CN107181076A - Circuit board electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for a circuit board having a reinforcing metal material that does not come off from a housing. The housing (10) utilizes the side wall portion (14) and the end wall portion (15) to form a peripheral wall portion (12), and forms a receiving portion (12A) of the object connector on the inner side of the peripheral wall portion (12). (10) Reinforcing metal parts (30) are retained, and the reinforcing metal parts (30) are made of metal plates, and have a position along the end wall part (15) along the width direction of the connector ( 15) a base (31) extending from the wall surface, a side plate (32) extending along the side of the side wall (14) at the position of the side wall (15), and connecting the base (31) and The connecting portion (33) of the side plate portion (14) is at least a part of the connecting portion (33) embedded in the corner portion (16).

Description

Electrical connectors for circuit boards

technical field

The present invention relates to an electrical connector for a circuit board arranged on a mounting surface of a circuit board.

Background technique

For such electrical connectors for circuit boards, for various purposes such as reinforcement of the housing, fixation to the circuit board, guidance of the counterpart connector, or electrical conduction with the counterpart connector, the metal plate member is often held on the case.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connector for a circuit board in which a guide metal fitting for guiding a mating connector is held by a housing outside of a terminal arrangement range in the terminal arrangement direction. In this patent document 1, in each of the side wall portion (the wall portion extending in the direction of terminal arrangement) and the end wall portion (the wall portion extending in the direction perpendicular to the direction of terminal arrangement) of the housing, the An installation groove for installing the above-mentioned guide metal parts is formed in such a way that the outer surface of the part is submerged. Moreover, the guide metal piece has installed parts bent and formed in an inverted U shape in the position corresponding to each installation groove, and each installed part is pressed into the corresponding installation groove from above and straddles the respective installation grooves. Mounted in the way of the wall, thereby being held in the housing.

In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses an electrical connector for a circuit board in which a fixing metal fitting for fixing to a circuit board is held by a case outside the terminal arrangement range in the terminal arrangement direction. In this Patent Document 2, the fixing metal fitting has a base extending along the outer surface of the end wall portion of the housing, side plate portions bent at both ends of the base and extending along the outer surface of the side wall portion of the housing, and The lower edge of the base is curved and extends along the bottom surface of the bottom wall of the housing, and the upper edge of the side plate is bent into an inverted U shape and is directed from the upper surface of the side wall toward the side wall. The claw portion extending from the inner surface, and the positions at both ends of the housing in the direction of terminal arrangement are held in the housing by integral molding. In a state where the fixing metal fitting is held by the housing, the plate surface of the fixing metal fitting is exposed from the outer surface of the housing over substantially the entire area of the fixing metal fitting.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-239002

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-065541

For the above-mentioned metal plate member of the electrical connector for a circuit board, in order to maintain the protection of the surface of the case and to reinforce the function of the case, it is required to securely hold the metal plate member to the case. However, in Patent Document 1, since the plate surface of the guide metal is exposed from the wall surface of the casing over substantially the entire area of the guide metal, there may be cases where an unexpected external force acts directly on the exposed plate surface. , The guide metal part is detached from the shell. In addition, since the guide metal fitting is attached to the case by press fitting, it is easy to be detached from the case especially when an external force is applied in a direction opposite to the direction of press fitting, that is, upward. In addition, in Patent Document 2, the fixing metal is integrally molded to hold the housing, but the plate surface of the fixing metal is exposed from the housing over substantially the entire area of the fixing metal, which is different from that of Patent Document 1. Similarly, there is a concern that the above-mentioned plate surface is subjected to an external force and the above-mentioned fixing metal part is detached from the housing. Even if the protection of the surface of the case can be performed when the fixing metal piece is detached or separated from the case, the function of strengthening the case is halved.

Contents of the invention

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its object is to provide an electrical connector for a circuit board that is difficult to detach from the above-mentioned case even if the reinforcing metal member and the terminal are held in the case by an unexpected external force. .

The electrical connector for a circuit board of the present invention is configured as the following 1st invention or 2nd invention.

＜The first invention＞

An electrical connector for a circuit board, which is disposed on a mounting surface of a circuit board, characterized in that,

The electrical connector for a circuit board has a housing, terminals held in the housing, and reinforcing metal fittings, wherein the housing is formed with a vertical direction perpendicular to the mounting surface as the direction of connector insertion and removal from above. The receiving part of the receiving object connector,

The housing has a rectangular frame-shaped peripheral wall that opens upward and forms the receiving portion. A pair of end wall portions extending in the connector width direction perpendicular to the connector length direction, and corner portions connecting the ends of the side wall portion and the end wall portion at respective positions of the four corners of the peripheral wall portion,

the reinforcing metal piece is integrally held by the housing,

In the above electrical connector for a circuit board,

The above-mentioned reinforcing metal member is made of metal plate, and has: a base portion extending along the wall surface of the above-mentioned end wall portion in the width direction of the connector at the position of the above-mentioned end wall portion; A side surface of the side wall portion extends; and a connection portion that connects the base portion and the side plate portion, and at least a part of the connection portion is embedded in the corner portion.

In the first invention having such a structure, the connecting base portion of the reinforcement metal and the connecting portion of the side plate portion are buried and held in the corner portion of the casing. Since the connection part is directly connected to both the base part and the side plate part, by embedding and holding the connection part in the corner part of the housing, it is possible to prevent the base part from detaching from the end wall part of the housing and the side plate part from coming off. Both sides of the side wall part of the case are separated. As a result, it is possible to protect the surface of the housing and reinforce the housing, and this reinforcement can be reliably obtained. Furthermore, when focusing on the reinforcing metal material itself, the strength of the base itself and the side plate itself can be improved by connecting the base and the side plate with the connecting portion.

In the present invention, the connecting portion of the reinforcement metal may have a transition portion bent in the plate thickness direction to transition from the base portion, and a portion of the connecting portion including the transition portion may be buried and held in the case. corner.

By bending the transition portion forming the connecting portion in this way, the strength of the reinforcing metal member itself can be increased. The connection portion thus improved in strength is also buried and held in the corner of the housing including the transition portion, so that the transition portion will not be deformed by an unexpected external force caused by, for example, colliding with the mating connector. The strength of the reinforcing metal member itself can be reliably maintained.

In the present invention, the base portion of the reinforcing metal fitting extends along the upper surface of the end wall portion, and at least a part of the plate surface of the base portion is exposed on the upper surface of the end wall portion. By exposing at least a part of the plate surface of the base on the upper surface of the end wall in this way, it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the end wall from being damaged by an unexpected external force caused by collision of the mating connector when mating the mating connector. Case.

In the present invention, the base of the reinforcement metal extends along the outer surface of the end wall perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the connector, and at least a part of the plate surface of the base is exposed on the outer surface of the end wall.

Exposing at least a part of the plate surface of the base on the outer surface of the end wall can prevent the outer surface of the end wall from being damaged by an unexpected external force caused by a collision with a mating connector or the like. And, since the base is along the outer surface of the end wall, and the plate surface of the base is perpendicular to the surface of the bottom wall of the connector, it is possible to improve the bending performance relative to bending such that the bottom wall is bent with the longitudinal direction of the connector as the axis. The strength of the shell.

In the present invention, it can be configured that the reinforcement metal piece has a side guide portion extending from the inner upper end of the side plate portion along the upper surface of the side wall portion of the housing toward the outside in the width direction of the connector, and the side guide portion has a The plate surface inclined downward inside the connector width direction and exposed from the upper surface of the side wall portion serves as a side guide surface for guiding the mating connector toward the receiving portion in the connector width direction.

In this way, the side guide portion has a side guide surface exposed from the inner upper surface of the side wall portion, and the side guide surface is inclined downward toward the inside in the width direction of the connector. The side guide surface guides the mating connector toward the receiving portion in the width direction of the connector, and can prevent damage to the upper surface of the side wall portion.

In the present invention, the reinforcing metal fitting may have an end guide extending from the edge of the base extending in the width direction of the connector along the upper surface of the end wall toward the inside in the longitudinal direction of the connector, and the end guide has a The plate surface inclined downward toward the inside in the longitudinal direction of the connector and exposed from the upper surface of the end wall portion serves as an end guide surface for guiding the mating connector toward the receiving portion in the longitudinal direction of the connector.

In this way, the end guide portion has an end guide surface exposed from the upper surface of the end wall portion, and the end guide surface is inclined downward toward the inside in the longitudinal direction of the connector, so that not only the end guide surface can be used during the connector fitting process The target connector is guided toward the receiving portion in the connector length direction, and damage to the upper surface of the end wall portion can be prevented.

In the present invention, the reinforcing metal fitting may have a fixing portion extending from the lower end of the side plate portion along the lower surface of the housing toward the outside in the width direction of the connector, and the fixing portion can be soldered and fixed to the mounting surface of the circuit board.

The fixing portion extends along the lower surface of the housing so that at least a part of the fixing portion is located within the range of the housing in the width direction of the connector, so that the fixing portion does not dislodge from the outer surface of the side wall portion in the width direction of the connector. The positions of the connectors protrude largely outwardly, thereby not only securing a sufficient area for soldering and fixing, but also avoiding an increase in size of the connector in the connector width direction.

＜Second Invention＞

An electrical connector for a circuit board, which is disposed on a mounting surface of a circuit board, characterized in that,

This electrical connector for a circuit board has a housing and terminals held by the housing, wherein the housing is formed with a hole for receiving a mating connector from above with the vertical direction perpendicular to the mounting surface as the connector insertion and removal direction. reception department,

The housing has a rectangular frame-shaped peripheral wall that opens upward and forms the receiving portion. A pair of end wall portions extending in the connector width direction perpendicular to the connector length direction, and corner portions connecting the ends of the side wall portion and the end wall portion at respective positions of the four corners of the peripheral wall portion,

the terminal is integrally held by the housing,

In the above electrical connector for a circuit board,

The terminal is made of metal plate and has: a base extending along the wall surface of the end wall in the connector width direction at the position of the end wall; and a side plate extending along the side at the position of the side wall. The side of the wall portion extends; the connecting portion extends from the inner lower end of the side plate portion along the lower surface of the side wall portion toward the outside in the width direction of the connector and is connected to the corresponding circuit portion on the mounting surface; and the connecting portion connects In the base portion and the side plate portion, at least a part of the connecting portion is embedded in the corner portion.

In the second invention, for example, a terminal located at an end in the length direction of the connector has a function as a reinforcing metal member.

In such a second invention, the connection base portion of the terminal and the connection portion of the side plate portion are embedded and held in the corner portion of the case. Since the connection part is directly connected to both the base part and the side plate part, by embedding and holding the connection part in the corner part of the housing, it is possible to prevent the base part from detaching from the end wall part of the housing and the side plate part from coming off. Both sides of the side wall part of the case are separated. As a result, it is possible to protect the surface of the housing and reinforce the housing, and this reinforcement can be reliably obtained. Furthermore, focusing on the terminal itself, by connecting the base and the side plate with the connecting portion, the strength of the base itself and the side plate itself can be improved.

As described above, in the present invention, the part directly connected to both the base part and the side plate part in the reinforcing metal piece or the terminal, that is, the connecting part is buried and held in the corner part of the case, and at the same time, the base part can be prevented from falling out of the case. Since both the end wall portion of the body and the side plate portion are separated from the side wall portion of the case, it is possible to more reliably prevent the reinforcing metal fitting or the terminal from being separated from the case. As a result, it is possible to protect the surface of the housing and reinforce the housing, and this reinforcement can be reliably obtained. Furthermore, focusing on the reinforcing metal fitting or the terminal itself, the strength of the reinforcing metal fitting or the base and the side plate of the terminal can be improved by connecting the base and the side plate with the connecting portion.

Description of drawings

(A) and (B) of FIG. 1 are perspective views of a receptacle and a plug according to one embodiment of the present invention, (A) showing before connection of both connectors, and (B) showing after connecting.

(A) and (B) of FIG. 2 are perspective views omitting the housing of the connector of FIG. 1 and showing only the terminals and reinforcing metal parts. (A) is the state of the connector before connection, and (B) is after connection. status.

(A) and (B) of Fig. 3 are perspective views of the plug, (A) shows the plug of (A) in Fig. 1 in an upside-down posture, and (B) shows only the terminal and the reinforcing metal parts with the case omitted .

(A) and (B) of FIG. 4 are vertical cross-sectional views of the end wall portion of the socket on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the connector, (A) showing before the connector is connected, and (B) showing after connecting.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a reinforcing metal fitting as another embodiment.

Symbol Description:

10...shell; 31...base; 12...surrounding wall; 32...side plate; 12A...receiving part; 33...connecting part; 14...side wall; 33A...transition; 15...end wall; 34...fixing 16...corner part; 35...side guide part; 20...terminal; 38...end guide part; 30...reinforcing metal piece.

detailed description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

(A) of FIG. 1 shows the receptacle electrical connector (hereinafter referred to as "receptacle") of this embodiment and the plug electrical connector (hereinafter referred to as "plug") as the object connector connected thereto in the state before connection. ") perspective view, Figure 1 (B) is a perspective view after connection, Figure 2 (A) and (B) correspond to Figure 1 (A) and (B) respectively, but omit the housing and only show The perspective view of the terminal and the reinforcing metal piece, Fig. 3 (A) is a perspective view showing the plug in Fig. A perspective view of a reinforced metal piece. Therefore, FIG. 3(A) shows only the plug shown in FIG. 1(A) upside down. (A) and (B) of FIG. 4 are longitudinal sections in the connector width direction (connector short side direction) perpendicular to the connector length direction (connector long side direction) at the position of the end wall portion of the socket. , (A) of FIG. 4 shows before the connection of the socket and the plug, and (B) of FIG. 4 shows after the connection.

In (A) of FIG. 1 , reference numeral 1 is a socket mounted on a circuit board (not shown) and connected to the circuit board, and a plug as a target connector before being connected to the socket 1 is shown above it. 2.

The socket 1 has a bottomed housing 10 made of an electrically insulating material that is disposed on a circuit board and opened upward, terminals 20 held by the housing 10 , and reinforcing metal fittings 30 .

The housing 10 is integrally formed using an electrically insulating material to hold the terminals 20 and the reinforcing metal fittings 30, and has a rectangular bottom wall 11 disposed opposite to the mounting surface of the circuit board. 11, a square frame-shaped peripheral wall portion 12 with an upright peripheral edge and an upper opening, and a central protruding wall portion 13 erected in the peripheral wall portion 12 and existing in an island shape, between the peripheral wall portion 12 and the central protruding wall portion 13 A receiving portion 12A for fitting and receiving the plug 2 serving as a target connector is formed between them. The peripheral wall portion 12 has a side wall portion 14 extending in the length direction of the connector (that is, the longitudinal direction of the housing 10), an end wall portion 15 extending in the width direction of the connector perpendicular to the length direction of the connector, and a connecting side The end portions of the wall portion 14 and the end portion of the end wall portion 15 are located at corner portions 16 of the four corners of the peripheral wall portion 12 .

In addition, the central protruding wall portion 13 provided in the peripheral wall portion 12 extends parallel to the side wall portion 14 along the longitudinal direction of the connector, and is formed to have a length including the arrangement range of the terminals 20 and reinforcing metal fittings 30 described later. . The central projecting wall portion 13 is slightly lower in height (dimension in the connector fitting direction perpendicular to the surface of the bottom wall portion 11 ) than the peripheral wall portion 12 , but may be the same height as the peripheral wall portion 12 .

A terminal accommodating groove described later is formed on the outer surface of the central projecting wall portion 13, and the terminal 20 made of a metal plate and a reinforcing metal member are integrally molded on the peripheral wall portion 12, but if the integral molding is not adopted A terminal holding groove for accommodating and holding the terminal 20 and the reinforcing metal piece during fitting and mounting is formed on the peripheral wall portion 12 and the central projecting wall portion 13 . Hereinafter, the terminal 20 and the reinforcing metal fitting 30 will be described.

The terminal 20 is manufactured by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction. The terminal 20 is composed of a signal terminal 21 and a power supply terminal 26. For each side wall portion 14, three signal terminals 21 are provided in the illustrated example. Two power supply terminals 26 are adjacently provided, and one reinforcing metal piece 30 is provided with respect to each end wall portion 5 . The signal terminals 21 and the power supply terminals 26 are different in shape from each other, and when used, any one may be used as a signal terminal, or all of them may be used as a signal terminal. In this embodiment, these terminals 20 are held by integral molding using the case 10 as described above, or these terminals 20 are held by attaching a holding portion to the case 10 . In addition, in the present embodiment, a plurality of terminals 20 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the connector, but in the present invention, only one signal terminal 21 or power supply terminal 26 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the connector. able to apply.

As can be seen from (A) and (B) of FIG. The connecting portion 23 and the elastic arm portion 24 are formed in a shape extending and projecting in opposite directions from the held portion 22 .

The held portion 22 of the signal terminal 21 has an inverted U-shaped side wall held portion 22A held by the side wall portion 14 , and a bottom wall along the surface of the bottom wall portion 11 from the inner end of the side wall held portion 22A. Holder 22B. The side wall to-be-held portion 22A is formed in an inverted U-shaped belt along the inner and outer side surfaces and the upper surface of the side wall portion 14 . On the inner surface (the plate surface exposed toward the receiving portion 12A) of the inner portion of the side wall portion 22A located on the inner side of the side wall portion 14, a quadrangular recessed portion is formed as a connector to be connected with the object. The locking part 22A-1 that is locked by the corresponding part of the plug 2. The outer portion of the side wall held portion 22A located on the outer side of the side wall portion 14 extends vertically within the thickness of the side wall portion 14 , and the entire lower half thereof is embedded in the side wall portion 14 .

The bottom wall held portion 22B extending from the side wall held portion 22 is located on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 11 and forms a flat surface, and its inner tip becomes thinner toward the front elastic arm portion 24 . For the held part 22 having the side wall held part 22A and the bottom wall held part 22B, it sinks into the plate of the held part from the surface of the side wall part 14 of the housing 10 and the upper surface of the bottom wall part 11. The held portion 22 is formed to have the same height as the side wall portion 14 and the bottom wall portion 11 and is held by integral molding with the housing 10 .

The connection portion 23 is bent at the lower end of a portion of the side wall held portion 22A located on the outer side of the side wall portion 14 , and extends outward along the bottom surface of the bottom wall portion 11 of the housing 10 . The connection portion 23 is located on the lower surface of the side wall portion 14 of the bottom wall portion 11 , is in surface contact with the circuit board and is soldered to a corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board.

The elastic arm portion 24 protruding from the above-mentioned held portion 22 toward the inside in the connector width direction is connected to the inner side of the side wall portion 14 of the side wall held portion 22A of the held portion 22 . The portion and the bottom wall held portion 22B are combined to form a U-shaped portion. The elastic arm portion 24 stands up from the inner end position of the above-mentioned bottom wall held portion 22B, the front end becomes thinner toward the upper end, and has a convexly curved contact portion 24A protruding toward the side wall portion 14 in the vicinity of the free end of the upper end. , forming an S-shape as a whole. The elastic arm portion 24 has elasticity capable of elastically displacing in the lateral direction, that is, in the direction facing the side wall portion 14 (connector width direction). The elastic arm portion 24 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating groove 18 in an elastically displaceable manner. The terminal accommodating groove 18 is formed extending in the vertical direction on the side of the central protruding wall portion 13 of the housing 10. When the elastic arm portion 24 is not elastically displaced In the free state, only the contact portion 24A protrudes from the side of the terminal accommodating groove 18 , that is, the central projecting wall portion 13 .

Next, the power supply terminal 26 is provided with two kinds of power supply terminals 26' and 26". As can be seen from (A) of FIG. , with respect to the terminal width, the side wall held portion 27 ′, the connecting portion 28 ′, and the elastic arm portion 29 ′ are wider than corresponding portions of the signal terminal 21 except the contact portion 29 ′A.

The second-type power supply terminal 26" is held on the other side wall portion 14 opposite to the side wall portion 14 holding the first-type power supply terminal 26' in the width direction of the connector, and in the same direction as the first-type power terminal 26'. The second type power terminal 26' is opposite to the first type power terminal 26'. Except for the elastic arm portion 29' of the first type power terminal 26', other parts are the same as the first type power terminal 26'. The second-type power supply terminal 26" has a reinforcing portion 29" instead of the above-mentioned elastic arm portion 29'. The reinforcing portion 29" has a side portion 29"A standing up from the inner end of the portion to be held on the bottom wall, and a horizontal portion 29 bent in the connector width direction so that the upper end of the side portion 29"A is horizontal. "B, and an end portion 29"C bent so as to hang down from the side end of the horizontal portion 29"B. The above-mentioned side portion 29"A is in close contact with the side surface of the central protruding wall portion 13 of the casing 10, the horizontal portion 29"B is in close contact with the upper surface of the central protruding wall portion 13, and the end portion 29"C is in close contact with the central protruding wall The end surface of the part 13, the side part 29 "A, the horizontal part 29 "B and the end part 29 "C are all sunk in an amount corresponding to the plate thickness of the reinforcing part 29 " and are held in the center by being integrally formed with the casing 10 In this state, the surface of the protruding wall portion 13 has the same height as the reinforcing portion 29 ″ and the central protruding wall portion 13 to form a flat surface. In this way, the power supply terminal 26 is the second type power supply terminal 26 ″, which protects the central protruding wall portion 13 of the case 10 and improves the strength.

When the above-mentioned power terminal 26 is the first power terminal 26', it is between the contact part 29'A and the inner part of the side wall part 27' which is located on the inner side surface of the side wall part 14, and is the object. The corresponding power terminals of the plug 2 of the connector are clamped into contact. On the other hand, when the above-mentioned power supply terminal 26 is the second-type power supply terminal 26", it is between the side part 29"A and the held part 22" located on the inner surface of the other side wall part 14, and the above-mentioned The corresponding power terminals of the plug 2 are clamped into contact.

A reinforcing metal member 30 formed by bending a metal plate member is provided at an end portion of the case 10 outside the arrangement range of the above-mentioned terminals 20 (signal terminals 21 and power supply terminals 26 ). The reinforcing metal piece 30 has a base portion 31 extending along the upper surface in the connector width direction along the wall surface of the end wall portion 15 of the housing 10 in this embodiment, and a side surface along the side wall portion 14 in this embodiment. The side plate portion 32 extending along the inner surface, and the connecting portion 33 connecting the above-mentioned base portion 31 and the side plate portion 32 . In the present embodiment, the connecting portion 33 has a flat portion formed in an approximately L-shape near the side plate portion 32 and a portion near the base portion 31 , and a portion curved in the plate thickness direction to transition from the base portion 31 to the flat portion. Transition 33A.

The side plate portion 32 is formed from the inner surface of the side wall portion 14 of the housing 10. In this embodiment, the side plate portion 32 is bent from the lower end of the side plate portion 32 toward the outside in the width direction of the connector and exists along the bottom surface of the housing 10. The fixed part 34. The fixing portion 34 is a part fixed to the circuit board by welding, and most of it is within the range of the bottom surface of the housing 10. As can be seen from (A) and (B) of FIG. protrude. In this way, in this embodiment, the fixing portion 34 is not made to extend and protrude largely outside the housing 10 in the width direction of the connector, so that not only a sufficient area for soldering and fixing can be ensured, but also the connector can be avoided. Upsizing in the width direction of the connector.

There is a side guide portion 35 that is bent toward the outside in the width direction of the connector from the upper end of the side plate portion 32 and slopes upward toward the outside in the width direction of the connector (that is, slopes down toward the inside in the width direction of the connector). The side guide portion 35 is directed downward toward an outer hanging portion 36 bent so as to follow the outer surface of the side wall portion 14 of the casing 10 . The side guide portion 35 and the outer hanging portion 36 are held in the side wall portion 14 by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the plate, and form surfaces of the same height as the surfaces of the side guide portion 35 and the outer hanging portion 36 . The upper surface of the side guide portion 35 , that is, the plate surface formed to be inclined downward toward the inner side in the connector width direction and exposed from the side wall portion 14 is formed to guide the side of the plug 2 toward the receiving portion 12A in the connector width direction. Square guide surface. The portion from the side plate portion 32 to the outer hanging portion 36 is formed as an inverted U-shaped held portion 37 held by the side wall portion 14 of the casing 10 so as to straddle the side wall portion 14 .

Extending from the inner edge of the base portion 31 is a downwardly curved end guide portion 38 having a curved surface 38A inclined downward toward the inside in the longitudinal direction of the connector. This end guide portion 38 has the aforementioned curved surface 38A and an inner hanging portion 38B extending straight downward. The end guide portion 38 is held in the end wall portion 15 with a dimension slightly smaller than the thickness of the plate, so that the inner region of the upper surface of the end wall portion 15 (inclined surface on the receiving portion 12A side) and the end wall portion 15 The inner side (the side on the receiving portion 12A side) protrudes slightly. The end guide portion 38 is mainly the above-mentioned curved surface 38A formed as an end guide surface for guiding the plug 2 toward the receiving portion 12A in the connector length direction. In addition, the inside hanging portion 38B faces the end portion 29 ″C of the second-type power supply terminal 26 ″C of the case 10 .

The base portion 31 , the connecting portion 33 , the held portion 37 , and the end guide portion 38 of the reinforcing metal fitting 30 thus formed are held by the casing 10 by integral molding. In the present embodiment, since the connecting portion 33, which is a portion directly connected to both the base portion 31 and the side plate portion 32, is buried and held in the corner portion 16 of the housing 10, it is possible to prevent the base portion 31 from falling from the end wall of the housing 10 at the same time. Both the detachment of the part 15 and the detachment of the side plate part 32 from the side wall part 14 of the casing 10 . As a result, the housing 10 can be reliably reinforced while protecting the surface of the housing 10 . Furthermore, focusing on the reinforcing metal fitting 30 itself, by connecting the base portion 31 and the side plate portion 32 with the connection portion 33 , the strength of the base portion 31 itself and the side plate portion 32 itself can be improved. In addition, in the present embodiment, the entire connection portion 33 is embedded and held, but only a part of the connection portion 33 may be embedded and held in the housing 10 as long as it is held with sufficient strength.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as for the connection portion 33 , the entire connection portion 33 including the transition portion 33A is embedded and held in the corner portion 16 of the housing 10 described above. The strength of the reinforcement metal member 30 itself is improved by bending the transition portion 33A forming the connection portion 33 . The connecting portion 33 whose strength has been improved in this way is embedded and held in the corner portion 16 of the housing 10 including the transition portion 33A, so that the reinforcing metal fitting 30 is held extremely firmly by the housing 10 . Furthermore, the transition portion 33A is not deformed by an unexpected external force caused by, for example, collision with the plug 2 , so that the strength of the reinforcing metal member 30 itself can be reliably maintained.

Next, the plug 2 to be fitted and connected to the socket 1 of the present embodiment will be briefly described.

The plug 2 has a case 40 made of an electrically insulating material, a terminal 50 held by the case 40 , and a reinforcing metal fitting 60 .

As can be seen from (A) of FIG. 1 and (A) of FIG. 3 , the housing 40 has a square frame-shaped peripheral wall portion 42 standing up from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 41 , and the terminal 50 and the reinforcing metal are held in the peripheral wall portion 42 . 60 pieces. The outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 42 of the above-mentioned housing 40 is guided by the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the socket 1 and fitted therewith, and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 42 of the above-mentioned housing 40 is guided by the central projecting wall portion 13 of the socket 1. The housing 40 is accommodated in the receiving portion 12A of the socket 1 by being guided and fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the socket 1 . The peripheral wall portion 42 has a side wall portion 43 and an end wall portion 44 connecting the ends of the side wall portion 43 .

The terminal 50 is manufactured by bending a metal plate member, and is used as a signal terminal. As can be seen from (A) and (B) of FIG. 3 , the terminal 50 has an inverted U-shaped held portion 51 and a connecting portion 52 held by the side wall portion 43 . The terminals 50 are provided at positions corresponding to the signal terminals 21 of the receptacle 1 in the longitudinal direction of the connector. The held portion 51 has a curved portion 51A located on the upper surface of the side wall portion 43 , an outer hanging portion 51B located on the outer surface side of the side wall portion 43 , and an inner hanging portion 51C located on the inner surface side of the side wall portion 43 . The connecting portion 52 bent from the lower end of the inner hanging portion 51C extends and protrudes toward the outside of the housing 40 in the connector width direction. It can be seen from (A) of FIG. 1 and (A) of FIG. 3 that the connecting portion 52 is located on the bottom surface of the housing 40, extends outward from the housing 40 in the width direction of the connector, and is welded to the circuit board (not shown). Show). The curved portion 51A narrows its width stepwise toward the outside. The lower end (free end) side portion of the above-mentioned outer hanging portion 51B extending from the curved portion 51A is crushed in the thickness direction to become thinner, and the thinner portion and the thicker portion (not crushed) The formed stepped portion becomes the locking portion 51B- 1 .

The reinforcing metal fitting 60 is formed by bending a metal plate member, and functions as a power supply terminal in addition to the original function of the reinforcing metal fitting. The reinforcing metal piece 60 has a side metal piece portion 61 held by the side wall portion 43 , a connection portion 62 extending from the side metal piece portion 61 along the bottom wall portion 41 , an end metal piece portion 64 held by the end wall portion 44 , and The connection part 63 which connects this side fitting part 61 and the end fitting part 64 has the function of reinforcement and a power supply terminal.

The side metal parts 61 exist adjacent to the terminals 50 located at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the connector, and are provided at positions corresponding to the power terminals 26 of the receptacle 1 in the longitudinal direction of the connector. The side metal part 61 is formed in substantially the same shape as the above-mentioned terminal 50 , and its width dimension is wider than that of the terminal 50 , which is different from the held part 51 of the terminal 50 , but otherwise the same. That is, the side fitting portion 61 has a curved portion 61A, an outer hanging portion 61B in which the locking portion 61B- 1 is formed, and an inner hanging portion 61C. Furthermore, the connecting portion 62 extends outward in the connector width direction from the lower end of the inner hanging portion 61C. The connecting portion 62 is wider and shorter than the connecting portion 52 of the terminal 50 .

Like the terminal 50 and the side metal fitting 61 , the end metal fitting portion 64 has a held portion 65 including a curved portion 65A, an outer hanging portion 65B, and an inner hanging portion 65C, and a connecting portion 66 . The end metal fitting portion 64 is integrally formed in a shape similar to that of the side metal fitting portion 61 described above. As can be seen from (A) of FIG. 3 , a part of the end metal part 64 is buried in the housing 40 so as not to appear on the inner surface of the end wall 44 (the wall surface located on the inner side in the length direction of the connector), and the remaining part is on the outer surface. It is exposed and formed at approximately the same height as the outer surface of the casing 40 .

Hereinafter, how to use the connector of this embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 1 and 4 .

(A) and (B) of FIG. 4 are cross-sectional views of the receptacle 1 and the plug 2 at the position of the held portion 37 of the reinforcing metal piece 30 of the receptacle 1 in the length direction of the connector, and (A) shows the connector fitting Before connection, (B) shows after connector fitting connection.

It can be seen from (A) of FIG. 1 that the plug 2 is positioned above the socket 1 (also refer to (A) of FIG. 4 ), and then, as can be seen from (B) of FIG. 1 , the plug 2 is lowered and connected to the socket 1 Fitting (see also (B) of FIG. 4 ). By this fitting, the signal terminal 21 and the power terminal 26 of the receptacle 1 come into contact with the corresponding (signal) terminal 50 and the side metal part 61 of the reinforcing metal part 60 of the plug 2 as the object, respectively, and the lock for preventing the removal is performed. . In this case, the reinforcing metal fitting 60 of the plug 2 also functions as a power supply terminal in addition to the original function of the reinforcing metal fitting.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a reinforcing metal fitting 30 as another embodiment. In this embodiment, for each member, the same reference numerals as those in the previous embodiment are attached to the parts corresponding to the members in the previous embodiment.

In the previous embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the base portion 31 of the reinforcing metal piece 30 is located on the upper surface of the end wall portion 15 of the housing 10 , but in this embodiment, the reinforcing metal piece shown in FIG. 5 The base portion 31 of 30 is located on the outer side of the above-mentioned end wall portion 15 . In the present embodiment, the entire connection portion 33 is buried and held in the corner portion 16 of the casing 10 with the upper surface and the lower surface as plate thickness surfaces. Therefore, also in this embodiment, like the previous embodiment, it is possible to simultaneously prevent both the detachment of the base portion 31 from the end wall portion 15 of the housing 10 and the detachment of the side plate portion 32 from the side wall portion 14 of the housing 10. It is possible to both protect the surface of the housing 10 and reliably reinforce the housing 10 . Furthermore, the strength of the base 31 itself and the side plate 32 itself can be increased by connecting the base 31 and the side plate 32 with the connecting portion 33 , as in the first embodiment.

Moreover, because the above-mentioned base portion 31 is located on the outer surface of the end wall portion 15, it has a board surface perpendicular to the circuit board surface, so it can fully resist the bending and deflection (warping) of the socket 1 around the axis with the length direction of the connector as the axis. bending) such external force or stress, thereby preventing deformation. Furthermore, the base portion 31 does not have to be exposed from the outer surface of the end wall portion 15 , and the entire base portion 31 may be embedded in the end wall portion 15 .

In addition, since the above-mentioned base portion 31 is located on the outer surface of the end wall portion 15, the end guide portion 38 covers the upper surface of the end wall portion 15 because the end guide portion 38 extends from the base portion 31 toward the inner surface of the end wall portion 15. surface. Therefore, even if the base portion 31 is located not on the upper surface of the end wall portion 15 but on the outer surface, the upper surface of the end wall portion 15 is protected by the above-mentioned end guide portion 38 instead of the base portion.

In the embodiment of the present invention described based on FIGS. 1 to 5 , the reinforcing metal fitting 30 of the receptacle 1 does not have a locking portion for locking with the plug 2 which is the mating connector. The reinforcing metal piece 30 has this locking portion. For example, a protrusion, a recess, or a stepped portion can be formed on the inner surface of the side plate portion 32 or the end guide portion 38 (the plate surface exposed toward the receiving portion 12A of the housing 10 ) as the locking portion. In addition, at this time, a portion corresponding to the locking portion of the plug 2 is formed, for example, with a protrusion, a recess, or a stepped portion as a locked portion for locking with the locking portion. The locked portion can be formed, for example, on the housing 40 or a metal fitting held by the housing 40 .

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention described based on FIGS. 1 to 5 , the reinforcing metal fitting 30 of the socket 1 does not have a function as a terminal, but instead, the reinforcing metal fitting 30 may also function as a terminal. . For example, when the reinforcing metal fitting 30 is also used as a power supply terminal, it is not necessary to provide a separate power supply terminal. Also, in this case, when the socket 1 is used only as a power supply connector, there is no need to provide signal terminals. As a result, not only can the size of the connector be reduced in the connector length direction, but also the cost can be reduced in proportion to the reduction in the number of parts. When the reinforcing metal fitting 30 is used as a terminal, the plug 1 is provided with a target terminal capable of being in contact with the reinforcing metal fitting for electrical conduction. In addition, when the reinforcing metal fitting 30 is used as a terminal, a lock portion for locking with a mating connector may be formed on the reinforcing metal fitting 30 similarly to the above-mentioned case.

Claims (8)

1. An electrical connector for a circuit substrate, which is arranged on a mounting surface of a circuit substrate, The electrical connector for a circuit board has a housing, terminals held in the housing, and a reinforcing metal member, wherein the housing is formed with a vertical direction perpendicular to the mounting surface as a connector insertion and removal direction. And the receiving part that receives the object connector from above, The housing has a peripheral wall portion formed in a square frame shape open upward and forming the receiving portion, and the peripheral wall portion has a pair of side walls extending in a direction parallel to the mounting surface, that is, a lengthwise direction of the connector. portion, a pair of end wall portions extending in the connector width direction perpendicular to the connector length direction, and connecting end portions of the side wall portion and the end wall portion at respective positions of the four corners of the peripheral wall portion corner, the reinforcing metal piece is integrally held by the housing, The electrical connector for a circuit board is characterized in that, The reinforcing metal member is made of metal plate and has: a base extending in the width direction of the connector along the wall surface of the end wall at the position of the end wall; The position of the portion extends along the side of the side wall portion; and a connection portion that connects the base portion and the side plate portion, and at least a part of the connection portion of the reinforcement metal is embedded in the corner portion. 2. The electrical connector for a circuit board according to claim 1, wherein: The connecting portion of the reinforcement metal has a transition portion bent in the plate thickness direction to transition from the base portion, and a portion of the connecting portion including the transition portion is buried and held at a corner portion of the case. 3. The electrical connector for a circuit board according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The base of the reinforcing metal piece extends along the upper surface of the end wall, and at least a part of the plate surface of the base is exposed on the upper surface of the end wall. 4. The electrical connector for a circuit board according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The base of the reinforcing metal piece extends along the outer surface of the end wall portion perpendicular to the length direction of the connector, and at least a part of the board surface of the base portion is exposed on the outer surface of the end wall portion. 5. The electrical connector for a circuit board according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The reinforcement metal piece has a side guide portion extending from the inner upper end of the side plate portion along the upper surface of the side wall portion of the housing toward the outside in the width direction of the connector, and the side guide portion has a direction inclined downward toward the inside in the width direction of the connector. And the plate surface exposed from the upper surface of the side wall portion serves as a side guide surface for guiding the mating connector toward the receiving portion in the width direction of the connector. 6. The electrical connector for a circuit board according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The reinforcing metal piece has an end guide portion extending from an edge portion of the base portion extending in the connector width direction along the upper surface of the end wall portion toward the inner side in the connector length direction, and the end guide portion has a downward direction toward the connector length direction inner side. The plate surface inclined and exposed from the upper surface of the end wall portion serves as an end guide surface for guiding the mating connector toward the receiving portion in the connector length direction. 7. The electrical connector for a circuit board according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The reinforcing metal piece has a fixing portion extending from the lower end of the side plate portion along the lower surface of the housing toward the outside in the width direction of the connector, and the fixing portion can be soldered and fixed to the mounting surface of the circuit board. 8. An electrical connector for a circuit substrate, which is arranged on the mounting surface of the circuit substrate, The electrical connector for a circuit board has a housing and terminals held by the housing, wherein the housing is formed to receive from above with the vertical direction perpendicular to the mounting surface as the connector insertion and withdrawal direction. The receiving part of the object connector, The housing has a peripheral wall portion formed in a square frame shape open upward and forming the receiving portion, and the peripheral wall portion has a pair of side walls extending in a direction parallel to the mounting surface, that is, a lengthwise direction of the connector. portion, a pair of end wall portions extending in the connector width direction perpendicular to the connector length direction, and connecting end portions of the side wall portion and the end wall portion at respective positions of the four corners of the peripheral wall portion corner, the terminals are integrally held by the housing, The electrical connector for a circuit board is characterized in that, The terminal is made of a metal plate and has: a base extending in the connector width direction along a wall surface of the end wall at a position of the end wall; and a side plate at a position of the side wall Extending along the side of the side wall portion; a connecting portion extending from the inner lower end of the side plate portion along the lower surface of the side wall portion toward the outside in the width direction of the connector and connected to the corresponding circuit portion on the mounting surface; and The connection part connects the base part and the side plate part, and at least a part of the connection part of the terminal is embedded in the corner part.