Connector

Abstract

Provided is a connector capable of absorbing a positional deviation of a mating side to maintain stable connection.　A connector (1) includes a housing (30) and a terminal fitting (10) housed in the housing (30). The terminal fitting (10) has: a box section (10A) into which a mating terminal (50) is inserted; a connection section (10H) to be connected to a circuit board (S); and a spring section (10G) extending from the connection section (10H), provided in a non-contact manner with the housing (30), and supporting the box section (10A) in a displaceable manner.

Description

connector

[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connector for connecting boards. This electrical connector is mounted on a circuit board and connects the circuit board to the other circuit board by mating with a mating connector mounted on the other circuit board. This electrical connector has a fixed housing fixed to the circuit board and a movable housing provided with terminal fittings. The movable housing is movable relative to the fixed housing by elastically deforming the terminal fittings, thereby absorbing misalignment of the mating connector.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-64443

[0004] The movable housing has a structure in which the terminals are sandwiched laterally around a synthetic resin side wall, so if the side wall expands due to changes in temperature or humidity, for example, the side wall will press the terminals outward, which could change the contact pressure with the terminals of the mating connector.

[0005] The connector of the present disclosure was completed based on the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a connector that can maintain a stable connection while absorbing positional misalignment of the mating side.

[0006] The connector of the present disclosure comprises a housing and a terminal fitting accommodated in the housing, wherein the terminal fitting has a box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted, a connection portion connected to a circuit board, and a spring portion extending from the connection portion and arranged out of contact with the housing to support the box portion so as to be displaceable.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to maintain a stable connection while absorbing misalignment of the counterpart.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a connector according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a terminal fitting as viewed from above. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a terminal fitting with a portion of the box section cut away. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the connector as viewed from above. Fig. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a mating terminal inserted into the terminal fitting.

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) A connector comprising: a housing; and a terminal fitting accommodated in the housing, wherein the terminal fitting has a box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted, a connection portion connected to a circuit board, and a spring portion extending from the connection portion and provided in a non-contact state with the housing to support the box portion so as to be displaceable.

[0010] In the terminal fitting (1), for example, if the housing is made of a material that is subject to changes in temperature and humidity, the spring portion is not in contact with the housing, and therefore can absorb misalignment of the mating terminal without being affected by the housing that has deformed due to changes in temperature and humidity, while maintaining a stable connection between the terminal fitting and the mating terminal.

[0011] (2) The connector described in (1), wherein the box portion is cylindrical with both ends open, and when the box portion is viewed from the opening direction, the spring portion and the connection portion are positioned outside the opening.

[0012] In the terminal fitting (2), the spring portion is positioned outside the opening. For example, when inspecting the irregularities inside the box portion using a laser beam, the inspection is easy because the spring portion and the connection portion do not block the laser beam.

[0013] (3) The housing has a through hole formed to face one of the openings of the box portion, and when viewed from the opening direction, at least a portion of the inner surface of the through hole is located inside the outer surface of the box portion.

[0014] The terminal fitting (3) can make it difficult for the mating terminal to hit the open end of the box portion when the mating terminal is inserted into the box portion.

[0015] (4) The connector according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the spring portion has a plurality of bent portions connected in a single strip shape.

[0016] The terminal fitting (4) can have a long excess length of the spring portion, so that it is easy to elastically deform and to maintain the function of supporting the box portion so that it can be displaced.

[0017] [Details of the Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] <Embodiment 1> A first embodiment of a connector 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the figures, "front side," "rear side," "upper side," "lower side," "right side," and "left side" are represented by "F," "B," "U," "D," "R," and "L," respectively. Note that the directional references are defined for convenience and do not necessarily coincide with the directions when the connector 1 including the terminal fittings 10 is mounted on a vehicle or the like. For example, the up-down direction is not limited to the direction of gravity.

[0018] 1, the connector 1 is configured so that mating terminals 50 of a mating connector (not shown) can be connected to terminal fittings 10 housed in a housing 30. The connector 1 includes a pair of terminal fittings 10 and a housing 30. The connector 1 is attached to a circuit board S.

[0019] [Configuration of Circuit Board] The circuit board S is flat. Electronic components (not shown) are mounted on the top and bottom surfaces of the circuit board S. A pair of through holes H are formed in the circuit board S so as to penetrate in the thickness direction. A conductive portion La is provided on the bottom surface of the circuit board S so as to surround the through holes H. A connecting portion 10H of a terminal fitting 10 inserted into the through holes H and protruding from the bottom surface of the circuit board S is fixed to the conductive portion La by soldering.

[0020] [Configuration of Terminal Fitting] The terminal fitting 10 is formed by pressing a conductive metal plate or the like. The terminal fitting 10 is a so-called female terminal fitting. A pair of terminal fittings 10 have the same shape and differ only in the position in which they are arranged. Therefore, the terminal fittings 10 will be described with reference to one of the terminal fittings 10. As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the terminal fitting 10 has a box portion 10A, a plurality of inclined portions 10C, a plurality of resilient contact portions 10D, a plurality of protrusions 10E, a spring portion 10G, and a connecting portion 10H.

[0021] The box portion 10A has a rectangular cylindrical shape, its axis is oriented vertically, and its upper and lower ends (i.e., both ends) are open (see FIG. 4). The upper end of the box portion 10A is an insertion opening 10J into which the mating terminal 50 is inserted (see FIGS. 3 and 4). That is, the box portion 10A has the insertion opening 10J into which the mating terminal 50 is inserted.

[0022] The inclined portions 10C are provided one at a time at the upper ends of a pair of opposing walls of the box portion 10A (see FIG. 4). Each inclined portion 10C is connected to the opening edge (the upper opening edge) of the insertion opening 10J and extends outward in the left-right direction and upward at an angle (see FIG. 4). The inclined portions 10C have a guide surface 10L that extends upward (forward in the opening direction of the insertion opening 10J) and widens as it connects to the opening edge.

[0023] The resilient contact portions 10D are formed three at a time on the wall of the box portion 10A where the inclined portion 10C is continuous. Each resilient contact portion 10D is a part of the wall, formed by cutting and raising the wall and protruding inward from the wall. Each resilient contact portion 10D extends upward in a cantilevered manner (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In other words, each resilient contact portion 10D has an elongated shape extending in the insertion / removal direction of the mating terminal 50. The resilient contact portions 10D can elastically deform inward and outward from the box portion 10A, starting from their lower ends. The resilient contact portions 10D are arranged side by side around the circumferential direction of the box portion 10A. Each resilient contact portion 10D is inclined so as to protrude inward from the wall of the box portion 10A (see FIG. 1). The tip (upper end) of each resilient contact portion 10D is inclined outward in the left-right direction and upward (see FIG. 1).

[0024] The protrusions 10E are formed in pairs on the wall of the box portion 10A where the resilient contact portions 10D are disposed, protruding inward. Each protrusion 10E is a part of the wall and is formed by hammering out the wall. The lower end of each protrusion 10E is flush with the upper end of the opening 10P, which opens along the upper end of the resilient contact portion 10D (see FIG. 3). That is, the protrusions 10E are formed on the edge of the opening 10P, which is formed by cutting and raising the resilient contact portion 10D. In other words, the protrusions 10E are positioned on the wall closer to the insertion opening 10J than the resilient contact portions 10D. The protrusions 10E are arranged side by side around the circumferential direction of the box portion 10A (see FIG. 2). Each protrusion 10E is formed to protrude inward from the wall of the box portion 10A (see FIG. 2). The upper portion of each protrusion 10E is inclined downward toward the opposing wall (see FIG. 1). When the box part 10A is viewed from above, each protrusion 10E is disposed so as to correspond to a space between adjacent resilient contact parts 10D (see FIG. 2). The distance between the protrusions 10E facing each other in the left-right direction is greater than the distance between the resilient contact parts 10D facing each other in the left-right direction (see FIG. 2).

[0025] The spring portion 10G is formed in the box portion 10A, connected to the lower edge of one of the pair of walls on which the resilient contact portion 10D is formed. The spring portion 10G is formed in a single strip-like shape, forming an S-shape and extending away from the opposing wall of the box portion 10A (see FIG. 4). Specifically, the spring portion 10G has two bent portions 10M connected to form a single strip-like shape (see FIG. 4). When viewed from above the box portion 10A, the spring portion 10G is located outside the opening of the box portion 10A (see FIG. 2). A pair of locking pieces 10N are formed at the lower end of the spring portion 10G so as to protrude in the width direction.

[0026] The connecting portion 10H is formed to be continuous with the lower edge of the spring portion 10G and extend downward (see FIG. 4). That is, the spring portion 10G is provided between the box portion 10A and the connecting portion 10H while extending from the connecting portion 10H. The connecting portion 10H is formed by folding back so as to overlap in the plate thickness direction (see FIGS. 2 and 4). When the box portion 10A is viewed from above, the connecting portion 10H and the spring portion 10G are located outside the opening of the box portion 10A (see FIG. 2).

[0027] [Housing Configuration] The housing 30 is made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 1 , the housing 30 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. The housing 30 has a partition wall 30A. The partition wall 30A is arranged to divide the space inside the housing 30 into left and right sides. Terminal fittings 10 are arranged in each of the left and right spaces inside the housing 30 divided by the partition wall 30A. These spaces are accommodation spaces A that accommodate the terminal fittings 10. Insertion holes 30B are formed in the upper end of the housing 30 corresponding to each accommodation space A.

[0028] A pair of protrusions 30C are formed in the lower part of the housing 30, protruding outward in the left-right direction so that the storage space A expands outward in the left-right direction. A pair of locking grooves 30D are formed in each of the protrusions 30C. In one of the protrusions 30C, the pair of locking grooves 30D are formed so as to extend upward from the lower end of each of a pair of wall portions whose plate thickness direction is oriented in a direction intersecting the left-right direction and the up-down direction. Only one of the pair of locking grooves 30D is shown in Figure 1.

[0029] [Example of Assembling Terminal Fittings to a Housing] As shown in Fig. 1, the orientation of each terminal fitting 10 is adjusted so that the connection portions 10H are lower than the box portion 10A, and the terminal fittings 10 are accommodated in each accommodation space A from below the housing 30. At this time, the terminal fittings 10 are accommodated in the accommodation space A with the connection portions 10H of each terminal fitting 10 facing away from each other. Then, the locking pieces 10N are press-fitted into the locking grooves 30D of the housing 30 from below. In this way, the assembly of the housing 30 and the terminal fittings 10 is completed, and the connector 1 is completed. The insertion hole 30B of the housing 30 is formed to face the insertion opening 10J, which is one opening of the box portion 10A. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, when the connector 1 is viewed from above (from the opening direction), a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 30B is located inside the outer circumferential surface of the box portion 10A. Specifically, the entire portion of the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 30B that is located above the wall of the box portion 10A where the elastic contact portion 10D is arranged is located inside the outer circumferential surface of the box portion 10A.

[0030] In the completed connector 1, the terminal fittings 10 are disposed apart from the inner surface of the housing 30. That is, the terminal fittings 10 are not in contact with the housing 30 except for the locking piece 10N. The spring portion 10G is also provided so as not to contact the housing 30. Therefore, the box portion 10A of the terminal fitting 10 can swing left and right from the end of the spring portion 10G connected to the locking piece 10N as a base point within a range that does not contact the inner surface of the housing 30 (see FIG. 6). That is, the spring portion 10G is provided so as not to contact the housing 30 and supports the box portion 10A so that it can be displaced.

[0031] [Example of Assembling a Connector to a Circuit Board] The connecting portion 10H of the terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the through hole H of the circuit board S. At this time, the connecting portion 10H is inserted into the through hole H from the upper surface side of the circuit board S. Then, while keeping the lower end surface of the housing 30 in contact with the upper surface of the circuit board S, the connecting portion 10H is connected and fixed to the conductive portion La of the circuit board S using solder. In this manner, the connector 1 is assembled to the circuit board S (see FIG. 1 ).

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6 , the mating terminal 50 is inserted from above into the insertion hole 30B of the housing 30 to connect to the terminal fitting 10. At this time, if the axial direction of the mating terminal 50 is tilted relative to the axial direction of the box portion 10A of the terminal fitting 10, the mating terminal 50 contacts the guide surface 10L of the inclined portion 10C and presses the box portion 10A toward the tilted side. This causes the spring portion 10G to elastically deform, tilting the box portion 10A. Then, the mating terminal 50 is inserted into the insertion opening 10J and contacts the protrusion 10E. The mating terminal 50 then presses the protrusion 10E toward the tilted side. This further causes the spring portion 10G to elastically deform, tilting the box portion 10A. At this time, the protrusion 10E prevents the tip of the mating terminal 50 from hitting the tip of the resilient contact portion 10D. As the mating terminal 50 is further inserted, it comes into contact with each of the resilient contact portions 10D. Each of the resilient contact portions 10D is elastically deformed as it is pressed outward in the left-right direction by the mating terminal 50. In this way, even if the axial direction of the mating terminal 50 is inclined relative to the axial direction of the box portion 10A, the mating terminal 50 and the terminal fitting 10 can be connected satisfactorily.

[0033] Next, the effects of the first embodiment will be described.

[0034] The connector 1 includes a housing 30 and terminal fittings 10 accommodated in the housing 30. The terminal fittings 10 include a box portion 10A into which a mating terminal 50 is inserted, a connection portion 10H connected to the circuit board S, and a spring portion 10G extending from the connection portion 10H and provided out of contact with the housing 30 to support the box portion 10A in a displaceable manner.

[0035] According to this configuration, for example, if the housing 30 is made of a material that is subject to changes in temperature and humidity, the spring portion 10G is not in contact with the housing 30, and therefore is not affected by the housing 30 that has been deformed due to changes in temperature and humidity, and can absorb any misalignment of the mating terminal 50 while maintaining a stable connection between the terminal fitting 10 and the mating terminal 50.

[0036] The box portion 10A is cylindrical with both ends open, and when the box portion 10A is viewed from the opening direction, the spring portion 10G and the connection portion 10H are located outside the opening. With this configuration, the spring portion 10G is located outside the opening. For example, when inspecting the unevenness inside the box portion 10A using a laser beam, the inspection is easy because the spring portion 10G and the connection portion 10H do not block the laser beam.

[0037] The housing 30 has an insertion hole 30B formed to face one opening of the box portion 10A, and a part of the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 30B is located inside the outer peripheral surface of the box portion 10A when the connector 1 is viewed from the opening direction. With this configuration, when the mating terminals 50 are inserted into the box portion 10A, the mating terminals 50 are less likely to hit the open edge of the box portion 10A.

[0038] The spring portion 10G has a plurality of bent portions 10M connected in a single band shape. With this configuration, the excess length of the spring portion 10G can be increased, making it easier to elastically deform and maintain its function of supporting the box portion 10A in a displaceable manner.

[0039] [Other Embodiments] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but is defined by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0040] The number of inclined portions, the number of resilient contact portions, the number of protrusions, and the number of bent portions of the spring portion are not limited to those in the above embodiment.

[0041] Unlike the above embodiment, the spring portion may be bent in a Z-shape or a crank shape. Also, the spring portion may have a plurality of band-shaped bent portions arranged in parallel.

[0042] Unlike the above embodiment, the box portion may be in the shape of a polygonal tube or a cylinder, and one end of the box portion may be closed.

[0043] Unlike the above embodiment, the entire inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole may be located inside the outer peripheral surface of the box portion when viewed from the opening direction, or the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole may be located outside the outer peripheral surface of the box portion.

[0044] The terminal fitting may be a male terminal fitting.

[0045] Unlike the above embodiment, the spring portion and the connection portion may be disposed inside the edge of the opening when the box portion is viewed from the opening direction.

[0046] 1: Connector 10: Terminal fitting 10A: Box portion 10C: Inclined portion 10D: Elastic contact portion 10E: Protrusion 10G: Spring portion 10H: Connection portion 10J: Insertion opening 10L: Guide surface 10M: Bent portion 10N: Locking piece 10P: Opening 30: Housing 30A: Partition wall 30B: Insertion hole 30C: Protrusion 30D: Locking groove 50: Counter terminal A: Accommodating space H: Through hole La: Conductive portion S: Circuit board

Claims

1. A connector comprising: a housing; and terminal fittings accommodated in the housing, wherein the terminal fittings have a box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted, a connection portion connected to a circuit board, and a spring portion extending from the connection portion while being non-contact with the housing and supporting the box portion so as to be displaceable.

2. A connector as described in claim 1, wherein the box portion is tubular with both ends open, and when the box portion is viewed from the opening direction, the spring portion and the connection portion are positioned outside the openings.

3. A connector as described in claim 2, wherein the housing has an insertion hole formed facing one of the openings of the box portion, and when viewed from the direction of the opening, at least a portion of the inner surface of the insertion hole is located inside the outer surface of the box portion.

4. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spring portion has a plurality of bent portions connected in a single strip shape.

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