阅读说明：本技术 接触件单元、构成其的插座的聚集体及多极连接器 (Contact unit, aggregate of sockets constituting the same, and multipolar connector ) 是由 裴子容 山下宗寛 于 2020-03-18 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种能使接触件单元稳定地保持于保持构件的接触件单元、插座的聚集体及多极连接器。将多个第一端子(A)及第二端子(B)相互导通连接的多极连接器(1)用的接触件单元(2)包括：圆筒状的插座(20),收纳于设置在底板(3)的收纳孔(30)；及接触件(10),由插座(20)所抱持,插座(20)包括：插入收纳孔(30)内的插座本体(21)、及以向收纳孔(30)的外侧突出的状态来设置的前端侧部分(22),在插座本体(21)设置向其径向外侧膨出的膨出部(26),在前端侧部分(22)设置向其径向外侧突出的突出部(27),并且从插座(20)的轴心至突出部(27)的前端为止的距离形成为大于从插座(20)的轴心至膨出部(26)的外周面为止的距离。(Provided are a contact unit, a receptacle aggregate, and a multipolar connector, wherein the contact unit can be stably held by a holding member. A contact unit (2) for a multipolar connector (1) for electrically connecting a plurality of first terminals (A) and second terminals (B) to each other, comprises: a cylindrical socket (20) which is accommodated in an accommodation hole (30) provided in the bottom plate (3); and a contact (10) held by the socket (20), the socket (20) including: the socket comprises a socket body (21) inserted into a receiving hole (30), and a front end side part (22) arranged in a state of protruding to the outside of the receiving hole (30), wherein a swelling part (26) swelling to the radial outside of the socket body is arranged on the socket body (21), a protruding part (27) protruding to the radial outside of the front end side part (22) is arranged, and the distance from the axis of the socket (20) to the front end of the protruding part (27) is larger than the distance from the axis of the socket (20) to the outer peripheral surface of the swelling part (26).)

1. A contact unit for a multipolar connector, which electrically connects a plurality of first terminals and second terminals to each other, includes:

a cylindrical socket received in a receiving hole provided in a holding member of the contact unit; and

a contact held by the socket,

the socket includes: a socket body inserted into the receiving hole, and a front end side portion provided in a state of protruding to the outside of the receiving hole,

the socket body is provided with a bulging part bulging to the radial outer side,

a projection projecting radially outward of the tip end side portion is provided at the tip end side portion, and

the distance from the axial center of the socket to the tip of the protruding portion is greater than the distance from the axial center of the socket to the outer peripheral surface of the expanded portion.

2. The contact element unit according to claim 1,

the pair of projecting portions are provided at the tip end portion, and project in opposite directions with the axis of the receptacle interposed therebetween.

3. The contact unit according to claim 1 or 2,

slit portions extending in the longitudinal direction of the socket are formed in the peripheral wall of the socket.

4. The contact unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the protruding portion includes a cut portion formed by cutting a part of the tip end side portion radially outward.

5. An aggregate of sockets constituting the contact unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the method comprises the following steps: a carrier for carrying the sockets, and a plurality of sockets carried together with the carrier, and

the carrier is provided with a plurality of coupling portions at regular intervals, the coupling portions being detachably coupled to axial end portions of the socket.

6. The aggregation of receptacles of claim 5,

the arrangement interval of the connecting parts is set to be integral multiple of the arrangement interval of the adjacent receiving holes arranged on the base part.

7. A multi-pole connector, comprising:

the contact element unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and

a holding member provided with the receiving hole of the contact unit, and

the inner diameter of the receiving hole is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the socket body and slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the bulging portion before being inserted into the receiving hole.

8. The multipole connector of claim 7,

further comprises a covering member that covers the front end portion of the contact unit held by the holding member, and

the cover member is provided with: a recess having a larger recessed amount than a size of the protrusion in an axial direction of the socket; and a through hole externally fitted to the front end of the contact unit.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a contact unit, an aggregate of receptacles constituting the same, and a multipolar connector including the contact unit.

Background

For example, patent document 1 discloses a multipolar connector in which a plurality of first terminals and second terminals are conductively connected to each other. The multipolar connector includes: the contact device includes a cylinder body formed in an elongated cylindrical shape, a contact member housed in the cylinder body and brought into a conductive state with the cylinder body, and a holding body holding the cylinder body.

[ Prior art documents ]

[ patent document ]

[ patent document 1] Japanese patent laid-open No. 2008-98090

Disclosure of Invention

[ problems to be solved by the invention ]

However, in the multipolar connector disclosed in patent document 1, a cylinder main body (socket) holding a contact is held in a state of being fitted into a hole formed in a holding body (holding member). In other words, the contact is held by the holding body by a frictional force acting by the cylinder body of the contact being pressed against the circumferential surface of the hole of the holding body. However, in this configuration, the holding force of the contact by the holding body may be insufficient.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a contact unit capable of stably holding the contact unit in a holding member, an aggregate of receptacles constituting the contact unit, and a multipolar connector including the contact unit.

[ means for solving problems ]

A contact unit according to an example of the present invention is a contact unit for a multipolar connector that conductively connects a plurality of first terminals and second terminals to each other, the contact unit including: a cylindrical socket received in a receiving hole of a holding member provided in the contact unit; and a contact held by the socket, the socket comprising: the socket includes a socket body inserted into the receiving hole, and a front end side portion provided in a state of protruding to the outside of the receiving hole, wherein the socket body is provided with a bulging portion bulging to the outside in the radial direction, the front end side portion is provided with a protruding portion bulging to the outside in the radial direction, and the distance from the axis of the socket to the front end of the protruding portion is formed to be larger than the distance from the axis of the socket to the outer peripheral surface of the bulging portion.

An aggregate of the sockets according to an example of the present invention is an aggregate of the sockets constituting the contact unit, and includes: a carrier for carrying the sockets and a plurality of sockets carried together with the carrier; and a plurality of coupling portions that detachably couple the axial ends of the socket are provided at regular intervals on the carrier.

An example of the present invention is a multipolar connector including: the contact unit and the holding member provided with the receiving hole of the contact unit are formed such that the diameter of the receiving hole is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the socket body and slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the expanded portion before insertion into the receiving hole.

[ Effect of the invention ]

The contact unit having such a configuration, the aggregate of the receptacles constituting the contact unit, and the multipolar connector including the contact unit enable the receptacle of the contact unit to be stably held by the holding member.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a partial sectional view of a multipolar connector of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a specific configuration of the contact.

Fig. 3 is an exploded front view of a contact unit of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a state where a socket is accommodated in a part of the accommodation hole.

Fig. 10 is a front view showing the structure of the aggregate of the socket.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a front view showing a manufacturing process of the aggregate of the socket.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view showing a housed state of the socket.

Fig. 14 is a plan view showing a state where the sockets are accommodated in all the accommodation holes.

Fig. 15 is a plan sectional view showing a modification of the aggregate of the socket.

Fig. 16 is a plan view showing a state where the receptacle is accommodated in a part of the accommodation hole.

Fig. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view of a multipolar connector showing a modification of the plunger shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 18 is a partial sectional view showing a modification of the multipolar connector shown in fig. 1.

[ description of symbols ]

1: multi-pole connector

2: contact unit

3: baseboard (holding component)

4. 4 a: blind flange (covering component)

5: through hole

6: aggregate of socket

10: contact element

11: cylindrical body

11 a: front end opening of tubular body

11 b: bottom wall of cylindrical body

11 c: base end opening of cylindrical body

11 d: diameter reducing part of cylindrical body

12: plunger piston

12 b: bulging part of plunger

13: cup with elastic band

13 a: funnel part

20: socket with improved structure

21: socket body

21 a: slit part

22: front end side portion

22 a: front opening of socket

23: spring for first terminal

24: contact stop

24 a: incision

25: spring for contact

25a, 25 a: slit

26: bulging part

27: projection part

28: axial center of socket

30: receiving hole

33: spiral spring

40: concave part

51: a first hole part

52: second hole part

53: third hole part

54: fourth hole part

61. 62: carrier

63. 64: connecting part

65: socket component

A: first terminal

B: second terminal

C: arrow head

d: outer diameter of socket

D: inner diameter of the receiving hole

d 1: outer diameter of the bulge

K. K1: interval of connection part

L1: the distance from the axial center of the socket to the outer peripheral surface of the expanded portion

L2: distance from the axis of the socket to the tip of the projection

Lc: longitudinal direction of carrier

Ls: direction of projection of the projection

P: amount of recess

S, S1: arrangement interval of the receiving holes

T: dimension of the projection in the axial direction of the socket

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals denote the same components in the drawings, and description thereof will be omitted. In addition, each part of the multipolar connector 1 illustrated in each drawing is schematically shown.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of fig. 14, which will be described later. In the present specification, the vertical direction in each drawing is defined with reference to the longitudinal direction of the contact unit 2, and the upper side of each drawing is defined as the distal end side in the longitudinal direction of the contact unit 2, and the lower side of each drawing is defined as the base end side in the longitudinal direction of the contact unit 2.

The multipolar connector 1 shown in fig. 1 electrically connects a plurality of first terminals a with a plurality of second terminals B. In the present embodiment, a first terminal a of a connection switching unit (not shown) as a first connection target is connected to a base end portion of the multipolar connector 1, and a second terminal B of an inspection jig connector (not shown) as a second connection target is connected to a tip end portion of the multipolar connector 1. The first terminal a and the second terminal B are electrically connected to each other via a contact unit 2 provided in the multipolar connector 1.

The connection switching unit includes a so-called scanner device used in a substrate inspection apparatus that inspects, for example, electrical characteristics of a wiring pattern provided on a substrate. The scanner device switches the electrical connection relationship between a test unit including a power supply unit, a voltage detection unit, and a current detection unit for testing of a main body of the test device and a contact provided in a connector for a test jig as a second connection target.

In the connection switching unit, a plurality of first terminals a including electrode pins or the like connected to, for example, a plurality of switching elements are arranged at a predetermined pitch. Further, a plurality of first terminals a are provided projecting toward the base end portion side of the multipolar connector 1 from the connection switching unit disposed on the lower side in fig. 1.

In the inspection jig connector, a plurality of second terminals B including electrode pins and the like are arranged at a predetermined pitch. The second terminals B are connected to respective contacts of an inspection jig which is pressed against an inspection point such as a wiring pattern to be inspected via a lead. A plurality of second terminals B project from the inspection jig connector disposed on the upper side of fig. 1 toward the front end of the multipolar connector 1.

The multipolar connector 1 is not limited to a connector for joining the connection switching unit and the inspection jig connector, and can be applied to other various uses. That is, the connection target connected to the base end portion of the multipolar connector 1 is not limited to the first terminal a provided in the connection switching unit. The connection target to be connected to the distal end portion of the multipolar connector 1 is not limited to the second terminal B provided in the inspection jig connector.

The multipolar connector 1 comprises: a plurality of contact units 2 including contacts 10, a holding member including a bottom plate 3, and a covering member including a cover plate 4.

As shown in fig. 2, the contact 10 includes: a cylindrical body 11 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape by a conductive member; a plunger 12 formed in a rod shape by a conductive member; and a coil spring 33 disposed in the cylindrical body 11.

The front end portion of the plunger 12 has, for example, a crown shape. The tip end portion of the plunger 12 is not limited to a crown shape, and may have various shapes that are easily brought into contact with the second terminal B. The tip end portion of the plunger 12 may have a substantially conical pointed shape as shown in fig. 17, for example.

Further, a cup 13 having a larger diameter than the plunger 12 may be provided at the tip end of the plunger 12, as shown in fig. 18, for example. A funnel portion 13a recessed in a funnel shape is formed at the tip of the cup 13. The cup 13 has a larger diameter than the second terminal B. Thus, when the second terminal B is connected to the multipolar connector 1, the outer peripheral portion of the tip of the second terminal B contacts the inclined surface of the funnel portion 13a, and the second terminal B stably contacts the cup 13.

A distal end opening 11a is formed at the distal end of the cylindrical body 11 located on the upper side in fig. 2. On the other hand, a bottom wall 11b including a base end opening 11c is provided at the base end of the cylindrical body 11 located on the lower side in fig. 2. The proximal end portion of the plunger 12 is configured to be insertable into the tubular body 11 from the distal end opening 11 a.

The base end opening 11c is formed to have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first terminal a shown in fig. 1. Further, a reduced diameter portion 11d, which is formed by deforming a part of the cylindrical body 11 so as to be recessed inward, is provided at an axially intermediate portion of the cylindrical body 11.

A bulging portion 12b is provided at a base end portion of the plunger 12, and the bulging portion 12b has an outer diameter slightly larger than an inner diameter of the reduced diameter portion 11d of the cylindrical body 11. The expanded portion 12b is inserted into the tubular body 11 and pushed into the base end portion side of the reduced diameter portion 11 d. Thereby, the plunger 12 is slidably supported by the cylindrical body 11 in a state of being prevented from coming off to the upper side of the cylindrical body 11.

The outer diameter of the coil spring 33 is formed to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical body 11 and to be larger than the inner diameter of the base end opening 11c of the cylindrical body 11. The coil spring 33 is disposed between the base end portion of the plunger 12 and the bottom wall 11b of the tubular body 11, and biases the base end portion of the plunger 12 upward.

As shown in fig. 3, the contact unit 2 includes a socket 20 formed in a cylindrical shape by a conductive metal material. The inner diameter of the socket 20 is formed to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the contact 10. In the socket 20, the proximal end side portion of the contact 10, specifically, the lower portion of the cylindrical body 11 is inserted and held.

In addition, a slit portion 21a extending in the longitudinal direction of the socket 20 is formed in the peripheral wall of the socket 20. The slit 21a is a gap that is inevitably formed in the peripheral wall of the socket 20 when the socket 20 is formed by bending a rectangular socket component into a cylindrical shape as described later.

The socket 20 includes: a socket body 21 inserted into the receiving hole 30 of the bottom plate 3; and a front end portion 22 provided in a state of protruding to the outside of the receiving hole 30. The outer diameter D of the receptacle 20 is formed slightly smaller than the inner diameter D (see fig. 1 and 9) of the receiving hole 30 formed in the bottom plate 3. Thereby, in a state where the contact unit 2 is inserted into the receiving hole 30, a minute gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the socket 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the receiving hole 30.

Further, the socket body 21 is provided with a first terminal spring 23, a contact stopper 24, a contact spring 25, and a bulging portion 26 in this order from the base end portion side of the socket body 21 located on the lower side in fig. 3.

That is, as shown in fig. 4, three first terminal springs 23 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the socket body 21 at the base end side portion of the socket body 21. The first terminal spring 23 is a cantilever-like plate spring member formed by bending an upper portion of a trapezoidal cutout formed in the socket body 21 toward the inside of the socket body 21.

As shown in fig. 5, three contact stoppers 24 for positioning the base end portions of the contacts 10 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the socket body 21 above the first terminal springs 23. The contact stopper 24 is formed by, for example, recessing a lower portion of a notch 24a (see fig. 3) extending in the circumferential direction of the socket body 21 inward in the radial direction of the socket body 21.

On the upper side of the contact stopper 24, as shown in fig. 6, three contacts are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the socket body 21 by springs 25. The contact spring 25 is a plate spring member in a double-arm beam shape formed by pushing a portion between a pair of slits 25a, 25a formed in the peripheral wall of the socket body 21 and extending in the axial direction into the radial direction of the socket body 21, as shown in fig. 3.

In addition, the following examples are shown in the drawings: the three first terminal springs 23, the contact stoppers 24, and the contact springs 25 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the socket body 21 are formed at positions overlapping each other in a plan view of the socket body 21. The first terminal spring 23, the contact stopper 24, and the contact spring 25 may be formed at positions offset in the circumferential direction in a plan view of the socket body 21.

In addition, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, a ring-shaped bulging portion 26 is provided in the vicinity of the tip end portion of the socket body 21, that is, in a portion located slightly below a projection portion 27 to be described later, so as to bulge radially outward over the circumferential wall of the socket body 21 and the entire circumference thereof. The outer diameter D1 of the expanded portion 26 is formed to be slightly larger than the inner diameter D (see fig. 9) of the receiving hole 30 provided in the bottom plate 3. The bulging portion 26 does not necessarily need to be formed over the entire circumference of the socket body 21, and may be configured to include a plurality of bulging portions divided in the circumferential direction of the socket body 21.

A base end portion of the distal end portion 22 is provided with a pair of projections 27 projecting radially outward. The protruding portion 27 includes a cut portion formed by, for example, expanding an upper portion of a slit extending in the circumferential direction formed in the peripheral wall of the front end side portion 22 radially outward of the front end side portion 22. In addition, the lower end surface of the protrusion 27 is formed as a horizontal surface.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the two projections 27 project in opposite directions with the axial center 28 of the receptacle 20 interposed therebetween. Further, a distance L2 from the axial center 28 of the receptacle 20 to the tip of the projection 27 is formed to be larger than a distance L1 from the axial center 28 of the receptacle 20 to the outer peripheral surface of the expanded portion 26.

The bottom plate 3 constituting the multipolar connector 1 is formed into a plate shape having a rectangular planar shape by an insulating member having a predetermined thickness. As shown in fig. 9, a plurality of receiving holes 30 into which the sockets 20 are inserted are arranged at regular intervals in the bottom plate 3.

The receiving hole 30 includes a circular through hole that penetrates the bottom plate 3 in the thickness direction thereof. The inner diameter D of the receiving hole 30 is formed slightly larger than the outer diameter D of the socket 20 shown in fig. 8 and slightly smaller than the outer diameter D1 of the expanded portion 26. When the user holds the receptacle 20 on the bottom plate 3 as described later, the bulging portion 26 is pushed into the receiving hole 30, and the lower end surface of the protruding portion 27 touches the upper wall surface of the bottom plate 3. As a result, the socket 20 is positioned in the axial direction thereof.

For example, 64 receiving holes 30 are formed in the vertical direction of the bottom plate 3 extending in the vertical direction in fig. 9. In addition, for example, 64 receiving holes 30 are also formed in the lateral direction of the bottom plate 3 extending in the left-right direction in fig. 9. Accordingly, 4096 receiving holes 30 are arranged in a grid pattern on the bottom plate 3.

The cover plate 4 constituting the multipolar connector 1 is formed in a plate shape having a rectangular planar shape by an insulating member having a predetermined thickness. As shown in fig. 1, the cover plate 4 is provided to cover the front end of the contact unit 2 held by the base plate 3, and is fixed to the base plate 3 by means of a nut or the like, for example.

The cover plate 4 has: a recess 40 having a larger recessed amount P than a dimension T (see fig. 1 and 8) of the projection 27 in the axial direction of the socket 20; and a through-hole 5 externally fitted to the front end of the contact unit 2. The through-hole 5 includes a first hole 51, a second hole 52, a third hole 53, and a fourth hole 54 formed at positions overlapping the receiving hole 30 of the base plate 3 in a plan view.

Of the holes 51 to 54 provided in the cover 4, the inner diameter of the first hole 51 positioned at the lowermost position is formed larger than the outer diameter d of the receptacle 20. Thereby, the tip end portion of the receptacle 20 can be inserted into the first hole 51.

A second hole 52 is provided above the first hole 51, and the second hole 52 has an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the cylindrical body 11 of the contact 10. By inserting the distal end portion of the tubular body 11 into the second hole 52, the inner peripheral surface of the second hole 52 and the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the tubular body 11 are in a substantially close contact state.

A third hole portion 53 is formed above the second hole portion 52, and the third hole portion 53 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the plunger 12 of the contact 10. In which third bore portion 53 the plunger 12 can be inserted.

A fourth hole 54 is formed above the third hole 53, and the fourth hole 54 has an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the third hole 53 and larger than the outer diameter of the second terminal B. The tip end portion of the plunger 12 and the second terminal B are inserted into the fourth hole 54 and electrically connected to each other.

As shown in fig. 18, for example, the multipolar connector 1 may include a cover plate 4a instead of the cover plate 4. In the cover plate 4a, the second hole portion 52, the third hole portion 53, and the fourth hole portion 54 of the cover plate 4 shown in fig. 1 are not formed. The first hole portion 51 extends to the upper surface of the cover plate 4 a. The upper ends of the socket 20 and the cylindrical body 11 are positioned flush with the upper surface of the cover plate 4 a. By using the cover plate 4a, the cover plate 4a is easily covered with the contact unit 2 having the cup 13 provided at the distal end portion of the plunger 12.

Referring to fig. 10, the aggregation 6 of the receptacle 20 includes: a carrier 61 and a carrier 62 for socket conveyance, and a plurality of sockets 20 conveyed together with the carrier 61 and the carrier 62. A plurality of coupling portions 63 to which the axial upper end portions of the socket 20 are detachably coupled are provided at regular intervals on the carrier 61 positioned on the upper side in fig. 10. Further, a plurality of coupling portions 64 to which the lower end portions in the axial direction of the socket 20 are detachably coupled are provided at regular intervals on the carrier 62 positioned on the lower side in fig. 10.

The coupling portions 63 and 64 are cut by bending them, and are formed to have a narrow width so that the socket 20 is separated from the carrier 61 and the carrier 62, respectively.

As shown in fig. 11, the pair of projections 27 project in a direction Ls intersecting the longitudinal direction Lc of the carrier 61 or the carrier 62 at an angle of, for example, 45 degrees when viewed from above the socket 20. Accordingly, when the user inserts the socket body 21 into the receiving hole 30 of the bottom plate 3 to receive it, as described later, the following configuration is adopted: the pair of projections 27 are inclined at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the arrangement direction of the receiving holes 30.

In order to manufacture the aggregate 6 of the socket 20, first, a punching plate 60 is formed as shown in fig. 12 by punching a metal plate having a predetermined thickness, and the punching plate 60 includes: a pair of upper and lower carriers 61, 62, and a plurality of socket constituting portions 65 including rectangular plate-like bodies disposed therebetween.

Although not specifically shown, the first terminal spring 23, the contact stopper 24, the contact spring 25, the bulging portion 26, and the protruding portion 27 are formed at predetermined positions of the socket component 65 by press working or the like.

Then, bending is performed in the direction indicated by the arrow C in fig. 12 to gently bend both left and right side portions of the socket constituting portion 65. As a result, as shown in fig. 10, the aggregate 6 of the sockets 20 in which the plurality of sockets 20 are provided is formed between the upper and lower carriers 61 and 62.

The installation interval of the adjacent sockets 20 provided in the aggregate 6 is, specifically, the installation interval K of the adjacent connecting portions 63 and 64 provided in the carrier 61 and the carrier 62 is set to, for example, an integral multiple of the arrangement interval S of the adjacent storage holes 30 and the adjacent storage holes 30 provided in the bottom plate 3. In the present embodiment, the installation interval K of the coupling portions 63 and 64 is set to be 3 times the arrangement interval S of the housing holes 30 and 30 arranged in the lateral direction of the bottom plate 3 (see fig. 9), for example.

The installation interval K of the coupling portions 63 and 64 is not limited to 3 times, 2 times, or 4 times or more the arrangement interval S of the housing holes 30 and 30. Further, the installation interval K of each of the connection portions 63 and 64 may be set to be 1 time the arrangement interval S of the storage holes 30 and 30, that is, the installation interval K of each of the connection portions 63 and 64 is equal to the arrangement interval S of the adjacent storage holes 30 and 30.

In order to assemble the contact unit 2 and the multipolar connector 1 using the aggregate 6 of the socket 20, a user first bends and cuts an upper end portion of a connecting portion 64 provided between the lower carrier 62 and the base end portion of the socket 20, and thereby sets the lower carrier 62 in a state separated from the base end portion of the socket 20 as shown in fig. 13.

The base end portion of each receptacle 20 connected to the upper carrier 61 as described above is opposed to the upper end opening of the storage hole 30 aligned in the lateral direction of the bottom plate 3, for example. In this state, the base end side portions of the plurality of sockets 20, i.e., the socket bodies 21, are inserted into the receiving holes 30. Thereby, the bulging portion 26 of the socket body 21 is fitted into the receiving hole 30, and the lower end face of the projection 27 provided to the front end side portion 22 touches the upper wall face of the bottom plate 3.

Then, the user bends and cuts the lower end portion of the connection portion 63, thereby separating the upper carrier 61 from the distal end portion of the socket 20. As a result, as shown in fig. 9 and 13, a plurality of the sockets 20 are simultaneously accommodated in parallel in every two accommodation holes 30. By repeating the operation of accommodating the receptacle 20 in the accommodation hole 30 adjacent to the accommodation hole 30 in which the receptacle 20 is accommodated, the receptacle 20 is accommodated and held in all the accommodation holes 30 of the bottom plate 3 as shown in fig. 14.

In the housed state of the sockets 20, the pair of projections 27 provided to the respective sockets 20 are arranged in a state of being inclined by about 45 degrees with respect to the arrangement direction (lateral direction) of the respective sockets 20. That is, as shown in fig. 11, the pair of protruding portions 27 protrude in a direction Ls intersecting at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction Lc of the carrier 61 or the carrier 62. Therefore, the user inserts the plurality of sockets 20 into the receiving holes 30 of the bottom plate 3 and then separates the tip end portions of the sockets 20 from the carrier 61, thereby forming a state in which the installation direction of the pair of projections 27 and the arrangement direction of the receiving holes 30 intersect at an angle of about 45 degrees.

Then, the base end side portion of the contact 10 shown in fig. 3 is inserted into the socket 20 from the distal end opening 22a, and the bottom wall 11b of the contact 10 is brought into contact with the contact stopper 24 of the socket body 21. As a result, the contact springs 25 are pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the contact 10, and the contact unit 2 in which the contact 10 is electrically connected to the socket 20 is assembled.

Next, a cover plate 4 is provided to cover the tip end portion of the contact unit 2 held by the base plate 3, and is fixed to the base plate 3. As a result, a multipolar connector 1 is assembled as shown in fig. 1, the multipolar connector 1 including: a contact unit 2 including a contact 10 and a cylindrical body 11, a holding member including a bottom plate 3, and a covering member including a cover plate 4.

As described above, since the bulging portion 26 is provided in the socket body 21 and the projecting portion 27 is provided in the tip end side portion 22 of the socket 20, and the distance L2 from the axial center 28 of the socket 20 to the tip end of the projecting portion 27 is formed to be larger than the distance L1 from the axial center 28 of the socket 20 to the outer peripheral surface of the bulging portion 26, the contact unit 2 can be stably held on the bottom plate 3 by the holding action of the socket 20 by the bulging portion 26 and the synergistic action of the positioning action of the socket 20 by the projecting portion 27.

That is, when the user inserts and stores the socket body 21 into the storage hole 30 formed in the bottom plate 3, the bulging portion 26 is pressed into the storage hole 30, and the socket 20 is stably held by the bottom plate 3. Therefore, the contact unit 2 held by the base plate 3 can be appropriately conductively connected to the first terminal a and the second terminal B while being accurately positioned.

Further, the lower end surface of the projecting portion 27 provided on the distal end side portion 22 projecting outward of the housing hole 30 contacts the upper wall surface of the bottom plate 3 to perform positioning in the axial direction of the receptacle 20, so that the receptacle body 21 can be held at an appropriate position in the housing hole 30. That is, in a state where the bulging portion 26 protrudes out of the receiving hole 30, the insertion operation is prevented from being interrupted, or the front end side portion 22 of the receptacle 20 is prevented from being sunk into the receiving hole 30. This allows the contact unit 2 to be stably held in the receiving hole 30 of the bottom plate 3.

Further, since the front end side portion 22 is provided in a state of protruding to the outside of the receiving hole 30, when the user detaches the contact unit 2 from the base plate 3, the front end side portion 22 can be detached and easily detached to the upper side. Therefore, the maintainability of the contact unit 2 can be improved.

In addition, as in the above-described embodiment, when the bulging portion 26 is disposed at a position close to and slightly below the projecting portion 27, the bulging portion 26 is pushed in immediately before the end of the insertion operation of the socket body 21 into the receiving hole 30. Therefore, the user can easily insert the socket body 21 into the receiving hole 30, compared with the case where the bulging portion 26 is disposed at a distant position on the lower side of the protruding portion 27.

Further, in the above embodiment, since the pair of projections 27 are provided so as to project in opposite directions with the shaft center 28 of the receptacle 20 interposed therebetween, the circumferential distance between the projections 27 is sufficiently secured. Therefore, as compared with a case where the two projections 27 are arranged at a shifted interval, the holding state of the contact unit 2 with respect to the base plate 3 can be stabilized. The number of the pair of bulging portions 26 is not limited to two, and may be one, or may be three or more.

Instead of the above-described embodiment in which the slit portion 21a extending in the longitudinal direction of the socket 20 is formed in the peripheral wall of the socket 20, the socket may be formed by a cylindrical tube material without a slit. However, since the diameter of the socket 20 is extremely small, it is extremely difficult to form the first terminal spring 23, the contact stopper 24, the contact spring 25, the bulging portion 26, and the protruding portion 27 described above in a socket including a pipe material.

In contrast, when the socket 20 is configured to include the slit portion 21a extending in the longitudinal direction as described above, the socket 20 can be easily formed by bending the plate-like socket configuration portion into a cylindrical shape. Further, before the socket 20 is formed by the plate-like socket constituent part, the bulging part 26, the protruding part 27, and the like can be easily formed by performing press working or the like on a part of the socket constituent part. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the contact unit 2 including the socket 20 having the above-described respective portions can be effectively reduced.

Further, when the socket 20 is configured to include the slit portion 21a extending in the longitudinal direction, the socket 20 is likely to be deformed by expansion and contraction, and therefore, it is likely to be difficult to stabilize the housed state of the socket 20. However, since the socket 20 includes the bulging portion 26 bulging the socket body 21 radially outward as described above, the bulging portion 26 has sufficient rigidity due to its reinforcing function. Therefore, the expansion and contraction deformation of the socket 20 is suppressed, and is stably held in the receiving hole 30.

In the above embodiment, since the protruding portion 27 is formed by the cut portion formed by cutting a part of the distal end side portion 22 outward in the radial direction, the protruding portion 27 having a predetermined protruding amount can be relatively easily formed at an appropriate position of the socket 20.

Further, by using the collective body 6 of the sockets 20 including the carrier 61 and the carrier 62 for socket conveyance and the plurality of sockets 20 conveyed together with these carriers, the user can easily perform the operation of housing the sockets 20 in the housing holes 30 of the bottom plate 3. That is, the sockets 20 can be simultaneously accommodated in the plurality of accommodating holes 30 by inserting the lower portion of each socket 20 having the upper end portion coupled to the carrier, that is, the socket main body 21 into the accommodating hole 30 and then separating the upper carrier 61 from the front end portion of the socket 20.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, since the installation interval K (see fig. 10) of the coupling portions 63 and 64 provided in the carriers 61 and 62 is set to be integral multiple of the arrangement interval S (see fig. 9) of the adjacent receiving holes 30 arranged in the bottom plate 3, the plurality of sockets 20 can be simultaneously received in the receiving holes 30 in a row. Alternatively, a comb-shaped aggregate of the sockets 20 may be used, in which the lower carrier 62 and the connecting portions 64 are omitted, and the upper end portions of the sockets 20 are detachably connected to each other by the plurality of connecting portions 63 of the upper carrier 61.

Further, as shown in fig. 11, when the aggregate 6 of the socket 20 in which the pair of protruding portions 27 provided in the socket 20 protrude in the direction Ls intersecting the longitudinal direction Lc of the carrier 61 or the carrier 62 at an angle of, for example, 45 degrees is used, the pair of protruding portions 27 can be provided in a state of being inclined at a certain angle with respect to the arrangement direction of the receiving holes 30 as shown in fig. 14.

As a result, as compared with the case where the pair of projections 27 are provided along the lateral direction or the longitudinal direction of the bottom plate 3, interference between the adjacent projections 27 can be effectively prevented. Therefore, the projecting amount of the projecting portion 27 can be sufficiently secured, and the positioning function by the projecting portion 27 can be sufficiently exhibited.

In the modification of the aggregate 6 of the socket 20 shown in fig. 15, the direction Ls in which the pair of protruding portions 27 provided in the socket 20 protrude is parallel to the longitudinal direction Lc of the carrier 61 or the carrier 62. In this case, as shown in fig. 16, the installation interval K1 of the coupling portions 63 and 64 provided on the carrier 61 and the carrier 62 is preferably set to be an integral multiple of the arrangement interval S1 of the adjacent storage holes 30 arranged in the oblique direction of the bottom plate 3.

Thus, when the user inserts and stores the lower portion of the receptacle 20 into each of the receiving holes 30 in a state where the carriers 61 and 62 are arranged along the respective receiving holes 30 arranged in the inclined direction of the bottom plate 3, the pair of projections 27 are provided in a state inclined in the inclined direction of the bottom plate 3.

In addition, according to the multipolar connector 1, it comprises: the contact unit 2 configured as described above and the bottom plate 3 (holding member) provided with the receiving hole 30, the receiving hole 30 having the inner diameter D slightly larger than the outer diameter of the socket body 21 and slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the expanded portion 26, the contact unit 2 held stably on the bottom plate 3 is accurately positioned with respect to the first terminal a and the second terminal B, and is appropriately conductively connected.

Furthermore, according to the multipolar connector 1, it comprises: a recess 40 having a larger recessed amount P than a dimension T of the projection 27 in the axial direction of the socket 20; and a covering member including a through-hole 5 provided to cover the front end portion of the contact unit 2; the front end portion of the contact unit 2 is protected by the cover plate 4 and the contact unit 2 is prevented from coming off the base plate 3.

When the user fixes the cover plate 4 to the base plate 3, the tip end portion of the contact 10 held by the socket 20 is inserted into the through hole 5 of the cover plate 4, specifically, into the second hole 52, and is restrained. This allows the axis of the contact 10 to accurately coincide with the axis of the through-hole 5 (see fig. 1). Therefore, even when the axial center of the socket 20 held by the base plate 3 is displaced from the axial center of the contact 10, the displacement of the axial center can be corrected by the cover plate 4.

As described above, the contact unit according to an example of the present invention is a contact unit for a multipolar connector that electrically connects a plurality of first terminals and second terminals to each other, and includes: a cylindrical socket received in a receiving hole of a holding member provided in the contact unit; and a contact held by the socket; and the socket includes: a receptacle body inserted into the receiving hole, and a front end side portion provided in a state of protruding to an outside of the receiving hole; a projecting portion projecting radially outward of the receptacle body is provided at the front end side portion; and the distance from the axial center of the socket to the front end of the protruding portion is formed to be larger than the distance from the axial center of the socket to the outer peripheral surface of the bulging portion.

According to this configuration, the contact unit can be stably held on the bottom plate by the synergistic effect of the holding action of the socket by the bulging portion and the positioning action of the socket by the projecting portion.

Preferably, the tip end portion is provided with a pair of the protruding portions protruding in opposite directions with the axis of the receptacle interposed therebetween.

According to this configuration, since the circumferential distance between the two projecting portions is sufficiently ensured, the holding state of the contact unit with respect to the bottom plate can be stabilized as compared with a case where the two projecting portions are arranged at a deviated distance.

Preferably, the peripheral wall of the socket has a slit portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the socket.

According to this configuration, the socket can be easily formed by bending the plate-like socket forming portion into a cylindrical shape. Further, the projecting portion, the bulging portion, and the like can be easily formed by performing press working or the like on the socket constituent portion before forming the socket. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the contact unit including the socket having the above-described respective portions can be effectively reduced.

In addition, the protruding portion is preferably a cut portion formed by cutting a part including the tip end side portion radially outward.

With this configuration, the projecting portion having a predetermined projecting amount can be relatively easily formed at an appropriate position of the receptacle.

In addition, an aggregate of sockets according to an example of the present invention includes: the carrier for carrying the socket and the plurality of sockets carried together with the carrier are provided with a plurality of connecting parts which can detachably connect the axial direction end parts of the sockets at certain intervals.

According to this configuration, by using the collective body of the sockets in which the upper end portions of the sockets are connected to the upper carrier, the user can simultaneously store the sockets in the plurality of storage holes by inserting the lower portions of the sockets into the storage holes and then separating the upper carrier from the front end portions of the sockets. Therefore, the socket body can be easily inserted into the receiving hole and received in the base member.

The arrangement interval of the coupling portions is preferably set to be an integral multiple of the arrangement interval of the adjacent housing holes arranged in the base portion.

According to this configuration, since the plurality of sockets can be simultaneously housed in the housing holes in a row, the user can insert the socket body into the housing holes to more easily perform the housing operation with respect to the base member.

Further, a multipolar connector according to an example of the present invention includes: the contact unit and the holding member having the receiving hole of the contact unit are formed such that the diameter of the receiving hole is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the socket body and slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the expanded portion before the insertion into the receiving hole.

With this configuration, the contact unit is stably held on the bottom plate by the synergistic effect of the holding action of the receptacle by the bulging portion and the positioning action of the receptacle by the projecting portion. Therefore, the method has the following advantages: the contact unit held by the base plate is properly conductively connected to the first terminal and the second terminal in a state where the two terminals are accurately positioned.

Preferably, the contact device further includes a cover member that covers a distal end portion of the contact unit held by the holding member, and the cover member includes: a recess having a larger recessed amount than a size of the protrusion in an axial direction of the socket; and a through hole externally fitted to the front end of the contact unit.

According to this configuration, the front end portion of the contact unit is protected by the cover member, and the contact unit is prevented from coming off the bottom plate. Further, even when the position of the axis of the socket held by the bottom plate is deviated from the position of the axis of the contact, there is an advantage that the positional deviation of the axis can be corrected by the cover member.