Card edge connector

A card edge connector includes a harness-side connector (H) in which a plurality of terminal fittings (50) are arranged side by side in a harness-side housing (10) and a board-side connector (P) in which a connecting edge portion (63) of a circuit board (62) projects from a front surface (60F) of a board-side housing (60). The harness-side housing (10) includes a terminal accommodating portion (39) configured to accommodate the plurality of terminal fittings (50), and a housing accommodating portion (48) arranged to face a front surface (39F) of the terminal accommodating portion (39) and configured to accommodate the board-side housing (60) connected to the harness-side housing (10). A resilient member (49) configured to bias the terminal accommodating portion (39) and the board-side housing (60) in a direction toward or away from each other in parallel to a connecting direction is provided in the housing accommodating portion (48).

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a card edge connector.

2. Description of the Related Art

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-091047 discloses a card edge connector formed by connecting a harness-side connector in which a plurality of terminal fittings are arranged side by side in a harness-side housing and a board-side connector in which a circuit board is mounted on a board-side housing. When the two housings are connected, the plurality of terminal fittings are resiliently held in contact with a plurality of contact portions arranged side by side on an edge part of the circuit board.

If vibration is applied to the card edge connector as described above, the harness-side housing and the board-side housing are relatively displaced in a connecting direction, whereby position shifts caused by vibration occur between the terminal fittings and the contact portions. Thus, if vibration is intermittently received over a long time, it may result in contact failures between the terminal fittings and the contact portions.

The present invention was developed in view of the above situation and aims to improve the contact reliability of a circuit board and harness-side terminal fittings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a card edge connector with a harness-side connector in which a plurality of terminal fittings are arranged side by side in a harness-side housing and a board-side connector in which a connecting edge portion of a circuit board projects from a front surface of a board-side housing, the plurality of terminal fittings being resiliently brought into contact with a plurality of contact portions arranged side by side on the connecting edge portion when the board-side housing is connected to the harness-side housing from front of the harness-side housing, including a terminal accommodating portion constituting the harness-side housing and configured to accommodate the plurality of terminal fittings, a housing accommodating portion constituting the harness-side housing, arranged to face a front surface of the terminal accommodating portion and configured to accommodate the board-side housing connected to the harness-side housing, and a resilient member provided in the housing accommodating portion and configured to bias the terminal accommodating portion and the board-side housing in a direction toward or away from each other in parallel to a connecting direction.

According to this configuration, relative displacements of the board-side housing and the terminal accommodating portion are restricted by a biasing force of the resilient member when the board-side housing is connected to the harness-side housing and accommodated into the housing accommodating portion. Since this prevents position shifts between the terminal fittings and the circuit board due to vibration resulting from the relative displacements of the two housings, the contact reliability of the terminal fittings and the circuit board is excellent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the card edge connector of the present invention, the housing accommodating portion may include a receptacle integrated with the terminal accommodating portion and projecting forwardly of the terminal accommodating portion and a cap to be mounted on the receptacle to close an opening on a front end of the receptacle.

According to this configuration, since the board-side housing is accommodated into the receptacle when being connected to the harness-side housing, the board-side housing can be positioned with respect to the harness-side housing so as not to be relatively displaced until the cap is mounted.

In the card edge connector of the present invention, the resilient member may be arranged between a rear surface of the board-side housing in the receptacle and an inner surface of the cap.

According to this configuration, the board-side housing is pressed toward the terminal accommodating portion by being biased from the rear surface side thereof by the resilient member and relative displacements of the harness-side housing and the board-side housing are restricted by this pressing action. A projecting distance of the circuit board from the board-side housing can be made shorter as compared with the case where the resilient member is interposed between a front surface of the harness-side housing and the front surface of the board-side housing.

In the card edge connector of the present invention, the resilient member may be a component separate from the housing accommodating portion and accommodated in the housing accommodating portion.

In the case of integrally forming the component constituting the housing accommodating portion and the resilient member, there are restrictions such as the possibility of mold removal, resilient strength and the like. Thus, a degree of freedom in design is low. Contrary to this, in this embodiment, the resilient member is a component separate from the housing accommodating portion according to the above configuration. Thus, a degree of freedom is high in designing the housing accommodating portion and the resilient member.

In the card edge connector of the present invention, the board-side housing may be integrated with the circuit board by molding.

According to this configuration, since there is no relative displacement between the board-side housing and the circuit board, a relative displacement of the circuit board to the terminal fittings can be reliably restricted if relative displacements of the board-side housing and the harness-side are restricted.

In the card edge connector of the present invention, the housing accommodating portion may include a receptacle integrated with the terminal accommodating portion and projecting forwardly of the terminal accommodating portion, and the entire board-side housing may be accommodated in the receptacle in a state where the harness-side connector and the board-side connector are properly connected.

According to this configuration, the board-side housing can be protected from the interference of external matters after the harness-side connector and the board-side connector are properly connected.

Hereinafter, one specific embodiment of the present invention is described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 7. A card edge connector of this embodiment includes a harness-side connector H and a board-side connector P as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3. The board-side connector P is connected to the harness-side connector H from front of the harness-side connector H. In the following description, forward and backward directions are based on the harness-side connector H. Further, a front-back direction and a connecting direction of the two connectors H, P are synonymous.

The harness-side connector H includes a harness-side housing10, a plurality of terminal fittings50and as many wires53as the terminal fittings50. The plurality of terminal fittings50are accommodated in the harness-side housing10while being arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in a lateral direction (width direction). The wire53is connected to a rear end part of each terminal fitting50. These wires53are drawn out backwardly of the harness-side housing10.

The harness-side housing10includes a housing main body11, a one-piece rubber plug23, a rear holder25, a terminal holding member30, a seal ring45, a cap46and a resilient member49. These components11,23,25,30,45and46are assembled.

The housing main body11is made of PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) resin material to form resiliently deflectable locking lances18to be described later. A liner expansion coefficient of the PBT resin is about 100 ppm/° C. The housing main body11has a flat outer shape as a whole in which a height (vertical dimension) is smaller than a width and a dimension in the front-back direction. The housing main body11is configured by integrally forming a main body portion12and a receptacle13projecting forward in a cantilever manner from the outer peripheral edge of the front end of the main body portion12. As shown inFIGS. 6 and 7, a single front space14formed by recessing a substantially entire area of the front end surface of the main body portion12is formed in the main body portion12. The terminal holding member30is accommodated in the front space14. Further, a single rear space15formed by recessing a substantially entire area of the rear end surface of the main body portion12is formed in the main body portion12.

As shown inFIG. 2, a plurality of rear cavities16allowing the front and rear spaces14,15of the main body portion12to communicate are formed between the two spaces14and15. The plurality of rear cavities16are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the width direction in each of two upper and lower stages. The rear cavities16in the upper stage and those in the lower stage are partitioned by a separation wall17. Further, the locking lances18cantilevered obliquely forward from the front ends of the respective rear cavities16and located in the front space14are formed in the main body portion12. The locking lances18are resiliently deflectable in the vertical direction (direction intersecting with an inserting direction of the terminal fittings50into the harness-side housing10).

An inner space of the receptacle13communicates with the front space14of the main body portion12. The board-side connector P is accommodated into the receptacle13from front of the receptacle13. A lock arm20is formed on an upper wall portion19constituting the receptacle13. The lock arm20is resiliently deflectable in the vertical direction (direction intersecting with the connecting direction of the two connectors H, P). Further, locking recesses22are formed on the upper wall portion19and a lower wall portion21constituting the recess13by recessing outer surfaces of front end parts of these wall portions in a step manner.

As shown inFIG. 2, the one-piece rubber plug23and the rear holder25are accommodated in the rear space15. The one-piece rubber plug23is formed with a plurality of seal holes24separated in two upper and lower stages and penetrating in the front-back direction. The one-piece rubber plug23is held in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the rear space15in a liquid-tight manner to seal. The rear holder25is assembled with the housing main body11in a state arranged behind and near the one-piece rubber plug23. The rear holder25restricts backward separation of the one-piece rubber plug23. The rear holder25is formed with a plurality of through holes26corresponding to the respective seal holes24.

Since the terminal holding member30has a linear expansion coefficient which is nearly equal to that of a circuit board62, it is made of a glass-containing PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) resin material. A linear expansion coefficient of the glass-containing PPS resin is approximately 10 to 30 ppm/° C. (e.g. Torelina (registered trademark), which is PPS resin produced by Toray Industries, Inc., has a linear expansion coefficient of 23 ppm/° C. in a flowing direction and a linear expansion coefficient of 31 ppm/° C. in a perpendicular direction). The linear expansion coefficient of the glass-containing PPS resin of the terminal holding member30is about 1/10 to 3/10 of that of the PBT resin of the housing main body11. The terminal holding member30has a flat shape as a whole in which a height (vertical dimension) is set to be smaller than a width. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the terminal holding member30is a single component including a pair of upper and lower supporting wall portions31, a pair of left and right side wall portions32and a front wall portion33. The pair of side wall portions32couple opposite left and right end edges of the upper and lower supporting wall portions31. The front wall portion33couples front end edges of the both supporting wall portions31and is connected to the front ends of the side wall portions32. Any of these wall portions31,32and33constitutes an outer wall surface of the terminal holding member30.

The terminal holding member30is accommodated in the front space14. As shown inFIG. 3, resilient locking pieces34formed on the outer surfaces of the left and right side wall portions32of the terminal holding member30are locked to locking steps27formed on opposite left and right inner side surfaces of the front space14. By the locking action of these resilient locking pieces34and the locking steps27, the terminal holding member30is held in the front space14. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, a flange portion35is formed on the outer periphery of a front end portion of the terminal holding member30. A rear end part of the seal ring45made of rubber is locked to this flange portion35. By this locking action, the seal ring45is mounted on the housing main body11in a state where the outer periphery thereof is held in close contact with the inner periphery of a rear end part of the receptacle13and the seal ring45is arranged before the terminal holding member30.

As shown inFIG. 6, a plurality of rib-like partition walls36projecting from the inner surfaces of the both supporting wall portions31toward a vertical center are formed in the terminal holding member30. The partition walls36are long and narrow in the front-back direction and arranged side by side in the lateral direction. Spaces defined by the supporting wall portions31and the partition walls36serve as front cavities37. Thus, a plurality of (as many as the rear cavities16) front cavities37separated in two upper and lower stages are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval (same interval as the rear cavities16) in the width direction in the terminal holding member30. The inner surfaces of the supporting wall portions31and the side surfaces of the partition walls36are directly facing the front cavities37. The plurality of front cavities37and the plurality of rear cavities16are arranged in one-to-one correspondence in the front-back direction to form terminal accommodating chambers38. The main body portion12of the housing main body11and the terminal holding member30form a terminal accommodating portion39for accommodating the plurality of terminal fittings50arranged side by side.

As shown inFIG. 2, a space between the front cavities37in the upper stage and those in the lower stage out of the inner space of the terminal holding member30serves as a single board accommodation space40in which a vertical dimension is set to be smaller than a lateral dimension. The front cavities37in the upper stage and those in the lower stage are directly facing the board accommodation space40. A board insertion port41which is in the form of a slit long and narrow in the lateral direction is formed to penetrate through the front wall portion33in the front-back direction. The front end of the board accommodation space40communicates with the board insertion port41.

Further, the front wall portion33is formed with a pair of upper and lower receiving plate portions42for supporting front end parts of box portions51of the terminal fittings50accommodated in the front cavities37. The receiving plate portions42are cantilevered backwardly from a pair of upper and lower long-side opening edges43extending in the lateral direction (length direction of the board accommodation space41) out of opening edges of the board accommodation space41. In a state where the box portions51of the terminal fittings50are accommodated in the front cavities37, displacements of the front end parts of the box portions51toward the board accommodation space40are restricted by the receiving plate portions42. In this way, the terminal fittings50are held not to be inclined in the vertical direction.

Since the front ends of the supporting wall portions31are connected to the front wall portion33, the front wall portion33is deformed to be vertically expanded if the supporting wall portions31are deformed to bulge toward outer surface sides of the terminal holding member30(upwardly or downwardly). Associated with this deformation of the front wall portion33, the upper and lower long-side opening edges43of the board insertion port41are relatively displaced away from each other. In this embodiment, the front wall portion33is formed with one coupling portion44for coupling the long-side opening edges43as shown inFIGS. 3, 5 and 6as a means for preventing the board insertion port41from being deformed to be vertically widened.

The front end edge of the coupling portion44is connected to the front wall portion. The upper end edge of the coupling portion44is connected to the upper supporting wall portion31. The lower end edge of the coupling portion44is connected to the lower supporting wall portion31. The rear end edge of the coupling portion44is connected to the front end of the separation wall17. That is, the coupling portion44is connected in an entire area from the front ends to the rear ends of the pair of upper and lower supporting wall portions31. Thus, deformation of the upper and lower supporting wall portions31away from each other is restricted by this coupling portion44.

Further, by being formed with the coupling portion44, the board insertion port41is divided into two left and right opening areas41L,41R. Accordingly, two (a plurality of) opening areas41L,41R correspond to the board accommodation space40as a single space. The coupling portion44is arranged at a position deviated in the lateral direction from a central position of the long-side opening edges43in the length direction. That is, the coupling portion44is asymmetrically arranged in the lateral direction. The shapes and sizes of the two opening areas41L,41R are asymmetrical in the lateral direction.

As shown inFIG. 2, the cap42made of synthetic resin is mounted on the receptacle13to close an opening on the front end of the receptacle13from front. A board-side housing60is entirely accommodated in the receptacle13in a state where the both connectors H, P are properly connected. Thus, the cap46is in the form of a flat plate as a whole. A lock arm47is formed on each of upper and lower end edges of the cap46. The cap46mounted on the receptacle13is held so as not be separated forwardly from the receptacle13by locking the lock arms47to the locking recesses22of the receptacle13. This cap46and the receptacle13constitute a housing accommodating portion48for accommodating the board-side housing60.

The housing accommodating portion48is arranged before and adjacent to the terminal accommodating portion39. Further, an inner space of the housing accommodating portion48communicates with the board accommodation space40via the board insertion port41. The resilient member made of a rubber material is accommodated in the housing accommodating portion48. The resilient member49is arranged to be held in close contact with a substantially entire area of the inner surface (rear surface) of the cap46. The rear surface of the resilient member49is held in close contact with a substantially entire area of a rear surface60R of the board-side housing60. When the cap46is mounted on the receptacle13, the resilient member49is sandwiched between the cap46and the board-side housing60to be resiliently squeezed.

The terminal fitting50is formed into a long and narrow shape in the front-back direction (direction perpendicular to a juxtaposition direction of the terminal fittings50) as a whole. The terminal fitting50is formed by bending and assembling two metal plate members punched out into predetermined shapes. As shown inFIG. 2, a front end side area of the terminal fitting50serves as the box portion51of a known form. A rear end side area of the terminal fitting50serves as a crimping portion52of a known form, and a front end part of the wire53constituting a wiring harness is connected to the crimping portion52by crimping. The box portion51includes a resilient contact piece54. A part of the resilient contact piece54projects out from the box portion51.

The terminal fitting50is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber38by successively passing through the through hole26of the rear holder25and the seal hole24of the one-piece rubber plug23. The inserted terminal fitting50has the rear end of the box portion51locked by the locking lance18, thereby being retained and held. With the terminal fitting50inserted, the box portion51and the resilient contact piece54are arranged in the front cavity37and the crimping portion52is arranged in the rear cavity16. That is, the box portion51(front end side part of the terminal fitting50) is held over the entire length from the front end to the rear end thereof by the terminal holding member30. Further, the crimping portion52(rear end side part of the terminal fitting50) is arranged over the entire length thereof in the housing main body11.

With the terminal fitting50inserted in each terminal accommodating chamber38, a part of the resilient contact piece54projects toward a side opposite to the supporting wall portion31and is located in the board accommodation space40. Further, each terminal fitting50is sandwiched from left and right sides by the partition walls36and positioned with respect to the terminal holding member30so as not to largely rattle in the lateral direction (juxtaposition direction).

As shown inFIGS. 2 to 4, the board-side connector P is an integral assembly of the board-side housing60made of synthetic resin and the circuit board62by molding. The board-side housing60has a flat shape as a whole in which a height (vertical dimension) is set to be smaller than a width. As shown inFIG. 2, a lock projection61is formed on the upper surface (outer surface) of the board-side housing60. Circuits are formed by printing and electronic components and the like (not shown) are mounted on opposite upper and lower surfaces (both sides) of the circuit board62. An end edge part of the circuit board62on the side of the harness-side connector H serves as a connecting edge portion63as a connection means to the terminal fittings50.

The circuit board62is made of a glass epoxy resin material. A linear expansion coefficient of the glass epoxy resin material is approximately 10 to 15 ppm/° C. substantially equal to that of the glass-containing PPS resin as the material of the terminal holding member30. An entire area of the circuit board62except the connecting edge portion63is embedded in the board-side housing60. Accordingly, the connecting edge portion63of the circuit board62projects from a front surface60F of the board-side housing60toward the harness-side housing10. As shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of contact portions64constituting the circuits are arranged side by side at the same interval as the terminal fittings50on opposite upper end lower surfaces of the connecting edge portion63. Further, the connecting edge portion63is formed with a cut portion65corresponding to the coupling portion44of the harness-side housing10.

In connecting the harness-side connector H and the board-side connector P, the board-side connector P is inserted into the receptacle13with the cap46removed from the receptacle13. In an inserting process, the connecting edge portion63of the circuit board62is inserted into the board accommodation space40through the board insertion port41. At this time, the cut portion65and the coupling portion44are press-fitted and engaged. When the two connectors H, P are properly connected, they are locked in a connected state by the locking action of the lock arm20and the lock projection61. Further, the resilient contact pieces54of the terminal fittings50in the upper and lower stages respectively resiliently come into contact with the contact portions64on the upper and lower surfaces of the connecting edge portion63and the circuit board62and the terminal fittings50are electrically conductively connected. Further, a clearance between the inner surface of the receptacle13and the outer surface of the board-side housing60is sealed by the seal ring45.

After the board-side connector P is inserted into the receptacle13, the resilient member49is held in close contact with the rear surface60R of the board-side housing60and the cap46is brought into contact with the front surface of the resilient member49and mounted on the receptacle13. Then, the resilient member49is resiliently deformed to be squeezed in the front-back direction, and a front surface60F of the board-side housing60is resiliently pressed against the front surface39F of the terminal accommodating portion39(terminal holding member30) by a resilient restoring force of this resilient member49. By this resilient pressing action, relative displacements of the two housings10,60in the front-back direction are restricted. Further, relative displacements of the two housings10,60in directions (vertical direction and lateral direction) intersecting with the connecting direction are also restricted. In the above way, the connection of the two connectors H, P is completed.

In the card edge connector of this embodiment, the harness-side housing10is provided with the terminal accommodating portion39for accommodating the plurality of terminal fittings50and the housing accommodating portion48arranged to face the front surface39F of the terminal accommodating portion39and configured to accommodate the board-side housing60. The resilient member49for biasing the terminal accommodating portion39and the board-side housing60in a direction toward each other in parallel to the connecting direction is provided in the housing accommodating portion48.

According to this configuration, relative displacements of the board-side housing60and the terminal accommodating portion39are restricted by a biasing force of the resilient member49, wherefore position shifts between the terminal fittings50and the circuit board62caused by vibration resulting from relative displacements of the two housings10,60are prevented. Thus, the card edge connector of this embodiment is excellent in the contact reliability of the terminal fittings50and the circuit board62.

Further, the housing accommodating portion48includes the receptacle13integrated with the terminal accommodating portion39and projecting forwardly of the terminal accommodating portion39and the cap46to be mounted on the receptacle13to close the opening on the front end of the receptacle13. According to this configuration, when the two housings10,60are connected, the board-side housing60is accommodated into the receptacle13. Thus, the two housings10,60can be positioned so as not to be displaced relative to each other until the cap46is mounted.

Further, the entire board-side housing60is accommodated into the receptacle13with the two connectors H, P properly connected. Thus, the board-side housing60can be protected from the interference of external matters until the resilient member49and the cap46are mounted after the two connectors H, P are connected.

Further, the resilient member49is arranged between the rear surface60R of the board-side housing60in the receptacle13and the inner surface of the cap46. According to this configuration, the board-side housing60is pressed against the terminal accommodating portion39by being biased from the side of the rear surface60R by the resilient member49, and relative displacements of the harness-side housing10and the board-side housing60are restricted by this pressing action. Thus, in the card edge connector of this embodiment, a projecting distance of the circuit board62from the board-side housing60can be made shorter as compared with the case where the resilient member49is interposed between the front surface39F of the terminal accommodating portion39and the front surface60F of the board-side housing60.

Further, the resilient member49is produced as a component separate from the housing accommodating portion48. This resilient member49is accommodated in the housing accommodating portion48. If an attempt is made to integrally form a component constituting the housing accommodating portion48and the resilient member49, there are restrictions such as the possibility of mold removal, resilient strength and the like. Thus, a degree of freedom in design is low. Contrary to this, in this embodiment, the resilient member49is a component separate from the housing accommodating portion48. Thus, a degree of freedom is high in designing the housing accommodating portion48and the resilient member49.

Further, since the board-side housing60is integrally formed to the circuit board62by molding, there is no relative displacement between the board-side housing60and the circuit board62. Since relative displacements of the board-side housing60and the harness-side housing10are restricted by the resilient member49, relative displacements of the terminal fittings50to the circuit board62are reliably restricted.

Further, since the resilient contact pieces54of the terminal fittings50are resiliently in contact with the circuit board62in a state where the terminal fittings50and the circuit board62are connected, reaction forces resulting from resilient restoring forces of the resilient contact pieces54are given toward the terminal fittings50from the side of the circuit board62. These reaction forces are received by the supporting wall portions31located at sides of the terminal fittings50opposite to the circuit board62. However, since the supporting wall portions31are provided along the plurality of terminal fittings50arranged side by side, the rigidity of the supporting wall portions31is reduced if a large number of terminal fittings50are arranged side by side and the supporting wall portions31have a large width. In this case, the supporting wall portions31may be curved and deformed to bulge out in directions away from the circuit board62(upward or downward) without being able to receive the reaction forces from the side of the circuit board62. If such deformation occurs, a contact pressure between the terminal fittings50and the circuit board62may be reduced.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, the pair of long-side opening edges43substantially parallel to the supporting wall portions31out of the opening edges of the board insertion port41are coupled by the coupling portion44, focusing on the board insertion port41of the front wall portion33connected to the front end edges of the supporting wall portions31. Since vertical widening of the board insertion port41can be restricted in this way, deformation of the upper and lower edge parts of the front wall portion33to bulge outwardly is also restricted and, consequently, the upper and lower supporting wall portions31are prevented from being curved and deformed. Since the supporting wall portions31can reliably receive reaction forces resulting from the resiliently pressing action of the resilient contact pieces54in this way, the contact pressure between the terminal fittings50and the circuit board62can be kept at a predetermined value.

Further, since the connecting edge portion63of the circuit board62is inserted into the board insertion port41, the circuit board62may interfere with the coupling portion44to obstruct the connection of the two connectors H, P. However, since the connecting edge portion63of the circuit board62is formed with the cut portion65for avoiding interference with the coupling portion44in the inserting process into the board insertion port40, the connection of the two connectors H, P is not obstructed.

Further, the front wall portion33constitutes the terminal accommodating chambers38for accommodating the plurality of terminal fittings50. The coupling portion44and the cut portion65are engaged while being held in contact in the juxtaposition direction of the terminal fittings50. According to this configuration, by the engagement of the coupling portion44and the cut portion65, the plurality of contact portions64of the circuit board62and the resilient contact pieces54of the plurality of terminal fittings50are positioned in the juxtaposition direction of the terminal fittings50. Thus, contact reliability is excellent. In addition, since the coupling portion44and the cut portion65is press-fitted and engaged, relative displacements of the circuit board62and the terminal fittings50are restricted not only in the lateral direction, but also in the front-back direction and the vertical direction. Therefore, even if the card edge connector receives vibration, the contact pressure between the terminal fittings50and the circuit board62is stable.

Further, the coupling portion44and the cut portion65is arranged at the position deviated from the central position of the long-side opening edges43in the length direction. According to this configuration, if an attempt is made to insert the circuit board62in a laterally inverted incorrect posture into the board insertion port41, the circuit board62interferes with the coupling portion44, wherefore the insertion of the circuit board62in an incorrect posture can be prevented.

Further, the harness-side housing10includes the terminal accommodating portion39for accommodating the plurality of terminal fittings50while positioning them in the juxtaposition direction. At least a part (terminal holding member30) of the terminal accommodating portion39is made of the material (PPS resin) having a linear expansion coefficient substantially equal to that of the material (glass epoxy resin) of the circuit board62. According to this configuration, when the card edge connector becomes hot, the arrangement interval of the terminal fittings50and that of the contact portions64of the circuit board62are unlikely to deviate from each other. Thus, the card edge connector of this embodiment is excellent in contact reliability.

Further, the terminal accommodating portion39includes the housing main body11and the terminal holding member30. The housing main body11is formed with the locking lances18resiliently deflectable to retain the terminal fittings50. The terminal holding member30is a body separate from the housing main body11and made of the material having a linear expansion coefficient approximately equal to that of the circuit board62. According to this configuration, the terminal fittings50can be reliably retained by the resiliently deflectable locking lances18while suppressing a deviation between the arrangement interval of the contact portions64of the circuit board62and that of the terminal fittings50during thermal expansion and contraction.

Further, the terminal fitting50includes the resilient contact piece54to be resiliently brought into contact with the contact portion64of the circuit board62. The terminal holding member30holds the terminal fittings50while positioning at least parts of the terminal fittings50corresponding to the resilient contact pieces54in the juxtaposition direction. According to this configuration, a deviation between the arrangement interval of the resilient contact pieces54and that of the contact portions64during thermal expansion and contraction can be effectively suppressed.

Further, the terminal holding member30constituting the front end of the terminal accommodating portion39and the main body portion12constituting the rear end side of the terminal accommodating portion39have different linear expansion coefficients. Thus, in the process of thermal expansion and contraction, a displacement amount in the lateral direction differs between the front end side and the rear end side of the terminal fitting50. As a result, the terminal fitting50may be inclined in the lateral direction. However, in this embodiment, the front end side part of the terminal fitting50serves as the box portion51for holding the resilient contact piece54and this box portion51is held over the entire length thereof while being positioned in the juxtaposition direction by the terminal holding member30. Thus, the orientation of the terminal fitting50is kept constant by the terminal holding member30in the process of thermal expansion and contraction.

Further, the board-side housing60is accommodated over the entire length thereof in the receptacle13in the state where the both connectors H, P are properly connected. That is, the entire board-side housing60is accommodated in the receptacle13. This structure enables position shifts between the housings10and60due to vibration to be suppressed also in a state where the cap46and the resilient member49are not assembled yet as compared with the case where a projecting distance of the receptacle13is short and only a part of the board-side housing60is accommodated in the receptacle13.

Further, the card edge connector of this embodiment can be used without assembling the cap46and the resilient member49in the state where the harness-side connector H and the board-side connector P are connected. In this case, position shifts between the housings10and60due to vibration can be more effectively suppressed or more reliably prevented if the two housings10,60are fixed so as not to move relative to each other such as by mounting a fixing member made of rubber (not shown) on the harness-side housing10and the board-side housing60. As a means for reliably preventing position shifts between the housings10and60without assembling the cap46and the resilient member49, the two housings10,60may be fixed to a body of a vehicle (not shown) by common bolts (not shown). As just described, the card edge connector of this embodiment can suppress or prevent position shifts between the two housings10and60due to vibration by being combined with another means instead of the cap46and the resilient member49.

The present invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the housing accommodating portion is composed of the receptacle integrally formed to the terminal accommodating portion and the cap for closing the opening of the receptacle. However, the housing accommodating portion may be an integral assembly of the receptacle of the embodiment separated from the terminal accommodating portion and the cap and have a bottomed tubular shape.

Although the resilient member is arranged between the rear surface of the board-side housing in the receptacle and the inner surface of the cap in the above embodiment, it may be arranged between the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion and the front surface (surface facing the terminal accommodating portion) of the board-side housing.

Although the resilient member is a component separate from the housing accommodating portion in the above embodiment, it may be integrally formed to the component (e.g. cap) constituting the housing accommodating portion.

Although the board-side housing is integrated with the circuit board by molding in the above embodiment, the pre-molded board-side housing and the pre-molded circuit board may be assembled.

Although the terminal fittings are in contact with both sides of the circuit board in the above embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to a card edge connector in which terminal fittings are in contact only with one of both sides of a circuit board.

Although the coupling portion is arranged at the position deviated from the central position of the long-side opening edges in the length direction and the two opening areas divided by the coupling portion are laterally asymmetrical in the above embodiment, the coupling portion may be arranged at the central position of the long-side opening edges in the length direction and the two opening areas divided by the coupling portion may be bilaterally symmetrical.

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