Connector and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide a connector having a structure capable of improving an accuracy of a position relation between a housing and a terminal.SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises:a housing 20 having a main part 22, and a terminal 30 embedded in the main part 22. In the main part 22, a through hole 227 and a housing space 228 are formed. The terminal 30 includes: a held part 31; a folding part 32 extended to a front side from the held part 31; a support part 33 extended to a rear side from the folding part 32; and a contact point part 34 supported by the support part 33. The held part 31 includes a wide part 312. When viewing the main part 22 from above, the wide part 312 can be vied from the through hole 227. Each of the support part 33 and the contact point part 34 has a size smaller than that of the wide part 312 in a lateral direction (a Y direction). When viewing the connector 10 from below, the wide part 312 is expanded to both sides of the lateral direction from the support part 33, and can be partially viewed through the housing space 228.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a compression type connector that is connected by being pressed against an object. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses this type of connector.

[0003] Referring to FIG. 16, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic device including a connector 90. The connector 90 includes a housing 92 made of resin and a terminal 94. The terminal 94 is partially engaged with the inner wall of the housing 92, and is thereby attached to the housing 92. The terminal 94 includes a connection portion 942 and a contact portion 944. The connection portion 942 is fixed to a lead wire 96. The contact portion 944 is located outside the housing 92 and is elastically deformable. When the connector 90 is pressed against a board 98, the contact portion 944 comes into contact with a land 984 of the board 98 while being elastically deformed. That is, the connector 90 of Patent Document 1 is a compression type connector that is pressed against an object (board 98) to connect. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-307799 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] A compression type connector such as that in Patent Document 1 can be easily connected to an object such as a circuit board. However, when transmitting high-frequency signals using a compression type connector, the terminal needs to be positioned with great precision relative to the housing. According to the terminal mounting method in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the positional precision of the terminal relative to the housing may decrease. If the precision of the positional relationship between the housing and the terminal is insufficient, the high-frequency characteristics of the terminal may vary, and the specified design value may not be obtained.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a structure capable of improving the accuracy of the positional relationship between the housing and the terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a first production method, A method for manufacturing a compression type connector that is connected by pressing it against an object, comprising the steps of: a terminal forming process for forming a terminal, the terminal having a held portion, a folded portion, a support portion, and a contact portion, the held portion extending in a front-rear direction, the held portion having a wide portion, the folded portion extending forward from the held portion, the support portion extending rearward from the folded portion and being elastically deformable, the contact portion being supported by the support portion, the support portion and the contact portion being located below the held portion in a top-bottom direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, the support portion and the contact portion each having a size smaller than the wide portion in a lateral direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the top-bottom direction, and the wide portion protruding from the support portion on both sides in the lateral direction when the terminal is viewed from below; an arrangement step of arranging the terminal inside a mold, the mold including an upper mold and a lower mold, the upper mold being pressed against an upper surface of the wide portion of the held portion, and the lower mold being pressed against both lateral sides of a lower surface of the wide portion to form a closed space inside the mold, and the support portion and the contact portion being arranged in the closed space; a molding process in which a resin is injected into the inside of the mold to form a housing made of the resin, and the terminals are insert-molded into the housing, the resin not being injected into the closed space; The present invention provides a manufacturing method comprising the steps of:

[0008] The present invention provides a first connector, A compression type connector that is pressed against an object to connect, The connector includes an insert molding, The insert molded body includes a housing made of resin and a terminal, The terminal is partially embedded in the housing; The housing has a main portion, The main portion has an upper surface and a lower surface in a vertical direction, the lower surface of the main portion faces the object when the connector is connected to the object; The main portion is formed with a hole and an accommodation space, The hole extends downward from the upper surface of the main portion, The storage space is recessed upward from the lower surface of the main portion, The terminal has a held portion, a folded portion, a support portion, and a contact portion, The held portion extends in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and is held by the housing so as to at least partially face the accommodation space, The held portion has a wide portion, When the insert molding is viewed from above, the wide portion is at least partially visible through the punch hole, The folded portion extends forward from the held portion, The support portion extends rearward from the folded-back portion and is elastically deformable, The contact portion is supported by the support portion, The support portion and the contact portion are located below the held portion, each of the support portion and the contact portion has a size smaller than that of the wide portion in a lateral direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction; The support portion is partially accommodated in the accommodation space, When the insert molding is viewed from below, the wide portion protrudes from the support portion on both sides in the lateral direction and is partially visible through the accommodation space. Provide a connector.

[0009] The present invention provides a first connector as a second connector, The connector is connectable to a cable; The terminal has a soldering portion and a buried portion, the soldering portion is a portion where the cable is soldered, The embedded portion is located between the soldering portion and the held portion, and is completely surrounded by the housing in a plane defined by the vertical direction and the lateral direction. Provide a connector.

[0010] The present invention provides a third connector, which is the second connector, The embedded portion has a bent portion, The bent portion is bent in the up-down direction, The soldering portion and the held portion are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. Provide a connector.

[0011] The present invention provides a fourth connector, which is any one of the first to third connectors, The tip of the support portion is a free end and is located inside the storage space. Provide a connector.

[0012] The present invention provides a fifth connector, which is any one of the first to fourth connectors, The housing has a through hole formed therein, The passage hole penetrates the main portion from the upper surface to the lower surface and communicates with the storage space, The folded portion is located inside the passage hole. Provide a connector.

[0013] The present invention provides a sixth connector, which is any one of the first to fifth connectors, The insert molding includes a metal insert shell, The insert shell is partially embedded in the housing and partially exposed from the lower surface of the main portion. Provide a connector.

[0014] The present invention provides a seventh connector, which is the sixth connector, The insert shell surrounds the contact portion in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the up-down direction when the connector is connected to the object. Provide a connector.

[0015] The present invention provides an eighth connector, which is any one of the first to seventh connectors, The connector includes a metal cover, The cover at least partially covers the upper surface of the insert molding. Provide a connector.

[0016] The present invention provides a ninth connector, which is the eighth connector, A first hole is formed in the insert molding, The cover has a second hole formed therein, The second hole corresponds to the first hole in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the up-down direction, When in use, the connector is screwed to the object by screws inserted into the first hole and the second hole. Provide a connector. Effect of the Invention

[0017] The terminal of the present invention is insert-molded into the housing made of resin and partially embedded in the housing. By fixing the terminal to the housing in this manner, it is possible to suppress variation in the positional relationship between the housing and the terminal.

[0018] When the spring length of the support portion of the terminal is increased to increase the spring properties, the length of the held portion is also likely to be increased. A long held portion is likely to be plastically deformed when the terminal is insert molded into the housing. As a result, the positional relationship between the housing and the terminal is likely to change. On the other hand, the held portion of the present invention has wide portions that extend beyond the support portion on both lateral sides. When the terminal is insert molded into the housing, the wide portions are sandwiched and pressed from above and below to suppress plastic deformation of the held portion. In other words, according to the present invention, a connector having a structure that can improve the accuracy of the positional relationship between the housing and the terminal can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, the connector being connected to a cable and to a circuit board, with the outlines of screws for fastening the connector to the circuit board being drawn in dashed lines; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the circuit board of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the connector of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector of Fig. 3. A part of the connector (a part surrounded by a dashed line) is drawn in an enlarged manner. [Diagram 5] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for manufacturing the connector of FIG 1. It shows the steps up to producing an insert molded body of the connector. [Figure 6] 5 is a perspective view of two of the terminals of the connector of FIG. 4, with a portion of the mold outlined in dashed lines. [Figure 7] 7 is a bottom view of one of the terminals of FIG. 6, with the outline of a portion of the lower mold drawn in dashed lines. [Figure 8]FIG. 7 is a side view showing one of the terminals in FIG. 6. A part of the outline of an upper mold and a part of the outline of a lower mold are drawn with a dashed line. A closed space formed inside the mold is drawn with a dashed line. [Figure 9] 5 is a perspective view showing an insert molding of the connector of FIG. 4. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front view showing the insert molding of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of the insert molding of Fig. 10. The contour of the support portion of the terminal when it is elastically deformed, part of the contour of the circuit board, and the contour of the core wire of the cable are drawn with dashed lines. [Figure 12] Fig. 10 is a top view showing the insert molded body and the cover of Fig. 9. The insert molded body is connected to a cable. [Figure 13] 4 is another perspective view showing the connector of FIG. 3. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is another perspective view showing the connector of FIG. 13. [Figure 15] 14 is a bottom view showing the connector of FIG. 13, with a portion of the connector (encircled by a dashed line) being drawn in an enlarged manner. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector of Patent Document 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] 1, a connector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a so-called one-piece type connector. The connector 10 can be made from a smaller number of parts than a so-called two-piece type connector that includes a plug and a receptacle.

[0021] More specifically, the connector 10 of the present embodiment is a so-called compression type connector that is connected by being pressed against the object 70. The connector 10 of the present embodiment is connectable to a circuit board 70 which is the object 70. However, the object 70 of the connector 10 of the present invention is not limited to the circuit board 70.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 2, object (circuit board) 70 in this embodiment has an upper surface 72 in the vertical direction. The upper surface in this embodiment is the Z direction. The upper side is the +Z direction. The lower side is the -Z direction. Upper surface 72 is the surface against which connector 10 (see Fig. 1) is pressed to connect, and extends along a horizontal plane (XY plane) perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0023] On the upper surface 72, a plurality of conductive pads 74 made of a conductor and a ground pattern 75 made of a conductor are formed. The conductive pads 74 are arranged in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. In this embodiment, the horizontal direction is the Y direction. Each of the conductive pads 74 is a member for electrically connecting the connector 10. The ground pattern 75 surrounds all the conductive pads 74 all around in the XY plane. The ground pattern 75 is a member for grounding the connector 10.

[0024] The object 70 is formed with two positioning holes 78 and three screw holes 76. The positioning holes 78 are aligned in the horizontal direction. Each of the screw holes 76 has a female screw (not shown). The screw holes 76 are aligned in the horizontal direction. Referring to FIG. 2 together with FIG. 1, the positioning holes 78 are portions for positioning the connector 10 with respect to the object 70. The screw holes 76 are portions for fixing the connector 10 to the object 70 using screws 79.

[0025] The target 70 of the present embodiment has the above-mentioned structure. However, as long as the connector 10 can be electrically connected to the target 70, the structure of the target 70 of the present invention is not particularly limited.

[0026] 1, the connector 10 of the present embodiment can be connected to a plurality of cables 60. That is, the connector 10 is a so-called cable connector. The connector 10 forms a harness together with the cables 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this. 。For example, the connector 10 may be connectable to a mating connector (not shown) instead of the cable 60. Furthermore, the number of cables 60 connected to the connector 10 may be one.

[0027] The cables 60 in this embodiment are aligned horizontally to form a cable row. Each of the illustrated cables 60 extends along a front-rear direction perpendicular to both the up-down and horizontal directions. The front-rear direction in this embodiment is the X direction. The front is the +X direction. The rear is the -X direction. One end of each of the cables 60 is connected to the connector 10, and the other end is connected to an electronic device (not shown). When the connector 10 is connected to an object 70, the electronic device is electrically connected to a counterpart electronic device (not shown) on which the object 70 is mounted.

[0028] 4, the cable 60 of this embodiment includes a plurality of first cables 602 which are discrete cables and a plurality of second cables 604 which are coaxial cables. The first cables 602 are lined up on one side (-Y side) in the horizontal direction of the cable row. The second cables 604 are lined up on the other side (+Y side) in the horizontal direction of the cable row.

[0029] Each of the first cable 602 and the second cable 604 of this embodiment includes a core wire 62 made of a conductor and a coating 64 made of an insulator. The coating 64 covers the core wire 62. The core wire 62 is exposed from the coating 64 at the front end of the cable 60. Each of the first cables 602 includes only the core wire 62 and the coating 64. On the other hand, each of the second cables 604 includes, in addition to the core wire 62 and the coating 64, a shield 66 made of a conductor and an outer coating 68 made of an insulator. Each of the shields 66 is exposed from the outer coating 68 behind the exposed core wire 62.

[0030] The second cable 604 of this embodiment is suitable for transmitting high-frequency signals. That is, the connector 10 of this embodiment is a coaxial multi-core connector capable of transmitting high-frequency signals. However, as long as each of the cables 60 can be electrically connected to the connector 10, the structure of each of the cables 60 of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, all of the cables 60 may have the same structure. The cable 60 may include only the first cable 602 or only the second cable 604.

[0031] The connector 10 of this embodiment includes an insert molded body 12, a metallic cover 50, and two metallic ground plates 18. The insert molded body 12 of this embodiment includes a housing 20 made of resin, a plurality of metallic terminals 30, and a metallic insert shell 40. That is, the connector 10 includes the housing 20, the terminals 30, and the insert shell 40 in addition to the cover 50 and the ground plate 18.

[0032] Referring to Fig. 6, the terminals 30 have the same shape. Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the terminals 30 are arranged side by side and held by the housing 20. The cover 50 and the insert shell 40 sandwich the housing 20 in the vertical direction. Referring to Fig. 4 together with Fig. 2, the terminals 30 are provided corresponding to the conductive pads 74 of the object 70, respectively. Referring to Fig. 4, each of the terminals 30 can be connected to a cable 60.

[0033] The connector 10 of this embodiment includes the above-mentioned members. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the terminals 30 may have different shapes. The number of terminals 30 may be one. The cover 50, the ground plate 18, and the insert shell 40 may be provided as necessary. Meanwhile, the connector 10 may include other members in addition to the above-mentioned members.

[0034] A method for manufacturing the connector 10 of this embodiment (particularly, a method for manufacturing the insert molded body 12) will be described below.

[0035] 5 together with FIG 4, the insert molded body 12 of this embodiment is manufactured through three steps: a terminal forming step (step 1), an arrangement step (step 2), and a molding step (step 3). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the manufacturing method of the insert molded body 12 can be modified as necessary.

[0036] Referring to Fig. 6, in the terminal forming process (see Fig. 5) of this embodiment, a plurality of terminals 30 are formed. Although only two terminals 30 are drawn in Fig. 6, according to the terminal forming process of this embodiment, a large number of terminals 30 having the same shape are formed in accordance with the terminals 30 to be provided in the connector 10 (see Fig. 4).

[0037] Each of the terminals 30 in this embodiment is fabricated by bending a single metal plate. In other words, each of the terminals 30 is a single metal plate with a bend. Each of the terminals 30 in this embodiment has a held portion 31, a folded portion 32, a support portion 33, a contact portion 34, an embedded portion 35, and a soldered portion 36. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in each of the terminals 30, the embedded portion 35 and the soldered portion 36 may be formed as necessary. Each of the terminals 30 may be formed by combining a plurality of metal plates.

[0038] The following terminal formation process (see Figure 5) Terminal A description will be given of one of the terminals 30. The following description is applicable to each of the terminals 30 of this embodiment.

[0039] 6 to 8, the held portion 31 of the terminal 30 extends in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the held portion 31 extends straight along the front-rear direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the held portion 31 may extend in the up-down direction and At an angle close to 90° The grooves may extend obliquely along the front-rear direction.

[0040] The held portion 31 has a wide portion 312. The wide portion 312 is a part of the held portion 31, and extends along the front-rear direction while protruding on both lateral sides. In this embodiment, the wide portion 312 is located in the middle of the held portion 31 in the front-rear direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the position of the wide portion 312 in the front-rear direction can be changed as necessary.

[0041] The folded portion 32 extends forward from the front end of the held portion 31. More specifically, the folded portion 32 in this embodiment has a semicircular shape that protrudes forward in a vertical plane perpendicular to the lateral direction. The folded portion 32 extends forward and downward from the held portion 31 while drawing an arc, and then extends backward and downward while drawing an arc. That is, the folded portion 32 has an upper end and a lower end. The upper end of the folded portion 32 is connected to the front end of the held portion 31. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the structure of the folded portion 32 can be modified as necessary.

[0042] The support portion 33 extends rearward from the lower end of the folded portion 32 and is elastically deformable. The contact portion 34 is supported by the support portion 33 and can move up and down as the support portion 33 elastically deforms. The support portion 33 of this embodiment extends rearward, then extends rearward while inclining downward, and then extends rearward while inclining upward. The contact portion 34 of this embodiment is located at the lower end of the support portion 33. With this structure, the spring length of the support portion 33 can be increased, and the amount of movement of the contact portion 34 in the vertical direction can be increased. In addition, the support portion 33 of this embodiment has a tip 332. The tip 332 of the support portion 33 is a free end. That is, the support portion 33 of this embodiment is a cantilever beam and is easily bent. However, the structure of the support portion 33 of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can be modified as necessary.

[0043] The support portion 33 and the contact portion 34 are located below the held portion 31. With reference to Fig. 7, the support portion 33 and the contact portion 34 each have a size smaller than the wide portion 312 of the held portion 31 in the horizontal direction. When the terminal 30 is viewed from above, the support portion 33 including the contact portion 34 is covered by the held portion 31 and cannot be seen. That is, the support portion 33 and the contact portion 34 in this embodiment are located directly below the held portion 31 and are completely covered from above by the held portion 31. On the other hand, the wide portion 312 protrudes from the support portion 33 on both sides in the horizontal direction when the terminal 30 is viewed from below.

[0044] 6 to 8, the embedded portion 35 of this embodiment extends rearward from the rear end of the held portion 31. The soldering portion 36 of this embodiment extends rearward from the rear end of the embedded portion 35. That is, the embedded portion 35 is located between the soldering portion 36 and the held portion 31 in the front-rear direction. The soldering portion 36 extends straight along the front-rear direction. On the other hand, the embedded portion 35 has a bent portion 352. The bent portion 352 extends rearward while inclining downward. Each of the embedded portion 35 and the soldering portion 36 of this embodiment has the above-mentioned structure. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each of the structures of the embedded portion 35 and the soldering portion 36 can be modified as necessary.

[0045] To summarize the above explanation, the manufacturing method of connector 10 in this embodiment includes a terminal forming process (see Figure 5) for forming terminal 30, where terminal 30 has held portion 31, folded portion 32, support portion 33 and contact portion 34, where held portion 31 extends in the front-to-rear direction, held portion 31 has wide portion 312, folded portion 32 extends forward from held portion 31, support portion 33 extends rearward from folded portion 32 and is elastically deformable, contact portion 34 is supported by support portion 33, support portion 33 and contact portion 34 are located below held portion 31 in the up-down direction, support portion 33 and contact portion 34 each have a smaller size than wide portion 312 in the horizontal direction, and wide portion 312 protrudes laterally on both sides from support portion 33 when terminal 30 is viewed from below.

[0046] 6, in the arrangement step (see FIG. 5) of the present embodiment, the terminal 30 is arranged inside a mold 80. The mold 80 includes an upper mold 82 and a lower mold 84. The upper mold 82 is located above the lower mold 84. After the terminal 30 is partially arranged inside the lower mold 84, the lower surface of the upper mold 82 is pressed against the upper surface of the lower mold 84, and the upper mold 82 and the lower mold 84 are combined with each other.

[0047] 6 and 8, when the upper die 82 and the lower die 84 are combined with each other, a molding space 86 and a closed space 88 are formed inside the die 80. The closed space 88 is a space isolated from the molding space 86. The support portion 33 and the contact portion 34 of the terminal 30 are accommodated inside the closed space 88. The rearward facing surface of the folded portion 32 of the terminal 30 is located inside the closed space 88. Meanwhile, other portions of the terminal 30 are pressed against the die 80 or are located inside the molding space 86.

[0048] Referring to Fig. 6, according to the arrangement step (see Fig. 5) of this embodiment, a plurality of terminals 30 of the connector 10 (see Fig. 4) are arranged in a horizontal direction and arranged inside a mold 80 formed by combining one upper mold 82 and one lower mold 84. Inside the mold 80, a plurality of closed spaces 88 corresponding to the terminals 30, and a single molding space 86 that partially accommodates all the terminals 30 are formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the number of terminals 30 of the connector 10 is one, it is sufficient to form a single closed space 88 corresponding to the terminal 30 and a single molding space 86 that partially accommodates the terminal 30.

[0049] The mold 80 of this embodiment includes only two molds, an upper mold 82 and a lower mold 84. Moreover, each of the closed spaces 88 of this embodiment is surrounded only by the lower mold 84 and the corresponding terminal 30. More specifically, each of the closed spaces 88 is partially surrounded by the held portion 31 and the folded portion 32 of the corresponding terminal 30, and is also partially surrounded by the lower mold 84. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the mold 80 may further include an additional mold in addition to the upper mold 82 and the lower mold 84. Moreover, each of the closed spaces 88 may be partially surrounded by the upper mold 82 or the additional mold.

[0050] 6 to 8, when the terminal 30 is placed inside the mold 80, the upper surface of the wide portion 312 of the held portion 31 is pressed downward by the upper mold 82, and the lower surface of the wide portion 312 is pressed upward by the lower mold 84. In detail, the upper mold 82 of this embodiment has an upper pressure portion 822 corresponding to the terminal 30. The upper pressure portion 822 presses the middle portion in the lateral direction of the upper surface of the wide portion 312 downward. On the other hand, the lower mold 84 of this embodiment has two lower pressure portions 842 corresponding to the terminal 30. The lower pressure portions 842 press both sides in the lateral direction of the lower surface of the wide portion 312 upward. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As long as the wide portion 312 is sandwiched so as not to move in the vertical direction, the structure of the mold 80 is not particularly limited.

[0051] To summarize the above explanation, the manufacturing method of connector 10 in this embodiment includes an arrangement process in which terminal 30 is arranged inside mold 80. Mold 80 includes an upper mold 82 and a lower mold 84, and includes an arrangement process in which upper mold 82 is pressed against the upper surface of wide portion 312 of held portion 31 and lower mold 84 is pressed against both lateral sides of the lower surface of wide portion 312 to form a closed space 88 inside mold 80, and support portion 33 and contact portion 34 are arranged in closed space 88.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 6 together with FIG. 11, in the molding process (see FIG. 5) of this embodiment, a thermosetting resin is injected into a molding space 86 of a mold 80 through an injection hole (not shown) formed in the mold 80 and cured. The cured resin forms the housing 20. When the housing 20 is formed, each of the terminals 30 is partially embedded in the housing 20. More specifically, the portion of each of the terminals 30 located inside the molding space 86 is embedded inside the cured resin (i.e., the housing 20). On the other hand, referring to FIG. 8 together with FIG. 11, the injected resin does not flow into a closed space 88 separated from the molding space 86. Therefore, the support portion 33 and the contact portion 34 of each of the terminals 30 are exposed from the housing 20.

[0053] To summarize the above explanation, the manufacturing method of connector 10 in this embodiment includes a molding process in which resin is injected into mold 80 (see Figure 6) to form housing 20 made of resin, and terminals 30 are insert molded into housing 20, but resin is not injected into closed space 88.

[0054] 11, the compression type connector 10 can be easily connected by simply pressing it against an object 70. However, when transmitting high frequency signals using the connector 10, the terminals 30 need to be positioned with great precision relative to the housing 20. If the terminals 30 are attached to the housing 20 by a method such as press-fitting or engagement, there is a risk that the positional precision of the terminals 30 relative to the housing 20 will decrease. If the precision of the positional relationship between the housing 20 and the terminals 30 is insufficient, the high frequency characteristics of the terminals 30 will vary, and it may not be possible to obtain the specified design values.

[0055] On the other hand, in this embodiment, each of the terminals 30 is insert-molded and partially embedded in the housing 20 made of resin. By fixing each of the terminals 30 to the housing 20 in this manner, it is possible to suppress variation in the positional relationship between the housing 20 and the terminals 30.

[0056] 11 together with FIGS. 9, 12, and 15, the held portions 31 and soldering portions 36 of the terminals 30 are fixed in close contact with the housing 20 on both lateral sides. This structure prevents the terminals 30 from shifting relative to the housing 20. In addition, the embedded portions 35 of the terminals 30 are fixed in close contact with the housing 20 in a predetermined plane (YZ plane) defined by the vertical and lateral directions. This structure further reliably prevents the terminals 30 from shifting relative to the housing 20.

[0057] 11, when the spring length of the support portion 33 of the terminal 30 is increased to increase the spring property, the length of the held portion 31 also tends to increase. The long held portion 31 tends to be plastically deformed when the terminal 30 is insert-molded into the housing 20. For example, when the resin is injected in the molding process (see FIG. 5), the long held portion 31 may be pushed by the resin and embedded in the housing 20 in a wavy deformed state. As a result, the positional relationship between the housing 20 and the terminal 30 tends to change.

[0058] On the other hand, referring to FIG. 11 together with FIG. 7, the held portion 31 of this embodiment has wide portions 312 that extend beyond the support portions 33 on both lateral sides. Even if the support portions 33 are located directly below the held portion 31, the wide portions 312 allow the held portion 31 to be easily pressed from below by the lower die 84. When the terminals 30 are insert-molded into the housing 20, the wide portions 312 are sandwiched and pressed from above and below to suppress plastic deformation of the held portion 31. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a connector 10 (see FIG. 4) having a structure that can improve the accuracy of the positional relationship between the housing 20 and the terminals 30. That is, the connector 10 of this embodiment is suitable for transmitting high-frequency signals. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the connector 10 may transmit only low-frequency signals.

[0059] 11 together with FIG. 8, in the arrangement step (see FIG. 5) of this embodiment, in addition to the held portions 31 of the terminals 30, the folded portions 32 are also sandwiched and fixed vertically by the upper die 82 and the lower die 84. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the respective terminals 30 from shifting in position and undergoing plastic deformation when the resin is injected. Furthermore, the soldering portions 36 are also pressed against the upper die 82 above. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the respective terminals 30 from shifting in position and undergoing plastic deformation when the resin is injected. However, the present invention is not limited to this. 。 For example, the folded portion 32 may be fixed as necessary. On the other hand, in addition to the folded portion 32, other portions of the terminal 30 may be fixed above and below.

[0060] 11 together with FIG. 6, in the arrangement step (see FIG. 5) of this embodiment, in addition to the terminals 30, the insert shell 40 is also partially accommodated inside the molding space 86. Therefore, the insert shell 40 of this embodiment is partially embedded in the formed housing 20. According to this embodiment, the housing 20, the terminals 30, and the insert shell 40 can be arranged with extremely high precision relative to one another. In addition, the housing 20 can be reliably reinforced by the insert shell 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this. 。 For example, the insert shell 40 may be press-fit into the housing 20 after the housing 20 is formed.

[0061] The insert molded body 12 manufactured by the above-mentioned manufacturing process will be described below.

[0062] 9 to 11, the housing 20 of the insert molded body 12 of this embodiment has a main portion 22. According to this embodiment, most of the portions of the housing 20 are the main portion 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the housing 20 may have various portions in addition to the main portion 22.

[0063] The main portion 22 has a thin flat plate shape in the vertical direction and extends across all the terminals 30 in the horizontal direction. The main portion 22 has an upper surface 222 and a lower surface 224 in the vertical direction. The upper surface 222 and the lower surface 224 each extend along the XY plane. With reference to FIG. 11 together with FIG. 2, the lower surface 224 of the main portion 22 is located above the upper surface 72 of the object 70 in a connected state in which the connector 10 is pressed against the object 70 and connected. In other words, the lower surface 224 of the main portion 22 faces the object 70 when the connector 10 is connected to the object 70.

[0064] 9, 11 and 15, the main portion 22 of the housing 20 is formed with a plurality of through holes 226 each corresponding to the terminals 30, a plurality of punch holes 227 each corresponding to the terminals 30, and a plurality of accommodating spaces 228 each corresponding to the terminals 30.

[0065] 11 together with FIG. 8, each of the punch holes 227 is a trace left by punching the upper pressure portion 822 of the upper die 82 from the molded housing 20. Each of the punch holes 227 extends downward from the upper surface 222 of the main portion 22 to the wide portion 312 of the corresponding terminal 30. Each of the accommodation spaces 228 is a trace left by the closed space 88 formed inside the mold 80 (see FIG. 6). Each of the accommodation spaces 228 is recessed upward from the lower surface 224 of the main portion 22 to the held portion 31 of the corresponding terminal 30.

[0066] 11, each support portion 33 of the terminal 30 is partially accommodated in the corresponding accommodation space 228. More specifically, each support portion 33 of the terminal 30 is located inside the corresponding accommodation space 228 except for a portion near the contact portion 34. In particular, each tip 332 of the support portion 33 is located inside the corresponding accommodation space 228. This arrangement prevents damage to the terminal 30 caused by the tip 332 hitting against other portions or members.

[0067] On the other hand, each contact portion 34 of the terminal 30 is exposed downward from the accommodation space 228, and protrudes downward from the insert molded body 12. Each of the contact portions 34 arranged in this manner is pressed against the corresponding conductive pad 74 when the connector 10 is pressed against the upper surface 72 of the object 70. In detail, each of the contact portions 34 comes into contact with the corresponding conductive pad 74 with sufficient contact force while bending the support portion 33 when the connector 10 is pressed against the upper surface 72.

[0068] Each held portion 31 of the terminal 30 is held in the housing 20 so as to at least partially face the corresponding accommodation space 228. With reference to Fig. 11 and Fig. 12, when the insert molded body 12 is viewed from above, each wide portion 312 of the held portion 31 is at least partially visible through the corresponding punched hole 227. With reference to Fig. 15, when the insert molded body 12 is viewed from below, each wide portion 312 protrudes laterally on both sides from the support portion 33 and is partially visible through the accommodation space 228.

[0069] 11 together with Fig. 8, each of the through holes 226 is a mark left when the upper die 82 and the lower die 84 are removed from the molded housing 20. Referring to Figs. 11 and 15, each of the through holes 226 passes through the insert molded body 12 in the vertical direction. The folded portions 32 of the terminals 30 are located inside the corresponding through holes 226.

[0070] 11, each of the through holes 226 penetrates the main portion 22 from the upper surface 222 to the lower surface 224, and communicates with the accommodation space 228 in the front-rear direction. Each folded portion 32 of the terminal 30 is located in the middle of the corresponding through hole 226 in the up-down direction. Each folded portion 32 of the present embodiment is not embedded in the housing 20, and is elastically deformable. According to the present embodiment, the spring length of the terminal 30 can be further increased. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each folded portion 32 may be embedded in and fixed to the housing 20.

[0071] 4, 9, 10, and 15, the insert shell 40 of this embodiment is a bent metal plate, and is partially embedded and fixed in the housing 20. The insert shell 40 has a lower plate 42, a front plate 44, two side plates 46, and two rear plates 48. The lower plate 42, the front plate 44, the side plates 46, and the rear plate 48 are connected to each other. The lower plate 42, the front plate 44, the side plates 46, and the rear plate 48 are each partially embedded in the housing 20, thereby reinforcing the housing 20.

[0072] 11 and 15, the lower plate 42 covers the housing 20 from below, with the passage hole 226 and the accommodation space 228 open downward. The lower surface of the lower plate 42 in this embodiment is flush with the lower surface 224 of the main portion 22 of the housing 20. That is, the insert shell 40 in this embodiment is partially exposed from the lower surface 224 of the main portion 22.

[0073] 15 together with FIG. 11, the insert shell 40 of this embodiment surrounds the contact portions 34 of the terminals 30 in the XY plane when the connector 10 is connected to the object 70. In detail, the lower plate 42 of this embodiment is embedded in the lower surface 224 of the main part 22 so as to surround all the through holes 226 and the accommodation space 228 in the XY plane. The lower plate 42 thus arranged surrounds the contact portions 34 of all the terminals 30 in the XY plane when the connector 10 is pressed against the object 70 and connected, thereby electromagnetically shielding the terminals 30 in the XY plane. That is, the connector 10 of this embodiment can suppress EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference).

[0074] 10 and 11, the front plate 44 covers the housing 20 from the front with almost no gaps. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 9, the two side plates 46 cover the housing 20 from both sides in the lateral direction with almost no gaps. Referring to FIG. 9, the two rear plates 48 are located on both sides in the lateral direction of the insert molded body 12. Each of the rear plates 48 covers the housing 20 from the rear. The connector 10 of this embodiment includes the insert shell 40 having the above-mentioned structure, and can suppress EMI more reliably. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the structure of the insert shell 40 can be modified as necessary.

[0075] The connector 10 including the insert molded body 12 will now be described.

[0076] 4, the cable 60 is attached to the insert molding 12. In more detail, referring to Fig. 11, the soldering portions 36 of the terminals 30 are the locations to which the cable 60 is soldered. Referring to Fig. 4 together with Fig. 11, the core wires 62 of the cable 60 are soldered and fixed to the soldering portions 36.

[0077] If a part of the terminal 30 is crimped and fixed to the cable 60 by wrapping it around it, it is necessary to provide a crimping portion having a large size in the horizontal direction on each of the terminals 30. As a result, the size of the terminals 30 in the horizontal direction is likely to be large. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since there is no need to provide such a crimping portion, the size of each of the terminals 30 in the horizontal direction can be reduced. In addition, the interval (pitch) in the horizontal direction between two terminals 30 adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction can be reduced. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each of the terminals 30 may have a crimping portion instead of the soldering portion 36, or may have a connection portion for connecting to a mating terminal (not shown) of a mating connector (not shown).

[0078] Referring to FIG. 11, each embedded portion 35 of the terminal 30 is completely surrounded by the housing 20 in the YZ plane. This structure can prevent flux from moving to the held portion 31 when the core wire 62 of the cable 60 is soldered. Also, each bent portion 352 of the terminal 30 is bent in the vertical direction. That is, in each of the terminals 30, the soldering portion 36 and the held portion 31 are separated from each other in the vertical direction. More specifically, in each of the terminals 30 of this embodiment, the held portion 31 is located above the soldering portion 36. This structure can more reliably prevent flux from moving to the held portion 31. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the bent portion 352 may be provided as necessary.

[0079] 4, when the cable 60 is attached to the insert molded body 12, the exposed shield 66 of the second cable 604 is fixed to each of the two ground plates 18 by soldering or the like. The core wire 62 of the second cable 604 is soldered to the soldering portion 36 (see FIG. 11) in a state in which the shield 66 is sandwiched between the two ground plates 18 from above and below. In addition, the lower ground plate 18 is fixed to the insert shell 40 by soldering or the like, whereby the shield 66 of the second cable 604 is grounded to the insert shell 40. The second cable 604 of this embodiment is attached to the insert molded body 12 as described above. However, the method of attaching the second cable 604 to the insert molded body 12 in the present invention is not particularly limited.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 12, the cover 50 of this embodiment is attached to the insert molded body 12 to which the cable 60 is fixed. Referring to FIGS. 12 to 14, the cover 50 of this embodiment is a bent metal plate, and is fixed to the insert shell 40 by soldering or the like. The cover 50 has an upper plate 52, a front plate 54, two side plates 56, and two rear plates 58. The upper plate 52, the front plate 54, the side plates 56, and the rear plate 58 are connected to each other. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 13, when the cover 50 is attached to the insert molded body 12, the upper plate 52 comes into contact with the upper ground plate 18.

[0081] 4 and 12, the cover 50 at least partially covers the upper surface 222 of the insert molded body 12. More specifically, the upper plate 52 of the cover 50 covers the upper surface 222 of the main portion 22 of the housing 20 from above with almost no gaps. Referring to Figs. 13 and 14, the housing 20 is covered from above and below by the insert shell 40 and the cover 50, and is electromagnetically shielded.

[0082] 3 and 4, the front plate 54 covers the front plate 44 of the insert shell 40 from the front with almost no gap. The two side plates 56 cover the two side plates 46 of the insert shell 40 from both sides in the lateral direction with almost no gap, respectively. Referring to Fig. 13, the two rear plates 58 cover the two rear plates 48 of the insert shell 40 from the rear with almost no gap, respectively. Referring to Fig. 1 together with Fig. 11, when the connector 10 is pressed against an object 70 and connected, the contact portion 34 is located inside the insert shell 40 and the cover 50 in the XY plane.

[0083] The cover 50 of this embodiment, together with the insert shell 40, reinforces the housing 20. In addition, the cover 50, together with the insert shell 40, electromagnetically shields the terminals 30 in the XY plane. That is, the connector 10 of this embodiment can more effectively suppress EMI. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the structure of the cover 50 can be modified as necessary.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 1, the connector 10 of the present embodiment is fixed to an object 70 as described below.

[0085] 14 together with FIG 2, the housing 20 has two positioning portions 28 respectively corresponding to the two positioning holes 78 of the object 70. With reference to FIG 2 and FIG 14, first, the positioning portions 28 are inserted into the positioning holes 78, respectively, to position the connector 10 on the object 70. Next, the connector 10 is pressed against the object 70 to connect.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 9, three fastener holes 225 are formed in the main part 22 of the housing 20 of this embodiment. The fastener holes 225 are aligned in the horizontal direction and penetrate the main part 22 in the vertical direction. Referring to FIG. 14, three fastener holes 422 corresponding to the three fastener holes 225 of the housing 20 are formed in the lower plate 42 of the insert shell 40 of this embodiment. Each of the fastener holes 422 is located below the corresponding fastener hole 225 and penetrates the lower plate 42 in the vertical direction. Each of the fastener holes 225 forms a first hole 122 together with the corresponding fastener hole 422. That is, three first holes 122 are formed in the insert molded body 12 of this embodiment. Each of the first holes 122 penetrates the insert molded body 12 in the vertical direction.

[0087] 3 and 4, the cover 50 of this embodiment is formed with three second holes 522 respectively corresponding to the three first holes 122 of the insert molded body 12. Each of the second holes 522 is located above the corresponding first hole 122 and penetrates the cover 50 in the up-down direction. That is, the second holes 522 respectively correspond to the first holes 122 in the XY plane.

[0088] 1 and 2, the three screws 79 correspond to the first holes 122 and the second holes 522, respectively. The three screws 79 also correspond to the screw holes 76 of the object 70, respectively. After the connector 10 is pressed against the object 70 and connected, each of the screws 79 is screwed into the corresponding screw holes 76 of the object 70 through the corresponding first holes 122 and second holes 522. As a result, the connector 10 is securely fixed to the object 70.

[0089] As described above, when used, connector 10 of the present embodiment is positioned by positioning portion 28 (see FIG. 14) and positioning hole 78, and then screwed to object 70 by screws 79 inserted into first hole 122 and second hole 522. However, in the present invention, the method of fixing connector 10 to object 70 is not particularly limited.

[0090] 1, 2 and 15, when the connector 10 is fixed to the target 70, the lower plate 42 of the insert shell 40 is pressed against the ground pattern 75 of the target 70 and grounded. At this time, the lower plate 42 and the ground pattern 75 surround the contact parts 34 of all the terminals 30 and all the conductive pads 74 over the entire circumference in the XY plane. In addition, referring to FIG. 4 together with FIG. 2, the shield 66 of the second cable 604 is grounded to the target 70 via the ground plate 18, the insert shell 40 and the cover 50. With the above-mentioned structure, the connector 10 can more reliably suppress EMI. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ground pattern 75 of the target 70 may be provided as necessary. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 10 Connectors 12 Insert molding 122 Hole 1 18 Ground Plate 20. Housing 22 Main Section 222 Top 224 Bottom surface 225 Stop hole 226 Passing hole 227 Hole 228 Containment Space 28 Positioning part 30 Terminals 31 Holding part 312 Wide section 32 Folded section 33 Support part 332 Tip 34 Contact part 35 Buried section 352 Bend 36 Soldering section 40 Insert Shell 42 Lower plate 422 Stop hole 44 Front Panel 46 Side Panel 48 Rear plate 50 Cover 52 Upper Board 522 Hole 2 54 Front Panel 56 Side Panel 58 Rear plate 60 Cable 602 First Cable 604 Second Cable 62 core wire 64 Covering 66 Shield 68 Outer coating 70 Object (circuit board) 72 Top surface 74 Conductive Pad 75 Grand Pattern 76 Screw hole 78 Positioning hole 79 Screw 80 Mold 82 Upper mold 822 Upper pressure section 84 Lower mold 842 Lower pressure part 86 Molding space 88 Closed space

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a compression type connector that is connected by pressing it against an object, comprising the steps of: a terminal forming process for forming a terminal, the terminal having a held portion, a folded portion, a support portion, and a contact portion, the held portion extending in a front-rear direction, the held portion having a wide portion, the folded portion extending forward from the held portion, the support portion extending rearward from the folded portion and being elastically deformable, the contact portion being supported by the support portion, the support portion and the contact portion being located below the held portion in a top-bottom direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, the support portion and the contact portion each having a size smaller than the wide portion in a lateral direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the top-bottom direction, and the wide portion protruding from the support portion on both sides in the lateral direction when the terminal is viewed from below; an arrangement step of arranging the terminal inside a mold, the mold including an upper mold and a lower mold, the upper mold being pressed against an upper surface of the wide portion of the held portion, and the lower mold being pressed against both lateral sides of a lower surface of the wide portion to form a closed space inside the mold, and the support portion and the contact portion being arranged in the closed space; a molding process in which a resin is injected into the inside of the mold to form a housing made of the resin, and the terminals are insert-molded into the housing, the resin not being injected into the closed space; A manufacturing method comprising:

2. A compression type connector that is pressed against an object to connect, The connector includes an insert molding, The insert molded body includes a housing made of resin and a terminal, The terminal is partially embedded in the housing; The housing has a main portion, The main portion has an upper surface and a lower surface in a vertical direction, the lower surface of the main portion faces the object when the connector is connected to the object; The main portion is formed with a hole and an accommodation space, The hole extends downward from the upper surface of the main portion, The storage space is recessed upward from the lower surface of the main portion, The terminal has a held portion, a folded portion, a support portion, and a contact portion, The held portion extends in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and is held by the housing so as to at least partially face the accommodation space, The held portion has a wide portion, When the insert molding is viewed from above, the wide portion is at least partially visible through the punch hole, The folded portion extends forward from the held portion, The support portion extends rearward from the folded-back portion and is elastically deformable, The contact portion is supported by the support portion, The support portion and the contact portion are located below the held portion, each of the support portion and the contact portion has a size smaller than that of the wide portion in a lateral direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction; The support portion is partially accommodated in the accommodation space, When the insert molding is viewed from below, the wide portion protrudes from the support portion on both sides in the lateral direction and is partially visible through the accommodation space. connector.

3. 3. The connector according to claim 2, The connector is connectable to a cable; The terminal has a soldering portion and a buried portion, the soldering portion is a portion where the cable is soldered, The embedded portion is located between the soldering portion and the held portion, and is completely surrounded by the housing in a plane defined by the vertical direction and the lateral direction. connector.

4. 4. The connector according to claim 3, The embedded portion has a bent portion, The bent portion is bent in the up-down direction, The soldering portion and the held portion are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. connector.

5. A connector according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The tip of the support portion is a free end and is located inside the storage space. connector.

6. A connector according to any one of claims 2 to 5, The housing has a through hole formed therein, The passage hole penetrates the main portion from the upper surface to the lower surface and communicates with the storage space, The folded portion is located inside the passage hole. connector.

7. A connector according to any one of claims 2 to 6, The insert molding includes a metal insert shell, The insert shell is partially embedded in the housing and partially exposed from the lower surface of the main portion. connector.

8. 8. The connector of claim 7, The insert shell surrounds the contact portion in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the up-down direction when the connector is connected to the object. connector.

9. A connector according to any one of claims 2 to 8, The connector includes a metal cover, The cover at least partially covers the upper surface of the insert molding. connector.

10. 10. The connector of claim 9, A first hole is formed in the insert molding, The cover has a second hole formed therein, The second hole corresponds to the first hole in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the up-down direction, When in use, the connector is screwed to the object by screws inserted into the first hole and the second hole. connector.

Images