Mounted circuit boards and electronic equipment

Abstract

This provides a mounting board that allows for easy replacement of receptacle connectors. [Solution] The mounting substrate 12 has a connector connection hole 46 that extends along the plane direction of the substrate and opens outward, and includes a board mounting connector 26 mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 28, a plug holding cylinder 20 to which a plug is connected, a relay connector 32 that is detachably connected to the connector connection hole 46, and a body 33, which is a receptacle connector 26, and a guide inclined surface 62a on the upper side of the substrate 28 that gradually moves downward from the inside outward. The opening edge of the connector connection hole 46 is open so that the relay connector 32 can be inserted in an angular range from the upper outside to the horizontal, and when the relay connector 32 is tilted to become horizontal after insertion, the receptacle connector 26 is guided outward by the inner end 33cb of the body 33 sliding in contact with the guide inclined surface 62a.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting substrate provided with a receptacle connector and an electronic device provided with the mounting substrate.

Background Art

[0002] Mounting substrates such as notebook PCs or tablet PCs have a receptacle connector as an I / O connector on the side surface of a flat housing. The receptacle connector is often mounted on the edge of the main substrate (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, mounting substrates as described above are desired to be products with excellent maintainability from the perspective of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance). From this perspective, it is desirable that the receptacle connector can be easily replaced. In particular, when the receptacle connector complies with a USB Type-C standard or the like with a high usage frequency, the number of failures is also large, and it is more desirable that it can be easily replaced.

[0005] In this regard, the receptacle connector itself is relatively inexpensive. However, when the receptacle connector is mounted on the main substrate by soldering, the main substrate must be replaced in order to replace the connector. As a result, the cost burden on the user increases, and it also affects the environmental performance.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems of the prior art described above, and aims to provide a mounting board and electronic device that allows for easy replacement of receptacle connectors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the mounting substrate according to the first aspect of the present invention is a mounting substrate on which components are mounted, and has a connector connection hole that extends along the surface direction of the substrate and opens outward, with contacts provided on the inner surface, and includes a substrate mounting connector mounted on the upper surface of the substrate, a plug holding cylinder to which a plug is connected, a relay connector that is detachably connected to the connector connection hole, and a body on which the plug holding cylinder is provided on the outside and the relay connector protrudes from the inside, and includes a guide inclined surface provided on the upper side of the substrate near the opening edge of the connector connection hole, which gradually moves downward from the inside to the outside, wherein the opening edge of the connector connection hole is open so that the relay connector can be inserted in an angular range from the upper outside to the horizontal, and when the relay connector is tilted to become horizontal after being inserted into the opening edge from the upper outside, the receptacle connector is guided outward by a part of the body sliding in contact with the guide inclined surface.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is an electronic device comprising a mounting substrate on which components are mounted, comprising: a board-mounted connector mounted on the upper surface of the substrate, having a connector connection hole that extends along the surface direction of the substrate and opens outward, with contacts provided on its inner surface; a plug connection port to which a plug is connected; a relay connector that is detachably connected to the connector connection hole; a body on which the plug connection port is provided on the outside and the relay connector protrudes from the inside; and a guide inclined surface provided on the upper side of the substrate near the opening edge of the connector connection hole, which gradually moves downward from the inside to the outside, wherein the opening edge of the connector connection hole is open so that the relay connector can be inserted within an angular range from the upper outside to the horizontal, and when the relay connector is tilted to become horizontal after being inserted into the opening edge from the upper outside, the receptacle connector is guided outward by a part of the body sliding in contact with the guide inclined surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the above embodiment of the present invention, the receptacle connector can be easily replaced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector and board-mount connector, seen from the outside at an oblique angle above. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a PCB-mounted connector. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the housing around the receptacle connector and board-mounted connector. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the state of attaching a receptacle connector to a board-mounted connector. [Figure 7]Figure 7 is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view illustrating the operation of attaching a receptacle connector to a board-mounted connector. [Figure 8] Figure 8 illustrates the process of attaching a receptacle connector to a PCB-mounted connector. (a) shows the intermediate connector at a 30-degree angle in the initial stage, (b) shows the intermediate connector at a 20-degree angle in the intermediate stage, (c) shows the intermediate connector at a 10-degree angle in the intermediate stage, and (d) shows the intermediate connector at a 0-degree angle in the final stage. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments of the mounting substrate according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0012] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device 10 according to one embodiment. The electronic device 10 is equipped with a mounting board 12 according to one embodiment. The mounting board 12 is incorporated inside the housing 14 of the electronic device 10. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described using a notebook PC electronic device 10 as an example. The present invention can also be applied to electronic devices other than notebook PCs, such as desktop PCs or tablet PCs (tablet terminals), etc.

[0013] The electronic device 10 comprises a housing 14, a lid 16, and a hinge 18. The housing 14 and the lid 16 are connected by the hinge 18 so as to be rotatable relative to each other.

[0014] The housing 14 is equipped with a keyboard device 20 and a touchpad 22. Inside the housing 14, in addition to the mounting board 12, various electronic components such as a battery device, storage device, speaker, and antenna can be mounted. A display device 24, which occupies most of the surface area of ​​the front of the lid 16, is provided. The display device 24 can be made up of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The lid 16 can also be equipped with a speaker and a camera.

[0015] The mounting board 12 is supported inside the housing 14. The mounting board 12 can include a receptacle connector 26, a board-mounted connector 27, and a board 28. The mounting board 12 is a connector-board assembly in which the receptacle connector 26 is mounted on the board 28 via the board-mounted connector 27.

[0016] The board 28 is the main board (motherboard) in the electronic device 10. The board 28 is a printed circuit board (PCB). The board 28 extends across substantially both left and right ends inside the housing 14. Components such as a CPU 29 that controls the entire electronic device 10 are mounted on the board 28. The board-mounted connector 27 is mounted on the board 28. The receptacle connector 26 is mounted on the board 28 via the board-mounted connector 27. The board 28 on which the board-mounted connector 27 is mounted may be a sub-board different from the main board.

[0017] For convenience of explanation, around the receptacle connector 26, the side of the housing 14 is taken as the outside, and the inside of the housing 14 is taken as the inside opposite thereto. Also, with reference to the board 28, the side of the mounting surface (upper surface) 28a on which the board-mounted connector 27 is mounted is taken as the upper side, and the opposite side is taken as the lower side. This upper and lower reference may be opposite to the upper and lower of the housing 14 shown in FIG. 1. That is, when applying the up and down with reference to the board 28 to the housing 14, the surface on which the keyboard device 20 is provided may be the lower side. For the receptacle connector 26 and the board-mounted connector 27, the direction orthogonal to the inside-outside direction and the up-down direction is taken as the width direction. These direction names are for convenience of explanation and the usage mode of the electronic device 10 is not limited thereto. Most components on the board 28 are mounted on the mounting surface 28a, but some components may be mounted on the back surface 28b.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector 26 and the board-mounted connector 27 as viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the board-mounted connector 27. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector 26. FIG. 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector 26, the board-mounted connector 27, and the housing 14 in the peripheral portion thereof. FIG. 6 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a state where the receptacle connector 26 is attached to the board-mounted connector 27.

[0019] First, a configuration example of the receptacle connector 26 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the receptacle connector 26 is, for example, a connector compliant with the USB Type-C standard. The receptacle connector 26 can be used for data transmission and charging. The receptacle connector 26 may also comply with the HDMI (registered trademark) standard or the like. The receptacle connector 26 is mounted on the board 28 via the board-mounted connector 27. As a result, the receptacle connector 26 is not soldered to the board 28 and is detachable.

[0020] The receptacle connector 26 includes a plug holding cylinder 30, a relay connector 32, a body 33, and a bracket 34. The receptacle connector 26 is connected to the board-mounted connector 27 on which the relay connector 32 is mounted on the mounting surface 28a. The receptacle connector 26 has a crank shape, which is based on the layout conditions based on the positions of the board 28 and the connector hole 55a.

[0021] The body 33 is made of a resin material and has a vertical plate 33a, an upper plate 33b, and two triangular plates 33c. The vertical plate 33a is immediately outside the board 28 and extends over the top and bottom of the board 28. A plug holding cylinder 3 is provided outside the lower end of the vertical plate 33a. The upper plate 33b is a short plate in the inner and outer directions and is provided inward from the upper end of the vertical plate 33a. The relay connector 32 projects inward from the upper plate 33b. The relay connector 32 is slightly smaller in width dimension than the body 33.

[0022] The triangular plate 33c is a small plate provided at both ends in the width direction of the body 33, extending from the vertical plate 33a to the upper plate 33b. The upper plate 33b forms a horizontal surface 33ba on the inside half and a gently sloping surface 33bb on the outside half. The inner diagonally downward side of the triangular plate 33c forms a guided inclined surface 33ca.

[0023] The guided inclined surface 33ca gradually slopes downwards from the inside to the outside, and its inclination angle θ relative to the horizontal is 45 degrees. The triangular plate 33c hardly overlaps with the relay connector 32 in the width direction. In a side view (see also Figure 7), the outer edge of the guided inclined surface 33ca reaches the vertical plate 33a, and the inner edge extends to the inner end (initial contact portion) 33cb. The inner end 33cb is located at approximately the same position as the inner surface of the upper plate 33b. The width dimension of the triangular plate 33c and the guided inclined surface 33ca is, for example, about 2.4 mm. The length of the guided inclined surface 33ca along the diagonal direction is, for example, about 2.6 mm.

[0024] The plug retaining cylinder 30 is a cylindrical body made of metal. The plug retaining cylinder 30 has a flattened elliptical shape with rounded corners. The plug retaining cylinder 30 is located on the outermost part of the receptacle connector 26 and is positioned below the intermediate connector 32.

[0025] A connector hole 55a is formed in the vertical wall 55 that forms the side of the housing 14 (see also Figure 1). The plug retaining cylinder 30 is positioned opposite the connector hole 55a. As a result, the plug connection port 30a of the plug retaining cylinder 30 is exposed to the outside of the housing 14 through the connector hole 55a. The plug connection port 30a can be used to insert and connect a plug 36 (see Figure 5). The plug 36 is a plug connector attached to a cable or device. The connection standard between the plug connection port 30a and the plug 36 conforms to, for example, the USB Type-C standard. The plug 36 can be inserted into and connected to the plug connection port 30a regardless of its orientation (up or down). The lower half of the plug connection port 30a is slightly inclined.

[0026] A tongue-shaped plate piece 38 is provided inside the plug-holding cylinder 30. Contacts 38a and 38b are provided on the lower and upper surfaces of the plate piece 38, respectively. Each contact 38a and 38b is contacted by the terminals of the plug 36. Each contact 38a and 38b is composed of multiple metal pins arranged in parallel in the width direction of the plate piece 38. Each contact 38a and 38b is connected to the terminals 41 and 42 of the relay connector 32 via the body 33 using electrode lines. Each contact 38a, 38b and terminals 41 and 42 has, for example, 24 metal pins.

[0027] The relay connector 32 is located on the innermost part of the receptacle connector 26. The relay connector 32 is located on the mounting surface 28a. The relay connector 32 may have a plug structure. The relay connector 32 can be detachably connected to the connector connection hole 46 of the board mounting connector 27.

[0028] The relay connector 32 may have a tongue-shaped plate 40, a first terminal 41 provided on the lower surface 40a of the plate 40, and a second terminal 42 provided on the upper surface 40b of the plate 40. The terminals 41 and 42 are composed of, for example, a plurality of metal pins arranged in parallel in the width direction of the plate 40. Each of the terminals 41 and 42 may have, for example, 12 metal pins.

[0029] Bracket 34 is a thin sheet metal part. Bracket 34 covers the outer surface of the plug holding cylinder 30 excluding the plug connection port 30a, the outer surface of the vertical plate 33a, and the upper surface of the top plate 33b. Bracket 34 has a pair of fixing pieces 34a and 34b in the width direction. Each fixing piece 34a and 34b protrudes from the side of the plug holding cylinder 30 in opposite directions. Fixing pieces 34a and 34b can be used to fix the receptacle connector 26 to the substrate 28. Screw insertion holes are formed in each fixing piece 34a and 34b. Fixing pieces 34a and 34b are slightly different in height, and as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, when multiple receptacle connectors 26 are arranged adjacent to each other, one fixing piece 34a and the other fixing piece 34b can be overlapped to make effective use of the space. Fin pieces 34c protrude inward and diagonally downward from fixing pieces 34a and 34b. The substrate 28 has a notch 28c (see Figure 2) to avoid the fins 34c. The bracket 34 has a pair of claws 34d in the width direction. The claws 34d hold the sides of the top plate 33b and the triangular plate 33c.

[0030] Studs 60 are formed upright on the plate portion 54 that forms the inner surface of the housing 14 (see Figure 5). Female threads are formed on the top surface of the studs (fixing parts) 60. Screws 35, which are passed through the screw insertion holes of each fixing piece 34a, 34b, are screwed into the female threads of the studs 60. In this way, the receptacle connector 26 is fixed to the housing 14 with the relay connector 32 in a horizontal position.

[0031] Next, we will describe an example configuration of the board-mounted connector 27. As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the PCB-mounted connector 27 can be mounted by soldering its connection surface 27a to the mounting surface 28a of the PCB 28. The PCB-mounted connector 27 can be detachably connected to the relay connector 32 of the receptacle connector 26. In this embodiment, since the relay connector 32 has a plug structure, the PCB-mounted connector 27 has a socket structure.

[0032] The board-mounted connector 27 has a connector connection hole 46. The connector connection hole 46 extends along the plane direction of the board 28 and opens outwards. The opening edge of the connector connection hole 46 has a first edge 48a and a second edge 49a. The first edge 48a is the edge on the mounting surface 28a side (lower side). The second edge 49a is the edge on the opposite side from the mounting surface 28a side (upper side). The edges 48a and 49a extend in the width direction of the connector connection hole 46.

[0033] Terminals 51 and 52 are provided on the inner surface of the connector connection hole 46. Terminals 51 and 52 contact terminals 41 and 42 of the intermediate connector 32, respectively, and are electrically conductive with each other. Either the lower terminal 51 and terminal 41 combination, or the upper terminal 52 and terminal 42 combination, may be omitted. The board-mounted connector 27 and the intermediate connector 32 may be electrically conductive via elastic contacts between the back surface 46a and the front surface 32a.

[0034] The inner surface of the connector connection hole 46 has a first inner surface 48 and a second inner surface 49. The first inner surface 48 corresponds to the lower surface of the connector connection hole 46. The first inner surface 48 extends inward from a first edge 48a in the inward-outward direction of the connector connection hole 46. The second inner surface 49 corresponds to the upper surface of the connector connection hole 46. The second inner surface 49 extends inward from a second edge 49a in the inward-outward direction of the connector connection hole 46.

[0035] The first terminal 51 is provided such that its lower contact 51a is exposed to the first inner surface 48. The second terminal 52 is provided such that its upper contact 52a is exposed to the second inner surface 49. The terminals 41 and 42 of the relay connector 32 make contact with each of the contacts 51a and 52a of terminals 51 and 52, respectively, and conduct electricity. Each of the terminals 51 and 52 is connected to a signal line or ground pattern formed on the circuit board 28. Each of the terminals 51 and 52 is composed of a plurality of metal pins arranged in parallel in the width direction of the connector connection hole 46. For example, each of the terminals 51 and 52 has 12 metal pins.

[0036] As shown in Figure 5, the second edge 49a is positioned inward of the first edge 48a in the inward-outward direction of the connector connection hole 46. Conversely, the first edge 48a is positioned outward of the second edge 49a in the inward-outward direction of the connector connection hole 46. Therefore, the first edge 48a, which is the lower jaw, protrudes outward more than the second edge 49a, which is the upper jaw, of the connector connection hole 46. As a result, the opening edge of the connector connection hole 46 forms an open space S1 with the upper side open. The open space S1 is a space that allows the base portion of the relay connector 32 inserted into the connector connection hole 46 to swivel up and down.

[0037] An inclined surface 49b is formed on the second edge 49a facing the open space S1. The inclined surface 49b slopes from the inside to the outside of the connector connection hole 46, gradually moving away from the mounting surface 28a (upwards). The inclination angle of the inclined surface 49b with respect to the plane direction of the substrate 28 is not limited, but can be set to, for example, 30 to 40 degrees relative to the horizontal. In this embodiment, the inclination angle is approximately 30 degrees. The inclination angle of the inclined surface 49b can be designed considering the upright height of the vertical wall 55 and the vertical height of the receptacle connector 26, which will be described later.

[0038] The connector connection hole 46 may have an expanded space S2 formed by recessing the portion of the first inner surface 48 inside the first contact 51a toward the mounting surface 28a side (downward). The expanded space S2 is a space that expands downward at the back of the connector connection hole 46. The expanded space S2 is a space that allows the tip portion of the intermediate connector 32 inserted into the connector connection hole 46 to swivel downward.

[0039] At the opening edge of the connector connection hole 46, the first inner surface 48 forms the lower inner end 48b, and the second inner surface 49 forms the upper outer end 49c. The upper outer end 49c corresponds to the lower end of the inclined surface 49b. The lower inner end 48b and the upper outer end 49c are close together, but in the inward-outward direction, the upper outer end 49c is positioned inward from the lower inner end 48b, allowing the intermediate connector 32 to be inserted at an angle (see Figure 5). Furthermore, the intermediate connector 32 inserted at an angle into the opening edge of the connector connection hole 46 can be tilted to a horizontal position by hand (see Figure 8). In other words, the opening edge of the connector connection hole 46 is open in such a way that the intermediate connector 32 can be inserted within an angular range from the upper outer to the horizontal.

[0040] The lower contact 51a is located near the inner end 48b of the lower surface, and due to the spring properties of terminal 51, terminal 41 makes contact, allowing for slight elastic displacement downwards. The lower contact 51a and the inner end 48b of the lower surface are in sufficiently close proximity, and together they are called the lower reference point C1 (see Figure 7). The upper contact 52a is located near the outer end 49c of the upper surface, and due to the spring properties of terminal 52, terminal 42 makes contact, allowing for slight elastic displacement upwards. The upper contact 52a and the outer end 49c of the upper surface are in sufficiently close proximity, and together they are called the upper reference point C2 (see Figure 7). The lower reference point C1 and the upper reference point C2 are positioned to be almost in contact with the diagonally inserted relay connector 32 (see Figure 8).

[0041] The PCB-mounted connector 27 has a metal shell 61 that covers the top and both sides. The metal shell 61 has side plates 61a on both sides, two legs 61b protruding downward from each side plate 61a, and projections 61c protruding outward from the side plates 61a. The legs 61b are inserted into through-holes in the PCB 28 and soldered, ensuring secure fixation and providing conductivity to ground. In other words, the metal shell 61 has a shielding effect. The tips of the projections 61c are arrowhead-shaped. The metal shell 61 is stable because the four legs 61b are fixed to the PCB, and this also stabilizes the projections 61c. An inclined base 62 having a guide inclined surface 62a is attached to each projection 61c. The inclined base 62 attached to the projection 61c is provided on the upper side of the PCB 28 near the opening edge of the connector connection hole 46.

[0042] The inclined base 62 is made of resin and has a roughly right-angled triangle shape when viewed from the side, with a guide inclined surface 62a formed on its outer and upper side. The inclined base 62 is stable when its lower surface abuts against the mounting surface 28a of the substrate 28 and its inner surface abuts against the edge of the side plate 61a. A hole is formed in the inner surface of the inclined base 62 into which a projection 61c is fitted. The inclined base 62 is symmetrical in the width direction with respect to the projection 61c and is well-balanced. The guide inclined surface 62a gradually moves downward from the inside to the outside, and the inclination angle θ relative to the horizontal is 45 degrees. In other words, the inclination angles of the guide inclined surface 62a and the guided inclined surface 33ca are equal. The edges of the two guide inclined surfaces 62a that are close to each other are chamfered.

[0043] The height of the inclined base 62 is approximately equal to the height from the mounting surface 28a of the metal shell 61. The width of the inclined base 62 in the inward and outward directions is approximately equal to its height. The width dimension of the metal shell 61 is approximately equal to that of the plug holding cylinder 30, so it does not need to be made particularly large to mount the inclined base 62. The width dimension of the inclined base 62 is small, for example, about 2.0 mm, and does not interfere with the fins 34c at least. The board-mounted connector 27 has a positioning pin 63 (see Figure 6) that protrudes downward. The positioning pin 63 is inserted into a positioning hole formed in the board 28 to perform positioning.

[0044] As shown in Figure 5, the housing 14 may comprise a housing member 56 having a plate portion 54 and a vertical wall 55, and a cover material 58.

[0045] The housing member 56 can have a shallow bathtub shape by forming a vertical wall 55 on the outer peripheral edge of the plate portion 54. The plate portion 54 forms the operating surface 14a of the housing 14. The operating surface 14a is the surface on which the keyboard device 20 and touchpad 22 are exposed (see Figure 1). Studs 60 can be formed upright on the inner surface 54a of the plate portion 54. The studs 60 are positioned to correspond to at least two fixing pieces 34a, 34b. As described above, the studs 60 can be used to fasten the receptacle connector 26. The substrate 28 is appropriately supported against the inner surface 54a of the plate portion 54 in areas other than around the receptacle connector 26.

[0046] The vertical wall 55 rises upward from the outer edge of the plate portion 54. Connector holes 55a are formed in the vertical wall 55 that forms the side surface of the housing 14 (see also Figure 1). The connector holes 55a face the plug connection port 30a of the receptacle connector 26. The connector holes 55a are openings for connecting the plug 36 to the plug connection port 30a.

[0047] The cover material 58 is a plate-shaped member that closes the opening of the housing member 56. A tapered portion 58a can be provided on the edge of the cover material 58. The tapered portion 58a slopes inward from the tip (upper end 55b) of the vertical wall 55. The receptacle connector 26 can be positioned such that the vertical step difference between the relay connector 32 and the plug holding cylinder 30 wraps around the inner surface of the tapered portion 58a.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, the receptacle connector 26 can be mounted on the substrate 28 via the substrate mounting connector 27 and supported by the housing 14 via the fixing pieces 34a, 34b and the stud 60. The receptacle connector 26 may also be screw-fixed to the substrate 28 at locations other than the fixing pieces 34a, 34b. In this configuration, a predetermined gap G can be provided between the open end 30b of the plug connection port 30a and the inner surface of the vertical wall 55. The gap G is the distance between the vertical wall 55 and the plug connection port 30a. The gap G can be, for example, 0.2 mm. The gap G may also be approximately zero.

[0049] Next, the installation operation of the receptacle connector 26 and its effects will be explained. Figure 7 is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view illustrating the operation of attaching the receptacle connector 26 to the board-mounted connector 27. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation of attaching the receptacle connector 26 to the board-mounted connector 27, where (a) shows the intermediate connector 32 at a 30-degree angle in the initial stage, (b) shows the intermediate connector 32 at a 20-degree angle in the intermediate stage, (c) shows the intermediate connector 32 at a 10-degree angle in the intermediate stage, and (d) shows the intermediate connector 32 at a 0-degree angle in the final stage. Figure 8(a) corresponds to Figures 6 and 7, and Figure 8(d) corresponds to Figure 5. Points P1 to P4 in Figure 8 are reference points for the operation of the receptacle connector 26 and are set at the plug connection port 30a, which is an extension of the plate piece 38.

[0050] When attaching the receptacle connector 26 to the board-mounted connector 27, first remove the cover material 58 from the housing member 56. This exposes the inside of the housing 14. Then, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, insert the intermediate connector 32 into the connector connection hole 46 from the opening edge.

[0051] The relay connector 32 is inserted into the expansion space S2 almost along the inclined surface 49b until the inner end 33cb of the guided inclined surface 33ca abuts against the upper part of the guide inclined surface 62a. The inner end 33cb is the first to abut against the guide inclined surface. At this time, the front end 32a reaches near the intersection of the back end 46a and the mounting surface 28a. The lower surface 40a of the plate piece 40 constituting the relay connector 32 has almost no gap with or is in contact with the lower reference point C1, and the upper surface 40b has almost no gap with or is in contact with the upper reference point C2. Normally, the plate piece 40 is in contact with at least one of the lower reference point C1 and the upper reference point C2. In addition, the lower contact 51a of the lower reference point C1 and the upper contact 52a of the upper reference point C2 can elastically contact the plate piece 40. The inner end 33cb is the initial contact part with the guide inclined surface 62a and acts as a stopper to limit the insertion amount of the relay connector 32. The inner end 33cb serves as the operating reference point at least in the initial stage of the mounting operation of the receptacle connector 26, and is therefore called the operating reference point C0.

[0052] Furthermore, at this time, the upper plate 33b is located outside and above the operating reference point C0, and the horizontal surface 33ba and the gently sloping surface 33bb are positioned and oriented to be easily operated by human hands, thus becoming pressing operation surfaces. However, in this embodiment, the horizontal surface 33ba and the gently sloping surface 33bb are covered by the bracket 34, so in effect, it is the bracket 34 that is touched by human hands. The horizontal surface 33ba is about 30 degrees, the same as the relay connector 32, and the gently sloping surface 33bb is about 20 degrees.

[0053] As shown in Figures 7 and 8(a), when the pressing surfaces, the horizontal surface 33ba and the gently sloping surface 33bb, are pressed manually, a downward force is applied outward as indicated by arrow A1 due to the inclination of these surfaces. The operating reference point C0 is then guided diagonally downward by sliding against the guide inclined surface 62a. Furthermore, since the pressing surfaces are located outside and above the operating reference point C0, the receptacle connector 26 is also subjected to a rotational force around the operating reference point C, as indicated by the arc arrow A2.

[0054] As described above, the inclination angle θ of the guide inclined surface 62a is 45 degrees, which is suitable for sliding contact and guidance of the operating reference point C0. The range of inclination angles θ that is suitable for sliding contact and guidance of the operating reference point C0 by the guide inclined surface 62a diagonally downward is approximately 45 to 60 degrees relative to the horizontal.

[0055] As the receptacle connector 26 is displaced, at least one of the lower contact 51a and the inner end 48b of the lower surface that constitute the lower reference point C1, and the upper contact 52a and the outer end 49c of the upper surface that constitute the upper reference point C2, comes into contact with and slides against the plate piece 40. This helps to assist the receptacle connector 26 in moving while rotating rather than moving in parallel.

[0056] As a result, as shown in Figure 8(b), the tackle connector 26 is displaced diagonally downward and rotates as a whole, and at this point the intermediate connector 32 and the horizontal surface 33ba are at an angle of about 20 degrees, and the gently sloping surface 33bb is at an angle of about 10 degrees.

[0057] As shown in Figure 8(c), when the receptacle connector 26 is further displaced diagonally downward, the entire assembly rotates, and at this point the intermediate connector 32 and the horizontal plane 33ba are at approximately 10 degrees, and the gently sloping surface 33bb is at approximately 0 degrees.

[0058] As shown in Figure 8(d), when the receptacle connector 26 is further displaced diagonally downward, it rotates as a whole, and at this point the intermediate connector 32 and the horizontal surface 33ba become 0 degrees, i.e., horizontal, and the gently sloping surface 33bb becomes approximately -10 degrees. As the intermediate connector 32 becomes horizontal, the lower contact 51a elastically contacts the terminal 41, and the upper contact 52a elastically contacts the terminal 42, and both become electrically conductive. Also, the guided inclined surface 33ca makes surface contact with the guide inclined surface 62a and becomes stable. The guided inclined surface 33ca may slide against the guide inclined surface 62a from an intermediate stage. In other words, the guided inclined surface 33ca makes surface contact with the guide inclined surface 62a until the intermediate connector 32 becomes horizontal. The fixing pieces 34a and 34b are each placed on the stud 60 and fixed by the screw 35, so that the plug connection port 30a of the plug holding cylinder 30 faces the connector hole 55a.

[0059] In Figure 8(a), point P1 at the tip of the plug holding cylinder 30 moves to point P2 in Figure 8(b), to point P3 in Figure 8(c), and to point P4 in Figure 8(d), tracing a trajectory T1. The final point P4 is very close to the vertical wall 55, but the initial point P1 is slightly inward from the vertical wall 55, so the intermediate points P2 and P3 are generally located on a gentle arc connecting P1 to P4 and do not interfere with the vertical wall 55. If the receptacle connector 26 were a mechanism that rotated around the operating reference point C0 in the final stage, i.e., in Figure 8(d), it would interfere with the vertical wall 55 as shown by the trajectory T2, and it is thought that complex procedures or mechanisms would be required to avoid this. In contrast, in this embodiment, the receptacle connector 26 can be positioned and installed in the correct location without interference with a single push operation by simply pressing the pressing surface.

[0060] The horizontal surface 33ba and the gently sloping surface 33bb of the pressing operation surface are located above and outside the operating reference point C0 in the first stage of Figure 8(a), making them easy to press, and they are sloped upward toward the outside, making it easy to apply force in the correct direction. Furthermore, they become horizontal by the final stage of Figure 8(d), making the operation easy to understand intuitively.

[0061] Up to this point, we have described an example of attaching the receptacle connector 26 to the board-mounted connector 27. However, when removing and replacing a faulty receptacle connector 26, for example, one can simply follow the reverse procedure. Of course, it is also important to ensure that the receptacle connector 26 does not interfere with the vertical wall 55 during removal.

[0062] To remove the receptacle connector 26, first remove the screws 35 from the fixing pieces 34a and 34b that are fixed to the stud 60. As a result, the plate piece 40 receives elastic force from the contacts 51a and 52a at positions shifted vertically and horizontally, generating a small clockwise rotational force. Therefore, the receptacle connector 26 automatically rotates slightly, causing the plug holding cylinder 30 to pop up and be easily picked up. Thus, according to this embodiment, the receptacle connector 26 can be easily replaced. Furthermore, there is no need to replace the circuit board 28 itself to replace the receptacle connector 26, which reduces the user's cost burden and improves environmental performance.

[0063] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be freely modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0064] 10 Electronic equipment 12 Implemented circuit board

[0065] 14 cabinets 26 Receptacle Connectors 27 PCB-mounted connectors 28 circuit boards 30 Plug retaining cylinder 30a plug connector 32 relay connectors 33 Body 33ba horizontal plane 33bb gentle slope 33c triangular board 33ca Guided slope 33cb Inner end (initial contact part) 38a, 38b, 51a, 52a contacts Terminals 41, 42, 51, 52 46 connector connection holes 48b Bottom inside edge 49b Slope 49c Top outer edge 55 Vertical wall 55a Connector hole 60 studs 61 Metal Shell 62 Slope 62a Guide inclined surface

Claims

1. A circuit board on which components are mounted, A board-mounted connector is mounted on the upper surface of the board, having contacts on its inner surface, and a connector connection hole that extends along the plane direction of the board and opens outward. A receptacle connector having a plug-holding cylinder to which a plug is connected, a relay connector that is detachably connected to the connector connection hole, and a body on which the plug-holding cylinder is provided on the outside and the relay connector protrudes from the inside, A guide inclined surface is provided on the upper side of the substrate near the opening edge of the connector connection hole, and gradually moves downward from the inside to the outside, Equipped with, The opening edge of the connector connection hole is open so that the relay connector can be inserted within an angular range from the upper outer side to the horizontal. When the relay connector is inserted into the opening edge from the upper outside and then tilted to become horizontal, the receptacle connector is guided outward by a part of its body sliding against the guide inclined surface. A mounting board characterized by the following features.

2. In the mounting substrate according to claim 1, The body has a guided inclined surface with the same inclination as the guided inclined surface, When the relay connector is inserted into the opening edge from the upper outside, the initial contact portion first contacts the guide inclined surface, then slides against it, and the guided inclined surface makes surface contact with the guide inclined surface until the relay connector is tilted to a horizontal position. A mounting board characterized by the following features.

3. In the mounting substrate according to claim 1, The opening edge of the connector connection hole forms the inner end of the lower surface and the outer end of the upper surface. In the inward-outward direction, the outer end of the upper surface is offset inward from the inner end of the lower surface. The contact consists of at least one of a lower contact that is elastically displaceable downward near the inner end of the lower surface, and an upper contact that is elastically displaceable upward near the outer end of the upper surface. When the relay connector is inserted into the opening edge from the upper outside and then tilted to become horizontal, at least one of the lower inner end, the upper outer end, the lower contact, and the upper contact comes into contact with the relay connector. A mounting board characterized by the following features.

4. In the mounting substrate according to claim 3, The relay connector has a fixing part that secures the receptacle connector in a horizontal position, By releasing the receptacle connector from its fixation to the fixing part, the relay connector is elastically biased by the contacts and tilts. A mounting board characterized by the following features.

5. In the mounting substrate according to claim 1, The PCB-mounted connector has a metal shell that covers the top and both sides. A projection protrudes outward from the side plate of the aforementioned metal shell. The inclined base that forms the guide inclined surface is attached to the projection. A mounting board characterized by the following features.

6. An electronic device comprising a circuit board on which components are mounted, A board-mounted connector is mounted on the upper surface of the board, having contacts on its inner surface, and a connector connection hole that extends along the plane direction of the board and opens outward. A receptacle connector having a plug connection port to which a plug is connected, an intermediate connector that is detachably connected to the connector connection hole, and a body having the plug connection port on the outside and the intermediate connector protruding from the inside, A guide inclined surface is provided on the upper side of the substrate near the opening edge of the connector connection hole, and gradually moves downward from the inside to the outside, Equipped with, The opening edge of the connector connection hole is open so that the relay connector can be inserted within an angular range from the upper outer side to the horizontal. When the relay connector is inserted into the opening edge from the upper outside and then tilted to become horizontal, the receptacle connector is guided outward by a part of its body sliding against the guide inclined surface. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

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