JP3373809B2 - Flexible printed circuit board connector - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector for connecting a flexible printed board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent design of electronic equipment, compactness and high density packaging are required. In order to meet this demand, a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as FPC (Flexi) having an advantage of being “flexible”)
ble Printed Circuit)) is becoming popular.

This FPC is connected to a printed circuit board or the like using an FPC connecting connector.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-228917 describes a connector for FPC connection of this kind.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional FPC connector.

The FPC connecting connector includes a base insulator 110, a contact 120, and a lock member 12.
3 and the actuator 140.

Inside the base insulator 110, F
A space S for inserting a PC is formed. A contact 120 is provided between the upper wall and the lower wall of the base insulator 110.
Is held.

The contact 120 includes a base portion 121 and a spring portion 12 provided on one side of the base portion 121 and substantially parallel to each other.
2 and the fixing portion 126, a connecting portion 124 provided on the other side of the base portion 121, and a contact portion 125 provided at the tip of the spring portion 122.

The lock member 123 is an actuator 140.
Both ends in the width direction are pressed and held.

This FPC connecting connector is used as follows.

First, the tip of the FPC 130 held on the lower surface of the actuator 140 is inserted into the space S. Next, with the fulcrum distal end side of the FPC 13 0 actuator 14
0 is rotated against the elastic force of the spring portion 122 of the contact 120. As a result, the lock member 123 rides on the upper surface of the actuator 140 and presses the actuator 140 downward, and the FPC 130 causes the contact 1 to move.
20 by the elastic force of the spring portion 122 of the contact 120
It is pressed against the protruding portion 125 of the.

[0012]

However, this FPC connector has a structure in which both ends in the width direction of the actuator 140 are held by the lock members 123, so that when the width of the actuator 140 becomes wide. The urging force of the actuator 140 on the contact 120 becomes small at the center portion in the width direction.

Therefore, when the number of cores of the FPC 130 connected to the FPC connecting connector is large, a sufficient contact force for the contact 120 cannot be obtained at the center portion in the width direction of the FPC connecting connector.

In order to avoid this, a method of increasing the urging force to the contact 120 can be considered, but for that purpose, the actuator 140 must be urged with a large force, and there is a problem that operability deteriorates.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an FPC connecting connector capable of maintaining good operability even when the flexible printed circuit board has multiple cores.

[0016]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is such that a base insulator having an accommodating portion opening upward and a bottom surface of the accommodating portion are separated from each other.
It has a plurality of contacts held by the base insulator and has a contact portion facing each other, and contacts the bottom surface of the housing portion.
And a spring member for pressing the flexible printed circuit board against the contact portion of the contact from the bottom surface side when the actuator is fitted. And a plurality of contacts for connecting the actuator
A lock portion for holding the data in the accommodating portion is provided .

When the actuator is fitted in the accommodating portion of the base insulator, the flexible printed circuit board is pressed against the contact portion of the contact by the spring member provided in the actuator, and the actuator is
It fits into the lock part provided on the tact and is retained in the storage part.
Be held.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board according to the first aspect, the spring member is plate-shaped.

The flexible printed circuit board can be pressed against the contact by the plate-shaped spring member.

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a state of the connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board before fitting the actuator, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state after fitting the actuator.

The connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board includes a base insulator 10, contacts 20 and
And an actuator 40.

The base insulator 10 holds a plurality of contacts 20.

The contact 20 has a contact portion 21 and a locking portion 2.
2 are provided so as to face each other in the longitudinal direction of the contact portion 21. A contact portion 24 is formed on the contact portion 21, and the locking portion 22
A lock portion 23 is formed on the.

The actuator 40 can be fitted into a housing portion 11 described later, and a lock receiving portion 41 that can be locked with the lock portion 23 is formed at one end thereof. Lock receiving part 4
A groove 42 extending in the width direction of the actuator 40 (direction orthogonal to the drawing) is formed in the vicinity of 1.

On the bottom surface of the actuator 40, a metal plate-shaped spring member 43 for pressing the FPC (flexible printed circuit board) 30 against the contact portion 21 of the contact 20 is provided. The spring member 43 extends in the direction of the contact portion 21, and a tip portion thereof is provided with a convex portion 44 capable of contacting the bottom surface 12 of the housing portion 11.

The FPC 30 is provided on the upper surface of the actuator 40.
Has one end fixed by an adhesive.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a part of the base insulator is cut.

The base insulator 10 is provided with a housing 11 that opens upward.

A plurality of partition walls 13 extending along the longitudinal direction of the contact portion 21 are formed on the bottom surface 12 of the housing portion 11 at a constant pitch along the contact arrangement direction, and a plurality of groove portions 14 are provided between the partition walls 13. Has been formed. The opening of the groove portion 14 and the contact portion 21 face each other. A spring member 43 is inserted into the groove portion 14 when the actuator 40 is fitted.

A space S into which the FPC 30 is inserted is formed between the contact portion 21 and the partition wall 13. This space S communicates with the housing 11.

The space S between the connecting FPC30 to the flexible printed board connecting connector, the tip portion of FPC30 bonded to the upper surface of the first pre-actuator 40 and the contact portion 21 and the partition wall 13 of the contacts 20
Then, the tip of the actuator 40 is abutted against the front end 13a of the partition wall 13. At this time, the conductor pattern (not shown) of the FPC 30 contacts the contact portion 24 of the contact 20, and the convex portion 44 of the spring member 43 is accommodated in the housing portion 1.
It contacts the bottom surface 12 of 1.

Next, the actuator 40 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 1 with the front end 13a of the partition wall 13 as a fulcrum, and pushed into the accommodating portion 11. At this time, the rear end (one end) of the actuator 40 and the accommodating portion 11 of the spring member 43 are
Since it tries to rotate clockwise in FIG. 1 with the contact point with the bottom surface 12 of the FPC 30 as a fulcrum, the elastic force of the spring member 43 increases.
Act on.

When the actuator 40 is completely fitted in the housing portion 11 as shown in FIG. 2, the elastic force of the spring member 43 lifts the tip of the FPC 30 upward.
The conductor pattern of the FPC 30 is the contact portion 2 of the contact 20.
Pressed on 4. Further, since the lock receiving portion 41 of the actuator 40 is locked by the lock portion 23 of the contact 20, the actuator 40 is securely held in the housing portion 11.

According to this embodiment, since the spring member 43 for pressing the FPC 30 against the contact 20 is arranged so as to face the contact portion 21 of the contact 20 when the actuator 40 is fitted, when the width of the actuator 40 becomes wide. However, the biasing force of the spring member 43 with respect to the contact 20 does not become small at the central portion of the actuator 40 in the width direction. Therefore, the actuator 40 is installed in the housing unit 1.
When fitted to No. 1, it is not necessary to apply a large force to the actuator 40, and good operability can be maintained even when the number of cores is increased.

In the above embodiment, the plurality of spring members 4 are used.
Although 3 is provided, the spring member 43 may be composed of one plate.

Further, the spring member 43 is not limited to the metal member as long as it has elasticity, and may be integrally formed of resin together with the actuator 40, for example.

Further, although the lock portion 23 is formed on the contact 20 so that the contact 20 also serves as the lock portion 23, the lock portion 23 may be formed on the base insulator 10 instead of the contact 20.

[0041]

As described above, according to the connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board of the present invention as set forth in claim 1, even when the number of cores of the flexible printed circuit board is increased, a small operating force is applied to the actuator. Sufficient and good operability can be maintained.

According to the connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board of the invention described in claim 2, the structure of the actuator can be simplified, so that the manufacturing becomes easy.

According to the flexible printed circuit board connecting connector of the third aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to newly form a lock member for holding the flexible printed circuit board.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of an FPC connection connector before fitting an actuator.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after the actuator is fitted.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a part of the base insulator is cut.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional FPC connection connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Base insulator 11 accommodation 12 protrusions 20 contacts 21 Contact part 23 Lock part 30 FPC (flexible printed circuit board) 40 actuators 43 Spring member

Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-11-185849 (JP, A) JP-A-11-111402 (JP, A) JP-A-10-255926 (JP, A) Actual Kaihei 4-35379 (JP , U) Actual Kaihei 6-7178 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 12/28

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A base insulator having an accommodating portion that opens upward and faces a bottom surface of the accommodating portion with a space therebetween.
Has a contact portion and is held by the base insulator
A plurality of contacts and an actuator that can be fitted so as to be in contact with the bottom surface of the housing portion are provided, and the actuator has a convex portion that can come into contact with the bottom surface.
Then, a spring member that presses the flexible printed circuit board against the contact portion of the contact from the bottom side when the actuator is fitted is provided , and the actuator is housed in the plurality of contacts.
A connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board, characterized in that a lock portion for holding the container is provided . 2. The connector for connecting a flexible printed board according to claim 1, wherein the spring member has a plate shape.