Connector Unit

Abstract

To provide a connector unit which is excellent in reliability of electrical connection between terminals.SOLUTION: A connector unit 1 includes a first connector 2 and a second connector 3 to be fitted to each other. The first connector 2 has a pair of first terminals 20 each having a plate-like portion 21 which has a plate-like shape spreading along a fitting direction of the first connector 2 and the second connector 3, and a protruding portion 25 protruding from the plate-like portion 21 in the plate thickness direction and extending in a direction intersecting the fitting direction, and a first housing 10 having press-fit protruding portions 16 and 17 which protrude so as to press each of the pair of first terminals 20 in the plate thickness direction. The second connector 3 includes a pair of second terminals 42 that comes into press-contact with the respective protruding portions 25 of the pair of first terminals 20 to be conductively connected to the respective protruding portions, a connecting portion 41 for electrically connecting the pair of second terminals 42, and a second housing 30 that holds the pair of second terminals 42 and the connecting portion 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector unit including a first connector and a second connector that are fitted together. [Background technology]

[0002] Connector units have been proposed that electrically connect a terminal and a mating terminal in a state of being pressed into contact with each other. For example, a terminal used in this type of connector unit is a terminal (so-called a clip terminal) that has a U-shape as a whole so that the mating terminal is sandwiched between a pair of contact parts. The clip terminal is applied to a service plug that disconnects a high-voltage battery mounted on an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like from an on-board circuit during maintenance or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-079141 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the connector unit using the clip terminal described above, the clip terminal is generally held in one housing, and a thin-plate terminal as a mating terminal to which the clip terminal is electrically connected is press-fitted and fixed in the other housing. When the thin-plate terminal is press-fitted, a plurality of press-fitting protrusions for sandwiching the thin-plate terminal in the thickness direction may be provided on the other housing. For example, the thin-plate terminal may be held by three press-fitting protrusions such that the central portion in the width direction of the thin-plate terminal is pressed to one side in the thickness direction, and both side portions in the width direction of the thin-plate terminal are pressed to the other side in the thickness direction (so-called three-point press-fitting). In this case, the thin-plate terminal may be deformed so as to be curved in the thickness direction due to the external force applied to the thin-plate terminal by each press-fitting protrusion. When the thin-plate terminal is curved, the contact load at the contact point between the clip terminal and the thin-plate terminal becomes larger or smaller than the designed value (i.e., the contact load varies). Such variations in the contact load can reduce the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminals, and therefore it is desirable to suppress such variations as much as possible.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector unit which has excellent reliability of electrical connection between terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the connector unit according to the present invention has the following features [1] to [3]. [1] A connector unit including a first connector and a second connector that are fitted together, The first connector is a pair of first terminals each having a plate-like portion having a plate shape extending along a mating direction between the first connector and the second connector and a protrusion portion protruding in a plate thickness direction from the plate-like portion and extending in a direction intersecting the mating direction; and a first housing having a press-fit protrusion portion protruding so as to press each of the pair of first terminals in the plate thickness direction, the pair of first terminals are disposed in the first housing so as to face each other with a gap therebetween in an opposing direction that intersects the fitting direction and is parallel to the plate thickness direction, the protrusion portion of each of the pair of first terminals protrudes outward from the plate-shaped portion in the opposing direction and extends in a width direction intersecting the fitting direction and the opposing direction, the first housing has, as the press-fit protrusions, a first protrusion that presses a central portion in the width direction of the plate-like portion of each of the pair of first terminals inward in the opposing direction, and a pair of second protrusions that press both side portions in the width direction of the plate-like portion of each of the pair of first terminals outward in the opposing direction, The second connector is a pair of second terminals in contact with the protrusions of the pair of first terminals to electrically connect them, a connecting portion that electrically connects the pair of second terminals, and a second housing that holds the pair of second terminals and the connecting portion, It is a connector unit. [2] In the connector unit described in [1] above, The protrusions of each of the pair of first terminals are At least some of the protruding surfaces are flat; Each of the pair of second terminals is The flat surface extends along the flat protruding surface of the protrusion portion at a location where the protrusion portion contacts the protrusion portion. It is a connector unit. [3] A connector unit including a first connector and a second connector that are fitted together, The first connector is a pair of first terminals each having a plate-like portion having a plate shape extending along a mating direction between the first connector and the second connector and a protrusion portion protruding in a plate thickness direction from the plate-like portion and extending in a direction intersecting the mating direction; and a first housing having a press-fit protrusion portion protruding so as to press each of the pair of first terminals in the plate thickness direction, The second connector is a pair of second terminals in contact with the protrusions of the pair of first terminals to electrically connect them, a connecting portion that electrically connects the pair of second terminals, and a second housing that holds the pair of second terminals and the connecting portion, Each of the pair of first terminals is Further comprising an auxiliary protrusion portion protruding from the plate-shaped portion in the plate thickness direction and extending in a direction intersecting the protrusion portion. It is a connector unit.

[0007] According to the connector unit having the configuration of [1] above, the first terminal has a protruding portion protruding from the plate-like portion and extending in a direction intersecting the fitting direction. In addition to being used as a contact point with the second terminal, the protruding portion has a function of improving the bending rigidity of the first terminal in a direction that bends the protruding portion. Therefore, compared to a case where such a protruding portion is not present, when the first terminal is press-fitted into the first housing so as to be in press-contact with the press-fit protrusion provided on the first housing, even if an external force acts from the press-fit protrusion on the plate-like portion or the protruding portion of the first terminal in the plate thickness direction (i.e., the direction that bends the protruding portion), bending of the first terminal can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the protruding portion of the first terminal is also used as a contact point with the second terminal, it is possible to avoid an increase in size of the first terminal and a complicated structure (and thus an increase in size of the connector unit) compared to a case where a protruding portion for reinforcement is separately provided. In this way, the connector unit having this configuration has excellent reliability of electrical connection between the terminals.

[0008] According to the connector unit of the configuration [2] above, the second terminal has a flat surface that extends along the flat protruding surface of the protruding portion of the first terminal at a location where the second terminal contacts the flat protruding surface of the protruding portion of the first terminal. Therefore, the protruding surface of the protruding portion of the first terminal and the flat surface of the second terminal are in surface contact with each other, and the contact area between the first terminal and the second terminal can be made larger than when the second terminal has a curved surface at this location. This can further improve the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminals.

[0009] According to the connector unit having the configuration [3] above, the first terminal has, in addition to the ridge extending in a direction intersecting the mating direction, an auxiliary ridge extending in a direction intersecting the ridge, which allows both the ridge and the auxiliary ridge to be used as contacts with the second terminal, thereby further improving the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminals. Effect of the Invention

[0010] Thus, according to the present invention, a connector unit having excellent reliability of electrical connection between terminals can be provided.

[0011] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the detailed description of the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3(a) is a diagram showing a part of the cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3(b) is an enlarged view of part C in FIG. 3(a). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the first terminal and the second terminal in a state in which they are conductively connected to each other. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the first terminal and the second terminal in a separated state. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(a) is a diagram showing a part of the cross section taken along line DD in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6(b) is an enlarged view of part E in FIG. 6(a). [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a first terminal of a connector unit according to a modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 8(a) is a view corresponding to FIG. 6(a) in another modified example, and FIG. 8(b) is an enlarged view of part F in FIG. 8(a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a connector unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the connector unit 1 includes a first connector 2 and a second connector 3. When the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 are mated, a terminal 20 (see Figs. 2 and 4) accommodated in the first connector 2 and a terminal 40 (see Figs. 2 and 4) accommodated in the second connector 3 are electrically connected.

[0014] The connector unit 1 is typically mounted on an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like, and is used as a service plug for disconnecting the on-board high-voltage battery from the on-board circuit during maintenance or the like to ensure the safety of workers. For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for the "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," "up-down direction," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down" as shown in Figs. 1 to 8. The "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "up-down direction" are mutually perpendicular.

[0015] 1 and 2, the first connector 2 includes a housing 10 and a pair of terminals 20 accommodated in the housing 10. The second connector 3 includes a housing 30 and a pair of terminals 40 accommodated in the housing 30. First, each component constituting the first connector 2 will be described below in order.

[0016] First, the housing 10 will be described. The resin housing 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. A pair of fitting plates 11 that protrude upward are provided on the upper portion of the housing 10 so as to face each other with a gap in the left-right direction as shown in Fig. 2. Each fitting plate 11 has a generally rectangular flat plate shape that extends in the front-rear direction and up-down directions and is long in the front-rear direction. The pair of fitting plates 11 are inserted (fitted) into a pair of fitting recesses 31 of the housing 30, which will be described later.

[0017] The housing 10 includes a substantially flat partition wall 13 that crosses the space 12 in the front-rear direction so as to divide the space 12 between the pair of fitting plate parts 11 in two in the left-right direction (see FIG. 2). The partition wall 13 is inserted into a storage part 32 (see FIG. 2) of the housing 30, which will be described later.

[0018] The housing 10 has a pair of through holes 14 extending in the vertical direction so as to face both left and right end walls of the partition wall portion 13 (see FIG. 2). Each through hole 14 extends in the front-rear and up-down directions and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction. Main bodies 21 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of a pair of terminals 20, which will be described later, are inserted (press-fitted) into the pair of through holes 14.

[0019] A pair of engagement projections 15 protruding inward in the left-right direction (i.e., into the through hole 14) are formed on the inner wall (extending in the front-rear and up-down directions) on the outer left-right direction that defines the upper end of each through hole 14, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to be aligned at a distance in the front-rear direction. The engagement projections 15 of the pair of through holes 14 are to be engaged with engagement holes 24 (described later) of the pair of terminals 20 (see Figs. 4 and 5).

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, on the inner wall (inner wall extending in the front-rear and up-down directions) on the inner side in the left-right direction that defines each through hole 14, two protrusions 16 that protrude outward in the left-right direction (i.e., into the inside of the through hole 14) and extend in the up-down direction are formed side by side with a gap in the front-rear direction. Similarly, on the inner wall (inner wall extending in the front-rear and up-down directions) on the outer side in the left-right direction that defines each through hole 14, a single protrusion 17 that protrudes inward in the left-right direction (i.e., into the inside of the through hole 14) and extends in the up-down direction is formed in the center in the front-rear direction. The protrusions 16 and 17 function to press-fit and fix the main body 21 of the terminal 20 inserted in the through hole 14 (see Fig. 3(b)).

[0021] Next, the pair of terminals 20 will be described. The pair of terminals 20 are arranged in the housing 10 so as to face each other with a gap in the left-right direction, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 5, each metal terminal 20 includes a substantially rectangular flat body portion 21 that extends in the front-rear and up-down directions and is long in the front-rear direction, a flat extension portion 22 that extends downward from the body portion 21, and a stud bolt portion 23 that protrudes leftward (to one side in the plate thickness direction of the terminal 20) from the extension end portion of the extension portion 22.

[0022] Of the pair of left and right terminals 20, the extension portion 22 of the left terminal 20 extends downward from the front end portion of the main body portion 21, and the extension portion 22 of the right terminal 20 extends downward from the rear end portion of the main body portion 21. Of the pair of left and right terminals 20, the stud bolt portion 23 of one terminal 20 is electrically connected to the on-board high-voltage battery, and the stud bolt portion 23 of the other terminal 20 is electrically connected to the on-board circuitry.

[0023] In each terminal 20, a pair of engagement holes 24 penetrating in the left-right direction (the plate thickness direction of the terminal 20) are formed in the main body 21 in correspondence with a pair of engagement protrusions 15 (see FIG. 2) of the housing 10, so as to be aligned at a distance in the front-rear direction. A protrusion 25 protruding outward in the left-right direction is formed extending in the front-rear direction on the outer left-right end surfaces above the pair of engagement holes 24 of the main body 21. The top surface of the protrusion 25 forms a flat surface 26 that extends in the front-rear direction and in the up-down direction and is long in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 6(b)). The protrusion 25 functions as a contact point with the terminal 40 (see FIGS. 2 and 4).

[0024] Since main body 21 of terminal 20, which is a plate-like body, has such protrusions 25, it has superior bending rigidity in the direction in which protrusions 25 are curved, compared to a plate-like body that does not have such protrusions.

[0025] Furthermore, a hemispherical projection 27 that projects outward in the left-right direction is formed on the outer end surface of the main body 21 between the pair of engagement holes 24. The projection 27 comes into pressing contact with the projection 17 of the housing 10 (see FIG. 3(b)).

[0026] The main body 21 of each terminal 20 is inserted from below into the through hole 14 of the housing 10 (see Figs. 2 and 3). As shown in Fig. 3(b), this insertion proceeds while the inner end faces in the left and right direction of the main body 21 are in pressing contact (rubbing) with the pair of protrusions 16 and while the protrusions 27 of the main body 21 are in pressing contact (rubbing) with the protrusions 17 (i.e., while being pressed in by so-called three-point contact). This insertion (press-fitting) continues until the upper end of the main body 21 is exposed from the upper end of the through hole 14 and the pair of engagement protrusions 15 of the housing 10 are locked in the pair of engagement holes 24 of the terminal 20. When the pair of engagement protrusions 15 of the housing 10 are locked in the pair of engagement holes 24, the press-fitting of the pair of terminals 20 into the housing 10 is completed, and the first connector 2 is completed.

[0027] Here, due to the press-fitting with three-point contact, external forces are applied from the protrusions 16, 17 to the main body 21 and the protrusions 25 of the terminal 20 in a direction that bends the central portions in the front-rear direction inwardly in the left-right direction. However, due to the above-mentioned function of the protrusions 25 to improve the bending rigidity, it is possible to suppress the main body 21 and the protrusions 25 of the terminal 20 from being deformed so as to be curved.

[0028] When the pair of terminals 20 have been press-fitted into the housing 10, the pair of terminals 20 are fixed to the housing 10 so as to face each other with a gap in the left-right direction, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Upper regions including the protruding portions 25 of the pair of main body portions 21 are exposed in the space 12 so as to sandwich the partition portion 13 in the left-right direction, and the pair of stud bolt portions 23 are exposed to the outside below the housing 10 so as to be lined up apart in the front-rear direction. The components that make up the first connector 2 have been described above. Next, the components that make up the second connector 3 will be described in order.

[0029] First, the housing 30 will be described. The resin housing 30 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. A pair of fitting recesses 31 are formed on the lower surface of the housing 30 in correspondence with the pair of fitting plate portions 11 of the housing 10. Each fitting recess 31 is a hole that is recessed upward and opens downward, and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that extends in the front-rear direction and up-down direction and is long in the front-rear direction.

[0030] An accommodating portion 32 for accommodating a pair of terminals 40 (see Figs. 4 and 5) is formed on the underside of the housing 30 between the pair of fitting recesses 31. The accommodating portion 32 is a hole that is recessed upward and opens downward, and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that extends in the front-rear and up-down directions and is long in the front-rear direction.

[0031] Next, the pair of terminals 40 will be described. As shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, the pair of terminals 40 are arranged inside the accommodating section 32 so as to be spaced apart in the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 5, each metal terminal 40 includes a flat base 41 extending in the front-rear and left-right directions, and a pair of flat extending portions 42 extending downward from both left and right ends of the base 41. In this example, the pair of extending portions 42 are inclined such that the distance between them becomes narrower as they move away from the base 41. The pair of extending portions 42 are elastically deformable outward in the left-right direction.

[0032] A pair of bent portions 43 that bend in directions away from each other are provided at the extending ends of the pair of extending portions 42. The top surface of each bent portion 43 is a flat surface 44 that extends in the front-rear and up-down directions and is long in the front-rear direction. The bent portion 43 (flat surface 44) functions as a contact point with the terminal 20 (see Figs. 2 and 4).

[0033] The pair of terminals 40 are inserted and fixed into the accommodating portion 32 of the housing 30 (see FIG. 2) so as to be aligned with a gap in the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 4 and 5). This completes the second connector 3. When the pair of terminals 40 has been fixed to the housing 30, the pair of extension portions 42 of each terminal 40 are exposed within the accommodating portion 32 as shown in FIG. 2. The components that make up the second connector 3 have been described above.

[0034] Next, a description will be given of the mating operation between the first connector 2 and the second connector 3. In order to mate the first connector 2 and the second connector 3, first, the housing 10 and the housing 30 are arranged so that the housing 30 is located above the housing 10.

[0035] Next, the housing 10 and the housing 30 are brought closer to each other in the vertical direction, and the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 are fitted together so that the pair of fitting plates 11 are inserted into the pair of fitting recesses 31 and the partition wall 13 (and the main body 21 of the pair of terminals 20) are inserted into the accommodating portion 32. This fitting progresses as the protruding portions 25 of the pair of terminals 20 push aside the pair of bent portions 43 of each of the pair of terminals 40 outward in the left-right direction. Then, when a state is reached in which the flat surfaces 26 of the pair of protruding portions 25 come into surface contact with the pair of flat surfaces 44 of each of the pair of terminals 40 while pressing against each other (FIG. 6), this fitting is completed and the connector unit 1 is obtained.

[0036] Here, the bending deformation of the protrusions 25 of the terminals 20 is suppressed by the above-mentioned action of improving the bending rigidity of the protrusions 25. Therefore, the possibility that the contact load at the surface contact point between the flat surface 26 of the protrusions 25 and the flat surface 44 of the bent portion 43 becomes too large or too small relative to the design value (i.e., variation in the contact load occurs) is extremely reduced, and deterioration in the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminals 20, 40 can be suppressed.

[0037] 2, when the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 are completely mated, the protrusions 25 of the pair of terminals 20 are pressed into contact with and electrically connected to the corresponding bent portions 43 of the pair of terminals 40. As a result, the on-board high-voltage battery connected to the stud bolt portion 23 of one terminal 20 and the on-board circuit connected to the stud bolt portion 23 of the other terminal 20 are electrically connected via the pair of terminals 40.

[0038] In this manner, when vehicle maintenance is performed with the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 completely fitted together, the first connector 2 is removed from the second connector 3. This cuts off the connection between the terminals 20 and 40, and cuts off the electrical connection between the pair of stud bolt portions 23, thereby cutting off the connection between the high-voltage battery and the on-board circuit. As a result, the safety of the maintenance worker is ensured.

[0039] <Actions and Effects> As described above, according to the connector unit 1 of the present embodiment, the terminal 20 has the protruding portion 25 that protrudes from the main body 21 and extends in a direction (front-rear direction) intersecting the fitting direction, and therefore has superior bending rigidity in the direction that bends the protruding portion 25 compared to a plate-like body that does not have such a protruding portion. Therefore, when the terminal 20 is press-fitted into the housing 10 so as to be in pressing contact with the protruding portions 16, 17 provided on the housing 10, even if an external force in the plate thickness direction is applied from the protruding portions 16, 17 to the main body 21 or the protruding portion 25 of the terminal 20, the action of the protruding portion 25 can suppress deformation of the terminal 20 so as to be curved. Furthermore, since the protruding portion 25 of the terminal 20 is also used as a contact point with the terminal 40, it is possible to avoid an increase in size of the terminal 20 and a complex structure (and thus an increase in size of the connector unit 1, etc.) compared to a case in which the protruding portion 25 for reinforcement is separately provided. Therefore, the connector unit 1 of the present embodiment has excellent reliability of electrical connection between the terminals 20 and 40.

[0040] Furthermore, terminal 40 has a flat surface 44 that spreads along the flat protruding surface (flat surface 26) of protruding portion 25 of terminal 20 at a location where it comes into contact with this protruding surface (flat surface 26). Therefore, the protruding surface (flat surface 26) of protruding portion 25 of terminal 20 and flat surface 44 of terminal 40 come into surface contact with each other, and the contact area between protruding portion 25 of terminal 20 and terminal 40 can be made larger than when terminal 40 has a non-flat curved surface at this location. This can further improve the reliability of the electrical connection between terminals 20, 40.

[0041] <Other aspects> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications, improvements, etc. are possible. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0042] For example, in the above embodiment, a flat surface 26 is formed on the top of the protruding portion 25 of the terminal 20, and a flat surface 44 is formed on the top of the bent portion 43 of the terminal 40, and when the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 are completely fitted together, the flat surfaces 26, 44 are in surface contact while pressing against each other (see FIG. 6). In contrast, the top of the protruding portion 25 of the terminal 20 may be formed with a curved surface, the top of the bent portion 43 of the terminal 40 may be formed with a curved surface, or both the top of the protruding portion 25 of the terminal 20 and the top of the bent portion 43 of the terminal 40 may be formed with a curved surface.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the main body 21 of the terminal 20 is formed with a protrusion 25 extending in the front-rear direction, and only the protrusion 25 functions as a contact point with the terminal 40. In contrast to this, as shown in Fig. 7, the main body 21 of the terminal 20 may be further formed with a plurality of auxiliary protrusions 28 extending in both the up and down directions from a plurality of positions in the front-rear direction of the protrusion 25 in addition to the protrusion 25, and the auxiliary protrusions 28 may also function as a contact point with the terminal 40 in addition to the protrusion 25. According to the example shown in Fig. 7, both the protrusion 25 and the auxiliary protrusion 28 can be used as a contact point with the terminal 40, so that the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminals 20, 40 can be further improved.

[0044] Further, in the above embodiment, the pair of extensions 42 of the terminal 40 protrude from the base 41 so that the gap between the pair of extensions 42 in the left-right direction gradually narrows. In contrast, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the pair of extensions 42 of the terminal 40 protrude parallel to each other from the base 41, and the bent portion 43 is not provided at the extension end of the pair of extensions 42 (see FIG. 8). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 are completely fitted to each other, the flat surface 26 of the protruding portion 25 of the terminal 20 is in surface contact with the inner surface (flat surface) 44 of the extension end of the extension portion 42 of the terminal 40. According to the example shown in FIG. 8, the shape of the terminal 40 can be simplified without impairing the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminals 20 and 40, and the productivity of the terminal 40 (and thus the productivity of the connector unit 1) can be improved.

[0045] Here, the features of the above-described embodiment of the connector unit 1 according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [3]. [1] A connector unit (1) comprising a first connector (2) and a second connector (3) that are fitted together, The first connector (2) is a pair of first terminals (20) each having a plate-like portion (21) having a plate shape extending along a fitting direction between the first connector (2) and the second connector (3) and a protrusion portion (25) protruding in a plate thickness direction from the plate-like portion (21) and extending in a direction intersecting the fitting direction; and a first housing (10) having press-fit projections (16, 17) protruding so as to press each of the pair of first terminals (20) in the plate thickness direction, The second connector (3) is a pair of second terminals (42) in contact with and conductively connected to the protrusions (25) of the pair of first terminals (20), a connecting portion (41) that electrically connects the pair of second terminals (42), and a second housing (30) that holds the pair of second terminals (42) and the connecting portion (41), Connector unit(1). [2] In the connector unit (1) described in the above [1], The protrusions (25) of each of the pair of first terminals (20) are At least a portion of the protruding surface (26) has a flat shape; Each of the pair of second terminals (42) is A flat surface (44) extending along the flat protruding surface (26) of the protruding portion (25) is provided at a portion where the protruding portion (25) comes into contact with the protruding portion (25). Connector unit(1). [3] In the connector unit (1) described in the above [1] or [2], Each of the pair of first terminals (20) is The plate-shaped portion (21) further includes an auxiliary protrusion portion (28) protruding in the plate thickness direction and extending in a direction intersecting the protrusion portion (25). Connector unit(1). [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 Connector unit 2 First Connector 3 Second Connector 10 Housing (First Housing) 16 Protrusion (press-fit protrusion) 17 Protrusion (press-fit protrusion) 20 terminal (1st terminal) 21 Main body (plate-shaped part) 25 Projection part 26 Flat surface (protruding surface) 28 Auxiliary protrusion 30 Housing (2nd Housing) 41 Base (connection part) 42 Extension part (2nd terminal) 44 Flat surface

Claims

1. A connector unit including a first connector and a second connector that are fitted together, The first connector is a pair of first terminals each having a plate-like portion having a plate shape extending along a fitting direction between the first connector and the second connector and a protrusion portion protruding in a plate thickness direction from the plate-like portion and extending in a direction intersecting the fitting direction; and a first housing having a press-fit protrusion portion protruding so as to press each of the pair of first terminals in the plate thickness direction, the pair of first terminals are disposed in the first housing so as to face each other with a gap therebetween in an opposing direction that intersects with the fitting direction and is parallel to the plate thickness direction, the protrusion portion of each of the pair of first terminals protrudes outward from the plate-shaped portion in the opposing direction and extends in a width direction intersecting the fitting direction and the opposing direction, the first housing has, as the press-fit protrusions, a first protrusion that presses a central portion in the width direction of the plate-like portion of each of the pair of first terminals inward in the opposing direction, and a pair of second protrusions that press both side portions in the width direction of the plate-like portion of each of the pair of first terminals outward in the opposing direction, The second connector is a pair of second terminals in contact with the protrusions of the pair of first terminals to electrically connect them, a connecting portion that electrically connects the pair of second terminals, and a second housing that holds the pair of second terminals and the connecting portion, Connector unit.

2. The connector unit according to claim 1, The protrusions of each of the pair of first terminals are At least some of the protruding surfaces are flat; Each of the pair of second terminals is The flat surface extends along the flat protruding surface of the protrusion portion at a location where the protrusion portion contacts the protrusion portion. Connector unit.

3. A connector unit comprising a first connector and a second connector that are fitted together, The first connector is a pair of first terminals each having a plate-like portion having a plate shape extending along a fitting direction between the first connector and the second connector and a protrusion portion protruding in a plate thickness direction from the plate-like portion and extending in a direction intersecting the fitting direction; and a first housing having a press-fit protrusion portion protruding so as to press each of the pair of first terminals in the plate thickness direction, The second connector is a pair of second terminals in contact with the protrusions of the pair of first terminals to electrically connect them, a connecting portion that electrically connects the pair of second terminals, and a second housing that holds the pair of second terminals and the connecting portion, Each of the pair of first terminals is Further comprising an auxiliary protrusion portion protruding from the plate-shaped portion in the plate thickness direction and extending in a direction intersecting the protrusion portion. Connector unit.

Images