JP5971558B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector configured to hold a signal transmission medium by engaging a locking lock with a signal transmission medium inserted in an insulating housing.

  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 and used on a printed wiring board as in Patent Document 1 below, a medium transmission in which a signal transmission medium made of FPC, FFC, or the like is formed by an inner wall surface of an insulating housing (insulator) It is inserted into the inside from the front end side opening of the passage, and then the actuator (turning operation means) is turned so as to be pushed down toward the connection operation position on the front side or the back side of the connector by the operator's operating force. . Due to the pivoting action of this actuator, the locking portion is moved and caught by a relatively small operating force so as to fall into the engagement positioning portion provided at the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium. The terminal portion of the signal transmission medium is held in a substantially non-moving state by the engaging force of the locking lock portion with respect to the engagement positioning portion of the medium.

  Also, as in Patent Document 2, in an electrical connector having a so-called one-action auto-lock mechanism, the locking lock portion is elastically displaced with respect to the signal transmission medium inserted into the insulating housing, and then the signal transmission is performed. The engagement lock portion is lowered into the engagement positioning portion of the medium so that the engagement is performed. 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 immovable state simply by inserting the signal transmission medium to a predetermined position inside the electrical connector. Thus, the work efficiency is improved.

  When removing the signal transmission medium inserted into the electrical connector and held in the outside, an unlocking operation is performed to release the above-described locking lock part from the signal transmission medium, and the signal is released by the unlocking operation. After the transmission medium is in a freely movable state, the signal transmission medium is pulled out of the electrical connector and removed.

  However, in actual work, it is not possible to perform the unlocking operation accidentally, that is, the lock engaging portion is pulled in the direction of removing the signal transmission medium in the locked state while being engaged with the signal transmission medium. There is a risk of unplugging. When such a signal transmission medium is forcibly removed, the tensile force applied to the signal transmission medium is transmitted to the lock member through the lock engaging portion, and stress concentration occurs in a part of the lock member. Doing so may cause deformation or breakage, which may reduce the holding force between the lock member and the insulating housing.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-078908 JP 2011-204509 A

  Therefore, the present invention can operate the lock member with a relatively small operating force, and even if the signal transmission medium is accidentally pulled without performing the unlocking operation, the lock member can be deformed and / or An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector capable of preventing breakage.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a signal transmission medium is inserted into or removed from a medium insertion passage formed in an insulating housing, and the signal inserted into the medium insertion passage. In the electrical connector configured to hold the signal transmission medium by engaging a locking lock portion provided on the lock member with the transmission medium, the lock member is attached to a part of the insulating housing. On the other hand, a pull-out prevention part having a step shape facing the extraction direction of the signal transmission medium is provided, and the pull-out prevention part is configured to lock the lock member in the extraction direction of the signal transmission medium . The locking lock portion is provided with a stopper piece that comes into contact with the surface of the insulating housing when the locking lock portion is engaged with the signal transmission medium. There has been adopted.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, even if the so-called forced removal that pulls the signal transmission medium in the locked state without performing the unlocking operation is mistakenly performed, When the pull-out preventing portion provided on the member comes into contact with a part of the insulating housing, the entire lock member is stably held, and deformation and breakage of the lock member are prevented.
Further, according to the present invention having such a configuration, the engagement position with respect to the surface of the insulating housing of the locking lock portion with respect to the signal transmission medium is always maintained in the same state by the stopper piece. Even when the thickness of the transmission medium varies or the type changes, the engagement amount of the locking lock portion with respect to the signal transmission medium is maintained constant, and the holding force of the signal transmission medium can be stably obtained.

  In the present invention, it is desirable that the locking lock portion and the pull-out prevention portion provided on the lock member are arranged to face each other in the longitudinal direction of the lock member.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the pulling force applied to the locking lock portion from the signal transmission medium acts directly on the pull-out preventing portion, and the strength of the lock member against excessive pulling is increased. Further enhanced.

  The locking member according to the present invention includes a fixed substrate attached to the insulating housing, and a movable beam integrally connected to the fixed substrate via a connection support column, and the engagement member is connected to the movable beam. A stop lock portion and the pull-out prevention portion are integrally provided, and the connection post portion is formed of a plate-like member extending from the fixed substrate to the movable beam, and constitutes the connection post portion It is desirable that the width of the plate-like member to be formed is such that the connecting portion with the movable beam is wider than the connecting portion with the fixed substrate.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, when the unlocking operation is performed on the movable beam, the strength of the coupling portion between the coupling column and the movable beam, which is a portion where the stress increases, is increased. Therefore, stress can be dispersed and deformation of the lock member and the like can be prevented more reliably.

  Furthermore, it is desirable that the pull-out preventing portion in the present invention is provided with an insertion guide portion having an inclined side at a front side portion in the insertion direction of the lock member with respect to the insulating housing.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the mounting operation for inserting the lock member into the insulating housing is smoothly performed without being obstructed by the pull-out preventing portion.

As described above, in the electrical connector according to the present invention, the lock member for holding the signal transmission medium is configured by the movable beam and the connection support portion, and the movable beam is connected to the part of the insulating housing. When a pull-out prevention part having a stepped shape facing the removal direction is provided, the pull-out prevention part locks the lock member in the removal direction of the signal transmission medium , and the engagement lock part is engaged with the signal transmission medium side. With the structure in which the stopper piece that contacts the surface of the insulating housing is provided in the locking portion , the lock member can be operated with a relatively small operating force, and the signal transmission medium that remains locked without performing the unlocking operation can be obtained. Even when the so-called forcible pulling has been performed, the pull-out prevention part provided on the lock member abuts against a part of the insulating housing. Entire locking member can prevent deformation and breakage of stably holding the locking member. As a result, with a simple configuration, the lock member can be prevented from being deformed or damaged, and the reliability of the electrical connector can be greatly improved at low cost.

It is an external appearance explanatory view showing a state just before a signal transmission medium (FPC) is inserted in an electric connector concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view illustrating a state in which the signal transmission medium (FPC) is inserted from the state shown in FIG. 1 to complete the insertion of the signal transmission medium into the electrical connector and the signal transmission medium is locked by the locking lock portion. It is. It is front explanatory drawing of the electrical connector represented to FIG.1 and FIG.2. FIG. 3 is an explanatory plan view of the electrical connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 is an explanatory side view of the electrical connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing along the AA in FIG. It is longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing along the BB line in FIG. It is longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing along CC line in FIG. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 6 showing a state where a signal transmission medium (FPC) is inserted and insertion of the signal transmission medium into the electrical connector is completed. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 7 showing a state in which the signal transmission medium (FPC) is inserted and the signal transmission medium is inserted into the electrical connector partway. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 7 showing a locked state in which the signal transmission medium (FPC) is inserted and the insertion of the signal transmission medium into the electrical connector is completed. It is an external appearance perspective explanatory drawing which expanded and represented the G section in FIG. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory diagram corresponding to FIG. 7, illustrating a state where a lock release operation is performed from a locked state of a signal transmission medium (FPC). FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 8 showing a state where a signal transmission medium (FPC) is inserted and insertion of the signal transmission medium into the electrical connector is completed. It is an external appearance perspective explanatory drawing showing the structure of the lock member used for the electrical connector represented to FIGS. FIG. 16 is an external perspective explanatory view showing an H portion in FIG. 15 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 16 is an explanatory plan view showing the structure of the lock member shown in FIG. 15. It is the elements on larger scale of the front part which expanded and represented the D section in FIG. 3 which is the one end part in the connector longitudinal direction of the electrical connector represented to FIGS. It is the partial expansion appearance perspective view which expanded and represented the one end part in the connector longitudinal direction of the electrical connector represented to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective explanatory view showing a longitudinal section along the line FF in FIG. 1 in a state where the signal transmission medium (FPC) is completely inserted.

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

[General configuration of electrical connector]
An electrical connector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 20 is composed of an electrical connector provided with a so-called non-ZIF type one-action auto-lock mechanism. The terminal portion of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F described above reaches a predetermined position in the insulating housing 11 through the medium insertion opening 11a provided at the front edge (the left edge in FIG. 6) of the insulating housing 11. The signal transmission medium F is automatically locked when inserted in such a manner.

[Insulating housing]
The insulating housing 11 at this time 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”. A direction in which a terminal portion of a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is inserted and removed so as to be inserted or removed is referred to as a “connector longitudinal direction”. Furthermore, a direction orthogonal to both of these “connector longitudinal direction” and “connector longitudinal direction” will be referred to as “connector vertical direction”.

  A terminal portion of the signal transmission medium F made of a flexible printed circuit (FPC), a flexible flat cable (FFC), or the like as described above is provided at the front edge portion (left edge portion in FIG. 6) of the insulating housing 11. A medium insertion slot 11a into which is inserted is formed in an elongated shape along the longitudinal direction of the connector. The medium insertion port 11a extends toward the connector rear side (right side in FIG. 6) so as to form a medium insertion path. The medium insertion passage is composed of a space portion formed so as to be surrounded by the inner wall surface of the insulating housing 11, and the upper and lower inner wall surfaces of the medium insertion passage are formed by the ceiling wall plate 11 b and the bottom wall plate 11 c of the insulating housing 11. Is formed.

  The inner wall surfaces on both sides in the connector longitudinal direction of the medium insertion path are formed by guide side wall plates 11 d and 11 d of the insulating housing 11. Each of these guide side wall plates 11d is placed in contact with both side end surfaces in the plate width direction of a signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F that is inserted through the medium insertion port 11a and inserted. The structure is such that smooth movement is performed while sliding the both end faces of the signal transmission medium F along the plate 11d. Each of these guide side wall plates 11d is formed of a plate-like member that is relatively thin in the connector longitudinal direction, and is adjacent to a portion on the outer side in the connector longitudinal direction with respect to the guide side wall plate 11d. The support piece 13d3 of the locking member 13 is arranged so as to form a reinforcing member of the guide side wall plate 11d.

  As described above, when the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is inserted into the medium insertion passage of the insulating housing 11, the one side surface (upper surface) of the signal transmission medium F is the ceiling wall plate of the insulating housing 11. The other side surface (lower surface) of the signal transmission medium F faces the bottom wall plate 11c of the insulating housing 11 from the upper side, and is arranged so as to face the lower surface 11b. Both side end surfaces of the medium F in the plate width direction move along both guide side wall plates 11d and 11d. As shown in FIG. 18, the insulating housing 11 that forms the inner wall surface of the medium insertion path is connected to the ceiling wall plate 11b that forms the upper inner wall portion of the medium insertion path and the signal transmission medium F. An edge pressing plate 11e that is in contact with the one side surface (upper surface) from above is formed.

  The edge pressing plates 11e are respectively arranged on both side portions in the connector longitudinal direction of the ceiling wall plate 11b of the insulating housing 11, and are integrally connected to the inner wall surfaces of both guide side wall plates 11d and 11d. . A reference abutment surface 11e1 is formed on the lower surface of each edge pressing plate 11e, and the reference abutment surface 11e1 is formed on one side surface (upper surface) of the signal transmission medium F inserted into the medium insertion path. (Surface), it is arranged so as to face and come into contact with both side edge portions in the plate width direction (connector longitudinal direction) from above. Corresponding to these edge pressing plates 11e, 11e, the bottom wall plate 11c of the insulating housing 11 is formed to be depressed in a downward step shape at both side portions in the connector longitudinal direction, Spatial margins are formed between both side regions of the plate 11c in the connector longitudinal direction and the lower surface of the signal transmission medium F.

  As described above, the ceiling wall plate 11b of the insulating housing 11 has the edge pressing plates 11e and 11e on both side portions in the connector longitudinal direction, and the reference constituting the lower surface of each edge pressing plate 11e. The abutting surface 11e1 is against a general inner wall surface (lower surface) of the ceiling wall plate 11b extending to the other part of the ceiling wall plate 11b, that is, the connector inner side (connector center side). It is formed so as to protrude slightly downward. In this way, the reference contact surface 11e1 of each edge pressing plate 11e is arranged so as to be displaced downward, and the amount of the step formed between the general inner wall surface (lower surface) of the ceiling wall plate 11b. (Height) t1 is determined based on the minimum thickness t2 of the signal transmission medium F used.

  Specifically, first, as described above, the medium insertion passage of the insulating housing 11 into which the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is inserted as described above is a ceiling including the edge pressing plate 11e of the insulating housing 11. It is formed as a space portion between the wall plate 11b and the bottom wall plate 11c, and both end portions in the connector longitudinal direction in the medium insertion passage at that time have the reference contact surface 11e1 of the edge pressing plate 11e. The opening height (t3-t1) is narrowed in the height direction from the opening height t3 at the central portion in the connector longitudinal direction by the downward step t1. Then, the signal transmission medium F inserted into the medium insertion path is inserted inward through an opening space having a height (t3-t1) determined by the reference contact surface 11e1 and the bottom wall plate 11c of the insulating housing 11. Will be. Here, in the present embodiment, the opening height (t3-t1) determined by the reference contact surface 11e1 and the bottom wall plate 11c is equal to the minimum thickness t2 of the signal transmission medium F, or The signal transmission medium F is set so as to enter smoothly with a slight gap ((t3−t1) = t2), and the above-described step t1, that is, the end is set so as to realize such a height relationship. A positional shift amount (height) between the reference contact surface 11e1 of the edge pressing plate 11e and the general inner wall surface (lower surface) of the ceiling wall plate 11b is determined.

  When the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F having the minimum thickness t2 is inserted into the medium insertion path having the reference contact surface 11e1, the thickness t2 of the signal transmission medium F is Since the opening height (t3-t1) of the medium insertion path formed by the reference contact surface 11e1 and the bottom wall plate 11c is equal to (t3-t1) = t2, the signal transmission medium F is It is inserted in a normal state extending substantially horizontally. On the other hand, when the signal transmission medium F having a thicker normal thickness t4 is inserted, the opening height (t3-t1) of the medium insertion passage formed by the reference contact surface 11e1 and the bottom wall plate 11c. ), The thickness t4 of the signal transmission medium F becomes larger (t4> (t3-t1)), so that both side edge portions of the signal transmission medium F are pushed downward by the contact force with the reference contact surface 11e1. Thus, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 16, the side edge portions are deformed so as to form a curved shape.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, even when the thickness of the signal transmission medium F varies when the signal transmission medium F is inserted into the medium insertion passage of the insulating housing 11, the reference of the edge pressing plate 11e. The one-side surface (upper surface) of the signal transmission medium F is always in contact with the contact surface 11e1.

  With such a configuration, when the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is inserted and inserted into the medium insertion passage of the insulating housing 11, it is formed by the ceiling wall plate 11 b of the insulating housing 11. The reference contact surface 11e1 that forms a part of the inner wall surface of the medium insertion path is positioned closer to the one side surface (upper surface) of the signal transmission medium F than the other portion (connector center side region). Therefore, one side surface (upper surface) of the signal transmission medium F is inserted in a state of being in contact with at least the reference contact surface 11e1 of the medium insertion path, and the one side surface (upper surface) of the signal transmission medium F is The reference contact surface 11e1 is used as a reference for positioning in the thickness direction (height direction).

  On the other hand, the locking portion 13a moves downward from the state in contact with the one side surface (upper surface) of the signal transmission medium F from the upper side and moves to the engagement position. Since the one-side surface (upper surface) of the transmission medium F is positioned by the reference contact surface 11e1, the engagement amount (hook amount) of the locking lock portion 13a with respect to the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F is a signal. The transmission medium F is maintained constant regardless of the thickness variation. As a result, the holding force of the signal transmission medium F by the locking lock part 13a is stabilized, and the amount of movement of the locking lock part 13a necessary for releasing the engagement state of the locking lock part 13a is constant. As a result, the entire electrical connector 10 can be reduced in size without considering variations in the thickness of the signal transmission medium F.

  At this time, the signal transmission medium F inserted into the medium insertion passage is pressed toward the locking lock portion 13a, that is, upward by the pressing member 13d1 provided on the locking member 13, so that the edge is pressed. The signal transmission medium F is more reliably pressed against the reference contact surface 11e1 constituting the lower surface of the plate 11e.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F inserted into the medium insertion path smoothly moves along the guide side wall plate 11d of the insulating housing 11, and also guides the insulating housing 11. Since the side wall plate 11d is reinforced by the support piece portion 13d3 connected to the locking lock portion 13a, the guide side wall portion 11d can be thinned, and the electrical connector 10 as a whole can be reduced in size accordingly. Become.

  On the other hand, at the rear end edge of the connector of the medium insertion path (the right end edge in FIG. 6), a component mounting opening 11f for mounting a conductive contact 12 to be described later is similarly elongated along the connector longitudinal direction. Is provided. Conductive contacts 12 to be inserted into the medium insertion passage through the component attachment port 11f are arranged, and lock members are provided on the outer sides of the plurality of conductive contacts 12, that is, at both ends of the medium insertion passage in the connector longitudinal direction. 13 are arranged respectively.

[About conductive contacts]
Among them, the conductive contacts 12 are formed by a thin plate-like metal member having an appropriate shape, and the plurality of conductive contacts 12 are connected to the front side of the connector from the component attachment port 11f on the rear end side of the insulating housing 11 (FIG. 6). 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 12 is mounted by solder bonding to a conductive path formed on a printed wiring board P (see FIGS. 9 to 13) for either signal transmission or ground connection. Used in.

  That is, the arrangement position of each conductive contact 12 mounted inside the insulating housing 11 as described above is provided in a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F inserted into the insulating housing 11 through the medium insertion port 11a. The setting corresponding to the specified wiring pattern is made. In the wiring pattern of the signal transmission medium F, signal transmission conductive paths (signal line pads) or shield conductive paths (shield line pads) are arranged at appropriate pitch intervals.

  The configuration of each conductive contact 12 will be specifically described. The conductive contact 12 is formed so as to extend along the connector front-rear direction, which is the insertion / removal direction of the signal transmission medium F (left-right direction in FIG. 6). Yes. The connector rear end side portion of the conductive contact 12 protrudes rearward from the connector rear end portion of the insulating housing 11, and the rear protruding portion is formed on the printed wiring board P (see FIGS. 9 to 13). It is formed as a substrate connection portion 12a that is solder-connected to the conductive path.

  Further, a flexible arm portion 12b made of an elongated beam member extends integrally from the board connecting portion 12a of the conductive contact 12 described above toward the front side of the connector. The flexible arm portion 12b is bent so as to rise at a substantially right angle at a connecting portion with the board connecting portion 12a, and is bent at a substantially right angle toward the front side of the connector again at the upper end portion of the rising portion. And extends in a cantilevered manner along the inner wall surface of the ceiling wall plate 11b of the insulating housing 11. The flexible arm portion 12b of the conductive contact 12 is configured to swing in the vertical direction within the plane of FIG. 6 around the connection portion with the substrate connecting portion 12a or the vicinity thereof.

  Further, the extending side of the flexible beam portion 12b, that is, the portion on the front side of the connector (left end side portion in FIG. 6) extends obliquely downward, and the extending end portion includes Corresponding to either the signal transmission conductive path or the shield conductive path (wiring pattern) formed on the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F, the terminal contact convex portion 12c has a downward protruding shape in the figure. Is provided. The terminal contact convex portion 12c provided on the conductive contact 12 is formed on the wiring pattern of the signal transmission medium F when the signal transmission medium F is inserted into the medium insertion path of the insulating housing 11 as described above. When the signal transmission medium F is inserted to the final position, both are pressed and electrically connected by the elastic force of the flexible beam portion 12b.

[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, but as a premise thereof, the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is particularly 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. Lock members 13 and 13 are provided on the electrical connector 10 side corresponding to the engagement positioning portions Fa and Fa provided on the signal transmission medium F. The locking members 13 and 13 are locked (locked). (Operation), the insertion state of the signal transmission medium F is maintained.

[About locking members]
As described above, the pair of lock members 13 and 13 disposed on both side portions in the connector longitudinal direction of the insulating housing 11 are symmetrical to each other in the connector longitudinal direction. Only the locking member 13 is performed, and the other is omitted.

  The lock member 13 constitutes a lock mechanism and a lock release mechanism for the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F, and forms both side walls in the connector longitudinal direction in the medium insertion path of the insulating housing 11 described above. In the vicinity of the guide side wall plate 11d, it is attached so as to be inserted from the front side of the connector toward the rear side. As will be described later, a locking lock portion 13a provided at the distal end portion of the lock member 13 includes: It arrange | positions in the position adjacent to the connector inner side (connector center side) with respect to the edge press plate 11e connected with the guide side wall board 11d.

  When the signal transmission medium F is inserted into the electrical connector 10, the insertion end of the signal transmission medium F is inserted into a part of the lock member 13, more specifically, a locking lock portion 13a described later. The edge abuts, so that the engagement lock portion 13a is elastically displaced so as to ride on the surface of the signal transmission medium F (see FIG. 10). The part 13a is configured to fall into the engagement positioning part Fa of the signal transmission medium F to be in an engaged state (locked state). (See Figure 11)

  The entire lock member 13 at this time is formed of an integrally bent structure made of a thin-walled metal member, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, and the locking lock portion 13a described above. A movable beam portion 13b made of an elongated beam member having a stub is integrally connected to the fixed substrate 13d via a connecting support column portion 13c. Among them, the fixed substrate 13 d is formed of a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular plane shape, and is disposed so as to be placed on the upper surface of the bottom wall plate 11 c of the medium insertion passage of the insulating housing 11 described above.

  In a substantially central region of the fixed substrate 13d, a pressing member 13d1 made of a spring-like member is formed integrally with the fixed substrate 13d. The pressing member 13d1 is formed of a leaf spring piece that extends in a cantilever shape toward the rear side of the connector, and a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is provided at the leading end portion of the extension side. A contact protrusion 13d2 connected to the ground conductive path is formed so as to protrude upward.

  The contact convex portion 13d2 provided on the pressing member 13d1 contacts the lower surface of the signal transmission medium F from the lower side to the upper side, so that the elastic biasing force of the pressing member 13d1 is changed to the signal transmission medium F. Thus, the signal transmission medium F is pushed upward in the thickness direction. At this time, the pressing member 13d1 is arranged so as to face a locking lock portion 13a described later in the connector vertical direction, and the signal transmission medium F is locked by the locking lock portion 13a by the elastic biasing force of the pressing member 13d1. It is configured to be pressed toward the side.

  Further, a support piece portion 13d3 projecting outward from the connector is integrally connected to the connector front end edge portion of the fixed substrate 13d described above. The support piece 13d3 extends substantially horizontally from the outer side edge of the fixed substrate 13d toward the outer side in the connector longitudinal direction through the lower step, and then substantially perpendicular to the upper side of the connector. It is set up so as to be bent, and is bent substantially at a right angle from its upper end portion toward the rear side of the connector and extends substantially horizontally. The support piece 13d3 at this time is press-fitted into the wall portion of the insulating housing 11 on the outer side in the connector longitudinal direction from the medium insertion port 11a described above, and the lock member is fixed by the fixing force by the press-fitting of the support piece 13d3 The whole 13 is fixed to the insulating housing 11.

  Further, as described above, the support piece 13d3 provided on the lock member 13 is provided on the outer side of the connector with respect to the guide wall 11c of the insulating housing 11 forming both side walls in the connector longitudinal direction of the medium insertion path. The support piece portion 13d3 is disposed so as to form a reinforcing member from the outer side of the connector with respect to the guide wall portion 11c formed of a relatively thin plate-like member. .

  Further, the connecting support column 13c described above is integrally connected to the connector rear end edge portion of the fixed substrate 13d. The connecting support column 13c is formed of a thin plate-like member, extends substantially horizontally toward the connector rear side, and then bends and extends at a substantially right angle toward the outer side in the connector longitudinal direction. From the outer end portion, it is raised so as to be bent at a substantially right angle upward. And the movable beam part 13b mentioned above is connected with the upper end part of the connection support | pillar part 13c in the state extended substantially horizontal.

  The movable beam portion 13b extends in the front-rear direction of the connector at an appropriate interval upward from the bottom wall plate 11c of the medium insertion passage in the medium insertion passage of the insulating housing 11, and the connection strut portion 13c described above. It extends so that it may branch from the connection part to both the front side of the connector and the opposite side of the rear side of the connector. The movable beam portion 13b can be elastically displaced on the basis of the elastic flexibility of the connecting column 13c, and the movable beam 13b can be rotated around the connecting column 13c or the vicinity thereof. It is configured to be swingable. The swinging of the movable beam portion 13b at that time is performed in the vertical direction within the paper surface of FIG.

  Further, as described above, a locking lock portion 13a made of a hook-like member is provided on the front end side portion (left end side portion in FIG. 10) of the movable beam portion 13b configured as a swing member. The locking lock portion 13a is formed of a plate-like member that protrudes downward in a substantially triangular shape, and has a vertex portion on the lower end side of the locking lock portion 13a, and its lower end side vertex. An inclined guide side extending obliquely from the portion toward the upper front side is provided. When the locking lock portion 13a having such a configuration is disposed at a position immediately above the engagement positioning portion Fa provided at the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium F, the engagement lock portion 13a is directed toward the inside of the engagement positioning portion Fa. The signal transmission medium F is held in a state where the signal transmission medium F is inserted by the engaging force of the locking lock portion 13a.

  Here, the state from the insertion to the engagement of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC, etc.) F will be specifically described. First, as shown in FIG. 10, the signal transmission is performed through the medium insertion port 11a of the insulating housing 11. When the medium F is inserted so as to be inserted into the medium insertion path of the insulating housing 11, the leading end edge of the signal transmission medium F on the insertion side of the locking lock portion 13 a provided on the lock member 13. The locking part 13a rides on the surface of the signal transmission medium F due to the upward component force generated in contact with the inclined guide side and generated on the inclined guide side. As a result, the movable beam portion 13b of the lock member 13 described above is elastically displaced so as to be pushed upward about the swing fulcrum in the vicinity of the connecting support column portion 13c as shown in FIG. Furthermore, when the terminal portion of the signal transmission medium F is pushed toward the rear side of the connector, the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F moves to a position directly below the locking lock portion 13a as shown in FIG. As described above, the locking portion 13a is swung so as to fall into the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F by the elastic restoring force of the movable beam portion 13b. As a result, the engagement lock portion 13a is hooked with the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F to be engaged, and the signal transmission medium F is held so as not to drop out to the front side of the connector.

  In this way, when the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is engaged (locked) by the lock member 13, the connector front side portion of the movable beam portion 13b including the locking lock portion 13a described above is It is elastically displaced so as to be pushed upward, but the elastic displacement upward of the movable beam portion 13b at that time causes the ceiling wall plate 11b of the insulating housing 11 forming the upper wall surface of the medium insertion path. It is allowed by the slit part formed in the. This slit portion is formed from an elongated hole portion that penetrates the ceiling wall plate 11b of the insulating housing 11, and the locking lock portion from the connecting column portion 13c in the upper portion of the movable beam portion 13b described above. It has a length that includes a portion up to 13a, and is formed from an elongated space portion having a gap slightly larger than the plate thickness of the movable beam portion 13b.

  As described above, when the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is inserted into the insulating housing 11, the locking portion 13a of the lock member 13 runs on the surface of the signal transmission medium F. When the movable beam portion 13b of the lock member 13 is elastically displaced so as to be pushed upward, the front side portion of the movable beam portion 13b that is elastically displaced upward is the inside of the slit portion as the lock confirmation means described above. Accordingly, the upper elastic displacement of the movable beam portion 13b is allowed, and the upper elastic displacement of the movable beam portion 13b is visually observed.

  Moreover, the stopper piece 13a1 is extended from the upper edge part of the locking lock part 13a mentioned above toward the inner side (connector center side) of a connector longitudinal direction so that a hook shape may be made. The hook-shaped stopper piece 13a1 is disposed so as to face the upper side of the support receiving portion 11g formed so as to be depressed in the upper surface portion of the insulating housing 11, and as described above, the locking lock portion 13a. Is engaged with the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F, the stopper piece 13a1 comes into contact with the support receiving portion 11g of the insulating housing 11 from the upper side, thereby the stopper. The downward movement position of the piece 13a1 is restricted to a fixed position.

  Thus, if the stopper piece 13a1 is provided in the locking lock portion 13a, the engagement position of the locking lock portion 13a with respect to the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is caused by the locking action of the stopper piece 13a1. Thus, the same state is always maintained with the upper surface of the insulating housing 11 as a reference. Even if the thickness of the signal transmission medium F varies or the type changes, the engagement lock portion 13a is engaged with the signal transmission medium F. The total amount is maintained constant, and the holding force of the signal transmission medium F can be stably obtained.

[Unlock mechanism]
On the other hand, as described above, the lock release portion 13a is engaged with the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F and the signal transmission medium F is held. Is performed, the latching lock portion 13a is swung upwardly against the elastic force of the movable beam portion 13b of the lock member 13, and the latching lock portion 13a is engaged with the signal transmission medium F. It is detached from the combined positioning portion Fa.

  In other words, the movable beam portion 13b of the lock member 13 described above is provided with a lock release pressing portion 13e at a portion opposite to the locking lock portion 13a, that is, a beam-like portion extending rearward from the connecting support column portion 13c. It has been. The unlocking pressing portion 13e is configured to swing in the opposite direction to the locking lock portion 13a described above, but from an end surface on the rear side of the connector in the insulating housing 11 (hereinafter simply referred to as a rear end surface) 11i. Furthermore, it is formed so as to protrude rearward outward. And when this lock release press part 13e is pushed down, the latching lock part 13a arrange | positioned at the front-end side of the movable beam part 13b is made to be pushed up.

  Corresponding to such an unlocking pressing portion 13e, a pair of lock operation cover portions 11h and 11h are provided at both end portions of the rear end portion of the insulating housing 11 in the connector longitudinal direction. Each of the lock operation cover portions 11h protrudes outward from the connector so as to be cantilevered from both end surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing 11 at a position directly above the lock release pressing portion 13e of the lock member 13 described above. It extends so as to be bent so as to form a substantially L-shaped plane toward the rear, and is arranged so as to overlap with the unlocking pressing portion 13e from above. Each of the lock operation cover portions 11h is formed of a relatively wide plate-like member, and the lock operation cover portion 11h made relatively wide has a lock release pressure having a narrow plate thickness. The upper edge of the part 13e is arranged from the upper side.

  An uneven slip prevention portion is formed on the upper surface of such a lock operation cover portion 11h, and the lock member described above is pushed down by the operator's fingertip or the like. Similarly, the lock release pressing portion 13e of 13 is pushed downward, and thereby the locking lock portion 13a provided on the opposite side of the movable beam portion 13b is pushed upward. As a result, the locking lock portion 13a that has been engaged with the engagement positioning portion Fa of the signal transmission medium F is disengaged upward from the engagement positioning portion Fa so that the signal transmission medium F becomes free and the front side It is made a state that can be removed.

  Thus, when the unlocking operation is performed on the lock member 13, as described above, the front side portion of the movable beam portion 13b including the locking lock portion 13a is elastically displaced so as to be pushed upward. However, the upper elastic displacement of the movable beam portion 13b at that time is allowed by the slit portion provided in the insulating housing 11 in the same manner as when the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is inserted. In addition, the upper protruding portion of the movable beam portion 13b protrudes upward through the slit portion, and the upper protruding portion of the movable beam portion 13b is visually observed from the outside, whereby the lock member 13 is seen. The displacement state of can be easily confirmed.

  Further, in the movable beam portion 13b of the lock member 13 in the present embodiment, a pull-out preventing portion 13f is integrally formed on the rear side portion of the above-described lock release pressing portion 13e. The pull-out preventing portion 13f is formed to have a stepped shape in the vertical direction that is the engagement / disengagement direction of the locking lock portion 13a described above, and is located on the rear side of the connector with respect to the rear end surface 11i of the insulating housing 11. It is made the arrangement | positioning relationship which faces so that it may adjoin from. Then, for example, the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is pulled in the removal direction (front direction of the connector) in a locked state, so-called forcible removal is performed, etc., so that the connector front side (left side in FIG. 11) When the force acting on the locking member 13 is applied, the entire locking member 13 tends to move to the front side of the connector, and the pull-out preventing portion 13f having the above-described step shape is formed on the rear end surface 11i of the insulating housing 11. On the other hand, the lock member 13 is abutted from the rear side of the connector, and the lock member 13 is held so as not to move further forward.

  At this time, the locking lock portion 13a provided on the lock member 13 and the pull-out preventing portion 13f are arranged to face each other in the connector front-rear direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the lock member 13.

  Further, an insertion guide portion 13f1 of the extraction preventing portion 13f is formed in a portion on the rear side of the connector from the above-described extraction preventing portion 13f, that is, a portion on the rear side in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F. An inclined side is formed. The inclined side of the insertion guide portion 13f1 is formed such that the height continuously decreases toward the rear side of the connector, and when the lock member 13 is attached to the insulating housing 11, the lock member 13 When the whole is inserted from the front side of the connector toward the rear side, the inclined side constituting the insertion guide portion 13f1 is formed so as to form an inclined surface on the ceiling wall plate 11b side of the insulating housing 11 as well. The receiving guide portion 11j is smoothly moved along the wall surface.

  According to this embodiment having such a pull-out preventing portion 13f, the signal is erroneously left while the lock engaging portion 13a is engaged with the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F without performing the unlocking operation. Even if the transmission medium F is pulled to the front side of the connector and the so-called forced extraction is performed by the operator, the pull-out preventing portion 13f provided on the lock member 13 is a part of the insulating housing 11 at the rear end surface. The lock member 13 is held stably in contact with 11i, and deformation and breakage of the lock member are prevented.

  Corresponding to the provision of the pull-out preventing portion 13f, the plate width dimension of the plate-like member constituting the connecting support post portion 13c extending from the fixed substrate 13d to the movable beam 13b is adjusted. As shown in FIG. 16, the plate width dimension W2 of the connection portion with the movable beam 13b is wider (W1 <W2) than the plate width dimension W1 of the connection portion with the fixed substrate 13d. Is formed. If the plate width of the connecting column 13c is formed in this way, the extraction force of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC or the like) F is transmitted from the pull-out preventing unit 13f to the fixed substrate 13d through the connecting column 13c. In addition, since the strength of the connecting portion with the movable beam 13b, which is a portion where a large amount of stress is applied in the connecting post 13c, is increased, the deformation of the locking member 13 and the like can be prevented more reliably, and the unlocking operation can be performed. It is possible to disperse the stress to the connection portion between the connection support portion and the movable beam, which is a portion where the stress increases when the operation is performed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the locking lock portion 13a provided on the lock member 13 and the pull-out preventing portion 13f are arranged so as to face each other in the connector front-rear direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the lock member 13. Therefore, the extraction force from the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F added to the locking lock portion 13a directly acts on the pull-out prevention portion 13f, and the lock member 13 against unreasonable removal Strength has been increased.

  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, the electrical connector according to the above-described embodiment is a so-called non-ZIF (NON-ZIF) type electrical connector in which a contact member is lightly contacted when a signal transmission medium is inserted. The present invention can be similarly applied to a so-called ZIF type electrical connector in which the contact member is arranged in a state of being separated from the signal transmission medium when the medium is inserted.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, 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 the case where a medium or the like 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. Is possible.

  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 Ceiling wall plate 11c Bottom wall plate 11d Guide side wall plate 11e Edge edge press plate 11e1 Reference | standard contact surface 11f Component attachment port 11g Support receiving part 11h Lock operation cover part 11i Rear end surface 11j Receiving Guide part 12 Conductive contact 12a Substrate connection part 12b Flexible arm part 12c Terminal contact convex part 13 Lock member 13a Locking lock part 13a1 Stopper piece 13b Movable beam part 13c Connecting column part 13d Fixed substrate 13d1 Pressing member 13d2 Contact convex part 13d3 Support piece part 13e Unlocking pressing part 13f Pull-out prevention part 13f1 Insertion guide part F Signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC, etc.)
Fa engagement positioning part P printed wiring board

Claims (4)

The signal transmission medium is inserted into or removed from the inside of the medium insertion passage formed in the insulating housing,
In the electrical connector configured to hold the signal transmission medium by engaging a locking lock portion provided in a lock member with respect to the signal transmission medium inserted into the medium insertion path,
The lock member is provided with a pull-out preventing portion having a stepped shape facing a part of the insulating housing in the removal direction of the signal transmission medium, and the pull-out prevention portion is arranged in the removal direction of the signal transmission medium. While being configured to lock the lock member ,
The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion is provided with a stopper piece that comes into contact with the surface of the insulating housing when the locking lock portion is engaged with the signal transmission medium .   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking lock portion and the pull-out prevention portion provided on the lock member are arranged to face each other in the longitudinal direction of the lock member. The lock member includes a fixed substrate attached to the insulating housing, and a movable beam integrally connected to the fixed substrate via a connection support column.
The movable beam is integrally provided with the locking lock part and the pull-out preventing part,
The connecting column part is formed from a plate-like member extending from the fixed substrate to the movable beam,
The plate width dimension of the plate-like member constituting the connecting column is formed so that the connecting portion with the movable beam is wider than the connecting portion with the fixed substrate. Item 1. The electrical connector according to Item 1.   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the pull-out preventing portion is provided with an insertion guide portion having an inclined side at a front side portion in the insertion direction of the lock member with respect to the insulating housing.

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