electrical connectors

Abstract

To provide an electrical connector having a contact capable of easily being pressed while maintaining a small size.SOLUTION: A connector 10 includes a bellows contact 1 and a housing 3. The contact 1 has a box portion 11, a contact spring piece 111, and a fixed portion 13. The box portion 11 is formed in a square frame shape with a top plate 11t, a pair of side plates 11a and 11a, and a pair of bottom plates 11b, 11b. The contact spring piece 111 protrudes from the top plate and forms a contact 11s capable of contacting with a mating terminal on an inverted curved surface. The fixed portion 13 is arranged on a side opposite the contact spring piece 111 and fixed to the housing 3. The housing 3 has a storage chamber 3r storing at least box portion 11 and a window 3w allowing the contact spring piece 111 to protrude outside. The contact 1 has a small number of bending points other than right-angle bending and is easy to be press-processed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to the structure of an electrical connector that electrically connects to a battery (rechargeable battery) built into a portable electronic device such as a portable telephone. [Background technology]

[0002] Electrical connectors for batteries electrically connect electronic devices, such as mobile phones that use batteries as their power source, to the battery. Generally, electrical connectors for batteries are small electrical connectors (printed circuit board connectors) that can be mounted on the printed circuit board built into the electronic device.

[0003] Such battery electrical connectors (hereafter simply referred to as connectors) consist of an insulating housing and multiple contacts housed in the housing. These contacts are typically so-called bellows contacts, which are made by stamping a conductive metal plate into an extremely thin strip and then bending the strip to obtain uniform spring characteristics.

[0004] Portable electronic devices and the batteries built into these portable electronic devices are becoming smaller and thinner. Bellows contacts are also becoming smaller as a result. In response to this trend toward further miniaturization of electrical connectors, electrical connectors have been disclosed that use contacts with long spring lengths but do not allow the spring portions of the contacts to come into contact with each other (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-174477 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Fig. 15 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional electrical connector, showing a state in which the spring portion is not elastically deformed. Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a contact provided in a conventional electrical connector, where Fig. 16(A) shows a state in which the spring portion is not elastically deformed, and Fig. 16(B) shows a state in which the spring portion is elastically deformed.

[0007] 15 of the present application corresponds to FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1. Also, FIG. 16 of the present application corresponds to FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1.

[0008] Referring to Figure 15, a conventional electrical connector (hereinafter simply referred to as connector) 9 includes one or more bellows-type contacts 91 and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 92. The contacts 91 are formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate. The housing 92 mounts the contacts inside.

[0009] 15, the connector 9 is mounted on one side of a printed circuit board 9p. The connector 9 can electrically connect the battery Bt to the printed circuit board 9p via contacts 91. The multiple contacts 91 are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the housing 92. The housing 92 has an accommodating chamber 92r that penetrates in the width direction (Y direction) and accommodates the contacts 91.

[0010] 15 or 16, the contact 91 has a flat base 911 and a spring 912 that is expandable in the direction in which the contact 91 extends. The base 911 is fixed to the back of the accommodation chamber 92r. The spring 912 is formed so that a portion of the tip of the base 911 extends in one direction and oscillates in a wave-like manner. The spring 912 forms a so-called snake spring that meanders in the expansion and contraction direction.

[0011] 15 or 16, the contact 91 has a contact spring piece 913 and a pair of hooks 914. The contact spring piece 913 forms a contact 91s on a curved surface that slopes upward from the tip of the spring portion 912 and then turns back, allowing it to come into contact with an electrode terminal Et (mating terminal) provided on the end surface of the battery Bt. The contact spring piece 913 protrudes from a window 92w of the housing 92 (see FIG. 15).

[0012] 15 or 16, the pair of hooks 914 are disposed at a predetermined distance from the contact spring piece 913. The pair of hooks 914 are engaged with a protruding wall 92t provided on the window 92w side of the housing 92 (see FIG. 15). This applies a predetermined preload to the contact spring piece 913.

[0013] 16, the contact spring piece 913 has a rectangular notch 91c cut out at its tip that can receive the spring portion 912. Referring to Fig. 16, when the battery Bt is moved toward the contact 91s, the contact spring piece 913 moves back, but the spring portion 912 also moves back, and the spring portion 912 is received in the notch 91c, thereby preventing a short circuit between the contact spring piece 913 and the spring portion 912.

[0014] 15 or 16(A), the contact 91 made of a snake spring has many bending points other than right-angle bending from P1 to P4, which makes it difficult to ensure the dimensional positional accuracy of the contact 91. In addition, the contact 91 made of a snake spring has the problem that the contact pressure with the electrode terminal Et of the battery Bt is relatively weak.

[0015] There has been a demand for an electrical connector that has contacts that are easy to press while maintaining a compact size, and an electrical connector that has contacts that increase the contact pressure with the electrode terminals Et of the battery Bt and suppress momentary disconnections with the battery Bt. The above can be said to be the object of the present invention.

[0016] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide an electrical connector having contacts that can ensure dimensional positional accuracy, are easy to press, and have increased contact pressure with the mating terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] The inventors thought that by forming the contacts, which are made by bending metal plate, into a box shape, it would be possible to reduce the number of bending points other than right-angle bends from the contact spring piece that can come into contact with the mating terminal to the fixed part that is fixed to the housing, and as a result, they were able to complete a new electrical connector that solved the above-mentioned problems.

[0018] (1) An electrical connector according to the present invention comprises one or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, and a rectangular parallelepiped housing in which the contacts are mounted. The contacts have a rectangular frame-shaped box portion consisting of a flat top plate, a pair of side plates bent from both ends of the top plate, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates bent from the side plates facing the top plate and arranged with their plate thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap between them, contact spring pieces that protrude partially in one direction from the top plate and slope downward toward the pair of bottom plates before inverting, forming contacts that can come into contact with mating terminals, and a fixing portion that is arranged in the other direction opposite the direction in which the contact spring pieces protrude and is fixed to the housing, and the housing has an accommodating chamber that accommodates at least the box portion, and a window that communicates with the accommodating chamber and allows the contact spring pieces to protrude to the outside.

[0019] (2) It is preferable that the fixed portion of the contact has a lead piece that is soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board.

[0020] (3) The contact may further include a pair of trailing side plates bent widthwise from the tip ends of the pair of bottom plates and arranged opposite each other, a trailing top plate arranged opposite the pair of bottom plates and connecting the tip ends of the pair of trailing side plates, and a rectangular frame-shaped trailing box portion composed of a strip extending opposite the top plate, and the fixing portion may include a pair of first press-fit pieces extending continuously from the tip ends of the strip toward the bottom plate and capable of being press-fit into the housing.

[0021] (4) The pair of bottom plates may have second press-fit pieces at their tip ends that can be press-fitted into the housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical connector having contacts that can be easily pressed while ensuring dimensional positional accuracy and that have increased contact pressure with mating terminals. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment, in which FIG. 3A is a front view showing a partial configuration of the electrical connector, and FIG. 3B is a view taken along the arrows XX in FIG. 3A. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the configuration of a housing provided in the electrical connector according to the first embodiment, in which FIG. 4A is a front view of the housing and FIG. 4B is a rear view of the housing. [Figure 5] 5A and 5B are perspective views showing the configuration of contacts provided in the electrical connector according to the first embodiment, where FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the contacts as viewed from the top side, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the contacts as viewed from the bottom side. [Figure 6]6A and 6B are right side views showing the configuration of contacts provided in the electrical connector according to the first embodiment, where FIG. 6A is a diagram showing the state before the contacts are elastically deformed, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the state after the contacts have elastically deformed. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a development view of a contact provided in the electrical connector according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is a front view showing a partial configuration of the electrical connector, and FIG. 10B is a view taken along the arrows XX in FIG. 10A. [Figure 11] 10A, 10B, and 10C are diagrams showing the configuration of a housing provided in an electrical connector according to a second embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is a front view of the housing, FIG. 10B is a rear view of the housing, and FIG. 10C is a plan view of the housing. [Figure 12] 12A and 12B are perspective views showing the configuration of contacts provided in an electrical connector according to a second embodiment, where FIG. 12A is a diagram showing the contacts as viewed from the top side, and FIG. 12B is a diagram showing the contacts as viewed from the bottom side. [Figure 13] 13A and 13B are right side views showing the configuration of contacts provided in an electrical connector according to a second embodiment, where FIG. 13A is a diagram showing the state before the contacts are elastically deformed, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing the state after the contacts have elastically deformed. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a development view of a contact provided in the electrical connector according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electrical connector according to the prior art, showing a state in which a spring portion is not elastically deformed. [Figure 16] 16A and 16B are perspective views of a contact provided in an electrical connector according to the prior art, in which FIG. 16A shows a state in which the spring portion is not elastically deformed, and FIG. 16B shows a state in which the spring portion is elastically deformed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [First embodiment] (Electrical connector configuration) First, the configuration of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0025] (Overall composition) 1 to 3, an electrical connector (hereinafter simply referred to as connector) 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention can be electrically connected to a battery Bt (see FIG. 15) built into a mobile phone. The connector 10 includes a pair of bellows-shaped contacts 1 and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 3.

[0026] 2, 3, and 5, the contact 1 is formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate. The contact 1 is mounted inside the housing 3 (see FIG. 3(B)). The housing 3 has an accommodating chamber 3r that accommodates the contact 1 (see FIG. 3(B)). The housing 3 also has a window 3w that communicates with the accommodating chamber 3r and allows the contact spring piece 111 to protrude to the outside (see FIG. 4(B)).

[0027] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, contact 1 is a power contact that connects to the power terminal of the mating terminal and is arranged at both ends of housing 3. Between the pair of contacts 1·1, multiple signal contacts 1s that connect to the signal terminal of the mating terminal are arranged in parallel. The signal contacts 1s have the same structure as the power contact 1, but the contact spring pieces (described later) are configured to be narrower.

[0028] 1 or 2, the connector 10 is mounted on a printed circuit board 1p. Referring to FIG. 2, the printed circuit board 1p has a rectangular slot St cut out at one end. Referring to FIG. 3(B), the connector 10 is introduced into the slot St from the bottom side. By soldering lead pieces 5r provided on the shunt terminals 5 (described later) to pads provided on the printed circuit board 1p and soldering lead pieces 13r of the contacts 1 to the pads, the connector 10 can be mounted on the printed circuit board 1p with a low profile.

[0029] 1 to 3, the connector 10 further includes a pair of shunt terminals 5·5 and a pair of reinforcing tabs 1t·1t. The shunt terminal 5 is made of a conductive metal plate and is formed by bending the metal plate into a C-shape. The shunt terminal 5 surrounds the contact 1 from the outside and is disposed inside the housing 3. The shunt terminal 5 is disposed so that the inner wall of the top plate 5t contacts the top plate 11t of the contact 1. The shunt terminal 5 also has a lead piece 5r that can be soldered on one surface of the printed circuit board 1p (see FIG. 2). When the shunt terminal 5 contacts the contact 1, the current flowing through the contact 1 can be shunted.

[0030] 1 or 2, the reinforcing tab 1t is formed in a crank shape. The base end of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the side surface of the housing 3. The tip end of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the printed circuit board 1p. This allows the connector 10 to be securely fixed to the printed circuit board 1p.

[0031] (Contact configuration) The contact 1 is made of a conductive metal plate, and a desired shape can be obtained by bending a stamped, expanded plate (see FIG. 7). The contact 1 is preferably made of a conductive metal plate such as a copper alloy, but is not limited to a copper alloy.

[0032] 3(B) or 5 and 6, the contact 1 has a rectangular frame-shaped box portion 11, a contact spring piece 111, and a fixing portion 13. The box portion 11 is composed of a flat top plate 11t, a pair of side plates 11a, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates 11b.

[0033] 5 and 6, the pair of side panels 11a-11a are bent at approximately right angles from both widthwise ends of the top panel 11t. The pair of bottom panels 11b-11b are bent at approximately right angles from the side panels 11a-11a while facing the top panel 11t. The pair of bottom panels 11b-11b are disposed with their thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap between them (see FIG. 5(B)).

[0034] 3, 5, and 6, the contact spring piece 111 has a strip-like portion that protrudes in one direction from the top plate 11t. The contact spring piece 111 forms a contact 11s that can come into contact with the electrode terminal Et (mating terminal) on a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates 11b and then turns over.

[0035] 5 or 6, the fixed portion 13 is disposed in the other direction opposite to the protruding direction of the contact spring piece 111. The fixed portion 13 is fixed to the housing 3 from the bottom surface of the housing 3.

[0036] 3, 5, and 6, the contact 1 further includes a rectangular frame-shaped trailing box portion 12. The trailing box portion 12 is composed of a pair of opposing trailing side plates 12a, a flat trailing top plate 12t, and a strip-shaped piece 121.

[0037] 5 or 6, the pair of trailing side panels 12a are bent at approximately a right angle in the width direction from the tip ends of the pair of bottom panels 11b. The trailing top panel 12t is disposed opposite the pair of bottom panels 11b. The trailing top panel 12t connects the tip ends of the pair of trailing side panels 12a. The strip-shaped piece 121 extends in a strip shape on the opposite side from the top panel 11t.

[0038] 3 or 5 and 6, the fixed portion 13 has a pair of first press-fit pieces 13p. The pair of first press-fit pieces 13p extends continuously from the tip of the strip-shaped piece 121 toward the bottom plate 11b. The pair of first press-fit pieces 13p is bifurcated. The pair of first press-fit pieces 13p can be press-fitted into the housing 3 from the bottom surface of the housing 3. The fixed portion 13 also has a lead piece 13r that is bent at a substantially right angle from the middle of the strip-shaped piece 121 and soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 1p (see FIG. 3).

[0039] The contacts 1 can be obtained by bending a developed plate as shown in Figure 7. After bending, the contacts 1 are connected to a strip-shaped contact carrier Cc. The contacts 1 can be connected in the direction in which the contact carrier Cc extends, and loose contacts 1 can be obtained by cutting the notches 1n (see Figure 2).

[0040] (Electrical connector action) Next, the function and effect of the connector 10 will be explained while explaining the operation of the contact 1. Referring to Fig. 3(B), when the battery Bt (see Fig. 15) is moved toward the contact 11s (in the direction of arrow F) with the electrode terminal Et at the front, the contact 1 elastically deforms from the state shown in Fig. 6(A) to the state shown in Fig. 6(B). The contact 11s retreats toward the pair of first press-fit pieces 13p.

[0041] In the process of elastic deformation from the state shown in FIG. 6(A) to the state shown in FIG. 6(B), the box portion 11 and the subsequent box portion 12 do not easily undergo elastic deformation, and instead, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the contact spring piece 111, the pair of bottom plates 11b·11b, and the strip-shaped piece 121 undergo elastic deformation.

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

[0043] Referring to FIG. 5, the contact 1 according to the embodiment has a box-shaped portion extending from the contact point 11s to the fixed portion 13, thereby reducing the number of bending points other than right-angle bending to two points M1 and M2. This makes it easy to ensure the dimensional positional accuracy of the contact. to Furthermore, by forming the continuous portion from the contact 11s to the fixed portion 13 in a box shape, it is possible to increase the contact pressure with the electrode terminal Et of the battery Bt while keeping the device compact.

[0044] [Second embodiment] (Electrical connector configuration) Next, the configuration of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0045] (Overall composition) 8 to 10, a connector 20 according to a second embodiment of the present invention can be electrically connected to a battery Bt (see FIG. 15) built into a mobile phone. The connector 20 includes a pair of bellows-type contacts 2 and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 4.

[0046] 9, 10 and 12, the contacts 2 are formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate. The contacts 2 are mounted inside the housing 4 (see FIG. 10(B)). The housing 4 has receiving chambers 4r that receive the contacts 2 (see FIG. 10(B)). The housing 4 is preferably made of insulating synthetic resin.

[0047] 8 or 9, contact 1 is a power contact that connects to the power terminal of the mating terminal and is arranged at both ends of housing 4. A plurality of signal contacts 2s that connect to the signal terminal of the mating terminal are arranged in parallel between a pair of contacts 2. The signal contacts 2s have the same structure as the power contacts 2, but the contact spring pieces (described later) are configured to be narrower.

[0048] 8 or 9, the connector 20 is mounted on a printed circuit board 2p. Referring to FIG. 9, the printed circuit board 2p has a rectangular slot St cut out at one end. Referring to FIG. 10(B), the connector 20 is introduced into the slot St from the bottom side. By soldering the lead pieces 6r provided on the shunt terminals 6 (described later) to pads provided on the printed circuit board 2p and soldering the lead pieces 23r of the contacts 2 to the pads, the connector 20 can be mounted on the printed circuit board 2p with a low profile.

[0049] 8 to 10, the connector 20 further includes a pair of shunt terminals 6·6 and a pair of reinforcing tabs 1t·1t. The shunt terminal 6 is made of a conductive metal plate, which is bent into a box shape. The shunt terminal 6 surrounds the contacts 2 from the outside and is disposed inside the housing 4. The shunt terminal 6 is disposed so that the top of the cantilevered spring piece 6s contacts the top plate 21t of the contacts 2 from the inner wall side (see FIG. 10(B)). The shunt terminal 5 also has a lead piece 6r that can be soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 2p (see FIG. 9). When the shunt terminal 6 contacts the contacts 2, the current flowing through the contacts 2 can be shunted.

[0050] 8 or 9, the reinforcing tab 1t is formed in a crank shape. The base end of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the side surface of the housing 4. The tip end of the reinforcing tab 1t is press-fitted into the printed circuit board 2p. This allows the connector 20 to be securely fixed to the printed circuit board 2p.

[0051] (Contact configuration) The contact 2 is made of a conductive metal plate, and a desired shape can be obtained by bending a stamped, expanded plate (see FIG. 14). The contact 2 is preferably a conductive metal plate such as a copper alloy, but is not limited to a copper alloy.

[0052] 10(B) or 12 and 13, the contact 2 has a rectangular frame-shaped box portion 21, a contact spring piece 211, and a fixing portion 23. The box portion 21 is composed of a flat top plate 21t, a pair of side plates 21a, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates 21b.

[0053] 12 and 13, the pair of side panels 21a are bent at approximately right angles from both widthwise ends of the top panel 21t. The pair of bottom panels 21b are bent at approximately right angles from the side panels 21a, 21a, facing the top panel 21t. The pair of bottom panels 21b are disposed with their thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap between them (see FIG. 12(B)).

[0054] 10, 12, and 13, the contact spring piece 211 has a strip-like portion that protrudes in one direction from the top plate 21t. The contact spring piece 211 forms a contact 21s that can come into contact with the electrode terminal Et (mating terminal) on a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates 21b and then turns over.

[0055] 12 or 13, the fixed portion 23 is disposed in the other direction opposite to the protruding direction of the contact spring piece 211. The fixed portion 23 is fixed to the housing 4 from the window 4w side of the housing 4 (see FIG. 11(A)).

[0056] 12 or 13, the fixed portion 23 has a pair of second press-fit pieces 23p. The pair of second press-fit pieces 23p are formed on the tip end sides of the pair of bottom plates 21b, which extend in the opposite direction from the contact spring piece 211, via a step that rises from the pair of bottom plates 21b (see FIG. 12(B)). The pair of second press-fit pieces 23p can be press-fitted into the housing 4 from the window 4w side of the housing 4.

[0057] 10 or 12 and 13, the fixed portion 23 has a pair of reeds 23r. The reeds 23r are formed as a pair of strip-shaped pieces that extend in the opposite direction to the contact spring piece 211, passing over a step that rises from the tip of the press-fit piece 23p (see FIG. 12). The pair of reeds 23r can be soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board 2p.

[0058] The contacts 2 can be obtained by bending a developed plate as shown in Figure 14. After bending, the contacts 2 are connected to a strip-shaped contact carrier Cc. The contacts 2 can be connected in the direction in which the contact carrier Cc extends, and by cutting the notches 2n, loose contacts 2 can be obtained (see Figure 9).

[0059] (Electrical connector action) Next, the function and effect of the connector 20 will be described while explaining the operation of the contact 2. Referring to FIG. 10(B), when the battery Bt (see FIG. 15) is moved toward the contact 21s (in the direction of arrow F) with the electrode terminal Et at the front, the contact 2 elastically deforms from the state shown in FIG. 13(A) to the state shown in FIG. 13(B). The contact 21s retreats toward the pair of second press-fit pieces 23p.

[0060] In the process of elastically deforming from the state shown in FIG. 13(A) to the state shown in FIG. 13(B), the box portion 21 does not easily deform elastically, and as shown in FIG. 13(B), the contact spring piece 211 and the strip-shaped piece continuous with the pair of bottom plates 21b·21b elastically deform.

[0061] 13, the contact 2 according to the embodiment is displaced in the depth direction from D3 to D4, but the amount of heightwise displacement from H3 to H4 is smaller than the displacement in the depth direction. On the other hand, the contact spring piece 211 is easily bent in the height direction, and a sufficient wiping effect can be obtained when the contact 211s slides against the electrode terminal Et. The contact 2 according to the embodiment is a small contact, yet can ensure a sufficient wiping amount.

[0062] 12, the contact 2 according to the embodiment has a box-like configuration in the middle of the connecting section from the contact point 21s to the fixed section 23, thereby reducing the number of bending points other than right-angle bending to one M3. This makes it easier to ensure the dimensional positional accuracy of the contact. Furthermore, by configuring the connecting section from the contact point 21s to the fixed section 23 in a box-like configuration, it is possible to increase the contact pressure with the electrode terminal Et of the battery Bt while maintaining a small size.

[0063] 10, 12, and 13, the contact 2 according to the embodiment has a special effect of reducing the depth of the contact compared to the first embodiment by providing only one box-shaped portion at the front, which also reduces the depth of the housing (see FIG. 8). [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1 Contact 3. Housing 3r Containment Room 3w window 10 Connectors (electrical connectors) 11 Hakobe 11t top plate 11s contact 11a·11a Pair of side panels 11b·11b Pair of bottom plates 13 Fixed part 111 Contact spring piece

Claims

1. one or more bellows-shaped contacts formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate; a rectangular parallelepiped housing in which the contacts are mounted, The contact a rectangular frame-shaped box portion including a flat top plate, a pair of side plates bent from both ends of the top plate, and a pair of strip-shaped bottom plates bent from the side plates in a state facing the top plate and arranged with their thickness surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap provided; a contact spring piece that partially protrudes in one direction from the top plate, and has a curved surface that slopes downward toward the pair of bottom plates and then turns over, and on this curved surface, a contact that can come into contact with a mating terminal is formed; a fixing portion that is disposed in a direction opposite to the direction in which the contact spring piece protrudes and is fixed to the housing, The housing includes: a storage chamber that stores at least the box portion; a window that communicates with the accommodation chamber and allows the contact spring piece to project to the outside, the contact further includes a pair of trailing side plates bent in the width direction from the tip ends of the pair of bottom plates and arranged opposite to each other, a trailing top plate arranged opposite to the pair of bottom plates and connecting the tip ends of the pair of trailing side plates, and a rectangular frame-shaped trailing box portion formed by a strip-shaped piece extending on the opposite side from the top plate, The pair of bottom plates are flat, elastically deformable strip-shaped plate pieces.

2. 2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the fixed portion of the contact has a lead piece soldered to one surface of the printed circuit board.

3. 3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein said fixing portion has a pair of first press-fit pieces extending continuously from the tip of said strip toward said bottom plate and press-fittable into said housing.

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