CONNECTOR

A connector includes a fixed housing, a movable housing, and multiple contacts. Each of the fixed housing and the movable housing is formed of an insulator. The contacts are formed of a conductor. Each of the contacts has a first end fixed to the fixed housing and a second end fixed to the movable housing to displaceably connect the movable housing to the fixed housing. The movable housing includes a protrusion positioned between the contacts.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based upon and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-069527, filed on Mar. 31, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to connectors.

2. Description of the Related Art

A floating connector, which is a socket connector to connect to a plug connector and includes a movable housing displaceable relative to a fixed housing to be fixed to a board, is known.

According to such a floating connector, the movable housing can move from a position where the movable housing is aligned with the fixed housing to eliminate a misalignment of the plug connector and the floating (socket) connector when the plug connector connects to the floating connector.

For related art, reference may be made to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2007-103189, 2011-249076, and 2017-10611.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, a connector includes a fixed housing, a movable housing, and multiple contacts. Each of the fixed housing and the movable housing is formed of an insulator. The contacts are formed of a conductor. Each of the contacts has a first end fixed to the fixed housing and a second end fixed to the movable housing to displaceably connect the movable housing to the fixed housing. The movable housing includes a protrusion positioned between the contacts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The floating connector includes socket contacts to contact plug contacts of the plug connector. The movable housing is displaceably connected to the fixed housing by the socket contacts. The fixed housing can be fixed to a printed board by soldering the terminals of the socket contacts connected to the fixed housing to electrode terminals of the printed board.

Such soldering is generally performed by reflow soldering, during which excessive solder paste may solidify to form a spherical mass of solder referred to as a solder ball. Once such a solder ball enters between and short-circuits socket contacts, the floating connector fails to function properly, thus impairing its reliability. In the following description, the term “reflow-mount” refers to mounting an object by such soldering.

Therefore, there is a demand for floating connectors whose reliability is not impaired by soldering.

According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the reliability of a floating connector from being degraded by soldering.

One or more embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same elements or members are referred to using the same reference numeral, and are not repetitively described.

First, a floating connector is described.FIGS. 1 and 2are a side view and a front view, respectively, of a plug connector10and a socket connector110, which is a floating connector, before being fitted and connected.

The plug connector10includes a plug housing20and plug contacts50attached to the plug housing20. The plug housing20is formed of, for example, an insulating resin material. The plug connector10is connected to a printed board80. Specifically, each of the plug contacts50, attached to the plug housing20, has a terminal at one end soldered to one of electrode terminals of the printed board80. The plug housing20includes a protruding insertion part21to be inserted into the socket connector110. The plug contacts50are arranged on both sides22of the insertion part21. Each plug contact50includes a contact part51to contact one of the below-described socket contacts near the other end. The plug contacts50are formed of a metal material and have springiness.

The socket connector110includes a fixed housing120, a movable housing130, and socket contacts150. The fixed housing120and the movable housing130are formed of an insulator such as an insulating resin material. Each socket contact150has a terminal at one end soldered to one of electrode terminals of a printed board180, so that the fixed housing120is fixed to the printed board180.

The socket connector110is described in more detail below with reference toFIGS. 3A and 3B and 4 through 7.FIGS. 3A and 3Bare a plan view and a side view, respectively, of the socket connector110.FIG. 4is a cross-sectional view of the socket connector110, taken along the one-dot chain line3A-3B inFIG. 3B.FIG. 5is an enlarged view of part ofFIG. 4.FIG. 6is a perspective view of the socket connector110.FIG. 7is an enlarged view of part ofFIG. 6. In the following description, the socket contacts150are collectively referred to as “socket contact150” where appropriate. Likewise, the plug contacts50are collectively referred to as “plug contact50” where appropriate.

The fixed housing120has a rectangular frame shape including a rectangular opening121at the center in a plan view. The movable housing130has a substantially rectangular shape, and is accommodated in the opening121of the fixed housing120. The movable housing130includes an opening131for inserting the insertion part21of the plug connector10.

The socket contact150is formed of a metal material (a conductor), and includes a terminal151, a first bent part152, a fixed housing connection part153, a displaceable part154, a second bent part155, an intermediate part156, a third bent part157, and a contact terminal158in order from one end to the other end. The socket contact150is bent substantially at 90° at the first bent part152between the terminal151and the fixed housing connection part153. The socket contact150is gently bent where the displaceable part154extends from the fixed housing connection part153. The socket contact150is bent substantially at 180° at the second bent part155between the displaceable part154and the intermediate part156. The socket contact150is bent substantially at 180° at the third bent part157between the intermediate part156and the contact terminal158. Each of the socket contacts150, fixed to the fixed housing120, has the terminal151soldered to one of electrode terminals of the printed board180, so that the fixed housing120is fixed to the printed board180.

The socket contacts150are approximately 0.1 mm in thickness and 0.2 mm in width, and are arranged with a pitch of 0.4 mm. The bend radius at the second bent part155is approximately 0.3 mm.

To connect the plug connector10and the socket connector110, the insertion part21of the plug connector10is inserted into and fitted to the opening131of the movable housing130of the socket connector110. As a result, the contact part51of the plug contact50contacts the contact terminal158of the socket contact150to electrically connect the plug connector10and the socket connector110.

According to the socket connector110, for example, the first bent part152and the fixed housing connection part153of the socket contact150are connected and fixed to the fixed housing120, and the contact terminal158of the socket contact150is connected and fixed to the movable housing130. Therefore, part of the socket contact150including the displaceable part154and the second bent part155that are not fixed between fixed parts is deformable. That is, the movable housing130is movably connected to the fixed housing120by the socket contacts150. Specifically, the movable housing130is connected to the fixed housing120by the socket contacts150with the movable housing130movable (displaceable) laterally in the plane of paper ofFIG. 4and in the direction coming into and the direction coming out of the plane of paper ofFIG. 4relative to the fixed housing120.

FIG. 8illustrates the behavior of the socket contact150in the case where the movable housing130moves relative to the fixed housing120.FIG. 9illustrates part of a cross section of the movable housing130between adjacent socket contacts150. InFIGS. 8 and 9, the socket contact150is indicated by a dot pattern for clarification.

Referring toFIGS. 4, 5 and 9, according to the socket connector110, for example, the displaceable part154and the second bent part155of the socket contact150, which are between a part connected to the fixed housing120and a part connected to the movable housing130, are unfixed and freely movable. Accordingly, there is a space around the displaceable part154and the second bent part155.

As described above, however, a solder ball may be produced when reflow-mounting the socket connector110.FIG. 10is a diagram illustrating a solder ball that has entered between socket contacts. If a solder ball90enters between adjacent socket contacts150as illustrated inFIG. 10, the adjacent socket contacts150may be short-circuited. That is, there is a space around the displaceable part154and the second bent part155at which the socket contact150deforms, and there is a gap140between the fixed housing120and the movable housing130as illustrated inFIGS. 4 through 7. Therefore, the solder ball90entering from outside through the gap140is likely to adhere between the second bent parts155of adjacent socket contacts150near the gap140, which may short-circuit the adjacent socket contacts150.

Next, a socket connector210according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference toFIGS. 11A and 11B and 12 through 15. The socket connector210is a floating connector, and is configured to connect to the plug connector10.

FIGS. 11A and 11Bare a plan view and a side view, respectively, of the socket connector210.FIG. 12is a cross-sectional view of the socket connector210, taken along the one-dot chain line11A-11B inFIG. 11B.FIG. 13is an enlarged view of part ofFIG. 12.FIG. 14is a perspective view of the socket connector210.FIG. 15is an enlarged view of part ofFIG. 14.

The socket connector210includes the fixed housing120, a movable housing230, and the socket contacts150. The fixed housing120is connected to a printed board. The movable housing230is formed of an insulator such as an insulating resin material, and is accommodated in the opening121of the fixed housing120. The movable housing230includes the opening131for inserting the insertion part21of the plug connector10.

According to the socket connector210, the first bent part152and the fixed housing connection part153of the socket contact150are connected and fixed to the fixed housing120, and the contact terminal158of the socket contact150is connected and fixed to the movable housing230. Therefore, part of the socket contact150including the displaceable part154and the second bent part155that are not fixed between fixed parts is deformable. Accordingly, the movable housing230is movably connected to the fixed housing120by the socket contacts150. Specifically, the movable housing230is connected to the fixed housing120by the socket contacts150with the movable housing230movable (displaceable) laterally in the plane of paper ofFIG. 12and in the direction coming into and the direction coming out of the plane of paper ofFIG. 12relative to the fixed housing120.

FIG. 16illustrates the behavior of the socket contact150in the case where the movable housing230moves relative to the fixed housing120.FIG. 17illustrates part of a cross section of the movable housing230between adjacent socket contacts150. InFIGS. 16 and 17, the socket contact150is indicated by a dot pattern for clarification.

Referring toFIG. 16, the movable housing230includes protrusions232arranged like comb teeth one between each adjacent two of the socket contacts150. That is, the protrusions232alternate with the socket contacts150in a direction in which the socket contacts150are arranged. By thus providing the protrusions232one between each adjacent two of the socket contacts150, it is possible to prevent a solder ball from entering between the second bent parts155of adjacent socket contacts150. As a result, even when the socket connector210is reflow-mounted, it is possible to prevent the socket connector210from becoming less reliable. Each protrusion232enters between the second bent parts155of adjacent socket contacts150to protrude outward (in a direction toward the fixed housing120) from the movable housing230.

According to this embodiment, when the movable housing230is stationary relative to the fixed housing120, the protrusions232of the movable housing230are out of contact with the socket contacts150in order not to hinder the movement of the movable housing230. Referring toFIG. 16, the protrusions232have a thickness T of 0.12 mm to 0.15 mm. The socket contacts150have a width W of 0.2 mm, and are arranged with a pitch of 0.4 mm. Accordingly, the interval between each adjacent two of the socket contacts150is 0.2 mm.

According to the socket connector210, the comb teeth-like protrusions232of the movable housing230are formed so that each protrusion232is positioned between the second bent parts155of adjacent socket contacts150.