JP2014170718A - Card edge connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniform an amount of elastically bending of a seal member.SOLUTION: A card connector includes: a circuit board 30; a housing 10 having a terminal holding part 11; a board storage space 13 formed in the terminal holding part 11, for allowing the circuit board 30 to be inserted from the front; a terminal fitting 20 mounted within the terminal holding part 11, and capable of being elastically abutted on the circuit board 30 disposed in the board storage space 13; a hood part 12 having a cylindrical form projected forward from the outer peripheral edge of the terminal holding part 11; a seal member 50 mounted in close contact with the circuit board 30, and being elastically in close contact with the inner periphery of the hood part 12 while the circuit board 30 is disposed in the board storage space 13; and a spacer 41 embedded in the seal member 50 and having rigidity higher than that of the seal member 50.

Description

  The present invention relates to a card edge connector.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a card edge connector including a housing having a board housing space and a plurality of terminal fittings housed in the housing and arranged to face each other across the board housing space. This card edge connector is configured to abut against a circuit board inserted into the board housing space in a state where elastic contact pieces provided on a plurality of terminal fittings are elastically deformed.

JP 2010-108620 A

  As a means for waterproofing the connection portion between the circuit board and the terminal metal fitting in this connector, a hood portion that protrudes in a cylindrical shape from the outer peripheral edge of the housing is formed, and a rubber seal member is attached to the outer periphery of the circuit board. A structure in which the outer periphery of the member is elastically adhered to the inner periphery of the hood portion is conceivable.

  However, in the direction in which the circuit board, the terminal fitting, and the hood portion are arranged, the dimension from the circuit board to the hood portion, that is, the thickness dimension of the seal member is at least larger than the thickness dimension of the terminal fitting. If the thickness dimension of the seal member is increased and the elastic bendable area is increased, there is a possibility that the amount of deflection when the seal member is brought into close contact with the hood portion becomes non-uniform. If the amount of elastic deformation of the seal member becomes non-uniform, if the circuit board is restricted in movement with respect to the housing, the close contact state between the seal member and the hood portion becomes unstable, and the reliability of the seal performance is reduced. There is concern about the decline. Further, when the circuit board is not restricted in movement with respect to the housing, the position of the circuit board becomes unstable, and there is a concern that the contact reliability between the terminal fitting and the circuit board is lowered.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to make uniform the amount of elastic deformation of a seal member.

The present invention
A circuit board;
A housing having a terminal holding portion;
A board housing space formed in the terminal holding portion for inserting the circuit board from the front;
A terminal fitting attached in the terminal holding portion and capable of elastically contacting the circuit board inserted into the board housing space;
A hood portion in a form protruding in a cylindrical shape from the outer peripheral edge of the terminal holding portion;
A seal member that is mounted so as to be in close contact with the circuit board, and that elastically adheres to the inner periphery of the hood portion in a state in which the circuit board is inserted into the board housing space;
It is characterized in that it includes a spacer embedded in the seal member and having a higher rigidity than the seal member.

  According to this configuration, the elastically deflectable region of the seal member between the circuit board and the hood portion is reduced by the thickness dimension of the spacer, so that the substantial deflection rigidity of the seal member is increased, and the seal member The amount of elastic deflection of is stabilized.

Sectional drawing of the card edge connector of Example 1 Cross section of housing Front view of the circuit board, sealing member, and board holding member assembled Sectional view of the circuit board, sealing member, and board holding member assembled

The card edge connector of the present invention is
The circuit board is attached to a board holding member;
The spacer may be formed integrally with the substrate holding member.
According to this configuration, since the positional relationship between the circuit board and the spacer is stabilized, the elastic deflection amount of the seal member is further stabilized.

The card edge connector of the present invention is
The spacer may be intermittently disposed at a plurality of positions so as to be parallel to the circuit board.
According to this configuration, the seal member can be prevented from being displaced in a direction parallel to the circuit board, so that the elastic deflection amount of the seal member is more stable.

<Example 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The card edge connector according to this embodiment includes a housing 10, a plurality of terminal fittings 20, a circuit board 30, a board holding member 40, and a seal member 50. In the following description, the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2 is defined as the front of the housing 10 and the terminal fitting 20, and the right side in FIGS. 1 and 4 is defined as the front of the circuit board 30 and the board holding member 40. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 10 includes a block-shaped terminal holding portion 11, a rectangular tube-shaped hood portion 12 that cantilevered forward from the outer peripheral edge of the front end of the terminal holding portion 11, and Are integrally formed. In the terminal holding part 11, a board accommodating space 13 having a horizontally long slit shape for inserting the circuit board 30 from the front is formed. In the terminal holding part 11, a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 14 arranged in parallel in the width direction (left-right direction) are formed in regions above and below the substrate accommodating space 13, respectively. The front end portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 14 communicates with the substrate accommodating space 13 through the communication hole 15.

  A lance 16 that is elastically deflectable to the side opposite to the substrate housing space 13 is formed on the wall portion that constitutes the front end portion of the terminal housing chamber 14 on the side opposite to the substrate housing space 13. And the front end part of the terminal holding part 11 is a form opened to the front end surface of the terminal holding part 11, and the lance 16 is elastically bent to the opposite side (locking release direction) from the board housing space 13. A bending space 17 is formed to allow it.

  As described above, at the front end portion of the terminal holding portion 11, the lance 16 and the bending space 17 are provided on the opposite side of the substrate receiving space 13 across the terminal receiving chamber 14, that is, on the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the terminal holding portion 11. Has been placed. Accordingly, the upper wall portion 18 </ b> A constituting the hood portion 12 extends forward from a position above the upper deflection space 17, and the lower wall portion 18 </ b> B constituting the hood portion 12 is larger than the lower deflection space 17. It extends forward from the lower position. Therefore, the vertical distance between the upper wall portion 18 </ b> A and the lower wall portion 18 </ b> B of the hood portion 12 is considerably larger than the height dimension of the substrate housing space 13. The inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 12 functions as a seal surface 19.

  A terminal fitting 20 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 14 from the rear. The terminal fitting 20 is elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole, and the front end side region of the terminal fitting 20 is a rectangular tube-shaped main body portion 21 in which a locking hole 22 is formed. In the process of inserting the terminal fitting 20, the lance 16 is elastically bent so as to advance into the bending space 17 by interfering with the outer surface of the main body portion 21. When the terminal fitting 20 reaches the normal position, the lance 16 is elastically restored and locked in the locking hole 22, and this locking action holds the terminal fitting 20 in a retaining state. An elastic contact piece 23 is accommodated in the main body 21. The contact portion 24 of the elastic contact piece 23 protrudes into the substrate housing space 13 through the communication hole 15.

  In addition, the crimping portion 25 formed in the rear end region of the terminal fitting 20 is crimped together with a front end portion of the electric wire 26 and an individual rubber plug 27 fitted on the electric wire 26. The outer periphery of the individual rubber plug 27 is in liquid-tight contact with the inner periphery of the rear end of the terminal accommodating chamber 14. The individual rubber plug 27 prevents liquid from entering the terminal accommodating chamber 14 from the rear of the housing 10.

  The circuit board 30 includes a substrate body made of a glass epoxy resin material, and a circuit pattern (not shown) laminated on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate body by printing. The area of the rear end of the circuit board 30 is surrounded by the board holding member 40, and the front end portion of the circuit board 30 protrudes from the front end face 40 </ b> F of the board holding member 40. A rear end side region of the front end portion of the circuit board 30 is a sealing function portion 31. A region in front of the sealing function portion 31 in the front end portion of the circuit board 30 is a connection edge portion 32 connected to the contact portion 24 of the terminal fitting 20.

  A sealing member 50 is attached to the sealing function portion 31 of the circuit board 30 so as to surround the upper and lower surfaces and both the left and right surfaces of the circuit board 30 over the entire circumference. The seal member 50 and the circuit board 30 are in liquid-tight contact, and the rear end surface of the seal member 50 and the front end surface of the substrate holding member 40 are also in liquid-tight contact. This prevents the liquid from entering the gap between the circuit board 30 and the seal member 50 and the liquid from entering the gap between the front end surface of the substrate holding member 40 and the rear end surface of the seal member 50.

  A plurality of circumferential lip portions 51 that are continuous over the entire circumference are formed on the outer circumference of the seal member 50 at intervals in the front-rear direction. These lip portions 51 are adapted to elastically adhere to the seal surface 19 of the hood portion 12 when the circuit board 30 is inserted into the board housing space 13. Since the lip portion 51 is in close contact with the seal surface 19, the liquid is prevented from entering the gap between the inner periphery of the hood portion 12 and the outer periphery of the seal member 50.

  When connecting the terminal fitting 20 and the circuit board 30, the connection edge 32 of the circuit board 30 is inserted into the board housing space 13. In the insertion process, the contact portion 24 of the elastic contact piece 23 abuts on the circuit board 30, so that the elastic contact piece 23 is elastically deformed so as to retreat upward or downward from the board housing space 13. When the circuit board 30 reaches the normal insertion position, the contact portion 24 is elastically brought into contact with the circuit board 30 by the elastic restoring force of the elastic contact piece 23 to be connected. In addition, the lip portion 51 of the seal member 50 is elastically adhered to the seal surface 19 of the hood portion 12, thereby allowing liquid to enter the gap between the inner periphery of the hood portion 12 and the outer periphery of the seal member 50. Is prevented.

  In the card edge connector of this embodiment, the vertical distance between the upper wall portion 18A and the lower wall portion 18B constituting the hood portion 12 due to the arrangement of the lance 16 and the bending space 17 at the front end portion of the terminal holding portion 11 as described above. Is big. The plate thickness dimension (vertical dimension) of the circuit board 30 is relatively small. Therefore, the seal member 50 extends in the vertical direction from the contact surface with the circuit board 30 to the lip 51 (the direction in which the circuit board 30, the terminal fitting 20, and the hood 12 are arranged in a state where the circuit board 30 and the terminal fitting 20 are connected). The wall thickness dimension, that is, the elastic deformation possible region in the vertical direction of the seal member 50 is large.

  When the elastically deflectable region of the seal member 50 is increased, the amount of deflection when the seal member 50 is brought into close contact with the hood portion 12 may be nonuniform between the upper side of the circuit board 30 and the lower side of the circuit board 30. There is. If the amount of elastic deflection of the seal member 50 becomes non-uniform, there are concerns about the following problems. When the circuit board 30 is restricted to move in the vertical direction with respect to the housing 10, the close contact state between the lip portion 51 of the seal member 50 and the seal surface 19 of the hood portion 12 becomes uneven in the vertical direction, and the sealing performance. Reliability decreases. Further, when the circuit board 30 is not restricted to move up and down with respect to the housing 10, the vertical position of the circuit board 30 becomes unstable, and the contact reliability between the terminal fitting 20 and the circuit board 30 decreases. There is a fear.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as a means for equalizing the amount of elastic deformation of the seal member 50, the elastic deformation of the seal member 50 between the upper surface of the circuit board 30 and the upper wall portion 18A of the hood portion 12, A plurality of spacers 41 having higher rigidity than the seal member 50 are disposed in the elastically bendable region of the seal member 50 between the lower surface of the circuit board 30 and the lower wall portion 18B of the hood portion 12. Each spacer 41 has a cylindrical shape whose axis is directed in the front-rear direction (a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the circuit board 30, the terminal fitting 20, and the hood portion 12), and cantilevered forward from the front end face 40 </ b> F of the board holding member 40. It is the form which protruded in the shape. The plurality of spacers 41 formed integrally with the substrate holding member 40 are accommodated in the plurality of through holes 52 formed in the seal member 50. The plurality of spacers 41 embedded in the seal member 50 are intermittently arranged at a constant pitch along the width direction (a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the circuit board 30, the terminal fitting 20, and the hood portion 12). Yes.

  Thus, by embedding the spacer 41 having higher rigidity than the seal member 50 in the elastically bendable region of the seal member 50, the elastically bendable region of the seal member 50 between the circuit board 30 and the hood portion 12. Is reduced by the thickness (outer diameter) dimension of the spacer 41. Thereby, since the substantial bending rigidity of the seal member 50 is increased, the amount of elastic deflection of the seal member 50 in the vertical direction is stabilized, and the amount of elastic deflection of the seal member 50 above the circuit board 30 and the circuit board 30. The elastic deflection amount of the seal member 50 on the lower side is made substantially uniform.

  In the card edge connector according to the present embodiment, the circuit board 30 is integrally attached to the board holding member 40 and the spacer 41 is formed integrally with the board holding member 40. The relationship is stable. Therefore, the amount of elastic deflection of the seal member 50 is more stable. In the card edge connector of the present embodiment, the plurality of spacers 41 are intermittently arranged so as to be parallel in the width direction parallel to the circuit board 30, so that the seal member 50 is displaced in the width direction. Can be suppressed. Therefore, the amount of elastic deflection of the seal member 50 is more stable.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the circuit board is integrally attached to the board holding member, and the spacer is formed integrally with the board holding member. However, the spacer may be a separate body from the board holding member.
(2) In the above embodiment, the plurality of spacers are arranged in parallel with the circuit board, but the spacers may be in the form of a single plate parallel to the circuit board.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the terminal fitting is in contact with both the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit board. However, the present invention provides a card edge connector in which the terminal fitting is in contact with only one of the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit board. Is also applicable.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing 11 ... Terminal holding part 12 ... Hood part 13 ... Board accommodation space 20 ... Terminal metal fitting 30 ... Circuit board 40 ... Board holding member 41 ... Spacer 50 ... Sealing member

Claims (3)

A circuit board;
A housing having a terminal holding portion;
A board housing space formed in the terminal holding portion for inserting the circuit board from the front;
A terminal fitting attached in the terminal holding portion and capable of elastically contacting the circuit board inserted into the board housing space;
A hood portion in a form protruding in a cylindrical shape from the outer peripheral edge of the terminal holding portion;
A seal member that is mounted so as to be in close contact with the circuit board, and that elastically adheres to the inner periphery of the hood portion in a state in which the circuit board is inserted into the board housing space;
A card edge connector comprising a spacer embedded in the seal member and having a higher rigidity than the seal member. The circuit board is attached to a board holding member;
2. The card edge connector according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is formed integrally with the substrate holding member.   The card edge connector according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is intermittently disposed at a plurality of positions so as to be parallel to the circuit board.

Images