JP2005038701A - Low-profile connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector enabled to be low profile so as to meet the needs for lighter, thinner, shorter and more compact electronic equipment. <P>SOLUTION: In the connector provided with a connector main body equipped with an insulation housing 10 housing a contactor 11 and having an opening 12, and an insulating actuator 30 supported by the connector main body in free rotation, and with a flexible cable 2 inserted into the opening 12 and the contactor 11 insulation displaced and electrically connected by the insulation actuator 30 through its rotation, the connector main body is provided with a metal cover 20 having an axial edge part 25 covering a part of the insulation housing 10 and to be a fulcrum of a lever for a pressing part 34 of the actuator in rotation of the housing actuator 30 and a holding part 21 extended on a lower surface 17 of the housing 10 and holding it. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly, to reduction in thickness of a non-insertion / removal force connector for a flexible cable.

  Various types of connectors are used to connect the flexible cable to the circuit board, and one of them, the non-insertion / removal force type (ZIF type) connector, is very widely used.

  As a conventional connector, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the contact 101 is accommodated, and an insulating housing 100 having an opening 102 and a rotary shaft portion 101 b formed integrally with the contact 101 can be rotated. There is one provided with an insulated actuator 300 to be supported (for example, see Patent Document 1 (particularly, paragraphs 0017 to 0021, FIGS. 3 to 5)).

  In such a conventional connector, the flexible cable 500 is inserted into the opening 102 from the direction of arrow D with the insulating actuator 300 in the position indicated by the two-dot chain line and the opening 102 is largely opened, By rotating the insulated actuator 300 to the locked position where it is laid down, the flexible cable 500 is pressed against the contact portion 101a of the contact 101 by the pressing portion 301 of the insulated actuator 300, and the flexible cable 500 is brought into contact with the flexible cable 500. The child 101 is electrically connected.

In this example, the rotating shaft portion 101b and the contact portion 101a are bifurcated from one contact 101, and the flexible cable 500 and the pressing portion 301 of the insulating actuator 300 are sandwiched between them. It has a structure.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-77186

  By the way, without knowing where the demand for higher performance and lighter, thinner and smaller electronic devices will stop, the demand for multifunction, density, small size, light weight, thinness, and shortening has become stronger. There is an urgent need to reduce the size, thickness, and length of the product and increase the number of poles.

  However, it has been difficult to reduce the thickness of the conventional connector as described above to meet market needs.

  One reason for this is the limitation due to the number of members constituting the conventional connector and the limit thickness determined by design for each member.

  That is, in the conventional connector described above, at least six different roles in total in the thickness direction of the connector are the bottom plate portion 103, the contact portion 101a, the flexible cable 500, the pressing portion 301, the rotating shaft portion 101b, and the upper plate portion 104. Therefore, the total thickness of each of the six members is a total.

  In order to reduce the thickness of the conventional connector, it is attempted to reduce the height of each of the six members (however, the thickness of the flexible cable 500 is determined by the standard, and the design freedom in reducing the thickness of the connector) However, since the reduction in the height of each member is naturally accompanied by a reduction in the rigidity thereof, a minimum thickness is provided in order to maintain the strength that can be used.

  In particular, in this type of connector, when the insulation actuator 300 rotates, the pressing portion 301 of the insulation actuator 300 tends to forcibly enter between the flexible cable 500 and the rotation shaft portion 101b. The rotating shaft 101b serving as a fulcrum receives a large force.

  However, in the conventional connector, the rotating shaft portion 101b is formed integrally with the contact portion 101a made of a conductive metal such as phosphor bronze which is not so rigid. In order to have the strength to withstand, it was necessary to secure a considerable thickness.

  Further, in the conventional connector, the force generated in the rotation of the insulating actuator 300 is also transmitted to the insulating housing 100 made of a low-strength insulating material such as synthetic resin, so that the rotating shaft portion 101b and the contact portion 101a are vertically moved. The bottom plate portion 103 and the upper plate portion 104 of the insulating housing 100 that covers the substrate must also have a considerable thickness.

  Therefore, the total thickness of the conventional connector is, for example, nearly 2 mm including the necessary clearance for ZIF in order to use a flexible cable with a thickness of 0.3 mm, which meets the needs of the market. It was difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be thinned in order to meet the need for lighter, thinner, and smaller electronic devices.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a connector body including an insulating housing that houses a plurality of contacts and has an opening, and an insulating actuator that is rotatably supported with respect to the connector body. In the rotation of the insulating actuator, the flexible cable inserted into the opening and the plurality of contacts are pressed and electrically connected by the insulating actuator, and the connector body includes the insulating housing A metal cover that covers a part of the insulating housing, the metal cover wrapping around the lower surface side of the insulating housing, holding the insulating housing, a fixing portion fixed to the substrate, and one or more engagement receiving portions And a fulcrum of the insulator actuator in the press contact between the flexible cable and the plurality of contacts. And a axial edge portion of the upper, the insulating actuator, the connector characterized in that it comprises one or more engaging projections to be engaged with the one or more engagement receiving portion in the rotation. Thus, a thin connector can be provided by providing a tough metal cover with the function of the shaft edge.

  Further, if the engagement receiving portion is an engagement engagement through hole that penetrates the metal cover, the connector can be further reduced in thickness.

  Furthermore, if the metal cover has a lock portion and the insulating actuator has a locked portion corresponding to the lock portion, a click feeling can be produced when locked.

  A connector according to the present invention covers a part of an insulating housing, wraps around the lower surface side of the insulating housing and holds it, a fixing portion fixed to the board, and an insulator in rotation of the insulating actuator. By providing a metal cover having a shaft edge portion serving as a fulcrum, the thickness can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  1 and 2 are external perspective views of the connector 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an unlocked state in which the insulating actuator 30 is raised, and FIG. 2 shows a locked state in which the insulating actuator 30 is laid down.

  The connector 1 includes a plurality of contacts 11 made of conductive metal that are implanted and housed, an insulating housing 10 having an opening 12, and a steel plate or the like disposed so as to cover a part of the insulating housing 10. A connector main body having a metal cover 20 and an insulating actuator 30 rotatably supported by the connector main body.

  The opening 12 is opened and closed by the rotation of the insulating actuator 30 and accepts a flexible cable 2 of a type having a conductive portion only on the lower surface.

  The flexible cable 2 inserted into the opening 12 from the arrow B direction in the unlocked state is pressed against the plurality of contacts 11 by the insulating actuator 30 during the rotation of the insulating actuator 30, and as a result, in the locked state. The flexible cable 2 and the plurality of contacts 11 are electrically connected.

  FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the metal cover 20, and FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the insulating actuator 30.

  The metal cover 20 covers a part of the insulating housing 10 excluding a portion where the insulating actuator 30 is located (opposite the opening), and the metal cover 20 is moderately recessed from the upper surface part 27 and extends in the longitudinal direction. A reinforcing rib 26 for increasing the strength of the insulating housing 10, a pair of tongue-shaped holding portions 21 that are arranged so as to hold the vicinity of the end in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing 10, and join the metal cover 20 and the insulating housing 10, the insulating housing A pair of tongue-shaped fixing portions 22 that extend so as to cover both side end face portions of 10 and are fixed to a circuit board (not shown), and an engagement that receives the engaging protrusions 33 of the insulating actuator 30 when the insulating actuator 30 rotates. A shaft that is located at the outer edge of the receiving portion 24 and the engagement receiving portion 24 and serves as a fulcrum of the insulator when the insulating actuator 30 presses the flexible cable 2 Part 25, and a locking portion 23 which cooperates with the locking portion 32 of the insulating actuator 30 to fix the insulating actuator 30 in the locked position.

  On the other hand, the insulating actuator 30 corresponds to the engagement protrusion 33 provided in a shape corresponding to the engagement receiving portion 24 at a position corresponding to the engagement receiving portion 24 of the metal cover 20 and the lock portion 23 of the metal cover 20. A locked portion 32 provided to engage with the lock portion 23 at a position, and a support shaft portion 31 that rotates along the bearing portion 13 of the insulating housing 10 and supports the rotation when the insulating actuator 30 rotates. I have.

  5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken along line A-A 'of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 shows an unlocked state, and FIG. 6 shows a locked state.

  The contact 11 is implanted by pressing the base portion 11e into a contact groove 14 formed in the insulating housing 10, and the tail portion 11d is soldered to a circuit board (not shown). The electrical connection with the circuit board is intended.

  The lower arm portion 11b of the contact 11 extends in the direction of the opening 12 from the base 11e, and a contact portion for contacting the conductive portion on the lower surface of the flexible cable 2 inserted into the opening 12 near the tip. 11a. On the other hand, the upper arm part 11c formed continuously through the lower arm part 11b and the base part 11e is shorter than the lower arm part 11b and only extends slightly in the direction of the opening 12.

  The metal cover 20 covers the vicinity of the upper surface of the upper arm portion 11c of the contactor 11 and the middle plate portion 16 of the insulating housing 10 with the upper surface portion 27, and further extends from the upper surface portion 27 toward the opening portion 12 in the direction of the contact portion 11a. It extends to the upper position.

  In the vicinity of the tip of the metal cover 20 extending in the direction of the opening 12, an engagement receiving portion 24 that is an engagement through hole and a shaft edge portion 25 adjacent to the engagement receiving portion 24 are formed. An insulating actuator 30 is rotatably provided at a position corresponding to the portion 25.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the flexible cable 2 is inserted into the insulating housing 10 from the direction of arrow C through the opening 12 in a state where the insulating actuator 30 is upright, that is, unlocked, and the contact portion 11a and the metal cover 20 are inserted. Between.

  At this time, a sufficient clearance is prepared between the contact portion 11a and the metal cover 20 or between the contact portion 11a and the insulating actuator 30 as compared with the thickness of the flexible cable 2. The insertion resistance of 2 is basically zero (ZIF).

  Following insertion of the flexible cable 2 into the opening 12, as shown in FIG. 6, in rotating the insulating actuator 30 to the sideways state, that is, to the locked state, the insulating actuator 30 rotates around the shaft edge portion 25. The pressing portion 34 presses the flexible cable 2 toward the contact portion 11a, that is, downward.

  At this time, the thickness from the engaging protrusion 33 to the pressing portion 34 is such that the distance from the contact surface between the insulating actuator 30 and the flexible cable 2 to the rotation center of the shaft edge portion 25 is larger in the locked state than in the unlocked state. Since the adjustment is adjusted, the pressing portion 34 presses the flexible cable 2 and the contact portion 11a downward while pressing the shaft edge portion 25 as a fulcrum of the insulator with the rotation of the insulating actuator 30, thereby pressing the contact 11 The lower arm portion 11b is bent and deformed downward, and the displacement of the contact portion 11a is used to forcibly sink between the shaft edge portion 25 and the flexible cable 2.

  In synchronization with this, the engaging projection 33 of the insulating actuator 30 enters the engaging receiving portion 24 of the metal cover 20 and prevents the insulating actuator 30 from being detached from the connector body.

  In the locked state, the engagement between the insulation actuator 30 and the metal cover 20 and the lock between the lock portion 23 of the metal cover 20 and the locked portion 32 of the insulation actuator 30 are completed, and the flexible cable 2 is connected to the contact 11. Based on the elastic restoring force due to the bending deformation, the insulation actuator 30 and the contact portion 11a are sandwiched, thereby completing the connection of the flexible cable 2 to the connector 1.

  7 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY ′ of FIG. 3, and FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX ′ of FIG. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of the holding portion 21. FIG. The holding portion 21 is formed integrally with the metal cover 20 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the metal cover 20, and is provided so as to go around the lower surface 17 side of the insulating housing 10 and hold the insulating housing 10. The holding portion 21 includes a ceiling portion 21 a that is continuous with a part of the upper surface portion 27 of the metal cover 20, and a lower surface of the insulating housing 10 that is bent substantially perpendicularly from the ceiling portion 21 a in the height (thickness) direction of the insulating housing 10. 17 includes a side portion 21b that extends to the vicinity of 17 and a winding portion 21c that is bent at a substantially right angle from the vicinity of the lower surface 17 of the insulating housing 10 of the side portion 21b toward the longitudinal center of the housing and extends along the lower surface 17 of the housing. Composed. That is, the holding portion 21 is a member having a substantially U-shaped cross-section in which a part of the metal cover 20 that covers the upper surface of the insulating housing 10 is formed to wrap around the lower surface 17 of the insulating housing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a holding hole 40 penetrating the insulating housing 10 in the height direction is formed near the end 18 in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing 10, and the side portion 21 b of the holding portion 21 is It is inserted into the holding hole 40. In addition, a holding groove 41 is formed as a recess corresponding to the shape of the winding portion on the lower surface 17 of the insulating housing 10 connected to the holding hole 40, and the winding portion 21 c is accommodated in the holding groove 41 while being insulated. 10 is supported from the lower surface 17 side. The holding portion 21 is inserted in the holding hole 40 after inserting a side portion 21b bent from the ceiling portion 21a at a substantially right angle and a winding portion 21c extending straight without being bent at the tip thereof. It is completed by bending the portion 21 c substantially perpendicularly to the lower surface 17 side of the insulating housing and placing it in the holding groove 41. Thereby, the holding of the insulating housing 10 by the holding part 21 is completed.

  In the connector of this embodiment, by providing the metal cover 20 that also has the shaft edge portion 25, the rotating shaft portion 101b of the conventional connector shown in FIG. 9 can be omitted. As shown in FIG. Since the number of members in the thickness direction can be reduced to a total of five of the bottom plate portion 15, the contact portion 11 a, the flexible cable 2, the pressing portion 34, and the shaft edge portion 25 of the insulating housing 10, the thickness can be reduced accordingly. It has become.

  Furthermore, since the shaft edge portion 25 is formed of a highly rigid steel plate or the like and is formed continuously with the upper surface portion 27 of the metal cover 20 covering the insulating housing 10, the shaft edge portion 25 can sufficiently withstand the stress generated as the insulating actuator 30 rotates. Can do.

  That is, in such a connector in which a part of the insulation actuator 30 is forcibly inserted between the flexible cable 2 and the shaft edge portion 25 as the insulation actuator 30 rotates, the shaft edge portion 25 serving as a fulcrum of the insulator is In a conventional connector, the member corresponding to the shaft edge portion 25 is made of a metal such as phosphor bronze having a low rigidity, so that a sufficient rigidity can be obtained. Whereas the thickness is necessary, the shaft edge portion 25 of the present embodiment is made of a high strength steel plate or the like. Therefore, the shaft edge portion 25 can exhibit sufficient strength with a thickness smaller than that of the conventional member. Thinning is possible.

  Further, the metal cover 20 covers approximately half of the insulating housing 10, and the metal cover 20 is arranged so as to embrace the insulating housing 10 and is fixed to the substrate by the fixing portion 22. The strength that was imposed on can be replaced.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, since the metal cover 20 has the holding portion 21, the shaft edge 25 is rotated between the shaft edge 25 of the metal cover 20 and the contact portion 11a of the contact 11 as a fulcrum of the insulator. The force generated when the pressing portion 34 of the insulating actuator presses the flexible cable 2 against the contact portion 11a, that is, the force acting in the direction of peeling the metal cover 20 from the circuit board (not shown) is received inside the metal cover 20. Can do. In other words, in the press-contact between the flexible cable 2 and the contact 11, the insulating housing 10 receives a force that is pressed against the circuit board (not shown) via the contact 11, and this reaction force is the shaft edge 25 of the metal cover 20. However, the holding portion 21 wraps around from the upper surface of the insulating housing 10 to the lower surface 17 side to wind the winding portion 21 from the circuit board (not shown) soldered. Since the tip of the insertion portion 21 c extends in the direction of the contact 11, the reaction force is canceled between the ceiling portion 21 a and the winding portion 21 c of the metal cover 20, and the force is applied to other parts of the connector 1. It is possible to suppress transmission.

  That is, in the connector according to this embodiment, since the force applied to the insulating housing 10 is reduced as compared with the conventional connector, the minimum thickness that the insulating housing 10 should ensure is smaller and thinner. It can be a connector.

  Further, since the reinforcing rib 26 is provided on the metal cover 20, the rigidity of the metal cover 20 can be increased, and the thickness of the metal cover 20 itself can be reduced.

  In particular, as in the present embodiment, when the engagement receiving portion 24 is formed as an engagement through-hole penetrating the metal cover 20 and the shaft edge portion 25 is formed corresponding to the engagement receiving portion 24. Can complete the engagement between the engagement protrusion 33 and the engagement receiving portion 24 within the thickness range of one metal cover 20, and can provide a thinner connector.

  Furthermore, the lock part 23 is very easily formed as a part of the metal cover 20 by a process such as pressing. That is, the lock part 23 can be molded simultaneously with other parts. The lock portion 23 can create a click feeling when engaged with the locked portion 32.

  Further, since the insulating housing 10 is covered with the metal cover 20, a shielding effect can be obtained.

  With the features described above, according to the present invention, a thin connector of 1.5 mm or less can be obtained.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The three engagement receiving portions 24 of the metal cover 20 shown in FIG. 3 are arranged at regular intervals as a rectangular through hole that is long in the longitudinal direction. Is not limited to a through hole, and may be formed as a depression having an appropriate depth, and the number thereof may be one or more.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the shaft edge portion 25 of the metal cover 20 is formed like a frame projecting forward so as to follow the shape of the engagement receiving portion 24. If the strength can be withstood, it does not have to be an overhanging shape.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fixing portion 22 of the metal cover 20 is bent toward a circuit board (not shown) while forming a smooth curved surface near the side end portion of the insulating housing 10. Is fixed to the circuit board by penetrating the board and being bent and fixed on the back surface of the substrate, soldered on the back surface, or fixed using screws or the like, or draws a curved surface. The shape may not extend.

  The holding portion 21 may be formed along the end portion 18 of the insulating housing 10, that is, so as to go around from the outside of the insulating housing 10 to the lower surface 17 side. At this time, the holding hole 40 may not be provided. Further, in this embodiment, the holding portion 21 is provided on the opposite side of the opening portion 12 with respect to the fixed portion 22, but the holding portion 21 is on the longitudinal extension line of the shaft edge portion 25 or more than that. Further, it may be provided on the opening 12 side. Further, the holding portion 21 may be formed so that a part of the fixing portion 22 is wound around the lower surface 17 of the housing. Correspondingly, the holding groove 41 may be formed along the side surface of the end portion 18 of the insulating housing 10 or the lower surface 17 therefrom. At this time, the holding unit 21 holds the insulating housing 10 from the outside along the holding groove 41. Further, when the holding groove 41 is formed to extend directly below the contactor 11, the winding portion 21c of the holding portion 21 is also formed with a length corresponding thereto. In short, the holding portion 21 is configured such that a part of the metal cover 20 turns from the upper surface to the lower surface 17 side of the insulating housing 10 and holds the insulating housing 10 so that the insulating housing 10 and the metal cover 20 are firmly integrated. What is necessary is just to form.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and shows the unlocked state in which the insulated actuator stood upright. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a locked state in which an insulating actuator of the connector of FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of the metal cover of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of the insulation actuator of the connector concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A ′ of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a locked state in which the insulating actuator of the connector of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y-Y ′ of FIG. 3, showing a holding portion of the metal cover of the connector according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X ′ in FIG. 1, showing a holding portion of a metal cover of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of the conventional connector.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector, 2 Flexible cable, 10 Insulation housing, 11 Contact, 11a Contact part, 11b Lower arm part, 11c Upper arm part, 11d Tail part, 11e Base part, 12 Opening part, 13 Bearing part, 14 Contactor groove, 15 Bottom plate Part, 16 middle plate part, 17 lower surface, 18 end part, 20 metal cover, 21 holding part, 21a ceiling part, 21b side part, 21c winding part, 22 fixing part, 23 locking part, 24 engagement receiving part, 25 Shaft edge portion, 26 Reinforcement rib, 27 Upper surface portion, 30 Insulating actuator, 31 Support shaft portion, 32 Locked portion, 33 Engagement projection portion, 34 Pressing portion, 35 Back portion, 40 Holding hole, 41 Holding groove , 100 Insulating housing, 101 Contact, 101a Contact part, 101b Rotating shaft part, 102 Opening part, 103 Bottom plate part, 104 Upper plate part, 300 Insulating actuator, 301 Pressing part, 5 00 Flexible cable.

Claims (3)

A connector body that houses a plurality of contacts and includes an insulating housing having an opening;
An insulated actuator that is rotatably supported with respect to the connector body;
With
In the rotation of the insulating actuator, the flexible cable inserted into the opening and the plurality of contacts are pressure-contacted and electrically connected by the insulating actuator,
The connector body includes a metal cover that covers a part of the insulating housing;
The metal cover wraps around the lower surface side of the insulating housing, holds the insulating housing, a fixing portion fixed to the substrate, one or more engagement receiving portions, the flexible cable, and the plurality of contacts One or more shaft edge portions serving as fulcrums of the insulator of the insulating actuator in pressure contact with the child,
The insulating actuator includes one or more engagement protrusions that engage with the one or more engagement receivers in rotation thereof.
A connector characterized by that. The engagement receiving portion is an engagement through hole that penetrates the metal cover.
The connector according to claim 1. The metal cover has a lock part,
The insulating actuator has a locked part corresponding to the locking part.
The connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above-mentioned.

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