JP2005190914A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector 10 having a structure, wherein a pattern is not shaved and a FPC(flexible printed circuit board) 50 or a FFC (flexible flat cable) can be inserted without insertion force, even if the FPC 50 or the FFC is held temporarily. <P>SOLUTION: This connector is provided with a plurality of contacts 14, having contact parts 24 contacting with the FPC50 or the FFC, a housing 12 having a fitting hole 18 in which the FPC50 or the FFC is inserted while holding and fixing the contact 14 and a slider 16 pressing the FPC50 or the FFC on the contact 14. An inclined part 20 for guiding the FPC50 or the FFC and a linear part 22 connected with the inclined part 20 are provided in the fitting hole 18 of the housing in which the FPC50 or the FFC is inserted. In a condition that the slider 16 being temporary fixed to the housing 12, the space between a tip end of the pressing part 32 of the slider 16 and a tip end of the contact part 24 of the contact 14 is made wider than the thickness of the FPC50 or of the FFC. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector used in a mobile phone, a notebook computer, a digital camera, and the like, and more particularly to a mechanism for pressing a contact against a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as “FPC”) or a flexible flat cable (hereinafter referred to as “FFC”). Is.

A connector used for a mobile phone, a CCD camera, etc. is a narrow pitch and extremely thin (so-called light thin short), and mainly includes a housing and a contact, and an FPC is inserted into the housing and is brought into contact with a contact portion of the contact. (So-called non-ZIF type) and a structure that mainly includes a housing, a contact, and a slider and sandwiches the FPC between the housing and the slider (so-called ZIF type and piano touch type). There are various methods for holding the FPC between the housing and the slider. However, there are many methods in which the slider is inserted after the FPC is inserted into the housing and the FPC is pressed against the contact. In addition, in order to achieve customer specifications and narrow pitches, the contact connection portion may have to be arranged on the fitting port side of the housing.
The housing is provided with a required number of insertion holes into which the contacts are inserted and a fitting port into which the FPC is inserted.
The contact mainly includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the FPC, a connection portion that is connected to a substrate or the like, and a fixed portion that is fixed to the housing. This contact is fixed to the housing by press fitting or the like.
For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-60983 is available as a zero insertion force structure. According to the summary of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-60983, the object is related to a connector for a printed circuit board with a slider used in a narrow space in an electronic device or a communication device. A U-shaped arm portion fixed on the front side is formed as an insertion guide to the housing into which the slider is inserted, and a convex portion is provided on the open end side of the U-shaped arm portion. A notch is provided so that the open end of the arm can be seen from the insertion direction, and a protruding part having an inclined surface that engages the convex part of the slider is provided on both side ends of the housing, and the slider is connected to the flexible printed circuit board. When the slider is inserted into the housing together with the terminal portion, the protruding portion of the slider gets over the protruding portion having the inclined surface of the housing. U-shaped open end of the arm portion of the shape is expanded outwardly temporarily and connector open end upon completion of insertion was made to return to the normal position is disclosed.

In the connector having a structure in which the FPC or the FFC is pressed against the contact portion of the contact by inserting a wedge-shaped slider after the FPC or the FFC is inserted as in Patent Document 1, the FPC or the FFC There was a problem that the FFC could not be temporarily held, and the contact portion of the FPC or the FFC and the contact portion of the contact were misaligned until the slider was inserted, leading to poor connection. .
When the FPC or the FFC is temporarily held, when inserting the FPC or the FFC, no insertion force (zero insertion force) can be obtained, and the tip of the FPC pattern is scraped. There were problems such as short circuit and poor connection.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and has a structure in which a pattern is not scraped even if the FPC or the FFC is temporarily held, and the FPC or the FFC has no insertion force. It is intended to provide a connector.

  The above object is a connector 10 that is detachably fitted to the FPC 50 or FFC, and includes a plurality of contacts 14 having contact portions 24 that contact the FPC 50 or the FFC, and the contacts 14 are held and fixed and In the connector 10 including the housing 12 having the fitting hole 18 into which the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted and the slider 16 that presses the FPC 50 or the FFC against the contact 14, the FPC 50 or the FFC of the housing 12 is In the fitting hole 18 to enter, an inclined portion 20 for guiding the FPC 50 or the FFC is provided and a linear portion 22 connected to the inclined portion 20 is provided, and the slider 16 is temporarily fixed to the housing 12. The tip of the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 and the contact 1 Gap between the tip of the contact portion 24 of the can be achieved by wider than the thickness of the FPC50 or the FFC.

A gap between the tip of the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 and the tip of the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 is set to 0.35 to 0.5 mm. If it is 0.35 mm or less, no insertion force can be obtained when inserting the FPC 50 or the FFC, and if it is 0.5 mm or more, the FPC 50 or the FFC cannot be temporarily held.
When the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted, no insertion force (zero insertion force (ZIF)) is applied.
When the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted into the housing 12, the tip of the FPC 50 or the FFC is in contact with the extending portion 30 provided on the opposite side of the contact portion 24 of the contact 14, and further inserted into the extending portion 30. The tip of the FPC 50 or the FFC is in contact with the inclined portion 20, and when inserted further, is guided to the inclined portion 20 and contacts the linear portion 22 so as to get over the inclined portion 20, and in this state, the slider 16 is moved. When inserted, the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 is inserted so that the contact portion of the FPC 50 or the FFC is pressed.

With the structure of the connector 10 as described above, the following remarkable effects can be obtained.
(1) A connector 10 that is detachably fitted to the FPC 50 or the FFC, and has a plurality of contacts 14 having contact portions 24 that come into contact with the FPC 50 or the FFC, and the contacts 14 are held and fixed. In the connector 10 including the housing 12 having the fitting hole 18 into which the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted and the slider 16 that presses the FPC 50 or the FFC against the contact 14, the FPC 50 or the FFC of the housing 12 In the fitting hole 18 into which the FPC 50 or the FFC is introduced, an inclined portion 20 for guiding the FPC 50 or the FFC is provided, and a linear portion 22 connected to the inclined portion 20 is provided, and the slider 16 is temporarily fixed to the housing 12. The tip of the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 and the contact 4 is wider than the thickness of the FPC 50 or the FFC, no insertion force is applied when the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted, and the FPC 50 or the FFC can be easily installed. It can be held, and the pattern is not scraped even if temporarily held.
(2) Since the clearance between the tip of the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 and the tip of the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 is set to 0.35 to 0.5 mm, the FPC 50 or the FFC is surely temporarily held. Therefore, the contact portion of the FPC 50 or the FFC and the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 are not displaced, and a stable connection can be obtained, and no insertion force is applied even when the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted. Even if temporarily held, the pattern is not scraped.
(3) Since no insertion force (Zero Insertion Force (ZIF)) is used when the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted, the FPC 50 or the FFC can be easily inserted.
(4) When the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted into the housing 12, the tip of the FPC 50 or the FFC is in contact with the extending portion 30 provided on the opposite side of the contact portion 24 of the contact 14, and when further inserted, the extending portion The tip of the FPC 50 or the FFC along the portion 30 is in contact with the inclined portion 20, and when inserted again, is guided to the inclined portion 20 and is in contact with the linear portion 22 so as to get over the inclined portion 20, and in this state When the slider 16 is inserted, the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 is inserted so that the contact portion of the FPC 50 or the FFC is pressed, so that the FPC 50 or the FFC can be temporarily held securely, so that the FPC 50 or the FFC The contact portion of the FFC and the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 are not displaced, and a stable connection can be obtained. .

The connector 10 of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the connector of the present invention as seen from the fitting side. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the FPC is inserted.
The connector 10 of the present invention mainly includes a housing 12, a slider 16 and a contact 14.

The components of the connector 10 of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
First, the contact 14 will be described. The contact 14 is made of metal and is manufactured by a known press working. The material of the contact 14 is required to be springy or conductive, and can include brass, beryllium copper, phosphor bronze, and the like.
As shown in FIG. 2, the contact 14 is substantially U-shaped, and includes a contact portion 24 that contacts the FPC 50, a fixed portion 26 that is fixed to the housing 12, a connection portion 28 that is connected to a substrate 52, and the contact portion 24. And an extending portion 30 extending from the fixing portion 26 so as to oppose the same. The contact portion 24 protrudes in a curved shape so as to easily come into contact with the FPC 50, and the connection portion 28 is a surface mount (SMT) type in this embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, but may be a dip type. .

Next, the housing 12 which is the point part of this invention is demonstrated. The housing 12 is an electrically insulating plastic and is manufactured by a known technique of injection molding. The material is appropriately selected in consideration of dimensional stability, workability, cost, etc. Generally, polybutylene terephthalate is used. (PBT), polyamide (66PA, 46PA), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polycarbonate (PC), and synthetic materials thereof.
The housing 12 is provided with an insertion hole 19 into which a required number of contacts 14 are mounted, and is fixed by press fitting, hooking (lance), welding or the like.
The housing 12 has a fitting hole 18 into which the FPC 50 and the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 are inserted. The size of the fitting hole 18 is to insert the slider 16 after the FPC 50 is inserted. Thus, the FPC 50 can be pressed against the contact 14 and is appropriately designed so as to obtain a contact pressure of about 0.7N. Further, on both sides of the housing 12 in the longitudinal direction, there are provided locking portions 23 for locking the lock portion 34 and the temporary lock portion 36 of the slider 16. The locking portion 23 can temporarily fix the slider 16 before the FPC 50 is inserted, and can fix the slider 16 after the FPC 50 is inserted.

In the fitting hole 18 of the housing 12, an inclined portion 20 for guiding the FPC 50 or the FFC and a linear portion 22 connected to the inclined portion 20 are provided. When the insertion of the FPC 50 is completed and the FPC 50 is pressed against the contact 14 by the slider 16, the tip of the FPC 50 is in a state of being accommodated in the linear portion 22. The size of the straight portion 22 is appropriately designed so as to be in such a state, and in this embodiment, it is about 0.1 mm larger than the thickness of the FPC 50.
The inclined portion 20 is for leading the tip of the FPC 50 from the extended portion 30 of the contact 14 to the straight portion 22 of the housing 12, and the angle and the size of the inclined portion 20 satisfy this role. In consideration of this, the size of the connector 10, the force applied to the FPC 50, and the like are appropriately designed.

Next, the slider 16 will be described. The slider 16 is an electrically insulating plastic, and is manufactured by a known technique of injection molding. The material is appropriately selected in consideration of dimensional stability, workability, cost, etc. In general, polybutylene terephthalate. (PBT), polyamide (66PA, 46PA), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polycarbonate (PC), and synthetic materials thereof.
The slider 16 is used to press the FPC 50 against the contact 14 after the FPC 50 is inserted into the fitting hole 18 of the housing 12, and serves as a so-called wedge. Therefore, the slider 16 has a wedge-shaped plate-like piece pressing portion 32, and a lock portion 34 and a temporary lock portion 36 that are engaged with the housing 12 are provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction. The shape and size of the lock portion 34 and the temporary lock portion 36 may be anything as long as they can be engaged with the housing, and are appropriately designed in consideration of the size and strength of the connector.

  The slider 16 is fixed in a state of being temporarily fixed to the housing 12 as shown in FIG. 2A before the FPC 50 is inserted. The size of the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 is appropriately set so that the FPC 50 can be pressed against the contact 14 by inserting the slider 16 after the FPC 50 is inserted, and a contact pressure of about 0.7 N is obtained. Although designed, in this embodiment, the thickness is set to about 0.3 mm in consideration of strength and the like.

The positional relationship when the slider 16 is temporarily fixed to the housing 12 is such that the tip of the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 and the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 are in a state where the slider 16 is temporarily fixed to the housing 12. The gap with the tip is made wider than the thickness of the FPC 50 or the FFC. In this embodiment, the gap between the tip of the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 and the tip of the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 is set to 0.35 to 0.5 mm. By doing so, no insertion force (zero insertion force) can be obtained when the FPC or the FFC is inserted, and the pattern of the FPC 50 is not cut even if temporarily held.
If it is 0.35 mm or less, no insertion force can be obtained when inserting the FPC 50 or the FFC, and if it is 0.5 mm or more, the FPC 50 or the FFC cannot be temporarily held.

Finally, a method of inserting the FPC 50 into the connector 10 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The connector 10 of the present invention is connected to the substrate 52 by reflow or the like in a state where the slider 16 is completely locked to the housing 12 (not shown).
First, when the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted, the slider 16 is set to a temporary lock 36 (slider OPEN state) as shown in FIG. In a state where the slider 16 is temporarily fixed to the housing 12, a gap between the tip of the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 and the tip of the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 is wider than the thickness of the FPC 50 or the FFC. It is supposed to be. In this embodiment, the gap between the tip of the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 and the tip of the contact portion 24 of the contact 14 is set to 0.35 to 0.5 mm.
Next, when the FPC 50 or the FFC is inserted into the fitting hole 18 of the housing 12 from between the pressing portion 32 of the slider 16 and the contact portion 24 of the contact 14, as shown in FIG. The tip of the FPC 50 or the FFC is in contact with the extended portion 30 provided on the opposite side of the contact portion 24 of the contact 14.
Next, when the FPC 50 or the FFC is further inserted, the tip of the FPC 50 or the FFC is in contact with the inclined portion 20 along the extended portion 30, and when the FPC 50 or the FFC is further inserted, the leading end of the FPC 50 or the FFC is guided to the inclined portion 20. As shown in FIG. 2C, the tip of the FPC 50 or the FFC fits in the linear portion 22 of the housing 12.
Finally, the slider 16 is inserted into the fitting hole 18 of the housing 12 as shown in FIG. 2 (D) with the tip of the FPC 50 or the FFC being fitted in the linear portion 22 of the housing 12. As a result, the FPC 50 or the FFC is pressed against the contact portion 24 of the contact 14.

  As an application example of the present invention, it is used for a connector 10 used in a mobile phone, a notebook personal computer, a digital camera or the like, and particularly relates to a mechanism for pressing a contact 14 against an FPC 50 or FFC.

It is the perspective view which looked at the connector of the present invention from the fitting mouth side. (A) It is sectional drawing which made the said slider before inserting said FPC or said FFC into the temporary lock | rock (slider OPEN state) state. (B) The FPC or the FFC is inserted into the fitting hole of the housing from between the pressing portion of the slider and the contact portion of the contact, and the tip of the FPC or the FFC is opposite to the contact portion of the contact It is sectional drawing of the state which contact | connected the extending part provided in the side. (C) The FPC or the FFC is further inserted from the state of (B), and the tip of the FPC or the FFC fits in the linear portion of the housing while contacting the inclined portion along the extending portion. It is sectional drawing of a state. (D) With the tip of the FPC or the FFC kept in the linear portion of the housing, the slider is inserted into the fitting hole of the housing, and the FPC or the FFC is pressed by the contact portion of the contact It is sectional drawing of a state.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Connector 12 Housing 14 Contact 16 Slider 18 Fitting hole 19 Insertion hole 20 Inclined part 22 Linear part 23 Locking part 24 Contact part 26 Fixing part 28 Connection part 30 Extension part 32 Press part 34 Lock part 36 Temporary lock part 38 Projection Part 40 Slit 50 FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit Board)
52 substrates

Claims (4)

A connector that is detachably fitted to a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC), and has a plurality of contacts having contact portions that contact the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable, and the contacts hold A housing that is fixed and has a fitting hole into which the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable is inserted, and a slider that presses the flexible printed circuit board (FPC) or the flexible flat cable (FFC) against the contact. In the provided connector,
In the fitting hole into which the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable of the housing is inserted, an inclined part for guiding the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable is provided and a linear part connected to the inclined part is provided, In a state where the slider is temporarily fixed to the housing, the gap between the tip of the pressing portion of the slider and the tip of the contact portion of the contact is wider than the thickness of the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable. connector. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a gap between a tip of the pressing portion of the slider and a tip of the contact portion of the contact is 0.35 to 0.5 mm. 3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein no insertion force (zero insertion force) is applied when the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable is inserted. When the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable is inserted into the housing, the distal end of the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable is in contact with the extending portion provided on the opposite side of the contact portion of the contact, and when further inserted, the extending The tip of the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable is in contact with the inclined portion along the installation portion, and when inserted again, is guided to the inclined portion and contacts the linear portion so as to get over the inclined portion, and in this state, the The connector according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion of the flexible printed circuit board or the flexible flat cable is pressed against the contact portion of the contact when the slider is inserted.

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