Movable Connector

Abstract

Connection reliability of terminals in a movable connector is enhanced. The movable connector includes a fixed housing having an abutment receiving portion and a movable housing having an abutment portion. When a pin terminal is fitted and inserted, the abutment portion abuts on the abutment receiving portion. This prevents arcuate curved deformation of the movable housing, and restricts a movable piece of a terminal at a center portion of the movable housing from being slightly stretched from the beginning of fitting and from constantly receiving load.

Claims

1. A movable connector comprising: an outer housing having a receiving chamber therein; an inner housing disposed in the receiving chamber and having an insertion hole for a connection object; and at least one terminal having a spring portion that supports the inner housing displaceably relative to the outer housing, wherein the inner housing has at least one abutment portion in a distal end portion thereof in an inserting and fitting direction of the connection object, and wherein the outer housing has an opposed wall opposed to the at least one abutment portion, and the opposed wall has an abutment receiving portion on which the at least one abutment portion abuts when the connection object is inserted.

2. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the outer housing has a recessed shape in which the receiving chamber is provided, and wherein the opposed wall is a wall that forms a bottom surface of the recessed receiving chamber.

3. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the at least one abutment portion of the inner housing includes a plurality of abutment portions spaced from each other.

4. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the at least one terminal includes a plurality of terminals.

5. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the abutment receiving portion has a contact surface on which the at least one abutment portion abuts even when the inner housing is displaced and deviates.

6. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the outer housing has a flat surface on an outer surface of the opposed wall.

7. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the at least one abutment portion is provided as a projecting wall having a length along an arrangement direction of the at least one terminal.

8. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the at least one abutment portion is provided as projecting walls at a plurality of positions in an arrangement direction of the at least one terminal.

9. The movable connector according to claim 7, wherein the inner housing has at least one terminal holding portion, and wherein the projecting wall is located adjacent to the terminal holding portion.

10. The movable connector according to claim 8, wherein the inner housing has at least one terminal holding portion, and wherein the projecting walls are located adjacent to the at least terminal holding portion.

11. The movable connector according to claim 9, wherein the at least one terminal holding portion includes a plurality of terminal holding portions, and the projecting wall is provided between the adjacent terminal holding portions.

12. The movable connector according to claim 10, wherein the at least one terminal holding portion includes a plurality of terminal holding portions, and the projecting walls are provided between the adjacent terminal holding portions.

13. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the inner housing has a hole-shaped terminal holding portion, and wherein the outer housing has a hole at a position on an extension of the terminal holding portion of the inner housing.

14. The movable connector according to claim 1, wherein the at least one terminal has a contact portion to be in conductive contact with the connection object, and wherein a contact holding force with which the contact portion is in pressure contact with the connection object to fix a contact position is more than a displacement load of the spring portion by which the contact portion deviates relative to the connection object in an inserting or removing direction of the connection object.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a mounted state of a connector according to an embodiment, including a front surface, a top surface, and a right side surface.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector of FIG. 1.

[0042] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the connector of FIG. 1.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the connector of FIG. 1.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a right side view of the connector of FIG. 1.

[0045] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a movable housing in the connector of FIG. 1, including a front surface, a top surface, and a right side surface.

[0046] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the movable housing of FIG. 6.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the movable housing of FIG. 6, taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3.

[0048] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1, taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3.

[0049] FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1, taken along line X-X of FIG. 2.

[0050] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a terminal in the connector of FIG. 1.

[0051] FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3, illustrating a fitting and insertion process for a connection object subsequent to the state of FIG. 9.

[0052] FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken along line X-X of FIG. 2, illustrating the fitting and insertion process for the connection object subsequent to the state of FIG. 10.

[0053] FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a modification of a movable housing.

[0054] FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a connector including the movable housing of FIG. 14, corresponding to FIG. 10.

[0055] FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a modification of a connector.

[0056] FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 16, corresponding to FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0057] A movable connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. While a connector 10 of the embodiment is the bottom entry connector described in conjunction with the related art, the application of the movable connector of the present invention is not limited to the bottom entry connector.

[0058] In the specification, the claims, and the drawings of the present application, the widthwise direction of the connector 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is referred to as an X-direction, and the right side and the left side of FIG. 1 are referred to as a “right side” and a “left side”, respectively. Similarly, the front-rear direction is referred to as a Y-direction, and the front side and the rear side of FIG. 10 are referred to as a “front side” and a “rear side”, respectively. The height direction of the connector 10 is referred to as a Z-direction, and the top surface side and the bottom surface side are referred to as an “upper” side and a “lower” side, respectively. However, such definitions of right, left, upper, lower, front, and rear sides do not limit the mounting direction and use direction of the connector of the present invention. Further, in the description of the embodiment, pin terminals T of a pin header will be given as an example of a “connection object.”

[Embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 13)]

[0059] The connector 10 includes a fixed housing 11 serving as an “outer housing”, a movable housing 12 serving as an “inner housing”, and a plurality of terminals 13.

[0060] The fixed housing 11 is formed by a molded body of synthetic resin, and its inner portion is shaped like a hollow box. The fixed housing 11 has an upper wall 11A and a peripheral wall 11B, and has a recessed shape. The upper wall 11A at one end of the peripheral wall 11B forms “an opposed wall” or “a wall that forms a bottom surface of a recessed receiving chamber” of the present invention, and an inner surface of the upper wall 11A forms “a bottom surface” of a receiving chamber 11a to be described later. On a side opposite from the upper wall 11A, that is, at the other end of the peripheral wall 11B, an opening 11C in which the movable housing 12 is inserted is provided. As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, a receiving chamber 11a is provided inside the fixed housing 11, and the movable housing 12 is disposed therein. The fixed housing 11 has a fixing portion 11b in which terminals 13 are press-fitted and attached (FIG. 10), and fixing pieces 13a of the terminals 13 illustrated in FIG. 11 are fixed in the fixing portion 11b. Both side surfaces of the fixed housing 11 in the width direction X are provided with their respective fixing metals 11c, and the fixed housing 11 is fixed to a substrate P by the fixing metals 11c.

[0061] First holes lie corresponding to the terminals 13 are open in the upper wall 11A of the fixed housing 11. The fitting/insertion state of pin terminals T serving as a connection object can be visually checked from the outside through the first holes 11e. The upper wall 11A of the fixed housing 11 also has second holes 11f. Below the second holes 11f, spring portions 13b of the terminals 13 to be described later are located. The second holes 11f and the above-described first holes 11e can function as heat radiation windows from which heat generated by the terminals 13 is dissipated to the outside of the fixed housing 11. Therefore, the connector 10 can cope with the use of a large current.

[0062] An abutment receiving portion 11A1 is provided in an area of the upper wall 11A shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3. The abutment receiving portion 11A1 is a part of the upper wall 11A having a contact surface on which abutment portions 12a1 of the movable housing 12 to be described later abut when the connection object is fitted and inserted. Therefore, the abutment receiving portion 11A1 is provided to cover the displacement amount of the movable housing 12. That is, the abutment receiving portion 11A1 has the contact surface with the length and width that allow abutment of the abutment portions 12a1 even when the movable housing 12 is displaced and deviates in the width direction X and the front-rear direction Y.

[0063] On an upper surface 11d of the upper wall 11A, a flat surface 11d1 is provided along the width direction X at almost the center position in the front-rear direction Y. The flat surface 11d1 serves as a sucked portion to be sucked by a suction nozzle during automatic mounting. Therefore, the connector 10 of the embodiment copes with automatic mounting.

[0064] A gap 14 is provided between the fixed housing 11 and the movable housing 12 disposed in the fixed housing 11, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. The gap 14 serves as a space in which the movable housing 12 elastically supported in a floating state by the spring portions 13b of the terminals 13 can be displaced in the width direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the height direction Z.

[0065] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the movable housing 12 includes a housing body 12a and a protruding portion 12b. The housing body 12a is disposed on one surface P2 of the substrate P, and has a plurality of abutment portions 12a1. In the embodiment, the abutment portions 12a1 are provided at a plurality of positions in the arrangement direction of the terminals 13 (width direction X). Six abutment portions 12a1 are provided, that is, four abutment portions 12a1 are located between adjacent terminal holding portions 12d to be described later, and two abutment portions 12a1 are located at opposite ends of the housing body 12a in the width direction X. The abutment portions 12a1 are located at a distal end of the movable housing 12 in the inserting and fitting direction when the pin terminals T serving as the connection object are fitted and inserted. The abutment portions 12a1 abut on the abutment receiving portion 11A1 to stop upward displacement of the movable housing 12 (inserting and fitting direction) in the height direction Z.

[0066] In the embodiment, the abutment portions 12a1 are provided as projecting walls 12a1 each shaped like a thin plate to separate the adjacent terminal holding portions 12d. The length of the projecting walls 12a1 is more than the aperture width of the first holes 11e in the fixed housing 11 so that the projecting walls 12a1 are not caught inside the first holes 11e. Between the adjacent projecting walls 12a1, that is, at positions on extensions of the terminal holding portions 12d, heat radiation passages 12a2 are provided to dissipate heat generated by contact portions 13e. Since the projecting walls 12a1 are located between the adjacent terminals 13, insulation performance between the terminals 13 is enhanced, and this increases the withstand voltage of the movable connector 10. The movable connector 10 can also cope with the use of a large current in this respect.

[0067] The protruding portion 12b projects from the housing body 12a. In the embodiment, the protruding portion 12b protrudes from the other surface P3 of the substrate P through a through hole P1 of the substrate P.

[0068] As illustrated in an enlarged manner in FIG. 3, the housing body 12a includes fixing portions 12c that fix base portions 13c of the terminals 13, and terminal holding portions 12d that receive spring pieces 13d extending from the base portions 13c. The terminal holding portions 12d are provided as through holes extending in the height direction Z in correspondence with the terminals 13. Upper ends of the terminal holding portions 12d are open to be opposed to the first holes 11e of the fixed housing 11, and lower ends of the terminal holding portions 12d communicate with insertion holes 12e for pin terminals T. When the pin terminals T are inserted in the terminal holding portions 12d through the insertion holes 12e, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 10, they come into pressure contact with the contact portions 13e of the spring pieces 13d located inside the terminal holding portions 12d. The adjacent terminal holding portions 12d and the base portions 13c and the spring pieces 13d of the terminals 13 received in the terminal holding portions 12d are electrically insulated by partition walls of the housing body 12a.

[0069] Both side surfaces of the housing body 12a in the width direction X are provided with their respective projecting portions 12f. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the projecting portions 12f are opposed to stepped abutment recesses 11g provided in inner side surfaces of the receiving chamber 11a of the fixed housing 11. When the movable housing 12 is displaced, the projecting portions 12f abut on the abutment recesses 11g to restrict excessive displacement of the movable housing 12 in the width direction X and the front-rear direction Y. On the lower side in the height direction Z, the projecting portions 12f abut on one surface P2 of the substrate P to stop excessive displacement of the movable housing 12 in the removing direction of the pin terminals T.

[0070] A distal end of the protruding portion 12b of the movable housing 12 is located inside the through hole P1 of the substrate P. The gap in the width direction X and the gap in the front-rear direction Y between the protruding portion 12b and the through hole P1 serve as the gap 14 of the fixed housing 11 in the through hole P1. Thus, the movable housing 12 does not abut on a hole surface of the through hole P1 even when it is maximally displaced in the width direction X and the front-rear direction Y. The protruding portion 12b has insertion holes 12e for the pin terminals T, and upper ends of the insertion holes 12e communicate with the terminal holding portions 12d. The insertion holes 12e are each formed as an inclined surface, specifically, as a hole shaped like a polygonal pyramid to properly guide insertion of the pin terminals T even when the center axes of the pin terminals T deviate.

[0071] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the insertion holes 12e have a size such as to occupy the entire bottom surface 12g of the movable housing 12 in the front-rear direction Y. Hole edges 12h of the insertion holes 12e are provided at positions facing an outer edge of the bottom surface 12g of the movable housing 12. This allows the pin terminals T to be properly inserted even when the center axes of the pin terminals T greatly deviate beyond the moving limit of the movable housing 12.

[0072] Each of the terminals 13 includes, in order from an attachment side to the fixed housing 11 toward an attachment side to the movable housing 12, a substrate connecting portion 13f soldered to the one surface P2 of the substrate P, a fixed piece 13a attached to the fixed housing 11, a spring portion 13b extending from the fixed piece 13a to a base portion 13c to elastically support the movable housing 12, a base portions 13c fixed to the movable housing 12, elastic arms 13d serving as spring pieces extending from the base portions 13c, and contact portions 13e to be in conductive contact with a pin terminal T.

[0073] The spring portion 13b is formed by alternately combining linear portions 13b1 and U-shaped bent portions 13b2. The width of the linear portions 13b1 is smaller than that of the bent portions 13b2. The width of the linear portions 13b1 is made small so that the spring portion 13b can be displaced softly. From the viewpoint of soft elastic deformation of the spring portion 13b, it is conceivable to make the entire spring portion 13b narrow like the linear portions 13b1. In this case, however, stress may concentrate at the bent portions 13b2 when the spring portion 13b elastically deforms, and this may break the spring portion 13b. Accordingly, flexibility of the spring portion 13b is enhanced by narrowing the linear portions 13b1, and the bent portions 13b are made unlikely to break and durability of the spring portion 13b is increased by widening the bent portions 13b2.

[0074] Here, the characteristics of the connector 10 having these terminals 13 will be described. The contact portions 13e are in pressure contact with the connection object to exert contact holding force for the corresponding pin terminal T. The contact holding force is set to be larger than the displacement load on the spring portion 13b such that the contact portions 13e deviate relative to the pin terminal T in the inserting or removing direction of the pin terminal T. From a different viewpoint, the contact holding force is set to be larger than the displacement load acting on the spring portion 13b when the displacement amount of the spring portion 13b reaches the maximum displacement amount corresponding to the moving limit of the movable housing 12. That is, while the holding force of the contact portions 13e for the pin terminal T is large, the displacement load needed to move the spring portion 13b can be made small, and the movable housing 12 can be displaced easily. Therefore, even when the movable housing 12 is displaced to the moving limit in the X-direction, the Y-direction, and the Z-direction, since the contact portions 13e have the holding force larger than the displacement load of the spring portion 13b, they does not cause fretting on the pin terminal T and continue to maintain the initial contact position even in the height direction Z in which the contact portions 13e easily slip and deviate relative to the pin terminal T. Since such fretting of the contact portions 13e due to displacement of the movable housing 12 can be prevented, troubles, such as peeling of plating from the pin terminal T and generation of shavings of the pin terminal T, can be reduced. Thus, even the movable connector 10 can maintain high connection reliability from the beginning of fitting.

[Method for Mounting Connector 10 on Substrate P]

[0075] To mount the above-described connector 10 on the substrate P, the protruding portion 12b of the movable housing 12 is inserted through the through hole P1 of the substrate P, and the fixed housing 11 is placed at a predetermined mounting position on the substrate P. When the connector 10 is transferred, it can be automatically mounted by using the flat surface 11d1 on the upper surface 11d of the fixed housing 11 as a sucked portion. Then, the fixing metals 11c and the substrate connecting portions 13f of the terminals 13 are fixed by soldering. Thus, the connector 10 is mounted on the substrate P so that the protruding portion 12b of the movable housing 12 protrudes from the other surface P3 of the substrate P.

[Operational Advantages of Connector 10]

[0076] Next, operational advantages of the connector 10 of the embodiment other than the above-described ones will be described.

[0077] When the pin terminals T are connected to the connector 10, they are inserted in the insertion holes 12e of the protruding portion 12b of the movable housing 12. In the connector 10, the pin terminals T can be reliably guided to the contact portions 13e by being introduced by the large-aperture inclined surfaces of the insertion holes 12e with a large introduction amount.

[0078] When insertion of the pin terminals T is continued, the pin terminals T abut on the contact portions 13e of the terminals 13, and stretch the contact portions 13e out. By the action of this insertion force, the movable housing 12 is displaced in the inserting and fitting direction along the height direction Z, and the plural abutment portions 12a1 at the distal end of the movable housing 12 abut on the abutment receiving portion 11A1 of the upper wall 11A in the fixed housing 11. Therefore, the movable housing 12 can stably maintain its right posture without obliquely tilting. This allows the pin terminals T to be inserted properly.

[0079] At this time, the projecting portions 12f of the movable housing 12 are not in contact with the abutment recesses 11g of the fixed housing 11, and the operating force for pushing in the pin terminals T is received by the plural abutment parts between the abutment portions 12a1 at the distal end of the movable housing 12 and the abutment receiving portion 11A1. This prevents the movable housing 12 from being curved and deformed in an arcuate form, and suppresses the occurrence of trouble such that the spring portions 13b of the terminals 13 in the center portion of the movable housing 12 are slightly stretched from the beginning of fitting of the pin terminals T and the load is constantly applied thereto. Hence, according to the connector 10 of the embodiment, the load generated in the spring portions 13b resulting from displacement of the movable housing 12 can be uniformly distributed to the spring portions 13b of all the terminals 13. Consequently, both high flexibility and high fatigue durability in the spring portions 13b can be continuously achieved, and connection reliability can be enhanced.

[Modifications of Embodiment (FIGS. 14 to 17)]

[0080] Since the connector 10 of the above-described embodiment can be carried out by various modifications, some modifications will be described.

[0081] While the abutment portions (projecting walls) 12a1 are provided between the adjacent terminal holding portions 12d in the above embodiment, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, an abutment portion (projecting wall) 12a3 having a length along the width direction X of the movable housing 12 and columnar abutment portions (projecting walls) 12a4 provided between the adjacent terminal holding portions 12d may be used. All of these abutment portions 12a3 and 12a4 have the same height. Either the contact portion 12a3 or the contact portions 12a4 may be provided.

[0082] While the connector 10 of the embodiment is the multipolar connector having a plurality of terminals 13, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17, the connector 10 may have one terminal 13. Even in such a monopolar connector 10, when a pin terminal T is fitted and inserted, two abutment portions 12a1 at a distal end of a movable housing 12 in the displacement direction abut on an abutment receiving portion 11A1 of the fixed housing 11. Thus, the movable housing 12 does not tilt, but maintains a stable posture. This allows the pin terminal T to be properly brought into conductive connection to contact portions 13e. Operational advantages similar to those of the embodiment can be obtained besides.

[0083] While the connector 10 of the above embodiment has five terminals, arcuate curved deformation becomes more likely to occur during fitting and insertion of the pin terminals T as the number of terminals increases and the length of the movable housing 12 increases. Hence, the number of terminals may exceed five.

[0084] While the projecting walls 12a1 each shaped like a thin plate are provided as the abutment portions 12a1 in the above embodiment, an end surface of the housing body 12a in which the terminal holding portions 12d are open may serve as an abutment portion without providing the projecting walls 12a1. In this case, however, since the heat radiation passages 12a2 cannot be formed, heat radiation performance of the connector deteriorates, and withstand voltage performance also deteriorates.

[0085] While the protruding portion 12b of the movable housing 12 has a length such as to slightly protrude from the other surface P3 of the substrate P in the above embodiment, it may have a length such as to protrude more. This can restrict the pin terminals T from being inserted between the protruding portion 12b and the through hole P1 without entering the insertion holes 12e. Further, while the insertion holes 12e are provided as inclined surfaces in the hole axis direction in the above embodiment, inclined conical holes and uninclined linear holes may be combined.

[0086] While displacement of the movable housing 12 in the removing direction of the pin terminals T is stopped by abutment of the projecting portions 12f on the one surface P2 of the substrate P in the above embodiment, it may be stopped by providing the fixed housing 11 with portions to abut on the projecting portions 12f of the movable housing 12 so that the projecting portions 12f do not abut on the substrate P.