JP2002063959A - Connector for flat conductor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a connector for a flat conductor with larger layout freedom of a substrate mounting. SOLUTION: This is provided with a housing 3 to house plural contact terminals 5, and an operating member 7 rotatably retained against this housing and enabled for the flat conductor 15 to be inserted and to be retained. The operating member 7 is extended to an opposite side of a flat conductor insertion side from the center of the rotation, and has a protruding portion integrally formed, and is cooperated with a lock spring having a spring property integrally formed in the housing 3, and enables to be stably retained against the housing 3 in nearly vertical position. The operating member 7 is constituted so that it has protrusions 7e, 7f protruded from a side face, cooperates with the protrusions 3j, 3k protruded to an inside from arms 3p, 3q formed in both end parts of the housing 3, and enables to be locked in a horizontal position against the housing 3, and that a conductor exposed part of the flat conductor 15 is press-contacted to the contact terminal 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector for connecting a flat conductor such as a flexible flat cable (FFC) and a flexible printed circuit board (FPC).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of connector has been disclosed in JP-A-10-12331 and JP-A-10-335015.
In general, an FFC and FPC insertion type from the horizontal direction shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-209,873 is known. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-3066
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-2009 discloses a type that can be inserted obliquely.

[0003]

However, recently, since a very large number of components are mounted on a circuit board to which these connectors are mounted, there is no room around the components, and the FF from the horizontal or oblique direction by the conventional connector is not provided.
Insertion of C and FPC is difficult, and therefore, the arrangement position on the substrate is also restricted.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector for a flat conductor having a greater degree of freedom in mounting on a board.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a housing accommodating a plurality of contact terminals, an operation rotatably held with respect to the housing, and a flat conductor inserted and held. A lock spring portion extending from the center of rotation to a side opposite to the flat conductor insertion side, having a projection integrally formed, and having a spring property integrally formed in the housing. In cooperation with the housing, the housing can be stably held at a substantially vertical position with respect to the housing, and the operation member has a protrusion protruding from a side surface, and inward from arms formed at both ends of the housing. A flat conductor connector configured to be lockable in a horizontal position with respect to the housing in cooperation with the protrusion protruding toward the housing so that a conductor exposed portion of the flat conductor is pressed against the contact terminal. , It made it possible to ensure reliable contact pressure while allowing the insertion of the flat conductors from the vertical direction.

Also, a housing accommodating a plurality of contact terminals, and an operating member rotatably held with respect to the housing and capable of inserting and holding a flat conductor, the operating member is provided with respect to the housing. The contact terminal can be stably held in a vertical position and can be locked in a horizontal position, and the contact terminal is opposite to an electric contact connected to a conductor constituting the flat conductor and a flat conductor insertion side of the operation member. An operating member receiving portion that abuts on a surface side, wherein the flat conductor and the operating member are sandwiched between the electric contact and the operating member receiving portion in a state where the operating member is in the horizontal position with respect to the housing; Further, as a flat conductor connector configured to be electrically connected, the flat conductor can be inserted from the vertical direction and a reliable contact pressure can be secured.

[0007]

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

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing the appearance of the flat conductor connector 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the operating member 7 is locked in a horizontal position, and FIG. Shows a stable state.

The flat conductor connector 1 has a housing 3 in which a plurality of contact terminals 5 are housed at equal intervals, and the flat conductor 1 is rotatably held vertically and horizontally with respect to the housing 3.
5 comprises an operating member 7 having a frame 7a into which the frame 5 is inserted, and left and right mounting terminals 9 and 11 for mounting on a circuit board.

The housing 3 has a plurality of terminal grooves 3a for accommodating a large number of contact terminals 5 (not shown in FIG. 3) at the center as shown in FIG. The shaft holding portions 3b and 3c for rotatably holding the shaft, the shaft holding portions 3d and 3e for holding the shaft of the operating member 7 on the left side, and the left and right arm portions outside thereof. 3p, 3q.

In addition, the vertical surface on the inner rear side of the arms 3p and 3q is not visible in FIG. 3 (a) due to the shadow of other parts, but receives and holds the mounting arm 9b of the right mounting terminal 9. A locking hole 3g for receiving and holding the hole 3f and the mounting arm 11b of the left mounting terminal 11 is formed. This locking hole 3
FIG. 3B is a partial view showing the position of g.

On the left and right side surfaces, mounting terminal receiving grooves 3m and 3n for receiving the stoppers 9c and 11c of the left and right mounting terminals 9 and 11 are formed in a groove shape.

Further, on the right side, a right lock spring portion 3h acting to hold the vertical position of the operating member 7, and an operating member 7
The right projection 3j acting to hold the horizontal position of
On the left side, a left lock spring portion 3i and a left protrusion 3k are formed symmetrically to the right side.

As shown in FIG. 4, the operating member 7 has a frame portion 7a for inserting and holding a flat conductor 15 (not shown) at the center thereof. It has an abutting portion 7k (see FIG. 9), which abuts, not shown here. The contact portion 7k does not necessarily need to be formed over the entire length of the frame portion 7a.

In front of the contact portion 7k, a contact terminal 5 described later is provided.
A recess 7m for receiving the operation member receiving portion 5b is provided.

On the left and right sides, a right shaft 7c engaging with the shaft holding portions 3b and 3c of the housing 3 and a left shaft 7d engaging with the shaft holding portions 3d and 3e of the housing 3 are formed. ing.

A vertical projection 7g is provided at the rear in cooperation with the left and right lock springs 3h and 3i of the housing 3 to stably operate the operating member 7 in a vertical state.
g has a chamfered portion 7h. Although the vertical projection 7g is integrally formed in the same shape over its entire length in FIG. 4, it may be formed separately at positions corresponding to the left and right lock spring portions 3h and 3i of the housing 3.

Further, in front of the left and right side surfaces, a right horizontal projection 7e and a left horizontal projection 7f which cooperate with the left and right projections 3j and 3k of the housing 3 to maintain the horizontal position of the operation member 7 are provided. Is formed.

The operating member 7 is substantially vertical, and the right and left shaft portions 7c, 7d are engaged with the left and right shaft holding portions 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e of the housing 3 from above the housing 3. It is assembled to the housing 3.

The contact terminal 5 has a shape as shown in FIG. 5, and is fitted into the terminal groove 3a from the rear of the housing 3 in a direction indicated by an arrow A in FIG.

The contact terminal 5 is formed of a conductive metal plate.
An upper arm 5c having an operation member receiving portion 5b at a distal end portion extending from the connecting portion 5a, a lower arm 5e extending substantially in parallel with the contact portion 5d at a distal end portion, and a board connecting portion 5f extending downward at a bottom portion; It comprises a retaining portion 5g that is fitted to the housing 3 to prevent it from coming off, and a butting portion 5h that is positioned when fitted to the housing 3.

The upper arm 5c and the lower arm 5e have a narrow shape in order to impart a spring property to each other in the direction of contact and separation.

As shown in the perspective views of FIGS. 6 and 7, the right mounting terminal 9 and the left mounting terminal 11 have plane symmetry with each other.

The right mounting terminal 9 shown in FIG. 6 and the left mounting terminal 11 shown in FIG. 7 are each formed of a solderable metal plate or the like, and are used as base portions 9a, 11a used for fixing to a circuit board. The mounting arms 9b and 11b for assembling with the housing 3, the stoppers 9c and 11c for controlling the deformation of the housing 3, and the opening holes 9d and 11d for more securely soldering to the circuit board are formed into elongated holes. Is formed.

The left and right mounting terminals 9 and 11 are respectively positioned from the front of the housing 3 in the directions of arrows B and C shown in FIG.
The housing 3 is pressed into the locking holes 3f and 3g and fixed as shown in FIG.

At this time, the distal ends of the stoppers 9c and 11c of the left and right mounting terminals 9 and 11 are also fitted into the left and right mounting terminal receiving grooves 3m and 3n formed on the side surface of the housing 3.

Next, the locking mechanism of the operating member 7 at the horizontal position and the stabilizing mechanism at the vertical position will be described.

When the operating member 7 is rotated from the vertical position to the horizontal position around the shafts 7c and 7d as the center of rotation,
The left and right horizontal projections 7e and 7f formed on the operation member 7
The right and left projections 3j and 3k formed on the housing 3 come into contact with each other. When a stronger rotation force is applied, the left and right arm portions 3p and 3q of the housing 3 are moved outward by the slopes formed on the side surfaces of the projections 3j and 3k. The horizontal projections 7e, 7f ride over the projections 3j, 3k and rotate until they come into contact with the base portions 9a, 11a of the left and right mounting terminals 9, 11.

To return the operating member 7 to the vertical position from this state, the horizontal projections 7e and 7f are
j, 3k, but when the connector 1 is mounted on the circuit board, applying a turning force to the operating member 7 in the vertical direction requires a small gap between the operating member 7 and the circuit board, and Difficult and substantially locked.

Note that the horizontal projections 7e, 7f are
When riding over 3k, the left and right arms 3 of the housing 3
Although p and 3q bend outward, stress is concentrated on a specific portion of the housing 3 due to uneven amounts of left and right bending, and the left and right arms are used to prevent accidents such as breakage of the housing 3. When the amount of deflection of the portions 3p and 3q reaches a predetermined amount, the stopper 9c or 11c of the mounting terminal 9 or 11 comes into contact with the bottom of the mounting terminal receiving groove 3m or 3n of the housing 3, and
The amount of deflection does not exceed a specified amount.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 8, the stabilizing mechanism of the operating member 7 at the vertical position will be described.

In FIG. 8, the same reference numerals are given to the portions described so far, and the description is omitted. The shaft holding portion 3e of the housing 3 and the shaft 7d of the operation member 7 are made visible.

Although the following description is made only for the left side of the connector 1, it is assumed that the right side has the same configuration and operation.

FIG. 8A shows a state in which the operating member 7 is stabilized at a vertical position with respect to the housing 3.

The lock spring portion 3i of the housing 3 is formed in an arm shape as shown in the drawing, and has an inclined portion 8a formed near its tip.

The operating member 7 is formed with a shoulder 8b which comes into contact with the upper surface of the housing 3.

The shaft 7d of the operating member 7 is rotatably held by a shaft holding portion 3e of the housing 3 and a shaft holding portion 3d (not shown).

The chamfered portion 7h formed on the vertical projection 7g of the operating member 7 comes into contact with the inclined portion 8a formed on the lock spring portion 3i of the housing 3, and the rotational force for rotating the operating member 7 counterclockwise. The shoulder 8b of the operating member 7 contacts the upper surface of the housing 3 so that the operating member 7 does not rotate clockwise, and the operating member 7 is stably maintained in the vertical position.

FIG. 8B shows a state in which the operating member 7 has slightly rotated counterclockwise from the vertical position.

When a turning force is applied to the operating member 7 in the counterclockwise direction from the state shown in FIG. 8A, the chamfered portion 7h and the inclined portion 8a are formed.
8A, a force is generated to push the lock spring portion 3i downward, and the lock spring portion 3i bends as shown in FIG.
The operation member 7 can rotate in the counterclockwise direction.

Conversely, from the state of FIG.
When the chamfered portion 7h and the inclined portion 8a start contacting each other, the clockwise turning force is urged to the operation member 7 by a force that attempts to return above the lock spring portion 3i. , The operating member 7 is kept stable in the vertical position.

When the operating member 7 approaches the horizontal state, the lock spring portion 3i does not act on the operating member 7 at all.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along a roll of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 9, the state of attachment of the contact terminal 5 to the housing 3, its function, and the procedure for attaching the flat conductor will be described.

In FIG. 9, the parts described so far are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 9A shows a state in which the operating member 7 is stabilized at a vertical position with respect to the housing 3, and FIG.
Indicates a state in which the operating member 7 is locked in the horizontal position with respect to the housing 3.

In FIG. 9A, as described above, the contact terminal 5 is inserted into the terminal groove 3a of the housing 3 from the left side in the drawing to a position where the abutting portion 5h contacts the housing 3. The stopper 5g deforms the housing 3 so that the contact terminal 5 is fixed to the housing 3.

The operation member receiving portion 5b of the contact terminal 5 contacts the bottom of the depression 7m of the operation member 7.

The flat conductor 15 has its contact portion 15
a is inserted into the frame portion 7a of the operating member 7 from above with the leading end thereof abutting on the contact portion 7k of the operating member 7 with "a" as the left side in the figure.

With the flat conductor 15 inserted, the operating member 7 is rotated counterclockwise to the horizontal state shown in FIG. 9B, and the contact portion 15a of the flat conductor 15 Abuts on the contact 5d with the lower arm 5e bent,
The electrical connection is realized, and the flat conductor 15 and the operation member 7 are held in a stacked state.

[0050]

Since the flat conductor can be inserted when the operating member is vertical and the flat conductor is firmly held in the horizontal state and the electrical connection between the flat conductor and the contact terminal is realized, the mounting on the board is realized. It is possible to obtain a flat conductor connector having a greater degree of freedom.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a flat conductor connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where an operation member is locked in a horizontal position.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the flat conductor connector according to the same embodiment as FIG. 1, showing a state in which an operation member is stabilized at a vertical position.

3A is a perspective view of an outer appearance of a housing of the flat conductor connector shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a partial front view near a left end.

4 is an external perspective view of an operation member of the flat conductor connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a contact terminal used in the flat conductor connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a right mounting terminal used in the flat conductor connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a left mounting terminal used in the flat conductor connector shown in FIG. 1;

8A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 8A shows a state in which the operating member is in a vertical position, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the operating member is in a tilted position.

9A and 9B are cross-sectional views of FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 9A shows a state in which the operation member is in a vertical position, and FIG. 9B shows a state in which the operation member is in a horizontal position.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Flat conductor connector, 3 housing, 3a terminal groove, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e Shaft holding section, 3f, 3g
Locking holes, 3h, 3i lock spring portions, 3j, 3k projections, 3m, 3n mounting terminal receiving grooves, 3p, 3q arm portions, 5 contact terminals, 5a connecting portions, 5b operating member receiving portions, 5c upper arms, 5d contacts, 5e Lower arm, 5
f Board connecting part, 5g retaining part, 5h butting part, 7 operating member, 7a frame part, 7c, 7d shaft part, 7
e, 7f horizontal projection, 7g vertical projection, 7h chamfered part, 7k contact part, 7m depression, 8a inclined part, 8b
Shoulder, 9 right mounting terminal, 9a, 11a base, 9
b, 11b mounting arm, 9c, 11c stopper,
9d, 11d opening hole, 11 left mounting terminal, 15 flat conductor, 15a contact part.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A housing housing a plurality of contact terminals, and an operating member rotatably held with respect to the housing and capable of inserting and holding a flat conductor, wherein the operating member is moved from a center of rotation thereof. Extending to the side opposite to the flat conductor insertion side, having a projection formed integrally, and cooperating with a lock spring portion having a spring property formed integrally with the housing, in a substantially vertical position with respect to the housing. The operation member has a protrusion protruding from a side surface, and cooperates with a protrusion protruding inward from an arm formed at both ends of the housing, so that the operation member can be stably held. A flat conductor connector characterized in that the flat conductor can be locked in a horizontal position and the conductor exposed portion of the flat conductor is pressed against the contact terminal. 2. A housing accommodating a plurality of contact terminals, and an operating member rotatably held with respect to the housing and capable of inserting and holding a flat conductor, wherein the operating member is provided with respect to the housing. The contact terminal can be stably held in a vertical position and can be locked in a horizontal position, and the contact terminal is opposite to an electric contact connected to a conductor constituting the flat conductor and a flat conductor insertion side of the operation member. An operating member receiving portion that abuts on a surface side, wherein the flat conductor and the operating member are sandwiched between the electric contact and the operating member receiving portion in a state where the operating member is in the horizontal position with respect to the housing; And a connector for a flat conductor, which is configured to be electrically connected.