connector

Abstract

This connector is advantageous in preventing the cover that encloses a portion of the internal space housing the circuit board with the terminals mounted from falling off. [Solution] The connector 1 comprises a substrate 20 on which terminals 10 are mounted, a housing 30, and a cover 40 which forms an internal space S for housing the substrate 20 with the housing 30. The housing 30 has a plurality of assembly wall portions 33 which each protrude in the direction opposite to the assembly direction of the cover 40 and have engaging projections 34 on their outer surface 33b. The cover 40 has a top plate portion 41 facing the back surface 22 of the substrate 20, a cylindrical portion 42 protruding from the top plate portion 41 in the assembly direction, a plurality of locking pieces 43 formed as part of the cylindrical portion 42 and having locking holes 43a for engaging the engaging projections 34 at each assembly wall portion 33, and a plurality of ribs 44 which protrude from the inner surface 41a of the top plate portion 41 in the assembly direction and at least a portion of which enters into each gap C between the inner surface 33a of the assembly wall portion 33 and the side edge portion 23 of the substrate 20.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, in order to prevent foreign matter from being mixed in, there is a connector provided with a cover that covers a part of an internal space that houses a part of a terminal or a substrate on which the terminal is mounted. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a dip connector that is removably attached to a housing provided with a fitting recess and includes a cover that covers the opening of the fitting recess. In the dip connector, the cover has a flat plate-shaped main body portion that covers the opening of the fitting recess, and a pair of flexible arms that protrude in the height direction of the dip connector and face each other in the width direction of the main body portion. Each arm is provided with a hole. On the other hand, protrusions protruding outward in the width direction are provided on both side surfaces of the housing. Then, the cover is attached to the housing by fitting the hole of one of the arms into each protrusion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the cover is attached to the housing, if displacement occurs in the arm in a direction opposite to the direction in which the arms face each other unintentionally, there is a concern that the arm may come off the protrusion provided on the housing and the cover may fall off.

[0005] In the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, only a portion of the terminal is housed in the mating recess so that it is exposed. In contrast, there may be a connector in which a cover covers not only a portion of the terminal but also a portion of the internal space that houses the substrate on which the terminal is mounted. In such a connector, the cover may fall off unintentionally, which would facilitate the entry of foreign matter into the internal space, and as a result, could lead to the stable input and output of electrical signals to and from the substrate, and is therefore undesirable.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art. The object of this invention is to provide a connector that is advantageous in preventing the cover that covers a part of the internal space in which a substrate on which terminals are mounted from falling off. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A connector according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a substrate on which terminals are mounted, a housing that supports the terminals with the substrate exposed, and a cover assembled to the housing and forming an internal space for housing the substrate. The housing has a plurality of assembly wall portions that each protrude in the direction opposite to the assembly direction of the cover and have engaging projections on their outer surfaces. The cover has a top plate portion that faces the back surface of the substrate, a cylindrical portion that protrudes from the top plate portion in the assembly direction, a plurality of locking pieces formed as part of the cylindrical portion and having locking holes for engaging the engaging projections at each assembly wall portion, and a plurality of ribs that protrude from the inner surface of the top plate portion in the assembly direction and at least a portion of which enter into the gap between the inner surface of the assembly wall portion and the side edge of the substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector that is advantageous in preventing the cover that covers a part of the internal space in which a circuit board with terminals mounted on it is housed from falling off. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the cover, which allows you to see the inside. [Figure 4A] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector corresponding to the IVA-IVA section in Figure 1. [Figure 4B] This is a magnified view of a portion of the connector corresponding to the IVB section in Figure 4A. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] A connector according to one embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view of connector 1 according to one embodiment. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of connector 1. Hereinafter, connector 1 will be described assuming that it is connected to a mating connector (not shown) which has a mating housing that supports or accommodates a plurality of mating terminals.

[0012] Connector 1 comprises a plurality of terminals 10, a circuit board 20, a housing 30, and a cover 40. Hereinafter, the direction in which the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30 (hereinafter referred to as the "assembly direction") corresponds to the Z direction in each figure. Furthermore, the plane perpendicular to the assembly direction is defined as the XY plane. The X direction and the Y direction are mutually orthogonal.

[0013] Each of the multiple terminals 10 is a metal terminal fitting manufactured, for example, by machining a sheet metal material having a certain thickness. In this embodiment, all terminals 10 are rod-shaped male terminals. One end of terminal 10 is a connecting portion 10a for connecting to a mating terminal. The other end of terminal 10 is a joining portion 10b that is joined to the substrate 20. The multiple terminals 10 may be distributed in such a way that their specific shape or number of poles differs for each of the multiple mating terminal housing portions 31a provided in the housing 30.

[0014] The substrate 20 mounts a plurality of terminals 10. In this embodiment, the substrate 20 is a flat plate member including a front surface 21 and a back surface 22 (see Figures 4A and 4B) as main planes parallel to the virtual XY plane, and side edges 23. The front surface 21 is the surface on which the plurality of terminals 10 are mounted, that is, the surface facing the main body portion 31 of the housing 30. The back surface 22 is the surface facing the top plate portion 41 of the cover 40 when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30. In this embodiment, the planar shape of the substrate 20, that is, the shape of the front surface 21 and the back surface 22, is, for example, a rectangle with the longer side in the direction along the X direction and the shorter side in the direction along the Y direction. The substrate 20 is used for mounting a plurality of terminals 10 and has a plurality of holes 20a through which a joint portion 10b penetrates from the front surface 21 side to the back surface 22 side for each terminal 10. The joint portion 10b inserted into the hole 20a is joined to the substrate 20 by soldering or the like.

[0015] The housing 30 is made of synthetic resin and supports the terminals 10 with the substrate 20 exposed, and connects to the mating housing. In this embodiment, the direction in which the housing 30 connects to the mating housing is the Z direction, the same as the assembly direction. Hereinafter, the Z direction may be referred to as the front-rear direction, with the downstream side in the Z direction being referred to as "front" and the upstream side in the Z direction being referred to as "back". The housing 30 integrally comprises a main body portion 31, a flange portion 32, a plurality of assembly wall portions 33, a plurality of engaging protrusions 34, and a plurality of guide ribs 35.

[0016] The main body portion 31 is a block portion that is fitted into the mating housing, at least in part. In this embodiment, the main body portion 31 has a rectangular cross-section that matches the planar shape of the substrate 20 and is parallel to the virtual XY plane, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape with its length along the Z direction. The main body portion 31 supports a plurality of terminals 10 in an orientation along the Z direction, for example, by integral molding or press-fitting, at a portion of its rear side.

[0017] Further, the main body portion 31 has a plurality of mating terminal accommodating portions 31a. Each mating terminal accommodating portion 31a has an opening that is open at the front surface 31b of the main body portion 31, and at least one connection portion 10a of the plurality of terminals 10 is exposed inside. For example, when the entire main body portion 31 is fitted to a single female mating housing, each mating terminal accommodating portion 31a accommodates a corresponding mating terminal among the plurality of mating terminals provided in the mating housing. Or, when there are a plurality of mating connectors corresponding to each mating terminal accommodating portion 31a, a mating housing for each mating connector is fitted to each mating terminal accommodating portion 31a. And in any of these cases, when the mating housing is fitted to the main body portion 31, a corresponding mating terminal is connected to each terminal 10.

[0018] Note that the number of installed mating terminal accommodating portions 31a or the opening shape etc. for each mating terminal accommodating portion 31a may be appropriately set based on the specific shape or number of poles etc. of the terminals 10 to be exposed inside. In the present embodiment, as an example, a total of six mating terminal accommodating portions 31a are provided on the main body portion 31, which are laminated in two stages along the Y direction and arranged in parallel three by three for each stage along the X direction.

[0019] The plurality of terminals 10 supported by the main body portion 31 are exposed outward from the side of the rear surface 31c (see FIG. 4A) of the main body portion 31. In the present embodiment, since all the joint portions 10b for each terminal 10 are exposed, the substrate 20 joining each joint portion 10b is maintained in a state separated from the rear surface 31c of the main body portion 31. Here, the fact that the terminal 10 is exposed outward from the rear surface 31c means that it is exposed to the outside at the stage when the cover 40 is not assembled to the housing 30, and means that it is exposed to the internal space S (see FIG. 4A) at the stage after the cover 40 is assembled.

[0020] The flange portion 32 is provided on the rear side of the main body portion 31 and faces the cylindrical portion 42 of the cover 40 assembled to the housing 30 in the direction opposite to the Z direction. The flange portion 32, for example, when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, prevents the cover 40 from falling off or being damaged due to an external force being applied to the edge portion 42c of the cylindrical portion 42.

[0021] The plurality of mounting wall portions 33 are each provided on the rear side of the flange portion 32 so as to project in the direction opposite to the Z direction, which is the mounting direction, and are used for mounting the housing 30 and the cover 40. At least a part of the mounting wall portion 33 is a flat plate portion having an inner surface 33a and an outer surface 33b that are in a front-back relationship with each other. A part of the inner surface 33a faces a part of the side edge portion 23 of the substrate 20. The outer surface 33b faces in proximity to any one of the plurality of locking pieces 43 provided on the cover 40 when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30. Further, the tip edge 33c of each mounting wall portion 33 contacts or faces in proximity to the inner surface 41a of the top plate portion 41 of the cover 40 in the direction opposite to the Z direction, which is the mounting direction, when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30.

[0022] In this embodiment, as an example, there is a pair of mounting wall portions 33 that face each other in the X direction that is orthogonal to the Z direction, which is the mounting direction. In this case, the inner surface 33a of one mounting wall portion 33 and the inner surface 33a of the other mounting wall portion 33 face each other in the X direction.

[0023] Also, each mounting wall portion 33 is provided on the housing 30 such that a gap C (see FIG. 4B) is set between the inner surface 33a and the side edge portion 23 of the substrate 20 that faces the inner surface 33a.

[0024] Multiple engaging protrusions 34 are provided on the outer surface 33b of each assembly wall portion 33, and when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, they engage with the locking holes 43a of any of the locking pieces 43 provided on the cover 40. In other words, the multiple engaging protrusions 34, together with the locking pieces 43, constitute a locking mechanism for maintaining the assembled state of the cover 40 to the housing 30. In this embodiment, since there is a pair of assembly wall portions 33, there is also a pair of engaging protrusions 34. In this case, the pair of engaging protrusions 34 protrude away from each other along the X direction.

[0025] The engaging projection 34 has a restricting surface 34a (see Figure 4B) that faces a portion of the locking hole 43a in the Z direction when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, and restricts the movement of the locking piece 43 in the direction opposite to the Z direction. The engaging projection 34 also has an inclined surface 34b (see Figure 4B) that is in the direction opposite to the Z direction relative to the restricting surface 34a, which promotes the elastic deformation of the locking piece 43 when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30. The inclined surface 34b is set so that its height from the outer surface 33b gradually increases as it moves in the Z direction. When the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, first the tip of the locking piece 43 comes into contact with the inclined surface 34b, and as the assembly of the cover 40 progresses, the locking piece 43 elastically deforms in a direction away from the outer surface 33b in accordance with the inclination angle of the inclined surface 34b. Then, as the assembly of the cover 40 progresses further and the tip of the locking piece 43 exceeds the engaging projection 34, the engaging projection 34 is accommodated in the locking hole 43a, and the locking piece 43 deforms back to its original shape, thereby completing the assembly of the cover 40 to the housing 30.

[0026] Multiple guide ribs 35 are provided on the outer surface 33b of each assembly wall portion 33, and guide the locking piece 43 so that the locking hole portion 43a faces the engaging projection 34 when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30. In this embodiment, there is one pair of guide ribs 35 for each assembly wall portion 33. In one assembly wall portion 33, the pair of guide ribs 35 are arranged parallel to each other so as to extend along the Z direction, and when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, they fit into a pair of grooves facing the sides of the locking piece 43 in the cover 40. In other words, on the outer surface 33b of the assembly wall portion 33, the engaging projection 34 is positioned between the pair of guide ribs 35, but not in contact with the guide ribs 35.

[0027] Figure 3 is a perspective view of cover 40. In Figure 3, cover 40 is depicted in such a way that its interior is visible.

[0028] The cover 40 is made of synthetic resin and, when assembled to the housing 30, forms an internal space S (see Figure 4A) that houses the substrate 20. The cover 40 is a box-shaped body having a top plate portion 41 and a cylindrical portion 42. The top plate portion 41 faces the back surface 22 of the substrate 20 when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30. In this embodiment, the planar shape of the top plate portion 41 is a substantially rectangular shape that roughly follows the cross-sectional shape of the main body portion 31 of the housing 30. The cylindrical portion 42 protrudes from the periphery of the top plate portion 41 in the Z direction, which is the assembly direction. In other words, the cylindrical portion 42 is composed of a pair of first side wall portions 42a that face each other in the X direction and a pair of second side wall portions 42b that face each other in the Y direction, in accordance with the planar shape of the top plate portion 41. When the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, the edge 42c of the cylindrical portion 42 comes into close proximity to and faces the flange portion 32 of the housing 30, thereby forming an internal space S that is isolated from the outside.

[0029] The cover 40 also has a plurality of locking pieces 43 and a plurality of ribs 44.

[0030] Figure 4A is a cross-sectional view of connector 1 corresponding to the IVA-IVA section in Figure 1. The cross-section in Figure 4A is the XZ plane passing through a portion of the engaging projection 34 in the housing 30 and a portion of the locking hole 43a in the cover 40. Figure 4B is a partially enlarged view of connector 1 corresponding to the IVB section in Figure 4A.

[0031] In this embodiment, when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, each first side wall portion 42a faces and is in close proximity to one of the pair of assembly wall portions 33 provided on the housing 30. The cover 40 has a plurality of locking pieces 43, each of which has a locking hole portion 43a formed as part of the first side wall portion 42a, for engaging with the engaging projection 34 provided on each assembly wall portion 33. The locking pieces 43 are elastically deformable, with the side closest to the top plate portion 41 as the fixed end and the tip portion, which is in the same position as the edge portion 42c of the cylindrical portion 42, as the free end, and extend along the Z direction. In this embodiment, since the housing 30 is provided with a pair of assembly wall portions 33, there is also a pair of locking pieces 43. The pair of locking pieces 43 are each positioned in the central region in the Y direction of the assembly wall portion 33 and face each other in the X direction. Therefore, each first side wall portion 42a has a pair of groove portions facing the side of the locking piece 43. As described above, when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, the pair of guide ribs 35 provided on the assembly wall 33 fit into the pair of grooves.

[0032] Multiple ribs 44 protrude from the inner surface 41a of the top plate portion 41 in the Z direction, which is the assembly direction, and are provided so that at least a portion of them enters each gap C between the inner surface 33a of the assembly wall portion 33 and the side edge portion 23 of the substrate 20 when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30. In this embodiment, since there is a pair of assembly wall portions 33, there is also a pair of ribs 44. As shown in Figure 3, each rib 44 is approximately flat and is arranged in a position parallel to the adjacent first side wall portion 42a.

[0033] Next, we will explain the function and effects of connector 1.

[0034] The connector 1 comprises a substrate 20 on which terminals 10 are mounted, a housing 30 that supports the terminals 10 with the substrate 20 exposed, and a cover 40 that is assembled to the housing 30 and together with the housing 30 forms an internal space S for housing the substrate 20. The housing 30 has a plurality of assembly wall portions 33 that each protrude in the direction opposite to the assembly direction of the cover 40 and have engaging projections 34 on their outer surface 33b. The cover 40 has a top plate portion 41 that faces the back surface 22 of the substrate 20, and a cylindrical portion 42 that protrudes from the top plate portion 41 in the assembly direction. The cover 40 has a plurality of locking pieces 43 that are formed as part of the cylindrical portion 42 and each has a locking hole portion 43a for engaging the engaging projections 34. Furthermore, the cover 40 has a plurality of ribs 44 that protrude from the inner surface 41a of the top plate portion 41 in the assembly direction, and at least a portion of each rib enters the gap C between the inner surface 33a of the assembly wall portion 33 and the side edge portion 23 of the substrate 20.

[0035] In the example above, the assembly direction corresponds to the Z-direction.

[0036] In connector 1, the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, so that the circuit board 20 and some of the terminals 10 mounted on the circuit board 20 are housed in the internal space S. Therefore, connector 1 is advantageous in that it can directly protect the circuit board 20 and prevent foreign matter from entering the internal space S from the outside, thus preventing pre-emptive interference with the stable input and output of electrical signals to the circuit board 20.

[0037] Furthermore, in connector 1, when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, at least a portion of the ribs 44 provided on the cover 40 enters the gap C between the inner surface 33a of the assembly wall 33 and the side edge 23 of the substrate 20.

[0038] Firstly, the rib 44 is positioned to enter the gap C, so that it is in close proximity to and facing the inner surface 33a of the assembly wall portion 33 in a direction perpendicular to the assembly direction. Here, for example, consider the case where an external force is applied from the outside towards the outer surface 33b of one of the assembly wall portions 33 via a part of the cylindrical portion 42 when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30.

[0039] In this case, assuming the absence of the rib 44 as a comparative example, depending on the degree of external force, elastic deformation may occur in the assembly wall portion 33, causing it to tilt inward. Since the outer surface 33b of the assembly wall portion 33 is provided with an engaging projection 34, if the assembly wall portion 33 tilts significantly inward, the engaging projection 34 may disengage from the locking hole 43a formed in the locking piece 43 of the cover 40, potentially causing the cover 40 to fall off unintentionally.

[0040] In contrast, in this embodiment, since the rib 44 is located in close proximity to and opposite the inner surface 33a of the assembly wall portion 33, even if the assembly wall portion 33 is subjected to an external force and tries to tilt inward, it will immediately come into contact with the rib 44 and therefore cannot tilt significantly. Accordingly, with the connector 1, even if an external force is unintentionally applied to the cover 40, the engaging projection 34 is less likely to come off the locking hole portion 43a, and as a result, the cover 40 can be prevented from falling off the housing 30.

[0041] Secondly, the rib 44 is positioned to enter the gap C, so that it is in close proximity to and facing the side edge 23 of the substrate 20 in a direction perpendicular to the assembly direction. Here, we assume that when the cover 40 is assembled to the housing 30, there is play in the cover 40 along the direction in which the rib 44 and the side edge 23 face each other.

[0042] In this case, assuming the absence of the rib 44 as a comparative example, there are no areas where the cover 40 and the substrate 20 are in close proximity to each other, so the substrate 20 itself cannot suppress the looseness of the cover 40. Therefore, depending on the degree of looseness, the gap between the outer surface 33b of the assembly wall 33 and the locking piece 43 may unintentionally widen, making it difficult to secure the engagement between the housing 30 and the cover 40, and as a result, the cover 40 may fall off.

[0043] In contrast, in this embodiment, since the rib 44 is located in close proximity to and opposite to the side edge 23 of the substrate 20 in a direction perpendicular to the assembly direction, even if the cover 40 shifts due to play, the rib 44 will immediately come into contact with the side edge 23. Therefore, with the connector 1, the degree of play in the cover 40 can be reduced, making it difficult for the engaging projection 34 to come out of the locking hole 43a, and as a result, the cover 40 can be prevented from falling off the housing 30.

[0044] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a connector 1 that is advantageous in preventing the cover 40, which covers a part of the internal space S in which the substrate 20 on which the terminals 10 are mounted, from falling off.

[0045] Furthermore, in connector 1, there may be a pair of assembly wall portions 33 that face each other in a direction perpendicular to the assembly direction.

[0046] In the above example, the assembly direction corresponds to the Z direction, and the pair of assembly wall portions 33 face each other in the X direction, which is perpendicular to the Z direction.

[0047] In the connector 1, when an external force is applied to the outer surface 33b of one assembly wall 33 via a part of the cylindrical portion 42, the other assembly wall 33 will be located on the extension of the direction in which the external force is applied. Alternatively, if there is play in the direction in which the rib 44 and the side edge portion 23 face each other relative to the cover 40, the pair of assembly wall portions 33 will be located in the direction in which the play occurs. Therefore, when such an external force is applied or play occurs, both of the pair of ribs 44 provided on the cover 40 so as to be close to each assembly wall portion 33 will have the effect of preventing the cover 40 from falling off. Thus, the connector 1 can further improve the effect of preventing the cover 40 from falling off.

[0048] In the above description, the figures illustrate a case where the housing 30 has a pair of assembly wall portions 33 facing each other in one direction, and accordingly, the cover 40 also has a pair of ribs 44 facing each other in the same direction. However, the embodiments are not limited to this. For example, if the shapes of the housing 30 and cover 40 as illustrated above are maintained, in addition to the pair of assembly wall portions 33 and pair of ribs 44 facing each other in the X direction, there may be another pair of assembly wall portions 33 and another pair of ribs 44 facing each other in the Y direction. Also, for example, if the cross-sectional shape of the housing 30 is circular rather than rectangular as illustrated above, and accordingly the cylindrical portion 42 of the cover 40 is also cylindrical, then a configuration in which there are three or more assembly wall portions 33 and ribs 44 is also possible.

[0049] Although one embodiment has been described above, the embodiments are not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Connector 10 terminals 20 circuit boards 22 Back side 23 Side edge 30 Housing 33 Assembly wall section 33a Inner surface 33b External surface 34 Engagement protrusion 40 Cover 41 Top panel 41a Inner surface 42 Cylindrical part 43 Locking piece 43a Locking hole 44 Ribs C Gap S interior space

Claims

1. A circuit board with terminals mounted, A housing that supports the terminals with the aforementioned substrate exposed, The housing is fitted with a cover that forms an internal space for housing the substrate, The housing has a plurality of assembly wall portions that protrude in the direction opposite to the assembly direction of the cover, and each has an engaging projection on its outer surface. The aforementioned cover is The top plate portion facing the back surface of the aforementioned substrate, A cylindrical portion protruding from the top plate portion in the assembly direction, A plurality of locking pieces are formed as part of the cylindrical portion, and each of the assembly wall portions has a locking hole formed therein for engaging the engagement projection, A connector having a plurality of ribs that protrude from the inner surface of the top plate portion in the assembly direction, and into each gap between the inner surface of the assembly wall portion and the side edge of the substrate, at least a portion of which enters.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the assembly wall portions are arranged in pairs so as to face each other in a direction perpendicular to the assembly direction.

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