JP2024055987A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a connector that can be made smaller in size in the terminal arrangement direction. [Solution] A socket connector has a plurality of terminals that electrically connect a flat conductor 2 and a plug connector. The plurality of terminals are configured to include a plurality of first terminals 5A and a plurality of second terminals 5B. Each of the first terminal 5A and the second terminal 5B has a flat conductor side terminal portion that electrically connects with a flat conductor contact portion formed on the upper surface 2A of the flat conductor 2, and a plug connector side terminal portion 34 that electrically connects with the plug connector. The plug connector side terminal portion 34 of the first terminal 5A and the plug connector side terminal portion 34 of the second terminal 5B are positioned side by side in a direction (Z direction) that intersects with the terminal arrangement direction (X direction). [Selected Figure] Figure 9

Description

The disclosure of this application relates to a connector.

There are known connectors that house flat conductors and are electrically connected to the object to be connected by mating them. For example, the connector in Patent Document 1 has a connection terminal that has a conductor connection portion on one end that electrically connects to the flat conductor and a mating terminal connection portion on the opposite side into which the object to be connected is inserted.

JP 2017-103081 A, FIG.

Electronic devices are becoming ever more compact. Accordingly, the demand for smaller connectors and flat conductors is also increasing year by year. To meet this demand, one possible method is to reduce the spacing between connection terminals in the terminal arrangement direction. However, there is a limit to how small a connection terminal with a simple arrangement can be made in the terminal arrangement direction.

This application was made against the background of the conventional technology described above. The purpose of this application is to reduce the size of the connector in the terminal arrangement direction.

In order to achieve the above objectives, some embodiments disclosed in this application are configured to have the following features:

That is, one embodiment disclosed in this application is a connector having a plurality of terminals that electrically connect a flat conductor and a connection object, the plurality of terminals being configured to have a plurality of first terminals and a plurality of second terminals, each of the first terminals and the second terminals having a flat conductor side terminal portion that electrically connects with a flat conductor contact portion formed on a first surface of the flat conductor and a connection object side terminal portion that electrically connects with the connection object, the connection object side terminal portion of the first terminal and the connection object side terminal portion of the second terminal being positioned side by side in a direction that intersects with the terminal arrangement direction.

According to the above embodiment, the connector has a plurality of first terminals and a plurality of second terminals, and the connection object side terminal portions of the first terminals and the second terminals adjacent to each other in the terminal arrangement direction of the plurality of terminals are positioned side by side in a direction intersecting the terminal arrangement direction. Therefore, the spacing between the plurality of terminals can be reduced in the terminal arrangement direction. Therefore, according to the above embodiment, the connector can be made smaller in size in the terminal arrangement direction.

The connection object side terminal portion of the first terminal can be configured to be located on the side of the first surface, and the connection object side terminal portion of the second terminal can be configured to be located on the side of the second surface of the flat conductor opposite the first surface.

In this embodiment, the terminal portion of the first terminal on the object to be connected and the terminal portion of the second terminal on the object to be connected are positioned so as to sandwich the flat conductor, which prevents the connector from becoming larger in the thickness direction of the flat conductor and allows the connector to be smaller in the terminal arrangement direction.

The disclosure of this application makes it possible to miniaturize the connector in the terminal arrangement direction.

FIG. 1 is a front, right side, and plan external perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front, left side, and plan view showing the flat conductor and terminal of FIG. 1 . 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1, showing a state in which the retainer is temporarily fixed. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the connector of FIG. 1 . 2 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line VV in FIG. 1 showing a temporarily fixed state of the retainer. Cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the housing of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is an external perspective view including the front, right side, and bottom surfaces of the retainer shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a front view partially showing an arrangement of the plug connector side terminal portions of the terminals in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a rear, right side, and plan view showing a plug connector-side terminal portion of the terminal in FIG. 1 ;

The following describes an embodiment of a socket connector 1, which is one aspect of the present application, with reference to the drawings. The socket connector 1 electrically connects a flat conductor 2 to a plug connector (mating connector) (not shown) as a "connection object" fixed to a substrate (not shown). Herein, when "first" and "second" are used in this specification and claims, they are used to distinguish different components, and are not used to indicate a specific order or superiority or inferiority.

For the sake of convenience, in this specification and claims, as shown in FIG. 1, etc., the width direction (left-right direction) of the socket connector 1 is described as the X direction, the depth direction (front-back direction) as the Y direction, and the height direction (up-down direction) as the Z direction. Furthermore, in the Y direction, the insertion direction of the flat conductor 2 into the socket connector 1 is described as the front side, and the removal direction as the rear side. In the socket connector 1, the side of the operation unit 21 described below that releases the mated state with the plug connector is described as the upper side in the Z direction. However, these do not limit the mating connection direction of the socket connector 1 or the method of mounting on the board. The socket connector 1 here is arranged so that the "terminal arrangement direction" is the X direction, the "terminal extension direction" and the "plug connector mating and removal directions" are the Y direction, and the "contact direction between the flat conductor 2 and the plug connector" is the Z direction.

Configuration of socket connector 1 (Figs. 1 to 10)

As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, etc., the socket connector 1 includes a housing 3, a retainer 4, and a terminal 5. The socket connector 1 is configured to insert the flat conductor 2 from the rear of the housing 3 in the Y direction. Furthermore, the socket connector 1 is configured to push in and attach the retainer 4 from the front of the housing 3 in the Y direction when the flat conductor 2 has been completely inserted into the housing 3. The socket connector 1 is configured to prevent the flat conductor 2 from falling out of the socket connector 1 by attaching the retainer 4 to the housing 3. The housing 3 is configured to attach a plug connector (not shown) from the front in the Y direction when the retainer 4 is attached. In this way, the socket connector 1 is configured to electrically connect the flat conductor 2 and the plug connector.

Flat conductor 2

First, we will explain the flat conductor 2 that fits into the socket connector 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flat conductor 2 has a thin plate shape and is arranged so that the plate surface extends along the XY plane. The flat conductor 2 has an upper surface 2A as a "first surface" located on the upper side in the Z direction and a lower surface 2B as a "second surface" located on the lower side in the Z direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the flat conductor 2 is inserted into the socket connector 1 with the front end located at the front end in the Y direction as the leading edge. As shown in FIG. 2, the flat conductor 2 has a flat conductor contact portion 2a arranged on one surface of the insulating substrate, for example, on the upper surface 2A and near the front end. The flat conductor 2 has a plurality of flat conductor contact portions 2a, which are arranged in the width direction (X direction) of the flat conductor 2. Each of the plurality of flat conductor contact portions 2a is configured to be in conductive contact with a plurality of terminals 5 when the flat conductor 2 is fitted and connected to the socket connector 1.

Locking holes 2c are formed as "locking portions" on the side edges 2b located on both outer sides in the X direction of the flat conductor 2. When the socket connector 1 and the flat conductor 2 are in a mated connection state, the locking protrusions 18 of the locking spring portion 11 described below are adapted to fit into the locking holes 2c. When the flat conductor 2 is pulled backward in the Y direction, which is the removal direction, from the socket connector 1, the edges of the locking holes 2c catch on the locking protrusions 18 in the removal direction, preventing the flat conductor 2 from coming loose. The locking holes 2c of the flat conductor 2 may be concave rather than hole-shaped, or may have other shapes, as long as they can prevent the flat conductor 2 from coming loose.

Housing 3

The housing 3 is formed from an electrically insulating resin molded body. As shown in FIG. 1 etc., the housing 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is shortest in the Z direction and longer in the X direction than in the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 3 etc., the housing 3 has a flat conductor accommodating section 6, a mating section 7, and a terminal accommodating section 8.

The flat conductor accommodating section 6 is a section that accommodates the flat conductor 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the flat conductor accommodating section 6 has an H-shaped hole when viewed from the rear. The flat conductor accommodating section 6 has a flat conductor insertion section 9, a through hole 10, and a locking spring section 11. The flat conductor accommodating section 6 here has two through holes 10, 10 and locking spring sections 11, 11.

The flat conductor insertion portion 9 is a portion that corresponds to the horizontal bar in the H-shape of the flat conductor accommodating portion 6. In other words, the flat conductor insertion portion 9 has a depth from the rear surface of the housing 3 to the middle position in the Y direction of the housing 3 (see FIG. 3), and is groove-shaped, extending along the X direction of the housing 3 to near both the left and right outer ends. The length of this flat conductor insertion portion 9 in the X direction is approximately equal to the overall width of the flat conductor 2 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 4).

The lower side of the flat conductor insertion portion 9 in the Z direction is a flat conductor receiving surface 12 that is a rectangular planar shape along the XY plane (see FIG. 3). The flat conductor receiving surface 12 is formed across the entire width of the flat conductor insertion portion 9 in the X direction, excluding the communicating holes 10, 10 formed near both the left and right outer sides in the X direction (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 13 is formed on the side of the housing 3, which communicates with the end of the flat conductor insertion portion 9. By observing the opening 13, it is possible to check whether the flat conductor 2 is completely or incompletely inserted into the housing 3.

The left and right communication holes 10, 10 are parts corresponding to two vertical bars in the H-shape of the flat conductor accommodating portion 6 (see FIG. 4). That is, the left and right communication holes 10, 10 are formed on both the left and right outer sides of the housing 3 in the X direction so that the holes (see FIG. 5) that penetrate the front and back of the housing 3 in the Y direction and communicate with the external space on both sides are along the Z direction. As shown in FIG. 5, two temporary fixing protrusions 10a, 10a that protrude outward in the X direction are formed on the inner wall of each of the left and right communication holes 10, 10 in the X direction. The temporary fixing protrusions 10a, 10a can be temporarily fixed in the middle stage of attaching and detaching the retainer 4 to the housing 3. The left and right communication holes 10, 10 accommodate left and right locking spring parts 11, 11, respectively. The rear side of the communication hole 10 is divided into upper and lower parts by the locking spring portion 11, and above the locking spring portion 11, a deformation space 14 of the locking spring portion 11 is formed (see Figure 5, etc.).

The locking spring portion 11 is a portion that prevents the flat conductor 2 from coming loose. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the locking spring portion 11 has an elastic arm portion 15, an upper surface portion 16, a pressing portion 17, a locking protrusion portion 18, and a jig operating portion 19.

The elastic arm portion 15 is a portion that allows the locking spring portion 11 to be elastically deformed. The elastic arm portion 15 is formed in a cantilever shape with a downward slope from the rear end of the communication hole 10 in the Y direction and the upper side in the Z direction toward the front in the Y direction. The front end of the elastic arm portion 15 extends in the Y direction to a position that slightly exceeds the front end of the flat conductor insertion portion 9.

The upper side surface portion 16 is a portion that prevents the locking spring portion 11 from floating up by contacting the retainer 4 attached to the housing 3 when the flat conductor 2 is fully accommodated (see FIG. 6). The upper side surface portion 16 is formed on the upper side of the elastic arm portion 15 from its front end to its middle position in the Y direction. The upper side surface portion 16 is configured as a rectangular flat surface along the XY plane. The upper side surface portion 16 faces the deformation space 14, and is configured to enter the deformation space 14 when the locking spring portion 11 elastically deforms upward. The upper side surface portion 16 is configured to face the lower side of the retainer 4 that has entered the deformation space 14 with a small space therebetween (see FIG. 6).

The pressing portion 17 is a portion that presses the flat conductor 2 inserted into the flat conductor insertion portion 9 toward the flat conductor receiving surface 12. The pressing portion 17 is composed of a lower side surface formed from the front position of the elastic arm portion 15 to the middle position in the Y direction. The pressing portion 17 is composed of a rectangular flat surface along the XY plane. The pressing portion 17 is not formed near the front end of the elastic arm portion 15, and has a smaller area than the upper side surface portion 16. Although the pressing portion 17 faces the flat conductor insertion portion 9, it is shifted from the flat conductor receiving surface 12 in the X direction and does not directly face the flat conductor receiving surface 12 (see FIG. 4). However, the pressing portion 17 presses the flat conductor 2 against the flat conductor receiving surface 12, so that the flat conductor 2 is sandwiched between the flat conductor receiving surface 12 and the pressing portion 17. This increases the holding force of the flat conductor 2 by the locking spring portion 11, and prevents the flat conductor 2 from rattling inside the flat conductor accommodating portion 6.

The pressing portion 17 may be arranged in consideration of the position of the flat conductor contact portion 2a when the flat conductor 2 is completely accommodated. That is, the pressing portion 17 may be formed in the region on the entrance side (the root side of the elastic arm portion 15) of the flat conductor insertion portion 9, or on the opposite side (the tip side of the elastic arm portion 15), or may be formed on both sides, compared to the position of the flat conductor contact portion 2a. In particular, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the pressing portion 17 is preferably formed in the region on the entrance side (the root side of the elastic arm portion 15) of the flat conductor insertion portion 9, compared to the position of the flat conductor contact portion 2a. In this way, the fluttering of the flat conductor 2 outside the housing 3 is blocked at the portion pressed by the pressing portion 17, and fluttering at the position of the flat conductor contact portion 2a is suppressed. Therefore, damage to the flat conductor side terminal portion 33 described later, which is in conductive contact with the flat conductor contact portion 2a, can be prevented.

As described below, the locking spring portion 11 has a locking protrusion 18, which prevents the flat conductor 2 from coming loose from the housing 3. For this reason, the pressing portion 17 may be configured not to press the flat conductor 2.

The locking protrusion 18 is a portion that fits into the locking hole 2c of the flat conductor 2 when the flat conductor 2 is completely inserted into the housing 3 and is in a fully accommodated state. As shown in FIG. 5, the locking protrusion 18 is in the shape of an oblique prism that protrudes downward from the pressing portion 17. That is, the front and back sides of the locking protrusion 18 are both inclined surfaces so that the tip (lower) side is located forward compared to the base (upper) side that connects to the pressing portion 17. This makes it difficult for the flat conductor 2 to get caught on the locking protrusion 18 when it is inserted into the housing 3, but is easy to get caught on the locking protrusion 18 when it is pulled in the removal direction from the housing 3 in the state where the locking hole 2c and the locking protrusion 18 are engaged (fully accommodated state).

The locking protrusion 18 configured in this manner acts to interfere with the flat conductor 2 during the process of accommodating the flat conductor 2 in the flat conductor accommodating section 6, causing the locking spring section 11 to elastically deform toward the deformation space 14. On the other hand, when the flat conductor 2 has been completely accommodated in the flat conductor accommodating section 6, the locking protrusion 18 engages with the locking hole 2c, causing the locking spring section 11 to elastically return to its original position, thereby preventing the movement of the flat conductor 2.

The jig operating portion 19 is a portion that has the function of removing the locking protrusion 18 that has entered the locking hole 2c from the locking hole 2c. The jig operating portion 19 is formed as an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the rear between the front end of the elastic arm portion 15 and the front end of the pressing portion 17. The jig operating portion 19 is rectangular in bottom view. The jig operating portion 19 is configured to be operated by a jig inserted into the communication hole 10 from the front of the housing 3 when the flat conductor 2 is completely accommodated and the retainer 4 is temporarily fixed to the housing 3. The jig operating portion 19 is configured as an inclined surface, so that when the tip of the jig hits and is pressed toward the rear, it generates a force that pushes the locking spring portion 11 upward. As a result, the lower end of the locking protrusion 18 is displaced above the upper surface 2A of the flat conductor 2, and the engagement with the locking hole 2c is released, and the flat conductor 2 that was retained in the housing 3 can be pulled out of the housing 3.

As described above, in the socket connector 1 of this embodiment, in order to release the engagement between the locking protrusion 18 and the locking hole 2c, it is necessary to insert a tool into the communication hole 10 of the housing 3 and then operate the locking spring portion 11. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent an operator from unintentionally touching the locking spring portion 11 and thereby releasing the engagement between the locking protrusion 18 and the locking hole 2c.

The mating portion 7 is a portion that mates with the plug connector. As shown in FIG. 1 etc., the mating portion 7 has a mating peripheral wall 20, an operating portion 21, and a mating protrusion 22. The mating peripheral wall 20 is formed by an outer wall located on the front side of the housing 3. The housing 3 is configured to mating with the inner peripheral surface of a square cylindrical plug connector (not shown). For this reason, the mating peripheral wall 20 is shaped to correspond to the inner peripheral surface of the plug connector.

The operating part 21 is a part that has the function of releasing the socket connector 1, which is mated with the plug connector, from a state in which it is prevented from coming loose. The operating part 21 is formed in a cantilever shape with a front upward angle from the front end of the housing 3 in the Y direction and the upper end in the Z direction toward the rear in the Y direction. The operating part 21 is configured to be elastically deformed by pressing its rear end downward.

The mating protrusion 22 is a part that catches with a recess or protrusion (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the plug connector, preventing the socket connector 1 from coming off from the plug connector. The mating protrusion 22 is formed so as to protrude upward from the upper side surface of the operating portion 21. The front side of the mating protrusion 22 is formed with a gentle slope that protrudes upward toward the rear. On the other hand, the back side of the mating protrusion 22 is formed with a steep slope that protrudes upward toward the rear. This makes it difficult for the mating protrusion 22 to get caught when the socket connector 1 is inserted into the plug connector. On the other hand, when the socket connector 1 is pulled in the removal direction from the plug connector with the mating protrusion 22 mated with the recess on the inner peripheral surface of the plug connector, it is easily caught by the recess on the inner peripheral surface of the plug connector.

The mating projection 22 is configured so that by pressing the rear end side of the operating portion 21 downward, the upper end of the mating projection 22 is displaced downward below the recess in the inner peripheral surface of the plug connector. As a result, the socket connector 1 is released from the mated state with the plug connector.

The terminal accommodating portion 8 is a portion that accommodates the terminal 5. As shown in FIG. 7, the terminal accommodating portion 8 has a terminal accommodating hole 23 and a partition wall 24. The terminal accommodating hole 23 has a depth from the front surface of the housing 3 to a middle position in the Y direction of the housing 3, and is groove-shaped extending along the Z direction of the housing 3 to near the top and bottom ends (see FIG. 3). The partition wall 24 has a hysteresis curve shape in front view (see FIG. 7), and extends from a middle position in the Z direction of the terminal accommodating hole 23 over the entire depth from the front end to the rear end of the terminal accommodating hole 23 (see FIG. 3).

The terminal 5 accommodated in the terminal accommodating hole 23 is configured to have a first terminal 5A and a second terminal 5B as described later (see FIG. 2). Correspondingly, the terminal accommodating hole 23 is divided by a partition wall 24 into a first terminal accommodating hole 23A located on the upper side in the Z direction and a second terminal accommodating hole 23B located on the lower side, as shown in FIG. 7. The housing 3 has a first terminal accommodating hole side opening 25A on the upper side in the Z direction and a second terminal accommodating hole side opening 25B on the lower side on the front side, with the partition wall 24 as a boundary. Each of the first terminal accommodating hole 23A and the second terminal accommodating hole 23B communicates with the flat conductor insertion portion 9 at the butting portion, i.e., the rear end in the Y direction and the intermediate position in the Z direction, i.e., the formation position of the partition wall 24 in the Z direction (see FIG. 3). This allows the terminal 5 to be arranged so as to be in contact with both the flat conductor 2 and the plug connector.

As described below, the socket connector 1 has a plurality of terminals 5, which are arranged in the X direction, which is the "terminal arrangement direction" (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the terminal accommodating holes 23 (first terminal accommodating holes 23A and second terminal accommodating holes 23B) and the partition walls 24 are arranged in a plurality of positions in the X direction corresponding to the plurality of terminals 5 arranged in the X direction (see FIG. 7).

Retainer 4

The retainer 4 is a component that functions to more reliably bring the flat conductor 2 and the plug connector into conductive contact with the terminals 5 arranged in the housing 3. The retainer 4 is formed of an electrically insulating resin molded body. As shown in FIG. 8 and other figures, the retainer 4 is U-shaped in a plan view with an angle, being shortest in the Z direction and longer in the X direction than in the Y direction. The width of the retainer 4 in the X direction corresponds to the width between the left and right outer sides of the left and right communication holes 10 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 8, the retainer 4 has a cover portion 26, left and right deformation control portions 27, 27, and left and right jig abutment portions 28, 28. The retainer 4 is configured to be attached to the housing 3 by inserting the portions corresponding to the left and right deformation control portions 27, 27 and the jig abutment portions 28, 28 into the left and right communication holes 10, 10 from the front of the housing 3 in a pushing manner (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

As shown in FIG. 1, the lid portion 26 is a portion that covers the front surface of the housing 3, i.e., the terminal receiving hole 23. The lid portion 26 is a flat plate shape along the XZ plane that is longer in the X direction than in the Z direction when viewed from the front (see FIG. 8). By having the lid portion 26, the socket connector 1 can prevent an operator from unintentionally touching the terminals 5, and can also prevent situations in which the functionality of the terminals 5 is reduced due to foreign matter entering the terminal receiving hole 23 or colliding with the terminals 5.

The cover 26 is formed with a plurality of terminal introduction sections 29 penetrating the cover 26 in the Y direction in correspondence with the first terminal accommodating hole side opening 25A and the second terminal accommodating hole side opening 25B (see Figs. 1, 7 and 9). The terminal introduction sections 29 are formed with a smaller opening area than the first terminal accommodating hole side opening 25A and the second terminal accommodating hole side opening 25B. Furthermore, the terminal introduction sections 29 are arranged so as to guide the plug connector contact piece to an appropriate position relative to the terminal 5. The front opening side of the terminal introduction section 29 is formed as an inclined surface having an inverted quadrangular pyramid shape. The socket connector 1 has the terminal introduction sections 29, which allows the plug connector contact piece to be inserted more easily and reliably.

The deformation restricting portion 27 is a portion that changes the behavior of the locking spring portion 11. When viewed from the rear, the deformation restricting portion 27 has an angular U-shape, and extends rearward from the outermost end in the X direction of the cover portion 26 and the upper side in the Z direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the deformation restricting portion 27 has a length in the Y direction that allows it to enter the deformation space 14 when attached to the housing 3. The deformation restricting portion 27 has a height that corresponds to the length in the Z direction of the deformation space 14 formed by the position of the locking spring portion 11 in the fully accommodated state. Therefore, the deformation restricting portion 27 can enter the deformation space 14 in the fully accommodated state in which the locking protrusion 18 of the locking spring portion 11 is securely fitted into the locking hole 2c of the flat conductor 2.

The deformation restricting portion 27 of the retainer 4 restricts the deformation of the locking spring portion 11 by entering the deformation space 14. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to pull the flat conductor 2 out of the socket connector 1, the locking spring portion 11 does not easily bend because the deformation is restricted to prevent the locking spring portion 11 from floating up. This makes it difficult for the locking protrusion 18 to be released from the locking hole 2c, preventing the flat conductor 2 from falling out of the socket connector 1.

At the tip of the deformation restricting portion 27, that is, at the rear end in the Y direction, an interference portion 30 is formed. The interference portion 30 is configured to elastically deform and contact the locking spring portion 11 located in the deformation space 14. If the locking spring portion 11 is present when the interference portion 30 enters the deformation space 14 from the state shown in FIG. 5, it acts as a support rod and interferes, preventing the interference portion 30 from entering further backward. Therefore, when the locking spring portion 11 is elastically deformed toward the deformation space 14, that is, when the accommodation is not yet complete, the retainer 4 cannot be reliably attached to the housing 3. Therefore, by observing the state in which the retainer 4 is attached to the housing 3, it is possible to detect whether the flat conductor 2 is completely inserted into the housing 3.

The jig abutment portion 28 is a portion for removing the retainer 4 attached to the housing 3. The jig abutment portion 28 has a rectangular bottom surface whose plate surface faces the back surface of the socket connector 1 (see FIG. 4), and is formed in a square tube shape extending rearward from the outermost end in the X direction of the cover portion 26 and the lower side in the Z direction (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6). The jig abutment portion 28 is formed slightly shorter in the Y direction than the deformation restriction portion 27. As shown in FIG. 6, the jig abutment portion 28 is configured not to come into contact with the locking protrusion 18 even when the retainer 4 is securely attached to the housing 3. The jig abutment portion 28 is formed slightly shorter than the length in the Z direction from the bottom surface of the communication hole 10 to the flat conductor receiving surface 12. Therefore, the jig abutment portion 28 can enter the communication hole 10 below the flat conductor 2 inserted into the flat conductor insertion portion 9.

As a result, when the retainer 4 is attached to the housing 3, the jig abutment portion 28 is located inside the communication hole 10, through which the jig can be operated from the external space behind the housing 3. When the tip of the jig abuts against the jig abutment portion 28 and is pressed forward, the retainer 4 is removed from the housing 3.

As described above, in order to remove the retainer 4 attached to the housing 3 in the socket connector 1 of this embodiment, it is necessary to insert a jig into the communication hole 10 of the housing 3 and then push the jig abutment portion 28 of the retainer 4 forward. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the worker from unintentionally releasing the engagement between the retainer 4 and the housing 3.

As shown in FIG. 5, the jig abutment portion 28 has temporary fastening holes 28a, 28a that penetrate the front and rear sides of the inner surface in the X direction, respectively. The temporary fastening holes 28a, 28a are formed in positions in the Z direction that correspond to the temporary fastening protrusions 10a, 10a formed on the inner surface in the X direction of the communication hole 10 of the housing 3. The temporary fastening holes 28a, 28a are fitted with the temporary fastening protrusions 10a, 10a when the deformation restricting portion 27 and the locking spring portion 11 do not overlap in the Y direction during the attachment and detachment of the retainer 4 to the housing 3. Therefore, in a temporary fastening state in which the retainer 4 is not completely removed from the housing 3, the locking spring portion 11 can be made deformable into the deformation space 14.

In the Z direction, a jig insertion hole 31 is formed between the deformation restricting portion 27 and the jig abutment portion 28. The jig insertion hole 31 extends in the Y direction, and the cover portion 26 also penetrates in the Y direction (see FIG. 8). The jig insertion hole 31 is located in correspondence with the locking spring portion 11 when the retainer 4 is attached to the housing 3 (see FIG. 6). Therefore, when the retainer 4 is attached to the housing 3, the socket connector 1 is configured such that the deformation restricting portion 27 enters the deformation space 14, and the jig operating portion 19 of the locking spring portion 11 enters the jig insertion hole 31.

In the socket connector 1 configured in this manner, the jig can be inserted from the lid 26 into the jig insertion hole 31 and brought into contact with the jig operating portion 19. At this time, by leaving the retainer 4 in a temporarily fixed state, the jig can be used to operate the jig operating portion 19 and lift the locking spring portion 11 into the deformation space 14. This releases the engagement between the locking hole 2c of the flat conductor 2 and the locking protrusion 18, allowing the flat conductor 2, which was prevented from coming out of the housing 3, to be pulled out of the housing 3.

As shown in FIG. 6, a connecting reinforcement portion 31a may be formed between the deformation restricting portion 27 and the jig abutment portion 28 and on the front side in the Y direction that does not interfere with the engagement between the jig insertion hole 31 and the locking spring portion 11. The connecting reinforcement portion 31a connects the deformation restricting portion 27 and the jig abutment portion 28 from above and below. By having the connecting reinforcement portion 31a, the retainer 4 can prevent bending deformation when the deformation restricting portion 27 and the jig abutment portion 28 are inserted into the communication hole 10. Therefore, by having the connecting reinforcement portion 31a, the retainer 4 can smoothly insert the deformation restricting portion 27 and the jig abutment portion 28 into the communication hole 10.

Terminal 5

The terminal 5 is an electrical conductor made of a conductive metal piece. The terminal 5 is inserted into the terminal receiving hole 23 by being pushed in from the front of the housing 3 (see FIG. 3). The socket connector 1 has a plurality of terminals 5, which electrically connect the flat conductor 2 and the plug connector. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of terminals 5 are composed of a plurality of first terminals 5A and a plurality of second terminals 5B. Although the first terminal 5A and the second terminal 5B have different shapes, they often have the same functions. Therefore, here, the characteristics of the first terminal 5A and the second terminal 5B are described by adding the symbols "A" and "B", respectively, and the rest are described collectively as terminals 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 5 (each of the first terminal 5A and the second terminal 5B) has a fixing portion 32, a flat conductor side terminal portion 33, and a plug connector side terminal portion 34 as a "connection object side terminal portion". The terminal 5 has a flat plate shape along the YZ plane for the most part. The plug connector side terminal portion 34 is formed by bending from the YZ plane. On the other hand, the fixing portion 32 and the flat conductor side terminal portion 33 extend rearward from the rear end of the plug connector side terminal portion 34. As shown in FIG. 3, the fixing portion 32 is inserted into a terminal fixing groove formed at the rear end of the terminal accommodating hole 23 of the housing 3, thereby fixing the terminal 5 to the housing 3. The flat conductor side terminal portion 33 is inserted into a portion where the rear end of the terminal accommodating hole 23 and the flat conductor insertion portion 9 communicate with each other, and is exposed to the flat conductor insertion portion 9.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the flat conductor side terminal portion 33 has a flat conductor side elastic arm 35 and a flat conductor side contact portion 36. The flat conductor side terminal portion 33 is a portion that is electrically connected to the flat conductor contact portion 2a formed on the upper surface 2A of the flat conductor 2. The flat conductor side terminal portion 33 is arranged so that the first terminals 5A and the second terminals 5B are alternately arranged in the X direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the flat conductor side elastic arm 35 extends backward from the upper and front end side of the flat conductor insertion portion 9. The flat conductor side elastic arm 35 is located above the flat conductor 2 inserted into the flat conductor insertion portion 9. The flat conductor side elastic arm 35 is configured so that the front (rear) end side is elastically deformed especially in the Z direction. The flat conductor side contact portion 36 is formed at the tip of the flat conductor side elastic arm 35 so as to protrude downward from the flat conductor side elastic arm 35. The flat conductor side contact portion 36 is arranged so as to be lower than the upper surface 2A of the flat conductor 2 inserted into the flat conductor insertion portion 9. Therefore, the flat conductor 2 inserted into the flat conductor insertion portion 9 is subjected to a pressing force from the flat conductor side contact portion 36 and is sandwiched between the flat conductor receiving surface 12. The flat conductor side terminal portion 33 is configured in this manner so that the flat conductor side contact portion 36 presses against the flat conductor contact portion 2a to make conductive contact.

Here, in the fully accommodated state, the direction in which the flat conductor side terminal portion 33 presses the flat conductor contact portion 2a (i.e., downward in the Z direction) is the same as the direction in which the pressing portion 17 of the locking spring portion 11 presses the flat conductor 2 (see Figures 5 and 6). Therefore, in the socket connector 1, the pressing portion 17 presses the flat conductor 2, thereby reducing the load applied to the flat conductor side terminal portion 33, and preventing damage to the flat conductor side terminal portion 33.

On the other hand, the direction in which the flat conductor side terminal portion 33 presses the flat conductor contact portion 2a may be opposite to the direction in which the pressing portion 17 of the locking spring portion 11 presses the flat conductor 2. This can increase the contact pressure between the flat conductor side terminal portion 33 and the flat conductor 2.

The plug connector side terminal portion 34 is a portion that is electrically connected to a plug connector contact piece formed on the plug connector. As shown in FIG. 3, the plug connector side terminal portion 34 is accommodated in the terminal accommodation hole 23. As described above, the terminal accommodation hole 23 is divided into upper and lower portions by the partition wall 24 (see FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 3, the first terminal 5A is accommodated in the first terminal accommodation hole 23A located on the upper side, and the second terminal 5B is accommodated in the second terminal accommodation hole 23B located on the lower side. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the plug connector side terminal portion 34 of the first terminal 5A and the plug connector side terminal portion 34 of the second terminal 5B that are adjacent in the X direction as the "terminal arrangement direction" are positioned side by side in the Z direction, which is a direction intersecting the X direction.

In this way, a pair of plug connector side terminal parts 34 consisting of the first terminal 5A and the second terminal 5B are arranged side by side not in the X direction, which is the "terminal arrangement direction", but in the Z direction, which is the direction intersecting the "terminal arrangement direction". Therefore, the interval between adjacent plug connector side terminal parts 34 in the X direction (adjacent first terminals 5A and adjacent second terminals 5B) is widened. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent adjacent plug connector side terminal parts 34 from contacting each other, and it is possible to sufficiently secure an area for forming an insulating wall by the housing 3 that separates adjacent plug connector side terminal parts 34 in the X direction. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the interval between the multiple terminals 5 in the X direction. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the socket connector 1, especially in the X direction. And it is also possible to accommodate flat conductor contact parts 2a arranged at narrower intervals.

9, the plug connector side terminal portion 34 of the first terminal 5A is located on the side of the upper surface 2A of the flat conductor 2, and the plug connector side terminal portion 34 of the second terminal 5B is located on the side of the lower surface 2B opposite to the upper surface 2A. That is, the socket connector 1 is configured so that the plug connector side terminal portion 34 of the first terminal 5A and the plug connector side terminal portion 34 of the second terminal 5B are arranged to sandwich the flat conductor 2 from above and below. This prevents the socket connector 1 from becoming unnecessarily large in a direction intersecting the "terminal arrangement direction", for example, in the Z direction. Furthermore, the lengths of the transmission lines between the flat conductor side terminal portion 33 and the plug connector side terminal portion 34 of the first terminal 5A and the second terminal 5B are equal, and no problems such as extremely different conductive resistances occur. And, by preventing the socket connector 1 from becoming large in the plate thickness direction of the flat conductor 2, the socket connector 1 can be made smaller in the terminal arrangement direction.

However, the arrangement of the pair of plug connector side terminal parts 34 consisting of the first terminal 5A and the second terminal 5B may be in a direction intersecting the "terminal arrangement direction", and the first terminal 5A and the second terminal 5B may be arranged biased to either the top or bottom of the flat conductor 2.

The plug connector side terminal portion 34 has a wall portion 37, a receiving portion 38, and an elastic contact piece 39 (see FIG. 10, etc.). The wall portion 37 constitutes the outer periphery of the plug connector side terminal portion 34 in the X direction and the Z direction. The wall portion 37 is formed by bending the metal piece constituting the terminal 5 around the Y direction. The wall portion 37 is formed on the upper side and both the left and right sides of the first terminal 5A, and on the upper side and the right side of the second terminal 5B. The wall portion 37 has the function of preventing the plug connector side terminal portion 34 from being bent, accommodating the elastic contact piece 39 in the terminal accommodating hole 23, and smoothly inserting the plug connector contact piece into the terminal accommodating hole 23. The receiving portion 38 is formed on the lower side of the upper wall portion 37. The receiving portion 38 is formed in a hemispherical shape protruding downward. The receiving portion 38 has the function of receiving the plug connector contact piece pressed by the elastic contact piece 39.

The elastic contact piece 39 is a portion that is in conductive contact with the plug connector contact piece. As shown in FIG. 10, the elastic contact piece 39 has a base end portion 40, a spring portion 41, a contact portion 42, and a spring portion deformation suppression portion 43. The elastic contact piece 39 is arranged so that, in the portion other than the spring portion deformation suppression portion 43, the "plate width direction" is the X direction, the "plate thickness direction" is the Z direction, and the "longitudinal direction" is the Y direction. The elastic contact piece 39 is formed by bending a single metal piece in which the area of the spring portion deformation suppression portion 43 is wider than the other areas.

The base end 40 is located at the rear end in the Y direction. The base end 40 has a flat portion 44. The flat portion 44 is along the XY plane and extends further in the Y direction than in the X direction. The spring portion 41 extends in a cantilever shape from the base end 40 toward the front in the Y direction. The front end side of the spring portion 41 is configured to elastically deform particularly in the Z direction. The contact portion 42 is a portion that comes into contact with the plug connector contact piece. The contact portion 42 is provided on the front upper surface of the spring portion 41 and has a hemispherical shape that protrudes upward.

The spring deformation suppression portion 43 is formed by bending one side of the elastic contact piece 39 in the plate width direction (X direction) from the base end portion 40 to the middle position in the Y direction of the spring portion 41 in a direction intersecting the plate surface (XY plane) of the base end portion 40, i.e., in the Z direction. As described above, the spring portion 41 is configured to elastically deform in particular in the Z direction. In contrast, the spring deformation suppression portion 43 is formed to extend in the Z direction. This allows the spring deformation suppression portion 43 to suppress bending deformation of the spring portion 41 in the plate thickness direction (Z direction).

Generally, flat springs with tongue-shaped contact pieces on the connection terminals have a small spring constant. In other words, when flat springs are used for the contact pieces that are conductively connected to the plug connector contact pieces, the springs become soft, making it difficult for the contact pressure (contact pressure) between the connection terminals to become high. In order to solve this problem, the width (plate width) of the contact pieces is increased or their thickness (plate thickness) is increased, but this leads to an increase in the size of the connection terminals, and ultimately to an increase in the size of the connector that houses the connection terminals.

In contrast, according to this embodiment, the elastic contact piece 39 is provided with a spring deformation suppression portion 43 formed by bending one side of the elastic contact piece 39 in the X direction in the Z direction from the base end portion 40 to the middle position of the spring portion 41 in the Y direction. Therefore, according to this embodiment, by increasing the spring constant of the spring portion 41, it is possible to suppress bending deformation in the plate thickness direction and increase the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece 39. In this case, the terminal 5 and the socket connector 1 are not enlarged by widening the plate width or increasing the plate thickness of the elastic contact piece 39.

10, the spring portion 41 has a first length L1 in the Z direction from the base end 40. On the other hand, the spring portion deformation suppression portion 43 has a second length L2 in the Z direction from the base end 40. The second length L2 is shorter than the first length L1. Therefore, the spring portion deformation suppression portion 43 is within the range in which the spring portion 41 extends in the Z direction. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece 39 can be increased without causing the terminal 5 and the socket connector 1 to become larger, especially in the Z direction. Furthermore, the plug connector contact piece that is inserted into the plug connector side terminal portion 34 by pressing down the contact portion 42 can enter deep inside so as to overlap above the spring portion deformation suppression portion 43 without interfering with it, since the second length L2 is shorter than the first length L1. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the effective engagement length between the plug connector side terminal portion 34 and the plug connector contact piece can be secured.

Furthermore, the spring deformation suppression portion 43 is shaped to fit within the range of the maximum width Wm (see FIG. 9) of the spring portion 41 in the X direction. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece 39 can be increased without causing the terminal 5 and the socket connector 1 to become larger in the X direction.

The spring portion 41 is configured to extend at an angle from the flat portion 44, as shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, no other configuration or space is required between the spring portion 41 and the base end portion 40. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece 39 can be increased without increasing the size of the terminal 5 and the socket connector 1, particularly in the Y direction.

Variations

The deformation restricting portion 27 shown in FIG. 6 etc. may be formed slightly higher than the length of the deformation space 14 in the Z direction. In this case, the deformation restricting portion 27 may have the same height in the front-to-rear direction at the portion that enters the deformation space 14, and may be formed slightly higher near its front end (the side of the connecting reinforcement portion 31a) than the length of the deformation space 14 in the Z direction. On the housing 3 side, the upper side surface portion 16 may also be formed as an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the rear. With these configurations, the upper side surface portion 16 functions to be pressed down by the retainer 4 attached to the housing 3 when the flat conductor 2 is completely accommodated.

When the retainer 4 is attached to the housing 3, the deformation restricting portion 27 configured in this manner enters the deformation space 14 and elastically deforms the locking spring portion 11 in the opposite direction to the deformation space 14, i.e., downward in the Z direction. This causes the locking spring portion 11 to bend in a direction that increases the degree of engagement between the locking protrusion 18 and the locking hole 2c. This makes it even more difficult for the locking protrusion 18 and the locking hole 2c to be released from their locked state, preventing the flat conductor 2 from falling out of the socket connector 1.

Furthermore, the deformation restricting portion 27 presses down the upper surface portion 16 of the locking spring portion 11, causing the locking spring portion 11 to bend toward the flat conductor 2. Then, the pressing portion 17 presses the flat conductor 2 against the flat conductor receiving surface 12, so that the flat conductor 2 is held sandwiched between the pressing portion 17 and the flat conductor receiving surface 12. Therefore, the flat conductor 2 can be prevented from rattling inside the flat conductor accommodating portion 6 due to the higher holding force of the locking spring portion 11.

1. Socket connector (connector)
2 Flat conductor 2A Upper surface (first surface)
2B Lower surface (second surface)
2a Flat conductor contact portion 2b Side edge 2c Locking hole (locking portion)
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 3 HOUSING 4 RETAINER 5 TERMINAL 5A FIRST TERMINAL 5B SECOND TERMINAL 6 FLAT CONDUCTOR ACCOMMODATION PORTION 7 FITTING PORTION 8 TERMINAL ACCOMMODATION PORTION 9 FLAT CONDUCTOR INTAKE PORTION 10 COMMUNICATION HOLE 10a TENTATIVE RETAINING PROJECTION 11 LOCKING SPRING PORTION 12 FLAT CONDUCTOR RECEIVING SURFACE 13 OPENING 14 DEFORMATION SPACE 15 ELASTIC ARM 16 UPPER SURFACE 17 PRESSING PORTION 18 LOCKING PROJECTION 19 JIG OPERATING PORTION 20 FITTING PERIPHERAL WALL 21 OPERATION PORTION 22 FITTING PROJECTION 23 TERMINAL ACCOMMODATION HOLE 23A FIRST TERMINAL ACCOMMODATION HOLE 23B SECOND TERMINAL ACCOMMODATION HOLE 24 PARTITIONING WALL 25A FIRST TERMINAL ACCOMMODATION HOLE SIDE OPENING 25B SECOND TERMINAL ACCOMMODATION HOLE SIDE OPENING 26 LIFT PORTION 27 DEFORMATION REGULATION PORTION 28 JIG ATTACKING PORTION 28a TENTATIVE HOLE 29 Terminal introduction portion 30 Interfered portion 31 Jig insertion hole 31a Connection reinforcement portion 32 Fixing portion 33 Flat conductor side terminal portion 34 Plug connector side terminal portion (connection object side terminal portion)
35 Flat conductor side elastic arm 36 Flat conductor side contact portion 37 Wall portion 38 Receiving portion 39 Elastic contact piece 40 Base end portion 41 Spring portion 42 Contact portion 43 Spring portion deformation suppressing portion 44 Planar portion L1 First length L2 Second length Wm Maximum width X Width direction, left-right direction (plate width direction, terminal arrangement direction)
Y Depth direction, front-back direction (longitudinal direction)
Z height direction, up and down direction

Claims (2)

A connector having a plurality of terminals for electrically connecting a flat conductor to a connection object,
The plurality of terminals include a plurality of first terminals and a plurality of second terminals,
Each of the first terminal and the second terminal is
a flat conductor side terminal portion electrically connected to a flat conductor contact portion formed on a first surface of the flat conductor;
A connection object side terminal portion that is conductively connected to the connection object,
A connector, characterized in that the connection object side terminal portion of the first terminal and the connection object side terminal portion of the second terminal are positioned side by side in a direction intersecting a terminal arrangement direction. The connection object side terminal portion of the first terminal is located on the first surface side,
2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connection target side terminal portion of the second terminal is located on a second surface side of the flat conductor opposite to the first surface.