JP5333019B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector configured to fix a connection object by moving a connection operation means (actuator).

  In general, electrical connectors are widely used in various electrical devices to electrically connect various connection objects such as flexible printed circuit (FPC) wiring boards and flexible flat cables (FFC). It has been. For example, in the electrical connector described in Patent Document 1 below, as shown in FIG. 11, the connection object 1 made of FPC, FFC, or the like is connected from the front end side opening of the insulating housing (insulator) 2 to the inside. After that, the actuator (pressure member) 3 as the connection operation means is rotated so as to be tilted toward the connection operation position on the front side. The conductive contact 4 is displaced so as to come into pressure contact with the connection object (FPC, FFC) 1 by the pressing force of the actuator (pressure member) 3 rotated to the connection operation position. The object 1 is fixed.

  At this time, in the electrical connector according to Patent Document 1, the actuator (pressure member) 3 detects the connection object (FPC, FFC) 1 in order to prevent the connection object (FPC, FFC) 1 from being fixed in an incompletely inserted state. A hook guide 3a is provided. The detection hook guide portion 3a of the actuator 3 is disposed so as to face the arm spring portion 5a of the lock arm 5 from above, and when the connection object 1 is incompletely inserted, the arm spring Since the detection hook guide part 3a of the actuator 3 is set so as not to enter the gap between the part 5a and the side plate parts 6 and 6, the rotation operation of the actuator 3 is prohibited. ing. If such a configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 is adopted, incomplete insertion of the connection object 1 when the connection object 1 is inserted into the electrical connector is prevented in advance.

  However, in the electrical connector described in Patent Document 1 having the above configuration, the connection object (FPC, FFC) 1 is inserted and the arm spring portion 5a is displaced as described above, whereby the actuator (pressure member) 3 is rotated. Since the moving operation is prohibited, the rotation operation of the actuator 3 is not prohibited when the connection object 1 is not inserted. Therefore, in a non-inserted state where the connection object 1 is not inserted, the actuator 3 may be rotated by touching the actuator 3 by mistake, and so-called empty closing operation may be performed. Then, when the actuator 3 is rotated to the connection operation position by such an empty closing operation, the actuator 3 is brought into the locked state, and thus the operation of causing the actuator 3 to the original connection release position again is very difficult. This may be time consuming and may affect the overall productivity of the electrical connector.

  Further, when the connection object (FPC, FFC) 1 is not inserted, there is no connection object 1 to which the conductive contact 4 should come into contact. Therefore, the rotation operation of the actuator (connection operation means) 3 described above ( The displacement amount of the conductive contact 4 is increased by the empty closing operation, and as a result, the conductive contact 4 may be plastically deformed. Such plastic deformation of the conductive contact 4 becomes prominent particularly when the electrical connector is downsized.

  Furthermore, when the connection object (FPC, FFC) 1 is inserted into a general electrical connector, the connection object 1 may be connected in a state of being displaced in the lateral width direction, or the actuator (connection operation means) 3 There is a risk of falling off during the fixing operation performed by rotating the. In this regard, the electrical connector according to Patent Document 1 described above is configured so that the protruding portion on the front end side of the arm protrusion 5 b provided on the lock arm 5 is in contact with the connection object 1. It is also conceivable that a guide function for the object 1, that is, a function for preventing misalignment, and a function for temporarily holding the connection object 1 until the fixing operation is completed can be obtained. However, the arm protrusion 5b of the lock arm 5 in the same document 1 extends so as to project in a cantilevered manner from the rear end side toward the front end side, and thus the front end edge that abuts on the connection object 30. The structure is large and flexible. As a result, the function of positioning the connection object 1 and the temporary holding function until the fixing operation is completed cannot be sufficiently obtained.

  In order to solve such a problem, the inventor of the present application disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-145650 that prevents the closing of the actuator (connection operation means) when the object to be connected (FPC, FFC) is not inserted. Although the invention having the means is already proposed, there is room for further improvement in terms of the stability of the connection object during the moving operation of the connection operation means, the simplification of the configuration, and the like.

JP 2000-30784 A

  Therefore, the present invention has a simpler structure, and prevents the so-called empty closing operation in the connection operation means to improve productivity, avoids plastic deformation of the conductive contact, and inserts the connection object. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector capable of satisfactorily performing a positioning function or a temporary holding function until completion of a fixing operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, an electrical connector configured to fix a connection object inserted into the inside of an insulating housing by moving the connection operation means from the connection release position to the connection operation position. In this case, there is provided an empty closing prevention means for prohibiting a movement operation of the connection operation means when the connection object is not inserted, wherein the empty closing prevention means is connected when the connection object is not inserted. A locking hook portion that is fitted to a part of the operation means, and a fitting surface that is brought into contact with the surface in the thickness direction of the connection object when the connection object is inserted, and the locking hook portion is fitted to the connection operation means The structure provided with the hook moving means to move from a state to a detachment state is adopted.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, when the connection object is not inserted, the engagement hook portion of the empty close prevention means is fitted to a part of the connection operation means, thereby moving the connection operation means. Thus, the so-called empty closing operation is well prevented, and the productivity drop due to the empty closing of the connecting operation means, the plastic deformation of the conductive contact, and the like are well prevented.
Furthermore, when inserting the connection object, a part of the hook moving means comes into contact with the surface in the thickness direction of the connection object, and the locking hook part is detached from a part of the connection operation means, thereby Since the moving operation is possible, the hook moving means can satisfactorily perform the positioning and temporary holding of the connection object during the moving operation of the connecting operation means. In particular, even when the thickness of the connection object is thin, deformation such as bending of the connection object at the time of insertion is prevented, and the positioning action and temporary holding action of the connection object are performed well. Insertion is stabilized. Also, electrical connection such as ground connection is possible by utilizing that a part of the hook moving means contacts the surface in the thickness direction of the connection object.

  Further, in the present invention, the locking hook portion of the empty closing preventing means is provided at the tip portion of the oscillating beam portion formed so as to extend integrally from the shield shell attached to the insulating housing. In addition, it is desirable that a hook guide portion that contacts the surface in the thickness direction of the connection object is provided in an intermediate portion in the extending direction of the oscillating beam portion. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable that the locking hook portion of the empty closing prevention means is provided integrally with a fixing bracket for fixing the insulating housing to the printed wiring board.

  According to the present invention employing such a configuration, a simple configuration in which the hook moving means and the locking hook portion are integrally provided on the swing beam portion extending from the shield shell or the fixture is realized.

  As described above, the electrical connector according to the present invention is an empty closure provided with a locking hook portion that fits into a part of the connection operation means when the object to be connected is not inserted and prohibits the movement operation of the connection operation means. Preventing means is provided to prevent so-called empty closing operation of the connecting operation means when the object to be connected is not inserted, thereby reducing productivity due to empty closing of the connecting operation means, plastic deformation of the conductive contact, etc. While preventing this well, when inserting the connection object, a part of the hook moving means comes into contact with the surface in the thickness direction of the connection object to position and temporarily hold the connection object during the movement operation of the connection operation means. In particular, when the thickness of the connection object is thin, it prevents deformation of the connection object during insertion, such as bending of the connection object, while electric connection such as ground connection using the hook moving means. Since it is configured to enable connection, it has an extremely simple configuration, and it is possible to satisfactorily prevent the emptying operation of the connection operation means to improve productivity and prevent plastic deformation of the conductive contact. Deformation such as positioning and bending when inserting the object can be satisfactorily prevented, and the reliability of the electrical connector can be greatly improved at low cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an external appearance perspective explanatory view which represented the whole structure in case the actuator (connection operation means) of the electrical connector concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention exists in a connection cancellation | release state from the front side. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing an internal structure at a conductive contact arrangement position of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1. It is longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing in the empty close prevention means arrangement | positioning position of the electrical connector shown by FIG. FIG. 4 is an external perspective explanatory view showing a state where a connection object (FPC or FFC) is inserted into the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 from the front side. It is longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing in the empty close prevention means arrangement | positioning position of the electrical connector shown by FIG. FIG. 6 is an external perspective explanatory view when the actuator (connection operation means) of the electrical connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing the internal structure of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 6 at the conductive contact arrangement position. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. It is the external appearance perspective explanatory drawing which represented the whole structure in case the actuator (connection operation means) of the electrical connector concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention exists in a connection cancellation | release state from the front side. FIG. 10 is an external perspective explanatory view in a case where a connection operation state is established by rotating an actuator (connection operation means) of the electrical connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9. It is external appearance perspective explanatory drawing showing the state which inserts a connection target object (FPC or FFC) in a general electrical connector.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
First, the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 is a connector in which the connection operation means (actuator 15) arranged on the connector rear end side (right end side in FIG. 2) inserts the connection object 14. The present invention is applied to an electrical connector 10 of a type that is turned so as to be tilted toward the rear end side (the right end side in FIG. 2), and is an insulation composed of a hollow frame-like member extending in an elongated shape. A plurality of conductive contacts 12 formed of a metal member having an appropriate shape are provided inside the insulating housing 11 along the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) of the insulating housing 11. They are arranged in a multipolar manner with appropriate intervals. These conductive contacts 12 are configured to have substantially the same shape, and are used for either signal transmission or ground connection, and are used in a state of being mounted on a printed wiring board (not shown). The

  A connection object 14 made of a flexible printed circuit (FPC) wiring board, a flexible flat cable (FFC), or the like is inserted into the connector front end side (left end side in FIG. 2) of the insulating housing 11 described above. And a component mounting port 11b of an actuator 15 as connection operation means described later is provided on the connector rear end side (the right end side in FIG. 2) on the opposite side. .

  Further, a shield shell 13 formed of a thin plate-like conductive metal member is attached to the upper surface portion of the insulating housing 11 in the figure. The front edge portion (left edge portion in FIG. 2) of the shield shell 13 is bent so that the upper edge portion of the object insertion port 11a of the insulating housing 11 described above is wound from the front side and curved inward. Is formed. Further, rocking beam portions 16a and 16a constituting an empty closing prevention means 16 described later are integrally provided in the vicinity of both ends in the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) of the shield shell 13, respectively. Substrate connecting portions 13a that are bent at substantially right angles downward are provided on the outer portions of both sides of each oscillating beam portion 16a.

  In other words, each of the board connecting portions 13a described above is formed so as to extend downward along the side wall surfaces at both ends in the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) of the insulating housing 11, and each of the board connecting portions 13a is formed. The lower end portion is mounted on the printed wiring board (not shown) by soldering. By such a soldering structure of the board connecting portion 13a, the entire electrical connector 10 is firmly held, and the ground connection (grounding) of the shield shell 13 is performed.

  On the other hand, each of the conductive contacts 12 described above is mounted by being inserted toward the front side (the left side in the figure) from the component attachment port 11b on the connector rear end side, and the connection object (FPC or FFC). ) Conductive contacts 12 are provided at positions corresponding to either one of the signal transmission conductive path (signal line pad) or shield conductive path (shield line pad) formed on either of the front and back surfaces of 14 and the other. Has been placed. These conductive contacts 12 respectively have a movable beam 12a and a fixed beam 12b made of a pair of elongated beam members extending along the insertion direction (right direction in FIGS. 2 and 7) of the connection object 14 described above. doing.

  The movable beam 12a and the fixed beam 12b are disposed so as to face each other at an appropriate interval in the upper and lower directions in the inner space of the insulating housing 11 described above. Among them, the fixed beam 12 b is fixed so as to be substantially immobile within the insulating housing 11. The two beams 12a and 12b are integrally connected to each other by a narrow-plate-shaped connecting post portion 12c extending in a substantially vertical direction in the drawing at a substantially central portion in the extending direction. 12a is made into the structure which has elastic flexibility with respect to the fixed beam 12b.

  That is, each of the movable beams 12a is configured to be swingable with the connecting support column 12c as a rotation center, and is configured to be displaced in the vertical direction within the plane of FIG. A signal transmission or shielding conductive path (not shown) formed on the upper surface side of the connection object (FPC or FFC) 14 is formed on the front end portion (left end portion in the drawing) of the movable beam 12a. The terminal contact convex portion 12a1 connected to any one of the above is provided so as to form a downward projecting shape in the figure.

  On the other hand, the fixed beam 12b is arranged so as to extend along the inner wall surface of the bottom of the insulating housing 11, but the fixed beam 12b has a front end portion on the front side of the connector (the left side in the drawing). The terminal contact convex portion 12b1 connected to one of the signal transmission or shielding conductive paths (not shown) formed on the lower surface side of the connection target (FPC or FFC) 14 described above is an upward protrusion in the drawing. It is provided to make a shape. This terminal contact convex part 12b1 is arrange | positioned so that the terminal contact convex part 12a1 by the side of the movable beam 12a mentioned above may face directly in the figure, Between these terminal contact convex parts 12a1 and 12b1, it mentioned above. A connection object (FPC or FFC) 14 is configured to be held.

  In addition, the terminal contact convex part 12a1 of these movable beams 12a and the terminal contact convex part 12b1 of the fixed beam 12b are located on the connector front side (the left side in the figure) or the connector rear side (the right side in the figure). It is also possible to dispose them. The fixed beam 12b is basically fixed so as to be stationary, but the tip portion can be elastically displaced for the purpose of facilitating the insertion of the connection object (FPC or FFC) 14. The front end portion of the fixed beam 12b in the conductive contact 12 described above can be formed so as to slightly float from the bottom wall surface of the insulating housing 11.

  Further, a connecting terminal portion 12b2 that is solder-connected to a conductive path formed on a printed wiring board (not shown) is formed on the connector rear end side portion (right end side portion in FIG. 2) in each fixed beam 12b. ing.

  Furthermore, the connector rear end side portion (the right end side portion in FIG. 2) of the movable beam 12a is provided with an actuated portion 12a2 having a concave shape. A pressing cam portion 15a of an actuator 15 as a connection operation means mounted on the rear end portion of the insulating housing 11 is disposed in contact with the operated portion 12a2 so as to enter the concave shape from the lower side in the figure. Thus, the actuator 15 is supported so as to be rotatable by such a contact arrangement relationship.

  The actuator (connection operating means) 15 is configured by a substantially plate-like member extending in the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) at the rear end portion of the insulating housing 11 described above. When the operator is given an appropriate turning operation force to the opening / closing operation portion 15b constituting the free end portion (upper end portion in FIG. 2), the operator is in an almost upright state as shown in FIGS. It is configured to be rotated between the “connection release position” and the “connection operation position” in a state of being tilted almost horizontally toward the rear side as shown in FIGS.

  Here, as described above, the operator opens and closes the opening / closing operation portion 15b of the actuator (connection operation means) 15 from the “connection release position” (see FIG. 1) to the “connection action position” (see FIG. 6). When the rotation operation is performed so as to be pushed down, the rotation radius of the pressing cam portion 15a described above changes in an increasing direction between the fixed beam 12b and the movable beam 12a. As the diameter of the pressing cam portion 15a increases, the operated portion 12a2 provided on the rear end side of the movable beam 12a is displaced so as to be lifted upward in the drawing, and accordingly the operated portion The terminal contact convex part 12a1 provided on the opposite side (connector front end side) to 12a2 is pushed downward.

  When the actuator (connection operation means) 15 has fully rotated to the “connection operation position” that is the final rotation position (see FIG. 6), the terminal contact convex portion 12a1 in the movable beam 12a described above and the fixed beam Between the terminal contact convex part 12b1 in 12b, it will be in the narrowest state, and the connection target object (FPC or FFC) 14 inserted in the meantime is clamped. At that time, one of the terminal contact convex portion 12a1 and the terminal contact convex portion 12b1 is pressed against the signal transmission and shield conductive paths (not shown) formed on the connection object 14. Thus, an electrical connection is made.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3 in particular, a portion where the pressing cam portion 15a of the above-described actuator (connection operation means) 15 protrudes on both side portions in the longitudinal direction (lateral width direction) is formed in a block shape. A rotation locking member 15c is provided. The rotation locking member 15c is formed so as to form a part of the actuator 15, and is formed of a plate-like member protruding from a part of the above-described pressing cam portion 15a. The structure is configured to rotate integrally according to the rotation operation. Then, when the actuator 15 is in the “disconnection position” (see FIG. 1) and the pressing cam portion 15a is in a state of lying substantially horizontally, the rotation locking member 15c is a front end portion of the pressing cam portion 15a ( They are arranged so as to project upward from the left end portion in FIG. 3 so as to form a standing wall shape.

  On the other hand, the actuator (connection operation means) 15 is provided with an empty closing prevention means 16 formed of a metal bent beam-like member. The empty closing prevention means 16 in the present embodiment has a rocking beam portion 16a extending integrally from the shield shell 13 mounted on the insulating housing 11 described above, and the rocking beam portion 16a includes: The shield shell 13 is formed by cutting both end portions in the width direction (longitudinal direction) from the rear end side. The oscillating beam portion 16a is cantilevered from the shield shell 13 and extends to the rear side of the connector (the right side in FIG. 3) so that it can be elastically displaced in the vertical direction in the figure. Has been made.

  A locking hook portion 16b formed to be curved in a substantially semicircular shape on the side surface is provided at the tip end portion (right end portion in FIG. 3) on the swinging side of the swing beam portion 16a. ing. The curved portion of the locking hook portion 16b is folded back so as to be directed to the front of the connector (left side in FIG. 3), and the curved distal end surface of the locking hook portion 16b is connected to an object to be connected (FPC or When the FFC) 14 is not inserted, the actuator (connection operation means) 15 is placed in surface contact from the rear side of the connector with respect to a part of the actuator 15 (specifically, the standing wall surface of the rotation locking member 15c described above). ing. Due to this arrangement relationship, when the connection object (FPC or FFC) 14 is not inserted, the locking hook portion 16b of the empty closing prevention means 16 is fitted to the rotation locking member 15c of the actuator (connection operation means) 15. As a result, the operation of pushing and moving the actuator 15 to the rear side of the connector is prohibited.

  That is, when the connection object (FPC or FFC) 14 is not inserted, the actuator (connection operation means) 15 is tilted from the “connection release position” toward the “connection operation position” toward the rear side of the connector. When the rotation operation is performed, the rotation locking member 15c provided on the actuator 15 comes into surface contact with the locking hook portion 16b of the empty closing prevention means 16 from the front side, and the surface contact is caused. Due to the interference action, further rotation operation of the actuator 15 is prohibited.

  Further, a hook guide portion 16c that protrudes downward is provided as a hook moving means at an intermediate position of the extending portion of the swing beam portion 16a. The hook guide portion 16c is formed to be bent so as to form a substantially V-shaped side surface, and the top portion on the lower end side of the hook guide portion 16c is the upper surface of the connection object (FPC or FFC) 14, That is, it is in an arrangement relationship that contacts the upper surface in the thickness direction. Therefore, when the connection object 14 is inserted into the connector, the upper surface of the connection object 14 comes into contact with the top end of the hook guide portion 16c of the swing beam portion 16a and is pressed downward. Will be. Due to the contact relationship between the two, the connection object 14 is inserted while receiving the regulating action, that is, the positioning action, by the rocking beam portion 16a of the above-described empty closing prevention means 16. And the connection target object 14 advances along the downward side of the rocking | fluctuation beam part 16a in such a pressed state, A regular state is maintained, without producing deformation | transformation and position shift, such as a bending.

  On the other hand, as described above, when the top of the hook guide portion 16c of the swing beam portion 16a comes into contact with the upper surface of the connection object 14, the hook guide portion 16c is lifted upward, and the hook guide portion 16c and the engagement portion are engaged. The entire swing beam portion 16a including the stop hook portion 16b is also displaced upward. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the locking hook portion 16 b is retracted from the rotation locking member 15 c of the actuator 15 to a position where the upper non-interference occurs. In this way, the locking hook portion 16b of the empty close prevention means 16 is switched to the non-interference state with respect to the actuator 15, and as a result, the state in which the rotation operation of the actuator 15 is allowed is maintained. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the hook guide portion 16c as the hook moving means in the empty closing prevention means 16 can come into contact with the upper surface of the connection object 14 inserted into the insulating housing 11. By being arranged, the configuration in which the locking hook portion 16b is elastically displaced to a position where it is not fitted to the rotation locking member 15c of the actuator (connection operation means) 15 in conjunction with the insertion of the connection object 14 is provided. It has been adopted.

  According to this embodiment having such a configuration, when the connection object (FPC or FFC) 14 is not inserted, the locking hook portion 16b of the empty closing prevention means 16 is a part of the actuator (connection operation means) 15. By fitting to a certain rotation locking member 15c, a so-called empty closing operation, which is a movement operation of the actuator 15, is satisfactorily prevented. Therefore, an empty closing operation caused by accidentally touching the actuator (connection operation means) 15 before the connection object 14 is inserted as in the prior art is prevented, and the actuator 15 is brought back to the original connection release position again. Such a useless operation is omitted. Further, since the empty closing operation of the actuator 15 is prevented, the occurrence of plastic deformation in the conductive contact 12 is also avoided.

  Further, when the connection object (FPC or FFC) 14 is inserted, a part of the hook guide portion (hook moving means) 16c comes into contact with the upper surface of the connection object 14 in the thickness direction so that the locking hook portion 16b rotates. Since the actuator (connection operation means) 15 can be moved by being detached from the movement locking member 15c, the connection object 14 is positioned and temporarily held during the movement operation of the actuator 15. In particular, even when the connection object 14 is formed thin, deformation such as bending during insertion is prevented, and the connection object 14 rotates the actuator (connection operation means) 15 from the start of insertion. A series of operations until the fixing operation by is completed is very stable. In addition, an electrical connection such as a ground connection is also possible by utilizing that a part of the hook guide portion (hook moving means) 16c contacts the surface in the thickness direction of the connection object 14.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, a simple configuration in which the rocking beam portion 16a is integrally provided on the shield shell 13 is adopted, so that the empty closing prevention means 16 is efficiently manufactured.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, in conjunction with the insertion of the connection object (FPC or FFC) 14, the hook guide portion (hook moving means) 16 c of the empty closing prevention means 16 is displaced and the locking hook Since the part 16b is switched to the non-fitted state with the actuator (connection operation means) 15, the movement operation of the actuator 15 after the connection object 14 is inserted is reliably performed.

[Second Embodiment]
Further, the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 in which the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the first embodiment described above is applied to an electrical connector not provided with a shield shell. The invention is applied. That is, in the present embodiment, the fixing brackets 23 are respectively attached to both end portions in the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) of the insulating housing 11 instead of the shield shell in the above-described embodiment. The fixing bracket 23 attached to the insulating housing 11 includes a board connecting portion 23a extending downward along both end wall surfaces in the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) of the insulating housing 11, and the board connecting portion 23a. The lower end portion of this is in contact with a printed wiring board (not shown) and is mounted by soldering. As a result, the entire electrical connector 10 is firmly held and ground connection (grounding) is performed.

  In addition, a rocking beam portion 26a extending integrally from the above-described fixing bracket 23 is provided at a slightly inner portion of each substrate connection portion 23a. The rocking beam portion 26a constitutes the empty closing prevention means 26, and is provided so as to cut the fixing bracket 23 from the rear end side. By extending to the rear side (the right side in FIG. 2), the arrangement is such that it can be elastically displaced in the vertical direction in the figure.

  Since the oscillating beam portion 26a is provided with the hook guide portion 26c and the locking hook portion 26b similar to those in the above-described embodiment, the second embodiment using such a fixture 23 also has the above-mentioned configuration. The same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  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 above-described embodiments, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) wiring board and a flexible flat cable (FFC) are used as the connection object fixed to the electrical connector. The present invention can be similarly applied to the case where a signal transmission medium or the like is used.

  Further, the connection operation means in each of the above-described embodiments is composed of an actuator that is rotated, but the present invention can be similarly applied to an electrical connector having a connection operation means that is slid. Is possible. 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.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a metal beam-like member is employed as an empty closing prevention means. However, an electrical operation or action of a rotation made by a resin member or a connection operation means is used. Even the means forbidden / allowed by the above can be similarly adopted.

  Moreover, although the electrical connector according to the above-described embodiment uses conductive contacts having the same shape, it can be applied in the same manner even if conductive contacts having different shapes are used.

  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 Object insertion port 11b Component attachment port 12 Conductive contact 12a Movable beam 12a1 Terminal contact convex part 12a2 Actuated part 12b Fixed beam 12b1 Terminal contact convex part 12b2 Connection terminal part 12c Connection support part 13 Shield shell 13a Board connection part 14 Connection object (FPC or FFC)
15 Actuator (connection operation means)
15a Press cam portion 15b Opening / closing operation portion 15c Rotation locking member 16 Empty closing prevention means 16a Oscillating beam portion 16b Locking hook portion 16c Hook guide portion 23 Fixing bracket
23a Substrate connection part 26 Empty closing prevention means 26a Oscillating beam part 26b Locking hook part 26c Hook guide part

Claims (3)

In the electrical connector configured to fix the connection object inserted into the inside of the insulating housing by moving the connection operation means from the connection release position to the connection operation position,
An empty closing prevention means for prohibiting the movement operation of the connection operation means when the connection object is not inserted is provided,
The empty closing prevention means includes a locking hook portion that fits into a part of the connection operation means when the connection object is not inserted, and a surface in a thickness direction of the connection object when the connection object is inserted. An electrical connector comprising: hook moving means that contacts and moves the locking hook portion from a fitted state with the connection operating means to a detached state. A locking hook portion of the empty closing prevention means is provided at a tip portion of a swing beam portion formed so as to integrally extend from a shield shell attached to the insulating housing,
The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a hook guide portion that is in contact with a surface in a thickness direction of the connection object is provided in an intermediate portion in the extending direction of the swing beam portion.   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking hook portion of the empty closing prevention means is integrally provided with a fixing bracket for fixing the insulating housing to the printed wiring board.

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