Contact components for electrical connectors

Abstract

To obtain a contact member capable of preventing the generation of an electric short circuit of adjacent contacts when it is used for an electric connector.SOLUTION: Contact members (50 and 60) are constructed comprising: lead parts (51 and 61) each made from a long plate material of a conductive material, in which its plate material surface is provided in a manner to extend parallel to lower surfaces of connector housings (10 and 30); contact parts (56 and 66) provided to be positioned in inner parts of fitting concave parts (35a, 35b, and 35c) formed in the connector housings; and an intermediate part that connects the lead part and the contact part. Further, the intermediate part is composed of: first folding surface parts (54a and 64a) having plate material surfaces connected to the lead parts and extending in a vertical direction and a longitudinal direction; and second folding surface parts (54b and 64b) folded in a lateral direction from the first folding surface parts, and extending in the vertical direction and a cross direction. The contact part is formed in a manner to be connected to the second folding surface part and extend in the vertical direction and the cross direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a contact member used for an electrical connector suitable for transmitting a large-capacity electrical signal or power supply power.

Background Art

[0002] Electrical connectors are used for transmitting electrical signals and power. Since many signal transmission connectors transmit small signal power, there is a tendency to arrange a large number of contacts at a small pitch to achieve miniaturization. On the other hand, a connector used for transmitting a large-capacity electrical signal, for example, power supply power, needs to use relatively large contacts according to the magnitude of the transmitted signal or power. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a board connection connector including signal contacts arranged at a large number of small pitches and a pair of relatively wide power supply contacts, which enables transmission connection of signals and power supply power.

[0003] In a connector, a power supply contact used for transmitting power supply power needs to transmit a large power supply power, so it needs to be larger in size than a signal contact used for transmitting a general electrical signal. Also, at least a pair of power transmission lines are required for power supply, and power supply contacts are provided in units of a pair of contacts. For example, in the electrical connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, a pair of power supply contacts 22ai are provided adjacent to each other on the front and rear side walls of the connector housing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] It is essential to avoid the problem of adjacent contacts short-circuiting, both for signal and power contacts. Short circuits in power contacts, in particular, can easily lead to major problems such as large currents flowing throughout the entire power line. Therefore, careful design is necessary to prevent short circuits between adjacent contacts caused by foreign objects getting caught during mating of male and female connectors. One possible measure to prevent short circuits caused by foreign objects getting caught is to provide an insulating wall between adjacent contacts. However, this requires increasing the dimensions in the contact arrangement direction (pitch direction), which tends to make the connector larger.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a contact member that can be configured to prevent electrical short circuits between adjacent contacts in an electrical connector used for connecting high-capacity power lines, such as a power connector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the contact member for an electrical connector according to the present invention comprises a fixed housing and a movable housing made of insulating material, and the fixed housing and the movableThe contact member constitutes an electrical connector, comprising a contact member provided across a housing. The contact member is made from a long plate made of a conductive material, and comprises a lead portion provided such that the surface of the plate extends parallel to the lower surface of the fixed housing; a fixed-side press-fit portion that bends upward from the inner end of the lead portion; an elastic portion that connects to the fixed-side press-fit portion and extends upward, and also bends downward in an inverted U shape; an intermediate portion that connects to the lower end of the downward-extending portion of the elastic portion and is bent at a right angle in the lateral direction; a movable-side press-fit portion that connects to the intermediate portion and extends upward; and a contact portion that connects to the movable-side press-fit portion and extends upward on the same plane. The intermediate portion is composed of a first bent surface portion having a plate material surface that extends vertically and horizontally, connected to the lower end of the downwardly extending shaped portion of the elastic portion, and a second bent surface portion having a plate material surface that bends laterally from the first bent surface portion and extends vertically and horizontally. The movable side press-fit portion is formed by extending vertically and horizontally, connected to the second bent surface portion, and the contact portion is formed by extending upward on the same plane as the movable side press-fit portion. The fixed side press-fit portion is press-fitted into the fixed housing and fixed, and the movable side press-fit portion is press-fitted into the movable housing and fixed, and the movable housing becomes movable relative to the fixed housing due to the elastic deformation of the elastic portion.

[0008] Preferably, in the above-described electrical connector, the electrical connector is configured to have a pair of contact members and to be mated and connected with a mating connector, the movable housing is provided with an upwardly opening mating recess that receives a mating projection of the mating connector, the contact portions of the pair of contact members are located within the mating recess, and the pair of contact members are composed of a first contact member and a second contact member. Multiple of the aboveIn each of the fitting recesses, the first lead portion, which constitutes the lead portion of the first contact member, is provided on the lower front side of the fixed housing in the front-rear direction, extending to one side in the front-rear direction and exposed on the lower surface side, the first contact portion, which constitutes the contact portion of the first contact member, extends along one inner surface in the left-right direction of the fitting recess, the second lead portion, which constitutes the lead portion of the second contact member, is provided on the lower front side of the fixed housing in the front-rear direction, extending to the other side in the front-rear direction and exposed on the lower surface side, the second contact portion, which constitutes the contact portion of the second contact member, extends along one inner surface in the left-right direction of the fitting recess, and the first contact portion and the second contact portion are positioned facing each other within the fitting recess.

[0009] In the above electrical connector, preferably, a pair of the above Power supply via contact member The contact members are each set up so that the transmission can be performed, Electrical connectors are used to connect power lines. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the electrical connector of the present invention, the intermediate portion connecting the lead portion and the contact portion is composed of a first bent surface portion having a plate material surface connected to the lead portion and extending in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a second bent surface portion bending laterally from the first bent surface portion and extending in the vertical and front-to-back directions, and the contact portion is formed by extending in the vertical and front-to-back directions connected to the second bent surface portion. Therefore, a contact member can be easily created by bending a long metal plate material so that the direction in which the plate material surface of the contact portion extends is the front-to-back direction relative to the direction in which the lead extends (front-to-back direction). In conventional contact members made by bending a long plate material, when the lead extends in the front-to-back direction, the plate material surface extends in the horizontal direction when the lead is bent to form the contact portion. Therefore, when multiple contact members are arranged side by side, the contact portions extend side by side while being arranged side by side. For this reason, it is difficult to increase the spacing between adjacent contact portions, and there is a problem that short circuits are likely to occur between adjacent contact portions due to foreign matter getting caught. In contrast, in the contact member of the present invention, the second bent surface is bent laterally relative to the first bent surface, so the plate surface of the contact portion extends in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, when multiple contact members are arranged side by side, it is easy to ensure the spacing between adjacent contact portions, and the occurrence of short circuits can be reliably suppressed.

[0011] In the above-described electrical connector, it is preferable that the lead portion is provided with a plate material surface that extends front to back and parallel to the lower surface of the connector housing, and that a first bent surface portion is formed by bending upward from the front and rear ends of the lead portion to form a plate material surface that extends up and down and left and right, and that a second bent surface portion is formed by bending laterally from the side ends of the first bent surface portion to form a second bent surface portion that extends up and down and front to back, and that the contact portion is formed by extending upward on the same plane in connection with the second bent surface portion, and that the contact portion can be provided along one of the left and right inner surfaces within the mating recess. With this configuration, the lead portion is provided with a plate material surface that extends front to back and parallel to the lower surface of the connector housing, and the contact portion can be provided along one of the left and right inner surfaces within the mating recess of the connector housing. For example, a pair of contact members can be provided in the connector housing, and the contact portions of these contact members can be arranged on the left and right inner surfaces of the mating recess, and they can be arranged facing each other within the mating recess space. In this way, the pair of contact parts positioned within the mating recess can be separated by the mating recess space, thereby reliably preventing problems such as short circuits caused by foreign objects getting caught.

[0012] In the above electrical connector, an elastically deformable elastic part is provided in the intermediate part, The contact portion may be configured to be movable relative to the lead portion due to the elastic deformation of the elastic portion. In this way, a floating connector can be easily made using the contact member of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view from diagonally above of a receptacle connector (electrical connector) having a contact member according to one embodiment of the present invention, in a state where it is mated and connected with a mating plug connector. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view from diagonally below showing the above receptacle connector mated with the mating plug connector. [Figure 3]FIG. 3(A) is a perspective view of the receptacle connector as seen obliquely from above, and FIG. 3(B) is a perspective view of the receptacle connector as seen obliquely from below. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(A) is a plan view of the receptacle connector, FIG. 4(B) is a front view of the receptacle connector, and FIG. 4(C) is a side view of the receptacle connector. [Figure 5] It is an enlarged plan view of the receptacle connector. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(A) is a side cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector, and FIG. 6(B) is a side view showing a pair of front and rear contact members (contact members according to the present invention) constituting the receptacle connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 7(A) is a perspective view showing all the contact members used in the receptacle connector, FIG. 7(B) is a perspective view showing only one front contact member, and FIG. 7(C) is a perspective view showing only one rear contact member. [Figure 8] FIG. 8(A) is a perspective view of the plug connector as seen obliquely from above, and FIG. 8(B) is a perspective view of the plug connector as seen obliquely from below. [Figure 9] FIG. 9(A) is a plan view of the plug connector, FIG. 9(B) is a front view of the plug connector, FIG. 9(C) is a bottom view of the plug connector, FIG. 9(D) is a right side view of the plug connector, and FIG. 9(E) is a left side view of the plug connector. [Figure 10] It is an enlarged plan view of the plug connector. [Figure 11] FIG. 11(A) is a perspective view showing all the plug contact members used in the plug connector, and FIG. 11(B) is a perspective view showing only one plug contact member. [Figure 12] It is a perspective view showing the state immediately before the receptacle connector is fitted and connected to a mating plug connector. [Figure 13] It is a cross-sectional view showing the state immediately before the receptacle connector is fitted and connected to a mating plug connector. [Figure 14]It is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the receptacle connector is fitted and connected to a mating plug connector.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the overall configurations of a receptacle connector 1 as an electrical connector having a contact member according to the present invention and a plug connector 7 as a mating connector will be schematically described. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a state where the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 7 are fitted and connected. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions will be described as front (F), rear (B), right (R), left (L), up (U), and down (D) as indicated by arrows in FIGS. 1, 2, etc. Also, in the claims, the configurations are defined using these directions. However, the electrical connectors and contact members that are the subject of the present invention have no directionality in their usage forms, etc., and these directions are only defined for convenience of explanation.

[0015] The receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 7 according to this embodiment are used for connecting a power line (power supply line). One power line is constituted by a pair of lines, and three pairs of contact members are provided so that three pairs of power lines can be connected with this connector. Note that these three pairs of contact members correspond to the contact members for electrical connectors according to the present invention. This connector is not limited to power line connection and may be used for signal line connection, but in terms of its configuration, it is suitable for power line connection and connection of signal lines with a large transmission capacity.

[0016] ​As shown in Figure 3, the receptacle connector 1 includes a fixed housing 10, a movable housing 30, three pairs of contact members 50 and 60 (three pairs consisting of a front contact member 50 and a rear contact member 60) that span both housings, and a pair of left and right fixing brackets 20 attached to the fixed housing 10. As shown in Figure 8, the plug connector 7 includes a plug connector housing 70, three pairs of plug contact members 80 attached thereto, and a pair of left and right fixing brackets 90.

[0017] The detailed configuration of the receptacle connector 1 will be described below with reference to Figures 3 to 7. The fixed housing 10 is made of insulating resin and has left and right side walls 11, 11 that stand upright on the left and right and extend front and rear, and a flat bottom wall 12 that connects the lower parts of the left and right side walls 11, 11 and extends left and right on the lower surface. Positioning protrusions 13, 13 are formed on the lower surface of the bottom wall 12, as shown in Figure 3(B). Mounting grooves 11a are formed on the front and rear outer surfaces and the upper surface of the left and right side walls 11, and front and rear legs 21, 21 are press-fitted into these mounting grooves 11a to attach the fixing bracket 20, which is inverted U-shaped in side view, to the fixed housing 10. Rectangular retaining recesses 11b that are open at the top are formed in the center of the left and right side walls 11 in the front and rear direction, and when the fixing bracket 20 is attached to the left and right side walls 11, the middle part 22 of the fixing bracket 20 covers the retaining recesses 11b from above, forming a rectangular retaining space 15. Mounting portions 23 are exposed on the underside of the lower ends of the front and rear leg portions 21, and the connectors can be fixed to the circuit board by soldering the mounting portions 23 to the mounting patterns on the circuit board.

[0018] The movable housing 30 is also made of insulating resin and, as shown in Figure 6(A), has a front wall portion 31 located at the front and having a front internal space 31a that is open at the bottom and extends to the left and right, a rear wall portion 32 located at the rear and having a rear internal space 32a that is open at the bottom and extends to the left and right, and left and right side walls 33, 33 that connect the front wall portion 31 and the rear wall portion 32 at the left and right ends. Furthermore, it has two partition walls 36, 36 that divide the vertically extending rectangular space 35 surrounded by the front wall portion 31, the rear wall portion 32 and the left and right side walls 33, 33 into left and right sections to form three first to third fitting spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, and a holding portion 37 that extends left and right at the bottom of the rectangular space 35. The three first to third fitting spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c are basically the same shape, but the first fitting space 35a is provided with a space 35d for preventing misinsertion. Furthermore, the left and right side walls 33, 33 are each provided with rectangular columnar movement-restricting protrusions 37, 37 that project outward in the left and right directions.

[0019] The movable housing 30 is positioned on top of the fixed housing 10, and three pairs, a total of six contact members 50 and 60, as shown in Figure 7(A), are attached across both housings 10 and 30. The front contact member 50 is located at the front, and the rear contact member 60 is located opposite it at the rear, forming a pair, so a total of three pairs of front and rear contact members 50 and 60 are attached. Each pair of front and rear contact members 50 and 60 is shown separately in Figures 6(B) and 7(B) and (C). These front and rear contact members 50 and 60 are identical in shape and are arranged symmetrically in opposite directions front and back. These front and rear contact members 50, 60 include lead portions 51, 61 surface-mounted on a substrate (not shown), fixed-side press-fit portions 52, 62 that bend upward from the inner ends of the lead portions 51, 61, elastic portions 53, 63 that extend upward from the fixed-side press-fit portions 52, 62 and also bend downward in an inverted U-shape, and portions that connect to the lower ends of the elastic portions 53, 63. It consists of bent portions 54, 64 that are bent at a right angle, movable press-fit portions 55, 65 that are connected to the bent portions 54, 64 and extend upward, and contact portions 56, 66 that are connected to the movable press-fit portions 55, 65 and extend upward on the same plane. As shown in the figure, the elastic portions 53, 63 are divided into two parts by opening grooves 53a, 63a that extend in the longitudinal direction, making them easily elastically deformable. The bent portions 54 and 64 are composed of first bent surface portions 54a and 64a that are connected to the lower ends of the elastic portions 53 and 63 and have plate material surfaces that extend vertically and horizontally, and second bent surface portions 54b and 64b that are bent laterally from the first bent surface portions 54a and 64a and have plate material surfaces that extend vertically and horizontally, with the second bent surface portions 54b and 64b connected to the movable side press-fit portions 55 and 65.

[0020] These front and rear contact members 50 and 60 are first attached to the movable housing 30 by press-fitting the movable side press-fitting portions 55 and 65 from the lower side of the movable housing 30 into the retaining grooves 37a provided in the retaining portion 37. In this state, as shown in Figure 6(A), the elastic portion 53 of the front contact member 50 is located in the front internal space 31a of the front wall portion 31, and the elastic portion 63 of the rear contact member 60 is located in the rear internal space 32a of the rear wall portion 32. In addition, the contact portions 56 and 66 of the three pairs of front and rear contact members 50 and 60 protrude into the first to third fitting spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, as shown in Figure 5. As a result, the three pairs of front and rear contact members 50 and 60 are attached to the movable housing 30 in the arrangement shown in Figure 7(A). In this case, as shown in Figure 5, in each of the first to third fitting spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, the contact portion 56 of the front contact member 50 is positioned along the left inner wall surface and towards the front, and the contact portion 66 of the rear contact member 60 is positioned along the right inner wall surface and towards the rear. Thus, in each of the first to third fitting spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, the front and rear contact portions 56 and 66 are offset front to back and diagonally opposite each other, and are positioned spaced apart.

[0021] Next, the movable housing 30, with the front and rear contact members 50 and 60 attached in this manner, is attached to the fixed housing 10 from above. At this time, the fixed-side press-fit portions 52 and 62 are press-fitted into the front and rear retaining grooves (not shown in the figure) of the bottom wall 12 of the fixed housing 10. That is, the movable-side press-fit portions 55 and 65 of the front and rear contact members 50 and 60 are press-fitted into the retaining portion 37 and attached to the movable housing 30, and the fixed-side press-fit portions 52 and 62 are press-fitted into the bottom wall 12 and attached to the fixed housing 10. As a result, the movable housing 30 is connected to the fixed housing 10 via the front and rear contact members 50 and 60. At this time, the movement-restricting protrusions 37 and 37 that project outward from the left and right side walls 33 and 33 of the movable housing 30 enter into the retaining recess 11b of the fixed housing 10. In this state, the fixing bracket 20 is attached to the left and right side walls 11, the intermediate portion 22 covers the retaining recess 11b from above, and the movement restricting projection 37 is held within the retaining space 15.

[0022] In the receptacle connector 1 configured in this way, the movable housing 30 is connected to the fixed housing 10 via front and rear contact members 50 and 60, and the movable housing 30 can move forward and backward, left and right, and up and down relative to the fixed housing 10 due to the elastic deformation of the elastic parts 53 and 63. In other words, the movable housing 30 is in a floating state relative to the fixed housing 10. With respect to floating movement in the up and down and forward and backward directions, the movement restricting projection 37 is limited to the amount that can move within the holding space 15, preventing excessive floating movement that would cause the elastic parts 53 and 63 to deform beyond their elastic deformation tolerance. Floating movement in the left and right direction is restricted by the left and right side walls 33, 33 of the movable housing 30 being sandwiched between the left and right side walls 11, 11 of the fixed housing 10.

[0023] The receptacle connector 1 with the above configuration is surface-mounted on a substrate (not shown) as follows. First, the positioning protrusions 13, 13 are inserted into the positioning holes of the substrate to position it for mounting. Then, the mounting portion 23 of the fixing bracket 20 is soldered to the mounting pattern on the substrate. The front and rear contact members 50 and 60 are joined, and the lead portions 51 and 61 of the front and rear contact members 50 and 60 are soldered to the wiring pattern of the substrate, so that the receptacle connector 1 is surface mounted on the substrate.

[0024] Next, the plug connector 7 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. The plug connector 7 consists of a plug housing 70 made of insulating material, three pairs of plug contact members 80 mounted inside the plug housing 70 in the arrangement shown in Figure 11(A), and a pair of left and right fixing brackets 90, 90 mounted inside the plug housing 70. The plug housing 70 has a rectangular base 71, a pair of positioning protrusions 72, 72 provided on the lower surface of the base 71, and three first to third fitting protrusions 73, 74, 75 that are arranged on the left and right and project upward onto the base 71. These three first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 correspond to three first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c formed in the movable housing 30 of the receptacle connector 1. When mating the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 7, the mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 are inserted into the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c. At this time, a misinsertion prevention protrusion 73a is formed on the first mating protrusion 73 to prevent incorrect insertion. The misinsertion prevention protrusion 73a engages with a misinsertion prevention space 35d formed in the first mating space 35a, ensuring that the first mating protrusion 73 engages correctly with the first mating space 35a.

[0025] The three pairs of plug contact members 80, which are installed in the plug housing 70 in the arrangement shown in Figure 11(A), are each configured as shown in Figure 11(B). Each plug contact member 80 is formed from a single metal plate as shown, and has a lead portion 81 exposed on the lower surface side of the plug housing 70, a leg portion 82 connected to the lead portion 81, a press-fit portion 83 connected to the leg portion 82, an elastic portion 84 extending from the press-fit portion 83, and a contact portion 85 formed at the tip of the elastic portion 84. Each plug contact 80 is inserted from the lower side into an insertion hole formed in the plug housing 70, and the press-fit portion 83 is press-fitted into the holding hole to secure it in place. In this secured state, each lead portion 81 is exposed and arranged on the lower surface of the plug housing 70, and the contact portion 85 is exposed on the left and right sides of the first to third fitting projections 73, 74, and 75.

[0026] At this time, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, each lead portion 81 is positioned on the front side of the lower surface of the plug housing 70, with three on the front side and three on the rear side, each extending in the front-to-back direction. As for the contact portions 85, as shown in the enlarged view of Figure 10, they are positioned on the sides of the first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75, respectively, offset from each other in the front-to-back direction. This ensures that when the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 7 are mated together, each contact portion 85 comes into contact with the contact portions 56 and 66 of the receptacle connector 1, thereby making an electrical connection. The fixing bracket 90 is fixed to the plug housing 70, and the mounting portion 91 located on its lower surface is exposed on the lower surface.

[0027] The plug connector 7 with the above configuration is surface-mounted on a circuit board (not shown) as follows. First, the positioning protrusions 72, 72 are inserted into positioning holes on the circuit board to position it for mounting. Then, the mounting portion 91 of the fixing bracket 90 is soldered to the mounting pattern on the circuit board, and the lead portion 81 of the plug contact member 80 is soldered to the wiring pattern on the circuit board, thereby surface-mounting the plug connector 7 onto the circuit board.

[0028] The mating connection of the receptacle connector 1 and plug connector 7, as described above, will be explained below with reference to Figures 12 to 14. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 of the plug connector 7 are positioned opposite the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c of the receptacle connector 1. Then, as shown in Figure 14, the first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 are positioned opposite the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, respectively. By inserting it into 5c, both connectors 1 and 7 can be mated and connected. As a result, each contact portion 56, 66 of the receptacle connector 1 comes into contact with the corresponding contact portion 85 of the plug connector 7, and an electrical connection is made.

[0029] At this time, in the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, the front and rear contact portions 56 and 66 are offset front to back and diagonally opposite each other, separated by a space. Therefore, even if dirt or foreign objects are caught when inserting the first to third mating protrusions 73, 74, and 75 into the first to third mating spaces 35a, 35b, and 35c, there is no risk of a short circuit occurring between the front and rear contact portions 56 and 66. Furthermore, in the receptacle connector 1, the movable housing 30 is floatingly supported relative to the fixed housing 10 by the elastic portions 53 and 63 of the front and rear contact members 50 and 60, so that misalignment when mating the two connectors 1 and 7 can be absorbed.

[0030] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various improvements can be applied within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiments, there are three pairs of lines connected via the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 7, and the receptacle connector 1 has three pairs of front and rear contact members 50, 60, and the plug connector 7 also has three corresponding pairs of plug contact members 80. However, it is also possible to have a configuration with only one pair of these front and rear contact members 50, 60 and plug contact members 80, or even two pairs or four or more pairs. Furthermore, although the receptacle connector 1 is configured as a floating connector using contact members having elastic parts 53, 63, it is also possible to have a connector without a floating function, where contact members without elastic parts are provided in a single housing. Specifically, it is also possible to have a single housing configuration in which a fixed housing 10 and a movable housing 30 are integrated, and contact members without elastic parts are provided in this configuration. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Receptacle Connector 7 Plug Connectors 10 Fixed housing 11 Left or right wall 15 Retaining space 30 Movable housing 31 Front wall 31a Front internal space 32 Rear wall part 32a Rear internal space 35a, 35b, 35c 1st to 3rd fitting space 37 Restrictive projection 50 Front contact member 60 Rear contact member 51, 61 Lead portion 53, 63 Elastic part 54, 64 Bending part 56, 66 Contact area 70 Plug housing 73, 74, 75 First to third mating projections 80 Plug contact

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising a fixed housing and a movable housing made of insulating material, and a contact member provided spanning the fixed housing and the movable housing, wherein the contact member constitutes the electrical connector, The contact member is made from a long plate made of a conductive material. The plate surface is provided with a lead portion that extends parallel to the lower surface of the fixed housing, A fixed side press-fit portion extends upward from the inner end of the lead portion, An elastic portion that extends upward from the fixed press-fit portion and then bends downward in an inverted U-shape, The elastic portion has an intermediate portion that is connected to the lower end of the downwardly extending shaped portion and is bent at a right angle in the lateral direction, A movable side press-fit portion extending upward from the aforementioned intermediate portion, It is configured to include a contact portion that is connected to the movable press-fit portion and extends upward on the same plane, The intermediate portion is composed of a first bent surface portion having a plate material surface that extends vertically and horizontally, connected to the lower end of the downwardly extending shaped portion of the elastic portion, and a second bent surface portion having a plate material surface that bends laterally from the first bent surface portion and extends vertically and horizontally, the movable side press-fit portion is formed by extending vertically and horizontally, connected to the second bent surface portion, and the contact portion is formed by extending upward on the same plane as the movable side press-fit portion. A contact member for an electrical connector, characterized in that the fixed press-fit portion is press-fitted into and fixed to the fixed housing, the movable press-fit portion is press-fitted into and fixed to the movable housing, and the movable housing becomes movable relative to the fixed housing due to the elastic deformation of the elastic portion.

2. The electrical connector is configured to have a pair of contact members and to be mated and connected with a mating connector, The movable housing is provided with an upwardly opening mating recess that receives the mating projection of the mating connector, and the contact portions of the pair of contact members are configured to be located within the mating recess. The pair of contact members is composed of a first contact member and a second contact member, In each of the plurality of fitting recesses, The first lead portion, which constitutes the first contact member, is provided on the lower front side of the fixed housing in the front-rear direction, extending to one side in the front-rear direction and exposed on the lower surface side, and the first contact portion, which constitutes the first contact member, extends along one inner surface in the left-right direction of the fitting recess, The second lead portion, which constitutes the second contact member, is provided on the lower front side of the fixed housing in the front-rear direction, extending to the other side in the front-rear direction and exposed on the lower surface side, and the second contact portion, which constitutes the second contact member, extends along one inner surface in the left-right direction of the fitting recess, The contact member for an electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the first contact portion and the second contact portion are positioned facing each other within the fitting recess.

3. The contact member for an electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the contact members are set up so as to be able to transmit power to the power supply through a pair of contact members, and the electrical connector is used to connect power lines.

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