CN111509514B - Relay electric connector and electric connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A relay electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly are provided, which can connect two connectors more reliably without enlarging the connector even if the relative positions of the relay electrical connector and the counterpart connector are shifted. The relay electrical connector has a centering structure that elastically supports a part of an outer connecting portion of the terminal, thereby generating an elastic force in a direction in which an axis of the terminal and a connection direction of the connectors are aligned with each other and in a direction in which a position of the axis is aligned with a position of a center of the hole portion in a state before the relay electrical connector is connected to the counterpart connector, and is capable of coming into contact with the counterpart terminal by the contact portion of the terminal coming into abutment with a guide surface of the counterpart connector and tilting in an offset direction of the counterpart connector against the elastic force of the centering structure by the terminal when the counterpart connector is offset from a normal position in a direction orthogonal to the connection direction during connection of the counterpart connector.

Description

Relay electrical connector and electrical connector assembly

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a relay electrical connector for connecting mating connectors one by one from opposite sides to make the mating connectors electrically conductive with each other, and an electrical connector assembly having the relay electrical connector and the mating connector.

Background Art

For example, the above-mentioned relay electric connector and electric connector assembly are disclosed in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, the relay electric connector is connected from above by a first electric connector (counter connector) mounted on a circuit substrate, and is connected from below by a second electric connector (counter connector) mounted on another circuit substrate, thereby making the two electric connectors electrically conductive.

The first electrical connector and the second electrical connector respectively have a substrate-side coaxial terminal extending in the up-down direction and a housing for accommodating and holding the substrate-side coaxial terminal. The substrate-side coaxial terminal has a cylindrical outer conductor, an inner conductor located inside the outer conductor and capable of elastically deforming in the radial direction of the outer conductor, and an insulating portion for holding the inner conductor inside the outer conductor. The housing is formed with a conical guide surface for guiding the relay electrical connector at an end portion located on one side of the relay electrical connector in the up-down direction.

The relay electrical connector has a relay coaxial terminal extending in the up-down direction. The relay coaxial terminal has a cylindrical outer conductor, a columnar inner conductor located inside the outer conductor, and an insulating portion that holds the inner conductor over a relatively long up-down direction in the outer conductor. In the relay coaxial terminal, the inner conductor is firmly held over the up-down direction by the inner circumferential surface of the hole formed in the insulating portion, and the relay coaxial terminal does not tilt relative to the up-down direction.

When the connectors are connected, first, the second electrical connector is fitted and connected to the relay electrical connector from below, and then the first electrical connector is fitted and connected from above. As a result, the outer conductors and inner conductors of the first and second electrical connectors are connected to the outer conductors and inner conductors of the relay electrical connector, respectively, and the first and second electrical connectors are electrically connected via the relay electrical connector.

Prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-534733

Summary of the invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

In Patent Document 1, as described above, the relay coaxial terminal of the relay electrical connector is firmly held by the insulating portion in a relatively long vertical direction, and therefore, the relay coaxial terminal will not tilt relative to the vertical direction. Therefore, before the first electrical connector is connected to the relay electrical connector from above, assuming that the first electrical connector is offset from the regular position in a direction (lateral direction) perpendicular to the vertical direction due to assembly errors or the like, and the relative positions of the first electrical connector and the relay electrical connector in the lateral direction remain unchanged, the two connectors cannot be engaged and connected. Specifically, even if the upper end of the relay coaxial terminal is located within the range of the guide surface of the first connector in the lateral direction, the relay coaxial terminal will not be in an inclined posture, and therefore, the upper end of the relay coaxial terminal may abut against the above-mentioned guide surface and be deformed such as buckling.

Therefore, in the relay electrical connector, if it is assumed that the relay coaxial terminal is located at a position separated from the hole portion of the insulating portion by a gap and is maintained in an extremely narrow range in the up-down direction, so that the relay coaxial terminal can be in an inclined posture with the holding position as the center within the range of the above-mentioned gap, then it is possible to cope with the lateral displacement of the first electrical connector and the relay electrical connector. That is, when the upper end of the relay coaxial terminal abuts against the guide surface of the first electrical connector, the relay coaxial terminal is guided to the connection position connected to the first electrical connector by tilting, so that the two connectors can be fitted and connected.

However, before the first electrical connector and the relay electrical connector are about to be mated and connected, when the relay coaxial terminal is in a posture tilted in the direction opposite to the above-mentioned offset direction, the upper end of the relay coaxial terminal is sometimes located outside the range of the guide surface of the first electrical connector in the above-mentioned lateral direction. In this case, as long as the relay coaxial terminal maintains the above-mentioned tilted posture, the relay coaxial terminal cannot be guided by the guide surface, and therefore, it is necessary to perform an operation to restore the relay coaxial terminal to a non-tilted posture. In addition, in order to omit the above-mentioned operation and in order to make the upper end of the relay coaxial terminal in the tilted posture located within the range of the guide surface of the first electrical connector, it is necessary to make the range of the guide surface larger in the lateral direction, as a result, the connector as a whole becomes larger in the lateral direction.

In view of the above, the technical problem of the present invention is to provide a relay electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly that can more reliably connect the two connectors without increasing the size of the connectors even if the relative positions of the relay electrical connector and the mating connector are offset.

Technical solutions adopted to solve technical problems

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned technical problems are solved by the following relay electrical connector of the first invention and the electrical connector assembly of the second invention.

＜First Invention＞

The first invention of the relay electrical connector allows mating connectors to be connected one by one from opposite sides to make the mating connectors electrically conductive with each other. The relay electrical connector has a terminal extending in an axial direction with the connection direction with the mating connector as a connection direction and a housing for accommodating the terminal. The terminal has a contact portion and a connecting portion. The contact portion is located at both ends of the terminal in the axial direction and can respectively contact with mating terminals arranged on the corresponding mating connector. The connecting portion connects the contact portions at the two ends to each other. The contact portions at the two ends are elastically contacted with the circumferential surface of the mating terminal between the circumferential surface of the contact portion around the axis and the circumferential surface of the mating terminal. The housing is formed with a hole portion that allows the terminal to be inserted in the connection direction.

Based on the above-mentioned relay electric connector, the first invention is characterized in that the relay electric connector has a centering structure, and the centering structure elastically supports a part of the connecting portion in the axial direction, thereby generating an elastic force in a direction that makes the axis of the terminal consistent with the connection direction and in a direction that makes the position of the axis consistent with the position of the center of the hole portion in a state before the relay electric connector is connected to the other connector. In the process of connecting the other connector on one side of the relay electric connector, when the other connector deviates from the regular position in a direction at right angles to the connection direction, the contact portion of the terminal abuts against a guide surface provided on the other connector, and the terminal overcomes the elastic force of the centering structure and tilts in the deviation direction of the other connector, so that the contact portion can contact the other terminal.

In the relay electric connector described in the first invention, the terminal is supported by elastic force in the direction of a regular posture, that is, in the direction of a posture in which the axis of the terminal is consistent with the connection direction of the connectors and the position of the axis is consistent with the position of the center of the hole portion. Therefore, even if the relay electric connector and the other connector are offset in a direction at right angles to the connection direction, the contact portion of the terminal of the relay electric connector is easily located within the range of the guide surface of the other connector. In addition, during the connector connection process, the contact portion of the terminal abuts against the guide surface of the other connector, so that the terminal overcomes the elastic force of the centering structure and tilts in the offset direction of the other connector. As a result, the contact portion is easily guided by the guide surface to a position where it can contact the other terminal.

Based on the first invention, the terminal may be provided in plurality, and each of the terminals may be supported by the centering structure in a state where the terminals are independent of each other.

In the case where a plurality of terminals are provided in a state independent of each other, assuming that in an existing relay electrical connector not provided with a centering structure, before the relay electrical connector is connected to a mating connector, the plurality of terminals may be in a state in which they are tilted in different directions from each other. In this state, at least one terminal is in a state in which it is tilted in a direction different from the offset direction of the relay electrical connector and the mating connector. In the state where there are terminals in such a state, since the terminals cannot be guided by the guide surface of the mating connector, the connectors cannot be connected to each other.

In contrast, in the relay electrical connector of the present invention in which the terminal is maintained in a regular posture by the centering structure, even if the relative positions of the connectors are offset, it is easy to position the contact portion of the terminal within the range of the guide surface of the other connector, thereby facilitating the connection of the connectors.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the centering structure may be provided at a position close to one side of the relay electrical connector in the connection direction.

Before the other connector is connected to the relay electrical connector from one side, in a state where the other connector has been connected to the relay electrical connector from the other side, the terminal of the relay electrical connector is supported at a contact position with the other terminal provided on the other connector, and is also supported at a position where the centering structure is provided. Therefore, by providing the centering structure at a position close to one side of the relay electrical connector, the distance between the contact position and the position of the centering structure, i.e., the two positions supporting the terminal, becomes larger, so that the posture of the terminal can be stabilized.

Based on the first invention, the centering structure may also include an elastic member, the elastic member is provided between the housing and the connecting portion of the terminal at the position of the hole portion of the housing, and the elastic member is elastically displaced in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction to generate an elastic force for applying force to the connecting portion. By providing the elastic member in the centering structure as described above, it is not necessary to form elastic parts at the terminal and the housing.

On the basis of the first invention, the centering structure may also include a shell-side elastic portion, the shell-side elastic portion is formed on the shell, and the shell-side elastic portion is elastically displaced in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction to generate an elastic force that applies force to the connection portion. In addition, on the basis of the first invention, the centering structure may also include a terminal-side elastic portion, the terminal-side elastic portion is formed on the connection portion of the terminal, and the terminal-side elastic portion is elastically displaced in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction to generate an elastic force that applies force to the shell. By providing the shell-side elastic portion at the shell or providing the terminal-side elastic portion at the terminal as described above, there is no need to prepare an additional elastic member in the centering structure.

Based on the first invention, the relay electrical connector may also be provided with a terminal falling-off prevention structure at a position close to the other side in the connection direction of the relay electrical connector, and the terminal falling-off prevention structure prevents the terminal from falling off from the housing toward one side by engaging the housing and the terminal with each other in the connection direction.

When the relay electrical connector is connected to two other connectors, in the case where one of the other connectors is pulled out, as described in the present invention, by providing a terminal drop-off prevention structure in the relay electrical connector, the terminal is prevented from falling out of the housing to one side, so that when one of the other connectors is pulled, the other connector on one side is inevitably detached from the relay electrical connector, while the other connector on the other side is not detached from the relay electrical connector. As a result, it is possible to avoid the unpredictable situation that the other connector that is not intended to be pulled out is detached.

＜Second invention＞

The electrical connector assembly of the second invention is characterized in that it includes: the relay electrical connector described in the first invention; and a mating connector, wherein the mating connector is connected to the relay electrical connector one by one from opposite sides along the connection direction, the mating connector has a mating terminal capable of contacting the contact portion of the terminal of the relay electrical connector and a mating shell for accommodating the mating terminal, the mating terminal has a mating contact portion extending with the connection direction as an axial direction, the mating contact portion elastically contacts the circumferential surface of the terminal between the circumferential surface of the mating contact portion around the axis and the circumferential surface of the contact portion of the terminal around the axis, and the mating shell has a guide surface for guiding the contact portion of the terminal to a contact position where it contacts the mating contact portion of the mating terminal.

In the second invention, as in the first invention, since the terminal of the relay electrical connector is elastically supported by the centering structure, even if the relay electrical connector and the counterpart connector are offset in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the connectors are connected to each other, during the connector connection process, the contact portion of the terminal abuts against the guide surface of the counterpart housing of the counterpart connector, so that the terminal overcomes the elastic force of the centering structure and tilts in the offset direction of the counterpart connector. As a result, the contact portion is easily guided by the guide surface to a position where it can contact the counterpart contact portion of the counterpart terminal.

Effects of the Invention

As described above, in the present invention, since the terminal of the relay electrical connector is elastically supported by the centering structure in a manner that it is always in a normal posture (non-tilted posture), even if the relative position of the relay electrical connector and the counterpart connector is offset, the contact portion of the terminal of the relay electrical connector is easily located within the range of the guide surface of the counterpart connector. Therefore, during the connector connection process, the contact portion of the terminal is brought into contact with the guide surface of the counterpart connector to tilt the terminal in the offset direction of the counterpart connector, thereby bringing the contact portion to a position where it can contact the counterpart terminal, and the two connectors can be easily connected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

1 is a perspective view showing a state before the electrical relay connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention is connected to two mating connectors.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lower side mating connector is connected to the relay electrical connector of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the relay electrical connector of FIG. 1 in a state where the terminal is separated from the housing.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the connection action of the upper counterpart connector toward the relay electrical connector, wherein Fig. 4 (A) shows the state before connection, Fig. 4 (B) shows the state in the connection process, and Fig. 4 (C) shows the state after connection.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing a non-tilted state of the terminal in the centering structure of the second embodiment, Figure 5 (A) is a three-dimensional diagram showing the terminal and the elastic portion on the shell side, and Figure 5 (B) is a cross-sectional view of the position of the supporting protrusion of the elastic portion on the shell side in the up and down directions of (A).

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the state of the terminal in the centering structure of Figure 5 when it is tilted, Figure 6 (A) is a three-dimensional diagram showing the terminal and the elastic part on the shell side, and Figure 6 (B) is a cross-sectional view of the position of the supporting protrusion of the elastic part on the shell side in the up and down directions of (A).

Explanation of symbols

1 relay connector;

2 other connector;

3. The other party connector;

10 terminals;

11, 12 contact parts;

13 connecting part;

23A is the fixed part;

50 shells;

54A-1 hole;

54A-3A locking part;

57 housing side elastic portion;

60 elastic member;

70 other terminal;

71 other party contact part;

110 other party's shell;

115 guiding surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

<First embodiment>

(Relay Connector)

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state before the relay electrical connector 2 of the first embodiment is connected to two mating connectors. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lower mating connector is connected to the relay electrical connector of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the relay electrical connector of FIG. 1 is separated from a housing by a terminal. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection operation of the upper mating connector toward the relay electrical connector, FIG. 4 (A) showing a state before connection, FIG. 4 (B) showing a state in the process of connection, and FIG. 4 (C) showing a state after connection.

The relay electrical connector 1 of the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "relay connector 1") is an electrical connector for connecting the mating connectors 2 and 3 from opposite sides in the connector connection direction, that is, the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) and for electrically connecting the mating connectors 2 and 3. Specifically, the mating connector 2 is connected from one side, that is, the upper side (Z1 side), and the mating connector 3 is connected from the other side, that is, the lower side (Z2 side) with respect to the relay connector 1.

The counterpart connector 2 is an electric connector for a circuit substrate mounted on a circuit substrate B2 (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 ), and the counterpart connector 3 is an electric connector for a circuit substrate mounted on a circuit substrate B3 (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 ). The counterpart connectors 2 and 3 are connected to the relay connector 1 in a state where the mounting surfaces of the circuit substrates B2 and B3 shown in FIG. 1 face each other in the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, the structures of the counterpart connector 2 and the counterpart connector 3 are completely the same.

The relay connector 1 includes a plurality of terminals 10 extending in the connector connection direction (vertical direction) as an axial direction, a housing 50 for accommodating the terminals 10 , and an elastic member 60 disposed between the terminals 10 and the housing 50 (see FIG. 4A ).

In the present embodiment, four terminals 10 are provided as shown in FIG. 1 , and are arranged in two rows in the X-axis direction and in two rows in the Y-axis direction. In addition, in the present embodiment, as required, regarding the terminal 10, the upper end side portion connected to the later-described counterpart terminal 70 provided in the counterpart connector 2 is referred to as the "upper contact portion 11", the lower end side portion connected to the later-described counterpart terminal 70 provided in the counterpart connector 3 is referred to as the "lower contact portion 12", and the middle portion in the vertical direction connecting the above-mentioned upper contact portion 11 and the lower contact portion 12 is referred to as the "connection portion 13" (refer to FIG. 3 ).

The terminal 10 is a so-called coaxial terminal. As shown in (A) of Figure 4, the terminal 10 has: a metal outer conductor 20, which is configured to be approximately cylindrical and extends in the up-down direction; a metal center conductor 30, which is located at the center of the outer conductor 20 in the radial direction and extends in the up-down direction; and an insulator 40 made of an electrically insulating material, which is located in the outer conductor 20 between the outer conductor 20 and the center conductor 30.

The external conductor 20 includes: external contact portions 21, 22 (hereinafter referred to as "upper external contact portion 21" and "lower external contact portion 22"), which are located at both ends in the upper and lower directions and can respectively contact with the counterpart terminals 70 provided in the corresponding counterpart connectors 2, 3; and an external connecting portion 23, which connects the external contact portions 21, 22 to each other. The upper external contact portion 21, the lower external contact portion 22, and the external connecting portion 23 are respectively included in the upper contact portion 11, the lower contact portion 12, and the connecting portion 13 of the terminal 10.

As shown in FIG3 , at the upper end side portion of the outer conductor 20, a plurality of upper outer contact portions 21 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the upper contact portion 11. Each upper outer contact portion 21 is configured as a cantilever beam-shaped elastic piece with a free end at the upper end, and can be elastically deformed in the radial direction of the upper contact portion 11, and can be elastically contacted with the later-described counterpart terminal 70 of the counterpart connector 2. At the upper end (free end) of the upper outer contact portion 21, an upper contact protrusion 21A for contacting the counterpart terminal 70 is formed to protrude outward in the radial direction.

The lower end portion of the outer conductor 20 is formed by turning the upper end portion upside down, and a plurality of lower outer contact portions 22 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the lower contact portion 12. The lower outer contact portion 22 elastically contacts with the mating terminal 70 provided on the mating connector 3 via the lower contact protrusion 22A formed at the lower end (free end) thereof.

The outer connection portion 23 of the outer conductor 20 is approximately cylindrical and extends in the vertical direction, thereby connecting the lower end of the upper outer contact portion 21 and the upper end of the lower outer contact portion 22. The outer connection portion 23 has a locked portion 23A at a position close to the lower outer contact portion 22 in the vertical direction, and the locked portion 23A extends outward along the radial direction of the connection portion 13 over the entire circumference of the connection portion 13. The locked portion 23A is located at a position that can be locked with the later-described locking portion 54A-3A of the housing 50 from below (refer to (A) of FIG. 4). The locked portion 23A and the locking portion 54A-3A together constitute a terminal fall-off prevention structure for preventing the terminal 10 from accidentally falling off from the housing 50 when the other connector 2 is pulled out.

The center conductor 30 has: inner contact portions 31, 32 (hereinafter referred to as "upper inner contact portion 31" and "lower inner contact portion 32"), which are located at both ends in the vertical direction and can respectively contact with the counterpart terminals 70 provided in the corresponding counterpart connectors 2, 3; and an inner connecting portion 33, which connects the inner contact portions 31, 32 to each other. The center conductor 30 is configured to be symmetrical in the vertical direction relative to the central position in the vertical direction. The upper inner contact portion 31, the lower inner contact portion 32, and the inner connecting portion 33 are respectively included in the upper contact portion 11, the lower contact portion 12, and the connecting portion 13 of the terminal 10.

As shown in Fig. 4A, the inner contact portions 31 and 32 are pin-shaped and are located in substantially the same range in the vertical direction as the outer contact portions 21 and 22 of the outer conductor 20. The inner connecting portion 33 is formed thicker than the inner contact portions 31 and 32 and is located in substantially the same range in the vertical direction as the outer connecting portion 23 of the outer conductor 20.

The insulator 40 is made of an electrically insulating material such as resin, and is integrally molded with the outer conductor 20 and the center conductor 30 to hold the outer conductor 20 and the center conductor 30. As shown in FIG. 4(A) , the insulator 40 extends in the vertical direction over almost the entire area of the terminal 10, and is configured to be vertically symmetrical with respect to the center position in the vertical direction.

An upper cylindrical portion 41 is formed at the upper end portion of the insulator 40. The upper cylindrical portion 41 is located in substantially the same range as the upper outer contact portion 21 of the outer conductor 20 in the vertical direction and is open upward. When the connectors are connected to each other, the upper cylindrical portion 41 enters the later-described counterpart outer contact portion 81 of the counterpart terminal 70 of the counterpart connector 2 from below and receives the later-described counterpart inner contact portion 91 and the central cylindrical portion 102 of the counterpart terminal 70 from above. A lower cylindrical portion 42 having a shape obtained by turning the upper cylindrical portion 41 upside down is formed at the lower end portion of the insulator 40. The lower cylindrical portion 42 receives the counterpart terminal 70 of the counterpart connector 3 from below.

An intermediate portion 43 is formed in a manner that contacts the inner circumference of the outer connecting portion 23 of the outer conductor 20 and the outer circumference of the inner connecting portion 33 of the center conductor 30, and the intermediate portion 43 holds the outer conductor 20 and the center conductor 30 by integral molding, wherein the intermediate portion 43 is the middle portion of the insulator 40 in the up-down direction, and extends in the up-down direction in a range substantially the same as that of the inner connecting portion 33 of the center conductor 30.

The upper cylindrical portion 41 , the lower cylindrical portion 42 , and the intermediate portion 43 are included in the upper contact portion 11 , the lower contact portion 12 , and the connecting portion 13 of the terminal 10 , respectively.

The terminal 10 having the above structure is manufactured in the following manner: when the center conductor 30 is arranged at the center position in the radial direction of the outer conductor 20, a molten electrical insulating material is injected into the outer conductor 20 and then solidified to form the insulator 40, and the outer conductor 20 and the center conductor 30 are held by the insulator 40 through an integral molding method.

The housing 50 is made by molding an electrically insulating material such as resin, and as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the housing 50 is formed into an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the vertical direction. The housing 50 has an approximately square cylindrical peripheral wall 51 extending in the vertical direction, and an intermediate wall 54 that divides the space in the peripheral wall 51 in the middle position in the vertical direction (refer to FIG. 4 (A)). An upper receiving portion 55 for receiving the other connector 2 is formed in the peripheral wall 51 at a position above the intermediate wall 54 and is open to the upper side, and a lower receiving portion 56 for receiving the other connector 3 is formed in the peripheral wall 51 at a position below the intermediate wall 54 and is open to the lower side.

The peripheral wall 51 includes an upper peripheral wall 52 formed in a substantially upper half and a lower peripheral wall 53 formed in a substantially lower half. The lower peripheral wall 53 is formed smaller in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction than the upper peripheral wall 52, and as a result, a step portion is formed at a boundary position in the vertical direction between the upper peripheral wall 52 and the lower peripheral wall 53. In addition, the lower receiving portion 56 is formed smaller in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction than the upper receiving portion 55.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , an upper guide column 52A is formed on the upper peripheral wall 52. The upper guide column 52A protrudes from the inner side surface of the wall portion located on the X2 side of the two wall portions located on both sides in the X-axis direction, and the upper guide column 52A extends in the up-down direction. When the counterpart connector 2 is connected from above, the upper guide column 52A enters from below into the guide groove 112 formed in the counterpart connector 2, thereby guiding the counterpart connector 2 to the proper connection position. Similar to the upper peripheral wall 52, a lower guide protrusion (not shown) is formed on the lower peripheral wall 53. The lower guide protrusion protrudes from the inner side surface of the wall portion located on the X2 side of the two wall portions located on both sides in the X-axis direction. During the connector connection process, the lower guide protrusion enters from above into the guide groove 112 of the counterpart connector 3, and guides the counterpart connector 3 through the lower guide protrusion.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , locking arm portions 53A are formed at two wall portions at both ends of the lower peripheral wall 53 in the Y-axis direction, respectively. The locking arm portion 53A is configured as a cantilever beam extending downward at the central position of the above-mentioned wall portion in the X-axis direction, and can be elastically displaced in the Y-axis direction. FIGS. 1 to 3 show the locking arm portion 53A formed on the wall portion located on the Y2 side of the above-mentioned two wall portions. The locking arm portion 53A extends to the lower end position of the lower peripheral wall 53, and a locking claw portion is formed at the lower end of the locking arm portion 53A, which protrudes inwardly along the Y-axis direction, that is, toward the lower receiving portion 56. When the connector is connected, the locking arm portion 53A is locked to the locking notch portion 113 formed in the other connector 3 by the above-mentioned locking claw portion, thereby preventing the relay connector 1 and the other connector 3 from accidentally falling off.

The intermediate wall 54 is formed with a hole 54A (see FIG. 4A) at a position corresponding to each terminal 10 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction and allow the terminal 10 to be inserted from below. The shape of the cross section (cross section parallel to the X-Y plane) of the hole 54A at right angles to the vertical direction is circular, and as shown in FIG. 4A, the inner diameter of the hole 54A is larger than the outer diameter of the outer conductor 20 of the terminal 10 in the entire region in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 4A, the hole 54A includes an upper hole 54A-1 located on the upper end side, a lower hole 54A-2 located on the lower end side, and an intermediate hole 54A-3 located between the upper hole 54A-1 and the lower hole 54A-2 in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the inner diameter increases in the order of the lower hole 54A-2, the upper hole 54A-1, and the intermediate hole 54A-3.

As shown in FIG4 (A), when the hole 54A is inserted with the terminal 10, the middle portion of the terminal 10, i.e., the connecting portion 13 (see FIG3), is accommodated in the hole 54A. In addition, in this state, the upper contact portion 11 (see FIG3) of each terminal 10 is located in the upper receiving portion 55, and the lower contact portion 12 (see FIG3) of each terminal 10 is located in the lower receiving portion 56.

In addition, the elastic member 60 is accommodated in the upper hole portion 54A-1, and the locked portion 23A of the external conductor 20 formed on the terminal 10 is accommodated in the lower hole portion 54A-2. In addition, a locking portion 54A-3A extending radially inward is formed from the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the intermediate hole portion 54A-3 over the entire circumference of the intermediate hole portion 54A-3. The locking portion 54A-3A faces the above-mentioned locked portion 23A accommodated in the lower hole portion 54A-2 from above and is located at a position where it can be locked with the locked portion 23A, thereby preventing the terminal 10 from accidentally falling off from the housing 50 upward.

The elastic member 60 is an annular member made of an electrically insulating material such as resin or rubber and capable of elastically displacing in the radial direction. The outer peripheral surface of the elastic member 60 at the middle position in the vertical direction is recessed and the inner peripheral surface protrudes inward in the radial direction. As described later, the portion having the protruding inner peripheral surface is formed as a support portion 61, and the support portion 61 applies force to the outer peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23 that constitutes a part of the connecting portion 13 of the outer conductor 20 of the terminal 10 toward the inner side in the radial direction to elastically support it.

The maximum outer diameter of the elastic member 60 is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the upper end hole portion 54A-1. In addition, the inner diameter of the above-mentioned support portion 61 of the elastic member 60 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the above-mentioned outer connecting portion 23. Therefore, in a state where the elastic member 60 located in the upper end hole portion 54A-1 is inserted with the terminal 10, the elastic member 60 applies force to the inner peripheral surface of the upper end hole portion 54A-1 along the above-mentioned radial direction through its outer peripheral surface, so that the elastic member 60 is subjected to its reaction force and is maintained in the upper end hole portion 54A-1 in a compressed state in the above-mentioned radial direction. In addition, the elastic member 60 applies force to the outer peripheral surface of the above-mentioned outer connecting portion 23 through the inner peripheral surface of the above-mentioned support portion 61, and elastically supports the outer peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23, as a result, the terminal 10 is maintained in the housing 50.

The elastic member 60 elastically supports a portion of the outer connecting portion 23 in the axial direction of the terminal 10, thereby generating an elastic force in a direction that makes the axis of the terminal 10 coincide with the connection direction (Z-axis direction) of the connectors and in a direction that makes the position of the axis coincide with the position of the center of the hole portion before connecting with the other connector 2. Hereinafter, the action of applying the elastic force to the terminal 10 is referred to as "centering". In the present embodiment, a centering structure for centering the terminal 10 is formed by the elastic member 60 and a portion of the outer connecting portion 23 of the terminal 10 supported by the elastic member 60. The plurality of terminals 10 provided in the relay connector 1 are supported by the centering structure in a mutually independent state.

(Mating connector)

As described above, the counterpart connector 2 and the counterpart connector 3 have completely the same structure, and therefore, here, the structure of the counterpart connector 2 is described, and with respect to the structure of the counterpart connector 3, the parts corresponding to the parts of the counterpart connector 2 are marked with the same symbols as those of the counterpart connector 2, and the description thereof is omitted. Among them, the parts on the front side in the connection direction (the lower side (Z2 side) in FIGS. 1 to 4) of the counterpart connector 2 are also described with reference to the parts on the front side in the connection direction (the upper side (Z1 side) in FIGS. 1 to 4) of the counterpart connector 3 shown in FIG. 1.

The counterpart connector 2 includes a counterpart terminal 70 that can contact the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1, and a counterpart housing 110 made of an electrically insulating material that accommodates the counterpart terminal 70. The counterpart terminal 70 is a so-called coaxial terminal, and as shown in FIG4 (A), the counterpart terminal 70 includes: a metal outer conductor 80 that extends in the vertical direction and is configured to be approximately cylindrical; a metal center conductor 90 that is located at the center in the radial direction of the counterpart terminal 70 and extends in the vertical direction; and an insulator 100 made of an electrically insulating material that is located between the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90 and holds the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90.

In the present embodiment, the counterpart terminals 70 are provided with the same number (four) as the number of the terminals 10 of the relay connector 1 as shown in FIG. 1 , and are arranged in two rows in the X-axis direction and in two rows in the Y-axis direction. In addition, in the present embodiment, as required, the lower end side portion of the counterpart terminal 70 connected to the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is referred to as the "counterpart contact portion 71" (refer to FIG. 4 (A)).

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the outer conductor 80 has a counterpart external contact portion 81 for contacting the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 on the lower end side (Z2 side), and has a plurality of (four in this embodiment) external connection portions 82 for connecting to the circuit board on the upper end side (Z1 side). The counterpart external contact portion 81 is configured as a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as the axial direction, and contacts the upper side external contact portion 21 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 through its inner circumferential surface (refer to FIG. 4(C)). The plurality of external connection portions 82 extend straightly in the vertical direction at positions that are equally spaced along the circumferential direction of the outer conductor 80. The external connection portion 82 extends to a position above the upper surface (bottom surface) of the counterpart housing 110 (also refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3), and is inserted into a hole-shaped mounting portion (not shown) formed on the circuit board B2 and connected to the mounting portion by welding.

As shown in FIG. 4A , the center conductor 90 has a counterpart inner contact portion 91 for contacting the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 at the lower end side ( Z2 side), and has an inner connection portion 92 for connecting to the circuit board at the upper end side ( Z1 side).

The counterpart inner contact portion 91 is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape that opens downward, and receives the upper inner contact portion 31 of the relay connector 1. Slits extending in the up-down direction are formed at multiple positions in the circumferential direction of the counterpart inner contact portion 91, and each thin strip formed between the slits is bent radially inward at a position close to the lower end to form a contact protrusion. The thin strip can be elastically displaced in the radial direction, and elastically contact with the outer peripheral surface of the upper inner contact portion 31 of the relay connector 1 through the contact protrusion. The inner connection portion 92 extends to a position above the upper surface (bottom surface) of the counterpart housing 110 (also refer to FIGS. 1 to 3), and is welded to a hole-shaped mounting portion (not shown) formed on the circuit substrate B2 in a state where it is inserted through the mounting portion.

The insulator 100 is made of an electrical insulating material such as resin, and is integrally molded with the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90 to hold the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90. The insulator 100 includes a holding portion 101, which is configured as a substantially cylindrical shape having substantially the same radius as the outer conductor 80, and holds the middle portions of the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90 in the vertical direction, and a central cylindrical portion 102, which is configured as a substantially cylindrical shape extending downward from the holding portion 101 at the central position in the radial direction of the holding portion 101, and accommodates the opposite inner contact portion 91 of the center conductor 90. The lower end of the central cylindrical portion 102 is open, and allows the upper inner contact portion 31 of the center conductor 30 of the relay connector 1 to enter.

The counterpart terminal 70 having the above-mentioned structure is manufactured in the following manner: with the center conductor 90 arranged at the center position in the radial direction of the outer conductor 80, a molten electrical insulating material is injected into the outer conductor 80 and then solidified to form the insulator 100, and the outer conductor 80 and the center conductor 90 are held by the insulator 100 through integral molding.

The counterpart housing 110 is made by molding an electrical insulating material such as resin, and is formed to have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , at the bottom (upper portion in FIGS. 1 to 4 ) of the counterpart housing 110 , the bottom surface is recessed in the area excluding the peripheral portion, thereby forming a bottom recess 111. The vertical dimension (depth dimension) of the bottom recess 111 is substantially equal to the vertical dimension of the retaining portion 101 of the insulator 100 of the counterpart terminal 70.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , a guide groove 112 is formed in the counterpart housing 110. The guide groove 112 is recessed from the outer surface on the X2 side of the outer peripheral surface parallel to the vertical direction and extends in the vertical direction over the entire area of the counterpart housing 110. During the connection process between the relay connector 1 and the counterpart connector 2, the guide groove 112 allows the relay connector 1 to enter from below the upper guide column 52A, thereby guiding the counterpart connector 2 to a proper connection position.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, two wall portions extending in the X-axis direction of the peripheral wall forming the bottom recess 111 are respectively formed with locking notch portions 113, which are cut at the center position of the wall portion in the X-axis direction. The locking notch portions 113 are not used in the counterpart connector 2 connected from above to the relay connector 1, but for the counterpart connector 3 connected from below to the relay connector 1, in the connector connection state, the locking notch portions 113 are locked with the locking claw portions of the locking arm portions 53A of the relay connector 1, thereby preventing the relay connector 1 and the counterpart connector 3 from accidentally falling off.

A plurality of holes 114 are arranged and formed in the counterpart housing 110, and the plurality of holes 114 are used to receive and hold the counterpart contact portion 71 of the counterpart terminal 70. In the present embodiment, a total of four holes 114 are formed in two rows along the X-axis direction and two rows along the Y-axis direction to penetrate the counterpart housing 110 in the vertical direction. The cross section of each hole 114 in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction is circular, and the size of the inner diameter thereof is the same as or slightly smaller than the size of the outer diameter of the counterpart external contact portion 81 of the external conductor 80.

As shown in FIG4 (A), a tapered guide surface 115 is formed on the lower surface of the counterpart housing 110 located in the front of the connection direction, and the guide surface 115 is inclined radially inward, that is, toward the hole 114 as it moves upward around the lower end opening of each hole 114 (refer to the guide surface 115 of the counterpart connector 3 in FIG1 for the shape of the guide surface 115). As described later, during the connector connection process, the guide surface 115 slides in contact with the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 and guides the upper contact portion 11 to the hole 114. In other words, the guide surface 115 guides the upper contact portion 11 to the counterpart contact portion 71 of the counterpart terminal 70 accommodated in the hole 114.

The mating connector 2 having the above-described structure is assembled by press-fitting the mating contact portion 71 of the mating terminal 70 into the hole portion 114 of the mating housing 110 from the bottom side (the upper side in FIGS. 1 to 4 ).

(Connector connection action)

First, the external connection portion 82 and the internal connection portion 92 of the counterpart terminal 70 of the counterpart connector 2, 3 are soldered to the corresponding circuit portion of the corresponding circuit substrate B2, B3, thereby mounting the counterpart connector 2, 3 on the circuit substrate B2, B3.

Next, the mating connector 3 mounted on the circuit board B3 is set to a posture where the mating contact portions 71 of the mating terminals 70 face upward (see FIG. 1 ), and the relay connector 1 is positioned above the mating connector 3 , and then the relay connector 1 is lowered.

Before the connector connection is about to begin, when the lower contact portion 12 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 (refer to Figure 3) is located directly above the counterpart contact portion 71 of the counterpart terminal 70 of the counterpart connector 3, that is, when the lower contact portion 12 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is not offset in the lateral direction, i.e., in the direction parallel to the X-Y plane, relative to the counterpart contact portion 71, the above-mentioned lower contact portion 12 is inserted into the counterpart contact portion 71 of the counterpart connector 3 without being guided by the guide surface 115 of the counterpart connector 3.

As a result, the lower contact protrusion 22A (see FIG. 3 ) of the lower outer contact portion 22 of the lower contact portion 12 contacts the inner peripheral surface of the mating outer contact portion 81 of the mating contact portion 71, so that the lower outer contact portion 22 is elastically displaced inward in the radial direction of the lower contact portion 12. Then, when the connectors are connected to each other, the lower outer contact portion 22 contacts the inner peripheral surface of the mating outer contact portion 81 with contact pressure through the lower contact protrusion 22A while maintaining the elastically displaced state. As a result, the outer conductor 20 of the terminal 10 and the outer conductor 80 of the mating terminal 70 are electrically connected.

Furthermore, the lower inner contact portion 32 of the lower contact portion 12 enters the mating inner contact portion 91 of the mating contact portion 71 from above and contacts the contact protrusions of the thin strips formed on the mating inner contact portion 91, so that the thin strips are elastically displaced outward in the radial direction of the mating contact portion 71. Furthermore, when the connectors are connected to each other, the lower inner contact portion 32 contacts the contact protrusions of the mating inner contact portion 91 with contact pressure while maintaining the elastically displaced state of the thin strips of the mating inner contact portion 91, so that the central conductor 30 of the terminal 10 and the central conductor 90 of the mating terminal 70 are electrically connected.

On the other hand, immediately before the connector connection is started, when the lower contact portion 12 of the relay connector 1 is offset in the lateral direction relative to the mating contact portion 71 of the mating connector 3 and is located directly above the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 3, as the relay connector 1 descends, the lower contact portion 12 slides in contact with the guide surface 115 and moves radially inward of the mating contact portion 71. Then, after the lower contact portion 12 is guided to the position of the mating contact portion 71, it contacts the mating contact portion 71 according to the above-mentioned method, so that the terminal 10 and the mating terminal 70 are electrically connected.

Furthermore, during the connector connection process, the upper guide column portion 52A of the relay connector 1 enters the guide groove portion 112 of the counterpart connector 3 from above, and the lateral displacement of the relay connector 1 relative to the counterpart connector 3 is restricted. Furthermore, the locking claw portions of the pair of locking arm portions 53A provided on the relay connector 1 abut against the outer surface of the counterpart housing 110, thereby elastically displacing in a manner away from each other in the Y-axis direction. Then, if the relay connector 1 moves downward in this manner so that the above-mentioned locking claw portions reach the position of the locking notch portion 113 of the counterpart housing 110, the above-mentioned pair of locking arm portions 53A return to the free state, and the locking claw portions enter the locking notch portion 113. As a result, in the connector connection state, the locking claw portions are located at a position where they can be locked to the locking notch portion 113, and the relay connector 1 and the counterpart connector 3 are prevented from accidentally falling off.

In this way, the terminal 10 is electrically connected to the mating terminal 70, and the locking claw portion is located at a position where it can be locked with the locking notch portion 113, thereby completing the connection between the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 3. In addition, at this time, as shown in (A) to (C) of Figure 4, the mating connector 3 except the outer connecting portion 82 and the inner connecting portion 92 of the mating terminal 70 is accommodated in the lower receiving portion 56 of the housing 50.

In the state where the connection between the relay connector 1 and the mating connector 3 is completed, the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is supported at the contact position with the mating contact portion 71 of the mating terminal 70 of the mating connector 3, and is also supported at the position where the centering structure is provided. In the present embodiment, the elastic member 60, more specifically, the centering structure is provided at a position close to the upper end side of the relay connector 1, so that the distance between the contact position and the position of the centering structure, that is, the distance between the two positions supporting the terminal 10 becomes larger, and the posture of the terminal 10 becomes stable easily.

Next, the counterpart connector 2 is set to be vertically symmetrical with the counterpart connector 3 so that the counterpart connector 2 is located above the relay connector 1, and then the counterpart connector 2 is moved downward. Immediately before the connector connection starts, when the counterpart contact portion 71 of the counterpart terminal 70 of the counterpart connector 2 is located directly above the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 and is not offset in the lateral direction relative to the upper contact portion 11, and the upper contact portion 11 is not guided by the guide surface 115 of the counterpart connector 2, the relay connector 1 and the counterpart connector 2 are connected in the same manner as the above-mentioned manner for the relay connector 1 and the counterpart connector 3.

In addition, immediately before the connector connection is started, as shown in FIG4(A), the mating contact portion 71 of the mating connector 2 is offset in the lateral direction (in the example of FIG4(A) in the Y2 direction) relative to the upper contact portion 11 of the relay connector 1 so that the upper contact portion 11 is located directly below the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 2, and the connectors are connected in the following manner. In FIG4(A), the right end portion (the end portion on the Y1 side) of the upper contact portion 11 of the relay connector 1 is located within the range of the guide surface 115 of the mating connector 2 in the Y-axis direction.

First, the counterpart connector 2 is lowered straightly while maintaining the above-mentioned lateral displacement (refer to (B) of FIG. 4 ). As a result, the right end of the upper contact portion 11 of the relay connector 1 abuts against the guide surface 115 of the counterpart connector 2. In addition, when the counterpart connector 2 is lowered straightly, under the action of the abutment force of the guide surface 115 and the upper contact portion 11, the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 overcomes the elastic force of the centering structure, in other words, overcomes the elastic force of the elastic member 60 and tilts in the displacement direction (Y2 direction) of the counterpart connector 2 (refer to (C) of FIG. 4 ). At this time, the portion of the elastic member 60 located on the inclined side (Y2 side) of the terminal 10 is compressed in the radial direction. Then, as the counterpart connector 2 further descends, the upper contact portion 11 slides in contact with the guide surface 115 and is easily guided to the position of the counterpart contact portion 71 of the counterpart connector 2. As a result, as shown in FIG4 (C), while maintaining the tilted posture of the terminal 10, the upper contact portion 11 contacts the other contact portion 71 to make the two electrically conductive, thereby completing the connector connection operation. In addition, at this time, as shown in FIG4 (C), the other connector 2 except the outer connecting portion 82 and the inner connecting portion 92 of the other terminal 70 is accommodated in the upper receiving portion 55 of the housing 50.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is centered by the centering structure, so that it is always supported by elastic force in the direction of the normal posture, that is, in the direction of the posture in which the axis of the terminal 10 is consistent with the connection direction (Z-axis direction) between the connectors and the position of the axis is consistent with the position of the center of the hole 54A. Therefore, even if the relative position of the relay connector 1 and the counterpart connector 2 is offset in the lateral direction at right angles to the above-mentioned connection direction (Z-axis direction), the upper contact portion 11 of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is easily located within the range of the guide surface 115 of the counterpart connector 2. As a result, the upper contact portion 11 is easily guided by the above-mentioned guide surface 115 to a position where it can contact the counterpart contact portion 71.

Furthermore, when the other connectors 2 and 3 are connected to the relay connector 1 to form an electric connector assembly, when the other connectors 2 and 3 are pulled out from the relay connector 1, it is preferred that the other connector 3 be pulled out after the other connector 2 is pulled out. In the present embodiment, since the relay connector 1 is provided with the aforementioned terminal fall-off prevention structure, when the other connector 2 is pulled upward to pull out the other connector 2, the locked portion 23A of the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 is locked to the locking portion 54A-3A of the housing 50 from below, so that the other connector 2 is definitely detached from the relay connector 1 and the other connector 3 is not detached from the relay connector 1. As a result, it is possible to avoid the unpredictable situation that the other connector 3 that is not intended to be pulled out is detached. In addition, by the locking of the above-mentioned locked portion 23A and the above-mentioned locking portion 54A-3A, it is also possible to prevent the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 from being pulled upward by the other connector 2.

<Second embodiment>

In the first embodiment, in the centering structure of the relay connector 1, an elastic member 60 is provided between the terminal 10 and the housing 50, and the terminal 10 is centered by the force of the elastic member 60. However, the difference from the first embodiment is that in the second embodiment, no elastic member is provided in the centering structure, but a shell side elastic portion 57 for applying force to the terminal 10 is formed in the housing 50 itself, and the terminal 10 is centered by the force thereof.

The structure of the relay connector 1 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the relay connector 1 of the first embodiment, except that no elastic member is provided and that the housing side elastic portion 57 is provided on the housing 50. In addition, the structures of the counterpart connectors 2 and 3 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the connectors 2 and 3 of the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the parts of the relay connector 1 and the counterpart connectors 2 and 3 that are common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted, and the description is mainly focused on the different parts.

Fig. 5 (A) and (B) are diagrams showing a state where the terminal 10 is not tilted in the centering structure of the present embodiment, Fig. 5 (A) is a stereoscopic diagram showing the terminal 10 and the shell-side elastic portion 57, and Fig. 5 (B) is a cross-sectional view at the position of the support protrusion 57A of the shell-side elastic portion 57 in the vertical direction. In addition, Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a state where the terminal 10 is tilted in the centering structure of Fig. 5 (A) and (B), Fig. 6 (A) is a stereoscopic diagram showing the terminal 10 and the shell-side elastic portion 57, and Fig. 6 (B) is a cross-sectional view at the position of the support protrusion 57A of the shell-side elastic portion 57 in the vertical direction in (A). Fig. 5 (B) and Fig. 6 (B) show a cross-section of the centering structure in a plane (X-Y plane) at right angles to the vertical direction as viewed from below.

In the present embodiment, the housing 50 of the relay connector 1 has a plurality of housing-side elastic parts 57 extending upward along the outer peripheral surface of the terminal 10 at the upper end side of the relay connector 1. A plurality of housing-side elastic parts 57 (four in the present embodiment) are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer connecting part 23 of the terminal 10, and the housing-side elastic parts 57 are configured as a cantilever beam with the upper end as a free end, and can be elastically deformed in the radial direction of the outer connecting part 23. A support protrusion 57A (also refer to FIG. 6 (A)) protruding inward in the above-mentioned radial direction is formed at the upper end of the housing-side elastic part 57, and the protruding top surface of the support protrusion 57A is in surface contact with the outer peripheral surface of the above-mentioned outer connecting part 23 of the terminal 10. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 (A) and (B), the protruding top surfaces of the support protrusions 57A of all the housing-side elastic parts 57 apply force to the outer connecting part 23 of the terminal 10 inward in the above-mentioned radial direction, thereby elastically supporting and centering the terminal 10.

In the present embodiment, when viewed in the vertical direction, the diameter of the circle including the positions of the protruding top surfaces of all the support protrusions 57A is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer connecting portion 23. Therefore, when the terminal 10 is centered and extends straight in the vertical direction, all the shell-side elastic portions 57 are elastically displaced slightly outward in the above-mentioned radial direction, and the restoring force is used to apply force to the outer connecting portion 23 of the terminal 10 through the support protrusions 57A.

The same point as the first embodiment is that in this embodiment, before the counterpart connector 2 and the relay connector 1 are about to be connected, when the relative positions of the two connectors are offset laterally, the terminal 10 of the relay connector 1 overcomes the elastic force in the centering structure and tilts in the offset direction of the counterpart connector 2.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the terminal 10 is tilted in the above-mentioned offset direction (Y2 side), as shown in (A) and (B) of FIG. 6 , the terminal 10 elastically displaces the shell side elastic portion 57 located in the above-mentioned offset direction, i.e., the two shell side elastic portions 57 located on the Y2 side in (A) of FIG. 6 toward the outside in the above-mentioned radial direction, so that the elastic displacement amount of the two shell side elastic portions 57 increases. At this time, the other two shell side elastic portions 57, i.e., the two shell side elastic portions 57 located on the Y1 side in (A) and (B) of FIG. 6 return to a free state. In addition, as shown in (A) and (B) of FIG. 6 , a gap is formed between the outer connecting portion 23 of the tilted terminal 10 and the two shell side elastic portions 57.

In the present embodiment, in the centering structure of the relay connector 1 , since the housing-side elastic portion 57 for centering the terminal 10 is formed as a part of the housing 50 , there is no need to separately prepare an elastic member for centering.

In the present embodiment, in the centering structure, a shell-side elastic portion is formed on the shell, but, as an alternative, a terminal-side elastic portion that applies force to the shell to generate an elastic force may also be formed on the terminal. For example, the terminal-side elastic portion can be formed as an elastic sheet that extends in the up-down direction or the circumferential direction at multiple positions on the circumference of the terminal and can be elastically deformed in the radial direction of the terminal. The elastic sheet can also be formed into a cantilever beam shape by, for example, cutting up the outer conductor of the connecting portion of the terminal. When the above-mentioned terminal-side elastic portion is provided on the terminal, the terminal-side elastic portion of the terminal applies force to the inner circumferential surface of the hole portion of the shell that accommodates the connecting portion of the terminal, and the terminal is subjected to the reaction force of the above-mentioned force from the shell, thereby being centered. By forming the terminal-side elastic portion on the terminal as described above, there is no need to prepare an additional elastic member for centering in the centering structure.

In the present embodiment, the supporting protrusion 57A of the shell side elastic portion 57 provided on the shell 50 of the relay connector 1 is in surface contact with the outer peripheral surface of the above-mentioned outer connecting portion 23 of the terminal 10 through its protruding top surface, but in this case, a step portion extending in the circumferential direction of the outer connecting portion 23 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer connecting portion 23, for example, by providing a concave circumferential groove, and the supporting protrusion 57A is locked to the step portion in the up-down direction. Thereby, the terminal 10 is prevented from accidentally falling off from the shell 50.

In addition, in the above-mentioned modified example in which the terminal side elastic part is provided at the terminal, a step part extending in the circumferential direction of the hole part can be formed on the inner circumferential surface of the hole part of the housing, for example, by providing a concave circumferential groove, and the terminal side elastic part is locked to the step part in the up-down direction. In this way, the terminal is prevented from accidentally falling off from the housing.

In the first and second embodiments, the relay connector is provided with four terminals. However, the number of terminals is not limited thereto and can be set as appropriate, and may be a single terminal or a plurality of terminals.

Claims (8)

1. A relay electrical connector, wherein the mating connectors are connected one by one from opposite sides to make the mating connectors electrically conductive with each other, The relay electrical connector includes a terminal extending in an axial direction with a connection direction with the counterpart connector as an axial direction and a housing accommodating the terminal. The terminal has a contact portion and a connecting portion, wherein the contact portion is located at both ends of the terminal in the axial direction and can respectively contact with a counterpart terminal provided in a corresponding counterpart connector, and the connecting portion connects the contact portions at the both ends to each other. The contact portions at the two end portions are elastically in contact with the peripheral surface of the other terminal between the peripheral surface of the contact portion around the axis and the peripheral surface of the other terminal. The housing is formed with a hole portion that allows the terminal to be inserted in the connection direction. The relay electrical connector is characterized in that: The relay electrical connector has a centering structure, wherein the centering structure elastically supports a portion of the connecting portion in the axial direction, thereby generating an elastic force in a direction that makes the axis of the terminal coincide with the connection direction and in a direction that makes the position of the axis coincide with the position of the center of the hole portion in a state before the relay electrical connector is connected to the mating connector. During the process of connecting the other connector on one side of the relay electrical connector, when the other connector deviates from the regular position in a direction at right angles to the connection direction, the contact portion of the terminal abuts against a guide surface provided on the other connector, and the terminal overcomes the elastic force of the centering structure and tilts in the deviation direction of the other connector, so that the contact portion can contact the other terminal. 2. The relay electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of terminals are provided, and each of the terminals is supported by the centering structure in a state of being independent of each other. 3. The relay electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The centering structure is disposed at a position close to one side of the relay electrical connector in the connection direction. 4. The relay electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The centering structure has an elastic member, which is arranged between the shell and the connecting portion of the terminal at the position of the hole portion of the shell, and the elastic member is elastically displaced in a direction at right angles to the connection direction to generate an elastic force that applies force to the connecting portion. 5. The relay electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The centering structure includes a housing-side elastic portion formed on the housing and elastically displaced in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction to generate an elastic force that urges the connection portion. 6. The relay electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The centering structure has a terminal-side elastic portion formed at a connecting portion of the terminal, and the terminal-side elastic portion elastically displaces in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction to generate an elastic force that urges the housing. 7. The relay electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The relay electrical connector is provided with a terminal falling-off prevention structure at a position close to the other side in the connection direction of the relay electrical connector, and the terminal falling-off prevention structure prevents the terminal from falling off from the housing toward one side by engaging the housing and the terminal with each other in the connection direction. 8. An electrical connector assembly, comprising: The relay electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and a counterpart connector connected to the relay electrical connector one by one from opposite sides along the connection direction, The mating connector includes a mating terminal capable of contacting a contact portion of a terminal of the relay electrical connector and a mating housing for accommodating the mating terminal. The mating terminal has a mating contact portion extending in the axial direction with the connecting direction as the axial direction. The other contact portion is elastically in contact with the peripheral surface of the terminal between the peripheral surface of the other contact portion around the axis and the peripheral surface of the contact portion of the terminal around the axis. The mating housing has a guide surface that guides the contact portion of the terminal to a contact position with a mating contact portion of the mating terminal.