JPH0754939Y2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector suitable for a multi-contact type having a large number of terminal pins.

[Prior Art] Electronic computers and their peripheral devices, such as electronic devices such as hard disk storage devices, are becoming more sophisticated and multifunctional.
Therefore, the electric connector used for interconnection between devices or a plurality of circuit boards in a device is necessarily a multi-contact type having a large number of terminal pins or posts.

Such an electric connector is attached to a panel or the like of electronic equipment. If all the terminals to be used have the same size and shape, there is virtually no problem even if the mounting is left-right or upside-down. However, if there are differences in the terminal pin length and other dimensions due to the characteristics of the electronic equipment used, the electrical connector must be mounted in a predetermined direction. When this mounting work is performed manually, it is possible to orient by paying attention to the size and shape difference of such terminals, but in the case of mechanical (robot) work, such difference is detected. Not always easy. In order to solve this problem, it is common to make the housing of the electrical connector asymmetrical.

Also, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-12245, a method is known in which the directionality is detected by a projection that engages with a mating connector in a concavo-convex manner.

In addition, after detecting the directionality, the projection is cut by mechanical means to fit the connectors together.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

However, when the electrical connector is used as an interface portion of a computer peripheral device exposed to the outside, it is preferable that the electrical connector has a substantially symmetrical shape for aesthetic reasons or other reasons.

In the case of a projection that is fitted in a concavo-convex shape, if the fitting is reversed, the projection is crushed and deformed, which causes a problem that the fitting cannot be properly performed at the regular position. Further, it may be structurally difficult to provide a recess in the mating connector.

In the case of cutting off the projection, there is a possibility that the function of the connector may be impaired due to burrs or separated strips.

Therefore, a new electrical connector is proposed, in which the electrical connector, particularly its housing, has a substantially symmetrical shape, and the directionality can be easily detected by a machine, and the fitting work with the mating connector is not substantially prevented. The purpose is to do.

[Means and Actions for Solving Problems]

The electrical connector of the present invention includes an insulating housing including a plurality of terminals penetrating therethrough, and an electrical connector having a protrusion integrally formed on one surface of the insulating housing toward a mating connector, wherein the other surface of the insulating housing is provided on the other surface side. A concave portion is provided at a position corresponding to the protrusion, and a coupling portion that is pressed and destroyed by the mating connector during fitting between the protrusion and the insulating housing to allow the protrusion to be received in the concave portion is formed by the concave portion. It is characterized by being configured. During the work of mounting the electric connector, the projection or the recess of the insulating housing is detected by the detection means to determine the correct mounting direction. When the mating connector is fitted to the terminal after mounting, the protrusion of the insulating housing is pressed and is depressed into the recessed portion in the back and held in the recessed portion by friction fitting.

〔Example〕

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

FIG. 1 is a preferred embodiment of the base housing or insulating housing 10 used in the electrical connector 30 of the present invention. First
FIG. 1 (A) is a front view, and FIG. 1 (B) is the line B in FIG. 1 (A).
1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line -B ', and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC' in FIG. 1A.

As is apparent from FIG. 1, the fresh green housing 10 is a molded product of an insulating plastic material in which a large number of terminal pin press-fitting openings 12 are formed in two rows. The insulating housing 10 has a substantially symmetrical shape in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. This insulation housing
Reference numeral 10 has a relatively thick terminal press-fitting central portion 14 and a relatively thin flange 16 surrounding the central portion 14. Two rows of terminal press-fitting openings
12 are formed at substantially regular intervals, and the size (diameter) of each opening is selected to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of a press-fitted round pin, for example. A taper 13 is provided at the rear of each opening 12 for the convenience of press-fitting the terminal pin (see FIG. 1 (C)).

In the specific embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a circular protrusion 18 is integrally formed at a position corresponding to one of the terminal press-fitting openings 12 when the insulating housing 10 is molded, and the outer diameter of the protrusion 18 is substantially behind the circular protrusion 18. A concave portion 20 having the same inner diameter is formed in the. Further, a groove 19 is formed around the protrusion 18 of the insulating housing 10,
A notch is formed from 20 in the direction of the protrusion 18 and the protrusion 18 and the recess 20 only leave a relatively thin connecting portion 22. Therefore, the protrusion
It can be seen that when the top surface of 18 is pushed down, the connecting portion 22 is broken with a relatively small force and the protrusion 18 is depressed into the recess 20.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of the electrical connector 30 according to the present invention. As is apparent from the figure, a round terminal pin 34 is press-fitted and held in each terminal press-fitting opening 12 of the insulating housing 10 of FIG. Each terminal pin 30 is provided with a taper 35 at its tip end as needed, and is provided for the purpose of fitting with a mating connector or inserting into a through hole of a circuit board.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electric connector 30 of the present invention is attached to a substantially rectangular opening 33 formed in a panel 32 of an electronic device. The step of this opening 33 is the flange of the insulating housing 10.
It is preferably mounted to receive 16. Electrical connector
When the mating connector (not shown) is once inserted and fitted after the 30 is attached to the panel 32, the projection 18 of the insulating housing 10 is depressed and held in the recess 20 as shown by the cross section in FIG. Therefore, the insulating housing 10 on the outer (upper) surface side of the panel 32 has a substantially uniform flat surface. The protrusion 18 has a height sufficient to be detected by the detecting means, and the central portion 14 of the insulating housing 10
It is preferable that the thickness is equal to or less than the plate thickness.

The electrical connector 30 of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to a preferred embodiment, but the present invention should not be limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily understand. For example, the protrusion 18 need not be circular, but may be square, rectangular, or any other shape. Further, when a sufficient space can be obtained, the protrusion 18 may be formed in the central portion of the surrounding terminal pins without interfering with the arrangement of the terminal pins 34. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the shape arrangement of the terminal pins 34 can be freely selected.

[Effect of device]

As described above in detail, the electrical connector of the present invention is provided with a protrusion on one surface of the housing and a concave portion corresponding to the protrusion on the multi-face side, and the concave portion forms a connecting portion between the protrusion and the housing. At the time of mating, this connecting portion is destroyed by the mating connector so that the projection can be recessed in the concave portion, so that the following effect is obtained.

After the direction of the position of the protrusion is detected by a detection unit such as an optical sensor, the connectors may simply be fitted together, and the protrusion is not adversely affected.

Since the directionality is not detected by the projections that are fitted in the concavo-convex, there is no problem that the projections are crushed and deformed when they are reverse-fitted and they cannot be fitted in the regular position.

Furthermore, the structure of the present invention is effective even when the mating connector is not provided with a recess for receiving the protrusion structurally.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 (A), (B) and (C) are a front view and a sectional view of an embodiment of an insulating housing used for an electric connector of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of an embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention. 10 …… Insulation housing 18 …… Protrusion 20 …… Recess 22 …… Connection part 30 …… Electrical connector 34 …… Terminal

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An electrical connector comprising an insulating housing including a plurality of terminals penetrating therethrough, and having a projection integrally formed on one surface of the insulating housing toward a mating connector, wherein the projection is provided on the other surface side of the insulating housing. A concave portion is provided at a position corresponding to, and a connecting portion is formed between the protrusion and the insulating housing, the connecting portion being pressed and broken by the mating connector when fitted to allow the protrusion to be received in the concave portion. An electrical connector characterized in that