JP2679209B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Outline] A high-density connector that can be connected to at least two flat cables, and can connect to both of the two cables not only at the ends of the cables but also at the middle of the cables. The first cable connection contact and the second cable connection contact project from the insulating housing so that their connecting portions face each other in the same direction, and the connecting portion of the first contact is provided. Has a wire pressure welding slit that opens toward its end,
The connection portion of the second contact is configured to have a wire pressure welding slit that opens toward the end thereof, and a wire relief hole that communicates with this and has a height from the insulating housing that is substantially equal to the slit of the first contact.

[Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to a high density connector for connecting to a flat cable.

With the recent demand for miniaturization of many electric devices such as OA equipment and computers, the cables and connectors used for them have also been required to be small and highly densified. For this reason, a high-density flat cable in which the pitch of wires has been reduced to 0.635 mm, which is half that of the conventional wire, has recently appeared, and a connector suitable for this has been provided. In this connector, the contacts are arranged in two rows (between rows is 2.54 mm as before) so that the pitch of the contact part (the part that contacts the contact of the mating connector) is 1.27 mm, which is half the conventional pitch. In addition, the connecting portions of the contacts (portions to which the wires of the flat cable are connected) are arranged in a staggered manner in each row so that the pitch of the connecting portions is 0.635 mm. But this 0.635
Since mm-pitch flat cables have thin wires and electrical characteristics differ from those of the conventional 1.27 mm pitch, it may not be possible to use them in equipment that requires conventional characteristics. In that case, an alternative wiring method is actually used by stacking two flat cables with a pitch of 1.27 mm, and in that case, two flat cables are replaced by one connector with a contact pitch of 1.27 mm. Need to be connected to, and such a connector has already been provided.

On the other hand, since it is common to connect flat cables between devices and between printed circuit boards, it is necessary to connect the connector not only to both ends of the flat cable but also to the middle part (such as The connection is called a daisy chain connection). Even a high-density connector capable of connecting two flat cables is required to be capable of such an intermediate portion connection.

[Conventional technology]

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the structure of a conventional connector capable of connecting two flat cables (hereinafter referred to as cables). In these figures, 1 and 2 are the first and second cables in which a plurality of wires made of a conductive material are insulation-coated, and 5
Reference numerals 1 and 61 denote insulating housings provided with first and second contacts 52, 53 and 62 and 63 and provided with locking holes 51a and 61a, 5
4, 55, 64, 65 are holes 54b, 55b, 64b, 65b into which the tips of the connection parts of the contacts 52, 53, 62, 63 are fitted, and a locking projection 54.
It is an insulating cover provided with a, 55a, 64a and 65a.

In FIG. 5, the connection parts 52A and 53A of the contacts 52 and 53 project from the insulating housing 51 in opposite directions, and the ends 1C and 2C of the cables 1 and 2 respectively have insulating housings.
By pushing the connection parts 52A and 53A of the contacts 52 and 53 toward the base from the projecting end side, the connection parts 52A and 53A of the cables 1 and 2 of the cables 1 and 2 are pressed against the connection parts 52A and 53A of the contacts 52 and 53, respectively. The wire slits through the insulation coating
Inserted into 52b and 53b by pressure welding, then insulation cover
The projections 54a and 55a provided with 54 and 55 at both ends are fitted into the holes 51a provided in the insulating housing 51 so as to be fixed to the insulating housing 51.

In FIG. 6, the contacts 62 and 63 have connection parts 62A and 63A.
Project in the same direction from different steps 61C and 61D of the insulated housing 61 having steps, and first connect the cable 1 to its end 1C.
After pressing the contact 62 into the lower surface 61C of the insulating housing 61 as in the case of FIG. 5, the protrusions 64a having the insulating cover 64 at both ends are fitted into the holes 61a provided in the insulating housing 61. By doing so, it is fixed to the insulating housing 61. Next, with the end 2C of the cable 2 abutting against the side surface 64C of the insulating cover 64, the cable 2 is pressed against the contact 63 in the same manner as described above, and then the insulating cover 65 is attached.
The protrusions 65a provided at both ends thereof are fitted into the holes 61b of the insulating housing 61 so as to be fixed.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In this way, in the conventional connector, the two cables can be attached only to the cable ends because the ends are abutted against the insulating housing, etc., and the daisy chain connection is performed at the middle part between them. Was not suitable for.

The present invention allows two cables to be connected not only to their ends,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector that can be pressure-welded even at an intermediate portion.

[Means for solving the problem]

According to the invention, the object is to provide a first contact for connecting a first cable and a second contact for connecting a second cable, the connecting part of the first contact being A slit into which the wire of the first cable is press-fitted when the insulating coating of the cable is pierced is provided, and the connection portion of the second contact is a slit into which the wire of the second cable is press-fitted at the time of connection, and below the slit. Has an escape hole communicating with the slit and having a width dimension larger than the outer diameter of the wire. The first contact and the second contact have their wire connection portions on the insulating housing in the same direction and face each other. And the escape hole is located corresponding to the slit of the first contact, and the wire of the first cable is connected to the slit of the second contact when connecting the cable. By being pressed against the slit d of the first contact with into the escape hole through the door, it is achieved.

[Action]

According to the present invention, when connecting the first cable, the wire included in the first cable is pressed by the slit of the first cable connecting contact and passes through the slit of the second cable connecting contact. Then, it enters the escape hole and is not electrically connected to the second contact. Next, when connecting the second cable, the wire included in the second cable is pressed into contact with the slit of the second cable connecting contact and does not reach the first contact.

In this way, it is possible to realize a connector that is connected to at least two cables that are stacked.

〔Example〕

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1 (a), (b), and (c) are perspective views and a partial cross-sectional view showing a state before connecting the cables, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the first insulating cover is fixed after connecting the first cables. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second insulating cover is fixed after the second cable is connected, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a connection state with two cables.

The cables 1 and 2 are flat cables, each having a plurality of wires 1a and 2a arranged in a line at equal intervals as shown in FIG. 1 (b) and covered with a soft plastic material. As shown in FIG. 1 (c), the wires 1a are individually covered on the inner cable 1, but they are not connected to each other, and have a comb-like portion (hereinafter referred to as a non-fusion portion). ) 1B is provided at regular intervals. This flat cable with a non-fusing part is commercially available and is used in large amounts for wiring or the like in a narrow space because it is easily bent. In this embodiment, the case of using this flat cable will be described.

The first and second contacts 12 and 13 are made of a metal such as phosphor bronze, and the entire contact parts 12A and 13A and the holding part are respectively formed.
It consists of 3 parts, 12B, 13B and connection parts 12C, 13C. The contact portions 12A and 13A are portions that come into contact with the mating connector,
Although the jack side is shown in FIG. 4, the same applies to the plug side. The holding portions 12B and 13B are the first and second contacts 1
It is a portion for holding the insulating housings 2 and 13 and is accommodated in a guide hole (not shown) provided in the insulating housing 11. The wire connection portions 12C and 13C are portions that connect the wires 1a and 2a, respectively. Connection part of the first contact 12
12C has a slit 12d that is open toward the end and has a width narrower than the outer diameter of the wire 1a. On the other hand, the connection portion 13d of the second terminal 13 has an opening toward its end and has a slit 13d having a width narrower than the outer diameter of the wire 2a, and communicates with this slit 13d and is larger than the outer diameter of the wire 2a. It has an escape hole 13e. As a result, the slit 13d of this wire connection portion 13C has an escape hole 13e.
The slit width can be widened because the connecting portion 13f forming the can be elastically deformed at its root. Also this connection part 13C
Is longer than that of the connecting portion 12C.

The insulating housing 11 is made of hard plastic, and its first and second contacts 1 are provided in its guide holes (not shown).
The holding portions 12B and 13B of 2 and 13 are accommodated and held, and the connection portion 12C and
13C is projected outside. The wire connecting portions 12C and 13C face each other and project in the same direction, but the slit 12d of the wire connecting portion 12C and the escape hole 13e of the wire connecting portion 13C have substantially the same height. Located on top. Contact
12A and 13A are also housed in the insulating housing 11. Contact part 12
A and 13A are arranged in one row, but the connection parts 12C and 13C
Are arranged in two rows (staggered) to avoid interference with adjacent terminals. At both ends of the insulating housing 11, projections 11a, 1 for fixing insulating covers 14, 15 described later are fixed.
With 1b.

The insulating covers 14 and 15 are made of hard plastic, and the inner insulating cover 14 includes an escape hole 14a into which the tip of the connecting portion 12C after connecting the wire 1a is inserted and a through hole 14 through which the connecting portion 13C is projected upward.
The through hole 14b is dimensioned to be in close contact with the connecting portion 13C in the width direction thereof. The insulating cover 15 has an escape hole 15a into which the tip of the wire connection portion 13C after the wire 2a is connected is inserted. These insulating covers 14 and 15 have projections 14c and 15c having holes 14d and 15d at both ends thereof.

Next, a process of connecting the cables 1 and 2 to this connector will be described. First, the cable 1 is arranged so that the non-fusing part 1B is directly above the connection part 13C of the contact 13. Next, when the cable 1 is pressed toward the insulating housing 11, the wire 1a in the cable 1 spreads the slit 13d (the connecting portion 13f is elastically deformed) and passes through it to reach the escape hole 13e. At this time, the wire 1a is pushed into the slit 12d and electrically connected.

Next, the insulating cover 14 is covered over the cable 1, and the hole 14d is fitted into the protrusion 11a of the insulating housing, whereby the cable is fixed to the insulating housing 11. At this point, a part of the connecting portion 13C of the contact 13 penetrating the through hole 14b projects above the insulating cover 14.

Next, when the cable 2 is pressed from directly above toward the insulating cover 14 so as to overlap the cable 1, the wire 2a in the cable 2 is pushed into the slit 13C and electrically connected.

Next, cover the cable 2 with the insulating cover 15 and insert the hole 15d into the protrusion 1b of the insulating housing 11,
Stick to the insulating housing 11. This completes the connection between the connector and the two flat cables.

Since the connection portion 13C of the contact 13 has the escape hole 13e in addition to the slit 13d, the rigidity is insufficient when the same material and the same thickness as the contact 12 are used, and the wire 2a is pressed into the slit 13d. However, the coating may not be completely covered, and pressure contact may not be reached. As a countermeasure against this, in the present embodiment, the width dimension of the through hole of the insulating cover 14 is made substantially equal to the width dimension of the connecting portion 13C of the contact 13, and the wire 2a is slit 13d.
A method of suppressing the expansion of the slit 13d when it is press-fitted in the is adopted.

As a similar measure, increase the rigidity in advance by making the thickness of the contact 13 thicker than that of the terminal 12, and
When 1a passes through slit 13d, slit 1
A method of preventing damage to the coating of the wire 1a by expanding 3d may be used.

Although the flat cable with the non-fusion portion is used in the above-described embodiment, the present invention can be applied to a flat cable without the non-fusion portion.

Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a connector that can be pressure-welded at the middle portion of two cables, but also to a connector that can be pressure-welded at the middle portion of three or more cables.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the first cable connecting contact and the second cable connecting contact are made to protrude from the insulating housing so as to face each other in the same direction. The connecting portion is provided with a slit opening toward the tip thereof, and in the case of the second cable connecting contact, the connecting portion has a slit opening toward the tip thereof and a slit larger than the outer diameter of the communicating wire. By locating the clearance hole corresponding to the slit of the first cable connection contact, it is possible to realize a connector that can be connected even with two flat cables and their intermediate parts, and to increase the density and reliability of electrical equipment. It greatly contributes to the above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 (a), (b) and (c) show a connector according to the present invention,
It is a perspective view and a partial sectional view of a state before connecting a cable. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the first insulating cover is fixed after the first cable is connected to the connector according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second insulating cover is fixed after the second cable is connected to the connector according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a connection state of a contact of a connector according to the present invention and two cables. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing a conventional connector. In the figure, 1: cable of the first cable 1, 1a: wire included in the first cable, 2: second cable, 2a: wire included in the second cable, 11: insulating housing, 12: first 1 contact, 12C: first contact wire connection, 12d: first contact slit, 13: second contact, 13C: second contact wire connection, 13d: second contact slit, 13e : Escape hole of second contact, 14: First insulating cover, 14b: Through hole of first insulating cover, 15: Second insulating cover.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of wires (1a, 2a) made of a conductive material are connectable to at least two flat cables (1, 2) which are insulated and coated at substantially equal intervals, and the first cable is provided. The first contact (12) for connection and the second contact (13) for connecting the second cable are provided, and the connection portion (12C) of the first contact (12) is connected at the time of connection. ) Has a slit (12d) into which the wire (1a) is press-fitted when the wire breaks through the insulating coating, and the wire (2a) is press-fitted into the connection part (13C) of the second contact (13) at the time of connection. A slit (13d) and an escape hole (13) communicating with the slit (13d) below the slit (13d) and having a width dimension larger than the outer diameter of the wire (2a).
e), and the first contact (12) and the second contact (13) project their connection parts (12C, 13C) on the insulating housing (11) in the same direction and opposite to each other. Together with the escape hole (13
e) is located corresponding to the slit (12d) of the first contact (12), and when connecting the cable, the wire (1a) of the first cable (1) is connected to the second contact (13). The escape hole (13e) passes through the slit (13d) and is press-fitted into the slit (12d) of the first contact (12) to be electrically connected, and the wire (2a) of the second cable (2) is A connector characterized by being press-fitted into a slit (13d) of a second contact (13) for electrical connection. 2. A connection part (13C) of the second contact (13).
A through hole (1) which penetrates through the wire and substantially adheres to the escape hole (13e) portion of the connection part (13C) to suppress the opening of the slit (13d).
4b) having a first insulating cover (14) for holding the first cable (1) and a second insulating cover (15) for holding the second cable (2). Cover (1
4) holds the first cable (1) with the insulating housing (11) in a state where the connection portion (13C) is inserted into the through hole (14b), and the second insulating cover (15). The connector according to claim (1), characterized in that the second cable (2) arranged on the first insulating cover (14) is sandwiched by the insulating housing (11).