JP6894320B2 - Electrical connector for circuit board - Google Patents

Description

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

This type of connector is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, a connector assembly including a plug connector and a receptacle connector fitted and connected to the plug connector is formed, and both are mounted on a circuit board.

The receptacle connector holds a signal terminal (contact) and a power supply terminal (contact) arranged in a housing. The power supply terminal of this receptacle connector has a substantially horizontal S-shape as a whole, and has a U-shaped portion and an inverted U-shaped portion. That is, one of the two arms provided in the U-shaped portion is common to one of the two arms provided in the inverted U-shaped portion. The other arm of the U-shaped portion has elasticity, and the free end is rounded to the side of one arm to form a curved portion, and the portion of the curved portion that is closer to the above one arm is It forms a contact part. Thus, when the corresponding terminal of the plug connector that is the other party enters between the two arms of the U-shaped portion, the two arms are pinched and the contact portion is elastically sandwiched with respect to the corresponding terminal. Press.

Further, in the power supply terminal, the other arm portion of the inverted U-shaped portion is bent at the lower end thereof to form a connecting portion located on the bottom surface of the housing. This connection portion is solder-connected to the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board.

Therefore, when the receptacle connector is fitted and connected to the plug connector as the other party, a signal current flows through the signal terminal and a power supply current flows through the power supply terminal between the two connectors. A large current as a power source flows through the above-mentioned power supply terminal from the contact portion to the connection portion through the U-shaped portion and the inverted U-shaped portion with respect to the corresponding terminal as the other party.

JP-A-2017-016897

However, in the substantially horizontal S-shaped power supply terminal in the receptacle connector of Patent Document 1, the U-shaped portion and the inverted U-shaped portion are curved twice between the contact portion and the connection portion. As the distance is longer, the resistance is also large, and when a large current flows as a power source, the resistance is large, so the amount of heat generated also increases. In an electric connector for a circuit board, a high calorific value is not preferable for a circuit unit and a circuit component.

In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electric connector for a circuit board capable of suppressing the amount of heat generation as much as possible in a power supply terminal through which a large current flows as compared with a signal terminal.

The electric connector for a circuit board according to the present invention has a housing made of an electric insulating material and arranged on a mounting surface of the circuit board, and a power supply terminal and a lock member made of a metal material held by the housing. Contact the corresponding terminal of the mating connector, and the locking member engages with the corresponding locking portion of the mating connector.

In such an electric connector for a circuit board, in the present invention, the housing has a receiving portion for receiving the mating connector and a side wall extending in one direction along the mounting surface in the longitudinal direction to hold the power supply terminal and the lock member. The power supply terminal and the lock member are provided at positions where they overlap each other in the longitudinal direction, and the power supply terminal is located in the receiving portion and comes into contact with the corresponding terminal. A free end having an elastic arm portion on which a portion is formed and a connecting portion located on the bottom surface of the bottom wall of the housing and connected to a corresponding circuit portion of a circuit board, the elastic arm portion forming one end side thereof. The contact portion is formed on the side, and the other end side of the elastic arm portion is connected to the connection portion via a transition portion located on the bottom wall of the housing, and the lock member is positioned above the connection portion. It is characterized in that it is held by the side wall.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, in the power supply terminal, a current flows from the contact portion to the connection portion via the elastic arm portion and the transition portion. Since the elastic arm and the connecting portion located on the bottom surface of the housing are connected by the transition portion located on the bottom wall of the housing, the elastic arm portion and the connecting portion do not pass through the curved portion and the current is the shortest distance. It is routed and therefore the calorific value is kept to a minimum.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the power supply terminal and the lock member are connected to form one member.

By doing so, not only the power supply terminal can be easily processed as one member with the lock member, but also the power supply terminal and the lock member reinforce each other to improve the strength against external force. Even in this case, the power supply current flows along the path from the elastic arm portion and the transition portion, which form the shortest distance, to the connection portion, and hardly flows toward the lock member, so that the amount of heat generated does not increase. ..

In the present invention, the power supply terminal and the lock member may be formed as separate members.

In the present invention, the power supply terminal can be set to fit within the width range of the lock member in the longitudinal direction.

By doing so, the power supply terminal and the lock member do not have a separate range in the longitudinal direction, so that the connector becomes compact in the longitudinal direction.

In the present invention, it is possible to further have a reinforcing metal fitting held by an end wall located at the longitudinal end portion of the housing so that the reinforcing metal fitting is formed as one member with the lock member.

By doing so, the lock portion first and the reinforcing metal fittings increase the strength of each other, and the holding strength in the housing is also increased.

In the present invention, the lock member has a fixing portion soldered to the circuit board, and the fixing portion of the lock member and the connection portion of the power supply terminal can be soldered to a common pad of the circuit board. Can be done.

In the present invention, as described above, the power supply terminal in the electric connector for the circuit board connects the elastic arm portion having the contact portion and the connection portion at the transition portion located on the bottom wall of the housing. The terminal current flows from the contact part through the transition part to the connection part in the shortest distance, and as in the conventional case, a long-distance path is taken from the contact part to the connection part through the lock part bent along the side wall of the housing. Since it does not pass, the amount of heat generated is suppressed accordingly.

It is a perspective view which shows both the receptacle connector and the plug connector which is the counterpart | connector as one Embodiment of this invention in the state before fitting. It is a perspective view which shows both connectors of FIG. 1 upside down, the position is reversed, and the posture is reversed. It is a perspective view which omitted the housing in the receptacle connector of FIG. 1, and (A) is the perspective view which shows the positional relationship and shape of the receptacle signal terminal, the receptacle power supply terminal, the receptacle lock member and the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting, and is shown in (1). B) is a view of the receptacle power supply terminal and the receptacle lock member viewed from the longitudinal direction of the connector, (C) is a perspective view of the receptacle lock member, and (D) is a perspective view of the receptacle power supply terminal. It is sectional drawing at the position of the power-source terminal before fitting of both connectors of FIG. It is sectional drawing at the position of the power-source terminal after fitting both connectors of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the power supply terminal and the reinforcing metal fitting integrated with each other as another embodiment of this invention. As yet another embodiment of the present invention, one integrated power supply terminal / lock member is shown, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is a view seen from the longitudinal direction of the connector, and (C) is a view from below. It is a perspective view of the other power supply terminal / lock member.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 are perspective views of the receptacle connector and the plug connector as the mating connector according to the present embodiment, and show the state before the connector is fitted. FIG. 1 shows the receptacle connector I located at the bottom, and FIG. 2 shows the positional relationship with FIG. 1 upside down and the posture turned upside down for convenience so as to clearly show the fitting side of the plug connector of FIG. ing. The receptacle connector I and the plug connector II in the present embodiment are circuit board electric connectors arranged on different circuit board mounting surfaces. FIG. 1 shows a circuit board P on which the receptacle connector I is mounted, and FIG. 2 shows a circuit board Q on which the plug connector II is mounted. For the receptacle connector I and the plug connector II, the directions perpendicular to the mounting surfaces of the circuit boards P and Q (vertical direction in FIG. 1) are the connector fitting direction and the extraction direction (hereinafter referred to as "connector fitting direction"). It constitutes a connector assembly. In the present embodiment, the connector fitting direction is defined as "connector fitting / pulling out direction Z", and the direction extending in the longitudinal direction of the connector along the mounting surface of the circuit board P is defined as "connector longitudinal direction X", which is perpendicular to this. The connector width direction will be described as "connector width direction Y".

[Configuration of receptacle connector I]
The receptacle connector I has a thin, substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a connector longitudinal direction which is one direction parallel to the mounting surface as shown in FIG. A plurality of receptacle signal terminals 20 and receptacle power supply terminals 30 which are integrally molded with the housing 10 in the longitudinal direction of the connector at X (which is also the longitudinal direction of the housing 10), and a receptacle power supply terminal 30 in the longitudinal direction X of the connector. It has a receptacle lock member 40 provided at a position where at least a part thereof overlaps with the connector, and a receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50 held by the housing 10 at an end portion in the longitudinal direction X of the connector. In the illustrated example, the receptacle power supply terminal 30 and the receptacle lock member 40 are provided so as to coincide with each other in the entire range of the connector longitudinal direction X. That is, in the longitudinal direction X of the connector, the length of the receptacle lock member 40 is larger than the length of the receptacle power supply terminal 30, so that the receptacle power supply terminal 30 and the receptacle lock member 40 face each other via the receiving portion 16. It has become.

The housing 10 is made of an electrically insulating material such as resin, and as shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 has a bottom wall 11 parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board P, which is the mounting surface of the receptacle connector I, and the connector. A protruding wall 12 that stands upward from the bottom wall 11 in the central region of the bottom wall 11 in the width direction Y and extends in the longitudinal direction X of the connector, and a square frame that stands up from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall 11 and surrounds the protruding wall 12. The protruding wall 12 is located in an island shape in the space surrounded by the peripheral wall 13. The peripheral wall 13 is a connector that connects a pair of side walls 14 that face each other in the connector width direction Y and extend in the connector longitudinal direction X, and ends of the pair of side walls 14 that face each other in the connector longitudinal direction X and extend in the connector longitudinal direction X. It has a pair of end walls 15 extending in the width direction Y. The square annular space opened upward between the peripheral wall 13 and the protruding wall 12 forms a receiving portion 16 for receiving the fitting portion of the plug connector II.

A groove portion 12A for a signal terminal is formed on the protrusion 12 at a position corresponding to the receptacle signal terminal 20 in the longitudinal direction X of the connector, and a groove portion 12B for a power supply terminal is formed at a position corresponding to the receptacle power supply terminal 30. The groove portion 12A for the signal terminal and the groove portion 12B for the power supply terminal are submerged from the side surface 12C of the protrusion wall 12 (the surface with respect to the side wall 14 in the connector width direction Y) and extend in the vertical direction in the connector fitting direction Z, so that the protrusion wall 12 It is formed over the entire range in the connector fitting direction Z, is open at the upper end position, and is closed by the bottom wall 11 at the lower end position (see also FIG. 4). The signal terminal groove portion 12A accommodates the elastic arm portion 21 of the receptacle signal terminal 20, which will be described later, and the power supply terminal groove portion 12B accommodates the elastic arm portion 31 of the receptacle power supply terminal 30. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the power terminal groove 12B has a wider groove width dimension (dimension in the connector longitudinal direction X) than the signal terminal groove 12A.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the receptacle signal terminal 20 is located in the central region range of the protruding wall 12 of the housing 10 in the connector longitudinal direction X, with respect to the center line extending in the connector longitudinal direction X at the center position in the connector width direction Y. They are arranged in rows in the longitudinal direction X of the connector at two symmetrical positions and are held by the housing 10. In FIG. 1, two receptacle signal terminals 20 are provided side by side in the connector longitudinal direction X at any of the above two positions. Further, the receptacle power supply terminal 30 is provided in the housing 10 at both outer positions with respect to the arrangement range of the receptacle signal terminal 20 in the longitudinal direction X of the connector. That is, the receptacle power supply terminal 30 is located closer to the end wall 15 than the receptacle signal terminal 20. Further, the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50 is attached to the end wall 15 of the housing 10 so as to cover the upper wall surface 15A, the inner wall surface 15B, and the outer wall surface 15C of the end wall 15. These terminals and the like will be described again individually.

Next, the receptacle signal terminal 20, the receptacle power supply terminal 30, the receptacle lock member 40, and the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 (A) to 3 (D). These members are held by the housing 10 by integral molding with the housing 10.

The receptacle signal terminal 20 is made by bending a metal plate in the thickness direction of the metal plate, and when viewed along the longitudinal direction X of the connector, the U-shaped portion and the inverted U-shaped portion are common to them. It is connected by a part to form a substantially horizontal S shape as a whole. The receptacle signal terminal 20 has an elastic arm portion 21 located inside (on the protruding wall 12 side) in the connector width direction Y and a buried arm portion embedded and held in the side wall 14 at a position outside the elastic arm portion 21. 22 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 3A), an intermediate arm 23 located between the two, and a connecting portion 24 connecting the elastic arm 21 and the lower ends of the intermediate arm 23. have. The intermediate arm portion 23 and the buried arm portion 22 are connected at their upper ends via an upwardly curved convex portion 25. The elastic arm portion 21, the intermediate arm portion 23, and the connecting portion 24 form the above-mentioned U-shaped portion, and the intermediate arm portion 23, the buried arm portion 22, and the convex curved portion 25 form the above-mentioned inverted U-shaped portion. There is. The space surrounded by the elastic arm portion 21, the intermediate arm portion 23, and the connecting portion 24 forms a part of the receiving portion 16.

A contact portion 21A that is convexly curved toward the intermediate arm portion 23 in the connector width direction Y is provided on the upper end side, that is, the free end side of the elastic arm portion 21, and the plug signal terminal 70 of the plug connector II is U-shaped. When entering the shaped portion, the contact portion 21A presses the plug signal terminal 70 by the force due to the elastic displacement of the elastic arm portion 21 and clamps the plug signal terminal 70 with the intermediate arm portion 23. As described above, the elastic arm portion 21 is elastically displaced in the connector width direction Y in the signal terminal groove portion 12A formed on the protruding wall 12 of the housing 10, and the contact portion 21A is the signal terminal groove portion. It protrudes from 12A.

The intermediate arm portion 23, the embedded arm portion 22, and the convex curved portion 25 form an inverted U-shaped portion as described above, and the intermediate arm portion 23 and the convex curved portion 25 are in contact with the inner surface and the upper surface of the side wall 14 of the housing 10. By embedding the embedded arm portion 22 in the side wall 14, the side wall 14 is held by the side wall 14, respectively. The convex curved portion 25 connecting the intermediate arm portion 23 and the buried arm portion 22 is exposed on the upper surface of the side wall 14. From the lower end of the embedded arm portion 22, a connecting portion 22A that is bent in an L shape so as to face the circuit board P and extends outward in the connector width direction Y is provided. The connection portion 22A is solder-connected to a pad P1 (see FIG. 1) which is a corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board P.

Like the receptacle signal terminal 20, the receptacle power supply terminal 30 is made by bending a metal plate in the thickness direction thereof, and its terminal width (width dimension in the connector longitudinal direction X) is larger than that of the receptacle signal terminal 20. .. The receptacle power supply terminal 30 has an elastic arm portion 31 having substantially the same shape as the elastic arm portion 21 of the receptacle signal terminal 20 when viewed along the connector longitudinal direction X, and is on the upper end side of the elastic arm portion 31, that is, A contact portion 31A is provided on the free end side.

The receptacle power supply terminal 30 has a connecting portion 33 extending outward in the connector width direction Y from the lower end of the elastic arm portion 31 via the transition portion 32. The transition portion 32 is located on the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10, and the connection portion 33 is located on the bottom surface of the bottom wall 11 at the position of the side wall 14 slightly below the transition portion 32 (see FIG. 4). The unit 32 is directly connected to the connection unit 33 at the shortest distance. In the present embodiment, as seen in FIG. 4, the receptacle power supply terminal 30 is held by the housing 10 by integral molding with the housing 10, and more specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, it shifts to the lower end portion of the elastic arm portion 31. A part of the portion 32 is held by the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10. In the present embodiment, the transition portion 32 is located on the upper surface of the bottom wall 11, but may be located on the lower surface of the bottom wall 11 or within the wall thickness.

As seen in FIGS. 3 (B) and 3 (D), the connection portion 33 of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 is directed outward in the connector width direction Y at both end positions in the terminal width direction (connector longitudinal direction X). It has two protrusions 33A, and a notch 33B is formed between the two protrusions 33A. The notch 33B accommodates the fixing portion 42A of the receptacle lock member, which will be described later, and also has a function of ensuring a large solder edge length at the connection portion 33 when soldering to the circuit board P.

The receptacle lock member 40 is made by bending a metal plate in the thickness direction of the metal plate, and as seen in FIGS. 3 (B) and 3 (C), the receptacle lock member 40 is substantially reversed when viewed along the longitudinal direction X of the connector. It has a U shape. The receptacle lock member 40 is set to a dimension and a position overlapping the receptacle power supply terminal 30 in the longitudinal direction X of the connector. In the example of FIG. 3, the receptacle lock member 40 is wider than the receptacle power supply terminal 30, and is positioned so that the receptacle power supply terminal 30 fits within the width range of the receptacle lock member 40 in the longitudinal direction X of the connector.

The receptacle lock member 40 has an inner arm portion 41 and a buried arm portion 42 located outside the inner arm portion 41 so as to form a substantially inverted U shape, and the inner arm portion 41 and the buried arm portion 42. Are connected to each other by a convex curved portion 43 whose upper ends are directed upward. As seen in FIG. 4, the inner arm portion 41 is held by the inner wall surface 14A of the side wall 14 of the housing 10, and the embedded arm portion 42 is embedded and held in the wall thickness of the side wall 14. The convex curved portion 43 is exposed on the upper surface 14B of the side wall 14. A lock portion 41A is formed on the upper portion of the inner arm portion 41 so as to project inward in the width direction of the connector. Further, the lower end of the inner arm portion 41 has a stopper portion 41B bent in an L shape so as to extend inward in the connector width direction Y. The stopper portion 41B functions as a stopper for the plug connector II when it is excessively lowered and entered when it is fitted with the plug connector II. Further, as seen in FIG. 3C, the lower end of the embedded arm portion 42 is in the width direction of the receptacle lock member 40 (the direction in which the width direction of the receptacle lock member 40 is the connector longitudinal direction X). In a part of the illustrated example, a fixing portion 42A is formed which is bent in an L shape at the central portion and is located on the bottom surface of the bottom wall 11 at the position of the side wall 14. The fixing portion 42A is located in the notch 33B formed between the two protruding portions 33A of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 (see FIG. 1), is fixed to the corresponding portion of the circuit board P by soldering, and is fixed to the corresponding portion of the circuit board P by soldering. Strengthen the retention of. The space surrounded by the inner arm portion 41, the buried arm portion 42, and the convex curved portion 43 is filled with the housing 10, and a part of the housing 10 is also provided on the upper side of the fixed portion 42A.

Such a receptacle lock member 40, in combination with the elastic arm portion 31 of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 described above, is discontinuous with the receptacle power supply terminal 30 at the lower end, but is similar to the U-shaped portion of the receptacle signal terminal 20. A U-shaped portion is formed (see FIGS. 3 (B) and 4). That is, a part of the receiving portion 16 is formed as a U-shaped space by the elastic arm portion 31 of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 and the inner arm portion 41 of the receptacle lock member 40. Then, the plug power supply terminal 80 of the plug connector I as the other party is received in the U-shaped portion and comes into pinching contact. As a result, the receptacle power supply terminal 30 is electrically connected to the plug power supply terminal 80 at its contact portion 31A, and the receptacle lock member 40 is locked with the corresponding portion of the plug power supply terminal at its lock portion 41A. Lock to prevent it from coming off.

The receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50 attached to the end wall 15 of the housing 10 is made by bending a metal plate in the plate thickness direction in the same manner as the receptacle signal terminal 20, the receptacle power supply terminal 30, and the receptacle lock member 40. As seen in 1 and FIG. 3A, the outer arm portion 51 buried and held in the end wall 15 and the upper end portion of the outer arm portion 51 wrap around the inner wall surface 15B of the end wall 15 and reach the inner wall surface 15B. The intermediate arm 52 located, the connecting portion 53 bent at a part of the lower end of the intermediate arm 52 (the central portion in the width direction of the connector), and the connecting portion 53 rising from the connecting portion 53 and curved in an inverted U shape at the upper end. At the lower end of the inner arm portion 54, the lower end of the intermediate arm portion 52, and both sides of the connecting portion 53, the bottom surface of the bottom wall 11 extends outward from the housing 10 in the longitudinal direction X of the connector with respect to the connecting portion 53 at the end wall 15 position. The end wall side fixing portion 55 located at, the bent buried arm portion 56 extending from the side edge of the intermediate arm portion 52 and being bent in an L shape and embedded in the wall thickness of the end wall 15 and the side wall 14, and the bending buried portion. The lower end of the arm portion 56 has a side wall side fixing portion 57 located on the bottom surface of the bottom wall 11 by protruding from the bottom surface of the bottom wall 11 at the side wall 14 position and being bent in an L shape. The transition from the intermediate arm portion 52 to the outer arm portion 51 is performed via the upper surface curved portion 50A. Most of the connecting portion 53 is embedded and held in the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10, and a part of the connecting portion 53 is exposed at the position of the groove formed in the bottom wall 11.

[Plug connector configuration]
Next, the plug connector II, which is the counterparty to the receptacle connector I described above, will be briefly described.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plug connector II includes a housing 60 made of an electrically insulating material, a plug signal terminal 70 held by the housing 60 by integral molding with the housing 60, and a plug power supply terminal 80. It has a plug reinforcing metal fitting 90.

The housing 60 has a bottom wall 61 facing the circuit board Q (see FIG. 2) to which the plug connector I is attached (in FIG. 1, the bottom wall 61 appears upward) and a bottom as seen in FIG. It has a peripheral wall 62 that rises from the wall 61 and forms a square frame. The peripheral wall 62 forms a fitting portion with respect to the receptacle connector I, is received by the receiving portion 16 of the housing 10 of the receptacle connector I, and fits with the receptacle connector I. The peripheral wall 62 has two side walls 63 extending in the longitudinal direction X of the connector, and two end walls 64 connecting the two side walls 63 with each other at their ends.

When the plug connector II is fitted to the receiving portion 16 of the receptacle connector I so that the plug signal terminal 70 and the plug power supply terminal 80 form an inverted U shape covering the upper part of the side wall 63, the receptacle signal of the receptacle connector I The plug reinforcing metal fitting 90 is provided with respect to the side wall 63 at a position where the terminal 20 and the receptacle power supply terminal 30 are in contact with each other, and the plug reinforcing metal fitting 90 is provided with respect to the end wall 64 at a position where it engages with the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50 of the receptacle connector I. It is provided.

The plug signal terminal 70 and the plug power supply terminal 80 are formed in substantially the same shape by bending a metal plate, but as in the case of the receptacle connector I, the plug power supply terminal 80 is more than the plug signal terminal 70. The terminal width (terminal width dimension in the connector longitudinal direction X) is set large. The plug signal terminal 70 and the plug power supply terminal 80 reach the inner wall surface 63A of the side wall 63 so as to cover and wrap around the upper part of the side wall 63 of the housing 60, and face outward in the connector width direction Y at the lower end position of the inner wall surface 63A. It is formed so as to be bent so as to penetrate the bottom wall 61 and then to be located on the lower surface of the bottom wall 61. The plug signal terminal 70 and the plug power supply terminal 80 each form a contact portion 71; 81 at a portion located on the inner wall surface 63A of the side wall 63, and form a connection portion 72; 82 at a portion located on the lower surface of the bottom wall 61, respectively. Further, a portion covering the upper portion of the side wall 63 forms a locking portion 73; 83 having a convex curve at a portion located on the outer wall surface of the side wall 63.

The upper end of the portion of the plug reinforcing metal fitting 90 located on the inner wall surface side of the end wall 64 is bent downward, and this bent portion is embedded in the end wall 64.

[Connector fitting operation]
Next, the fitting operation of the receptacle connector I and the plug connector II will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector I and the plug connector II immediately before fitting, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view after fitting, both of which are at the positions of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 and the plug power supply terminal 80 in the connector longitudinal direction X. The cross section is shown.

First, the connection portion 22A of the receptacle signal terminal 20 of the receptacle connector I, the connection portion 33 of the receptacle power supply terminal 30, and the fixing portion 42A of the receptacle lock member 40 are solder-connected and solder-fixed to the corresponding parts of the circuit board P, and the receptacle is fixed. The end wall side fixing portion 55 and the side wall side fixing portion 57 of the reinforcing metal fitting 50 are solder-fixed to the corresponding portions of the circuit board P, and the receptacle connector I is mounted on the circuit board P. The connection portion 22A of the receptacle signal terminal 20 is solder-connected to a pad P1 provided on the circuit board P as a corresponding circuit portion, and the connection portion 33 of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 and the fixing portion 42A of the receptacle lock member 40 are connected to the circuit board. It is solder-connected and solder-fixed to the common pad P2 provided on P, respectively. Further, the end wall side fixing portion 55 and the side wall side fixing portion 57 of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50 are solder-fixed to the corresponding pads P3 and P4, respectively. Further, the connection portion 72 of the plug signal terminal 70 of the plug connector II and the connection portion 82 of the plug power supply terminal 80 are solder-connected to the pads Q1 and Q2 forming the corresponding circuit portions of the other circuit boards Q, respectively. Further, a coating agent for preventing corrosion may be applied to the respective solder connection portions and solder fixing portions of the receptacle connector I and the plug connector II, if necessary.

Next, as seen in FIG. 4, the receptacle connector I is positioned below the plug connector II so that the receiving portion 16 of the receptacle connector I is opened upward, and the peripheral wall 62 of the plug connector II is downward. Positioned above the receptacle connector I in a facing position. Then, in the connector fitting direction Z shown in FIG. 4, the plug connector II is moved downward, and the peripheral wall 62 forming the fitting portion of the plug connector II is fitted into the receiving portion 16 of the receptacle connector I.

As a result, the inverted U-shaped plug signal terminal 70 of the plug connector II is formed in the receptacle signal terminal 20 of the receptacle connector I having the contact portion 21A seen in FIG. 1, although it does not appear in FIG. The U-shaped elastic arm portion 21 and the intermediate arm portion 23 are pushed open and rushed. Then, the elastic arm portion 21 is elastically displaced toward the protruding wall 12 in the connector width direction Y. Further, as the rush into the U-shaped portion progresses, as shown in FIG. 5, the connector is in the fitted state, and the contact portion 21A of the receptacle signal terminal 20 has contact pressure with the plug signal terminal 70 of the plug connector II. Contact.

On the other hand, the plug power supply terminal 80 having an inverted U shape of the plug connector II is discontinuous between the elastic arm portion 31 of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 and the inner arm portion 41 of the receptacle lock member 40, as shown in FIG. However, it fits into a substantially U-shaped part. The plug power supply terminal 80 is an electric circuit from the contact portion 31A of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 to the connection portion 33 via the elastic arm portion 31 and the transition portion 32, and transfers power to and from the receptacle power supply terminal 30. In this case, the transition portion 32 is located on the bottom wall 11 of the housing 10, and the connection portion 33 connected to the transition portion 32 is located on the bottom surface of the bottom wall 11 at a position below the side wall 14 of the housing 10. Connects the transition portion 32 and the connection portion 33 at the shortest distance in a substantially straight shape without passing through a bent portion. Therefore, the calorific value is suppressed even when a relatively large current of about several amperes to several tens of amperes (more specifically, 5 to 20 amperes) is passed. Further, the contact portion 31A, which is the contact portion between the plug power supply terminal 80 and the receptacle power supply terminal 30, can be a heat source because the current density increases, but the generated heat is transmitted to the circuit board P via the transition portion 32 and the connection portion 33. Because it is conducted to the heat dissipation, it is possible to improve the heat dissipation.

Further, the plug power supply terminal 80 of the plug connector II is formed with a lock portion 83 on the side in contact with the receptacle lock member 40, and engages with the lock portion 83 to engage with the receptacle lock member 40 in the connector extraction direction. It becomes lockable with.

Next, the plug reinforcing metal fitting 90 of the plug connector II, which is not shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, is guided by the upper curved portion 50A of the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50. The receptacle reinforcing metal fittings 50 and the plug reinforcing metal fittings 90 reinforce the housing 10 attached to each of them, and protect the housing 10 from the impact force received when both connectors collide with each other due to a slight misalignment at the start of connector fitting. It also has a function.

The present invention can be modified in addition to the form based on FIGS. 1 to 5.

In the form of FIGS. 1 to 5, both the receptacle lock member 40 and the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50 are formed separately, but since the power supply current hardly flows in both members, the amount of heat generated by the current is generated. There is no need to consider the suppression of the current, there are no restrictions on the shape, etc., the form can be determined by the strength of the member itself, the difference in reinforcement of the housing, and the ease of manufacturing, and both members can be integrally formed. .. In this case, it is preferable because the number of member points is reduced and the member processing man-hours are reduced.

In the other form shown in FIG. 6, a lock equivalent to the one in which the receptacle lock member 40 seen in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (C) and the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50 seen in FIG. 3 (A) are integrally formed. -Shows the reinforcing metal fitting 100. In FIG. 6, the parts common to those in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (C) are designated by adding "100" to the reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. The lock / reinforcing metal fitting 100 has a lock member portion 140 and a reinforcing metal fitting portion 150. The lock member portion 140 and the reinforcing metal fitting portion 150 have almost the same form as the receptacle lock member 40 and the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 50 shown in FIG. 3, except that they are connected to each other. .. Here, the differences from the form of FIG. 3 will be described.

The lock member portion 140 and the reinforcing metal fitting portion 150 form one member by connecting the buried arm portion 142 of the lock member portion 140 and the bent buried arm portion 156 of the reinforcing metal fitting portion 150. In this way, by forming the lock member portion 140 and the reinforcing metal fitting portion 150 as one member, both portions can be combined with each other to improve both the strength of the member itself and the function of reinforcing the housing. , The man-hours for processing members and the number of members can be reduced.

As still another form, the form shown in FIG. 7 is also possible. FIG. 7 has a power supply terminal / lock member 200 obtained by integrally forming the receptacle lock member 40 and the receptacle power supply terminal 30 in FIG. In FIG. 7, the parts common to those in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (C) are designated by adding "200" to the reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. The power supply terminal / lock member 200 has a power supply terminal portion 230 and a lock member portion 240. The power supply terminal portion 230 itself and the lock member portion 240 itself have almost the same form as the receptacle power supply terminal 30 and the receptacle lock member 40, respectively, as seen in FIG. Here, the differences from the form of FIG. 3 will be described.

In FIG. 7, the power supply terminal portion 230 is the receptacle power supply terminal 30 of FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (D) as seen in FIGS. 7 (A) and 7 (C) when compared with the receptacle power supply terminal 30 of FIG. Although it has almost the same shape as the above, the connection portion 233 forms a substantially flat plate surface, and is located at the notch portions 33B formed in the receptacle power supply terminals 30 of FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (D) and on both sides thereof. The protruding portion 33A and the like provided are not present, and the connecting portion 233 forming the flat plate surface is provided with a large area. Therefore, the soldering area of the connecting portion 233 with the corresponding portion of the circuit board is large, and the holding strength by soldering is high.

The lock member portion 240 integrated with the power supply terminal portion 230 is formed by an edge portion 233B of the connection portion 233 of the power supply terminal portion 230 (in the connector width direction Y, opposite to the elastic arm portion 231). It is formed in an inverted U shape having an inner arm portion 241 bent downward in the connector width direction Y at the upper end of the buried arm portion 242 via a buried arm portion 242 that is bent and stands up. The inner arm portion 241 corresponds to the buried arm portion 42 and the inner arm portion 41 of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 of FIG. 3. In the example of FIG. 7 (A), the inner arm portion 241 is outward from the lower end of the buried arm portion 242 in the connector width direction Y. The fixing portion 242A extending to the above is provided at a position close to the receptacle reinforcing metal fitting 250 in the connector longitudinal direction X. The power supply terminal / lock member 200 shown in FIG. 7C is shown in FIG. In (A), the other power supply terminal / lock member 200, which is located on the left side in the connector longitudinal direction X and is not shown, is shown. Therefore, the fixing portion 242A is shown in FIG. 7 in the connector longitudinal direction X. (A) and FIG. 7 (C) are located on opposite sides.

The lock member portion 240 is shown in FIG. 7B so that the lower edge of the inner arm portion 241 is in contact with the connecting portion 233, but in the present invention, the lock member portion 240 may or may not be in contact with the connecting portion 233. ..

In such a power supply terminal / lock member 200, when the power supply terminal portion 230 comes into contact with the plug power supply terminal 80 as the other party at the contact portion 231A, the contact portion 231A passes through the elastic arm portion 231 and the transition portion 232, and then the connection portion 233. An almost straight electric circuit is formed to transfer power to and from the plug power supply terminal 80. At that time, the lock member portion 240 rises integrally from the connection portion 233 of the power supply terminal portion 230, but since the power supply current flows through the almost straight electric circuit which is the shortest distance, almost to the lock member portion 240 side. Not flowing. As a result, as in the case of the receptacle power supply terminal 30 shown in FIG. 3, the amount of heat generated by the current is significantly suppressed. Therefore, it is the same that almost no current flows through the lock member portion 240 regardless of whether the lower end of the inner arm portion 241 of the lock member portion 240 is in contact with or not in contact with the connection portion 233.

10 Housing 14 Side wall 16 Receiving part 30; 130; 230 (Receptacle) Power supply terminal 31; 131; 231 Elastic arm part 31A; 131A; 231A Contact part 32; 132; 232 Transition part 33; 133; 233 Connection part 40; 140; 240 (Receptacle) Lock member

Claims (4)

It has a housing made of an electrically insulating material and arranged on the mounting surface of a circuit board, and a power supply terminal and a lock member made of a metal material held by the housing. In the circuit board electrical connector in which the lock member engages with the corresponding lock portion of the mating connector,
The housing has a receiving portion for receiving the mating connector and a side wall extending in one direction along the mounting surface in the longitudinal direction to hold the power supply terminal and the lock member.
The power supply terminal and the lock member are provided at positions having overlapping portions in the longitudinal direction.
The power supply terminal is connected to an elastic arm portion located in the receiving portion and having a contact portion in contact with the corresponding terminal, and a corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board located on the bottom surface of the bottom wall of the housing. Has a connection and
The contact portion is formed on the free end side where the elastic arm portion forms one end side thereof, and the other end side of the elastic arm portion is connected to the connection portion via a transition portion located on the bottom wall of the housing .
The lock member is held by the side wall at a position above the connecting portion,
An electric connector for a circuit board, characterized in that the power supply terminal and the lock member are formed as separate members. The electrical connector for a circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the power supply terminal is within the width range of the lock member in the longitudinal direction. The first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the housing further has a reinforcing metal fitting held by an end wall located at the longitudinal end portion of the housing, and the reinforcing metal fitting is formed as one member with the lock member. The electrical connector for the circuit board described. The lock member has a fixing portion that is solder-fixed to the circuit board.
A connecting portion of the fixed portion and the power supply terminal of said locking member, the circuit according to one the of claims 1 to 3, it is made possible to be soldered to the common pad of the circuit board Electrical connector for board.

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