connector

Abstract

To suppress contacts and electrodes from being worn due to sliding.SOLUTION: A connector for electrical connection between a module substrate with electrodes and a main substrate, comprises: a housing 80 mounted on the main substrate 200; contacts 90 each of which has a contact part 92 and a connection part 91 connected with the main substrate 200, being held by the housing 80; a frame 60 that has a flat plate part 61 fixed to the main substrate 200 and a pair of side plate parts 62, the pair of side plate parts 62 being formed with one of a cam groove and a projection; a slider 70 at whose pair of opposed side portions the other of the cam groove and the projection is formed, the projection being inserted into the cam groove so as to be attached between the pair of side plate parts 62; and a plate 120 accommodated between the pair of side plate parts 62, configuring an insertion space 101 together with the housing 80. The slider 70 presses the module substrate 300 against the contact part 92 via the plate 120 by sliding in the same direction as an insertion direction of the module substrate 300 into the insertion space 101.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector for electrically connecting substrates. [Background technology]

[0002] Figures 11 to 13 show the configuration and operation of a card connector described in Patent Document 1 as a conventional example of a connector. This card connector comprises a cover insulator 10, a base insulator 20, contacts 30, and an ejection mechanism 40.

[0003] As shown in Figure 13, the contact 30 is composed of a fixed portion 30a fixed to the underside portion 21 of the base insulator 20, a contact portion 30b that can come into contact with the land 51 of the IC card 50, a spring portion 30c that urges the contact portion 30b upward, and a terminal portion 30d that is connected to a printed circuit board (not shown).

[0004] The cover insulator 10 includes a card support surface 11 that supports the top surface 50a of the IC card 50, side portions 12 that support both side surfaces of the IC card 50, abutment portion 13 against which the leading end 52 of the IC card 50 in the insertion direction abuts, support portions 14 that support both side edges of the bottom surface 50b of the IC card 50, and a guide surface 15 that guides the IC card 50 to the abutment portion 13. The card support surface 11 is located above the contact portions 30b of the contacts 30 and faces the bottom surface portion 21 of the base insulator 20. The side portions 12 are each provided with cylindrical protrusions 16 and 17.

[0005] An opening 23 is formed in the top surface 22 of the base insulator 20, and cam grooves 25, 26 are formed in both side surface portions 24. Cam groove 25 is located on the rear side in the card insertion direction D, and cam groove 26 is located on the front side in the card insertion direction D. The longitudinal direction of cam groove 25 is parallel to the card insertion direction D, and cam groove 25 guides protrusion 16. The longitudinal direction of cam groove 26 is inclined with respect to the card insertion direction D, and cam groove 26 guides protrusion 17 obliquely. This allows cover insulator 10 to move between a first position approaching contact portion 30b of contact 30 and a second position away from contact portion 30b of contact 30.

[0006] In this card connector, before an IC card 50 is inserted, protrusions 16 and 17 of cover insulator 10 are positioned at rear ends 25a and 26a of cam grooves 25 and 26 of base insulator 20, respectively. When IC card 50 is inserted into card insertion slot 27 of base insulator 20 in this state, both side edges of the lower surface 50b of IC card 50 are supported by support portions 14 of cover insulator 10, and IC card 50 is guided to abutment portion 13 in a state parallel to card insertion direction D. Lower surface 50b of IC card 50 is positioned above contact portions 30b of contacts 30, and IC card 50 is not in contact with contact portions 30b of contacts 30 (see FIG. 13A).

[0007] When the IC card 50 is inserted beyond a predetermined insertion distance (the distance until it reaches the abutment portion 13 of the cover insulator 10), the leading end 52 of the IC card 50 abuts against the abutment portion 13 of the cover insulator 10, and then the protrusion 17 of the cover insulator 10 is guided diagonally downward along the cam groove 26, and the leading end of the cover insulator 10 in the card insertion direction approaches the lower surface portion 21 of the base insulator 20. The upper surface 50a of the IC card 50 is pressed downward by the card support surface 11, so that the lands 51 of the IC card 50 come into contact with the contact portions 30b of the contacts 30 (see FIGS. 12 and 13B). As a result, the IC card 50 and the printed circuit board are electrically connected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3021370 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] According to the card connector described above, when the IC card 50 is inserted, the tip 52 of the IC card 50 abuts against the abutment portion 13 of the cover insulator 10, and then the cover insulator 10 is pushed by the IC card 50, and the protrusions 16, 17 are guided by the cam grooves 25, 26 of the base insulator 20, causing the IC card 50 to move from the second position to the first position, and the distance that the IC card 50 slides is a short distance that it takes for the cover insulator 10 to move from the second position to the first position.

[0010] In Patent Document 1, by shortening the distance over which the IC card 50 slides against the contact 30 when the IC card 50 is inserted, damage to the IC card 50 and wear on the contact portion 30b of the contact 30 when the IC card 50 is inserted or removed is suppressed.

[0011] However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when the IC card 50 is inserted, there is a sliding state between the IC card 50 and the contact 30, so it can be said that the suppression of wear and damage is still insufficient, and there is room for improvement.

[0012] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can further reduce wear on the contacts associated with inserting and removing a module board, and wear on the electrodes of the module board that come into contact with the contacts, compared to conventional connectors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] According to this invention, a connector for electrically connecting a module board having a plurality of electrodes arranged lengthwise and widthwise on one surface thereof to a main board includes a flat housing mounted on the main board, contact portions protruding from the surface of the housing opposite to the main board mounting surface and connection portions connected to the electrodes of the main board, a plurality of contacts arranged and held in the housing corresponding to the electrodes of the module board, a frame having a flat plate portion fixed to the plate surface of the main board and a pair of side plate portions standing up from the flat plate portion, the pair of side plate portions having a cam groove and one of a protrusion forming a cam mechanism on the pair of side plate portions, and a plate-shaped frame having a pair of opposing sides on which the cam groove and the other of the protrusion forming the cam mechanism on the The slider is mounted between a pair of side plates with its protrusions inserted into cam grooves, and a plate-like plate with protrusions at its four corners, the two front protrusions being located on notches formed in the front ends of the pair of side plates, and the two rear protrusions being located on support sections formed on the rear ends of a pair of opposing sides of the slider and protruding rearward, so that the slider is housed between the pair of side plates and forms an insertion space for the module board between itself and a housing mounted on the main board, and the slider is displaced by the cam mechanism by sliding in the same direction as the module board is inserted into the insertion space, and presses the module board against the contact section via the plate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, wear of the contacts and wear of the electrodes of the module board that come into contact with the contacts due to insertion and removal of the module board can be reduced more than in the prior art, thereby providing a connector with a long life. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1A is a front view showing a state in which a first embodiment of the connector according to the present invention is attached to a main board, FIG. 1B is a side view thereof, FIG. 1C is a perspective view thereof as seen from the front, and FIG. 1D is a perspective view thereof as seen from the rear. [Figure 2] 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. 1, showing both the main board and the module board. [Figure 3]2A is a perspective view of the slider in FIG. 1 as seen from the front, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the slider in FIG. 1 as seen from the rear. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a housing holding the contacts in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] A is a front view showing the state in which the module board is inserted into the connector shown in Figure 1, B is a side view, C is a perspective view seen from the front, and D is a perspective view seen from the rear. [Figure 6] A is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 1A, and B is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 5A. [Figure 7] 1A is a front view showing a state in which a second embodiment of the connector according to the present invention is attached to a main board, FIG. 1B is a side view thereof, FIG. 1C is a perspective view thereof as seen from the front, and FIG. 1D is a perspective view thereof as seen from the rear. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. 7, showing both the main board and the module board. [Figure 9] A is a front view showing the state in which the module board is inserted into the connector shown in Figure 7, B is a side view, C is a perspective view seen from the front, and D is a perspective view seen from the rear. [Figure 10] 7A is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 7A, and B is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 9A. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional card connector. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a side view of the card connector shown in FIG. [Figure 13] 12A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the state of the card connector shown in FIG. 11 before card insertion is complete, and FIG. 12B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the state of the card connector shown in FIG. 11 after card insertion is complete. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Example]

[0017] Fig. 1 shows the appearance of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a connector 100 is shown attached to a main board 200. Note that only the portion of the main board 200 to which the connector 100 is attached is shown, and other portions are omitted from the illustration.

[0018] Connector 100 is composed of a frame 60, slider 70, housing 80, a number of contacts 90, four screws 110, a plate 120, and a rear plate 130. Figure 2 shows the configuration shown in Figure 1 exploded into its individual components, and also shows a module board 300 electrically connected to main board 200 by connector 100. First, the configuration of each component will be described.

[0019] The frame 60 is made of a metal plate and has a rectangular frame-shaped flat plate portion 61 and a pair of side plate portions 62 raised from both left and right ends of the flat plate portion 61. A pair of opposing protruding pieces 63 are cut upward in the center of the front end portion of the flat plate portion 61, and four holes 64 are also formed in the flat plate portion 61 as shown in FIG.

[0020] Two cam grooves 65 are formed in each of the pair of side plates 62 and arranged in the front-to-rear direction. The cam grooves 65 are formed as holes penetrating the side plates 62, and have a shape in which two elongated holes 65a, 65b extending parallel to the plate surface of the flat plate portion 61 and positioned offset in the up-down direction are connected to each other by an elongated hole 65c inclined with respect to the plate surface of the flat plate portion 61. The elongated hole 65a forming the front side of the cam groove 65 is positioned closer to the flat plate portion 61 than the elongated hole 65b forming the rear side. Note that a recess 66 is formed on each of the opposing inner surfaces of the pair of side plates 62, extending from the upper end of the side plate 62 to the elongated hole 65b, and further, a notch 67 is formed in the front end of each of the pair of side plates 62.

[0021] The slider 70 is made of a metal plate and has a rectangular plate portion 71. Two protrusions 72 that protrude outward from each other are formed on a pair of opposing sides located at both left and right ends of the plate portion 71, and further, guide portions 73 are formed on each of the opposing sides.

[0022] 3B, the guide portion 73 is composed of an elongated support piece 73a extending in the front-to-rear direction facing the back surface 71a of the plate portion 71, and two extension pieces 73b that are bent and extended from the plate portion 71 to reach the support piece 73a. A guide piece 73c is formed at the rear end of the support piece 73a and extends in a direction away from the back surface 71a of the plate portion 71.

[0023] Furthermore, similar to the guide piece 73c, support parts 74 are formed on the rear ends of the pair of opposing sides of the slider 70 on which the guide part 73 is formed, so as to protrude rearward. As shown in Fig. 3B, the support part 74 is formed by extending the plate surface from the extension piece 73b located on the rear side of the two extension pieces 73b.

[0024] The housing 80 is made of resin and has a flat shape. A large number of contacts 90 are arranged vertically and horizontally and held in the housing 80. Note that in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, which is an enlarged version of Fig. 2, only the contacts 90 located at both ends of the housing 80 in the left and right directions are shown, and the contacts 90 located in the middle are not shown. These contacts 90 are arranged in correspondence with a large number of electrodes (hidden and not visible in Fig. 2) arranged vertically and horizontally on one side of the module substrate 300.

[0025] The plate 120 is made of a metal plate and has a roughly rectangular shape. Protrusions 121 are formed at each of the four corners, and a step 122 is formed in the center so as to protrude from the underside in the shape of a rectangular island. Furthermore, recesses 123 are cut out at the front end to accommodate the pair of protrusions 63 of the frame 60, and recesses 124 are cut out at both left and right ends to accommodate the guide portions 73 of the slider 70.

[0026] The rectangular rear plate 130 is made of a metal plate and has screw holes 131 at each of the four corners.

[0027] 2, a large number of electrodes to which contacts 90 are connected are formed and arranged on the main board 200 to which the connector 100 is attached. The main board 200 is also formed with four holes 201 that correspond to the four holes 64 of the frame 60.

[0028] Next, assembly of the connector 100 and attachment to the main board 200 will be described.

[0029] First, the housing 80 holding the contacts 90 is surface-mounted and mounted on the main board 200. The electrodes of the contacts 90 and the main board 200 are connected by soldering.

[0030] Next, the flat plate portion 61 of the frame 60 is mounted on the main board 200, the rear plate 130 is placed on the rear (bottom) side of the main board 200, and four screws 110 are passed through the holes 64 of the frame 60, the holes 201 of the main board 200, and the screw holes 131 of the rear plate 130 to screw and fix the frame 60 and the rear plate 130 to the main board 200. The main board 200 is sandwiched between the flat plate portion 61 of the frame 60 and the rear plate 130, and the housing 80 is positioned within the frame of the flat plate portion 61 of the frame 60.

[0031] Next, the slider 70 is placed on the plate 120, and the slider 70 and plate 120 are assembled with the support portions 74 of the slider 70 slipping under the two protrusions 121 located at the rear of the plate 120, and in this state, the slider 70 is attached to the frame 60. The attachment is performed by inserting the two protrusions 72 formed on each of a pair of opposing sides of the slider 70 into the cam grooves 65 formed on a pair of side plate portions 62 of the frame 60 through the recesses 66.

[0032] This completes the assembly of connector 100 and its attachment to main board 200, resulting in the configuration shown in Fig. 1. Plate 120 is positioned between the pair of side plates 62, with the two protruding portions 121 located at the front positioned above notches 67 at the front ends of the pair of side plates 62, and the two protruding portions 121 located at the rear positioned above support portions 74 of slider 70.

[0033] The plate 120 is positioned in the left-right direction by being sandwiched between a pair of side plate portions 62, and is positioned in the front-rear direction on the frame 60 by two protruding portions 121 in the front-rear direction sandwiching the side plate portions 62 as shown in Fig. 1. Note that the positioning in the left-right and front-rear directions is performed with some play.

[0034] FIG. 5 shows the state in which module board 300 is inserted into connector 100 described above and module board 300 and main board 200 are electrically connected. The operation of inserting and connecting module board 300 in connector 100 will be described below.

[0035] 6A shows a cross section before module substrate 300 is inserted (cross section in the state shown in FIG. 1), and slider 70 is in a state where protrusion 72 inserted into cam groove 65 of frame 60 is positioned at the rear end side of cam groove 65, i.e., in elongated hole 65b. Plate portion 71 of slider 70 is parallel to housing 80 and main substrate 200. Plate 120 is in an inclined state (diagonal) as shown in FIG. 6A, and insertion space 101 for module substrate 300 is formed between plate 120 and housing 80.

[0036] One end of the contact 90 held in the housing 80 serves as a connection portion 91 that is connected to an electrode (not shown) of the main board 200, and the connection portion 91 is soldered to the electrode of the main board 200. The other end of the contact 90 serves as a contact portion 92 that comes into contact with an electrode of the module board 300 inserted into the insertion space 101, and protrudes from the top surface of the housing 80 (the surface opposite the main board mounting surface). In this example, the contact 90 has a spring portion 93 that is bent back into a U-shape, and the free end side of the spring portion 93 serves as the contact portion 92. The contact portion 92 extends in the insertion direction of the module board 300.

[0037] The module substrate 300 is inserted between the plate portion 71 and the guide portion 73 of the slider 70. Both side edges in the width direction (left and right direction) of one surface (bottom surface) of the module substrate 300 on which the electrodes are arranged are supported by the guide portions 73, and the module substrate 300 is guided for insertion into the insertion space 101. Supported and guided by the guide portions 73 in this way, the module substrate 300 is inserted without coming into contact with the contacts 90.

[0038] The module substrate 300 inserted into the insertion space 101 is positioned in the left-right direction (width direction) by two protruding pieces 63 provided at the front end of the flat portion 61 of the frame 60 fitting into two notches 301 formed at the front end in the insertion direction, and further insertion is restricted by the module substrate 300 hitting the two protruding pieces 63.

[0039] After inserting the module substrate 300, the slider 70 is slid in the same direction as the insertion direction of the module substrate 300. The protrusion 72 of the slider 70 moves along the cam groove 65 of the frame 60 and reaches the front end of the cam groove 65, i.e., the elongated hole 65a. The slider 70 is displaced in a direction approaching the housing 80, and presses the module substrate 300 inserted in the insertion space 101 against the contact portions 92 of the contacts 90 via the plate 120. This brings the electrodes of the module substrate 300 into contact with the contacts 90, resulting in an electrical connection. Figure 6B shows this state.

[0040] The first embodiment of the connector according to the present invention has been described above. According to the connector 100 described above, the following effects can be obtained.

[0041] (1) Unlike the conventional example, the slider 70 does not have abutting portion against which the inserted module board 300 hits. In other words, the module board 300 does not slide together with the slider 70. Instead, after the module board 300 has been inserted to a predetermined position, the slider 70 can be slid to press the module board 300 against the contact portion 92 of the contact 90. Therefore, unlike the conventional example, the module board 300 and the contact 90 do not slide as the module board 300 is inserted. In this respect, wear on the electrodes of the contact 90 and module board 300 can be suppressed more than in the conventional example, and an increase in contact resistance due to wear can be suppressed, thereby achieving a longer lifespan of the connector than in the conventional example.

[0042] (2) The module board 300 is removed from the connector 100 by sliding the slider 70 in the opposite direction to that used for insertion, thereby moving the module board 300 away from the contacts 90. However, because the plate 120 is interposed between the slider 70 and the module board 300, it is unlikely that the module board 300 will move along with the slider 70 as it slides. In this respect, wear on the contacts 90 and the electrodes of the module board 300 can be reduced even when the module board 300 is removed.

[0043] (3) Step portion 122, which is provided on plate 120 so as to protrude in the shape of a square island, limits the contact area between plate 120 and module substrate 300 when pressed by slider 70, and concentrates the pressing force on module substrate 300. This prevents warping of module substrate 300 when module substrate 300 is fully connected, and also ensures good contact force between the electrodes of module substrate 300 and contacts 90. [Example]

[0044] Fig. 7 shows the appearance of a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention in the same way as Fig. 1, and Fig. 8 shows the configuration shown in Fig. 7 exploded into its components in the same way as Fig. 2. Components corresponding to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0045] The connector 100' of this second embodiment has a different arrangement configuration of the frame 60' compared to the connector 100 of the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the flat plate portion 61 of the frame 60' is located on the side opposite the mounting surface of the main board 200 on which the housing 80 is mounted, and the pair of side plate portions 62 are positioned so as to sandwich the portion of the main board 200 on which the housing 80 is mounted.

[0046] The flat plate portion 61 of the frame 60' is not frame-shaped but plate-shaped, and in this example, a step portion 68 is formed on the upper surface of the flat plate portion 61 so as to protrude in the shape of a square island. Since the flat plate portion 61 of the frame 60' is positioned on the rear (lower) surface side of the main board 200 in this way, there is no rear plate 130 in this example.

[0047] The main board 200 is mounted on the flat plate portion 61 of the frame 60', and two screws 110 are passed through two holes 201 in the main board 200 and screwed into two screw holes 69 formed in the flat plate portion 61, thereby fixing the main board 200 to the flat plate portion 61. Two notches 202 are formed in the front end of the main board 200, and the main board 200 is positioned on the frame 60' by fitting a pair of protruding pieces 63 of the frame 60' into these notches 202.

[0048] FIG. 9 shows the completed connection state in which module board 300 is inserted into connector 100′ and module board 300 and main board 200 are electrically connected, and FIG. 10A shows a cross section of module board 300 before insertion (cross section of the state shown in FIG. 7), and FIG. 10B shows a cross section of the completed connection state.

[0049] The operation of inserting and connecting the module board 300 in this connector 100' is the same as that of the connector 100 of the first embodiment described above.

[0050] The step 68 provided on the flat portion 61 of the frame 60′ corresponds to the step 122 of the plate 120, and limits the contact area of ​​the flat portion 61 to the portion of the main board 200 on which the housing 80 is mounted. By sandwiching the main board 200, the housing 80, and the module board 300 between these step portions 68 and 122, a good contact force is obtained between the electrodes of the module board 300 and the contacts 90, and deflection of the main board 200 and the module board 300 can be effectively suppressed.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the cam grooves and protrusions that constitute the cam mechanism are not limited to those in the first and second embodiments, and the cam grooves may be provided on the slider and the protrusions on the frame. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10 cover insulator 11 card support surface 12 Side part 13 Abutment part 14 Support portion 15 Guide surface 16,17 Protrusions 20 Base insulator 21 Bottom part 22 Top part 23 Opening 24 Side part 25, 26 Cam grooves 25a, 26a Rear end 27 Card slot 30 Contact 30a Fixed part 30b Contact part 30c Spring part 30d Terminal part 40 Eject mechanism 50 IC card 50a Top surface 50b Bottom surface 51 Land 52 Tip 60,60' Frame 61 Flat section 62 Side plate 63 Projecting piece 64 holes 65 cam grooves 65a, 65b, 65c Slots 66 Recesses 67 Notch 68 Step 69 Screw hole 70 Slider 71 Plate portion 71a Back surface 72 Protrusion 73 Guide part 73a Support piece 73b Extension piece 73c Guide piece 74 Support part 80 Housing 90 Contact 91 Connection part 92 Contact part 93 Spring part 100,100' Connector 101 insertion space 110 screw 120 Plate 121 Protrusion 122 Stepped part 123,124 Relief 130 Rear plate 131 Screw hole 200 Main board 201 Hole 202 Notch 300 Module board 301 Notch

Claims

1. A connector that electrically connects a module substrate having a plurality of electrodes arranged vertically and horizontally on one surface to a main substrate, a flat housing mounted on the main board; a plurality of contacts each having a contact portion protruding from a surface of the housing opposite to the main board mounting surface and a connection portion connected to an electrode of the main board, the contacts being arranged and held in the housing in correspondence with the electrodes of the module board; a frame having a flat plate portion fixed to a plate surface of the main board and a pair of side plate portions standing up from the flat plate portion, the pair of side plate portions having cam grooves or protrusions that constitute a cam mechanism formed therein; a plate-shaped slider having a pair of opposing side portions formed with the other of a cam groove and a protrusion that constitute the cam mechanism, the protrusion being inserted into the cam groove and attached between the pair of side plate portions; a plate-like plate having protrusions at four corners, the two protrusions located at the front being positioned on notches formed at the front ends of the pair of side plate portions, and the two protrusions located at the rear being positioned on support portions formed at the rear ends of the pair of opposing side portions of the slider and protruding rearward, the plate being accommodated between the pair of side plate portions, and defining an insertion space for the module board between itself and the housing mounted on the main board; a connector having a structure in which the slider is displaced by the cam mechanism by sliding in the same direction as the insertion direction of the module board into the insertion space, and presses the module board against the contact portion via the plate.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, guide portions that are capable of supporting both widthwise edge portions of the one surface of the module board inserted into the insertion space and that guide the insertion of the module board into the insertion space are provided on the pair of opposing side portions of the slider; A connector characterized in that a recess for the guide portion is provided in the plate.

3. 3. The connector according to claim 1, the module substrate has a notch at a front end in an insertion direction; a connector having a protruding piece formed on the flat plate portion that fits into the notch to position the module board;

4. 3. The connector according to claim 1, the flat portion is located on the opposite side of the main board from the housing mounting surface, The connector is characterized in that the pair of side plate portions are raised so as to sandwich a portion of the main board on which the housing is mounted.

Images