JP2000182681A - Connector for flat cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector offering good effectiveness to perform manufacturing and easiness to execute flat cable connection. SOLUTION: A base 2 of a flat cable connector is furnished with a projection 3 to generate electric connection in a shape as having a small area at the forefront 3a and biting into the other conductor upon breaking at least one of the flat cables and a projection 4 to generate mechanical connection shaped as having a small area at the forefront 4a, capable of penetrating upon breaking through the two flat cables, and capable of pressing the surface of the other flat cable by folding the part penetrated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a flat cable connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a flat cable which enables wiring even with a small gap (for a similar technique, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-10572). This type of flat cable has a structure in which one or a plurality of parallel strip-shaped conductors are sandwiched between two insulators formed of synthetic resin or the like to cover them. When connecting flat cables having such a structure, an end of one flat cable is overlapped with an end of the other flat cable, and the overlapped portion is electrically and mechanically connected by a connector. It has become.

[0003] This connector includes a metal plate having a two-folded structure capable of sandwiching the overlapping portion of a flat cable, and an electrical connection protrusion and a mechanical connection protrusion are formed on the metal plate. The electrical connection protrusion has a sharp tip and is formed on one surface of the metal plate. Then, when the overlapping portion of the flat cable is sandwiched between the two surfaces of the metal plate, the electrical connection projections bite into the conductor of each flat cable, so that an electrical connection state can be obtained. The mechanical connection protrusion is formed on one surface of the metal plate, and the other surface is formed with an engagement hole into which the mechanical connection protrusion is inserted to be engaged. That is, the engaging hole is formed obliquely with respect to the insertion direction. By inserting the mechanical connection projection, the mechanical connection projection bends obliquely in the engagement hole, and the mechanical connection projection does not come out of the engagement hole. . An insertion hole for penetrating the mechanical connection projection is formed in the overlapping portion of the flat cable in advance, and the mechanical connection projection is inserted into the engagement hole after passing through the insertion hole and engaged. State, and a mechanical connection state can be obtained. The reason why the insertion hole as described above is previously formed in the overlapping portion of the flat cable is that if the flat cable without the insertion hole is forcibly pierced by the mechanical connection projection, the positional relationship of the mechanical connection projection with respect to the engagement hole. This is because the mechanical connection projection cannot be reliably inserted into the engagement hole.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional connector, a mechanical connection projection is formed on one surface of a metal plate having a two-fold structure, and is formed on the other surface. Since the engagement hole for insertion is formed, it is necessary to accurately form a positional relationship between the two at the time of manufacture, and the manufacturing work of the connector is troublesome. Also, when connecting the flat cable, it is necessary to penetrate the mechanical connection protrusion of the connector into the insertion hole of the flat cable and then insert it into the engagement hole, which is disadvantageous in terms of flat cable connection workability. is there.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a conventional technique, and provides a connector which is advantageous in terms of operability in manufacturing and connecting flat cables.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, flat cables formed by covering a single or a plurality of strip-shaped conductors sandwiched between two insulators are overlapped with each other. A metal connector for electrically and mechanically connecting the flat cable to a base that is in close contact with one of the flat cables, and piercing at least one of the flat cables in a shape having a reduced area at the distal end, and piercing the other flat cable. An electrical connection projection that cuts into the conductor and a shape that has a reduced tip area penetrates both flat cables and is penetrable, and the surface of the other flat cable is pressed by bending the penetrating part. And a possible mechanical connection projection.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the connector has a structure in which only the electrical connection protrusion and the mechanical connection protrusion are formed on the base, and the connector for inserting the mechanical connection protrusion as in the related art. Since there is no need to form an engagement hole, manufacture of the connector is facilitated. Further, since the mechanical connection protrusion penetrates through both flat cables and penetrates the flat cable, it is not necessary to form an insertion hole in the flat cable as in the related art, and the connection work of the flat cable becomes easy.

[0008] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the tip of the electrical connection projection has a sharp shape.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the tip of the electrical connection projection has a sharp shape, the force required to break through the flat cable by the electrical connection projection is small, and the connection workability is improved. It is further improved.

[0010] In the third aspect of the present invention, the tip of the mechanical connection projection has a sharp shape.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the tip of the mechanical connection projection has a sharp shape, the force required to break through the flat cable by the mechanical connection projection is small, and the connection workability is improved. It is further improved.

[0012] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the mechanical connection projection is positioned so as to penetrate a portion other than the conductor in each flat cable.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the mechanical connection protrusion is positioned so as to penetrate a portion (ie, an insulator) other than the conductor in each flat cable. The force for breaking through the flat cable is small, and the workability is further improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a portion of the mechanical connection projection penetrating the flat cable presses a portion of the surface of the other flat cable which is close to the electrical connection projection.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the portion of the mechanical connection protrusion penetrating the flat cable presses the portion of the surface of the other flat cable which is close to the electrical connection protrusion. The connection state between the electrical connection protrusion and the conductor is maintained.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the electrical connection projection is formed at the center of the base, and the mechanical connection projection is formed at each of the four corners of the base.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the four mechanical connection projections penetrating the flat cable make the four sides of the portion near the electrical connection projection on the surface of the other flat cable. Since it can be pressed, the connection state between the electrical connection protrusion and the conductor is more reliably maintained.

[0018]

According to the present invention, the connector has a structure in which only the electrical connection protrusion and the mechanical connection protrusion are formed on the base, and the engagement hole for inserting the mechanical connection protrusion as in the prior art is provided. Since it is not necessary to form the connector, the manufacture of the connector is facilitated. Further, since the mechanical connection protrusion penetrates through both flat cables and penetrates the flat cable, it is not necessary to form an insertion hole in the flat cable as in the related art, and the connection work of the flat cable becomes easy.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector 1 according to this embodiment is obtained by molding a mold using brass,
It is formed by bending after molding. The connector 1 has a substantially rectangular base 2, an electrical connection protrusion 3 having a triangular cross section formed at the center of the base 2, and two mechanically formed (two in total) at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the base 2. And connection projections 4.

The tip 3a of the electrical connection projection 3 is sharp, and its length (height) is slightly larger than the thickness of two flat cables 5 to be described later superimposed. The mechanical connection protrusion 4 is bent in the same direction as the electrical connection protrusion 3 as shown in FIG.
Its length (height) is sufficiently larger than the thickness of two flat cables 5 superposed. As shown in FIG. 2, the two mechanical connection protrusions 4 at both ends of the base 2 can be further bent in directions toward each other by a crimping tool (not shown). The tip 4a of the mechanical connection projection 4 is in a sharp state with a small area (the tip 4a may also be sharp).

The flat cable 5 connected by the connector 1 has a structure in which one metal strip-shaped conductor 6 is sandwiched between two resin insulators 7 to cover the same. Then, the ends of the flat cable 5 are polymerized,
The overlapping portion is connected by the connector 1.

Next, the procedure for connecting the flat cable 5 with the connector 1 will be described. First, the connector 1 in the state shown in FIG. 1 is set below the overlapping portion of the flat cable 5, and the mechanical connection projection 4 of the connector 1 is pressed against the overlapping portion of the flat cable 5 by a crimping tool (not shown). . Then, since the tip 4a of the mechanical connection projection 4 has a sharp shape with a small area, the mechanical connection projection 4 penetrates both flat cables 5 and penetrates upward, and a portion formed therethrough. Is bent to press the surface of the upper flat cable 5 to obtain a mechanical connection state. By obtaining such a mechanical connection state, the flat cables 5 are brought into close contact with each other, and the displacement of the flat cables 5 is also prevented.

At the same time that the mechanical connection state is obtained, the electrical connection projection 3 also penetrates through both flat cables 5 and penetrates, and the tip 3a has the upper flat cable 5
Slightly protruding from the camera. In the case of the electrical connection projection 3, the tip 3a is in a sharp state, so that the force for breaking through the flat cable 5 is small. Since the cross section of the electrical connection protrusion 3 is triangular, the more it bites into the conductor 6 of the flat cable 5 (at the base of the electrical connection protrusion 3), the more the contact pressure against the conductor 6 increases, and the more reliable the connection pressure becomes. An electrical connection state is obtained. The electrical connection state is reliably held by the mechanical connection projection 4 pressing down the upper flat cable 5. Moreover, the four mechanical connection projections 4 penetrating the flat cable 5 press the four sides of the portion of the upper flat cable 5 that is close to the electrical connection projection 3, thereby providing the electrical connection. The electrical connection between the protrusion 3 and the conductor 6 can be more reliably maintained.

According to this embodiment, the connector 1 has a structure in which only the electrical connection projections 3 and the mechanical connection projections 4 are formed on the base 2. Since it is not necessary to form the engaging holes, the manufacture of the connector 1 is easy. Further, since the mechanical connection protrusion 4 can penetrate through both flat cables 5 so as to penetrate, there is no need to form an insertion hole in the flat cable 5 as in the related art, and the connection work of the flat cable 5 becomes easy. .

In the above-described embodiment, the structure is such that one strip-shaped conductor 6 is sandwiched between insulators 7 and covered. It may be configured to be sandwiched between and covered. If the mechanical connection protrusions 4 of the connector 1 are made to penetrate only the insulator between the conductors, the force of the mechanical connection protrusions 4 to break through the flat cable is further reduced. And workability is further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector showing a state where a mechanical connection protrusion is bent.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where flat cables are connected to each other by a connector.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line SA-SA shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line SB-SB shown in FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 2 Base 3 Electrical connection projection 3a Tip of electrical connection projection 4 Mechanical connection projection 4a Tip of mechanical connection projection 5 Flat cable 6 Conductor 7 Insulator

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A metal cable for electrically and mechanically connecting flat cables formed by covering one or a plurality of strip-shaped conductors sandwiched between two insulators with each other so as to be superposed on each other and electrically and mechanically connected. A connector, an electrical connection projection that penetrates at least one flat cable and cuts into a conductor of the other flat cable in a shape having a reduced tip area on a base that is in close contact with one flat cable; Forming a mechanical connection projection that can penetrate both flat cables in a shape with a reduced area and that can penetrate and bend the penetrating part to press the surface of the other flat cable A flat cable connector characterized by the following: 2. The flat cable connector according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the electrical connection projection has a sharp shape. 3. The flat cable connector according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the mechanical connection projection has a sharp shape. 4. The flat cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical connection protrusion is positioned so as to penetrate a portion other than the conductor in each flat cable. Characteristic flat cable connector. 5. The flat cable connector according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the mechanical connection protrusion penetrating the flat cable is an electrical connector on a surface of the other flat cable. A connector for a flat cable, which presses a portion which is close to a connection protrusion. 6. The flat cable connector according to claim 5, wherein an electrical connection protrusion is formed at a center of the base, and mechanical connection protrusions are formed at four corners of the base, respectively. A flat cable connector characterized by the following: