1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector for a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-085091 discloses a connector for a substrate. The connector has a square pillar-shaped hood in which a mating housing can be fit. The hood is mounted on the upper surface of the circuit substrate (printed-wiring substrate) and terminal fittings mounted in the hood are connected to conductive paths of the circuit substrate by soldering.
A supporting wall is formed at the rear end of the bottom surface of the hood and extends in the widthwise direction of the hood. A lower surface of the supporting wall contacts the upper surface of the circuit substrate and through-holes are formed at the widthwise ends of the supporting wall. Bolts are passed through the through-holes and are tightened to fix the hood to the circuit substrate.
The bottom surface of the supporting wall of the hood defines a dedicated supporting construction for the connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-142209, and hence there is a required material cost for this supporting construction. The electrical connector industry is very competitive, and excess costs are always a concern. Consideration has been given to omitting the supporting wall so that the entire bottom surface of the hood contacts the circuit substrate. However, the hood is susceptible to thermal effects from the circuit substrate in a high-temperature environment where reflow soldering or the like is used. Consequently there is a fear that the hood may be deformed by thermal expansion and may not be supported stably by the circuit substrate.
The invention has been completed in view of the above-described situation. Therefore an object of the invention is to provide a connector for a substrate without a high production cost for the supporting construction for the circuit substrate while ensuring that a hood of the connector is supported stably by the circuit substrate.
The invention relates to a connector for a substrate. The connector includes a tubular hood with concavities for receiving mating housings. The hood is mounted on a surface of a circuit substrate. The hood includes a bottom wall and channels project outward from the bottom wall at both widthwise sides of a bottom wall of the hood. The channels extend in a longitudinal direction of the hood and have concave grooves that face into the hood. The channels prevent mating housings from being fit in wrong fit-in concavities of the hood. Convex external surfaces of the channels face outwardly and contact the surface of the circuit substrate. As a result, the connector need not have a dedicated support for the circuit substrate and the construction of the hood is not complicated. Therefore, it is possible to save material and reduce costs. Further, the hood will be affected thermally to a lower extent by the circuit substrate than the construction in which the bottom surface of the hood entirely contacts the circuit substrate. This construction also supports the hood stably supported on the circuit substrate.
The lower surface of the channel preferably has a concave region and a mounting portion that projects down from the concave region on the lower surface of the channel. The mounting portion is configured to be locked elastically to a peripheral edge of a through-hole in the circuit substrate for preventing the hood from being removed from the circuit substrate. Thus, space can be utilized more efficiently than a construction in which the mounting portion is at a position separate from the channel. Further, the material cost can be saved because a part of the projected amount of the mounting portion is covered by the channel.
A wide hood could be warped by an external force. Therefore, the hood preferably includes at least one channel at a widthwise middle position of the hood. The channel formed at the widthwise middle position of the hood prevents the hood part from being warped in response to an external force.
An outer surface of each channel preferably is flat and extends along a surface of the circuit substrate. Thus, the height of the channels is small and the hood is compact compared with the case where end surfaces of the channels define arcs. Further the hood can be supported stably by the circuit substrate.
A reinforcement preferably is formed at a middle position of the bottom surface of the bottom wall of the hood in the widthwise direction thereof. The reinforcement has a bottom surface that is flush with or higher than bottom surfaces of the channels. The reinforcement prevents the hood from being warped by heat or an external force.
A connector in accordance with the invention is identified by the numeral 10 in
A locking convex portion 29 is formed at a widthwise central portion of the upper wall 23 (see
Mounting holes 35 are formed on the rear wall 25 of each of the fit-in concavities 28 where the terminal fittings 60 are mounted respectively. Tubular portions 36 project rearward from a rear surface of the rear wall 25 at positions corresponding to the mounting holes 35. The tubular portions 36 effectively lengthen the mounting hole 35 to provide better support for the terminal fittings 60. The arrangement of the mounting holes 35 in one fit-in concavity 28 is different from the arrangement of the mounting holes 35 in the other fit-in concavity 28.
Each terminal fitting 60 is formed by bending a conductive metal plate to define a long narrow horizontal part 61 and a long narrow vertical part 62, as shown in
A wide first sectional part 37 is formed at a front side of the mounting hole 35, as shown in
A third section part 41 is formed at a rear end of the mounting hole 35, as shown in
A fourth sectional part 42 is formed at the rear end of the mounting hole 35 and is continuous with the rear end of the second sectional part 38, as shown in
As described above, the terminal fitting 60 is held in the press fit state at the rear side of the mounting hole 35 in the thickness direction and in the width direction. Thus, the terminal fitting 60 is held securely in the hood 21 in a removal-prevented state and is prevented from loosening in the width and height directions. The claw 43 is formed at only a portion of the fourth sectional part 42, and hence resistance to the insertion of the terminal fitting 60 into the mounting hole 35 is not large. Further, the claw 43 is formed at the longitudinal middle of the mounting hole 35 so that the shavings of the claw 43 spread in the gap between the end surface of the terminal fitting 60 and the inner surface of the mounting hole 35 as the insertion of the terminal fitting 60 into the mounting hole 35 progresses. Therefore, the force of holding the terminal fitting 60 in the mounting hole 35 is enhanced and securely restrains the terminal fitting 60 from loosening in the thickness direction thereof.
As shown in
Second channels 46 extend longitudinally at two positions in the widthwise middle of the bottom wall 22 of the hood 21 and have convex lower surfaces that project down and out from the bottom wall 22 and concave inner surfaces that face into the respective fit-in concavities 28. The concave surface of the second channel 46 in the right fit-in concavity 28 (hereinafter referred to as 28R) has a side surface flush and continuous with the surface of partitioning wall 26. However, the second channel 46 of the left fit-in concavity 28 (hereinafter referred to as 28L) is displaced laterally from the partitioning wall 26.
Projections that can fit in the first and second channels 45 and 46 are formed on each of the mating housings. As described above, the channels 45, 46 of the right fit-in concavity 28R are arranged differently than the channels 45, 46 of the left fit-in concavity 28L. Therefore the mating housing to be fit in the right fit-in concavity 28R cannot fit in the left fit-in concavity 28L. Similarly the mating housing to be fit in the left fit-in concavity 28L cannot fit in the right fit-in concavity 28R. Therefore, the mating housings cannot be fit in the wrong fit-in concavity.
Bottom surfaces of the channels 45, 46 are substantially coplanar and approximately horizontal. A downwardly-open concave groove 47 (see
A lower reinforcing rib 51 (see
The connector is assembled by first press fitting the terminal fittings 60 into the mounting hole 35 of the rear wall 25 from the front. Rear portions of the terminal fittings 60 that project rearward from the rear wall 25 then are bent down. The hood 21 then is placed on the circuit substrate 90 so that the mounting portions 48 are inserted into the corresponding through-holes 92 and so that the terminal fittings 60 are inserted into the corresponding connection holes 93. The front ends of the counterparts 49 of the mounting portions 48 are locked elastically to the peripheral edges of the through-hole 92 formed through the circuit substrate 90 when the mounting portions 48 are inserted sufficiently into the through-hole 92, as shown in
The inner surfaces of the concavities 52 do not contact the upper surface of the circuit substrate 90 when the hood 21 is mounted on the circuit substrate 90. However, the bottom surfaces of the channels 45, 46 and the bottom surface of the lower reinforcing rib 51 contact the upper surface of the circuit substrate 90. Thus, the hood 21 is supported stably on the circuit substrate 90. Thereafter the corresponding mating housings are fit in the respective fit-in concavities 28 of the hood 21 to connect the mating terminal fittings mounted in the mating housings to the corresponding terminal fittings 60. At this time, an operation of fitting the mating housings into the fit-in concave portions 28 is guided by the guide groove 32 and the channels 45, 46, with the channels 45, 46 preventing each mating housing from being fit in the wrong fit-in concavity 28.
As described above, the outer surfaces of the channels 45, 46 for preventing the mating housing from being fit in the wrong fit-in concavity 28 contact the upper surface of the circuit substrate 90. Thus, it is unnecessary to provide the connector with a dedicated supporting construction for the circuit substrate 90. Therefore the construction of the hood 21 is not complicated, material is reduced and costs are lower. Further the groove channels 45, 46 extend longitudinally at both widthwise ends of the bottom wall 22 of the hood 21 and project out from the bottom wall 22. Therefore this construction allows the hood 21 to be thermally affected to a lower extent by the circuit substrate 90 than the construction in which the entire bottom surface of the hood 21 contacts the circuit substrate 90, while still ensuring that the hood 21 is supported stably by the circuit substrate 90.
The mounting portions 48 project on the base surfaces of the concave grooves 47of the channels 45, 46. Thus, space is utilized more efficiently than the construction in which the mounting portion 48 is separate from the channels 45, 46. Further because a part of the projected amount of the mounting portion 48 is covered by the channels 45, 46, the material cost can be saved.
Because the hood 21 is wide thereof, there is a fear that the hood part 21 is warped by an external force. However, the external force can be received by the surface of contact between the circuit substrate 90 and the channels 45, 46 formed at the middle position of the hood 21 in its widthwise direction. Thus, the hood 21 is not likely to warp.
The bottom surfaces of the channels 45, 46 are flat and are disposed along the upper surface of the circuit substrate 90. Thus, compared with the case where the end surfaces of the channels 45, 46 draw an arc, it is possible to make the height of the channels 45, 46 small and the hood 21 compact. Further the hood 21 can be stably supported by the circuit substrate 90.
The lower reinforcing rib 51 extends along the bottom surface of the bottom wall 22 of the hood 21 in the widthwise direction. Therefore the hood 21 is not likely to be warped by heat or an external force.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are included in the technical scope of the invention.
It is possible to omit the formation of at least one of the second channels, the upper reinforcing portion, the lower reinforcing rib, the guide groove, and the partitioning wall.
It is possible not to form the concave groove on the second channel and form the entire end surface of the second channel as a flat surface.
The lower reinforcing rib may have its lower surface above the bottom surface of the hood.
The first channel does not necessarily have to be formed over the entire length of the hood in the longitudinal direction thereof, but may be formed partly or intermittently.
The mounting portion may be formed at a position other than the base surface of the concave groove in the lower part of the first channel.
The first and second channels may have a function of preventing the mating housing from being fit in the wrong fit-in concavity with the mating housing turned upside down.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2008-072653 | Mar 2008 | JP | national |