JP2006085928A - Flat flexible circuit board connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flat flexible circuit board connector excellent in workability of assembly and capable of achieving cost reduction. <P>SOLUTION: In the flat flexible circuit board connector, an FPC 10 has a connection terminal 11 in an end which is reinforced with a reinforcement member and directly connected with a mating connection member. An FPC connector housing 12 is mounted on the connection terminal 11 to cover it, and fitted to a mating connector housing included in a mating connection member. The connection terminal 11 has a key slit 116 that extends from the top to the insertion direction to the FPC connector housing 12, a pair of first notches 117 formed at both sides of the slit 116, and a second notch 118 formed at each side edge in the top of the connection terminal 11. The FPC connector housing 12 has a first engagement 124 of which the top is fitted with the key slit 116 and engaged with the first notches 117 when the connection terminal 11 is inserted; and a pair of second engagements 125 that is formed as to hold both side edges of the top of the connection terminal 11 from both sides, and to be engaged with the second notch 118 from both sides. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for connecting a flexible flat circuit board such as FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits) and FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) and a counterpart connection terminal.

  Conventionally, as a connector for a flexible flat circuit board for connecting a flexible flat circuit board such as FPC and FFC and a counterpart connection terminal, the tip of the FPC belt-shaped terminal portion is made of a synthetic resin. There is known a connector that is attached to a connector housing in a state along the surface of the plate-like support member (Patent Document 1).

The synthetic resin supporting member used in this connector has a plurality of positioning projections arranged in the width direction near the rear end of the lower surface, and three locking projections arranged in the width direction at the rear portion of the upper surface. It has become. In addition, the connector housing is provided with a relief portion into which the positioning projection enters and a locking projection engageable with the lock projection when the connection terminal portion is inserted.
JP-A-14-270262, paragraphs 0031 to 0032, FIGS.

  However, in the connector of the conventional flexible flat circuit board mentioned above, when attaching the terminal part of FPC to a connector housing, it is necessary to make it fit along the plate-shaped support member made of a synthetic resin, and a support member is required. In addition, since the workability of assembling the terminal portion of the FPC into the connector housing is poor, there is a problem that the cost is increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector for a flexible flat circuit board that is excellent in assembling workability and can achieve cost reduction.

  A connector for a first flexible flat circuit board according to the present invention is formed at a terminal portion of a flexible flat circuit board having a wiring pattern formed on a flexible insulating film and reinforced by a reinforcing member. A connection terminal portion that is directly connected to the counterpart connection member; and an FPC connector housing that is attached to the connection terminal portion and covers the connection terminal portion and fits with the counterpart connector housing provided on the counterpart connection member side. In the connector of the flexible flat circuit board, the connection terminal portion has a key groove extending in the insertion direction from the front end portion to the FPC connector housing, and notches formed on both side edges of the key groove. The FPC connector housing is fitted into the key groove when the connection terminal portion of the flexible flat circuit board is inserted, and the tip portion It has an engagement piece for restricting the position of the connection terminal portion in the insertion direction by being elastically deformed in a direction away from one surface of the connection terminal portion and then being engaged with the cutout portion. And

  The connector of the second flexible flat circuit board according to the present invention is formed at the terminal portion of the flexible flat circuit board in which the wiring pattern is formed on the flexible insulating film and is reinforced by the reinforcing member. A connection terminal portion that is directly connected to the counterpart connection member; and an FPC connector housing that is attached to the connection terminal portion and covers the connection terminal portion and fits with the counterpart connector housing provided on the counterpart connection member side. In the connector of the flexible flat circuit board, the connection terminal portion has a pair of notches at both side edge portions of the tip portion thereof, and the FPC connector housing has both side edge portions of the tip portion of the connection terminal portion. Is provided so as to be sandwiched from both sides, and when the connection terminal part of the flexible flat circuit board is inserted, the tip part is elastically changed in a direction away from the both side edge parts. Characterized in that it has a pair of engaging pieces for restricting the insertion position of the connection terminal portion is engaged by fitting from both sides to the two notches After.

  The connector of the third flexible flat circuit board according to the present invention is formed at the terminal portion of the flexible flat circuit board in which the wiring pattern is formed on the flexible insulating film and is reinforced by the reinforcing member. A connection terminal portion that is directly connected to the counterpart connection member; and an FPC connector housing that is attached to the connection terminal portion and covers the connection terminal portion and fits with the counterpart connector housing provided on the counterpart connection member side. In the connector of the flexible flat circuit board, the connection terminal portion includes a key groove extending in the insertion direction from the tip portion to the FPC connector housing, and first cutout portions formed on both side edges of the key groove. And a pair of second cutout portions formed at both side edges of the tip portion, and the FPC connector housing includes the flexible flat circuit When the connecting terminal portion of the board is inserted into the keyway, the tip portion is elastically deformed in a direction away from one surface of the connecting terminal portion, and then inserted into the first notch portion. The flexible flat circuit is provided so as to sandwich a first engagement piece that is engaged and restricts a position of the connection terminal portion in the insertion direction, and both side edges of a tip portion of the connection terminal portion from both sides. The insertion direction of the connection terminal portion is inserted by inserting into the second notch portion from both sides after the distal end portion is elastically deformed in a direction away from the side edge portions when the connection terminal portion of the board is inserted. And a pair of second engaging pieces that regulate the position of the second engaging piece.

  According to the present invention, the reinforced connection terminal portion of the flexible flat circuit board has a key groove extending in the insertion direction into the FPC connector housing, and first cutout portions provided on both side edges of the key groove, Alternatively, the first engaging portion or the second engaging portion on the FPC connector housing side is engaged with the pair of second notch portions formed on both side edge portions (outer edges) of the tip portion. Thus, since the position of the connection terminal portion in the insertion direction is regulated, no special support member is required when the connection terminal portion of the flexible flat circuit board and the FPC connector housing are coupled, Workability at the time of joining is also improved. In addition, since only the key groove and the notch are formed in the connection terminal portion, the connection terminal portion can be formed by a pressing process, and the components can be stored and moved in order to maintain a flat state. Will also be easier. For this reason, cost reduction can be aimed at.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector of a flexible flat circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector.

  A connector according to this embodiment is disclosed as an FPC connector 1. The FPC connector 1 is connected to a wire connector 2 that is a counterpart. 3 shows a cross section taken along the line AA 'in FIG. 2 of the FPC connector 1, and FIG. 4 shows a cross section taken along the line BB' in FIG. Further, FIG. 5 shows a CC ′ cross section in FIG. 1 of the wire connector 2 which is the counterpart, and FIG. 6 shows a CC ′ cross section in FIG. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the FPC connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes a connection terminal portion 11 formed at a terminal portion of the FPC 10 and an FPC connector housing 12 that accommodates the connection terminal portion 11 therein. Yes.

  The FPC 10 is formed by forming a wiring pattern 113 such as a copper foil on an insulating film 112 such as PET and covering it with a resin cover lay 114, and at least a terminal portion is formed in a band shape, and is formed in this band shape. A connection terminal portion 11 is formed in the portion thus formed. The FPC 10 is provided with a reinforcing plate 115 made of a metal plate or a highly heat-resistant polyimide resin on the back surface of the end portion of the FPC 10 constituting the connection terminal portion 11 in order to increase the physical strength in the connection terminal portion 11. Furthermore, the front end side is bent so that the reinforcing plate 115 is sandwiched with the insulating film 112 inside. In the overlapped portions, the front and back cover lays 114 are removed, and the wiring patterns 113 are exposed on both surfaces to form the connection terminal portions 11. The connection terminal portion 11 of the FPC 10 itself is directly attached to the FPC connector housing 12 to constitute a male terminal. For this reason, the connection terminal portion 11 is formed with key grooves 116 formed at uneven positions from both side edges for preventing erroneous insertion on the front and back sides of the FPC connector housing 12, and both side edges and the key grooves of the connection terminal portion 11. A pair of first cutout portions 117 for locking the connection terminal portion 11 to the FPC connector housing 12 is formed on both edges of 116. A pair of second cutout portions 118 for locking the connection terminal portion 11 to the FPC connector housing 12 are also formed on both side edges of the connection terminal portion 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the FPC connector housing 12 is formed with a connector insertion port 121 for receiving the electric wire connector 2 on the distal end side, and a flat type for inserting the connection terminal portion 11 of the FPC 10 on the proximal end side. The insertion slot 122 is provided, and a locking piece 123 for locking to engage with the electric wire connector 2 is formed on the upper surface. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the FPC connector housing 12 has a non-uniformity from both side walls, which is fitted into a key groove 116 for preventing erroneous insertion formed in the connection terminal portion 11 of the FPC 10. An engaging piece 124 is formed at a position, that is, a position corresponding to the key groove 116. The distal end portion of the engagement piece 124 is elastically deformed in a direction away from the lower surface side in FIG. 4 of the connection terminal portion 11 when the connection terminal portion 11 is inserted, and then the notches 117 formed on both side edges of the key groove 116. Engage with. Further, the FPC connector housing 12 is provided in the vicinity of the inner surfaces of both side walls so as to sandwich both side edges of the connection terminal portion 11 from both sides, and the tip portion is separated from both side edges when the connection terminal portion 11 is inserted. And a pair of engaging pieces 125 engaged with the notch 118 by being fitted into the notch 117 after being elastically deformed. Thereby, erroneous insertion prevention and reliable fitting are achieved.

  On the other hand, the electric wire connector 2 includes a plurality of connection terminals 21 fixed by caulking to the connection end portion of the electric wire 30, an electric wire connector housing 22 that accommodates the connection terminals 21, and a plurality of connection terminals that are attached to the electric wire connector housing 22. A retainer 23 for fixing the terminal 21 is provided.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the connection terminal 21 is formed by pressing a metal plate, and a slit 211 into which the connection terminal portion 11 of the FPC 10 is inserted is formed on the distal end side. A press-contact portion 214 having press-contact pieces 212 and 213 press-contacted from both sides is formed, and an electric wire crimping portion 217 in which an electric wire caulking portion 215 connected to the distal end of the electric wire 30 and a covered wire caulking portion 216 are formed It is configured with.

  The wire connector housing 22 has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 220 for accommodating a plurality of connection terminals 21 therein, and a flat insertion port 221 into which the connection terminal portion 11 of the FPC 10 is inserted, Terminal insertion holes 222 into which a plurality of connection terminals 21 are respectively inserted are formed on the base end side, and a retainer mounting groove 223 for housing the retainer 23 and a locking projection 224 for the FPC housing 12 are provided on the upper surface side. A lance 225 for locking the connection terminal 21 is formed inside the terminal accommodating chamber 220. The retainer 23 has a plurality of terminal insertion holes 231 into which the plurality of connection terminals 21 are respectively inserted. As shown in FIG. 5A, after the connecting terminal 21 is inserted from the terminal insertion port 222 side in a state where the retainer 23 is half inserted into the retainer mounting groove 223 of the wire connector housing 22, FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the engaging hole 218 on the lower side of the connection terminal 21 is engaged with the tip of the lance 225 and the retainer 23 is completely attached to the retainer attachment groove 223, whereby the connection terminal 21 is connected to the lance 225. And the retainer 23 are double-locked.

  When the FPC connector 1 and the electric wire connector 2 configured in this way are combined, as shown in FIG. 6, the connection terminal portion 11 at the tip of the FPC 10 forms a plug-type connector that is directly connected to the connection terminal 21. Yes. Since the connecting terminal portion 11 has a structure in which the front end portion of the FPC 10 is folded and the reinforcing plate 115 is sandwiched, both surfaces of the connecting terminal portion 11 can be used for energization. By increasing the pressure, the current carrying capacity can be improved.

Examples of the reinforcing plate 115 include a metal plate, a hard and heat resistant resin, or a flexible resin plate. Here, the “hard resin” is a resin having a flexural modulus of 150 kgf / mm 2 (1471 N / mm 2) or more as defined in JIS K 6714 (hard vinyl chloride compound) in the case of vinyl chloride, for example. The “heat-resistant resin” is defined as, for example, JIS K 6777 (heat-resistant hard vinyl chloride pipe joint) with a Vicat softening temperature test of 110 ° C. or higher, but here, the heat-resistant temperature of FPC is 105 ° C. That's all there is to it.
If the reinforcing plate 115 is a metal plate, the metal plate, which is a conductive material, is wrapped with the insulating film 112 of the FPC 10, so that the insulation of the connection terminal portion 11 is ensured. When a metal plate, heat-resistant polyimide, or the like is used as the reinforcing plate 115, the problem that the FPC base material (adhesive layer) or the reinforcing plate softens when the temperature rises and the terminal contact pressure decreases can be solved. In particular, when a metal plate is used for the auxiliary plate 115, the heat dissipation characteristic of the terminal portion can be improved by utilizing the good thermal conductivity of the metal, and therefore the current capacity of the connector can be further increased.

  Further, since the FPC 10 is bent and the metal reinforcing plate 115 is sandwiched, the mechanism for preventing the FPC connector housing 12 and the FPC 10 from coming off by the notches 117 and 118 and the locking pieces 124 and 125 is strengthened. It is possible to increase the separation force of the housing and the hood. Further, the FPC connector housing 12 and the electric wire connector housing 22 are coupled to each other by engaging the locking piece 123 for locking and the protrusion 224 for locking. These contribute to the reliable fitting / disengaging characteristics of the connector.

It is a perspective view of the FPC connector and electric wire connector concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the FPC connector and electric wire connector. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the FPC connector taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the FPC connector along BB ′ in FIG. 3. It is CC 'sectional drawing in FIG. 1 of the electric wire connector. It is CC 'sectional drawing in FIG. 1 of the FPC connector and electric wire connector.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... FPC connector, 2 ... Electric wire connector, 10 ... FPC, 11 ... Connection terminal part, 12 ... FPC connector housing, 21 ... Connection terminal, 22 ... Electric wire connector housing, 23 ... Retainer, 30 ... Electric wire, 112 ... Insulating film, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 113 ... Wiring pattern, 114 ... Cover lay, 115 ... Reinforcing plate, 116 ... Key groove, 117, 118 ... Notch, 124, 125 ... Locking piece.

Claims (7)

A connection terminal portion that is formed at a terminal portion of a flexible flat circuit board in which a wiring pattern is formed on a flexible insulating film and is reinforced by a reinforcing member and directly connected to a counterpart connection member;
In the connector of the flexible flat circuit board having the FPC connector housing fitted to the counterpart connector housing provided on the counterpart connection member side and fitted to the connection terminal portion and covering the connection terminal portion,
The connection terminal portion has a key groove extending in the insertion direction from the tip portion to the FPC connector housing, and notches formed on both side edges of the key groove,
The FPC connector housing is fitted into the key groove when the connection terminal portion of the flexible flat circuit board is inserted, and the front end portion is elastically deformed in a direction away from one surface of the connection terminal portion. A connector for a flexible flat circuit board, comprising an engagement piece that is engaged by being fitted into the notch and restricts the position of the connection terminal portion in the insertion direction. A connection terminal portion that is formed at a terminal portion of a flexible flat circuit board in which a wiring pattern is formed on a flexible insulating film and is reinforced by a reinforcing member and directly connected to a counterpart connection member;
In the connector of the flexible flat circuit board having the FPC connector housing fitted to the counterpart connector housing provided on the counterpart connection member side and fitted to the connection terminal portion and covering the connection terminal portion,
The connection terminal portion has a pair of notches on both side edges of the tip portion,
The FPC connector housing is provided so as to sandwich both side edges of the front end portion of the connection terminal portion from both sides, and the front end portion is separated from the both side edge portions when the connection terminal portion of the flexible flat circuit board is inserted. A flexible flat having a pair of engaging pieces that are engaged by being fitted into both the notches from both sides after being elastically deformed in the direction to restrict the position of the connecting terminal in the insertion direction. Circuit board connector. A connection terminal portion that is formed at a terminal portion of a flexible flat circuit board in which a wiring pattern is formed on a flexible insulating film and is reinforced by a reinforcing member and directly connected to a counterpart connection member;
In the connector of the flexible flat circuit board having the FPC connector housing fitted to the counterpart connector housing provided on the counterpart connection member side and fitted to the connection terminal portion and covering the connection terminal portion,
The connection terminal portion is
A keyway extending in the insertion direction from the distal end to the FPC connector housing;
A first notch formed on both side edges of the keyway;
A pair of second notches formed at both side edges of the tip,
The FPC connector housing is
The first notch is fitted into the keyway when the connecting terminal portion of the flexible flat circuit board is inserted, and the tip portion is elastically deformed in a direction away from one surface of the connecting terminal portion. A first engagement piece that is engaged by being fitted into a portion and restricts the position of the connection terminal portion in the insertion direction;
It is provided so as to sandwich both side edges of the front end of the connection terminal part from both sides, and after the connection terminal part of the flexible flat circuit board is inserted, the front end part is elastically deformed in a direction away from the both side edges. And a pair of second engagement pieces that are respectively engaged by being fitted into the second notch portion from both sides and restrict the position of the connection terminal portion in the insertion direction. Flat circuit board connector.   4. The flexible flat circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the key groove is formed at a position where distances from both side edges of the tip end portion of the connection terminal portion are not uniform. 5. Connector.   The connector for a flexible flat circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal portion is reinforced by attaching a reinforcing plate.   6. The connector of a flexible flat circuit board according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing plate is a metal plate, a hard and heat resistant resin plate or a flexible resin plate. The flexible flat circuit board is a single-sided flexible flat circuit board,
In the connection terminal portion, a part of the one-side flexible flat circuit board is folded with the flexible film inside, and the reinforcing plate is inserted between the folded and overlapped flexible films. The cover pattern on both sides of the bent portion facing away from each other is removed so that the wiring pattern is exposed on both sides. Flexible flat circuit board connector.

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