JP5914876B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  Conventional connectors include a front lock type in which a lever is provided on the front side (insertion side) of the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and a back lock type in which a lever is provided on the rear side of the housing (for example, Patent Document 2) is known.

  A conductive contact is accommodated in the housing. The contact has a pair of arms arranged on both upper and lower sides of the flat cable, and the flat cable is inserted between the pair of arms. When the lever is operated in this state, the pair of arms is configured such that the tip side sandwiches the upper and lower surfaces of the flat cable with the fulcrum provided between the arms as the center.

  At this time, in the front lock type connector, the turning force of the lever acts on the front end side of the fulcrum portion of the arm, while in the back lock type connector, the turning force of the lever is on the rear end side of the fulcrum portion of the arm. Works. That is, in the front lock type, the flat cable is gripped by applying the turning force of the lever in the direction of directly closing the distal end side of the connector. On the other hand, in the back-lock type, the turning force of the lever is applied in a direction in which the rear end side is opened from the fulcrum portion of the connector, whereby the flat cable is gripped on the front end side that is closed.

  Thus, in the front lock type and the back lock type, the position at which the turning force of the lever acts on the contact differs between the front side and the rear side of the fulcrum. However, in the back lock type, a storage space for the lever in the locked state can be secured behind the contact, so that the height of the connector can be reduced as compared with the front lock type.

Japanese Patent No. 4651500 JP 2010-244987 A

  By the way, in recent years, there has been a tendency for connectors to be multipolarized and miniaturized. In particular, in a backlock type connector, a flat cable tends to be obliquely inserted due to multipolarization and miniaturization (low profile). As described above, when the flat cable is inserted obliquely, there has been a problem that the side wall of the insertion slot is damaged due to shaving or the like.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to obtain a connector capable of suppressing damage to an insertion slot even when a flat cable is inserted obliquely.

In order to achieve the above object, the first feature of the present invention is that a housing containing conductive contacts and a lower wall, an upper wall and a side wall of the housing are provided on the front side of the housing. An insertion port into which a flat cable can be inserted, a lever provided on the rear side of the housing, and press-contacting the contact with the flat cable by a turning operation, and a side wall of the insertion port A protection member that protects the front surface of the side wall of the insertion port, and the protection member extends from the guard unit to the back side of the insertion port and presses the flat cable. A cable holding portion for applying an urging force, and a gutter is formed inside the side wall of the insertion port as a storage space for the cable holding portion .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the protection member includes a guard portion that protects the front surface of the side wall of the insertion port, and extends from the guard portion to the back side of the insertion port, and is fixed to the flat cable. And a cable holding portion for applying a pressing biasing force.

  The gist of the third feature of the present invention is that the protective member is made of a metal material having excellent wear resistance.

  The gist of the fourth feature of the present invention is that a gap is provided between the protective member and the front surface of the side wall of the insertion port.

  The fifth feature of the present invention is summarized in that the protective member is integrally formed with the housing.

  A sixth feature of the present invention is summarized in that the protection member is formed in a U shape so as to cover the front surface of the side wall of the insertion port.

  The gist of the seventh feature of the present invention is that the surface of the protective member is plated.

  The eighth feature of the present invention is summarized in that the protective member is provided on both side walls of the insertion port, and the pair of protective members are arranged symmetrically.

  The ninth feature of the present invention is summarized in that the protective member is formed integrally with the upper wall of the housing.

  The tenth feature of the present invention is summarized as that the protective member is formed of a material having excellent spring properties.

  The eleventh feature of the present invention is summarized in that the surface of the protection member is subjected to a friction increasing process for increasing a friction force with respect to the flat cable.

  According to the present invention, a so-called so-called back-lock type connector in which the lever is provided on the rear side of the housing is provided, and the flat cable inserted into the insertion port by the turning operation of the lever can be fixed. At this time, since the protective member for protecting the side wall of the insertion port is provided, even when the flat cable is inserted obliquely, the tip corner of the flat cable is inserted while contacting the protective member. Therefore, damage to the insertion opening can be suppressed.

It is a side view of the connector concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing along the AA line of FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the attachment condition of the protection member shown in FIG. It is an expansion perspective view of the protection member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the state by which the flat cable was diagonally inserted in the housing of the connector shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the unlocked state of the lever along the BB line of FIG. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 6 which showed the locked state of the lever. It is the expansion perspective view which showed the 1st modification of the protection member shown in FIG. It is the expansion perspective view which showed the 2nd modification of the protection member shown in FIG. It is the expansion perspective view which showed the 3rd modification of the protection member shown in FIG. It is the expansion perspective view which showed the 4th modification of the protection member shown in FIG.

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

  1 to 7 are views showing an embodiment of a connector 1 according to the present invention. The connector 1 is a circuit board in which a flat cable 2 such as an FPC (flexible printed circuit board) or FFC (flexible flat cable) is used. Conductive connection is made to C (see FIG. 6).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector 1 has an insulating housing 3, and an insertion port 4 into which the flat cable 2 can be inserted is provided on the front side (lower side in FIG. 2) of the housing 3. It has been. In the housing 3, a plurality of conductive contacts 5 that are conductively connectable to the flat cable 2 inserted from the insertion port 4 are accommodated in an orderly manner.

  Further, on the rear side of the housing 3 (upper side in FIG. 2), a lever 6 is mounted to bring the contact 5 into pressure contact with the flat cable 2 by a turning operation so as to be electrically connected to each other.

  The housing 3 is made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and the groove portion 31 to which the contact 5 is attached penetrates in the front-rear direction of the housing 3 (vertical direction in FIG. 2), while in the lateral direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2). ). And by attaching the contact 5 one by one to each groove part 31, the some contact 5 is arrange | positioned orderly in the side-by-side state.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the insertion port 4 is defined in a flat rectangular shape that extends laterally by the lower wall 32, the upper wall 33, and both side walls 34 of the housing 3. Of course, the opening area of the insertion opening 4 has vertical and horizontal dimensions corresponding to the thickness and width of the flat cable 2.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the contact 5 is formed by punching out a conductive material having a plate shape with a predetermined thickness by, for example, pressing. The contact 5 formed in this way is a rod-like fixed side arm 51 that extends in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2), and extends in the same direction as the fixed side arm 51. A rod-shaped movable arm 52 that faces the fixed arm 51 in the thickness direction is provided. The fixed-side arm 51 and the movable-side arm 52 are formed in a substantially H shape as a whole by connecting the intermediate portions in the longitudinal direction with a connecting spring portion 53. At this time, the connecting spring portion 53 serves as a fulcrum when the movable arm 52 opens and closes. A terminal portion 51b mounted on the circuit board C is provided on the rear end side of the fixed side arm 51, and the contact 5 is electrically connected to the circuit board C by the terminal portion 51b. Furthermore, the rear end side of the movable arm 52 is a spring portion 52b.

  The lever 6 is integrally formed by injection molding of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and the like, and is closed at one end 6a (downward in FIG. 6) between the fixed contact portion 51a and the movable contact portion 52a of the contact 5 in the closing direction. A cam portion 61 for applying a pressing force is provided. In addition, an operation unit 62 for rotating the lever 6 is provided at the other end 6b (upper in FIG. 6).

  And while arrange | positioning the lever 6 in the rear end side of the contact 5 in which the terminal part 51b and the spring part 52b were provided, the cam part 61 is each the rear end part 51c of the fixed side arm 51 and the movable side arm 52, 52c. At this time, the lever 6 is formed with an opening 63 for inserting the rear end portion 52 c of the movable arm 52. In this way, the lever 6 is arranged at the rear end portion of the contact 5, that is, the rear end portion of the housing 3, whereby the back lock type connector 1 is configured.

  The lever 6 stands up and is unlocked in the initial state shown in FIG. On the other hand, after the flat cable 2 is inserted into the insertion slot 4, as shown in FIG. 7, the lever 6 is rotated backward as shown by the arrow a to be locked, and in this locked state the flat plate The cable 2 and the contact 5 are electrically connected. That is, by rotating the operation part 62 of the lever 6 rearward and tilting, the cam part 61 acts to push open between the rear end parts 51c and 52c of the fixed side arm 51 and the movable side arm 52 of the contact 5. To do. Then, the fixed side arm 51 and the movable side arm 52 behave in a direction in which the front end portions 51d and 52d are closed with the connecting spring portion 53 as a fulcrum. Thereby, both surfaces of the flat cable 2 can be strongly sandwiched between the fixed-side contact portion 51a and the movable-side contact portion 52a provided at the front end portions 51d and 52d of the fixed-side arm 51 and the movable-side arm 52. By this sandwiching, the flat cable 2 can be prevented from being detached while the contact 5 and the flat cable 2 are electrically connected.

  Thus, in the back lock type connector 1, when the lever 6 is in the locked state, the lever 6 can be arranged behind the contact 5 without overlapping the contact 5. Can reduce the height.

  Here, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a protective member 100 that protects both side walls 34 of the insertion port 4 is provided in the insertion port 4 into which the flat cable 2 is inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the protective member 100 has a linear attachment portion 102, and the tip portion of the attachment portion 102 is folded back into a U shape, and a portion curved in the U shape is a side wall. It is a guard part 101 that protects the front surface 34 a of 34. The guard part 101 is integrally formed by processing a part (tip part) of the attachment part 102. At this time, the protective member 100 is preferably formed of a metal material having excellent wear resistance as a whole, such as phosphor bronze, brass, titanium copper, beryllium copper, stainless steel, or the like.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, mounting holes 34 b into which the mounting portions 102 of the protection member 100 are inserted are formed in the thicknesses of the side walls 34 while leaving a predetermined thickness t. The guard portion 101 of the U-shaped protection member 100 covers the front surface (tip surface) 34a of the side wall 34 by inserting the mounting portion 102 into the mounting hole 34b.

  In addition, a locking projection 102a that engages with an engagement recess (not shown) provided in the mounting hole 34b is provided at the center of the lower side of the mounting portion 102. By engaging the mating recess, the mounting portion 102 is prevented from being pulled out.

  Further, the protection member 100 is provided with a cable holding portion 103 that extends the distal end portion of the guard portion 101 to the back side of the insertion port 4 and applies a constant pressing force to both sides of the flat cable 2. Yes. As described above, the protection member 100 includes the guard portion 101, the attachment portion 102, and the cable holding portion 103, thereby forming a fishhook shape as a whole.

  Further, while the cable holding portion 103 is provided in the protective member 100, a groove portion 34c serving as a storage space for the cable holding portion 103 is formed with a depth d on the inner side of the both side walls 34 of the insertion port 4. . The depth d of the groove 34c is preferably equal to or slightly larger than the thickness of the cable holding portion 103.

  The cable holding portion 103 of the present embodiment is extended from the tip of the guard portion 101 to the back side of the insertion port 4 along the side wall 34, and then the extended tip portion 103 a extends in the width direction of the insertion port 4. It is bent slightly toward the center. For this reason, the distal end portion 103a of the cable holding portion 103 is slightly protruded from the inside of the side wall 34 into the insertion port 4 in a natural state. At this time, the cable holding portion 103 is applied with an urging force that presses the side surface of the inserted flat cable 2 by the elastic force provided in the guard portion 101 curved in a U-shape.

  In FIG. 2, in order to illustrate the natural state of the cable holding portion 103, the tip portion 103 a of the cable holding portion 103 is shaped to protrude inward from the side surface of the flat cable 2. However, in the actual state in which the flat cable 2 is inserted into the insertion port 4, the end portion 103 a of the cable holding portion 103 is pushed outward by the side surface of the flat cable 2 rather than the side surface.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the protection member 100 is attached to the side wall 34, a predetermined gap δ is provided between the guard portion 101 of the protection member 100 and the front surface 34 a of both side walls 34. It has become.

  Furthermore, the surface of the protective member 100 of the present embodiment is plated. Moreover, the protection member 100 is each attached to the both side walls 34 of the insertion port 4, The pair of protection members 100 are arrange | positioned left-right symmetrically.

  Thus, in the connector 1 of the present embodiment, the terminal portion 51b of the contact 5 is mounted on the circuit board C. On the other hand, when the flat cable 2 is inserted into the insertion port 4 of the connector 1 and the lever 6 is locked, the flat cable 2 is electrically connected to the contact 5. Accordingly, by inserting the flat cable 2 into the insertion port 4 and locking the lever 6, the flat cable 2 and the circuit board C are electrically connected via the contact 5.

  As described above, according to the connector 1 of the present embodiment, it is the back lock type connector 1 that is easy to promote the reduction in height, and is a flat plate shape that is inserted into the insertion port 4 by the turning operation of the lever 6. The cable 2 can be fixed. At this time, the insertion port 4 is provided with a protective member 100 that protects the side wall 34 of the insertion port 4. Therefore, the tip corner portion 2 </ b> C of the flat cable 2 to be inserted into the insertion port 4 is inserted while being in contact with the protection member 100.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the flat cable 2 is inserted diagonally, after the one end corner 2C1 is inserted first, the other end corner 2C2 is inserted with a delay. However, even in such a case, damage to the side wall 34 can be reliably suppressed. That is, the tip corner portion 2C2 is inserted while being in contact with the guard portion 101 of the protection member 100 covering the side wall 34, so that the side wall 34 is protected by the guard portion 101 and is not scraped off.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the cable holding portion 103 is provided in the protection member 100 in addition to the guard portion 101, the flat plate cable 2 is inserted into the insertion port 4 by the cable holding portion 103. The cable 2 can be pressed with a constant urging force. Thereby, the flat cable 2 inserted in the insertion port 4 can be firmly held by the pressing force of the cable holding portion 103, and the flat cable 2 can be prevented from being easily detached from the connector 1.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the protective member 100 is formed of a metal material having excellent wear resistance. Therefore, even when the flat cable 2 is repeatedly inserted into and removed from the insertion port 4, it is possible to prevent the protective member 100 (guard portion 101) from being easily scraped at the tip corner 2 </ b> C of the flat cable 2. Can do.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, a predetermined gap δ is provided between the guard portion 101 of the protection member 100 and the front surface 34 a of the side wall 34 of the insertion port 4. Therefore, slight bending deformation of the card portion 101 can be allowed by the gap δ, and even when the flat cable 2 is obliquely inserted, the insertion into the insertion port 4 can be performed smoothly.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the guard portion 101 of the protection member 100 is formed by processing a part of the attachment portion 102 that attaches the protection member 100 to the side wall 34, so that the guard portion 101 can be easily formed from the attachment portion 102. Can be formed. In addition, since the attachment portion 102 and the guard portion 101 can be firmly integrated, even if the tip corner portion 2C strongly interferes with the guard portion 101 due to the diagonal insertion of the flat cable 2, the guard portion 101 does not escape. The front surface 34a of 34 can be reliably protected.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the protection member 100 is formed in a U shape so as to cover the front surface 34 a of the side wall 34 of the insertion port 4. Therefore, since the inner corner of the side wall 34 (the corner on the center side of the insertion port 4) that is more easily damaged can be protected by the protective member 100, damage to the side wall 34 can be more reliably suppressed. Moreover, the front-end | tip corner | angular part 2C of the flat cable 2 which contacted the protection member 100 (guard part 101) can be smoothly guided in the insertion opening 4 inside.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the surface of the protection member 100 is plated, the surface of the protection member 100 is smooth, and the protection member 100 (guard portion 101) is connected to the front end angle of the flat cable 2. It can suppress that it cuts easily by the part 2C.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, the protection member 100 is provided in the both side walls 34 of the insertion port 4, and the pair of protection members 100 are disposed symmetrically. Therefore, it is possible to cause the guard portion 101 and the cable holding portion 103 of the pair of protection members 100 to guide and hold the flat cable 2 under the same conditions. Thereby, it can suppress that the flat cable 2 becomes slanting or caught in the middle of the insertion to the insertion port 4 of the flat cable 2, and can insert smoothly.

  Next, a modified example of the protection member 100 will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a first modification of the protection member, and this protection member 100A includes a guard portion 101, an attachment portion 102, and a cable holding portion 103, like the protection member 100 of the above embodiment. .

  The protection member 100A of this modification mainly differs from the protection member 100 of the above embodiment in that the intermediate portion of the cable holding portion 103 is once slightly bent toward the center portion in the width direction of the insertion port 4, and then the tip thereof This is because the part is bent so as to return to the mounting part 102 side.

  With this configuration, the protection member 100 </ b> A is provided with the bulging portion 103 b that protrudes toward the center portion in the width direction of the insertion port 4 at the intermediate portion of the cable holding portion 103. The bulging portion 103b is pressed against both sides of the flat cable 2 so that the mounting portion 102 can be prevented from being pulled out.

  FIG. 9 is a view showing a second modification of the protection member. Even in the protection member 100B, the guard portion 101, the attachment portion 102, and the cable holding portion 103 are the same as the protection member 100 of the above embodiment. It has.

  The main difference between the protection member 100B of the present modification and the protection member 100 of the above embodiment is that when the attachment portion 102 is secured from the attachment hole 34b, the back side (the width of the insertion port 4 is provided) in the middle portion of the attachment portion 102. This is because a dowel 102b bulging outward (outward in the direction) is provided.

  With this configuration, when the attachment portion 102 is inserted into the attachment hole 34b, the attachment portion 102 can be prevented from being pulled out by pressing the bulging side of the dowel 102b against the inner surface of the attachment hole 34b.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing a third modification of the protective member. Even in the protective member 100C, the guard portion 101 and the mounting portion 102 are provided in the same manner as the protective member 100 of the above embodiment. However, the cable holding portion 103 is omitted.

  In other words, in this modification, the attachment portion 102 is formed in a simple bar shape without providing the locking projection 102a and the dowel 102b, and the tip portion 101a of the guard portion 101 is made closer to the attachment portion 102 side.

  When the attachment portion 102 is inserted into the attachment hole 34b, the attachment portion 102 is prevented from being pulled out by firmly holding the side walls 34a between the attachment portion 102 and the tip portion 101a of the guard portion 101. ing.

  FIG. 11 is a view showing a fourth modification of the protection member. Even in the protection member 100D, the guard portion 101, the attachment portion 102, and the cable holding portion 103 are the same as the protection member 100 of the above-described embodiment. It has.

  The main difference between the protection member 100D of this modification and the protection member 100 of the above embodiment is that the protection member 100D is formed integrally with the upper wall 33 of the housing 3. That is, both sides of the upper wall 33 are bent in the direction of the lower wall 32 (see FIG. 3) to provide a hanging portion 33a, and the lower portion of the hanging portion 33a is formed so that the mounting portion 102 of the protective member 100D is integrated. It is.

  The protective member 100D is inserted into the mounting holes 34b of the side walls 34 in the same manner as the protective member 100 of the above embodiment, and the upper wall 33 is attached simultaneously with the attachment of the protective member 100D. Is called. That is, in other words, the protection member 100D is attached simultaneously with the attachment of the upper wall 33.

  Therefore, in the present modification, the upper wall 33 and the protection member 100D are integrated, so that the number of parts can be reduced and the assembly can be simplified.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, the protection members 100 to 100D may be integrally formed (for example, insert molding) on the housing 3 (for example, the side wall 34). In this case, the accuracy of the guide function and the holding function of the flat cable 2 when the flat cable 2 is inserted into the insertion port 4 can be improved by the protective members 100 to 100D, and the assembly process of the connector 1 can be simplified. Can do.

  Moreover, the retention property of the flat cable 2 by the cable holding part 103 can be improved by forming the protection members 100 to 100D with a material having excellent overall spring properties (for example, phosphor bronze).

  Furthermore, it is also preferable to subject the surfaces of the holding members 100 to 100D to a friction increasing process (for example, minute unevenness, embossing, plating, etc.) that increases the frictional force with respect to the flat cable 2. Even in this case, the holding property of the flat cable 2 by the cable holding portion 103 can be improved.

  Of course, various modifications other than these can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 2 Flat cable 3 Housing 32 Lower wall 33 Upper wall 34 Side wall 34a Front side of side wall 4 Insertion slot 5 Contact 6 Lever 100, 100A-100D Protection member 101 Guard part 103 Cable holding part

Claims (10)

A housing containing conductive contacts;
An insertion port provided on the front side of the housing and defined by a lower wall, an upper wall and a side wall of the housing, into which a flat cable can be inserted;
A lever provided on the rear side of the housing, wherein the contact is brought into pressure contact with the flat cable by a turning operation, and a lever is connected to each other;
A protective member for protecting the side wall of the insertion port,
The protective member is a guard portion that protects the front surface of the side wall of the insertion port, a cable holding portion that extends from the guard portion to the back side of the insertion port, and applies a pressing force to the flat cable, With
The connector is characterized in that a groove serving as a storage space for the cable holding portion is formed inside the side wall of the insertion port.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protective member is made of a metal material having excellent wear resistance.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein a gap is provided between the protection member and a front surface of the side wall of the insertion port.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protective member is integrally formed with the housing.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is formed in a U shape so as to cover a front surface of a side wall of the insertion port. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a plating portion is formed on a surface of the protection member.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is provided on both side walls of the insertion port, and the pair of protection members are arranged symmetrically. .   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protective member is formed integrally with an upper wall of the housing.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the protective member is made of a material having excellent spring properties. 10. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a friction increasing portion is formed on the surface of the protective member so that a frictional force is increased with respect to the flat cable.

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