JP6923851B2 - Relay connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a relay connector used for connecting a thin member such as an FPC or FFC and a connector having a different interface such as a harness connector.

Conventionally, a relay connector has been used for connecting a thin plate-shaped thin member such as an FPC or FFC to a connector such as a harness connector having a different connection target because the thin member and each connector cannot be directly fitted. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

This relay connector includes a housing having a thin member insertion port into which a thin plate-shaped thin member is inserted at one end, and a contact in contact with the thin member inserted into the thin member insertion port, and is formed in the housing. The connector connected to the connector connection portion is connected to the thin member via the contact.

Each contact is inserted from one end of the housing, and a thin member side contact portion formed at one end is arranged in the thin member insertion port to come into contact with the thin member, and a connector formed at the other end. The side contact part is arranged in the connector connection part so as to be connected to the connection connector.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-008978

However, in the conventional technique as described above, since each contact is inserted from one side of the housing, the thin member side contact portions and the connector side connection portions formed at both ends of the contact are arranged at substantially the same interval. Inevitably, there is a problem that the width of the entire relay connector depends on the width of the thin member, and the width of the entire relay connector increases according to the number of poles.

Therefore, the conventional relay connector has a problem that it is bulky and complicated to route in order to match a plurality of connectors corresponding to thin members such as FPC and FFC to a wide connector.

Therefore, in view of such conventional problems, the present invention has been made for the purpose of providing a relay connector capable of easily routing a plurality of connectors to a thin member such as an FPC or an FFC.

The feature of the invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned conventional problems is that a housing having a thin member insertion port into which a thin member is inserted and a thin member inserted into the thin member insertion port come into contact with each other. In a relay connector having a contact to be provided and a connector connected to a connector connecting portion formed in the housing to be connected to the thin member via the contact, the housing has the thin member insertion port. The thin member side housing member having the It is inserted from the joint surface side of the connector side housing member and the thin member side contact piece that is arranged in parallel at intervals, and is spaced perpendicular to the horizontal direction with respect to the connector connection part. The connector-side contact pieces arranged in a vertical row and each of the thin member-side contact pieces are parallel and diagonally upward to the joint end surface of the connection connector-side housen member, and parallel to the joint end surface of the connection connector-side housen member. It is provided with a plurality of units composed of a plurality of types of contacts, which extend diagonally downward and linearly, and include a connecting piece portion having a different shape for connecting the contact piece portion on the thin member side and the contact piece portion on the connector side. Each of the thin member-side contact pieces is arranged in parallel, and each of the connector-side contact pieces is arranged in a matrix. It is to be accommodated in between.

The feature of the invention according to claim 2 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, the connecting piece portion abuts on the joint end surface of the thin member side housing member and / or the connection connector side housing member to prevent breakage. It has a convex part.

The feature of the invention according to claim 3 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or 2, the connector side housing member includes a mounting member that engages with a panel body to which the thin member side housing member is fixed. To be there.

The feature of the invention according to claim 4 is that, in addition to the configuration of any one of claims 1 to 3, a plurality of types of front connector having different numbers of poles are appropriately combined.

The feature of the invention according to claim 5 is that, in addition to the configuration of any one of claims 1 to 4, the connector connection portion includes a fitting portion into which the connection connector is fitted and an inside of the fitting portion. It is provided with a pair of upper and lower guide ribs that project to guide the connection connector, and the upper and lower guide ribs have different widths from each other.

By providing the configuration according to claim 1, the relay connector according to the present invention can reduce the connector width on the side to which the connection connector such as the harness connector is connected, and can also reduce the connector width to the thin member such as FPC or FFC. , That is, so-called routing, can be easily performed.

Further, in the present invention, by providing the configuration according to claim 2, it is possible to prevent the contact from being damaged when the contact is inserted into the housing member.

Further, in the present invention, by providing the configuration according to claim 3, the panel can bear the reaction force when the connector is attached / detached, and the connector can be attached / detached suitably.

Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configuration according to claim 4, it is possible to appropriately select a combination of a plurality of connectors having different numbers of poles.

Further, in the present invention, by providing the configuration according to claim 5, it is possible to prevent erroneous connection of the connection connector.

It is a perspective view which shows the usage mode of the relay connector which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view seen from the back side of the same as above. It is a vertical sectional view of the same as above. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the housing in FIG. It is a figure which shows the thin member side housing member of the same above, (a) is a front view, (b) is the same rear view, (c) is the same vertical sectional view. It is a figure which shows the connector side housing member of the same above, (a) is a front view, (b) is the same rear view, (c) is the same plan view, (d) is the same vertical sectional view. It is a perspective view which shows the contact as above. The plan view of the contact as above, (b) is the same plan view, and (c) is the same side view. A front view showing an example of a connector in FIG. 1, (b) is a side view of the same, and (c) is a rear view of the same. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the variation mode of the connection connector of the same above.

Next, an embodiment of the relay connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 10.

The relay connector A includes a housing 2 having a thin member insertion port 211 into which the thin member 1 is inserted, and a plurality of contacts 3, 4, 5 that come into contact with the thin member 1 inserted into the thin member insertion port 211. The connection connector 6 connected to the connector connection portion 222 formed in the housing 2 is connected to the thin member 1 via the contacts 3, 4, and 5.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the relay connector A is fixed to the panel portion 7 by being inserted into the opening 71 of the panel portion 7 constituting the housing of the electronic device from the front side, and the panel portion 7 is fixed to the panel portion 7. The thin member 1 is connected from the front side via the front side, and the connection connector 6 is connected from the back side.

The thin member 1 is a flexible printed wiring board (hereinafter referred to as FPC) or a flexible flat cable (hereinafter referred to as FFC), and a plurality of terminal portions 11, 11 ... Are arranged in parallel at ends at intervals in the width direction. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 2 includes contacts 3, 4, and 5 between a thin member side housing member 21 having a thin member insertion port 211 and a connection connector side housing member 22 to which the connection connector 6 is connected. They are joined together in a state and integrated.

The thin member side housing member 21 is integrally formed of an insulating resin material, and has a rectangular parallelepiped main body 212, a convex portion 213 protruding from one end surface of the main body 212, and a flange protruding from the outer periphery of the main body 212. It is provided with a unit 214.

A concave fitting portion 215 opened at one end (rear end) is formed in the main body 212, and the connector side housing member 22 is fitted into the fitting portion 215, and the thin member side housing member 21 is fitted. And the connector side housing member 22 are integrated.

Further, the main body 212 has a plurality of contact insertion grooves 216, 216, ... They are arranged at intervals in the direction.

Further, on the joint end surface 215a on the back side of the fitting portion 215, ridge-shaped protrusions 217 and 217 for preventing breakage are integrally projected on the upper and lower edges of the contact insertion grooves 216, 216 ....

The thin member insertion port 211 is formed in the shape of a slit hole that opens in the front surface of the convex portion 213 and has a depth overlapping with the contact insertion grooves 216, 216 ..., And each contact insertion groove 216 and 216 arranged in parallel on the bottom surface side thereof. It communicates with 216 ...

The connection connector side housing member 22 is integrally formed of an insulating resin and is fitted into the fitting portion 215 of the thin member side housing member 21. The fitting portion 221 and the connector connection arranged on the rear end side of the fitting portion 221 are provided. It is provided with a unit 222.

The fitting portion 221 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that can be fitted into the fitting portion 215, and a plurality of contact insertion holes 223, 223 ... (Note that, in this embodiment, the matrix arrangement is 3 vertical and 5 horizontal).

Further, the engaging members 224 and 224 are integrally supported on the upper and lower end edges of the fitting portion 221, and the fitting portion 221 is fitted into the fitting portion 215 of the thin member side housing member 21 to fit the engaging members 224 and 224. The 224 engages with the housing joining engagement hole 218 formed in the fitting portion 215, so that the thin member side housing member 21 and the connection connector side housing member 22 are fixed.

The connector connection portion 222 is surrounded by a peripheral wall and is formed in a concave hole shape communicating with each contact insertion hole 223, 223 .... The connection connector 6 is fitted with the guide ribs 225a and 225b.

The upper and lower guide ribs 225a and 225b are formed in a ridge shape continuous in the insertion direction of the connection connector 6, and have different widths from each other.

Further, on both side surfaces of the connector connecting portion 222, cantilever spring-shaped mounting members 226 and 226 extending diagonally outward toward the thin member side housing member 21 side are supported.

When the relay connector A is inserted into the opening 71 of the panel portion, the mounting members 226, 226 elastically return after passing through the opening 71 while bending, and the tip portion thereof becomes the back opening edge portion of the opening portion 71. It engages and sandwiches the panel portion 7 with the flange portion 214.

The contacts 3, 4, and 5 are formed by punching and bending a conductive metal material, are inserted from the joint surface side of the thin member side housing member 21, and are spaced horizontally from each other into the thin member insertion port 211. The connector-side contact piece 31 that is inserted from the joint surface side of the thin member-side contact piece 31 and the connector-side housing member 22 that are placed separately, and is arranged at intervals in the matrix direction with respect to the connector connection 222. 32, 42, 52 and connecting piece portions 33, 43, 53 for connecting the thin member side contact piece portion 31 and the connector side contact piece portions 32, 42, 52 are provided.

In the contacts 3, 4, and 5, a plurality of types (three types in this embodiment) of contacts 3, 4, and 5 having different shapes of the connecting pieces 33, 43, and 53 are made into a set, and each unit is a unit. The connector-side contact pieces 32, 42, and 52 are arranged in columns with respect to the thin member-side contact pieces 31, 31, and 31 which are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction.

Then, the thin member side housing member 21 and the connection connector are interposed with a plurality of units consisting of contacts 3, 4, and 5 of a plurality of types (three types in this embodiment) having different shapes of the connecting pieces 33, 43, and 53. By joining the side housing member 22, each thin member side contact piece 31 is arranged in parallel with the thin member insertion port 211, and each connector side contact piece 32, 42, 52 is connected to the connector connection 222. It is incorporated into the housing 2 in a state of being arranged in a matrix.

The thin member side contact piece portion 31 includes an elongated plate-shaped press-fit piece portion 311 and an elastic contact portion 312 supported in a folded arrangement from the tip end side of the press-fit piece portion 311, and the contact insertion of the thin member side housing member 21. By being inserted into the grooves 216, 216 ... From the joint end face side, the elastic contact portion 312 protrudes into the thin member insertion port 211 and comes into contact with the contact terminals 11 and 11 of the thin member 1.

The press-fit piece portion 311 is provided with engaging convex pieces 313 and 313 protruding from both side edges, and is inserted from the joint end surface side of the thin member side housing member 21 of the contact insertion grooves 216, 216 .... , 313 engage with both side edges of the contact insertion grooves 216, 216 ..., So that the thin member side contact piece portion 31 is fixed.

The elastic contact portion 312 is formed in the shape of a cantilever spring whose base end is supported by the tip of the press-fit piece portion, and the arc-shaped contact portion 312a is integrally formed at the tip portion thereof.

The connector-side contact pieces 32, 42, 52 are formed in an elongated pin shape and are press-fitted into the contact insertion holes 223, 223 ... Of the connection connector-side housing member 22, so that the tip portion protrudes into the connector connection portion 222. ing. Reference numeral 34 in the drawing is an engaging convex piece, so that the engaging convex pieces 34, 34 engage with the inner surfaces of the contact insertion holes 223, 223 ... And are fixed to the connector side housing member 22. It has become.

The connecting piece 33 of the contact 3 is bent from the rear end of the thin member side contact piece 31 and extends diagonally upward on the contact 4 side at a predetermined angle, and the connecting piece 53 of the contact 5 is the thin member side contact piece. It is bent from the rear end of the portion 31 and extends diagonally downward on the contact 4 side at a predetermined angle, and the connecting piece portion 43 of the contact 4 linearly connects the thin member side contact piece portion 31 and the connector side contact piece portion 42. Arranged so as to be connected, each connecting piece portion 33, 43, 53 is accommodated between the joint end surface of the thin member side housing member 21 and the joint end surface of the connection connector side housing member 22.

Therefore, the contacts 3, 4, and 5 having different shapes of the connecting pieces 33, 43, and 53 have the contact pieces 32, 42 on the connector side by arranging the contact pieces 31 on the thin member side in parallel with each other in the horizontal direction. 52 are arranged in columns at intervals.

Further, when the thin member side housing member 21 and the connection connector side housing member 22 are joined to each other, the surface side of the connecting piece portions 33, 53 is brought into contact with the breakage prevention convex portions 217, 217, and the connector side contact piece portion The 32, 52 are press-fitted into the contact insertion holes 223, 223, etc. while being supported by the breakage prevention protrusions 217, 217.

The connection connector 6 includes a resin-made connection connector housing 61 and connection terminals 62, 62 ... Supported by the housing 2, and is projected into the connector connection portion 222 by being fitted into the connector connection portion 222. The contact pieces 32, 42, 52 on each connector side are fitted and connected to the connection terminals 62, 62 ....

In this embodiment, a plurality of connection connectors 6, 6 ... In which the three-pole connection terminals 62, 62 ... Are vertically held are used, and the connection connectors 6, 6 ... Are connected in parallel.

The housing 61 for a connector is formed in a vertically thin rectangular parallelepiped shape, and terminal insertion holes 611, 611 ... Penetrating in the joining direction are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. The connection terminals 62, 62, ... With the 63 crimped are press-fitted.

Elastic engaging pieces 64 and 64 are supported on the upper and lower surfaces of the connector housing 61, respectively, and by fitting the elastic engaging pieces 64 and 64 into the connector connecting portion 222, the elastic engaging pieces 64 and 64 are opened on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 2. It is designed to engage with the connector connection engagement hole 219.

Further, on the upper and lower edges of one side surface of the connector housing 61, guide grooves 612a and 612b formed in the connector connection portion 222 and directed to the joining direction are provided so as to be inserted into the upper and lower guide ribs 225a and 225b. I have.

The guide grooves 612a and 612b are formed to have different widths according to the widths of the guide ribs 225a and 225b, respectively, and in the case of erroneous insertion, the widths of the guide grooves 612a and 612b and the guide ribs 225a and 225b match. It cannot be inserted because it does not exist.

The mode of the connector 6 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and a plurality of types having different numbers of poles can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 10A, all poles (15 poles) can be used. ) Connection terminals 62, 62 ... May be the connection connector 81 held in one connector housing, and as shown in FIG. 10 (b), two 6-pole connection connectors 82, 82 are used. It may be a combination of a three-pole connector 6 and a combination of a six-pole connector 82 and a nine-pole connector 83, as shown in FIG. 10 (c).

In the relay connector A configured in this way, since the housing 2 is composed of the thin member side housing member 21 and the connector side housing 2 member, the thin member side contact piece portions 31 of the contacts 3, 4 and 5 are formed. The connector-side contact pieces 32, 42, and 52 can be arranged in parallel with each other in the horizontal direction, and can be housed in the housing 2 in a state of being arranged in a matrix.

Therefore, the connector 6 can be freely arranged without depending on the width of the thin member 1, and can be easily routed.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the connection connector 6 is used as a harness connector has been described, but the mode of the connection connector 6 is not limited to the harness connector, and a connector using another interface may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the three types of contacts 3, 4, and 5 having different shapes of the connecting piece portions 33, 43, and 53 are combined, and the connector side contact piece portions 32, 42, and 52 are arranged in three vertical rows. Although the case described above has been described, the number of poles in the vertical direction can be increased by changing the extension angles of the connecting pieces 33, 43, and 53.

A Relay connector 1 Thin member 2 Housing 21 Thin member side housing member 211 Thin member insertion port 212 Main body 213 Convex part 214 Flange part 215 Fitting part 216 Contact insertion groove 217 Breakage prevention convex part 218 Housing joining engagement hole 219 Connector connection engagement hole 22 Connection connector side housing member 221 Fitting part 222 Connector connection part 223 Contact insertion hole 224 Engagement member 225a, 225b Guide rib 226 Mounting member 3 Contact 31 Thin member side contact piece part 311 Press-fit piece part 312 Elastic contact part 312a Contact part 313 Engagement convex piece 32 Connector side contact piece part 33 Connecting piece part 34 Engagement convex piece 4 Contact 42 Connector side contact piece part 43 Connecting piece part 5 Contact 52 Connector side contact piece part 53 Connecting piece part 53 6 Connector 61 Connector housing 62 Connector terminal 63 Lead wire (harness)
64 Elastic engagement piece 7 Panel part 71 Opening 81 Connection connector 82 Connection connector 83 Connection connector

Claims (5)

A connection connector having a housing having a thin member insertion port into which a thin member is inserted and a contact that comes into contact with the thin member inserted into the thin member insertion port, and connected to a connector connection portion formed in the housing. In a relay connector that is connected to the thin member via the contact,
In the housing, the thin member side housing member having the thin member insertion port and the connection connector side housing member to which the connection connector is connected are joined to each other.
The joint surface of the connector side housing member and the thin member side contact piece that is inserted from the joint surface side of the thin member side housing member and arranged in parallel at the thin member insertion port at intervals in the horizontal direction. A connector-side contact piece that is inserted from the side and is arranged in a vertical row in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction at intervals with respect to the connector connection, and the connection connector side from each of the thin member-side contact pieces. Parallel and diagonally upward to the joint end surface of the housen member, parallel to and diagonally downward to the joint end surface of the connector side, and extending linearly to connect the thin member side contact piece and the connector side contact piece. It has multiple units consisting of multiple types of contacts with differently shaped connecting pieces.
The thin member side contact pieces are arranged in parallel, and the connector side contact pieces are arranged in a matrix.
A relay connector characterized in that the connecting piece portion is accommodated between the thin member side housing member and the connection connector side housing member. The relay connector according to claim 1, wherein the joint end surface of the thin member-side housing member and / or the connection connector-side housing member is provided with a breakage-preventing convex portion with which the connecting piece portion abuts. The relay connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection connector side housing member includes a mounting member that engages with a panel body to which the housing is fixed. The relay connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connection connector is appropriately combined with a plurality of types having different numbers of poles. The connector connection portion includes a fitting portion into which the connection connector is fitted, and a pair of upper and lower guide ribs that project inside the fitting portion and guide the connection connector, and the upper and lower guide ribs. Is the relay connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which has different widths from each other.

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