JP2008117603A - Connector for cable - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To omit a reflow soldering work for mounting on a wiring board, and that, to do away with operation of an actuator at a mounting work of a cable. <P>SOLUTION: Connecting ends of a printed wiring board 2 are pressed to a contact face 10TS of a connector body 10 against elastic force of movable contact parts 18pb, 20pb by a pressing part 14BP of a locking lever member 14 so that the movable contact parts 18pb, 20pb of contact terminals 18ai, 20ai in the connector body 10 come in contact with contact pad groups 2E1, 2E2 formed at the connecting ends of the printed wiring board 2, respectively, and therefore, the connector body 10 is fixed to the connecting ends of the printed wiring board 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable connector that can electrically connect one end of a cable and a signal input / output unit of a wiring board.

  A cable connector is practically used for electrical connection between electrical components in an electronic device or between a plurality of printed circuit boards. The connector for a cable electrically connects another electrical component to one printed wiring board or the other printed wiring board via, for example, a flat cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit (FPC). To be connected to.

  For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cable connector is provided on a printed wiring board and includes a housing having a cable housing portion that houses a terminal portion of a flat cable, and a cable housing portion in the housing. A plurality of contact terminals that electrically connect the electrode portion of the printed wiring board and the terminal portion of the flat cable, and an actuator member that selectively presses and holds the terminal portion of the flat cable against the contact portion of the contact terminal; Is included as a main element.

  The contact terminals include, for example, a fixed terminal portion that is fixed to a printed wiring board by reflow soldering, an elastically displaceable movable piece portion having a contact portion that contacts the terminal portion of the flat cable, and the movable piece portion and the fixed terminal. It is comprised from the fixing | fixed part which connects a part. The plurality of contact terminals are fixed in the cable housing portion in parallel to each other with a predetermined interval corresponding to the arrangement of the terminal portions of the flat cable. The actuator member is swingably supported on the peripheral edge of the opening end of the housing.

  In such a configuration, when the terminal portion of the flat cable is mounted in the cable housing portion, first, after the operation portion of the actuator member is pushed up, the terminal portion of the flat cable is inserted through the opening end to a predetermined position in the cable housing portion. Is done. Then, when the operation portion of the actuator member is pushed down, the terminal portion of the flat cable is brought into contact with and held by the contact portions of the plurality of contact terminals.

JP 2003-297463 A

  The time spent on the process of mounting the fixed terminal portion of the contact terminal in the cable connector as described above on the printed wiring board by reflow soldering can be shortened from the viewpoint of improving production efficiency and avoiding solder defects. desired. Further, since the size of the actuator in the cable connector as described above becomes smaller as the size of the cable connector becomes smaller, it may be difficult to operate the actuator depending on the size of the cable connector.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention is a cable connector that can electrically connect one end of a cable and a signal input / output unit of a wiring board, and is a reflow soldering operation for mounting on the wiring board Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cable connector that does not require the operation of an actuator during cable installation work.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a cable connector according to the present invention includes a contact terminal housing that houses a contact terminal group that contacts an electrode group formed on one surface of a connection end of a wiring board and performs electrical connection. A connection recess formed to face the contact terminal group in the contact terminal housing portion and accepting the connection end of the wiring board; and one end of the cable formed to face the connection recess through the contact terminal housing portion A connector main body having a cable connecting portion, and a connecting concave portion supported rotatably on the periphery of the connecting concave portion in the connector main body portion so that the electrode group contacts the contact portion of the contact terminal group. A lock lever member having a pressing portion for pressing and holding the other surface at the connection end of the wiring board received in the inside or releasing the other surface; Configured to include a.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the cable connector according to the present invention, the electrode group at the connection end of the wiring board was received in the coupling recess so as to contact the contact portion of the contact terminal group. A lock lever member having a pressing portion that presses and holds the other surface at the connection end of the wiring board or releases the other surface is provided at the periphery of the connecting concave portion in the connector main body, so that it is mounted on the wiring board. The reflow soldering work can be omitted.

  In addition, the cable connecting portion includes a locking piece that selectively engages with a notch formed at one end of the cable in accordance with the connecting operation of one end of the cable and holds the one end of the cable with respect to the connector main body portion. During the installation work of the actuator, the operation of the actuator is not required.

  FIG. 2 shows an appearance of an example of a cable connector according to the present invention, together with one end of a cable used therein and a connection end of a printed wiring board.

  The cable is, for example, a flexible wiring board 12. The flexible wiring board 12 is called, for example, YFLEX (registered trademark), and has a configuration in which a plurality of conductive layers covered with a protective layer are formed on an insulating substrate. The insulating base material is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal polymer having a thickness of about 50 μm, glass epoxy resin, polyimide (PI), or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The conductive layer is formed of, for example, a copper alloy layer. The protective layer is formed of, for example, a thermosetting resist layer or a polyimide film.

  On the other surface of one end of the flexible wiring board 12, for example, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 7, a row of contact pad groups 12E1 and 12E2 as electrode groups are formed opposite to each other at a predetermined interval. ing. The contact pad groups 12E1 and 12E2 are electrically connected to the conductive layers inside the flexible wiring board 12, respectively.

  The contact pad group 12E1 is composed of a plurality of contact pads formed at the forefront of the flexible wiring board 12 at a predetermined interval corresponding to one contact portion of a contact terminal 18ai to be described later. The contact pads are formed by gold plating on a straight line substantially parallel to the leading edge of the flexible wiring board 12. The contact pad group 12E2 is composed of a plurality of contact pads at a predetermined interval corresponding to one contact portion of a contact terminal 20ai to be described later. The position of the contact pad group 12E2 is a position farther away from the tip of the flexible wiring board 12 than the position of the contact pad group 12E1. The contact pads are formed by gold plating at a predetermined interval on a straight line so as to form a so-called zigzag pattern at positions corresponding to adjacent contact pads in the contact pad group 12E1. Thereby, it is possible to increase the density of the contact pads in the contact pad groups 12E1 and 12E2 and to shorten the dimension in the width direction of the flexible wiring board 12 as compared with the conventional one.

  As shown in FIG. 7, at the positions between the contact pad groups 12 </ b> E <b> 1 and 12 </ b> E <b> 2 on both sides of the flexible wiring board 12, respectively, notch portions to be engaged with locking claw portions of the locking pieces 16 described later 12c is formed.

  On the surface of the connection end of the printed wiring board 2, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 1, a contact pad group 2E1 as an electrode group abutting on the other contact portion of contact terminals 18ai and 20ai described later, 2E2 rows are formed by gold plating so as to face each other at a predetermined interval. The contact pad groups 2E1 and 2E2 are electrically connected to the conductive layers inside the printed wiring board 12, respectively.

  The contact pad group 2E2 is composed of a plurality of contact pads formed in the vicinity of the end face at the connection end of the printed wiring board 2 at a predetermined interval corresponding to the other contact portion of a contact terminal 20ai to be described later. The contact pads are formed on a straight line substantially parallel to the end face of the printed wiring board 2. The contact pad group 2E1 is composed of a plurality of contact pads at a predetermined interval corresponding to the other contact portion of a contact terminal 18ai to be described later. The position of the contact pad group 2E1 is a position farther from the end face of the printed wiring board 2 than the position of the contact pad group 2E2. The contact pads are formed at predetermined intervals on a straight line so as to be in a so-called zigzag pattern at positions corresponding to adjacent contact pads in the contact pad group 2E2.

  At both ends of the contact pad groups 2E1 and 2E2, grooves 2C are formed to engage with side walls of the connector main body 10 to be described later. Further, adjacent positioning holes 2a are formed in the vicinity of the end of each groove 2C. Each hole 2a is fitted with a positioning pin 10d of the connector main body 10 to be described later.

  2 and 3, the cable connector has a connector main body 10 to which the contact pad groups 12E1 and 12E2 of the flexible wiring board 12 are connected, and a slit 10Sai as a contact terminal accommodating portion in the connector main body 10. The contact terminal 18ai accommodated (i = 1 to n, n is a positive integer) and the contact terminal 20ai accommodated in the slit 10Sbi opposite to the slit 10Sai (i = 1 to n, n is a positive integer). A locking piece 16 that selectively holds one end of the flexible wiring board 12 with respect to the connection slit 10KC of the connector main body 10 and the connector main body 10 locked to the connection end of the printed wiring board 2 or The lock lever member 14 to be unlocked is included as a main element. .

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 11 (A), the connector main body 10 has slits 10Sai (i = 1 to n, where n is positive) that accommodates each contact terminal 18ai inside the upper wall portion. Integer) and a slit 10Sbi (i = 1 to n, n is a positive integer) for accommodating each contact terminal 20ai.

  Each slit 10Sai extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the long side of the connector main body 10 and is arranged at a predetermined interval along the long side of the connector main body 10. The end of each slit 10Sai on the connection end side of the printed wiring board 12 is open. Adjacent slits 10Sai are partitioned by partition walls 10bi (i = 1 to n, n is a positive integer). In each slit 10Sai, a contact terminal support 10CS1 that supports the contact terminal 18ai is formed across the opposing partition walls 10bi. The lower side of the contact terminal support portion 10CS1 is open. The row of slits 10Sai and the row of slits 10Sbi are partitioned by a partition wall 10BW extending along the long side of the connector main body 10.

  Each slit 10Sbi is formed in a so-called zigzag pattern so as to face each other between adjacent slits 10Sai. The end of each slit 10Sbi on the connection slit 10KC side is open toward the back. In each slit 10Sbi, a contact terminal support portion 10CS2 that supports the contact terminal 20ai is formed across the opposing partition walls 10bi. The lower side of the contact terminal support portion 10CS2 is open.

Since the contact terminals 18ai and 20ai have the same structure, the contact terminal 18ai will be described, and the description of the contact terminal 20ai will be omitted.

  The contact terminal 18ai is formed in a substantially U shape with a thin metal material, and has movable contact portions 18pa and 18pb facing each other in the vicinity of both ends thereof. The contact terminal 20ai also has movable contact portions 20pa and 20pb facing each other in the vicinity of both ends thereof. The contact terminal 18ai is inserted into the contact terminal support portion 10CS1 through the opening end of the slit 10Sai, so that the contact terminal 18ai is held by the contact terminal support portion 10CS1 by the elastic force of the curved portion.

  A connection slit 10KC into which one end of the flexible wiring board 12 is inserted is formed above the slit 10Sai, the slit 10Sbi, and the partition wall 10BW, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. The connection slit 10KC communicates with each slit 10Sai and each slit 10Sbi. As a result, the contact pads in the contact pad groups 12E1 and 12E2 of the flexible wiring board 12 abutted against the end of the connection slit 10KC are brought into contact with the movable contact 18pa of the contact terminal 18ai and the movable contact 20pa of the contact terminal 20ai, respectively. ing. At this time, the movable contact 18pa of the contact terminal 18ai and the movable contact 20pa of the contact terminal 20ai are not elastically displaced and are not pressed against each contact pad.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to such an example, and for example, a predetermined gap may be formed between the movable contact 18pa of the contact terminal 18ai and the movable contact 20pa of the contact terminal 20ai and each contact pad.

  The connecting slit 10KC described above is open on the back surface where the opening end of each slit 10Sbi is formed, but is not limited to such an example. For example, one end of the flexible wiring board 12 is on the side of each slit 10Sai. You may open to the front surface in which the opening edge part of each slit 10Sai is formed so that it may be inserted from a direction.

  Further, the positions facing the notches 12c of the inserted flexible wiring board 12 in the connection slit 10KC are substantially orthogonal to the connection slit 10KC, respectively, as shown enlarged in FIG. A concave portion 10D is formed as described above. Each recess 10D communicates with the groove 10e as shown in FIGS. A slope portion 10G is formed at the bottom of the groove 10e. A locking claw 16A of each locking piece 16 is movably disposed in each recess 10D.

  The locking piece 16 is selectively engaged with a fixing portion 16B fixed to a recess formed at the end of the groove 10e and each notch portion 12c of the flexible wiring board 12, and a locking claw for holding the flexible wiring board 12. It comprises a part 16A, and a connecting part 16C that connects the fixing part 16B and the locking claw part 16A.

  The locking claw portion 16A is integrally formed so as to be substantially orthogonal to one end portion of the connecting portion 16C. The locking claw portion 16A and the connecting portion 16C can be elastically displaced with respect to the fixing portion 16B along the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Thus, when one end of the flexible wiring board 12 is inserted into the connection slit 10KC from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state shown in FIGS. 9 and 12A, the locking claw portion 16A is shown in FIG. As shown in an enlarged manner, the flexible wiring board 12 is once pushed down by one end. Further, when the flexible wiring board 12 is inserted until one end of the flexible wiring board 12 comes into contact with the terminal end of the connection slit 10KC, the engaging end of each locking claw portion 16A is rotated counterclockwise by its elastic force in FIG. It is rotated and engaged with the notch 12c of the flexible wiring board 12. Therefore, one end of the flexible wiring board 12 is held in the connection slit 10KC according to the insertion operation without requiring an actuator such as a conventional connector.

  The contact surface 10TS in which each groove 10e is formed contacts the surface of the connection end of the printed wiring board 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the contact surface 10TS is provided with positioning pins 10d that are fitted into the holes 2a of the printed wiring board 2 adjacent to the grooves 10e.

  Below the slit 10Sai, the slit 10Sbi, and the partition wall 10BW, as shown in FIG. 11A, a connecting recess 10BC into which the connection end of the printed wiring board 2 is inserted is formed. The connecting recess 10BC is formed to be surrounded by the slit 10Sai, the slit 10Sbi, the partition wall 10BW, the side wall portions 10WR and 10WL, and the back surface portion of the connector main body portion 10.

  A lever receiving portion 10BB that rotatably supports one end of the locking lever member 14 is formed at the end of the lower wall that forms the coupling recess 10BC.

  The locking lever member 14 includes an operation portion 14A and a base end portion 14B that is connected to the operation portion 14A and is rotatably connected to the lever receiving portion 10BB.

  The base end portion 14B is a pressing portion 14BP that presses the contact pad groups 2E1 and 2E2 at the connection end of the printed wiring board 2 inserted into the coupling recess 10BC against the movable contact portions 18pb and 20pb of the contact terminals 18ai and 20ai. Is provided on the outer peripheral surface. The position of the center of curvature of the pressing portion 14BP is eccentric by a predetermined amount from the center position of the lever receiving portion 10BB.

  In such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 11A, in connecting the connector main body 10 to which one end of the flexible wiring board 12 is connected to the connection end of the printed wiring board 2, first, FIG. 11 (A), the operation portion 14A of the locking lever member 14 is disposed substantially parallel to the back surface portion of the connector main body portion 10 so as to open one end of the coupling recess portion 10BC.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, the connecting recess 10BC of the connector main body 10 has a predetermined angle α with respect to the surface of the connection end of the printed wiring board 2 placed substantially horizontally, for example, After being brought close to the connection end of the printed wiring board 2 in a posture inclined by about 10 °, the connection end is received. At that time, the end surface of the connection end of the printed wiring board 2 abuts against the inner surface of the coupling recess 10BC, whereby the positioning pin 10d is positioned directly above the hole 2a at the connection end, as shown in FIG. Further, the side wall portions 10WR and 10LW are engaged with the respective grooves 2C.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11C and FIG. 12B, the connector body 10 is fitted so that the distal end of the positioning pin 10d of the connector main body portion 10 is brought close to the hole 2a in the connection end and then fitted. The main body 10 is brought close to the surface of the connection end of the printed wiring board 2. At that time, the tip of the locking claw portion 16 </ b> A is engaged with the cutout portion 12 c of the flexible wiring board 12.

  Subsequently, the operation portion 14 </ b> A of the locking lever member 14 is rotated so as to be close to the connection end of the printed wiring board 2, as shown in FIGS. 11D and 12C. As a result, the pressing portion 14BP of the locking lever member 14 is rotated against the elastic force of the movable contact portions 18pb and 20pb of the contact terminals 18ai and 20ai, and is slid on the back surface of the connection end of the printed wiring board 2. The contact end is pressed toward the contact terminals 18ai and 20ai while contacting. Therefore, the contact pad groups 2E1 and 2E2 of the printed wiring board 2 are brought into contact with the movable contact portions 18pb and 20pb of the contact terminals 18ai and 20ai with a predetermined contact force, respectively, and the locking lever member is caused by the reaction pressure. The posture of the 14 pressing portions 14BP is maintained as it is, and the contact surface 10TS is held on the surface of the connection end of the printed wiring board 2. Furthermore, with the elastic displacement of the movable contact portions 18pb and 20pb, the movable contacts 18pa and 20pa are respectively pressed against the contact pad groups 2E1 and 2E2 of the flexible wiring board 12 with a predetermined pressure.

  At that time, the entire positioning pin 10d is fitted into the hole 2a at the connection end. Further, the distal end portion of the locking claw portion 16A is further pushed into the cutout portion 12c of the flexible wiring board 12. As a result, the flexible wiring board 12 is prevented from falling off.

  In the above-described example, the contact pad groups 2E1 and 2E2 of the printed wiring board 2 are formed in only two rows. However, the contact pad groups are not limited to such an example and are arranged in three or four rows. The connector main body 10 may be provided with three or four contact terminal rows corresponding thereto. In this case, it becomes possible to use a flexible wiring board with a narrower pitch in an example of the present invention.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of the connector for cables concerning this invention with a part of the printed wiring board and flexible wiring board in which it is used. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the connector for cables concerning this invention with a part of printed wiring board and flexible wiring board in which it is used. It is the perspective view seen from the back surface side in the example shown by FIG. It is a perspective view with which it uses for operation | movement description of the connection operation | work in the example shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the connector main-body part in the example shown by FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the connector main-body part in the example shown by FIG. 5 from the back side. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connector main-body part in the example shown by FIG. 5 with a flexible wiring board. It is a perspective view which expands and partially shows a part of connector main-body part shown by FIG. It is a perspective view with which it uses for operation | movement description of the connection operation | work in the example shown by FIG. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a part of the connector main body shown in FIG. 9. (A), (B), (C), and (D) are partial cross-sectional views provided for explaining the operation of the connection work in the example shown in FIG. (A), (B), and (C) are partial sectional views provided for explaining the operation of the connection work in the example shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

2 Printed Wiring Board 2E1, 2E2 Contact Pad Group 10 Connector Body 12 Flexible Wiring Board 12c Notch 14 Locking Lever Member 16 Locking Piece 18ai, 20ai Contact Terminal

Claims (4)

A contact terminal accommodating portion for accommodating a contact terminal group that contacts and contacts an electrode group formed on one surface of the connection end of the wiring board, and is formed to face the contact terminal group in the contact terminal accommodating portion. A connector main body having a connecting recess for receiving the connection end of the wiring board, and a cable connecting portion formed to face the connecting recess through the contact terminal accommodating portion and to which one end of the cable is connected;
Connection of the wiring board received in the connection recess so as to be pivotally supported on the periphery of the connection recess in the connector main body and to bring the electrode group into contact with the contact portion of the contact terminal group A lock lever member having a pressing portion for pressing the other surface at the end or releasing the other surface;
A cable connector comprising:   The cable connecting portion selectively engages with a cutout portion formed at one end of the cable in accordance with a connecting operation of one end of the cable, and a locking piece for holding the one end of the cable with respect to the connector main body portion. The cable connector according to claim 1, further comprising:   The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the electrode group and the contact terminal group at the connection end of the wiring board are arranged in a staggered manner facing each other.   When the pressing portion of the lock lever member presses the other surface at the connection end of the wiring board received in the coupling recess, the contact portion of the contact terminal group is formed on one end of the cable. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the cable connector is pressed against the pad with a predetermined pressure.

Images