Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector which can electrically connect a connector terminal and a counterpart connector terminal with the high reliability even when the counterpart connector terminal relatively moves in any direction with respect to the connector terminal.SOLUTION: A connector comprises: a connector terminal 12 which has a flat connection surface 12A; a spherical ball in which at least a surface thereof has the conductivity; a ball holding part which holds the ball in a rotatable manner in such a state that a portion of the surface of the ball is brought into contact with the connection surface and a portion of the surface of the ball facing the opposite side to the connection surface protrudes; a ball guide part 14 which is fixed to the connector terminal and holds the ball holding part in a secondary movable manner along the connection surface 12A; and a terminal spring 13F which presses a counterpart connector terminal 21 inserted to a counterpart connector terminal storage part 13G and the connection surface of the connector terminal in the direction of getting close to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a connector, and particularly to a connector having a mating connector terminal housing portion into which a part of a mating connector terminal is inserted.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for the purpose of reducing the sliding resistance of a mating connector terminal that is inserted and removed with respect to a connector terminal, a connector has been known in which metal balls are arranged movably between the connector terminal and the mating connector terminal as contacts. The connector terminal is electrically connected to the mating connector terminal via the metal balls.

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 16, a connector in which a connector terminal 2 and a mating connector terminal 3 are electrically connected within a connector housing 1 made of a resin material is disclosed. Inside the connector housing 1, three metal balls 5 held by a contact holder 4 and a helically wound coil spring 6 are arranged. The connector terminal 2 is pressed against the three metal balls 5 by the helically wound coil spring 6 and is electrically connected to the mating connector terminal 3 via the three metal balls 5.

[0004] As shown in FIG. 17, the three metal balls 5 are each accommodated together with a compression coil spring 8 in three contact housing portions 7 formed in the contact holder 4. When the mating connector terminal 3 is inserted into the connector housing 1, the three metal balls 5 roll and move while elastically compressing the corresponding compression coil springs 8 as the mating connector terminal 3 moves. Thereby, the sliding resistance associated with the insertion of the mating connector terminal 3 is reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] However, as shown in Figure 17, the three contact housings 7 formed on the contact holder 4 extend parallel to each other along the insertion direction D of the mating connector terminal 3. Therefore, although the three metal balls 5 can each roll along the insertion direction D of the mating connector terminal 3, they cannot move in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction D.

[0007] Therefore, when inserting the mating connector terminal 3 into the connector housing 1, or when the mating connector terminal 3 is connected to the connector terminal 2, if the mating connector terminal 3 is subjected to some external force or otherwise moves relative to the connector terminal 2 in a direction different from the insertion direction D, the sliding resistance cannot be reduced, and the reliability of the electrical connection between the connector terminal 2 and the mating connector terminal 3 may decrease.

[0008] This invention was made to solve the problems of the conventional methods, and aims to provide a connector that can electrically connect a connector terminal to a mating connector terminal with high reliability, regardless of the direction in which the mating connector terminal moves relative to the connector terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The connector according to this invention is A connector having a mating connector terminal housing into which a portion of the mating connector terminal is inserted, A connector terminal having a flat connection surface facing the mating connector terminal inserted into the mating connector terminal housing, At least one spherical ball disposed on a connecting surface and having at least one conductive surface, A ball holding part that holds the ball so that it can rotate, such that a portion of the ball's surface is in contact with the connecting surface and the portion of the ball's surface facing away from the connecting surface protrudes, A ball guide portion that is fixed to the connector terminal and holds the ball holding portion so that it can move two-dimensionally along the connection surface, A terminal spring for pressing the mating connector terminal inserted into the mating connector terminal housing and the connection surface of the connector terminals toward each other, and Equipped with, The mating connector terminal, inserted into the mating connector terminal housing, is pressed against the connection surface by the terminal spring, contacts the protruding portion of the surface of the ball held in the ball holding section, and is electrically connected to the connector terminal via the ball.

[0010] It is equipped with a terminal spring retaining part that is attached to the connector terminal and holds the terminal spring so that it faces the connection surface, It is preferable to configure the device so that a mating connector terminal housing is formed between the terminal spring and the connecting surface.

[0011] Furthermore, the ball guide section has a fixing section that is fixed to the connector terminal, and a return spring that is connected to the fixing section and returns the ball holding section to its initial position on the connection surface. Preferably, the ball-holding portion moves two-dimensionally along the connection surface in response to the movement of the mating connector terminal when the mating connector terminal is inserted into the mating connector terminal housing and when connected to the connector terminal, and returns to its initial position by a return spring when the mating connector terminal is removed from the mating connector terminal housing.

[0012] The return spring can be formed from a strip-shaped member that extends along the connecting surface and is bent. The ball retaining portion may be formed integrally with the fixing portion and return spring of the ball guide portion. In this case, the ball guide portion may be formed from a single plate member. The device can be configured to include multiple balls and multiple ball-holding sections that each hold the balls in a rotatable manner. In this case, it is preferable to have three balls arranged on the connecting surface so as not to be aligned in a straight line, and three ball-holding parts.

[0013] The device may be equipped with a retaining plate in which multiple ball-holding sections are integrally formed, and a return spring may be configured to be connected to the retaining plate. In this case, it is preferable that the ball guide portion has a retaining plate restraint portion to prevent the retaining plate from being displaced from the connection surface in a direction perpendicular to the connection surface. Furthermore, it is preferable that the ball guide portion has a return spring retainer portion to prevent the return spring from being displaced from the connection surface in a direction perpendicular to the connection surface. Alternatively, the ball guide section may have multiple return springs corresponding to multiple ball holding sections, and the multiple ball holding sections may be configured to be individually held by the ball guide section so as to be movable two-dimensionally along the connecting surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to this invention, the connector comprises a ball holding portion that rotatably holds a ball such that at least a portion of the surface of the ball having a conductive surface contacts the flat connection surface of the connector terminal and the portion of the ball's surface facing away from the connection surface is exposed; a ball guide portion that holds the ball holding portion so as to be movable two-dimensionally along the connection surface; and a terminal spring for pressing the mating connector terminal and the connection surface of the connector terminal toward each other. Since the mating connector terminal is electrically connected to the connector terminal via the ball, it is possible to electrically connect the connector terminal and the mating connector terminal with high reliability regardless of the direction in which the mating connector terminal moves relative to the connector terminal. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing a connector and a mating connector terminal according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the connector and the mating connector terminal according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the ball guide section and the retaining plate held in the ball guide section used in Embodiment 1, viewed from diagonally above. [Figure 4]It is a perspective view of the ball guide part used in Embodiment 1 and the holding plate held by the ball guide part, as seen from obliquely below. [Figure 5] It is a front view showing the ball guide part used in Embodiment 1 and the holding plate held by the ball guide part. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view showing the connector terminal used in Embodiment 1, the ball guide part fixed to the connector terminal, and the holding plate held by the ball guide part. [Figure 7] It is a cross-sectional view showing the ball held by the ball holding part. [Figure 8] It is a plan view showing the state in which the mating connector terminal is inserted into the connector according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 9] It is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] It is a perspective view showing the state in which the holding plate is displaced with respect to the ball guide part. [Figure 11] It is a perspective view showing another state in which the holding plate is displaced with respect to the ball guide part. [Figure 12] It is a plan view showing the connector terminal used in Embodiment 2, the ball guide part fixed to the connector terminal, and the plurality of ball holding parts held by the ball guide part. [Figure 13] It is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 12. [Figure 14] It is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 13. [Figure 15] It is a plan view showing the connector terminal used in Embodiment 2, the ball guide part fixed to the connector terminal, and the plurality of ball holding parts held by the ball guide part and displaced. [Figure 16] It is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional connector. [Figure 17] It is a plan view showing the contact holder of a conventional connector and three metal balls.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of this invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. Embodiment 1 Figure 1 shows a connector 11 according to Embodiment 1 and a mating connector terminal 21 inserted into the connector 11. The connector 11 has a connector terminal 12 that is electrically connected to the mating connector terminal 21 and a terminal spring retaining part 13 attached to the connector terminal 12.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the mating connector terminal 21 is formed from a plug contact having a flat plate shape. The connector terminal 12 is also formed from a socket contact having a flat plate shape, similar to the mating connector terminal 21, and has a flat connection surface 12A. In Figure 2, the terminal spring retaining portion 13 is represented by a dashed line so that its interior is visible.

[0018] Here, for convenience, the flat connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 extends along the XY plane, the direction in which the mating connector terminal 21 is inserted into the connector 11 is referred to as the +Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 is referred to as the Z direction.

[0019] The terminal spring holder 13 is made of a plate-like member such as a bent metal plate and has a generally rectangular tube shape with its central axis extending along the X direction. Specifically, the terminal spring holder 13 has a bottom plate portion 13A located on the -Z direction side and extending along the XY plane, an upper plate portion 13B located on the +Z direction side and extending along the XY plane, a front plate portion 13C located on the -Y direction side and extending along the XZ plane, and a rear plate portion 13D located on the +Y direction side and extending along the XZ plane. The front plate portion 13C has an opening 13E into which the mating connector terminal 21 is inserted, and the upper plate portion 13B has a terminal spring 13F that is bent and extends in the -Z and +Y directions at its -Y direction end.

[0020] The height of the upper plate portion 13B in the Z direction relative to the bottom plate portion 13A is greater than the thickness of the connector terminal 12 in the Z direction, and the terminal spring retaining portion 13 is attached to the connector terminal 12 such that the connector terminal 12 is in contact with the bottom plate portion 13A of the terminal spring retaining portion 13 and is located inside the terminal spring retaining portion 13. Inside the terminal spring holding portion 13, a mating connector terminal housing portion 13G is formed between the terminal spring 13F and the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12, into which the mating connector terminal 21 is inserted.

[0021] Furthermore, a ball guide portion 14 and a retaining plate 15 held by the ball guide portion 14 are positioned on the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12.

[0022] The configuration of the ball guide section 14 and the retaining plate 15 is shown in Figures 3 and 4. The ball guide portion 14 is made of a plate-like member such as a metal plate and has a U-shaped fixing portion 14A that is open in the -Y direction and two return springs 14B that are connected to the +Y direction side of the fixing portion 14A and extend inward toward the U-shaped fixing portion 14A. A rectangular retaining plate 15 is connected to the tips of the two return springs 14B. Each return spring 14B is formed from a strip-shaped member that has been bent multiple times in the XY plane, and is configured to be elastically deformable in the XY plane.

[0023] Furthermore, a pair of rectangular retaining plate retaining portions 14C are formed from the +X and -X ends on the -Y side of the fixing portion 14A, respectively, extending in the -X and +X directions along the +Z side surfaces of the fixing portion 14A and the retaining plate 15. As shown in Figure 4, both ends of the retaining plate 15 in the X direction are positioned to overlap the -Z side of the pair of retaining plate retaining portions 14C.

[0024] Furthermore, a rectangular return spring retaining portion 14D is formed from the +Y end of the fixing portion 14A, extending in the -Y direction along the +Z side surfaces of the fixing portion 14A and the two return springs 14B. As shown in Figure 4, a portion of the two return springs 14B is positioned to overlap the -Z side of the return spring retaining portion 14D.

[0025] Since the retaining plate 15 is connected to the tips of the two return springs 14B, when an external force acts on the retaining plate 15 along the XY plane, the retaining plate 15 can move relative to the fixing part 14A and is held by the ball guide part 14 so as to be movable two-dimensionally along the XY plane.

[0026] Here, since both ends of the retaining plate 15 in the X direction are positioned to overlap with the -Z direction side of the pair of retaining plate retaining portions 14C, the presence of the pair of retaining plate retaining portions 14C prevents the retaining plate 15 from being displaced in the +Z direction perpendicular to the XY plane when it moves along the XY plane. Similarly, since a portion of the two return springs 14B is positioned to overlap with the return spring retainer portion 14D on the -Z side, the presence of the return spring retainer portion 14D prevents the two return springs 14B from being displaced in the +Z direction perpendicular to the XY plane when they elastically deform in conjunction with the movement of the retaining plate 15 in the XY plane.

[0027] The retaining plate 15 has three ball-holding portions 15A that are spaced apart from each other. Of the three ball-holding portions 15A, two are positioned at the same Y-direction, separated from each other in the X-direction, while the remaining ball-holding portion 15A is positioned at an intermediate position in the X-direction between the two ball-holding portions 15A and at a different Y-direction position from the other two ball-holding portions 15A. In other words, the three ball-holding portions 15A are positioned at the three vertices of an approximately isosceles triangle so as not to be aligned in a straight line in the XY plane.

[0028] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, each ball-holding portion 15A has a cylindrical shape that protrudes in the +Z direction and is configured to house and hold a ball, which will be described later.

[0029] The fixing portion 14A, the two return springs 14B, and the retaining plate 15 of the ball guide portion 14 having such a configuration can be integrally formed from, for example, a single metal plate. However, the ball guide portion 14 and the retaining plate 15 can also be formed by separately manufacturing the fixing portion 14A of the ball guide portion 14, the two return springs 14B, and the retaining plate 15, and then connecting them to each other.

[0030] As shown in Figure 6, the balls 16 are housed in the three ball-holding portions 15A of the retaining plate 15 from the -Z direction. In this state, the ball guide portion 14 and the retaining plate 15 are placed on the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12. The ball guide portion 14 is fixed to the connector terminal 12 by welding multiple points of the fixing portion 14A of the ball guide portion 14 to the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12, for example by laser welding.

[0031] As shown in Figure 7, the balls 16 housed in each ball holding portion 15A are formed in a spherical shape from a conductive metal, and the ball holding portion 15A has an opening 15B with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the ball 16, positioned higher than the radius of the ball 16 and lower than the diameter of the ball 16, in the +Z direction from the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12. The position and diameter of the opening 15B of each ball holding portion 15A on the holding plate 15 are set so that the balls 16 housed in the ball holding portion 15A can move and rotate slightly within the space enclosed by the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 and the ball holding portion 15A.

[0032] Since the opening 15B of the ball holding portion 15A has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the ball 16, the ball 16 will not escape from the space enclosed by the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 and the ball holding portion 15A. Because the ball holding portion 15A has such an opening 15B, as shown in Figure 7, the -Z end of the ball 16 housed in the space enclosed by the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 and the ball holding portion 15A contacts the connection surface 12A, while the +Z end of the ball 16 protrudes in the +Z direction from the opening 15B.

[0033] Furthermore, the ball 16 only needs to have a conductive surface; for example, a spherical member made of an insulator with a conductive metal layer formed on its surface can also be used. Furthermore, the +Z end of the ball 16 held in the ball holding portion 15A is located further away in the -Z direction than the part of the terminal spring 13F of the terminal spring holding portion 13 shown in Figure 2 that is located on the -Z side, and the distance between them in the Z direction is smaller than the thickness of the flat-shaped mating connector terminal 21.

[0034] Next, the operation of the connector 11 according to Embodiment 1 will be described. When electrically connecting the mating connector terminal 21 to the connector terminal 12 of connector 11, the mating connector terminal 21 shown in Figure 1 is moved from the -Y direction to the +Y direction, and as shown in Figure 8, the tip of the mating connector terminal 21 is inserted into the terminal spring retaining portion 13 of connector 11 through the opening 13E of the terminal spring retaining portion 13.

[0035] At this time, as shown in Figure 9, the tip of the mating connector terminal 21 on the +Y direction is inserted into the mating connector terminal housing portion 13G formed between the terminal spring 13F and the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12, while elastically compressing the terminal spring 13F of the terminal spring holding portion 13 toward the +Z direction, and is pressed toward the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 by the terminal spring 13F, i.e., in the -Z direction.

[0036] Therefore, the surface of the mating connector terminal 21 on the -Z side contacts the +Z end of each ball 16 held in the three ball holding portions 15A with a predetermined contact pressure, and the -Z end of each ball 16 held in the three ball holding portions 15A contacts the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 with a predetermined contact pressure. As a result, the mating connector terminal 21 and the connector terminal 12 are electrically connected to each other via the three balls 16.

[0037] Each of the three balls 16 contacts the -Z-direction surface of the mating connector terminal 21 and the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 with a predetermined contact pressure. As the mating connector terminal 21 is inserted into the mating connector terminal housing 13G, the balls tend to rotate and move in the +Y direction. The retaining plate 15, on which the three ball retaining portions 15A are formed, moves along the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 in the +Y direction together with the three balls 16.

[0038] In other words, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, before the insertion of the mating connector terminal 21, the retaining plate 15, which was initially located at position P1 relative to the fixing portion 14A of the ball guide portion 14, moves in the +Y direction while elastically compressing the two return springs 14B, and after the insertion of the mating connector terminal 21, it is displaced to position P2 as shown in Figure 10. At this time, the presence of the pair of retaining plate retaining portions 14C and the return spring retaining portion 14D of the ball guide portion 14 prevents the retaining plate 15 and the two return springs 14B from being displaced in the +Z direction perpendicular to the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12.

[0039] In this way, the three balls 16 positioned between the mating connector terminal 21 and the connector terminal 12 rotate and move in the +Y direction, thereby reducing the sliding resistance associated with inserting the mating connector terminal 21 into the mating connector terminal housing 13G. Similarly, when withdrawing the mating connector terminal 21, which is connected to connector terminal 12, from the mating connector terminal housing 13G, it is possible to reduce sliding resistance.

[0040] Furthermore, since the retaining plate 15 is held in a manner that allows it to move not only in the Y direction but also two-dimensionally along the XY plane with respect to the fixing portion 14A of the ball guide portion 14, when inserting the mating connector terminal 21 into the mating connector terminal housing portion 13G, or when withdrawing the mating connector terminal 21 from the mating connector terminal housing portion 13G, if the mating connector terminal 21 moves relative to the connector terminal 12 in a direction different from the Y direction, the three balls 16 can also move in the same direction as the mating connector terminal 21. As a result, the retaining plate 15 can be displaced to position P3, for example, as shown in Figure 11, thereby reducing sliding resistance.

[0041] Furthermore, the mating connector terminal 21 may move relative to the connector terminal 12 not only when being inserted into or removed from the mating connector terminal housing 13G, but also when connected to the connector terminal 12, due to external forces such as vibration acting on the connector 11. However, regardless of which direction the mating connector terminal 21 moves relative to the connector terminal 12 in the XY plane, the retaining plate 15 can move in the same direction as the mating connector terminal 21 together with the three balls 16. Therefore, sliding resistance is reduced, and it becomes possible to electrically connect the connector terminal 12 and the mating connector terminal 21 with high reliability.

[0042] Furthermore, when the connection between connector terminal 12 and mating connector terminal 21 is released and mating connector terminal 21 is pulled out of mating connector terminal housing 13G, the retaining plate 15 returns to the initial position P1 shown in Figures 3 and 4 along the connection surface 12A of connector terminal 12 due to the action of the two return springs 14B.

[0043] The number of balls 16 rotatably held by the retaining plate 15 is not limited to three. The retaining plate 15 can also have one ball holding section 15A, two ball holding sections 15A, or four or more ball holding sections 15A to hold one, two, or four or more balls 16. However, as in Embodiment 1 above, using three balls 16 is preferable because it stabilizes the position of the mating connector terminal 21 relative to the connector terminal 12, and furthermore, it allows for the formation of a larger current path between the mating connector terminal 21 and the connector terminal 12 compared to using one or two balls 16.

[0044] The ball guide section 14 is not limited to two return springs 14B; the retaining plate 15 can also be held in place by the fixing section 14A using one return spring 14B or three or more return springs 14B.

[0045] In the above embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 9, the terminal spring 13F of the terminal spring holding portion 13 contacts the mating connector terminal 21 inserted into the mating connector terminal housing portion 13G, pressing the mating connector terminal 21 toward the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The terminal spring holding portion 13 only needs to hold a terminal spring that presses the mating connector terminal 21, which is inserted into the mating connector terminal housing portion 13G, and the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 toward each other. For example, the terminal spring can be used to press the connector terminal 12 toward the mating connector terminal 21, thereby causing the ball 16 to contact the surface of the mating connector terminal 21 on the -Z side and the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 with a predetermined contact pressure.

[0046] Embodiment 2 In the above embodiment 1, the positions of the three ball holding portions 15A on the holding plate 15 are fixed, and the entire holding plate 15 is held in a two-dimensionally movable manner relative to the fixed portion 14A by the return spring 14B of the ball guide portion 14, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

[0047] Figure 12 shows the configuration of the ball guide portion 24 used in the connector according to Embodiment 2. The ball guide portion 24 is made of a plate-like member such as a metal plate, has a rectangular outer shape, and has a fixing portion 24A fixed to the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12. Three circular openings C are formed in the fixing portion 24A, and a ball holding portion 24C held by three return springs 24B is arranged inside each opening C.

[0048] The ball-holding portion 24C is held in its initial position at the center of the corresponding circular opening C, i.e., at the intersection of two straight lines LX and LY along the two diameters extending in the X and Y directions of the opening C. The three ball-holding portions 24C held within the three openings C are positioned at the three vertices of an approximately isosceles triangle, so as not to be aligned in a straight line.

[0049] Each return spring 24B is formed from a strip-shaped member that has been bent multiple times in the XY plane, with one end connected to a fixing portion 24A at the edge of the corresponding opening C and the other end connected to a corresponding ball holding portion 24C, and is formed to be elastically deformable in the XY plane. With this configuration, the three ball-holding sections 24C are held individually so as to be movable two-dimensionally along the XY plane.

[0050] Each of the three ball-holding portions 24C has the same configuration as the ball-holding portion 15A in Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 7. That is, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the ball-holding portion 24C has a cylindrical shape that protrudes in the +Z direction, and the ball 16 is rotatably arranged inside. An opening 24D is formed at the +Z end of the ball holding portion 24C, and the ball 16 is housed in the space enclosed by the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12 and the ball holding portion 24C. The -Z end of the ball 16 is in contact with the connection surface 12A, and the +Z end of the ball 16 protrudes in the +Z direction from the opening 24D.

[0051] The fixing portion 24A of the ball guide portion 24, the multiple return springs 24B, and the three ball holding portions 24C can be integrally formed from, for example, a single metal plate. Even when using such a ball guide portion 24, the mating connector terminal 21 and connector terminal 12 inserted into the mating connector terminal housing portion 13G shown in Figure 2 can be electrically connected to each other via the three balls 16, similar to the first embodiment.

[0052] Furthermore, as the mating connector terminal 21 moves relative to the connector terminal 12, the three ball-holding portions 24C of the ball guide portion 24 can each move in the same direction as the mating connector terminal 21 together with the ball 16 that is rotatably held inside. That is, as the mating connector terminal 21 moves, the three ball-holding portions 24C are each displaced from the position of the intersection of the two straight lines LX and LY of the corresponding opening C, as shown in Figure 15. This reduces sliding resistance, enabling a highly reliable electrical connection between the connector terminal 12 and the mating connector terminal 21.

[0053] Furthermore, when the mating connector terminal 21 is pulled out of the mating connector terminal housing 13G, the three ball holding portions 24C of the ball guide portion 24 return to their initial positions shown in Figure 12 along the connection surface 12A of the connector terminal 12, due to the action of the three connected return springs 24B. The return springs 24B that hold the ball holding portion 24C in a two-dimensionally movable manner within each opening C of the ball guide portion 24 are not limited to three; the ball holding portion 24C can also be held using two or fewer return springs 24B, or four or more return springs 24B. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 Connector housing, 2 Connector terminal, 3 Mating connector terminal, 4 Contact holder, 5 Metal ball, 6 Diagonal coil spring, 7 Contact housing, 8 Compression coil spring, 11 Connector, 12 Connector terminal, 12A Connection surface, 13 Terminal spring retaining part, 13A Bottom plate, 13B Top plate, 13C Front plate, 13D Rear plate, 13E Opening, 13F Terminal spring, 13G Mating connector terminal housing, 14,24 Ball guide part, 14A,24A Fixing part, 14B,24B Return spring, 14C Retaining plate retaining part, 14D Return spring retaining part, 15 Retaining plate, 15A,24C Ball retaining part, 15B,24D Opening, 16 Ball, 21 Mating connector terminal, P1 Initial position, P2 Position, LX,LY Straight line, C Opening.

Claims

1. A connector having a mating connector terminal accommodating portion into which a part of a mating connector terminal is inserted, a connector terminal having a flat connection surface facing the mating connector terminal inserted into the mating connector terminal accommodating portion; At least one spherical ball disposed on the connecting surface and having at least a surface thereof electrically conductive; a ball holding portion that rotatably holds the ball in a state where a portion of the surface of the ball contacts the connecting surface and a portion of the surface of the ball facing away from the connecting surface protrudes; a ball guide portion fixed to the connector terminal and holding the ball holding portion so that the ball holding portion is two-dimensionally movable along the connection surface; a terminal spring for pressing the mating connector terminal inserted into the mating connector terminal accommodating portion and the connection surface of the connector terminal in a direction in which they approach each other; Equipped with A connector characterized in that the mating connector terminal inserted into the mating connector terminal accommodating portion is pressed against the connection surface by the terminal spring, comes into contact with the protruding portion of the surface of the ball held in the ball holding portion, and is electrically connected to the connector terminal via the ball.

2. a terminal spring holding portion attached to the connector terminal and holding the terminal spring so as to face the connection surface; 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the mating connector terminal accommodating portion is formed between the terminal spring and the connecting surface.

3. the ball guide portion has a fixed portion fixed to the connector terminal and a return spring connected to the fixed portion for returning the ball holding portion to an initial position on the connection surface, A connector as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the ball retaining portion moves two-dimensionally along the connection surface in response to the movement of the mating connector terminal when the mating connector terminal is inserted into the mating connector terminal accommodating portion and when connected to the connector terminal, and when the mating connector terminal is removed from the mating connector terminal accommodating portion, the ball retaining portion returns to the initial position by the return spring.

4. 4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the return spring is formed from a bent strip-shaped member extending along the connecting surface.

5. 5. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the ball holding portion is integrally formed with the fixed portion of the ball guide portion and the return spring.

6. 6. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the ball guide portion is formed from a single plate member.

7. 7. The connector according to claim 3, comprising a plurality of the balls and a plurality of the ball holding portions that rotatably hold the plurality of balls, respectively.

8. The connector according to claim 7 , further comprising three of the balls and three of the ball holding portions arranged on the connection surface so as not to be aligned in a straight line.

9. a holding plate having the plurality of ball holding portions integrally formed thereon, 9. The connector according to claim 7, wherein the return spring is connected to the retaining plate.

10. 10. The connector according to claim 9, wherein the ball guide portion has a retaining plate restraining portion for preventing the retaining plate from being displaced from the connecting surface in a direction perpendicular to the connecting surface.

11. 11. The connector according to claim 9, wherein the ball guide portion has a return spring restraining portion for preventing the return spring from being displaced from the connection surface in a direction perpendicular to the connection surface.

12. the ball guide portion includes a plurality of the return springs corresponding to the plurality of the ball holding portions, 9. The connector according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of ball holding portions are individually held by the ball guide portion so as to be two-dimensionally movable along the connection surface.

Images