KR100424843B1 - FPC/FFC connector - Google Patents

Abstract

In a multi-column FPC / FFC connector that supports a group of contacts by aligning the insulator with the front side and the inside, respectively, the ZIF can be achieved with a simple structure.

The insulator is provided with the mounting surface connected to the mounting surface of the FPC / FFC and the mounting surface connected to the mounting surface, and the front contact group is supported on the mounting surface of the insulator. The inner side contact group which has a pair of board | substrate contact support part and an elasticity support part which are spaced apart by elastic deformation was supported. An actuator having a pivot point near the boundary between the mounting surface and the insert portion is provided with an engaging portion with the brace support of the inner contact group, and when the actuator is opened, an opening force is applied to the brace support to widen the gap between the substrate contact support. The insertion of the FPC / FFC between both supports is enabled, and when closed, the contact support is opened to create a contact pressure between the substrate contact support and the FPC / FFC.

Description

FPC / FFC connector {FPC / FFC connector}

The present invention relates to a connector used when connecting a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC) to a contact group, and particularly to a connector of a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) type.

A connector for an FPC or FFC (hereinafter referred to as a connector for an FPC / FFC) is basically coupled to an insulator having a contact group soldered onto a substrate and an insulator that presses an FPC / FFC contact group against the contact group. It consists of an actuator. The actuators are known as slide type and rotation type.

As the FPC / FFC connector is thinner and smaller in size, a ZIF type that can be inserted into the FPC / FFC insertion portion of the insulator with a small insertion force is desired. In addition, high density of FPC / FFC connectors is required, and it is common to arrange contact groups in two rows on the front and inside of the FPC / FFC connector. In the FPC / FFC connector having such a multi-row contact group, it is difficult to achieve ZIF with a simple structure.

An object of the present invention is to achieve a simple structure of ZIF of an FPC / FFC connector having a plurality of rows of contact groups.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The perspective view of the actuator closed state which shows one Embodiment of the FPC / FFC connector of this invention.

2 is a perspective view of the same open state.

3 is a cut perspective view of FIG. 1;

4 is a cut perspective view of FIG. 2;

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the actuator is closed by inserting the FPC / FFC in FIG. 5; FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the actuator in FIG. 5 in a opened state. FIG.

Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10: Insulator 11: Bottom Wall

12: FPC / FFC mounting surface 13: upper wall

14: FPC / FFC insert 15, 16: contact receiving groove

17: pivot point arm 18: actuator

18X: Meeting Point 18a: Retaining Part

19: dummy land 20: front contact group

21: fixed support 22: substrate contact elastic support

30: inner contact group 31: fixed support

32: contact support 33: substrate contact support

40: FPC / FFC

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an FPC / FFC connector for supporting a group of contacts by arranging the front and the inside of the insulator, respectively, wherein the insulator has a mounting surface and an insertion portion connected to the mounting surface. At the same time, the actuator is supported by turning the mounting surface on the insulator surface near the boundary between the mounting surface and the insertion part, while the mounting surface can be opened and closed, and aligned with the FPC / FFC mounting surface of the insulator. The inner contact group having a pair of substrate contact supports and a stiffness support that are spaced by the elastic deformation that is aligned with the insert to support the front contact group while being aligned with the insert portion to face up and down the FPC / FFC insert. As a support, the actuator is provided with an engagement portion with the support force of the inner contact group, and the actuator When the rotor is opened, an opening force is applied to the contact support to widen the substrate contact support, thereby enabling the insertion of the FPC / FFC between the support and the contact between the substrate contact support of the front contact group and the actuator. An FPC / FFC insertion gap is formed in the opening, and when it is closed, the contact support of the inner contact group is opened to generate a contact pressure between the substrate contact support and the FPC / FFC, and the board contact support and the FPC / FF of the front contact group are closed. The contact pressure is generated between the FFCs. It is practical for the front contact group and the inner contact group to be arranged in a zigzag shape in the alignment direction in order to increase the installation density of the contact.

The insulator 10 made of synthetic resin (made of insulating material) fixed on the substrate B includes an open FPC / FFC placing surface 12 having an upper surface having a lower wall 11 and the FPC / FFC placing surface 12. Next, the cross-section having the lower wall 11 and the upper wall 13 has an FPC / FFC insertion portion 14 having a substantially U-shape.

In the lower wall 11 of the FPC / FFC mounting surface 12 of the insulator 10, contact storage grooves 15 are formed at regular intervals, and the front contact group 20 is accommodated in these contact storage grooves 15. It is. The front side contact group 20 has the fixed support 21 fixed to the land group L1 on the board | substrate B, and the board | substrate contact elastic support 22 which protrudes on the FPC / FFC mounting surface 12. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in the FPC / FFC inserting portion 14 of the insulator 10, contact receiving grooves 16 are formed on the lower wall 11 and the upper wall 13, and inner contacts are formed in these contact receiving grooves 16. The group 30 is accommodated. The inner contact group 30 has a fixed support 31 fixed to the land group L2 on the substrate B, and a pairing force in which the intervals vary by elastic deformation facing the upper and lower sides of the FPC / FFC inserting portion 14. The support part 32 and the board | substrate contact support part 33 are provided. The front side contact group 20 (contact storage groove 15) and the inner side contact group 30 (contact storage groove 16) are arrange | positioned in the zigzag form which shifted the existence plane alternately to the alignment direction.

The insulator 10 is formed with a pivot point arm 17 which is elastically deformable at both ends in the alignment direction of the front contact group 20 and the inner contact group 30, and between the pivot point arms 17, The actuator 18 made of synthetic resin (insulating material) is freely supported by rotation operation. The actuator 18 is disposed between the position (Figs. 2, 4, 7) of opening the FPC / FFC mounting surface 12 of the insulator 10 and the closing position (Figs. 1, 3, 5, 6). It can be rotated. The pivot point 18X (Figs. 5 to 7) of the actuator 18 is located near the boundary of the FPC / FFC placing surface 12 and the FPC / FFC inserting portion 14 of the insulator 10.

The tip of the substrate contact elastic support 22 of the front side contact group 20 is located just below the axis passing through the pivot point 18X. The rotation point 18X of FIGS. 5-8 does not actually appear but represents a virtual position.

The actuator 18 is provided with an engaging portion l8a engaged with the force support portion 32 of the inner contact group 30. When the engagement portion 18a is closed at the position where the actuator 18 closes the FPC / FFC placing surface 12, the engagement portion 18a does not substantially exert a force on the contact support portion 32, and the contact support portion ( 32 and the board | substrate contact support part 33 hold | maintain freely (FIG. 5). The gap between the force support part 32 and the substrate contact support part 33 in this free state is smaller than the thickness of the FPC / FFC 40 including the reinforcing plate 41. On the other hand, when the engagement part 18a opens the actuator 18 in the position which opens the FPC / FFC mounting surface 12, the engagement support part 32 is lifted upwards and the space | interval with the board | substrate contact support part 33 is carried out. Is expanded beyond the thickness of the FPC / FFC 40 (FIG. 7). Moreover, in the state in which the said actuator 18 was opened, between the lower surface (lower front-end | tip) of the actuator 18 and the board | substrate contact elastic support 22 of the front side contact group 20, than the thickness of FPC / FFC40. Form a large insertion gap.

The insulator 10 is provided with a dummy contact l9, and the dummy land l9 is soldered to the dummy land D of the B phase.

When the FPC / FFC 40 is inserted in this configuration, the FPC / FFC connector opens the actuator 18 as shown in FIG. In this state, the FPC / FFC mounting surface 12 is opened and the FPC / FFC 40 is inserted between the actuator 18 and the front end of the substrate contact elastic support 22 of the front contact group 20. A gap is formed, and the engagement part 18a of the actuator 18 pulls up the contact support part 32 of the inner side contact group 30, and widens the space | interval with the board | substrate contact support part 33, and the contact support part 32 An insertion gap of the FPC / FFC 40 is formed between the substrate contact supports 33. Therefore, in this state, the FPC / FFC 40 can be inserted into the FPC / FFC inserting portion 14 from the FPC / FFC placing surface 12 without giving a substantially large insertion force. That is, a ZIF connector can be obtained.

When the actuator 18 is closed after the FPC / FFC 40 is inserted in this manner, the lower surface of the actuator 18 presses the FPC / FFC 40 against the substrate contact elastic support 22 of the front contact group 20. In addition, the engaging portion 18a releases the opening force applied to the contact support 32. Then, the contact support 32 approaches the substrate contact support 33 side by its elastic restoring force, and brings the FPC / FFC 40 into contact with the substrate contact support 33. That is, each signal terminal (land) on the FPC / FFC 40 is connected to the front contact group 20 and the inner contact group 30 and connected to the signal circuit through the land groups L1 and L2 on the substrate B.

Between the insulator 10 and the actuator 18, it is possible to provide a lock mechanism for holding the actuator 18 in the closed position. This lock mechanism is well known. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the substrate contact elastic support 22 of the front contact group 20 is located almost immediately below the pivot point 18X of the actuator 18, and the substrate contact elasticity is closed in the state in which the actuator 18 is closed. Since the support base 22 does not exert a force in the open direction on the actuator 18, the actuator 18 can be held in a stable position in the closed position even without a lock mechanism provided.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the multi-row FPC / FFC connector supporting the contact group by aligning the insulator on the front side and the inside, respectively, the ZIF can be achieved with a simple structure.

Claims (2)

An insulator fixed on the substrate, the insulator having a mounting surface of the FPC / FFC and an insertion portion subsequent to the mounting surface; An actuator on the insulator, the actuator being supported to be rotatable and to open and close the mounting surface with a virtual pivot point near the boundary between the mounting surface and the insertion portion; A front contact group comprising a substrate contact elastic support aligned / protruded on an FPC / FFC mounting surface of the insulator and a front fixed support fixed on a substrate near the side where the FPC / FFC is inserted among the sides of the insulator. and; A substrate contact support and a force support which are aligned with the FPC / FFC insert of the insulator, which face up and down the FPC / FFC insert and which are spaced by elastic deformation to hold the FPC / FFC directly, the insulator An inner contact group including an inner fixing support fixed on a substrate near an opposite side of the side into which the FPC / FFC is inserted, of the sides of the When viewed on a vertical cross section cut in the direction in which the FPC / FFC is inserted, the front contact group is not bent more than 90 degrees, the inner contact group is substantially "co" shaped, The actuator has an engagement portion with the contact support of the inner contact group, and when the actuator is opened, an opening force is applied to the contact support to widen the substrate contact support to insert the FPC / FFC between the supports. At the same time, an FPC / FFC insertion gap is formed between the substrate contact support of the front contact group and the actuator, and the contact support of the inner contact group is opened when it is closed, thereby opening the gap between the substrate contact support and the FPC / FFC. And generating contact pressure between the substrate contact support of the front contact group and the FPC / FFC. The method of claim 1, The front contact group and the inner contact group are arranged in a zigzag shape in the alignment direction to increase the installation density of the contact.