JP2004192825A - Connector for fpc - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector for an FPC having such a structure that an actuator hardly gets off. <P>SOLUTION: The connector is provided with a housing having an FPC insertion hole 21, a plurality of terminals 4 mounted in parallel with the housing with contact pieces extended in opposition to a face of the FPC inserted from the FPC insertion hole 21, and an actuator 3 fitted in free changing of posture against the housing 2 between a first position and a second position, enabling the FPC to be inserted into the FPC insertion hole 21 at the first position, and pressing the inserted FPC toward contact pieces of the terminals 4 at the second position. A reinforcing metal fitting 5 equipped with a soldering piece 52 arranged on a mounting face side of the housing 2 is fitted on both sides of the housing 2, and a supporting piece 53 capable of getting engaged with the actuator 3 is extended from the reinforcing metal fitting 5 toward the FPC insertion hole side, and the actuator 3 is engaged with the support piece 53 in free turning. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an FPC connector for connecting a flat flexible cable generally referred to as an FPC, an FFC or the like (in this specification, these are simply referred to as "FPC").
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, this type of FPC connector includes a housing in which an FPC insertion opening is formed, and a plurality of FPC connectors which are mounted in parallel with the housing and in which a contact piece extends so as to face a surface of the FPC inserted from the FPC insertion opening. The terminal and the housing are provided so that the posture can be changed between a first position and a second position with respect to the housing. In the first position, the FPC can be inserted into the FPC insertion slot, and in the second position, the FPC can be inserted. And an actuator for pressing the FPC thus pressed toward the contact piece of the terminal. For example, it is as shown in FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent No. 3029985 and FIG. 2 of Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2580074.
[0003]
As disclosed in the above-mentioned patent publication, the posture change of the actuator is often performed by rotating a housing or a terminal mounted on the housing by forming a shaft support structure. By rotating the actuator, the pressing portion formed on the actuator presses the FPC toward the contact piece of the terminal, and the contact portion formed on the contact piece and the contact of the FPC engage with a predetermined contact pressure, and the Connection is formed.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When the actuator presses the FPC, a reaction force acts on the FPC, so that the actuator bends, and the shaft supporting structure formed between the housing and the terminal is disengaged. Stability must be avoided.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an FPC connector having a structure in which an actuator is not easily detached.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The FPC connector of the present invention made for the above purpose has a housing having an FPC insertion opening formed therein, and a FPC connector mounted in parallel with the housing and having a contact piece inserted into the FPC insertion opening through the FPC insertion opening. A plurality of terminals extending so as to face each other and provided so as to be able to change the posture between a first position and a second position with respect to the housing, and the first position allows the FPC to be inserted into the FPC insertion opening. And an actuator that presses the inserted FPC toward the contact piece of the terminal in the second position,
On both sides of the housing in the direction in which the terminals are arranged in parallel, reinforcing metal fittings provided with soldering pieces arranged on the mounting surface side of the housing are provided,
The FPC connector is characterized in that a support piece engageable with the actuator extends from the reinforcing metal fitting toward the FPC insertion port, and the actuator is rotatably engaged with the support piece.
[0007]
[Action]
According to the FPC connector of the present invention configured as described above, the actuator is rotatably engaged with the support piece extending from the reinforcing bracket provided on the housing, thereby forming the actuator support structure. Thus, the pivot of the actuator can be strengthened, and the actuator can be effectively prevented from coming off due to the reaction force when the FPC is pressed.
[0008]
A backup portion extending to back up an FPC press provided facing the FPC insertion opening of the housing, and an engagement portion extending continuously to the backup portion, as in claim 2, With this configuration, the backup portion can back up the FPC holder on the housing side, so that the function of the FPC holder can be reliably exhibited. In addition, since the backup portion of the support piece can be prevented from directly contacting the FPC, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the surface of the FPC is damaged.
[0009]
Further, the tip of the engaging portion of the reinforcing bracket is formed as a curled portion curled downward, and the actuator to be engaged therewith has a shaft portion and an abutting portion formed continuously with the shaft portion. When the actuator is in the first position, the tip of the curl portion abuts on the abutment portion to prevent the actuator from falling down toward the rear end of the housing. 1 can be maintained.
[0010]
Still further, the plurality of terminals mounted on the housing include a terminal having an engagement piece for rotatably engaging the actuator and an engagement piece for engaging with the actuator. If a configuration is included that does not include a terminal, a pivotal support structure can be configured between the terminal and the terminal even in the middle part of the actuator, preventing the actuator from bending due to the reaction force from the FPC side can do.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0012]
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an FPC connector 1 according to an embodiment, which is basically composed of a housing 2 and an actuator 3 formed of insulating plastic, and a terminal 4 formed by punching a thin metal plate. I have. The terminals 4 are mounted on the housing 2 in parallel in the direction of arrow A (width direction) in FIG. Reinforcing metal fittings 5 formed by stamping a metal plate are mounted on both sides of the housing 2 in the direction in which the terminals 4 are arranged in parallel. The actuator 3 is rotatable so that the posture can be changed between the first position shown in FIG. 1 and the second position shown in FIG. When the actuator 3 is in the first position, the FPC 6 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) can be inserted into the FPC insertion slot 21. When the actuator 3 is in the second position, the inserted FPC 6 and the terminal 4 are connected. It is designed to be electrically connected.
[0013]
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 together with FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 2 has a block shape in which a connection cavity 22 communicating with the FPC insertion opening 21 is formed. The housing 2 has both side walls 23, a top wall 24, and a bottom wall 25. The lower surface (outer surface) of the bottom wall 25 is a mounting surface 26 when the FPC connector 1 is mounted on the circuit board 7. ing. A plurality of terminal receiving grooves 27 are formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall 25 between the side walls 23 at a predetermined pitch in parallel with the side walls 23 so that the terminals 4 can be mounted from the front end 28 or the rear end 29 of the housing 2. Have been.
[0014]
The FPC holders 30 are provided integrally with the respective side walls 23 toward the FPC insertion opening 21 at the upper inner side near the front end 28 of the both side walls 23 forming the housing 2. Each FPC retainer 30 is substantially parallel to the bottom wall 25 and has a horizontal eaves shape and faces the FPC insertion slot 21.
[0015]
Further, the shape of the terminal 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment includes two types of terminals 41 and 42, a terminal 41 having a shape shown in FIG. 3 and a terminal 42 having a shape shown in FIG. 4, and each of the terminals 41 and 42 is a terminal receiving groove of the housing 2. 27 are alternately mounted. That is, the terminal 41 shown in FIG. 3 constitutes the odd-numbered terminal 4, and the terminal 42 shown in FIG. 4 constitutes the even-numbered terminal 4. In the case of the illustrated embodiment, seven-pole terminals 4 are mounted, and odd-numbered terminals 41 are mounted on both outer sides.
[0016]
In the odd-numbered terminal 41 shown in FIG. 3, a contact piece 412 from one side of the base 411 and an engagement piece 413 that is shorter than the contact piece 412 form a forked shape with the contact piece 412 on the upper side. A short tail piece 414 extends from the other side of the base 411 and is punched into an extended shape. The terminal 41 is mounted in the terminal receiving groove 27 (odd number) from the front end 28 of the housing 2. The bottom wall 25 of the housing 2 is provided between the base end of the contact piece 412 and the engaging piece 413. It is fixed to the housing 2 by sandwiching and engaging the engagement piece 413 with the bottom wall 25. When the terminal 41 is mounted on the housing 2 in this manner, the lower edge of the tail piece 414 is substantially flush with the lower surface of the bottom wall 25 which is the mounting surface 26 of the housing 2.
[0017]
The relatively long contact piece 412 extends along the terminal receiving groove 27 so as to face the connection cavity 22 in a cantilever manner. A contact portion 415 is formed in a projecting shape at the upper edge of the tip of the contact piece 412 facing the connection cavity 22, and the surface (lower surface) of the FPC 6 inserted into the connection cavity 22 through the FPC insertion opening 21 is formed. It is made to face. Since the contact piece 412 has a cantilever shape, the contact piece 412 can be elastically deformed, and the distal end portion where the contact portion 415 is formed can move in the vertical direction in FIG.
[0018]
On the other hand, the terminal 42 of the even-numbered pole shown in FIG. 4 has a contact piece 422 and an engagement piece 423 having substantially the same length from one side of the base 421, and has a bifurcated shape with the engagement piece 423 on the upper side. The tail piece 424 extends from the other side of the base 421 and is punched into an extended shape. The terminal 42 is mounted in the terminal receiving groove 27 (even-numbered) from the rear end 29 of the housing 2. The base end of the contact piece 422 is widened, and the base end of the engagement piece 423. The top wall 24 of the housing 2 is sandwiched between them, and the base end of the contact piece 422 is engaged with the top wall 24 so as to be fixed to the housing 2. When the terminal 42 is mounted on the housing 2, the lower edge of the tail piece 424 is substantially flush with the mounting surface 26.
[0019]
The contact piece 422 of the terminal 42 also extends along the terminal receiving groove 27 and faces the connection cavity 22 in a cantilever manner. A contact portion 425 is formed in a protruding shape on the upper edge of the tip of the contact piece 422 facing the connection cavity 22, and is opposed to the surface (lower surface) of the FPC 6 as described above. The contact piece 422 also has a cantilever shape, so that it can be elastically deformed, and its tip can be moved up and down in FIG.
[0020]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the positions of the contact portion 415 of the terminal 41 and the contact portion 425 of the terminal 42 are changed in a direction from the front end 28 to the rear end 29 of the housing 2, and the connection cavity is formed. In 22, the contact portions 415 and 425 are arranged in a staggered manner at substantially the same level. Although the contact portions 415 and 425 are arranged in a staggered manner in this embodiment, the contact portions 415 and 425 may be arranged in a horizontal line along a straight line.
[0021]
Since the engaging piece 423 provided on the terminal 42 has a length substantially equal to that of the contact piece 422, the distal end of the engaging piece 423 also faces in a cantilever manner above the connection cavity 22. Has become. An arc-shaped concave portion 426 is formed at the lower edge of the distal end of the engaging piece 423 facing the connection cavity 22. As shown in FIG. 4, this is because the shaft portion 31 provided on the actuator 3 side and having a substantially circular cross section is received in the concave portion 426 so that the actuator 3 can be rotatably engaged.
[0022]
The actuator 3 integrally includes a base portion 32 provided with a shaft portion 31 adapted to engage with the concave portion 426 of the engagement piece 423 of the terminal 42, an intermediate portion 33, and a distal end operation portion 34, and As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is formed in a substantially I-shape. The base portion 32 and the distal end operation portion 34 have a width substantially equal to the facing distance between the side walls 23 of the housing 2.
[0023]
A through hole 35 is formed in an intermediate portion of the base 32 provided in the actuator 3 so as to form the shaft 31 at a position corresponding to the terminal 42. By inserting the tip of the engaging piece 423 of the terminal 42 into the through hole 35, the shaft 31 is accommodated in the concave portion 426 on the engaging piece 423 side and engaged with each other.
[0024]
The front surface of the actuator 3 is formed flat, while the rear surface side is relatively thick on the base portion 32 side, as shown in FIGS. At the same time, a portion extending from the intermediate portion 33 to the distal end operation portion 34 is hollowed out and relatively thin. The engagement piece receiving groove 37 is formed so as to correspond to the position of the terminal 42. When the posture of the actuator 3 is changed to the second position, a part (upper edge) of the engagement piece 423 of the terminal 42 can be accommodated in the engagement piece accommodation groove 37.
[0025]
Engagement projections 38 are formed outward on both end surfaces of the distal end operation unit 34 provided on the actuator 3 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, engagement portions 231 that can engage with the engagement protrusions 38 are provided on the inner surfaces of both side walls 23 of the housing 2, and the posture changes to the second position. The actuator 3 can be held at that position.
[0026]
Next, the reinforcing fittings 5 attached to both ends of the housing 2 will be described. The reinforcing bracket 5 and the actuator 3 are also engaged with each other. The reinforcing fitting 5 is formed as shown in FIG. That is, the soldering piece 52 is connected to the lower end of one side (outside) of the mounting piece 51 which can be inserted and locked in the fitting mounting groove 232 formed in the side wall 23 of the housing 2 at a substantially right angle. On the other side (inside) of the upper end of the piece 51, a support piece 53 having a substantially L-shaped plane is continuous at a substantially right angle. The soldering piece 52 forms a solder fillet 8 and is soldered to the circuit board 7 as shown in FIGS. The reinforcing member 5 shown in FIG. 5 is mounted on the right side of the housing 2 in FIGS. The reinforcing metal fitting 5 mounted on the left side of the housing 2 is formed symmetrically with respect to that of FIG.
[0027]
The support piece 53 having a substantially L-shaped plane provided on the reinforcing metal member 5 constitutes a backup portion 531 on the mounting piece 51 side and an engagement portion 532 extending at a substantially right angle from the backup portion 531. That is, when the mounting piece 53 is mounted in the metal fitting mounting groove 232 provided on the side wall 23 of the housing 2, the backup portion 531 overlaps the upper side of the upper surface step 301 of the FPC holder 30 provided on the side wall 23 in an eaves-like manner. The retainer 30 is backed up from above, and the engaging portion 532 extends toward the rear end 29 of the housing 2 so as to be able to engage with the actuator 3. The tip of the engaging portion 532 is a curled portion 533 that is curled downward in an arc shape, and the engagement with the actuator 3 is considered.
[0028]
At the both ends of the base 32 of the actuator 3, a wide through hole 39 having a width substantially equal to the width of the engaging portion 532 is formed so as to correspond to the engaging portion 532 formed on the support piece 53 of the reinforcing metal fitting 5. Is formed so that the tip of the engagement portion 532 can enter. By forming the through hole 39, a shaft portion 40 similar to the shaft portion 31 is formed, and the shaft portion 40 and the curl portion 533 of the engagement portion 532 are engaged with each other.
[0029]
FIGS. 7 and 8 and FIGS. 9 and 10 clearly show the relationship between the support piece 53 of the reinforcing metal member 5 configured as described above, the housing 2 and the actuator 3. FIGS. 7 and 8 show that the backup portion 531 constituting the support piece 53 of the reinforcing fitting 5 backs up the upper surface step portion 301 of the FPC holder 30 on the housing 2 side. 9 and 10, the engaging portion 532 constituting the support piece 53 enters the through hole 39 formed in the actuator 3, and the curl portion 533 covers the upper side of the shaft portion 40. This shows a state in which the engagement portion 532 of the support piece 53 and the shaft portion 40 are rotatably engaged.
[0030]
A recess 426 formed in the engagement piece 423 of the terminal 42 and a curl portion 533 formed in the support piece 53 of the reinforcing bracket 5 cover the two shaft portions 31 and 40 provided on the actuator 3 from above, respectively. Are engaged. Therefore, the shaft portions 31 and 40 of the assembled actuator 3 are restricted from moving in the front-rear direction and the upward direction of the housing 2. Further, a support shaft 321 is provided at both ends of the base 32 of the actuator 3, and the support shaft 321 is placed on a receiving step (not shown) formed inside the side wall 23 of the housing 2. The downward movement of the shaft portions 31 and 40 is also restricted. As shown in FIG. 9, an abutting portion 401 is formed at the tip of the shaft portion 40 so as to be continuous with the shaft portion 40, and when the actuator 3 is at the first position, the curl portion 533 of the reinforcing bracket 5 is closed. By contacting the front end with the abutting portion 401, the state of the first position can be maintained so that the actuator 3 does not fall further toward the housing rear end 29.
[0031]
7 to 10 are shown together with FIGS. 11 to 14 to explain the operation of the FPC connector 1 of the embodiment configured as described above. Hereinafter, how the FPC 6 is connected to the FPC connector 1 will be described. 7, 9, 11, and 13 are views when the actuator 3 is at the first position shown in FIG. 1 and the FPC 6 can be inserted into the connection cavity 22 through the FPC insertion port 21. 8, 10, 12, and 14 show that the actuator 3 is in the second position shown in FIG. 2 and the pressing surface 36 of the actuator 3 presses the FPC 6 inserted into the connection cavity 22 so that the terminal 41 , 42 are biased toward the contact pieces 412, 422, and the terminals 41, 42 and the FPC 6 are electrically connected.
[0032]
When the actuator 3 is in the first position, as shown in FIGS. 7, 9, 11, and 13, the FPC 6 is guided to the FPC holder 30 of the housing 2 through the FPC insertion port 21 to the inside of the connection cavity 22. Can be inserted. Since the supporting piece 53 of the reinforcing metal member 5 is disposed above the FPC holder 30 so as not to come into direct contact with the surface of the FPC 6, there is a possibility that the FPC 6 may come into contact with the supporting piece 53 and be damaged during insertion. Absent.
[0033]
After the FPC 6 is inserted into the connection cavity 22, the actuator 3 that is rotatably mounted is rotated to change the posture to the second position in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14), the pressing surface 36 formed on the back surface of the actuator 3 urges the FPC 6 toward the contact pieces 412 and 422 of the terminals 41 and 42, and the contact pieces 412 and 422 The contact (not shown) of the FPC 6 and the contact portions 415 and 425 of the contact pieces 412 and 422 are engaged with an appropriate contact pressure with elastic deformation, so that electrical conduction between the FPC 6 and the terminals 41 and 42 is established. Can be formed.
[0034]
In the state where the posture of the actuator 3 is changed to the second position in this manner, the actuator 3 receives a reaction force due to the elastic deformation of the contact pieces 412 and 422, but is positioned above the shaft portions 40 formed at both ends of the base 32 of the actuator 3. Since the engagement portion 532 constituting the support piece 53 of the reinforcing metal fitting 5 is covered and engaged, the support piece 53 reliably supports the actuator 3 against the elastic reaction force, and the assembled state is released. You can not.
[0035]
In the intermediate portion of the base portion 32 of the actuator 3, the shaft portion 31 is engaged with the engagement piece 423 of the terminal 42 having an even number of poles. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the actuator 3 receiving the reaction force of the elastic deformation of the contact pieces 412, 422 from bending. For this reason, the contact pressure between the contact point of the FPC 6 and the contact portions 415 and 425 can be stably maintained in cooperation with the support piece 53 of the reinforcing metal member 5, and the reliability of electrical conduction can be improved.
[0036]
When the FPC 6 is pulled in the connection state in which the actuator 3 is in the second position, the FPC holder 30 opposes the FPC 6 to prevent the FPC 6 inserted into the connection cavity 22 from moving, thereby keeping the connection state stable. be able to. In this case, since the backup portion 531 that constitutes the support piece 53 of the reinforcing metal member 5 backs up the FPC holder 30 and reinforces the strength of the FPC holder 30, the ability of the FPC 6 to withstand the routing of the FPC 6 can be enhanced. Further, since the FPC 6 can be prevented from directly contacting the support piece 53, it is possible to prevent the FPC 6 from being damaged due to the wiring.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the FPC connector of the present invention has a configuration in which the reinforcing bracket is provided on both sides of the housing and the actuator is rotatably engaged with the support piece extending from the reinforcing bracket. An FPC connector that does not come off even if it receives a reaction force from the terminal side can be configured.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an FPC connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, when an actuator is at a first position.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the FPC connector when the actuator is at a second position.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the FPC connector, taken along the odd-numbered terminal.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the FPC connector, taken along the terminals of even-numbered poles.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bracket provided on the FPC connector.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the FPC connector of the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 6, when the actuator is at a first position.
8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 6 when the actuator is at a second position.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 6 when the actuator is at a first position.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 6 when the actuator is at the second position.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 6, when the actuator is at a first position.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 6 when the actuator is at a second position.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 6 when the actuator is at a first position.
14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 6 when the actuator is at the second position.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 FPC connector 2 Housing 21 FPC insertion slot 22 Connection cavity 23 Side wall 231 Engagement part 232 Fitting groove 24 Top wall 25 Bottom wall 26 Mounting surface 27 Terminal receiving groove 28 Front end 29 Rear end 30 FPC holder 301 Top step 3 Actuator 31 Shaft part 32 Base part 321 Support shaft 33 Intermediate part 34 Tip operation part 35 Through hole 36 Pressing surface 37 Engagement piece receiving groove 38 Engagement projection 39 Through hole 40 Shaft part 401 Butting part 4 Terminal 41 Odd-numbered terminal 411 Base 412 Contact piece 413 Engagement piece 414 Tail piece 415 Contact part 42 Even-numbered terminal 421 Base 422 Contact piece 423 Engagement piece 424 Tail piece 425 Contact part 426 Depression 5 Reinforcement metal fitting 51 Mounting piece 52 Soldering piece 53 Support piece 531 Backup part 532 Engagement part 533 Curl part 6 FPC
7 Circuit board 8 Solder fillet

Claims (4)

A housing (2) formed with an FPC insertion opening (21);
A plurality of terminals (4) mounted in parallel with the housing (2) and extending so that the contact pieces (412, 422) face the surface of the FPC (6) inserted from the FPC insertion opening (21); ,
The FPC (6) can be inserted into the FPC insertion opening (21) at the first position so that the posture of the FPC (6) can be changed between the first position and the second position with respect to the housing (2). An actuator (3) for pressing the inserted FPC (6) toward the contact pieces (412, 422) of the terminal (4) at the position 2,
Reinforcing metal fittings (5) having soldering pieces (52) arranged on the mounting surface (26) side of the housing (2) on both sides of the housing (2) in the direction in which the terminals (4) are arranged in parallel. Is provided,
A support piece (53) that can be engaged with the actuator (3) extends from the reinforcing metal fitting (5) toward the FPC insertion slot (21), and the actuator (3) can rotate with the support piece (53). A connector for an FPC, which is engaged with the FPC. A supporting portion (53) of the reinforcing metal fitting (5) includes a backup portion (531) extending so as to backup an FPC retainer (30) provided facing the FPC insertion opening (21) of the housing (2); The FPC connector according to claim 1, further comprising an engagement portion (532) extending continuously from the backup portion (531). The tip of the engaging portion (532) of the reinforcing metal fitting (5) is a curled portion (533) which is curled downward in an arc shape. 3. The connector for an FPC according to claim 2, further comprising an abutting portion (401) formed continuously. The plurality of terminals (4) include a terminal (42) having an engagement piece (423) rotatably engaged with the actuator (3) and an engagement piece engaging with the actuator (3). The FPC connector according to claim 1, further comprising a terminal (41) not provided.

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