The present disclosure relates to a surface mount connector.
A surface mount connector is provided with leads to be connected to a wiring pattern on a board by solder. To reliably connect a plurality of the leads to the board, lower end parts of the plurality of leads need to be substantially aligned and arranged on a board surface. That is, the coplanarity (flatness) of the leads needs to be ensured. Further, even if the coplanarity of the leads is satisfactory, the connection of the leads and the board may become defective, for example, if the board is warped during reflow soldering.
A surface mount connector described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-146728 (Patent Document 1 below) is conventionally known as a surface mount connector for solving the above problem. This surface mount connector is provided with contacts and an insulating housing for holding the contacts. The contact includes a springy movable portion and a lead to be connected to a printed wiring board by soldering, and the lead is disposed below a standoff of the insulating housing. In mounting the surface mount connector on the printed wiring board, the leads and the printed wiring board can be satisfactorily connected by deflecting the movable portions of the contacts.
Patent Document 1: JP 2010-146728 A
However, in the above configuration, the surface mount connector needs to be pressed downward to deflect the movable portions at the time of mounting. Further, since a configuration for restricting movements of the movable portions is not provided, there is a possibility that the movable portions are not only deflected in a vertical direction, but also shifted in a lateral direction, and the surface mount connector may not be properly mounted.
The present disclosure is directed to a surface mount connector to be mounted on a circuit board having a plate thickness direction oriented in a vertical direction, the surface mount connector including a plurality of terminals, a plurality of inner housings for holding the plurality of terminals, and an outer housing for accommodating the plurality of inner housings in parallel, leads to be connected to the circuit board being provided on lower end parts of the plurality of terminals, and each of the plurality of inner housings being supported independently movably in the vertical direction in the outer housing.
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a surface mount connector capable of suppressing a connection failure of leads and a circuit board due to the warping of the circuit board or the like.
First, embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described.
(1) The surface mount connector of the present disclosure is a surface mount connector to be mounted on a circuit board having a plate thickness direction oriented in a vertical direction, and includes a plurality of terminals, a plurality of inner housings for holding the plurality of terminals, and an outer housing for accommodating the plurality of inner housings in parallel, leads to be connected to the circuit board being provided on lower end parts of the plurality of terminals, and each of the plurality of inner housings being supported independently movably in the vertical direction in the outer housing.
According to this configuration, each of the plurality of inner housings holding the terminals independently moves in the vertical direction in accordance with the warpage of the circuit board, whereby a state where the leads and the circuit board are in contact can be secured. Therefore, a connection failure of the leads and the circuit board can be suppressed.
(2) Preferably, the plurality of inner housings include locking projections projecting toward the outer housing, the outer housing includes lower locking portions to be locked to the locking projections from below, the plurality of inner housings are prevented from coming out downward from the outer housing by locking the locking projections and the lower locking portions, a position in the vertical direction where the plurality of inner housings are disposed when the outer housing is fixed on the horizontal circuit board is a reference position, and first clearances are set in the vertical direction between the locking projections and the lower locking portions at the reference position.
According to this configuration, since the first clearances are set in the vertical direction between the locking projections and the lower locking portions at the reference position, the inner housings can move downward, following the circuit board, if the circuit board is warped to be convex downward, and a connection failure of the leads and the circuit board is easily suppressed.
(3) Preferably, the outer housing includes a peg for fixing the outer housing on the circuit board.
According to this configuration, the position in the vertical direction of the outer housing with respect to the circuit board can be changed by changing a length in the vertical direction of the peg projecting downward from the lower end of the outer housing. Therefore, the sizes of the first clearances can be changed.
(4) Preferably, the outer housing includes upper locking portions to be locked to upper surfaces of the plurality of inner housings from above, the plurality of inner housings are prevented from coming out upward from the outer housing by locking the upper locking portions and the upper surfaces of the plurality of inner housings, and second clearances are set in the vertical direction between the upper surfaces of the plurality of inner housings and the upper locking portions at the reference position.
According to this configuration, since the second clearances are set in the vertical direction between the upper surfaces of the inner housings and the upper locking portions at the reference position, the inner housings can move upward, following the circuit board, if the circuit board is warped to be convex upward, and a connection failure of the leads and the circuit board is easily suppressed.
(5) Preferably, the plurality of inner housings include guide portions extending in the vertical direction and projecting toward the outer housing, the outer housing includes guide recesses extending in the vertical direction and to be engaged with the guide portions, and each of the plurality of inner housings is guided to independently move in the vertical direction by engaging the guide portions and the guide recesses.
According to this configuration, the inner housings easily move in the vertical direction.
(6) Preferably, upper surfaces of the guide portions are provided to be flush with the upper surfaces of the inner housings and the upper locking portions are lockable to the upper surfaces of the guide portions from above.
According to this configuration, since locking parts of the inner housings and the upper locking portions become large, the inner housings can be further suppressed from coming out upward from the outer housing.
(7) Preferably, a pair of the locking projections and a pair of the guide portions are respectively provided on both sides of the inner housing in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and an arrangement direction of the plurality of inner housings.
According to this configuration, the inner housing can be further suppressed from coming out upward and downward from the outer housing, and more easily moves in the vertical direction. Further, dimensions of the inner housing and the outer housing in the arrangement direction of the plurality of inner housings can be reduced.
(8) Preferably, the inner housing holds a plurality of the terminals.
According to this configuration, the multipole surface mount connector is easily configured.
(9) Preferably, the outer housing includes a receptacle open upward and is connected to a mating connector as a connection partner from below.
According to this configuration, since a connecting direction of the surface mount connector and the mating connector is the vertical direction and coincides with a direction, in which the inner housings are movable, the connection of the surface mount connector and the mating connector is hardly hindered even if the plurality of inner housings independently move in the vertical direction.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure is described. The present disclosure is not limited to these illustrations, but is represented by claims and intended to include all changes in the scope of claims and in the meaning and scope of equivalents.
The embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to
[Surface Mount Connector]
A surface mount connector 10 of this embodiment is, for example, installed in a vehicle or the like and is, as shown in
[Terminals, Leads]
The terminal 11 is made of electrically conductive metal and includes, as shown in
[Inner Housing, Locking Projections]
The inner housing 20 is made of insulating synthetic resin and, as shown in
[Guide Portions]
As shown in
[Outer Housing, Receptacle]
The outer housing 30 is made of insulating synthetic resin and, as shown in
[Upper Locking Portions]
As shown in
[Lower Locking Portions, Guide Recesses]
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The terminals 11, the inner housings 20 and the outer housing 30 are configured as described above. An example of an assembling method of the surface mount connector 10 is described below.
The plurality of inner housings 20 holding the terminals 11 are inserted into the outer housing 30 from below and accommodated inside the peripheral walls 37. As shown in
As the inner housing 20 is further inserted into the outer housing 30, the locking projections 21 of the inner housing 20 return to a natural state from a resiliently deformed state by being engaged with the front and rear walls 30A, 30B of the outer housing 30. That is, the lower surfaces 21S of the locking projections 21 are disposed above the lower locking portions 38, whereby the assembling of the surface mount connector 10 is completed (see
As shown in
Next, a state where the surface mount connector 10 is fixed on the circuit board 5 is described with reference to
[Horizontal Circuit Board, Reference Position, First Clearances, Second Clearances]
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
[Functions and Effects of Embodiment]
According to this embodiment, the following functions and effects are achieved.
The surface mount connector 10 according to this embodiment is mounted on the circuit board 5 having the plate thickness direction oriented in the vertical direction, and is provided with the plurality of terminals 11, the plurality of inner housings 20 for holding the plurality of terminals 11 and the outer housing 30 for accommodating the plurality of inner housings 20 in parallel, the leads 13 to be connected to the circuit board 5 are provided on the lower end parts of the plurality of terminals 11, and each of the plurality of inner housings 20 is supported independently movably in the vertical direction in the outer housing 30.
According to the above configuration, each of the plurality of inner housings 20 holding the terminals 11 independently move in the vertical direction in accordance with the warpage of the circuit board 5, whereby a contact state of the leads 13 and the circuit board 5 can be secured. Therefore, a connection failure of the leads 13 and the circuit board 5 can be suppressed.
In this embodiment, the plurality of inner housings 20 include the locking projections 21A, 21B projecting toward the outer housing 30, the outer housing 30 includes the lower locking portions 38A, 38B to be locked to the locking projections 21A, 21B from below, the plurality of inner housings 20 are prevented from coming out downward from the outer housing 30 by locking the locking projections 21A, 21B and the lower locking portions 38A, 38B, the position in the vertical direction where the plurality of inner housings 20 are disposed when the outer housing 30 is fixed on the horizontal circuit board 5A is the reference position, and the first clearances CL1 are set in the vertical direction between the locking projections 21A, 21B and the lower locking portions 38A, 38B at the reference position.
According to the above configuration, since the first clearances CL1 are set in the vertical direction between the locking projections 21A, 21B and the lower locking portions 38A, 38B at the reference position, the inner housings 20 can move downward, following the circuit board 5B, if the circuit board 5B is warped to be convex downward, and a connection failure of the circuit board 5B and the leads 13 is easily suppressed.
In this embodiment, the outer housing 30 includes the pegs 32 for fixing the outer housing 30 on the circuit board 5.
According to this configuration, the position in the vertical direction of the outer housing 30 with respect to the circuit board 5 can be changed by changing the lengths in the vertical direction of the pegs 32 projecting downward from the lower end of the outer housing 30. Therefore, the sizes of the first clearances CL1 can be changed.
In this embodiment, the outer housing 30 includes the upper locking portions 36 to be locked to the upper surfaces 20S of the plurality of inner housings 20 from above, the plurality of inner housings 20 are prevented from coming out upward from the outer housing 30 by locking the upper locking portions 36 and the upper surfaces 20S of the plurality of inner housings 20, and the second clearances CL2 are set in the vertical direction between the upper surfaces 20S of the plurality of inner housings 20 and the upper locking portions 36 at the reference position.
According to the above configuration, since the second clearances CL2 are set in the vertical direction between the upper surfaces 20S of the plurality of inner housings 20 and the upper locking portions 36 at the reference position, the inner housings 20 can move upward, following the circuit board 5C, if the circuit board 5C is warped to be convex upward, and a connection failure of the circuit board 5C and the leads 13 is easily suppressed.
In this embodiment, the plurality of inner housings 20 include the guide portions 22A, 22B extending in the vertical direction and projecting toward the outer housing 30, the outer housing 30 includes the guide recesses 39A, 39B extending in the vertical direction and to be engaged with the guide portions 22A, 22B, and each of the plurality of inner housings 20 is guided to independently move in the vertical direction by engaging the guide portions 22A, 22B and the guide recesses 39A, 39B.
According to the above configuration, the inner housings 20 easily move in the vertical direction.
The upper surfaces 22S of the guide portions 22A, 22B are provided to be flush with the upper surfaces 20S of the inner housings 20, and the upper locking portions 36 can be locked to the upper surfaces 22S from above.
According to the above configuration, since locking parts of the inner housings 20 and the upper locking portions 36 become large, the inner housings 20 can be further suppressed from coming out upward from the outer housing 30.
In this embodiment, the pair of locking projections 21A, 21B and the pair of guide portions 22A, 22B are provided on both sides of the inner housing 20 in the direction (front-rear direction) orthogonal to the vertical direction and the arrangement direction of the plurality of inner housings 20.
According to the above configuration, the inner housings 20 can be further suppressed from coming out upward and downward from the outer housing 30, and the inner housings 20 more easily move in the vertical direction. Further, dimensions of the inner housings 20 and the outer housing 30 in the arrangement direction (lateral direction) of the plurality of inner housings 20 can be reduced.
In this embodiment, the inner housing 20 holds the plurality of terminals 11.
According to the above configuration, the multipole surface mount connector 10 is easily configured.
In this embodiment, the outer housing 30 includes the receptacle 33 open upward and is connected to the mating connector as the connection partner from below.
According to the above configuration, a connecting direction of the surface mount connector 10 and the mating connector is the vertical direction and coincides with a direction in which the inner housings 20 are movable. Thus, even if the plurality of inner housings 20 independently move in the vertical direction, the connection of the surface mount connector 10 and the mating connector is hardly hindered.
(1) Although the outer housing 30 includes the receptacle 33 open upward and is connected to the mating connector from below in the above embodiment, there is no limitation to this. For example, an outer housing may include a receptacle open forward and connected to a mating connector from behind.
(2) Although the inner housing 20 includes the pair of locking projections 21A, 21B and the pair of guide portions 22A, 22B in the above embodiment, there is no limitation to this. The inner housing may include one, three or more locking projections and one, three or more guide portions. Further, the inner housing may not include any guide portion.
(3) Although the inner housing 20 includes the pair of terminals 11 in the above embodiment, there is no limitation to this. An inner housing may include one, three or more terminals.
(4) Although the terminal 11 is a tab-shaped male terminal in the above embodiment, there is no limitation to this. A terminal may be a tubular female terminal.
5: circuit board
5A: horizontal circuit board
5B: circuit board warped to be convex downward
5C: circuit board warped to be convex upward
10: surface mount connector
11: terminal
12: terminal connecting portion
13: lead
20: inner housing
20S: upper surface of inner housing
21, 21A, 21B: locking projection
21S: lower surface of locking projection
21T: inclined surface of locking projection
22, 22A, 22B: guide portion
22S: upper surface of guide portion
30: outer housing
30A: front wall
30B: rear wall
30C: right wall
30D: left wall
30T: guiding portion
31: peg mounting portion
32: peg
33: receptacle
34: partition wall
35A, 35B: projecting wall
36: upper locking portion
37: peripheral wall
38, 38A, 38B: lower locking portion
39A, 39B: guide recess
CL1: first clearance
CL2: second clearance
H: reference plane
S1, S2: surface of circuit board
W1: downward warpage amount
W2: upward warpage amount
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2020-151244 | Sep 2020 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2021/028046 | 7/29/2021 | WO |