JP3472532B2 - Flexible 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 a flexible substrate used for connecting a flat flexible cable called FPC or a PCB.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the problems to be solved by the invention
As a connector of this type, a synthetic resin housing having an opening opening upward, and a plurality of fork-shaped contacts that vertically oppose a fixing piece and an elastic piece arranged so as to face the opening of the housing. Some include a child and a lid member made of synthetic resin that opens and closes by opening the opening of the housing. There is one in which a pressing portion is provided on one edge of the lid member in order to increase the contact pressure of the contact with the flexible substrate. The pressing portion is sandwiched between the flexible board and the fixed piece arranged on the elastic piece with the lid member closed, and presses the flexible board to the elastic piece. In this case, since the repulsive load that the pressurizing section receives from the elastic piece through the flexible substrate can be supported by the fixed piece of the contact made of a metal member, even if the lid member is thinned to reduce the height. It is easy to prevent the lid member from bending.

However, in recent years, for applications such as mobile phones and DVDs, there has been a demand for further height reduction of the connector such that the height of the connector is, for example, 1 mm or less. When the thickness of the lid member is further reduced to reduce the height, when the lid member is closed, the pressing portion tends to flex so as to escape from between the fork-shaped contacts to the open side thereof. As a result, the force with which the pressurizing portion presses the flexible substrate against the elastic piece portion becomes weak, and there is a possibility that conduction failure may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a connector for a flexible substrate which can achieve a low profile and can prevent the lid member from flexing and achieve reliable conduction to the flexible substrate. With the goal.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is arranged so as to face a housing made of synthetic resin having an opening and faces the opening, and the housing and the housing face each other. A flexible board connector including a plurality of fork-shaped contacts having a fixed piece portion and an elastic piece portion, and a synthetic resin lid member that opens and closes the opening by rotating about a predetermined rotation axis. The flexible substrate is provided at one end edge of the lid member close to the predetermined rotation axis, and is sandwiched between the flexible substrate in contact with the elastic piece and the fixed piece while the lid member is closed, and the flexible substrate is elastic. A pressure part that applies pressure to one part and a part when molding the lid member
The pair of embedded metal wires and the housing
Further remove the pair of metal reinforcing plates fixed on the left and right sides.
To comprise, fixed piece portion stopper the <br/> seen including to prevent the pressing in a state where the lid member is closed escape in the direction of extension of the fixing piece part, a pair of opposite ends of one wire One edge of the lid member
Exposed from the left and right side portions of the
A pair of rotation support shafts are formed, and the other pair of wires
The opposite ends are exposed from the left and right side parts of the other end edge of the lid member.
It constitutes a pair of locking protrusions, and the pair of rotation support shafts correspond to each other.
Supported by rotating support parts provided on each reinforcing plate
The pair of locking protrusions are respectively attached to the corresponding reinforcing plates.
By engaging the lock groove provided on the lid member,
It can be locked in the closed state, and when the lid member is closed
Wire and a pair of reinforcing plates form a closed loop with a square ring shape.
It is characterized in that to.

According to this aspect, when the lid member is closed, the pressing portion can be positioned on the fixed piece portion to prevent the pressing portion from escaping and prevent the lid member from bending. Therefore, even when the lid member becomes thin and the deformation strength of the lid member becomes low due to the reduction in height, the flexible substrate is pressed firmly against the elastic piece portion by the pressurizing portion, and the flexible substrate A reliable conduction can be achieved. In addition, by supporting the left and right side portions of the lid member together with the escape prevention of the pressurizing portion by the stopper, the bending of the lid member can be more reliably prevented and reliable conduction can be achieved.

Particularly, since the side portions of the lid member are supported by the engagement of the metal members with each other, the escape of the pressing portion can be prevented more reliably,
A high contact pressure can be secured. Further, since the deformation strength of the lid member can be improved by the wire, escape of the pressurizing portion can be prevented more reliably, and a high contact pressure can be obtained. Preferably, in the present invention, the pair
Of the above-mentioned one wire that constitutes the rotation support shaft by the facing end
From the one end edge of the lid member, in which the intermediate portion is provided with the pressing portion,
By separating them by a certain distance, one of the above wires will
It may have a square shape. In this case, the thickness of the pressure part
Since it can be made thinner, it is useful for reducing the height of electrical connectors.
Can be given. Preferably, in the present invention, the above lid
The member is one or more at each intermediate portion of each wire.
It may have an opening for exposing. in this case,
It has the following advantages: That is, the metal wire is used as the lid member.
It is inserted during molding and embedded in the molded product of the lid member.
The metal wire in the mold in a predetermined
It is necessary to keep it, but it is necessary to handle it in the mold.
Support pin (insert pin) can be placed at
It will be possible. Therefore, the wire can be stably supported in the mold.
As a result of being able to hold, the wire faces in the molded product
Improves the positional accuracy of the rotation support shaft consisting of the end and the locking projection.
You can

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a flexible board connector and an FPC according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the flexible board connector with the lid member opened. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a flexible board connector 1 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as connector 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flexible board 2 (hereinafter, simply referred to as FPC 2) from the front.
The housing 4 is made of synthetic resin and defines the insertion / extraction space 3 into / from which the insertion / extraction is performed. The front half of the housing 4 is opened upward through the opening 6 of the upper plate portion 5 of the housing 4, and is made of a synthetic resin molded product capable of opening and closing the opening 6 by rotating. Is provided.

Reference numeral 51 denotes a metal wire embedded in the lid member 7 as a first reinforcing member, and both ends of the wire 51 are provided with locking projections C as a pair of first engaging portions. ing. Each locking protrusion C is locked in a lock groove 50 as a second engaging portion of a corresponding reinforcing tab 10 made of a metal plate as a second reinforcing member fixed to the housing 4, and the lid member 7 is secured. Lock the closed state of. The locking projection C of the wire 51 and the locking groove 50 constitute a locking mechanism.

Reference numeral 45 is a metal wire embedded in the lid member 7 as a third reinforcing member. A pair of rotation support shafts A is provided at both ends of the wire 45. 53 and 54 are intermediate portions 47 and 52 of the corresponding wires 45 and 51, respectively.
Is an opening provided in the lid member 7 for exposing a part 55, 59 of the above to the outside of the lid member 7. Opposing side plate portions 8 and 9 of the housing 4 define both side portions of the insertion / extraction space 3. A pair of fixing holes 11 are opened in the front end faces of the side plate portions 8 and 9. (Although not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 which is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2.) Each fixing hole 11 has a pair of rotations protruding toward both sides of the lid member 7. The reinforcing tabs 10 for supporting the support shafts A are housed and fixed from the front side.

Referring to FIG. 3, the reinforcing tab 10 includes a main body portion 12, a rotation support portion 14 for supporting the rotation support shaft A, and a hook-shaped fixing portion 15 to be soldered to the surface of the substrate. Have The main body 12 is inserted into the fixing hole 11 from the front side and is fixed via the locking projection. The rotation support portion 14 is a concave groove defined by an extension piece 13 extending upward from the front end of the main body portion 12, and rotatably supports the corresponding rotation support shaft A. The fixed portion 15 extends downward from the front end of the main body portion 12.

Further, at the front portion of the main body portion 12, the above-mentioned lock groove 50 which engages with the locking projection C and locks the closed state of the lid member 7 is formed. The abutment portion 6 of the housing 4 is attached to the rotation support shaft A introduced into the groove as the rotation support portion 14.
By bringing 0 into contact, the rotation support shaft A is held in the groove. Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the side plate portion 8,
Extending portions 17 and 18 extending forward are formed at 9. Each of the extending portions 17 and 18 is thinner than the side plate portions 8 and 9 and is positioned outward of the adjacent fixing hole 11 and extends to both sides of the opening 6. Reference numerals 19 and 20 denote guide walls rising from both side edges of the front portion of the lower plate portion 16 of the housing 4, and each of the guide walls 19 and 20 is a closed state of the lid member 7,
It is introduced into a corresponding groove 21 formed on the side edge of the lid member 7, and restricts the lid member 7 from moving in the left-right direction.

Further, in the insertion / removal space 3 of the housing 4, a plurality of fork-shaped first and second contacts 22 and 23 are arranged in two rows which are alternately arranged side by side. 1 and 2
Also, referring to FIG. 4 which is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2, the first contact 22 is made of a metal member and the housing 4 is provided.
It is inserted and fixed in the insertion / extraction space 3 from the front side. With reference to FIG. 4, the first contact 22 is provided in the housing groove 24 formed on the upper surface of the lower plate portion 16 of the housing 4 from the front side with the fixed piece portion 25, and in the latter half portion of the insertion / extraction space 3. The elastic piece portion 26 is provided above the fixed piece portion 25.

A locking piece 27 having a locking projection extends rearward from a connecting portion between the fixed piece portion 25 and the elastic piece portion 26. The locking piece 27 is inserted and fixed in the fixing hole 28 of the housing 4. Further, a lead portion 29 having an inverted T shape is provided at the front end of the fixed piece portion 25. The lead portion 29 is soldered to the surface of the board on which the connector 4 is mounted, and is locked to the front edge of the lower plate portion 16 of the housing 4 to prevent the fixed piece portion 25 from rising. Three
Reference numerals 0 and 31 denote chevron protrusions formed on the fixed piece portion 25 and the elastic piece portion 26 so as to face each other.
C2 is sandwiched between these chevron projections 30 and 31, and FPC2
Ensure contact pressure against.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 which is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 2, the second contact 23 is made of a metal member, and is placed in the insertion / removal space 3 of the housing 4. Inserted from the side and fixed. With reference to FIG. 5, the second contactor 2
The reference numeral 3 includes a fixed piece portion 33 having a locking projection, an elastic piece portion 35 located below the fixed piece portion 33, a main body portion 36, and a lead portion 37. The fixed piece portion 33 is the housing 4
Is fixed by being inserted from the rear side into the fixing hole 32 in the upper part of.
The elastic piece portion 35 is housed from the rear side in the housing groove 34 formed in the upper surface of the lower plate portion 16 of the housing 4. Main body 36
Connects the fixed piece 33 and the rear end of the elastic piece 35. The lead portion 37 extends rearward and obliquely downward from the main body portion 36 and is soldered to the surface of the substrate.

The front ends 38 and 39 of the fixed piece portion 33 and the elastic piece portion 35 extend to the intermediate portion of the housing 4 in the front-rear direction. The front end 38 of the fixed piece portion 33 penetrates into the through hole 40 formed in the lid member 7 in the closed state of the lid member 7 shown in FIG. Further, the front end 38 faces the outside upward through an open portion B provided at one end edge of the lid member 7 when the lid member 7 is closed as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9. In this manner, the continuity inspection can be easily performed by bringing the continuity inspection probe into contact with the front end 38 of the fixed piece portion 33 of the second contactor 23 through the open portion B in the state where the lid member 7 is closed.

The front end 39 of the elastic piece portion 35 is formed with an upward chevron projection 41 for ensuring contact pressure with the FPC 2. Further, a stopper 61 formed of a protrusion protruding toward the elastic piece portion 35 is formed at the foremost portion of the front end 38 of the fixed piece portion 33, and an engaging recess 62 is formed adjacent to the stopper 61. The engagement recess 62 is provided so as to face the chevron projection 41 of the elastic piece. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 7 which is a plan view of the lid member, the lid member 7 has a substantially rectangular plate shape, and the first and second end edges 4 facing each other.
It has 2,43. From the left and right side portions 44, 44 of the first end edge 42, which face each other, the above-described pair of rotation support shafts A project.

The pair of rotation supporting shafts A are constituted by exposed end portions 46, 46 of a metal wire 45 embedded when the lid member 7 is molded. The intermediate portion 47 of the wire 45 has a substantially channel shape and has a first edge 4
2 and a portion extending parallel to each other with a predetermined distance from the rotation axis 56. The wire 45 as a whole has a crank shape. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of through holes 40 for allowing the front end 38 of the second contact 23 to move in and out are arranged side by side on the first edge 42 of the lid member 7. In FIG. 7, the portion on the first end edge 42 side of the through hole 40 constitutes the pressing portion 48.

When the pressing portion 48 displaces the lid member 7 to the closed position, as shown in FIG. 9, the FPC 2 arranged on the elastic piece portion 35 of the second contact piece 23 and the fixed piece portion 33. The FPC 2 is pressed against the elastic piece portion 35 while being sandwiched between them. The pressing portion 48 is the pressing surface 6 facing the chevron projection 41 of the elastic piece portion 35 in the closed state of the lid member 7 shown in FIG.
Have three. Further, when the cover member 7 is closed, the back surface 64 of the pressing surface 63 abuts on the engaging recess 62 of the fixed piece portion 33 of the second contact piece 23, so that the elastic piece portion 35 moves to the F side.
The elastic repulsive force applied to the pressing portion 48 via the PC 2 is received by the fixed piece portion 33.

The pressing portion 48 has a substantially rectangular cross section, and one side of the pressing surface 63 is a portion facing the chevron projection 41 of the elastic piece portion 35 when the lid member 7 is closed. The end surface 65 of the lid member 7, which is one side adjacent to the pressure surface 63
Is a portion of the elastic piece portion 35 that faces the chevron-shaped protrusion 41 when the lid member 7 is open. Pressurizing surface 48 as a facing portion when closed
An R-shaped chamfered portion 66 is formed at a corner portion between the end surface 65 and the end surface 65 serving as the opening facing portion. When the lid member 7 is closed, the portion facing the chevron projection 41 moves while rotating from the end face 65 to the pressing face 48, but the chamfered portion 66 between the both surfaces 65, 48 causes the surface of the FPC 2 on the elastic piece portion 35 to move. By sliding smoothly, the lid member 7 can be closed smoothly.

A chamfer 67 is also provided at a diagonal position of the chamfer 66. A chamfer 68 is also provided at a corner of the stopper 61 adjacent to the chamfer 67. With reference to FIG. 7 again, a pair of locks that engage with the lock grooves 50 of the corresponding reinforcing tabs 10 are provided on the left and right side portions 49, 49 of the second end edge 43 of the lid member 7 that face each other. The protrusion C is formed to project. By engaging the locking projection C with the lock groove 50 in the closed state of the lid member 7,
The closed state of is locked. In the closed state of the lid member 7, a pair of reinforcing tabs 10 shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG.
And a corresponding end portion (corresponding to the locking protrusion C) of the wire 51 serving as the lock shaft are connected to each other to connect the wire 45 and the wire 51.
The pair of reinforcing tabs 10 and 10 form a closed loop having a rectangular ring shape.

The pair of locking projections C are opposed ends 5 of the metal wire 51 embedded when the lid member 7 is molded, which are exposed.
2, 52. The wire 51 has a crank shape as a whole, and an intermediate portion 52 thereof has a second edge 4
3 extend in parallel at a predetermined distance. 7 and 7
Referring to FIG. 8 showing a cross section taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG.
Is an opening that exposes the intermediate portion of the wire 45 at one or more locations, and 54 is an opening that exposes the intermediate portion of the wire 51 at one or more locations. These openings 53 and 54 play the following roles. That is, the metal wires 45, 5
In order to insert 1 into the molded product of the lid member 7 by inserting it at the time of molding the lid member 7, it is necessary to support the metal wires 45 and 51 in the molding die in a predetermined posture. It becomes possible to dispose a wide support pin (insert pin) at a portion corresponding to the openings 53 and 54 in the mold. Therefore, as a result of being able to stably support the wires 45 and 51 in the mold, the wire 4 in the molded product is
A rotation support shaft A and a locking protrusion C composed of opposite ends of 5, 51.
The position accuracy of can be improved.

In the present embodiment, when the lid member 7 is closed, the pressing portion 62 is brought into contact with the engaging concave portion 62 of the fixed piece portion 33, and the stopper 61 allows the pressing portion 48 to escape (second contactor). 23) to escape in the opening direction. This makes it possible to prevent the lid member 7 from bending while the pressurizing portion 48 is aligned with the chevron projection 41. Therefore, the wall thickness of the lid member becomes thin to reduce the height, and the lid member 7
Even when the deformation strength of the
The PC 2 can be surely strongly pressed against the chevron projection 41 of the elastic piece portion 35 to achieve reliable conduction between the FPC 2 and the second contact 23. The lid member 7 does not come off from the housing 4.

Further, the pair of metallic rotation tabs A projecting from the left and right side portions 44 of the lid member 7 are fixed to the housing 4, and the rotation support portions 14 of the pair of metal reinforcement tabs 10 are fixed. Hold on. Since the left and right side portions 44 of the lid member 7 are supported by the engagement of the metal members, it is possible to more reliably prevent the pressurizing portion 48 from escaping and to secure a high contact pressure. Furthermore, since the metal wire 45 partially embedded at the time of molding the lid member 7 penetrates the lid member 7 in the width direction (left-right direction), it is possible to prevent the lid member 7 from bending, so that the pressurizing portion 48 escapes. Can be prevented more reliably and a high contact pressure can be obtained.

Assuming that the wire 45 is the one end edge 42 of the lid member 7.
If it extends straight through the
Since the wire 45 is included, the one end edge 42 as a whole becomes thicker. Therefore, the thickness of the pressurizing portion 48 arranged at the one end edge 42 also becomes thicker, and as a result, the second contact 23
The interval between the fixed piece portion 33 and the elastic piece portion 35 becomes wider, and the height of the connector 1 becomes higher. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the intermediate portion 47 of the wire 45 has the pressing portion 48.
Since it escapes from the one end edge 42 of the lid member 7 on which the pressure is arranged by a predetermined distance, the thickness of the pressurizing portion 48 can be reduced as shown in FIG. 9. Also from this point, it is possible to contribute to the height reduction of the connector 1.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, all of the fixing piece portions 33 of the plurality of second contactors 23 are added to the lid member 7. Although the pressure portion 48 has the front end 38 into which the pressure portion 48 is inserted, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least a part of the fixing pieces 33 may have the front end 38 into which the pressure portion 48 of the lid member 7 is inserted. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the first and second contactors 22 and 23 are alternately arranged, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the second contactor 23 may be arranged in the connector. Further, the rotation support portion 14 may be provided on the housing 4.

Further, the present invention can be applied to the case of connecting a PCB instead of the FPC, and the present invention can also be applied to a vertical connector in which the FPC 2 is inserted not from the lateral direction but from the upper side. For example, various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an FPC connector and an FP according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a disassembled perspective view of C.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of the connector with a lid member opened.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. The cross-section hatching of the reinforcing tab is omitted.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. The hatching showing the cross section of the first contactor is omitted.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. The hatching showing the cross section of the second contact is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector showing a state just before the lid member is closed.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway plan view of a lid member.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG.

9 is a cross-sectional view of the connector corresponding to FIG. 5 with an FPC connected.

10 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 connector 2 FPC (flexible substrate) 3 insertion / extraction space 4 housing 5 Upper plate 6 openings 7 Lid member 10 Reinforcement tab (reinforcement plate) 14 Rotation support 23 Second contactor 33 Fixed piece 35 Elastic piece 38 Front end 42 First Edge (One Edge) 44 side 45 wire 48 Pressure unit 56 rotation axis A rotation spindle 61 stopper 62 engagement recess

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 12/28

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A housing made of synthetic resin having an opening, a plurality of fork-shaped contacts arranged so as to face the opening and having a fixing piece and an elastic piece facing each other. In a connector for a flexible substrate including a lid member made of synthetic resin that pivots around a pivot axis to open and close the opening, a flexible board connector is provided at one end edge of the lid member that is close to the predetermined pivot axis. With the lid member closed, a pressing portion that is sandwiched between the flexible substrate in contact with the elastic piece portion and the fixed piece portion and presses the flexible substrate to the elastic piece portion, and a portion of the pressure member is embedded when the lid member is molded. Pair of metal wires
And a pair of metal members fixed to the left and right sides of the housing.
Further comprising a reinforcing plate, fixed piece portion viewed contains a stopper to prevent the escape in the direction pressing the of extension of the fixed piece portion in a state where the lid member is closed, a pair of opposite ends of one wire Is left and right of one edge of the lid member
A pair of rotations exposed from the side of the
A pair of opposite ends of the other wire, which constitutes the pivot shaft.
Part is exposed from the left and right side parts of the other edge of the lid member, and
Comprising a stop protrusion, the pair of rotation support shafts are provided on the corresponding reinforcing plates, respectively.
Is supported by the pivot support portion that is, the pair of locking projections are provided to the corresponding reinforcing plate
The lid member is closed by engaging the lock groove.
The pair of wires and the pair of reinforcing plates can be locked when the lid member is closed.
A flexible board connector characterized by forming a closed loop in a square ring shape . 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the opposite ends
The intermediate portion of the one wire that constitutes the rotation support shaft is
A certain distance from the one edge of the lid member on which the pressure portion is arranged
As a result, the one wire has a crank shape . 3. The lid member according to claim 1 or 2,
Expose the middle part of each wire in one or more places
A flexible substrate connector having an opening for holding.