JP2002246086A - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical connector which has no risk of an actuator to turn in the direction of releasing a connection state, depending on the arrangement of an FPC. SOLUTION: This connector is composed of an insulation housing 2, plural terminals 3 mounted side by side at a prescribed interval, and the actuator 4, and is so structured that a flat flexible cable 5 is inserted toward the rear side from an insertion hole 6. The actuator 4 is made turnable by the engagement of its base end part with an engagement piece 12 formed on the terminal 3, and can be turned between a first position in an erected form on the insulation housing 2 and a second form laid on the insulation housing, by being turned rearward from the first position. The engagement part of the actuator 4 with the terminal 3 is so structured, that an engagement portion 14 at the tip part of the engagement piece 12, extending nearly horizontally toward the insertion hole 6 in a cantilever-like form, is inserted into a window hole 15 formed at the base end part of the actuator 4, and a camshaft 16 formed on the edge part of the window hole 15 is disposed on the under side of the engagement portion 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention generally relates to FPC,
The present invention relates to an electrical connector capable of connecting a flat flexible cable (hereinafter, simply referred to as “FPC”) called FFC or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrical connector of this type includes an insulating housing, a plurality of terminals mounted side by side on the insulating housing at a predetermined pitch, and a contact pad between the FPC contact pad and the terminal inserted into the insulating housing. Pressing with a predetermined contact pressure,
And an actuator for engagement.
In many cases, the FPC is inserted rearward from the insertion opening at the front of the insulating housing.

FIG. 15 shows an example of an electrical connector in which an FPC is inserted from the front (left side of the figure) of the insulating housing toward the rear side (right side of the figure).
-106238. In the figure, 300 is an insulating housing, 301 is a terminal,
2 is an actuator, and 303 is an FPC. The actuator 302 has a terminal 3 in a window hole 304 formed on the base end side.
By inserting and locking the engagement piece 305 of No. 01, it can be rotated.

[0004] As shown in the figure, the FPC 30 is set up with the actuator 302 standing on the insulating housing 300.
3 is inserted from the insertion port 306 backward, and the terminal 301 is inserted.
And a cam shaft 308 formed on the actuator 302. FPC30
3 is inserted, the actuator 302 is inserted into the insertion port 306.
Side, the camshaft 308 having an elliptical cross section also rotates together with the actuator 302 to connect the FPC 303 to the contact point 307.
The contact 307 of the terminal 301 and the contact pad of the FPC 303 are pressed and engaged with a predetermined contact pressure. In this connection state, the actuator 302
It is substantially parallel to the upper side of C303 and covers the FPC 303.

[0005]

As described above, the FPC
Is inserted through the insertion hole provided in the front of the insulating housing. At the time of connection, the actuator is tilted forward and the FP
The electrical connector configured to cover C is provided with:
When the FPC is pulled upward, the actuator may be turned in the upright direction, and there is a problem that the connection state is unstable. In order to engage the engaging piece of the actuator with the terminal, a concave arc-shaped portion is formed at the lower edge of the tip of the engaging piece, and the hole edge portion of the window hole of the actuator (in the example of FIG. ) Was settled, so when assembling the actuator to the insulating housing, it was necessary to fit the window hole of the actuator into the engaging piece of the terminal while elastically deforming the engaging piece. It was complicated and hindered efficient production.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an actuator is provided by the routing of the FPC.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector that does not have a risk of turning in a direction to release a connection state. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric connector having a structure that allows easy insertion and assembly of an actuator into an insulating housing.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An electric connector according to the present invention, which has been made with the above object, has an actuator in which an FP is used.
The structure is such that the actuator and the engaging piece of the terminal can be easily fitted so as not to cover on C.

That is, the present invention provides an insulating housing, a plurality of terminals mounted side by side on the insulating housing at a predetermined pitch, and a contact pressure between a contact pad of the flat flexible cable inserted into the insulating housing and the terminal, the contact pressure being predetermined. In an electrical connector configured with an actuator for press-fitting and engaging, a flat flexible cable is configured to be inserted rearward from an insertion opening at a front portion of the insulating housing,
The actuator is rotatable by engaging a base end portion with an engagement piece provided on a terminal, and is configured to rotate on a first position in a state of standing on an insulating housing and to rotate rearward from the first position. The actuator is adapted to be pivotable between a protruding second position on the insulating housing and the engagement portion between the actuator and the terminal is substantially horizontal in the direction of the insertion opening, and the cantilever is provided. The engaging portion of the distal end of the engaging piece extending in a shape is inserted into a window formed at the base end of the actuator, and a camshaft formed at the hole edge of the window is disposed below the engaging portion. When the actuator is rotated to the first position, a flat flexible cable can be inserted between the cam shaft and the contact point of the terminal from the insertion port, and the actuator is moved to the second position. Cam turned with the actuator when turned An electrical connector, wherein a flat flexible cable through the are to be pressed on the contact side of the terminal.

[0009] In the above configuration, the insulating housing may further include a claw portion provided on a side portion of the insertion opening so as to engage with an upper surface of a side edge portion of the flat flexible cable. You may make it restrict.
Further, the actuator is provided with a lock projection on a base side edge, and when the actuator is rotated to the second position, the lock projection is penetrated under the lock provided on the insulating housing side. As an alternative, it is possible to prevent the base portion of the actuator provided with the camshaft from rising.

[0010]

According to the electric connector of the present invention thus configured, the actuator is rotatable by engaging the base end with the engagement piece provided on the terminal, and stands on the insulating housing. It is configured to be rotatable between a first position in a depressed state and a second position in a state of being turned down on the insulating housing by being rotated rearward from the first position.
Unlike the configuration in which the actuator covers the upper side of the flat flexible cable in the connected state, the actuator can be prevented from receiving rotational power due to the routing of the flat flexible cable.

Further, the engaging portion between the actuator and the terminal is
The engaging portion at the distal end of the engaging piece extending substantially horizontally in the direction of the insertion opening and extending in a cantilever shape is inserted into a window hole formed at the base end of the actuator, and the lower side of the engaging portion is Since the camshaft formed at the edge of the window hole is arranged at the end of the window, the actuator is assembled with the window of the actuator facing the tip of the engagement piece. It is only necessary to move the flat flexible cable in the insertion direction, and the assembly can be completed easily.

[0012]

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

FIG. 1 to FIG. 8 show an electric connector 1 according to a first embodiment. The electrical connector 1 includes an insulating housing 2 formed of a heat-resistant resin, a plurality of terminals 3 mounted side by side on the insulating housing 2 at a predetermined pitch, and an actuator 4 formed of a heat-resistant resin.
It is composed of The actuator 4 is shown in FIGS.
3. Rotation between a first position in an upright position on the insulating housing 2 as shown in FIG. 3 and a second position in a prone position on the insulating housing 3 as shown in FIGS. It is possible. When the actuator 4 changes the position from the first position to the second position, the actuator 4 is rotated rearward with the left side as the front in FIG.

Reference numeral 5 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6 denotes a flat flexible cable (FPC) which can be inserted rearward into the inside of the insulating housing 2 from an insertion port 6 at the front of the insulating housing 2. Have been. As shown in the figure, FPC
When inserting 5, the actuator 4 is set to the first position. After the FPC 5 is inserted, when the actuator 4 is rotated backward to the second position, the connection of the FPC 5 is completed.

The terminal 3 is formed by stamping a thin metal plate and has a contact piece 7 extending along the bottom of the insulating housing 2 as shown in FIGS. The mounting portion 8 connected to the rear end of the contact piece 7 is inserted and locked in a mounting portion 9 formed at the rear of the insulating housing 2 so that the mounted state is maintained. On the upper edge of the intermediate portion of the contact piece 7, a contact 10 is formed in a projecting shape so as to face a contact pad 5a provided on the lower surface of the inserted FPC 5. The front end of the contact piece 7 is formed on a solder tail portion 11 having a horizontal L-shape so as to be substantially flush with the bottom surface of the insulating housing 2 near the insertion opening 6 of the insulating housing 2. The surface can be soldered to a surface (not shown) or the like.

Further, from the upper edge where the contact piece 7 and the mounting portion 8 are continuous, an engaging piece 12 is continuous in a lateral L-shape and extends in the direction of the insertion opening 6 of the insulating housing 2. The engaging piece 12 constitutes a cantilever extending substantially parallel to the contact piece 7 and is elastically deformable. An engagement portion 14 that is substantially parallel to the contact piece 7 is provided at a distal end portion of the engagement piece 12 via a continuous portion 13 that extends diagonally upward toward the front. This engagement part 1
Reference numeral 4 denotes a lower edge of the contact piece 10 which faces the contact 10 formed on an upper edge of the contact piece 7.

In order for the actuator 4 to be rotatable between the first position and the second position, the base end of the actuator 4 and the engaging portion 14 of the engaging piece 12 are engaged. That is, a window hole 15 is formed at the base end of the actuator 4 so as to correspond to the engagement piece 12 of each terminal 3 on a one-to-one basis.
The engaging portion 14 is fitted into the window hole 15 so that the actuator 4 can rotate. Window hole 1
A portion of the edge of the hole defining the portion 5 located on the base end side of the actuator 4 is constituted by a cam shaft 16 having an elliptical cross section, and serves as a pivot support portion of the rotating actuator 4. The cam shaft 16 is oriented such that when the actuator 4 rises to the first position, its long axis L1 (FIG. 7) is substantially horizontal. Further, a single shaft L2 of the camshaft 16 (FIG. 7)
Is set such that an interval substantially equal to the thickness of the FPC 5 can be secured between the contact piece 7 and the cam shaft 16.

A hanging wall 17 is provided on both sides of the other end of the actuator 4 facing the base end. And
A hook 18 is formed on the inner surface of the lower end of the hanging wall 17. However, when the actuator 4 is turned to the second position, which is turned down on the insulating housing 2 as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the hanging wall 17 is located outside the rear side surface of the insulating housing 2 and the hook 18 is Step 19 formed on the side
(FIGS. 2 and 3).

In the electric connector 1 configured as described above, to mount the actuator 4 on the insulating housing 2 on which the terminals 3 are mounted, as shown in FIG. In the inclined posture, the window hole 15 and the engaging portion 14 formed in the engaging piece 12 of the terminal 3 are opposed to each other, and the actuator 4 can be easily assembled simply by horizontally moving the actuator 4 backward. When the actuator 4 is moved horizontally until the camshaft 16 hits the continuous portion 13 provided at the tip of the engaging piece 12, the engaging portion 14 is fitted into the window hole 15 and the camshaft 1 is inserted.
6 fits below the engagement portion 14 with its long axis L1 substantially horizontal. Since the substantially horizontal engaging portion 14 guides the substantially horizontal cam shaft, the horizontal movement of the actuator 4 proceeds smoothly, and further, there is no need to elastically deform the engaging piece 12 for assembly. Efficient assembly is possible.

Next, the connection of the FPC 5 will be described.
The connection is performed by inserting the FPC 5 and rotating the actuator 4. First, with the actuator 4 in the first position, the FPC 5 is inserted into the insulating housing 2 from the insertion port 6 (FIG. 1). Since an interval substantially equal to the thickness of the FPC 5 is provided between the contact piece 7 of the terminal 3 and the cam shaft 16 of the actuator 4, the FPC 5 receives zero insertion force (ZIF) without receiving resistance against insertion. Can be inserted.

After the insertion of the FPC 5, the actuator 4 is rotated rearward to the second position (FIG. 6). When the actuator 4 is rotated, the cam shaft 16 is also rotated. FIG. 7 shows how the camshaft 16 rotates. The engagement piece 12 and the camshaft 16 shown by solid lines are in a state when the actuator 4 is at the first position. When the actuator 4 is rotated to the second position, the cam shaft 16 rotates as shown by the dashed line, and elastically deforms the engaging piece 12 upward as shown by the dashed line. As a result, the reaction force of the engagement piece 12 acts on the camshaft 16, so that the FPC 5 is urged toward the contact piece 7 and the contact pad 5a of the FPC 5 and the contact 10 of the contact piece 7 are pressed against each other with a predetermined contact pressure. ,
As a result, the connection between the FPC 5 and the terminal 3 is formed.

In the state where the connection is completed by rotating the actuator 4 to the second position, the actuator 4 is in a state where it is protruded above the rear side of the insulating housing 2 and the FPC 5
Do not cover the upper side of the Therefore, FP
Even if C5 is routed, a situation in which the actuator 4 is rotated can be prevented from occurring, and the connection state can be maintained safely.

Further, in this embodiment, the claw portions 20 project from both sides of the insertion opening 6 so as to engage with the upper surfaces of both side edges of the FPC 5 (FIG. 2). Therefore,
Even when the FPC 5 is routed, the portion inserted into the insulating housing 2 can be prevented from receiving a force due to the routing, so that the connection state can be maintained more reliably.

In order to release the connection state, it is necessary to apply a force for rotating the actuator 4 from the second position to the first position, but such a force is not applied except for directly operating the actuator 4. It has become. That is, when the camshaft 16 is rotated as shown by a chain line in FIG. 7, the rotational moment generated by the reaction force of the engagement piece 12 is in the rotational direction from the first position to the second position. It is. When the actuator 4 is rotated to the second position, the hook 1 on the hanging wall 17 provided on the actuator 4 is moved.
The engagement of the step 8 with the step 19 of the insulating housing 2 prevents the engagement from being released by a slight force acting due to vibration or the like, and the connection state can be reliably maintained.

As shown in FIG. 7, in this electric connector 1, the actuator 4 is located at the second position, and the cam shaft 16 exerts a cam action on the engagement piece 12 with respect to the length D of the engagement piece 12. The length of the camshaft 16 when the actuator 4 is at the first position, that is, the length of the single axis L2 is reduced. Such a configuration can contribute to a reduction in the height of the entire electrical connector 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, both sides of the base end of the actuator 4 are inserted under the lock portion 21 formed by opening the upper surface of the side of the insulating housing 2. Lock projection 22 is provided. When the actuator 4 is rotated to the second position, the lock projection 22 extends below the lock portion 21 and
Engage with. Therefore, when the actuator 4 is at the second position, the base end of the actuator 4 provided with the cam shaft 16 is prevented from rising upward. Therefore, there is no possibility that the contact pressure between the contact 10 of the terminal 3 and the contact pad 5a of the FPC 5 becomes insufficient, and a highly reliable electrical connection state can be formed.

Next, an electrical connector 31 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The first
The same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the electrical connector 1 of the embodiment, and the detailed description is omitted.

The electrical connector 31 has a different shape of the terminal 33. That is, the contact piece 7 extending along the bottom of the insulating housing 2 has a cantilever shape, and the solder tail portion 11 is continuous behind the rear mounting portion 8.
It is arranged to project rearward of the insulating housing 2. The engagement piece 12 extends in a horizontal L-shape from a continuous portion of the mounting portion 8 of the contact piece 7 and the solder tail portion 11 so as to be substantially parallel to the contact piece 7.

The actuator 4 is the same as that of the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a first position in a state of standing on the insulating housing 2, and as shown in FIGS. Then, by rotating the insulating housing 2 rearward from the first position,
It is rotatable between a second position in a state where it is turned over. The first position is a position where the FPC 5 can be inserted, and the second position is a position where the FPC 5 and the terminal 33 are connected.

The engagement structure of the engagement piece 12 of the actuator 4 and the terminal 33 for enabling the rotation of the actuator 4 is the first structure.
The configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Actuator 4
The engaging projections 4 are provided on both side surfaces on the other end side facing the base end edge.
When the actuator 4 is rotated to the second position, the actuator 4 is engaged with the hooks 42 of the side walls 41 formed on both sides of the insulating housing 2 so that the actuator 2 is held at the second position. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, locking protrusions 52 are provided on both sides of the base end of the actuator 4 in the same manner as described above. When the actuator 4 is rotated, the lock projection 52 extends under the lock 51 formed by extending the reinforcing metal member 43 fixed to the insulating housing 2, and the base end of the actuator 4 at the second position is formed. The part side is prevented from rising.

Also in the electric connector 31 of this embodiment, the connection state is formed in a state where the actuator 4 is rotated rearward of the insertion port 6 and does not cover the FPC 5. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the connection state from becoming unstable due to the routing of the FPC 5.

Further, since the engagement structure of the engagement piece 12 of the actuator 4 and the terminal 33 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the assembly of the actuator 4 to the insulating housing 2 can be simplified and the efficiency is improved. Assembly can be possible.

As in the first embodiment, the connection state in which the actuator 4 is rotated to the second position is maintained safely and securely, and a highly reliable electrical connection is made possible.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The actuator is rotated rearward of the insertion slot into which the FPC is inserted, so that the connection state can be formed without covering the FPC. Therefore, the direction in which the actuator releases the connection by pulling the connected FPC around. It is possible to provide an electrical connector that can safely maintain the connection state without being rotated. Further, the structure in which the engagement piece of the terminal is engaged with the actuator and the actuator is rotatable is provided below the engagement portion that extends substantially horizontally at the tip of the engagement piece. The camshaft is composed of two parts, so the engaging structure can be formed simply by moving the actuator horizontally with the window hole and the engaging part of the engaging piece facing each other, and the engaging piece is elastically deformed. This eliminates the need for troublesome work. As a result, the operation of assembling the actuator to the insulating housing is simple, and there is an effect that the manufacture of the electrical connector can be efficiently performed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the claw provided on the insulating housing is engaged with the upper surface of the side edge of the inserted FPC, so that the force caused by drawing the FPC reaches the portion inserted into the insulating housing. Can be eliminated. Therefore, the connection state can be more reliably maintained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the actuator is turned to the second position in the connected state, the lock projection of the actuator goes under the lock on the insulating housing side, so that the cam shaft is provided. The floating of the base end portion is prevented. Therefore, the cam action by the cam shaft is FP
C reliably acts to form a highly reliable electrical connection state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an electric connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along a terminal in a state where an FPC is inserted with an actuator in a first position.

FIG. 2 is also a diagram showing an FP with an actuator in a first position.
It is a perspective view in the state where C was inserted.

FIG. 3 Similarly, the FP is set with the actuator in a first position.
It is a perspective view in the state where C was not inserted yet.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the electric connector according to the first embodiment in a state where an actuator is at a second position without inserting an FPC.

FIG. 5 is a lower perspective view similar to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the electrical connector according to the first embodiment, taken along a terminal, in a state where an FPC is inserted and an actuator is at a second position.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion A shown in FIGS. 1 and 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the electrical connector according to the first embodiment, taken along a side of the actuator.

FIG. 9 shows an electrical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the actuator is at a first position.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the actuator in the first position along the terminal.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the electric connector according to the second embodiment in a state where an FPC is inserted and an actuator is rotated to a second position.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along a terminal in a state where the FPC is inserted and the actuator is rotated to the second position.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the second embodiment along the side of the actuator with the actuator in the first position.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the second embodiment along the side of the actuator with the actuator in a second position.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional electrical connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 31 Electric connector 2 Insulated housing 3, 33 Terminal 4 Actuator 5 Flat flexible cable (FPC) 5a Contact pad 6 Insertion port 10 Contact 12 Engagement piece 14 Engagement part 15 Window hole 16 Camshaft 20 Claw part 21, 51 Lock Part 22, 52 Lock projection

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5E023 AA04 AA16 AA18 BB09 BB22 BB23 CC23 CC26 DD03 DD06 DD18 DD26 DD28 EE09 EE10 EE12 GG02 GG03 GG07 GG09 GG11 HH08 HH18 HH22

Claims (3)

[Claims] An insulating housing and a plurality of terminals mounted side by side at a predetermined pitch on the insulating housing,
33 and an actuator 4 for pressing and engaging the contact pads 5a of the flat flexible cable 5 inserted into the insulating housing 2 and the contacts 10 of the terminals 3 and 33 with a predetermined contact pressure. In the electric connectors 1 and 31 configured so that the insertion portion 5 is inserted rearward from the insertion port 6 at the front portion of the insulating housing 2, the actuator 4 has a base end provided on the terminals 3 and 33. A first position in a state of being upright on the insulating housing 2 by being rotatable by engaging with the mating piece 12, and a second position in a state of being turned back from the first position and lying down on the insulating housing 2. And the engaging portion between the actuator 4 and the terminals 3 and 33 is substantially horizontal in the direction of the insertion port 6 and extends in a cantilever manner. Engaging portion 14 at the tip of The camshaft 16 is inserted into a window 15 formed at the base end of the actuator 4 and a camshaft 16 formed at the edge of the window 15 below the engagement portion 14. 4 is rotated to the first position, the flat flexible cable 5 is inserted through the insertion port 6 into the camshaft 16 and the terminal 3,
When the actuator 4 is rotated to the second position, the flat flexible cable 5 is connected to the terminals 3 and 33 via the cam shaft 16 rotated together with the actuator 4 when the actuator 4 is rotated to the second position. An electrical connector characterized in that it is pressed to the side 10. 2. The insulating housing 2 has a claw 20 on the side of the insertion opening 6 for engaging with the upper surface of the side edge of the flat flexible cable 5.
The electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The actuator 4 is provided with lock projections 22 and 52 on the base side edge, and when the actuator 4 rotates to the second position, the lock projections 22 and 52 are provided on the insulating housing 2 side. The electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrical connector is adapted to be inserted under the lock portions (21, 51).