JPH04368791A - Receptacle connector using flexible wiring board - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To restrict a fitting space minimum at the time of fitting a receptacle connector using flexible wiring board on a printed substrate with surface mount or the like by reducing an angle of bending of a part for guiding the end of a flexible wiring board from the inside of a housing to the outside. CONSTITUTION:A receptacle connector 1 consists of a housing, in which an acceptable space 1a having a plug insertion opening port 27a is formed, and a spring plate member 40, and a flexible wiring board 30, of which middle part is fitted in a nearly U-shape space 46 of the plate spring member 40 and both right and left sides thereof are extended into the acceptable space 1a so as to cover both right and left side walls of the plate spring member 40 and both right and left side ends thereof are exposed in the base end side of the housing. Parts near both the right and left side ends of the flexible wiring board 30 are arranged so as to be made come close to the inside by projecting parts 23, which are provided on both right and left inside surfaces of the base end side inside of the acceptable space 1a and projecting inward.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a receptacle connector constructed by disposing a flexible wiring board in a connector housing so as to cover a metal plate spring member, and more particularly, to a receptacle connector that is attached to a printed circuit board or the like. This invention relates to receptacle connectors.

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. The above flexible wiring board uses FPC technology, TAB (Tape A) on a flexible insulating film.
It is made by forming a conductive wiring pattern (conductive pattern layer) using automated bonding technology or the like.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the case of the above-mentioned receptacle connector, a plate spring member having a substantially U-shaped cross section is disposed within the space formed in the receptacle housing, and a plate spring member having a substantially U-shaped cross section is disposed so as to cover the plate spring member. A flexible wiring board is attached. Specifically, the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board enters into the approximately U-shaped space of the leaf spring member, and the left and right sides cover the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member, and the end portions of the flexible wiring board cover the side walls of the proximal end of the housing. It protrudes outward from the left and right sides. However, in this case, the flexible wiring board is bent at an almost right angle near the outwardly protruding portion, and when the bending angle of the flexible wiring board becomes large in this way, the There is a problem that the conductive pattern layer may be bent or peeled off at this bent portion.

[0004] Note that a receptacle connector having such a configuration is often directly connected to a printed circuit board by surface mounting or the like, and in this case, the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board protruding from the base end of the housing is attached to the printed circuit board. conductive pattern layer and surface mount bonding. When the left and right ends of the flexible wiring board protrude left and right from the base end of the housing as described above, the surface mount bonding between the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board and the conductive pattern layer of the printed circuit board is It is done on the side. Therefore, the surface of the printed circuit board requires not only a space to place the receptacle housing, but also a space around it to surface mount the conductive pattern layer, and the mounting space for electronic components on the printed circuit board is reduced accordingly. The problem is that it is limited.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to reduce the bending angle at the part where the end of the flexible wiring board is guided from inside the housing to the outside, and also to make it possible to reduce the bending angle at the part where the end of the flexible wiring board is led from inside the housing to the outside. It is an object of the present invention to provide a receptacle connector configured such that the installation space can be minimized when it is installed.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the receptacle connector of the present invention includes a housing formed with a receiving space having a plug insertion opening on the distal end side;
A plate spring member is made by bending and forming a metal elastic plate material into a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the plate spring member is disposed in the receiving space so that the open end portion faces the plug insertion opening, and the intermediate portion is the plate spring member. A flexible flexible tube that extends into the receiving space so that its left and right sides cover the left and right walls of the leaf spring member, and its left and right ends are exposed to the proximal end side of the housing. It consists of a wiring board. Furthermore, convex portions protruding inward are provided on the left and right inner surfaces of the proximal end in the receiving space of the housing, and the convex portions cause the vicinity of the left and right ends of the flexible wiring board to inwardly extend. It is arranged and arranged.

[0007]

[Operation] When using a receptacle connector configured as described above, the portion of the flexible wiring board that is exposed on the proximal end side of the housing is located on the left and right inner surfaces of the proximal end in the receiving space of the housing. Since the conductive pattern layer formed on the flexible insulating film is gently bent and guided outward along the convex portion that protrudes inward, the conductive pattern layer formed on the flexible insulating film may break or peel off at this bent portion. There aren't many things. In addition, since the left and right ends of the flexible wiring board are brought inward by the convex portion, the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board protruding from the base end side of the housing is moved toward the center (inward side) of the base end side surface. It is possible to perform surface mount bonding with the conductive pattern layer of the printed circuit board on the inner side of the proximal end surface of the housing. This reduces the area required for the surface mount bonding on the surface of the printed circuit board,
Accordingly, it is possible to increase the mounting density of electronic components and the like on the printed circuit board.

[0008]Furthermore, tongue pieces protruding forward and backward are formed at both front and rear ends of the portion covering the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member on the left and right sides of the flexible wiring board, and the tongue pieces are fixed to the housing. It is desirable to position the flexible wiring board with respect to the housing, and in this way, the flexible wiring board can be accurately positioned on the side to be joined to the mating plug member. In addition, columnar preload projections that protrude inward and extend vertically are provided on the inner surfaces of both front and rear ends within the receiving space of the housing, and these preload projections are provided at both front and rear ends of the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member. A cut-and-raised portion is provided opposite to the plate spring member, and when the leaf spring member is placed in the receiving space, the cut-and-raised portion is pushed apart by the preload protrusion, and the left and right side walls are elastically deformed to spread outward. It is desirable to be able to install the In this way, when the mating plug member is coupled with the mating plug member, the insertion force of the mating plug member is reduced by this preload. In addition, since the upper ends of the left and right walls are separated by a predetermined distance to the left and right by these protrusions, and an insertion opening is formed in this part, it is easy to insert the mating plug member and there is no possibility of uneven contact during insertion. .

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A receptacle connector 1 according to the present invention has a configuration as shown in FIG. 1, and this receptacle connector 1 is adapted to be fitted and connected to a plug connector 5 having the configuration as shown in FIG. Note that hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the connectors 1 and 5 will be referred to as the front-rear direction,
The width direction is referred to as the left-right direction.

First, the structure of the receptacle connector 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. This connector 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and has a receptacle housing molded from an insulating material such as resin. This receptacle housing includes a holder 10 constituting a lower portion of the housing, a pair of supports 23, 23 that are incorporated inside the holder 10 and forming a convex portion projecting inward, and a cover 25 constituting an upper portion of the housing. It consists of As shown in FIG. 4, the holder 10 has side walls 1 on the front, back, left and right.
It is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member having openings 1a to 11d at the top and bottom, and is made of an insulating material. A rib 12 extending back and forth is integrally formed on the lower surface of this holder 10.
The vertically penetrating opening is divided into left and right parts by this rib 12, forming two base openings 10a and 10b. At both the front and rear ends of the rib 12, upwardly extending columnar preload projections 13 are formed, which are joined to the front and rear side walls 11c and 11d, respectively. The upper surface of the rib 12 is a cylindrical concave surface 1
2a (see FIG. 4(E)), and further includes a rib 1
Five through-holes 12b are formed vertically through 2.

A pair of guide protrusions 14 are provided on the upper surfaces of the front and rear side walls 11c, 11d, and furthermore, an insertion and holding hole 15 is formed on the outside of these side walls 11c, 11d to penetrate vertically. This insertion holding hole 15 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (F), the tapered part 1 narrows inward at the top.
5a. Further, a pair of supporter mounting grooves 18 are provided on the lower surface sides of the front and rear ends, respectively. moreover,
The front and rear side walls 11c and 11d integrally have a flat plate-shaped flange portion 16 extending forward and backward at the lower part thereof, and a thin slit-shaped insertion hole 16a that passes through the flange portion 16 vertically is formed in each of the flange portions 16. This fitting hole 16a is for attaching a mounting fitting 37 shown in FIG. 5.

The mounting bracket 37 has an engaging piece 39 bent downward at right angles from the main body and a pair of mounting arm pieces 38 extending left and right, and as shown in FIG. It is fitted into the hole 16a and attached. Note that a mounting protrusion 17 that protrudes downward is formed in a portion of the lower surface of the flange portion 16 where the fitting hole 16a is formed, and the fitting hole 16a is formed passing through the center of this mounting protrusion 17. . Therefore, the engagement piece 39 of the mounting fitting 37 fitted into the fitting hole 16a enters into the mounting protrusion 17. In this attached state, the lower surface 38a of the mounting arm piece 38 of the mounting bracket 37 is located at a position that is approximately the same as the lower surface of the holder 10 or slightly protrudes downward from this.

First, a flexible wiring board 30 and a leaf spring member 40 are attached to the holder 10 through the base openings 10a and 10b, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 10, 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 this flexible wiring board 30 is symmetrical about the center line CL, so only one side is shown, with FIG. 10(A) showing the front surface and FIG. 10(B) showing the back surface. In the flexible wiring board 30 used in the receptacle connector 1 of this example, only the insulating film 31 is cut and removed at the cut portions 34a at both left and right ends.
This portion of the conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b is exposed. Further, the wiring board 30 is cut and removed at the cut portions 34b at both the front and rear ends, thereby forming a pair of tongue portions 33 at each of the front and rear sides. A circular hole 33a is formed in the center of the tongue portion 33, and a conductive layer 33b is formed at the end of the surface. Incidentally, when such flexible wiring board 30 is actually used, the outer peripheral portion thereof is cut into a desired shape.

The leaf spring member 40 is made by bending and forming an elastic metal plate into a substantially U-shaped cross-section, 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 48 that is surrounded by and open upward is formed. 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. In addition, the left and right side walls 4
Openings 47 (see FIG. 8(D)) are formed at four locations in each of 1 and 42.

At both front and rear ends of the upper cylindrical portions 41b and 42b, there are cut and raised portions 44 used for applying preload.
(See FIG. 8(F)). Leaf spring member 40
A lance 45 (see FIG. 8(G)) is formed at both the front and rear ends of the lance 45 apart from the left and right side walls 41, 42. These roles will be discussed 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 and inward to form surface mount legs 46.

The flexible wiring board 30 having the above structure is arranged to protrude upward from the base openings 10a, 10b of the holder 10, as shown in FIG. 2, together with the leaf spring member 40. Therefore, the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board 30 enters the substantially U-shaped space 48 of the leaf spring member 40 and comes into contact with the lower surface of the rib 12 of the holder 10 and is pushed downward by the rib 12. Flexible wiring board 3
The left and right side parts of 0 extend upward from the intermediate part and extend downward to cover the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40, and the left and right ends of the plate spring member 40 extend upwardly from the middle part and extend downwardly so as to cover the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40, and the left and right end parts of the leaf spring member 40 extend upwardly from the middle part and extend downwardly so as to cover the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40, and the left and right end parts thereof are connected to the base opening 10a of the holder 10,
10b and protrudes to the lower surface of the holder 10. At both left and right ends of the flexible wiring board 30, conductive pattern layers 32a,
32b is exposed, and this exposed conductive pattern layer 3
2a and 32b protrude from the lower surface of the holder 10. In addition,
At this time, the tongue pieces 33 formed at the front and rear ends of the flexible wiring board 30 are located at the upper part, and the tongue pieces 33 are attached to the holder 10 in such a way that the guide protrusion 14 of the holder 10 projects into the circular hole 33a. is locked. In this way, the tongue portion 33
By locking the guide protrusion 14, the holder 10
Accurate mounting positioning of the flexible wiring board 30 is performed.

The leaf spring member 40 is attached to the left and right side walls 41, 4 while holding the flexible wiring board 30 as described above.
2 are attached through the base openings 10a, 10b of the holder 10, respectively. At this time, the lances 45 at both front and rear ends
The portion where is formed enters into the insertion and holding hole 15 of the holder 10. Therefore, the portion having the lance 45 is elastically deformed by being pressed inward along the tapered portion 15a of the holder 10, and when the lance 45 protrudes upward from the insertion holding hole 15, it expands outward and is attached to the holder 10. The plate spring member 40 is thus locked and held by the holder 10. Further, the cut and raised portion 44 of the leaf spring member 40 is
When the plate spring member 40 is attached to the holder 10 as described above, the cut and raised portion 44 is pushed out by the preloading projection 13 . Therefore, when the leaf spring member 40 is attached to the holder 10, as shown in FIG. being pushed outward. As a result, the left and right side walls 41 of the leaf spring member 40
, 42 are also pushed apart to some extent and become elastically deformed. That is, the left and right side walls 41 and 42 are elastically deformed so as to spread outward, and are in a state where a preload is applied.

After the flexible wiring board 30 and the leaf spring member 40 are arranged as described above, the supporter 23 is inserted into the holder 10 from the bottom side. The supporter 23 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, it is a member having an L-shaped cross section (see FIG. 6(E)), and the left and right ends having press-fit protrusions 23a are connected to the holder 10.
The supporter is press-fitted into the supporter mounting groove 18 from below. As a result, the supporters 23 are attached so as to come into contact with the inner surfaces of the front and rear side walls 11a and 11b of the holder 10, respectively, and the lower protrusions 24 come into contact with the lower surfaces of the front and rear side walls 11a and 11b. Due to the inner surfaces 23b of the pair of supporters 23 attached in this manner, both left and right sides of the flexible wiring board 30 are pushed inward, and the conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b exposed at both left and right ends are also moved inward. It will be in a state where it is

Next, the holding member 20 is press-fitted from the bottom side of the holder 10 to attach it. This holding member 20 is shown in FIG.
The holder 10 has a shape as shown in the figure, and both front and rear ends 21 are press-fitted into the opening of the holder 10 and attached. When attached in this way, the central protrusion 20a of the holding member 20
The base portion 43 of the leaf spring member 40 and the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board 30 are sandwiched and fixedly held between the rib 12 of the holder 10. At the same time, the left and right tapered portions 20 of the holding member
b clamps and fixes the vicinity of both left and right ends of the flexible wiring board 30 with the lower surface 23c of the supporter 23.

[0020] As a result, the flexible wiring board 30
The middle part enters into the substantially U-shaped space 48 of the leaf spring member 40 and is held fixed in a pressed down state by the rib 12, and the left and right sides are connected to the left and right side walls 41 of the leaf spring member 40.
, 42 and is pushed upward by the upper end cylindrical portions 41b and 42b, and is further clamped and fixedly held by the holding members 20 in the vicinity of both ends, and is firmly fixed and held as shown in the figure. At this time, since the vicinity of both ends of the flexible wiring board 30 is pushed inward by the supporters 23, the inner surface 23b of the supporters 23
It is bent and arranged along a gentle cylindrical surface extending from the bottom surface 23c to the bottom surface 23c. As a result, the bending angle of the flexible wiring board 30 in this portion becomes small and gentle, and the conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b are not bent or peeled off.

Furthermore, the portion of the flexible wiring board 30 that faces the pressing protrusions 41a, 42a of the leaf spring member 40 is pressed inward by the pressing protrusions 41a, 42b and protrudes into the substantially U-shaped space 48. . The holding member 20 has openings 22 formed in two places, and as described above, the holder 1
0, the surface mounting legs 46 of the leaf spring member 40 pass through this opening 22 and are exposed to the lower surface side of the holding member 20.

As described above, the assembly is completed to the state shown in FIG. 2, and then the cover 25 is attached to the holder 10. As shown in FIG. 9, the cover 25 is a member that is integrally formed from an insulating material and has side walls 26a to 26d on the front, rear, left and right sides, and a top wall 27. As shown in FIG. The top wall 27 has a slit-shaped plug insertion opening 27 extending left and right.
a is formed, and a pair of guide holes 27b are formed through the front and rear ends, respectively. This cover 2
5, the lower surface of the side walls 26a to 26d is the side wall 11 of the holder 10.
It is mounted on the holder 10 so as to come into contact with the upper surfaces of the elements a to 11d. At this time, the guide protrusions 14 of the holder 10 are press-fitted into the respective corresponding guide holes 27b,
This fixes the cover 25 onto the holder 10. Note that, as described above, the tongue piece 33 of the flexible wiring board 30 is locked to the guide protrusion 14 as shown in FIG. It is held fixed by being held between the two.

When the cover 25 is attached in this manner, the assembly of the receptacle connector 1 is completed. In this receptacle connector 1, as also shown in FIG.
The holder 10, the retainer 23, and the cover 25 constitute a receptacle housing, and a receiving space 1a is formed within the receptacle housing. This receiving space 1a has a plug insertion opening 27a at the tip (upper end) side, and the flexible wiring board 30 is placed within this receiving space 1a while being held by the leaf spring member 40. The receptacle connector 1 with the above configuration, as shown by the chain line in FIG.
It is attached to the printed circuit board 2 by surface mounting or the like. At this time, the mounting protrusion 17 of the holder 10 fits into the insertion hole of the printed circuit board 2 to determine the mounting position and to fix the holder to the printed circuit board. Then, the conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b exposed at both left and right end portions of the flexible wiring board 30 are surface mounted and bonded to the corresponding conductive pattern layers of the printed circuit board 2 by reflow soldering.

Here, since the vicinity of both left and right ends of the flexible wiring board 30 is pushed inward by the supports 23, the conductive pattern layer 3 exposed at both left and right ends
2a and 32b are also moved inward, and surface mount bonding is also performed on the inward side. Therefore, surface mount bonding can be performed on the lower surface side of the receptacle connector 1, and the receptacle connector 1 on the printed circuit board 2 can be
The mounting space for the printed circuit board 2 is reduced, and the mounting space for other electronic components can be increased by that amount, thereby increasing the mounting density of electronic components on the printed circuit board 2.

At this time, at the same time, the opening 22 of the holding member 20
The surface mount leg portion 46 of the leaf spring member exposed downward from the plate spring member is surface mount bonded to the conductive pattern layer which becomes the ground terminal of the printed circuit board 2. As a result, the leaf spring member 40 is grounded, and the metal leaf spring member 40 itself plays a role as a shielding member for electrical signals, and the conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b of the flexible wiring board 30 are connected to each other. Noise generation due to signal mixing is prevented. Note that this joining of the surface mount legs 46 increases the strength of attachment of the receptacle connector 1 to the printed circuit board 2. In addition, the holder 10
Mounting arm piece 3 of mounting bracket 37 attached to both ends of
The lower surface 38a of the receptacle connector 8 is also surface-mounted to the printed circuit board 2 to further increase the mounting strength of the receptacle connector 1.

Next, regarding the structure of the plug connector 5,
This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. This connector 5
As shown in FIG. 12, the plug housing 50 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and is molded from an insulating material such as resin. A fitting space 55 is formed in the plug housing 50 and is open upward (on the distal end side, however, downward in FIG. 11). The plug housing 50 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 55. An insertion hole 52a extending back and forth is formed through the bottom wall 52.

Further, a flat plate-shaped flange portion 53 extending from side to side is integrally provided at the lower part of the outer surface of the front and rear side walls 51c, 51d, and a slit-like fitting hole 53a is formed in each of the flange portions 53 to penetrate vertically. has been done. This fitting hole 53a is for attaching a fitting 137 similar to the fitting 37 shown in FIG. 5. This mounting fitting 137 is different from the fitting 37 of FIG. 5 only in that the length of its engagement piece 139 is shorter, and has the same structure in other respects. Engagement piece 1
39 is inserted into the insertion hole 53a, and the mounting bracket 137 is attached to the flange portion 53 as shown in the figure. In this state, the lower surface 138a of the mounting arm 138 is approximately the same as the lower surface of the housing 50, or protrudes slightly downward.

Fitting space 55 of this plug housing 50
The flexible wiring board 70 and the plug protrusion 61 of the base member 60 are inserted from below through the insertion hole 52a and attached as shown in FIGS. 11 and 15. As shown in FIG. 14, the flexible wiring board 70 has a conductive pattern layer 72 on a flexible insulating film 71.
a, 72b are formed. This flexible wiring board 70 is symmetrical about the center line CL, so only one side is shown, and FIG. 14(A) shows the front surface.
FIG. 14(B) shows the back side. In the flexible wiring board 70 used in the plug connector 5 of this example, only the insulating film 71 is cut and removed at the cut portions 74a at both left and right ends, thereby exposing the conductive pattern layers 72a and 72b in these portions. Further, the wiring board 70 is cut and removed at the cut portions 74b at both front and rear ends. Further, guide holes 73 are formed at five locations along the center line CL. Incidentally, when such flexible wiring board 70 is actually used, the outer circumferential portion thereof is cut into a desired shape.

The base member 60, as shown in FIG.
It has a plug protrusion 61 that stands up in the shape of a flat plate, and the cross-sectional shape of the plug protrusion 61 is smaller than the shape of the insertion hole 52a formed in the bottom wall portion 52 of the plug housing 50.
With the flexible wiring board 70 attached so as to cover the plug protrusion 61, it can be inserted into the insertion hole 52a. At the tip of the plug protrusion 61, holding guide pins 61b are provided at five locations. These holding guide pins 61b are connected to the flexible wiring board 7.
When the flexible wiring board 70 is attached so as to cover the plug protrusion 61, the holding guide pin 61b is fitted into the guide hole 73, so that the flexible wiring board 70 is installed and positioned.

A groove 61a extending back and forth is formed on both sides of the plug protrusion 61, and a rectangular parallelepiped elastic member 77 made of rubber or the like is attached to this groove. Also,
Fitting protrusions 63 a are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the front and rear ends 63 of the base member 60 , and the front and rear ends 63 are press-fitted into the fitting grooves 54 of the plug housing 50 to form the base member 6 .
0 is fixed to the plug housing 50. Note that mounting projections 64 are formed on the lower surfaces of the front and rear ends 63, respectively.

With the flexible wiring board 70 attached covering the plug protrusion 61 of the base member 60 configured as described above, the plug protrusion 61 passes through the insertion hole 52a of the plug housing 50 and enters the fitting space 55 from below. be inserted and installed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the vicinity of the left and right ends of the flexible wiring board 70 is
The plug housing 50 is clamped and fixed between the left and right upper surfaces 62a of the base 62 of the plug housing 50 and the bottom wall 52 of the plug housing 50. Note that an elastic member 77 is disposed within the groove 61a of the plug protrusion 61, and the elastic member 77 is covered by the flexible wiring board 70.

The plug connector 5 having the above configuration is shown in FIG.
As shown by the chain line in , it is attached to the printed circuit board 6 by surface mounting or the like. At this time, the base member 6
A mounting protrusion 64 formed on the back surface of the printed circuit board 6 fits into an insertion hole of the printed circuit board 6, thereby determining the mounting position and fixing to the printed circuit board. Then, the conductive pattern layers 72a and 72b exposed at both left and right end portions of the flexible wiring board 70 are surface mounted and bonded to the corresponding conductive pattern layers of the printed circuit board 6 by reflow soldering. Note that the lower surface 1 of the mounting arm piece 138 of the mounting bracket 137 attached to both ends of the plug housing 50
38a is also surface mounted to the printed circuit board 6 to further increase the mounting strength of the plug connector.

If the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 5 having the above configuration are connected as shown in FIG. 16, the printed circuit boards 2 and 6 can be electrically connected through this two-piece connector. This coupling involves fitting the receptacle housing into the fitting space 55 of the plug housing 50,
This is done by pushing the plug protrusion 61 of the plug connector 5 into the receiving space 1a of the receptacle housing. As a result, as shown in FIG.
The plug protrusion 61 enters the letter-shaped space and the plate spring member 4
It is held between the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of 0. For this reason,
The flexible wiring board 30 inserted into and attached to the substantially U-shaped space 48 between the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40 and the flexible wiring board 70 attached to cover the plug protrusion 61 are connected to the plug protrusion 61. and the left and right side walls 41, 42 of the leaf spring member 40, and the corresponding conductive pattern layers 32a, 3 of both the wiring boards 30, 70.
2b and 72a, 72b come into contact with each other. These conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 72a, and 72b are reflow soldered to the corresponding conductive pattern layers of the printed circuit boards 2 and 6, respectively, so that due to the above-mentioned abutting contact,
These conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 72a, 72b
An electrical connection is made between both printed circuit boards 2 and 5 via.

When the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 5 are connected as shown in FIG. The tip end enters, and the holding guide pin 61b at the tip of the plug protrusion 61 is loosely inserted into the through hole 12b of the rib 12. Therefore, the plug protrusion 61 can be inserted deeper. As a result, when connecting both connectors 1 and 5,
The part of the flexible wiring board 30 of the receptacle connector 1 that is pushed inward by the pressing protrusions 41a and 42a of the leaf spring member 40 comes into contact with the part of the flexible wiring board 70 of the plug connector 5 that covers the plug protrusion 61. The sliding stroke can be lengthened. If contact with such a long sliding stroke is made, the flexible wiring board 30 will be damaged when the two connectors 1 and 5 are connected.
, 70 come into contact with each other to remove dirt, oxide film, dust, etc. from the surface, thereby improving the electrical connectivity of both connectors 1 and 5. That is, by lengthening this sliding stroke as in this example, a good connection can be achieved.

[0035] Note that these conductive pattern layers 32a, 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 plug protrusion 61
As shown in the figure, the elastic member 77 disposed in the groove 61a faces the pressing protrusions 41a and 42a, and the pressing force applied from the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40 is applied by the elastic member 77. receive. For this reason, the pressing convex portions 41a, 4
Even if 2a has unevenness or is tilted diagonally, these are absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic member 77, so that the pressing protrusions 41a, 42a can press the flexible wiring boards 30, 70 against each other. Variations in the 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 1, the left and right side walls 41, 42 of the leaf spring member 40 are pushed outward to some extent by the preload projection 13, so that a preload is applied thereto. Therefore, in order to connect both the connectors 1 and 5, the above-mentioned preload is not necessary as the insertion force required when inserting the plug protrusion 61 into the approximately U-shaped space 48 of the leaf spring member 40, The force becomes smaller. That is, by applying this preload in advance, the insertion force for fitting both connectors 1 and 5 together can be reduced. Further, by pushing outward with the preload projection 13 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 61, and reduces the possibility that the plug protrusion 61 makes partial contact during insertion.

[0037]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
The housing is made by bending and forming a metal elastic plate into a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the housing has a receiving space with a plug insertion opening on the tip side. The plate spring member disposed on the plate spring member and the intermediate portion enter into the approximately U-shaped space of the plate spring member, and the left and right side portions extend into the receiving space so as to cover the left and right side walls of the plate spring member. A receptacle connector is constituted by a flexible wiring board disposed such that both ends thereof are exposed to the base end side of the housing. In this connector, convex portions protruding inward are provided on the left and right inner surfaces of the proximal end in the receiving space of the housing, and the convex portions allow the vicinity of the left and right ends of the flexible wiring board to are placed inward, so
The portion of the flexible wiring board that is exposed on the base end side of the housing can be gently bent along this convex portion and guided outward, and the conductive pattern layer on the flexible insulating film It is possible to prevent the folding part from breaking or peeling off. In addition, since the left and right ends of the flexible wiring board are brought inward by the convex portion, the conductive pattern layer of the flexible wiring board that protrudes from the base end of the housing is positioned at the center (inward side) of the base end side. In this way, surface mount bonding with the conductive pattern layer of the printed circuit board can be performed on the inner side of the proximal end surface of the housing. As a result, the area required for the surface mount bonding on the surface of the printed circuit board can be reduced, and the mounting density of electronic components and the like on the printed circuit board can be increased accordingly.

[0038]Furthermore, tongue pieces projecting forward and backward are formed at both front and rear ends of the portion of the left and right sides of the flexible wiring board that covers the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member, and these tongue pieces are fixed to the housing. It is desirable to position the flexible wiring board with respect to the housing, and in this way, the flexible wiring board can be accurately positioned on the side to be joined to the mating plug member. In addition, columnar preload projections that protrude inward and extend vertically are provided on the inner surfaces of both front and rear ends within the receiving space of the housing, and these preload projections are provided at both front and rear ends of the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member. A cut-and-raised portion is provided opposite to the plate spring member, and when the leaf spring member is placed in the receiving space, the cut-and-raised portion is pushed apart by the preload protrusion, and the left and right side walls are elastically deformed to spread outward. It is desirable to be able to install the In this way, when the mating plug member is coupled with the mating plug member, the insertion force of the mating plug member is reduced by this preload. In addition, the upper ends of the left and right walls can be separated by a predetermined distance to the left and right by the projections, and an insertion opening can be formed in this part, making it easy to insert the mating plug member and eliminating the possibility of uneven contact during insertion. There is no.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a receptacle connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector with the cover removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a portion of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 4 is a four side view and a sectional view showing a holder that constitutes the housing of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 5 is a plan view and a front view showing a mounting fitting used in the receptacle connector.

FIG. 6 is a four side view and a sectional view showing a supporter that constitutes the housing of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 7 is a three-sided view and a sectional view showing a holding member constituting the receptacle connector.

FIG. 8 is a front view, a side view, and a sectional view showing a leaf spring member constituting the receptacle connector.

FIG. 9 is a three-sided view and a sectional view showing a cover constituting the housing of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 10 is a plan view and a bottom view showing a flexible wiring board used in the receptacle connector.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a plug connector that is fitted and connected to the receptacle connector.

FIG. 12 is a three-sided view and a sectional view showing a housing constituting the plug connector.

FIG. 13 is a four side view and a sectional view showing a base member constituting the plug connector.

FIG. 14 is a plan view and a bottom view showing a flexible wiring board used in the plug connector.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the receptacle connector and plug connector are coupled together.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the receptacle connector and plug connector are connected.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Receptacle connector 5 Plug connector 10 Holder 20 Holding member 23 Supporter 25 Cover 30 Flexible wiring board 40　Plate spring member 46 Legs for surface mount 50 Plug housing 55 Fitting space 60 Base member 61 Plug protrusion 70 Flexible wiring board

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A housing having a receiving space formed with a plug insertion opening on the distal end side, and a housing made by bending and forming a metal elastic plate into a substantially U-shaped cross section, with the open end portion facing the plug insertion opening. A leaf spring member disposed in the receiving space and an intermediate portion thereof enter into a substantially U-shaped space of the leaf spring member, and left and right side portions cover left and right side walls of the leaf spring member. a flexible wiring board that extends into the receiving space and has both left and right ends exposed on the proximal end side of the housing; A flexible wiring board characterized in that an inner surface is provided with a convex portion projecting inward, and the vicinity of the left and right ends of the flexible wiring board are moved inward by the convex portion. Receptacle connector using. 2. Tongue pieces projecting forward and backward are formed at both front and rear ends of a portion of the left and right sides of the flexible wiring board that covers the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member, and the tongue pieces protrude back and forth. 2. The receptacle connector using a flexible wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle connector is fixed to the housing to determine the attachment position of the flexible wiring board to the housing. 3. Column-shaped preload protrusions that protrude inward and extend vertically are provided on inner surfaces of both front and rear ends of the housing in the receiving space,
Cut-and-raised portions are provided at both front and rear ends of the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member so as to face the preload protrusion, and when the leaf spring member is disposed in the receiving space, 2. The flexible wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the cut-and-raised portion is pushed apart by the preload protrusion, and the left and right side walls are elastically deformed so as to spread outward when attached. Receptacle connector using.