Electrical connector

Abstract

To provide an electrical connector capable of improving heat dissipation of contact for a large current.SOLUTION: A connector 10 includes a bellows-shaped contact 1, a housing 3, and first shunt terminals 5a and 5b. The contact 1 has a box portion 11, a contact spring piece 111, and a fixed portion 13. The box portion 11 is formed in a rectangular frame shape by a top plate 11t, a pair of side plates 11a and 11a, and a pair of bottom plates 11b and 11b. The contact spring piece 111 form a contact 11s capable of contacting with a mating terminal. The fixing part 13 is fixed to the housing 3. The contact 1 is brought into contact with the first shunt terminals 5a and 5b to shunt the current flowing through contact 1, and the current path from the contact 11s contacting the mating terminal to the lead piece 13r soldered to the printed circuit board 1p is branched into a plurality of branches to reduce the current value per point to thereby improve the heat dissipation of the contact 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector. In particular, it relates to the structure of an electrical connector for electrically connecting a battery (rechargeable battery) incorporated in a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone.

Background Art

[0002] An electrical connector for a battery electrically connects an electronic device such as a mobile phone that operates using the battery as a power source and the battery. Generally, an electrical connector for a battery is a small electrical connector (connector for a printed circuit board) that can be mounted on a printed circuit board incorporated in an electronic device.

[0003] Such an electrical connector for a battery (hereinafter abbreviated as a connector) is composed of an insulating housing and a plurality of contacts housed in this housing. This contact is usually a so-called bellows contact in which a conductive metal plate is punched into an extremely thin strip and then the strip is bent so as to obtain uniform spring characteristics.

[0004] Portable electronic devices and the batteries incorporated in such portable electronic devices are becoming smaller and thinner. Due to such circumstances, the bellows contact is also becoming smaller. For this reason, it has become difficult to assemble the bellows contact into the housing, and the mechanical strength of the bellows contact is also insufficient, so abnormal deformation of the bellows contact (for example, deformation due to the creep phenomenon) has been a concern.

[0005] Regarding the problems associated with such miniaturization and thinning of the bellows contact, a connector has been disclosed that can easily attach the bellows contact to the housing and prevent abnormal deformation of the bellows contact (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-311264 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The connector according to Patent Document 1 includes a strip-shaped contact that forms a contact portion through a narrow neck portion between a locking end portion having a hook portion bent inward and a wide head portion, and a terminal portion soldered to a printed circuit board, and a narrow head opening, a wide neck opening, and a leg opening, and is composed of one elongated opening in which each opening from the head portion to the leg portion communicates, and a housing having a cavity formed in one side wall surface with the elongated opening.

[0008] Then, the connector according to Patent Document 1 accommodates the contact into the cavity of the housing. Along the elongated opening from the opening in the bottom wall of the housing, the neck portion of the contact portion is passed through the neck opening of the housing so that the contact portion protrudes to one side wall surface of the housing. After the contact is accommodated in the cavity, a pair of jaws on the neck portion of the contact portion are locked to the shoulder steps at both ends of the opening.

[0009] The connector according to Patent Document 1 electrically connects a battery and a printed circuit board. However, the contact provided in the connector has a predetermined resistance value in the current path from the contact portion in contact with the battery to the terminal portion soldered to the printed circuit board. Therefore, when the battery is connected to the connector, the contact generates heat.

[0010] When the current value flowing through the contact increases, in order to suppress heat generation exceeding the assumption of the contact, it is conceivable to increase the cross-sectional area of the contact to reduce the resistance value. However, if the width of the contact is increased to increase the cross-sectional area of the contact, there is a problem that the width of the connector increases because the distance between the electrode terminals provided on the battery is defined. On the other hand, if the plate thickness of the contact is increased to increase the cross-sectional area of the contact, there is a problem that the stress at the time of displacement of the contact increases and the contact is likely to sag.

[0011] There has been a demand for an electric connector that maintains the miniaturization of the electric connector and improves the heat dissipation of the contact in response to a large current. And the above can be said to be the problem of the present invention.

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an electric connector that maintains the miniaturization of the electric connector and improves the heat dissipation of the contact in response to a large current.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0013] The inventor of the present invention bends a metal plate to form a box-shaped contact, contacts a shunt terminal to shunt the current flowing through the contact, and branches a plurality of current paths from the contact portion contacting the mating terminal to the terminal portion soldered to the printed circuit board, and by reducing the current value per location, it is considered that the heat dissipation of the contact can be improved, and thus, a new electric connector that solves the above problems has been completed.

[0014] (1) The electrical connector according to the present invention includes one or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, a rectangular parallelepiped housing with the contacts mounted inside, and a first shunt terminal that surrounds the contacts from the outside and a part of which can contact the contacts. The contact has a flat top plate, a pair of side plates bent from both ends of the top plate, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates that are bent from these side plates in a state facing the top plate and are arranged with a predetermined gap and their plate thickness surfaces facing each other to form a square frame-shaped box portion. A contact spring piece that protrudes from the top plate in one direction, forms a contact that can contact the mating terminal on a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates and then reverses. The contact spring piece has a fixing portion that is arranged in the other direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece protrudes and is fixed to the housing. The housing has a housing chamber that houses at least the box portion, and a window that communicates with the housing chamber and through which the contact spring piece can protrude to the outside. The first shunt terminal has a first upper panel whose bottom surface can contact the top plate, a pair of first heat dissipation side panels that are bent from both ends of the first upper panel and are arranged opposite to the side plates, a first extension piece that extends from the first heat dissipation side panel, and a first lead piece that is bent from the bottom side of one of the first extension pieces and extends outward and can be soldered to a printed circuit board.

[0015] (2) The electrical connector according to the present invention includes one or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, a rectangular parallelepiped housing with the contacts mounted inside, and a second shunt terminal that surrounds the contacts from the outside and a part of which can contact the contacts. The contact includes a flat top plate, a pair of side plates bent from both ends of the top plate, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates that are bent from these side plates in a state facing the top plate and are arranged with a predetermined gap between their plate thickness surfaces facing each other, forming a square frame-shaped box portion. A contact spring piece is formed on a curved surface that protrudes from the top plate in one direction, slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates, and then reverses, and can contact a mating terminal. A fixing portion is arranged in the other direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece protrudes and is fixed to the housing. The housing has at least a housing chamber for accommodating the box portion and a window that communicates with the housing chamber and allows the contact spring piece to protrude to the outside. The second shunt terminal includes a second upper surface plate whose bottom surface can contact the top plate, a pair of second heat dissipation side plates bent from both ends of the second upper surface plate and arranged opposite to the side plates, a second extension piece extending from the second upper surface plate, and a second lead piece that bends in a crank shape from the second extension piece and extends outward and can be soldered to a printed circuit board.

[0016] (3) The contact may further include a square frame-shaped subsequent box portion formed by bending in the width direction from the tip portions of the pair of bottom plates, a pair of subsequent side plates arranged opposite to each other, a subsequent top plate arranged opposite to the pair of bottom plates and connecting the tip portions of the pair of subsequent side plates, and a strip-shaped piece extending to the side opposite to the top plate. The fixing portion may have a pair of first press-fitting pieces that continuously extend from the tip portion of the strip-shaped piece toward the bottom plate and can be press-fitted into the housing.

[0017] (4) The electrical connector according to the present invention includes one or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, a rectangular parallelepiped housing with the contacts mounted inside, and a third shunt terminal that partially surrounds the contacts from the outside and can contact a part of the contacts. The contact includes a flat top plate, a pair of side plates bent from both ends of the top plate, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates that are bent from these side plates while facing the top plate and have a plate thickness surface facing each other with a predetermined gap, forming a square frame-shaped box portion. A contact spring piece is formed on a curved surface that protrudes from the top plate in one direction, slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates, and then reverses, and can contact a mating terminal. A fixing portion is arranged in the other direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece protrudes and is fixed to the housing. The housing has a housing chamber that houses at least the box portion and a window that communicates with the housing chamber and allows the contact spring piece to protrude to the outside. The third shunt terminal includes a pair of third heat dissipation side plates arranged opposite to the side plates, a connecting plate that connects the base ends of the pair of third heat dissipation side plates, and a spring piece that stands up from the central portion of the connecting plate and can contact the top plate from the bottom side. The third heat dissipation side plate has a third lead piece whose plate thickness surface can be soldered to a printed circuit board.

Effect of the Invention

[0018] The electrical connector according to the present invention shunts the current flowing through the contact by bringing a shunt terminal into contact with a contact formed by bending a metal plate into a box shape, and branches the current path from the contact that contacts the mating terminal to the lead piece soldered to the printed circuit board into a plurality, reducing the current value per location, thereby improving the heat dissipation performance of the contact.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] (Configuration of Electrical Connector) First, the configuration of an electrical connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0021] (Overall Configuration) Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an electrical connector 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter abbreviated as a connector) can be electrically connected to a battery (not shown) built in a mobile phone or the like. The connector 10 includes a pair of bellows-shaped contacts 1·1 and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 3.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 2 or 3 and FIG. 5, the contact 1 is formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate. The housing 3 mounts the contact 1 inside (see FIG. 3(B)). The housing 3 has a housing chamber 3r for accommodating the contact 1 (see FIG. 3(B)). Further, the housing 3 has a window 3w that communicates with the housing chamber 3r and allows the contact spring piece 111 to protrude to the outside (see FIG. 4(B)).

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 or 2, the contact 1 is a power contact that connects to the power terminal of the mating terminal, and is disposed at both ends of the housing 3. A plurality of signal contacts 1s that connect to the signal terminals of the mating terminal are arranged in parallel between the pair of contacts 1·1. The signal contacts 1s have the same structure as the power contacts 1, but the contact spring pieces described later are configured to be narrow.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 1 or 2, the connector 10 is mounted on a printed circuit board 1p. Referring to FIG. 2, the printed circuit board 1p has a rectangular slot St cut out at its end. Referring to FIG. 3(B), the connector 10 is introduced into the slot St from the bottom side. By soldering the first lead piece 5r provided on the first shunt terminals 5a·5b to the pads provided on the printed circuit board 1p, and soldering the lead piece 13r of the contact 1 to the pads, the connector 10 can be mounted on the printed circuit board 1p in a low-profile manner.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector 10 further includes a set of first shunt terminals 5a·5b and a pair of reinforcing tabs 1t·1t. Referring to FIGS. 3 or 8, the first shunt terminals 5a·5b surround the contact 1 from the outside. Further, a part of the first shunt terminals 5a·5b can contact the contact 1 (see FIG. 3).

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the first shunt terminals 5a and 5b are made of a conductive metal plate, and the metal plate is bent and formed into a C shape. The first shunt terminals 5a and 5b surround the contact 1 from the outside and are arranged inside the housing 3. The first shunt terminals 5a and 5b are arranged such that the inner wall of the first upper panel 5t contacts the top plate 11t of the contact 1. Further, the first shunt terminals 5a and 5b have first lead pieces 5r that can be soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 1p (see FIG. 2). When the first shunt terminals 5a and 5b contact the contact 1, the current flowing through the contact 1 can be shunted.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the reinforcing tab 1t is formed in a crank shape. The base end portion of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the side surface of the housing 3. The tip end portion of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the printed circuit board 1p. Thereby, the connector 10 can be reliably fixed to the printed circuit board 1p.

[0028] (Configuration of Contact) Next, the configuration of the contact 1 will be described. The contact 1 is made of a conductive metal plate, and by bending and forming a punched-out developed plate (see FIG. 7), a contact 1 having a desired shape can be obtained. The contact 1 is preferably made of a conductive metal plate such as a copper alloy, but is not limited to a copper alloy.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 3(B) or FIGS. 5 and 6, the contact 1 has a square frame-shaped box portion 11, a contact spring piece 111, and a fixing portion 13. The box portion 11 is composed of a flat top plate 11t, a pair of side plates 11a and 11a, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates 11b and 11b.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, a pair of side plates 11a·11a are bent substantially at right angles from both ends in the width direction of the top plate 11t. A pair of bottom plates 11b·11b are bent substantially at right angles from these side plates 11a·11a in a state facing the top plate 11t. Further, a pair of bottom plates 11b·11b are arranged with their plate thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap therebetween (see FIG. 5(B)).

[0031] Referring to FIG. 3 or FIGS. 5 and 6, a part of the contact spring piece 111 projects in a strip shape from the top plate 11t in one direction. The contact spring piece 111 forms a contact 11s that can contact an electrode terminal (opposite-side terminal) on a curved surface that slopes downward toward a pair of bottom plates 11b·11b and then reverses.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, the fixing portion 13 is arranged in the other direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece 111 projects. And the fixing portion 13 is fixed to the housing 3 from the bottom surface of the housing 3.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 3 or FIGS. 5 and 6, the contact 1 further has a rectangular frame-shaped subsequent box portion 12. The subsequent box portion 12 is composed of a pair of opposing subsequent side plates 12a·12a, a flat subsequent top plate 12t, and a strip piece 121.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, a pair of subsequent side plates 12a·12a are bent substantially at right angles in the width direction from the tip portions of a pair of bottom plates 11b·11b. The subsequent top plate 12t is arranged facing a pair of bottom plates 11b·11b. The subsequent top plate 12t connects the tip portions of a pair of subsequent side plates 12a·12a. The strip piece 121 extends in a strip shape on the side opposite to the top plate 11t.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the fixing portion 13 has a pair of first press-fitting pieces 13p, 13p. The pair of first press-fitting pieces 13p, 13p continuously extend from the tip of the strip piece 121 toward the bottom plate 11b. Then, the pair of first press-fitting pieces 13p, 13p branch into two. The pair of first press-fitting pieces 13p, 13p can be press-fitted into the housing 3 from the bottom surface of the housing 3. Further, the fixing portion 13 has a lead piece 13r that bends at a substantially right angle from the middle of the strip piece 121 and is solder-joined to one surface of the printed circuit board 1p (see FIG. 3).

[0036] The contact 1 can be obtained by bending a developed plate as shown in FIG. 7. The contact 1 after bending is connected to the strip-shaped contact carrier Cc. The contacts 1 can be arranged in series in the direction in which the contact carrier Cc extends, and by cutting the notch 1n, the individual contacts 1 can be obtained (see FIG. 2).

[0037] (Configuration of the First Shunt Terminal) Next, the configuration of the first shunt terminals 5a, 5b will be described. Since the first shunt terminal 5a and the first shunt terminal 5b are configured symmetrically, the first shunt terminal 5a will be described as a representative. Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 8, the first shunt terminal 5a is made of a conductive metal plate, and by bending a punched developed plate (not shown), the first shunt terminal 5a having a desired shape can be obtained. The first shunt terminal 5a is preferably a metal plate having conductivity such as a copper alloy with excellent heat dissipation properties, but is not limited to a copper alloy.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 8, the first shunt terminal 5a has a flat first upper panel 5t and a pair of first heat dissipation side panels 5s, 5s. The first upper panel 5t can contact the top plate 11t on its bottom surface. The pair of first heat dissipation side panels 5s, 5s bend at a substantially right angle from both ends of the first upper panel 5t. The pair of first heat dissipation side panels 5s, 5s are arranged to face the pair of side panels 11a, 11a.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 8, the first shunt terminal 5a has a first extension piece 51 and a first lead piece 5r. The first extension piece 51 extends from the first heat dissipation side plate 5s. The first lead piece 5r bends from the bottom side of one of the first extension pieces 51 and extends outward. The first lead piece 5r can be soldered to the printed circuit board 1p. Also, the first extension piece 51 protrudes a press-fitting piece 5p. The press-fitting piece 5p can be press-fitted into the bottom wall of the accommodation chamber 3r.

[0040] (Operation of the electrical connector) Next, while explaining the operation of the contact 1, the operation and effects of the connector 10 will be explained. Referring to FIG. 3(B), when the battery moves toward the contact point 11s with the electrode terminal at the front (in the direction of arrow F), the contact 1 elastically deforms from the state shown in FIG. 6(A) to the state shown in FIG. 6(B). The contact point 11s retreats toward the pair of first press-fitting pieces 13p·13p.

[0041] In the process of elastically deforming from the state shown in FIG. 6(A) to the state shown in FIG. 6(B), the box portion 11 and the subsequent box portion 12 are not easily elastically deformed. As shown in FIG. 6(B), the contact spring piece 111, the pair of bottom plates 11b·11b, and the strip piece 121 are elastically deformed.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 6, the contact 1 according to the embodiment is displaced from D1 to D2 in the depth direction, but the displacement amount in the height direction from H1 to H2 is smaller than the displacement in the depth direction. On the other hand, the contact spring piece 111 is easily bent in the height direction, and a sufficient wiping effect can be obtained when the contact 11s slides with the electrode terminal. The contact 1 according to the embodiment can ensure a sufficient wiping amount while being a small-sized contact.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 5, the contact 1 according to the embodiment forms a box shape in the middle of the continuous portion from the contact point 11s to the fixing portion 13, thereby reducing the number of bending portions other than the right-angle bending to two locations M1 and M2. As a result, it becomes easy to guarantee the dimensional position accuracy of the contact. Also, by forming a box shape in the middle of the continuous portion from the contact point 11s to the fixing portion 13, it is possible to increase the contact pressure with the electrode terminal of the battery while being small in size.

[0044] (Function of the first shunt terminal) Next, the functions and effects of the first shunt terminals 5a and 5b will be described. Referring to FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 and FIG. 8, on the first top plate 5t, the top plate 11t is in contact with its bottom surface. Referring to FIG. 6(B), in the state where the contact 1 is elastically deformed, the bending point from the top plate 11t to the contact spring piece 111 can surely contact the bottom surface of the first top plate 5t.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 5(A) or FIG. 8, the current path ps from the contact point 11s of the contact 1 to the lead piece 13r can shunt the current flowing through the contact 1 to the first shunt terminals 5a and 5b (see FIG. 8) when the top plate 11t contacts the first top plate 5t.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 8, the current path ps from the contact point 11s of the contact 1 to the bending point of the contact spring piece 111 can be shunted to the current path of the first top plate 5t → the first heat-radiating side plate 5s → the first extending piece 51 → the first lead piece 5r.

[0047] The connector 10 according to the first embodiment contacts the first shunt terminals 5a and 5b to a contact 1 formed in a box shape by bending a metal plate, shunts the current flowing through the contact 1, and reduces the current value of the current path from the contact point 11s that contacts the mating terminal to the lead piece 13r soldered to the printed circuit board 1p, thereby improving the heat dissipation of the contact 1.

[0048] [Second Embodiment] (Configuration of the electrical connector) Next, the configuration of the electrical connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0049] Overall Configuration Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, an electrical connector 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter abbreviated as a connector) can be electrically connected to a battery (not shown) built in a mobile phone or the like. The connector 20 includes a pair of bellows-shaped contacts 1·1 and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 3.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 10 or FIG. 11, the contact 1 is formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate. The housing 3 mounts the contact 1 inside. The housing 3 has an accommodation chamber 3r for accommodating the contact 1 (see FIG. 3(B)). Further, the housing 3 has a window 3w that communicates with the accommodation chamber 3r and allows the contact spring piece 111 to project outside (see FIG. 10).

[0051] Referring to FIGS. 9 or 10, the connector 20 is mounted on a printed circuit board 2p. Referring to FIG. 10, the printed circuit board 2p has a rectangular notch St at its end. Referring to FIG. 10, the connector 20 is introduced into the slot St from the bottom side. By soldering the second lead pieces 9r provided on the pair of second shunt terminals 9·9 to pads provided on the printed circuit board 2p, and soldering the lead piece 13r of the contact 1 to the pads, the connector 20 can be mounted on the printed circuit board 2p in a low-profile manner.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 9 or 10, the connector 20 further includes a pair of second shunt terminals 9·9 and a pair of reinforcing tabs 1t·1t. Referring to FIG. 11, the second shunt terminal 9 surrounds the contact 1 from the outside. Further, a part of the second shunt terminal 9 can contact the contact 1 (see FIG. 11).

[0053] Configuration of the Second Shunt Terminal Next, the configuration of the second shunt terminal 9 will be described. Referring to FIG. 10 or FIG. 11, the first shunt terminal 5a is made of a conductive metal plate, and by bending a punched-out developed plate (not shown in the figure), the second shunt terminal 9 having a desired shape can be obtained. The second shunt terminal 9 is preferably a metal plate having conductivity such as a copper alloy with excellent heat dissipation, but is not limited to copper alloy.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 10 or FIG. 11, the second shunt terminal 9 has a flat second upper panel 9t and a pair of second heat dissipation side panels 9s·9s. The second upper panel 9t can contact the top plate 11t on its bottom surface. The pair of second heat dissipation side panels 9s·9s are bent at substantially right angles from both ends of the second upper panel 9t. The pair of second heat dissipation side panels 9s·9s are disposed opposite to the pair of side panels 11a·11a.

[0055] Referring to FIGS. 2 or 3 and FIG. 8, the second shunt terminal 9 has a second extension piece 91 and a pair of second lead pieces 9r·9r. The second extension piece 91 extends from the second upper panel 9t. The pair of second lead pieces 9r·9r are bent in a crank shape from the second extension piece and extend outward. The pair of second lead pieces 9r·9r can be soldered to the printed circuit board 2p. Further, the second extension piece 91 has a press-fitting piece 9p protruding from the rear. The press-fitting piece 9p can be press-fitted into the bottom wall of the accommodation chamber 3r.

[0056] (Function of the second shunt terminal) Next, the function and effect of the second shunt terminal 9 will be described. Note that the function of the contact 1 in the second embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, so the description is omitted. Referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the top plate 11t is in contact with the bottom surface of the second upper panel 9t. Referring to FIG. 6(B), in the state where the contact 1 is elastically deformed, the inflection point from the top plate 11t to the contact spring piece 111 can surely contact the bottom surface of the second upper panel 9t.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 11, the current path ps from the contact point 11s of the contact 1 to the lead piece 13r can shunt the current flowing through the contact 1 to the second shunt terminal 9 by the contact of the top plate 11t with the second upper panel 9t.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 5(A) or FIG. 11, the current path ps from the contact point 11s of the contact 1 to the bending point of the contact spring piece 111 can be shunted to the current path of the second upper panel 9t → the second extension piece 91 → the second lead piece 9r.

[0059] The connector 10 according to the second embodiment contacts the second shunt terminal 9 with the contact 1 formed in a box shape by bending a metal plate, shunts the current flowing through the contact 1, and reduces the current value of the current path from the contact point 11s contacting the mating terminal to the lead piece 13r soldered to the printed circuit board 1p, thereby improving the heat dissipation of the contact 1.

[0060] [Third Embodiment] (Configuration of Electrical Connector) Next, the configuration of the electrical connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0061] (Overall Configuration) Referring to FIGS. 12 to 14, the connector 30 according to the third embodiment of the present invention can be electrically connected to a battery (not shown) built in a mobile phone. The connector 30 includes a pair of bellows-shaped contacts 2·2 and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 4.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 13 or FIGS. 14 and 16, the contact 2 is formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate. The housing 4 mounts the contact 2 inside (see FIG. 14(B)). The housing 4 has an accommodation chamber 4r for accommodating the contact 2 (see FIG. 14(B)). The housing 4 is preferably made of an insulating synthetic resin.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 12 or FIG. 13, the contact 2 is a power contact connected to the power terminal of the mating terminal and is disposed at both ends of the housing 4. A plurality of signal contacts 2s connected to the signal terminals of the mating terminal are arranged in parallel between the pair of contacts 2·2. The signal contacts 2s have the same structure as the power contacts 2, but the contact spring pieces described later are configured to be narrow.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 12 or FIG. 13, the connector 30 is mounted on the printed circuit board 3p. Referring to FIG. 13, the printed circuit board 2p has a rectangular slot St cut out at its end. Referring to FIG. 14(B), the connector 30 is introduced into the slot St from the bottom side. By soldering the third lead piece 6r provided on the third shunt terminal 6 described later to the pad provided on the printed circuit board 3p, and soldering the lead piece 23r of the contact 2 to the pad, the connector 30 can be mounted on the printed circuit board 3p in a low-profile manner.

[0065] Referring to FIGS. 12 to 14, the connector 30 further includes a pair of third shunt terminals 6·6 and a pair of reinforcing tabs 1t·1t. The third shunt terminal 6 is made of a conductive metal plate, and the metal plate is bent and formed into a box shape. The third shunt terminal 6 surrounds the contact 2 from the outside and is disposed inside the housing 4. The third shunt terminal 6 is disposed such that the contact point 61s at the top of the cantilever spring piece 61 contacts the top plate 21t of the contact 2 from the inner wall side (see FIG. 14(B)). Also, the third shunt terminal 5 has a third lead piece 6r that can be soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 3p (see FIG. 13). When the third shunt terminal 6 contacts the contact 2, the current flowing through the contact 2 can be shunted.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 12 or FIG. 13, the reinforcing tab 1t is formed in a crank shape. The base end portion of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the side surface of the housing 4. The tip end portion of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the printed circuit board 3p. Thereby, the connector 30 can be securely fixed to the printed circuit board 3p.

[0067] (Configuration of Contact) Next, the configuration of the contact 2 will be described. The contact 2 is made of a conductive metal plate, and by bending and forming a punched-out developed plate (see FIG. 18), a contact 2 having a desired shape can be obtained. The contact 2 is preferably made of a conductive metal plate such as a copper alloy, but is not limited to a copper alloy.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 14(B) or FIGS. 16 and 17, the contact 2 has a square frame-shaped box portion 21, a contact spring piece 211, and a fixing portion 23. The box portion 21 is composed of a flat top plate 21t, a pair of side plates 21a·21a, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates 21b·21b.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 16 or FIG. 17, the pair of side plates 21a·21a are bent substantially at right angles from both ends in the width direction of the top plate 21t. The pair of bottom plates 21b·21b are bent substantially at right angles from these side plates 21a·21a in a state facing the top plate 21t. Also, the pair of bottom plates 21b·21b are arranged with their plate thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap therebetween (see FIG. 16(B)).

[0070] Referring to FIG. 14 or FIGS. 16 and 17, the contact spring piece 211 has a part protruding in a strip shape in one direction from the top plate 21t. The contact spring piece 211 forms a contact 21s that can contact an electrode terminal (opposite-side terminal) on a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates 21b·21b and then reverses.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 16 or FIG. 17, the fixing portion 23 is arranged in the other direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece 211 protrudes. And the fixing portion 23 is fixed to the housing 4 from the window 4w side of the housing 4 (see FIG. 15(A)).

[0072] Referring to FIG. 16 or FIG. 17, the fixing portion 23 has a pair of second press-fitting pieces 23p·23p. The pair of second press-fitting pieces 23p·23p are formed on the tip end side of the pair of bottom plates 21b·21b that extend in a direction opposite to the contact spring piece 211 after passing through a step rising from the pair of bottom plates 21b·21b (see FIG. 12(B)). The pair of second press-fitting pieces 23p·23p can be press-fitted into the housing 4 from the window 4w side of the housing 4.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 14(B), FIG. 16, and FIG. 17, the fixing portion 23 has a pair of lead pieces 23r·23r. The lead pieces 23r are formed on a pair of strip-shaped pieces that extend in a direction opposite to the contact spring piece 211 after passing through a step that rises from the tip of the press-fitting piece 23p (see FIG. 16). The pair of lead pieces 23r·23r can be soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 3p.

[0074] The contact 2 can be obtained by bending a developed plate as shown in FIG. 18. The contact 2 after bending is connected to a strip-shaped contact carrier Cc. The contacts 2 can be arranged in series in the direction in which the contact carrier Cc extends, and by cutting the notch 2n, the individual contacts 2 can be obtained (see FIG. 13).

[0075] (Configuration of the third shunt terminal) Next, the configuration of the third shunt terminal 6 will be described. Referring to FIG. 13, FIG. 14, and FIG. 19, the third shunt terminal 6 is made of a conductive metal plate, and a third shunt terminal 6 of a desired shape can be obtained by bending a punched developed plate (not shown). The third shunt terminal 6 is preferably made of a conductive metal plate such as a copper alloy with excellent heat dissipation properties, but is not limited to copper alloys.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 13, FIG. 14, and FIG. 19, the third shunt terminal 6 has a pair of third heat dissipation side plates 6s·6s and a connecting plate 6j. The pair of third heat dissipation side plates 6s·6s are arranged opposite to the pair of side plates 21a·21a (see FIG. 20). The connecting plate 6j connects the base ends of the pair of third heat dissipation side plates 6s·6s to each other.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 13, FIG. 14, and FIG. 19, the third shunt terminal 6 further has a cantilever spring piece 61. The spring piece 61 rises from the central portion of the connecting plate 6j and then bends, and a contact 61s is formed at the top of its tip. The contact 61s can contact the top plate 21t of the contact 2 from its bottom side (see FIG. 20).

[0078] Referring to Fig. 13 or Fig. 14 and Fig. 19, the third heat dissipation side plate 6s has a third lead piece 6r and a press-fitting piece 6p. The third lead piece 6r protrudes from the third heat dissipation side plate 6s in the other direction. The third lead piece 6r can be soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 3p with the plate thickness surface on the bottom surface side. The press-fitting piece 6p can be press-fitted into the housing 4 from the inside of the accommodation chamber 4r. Thereby, the third shunt terminal 6 can be fixed to the housing 4.

[0079] (Operation of the electrical connector) Next, while explaining the operation of the contact 2, the operation and effects of the connector 30 will be explained. Referring to Fig. 14(B), when a battery (not shown) moves toward the contact 21s with the electrode terminal at the front (in the direction of arrow F), the contact 2 elastically deforms from the state shown in Fig. 17(A) to the state shown in Fig. 17(B). The contact 21s retreats toward the pair of second press-fitting pieces 23p·23p.

[0080] In the process of elastically deforming from the state shown in Fig. 13(A) to the state shown in Fig. 13(B), the box portion 21 is not easily elastically deformed, and as shown in Fig. 13(B), the contact spring piece 211 and the strip-shaped piece continuous with the pair of bottom plates 21b·21b are elastically deformed.

[0081] Referring to Fig. 17, the contact 2 according to the embodiment is displaced from D3 to D4 in the depth direction, but the displacement amount in the height direction from H3 to H4 is smaller than the displacement in the depth direction. On the other hand, the contact spring piece 211 is easily bent in the height direction, and the wiping effect that the contact 211s slides with the electrode terminal can be sufficiently obtained. The contact 2 according to the embodiment can ensure a sufficient wiping amount while being a small-sized contact.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 16, the contact 2 according to the embodiment forms a box shape in the middle of the continuous portion from the contact point 21s to the fixing portion 23, thereby reducing the number of bending portions other than the right-angle bending to one location of M3. As a result, it becomes easy to guarantee the dimensional position accuracy of the contact. Also, by forming a box shape in the middle of the continuous portion from the contact point 21s to the fixing portion 23, it is possible to increase the contact pressure with the electrode terminal of the battery while being small in size.

[0083] Referring to FIG. 14 or FIGS. 16 and 17, the contact 2 according to the embodiment has a special effect that the depth of the contact can be reduced compared to the first embodiment by having a box-shaped portion at one location in the front part. Also, as a result, there is an effect that the depth of the housing can be reduced (see FIG. 12).

[0084] (Function of the third shunt terminal) Next, the function and effect of the third shunt terminal 6 will be described. Referring to FIG. 14 or FIG. 20, the contact point 61s of the third shunt terminal 6 is in contact with the bottom surface of the top plate 21t of the contact 2. Referring to FIG. 17(B), in the state where the contact 2 is elastically deformed, since the top plate 21t presses the contact point 61s, the contact point 61s can be surely contacted with the bottom surface of the top plate 21t.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 16(A) or FIG. 20, the current path ps from the contact point 21s to the lead piece 23r of the contact 2 can shunt the current flowing through the contact 2 to the third shunt terminal 6 by the top plate 21t contacting the contact point 61s of the spring piece 61 (see FIG. 20).

[0086] Referring to FIG. 20, the current path ps from the contact point 21s to the top plate 21t of the contact 2 can be shunted to the current path of the spring piece 61 → connecting plate 6j → first heat dissipation side plate 5s → third lead piece 6r.

[0087] The connector 30 according to the third embodiment contacts the third shunt terminal 6 with the contact 2 formed by bending a metal plate into a box shape, shunts the current flowing through the contact 2, and reduces the current value of the current path from the contact 21s contacting the mating terminal to the lead piece 23r soldered to the printed circuit board 1p, thereby improving the heat dissipation of the contact 2.

Description of Signs

[0088] 1 Contact 3 Housing 3r Accommodation Chamber 3w Window 5a·5b First Shunt Terminal 5r First Lead Piece 5s·5s Pair of First Heat Dissipation Side Panels 5t First Top Panel 10 Connector (Electrical Connector) 11 Box Portion 11t Top Plate 11s Contact 11a·11a Pair of Side Panels 11b·11b Pair of Bottom Plates 13 Fixing Portion 51 First Extension Piece 111 Contact Spring Piece

Claims

1. One or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, A rectangular parallelepiped housing with the contacts mounted inside, A first shunt terminal that surrounds the contacts from the outside and a part of which can contact the contacts, The contacts are A flat top plate, a pair of side plates bent from both ends of this top plate, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates that are bent from these side plates in a state facing the top plate and have their plate thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap, forming a square frame-shaped box part, A contact spring piece that protrudes from the top plate in one direction, forms a contact that can contact the mating terminal on a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates and then reverses, A fixing part that is arranged in the other direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece protrudes and is fixed to the housing, The housing A housing chamber that houses at least the box part, A window that communicates with the housing chamber and through which the contact spring piece can protrude to the outside, The first shunt terminal A first upper panel whose bottom surface can contact the top plate, A pair of first heat dissipation side panels bent from both ends of the first upper panel and arranged opposite to the side plates, A first extension piece extending from the first heat dissipation side panel, A first lead piece that bends from the bottom side of one of the first extension pieces and extends outward and can be soldered to a printed circuit board,

2. One or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, A rectangular parallelepiped housing with the contacts mounted inside, A second shunt terminal that surrounds the contacts from the outside and a part of which can contact the contacts, The contacts are A flat top plate, a pair of side plates bent from both ends of this top plate, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates that are bent from these side plates in a state facing the top plate and have their plate thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap, forming a square frame-shaped box part, A contact spring piece that protrudes from the top plate in one direction, forms a contact that can contact the mating terminal on a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates and then reverses, A fixing part that is arranged in the other direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece protrudes and is fixed to the housing, The housing A housing chamber that houses at least the box part, A window that communicates with the housing chamber and through which the contact spring piece can protrude to the outside, The second shunt terminal A second upper panel whose bottom surface can contact the top panel, A pair of second heat dissipation side panels that bend from both ends of the second upper panel and are disposed opposite to the side panels, A second extension piece extending from the second upper panel, An electrical connector having a second lead piece that bends in a crank shape from the second extension piece and extends outward and can be soldered to a printed circuit board.

3. The contact bends in the width direction from the tip portions of the pair of bottom plates, has a pair of subsequent side panels disposed opposite to each other, is disposed opposite to the pair of bottom plates, has a subsequent top plate connecting the tip portions of the pair of subsequent side panels, and further has a rectangular frame-shaped subsequent box portion composed of a strip-shaped piece extending to the side opposite to the top plate. The fixing portion continuously extends from the tip portion of the strip-shaped piece toward the bottom plate and has a pair of first press-fitting pieces that can be press-fitted into the housing. The electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2.

4. One or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, A rectangular parallelepiped housing in which the contacts are mounted inside, A third shunt terminal that partially surrounds the contacts from the outside and a part of which can contact the contacts. The contact is A flat top plate, a pair of side panels bent from both ends of this top plate, and a rectangular frame-shaped box portion composed of a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates that bend from these side panels in a state of facing the top plate and have their plate thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. A contact spring piece that protrudes from the top plate in one direction, forms a contact that can contact a mating terminal on a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates and then reverses. A fixing portion disposed in the other direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece protrudes and fixed to the housing. The housing is An accommodation chamber that accommodates at least the box portion, A window that communicates with the accommodation chamber and allows the contact spring piece to protrude to the outside. The third shunt terminal is A pair of third heat dissipation side panels disposed opposite to the side panels, A connecting plate connecting the base end portions of the pair of third heat dissipation side panels, A spring piece that stands up from the central portion of the connecting plate and can contact the top plate from the bottom side. The third heat dissipation side panel has a third lead piece whose plate thickness surface can be soldered to a printed circuit board. The electrical connector.

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