JP5924162B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector configured to hold a terminal portion of a signal transmission medium inserted into an insulating housing by an engaging force of a lock member.

  In general, various electrical connectors are widely used as means for electrically connecting various signal transmission media such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC) and a flexible flat cable (FFC) in various electrical devices. It is used. For example, in an electrical connector that is mounted on a printed wiring board and used as described in Patent Document 1 below, a signal transmission medium made of FPC, FFC, or the like is inserted into the inside from the front end side opening of an insulating housing (housing). Thereafter, the actuator (pressure member) is rotated so as to be pushed down toward the connection operation position on the front side or the rear side of the connector by the operator's operation force. As a result, a part of the locking member (reinforcing metal fitting) falls into the engaging portion provided at the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium to be engaged, and the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium is held substantially immovable by the locking member. The structure is made.

  As described above, the electrical connector provided with the actuator is configured to operate engagement / disengagement of the lock member by rotating the actuator between the connection release position and the connection operation position. Since it is necessary to operate the actuator separately from the operation of inserting a medium (FPC, FFC, etc.), the work efficiency may be a problem. Therefore, for example, as described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 below, the signal transmission medium inserted into the insulating housing is elastically displaced so that a part of the lock member rides on, and then the signal transmission medium is engaged. Conventionally, an electrical connector having a so-called one-action auto-lock mechanism, which is configured such that a part of a lock member falls into a part and engages, has been developed. If an electrical connector equipped with such a one-action auto-lock mechanism is used, the signal transmission medium can be held in a substantially stationary state simply by inserting the signal transmission medium to a predetermined position inside the electrical connector. Is improved.

  However, the one-action auto-locking mechanism employed in the conventional electrical connector has an advantage that locking is performed only by inserting a signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) into the electrical connector as described above. There is a tendency that the configuration of the lock mechanism having the stop lock portion and the lock release operation mechanism for releasing the engaged state tends to be complicated, and there is a possibility that productivity may be lowered due to an increase in the number of parts.

  In releasing the engagement state of the locking lock portion, for example, as in Patent Document 3, an operation of pushing the lock release operation portion arranged on the upper surface of the connector may be performed by an operator's fingertip or the like. In particular, when an unlocking operation is performed on an electrical connector that has been reduced in size, the entire connector is covered with the fingertip of the operator (see FIG. 12 and FIG. 12 representing the embodiment of the present invention). (See FIG. 13). In such a state, when a part that is not essentially displaced in each part constituting the unlocking operation part, for example, an arm part that supports the unlocking operation part so as to be displaceable is provided Also, the unlocking operation force is applied to the root portion and the like, which may cause breakage or the like.

  In addition, when the structure in which a part of the lock member protrudes from the insulating housing is adopted as the elastic displacement of the lock member due to the unlocking operation, the lock member may be damaged. Specifically, as described above, when the unlocking operation unit is pushed in by the pressing force of the operator's fingertip or the like, the lock member is elastically displaced and protrudes from the insulating housing. The pressing force by the operator's fingertip or the like is also applied to the outward projecting portion of the member, and the lock member may be plastically deformed and damaged.

JP 2003-100370 A JP 2009-231069 JP 2011-040246 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that can avoid damage or the like during a lock release operation with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, after the lock member is elastically displaced in the height direction of the connector so that the lock member rides on the surface of the signal transmission medium inserted in the insulating housing, the lock member is elastically restored. And an operation of pushing the unlocking operation portion connected to the insulating housing via the operation connecting arm in a direction opposite to the connector height direction. In the electrical connector configured to release the engagement state of the lock member by performing the operation, the operation connecting arm is connected to the insulating housing through the first and second step portions in the connector height direction. Each of which is connected to the unlocking operation portion, the upper surface of the operation connecting arm in the connector height direction, The insulating housing and the unlocking operation portion are disposed at a position lower in the connector height direction than the upper surface in the connector height direction by the first and second steps, and the lock member is In a state where it rides on the signal transmission medium, it protrudes to a position higher in the connector height direction than the upper surface of the operation connecting arm and to a position lower than the upper surfaces of the first and second stepped portions. A configuration that is elastically displaced is employed.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, when the signal transmission medium is inserted into the insulating housing, the lock member is elastically displaced so as to protrude upward from the upper surface of the operation connecting arm, and then the signal transmission medium. Therefore, the state immediately before the locking member is engaged is visually confirmed from the outside of the connector. Therefore, when the signal transmission medium is not sufficiently inserted, the locking member remains protruding outward from the outer surface of the operation connecting arm, and the suitability of the signal transmission medium insertion condition can be easily identified.

  On the other hand, when the unlocking operation is performed by the operator's fingertip or the like pressing the unlocking operation unit, the operator's fingertip or the like is moved to the unlocking operation unit raised through the second stepped portion. On the other hand, it comes into contact with the upper surface of the first step portion formed so as to rise from the surface of the insulating housing. For the operation connecting arm arranged at a position lower than those, the operator's The fingertips do not come into strong contact. In addition, since the lock member that protrudes outward from the operation connecting arm by the pressing operation on the unlocking operation portion does not protrude from the upper surfaces of the first and second stepped portions, the lock member also The operator's fingertips do not come into strong contact. As a result, direct pressing force on the operation connecting arm does not act, and the possibility of damaging the operation connecting arm is greatly reduced.

  Further, in the present invention, the lock member is disposed so as to extend along the operation connecting arm, and the first stepped portion faces adjacent to a part of the lock member. It is desirable that they are arranged.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the operator's fingertip or the like does not come into contact with the operation connection arm more reliably, and the risk of damage to the operation connection arm is further reduced.

  In the present invention, it is desirable that the first step portion is formed on both side portions in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing is formed on the lower surface in the connector height direction, and the operator's fingertip or the like is formed on the portion formed on the lower surface. By pushing in, the pushing operation of the unlocking operation is performed smoothly.

  In the present invention, it is desirable that the upper surfaces of the first and second stepped portions are formed so as to be at substantially equal height positions in the connector height direction.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the operator's fingertips and the like when performing the unlocking operation come into contact so as to be in a substantially horizontal state between the first and second stepped portions, The unlocking operation is performed smoothly.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the first step portion is formed on both side portions in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing, and the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing is lower in the connector height direction than the both side portions. Is desirable.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the pushing operation of the operator's fingertip or the like when performing the unlocking operation is favorably performed without being obstructed by the first step portion.

  As described above, in the electrical connector according to the present invention, the height of the operation connecting arm connecting the lock release operation portion to the insulating housing is set to a low position, and the lock connecting member is moved from the low operation connecting arm. By allowing some to protrude outward, it is possible to visually check whether the signal transmission medium is inserted properly, and a step is formed in the insulating housing so that it is higher than the lock member protruding from the operation connecting arm. By bringing the fingertip of the operator performing the unlocking operation into contact with the unlocking operation portion and the stepped portion of the insulating housing, the operator's fingertip or the like does not come into strong contact with the lower operation connecting arm or the lock member. By doing so, it has a configuration that greatly reduces the risk of damage to the operation connecting arm. Can be avoided etc., the reliability of the electrical connector can be inexpensively and substantially improved.

It is an external appearance perspective explanatory view showing the electric connector concerning one embodiment of the present invention from the front upper side. It is front explanatory drawing of the electrical connector represented by FIG. It is longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing along the III-III line | wire in FIG. It is the external appearance perspective explanatory view which looked at the locking member used for the electrical connector represented to FIGS. 1-3 from the connector center side (inward side). It is the external appearance perspective explanatory view which looked at the locking member represented by Drawing 4 from the both ends (outside) of the connector. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional explanatory view showing a state immediately before the signal transmission medium is inserted, which is a cross section taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state in which the signal transmission medium is being inserted into the connector from the state of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional explanatory view showing a locked state in which the signal transmission medium is further inserted from the state shown in FIG. 7 and the insertion of the signal transmission medium into the electrical connector is completed, and the locking lock portion is engaged with the signal transmission medium. is there. It is longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing which showed the state by which unlocking operation was performed from the locked state represented by FIG. 8, and the latching lock part was cancelled | released. It is side surface explanatory drawing corresponding to FIG. 7 which showed the state in the middle of the signal transmission medium being inserted in the inside of a connector. It is side surface explanatory drawing which showed the state by which unlocking operation was performed from the locked state represented by FIG. 10, and the latching lock part was cancelled | released. It is an external appearance perspective explanatory view showing the state where lock release operation is performed by an operator's fingertip. It is side surface explanatory drawing which showed the state in which unlocking operation is performed by the operator's fingertip. It is side surface explanatory drawing which expanded and represented the A section in FIG.

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

[General configuration of electrical connector]
First, an electrical connector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 14 is composed of an electrical connector provided with a so-called non-ZIF type one-action auto-lock mechanism. Then, the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F described above is passed through the medium insertion opening 11a provided at the front end edge portion (left end edge portion in FIG. 1) of the insulating housing 11 and inside the insulating housing 11. The signal transmission medium F is automatically locked when inserted to a predetermined position.

[Insulating housing]
The insulating housing 11 is formed of a hollow frame-like insulating member extending in an elongated shape. The longitudinal width direction of the insulating housing 11 is hereinafter referred to as a “connector longitudinal direction”, and a signal The direction in which the terminal portion of the transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is inserted / removed is referred to as “connector longitudinal direction”.

  At the front end edge portion (left end edge portion in FIG. 1) of the insulating housing 11, as described above, the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium F comprising a flexible printed circuit (FPC), a flexible flat cable (FFC) or the like. Is inserted in the connector longitudinal direction so as to be elongated. Further, lock members 12 and 12 ′ constituting a lock mechanism and a lock release mechanism described later are mounted on both ends of the insulating housing 11 in the connector longitudinal direction and on both sides of the medium insertion port 11a. . Further, a vertical hole slit for mounting the conductive contact 13 on the rear end side portion (right end edge portion in FIG. 1) of the insulating housing 11, that is, on the opposite side portion of the medium insertion port 11a in the front-rear direction of the connector. The component mounting ports 11b are formed in a multipolar shape so as to be exposed at the medium insertion port 11a at an appropriate interval along the connector longitudinal direction.

[About conductive contacts]
The conductive contact 13 is formed of a thin plate-shaped metal member having an appropriate shape, and the plurality of conductive contacts 13 are arranged on the front side (the left side in FIG. 3) from the component attachment port 11b on the rear end side of the insulating housing 11. And is arranged in a multipolar manner within the insulating housing 11 at an appropriate interval in the connector longitudinal direction. Each of these conductive contacts 13 is used in a state where it is mounted by solder bonding to a conductive path formed on a main printed wiring board (not shown) for either signal transmission or ground connection. .

  On the other hand, the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F inserted into the inside of the insulating housing 11 through the medium insertion port 11a described above has a signal transmission conductive path (signal line pad) or a shield conductive path (shield wire). Wiring patterns Fb made up of pads) are arranged at appropriate pitch intervals, and the conductive contacts 13 described above are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective wiring patterns. The contact 13 is electrically connected.

  Each of the conductive contacts 13 has a shape extending along the connector front-rear direction which is the insertion / removal direction of the signal transmission medium F (the left-right direction in FIG. 3). On the other hand, the fixed base 13a is fixed so as to be substantially immovable. A board connecting portion 13b is provided so as to protrude from the lower end edge on the rear side of the fixed base portion 13a toward the connector rear side (right side in FIG. 3). It is soldered to a signal transmission conductive path (signal line pad) formed on a printed wiring board (not shown).

  A pair of upper contact beam 13c and lower contact beam 13d extend from the front end edge of the fixed base 13a described above so as to form a bifurcated shape toward the front side of the connector (left side in FIG. 3). Yes. The pair of the upper contact beam 13c and the lower contact beam 13d extend substantially in parallel along the connector front-rear direction, which is the direction of insertion / extraction of the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F (left-right direction in FIG. 3). These cantilevered beam members are arranged so as to face each other at an appropriate interval in the connector height direction, which is the vertical direction in the figure, in the internal space of the insulating housing 11 described above.

  The upper contact beam 13c and the lower contact beam 13d extend in a shape that warps away from the inner wall surface of the insulating housing 11 toward the connector front side (left side in FIG. 3). The above-described fixed base portion 13a is connected to the fixed base portion 13a or the vicinity thereof as a rotation center and is elastically displaced so as to swing by an appropriate amount in the vertical direction. The swing of the contact beams 13c and 13d at that time is performed in the connector height direction, which is the vertical direction in the plane of FIG.

  Further, wiring patterns (signal transmission) formed on the upper and lower surfaces of a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F are formed on the front end side portions (left end side portions in FIG. 3) of the above-described upper contact beam 13c and lower contact beam 13d. The upper terminal contact convex portion 13c1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion 13d1 connected to any one of the conductive paths Fb or the shield are provided so as to be opposed to each other in a downward and upward protruding shape in the figure. ing. The upper terminal contact convex portion 13c1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion 13d1 provided on the conductive contacts 13 are configured to transmit the signal transmission medium F when the signal transmission medium F is inserted into the insulating housing 11 as described above. It is arranged so as to run on the wiring pattern Fb provided on the medium F, and when the signal transmission medium F is inserted to a predetermined final position, it is pressed by the elastic force between the contact beams 13c and 13d. Thus, the signal transmission medium F is sandwiched and electrically connected between the upper terminal contact protrusion 13c1 and the lower terminal contact protrusion 13d1.

  The facing positions of the upper terminal contact convex portion 13c1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion 13d1 are shifted from each other toward the connector front side (left side in FIG. 3) or the connector rear side (right side in FIG. 3). It is also possible to arrange them, and it is good also as either one of the upper terminal contact convex part 13c1 or the lower terminal contact convex part 13d1 to be brought into an electrically connected state.

[One-action auto-lock mechanism]
The electrical connector 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with the one-action auto-lock mechanism as described above. As a premise thereof, the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, engagement positioning portions Fa and Fa formed of notch-shaped concave portions are formed at edge portions on both sides in the width direction. A pair of lock members 12, 12 ′ (see FIG. 1) is provided on the electrical connector 10 side corresponding to the engagement positioning portions Fa, Fa provided on the signal transmission medium F, and these lock members. The insertion state of the signal transmission medium F is held at the insertion position by the locking action (locking action) of 12, 12 ′. Since the lock members 12 and 12 'have a symmetrical shape, only the lock member 12 disposed on the right front side will be described below, and the other lock member 12' will be described. The description will be omitted.

[About locking members]
As described above, the lock members 12 disposed on both side portions of the insulating housing 11 in the connector longitudinal direction constitute a lock mechanism and a lock release mechanism for the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F. 10, when the signal transmission medium F is inserted, a part of the lock member 12, more specifically, a locking lock portion 12 a described later, rides on the surface of the signal transmission medium F, and the locking lock The lock arm member 12b supporting the portion 12a is elastically displaced upward, and then the locking lock portion 12a falls toward the inside of the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F, thereby engaging. A state (locked state) is made.

  The lock member 12 at this time is composed of an integrally folded structure of a thin metal member as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and a flat fixed substrate 12c fixed to the insulating housing 11 is provided. In addition, a substrate connection portion 12d, a lock arm member 12b, a locking lock portion 12a, and a lock release operation portion 12e are integrally formed with the fixed substrate 12c.

  More specifically, the fixed substrate 12c described above is fixed to the bottom plate of the insulating housing 11 via the fixing claws 12c1 provided on the fixed substrate 12c, and the front edge of the fixed substrate 12c (FIG. 6). The board connecting portion 12d extends integrally from the left end edge of FIG. Further, a folded portion 12b1 of the lock arm member 12b extends integrally from the rear end edge (the right end edge in FIG. 6) of the fixed substrate 12c, and the movable upper plate connected to the folded portion 12b1. The locking lock portion 12a described above is integrally provided at the distal end portion of 12b2. Further, a pair of unlocking operation portions 12e and 12e are integrally provided so as to branch from the rear end side of the movable upper plate 12b2 of the lock arm member 12b.

  The board connecting portion 12d described above extends substantially horizontally from the front end edge (left end edge in FIG. 6) of the fixed board 12c to the front side of the connector via the descending stepped portion, and the board connecting portion 12d is connected to the main wiring board. It is made into the structure joined by soldering in the state mounted in (illustration omitted).

  Further, the lock arm member 12b is formed from a long band-shaped member having a cantilever structure, and protrudes from the rear end edge (the right end edge in FIG. 6) of the above-described fixed substrate 12c toward the connector rear side. It extends so as to be reversed to the front side of the connector via a folded portion 12b1 that is bent so that the side surface has a substantially U shape. Further, the movable upper plate 12b2 integrally connected from the folded portion 12b1 extends substantially horizontally toward the connector front side (left side in FIG. 6), and the free end of the movable upper plate 12b2 A locking portion 12a for holding a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is integrally provided at the front end portion (left end portion in FIG. 6) which is a portion.

  The lock arm member 12b having a cantilever structure having the folded portion 12b1 and the movable upper plate 12b2 is elastically displaceable in a direction rotating around the folded portion 12b1 or the vicinity thereof, and the lock arm member 12b. With the elastic displacement, the locking lock portion 12a is swung in the connector height direction which is the vertical direction in the plane of FIG.

  The locking lock portion 12a is formed by a hook-like member that protrudes downward from the movable upper plate 12b2 of the lock arm member 12b, and the edge portion on the connector center side at the front end portion of the movable upper plate 12b2 is substantially triangular downward. It is formed from a plate-like member that is bent so as to protrude into the shape. The locking lock portion 12a is provided with an inclined guide side extending obliquely upward from the apex portion on the lower end side toward the front side.

  The locking lock portion 12a having such a configuration is such that when the engagement positioning portion Fa provided on the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F described above is disposed at a position immediately below, the elasticity of the lock arm member 12b is obtained. It is configured to be pushed down toward the inside of the engagement positioning portion Fa by force and thereby to be engaged (locked) (see FIG. 8). The insertion state of the signal transmission medium F is maintained by the engagement force of 12a.

  At this time, the movable upper plate 12b2 of the lock arm member 12b is provided with an opening 12b3 through which a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F inserted into the insulating housing 11 can be seen. The opening portion 12b3 is formed on the rear side of the locking lock portion 12a described above, and is formed so as to cut out an end portion of the movable upper plate 12b2 on the connector center side into an elongated rectangular shape. As a result, the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium F inserted into the insulating housing 11 can be viewed from above through the opening 12b3.

  Thus, if the opening 12b3 is provided in the lock arm member 12b, the insertion state of the signal transmission medium F is visually observed through the opening 12b3 when the insertion of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is completed. This makes it possible to immediately confirm that the signal transmission medium F is insufficiently inserted and that the locking lock portion 12a is not properly engaged.

  On the other hand, as described above, the unlocking operation portion 12e is also formed integrally with the lock arm member 12b. More specifically, the pair of release connection arm pieces 12e1 and 12e1 branch from the rear end edge portion (right end edge portion in FIG. 6) of the movable upper plate 12b2 to both sides in the plate width direction (connector longitudinal direction). Thus, the pair of unlocking operation portions 12e and 12e extend toward the rear side of the connector (the right side in FIG. 6) via the pair of release connecting arm pieces 12e1 and 12e1. It is provided to be put out.

  The pair of release connecting arm pieces 12e1 and 12e1 described above are once bent downward from both side edges in the plate width direction (connector longitudinal direction) of the movable upper plate 12b2, and then the plate width of the movable upper plate 12b2. 6 is formed in a bent shape extending in an inclined manner so as to open outward in the direction of the connector (longitudinal direction of the connector). It extends substantially linearly (to the right side). The above-described lock release operation portion 12e is integrally provided at the extended end portions of the pair of release connection arm pieces 12e1 and 12e1.

  Thus, the unlocking operation part 12e provided at the extending end of the pair of release connecting arm pieces 12e1 and 12e1 and the locking lock part 12a described above are as seen from the overall configuration of the lock arm member 12b. The locking portion 12a is disposed in the area opposite to the folded portion 12b1, and the locking lock portion 12a is disposed at the front end portion of the lock arm member 12b, while the rear end portion of the lock arm member 12b is disposed at the rear end portion. An unlock operation unit 12e is disposed. Then, when the unlocking operation portion 12e is pushed downward via an operation cover 11c described later (see FIG. 9), the above-described folded portion 12b1 is deformed so as to be compressed downward, and the folded portion 12b1. The locking lock portion 12a disposed on the opposite side of the lock plate 12a is displaced so as to be pushed upward against the elasticity of the lock arm member 12b having the movable upper plate 12b2. At this time, the lower end portion of the unlocking operation portion 12e and the bottom plate of the insulating housing 11 are in contact with each other, so that the amount of displacement of the lock member 12 during the unlocking operation is regulated within a necessary range, thereby preventing plastic deformation. can do.

  On the other hand, as described above, the operation cover 11c connected to the insulating housing 11 is disposed at a position directly above the pair of unlock operation units 12e and 12e so as to constitute a part of the unlock operation unit. Each operation cover 11c forming a part of these unlocking operation portions is integrally provided on both side portions in the connector longitudinal direction of the insulating housing 11, and the front edge portion (left edge portion in FIG. 10) of the insulating housing 11 is provided. The operation cover 11c is arranged at the rear end portion of the connector via a pair of operation connection arm pieces 11c1 and 11c1 extending from the connector to the connector rear side (right side in FIG. 10).

  The operation cover 11c as the unlocking operation unit is arranged so as to cover both the pair of unlocking operation units 12e and 12e described above from the upper side in the connector height direction, and the pair of unlocking operation units 12e. , 12e, the operation cover 11c is disposed so as to be able to contact from above. Then, the operator's fingertip Q or the like is placed on the upper surface in the connector height direction of the operation covers 11c and 11c arranged on both side portions in the connector longitudinal direction, and the unlocking operation is performed to perform the downward pressing operation. As described above, the lock release operation part 12e, 12e of the lock member 12 and the folding part 12b1 are deformed so as to be compressed downward, and the locking lock part 12a provided on the front end side moves upward. To do. As a result, the locking portion 12a is released upward from the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F, and the locked state is released.

  Here, the state from insertion to engagement of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F will be specifically described. First, as shown in FIG. 6, when the signal transmission medium F is inserted into the inside of the insulating housing 11 through the medium insertion port 11 a of the insulating housing 11, the leading edge on the insertion side of the signal transmission medium F is inserted. However, it comes into contact with the inclined guide side of the locking portion 12a provided on the locking member 12, and the locking portion 12a rides on the surface of the signal transmission medium F as shown in FIG. As a result, the lock arm member 12b including the movable upper plate 12b2 of the lock member 12 is elastically displaced so as to be pushed upward with the folding portion 12b1 and the swing fulcrum in the vicinity thereof as the center. Further, when the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium F is further pushed rearward from that state, when the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F moves to a position directly below the locking lock portion 12a, FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the lock portion 12a is moved so as to be pushed down into the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F by the elastic restoring force of the lock arm member 12b. As a result, the locking portion 12a is engaged with the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F, and the signal transmission medium F is held so as not to come out.

  Further, as described above, the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is brought into the engaged state (locked state) by the lock member 12 and the signal transmission medium F is held. When the unlocking operation is performed by pushing down the unlocking operation portion 12e through the operation cover 11c as described above, the elastic force of the lock arm member 12b including the movable upper plate 12b2 is applied to the lock member 12. Against this, the locking lock portion 12a moves upward in the connector height direction, the locking lock portion 12a is detached from the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F, and is engaged by the lock member 12 ( (Locked state) is released.

  At this time, as particularly shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the operation cover 11c and the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 arranged on the unlocking operation portion 12e described above are integrated via the second step portion 11c2. Connected. The second step portion 11c2 arranged at the connecting portion of the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 and the operation cover 11c extends from the operation cover 11c on the rear side of the connector to the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 on the front side of the connector in the connector height direction ( It has an inclined surface whose height dimension in the upper direction in FIG. Then, the upper outer surface of the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 extends above the operation cover 11c in the connector height direction over the step h1 (see FIGS. 1 and 10) formed so that the second step portion 11c2 is lowered. It is configured to extend at a position lower than the outer surface.

  The operation connecting arm piece 11c1 disposed so as to be lower in the connector height direction extends from the second step portion 11c2 to the connector front side, and forms an operation protection portion at the front end portion of the insulating housing 11. It is integrally connected to a later-described first step portion 11d formed in the above. In addition, the movable upper plate 12b2 of the lock member 12 described above is in an arrangement relationship extending along a portion between both the operation connecting arm pieces 11c1 and 11c1.

  In this way, the upper outer surface of the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 extending so as to be lower by a level difference h1 in the front-rear direction of the connector has a locking member 12 as shown in FIGS. The signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is positioned below the upper end top portion P of the locking lock portion 12a in the state of riding on the surface of the F in the connector height direction. That is, when the signal transmission medium F is inserted into the insulating housing 11, the upper end top portion P of the locking lock portion 12a that is a part of the lock member 12 protrudes upward from the upper outer surface of the operation connecting arm piece 11c1. Thus, it is configured to be elastically displaced. Therefore, when the signal transmission medium F is not sufficiently inserted, the upper end top portion P of the locking lock portion 12a which is a part of the lock member 12 protrudes upward from the upper outer surface of the operation connecting arm piece 11c1. Therefore, the appropriateness of the insertion situation of the signal transmission medium F can be easily identified by visually checking it.

  Further, as described above, the first step portion 11d as the operation protection portion provided at the front edge portion of the insulating housing 11 has a step shape protruding from the upper outer surface of the insulating housing 11 upward in the connector height direction. Are formed so as to form an integral build-up state so as to form a connector, and extend in the connector longitudinal direction from both longitudinal portions of the medium insertion port 11a to the connector outer end surface. Among the operation connection arm pieces 11c1 and 11c1, the operation connection arm piece 11c1 arranged on the inner side in the connector longitudinal direction extends to the middle position on the rear side of the connector along the inner side of the operation connection arm piece 11c1.

  On the other hand, a portion of the upper surface of the insulating housing 11 corresponding to the upper side wall defining the longitudinal center portion of the medium insertion slot 11a is a plane having a lower connector height than the first step portion 11d. The first step portion 11d has a height h2 (see FIGS. 1 and 10) in the connector height direction with respect to the upper surface of the central portion of the insulating housing 11. Is formed. At this time, the height position of the upper surface of the first step portion 11d is set to be substantially equal to the height position of the upper surface of the second step portion 11c2. In addition, the first step portion 11d is provided so as to be adjacent to the locking lock portion 12a of the lock member 12 from the front side of the connector, and the connector rear end surface of the first step portion 11d is engaged. It arrange | positions so that it may face from the front side with respect to the stop lock part 12a.

  At this time, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10 in particular, the above-described lock member 12 rides on the surface of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F on the upper outer surface of the first step portion 11d. It is formed so that it may be located in the connector height direction rather than the upper-end top part P of the locking lock part 12a. Accordingly, when the signal transmission medium F is inserted into the insulating housing 11, the upper end top portion P of the locking lock portion 12a that is a part of the lock member 12 is positioned below the upper outer surface of the first step portion 11d. It only protrudes. As a matter of course, the arrangement is such that the upper outer surface of the first step portion 11d is positioned above the upper outer surface of the operation connecting arm piece 11c1.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the lock member 12 rides on the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F, the upper end top portion P of the locking lock portion 12a is higher than the upper surface of the operation connecting arm. For example, it is shown in FIG. 14 because it is configured to be elastically displaced so as to protrude to a position that is higher in the vertical direction and lower than the upper surface of the first step portion 11d and the second step portion 11c2. Thus, when the unlocking operation is performed, the operator's fingertip Q and the like come into contact with the operation cover 11c on the rear end side of the connector, and even when they strongly contact the first step portion 11d as the operation protection portion The operator's fingertip Q or the like does not come into strong contact with the locking portion 12a or the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 at a lower position.

  According to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, when the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, or the like) F is inserted into the insulating housing 11, the locking lock portion 12 a that is a part of the lock member 12. Is elastically displaced so as to project upward from the upper outer surface of the operation connecting arm piece 11c1, and is then engaged with the signal transmission medium F, so that the locking portion 12a of the lock member 12 is engaged. The state immediately before is confirmed visually from the outside of the connector. Therefore, when the signal transmission medium F is not sufficiently inserted, the locking lock portion 12a of the lock member 12 protrudes outward from the outer surface of the operation connecting arm piece 11c1, and the signal transmission medium F The suitability of the insertion situation is easily identified.

  On the other hand, when the unlock operation portion 12e is pressed by the operator's fingertip Q or the like to perform the unlock operation, the operator's fingertip Q or the like is raised through the second step portion 11c2. While contacting the part 12e, it will contact the upper surface of the 1st level | step-difference part 11d formed so that it might rise from the surface of the insulating housing 11 highly. Therefore, the operator's fingertip Q and the like do not come into strong contact with the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 extending to a position lower than those. Further, the locking portion 12a of the lock member 12 protruding from the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 by the pressing operation of the unlocking operation portion 12e is also above the upper surface of the first step portion 11d and the second step portion 11c2. Since it does not protrude, the operator's fingertip Q and the like do not come into strong contact. As a result, there is no direct pressing force against the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 and the lock member 12 as in the prior art, and the possibility of damaging them is greatly reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the movable upper plate 12b2 of the lock member 12 extends along the operation connecting arm piece 11c1, and the locking lock portion 12a provided at the distal end portion of the lock member 12 has an insulating housing. Since the first stepped portion 11d provided in 11 is disposed so as to be close to each other, the fingertip Q of the operator who performs the unlocking operation does not contact the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 more reliably. Therefore, the risk of damage to the operation connecting arm piece 11c1 and the lock member 12 is further reduced.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first step portion 11d provided in the insulating housing 11 is formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing 11, and the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing 11 is in the connector height direction. Therefore, the pushing operation of the operator's fingertip Q and the like when performing the unlocking operation is favorably performed without being obstructed by the first step portion 11d.

  In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the first step portion 11d provided in the insulating housing 11 and the upper surface of the second step portion 11c2 provided in the operation cover 11c are at substantially the same height position. Therefore, the fingertip Q of the operator when performing the unlocking operation comes into contact so as to be in a substantially horizontal state between the first and second stepped portions 11d and 11c2. The unlocking operation is performed smoothly.

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

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

  Furthermore, although the same shape of conductive contacts is used in the electrical connector according to the above-described embodiment, the present invention can be similarly applied to a structure in which conductive contacts of different shapes are alternately arranged. It is.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electrical connector 11 Insulation housing 11a Medium insertion port 11b Component attachment port 11c Operation cover (lock release operation part)
11c1 Operation connecting arm 11c2 Second step portion 11d First step portion 12, 12 'Lock member 12a Locking lock portion 12b Lock arm member 12b1 Turned back portion 12b2 Movable upper plate 12b3 Opening portion 12c Fixed substrate 12c1 Fixed claw 12d Substrate connection portion 12e Unlocking operation part 12e1 Release connection arm piece P Top top part 13 Conductive contact 13a Fixed base part 13b Substrate connection part 13c Upper contact beam 13c1 Upper terminal contact convex part 13d Lower contact beam 13d1 Lower terminal contact convex part F Signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) etc)
Fa engagement positioning part Fb wiring pattern

Claims (5)

After the lock member is elastically displaced in the connector height direction on the surface of the signal transmission medium inserted into the insulating housing, the lock member is elastically returned to be engaged with the signal transmission medium. With a configuration,
The lock release operation portion connected to the insulating housing via the operation connection arm is pushed in the direction opposite to the connector height direction to release the engagement state of the lock member. In electrical connectors,
The operation connecting arm is connected to the insulating housing and the unlocking operation portion via first and second step portions in the connector height direction,
The upper surface in the connector height direction of the operation connecting arm is in the connector height direction by the first and second steps from the upper surface in the connector height direction of the insulating housing and the unlocking operation portion. Placed in a low position,
The lock member is positioned higher in the connector height direction than the upper surface of the operation connecting arm and is lower than the upper surfaces of the first and second stepped portions when riding on the signal transmission medium. An electrical connector characterized by being elastically displaced so as to protrude to a position. The lock member is disposed so as to extend along the operation connecting arm,
The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first stepped portion is disposed so as to face and face a part of the lock member.   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first step portion is formed on both side portions in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing.   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein upper surfaces of the first and second stepped portions are formed so as to be at substantially equal height positions in the connector height direction. The first step portion is formed on both side portions in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing;
The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing is lower in the connector height direction than the both side portions.

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