JP2001035573A - Connector for connecting flexible printed circuit board - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board(FPC) capable of keeping good operability, even if the flexible printed circuit board is formed into multi-cores. SOLUTION: This connector is provided with a base insulator 10, having a receiving part 11 opening upward, a contact 20 retained by the base insulator 10, and an actuator 40 capable of being fitted to the receiving part 11, and a spring member 43 for pressing an FPC 30 against a contact part 21 of the contact 20, when the actuator 40 is fitted to the receiving part 11 is formed on the actuator 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent electronic device designs, compactness and high-density mounting are required. In order to respond to this demand, a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as FPC (Flexi
ble Printed Circuit) has been widely used.

[0003] The FPC is connected to a printed circuit board or the like using an FPC connector.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-282917 describes this type of FPC connector.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional FPC connector.

The FPC connection connector includes a base insulator 110, a contact 120, and a lock member 12.
3 and an actuator 140.

[0007] Inside the base insulator 110, F
A space S for inserting a PC is formed. A contact 120 is provided between the upper and lower walls of the base insulator 110.
Is held.

The contact 120 includes a base 121 and a spring 12 provided on one of the bases 121 in substantially parallel with each other.
2 and a fixing portion 126, a connecting portion 124 provided on the other side of the base portion 121, and a contact portion 125 provided at a tip end portion of the spring portion 122.

The locking member 123 is provided with an actuator 140
Is pressed and held at both ends in the width direction.

This FPC connection connector is used as follows.

First, the tip of the FPC 130 held on the lower surface of the actuator 140 is inserted into the space S. Next, using the tip side of the FPC 13 as a fulcrum, the actuator 140
Is rotated against the elastic force of the spring portion 122 of the contact 120. As a result, the lock member 123 rides on the upper surface of the actuator 140 and presses the actuator 140 downward, and the FPC 130
The contact portion 120 is pressed against the protrusion 125 of the contact 120 by the elastic force of the spring portion 122.

[0012]

However, in this FPC connector, a structure is employed in which both ends in the width direction of the actuator 140 are held by the lock members 123, so that when the width of the actuator 140 is increased. The urging force of the actuator 140 against the contact 120 at the center in the width direction is reduced.

Therefore, when the number of cores of the FPC 130 connected to the FPC connector increases, a sufficient contact force with respect to the contact 120 cannot be obtained at the center in the width direction of the FPC connector.

To avoid this, a method of increasing the urging force on the contact 120 is conceivable. However, for that purpose, the actuator 140 must be urged with a large force, and there is a problem that operability is deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an FPC connection connector which can maintain good operability even when a flexible printed circuit board has multiple cores.

[0016]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a base insulator having an accommodating portion which is open upward, a contact held by the base insulator, and a fitting fitted to the accommodating portion. And a spring member that presses the flexible printed circuit board against the contact portion of the contact when the actuator is fitted.

When the actuator is fitted into the housing of the base insulator, the flexible printed circuit board is pressed against the contact portion of the contact by a spring member provided on the actuator.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the connector for a flexible printed circuit board according to the first aspect, the spring member has a plate shape.

The flexible printed circuit board can be pressed against the contact by a plate-shaped spring member.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board according to the first or second aspect, the contact is provided with a lock portion for holding the actuator in the housing portion. And

When the actuator is fitted in the housing of the base insulator, the actuator is fitted in the lock provided in the contact and held in the housing.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the actuator is fitted to the connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after the actuator is fitted.

The connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board includes a base insulator 10, a contact 20,
And an actuator 40.

A plurality of contacts 20 are held on the base insulator 10.

The contact 20 has a contact portion 21 and a locking portion 2.
2 are provided to face each other in the longitudinal direction of the contact portion 21. A contact portion 24 is formed in the contact portion 21, and a locking portion 22 is formed.
Is formed with a lock portion 23.

The actuator 40 can be fitted into a housing 11 described later, and a lock receiving portion 41 which can be locked with the lock portion 23 is formed at one end thereof. Lock receiving part 4
A groove 42 extending in the width direction of the actuator 40 (a direction perpendicular to the drawing) is formed near 1.

On the bottom surface of the actuator 40, a metal plate-like spring member 43 for pressing the FPC (flexible printed circuit board) 30 against the contact portion 21 of the contact 20 is provided. The spring member 43 extends in the direction of the contact portion 21, and a protrusion 44 is provided at a distal end thereof so as to be able to contact the bottom surface 12 of the housing 11.

The FPC 30 is provided on the upper surface of the actuator 40.
Is fixed at one end by an adhesive.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where a part of the base insulator is cut.

The base insulator 10 is provided with a housing portion 11 opening upward.

A plurality of partition walls 13 extending in the longitudinal direction of the contact portion 21 are formed on the bottom surface 12 of the accommodating portion 11 at a constant pitch along the contact arrangement direction, and a plurality of grooves 14 are formed between the partition walls 13. Is formed. The opening of the groove 14 and the contact portion 21 face each other. The spring member 43 is inserted into the groove 14 when the actuator 40 is fitted.

A space S into which the FPC 30 is inserted is formed between the contact portion 21 and the partition wall 13. This space S communicates with the housing 11.

In order to connect the FPC 30 of the connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board, first, the front end of the FPC 30 that has been previously adhered to the upper surface of the actuator 40 is separated from the contact portion 21 of the contact 20 by the space S
And the front end of the actuator 40 abuts against the front end 13 a of the partition wall 13. At this time, the conductor pattern (not shown) of the FPC 30 contacts the contact portion 24 of the contact 20 and the convex portion 44 of the spring member 43
1 contacts the bottom surface 12.

Next, the actuator 40 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 1 around the front end 13 a of the partition wall 13 as a fulcrum, and is pushed into the housing 11. At this time, the rear end (one end) of the actuator 40 is connected to the protrusion 44 of the spring member 43 and the housing 11.
1 is rotated about the contact point with the bottom surface 12 of the FPC 30 in the clockwise direction in FIG.
Act on.

When the actuator 40 is completely fitted into the housing 11 as shown in FIG. 2, the distal end of the FPC 30 is lifted upward by the elastic force of the spring member 43,
The conductor pattern of the FPC 30 is the contact portion 2 of the contact 20
Pressed to 4. Further, since the lock receiving portion 41 of the actuator 40 is locked to the lock portion 23 of the contact 20, the actuator 40 is securely held in the housing 11.

According to this embodiment, since the spring member 43 for pressing the FPC 30 against the contact 20 is arranged to face the contact portion 21 of the contact 20 when the actuator 40 is fitted, when the width of the actuator 40 is increased. Even in this case, the urging force of the spring member 43 on the contact 20 at the center in the width direction of the actuator 40 does not decrease. Therefore, the actuator 40 is
When fitting into one, it is not necessary to apply a large force to the actuator 40, and good operability can be maintained even when the number of cores is increased.

In the above embodiment, the plurality of spring members 4
3, the spring member 43 may be constituted by a single plate.

The spring member 43 is not limited to metal as long as it has elasticity. For example, the spring member 43 may be formed integrally with the actuator 40 by resin.

Further, although the lock portion 23 is formed on the contact 20 and the contact 20 also serves as the lock portion 23, the lock portion 23 may be formed on the base insulator 10 instead of the contact 20.

[0041]

As described above, according to the connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board according to the first aspect of the present invention, even when the number of cores of the flexible printed circuit board increases, a small operation force is applied to the actuator. Sufficient and good operability can be maintained.

According to the connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board according to the second aspect of the present invention, the structure of the actuator can be simplified, thereby facilitating the manufacture.

According to the connector for connecting a flexible printed board according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to newly form a lock member for holding the flexible printed board.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a state before an actuator is fitted to an FPC connector.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state after fitting of the actuator.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where a part of a base insulator is cut.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional FPC connection connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Base insulator 11 Housing part 12 Projection 20 Contact 21 Contact part 23 Lock part 30 FPC (flexible printed circuit board) 40 Actuator 43 Spring member

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5E023 AA16 AA18 BB22 BB23 CC02 CC23 CC26 DD03 DD08 DD28 EE06 GG02 GG09 HH06 HH08 HH28

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A base insulator having an accommodating portion that opens upward, a contact held by the base insulator, and an actuator that can be fitted to the accommodating portion, wherein the actuator is flexible printed when the actuator is fitted. A connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board, comprising a spring member for pressing the board against the contact portion of the contact. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the spring member has a plate shape. 3. The flexible printed circuit board connector according to claim 1, wherein the contact is provided with a lock portion for holding the actuator in the housing portion.