JP2007317581A - Connector for flexible flat cable connection - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector of a comparatively simple structure that a position of a conductor part is stabilized in a housing constituting the connector, and that an electrical function of the connector can be carried out sufficiently. <P>SOLUTION: The connector for a flexible flat cable connection has a male connector housing in order to insert an FFC in which a plurality of the conductor parts are independently protruded to the cable tip, and a conductor retaining part which is composed of a retainer to fix the FFC to the male connector housing, in which a groove to introduce the respective conductors exposed from the FFC is formed in the male connector housing, and which has opening parts narrower than the respective conductor width on the groove upper part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for connecting a flexible flat cable (hereinafter referred to as “FFC”, including a flexible printed wiring board (FPC)) to a wiring board or the like, and in particular, stabilizes the conductor position of the FFC and improves connection reliability. This relates to the connector shape.

  Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, as a flat cable connector, a housing made of an insulating resin material in which a plurality of holding grooves are formed on one surface and a plurality of holding grooves corresponding to the holding grooves of the housing are provided. A connector having a structure in which a plurality of conductor portions constituting a flat cable are sandwiched between a holding groove of a housing and a holding groove of the holder and formed of a holder made of an insulating resin material formed on one surface is used. (Public Practical Publication 1-132078).

  In the above connector, due to molding errors between the housing and the holder, there is a gap between the housing and the holder, and the conductor part is detached from the holding groove and enters the gap between the housing and the holder. As a result, the adjacent conductor parts come into contact with each other. There was a problem that.

In order to solve the above problem, as described in JP-A-2002-280103, a synthetic resin housing having a plurality of conductor part holding holes through which conductor parts are inserted one by one, and a covering portion of a flat cable There has been proposed a connector having a structure having covering holding means for holding the pin between the housing and the housing.
Public utility level 1-313078 JP 2002-280103 A

  In the invention of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-280103, not all the conductor portions are covered with holes, and the tip portion is in a groove state with the upper surface opened to connect with the contact on the female connector side. . If this is the case, there is a possibility that the conductor in the groove will float and come into contact with the adjacent conductor. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to fix the leading end of the conductor portion using a fixing means, which causes a problem that the number of parts is large and the manufacturing cost is increased.

  Further, in the above connector, since the exposed conductor portion is a contact of the connector, it is also a problem that the positional deviation is reduced and it is electrically stabilized.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a relatively simple structure that can stabilize the position of the FFC conductor portion in the housing constituting the connector and sufficiently exert the electrical function of the connector. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a connector for connecting a flexible flat cable according to the present invention includes a male connector housing for inserting an FFC in which a plurality of conductor portions independently protrude from a cable tip, and the FFC as a male connector housing. A groove for introducing each conductor exposed from the FFC is formed in the male connector housing, and a conductor holding portion having an opening portion narrower than each conductor width is formed in the upper portion of the groove. .

  According to the present invention, a groove corresponding to each conductor exposed from the FFC is formed in the male connector housing, and the conductor holding portion having an open portion narrower than each conductor width is formed in the upper portion of the groove, thereby the position of the FFC conductor portion. It is possible to provide an inexpensive connector for connecting a flexible flat cable that is free from deviation.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Example 1
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state before assembly of a male connector housing, an FFC, and a retainer, which are parts of a flexible flat cable connecting connector according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a male connector housing in which resin is injection-molded, 2 is a retainer formed by injection molding, and 3 is an FFC formed from a flexible resin covering a conductor.

  In addition, 1a shows a male connector housing main body (henceforth a male housing main body), 2a shows a retainer main body, 2b shows a level | step difference part, 2c, 2d is for holding the retainer main body 2a in the male housing main body 1a. An elastic deformation part and a hook part are shown. When the retainer body 2a is inserted into the male housing body 1a, the elastic deformation portion 2c is deformed inward, and the hook 2d is a corresponding hook portion (not shown in FIG. 1) in the internal space (not shown in FIG. 1). The retainer body 2a is held by the male housing body 1a. The retainer body 2a may be held, for example, by making the retainer body 2a slightly larger than the internal space of the male housing body 1a and press-fitting.

  The FFC 3 includes an FFC main body 3a provided with a stepped portion 3c and a flat conductor portion (which becomes a contact point of a connector) 3b protruding independently from the FFC main body 3a. The conductor portion 3b is exposed by peeling off the portion of the resin that covers it.

  For the functions of a shoulder (not shown in FIG. 1) provided in the internal space of the male housing main body 1a, the stepped portion 2b of the retainer main body 2a, and the stepped portion 3c of the FFC main body 3a, refer to FIG. Will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the process of assembling the FFC 3 to the male connector housing 1 of the present invention and holding it by the retainer 2, FIG. 2a is a cross-sectional view showing a state before assembly, and FIG. FIG. 2c is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the FFC 3 is assembled to the connector housing 1, and FIG. 2c is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the FFC 3 is assembled to the male connector housing 1 and further held by the retainer 2 (completed state of the male connector housing); FIG. 2 d is a cross-sectional view showing a fitting state of the male connector housing 1 and the female connector housing 4.

  In FIG. 2a, an internal space 1d into which the FFC main body 3a and the retainer main body 2a are inserted is formed in the male housing main body 1a of the male connector housing 1, and a step portion 3c of the FFC main body 3a is formed in the internal space 1d. A shoulder portion 1b is formed in contact with the shoulder portion 1b. Assembling is performed by first inserting the FFC main body 3a into the internal space 1d of the male housing main body 1a as indicated by an arrow.

  When the insertion of the FFC main body 3a into the internal space 1d of the male housing main body 1a is completed, the state shown in FIG. That is, the step portion 3c of the FFC main body 3a abuts on the shoulder portion 1b of the male housing main body 1a, and the FFC conductor portion 3b is inserted into the groove 1c (see also FIG. 3) of the male housing main body 1a. The amount of insertion of the conductor portion 3b into the groove 1c is determined by the contact between the shoulder portion 1b and the stepped portion 3c (that is, the conductor portion 3b is positioned relative to the groove 1c). Next, as shown by the arrows, the retainer 2 is further inserted into the internal space 1d of the male housing main body 1a until the stepped portion 2b contacts the stepped portion 3c of the FFC main body 3a. As described above, the retainer 2 is held (fixed to the male housing main body 1a). FIG. 2 c shows a state in which the retainer 2 is inserted and fixed, that is, a completed state of the male connector housing 1.

  2d shows the fitting state of the male connector housing 1 and the female connector housing 4 completed as described above, and details will be described later with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the conductor portion 3b of the FFC 3 is inserted into the groove 1c of the male housing body 1a. In FIG. 3, the conductor portion 3b of the FFC 3 is inserted into the groove 1c portion of the male housing body 1a. An open portion 1e having an inverted trapezoidal shape is formed in the upper portion of the groove 1c, and the lower end of the open portion 1e is slightly narrower than the width of the conductor portion 3b. For this reason, the conductor portion placed on the upper portion of the groove does not float from the groove 1c.

  The cross-sectional shape of the opening 1e may be rectangular, but if the inverted trapezoidal shape is used as shown in the drawing, the positions of both of the female side connector (female connector housing) 4 and the male side connector (male connector housing) 1 are somewhat different. Even if they are misaligned, the conductor (contact) 4b (not shown in FIG. 3) of the female connector 4 is guided by either of the inclined surfaces on both sides of the inverted trapezoidal shape, and the conductor (contact) of the male connector 1 is contacted. ) Contact without deviating from 3b.

  Moreover, although the bottom face of the groove part 1c may be a flat surface, the mold strength at the time of injection molding of the male connector 1 can be ensured by forming a partially convex shape.

  4 is a cross-sectional view showing a fitting state of the male connector 1 and the female connector 4, FIG. 4a is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 4b, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the fitting state with the female side connector 4. FIG.

  In FIG. 4b, the female connector 4 has a female connector housing body (hereinafter referred to as a female housing body) 4a, and the female connector 4 is provided with an elastically deformable conductor (contact) 4b. A hook 4c for holding the female connector housing main body 4a on the male housing main body 1a when fitted with the male connector 1, and a protrusion 4d that comes into contact with the tip portion 1f of the male housing main body 1a. The upper portion 4e of the female housing body 4a is in contact with the upper tip portion 1g of the male housing body 1a.

  On the other hand, the male connector 1 has an elastic deformation portion 1h that is elastically deformed around a fulcrum 1j (schematically indicated by a dotted circle), and the elastic deformation portion 1h is pushed downward when the connector is fitted. A protruding portion 1k and a push-up portion 1i used when the connector is pulled out are provided. When the male connector 1 is fitted to the female connector 4, when the male connector 1 is moved with respect to the female connector 4 as indicated by an arrow A, the protrusion 1k of the male housing body 1a is moved in the process. On the hook 4c of the main body 4a, at this time, the elastically deforming portion 1h is deformed so that the protruding portion 1k is pushed downward. When the protruding portion 1k gets over the hook 4c, or when the tip portion 1f contacts the protruding portion 4d, the fitting is completed and the state shown in FIG. 4 is obtained.

  When the fitting is completed, the male housing body 1a is held in a state of being pressed downward with respect to the female housing body 4a. Therefore, the elastically deformable conductor portion 4b of the female connector 4 is replaced with the conductor portion 3b of the FFC 3. It will be in the state which contacted reliably.

  When the male connector 1 is pulled out from the female connector 4, as shown by the arrow B, when the push-up portion 1i is pushed up, the protrusion 1k of the elastic deformation portion 1h is moved downward, and the engagement with the hook 4c is engaged. Removed. In this state, the fitting is released by pulling out the male connector 1 in the direction of arrow C.

It is a perspective view which shows the state before the assembly of the male connector housing which is components of the connector for flexible flat cable connection of Example 1 of this invention, FFC, and a retainer. FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views for explaining a process of assembling the FFC in the male connector housing of the present invention and holding it by the retainer, FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing a state before assembly, and FIG. 2B is assembling the FFC in the male connector housing; 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the FFC is assembled to the male connector housing and further held by the retainer (completed state of the male connector housing). FIG. 2d is a cross-sectional view of the male connector housing and the female connector. It is sectional drawing which shows the fitting state of a housing. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the conductor part of FFC is inserted in the groove | channel of the male housing main body. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing a fitting state between the male connector and the female connector, FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 4B, and FIG. 4B is a fitting between the male connector and the female connector. It is sectional drawing which shows a combined state.

Explanation of symbols

1 Male connector housing (male connector)
1a Male housing body 1b Shoulder portion 1c Groove 1d Internal space 1e Open portion 1f Tip portion 1g Top tip portion 1h Elastic deformation portion 1i Push-up portion 1j Support point 1k Projection portion

2 Retainer 2a Retainer body 2b Step 2c Elastic deformation 2d Hook

3 FFC
3a FFC body 3b Conductor part (contact)
3c Stepped part

4 Female connector housing (female connector)
4a Female housing body 4b Conductor (contact)
4c Hook 4d Projection 4a Upper part

Claims (3)

  A male connector housing for inserting an FFC in which a plurality of conductor portions independently protrude from the end of the cable, and a retainer for fixing the FFC to the male connector housing. Each conductor exposed from the FFC is introduced into the male connector housing. A connector for connecting a flexible flat cable, comprising a conductor holding portion having an opening portion narrower than each conductor width in the upper portion of the groove.   The open part of the male connector housing is formed in an inverted trapezoidal shape so that the conductor part provided in the female connector housing is guided and brought into contact with the conductor part of the FFC introduced into the groove of the male connector housing. The flexible flat connector according to claim 1.   The FFC is bent so as to have a stepped portion, the male connector housing has a shoulder portion that contacts the stepped portion of the FFC, and the retainer has a stepped portion corresponding to the stepped portion of the FFC. When the step portion of the FFC comes into contact with the shoulder portion of the male connector housing and is held by the retainer, each conductor portion of the FFC is positioned at a predetermined position in the groove of the male connector housing. 3. The connector for connecting a flexible flat cable according to claim 1, wherein the connector is a flexible flat cable.