JP5891950B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector configured to perform electrical connection by rotating a connection operation means after inserting a signal transmission medium into an insulating housing.

  In general, printed circuit boards used in various electrical devices and the like use various signal transmission media such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC) and a flexible flat cable (FFC) for the printed circuit board. An electrical connector for connecting the device is mounted and used. For example, in the electrical connector described in Patent Document 1 below, a signal transmission medium made of FPC, FFC, or the like is provided inside from an insertion port provided on the front end side of the electrical connector mounted on the printed wiring board. When the connection operation means (actuator) is rotated after the signal transmission medium is inserted, the contact members are elastically displaced, and the contact members are in pressure contact with the signal transmission medium for electrical connection. Is to be done.

  In the connection operation means (actuator) that is rotated in this manner, the rotation shaft portion is rotatably supported by a bearing portion provided in the insulating housing or the contact. And the rotation axis part provided in the connection operation means is formed so that it may protrude outward from the both end surfaces of a connector longitudinal direction, for example, corresponding to those both rotation axis parts A pair of locking members are provided at both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing so as to form a cantilever arm. These locking members are usually formed by plate-like members formed integrally with the insulating housing, and the above-mentioned connection operation means is formed by the elastic biasing force of the locking member that forms the cantilever arm. The rotating shaft portion is configured to be supported in at least one of the rotational direction, the axial direction, and the radial direction.

  At this time, in assembling the connection operation means (actuator) described above to the insulating housing, the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means is often pushed into a portion between the pair of locking members on the insulating housing side. It has been broken. Thus, the locking member when the connection operation means is pushed into the insulating housing side is elastically displaced in a direction in which it is pushed and expanded toward the outer side of the connector longitudinal direction, and the elastic displacement at that time causes the locking member. As described above, the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means is supported by the stress in at least one of the rotational direction, the axial direction, and the radial direction. In order to facilitate the pushing operation of the connection operation means, the rigidity of the locking member is reduced to facilitate the elastic displacement.

  On the other hand, the rotation operation of the connection operation means (actuator) is performed by hooking the operator's claws and fingertips on a part of the rotation operation, and the locking member supporting the connection operation means is provided on the insulating housing. When the structure projects from the both end portions toward the operator side, the operator's claws and fingertips may come into contact with the locking member, and the connecting operation means may not be smoothly rotated. Not only that, but especially when the rigidity of the locking member is reduced to facilitate assembly as described above, the locking member may be damaged or broken. Further, when the connection operation means is rotated or when an external force such as contact of an operator or other electric parts is applied even in a non-operation state, the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means is locked. There is also a possibility that the entire connecting operation means may come off the insulating housing due to falling off from the member.

JP 2009-266666 A

  Therefore, the present invention provides an electrical connector that has a simple configuration and that can satisfactorily prevent breakage and breakage of a locking member of a connection operation means (actuator) and can prevent the connection operation means from falling off. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, an electrical connection is made by rotating a connection operation means after inserting a signal transmission medium into an insulating housing in a state of being mounted on a printed wiring board. The rotating shaft portion provided in the connection operation means is configured to be supported by the elastic force of a locking member provided in the insulating housing so as to form a cantilever arm. In the electrical connector in which the rotation shaft portion of the connection operating means is assembled to the locking member so as to elastically displace the locking member in a predetermined direction, the locking member is connected to the connection member. The direction of elastic displacement when the rotating shaft portion of the operating means is assembled is configured to be substantially perpendicular to the surface of the printed wiring board, and the elastic displacement of the locking member is Configuration to be received by the printing wiring board is employed.

  At this time, the locking member according to the present invention can be configured to support the rotating shaft portion in a rotatable manner.

  The locking member according to the present invention is formed of a cantilever arm-like member that integrally extends from the insulating housing, and is orthogonal to the printed wiring board in a cross section orthogonal to the extending direction of the locking member. The dimension T1 in the direction to be formed can be smaller than the dimension T2 in the direction parallel to the printed wiring board (T1 <T2).

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, an external force caused by contact of an operator or other electrical components during the assembly of the connection operation means (actuator), during the rotation operation, or at other times, is a locking member. When this is added, the locking member is elastically displaced toward the surface of the printed wiring board. In order to facilitate the pushing operation of the connection operation means, the rigidity of the locking member is reduced and the elastic displacement is performed. Even when it is easy to do, since the elastic displacement of the latching member is received and supported by the printed wiring board, the latching member can be prevented from being broken or broken well, and the latching member can be connected to the operation means. Is favorably supported, so that the connection operating means is prevented from falling off.

  The locking member according to the present invention includes a shaft support surface that extends in a direction substantially parallel to the printed wiring board and on which the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means is placed, and a stepped shape on the shaft support surface. And a position regulating surface that locks the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the printed wiring board. Furthermore, it is desirable that the rotation shaft portion is provided with a position holding surface that faces the position restricting surface of the locking member in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the connection operation means is favorably held on the insulating housing side, and the connection operation means is more reliably prevented from falling off.

  Also, in the present invention, a plurality of contact members are attached in parallel in a multipolar shape inside the insulating housing, and the locking member has a height H1 from the printed wiring board that is the contact It is desirable that the height is lower than the height H2 of the substrate bonding portion of the member (H1 <H2).

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the locking members arranged so as to be parallel to both side portions of the substrate joint portion of the contact member are arranged so as not to protrude upward from the substrate joint portion of the contact member. Therefore, the rotation operation of the connection operation means is performed in the upper area from the lock member, and the lock member is positioned below the operator's nails and fingertips that contact the connection operation means. When the operation means is rotated, the operator's nails and fingertips do not come into strong contact with the locking member, the connection operation means is smoothly rotated, and the locking member is damaged. More reliably prevented.

  As described above, the electrical connector according to the present invention is a locking member when the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means is assembled to the locking member that supports the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means (actuator). The direction of the elastic displacement is set in a direction substantially orthogonal to the surface of the printed wiring board, the elastic displacement of the locking member is received by the printed wiring board, and an operator or other electrical component comes into contact with the printed wiring board. When an external force is applied to the locking member, the locking member is elastically displaced toward the surface of the printed wiring board and supported by the printed wiring board. It is possible to satisfactorily prevent breakage and breakage of the locking member of the connection operation means (actuator) and to prevent the connection operation means from falling off, thereby greatly improving the reliability of the electrical connector at low cost. Kill.

In the electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention, it is an external perspective view illustrating the state in which the actuator is raised to the release position from the upper front side. FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1. It is front explanatory drawing of the electrical connector represented by FIG. It is side surface explanatory drawing of the electrical connector represented by FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross sectional explanatory view taken along line VV in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross sectional explanatory view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is an external perspective explanatory view showing a state immediately before a signal transmission medium (FPC) is inserted into the electrical connector shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is an external perspective explanatory view showing a state in which a signal transmission medium (FPC) is inserted into the electrical connector shown in FIGS. It is side surface explanatory drawing of the electrical connector in the clamping state of the signal transmission medium (FPC) represented by FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 5 in the electrical connector in a state where the signal transmission medium (FPC) illustrated in FIG. 8 is sandwiched. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 6 in the electric connector in a state where the signal transmission medium (FPC) shown in FIG. 8 is sandwiched. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the actuator is separated from the insulating housing in the electrical connector illustrated in FIG. 7.

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

[About overall connector structure]
First, the electrical connector 10 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 12 includes an insulating housing (insulator) 11 made of an insulating member extending in an elongated shape. The insulating housing 11 is formed of a thin hollow casing, and a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible printed circuit is provided on one side (left end side in FIG. 5) of the opposite end portions of the longitudinal side. The front insertion port 11a into which the signal transmission medium F made of a flat cable (FFC) or the like is inserted is provided so as to have a horizontally elongated opening shape. Further, on the other end side (the right end side in FIG. 5) opposite to the front side insertion port 11a, there is a rear side opening for mounting a conductive contact 12 described later and an actuator 13 as connection operation means. The part from the above-mentioned front side insertion port 11a to the back side opening is formed so as to form a hollow passage.

  In the following, the direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing 11 is referred to as “connector longitudinal direction”, and the respective directions toward the front insertion port 11a and the rear opening are respectively referred to as “connector front” and “connector rear”. I will call it. Further, a direction orthogonal to both the “connector longitudinal direction” and the “connector longitudinal direction” is referred to as “connector vertical direction”.

[About conductive contacts]
Inside the hollow passage of the insulating housing 11 described above, a plurality of conductive contacts (contact members) 12 made of a thin plate-like metal member having a side shape with a substantially H-shaped sideways extending in the longitudinal direction of the connector. It is inserted to exist. Each of the conductive contacts 12 is arranged so as to be arranged in parallel in a multipolar shape at an appropriate interval along the lateral width direction (connector longitudinal direction) of the insulating housing 11, and those of the same shape are arranged adjacent to each other. Or those of different shapes are arranged alternately. Each of these conductive contacts 12 is used for either signal transmission or shielding. As will be described later, the rear end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 5) of each conductive contact 12 is mounted on the printed wiring board P. Has been used.

  Each of the conductive contacts 12 is mounted so as to be pushed toward the connector front side (left side in FIG. 5) from the rear side opening provided on the rear end side of the connector as described above. Each of the conductive contacts 12 at a position corresponding to either a signal transmission conductive path (signal line) or a shield conductive path (shield line) formed on the front or back surface of a signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F Is arranged. Each of these conductive contacts 12 has a movable contact beam 12a and a fixed contact beam 12b each composed of a pair of elongated beam members extending along the insertion / extraction direction of the signal transmission medium F (left-right direction in FIG. 5). Yes.

  The movable contact beam 12a and the fixed contact beam 12b are arranged in the inner space of the hollow passage of the above-described insulating housing 11 so as to face each other at an appropriate interval in the vertical direction of the connector. (In the left-right direction) extending in a slender shape. Among them, the fixed contact beam 12b is arranged so as to extend along the inner wall surface of the bottom portion of the insulating housing 11, and is fixed so as to be substantially immobile inside the insulating housing 11.

  The fixed contact beam 12b extends in a substantially vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5) slightly to the rear side (right side in FIG. 5) from the central portion in the connector longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 5). The narrow-plate-shaped connecting support column 12c is integrally connected. And the movable contact beam 12a mentioned above is integrally connected with the upper end part of the connection support | pillar part 12c so that it may extend in the connector front-back direction (left-right direction of FIG. 5). The movable contact beam 12a is elastically deformed so as to rotate around the connecting column portion 12c or the vicinity thereof, and thereby the movable contact beam 12a is elastically flexible with respect to the fixed contact beam 12b. Has been made. These movable contact beams 12a are elastically deformed so as to rotate within a plane including the plane of FIG. 5, and both end portions in the extending direction of the movable contact beams 12a are elastically displaced in the vertical direction in the figure. It has been made into a configuration.

  Furthermore, a conductive path for signal transmission or shielding formed on the upper surface side of the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is provided on the front end portion (left end side portion in FIG. 5) of the movable contact beam 12a described above. A terminal contact convex portion 12a1 is provided as a contact portion connected to any one of (not shown) so as to form a downward protruding shape in the drawing. The signal transmission medium F is sandwiched between the terminal contact convex portion 12a1 provided on the movable contact beam 12a and the fixed contact beams 12b arranged so as to face the position immediately below the terminal contact convex portion 12a1. ing.

  At this time, corresponding to the terminal contact convex portion 12a1 of the movable contact beam 12a described above, the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F formed on the lower surface side of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) is also formed on the fixed contact beam 12b side. It is also possible to provide a terminal contact convex portion connected to one of the shield conductive paths (not shown) so as to form an upwardly protruding shape in the figure. Also, these terminal contact convex portions can be arranged so that their positions are shifted to the front side of the connector (left side in the figure) or the rear side of the connector (right side in the figure). Further, the fixed contact beam 12b in the present embodiment is basically fixed so as to be stationary, but for the purpose of facilitating insertion of a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F, for example, The front end portion of the fixed contact beam 12b may be formed so as to be slightly lifted from the bottom wall surface of the insulating housing 11 so as to be elastically displaceable.

  A board junction terminal portion soldered to a conductive path (not shown) formed on the printed wiring board P described above is provided at the rear end portion of the connector (right end portion in FIG. 5) of the fixed contact beam 12b. 12b1 is formed, and electrical connection to the printed wiring board P is performed via the board bonding terminal portion 12b1.

  Further, the fixed contact beam 12b is provided with a cam receiving portion 12b2 formed in a portion corresponding to the upper side of the above-described substrate bonding terminal portion 12b1 so as to be recessed in a substantially arc shape on the lower side in a side view, A pressing cam portion 13a of an actuator (connection operation means) 13 attached to the rear end portion of the insulating housing 11 is slidably contacted from the upper side in the figure in a substantially arc-shaped depression portion of the cam receiving portion 12b2. Arranged in a state. An actuated portion 12a2 provided at the connector rear end portion of the movable contact beam 12a is slidably pressed against the upper portion of the pressing cam portion 13a of the actuator 13.

[About the actuator]
The actuator 13 as the connection operation means described above is attached so as to be rotatable along the edge portion on the rear side of the connector (the right end portion in FIG. 5) of the insulating housing 11, and the actuator (connection operation means). ) 13 from the initial position in an upright state as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, as shown in FIGS. The movable contact beam 12a of the conductive contact 12 is elastically deformed as described above by being rotated until it is pushed down toward the right side), and the conductive contact with respect to the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC, etc.) F 12 is configured to be electrically connected.

  More specifically, the actuator (connection operation means) 13 is entirely formed of a substantially plate-like member, and is connected to the connector rear end portion (right end portion in FIG. 5) of the insulating housing 11 in the connector longitudinal direction. It has the rotation operation part 13b extended in elongate shape along. A pair of pivot shafts 13c and 13c are provided on both end surfaces of the actuator 13 in the connector longitudinal direction so as to protrude outward in the same direction. 13c and 13c are rotatably supported by bearing members 11c and 11c provided as locking members on the insulating housing 11 side. The structure of each bearing member (locking member) 11c will be described in detail later.

  As described above, the rotation shaft portions 13c and 13c arranged at both ends of the actuator (connection operation means) 13 in the connector longitudinal direction are coaxial with the rotation shaft portions 13c and 13c so that the connector length is long. They are integrally connected by a pressing cam portion 13a extending in the direction. The assembly operator applies an appropriate turning operation force to the turning operation portion 13b of the actuator 13, so that the entire actuator 13 has the turning shafts 13c and 13c and the pressing cam portion 13a as the turning center. 1 to 7, and the “release position”, which is an initial position raised upward as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, is tilted substantially horizontally toward the rear side of the connector as shown in FIGS. 8 to 11. It is configured to be rotated between the “clamping position” in the state of being made.

  Further, in the region near the rotation center of the actuator (connection operation means) 13, a plurality of slits for avoiding interference with the conductive contact 12 are comb-shaped corresponding to the structure in which the rotation operation described above is performed. It is formed to make.

  Furthermore, the pressing cam portion 13a that connects the pair of rotating shaft portions 13c and 13c disposed on both sides in the connector longitudinal direction is formed of a shaft-like member having a substantially elliptical cross section, and includes an actuator (connection operation means). ) It extends along the rotation center of 13. A predetermined cam action surface 13a1 is formed at a position corresponding to both end portions in the long axis direction in the substantially elliptical cross section of the pressing cam portion 13a. Then, as described above, the actuator 13 performs a turning operation in which the actuator 13 is pushed down from the “release position” (see FIGS. 5 to 7) toward the “clamping position” (see FIGS. 8 to 11). At this time, the rotation radius of the pressing cam portion 13a changes in a direction increasing between the fixed contact beam 12b and the movable contact beam 12a, and the movable contact beam is changed according to the diameter change of the pressing cam portion 13a. The actuated portion 12a2 provided on the rear end side of the connector 12a is displaced so as to be lifted upward, and accordingly, the terminal contact convex portion 12a1 provided on the front end side of the connector is pushed downward. It has been made into a configuration.

  Further, in the short axis direction of the elliptical cross section of the pressing cam portion 13a, a curved rotation surface that slides on the cam receiving portion 12b2 of the fixed contact beam 12b described above is formed. Further, a flat support surface 13a2 that abuts on the operated portion 12a2 of the movable contact beam 12a described above is formed at a portion facing the curved rotation surface in the short axis direction. If the flat support surface 13a2 of the pressing cam portion 13a is in surface contact with the actuated portion 12a2 of the movable contact beam 12a as shown in FIG. The posture holding force generated on the support surface 13a2 keeps the entire actuator 13 in the initial state that is the “release position”.

  Then, as described above, in the initial state where the actuator (connection operation means) 13 is in the “release position”, as shown in FIG. 7, a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) is provided on the front side portion of the insulating housing 11. ) F is arranged so as to face each other, and the signal transmission medium F is inserted into the inside through the front insertion port 11a of the insulating housing 11. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the actuator 13 is tilted toward the rear side of the connector and is rotated until it becomes a substantially horizontal state. Thus, when the actuator 13 has been rotated to just before the “clamping position” that is the final rotation position, the rotation radius of the pressing cam portion 13a described above becomes the maximum, and the position where the maximum radius is reached. In the “clamping position”, which is a position further rotated by a minute angle from the above, either the signal transmission or ground conductive path (not shown) formed on the surface of the signal transmission medium F is described above. The terminal contact convex portion 12a1 of the movable contact beam 12a is maintained in a pressure-contacted state, whereby electrical connection is performed.

[About locking members]
On the other hand, the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F inserted into the insulating housing 11 is prevented from being removed at both end portions of the insulating housing 11 in the connector longitudinal direction, that is, the outer portions on both sides of the conductive contact 12 described above. A pair of lock members 14 and 14 for performing the above are mounted so as to be pushed from the front end side of the connector toward the rear side (right side in FIG. 6). Each of these lock members 14 also has a movable lock beam 14a and a fixed lock beam 14b made of a pair of elongated beam members extending along the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium F (right direction in FIG. 6). Yes.

  The movable lock beam 14a and the fixed lock beam 14b constituting each of the lock members 14 are arranged so as to face each other at an appropriate interval in the vertical direction in the internal space of the hollow passage provided in the insulating housing 11. It is arranged so as to extend in an elongated shape in the connector front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 6). Among them, the fixed lock beam 14 b is disposed so as to extend along the inner wall surface of the bottom of the insulating housing 11, and is fixed so as to be substantially immobile within the insulating housing 11.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the front end portion of the fixed lock beam 14b (the left end portion in FIG. 6) is connected to a ground conductive path formed on the printed wiring board P or to a soldering area for fixing. The junction terminal portion 14b1 is formed, and is fixed to the printed wiring board P via the substrate junction terminal portion 14b1.

  Such a fixed lock beam 14b has a narrow width extending in a substantially vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 6) from a central portion in the connector longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 6) to a portion slightly on the rear side of the connector. The plate-shaped connection support | pillar part 14c is connected integrally. And the movable lock beam 14a mentioned above is integrally connected with the upper end part of the connection support | pillar part 14c so that it may extend in the connector front-back direction (left-right direction of FIG. 6).

  Therefore, the movable lock beam 14a is configured to be elastically deformed so as to rotate about the upper end portion of the connecting support column 14c or the vicinity thereof, and the movable lock beam 14a is in contrast to the fixed lock beam 14b described above. It has elastic flexibility. The rotation of the movable lock beam 14a is performed in a plane including the plane of FIG. 6, and both end portions (left and right end portions in FIG. 6) in the extending direction of the movable lock beam 14a are elastically displaced in the vertical direction in the drawing. The structure is made.

  On the other hand, at the rear end portion of the connector of the fixed lock beam 14b (the right end portion in FIG. 6), a cam receiving portion 14b2 that slidably receives the pressing cam portion 13a of the actuator 13 described above is substantially circular on the lower side in a side view. It is formed so as to be recessed in an arc shape, and is arranged so that the pressing cam portion 13a of the actuator 13 mentioned above is slidably abutted from the upper side in the figure in the substantially arc-shaped recess portion of the cam receiving portion 14b2. Has been. Since the actuator 13 and the pressing cam portion 13a and the structures associated therewith are the same as those of the conductive connector 12, the description thereof is omitted.

  Furthermore, a locking lock portion 14d that engages with a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is provided at the connector front end portion (left end side portion in FIG. 6) of the movable lock beam 14a. Corresponding to the locking portion 14d provided on the lock member 14 side, the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium F has a width direction (connector) of the signal transmission medium F as shown in FIG. Longitudinal direction) Engagement positioning portions Fa, Fa composed of notch-shaped concave portions are formed at the edge portions on both sides. The locking lock portions 14d and 14d described above are provided on the electrical connector 10 side corresponding to the engagement positioning portions Fa and Fa provided on the signal transmission medium F, and the locking lock portions 14d, The insertion state of the signal transmission medium F is maintained by the locking action (lock action) of 14d.

  More specifically, the locking portion 14d provided on each lock member 14 described above is formed of a hook-shaped member having a substantially triangular side surface, and is on the front side of the connector (left side in FIG. 6). An inclined guide side 14d1 extending obliquely downward from the front end portion toward the rear (right side in FIG. 6) is provided. The inclined guide side 14d1 has a guide function when a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is inserted into the electrical connector 10.

  That is, when the terminal end edge of the signal transmission medium F comes into contact with the locking lock portion 14d as the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is inserted, the locking action is caused by the guide action of the inclined guide side 14d1 described above. The lock portion 14d rides on the surface of the signal transmission medium F so as to be lifted upward against the elastic force of the movable lock beam 14a. Further, the signal transmission medium F is pushed toward the back of the connector (the right side in FIG. 6), and the engagement positioning portion Fa provided on the signal transmission medium F is arranged at a position directly below the locking lock portion 14d. When this occurs, the locking portion 14d moves downward so as to drop toward the inside of the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F by the elastic restoring force of the movable lock beam 14a.

  At this time, the locking lock portion 14d is not fully depressed with respect to the engagement positioning portion Fa provided in the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F, but is in a semi-engaged state. As shown in the figure, when the actuator (connection operation means) 13 is rotated to the “clamping position”, the cam push-up action is generated in the pressing cam portion 13a as described above, whereby the locking lock portion 14d. Is further lowered, and the signal transmission medium F is reliably secured by moving to a position where the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F is sufficiently engaged (locked). .

  Here, as described above, the pair of rotating shaft portions 13c and 13c provided in the actuator (connection operation means) 13 is freely rotatable by the bearing members 11c and 11c provided as locking members on the insulating housing 11 side. These bearing members (locking members) 11c are provided so as to protrude integrally from both end portions of the insulating housing 11 in the connector longitudinal direction. More specifically, each of the bearing members 11c is formed of a plate-like member that protrudes in a cantilevered arm shape toward the rear side of the connector from the wall surface of the lower part on the bottom surface side of the insulating housing 11, The rotation shaft portion 13c described above is rotatably mounted on the upper surface portion of the bearing member 11c.

  Each bearing member (locking member) 11c described above has a shaft support surface 11c1 extending in a horizontal direction substantially parallel to the printed wiring board P as an upper surface thereof. The shaft support surface 11c1 is formed so as to form a flat surface with a predetermined width and extend to the rear side of the connector. On the shaft support surface 11c1, the rotation shaft of the actuator (connection operation means) 13 described above is formed. The part 13c is slidably mounted. With respect to the width dimension of the shaft support surface 11c1, that is, the dimension T2 in the direction (horizontal direction) parallel to the printed wiring board P in the cross section orthogonal to the extending direction of the bearing member 11c (back of the connector). The dimension T1 in the height direction perpendicular to the axis is formed to be smaller (T1 <T2), and the bearing member 11c is configured to have elastic flexibility in the vertical direction due to the size relationship. Has been made.

  Thus, the shaft support surface 11c1 of the bearing member (locking member) 11c is disposed in contact with the lower side of the rotating shaft portion 13c of the actuator (connection operation means) 13, and the bearing member 11c is elastic in the vertical direction. It has flexibility. Therefore, when the actuator 13 is pushed in toward the front side of the connector through the rear opening of the insulating housing 11 and assembled, the bearing member 11c is in a direction substantially orthogonal to the surface of the printed wiring board P. It is elastically displaced downward. The elastic displacement of the bearing member 11c is received by the surface of the printed wiring board P.

  In addition, as described above, the shaft support surface 11c1 of the bearing member (locking member) 11c on which the rotation shaft portion 13c of the actuator (connection operation means) 13 is placed has a flat surface. A stepped portion 11c2 is formed at the protruding end portion of the plate-like member constituting 11c so as to protrude upward, and a position for restricting the position of the rotary shaft portion 13c on the rising wall surface of the stepped portion 11c2. A restriction surface 11c3 is formed. The position regulating surface 11c3 is formed so as to face the above-described rotation shaft portion 13c from the rear side of the connector.

  With respect to such a bearing member (locking member) 11c, on the side of the rotation shaft portion 13c of the actuator (connection operation means) 13, a rotation allowing surface 13c1 having a substantially arc shape in the cross section is provided. At the same time, two position holding surfaces 13c2 and 13c2 composed of flat surfaces having a substantially linear cross section are continuously provided in the circumferential direction so as to be continuous with both ends in the circumferential direction of the rotation allowing surface 13c1. The position holding surfaces 13c2 and 13c2 are in a positional relationship extending in two directions substantially orthogonal to each other in the cross section. When the actuator (connection operation means) 13 is in the “release position” in a state where it is raised upward as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the rotation permission surface 13 c 1 of the rotation shaft portion 13 c is a bearing. The actuator 13 can be rotated by being placed on the flat surface of the shaft support surface 11c1 of the member 11c.

  On the other hand, when the actuator (connection operating means) 13 is in the “released position” raised upward as described above, the position regulating surface composed of the stepped standing wall surface of the bearing member (locking member) 11c described above. 11c3 is disposed in a state in which the position holding surface 13c2 of the rotation shaft portion 13c is in close proximity, thereby restricting the movement of the rotation shaft portion 13c to the connector rear side of the rotation shaft portion 13c, and the actuator 13 in the same direction. It is designed to prevent falling out of

  The position holding surface 13c2 of the rotating shaft portion 13c when the actuator (connection operation means) 13 is tilted substantially horizontally as shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 and is in the “holding position” is a shaft of the bearing member 11c. The actuator 13 is arranged in a state separated from the upper position of the support surface 11c1, and the actuator 13 is maintained in a substantially horizontal tilted state by the rotational urging force generated in the above-described pressing cam portion 13a.

  The bearing member (locking member) 11c at this time is arranged in parallel to the outer regions on both sides in the connector longitudinal direction with respect to the board joining terminal portion 12b1 provided at the rear end portion of the conductive contact 12 as described above. Although related, the bearing member 11c is set to be lower in the height dimension from the printed wiring board P. In other words, the board joint terminal portion 12b1 of the conductive contact 12 has a height dimension from the printed wiring board P set to H2, whereas the maximum height dimension of the bearing member 11c, more specifically, as described above. The height dimension H1 of the position regulating surface 11c1 is formed to be lower than the height H2 of the substrate bonding terminal portion 12b1 of the conductive contact 12 (H1 <H2).

  As described above, in this embodiment, the bearing member (locking member) 11c that rotatably supports the rotation shaft portion 13c of the actuator (connection operation means) 13 has an elastic flexibility in the vertical direction. When the actuator 13 is assembled to the rear portion of the insulating housing 11, the bearing member 11c is elastically displaced toward the surface of the printed wiring board P and is received by the surface of the printed wiring board P. Therefore, when an external force is applied to the bearing member 11c due to contact of an operator or other electrical components during assembly of the actuator 13, rotation operation, or otherwise, the bearing member 11c The printed wiring board P is held from below. In particular, even if the rigidity of the bearing member 11c is reduced to facilitate the elastic displacement by facilitating the assembly work of the actuator 13, the elastic displacement of the bearing member 11c is received by the printed wiring board P as described above. Therefore, the bearing member 11c can be prevented from being broken or broken. Moreover, since the actuator 13 is favorably supported by the bearing member 11c, the actuator 13 is prevented from falling off.

  In particular, in the bearing member (locking member) 11c in the present embodiment, the rotation shaft portion 13c of the actuator (connection operation means) 13 is arranged in the horizontal direction that is the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F. A stepped portion 11c2 to be locked is provided, and a position holding surface 13c2 facing the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium F is provided on the rotating shaft portion 13c with respect to the stepped portion 11c2 of the bearing member 11c. Therefore, the actuator 13 is satisfactorily held on the insulating housing 11 side, and the dropping of the actuator 13 in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium F is more reliably prevented.

  Furthermore, since the bearing member (locking member) 11c in the present embodiment is set lower than the substrate bonding terminal portion 12b1 of the conductive contact 12 (H1 <H2) and has an arrangement relationship that does not protrude upward, The rotation operation of the actuator (connection operation means) 13 is performed in a region above the bearing member 11c. That is, since the bearing member 11c is positioned below the operator's nails and fingertips in contact with the actuator 13, the operator's nails and fingertips are operated when the actuator 13 is rotated. Does not come into strong contact with the bearing member 11c, the actuator 13 can be smoothly rotated, and damage to the bearing member 11c can be prevented.

  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 the above-described embodiment, the locking member that supports the rotation shaft portion of the actuator (connection operation means) is configured by a bearing member that rotatably supports the rotation shaft portion. In the case where the rotation shaft portion of the actuator is not supported in the rotation direction, more specifically, the rotation shaft portion of the actuator is rotatably supported by the contact member, and the rotation shaft portion of the actuator is supported by the locking member. The present invention can be applied in the same manner to a configuration that supports the shaft in the axial direction and the radial direction.

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

  Further, the actuator as the connection operation means according to the above-described embodiment is arranged at the rear end portion of the insulating housing, but the electrical connector in which the actuator is arranged at the front end side portion, the front end side portion and the rear end side portion. The present invention can be similarly applied to an electrical connector in which an actuator is disposed between the two.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to an electrical connector having a rotatable actuator as a connection operation means. However, the present invention is an actuator that reciprocates in a slide shape, for example. The present invention can be similarly applied to an electrical connector provided with

  Moreover, although the electrical connector according to the above-described embodiment uses conductive contacts having the same shape, the present invention can be similarly applied 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.

10 Electrical connector 11 Insulation housing (insulator)
11a Front side insertion port 11c Bearing member (locking member)
11c1 Shaft support surface 11c2 Stepped portion 11c3 Position regulating surface 12 Conductive contact 12a Movable contact beam 12a1 Terminal contact convex portion (contact portion)
12a2 Actuated part 12b Fixed contact beam 12b1 Substrate bonding terminal part 12b2 Cam receiving part 12c Connecting column part 13 Actuator (connection operation means)
13a Press cam portion 13a1 Cam action surface 13a2 Flat support surface 13b Rotation operation portion 13c Rotation shaft portion 13c1 Rotation allowance surface 13c2 Position holding surface 14 Lock member 14a Movable lock beam 14b Fixed lock beam 14b1 Board joint terminal portion 14b2 Cam Receiving part 14c Connecting column part 14d Locking lock part 14d1 Inclined guide side F Signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC, etc.)
Fa engagement positioning part

Claims (6)

In a state of being mounted on a printed wiring board, the signal transmission medium is inserted into the inside of the insulating housing, and the electrical connection is made by rotating the connection operation means.
The rotating shaft portion provided in the connection operation means is configured to be supported by the elastic force of a locking member provided to form a cantilever arm shape on the insulating housing,
In the electrical connector configured to be assembled to the locking member so that the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means elastically displaces the locking member in a predetermined direction.
The locking member is configured such that a direction of elastic displacement when the rotating shaft portion of the connection operation means is assembled is a direction substantially orthogonal to the surface of the printed wiring board. An electrical connector characterized in that the elastic displacement is received by the printed wiring board.   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is configured to rotatably support the rotation shaft portion. The locking member is formed from a cantilever arm-like member that integrally extends from the insulating housing,
In a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the locking member, a dimension T1 in a direction perpendicular to the printed wiring board is smaller than a dimension T2 in a direction parallel to the printed wiring board (T1 <T2). The electrical connector according to claim 1.   The locking member extends in a direction substantially parallel to the printed wiring board and is formed in a stepped shape on a shaft support surface on which the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means is placed, and the shaft support surface. The electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising: a position regulating surface that locks the rotation shaft portion of the connection operation means in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the printed wiring board.   5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein the rotation shaft portion is provided with a position holding surface facing the position regulating surface of the locking member in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium. A plurality of contact members are attached inside the insulating housing so as to be parallel in a multipolar shape,
The said locking member is formed so that height H1 from the said printed wiring board may become lower than height H2 of the board | substrate junction part of the said contact member (H1 <H2). The electrical connector according to 1.

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