JP7215832B2 - Connectors for flat conductors - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is FFC (Flexible flat cable), FPC (Flexible
The present invention relates to a connector for a flat conductor, such as a printed circuit, which electrically connects a flat conductor and a substrate circuit.

A flat conductor connector includes a housing having a fitting chamber into which a flat conductor is inserted, and terminals electrically connected to the flat conductor in the fitting chamber. Such connectors for flat conductors are known to have a lock mechanism for preventing the flat conductor inserted in the fitting chamber from being easily pulled out. A flat conductor connector described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-182697 (Patent Document 1) is one example.

This flat conductor connector includes a housing having an insertion opening for the flat conductor and a fitting chamber, and a slider that can be inserted from the insertion opening into the fitting chamber. The housing is formed with a protrusion for preventing the flat conductor from coming off, protruding into the fitting chamber. A locking hole is formed in the flat conductor on the tip side to be inserted into the fitting chamber. When the flat conductor is inserted into the fitting chamber through the insertion opening, the flat conductor is elastically deformed so as to ride on the projection. If the flat conductor is continued to be inserted, the locking hole of the flat conductor reaches the projection of the housing. The elastic deformation of the flat conductor is restored by engaging the locking hole with the projection. Furthermore, by inserting the above-described slider into the fitting chamber through the insertion opening, elastic deformation of the flat conductor is restricted so that the engaging hole of the flat conductor does not slip out of the convex portion of the housing. Fitting connection of the flat conductor to the flat conductor connector is completed by the above steps. When the flat conductor is pulled in the removal direction with respect to the housing in this fitted connection state, the locking hole of the flat conductor is locked in the removal direction with respect to the protrusion of the housing. As a result, the flat conductor is prevented from coming out of the housing.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-182697, FIGS. 5 to 7

In the conventional flat conductor connector as described above, when the flat conductor is removed from the housing, the slider is first removed from the housing. Next, the flat conductor is pulled out from the housing, but at this time, the locking hole of the flat conductor remains locked with the convex portion of the housing, and the flat conductor cannot be pulled out smoothly. be. If the flat conductor is forcibly removed, the flat conductor may be damaged.

The present invention was conceived against the background of the prior art as described above. The object is to provide a flat conductor connector from which the flat conductor can be easily pulled out.

In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention is configured to have the following features.

The present invention relates to a flat conductor connector provided with a housing having a fitting chamber into which a flat conductor is inserted, wherein the housing locks the flat conductor in a withdrawal direction for extracting the flat conductor from the fitting chamber. Further, the flat conductor is stretched in the plate thickness direction from a locking position where the locking portion is locked to an unlocking position where the locking portion is released. It is characterized by having a pressing part for pushing and bending.

According to the present invention, the pressing portion can press and bend the flat conductor in the plate thickness direction from the locking position to the locking release position. Therefore, the flat conductor can be reliably released by the pressing portion from the locked state in which the flat conductor is locked with the locking portion and prevented from coming off, and the flat conductor can be easily pulled out of the fitting chamber. can.

The present invention can be configured to have an urging portion that displaces the flat conductor from the unlocked position to the locked position. According to the present invention, since the biasing portion can displace the flat conductor from the unlocked position to the locked position, the flat conductor can be forcibly displaced from the unlocked position to the locked position. , the locked state of the flat conductor can be reliably obtained.

The present invention can be configured to include an operation member having an operation portion connected to the pressing portion. According to the present invention, by operating the operation portion of the operation member, the pressing portion connected to the operation portion can easily push and bend the flat conductor from the locking position to the unlocking position.

In the present invention, the operating member may have the biasing portion at a position facing the pressing portion. According to the present invention, the flat conductor can be held between the pressing portion and the biasing portion of the operating member. biases the flat conductor to the locking position.

In the present invention, the housing can be configured to have a locking projection having the locking portion. According to this, since the housing has the lock projection, even if the flat conductor is pulled out in the withdrawal direction while being locked to the locking projection of the lock projection, the flat conductor can be prevented from being damaged or the like. . The lock projection has a deformation guide surface that abuts on the flat conductor inserted into the fitting chamber to bend and deform the flat conductor, and the deformation guide surface that deforms the flat conductor in the insertion direction into the fitting chamber. a protruding end formed on the inner side of the guide surface and guiding insertion of the flat conductor that has passed through the deformation guide surface and is bent and deformed; It can be configured to have the locking portion located. Further, the locking portion can be formed as a locking surface along the plate thickness direction so that the curved and deformed flat conductor is restored so that it can be locked in the withdrawal direction. According to the present invention, when the flat conductor is inserted into the fitting chamber, the flat conductor is bent and deformed by the deformation guide surface. The bent and deformed flat conductor is guided to be inserted into the inner side of the fitting chamber by the protruding end located on the inner side of the deformation guide surface. After that, the flat conductor is restored at the locking portion located on the far side of the projecting end portion and locked to the locking portion in the withdrawal direction. That is, the locking portion is formed as a locking surface along the plate thickness direction so that the flat conductor that has been curved and deformed is restored so that the flat conductor can be locked from the removal direction. Therefore, according to the present invention, the flat conductor can be retained from the fitting chamber simply by inserting the flat conductor into the fitting chamber.

The present invention further includes an operation member having the pressing portion, the housing has a lock projection having the locking portion, and the operation member is arranged to face the lock projection. forming an insertion passage for inserting and extracting the flat conductor between the lock projection and the lock projection by displacing in a separation direction with respect to the lock projection, and closing the insertion passage by restoring from the displaced state; It can be configured to have elastic arms. According to the present invention, the insertion path through which the flat conductor is inserted can be opened and closed by displacing the elastic arm of the operating member. can be prevented from being easily dislodged.

The pressing portion and the operation member can be configured by a metal piece or a resin molding that is a separate member from the housing. According to this, by forming the pressing portion and the operating member as separate members from the housing, it is possible to increase the durability necessary for repeatedly pushing and bending the flat conductor. Further, if the operating member is integrally formed as part of the housing, the structure of the mold for forming the housing becomes complicated, and it becomes difficult to make the operating member multi-functional by devising the shape of each part of the operating member. However, by forming the operating member as a separate member from the housing, it is possible to provide the operating member with a shaped portion having at least two functions of the operating portion, the pressing portion, the urging portion, or the elastic arm. can be multifunctionalized relatively easily. Such multi-functionality of the operating member allows the connector for flat conductors to be made smaller and the number of parts to be reduced, compared with the case where each function is provided as separate members or separate parts of the housing. On the other hand, the pressing portion and the operating member can be configured as elastic pieces integrally formed with the housing. According to this, there is an advantage that the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where the pressing portion and the operating member are configured by separate members.

With regard to the present invention, the operating member has the biasing portion located on one side of the flat conductor in the locking position and the pressing portion located on the other side of the flat conductor. It can be configured to have a retainer. According to the present invention, the holding portion can hold the front surface and the rear surface of the flat conductor. In this case, it is more preferable that the pressing portion and the biasing portion are arranged to face each other. According to this, the flat conductor can be sandwiched and held between the pressing portion and the urging portion. The locking portion of the housing is positioned in the removal direction of the flat conductor. Therefore, the flat conductor can be held so as not to move unnecessarily within the interior of the fitting chamber. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of fine sliding wear between the contacts of the terminals provided in the flat conductor connector and the contacts of the flat conductor.

According to the flat conductor connector of the present invention, the flat conductor can be easily removed from the housing.

1 is a perspective view including a front, a right side, and a plane of a connector for a flat conductor and a flat conductor according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the flat conductor connector of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the flat conductor connector of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a rear view of the flat conductor connector of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an operation member provided in the flat conductor connector of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 2; VII-VII line cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view including the back, right side, and top of the flat conductor connector including the VI-VI line section of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view showing fitting connection with a flat conductor in the VII-VII line cross section of FIG. 2; FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram following FIG. 9; FIG. FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory view showing a fitting connection state between the flat conductor connector and the flat conductor continued from FIG. 10 ; FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the action when the flat conductor is removed in the VII-VII line cross section of FIG. 2; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a partially enlarged first modification of the operating portion of the operating member; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a partially enlarged second modification of the operating portion of the operating member;

Embodiments of the connector for flat conductors of the present invention will be described below. The flat conductor connector 1 shown in this embodiment electrically connects the board circuit of the board P and the flat conductor 5 . One end of the conductive wiring of the flat conductor 5 is electrically connected to the flat conductor connector 1, and the other end is connected directly to an external device (not shown) or indirectly via another device. It is conductively connected to an external device.

When describing "first" and "second" in this specification and claims, they are used to distinguish different components of the invention, and are used to indicate a specific order and superiority isn't it. In this specification and claims, for convenience of explanation, the horizontal direction (width direction) of the flat conductor connector 1 shown in FIG. , the vertical direction (height direction) will be described as the Z direction. The board P side of the flat conductor connector 1 in the Z direction is referred to as the "lower side", and the flat conductor connector 1 side is referred to as the "upper side". The direction of connection and the method of mounting on the substrate P are not limited.

Flat conductor connector 1

The flat conductor connector 1 includes a housing 2, a plurality of terminals 3, and a plurality of ground terminals 4, as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the flat conductor 5 is inserted into the housing 2 of the flat conductor connector 1 at the tip 5a on the insertion side into the housing 2. As shown in FIG. The flat conductor 5 has, on its rear surface opposite to the front surface shown in FIG. The conductive wires and the ground plate are covered with an insulating layer except for conductive connection portions with the terminal 3 and the ground terminal 4 on the rear surface, respectively, and are insulated from each other through the insulating layer.

The flat conductor 5 has side edges 5b at both ends in the width direction, as shown in FIG. The flat conductor 5 including the side edges 5b has flexibility (elasticity) that allows it to be bent and deformed in the plate thickness direction. The side edge portion 5b is formed with a locking recess 5c that is recessed from the side edge of the flat conductor 5 toward the inside in the width direction (X direction) of the flat conductor 5. As shown in FIG. The locking recess 5 c has a locking edge 5 d along the width direction of the flat conductor 5 . When the flat conductor 5 is pulled in the removal direction in a state where the flat conductor 5 is fitted and connected to the flat conductor connector 1, the locking edge 5d does not move against the locking projection 17 of the housing 2, which will be described later. Lock. As a result, the flat conductor connector 1 can prevent the flat conductor 5 from coming off. A locking piece 5e that shares the locking edge 5d is formed on the distal end side of the locking recess 5c (FIG. 1). The locking piece 5e is formed as a projecting piece that protrudes like an ear from the locking recess 5c.

The configuration of the flat conductor connector 1 will be described below.

housing 2

The housing 2 is made of an insulating resin molding and has a top wall 2a, left and right side walls 2b, a bottom wall 2c, and a rear wall 2d. An insertion opening 6 for a flat conductor 5 is formed on the front surface of the housing 2 (FIG. 1). Inside the housing 2, there is provided a fitting chamber 7 for the flat conductor 5 having a depth extending from the insertion opening 6 toward the inner side. The fitting chamber 7 is a space for accommodating the flat conductor 5 to be conductively connected to the substrate circuit in a fitted state. The terminal 3 and the ground terminal 4 are elastically deformable in the height direction (Z direction) in the fitting chamber 7, and the conductive wire of the flat conductor 5 and the ground plate are electrically connected in a predetermined manner. Pressing contact against the part. The fitting chamber 7 is formed with an insertion restricting wall 7a against which the inserted flat conductor 5 abuts on the side opposite to the insertion port 6 in the Y direction. The insertion restricting wall 7a is formed as a back wall that forms the fitting chamber 7. As shown in FIG.

A bottom wall 2c of the housing 2 is formed with a plurality of terminal receiving grooves 8 in which a plurality of terminals 3 are arranged. A plurality of terminal receiving grooves 8 are formed as grooves communicating with the fitting chambers 7 respectively. Therefore, the contact portions 3a of the plurality of terminals 3 are arranged so as to protrude from the terminal accommodating groove 8 into the fitting chamber 7 in order to electrically contact with the flat conductor 5. As shown in FIG. A ground terminal accommodation groove 9 is arranged in the bottom wall 2c. The ground terminal 4 is press-fitted into the ground terminal accommodating groove 9 , and the ground contact portion 4 a extends into the fitting chamber 7 .

Two window holes 10 are formed in the top wall 2a of the housing 2 facing the bottom wall 2c in the Z direction (FIG. 3). These window holes 10 are formed as through holes penetrating through the top wall 2a. As can be seen from the plan view shown in FIG. 3, each of the two window holes 10 is formed as an opening formed by combining a short hole portion 10a and a long hole portion 10b having a short length along the Y direction. Among these, the short hole portion 10a is formed as an arrangement groove for a pressing portion 18b2 of the operation member 18, which will be described later. On the other hand, the elongated hole portion 10b is formed as a confirmation window for confirming the fitting connection of the flat conductor 5. As shown in FIG. Whether or not the flat conductor 5 has been inserted into the fitting chamber 7 to the proper insertion position can be confirmed by visually observing the elongated hole portion 10b. Each window hole 10 is formed with a base receiving groove 10c. The base housing groove 10c communicates with the short hole portion 10a at the front in the Y direction, and opens to the rear surface of the housing 2 at the rear in the Y direction. The base housing groove 10c is a housing portion for disposing the base 18b1 of the operation member 18 so as to be displaceable in the Z direction.

Furthermore, the top wall 2a is formed with a recess 11 that is lower in the Z direction than the upper surface 2a1 of the top wall 2a and extends in the X direction. An operation portion 18a of an operation member 18, which will be described later, is arranged in the recess 11 so that the operation portion 18a can be displaced inside the recess 11. As shown in FIG. That is, the concave portion 11 is provided as a displacement space for allowing displacement of the operation portion 18a in the Z direction.

Left and right side walls 2b connecting the top wall 2a and the bottom wall 2c are formed with side edge guide surfaces 12 that abut on the side edges of the flat conductor 5 to guide insertion into the fitting chamber 7. As shown in FIG. The side edge guide surface 12 is formed as a longitudinal inner surface along the Z direction. The side edge guide surface 12 has a guiding inclined surface 12a on the opening side of the insertion port 6 to facilitate the insertion of the flat conductor 5 into the insertion port 6. As shown in FIG. The Z-direction lower end of the side edge guide surface 12 is continuous with the first insertion guide surface 13 along the XY plane. The first insertion guide surface 13 is formed on the side wall 2b and supports the rear surface of the side edge portion 5b of the flat conductor 5 inserted into the fitting chamber 7. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the upper end of the side edge guide surface 12 in the Z direction is continuous with the second insertion guide surface 14 along the XY plane. The second insertion guide surface 14 is formed on the inner surface of the ceiling wall 2a forming the fitting chamber 7, and guides the surface of the flat conductor 5 inserted into the fitting chamber 7 shown in FIG.

A first insertion guide surface 13 on the bottom wall 2c is formed as a flat surface that extends from the insertion opening 6 into the fitting chamber 7 to an intermediate position of the housing 2 along the Y direction. A flat conductor deformation concave portion 15 is formed at the rear end portion of the first insertion guide surface 13 in the Y direction to allow bending deformation of the side edge portion 5 b of the flat conductor 5 . The flat conductor deforming concave portion 15 includes a stepped surface 15a extending in the Z direction, an inclined surface 15b formed at the corner of the upper end of the stepped surface 15a, and a concave surface 15c extending in the Y direction from the lower end of the stepped surface 15a. and are formed. The flat conductor deforming concave portion 15 will be further described later.

A second insertion guide surface 14 on the top wall 2a is formed as a flat surface that extends from the insertion opening 6 into the fitting chamber 7 to an intermediate position of the housing 2 along the Y direction. The second insertion guide surface 14 is formed as a surface facing the first insertion guide surface 13 described above. Between the first insertion guide surface 13 and the second insertion guide surface 14 is an insertion path 16 along which the side edge portion 5b of the flat conductor 5 moves. The first insertion guide surface 13 and the second insertion guide surface 14 are formed parallel to each other, and the space therebetween (the height of the insertion path 16) is slightly larger than the plate thickness of the flat conductor 5. . That is, the insertion path 16 is formed so as to have an insertion margin that allows the side edge portion 5b to maintain a flat plate shape without bending when the flat conductor 5 is inserted. A lock projection 17 is formed at the rear end of the second insertion guide surface 14 along the Y direction.

The lock projection 17 is a portion that prevents the flat conductor 5 fitted and connected to the flat conductor connector 1 from coming off. The locking projection 17 has a surface spaced apart in the Z direction from the first insertion guide surface 13 and extending in the Y direction. That is, the lock protrusion 17 includes a deformation guide surface 17a inclined with respect to the second insertion guide surface 14, a protrusion surface 17b extending in the Y direction from the rear end of the deformation guide surface 17a, and a protrusion. and a locking surface 17c as a "locking portion" extending in the Z direction from the rear end of the surface 17b.

The deformation guide surface 17 a is a portion that bends and deforms the locking piece 5 e of the side edge portion 5 b of the flat conductor 5 when the flat conductor 5 is inserted into the fitting chamber 7 . The front end position where the deformation guide surface 17a begins to tilt is the same position as the bent portion of the contact portion 3a of the terminal 3, as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the flat conductor 5 is inserted into the fitting chamber 7, the locking piece 5e comes into contact with the deformation guide surface 17a almost at the same time that the tip 5a comes into contact with the contact parts 3a of the plurality of terminals 3. and begin to bend and deform. Therefore, the conductive connection area of the flat conductor 5 in which the plurality of conductive wires are arranged is urged upward in the Z direction by the springs of the contact portions 3 a of the plurality of terminals 3 . Then, the flat conductor 5 is pressed against the inner surface of the top wall 2a facing the fitting chamber 7 as a whole. On the other hand, the locking piece 5e bends and deforms downward in the Z direction, contrary to the conductive connection region. Therefore, the locking piece 5e can be largely bent and deformed from the front end side where the deformation guide surface 17a starts to be inclined. Further, the front end of the deformation guide surface 17a is located on the front side in the Y direction with respect to the stepped surface 15a of the concave portion 15 for deformation of the flat conductor. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly introduce the locking piece 5e into the recess 15 for deforming the flat conductor during the bending deformation.

The projecting surface 17b is formed as a surface extending along the Y direction. The projecting surface 17b of this embodiment is formed as a plane along the Y direction. As will be described later, the protruding surface 17b forms an opening/closing path 16a in combination with an opposing elastic arm 18b3. In order to retain the fitted flat conductor 5, the projecting surface 17b is preferably flat. This is because the longer the plane forming the projecting surface 17b in the Y direction facing the elastic arm 18b3, the more effectively the flat conductor 5 can be prevented from coming off. The locking surface 17c as the "locking portion" at the rear end of the projecting surface 17b is formed to have a height along the Z direction that can be locked with the locking edge 5d along the plate thickness direction of the flat conductor 5. It is

As described above, the insertion path 16 is formed between the first insertion guide surface 13 and the second insertion guide surface 14, and the insertion path 16 further includes the lock projection 17 and the first insertion guide surface. 13 and the recessed portion 15 for deforming the flat conductor. The insertion path 16 formed between the lock projection 17, the first insertion guide surface 13, and the flat conductor deformation recess 15 is configured as an opening/closing path 16a that can be opened and closed by an elastic arm 18b3 of an operation member 18, which will be described later. ing. Therefore, the operating member 18 will be described next.

Operation member 18

The operating member 18 is formed of a metal piece, and has an operating portion 18a, left and right operating portions 18b, and left and right fixing portions 18c.

The operation portion 18a is a portion for performing an operation to unlock the flat conductor 5 when the flat conductor 5 fitted and connected to the flat conductor connector 1 is removed. The operation portion 18a has an operation surface portion 18a1 along the XY plane and a connecting portion 18a2 that bends from the operation surface portion 18a1 and extends along the XZ plane. The operation surface portion 18a1 is arranged to protrude above the upper surface 2a1 of the ceiling wall 2a by the thickness of the operation surface portion 18a1. The operation member 18 can be operated by pressing the operation surface portion 18a1 in the Z direction with a finger. The connecting portion 18a2 is arranged so as to cover and protect the outer sides of the plurality of terminals 3 projecting from the rear wall 2d.

The left and right operating portions 18b are formed by bending forward in the Y direction from both ends of the connecting portion 18a2. The operating portion 18b has a base portion 18b1 connected to the connecting portion 18a2. The front end of the base portion 18b1 is bifurcated, and a pressing portion 18b2 is formed on the upper side and an elastic arm 18b3 is formed on the lower side. At the front end of the elastic arm 18b3 in the Y direction, a bent portion 18b4 is formed as a displacement fulcrum of the elastic arm 18b3. A lower end of the bent portion 18b4 is connected to the aforementioned fixed portion 18c.

Press-fit fixing portions 18c1 are formed in the left and right fixing portions 18c. A crank-shaped bent portion 18c2 bent in the X direction is formed between the press-fit fixing portion 18c1 and the bent portion 18b4. When fixing the operating member 18 to the housing 2 , the operating member 18 is inserted through the rear wall 2 d of the housing 2 . In order to realize this manufacturing method, the positions of the press-fit fixing portion 18c1, which is a fixing portion to the rear wall 2d of the housing 2, and the operating portion 18b in the X direction are shifted by the crank-shaped bent portion 18c2. As a result, the operating portion 18b and the press-fit fixing portion 18c1 can be arranged in the housing 2 in one press-fitting step. The end of the fixing portion 18c is soldered to the substrate P and fixed.

multiple terminals 3

A plurality of terminals 3 made of metal pieces are arranged along the width direction of the housing 2 as shown in FIGS. Each terminal 3, as shown enlarged in FIG. and a substrate connection portion 3c to be connected. As described above, the contact portion 3a is in pressure contact with the back surface of the flat conductor 5, pushes the flat conductor 5 upward in the Z direction, and presses it against the inner surface of the top wall 2a, thereby moving the flat conductor 5 into the fitting chamber. Hold at 7. Since it is not possible to hold the flat conductor 5 so as not to come off only by the pressing contact by the contact portion 3a, the lock projection 17 of the housing 2 is used to prevent it from coming off.

ground terminal 4

A plurality of ground terminals 4 made of metal pieces have press-fit fixing portions 4 b that are press-fit and fixed at lower positions of left and right side walls 2 b of the housing 2 . The press-fit fixing portion 4b extends along the bottom wall 2c of the housing 2 and is connected to the board fixing portion 4c soldered to the board P. As shown in FIG. The board fixing portion 4c functions as a fixture for the board P. As shown in FIG. The board fixing portion 4c is connected to a reinforcing piece portion 4d extending along the X direction in the ground terminal accommodating groove 9 of the bottom wall 2c. The reinforcing piece 4d structurally reinforces the bottom wall 2c of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. A ground contact portion 4a is formed in the reinforcement piece portion 4d so as to extend into the fitting chamber 7 in a band-like shape having a large width.

Fitting connection between flat conductor connector 1 and flat conductor 5

The flat conductor 5 shown in FIG. 1 is inserted into the fitting chamber 7 through the insertion opening 6 of the flat conductor connector 1 mounted on the board P. As shown in FIG. 9, insertion of the flat conductor 5 is guided by the insertion path 16 . In addition, in the flat conductor 5 , it is the locking piece 5 e and the locking recess 5 c that pass through the insertion path 16 . Along with this, the inner portion of the flat conductor 5 in the X direction from the locking piece 5e and the locking recess 5c faces the fitting chamber 7 of the top wall 2a and the fitting chamber 7 of the bottom wall 2c. The insertion is guided by the upper surface of the partition wall 19 that partitions the terminal receiving grooves 8 .

As the flat conductor 5 continues to be inserted, the distal end portion 5a of the flat conductor 5 comes into contact with the contact portions 3a of the terminals 3 . Almost at the same time, as shown in FIG. 9, the locking piece 5e comes into contact with the deformation guiding surface 17a of the locking projection 17. As shown in FIG.

If the flat conductor 5 is continued to be inserted, as shown in FIG. 10, the locking piece 5e is bent and deformed along the deformation guide surface 17a. At this time, the locking piece 5e advances so as to enter between the deformation guide surface 17a and the inclined surface 15b of the concave portion 15 for deformation of the flat conductor. That is, the locking piece 5e pushes down and displaces the elastic arm 18b3 of the operating portion 18b of the operating member 18 by the insertion force applied to the flat conductor 5. As shown in FIG. When the elastic arm 18b3 is displaced downward in the Z direction with the bent portion 18b4 as a fulcrum, the gap between the elastic arm 18b3 and the lock projection 17, more specifically, the gap between the elastic arm 18b3 and the projecting surface 17b widens. As a result, the opening/closing path 16a is opened, and the locking piece 5e can be inserted further into the interior.

Continued insertion, and when the locking edge 5d of the locking piece 5e passed the projecting surface 17b of the locking projection 17 and further reached the locking surface 17c, the locking piece 5e was bent and deformed by its own restoring force. Attempt to displace upward from the state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the elastic arm 18b3 is restored to a position along the lock projection 17 by the spring of the bent portion 18b4. Therefore, the locking piece 5e is pushed up by the urging portion 18b5 of the elastic arm 18b3 that is located opposite the pressing portion 18b2 in the Z direction. As a result, the flat conductor connector 1 obtains a mating connection state of the flat conductor 5 .

In the fitting connection state, when the flat conductor 5 is pulled out from the fitting chamber 7 in the removal direction (Y direction), the locking edge 5d comes into contact with the locking surface 17c of the lock projection 17. As shown in FIG. That is, the flat conductor 5 is in the "locking position" where the locking edge 5d locks against the locking surface 17c in the withdrawal direction. As a result, the flat conductor 5 is prevented from coming off from the flat conductor connector 1 .

In the process of fitting and connecting, the insertion position of the flat conductor 5 can be visually confirmed from the appearance of the flat conductor connector 1 . That is, by visually observing the long hole portion 10b of the window hole 10, the movement of the locking piece 5e of the flat conductor 5 can be confirmed. When the front edge of the locking piece 5e is positioned in the middle of the long hole portion 10b in the Y direction, the fitting connection is in the middle. If the front edge of the locking piece 5e is not located in the middle of the long hole 10b and cannot be seen, it means that the fitting connection is completed correctly. In this way, the flat conductor connector 1 can be easily checked for suitability of fitting connection work.

In addition, in the process of fitting and connecting, if the locking piece 5e of the flat conductor 5 is caught between the projecting surface 17b of the locking projection 17 and the elastic arm 18b3, the operating surface portion 18a1 is inclined with respect to the upper surface 2a1. do. Therefore, by checking the horizontal state of the operation surface portion 18a1 in comparison with the upper surface 2a1, it is possible to confirm whether the mating connection has been correctly completed.

Furthermore, in the process of fitting and connecting, when the elastic arm 18b3 is restored from displacement by the spring of the bent portion 18b4, the elastic arm 18b3 contacts the protruding surface 17b of the lock projection 17 to generate a contact sound. . If the locking piece 5e is sandwiched between the protruding surface 17b and the elastic arm 18b3, such contact noise will not occur. Therefore, it is possible to confirm whether the mating connection is correctly completed by the contact sound.

Furthermore, in the process of fitting connection, when the flat conductor 5 is inserted to the end, the locking piece 5e is arranged and held between the pressing portion 18b2 and the biasing portion 18b5. That is, the operating portion 18b has a holding portion 18b7 that holds the locking piece 5e in a flat plate shape by means of a pressing portion 18b2 and a biasing portion 18b5. By securely holding the locking piece 5e by the holding portion 18b7, when the elastic arm 18b3 is restored, the locking piece 5e can be reliably restored from the bent and deformed state.

In the process of fitting and connecting, the flat conductor 5 abuts against the insertion restricting wall 7a of the fitting chamber 7 of the housing 2 and is prevented from being inserted. The tip portion 5a of the flat conductor 5 does not contact the crotch portion 18b6 of the base portion 18b1. When the flat conductor 5 hits the crotch portion 18b6 with a strong insertion force because the housing 2 does not have the insertion restricting wall 7a, the flat conductor 5 pushes the crotch portion 18b6 rearward in the Y direction, and the operation member 18 is pushed. It may rotate and displace downward. The insertion restricting wall 7a can suppress the occurrence of such problems.

If such a problem can be avoided, the flat conductor 5 may be allowed to abut against the crotch portion 18b6 without providing the insertion restricting wall 7a. In this case, the locking piece 5e can be held by the operating portion 18b so as to surround its upper surface, lower surface and front end surface.

When removing the flat conductor 5, the operation surface portion 18a1 of the operation member 18 is pressed downward in the Z direction. Then, the pressing portion 18b2 of the operating portion 18b pushes and bends the locking piece 5e downward. Along with this, the elastic arm 18b3 is displaced downward with respect to the lock projection 17 (protruding surface 17b), thereby widening the gap between the elastic arm 18b3 and the lock projection 17 and opening the open/close path 16a. As a result, the locked state in which the locking piece 5e is prevented from coming off from the locking projection 17 is released. That is, the flat conductor 5 is displaced from the above-described "locked position" to the "unlocked position" where the locking edge 5d does not lock with the locking surface 17c in the withdrawal direction. Therefore, the flat conductor 5 can be easily removed from the housing 2 by pulling out the flat conductor 5 .

Here, for example, a comparative example (conventional example) in which the operation member 18 has a lock protrusion similar to the lock protrusion 17 and a flat surface is formed behind the second insertion guide surface 14 without the lock protrusion 17. ) will be described below. In such a comparative example, when the flat conductor 5 is pulled in the removal direction, the locking piece 5e is locked with the metal lock projection to prevent it from coming off. However, since the lock protrusion is made of metal and is arranged so as to intersect the plate thickness direction of the flat conductor 5, the locking piece 5e is broken and the flat conductor 5 cannot be reconnected. Otherwise, the locking piece 5e may be torn off and remain inside the fitting chamber of the housing. In contrast, in the flat conductor connector 1 of the above-described embodiment, the object to be locked by the locking piece 5e is the lock projection 17 of the housing 2 made of resin molding, and the lock projection 17 operates at least along the X direction. It has a width exceeding the plate thickness of the portion 18b. Therefore, with the flat conductor connector 1, even if the flat conductor 5 is pulled in the removal direction, it is possible to prevent the locking piece 5e from being damaged or torn.

Modification [Figs. 13 and 14]

The flat conductor connector 1 according to the above embodiment can be implemented as a modified example. Some examples will be described.

In the above embodiment, the operation member 18 made of a metal piece was exemplified, but the operation member 18 made of a resin molding may be used. Further, although an example in which the operating member 18 is a separate member from the housing 2 has been shown, an elastically displaceable unlocking piece corresponding to the operating member 18 is provided as a part of the housing 2 by integral molding, and the unlocking piece is provided with a flat mold. A pressing portion for pressing and bending the locking piece 5e of the conductor 5 may be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the pressing portion 18b2 is formed by the plate thickness portion of the end portion of the metal piece forming the operating portion 18b is shown. It is good also as part 18b8. According to such a pressing portion 18b8, since the pressing portion 18b8 abuts on the locking piece 5e over a wider area than the pressing portion 18b2, the locking piece 5e can be reliably pushed and bent. Also, the locking piece 5e can be reliably held.

Further, the pressing portion 18b2 can be configured as in the modification shown in FIG. In addition to the pressing portion 18b2, the operating portion 18b of FIG. 14 is provided with an L-shaped elastic support piece 18b9, and the pressing portion 18b2 and the elastic support piece 18b9 sandwich the locking piece 5e in a pressed state. be. In this case, the elastic support piece 18b9 also functions as a "biasing portion". In this way, the spring of the elastic support piece 18b9 holds the locking piece 5e in a state of being pressed against the pressing portion 18b2 at all times. can be bent into

In the above-described embodiment, the operating member 18 has one operating portion 18a, two operating portions 18b, and two fixing portions 18c. Two operating members may be provided. By using one operation member 18 instead of two, the number of parts can be reduced, and the area of the operation surface portion 18a1 can be increased, so that the operability of the pressing operation of the operation member 18 can be improved. There are advantages.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the flat conductor 5 is provided with the notch-shaped locking recess 5c is shown. .

In the above-described embodiment, the planar "protruding surface 17b" is exemplified as the "protruding end", but the lock protrusion 17 may be formed in a triangular shape, and the apex thereof may be the "protruding end". Also, the lock projection 17 may be configured as a curved surface from the deformation guide surface 17a to the projecting apex thereof. In this case, the vertex of the curved surface is the "protruding end".

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 flat conductor connector 2 housing 2a top wall 2a1 upper surface 2b side wall 2c bottom wall 2d rear wall 3 terminal 3a contact portion 3b fixing portion 3c substrate connection portion 4 ground terminal 4a ground contact portion 4b press-fit fixing portion 4c substrate fixing portion 4d reinforcement Piece 5 Flat conductor 5a Tip 5b Side edge 5c Locking recess 5d Locking edge 5e Locking piece 6 Insertion opening 7 Fitting chamber 7a Insertion restriction wall 8 Terminal accommodating groove 9 Ground terminal accommodating groove 10 Window hole 10a Short Hole 10b Long hole 10c Base accommodation groove 11 Recess 12 Side edge guide surface 12a Guide inclined surface 13 First insertion guide surface 14 Second insertion guide surface 15 Flat conductor deformation concave portion 15a Stepped surface 15b Inclined surface 15c Concave surface 16 Insertion path 16a Opening/closing path 17 Lock protrusion 17a Deformation guide surface 17b Protruding surface (protruding end)
17c locking surface (locking portion)
18 Operating member 18a Operating portion 18a1 Operating surface portion 18a2 Connecting portion 18b Actuating portion 18b1 Base portion 18b2 Pressing portion 18b3 Elastic arm 18b4 Bending portion 18b5 Biasing portion 18b6 Crotch portion 18b7 Holding portion 18b8 Pressing portion 18b9 Elastic supporting piece 18c Fixed portion 18c1 Press-fit fixing portion 18c2 crank-shaped bent portion 19 partition wall P substrate

Claims (4)

a housing having a fitting chamber into which the flat conductor is inserted;
A flat conductor connector comprising an operation member,
The housing is
a locking portion that locks the flat conductor in a withdrawal direction for extracting the flat conductor from the fitting chamber;
The operating member is
a pressing portion that pushes and bends the flat conductor in its plate thickness direction from a locked position where the locking portion is locked to an unlocking position where the locking portion is released;
a biasing portion that displaces the flat conductor from the unlocked position to the locked position;
The pressing portion and the urging portion are integrally formed as the operation member, and are opposed to each other while maintaining a state of being separated from each other before and after insertion of the flat conductor,
A connector for a flat conductor, wherein a holding portion on which the flat conductor is arranged is formed between the pressing portion and the urging portion. 2. The flat conductor connector according to claim 1, wherein said operating member has an operating portion connected to said pressing portion. The housing is
a deformation guide surface that abuts on the flat conductor inserted into the fitting chamber to bend and deform the flat conductor; a protruding end formed on the side of the conductor, which guides the insertion of the flat conductor that has passed through the deformation guide surface and has been bent and deformed; a locking projection having a portion;
3. The locking portion is formed as a locking surface along the plate thickness direction so that the flat conductor that has been bent and deformed is restored so that it can be locked in the removal direction. connector for flat conductors. The housing has a lock protrusion having the locking portion,
The operation member is arranged to face the lock projection, and is displaced in a direction away from the lock projection to form an insertion path for inserting and removing the flat conductor between the lock projection and the operation member, 3. The connector for a flat conductor according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic arm that closes the insertion path by restoring from the displaced state.

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