JP2020042903A - Flat-type conductor electric connector and flat-type conductor electric connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a flat-type conductor electric connector capable of reducing insertion start resistance of a flat-type conductor while securing contact pressure on a terminal of the flat-type conductor and an assembly of the flat-type conductor electric connector and the flat-type conductor.SOLUTION: A first terminal 20 includes a first contact pressure part 22A including: a first introduction part 22A-1 inclined backward X2 in a direction separating from a second contact pressure part 32A to form a rear part of the first contact pressure part; and a first guidance part 22A-2 extending forward from the first introduction part to access the second contact pressure part with an inclination gentler than that of the first introduction part. The second contact pressure part includes a second introduction part 32A-1 inclined backward in a direction separating from the first contact pressure part to form a rear part of the second contact pressure part. The second introduction part ranges from the first introduction part to the first guidance part of the first terminal in the forward and backward direction. The narrowest part S of an interval formed between the first contact pressure part and the second contact pressure part is positioned at the first guidance part's front end area in the forward and backward direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a flat conductor electrical connector and a flat conductor electrical connector assembly which are arranged on a mounting surface of a circuit board and to which flat conductors are connected.

  A connector, which is disposed on the mounting surface of the circuit board and to which a flat conductor extending in the front-rear direction is connected, has a housing formed with a receiving portion into which the flat conductor is inserted forward, and With the terminal arrangement direction being a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, the terminal is held by the housing and elastically displaced so as to generate a contact pressure with the flat conductor during the insertion process, and the contact pressure is maintained even after the flat conductor is inserted. 2. Description of the Related Art A flat conductor electrical connector (hereinafter referred to as "connector") having a plurality of terminals to be maintained is widely used.

  Such a connector is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1. In the connector of Patent Document 1, each terminal is positioned in pairs vertically in the connector height direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the mounting surface of the circuit board, extends in the front-rear direction, and extends in the vertical direction. It has two elastically deformable contact arms, and both contact arms are connected by a connecting portion located on the connector inner side. The two contact arms, which form a pair, form a cantilever with the connecting portion as a base, and are opposed to each other in a symmetrical shape in the connector height direction. The contact points (contact portions) are opposed to each other.

  This terminal is made by stamping a springy metal plate, so that the entire terminal has a flat surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, and the two contact arms have springiness (elasticity). Therefore, the terminal is electrically connected to the FPC in a state where the FPC (flat conductor) inserted between the two contact points of the two contact arms is held between the two contact points.

JP-A-2000-173705

  In the connector of the type disclosed in Patent Document 1, the flat conductor is simply inserted between the two contact arms, and the flat conductor is held between the contact points of the elastically bendable contact arms with a contact pressure. Further, since the flat conductor is held by the contact pressure between the contact points without further operation of other members, the connection of the flat conductor to the connector is simple.

  However, in the connector of Patent Document 1, the contact points formed on the two contact arms have the same shape, which is vertically symmetrical, and both contact points are formed at the same position in the front-rear direction. When the conductor is inserted, the flat conductor receives the same resistance at both contact points, and the combined resistance becomes twice as large as the resistance at one contact point. In this type of connector, since a large number of terminals are arranged, when the flat conductor starts to be inserted, the flat conductor starts to contact all the terminals at the same time. As a result, the total resistance obtained by summing the resistances of all the terminals is obtained. The resistance will be quite large.

  By the way, if the contact points of the two upper and lower contact arms of the terminal of Patent Literature 1 are shifted forward and backward, when the flat conductor is inserted, the contact start time between the flat conductor and the contact point will be different. Therefore, the resistance received by the flat conductor at the start of this contact is small, but when the flat conductor is inserted to a predetermined position, the point of action of the clamping force received from the contact point between the upper surface and the lower surface of the flat conductor moves back and forth. Because the state is shifted in the direction, the range in which the clamping force acts is widened, and the dispersion of the clamping force in this range causes the clamping force per unit area to the flat conductor, that is, the contact pressure to be reduced. In addition to this, the flat conductor is deformed into a waveform extending before and after the two contact points due to bending stress due to a shift in the longitudinal direction of the point of action of the pinching force.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention minimizes the resistance at the start of insertion of a flat conductor into a connector and minimizes the contact pressure on the flat conductor at the time of completion of insertion. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for a flat conductor and an electrical connector assembly for a flat conductor having a terminal capable of securely holding a mold conductor.

  The above-mentioned problems are solved by the following flat conductor electrical connector or flat conductor electrical connector assembly of the present invention.

<Electric connector for flat conductors>
An electrical connector for a flat conductor according to the present invention is an electrical connector for a flat conductor which is disposed on a mounting surface of a circuit board and to which a flat conductor extending in a front-rear direction is connected, wherein the flat conductor is moved forward. A housing in which a receiving portion to be inserted toward the housing is formed, and a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction along the mounting surface is set as a terminal arrangement direction, and the housing is held by the housing at different positions in the terminal arrangement direction and is inserted in the insertion process. And a plurality of terminals that generate a contact pressure with the flat conductor and maintain the contact pressure even after the flat conductor is inserted.

  In such an electrical connector for a flat conductor, in the present invention, the terminal is made of metal having a flat surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, and a connection portion soldered to the mounting surface, The terminal has a contact pressure portion that generates a contact pressure, and the contact pressure portions of one terminal or a plurality of terminals adjacent in the terminal arrangement direction are arranged in the receiving portion at positions where contact pressure is generated on both surfaces of the flat conductor. The contact pressure portion, which is arranged to generate a contact pressure on at least one surface of the flat conductor, is provided on a flexible arm that elastically bends and displaces, and is in contact with any one surface of the flat conductor. The first contact pressure portion arranged to generate pressure and the second contact pressure portion of the second terminal arranged to generate contact pressure on the other surface are opposed to each other in an overlapping range in the front-rear direction. The first contact pressure portion is formed as a protruding portion protruding in A first introduction part which is inclined in a direction away from the second contact pressure part in the direction and forms a rear part of the first contact pressure part, and extends forward from the first introduction part and is looser than the first introduction part. A first guide portion which approaches the second pressure portion in the connector height direction with an inclination or extends parallel to the mounting surface and forms a front portion of the first pressure portion, and the second pressure portion is It has a second introduction part which is inclined in a direction away from the first contact pressure part in the connector height direction toward the rear and forms a rear part of the second contact pressure part, and the second introduction part is in the front-rear direction. The first terminal portion extends from the first introduction portion to the first guide portion, and the space between the first contact pressure portion and the second contact pressure portion in the connector height direction is the smallest. The narrow part is located in the front end area of the first guide part in the front-rear direction.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the first guide portion has a gentler inclination than the first guide portion, in other words, the first guide portion at which the front end of the flat conductor first contacts at the start of insertion. Has a steeper slope than the first guide, and the flat conductor reaches the first guide in a short distance in the insertion direction. Thereafter, when the flat conductor is further inserted and the front end of the flat conductor passes through the first introduction portion and enters the range of the first guide portion, the inclination at the first guide portion becomes gentle, The resistance that the flat conductor receives from the first terminal is reduced, and the front end of the flat conductor is located at the narrowest portion located in the front end region of the first guide portion or at a position passing slightly ahead of the narrowest portion. Easy to reach position.

  The narrowest portion is located in the front end region of the first guide portion of the first contact pressure portion in the front-rear direction, and therefore, the flat conductor inserted to a predetermined position has the first contact pressure portion in the narrowest portion of the front end region. Portion and the second contact pressure portion. That is, the holding position of the flat conductor by the first contact pressure portion and the holding position by the second contact pressure portion are in the front end region of the first guide portion, and are the same position in the front-rear direction. Thus, since the flat conductor acts intensively at the narrowest portion without distributing the clamping force in the front-rear direction, the contact pressure is increased, and the first contact pressure portion and the second contact pressure portion in the front-rear direction are further increased. Since the position of the point of action of the clamping force is not shifted between the flat conductor and the flat conductor, the flat conductor is not deformed into a waveform due to bending stress.

  In the present invention, the plurality of types of terminals have at least a first terminal and a second terminal, and the first terminal has a first connection portion soldered to the mounting surface and a pressure contact with one surface of the flat conductor. The second terminal has a second connection portion soldered to the mounting surface, and a second contact pressure portion that generates a contact pressure on the other surface of the flat conductor. At least one of the first terminal and the second terminal has a flexible arm that elastically bends and displaces in a connector height direction perpendicular to the mounting surface, and the first terminal has a first flexible arm. Whether the first flexible arm has a first contact pressure portion, the second terminal has a second flexible arm and the second flexible arm has a second contact pressure portion, or the first terminal is One flexible arm has a first contact portion on the first flexible arm and a second terminal has a second contact portion on the second flexible arm. It can be in the form.

  According to such an embodiment, the first contact pressure portion of the first terminal generates a contact pressure against one surface of the flat conductor, and a different position in the terminal arrangement direction with respect to the first terminal, for example, at the first terminal. The second pressure contact portion of the second terminal generates a contact pressure against the other surface of the flat conductor at the same position in the front-rear direction, but at the same position in the front-rear direction. The flat conductor is sandwiched between the contact pressure part. Even when the first terminal has the first flexible arm and the second terminal has the second flexible arm, the first flexible arm and the second flexible arm are independent of each other. Therefore, the elastic bending displacement is sufficiently performed without affecting the amount of elastic bending displacement due to the contact pressure in the first contact pressure portion and the second contact pressure portion. In addition, the first terminal and the second terminal in the connector of the present invention are made of a metal plate having a thickness in the terminal arrangement direction, and are flat at right angles to the terminal arrangement direction. The distance between the adjacent first terminal and the second terminal can be extremely small, and there is almost no effect due to the difference between the clamping positions of the two terminals due to this distance. The flat conductor is sandwiched on both sides at almost the same position.

  In the present invention, the first terminal has a first contact pressure portion on the first flexible arm and the second terminal has a second contact pressure portion on the second stationary arm fixed to the circuit board, or the first terminal. Is provided with a first contact pressure portion on the first fixed arm fixed to the circuit board, the first fixed arm is connected to the first flexible arm via the connecting portion, and the second terminal is the second terminal The flexible arm may be provided with a second contact pressure portion.

  In the present invention, the angle between the first guide portion and the mounting surface of the first contact portion of the first terminal is smaller than the angle between the second introduction portion and the mounting surface of the second contact portion of the second terminal. Preferably, it is small. By doing so, the forward guide toward the predetermined position with respect to the front end of the flat conductor in the first guide portion becomes smooth.

  In the present invention, the first terminal may be a ground terminal and the second terminal may be a signal terminal.

  In the present invention, the number of the first terminals is smaller than the number of the second terminals, and a smaller amount of elastic bending displacement can be generated as compared with the second terminals. Since the first contact pressure portion of the first terminal has the first introduction portion and the first guide portion having a gentle inclination, the first introduction portion is usually steeply inclined, and the second introduction portion of the second terminal is provided. Often the slope is greater than the part. Therefore, at the start of the insertion of the flat conductor, the first terminal gives a larger resistance toward the rear than the second terminal to the flat conductor, so the number of the first terminals arranged is smaller than the number of the second terminals arranged. Is preferred.

<Electric connector assembly for flat conductors>
An electric connector assembly for a flat conductor according to the present invention includes the electric connector for a flat conductor described above and a flat conductor inserted into the electric connector for a flat conductor. The ground is formed at a position where the contact with the ground circuit at the narrowest portion of the ground terminal starts with a contact pressure later than when the contact with the signal circuit at the narrowest portion of the signal terminal starts. A circuit portion is provided.

  The flat conductor is usually provided with a ground circuit portion and a signal circuit portion slightly projecting from the surface of the sheet-shaped base material of the electrically insulating material. Therefore, as described above, the fact that the ground circuit portion comes into contact with the narrowest portion later than the signal circuit portion means that the protrusion from the surface of the base material at the front end of the ground circuit portion is caused by the signal circuit portion. The flat conductor means that the ground circuit portion receives the pinching force of the narrowest portion later than the signal circuit portion, which means that the flat conductor starts at a position behind the protrusion from the surface of the base material at the front end. The increase in the resistance to the flat conductor due to the increase in the pinching force by the amount of protrusion of the circuit portion from the surface of the base material is also delayed, and the total resistance received by the flat conductor is gradually increased. Results and facilitates the insertion of flat conductors. In addition, the first pressure contact portion of the first terminal, which is the ground terminal, and the second pressure contact portion of the second terminal, which is the signal terminal, are located in a mutually overlapping range in the front-rear direction. The position of the application point of the clamping force at the second contact pressure portion and the clamping force at the second contact portion does not shift in the front-rear direction, so that the contact pressure is not weakened, and the flat conductor is deformed into a waveform. No severe bending stress occurs.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the terminal has the first contact pressure portion and the second contact pressure portion that generate contact pressure on both surfaces of the flat conductor, and the first contact pressure portion has the first introduction portion and the first contact portion. The first guide portion having a gentler inclination than the introduction portion is formed, and the second introduction portion of the second contact pressure portion is formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction to the range of the first guide portion, and the first contact pressure portion and the second contact pressure portion are formed. Since the narrowest portion formed between the contact pressure portions is located in the front end area of the first guide portion in the front-rear direction, the holding position of the flat conductor by the first contact pressure portion and the second contact pressure portion is set. The flat conductor reaches the gently inclined first guide part with a short distance in the insertion direction at the start of insertion, while maintaining a sufficient contact pressure while securely holding the flat conductor by matching it in the front and rear direction, and from the terminal after that Has the effect of reducing the resistance of the device.

1 is a perspective view showing an electric connector for a flat conductor together with a flat conductor according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state immediately before a flat conductor is inserted. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1 taken along a plane perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, where (A) shows a cross section at the position of a first terminal, and (B) shows a cross section at a position of a second terminal. I have. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating only terminals extracted from the connector of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 1A is a side view of the first terminal and one of the second terminals viewed in a terminal arrangement direction in a state where one terminal is arranged, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state in which one terminal, a second terminal, and a first terminal are arranged apart from each other in order to facilitate understanding. It is a side view of a terminal, (A) shows a 1st terminal and (B) shows a 2nd terminal. It is a figure which expands and shows the 1st contact pressure part of a 1st terminal, and the 2nd contact pressure part of a 2nd terminal. 3A is a side view sequentially showing a process of inserting a flat conductor into the first terminal and the second terminal in FIG. 3A, wherein FIG. (B) shows a state in which the interval between the first pressure contact portion of the first terminal and the second pressure contact portion of the second terminal has begun to increase immediately after insertion, and (C) shows that the insertion proceeds further and the above-mentioned interval is maximized. (D) is a state immediately after the insertion of the flat conductor to a predetermined position. It is a figure showing the terminal of the 1st modification in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the terminal of the 2nd modification in an embodiment of the present invention.

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

  The flat conductor electrical connector 1 (hereinafter referred to as “connector 1”) according to the present embodiment is mounted on a mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), and a front-rear direction parallel to the mounting surface is defined as an insertion / removal direction. The conductor C is connected so that it can be inserted and removed. After the connector 1 is arranged on the mounting surface of the circuit board, the flat conductor C is connected thereto, thereby electrically connecting the circuit board and the flat conductor C.

  In FIGS. 1 to 5, three-dimensional coordinates X, Y, and Z are set in order to facilitate understanding of the direction. The direction, Z, is the connector height direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the circuit board. Further, for the front-back direction X, the front direction is X1, the rear direction is X2, and for the terminal arrangement direction Y, FIG. Y1 and left direction are defined as Y2, and as to the connector height direction Z, the upward direction is defined as Z1 and the downward direction is defined as Z2, and the directions are clarified as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the flat conductor C has a band shape extending in the front-rear direction X, and a plurality of circuit portions (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction X are arranged on the lower surface thereof in the terminal arrangement direction Y. Is formed. The circuit part is buried in the insulating layer of the flat conductor C and extends in the front-rear direction, reaches the front end position (end position in the X1 direction) of the flat conductor C, and reaches the front end position of the flat conductor C at the front end position. Located on the surface. In the present embodiment, the signal circuit portion is located on the lower surface at the front end position, and the ground circuit portion is located on the upper surface at the front end position. Further, the flat conductor C has a smaller width dimension (dimension in the terminal arrangement direction Y) at the front end inserted into the receiving portion of the connector 1 described later than other portions, and has cutouts C1 at both side edges thereof. Are formed. An ear C2 projecting outward in the terminal arrangement direction Y is formed at a position in front of the notch C1, and a rear end edge of the ear C2 is a locking portion of a movable member of the connector 1 described later. And functions as a locked portion C2A that locks. A reinforcing plate C3 is attached to the upper surface of the front end of the flat conductor C to reinforce the front end.

  The connector 1 includes a housing 10 made of an electrically insulating material having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and a plurality of metal ground terminals arranged and held in the housing 10 with the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 being a terminal arrangement direction Y. One terminal 20 and a second terminal 30 formed as a signal terminal (collectively referred to as “terminals 20 and 30” when there is no need to distinguish between them) (only the first terminal 20 is visible in FIG. 1). And a movable member 40 supported by the housing 10 so as to be able to switch (rotate) around a shaft 41 of the movable member 40 between a closed position and an open position, which will be described later. An urging member (not shown) for urging the movable member 40 toward the closed position is attached to the housing 10 at a position near both ends in the terminal arrangement direction Y outside the arrangement range of the terminals 20 and 30. . The movable member 40 is shown in a closed position in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B.

  Prior to the description of the detailed configuration of the connector 1, first, the outline of the operation of inserting and removing the flat conductor C from the connector 1 will be described. Before the insertion of the flat conductor C into the connector 1, the movable member 40 of the connector 1 allows the insertion of the flat conductor C into the housing 10 in the closed position having the posture shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, even after the flat conductor C is inserted and connected, the movable member 40 receives the urging force from the urging member and is maintained at the closed position in the use state of the connector 1. In this closed position, the locking portion (not shown) of the movable member 40 is located in the cutout portion C1 of the flat conductor C, and the locking portion is in the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C. On the other hand, since the flat conductor C can be locked, the flat conductor C is prevented from being pulled out to the rear X2.

  When the flat conductor C is withdrawn when the connector 1 is not used, the movable member 40 is rotated by the operating force against the urging force and switched to the open position, whereby the movable member 40 is moved. The locking portion is disengaged upward from the cutout portion C1 of the flat conductor C, and the locked state of the locking portion of the movable member 40 with respect to the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C is released. Then, when the flat conductor C is pulled to the rear X2, it is extracted to the rear X2. After the flat conductor C is extracted, the movable member 40 receives the urging force from the urging member, rotates toward the closed position, and automatically reaches the closed position. As described above, the extraction of the flat conductor C by releasing the locked state and the return by the rotation of the movable member 40 to the closed position are performed as a series of operations.

  Return to the description of the configuration of the connector 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 extends with a terminal arrangement direction Y parallel to a mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown) as a longitudinal direction, and receives the front end of the flat conductor C. The receiving portion 11 is formed as a space opened toward the rear X2. The housing 10 has a bottom wall 12 facing the mounting surface and extending in parallel with the mounting surface, and a bottom wall 12 facing the bottom wall 12 in the height direction Z and including a terminal arrangement range in the terminal arrangement direction Y. An upper wall 13 extending, a bottom wall 12 in the terminal arrangement direction Y and side walls 14 located at both ends of the upper wall 13, and a bottom wall 12 and an upper wall 13 extending over a range including the terminal arrangement range in the terminal arrangement direction Y. And a front wall 15 (see FIG. 2A) connecting the front ends of the two.

  As described above, the receiving portion 11 has a range corresponding to the front end of the flat conductor C in the terminal arrangement direction Y, specifically, the terminal arrangement range, and furthermore, the terminal arrangement in both outer sides. It is formed over a range adjacent to the range. The receiving portion 11 has an opening 11A which is surrounded by a bottom wall 12, an upper wall 13 and two side walls 14 and opens to the rear X2, and extends from the opening 11A to the rear surface 15A of the front wall 15 in the front-rear direction X. The front end of the flat conductor C is received in the space extending to the end (see also FIGS. 2A and 2B).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 has a first terminal receiving groove 16 for receiving and holding two types of terminals, that is, a plurality of first terminals 20 and second terminals 30 made of a metal plate. The second terminal housing grooves 17 are arranged in the terminal arrangement direction Y at a predetermined interval. The plurality of first terminal receiving grooves 16 are arranged and formed at predetermined intervals, and the second terminal receiving grooves 17 are located between two adjacent first terminal receiving grooves 16. Are formed. The first terminal accommodating groove 16 and the second terminal accommodating groove 17 are formed in a slit shape extending at right angles to the terminal arrangement direction Y.

  The first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 are formed by punching while maintaining a flat plate surface of the metal plate, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, particularly, FIGS. 3A and 3B. The first terminal receiving groove 16 and the second terminal receiving groove 17 of the housing 10 are respectively housed, so that the plate surfaces of all the first terminals 20 and the second terminals 30 are perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction Y. It is arranged and held in the housing 10 so as to form an appropriate surface. Each part of the first terminal 20 is given a "first" to facilitate distinction from a corresponding part of the second terminal 30 described later. Similarly, “second” is assigned to the second terminal 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B and particularly FIG. 4A, the first terminal 20 has a substantially U-shape as a whole, and the first terminal 20 is located at the end of the front X1. A first support arm 22 extending from the upper portion of the first held portion 21 toward the rear X2, and extending in parallel from the lower portion of the first held portion 21 toward the rear X2 with the first support arm 22; It has a first fixed arm 23 and a first connection leg 24 protruding downward from the rear end of the first fixed arm 23. The first held part 21 functions as a connecting part that connects the first support arm 22 and the first fixed arm 23. In addition, each part of the first terminal 20 is denoted by “first” in order to facilitate distinction from a corresponding part of the second terminal 30 described later. Similarly, “second” is assigned to the second terminal 30.

  The first held portion 21 is connected to two arms of a first support arm 22 extending from an upper portion of the first held portion 21 and a first fixed arm 23 extending from a lower portion of the first held portion 21. Therefore, the dimension is larger in the connector height direction Z than the second held portion 31 of the second terminal 30 described later. The first held portion 21 forms a straight portion whose lower edge slides forward X1 with respect to the lower edge of the first terminal receiving groove 16 to be pressed into the first terminal receiving groove 16, and has an upper edge side. Form a first locking portion 21B that protrudes upward and forms a tooth shape. When the first held portion 21 is pressed into the first terminal accommodating groove 16 toward the front X1, the first locking portion 21B bites into the upper edge of the first terminal accommodating groove 16 and comes off. It is aimed at prevention. The lower edge of the first held portion 21 is located on an extension of the lower edge 23A of the first fixed arm 23 and is aligned with the lower edge 23A of the first fixed arm 23. The first fixed arm 23 is in contact with the bottom wall 12 of the housing 10 and is positioned on the bottom wall 12 in a fixed state in which the first fixed arm 23 cannot be bent.

  A first connecting leg 24 extending downward from the rear end of the first fixed arm 23 is provided, and a lower edge of the first connecting leg 24 is connected to a first connecting portion 24A soldered to a mounting surface of the circuit board. Has formed. The first connecting leg 24 has a first locking groove 24 </ b> B opening toward the front X <b> 1 between the first fixed arm 23 and the first connecting portion 24 </ b> A, and a rear edge of the bottom wall 12. It can be attached to.

  The first support arm 22 extends long from the upper part of the first held part 21 to the rear X2, and has a first contact pressure part 22A protruding downward at a rear end thereof, and is flat with the first contact pressure part 22A. A contact pressure is generated with the mold conductor C. The first support arm 22 has a larger width (dimension in the connector height direction Z) than a second flexible arm 32 of the second terminal 30 described later, and generates a contact pressure at the first contact pressure portion 22A. However, no elastic bending displacement occurs, or an extremely small elastic bending displacement occurs as compared with the second flexible arm 32 of the second terminal 30. The first contact pressure portion 22A will be described later in further detail while comparing with the second contact pressure portion 32A of the second terminal 30.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B and especially FIG. 4B, the second terminal 30 extends long in the front-rear direction X and is located at the end of the front X1. 31, a second flexible arm 32 extending rearward from the second held portion 31 toward the rear X2, and a second connecting leg 33 extending downward and forward from the second held portion 31 to outside the housing 10. The lower edge of the second connection leg 33 forms a second connection portion 33A that is soldered to the mounting surface of the circuit board.

  The second held portion 31 forms a straight portion in which the lower edge 31 </ b> A slides rearwardly X <b> 2 with respect to the lower edge of the second terminal receiving groove 17 and is pressed into the second terminal receiving groove 17. A second locking portion 31B that protrudes upward and forms a tooth shape is formed. When the second held portion 31 is pressed into the second terminal receiving groove 17 toward the rear X2, the second locking portion 31B bites into the upper edge of the second terminal receiving groove 17 and comes off. It is aimed at prevention.

  The second flexible arm 32 extends from the second held portion 31 to the back X2, and has a second contact pressure portion 32A protruding upward at a rear end thereof. When a contact pressure is generated between the conductor C and the conductor C, the conductor C can be elastically deformed and displaced downward. As shown in FIG. 5, the second contact pressure portion 32 </ b> A extends in the front-rear direction X from a range of a later-described first introduction portion 22 </ b> A- 1 of the first terminal 20 to a range of a later-described first guide portion 22 </ b> A- 2. The second introduction portion 32A-1 to be described later for introducing the flat conductor C is formed with an inclination to narrow the interval between the first introduction portion 22A-1 toward the front X1. The second pressure contact portion 32A will be described in more detail below, in contrast to the first pressure contact portion 22A of the first terminal 20.

  Next, with respect to the first pressure contact portion 22A of the first terminal 20 and the second pressure contact portion 32A of the second terminal 30, the positional relationship and shape of both will be described with reference to FIG.

  The first terminals 20 are arranged at intervals in the terminal arrangement direction Y with respect to the second terminals 30, but the distance between the second terminals 30 adjacent in the same direction is small, and the first contact pressure of the first terminals 20 is small. Since the portion 22A and the second contact portion 32A of the second terminal 30 are separate members as described above, they can be relatively displaced in the height direction independently of each other. A contact pressure is generated in the connector height direction Z at a position that can be said to be substantially the same in the direction Y, and the flat conductor C is sandwiched.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first contact pressure portion 22A of the first terminal 20 located above and the second contact pressure portion 32A of the second terminal 30 located below have an overlapping range in the front-rear direction X. At the holding position, they face each other in the connector height direction Z, and a narrowest portion S is formed at the front of the two to make the space between them the narrowest. The first contact pressure portion 22A of the first terminal 20 has a first introduction portion 22A-1 at a rear X2 portion (rear portion) of a lower edge thereof and a first guide portion 22A-2 at a front X2 portion (front portion) thereof. Have. The front end area of the first guide portion 22A-2 is located at the narrowest portion S.

  The first introduction portion 22A-1 formed on the first contact pressure portion 22A of the first terminal 20 is inclined with respect to the mounting surface in a direction approaching the second contact pressure portion 32A in the connector height direction Z toward the front X1. The first guide portion 22A-2 is directed forward from the first introduction portion 22A-1 and has a gentler inclination with respect to the mounting surface than the first introduction portion 22A-1. , Or extends parallel to the mounting surface.

  On the other hand, the second introduction part 32A-1 formed in the second contact pressure part 32A of the second terminal 30 moves from the range of the first introduction part 22A-1 in the front-rear direction X to the first guide part 22A-2. In other words, the first contact pressure portion 22A moves from the first introduction portion 22A-1 to the first guide portion 22A-2 in the front-rear direction X within the range of the second introduction portion 32A-1. Migrating. Thus, the front end of the second introduction portion 32A-1 is at the position of the narrowest portion S or a position in the vicinity thereof.

  Although the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 can be used as both a signal terminal and a ground terminal, in the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the second terminal 30 is arranged more, Since the second contact pressure portion 32A can be elastically displaced by the second flexible arm 32, this is a preferred form when the second terminal 30 is used as a signal terminal and the first terminal 20 is used as a ground terminal.

  Instead of such a configuration, in the present invention, the first terminal has the first flexible arm and the first flexible arm has the first contact pressure portion, or the first terminal has the first flexible arm. The first flexible arm has a first contact pressure portion, the second terminal has a second flexible arm, and the second flexible arm has a second contact pressure portion. You can also. In this case, as in the illustrated embodiment, it is common practice to use a terminal having a flexible arm as a signal terminal, or to use a large number of terminals as signal terminals.

  Next, a procedure for assembling the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 illustrated and described as the present embodiment into the housing 10 and an operation of the obtained connector 1 during use will be described.

  First, the first terminal 20 is inserted into the first terminal receiving groove 16 and the second terminal 30 is inserted into the second terminal receiving groove 17 of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 2A, the first terminal 20 is inserted into the first terminal receiving groove 16 toward the front X1, and the first held portion 21 of the first terminal 20 is moved to the front end of the first terminal receiving groove 16. The first locking groove 24B is fitted into the rear edge of the bottom wall 12 of the housing 10 and fixed. As shown in FIG. 2B, the second terminal 30 is inserted into the second terminal receiving groove 17 toward the rear X2, and the second held portion 31 of the second terminal 30 is inserted into the second terminal receiving groove 17. And fixed by the second locking portion 31B. Thus, the connector 1 in which the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 are incorporated in the housing 10 is in the closed position with the movable member 40 being urged by the urging member (not shown).

  Next, the connector 1 is mounted on a mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown). This mounting is performed by soldering each of the first connection portion 24A of the first terminal 20 and the second connection portion 33A of the second terminal 30 to the corresponding circuit portion on the mounting surface.

  Thereafter, the flat conductor C is inserted into the receiving portion 11 of the connector 1 mounted on the circuit board, and connected to the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30.

  For connection of the flat conductor C, the front end of the flat conductor C is inserted into the receiving portion 11 of the housing 10 of the connector 1, and is connected to the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 as the insertion proceeds. . FIG. 6 shows the progress of the insertion in terms of the relationship between the flat conductor C, the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30, omitting the illustration of the housing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (A), the front end (the front end at the front X1) of the flat conductor C is first connected to the first introduction portion 22A-1 formed on the first contact pressure portion 22A of the first terminal 20. And the second terminal 30 comes into contact with the second introduction portion 32A-1 formed on the second pressure portion 32A of the second terminal 30. The second introduction part 32A-1 of the second terminal 30 has a range overlapping the first introduction part 22A-1 of the first terminal 20 in the front-rear direction X, and the second contact pressure part 32A of the second terminal 30 is When the lower end of the front end of the flat conductor C presses the second contact pressure portion 32A downward Z2 due to being displaceable in the height direction due to the elastic bending of the two flexible arms 32, the second contact pressure portion 32A Upon receiving a reaction force from the second introduction portion 32A-1 toward the upper direction Z1, the upper front end of the flat conductor C is pushed toward the first introduction portion 22A-1 by the reaction force. Therefore, when the flat conductor C is inserted into the front X1 in the state of FIG. 6A, the front end of the flat conductor C displaces the second contact pressure portion 32A downward, and the first introduction portion 22A-1 While a contact pressure is generated in the second introduction portion 32A-1, the space between the two is expanded while receiving resistance from the both toward the rear X2. Thereafter, in the present embodiment, although the inclination of the second introduction portion 32A-1 is steeper than that of the first guide portion 22A-2, the inclination of the second introduction portion 32A-1 is smaller than that of the first introduction portion 22A-1. The resistance towards is reduced.

  When the flat conductor C is further inserted into the front X1, the flat conductor C advances while expanding between the first introduction portion 22A-1 of the first terminal 20 and the second introduction portion 32A-1 of the second terminal 30. 6B, it reaches the position of the first guide portion 22A-2 of the first terminal 20. The first guide portion 22A-2 has a gentler inclination than the first introduction portion 22A-1 at the rear X2. Therefore, when the front end of the flat conductor C enters the range of the first guide portion 22A-2, the resistance of the flat conductor C to the rear X2 is further reduced.

  When the flat conductor C is further inserted forward X, as shown in FIG. 6C, the front end of the flat conductor C reaches the narrowest portion S in the front end region of the first guide portion 22A-2, In the narrowest portion S, a maximum contact pressure is generated between the first contact pressure portion 22A of the first terminal 20 and the second contact pressure portion 32A of the second terminal 30. This contact pressure has a value sufficient to ensure good contact between the flat conductor C, the first terminal 20, and the second terminal 30.

  When the flat conductor C is further inserted into the front X1 while ensuring the contact pressure between the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 at the narrowest portion S, the front end of the flat conductor C is It comes into contact with the rear surface 15A of the front wall 15 (see FIG. 2A), and further insertion is regulated to bring it to a predetermined insertion position (see FIG. 6D).

  When the flat conductor C is brought to the predetermined insertion position, the movable member 40 is urged toward the closed position by the urging force of the urging member (not shown) held by the housing 10, so that the movable member Of the flat conductor C protrudes into the notch C1 of the flat conductor C, thereby preventing the flat conductor C from being pulled out to the rear X2.

  In the present invention, the flat-type conductor electrical connector assembly can be formed by the flat-type conductor electrical connector of the above-described embodiment and the flat-type conductor inserted into the flat-type conductor electrical connector. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, the flat conductor C has a ground circuit portion P1 formed on the upper surface and a signal circuit portion P2 formed on the lower surface, and the second terminal 30 serving as a signal terminal. At a position where contact with the ground circuit portion P1 at the narrowest portion S of the first terminal 20, which is the ground terminal, is started later than when the contact with the signal circuit portion P2 at the narrowest portion S starts. The circuit section P1 may be provided, that is, the front end of the ground circuit section P1 may be located at a position X2 behind the front end of the signal circuit section P2. By doing so, the resistance from the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 increases stepwise as the insertion of the flat conductor C progresses, and a rapid increase can be avoided.

  The present invention is not limited to the forms shown and described in FIGS. 1 to 6 and can be variously modified.

  In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6, the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 are the first support arm 22 on which the first contact pressure portion 22A is formed and the second flexible arm on which the second contact pressure portion 32A is formed. 32 extend in the same direction, that is, both extend backward X2, but this direction can be reversed.

  In the first modified example of FIG. 7, the first terminal is denoted by reference numeral 20-I, and the second terminal is denoted by reference numeral 30-I, and has the same configuration as that of FIGS. 1 to 6, for example, the configurations of FIGS. Common parts are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 4A and 4B, and description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 7, the first terminal 20-I has the same form as that of FIG. 4A, but extends from the upper part of the first held portion 21 to the rear X2 and is flexible first flexible. Although it has the arm 22F, it does not have a portion corresponding to the first fixed arm 23 in FIG. 4A from the lower part of the first held portion 21.

  The first flexible arm 22F is provided with a first contact pressure portion 22A at a rear end position. The first contact pressure portion 22A has the same form as in FIG. 4A, and has a first introduction portion 22A-1 and a first guide portion 22A-2.

  In the first modified example, a lower end of the first held part 21 is provided with a first connection leg 33 and a second connection part 33A of the second terminal 30 shown in FIG. A connection leg 25 and a first connection portion 25A are provided, and the first connection leg 25 and the first connection portion 25A are soldered to a circuit board (not shown).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the second terminal 30-I has a lower edge of the first connection leg 24 where the first locking groove 24B is formed in FIG. 4A as a first connection portion 24A. The first terminal 20 has a second connection leg 35 having the same form as that of the first connection leg 24, the lower edge of which is a second connection portion 35A, and a second locking groove 35B is formed on a side portion. A second stationary arm 34 extends from an upper portion of the second connection leg 35 toward a front X1 in a direction opposite to the first flexible arm 22, and extends in the front-rear direction X of the first terminal 20-I. A second contact pressure portion 34A is formed at the same position as the first contact pressure portion 22A. The second introduction part 34A-1 is formed in the second contact part 34A simultaneously with the second introduction part 32A-1 in the second contact part 32A of the second terminal 30 in FIG. 4B. .

  The configuration of only the first contact portion 22A of the first terminal 20-I and the second contact portion 34A of the second terminal 30-I in FIG. 7 is the same as the above-described configuration shown in FIG. 7 is the same, and in FIG. 7 as well, the maximum distance between the front end area of the first guide portion 22A-2 of the first terminal 20-I and the front end area of the second introduction portion 34A-1 of the second terminal 30-I. A narrow portion S is formed.

  The first terminal 20-I and the second terminal 30-I in FIG. 7 are located at positions where the first held portion 21 held by the housing 10 and the second connection leg 35 serving as the held portion are different in the front-rear direction X. , It can be accommodated in the terminal receiving groove at the same position in the terminal arrangement direction Y. That is, the first contact pressure portion 22A and the second contact pressure portion 34A can clamp the flat conductor at the same position in the terminal arrangement direction Y.

  Next, in the second modified example shown in FIG. 8, the terminals are the first terminal 20, the second terminal 30, and the first terminal 20- in the above-described embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6 and the first modified example of FIG. It is formed as a kind of terminal 50, unlike the case where it is formed as two kinds of terminals separately into I and the second terminal 30-I.

  The terminal 50 in FIG. 8 has a common part with the form of FIGS. 1 to 6, for example, the form in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B). ), And the description thereof will be omitted. The terminal 50 has a support arm 52 and a flexible arm 53 having the same configuration as the first support arm 22 of the first terminal 20 and the second flexible arm 32 of the second terminal 30 in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Are integrally provided. The held portion 51, which forms a connecting portion that connects the bases of the support arm 52 and the flexible arm 53, is located above the first held portion 21 of the first terminal 20 in FIG. 4A and in FIG. The lower part of the second held part 31 of the second terminal 30 is formed integrally with the lower part of the second held part 31, and the upper edge of the held part 51 has a locking part 51 </ b> B that locks with the upper edge of the terminal receiving groove of the housing. The lower edge 51A slides with respect to the lower edge of the terminal accommodating groove when being accommodated in the terminal accommodating groove. A connection leg 54 having the same form as the second connection leg 33 of the second terminal 30 in FIG. 4B is provided below the held portion 51, and the lower edge of the connection leg 54 is (Not shown) as a connection portion 54A for solder connection.

  In the present modification shown in FIG. 8, a first contact pressure portion 52A is provided on the support arm 52, and a second contact pressure portion 53A is provided on the flexible arm 53. The first modification shown in FIG. The first contact pressure portion 52A includes a first introduction portion 52A-1 and a first guide portion 52A-2 located in front of the first contact pressure portion 52A, and a second contact pressure portion 52A-2. 8A, a second introduction portion 53A-1 is formed, and also in FIG. 8, the front end region of the first guide portion 52A-2 located in front of the first introduction portion 52A-1 and the second introduction portion 53A-. A narrowest portion S is formed between the front end region and the front end region.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 34A (2nd) pressure contact part 10 Housing 34A-1 (2nd) introduction part 11 receiving part 35A (2nd) connection part 20 (1st) terminal 50 terminal 20-I (1st) terminal 52A 1st Contact part 21 Connecting part (first held part) 52A-1 First introduction part 22A First contact part 52A-2 First guide part 22A-1 First introduction part 53 Flexible arm 22A-2 First guide Part 53A second contact pressure part 23 first fixed arm 53A-1 second introduction part 24A (first) connection part C flat conductor 30 (second) terminal S narrowest part 30-I second) terminal X front and rear Direction 32 (second) flexible arm X1 front 32A second contact pressure part X2 rear
32A-1 Second introduction part Y Terminal arrangement direction 33A (Second) connection part Z Connector height direction

Claims (7)

A flat conductor electrical connector arranged on a mounting surface of a circuit board and connected to a flat conductor extending in a front-rear direction, the housing having a receiving portion into which the flat conductor is inserted forward. A direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction along the mounting surface is defined as a terminal arrangement direction, and a contact pressure is generated between the flat conductors held by the housing at different positions in the terminal arrangement direction and the flat conductor during the insertion process, and the flat In a flat conductor electrical connector comprising a plurality of terminals that maintain the contact pressure even after insertion of the conductor,
The terminal is made of metal having a flat surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction,
A connection portion that is connected by soldering to the mounting surface, and a contact pressure portion that generates a contact pressure on the surface of the flat conductor,
The contact pressure portions of one terminal or a plurality of terminals adjacent in the terminal arrangement direction are arranged in the receiving portion at positions where contact pressure is generated on both surfaces of the flat conductor,
The contact pressure portion, which is arranged to generate a contact pressure on at least one surface of the flat conductor, is provided on a flexible arm that is elastically displaced and displaced,
The first contact pressure portion arranged to generate a contact pressure on any one surface of the flat conductor and the second contact pressure portion of the second terminal arranged to generate a contact pressure on the other surface are front and rear. In the range overlapping each other in the direction, it is formed as a protruding portion protruding in the proximity direction opposite to each other, and the first contact pressure portion is separated from the second contact pressure portion in the connector height direction toward the rear. A first introduction portion inclined to form a rear portion of the two contact pressure portions, and a front portion extending forward from the first introduction portion and approaching the second pressure contact portion in a connector height direction with a gentler inclination than the first introduction portion. Or having a first guide portion extending parallel to the mounting surface and forming a front portion of the first contact pressure portion,
The second contact pressure portion has a second introduction portion inclined rearward in a direction away from the first contact pressure portion in the connector height direction toward the rear and forming a rear portion of the second contact pressure portion, The introduction section extends in the front-rear direction to a range from the first introduction section of the first terminal to the first guide section,
The narrowest portion of the interval in the connector height direction formed between the first contact pressure portion and the second contact pressure portion is located in the front end region of the first guide portion in the front-rear direction,
An electrical connector for a flat conductor, characterized in that: The plurality of types of terminals have at least a first terminal and a second terminal,
The first terminal has a first connection portion that is soldered to the mounting surface, and a first pressure portion that generates a pressure on one surface of the flat conductor,
The second terminal has a second connection portion that is soldered to the mounting surface, and a second contact pressure portion that generates a contact pressure on the other surface of the flat conductor,
At least one of the first terminal and the second terminal has a flexible arm that is elastically displaced and displaced in a connector height direction perpendicular to the mounting surface,
The first terminal has a first flexible arm and the first flexible arm has a first contact pressure portion, or the second terminal has a second flexible arm and the second flexible arm has a second The first terminal has a first flexible arm, the first flexible arm has a first contact pressure portion, and the second terminal has a second flexible arm. The electrical connector for a flat conductor according to claim 1, wherein the flexible arm includes a second contact pressure portion.   The first terminal has a first contact portion on the first flexible arm and the second terminal has a second contact portion on the second stationary arm which is fixed to the circuit board, or the first terminal is on the circuit board. On the other hand, the first fixed arm to be fixed is provided with a first contact pressure portion, the first fixed arm is connected to the first flexible arm via the connecting portion, and the second terminal is connected to the second flexible arm. The electrical connector for a flat conductor according to claim 2, further comprising a second contact pressure portion.   The angle between the first guide portion and the mounting surface of the first contact portion of the first terminal is smaller than the angle between the second introduction portion and the mounting surface of the second contact portion of the second terminal. The electrical connector for a flat conductor according to claim 2 or 3.   The electrical connector according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the first terminal is a ground terminal and the second terminal is a signal terminal.   The first terminal has a first flexible arm and the second terminal has a second flexible arm. The first terminal has a smaller number of arrangements than the second terminal, and the first flexible arm is smaller than the second flexible arm. The electrical connector for a flat conductor according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein a small amount of elastic deflection displacement is generated. A flat conductor electrical connector assembly comprising the flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 5 and a flat conductor inserted into the flat connector.
The ground circuit part and the signal circuit part are formed on the flat conductor, and the contact pressure between the ground terminal and the ground circuit part at the narrowest part of the ground terminal is later than when the contact with the signal circuit part at the narrowest part of the signal terminal is started. An electrical connector assembly for a flat conductor, wherein a ground circuit portion is provided at a position where a contact having a contact is started.

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