Connectors and connector assemblies

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of electrically connecting a contact to a flexible conductor of an object to be connected even if the flexible conductor is exposed on either a front surface or a back surface of the object to be connected.SOLUTION: An insertion part 18A of an inner contact 18 has a contact part P1 that contacts a plug contact 13 in a recess 13C and a pressing part P2 that is positioned on the opposite side of a mating axis C from the contact part P1. A protruding part 15K of a sheet-type conductive member 15 is sandwiched between the pressing part P2 and the inner surface of the recess 13C in a direction perpendicular to the mating axis, the plug contact 13 is electrically connected directly to a shield layer 15D and also electrically connected to a shield layer 15F via the inner contact 18 by the inner surface of the recess 13C contacting the surface of the sheet conductive member 15 and the pressing part P2 contacting the back surface of the sheet conductive member 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector, and particularly to a connector that is connected to a sheet-like object to be connected having a flexible conductor exposed on at least one surface. The present invention also relates to a connector assembly in which such a connector is attached to an object to be connected.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, so-called smart clothing that can acquire biometric information of a user such as a heart rate and body temperature just by wearing it has attracted attention. This smart clothing includes electrodes arranged at measurement locations, and by electrically connecting a wearable device as a measuring device to the electrodes, it becomes possible to transmit biometric information to the wearable device. The connection between the electrode and the wearable device can be made, for example, by using a connector connected to a flexible conductor drawn out from the electrode.

[0003] As this type of connector, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector as shown in FIG. 20. The connector has a housing 2 and a base member 3 arranged on both sides of a flexible substrate 1 with the flexible substrate 1 sandwiched therebetween. The cylindrical portion 4A of the contact 4 is passed through the contact through-hole 2A of the housing 2, and the flange 4B of the contact 4 is sandwiched between the housing 2 and a flexible conductor 1A exposed on the surface of the flexible substrate 1.

[0004] In this state, by pushing the base member 3 toward the housing 2, as shown in FIG. 21, the protrusion 3A of the base member 3 is inserted into the protrusion housing portion 4C of the contact 4 with the flexible substrate 1 sandwiched therebetween, and the inner surface of the protrusion housing portion 4C contacts the flexible conductor 1A with a predetermined contact force, whereby the contact 4 is electrically connected to the flexible conductor 1A. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 20, the housing 2 and the base member 3 are fixed to each other by press-fitting the housing fixing posts 3B, which are formed to protrude from the base member 3, into the post housing portion 2B of the housing 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-129244 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] By mating a wearable device to the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, the wearable device can be connected to an electrode made of a flexible conductor. However, when the flexible conductor 1A is exposed on the back surface of the flexible substrate 1, the connector in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the flexible conductor 1A cannot be electrically connected to the contact 4.

[0007] This invention was made to solve the problems of the conventional methods, and aims to provide a connector and connector assembly that can electrically connect the contact to the flexible conductor of an object to be connected, regardless of whether the flexible conductor is exposed on the front or back surface of the object to be connected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The connector according to this invention is A cylindrical conductive plug contact having a recess extending along the mating axis, A conductive inner contact having a cylindrical, elastically deformable insertion portion that is inserted into a recess and through which a fitting shaft passes; Equipped with, The insertion portion has a contact portion that is positioned on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion and contacts the plug contact within the recess, and a pressing portion that is positioned on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion and on the opposite side of the fitting shaft from the contact portion. When a portion of a sheet-like object to be connected, on which a flexible conductor is exposed on at least one side, is sandwiched between a pressing portion and the inner surface of a recess in a direction perpendicular to the mating axis, and the inner surface of the recess contacts the surface of the object to be connected, and the pressing portion contacts the back surface of the object to be connected, the plug contact is electrically connected directly to the flexible conductor when the flexible conductor is exposed on the surface of the object to be connected, and when the flexible conductor is exposed on the back surface of the object to be connected, the plug contact is electrically connected to the flexible conductor via an inner contact. 、 The plug contact has a cylindrical portion and a first flange formed at one end of the cylindrical portion. The inner contact has a second flange formed at one end of the insertion portion and positioned to overlap the first flange, The recess is located inside the cylindrical portion. The object to be connected is sandwiched between the first flange and the second flange. It is.

[0009] The insertion portion has a contact portion and a pressing portion formed at the same position in the direction along the fitting axis. Preferably, when a portion of the object to be connected is sandwiched between the pressing portion and the inner surface of the recess, the insertion portion elastically deforms so that the distance between the contact portion and the pressing portion narrows, the contact portion elastically contacts the inner surface of the recess, and the pressing portion elastically presses a portion of the object to be connected toward the inner surface of the recess.

[0011] It has an insulating housing for holding the object to be connected, the plug contact and the inner contact, Housing is A top insulator having a contact through-hole formed through which the cylindrical portion of the plug contact passes and which is smaller than the first flange, Bottom insulator and It has, It is preferable that the cylindrical portion of the plug contact passes through the contact through-hole, and that the top insulator is fixed to the bottom insulator such that the object to be connected, the first flange, and the second flange are sandwiched between the top insulator and the bottom insulator.

[0012] The bottom insulator is preferably inserted into the insertion portion of the inner contact and has an inner contact temporary holding portion that temporarily holds the inner contact. The inner contact temporary holding portion has a cylindrical portion extending along the fitting axis and a pair of temporary holding pieces protruding from the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion in a direction perpendicular to the fitting axis and perpendicular to the contact portion and pressing portion around the fitting axis, and it is preferable that the inner contact is temporarily held in the bottom insulator by placing the insertion portion over the inner contact temporary holding portion. The insertion portion of the inner contact has a large diameter portion with a cylindrical shape centered on the fitting axis and a small diameter portion connected to the large diameter portion and also having a cylindrical shape centered on the fitting axis. The inner contact is temporarily held in the bottom insulator by a pair of temporary holding pieces fitting inside the small diameter portion, and the contact portion and pressing portion can be configured to be located on the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion.

[0013] The connector assembly according to this invention is The object to be connected, The above connector connected to the object to be connected Equipped with, The object to be connected has an opening corresponding to the recess of the plug contact, and a projection that extends from the edge of the opening into the opening. The insertion part is inserted into the recess through the opening while pushing in the protruding part, so that the protruding part is sandwiched between the pressing part and the inner surface of the recess as part of the object to be connected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, the elastically deformable insertion portion of the inner contact inserted into the recess of the plug contact has a contact portion disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion and contacting the plug contact within the recess, and a pressing portion disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion and on the opposite side of the contact portion across the fitting axis. A part of the object to be connected is sandwiched between the pressing portion and the inner surface of the recess in a direction orthogonal to the fitting axis, the inner surface of the recess contacts the surface of the object to be connected, and the pressing portion contacts the back surface of the object to be connected. Thus, when the flexible conductor is exposed on the surface of the object to be connected, the plug contact is directly electrically connected to the flexible conductor, and when the flexible conductor is exposed on the back surface of the object to be connected, the plug contact is electrically connected to the flexible conductor via the inner contact. Therefore, regardless of whether the flexible conductor is exposed on the front or back surface of the object to be connected, it is possible to electrically connect the contact to the flexible conductor of the object to be connected.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view showing a connector assembly according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is an exploded perspective view of a connector assembly according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view showing a top insulator used in the connector of the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view showing a bottom insulator used in the connector of the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view showing a temporary holding portion of an inner contact formed on a bottom insulator. [Figure 6] It is a plan view showing a temporary holding portion of an inner contact formed on a bottom insulator. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view showing a protrusion formed on a bottom insulator. [Figure 8] It is a perspective view showing a plug contact used in the connector of the embodiment. [Figure 9]This is a cross-sectional view showing the plug contact used in the connector of the embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a cross-sectional view showing an object to be connected to the connector assembly according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a perspective view of the object to be connected, used in the connector assembly according to the embodiment, as seen from diagonally above. [Figure 12] This is a perspective view of the opening and protrusions of the object to be connected, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 13] This is a perspective view of the object to be connected, used in the connector assembly according to the embodiment, as seen from diagonally below. [Figure 14] This is a perspective view of the opening and protrusions of the object to be connected, seen from a diagonal downward angle. [Figure 15] This is a perspective view showing the inner contact used in the connector of the embodiment. [Figure 16] This is a cross-sectional view showing the inner contact used in the connector of the embodiment. [Figure 17] This is a perspective view of the connector assembly during the assembly process, seen from a diagonal downward angle. [Figure 18] This is a partial cross-sectional view showing the state inside the plug contact into which the inner contact is inserted in the connector assembly of the embodiment. [Figure 19] This is a partial cross-sectional view showing the state inside the plug contact into which the protrusion is inserted in the connector assembly of the embodiment. [Figure 20] This is a disassembled perspective view of a conventional connector. [Figure 21] This is a partial cross-sectional view showing a conventional connector. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Embodiments of this invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 shows a connector assembly according to an embodiment. The connector assembly has a connector 11. The connector 11 is used, for example, as a clothing-side connector for mating a wearable device, and has a housing 12 made of an insulating material. The housing 12 holds four plug contacts 13, and the housing 12 also holds a sheet-like conductive member 15. The sheet-like conductive member 15 forms the object to which the connector 11 is connected, and the connector assembly is composed of the connector 11 and the sheet-like conductive member 15. The four plug contacts 13 are arranged in two parallel rows and positioned to protrude perpendicularly from the sheet-like conductive member 15.

[0017] For convenience, the sheet-like conductive member 15 extends along the XY plane, the direction in which the four plug contacts 13 are arranged is called the Y direction, and the direction in which each of the four plug contacts 13 protrudes is called the +Z direction. The Z direction is the mating direction in which the connector 11 mates with the mating connector.

[0018] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector assembly. The connector 11 has a top insulator 16 and a bottom insulator 17, and these top insulator 16 and bottom insulator 17 constitute the housing 12.

[0019] Four plug contacts 13 are arranged on the -Z side of the top insulator 16, and a sheet-like conductive member 15 is arranged on the -Z side of the four plug contacts 13. Furthermore, one inner contact 18 is arranged on the -Z side of the sheet-like conductive member 15, and a bottom insulator 17 is arranged on the -Z side of the inner contact 18. The inner contact 18 corresponds to one of the four plug contacts 13 that is located on both the -X and -Y sides. The connector 11 is comprised of a top insulator 16, a bottom insulator 17, four plug contacts 13, and one inner contact 18.

[0020] As shown in Figure 3, the top insulator 16 has a recess 16A that opens in the +Z direction and four contact through holes 16B formed within the recess 16A. The recess 16A constitutes a mating connector housing portion in which a part of the mating connector (not shown) is housed, and the four contact through holes 16B correspond to four plug contacts 13. In addition, a plurality of bosses 16C are formed on the surface of the top insulator 16 facing the -Z direction, each protruding in the -Z direction.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, the bottom insulator 17 has a flat plate portion 17A, and four circular recesses 17B are formed in the flat plate portion 17A, each opening in the +Z direction. The four recesses 17B correspond to four plug contacts 13. Of the four recesses 17B, one recess 17B located on the -X and -Y sides has an inner contact temporary holding portion 17C that protrudes in the +Z direction, and the other three recesses 17B each have three protrusions 17D that protrude in the +Z direction. Furthermore, the flat plate portion 17A has multiple through holes 17E that correspond to the multiple bosses 16C of the top insulator 16.

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C formed in the recess 17B located on the -X and -Y sides of the bottom insulator 17 has a cylindrical portion 17F extending in the Z direction and a pair of temporary holding pieces 17G protruding from the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion 17F in the +X and -X directions. As shown in Figure 6, the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C has a width W1 in the X direction in the portion where the pair of temporary holding pieces 17G are formed. As shown in Figure 7, the projections 17D formed in the other three recesses 17B each have a shape that is approximately a regular hexagonal prism extending in the Z direction.

[0023] Each of the four plug contacts 13 is formed from a conductive material such as metal and connects to the corresponding contact of a mating connector when a part of a mating connector (not shown) is housed in the recess 16A of the top insulator 16. As shown in Figure 8, the plug contact 13 has a cylindrical portion 13A extending in the Z direction along the mating axis C, and a first flange 13B extending along the XY plane from the -Z end of the cylindrical portion 13A. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, a recess 13C is formed inside the cylindrical portion 13A, which is open toward the -Z direction. The mating shaft C is a shaft that passes through the center of the cylindrical portion 13A and extends in the direction of mating between the connector 11 and the mating connector. Furthermore, although the cylindrical portion 13A has a cylindrical shape, as long as it has a recess 13C inside, the cross-sectional shape is not limited to a circle, but can also have various cross-sectional shapes such as an ellipse or a polygon.

[0024] Of the four plug contacts 13, one located on the -X and -Y sides is connected to ground potential and used as a shielding terminal, while the other three plug contacts 13 are each used as signal terminals for transmitting electrical signals.

[0025] As shown in Figure 10, the sheet-like conductive member 15 has a sheet body 15A made of an insulating material, and has a multilayer structure in which a signal wiring layer 15B made of a flexible conductor, an insulating layer 15C, a shield layer 15D and an insulating layer 15E made of a flexible conductor are sequentially laminated on the surface of the sheet body 15A facing the +Z direction, and a shield layer 15F and an insulating layer 15G made of a flexible conductor are sequentially laminated on the back surface of the sheet body 15A facing the -Z direction.

[0026] As shown in Figure 11, four contact placement areas 15H are defined on the surface of the sheet-like conductive member 15 facing the +Z direction for arranging four plug contacts 13. Of the four contact placement areas 15H, one located on the -X and -Y sides forms area R1 where plug contacts 13 used as shield terminals are arranged, and the remaining three contact placement areas 15H form area R2 where plug contacts 13 used as signal terminals are arranged.

[0027] The sheet-like conductive member 15 has a circular opening 15J formed in region R1. The opening 15J corresponds to the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 and penetrates the sheet-like conductive member 15 in the Z direction. Furthermore, the sheet-like conductive member 15 has a substantially rectangular projection 15K that protrudes into the opening 15J from the edge of the opening 15J.

[0028] On the other hand, in the three regions R2 located on the surface of the sheet-like conductive member 15 facing the +Z direction, the insulating layer 15E, the shielding layer 15D, and the insulating layer 15C are removed, respectively, exposing the signal wiring layer 15B in the +Z direction. Furthermore, the insulating layer 15E is exposed in regions other than regions R1 and R2. Multiple through holes 15L corresponding to multiple bosses 16C of the top insulator 16 are formed in the peripheral edge of the sheet-like conductive member 15.

[0029] As shown in Figure 12, the protrusion 15K in region R1 protrudes in the -Y direction from the +Y side edge of the opening 15J toward the opening 15J, and in the protrusion 15K, the shield layer 15D is exposed toward the +Z direction due to the removal of the insulating layer 15E.

[0030] Since the opening 15J penetrates the sheet-like conductive member 15 in the Z direction, as shown in Figure 13, the opening 15J and the protrusion 15K are also visible on the back surface of the sheet-like conductive member 15 facing the -Z direction, at a position corresponding to region R1. On the back surface of the sheet-like conductive member 15 facing the -Z direction, the insulating layer 15G is exposed in areas other than the position corresponding to region R1. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14, at the protruding portion 15K, the insulating layer 15G is removed, exposing the shielding layer 15F in the -Z direction.

[0031] Figures 15 and 16 show the configuration of the inner contact 18. The inner contact 18 is made of a conductive material such as metal and has a cylindrical, elastically deformable insertion portion 18A through which the mating shaft C passes, and a second flange 18B extending along the XY plane from the -Z end of the insertion portion 18A. The insertion portion 18A is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 through the opening 15J in the region R1 of the sheet-like conductive member 15, and has a large diameter portion 18C located on the -Z side and a small diameter portion 18D connected to the +Z side of the large diameter portion 18C. Both the large diameter portion 18C and the small diameter portion 18D have a cylindrical shape centered on the mating shaft C, and the small diameter portion 18D has a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion 18C.

[0032] The inner diameter D1 of the small diameter portion 18D is formed to be slightly smaller than the width W1 in the X direction of the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C in the portion where the pair of temporary holding pieces 17G of the bottom insulator 17 are formed, as shown in Figure 6. Therefore, by placing the insertion portion 18A of the inner contact 18 over the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C of the bottom insulator 17, the pair of temporary holding pieces 17G of the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C fit into the inside of the small diameter portion 18D, and the inner contact 18 can be temporarily held in the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C.

[0033] Furthermore, a contact portion P1 and a pressing portion P2 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter portion 18C, positioned on opposite sides of the fitting shaft C. The contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2 are positioned at approximately the same Z-direction position along the fitting shaft C, with the contact portion P1 located on the -Y-direction side and the pressing portion P2 located on the +Y-direction side. The distance in the Y direction between the contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2, i.e., the outer diameter D2 of the large-diameter portion 18C, is set to be slightly larger than the value obtained by subtracting the thickness of the sheet-like conductive member 15 from the inner diameter of the recess 13C in the portion where the contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2 come into contact when the inner contact 18 is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13. Furthermore, the inner diameter of the large-diameter portion 18C is formed to be larger than the diameter or width in the X direction of any part of the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, the protrusion 15K in region R1 of the sheet-like conductive member 15 protrudes in the -Y direction from the edge on the +Y direction side of the opening 15J. Therefore, when the inner contact 18 is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 through the opening 15J of the sheet-like conductive member 15, the protrusion 15K is pushed into the recess 13C by the inner contact 18 and sandwiched between the pressing portion P2 formed on the +Y direction side of the large diameter portion 18C and the inner surface of the recess 13C on the +Y direction side, and the contact portion P1 formed on the -Y direction side of the large diameter portion 18C contacts the inner surface of the recess 13C on the -Y direction side.

[0035] Here, the distance in the Y direction between the contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2 is set to be slightly larger than the value obtained by subtracting the thickness of the sheet-like conductive member 15 from the inner diameter of the recess 13C where the contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2 make contact when the inner contact 18 is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13. As a result, the contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2 each receive a force F1 in the Y direction from the inner surface of the recess 13C toward the fitting axis C, and the insertion portion 18A of the inner contact 18 elastically deforms so that the distance in the Y direction between the contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2 narrows, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 16. Although the large-diameter portion 18C and small-diameter portion 18D of the insertion portion 18A both have a cylindrical shape centered on the fitting axis C, they are not limited to a cylindrical shape; for example, any cylindrical shape with various cross-sectional shapes such as an ellipse or polygon may be used.

[0036] The four contact through holes 16B of the top insulator 16, the four plug contacts 13, the four contact placement areas 15H of the sheet-like conductive member 15, and the four recesses 17B of the bottom insulator 17 are positioned to be aligned with each other in the Z direction. The inner contact 18 is positioned to align in the Z direction with respect to the contact placement region 15H of the sheet-like conductive member 15, which forms region R1 and is located on the -X and -Y sides, and to the recess 17B of the bottom insulator 17, which forms the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C and is located on the -X and -Y sides, among the four recesses 17B of the bottom insulator 17.

[0037] Furthermore, the multiple bosses 16C of the top insulator 16, the multiple through holes 15L of the sheet-like conductive member 15, and the multiple through holes 17E of the bottom insulator 17 are positioned to be aligned with each other in the Z direction.

[0038] When assembling the connector assembly, first, the cylindrical portions 13A of the plug contacts 13, corresponding to the four contact through-holes 16B of the top insulator 16, are inserted from the -Z direction, and the sheet-like conductive member 15 is positioned on the -Z side of the four plug contacts 13. At this time, the sheet-like conductive member 15 is positioned so that the four contact placement areas 15H contact the first flanges 13B of the four plug contacts 13.

[0039] Furthermore, by placing the insertion portion 18A of the inner contact 18 over the temporary inner contact holding portion 17C of the bottom insulator 17, the inner contact 18 is temporarily held in place by the temporary inner contact holding portion 17C. In this state, the bottom insulator 17 is pressed against the top insulator 16 in the +Z direction.

[0040] As a result, the insertion portion 18A of the inner contact 18, which is temporarily held in the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C of the bottom insulator 17, is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 through the opening 15J while pushing in the protruding portion 15K of the sheet-like conductive member 15, until the sheet-like conductive member 15 is sandwiched between the first flange 13B of the plug contact 13 and the second flange 18B of the inner contact 18. Furthermore, the three protrusions 17D of the bottom insulator 17 are inserted into the corresponding recesses 13C of the plug contact 13, each of which presses into the region R2 of the sheet-like conductive member 15.

[0041] At this time, the region R2 of the sheet-like conductive member 15 is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 while being stretched by the projection 17D of the bottom insulator 17. However, if the elasticity of the sheet-like conductive member 15 is insufficient, it is desirable to form multiple cuts in each region R2 in advance, penetrating the sheet-like conductive member 15 in the Z direction. In this way, the projection 17D is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 while opening the multiple cuts in the region R2.

[0042] Furthermore, by pressing the bottom insulator 17 against the top insulator 16, the multiple bosses 16C of the top insulator 16 sequentially penetrate the multiple through holes 15L of the sheet-like conductive member 15 and the multiple through holes 17E of the bottom insulator 17. Then, as shown in Figure 17, by thermally deforming the tips of the multiple bosses 16C that protrude on the -Z side of the bottom insulator 17, the top insulator 16 and the bottom insulator 17 are fixed to each other, and the assembly of the connector assembly is completed.

[0043] Each plug contact 13 is fixed to the top insulator 16 and the bottom insulator 17 by having the first flange 13B sandwiched between the top insulator 16 and the bottom insulator 17.

[0044] As shown in Figure 18, in the plug contact 13 used as a shield terminal, the insertion portion 18A of the inner contact 18 is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 while pressing the protruding portion 15K of the sheet-like conductive member 15. As a result, the sheet-like conductive member 15 is sandwiched between the first flange 13B of the plug contact 13 and the second flange 18B of the inner contact 18.

[0045] Furthermore, a protruding portion 15K that extends in the -Y direction from the +Y direction edge of the opening 15J of the sheet-like conductive member 15 is sandwiched between the pressing portion P2 formed on the +Y direction side of the inner contact 18 and the inner surface of the recess 13C on the +Y direction side, and a contact portion P1 formed on the -Y direction side of the inner contact 18 contacts the inner surface of the recess 13C on the -Y direction side.

[0046] As a result, the insertion portion 18A of the inner contact 18 elastically deforms so that the distance in the Y direction between the contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2 is reduced, and the contact portion P1 of the inner contact 18 elastically contacts the inner surface on the -Y direction side of the recess 13C of the plug contact 13, thereby electrically connecting the inner contact 18 to the plug contact 13. Furthermore, the protruding portion 15K of the sheet-like conductive member 15, which is sandwiched between the pressing portion P2 of the inner contact 18 and the inner surface of the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 on the +Y direction side, is elastically pressed by the pressing portion P2 toward the inner surface of the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 on the +Y direction side.

[0047] Here, as shown in Figures 12 and 14, at the protruding portion 15K, the shield layer 15D is exposed on the surface side of the sheet-like conductive member 15, and the shield layer 15F is exposed on the back side of the sheet-like conductive member 15. Therefore, the shield layer 15D on the surface side of the protrusion 15K contacts the inner surface of the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 on the +Y side with a predetermined contact pressure, and the shield layer 15F on the back side of the protrusion 15K contacts the pressing portion P2 of the inner contact 18 with a predetermined contact pressure.

[0048] As a result, the shield layer 15D exposed on the surface of the protrusion 15K of the sheet-like conductive member 15 is directly electrically connected to the plug contact 13, and the shield layer 15F exposed on the back surface of the protrusion 15K is electrically connected to the plug contact 13 via the inner contact 18. In other words, both the shield layers 15D and 15F are connected to the plug contact 13 used as a shield terminal.

[0049] Thus, with the connector 11, by using the inner contact 18, it becomes possible to electrically connect both the shield layer 15D located on the front side of the protruding portion 15K of the sheet-like conductive member 15 and the shield layer 15F located on the back side to a single plug contact 13 located in region R1.

[0050] On the other hand, in the three regions R2 of the four contact placement regions 15H partitioned on the surface of the sheet-like conductive member 15, where the three plug contacts 13 used as signal terminals are placed, the projection 17D of the bottom insulator 17 is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13, as shown in Figure 19.

[0051] As the projection 17D of the bottom insulator 17 presses into the region R2 of the sheet-like conductive member 15 and is inserted into the corresponding recess 13C of the plug contact 13, the sheet-like conductive member 15, which has been pushed into the recess 13C, is pressed by the projection 17D toward the inner surface of the recess 13C of the plug contact 13.

[0052] Here, as shown in Figure 11, the signal wiring layer 15B is exposed in region R2 on the surface of the sheet-like conductive member 15. As a result, the sheet-like conductive member 15 is sandwiched between the side surface of the projection 17D and the inner surface of the recess 13C of the plug contact 13, and the signal wiring layer 15B contacts the inner surface of the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 with a predetermined contact pressure, thereby electrically connecting to the plug contact 13 located in region R2.

[0053] Furthermore, the signal wiring layer 15B is subjected to a predetermined patterning, and three wires, each formed from the signal wiring layer 15B and insulated from one another, are connected to the three plug contacts 13 located in the three regions R2. As shown in Figure 10, the signal wiring layer 15B is laminated between the shielding layers 15D and 15F, which are located on the front and back sides of the sheet-like conductive member 15, in an insulated state from these layers. Therefore, by connecting the plug contact 13, which is located in region R1 and connected to the shielding layers 15D and 15F, to ground potential, a shielding effect is achieved for the signal wiring layer 15B, enabling high-precision signal transmission while suppressing the effects of disturbances such as electromagnetic waves.

[0054] In Figure 16, the contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2 are shown as points on the outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter portion 18C of the inner contact 18. However, since the large-diameter portion 18C has a cylindrical shape centered on the fitting axis C, it is also possible to set the contact portion P1 and the pressing portion P2 to extend linearly along the Z direction.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the protruding portion 15K of the sheet-like conductive member 15 has a substantially rectangular shape that protrudes into the opening 15J from the edge of the opening 15J. However, it is not limited to this, and the shape of the protruding portion 15K is not limited as long as it is pushed into the recess 13C together with the insertion portion 18A of the inner contact 18 when the insertion portion 18A of the inner contact 18 is inserted into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13, and is sandwiched between the pressing portion P2 of the insertion portion 18A and the inner surface of the recess 13C. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the sheet-like conductive member 15 has one protrusion 15K that protrudes into the opening 15J. However, the number of protrusions 15K is not limited to one. Two or more protrusions 15K can protrude into the opening 15J from the edge of the opening 15J, and these two or more protrusions 15K can be configured to be sandwiched between the pressing portion P2 of the insertion portion 18A and the inner surface of the recess 13C.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when assembling the connector assembly, the inner contact 18 is temporarily held in the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C of the bottom insulator 17, and then the bottom insulator 17 is pressed toward the top insulator 16. However, it is not always necessary to temporarily hold the inner contact 18 in the inner contact temporary holding portion 17C.

[0057] For example, the cylindrical portion 13A of the plug contact 13 can be inserted into each of the four contact through-holes 16B of the top insulator 16, and with the sheet-like conductive member 15 positioned on the -Z direction side of the four plug contacts 13, the insertion portion 18A of the inner contact 18 can be inserted while pushing the protruding portion 15K into the recess 13C of the plug contact 13 located in the region R1 of the sheet-like conductive member 15, and then the bottom insulator 17 can be pressed toward the top insulator 16. In this way, the temporary inner contact holding portion 17C of the bottom insulator 17 becomes unnecessary.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the plug contact 13 located in region R1 of the sheet-like conductive member 15 is connected to both the shield layer 15D exposed on the surface side of the sheet-like conductive member 15 and the shield layer 15F exposed on the back side of the sheet-like conductive member 15. However, for example, it is also possible to connect only the shield layer 15F exposed on the back side of the sheet-like conductive member 15 to the plug contact 13 located in region R1.

[0059] The sheet-like conductive member 15 used in the above embodiment has a multilayer structure as shown in Figure 10, but is not limited to this; it is sufficient to have a flexible conductor arranged on at least one surface of the sheet body. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, two conductive layers consisting of a shield layer 15D and a shield layer 15F of the sheet-like conductive member 15 are connected to one plug contact 13 used as a shield terminal. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and three or more conductive layers can also be connected to one plug contact 13.

[0060] Furthermore, although the connector 11 in the above embodiment has four plug contacts 13, including contacts used as shield terminals and contacts used as signal terminals, the number of plug contacts 13 is not limited to this, and it is sufficient to have at least one plug contact 13 that is electrically connected to a flexible conductor arranged on the front or back side of the sheet body of the sheet-like conductive member 15.

[0061] In the connector 11 of this embodiment, the sheet-like conductive member 15 is directly positioned on the -Z side of the top insulator 16. However, a reinforcing sheet made of an insulating material (not shown) can also be placed between the top insulator 16 and the sheet-like conductive member 15. The reinforcing sheet has an opening formed in the center, through which the four plug contacts 13 are inserted into the four contact through-holes 16B of the top insulator 16. By using such a reinforcing sheet, the object to which the connector 11 is attached, such as clothing, can be reinforced. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0062] 1 Flexible substrate, 1A Flexible conductor, 2 Housing, 2A Through hole for contact, 2B Post housing, 3 Base member, 3A Protrusion, 3B Post for housing fixing, 4 Contact, 4A Cylindrical part, 4B Flange, 4C Protrusion housing, 11 Connector, 12 Housing, 13 Plug contact, 13A Cylindrical part, 13B First flange, 13C Recess, 15 Sheet-like conductive member, 15A Sheet body, 15B Signal wiring layer, 15C, 15E, 15G Insulation layer, 15D, 15F Shield layer, 15H Contact placement area, 15J Opening, 15K Protrusion, 15L Through hole, 16 Top insulator, 16A Recess, 16B Through hole for contact, 16C Boss, 17 Bottom insulator, 17A Flat part, 17B Recess, 17C Temporary retaining part of inner contact, 17D projection, 17E through hole, 17F cylindrical part, 17G temporary retaining piece, 18 inner contact, 18A insertion part, 18B second flange, C fitting shaft, R1, R2 area, P1 contact part, P2 pressing part, W1 width, D1 inner diameter, D2 outer diameter, F1 force.

Claims

1. A cylindrical conductive plug contact having a recess extending along the mating axis, A conductive inner contact having a cylindrical, elastically deformable insertion portion that is inserted into the recess and through which the fitting shaft passes; Equipped with, The insertion portion has a contact portion that is arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion and contacts the plug contact within the recess, and a pressing portion that is arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion and on the opposite side of the fitting shaft from the contact portion. If a portion of a sheet-like object to be connected, on which a flexible conductor is exposed on at least one surface, is sandwiched between the pressing portion and the inner surface of the recess in a direction perpendicular to the fitting axis, and the inner surface of the recess contacts the surface of the object to be connected, and the pressing portion contacts the back surface of the object to be connected, thereby exposing the flexible conductor to the surface of the object to be connected, the plug contact is electrically connected directly to the flexible conductor; if the flexible conductor is exposed to the back surface of the object to be connected, the plug contact is electrically connected to the flexible conductor via the inner contact. The plug contact has a cylindrical portion and a first flange formed at one end of the cylindrical portion. The inner contact has a second flange formed at one end of the insertion portion and positioned to overlap the first flange, The recess is located inside the cylindrical portion. The object to be connected is a connector sandwiched between the first flange and the second flange.

2. The insertion portion has the contact portion and the pressing portion which are formed at the same position in the direction along the fitting axis, The connector according to claim 1, wherein a part of the object to be connected is sandwiched between the pressing portion and the inner surface of the recess, the insertion portion is elastically deformed so as to narrow the distance between the contact portion and the pressing portion, the contact portion elastically contacts the inner surface of the recess, and the pressing portion elastically presses a part of the object to be connected toward the inner surface of the recess.

3. The housing comprises an insulating housing for holding the object to be connected, the plug contact, and the inner contact, The aforementioned housing is A top insulator through which the cylindrical portion of the plug contact passes and through a contact hole smaller than the first flange is formed, Bottom insulator and It has, The connector according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical portion of the plug contact is passed through the contact through-hole, and the top insulator is fixed to the bottom insulator such that the object to be connected, the first flange, and the second flange are sandwiched between the top insulator and the bottom insulator.

4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the bottom insulator is inserted into the insertion portion of the inner contact and has an inner contact temporary holding portion that temporarily holds the inner contact.

5. The inner contact temporary holding portion has a cylindrical portion extending along the fitting axis, and a pair of temporary holding pieces protruding from the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion in a direction perpendicular to the fitting axis and perpendicular to the contact portion and the pressing portion around the fitting axis. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the inner contact is temporarily held in the bottom insulator by placing the insertion portion over the temporary inner contact holding portion.

6. The insertion portion of the inner contact has a large diameter portion having a cylindrical shape centered on the fitting shaft, and a small diameter portion connected to the large diameter portion and having a cylindrical shape centered on the fitting shaft. The pair of temporary holding pieces fit inside the small-diameter portion, thereby temporarily holding the inner contact in place on the bottom insulator. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the contact portion and the pressing portion are arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion.

7. The object to be connected and, A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6 connected to the object to be connected Equipped with, The object to be connected has an opening corresponding to the recess of the plug contact, and a protrusion that extends from the edge of the opening into the opening. The insertion portion is inserted into the recess through the opening while pushing in the protruding portion, and the connector assembly is such that the protruding portion is sandwiched between the pressing portion and the inner surface of the recess as part of the object to be connected.

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