JP7307312B2 - Flexible wiring board connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flexible wiring board connector.

In the flexible wiring board connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, a restraining metal fitting is attached to the connector body to restrict the upward displacement of the flexible wiring board. As a result, the pressure member rotates toward the release position in accordance with the force (reaction force) received from the flexible wiring board, thereby suppressing a reduction in the pressure applied from the pressure member to the flexible wiring board. As shown in FIG. 3 of the document, the contact has a U-shape and includes a contact finger portion 4 and a circular portion 5 that supports the rotation of the pressing member.

Japanese Patent No. 3029985

In the contactor of the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, the portion of the signal transmission line (the portion denoted by the above-mentioned reference numeral 4) and the portion (the portion denoted by the above-described reference numeral 5) for holding down the pressure member are integrated. ing. This configuration can work against the transmission of high frequency signals . The inventor of the present application has found a new problem of providing a connector for a flexible wiring board that enables transmission of high-frequency signals.

A flexible wiring board connector according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a connector body, a plurality of contact terminals provided in the connector body, and rotatably supported by the connector body. A lock cover having a lock portion configured to press, and one or more conductive pressing pieces attached to the connector body and configured to press the lock portion toward the flexible wiring board. . The contact terminal and the pressing piece are electrically disconnected from each other and provided separately from the connector body.

In some embodiments, the pressing piece includes a flat plate portion arranged perpendicular to the pivot axis of the lock cover.

In some embodiments, the connector body includes a housing that houses the dielectric, and the pressing piece prevents the dielectric from dropping out of the housing.

In some embodiments, the pressing piece is a bending member including a pressing piece main portion and a rotation blocking portion.

In some embodiments, the pressing piece is provided between adjacent contact terminals in the direction along the rotation axis of the lock cover.

In some embodiments, a terminal arrangement subset of contact terminals comprising a combination of at least one signal terminal and at least one ground terminal are arranged in a direction along the pivot axis of the lock cover,
Each pressing piece is provided between at least one signal terminal included in one terminal array subset and at least one signal terminal included in the other terminal array subset adjacent in the array direction of the terminal array subsets.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a flexible wiring board connector that enables transmission of high-frequency signals.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a flexible wiring board connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a flexible wiring board connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure, showing the opposite side of FIG. 1; FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a flexible wiring board connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a schematic front side view of a flexible wiring board connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line VV of FIG. 4 in the flexible wiring board connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure, with the lock cover in the locked state; FIG. 4A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure, with a lock cover in an unlocked state; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing that the flexible wiring board is inserted with the lock cover in the unlocked state in the flexible wiring board connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the flexible wiring board is inserted with the lock cover in the unlocked state in the flexible wiring board connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing that the lock cover is rotated from the unlocked state to the locked state, and the flexible wiring board is sandwiched between the lock cover and the connector body in the flexible wiring board connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure. The flexible wiring board is sandwiched between the lock portion of the lock cover and the contact terminals. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the flexible wiring board is sandwiched between the lock cover and the connector body in the flexible wiring board connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure, and the terminals of the flexible wiring board are in contact with the contact terminals.

Various embodiments and features of the present disclosure are described below with reference to FIGS. 1-10. A person skilled in the art can combine each embodiment and/or each feature without undue explanation, and can also understand the synergistic effect of this combination. Redundant explanations among the embodiments will be omitted in principle. The referenced drawings are primarily for the purpose of describing the invention and are simplified for drawing convenience. Each feature is valid not only for the connector and manufacturing method thereof disclosed herein, but is a universal feature applicable to various other connectors and manufacturing methods thereof not disclosed herein. be understood as

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the connector 9. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of connector 9, showing the opposite side of FIG. In order to specifically describe the structure of the connector 9, the directions are defined as follows. The width direction is specified by a double-headed arrow extending between L and Ri. As will be understood from the description below, the width direction is the same as the direction along the rotation axis of the lock cover 30 . Alternatively, the width direction can also be referred to as the left-right direction. The thickness direction is identified by a double-headed arrow extending between U and D. The front-back direction is specified by a double-headed arrow extending between F and Re. The direction from Ri to L is called left and the opposite direction is called right. The direction from D to U is called up and the opposite direction is called down. The direction from Re to F is called forward and the opposite direction is called backward. The directions mentioned in this paragraph shall be redefinable in light of the following description of the specification or the content of the drawings.

The connector 9 is a composite of resin parts and metal parts, and serves to mechanically fix the flexible wiring board 8 (see FIG. 7) and to electrically connect the flexible wiring board 8 to external wiring and, in turn, to external circuits. play a role in The external wiring is, for example, wiring on a board (not shown) on which the connector 9 is mounted. The connector 9 can be fixed to the mounting substrate by a reflow process. The external circuit is, for example, a circuit on a board on which the connector 9 is mounted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector 9 includes an insulating connector main body 10, a plurality of contact terminals 20 provided on the connector main body 10, and a lock cover 30 rotatably supported by the connector main body 10. and one or more pressing pieces 40 attached to the connector body 10 . The lock cover 30 has a lock portion 34 configured to press the flexible wiring board 8 on the connector main body 10 side. The pressing piece 40 is configured to press the lock portion 34 toward the flexible wiring board 8 when the flexible wiring board 8 is sandwiched between the connector main body 10 and the lock cover 30 . The connector main body 10 and lock cover 30 are made of plastic material (eg, LCP), and the contact terminals 20 and pressing pieces 40 are made of conductive material (eg, metal such as phosphor bronze). The contact terminals 20 may be plated (for example, gold-plated) for surface protection or to ensure solder wettability.

In this embodiment, the contact terminals 20 and the pressing pieces 40 are electrically disconnected from each other and provided separately from the connector body 10 . Thereby, the shape of the contact terminal 20 can be optimized for good electrical connection with the flexible wiring board 8 . In addition, the contact terminal 20 can be given springiness, and good contact with the flexible wiring board 8 can be ensured. Furthermore, since the contact terminal 20 and the pressing piece 40 are separated so as not to be in contact with each other, the contact terminal 20 and the pressing piece 40 do not come into contact with each other and are not electrically connected. shape is optimized. As a result, the contact terminals 20 do not have unnecessary portions other than the signal transmission path, and the connector 9 can be used for transmitting high-frequency signals of 30 GHz or more, for example.

The connector main body 10 is elongated in the width direction (horizontal direction) of the connector 9 and has a first end portion 11 and a second end portion 12 in the same direction. The first end 11 may be called the right end and the second end 12 may be called the left end. The connector body 10 further has a plate portion 13 and a wall portion 14 extending between the first end 11 and the second end 12 . The flat plate portion 13 is arranged in front of the wall portion 14 with a space therebetween. A mounting portion 18 is provided on each of the first end portion 11 and the second end portion 12 , and a reinforcing member 19 made of metal is mounted on each mounting portion 18 . A lock cover 30 is rotatably supported between the first end portion 11 and the second end portion 12 . One or more guide projections, in the illustrated example, first and second guide projections 16 and 17 are provided on the upper surface of the flat plate portion 13 . Each of the guide projections 16 and 17 has an inclined surface that gradually extends upward from the front to the rear.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the connector body 10 is provided with a plurality of contact terminals 20 . In some embodiments, the contact terminals 20 are partially embedded in the connector body 10 by insert molding and secured to the connector body 10 . As shown in FIG. 5, the contact terminal 20 includes a spring portion 22 provided with a contact portion 21 to contact the terminal 8T (see FIG. 10) of the flexible wiring board 8, and an embedded portion 23 embedded in the connector main body 10. and bends 24 for electrical connection with external wiring. The contact portion 21 is curved upwardly. Spring portion 22 includes a portion that gradually extends upward toward contact portion 21 . The spring portion 22 further includes a portion having the contact portion 21 as a top portion and gradually extending downward from there toward the front. The embedded portion 23 extends flat in the front-rear direction. The bent portion 24 is bent at two locations. A rear end portion of the bent portion 24 is placed on the mounting board of the connector 9 . A form in which the contact terminals 20 are press-fitted into the connector body 10 and fixed is also conceivable.

As shown in FIG. 3 , a plurality of contact terminals 20 are arranged in the width direction of the connector 9 . In some embodiments, the plurality of contact terminals 20 are configured such that a terminal arrangement subset 20U of the contact terminals 20, which is a combination of at least one signal terminal 20S and at least one ground terminal 20G, extends in the width direction of the connector 9 (the width of the lock cover 30). direction along the rotation axis). The terminal array subset 20U is a four-terminal subset composed of a pair of signal terminals 20S and a pair of ground terminals 20G sandwiching the pair of signal terminals 20S. The terminal array subset 20U may be referred to as the GSSG terminal array subset, where G represents ground terminals and S represents signal terminals. A pair of signal terminals 20S may be used for the transmission of differential signals. A pressing piece 40 is arranged between the terminal array subsets 20U adjacent in the width direction of the connector 9 .

Each pressing piece 40 is located between at least one signal terminal 20S included in one terminal array subset 20U and at least one signal terminal 20S included in the other terminal array subset 20U adjacent in the array direction of the terminal array subsets 20U. be provided. An electrical influence, such as a parasitic capacitance component, that the pressing piece 40 may have on the signal terminal 20S, which is a transmission path for high-frequency signals, is reduced.

The pressing piece 40 is provided between the contact terminals 20 adjacent to each other in the width direction of the connector 9 (the direction along the rotation axis of the lock cover 30), which is the ground terminal 20G in the illustrated example. The pressing piece 40 is arranged between the ground terminal 20G included in one terminal array subset 20U and the ground terminal 20G included in the other terminal array subset 20U adjacent in the width direction. An electrical influence, such as a parasitic capacitance component, that the pressing piece 40 may have on the signal terminal 20S, which is a transmission path for high-frequency signals, is reduced.

As described above, lock cover 30 is pivotally supported between first end 11 and second end 12 of connector body 10 . The lock cover 30 is formed by injection molding separately from the connector body 10 and attached to the connector body 10 . Lock cover 30 has a first end 31 , a second end 32 , and a cover body 33 extending between first end 31 and second end 32 . The first end portion 31 is provided with a convex portion that protrudes rightward and fits into the concave portion of the first end portion 11 of the connector body 10 . A configuration in which a concave portion is provided in the first end portion 31 and a convex portion is provided in the first end portion 11 of the connector body 10 is also envisioned. The second end portion 32 is provided with a convex portion that protrudes leftward and fits into the concave portion of the second end portion 12 of the connector body 10 . A configuration in which a concave portion is provided in the second end portion 32 and a convex portion is provided in the second end portion 12 of the connector body 10 is also envisioned. For reference, FIG. 7 schematically shows the above-described fitting of the convex portion and the concave portion.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the lock cover 30 has a lock portion 34 extending along the rotation axis of the lock cover 30 . The lock portion 34 may include a portion arranged on the pivot shaft of the lock cover 30 . However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode, and a mode in which the lock portion 34 is arranged offset from the rotation axis of the lock cover 30 is also conceivable. As shown in the illustrated example, a form in which a plurality of locking portions 34 are arranged between the first end portion 31 and the second end portion 32 is assumed. The plurality of lock portions 34 are arranged coaxially or on the same line, for example. Preferably, each locking portion 34 has the same cross-sectional shape in a cross section perpendicular to the width direction of the connector 9, but this is not necessarily the case. The number of lock portions 34 provided on the lock cover 30 is the same as the number of pressing pieces 40 attached to the connector main body 10, but this is not necessarily the case.

As an alternative to the above configuration, a configuration in which one locking portion 34 extends continuously along the width direction between the first end portion 31 and the second end portion 32 is assumed. In this form, a single lock portion 34 is used in common for a plurality of pressing pieces 40 attached to the connector main body 10 .

The lock portion 34 rotates about the rotation shaft of the lock cover 30 as the lock cover 30 rotates. The locking portion 34 is a portion to be pressed downward by the pressing portion 44 of the pressing piece 40 . The lock portion 34 has one or more (preferably a plurality of) arcuate surfaces in a cross section perpendicular to the width direction of the connector 9 . In the illustrated example, the lock portion 34 includes first and second arcuate surfaces 34m and 34n provided to face opposite sides in a cross section orthogonal to the rotation axis of the lock cover 30. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the lock cover 30 is in the locked state, the first arcuate surface 34m of the lock portion 34 faces upward and the second arcuate surface 34n faces downward. As shown in FIG. 6, when the lock cover 30 is in the unlocked state, the first arcuate surface 34m of the lock portion 34 faces rearward, and the second arcuate surface 34n faces forward. The first arcuate surface 34m has a larger radius of curvature than the second arcuate surface 34n. Between the first arcuate surface 34m and the second arcuate surface 34n, tapered inclined surfaces are provided that approach each other from the first arcuate surface 34m toward the second arcuate surface 34n.

The locking portion 34 is configured to hold the flexible wiring board 8 in cooperation with the contact terminal 20 . The locking portion 34 can be arranged directly above the contact terminal 20 , in other words, the spring portion 22 thereof. The flexible wiring board 8 is urged toward the locking portion 34 by the contact terminals 20, and the flexible wiring board 8 is further firmly sandwiched between the contact terminals 20 and the locking portion 34 (see FIG. 9). , 10). As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, when the flexible wiring board 8 is sandwiched between the connector body 10 and the lock cover 30, the first arcuate surface 34m and the pressing portion 44 come into contact with each other, and the second arcuate surface 34n contacts the flexible wiring board 8. The wiring board 8 contacts.

Lock cover 30 has one or more slots 35 formed adjacent to lock portion 34 . By providing the slot 35 in the lock cover 30, interference between the lock cover 30 and the pressing piece 40 is avoided. The slot 35 penetrates between the upper surface 30p and the lower surface 30q of the lock cover 30 at a position adjacent to the lock portion 34 . As shown in FIG. 5, when the lock cover 30 is in the locked state, the pressing portion 44 (the front end thereof) is placed over the slot 35 . As shown in FIG. 6, when the lock cover 30 is in the unlocked state, the pressing portion 44 (its front end portion) is inserted into the slot 35 . The slot 35 has rectangular upper and lower openings. The upper port has a wider opening area than the lower port.

In some forms, a plurality of slots 35 are positioned across the width of lock cover 30 . Between the widthwise adjacent slots 35 of the lock cover 30 are portions of the cover body 33 extending in the widthwise direction. The number of slots 35 provided in the lock cover 30 may be the same as the number of lock portions 34 provided in the lock cover 30 . The number of slots 35 provided in the lock cover 30 may be the same as the number of pressing portions 44 provided in the pressing piece 40 . Adjacent slots 35 in the width direction of the lock cover 30 can be combined to form one wide slot.

A plurality of pressing pieces 40 are arranged in the width direction of the connector 9 (the direction along the rotation axis of the lock cover 30). Each pressing piece 40 includes a flat plate portion arranged perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lock cover 30 (in short, it is a flat plate material), and is manufactured, for example, by punching a metal plate using a press machine. be done. The thickness direction of the pressing piece 40 coincides with the width direction of the connector 9 . On the other hand, the thickness direction of the contact terminals 20 coincides with the thickness direction of the connector 9 . The thickness direction of the pressing piece 40 and the thickness direction of the contact terminal 20 are perpendicular to each other. As a result, the contact terminal 20, that is, the parasitic capacitance component with respect to the signal terminal 20S is reduced. A plurality of individual pressing pieces 40 shown in FIG. 2 can be made into a single piece by combining punching and bending of a metal plate.

The pressing piece 40 has a pressing portion 44 that presses the locking portion 34 downward. The pressing portion 44 is appropriately shaped so as not to hinder the rotation of the locking portion 34 . The pressing portion 44 has a pressing surface 44p for pressing the first arcuate surface 34m of the locking portion 34 downward, and an escape surface 44q provided adjacent to the pressing surface 44p. When the lock cover 30 rotates from the locked state to the unlocked state, the first arcuate surface 34m of the lock portion 34 changes from contacting or facing the pressing surface 44p to contacting or facing the relief surface 44q. The escape surface 44q is an inclined surface that gradually descends toward the rear.

The pressing piece 40 is a bending member including at least a pressing piece main portion 41 and a rotation blocking portion 42, and is simply an L-shaped member. The pressing piece main portion 41 extends in the front-rear direction of the connector 9 (the insertion/removal direction of the flexible wiring board 8 with respect to the connector 9 ) and is inserted into the slot 15 of the connector main body 10 . The rotation blocking portion 42 extends in the thickness direction of the connector 9 and is arranged behind the wall portion 14 of the connector main body 10 . When the flexible wiring board 8 is sandwiched between the lock portion 34 and the contact terminals 20 , the flexible wiring board 8 is urged upward by the contact terminals 20 , and the flexible wiring board 8 presses the lock portion 34 and then the pressing piece 40 . Part 44 is pushed upwards. The pressing portion 44 of the pressing piece 40 is pushed upward, and the pressing piece 40 receives a clockwise rotational force when viewing FIG. 5 from the front. By providing the rotation blocking portion 42 on the pressing piece 40, even if the pressing piece 40 rotates according to the above-mentioned rotational force, the contact between the rotation blocking portion 42 of the pressing piece 40 and the connector main body 10, particularly the wall portion 14 thereof, is prevented. Therefore, the pressing piece 40 can sufficiently withstand the above-described rotational force. This promotes stronger attachment of the pressing piece 40 to the connector main body 10 .

The pressing piece main portion 41 is inserted into the slot 15 of the wall portion 14 of the connector body 10 . Slot 15 has a rectangular front and rear mouth. When the pressing piece 40 is attached to the connector main body 10 , the pressing piece main portion 41 is inserted into the slot 15 through the rear opening of the slot 15 . As a result of this insertion, the pressing piece main portion 41 protrudes sufficiently from the front opening of the slot 15 and the rotation blocking portion 42 is arranged in contact with or close to the wall portion 14 . The slot 15 is an opening that is narrow in the width direction of the connector 9 and long in the thickness direction of the connector 9 . Various other modes are conceivable for attaching the pressing piece 40 to the connector main body 10, and should not be limited to the illustrated example. A form in which a groove is provided on the upper surface of the wall portion 14 of the connector body 10 is also assumed.

Optionally, connector body 10 includes a housing portion 10H that houses dielectric 50 . Dielectric 50 comprises, for example, an LCP-based conductive resin. The pressing piece 40, particularly its rotation preventing portion 42, prevents the dielectric 50 from coming off from the accommodating portion 10H. The dielectric 50 is provided to suppress ripples in high frequency signals.

A method of attaching the flexible wiring board 8 to the connector 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the lock cover 30 is rotated rearward away from the connector main body 10 to be in the unlocked state. When the lock cover 30 is in the unlocked state, the lock cover 30 is not arranged on the flat plate portion 13. - 特許庁Therefore, one end of the flexible wiring board 8 can be easily arranged on the flat plate portion 13 without being obstructed by the lock cover 30 . A guide projection 17 is formed on the flat plate portion 13 . Therefore, when the flexible wiring board 8 is moved backward, the insertion end of the flexible wiring board 8 is displaced upward by the guide protrusion 17, and collision with the contact terminal 20 to stop is avoided or suppressed. The flexible wiring board 8 can be locally bent according to contact with the guide projections 17 . Contact terminal 20 has an inclined surface that gradually extends rearward from its front end to contact portion 21 . If the contact terminal 20 itself has a guide function in this way, the guide projection 17 can be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the flexible wiring board 8 collides with the front wall surface of the wall portion 14 and stops. A stop may be provided on the connector body 10 for the flexible wiring board 8 to determine the proper stop position of the flexible wiring board 8 . For example, a stopping projection can be provided on the front wall surface of the wall portion 14 .

Next, the lock cover 30 is rotated forward so as to approach the cover main body 10 to be locked (see FIG. 9). As a result, the flexible wiring board 8 is pushed downward by the lock cover 30 , particularly the cover main body 33 and the lock portion 34 , and the contact terminal 20 is pushed downward by the flexible wiring board 8 . As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the flexible wiring board 8 is sandwiched between the lock cover 30 and the contact terminals 20, and the terminals 8T of the flexible wiring board 8 are brought into contact with the contact portions 21 of the contact terminals 20 to establish electrical continuity. do. A contact point between the flexible wiring board 8 and the cover body 33 exists in front of a contact point between the terminal 8T and the contact portion 21 in the front-rear direction. In the front-to-rear direction, the contact portion between the flexible wiring board 8 and the lock portion 34 exists behind the contact portion between the terminal 8T and the contact portion 21 . By providing two or more contact points between the lock cover 30 and the flexible wiring board 8 , the flexible wiring board 8 can be held more stably between the lock cover 30 and the contact terminals 20 . It is also possible to provide a plurality of pressing protrusions arranged in the width direction on the lower surface 30q of the lock cover 30. As shown in FIG.

Various modifications to the embodiments and features may be made by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. Reference signs in the claims are for reference only and should not be construed for the purpose of limiting the scope of the claims.

8: Flexible wiring board 9: Connector

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10: connector body 10H: housing portion 11: first end portion 12: second end portion 13: flat plate portion 14: wall portion 15: slot

20: contact terminal 20G: ground terminal 20S: signal terminal 20U: terminal arrangement subset 21: contact portion 22: spring portion 23: embedded portion 24: bent portion

30: lock cover 31: first end 32: second end 33: cover body 34: lock portion 34m: first arcuate surface 34n: second arcuate surface 35: slot

40 : Pressing piece 41 : Pressing piece main portion 42 : Rotation blocking portion 44 : Pressing portion 44p : Pressing surface 44q : Relief surface 50 : Dielectric

Claims (5)

A flexible wiring board connector (9),
a connector body (10);
including one or more signal terminals (20S) and one or more ground terminals (20G), each provided on the connector body (10) for electrical connection with the terminal (8T) of the flexible wiring board (8) a plurality of contact terminals (20) separated from each other;
A lock cover (30) rotatably supported by the connector body (10) and having a lock portion (34) configured to press the flexible wiring board (8) toward the connector body (10). )and,
One or more conductive pressing pieces (40) attached to the connector body (10) and configured to press the lock portion (34) toward the flexible wiring board (8). ,
the contact terminal (20) and the pressing piece (40) are electrically disconnected from each other and provided separately from the connector body (10),
The pressing piece (40) is provided electrically unconnected to the terminal (8T) of the flexible wiring board (8) ,
A flexible wiring board connector, wherein the pressing piece (40) is provided between the contact terminals (20) adjacent to each other in the direction along the rotation axis of the lock cover (30). 2. The flexible wiring board connector according to claim 1, wherein said pressing piece (40) includes a flat plate portion arranged perpendicularly to the rotation axis of said lock cover (30). The connector body (10) includes a housing (19) housing a dielectric (50),
3. The connector for a flexible wiring board according to claim 1, wherein said pressing piece (40) prevents said dielectric (50) from falling out of said accommodating portion (19). The pressing piece (40) is a bending member including a pressing piece main portion (41) and a rotation blocking portion (42). 4. The flexible wiring board connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotation of 40) is prevented. A terminal array subset (20U) of the contact terminals (20), which is a combination of at least one of the signal terminals (20S) and at least one of the ground terminals (20G), extends along the rotation axis of the lock cover (30). arrayed,
Each pressing piece (40) includes at least one signal terminal (20S) included in one terminal array subset (20U) adjacent in the array direction of the terminal array subsets (20U) and the other terminal array subset (20U). 5. The flexible wiring board connector according to claim 1 , provided between said at least one signal terminal (20S) included in said connector.

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