JP5376784B2 - Connector for flexible printed circuit board - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flexible printed circuit board (Flexible Printed circuit).
uit: hereinafter referred to as “FPC”).

14 and 15 are cross-sectional views of a conventional FPC connector (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The FPC connector has a substrate space 855 formed in the housing. An FPC is inserted into the substrate space 855 from the opening. Further, the FPC connector has a front terminal 851 soldered to the printed board on the opening side (front side) and a rear terminal 871 soldered to the printed board on the opposite side (back side). The front terminal 851 and the rear terminal 871 are alternately arranged along the width direction of the opening, and electrically connect the terminal pattern of the FPC and the pattern of the printed board.

In this way, by arranging a plurality of terminals to be soldered to the printed circuit board alternately on the front surface and the back surface of the FPC connector, the plurality of patterns of the printed circuit board on which the plurality of terminals are soldered are divided into two rows. . As a result, the number of patterns that can be arranged per unit width can be increased, the interval between a plurality of terminals can be reduced, and the wiring density of the FPC can be increased. In addition, with such a narrowed structure, the width of the FPC and the FPC connector can be reduced, and the mounting area of the FPC connector can be reduced.

However, when the front terminal 851 is soldered to the printed circuit board on the opening side, the following problems may occur. That is, at the time of soldering, a part of the melted solder goes up the front terminal 851. When the solder reaches the opening into which the FPC is inserted, it is recognized as so-called soldering and may be regarded as a problem in quality.

For example, in the front terminal 851, solder that has reached the opening may be cured at or around the contact 854 that is electrically connected to the FPC. When such a cured product is formed, when the FPC is attached, the FPC hits or is pressed against the cured product, and the FPC that is thinner and brittle than a normal printed circuit board may be cracked or chipped. is there.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867 discloses a technique for preventing solder from rising on a component mounted on a printed circuit board. Specifically, in Patent Document 2, a step or a recess is formed in the exposed portion of the contact spring of the surface mount socket for integrated circuit to prevent solder from rising to the bent portion of the contact spring. The solder adhering to the contact spring cannot obtain the surface tension necessary for scooping up at the step or recess, and does not rise beyond the step or recess.

However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the front terminal of the FPC connector does not have a completely exposed portion. The front terminal is press-fitted into a groove formed in the housing in order to prevent the FPC from being damaged by hitting the front terminal, and the entire front terminal is housed in the housing. Therefore, even if a step or a recess is formed in the front terminal, the solder can go up from a minute gap formed between the front terminal and the housing. The front terminal of the FPC connector is
Since there is no part that is completely exposed, the solder rise cannot be suppressed by the solder rise prevention technique of Patent Document 2.

JP 2007-103341 A (summary, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, paragraph 0013, etc.) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-13145 (Summary, FIG. 1, paragraph 0010, etc.)

An object of this invention is to obtain the connector for FPC which can suppress the solder rise in a terminal.

The FPC connector according to the present invention is mounted on a printed circuit board and electrically connected to the FPC. The FPC connector includes a housing having a mounting surface on a printed circuit board as a bottom surface, a board space portion formed from an opening formed on a side surface of the housing to the inside of the housing, and loaded with an FPC, and a board space. An opening is formed in the lower portion of the housing that exists from the bottom to the bottom, a groove formed so as to extend along the depth direction of the substrate space from the opening on the upper surface on the substrate space side, and a lower portion of the housing. The printed circuit board has a notch portion that communicates from the groove portion to the mounting surface on the formed side surface, an extending portion that extends to the groove portion, and a leg portion that is disposed in the notch portion, and a tail portion that is exposed on the mounting surface. A first space that separates the surface of one part of the terminal from the surface of the housing between the terminal soldered to the terminal and the tail portion and the board space portion And is formed at the terminal, protrudes into the substrate space at a position deeper than the first space with respect to the depth direction in the substrate space, and is electrically connected to the FPC loaded in the substrate space. The contact and the lower part of the housing are formed so as to scrape both sides of the groove part at least in the section from the first space part to the contact, and the distance between the terminal and the housing formed thereby is wider than those distances by the groove part. And a second space portion.

When the FPC connector is soldered to the printed board, the melted solder goes up from the tail part to the board space part side between the housing and the terminal. Between the tail portion and the substrate space portion, a first space portion is formed that separates a part of the surface of the terminal from the surface of the housing. In the first space portion, since the surface of the terminal and the surface of the housing are separated from each other, no solder rises. The solder rise from the first space portion to the substrate space portion is basically prevented. Direct soldering from the tail part to the board space part is prevented.

In addition, the solder that has gone up to the first space part basically functions as a solder dam and stays in the first space part so that it does not rise to the board space part side. Some of them may go up in the first space part through the corners of the groove part. Then, the solder that travels along this corner may rise further from between the housing and the terminal when it has moved up the first space. At this time, the solder may rise toward the board space through the space between the side surface of the terminal and the surface of the housing due to capillary action.

However, a second space part is formed by scraping both sides of the groove part in the upper surface of the lower part of the housing, at least in the section from the first space part to the contact. Therefore, even if the solder that has passed through the first space rises from between the housing and the front terminal toward the board space, the rise is prevented by the second space and does not reach the board space. The solder overflowing from the first space part flows down under the second space part.

Due to the synergistic effect of the first space portion and the second space portion, solder rising to the board space portion at the terminal soldered to the printed board can be effectively prevented. In particular, it is possible to effectively prevent the contact of the terminal and the solder from rising to the periphery thereof.

The FPC connector according to the present invention has the following characteristics in addition to the above-described configuration of the invention. That is, in the terminal, the first space portion has a recess formed at a position on the back side of the leg portion with respect to the depth direction in the substrate space portion and on the bottom surface side of the extending portion, and a groove portion. As a part of, widen the frontage width on the side of the housing by the groove,
And a tapered portion that is tapered from the concave portion to the far side with reference to the depth direction in the substrate space portion. Thereby, the surface of the circumference of the part where the recess is formed is separated from the surface of the housing.

If this structure is employ | adopted, a 1st space part will be formed by the combination of the recessed part of a terminal, and the taper part of a housing. In addition, due to this first space, the surface of one round of the terminal is
It is separated from the surface of the housing between the tail portion and the substrate space portion.

The FPC connector according to the present invention has the following features in addition to the above-described components of the invention. That is, the concave portion of the terminal is formed so as to scrape the back side of the terminal from the bottom surface side to the leg portion of the extending portion.

If this configuration is adopted, the concave angle formed by the connection between the extension part of the terminal and the leg part,
A gap due to the concave portion can be reliably ensured between the groove portion of the housing and the edge formed by connecting the notch portion. Therefore, the solder rise from between the back side of the leg portion and the notch portion basically stops before reaching the extending portion. Further, the solder that tries to go up in the first space portion through the corner of the notch is prevented from rising at the edge of the housing. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent the solder from reaching the substrate space.

Moreover, the back side of the upper part of the leg part is scraped off by a concave part. Therefore, the solder that rises between the side surface of the leg portion and the side surface of the notch portion of the housing will rise while avoiding the recess. That is, the solder rises so as to spread in a direction other than the direction in which the contact exists. The solder rising toward the contact side is more effectively prevented.

The FPC connector according to the present invention has the following features in addition to the above-described components of the invention. That is, the second space portion is formed from the contact to the back side with respect to the depth direction in the substrate space portion.

If this configuration is adopted, even if the solder that has gone up through the first space portion tries to rise toward the substrate space portion through the space between the side surface of the terminal and the surface of the housing, the inner side of the substrate space portion from the contact Until reaching the substrate space portion, it is blocked by the second space portion and cannot move up to the substrate space portion. As a result, it is possible to prevent the contact and the solder from rising around the contact almost completely.

The FPC connector according to the present invention has the following features in addition to the above-described components of the invention. That is, the FPC connector further includes a fixing portion that fixes the rear end portion of the extending portion to the housing on the back side from the second space portion with respect to the depth direction in the substrate space portion, The width of the groove portion is substantially the same as that of the extending portion.

The extending part of the front terminal is fixed on the back side of the substrate space part. And the extension part is a 2nd space part, and the width | variety is supported by the groove part formed substantially the same as the terminal. Here, “substantially the same width” means a width that is wide by a minute dimension that is not press-fitted and does not rattle when the terminal is attached to the housing. Moreover, the leg part is pinched | interposed into the notch part. Thereby, a front terminal is positioned in the approximate center of the groove part of a 1st space part.
The distance between the side surface of the terminal and the side surface of the groove portion is substantially evenly secured on both side surfaces of the first space portion of the terminal. In the FPC connector, the solder rises due to a capillary phenomenon, so that the solder is likely to go farther as the distance between the side surface of the front terminal and the side surface of the housing is narrower. Therefore, if this configuration is adopted, the gap between the housings on both side surfaces of the front terminal is maximized substantially uniformly, so that the solder rise can be suppressed as compared with the case where the gap is shifted to one side. As a result, the amount of solder rising can be reduced, and the solder rising to the contact and its surroundings can be more effectively suppressed.

The FPC connector according to the present invention has the following features in addition to the above-described components of the invention. That is, the terminal is a front terminal, and the FPC connector further has a rear terminal.

  In the present invention, the solder rise at the terminal can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, an FPC connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an FPC connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
It is a partial end elevation of the front of the FPC connector 1 shown in FIG. 3 shows the FP shown in FIG.
It is an AA dotted line longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector 1 for C. FIG. The FPC connector 1 is mounted on a printed board and is electrically connected to the FPC 101.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the FPC 101 connected to the FPC connector 1 shown in FIG.
The FPC 101 includes a tape portion 102 in which a flexible resin material such as polyimide resin is formed in a film tape shape, a pair of end portions 103 formed at both ends of the tape portion 102, and each end portion 10.
3 and a plurality of wiring patterns 152 printed side by side on the tape portion 102 so as to connect the terminal patterns 151 at both ends 103.
The plurality of terminal patterns 151 are divided into two rows in the length direction of the tape portion 102 at the end portion 103, and the first terminals 151 a belonging to the first row near the tip 103 a and the first terminals away from the tip. The second terminal 151b belongs to two rows. In other words, the first terminals 151 a and the second terminals 151 b are alternately arranged in a staggered manner in the width direction of the tape portion 102. In addition,
A plurality of terminal patterns 151 are printed on the end portion 103 of the tape portion 102 on the back side of the front surface shown in FIG. 4 so as to overlap the terminal patterns 151 on the front surface. The terminal pattern 151 on the back surface is connected to the terminal pattern 151 on the overlapping surface. FPC1
01 has its end 103 inserted into the FPC connector 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the FPC connector 1 includes a housing 11, a plurality of front terminals 51, a plurality of rear terminals 71, and an actuator 31. The front terminal 51 and the rear terminal 71 are respectively connected to the end portion 10 of the FPC 101.
3 are connected to the first terminal 151a and the second terminal 151b of the terminal pattern 151 formed on the surface of the third terminal. Therefore, the numbers of the front terminal 51 and the rear terminal 71 coincide with the number of terminals of the first terminal 151a and the second terminal 151b. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, when the front terminal 51 and the rear terminal 71 are collectively referred to, they are simply referred to as terminals 51 and 71.

The housing 11 has a flat box outer shape wider than the FPC 101. Housing 11
Can be formed, for example, by injection molding a plastic material mixed with glass fibers. 2 and 3, the lower surface (bottom surface) of the housing 11 is a surface that comes into contact with the substrate when mounted on the printed circuit board 181 (see FIG. 12), that is, the mounting surface 1U.

Hereinafter, the upper, lower, left and right front and rear sides of the FPC connector 1 are defined with reference to the postures shown in FIGS. That is, FIG. 2 is a view of the FPC connector 1 as viewed from the front side, and defines the upper, lower, left, and right sides based on this illustrated posture. FIG. 3 shows an FPC connector 1
FIG. 5 is a view of the cross section of FIG. 5 when viewed from the right side, and defines the up / down and front / rear sides based on this illustrated posture. The left side of FIG. 3 is the front surface, the right side is the back surface, the lower side is the bottom surface, and the upper side is the upper surface 1S. The perspective view of FIG. 1 is a perspective view when the FPC connector 1 is viewed from the front upper right. F
The PC connector 1 has a flat box shape that is long in the left-right direction, and has a front surface 1F and a right side surface 1R.
The four sides of the back surface 1B and the left side surface 1L are provided.

The housing 11 is formed with a through hole 12 penetrating from the front surface 1F to the back surface 1B. The through hole 12 serving as a substrate space portion has an end portion 1 of the FPC 101 through an opening 13 on the front 1F side.
03 is inserted. An upper portion 11 a and a lower portion 11 b of the housing 11 are defined by the through hole 12.

Terminals 51 and 71 are provided on the upper surface of the housing lower portion 11b, that is, on the surface on the through hole 12 side.
The same number of lower groove portions 14 as the total number of the lower groove portions 14 are formed. The lower groove portion 14 has a groove width substantially equal to the thickness of the terminals 51 and 71 so that the terminals 51 and 71 can be attached to the housing and can be positioned in the plate thickness direction with respect to the housing 11. The plurality of lower grooves 14 are formed by the FPC 10
1 are formed at the same interval as the plurality of terminal patterns 151. A plurality of upper groove portions 15 are formed at positions directly above the lower groove portions 14 on the lower surface of the housing upper portion 11 a, that is, on the upper side of the through hole 12. The terminals 51 and 71 are respectively attached to the lower groove portion 14 and the upper groove portion 15 that are composed of upper and lower sets.

The lower groove portion 14 and the upper groove portion 15 to which the front terminal 51 is attached are formed in the housing 11.
From the front side to the back side, the through hole 12 extends from the opening 13 in the depth direction (back side direction). In order to simplify the structure of the mold, the lower surface 14c of the lower groove 14 is formed in a straight line in this case so as not to form a concave shape in the intermediate portion with respect to the penetration direction of the through hole 12. . Further, in the housing lower part 11b on the front side of the housing 11, the housing 1 of each lower groove portion 14 is provided.
1, a plurality of notches 16 are formed by notching substantially the center of each groove 14. Each notch portion 16 communicates from each lower groove portion 14 to which the front terminal 51 is attached to the mounting surface (bottom surface) of the housing 11. By the cutout portion 16 and the lower groove portion 14, a plurality of grooves equal in number to the front terminal 51 are formed on the front surface of the housing lower portion 11 b from the opening portion 13 to the mounting surface 1 </ b> U. The notch 16 forms a lower groove front end 14b for locking the leg locking piece 55a of the front terminal 51 at the front side edge of the lower groove 14, so that the mounting surface 1U side faces the back side of the housing 11. Largely formed.
The front terminal 51 is attached to the notch 16, the lower groove 14, and the upper groove 15.

The lower groove portion 14 and the upper groove portion 15 to which the rear terminal 71 is attached are formed in the housing 1.
1 extends from the back surface of the through hole 12 toward the entrance of the through-hole 12 (positive direction). Also, the housing lower part 11
On the back side of b, a plurality of notches 16 are formed by notching the bottom surface on the back side of each lower groove portion 14.
Is formed. Each notch portion 16 communicates from each lower groove portion 14 into which the rear terminal 71 is press-fitted to the mounting surface 1U (bottom surface) of the housing 11. By the notch 16 and the lower groove 14,
The rear terminal 7 is provided on the rear surface of the housing 11 from the opening 13 to the mounting surface 1U.
A plurality of grooves equal to the number 1 are formed. The rear terminal 71 is attached to the notch 16, the lower groove 14, and the upper groove 15 in the opposite direction to the front terminal 51.

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the front terminal 51. 6 is a perspective view from the front upper right of the front terminal 51 shown in FIG. The front terminal 51 can be formed by stamping a metal plate such as a copper alloy into a desired shape by pressing. 5, in the correspondence with FIGS. 2 and 3, the right side of the drawing is the back side of the front terminal 51, and the left side of the drawing is the front side of the front terminal 51.

The front terminal 51 is formed with an extending portion 52 that is long in the FPC insertion / removal direction, a standing portion 53 that stands on the extending portion 52, and a posture that is substantially parallel to the extending portion 52 at the upper end of the standing portion 53. Upper extending portion 54 and leg portion 55 projecting downward from the front side end portion of extending portion 52, and the entirety thereof has a substantially H shape.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the front terminal 51 has a notch 16 of the housing 11.
The lower groove 14 and the upper groove 15 are attached. In the attached state, the extending portion 52 is disposed in the lower groove portion 14, the upper extending portion 54 is disposed in the upper groove portion 15, and the leg portion 55 is disposed in the notch portion 16. A lower end portion of the leg portion 55 is exposed on the mounting surface 1U of the housing 11 and becomes a tail portion 56. This tail portion 56 is soldered to the pattern 182 (see FIG. 12) of the printed circuit board 181.

Further, the FPC 101 abuts against the partition portion 17 (see FIG. 9) of the housing 11. In the through hole 12, a front space partitioned by the standing portion 53 or the partition portion 17 of the housing 11 becomes a substrate space portion in which the FPC 101 is loaded.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the front terminal 51 further includes a pair of contacts 57 and 58 and a recess 59. The recess 59 is formed by an extension 52 of the front terminal 51.
It is provided in the part hung from the lower edge side 52a to the back side of the leg 55. The lower edge 52a
Is supported by the lower surface 14 c of the lower groove portion 14.

A pair of contacts 57 and 58 are formed on the upper surface of the extending portion 52 and on the lower surface of the upper extending portion 54, respectively. The tip of the lower contact 57 formed in the extending portion 52 protrudes upward to the through hole 12, and the tip of the upper contact 58 formed in the upper extending portion 54 is the through hole 1.
Protrusively downward to 2. The pair of contacts 57 and 58 oppose each other in the through hole 12.
In the front terminal 51, the distance between the tips of the pair of contacts 57, 58 is FP.
It is formed to be wider than the thickness of C101. Therefore, the FPC 101 can enter between the upper and lower contacts 57 and 58 because there is a sufficient gap between the upper and lower contacts 57 and 58 in a state where the actuator 31 described later does not act. The pair of contacts 57 and 58 may be plated with gold.

As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the actuator 31 is disposed on the back side of the standing portion 53. As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the actuator 31 is located between a release position, which is a position before inserting the FPC 101, and a set position, which is a position for holding the FPC 101 after insertion, as shown in FIG. Are arranged so as to be rotatable. As shown in FIG. 3, a cam 32 is provided on the long side on the mounting surface side in the release position, and the standing portion 53 of the extending portion 52 is provided.
The lower rear end 52R (see FIG. 5), which is a part on the back side, and the standing portion 53 of the upper extension 54
Between the upper rear end 54R (see FIG. 5), which is a part on the back side, the actuator 31 is provided.
When the actuator 32 is rotated from the release position to the set position, the long axis of the cam 32 rotates so as to face in the vertical direction. As a result, the lower rear end portion 52R and the upper rear end portion 54R are urged by the cam 32, and the distance between them is increased. The front terminal 51 is deformed with the standing portion 53 as a fulcrum of the insulator, and the extension portion 52 and the upper extension portion 5 are deformed.
The interval with 4 is narrowed. The pair of contacts 57, 58 is the FPC1 inserted between them.
The terminal pattern 151 formed on the front surface and the back surface of the end portion 103 of 01 is in close contact. Thereby, the FPC connector 1 is electrically connected to the FPC 101.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a connection state in which the FPC 101 is inserted into the FPC connector 1 and the actuator 31 is set to the set position. In this state, the FPC connector 1 and the FP
C101 is electrically connected. The FPC connector 1 functions as the FPC connector 1 that electrically connects the printed circuit board 181 and the FPC 101 by being soldered to the printed circuit board 181 and then connected to the FPC 101 as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the recess 59 is formed so as to scrape the lower edge 52 a of the front terminal 51 from the back side of the leg portion 55 of the front terminal 51 to a part of the extending portion 52. When the front terminal 51 is press-fitted into the housing 11, the front edge 51 is disposed so that the lower edge side 52 a of the extending portion 52 is supported by the lower surface 14 c of the lower groove portion 14, and the leg portion 55.
Is disposed in the notch 16. By forming the recess 59, a space is formed between the back surface of the front terminal 51 and the top surface of the lower portion 11b of the housing 11 from the upper back surface side of the leg portion 55 to the bottom surface of the extending portion 52. 51 and the housing lower portion 11b do not contact at a portion corresponding to the recess 59.
At this time, the notch 59a is formed on the front side of the recess 59, that is, the upper back side of the leg portion 55, so as not to come into contact with the lower groove front end 14b. It will be more effective.
Further, the leg back taper portion 55a provided on the leg portion 55 is supported on the bottom surface side of the lower groove front end 14b.

The rear terminal 71 has substantially the same structure and outer shape as the front terminal 51 shown in FIGS. Specifically, the rear terminal 71 includes an extended portion 52 that is long in the FPC insertion / removal direction, a standing portion 53 that stands on the extending portion 52, and substantially parallel to the extending portion 52 at the upper end of the standing portion 53. An upper extension 54 formed in a posture,
The extension part 52 has a leg part 55 projecting downward, and the entire part has a substantially H shape. However, unlike the front terminal 51, the rear terminal 71 is attached to the housing 11 such that the leg portion 55 protrudes downward from the rear end portion of the extending portion 52, and the leg portion 55 faces the rear side of the housing 11. The rear terminal 71 is different from the front terminal 51 in that the rear terminal 71 does not have the recess 59. This is because even if solder rises in the rear terminal 71, the solder rises from the extending portion 52 to the upper extending portion 54 via the standing portion 53, and extends to the extending portion 52.
This is because the contact 57 and its surroundings are not raised. However, the rear terminal 71 may be provided with a recess 59 for production reasons.

Next, the shape of the housing 11 around the front terminal 51 will be described in detail.

FIG. 8 is a partial end view of the front surface of the housing 11. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the portion from which the terminal is removed, that is, the housing 11 and the actuator 31 in the portion corresponding to the AA dotted cross section of FIG. FIG. 10 shows the housing lower part 11b as seen from the through hole 12.
It is a top view of the side. FIG. 11 is a top view of the housing lower portion 11b side from the through hole 12 with the front terminal 51 inserted. As shown in FIG. 11, the front terminal 51 is attached to the housing 11, so that the extended portion 52 is disposed in the lower groove portion 14 and the leg portion 55 is disposed in the notch portion 16.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10, the lower groove portion 14 into which the extending portion 52 is inserted has a tapered portion 18.
Have The tapered portion 18 is located at a front side portion of the lower groove portion 14. The tapered portion 18 has a tapered shape (tapered shape) in which the distance between the side surfaces becomes narrower toward the back side. By forming the tapered portion 18, the front opening width d <b> 1 due to the lower groove portion 14 becomes wider than the front opening width d <b> 0 due to the notch portion 16.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the tapered portion 18 is based on the depth direction of the through hole 12.
It is formed up to a position on the back side from the recess 59 of the front terminal 51. Therefore, in a state where the front terminal 51 is attached, the space formed by the recess 59 formed on the back surface of the front terminal 51 and the space formed by the tapered portion 18 are continuous to form one space. Thereby, the 1st space part 60 is formed. The surface of the portion of the front terminal 51 where the recess 59 is formed (the surface that circulates the longitudinal axis of the extending portion 52 of the front terminal 51) is located on the lower side of the tail portion 56 of the front terminal 51. The contact 57 is separated from the surface of the housing 11.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, both side surfaces 14a of the housing lower portion 11b that defines the lower groove portion 14 into which the extending portion 52 is inserted are chamfered. A chamfered surface 14d is formed so as to scrape off the upper edge of both side surfaces 14a of the lower groove portion 14. The chamfered surface 14d is formed from the tapered portion 18 to the partition portion 17 of the housing 11 (a position corresponding to the standing portion 53 in the case of the front terminal 51). The partition part 17 and the standing part 53 are located on the back side with respect to the lower contact 57 formed in the extending part 52 with reference to the depth direction of the through hole 12.

By this chamfering process, as shown in FIG. 11, chamfered surfaces 14 d are formed on the upper surface of the housing lower portion 11 b on both the left and right sides of each extending portion 52. The chamfered surface 14d functions as a second space portion. In the state accommodated in the lower groove portion 14, the extending portion 52 in the second space portion 61.
The distance between the housing lower portion 11b and the housing lower portion 11b is larger than the distance between the lower groove portions 14 alone.

In the front terminal 51, a locking projection 52b provided on the upper portion of the lower rear end portion 52R of the extending portion 52 is press-fitted into the fixing portion 20 of the housing, and the leg back taper portion 55a is the tip of the housing lower portion 11b. It is locked to the lower groove front end 14b formed on the lower side, and is held so as not to fall off the housing 11.

Next, a process of soldering the FPC connector 1 shown in FIG. 1 to the printed circuit board 181 (see FIG. 12) will be described. A case of soldering by the reflow method will be described as an example. In the reflow method, the amount of solder to be discarded is smaller than in the flow method, and soldering considering the environment is possible.

In the reflow method, first, solder paste (cream solder) is applied (printed) to the printed circuit board 181 on which the FPC connector 1 is mounted. The solder paste is applied onto the plurality of patterns 182 to which the plurality of tail portions 56 of the FPC connector 1 are electrically connected.

Next, the FPC connector 1 is temporarily fixed to the printed circuit board 181 to which the solder paste is applied. The FPC connector 1 is temporarily fixed to the printed circuit board 181 by pressing the tail portions 56 of the plurality of terminals 51 and 71 exposed on the mounting surface of the housing 11 against the solder paste.

The printed circuit board 181 to which the FPC connector 1 is temporarily fixed is heated to a predetermined temperature (temperature at which the solder paste melts) and then cooled. During this time, the solder paste
After melting by heating, the pattern 182 and the tail portion 56 of the printed board 181 are solidified so as to cover the whole. As a result, the FPC connector 1 is soldered to the printed circuit board 181. The plurality of terminals 51 and 71 of the FPC connector 1 are connected to the printed circuit board 1.
81 is electrically connected.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing an example of the state of the front terminal 51 after the FPC connector 1 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on the printed circuit board 181. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a state of the front terminal 851 of the comparative example after the FPC connector 801 of the comparative example (conventional type) is mounted on the printed circuit board 181.

When compared with the FPC connector 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 11, the FPC connector 801 of the comparative example does not have the recess 59 on the back side, and the lower groove 803 of the housing 802 has the taper portion 18. The lower groove 803 is different in that both sides are not chamfered. That is, the FPC connector 801 of the comparative example includes the first space portion 60 and the second space portion 6.
The structure does not have 1.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the FPC connector 1 shown in FIG.
In the PC connector 801, solder rises from the leg portions 55 and 852 to the extending portions 52 and 853. 12 and 13, a portion 91 where fine hatching is performed is a range where soldering occurs.

However, in the FPC connector 1 shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG.
The solder is not raised on the lower contact 57 formed on the upper surface of 2 and its periphery. Further, since the solder rise does not reach any part forming the through hole 12, it does not interfere with the solder when the FPC 101 is inserted into the through hole 12. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the FPC 101 can be satisfactorily inserted into the through hole 12 with respect to the FPC connector 1 shown in FIG. 1 after mounting by soldering, and even if the actuator 31 is tilted, No cracking or chipping due to contact with solder.

On the other hand, in the FPC connector 801 of the comparative example, as shown in FIG.
The lower contact 854 formed on the upper surface of 53 and solder around it are raised. The solder rise reaches the through hole 804. Therefore, FP after mounting by soldering
When the FPC 101 is inserted into the through hole 804 of the C connector 801, the FPC 101 interferes with the solder, and when the actuator (not shown) is tilted, the FPC 101 hits the solidified solder that rises around the lower contact 854. Or it may be pressed, which causes the FPC 101 to crack or chip.

As described above, in the FPC connector 1 according to this embodiment, the first space portion 60 including the tapered portion 18 and the recessed portion 59 is formed between the tail portion 56 and the through hole 12. Due to the first space portion 60, the surface of the front terminal 51 around one circumference and the surface of the housing 11 are separated.

Therefore, when the FPC connector 1 is soldered to the printed circuit board 181, the molten solder passes from the tail portion 56 between the housing 11 and the front terminal 51 to the through hole 12 side. Solder rising to the through hole 12 through the first space portion 60 is basically prevented. Direct solder rise from the tail portion 56 to the through hole 12 is prevented.

Also, the solder that has gone up to the first space portion 60 basically prevents the first space portion 60 from functioning as a solder dam and staying in the first space portion 60 and going up to the through hole 12 side. However, some solder may go up in the first space 60 along the corners of the lower groove 14. Then, the solder that travels along this corner may further rise from between the housing 11 and the front terminal 51 when reaching the upper portion of the first space 60 (the right side of the recess 59 in FIG. 12). At this time, it is considered that the solder rises from the side surface of the front terminal 51 toward the through hole 12 according to the capillary phenomenon. However, a second space portion is formed on the upper surface of the housing lower portion 11b so as to leave a space between the extending portion 52 and the lower groove portion 14. Therefore, the solder that has passed through the first space portion 60 is transferred to the side surface of the front terminal 51 and the lower groove portion 14.
Even if it tries to rise toward the through-hole 12 from between the side surfaces of the two, the rise is blocked by the second space portion and does not reach the through-hole 12. The solder overflowing from the first space portion 60 flows down under the second space portion 61.

As described above, due to the presence of the first space portion 60 and the second space portion 61, the FPC 10
It is possible to effectively and reliably prevent the solder from rising to the through hole 12 at the front terminal 51 soldered to the printed circuit board 181 on the opening 13 side (front side) into which the 1 is inserted. In particular, it is possible to effectively prevent the contact of the front terminal 51 and the soldering before and around it.

When the FPC connector 1 is soldered, the molten solder is removed from the leg portion 55 and the notch portion 16.
The solder rise is basically blocked by the first space portion 60, and the solder stops in the first space portion 60.

As a result, the solder does not rise up to the through hole 12 and is not cured, and it is possible to prevent the FPC 101 from being poorly inserted, cracked or chipped due to the cured product in the through hole 12.

In this embodiment, the first space portion 60 is formed by a combination of the concave portion 59 of the front terminal 51 and the tapered portion 18 of the housing 11. In order to form the first space portion 60, it is not necessary to form the recess 59 on the housing 11 side. In the housing 11,
There is no need to add an uneven shape that is disadvantageous for injection molding.

In this embodiment, the recess 59 of the front terminal 51 is formed so as to scrape the back side of the front terminal 51 from the bottom surface side of the extending portion 52 to the leg portion 55. Therefore, a gap due to the recess 59 is formed between the recess angle formed by the connection between the extending portion 52 and the leg portion 55 of the front terminal 51 and the edge formed by the connection between the groove portion of the housing 11 and the notch portion 16. It can be surely secured. Therefore, the solder rise from between the back side of the leg portion 55 and the notch portion 16 can be stopped before reaching the extending portion 52.
Also, the solder that tries to move up the first space 60 through the corner of the notch 16 in the recess 59 is prevented from rising by the edge of the housing 11. Notch 1 in recess 59
The solder rise due to the corner of 6 is less likely to occur.

Further, the back side of the upper portion of the leg portion 55 is scraped off by the concave portion 59, so that the solder rising from between the side surface of the leg portion 55 and the side surface of the notch portion 16 does not spread in the direction scraped off by the concave portion 59. In other words, it spreads in a direction completely different from the direction in which the contact 57 exists. The solder rising toward the contact 57 is more effectively prevented.

Further, in this embodiment, the second space portion formed by scraping both sides of each lower groove portion 14 is formed from the lower contact 57 to the far side with reference to the depth direction of the through hole 12.
Therefore, even if the solder that has gone up the first space portion 60 tries to rise toward the through hole 12 from between the side surface of the front terminal 51 and the side surface of the lower groove portion 14, until the solder reaches the back side from the second space portion. Cannot go up to the through hole 12. As a result, the solder rise to the lower contact 57 and its periphery can be prevented almost completely.

Further, in this embodiment, the position is slightly on the back side from the standing portion 53 (the partitioning portion 17 of the housing 11), that is, on the back side from the second space portion with the depth direction of the through hole 12 as a reference. At the position, there is a fixing portion that fixes the rear end portion of the extending portion to the housing, and the width of the groove portion of the second space portion is substantially the same as the extending portion.

The extending portion 52 of the front terminal 51 is fixed on the back side of the through hole 12 and its thickness direction is supported so as to be sandwiched between the side surfaces 14a of the lower groove 14. The front terminal 51 has a leg portion 55 sandwiched between the notches 16 at the entrance of the through hole 12 on the opening 13 side. Thereby, the front terminal 51 is positioned in the taper part 18, ie, the approximate center of the lower groove part 14 in a 1st space part. The distance between the side surface of the front terminal 51 and the side surface of the lower groove portion 14 is substantially evenly secured on both side surfaces of the front terminal 51. FPC
Since the solder in the connector 1 rises due to a capillary phenomenon, the solder is likely to go farther as the distance between the side surface of the front terminal 51 and the side surface of the housing 11 is narrower. Therefore, if this configuration is adopted, the gap between the housings 11 on both side surfaces of the front terminal 51 is maximized substantially uniformly, so that it is possible to suppress the solder rise compared to the case where the gap is shifted to one side. it can. As a result, the amount of solder rising can be reduced, and the solder rising to the lower contact 57 and its periphery can be more effectively suppressed.

Although the present invention is effective for preventing solder rise, it is also effective for preventing flux rise. Thereby, the poor contact of FPC and a terminal by a flux rising to the contact part of a terminal can be prevented effectively.

The above embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. is there.

In the above embodiment, the recess 59 is formed on the back side of the front terminal 51. In addition to this, for example, the first space 60 may be formed by forming the recess 59 on the housing 11 side.

However, since the front terminal 51 is press-fitted into the housing 11, it is necessary to make contact between the front terminal 51 and the housing 11. In the front terminal 51, the leg portion 55 basically hits the notch portion 16. If the recess 59 is formed in the housing 11, the shape of the periphery of the notch 16 becomes complicated, and the molding accuracy of the notch 16 may be lowered when the housing 11 is injection molded. Therefore, it is advantageous to form the recess 59 in the front terminal 51 in molding the housing 11.

In the above embodiment, the front terminal 51 and the rear terminal 71 have a substantially H shape, and have a tuning fork structure sandwiching the FPC 101 from above and below. Besides this, for example,
The front terminal 51 and the rear terminal 71 have a substantially I shape including only the extending portion 52, the leg portion 55, and the lower contact 57.
The structure may be such that 1 is pressed against the lower contact 57. Further, the FPC 101 may be sandwiched between the tuning fork structure itself so that the actuator 31 is not provided.

In the above embodiment, the FPC connector 1 uses the front terminal 51 and the rear terminal 71 in combination as a plurality of terminals. Besides this, for example,
The FPC connector 1 may use only the front terminal 51 as a plurality of terminals. In this case, the patterns 182 of the printed circuit board 181 to be soldered to the plurality of front terminals 51 are arranged in a line, and the areas to be soldered for mounting the FPC connector 1 can be combined into one. For example,
The plurality of front terminals 51 may be alternately disposed at the front portion of the FPC connector 1 while being shifted back and forth. Thereby, the width of the FPC connector 1 and the FPC 101 can be reduced as in the embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the concave portion 59 is formed in the front terminal 51, and the tapered portion 18 is formed in the lower groove portion 14 into which the front terminal 51 is inserted. In addition, for example, the recess 59 may be formed in the rear terminal 71, and the taper portion 18 may be formed in the lower groove portion 14 into which the rear terminal 71 is inserted.

In the said embodiment, the 2nd space part is formed of the chamfering surface 14d. In addition to this, as long as the upper end edges of both side surfaces 14a of the lower groove portion 14 are cut off, for example, the connector may be formed in an arc shape or a step shape in the cross section in the width direction.

In addition to the FPC, the connector according to the present invention may be a flexible flat cable (Fl
It can also be used to connect a flat flexible cable called an “exclusive flat cable”.

The present invention can be suitably used for an FPC connector having a terminal.
When mounting the connector on the printed circuit board, it is possible to prevent problems such as damage to the FPC due to solder rise, which contributes significantly to the development of circuit board mounting technology in Japan.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an FPC connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial end view of the front side of the FPC connector shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the FPC connected to the FPC connector shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the front terminal used in the FPC connector shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view from the front upper right of the front terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a connection state in which the FPC is inserted into the FPC connector shown in FIG. 1 and the actuator is set to the set position. FIG. 8 is a partial end view of the front of the housing used in the FPC connector shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the housing and the actuator in the AA section of FIG. 2. FIG. 10 is a top view of the lower portion of the housing as seen from the through hole. FIG. 11 is a top view of the lower portion of the housing of FIG. 10 with the front terminal inserted. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a soldered state after the FPC connector shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a printed circuit board. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a soldered state after mounting the FPC connector of the comparative example on a printed circuit board. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a front terminal insertion portion of a conventional FPC connector. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a rear terminal insertion portion of a conventional FPC connector.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 FPC connector 1F Front surface 1B Rear surface 1R Right side surface 1L Left side surface 1S Upper surface 1U Mounting surface 11 Housing 11a Upper part 11b Lower part 12 Through-hole (board | substrate space part)
13 Opening 14 Lower groove (groove)
14a Lower groove portion side surface 14b Lower groove portion front end 14c Lower groove portion lower surface 14d Chamfered surface 15 Upper groove portion 16 Notch portion 17 Partition portion 18 Tapered portion 20 Fixed portion 31 Actuator 32 Cam 51 Front terminal 52 Extension portion 52a Lower edge 52R Lower rear end portion 53 Standing portion 54 Upper extending portion 54R Upper rear end portion 55 Leg portion 55a Leg portion taper portion 56 Tail portion 57 Lower contact 58 Upper contact 59 Recess 59a Notch 60 First space portion 61 Second space portion 71 Rear terminal 91 Solder finish area 101 FPC
102 Tape part 1
103 End 151 Terminal pattern 151a First terminal 151b Second terminal 152 Wiring pattern 181 Printed circuit board 182 Pattern 801 FPC connector 802 of comparative example Housing 803 Lower groove 804 Through hole 851 Front terminal 852 Leg 853 Extension part 854 Lower side Contact

Claims (4)

A flexible printed circuit board connector mounted on a printed circuit board and electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board,
A housing having a mounting surface on the printed circuit board as a bottom surface;
A substrate space formed from an opening formed on a side surface of the housing to the inside of the housing, and loaded with the flexible printed circuit board;
A groove formed in the lower portion of the housing existing from the substrate space portion to the bottom surface so as to extend from the opening portion along the depth direction of the substrate space portion on the upper surface on the substrate space portion side;
A notch that communicates from the groove to the mounting surface on the side surface where the opening is formed at the bottom of the housing;
A terminal having an extending part extending in the groove part and a leg part arranged in the notch part, and a tail part exposed on the mounting surface being soldered to the printed circuit board;
A first space portion that separates the surface of a part of the terminal from the surface of the housing between the tail portion and the substrate space portion;
The flexible printed circuit board formed in the terminal and protruding into the board space part at a position on the back side from the first space part with reference to the depth direction in the board space part and loaded into the board space part; An electrically connected contact;
The lower portion of the housing is formed so as to scrape both sides of the groove portion at least in the section from the first space portion to the contact, and the distance between the terminal formed thereby and the housing is determined by the groove portion. And a second space portion that is wider than the interval of
First space portion above SL, in the terminals, formed and the bottom side of the extending portion located a rear side of a position from the leg portion in the depth direction based on the substrate space A recess,
As a part of the groove part, the taper part formed to taper from the concave part to the back side with reference to the depth direction in the substrate space part, while widening the width of the front side of the housing by the groove part,
The surface of the circumference of the portion where the recess is formed is separated from the surface of the housing,
The second space part is formed from the contact to the back side with respect to the depth direction in the substrate space part,
A connector for a flexible printed circuit board. The flexible printed circuit board connector according to claim 1 , wherein the concave portion of the terminal is formed so as to scrape the back side of the terminal from the bottom surface side of the extending portion to the leg portion. On the back side of the second space portion with respect to the depth direction in the substrate space portion, the fixing portion for fixing the rear end portion of the extending portion to the housing is provided, and the width of the groove portion of the second space portion is ,
The flexible printed circuit board connector according to claim 2 , wherein the flexible printed circuit board connector has substantially the same width as the extending portion. 4. The flexible printed circuit board connector according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal is a front terminal and further has a rear terminal.

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