JP6780352B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electric connector configured to bring the conductive contact member into contact with a plate-shaped signal transmission medium by causing an elastic displacement of the conductive contact member by rotation of an actuator cam.

Generally, in various electric devices and the like, various electric devices are used as a means for electrically connecting various plate-shaped signal transmission media such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC) and a flexible flat cable (FFC). Connector is widely used. For example, in an electric connector mounted and used on a printed wiring board as in the following patent documents, a plate-shaped signal transmission medium made of the above-mentioned FPC, FFC, or the like is passed through an opening of an insulating housing (insulator). An actuator (connector) that is inserted inside the medium insertion passage and at that point the operation body is in the "standby position (open position)" raised upward and the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is in the open state (unlocked state). The operating means) is configured to be rotated so as to be pushed down toward the "acting position (closed position)" on the rear side of the electric connector by the operating force of the operator.

Then, when the actuator (connecting operating means) is rotated to the "acting position (closed position)", the cam portion (actuator cam) provided on the actuator becomes a conductive (for example, made of metal) contact member. The contact portion (contact portion) provided on the conductive contact member abuts on the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) in the medium insertion passage, thereby transmitting the plate-shaped signal. The medium is pinched by the conductive contact to be in a fixed state (locked state). On the other hand, when the actuator in the "acting position (closed position)" is rotated toward the original "standby position (open position)", the contact portion (contact portion) of the conductive contact member is pinched. The plate-shaped signal transmission medium can be removed by releasing the force and returning it to the "standby position (open position)".

On the other hand, inside the insulating housing (insulator), a plurality of conductive contact members are arranged so as to form a multipolar shape, but in general, the contact portions formed on each of the conductive contact members are formed. When a plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) is inserted into the medium insertion passage, that is, when the actuator (connection operating means) is in the "standby position (open position)", it protrudes into the medium insertion passage. .. Then, from that state, the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted into the medium insertion passage while sliding in contact with the contact portion, and when the insertion is completed, the actuator is rotated to the "acting position (closed position)". The plate-shaped signal transmission medium is sandwiched by the conductive contacts to be fixed, and the contact portion (contact portion) of each conductive contact member is formed in the conductive path (electrode pattern) provided in the plate-shaped signal transmission medium. A signal circuit or a ground circuit is formed by abutting against each other.

However, as described above, in the conventional electric connector, the conductive contact member is provided to the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) from the time when the actuator (connection operating means) is in the "standby position (open position)". Since they are in contact with each other, they are electrically conductive immediately after the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted. As a result, for example, even if the continuity inspection is performed in the open state (unlocked state) without rotating the actuator after inserting the plate-shaped signal transmission medium, the product is shipped as it is. It may be turned.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-54160

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric connector having a simple structure and capable of preventing unnecessary conduction when a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is used in a state of being mounted on a wiring board, and forms an insulating housing having a medium insertion passage into which a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted and the medium insertion passage. It is composed of a part of the surface of the insulating housing, and has a medium guide surface for guiding the plate-shaped signal transmission medium inserted inside the medium insertion passage and a groove-like recess from the medium guide surface. It is rotatably supported by a recessed contact accommodating portion, a conductive contact member partially arranged inside the contact accommodating portion, and a cam receiving portion provided in the conductive contact member, and stands by. The first beam and the second beam are provided with an actuator cam that is rotated between a position and an action position, and the conductive contact member is arranged so as to be in contact with the actuator cam, and the first beam. The cam receiving portion provided in either the first beam or the second beam is provided with a connecting beam that integrally connects the intermediate positions of the first beam and the second beam in the extending direction . The actuator cam, which is arranged in one region with the connecting beam as a boundary in the extending direction of the first beam or the second beam and is supported by the cam receiving portion, rotates from the standby position to the action position. As a result, the first beam and the second beam are displaced by elastic bending deformation , and the contact portions provided on the first beam and the second beam are formed on the medium along the medium guide surface. in the electrical connector was made to the structure in contact with the inserted the plate-shaped signal transmission medium insertion path, the region extending a hand of the first beam and the second beam from the cam receiving portion to the connecting beams Is provided with a displacement expansion portion in which the bending rigidity in the extending direction is set smaller than the portion where the cam receiving portion is provided, and the first beam when the actuator cam is in the standby position. The contact portion of the second beam is arranged so as to be submerged in the contact accommodating portion from the medium guide surface so as not to project into the medium insertion passage, and the actuator cam is rotated toward the action position. One of the contact portions of the first beam and the second beam when dynamically operated is a medium guide from the inside of the contact accommodating portion based on bending deformation of the displacement expansion portion due to the rotation operation of the actuator cam. A configuration that displaces toward a surface and comes into contact with the plate-shaped signal transmission medium arranged in the medium insertion passage. Has been adopted.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, when the actuator cam is in the standby position, the contact portion of the conductive contact member is maintained in a state of being submerged inside the contact accommodating portion and not protruding into the medium insertion passage. Therefore, the plate-shaped signal transmission medium inserted inside the medium insertion passage does not come into contact with the contact portion of the conductive contact member, and unnecessary conduction of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is prevented. On the other hand, in the state where the actuator cam is rotated to the action position, the contact portion of the conductive contact member comes into contact with the plate-shaped signal transmission medium due to the bending deformation of the displacement expansion portion, so that the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is good. Be pinched.

Further, the displacement extension of the present invention, can be provided on the entire or part of the region extending to the connecting beams a hand of the first beam and the second beam from the cam receiving portion is there.

Further, in the present invention, the first beam and the second beam extend in the extending direction with a predetermined plate width (dimension W) in the opposite direction of the first beam and the second beam. The displacement expansion portion is made of a metal plate-like member, and the plate width in the entire area or a part of the region from the cam receiving portion to the connecting beam is set to a portion where the cam receiving portion is provided. It can be set smaller than that.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the plate width (dimension W) of the displacement expansion portion is configured to decrease from the cam receiving portion toward the connecting beam, and the end of the displacement expansion portion. It is desirable that the edge is inclined with respect to the extending direction.

Similarly, in the present invention, the first beam and the second beam have a predetermined plate thickness (dimension T) in a direction orthogonal to the opposite direction of the first beam and the second beam. The displacement expansion portion is made of a metal plate-like member extending in the extending direction, and the plate thickness (dimension T) of the entire area or a part of the region from the cam receiving portion to the connecting beam is the same. It is desirable that the cam receiving portion is set smaller than the portion provided.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, the displacement expansion portion is smoothly bent and deformed during the rotation operation of the actuator cam, and the contact portion of the conductive contact member with respect to the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is stable. Contact.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the actuator cam contacts the insulated portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium inserted inside the medium insertion passage before reaching the working position, and the plate-shaped signal It is desirable that a holding means for holding the transmission medium is provided.

According to such a configuration, the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is held by the holding means from the time when the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted into the medium insertion passage until the actuator cam is rotated to the action position. Since the state is maintained, the rotation operation of the actuator cam is stably performed.

As described above, the electric connector according to the present invention is a displacement expansion portion in which the bending rigidity is set to be smaller in the region from the cam receiving portion of the conductive contact member to the connecting beam than in the portion where the cam receiving portion is provided. The conductive contact member is provided so that the contact portion of the conductive contact member when the actuator cam is in the standby position is submerged from the medium guide surface into the inside of the contact accommodating portion so as not to protrude into the medium insertion passage. The plate-shaped signal transmission medium can be inserted into the contact portion without contacting the contact portion to prevent unnecessary conduction, while when the actuator cam is rotated toward the action position, the plate is based on the bending deformation of the displacement expansion portion. Since the structure is adopted in which the contact portion is brought into contact with the signal transmission medium to hold the plate signal transmission medium in a fixed state, the plate signal transmission medium can be inserted with a simple configuration. It is possible to prevent unnecessary continuity when it is performed.

It represents a single unit of the electric connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is an external perspective showing the entire configuration in a state where the actuator is raised to the "standby position" which is the initial position from the front side upper side. It is explanatory drawing. It is a front explanatory view of the electric connector in the initial state shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing an enlarged cross section along the line III-III in FIG. 1 is an enlarged external perspective explanatory view showing a conductive contact member used in the electric connector shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. It is a side explanatory view showing the conductive contact member shown in FIG. It is an external perspective explanatory view showing the state which the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is brought close to the electric connector shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. It is sectional drawing which corresponds to FIG. 3 in the state shown in FIG. It is external perspective explanatory view which showed the state which the plate-shaped signal transmission medium was inserted into the electric connector shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. It is sectional drawing which corresponds to FIG. 3 in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an external perspective explanatory view showing a state in which the actuator is rotated to the “acting position” from the state in which the plate-shaped signal transmission medium of FIG. 8 is inserted. It is sectional drawing which corresponds to FIG. 3 in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged external perspective explanatory view showing an enlarged conductive contact member used in the electric connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 7 showing a state in which a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is to be inserted into an electric connector according to a second embodiment provided with the conductive contact member shown in FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 9 showing a state in which a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted from the state shown in FIG. 13. 11 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 11 showing a state in which the actuator is rotated to the “action position” from the state shown in FIG. It is an external perspective explanatory view which showed the conductive contact member used for the electric connector which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. A front explanatory view showing an initial state in which the actuator is in the standby position, showing the electric connector according to the third embodiment in which the electric connector according to the first embodiment is provided with a lock member as a holding means. Is. It is sectional drawing which enlarged and represented the cross section along the XVIII-XVIII line in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 18 showing a state in which a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is brought close to the electric connector in the initial state shown in FIGS. 17 and 18. 17 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 18 showing a state in which a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted into the electric connector in the initial state shown in FIGS. 17 to 19.

In the following, the electrical connector used by mounting on a printed wiring board to connect a plate-shaped signal transmission medium consisting of a flexible printed circuit (FPC), flexible flat cable (FFC), etc. On the other hand, an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Overall structure of electrical connector]
That is, the electric connector 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a rear end portion (a rear end portion of the insulating housing 11 opposite to the side on which the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted. An electric connector having a so-called backflip type structure in which an actuator 12 as a connection operating means is attached to the right side portion of FIG. 3, and the actuator (connection operating means) 12 described above is described in FIGS. 1 to 3. From the initial state shown in FIG. 10, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is pushed down toward the rear side (right side in FIG. 3) in the insertion direction. It is configured to be rotated in the direction of rotation.

The insulating housing 11 is formed of a hollow frame-shaped insulating member extending in an elongated shape, and the longitudinal direction (arrangement direction of the conductive contact members described later) in the insulating housing 11 is described below as "connector". The terminal portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F, which is referred to as "longitudinal direction", is inserted from "front of the connector" toward "rear of the connector", and the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is inserted. The direction will be referred to as the "medium insertion direction". Further, the terminal portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F shall be removed from the "rear of the connector" toward the "front of the connector", and the removal direction of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F shall be referred to as a "medium removal direction". And. Further, the electric connector 10 according to the present embodiment is mounted and used on the surface of a printed wiring board (not shown), but the extending direction of the mounting surface on the printed wiring board is set to the “horizontal direction”. The direction away from the mounting surface of the printed wiring board is defined as "upward", and the direction approaching the mounting surface of the printed wiring board is defined as "downward".

The electric connector 10 according to the present embodiment has a symmetrical structure in the "longitudinal direction of the connector", but the same constituent members having a symmetrical arrangement are designated by the same reference numerals. The components on one side will be described.

Inside the insulating housing 11 described above, a hollow medium insertion passage 11a into which a plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is inserted is formed with an upper wall surface and a lower side wall surface (bottom wall surface) of the insulating housing 11. It is provided between. An insertion opening into which the terminal portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is inserted is in the "connector longitudinal direction" at the end portion (hereinafter, referred to as "connector front end portion") on the "connector front" side in the medium insertion passage 11a. The entire medium insertion passage 11a is formed so that the elongated insertion opening extends toward the "rear side of the connector". There is.

Both the upper and lower surfaces of the insulating housing 11 forming the upper wall surface and the lower side wall surface (bottom wall surface) of the medium insertion passage 11a are media guides that come into contact with the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F. The plate-shaped signal transmission medium F, which is formed on each of the surfaces 11b and is inserted into the medium insertion passage 11a as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, slides along the medium guide surfaces 11b and 11b. It is configured to be guided as much as possible.

A plurality of contact accommodating portions 11c, 11c, ... Along the "connector longitudinal direction" are provided on both medium guide surfaces 11b, 11b composed of the upper and lower surfaces of the insulating housing 11 at predetermined intervals. It is recessed in a parallel state. Each of the contact accommodating portions 11c is formed in a state of being recessed in a concave groove shape from the above-mentioned upper and lower media guide surfaces 11b, and each of the concave groove-shaped contact accommodating portions 11c is "connector front-rear direction". It is provided so as to extend along the line. Then, a part of the conductive contact member 13 formed of a thin metal plate-shaped member having an appropriate shape inside the concave groove shape constituting each of the contact accommodating portions 11c, more specifically. Is mounted in a state in which the first beam (upper beam) 13a and the second beam (lower beam) 13b, which will be described later, extend in the "connector front-rear direction".

The conductive contact members 13 mounted inside each of the contact accommodating portions 11c described above are arranged in a plurality of bodies so as to form a multipolar shape at appropriate intervals along the "longitudinal direction of the connector". Each of these conductive contact members 13 is configured to be used for either signal transmission or ground connection, with respect to a conductive path (electrode pattern) formed on a printed wiring board (not shown). It is put into a mounted state by being soldered. The detailed structure of each of the conductive contact members 13 will be described in detail later.

Here, as described above, the actuator 12 as a connection operating means is attached to the portion of the insulating housing 11 closer to the “rear side of the connector” (the portion on the right side in FIG. 3). As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the initial "standby position" is a state in which the operation main body portion 12b is raised so as to be located upward. Then, in the initial state in which the actuator 12 is rotated to the "standby position" in which the operation body portion 12b stands up, the flexible printed opening is provided at the front end portion of the insulating housing 11. The terminal portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F made of a circuit (FPC), a flexible flat cable (FFC), or the like is inserted so as to be inserted toward the inside of the medium insertion passage 11a of the above-mentioned insulating housing 11. ..

When the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is inserted in this way, the medium guide surface 11b forming the lower wall surface (bottom wall surface) and the upper wall surface of the medium insertion passage 11a described above, The plate-shaped signal transmission medium F slides along 11b and moves to the “rear side of the connector”. Further, when the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is removed, the plate-shaped signal transmission is similarly performed along the medium guide surfaces 11b and 11b forming the lower side wall surface (bottom wall surface) and the upper wall surface of the medium insertion passage 11a. The medium F is configured to move to the "front side of the connector" while sliding.

On the other hand, the rear end edge portion (right end edge portion in FIG. 3) of the above-mentioned insulating housing 11 is provided with a component mounting port for mounting the actuator 12, the conductive contact member 13, and the like inside the insulating housing 11. There is. Each conductive contact member 13 mounted inside the insulating housing 11 through the component mounting port on the rear end side of the connector slides the contact accommodating portion 11c provided in the medium insertion passage 11a toward the “connector front side”. It is inserted in this way and is fixed at a predetermined position.

Here, as described above, the conductive contact members 13 are mounted over a plurality of bodies so as to form a multi-pole arrangement in the "connector longitudinal direction", and each of the conductive contact members 13 is a medium insertion passage. The plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F inserted inside the 11a is arranged at a position corresponding to the conductive path (electrode pattern) of the F. The conductive path (electrode pattern) Fa (see FIG. 6) formed on the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F has a signal transmission conductive path (signal line pad) or a shield conductive path (shielded wire pad) at an appropriate pitch interval. It is configured as arranged in.

[About conductive contact members]
Next, the specific structure of the conductive contact member 13 described above will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of the conductive contact members 13 is in the direction of inserting / removing the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F (left-right direction in FIG. 3). It has a first beam (upper beam) 13a and a second beam (lower beam) 13b, each of which is composed of a pair of elongated metal plate-shaped members extending substantially in parallel along the "connector front-rear direction". As described above, the first beam 13a and the second beam 13b are housed in a state extending substantially horizontally inside each contact housing portion 11c of the insulating housing 11, and are a medium composed of a hollow space. They are arranged so as to face each other with an appropriate interval in the "vertical direction" across the insertion passage 11a.

The intermediate positions of the first beam (upper beam) 13a and the second beam (lower beam) 13b in the extending direction (horizontal direction) are integrated via a connecting beam 13c made of a narrow metal plate-like member. Are connected. Then, due to the flexibility of the connecting beam 13c and both the first and second beams 13a and 13b, both the first and second beams 13a and 13b are elastic so as to swing through the connecting beam 13c. It is configured to be displaced. A detailed explanation of the elastic displacement will be described later, but the swings of the first beam (upper beam) 13a and the second beam (lower beam) 13b occur in the vertical direction in the paper surface of FIG. Will be.

Further, on the front end side portion (left end side portion in FIG. 3) of the first beam (upper beam) 13a extending in the "connector front-rear direction" along the contact accommodating portion 11c arranged on the upper side of the insulating housing 11. , A contact portion connected to any of the transmission patterns (wiring land portions for signal transmission or shielding) Fa (see FIG. 6) formed on the upper surface side of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F. The upper terminal contact convex portion 13a1 is provided so as to form a protruding shape downward in the drawing. Similarly, a plate is formed on the front end side portion (left end side portion in FIG. 3) of the second beam (lower beam) 13b extending in the "connector front-rear direction" along the contact accommodating portion 11c on the lower side of the insulating housing 11. Lower terminal contact convex portion as a contact portion connected to any of the transmission patterns (wiring land portions for signal transmission or shield) Fa formed on the lower surface side of the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F in the drawing. 13b1 is provided so as to form an upward protruding shape in the drawing.

The actuator 12 of the first beam (upper beam) 13a and the second beam (lower beam) 13b including the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13b1 is ". In the initial state in the "standby position", it is arranged in a state of being submerged inside both the upper and lower contact accommodating portions 11c and 11c described above, and is arranged in a state of not protruding into the hollow medium insertion passage 11a. That is, when the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is inserted into the medium insertion passage 11a, the upper and lower plate-shaped signal transmission media F are placed on the upper and lower edges of both the upper and lower media guide surfaces 11b and 11b. While the respective surfaces of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F are moved while being in contact with each other, the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F are the first beam 13a and the second beam including the upper terminal contact convex portion 13a1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion 13b1. The structure is such that the entire 13b is maintained in a non-contact state.

Then, when the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is inserted into the medium insertion passage 11a in a non-contact state with respect to the conductive contact member 13 as described above (see FIGS. 8 and 9). ), And then the actuator (connection operating means) 12 is rotated from the "standby position" to the "acting position" (see FIGS. 10 and 11). As a result, the first beam (upper beam) 13a and the second beam (lower beam) 13b of the conductive contact member 13 have the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13b1. The plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is brought into contact with the surfaces on both the upper and lower sides so as to be sandwiched from both sides, and the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is sandwiched. The pinching operation of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F will be described in detail later.

In the present embodiment, the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 of the first beam (upper beam) 13a and the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) of the second beam (lower beam) 13b in the conductive contact member 13 Part) 13b1 is arranged so as to directly face each other in the vertical direction, but the relative positions of the two are set to the front side of the connector (left side in FIG. 3) or the rear side of the connector (right side in FIG. 3). It is also possible to arrange them in a staggered manner.

At this time, the rear end side portion (right end side portion in FIG. 3) of the second beam (lower beam) 13b described above is a substrate solder-connected to the wiring land portion (conductive path) formed on the printed wiring board. A connecting portion 13b2 is provided. The board connection portion 13b2 is placed in a state of being aligned from above with respect to the wiring land portion (conductive path) on the printed wiring board, and is electrically operated by, for example, a batch joining operation using a solder material. The connection is made.

Further, a cam acting portion 13a2 which is relatively flat and extends at the lower edge portion of the rear end side portion (right end side portion in FIG. 3) of the first beam (upper beam) 13a is provided. A cam receiving portion 13b3 formed so as to form a concave upper end edge is provided on the rear end side portion of the second beam (lower beam) 13b facing the cam acting portion 13a2. Then, the actuator cam 12a provided on the actuator (connection operating means) 12 described above is arranged in a slidable contact state with respect to the cam receiving portion 13b3 of the second beam 13b, so that the entire actuator 12 is moved. , It is configured to be integrally rotated together with the actuator cam 12a.

A cam surface is formed on the outer periphery of the actuator cam 12a described above, and when the actuator 12 is in the "standby position", the cam surface formed on the actuator cam 12a in a curved shape is a cam of the first beam 13a. By abutting the acting portion 13a2 from the lower side, the rear end side portion (right end side portion in FIG. 3) of the first beam 13a is elastically displaced in the direction of being lifted upward.

On the other hand, the entire actuator (connection operating means) 12 described above is formed so as to extend in an elongated shape along the "longitudinal direction of the connector", and is arranged over a length substantially equal to the entire width of the insulating housing 11. Has been done. The actuator 12 is attached so as to be integrally rotated with the actuator cam 12a as described above, and the outer side portion (upper side portion in FIG. 3) in the radius of rotation is "connector longitudinal direction". The operation main body portion 12b is made of a plate-shaped member extending in an elongated shape. Then, by performing the operation on the operation main body portion 12b, the entire actuator 12 is in the "standby position" in which the actuator 12 is in an almost upright initial state as shown in FIGS. As described above, the connector is configured to be rotated between the "acting position" and the state in which the connector is tilted almost horizontally toward the rear side.

In the portion where the operation main body 12b of the actuator (connecting operation means) 12 is connected to the actuator cam 12a, a plurality of conductive contact members 13 for avoiding interference with the first beam (upper beam) 13a. The slit holes 12c are formed so as to form a comb-teeth shape in which they are arranged side by side at regular intervals along the "longitudinal direction of the connector". These slit holes 12c are formed so as to penetrate the operation main body portion 12b of the actuator 12 in the "standby position" in the "connector front-rear direction" at a position corresponding to the conductive contact member 13.

Then, the actuator (connection operating means) 12 rises upward from the "acting position" (see FIGS. 10 and 11) in a state of being tilted substantially horizontally (see FIGS. 1 to 3). ), The rear end portion of the first beam (upper beam) 13a constituting the conductive contact member 13 is inserted into the slit hole 12c described above. At this time, the first beam 13a is inserted from the front side, which is the front side of the operating body portion 12b of the actuator 12, and the rear end portion of the first beam 13a penetrating the slit hole 12c is the operating body of the actuator 12. It is in a state of protruding outward (rearward) from the back surface of the portion 12b.

On the other hand, the operation main body 12b of the actuator (connection operating means) 12 is rotated so as to be pushed down from the "standby position" (see FIGS. 1 to 3) toward the "acting position" (see FIGS. 10 and 11). When the dynamic operation is performed, the actuator cam 12a rotates between the first beam (upper beam) 13a and the second beam (lower beam) 13b of the conductive contact member 13 described above, so that the first beam The cam acting portion 13a2 provided on the rear end side of 13a is elastically displaced so as to be lifted upward by the cam surface. Along with this, the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 provided on the opposite side (connector front end side) of the first beam 13a to the cam acting portion 13a2 is pushed downward, and a plate-shaped signal is transmitted. It abuts on the upper surface of the medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F.

In this way, from the state where the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 of the first beam (upper beam) 13a is in contact with the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F, the actuator (connection operating means) 12 When the operation main body portion 12b of the above is rotated in the same direction, the portion of the second beam (lower beam) 13b on the front end side of the cam receiving portion 13b3 begins to be displaced upward, and the second beam 13a The lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13b1 is lifted upward and comes into contact with the lower surface of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F. This point constitutes a main part of the present invention, and will be described in detail later.

Then, when the actuator (connection operating means) 12 has completely rotated to the "acting position" which is the final rotation position (see FIGS. 10 and 11), the first beam (upper beam) of the conductive contact member 13 described above is used. ) The upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 provided on the 13a and the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13b1 of the second beam (lower beam) 13b form a plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.). A plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is sandwiched between the upper terminal contact convex portion 13a1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion 13b1 of the conductive contact member 13 in contact with both the upper and lower surfaces of the F, and the plate shape thereof. The upper terminal contact convex portion 13a1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion 13b1 of the conductive contact member 13 are pressed against the wiring land portion (wiring land portion for signal transmission and shield) Fa of the signal transmission medium F. It is configured to be electrically connected.

On the other hand, on the outer side of the conductive contact members 13 arranged on both side portions in the "longitudinal direction of the connector", lock members 15 and 15 made of elongated plate-shaped metal members are attached to the insulating housing 11. .. These lock members 15 and 15 are arranged so as to extend substantially parallel to the conductive contact member 13 described above, and are a plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC) immediately after being inserted into the medium insertion passage 11a. Alternatively, the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is held in a state where the two lock members 15 and 15 are brought into contact with the F (FFC, etc.) F. That is, these lock members 15 and 15 have a configuration as a holding means for maintaining the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F in the holding state at the stage until the actuator cam 12a reaches the "acting position" as described above. ing. (See FIGS. 17 to 20)

As described above, when the actuator (connection operating means) 12 is fully rotated to the "acting position" (see FIGS. 10 and 11), the back side of the operating portion of the operating body portion 12b of the actuator 12 is the printed wiring board. The back surface (lower surface) of the operation unit of the actuator 12 in this case is arranged so as to form a lower surface extending substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the printed wiring board. The arrangement is such that they face each other.

[About the second beam (lower beam) of the conductive contact member]
Here, as described above, the second beam (lower beam) 13b of the conductive contact member 13 is provided with a cam receiving portion 13b3 in a concave shape at a portion "on the rear side of the connector". A displacement expansion portion 13b4 in which the plate width (vertical dimension W) of the second beam 13c1 is reduced as compared with other portions is provided in the entire region from the receiving portion 13b3 to the connecting beam 13c. Has been done. That is, the displacement expansion portion 13b4 extending with a relatively small plate width has a bending rigidity in the extending direction (substantially horizontal direction) of the second beam 13c1 so that the cam receiving portion 13b3 described above is provided. It is set small compared to the rigidity of.

More specifically, the plate width (vertical dimension W) of the displacement expansion portion 13b4 described above decreases from the plate width of the portion where the cam receiving portion 13b3 is provided toward the connecting beam 13c. The upper end edge of the displacement expansion portion 13b4 is an inclined side that continuously descends toward the "connector front side" (left side in FIG. 3) with respect to the lower end edge thereof. Then, when a bending stress based on the above-mentioned rotational operation of the actuator cam 12a is applied to the conductive contact member 13 having such a displacement expansion portion 13b4, first, the entire conductive contact member 13 is entirely formed. The first beam (upper beam) 13a is elastically displaced, and then the displacement expanding portion 13b4 is bent and deformed.

To explain this point concretely, first, when the actuator cam 12a is in the “standby position” as described above (see FIGS. 1 to 3), the first beam (upper beam) 13a of the conductive contact member 13 and The upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13b1 provided on the second beam (lower beam) 13b are submerged from the medium guide surface 11b into the contact accommodating portion 11c. It is arranged so as not to protrude toward the medium insertion passage 11a. Therefore, the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is smoothly inserted into the medium insertion passage 11a in a non-contact state with the conductive contact member 13.

After the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is inserted into the medium insertion passage 11a in this way, when the actuator cam 12a is rotated toward the "acting position", it is first conductive. The first beam (upper beam) 13a of the contact member 13 is elastically displaced like a seesaw, whereby the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 comes into contact with the upper surface of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F. When the actuator cam 12a is further rotated from the state where the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 of the first beam 13a is in contact with the upper surface of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F, the second beam 13a is second. Bending stress is applied so that the portion of the beam (lower beam) 13b on the front side of the cam receiving portion 13b3 is lifted upward.

Then, when bending stress is applied so that the second beam (lower beam) 13b is lifted upward as described above, the displacement expansion portion 13b4 whose rigidity is set to be smaller than that of the second beam 13b. In addition, a larger bending deformation in the upward warp direction occurs as compared with other parts. Then, by bending and deforming the displacement expansion portion 13b4 in this way, the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13b1 of the second beam 13a is lifted upward, thereby causing a plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC). Etc.) The lower terminal contact convex portion 13b1 comes into contact with the lower surface of F.

As a result, the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 provided on the first beam (upper beam) 13a of the conductive contact member 13 and the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) of the second beam (lower beam) 13b. ) The wiring land portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F (FPC, FFC, etc.) F sandwiched between the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F and fixed inside the medium insertion passage 11a. The upper terminal contact convex portion 13a1 of the conductive contact member 13 is brought into contact with the Fa (wiring land portion for signal transmission and shield), and an electrical connection is made. When the wiring land portion Fa is arranged on the lower surface side of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F, the lower terminal contact convex portion 13b1 is brought into contact with the wiring land portion Fa to make an electrical connection.

According to the present embodiment having such a configuration, when the actuator cam 12a provided on the actuator 12 is in the “standby position” (see FIGS. 1 to 3), the conductive contact member 13 is above the conductive contact member 13. Since the terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13b1 are arranged so as to be submerged inside the contact accommodating portion 11c and not protrude into the medium insertion passage 11a, the medium insertion passage is provided. The plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F inserted inside the 11a does not come into contact with the upper terminal contact convex portion 13a1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion 13b1 of the conductive contact member 13, and the plate-shaped signal is transmitted. Unnecessary conduction of the transmission medium F is prevented.

On the other hand, after the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is inserted into the medium insertion passage 11a, the actuator cam 12a is rotated to the "acting position" (see FIGS. 10 and 11). Therefore, the displacement expansion portion 13b4 having a small rigidity causes a larger bending deformation in the upward warp direction than the other portions, so that the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13b1 of the conductive contact member 13 has a plate shape. The plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is satisfactorily sandwiched by contacting the lower surface of the signal transmission medium F and the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 contacting the upper surface of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F. ..

In particular, in the present embodiment, the plate width (vertical dimension W) of the displacement expanding portion 13b4 provided on the conductive contact member 13 decreases from the cam receiving portion 13b3 toward the connecting beam 13c. The displacement expansion portion 13b4 is smoothly bent and deformed, and the upper terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1 and the lower terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13b1 of the conductive contact member 13 form a plate-shaped signal transmission medium F. Stable contact with.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment according to FIGS. 12 to 15, which is represented by changing the tens digit "1" of the code attached to each member according to the first embodiment described above to "2", the conductivity In the second beam (lower beam) 23b of the sex contact member 23, the lower end edge of the displacement expansion portion 23b4 partially provided in the region from the cam receiving portion 23b3 to the connecting beam 23c is lifted from the bottom surface of the insulating housing 21. In this way, it has a shape that is separated upward. The plate width (vertical dimension) of the displacement expansion portion 23b4 is smaller than that of other portions by the amount that the lower end edge of the displacement expansion portion 23b4 is separated upward from the bottom surface of the insulating housing 21. It is set. Also in such a second embodiment, the same actions and effects as those in the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

Further, in the third embodiment according to FIG. 16, in which the tens digit "1" of the code attached to each member according to the first embodiment described above is changed to "3", a predetermined plate is used. In the conductive contact member 33 made of a metal plate-like member having a thickness and extending, a displacement expansion portion 33b4 is provided by reducing the plate thickness. More specifically, the displacement expansion portion 33b4 in the present embodiment has the thickness of the conductive contact member 33, that is, in the vertical direction in which the first beam (upper beam) 33a and the second beam (lower beam) 33b face each other. The dimension T in the orthogonal direction (multipolar arrangement direction) is configured to decrease from the portion where the cam receiving portion 33b3 is provided toward the connecting beam 33c.

Even in the conductive contact member 33 having the displacement expansion portion 33b4 with the plate thickness (dimension T) reduced, the cam receiving portion 33b3 is provided with the rigidity of the displacement expansion portion 33b4 with respect to the bending stress from the actuator cam. Since it is reduced from the site, it is possible to obtain the same action / effect as in each of the above-described embodiments.

Here, for each of the first and second embodiments described above, the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F is inserted at the stage until the actuator cams 12a and 22a reach the "acting position". It is possible to additionally arrange a "holding means" for maintaining the state. For example, the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 17 to 20 is attached to the electric connector 10 according to the first embodiment described above. A lock member 15 as a "holding means" is additionally provided.

Explaining a specific configuration, first, as shown in FIG. 17, of the plurality of conductive contact members 13 arranged in a multipolar arrangement, the conductive contacts arranged on both side portions of the multipolar arrangement. On the outer side of the members 13 and 13 in the "longitudinal direction of the connector", the lock members 15 and 15 made of an elongated metal plate-shaped member are arranged so as to extend substantially parallel to the conductive contact member 13. ing. The basic configuration of each of these lock members 15 is the same as that of the conductive contact member 13, and a member having the same configuration as the conductive contact member 13 is provided to the conductive contact member 13. The description will be omitted by replacing the reference numeral "13" with "15", and the description of the parts having different configurations will be mainly described below. The lock member 15 is not provided with a configuration corresponding to the "displacement expansion portion" of the conductive contact member 13.

That is, as shown in FIG. 18, a plate-shaped signal transmission medium (a plate-shaped signal transmission medium) is formed between the first beam (upper beam) 15a and the second beam (lower beam) 15b constituting each lock member 15. The medium insertion passage 11a into which the F is inserted (FPC, FFC, etc.) is formed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, but the second beam (lower beam) 15b constituting the lower surface side of the medium insertion passage 11a. The upper end edge has substantially the same height as the media guide surface 11b on the lower side. The upper end edge of the second beam (lower beam) 15b is flattened and extends in the "connector front-rear direction", and the lower terminal contact convex portion (lower terminal contact convex portion) of the conductive contact member 13 in the first embodiment described above. The contact portion) 13b1 is not provided with a portion protruding inside the medium insertion passage 11a. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the lower surface of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F inserted inside the medium insertion passage 11a is the second beam (lower beam) 15b of the lock member 15. It is configured so that the insertion movement is performed while contacting the upper edge of the.

On the other hand, on the front end side portion (left end side portion in FIG. 18) of the first beam (upper beam) 15a constituting each lock member 15, a locking convex portion 15a1 having a downward protruding shape is provided. It is provided. The locking convex portion 15a1 is arranged in a state of protruding downward from the medium guide surface 11b on the upper side toward the inside of the medium insertion passage 11a in the initial state in which the actuator 12 is in the “standby position”. Then, when the insertion-side tip of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F inserted inside the medium insertion passage 11a comes into contact with the locking convex portion 15a1 of the lock member 15, the lock member 15 The locking convex portion 15a1 rides on the surface on the upper side of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F, and at that time, the first beam (upper beam) 15a of the locking member 15 is elastically deformed.

In this way, the insertion and movement of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is continued in a state where the locking convex portion 15a1 of the lock member 15 is in contact with the upper surface of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F. However, notch recesses Fb (see FIGS. 19 and 20) are provided on both side portions of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F in the plate width direction (connector longitudinal direction). Then, when each of those notch recesses Fb reaches the arrangement position of the locking convex portion 15a1 of the lock member 15 described above, the locking convex portion 15a1 of the lock member 15 is placed inside the notch recess Fb. It is in a mated state so as to be depressed (see FIG. 20). As a result, the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is maintained in a state in which it is not unintentionally removed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, both lock members 15 and 15 arranged on both side portions in the "connector longitudinal direction" are inserted into the medium insertion passage 11a by the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.) F. The plate-shaped signal transmission medium F is stably held by the contact state immediately after the signal transmission medium F is formed. That is, the lock member 15 is configured as a holding means for maintaining the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F in the holding state until the actuator cam 12a is rotated to the "acting position" to reach the final holding state. Therefore, the rotation operation of the actuator cam 12a is stably performed.

The lock member as the holding means described above is a plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) inserted into the medium insertion passage 11a when the actuator 12 is in the open initial state (see FIGS. 17 to 19). Etc.) Other configurations are possible as long as F can be retained. For example, in both the upper and lower beams 15a and 15b, the distance between the opposite edge portions is set to be smaller than the thickness of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F, and the plate-shaped signal is transmitted between the two beams 15a and 15b. A configuration in which the medium F is sandwiched can also be adopted.

In this case, a locking convex portion may be provided at the end edge portion of the lower beam 15b, or the plate-shaped signal transmission medium F may not be provided with a notch concave portion.

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

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the displacement expansion portion provided on the conductive contact member is provided in the entire region from the cam receiving portion of the second beam (lower beam) to the connecting beam, but is partially provided. It can also be provided in the area of.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) and a flexible flat cable (FFC) are adopted as the plate-shaped signal transmission medium fixed to the electric connector, but other The present invention can be similarly applied to the case where a signal transmission medium or the like is used.

Further, the electric connector according to the above-described embodiment adopts a configuration in which conductive contact members having the same shape are arranged in a multipolar shape, but the conductive contact members having different shapes are used. However, the present invention can be applied in the same manner.

Furthermore, in the present invention, not only the horizontally inserted type electric connector as in the above-described embodiment, that is, the type of electric connector in which the signal transmission medium is inserted substantially parallel to the wiring board, but also the signal transmission medium is wired. The same can be applied to a vertically inserted type electric connector that is inserted substantially perpendicular to the substrate.

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

10 Electrical connector 11 Insulated housing 11a Media insertion passage 11b Media guide surface 11c Contact accommodating part 12 Actuator (connection operating means)
12a Actuator cam 12b Operation body 12c Slit hole 13 Conductive contact member 13a First beam (upper beam)
13a1 Upper terminal contact convex part (contact part)
13a2 Cam working part 13b 2nd beam (lower beam)
13b1 Lower terminal contact convex part (contact part)
13b2 Board connection part 13b3 Cam receiving part 13b4 Displacement expansion part 13c Connecting beam 14 Holding bracket 15 Lock member (holding means)
15a 1st beam (upper beam)
15a1 Locking convex part 15a2 Cam acting part 15b Second beam (lower beam)
15b2 Board connection part 15b3 Cam receiving part F Plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC, etc.)
Fa Conductive path (electrode pattern)
Fb Notch recess 23,33 Conductive contact member 23a, 33a First beam (upper beam)
23a1, 33a1 Upper terminal contact convex part (contact part)
23a2, 33a2 Cam acting part 23b, 33b 2nd beam (lower beam)
23b1, 33b1 Lower terminal contact convex part (contact part)
23b2, 33b2 Board connection part 23b3, 33b3 Cam receiving part 23b4, 33b4 Displacement expansion part

Claims (7)

It is used in the state of being mounted on the wiring board.
An insulating housing having a medium insertion passage into which a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted,
A medium guide surface formed of a part of the surface of the insulating housing forming the medium insertion passage and guiding the plate-shaped signal transmission medium inserted inside the medium insertion passage, and a medium guide surface.
A contact accommodating portion recessed in a groove shape from the medium guide surface,
A conductive contact member partially arranged inside the contact accommodating portion, and
An actuator cam that is rotatably supported by a cam receiving portion provided on the conductive contact member and is rotatably operated between a standby position and an action position is provided.
A connecting beam that integrally connects the first beam and the second beam, which are arranged so that the conductive contact member is in contact with the actuator cam, and the intermediate positions of the first beam and the second beam in the extending direction. And have
The cam receiving portion provided in either the first beam or the second beam is arranged in one region with the connecting beam as a boundary in the extending direction of the first beam or the second beam , and the cam receiving portion thereof. The actuator cam supported by the portion is rotated from the standby position to the action position to cause displacement of the first beam and the second beam due to elastic bending deformation , and the first beam. In an electric connector configured such that a contact portion provided on the second beam abuts on the plate-shaped signal transmission medium inserted into the medium insertion passage along the medium guide surface.
Wherein in a region extending to the first beam and the connecting beam from the cam receiving portion to a hand of the second beam, flexural rigidity in the extending direction, than the site where the cam receiving portion is provided A small displacement extension is provided,
The contact portions of the first beam and the second beam when the actuator cam is in the standby position are arranged so as to be submerged in the contact accommodating portion from the medium guide surface and not project into the medium insertion passage. And at the same time
One of the contact portions of the first beam and the second beam when the actuator cam is rotated toward the action position is based on the bending deformation of the displacement expansion portion due to the rotation operation of the actuator cam. An electric connector characterized in that it is displaced from the inside of the contact accommodating portion toward the medium guide surface and comes into contact with the plate-shaped signal transmission medium arranged in the medium insertion passage. The displacement extensions, the first beam and the electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the second provided a hand of the beam from the cam receiving part over the entire region extending in the connecting beam .. The displacement extensions, the first beam and electrical of claim 1, wherein the second provided from the cam receiving portion to a hand of a beam in a partial region extending in the connecting beam connector. The first beam and the second beam are made of a metal plate-like member having a predetermined plate width (dimension W) in the opposite direction of the first beam and the second beam and extending in the extending direction. It's a thing
In the displacement expansion portion, the plate width (dimension W) in the entire area or a part of the region from the cam receiving portion to the connecting beam is set smaller than the portion where the cam receiving portion is provided. The electric connector according to claim 1. The plate width (dimension W) of the displacement expansion portion is configured to decrease from the cam receiving portion toward the connecting beam.
The electric connector according to claim 4, wherein the end edge of the displacement expansion portion is inclined with respect to the extending direction. A metal plate in which the first beam and the second beam have a predetermined plate thickness (dimension T) in a direction orthogonal to the opposite direction of the first beam and the second beam and extend in the extending direction. It is made up of shaped members
In the displacement expansion portion, the plate thickness (dimension T) in the entire area or a part of the region from the cam receiving portion to the connecting beam is set smaller than that in the portion where the cam receiving portion is provided. The electric connector according to claim 1. A holding means for holding the plate-shaped signal transmission medium by contacting the insulating portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium inserted inside the medium insertion passage at a stage before the actuator cam reaches the action position. The electric connector according to claim 1, wherein the electric connector is provided.

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