JPS5818749B2 - Lock structure of flat wire and connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a locking structure between a flat electric wire used for wiring electronic equipment such as a computer and a connector that can be inserted and removed.

For electronic equipment wiring, multiple conductors are arranged in parallel,
A so-called flat electric wire made of an insulator formed into a tape shape is used.

Examples of pluggable and unmovable connectors used to connect this flat electric wire to a printed circuit board of equipment, etc. are shown in Figure 1A,
A connector with a connection structure as shown in the example above and an end portion of a flat electric wire are conceivable.

In the figure, 1 is a connector having a wire insertion hole 2, and has a built-in spring-like contact 3 to be connected to a printed circuit board or the like.

Reference numeral 5 denotes the end portion of the flat electric wire 4 to be inserted into the wire insertion hole 2. The insulator at the tip of the electric wire 4 is peeled off to expose the conductor 6, and the length of the exposed conductor 6 is shown on one side. A plastic plate 7 having the above length is attached closely to the wire, and flat electric wires having such terminal portions 5 are generally commercially available.

However, in a connector with such a structure, since the inserted state is maintained only by the contact pressure of the spring-like contact 3, the terminal portion 5 of the flat wire can be easily removed from the connector 1, which reduces reliability. There is a drawback.

This is particularly a problem when the number of conductors is small.

In order to solve this problem and increase the removal force (the force required for removal), it is possible to consider the terminal part of a flat electric wire as shown in Figure 2A.

In FIG. 1, notches 8 are provided on both edges of the terminal portion 5' of the flat electric wire 4 to which a plastic plate is closely attached, as in FIG. 1.

In order to lock such a terminal part 5' inside the connector, it is necessary to provide a key or a protrusion that can be freely moved in and out in the part of the connector corresponding to the notch 8, which will cause the terminal part 5' and the connector to be locked. It has the disadvantage that it becomes large and the structure becomes complicated.

Next, in the cap, a hole 9 between the conductors 6 is provided on the surface of the terminal portion 5'' of a similar flat electric wire 4.

In order to lock such a terminal part 5'' in the connector, a removable pin or protrusion is required in the part of the connector corresponding to the hole 9, and a conductor is required to maintain the insulation of the conductor. It is necessary to increase the distance between the connectors, which requires more space, and the connector and terminal portion 5'' are larger, and the structure is more complicated.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks, and includes a rectangular protrusion or groove that fits into the inner wall surface of one side of the connector housing and the terminal part of the flat electric wire, and a rectangular protrusion or groove that fits into the inner wall surface of the connector housing on the other side. By providing protrusions and partitions on the wall,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable locking structure which is simple in structure, can be easily and securely locked, and can reduce the size of the terminal part of the flat electric wire and the connector.

The present invention provides a rectangular protrusion or recess perpendicular to the axial direction Q on one inner wall surface of a hard plastic housing of a connector containing a built-in contact, and a protruding partition wall between the contacts on the inner wall surface ζ of the opposite side. A rectangular groove or protrusion that fits into the rectangular protrusion or groove is provided at the terminal end of the flat electric wire to be inserted into the housing, and the above-mentioned rectangular groove or protrusion is provided between the inner wall surface on one side and the protruding partition wall. This is a locking structure for a flat electric wire and a connector, characterized in that it is configured to insert and lock the end portion of the flat electric wire.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained by an actual case using the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figures below show partial details thereof.

In the figure, the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate the same parts, respectively.

In the figure, 11 is a connector that incorporates a spring-like contact 3, and the inner wall surface 10 on one side of the housing 12 has a
A rectangular projection 13 is provided on the insertion port side.

This protrusion 13 has a rectangular shape in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction 22, and the top surface 18 is small as shown in Figure 2, which is a bottom view of the inner wall surface 10. It has a trapezoidal cross section.

The inner wall surface 20t on the opposite side of the housing 12 is as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 5, which are perspective views showing the connector.
A protruding partition wall 21 is provided at a predetermined height to isolate adjacent contacts 3, 3.

This height will be described later. Next, 15 is the terminal part of the flat electric wire 4 to be inserted into the wire insertion hole 2' of the housing 12, and as shown in Fig. A relatively hard plastic plate 17 made of, for example, polyester and having a length equal to or longer than the length of the conductor 6 is adhered to the plastic plate 17 with adhesive or the like.

The outer surface of the plastic plate 17 is provided with a rectangular groove that fits into the rectangular projection 13 of the connector 11.

Here, the rectangular protrusion 1 on the inner wall surface 10 of the connector 11
In the trapezoidal cross section of No. 3, the angle α formed between the extension line of the side 19 on the opposite side of the insertion port and the inner wall surface 10 shown in Fig. E facilitates the removal of the terminal portion 15 of the flat electric wire to the connector 11. Therefore, it is desirable that the angle is 45° or less.

If this angle exceeds 45°, the housing 12 is generally molded with one side blank, making it difficult to cut out the mold and unable to maintain the trapezoidal shape.

In the present invention, the angle α may exceed 45°, and even in this case, since the housing 12 is made of elastic hard plastic, the wire insertion hole 2' is elastic when the terminal portion 15 of the flat wire is removed. Due to deformation, it bends outward to enable removal.

This rectangular protrusion may be provided with a width W in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction O of the inner wall surface 10, as shown in FIG. It may be provided in a part of the width W, or a plurality of parts may be provided in a part.

Similarly, a rectangular groove 14 provided in the terminal portion 15 of the flat electric wire.
They may be provided over the entire width of the plastic plate 17 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction Q, or may be provided in a portion thereof, or a plurality of portions may be provided in a portion thereof.

According to the present invention, by changing the length of the rectangular protrusion or the groove, the locking strength can be freely changed.

Next, as shown in Figure A,
The gap distance between the top surface 18 of the rectangular protrusion 13 and the top surface of the protruding partition wall 21 is smaller than the thickness of the portion (recessed groove 14) of the terminal portion 15 of the flat electric wire where the conductor 6 is exposed. , 1
It is necessary that the thickness be equal to or larger than the thickness of part 4.

By doing so, the terminal portion 15 of the flat electric wire is inserted between the inner wall surface 10 of the housing 12 and the protruding partition wall 21,
When the rectangular protrusion 13 and the rectangular groove 14 of the terminal part 15 are fitted, the surface of the terminal part 15 is held by the protruding partition wall 21, the rectangular protrusion 13, and the spring contactor 3, thereby increasing the locking strength. It will be locked.

In this case, when inserting and removing the terminal portion 15 of the flat electric wire,
Although it must pass through a gap smaller than that thickness, it can be easily inserted and removed because the walls of the hard plastic housing 12 flex outwardly due to elastic deformation.

Therefore, in the present invention, in the portion where the rectangular protrusion 13 on the inner wall surface of the housing and the rectangular groove 14 of the flat electric wire are fitted, the holding force iUD by the above-mentioned protruding partition wall 21 is
A lock having a predetermined lock strength can be obtained.

In this case, the above-mentioned gap distance, ie, the height of the protruding partition wall 21, is appropriately determined based on the required locking strength, the elastic force of the housing material, etc.

Note that when a rectangular groove is provided on the inner wall surface 10 of the housing 12, the gap distance between this inner wall surface and the top surface of the protruding partition wall 21 is equal to the thickness of the rectangular protrusion at the end of the flat electric wire. The part where the conductor of the terminal part is exposed (removed protrusion)
It is necessary to make it larger.

Of course, the spring-like contactor also exerts a force that pushes the locking portion.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another actual case of the present invention, and FIG.
Ross is a needle perspective view showing the terminal portion of a flat electric wire.

In the figure, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3 indicate the same parts.

In the figure, the structure of the connector 11 is exactly the same as that shown in FIG. 3, but the only difference from FIG. It is to be.

The outer surface of the plastic plate 17' is provided with a rectangular protrusion that fits into (or engages with) the rectangular protrusion 13 of the connector 11.
or a convex step) 16 is provided.

When the terminal portion 15 of the flat electric wire is inserted between the inner wall surface 10 on one side of the connector 11 and the protruding partition wall 21 on the opposite inner wall surface, a rectangular protrusion forms as shown in FIG. A rectangular convex step 16 is engaged with the connector 13, and the end portion 15' of the flat electric wire and the connector 11 are connected together.

At this time, similar to the case explained in FIG. 3, the protruding partition wall 21
It is exactly the same that the holding force on the locking part is locked with a predetermined locking strength, and insertion and removal are easily performed.

Note that in the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 4 as well, as in the case shown in FIG. , or a plurality of parts may be provided, whereby an arbitrary extraction force can be obtained.

In the above description, the case where a rectangular protrusion is provided mainly on the connector side has been explained, but in the present invention, on the contrary, a rectangular protrusion is provided on the terminal side of a flat electric wire, and the rectangular protrusion is fitted (or engaged) with the rectangular protrusion. It is also possible to provide rectangular grooves or protrusions (convex steps), and it is clear that the same effect as described above can be obtained in this case as well.

In addition, when a rectangular groove is provided on the connector side, it is desirable that the angle formed by the extension of the side of the trapezoidal cross section of the groove on the insertion port side and the inner wall surface of the connector housing is 45 degrees or less. This makes it easy to remove the terminal portion of the flat electric wire, and also facilitates cutting out in molding.

Furthermore, if the insulation of the flat electric wire is relatively thick and hard, the present invention 1 does not necessarily require the installation of plastic plates 17 (or 17', 17'' as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). Instead, a rectangular protrusion or groove may be provided on the insulator.

Example: Using a flat electric wire with a conductor cross-sectional area of 0.08 m and 415 cores,
A connector having five contactors 3 as shown in the figure and an end portion of a flat electric wire were prepared.

As shown in Table 1, the height, angle α, and number of protrusions of the rectangular protrusion on the inner wall surface of the connector housing were varied, and the removal force was measured. The results are shown in Table 1.

Note that the length of one protrusion in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector was equal to the length of the adjacent contact 3.

From Table 1, the height of the rectangular protrusion increases.

It can be seen that although the removal force increases, there is no effect below 0.1 mrn, and that there is not much difference in the removal force between angle α of 45° and 30°.

It should be noted that when the angle α exceeded 45°, the protrusion was shaved off during molding.

As described above, the present invention provides rectangular protrusions or grooves perpendicular to the axial direction on one side of the inner wall surface of the connector housing containing the contacts, and a protrusion between the contacts on the opposite inner wall surface. A partition wall is provided, and a rectangular groove or protrusion that fits into the rectangular protrusion or groove O is provided at the end of the flat electric wire to be inserted into the housing, so the structure is simple and does not require extra space. Moreover, when the terminal portion is inserted between the inner wall surface of the one side and the protruding partition wall, the rectangular protrusions or grooves fit into each other, and the locking portion by the protruding partition wall is Due to the contact force between the two, a lock with a predetermined locking strength is completed, and the end of the flat wire can be easily inserted and removed from the connector, and the length and number of rectangular projections or grooves are By changing the locking strength, it is possible to obtain a desired locking strength, thereby providing a highly reliable, compact and inexpensive locking structure for connectors and flat electric wires.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 and 2 show possible examples of connection structures between flat electric wires and connectors. A and B are perspective views showing different examples of terminal portions of flat electric wires. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
Figure F is a perspective view showing the connector, Figure C is a perspective view showing the end of the flat electric wire, Figure II is a bottom view showing the inner wall surface of the connector, and Figure E is a perspective view showing the connector. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the lock portion, and Hess is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the rectangular protrusion of the connector shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
Ross is a perspective view showing an end portion of a flat electric wire. 1.11...Connector, 2,2'...
・Wire insertion hole, 3...Spring contact, 4...
...Flat electric wire, 5゜5', 5'', 15, 15', 15
″...Terminal section, 6...Conductor, ?, 17
．． 17', 17''...Plastic plate, 8...
...Notch, 9 ... Hole, 10.10". 20 ... Inner wall surface, 12 ... Housing, 13° 13" ... Rectangular projection, 14.14
"... Rectangular concave groove, 16... Rectangular convex step, 17, 17'. 17"... Plus snack plate, 18...
Top surface, 19...Side side, 21...Protruding partition wall, 22...Axial direction, α...Angle.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rectangular protrusion or groove perpendicular to the axial direction is formed on one inner wall surface of the hard plastic housing of the connector containing the contacts, and a protrusion-like groove between the contacts is formed on the inner wall surface of the opposite side. A partition wall is provided, and a rectangular groove or protrusion that fits into the rectangular protrusion or groove Q is provided at the end of the flat electric wire to be inserted into the housing, and between the inner wall surface of one side and the protruding partition wall. A locking structure for a flat electric wire and a connector, characterized in that the terminal portion of the flat electric wire is inserted into and locked. 2. The flat panel according to claim 1, wherein the rectangular protrusion or groove provided on the inner wall surface of one side of the housing of the connector is provided for the whole or part of the width W in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the inner wall surface. Model wire and connector lock structure. 3. The flat electric wire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rectangular protrusion or groove is a rectangular protrusion with a small top surface and a trapezoidal cross section, or a rectangular groove with a large outer side and a trapezoidal cross section. Connector locking structure. 4. The angle between the extension of the side opposite the insertion opening of the trapezoidal cross section of the rectangular projection provided on the inner wall surface of the connector housing and the inner wall surface, or the trapezoid shape of the rectangular groove provided on the inner wall surface. 4. The locking structure for a flat electric wire and connector according to claim 3, wherein the angle between the extension line of the side of the insertion port side of the cross section and the inner wall surface is 45 degrees or less. 5. The terminal part of the flat electric wire is made by closely adhering a plastic plate having a length equal to or greater than the length of the exposed conductor to one side of the flat electric wire with the conductor at the tip exposed, and the length of the plastic plate is A locking structure for a flat electric wire and connector according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein a rectangular projection or groove is provided on the outer surface.