Connector assembly

Abstract

This invention provides a technology to prevent crushing of a plug connector and a receptacle connector when a longitudinal external force is applied to the plug connector while the plug connector and receptacle connector are mated together. [Solution] The central portion 4A of each receptacle connector has two reinforcing spring pieces 27 that are exposed toward the end cavity 9B. The end portion 5B of the plug connector has two width protection portions 32B that can face the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 in the pitch direction when the receptacle connector 4 and the plug connector 5 are mated together. When the plug connector 5 moves relative to the receptacle connector 4 in the pitch direction when the receptacle connector 4 and the plug connector 5 are mated together, the two width protection portions 32B are received by the two reinforcing spring pieces 27.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector assembly. [Background Art]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector 102 including a receptacle 100 attached to a first circuit board and a header 101 mounted on a second circuit board, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 of the present application. The receptacle 100 includes a receptacle housing 103. The receptacle housing 103 includes a fitting groove 104 into which the header 101 is fitted. The fitting groove 104 includes two end portions 104A in the longitudinal direction of the fitting groove 104 and a central portion 104B in the longitudinal direction of the fitting groove 104. The two end portions 104A are wider than the central portion 104B.

[0003] The header 101 includes a header housing 105. The header housing 105 includes two end portions 105A in the longitudinal direction of the header housing 105 and a central portion 105B in the longitudinal direction of the header housing 105. The two end portions 105A are wider than the central portion 105B.

[0004] The two end portions 105A of the header 101 are inserted into the two end portions 104A of the fitting groove 104, respectively. Accordingly, positioning of the header 101 with respect to the receptacle 100 is achieved. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-008055 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when the header 101 is fitted into the receptacle 100 and a longitudinal external force is applied to the header 101, the receptacle housing 103 of the receptacle 100 and the header housing 105 of the header 101 were inevitably crushed.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a technology for preventing crushing of a plug connector and a receptacle connector when a longitudinal external force is applied to the plug connector while the plug connector and receptacle connector are mated together. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A receptacle connector that can be mounted on the connector mounting surface of the first substrate, A plug connector that can be mounted on the connector mounting surface of the second circuit board, including, It is a connector assembly, The receptacle connector has a cavity formed therein that is capable of receiving the plug connector and extends in a single line in the pitch direction. The aforementioned cavity is The central cavity located in the center in the pitch direction, An end cavity adjacent to the central cavity in the pitch direction and wider than the central cavity, Includes, The aforementioned receptacle connector is The central cavity is divided into two receptacle connector central portions in a width direction perpendicular to the pitch direction, The receptacle connector end that partitions the end cavity, Includes, At least one of the two central portions of the receptacle connector has a receptacle-side metal member that is exposed toward the end cavity, The aforementioned plug connector is The central part of the plug connector that can be inserted into the central cavity, A plug connector end that can be inserted into the end cavity, Includes, The plug connector end has a plug-side metal member that can face the receptacle-side metal member in the pitch direction when the receptacle connector and the plug connector are mated together. When the receptacle connector and the plug connector are mated together, and the plug connector moves relative to the receptacle connector in the pitch direction, the plug-side metal member is received by the receptacle-side metal member. A connector assembly is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this disclosure, when a longitudinal external force is applied to the plug connector while the plug connector and receptacle connector are mated together, it is possible to prevent crushing of the plug connector and receptacle connector. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the connector assembly before mating. (First Embodiment) [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the connector assembly after mating. (First Embodiment) [Figure 3] This is an exploded perspective view of a receptacle connector. (First Embodiment) [Figure 4] A perspective view of a receptacle hold-down mechanism. (First Embodiment) [Figure 5] This is a schematic plan view of a receptacle connector. (First Embodiment) [Figure 6] A perspective view of the plug connector. (First embodiment) [Figure 7] This is an exploded perspective view of the plug connector. (First embodiment) [Figure 8] A perspective view of the plug hold-down mechanism. (First embodiment) [Figure 9] This is a perspective view showing the positional relationship of each hold-down in the mated state of the connector assembly. (First Embodiment) [Figure 10] It is a schematic plan view of the connector assembly in a fitted state. (First Embodiment) [Figure 11] It is a perspective view of a receptacle holddown. (Second Embodiment) [Figure 12] It is a simplified diagram of Figure 4 of Patent Document 1. [Figure 13] It is a simplified diagram of Figure 8 of Patent Document 1. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problem. For the sake of clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are appropriately omitted and simplified. In each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0012] In the following embodiments, the description is divided into a plurality of sections or embodiments for convenience when necessary, but unless otherwise explicitly stated, these are not unrelated to each other, and one is in a relationship such as a modification, application, detailed description, or supplementary description of part or all of the other. In addition, in the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements (including the number, numerical value, amount, range, etc.), it is not limited to a specific number, and may be more or less than the specific number, except when explicitly stated or when it is clearly limited to a specific number in principle.

[0013] Furthermore, in the following embodiments, the components (including operation steps, etc.) are not necessarily essential unless specifically stated or considered to be fundamentally essential. Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shape or positional relationship of components, etc., it shall include those substantially similar to or resembling their shape, etc., unless specifically stated or considered to be fundamentally different. The same applies to the numbers, etc. (including number, numerical value, quantity, and range) mentioned above.

[0014] (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 10.

[0015] Figures 1 and 2 show a connector assembly 3 that mechanically and electrically connects a receptacle-side substrate 1 and a plug-side substrate 2, which are parallel to each other. The receptacle-side substrate 1 is a specific example of a first substrate. The plug-side substrate 2 is a specific example of a second substrate. The connector assembly 3 consists of a receptacle connector 4 that is soldered to the connector mounting surface 1A of the receptacle-side substrate 1, and a plug connector 5 that is soldered to the connector mounting surface 2A of the plug-side substrate 2.

[0016] (Receptacle connector 4) Figure 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the receptacle connector 4. As shown in Figure 3, the receptacle connector 4 includes a plurality of receptacle contacts 6, a receptacle housing 7 that holds the plurality of receptacle contacts 6, and two receptacle hold-downs 8.

[0017] The multiple receptacle contacts 6 and the two receptacle hold-downs 8 are made of metal and are typically formed from a single sheet of metal through processes such as punching, bending, drawing, and cutting. The receptacle housing 7 is made of insulating resin and is typically formed by injection molding.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the multiple receptacle contacts 6 are arranged in a single row parallel to the connector mounting surface 1A of the receptacle-side substrate 1.

[0019] Here, referring to Figure 1, we define the "vertical direction," "pitch direction," and "width direction." The vertical direction, pitch direction, and width direction are all orthogonal to each other.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the vertical direction is the direction in which the plug connector 5 is inserted into and removed from the receptacle connector 4. Therefore, the vertical direction coincides with the height direction of the receptacle connector 4 and also coincides with the height direction of the plug connector 5. The vertical direction includes upward (removal direction) and downward (mating direction). Upward is the direction in which the plug connector 5 is removed from the receptacle connector 4. Downward is the direction in which the plug connector 5 is mated into the receptacle connector 4. Upward and downward are merely terms used for explanatory purposes and do not specify the orientation of the connector assembly 3 when in use.

[0021] The pitch direction is the direction in which the multiple receptacle contacts 6 are arranged. The pitch direction includes inward and outward directions. Inward is the direction toward the center of the receptacle connector 4 in the pitch direction. Outward is the direction toward the center of the receptacle connector 4 in the pitch direction.

[0022] The width direction is perpendicular to the vertical and pitch directions. The width direction includes the inward and outward directions. The inward direction is the direction toward the center of the receptacle connector 4 in the width direction. The outward direction is the direction toward the center of the receptacle connector 4 in the width direction.

[0023] As mentioned above, the multiple receptacle contacts 6 are arranged in a single row parallel to the connector mounting surface 1A of the receptacle-side substrate 1. More specifically, two adjacent receptacle contacts 6 in the pitch direction are arranged so that they face opposite directions. Therefore, the multiple receptacle contacts 6 appear to be arranged in a staggered pattern in a plan view. Two adjacent receptacle contacts 6 in the pitch direction overlap when observed along the pitch direction. The multiple receptacle contacts 6 overlap when observed along the pitch direction.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the receptacle housing 7 is elongated in the pitch direction. The receptacle housing 7 includes a contact holder 7A that holds a plurality of receptacle contacts 6, and two hold-down holders 7B that each hold two receptacle hold-downs 8. The contact holder 7A includes two contact holders 7C that face each other in the width direction. The two hold-down holders 7B are arranged to sandwich the contact holder 7A in the pitch direction.

[0025] The receptacle housing 7 has a cavity 9 formed therein to receive the plug connector 5. The cavity 9 extends in a single line in the pitch direction. The cavity 9 has a central cavity 9C located in the center in the pitch direction, and two end cavities 9B adjacent to the central cavity 9C in the pitch direction and wider than the central cavity 9C. Here, the fact that the end cavities 9B are wider than the central cavity 9C means that the width dimension of the end cavities 9B is greater than the width dimension of the central cavity 9C. The two contact retaining portions 7C are arranged so as to sandwich the central cavity 9C in the width direction. The two hold-down retaining portions 7B are formed in a U shape that opens inward in the pitch direction, and are arranged so as to surround the two end cavities 9B. Each hold-down retaining section 7B includes a pitch wall section 10 that divides the end cavity 9B in the pitch direction, and two width wall sections 11 that divide the end cavity 9B in the width direction. One width wall section 11, the pitch wall section 10, and the other width wall section 11 are connected in this order to form a U shape that opens toward the central cavity 9C.

[0026] The contact holder 7A has multiple contact retaining grooves 12 formed therein, each of which holds a plurality of receptacle contacts 6 by press-fitting. In a plan view, the plurality of contact retaining grooves 12 are arranged in a staggered pattern on either side of the central cavity 9C. As a result, the plurality of receptacle contacts 6 are arranged in a staggered pattern, each held in one of the plurality of contact retaining grooves 12. At this time, at least a portion of each receptacle contact 6 is exposed to the central cavity 9C.

[0027] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the receptacle hold-down 8. For the sake of explanation, in Figure 4, one of the two receptacle hold-down 8s is depicted as being cut along a cross-section parallel to the pitch direction. Since the two receptacle hold-down 8s have the same shape, only one receptacle hold-down 8 will be described below, and the description of the other will be omitted.

[0028] The receptacle hold-down 8 is primarily used to secure the receptacle housing 7 to the connector mounting surface 1A of the receptacle side substrate 1. Each receptacle hold-down 8 includes a hold-down body 20 and an internal functional part 21.

[0029] The hold-down body 20 includes a pitch mounting portion 22 that is attached to the pitch wall portion 10, and two width mounting portions 23 that are attached to the two width wall portions 11, respectively. The two width mounting portions 23 are connected to each other via the pitch mounting portion 22.

[0030] The pitch mounting portion 22 includes an outer wall 22A positioned outward in the pitch direction of the pitch wall portion 10, a soldering portion 22B that protrudes downward from the outer wall 22A and can be soldered to the connector mounting surface 1A of the receptacle-side substrate 1, a guide portion 22C that extends inward in the pitch direction from the upper end of the outer wall 22A and slopes downward, and an inner wall 22D that protrudes downward from the tip of the guide portion 22C. The inner wall 22D has a bulge portion 22E that protrudes inward in the pitch direction.

[0031] Each width mounting section 23 includes an outer wall 23A positioned outward in the width direction of the width wall section 11, a guide section 23B extending inward in the width direction from the upper end of the outer wall 23A and inclined downward, and a click spring piece 23C protruding downward from the tip of the guide section 23B. The click spring piece 23C is curved so as to be convex inward in the width direction.

[0032] The internal functional section 21 includes a connecting section 25 extending inward in the pitch direction from the lower end of the inner wall 22D, two contact spring pieces 26 each extending outward in the width direction and upward from the connecting section 25, and two reinforcing spring pieces 27 each extending outward in the width direction and upward from the connecting section 25, and then extending outward again in the width direction. The two contact spring pieces 26 are positioned outward in the pitch direction from the two reinforcing spring pieces 27. The reinforcing spring pieces 27 are a specific example of a metal member on the receptacle side.

[0033] Figure 1 shows a magnified view of the reinforcing spring piece 27 described above. As shown in Figure 1, with the two receptacle hold-downs 8 mounted on the receptacle housing 7, the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 of each receptacle hold-down 8 are positioned at the pitch-direction outward ends of the two contact holding portions 7C, respectively, so that they are exposed inward in the width direction toward the central cavity 9C as indicated by arrow A, and also exposed outward in the pitch direction toward the end cavities 9B as indicated by arrow B.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of the receptacle connector 4. As shown in Figure 5, the receptacle connector 4 includes two central receptacle connector sections 4A that divide the central cavity 9C in the width direction, and two end receptacle connector sections 4B that each divide the two end cavities 9B. In Figure 5, the two central receptacle connector sections 4A and the two end receptacle connector sections 4B are drawn with thick lines. Each central receptacle connector section 4A mainly consists of a contact holding section 7C and a plurality of receptacle contacts 6. Each end receptacle connector section 4B mainly consists of a hold-down holding section 7B and a receptacle hold-down 8. Furthermore, the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 of each receptacle hold-down 8 each belong to the central portion 4A of the two receptacle connectors and are positioned to be exposed toward the end cavity 9B.

[0035] (Plug connector 5) Next, the plug connector 5 will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 8. Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the plug connector 5. Figure 7 shows an exploded perspective view of the plug connector 5. Note that when the plug connector 5 is mated to the receptacle connector 4, the orientation of the plug connector 5 relative to the receptacle connector 4 is uniquely determined, so when describing the plug connector 5 below, the various directions defined in Figure 1 will be used as they are. For example, note that "up" and "down" are drawn upside down in Figure 6.

[0036] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the plug connector 5 includes a plurality of plug contacts 30, a plug housing 31 that holds the plurality of plug contacts 30, and two plug hold-downs 32.

[0037] The multiple plug contacts 30 and the two plug hold-downs 32 are made of metal and are typically formed from a single sheet of metal through processes such as punching, bending, drawing, and cutting. The plug housing 31 is made of insulating resin and is typically formed by injection molding.

[0038] As shown in Figure 7, the multiple plug contacts 30 are arranged in a single row parallel to the connector mounting surface 2A of the plug-side substrate 2. More specifically, two adjacent plug contacts 30 in the pitch direction are arranged so that they face opposite directions. Therefore, the multiple plug contacts 30 appear to be arranged in a staggered pattern in a plan view. Two adjacent plug contacts 30 in the pitch direction overlap when observed along the pitch direction. The multiple plug contacts 30 overlap when observed along the pitch direction.

[0039] As shown in Figure 7, the plug housing 31 is elongated in the pitch direction. The plug housing 31 is formed to be insertable into the cavity 9 of the receptacle housing 7. That is, the plug housing 31 has a shape complementary to the cavity 9 of the receptacle housing 7. Therefore, the plug housing 31 extends in a single line in the pitch direction. The plug housing 31 includes a contact holding portion 31A located in the center in the pitch direction, and two hold-down holding portions 31B adjacent to the contact holding portion 31A in the pitch direction and wider than the contact holding portion 31A. The two hold-down holding portions 31B are arranged to sandwich the contact holding portion 31A in the pitch direction. The contact holding portion 31A holds a plurality of plug contacts 30. The two hold-down holding portions 31B each hold two plug hold-downs 32.

[0040] The contact holding portion 31A has multiple contact holding grooves 33 formed therein, each holding a multiple plug contact 30 by press-fitting.

[0041] Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the plug hold-down 32. Since the two plug hold-downs 32 are identical in shape, only one plug hold-down 32 will be described below, and the description of the other will be omitted.

[0042] The plug hold-down 32 is primarily used to secure the plug housing 31 to the connector mounting surface 2A of the plug-side circuit board 2.

[0043] The plug hold-down 32 includes an upper protective portion 32A that covers the hold-down holding portion 31B in the vertical direction, two width protective portions 32B that cover the hold-down holding portion 31B in the width direction, and a pitch protective portion 32C that covers the hold-down holding portion 31B in the pitch direction. The width protective portions 32B are specific examples of plug-side metal members.

[0044] The upper protective section 32A, the two width protective sections 32B, and the pitch protective section 32C are connected to each other. Specifically, the two width protective sections 32B extend upward from their respective ends in the width direction of the upper protective section 32A. The pitch protective section 32C extends upward from its end in the pitch direction of the upper protective section 32A.

[0045] Each width protection portion 32B has a click recess 35. A soldering portion 36 is formed extending outward in the width direction from each width protection portion 32B, which can be soldered to the connector mounting surface 2A of the plug-side substrate 2. A click recess 37 is formed in the pitch protection portion 32C.

[0046] Figure 6 shows a magnified view of the width protection portion 32B of the plug hold-down 32 described above. As shown in Figure 6, with two plug hold-downs 32 mounted on the plug housing 31, the two width protection portions 32B of each plug hold-down 32 are positioned outward in the width direction from the hold-down holding portion 31B of the plug housing 31, and are exposed inward in the pitch direction as indicated by arrow C. Specifically, the width protection portion 32B has a pitch regulating surface 38 that faces inward in the width direction. In Figure 6, the pitch regulating surface 38 is highlighted by hatching.

[0047] Next, with reference to Figures 1, 2, 9, and 10, the operation of the connector assembly 3 will be described. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the receptacle hold-down 8 and the plug hold-down 32 in the mated state of the connector assembly 3. Figure 10 is a schematic plan view of the connector assembly 3 in the mated state.

[0048] First, as shown in Figure 1, the receptacle connector 4 is soldered to the connector mounting surface 1A of the receptacle-side substrate 1, and the plug connector 5 is soldered to the connector mounting surface 2A of the plug-side substrate 2.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the plug connector 5 is lowered relative to the receptacle connector 4 and inserted into the cavity 9 of the receptacle connector 4. This causes the plug connector 5 to mate with the receptacle connector 4. In the mated state of the connector assembly 3, the multiple receptacle contacts 6 of the receptacle connector 4 and the multiple plug contacts 30 of the plug connector 5 are in electrical contact with each other.

[0050] When inserting the plug connector 5 into the cavity 9 of the receptacle connector 4, the user receives a click sensation to indicate that the plug connector 5 has mated with the receptacle connector 4.

[0051] Specifically, when inserting the plug connector 5 into the cavity 9 of the receptacle connector 4, the pressing force required to insert the plug connector 5 into the cavity 9 of the receptacle connector 4 decreases sharply at the moment when the two click spring pieces 23C of each receptacle hold-down 8 of the receptacle connector 4, shown in Figure 4, engage with the two click recesses 35 of each plug hold-down 32 of the plug connector 5, shown in Figure 8. Similarly, when inserting the plug connector 5 into the cavity 9 of the receptacle connector 4, the pressing force required to insert the plug connector 5 into the cavity 9 of the receptacle connector 4 decreases sharply at the moment when the bulging portion 22E of each receptacle hold-down 8 of the receptacle connector 4, shown in Figure 4, engages with the click recesses 37 of each plug hold-down 32 of the plug connector 5, shown in Figure 8. This sharp decrease in pressing force provides the user with a click sensation that indicates that the plug connector 5 has mated with the receptacle connector 4.

[0052] Furthermore, the click sensation that indicates when the plug connector 5 is mated to the receptacle connector 4 has the effect of improving the extraction force required when removing the plug connector 5 from the receptacle connector 4.

[0053] In the mated state of the connector assembly 3, the two contact spring pieces 26 of each receptacle hold-down 8 of the receptacle connector 4 shown in Figure 4 elastically contact the two width protection portions 32B of each plug hold-down 32 of the plug connector 5 shown in Figure 8, respectively, due to the spring elastic restoring force. As a result, the two receptacle hold-downs 8 of the receptacle connector 4 are electrically connected to the two plug hold-downs 32 of the plug connector 5. That is, the two receptacle hold-downs 8 of the receptacle connector 4 and the two plug hold-downs 32 of the plug connector 5 can typically function as power supply contacts by being electrically connected to each other.

[0054] Figure 9 shows the positional relationship of each hold-down in the mated state of the connector assembly 3. As shown in Figure 9, in the mated state of the connector assembly 3, the pitch restricting surfaces 38 of the two width protection portions 32B of each plug hold-down 32 of the plug connector 5 are, respectively, opposed in the pitch direction to the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 of each receptacle hold-down 8 of the receptacle connector 4. The above opposing relationship will be schematically explained below with reference to Figure 10.

[0055] Figure 10 schematically shows a plan view of the connector assembly 3 in the mated state, similar to Figure 5. As shown in Figure 10, the plug connector 5 includes a plug connector central portion 5A that can be inserted into the central cavity 9C, and two plug connector ends 5B that can be inserted into the two end cavities 9B, respectively. In Figure 10, the plug connector central portion 5A and the two plug connector ends 5B are drawn with thick lines. The plug connector central portion 5A mainly consists of a contact holding portion 31A of the plug housing 31 and a plurality of plug contacts 30. Each plug connector end 5B mainly consists of a hold-down holding portion 31B of the plug housing 31 and a plug hold-down 32. The two plug connector ends 5B are arranged adjacent to the plug connector central portion 5A in the pitch direction. The two plug connector ends 5B are arranged so as to sandwich the plug connector central portion 5A in the pitch direction. The two plug connector ends 5B are wider than the plug connector central portion 5A. Furthermore, each plug connector end 5B has two width protection portions 32B that can face two reinforcing spring pieces 27 in the pitch direction when the connector assembly 3 is mated.

[0056] As shown by arrow D in Figure 10, when the plug connector 5 moves in the pitch direction relative to the receptacle connector 4, the plug connector 5 will be received by the receptacle connector 4 at different positions in the pitch direction.

[0057] Specifically, as indicated by arrow D, when the plug connector 5 moves in the pitch direction relative to the receptacle connector 4, the left plug connector end 5B of the plug connector 5 is received by the left receptacle connector end 4B of the receptacle connector 4 on the left side of the paper in Figure 10. More specifically, the pitch protection portion 32C of the plug hold-down 32 on the left side of the plug connector 5 is received by the inner wall 22D of the receptacle hold-down 8 on the left side of the receptacle connector 4.

[0058] Furthermore, as indicated by arrow D, when the plug connector 5 moves in the pitch direction relative to the receptacle connector 4, the right plug connector end 5B of the plug connector 5 is received by the two central receptacle connectors 4A of the receptacle connector 4 on the right side of the paper in Figure 10. More specifically, the two width protection parts 32B of the plug hold-down 32 on the right side of the plug connector 5 are each received by the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 of the receptacle hold-down 8 on the right side of the receptacle connector 4.

[0059] Thus, when the plug connector 5 moves in the pitch direction relative to the receptacle connector 4, the plug connector 5 is received not only by the left receptacle connector end 4B of the receptacle connector 4 on the left side of Figure 10, but also by the two central receptacle connectors 4A of the receptacle connector 4 on the right side of Figure 10. As a result, compared to the case where the plug connector 5 is not received by the two central receptacle connectors 4A of the receptacle connector 4 on the right side of Figure 10, buckling deformation of the plug housing 31 of the plug connector 5 can be prevented when an external force in the direction indicated by arrow D acts on the plug connector 5.

[0060] In this embodiment, as described above, when the plug connector 5 moves in the pitch direction relative to the receptacle connector 4, the plug connector 5 is received by the left receptacle connector end 4B of the receptacle connector 4 on the left side of the paper in Figure 10, and also by the two central receptacle connectors 4A of the receptacle connector 4 on the right side of the paper in Figure 10. However, when the plug connector 5 moves in the pitch direction relative to the receptacle connector 4, the part where the plug connector 5 is received by the left receptacle connector end 4B of the receptacle connector 4 on the left side of the paper in Figure 10 can be omitted. Even in this case, buckling deformation of the plug housing 31 of the plug connector 5 can be prevented in the same way.

[0061] In this embodiment, as described above, when the plug connector 5 moves in the pitch direction relative to the receptacle connector 4, the two metal width protection portions 32B of the plug hold-down 32 on the right side of the plug connector 5 are received by the two metal reinforcing spring pieces 27 of the receptacle hold-down 8 on the right side of the receptacle connector 4. In short, when the plug connector 5 moves in the pitch direction relative to the receptacle connector 4, the plug connector 5 is received by the receptacle connector 4 through metal-to-metal contact with the receptacle connector 4 on the right side of the paper in Figure 10. Therefore, compared to the case where the hold-down holding portion 31B on the right side of the plug connector 5 is received by the two contact holding portions 7C of the receptacle connector 4 when the plug connector 5 moves in the pitch direction relative to the receptacle connector 4, crushing of the receptacle connector 4 and the plug connector 5 can be effectively prevented.

[0062] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 11. The following description will focus on the differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment, omitting any redundant explanations.

[0063] This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the shape of the receptacle hold-down 8. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, in the first embodiment, the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 are supported by the connecting portion 25.

[0064] In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 11, the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 are each supported by the outer walls 23A of the two width mounting portions 23. Specifically, each reinforcing spring piece 27 is formed in an L-shape, protruding inward in the pitch direction from the corresponding outer wall 23A and also protruding inward in the width direction. Thus, there are no limitations on how the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 are constructed in the receptacle hold-down 8.

[0065] The first and second embodiments of this disclosure have been described above. The first and second embodiments have the following features.

[0066] The connector assembly 3 includes a receptacle connector 4 that can be mounted on the connector mounting surface 1A of the receptacle-side substrate 1 (first substrate), and a plug connector 5 that can be mounted on the connector mounting surface 2A of the plug-side substrate 2 (second substrate). The receptacle connector 4 has a cavity 9 that can receive the plug connector 5 and extends in a line in the pitch direction. The cavity 9 includes a central cavity 9C located in the center in the pitch direction, and two end cavities 9B adjacent to the central cavity 9C in the pitch direction and wider than the central cavity 9C. The receptacle connector 4 includes two central receptacle connector portions 4A that divide the central cavity 9C in the width direction perpendicular to the pitch direction, and two end receptacle connector portions 4B that each divide the two end cavities 9B. Each receptacle connector central portion 4A has two reinforcing spring pieces 27 (receptacle-side metal members) exposed toward one end cavity 9B and two reinforcing spring pieces 27 exposed toward the other end cavity 9B. The plug connector 5 includes a plug connector central portion 5A that can be inserted into the central cavity 9C and two plug connector ends 5B that can be inserted into the two end cavities 9B, respectively. One plug connector end 5B has two width protection portions 32B (plug-side metal members) that can face the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 in the pitch direction when the receptacle connector 4 and the plug connector 5 are mated. The other plug connector end 5B is similar. When the plug connector 5 moves relative to the receptacle connector 4 in the pitch direction when the receptacle connector 4 and the plug connector 5 are mated, the two width protection portions 32B are received by the two reinforcing spring pieces 27, respectively. With the above configuration, when the plug connector 5 and the receptacle connector 4 are mated together, it is possible to prevent crushing of the plug connector 5 and the receptacle connector 4 when an external force in the pitch direction is applied to the plug connector 5.

[0067] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, the wide portion of the plug is provided primarily for positioning purposes. Therefore, there is no motivation in Patent Document 1 to modify it so that the external force acting on the plug in the pitch direction is received by metal-to-metal contact. Moreover, if Patent Document 1 were modified so that the external force acting on the plug in the pitch direction is received by metal-to-metal contact, the positioning accuracy in Patent Document 1 would deteriorate due to the increase in the number of parts. For this reason as well, it is not possible to modify Patent Document 1 so that the external force acting on the plug in the pitch direction is received by metal-to-metal contact.

[0068] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to several embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present invention can be made, as can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention.

[0069] For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 are configured as part of the receptacle hold-down 8. This allows the receptacle connector 4 to be realized with a small number of parts, thus contributing to a lower cost for the receptacle connector 4. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 may be configured as separate parts from the receptacle hold-down 8. Similarly, the two width protection parts 32B are configured as part of the plug hold-down 32. This allows the plug connector 5 to be realized with a small number of parts, thus contributing to a lower cost for the plug connector 5. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the two width protection parts 32B may be configured as separate parts from the plug hold-down 32.

[0070] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, one of the two reinforcing spring pieces 27 of each receptacle hold-down 8 may be omitted. Similarly, one of the two width protection portions 32B of each plug hold-down 32 may be omitted. Even in this case, when an external force in the pitch direction is applied to the plug connector 5 while the plug connector 5 and the receptacle connector 4 are mated, the external force is absorbed by metal-to-metal contact. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0071] 1. Receptacle-side substrate (first substrate) 1A connector mounting surface 2. Plug-side circuit board (second circuit board) 2A connector mounting side 3. Connector Assembly 4 Receptacle Connectors 4A Receptacle Connector Center 4B Receptacle Connector End 5 Plug connectors 5A plug connector center 5B Plug Connector End 6 Receptacle Contacts 7 Receptacle Housing 7A Contact holder 7B Hold-down retaining part 7C Contact Retaining Section 8. Receptacle Hold Down 9 Cavity 9B End cavity 9C Central Cavity 10 Pitch wall section 11 Width wall section 12 Contact retaining groove 20 Hold-down main unit 21 Internal Functional Section 22 Pitch mounting section 22A Exterior Wall 22B Soldering section 22C Guide Section 22D interior wall 22E Bulge 23 Width attachment part 23A Exterior Wall 23B Guide section 23C Click spring piece 25 Connecting part 26 Contact spring piece 27. Reinforcement spring piece (metal component on the receptacle side) 30 Plug Contacts 31 Plug Housing 31A Contact holding part 31B Hold-down retaining part 32 Plug Hold Down 32A Upper protection part 32B Width protection section (metal component on the plug side) 32C Pitch Protection Section 33 Contact retaining groove 35 click recesses 36 Soldering section 37 click recess 38 Pitch control surface A Arrow B Arrow C arrow D arrow

Claims

1. A receptacle connector that can be mounted on the connector mounting surface of the first substrate, A plug connector that can be mounted on the connector mounting surface of the second circuit board, including, It is a connector assembly, The receptacle connector has a cavity formed therein that is capable of receiving the plug connector and extends in a single line in the pitch direction. The aforementioned cavity is The central cavity located in the center in the pitch direction, An end cavity adjacent to the central cavity in the pitch direction and wider than the central cavity, Includes, The aforementioned receptacle connector is The central cavity is divided into two receptacle connector central portions in a width direction perpendicular to the pitch direction, The receptacle connector end that partitions the end cavity, Includes, At least one of the two central portions of the receptacle connectors has a receptacle-side metal member that is exposed toward the end cavity, The aforementioned plug connector is The central part of the plug connector that can be inserted into the central cavity, A plug connector end that can be inserted into the end cavity, Includes, The plug connector end has a plug-side metal member that can face the receptacle-side metal member in the pitch direction when the receptacle connector and the plug connector are mated together. When the receptacle connector and the plug connector are mated together, and the plug connector moves relative to the receptacle connector in the pitch direction, the plug-side metal member is received by the receptacle-side metal member. Connector assembly.

2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, The receptacle connector further includes a receptacle-side hold-down, The receptacle-side metal member is configured as part of the receptacle-side hold-down mechanism. Connector assembly.

3. The connector assembly according to claim 2, The receptacle-side hold-down includes a solderable portion that can be soldered to the connector mounting surface of the first substrate. Connector assembly.

4. The connector assembly according to claim 1, The plug connector further includes a plug-side hold-down, The plug-side metal member is configured as part of the plug-side hold-down mechanism. Connector assembly.

5. The connector assembly according to claim 4, The plug-side hold-down includes a solderable portion that can be soldered to the connector mounting surface of the second substrate. Connector assembly.

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