JPH04368788A - Receptacle connector using flexible wiring board - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent error and malfunction of contact of a conductive pattern layer and terminals of a flexible wiring board by forming a rib in the center of a base opening of a housing, and pinching the base part of the flexible wiring board with a holding member and the rib to fix the base part for holding. CONSTITUTION:A base opening communicated with an acceptable space 12 having a plug insertion opening 12a is formed in the basic end side of a housing 11, and a rib 11e is provided in the center thereof. When a flexible wiring board 30 is inserted from the base opening of the housing 11, a base part 35 contact to the bottom surface of the rib 11e, and while is pinched by a holding member 20 fitted so as to cover the base opening of the housing 11, and the base part 35 of the flexible wiring board 30 is fixed for holding. The flexible wiring board 30 is thereby positioned accurately and is held inside of the housing connector, and a conductive pattern layer of the wiring board can abut on a corresponding terminal of an opposite member accurately.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector having a structure in which a flexible wiring board is held within a connector housing, and a conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board is used as a connection terminal.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art A connector using such a flexible wiring board is known, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 40-2588. This connector is a two-piece connector consisting of a receptacle connector and a plug connector, both of which are constructed by holding a printed wiring board within a connector housing. When these two connectors are connected, the plug protrusion of the plug connector having a flexible wiring board on its outer surface projects into the receptacle connector and is sandwiched between the flexible wiring boards disposed therein. As a result, the conductive pattern layer on the flexible wiring board of the plug connector and the conductive pattern layer on the flexible wiring board of the receptacle connector come into contact with each other, and the corresponding wirings of both connectors are electrically connected. Note that a leaf spring member is disposed within the receptacle connector in order to apply a predetermined contact force during this abutting contact.

[0003] The above flexible wiring board is manufactured using FPC technology, TAB (Tape A) on a flexible insulating film.
It is made by forming a conductive wiring pattern (conductive pattern layer) using a method such as automated bonding, and the conductive pattern layer is usually formed on one surface of a flexible insulating film. When a connector using such a flexible wiring board is connected to a mating component (a mating connector or a printed circuit board), the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board will come into direct contact with the terminals of the mating component, resulting in an electrical connection. Therefore, the conductive pattern layer is formed in an exposed state.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the case of the receptacle connector disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, a flexible wiring board is disposed within the space within the receptacle housing so that the cross section is approximately U-shaped. There is. In this case, both ends of the flexible wiring board are fixedly held by the housing, but the portion disposed within the space of the housing is only held in a substantially U-shape by being guided by the leaf spring member. However, since there is no way to forcibly hold this, holding it is unstable. For this reason, it is difficult to accurately position the flexible wiring board within the receptacle connector, and misalignment is likely to occur.When this receptacle connector is connected to a plug connector, the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board held by both connectors may There is a problem that contact may occur due to misalignment, resulting in poor contact, or contact may occur with an adjacent conductive pattern layer that should not be in contact, resulting in erroneous connection.

[0005] Recently, there has been a strong trend to reduce the width of the flexible wiring board by narrowing the spacing between the conductive pattern layers formed on the flexible wiring board, thereby reducing the size of the connector. There is a problem in that the narrower the spacing between pattern layers, the more likely problems of poor contact and erroneous connections will occur. The present invention was developed in view of these problems, and involves firmly fixing and holding a flexible wiring board to the housing of a receptacle connector, connecting the receptacle connector to a mating member, and connecting the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board to the terminals of the mating member. It is an object of the present invention to provide a receptacle connector having a structure that prevents erroneous contact, poor contact, etc. from occurring when making abutting connection with a receptacle connector.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] As a means for achieving the above object, the receptacle connector of the present invention includes a housing in which a receiving space having a plug insertion opening is formed on the distal end side, and an elastic plate having a cross section of approximately U. A leaf spring member formed by molding into a letter shape and disposed within the receiving space such that the open end portion opposes the plug insertion opening, and the intermediate portion is located within the approximately U-shaped space of the leaf spring member. The flexible wiring board extends into the receiving space so that the left and right sides cover the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member. A base opening communicating with the receiving space is formed on the base end side of the housing, and a rib located in the approximately U-shaped space and extending parallel to the middle part of the flexible wiring board is provided at the center of the base opening. is formed,
The intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board comes into contact with the bottom surface of this rib and is pressed inward into the substantially U-shaped space. Further, the left and right sides of the flexible wiring board are held fixed between a holding member attached to the base opening of the housing and the left and right side walls of the housing. In this case, the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board may be fixedly held by being sandwiched between the rib and the holding member.

[0007] Furthermore, a guide pin is formed on the rib to protrude into the approximately U-shaped space formed by the flexible wiring board in the receiving space, and when connecting this receptacle connector with a mating connector, the guide pin is The connection position may be determined by inserting the connector into the guide hole of the mating connector. Furthermore, on the contrary, a guide hole is formed in the rib, and the guide hole opens into the approximately U-shaped space formed by the flexible wiring board. Connection positioning may be performed by inserting a guide pin of a mating connector.

[0008]

[Operation] In the case of the receptacle connector with the above configuration,
The left and right sides of a flexible wiring board disposed in the housing of this connector with a substantially U-shaped cross section are sandwiched and fixed between the holding member and the side wall of the housing, and the middle part of the flexible wiring board is connected to the rib of the housing. is pressed into the approximately U-shaped space of the leaf spring member. Therefore, the flexible wiring board is forcibly held in a state in which the intermediate portion enters the substantially U-shaped space of the leaf spring member and both side portions cover both side walls of the leaf spring member. This allows the flexible wiring board to be accurately positioned and securely held within the connector housing. Therefore, when this receptacle housing is connected to a mating member (for example, a plug housing), the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board can be accurately abutted and connected to the corresponding terminal of the mating member, preventing erroneous contact and contact. No defects occur. In this case, if the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board is clamped and fixed between the rib and the holding member, the flexible wiring board can be fixed and held more accurately and firmly.

Note that guide pins or guide holes are formed in the ribs of the housing, and when this receptacle connector is connected to a mating member, these guide pins or guide holes are fitted with the guide holes or guide pins of the mating member connector. By doing so, this fitting allows accurate positioning of the connection between the two, and allows the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board to contact and connect with the corresponding terminal of the mating member more accurately.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A receptacle connector 10 according to the present invention has a configuration shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and a plug connector 50 connected to this receptacle connector 10.
has the configuration shown in Figures 9 to 11, and both connectors 1
0 and 50 are fitted together. Note that, hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the connectors 10, 50 will be referred to as the front-rear direction, and the width direction will be referred to as the left-right direction.

First, the structure of the receptacle connector 10 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. This connector 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and includes a receptacle housing 11 molded from an insulating material such as resin. A receiving space 12 is formed within the receptacle housing 11 and has a plug insertion opening 12a at its upper end (base end). The receptacle housing 11 has left and right side walls 11
a, 11b and front and rear side walls 11c, 11d, these side walls surround the receiving space 12, but the lower end (tip) thereof is open downward. However, a rib 11e extending back and forth is formed at the center of the opening at the lower end. A leaf spring member 40 and a flexible wiring board 30 are disposed within this receiving space 12 while being held by a holding member 20 .

The leaf spring member 40 is made by bending an elastic metal plate material so that the cross-sectional shape is approximately U-shaped as shown in FIG. This plate spring member 40 is
Left and right side walls 41, 42 and base portion 4 forming a substantially U-shaped cross section
3, these left and right side walls 41, 42 and a base part 43
A substantially U-shaped space 46 is formed which is surrounded by and is open upward. Note that the left and right side walls 41 and 42 are not simply planar, but have intermediate portions in the vertical direction protruding inward, respectively.
Pressing convex portions 41a and 42a extending in the lateral direction are formed, and upper end portions are bent outward into a cylindrical shape to form upper end cylindrical portions 41b and 42b.

Cut and raised portions 41c and 42c used for applying preload are provided at both front and rear ends of the upper cylindrical portions 41b and 42b. Note that the preload assignment will be described later. Furthermore, the left and right side walls 41, 42
The lower portions of each are cut at two locations (four locations in total) and bent downward to form surface mount legs 44. Furthermore, a plurality of through holes 45 are formed in the base portion 43 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the flexible wiring board 30 has a circuit pattern of a conductive thin film, that is, conductive pattern layers 32a and 3 on a flexible insulating film 31.
2b is formed by known FPC technology, TAB technology, etc. Note that the receptacle connector 10 of this example
As a flexible wiring board 30 used for this purpose, only the insulating film 31 is cut and removed at the cut portion 31b in FIG.
A material in which b is exposed and the outer periphery is cut into a desired shape is used.

The leaf spring member 40 and flexible wiring board 30 are arranged within the receiving space 12,
These arrangements will be explained with reference to FIG. first,
As shown in FIG. 8(A), the flexible wiring board 30
The central part (base part) covers the lower (bottom) side of the rib 11e, and both left and right sides protrude into the receiving space 12 in an M-shape,
Both left and right ends are the left and right side walls 11 of the receptacle housing 11
a, 11b so as to extend outward from the lower ends thereof. In this arrangement, the flexible wiring board 30 may be directly pushed into the receiving space 12 as described above, but the flexible wiring board 30 may be preformed into the shape shown in FIG. 8(A). and easy to install.

On the other hand, the leaf spring member 40 is first mounted on the holding member 20. The holding member 20 has guide walls 25 extending upward on both left and right sides, and the guide walls 25 are fitted into the receiving space 12 of the receptacle housing 11, as shown in FIG. 8(B). It has become. On the upper surface of the holding member 20, as shown in FIG.
A plurality (three) of insertion guide pins 22 and a plurality (eight) of shorter holding guide pins 23 are provided to extend upward. Two attachment guide pins 21 are provided on the lower surface of the holding member 20 and extend downward. The leaf spring member 40 is attached with its base portion 43 resting on the upper surface of the holding member 40. At this time, the insertion guide pin 22 and the holding guide pin 23 are inserted into the through hole 45 formed in the base portion 43, thereby positioning the plate spring member 40 to be attached to the holding member 20.

After the leaf spring member 40 is mounted on the holding member 20 in this manner, the upper open part of the approximately U-shaped space 46 of the leaf spring member 40 faces the rib 11e from the lower side of the receptacle housing 11. Then, this leaf spring member 40 is inserted into the receiving space 12. At this time, the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40 are pushed apart by the rib 11e, climb over the rib 11e, and enter the receiving space 12 as shown in FIG. 8(B). In addition, rib 11
e includes the insertion guide pin 22 and the holding guide pin 2.
A through hole corresponding to 3 is formed, and the flexible wiring board 3
0 also has through holes 3 corresponding to these guide pins 22 and 23.
1a (see FIG. 5) is formed. Therefore, as described above, the holding member 20 and the leaf spring member 40 are attached to the receiving space 1.
2, the insertion guide pin 22 and the holding guide pin 23 fit into the through hole of the rib 11e and the through hole 31a of the flexible wiring board 30.

On the other hand, a pair of preload applying guide protrusions 16 are formed at the front and rear ends of the receptacle housing 11 in the receiving space 12, respectively. These guide protrusions 16 have tapered surfaces 16a that slope outward and upward, and are formed at positions facing the cut and raised portions 41c and 42c of the leaf spring member 40 inserted into the receiving space 12 as described above. . Therefore, when the leaf spring member 40 is inserted into the receiving space 12, the cut and raised portions 41c, 42
The inner ends 41d and 42d of c contact the tapered surface 16a, and are inserted while being pushed apart along the tapered surface 16a. Therefore, when the leaf spring member 40 is completely inserted into the receiving space 12, as shown in FIG.
2 is pushed apart to some extent and becomes elastically deformed. In other words, the left and right side walls 41 and 42 are subjected to a preload that spreads outward.

[0019] Through this insertion, the final result is as shown in Fig. 8(C).
As shown in FIG. 2, the left and right side portions of the flexible wiring board 30 are sandwiched between the left and right guide walls 25 of the holding member 20 and the left and right side walls 11a, 11b of the receptacle housing 11, and the left and right side portions of the flexible wiring board 30 are sandwiched between the ribs 11e and the holding member 20. The base portion (middle portion) 35 of the flexible wiring board 30 and the base portion 43 of the leaf spring member 40 are in a sandwiched state. Therefore, the flexible wiring board 30 is firmly fixed to the housing 11 as shown in the figure. At this time, the insertion guide pin 22
By fitting the holding guide pins 23 into the through holes of the ribs 11e and the through holes 31a of the flexible wiring board 30, each member can be accurately positioned. Note that the insertion guide pin 22 is longer than the holding guide pin 23, and when inserted into the through hole of the rib 11e as described above,
The insertion guide pin 22 projects upward from the rib 11e (into the substantially U-shaped space 46 of the leaf spring member 40).

In addition, the flexible wiring board 30 has its base portion 35 at its center inserted into the substantially U-shaped space 46 of the leaf spring member 40, and its left and right sides climbing over the upper end cylindrical portions 41b, 42b of the leaf spring member 40. , the left and right side walls 41 and 42 are covered. Therefore, the flexible wiring board 30 is curved into a substantially U-shaped cross section within the receiving space 12 (inside the substantially U-shaped space of the leaf spring member 40) such that the open end portion faces the plug insertion opening 12a. It is placed in a fixed and held state. Furthermore, this flexible wiring board 30
The base portion 35 of the U-shaped curved portion is clamped and fixed by the rib 11e of the receptacle housing 11 and the holding member 20. During this fixation, the insertion guide pin 22
The holding guide pin 23 is then fitted into the through hole 31a for positioning. For this reason, flexible wiring board 3
A through hole 31a is formed in a portion that becomes the base portion 35 at 0, as shown in FIG. At this time, the portions of the flexible wiring board 30 that come into contact with the pressing protrusions 41a and 42a of the leaf spring member 40 are
, 42a and protrudes inward.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6(C), a pair of fixing pins 24 are formed at both front and rear ends of the holding member 20 and project upwardly, respectively, and these fixing pins 24 are formed on the receptacle housing 11. It is designed to be inserted into the inserted insertion hole. Therefore, the holding member 20 has the ribs 11e of the insertion guide pin 22 and the holding guide pin 23.
The fixing pin 24 is firmly connected to the receptacle housing 11 by fitting into the through hole and fitting into the insertion hole of the fixing pin 24 .

The receptacle connector 10 having the above structure is attached to the printed circuit board 1 by surface mounting or the like, as shown by the chain line in FIG. During this installation, the installation guide pin 21 of the holding member 20 is attached to the printed circuit board 1.
The mounting position is determined by fitting into the insertion hole. and,
The conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b exposed at both left and right end portions of the flexible wiring board 30 are surface mount bonded to the corresponding conductive pattern layers of the printed circuit board 1 by reflow soldering. However, the conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b
Surface mount bonding does not provide sufficient bonding strength;
The attachment strength of the receptacle connector 10 to the printed circuit board 1 is insufficient. For this reason, the surface mounting legs 44 of the leaf spring member 40 are also reflow soldered to the printed circuit board 1 to ensure mounting strength. Furthermore, the front and rear side walls 11c of the receptacle housing 11,
Attachment grooves 18 are formed on the outer surface of each of the parts 11d,
An L-shaped mount member 35 is press-fitted into the mounting groove 18 . The lower leg portion 36 of this mount member 35 is also
Similar to the legs 44 of the leaf spring member 40, the receptacle connector 10 is joined to the printed circuit board 1 by reflow soldering.
It is designed to increase the mounting strength of the

Next, the structure of the plug connector 50 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. This connector 5
The plug housing 51 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and is molded from an insulating material such as resin. A fitting space 58 that opens upward is formed within the plug housing 51 . The plug housing 51 has left and right side walls 51a.
, 51b, front and rear side walls 51c, 51d, and a bottom wall 52, and these side walls and the bottom wall surround a fitting space 58. An insertion hole 52a extending back and forth is formed through the bottom wall 52. Furthermore, the insertion hole 5 in the bottom wall 52
A column 54 is provided extending upward from the front and rear ends of 2a, and a plug protrusion tip 53 is integrally provided across the upper ends of the column 54. A plurality of through holes 53a and 53b are formed in the plug protrusion tip 53.

Fitting space 58 of this plug housing 51
The flexible wiring board 70 is held and disposed by the holding member 60 so that the tip thereof contacts the tip end portion 53 of the plug protrusion. The flexible wiring board 70 is different in size from the flexible wiring board 30 used in the receptacle connector 10, but has the same structure. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of conductive pattern layers 72a and 72b are provided on a flexible insulating film 71, and the insulating film 7 is formed at a cut portion 71b in FIG.
1 is cut and removed, and this portion of the conductive pattern layer 72 is removed.
a and 72b are exposed and the outer periphery is cut to give the desired shape.

The holding member 60 has a plug protrusion base end 61 that stands up in the form of a flat plate, and this plug protrusion base end 61
The cross-sectional shape of is slightly smaller than the shape of the insertion hole 52a formed in the bottom wall portion 52 of the plug housing 51, so that the plug protrusion base end 61 can be fitted into the insertion hole 52a. A plurality of receiving holes 63 and a plurality of holding guide pins 64 are provided at the tip of the plug protrusion base end 61 . These are provided corresponding to the plurality of through holes 53a and 53b formed in the plug protrusion tip 53 of the plug housing 51. The plug protrusion base end 61 is inserted into the insertion hole 52
a into the fitting space 58 and its tip abuts the plug protrusion tip 61, the receiving hole 63 overlaps the through hole 53a, and the holding guide pin 64 overlaps the through hole 53b.
It is designed to be fitted inside. Plug protrusion base end 6
As shown in FIG. 12, a groove 62 is formed along the entire circumference in the intermediate portion of 1, and a ring-shaped elastic member 85 made of rubber or the like is disposed within this groove 62. In this example, grooves are formed all around the circumference, but grooves may be formed only on both sides of the proximal end of the plug protrusion 1, and elastic members may be provided in each of these grooves.

Further, two mounting guide pins 65 are provided on the bottom surface of the holding member 60 to protrude downward, and through holes 67 are formed at the front and rear ends. Furthermore, two grooves 60a are formed on the bottom surface, and a mount member 80 is fixedly installed in these grooves 60a. As shown in FIG. 9, the mount member 80 has a press-fit arm 83 bent upward and a mount arm 82 extending laterally. In the groove portion 60a,
A press-fit hole 66 extending upward is formed, and the mount member 80 is attached to the groove 60a of the holding member 60 by press-fitting the press-fit arm 83 into the press-fit hole 66. Note that at this time, the protrusion 83a of the press-fit arm 83 is inserted into the press-fit hole 6.
6, and the mount member 80 is firmly fixed.

The base end portion 61 of the plug protrusion of the holding member 60
A flexible wiring board 70 is attached to cover. A plurality of through holes 71a are formed in the flexible wiring board 70, and the holding guide pin 64 of the plug protrusion base end 61 is formed in the flexible wiring board 70.
is fitted into this through hole 71a, and the mounting position of both is determined. Note that the receiving hole 63 overlaps with the through hole 71a. In this state, the plug protrusion base end 61 is inserted into the fitting space 58 through the insertion hole 52a of the plug housing 51.

By this insertion, the tip of the plug protrusion base end 61 comes into contact with the plug protrusion tip 53, and the flexible wiring board 70 is held between them. At this time, the holding guide pin 64 is fitted into the through hole 53b, and by this fitting, the holding member 60 and the plug housing 60 (the plug projection tip 61) are accurately positioned. here,
As described above, the holding guide pin 64 is fitted into the through hole 71a of the flexible wiring board 70 to position the flexible wiring board 70 with respect to the holding member 60, and as a result, the holding guide pin 64 is inserted into the through hole 71a of the flexible wiring board 70 to position the flexible wiring board 70 with respect to the holding member 60. The flexible wiring board 70 is positioned and attached. Further, the receiving hole 63 is the through hole 7 of the flexible wiring board 70.
1a and the through hole 53a of the plug tip projection 53, and the hole formed in such an overlapping manner (a hole consisting of the receiving hole 63, the through hole 71a, and the through hole 53a) forms a guide hole.

In this way, when the holding member 60 is inserted until the tip of the plug protrusion base end 61 comes into contact with the plug protrusion tip 53, the through hole 67 formed at the front and rear ends of the holding member 60 is inserted. A mounting pin protrusion 55 formed on the lower surface of the front and rear ends of the plug housing 51 is fitted. The fitting between the mounting pin protrusion 55 and the through hole 67 and the holding guide pin 64
By fitting into the through hole 53b, the holding member 60 is coupled and fixed to the plug housing 51 in the inserted state as described above. As a result, the conductive pattern layers 72a and 72b of the flexible wiring board 70 are exposed to the fitting space 58 on the left and right side surfaces of the plug protrusion base end 61. Further, the vicinity of the left and right ends of the flexible wiring board 70 are held fixed between the bottom wall part 52 of the plug housing 51 and the holding member 60.

The plug connector 50 having the above configuration is shown in FIG.
As shown by the chain line at 0, it is attached to the printed circuit board 2 by surface mounting or the like. During this attachment, the attachment guide pins 65 of the holding member 60 fit into the insertion holes of the printed circuit board 2 to determine the attachment position. Then, the conductive pattern layers 72a and 72b exposed at both left and right end portions of the flexible wiring board 70 are surface mount bonded to the corresponding conductive pattern layers of the printed circuit board 2 by reflow soldering. However, even in this case, the surface mount bonding of the conductive pattern layers 72a and 72b does not provide sufficient strength for attaching the plug connector 50 to the printed circuit board 2. Therefore, the mount arm 82 of the mount member 80 fixed to the bottom surface of the holding member 60 is also attached to the printed circuit board 2.
is reflow soldered. Furthermore, an L-shaped mount member 75 is press-fitted into a mounting groove 57 formed on the outer surface of the front and rear side walls 51c and 51d of the plug housing 51, and the leg portions 76 of this mount member 75 are also attached to the printed circuit board 2. The plug connector 50 is joined by reflow soldering to increase the mounting strength of the plug connector 50.

When the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 50 configured as described above are connected, the printed circuit boards 1 and 2 can be electrically connected through this two-piece connector. This connection involves fitting the receptacle housing 11 into the fitting space 58 of the plug housing 51 and fitting the plug connector 5 into the receiving space 12 of the receptacle housing 11.
This is done by inserting the plug protrusion 0 (the plug protrusion tip end 53 and the plug protrusion base end 61). As a result, as shown in FIG.
The left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the plate spring member 40 are pushed apart to enter the substantially U-shaped space, and the plug protrusion base end 61 is held between the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40. Therefore, the substantially U-shaped space 46 between the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40
Flexible wiring board 30 installed inside
and a flexible wiring board 70 attached to cover the plug protrusion base end 61 are sandwiched between both side surfaces of the plug protrusion base end 61 and the left and right side walls 41, 42 of the leaf spring member 40, and both wiring boards 30, 70 corresponding conductive pattern layers 32
a, 32b and 72a, 72b come into abutting contact.

These conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 7
2a and 72b are printed circuit boards 1 and 72b, respectively, at their ends.
Since the printed circuit boards 1 and 2 are bonded by reflow soldering to the corresponding conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 72a, and 72b, the electrical connection between the printed circuit boards 1 and 2 is established through the conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 72a, and 72b. . Here, Figure 5
As shown in FIG. 1, a large number of conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 72a, 72b are formed on the flexible wiring boards 30, 70, and the intervals between them are quite narrow. Therefore, in both connectors 10, 50, flexible wiring boards 30, 70 are accurately positioned and firmly attached to each housing 11, 51, and furthermore, in both connectors 30, 50,
, 70, if the positioning is not performed accurately,
The conductive pattern layer may shift and come into contact with each other, resulting in poor contact.
There is a risk that the contact may come into contact with an adjacent conductive pattern layer that should not originally come into contact, causing erroneous contact.

Therefore, in the two-piece connector of this example, the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 5
0 is fitted and coupled to the receptacle connector 10 as shown in FIG. (Through hole 53a of plug protrusion tip 53, through hole 71a of flexible wiring board 70, and receiving hole 63 of plug protrusion base end 61)
It is configured to fit inside. By fitting the insertion guide pin 22 into the guide hole in this manner, the fitting portions of both connectors 10 and 50 are accurately positioned.
Problems such as poor contact and erroneous contact as described above can be prevented. In this example, the guide pin is provided in the part of the receptacle housing that fixes the base of the flexible wiring board, and the guide hole is formed in the plug protrusion of the plug connector. The guide hole may be provided in the connector, and the guide hole may be formed in the receptacle connector.

Note that these conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b
The abutting contact between and 72a and 72b is performed by being pressed by the pressing convex portions 41a and 42a of the leaf spring member 40, and the contact force at the time of this contact is due to the elastic deformation force of the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40. It has gained. By the way, the elastic member 85 disposed in the groove 62 of the plug protrusion base end 61 faces the pressing protrusions 41a and 42a, as shown in the figure, and is separated from the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40. The applied pressing force is received by the elastic member 85. For this reason, the pressing convex portion 41a
, 42a have unevenness or are tilted diagonally, since these are absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic member 85, both flexible wiring boards 30, 70 are removed from the pressing protrusions 41a, 42a. Variations in contact force acting on the contact portions are alleviated. Therefore, all the conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 72a, 72b in both flexible wiring boards 30, 70 that are in contact with each other almost always receive the contact force and come into contact with each other, and there is no occurrence of partial electrical connection failure. .

Furthermore, when assembling the receptacle connector 10, the left and right side walls 41, 42 of the leaf spring member 40 are pushed outward to a certain extent so that a preload is applied thereto. Therefore, in order to connect both the connectors 10 and 50, the above-mentioned preload is not necessary as the insertion force required when inserting the plug protrusion into the approximately U-shaped space 46 of the leaf spring member 40, and the insertion force increases accordingly. becomes smaller. That is, by applying this preload in advance, the insertion force for fitting the connectors 10 and 50 together can be reduced. Further, by pushing outward in this manner, the upper ends of the left and right side walls 41, 42 of the leaf spring member 40 are separated to form an opening, and the intervals between the openings can be made equal. This makes it easier to insert the plug protrusion, and reduces the possibility that the plug protrusion makes partial contact during insertion.

[0036]

As explained above, in the receptacle connector according to the present invention, the left and right sides of the flexible wiring board, which is disposed in the housing of the connector and has a substantially U-shaped cross section, are connected to the holding member and the side walls of the housing. The flexible wiring board is clamped and fixed by the housing, and the intermediate part of the flexible wiring board is pressed into the approximately U-shaped space of the leaf spring member by the rib of the housing. The flexible wiring board is inserted into the U-shaped space and is forcibly held with both sides covering both side walls of the leaf spring member, thereby accurately positioning and firmly holding the flexible wiring board within the connector housing. . Therefore, when this receptacle housing is connected to a mating member (for example, a plug housing), the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board can be accurately abutted and connected to the corresponding terminal of the mating member, preventing erroneous contact and contact. No defects occur. In this case, if the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board is clamped and fixed between the rib and the holding member, the flexible wiring board can be fixed and held more accurately and firmly.

Note that a guide pin protruding into the approximately U-shaped space formed by the flexible wiring board in the receiving space or a guide hole opening into the approximately U-shaped space is formed in the rib of the housing, and the receptacle When connecting the connector to a mating connector, a guide pin or a guide hole may be fitted into a guide hole or a guide pin of the mating connector to determine the connection position. In this way, by this fitting, the two can be accurately positioned for connection, and the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board can be more accurately abutted and connected to the corresponding terminal of the mating member.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a receptacle connector constituting a two-piece connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view showing a receptacle connector constituting the two-piece connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing a receptacle connector constituting the two-piece connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view and a perspective view showing a leaf spring member used in the receptacle connector.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a flexible wiring board used in the receptacle connector.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the receptacle connector.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a portion of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the assembly of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a plug connector constituting the two-piece connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view showing a plug connector constituting a two-piece connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a bottom view showing a plug connector constituting the two-piece connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a part of the plug connector.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the plug connector.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a state in which the receptacle connector and plug connector are connected.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 2 Board 10 Receptacle connector 11 Receptacle housing 12 Receptive space 20 Holding member 22 Insertion guide pin 30 Flexible wiring board 35 Base 40　Plate spring member 46 Roughly U-shaped space 50 Plug connector 51 Plug housing 53 Plug protrusion tip 58 Fitting space 60 Holding member 61 Base end of plug protrusion 70 Flexible wiring board 80 Mounting member

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A housing formed by forming a receiving space having a plug insertion opening on the distal end side, and an elastic plate material having a substantially U-shaped cross section, the distal end opening being opposed to the plug insertion opening. A plate spring member disposed within the receiving space, and the receiving space such that the intermediate portion enters the approximately U-shaped space of the plate spring member and the left and right side portions cover the left and right side walls of the plate spring member. In a receptacle connector configured with a flexible wiring board extending and disposed in a space, a base opening that communicates with the receiving space is formed on the base end side of the housing, and a base opening that communicates with the receiving space is formed in the center of the base opening. A rib is formed that is located within the approximately U-shaped space and extends parallel to the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board, and the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board abuts the bottom surface of the rib to form the approximately U-shaped space. The left and right sides of the flexible wiring board, which are pressed inward into the space, are held fixed by being sandwiched between a holding member attached to the base opening of the housing and the left and right side walls of the housing. A receptacle connector using a flexible wiring board. 2. The receptacle connector using a flexible wiring board according to claim 1, wherein an intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board is held fixed by being sandwiched between the rib and the holding member. 3. The rib is formed with a guide pin that protrudes into the approximately U-shaped space formed by the flexible wiring board within the receiving space, and when connected to a mating connector, the guide pin is inserted into the receiving space. 3. The receptacle connector using a flexible wiring board according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the receptacle connector is inserted into a guide hole of a mating connector to determine the connection position. 4. The rib is formed with a guide hole that opens into a substantially U-shaped space formed by the flexible wiring board in the receiving space, and when connected to a mating connector, a guide hole is formed in the guide hole. 3. The receptacle connector using a flexible wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the connection position is determined by inserting a guide pin of a mating connector into the receptacle connector.