Electrical Connector and Electrical Connector Assembly

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of realizing miniaturization and reduction in height of an electric connector while ensuring an allowable amount of misalignment in fitting to a mating connector.SOLUTION: A terminal 50 includes a first fixing portion 51 held by a fixed housing 10, a second fixed portion 52 held by a movable housing 30, an elastic portion 54 between the first fixed portion 51 and the second fixed portion 52, and a contact portion 55 that comes into contact with a terminal of a mating connector 2. The terminal 50 is manufactured by punching a metal plate and performing bending processing on the punched metal plate. The elastic portion 54 has a curved shape. The contact portion 55 has a roll surface shape. The movable housing 30 has guide portions 33, 34 formed of slopes on a fitting-side outer surface. In the fitting to the mating connector 2, the inner surface of the housing 80 of the mating connector 2 is configured to be fit along the guide portions 33 and 34.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly, and more particularly to a floating connector including a movable housing movable relative to a fixed housing.

Background Art

[0002] In an electrical connector for a circuit board, misalignment (error) of the circuit board or the housing may occur during assembly and mounting of an electronic device. It is convenient to have a connector capable of absorbing such an error. As an electrical connector for a circuit board, a so-called floating connector in which a mating connector connected to the electrical connector is movable relative to the electrical connector is known. Such a floating connector includes a fixed housing that holds one end side of a terminal and the terminal is soldered to a circuit board to form a fixed position with respect to the circuit board, and a movable housing that is separate from the fixed housing and is movable relative to the fixed housing and holds the other end side of the terminal that is in contact connection with the mating connector. The terminal has an elastic portion that is not supported between the held portions by the fixed housing and the movable housing, and when the elastic portion is elastically deformed, the movable housing becomes movable relative to the fixed housing, enabling so-called floating.

[0003] As technologies related to such a floating connector, for example, the technologies described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 can be cited.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for miniaturization of electronic components used in camera modules, mobile information terminals, and the like. Along with this, miniaturization and low-profile of connectors used together with these electronic components have become necessary. In particular, in the case of a floating connector, due to the floating function, it is difficult to miniaturize and low-profile the connector.

[0006] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can achieve miniaturization and low-profile of a connector while ensuring an allowable amount of displacement when mating with a mating connector in an electrical connector.

[0007] The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] Among the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

[0009] That is, an electrical connector according to a typical embodiment includes a fixed housing, a movable housing displaceable with respect to the fixed housing, and terminals held by the fixed housing and the movable housing. The terminals have a first fixed portion held by the fixed housing, a second fixed portion held by the movable housing, an elastic portion between the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion, and a contact portion that contacts the terminals of the mating connector. The terminals are manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate. The elastic portion has a curved shape, the contact portion has a roll surface shape, the movable housing has a guide portion formed of a slope on the outer surface on the mating side, and when mating with the mating connector, the inner surface of the housing of the mating connector is configured to fit along the guide portion.

[0010] In addition, an electrical connector assembly according to a representative embodiment includes a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector that mates with the first electrical connector. The first electrical connector includes a fixed housing, a movable housing displaceable relative to the fixed housing, and terminals held by the fixed housing and the movable housing. The terminal includes a first fixing portion held by the fixed housing, a second fixing portion held by the movable housing, an elastic portion between the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion, and a contact portion that contacts a terminal of the second electrical connector. The terminal is manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate. The elastic portion has a curved shape, and the contact portion has a roll surface shape. The movable housing has a guide portion formed of a slope on an outer fitting surface. The second electrical connector has a guided portion on an inner surface of the outside of the housing. When the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are mated, the guided portion of the housing of the second electrical connector is configured to fit along the guide portion of the first electrical connector.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] Among the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the effects obtained by representative ones will be briefly described as follows.

[0012] It is possible to achieve miniaturization and low profile of the connector while ensuring the allowable amount of misalignment when mating with a mating connector.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same members are basically denoted by the same reference numerals, and the repeated description thereof will be omitted.

[0015] In the following embodiments, for convenience, when necessary, they are divided and described in a plurality of sections or embodiments. However, unless otherwise specified, they are not unrelated to each other. One is a modification, detail, supplementary explanation, etc. of a part or all of the other. Also, in the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements, etc. (including the number, numerical value, amount, range, etc.), unless otherwise specified and in cases where it is clearly limited to a specific number in principle, it is not limited to that specific number, and it may be more than or less than the specific number.

[0016] In the following embodiments, for convenience of explanation, the longitudinal direction (terminal arrangement direction) of the electrical connector is defined as the X (X1X2) direction, the short-side direction (terminal facing direction) is defined as the Y (Y1Y2) direction, and the height direction (fitting / removing direction) is defined as the Z (Z1Z2) direction. Note that each direction is for explaining the relative positional relationship of the parts constituting the connector and does not indicate an absolute direction.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a left side view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, an example of the configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The electrical connector 1 of the present embodiment is a floating connector mounted on a circuit board (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the electrical connector 1 includes a fixed housing 10, a movable housing 30 displaceable with respect to the fixed housing 10, eight terminals 50 with one end held by the fixed housing 10 and the other end held by the movable housing 30, and four support fittings 70 held by the fixed housing 10. The support fittings 70 are configured to regulate the displacement of the movable housing 30 in the XYZ directions. The electrical connector 1 is incorporated into and used in electronic devices such as a camera module and an information communication terminal.

[0019] The eight terminals 50 all have the same shape, are composed of two rows of terminal rows, with four terminals 50 arranged along the X direction in each row, and the two rows of terminal rows are arranged facing each other. That is, the terminals in the first row and the terminals in the second row are arranged symmetrically with respect to the X axis. In the present embodiment, the case where the number of terminals is eight is shown, but it is not limited thereto, and the number of terminals can be arbitrarily changed. Also, the terminals 50 are press-fitted into the fixed housing 10 and the movable housing 30.

[0020] The four support fittings 70 are attached to the four corners of the fixed housing 10. The support fittings 70 are configured to regulate a predetermined displacement of the movable housing 30 in the XYZ directions. Also, the support fittings 70 are press-fitted into the fixed housing 10.

[0021] The fixed housing 10 and the movable housing 30 are formed of an insulating material such as resin, plastic material, or carbon fiber. The terminals 50 are formed of a conductive material such as metal. The support fittings 70 are formed of a material capable of being bent, such as metal. However, the constituent members of the electrical connector 1 and the materials of the respective constituent members are not necessarily limited to this.

[0022] Next, the configuration of the fixed housing 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the fixed housing 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the fixed housing 10 has a rectangular shape with a space 14 at the center, a pair of side wall portions 11 extending in the X direction, a pair of connecting wall portions 12 extending in the Y direction, and four movable restricting portions 13 that connect the side wall portions 11 and the connecting wall portions 12 at the four corners and project in the fitting direction (Z1 direction). The movable restricting portion 13 is configured to restrict the displacement of the movable housing 30. The terminal 50 is press-fitted and fixed to the side wall portion 11. Further, eight recesses 15 for accommodating the elastic portion of the terminal 50 are provided inside the side wall portion 11. Further, a through hole 16 penetrating in the Z direction is provided in the movable restricting portion 13, and the support fitting 70 is press-fitted and fixed thereto.

[0023] Next, the configuration of the movable housing 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing the configuration of the movable housing. FIG. 6 is a view seen from above, and FIG. 7 is a view seen from below. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, it includes eight fitting recesses 31 into which the terminals 90 of the mating connector 2 are inserted, and movable restricting portions 32 that contact the support fitting 70 and the movable restricting portion 13 to restrict the movable range of the movable housing 30. Further, the outer surface on the fitting side (Z1 direction) of the movable housing 30 has a guide portion 33 formed of a slope, and when mating with the mating connector 2, the inner surface 81 of the housing 80 of the mating connector 2 is configured to fit along the guide portion 33. Further, the movable restricting portion 32 has a guide portion 34 formed of a slope on the outer surface on the fitting side (Z1 direction), and when mating with the mating connector 2, the inner surface 82 of the housing 80 of the mating connector 2 is configured to fit along the guide portion 34.

[0024] Next, the configuration of the terminal 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the terminal. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the configuration of the terminal. FIG. 9 shows only the terminals on the first column side, and the terminals on the second column are opposite in orientation and have the same shape. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the terminal 50 includes a first fixing portion 51 held by the fixed housing 10, a second fixing portion 52 held by the movable housing 30, a third fixing portion 53 held by the movable housing 30, an elastic portion 54 between the first fixing portion 51 and the second fixing portion 52, a contact portion 55 that contacts the terminal 90 of the mating connector 2, and a board connection portion 56 for connecting to the circuit board. The elastic portion 54 has a shape curved in the Z1 direction. Due to the elasticity of the elastic portion 54, the movable housing 30 can be displaced with respect to the fixed housing 10. The contact portion 55 has a roll surface shape. The terminal 50 is manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate. Also, the second fixing portion 52 and the third fixing portion 53 are arranged opposite to each other. Further, the first fixing portion 51, the second fixing portion 52, and the third fixing portion 53 are respectively provided with protrusions 57, 58, and 59 for preventing detachment.

[0025] Next, the configuration of the support fitting 70 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the support fitting 70. The four support fittings 70 have the same inverted L-shaped configuration. As shown in FIG. 10, the support fitting 70 includes a fixing portion 71 that is inserted and fixed into the through hole 16 of the fixed housing 10, and a movable restricting portion 72 that restricts the displacement of the movable housing 30. Also, the fixing portion 71 is provided with a protrusion 73 for preventing detachment. The support fitting 70 is manufactured by punching a metal plate. The movable restricting portion 72 abuts against the movable housing 30 and restricts the displacement of the movable housing 30 in the Z1 direction and the X direction.

[0026] Next, the configuration of the mating connector 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the mating connector 2. As shown in FIG. 11, the mating connector 2 includes a housing 80 and eight terminals 90. The housing 80 includes a pair of side wall portions 85 extending in the X direction and a pair of connecting wall portions 86 connecting the pair of side wall portions 85. The side wall portions 85 and the connecting wall portions 86 have a size that covers the entire electrical connector 1. That is, when the mating connector 2 is fitted with the electrical connector 1, it fits deeply so as to cover the electrical connector 1, so that the mating connector 2 approaches the circuit board more, and the height of the entire connector is reduced. Further, on the inner surfaces 81 and 82 of the outer wall of the housing 80, guide portions 83 and 84 that come into contact with the guide portions 33 and 34 when fitted with the electrical connector 1 are provided. That is, when the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2 are fitted, the guide portions 83 and 84 of the housing 80 are configured to fit along the guide portions 33 and 34 of the electrical connector 1. This facilitates alignment during connector fitting.

[0027] Next, the floating function of the electrical connector 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the floating state when the electrical connector and the mating connector according to an embodiment of the present invention are fitted. In FIG. 12, the mating connector 2 is displaced in the X1 direction, and correspondingly, the movable housing 30 is displaced in the X1 direction. Due to the elasticity of the elastic portion 54 of the terminal 50, flexible displacement of the movable housing 30 becomes possible. Although FIG. 12 shows the case of displacement in the X direction, the movable housing 30 can be displaced in any of the XYZ directions. This makes it possible to absorb misalignment with the mating connector. The elastic portion 54 of the terminal 50 is deformed to absorb misalignment between the connectors. The movable range of the movable housing 30 is determined by the positions and dimensions of the movable restriction portions 13, 32, and 72.

[0028] Next, with reference to FIGS. 13 to 18, the fitting state of the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2 will be described. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the state at the start of fitting between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a front view showing the state during the fitting between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 15. FIG. 17 is a front view showing the state after the fitting between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 2. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of FIG. 17. As shown in FIG. 13, at the start of connector fitting, the guided portions 83, 84 of the mating connector 2 abut against the guiding portions 33, 34 of the electrical connector 1 and are aligned. Further, as the fitting progresses, as shown in FIG. 16, the inner surfaces 81, 82 of the mating connector 2 abut against the outer surfaces 35, 36 of the electrical connector 1 and the fitting proceeds. Further, as the fitting between the connectors progresses, at the end of fitting, as shown in FIG. 18, the housing 80 of the mating connector 2 covers the electrical connector 1 and is deeply fitted. As a result, the mating connector 2 gets closer to the circuit board, enabling the overall height of the connector to be reduced.

[0029] Therefore, according to the electrical connector and the electrical connector assembly of the present embodiment, the fitting error during the fitting of the electrical connector and the mating connector can be absorbed by the floating function. Also, since the electrical connector and the mating connector are deeply fitted, the height can be reduced.

[0030] As described above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on its embodiments. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.

[0031] For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the electrical connector 1 has a floating function has been described. However, the mating connector 2 may be configured to have a floating function.

[0032] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the case where it is applied to a connector mounted on a substrate has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it may be applied to a connector connected to a cable or the like.

Explanation of Signs

[0033] 1 Electrical connector 2 Mate connector 10 Fixed housing 11 Side wall portion 12 Connecting wall portion 13 Movement restricting portion 14 Space 15 Recess 16 Through hole 30 Movable housing 31 Fitting recess 32 Movement restricting portion 33 Guide portion 34 Guide portion 35 Outer surface 36 Outer surface 50 Terminal 51 First fixing portion 52 Second fixing portion 53 Third fixing portion 54 Elastic portion 55 Contact portion 56 Substrate connection portion 57 Projection 58 Projection 59 Projection 70 Support fitting 71 Fixing portion 72 Movement restricting portion 73 Projection 80 Housing 81 Inner surface 82 Inner surface 83 Guided portion 84 Guided portion 85 Side wall portion 86 Connecting wall portion 90 Terminal

Claims

1. A fixed housing, a movable housing displaceable relative to the fixed housing, and a terminal held by the fixed housing and the movable housing, the electrical connector comprising: the terminal has a first fixing portion held by the fixed housing, a second fixing portion held by the movable housing, an elastic portion between the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion, and a contact portion that contacts a terminal of a mating connector; the terminal is manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate; the elastic portion has a curved shape; the contact portion has a roll surface shape; the movable housing has a guide portion formed of a slope on the outer surface of the fitting side; when mating with the mating connector, the inner surface of the housing of the mating connector is configured to fit along the guide portion; when the arrangement direction of the terminals is the X direction and the facing direction of the terminals is the Y direction, in the X direction and the Y direction, the maximum width of the movable housing is larger than the maximum width of the fixed housing; the fixed housing includes a pair of side wall portions extending in the X direction, a pair of connecting wall portions connecting the ends of the side wall portions and extending in the Y direction, and a first movable restricting portion protruding in the fitting direction, and the first movable restricting portion is configured to restrict the movable range of the movable housing; the electrical connector further includes a support fitting held by the fixed housing; the support fitting includes a second movable restricting portion that restricts displacement of the movable housing; the second movable restricting portion is within the range of the thickness in the X direction of the connecting wall portion of the fixed housing, the electrical connector.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first movable restricting portion protrudes in the fitting direction at four corners of the fixed housing.

3. The terminal further has a third fixing portion held by the movable housing; The electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second fixing portion and the third fixing portion are arranged opposite to each other.

4. A first electrical connector, and a second electrical connector fitted to the first electrical connector, the electrical connector assembly comprising: the first electrical connector, a fixed housing, a movable housing displaceable relative to the fixed housing, A terminal held by the fixed housing and the movable housing, The terminal has a first fixed portion held by the fixed housing, a second fixed portion held by the movable housing, an elastic portion between the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion, and a contact portion that contacts the terminal of the second electrical connector. The terminal is manufactured by punching and bending a metal plate. The elastic portion has a curved shape. The contact portion has a roll surface shape. The movable housing has a guide portion formed of a slope on the outer surface of the fitting side. The second electrical connector has a guided portion on the inner surface of the outside of the housing. When the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are fitted, the guided portion of the housing of the second electrical connector is configured to be fitted along the guide portion of the first electrical connector. When the arrangement direction of the terminals is the X direction and the facing direction of the terminals is the Y direction, in the X direction and the Y direction, the maximum width of the movable housing is larger than the maximum width of the fixed housing. The fixed housing of the first electrical connector includes a pair of side wall portions extending in the X direction, a pair of connecting wall portions connecting the ends of the side wall portions and extending in the Y direction, and a first movable restricting portion protruding in the fitting direction. The first movable restricting portion is configured to restrict the movable range of the movable housing. The first electrical connector further includes a support fitting held by the fixed housing. The support fitting includes a second movable restricting portion that restricts the displacement of the movable housing. The second movable restricting portion is within the range of the thickness in the X direction of the connecting wall portion of the fixed housing, an electrical connector assembly.

5. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 4, wherein the first movable restricting portion protrudes in the fitting direction at the four corners of the fixed housing.

6. The terminal of the first electrical connector further has a third fixed portion held by the movable housing. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the second fixed portion and the third fixed portion are arranged to face each other.

7. An electronic device including the electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. An electronic device including the electrical connector assembly according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

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