JP2016039015A - Electric connector for flat type conductor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connector for a flat type conductor that can easily be manufactured by bending a metal plate and can maintain a stable lock fitting state at a closed position and simply release the lock.SOLUTION: A turning member 3 and a connector body 2 have a locked portion 33D-1 and a lock portion 76, and are locked to each other at a close position of the turning member. The turning member 3 has a base portion 35 provided with a bearing target portion, a movable portion 33 provided with the locked portion 33D-1 and an operating portion 33A, and an elastic portion 34X that joins the base portion and the movable portion so as to be elastically deformable in the front-and-rear direction. The base portion and the movable portion are relatively movable in the front-and-rear direction by the elastic deformation of the elastic portion 34X. A locked piece 33D and the lock portion 76 of the connector body interfere with each other by turning the turning member to the close position, and also can be locked to each other by further turning the turning member to the closed position side. The locking state of the locked portion can be released by operating the operating unit in the elastic deformation direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector for a flat conductor.

  An electrical connector to which a flat conductor such as an FPC, FFC or multi-pole fine wire coaxial line in which a plurality of core wires are arranged in parallel to form a flat strip is connected has a contact portion corresponding to the arrangement pitch of the plurality of core wires. Thus, the terminal is held by the housing. In such an electrical connector for a flat conductor, in order to connect a connection portion formed at one end of the flat conductor to the connector, the connection portion is inserted into the receiving port of the housing in the longitudinal direction of the flat conductor. Insertion type and the contact part of the terminal is exposed and disposed on the housing that is open upward. The contact part is opened on the contact part in the thickness direction perpendicular to the plane of the flat conductor from above. There is a format. In any type, after the connecting portion is brought onto the contact portion at a predetermined position, the connecting member is rotated by rotating the rotating member supported rotatably by the connector to press the flat conductor. The contact pressure with the other terminal is secured.

  In the insertion type, the position in the width direction and height direction (thickness direction of the flat conductor) of the flat conductor when the flat conductor is inserted is automatically determined by the receiving port, and the insertion position becomes accurate. Since the tip of the flat conductor must be accurately positioned at the receiving port before insertion, it is difficult to insert, and in some cases, it must be pushed against the frictional resistance with the terminal. It can be tricky.

  On the other hand, in the open type, when the rotating member is in the open position, the housing is opened upward, and the contact portion of the terminal is located there. It is only necessary to be placed on the contact portion from above, and since there is no press against the flat conductor from above, it is somewhat unstable, but since it is wide open upward and looks good, it is very easy to handle.

  The present invention relates to the latter open type connector. As this open type connector, a connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In the connector of Patent Document 1, the housing is formed as an open area facing upwards including the area where the contact portions of the terminals are arranged and the periphery thereof, and is compatible with a flat conductor (flexible wiring board). The connecting portion on the side to be mounted can be placed on the contact portion from above. The open area is also open in the direction in which the flat conductor extends, and a lid member (rotating member) that can rotate between an open position and a closed position at a position close to the open area is supported by the housing. Has been. The lid member is made by bending a metal plate, and a substantially circular bearing portion formed on the side wall portion of the lid member is fitted to a short cylindrical rotation shaft formed on the side surface of the housing. In addition, the rotary guide is supported around the rotation shaft. The lid member is rotated to a closed position where the flat conductor placed in the open area is pressed against the contact portion of the terminal when the lid member is in the open position.

  In patent document 1, the rotating shaft formed in the housing has a short columnar shape, and a protrusion is provided on the circumferential surface at one place in the circumferential direction. On the other hand, the bearing portion formed on the side wall portion of the lid member has a substantially circular hole and a portion having the same inner diameter as the radius of the rotary shaft, and a radial clearance with respect to the rotary shaft within a range of a specific angle in the circumferential direction. And a portion having a large radius so as to be formed as an arc-shaped slit. The slit forming portion has an equal radius portion and an inclined linear portion that gradually decreases the radius, and the lid member is rotated to the closed position by receiving the rotation operation force at the operation portion. Then, the projection of the rotating shaft engages with the straight portion of the slit, and the projection member applies a forward biasing force to the lid member by the amount of the reduced radius. The lid member is provided with a locking arm having a flange portion, and in the closed position, the flange portion is locked to the rear step portion of the reinforcing plate of the flat conductor so that the biasing force is applied. Thus, the flat conductor is pulled forward to prevent the flat conductor from coming out backward.

  The lid member in the connector of Patent Document 1 can be easily made by processing a metal plate, and the bearing portion formed on the side wall portion has a substantially circular shape, and is in the form of a slit in a part of the circumferential direction. Therefore, it has an equal-diameter portion whose radius is larger than the rotation axis of the housing, and a linear portion inclined so as to gradually reduce the radius from the equal-diameter portion, and the linear portion is pressed against the protrusion of the rotation shaft. Thus, the lid member is maintained in the closed position by the resulting frictional force. However, since the linear portion of the bearing portion that generates this frictional force is inclined, it receives a component force that causes a rotational force to return the lid member toward the open position by the wedge principle. That is, when this component force becomes larger than the frictional force, it means that the component cannot be maintained in the closed position, and the lid member cannot be said to be stably in the closed position.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, a lock function is provided between the metal shell attached to the housing and the lid member so that the lid member in the closed position is not opened carelessly. This locking function consists of a substantially triangular hook-shaped locking part protruding from the end of the metal shell and one leg part in the U-shaped elastic part having two leg parts close to the operation part of the lid member. And having the window-like locked portion formed on the lock portion, the locked portion is obtained by being locked to the lock portion by elastic bending when the one leg portion comes into contact with the lock portion. . Therefore, the locked portion is locked to the lock portion only by bringing the lid member from the upper position to the closed position.

JP2010-0449904

  In Patent Document 1, as described above, in the state where the lid member is brought to the closed position, even if the flat conductor is pulled carelessly, its extraction is prevented by the frictional force at the bearing portion. In addition, the opening of the lid member is prevented by the lock portion and the locked portion.

  However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose any configuration and function for intentionally opening the lid member to bring it to the open position, and how the lid member can be rotated to the open position. It is unknown. In order to rotate toward the open position, the locked portion of the lid member must be removed from the lock portion of the metal shell. As inferred from the drawing of Patent Document 1, it is possible to temporarily bend and deform one leg portion constituting an elastic portion forming the locked portion by inserting a tool as appropriate. However, this operation is extremely difficult, the tool may damage the surroundings, and the tool must be prepared.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides an electrical connector for a flat conductor that can be easily manufactured by bending a metal plate, can maintain a stable locking state in a closed position, and can be easily unlocked. It is an issue to provide.

  An electrical connector for a flat conductor according to the present invention includes a connector main body in which terminals for contact connection with the flat conductor are arranged and held in a connector width direction by a housing, and the connector main body rotates from an open position to a closed position. When the rotating member made of a metal plate supported movably is in the open position, the flat conductor can be placed from above on the contact portion of the terminal exposed upward and is in the closed position. Sometimes the flat conductor is pressed against the contact portion.

  In such an electrical connector for a flat conductor, according to the present invention, the connector body has a support portion that enables the rotation member to rotate, and the supported member has a supported portion on the rotation member. And the connector main body each have a locked portion and a locking portion, and are locked to each other at the closed position of the rotating member, and the rotating member has a base portion on which the supported portion is provided. A movable portion provided with the locked portion and the operation portion, and an elastic portion that connects the base portion and the movable portion so as to be elastically deformable in the front-rear direction. The movable part is relatively movable in the front-rear direction, and the locked part and the lock part of the connector body interfere with each other by turning the rotating member to the closed position side, and further locked by turning to the closed position side. It can be locked and the operation part is It is characterized in that the locked state of the lock portion is released by operating the deformation direction.

  In the present invention having such a configuration, the supported portion that is rotatably supported by the support portion provided in the connector body is provided in the base portion, and the locked portion that is engaged with the lock portion on the connector body side and the release operation An operating portion for the above is provided in the movable portion, and the base portion and the movable portion are connected by the elastic portion. Therefore, in the front-rear direction, the supported portion is positioned at a fixed position with respect to the connector main body, whereas the locked portion and the operation portion are movable by the amount of elastic deformation at the elastic portion. As a result, even if the lockable portion of the lock portion to which the locked portion is locked is secured long in the front-rear direction and the locking is ensured, the operation portion is only operated in the elastic deformation direction of the elastic portion when the lock is released. Thus, the locked portion can be brought to a position where it can be removed from the lockable portion. Thus, the rotating member can be easily rotated to the open position when necessary.

  In the present invention, the lock portion and the locked portion are in a positional relationship in which the locked portion gets over the lock portion and is brought to the lock release position based on elastic deformation at the elastic portion during the unlocking operation at the operation portion. Alternatively, the lock portion may be in a positional relationship in which the lock portion moves in a direction away from the locked portion.

  In the present invention, the rotating member has an inner plate portion and an outer plate portion in the order closer to the contact portion of the terminal in the closed position, and a supported portion is provided on one of the inner plate portion and the outer plate portion, The inner plate portion and the outer plate portion are connected via an elastic portion that is elastically deformable in the front-rear direction, and the outer plate portion and the inner plate portion are relatively movable in the front-rear direction by elastic deformation in the elastic portion. The other of the inner plate portion and the outer plate portion is provided with a locked portion. By bringing the rotating member to the closed position, the locked portion moves in the elastic deformation direction due to elastic deformation of the elastic portion, and the connector body is locked. It can be set as the form which can be latched with a part.

  The rotating member is bent so as to overlap three so as to divide the region of the metal plate in the front-rear direction, the outer plate portion having one free end side of the metal plate as a front edge portion, and the other An inner plate having a free edge as a rear edge, and a middle plate located between the outer plate and the inner plate and connected to the rear edge of the outer plate and the front edge of the inner plate A supported portion is provided on the side edge of the outer plate portion, a locked portion is provided on the rear edge portion of the inner plate portion, and an operation portion is provided on the front edge portion. An elastic part can be provided in the part. In this way, the rotating member can be easily obtained simply by bending the single metal member and then bending it, and has a compact form both in the front-rear direction and in the vertical direction. Moreover, since the elastic part can be designed to occupy a wide range of the middle plate part in the front-rear direction, the amount of elastic deformation can also be increased, and even if the lockable part of the lock part is lengthened to ensure the lock, it can be easily locked Can be canceled.

  In the present invention, the locked portion of the rotating member is formed as a locked window provided in the locked piece bent from the rear edge portion of the outer plate portion, and the lock portion of the connector body is rearward from the rear surface of the connector body. It can be made to be formed as a lock projection protruding to the side.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the operating portion is located close to or in contact with the outer surface of the connector body when the rotating member is in the open position. In this way, even if the rotating member in the open position receives an inadvertent force that rotates further in the opening direction than the normal open position, the operation unit comes into contact with the outer surface of the connector body. The reaction force is absorbed by the elastic portion and the rotating member and the support portion of the connector body supporting the reaction member are not damaged.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the connector main body includes a pressing member that presses the rotating member toward the open position when the operating portion is operated in the unlocking direction with the rotating member in the closed position. You can have it. By doing so, the lock release and the rotation start toward the open position of the rotation member can be simultaneously performed only by operating the operation unit in the lock release direction.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the rotating member has a flat surface area on the outer surface of the outer plate portion within a range including a point where a vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the connector intersects the outer plate portion when the rotating member is in the closed position. Preferably formed. In this way, when the connector is mounted on the electronic device, the flat surface area is lifted up by the suction member, thereby facilitating the automatic conveyance arrangement to the mounting position.

  In the present invention, as described above, the rotating member that is rotated toward the closed position to press the flat conductor against the contact portion of the terminal has the supported portion at the base portion, and the locked portion And the operating part in the movable part, and the base part and the movable part are connected via an elastic part that can be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction. Since it is movable, it is possible to secure a large amount of elastic deformation in the front-rear direction at the elastic part, and the length of the lock-engageable part at the lock part with respect to the locked part is increased to lock it. In addition, when unlocking, the locked part will move greatly in the elastic deformation direction and easily come off the lock part to enter the unlocked state, both in terms of improving the locking function and facilitating the unlocking operation. , It improves usability.

The connector as one embodiment of the present invention is shown, and a rotation member is in a closed position and is a perspective view in the state at the time of connector use. It is a perspective view in the open position of the rotation member of the connector of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 1 immediately before the rotating member is in a closed position. It is a perspective view which shows only the rotation member of the connector of FIG. 1 in the state which each part isolate | separated for convenience. FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which the rotating member of the connector of FIG. 1 is in a closed position and the upper plate portion of the rotating member is omitted. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views at the position of a power supply terminal when the rotating member of the connector in FIG. 1 is in a closed position, where FIG. 1A shows a case without a flat conductor, and FIG. . It is a perspective view which shows the modification about the to-be-locked part of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the rotation member of other embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the rotation member of FIG. 8 in the state before the assembly of a fixed member and a movable member. FIG. 9 shows the rotating member in FIG. 8 in a closed position, in which (A) is a cross-sectional view at the signal terminal position, and (B) is a perspective view taken in cross section at the signal terminal position. It is a perspective view of the connector of further another embodiment of the present invention.

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

  1 and 2 are perspective views showing the external appearance of the flat conductor electrical connector (hereinafter referred to as “connector”) according to the present embodiment, respectively. FIG. 1 shows the rotating member in the closed position after the flat conductor is arranged. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the rotating member is in the open position and the flat conductor is not arranged, the arrangement position of the flat conductor is indicated by a virtual line (two-dot chain line), and FIG. 3 is after the arrangement of the flat conductor. The rotating member is shown in a state immediately before the closed position.

  In the figure, the connector 1 has a connector main body 2 and a rotating member 3. The rotating member 3 is made by processing a metal plate, and is supported by the connector body 2 so as to be able to rotate between an open position shown in FIG. 2 and a closed position shown in FIG. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the connector body 2 has a housing 4 made of an electrical insulating material for holding terminals, for example, a power supply terminal 5, a signal terminal 6, and a fixing bracket 7 as shown in the illustrated example. Configured. The connector 1 of the present embodiment shows an example of a flat conductor connector for connecting an FPC or the like for battery connection, and has a configuration having a plurality of power supply terminals 5 and one signal terminal 6 for controlling the same. However, the connector of the present invention is not limited in the number and arrangement form of the power supply terminals and signal terminals, and may be freely selected. A plurality of power supply terminals 5 are arranged in the connector width direction, and only one signal terminal 6 is provided at the center in the arrangement of the power supply terminals 5 in the connector width direction. The power supply terminal 5 is a terminal for flowing a power supply current between the batteries to which the connector is connected, and the signal terminal 6 is a terminal for a signal for controlling the power supply current. The flat conductor F arranged on the power supply terminal 5 and the signal terminal 6 is not arranged on the power supply terminal 5 and the signal terminal 6 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 but behind the connector 1 (left side in FIG. 2). In the imaginary line, it is shown as a state where the virtual conductor descends in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the flat conductor F and is arranged on the power supply terminal 5 and the signal terminal 6. The front end (right end in the figure) is positioned by the housing 4 and extends rearward. The flat conductor F has a connection portion on the lower surface of the front end portion of the flat conductor main body F1 in which a plurality of wiring groups connected to the power supply terminal 5 and the signal terminal 6 are formed, and a reinforcement on the upper surface. It has a plate member F2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the flat conductor F has an ear-shaped locked portion FA whose planar shape is stepped on the front end side and whose width is increased. The front end edge and the side end edge of the locked portion FA are regulated by a frame-like regulating portion provided in a housing, which will be described later, while the rear edge having a step shape is locked to the housing, which will be described later. A locked edge FA-1 for locking with the portion is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 4 includes a bottom plate portion 41, a regulation portion 42 erected from the front portion of the bottom plate portion 41 at both ends in the width direction, and a locking portion erected from the rear portion of the bottom plate portion 41. 43. The restricting portion 42 has a wall whose planar shape is bent in an L shape, and has a front restricting wall portion 42A extending in the connector width direction and a side restricting wall portion 42B extending in the front-rear direction. The front inner surface and the side inner surface that define the above-described shape restrict the front end and the side end of the locked portion FA of the flat conductor F, respectively. The locking portion 43 forms a block-like wall, and its front inner surface is locked with the rear edge of the locked portion FA of the flat conductor F to prevent the flat conductor F from coming off. Such a flat conductor F has a connecting portion having a locked portion FA with respect to the housing 4 from above to the front-rear direction range between the restricting portion 42 and the locking portion 43 as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. Is positioned in the front-rear direction and the lateral direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom plate portion 41 of the housing 4 is formed with through-window portions 41A, 41B, and 41A having a rectangular planar shape at three positions in the width direction, and the contact portion 52 of the power supply terminal 5 passes therethrough. The contact part 62 of the signal terminal 6 is located in the window part 41A and in the through window part 41B.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the power supply terminal 5 and the signal terminal 6 are made to have the same shape and the same dimensions by bending a thin strip-shaped metal piece. The power supply terminal 5 and the signal terminal 6 have straight base portions 51 and 61 and contact portions 52 and 62 which are bent so as to extend forward from the base portions 51 and 61 and extend upward and downward to be elastic. The base portion 51 of the power terminal 5 and the base portion 61 of the signal terminal 6 penetrate the housing portions that are the rear edges of the through-window portions 41A and 41B in the front-rear direction and are respectively held by the housing portions by integral molding. The contact portions 52 and 62 are located in the through-window portions 41A and 41B and are positioned so as to protrude above the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 41 of the housing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fixing metal 7 is held integrally with the side portion of the housing 4. The fixing bracket 7 is made by processing a metal plate, is located along the outer side surface of the housing 4 and extends in the front-rear direction, and bends at the front end position to contact the circuit board. A fixed leg 72, rises on the side of the fixed leg 72 to form an inverted U-shaped part, and a support 73 formed on the inner leg of the fixed leg 72, and rises from the upper edge of the intermediate part of the side plate 71 A guide portion 74 having a horizontal V shape, a pressing portion 75 protruding from the upper surface of the locking portion 43 of the housing 4 at a position near the rear end at the upper edge portion of the side plate portion 71, and the locking portion at the rear end portion 43, and a lock portion 76 projecting from the rear end face of 43.

  The fixing leg 72 of the fixing bracket 7 has a bottom portion located on a circuit board (not shown) and is soldered to a corresponding portion of the circuit board to secure the fixing strength of the connector body 2 to the circuit board. .

  The support portion 73 is formed as a hole in the inner leg of the inverted U-shaped portion, and receives a projecting piece-like shaft portion of a later-described rotating member and rotatably supports the shaft portion.

  A guide portion 74 that rises from the lower edge of the side plate portion 71 at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction has a horizontal V shape that protrudes inward in the width direction of the connector (terminal arrangement direction), and its upper surface faces downward. An inwardly inclined guide surface 74A is formed, and the guide surface 74A guides the flat conductor in the width direction when the flat conductor is disposed, and temporarily holds the flat conductor on another inclined surface. .

  The fixing bracket 7 has a lock portion 76 protruding from the rear end surface of the locking portion 43 of the housing 4 and a pressing portion 75 protruding from the upper surface at the rear portion. The pressing portion 75 has a substantially trapezoidal portion protruding from the upper surface hole 43A, and a leading edge thereof forming an inclined edge 75A.

  The lock portion 76 has a substantially triangular shape in which the upper edge forms an inclined guide edge 76A and the lower edge forms a horizontal lock edge 76B. The lock portion 76 is covered by a rotating member described later at the horizontal lock edge 76B. It comes to have a lock function for engaging with the lock portion in the vertical direction.

  In this embodiment, the rotation member 3 supported by the support portion 73 of the fixing bracket 7 having such a configuration is bent by a metal plate as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Made in the form of a three-ply form. When the rotating member 3 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the rotating member 3 has a rectangular planar shape having a size that covers at least the range of the contact portion 52 of the power terminal 5 and the contact portion 62 of the signal terminal 6 from above. There is no. FIG. 4 shows each of the three stacked plates (outer plate portion, middle plate portion, and inner plate portion) of the rotating member 3 as separated by a one-dot chain line for easy understanding. In FIG. 5, the upper plate portion is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating member 3 has a three-layer configuration in which the front bent portion 31 and the rear bent portion 32 are bent in an S shape, and the rotating member 3 is in the closed position. Are provided with an inner plate portion 33 positioned closer to the connector body 2, an intermediate plate portion 34 positioned immediately above the inner plate portion 33, and an outer plate portion 35 positioned more directly above the inner plate portion 34. That is, the inner plate portion 33 and the middle plate portion 34 are connected by the front bent portion 31, and the middle plate portion 34 and the outer plate portion 35 are connected by the rear bent portion 32. As will be described in detail later, the outer plate portion 35 has a shaft portion that is pivotally supported by the housing body and forms a base portion, and the inner plate portion 33 is connected to the base portion through an intermediate plate portion 34 having an elastic portion. It is a moving part.

  The inner plate portion 33 includes an operation portion 33A having a L-shaped cross section that extends forward and a front edge portion is bent upward, and a protective edge portion 33B that has a U-shaped cross section that is bent upward in the rear edge portion. And a side arm portion 33C having an inverted L-shaped cross-section rising upward at both side edges in the connector width direction and extending in the front-rear direction, and a locked state bent downward at the rear edge of the side arm portion 33C And a piece 33D.

  The operation portion 33A has a portion that is pushed backward by the operator to release the lock between the locked piece 33D and the lock portion 76 of the connector main body 2. Further, when the rotating member 3 is in the open position of FIG. 2, the operation unit 33A is in contact with or close to the front end surface of the connector body 2 and receives a turning force exceeding a predetermined open position. The operation portion 33A is in contact with the front end surface of the connector body 2 and receives a reaction force from the front end surface, and performs an elastic bending action described later, thereby preventing damage.

  The side arm portion 33C is positioned so as to cover the corresponding portion of the connector body 2 when the rotating member 3 comes to the closed position, and the pressing portion 75 of the fixing bracket 7 on the connector body 2 side protrudes upward. An upper surface window portion 33C-1 that permits this is formed. The upper surface window portion 33 </ b> C- 1 is positioned corresponding to the pressing portion 75 formed in the locking portion 43 of the housing 4 where the fixing bracket 7 is supported. The locked piece 33D that hangs down from the rear edge of the side arm portion 33C is formed with a locked portion 33D-1 that forms a window portion. It engages with a horizontal lock edge 76B which forms the lower edge of the lock portion 76 on the connector body 2 side. In the process of moving to the lock position, the locked piece 33D has a lower end edge that abuts against an inclined guide edge 76A formed on the upper edge of the lock portion 76 (see FIG. 3). Is received from the inclined guide edge 76A and is moved rearward by elastic deformation of an elastic portion 34X described later to enable further rotation to the lock position.

  The inner plate portion 33 includes a pressing portion 33E that protrudes by embossing toward the contact portions 52 and 62 on the flat surface portion in the width direction, and the contact portion 52 and the signal terminal of the power supply terminal 5 inside the pressing portion 33E. 6 when the window portions 33E1 and 33E2 are formed at positions corresponding to the contact portions 62 and the rotating member 3 is in the closed position, that is, when the power supply terminal 5 and the signal terminal 6 are in the free state. A space that can be accommodated while avoiding contact between the contact portions 52 and 62 that are bent upward in a mountain shape and the inner plate portion 33 of the rotating member 3 is secured. It is convenient for downsizing in the vertical direction, so-called low profile. Further, between the window portions 33E1 and 33E2 and the protective edge portion 33B, there are three reinforcing portions 33F that are embossed on the contact portions 52 and 62 side in the front-rear direction in the connector width direction. Yes.

  At the front edge of the inner plate portion 33, the above-mentioned front bent portions 31 are located at both ends in the connector width direction, and the inner plate portion 33 and the middle plate portion 34 are connected.

  In the middle plate portion 34, four belt-like portions 34A, 34B, 34C, 34D extending in the connector width direction are positioned in order from the front to the rear, and the belt-like portions 34A, 34B and the belt-like portions 34C, 34D are in contact with each other. Each is connected by a central connecting portion 34E at a central position in the connector width direction, and the strips 34B and 34C are connected by end connecting portions 34F at both end positions in the connector width direction. The strip portions 34A, 34B, 34C, 34D, the central connecting portion 34E, and the end connecting portion 34F can be formed by punching other portions as grooves. The belt-like portions 34A, 34B, 34C, 34D form an elastic portion 34X as a whole by local connection at the central connecting portion 34E and the end connecting portion 34F, and the elastic portion 34X is in the front-rear direction, that is, in FIG. Elastic deformation that changes the distance between the strips 34A, 34B, 34C, 34D in the X direction is possible. When the operation portion 33A is pushed rearward, the elastic portion 34X is compressed and the inner plate portion 33 can move rearward. Therefore, the side arm portion 33C of the inner plate portion 33 also moves rearward, so that the locked portion The locked portion 33D-1 of the piece 33D moves rearward and disengages from the lock portion 76, and the front edge of the upper surface window portion 33C-1 rides on the pressing portion 75 via its inclined edge 75A, and the upper surface window portion 33C. The side arm portion 33C is lifted upward by receiving a reaction force directed upward from the pressing portion 75 at the pressed surface 33C-2 formed by the lower surface of the plate surface portion of the front portion from -1.

  In the belt-like portion 34D located at the rear edge of the middle plate portion 34, the rear bent portions 32 are located at both ends in the connector width direction, and the middle plate portion 34 and the outer plate portion 35 are connected.

  The outer plate portion 35 has a substantially flat plate shape, and has a flat surface region 35 </ b> C serving as a suction surface on which the connector is sucked and conveyed when the connector is automatically mounted, at the front edge position, and in the connector width direction. It has a protruding piece-shaped shaft portion 35A protruding outward while forming a crank shape. The shaft portion 35 </ b> A enters a hole-like support portion 73 formed in the already-described fixing bracket 7 and is rotatably supported by the support portion 73. The outer plate portion has reinforcing portions 35B that are embossed so as to extend forward and backward at positions near both ends in the connector width direction and protrude toward the middle plate portion 34 side.

  Next, the usage point of the connector of this embodiment is demonstrated, also referring FIG.

<Platform conductor arrangement>
First, the rotating member 3 is brought to the open position of FIG. 2 described above, and the locked portion FA of the flat conductor F is lowered from above while the rotating position is maintained. It is arranged on the power supply terminal 5 and the signal terminal 6. The flat conductor F is brought in the normal width direction while its side edge is guided by the inclined guide surface 74A of the fixing bracket 7 in the descending process. When the flat conductor F is arranged at the normal position, the side edge of the locked portion FA is kept at the normal position in the width direction by the side regulating wall portion 42B of the housing 4, and the front end The edge is regulated by the front regulating wall portion 42A and the rear end edge is regulated by the front surface of the locking portion 43, so that the normal position is maintained even in the front-rear direction and the backward slip is prevented.

<Rotation of the rotating member to the closed position>
Next, in a state where the flat conductor F is disposed on the connector body 2, the rotating member 3 is rotated toward the closed position. The rotating member 3 enters the closed position shown in FIG. 1 from the open position shown in FIG. 2 through the position immediately before the closed position shown in FIG. 6A and 6B are longitudinal sectional views of the connector at the power supply terminal 5 when the rotating member 3 is in the closed position. FIG. 6A is a state in which the flat conductor is not disposed and FIG. 6B is a flat conductor. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the same position when arrange | positioning, (A) is a figure for making it easy to understand the elastic displacement amount of a power supply terminal.

  When the rotating member 3 reaches the position just before the closing position in FIG. 3, the lower end of the locked piece 33D bent downward from the rear end of the side arm portion 33C provided on the inner plate portion 33 of the rotating member 3 is It contacts the inclined guide edge 76A, which is the upper edge of the lock portion 76 on the connector main body 2 side. When the rotating member 3 is further moved to the closed position in this state, that is, when the outer plate portion 35 is pushed downward in FIG. 3, the rotating member 3 is moved backward by the reaction force of the locked piece 33D from the inclined guide edge 76A. Receives horizontal component force toward This rearward horizontal component force is transmitted from the inner plate portion 33 to the middle plate portion 34 via the front bent portion 31, and a compression force is applied to the elastic portion 34X provided on the middle plate portion 34 to apply the elastic portion 34X. Thus, the inner plate portion 33 itself moves backward relative to the middle plate portion 34 by the amount of elastic compression deformation in the middle plate portion 34. Therefore, the rotation member 3 can be further rotated by the locked piece 33D easily getting over the lock portion 76.

<Lock in closed position>
When the lower inner edge of the locked piece 33D reaches the position of the horizontal lock edge 76B which is the lower end edge of the lock portion 76, the reaction force received by the locked piece 33D from the lock portion 76 is increased. Since it decreases rapidly, as shown in FIG. 1, the locked portion 33D-1 moves forward toward the free state, and the lock portion 76 relatively enters the locked portion 33D-1. As a result, the locked piece 33D is locked in the locked portion 33D-1 by the horizontal lock edge 76B of the lock portion 76 in the direction in which the rotating member 3 returns to the open position. The lockable range length in the front-rear direction between the locked portion 33D-1 and the horizontal lock edge 76B is the amount of movement of the locked piece 33D, that is, the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic portion 34X of the intermediate plate portion 34. Therefore, the lockable range length is much larger than that of, for example, the amount of elastic deformation of the conventional locked piece itself, and the lock is difficult to be released, and the load on the locked piece is extremely small.

  As the locked piece 33D moves forward toward the free state, the upper surface window portion 33C-1 formed on the side arm portion 33C of the inner plate portion 33 also moves forward, and the upper surface window portion 33C. −1, the pressing portion 75 of the fixing bracket 7 enters and is positioned.

  When the rotating member 3 is brought to the closed position in this way, the signal terminal 6 (and the power supply terminal 5) is elastically displaced by the amount pressed against the flat conductor F as compared with the state of FIG. The state shown in FIG. 6B is obtained, and the contact pressure with the flat conductor F is secured by the elastic displacement.

<Unlock>
Next, in order to withdraw the flat conductor F intentionally, after the lock of the rotation member 3 is released by the release operation of the operation portion 33A, the rotation member 3 is rotated to the open position.

  When an operation force is applied to the operation portion 33A in the rearward direction, the operation force is transmitted from the inner plate portion 33 through the front bent portion 31 to the middle plate portion 34 as a rearward pressure force. As a result, the middle plate portion 34 is elastically displaced in the compression direction at the elastic portion 34X. Due to the rearward movement of the middle plate portion 34, the locked piece 33D moves rearward and is released from the lock portion 76 to be unlocked. Along with this unlocking, the upper surface window portion 33C-1 formed on the side arm portion 33C of the inner plate portion 33 also moves rearward, so that the front edge of the upper surface window portion 33C-1 becomes the inclined edge 75A of the pressing portion 75. The rotating member 3 unlocked by receiving the pressing force as a reaction force upward from the pressing portion 75 at the pressed surface 33C-2 in the front region of the upper surface window portion 33C-1 is mounted on the pressing portion. It is automatically lifted by a height of 75. Therefore, the rotating member 3 can be easily rotated toward the open position by the operator after visually confirming that the locked portion 33D-1 is in the unlocked position without returning to the locked position again. Can do.

  When the operation force in the operation portion 33A is released, the elastic portion 34X of the middle plate portion 34 returns to the free state.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, it has been described that the lock portion 76 of the fixture 7 may or may not be able to bend and deform with respect to the other portion. And may be elastically deformable. FIG. 7 shows an example in which an elastic portion 77 is provided adjacent to the lock portion 76 and can be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction with respect to the other portions. In the figure, the same parts as those in the above-described examples of FIGS. 1 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 7, the fixing bracket 7 has a lock portion 76 on the inner side of the side plate portion 71 in the connector width direction, and on the front end (rear end) of the inner portion bent in an S shape in a planar shape. An adjacent front portion has an elastic portion 77 that is similar to the elastic portion 34X of the middle plate portion 34 and has a reduced size. The elastic portion 77 can be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction, and the position of the lock portion 76 can be moved back and forth during elastic deformation.

  When such a fixing bracket 7 is employed in the connector shown in FIG. 1, the locking portion 76 of the rotating member 3 with respect to the locked piece 33D is elastically deformed forward by abutment with the locked piece 33D when locked. In combination with the elastic deformation of the elastic portion 34X of the middle plate portion 34 of the moving member 3, locking becomes very easy.

  In addition to elastic deformation in the front-rear direction, the lock portion 76 may be able to engage with the locked portion 33D-1 by displacing the lock portion 76 due to elastic deflection at the rear portion of the fixture 7. . Furthermore, the pressing part 75 connected to the lock part 76 may be displaced together. In this case, the housing 4 supporting the fixing bracket 7 forms a gap with respect to the pressing portion 75 and the locking portion 76 provided on the rear end side of the fixing bracket 7 inside the locking portion 43 of the housing 4. By doing so, elastic bending is enabled with the rear end of the fixture 7 as a free end. That is, the locking portion 43 forms an upper surface hole portion 43 </ b> A having a gap with respect to the pressing portion 75 and a rear surface hole portion 43 </ b> B having a gap with respect to the lock portion 76.

The pressing portion 75 is formed as a part of the fixing bracket 7, but may be formed as a pressing member that is a separate member from the fixing bracket 7, and in this case, only the pressing member has elasticity in the vertical direction. The locking portion 76 can be fixedly supported by the locking portion 43.
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the previous embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 6, the rotating member was formed as a three-layered form, but was made as one member, whereas in this embodiment, it is made as two members.

  As seen in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the rotating member 3 is composed of two members, a fixed member 80 and a movable member 90.

  The fixing member 80 is connected to the lower plate portion 81 via a lower plate portion 81 and a bent portion 83 having a U-shaped cross section at the rear end edge of the lower plate portion 81. And an upper plate portion 82 located at a distance above. The upper plate portion 82 has a shape similar to that of the outer plate portion 35 in FIG. 1 and is formed with a notch portion 82A at the front end edge, and is bent and protruded in a crank shape at the front end sideways. And a shaft portion 82B supported by the support portion 73. In the previous embodiment, the portion corresponding to the cutout portion 82A has a function of expanding the movable range of the operation portion 33A. However, in FIG. 9, both widthwise edges of the cutout portion 82A are formed on the lower plate portion 81 described later. It has another function of forming a locked portion 82A-1 that is a portion where the provided locking piece is locked.

  At the front end edge of the lower plate portion 81, a locking piece 81A that is locked to the locked portion 82A-1 of the upper plate portion 82 rises and is provided. The locking piece 81A is formed with a locking projection 81A-1 protruding outward in the connector width direction, and the locking projection 81A-1 is formed on the locked portion 82A-1 by the elasticity of the locking piece 81A. The side plate is moved over the side edge to be locked with the upper surface of the locked portion 82A-1, and the interval between the lower plate portion 81 and the upper plate portion 82 is not increased by this locking.

  The movable member 90 has a substrate portion 91 and an elastic portion 92 located thereon, and the substrate portion 91 and the elastic portion 92 are connected by front end edges at both end positions in the connector width direction.

  The board portion 91 has an operation portion 91A at the front edge at the center position in the connector width direction, and side arm portions 91B at both end positions in the connector width direction, and the operation in the previous embodiment shown in FIG. It has the same form as the inner plate part 33 having the part 33A and the side arm part 33C. Further, in this embodiment, the locked piece 91C having the locked portion 91C-1 is suspended from the rear end of the side arm portion 91B. The locked piece that is suspended from the rear end of the side arm portion 33C in FIG. It has the same form as 33D.

  The form of the elastic portion 92 itself connected to the substrate portion 91 and positioned above the substrate portion 91 is the same as that of the elastic portion 34X in FIG.

  The movable member 90 having the base plate portion 91 and the elastic portion 92 having such a configuration is the relationship between the locking piece 81A of the lower plate portion 81 of the fixing member 80 and the locked portion 82A-1 of the upper plate portion 82. After being inserted between the lower plate portion 81 and the upper plate portion 82 that have a large interval before stopping, the locking piece 81A and the locked portion 82A-1 are locked. By doing so, the movable member 90 is prevented from dropping forward by the locking pieces 81A at the portions located on both sides of the operation portion 91A as shown by broken lines in FIG. It becomes a single unit.

  In such a form, the elastic portion 92 of the movable member 90 is in a position where the rear end 92A can abut against the inner wall surface of the bent portion 83 located at the rear end of the fixed member 80, and when the operation portion 91A is pressed rearward. The rear end 92A of the elastic portion 92 abuts on the inner wall surface of the bent portion 83 of the fixing member 80, and the elastic portion 92 is elastically deformed in the compression direction. Therefore, the operation portion 91A of the movable member 90, the side arm portion 91B connected thereto, and the locked piece 91C also move backward by the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic portion 92.

  Thus, also in this embodiment, the rotation member 3 is locked and unlocked with respect to the fixing bracket 7 by the contact between the locked piece 91C and the lock portion 76 at the time of locking, and the operation at the operation portion 91A at the time of unlocking. Thus, the elastic deformation in the elastic portion 92 can be obtained easily and reliably.

  Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  1 to 7, the rotating member 3 is a single member and three rotating members. In the FIGS. 8 to 10, the rotating member 3 is a double member, but in FIG. 11, the rotating member 3 is a simple member. There is a feature in the form of.

  In FIG. 11, the rotating member 3 is formed without bending and overlapping one metal plate or using two metal plates. The rotating member 3 has a fixed part 100 on the front side, a movable part 110 on the rear side, and an elastic part 120 on the middle part, with the middle position in the front-rear direction.

  The fixed portion 100 has a flat plate shape, has a supported portion 101 protruding laterally on both sides of the front end, and a slit 102 extending in the connector width direction is formed in the rear portion so as to penetrate in the plate thickness direction. The slit 102 forms a boundary with the elastic portion 120.

  The movable part 110 includes an operation part 111 having a L-shaped cross section bent so as to rise upward at the rear end, a side arm part 112 having a reverse L-shaped cross section rising at both ends in the connector width direction, and the side arm part. 112 and a locked piece 113 bent downward from the rear end of 112. The movable portion 110 is connected to the elastic portion 120 by a constricted connecting portion 121 at the center position in the connector width direction. The elastic portion 120 can be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction due to the presence of the slit 102 and the coupling portion 121.

  Such a rotating member 3 has a supported part 101 in the fixed part 100 and a locked part 113A in the locked piece 113 of the movable part 110. The supported part 101 and the locked part 113A are It has the same form as the previous embodiment, and provides the same function.

  Thus, also in this embodiment, the rotation member 3 is locked and unlocked with respect to the fixing bracket 7 by the contact between the locked piece 113 and the lock portion 76 at the time of locking, and the rear side of the operation portion 111 at the time of unlocking. It can be easily and reliably performed by obtaining elastic deformation in the elastic portion 120 by the pulling operation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 33A Operation part 2 Connector main body 33D Locked piece 3 Rotating member 33D-1 Locked part 4 Housing 34 Middle plate part 5 (Power supply) terminal 34X Elastic part 6 (Signal) terminal 35 Outer plate part (base part)
7 Fixing bracket 75 Pressing member (pressing part)
33 Inner plate part (movable part) 76 Lock part

Claims (9)

A connector body in which terminals for contact connection with the flat conductor are arranged and held by the housing in the connector width direction, and a rotation made of a metal plate that is rotatably supported by the connector body from an open position to a closed position When the member is in the open position, the flat conductor can be placed on the contact portion of the terminal exposed upward, and when the member is in the closed position, the flat conductor is pressed against the contact portion. In the flat conductor electrical connector
The connector body has a support portion that allows the rotation of the rotation member, and the support member has a supported portion. The rotation member and the connector body have a locked portion and a lock portion, respectively. And have the locking members engage with each other in the closed position of the rotating member,
The rotating member has a base portion provided with a supported portion, a movable portion provided with a locked portion and an operation portion, and an elastic portion that connects the base portion and the movable portion so as to be elastically deformable in the front-rear direction. The base portion and the movable portion can be relatively moved in the front-rear direction by elastic deformation of the elastic portion, and the locked portion and the lock portion of the connector main body interfere with each other by turning the turning member to the closed position side. Further, the lock can be locked by further rotating to the closed position side, and the locked state of the locked part is released by operating the operation part in the elastic deformation direction. An electrical connector for flat conductors.   The locked part and the locked part are in a positional relationship in which the locked part gets over the lock part and is brought to the unlocked position based on elastic deformation in the elastic part during the unlocking operation in the operating part. Item 2. The electrical connector for a flat conductor according to Item 1.   The lock part and the locked part are in a positional relationship in which the lock part moves in a direction away from the locked part based on elastic deformation in the elastic part during the unlocking operation in the operation part. The electrical connector for flat conductors as described.   The rotating member has an inner plate portion and an outer plate portion in the order closer to the contact portion of the terminal in the closed position, and a supported portion is provided on one of the inner plate portion and the outer plate portion, The outer plate portion is connected to the outer plate portion via an elastic portion that can be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction, and the outer plate portion and the inner plate portion are relatively movable in the front-rear direction by the elastic deformation in the elastic portion. The other of the outer plate and the outer plate is provided with a locked portion. By bringing the rotating member to the closed position, the locked portion moves in the elastic deformation direction due to the elastic deformation of the elastic portion, and is engaged with the locking portion of the connector body. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connector can be stopped.   The rotating member is bent so as to overlap three so as to divide the region of the metal plate in the front-rear direction, the outer plate portion having one free end side of the metal plate as a front edge portion, and the other plate portion An inner plate part having a free end as a rear edge part, and an intermediate plate part located between the outer plate part and the inner plate part and connected to the rear edge of the outer plate part and the front edge of the inner plate part A supported portion is provided on the side edge of the outer plate portion, a locked portion is provided on the rear edge portion of the inner plate portion, and an operation portion is provided on the front edge portion. The flat connector electric connector according to claim 4, wherein an elastic portion is provided on the flat conductor.   The locked portion of the rotating member is formed as a locked window provided in the locked piece bent from the rear edge portion of the outer plate portion, and the lock portion of the connector body is a lock that protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the connector body. The flat conductor electric connector according to claim 5, wherein the flat conductor electric connector is formed as a protrusion.   The operation portion is located close to or in contact with the outer surface of the connector body when the rotating member is in the open position. An electrical connector for a flat conductor as described in 1.   The connector body has a pressing member that presses the rotating member toward the open position when the operating portion is operated in the unlocking direction with the rotating member in the closed position. An electrical connector for a flat conductor according to any one of claims 1, 6, and 7.   The rotating member forms a flat surface region on the outer surface of the outer plate portion within a range including a point where a vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the connector intersects the outer plate portion when the rotating member is in the closed position. An electrical connector for a flat conductor according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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