JP2001148265A - Connector for flat cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform waterproof function in addition to easiness of insertion for a flat cable. SOLUTION: At the rear face of a cover 25 with a slit 28, a support plate 30 is set in a protruding position at the same surface with the bottom face of the slit 28 to which a seal member 34 having a penetrating groove 35 is fitted and fixed. The top face of the penetrating groove 35 makes up a shelter face 36 which moves upward under normal condition, and has a clearance C between a support face 31. On and under the penetrating groove 35, a receptacle groove 38 is formed into which an intruding part 40 set up at the rear face of a housing 20 intrudes. When a terminal of FPC10 is inserted into the slit 28, it is inserted smoothly through the clearance C and fixed on the support face 31. When the cover 25 is put around the rear face of the housing 20, the intruding part 40 intrudes into the receptacle groove 38 stretching the groove to flatten out the penetrating groove 35, whose inside face is elastically adhered around the support plate 30 and the terminal of FPC10 above it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector used for housing a flat cable terminal in a waterproof state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An FPC which is an example of a flat cable
(Flexible printed circuit board) is formed in a flexible ribbon shape as a whole by arranging a plurality of conductive paths in parallel on an insulating film and covering the upper surface with a protective film except for terminal portions. I have. On the other hand, such an FPC connector includes a connector housing in which a plurality of terminal fittings are arranged and accommodated, and an insertion opening reaching a terminal fitting accommodating portion is opened on the rear surface of the housing, so that a terminal of the FPC can be inserted. Inserted through the mouth, each conductive path is individually connected to a corresponding terminal fitting. Note that such an FPC connector is disclosed in
No. 45036 and the like.

[0003] By the way, even in this type of connector, F
In some cases, it is required to waterproof the connection part between the terminal of the PC and the terminal fitting. For example, it is considered that a seal member is attached around the terminal of the FPC and this is fitted into the insertion opening of the housing. Can be More specifically, it is possible to provide a thick rubber plate that is fitted tightly into the insertion slot, cut a slit in this rubber plate, pass the terminal of the FPC through the slit, and then fit the rubber plate into the insertion slot. was suggested.

[0004]

However, the FPC
It has been found that it is very difficult to insert a thin slit into a narrow slit because the is formed in a flexible ribbon shape and is a so-called weak waist. However,
If only the ease of insertion of the FPC is taken into consideration, the width of the slit may be widened, but then the degree of adhesion to the FPC becomes weak, and there is a concern that the waterproof performance may be poor. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flat cable connector that can easily perform a flat cable insertion operation and can well perform a waterproof function. Where you do it.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flat cable connector according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein a terminal of a flat cable having a conductive path wired on an insulating sheet is accommodated from the rear side. A possible connector housing and a cover, which is provided with a slit through which a terminal of the flat cable is penetrated and which is attached to a rear surface of the connector housing, are provided on a surface of the cover facing the connector housing. A support plate for supporting the terminal of the flat cable is continuously provided from one side surface of the slit, and has a through-groove for penetrating the support plate, and is provided between the rear surface of the connector housing and the support plate. A sealing member is mounted, and the through-groove of the sealing member is connected to an end of the flat cable in the support plate. While lifting surfaces and opposed surface has a normally formed by retracting the terminal of the flat cable can be inserted, in a rear surface of the connector housing,
When the cover is attached, a protrusion is provided which is configured to protrude into the seal member and elastically deform so as to crush the through groove flat.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a window hole is opened in the support plate.
A portion of the through groove of the seal member opposite to the side on which the evacuation surface is formed is formed by projecting a portion corresponding to the window hole, and the projecting surface faces the inside of the window hole. It has features. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the support plate is provided with a positioning pin that can be fitted into a positioning hole opened at a terminal of the flat cable. It has features.

[0007]

<Operation and effect of the invention><Invention of claim 1> When the end of the flat cable is inserted into the slit of the cover, it is smoothly inserted through the space between the retreating surface of the through groove of the seal member and the support surface of the support plate. Supported on a support surface. When the cover is put on the rear surface of the connector housing from this state, the protrusion provided in the connector housing protrudes into the seal member and crushes the through groove flat, and the inner peripheral surface thereof is formed around the terminal of the flat cable and the support plate. Is tightly sealed.
The through-groove of the sealing member is always open, and the through-groove is elastically closed by attaching the cover to the connector housing, so that the flat cable terminal can be easily inserted. , Good waterproofness can be secured.

<Invention of claim 2> When the cover is attached, both the front and back surfaces of the terminal of the flat cable are elastically sandwiched between the retreating surface and the projecting surface of the crushed through groove of the seal member. Therefore, the area around the end of the flat cable is more reliably sealed. <Invention of claim 3> The terminal of the flat cable is fitted into the positioning pin of the support plate, so that the terminal of the flat cable is securely supported at a proper position on the support plate.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, an FPC 10 (flexible printed circuit board) is shown as an example of a flat cable. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the FPC 10 has a plurality of conductive paths 12 printed on a surface of a strip-shaped insulating film 11 at a predetermined pitch by printing, and is covered with a protective film 13 so as to be overall. It is formed in a ribbon shape having flexibility. In the terminal of the FPC 10, the protective film 13 is peeled off over a predetermined range, the terminal of each conductive path 12 is exposed, and a reinforcing plate 14 for increasing rigidity is stuck to a predetermined range on the back surface of the terminal. Is being worn. Further, positioning holes 16 are opened at both left and right ends of the terminal of the FPC 10.

A connector housing 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as a housing) for accommodating the terminal of the above-described FPC 10 is
It is formed in a short block shape by a synthetic resin material. On the rear surface of the housing 20, a horizontally elongated terminal receiving hole 21 is formed. In the terminal receiving hole 21, a terminal fitting 22 having an elastic contact piece 23 as shown in FIG. Of the same number and the same pitch as the number of the conductive paths 12 are accommodated.

A cover 25 is attached to the rear surface of the housing 20. The cover 25 is also made of a synthetic resin, and is formed in a rectangular thick plate shape that can cover the entire rear surface of the housing 20. As shown in FIG. A rectangular fitting recess 26 is formed. At the center of the plate surface of the cover 25, a lateral slit 28 through which the terminal of the FPC 10 is inserted is formed penetrating both the front and back surfaces. Further, from the inner surface of the fitting concave portion 26, FP
A support plate 30 for supporting the terminal of C10 protrudes. This support plate 30 has an upper surface (support surface 31)
It is formed flush with the lower surface of the slit 28 of the cover 25.

[0012] Positioning pins 32 which can be fitted into the positioning holes 16 of the terminal of the FPC 10 are provided upright and left end portions of the support surface 31 at the front end side. Cover 25
A seal member 34 is fitted in the fitting concave portion 26. The sealing member 34 is made of rubber,
6 and has a thickness slightly larger than the depth of the fitting recess 26. Seal member 3
4, a lateral through groove 35 is formed in the center of the support plate 30 to penetrate the support plate 30. When the seal member 34 is fitted, the support plate 30
The upper surface of the through groove 35 is retracted upward from the support surface 31 of the support plate 30, and between the retreat surface 36 and the support surface 31. A clearance C is provided so that the terminal of the FPC 10 can be inserted without resistance.

On the upper and lower sides of the through groove 35 of the seal member 34, a laterally extending groove 38 is formed, and on the left and right sides thereof, a vertically extending groove 39 is formed. On the other hand, on the rear surface of the housing 20, around the terminal accommodating hole 21, there are protrudingly provided horizontal and vertical projections 40 and 41 which can penetrate the above-mentioned respective grooves 38 and 39. Each rush section 40,
41 is formed to be thicker than the corresponding groove widths of the to-be-entered grooves 38 and 39. In addition, the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 34,
A lip is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the through groove 35 and the protruding grooves 38 and 39.

On the four sides of the cover 25 (upper, lower, left and right)
A lock piece 43 is formed so as to protrude from the center in the width direction to the back side. The lock piece 43
A lock groove 44 that opens to the base end from a position that is slightly smaller than the front end is formed, and the front end side can be flexed outward. On the other hand, the four sides of the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the housing 20 are provided with locks that can be fitted into the lock grooves 44 of the lock pieces 43 of the cover 25 at central positions in the width direction and at predetermined positions from the rear surface. A protrusion 45 is formed. The front side of the lock projection 45 is a vertical surface that is steep, and the rear side is an inclined guide surface 46.

Next, the procedure for assembling the present embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the seal member 34 is fitted into the fitting concave portion 26 of the cover 25 while passing the support plate 30 through the through groove 35. At this time, as described above, the clearance C is previously formed between the support surface 31 of the support plate 30 and the evacuation surface 36 of the through groove 35. Next, the terminal of the FPC 10 is inserted into the slit 28 of the cover 25 as shown by the arrow in FIG. The terminal of the FPC 10 is connected to the support surface 30 of the support plate 30 in the clearance C following the slit 28.
1 is inserted smoothly while sliding on the top, as shown in FIG. 3, the positioning hole 16 is fitted into the positioning pin 32,
The terminal of the FPC 10 is fixed on the support surface 31 in a state in which the terminal is sticky.

When the terminal of the FPC 10 is inserted and fixed on the support plate 30 as described above, the cover 25 is put on the rear surface of the housing 20 as shown by the arrow in FIG.
The cover 25 is provided so that each lock piece 43 corresponds to the corresponding housing 2.
The lock projection 45 is pushed in while being bent and deformed. Accordingly, the support plate 30 and the FP thereon
While the terminal of C10 enters the terminal receiving hole 21, the protrusions 40 and 41 on the rear surface of the housing 20
Of the corresponding grooves 38, 39 while widening the groove width.

When the cover 25 is pushed into a predetermined position, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each conductive path 12 of the terminal of the FPC 10 is received by the support plate 30 and the elastic contact piece 23 of the corresponding terminal fitting 22. At this time, since the tip of the lock groove 44 of each lock piece 43 passes through the lock protrusion 45, the lock piece 43 is restored and deformed.
Are fitted and locked in the lock grooves 44, and the cover 25 is locked to the rear surface of the housing 20.

At this time, the sealing member 34 is
The periphery of the terminal accommodating hole 21 is sealed from the outside by being elastically contracted in the thickness direction between the rear surface of the cover 0 and the cover 25.
Also. The piercing portions 40 and 41 pierce into the pierced grooves 38 and 39 while widening the groove width, whereby the through groove 35 of the seal member 34 is flattened and the inner surface of the through groove 35 including the retreating surface 36 is The support plate 30 and the terminal of the FPC 10 on the support plate 30 are elastically closely contacted and sealed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
The terminal of the FPC 10 is inserted into the cover 25 with the through-groove 35 of the seal member 34 opened, and the terminal of the FPC 10 is fixed. After the cover 25 is attached to the rear surface of the housing 20, the through-groove 35 is attached. When the terminal of the FPC 10 is inserted, it can be inserted smoothly and easily without receiving any resistance. After the cover 25 is covered, the sealing member 34 is brought into close contact with the FPC 10 to provide good waterproofness. Can be secured.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, the structure of the sealing portion is changed from the first embodiment, and the changed portion will be mainly described below. In addition, about the part which has the same function as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a window hole 5 is formed at the base end of the support plate 30 of the cover 25.
0 is open. The window 50 has a width substantially equal to the width of the terminal of the FPC 10 and the sealing member 3 in the normal state.
It has a depth dimension substantially equal to the thickness of 4A. On the other hand, in the through groove 35A of the seal member 34A, a region on the lower surface thereof equal to the lateral width of the window hole 50 is formed to protrude upward. The size of the overhanging surface 51 is about the thickness of the support plate 30.

The operation of the second embodiment is as follows. When the seal member 34A is fitted into the fitting concave portion 26 of the cover 25, as shown in FIG.
1 and the evacuation surface 36 of the through groove 35A, a clearance C is formed in advance, and the projecting surface 51 of the through groove 35A is formed.
Penetrates into the window hole 50 of the support plate 30 from below and becomes substantially flush with the support surface 31. Next, as shown by the arrow in the figure, when the terminal of the FPC 10 is inserted into the slit 28 of the cover 25, the terminal of the FPC 10 passes through the clearance C following the slit 28 and the projecting surface 51 of the through groove 35A. 8 is smoothly inserted while sliding on the support surface 31 of the support plate 30, and the positioning holes 16 are fitted into the positioning pins 32 as shown in FIG. And fixed.

Subsequently, when the cover 25 is put on the rear surface of the housing 20 and the cover 25 is locked in a state where the conductive paths 12 of the terminal of the FPC 10 are in contact with the corresponding terminal fittings 22, as shown in FIG. When the protrusions 40 and 41 are inserted into the grooves 38 and 39 while widening the groove width, the through groove 35A of the seal member 34A is crushed flat, and the retreating surface 36 and the projecting surface of the through groove 35A are crushed. 51 and FP
C10 is elastically clamped from both sides. This allows
The periphery of the terminal of the FPC 10 is more reliably sealed.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) The present invention is similarly applicable to a connector in which terminals of an FPC are accommodated in a plurality of upper and lower stages. (2) Further, the present invention is not limited to the FPC illustrated in the above embodiment, but may be a Ripon cable in which both front and back surfaces of a plurality of conductors wired at a predetermined pitch are sandwiched by an insulating sheet. The present invention can be widely applied to all connectors for accommodating a terminal of a flat cable wired in a waterproof state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view before inserting a terminal of the FPC into a cover.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view before a cover is assembled.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view after the cover is assembled.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view thereof.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view before inserting a terminal of the FPC into a cover.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view before the cover is assembled.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view after the cover is assembled.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... FPC (flat cable) 11 ... Insulating film (insulating sheet) 12 ... Conduction path 16 ... Positioning hole 20 ... Housing 21 ... Terminal receiving hole 25 ... Cover 26 ... Fit recess 28 ... Slit 30 ... Support plate 31 ... Support surface 32 ... Positioning pin 34 ... Seal member 35 ... Thru groove 36 ... Evacuation surface 38,39 ... Long groove 40,41 ... Long part 43 ... Lock piece 45 ... Lock protrusion C ... Clearance 34A ... Seal member 35A ... Thru groove 50 … Window hole 51… overhang surface

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A connector housing in which a terminal of a flat cable having a conductive path wired on an insulating sheet can be accommodated from a rear side, and a slit through which the terminal of the flat cable penetrates is cut to cover a rear surface of the connector housing. And a support plate for supporting the terminal of the flat cable is continuously protruded from one side surface of the slit on a surface of the cover facing the connector housing. A seal member having a through-groove for penetrating the support plate and being interposed between the connector member and the rear surface of the connector housing is mounted, and the through-groove of the seal member is a terminal of the flat cable in the support plate. On the other hand, the surface opposite to the surface supporting the flat cable is formed so as to be retractable so that the terminal of the flat cable can be inserted in a normal state. A flat portion is provided on a rear surface of the connector housing, which is provided with a projection portion which, when the cover is attached, elastically deforms so as to enter the sealing member and crush the through groove flat. Connector for cable. 2. A window hole is opened in the support plate, and a portion corresponding to the window hole in a surface of the through groove of the seal member opposite to a side on which the retreat surface is formed. The flat cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the flat cable connector is formed so as to protrude, and the protruding surface faces the inside of the window hole. 3. The flat cable according to claim 1, wherein a positioning pin is formed on the support plate so that the positioning pin can be fitted into a positioning hole opened at a terminal of the flat cable. Connector.