Connector, mating connector

Abstract

To restrict excessive downward displacement of a movable housing and increase a resonance frequency in right angle floating.SOLUTION: An internal connector 10 comprises: a stationary housing 20 that is fixed to an attachment object 14; a movable housing 30 that can be displaced with respect to the attachment object 14; and terminals 50. The movable housing 30 can be fitted to a connection object 11. The terminals 50 each have a connection part 51 that is connected to the attachment object 14, and displacement parts 54, 55 that can be displaced with respect to the attachment object 14. The stationary housing 20 has a displacement regulation part 21. The displacement regulation part 21 is provided at a position in contact with the connection object 11 when the connection object 11 fitted to or being fitted to the movable housing 30 is displaced in a direction to approach a placement surface 14a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 29

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector, a method for manufacturing the same, a mating connector, and a connector set.

Background Art

[0002] In the floating connector described in Patent Document 1, the terminal has a displacement portion that displaces together with the movable housing. The displacement portion has a one-side contact portion that contacts the connection object from one side, the other-side contact portion that contacts the connection object from the other side, and a connecting portion that integrally connects the one-side contact portion and the other-side contact portion. Therefore, since the movable housing is not directly pressed against the connection object, the creep phenomenon of the movable housing is suppressed.

[0003] In the right-angle floating connector described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the movable housing has legs that protrude downward. Therefore, by the legs abutting against the substrate or the fixed housing, which is a member on the fixed side, excessive downward displacement of the movable housing is restricted.

[0004] The connector described in Patent Document 3 includes a housing and terminals that are press-fitted and held in the housing in a predetermined press-fitting direction. The terminal has a press-fitting portion formed in an extension portion that extends along the press-fitting direction, a displacement portion that is displaceable with respect to the press-fitting portion, and an intermediate portion between the extension portion and the displacement portion. The intermediate portion has a plurality of bent portions bent in the plate thickness direction. Therefore, the displacement of the displacement portion is allowed by the deformation of the intermediate portion.

[0005] The connector set described in Patent Document 4 includes a right-angle type internal connector attached to an internal substrate disposed inside a case, and a relay connector attached to an opening of the case and relaying between the internal connector and a connection object (external connection object) outside the case. Therefore, through the opening of the case, it is possible to realize the connection between the internal substrate arranged perpendicular to the wall in which the opening is formed and the external connection object.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] When a floating connector as described in Patent Document 1 is used, for example, in a vibration environment such as an automobile, if the frequency of vibration coincides with the resonance frequency of the floating connector in a state where it is connected to the connection object (hereinafter simply referred to as the resonance frequency of the connector), the displacement part vibrates violently together with the connection object, and the contact part may wear out. Therefore, in recent years, it has been required to increase the resonance frequency of the connector. Therefore, a first aspect of the present disclosure aims to suppress the creep phenomenon of the movable housing and increase the resonance frequency of the connector in the floating connector.

[0008] In addition, as a general problem of connectors, when the electrical device on which the connector is mounted changes, it is normal for the dimensions of the connection object to be connected by the connector and the performance required for the connector to also change. Therefore, it is necessary to design and manufacture the connector from scratch according to the number of variations in the dimensions of the connection object and the required specifications. Therefore, a second aspect of the present disclosure aims to facilitate the variation expansion of the connector.

[0009] Further, the inventor considered that increasing the resonance frequency of the connector is also important in a right angle floating connector as described in Patent Documents 2 and 3. Therefore, a third aspect of the present disclosure aims to limit downward excessive displacement of a movable housing and increase the resonance frequency in a right angle floating connector.

[0010] In addition, in the connector described in Patent Document 3, there is a problem that when the displacement portion is displaced and the intermediate portion is deformed, stress tends to concentrate on the bent portion constituting the intermediate portion. Therefore, a fourth aspect of the present disclosure aims to suppress stress concentration on a bent portion in a connector in which an intermediate portion of a terminal has one or a plurality of bent portions.

[0011] In addition, in the connector set described in Patent Document 4, in order to match the structure of an external connection object, it is conceivable that a relay connector includes a first relay terminal and a second relay terminal arranged at different positions in a direction perpendicular to a substrate (a direction perpendicular to an internal substrate). However, in this case, it is necessary to provide a first internal terminal and a second internal terminal having different shapes and each contacting the first relay terminal and the second relay terminal in an internal connector, and as a result, the design cost of the internal connector increases. Therefore, a fifth aspect of the present disclosure aims to reduce the design cost of an internal connector in a connector set including an internal connector and a relay connector.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] Hereinafter, the connector and the like of the present disclosure will be described using direction concepts such as the vertical direction. However, since these direction concepts are direction concepts based on the connector and the like, they do not limit the installation direction and installation posture when using the connector and the like.

[0013] (First Aspect) The connector according to the first aspect is a connector attachable to an object to be attached, and includes a terminal, a movable housing displaceable with respect to the object to be attached, and an additional member formed separately from the terminal and held by the movable housing. The terminal is held by the movable housing and has a displacement portion that displaces together with the movable housing. The displacement portion has a one-side contact portion that contacts the object to be connected from one side, and the additional member has an other-side contact portion that contacts the object to be connected from the other side.

[0014] In this aspect, the connector includes a terminal and a movable housing displaceable with respect to the object to be attached. The terminal has a displacement portion. The displacement portion is held by the movable housing and displaces together with the movable housing. The displacement portion has a one-side contact portion that contacts the object to be connected from one side.

[0015] Further, the connector includes an additional member formed separately from the terminal and held by the movable housing. The additional member has an other-side contact portion that contacts the object to be connected from the other side. For this reason, since the movable housing is not directly pressed against the object to be connected, the creep phenomenon of the movable housing is suppressed. Also, since the additional member is formed separately from the terminal, there is no need for a connecting portion that integrally connects the one-side contact portion and the other-side contact portion, and the movable part in the connector can be lightened accordingly. As a result, the resonance frequency of the connector can be increased.

[0016] From the above, according to this aspect, in the floating connector, the creep phenomenon of the movable housing can be suppressed and the resonance frequency of the connector can be increased.

[0017] Note that in the embodiments described later, an example in which the connector includes a fixed housing will be described, but the connector of this aspect is not limited thereto. Also, in the embodiments described later, the terminal has an intermediate deformation portion, but the terminal of this aspect is not limited thereto. Even if the terminal does not have an intermediate deformation portion, a displacement portion that displaces together with the movable housing can be realized.

[0018] In the first to second aspects, in the first to first aspect, the additional member does not have a portion that connects to the object to be attached and a portion between the portion and the other contact portion.

[0019] In this aspect, the additional member does not have a portion that connects to the object to be attached and a portion between the portion and the other contact portion. Therefore, since it is not necessary to provide the portion and the portion between the portion and the other contact portion in the additional member, the connector can be miniaturized as compared with the aspect in which the additional member has these.

[0020] In the connector according to the first to third aspect, in the first to first or first to second aspect, the additional member does not have a structure for electrically connecting to the terminal.

[0021] In this aspect, since the additional member does not have a structure for electrically connecting to the terminal, the connector can be miniaturized or lightened as compared with the aspect having such a structure.

[0022] In the connector according to the first to fourth aspect, in any of the first to first to third aspects, the additional member is made of a material having a specific gravity lighter than that of the terminal.

[0023] In this aspect, since the additional member is made of a material having a specific gravity lighter than that of the terminal, the movable part of the connector can be lightened.

[0024] In the connector according to the first to fifth aspect, in any of the first to first to fourth aspects, the additional member is made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy or nickel alloy.

[0025] In this aspect, since the additional member is made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy or nickel alloy, the surface of the additional member is protected by a passive film and is not easily corroded even if sufficient plating treatment is not performed on the additional member or no plating treatment is performed at all. Therefore, the connector can be manufactured at low cost.

[0026] In the connector according to any one of Aspects 1-1 to 1-5, in the movable housing, the portion where the additional member is held and the portion where the displacement portion is held are integrally formed.

[0027] By the way, it is also conceivable to configure the movable housing with two or more members formed separately from each other, and to separate the member that holds the additional member from the member that holds the displacement portion. However, with such a configuration, the structure of the movable housing becomes complicated. In this aspect, since the portion where the additional member is held and the portion where the displacement portion is held in the movable housing are integrally formed, the structure of the movable housing can be simplified.

[0028] In the connector according to any one of Aspects 1-1 to 1-6, the one-side contact portion has a first contact piece that contacts the connection object and a second contact piece that contacts the connection object on the back side in the connection direction from the first contact piece. The displacement amount of the contact point of the first contact piece when the connection object is connected is configured to be larger than the displacement amount of the contact point of the second contact piece. When viewed from the back side in the connection direction, the contact point of the second contact piece does not cover any member including the first contact piece and the additional member.

[0029] In this aspect, the one-side contact portion has a first contact piece that contacts the connection object and a second contact piece that contacts the connection object on the back side in the connection direction from the first contact piece. Therefore, foreign matter attached to the connection object is removed by the first contact piece, and the portion of the connection object from which the foreign matter has been removed can be brought into contact with the second contact piece. Furthermore, the displacement amount (for example, the displacement amount in the direction perpendicular to the connection direction) of the contact point of the first contact piece when the connection object is connected is configured to be larger than the displacement amount of the contact point of the second contact piece. Therefore, the contact pressure of the first contact piece against the connection object increases, and the function of scraping off foreign matter (so-called wiping function) is improved.

[0030] However, when configured as described above, there is a problem that when viewed from the front side in the connection direction, the contact point of the second contact piece is covered by the first contact piece, making it difficult to inspect the height of the contact point of the second contact piece. Therefore, in this aspect, when the connector is viewed from the back side in the connection direction, the contact point of the second contact piece is not covered by any member including the first contact piece and the additional member. For this reason, by inspecting the connector from the back side in the connection direction, the height of the contact point of the second contact piece can be inspected.

[0031] In the connector according to the first to eighth aspects, in any of the first to seventh aspects, a contact metal layer is formed on the one-side contact portion.

[0032] In this aspect, a contact metal layer is formed on the one-side contact portion. Therefore, by forming an appropriate contact metal layer, the connection reliability between the one-side contact portion and the object to be connected can be enhanced. By the way, if the terminal and the additional member are integrally formed, when forming the contact metal layer on the one-side contact portion, the additional member gets in the way and it becomes difficult to attach the plating solution to an appropriate position. However, in this aspect, since the terminal and the additional member are separate bodies, the additional member does not get in the way when forming the contact metal layer on the one-side contact portion, and it is easy to attach the plating solution to an appropriate position. As a result, the amount of metal (for example, gold, palladium, silver, tin) contained in the contact metal layer can be suppressed, and the connector can be manufactured at low cost.

[0033] In the connector according to the first to ninth aspects, in the first to eighth aspects, the contact metal layer contains a noble metal.

[0034] In this aspect, since the contact metal layer contains a noble metal, the effect of cost reduction by suppressing the amount of metal contained in the contact metal layer is significant.

[0035] In the connectors according to Aspects 1-10, in Aspects 1-8, the contact metal layer contains tin or a tin alloy, and tin or a tin alloy is not adhered to the portion of the additional member held by the movable housing.

[0036] In this aspect, the contact metal layer contains tin or a tin alloy. And, tin or a tin alloy is not adhered to the portion of the additional member held by the movable housing. For this reason, the generation of whiskers is prevented. If the terminal and the additional member are integrally formed, when forming the contact metal layer on the one-side contact portion, there is a possibility that the plating solution may also adhere to the additional member. However, since the terminal and the additional member are separate bodies, it is possible to prevent the plating solution from adhering to the additional member unintentionally.

[0037] In the connectors according to Aspects 1-11, in any of Aspects 1-1 to 1-7, the base material of the additional member is stainless steel, the additional member does not have a plating layer, and the additional member is not electrically connected to the object to be attached.

[0038] In this aspect, the base material of the additional member is stainless steel, and the additional member does not have a plating layer. Stainless steel is difficult to corrode without costly plating, and is relatively inexpensive. Also, since the additional member is not electrically connected to the object to be attached, the connector can be miniaturized by omitting such a structure.

[0039] (Second Aspect) The connector according to Aspect 2-1 is a connector including a terminal having a terminal-side contact portion that contacts a connection object, an additional member having an additional-side contact portion that contacts the connection object, and a housing that holds the terminal and the additional member, wherein the additional member is formed as a separate body from the terminal.

[0040] In this aspect, the connector includes a terminal having a terminal-side contact portion that contacts a connection object, an additional member having an additional-side contact portion that contacts the connection object, and a housing that holds the terminal and the additional member. Here, the additional member is formed separately from the terminal. Therefore, it is suitable for manufacturing connectors of a plurality of variations. That is, in the connector according to this aspect, the terminal and the housing can be common components of the connectors of each variation, and the additional member can be an additional member designed for each connector of each variation. Thereby, the performance of the connector can be changed by changing only the additional member among the terminal, the additional member, and the housing constituting the connector. For example, the performance of the connector can be changed by changing the shape or the friction coefficient of the additional contact portion on the additional member side.

[0041] From the above, according to this aspect, it is possible to facilitate the variation expansion of the connector.

[0042] In the embodiment described later, an example will be described in which the terminal-side contact portion contacts the connection object from one side and the additional-side contact portion contacts the connection object from the other side, but this aspect is not limited to this. For example, the terminal-side contact portion may contact the connection object from the first direction, and the additional member may contact the connection object from a direction perpendicular to the first direction. In the embodiment described later, an example in which the above-mentioned "housing" is a movable housing will be described, but this aspect is not limited to this. For example, the connector may not include a movable housing, and the above-mentioned "housing" may be a fixed housing.

[0043] The manufacturing method of the connector according to the second aspect is the manufacturing method of the connector according to the first aspect, wherein the additional member is selected from a plurality of types of pre-designed additional members and held by the housing.

[0044] In this aspect, the additional member is selected from a plurality of types of pre-designed additional members and held by the housing Therefore, by selecting an appropriate additional member, a connector that meets the required requirements can be manufactured at low cost. Note that the above-mentioned "holding" includes not only holding by press-fitting but also holding by insert molding.

[0045] In the manufacturing method of the connector according to the second to third aspect, in the second to second aspect, in the connector, the terminal-side contact portion contacts the connection object from one side, and the additional-side contact portion contacts the connection object from the other side. The plurality of types of additional members include two or more types of additional members configured such that the distances at which the terminal-side contact portion and the additional-side contact portion face each other are different.

[0046] In this aspect, the terminal-side contact portion contacts the connection object from one side. Also, the additional-side contact portion contacts the connection object from the other side. And the plurality of types of additional members include two or more types of additional members configured such that the distances at which the terminal-side contact portion and the additional-side contact portion face each other are different. Therefore, by selecting the additional member, the distance at which the terminal-side contact portion and the additional-side contact portion face each other can be changed to an appropriate distance.

[0047] In the manufacturing method of the connector according to the second to fourth aspect, in the second to second or second to third aspect, the plurality of types of additional members include two or more types of additional members having different friction coefficients of the additional-side contact portion.

[0048] In this aspect, the plurality of types of additional members include two or more types of additional members having different friction coefficients of the additional-side contact portion. Therefore, by selecting the additional member, the force required for connecting the connection object can be set to an appropriate force.

[0049] In the manufacturing method of the connector according to the second to fifth aspect, in any one of the second to second to fourth aspects, the plurality of types of additional members are configured such that the distances at which the terminal-side contact portion and the additional-side contact portion face each other are the same, but the plurality of types of additional members include two or more types of additional members having different friction coefficients of the additional-side contact portion.

[0050] In this aspect, among a plurality of types of additional members, although the distances at which the terminal-side contact portion and the additional-side contact portion face each other are configured to be the same, two or more types of additional members having different friction coefficients of the additional-side contact portion are included. Therefore, even without increasing the variations in the shape of the additional members, the variations in the connector can be increased.

[0051] (Third aspect) The connector according to the third - 1 aspect is a connector that can be attached to the mounting surface of an object to be attached, and can be connected to a connection object with the direction along the mounting surface as the connection direction. The connector includes a fixed housing fixed to the object to be attached, a movable housing that can be fitted to the connection object and is displaceable with respect to the object to be attached, a connection portion connected to the object to be attached, and a terminal having a displacement portion held by the movable housing and displaced together with the movable housing. The fixed housing has a displacement restricting portion provided at a position where it abuts against the connection object when the connection object in a state of being fitted to the movable housing or in the middle of the fitting process is displaced in a direction approaching the mounting surface.

[0052] In this aspect, the connector includes a fixed housing, a movable housing, and a terminal. The fixed housing is a housing fixed to the object to be attached. The movable housing is a housing displaceable with respect to the object to be attached and can be fitted to the connection object. The terminal has a connection portion and a displacement portion. The connection portion is a portion connected to the object to be attached. The displacement portion is a portion held by the movable housing and displaced together with the movable housing.

[0053] Here, the fixed housing has a displacement restricting portion. The displacement restricting portion is provided at a position where it abuts against the connection object when the connection object in a state of being fitted to the movable housing or in the middle of the fitting process is displaced in a direction approaching the mounting surface. As a result, the displacement of the connection object in the fitted state or in the middle of the fitting process is restricted, and excessive displacement of the movable housing is suppressed.

[0054] That is, in the technologies of Patent Documents 2 and 3, excessive displacement was restricted by providing legs protruding downward to the movable housing. However, in this aspect, excessive displacement is restricted by providing a portion (displacement restricting portion) that contacts the object to be connected in the mated state or during mating to the fixed housing.

[0055] As described above, according to this aspect, since the excessive displacement of the movable housing is restricted by the displacement restricting portion, the legs become unnecessary or the legs can be simplified. As a result, the weight of the movable part in the connector can be reduced. Therefore, in the right angle floating connector, excessive downward displacement of the movable housing can be restricted, and the resonance frequency can be increased.

[0056] In the connector according to the third - 2 aspect, in the third - 1 aspect, the fixed housing is a space on the mounting surface side with respect to the space in which the movable housing is disposed, and has a passage space through which the movable housing can pass.

[0057] In this aspect, the fixed housing is a space on the mounting surface side (lower side) with respect to the space in which the movable housing is disposed, and has a passage space through which the movable housing can pass. Therefore, when manufacturing the connector, the movable housing can be assembled to the fixed housing from below.

[0058] In the connector according to the third - 3 aspect, in the third - 1 or third - 3 aspect, the fixed housing has an upward restricting portion that restricts the movement range of the movable housing in the direction away from the mounting surface.

[0059] In this aspect, the fixed housing has an upward restricting portion. The upward restricting portion restricts the movement range of the movable housing in the direction away from the mounting surface (upward). Therefore, it is not necessary to separately attach a member that functions as the upward restricting portion to the fixed housing.

[0060] In the connector according to the third to fourth aspects, in any of the third to first to third to third aspects, the terminal has a fixed-side held portion held by the fixed housing, and the displacement restricting portion holds the fixed-side held portion.

[0061] In this aspect, the terminal has a fixed-side held portion held by the fixed housing, and the displacement restricting portion holds the fixed-side held portion of the terminal. Therefore, compared with the aspect in which the displacement restricting portion is formed separately from the portion holding the fixed-side held portion of the terminal, the connector can be miniaturized.

[0062] In the connector according to the third to fifth aspect, in any of the third to first to third to fourth aspects, the terminal has a deformable intermediate deformation portion between the connection portion and the displacement portion, and at least a part of the intermediate deformation portion is located between the movable housing and the mounting surface in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface.

[0063] In this aspect, the terminal has a deformable intermediate deformation portion between the connection portion and the displacement portion. And at least a part of the intermediate deformation portion is located between the movable housing and the mounting surface in a direction (height direction) perpendicular to the mounting surface. Therefore, the length of the intermediate deformation portion can be ensured.

[0064] The mating connector according to the third to sixth aspect is a mating connector as the connection object connectable to the connector according to any of the third to first to third to fifth aspects, and includes a mating housing and a mating terminal held by the mating housing. The mating housing has an opposing lower surface that opposes the displacement restricting portion in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface in a state where it is fitted with the movable housing or in the middle of fitting, and a downward protruding portion that protrudes from the opposing lower surface toward the mounting surface side. The downward protruding portion is provided at a position where it abuts against the displacement restricting portion when the mating connector in a state where it is fitted with the movable housing or in the middle of fitting is displaced in a direction approaching the mounting surface.

[0065] The mating connector according to this aspect includes a mating housing and mating terminals held by the mating housing. The mating housing has a lower opposing surface that faces the displacement restricting portion in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface (vertical direction) in a state where it is fitted with the movable housing or during the fitting process. Furthermore, the mating housing has a downward protruding portion that protrudes from the lower opposing surface toward the mounting surface side. The downward protruding portion is provided at a position that abuts against the displacement restricting portion when the mating connector in a state of being fitted with the movable housing or during the fitting process is displaced in a direction approaching the mounting surface. For this reason, the maximum amount of downward displacement of the mating connector is reduced by the amount that the downward protruding portion protrudes. Therefore, it is possible to limit excessive downward displacement of the mating connector while suppressing an increase in the mass of the mating housing of the mating connector.

[0066] The mating connector according to the third to seventh aspects, in the third to sixth aspects, the mating terminal protrudes from the mating housing and has a mating contact portion that contacts a contact portion formed in the displacement portion, and the lower opposing surface is a lower surface facing the mounting surface side of the adjacent support portion that supports a portion adjacent to the mating contact portion.

[0067] In this aspect, the mating terminal protrudes from the mating housing and has a mating contact portion that contacts a contact portion formed in the displacement portion. A portion of the mating terminal adjacent to the mating contact portion is supported by the adjacent support portion of the mating housing. The downward protruding portion protrudes from the lower surface of the adjacent support portion. For this reason, it is possible to suppress excessive displacement of the movable housing while reducing the weight of the mating connector compared to a mode in which the vertical dimension of the adjacent support portion is simply enlarged and its lower surface is brought into contact with the displacement restricting portion of the internal connector.

[0068] The connector according to the 4-1 aspect is a connector including a housing and terminals held by the housing, wherein the terminals have a first held portion formed on a first extension portion extending along a first direction, a displaceable portion displaceable with respect to the first held portion, and an intermediate portion between the first held portion and the displaceable portion, the intermediate portion having one or a plurality of bent portions bent in a plate thickness direction, the intermediate portion being connected to the first extension portion via a first bent portion closest to the first held portion among the one or a plurality of bent portions, including a second extension portion extending along a direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a second held portion being formed on the second extension portion.

[0069] In this aspect, the connector includes a housing and terminals held by the housing. The terminals have a first held portion formed on a first extension portion extending along a first direction, a displaceable portion displaceable with respect to the first held portion, and an intermediate portion between the first extension portion and the displaceable portion. The intermediate portion has a plurality of bent portions bent in a plate thickness direction.

[0070] Here, the intermediate portion is connected to the first extension portion via a first bent portion and includes a second extension portion extending along a direction perpendicular to the first direction. And a second held portion is formed on the second extension portion. Therefore, since the second held portion formed on the second extension portion is held by the housing, deformation of the first bent portion is suppressed and stress concentration on the first bent portion is suppressed.

[0071] From the above, according to this aspect, in a connector in which an intermediate portion of a terminal has one or a plurality of bent portions, stress concentration on the bent portions can be suppressed.

[0072] Note that in the embodiments described later, the first held portion and the first bent portion are close to each other, but this aspect is not limited thereto. In the embodiments described later, the first bent portion and the second held portion are close to each other, but this aspect is not limited thereto. In the embodiments described later, the housing is a fixed housing, but the housing of this aspect is not limited thereto.

[0073] In the connector according to the fourth - second aspect, in the fourth - first aspect, a portion of the second extension portion on the displacement portion side with respect to the second held portion includes a gradually decreasing extension portion formed such that the plate width gradually decreases as the distance from the second held portion increases.

[0074] In this aspect, a portion of the second extension portion on the displacement portion side with respect to the second held portion includes a gradually decreasing extension portion formed such that the plate width gradually decreases as the distance from the second held portion increases. Therefore, it is possible to suppress stress concentration in a specific portion of the second extension portion.

[0075] In the connector according to the fourth - third aspect, in the fourth - first or fourth - second aspect, the second held portion is formed with a larger plate width than a portion adjacent to the second held portion, and the plate width change rate on the first held portion side with respect to the position where the plate width of the second held portion is maximum is larger than the plate width change rate on the displacement portion side.

[0076] In this aspect, the second held portion is formed with a larger plate width than a portion adjacent to the second held portion. And the plate width change rate on the first held portion side with respect to the position where the plate width of the second held portion is maximum is larger than the plate width change rate on the displacement portion side. Note that the plate width change rate means the amount of change in the plate width with respect to the distance approaching the first held portion side or the displacement portion side. Therefore, the position of the second held portion can be set near the first bent portion, and stress concentration in a portion of the intermediate portion close to the displacement portion side with respect to the second held portion can be suppressed. If the position of the second held portion can be set near the first bent portion, a longer deformable region in the intermediate portion can be ensured.

[0077] In the connector according to the fourth - fourth aspect, in any one of the fourth - first to fourth - third aspects, the terminal is press - fitted and held in the housing in a predetermined press - fitting direction, the first direction is the press - fitting direction, the first held portion is a first press - fitting portion, and the second held portion is a second press - fitting portion.

[0078] In this aspect, the terminal is press-fitted and held in the housing in a predetermined press-fitting direction (first direction).

[0079] The connector set according to the 5-1st aspect includes a right-angle type internal connector attached to a substrate disposed inside the case, and a relay connector attached to an opening of the case for relaying between the internal connector and an external connection object outside the case. The internal connector includes a first internal terminal and a second internal terminal. The relay connector includes a first relay terminal connected to the first internal terminal and a second relay terminal connected to the second internal terminal. The first internal terminal has a first contact portion that contacts the first relay terminal and a first connection portion that connects to the substrate. The second internal terminal has a second contact portion that contacts the second relay terminal and a second connection portion that connects to the substrate. The first relay terminal has a first internal side contact portion that contacts the first internal terminal and a first external side contact portion that contacts the external connection object. The second relay terminal has a second internal side contact portion that contacts the second internal terminal and a second external side contact portion that contacts the external connection object. The first external side contact portion and the second external side contact portion are disposed at different positions in a substrate vertical direction that is a direction perpendicular to the substrate. The first internal side contact portion and the second internal side contact portion are disposed at the same position in the substrate vertical direction.

[0080] The connector set according to this aspect includes a right-angle type internal connector attached to a substrate disposed inside the case, and a relay connector attached to an opening of the case for relaying between the internal connector and an external connection object outside the case. The internal connector includes a first internal terminal and a second internal terminal. The relay connector includes a first relay terminal connected to the first internal terminal and a second relay terminal connected to the second internal terminal. The first internal terminal has a first contact portion that contacts the first relay terminal and a first connection portion that connects to the substrate. The second internal terminal has a second contact portion that contacts the second relay terminal and a second connection portion that connects to the substrate. The first relay terminal has a first inner side contact portion that contacts the first inner terminal and a first outer side contact portion that contacts an object to be externally connected. The second relay terminal has a second inner side contact portion that contacts the second inner terminal and a second outer side contact portion that contacts an object to be externally connected.

[0081] Here, in this aspect, although the first outer side contact portion and the second outer side contact portion are arranged at different positions in the substrate vertical direction, the first inner side contact portion and the second inner side contact portion are arranged at the same position in the substrate vertical direction. For this reason, since the distance from the substrate of the first contact portion and the distance from the substrate of the second contact portion are the same, can the shape of the first inner terminal and the shape of the second inner terminal be made the same, or even if they are not the same shape, they can be made similar shapes.

[0082] From the above, according to this aspect, in a connector set including an internal connector and a relay connector, the design cost of the internal connector can be reduced.

[0083] Note that in the embodiments described later, an example where the "internal connector" is a floating connector will be described, but the "internal connector" in this aspect is not limited to this. Also, in the embodiments described later, the internal connector includes a third inner terminal and a fourth inner terminal in addition to the first inner terminal and the second inner terminal, and the relay connector includes a third relay terminal and a fourth relay terminal in addition to the first relay terminal and the second relay terminal, but the "connector set" in this aspect is not limited to this.

[0084] The connector set according to the 5-2 aspect, in the 5-1 aspect, the first inner terminal is located between the first contact portion and the first connection portion and has a first intermediate deformation portion that deforms to allow displacement of the first contact portion with respect to the first connection portion, and the second inner terminal is located between the second contact portion and the second connection portion and has a second intermediate deformation portion that deforms to allow displacement of the first contact portion with respect to the second connection portion.

[0085] In this aspect, the first internal terminal is located between the first contact portion and the first connection portion, and has a first intermediate deformation portion that deforms to allow displacement of the first contact portion relative to the first connection portion. The second internal terminal is located between the second contact portion and the second connection portion, and has a second intermediate deformation portion that deforms to allow displacement of the second contact portion relative to the second connection portion. Therefore, the first contact portion and the second contact portion can be displaced relative to the substrate, and can absorb the positional deviation between the substrate and the relay connector.

[0086] In this aspect, since the internal terminal has an intermediate deformation portion (the first intermediate deformation portion or the second intermediate deformation portion), the design of the internal terminal is particularly complicated. Therefore, if the types of the shapes of the internal terminals increase, the design cost will increase significantly. In particular, in the case of an internal connector used in an environment where strong vibrations, such as in-vehicle devices, are applied over a long period of time, this problem is prominent because a high-performance intermediate deformation portion that can maintain performance even in such an environment is required.

[0087] The connector set according to the 5-3 aspect is, in the 5-1 or 5-2 aspect, wherein the internal connector includes a third internal terminal and a fourth internal terminal, the relay connector includes a third relay terminal connected to the third internal terminal and a fourth relay terminal connected to the fourth internal terminal, the third internal terminal has a third contact portion that contacts the third relay terminal and a third connection portion that is connected to the substrate, the fourth internal terminal has a fourth contact portion that contacts the fourth relay terminal and a fourth connection portion that is connected to the substrate, the third relay terminal has a third internal-side contact portion that contacts the third internal terminal and a third external-side contact portion that contacts the external connection object, the fourth relay terminal has a fourth internal-side contact portion that contacts the fourth internal terminal and a fourth external-side contact portion that contacts the external connection object, the first external-side contact portion, the second external-side contact portion, the third external-side contact portion, and the fourth external-side contact portion are arranged at different positions in the direction perpendicular to the substrate, the first internal-side contact portion and the second internal-side contact portion are arranged at the same position in the direction perpendicular to the substrate, and the third internal-side contact portion and the fourth internal-side contact portion are arranged at the same position in the direction perpendicular to the substrate.

[0088] In this aspect, the first outer-side contact portion, the second outer-side contact portion, the third outer-side contact portion, and the fourth outer-side contact portion are arranged at different positions in the direction perpendicular to the substrate. On the other hand, the first inner-side contact portion and the second inner-side contact portion are arranged at the same position in the direction perpendicular to the substrate, and the third inner-side contact portion and the fourth inner-side contact portion are arranged at the same position in the direction perpendicular to the substrate. Therefore, since the distance from the substrate of the first contact portion is the same as the distance from the substrate of the second contact portion, it is possible to make the shape of the first inner terminal the same as that of the second inner terminal, or to make them similar shapes even if they are not the same shape. As a result, the design cost of the inner connector can be reduced. Also, since the distance from the substrate of the third contact portion is the same as the distance from the substrate of the fourth contact portion, it is possible to make the shape of the third inner terminal the same as that of the fourth inner terminal, or to make them similar shapes even if they are not the same shape. As a result, the design cost of the inner connector can be reduced.

[0089] In the connector according to the 5-4 aspect, in the 5-3 aspect, the first outer-side contact portion and the fourth outer-side contact portion are arranged at the same position in the arrangement direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the direction perpendicular to the substrate, and the second outer-side contact portion and the third outer-side contact portion are arranged at the same position in the arrangement direction, and the first inner-side contact portion, the second inner-side contact portion, the third inner-side contact portion, and the fourth inner-side contact portion are arranged at different positions in the arrangement direction.

[0090] In this aspect, the second outer-side contact portion and the fourth outer-side contact portion are arranged at the same position in the arrangement direction, and the first outer-side contact portion and the third outer-side contact portion are arranged at the same position in the arrangement direction. On the other hand, the first inner-side contact portion, the second inner-side contact portion, the third inner-side contact portion, and the fourth inner-side contact portion are arranged at different positions in the arrangement direction. Therefore, the positions of the first contact portion, the second contact portion, the third contact portion, and the fourth contact portion of the inner connector in the arrangement direction can be made different from each other.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0091]

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

Figure 21

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 26

Figure 27

Figure 28

Figure 29

Figure 30

Figure 31

Figure 32

Figure 33

Figure 34

Figure 35

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0092] Hereinafter, the description will be given with the ±X direction shown in each figure as the front-rear direction, the ±Y direction as the width direction, and the ±Z direction as the up-down direction.

[0093] (Connector set) As shown in FIG. 1, the connector sets 10 and 11 include an internal connector 10 and a relay connector 11. The internal connector 10 is attached to a substrate 14 (object to be attached) disposed inside the case 13. The internal connector 10 is a right-angle type floating connector. The relay connector 11 relays between the internal connector 10 disposed inside the case 13 and a connection object outside the case 13 (not shown in the figure, hereinafter referred to as the "external connection object". For example, a connector provided at the end of a wire harness). The relay connector 11 is attached to the opening 13a of the case 13.

[0094] The connection between the internal connector 10 and the relay connector 11 is performed, for example, in the following procedure. First, the substrate 14 to which the internal connector 10 is attached is disposed and fixed inside the case 13. Next, the relay connector 11 is fitted into the opening 13a of the case 13 and the relay connector 11 is connected to the internal connector 10. Finally, the relay connector 11 is fixed to the case 13 by bolts or the like (not shown).

[0095] (Internal connector 10) Next, the internal connector 10 will be described.

[0096] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the internal connector 10. The internal connector 10 includes a plurality of terminals 40, 50, a fixed housing 20, a movable housing 30, a plurality (4) of fixtures 101, and a plurality (28) of additional members 90.

[0097] (Terminals 40, 50) The plurality of terminals 40, 50 includes a plurality (14) of upper terminals 40 and a plurality (14, the same number as the upper terminals 40) of lower terminals 50.

[0098] The plurality of upper terminals 40 each have the same structure, and the plurality of lower terminals 50 each have the same structure. The upper terminals 40 and the lower terminals 50 have different structures.

[0099] Hereinafter, when explaining matters common to the upper terminals 40 and the lower terminals 50, the upper terminals 40 and the lower terminals 50 are referred to as terminals 40, 50 without particular distinction.

[0100] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the terminals 40 and 50 include connection portions 41 and 51 connected to the substrate 14, fixed-side held portions 42 and 52 held by the fixed housing 20, intermediate deformable portions 43 and 53 formed to be deformable, movable-side held portions 44 and 54 held by the movable housing 30, and contact portions 45 and 55 that contact the relay terminals 60 and 70 of the relay connector 11.

[0101] The connection portions 41 and 51 are soldered to the surface (mounting surface) of the substrate 14, which is the object to be connected. The fixed-side held portions 42 and 52 are press-fitted into the fixed housing 20. The movable-side held portions 44 and 54 are press-fitted into the movable housing 30. The movable-side held portions 44 and 54 and the contact portions 45 and 55 function as displaceable portions 44, 45, 54, and 55 that can be displaced with respect to the substrate 14.

[0102] (Upper terminal 40) The connection portion 41 of the upper terminal 40 extends rearward from a bent portion 404 formed below a first extension portion 401 that extends in the vertical direction.

[0103] The fixed-side held portion 42 of the upper terminal 40 has a first press-fitting portion 421 and a second press-fitting portion 422.

[0104] The first press-fitting portion 421 is formed in the first extension portion 401 that extends in the vertical direction. The first press-fitting portion 421 has its plate thickness direction oriented in the front-rear direction. Press-fitting protrusions are formed on both sides of the first press-fitting portion 421 in the plate width direction. The second press-fitting portion 422 is formed in a second extension portion 403 that extends forward from a bent portion 402 (first bent portion) formed above the first extension portion 401. The second press-fitting portion 422 is located near the bent portion 402 in the second extension portion 403. The second press-fitting portion 422 has its plate thickness direction oriented in the vertical direction. The second press-fitting portion 422 is formed with a larger plate width than adjacent portions. The specific structure of the second press-fitting portion 422 will be described later.

[0105] The fixed-side held portion 42 is press-fitted into the fixed housing 20 with the upward direction as the press-fitting direction. Therefore, the first press-fitting portion 421 is press-fitted in a direction perpendicular to its plate thickness direction, and the second press-fitting portion 422 is press-fitted in a direction parallel to its plate thickness direction.

[0106] The intermediate deformation portion 43 of the upper terminal 40 includes a front extension portion 431 which is a portion of the second extension portion 403 on the side of the displacement portions 44, 45 rather than the second press-fitting portion 422, a bent portion 432, an upper extension portion 433, a bent portion 434, a rear extension portion 435, a bent portion 436, an upper extension portion 437, a bent portion 438, and a front extension portion 439.

[0107] The bent portion 432, the upper extension portion 433, and the bent portion 434 constitute a folded-back portion 432, 433, 434 whose extension direction is converted from the front direction to the rear direction. The bent portion 436, the upper extension portion 437, and the bent portion 438 constitute a folded-back portion 436, 437, 438 whose extension direction is converted from the rear direction to the front direction. Thus, the intermediate deformation portion 43 of the upper terminal 40 includes two folded-back portions whose extension direction is converted in the front-rear direction. The vertical dimension of the lower folded-back portions 432, 433, 434 is smaller than the vertical dimension of the upper folded-back portions 436, 437, 438.

[0108] Most of the front extension portion 431 is composed of a portion (gradually decreasing extension portion) where the plate width dimension gradually becomes smaller as it advances toward the displacement portions 44, 45. The bent portion 432 is formed with a larger plate width than the adjacent portions so that stress does not concentrate. The front extension portion 439 has a base end side portion 439a with an unchanged plate width and a tip end side portion 439b whose plate width gradually expands as it approaches the displacement portions 44, 45.

[0109] (Lower terminal 50) The connection portion 51 of the lower terminal 50 extends forward from a bent portion 504 formed below the first extension portion 501 that extends in the vertical direction.

[0110] The fixed-side held portion 52 of the lower terminal 50 has a first press-fitting portion 521 and a second press-fitting portion 522.

[0111] The first press-fitting portion 521 is formed in the first extension portion 501 that extends in the vertical direction. The first press-fitting portion 521 is oriented with the plate thickness direction in the front-rear direction. Press-fitting protrusions are formed on both sides of the first press-fitting portion 521 in the plate width direction. The second press-fitting portion 522 is formed in the second extension portion 503 that extends rearward from the curved portion 502 (first curved portion) formed above the first extension portion 501. The second press-fitting portion 522 is located near the curved portion 502 in the second extension portion 503. The second press-fitting portion 522 is oriented with the plate thickness direction in the vertical direction. The second press-fitting portion 522 is formed with a larger plate width than the adjacent portions. The specific structure of the second press-fitting portion 522 will be described later.

[0112] The fixed-side held portion 52 is press-fitted into the fixed housing 20 with the upward direction as the press-fitting direction. Therefore, the first press-fitting portion 521 is press-fitted in a direction perpendicular to its plate thickness direction, and the second press-fitting portion 522 is press-fitted in a direction parallel to its plate thickness direction.

[0113] The intermediate deformation portion 53 of the lower terminal 50 includes a rearward extension portion 531, which is a portion of the second extension portion 503 on the side of the displacement portions 54, 55 rather than the second press-fitting portion 522, a curved portion 532, an upward extension portion 533, a curved portion 534, and a forward extension portion 535.

[0114] The curved portion 532, the upward extension portion 533, and the curved portion 534 constitute folded-back portions 532, 533, 534 whose extension directions are converted from the rearward direction to the forward direction. Thus, the intermediate deformation portion 53 of the lower terminal 50 includes one folded-back portion whose extension direction is converted in the front-rear direction.

[0115] Most of the rearward extension portion 531 is composed of a portion (gradually decreasing extension portion) whose plate width gradually decreases as it progresses toward the displacement portions 54, 55. The curved portion 532 is formed with a larger plate width than the adjacent portions so that stress does not concentrate.

[0116] Since the displacement portions 44, 45 of the upper terminal 40 and the displacement portions 54, 55 of the lower terminal 50 have the same structure, they will be described together.

[0117] The displacement portions 44, 45, 54, 55 include movable-side held portions 44, 54 and contact portions 45, 55.

[0118] The movable-side held portions 44, 54 are oriented with the plate thickness direction in the vertical direction. Press-fit protrusions are formed on both sides of the movable-side held portions 44, 54 in the plate width direction (width direction). The movable-side held portions 44, 54 are press-fitted into the movable housing 30 with the forward direction as the press-fit direction. Therefore, the movable-side held portions 44, 54 are press-fitted in a direction perpendicular to their plate thickness direction. The movable-side held portions 44, 54 are connected to the front extension portions 439, 535 without passing through a bent portion.

[0119] The contact portions 45, 55 include first contact pieces 45a, 55a that elastically contact the connection objects (relay terminals 60, 70) and second contact pieces 45b, 55b that elastically contact the connection objects on the back side in the connection direction (rear direction) relative to the first contact pieces 45a, 55a.

[0120] The first contact pieces 45a, 55a include first contact portions 45a1, 55a1 and a pair of first support portions 45a2, 55a2. The first contact portions 45a1, 55a1 are bent in a mountain shape so that the upward direction is convex. The pair of first support portions 45a2, 55a2 elastically support the first contact portions 45a1, 55a1.

[0121] The second contact pieces 45b, 55b include second contact portions 45b1, 55b1 and second support portions 45b2, 55b2. The second contact portions 45b1, 55b1 are bent in a mountain shape so that the upward direction is convex. The second contact portions 45b1, 55b1 are located on the rear side relative to the first contact portions 45a1, 55a1. As a result, the second contact portions 45b1, 55b1 are located deeper in the connection direction (rear direction) than the first contact portions 45a1, 55a1. When the relay connector 11 is connected to the internal connector 10, the relay terminals 60, 70 of the relay connector 11 first slide and wipe against the first contact portions 45a1, 55a1, and then contact the second contact portions 45b1, 55b1. The second support portions 45b2 and 55b2 are formed between the pair of first support portions 45a2 and 55a2. In a state where the internal connector 10 is not connected to the relay connector 11, the vertex positions (contacts) of the second contact portions 45b1 and 55b1 are located below the vertex positions (contacts) of the first contact portions 45a1 and 55a1.

[0122] Next, the positional relationship between the upper terminal 40 and the lower terminal 50 and the like will be described.

[0123] The displacement portions 54 and 55 of the lower terminal 50 are located below the displacement portions 44 and 45 of the upper terminal 40. The start end (the boundary between the rearward extension portion 531 and the fixed-side held portion 52) of the intermediate deformation portion 53 of the lower terminal 50 is located below the start end of the intermediate deformation portion 43 of the upper terminal 40. The vertical dimension of the intermediate deformation portion 53 of the lower terminal 50 is smaller than the vertical dimension of the intermediate deformation portion 43 of the upper terminal 40.

[0124] The front-rear extension portion (frontward extension portion 431) on the start end side of the intermediate deformation portion 43 of the upper terminal 40 is shorter than the front-rear extension portion (rearward extension portion 531) on the start end side of the intermediate deformation portion 53 of the lower terminal 50. The front-rear extension portion (frontward extension portion 439) on the end side of the intermediate deformation portion 43 of the upper terminal 40 is longer than the front-rear extension portion (frontward extension portion 535) on the end side of the intermediate deformation portion 53 of the lower terminal 50.

[0125] The positions of the plurality of upper terminals 40 in the width direction are different from the positions of the plurality of lower terminals 50. In the width direction (terminal array direction), the upper terminals 40 and the lower terminals 50 are alternately arranged.

[0126] (Additional member 90) The additional member 90 is a member formed separately from the terminals 40 and 50 and held by the movable housing 30.

[0127] As shown in FIG. 11, the additional member 90 has a front end portion 90a that constitutes the vicinity of the front end of the additional member 90, a general portion 90b, and a rear end portion 90c that constitutes the vicinity of the rear end of the additional member 90. The front end portion 90a is formed such that its width dimension decreases as it advances forward. The general portion 90b has a constant width dimension regardless of its position in the front - rear direction, except for the portions where the press - fit protrusions 92 and 93 described later are formed. The rear end portion 90c has a constant width dimension regardless of its position in the front - rear direction and has a smaller plate width than the general portion 90b.

[0128] The additional member 90 is formed by performing punching or the like on a plate material and is not bent. The additional member 90 is made of, for example, stainless steel and is not plated.

[0129] A bulging portion 91 that bulges downward is formed on the additional member 90 by bead processing. The bulging portion 91 is formed at a position that is vertically opposed to the contact portions 45 and 55 of the terminals 40 and 50. The bulging portion 91 contacts the relay terminals 60 and 70 of the relay connector 11. The bulging portion 91 is formed to extend in the front - rear direction and is vertically opposed to both the first contact portions 45a1 and 55a1 and the second contact portions 45b1 and 55b1. The front end of the bulging portion 91 is located at the front end portion 90a of the additional member 90. The rear end of the bulging portion 91 is located in the general portion 90b of the additional member 90, specifically, in front of the center position in the front - rear direction of the general portion 90a. The bulging portion 91 corresponds to the "additional - side contact portion" and the "other - side contact portion" of the present disclosure.

[0130] The additional member 90 has a plurality of press - fit protrusions 92 and 93. The plurality of press - fit protrusions 92 and 93 are composed of a pair of front - side press - fit protrusions 92 and a pair of rear - side press - fit protrusions 93. The position in the front - rear direction where the pair of front - side press - fit protrusions 92 are formed is a position that overlaps with the range where the bulging portion 91 is formed. The position in the front - rear direction where the pair of rear - side press - fit protrusions 93 are formed is a position that does not overlap with the range where the bulging portion 91 is formed and corresponds to the rear end of the general portion 90b of the additional member 90. The additional member 90 is press - fit into an additional - member press - fit groove 312b (see FIG. 19) formed in the upper part of the arrangement space 312 of the movable housing 30.

[0131] A part of the tip side of the front end portion 90a is the tip side inclined portion 90a1. In the tip side inclined portion 90a1, the plate thickness becomes smaller as it advances forward. As a result, the lower surface of the tip side inclined portion 90a1 is inclined upward as it advances forward.

[0132] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a different type of additional member 90A from the additional member 90 shown in FIG. 11. The additional member 90A has substantially the same configuration as the additional member 90, but is different in that the bulging amount of the bulging portion 91A is larger than that of the bulging portion 91 of the additional member 90. The additional member 90A can also be press-fitted into the additional member press-fitting groove 312b (see FIG. 19) of the movable housing 30 instead of the additional member 90. In this embodiment, since the bulging portion 91 is formed by bead processing (that is, processing to recess in the plate thickness direction), the bulging amount (protrusion amount · recess amount) of the bulging portion 91 can be easily changed, and variation development is easy.

[0133] (Fixed housing 20) FIGS. 13 and 14 show the fixed housing. The fixed housing 20 is a housing fixed to the substrate 14 as the "object to be attached". The fixed housing 20 is fixed to the substrate 14 via a plurality of terminals 40, 50 and a plurality of fixtures 101.

[0134] The fixed housing 20 is formed of an insulator such as synthetic resin.

[0135] The fixed housing 20 has lower frame bodies 21, 22, 23. The lower frame bodies 21, 22, 23 have a front frame portion 21, a rear frame portion 22, and a pair of side frame portions 23. The front frame portion 21 and the rear frame portion 22 extend in the width direction, and the pair of side frame portions 23 extend in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the lower frame bodies 21, 22, 23 are in a rectangular frame shape in plan view.

[0136] The front frame portion 21 functions as a lower terminal holding portion 21 that holds a part (fixed-side held portion 52) of the lower terminal 50 (see FIG. 7). A press-fitting groove 28 into which the fixed-side held portion 52 of the lower terminal 50 is press-fitted is formed in the front frame portion 21. Accordingly, the front frame portion 21 is fixed to the substrate 14 via the lower terminal 50. The cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the width direction of the front frame portion 21 is rectangular. The upper surface of the front frame portion 21 is a plane with the upward direction as the normal direction. The press-fitting groove 28 is a groove that is open only on the lower surface side and the rear surface side of the front frame portion 21.

[0137] The rear frame portion 22 functions as an upper terminal holding portion 22 that holds a part (fixed-side held portion 42) of the upper terminal 40 (see FIG. 8). A press-fitting groove 28 into which the fixed-side held portion 42 of the upper terminal 40 is press-fitted is formed in the rear frame portion 22. Accordingly, the rear frame portion 22 is fixed to the substrate 14 via the upper terminal 40. The structure of the press-fitting groove 28 of the rear frame portion 22 is substantially the same as that of the press-fitting groove 28 of the front frame portion 21 and will be specifically described later.

[0138] The pair of side frame portions 23 has a bilaterally symmetric structure. Fixture press-fitting grooves 231 and 232 into which the fixture 101 is press-fitted are formed in the side frame portion 23. The fixture 101 is press-fitted into the fixture press-fitting grooves 231 and 232 from above. Accordingly, the side frame portion 23 is fixed to the substrate 14 via the fixture 101. The fixture press-fitting grooves 231 and 232 include a front fixture press-fitting groove 231 and a rear fixture press-fitting groove 232. When the side frame portion 23 is divided into a front portion, a rear portion, and an intermediate portion therebetween, the front fixture press-fitting groove 231 is formed in the front portion of the side frame portion 23, and the rear fixture press-fitting groove 232 is formed in the rear portion of the side frame portion 23.

[0139] As described above, the lower frame bodies 21, 22, and 23 are fixed to the substrate 14 in all of the front frame portion 21, the rear frame portion 22, and the pair of side frame portions 23 that constitute the four-direction frame portions.

[0140] On the front frame portion 21, a pair of outer concave portions 211 are formed on the outer side in the width direction of the portion where a plurality of press-fitting grooves 28 are formed (see FIG. 14). The outer concave portions 211 are concave portions that are open downward and rearward. On the rear frame portion 22, a pair of outer concave portions 221 are formed on the outer side in the width direction of the portion where a plurality of press-fitting grooves 28 are formed. The outer concave portions 221 are concave portions that are open downward and forward.

[0141] The space surrounded by the lower frame bodies 21, 22, and 23 is a space (passage space 29) through which the movable housing 30 can pass in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 14, on the side frame portion 23, a retraction concave portion 233 that is recessed outward in the width direction is formed so that the overhanging portion 32 of the movable housing 30 can pass through in the vertical direction. The front-rear dimension of the retraction concave portion 233 is larger than the interval between the front regulating wall 271 and the rear regulating wall 272. Specifically, regarding the position in the front-rear direction, the rear end of the retraction concave portion 233 coincides with the front surface of the rear regulating wall 272, but the front end of the retraction concave portion 233 is located in front of the rear surface of the front regulating wall 271.

[0142] The fixed housing 20 has a pair of rear side walls 24. The pair of rear side walls 24 has a bilaterally symmetric structure. The rear side walls 24 extend upward from the rear portion of the side frame portion 23. The rear side walls 24 are not formed at positions corresponding to the front portion of the side frame portion 23. The rear side walls 24 constitute the outer walls in the width direction of the space where the movable housing 30 is disposed.

[0143] The fixed housing 20 has a pair of regulating portions 27. The pair of restricting parts 27 has a bilaterally symmetric structure. The restricting parts 27 are formed above the middle part of the side frame parts 23. The restricting parts 27 have a front restricting wall 271 and a rear restricting wall 272. The front restricting wall 271 and the rear restricting wall 272 face each other in the front-rear direction. By arranging the protruding part 32 (see FIG. 17) of the movable housing 30 between the front restricting wall 271 and the rear restricting wall 272, the moving range of the movable housing 30 in the front-rear direction is restricted. That is, the front restricting wall 271 restricts the forward moving range of the movable housing 30, and the rear restricting wall 272 restricts the rearward moving range of the movable housing 30.

[0144] Specifically, the shape of the front restricting wall 271 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and more specifically, it is a rectangular parallelepiped whose front-rear dimension is smaller than the vertical dimension and the width dimension. The outer surface of the front restricting wall 271 in the width direction is flush with the outer surface of the side frame part 23 in the width direction. Also, the outer surface of the front restricting wall 271 in the width direction is located further outward in the width direction than the outer surface of the rear side wall 24 in the width direction. The upper surface of the front restricting wall 271 is flush with the upper surface of the top wall 25. The front surface of the front restricting wall 271 is flush with the front surface of the top wall 25.

[0145] Specifically, the shape of the rear restricting wall 272 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and more specifically, it is a rectangular parallelepiped whose front-rear dimension is smaller than the vertical dimension and the width dimension. The outer surface of the rear restricting wall 272 in the width direction is flush with the outer surface of the side frame part 23 in the width direction. Also, the outer surface of the rear restricting wall 272 in the width direction is located further outward in the width direction than the outer surface of the rear side wall 24 in the width direction. The upper surface of the rear restricting wall 272 is flush with the upper surface of the top wall 25. The inner end of the rear restricting wall 272 in the width direction is connected to the front end of the rear side wall 24.

[0146] The fixed housing 20 has a top wall 25. The top wall 25 constitutes the upper wall of the space where the movable housing 30 is arranged. The top wall 25 connects the upper ends of the pair of regulating portions 27 and the pair of rear side walls 24 in the width direction. The top wall 25 abuts against the movable housing 30 when the movable housing 30 is displaced upward. That is, the top wall 25 functions as a portion (upward limiting portion) that limits the upward movement range of the movable housing 30.

[0147] When the fixed housing 20 is regarded as being composed of three parts: a front portion, a rear portion, and an intermediate portion therebetween, the top wall 25 is formed in the intermediate portion and the rear portion of the fixed housing 20, while the top wall 25 is not formed in the front portion of the fixed housing 20.

[0148] The fixed housing 20 has a rear wall 26. The rear wall 26 extends upward from the rear frame portion 22 and connects the rear ends of the rear side walls 24 in the width direction. The upper end of the rear wall 26 is connected to the rear end of the top wall 25. The front surface of the rear wall 26 is flush with the front surface of the rear frame portion 22, and the rear surface of the rear wall 26 is flush with the rear surface of the rear frame portion 22.

[0149] A plurality (five) of rear wall recesses 261 that are recessed forward with respect to the rear surface of the rear wall 26 are formed in the rear wall 26. The rear wall recesses 261 are recesses that are open rearward and upward. The plurality of rear wall recesses 261 are formed side by side in the width direction. The lower ends of the rear wall recesses 261 are located above the upper ends of the lower frame bodies 21, 22, 23 (specifically, the upper surface of the side frame portion 23).

[0150] (Specific shapes of the second press-fitting portion 422 and the press-fitting groove 28 of the fixed housing 20) Next, the structures of the fixed-side held portions 42, 52 of the terminals 40, 50 and the press-fitting groove 28 of the fixed housing 20 will be described in detail.

[0151] FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view showing the press-fitting groove 28 formed in the front frame portion 21 of the fixed housing 20 and the fixed-side held portion 52 of the lower terminal 50. The press-fitting groove 28 in the front frame portion 21 and the press-fitting groove 28 in the rear frame portion 22 have substantially the same structure. Hereinafter, when explaining without particular distinction, it will simply be referred to as the press-fitting groove 28.

[0152] The press-fitting groove 28 is a groove that is open downward and inward in the front-rear direction, and the fixed-side held portions 42 and 52 are configured to be press-fittable from below. The press-fitting groove 28 has a first groove 281 into which the first press-fitting portions 421 and 521 are press-fitted, and a second groove 282 into which the second press-fitting portions 422 and 522 are press-fitted.

[0153] The second groove 282 has a wide portion 282a that constitutes the lower part thereof and a narrow portion 282b that constitutes the upper part thereof. The width dimension of the wide portion 282a is larger than the maximum plate width of the second press-fitting portions 422 and 522, and the width dimension of the narrow portion 282b is smaller than the maximum plate width of the second press-fitting portions 422 and 522. For this reason, the second press-fitting portions 422 and 522 do not bite into the fixed housing 20 in the wide portion 282a, but bite into the fixed housing 20 in the narrow portion 282b. Thereby, the second press-fitting portions 422 and 522 are held in the narrow portion 282b of the second groove 282. Since the lower part of the second groove 282 is the wide portion 282a, the timing at which the first press-fitting portions 421 and 521 are press-fitted into the first groove 281 and the timing at which the second press-fitting portions 422 and 522 are press-fitted into the second groove 282 are made to be as close as possible.

[0154] A boundary portion 283 is formed between the first groove 281 and the second groove 282. The groove width of the boundary portion 283 is smaller than the groove width of other portions of the press-fitting groove 28. The groove width of the boundary portion 283 is constant throughout the vertical direction.

[0155] FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the second press-fitting portion 522 of the lower terminal 50. The second press-fitting portion 522 of the lower terminal 50 is formed with a larger plate width than adjacent portions. The arrow portion shown in FIG. 16 indicates the position (maximum plate width position) where the plate width of the second press-fitting portion 522 is the largest. The rate of change of the plate width on the side of the first press-fitting portion 521 with respect to the maximum plate width position of the second press-fitting portion 522 is larger than the rate of change of the plate width on the side of the displacement portions 54 and 55. Note that the rate of change of the plate width means the amount of change in the plate width with respect to the distance approaching the first press-fitting portion 521 side or the displacement portions 54 and 55 side. At the boundary between the second press-fitting portion 522 and the intermediate deformation portion 53, a concave edge 522a convex inward in the width direction is formed. The concave edge 522a is formed in a smooth curved shape. The configuration of the second press-fitting portion 522 of the lower terminal 50 described here also applies to the second press-fitting portion 422 of the upper terminal 40. Therefore, the description of the configuration of the second press-fitting portion 422 is omitted.

[0156] (Fixture 101) The fixture 101 is a component for fixing to the substrate 14 of the fixed housing 20. The fixture 101 is made of, for example, metal. As shown in FIG. 3, the four fixtures 101 have the same structure as each other. The fixture 101 has a held portion 101a held by the fixed housing 20 and a connection portion 101b fixed to the substrate 14. The held portion 101a is press-fitted into the fixed housing 20 with the downward direction as the press-fitting direction. The plate thickness direction of the held portion 101a is the width direction. The plate thickness direction of the connection portion 101b is the vertical direction. A curved portion is formed between the held portion 101a and the connection portion 101b.

[0157] (Movable housing 30) The movable housing 30 is formed of an insulator such as synthetic resin.

[0158] As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the movable housing 30 has a main body portion 31. The upper surface 31a of the main body portion 31 is a plane with the upward direction as the normal direction. The lower surface 31b of the main body portion 31 is a plane with the downward direction as the normal direction. The pair of side surfaces 31c of the main body portion 31 are planes with the outer side in the width direction as the normal direction. When the movable housing 30 moves in the width direction, the pair of side surfaces 31c come into contact with a part of the fixed housing 20 (specifically, the front regulating wall 271). Thereby, the movement range of the movable housing 30 in the width direction is restricted.

[0159] Further, the main body portion 31 has an upper curved surface 31d connecting the upper surface 31a and the side surface 31c, and a lower curved surface 31e connecting the lower surface 31b and the side surface 31c.

[0160] An upper surface recess 311 is formed in the main body portion 31. The upper surface recess 311 is a recess that is recessed downward with respect to the upper surface 31a of the main body portion 31. On the lower surface 31b side of the main body portion 31, no recess corresponding to the upper surface recess 311 is formed.

[0161] The main body portion 31 holds a plurality of terminals 40, 50 and an additional member 90. Specifically, the main body portion 31 has a plurality of arrangement spaces 312A, 312B that are open rearward. A part of the terminals 40, 50 and the additional member 90 are press-fitted into the arrangement spaces 312A, 312B from the rear side.

[0162] The plurality of arrangement spaces 312A, 312B include a plurality of upper arrangement spaces 312A arranged in the width direction and a plurality of lower arrangement spaces 312B arranged in the width direction. Displacement portions 44, 45 of the upper terminals 40 are arranged in the upper arrangement spaces 312A, and displacement portions 54, 55 of the lower terminals 50 are arranged in the lower arrangement spaces 312B. Since the plurality of arrangement spaces 312A, 312B have the same structure as each other, when not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as arrangement spaces 312.

[0163] As shown in FIG. 19, the arrangement space 312 is open to the front side through an insertion port 313. By inserting the relay terminals 60, 70 of the relay connector 11 into the insertion port 313, they come into contact with the terminals 40, 50 inside the arrangement space 312. As shown in FIG. 17, a guide surface 314 for guiding the relay terminals 60, 70 of the relay connector 11 toward the insertion port 313 is formed on the front side of the insertion port 313.

[0164] As shown in FIG. 19, the arrangement space 312 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped space. Near the lower end of the arrangement space 312, a terminal press-fitting groove 312a into which the movable-side held portions 44, 54 of the terminals 40, 50 are press-fitted is formed. Near the upper end of the arrangement space 312, an additional member press-fitting groove 312b into which the press-fitting protrusions 92 and 93 of the additional member 90 are press-fitted is formed.

[0165] A pair of positioning holes 315 are formed in the main body portion 31. The pair of positioning holes 315 are holes into which a pair of positioning protrusions 86 (see FIG. 20) of the relay connector 11 are inserted, and function to position the internal connector 10 and the relay connector 11 when they are connected. The pair of positioning holes 315 have a bilaterally symmetric structure. The positioning holes 315 are located on the outer side in the width direction with respect to the position where a plurality of arrangement spaces 312 are formed. The positioning holes 315 penetrate the main body portion 31 in the front-rear direction.

[0166] The movable housing 30 has a pair of protruding portions 32. The pair of protruding portions 32 are located on the outer side in the width direction of the main body portion 31. The protruding portions 32 are respectively arranged between the front regulating wall 271 and the rear regulating wall 272 of the regulating portion 27 of the fixed housing 20. Thereby, the moving range of the movable housing 30 in the front-rear direction is restricted.

[0167] The protruding portion 32 is plate-shaped with the front-rear direction as the plate thickness direction. Regarding the vertical position, the lower end of the protruding portion 32 coincides with the lower surface 31b of the main body portion 31, and the upper end of the protruding portion 32 coincides with the upper surface 31a of the main body portion 31.

[0168] As shown in FIG. 18, the rear surface 32a of the protruding portion 32 is flush with the rear surface 31f of the main body portion 31. On the protruding portion 32, a rear bulging portion 321 that bulges rearward with respect to the rear surface 32a of the protruding portion 32 is formed. Thereby, the rear end of the protruding portion 32 is located on the rear side of the rear surface 31f of the main body portion 31. The rear bulging portion 321 is formed at positions corresponding to the upper end portion, the lower end portion, and the outer end portion in the width direction of the protruding portion 32.

[0169] (Assembly process) In the assembly process of the internal connector 10, before a plurality of terminals 40 and 50 are press-fitted into the fixed housing 20, a plurality of terminals 40 and 50 and a plurality of additional members 90 are press-fitted into the movable housing 30 (see FIG. 4). Then, the movable housing 30 into which the plurality of terminals 40 and 50 and the plurality of additional members 90 are press-fitted is assembled from below to the fixed housing 20, and the plurality of terminals 40 and 50 are press-fitted into the fixed housing 20. At this time, the movable housing 30 passes through the passage space 29 of the fixed housing 20 in the vertical direction (see FIG. 5).

[0170] (Relay connector 11) Next, the relay connector 11 will be described.

[0171] The relay connector 11 includes a plurality of relay terminals 60A, 60B, 70A, 70B (see FIG. 22) and a relay housing 80.

[0172] (Plurality of relay terminals 60A, 60B, 70A, 70B) The plurality of relay terminals 60A, 60B, 70A, 70B electrically connect the terminals 40 and 50 of the internal connector 10 (hereinafter referred to as internal terminals 40 and 50) and an external connection object (not shown) outside the case 13. In the following description, the front side, which is the direction of the external connection object side in the front-rear direction, may be referred to as the "external side", and the rear side, which is the direction of the internal connector 10 side in the front-rear direction, may be referred to as the "internal side".

[0173] As shown in FIG. 22, the plurality of relay terminals 60A, 60B, 70A, 70B include a plurality of first relay terminals 60A, a plurality of second relay terminals 70A, a plurality of third relay terminals 60B, and a plurality of fourth relay terminals 70B.

[0174] The plurality of first relay terminals 60A have the same structure as each other, the plurality of second relay terminals 70A have the same structure as each other, the plurality of third relay terminals 60B have the same structure as each other, and the plurality of fourth relay terminals 70B have the same structure as each other.

[0175] The first relay terminal 60A and the third relay terminal 60B have the same structure. However, the third relay terminal 60B has a different arrangement posture from the first relay terminal 60A, and is arranged in a posture rotated 180 degrees around the axis in the front-rear direction with respect to the posture of the first relay terminal 60A. The second relay terminal 70A and the fourth relay terminal 70B have the same structure. However, the fourth relay terminal 70B has a different arrangement posture from the second relay terminal 70A, and is arranged in a posture rotated 180 degrees around the axis in the front-rear direction with respect to the posture of the second relay terminal 70A. The first relay terminal 60A and the third relay terminal 60B, and the second relay terminal 70A and the fourth relay terminal 70B have different structures. Thus, for the plurality of relay terminals 60A, 60B, 70A, 70B, two types of terminals with different structures are used.

[0176] (Structure of relay terminals 60, 70) The relay terminal having the structure of the first relay terminal 60A and the third relay terminal 60B is referred to as the first-structure relay terminal 60, and the relay terminal having the structure of the second relay terminal 70A and the fourth relay terminal 70B is referred to as the second-structure relay terminal 70.

[0177] As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, both the first-structure relay terminal 60 and the second-structure relay terminal 70 have an inner-side contact portion 61, 71 that contacts the inner terminals 40, 50, and an outer-side contact portion 62, 72 that contacts an external connection object.

[0178] In the first-structure relay terminal 60, the inner-side contact portion 61 and the outer-side contact portion 62 are formed at different positions in the vertical direction. The first-structure relay terminal 60 has a crank portion 66 formed between the inner-side contact portion 61 and the outer-side contact portion 62. The crank portion 66 has an outer-side curved portion 66a, a vertically extending portion 66b, and an inner-side curved portion 66c. The crank portion 66 has a smaller plate width than adjacent portions. Therefore, it is easy to form the crank portion 66 having curved portions (outer-side curved portion 66a, inner-side curved portion 66c).

[0179] In the second-structure relay terminal 70, the inner-side contact portion 71 and the outer-side contact portion 72 are formed at the same position in the vertical direction. The second-structure relay terminal 70 does not have a crank portion. Since the second-structure relay terminal 70 does not have a bent portion, it is easy to manufacture.

[0180] In the first-structure relay terminal 60 and the second-structure relay terminal 70, the inner-side contact portions 61, 71 and the outer-side contact portions 62, 72 are formed at different positions in the width direction. Specifically, the positions of the inner-side contact portions 61, 71 and the outer-side contact portions 62, 72 are shifted by a distance D in the width direction. When referring to the positions in the width direction of the inner-side contact portions 61, 71, the outer-side contact portions 62, 72, etc., the central axis of the inner-side contact portions 61, 71, etc. is used as a reference.

[0181] The first-structure relay terminal 60 and the second-structure relay terminal 70 have a first widened portion 63a, 73a and a second widened portion 63b, 73b. The first widened portions 63a, 73a have a larger plate width than the adjacent portions and are rectangular. Through holes 63a1, 73a1 penetrating in the vertical direction, which is the plate thickness direction, are formed in the first widened portions 63a, 73a. The through holes 63a1, 73a1 are circular. The resin constituting the relay housing 80 is filled inside the through hole 63a1. The second widened portions 63b, 73b have a larger plate width dimension than the adjacent portions and are rectangular. The second widened portions 63b, 73b are located on the outer side of the first widened portions 63a, 73a. In the first-structure relay terminal 60, the first widened portion 63a and the second widened portion 63b are located on the outer side of the crank portion 66.

[0182] Among the first-structure relay terminals 60, the portion inside the first widened portion 63a is referred to as the inner-side portion 66, 65, 61, and the portion outside the first widened portion 63a is referred to as the outer-side portion 64, 63b, 62. Among the second-structure relay terminals 70, the portion inside the first widened portion 73a is referred to as the inner-side portion 75, 71, and the portion outside the first widened portion 73a is referred to as the outer-side portion 74, 73b, 72.

[0183] The inner side portions 66, 65, 61 of the first structure relay terminal 60 include a crank portion 66, a base end side wide portion 65, and a tip end side narrow portion 61. The tip end side narrow portion 61 is an inner side contact portion 61. The base end side wide portion 65 includes a first base end side wide portion 65a and a second base end side wide portion 65b. Regarding the position in the width direction, the crank portion 66 coincides with the first widened portion 63a and the outer side portions 64, 63b, 62. Regarding the width dimension, the first base end side wide portion 65a is larger than the second base end side wide portion 65b and the tip end side narrow portion 61, and the second base end side wide portion 65b is larger than the tip end side narrow portion 61. For the base end side wide portion 65 and the tip end side narrow portion 61, the positions of the ends on one side in the width direction (the upper side in FIG. 27) coincide in the width direction, and the positions of the ends on the other side in the width direction are different in the width direction. As a result, regarding the position in the width direction, the first base end side wide portion 65a, the second base end side wide portion 65b, and the tip end side narrow portion 61 are different from each other. The tip end side narrow portion 61 is located on one side in the width direction with respect to the first base end side wide portion 65a and the second base end side wide portion 65b, and the second base end side wide portion 65b is located on one side in the width direction with respect to the first base end side wide portion 65a. Near the inner side end of the base end side wide portion 65, an inclined plate edge 651 is formed at the end on the other side in the width direction, which inclines inward in the width direction toward the inner side (the rearward side). Only a part of the tip end side narrow portion 61 among the inner side portions 66, 65, 61 is exposed from the relay housing 80.

[0184] Note that the two dashed-dotted lines extending vertically in FIGS. 27 and 28 indicate the boundary between the portion embedded inside the relay housing 80 and the exposed portion. The portion between the two dashed-dotted lines is the portion embedded in the relay housing 80, and the other portions are the exposed portions.

[0185] The inner side portions 75, 71 of the second structure relay terminal 70 include a base end side wide portion 75 and a tip end side narrow portion 71. The tip end side narrow portion 71 is an inner side contact portion 71. Regarding the width dimension, the base end side widened portion 75 is larger than the tip end side narrow portion 71. The base-end-side wide portion 75 and the tip-end-side narrow portion 71 have the positions of the ends on one side in the width direction (the upper side in FIG. 28) coinciding in the width direction, and the positions of the ends on the other side in the width direction being different in the width direction. The base-end-side wide portion 75 is located on one side in the width direction with respect to the first widened portion 73a and the outer side portions 74, 73b, 72. Near the inner-side end of the base-end-side wide portion 75, an inclined plate edge 751 is formed at the end on the other side in the width direction, which is inclined inward in the width direction toward the inner side. Only a part of the tip-end-side narrow portion 71 among the inner side portions 75, 71 of the second-structure relay terminal 70 is exposed from the relay housing 80.

[0186] The outer side portions 64, 63b, 62 of the first-structure relay terminal 60 have a base-end-side portion 64, a second widened portion 63b, and a tip-end-side portion 62. Note that the tip-end-side portion 62 is the outer-side contact portion 62. Regarding the positions in the width direction, the base-end-side portion 64, the second widened portion 63b, and the tip-end-side portion 62 coincide with each other. Also, regarding the positions in the width direction, the outer side portions 64, 63b, 62 coincide with the first widened portion 63a. Regarding the width dimensions, the second widened portion 63b is larger than the base-end-side portion 64 and the tip-end-side portion 62, and the tip-end-side portion 62 is slightly larger than the base-end-side portion 64.

[0187] The outer side portions 74, 73b, 72 of the second-structure relay terminal 70 have a base-end-side portion 74, a second widened portion 73b, and a tip-end-side portion 72. Note that the tip-end-side portion 72 is the outer-side contact portion 72. Regarding the positions in the width direction, the base-end-side portion 74, the second widened portion 73b, and the tip-end-side portion 72 coincide with each other. Also, regarding the positions in the width direction, the outer side portions 74, 73b, 72 coincide with the first widened portion 73a. Regarding the width dimensions, the second widened portion 73b is larger than the base-end-side portion 74 and the tip-end-side portion 72, and the tip-end-side portion 72 is slightly larger than the base-end-side portion 74.

[0188] The proximal end side portion 64 of the first structure relay terminal 60 is slightly longer than the proximal end side portion 74 of the second structure relay terminal 70. Therefore, the first widened portion 63a of the first structure relay terminal 60 is located slightly more internally (rearward) than the first widened portion 73a of the second structure relay terminal 70.

[0189] (Regarding the arrangement of the relay terminals 60 and 70)

[0190] As shown in FIG. 24, the first inner side contact portion 61A and the second inner side contact portion 71A are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction. The third inner side contact portion 61B and the fourth inner side contact portion 71B are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 23, the first outer side contact portion 62A, the second outer side contact portion 72A, the third outer side contact portion 62B, and the fourth outer side contact portion 72B are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction.

[0191] The plurality of first outer side contact portions 62A are arranged in the width direction at a predetermined interval 8D. The plurality of second outer side contact portions 72A are also arranged in the width direction at a predetermined interval 8D. The plurality of third outer side contact portions 62B are also arranged in the width direction at a predetermined interval 8D. The plurality of fourth outer side contact portions 72B are also arranged in the width direction at a predetermined interval 8D.

[0192] Regarding the position in the width direction, the plurality of first outer side contact portions 62A and the plurality of fourth outer side contact portions 72B coincide. Regarding the arrangement in the width direction, the plurality of second outer side contact portions 72A and the plurality of third outer side contact portions 62B coincide.

[0193] As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, in either the first structural relay terminal 60 or the second structural relay terminal 70, the external side contact portions 62 and 72 and the internal side contact portions 61 and 71 are formed with a displacement of a distance D in the width direction. The first relay terminal 60A and the fourth relay terminal 70B are arranged in a posture (an upside-down posture) in which the displacement directions are opposite to each other. Therefore, for the first relay terminal 60A and the fourth relay terminal 70B where the positions of the first external side contact portion 62A and the fourth external side contact portion 72B in the width direction coincide, the first internal side contact portion 61A and the fourth internal side contact portion 71B are displaced by a distance of 2D in the width direction. Also, the same relationship holds for the second relay terminal 70A and the third relay terminal 60B. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, in terms of the positions in the width direction, the plurality of first external side contact portions 62A, the plurality of fourth external side contact portions 72B, the plurality of second external side contact portions 72A, and the plurality of third external side contact portions 62B do not coincide with each other.

[0194] (Relay housing 80) The relay housing 80 is formed of an insulator such as synthetic resin. Specifically, the relay housing 80 is made by insert molding with a plurality of relay terminals 60A, 60B, 70A, and 70B as insert parts.

[0195] The relay housing 80 has a fitting portion 81 that fits onto an object to be externally connected. The fitting portion 81 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The cylindrical fitting portion 81 is substantially rectangular when viewed from the front. Inside the cylindrical fitting portion 81, the external side contact portions 62 and 72 respectively provided on the plurality of relay terminals 60 and 70 are arranged.

[0196] The relay housing 80 has a flange portion 82. The flange portion 82 is located outside the case 13 and is arranged around the opening 13a of the case 13. Bolt insertion holes 82a are formed in the flange portion 82. Two bolt insertion holes 82a are formed. The two bolt insertion holes 82a are located on one side and the other side in the width direction with respect to the fitting portion 81. The vertical positions of the two bolt insertion holes 82a coincide with the central position in the vertical direction of the fitting portion 81.

[0197] The relay housing 80 has an opening arrangement portion 83 disposed within the opening 13a of the case 13. The opening arrangement portion 83 has a substantially similar shape to the opening 13a. A seal member 12a is attached to the peripheral surface of the opening arrangement portion 83.

[0198] The relay housing 80 has a base portion 84. The base portion 84 is a portion that protrudes from the opening arrangement portion 83 toward the inner side. The base portion 84 is substantially rectangular when viewed from the front-rear direction. The width dimension and the vertical dimension of the base portion 84 are smaller than the width dimension and the vertical dimension of the opening arrangement portion 83.

[0199] The relay housing 80 has a terminal protrusion portion 85. The terminal protrusion portion 85 is a portion that protrudes from the base portion 84 toward the inner side. The terminal protrusion portion 85 is substantially rectangular when viewed from the front-rear direction. The width dimension and the vertical dimension of the terminal protrusion portion 85 are smaller than the width dimension and the vertical dimension of the base portion 84. A plurality of relay terminals 60A, 60B, 70A, 70B protrude from the rear surface of the terminal protrusion portion 85 toward the inner side.

[0200] The relay housing 80 has two positioning protrusions 86. Each of the two positioning protrusions 86 protrudes from the base portion 84 toward the inner side. Before the relay terminals 60, 70 reach the insertion openings 313 of the inner connector 10 during the connection of the connectors, the tips of the positioning protrusions 86 reach the positioning holes 315 of the movable housing 30. The two positioning protrusions 86 are located outside the width direction of the terminal protrusion portion 85. Near the base of the two positioning protrusions 86, they are integrated with the terminal protrusion portion 85. The outer surface 86a2 in the width direction of the positioning protrusion 86 is flush with the outer surface in the width direction of the base portion 84. The vertical dimension of the positioning protrusion 86 is such that it can hide the inner side contact portions 61, 71 of the plurality of relay terminals 60, 70 in a side view. The vertical dimension of the positioning protrusion 86 is smaller than the vertical dimension of the terminal protrusion portion 85. The positioning projection 86 has a general portion 86a and a tip portion 86b. The general portion 86a has a constant cross-sectional shape regardless of the extending direction (front-rear direction) of the positioning projection 86. The tip portion 86b does not have a constant cross-sectional shape along the extending direction (front-rear direction) of the positioning projection 86, and the cross-section gradually becomes smaller toward the tip side (inner side). This makes it easier to insert the positioning projection 86 into the positioning hole 315. When inserting, even if the relay connector 11 and the internal connector 10 are displaced in the YZ direction, the positioning projection 86 can be brought into contact with the inside of the positioning hole 315 of the movable housing 30 to displace the movable housing 30. The general portion 86a of the positioning projection 86 has an inner width surface 86a1, an outer width surface 86a2, and a pair of upper and lower curved surfaces 86a3. The inner width surface 86a1 has a larger vertical dimension than the outer width surface 86a2. The tip of the positioning projection 86 is located on the inner side (rear side) of the tips of the relay terminals 60 and 70 (tips of the inner side contact portions 61 and 71). As a result, in a side view, the inner side contact portions 61 and 71 of the relay terminals 60 and 70 are hidden by the positioning projection 86 and are appropriately protected. Also, in a mode where the positioning hole 315 and the insertion port 313 are formed at the same position in the front-rear direction, the tips of the relay terminals 60 and 70 can be appropriately prevented from colliding with the movable housing 30. Even when the positioning projection 86 is omitted, the tip of the relay terminal 60 or 70 can be brought into contact with the guide surface 314 of the movable housing 30 to displace the movable housing 30.

[0201] The relay housing 80 has a downward contact convex portion 87. The downward contact convex portion 87 is a portion that contacts the front frame portion 21 (displacement restricting portion 21) of the internal connector 10 when the relay connector 11 is displaced downward in a fitted state or a state during fitting. A plurality (two) of downward contact convex portions 87 are provided. The plurality of downward contact convex portions 87 are provided so as to be symmetrically arranged with respect to the center in the width direction of the relay connector 11. The downward contact projection 87 projects downward from the lower surface (opposing lower surface) of the terminal projection 85. The downward contact projection 87 has a shape that is long in the front-rear direction. The front end of the downward contact projection 87 is connected to the base portion 84. The rear end of the downward contact projection 87 has the same position in the front-rear direction as the rear surface of the terminal projection 85.

[0202] <Function and Effect> (First Aspect) Next, the function and effect of the present embodiment will be described from the first aspect.

[0203] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the present embodiment, the internal connector 10 includes terminals 40, 50 and a movable housing 30 that is displaceable with respect to the object to be attached 14. The terminals 40, 50 have displacement portions 44, 45, 54, 55 that displace together with the movable housing 30. The displacement portions 44, 45, 54, 55 have one-side contact portions 45, 55 that contact the object to be connected 11 (specifically, relay terminals 60, 70, see FIGS. 30 to 33) from one side (the lower side in the present embodiment). Further, the internal connector 10 includes an additional member 90 that is formed separately from the terminals 40, 50 and is held by the movable housing 30. The additional member 90 has the other-side contact portion 91 that contacts the object to be connected 11 from the other side (the upper side in the present embodiment). Therefore, since the movable housing 30 is not directly pressed against the object to be connected 11, the creep phenomenon of the movable housing 30 is suppressed. In addition, since the additional member 90 is formed separately from the terminals 40, 50, there is no need for a connecting portion that integrally connects the one-side contact portions 45, 55 and the other-side contact portion 91, and the movable parts (such as the movable housing 30 and the displacement portions 44, 45, 54, 55) in the internal connector 10 can be lightened accordingly. From the above, according to the present embodiment, in the floating connector, the creep phenomenon of the movable housing 30 can be suppressed and the resonance frequency of the connector can be increased.

[0204] In addition, in the present embodiment, the additional member 90 does not have a portion that connects to the object to be attached 14 and a portion between that portion and the other-side contact portion 91. Therefore, since it is not necessary to provide such a portion and the portion between that portion and the other-side contact portion 91 in the additional member 90, the internal connector 10 can be miniaturized as compared with an aspect in which the additional member 90 has these portions.

[0205] In addition, in the present embodiment, since the additional member 90 does not have a structure for electrically connecting to the terminals 40 and 50, the internal connector 10 can be miniaturized or lightened as compared with a connector having such a structure.

[0206] In addition, in the present embodiment, the additional member 90 is preferably made of a material having a specific gravity lighter than that of the terminals 40 and 50. In this case, the movable part in the internal connector 10 can be lightened.

[0207] In addition, in the present embodiment, the additional member 90 is preferably made of stainless steel, an aluminum alloy, a titanium alloy, or a nickel alloy. In this case, even if sufficient plating treatment is not performed on the additional member 90, or even if no plating treatment is performed at all, the surface of the additional member 90 is protected by a passive film and is less likely to corrode. Therefore, the internal connector 10 can be manufactured at low cost.

[0208] By the way, it is also conceivable to configure the movable housing 30 with two or more members formed separately from each other, and to separate the member that holds the additional member 90 and the member that holds the displacement portions 44, 45, 54, and 55 of the terminals 40 and 50. However, with such a configuration, the structure of the movable housing 30 becomes complicated. In the present embodiment, in the movable housing 30, the portion where the additional member 90 is held and the portion where the displacement portions 44, 45, 54, and 55 are held are integrally formed, so that the structure of the movable housing 30 can be simplified.

[0209] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, one-side contact portions 45 and 55 each have a first contact piece 45a, 55a that contacts the object to be connected 11 and a second contact piece 45b, 55b that contacts the object to be connected 11 on the back side in the connection direction from the first contact piece 45a, 55a. Therefore, foreign matter attached to the object to be connected 11 is removed by the first contact pieces 45a, 55a, and the second contact pieces 45b, 55b can be brought into contact with the portion of the object to be connected 11 from which the foreign matter has been removed. Furthermore, the displacement amount (displacement amount in the direction perpendicular to the connection direction) of the contact points (first contact point portions 45a1, 55a1) of the first contact pieces 45a, 55a when the object to be connected 11 is connected is configured to be larger than the displacement amount of the contact points (second contact point portions 45b1, 55b1) of the second contact pieces 45b, 55b. For this reason, the contact pressure of the first contact pieces 45a, 55a against the object to be connected 11 increases, and the function of scraping off foreign matter (so-called wiping function) is improved. However, when configured as described above, when viewed from the front side in the connection direction, the contact points of the second contact pieces 45b, 55b are covered by the first contact pieces 45a, 55a, and there is a problem that it is difficult to inspect the height of the contact points of the second contact pieces 45b, 55b. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when viewing the terminals 40 and 50 alone (or the terminals 40 and 50 held by the movable housing 30) from the back side in the connection direction, the height of the contact points of the second contact pieces 45b, 55b can be inspected. In the present embodiment, in the completed state of the internal connector 10, when the internal connector 10 is viewed from the back side, the rear wall 26 of the fixed housing 20 gets in the way and the above inspection cannot be performed (see FIGS. 7 and 8). Therefore, a part or all of the rear wall 26 of the fixed housing 20 may be omitted so that the above inspection can be performed in the completed state of the internal connector 10 (see FIG. 34).

[0210] In addition, in the present embodiment, a contact metal layer may be formed on the one-side contact portions 45 and 55 by plating. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing the position where the contact metal layer is formed taking the contact portion 45 as an example. By forming an appropriate contact metal layer, the connection reliability between the one-side contact portions 45 and 55 and the object to be connected 11 can be enhanced. From the viewpoint of saving plating solution, it is preferable that the contact metal layer is formed only in the vicinity of the location where it contacts the relay terminals 60 and 70 as shown in FIG. 35. By the way, if the terminals 40 and 50 and the additional member 90 are integrally formed, when forming the contact metal layer on the one-side contact portions 45 and 55, the additional member 90 gets in the way and it becomes difficult to attach the plating solution to an appropriate position. However, in the present embodiment, since the terminals 40 and 50 and the additional member 90 are separate bodies, the additional member 90 does not get in the way when forming the contact metal layer on the one-side contact portions 45 and 55, and it is easy to attach the plating solution to an appropriate position. As a result, the usage amount of the metal (for example, gold, palladium, silver, tin) contained in the contact metal layer can be suppressed, and the internal connector 10 can be manufactured at low cost.

[0211] Also, the contact metal layer may contain tin or a tin alloy. And even in this case, it is preferable that tin or a tin alloy does not adhere to the portions (press-fit protrusions 92 and 93) of the additional member 90 held by the movable housing 30. Thereby, the generation of whiskers is prevented. If the terminals 40 and 50 and the additional member 90 are integrally formed, when forming the contact metal layer on the one-side contact portions 45 and 55, there is a possibility that the plating solution also adheres to the press-fit protrusions 92 and 93 of the additional member 90. However, since the terminals 40 and 50 and the additional member 90 are separate bodies, it is possible to prevent the plating solution from adhering to the additional member 90 unintentionally.

[0212] In addition, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the base material of the additional member 90 is stainless steel and the additional member 90 does not have a plating layer. Stainless steel is not easily corroded without performing plating that is time-consuming and costly, and is relatively inexpensive. Moreover, since the additional member 90 is not electrically connected to the object 14 to be attached, the internal connector 10 can be miniaturized by omitting such a structure.

[0213] (Second aspect) Next, the effects of the present embodiment will be described from a second aspect.

[0214] In the present embodiment, the internal connector 10 includes terminals 40 and 50 having terminal-side contact portions 45 and 55 that contact the object 11 to be connected, an additional member 90 having an additional-side contact portion 91 that contacts the object 11 to be connected, and a housing 30 that holds the terminals 40 and 50 and the additional member 90. Here, the additional member 90 is formed separately from the terminals 40 and 50. Therefore, it is suitable for manufacturing a plurality of variations of the internal connector 10. That is, in the internal connector 10 according to the present embodiment, the terminals 40 and 50 and the housing 30 can be common components of the internal connector 10 of each variation, and the additional member 90 can be an additional member designed for each variation of the internal connector 10. Thereby, the performance of the internal connector 10 can be changed by changing only the additional member 90 among the terminals 40 and 50, the additional member 90, and the housing 30 that constitute the internal connector 10. For example, the performance of the internal connector 10 can be changed by changing the shape or friction coefficient of the additional-side contact portion 91 of the additional member 90. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the terminals 40 and 50 have intermediate deformation portions 43 and 53, the die for manufacturing the terminals 40 and 50 is likely to be complicated. It is uneconomical to prepare a complicated die for the number of variations of the connector. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the terminals 40 and 50 having the intermediate deformation portions 43 and 53 are used as common components among the variations, and a plurality of additional members 90 having no intermediate deformation portion are prepared. Thereby, the variation expansion of the internal connector 10 can be easily performed.

[0215] In addition, in the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the additional member 90 may be selected from a plurality of types of pre-designed additional members 90 and held by the housing 30. In this case, by selecting an appropriate additional member 90, the internal connector 10 that meets the required requirements can be manufactured at low cost.

[0216] Further, in the present embodiment, the terminal-side contact portions 45 and 55 contact the connection object 11 from one side, and the additional-side contact portions 91 contact the connection object 11 from the other side. And in the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, among the plurality of types of additional members 90, there may be included two or more types of additional members 90 and 90A configured such that the distances at which the terminal-side contact portions 45 and 55 face the additional-side contact portions 91 and 91A are different. In this case, by selecting the additional member 90, the distance at which the terminal-side contact portions 45 and 55 face the additional-side contact portions 91 and 91A can be changed to an appropriate distance.

[0217] Further, in the present embodiment, among the plurality of types of additional members 90, there may be included two or more types of additional members 90 having different friction coefficients of the additional-side contact portion 91. In this case, by selecting the additional member 90, the force required for connecting the connection object 11 can be set to an appropriate force. Note that the friction coefficient of the additional-side contact portion 91 can be changed, for example, by the method of plating treatment (such as plating material) on the additional-side contact portion 91.

[0218] Further, in the present embodiment, among the plurality of types of additional members 90, there may be included two or more types of additional members configured such that the distances at which the terminal-side contact portions 45 and 55 face the additional-side contact portion 91 are the same, but the friction coefficients of the additional-side contact portion 91 are different. In this case, even if the variations in the shape of the additional member 90 are not increased, the variations of the internal connector 10 can be increased.

[0219] (Third aspect) Next, the effects of the present embodiment will be described from a third aspect.

[0220] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the internal connector 10 includes a fixed housing 20 fixed to the object to be attached 14, a movable housing 30 displaceable relative to the object to be attached 14, and terminals 40 and 50. The movable housing 30 is capable of fitting with the object to be connected 11. The terminals 40 and 50 have connection portions 41 and 51 connected to the object to be attached 14 and displacement portions 44, 45, 54, and 55 displaceable relative to the object to be attached 14. The displacement portions 44, 45, 54, and 55 are held by the movable housing 30.

[0221] Further, the fixed housing 20 has a displacement restricting portion 21. The displacement restricting portion 21 is provided at a position where it abuts against the object to be connected 11 when the object to be connected 11 in a fitted state or a state during fitting (see FIG. 29) displaces in a direction approaching the mounting surface 14a (downward direction). For this reason, as a result of restricting excessive displacement of the object to be connected 11 in the fitted state or the state during fitting, excessive displacement of the movable housing 30 is suppressed. As described above, according to this embodiment, since excessive displacement of the movable housing 30 is restricted by the displacement restricting portion 21, legs as in the prior art become unnecessary or the legs can be simplified. Therefore, in a right angle floating connector, excessive downward displacement of the movable housing can be restricted and the resonance frequency can be increased. In particular, in this embodiment, since the terminals 40 and 50 have intermediate deformation portions 43 and 53, plastic deformation of the intermediate deformation portions 43 and 53 can be suppressed by restricting excessive displacement of the movable housing.

[0222] Further, in this embodiment, the fixed housing 20 has a passage space 29 on the mounting surface side (lower side) of the space in which the movable housing 30 is disposed and through which the movable housing 30 can pass. For this reason, when manufacturing the internal connector 10, the movable housing 30 can be assembled to the fixed housing 20 from below (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

[0223] In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the fixed housing 20 has an upward restriction portion 25. The upward restriction portion 25 is a portion that restricts the movement range in the direction away from the mounting surface 14a of the movable housing 30 (upward direction). Therefore, it is not necessary to separately attach a member that functions as the upward restriction portion to the fixed housing 20.

[0224] In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the terminal 50 has a fixed-side held portion 52 held by the fixed housing 20, and the displacement restricting portion 21 holds the fixed-side held portion 52 of the terminal 50. Therefore, compared with the aspect in which the displacement restricting portion 21 is formed separately from the portion that holds the fixed-side held portion 52 of the terminal 50, the internal connector 10 can be miniaturized.

[0225] In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, at least a part of the intermediate deformation portions 43 and 53 of the terminals 40 and 50 (for example, the front extension portion 431 and the rear extension portion 531) is in the direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 14a (height direction) and is located between the movable housing 30 and the mounting surface 14a. Therefore, the lengths of the intermediate deformation portions 43 and 53 can be ensured.

[0226] The relay connector 11 according to the present embodiment includes a mating housing 80, and mating terminals 60 and 70 held by the mating housing 80. The mating terminals 60 and 70 project from the mating housing 80 and have mating contact portions 61 and 71 that contact the contact portions 45 and 55. The mating housing 80 has an adjacent support portion 85 that supports a portion adjacent to the mating contact portions 61 and 71 of the terminals 40 and 50. The adjacent support portion 85 has a lower surface 85a facing the mounting surface side. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 28, the mating housing 80 has a downward contact convex portion 87 that projects from the lower surface 85a of the adjacent support portion 85 (terminal projecting portion 85) toward the mounting surface side (lower side). The downward contact convex portion 87 is provided at a position that contacts the displacement restricting portion 21 when the relay connector 11 in a state of being fitted with the movable housing 30 or in the middle of the fitting process is displaced in the direction approaching the mounting surface 14a. Therefore, by providing the downward abutting convex portion 87, it is possible to suppress excessive displacement of the movable housing 30 while reducing the weight of the relay connector 11, rather than simply expanding the vertical dimension of the adjacent support portion 85 and abutting the lower surface 85a of the terminal protruding portion 85 against the displacement restricting portion 21 of the internal connector 10.

[0227] (Fourth aspect) Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described from a fourth aspect.

[0228] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10, 15, etc., the internal connector 10 includes a housing 20 and terminals 40 press-fitted and held in the housing 20 in a predetermined press-fitting direction. The terminal 40 has a first press-fitting portion 421 formed on a first extension portion 401 extending along the press-fitting direction, displacement portions 44, 45 displaceable with respect to the first press-fitting portion 421, and intermediate portions 402, 422, 43 between the first extension portion 401 and the displacement portions 44, 45. The intermediate portions 402, 422, 43 have a plurality of bent portions 402, 432, 434, 436, 438 bent in the plate thickness direction. Here, the intermediate portions 402, 422, 43 are connected to the first extension portion 401 via the bent portion 402 and include a second extension portion 403 extending along a direction perpendicular to the press-fitting direction. And a second press-fitting portion 422 is formed on the second extension portion 403. Therefore, since the second press-fitting portion 422 formed on the second extension portion 403 is held by the housing 20, deformation of the bent portion 402 is suppressed, and stress concentration on the bent portion 402 is suppressed.

[0229] Also, in this embodiment, the terminal 50 has a first press-fitting portion 521 formed on a first extension portion 501 extending along the press-fitting direction, displacement portions 54, 55 displaceable with respect to the first press-fitting portion 521, and intermediate portions 502, 522, 53 between the first extension portion 501 and the displacement portions 54, 55. The intermediate portions 502, 522, 53 have a plurality of bent portions 502, 532, 534 bent in the plate thickness direction. Here, the intermediate portions 502, 522, 53 include a second extension portion 503 that is connected to the first extension portion 501 via a curved portion 502 and extends along a direction perpendicular to the press-fitting direction. And a second press-fitting portion 522 is formed in the second extension portion 503. Therefore, since the second press-fitting portion 522 formed in the second extension portion 503 is held by the housing 20, deformation of the curved portion 502 is suppressed, and stress concentration on the curved portion 502 is suppressed.

[0230] In particular, in the present embodiment, since the curved portions 402, 502 are near the first press-fitting portions 421, 521, if the second press-fitting portions 422, 522 are not formed, stress concentration on the curved portion 502 is particularly likely to be a problem.

[0231] Also, in the present embodiment, portions of the second extension portions 403, 503 on the side of the displacement portions 44, 45, 54, 55 rather than the second press-fitting portions 422, 522 include tapered extension portions (front extension portion 431, rear extension portion 531) formed such that the plate width gradually decreases as the distance from the second press-fitting portions 422, 522 increases. Therefore, stress concentration on a specific portion of the second extension portions 403, 503 can be suppressed.

[0232] Also, in the present embodiment, the second press-fitting portions 422, 522 are formed with a larger plate width than the portions adjacent to the second press-fitting portions 422, 522. And the rate of change of the plate width on the side of the first press-fitting portions 421, 521 with respect to the position where the plate width of the second press-fitting portions 422, 522 is maximum (see FIG. 16) is larger than the rate of change of the plate width on the side of the displacement portions 44, 45, 54, 55. Note that the rate of change of the plate width means the amount of change in the plate width with respect to the distance approaching the side of the first press-fitting portions 421, 521 or the displacement portions 44, 45, 54, 55. Therefore, the positions of the second press-fitting portions 422 and 522 can be set near the bent portions 402 and 502, and it is possible to suppress stress concentration in the portions of the second press-fitting portions 422 and 522 that are close to the displacement portions 44, 45, 54, and 55. If the positions of the second press-fitting portions 422 and 522 can be set near the bent portions 402 and 502, it is possible to ensure a long actually deformable region (intermediate deformation portions 43 and 53) among the intermediate portions 402, 422, 43, 502, 522, and 53.

[0233] Note that the effects similar to the effects from the fourth aspect described above are also achieved even when the terminals 40 are not held by being press-fitted into the housing 20 in a predetermined press-fitting direction, but are held by insert molding into the housing. In this case, the first press-fitting portion and the second press-fitting portion described above may be read as the first held portion and the second held portion, respectively.

[0234] (Fifth Aspect) Next, the effects of the present embodiment will be described from a fifth aspect.

[0235] The connector set 10 and 11 of the present embodiment includes a right-angle type internal connector 10 attached to a substrate 14 disposed inside a case 13, and a relay connector 11 attached to an opening 13a of the case 13 and relaying between the internal connector 10 and an external connection object (not shown) outside the case 13. The internal connector 10 includes a first internal terminal 40A, a second internal terminal 40B, a third internal terminal 50A, and a fourth internal terminal 50B. The relay connector 11 includes a first relay terminal 60A connected to the first internal terminal 40A, a second relay terminal 70A connected to the second internal terminal 40B, a third relay terminal 60B connected to the third internal terminal 50A, and a fourth relay terminal 70B connected to the fourth internal terminal 50B. The first internal terminal 40A has a first contact portion 45A that contacts the first relay terminal 60A and a first connection portion 41A that is connected to the substrate 14. The second internal terminal 40B has a second contact portion 45B that contacts the second relay terminal 70A and a second connection portion 41B that is connected to the substrate 14. The third internal terminal 50A has a third contact portion 55A that contacts the third relay terminal 60B and a third connection portion 51A that is connected to the substrate 14. The fourth internal terminal 50B has a fourth contact portion 55B that contacts the fourth relay terminal 70B and a fourth connection portion 51B that is connected to the substrate 14. The first relay terminal 60A has a first inner-side contact portion 61A that contacts the first internal terminal 40A and a first outer-side contact portion 62A that contacts an external connection object. The second relay terminal 70A has a second inner-side contact portion 71A that contacts the second internal terminal 40B and a second outer-side contact portion 72A that contacts an external connection object. The third relay terminal 60B has a third inner-side contact portion 61B that contacts the third internal terminal 50A and a third outer-side contact portion 62B that contacts an external connection object. The fourth relay terminal 70B has a fourth inner-side contact portion 71B that contacts the fourth internal terminal 50B and a fourth outer-side contact portion 72B that contacts an external connection object.

[0236] Here, the first outer-side contact portion 62A, the second outer-side contact portion 72A, the third outer-side contact portion 62B, and the fourth outer-side contact portion 72B are arranged at different positions in the substrate vertical direction (up and down direction). On the other hand, the first inner-side contact portion 61A and the second inner-side contact portion 71A are arranged at the same position in the substrate vertical direction, and the third inner-side contact portion 61B and the fourth inner-side contact portion 71B are arranged at the same position in the substrate vertical direction. For this reason, since the distance from the substrate 14 of the first contact portion 45A and the distance from the substrate 14 of the second contact portion 45B are the same, can the shapes of the first internal terminal 40A and the second internal terminal 40B be made the same, or even if they are not the same shape, they can be made similar shapes. As a result, the design cost of the internal connector 10 can be reduced. Also, since the distance from the substrate 14 of the third contact portion 55A and the distance from the substrate 14 of the fourth contact portion 55B are the same, can the shapes of the third internal terminal 50A and the fourth internal terminal 50B be made the same, or even if they are not the same shape, they can be made similar shapes. As a result, the design cost of the internal connector 10 can be reduced.

[0237] Further, in the present embodiment, the first internal terminal 40A is located between the first contact portion 45A and the first connection portion 41A, and has a first intermediate deformation portion 43A that allows displacement of the first contact portion 45A with respect to the first connection portion 41A by deforming. The second internal terminal 40B is located between the second contact portion 45B and the second connection portion 41B, and has a second intermediate deformation portion 43B that allows displacement of the second contact portion 45B with respect to the second connection portion 41B by deforming. Therefore, the first contact portion 45A and the second contact portion 45B can be displaced with respect to the substrate 14, and can absorb misalignment between the substrate 14 and the relay connector 11 and misalignment between the internal connector 10 and the relay connector 11. Also, since the internal terminal 40 has the intermediate deformation portion 43, the design of the internal terminal 40 is particularly complicated. Therefore, if the types of the shapes of the internal terminals 40 increase, the design cost increases significantly. In particular, in the case of the internal connector 10 used in an environment where strong vibrations are applied over a long period, such as in-vehicle equipment, this problem is prominent because a high-performance intermediate deformation portion 43 that can maintain performance even in such an environment is required. In particular, in the present embodiment, the first intermediate deformation portion 43A and the second intermediate deformation portion 43B have the same shape as each other. For this reason, the design cost is reduced. Note that what has been described above applies not only to the internal terminal 40 but also to the internal terminal 50.

[0238] Further, in the present embodiment, the plurality of first outer side contact portions 62A and the plurality of fourth outer side contact portions 72B are arranged at the same position in the arrangement direction (width direction), and the plurality of second outer side contact portions 72A and the plurality of third outer side contact portions 62B are arranged at the same position in the arrangement direction. On the other hand, the first inner side contact portion 61A, the second inner side contact portion 71A, the third inner side contact portion 61B, and the fourth inner side contact portion 71B are arranged at different positions in the arrangement direction. Therefore, the positions of the first contact portion 45A, the second contact portion 45B, the third contact portion 55A, and the fourth contact portion 55B of the internal connector 10 in the arrangement direction can be made different from each other. In particular, in the present embodiment, by arranging the first contact portion 45A, the second contact portion 45B, the third contact portion 55A, and the fourth contact portion 55B at different positions in the arrangement direction, the contact portions 55 of the third internal terminal 50A and the fourth internal terminal 50B are not hidden by the intermediate deformation portion 43 of the first internal terminal 40A and the second internal terminal 40B when viewed from the connector direction side.

[0239] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described. Needless to say, the configurations of the connector, the mating connector, the connector set, etc. of the present disclosure are not limited to the configurations of the above embodiments.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0240] 10, 11 Connector set 10 Internal connector (connector) 11 Relay connector (object to be connected) 13 Case 13a Opening 14 Substrate (object to be mounted) 14a Mounting surface 20 Fixed housing (housing) 21 Front frame portion (displacement restricting portion, lower terminal holding portion) 22 Rear frame portion (upper terminal holding portion) 25 Top wall (upward limiting portion) 29 Passage space 30 Movable housing (housing) 40 Upper terminal (internal terminal, terminal) 40A Terminal connected to the first relay terminal among the upper terminals (first internal terminal) 40B Terminal connected to the second relay terminal among the upper terminals (second internal terminal) 401 First extension portion 402, 422, 43 Intermediate portion 402, 432, 434, 436, 438 Multiple curved portions 402 Curved portion (first curved portion) 403 Second extension portion 41 Connection portion 41A First connection portion 41B Second connection portion 42 Fixed-side held portion 421 First press-in part (first held part) 422 Second press-in part (second held part) 43 Intermediate deformation part 43A First intermediate deformation part 43B Second intermediate deformation part 431 Front extension part (gradually decreasing extension part) 44, 45 Displacement part 45 Contact part (terminal-side contact part, one-side contact part) 45A First contact part 45B Second contact part 45a, 55a First contact piece 45b, 55b Second contact piece 50 Lower terminal (internal terminal, terminal) 50A Terminal of the lower terminal connected to the third relay terminal (third internal terminal) 50B Terminal of the lower terminal connected to the fourth relay terminal (fourth internal terminal) 501 First extension part 502 Bend part (first bend part) 502, 522, 53 Intermediate part 502, 532, 534 Multiple bend parts 503 Second extension part 51 Connection part 52 Fixed-side held part 521 First press-in part (first held part) 522 Second press-in part (second held part) 53 Intermediate deformation part 531 Rear extension part (gradually decreasing extension part) 54, 55 Displacement part 55 Contact part (terminal-side contact part, one-side contact part) 55A Third contact part 55B Fourth contact part 60A, 60B, 70A, 70B Relay terminals (mating terminals) 60A First relay terminal 60B Third relay terminal 61 Tip-side narrow part (internal-side contact part) 61A Internal-side contact part of the first relay terminal (first internal-side contact part) 61B Internal-side contact part of the third relay terminal (third internal-side contact part) 62 Tip side part (outer side contact part) 62A First outer side contact part 62B Third outer side contact part 70A Second relay terminal 70B Fourth relay terminal 71 Tip side narrow part (inner side contact part) 71A Inner side contact part of second relay terminal (second inner side contact part) 71B Inner side contact part of fourth relay terminal (fourth inner side contact part) 72 Tip side part (outer side contact part) 72A Outer side contact part of second relay terminal (second outer side contact part) 72B Outer side contact part of fourth relay terminal (fourth outer side contact part) 80 Relay housing (mating housing) 85 Terminal protrusion (adjacent support part) 85a Bottom surface 87 Downward abutting convex part 90 Additional member 90A Additional member 91 Bulging part (additional side contact part, other side contact part) 91A Bulging part (additional side contact part, other side contact part)

Claims

1. A connector that can be attached to the mounting surface of an object to be attached and can be connected to a connection object with the direction along the mounting surface as the connection direction, including a fixed housing fixed to the object to be attached, a movable housing that can be fitted to the connection object and is displaceable with respect to the object to be attached, and a terminal having a connection part connected to the object to be attached and a displacement part held by the movable housing and displaced together with the movable housing. The fixed housing has a displacement restricting part provided at a position where it contacts the connection object when the connection object in a state of being fitted to the movable housing or in the middle of fitting is displaced in a direction approaching the mounting surface. Connector.

2. The fixed housing is a space on the mounting surface side with respect to the space where the movable housing is disposed and has a passage space through which the movable housing can pass. The connector according to claim 1.

3. The fixed housing has an upward restricting part that restricts the movement range of the movable housing in a direction away from the mounting surface. The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The terminal has a fixed-side held part held by the fixed housing, and the displacement restricting part holds the fixed-side held part. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The terminal has a deformable intermediate deformation part between the connection part and the displacement part, and at least a part of the intermediate deformation part is located between the movable housing and the mounting surface in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A mating connector as the object to be connected that can be connected to the connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a mating housing, and a mating terminal held by the mating housing, wherein the mating housing has, a facing lower surface that faces the displacement restricting portion in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface in a state where the mating housing is fitted with the movable housing or in a state where the fitting is in progress, and a downward protruding portion that protrudes from the facing lower surface toward the mounting surface side, and is provided at a position where it abuts against the displacement restricting portion when the mating connector in a state where it is fitted with the movable housing or in a state where the fitting is in progress is displaced in a direction approaching the mounting surface, the mating connector.

7. The mating terminal protrudes from the mating housing and has a mating contact portion that contacts a contact portion formed in the displacement portion, and the facing lower surface is a lower surface facing the mounting surface side of an adjacent support portion that supports a portion adjacent to the mating contact portion. The mating connector according to claim 6.

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