JP4413378B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector used in a small electronic device such as a notebook personal computer, and more particularly to a connector for connecting a cable or FPC to a substrate or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a connector has been used as a device for connecting a cable to a main board (hereinafter simply referred to as a board) such as a mother boat disposed in a small electronic device such as a notebook personal computer.
Such a conventional connector is generally composed of a plug (or receptacle) electrically connected to each core wire of a plurality of cables and a receptacle (or plug) electrically connected to each signal line on the board. Is fitted into the receptacle, the electrical connection between each core wire of the cable and each signal wire of the substrate is achieved.
Further, in the conventional connector, the plug (receptacle) and each core wire of the cable are electrically connected, and the receptacle (plug) and each signal line of the board are electrically connected. The signal wire or each core wire of the cable was soldered.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the conventional connector, since the signal connection of the board and each core wire of the cable are intended to be electrically connected by fitting the plug to the receptacle, two types of connectors of the plug and the receptacle are necessary. Therefore, there was a problem that the number of parts was large. In addition, since the plug and receptacle are electrically connected to the cable core wires or the signal wires of the board, the plug and the receptacle must be soldered to the cable core wires or the signal wires of the board. There is also a problem that the work is complicated and the manufacturing cost is increased by the soldering work.
In the conventional connector, as described above, the electrical connection between each core wire of the cable and the plug (receptacle), the electrical connection between the plug and the receptacle, and the electrical connection between the receptacle (plug) and each signal line of the board. Since the connection between each core wire of the cable and each signal line on the board is designed to achieve electrical connection, there are many connection points, and therefore the electrical connection tends to be poor due to poor connection at each connection point. There was also a problem.
In view of the circumstances described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a small number of parts, a low manufacturing cost, and a simple and good electrical connection.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problem, in the connector according to the present invention, in the connector for electrically connecting the first conductive member and the second conductive member, a housing disposed on the second conductive member, A flexible contact supported in a housing, and a fork-type first contact portion for fitting the first conductive member on one end side toward the second conductive member via a slider And a cover having a second contact portion protruding toward the second conductive member on the other end side, and a cover that covers the housing, and extends to the one end side of the contact. A cover having a tongue piece and a fixing means for positioning and fixing the housing to the second conductive member, and the first conductive member is fitted to the first contact portion via the slider. When, by the elastic force of the first contact portion, the first conductive member and conductive in contact with the first contact portion while being positioned bearing against the housing, said housing second conductive When placed on a member, the second contact portion is disposed opposite to the second conductive member, and the first conductive member fitted and supported on the first contact portion is formed by the housing. And the second conductive member, and is bent along the tongue piece of the cover so as to be arranged between the tongue piece of the cover and the second conductive member, and the housing. Is fixed to the second conductive member by the fixing means, the second conductive member and the second contact portion are brought into contact with each other due to the elastic force of the second contact portion, and the conductive portion is connected. First Collecting member has to be sandwiched between the second conductive member and the tongue of the cover.
[0005]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The connector according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the connectors according to the first to second embodiments.
First, the connector of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual assembly exploded sectional view of the connector of the first embodiment.
The connector 1 of the first embodiment is a connector for connecting a core wire 31a of a cable 31 that is a first conductive member and a conductive pattern 41a of a substrate 41 that is a second conductive member. 2, a conductive contact 11 (made of metal) disposed in the housing 2, a conductive cover (made of metal) 3 covering the housing 2, and a fixing (not shown) for positioning and fixing the housing 2 to the substrate 41 Means.
[0006]
Among these, the housing 2 is formed with a fitting insertion opening 2 a and an opening 2 c in a portion not covered with the cover 3.
The contact 11 is a flexible contact in which a fork-type first contact portion 12 is formed on one end side and a second contact portion 13 is formed on the other end side. 12 and the second contact portion 13 are disposed so as to be exposed in the fitting insertion opening 2a and the opening portion 2c of the housing 2, respectively. Further, the tip of the second contact portion 13 protrudes toward the outside of the opening 2 c of the housing 2.
Further, a plurality of contacts 11 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined pitch as shown in FIG. 2 which is a conceptual top view of the connector of FIG.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the housing 2 (FIG. 1) has a pair of protrusions 2 b formed on both outer sides of the plurality of contacts 11.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover 3 covering the housing 2 has a tongue piece 3 a extending on one end side of the contact 11 on which the first contact portion 12 is formed.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3 showing the conceptual left side view of the connector of FIG. 1, the cover 3 is formed with screw holes 3c (not shown in FIG. 2) on both sides and substantially in the center. Has been. The screw-fastening holes 3c constitute the fixing means for positioning and fixing the housing 2 to the substrate 41.
[0007]
On the other hand, a plurality of cables 31 connected by the connector 1 are arranged in parallel corresponding to each contact 11 in FIG. 2, and each conductive pattern 41 a is arranged on the substrate 41 corresponding to each contact 11. ing.
[0008]
In the connector 1 having the above-described configuration, in order to electrically connect each core wire 31a of the plurality of cables 31 and each conductive pattern 41a of the corresponding substrate 41, first, each core wire 31a of the plurality of cables 31 is connected to each other. As shown in FIG. 1, after being inserted into the corresponding first contact portion 12 via the insertion opening 2a of the housing 2, as shown by the arrow A, the pressing portion 5a of the slider 5 is inserted into the insertion opening 2a. And inserted into each first contact portion 12.
Then, the pressing portion 5a of the slider 5 presses each core wire 31a of the plurality of cables 31 toward the distal end portion 12a side of the first contact portion 12, and thus the distal end portion 12a of each pressed first contact portion 12 is pressed. As shown in FIG. 4, the core wires 31 a of the plurality of cables 31 are sandwiched between the pressing portions 5 a of the slider 5 by the elastic force when pressed. Each core wire 31a is positioned and supported with respect to the housing 2 via the first contact portion 12, and each core wire 31a contacts the tip portion 12a of the first contact portion 12 to conduct.
Note that reference numeral 2 d in FIGS. 1 and 4 denotes a fitting groove formed in the housing 2 for fitting the slider 5.
[0009]
Next, as shown by an arrow B in FIG. 4, the housing 2 is inclined toward the substrate 41 with the surface on which the fitting insertion opening 2 a and the opening 2 c are formed, and a pair of protrusions 2 b (see FIG. When 2) is inserted into a pair of positioning holes (not shown) formed in the substrate 41, the housing 2 is positioned and placed on the substrate 41 as shown in FIG. 13 are arranged opposite to the respective conductive patterns 41a of the corresponding substrate 41, and the core wires 31a of the plurality of cables 31 fitted and supported on the first contact portion 12 are connected to the housing 2 and the substrate 41, respectively. Between the tongue piece 3a of the cover 3 and the substrate 41 by being bent along the tongue piece 3a of the cover 3.
[0010]
Further, when the housing 2 is placed on the substrate 41 in this way, the holes 3c (FIG. 2) of the housing 2 are respectively matched with the holes for screwing (not shown) formed in the substrate 41. Next, after inserting a screw (not shown) into each hole 3c of the housing 2 that is positioned and matched with each screw fixing hole (not shown), and then screwing each nut (not shown) to the screw, The housing 2 can be fixed to the substrate 4, whereby the connector 1 is assembled, and at the same time, the second contact portion 13 at the time of fixing the housing 2 to the substrate 41 causes the second contact portion 13 to be The contact portions 13 are in contact with the conductive patterns 41 a of the opposing substrate 41 to be conductive, and the core wires 31 a of the cable 31 are sandwiched between the tongue pieces 3 a of the cover 3 and the conductive patterns 41 a of the substrate 41. .
Further, when the housing 2 is placed on the substrate 41, a terminal (not shown) formed on the cover 3 comes into contact with a ground pattern (not shown) of the substrate 41 and is connected to the ground via the ground pattern.
Thus, in this connector 1, the first contact portion 12 of each contact 11 abuts on each core wire 31 a of the corresponding cable 31 by the elastic force of the first contact portion 12, and each contact 11, the second contact portions 13 are electrically connected to the corresponding conductive patterns 41 a of the corresponding substrate 41 by the elastic force of the second contact portions 13, whereby the core wires 31 a of the plurality of cables 31 are thereby connected. Are electrically connected to each conductive pattern 41a of the corresponding substrate 41 through one contact 11, respectively, and the connection location is the electrical connection between each core wire 31a and each first contact portion 12, In addition, since only the electrical connection between each second contact portion 13 and each conductive pattern 41a is required, the number of connection points is smaller than that of a conventional connector. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the possibility that electrical connection by a connection failure of the connection portion becomes poor as possible.
[0011]
In the connector 1, as described above, the housing 2 is disposed on the conductive pattern 41 a of the substrate 41, and the flexible contact 11 is supported in the housing 2. A fork-type first contact portion 12 for fitting the core 31a of the cable 31 via the slider 5 is formed on one end side facing the terminal 41a, and protrudes toward the conductive pattern 41a of the substrate 41 on the other end side. A cover 3 covering the contact 11 in which the second contact portion 13 is formed and the housing 2, the cover 3 having a tongue piece 3 a extending on the one end side of the contact 11, and the housing 2 on the substrate 41. Since a fixing means (not shown) for positioning and fixing to the conductive pattern 41 a is provided, the core wire 31 a of the cable 31 is connected to the first contact via the slider 5. 12, the core wire 31a of each cable 31 and the first contact portion 12 of each contact 11 can be connected, and it is not necessary to perform soldering work as in the prior art. Accordingly, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the connection work can be simplified. Further, each core wire 31a of the cable 31 supported by the second housing 5 is disposed between the housing 2 and each conductive pattern 41a of the substrate 41, and the housing 2 is simply fixed to the substrate 41 by fixing means. Since the second contact portion 13 of each contact 11 and each conductive pattern 41a of the substrate 41 can be electrically connected, and the conventional soldering operation is not required for the connection, the manufacturing cost is further increased accordingly. And the connection work can be further simplified.
[0012]
In the connector 1, as described above, after the cables 31 are fitted and supported on the first contact portions 12 of the contacts 11 of the housing 2 via the slider 5, the cables 31 are connected to the substrate 41 and the housing 2. The core 5a of each cable 31 and each conductive pattern 41a of the board 41 are electrically connected through one contact 11 only by fixing the housing 5 to the board 41 by fixing means. Since it is not necessary to dispose two types of connectors that can be separated and separated, that is, a plug and a receptacle as in the prior art, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced accordingly. Can do.
Further, in this connector 1, each core wire 31 a of the cable 31 supported by the second housing 5 is fixed to the tongue piece 3 a of the cover 3 and each conductive pattern of the substrate 41 by a fixing force that fixes the housing 2 to the substrate 41. Accordingly, the height of the connector 1 can be reduced, and the core wires 31a of the cable 31 can be reliably positioned on the first contact portions 12 , so that the core wires 31a and Since the contact with one contact portion 12 is ensured, the electrical connection between each core wire 31a of the cable 31 and each conductive pattern 41a of the substrate 41 can be ensured.
[0013]
In the connector 1 of this embodiment, the cable 31 is a normal cable having a single core wire 3a disposed therein. However, the cable 31 used in the connector 1 of the present invention is a coaxial cable. In some cases, the inner conductor 31 a can be connected to the conductive pattern 41 a of the substrate 41 through the contact 11.
Further, in each of the coaxial cables 31, a portion of the outer conductor sandwiched between the cover 3 of the connector 1 and the board 41 is exposed in advance, and when the connector 1 is assembled, the outer conductor is connected to the cover 3. When the tongue pieces 3a are brought into contact with each other, the outer conductor of each cable 31 can be grounded to a ground pattern (not shown) of the substrate 41 via the tongue pieces 3a of the cover 3, so that the shielding effect of the connector 1 is improved. Can do.
[0014]
In the connector 1 of the first embodiment, the first conductive member supported between the first housing 2 and the second housing 5 is the core wire 31a of the cable 31, The first conductive member of the connector of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a flexible metal conductor. For example, the first conductive member of the connector of the present invention is formed on an FPC (flexible printed wiring board). A conductive pattern may be used.
[0015]
Next, as a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, a connector in which the first conductive member is composed of an FPC conductive pattern will be described.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of the connector 51 of the second embodiment, and the same parts as those in FIG.
In the connector 51 of the second embodiment, the FPC 35 is fitted into the first contact portion 12 of the contact 11 constituting the connector 1 of the embodiment of FIG. 1, whereby the FPC 35 which is the first conductive member. The conductive pattern 35a is electrically connected to each conductive pattern 41a of the substrate 41.
[0016]
That is, in the connector 51 of the second embodiment, the FPC 35 is inserted into the first contact portion 12 through the insertion slot 2a of the housing 2 in FIG. 1, and then the first through the insertion slot 2a. When the slider 5 is inserted into one contact portion 12, each conductive pattern 35a of the FPC 35 is positioned and supported by the corresponding first contact 12 and the slider 5 by the elastic force of the first contact portion 12. At the same time, each conductive pattern 35a of the FPC 35 and the first contact portion 12 of each contact 11 come into contact with each other, and electrical connection between each conductive pattern 35a of the FPC 35 and each first contact portion 12 is achieved.
Further, the housing 2 is tilted toward the substrate 41 with the surface on which the insertion slot 2a and the opening 2c are formed, and a pair of protrusions 2b (FIG. 2) of the housing 5 are formed on the substrate 41 (not shown). When inserted into the pair of positioning holes, the housing 2 is placed on the substrate 41, and the second contact portions 13 are arranged to face the corresponding conductive patterns 41a of the corresponding substrate 41, respectively. The FPC 35 fitted and supported by the contact portion 12 is disposed between the housing 2 and the substrate 41 and is bent along the tongue piece 3a of the cover 3 so that the tongue piece 3a and the substrate 41 of the cover 3 are bent. Between. Further, since the holes 3c (FIG. 2) of the housing 2 respectively match the holes for screwing (not shown) of the substrate 41, the housing that is positioned and matched with the holes for screwing (not shown). 2, after inserting screws (not shown) into the respective holes 3 c, the nuts (not shown) are respectively screwed into the screws, so that the housing 2 can be fixed to the board. While being assembled, the second contact portion 13 is brought into contact with the respective conductive patterns 41a of the opposing substrate 41 by the elastic force of the second contact portion 13 when the housing 2 is fixed to the substrate 41. At the same time, the FPC 35 is sandwiched between the tongue piece 3 a of the cover 3 and the conductive pattern 41 a of the substrate 41 by the fixing force when fixing the housing 2 to the substrate 41.
[0017]
As described above, in the connector 51 of the second embodiment, after the FPC 35 is fitted and supported on the first contact portion 12 of each contact 11 of the housing 2 via the slider 5, the FPC 35 is attached to the substrate 41 and the housing 2. The conductive pattern 35a of the FPC 35 and each conductive pattern 41a of the substrate 41 are electrically connected through the single contact 11 only by fixing the housing 5 to the substrate 41 by the fixing means. Since it is not necessary to provide two types of connectors that can be separated and separated as in the prior art, the number of parts can be reduced accordingly, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. The operation of soldering each conductive pattern 35a and the first contact portion 12 of each contact 11, and each conductive pattern of the substrate 41 Since it is not necessary to perform the soldering operation between the contact 41a and the second contact portion 13 of each contact 11, the connection operation can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be further reduced. Since only the electrical connection between each conductive portion 35a and each first contact portion 12 and the electrical connection between each second contact portion 13 and each conductive pattern 41a of the substrate 41, there are few connection points, Therefore, it is possible to prevent as much as possible the possibility of electrical connection failure due to connection failure at each connection point.
[0018]
Further, in the connector 51 of the second embodiment, the FPC 35 supported by the second housing 5 causes the tongue piece 3 a and each conductive pattern 41 a of the substrate 41 to be fixed by a fixing force that fixes the housing 2 to the substrate 41. Since the connector 1 is sandwiched between them, the height of the connector 1 is reduced, and each conductive pattern 35a of the FPC 35 is reliably positioned with respect to each first contact portion 12, so that each conductive pattern 35a and each first contact are Since the contact with the portion 12 is ensured, the electrical connection between each conductive pattern 35a of the FPC 35 and each conductive pattern 41a of the substrate 41 can be ensured.
[0019]
Further, in the FPC 35 connected by the connector 1 of the second embodiment, a ground connection pattern 35b is preliminarily provided in a portion sandwiched between the cover 3 of the connector 1 and the substrate 41 as shown in FIG. When the ground connection pattern 35b is formed and brought into contact with the tongue piece 3a of the cover 3 when the connector 51 is assembled, the ground connection pattern 35b of the FPC 35 is brought into contact with the tongue piece 3a of the cover 3. Since the ground connection (not shown) of the substrate 41 can be grounded, the shield effect of the connector 1 can be improved thereby.
[0020]
In the connector 1 of the first embodiment and the connector 51 of the second embodiment described above, the second conductive member that is positioned and fixed to the second housing 2 is the conductive pattern 41 a of the substrate 41. However, the second conductive member of the connector of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a flexible metal conductor.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the connector according to the present invention, the housing disposed on the second conductive member and the flexible contact supported in the housing, the one end facing the second conductive member A fork-type first contact portion that fits the first conductive member through a slider is formed on the side, and a second contact portion that protrudes toward the second conductive member is formed on the other end side. A cover that covers the housing, has a tongue piece extending to one end of the contact, and a fixing means for positioning and fixing the housing to the second conductive member. The first conductive member and the first contact portion can be electrically connected to each other only by fitting the first conductive member to the first contact portion via the slider, and the first conductive member is supported by the housing. Guidance The member is disposed between the housing and the second conductive member, and the second conductive member and the second contact portion are electrically connected only by fixing the housing to the second conductive member by the fixing means. Since the first conductive member and the second conductive member can be electrically connected to each other, there is no need to dispose two types of connectors that can be separated and separated as in the prior art. Since the number of parts can be reduced, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and it is not necessary to solder the first conductive member and the contact and the second conductive part and the contact as in the prior art. Therefore, the connection work can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be further reduced. Moreover, since the connection by the connector is performed through one contact, the connection portion is compared with the conventional one. Becomes smaller, a possibility that electrical connection by a connection failure of the connection portion becomes defective can also be prevented as much as possible.
[0022]
In the connector according to the present invention, the first conductive member is sandwiched between the tongue piece of the cover and the second conductive member by a fixing force for fixing the housing to the second conductive member. The first conductive member can be securely positioned with respect to the first contact portion and connected, whereby the electrical connection between the first conductive member and the second conductive member can be achieved. Can be ensured.
Furthermore, if a ground connection portion is formed in advance in a portion of the first conductive member connected by the connector of the present invention between the tongue piece of the cover and the second conductive member, the connector Since the ground connection portion can be connected to the ground via the tongue of the cover when assembled, this can also improve the shielding effect.
[0023]
Therefore, according to the cable connector of the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector with a small number of parts, a low manufacturing cost, a simple and good electrical connection, and thereby a notebook personal computer that performs inexpensive and stable operation. Such a small electronic device can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual assembly exploded sectional view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual top view of the connector of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a conceptual left side view of the connector of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a conceptual cross-sectional view showing a procedure for assembling the connector of the first embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of the connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a cable and a board are connected.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which an FPC and a board are connected.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 51 ... Connector 2 ... Housing 3 ... Cover 3a ... Tongue piece 11 ... Contact 12 ... First contact part 13 ... Second contact part 31 ... Cable 31a, 35a ... First conductive member 31a ... Core wire 35 ... FPC
35a ... FPC conductive pattern 35b ... Ground connection pattern 41 ... Substrate 41a ... Second conductive member 41a ... Substrate conductive pattern

Claims (6)

In the connector for electrically connecting the first conductive member and the second conductive member,
A housing disposed on the second conductive member;
A flexible contact supported in the housing, wherein the first conductive member is fitted to the first conductive member via a slider on one end side toward the second conductive member. A contact formed with a second contact portion protruding toward the second conductive member on the other end side,
A cover covering the housing, the cover having a tongue piece extending on the one end side of the contact;
Fixing means for positioning and fixing the housing to the second conductive member,
When the first conductive member is fitted to the first contact portion via the slider, the first conductive member is positioned and supported with respect to the housing by the elastic force of the first contact portion. When the housing is placed on the second conductive member, the second contact portion is arranged to face the second conductive member when the first contact portion is brought into contact with the first conductive portion and the housing is placed on the second conductive member. the first conductive member is fitted supported on the first contact portion is disposed between the second conductive member and the housing, bent along the tongue of the cover, the When the housing is fixed between the tongue piece of the cover and the second conductive member and the housing is fixed to the second conductive member by the fixing means, the second contact portion causes the second contact portion to move. Guidance The member and the second contact portion are brought into contact with each other and are electrically connected, and the first conductive member is sandwiched between the tongue piece of the cover and the second conductive member. Characteristic connector. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive member is a core wire of a cable. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the second conductive member is a conductive pattern formed on a substrate. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive member is a conductive pattern formed on an FPC. The first conductive member is an inner conductor of a coaxial cable, and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable contacts the tongue piece of the cover and is grounded via the tongue piece. The connector according to claim 1. The first conductive member is a conductive pattern formed on an FPC, and the FPC is formed with a ground connection pattern that contacts the tongue piece of the cover and is grounded via the tongue piece. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is provided.

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