JP2002313502A - Connector for connecting flexible printed circuit and wire harness - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector for connecting a wire harness and an FPC capable of easily, surely and electrically connecting the wire harness and the FPC. SOLUTION: A male connection terminal 14 connected with an electric wire 13 of the wire harness is inserted into a terminal storing hole 15 of a housing 11 and a terminal part of the FPC 20 is inserted into a terminal part storing hole 21. When a locking member 12 is inserted into a locking member storing hole 23 of the housing 11 to make a complete fitting state, an insertion side tip part 24 of a pressure contact column 22 presses a tip connecting part 28 of the male connection terminal 14 and wiring 33 of the terminal part of the FPC 20 so as to be closely adhered. As a result, the wire harness and the FPC are electrically connected so as to secure high connection reliability.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a connector for electrically connecting a flexible printed circuit and a wire harness.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Wire harnesses mounted on automobiles and the like and Flexible Printed Circuits (Flexible Printed Circuits)
As a connector for s: FPC), a connector as shown in FIG. 6 is generally known. The connector 100 is mainly used as a wiring connection connector for meters installed in a console panel of an automobile.

[0003] The connector 100 is, for example, a meter housing 10.
1 has a structure in which the FPC 107 is inserted into the fitting hole formed therein, and the connector 110 is fitted to make electrical connection. That is, the FPC 107 is formed, for example, by printing a conductive material such as a copper foil on an insulating film 104 made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and then etching the conductive pattern (wiring pattern) 1 by a method such as etching.
05, and a coverlay 10 as a circuit protection member.
6 is laminated thereon, and at the terminal of the FPC 107 inserted into the fitting hole, the coverlay 106 is formed.
Are not formed, and the conductive pattern 105 is formed so as to be exposed.

[0004] On the other hand, at the tip of a wire harness 112 housed in a terminal housing hole 111 inside the connector 110,
The connection terminal 113 is connected by crimping or the like, and the connection terminal 113 is provided with an elastic contact piece 114. From these facts, the connector 100 can be connected to the connector 110 by fitting the connector 110 into the fitting hole.
FPC1 in the exposed state by sandwiching PC107 in the fitting hole
In this structure, the electrical contact between the wiring harness 112 and the FPC 107 can be secured by contacting the conductive pattern 105 with the elastic contact piece 114 of the connection terminal 113 while pressing the conductive pattern 105 toward the wall surface of the fitting hole. It can be said that.

As another connector for connecting a wire harness to an FPC, a resin mold connector 120 is known as shown in FIG. This connector 120
Are the first housing 121 and the second housing 12
In the first housing 121, a female connection terminal 124 connected to the electric wire 123 of the wire harness is accommodated, and in the second housing 122, an FPC 125
A male connection terminal 127 connected to the conductive pattern 126 by resistance welding or the like is accommodated. In addition, male connection terminal 1
A resin mold part 128 is formed at the joint part 27 to improve mechanical strength. For these reasons, the connector 120 is connected to the first and second housings 121 and 121,
By connecting the internal male and female connection terminals 124 and 127 by fitting each other with each other, the wire harness and the F
It can be said that it has a structure that can secure electrical conduction with the PC 125.

[0006]

However, if the connector 100 is to be replaced with a resin-molded connector 120 having such a structure, for example, a plurality of housings are required, and the connector 110 and the like are all new. Since it has to be changed, there is a problem that the overall manufacturing cost increases. In the resin molded connector 120, the male connection terminal 127 is joined to the conductive pattern 126 of the FPC 125 by, for example, resistance welding and fitted to the female connection terminal 124 of the wire harness to achieve electrical conduction. Terminal 127 and FPC
Since the connection with the conductive pattern 125 is performed by resistance welding, there is a problem that it is difficult to connect the connection terminal to the FPC in which the conductive pattern is formed at a fine pitch.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides a connector for connecting a wire harness and an FPC which can easily and reliably electrically connect the wire harness and the FPC. The purpose is to:

[0008]

A connector according to the present invention electrically connects the conductive pattern of a flexible printed circuit having a conductive pattern formed on an insulating film and a connection terminal connected to a tip end of an electric wire of a wire harness. A housing for receiving the connection terminal from one end side and housing a terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit from the other end side at a position overlapping with the connection terminal, and a housing for receiving the connection terminal from one end side; A housing formed with a locking member receiving hole extending in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the connection terminal and the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit; And a locking member that presses the connection terminal and the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit from one side to adhere the two together. And wherein the Rukoto.

According to the present invention, the connection terminal connected to the electric wire of the wire harness and the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit are accommodated in the housing at an overlapping position, and the insertion direction of the connection terminal and the connection terminal communicates with the accommodation portion. Insert the locking member that presses the connection terminal and the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit from one side at the tip at the time of complete insertion into the locking member receiving hole formed in the orthogonal direction, and makes the two adhere closely. Thus, a connector for electrically connecting a wire harness to a flexible printed circuit has been realized. The connection terminal and the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit housed in the housing portion in the housing are pressed by the locking member so as to be in close contact with each other, so that high connection reliability can be obtained. In addition, since it is not necessary to join (connect) the connection terminal to the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit, and one housing can electrically connect both terminals,
It is possible to reduce the cost of parts and the like and to manufacture a connector for connecting the flexible printed circuit and the wire harness at low cost. Thereby, the manufacturing cost of the connector can be reduced.

[0010] A spring piece for pressing the connection terminal and the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit from a direction opposite to a pressing direction of the locking member may be provided in the housing portion. By doing so, the connection reliability between the connection terminal and the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit can be further improved.

In order to stabilize the connection between the connection terminals accommodated in the housing portion of the housing and the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit, the connection terminals inserted into the housing are engaged with the housing portion. A locking lance for stopping and fixing is preferably formed.

[0012]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of the connector in cross section. The connector 10 includes a housing 11 and the housing 11
And a locking member 12 to be mounted on. The housing 11 has a block shape as a whole, and has five rows of terminal receiving holes 15 for inserting male connection terminals 14 crimped to electric wires 13 of a wire harness (not shown) into the housing 11 on the front surface. A terminal portion receiving hole 21 having a rectangular cross section for inserting a terminal portion of a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 20 is formed on the rear surface. The terminal receiving hole 15 and the terminal portion receiving hole 2
1 is communicated inside the housing 11, and the communicating portion is a housing portion 30 (see FIG. 2) between the connection terminal 14 and the terminal portion of the FPC 20. Each terminal receiving hole 15
As shown in the cross-sections of FIGS. 2 to 5, a lance 16 is formed on the upper wall gently protruding in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the connection terminal 14. When the connection terminal 14 is completely inserted, the distal end of the lance 16 engages with the rear wall 18 of the locking projection 17 formed on the upper surface of the connection terminal 14 so that the connection terminal 14 is inserted into the terminal receiving hole 15 and the terminal receiving hole 15. It is locked and fixed in the part 30. Further, a locking member receiving hole 23 into which the pressure contact column 22 of the locking member 12 is inserted and the locking member 12 is engaged is provided in an upper portion of the storage portion 30 slightly behind the center of the upper housing wall 19. Five rows are formed at the same interval as the holes 15 toward the upper housing wall 19.

On the other hand, the locking member 12 has a length, a height and a width to be inserted into the locking member receiving hole 23 of the housing 11, and the insertion-side tip portion 24 is housed when completely inserted into the housing 11. A plurality of pressure contact columns 22 projecting from the upper part of the portion 30 are provided at the same intervals as the locking member receiving holes 23, and the base ends of the pressure connection columns 22 are connected to plate-shaped locking member body plates 25, respectively. . On both sides of the front and back sides of each press-contacting column 22, engaging portions 26a and 26b formed at predetermined positions on the inner wall on the front and back sides of each locking member accommodating hole 23 at the time of complete mounting. The locking projections 27a and 27b for locking and fixing the locking member 12 to the housing 11 are formed (the engaging recesses 26 and the locking projections 27 form the locking member 1).
2).

The male connection terminal 14 is formed by pressing a base material such as a metal plate or the like, and has a plate-shaped distal connection portion 28, a locking projection 17 rising at its base end, and a base end thereof. An electric wire caulking portion 29a on the side and a cover caulking portion 29b on the base end side are further provided, and are crimp-connected to the distal end of the electric wire 13. FPC
The terminal portions 20 are formed with an insulating film 32 made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and a pattern is formed on the insulating film 32 at a predetermined arrangement pitch by a method such as etching. And a wiring 33 made of a conductive material such as Cu.

Next, a method of assembling the connector 10 according to the embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described. In this case, in order to enhance the connection reliability between the male connection terminal 14 and the terminal of the FPC 20, the bottom wall of the housing 30 is provided with:
It is assumed that the spring pieces 31 (see FIG. 2) having elasticity in a downward direction are formed so as to project gently in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction. 3 to 5 are longitudinal sectional views showing steps of assembling the connector 10 in the order of steps. First, as shown in FIG. 3, when the male connection terminal 14 is inserted from the terminal housing hole 15 on the front side of the housing 11 toward the housing portion 30, the male connection terminal 14 pushes the lance 16 upward and makes the lance 16 elastic. While being deformed, it is inserted to the vicinity of the inner wall 34 of the housing portion 30 at the end of the insertion direction, and the tip of the lance 16 engages with the rear wall 18 of the locking projection 17 of the male connection terminal 14, and The male connection terminal 14 is temporarily locked. At this time, the locking members 12 are temporarily engaged when the locking projections 27a and 27b formed on the side surfaces of the respective pressure contact columns 22 come into contact with the peripheral edge of the opening on the upper housing wall 19 side of each locking member receiving hole 23. It is inserted into the locking member accommodation hole 23 until it stops, and is temporarily mounted on the housing 11. The locking member 12 may be mounted on the housing 11 after the male connection terminal 14 and the terminal of the FPC 20 are inserted into the housing 11.

Next, as shown in FIG.
F from the terminal portion accommodation hole 21 on the back side of
When the terminal portion of the PC 20 is inserted, the terminal portion becomes a spring piece 31.
Is pressed down and the spring piece 31 is elastically deformed and inserted into the vicinity of the inclined inner wall 35 of the accommodating portion 30 at the end in the insertion direction. The spring piece 31 moves the insulating film 32 side toward the distal end connection portion 28 of the male connection terminal 14. It is temporarily locked in the housing portion 30 in a pressed state. At this time, the lower surface of the distal end connection portion 28 of the male connection terminal 14 and the wiring 3
The spring piece 31 may be formed in a state in which the contact pressure is set low, and the spring piece 31 may be temporarily locked in a state in which the two are separated from each other. It may be done.

Finally, with the male connection terminal 14 and the terminal portion of the FPC 20 temporarily locked in the housing portion 30 of the housing 11, the locking member 12 temporarily mounted on the housing 11, as shown in FIG. Is further pushed from above, and the engaging projections 27a, 27b of the press contact post 22 are engaged with the engaging recesses 26a, 26b formed on the inner wall of each of the retaining member receiving holes 23. The locking member 12 is completely mounted in a state where the lock member 12 protrudes into the housing portion 30 and presses the upper surface of the distal end connection portion 28 of the male connection terminal 14 downward. At this time, the locking member 12 presses the male connection terminal 14 and the terminal portion of the FPC 20 from above using the elasticity of the resin itself and the resin of the housing 11 so as to be in close contact with each other. In this way, the male connection terminal 14 and the terminal portion of the FPC 20 housed in the housing portion 30 are pressed by the locking member 12 (and the spring piece 31) from above (and below) so as to be in close contact with each other. Therefore, the distal end connection portion 28 of the male connection terminal 14 and the wiring 33 of the terminal portion are physically and electrically connected.

According to the connector 10 described above, the FP
FPC for electrical connection between C and wire harness
Since there is no need to provide a connection terminal on the side and the housing may be a single unit, electrical connection between the FPC and the wire harness can be realized at low cost. Also, since it is not necessary to provide a connection terminal at the terminal of the FPC, the FPC is
The work of inserting the terminal of the PC can be simplified. Furthermore, the structure in which the wiring of the FPC and the connection terminal of the wire harness are pressed in the vertical direction (upward when there is no spring piece 31) has an advantage that connection reliability can be improved.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A connection terminal connected to the electric wire of the wire harness and a terminal portion of the FPC are accommodated in the housing at an overlapping position, and a locking member housing is formed in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, which communicates with the housing portion. At the time of complete insertion, the connecting terminal and the terminal of the flexible printed circuit are pressed from one side at the tip thereof at the time of complete insertion, and a locking member for bringing the two into close contact is inserted, and the electrical connection between the wire harness and the flexible printed circuit is made. A connector for connection is realized. The connection terminal and the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit housed in the housing portion in the housing are pressed by the locking member so as to be in close contact with each other, so that high connection reliability can be obtained. In addition, since it is not necessary to join (connect) the connection terminal to the terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit, and one housing can electrically connect both terminals,
It is possible to reduce the cost of parts and the like and to manufacture a connector for connecting the flexible printed circuit and the wire harness at low cost. This produces an effect that the manufacturing cost of the connector can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of the connector in cross section.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an assembling process of the connector.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an assembling process of the connector.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an assembling step of the connector.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional connector for connecting a wire harness and a flexible printed circuit.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a resin mold connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 connector, 11 housing, 12 locking member,
13 ... wire, 14 ... male connection terminal, 15 ... terminal receiving hole, 1
6 lance, 17 locking projection, 18 back wall, 19 upper housing wall, 20 FPC, 21 terminal hole
Reference numeral 22: press-contact column, 23: locking member accommodation hole, 24: insertion-side tip portion, 25: locking member main body plate, 26: engagement concave portion, 27 ...
Locking projection, 28 ... tip connecting part, 29 ... caulking part, 30 ...
Housing part, 31: spring piece, 32: insulating film, 33: wiring, 34: inner wall, 35: inclined inner wall.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5E023 AA04 AA13 AA18 BB03 BB23 BB29 DD03 DD09 DD26 EE03 EE28 FF11 GG02 HH08 HH20 5E087 EE04 EE14 FF02 FF13 GG15 HH06 MM05 QQ04 RR29

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A connector for electrically connecting the conductive pattern of a flexible printed circuit having a conductive pattern formed on an insulating film and a connection terminal connected to a tip of a wire of a wire harness, An accommodating portion accommodating the connection terminal from one end side, and an accommodating portion accommodating a terminal portion of the flexible printed circuit at a position overlapping the connection terminal from the other end side, and communicating with the accommodating portion, the connection terminal and the flexible printed circuit A housing formed with a locking member receiving hole extending in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the terminal portion; and a housing inserted into the locking member receiving hole and having the distal end portion of the connection terminal and the flexible printed circuit at the end when completely inserted. A connector comprising: a locking member that presses a terminal portion from one side to bring the two into close contact with each other. 2. A spring piece for pressing said connection terminal and a terminal portion of said flexible printed circuit from a direction opposite to a pressing direction of said locking member is protrudingly provided in said housing portion. The connector according to claim 1. 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a locking lance for locking and fixing the accommodated connection terminal in the accommodation portion is formed in the housing.