KR20160040086A - Plug connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<Problem to be solved> The present invention excellently maintains an electrical connectivity for a counterpart connector with a simple and easy configuration in which the number of components is reduced. <Solution> An engagement locking unit (11i) that is engaged with a portion of the counterpart connector (20) to hold an insertion/engagement state when being inserted into and engaged with the counterpart connector (20) and a unlocking unit (11n) that is manipulated to release the engaging state of the engagement locking unit (11i) for the counterpart connector (20) are integrally installed in a conductive shell (11) including a medium accommodating space, into which a terminal part of a plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS is inserted so that productivity may be improved by omitting an insulating body (insulating housing) and an electrical connection state may be excellently maintained by the engagement locking unit even when an unexpected external force is applied or it is used in an unexpected environment.

Description

Plug connector {PLUG CONNECTOR}

The present invention relates to a plug connector having a configuration in which a terminal portion of a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is mounted so as to protrude from a conductive shell and is inserted into a mating connector.

2. Description of the Related Art In general, various types of electric devices are connected to terminals of various plate-shaped signal transmission media which are formed to have an elongated plate shape such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC) And the plug connector to which the plate-like signal transmission medium is connected is inserted into a receptacle connector (e.g., a receptacle connector) as a mating connector mounted on a printed wiring board, It is widespread to perform connection.

In general, the plug connector at this time is configured to cover both the front and back surfaces of the insulating base (insulating housing) with a conductive shell, while a terminal portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is provided with a connection terminal (Contact) is formed so as to form a multipolar electrode portion, and these multipolar electrode portions are arranged so as to protrude from the conductive shell, and when the two electric connectors are engaged, the multipolar electrode portion on the plug connector side As shown in Fig.

In order to assemble the plug connector having the above-described configuration, first, the terminal portion of the plate-like signal transmission medium is mounted on the insulating base (insulating housing) and is connected, and the plate- Is assembled so that the upper half portion of the conductive shell is covered from the upper side after the insulating gas in the state of being mounted on the lower half portion of the conductive shell and the harness is made in this way. Further, in the plate-shaped signal transmission medium in this state, since there is a risk of rattling against the conductive shell or the insulating base, it is often necessary to ensure the fixed state of the plate-like signal transmission medium by using a fixing means such as a tape All.

On the other hand, the present applicant proposes a connector device which does not require an insulated base (insulating housing) as in Patent Document 1 below. According to the connector device having such a configuration, it is possible to omit an insulating base or the like, and the productivity of the plug connector is greatly improved. However, in the plug connector according to Patent Document 1, it is necessary to rotate the operation lever in order to secure the fitting retention to the mating connector. That is, by rotating the operation lever when the operation lever is rotatably attached to the plug connector when it is engaged with the receptacle connector (mating connector), both of the electric connectors are locked and an external force other than assumed, for example, The structure for preventing the electrical connection and holding property from becoming unstable even when the use is performed in an environment other than the presumption is adopted. However, there is a room for the efficiency of the fitting work to be improved in the point that the turning operation of the operating lever is required have.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-187367

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a plug connector capable of maintaining a good and efficient electrical connection to a mating connector with a simple and easy configuration in which the number of parts is reduced.

In order to achieve the above object, in a plug connector according to the invention of claim 1, a terminal portion of a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is fitted to a mating connector so as to be fitted so as to protrude from a conductive shell, Wherein the conductive shell is formed so as to have a medium accommodating space into which a terminal portion of the plate-like signal transmission medium is inserted and at the time of engagement with the mating connector, the conductive shell is engaged with a part of the mating connector, An engagement lock portion holding the engagement state and a lock release portion which is operated to release the engagement state of the engagement lock portion with respect to the mating connector are integrally provided.

According to the invention related to Claim 1, productivity can be improved by omitting the insulated base (insulating housing) or the like, and at the time of engagement with the mating connector, the engagement locking portion engages with a part of the mating connector, The engagement state is stably retained without rotating the operation lever. Even when an external force or an external force other than the predetermined force is applied, the electric connection state is maintained favorably by the engagement locking portion, .

Preferably, the conductive shell is integrally provided with an insertion guide portion for regulating the direction of insertion of the mating connector, as in the second aspect of the present invention.

According to the invention related to Claim 2, the insertion operation to the mating connector is stably performed by the insertion guide portion.

Further, as in the invention according to Claim 3, it is preferable that the conductive shell is formed by a single folded body of a conductive metal plate.

According to the invention related to Claim 3, the number of parts of the conductive shell is reduced, thereby further improving the productivity.

Further, like the invention according to claim 4, the conductive shell is formed by folding back the terminal portion of the plate-like signal transmission medium so as to overlap with each other, and the insertion guide portion is formed at the folded portion of the conductive shell And a lock arm and a lock releasing arm are provided so as to extend in a letter shape on a free end edge portion of the conductive shell opposite to the folded portion of the conductive shell, And the engaging lock portion and the lock releasing portion are provided so as to be elastically displaceable on the leading end side of the letter-like portion of the lock releasing arm.

Preferably, the conductive shell is integrally provided with a lock stopper and an unlocking stopper for restricting excessive displacement of the engagement locking portion and the unlocking portion, as in the fifth aspect of the present invention.

According to the invention relating to Claims 4 and 5, it is prevented that the elastic displacement of the engagement locking portion and the unlocking portion is excessively performed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the lock stopper includes a release restricting portion for restricting an excessive displacement of the lock portion arm by the lock releasing portion, And a restricting portion for restricting the erroneous displacement of the locking portion arm when the locking portion is to be pulled out.

According to the configuration related to claim 6, since the excessive displacement of the engagement lock portion and the arm for the lock portion when the unlocking operation is performed is restricted by the release restricting portion of the lock stopper, The erroneous displacement of the engagement locking portion and the arm for the locking portion when the mating connector tries to be unintentionally ejected is prevented by the pull-out restriction portion.

As in the seventh aspect of the present invention, the conductive shell is provided with a first portion for regulating the insertion position of the plate-like signal transmission medium by engaging with the hole portion and the cutout portion formed in the plate- And the second position regulating piece are integrally provided.

It is preferable that the first and second position restricting pieces are arranged in parallel in the inserting direction of the plate-like signal transmission medium, as in the invention according to claim 8.

According to the constitutions relating to Claim 7 and Claim 8, the plate-shaped signal transmission medium inserted in the conductive shell is stably held by the engagement action of the first and second position regulation members.

As described above, according to the present invention, a conductive shell having a medium accommodating space into which a terminal portion of a plate-shaped signal transmission medium is inserted is provided with a fitting portion which engages with a part of the mating connector when fitting the mating connector into the mating connector, By providing the lock portion and the lock releasing portion that is operated to release the engagement state of the engagement lock portion with respect to the mating connector, the insulating base (insulating housing) and the like can be omitted, productivity can be improved, Since the electrical connection state is well maintained by the engagement locking portion even when the use is made in an environment other than the intended use or an unexpected environment, the electrical connection property to the mating connector can be improved And the productivity and reliability of the electrical connector can be reduced It can be increased considerably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a plug connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state in which a plate-like signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) is to be inserted from an obliquely upper side in front;
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the plug connector in the state of Fig. 1 from the lower side in front; Fig.
3 is a plan view illustrating the plug connector shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional explanatory view along line IV-IV in Fig. 3; Fig.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an oblique upper side view of the state in which the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) is inserted into the plug connector in the state of FIG. 1 from the rear oblique upper side.
Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the plug connector in the state of Fig. 5 from an obliquely lower side in front; Fig.
Fig. 7 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the conductive shell is closed up and down from the state of Fig. 5 from an obliquely upper side from the rear. Fig.
Fig. 8 is an explanatory view showing the plug connector in the state of Fig. 7 from an obliquely lower side in front; Fig.
9 is a horizontal cross-sectional explanatory view of the plug connector shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Fig.
10 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the plug connector shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Fig.
Fig. 11 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the plug connector shown in Figs. 7 to 10 is disposed opposite to the receptacle connector as a mating connector from an obliquely upper side in front; Fig.
Fig. 12 is a plan explanatory view showing the plug connector shown in Fig. 11. Fig.
13 is a cross-sectional explanatory view along line XIII - XIII in Fig. 12. Fig.
Fig. 14 is an explanatory view showing the appearance of an electrical connector device in which the plug connector in the state of Fig. 11 is inserted into a receptacle connector as a mating connector, from an obliquely upper side in front; Fig.
15 is a plan view illustrating the electrical connector device shown in Fig.
16 is a cross-sectional explanatory view along line XVI-XVI in Fig. 15. Fig.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[About electrical connector device]

The plug connector 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 to 10 is provided with a terminal portion (not shown) of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium PS made of a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable 11 to 16, the plug connector 10 to which the terminal portion of the plate-like signal transmission medium PS is connected is inserted into the receptacle connector 20 as a mating connector in a substantially horizontal direction Whereby the electrical connector device is constructed.

The receptacle connector 20 as the above-described mating connector is used in a mounted state in which a solder is connected to a wiring pattern formed on a printed wiring board (not shown), and the electrical connector device 20 including the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 20 (FPC) PS are electrically connected to the printed wiring board side via the printed circuit board.

Hereinafter, the direction in which the surface of the printed wiring board extends is referred to as &quot; horizontal direction &quot;, and the direction perpendicular to the surface of the printed wiring board is referred to as the &quot; height direction &quot;. In the plug connector 10, the edge portion on the tip side in the insertion direction at the time of fitting to the receptacle connector 20 is referred to as &quot; front edge portion &quot;, and the end portion of the plate- Quot; rear end edge &quot;. In the receptacle connector 20, the end edge of the plug connector 10 on the side where the plug connector 10 is plugged is referred to as a &quot; front end edge portion &quot;, and the edge portion on the opposite side is referred to as a &quot; Although the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 20 are extended to form a longitudinal shape, the extending direction is referred to as &quot; connector longitudinal direction &quot;.

The plate-like signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS extending from the rear end edge portion of the plug connector 10 is connected to the above-described "connector longitudinal direction" in the "board width direction" And a plurality of signal lines and ground lines (shielded lines) are arranged adjacently to each other so as to form a multipole shape along the &quot; panel width direction &quot;.

[About plug connector]

The plug connector 10 according to the present invention constituting the electrical connector on one side of such an electrical connector device does not have an insulated base (insulated housing) made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin provided in a general electric connector (FPC) PS is inserted and fixed in the medium accommodating space formed inside the conductive shell 11 for blocking electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic noise, and the like.

In this case, the conductive shell 11 is formed of a folded body obtained by appropriately bending a single conductive metal plate. The upper shell body 11a and the upper shell body 11b are configured to sandwich the terminal portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC) And a lower shell body 11b. The detailed structure of the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b will be described later.

On the other hand, the plurality of signal lines and the ground lines are arranged in a multi-pole shape in the insulation covering material having flexibility as mentioned above, in the plate signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS, As the insulating covering member in the embodiment, there is used an insulating cover film which is adhered (bonded) so as to constitute a lower layer on the above-mentioned signal line and ground line. In addition, a shield tape So that the upper layer is formed.

The insulating covering member is in a state of being peeled off from a certain region on the line leading edge side to be inserted into the medium accommodating space of the plug connector 10, thereby forming a multi-polar electrode portion. That is, in the terminal portion of the plate-like signal transmission medium PS, a plurality of ground lines are exposed on the upper surface side, and a plurality of signal lines are exposed on the lower surface side. And a multipolar electrode portion composed of a plurality of connection terminal portions (contact portions) PS1 is formed by the exposed portion. In addition, an insulating covering material is adhered to a region (non-exposed side portion) excluding these connection terminal portions PS1.

The terminal portions of the plate-like signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS having the plurality of connection terminal portions PS1 are inserted and fixed in the above-described conductive shell 11, but in the fixed state of the plate-like signal transmission medium PS, 6, the connection terminal portion (multi-electrode portion) PS1 is disposed so as to protrude forward from the front end edge portion of the conductive shell 11 and inserted into the receptacle connector 20 as a mating connector, .

Positioning hole portions PS2 are respectively provided on the outer side portions of both sides of the connection terminal portion (multi-electrode portion) PS1 on both side edge portions in the plate width direction of the plate signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS And a positioning notch portion PS3 is provided at a portion corresponding to a slightly rear side of these positioning hole portions PS2. The positioning hole portion PS2 is constituted by an angular hole having a flat rectangular shape formed to penetrate through the insulating covering member of the sheet-like signal transmission medium PS, and as described later, the conductive shell 11 of the plug connector 10 The first position regulating piece 11r formed is inserted into the positioning hole portion PS2 of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium PS so as to be inserted into the positioning hole portion PS2.

The positioning cutout portion PS3 is disposed so as to be parallel to the above described positioning hole portion PS2 at a position slightly spaced rearward in the inserting direction of the plug connector 10, Are formed in the side edge portions in the width direction of the transmission medium PS and formed as cutouts that are cut out toward the connector center side in a planar substantially rectangular shape. The positioning cutout PS3 is provided with a second position restricting piece 11s formed on the conductive shell 11 of the plug connector 10 as will be described later and the second position restricting piece 11s on the side of the conductive shell 11 The position regulating piece 11s is inserted into the cutout space of the positioning cutout PS3 on the plate-like signal transmission medium PS side and is engaged with the edge of the positioning cutout PS3 forming the cutout space.

As described above, the first position regulating piece 11r and the second position regulating piece 11s provided on the plug connector 10 side are provided with the positioning hole portion PS2 provided on the plate-shaped signal transmission medium PS side, PS3, whereby the entirety of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium PS is held at a predetermined predetermined position.

[Conductive Shell]

As described above, the conductive shell 11 is composed of a polymer of an upper shell body 11a and a lower shell body 11b which are made of a conductive metal plate member sandwiching a terminal portion of a plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS from above and below have. The front edge portions of the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b are integrally formed by insertion guide portions 11c and 11c formed of a pair of band plate members disposed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the connector And is integrally connected. These insertion guide portions 11c and 11c are formed between the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b and have a shape obtained by rotating the U- Quot; C &quot; -shaped shape.

On the other hand, in a portion corresponding to the insertion guide portions 11c, 11c provided on the folded back portion of the conductive shell 11, a guide receiving portion (not shown) And the insertion guide portions 11c and 11c abut against the guide receiving portions when inserting and fitting the plug connector 10 into the receptacle connector 20 so that the inserting direction of the plug connector 10 Is guided in a predetermined direction.

Although the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b are integrally connected to each other through the pair of insertion guide portions 11c and 11c as described above, the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b (FPC) PS is inserted in a region where the signal transmission media (FPC, PS) are opposed to each other.

Here, the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b are configured so as to be opened and closed around the insertion guide portions 11c and 11c described above. More specifically, the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b are separated from each other in the initial state of an open state in which the free end edge portions opposite to the insertion guide portions 11c and 11c are separated in the vertical direction And a closed state close to each other. As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, in the medium accommodating space between the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b in the open state, which is the initial state of the conductive shell 11, , FFC) PS is inserted through the connection terminal portion PS1 side.

As described above, the insertion guide portions 11c and 11c are disposed on both side portions of the conductive shell 11 on the front end side portion. However, in the portion between the both insertion guide portions 11c and 11c, The opening portions of the signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS through which the connection terminal portions PS1 pass are formed so as to extend in a longitudinally elongated shape along the connector longitudinal direction. In the portion of the laterally long opening provided in the front edge portion of the conductive shell 11 opposite to the opposite side, that is, the rear end portion in the medium accommodating space, the positioning of the plate-like signal transmission medium PS The insertion opening portion for allowing insertion of the entire plate width of the plate-like signal transmission medium PS including the hole portion PS2 and the positioning cut-out portion PS3 is formed so as to extend in a longitudinally elongated shape in the connector longitudinal direction.

Then, the connection terminal portion PS1 of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS is inserted into the medium accommodating space through the insertion opening on the rear side of the conductive shell 11, The connection terminal portion PS1 of the plate-like signal transmission medium PS protrudes so as to protrude forward through the opening of the laterally long shape. That is, the transversely elongated opening formed in the conductive shell 11 is formed in the front end portion of the side where the insertion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium PS into the medium accommodating space is terminated, The plate-shaped signal transmission medium PS has a configuration in which the terminal portion including the positioning hole portion PS2 and the positioning notch portion PS3 is accommodated in the medium accommodating space and the connection terminal portion PS1 is exposed toward the outside from the horizontally elongated opening portion .

The upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b of the conductive shell 11 described above are provided with fastening means between the shell bodies 11a and 11b at both sides in the longitudinal direction of the connector. More specifically, a pair of upper side fixed side plates 11d and 11e are provided at a predetermined interval in the front and rear direction of the connector, respectively, on both side edge portions on the upper shell body 11a side, and a lower shell body 11b A pair of lower fixed side plates 11f and 11g are provided at positions corresponding to the upper side fixed side plates 11d and 11e described above. The upper and lower fixed side plates 11d to 11g are formed so that the edge portions of the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b in the connector longitudinal direction are respectively formed by bending plate- Piece).

As described above, the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b are overlapped with each other so that the insertion guide portion 11c is formed in the shape of a "U" shape rotated 90 ° or a "C" The upper side fixed side plates 11d and 11e overlap the inner side portions of the lower side fixed plates 11f and 11g when the conductive shell 11 is closed. At this time, the engaging projections provided on the upper fixed side plate 11d and the lower fixed side plate 11g are engaged with the engaging holes provided on the upper fixed side plate 11e and the lower fixed side plate 11f, The upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b fixed in such a closed state are formed between the lower shell body 11b and the lower shell body 11b.

In addition, on the rear end portion of the connector of the lower shell member 11b, that is, on the opposite side of the insertion guide portion 11c which is the folded portion of the conductive shell 11, the locking member arms 11h, 11h extend from both side portions in the connector longitudinal direction toward the front side of the connector in a letter shape. Each of the locking member arms 11h is formed by an elongated strip-shaped member. In the free end portion extending toward the vicinity of the above-described insertion guide portion 11c, the engagement locking portion 11i is integrally formed Respectively. The engagement locking portion 11i is formed by punching the same metal plate material as the conductive shell 11 together with the locking portion arm 11h that supports the engagement locking portion 11i.

At this time, the engagement locking portions 11i are bent at substantially right angles at the free end portion of the connector front end side (front end side) of the above-described lock arm 11h, and extend outward in the connector longitudinal direction Respectively. Each of the engagement locking portions 11i is formed to have a substantially triangular shape in plan view and has an inclined guide edge portion which is continuously widened from the front side toward the rear side, And has a linear retaining portion that descends substantially linearly downward from the top (top portion) of the edge portion. When the plug connector is inserted into and engaged with the receptacle connector 20 as the mating connector, the inclined guide side edge of the engagement locking portion 11i described above is engaged with the locking engagement portion (not shown) provided on the receptacle connector 20 side And the entire engagement locking portion 11i is resiliently displaced against the elasticity of the locking portion arm 11h to return to the original position, (Not shown) provided on the side of the receptacle connector 20, whereby the engaged state of the both connectors 10, 20 is held.

At this time, as shown in Fig. 6 in particular, the above-described conductive shell 11 is integrally provided with a lock stopper 11j for restricting the elastic displacement amount of the engagement locking portion 11i. The lock stopper 11j is provided at an intermediate position in the extending direction of the lock member arm 11h that supports the fitting lock portion 11i and is located below the lower end portion rotor of the lock member 11h Like member protruding toward the center of the plate-shaped member. On the other hand, in correspondence with the lock stopper 11j, a stopper receiving portion 11k is formed on both lower ends of the lower shell body 11b in the connector longitudinal direction so as to have a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, And the lock stopper 11j is accommodated and arranged in the inner space of the stopper receiving portion 11k.

That is, the above-described lock stopper 11j regulates the excessive displacement and the incorrect displacement of the engagement locking portion 11i by the position limiting action when the lock stopper 11j is accommodated in the stopper receiving portion 11k. The locking function of the engagement locking portion 11i functions in two directions, i.e., the longitudinal direction of the connector and the direction orthogonal thereto. That is, when the locking member 11h is to be excessively press-fitted to the connector center side by the unlocking portion 11n described later, the locking stopper 11j is moved toward the connector center side with respect to the stopper receiving portion 11k By this contact, position regulation is performed in the same direction. When the plug connector 10 is forcibly pulled out from the receptacle connector 20 as the mating connector in a state where the engagement locking portion 11i is in the engaged state, To face the connector front side relative to the connector 11k, thereby regulating the position in the same direction.

As described above, the lock stopper 11j in the present embodiment is configured such that the disengagement restricting portion for restricting the excessive displacement of the lock-purpose arm 11h at the time of unlocking and the excessive disengagement of the receptacle connector 20 in the locked state And a pull-out restriction portion for restricting the erroneous displacement of the lock-use arm 11h at the time of the disengagement.

On the other hand, from both side portions of the upper shell body 11a in the connector longitudinal direction at the rear end portion of the connector, that is, the opposite side of the insertion guide portion 11c, which is the folded portion of the conductive shell 11, The release member arms 11m and 11m, which are members, extend in the shape of a letter toward the front side of the connector. Each of the releasing arm portions 11m is formed of an elongate strip-shaped member and disposed so as to be elastically displaced in the connector longitudinal direction. An unlocking operation portion 11n is integrally provided at a distal end free end portion extending to the substantially central portion in the connector front-rear direction of the releasing arm 11m. The unlocking operation portion 11n constitutes the "unlocking portion" according to the present invention together with the unlocking arm 11m which supports the unlocking operation portion 11n. However, the unlocking operation portion 11n is the same as the conductive shell 11 And is formed integrally by punching a metal plate material.

At this time, the unlocking operation portion 11n is arranged so as to face the outer side in the connector longitudinal direction with respect to the above-described lock portion arm 11h, and the unlocking operation portion 11n is disengaged from the unlocking operation portion 11n toward the connector center side The leading edge portion of the operation plate 11p is arranged so as to be closer to the outer side in the connector longitudinal direction with respect to the intermediate portion of the aforementioned locking member arm 11h.

Then, a pair of unlocking operation portions 11n and 11n on both sides in the connector longitudinal direction are gripped by interposing between the thumb and forefinger of the operation operator, and the both unlocking operation portions 11n and 11n The distal end portion of the release operation plate 11p of the release operation portion 11n pushes the intermediate portion of the arm portion 11h for the lock portion toward the center of the connector. The aforementioned engagement locking portion 11i moves toward the center of the connector in accordance with the elastic displacement of the locking portion arm 11h at this time so that the engaging locking portion 11i from the locking engagement portion (not shown) of the receptacle connector 20 11i are released and become unlocked. In this unlocked state, the plug connector 10 is brought into a state ready for being discharged from the receptacle connector 20. [

On the other hand, in correspondence with the unlocking operation portion 11n, the unlocking stopper 11q for restricting the amount of elastic displacement of the unlocking operation portion 11n is provided integrally with the conductive shell 11. As shown in Fig. 5, the above-mentioned unlocking stopper 11q is provided so as to serve as the above-mentioned upper side fixed plate 11e. The unlocking stopper 11q is formed from both ends of the upper shell 11a in the connector longitudinal direction Like member formed by bending toward the right angle downward, and has a disposition relation to face the above-described unlocking operation portion 11n from the inner side in the connector longitudinal direction.

As described above, when the unlocking operation portion 11n is pushed into the connector center side, immediately before the push-in amount of the unlocking operation portion 11n becomes excessive, the unlocking operation portion 11n So that the excessive elastic displacement at the time of the pushing-in operation of the unlocking operation portion 11n is regulated.

The upper shell body 11a of the conductive shell 11 corresponds to the positioning hole portion PS2 and the positioning cutout portion PS3 of the plate-like signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS inserted in the plug connector 10 as described above The first position regulating piece 11r and the second position regulating piece 11s are integrally formed. The first position restricting piece 11r and the second position restricting piece 11s are formed by cutting a part of the upper shell body 11a at a substantially right angle toward the lower side of the inner side of the connector, When the conductive shell 11 is closed, the first positioning portion 11r and the second positioning portion 11s are aligned with the positioning hole portion PS2 provided on the plate-shaped signal transmission medium PS side and the positioning notch portion PS3 Whereby the entirety of the plate-like signal transmission medium PS is held at a predetermined predetermined position.

A ground contact 11t of a plurality of bodies (five bodies) is formed in the upper shell body 11a of the conductive shell 11. Each of the ground contacts 11t is formed by machining so as to protrude from the upper shell body 11a so as to protrude in a letter shape toward the lower side medium containing space. Each of the ground contacts 11t is arranged so as to be in contact with the ground terminal of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS, and ground connection is made when the plate-shaped signal transmission medium PS is inserted to the final position .

[About receptacle connector]

On the other hand, as shown in Figs. 11 to 16, the receptacle connector 20 constituting the other mating connector in the electrical connector apparatus has an insulating housing 21 formed of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin And a conductive shell 22 covering the outer surface of the insulating housing 21 to block electromagnetic noise and the like from the outside.

In the insulating housing 21, a plurality of conductive contacts 23 are arranged at appropriate pitch intervals so as to form a multipole shape along the connector longitudinal direction. Each of the conductive contacts 23 is formed by bending a beam-shaped metal material having elasticity, and is disposed so as to extend in the longitudinal direction in the groove-shaped portion provided in the insulating housing 21. [ Each of the conductive contacts 23 is formed so that adjacent ones of the conductive contacts 23 have substantially the same shape.

On the other hand, on the rear end side of each conductive contact 23, there is provided a connection leg portion 23a which is bent so as to form a stepwise downward direction, and the connection leg portion 23a is formed by printing And is electrically connected to a printed wiring pattern (conductive path) for signal transmission formed on the wiring board by soldering. The solder bonding at this time is performed collectively for all of the directions of the multipole arrangement.

A contact portion (not shown) is provided on the front end portion of each of the conductive contacts 23 described above. Each of these contact portions is connected to the connection terminal portion PS1 of the plug connector 10 of the receptacle connector 20 So that the signal transmission circuit extending from the contact portion to the printed wiring board via the connection leg portion is formed.

A plurality of ground contacts 22a are provided in parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the connector on the upper surface side portion of the conductive shell 22. Each of the ground contacts 22a is formed to be folded back from the edge of the front side of the conductive shell 22 to the inside of the connector (downward), and the plug connector 10 Of the upper shell body 11a of the upper shell body 11a.

A pair of hold downs 22b and 22b are provided at both ends of the conductive shell 22 in the longitudinal direction of the connector and the connector length from the lower end of each hold down 22b (Conductive paths) formed on the printed wiring board, and electrically connected to the printed wiring patterns (conductive paths) for grounding formed on the printed wiring board, thereby electrically connecting the conductive shell 22 to the printed wiring pattern A ground circuit to reach the wiring board is formed and the whole of the receptacle connector 20 is fixed.

In the plug connector 10 according to this embodiment, the terminal portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS is electrically connected to the conductive shell 11 (11a) in which the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b are in the open state (See Figs. 5 and 6). Then, the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell body 11b of the conductive shell 11 are closed (see Figs. 7 to 10) 11r and the second position restricting piece 11s are engaged with the positioning hole portion PS2 on the side of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium PS and the positioning cut-out portion PS3 and the entire plate-like signal transmission medium PS is brought into contact with the predetermined position . At this time, since the positioning hole portion PS2 and the positioning notch portion PS3 provided in the plate-like signal transmission medium PS are disposed in parallel in the insertion direction of the plate-like signal transmission medium PS, The signal transmission medium PS is stably retained by the engaging action of the positioning hole portion PS2 and the positioning notch portion PS3.

The plug connector 10 to which the plate-like signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS is connected as described above is inserted so as to be inserted into the inside of the receptacle connector 20 as a mating connector (see Figs. 11 to 16). As described above, in the plug connector 10 according to the present embodiment, the insulating base (insulating housing) and the like are omitted, and the productivity is improved by reducing the number of parts.

The operation of inserting the plug connector 10 into the receptacle connector 20 described above is stably performed by the regulation guiding action in the inserting direction by the inserting guide portion 11c, The engaging locking portion 11i engages with a part of the receptacle connector 20 so that the engaging state is stably retained without performing the operation of rotating the operation lever as in the conventional case. Further, even when an external force other than the predetermined value is given to the electric connector device, or when the electric connector device is used in an environment other than the presumed condition, the electric connection state of the electric connector device is favorably maintained by the fitting lock portion, Efficiency is improved.

On the other hand, in the plug connector 10 according to the present embodiment, since the whole of the conductive shell 11 is formed by a single folded body of the conductive metal plate, the number of components is reduced in the conductive shell 11 itself, As a result, the productivity is further improved.

In the present embodiment, the lock stopper 11j and the lock release stopper 11q prevent the elastic displacement of the engagement locking portion 11i and the lock release operation portion 11n from being excessively performed. More specifically, when the unlocking operation portion 11n is first pushed into the connector center side, the unlocking operation portion 11n is brought into contact with the unlocking stopper 11q in the same direction, and the lock stopper 11j, The disengagement restricting portion of the stopper receiving portion 11k abuts against the connector center side. In this manner, excessive displacement of the engagement locking portion 11i and the locking portion arm 11h when the unlocking operation is performed is restricted.

When the plug connector 10 is forcibly pulled out from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 20 in the engagement state of the engagement locking portion 11i, the release restricting portion of the lock stopper 11j, The engaging locking portion 11i and the locking portion arm 11h at the time of so-called unintentional pulling out are brought into contact with each other, Are controlled.

In the present embodiment, since the conductive shell 11 is formed integrally with the upper shell body 11a and the lower shell shell body 11b as a whole, the conductive shells 11, 11,...) Can be employed, for example, by an intermediate process continuously carried out by a carrier or the like. By doing so, the conductive shell 11 can be manufactured at a time, .

While the invention made by the present inventors has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention There is no.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the positioning cutout portion PS3 provided on the plate-shaped signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS has a recessed shape recessed inward in the plate width direction. However, Or may be a columnar shape protruding in the thickness direction, or a recessed hole shape.

Although the ground terminal in the above-described embodiment is formed on one surface of the sheet-like signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC) PS, it is also possible to arrange the ground terminal on the outside of the signal terminal or other arrangements Do. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which only the signal terminal is disconnected from the ground terminal.

Although the present invention is applied to a horizontal plug type connector, the above-described embodiment can be applied to a vertical plug type plug connector as well.

As described above, the present embodiment can be widely applied to various kinds of electrical connectors used in various electric devices.

10: Plug connector 11: Conductive shell
11a: upper shell body 11b: lower shell body
11c: Insertion guide part (shell connection part)
11 d, 11 e: upper fixed side plate
11 f, 11 g: Lower fixed side plate
11h: locking member arm 11i: fitting locking portion
11j: lock stopper 11k: stopper receiving portion
11m: Release arm (release part)
11n: unlocking operation portion (unlocking portion)
11p: Release Operation Panel 11q: Unlock Stopper
11r: the first position regulating piece
11s: second position regulation piece
11t: Ground contact
20: Receptacle connector (mating connector)
21: Insulation housing 22: Conductive shell
22a: Ground contact
22b: hold down
23: conductive contact 23a: connection leg
PS: Plate signal transmission medium (FPC, FFC)
PS1: Connection terminal part (multipolar electrode part)
PS2: Positioning hole
PS3: Positioning cutout

Claims (8)

A plug connector configured to fit and mate with a mating connector in a state in which a terminal portion of the plate-shaped signal transmission medium is mounted so as to protrude from a conductive shell,
Wherein the conductive shell is formed to have a medium accommodating space into which a terminal portion of the plate-like signal transmission medium is inserted,
Wherein the conductive shell is provided with an engagement locking portion that engages with a part of the mating connector when the mating connector is engaged with the mating connector and retains the engagement state, Wherein the releasing portion is integrally provided. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the conductive shell is integrally provided with an insertion guide portion for regulating the insertion direction of the mating connector. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the conductive shell has a single conductive metal plate formed as a folded body. The method according to claim 1,
The conductive shell is formed by folding back the terminal portions of the plate-like signal transmission medium so as to overlap with each other,
The insertion guide portion is formed in the folded back portion of the conductive shell,
And a lock arm and an unlocking arm are provided so as to extend in a letter shape on a free end edge portion of the conductive shell opposite to the folded portion of the conductive shell, Wherein the engaging lock portion and the unlocking portion are provided so as to be elastically displaceable on the tip side of a portion extending in a letter shape in the use arm. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the conductive shell is integrally provided with a lock stopper and an unlocking stopper for regulating excessive displacement of the engagement locking portion and the unlocking portion. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the lock stopper includes a release restricting portion for restricting an excessive displacement of the arm for the lock portion by the unlocking portion and a lock portion for locking the lock portion when the mating lock portion is about to be pulled out, And a restricting portion for restricting wrong displacement of the plug connector. The method according to claim 1,
The conductive shell is integrally provided with first and second position regulating pieces for regulating insertion positions of the plate-like signal transmission medium by engaging with the hole portions and cut-out portions formed in the plate-like signal transmission medium, respectively Plug connector. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the first and second position restricting pieces are arranged in parallel in the inserting direction of the plate-like signal transmission medium.

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