JP7516618B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector, and more specifically to a connector having signal terminals and power terminals, and in which a movable housing is movable relative to a fixed housing.

The following Patent Document 1 describes a board-to-board connector that has signal terminals and power terminals and electrically connects circuit boards to each other. In this board-to-board connector, a socket attached to one circuit board and a plug attached to the other circuit board are fitted together, and the socket is a movable connector. This socket includes a common housing (fixed housing) that is attached to the one circuit board, and a signal terminal block and a pair of power terminal blocks (both movable housings) that are arranged adjacent to each other with a predetermined distance between them. The signal terminal block is connected to the common housing via a large number of signal terminals. In addition, the pair of power terminal blocks are each connected to the common housing via a pair of power terminals. The signal terminal and the power terminal are provided with elastically deformable spring parts (elastic parts), and the signal terminal block and the pair of power terminal blocks are movable relative to the common housing. This absorbs any misalignment between the socket and the plug.

JP 2006-85944 A

However, with the miniaturization of electronic devices in recent years, there is a demand for miniaturization of connectors that are attached to circuit boards. In this regard, by using a connector that has both signal terminals and power terminals, as in the prior art described above, it is possible to save space on the circuit board for installing the connector, compared to a case in which a connector with a signal terminal and a connector with a power terminal are separately attached to the circuit board.

However, in the above prior art, a signal terminal block (movable housing) is arranged in the middle of the common housing (fixed housing) in the terminal arrangement direction, and a power terminal block (another movable housing) is arranged at each end of the common housing in the terminal arrangement direction. As a result, the common housing is enlarged in the terminal arrangement direction, and the overall configuration of the connector is enlarged in the terminal arrangement direction.

The present invention takes the above facts into consideration and aims to provide a connector that has signal terminals and power terminals, has a movable housing that can move relative to a fixed housing, and can reduce the size of the entire configuration in the terminal arrangement direction.

The connector of the first aspect comprises a fixed housing fixed to a circuit board, a movable housing arranged to be movable relative to the fixed housing and having a hole through which a connection object is inserted and removed, a plurality of signal terminals arranged between the fixed housing and the movable housing in a terminal arrangement direction perpendicular to the insertion and removal direction of the connection object, and a power supply terminal arranged between the fixed housing and the movable housing, the signal terminal having a first connection portion fixed to the circuit board, a first contact portion electrically contacting the connection object, and a first elastic portion located between the first connection portion and the first contact portion, and the power supply terminal having a second connection portion fixed to the circuit board and a second elastic portion electrically contacting the connection object. and a second contact portion that is in electrical contact with the fixed housing, and a second elastic portion located between the second connection portion and the second contact portion. The movable housing has a pair of side wall portions that face each other across the hole from a direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction and the terminal arrangement direction, and a pair of connecting wall portions that face each other across the hole from the terminal arrangement direction and connect the ends of the pair of side wall portions in the terminal arrangement direction, the side surface of the connecting wall portions in the terminal arrangement direction is perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, the second contact portion is held by the side surface of the connecting wall portions in the terminal arrangement direction, and the elastic deformation of the first elastic portion and the second elastic portion allows the movable housing to move relative to the fixed housing.

In the connector of the first aspect, multiple signal terminals and power terminals are bridged between the fixed housing and the movable housing, and the first elastic portion of each signal terminal and the second elastic portion of the power terminal are elastically deformed to allow the movable housing to move relative to the fixed housing. In this connector, multiple signal terminals and power terminals are bridged between a common movable housing and the fixed housing, so the arrangement space for the movable housing in the terminal arrangement direction can be reduced compared to a configuration in which multiple movable housings are arranged side by side in the terminal arrangement direction. Moreover, in this connector, the second contact portion of the power terminal is held on the side of the connecting wall portion of the movable housing in the terminal arrangement direction. As a result of the above, the connector of the present invention can reduce the overall configuration in the terminal arrangement direction.

The second aspect of the connector is the first aspect, in which the second contact portion is in electrical contact with the connection object and elastically deforms to one side in the terminal arrangement direction, and the connecting wall portion has an accommodating recess that opens toward the terminal arrangement direction and accommodates at least a portion of the second contact portion.

According to the connector of the second aspect, the second contact portion of the power terminal is in electrical contact with the connection object and elastically deforms to one side in the terminal arrangement direction, so there is no need to secure space on the other side in the terminal arrangement direction for the second contact portion to elastically deform. In addition, the connecting wall portion of the movable housing is formed with an accommodating recess that opens toward the terminal arrangement direction and accommodates at least a portion of the second contact portion, so that when the overall configuration of this connector is made smaller in the terminal arrangement direction, it is easier to secure space for arranging the second contact portion.

The third aspect of the connector is the first or second aspect, and the connecting wall has a spring accommodating recess that opens outward in a direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction and the terminal arrangement direction and accommodates at least a portion of the second elastic portion.

According to the third aspect of the connector, the connecting wall of the movable housing is formed with a spring accommodating recess that opens outward in a direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction and the terminal arrangement direction and accommodates at least a portion of the second elastic part. This makes it easier to ensure space for arranging the second elastic part when making the overall configuration of the connector smaller in the terminal arrangement direction.

As described above, the connector according to the present invention has signal terminals and power terminals, and the movable housing is movable relative to the fixed housing, making it possible to reduce the size of the entire configuration in the terminal arrangement direction.

1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1 , showing the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention with a fixed housing seen through; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a movable housing according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fixed housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cut surface taken along line F8-F8 in FIG. 5. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a signal terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a power terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a power terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of a power terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the power terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the power terminal and corresponding to FIG. 10 .

The connector 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 14. For ease of explanation, the arrow FR shown in each figure indicates the front of the connector 10, the arrow LH indicates the left of the connector 10, and the arrow UP indicates the top of the connector 10. In the following description, when the directions such as front-back, left-right, and up-down are used, they indicate the directions relative to the connector 10. These directions are unrelated to the directions of the connector 10 when in use. Also, some symbols may be omitted in each figure to make the drawings easier to read.

(composition)
1 to 8, the connector 10 according to this embodiment is a so-called movable (floating) connector, and includes a movable housing 14 into which a mating connector 12 (not shown in any figures except FIG. 1) as a connection object is inserted and removed, and a fixed housing 30 fixed to a circuit board (not shown). The fixed housing 30 has a pair of side walls 30A, 30B arranged on both sides of the movable housing 14 in a bridge direction (arrow Y direction) perpendicular to the insertion and removal direction (arrow Z direction) of the mating connector 12.

The connector 10 also includes a plurality of signal terminals 50 that are bridged between the movable housing 14 and the pair of side walls 30A, 30B along the bridge direction Y and are arranged in a terminal arrangement direction (arrow X direction) perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction Z and the bridge direction Y, and a pair of power terminals 70 that are arranged on both sides of the terminal arrangement direction X with respect to the plurality of signal terminals 50 and are bridged between the movable housing 14 and the pair of side walls 30A, 30B along the bridge direction Y.

This connector 10 constitutes a plug (male type) of a board-to-board connector, and the mating connector 12, which is a receptacle (female type), is configured to be fixed to a mating circuit board separate from the above-mentioned circuit board. The mating connector 12 is provided with a plurality of mating signal terminals (not shown) that are electrically connected to the plurality of signal terminals 50, and a pair of mating power terminals (not shown) that are electrically connected to a pair of power terminals 70.

The object to be connected to the connector 10 is not limited to the mating connector 12, but may be a bus bar or a square pin. In this embodiment, the insertion/removal direction Z coincides with the up-down direction of the connector 10, the bridge direction Y coincides with the left-right direction of the connector 10, and the terminal arrangement direction X coincides with the front-rear direction of the connector 10. In the following description, the insertion/removal direction Z may be referred to as the "up-down direction", the bridge direction Y may be referred to as the "left-right direction", and the terminal arrangement direction X may be referred to as the "front-rear direction". This connector 10 is formed to be symmetrical in the front-rear and left-right directions.

(Regarding the movable housing)
As shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and Figs. 5 to 8, the movable housing 14 is formed in a substantially rectangular tubular shape (substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape) with a bottom, and has a rectangular bottomed hole 16 that opens upward. The movable housing 14 is integrally provided with a pair of left and right side wall portions 14A, 14B facing each other in the left-right direction, a pair of front and rear connecting wall portions 14C, 14D that connect the front and rear ends of the left and right side wall portions 14A, 14B in the left-right direction, and a bottom wall portion 14E (see Fig. 8) that connects the left and right side wall portions 14A, 14B in the left-right direction and connects the front and rear connecting wall portions 14C, 14D in the front-rear direction. The left and right side wall portions 14A, 14B extend in the front-rear direction, and the front and rear connecting wall portions 14C, 14D extend in the left-right direction. The bottom wall portion 14E is provided in the substantially lower half of the movable housing 14, and is formed thick in the up-down direction. The movable housing 14 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The movable housing 14 according to this embodiment is formed in an elongated shape with its longitudinal direction extending in the front-rear direction, but the dimension of the movable housing 14 in the front-rear direction can be changed as appropriate depending on the number of signal terminals 50.

A pair of front and rear engaging protrusions 18 that protrude outward in the front-rear direction (outward in the terminal arrangement direction X) are formed at the lower ends of the front and rear connecting wall portions 14C, 14D (both front and rear ends of the movable housing 14). The front and rear engaging protrusions 18 are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

On the surfaces of the left and right side walls 14A and 14B facing the bottomed hole 16, a plurality of signal terminal insertion grooves 20A extending in the vertical direction are formed at equal intervals in the front-rear direction. These signal terminal insertion grooves 20A open toward the bottomed hole 16 side and the upper side. These signal terminal insertion grooves 20A are also connected to a plurality of signal terminal insertion holes 20B that penetrate the bottom wall 14E in the vertical direction. The lower ends of the plurality of signal terminal insertion holes 20B are groove-shaped groove portions 20B1 that open toward both the left and right sides of each side wall 14A and 14B. These signal terminal insertion grooves 20A and signal terminal insertion holes 20B are formed in an elongated shape with the left-right direction as viewed from the top-bottom direction, and constitute the signal terminal insertion portion 20.

In the left-right center of the front and rear connecting wall portions 14C and 14D, a storage recess 22 that opens outward in the front-rear direction is formed. The front and rear storage recesses 22 extend in the vertical direction and communicate with a rectangular through hole 24 formed in the base end of the engaging protrusion 18. This through hole 24 penetrates the base end of the engaging protrusion 18 in the vertical direction. The lower end of each storage recess 22 communicates with a pair of left and right elastic part insertion grooves 26 formed in the lower surface of the movable housing 14. The left and right elastic part insertion grooves 26 extend in the left-right direction and open to both left and right sides. In addition, spring storage recesses 28 are formed on both left and right sides in the approximately lower half of the front and rear connecting wall portions 14C and 14D. The pair of left and right spring storage recesses 28 open outward in the front-rear direction and outward in the left-right direction.

(Regarding fixed housing)
As shown in Figs. 1 to 2 and 4 to 8, the fixed housing 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape having a rectangular through hole 32 penetrating in the up-down direction. The fixed housing 30 integrally includes a pair of left and right side wall portions 30A, 30B facing each other in the left-right direction, and a pair of front and rear connecting wall portions 30C, 30D connecting both front and rear end portions of the left and right side wall portions 30A, 30B in the left-right direction. The left and right side wall portions 30A, 30B extend in the front-rear direction, and the front and rear connecting wall portions 30C, 30D extend in the left-right direction. The fixed housing 30 is manufactured from an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The fixed housing 30 according to this embodiment is formed in an elongated shape with the front-rear direction as the long side, but the dimension of the fixed housing 30 in the front-rear direction can be changed appropriately depending on the number of signal terminals 50.

The lower half of the movable housing 14 is inserted into the inside of the through hole 32 of the fixed housing 30, and the upper half of the movable housing 14 is disposed on the upper side (outside) of the fixed housing 30. A gap 34 (reference numeral omitted except in Figures 5 and 6) that is approximately rectangular and annular when viewed from the top-bottom direction is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 32 of the fixed housing 30 and the outer peripheral surface of the lower half of the movable housing 14.

A plurality of signal terminal insertion holes 36 that penetrate in the vertical direction are formed in the middle of the left and right side wall portions 30A, 30B in the front-to-rear direction and are spaced equally apart in the front-to-rear direction. In addition, power terminal insertion holes 38 that penetrate in the vertical direction are formed in both front-to-rear ends of the left and right side wall portions 30A, 30B. The lower ends of the plurality of signal terminal insertion holes 36 are groove-shaped portions 36A that open toward both the left and right sides of each side wall portion 30A, 30B. The front and rear power terminal insertion holes 38 are formed in an elongated shape with the front-to-rear direction as the long direction when viewed from the top-to-bottom direction.

The front and rear connecting walls 30C, 30D each have an upwardly recessed engagement recess 40 formed at the bottom of the left-right middle portion. The front and rear engagement protrusions 18 formed on the movable housing 14 are disposed within the front and rear engagement recesses 40. The upper surface of each engagement protrusion 18 is in contact with or close to the upper surface of each engagement recess 40 and faces it. These engagement protrusions 18 and engagement recesses 40 function as retainers that prevent the movable housing 14 from falling off upward relative to the fixed housing 30. In addition, gaps are formed between the left and right side surfaces of each engagement protrusion 18 and the left and right side surfaces of each engagement recess 40 to allow relative movement of the movable housing 14 with respect to the fixed housing 30.

In addition, a positioning boss 42 that protrudes downward is formed on the underside of each of the front and rear connecting walls 30C, 30D. The front positioning boss 42 is located on the left side of the front engagement recess 40, and the rear positioning boss 42 is located on the right side of the rear engagement recess 40. These positioning bosses 42 are configured to be inserted into positioning holes formed in the circuit board.

(Regarding signal terminals)
As shown in Figs. 1 to 2 and Figs. 5 to 9, the signal terminals 50 are manufactured by punching out a conductive metal plate into a predetermined shape, and constitute a pair of left and right terminal rows 52A and 52B. The left and right terminal rows 52A and 52B each have a configuration in which a plurality of signal terminals 50 are arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction. The signal terminals 50 in the left terminal row 52A and the signal terminals 50 in the right terminal row 52B are formed in the same shape, but are arranged in opposite orientations in the left-right direction. The signal terminals 50 in the left terminal row 52A are bridged between the left side wall portion 30A of the fixed housing 30 and the movable housing 14 in the left-right direction, and the signal terminals 50 in the right terminal row 52B are bridged between the right side wall portion 30B of the fixed housing 30 and the movable housing 14 in the left-right direction. FIG. 9 illustrates one signal terminal 50 in the left terminal row 52A and one signal terminal 50 in the right terminal row 52B.

Each signal terminal 50 has a first contact portion 50A that is held in the movable housing 14 and is in electrical contact with a mating signal terminal provided in the mating connector 12 and elastically deforms outward in the left-right direction, a first elastic portion 50B that extends outward in the left-right direction from the first contact portion 50A and is elastically deformable, and a first connection portion 50C that extends outward in the left-right direction from the end of the first elastic portion 50B opposite the first contact portion 50A, is held in the fixed housing 30, and is fixed to the circuit board.

The first contact portion 50A is formed in a long plate shape with the plate thickness direction being the front-rear direction and the longitudinal direction being the up-down direction, and is inserted from below into the signal terminal insertion portion 20 of the movable housing 14. Approximately the lower half of this first contact portion 50A is the first retaining portion 50A1 inserted (pressed) into the signal terminal insertion hole 20B of the movable housing 14. This first retaining portion 50A1 has a plurality of claw portions 54 arranged in the up-down direction and protruding toward the center side in the left-right direction of the movable housing 14. These plurality of claw portions 54 bite into the inner peripheral surface of the signal terminal insertion hole 20B, thereby retaining the first retaining portion 50A1 in the movable housing 14.

Approximately the upper half of the first contact portion 50A is divided in the left-right direction by a slit 55 extending in the up-down direction into a pair of left and right first contact elastic portions 50A2, 50A3. These first contact elastic portions 50A2, 50A3 are inserted into the signal terminal insertion groove 20A of the movable housing 14 and are elastically deformable in the left-right direction. The first contact elastic portion 50A2 on the outside in the left-right direction extends upward more than the first contact elastic portion 50A3 on the center side in the left-right direction. At the upper ends of the left and right first contact elastic portions 50A2, 50A3, first contact portions 56, 58 are formed, each protruding into the bottomed hole 16 of the movable housing 14. These first contact portions 56, 58 are in contact with the mating signal terminal provided in the mating connector 12. As a result, the signal terminal 50 is electrically connected to the mating signal terminal. This electrical connection is ensured by the other of the first contacts 56, 58 even if one of the first contacts 56, 58 is damaged.

The first connection portion 50C has a first press-in portion 50C1 inserted (pressed) into the signal terminal insertion hole 36 of the fixed housing 30 from below, and a first connection piece 50C2 extending outward in the left-right direction from the lower end of the first press-in portion 50C1 and inserted into the groove-shaped portion 36A of the signal terminal insertion hole 36, and is formed in a substantially L-shape when viewed in the front-rear direction. A claw portion 60 protruding toward the center side in the left-right direction of the fixed housing 30 is formed on the upper part of the first press-in portion 50C1. The claw portion 60 is hooked on the inner surface of the signal terminal insertion hole 36, so that the first press-in portion 50C1 is held by the fixed housing 30. The first connection piece 50C2 protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the fixed housing 30. The first connection piece 50C2 is configured to be fixed (electrically connected) to the circuit board by means of soldering or the like.

The first elastic portion 50B constitutes the left-right intermediate portion of the signal terminal 50, and extends outward in the left-right direction from the lower end of the first contact portion 50A. The first connection portion 50C extends integrally from the end of the first elastic portion 50B opposite the first contact portion 50A. The left-right intermediate portion of the first elastic portion 50B forms a first spring portion 50B1 that is bent upwardly (in the direction in which the mating connector 12 is removed) to form a convex shape. When viewed from the front-to-rear direction, the first spring portion 50B1 has an inverted U shape with the lower side open.

(About the power terminal)
As shown in Figs. 1 to 2, 5 to 8, and 10 to 13, the pair of power terminals 70 are manufactured by punching out a conductive metal plate and bending it. The pair of power terminals 70 are arranged on both sides of the signal terminals 50 in the front-rear direction. The pair of power terminals 70 are formed in the same shape and are arranged in opposite orientations in the front-rear direction. Each power terminal 70 is formed in an elongated shape with the left-right direction as viewed from the top-down direction, and is bridged between the pair of side wall portions 30A and 30B. The left-right intermediate portion of each power terminal 70 is held by the front-rear end of the movable housing 14. Each power terminal 70 has a second elastic portion 70B that is elastically deformable at a portion located between the movable housing 14 and the pair of side wall portions 30A and 30B. In this embodiment, the dimension of each power terminal 70 in the up-down direction is set to be slightly shorter than the dimension of each power terminal 70 in the left-right direction, but this is not limited to this. The vertical dimension of each power terminal 70 can be changed as appropriate depending on the specifications of the connector 10, and each power terminal 70 may be configured to be elongated with its longitudinal direction extending in the vertical direction (insertion/removal direction Z) when viewed from the front-to-back direction (terminal arrangement direction X).

A second contact portion 70A is provided at the left-right intermediate portion (left-right central portion) of each power terminal 70. The second contact portion 70A is electrically contacted with a mating power terminal provided in the mating connector 12 and elastically deforms toward the multiple signal terminals 50. Each power terminal 70 also has a pair of second elastic portions 70B extending from the second contact portion 70A to both left and right sides, and a pair of left and right second connection portions 70C extending outward in the front-rear direction from the ends of the left and right second elastic portions 70B on the opposite side to the second contact portion 70A. The left and right second connection portions 70C are held by the fixed housing 30 and are fixed to the circuit board. The second contact portion 70A corresponds to the "contact portion" in this invention, and the second connection portion 70C corresponds to the "connection portion" in this invention. A specific description will be given below.

The second contact portion 70A is formed in a long plate shape with the plate thickness direction being the front-rear direction and the longitudinal direction being the up-down direction. The plate thickness dimension of this second contact portion 70A in the front-rear direction is set to be smaller than the width dimension in the left-right direction. A part of this second contact portion 70A (most of it except for the left and right second contact portions 71A1 and 71B1 described later) is accommodated in the accommodation recess 22 of the movable housing 14. The lower part of this second contact portion 70A is the second holding portion 70A1. The second holding portion 70A1 is inserted (press-fitted) into the lower part of the accommodation recess 22 of the movable housing 14. The second holding portion 70A1 has a plurality of claw portions 72 that protrude on both the left and right sides and are formed in a line in the up-down direction. These plurality of claw portions 72 bite into the left and right side surfaces of the accommodation recess 22, so that the second holding portion 70A1 is held in the movable housing 14.

The vertical middle and upper parts of the second contact part 70A are the second contact elastic part 70A2 that can be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction. This second contact elastic part 70A2 extends from the vertical middle part to the upper part in the accommodating recess 22. This second contact elastic part 70A2 is formed so that the width in the left-right direction decreases slightly toward the upper side, and is arranged in a non-contact state with the left and right side surfaces of the accommodating recess 22. In addition, a bent part 74 is formed between this second contact elastic part 70A2 and the second holding part 70A1, and the second contact elastic part 70A2 is slightly inclined in the vertical direction so as to move outward in the front-rear direction toward the upper side. As a result, a gap 22A (see FIG. 8) is formed between the second contact elastic part 70A2 and the bottom surface of the accommodating recess 22, allowing the second contact elastic part 70A2 to elastically deform toward the multiple signal terminals 50 side (the center side of the movable housing 14 in the front-rear direction).

The upper part of the second contact elastic part 70A2 is divided into a pair of left and right division parts 71A, 71B by a slit 76 extending in the vertical direction. In addition, the upper parts of the left and right division parts 71A, 71B are provided with second contact parts 71A1, 71B1 that bulge outward in the front-to-rear direction in a substantially arc shape. These second contact parts 71A1, 71B1 protrude outward in the front-to-rear direction of the accommodating recess 22 and come into contact with the mating power terminal provided in the mating connector 12. This electrically connects the power terminal 70 to the mating power terminal. This electrical connection is ensured by the other of the second contact parts 71A1, 71B1 even if one of the second contact parts 71A1, 71B1 is damaged. The configuration is not limited to one in which the upper portion of the second contact elastic portion 70A2 is divided into left and right division portions 71A, 71B (left and right second contact portions 71A1, 71B1) by the slit 76, and the slit 76 may be omitted.

The left and right second connection parts 70C have a second press-in part 70C1 inserted (pressed) into the power terminal insertion hole 38 of the fixed housing 30 from below, and a second connection piece 70C2 extending outward in the left-right direction from the lower end of the second press-in part 70C1, and are formed in a substantially L-shape when viewed in the front-rear direction. A plurality of claw parts 78 protruding outward in the front-rear direction are formed in a vertical line on the upper part of the second press-in part 70C1. These claw parts 78 bite into the inner circumferential surface of the power terminal insertion hole 38, so that the second press-in part 70C1 is held in the fixed housing 30. The left and right second connection pieces 70C2 protrude outward in the left-right direction beyond the fixed housing 30. These second connection parts 70C are configured to be fixed (electrically connected) to a circuit board by means of soldering or the like.

The left and right second elastic parts 70B extend integrally from the lower end of the second holding part 70A1 of the second contact part 70A to both left and right sides. The left and right second connecting parts 70C extend integrally from the ends of these second elastic parts 70B opposite to the second contact part 70A. The ends of the left and right second elastic parts 70B on the second contact part 70A side are inserted into the left and right elastic part insertion grooves 26 formed on the lower surface of the movable housing 14. In addition, the left and right intermediate parts of the left and right second elastic parts 70B are second spring parts 70B1 that are bent to form a convex upward (in the direction of removal of the mating connector 12). These second spring parts 70B1 are inverted U-shaped with the lower side open when viewed from the front and rear direction. Parts of the left and right second elastic parts 70B (approximately half of the parts on the second contact part 70A side) are accommodated in the left and right spring accommodating recesses 28 of the movable housing 14.

(Action and Effects)
Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

In the connector 10 having the above configuration, a plurality of signal terminals 50 and a pair of power terminals 70 are bridged between a pair of side walls 30A, 30B of the fixed housing 30 and the movable housing 14. The signal terminals 50 are arranged in a front-rear direction (terminal arrangement direction X) perpendicular to the up-down direction (insertion/removal direction Z) and the left-right direction (bridge direction Y), and have a first elastic portion 50B that can be elastically deformed in the middle of the bridge direction Y. The pair of power terminals 70 are arranged on both sides of the terminal arrangement direction X with respect to the signal terminals 50, and are bridged between the pair of side walls 30A, 30B. The middle portions of these power terminals 70 in the bridge direction Y are held by the ends of the movable housing 14 in the terminal arrangement direction X, and each has a second elastic portion 70B that can be elastically deformed in a portion located between the pair of side walls 30A, 30B and the movable housing 14.

In this connector 10, the first elastic portion 50B of each signal terminal 50 and the pair of second elastic portions 70B of each power terminal 70 are elastically deformed to allow the movable housing 14 to move relative to the fixed housing 30. This makes it possible to absorb misalignment between the connector 10 and the mating connector 12.

In addition, because this connector 10 has both signal terminals 50 and power terminals 70, it is possible to reduce the installation space on the circuit board for the connector 10 and simplify the assembly work of the connector 10 to the circuit board compared to a case in which a connector with signal terminals and a connector with power terminals are separately attached to the circuit board.

Furthermore, in this connector 10, multiple signal terminals 50 and a pair of power terminals 70 are bridged between a common movable housing 14 and a fixed housing 30, so the arrangement space for the movable housing 14 in the terminal arrangement direction X can be made smaller than in a configuration in which multiple movable housings are arranged side by side in the terminal arrangement direction X. Moreover, each power terminal 70 is formed in an elongated shape with the bridge direction Y as its longitudinal direction when viewed from the insertion/removal direction Z, so the arrangement space for each power terminal 70 in the terminal arrangement direction X can be made smaller. As a result, the connector 10 according to this embodiment can have a smaller overall configuration in the terminal arrangement direction X.

In addition, in this connector 10, the second contact portion 70A provided at the middle portion of the power terminal 70 in the bridge direction is held at the end of the movable housing 14 in the terminal arrangement direction X. Since the second contact portion 70A is electrically contacted with the mating power terminal provided in the mating connector 12 and elastically deforms toward the multiple signal terminals 50, there is no need to secure a space for the second contact portion 70A to elastically deform on the opposite side to the multiple signal terminals 50 (outside the terminal arrangement direction X). In addition, the pair of second elastic portions 70B of the power terminal 70 extend from the second contact portion 70A to both sides in the bridge direction Y, so that the arrangement space of the pair of second elastic portions 70B in the terminal arrangement direction X can be set small. Furthermore, the pair of second connection portions 70C of the power terminal 70 extend from the ends of the pair of second elastic portions 70B opposite to the second contact portion 70A to the outside of the terminal arrangement direction X (opposite the multiple signal terminals 50). Since the extension direction of the pair of second connection portions 70C is set in this manner, the second contact portion 70A and the pair of second elastic portions 70B can be positioned closer to the multiple signal terminals 50 than in a configuration in which the pair of second connection portions 70C extend from the ends of the pair of second elastic portions 70B opposite the second contact portion 70A toward the multiple signal terminals 50. As a result, the movable housing 14 in which the second contact portion 70A is held at the end in the terminal arrangement direction X can be made smaller in the terminal arrangement direction X. From the above, according to this embodiment, the overall configuration of the connector 10 can be further made smaller in the terminal arrangement direction X.

In addition, in this connector 10, the pair of second elastic portions 70B of the power terminal 70 extend from the second contact portion 70A to both sides in the bridge direction Y (branching to both sides in the bridge direction Y). This makes it easier for each second elastic portion 70B to elastically deform, compared to, for example, a configuration in which the pair of second elastic portions 70B of the power terminal 70 branches in the terminal arrangement direction X on one side of the bridge direction Y relative to the second contact portion 70A.

In addition, in this connector 10, an accommodating recess 22 that opens outward in the terminal arrangement direction X is formed at the end of the movable housing 14 in the terminal arrangement direction X. This accommodating recess 22 accommodates most of the second contact portion 70A of the power terminal 70. This makes it easier to ensure space for arranging the second contact portion 70A when making the overall configuration of this connector 10 smaller in the terminal arrangement direction X.

In addition, in this connector 10, a pair of spring accommodating recesses 28 that open outward in the terminal arrangement direction X and outward in the bridge direction Y are formed at the end of the movable housing 14 in the terminal arrangement direction X. A portion of a pair of second elastic portions 70B of the power terminal 70 is accommodated in the pair of spring accommodating recesses 28. This makes it easier to ensure space for arranging the pair of second elastic portions 70B when miniaturizing the overall configuration of this connector 10 in the terminal arrangement direction X.

In other words, the accommodating recess 22 and the pair of spring accommodating recesses 28 are formed in the dead space that serves as the arrangement space for the movable housing 14, and the second contact portion 70A and the pair of second elastic portions 70B are partially accommodated in these recesses 22, 28, making it easier to further miniaturize the overall configuration of the connector 10 in the terminal arrangement direction X.

In addition, in this connector 10, the second contact portion 70A of the power terminal 70 is formed in a plate shape whose thickness dimension along the terminal arrangement direction X is smaller than its width dimension along the bridge direction Y. A larger current flows through the power terminal 70 having this second contact portion 70A than through the signal terminal 50, so it is necessary to ensure a large cross-sectional area. In this regard, according to this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the second contact portion 70A can be ensured by the above-mentioned width dimension, while the dimension of the second contact portion 70A in the terminal arrangement direction X can be set small. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it becomes easier to further miniaturize the overall configuration of the connector 10 in the terminal arrangement direction X.

Furthermore, in this connector 10, the pair of second elastic portions 70B of the power terminal 70 have second spring portions 70B1 that are bent to form a convex shape in the removal direction (upward) of the movable housing 14. This makes it easier to elastically deform the pair of second elastic portions 70B while setting the dimensions of the pair of second elastic portions 70B in the terminal arrangement direction X small.

<Supplementary explanation of the embodiment>
In the above embodiment, the power supply terminal 70 has a configuration in which a pair of second contact portions 71A1, 71B1 arranged side by side in the left-right direction (bridge direction Y) is provided at the upper end of the second contact portion 70A, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in a power supply terminal 70' (modified example) shown in Figure 14, a configuration in which a pair of second contact portions 71C1, 71D1 arranged side by side in the up-down direction (insertion/removal direction Z) may be provided at the upper end of the second contact portion 70A'.

In this power terminal 70', the configuration of the second contact elastic portion 70A1' of the second contact portion 70A' is different from that of the power terminal 70 according to the above embodiment, but the other configurations are the same as those of the power terminal 70. The second contact elastic portion 70A1' of this power terminal 70' has a slit (opening) 73 that is approximately inverted U-shaped when viewed from the front-rear direction (terminal arrangement direction X). As a result, the second contact elastic portion 70A1' is divided into an outer division portion 71C that is approximately inverted U-shaped when viewed from the front-rear direction, and an inner division portion 71D that is arranged inside the outer division portion 71C.

The upper ends of the outer division 71C and the inner division 71D are provided with second contact portions 71C1, 71D1 that bulge outward in a generally arc shape in the front-to-rear direction. These second contact portions 71C1, 71D1 are aligned in the vertical direction (insertion/removal direction Y) and protrude outward in the front-to-rear direction of the accommodating recess 22. The power terminal 70' is electrically connected to the mating power terminal by contacting these second contact portions 71C1, 71D1 with the mating power terminal provided in the mating connector 12. This electrical connection is ensured by the other of the second contact portions 71C1, 71D1 even if one of the second contact portions 71C1, 71D1 is damaged.

Moreover, in this power terminal 70', when the mating connector 12 is inserted (connected) to the connector 10, the upper second contact portion 71C1 comes into sliding contact with the mating power terminal before the lower second contact portion 71D1. As a result, even if an oxide film is formed on the surface of the mating power terminal, for example, the oxide film can be scraped off by the above-mentioned sliding contact, so that good electrical continuity can be achieved between the lower second contact portion 71D1 and the mating power terminal.

In the above embodiment, the pair of second elastic portions 70B of the power terminal 70 extend from the second connection portion 70A to both sides in the bridge direction Y. In addition to this configuration, each of the pair of second elastic portions may be further branched (divided) into multiple elastic portions (spring portions) arranged in the terminal arrangement direction X. In other words, the power terminal of the present invention may have at least a pair of second elastic portions each extending from the second contact portion (contact portion) to both sides in the bridge direction.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the pair of second elastic portions 70B are configured to be bent in a convex shape toward the removal direction of the movable housing 14, but this is not limited thereto, and the shape of the pair of second elastic portions can be changed as appropriate. In addition, in the above embodiment, the second contact portion 70A is configured to be formed in a plate shape whose plate thickness dimension along the terminal arrangement direction X is smaller than its width dimension along the bridge direction Y, but this is not limited thereto, and the shape of the second contact portion (contact portion of the power supply terminal) can be changed as appropriate.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the accommodating recess 22 and the pair of spring accommodating recesses 28 are formed at the end of the movable housing 14 in the terminal arrangement direction X, but this is not limited thereto, and one or both of the accommodating recess and the pair of spring accommodating recesses may be omitted.

The present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. It goes without saying that the scope of the invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

10 Connector 12 Mating connector (connection object)
14 Movable housing 14A, 14B Side wall portion 14C, 14D Connection wall portion 16 Bottomed hole (hole)
22 Accommodating recess 28 Spring accommodating recess 30 Fixed housing 50 Signal terminal 50A First contact portion 50B First elastic portion 50C First connection portion 70 Power terminal 70A Second contact portion 70B Second elastic portion 70C Second connection portion 70C1 Second press-fit portion X Terminal arrangement direction Y Bridge direction (direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction and the terminal arrangement direction)
Z Insertion/Removal Direction

Claims (2)

a fixed housing fixed to the circuit board;
a movable housing arranged to be movable relative to the fixed housing, into which a connection object is inserted and removed;
a plurality of signal terminals arranged between the fixed housing and the movable housing and arranged in a terminal arrangement direction perpendicular to a direction in which the connection object is inserted and removed;
a power terminal extending between the fixed housing and the movable housing;
The power supply terminal is
a second press-fit portion held by the fixed housing and having a plate thickness direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction and the terminal arrangement direction;
A second contact portion that is in electrical contact with the connection object;
a second elastic portion located between the second press-fit portion and the second contact portion, the second elastic portion having a plate thickness direction that is the terminal arrangement direction,
the second contact portion has a second holding portion that is held by the movable housing and has a plate thickness direction that is the terminal arrangement direction;
the second elastic portion is located between the second press-fit portion and the second holding portion and extends outward from the second holding portion in the orthogonal direction,
Further, a bent portion is provided between the second press-fit portion and the second elastic portion.
A connector characterized by: the second contact portion is brought into electrical contact with the connection object and elastically deformed toward one side in the terminal arrangement direction,
The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the movable housing has an accommodating recess that opens toward the terminal arrangement direction and accommodates at least a part of the second contact portion.