JP5218441B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector configured to fix a signal transmission medium by moving an actuator.

  In general, various electrical connectors are widely used to electrically connect various signal transmission media such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC) and a flexible flat cable (FFC) in various electrical devices. ing. For example, in an electrical connector that is mounted and used on a printed wiring board as in Patent Document 1 below, a signal transmission medium made of FPC, FFC, or the like is inserted into the inside from an opening on the front end side of an insulating housing (insulator). Then, the actuator (connection operation means) held at the “connection release position” at that time is rotated so as to be pushed down toward the connection operation position on the front side or rear side of the connector by the operator's operation force, for example. The structure is made.

  When the actuator (connection operation means) is rotated to the “connection operation position”, the cam member provided on the actuator presses the conductive contact, whereby the conductive contact becomes the signal transmission medium (FPC, The signal transmission medium is fixed by being displaced so as to be in pressure contact with the FFC or the like. On the other hand, when the actuator in the “connection operation position” is rotated toward the original “connection release position”, for example, by being raised upward, the conductive contact is caused by its elasticity to generate a signal transmission medium (FPC, The signal transmission medium is opened.

  As described above, the actuator of the electrical connector is reciprocated between the “connection release position” and the “connection action position”, for example, by rotating, but is moved to the “connection action position”. The actuator in this state is arranged in a state close to the printed wiring board. In particular, since electrical connectors in recent years have been drastically reduced in size and height, the gap between the actuator at the connecting position and the printed wiring board has become very small. When operating the actuator in the proximity state with such a printed wiring board, for example, as shown in FIG. 13 showing the embodiment of the present invention, a narrow space between the actuator and the printed wiring board P is used. A rotation operation is often performed in which an operator's claw is inserted into the gap and the tip of the operator's claw is hooked on an actuator.

  However, since a part such as a conductive contact is arranged in the gap between the actuator and the printed wiring board, if the operator's claw is inserted between the actuator and the printed wiring board as described above, the conductive contact If the operator's claw tip is hooked on the end of the connector and the operation is performed as it is, the parts of the electrical connector may be damaged. For example, when the actuator is rotated so as to be raised upward from the “connection operation position” toward the “connection release position”, the tip of the conductive contact protruding from the through hole of the actuator on the back side of the actuator If an operator's nail | tip nail | tip part is hooked and operation is performed as it is, the part of an electrical connector may be damaged.

JP 2007-71160 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that can reliably prevent damage to parts such as a conductive contact during operation of an actuator with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a signal transmission medium is mounted on the wiring board so as to be connected to the wiring board side, and the actuator is connected so that the actuator faces the wiring board. In the electrical connector configured to sandwich the signal transmission medium by being moved to a position, the actuator includes a protective protrusion that protrudes toward the wiring board when the actuator is moved to the connection operation position. The structure provided with the part is adopted.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, a gap formed between the actuator and the printed wiring board in a state in which the actuator is moved to the connection operation position is formed from the operation side outer end surface side of the actuator by the protection unit. As a result, the operator's claws do not come into contact with connector parts such as conductive contacts disposed inside the gap between the actuator and the printed wiring board.

  Moreover, it is desirable that the protection portion in the present invention is provided so as to form a step with respect to the operation side outer end surface of the actuator.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, when the actuator is moved, the operator's claw tip is easily caught on the step between the actuator and the protective portion, so that the movement operation of the actuator can be performed safely and reliably. Done.

  Further, in the present invention, the actuator is attached to the insulating housing so as to be reciprocally movable, and a plurality of conductive contacts in contact with the signal transmission medium and the wiring board are arranged in a multipolar manner in the insulating housing. In the electrical connector, wherein the conductive contact has a board connecting portion soldered to the wiring board, the protective portion is a board connecting portion of the conductive contact adjacent in the multipolar arrangement direction. It is desirable that they are arranged between the two parts.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, when the actuator is moved to the connection operation position, the protective portion of the actuator enters the portion between the substrate connection portions of the conductive contacts, thereby preventing interference therebetween. Therefore, even if the actuator is shortened in the length direction of the conductive contacts orthogonal to the multipolar arrangement direction, interference does not occur. Further, since the portion between the conductive contact contacts between the substrate connecting portions is covered by the protective portion of the actuator, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a foreign substance such as dust enters the portion between the conductive contacts to cause an electrical short circuit.

  Further, in the present invention, the protection portion is disposed so as to protrude from the end face of the conductive contact substrate connection portion to the operation side outer end face side of the actuator in a state where the actuator is moved to the connection action position. desirable.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the tip of the operator's claw comes into contact with the protection portion of the actuator, and further insertion becomes impossible. The operator's nail tip is reliably prevented from contacting.

  Further, in the present invention, the actuator is attached to the insulating housing so as to be able to reciprocate, and the protection portion is disposed at a position that does not interfere with the insulating housing in the reciprocating direction of the actuator. It is desirable that

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, it is not necessary to reduce the size of the insulating housing in order to avoid interference with the protective portion of the actuator, and accordingly, the holding property of the conductive contact is maintained well.

  Further, in the present invention, the actuator is provided so as to be rotatable around a rotation center extending in the longitudinal direction of the actuator, and is an outer end surface in the radial direction with respect to the rotation center of the actuator. Thus, it is preferable that inclined end portions extending at an appropriate angle with respect to the longitudinal direction are provided at both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the actuator.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, in order to rotate the actuator from the “connection release position” to the “connection operation position”, the front end surface of the actuator in the state where the actuator is set to the “connection release position” is provided. When pressing with the fingertip of the operator, the pressing force of the operator is less likely to be applied to the portion provided with the inclined surface portions on both ends in the longitudinal direction. And the pressing force applied to the portion where the inclined surface portion is provided acts in a direction substantially perpendicular to the inclined surface of the inclined surface portion, that is, from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the actuator toward the central side. Will be. Therefore, as a whole of the pressing force by the operator, it will act almost uniformly on the entire length of the actuator, and it is difficult for the situation that the actuator is pressed in a twisted state as in the conventional case, The entire actuator is rotated while maintaining a substantially flat surface, and the holding action of the signal transmission medium by the rotation of the actuator is favorably performed.

  Furthermore, when the entire appearance of the actuator is visually observed, it is visually recognized as an irregular shape having a substantially trapezoidal shape, so that the rotation state of the actuator can be visually and easily confirmed.

  As described above, the electrical connector according to the present invention is connected to the actuator that sandwiches the signal transmission medium by being moved to the connection action position facing the wiring board in a state where the actuator is moved to the connection action position. By providing a protective part that protrudes toward the board, the gap between the actuator and the printed wiring board is covered from the outside by the protective part, and the conductive contact that is arranged inside the gap between the actuator and the printed wiring board Because it is configured so that the operator's claws do not come into contact with parts such as, it is possible to reliably prevent breakage of parts such as conductive contacts during actuator operation with a simple configuration. Quality and reliability can be greatly improved at low cost.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing the entire structure of the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the signal transmission medium is not inserted in a state where the actuator is set at the connection release position. It is. FIG. 2 is an external perspective explanatory view showing the entire configuration in a state where a signal transmission medium is inserted into the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1 and then rotated so as to push down an actuator to a connection operation position, from the front side. It is an external appearance perspective explanatory view when the electrical connector in the connection cancellation | release state shown by FIG. 1 is seen from the back side. It is front explanatory drawing when the electrical connector in the connection cancellation | release state shown by FIG. 1 is seen from the front side. FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view when the electrical connector in the disconnected state shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from above. It is an external appearance perspective explanatory view when the electrical connector in the connection action state shown in Drawing 2 is seen from the back side. FIG. 3 is an explanatory plan view when the electrical connector in the connection operation state shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from above. FIG. 4 is an external perspective explanatory view showing, in an enlarged manner, one longitudinal end portion of the electrical connector in the disconnected state shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is an external perspective explanatory view showing, in an enlarged manner, one longitudinal end portion of the electrical connector in the connection operation state shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a cross sectional explanatory view taken along line X-X in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a cross sectional explanatory view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing an operation of causing the actuator shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 9 in the state of being pushed down to the connection action position with an operator's claw. FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a region represented by reference symbol XIII in FIG. 12 and is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing one conductive contact. It is a cross-sectional explanatory drawing which showed the state which raised the actuator a little from the state of FIG. 13 pushed down to the connection action position. FIG. 14 is an explanatory cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 13, showing a state where the actuator is raised to the connection release position. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 15, showing a state where the actuator is raised to a connection release position, and showing the other conductive contact. It is bottom explanatory drawing which showed a part of the state by which the actuator was pushed down to the connection action position from the downward side.

  In the following, the present invention is applied to an electrical connector that is mounted on a wiring board and used for connecting a signal transmission medium such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC). The embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  That is, the electrical connector 10 shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 17 has a so-called back flip structure having an actuator 12 as a connection operation means on the rear end edge side (right end edge side in FIG. 10) of the insulating housing 11. The actuator 12 described above has a rear side (the right side in FIG. 10) opposite to the connector front end side (the left end side in FIG. 10) into which the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is inserted. It is made the structure rotated so that it may be pushed down toward the side.

  At this time, the insulating housing 11 is formed of a hollow frame-like insulating member extending in an elongated shape, and the longitudinal width direction of the insulating housing 11 is hereinafter referred to as a connector longitudinal direction, and a signal transmission medium. The direction in which the terminal portion of F (such as FPC or FFC) is inserted or removed is referred to as the connector front-rear direction.

  More specifically, inside the insulating housing 11 described above, conductive contacts 13 and 14 having two different shapes formed by a thin metal plate member having an appropriate shape are mounted over a plurality of bodies. Yes. The conductive contacts 13, 14 are arranged in a multipolar shape at an appropriate interval along the connector longitudinal direction inside the insulating housing 11, and the conductive contacts 13 on one side and the other side having different shapes. The conductive contacts 14 are alternately arranged in the connector longitudinal direction, which is the direction of the multipolar arrangement. Each of these conductive contacts 13 and 14 is a conductive path (not shown) formed on the main printed wiring board (see symbol P in FIGS. 12 and 13) for either signal transmission or ground connection. It is used in a state where it is mounted by solder bonding.

  On the front end edge side (left end edge side in FIG. 10) of the insulating housing 11, there is a terminal portion of the signal transmission medium F composed of a flexible printed circuit (FPC), a flexible flat cable (FFC) or the like as described above. The medium insertion port 11a to be inserted is provided so as to be horizontally elongated in the connector longitudinal direction, and the above-described one is on the rear end edge side (right end edge side in FIG. 10) of the connector front-rear direction. The component attachment port 11b for mounting the conductive contact 13 on the side, the actuator (connection operation means) 12 and the like is also provided in a horizontally elongated shape.

  As described above, the conductive contact 13 on one side is mounted by being inserted toward the front side (left side in FIG. 10) from the component attachment port 11b provided on the connector rear end side of the insulating housing 11. However, the conductive contact 14 on the other side is mounted by being inserted toward the rear side (right side in FIG. 10) from the medium insertion port 11a provided on the connector front end side of the insulating housing 11. Yes. Each of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 is disposed at a position corresponding to a wiring pattern Fa formed on a signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, or the like) F inserted in the insulating housing 11, and the signal transmission medium The wiring pattern Fa formed on F is formed by arranging signal transmission conductive paths (signal line pads) or shield conductive paths (shield line pads) at appropriate pitch intervals.

  Here, each of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 described above is movable including a pair of elongated beam members extending substantially in parallel in the front-rear direction, which is the insertion / removal direction of the signal transmission medium F (left-right direction in FIG. 10). It has beams 13a and 14a and fixed beams 13b and 14b, respectively. The movable beams 13a and 14a and the fixed beams 13b and 14b are disposed so as to face each other at an appropriate interval in the vertical direction in the figure in the internal space of the insulating housing 11 described above. The fixed beams 13b and 14b are fixed so as to be substantially immobile along the inner wall surface of the bottom plate of the insulating housing 11, and the movable beams 13a and 14a are fixed to the fixed beams 13b and 14b. However, it is integrally connected by the connection support | pillar parts 13c and 14c.

  The connecting struts 13c and 14c are formed of narrow plate-like members, and are arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction in the figure at the substantially central portion in the extending direction of the beams 13a and 14a and 13b and 14b. Has been. The movable beams 13a and 14a are elastically flexible with respect to the fixed beams 13b and 14b via the connecting support columns 13c and 14c, and the movable beams 13a and 14a are connected to each other. The connecting support columns 13c and 14c or the vicinity thereof are configured to be swingable about the rotation center. The swinging of the movable beams 13a and 14a at that time is performed in the vertical direction within the paper surface of FIG.

  Further, a wiring pattern (for signal transmission or shielding) formed on the upper surface side of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is formed on the front end side portions (left end side portion in FIG. 10) of the movable beams 13a and 14a described above. The upper terminal contact projections 13a1 and 14a1 connected to any one of the conductive paths (Fa) are provided so as to form a downward projecting shape in the figure.

  On the other hand, as described above, the fixed beams 13b and 14b are arranged so as to extend in the front-rear direction along the inner wall surface of the bottom plate of the insulating housing 11, but the front side portions of these fixed beams 13b and 14b are arranged. (Left side portion in FIG. 10) is connected to one of the wiring patterns (signal transmission or shield conductive paths) Fa formed on the lower side of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F in the figure. The lower terminal contact protrusions 13b1 and 14b1 are provided so as to form an upwardly protruding shape in the figure. These lower terminal contact convex portions 13b1 and 14b1 are arranged so as to face the positions directly below the upper terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 on the movable beams 13a and 14a side described above, and these upper terminal contact convex portions. The signal transmission medium F is sandwiched between 13a1 and 14a1 and the lower terminal contact projections 13b1 and 14b1.

  Note that the upper terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 of the movable beams 13a and 14a and the lower terminal contact convex portions 13b1 and 14b1 of the fixed beams 13b and 14b are positioned on the connector front side (left side in FIG. 10). Or it is also possible to shift and arrange | position to the connector back side (right side of FIG. 10). In addition, the fixed beams 13b and 14b are basically fixed so as to be stationary, but the tip portion is elastically displaced for the purpose of facilitating the insertion of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC, etc.) F. The front end portions of the fixed beams 13b and 14b can be formed so as to slightly lift from the inner wall surface of the bottom plate of the insulating housing 11.

  Further, a main printed wiring board (FIGS. 12 and 13) is provided on the rear end portion (right end portion in FIG. 10) of the fixed beam 13b and the front end portion (left end portion in FIG. 10) of the fixed beam 14b. Substrate connecting portions 13b2 and 14b2 are provided which are solder-connected to the conductive paths formed on the reference symbol P).

  Furthermore, cam receiving portions 13a2 and 14a2 are provided on the rear end portions (right end portions in FIG. 10) of the movable beams 13a and 14a, and rear end portions (see FIG. 10) of the fixed beams 13b and 14b. 10 on the right end side) are provided with cam receiving recesses 13b3 and 14b3 formed in a concave shape. The cam receiving portions 13a2 and 14a2 and the cam receiving recesses 13b3 and 14b3 are arranged in contact with the pressing cam portion 12a of the actuator (connection operation means) 12 mounted on the rear end portion of the insulating housing 11 described above. The cam surface formed along the outer periphery of the pressing cam portion 12a is slidably in contact with the cam receiving portions of the movable beams 13a and 14a and the cam receiving recesses 13b3 and 14b3 of the fixed beams 13b and 14b. The actuator 12 is supported by the contact arrangement relationship so as to be rotatable around the rotation center X (see FIGS. 10 and 11) of the pressing cam portion 12a.

  At this time, the cam receiving portions 13a2 and 14a2 of the movable beams 13a and 14a and the cam receiving recesses 13b3 and 14b3 of the fixed beams 13b and 14b are rotated to the “connection operation position” as shown in FIG. The press cam portion 12a is lightly fitted to the press cam portion 12a, and the press cam portion 12a is held in a state of being rotated to the “connection operation position” in FIG.

  On the other hand, as described above, the entirety of the actuator (connection operation means) 12 arranged to be rotated to the rear end portion (the right end side portion in FIGS. 10 and 11) of the insulating housing 11 extends along the connector longitudinal direction. The insulating housing 11 is arranged so as to extend in a slender shape over almost the same length as the entire width of the insulating housing 11. The actuator 12 is attached so as to be rotatable around a rotation center extending in the longitudinal direction of the actuator 12, that is, around the rotation center X (see FIGS. 10 and 11) of the pressing cam portion 12a. A portion on the outer side of the turning radius with respect to the turning center X (right end side portion in FIG. 11) is formed in the opening / closing operation portion 12b. Then, when an appropriate operation force is applied by the operator to the opening / closing operation unit 12b, the entire actuator 12 is substantially in an upright state as shown in FIG. Thus, it is configured to reciprocately rotate between the “connecting action position” in a state of being tilted substantially horizontally toward the rear side of the connector.

  At this time, a slit-like through-hole portion 12c for avoiding interference with the conductive contacts 13 and 14 is formed in a portion where the opening / closing operation portion 12b is connected to the pressing cam portion 12a, as described above. When the actuator 12 is rotated to the “disconnection position” (see FIG. 10), the rear end portions of the movable beams 13a and 14a of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 enter the inside of the slit-shaped through hole 12c. It has become.

  On the other hand, the operator opens and closes the opening / closing operation part 12b of the actuator (connection operation means) 12 so as to push down from the “connection release position” (see FIG. 10) toward the “connection operation position” (see FIG. 11). When the operation is performed, the rotation radius of the pressing cam portion 12a described above is configured to change in an increasing direction between the fixed beams 13b and 14b and the movable beams 13a and 14a. Then, the cam receiving portions 13a2 and 14a2 provided on the rear end sides of the movable beams 13a and 14a are displaced so as to be lifted upward in the drawing according to the change in which the diameter of the pressing cam portion 12a is increased. Upper terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 provided on the opposite side (connector front end side) to the receiving portions 13a2 and 14a2 are pushed downward.

  Thus, when the actuator (connection operation means) 12 has fully rotated to the “connection operation position” which is the final rotation position (see FIG. 10), the upper terminal contact convex portion 13a1 of the movable beams 13a and 14a described above. , 14a1 and the lower terminal contact projections 13b1, 14b1 of the fixed beams 13b, 14b are sandwiched between the signal transmission media (FPC, FFC, etc.) F. At that time, the upper terminal contact protrusions 13a1 and 14a1 and the lower terminal contact protrusions 13b1 and 14b1 are pressed against the wiring pattern (signal transmission and shield conductive path) Fa of the signal transmission medium F, thereby It is made the structure where a typical connection is made.

  As described above, the opening / closing operation part 12b of the actuator 12 extends in a long shape along the longitudinal direction of the connector, but is disposed on the outer side in the radial direction with respect to the rotation center X of the opening / closing operation part 12b. The operation side end face, that is, the upper end face in a state where the actuator 12 is set at the “disconnection position” (see FIGS. 4 and 5), is provided with inclined surface portions 12b1 at both end portions in the connector longitudinal direction. Each of these inclined surface portions 12b1 is formed so as to extend at an appropriate angle with respect to the connector longitudinal direction, which is the extending direction of the actuator 12, and is formed between the inclined surface portions 12b1 and 12b1. Is provided with a planar portion 12b2 extending in the connector longitudinal direction, which is the direction in which the actuator 12 extends.

  At this time, an appropriate angle formed by each inclined surface portion 12b1 with respect to the longitudinal direction, that is, an angle with respect to the horizontal line obtained by extending the above-described plane portion 12b is set in a range of 4 ° to 15 ° in the present embodiment. The reason for setting such an inclination angle is that, when the actuator 12 is actually rotated, both the uniformity of the operation pressing force with respect to the entire length of the actuator 12 and the rigidity of the entire length of the actuator 12 are good at the same time. This is because it has been found that

  When the actuator 12 is rotated from the “connection release position” to the “connection action position”, the front end in a state where the actuator 12 of the actuator 12 is set to the “connection release position” (see FIG. 10) with the fingertip of the operator. The surface (left end surface in FIG. 10) is pressed, but if the inclined surface portions 12b1 are provided at both end portions of the opening / closing operation portion 12b of the actuator 12 as described above, the worker is not provided with the portion provided with the inclined surface portion 12b1. Therefore, the pressing force tends to be applied to the portion provided with the flat surface portion 12b2 disposed in the central portion in the connector longitudinal direction. Further, the pressing force applied to the portion where the inclined surface portion 12b1 is provided is applied in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface of the inclined surface portion 12b1, that is, from both ends in the connector longitudinal direction toward the center side. Therefore, the pressing force of the operator acts almost uniformly over the entire actuator 12, and there is no situation where the actuator 12 is pressed in a twisted state, and the entire actuator 12 is maintained substantially flat. It is rotated. As a result, the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is favorably held by the rotation of the actuator 12.

  Furthermore, when the entire appearance of the actuator 12 is visually observed, it is visually recognized as an irregular shape having a substantially trapezoidal shape, as particularly indicated by a two-dot chain line represented by reference symbol A in FIG. In particular, when the actuator 12 is rotated to the “connection operation position” (see FIG. 7), the entire appearance of the actuator 12 is visually noticeable in a substantially trapezoidal shape in plan view. Is easily and reliably confirmed as being rotated to the “connection operation position”.

  Furthermore, the inclined surface portions 12b1 and 12b1 arranged on both ends in the connector longitudinal direction are formed so as to be smoothly continuous from both ends of the flat portion 12b2 provided on the center side in the connector longitudinal direction. The corner portion is not formed at the boundary portion between the both surface portions 12b1 and 12b2.

  In this way, if both inclined surface portions 12b1 are configured to continue smoothly from the flat surface portion 12b2, when an operating force is applied to the actuator 12, stress concentration occurs at the boundary between the both surface portions 12b1 and 12b2. As a result, the actuator 12 can be prevented from being damaged.

  Furthermore, a substantially planar rising surface portion 12b3 is provided at each end edge of the opening / closing operation portion 12b provided in the actuator 12 in the connector longitudinal direction. Each of the rising surfaces 12b3 is formed so as to extend along the rotational radius direction of the actuator 12. In other words, in a state where the actuator 12 is in the “disconnection position” (see FIGS. 4 and 5), each of the rising surfaces 12b3 extends substantially vertically upward from the upper surface of the insulating housing 11 described above. It forms, and it is provided so that the inclined surface part 12b1 may continue from the upper end part of each of these standing surface part 12b3.

  If the inclined surface portion 12b1 is provided via the rising surface portion 12b3, the rigidity of the opening / closing operation portion 12b of the actuator 12 is increased by the amount of the rising surface portion 12b3. It becomes possible to prevent breakage when operating force is applied.

  On the other hand, as described above, the actuator 12 is rotated so as to push backward from the “connection release position” (see FIG. 10) and moved to the “connection action position” (see FIG. 11). The lower surface side portion of the opening / closing operation portion 12b in FIG. 12 is arranged so as to be close to the main wiring board P, but the lower surface side portion of the opening / closing operation portion 12b of the actuator 12 at that time is connected to the main wiring A protective protrusion 12d that protrudes toward the substrate P is provided. A plurality of the protective protrusions 12d are arranged at a predetermined interval in the direction of the multipolar arrangement of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 (connector longitudinal direction) described above, and each of the protective protrusions 12d is formed as a substantially square columnar block body. The protective protrusion 12d is configured to be integrally rotated with the rotation operation of the actuator 12.

  More specifically, each of the protective protrusions 12d is located at a position corresponding to the conductive contact 14 having the shape on the other side described above in the connector longitudinal direction, that is, the direction of the multipolar arrangement of the conductive contacts 13 and 14, that is, multiple It arrange | positions in the part between board | substrate connection parts 13b2 and 13b2 of the conductive contact 13 which has the shape of the one side adjacent to a pole arrangement | sequence direction. Therefore, when the protective protrusion 12d is rotated together with the entire actuator 12, the non-interfering state is always maintained with respect to the substrate connecting portion 13b2 of the conductive contact 13 on one side. .

  Further, with respect to the conductive contact 14 having the shape on the other side, the inside of the turning radius inner side of each protective projection 12d is located at a position corresponding to the rear side of the conductive contact 14 (the right side in FIG. The end face 12d1 is disposed at a position where it does not interfere. That is, in a state where the actuator 12 is in the “connection position”, the inner end surface 12d1 of the protective projection 12d is the rear end surface of the fixed beam 14b constituting the other conductive contact 14 (upper end surface in FIG. 17). 14b4 is arranged so as to face a position slightly separated from the rear side (upper side in FIG. 17), and due to such a face-to-face arrangement relationship in which both end faces are separated from each other, non-interference with the conductive contact 14 on the other side The state is maintained.

  Further, the rear end edge (upper end edge in FIG. 17) 11c of the bottom plate of the insulating housing 11 holding the conductive contact 14 on the other side has a position in the connector front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 16). The other side conductive contact 14 has a rear end face (upper end face in FIG. 17) 14b4 that is substantially coincident with the rear end face. Therefore, the inner end face 12d1 of the protective projection 12d described above is also on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 17) with respect to the rear end edge (upper end edge in FIG. 17) 11c of the bottom plate of the insulating housing 11. It arrange | positions so that it may face a slightly spaced position, and the non-interference state of each protection protrusion part 12d with respect to the insulation housing 11 is maintained by the facing arrangement | positioning relationship which separated both the end surfaces. Yes.

  Furthermore, the outer end face 12d2 provided on the outer side of the turning radius of each protection projection 12d is the outer end face on the operation side of the opening / closing operation part 12b of the actuator 12 which is also on the outer side of the turning radius (FIG. 10 and FIG. 13 is disposed at a position slightly drawn inward (left side in FIGS. 10 and 13) from the right end surface in FIG. 13, and the outer end surface 12 d 2 of the protective projection 12 d is an opening / closing operation portion of the actuator 12. 12b is provided so as to form a step with respect to the outer end face on the operation side. And especially as FIG. 13 shows, a worker's nail | claw S is from the downward side with respect to the level | step difference formed by the protective protrusion 12d mentioned above, and the site | part of the turning radius outward from the level | step difference. It is configured to be easily caught.

  The outer end surface 12d2 of the protective projection 12d forming the step is formed from the rear end surface (the right end surface in FIGS. 10 and 13) of the substrate connection portion 13b2 provided on the one-side conductive contact 13 described above. At the rear side (right side in FIGS. 10 and 13), that is, at a position slightly protruding toward the operation side outer end surface side of the actuator 12 in a state where the actuator 12 is moved to the “connection operation position”. Yes. Therefore, when the operator's claw S is inserted toward the inner side of the connector (the left side in FIG. 13), the operator's claw S contacts the outer end surface 12d2 of the protective projection 12d. Since the contact is made, the operator's claw S does not come into contact with the board connecting portion 13b2 of the conductive contact 13.

  Further, since the operator's claw S comes into contact with the outer end surface 12d2 of the protective projection 12d, when the actuator 12 is rotated from the “connection operation position” to the “connection release position”. The operator's claw S does not enter the pressing cam portion 12a side from the outer end surface 12d2, and does not come into contact with the movable beams 13a and 14a of the conductive contact protruding from the slit-like through hole portion 12c of the actuator 12.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the gap formed between the actuator 12 and the main printed wiring board P is separated from the rear side of the actuator 12 by the protective protrusion 12 provided on the actuator 12 (rightward in FIG. 13). The operator's claws S come into contact with connector parts such as the conductive contacts 13 and 14 disposed on the inner side of the gap between the actuator 12 and the main printed wiring board P. Disappears.

  Further, since the protective projection 12 in the present embodiment is provided so as to form a step with respect to the operation-side outer end surface of the opening / closing operation unit 12b provided in the actuator 12, the rotation operation of the actuator 12 is performed. In doing so, the tip of the claw of the operator is easily caught by the step between the actuator 12 and the protective projection 12d, and the turning operation of the actuator 12 is performed safely and reliably.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the protective protrusion 12d is disposed between the substrate connecting portions 13b2 and 13b2 of the conductive contacts 13 adjacent in the multipolar arrangement direction, the actuator 12 is connected to the "connecting action". When the actuator 12 is moved to the “position”, the protective protrusion 12d of the actuator 12 enters the portion between the board connecting portions 13b2 and 13b2 of the conductive contact 13, thereby preventing the interference therebetween. Therefore, even if the actuator 12 is shortened in the length direction of the conductive contacts 13 orthogonal to the multipolar arrangement direction, interference does not occur, and the portion between the substrate connecting portions 13b2 and 13b2 of the conductive contacts 13 is not formed. Since it is covered with the protective projection 12d of the actuator 12, it is possible to prevent a situation in which foreign matter such as dust enters the portion between them and electrically short-circuits.

  Furthermore, the protective protrusion 12d in the present embodiment is disposed so as to protrude from the rear end face of the board connection portion 13b2 of the conductive contact 13 toward the operator side of the actuator 12, so that the tip of the operator's claw S is provided. Since the portion contacts the protective projection 12d of the actuator 12 and further insertion becomes impossible, the tip of the operator's claw S comes into contact with the end surface of the board connecting portion 13b2 of the conductive contact 13. Is reliably prevented.

  In addition, since the protective protrusion 12d in the present embodiment is disposed at a position where it does not interfere with the insulating housing 11 in the reciprocating rotation direction of the actuator 12, interference with the protective protrusion 12d of the actuator 12 is avoided. Therefore, it is not necessary to make the insulating housing 11 small, and accordingly, the retainability of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 is maintained well.

  Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

  For example, in each of the embodiments described above, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) and a flexible flat cable (FFC) are employed as a signal transmission medium fixed to the electrical connector. The present invention can be similarly applied to a case where a medium for use is used.

  In addition, the connection operation means in the above-described embodiment is configured by an actuator that is rotated. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to an electrical connector having a connection operation means that is slid. It is. Similarly, the present invention relates to an electrical connector in which the connection operation means (actuator) is disposed at the front end side portion, or an electrical connector in which the connection operation means (actuator) is disposed between the front end side portion and the rear end side portion. The rotation direction or the sliding direction of the connection operation means (actuator) at that time may be either the front side or the rear side.

  Moreover, although the electrical connector according to the above-described embodiment uses conductive contacts having different shapes, the present invention can be similarly applied even if conductive contacts having the same shape are used. is there.

  The present invention can be widely applied to a wide variety of electrical connectors used in various electrical devices.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electrical connector 11 Insulation housing 11a Medium insertion port 11b Component attachment port 11c Rear end edge part of insulation housing 12 Actuator (connection operation means)
12a Press cam portion 12b Opening / closing operation portion 12b1 Inclined surface portion 12b2 Planar portion 12b3 Elevated upper surface portion 12c Slit-like through hole portion 12d Protective protrusion 12d1 Inner end surface 12d2 Outer end surface 13, 14 Conductive contact 13a, 14a Movable beam 13a1, 14a1 Upper terminal contact Convex part 13a2, 13b3, 14a2, 14b3 Cam receiving concave part (light fitting part)
13b, 14b Fixed beam 13b1, 14b1 Lower terminal contact convex part 13b2, 14b2 Substrate connecting part 13b3, 14b3 Cam receiving concave part (light fitting part)
14b4 Contact rear end face 13c, 14c Connecting post P Main printed wiring board F Signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC, etc.)
Fa wiring pattern X center of rotation S worker's claw

Claims (4)

It is used by being mounted on the wiring board so as to connect the signal transmission medium to the wiring board side,
The actuator attached to the insulating housing so as to be able to reciprocate is configured to sandwich the signal transmission medium by being moved to the connection operation position so as to face the wiring board ,
In the electrical connector, a plurality of conductive contacts in contact with the signal transmission medium and the wiring board are arranged in a multipolar shape in the insulating housing, and a board connecting portion of the conductive contacts is soldered to the wiring board .
The actuator is provided with a protective protrusion that protrudes toward the wiring board in a state where the actuator is moved to the connection operation position .
The protective projection is provided to form a step with respect to the operation side outer end surface of the actuator,
The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the protective protrusion is disposed so as to enter a portion between the substrate connecting portions of the conductive contacts adjacent in the multipolar arrangement direction . The protective protrusion is disposed so as to protrude to the operation side outer end surface side of the actuator in a state where the actuator is moved from the end surface of the conductive contact substrate connecting portion to the connection operation position. Item 1. The electrical connector according to Item 1 . The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the protective protrusion is disposed at a position that does not interfere with the insulating housing in a reciprocating direction of the actuator. The actuator is provided to be rotatable around a rotation center extending in the longitudinal direction of the actuator,
Inclined surface portions extending at an appropriate angle with respect to the longitudinal direction are provided at both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the actuator in the radial direction with respect to the rotation center of the actuator. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein:

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