TWI549389B - Electrical connector and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Electrical connector and method of manufacturing same

The present invention relates to an electrical connector and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to an electrical connector having a plurality of terminals having an elastically displaceable portion.

In recent years, in the fields of mobile phones, digital cameras, PDAs, etc., there has been a trend toward rapid miniaturization of machines. Along with this trend, the requirements for further miniaturization of electrical connectors used in such machines have also increased. Therefore, the electrical connector has a tendency to be thinner and have a narrower pitch of terminals (contacts) arranged in parallel.

The technique described in the patent document 1 (JP-A-2008-218144) is a technique of the one-point contact type electrical connector which is in contact with the terminal of the connector of the object side. The electrical connector described in Patent Document 1 is composed of a casing made of an electrically insulating plastic, a metal contact (terminal), a metal casing, and the like, and the casing has an insertion hole into which a contact is to be inserted. The electrical connector can be fabricated by pressing the contact hole into the insertion hole and covering the case with the outer casing.

[Advanced technical literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-218144

However, in the electrical connector described in Patent Document 1, since the terminal is held in the housing by the press-fit structure, the width (press-in width) of the press-fit portion of the terminal has to be formed in order to obtain the necessary holding force. As a result, the opposing area of the press-fitting portion of the terminal becomes large, which causes a problem that the electrical connector is difficult to be miniaturized. In addition, the electrical connector has the disadvantage of increasing the number of parts and the number of assemblies.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having an elastically displaceable portion of a plurality of terminals, and to provide a technique capable of reducing the number of manufacturing and manufacturing costs by miniaturizing the electrical connector.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description and appended claims.

In the invention disclosed in the present application, the outline of a representative form will be briefly described below.

That is, the method of manufacturing the electrical connector of the present invention is a method of manufacturing an electrical connector having the following structure, that is, the electrical connector has: a terminal including an elastically displaceable movable portion and a fixed portion; and A housing for holding the fixing portion of the terminal. Next, the manufacturing method includes: positioning the first mold and the second mold at positions where the terminal can be sandwiched from above and below, and maintaining the third mold between the first mold and the second mold a step of installing a position of the movable portion of the terminal; and a step of inserting an insulating material between the first mold and the second mold to integrally form the housing together with the terminal.

In the above method of manufacturing the electrical connector, it is preferable that the casing is integrally formed to a position beyond the front end of the terminal with respect to the step of forming the casing.

An electrical connector according to the present invention includes: a terminal including a movable portion and a fixing portion that are elastically displaceable; and a housing for holding the fixing portion of the terminal. Next, the casing is formed integrally with the terminal by an insulating material, and the casing is integrally molded to a position beyond the front end of the terminal. Next, between the movable portion of the terminal and the inner wall surface of the casing, a space in which the movable portion is elastically displaceable is provided.

In the above-described electrical connector, when the outer casing is molded, the space is inserted into the space between the movable portion of the terminal and the inner wall surface of the casing, and the movable portion is preferably fixed.

In the invention disclosed in the present application, the effects obtainable by the representative form will be briefly described as follows.

(1) By integrally molding the terminal and the case, it is not necessary to have a press-in width of the terminal, and the size of the electrical connector can be reduced.

(2) By integrally molding the terminal and the housing, it is possible to reduce the number of parts.

(3) By integrally molding the terminal and the casing, it is possible to reduce the number of manufacturing operations.

100‧‧‧Electrical connector

101‧‧‧ terminals

102‧‧‧ housing

103‧‧‧Locking piece

104‧‧‧Shield

105‧‧‧ openings

201‧‧‧ Activities Department

202‧‧‧Fixed Department

203‧‧‧Connecting Department

204‧‧‧Contacts

301‧‧‧ Space

302‧‧‧ trench

303‧‧‧Locking member installation

304‧‧‧ Positioning Department

305‧‧‧Fixed holes

306‧‧‧ partition wall

307‧‧‧through hole

308, 309‧‧‧ mold hole

310‧‧‧Under the inner wall

Front end of the 311‧‧‧ terminal

312‧‧‧End of the open side of the casing

313‧‧‧ Fixed Department

314‧‧‧ Lower extension

315‧‧‧ side

801‧‧‧Locking member

802‧‧ hole

803‧‧‧Indentation Department

901‧‧‧ cable

902‧‧‧core

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the upper side of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a terminal of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the upper side of the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view showing the configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the structure of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view showing the electrical connector of the embodiment of the present invention which is integrally molded.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the upper side of the electrical connector of the embodiment of the present invention after the locking member is attached.

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view showing the configuration of the electrical connector of the embodiment of the present invention after the cable is connected.

[Embodiment of the Invention]

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and the description of the same components will be omitted.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the electrical connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen obliquely from above. First, an example of a configuration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 . The electrical connector 100 of the present embodiment is, for example, a plurality of terminals 101 made of metal, and a housing 102 integrally molded (inlaid) with a plurality of terminals 101 by an insulating material such as resin; A side connector (not shown) is used for the upper locking piece 103 which is vertically displaceable, and a metal shield case 104 for covering the casing 102. An opening 105 to be fitted to the target side connector is provided on the front surface (the left side in FIG. 1) of the electrical connector 100.

2 is a plan view showing a configuration of a plurality of terminals 101 included in the electrical connector 100, which are viewed from the contact surface side of the terminals of the terminals 101 and the target side connector. As shown in Fig. 2, the plurality of terminals 101 are arranged in parallel. Further, each of the terminals 101 of the plurality of terminals is elastically displaceable in the vertical direction (the vertical direction of the paper surface of FIG. 2). The movable portion (free end) 201; the fixed portion 202 fixedly held by the casing 102 by integral molding; and the knot portion 203 to be connected to the core wire of the cable (see Fig. 9). Further, the movable portion 201 has a contact portion 204 bent in a convex shape for contact with the terminal of the target side connector in the vicinity of the front end portion. The contact portion 204 is provided for one terminal, and the terminal 101 has a function of a so-called one-point contact terminal. The terminal 101 is formed by punching and bending a flat metal plate, and a flat metal surface (so-called rolled surface) is brought into contact with a target side terminal (not shown).

In the present embodiment, the number of terminals 101 is one example, but the number of terminals is not limited thereto, and the number of terminals can be arbitrarily set. Further, in the present embodiment, the lengths of the terminals on the outer sides are longer than the lengths of the inner terminals, and the reason is that the outer terminals belong to the power supply and grounding terminals, and the inner terminals belong to the signal terminals. However, the arrangement of the terminals is not limited to the above configuration, and the arrangement of the terminals can be appropriately changed.

3 to 7 are structural diagrams showing integral molding (inlay molding) in the manufacturing process of the electrical connector 100, FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view thereof, FIG. 4 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 5 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 6 is a BB sectional view of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a bottom view thereof. The casing 102 is formed by disposing a plurality of terminals 101 in a mold, injecting an insulating material such as resin into the mold, and integrally molding the plurality of terminals 101 together.

As shown in FIG. 3, the movable portion 201 of the terminal 101 is exposed from the casing 102, on the lower side of the contact portion 204 of the terminal 101, and the casing 102. Between the lower inner wall surfaces 310, a substantially trapezoidal space 301 is formed in which the movable area of the terminal 101 is sufficient to allow the movable portion 201 of the terminal 101 to be elastically displaced. Further, the housing 102 is integrally formed (insert molding) until it exceeds the front end 311 of the terminal 101. That is, the casing 102 is integrally formed in a state in which the front end 311 of the terminal 101 of the movable portion 201 of the terminal 101 is located inside the casing more than the end portion 312 on the opening side of the casing 102.

The casing 102 has a fixing portion 313 to be integrally formed at the fixing portion 202 of the terminal and the wire connecting portion 203, and a lower extending portion 314 and a side portion 315 which are formed to extend from the fixing portion 313 over the front end 311 of the terminal 101. The casing 102 is formed with a lower extending portion 314 in a state in which only the lower portion of the terminal 101 extends from the fixing portion 313 over the front end 311 of the terminal 101. On the upper surface side of the casing 102, the terminal 101 is covered by the resin of the casing at the fixing portion 313, but the terminal 101 is exposed at the lower extension portion 314. The exposed portion of the terminal 101, that is, the movable portion 201, is surrounded by the lower extending portion 314 and the side portion 315 for forming the opening 105, and the upper side thereof is formed to be open (the upper open portion is covered by the shield 104 described below).

In addition, the housing 102 has a groove 302 and a through hole 307 for elastically displaceing the upper locking piece 103 in the upper and lower directions, and a locking member integrally formed with the locking piece 103. The upper locking member mounting portion 303; the positioning portion 304 of the locking member, the fixing hole 305 of the locking member, and the like.

As shown in Fig. 4, a partition wall 306 for inter-terminal partitioning is provided between the spaces 301 of the movable regions of the adjacent terminals 101, and is formed as a structure for preventing contact between the terminals. In addition, as shown in Figure 5 As shown, at the front end of the groove 302 for the locking piece, a through hole 307 is provided as an active area sufficient for the front end of the locking piece 103 to be elastically displaced.

As shown in Fig. 7, on the bottom surface side of the casing 102, the junction portion 203 of the terminal 101 is exposed, and there are mold holes 308 and 309 formed through a mold at the time of integral molding, from which the terminal 101 can be seen. a part. The die holes 308 located on the front end side of the terminal 101 are formed so as to correspond to the respective terminals 101, and the die holes 309 located on the side of the fixing portion 202 of the terminal 101 are formed so as to straddle the plurality of terminals in the direction in which the terminals 101 are arranged.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the upper side of the structure after the locking member is mounted in the manufacturing process of the electrical connector 100. As shown in Fig. 8, after the integral molding, the upper locking member attaching portion 303 shown in Fig. 3 is attached with a locking member 801 which is integrated with the locking piece 103. At this time, the locking member 801 is a positioning portion 304 positioned at the upper locking member shown in FIG. 3, and is fixed to the fixing hole 305 of the locking member. According to the above configuration, the locking piece 103 can be elastically displaced in the vertical direction by the through hole 307, and when the target side connector is fitted, the locking piece 103 can be locked to strengthen the fitting.

The locking member 801 of the present embodiment is formed by punching and bending a flat metal plate as shown in Fig. 8, and a flat metal surface (so-called rolling surface) is brought into contact with the object side connector. lock. Further, the lock member 801 is formed of an integral member, and has a pair of upper locking pieces 103, a hole 802 to be fitted to the positioning portion 304, and a press-fitting portion 803 to be fitted to the fixing hole 305.

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view showing the structure of the electrical connector 100 after the cable is connected. As shown in FIG. 9, when the electrical connector 100 is used, the core wire 902 of the cable 901 is connected to each of the junction portions 203 of the plurality of terminals 101.

Next, a method of manufacturing the electrical connector 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. First, the first mold (upper side) and the second mold (lower side) are provided in a state in which the plurality of terminals 101 shown in FIG. 2 are sandwiched from the vertical direction. At this time, the plurality of terminals 101 are positioned and held by the first mold and the second mold. Next, the movable portion 201 is fixed by inserting the third mold between the movable portion 201 of each terminal 101 and the second mold (lower side) (corresponding to the space 301 after the integral molding). Further, although the shapes of the first mold, the second mold, and the third mold are not particularly illustrated, the shapes of the first mold, the second mold, and the third mold can be easily imagined from the shapes of the electrical connector 100 and the casing 102. For example, the third mold is formed so as to be able to hold the plurality of terminals 101, and can fill between the lower side of the terminal 101 and the terminals of the plurality of terminals 101, and between the terminal 101 and the side portion 315. Further, the first mold, the second mold, and the third mold are formed such that the mold holes 308 and 309 can be formed via integral molding.

Next, an insulating material such as a resin is injected between the first mold and the second mold to form the casing 102. As a result, the casing 102 is formed together with the plurality of terminals 101 via integral molding (insert molding). At this time, the casing 102 is integrally formed to a position beyond the front end of the terminal 101. In the integral molding of the prior art, the housing 301 is formed while the space 301 to be the active area of the terminal 101 is formed. It is impossible to integrally form a position beyond the tip end of the terminal 101 having the contact portion 204 bent in a convex shape. However, in the method of manufacturing the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention, in order to form the space 301, the third portion is to be formed. Since the mold is inserted between the first mold and the second mold from the front (open side), the housing can be integrally molded to a position beyond the front end of the terminal 101. The state after the integral molding is as shown in Figs. 3 to 7.

Next, a locking member 801 is attached to the upper locking member mounting portion 303 on the upper surface of the casing 102. At this time, the locking member 801 is positioned at the positioning portion 304, and the locking member 801 is fixed to the fixing hole 305. The state after the locking member 801 is mounted is as shown in Fig. 8.

Next, the periphery of the casing 102 is covered with a metal shield cover 104, whereby the electrical connector 100 shown in Fig. 1 can be obtained. The shield case 104 is formed by punching and bending a thin metal plate.

Further, the order in which the first mold, the second mold, and the third mold are installed is not limited to the above-described order, and various modifications can be made. For example, the plurality of terminals 101 may be held by the third mold first, and then the third mold and the plurality of terminals 101 may be sandwiched from the upper and lower sides by the first mold and the second mold. Further, the first mold, the second mold, and the third mold may be simultaneously provided to hold the plurality of terminals 101.

Therefore, according to the electrical connector of the present embodiment and the method of manufacturing the same, the electrical connector having the elastically displaceable portion for the plurality of terminals provided is formed by integral molding (insert molding) together with the plurality of terminals Therefore, there is no need to press the width of the terminal to make the electrical connector It can be miniaturized, the number of parts is reduced, and the number of manufacturing operations is reduced. Further, the movable portion at the front end of the terminal is inserted into the third mold to be integrally molded, so that the housing can be integrally molded to a position beyond the front end of the terminal. Further, since the electric connector is integrally formed so that the front end of the terminal is located inside the end portion on the opening side of the casing, the number of parts and the number of operations is not required, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The invention made by the inventors of the present invention has been specifically described with reference to the embodiments of the present invention. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the positions of the first mold and the second mold can also be replaced up and down. Further, the position of the convex portion of the contact portion 204 of the terminal 101 can also be replaced up and down.

101‧‧‧ terminals

102‧‧‧ housing

201‧‧‧ Activities Department

204‧‧‧Contacts

301‧‧‧ Space

302‧‧‧ trench

303‧‧‧Locking member installation

304‧‧‧ Positioning Department

305‧‧‧Fixed holes

307‧‧‧through hole

310‧‧‧Under the inner wall

Front end of the 311‧‧‧ terminal

312‧‧‧End of the open side of the casing

313‧‧‧ Fixed Department

314‧‧‧ Lower extension

315‧‧‧ side

Claims (4)

A method of manufacturing an electrical connector, which is characterized in that the electrical connector has a terminal including a movable portion and a fixed portion that are elastically displaceable, and the fixing portion of the terminal The holding case is characterized in that the first mold and the second mold are placed at positions where the terminals can be sandwiched from above and below, and the third mold is disposed between the first mold and the second mold. a step of maintaining the position of the movable portion of the terminal; and a step of inserting an insulating material between the first mold and the second mold to integrally form the casing and the terminal. The method of manufacturing an electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein in the step of forming the casing, the casing is integrally molded to a position beyond a front end of the terminal. An electrical connector comprising: a terminal including a movable portion and a fixing portion that are elastically displaceable; and a housing for holding the fixing portion of the terminal, wherein the housing is integrated with the terminal by using an insulating material After the molding, the casing is integrally formed to a position beyond the front end of the terminal, and a space in which the movable portion is elastically displaceable is provided between the movable portion of the terminal and the inner wall surface of the casing. The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein, in the molding of the one body of the casing, the space is inserted into the space between the movable portion of the terminal and the inner wall surface of the casing, and the live The moving part is fixed.