Contacts, connectors, and methods for manufacturing connectors

Abstract

To provide a contact, a connector, and a method for manufacturing the same, which ensure a contact distance that allows for plating, while also providing an appropriate contact distance that can be used with thin sheets after assembly. [Solution] This contact 3 comprises a base piece portion 11 in which a pair of elastic contact pieces 2, 2 are each supported on a base portion 8, an operation control piece portion 12 whose base end is supported on the base piece portion 11, and a contact piece portion 13 which is tilted inward from the operation control piece portion 12 and whose base end is supported on the base piece portion 11 in parallel with the operation control piece portion 12, so that the contact piece portion 13 rotates in conjunction with the operation control piece portion 12 to an appropriate position relative to each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a contact used for a connector for connecting electronic devices, a connector using the contact, and a method for manufacturing the connector.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a connector used for connecting between electronic devices includes one connector (hereinafter referred to as a plug) having a plurality of plate-shaped mating contacts arranged in parallel, and the other having a plurality of contacts each having a pair of elastic contact pieces facing each other. By fitting the plug and the receptacle, the mating contact is inserted between the pair of elastic contact pieces of the receptacle-side contact, and the two contacts are connected by being sandwiched between the pair of elastic contact pieces (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The receptacle includes a housing having a slit-shaped contact insertion hole continuous in the front-rear direction into which the contact is inserted. An opening is formed on the lower surface of the housing and communicates with the contact insertion hole, and a contact connection hole into which the mating contact is inserted is formed. The mating contact inserted into the contact connection hole is sandwiched between the pair of elastic contact pieces.

[0004] The receptacle-side contact is formed by punching and bending a conductive metal plate material, and includes a thin plate-shaped base portion, a pair of elastic contact pieces whose proximal ends are supported on the base portion and face each other, and a crimping portion to which the end of an electric wire is crimped. By being inserted into a slit-shaped contact insertion hole opened on one end surface of the housing, it is incorporated into the housing.

[0005] Furthermore, in this type of contact, the contact points of both elastic contact pieces are plated for purposes such as protecting the contact area and improving wear resistance. However, since the plating may be damaged during press working, the plating is applied to the contact points after punching and bending. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-323931 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] However, with the conventional technology described above, in order to apply plating to the contact area after punching and bending, a certain distance must be maintained between the contact points of the opposing elastic contact pieces of the (receptacle side) contact. If such a distance is maintained, in order to obtain appropriate contact pressure with the mating contact, it was necessary to either increase the thickness of the plate-shaped mating contact to match the distance between the contact points of the elastic contact pieces, or to adjust the distance between the contact points of the elastic contact pieces to match the thickness of the mating contact after applying plating while maintaining a certain distance between the contact points of both elastic contact pieces.

[0008] Therefore, when the thickness of the mating contact, which is plate-shaped, is adjusted to match the contact distance between the elastic contact pieces, the form of the mating contact is limited to a range where the thickness can be adjusted, making it impossible to accommodate mating contacts made of thin plates, which could hinder the miniaturization of the connector.

[0009] On the other hand, if the plating process is performed with a certain gap between the contact points of both elastic contact pieces, and then the distance between the contact points of the elastic contact pieces is adjusted to match the thickness of the mating contact, the number of steps in contact manufacturing increases, which in turn increases manufacturing costs.

[0010] Furthermore, in this type of connector, the receptacle-side contacts are inserted into slit-shaped contact insertion holes formed in the housing. If the elastic contact piece of the receptacle-side contact comes into contact with the edge of the contact insertion hole, unexpected plastic deformation may occur, potentially hindering a stable connection of the mating contact.

[0011] Therefore, in view of these conventional problems, the present invention aims to provide a contact, a connector, and a method for manufacturing the same that can ensure a contact distance that allows for plating while also providing an appropriate contact distance that can be used with thin sheets after assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The invention described in claim 1, which solves the conventional problems described above, is characterized in that, in a contact having a pair of elastic contact pieces supported on a base and facing each other, the pair of elastic contact pieces each comprises a base piece portion supported on the base, an action control piece portion whose base end is supported on the base piece portion, and a contact piece portion whose base end is supported on the base piece portion and which extends in parallel with the action control piece portion with its tip inclined inward, and the contact piece portion moves in conjunction with the action control piece portion to move to appropriate positions relative to each other.

[0013] The feature of the invention described in claim 2 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, the distance from the base piece to the tip of the motion control piece is longer than the distance from the base piece to the tip of the contact piece.

[0014] The feature of the invention described in claim 3 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or 2, the motion control piece comprises a pair of support parts arranged on both sides of the contact piece, the base ends of which are supported by the base piece, and a connecting part that connects the tips of the support parts.

[0015] The feature of the invention described in claim 4 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or 2, the pair of elastic contact pieces are arranged such that the base piece portion is supported by the side edge of the narrow plate-shaped base portion with the pivot axis, and the motion control piece portion and the contact piece portion, whose base ends are supported by the base piece portion, rotate around a pivot axis parallel to the base portion.

[0016] The feature of the invention described in claim 5 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or 2, the pair of elastic contact pieces have a distance between their tips that is greater than the distance between their bases, and the two opposing contact pieces are positioned at a certain distance from each other.

[0017] The features of the invention described in claim 6 are that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or 2, the pair of elastic contact pieces comprises a base piece portion supported by the base with its side end as a pivot axis, and the motion control piece portion and the contact piece portion are arranged to rotate around a pivot axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the base piece portion.

[0018] The features of the invention described in claim 7 are that the connector comprises a contact having a narrow plate-shaped base and a pair of elastic contact pieces supported by the base and facing each other, and a housing having a slit-shaped contact insertion hole into which the contact is inserted, wherein a mating contact is sandwiched between the pair of elastic contact pieces, the pair of elastic contact pieces each comprising a base piece portion supported by the base, an operation control piece portion whose base end is supported by the base piece, and a contact piece portion whose base end is supported by the base piece portion and which extends in parallel with the operation control piece portion with its tip inclined inward, the contact piece portion rotates in conjunction with the operation control piece portion, and the contact piece portions are positioned appropriately relative to each other within the contact insertion hole.

[0019] The feature of the invention described in claim 8 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 7, the contact insertion hole has a positioning groove into which the tip of the motion control piece is inserted.

[0020] The feature of the invention described in claim 9 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 7, the housing is provided with a fixing piece that is movably inserted into a piece insertion section formed to span a plurality of contact insertion holes, and the contacts inserted into the contact insertion holes are fixed when the fixing piece is inserted into the piece insertion section.

[0021] The invention described in claim 10 is a method for manufacturing a connector comprising a contact having a pair of elastic contact pieces facing each other, and a housing having a slit-shaped contact insertion hole into which the contact is inserted, wherein the mating contact is sandwiched between the pair of elastic contact pieces, wherein each of the pair of elastic contact pieces comprises a base piece portion supported by the base, an operation control piece portion whose base end is supported by the base piece, and a contact piece portion whose base end is supported by the base piece portion and which extends inward at the tip side in parallel with the operation control piece portion, the distance between the pair of elastic contact pieces is such that the two opposing contact pieces are separated by a certain distance from each other, the contact portion of the contact piece is plated in this state, and thereafter the contact is inserted into the contact insertion hole and the contact piece is rotated to an appropriate position in conjunction with the operation control piece portion which has been rotated to an appropriate position, thereby rotating the contact piece portion to an appropriate position relative to each other within the contact insertion hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] The contact according to the present invention, having the configuration described in claim 1, allows the distance between the two contact pieces to be set to any distance before being assembled into the housing, and when assembled into the housing, the contact pieces can rotate to appropriate positions in conjunction with the motion control piece.

[0023] Furthermore, in the present invention, by having the configuration described in claim 2, the contact piece can be suitably rotated by utilizing the rotational moment acting on the motion control piece.

[0024] Also, in the present invention, by comprising the configuration described in claim 3, it can operate stably, and by surrounding and protecting the contact piece portion, deformation and the like can be prevented.

[0025] Furthermore, in the present invention, by comprising the features of claim 4, the contact piece portion can be rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the operation control piece portion via the base piece portion.

[0026] In the present invention, by comprising the features of claim 5, a gap enabling plating treatment can be ensured.

[0027] In the present invention, by comprising the features of claim 6, the entire elastic contact piece can be three-dimensionally movable in conjunction with the operation control piece portion.

[0028] The connector according to the present invention, by comprising the features described in claim 7, can set the distance between both contact piece portions of the contact to an arbitrary distance in the state before being incorporated into the housing, and when incorporated into the housing, the contact piece portions of the contact can be rotated to appropriate positions in conjunction with the operation control piece portion.

[0029] Also, in the present invention, by comprising the configuration described in claim 8, the operation control piece portion can be reliably positioned at a predetermined position by the positioning groove, and accordingly, both contact piece portions can be accurately rotated to predetermined positions.

[0030] Furthermore, in the present invention, by comprising the configuration described in claim 9, a plurality of contacts incorporated into the housing can be fixed with one touch.

[0031] In the method for manufacturing the connector according to the present invention, by comprising the configuration described in claim 10, plating treatment can be suitably performed on the contact, the distance between the contact portions of the contact can be adjusted to an accurate distance after assembly, and it can also cope with a thin plate-shaped mating contact.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032] [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view from below, showing an example of a connector according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view from below, showing the receptacle and the other contact connected. [Figure 3] This is an exploded perspective view showing the same receptacle. [Figure 4] (a) is a perspective view showing a contact according to the present invention, (b) is a side view thereof, and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA thereof. [Figure 5] This is an exploded perspective view of the same housing. [Figure 6] (a) is a plan view showing the housing body, (b) is a rear view, and (c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line BB. [Figure 7] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the procedure for assembling contacts in the method for manufacturing a connector according to the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the fixing piece portion as described above. [Figure 9] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the housing with the contacts incorporated. [Figure 10] This is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the connector according to the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a perspective view from below, showing the receptacle and the other contact connected. [Figure 12] (a) is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the contact according to the present invention, (b) is a side view thereof, and (c) is a bottom view thereof. [Figure 13] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the procedure for another embodiment of the contact assembly process in the connector manufacturing method according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0033] Next, a first embodiment of the contact and connector using the same according to the present invention will be described based on the example shown in Figures 1 to 9.

[0034] This connector consists of one connector (hereinafter referred to as a plug) having a plurality of parallel plate-shaped mating contacts 1,1... and the other connector (hereinafter referred to as a receptacle 4) having a plurality of contacts 3,3... each having a pair of elastic contact pieces 2,2 facing each other. By fitting the plug and the receptacle 4 together, the mating contacts 1,1... are inserted between the pair of elastic contact pieces 2,2 of the contacts 3,3... on the receptacle 4 side, and are connected by being sandwiched between the pair of elastic contact pieces 2,2.

[0035] In this embodiment, the plug-side surface of the receptacle 4 is described as the bottom, and the opening side of the contact insertion holes 5, 5... of the receptacle 4 is described as the back.

[0036] The plug comprises a plurality of thin, plate-shaped mating contacts 1,1… arranged in parallel with their surfaces facing each other, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In this embodiment, for convenience, only the mating contacts 1,1… are shown.

[0037] In this embodiment, the opposing contacts 1,1... are represented as a single thin plate for convenience, but their shape is not particularly limited as long as they have a thin plate-shaped contact portion.

[0038] As shown in Figure 3, the receptacle 4 comprises a plurality of contacts 3,3… according to the present invention and a housing 6 having slit-shaped contact insertion holes 5,5… into which each contact 3,3… is inserted, and mating contacts 1,1… inserted into contact connection holes 7,7… formed on the lower surface of the housing 6 come into contact with contacts 3,3… inserted into contact insertion holes 5,5….

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, each contact 3,3… is integrally formed by punching and bending a conductive metal plate, and comprises a narrow plate-shaped base portion 8, a pair of elastic contact pieces 2,2 whose base ends are supported by the base portion 8 and which face each other, and a crimping portion 9 which is arranged continuously with the base portion 8.

[0040] The base portion 8 is formed in a narrow plate shape and has an engaging piece 10 made of cut and bent material on its upper surface. A pair of elastic contact pieces 2,2 are supported on both side edges, and a crimping portion 9 is continuously supported at one end in the longitudinal direction.

[0041] Each pair of elastic contact pieces 2,2 comprises a base piece 11 supported by a base 8, a motion control piece 12 whose base end is supported by the base piece 11, and a contact piece 13 that is inclined inward from the motion control piece 12 and whose base end is supported by the base piece 11 in parallel with the motion control piece 12. The base piece 11 is supported with the side edge of the base 8 as the pivot axis, and the motion control piece 12 and the contact piece 13, whose base ends are supported by the base piece 11, are arranged to rotate around a pivot axis parallel to the base 8, so that the contact piece 13 rotates in conjunction with the motion control piece 12 to an appropriate position relative to each other.

[0042] The base piece 11 is a narrow plate-like shape bent from the side edge of the base 8, and in the state before insertion into the housing 6, the tip side (opposite to the base 8) extends slightly inclined outwards.

[0043] The motion control piece 12 is arranged on both sides of the contact piece 13 and comprises a pair of support parts 12a, 12a whose base ends are supported by the base piece 11, and a connecting part 12b that connects the tips of the support parts 12a, 12a. The contact piece 13 is surrounded by the base piece 11, the two support parts 12a, 12a, and the connecting part 12b.

[0044] Furthermore, the motion control piece 12 is arranged such that both support parts 12a, 12a and the connecting part 12b are on the same plane as the base piece 11, and it is shaped like a leaf spring that can rotate around the base piece 11, or more specifically, the bent part from the base 8 of the base piece 11 as an axis.

[0045] The motion control piece 12 is formed such that the distance from the base piece 11 to the tip (the tip of the connecting piece 12b) is longer than the distance from the base piece 11 to the tip of the contact piece 13, and when a force is applied to the tip side of the motion control piece 12, the elastic contact pieces 2,2 are rotated suitably by a rotational moment.

[0046] Furthermore, both motion control pieces 12, 12, in their state before being assembled into the housing 6, are arranged so that the distance between them widens towards the tip, forming a V-shape, and the distance w between the tips is wider than the width of the contact insertion holes 5, 5… which will be described later.

[0047] Furthermore, the front edge of the motion control piece 12 in the insertion direction has a tapered portion 12c that is inclined backward. When the contacts 3,3… are inserted into the contact insertion holes 5,5…, this tapered portion 12c contacts the side edge of the contact insertion holes 5,5…, guiding the motion control pieces 12,12 to rotate inward into the contact insertion holes 5,5….

[0048] On the other hand, the contact piece 13 is formed by cutting and bending the plate portion that constitutes the base piece 11 and the motion control piece 12 inward, and extends diagonally inward from the leading edge of the base piece 11, with the leading edge being folded back outward to form a bulging contact portion 13a.

[0049] Furthermore, the contact portion 13a is plated for purposes such as protecting the contact portion 13a and improving wear resistance.

[0050] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(c), the distance between the contact points 13a, 13a is a certain distance, or more specifically, a distance sufficient for plating, in the state before assembly into the housing 6.

[0051] In this embodiment, we have described a case where the contacts 3, 3... are equipped with crimping sections 9, and the electric wires 14 are crimped by crimping. However, instead of the crimping sections 9, the device may also be equipped with board connection pieces or terminals that are connected to a circuit board.

[0052] As shown in Figure 5, the housing 6 comprises a housing body 20 having a plurality of contact insertion holes 5, 5… and a fixing piece 21 that is incorporated into the housing body 20 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the contact insertion holes 5, 5…, and the contacts 3, 3… inserted into the contact insertion holes 5, 5… are fixed by the fixing piece 21.

[0053] As shown in Figure 6, the housing body 20 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape from insulating resin and has a plurality of contact insertion holes 5, 5… opening at one end (rear surface), and contact connection holes 7, 7… opening at the bottom surface (plug side surface) and communicating with the contact insertion holes 5, 5…. When the mating contacts 1, 1… are inserted into the contact insertion holes 5, 5…, the mating contacts 1, 1… inserted into the contact connection holes 7, 7… are sandwiched between the pair of elastic contact pieces 2, 2.

[0054] The contact insertion holes 5, 5… are formed in a slit shape (rectangular hole shape) facing in the front-rear direction, and positioning grooves 5a, 5a are formed on both sides of the lower edge into which the tip of the motion control piece 12 (connecting part 12b) is inserted.

[0055] These contact insertion holes 5,5… are formed with a width narrower than the distance w between the tips of the motion control pieces 12 of the contacts 3,3… before insertion. When the contacts 3,3… are inserted into the contact insertion holes 5,5…, as shown in Figure 9, the distance between the tips of the motion control pieces 12 narrows, causing the contact pieces 13 to rotate inward in conjunction with the motion control pieces 12, and rotate to an appropriate position, that is, a position where the distance between the contact points 13a,13a narrows and the mating contacts 1,1… are gripped with appropriate contact pressure. In this embodiment, the contacts rotate to a position where both contact points 13a,13a make contact with the thin mating contacts 1,1…, but the distance between the contacts can be any width.

[0056] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, the tip portion (connecting portion 12b) of the motion control piece 12 is inserted into the positioning grooves 5a, 5a, thereby maintaining the rotational position of both motion control pieces 12, 12 in the correct position.

[0057] The contact connection holes 7,7… are formed in a slit shape corresponding to the positions of each contact insertion hole 5,5… and are formed in parallel on the lower surface of the housing body 20.

[0058] On the other hand, a piece insertion section 22 is formed at the rear of the housing body 20, opening on the bottom surface and crossing a plurality of contact insertion holes 5, 5… The contacts 3, 3… inserted into the contact insertion holes 5, 5… are fixed by inserting a fixing piece 21 into the piece insertion section 22.

[0059] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the fixing piece 21 comprises a piece body 23 inserted into the piece insertion section 22, leaf spring-shaped guide pieces 24 integrally supported on both sides of the piece body 23, and a leaf spring-shaped lock piece 25 positioned outside the guide pieces 24. The fixing piece 21 is movably supported relative to the housing body 20 by inserting the guide pieces 24 and the lock piece 25 into slit-shaped guide grooves 26 formed on both sides of the piece insertion section 22 of the housing body 20.

[0060] Furthermore, on the inner surface portion of the guide groove 26 facing the locking piece 25, two locking recesses 26a and 26b are formed at predetermined positions spaced apart in the insertion and removal direction of the fixing piece 21, into which the locking projection 25a protruding from the outer surface of the locking piece 25 engages.

[0061] When the locking projection 25a of the locking piece 25 is engaged with the lower (pull-out) locking recess 26a, the piece body 23 is held in a position that does not obstruct the insertion and removal of the contact insertion holes 5,5, etc. of the contacts 3,3, etc. When engaged with the upper (insertion) locking recess 26b, the piece body 23 is held in a position positioned behind the elastic contact pieces 2,2 of the contacts 3,3, etc. that have been inserted into the contact insertion holes 5,5, etc.

[0062] The piece body 23 has multiple retaining grooves 23a, 23a… formed in parallel in the lateral direction on its upper surface, facing in the front-to-back direction. When the piece body 23 is inserted into the piece insertion section 22, each retaining groove 23a, 23a… engages with the crimping portion 9 of the contacts 3, 3… inserted into the contact insertion holes 5, 5…, thereby holding the contacts 3, 3….

[0063] To manufacture a connector configured in this way, as a preliminary step, conductive metal sheet material is punched and bent to form contacts 3, 3..., the distance w between the tips of a pair of elastic contact pieces 2, 2 is wider than the distance between their base ends, and both contact pieces 13 are positioned at a certain distance from each other, and in this state, the contact portion 13a of the contact piece 13 is plated.

[0064] Furthermore, the electric wire 14 is crimped to the crimping section 9 as needed to produce the contact 3,3... assembly.

[0065] Next, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 8(a), the fixing piece 21 is assembled into the housing body 20 with the locking projection 25a of the locking piece 25 engaged with the locking recess 26a on the lower side (pull-out side), and in that state, the contacts 3, 3, ... are inserted into the contact insertion holes 5, 5, ....

[0066] At that time, as shown in Figures 7(b) and 8(b), the tapered portion 12c formed on the front part of the motion control piece 12 of the contacts 3, 3... comes into contact with the opening edge of the contact insertion hole 5, 5..., and when the contacts 3, 3... are further inserted, the tapered portion 12c is pushed by the opening edge and bends, and as a result the tip side of the motion control piece 12 rotates inward around the base piece 11, the tip of the motion control piece is inserted into the positioning grooves 5a, 5a, and the motion control piece 12 is held in the appropriate position.

[0067] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 9, the contact piece 13 is supported by a base piece 11 which is the same plate shape as the motion control piece 12, and so it rotates in conjunction with the motion control piece 12 which has been rotated to an appropriate position, and rotates to an appropriate position (in this embodiment, a position where the contact parts of each other are in contact) within the contact insertion holes 5, 5....

[0068] Then, once all the contacts 3,3… have been inserted into the contact insertion holes 5,5…, the fixing piece 21 is pushed into the housing body 20, as shown in Figures 7(c) and 8(c), and the locking projection 25a of the locking piece 25 is engaged with the upper (insertion side) locking recess 26b.

[0069] As a result, the piece body 23 is held in a position behind the elastic contact pieces 2,2 of the contacts 3,3, which are inserted into the contact insertion holes 5,5,, etc., and the retaining grooves 23a,23a, etc. on the upper surface of the piece body 23 engage with the crimping portions 9 of the contacts 3,3, etc. which are inserted into the contact insertion holes 5,5,, etc., thereby holding the contacts 3,3, etc. and completing the assembly of the receptacle 4.

[0070] In this configuration, before being assembled into the housing 6, the distance between the contact pieces 13 of contacts 3, 3... can be set to any desired distance, allowing for suitable plating. When assembled into the housing 6, the contact pieces 13 of contacts 3, 3... can rotate to appropriate positions in conjunction with the operation control piece 12.

[0071] Next, other embodiments of the contact and connector using the contact according to the present invention will be described based on the examples shown in Figures 10 to 13. Components similar to those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0072] This connector consists of one connector (hereinafter referred to as a plug) having a plurality of parallel plate-shaped mating contacts 1,1... and the other connector (hereinafter referred to as a receptacle 32) having a plurality of contacts 31,31... each having a pair of elastic contact pieces 30,30 facing each other. By fitting the plug and the receptacle 32 together, the mating contacts 1,1... are inserted between the pair of elastic contact pieces 30,30 of the contacts 31,31... on the receptacle 32 side, and the two contacts 1,31 are connected by being sandwiched between the pair of elastic contact pieces 30,30.

[0073] In this embodiment, the receptacle 32 is used as the reference point, and the plug-side surface of the receptacle 32 is considered to be facing downwards.

[0074] The plug comprises a plurality of thin, plate-shaped mating contacts 1,1… arranged in parallel with their surfaces facing each other, as shown in Figures 10 and 11. In this embodiment, for convenience, only the mating contacts 1,1… are shown.

[0075] In this embodiment, the opposing contacts 1,1... are represented as a single thin plate for convenience, but their shape is not particularly limited as long as they have a thin plate-shaped contact portion.

[0076] The receptacle 32 comprises a plurality of contacts 31, 31… according to the present invention as shown in Figure 12, and a housing 34 having slit-shaped contact insertion holes 33, 33… into which each contact 31, 31… is inserted, such that a mating contact 1, 1… inserted into a contact connection hole 35, 35… formed on the lower surface of the housing 34 makes contact with the contacts 31, 31… inserted into the contact insertion holes 33, 33….

[0077] As shown in Figure 12, each contact 31, 31… is integrally formed by punching and bending a conductive metal plate and comprises a base 37 with an integrally formed crimping portion 36, and a pair of elastic contact pieces 30, 30 whose side ends are supported by the base 37 and which face each other.

[0078] The base portion 37 is formed in a narrow rectangular shape that is continuous with the tip side of the crimping portion 36, and a pair of elastic contact pieces 30, 30 are supported by its side edges, which serve as pivot axes.

[0079] Each pair of elastic contact pieces 30, 30 comprises a base piece 38 supported by a base 37 with its end 38a as a pivot axis, a motion control piece 39 whose base end is supported by the base piece 38, and a contact piece 40 whose base end is supported by the base piece 38 and extends in parallel with the motion control piece 39, so that the contact piece 40 moves in conjunction with the motion control piece 39 to the appropriate positions.

[0080] The base piece 38 is a narrow plate-like shape formed by bending the end 38a around the side edge of the base 37, with the longitudinal direction of the base piece 38 being perpendicular to the axial direction of the crimping portion 36, and in the state before insertion into the housing 34, the tip side (opposite to the base 37) extends parallel to each other or slightly inclined outward.

[0081] The motion control piece 39 is arranged on both sides of the contact piece 40 and comprises a pair of support portions 39a, 39a whose base ends are supported on the longitudinal side edges of the base piece 38, and a connecting portion 39b that connects the tips of the support portions 39a, 39a. The base piece 38, the two support portions 39a, 39a, and the connecting portion 39b are formed to surround the contact piece 40.

[0082] Furthermore, the motion control piece 39 is arranged such that both support portions 39a, 39a and the connecting portion 39b are flush with the base piece 38, and together with the motion control piece 39, the base piece 38 can rotate on the base 37 with its side end as the pivot axis, and is also arranged to rotate around a pivot axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the base piece 38.

[0083] The motion control piece 39 is formed such that the distance from the base piece 38 to the tip (the tip of the connecting piece 39b) is longer than the distance from the base piece 38 to the tip of the contact piece 40, and when a force is applied to the tip side of the motion control piece 39, the elastic contact pieces 30, 30 are suitably rotated by a rotational moment.

[0084] On the other hand, the contact piece 40 is formed by cutting and bending the plate portion constituting the base piece 38 and the motion control piece 39 inward, and extends diagonally inward from the side edge of the base piece 38, with the tip folded back outward to form a bulging contact portion 40a.

[0085] Furthermore, the contact portion 40a is plated for purposes such as protecting the contact portion 40a and improving wear resistance.

[0086] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12(c), the distance between the contact portions 40a, 40a is a constant distance in the state before assembly into the housing 34. More specifically, with the end portion 38a as the pivot axis, the elastic contact pieces 30, 30 form a V-shape, with the edges opposite to the end portion 38a separated from each other, and sufficient distance is secured for plating.

[0087] In this embodiment, we have described a case where the contacts 31, 31... are equipped with crimping portions 36 so that the electric wire 14 is crimped by crimping. However, instead of the crimping portions 36, the device may also be equipped with a board connection piece or terminal that is connected to a circuit board.

[0088] As shown in Figure 13, the housing 34 comprises a housing body 41 having a plurality of contact insertion holes 33, 33... and a fixing piece 42 that is incorporated into the housing body 41 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the contact insertion holes 33, 33... The contacts 31, 31... inserted into the contact insertion holes 33, 33... are fixed by the fixing piece 42.

[0089] The housing body 41 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape from insulating resin and has a plurality of contact insertion holes 33, 33… opening on its upper surface, and contact connection holes 35, 35… opening on its lower surface (plug side) and communicating with the contact insertion holes 33, 33…. When mating contacts 1, 1… are inserted into the contact insertion holes 33, 33…, the mating contacts 1, 1… inserted into the contact connection holes 35, 35… are sandwiched between a pair of elastic contact pieces 30, 30.

[0090] The contact insertion holes 33, 33… are formed as slits (rectangular holes) that penetrate vertically through the housing body 41, and positioning grooves 33a, 33a into which the motion control piece 39 is inserted are formed on both sides of the lower part.

[0091] These contact insertion holes 33, 33… are formed with a width narrower than the distance between the motion control pieces 39 of the contact 31 before insertion. When the contact 31 is inserted into the contact insertion holes 33, 33…, the distance between the motion control pieces 39 narrows, causing the entire elastic contact pieces 30, 30 to move to a position where they are appropriate relative to each other, i.e., a position where the distance between the contact points is narrowed and the mating contacts 1, 1… are gripped with appropriate contact pressure. In this embodiment, the contacts rotate to a position where both contact points make contact in response to the thin mating contacts 1, 1…, but the distance between the contact points can be any width.

[0092] Furthermore, the motion control piece 39 is inserted into the positioning grooves 33a, 33a, thereby maintaining the positions of both motion control pieces 39 in the correct positions.

[0093] The contact connection holes 35, 35… are formed in a slit shape corresponding to the positions of each contact insertion hole 33, 33… and are formed in parallel on the lower surface of the housing body 41.

[0094] On the other hand, a piece insertion section 43 is formed on one side of the housing body 41 so as to cross a plurality of contact insertion holes 33, 33..., and a fixing piece 42 is inserted into the piece insertion section 43 to fix the contacts 31, 31... inserted into the contact insertion holes 33, 33....

[0095] As shown in Figure 13, the fixing piece 42 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape from insulating resin. When not inserted (pulled out), the fixing piece 42 is held in a position that does not obstruct the insertion and removal of the contact insertion holes 33,33, of the contacts 31,31, etc. When the fixing piece 42 is inserted, the fixing piece 42 is held in a position positioned behind the elastic contact pieces 30,30 of the contacts 31,31, etc. that are inserted into the contact insertion holes 33,33, etc.

[0096] Furthermore, the fixing piece 42 has multiple retaining grooves 42a, 42a... oriented vertically on its front surface in the insertion direction, arranged in parallel horizontally. When the fixing piece 42 is inserted into the piece insertion section 43, each retaining groove 42a, 42a... engages with the crimping portion 36 of the contacts 31, 31... inserted into the contact insertion holes 33, 33..., thereby holding the contacts 31, 31....

[0097] To manufacture a connector configured in this way, as a preliminary step, conductive metal sheet material is punched and bent to form contacts 31, 31..., the two contact pieces 40 are positioned at a certain distance from each other, and the contact surfaces of the contact pieces 40 are plated in that state.

[0098] Furthermore, if necessary, the wires are crimped to the crimping section 36 to produce the contact 31, 31... assembly.

[0099] Next, as shown in Figure 13(a), the fixing piece 42 is pulled out from the housing body 41, and in that state, the contacts 31, 31... are inserted through the upper openings of the contact insertion holes 33, 33....

[0100] At that time, the front portion of the motion control piece 39 of the contacts 31, 31... comes into contact with the opening edge of the contact insertion hole 33, 33... and when the contacts 31, 31... are further inserted, the tip of the motion control piece 39 rotates inward around the base piece, and the tip of the motion control piece 39 is inserted into the positioning groove 33a, 33a, and the motion control piece 39 is held in the appropriate position.

[0101] On the other hand, the contact piece 40 is supported by a base piece that is the same plate shape as the motion control piece 39, so it rotates in conjunction with the motion control piece 39 which has been rotated to an appropriate position, and rotates to an appropriate position (in this embodiment, a position where the contact parts of each other are in contact) within the contact insertion holes 33, 33....

[0102] Then, once all the contacts 31, 31… have been inserted into the contact insertion holes 33, 33…, the fixing piece 42 is pushed into the housing body 41, as shown in Figure 13(c).

[0103] As a result, the fixing piece 42 is held in a position behind the elastic contact pieces 30,30 of the contacts 31,31, which are inserted into the contact insertion holes 33,33, etc., and each retaining groove 42a,42a, etc. of the fixing piece 42 engages with the crimping portion 36 of the contacts 31,31, etc. which are inserted into the contact insertion holes 33,33, etc., thereby holding the contacts 31,31, etc. and completing the assembly of the receptacle 32. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0104] 1. Contact with the other party 2 Elastic contact piece 3 Contact 4 Receptacles 5 Contact insertion holes 6 Housing 7 Contact connection holes 8 base 9 Crimping section 10 Engaging pieces 11 Base piece 12. Motion control section 12a Support part 12b Connection part 12c tapered section 13 Contact piece 13a Contact area 14 Electric wire 20 Housing body 21 Fixing piece 22 Piece insertion section 23 Piece Body 24 Guide Slip 25 rock pieces 26 Guide groove 30 Elastic contact pieces 31 Contact 32 Receptacles 33 Contact insertion holes 34 Housing 35 Contact connection holes 36 Crimping section 37 Base 38 Base piece 39 Motion control section 40 Contact piece 41 Housing body 42 Fixing piece 43 Piece insertion section

Claims

1. In a contact comprising a pair of elastic contact pieces supported at a base and facing each other, Each of the pair of elastic contact pieces comprises a base piece supported by the base, a motion control piece whose base end is supported by the base piece, and a contact piece whose base end is supported by the base piece and which extends in parallel with the motion control piece, with its tip inclined inward. A contact characterized in that the contact piece moves in conjunction with the motion control piece to move to appropriate positions relative to each other.

2. The contact according to claim 1, wherein the distance from the base piece to the tip of the motion control piece is longer than the distance from the base piece to the tip of the contact piece.

3. The contact according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the motion control piece comprises a pair of support pieces arranged on both sides of the contact piece, the base ends of which are supported by the base piece, and a connecting piece that connects the tip portions of the support pieces.

4. The contact according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of elastic contact pieces are arranged such that the base piece portion is supported by the side edge of a narrow plate-shaped base portion with the base as a pivot axis, and the motion control piece portion and the contact piece portion, whose base end is supported by the base piece portion, rotate around a pivot axis parallel to the base portion.

5. The contact according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of elastic contact pieces have a distance between their tips that is greater than the distance between their bases, and the opposing contact pieces are positioned at a certain distance from each other.

6. The contact according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of elastic contact pieces comprises a base piece supported by the base with its side end as a pivot axis, and the motion control piece and the contact piece are arranged to rotate around a pivot axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the base piece.

7. A connector comprising a contact having a narrow plate-shaped base and a pair of elastic contact pieces supported by the base and facing each other, and a housing having a slit-shaped contact insertion hole into which the contact is inserted, wherein the mating contact is sandwiched between the pair of elastic contact pieces, Each of the pair of elastic contact pieces comprises a base piece supported by the base, a motion control piece whose base end is supported by the base piece, and a contact piece whose base end is supported by the base piece and which extends in parallel with the motion control piece, with its tip inclined inward. A connector characterized in that the contact piece rotates in conjunction with the motion control piece, and the contact piece is positioned appropriately relative to each other within the contact insertion hole.

8. The connector according to claim 7, wherein a positioning groove is formed in the contact insertion hole into which the tip of the motion control piece is inserted.

9. The connector according to claim 7, wherein the housing comprises a fixing piece that is movably inserted into a piece insertion section formed to span a plurality of contact insertion holes, and the contacts inserted into the contact insertion holes are fixed when the fixing piece is inserted into the piece insertion section.

10. A contact comprising a pair of elastic contact pieces facing each other, A method for manufacturing a connector comprising a housing having a slit-shaped contact insertion hole into which the contact is inserted, wherein the mating contact is sandwiched between the pair of elastic contact pieces, Each of the pair of elastic contact pieces comprises a base piece supported by the base, a motion control piece whose base end is supported by the base piece, and a contact piece whose base end is supported by the base piece and which extends in parallel with the motion control piece, with its tip inclined inward, and the distance between the pair of elastic contact pieces is such that the two opposing contact pieces are separated by a certain distance from each other. In that state, the contact portion of the contact piece is plated. A method for manufacturing a connector, characterized by subsequently inserting the contact into the contact insertion hole and rotating the contact piece into an appropriate position in conjunction with the motion control piece which has been rotated to an appropriate position, thereby rotating the contact piece into an appropriate position relative to each other within the contact insertion hole.

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