for a connector, comprising: A housing having a through inner space capable of accommodating a contact, an inner forming surface defining the inner space capable of contacting the contact in a preloaded state at at least two points, and thickness dimensions of the housing at the at least two contact portions being different from each other.

15. The housing of claim 14 , wherein the inner forming surface has a stepped configuration when viewed in cross section.

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