JP2009272256A - Electric connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connector having sufficient shieldability against electromagnetic waves without causing deterioration of workability and contact pressure or the like. <P>SOLUTION: Since the upper face side of the connector 10 is covered by an actuator 12, a shell 70, and a movable plate 80 made of a conductive material, and these actuator 12, shell 70, and movable plate 80 are grounded to a grounding pattern of a printed wiring board, the electromagnetic waves generated from the connector 10 is surely shielded. The movable plate 80 moves back and forth accompanied with the operation of the actuator 12. For that reason, with only closing operation of the actuator 12, a gap between the actuator 12 and the shell 70 can be closed by the movable plate 80, and it is not necessary to mount additional parts in order to secure the shieldability. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector to which a flexible flat cable such as an FPC (flexible printed circuit) or FFC (flexible flat cable) is connected.

An electric connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector) for a flat cable having flexibility such as FPC or FFC is mounted on a printed wiring board. A plurality of contacts electrically connected to the printed wiring board are provided in the connector housing. The flat cable is connected to the printed wiring board by electrically connecting these contacts to the conductor portion of the flat cable.
In order to maintain the electrical connection between the contact and the conductor of the flat cable in the connector, generally, the flat cable is clamped by the contact and the contact is pressed against the conductor of the flat cable by using the elasticity of the contact itself. Let the state be

In such a connector, in order to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI), the connector is covered with a cover or the like made of a conductive material (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).
For example, the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 is made of a conductive metal plate and includes a shield case that covers the outer periphery of the connector.
The connector disclosed in Patent Document 2 shields electromagnetic waves by a metal cover that also serves as an actuator and a first shell that covers the housing.
The connector disclosed in Patent Document 3 shields electromagnetic waves by a pressurizing member that pressurizes a terminal and a metal sheet that covers the housing.

JP 2005-268018 A JP 2008-53123 A JP 2008-4350 A

However, in the connector shown in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to remove the shield case when the flat cable is inserted or removed. Therefore, workability deteriorates at the site where the connector and the flat cable are connected.
Further, in the connectors shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the contact is exposed between the metal cover / pressurizing member and the first shell / metal sheet, and the shielding property of electromagnetic waves is insufficient.
Furthermore, in the connector shown in Patent Document 2, the metal cover also serves as an actuator, and since the metal cover is supported at both ends, the contact pressure of the contact with the flat cable at the center of the metal cover is reduced. There is also a problem. If the contact pressure is insufficient, the flat cable may not be securely clamped by the contact.
The present invention has been made on the basis of these technical problems, and provides an electrical connector having a sufficient shielding property against electromagnetic waves without deteriorating workability and contact pressure of a contact. Objective.

The electrical connector of the present invention made for such a purpose is an electrical connector that is mounted on the surface of a printed wiring board and electrically connects a flexible flat cable to the printed wiring board. And a contact that is held by the housing and clamped to the end of the flat cable and electrically connected to the printed wiring board. And a cam disposed on one end side or the other end side of the electrical connector, for switching the contact between an open state or a clamp state for clamping the flat cable, and one end side or the other end of the electrical connector in the clamp state An actuator having a shield plate made of a conductive material covering the upper surface of the side, and an electrical connector made of a conductive material. A shell that covers the other end side or the upper surface of the one end side, and a conductive movable plate that closes a gap between the shield plate of the actuator and the shell and moves back and forth in accordance with the switching operation of the actuator. Features.
By closing the gap between the shield plate of the actuator and the shell with the movable plate, it is possible to reliably shield the radiation of electromagnetic waves from the electrical connector. In addition, since the movable plate moves back and forth in accordance with the operation of the actuator, the movable plate can close the gap between the actuator and the shell as long as the actuator is operated from the open state to the clamped state, thereby ensuring shielding. Therefore, workability is not lowered because it is not necessary to separately attach parts.

  The actuator preferably regulates the upward movement of the cam by the contact. Thereby, it can prevent that the contact pressure of a contact and a flat cable falls in the center part of an actuator.

  The shell is preferably grounded to the ground pattern of the printed wiring board. The shield plate of the actuator is preferably electrically connected to a shield layer made of a conductive material formed on the surface of the flat cable when the actuator is in a clamped state.

  Furthermore, the movable plate can be electrically connected to the shield plate by being coupled to the shield plate of the actuator.

The housing includes a peg that is electrically connected to the ground pattern of the printed wiring board, and the movable plate can be electrically connected to the peg when the actuator is in a clamped state.
Furthermore, a convex portion is formed on the peg, and when the movable plate moves back and forth in accordance with the switching operation of the actuator, the movable plate reciprocates between one side and the other side of the convex portion and gets over the convex portion. It can also be a structure.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, radiation | emission of the electromagnetic wave from an electrical connector and / or to an electrical connector can be reliably shielded by closing the clearance gap between the shield board and shell of an actuator with a movable plate. In addition, since the movable plate moves back and forth in accordance with the operation of the actuator, the gap between the actuator and the shell can be closed by the movable plate as long as the actuator is operated in a clamped state. Therefore, since it is not necessary to attach a separate part to ensure the shielding property, workability is not deteriorated.

  Further, by restricting the upward movement of the cam of the actuator by the contact, it is possible to prevent the actuator from being lifted at the central portion. As a result, it is possible to prevent the contact pressure between the contact and the flat cable from decreasing.

  The movable plate is connected to the shield plate of the actuator, so that the movable plate can be electrically connected to the shield plate, and the electromagnetic wave can be reliably shielded.

  The housing includes a peg that is electrically connected to the ground pattern of the printed wiring board, and the movable plate is electrically connected to the peg when the actuator is in a clamped state. Furthermore, a convex portion is formed on the peg, and when the movable plate moves back and forth in accordance with the switching operation of the actuator, the movable plate reciprocates between one side and the other side of the convex portion and gets over the convex portion. With the structure, it is possible to make the operator who operates the actuator feel a click, and to recognize whether or not the actuator has been reliably opened and closed.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
Here, FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the connector in the present embodiment, FIG. 1 (a) is a perspective view showing a state where a flat cable is clamped by the connector, and FIG. 1 (b) is a diagram of the connector. It is the perspective view which made the actuator an open state. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a flat cable is inserted into a connector and clamped. FIG. 2 (a) is a side sectional view when the actuator is opened and a flat cable is started to be inserted, and FIG. FIG. 2C is a side sectional view showing a state where the actuator is opened and the flat cable is inserted, and FIG. 2C is a side sectional view showing a state where the actuator is rotated and the flat cable is clamped. However, the flat cable is indicated by a broken line in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a wiring pattern of the printed wiring board. 4A is a side view of the connector, FIG. 4A is a side view of the connector in a clamped state, FIG. 4B is a side view of the connector in a state where the actuator is rotated halfway, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the connector in an open state.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a connector (electrical connector) 10 is mounted on a printed wiring board 100, and an end of the flat cable 200 is inserted to electrically connect the flat cable 200 and the printed wiring board 100. To connect to. In the following, for the sake of explanation, in the connector 10, the side mounted on the printed wiring board 100 is defined as the lower side, and the side where the flat cable 200 is inserted is defined as the front.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the connector 10 includes a housing 11, a plurality of contacts 20 accommodated in the housing 11, and an actuator 12 for operating these contacts 20.

  The housing 11 is made of an insulating material such as resin. In the housing 11, a plurality of contacts 20 for making electrical connection with each conductor at the end of the flat cable 200 are arranged in a line. Each contact 20 is press-fitted and held in the housing 11.

  The actuator 12 is made of an insulating material such as resin, and is provided on the front end side of the upper surface of the housing 11. The actuator 12 is rotatably supported about a rotation axis parallel to the surface of the printed wiring board 100 with both end portions 12 e and 12 e being pivotally supported by the housing 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the actuator 12 has a cam shaft 12b extending along its rotation axis. A cam 40 is formed on the cam shaft 12 b at a position corresponding to each contact 20. The cam 40 is provided eccentric to the rotation center C of the actuator 12. As shown in FIG. 2A, the cam 40 has a substantially oval cross-sectional shape that is slightly longer in the front-rear direction in a state where the lever portion 41 of the actuator 12 stands with respect to the housing 11. In this state, the contact 20 is opened, and when the flat cable 200 is inserted into the housing 11 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2C, when the actuator 12 is rotated, the cam 40 is rotated, the lower surface 12f of the actuator 12 presses the contact 20 via the flat cable 200, and the contact 20 is released from the open state. The flat cable 200 can be switched to a clamped state in which the flat cable 200 is clamped by the contact 20.

The actuator 12 incorporates a shield plate 43 made of a conductive material such as metal. The shield plate 43 is integrally formed when the actuator 12 is formed. The shield plate 43 covers a range from the front end 12a of the actuator 12 to the vicinity of the rear end 12c when the actuator 12 is in a closed state.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the flat cable 200 has a conductive pattern made of a conductive material on the lower surface, and the contact 20 is electrically connected to the conductive pattern. A shield layer 201 made of a conductive material such as carbon or silver paste is formed on the upper surface of the flat cable 200 to prevent electromagnetic waves.
As shown in FIG. 2C, the shield plate 43 is formed on the lower surface of the actuator 12 at a position where it is electrically connected to the shield layer 201 of the flat cable 200 to be clamped when the actuator 12 is closed. It has the contact part 43a exposed. Further, the shield plate 43 presses the shield layer 201 of the flat cable 200 with the contact portion 43a when the actuator 12 is closed. In order to ensure electrical connection between the shield plate 43 and the shield layer 201, the shield plate 43 may be further provided with a protrusion 43b or the like.
The shield plate 43 has an exposed portion 43 c exposed on the upper surface of the actuator 12 in the vicinity of the rear end portion of the actuator 12.

  The contact 20 is formed by stamping a thin plate made of a conductive material such as a copper alloy. As shown in FIG. 1B, the contact 20 includes a front contact 20 f inserted from the front of the housing 11 and a rear contact 20 r inserted from the rear of the housing 11. These front contacts 20 f and rear contacts 20 r are alternately arranged along the width direction of the housing 11. In the following description, there is no particular need to distinguish the front contact 20f and the rear contact 20r, and therefore the front contact 20f and the rear contact 20r are simply referred to as contacts 20.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the contact 20 is provided between the lower beam 21 and the upper beam 22 that extend from the front to the rear of the housing 11 and the lower beam 21 and the upper beam 22 when mounted on the housing 11. And a tuning fork type having a base 23 formed on the surface.
The front end portion of the lower beam 21 is a contact portion 21 a that is electrically connected to the conductive pattern on the lower surface of the flat cable 200. A tine portion 25 that is electrically connected to the conductive portion 101 of the printed wiring board 100 shown in FIG. 3 is formed on the bottom surface of the base portion 23.

  The front end 22 a of the upper beam 22 is disposed above the cam 40 of the actuator 12 and is pressed against the cam 40 as the cam 40 rotates.

  When the lever portion 41 of the actuator 12 is rotated and the actuator 12 is tilted counterclockwise in the drawing, the cam 40 hits the lower surface of the front end portion 22a of the upper beam 22 and presses the upper beam 22 upward. When the contact portion 21 a is pressed against the flat cable 200 inserted into the cavity 30, each contact portion 21 a is electrically connected to a conductive portion formed on the lower surface of the flat cable 200. The flat cable 200 is clamped by the contact portion 43a of the actuator 12 and the contact portion 21a of the lower beam 21, and the contact pressure between the contact portion 21a and the flat cable 200 is ensured. Further, when the lever portion 41 of the actuator 12 is tilted until it is almost parallel to the surface of the printed wiring board 100, the actuator 12 is locked by the cam 40. In this state, the contact portion 43a and the protrusion 43b of the shield plate 43 of the actuator 12 are electrically connected to the shield layer 201 of the flat cable 200.

  The housing 11 is provided with a shell 70 made of a conductive material such as metal and covering the rear end side of the upper surface of the housing 11. The shell 70 is formed by punching a plate material made of a conductive material, and covers the upper surface and both side surfaces on the rear end side of the housing 11. Further, on both side surfaces of the shell 70, ground portions 71 are formed which are soldered and electrically connected to the ground pattern G1 of the printed wiring board 100 shown in FIG.

A movable plate 80 is provided between the shell 70 and the actuator 12. The movable plate 80 is formed by punching a plate material made of a conductive material such as metal. As shown in FIG. 2C and FIG. 4A, the gap between the shell 70 and the actuator 12 is completely covered with the actuator 12 closed.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the movable plate 80 has locking portions 81 protruding laterally on both sides of the front end portion 80a. At both end portions of the shield plate 43, plate portions 44 that rise upward are formed. A hole 44a is formed in the plate portion 44, and a locking portion 81 is rotatably connected to the hole 44a. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C in order, the front end portion 80a of the movable plate 80 has an arc shape as the actuator 12 is rotated between the standing state and the horizontal state. Move while drawing a trajectory.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, plate portions 83 extending downward are formed on both sides of the rear end portion 80 b of the movable plate 80. A guide claw 84 that protrudes toward the center in the width direction of the housing 11 is formed at the lower end of the plate portion 83. Guide grooves 72 extending in the front-rear direction are formed on both side surfaces of the shell 70, and the guide claws 84 are engaged with the guide grooves 72.
As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, when the front end portion 80 a of the movable plate 80 is moved by the turning operation of the actuator 12, the guide claw 84 moves in the front-rear direction along the guide groove 72. Then, the movable plate 80 moves back and forth as a whole as the actuator 12 rotates. As shown in FIG. 4C, when the actuator 12 is in the open state, the rear end portion 80 b of the movable plate 80 does not protrude rearward from the housing 11 and the shell 70. This is because if the rear end portion 80b of the movable plate 80 protrudes rearward, other components cannot be mounted in the range where the rear end portion 80b of the movable plate 80 protrudes.

  As shown in FIGS. 2C and 4A, when the actuator 12 is closed, the movable plate 80 covers the gap between the actuator 12 and the shell 70 along the upper surface of the actuator 12. The movable plate 80 is in electrical contact with the exposed portion 43c of the shield plate 43 on the lower surface of the front end portion 80a.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the locking portions 81 formed on both sides of the front end portion 80a of the movable plate 80 are formed at the distal end portion of the band-shaped portion 86 extending forward. The belt-like portion 86 is urged by the plate portion 44 so as to be pressed toward the center side of the housing 11. As a result, the front end portion of the belt-like portion 86 is pressed against the plate portion 44 of the shield plate 43, and electrical connection is ensured.
Therefore, the movable plate 80 and the actuator 12 are reliably electrically connected to the shield layer 201 of the flat cable 200.

The housing 11 is provided with a peg 90 for fixing the connector 10 on the printed wiring board 100. The peg 90 is made of a conductive material such as metal. The peg 90 is soldered and electrically connected to a ground pattern G2 formed on the printed wiring board 100 shown in FIG. The pegs 90 are provided on both sides of the housing 11 and have beam portions 91 extending rearward from the front end portion. A convex portion 92 that protrudes toward the center of the housing 11 is formed at the tip of the beam portion 91. When the movable plate 80 is moved back and forth by the rotation operation of the actuator 12, the convex portion 92 is configured such that the plate portion 83 formed with the guide claws 84 reciprocates between the front position and the rear position of the convex portion 92. It is formed at a position over the convex portion 92. When the plate portion 83 moves back and forth as the actuator 12 rotates, the operator operating the actuator 12 can feel a so-called click feeling when the plate portion 83 moves back and forth. It can be recognized whether it was opened or closed.
In addition, when the actuator 12 is in the closed state, the rearward movement of the plate portion 83 is restricted by the convex portion 92, and the rearward movement of the movable plate 80, that is, the actuator 12 is prevented from opening. Further, in this state, the plate portion 83 contacts and is electrically connected to the convex portion 92, and the movable plate 80 is grounded to the ground pattern G2 of the printed wiring board 100 via the peg 90.

  According to the connector 10 described above, the upper surface side of the connector 10 is covered with the actuator 12, the shell 70, and the movable plate 80 made of a conductive material, and the actuator 12, the shell 70, and the movable plate 80 are covered with the printed wiring board 100. Since the ground patterns G1 and G2 are grounded, the connector 10 is generated or electromagnetic waves from the outside can be reliably shielded. Since the movable plate 80 moves back and forth in accordance with the operation of the actuator 12, the movable plate 80 can close the gap between the actuator 12 and the shell 70 as long as the actuator 12 is closed, and the shielding property is secured. Since there is no need to separately install parts, workability is not reduced.

  Further, the actuator 12 is restricted from moving the cam shaft 12 b upward by the upper beam 22 of the contact 20. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the central portion of the actuator 12 from being lifted, and the contact pressure against the contact 20 does not decrease at the central portion of the actuator 12.

In the movable plate 80, a belt-like portion 86 provided with a locking portion 81 is pressed against the plate portion 44. Therefore, the actuator 12 and the movable plate 80 are reliably electrically connected, and the movable plate 80 can be reliably grounded to the printed wiring board 100 via the actuator 12.
Further, since the movable plate 80 does not protrude rearward from the shell 70 when the actuator 12 is in the open state, the movable plate 80 can contribute to space saving without disturbing the arrangement of other components in the vicinity of the connector 10. .

Furthermore, a convex portion 92 that protrudes toward the center of the housing 11 is formed on the beam portion 91 of the peg 90 provided in the housing 11, and the plate portion on which the guide claw 84 is formed when the movable plate 80 moves back and forth. 83 moves over the convex portion 92 by reciprocating between the front position and the rear position of the convex portion 92. Therefore, the operator who operates the actuator 12 can feel a click and can recognize whether or not the actuator 12 has been reliably opened and closed.
In addition, when the actuator 12 is in the closed state, the plate portion 83 contacts and is electrically connected to the convex portion 92, and this also ensures that the movable plate 80 is grounded to the printed wiring board 100 via the peg 90. .

In the above embodiment, the actuator 12 is a so-called front flip type in which the actuator 12 is rotated in the front side with respect to the insertion direction of the flat cable 200. However, this is of course rearward with respect to the insertion direction of the flat cable 200. It can also be a back flip type that pivots to the side. The position of the actuator 12 is not limited to the front end side of the housing 11 but may be provided on the rear end side.
In addition, the detailed configuration of each part such as the housing 11 and the contact 20 can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.
In addition to this, as long as it does not depart from the gist of the present invention, the configuration described in the above embodiment can be selected or changed to another configuration as appropriate.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the connector in this Embodiment, (a) is a perspective view which shows the state which clamped the flat cable with the connector, (b) is the perspective view which made the actuator of the connector the open state. It is a figure which shows the state which inserts and clamps a flat cable in a connector, (a) is a sectional side view when an actuator is opened and a flat cable starts to be inserted, (b) is a flat shape with the actuator opened. FIG. 4C is a side sectional view showing a state where the cable has been inserted, and FIG. 5C is a side sectional view showing a state where the actuator is rotated and the flat cable is clamped. It is a top view which shows an example of the wiring pattern of a printed wiring board. It is a side view of a connector, (a) is a side view of the connector in a clamped state, (b) is a side view of the connector in a state where the actuator is rotated halfway, (c) is a side view of the connector in an open state. .

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector (electric connector), 11 ... Housing, 12 ... Actuator, 12c ... Rear end part, 20 ... Contact, 21 ... Lower beam, 21a ... Contact part, 22 ... Upper beam, 40 ... Cam, 41 ... Lever part, 43 ... Shield plate, 43a ... Contact part, 43b ... Projection, 70 ... Shell, 71 ... Grounding part, 80 ... Movable plate, 80b ... Rear end part, 81 ... Locking part, 83 ... Plate part, 84 ... Guide claw, 86 ... Strip-like part, 90 ... Peg, 91 ... Beam part, 92 ... Convex part, 100 ... Printed wiring board, 200 ... Flat cable, 201 ... Shield layer, G1, G2 ... Grounding pattern

Claims (7)

An electrical connector mounted on the surface of a printed wiring board for electrically connecting a flexible flat cable to the printed wiring board,
A housing formed of an insulating material, into which the end of the flat cable is inserted from one end side toward the other end side;
A contact held by the housing and clamped at an end of the flat cable to be electrically connected to the printed wiring board;
The electrical connector is disposed on the one end side or the other end side of the electrical connector, and has a cam for switching the contact to an open state or a clamp state for clamping the flat cable. An actuator having a shield plate made of a conductive material covering the upper surface of the one end side or the other end side;
A shell made of a conductive material and covering the upper surface of the other end side or the one end side of the electrical connector;
A conductive movable plate that closes a gap between the shield plate and the shell of the actuator and moves back and forth in accordance with the switching operation of the actuator;
An electrical connector comprising:   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is restricted from moving upward by the contact.   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the shell is grounded to a ground pattern of the printed wiring board.   The said shield plate of the said actuator is electrically connected to the shield layer which consists of an electroconductive material formed in the surface of the said flat cable in the said clamp state. Electrical connector as described in.   5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the movable plate is electrically connected to the shield plate by being coupled to the shield plate of the actuator. 6. The housing includes a peg that is electrically connected to a ground pattern of the printed wiring board;
The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the movable plate is electrically connected to the peg in the clamped state. Convex is formed on the peg,
The movable plate reciprocates between one side and the other side of the convex portion and gets over the convex portion when the movable plate moves back and forth in accordance with the switching operation of the actuator. 6. The electrical connector according to 6.

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