JP2022181498A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a connector that is easy to visually recognize whether a circuit board is appropriately inserted.SOLUTION: A connector 1 for connecting to an end of a circuit board 2 includes: a housing 4 that has a support surface 34 for supporting the end of the circuit board; a terminal member 5 that includes an upper piece 48 and a lower piece 50 protruding from the underside of the support surface and having a contact point 56 and is supported by the housing; and an actuator 6 that is rotatably supported around a rotation axis X and can be displaced to a rearward tilted position tilted backward with respect to an insertion direction, a standing position upright with respect to the insertion direction, and a forward tilted position tilted forward with respect to the insertion direction and locking the circuit board to the support face. When the circuit board is inserted, the actuator displaces from the rearward tilted position to the standing position, and when the actuator is in the standing position, a gap P extending in a left-right direction is formed between the actuator and the housing and a front end of the inserted circuit board in the insertion direction can be visually recognized through the gap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a connector for connecting to a circuit board such as a flat cable.

A sheet-like conductive path connector for connecting a sheet-like conductive path such as a flat cable is known (for example, Patent Document 1). The connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a connector housing having terminal fittings and a holding member provided in the housing. The holding member is coupled to the housing so as to be displaceable between an insertion position in which the sheet-like conductive path can be inserted and a holding position in which the inserted sheet-like conductive path is pressed against the terminal fitting and held in contact. there is

A connector for connecting to a flat cable, such as that described in Patent Document 1, is required to be reduced in outer dimensions as electronic devices are miniaturized and densified. However, when the connector is miniaturized, it takes time and effort to insert the object to be connected, and confirmation work is required to confirm whether the object to be connected has been completely inserted.

Therefore, a connector has been developed that can easily confirm the insertion of the object to be connected and maintain the contact state (for example, Patent Document 2). The connector of Patent Literature 2 includes a housing and an actuator that holds an object to be connected, as in the first embodiment.

The housing has an open-topped insert for inserting the connecting end of the object to be connected. The actuator is attached to the housing so as to be rotatable between an open position that opens the top of the insertion portion of the housing and a closed position that covers the top of the insertion portion.

The housing is provided with a confirmation groove that communicates with the insertion portion in order to confirm insertion of the connection object when it is in the open position. The confirmation grooves are provided at positions aligned with the left and right ends of the inner portion of the insertion portion, and the actuator is also provided with cutouts at portions aligned with the confirmation grooves when it is in the open position. Thereby, when the actuator is in the open position, the operator can visually check both ends of the connection object inserted into the insertion portion in the insertion direction through the notch and the confirmation groove.

JP-A-10-214656 Japanese Patent No. 5905776

In the connector described in Patent Literature 2, the operator needs to visually check whether the connecting object is properly inserted through the notch and the confirmation groove. In particular, in a miniaturized connector, it is not easy to visually recognize the object to be connected because the confirmation groove becomes small.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector in which it is easy to visually recognize whether or not a flat circuit board is properly inserted.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a connector (1) electrically connected to a flat circuit board (2) by inserting an end portion of the circuit board, comprising: A housing (4) with a support surface (34) for supporting said end of the circuit board, an upper piece (48) positioned above said support surface, and an upper piece (48) projecting upwardly from said support surface and having said tip at its tip. A terminal member (5) supported by said housing, comprising a lower piece (50) with contacts (56) for abutting the circuit board and around an axis of rotation (X) perpendicular to the direction of insertion of said circuit board. a rearward tilting position tilted backward with respect to the insertion direction, a standing position standing higher than the rearward tilting position, and an anterior tilting position with respect to the insertion direction, the circuit It has an actuator (6) that can be displaced to a forward tilted position for sandwiching the board between the support surface and the actuator (6), the actuator being displaced from the rearward tilted position to the upright position when the circuit board is inserted. When the actuator is in the upright position, a gap (P) extending in the left-right direction is formed between the actuator and the housing. The front end in the direction of insertion becomes visible.

According to this aspect, when the circuit board is inserted, the actuator is in the standing position. At this time, a gap extending in the left-right direction is formed between the actuator and the housing, and the operator can visually recognize the front end of the circuit board in the insertion direction. As a result, the operator can recognize that the circuit board is inserted biased or obliquely, so the operator can check whether the flat circuit board is properly inserted. can be easily verified.

In the above aspect, the rotating shaft is positioned above the supporting surface, and at the rearward tilting position, the actuator enters the insertion path (Y) of the circuit board, and the circuit board is inserted into the actuator. A cam mechanism (90) may be configured to rotate the actuator from the rearwardly tilted position to the upright position by abutting a portion of the actuator within the insertion path on the circuit board when the actuator is inserted.

According to this aspect, when the circuit board is inserted, the motion of the circuit board in the insertion direction is converted into rotation of the actuator by the cam mechanism. Therefore, the actuator can be automatically erected by inserting the circuit board.

In the above aspect, it is preferable to provide a cam portion that cooperates with the end portion of the circuit board to displace the actuator from the rearward inclined position to the upright position when the circuit board is inserted.

According to this aspect, when the circuit board is inserted, the actuator can be rotated and displaced from the backward tilted position to the upright position.

In the above aspect, the housing has a bottom wall extending in a substantially horizontal direction and having the support surface on the top surface, and an upright wall provided on the distal side of the bottom wall in the direction of insertion, and The bottom wall is provided with a lower terminal hole (30) opening at said support surface, said upright wall is provided with an upper terminal hole (28) opening above said support surface, said lower piece being said The upper piece may pass through the lower terminal hole, and the upper piece may pass through the upper terminal hole.

According to this aspect, the actuator can be provided on the upper side of the circuit board, and the contact can be provided on the lower side of the circuit board. As a result, the circuit board can be pushed downward by the actuator to bring the contacts into contact with the circuit board.

In the above aspect, the terminal member includes a base (26) supported by the upstanding wall, the upper piece and the lower piece each being cantilevered, and the lower piece Compared to the upper piece, it is more easily deformed in a direction away from the support surface, and when the circuit board is in the forward tilted position, the circuit board is urged downward by the upper piece and contacts the adjacent support surface. should be in contact with each other.

According to this aspect, the contact pressure of the lower piece to the circuit board is less likely to depend on the thickness of the circuit board.

In the above aspect, the support surface may slope upward toward the distal end in the direction of insertion.

According to this aspect, since the circuit board bends at the distal end in the insertion direction, the circuit board becomes difficult to come off from the connector.

According to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a connector in which it is easy to visually recognize whether or not the flat circuit board is properly inserted.

1 is a perspective view of a connector and a circuit board according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to the present invention; FIG. (A) III(A)-III(A) line perspective half-sectional view in FIG. 1, and (B) III(A)-III(A) sectional view in FIG. IV-IV cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 when the actuator is in (A) the rearward tilting position, (B) the standing position, and (C) the forward tilting position VV sectional view of FIG. 1 when the actuator is in (A) the rearward tilting position, (B) the standing position, and (C) the forward tilting position

An embodiment of a connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, an end portion 2A of a flat circuit board 2 such as FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) or FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) is inserted and electrically connected to the end portion 2A. connector. The connector 1 is fixed to a PCB 3 (printed circuit board), as shown in FIG. electrically connected to the

The thickness of the circuit board 2 connected to the connector 1 is set in advance. However, the thickness of the circuit board 2 has an error caused by the manufacturing process, and the thickness varies. The error in the thickness of the circuit board 2 is set so as to fall within a prescribed manufacturing tolerance.

In the following description, for the sake of simplification, the insertion direction of the circuit board 2 is assumed to be the rearward direction, and top and bottom and left and right are defined as indicated by the arrows in FIG. However, this definition of direction is for convenience of explanation, and is not limited to this.

The connector 1 includes a housing 4, a plurality of terminal members 5, and an actuator 6, as shown in FIG.

The housing 4 is a resin molded product made of an electrically insulating material, and has a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the left-right direction.

The housing 4 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped bottom wall 8 extending in the left-right direction, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped upright wall 9 coupled to the rear side of the bottom wall 8 , and a pair of left and right side portions 10 provided on the upright wall 9 . have.

A receiving portion 12 for receiving the circuit board 2 is provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall 8 . The receiving portion 12 is a recess provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall 8 and recessed downward, and its upper and front portions are open. The receiving portion 12 has a substantially horizontal bottom surface forming a substantially central portion of the top surface of the bottom wall 8 , left and right side surfaces extending upward from the left and right edges of the bottom surface, and a rear surface extending upward from the rear edge of the bottom surface. (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). The end portion 2A of the circuit board 2 is accommodated in the accommodation space 14 when the circuit board 2 is inserted to the proper position.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upright wall 9 is connected to the rear surface of the bottom wall 8 and projects above the top surface of the bottom wall 8 . The width of the upright wall 9 in the left-right direction is larger than that of the bottom wall 8 , and the left and right ends of the upright wall 9 are located outside the left and right ends of the bottom wall 8 .

The side portions 10 extend forward from the left and right ends of the front surface of the upright wall 9 respectively. The side portions 10 are located outside the left and right edges of the bottom wall 8 . The upright wall 9 is provided with an insertion recess 16 recessed rearward behind the gap between the side portion 10 and the bottom wall 8 .

An eaves portion 18 and a ridge 20 are provided on the laterally inner surface of the side portion 10 . The eaves portion 18 extends along the upper edges of the left and right side surfaces. The ridge 20 extends downward from substantially the center of the eaves portion 18 in the front-rear direction. The eaves 18 and the ridges 20 are positioned above the bottom wall 8 respectively.

In this embodiment, the rear edge of the side portion 10 is provided with flat plate portions 22 each having a horizontal surface and extending inward from the left and right. A plate portion 22 connects the side portion 10 and the front upper edge.

A plurality of terminal holes 24 are provided in the housing 4 . The terminal holes 24 are substantially parallel to each other and are recessed forward from the rear surface of the housing 4 . As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the terminal hole 24 has a terminal hole base 26 recessed forward on the rear surface of the housing 4, and an upper terminal hole 28 and a lower terminal connected to the terminal hole base 26, respectively. and a hole 30 .

The upper terminal hole 28 extends forward from the upper half of the terminal hole base 26 to reach the front surface of the upright wall 9 and is open at the front surface thereof.

The lower terminal hole 30 extends forward from the lower half of the terminal hole base 26 . The upper terminal hole 28 and the rear portion of the lower terminal hole 30 are separated vertically by separation walls extending in the front-rear direction.

The lower terminal hole 30 extends to the front surface of the bottom wall 8 . The front portion of the lower terminal hole 30 is open upward and communicates with the receiving portion 12 vertically. The front surface of the lower terminal hole 30 is open.

A step portion 32 is formed in the bottom wall 8 . The stepped portion 32 is defined by the bottom and side surfaces of the lower terminal hole 30 and the surface forming the portion of the bottom surface of the receiving portion 12 where the lower terminal hole 30 is not provided. A surface of the bottom surface of the receiving portion 12 that does not have the lower terminal hole 30 forms a support surface 34 that supports the circuit board 2 accommodated in the accommodation space 14 from below. 30 is open at support surface 34 .

That is, the bottom wall 8 extends in the left-right direction (that is, substantially horizontally) and is a wall body having a support surface 34 on its upper surface, and the upright wall 9 is provided on the distal side of the bottom wall 8 in the insertion direction. It corresponds to the wall body. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear end portion of the support surface 34 (the portion on the distal side in the insertion direction with respect to the circuit board 2) has an inclined surface 36 that slopes upward toward the rear side (distal side). is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, reinforcing metal fittings 38 (holddowns) formed by bending a metal plate are attached to the left and right ends of the housing 4, respectively.

The reinforcing metal fittings 38 are arranged at the left and right ends of the bottom wall 8 and have a body portion 39 inserted into the insertion recess 16 and horizontal portions 40 extending left and right inward from the upper edge of the body portion 39 . The horizontal portion 40 is located above the top surface of the bottom wall 8 and below the eaves portion 18 . The horizontal portion 40 is positioned behind the ridge 20 and in front of the flat plate portion 22 .

The terminal member 5 is a bent conductive metal plate. The terminal member 5, as shown in FIG. and a terminal member rear portion 46 connected to the rear side of the . As shown in FIG. 3B, the terminal member base portion 42 is inserted into the terminal hole base portion 26 .

The terminal member front portion 44 includes an upper branch piece 48 (also referred to as an upper piece or upper beam portion) extending forward from the front upper half portion of the terminal member base portion 42 and a lower portion extending forward from the front lower half portion of the terminal member base portion 42 . It has a branch piece 50 (also referred to as a lower piece or a lower beam portion). As a result, the terminal member 5 has a U shape (tuning fork shape) when viewed in the horizontal direction.

The upper branch piece 48 is connected at its rear end to the front upper half portion of the terminal member base portion 42 to form a cantilever beam supported by the terminal member base portion 42 . Upper branch piece 48 includes a portion located above support surface 34 . That is, the upper branch piece 48 is positioned above the support surface 34 . The upper branch piece 48 extends forward from the terminal hole base 26 , passes through the upper terminal hole 28 and extends above the support surface 34 . A receiving recess 49 (notch) recessed upward is provided at the front end of the upper branch piece 48 .

The lower branch piece 50 is connected at its rear end to the front lower half portion of the terminal member base portion 42 to form a cantilever beam supported by the terminal member base portion 42 . The lower branch piece 50 extends forward from the terminal hole base 26 , passes through the lower terminal hole 30 and extends below the receiving portion 12 . The lower branch piece 50 protrudes from the lower side of the support surface 34 to the upper side of the support surface 34 at its front portion, and forms a contact 56 that contacts the lower surface of the circuit board 2 at its tip. An engaging claw 50A is provided at the base end portion of the lower branch piece 50, and the terminal member 5 is engaged with the housing 4 by engaging the engaging claw 50A with the wall defining the lower terminal hole 30. is stopped.

In this embodiment, the lower branch piece 50 is branched into two, a first lower branch piece 52 and a second lower branch piece 54, on the extension direction side (that is, the front portion). Each of the first lower branch piece 52 and the second lower branch piece 54 has a protrusion 55 projecting upward at the front end thereof. Each protrusion 55 forms a contact 56 that contacts the lower surface of the circuit board 2 at its upper end. Hereinafter, the protrusion 55 at the front end of the first lower branch piece 52 will be referred to as a first protrusion 55A, and the contact 56 of the first lower branch piece 52 will be referred to as a first contact 56A. Hereinafter, the projection 55 at the front end of the second lower branch piece 54 will be referred to as a second projection 55B, and the contact 56 of the second lower branch piece 54 will be referred to as a second contact 56B.

The second lower branch piece 54 is positioned below the first lower branch piece 52 and protrudes forward from the first lower branch piece 52 . The second projecting portion 55B is located in front of the first projecting portion 55A, and the second contact 56B and the first contact 56A are arranged to line up in the front-rear direction.

Each of the first lower branch piece 52 and the second lower branch piece 54 has the same width in the horizontal direction as the upper branch piece 48 and has a smaller width in the vertical direction than the upper branch piece 48 . Therefore, the first lower branch piece 52 and the second lower branch piece 54 are more easily deformed in the direction away from the support surface 34 than the upper branch piece 48, and are more easily bent by vertical loads.

The terminal member rear portion 46 extends rearward from the rear lower end of the terminal member base portion 42 . The connector 1 is assembled to the PCB 3 by arranging the terminal member rear portion 46 to come into contact with the terminals provided on the upper surface of the PCB 3 and soldering them respectively. At this time, the terminal member 5 is electrically connected to a terminal provided on the upper surface of the PCB 3 .

The actuator 6 is a resin molded product made of an electrically insulating material. As shown in FIG. 2 , the actuator 6 includes a flat plate-like actuator main body 60 extending in the left-right direction, projections 62 provided on the left and right end surfaces of the actuator main body 60 , and left and right side surfaces of the actuator main body 60 . and a locking portion 64 .

The actuator main body 60 has a flat plate shape extending in the left-right direction. A pressing portion 66 is provided on one side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the main surface of the actuator body portion 60 . The pressing portion 66 extends along one edge of the main surface (lower end in FIG. 1) and has a striped shape protruding from the actuator main body 60 .

A plurality of slits 80 are provided along the edge of one end of the actuator main body 60 . Each of the slits 80 is formed by cutting one end edge of the actuator main body 60 into a rectangular shape. Each of the slits 80 is provided at a position that overlaps the projecting portion 62 and is aligned with the terminal hole 24 when viewed from the side (viewed in the left-right direction).

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, rod-shaped shaft portions 82 extending in the left-right direction are provided inside the slits 80, respectively. The shafts 82 provided in the slits 80 have the same shape and are arranged along the axis X extending in the left-right direction. The shaft portions 82 are accommodated in receiving recesses 49 formed in the upper branch pieces 48 of the corresponding terminal members 5, respectively. Thereby, the actuator 6 is rotatably supported by the upper branch piece 48 about an axis X (rotational axis) perpendicular to the insertion direction (rear direction).

Since the upper branch piece 48 is provided above the support surface 34 , the actuator 6 is arranged above the circuit board 2 . Also, the lower branch piece 50 is configured to protrude upward from the lower side of the support surface 34 . As a result, when the circuit board 2 is pushed downward by the actuator 6, the contacts 56 come into contact with the lower surface of the circuit board 2, as shown in FIG. 5C, for example.

As shown in FIG. 2, the protrusions 62 are provided on the left and right end surfaces of the actuator main body 60, respectively. Each projecting portion 62 projects outward in the left-right direction from the end face of the actuator body portion 60 . The projecting portion 62 is positioned on one end side (lower side in FIG. 1) of the left and right end faces. As shown in FIG. 3A, the protruding portion 62 protrudes along the axis X and is arranged so as to be aligned with the shaft portion 82 when viewed in the left-right direction.

The projecting portion 62 is arranged in the space between the eaves portion 18 , the body portion 39 , the ridge 20 and the front surface of the upright wall 9 in a side view. The protruding portion 62 is restricted from moving vertically and back and forth by the eaves portion 18 , the main body portion 39 , the ridge 20 , and the front surface of the upright wall 9 . As a result, the actuator 6 cannot be separated from the housing 4 .

As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the projecting portion 62 has a substantially hexagonal prism shape. One of the side surfaces of the protruding portion 62 (hereinafter referred to as protruding portion base end surface 62A) is parallel to the one end side end surface of the actuator main body portion 60 (lower end surface in FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the projection base end surface 62A is continuous with the end surface of the actuator main body 60 on the one end side.

A protrusion holding surface 62B is connected to the protrusion base end surface 62A. The protrusion base end surface 62A and the protrusion holding surface 62B constitute the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 62, respectively. The angle formed by the protrusion holding surface 62B and the protrusion base end surface 62A is less than 180 degrees and greater than 90 degrees, and is set to 135 degrees in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the locking portions 64 are provided on the left and right end faces of the actuator body portion 60, respectively. The locking portions 64 are positioned above the protruding portions 62 respectively.

Next, the position and operation of the actuator 6 when the operator inserts the circuit board 2 will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, before inserting the circuit board 2 into the connector 1, the operator rotates the actuator 6 so that the actuator 6 moves backward in the front-rear direction (insertion direction). Arrange so that it cant (ie, fall distally in the direction of insertion, ie, backwards). The position of the actuator 6 at this time is described as a rearward tilt position.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the actuator 6 is at the rearward tilting position, the protrusion holding surface 62B of the protrusion 62 is in contact with the upper surface 39A of the main body 39. As shown in FIG. As a result, the actuator 6 is supported by the reinforcing bracket 38 from below. Furthermore, the actuator main body 60 abuts on the upright wall 9 at the center of its rear surface, and is supported by the housing 4 while being inclined upward toward the rear. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, the rear corner portion of the lower end of the actuator main body 60 is positioned within the housing space 14, that is, within the insertion path Y. As shown in FIG.

When the operator inserts the circuit board 2 rearward from the front side of the receiving portion 12, the end portion 2A of the circuit board 2 abuts the corner portion on the rear side of the lower end of the actuator main body portion 60, and the rear lower end of the actuator main body portion 60 The side corners are pushed backwards. As a result, the actuator 6 rotates as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5(B) and assumes a standing position that is higher than the rearward tilted position. That is, the actuator 6 is provided with a cam mechanism 90 that cooperates with the end portion 2A of the circuit board 2 in the insertion direction to convert translational motion of the circuit board 2 in the insertion direction into rotational motion of the actuator 6. . At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the protruding portion base end surface 62A is in contact with the upper surface 39A of the main body portion 39. As shown in FIG.

A gap S is formed between the actuator 6 and the contact 56 when the actuator 6 is in the standing position. The width of the gap S in the vertical direction is preferably set to be slightly narrower than the thickness of the circuit board 2 (the width in the vertical direction). As a result, it is possible to prevent the inserted circuit board 2 from slipping or coming off due to the frictional force until the actuator 6 is completely displaced from the upright position to the forward tilted position.

When the actuator 6 is in the upright position, a gap P is formed in the front-rear direction between the actuator main body 60 and the upright wall 9, forming a path Z (see FIG. 5B) leading in the vertical direction. be. Therefore, the worker can view the inside of the housing space 14 from above through the path Z. The gap P extends in the left-right direction. Therefore, the front end of the inserted circuit board 2 in the insertion direction can be visually recognized through the gap P when the actuator 6 is in the upright position. As a result, the operator can recognize that the circuit board 2 is inserted biased or obliquely, and can confirm whether the circuit board 2 is properly inserted. .

The front end in the insertion direction of the circuit board 2 here is not limited to the entire front end in the insertion direction of the circuit board 2 . The front end of the circuit board 2 in the insertion direction is a portion of the entire front end in the insertion direction that has a width in the left-right direction to the extent that it is possible to recognize that the circuit board 2 is inserted biased or inserted obliquely. means When the actuator 6 is in the standing position, if the operator can recognize that the circuit board 2 is inserted biasedly or obliquely by visually recognizing the front end of the circuit board 2 in the insertion direction, A portion of the entire front end in the insertion direction may be blocked by the housing 4, the actuator 6, or the like, and may not be visible.

However, the width of the gap P in the left-right direction is set to be equal to the width of the circuit board 2 in the left-right direction or wider than the width of the circuit board 2 in the left-right direction, so that the entire front end of the circuit board 2 in the insertion direction is Visibility is more preferable.

In this embodiment, when the actuator 6 is in the upright position, the actuator main body 60 extends vertically and its surface faces the front-rear direction. That is, the actuator 6 stands upright upward (that is, in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction). This makes the gap P larger than when the actuator 6 is tilted forward or backward. Furthermore, since the viewing direction to the inside of the housing space 14 is downward, the operator can easily understand the viewing direction.

After inserting the circuit board 2 to the proper position, the operator tilts the actuator 6 forward from the upright position until the locking portion 64 moves below the eaves portion 18, as shown in FIG. 5(C). The actuator 6 is rotated. As a result, the actuator 6 is in a forward tilted position with respect to the front-rear direction. At this time, the rotation of the actuator 6 is restricted by the engagement of the locking portion 64 and the eaves portion 18, and the actuator 6 is in a locked state.

As can be understood from FIG. 5C, the amount of downward protrusion of the actuator 6 in the forward leaning position is larger than that in the standing position because the actuator 6 is provided with the pressing portion 66 . Therefore, when the actuator 6 rotates from the upright position to the forward tilting position, the upper branch piece 48 resists the urging force of the lower branch piece 50 and pushes the circuit board 2 downward through the pressing portion 66 to push the circuit board 2 downward. It is brought into contact with the support surface 34 . When the actuator 6 is locked, an upward reaction force is applied to the upper branch piece 48 from the circuit board 2, and the front end of the upper branch piece 48 is deformed so as to warp upward. As a result, a reaction force is applied to the circuit board 2 from the upper branch piece 48 , and the circuit board 2 is urged downward to come into contact with the support surface 34 . As a result, the circuit board 2 is sandwiched between the end surface of the pressing portion 66 and the support surface 34 and locked to the support surface 34 .

When the actuator 6 rotates from the standing position to the forward tilting position, the contact 56 of the lower branch piece 50 moves downward until it becomes flush with the support surface 34 while keeping contact with the lower surface of the circuit board 2 . As a result, the lower branch piece 50 is deformed so as to warp downward, and the lower branch piece 50 contacts the terminal of the circuit board 2 at the contact point 56 with a predetermined contact pressure.

Next, the effects of the connector 1 configured in this manner will be described.

When the operator inserts the circuit board 2 into the receiving portion 12, the actuator 6 rotates and stands up as shown in FIG. 5(B) to reach the standing position. Therefore, the operator can easily determine whether or not the circuit board 2 is properly inserted by the erection of the actuator 6 .

When in the upright position, the actuator 6 is upright and the actuator 6 is away from the upright wall 9 . Therefore, the operator can see the inside of the receiving portion 12 without being obstructed by the actuator 6 . This makes it possible to confirm whether or not the circuit board 2 has been inserted to the correct position.

If the error in the thickness of the circuit board 2 is within the manufacturing tolerance, the circuit board 2 is positioned between the end surface of the pressing portion 66 and the support surface 34 when the actuator 6 is in the forward inclined position as shown in FIG. 5(C). is clamped by and locked to the support surface 34 . In other words, even if the thickness of the circuit board 2 is at the lower limit within the manufacturing tolerance (that is, thinner than the set value), the thickness of the circuit board 2 is at the upper limit within the manufacturing tolerance (that is, the set value). ), the circuit board 2 is sandwiched between the end surface of the pressing portion 66 and the support surface 34 and locked to the support surface 34 .

As a result, regardless of the thickness of the circuit board 2 , the contacts 56 of the lower branch piece 50 are pushed downward to the position where they are vertically aligned with the support surface 34 . Therefore, regardless of whether the thickness of the circuit board 2 varies and reaches the upper limit value or the lower limit value, the moving distance of the contact 56 is the same, and the reaction force applied to the circuit board 2 from the lower branch piece 50 is constant. . Therefore, a stable contact load can be obtained regardless of variations in the thickness of the circuit board 2 .

The second projecting portion 55B is located in front of the first projecting portion 55A, and the second contact 56B and the first contact 56A are arranged to line up in the front-rear direction. As a result, even if one of the contacts 56 is dirty or dust is sandwiched between the contacts 56 and the circuit board 2, the other contact 56 contacts the circuit board 2, thereby improving the contact reliability. .

In this embodiment, an inclined surface 36 is provided on the distal side of the support surface 34 in the insertion direction. Therefore, when the circuit board 2 reaches the inclined surface 36 when the actuator 6 is in the forward tilting position, the distal end 2A of the circuit board 2 in the insertion direction is bent along the inclined surface 36. do. This makes it more difficult for the circuit board 2 to come off from the connector 1 compared to the case where the supporting surface 34 is not provided with the inclined surface 36 and the end portion 2A of the circuit board 2 is not bent.

Further, when the actuator 6 is rotated backward from the forward tilted position, the circuit board 2 is pushed upward by the lower branch piece 50 . As a result, the portion of the circuit board 2 located above the lower branch piece 50 and the portion located on the inclined surface 36 are vertically aligned. As a result, since the end portion of the circuit board 2 in the insertion direction becomes horizontal, the insertion and removal of the circuit board 2 from the connector 1 is facilitated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, projections 92 projecting upward are provided on the left and right ends of the bottom of the receiving portion 12, and the circuit board 2 is provided with notches 94 at positions aligned with the projections 92. As shown in FIG. Good. When the actuator 6 is tilted forward, the projection 92 is fitted into the notch 94, so that the circuit board 2 can be more firmly coupled to the connector 1. As shown in FIG.

Although the specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be widely modified.

1: Connector 2: Circuit board 2A: End 3: PCB
4 : Housing 5 : Terminal member 6 : Actuator 8 : Bottom wall 9 : Upright wall 10 : Side portion 12 : Receiving portion 14 : Accommodating space 16 : Insertion recess 18 : Overhead portion 20 : Projection 22 : Flat plate portion 24 : Terminal Hole 26 : Terminal hole base 28 : Upper terminal hole 30 : Lower terminal hole 32 : Stepped portion 34 : Support surface 36 : Inclined surface 38 : Reinforcement bracket 39 : Body portion 39A : Upper surface 40 : Horizontal portion 42 : Terminal member base 44 : Terminal member front part 46 : Terminal member rear part 48 : Upper branch piece (upper piece)
49: Receiving recess 50: Lower branch piece (lower piece)
52: first lower branch piece 54: second lower branch piece 55: protrusion 55A: first protrusion 55B: second protrusion 56: contact 56A: first contact 56B: second contact 60: actuator body 62 : Protruding portion 62A : Protruding portion base end surface 62B : Protruding portion holding surface 64 : Locking portion 66 : Pressing portion 80 : Slit 82 : Shaft portion 90 : Cam mechanism 92 : Protruding portion 94 : Notch P : Gap S : Gap X : Axis line (rotating axis)
Y: insertion path Z: path

Claims (5)

A connector electrically connected to a flat circuit board by inserting an end of the circuit board,
a housing having a support surface for supporting the edge of the circuit board;
a terminal member supported by the housing, including an upper piece located above the support surface and a lower piece projecting upward from the support surface and having a contact point at a tip end thereof to abut against the circuit board;
a rearward tilting position that is rotatably supported by the upper piece about a rotation axis perpendicular to the insertion direction of the circuit board, a rearward tilting position with respect to the insertion direction, a standing position that stands higher than the rearward tilting position, and an actuator tilted forward with respect to the insertion direction and capable of being displaced to a forward tilted position where the circuit board is sandwiched between the support surface and the circuit board;
the actuator is displaced from the rearward tilted position to the upright position when the circuit board is inserted;
A gap extending in the left-right direction is formed between the actuator and the housing when the actuator is in the upright position,
A connector in which the insertion direction front end of the inserted circuit board is visible through the gap. the axis of rotation is positioned above the support surface;
at the rearward tilted position, the actuator enters an insertion path of the circuit board;
The actuator includes a cam mechanism that rotates the actuator from the backward inclined position to the upright position by abutting a portion of the actuator within the insertion path against the circuit board when the circuit board is inserted. 2. The connector of claim 1, wherein: The housing has a bottom wall extending in a substantially horizontal direction and having the support surface on the upper surface thereof, and an upright wall provided on the distal side of the bottom wall in the direction of insertion,
The bottom wall is provided with a lower terminal hole that opens at the support surface,
The upright wall is provided with an upper terminal hole that opens above the support surface,
3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein said lower piece passes through said lower terminal hole, and said upper piece passes through said upper terminal hole. the terminal member includes a base supported by the upright wall, the upper piece and the lower piece each forming a cantilever;
the lower piece is more easily deformable in a direction away from the support surface than the upper piece;
4. The connector of claim 3, wherein said circuit board is urged downward by said upper piece to abut against said support surface when in said forward tilted position. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the distal end side of the support surface in the insertion direction is inclined upward toward the distal side.

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