JP5515352B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector configured such that a contact portion of a conductive contact is brought into contact with or separated from a signal transmission medium inserted in an insulating housing by an opening / closing operation of an actuator.

  In general, electrical connectors equipped with actuators are widely used to electrically connect various signal transmission media such as flexible printed circuits (FPC) and flexible flat cables (FFC) in various electrical devices. It has been. In such an electrical connector, a signal transmission medium made of FPC, FFC, or the like is inserted inward from an insertion port provided in a front end portion of the insulating housing, and then an actuator as a medium fixing operation means is moved and operated. Is done.

  The actuator as the medium fixing operation means is usually provided to be reciprocated by rotation or sliding at the insertion port side of the insulating housing or the rear end portion on the opposite side thereof. After the signal transmission medium is inserted therein, for example, the actuator in a state where it is raised to the open position is moved to the closed position so as to be gripped by the operator and pushed down forward or backward. The conductive contact is elastically deformed by the cam member or the like acting in conjunction with the movement operation of the actuator, and the contact portion provided on the conductive contact is displaced so as to contact the signal transmission medium. Are fixed and electrically connected.

  On the other hand, in order to eliminate the need for such an actuator movement operation, when a signal transmission medium made of FPC, FFC, or the like is inserted into the insulating housing, the signal transmission medium pushes a part of the actuator into the actuator. Conventionally, an electrical connector that automatically performs a closing operation has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). According to such an electrical connector, the opening / closing operation of the actuator is facilitated.

  However, as described above, the conventional electrical connector in which the closing operation of the actuator is automated has a problem that the size is increased both in the height direction and in the direction parallel to the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium (flat flexible cable). . For example, in the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, first, in the state where the actuator 21 is raised and opened as shown in FIGS. The part (cam part) 22 and the actuator protruding piece part 23 are arranged so as to be stacked in the height direction, and the height dimension of the actuator 21 tends to increase. In addition, the actuator 21 thus enlarged has a flat flexible cable (signal transmission medium) in which the actuator operating portion (cam portion) 22 comes into contact with a contact beam contact portion 31b provided at the tip of the contact beam 31. The entire electrical connector is enlarged in a direction parallel to the insertion direction of the flat flexible cable (signal transmission medium).

  Further, in the electrical connector described in Patent Document 1, when the flat flexible cable (signal transmission medium) C is inserted into the housing (insulating housing) 4, the distal end portion of the flat flexible cable C in the insertion direction is inserted. Is configured to be brought into contact with the actuator protruding piece portion 23 and pressed and moved. Accordingly, since the flat flexible cable C needs to have at least rigidity enough to move the actuator projecting piece 23, measures such as increasing the thickness of the flat flexible cable are required. There is a risk of thinning.

  Furthermore, in order to ensure the connection between the contact beam 31 and the flat flexible cable C even when the contact beam (conductive contact) 31 comes into contact with the flat flexible cable C by pushing in the flat flexible cable (signal transmission medium) C. In addition, it is necessary to fully push the flat flexible cable C to completely rotate the actuator 21. At that time, the contact portion of the flat flexible cable C slides while rubbing against the contact portion of the contact beam 31. As a result, the contact portion of the flat flexible cable C may be damaged, causing a problem in electrical connectivity. There is also.

JP 2006-134581 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that has a simple configuration and that can reduce the size and improve the reliability of electrical connection while eliminating the need to move an actuator.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an electrically conductive contact disposed inside the insulating housing is moved from the open position to the closed position by moving an actuator provided in the insulating housing so as to be opened and closed from the open position to the closed position. In the electrical connector configured to be elastically displaced toward the signal transmission medium inserted at the final connection position inside the insulating housing and contact the contact portion of the conductive contact, the actuator is blocked by the actuator. A projection-shaped guide locking portion that comes into contact with the insertion-side tip of the signal transmission medium inserted into the insulating housing while being in a position, and the conductive contact can be pressed toward the open position. And an open engagement portion that abuts a part of the conductive contact, When the insertion end of the signal transmission medium abuts on the guide locking portion, the actuator is lifted and moved together with the release engagement portion in the release direction, and interlocked with the lift movement of the release engagement portion of the actuator. The conductive contact is lifted and moved in the opening direction, and when the signal transmission medium is inserted to the final connection position, a guide locking portion of the actuator is provided on the signal transmission medium . The signal transmission medium is held by engaging with the position restricting portion , and the open engagement portion is moved to the closed position to bring the contact portion of the conductive contact into contact with the signal transmission medium. The actuator is configured to rotate around a shaft member extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium. And the shaft member of the actuator is arranged at a position facing the signal transmission medium so as to be arranged on the back side with respect to the contact portion of the conductive contact in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium. Is provided with a release operation portion that is disposed in a portion on the near side of the shaft member in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium, and a release operation portion that opens the actuator in a portion on the back side from the shaft member, the unlocking portion is Do to configure the opening engaging portion by being pressed is moved lifted in the opening direction together with the conductive contacts.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, when the signal transmission medium is inserted into the inside of the insulating housing, the distal end portion on the insertion side of the signal transmission medium contacts the guide locking portion of the actuator in the closed position. The whole actuator is lifted and moved in the opening direction, and at that time, the opening engagement portion provided in the actuator is moved so that the conductive contact is lifted in the opening direction by pressing the conductive contact in the opening direction, Thereby, insertion of the signal transmission medium is allowed. When the signal transmission medium is inserted to the final connection position, the guide locking portion of the actuator engages with a part of the signal transmission medium, whereby the entire signal transmission medium is held at the final connection position, and the conductive The contact portion of the contact is brought into contact with the signal transmission medium. Accordingly, a conventional large-sized member such as an actuator gripping part is omitted, the height of the open position is suppressed to be extremely low, and it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the signal transmission medium. It becomes. Further, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to press and move the actuator projecting piece at the distal end in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium, so that it is not necessary to push the signal transmission medium strongly and there is no possibility of damaging the signal transmission medium.
Further, according to the present invention having such a configuration, since the shaft member of the actuator is arranged so as to be substantially aligned with the contact portion of the conductive contact in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium, the shaft member of the actuator is In particular, it does not protrude in the height direction, which is preferable in terms of reducing the thickness of the electrical connector.
Further, since the shaft member is disposed on the back side of the contact portion of the conductive contact in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium, each part is arranged without waste in the direction parallel to the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium. This simplifies the size of the entire electrical connector.

  Further, according to the present invention having such a configuration, the actuator is maintained in contact with the signal transmission medium inserted into the insulating housing by the elastic force of the conductive contact. As a result of being held well, the risk of falling off is reduced, and the contact property of the conductive contact with the signal transmission medium is improved.

  Furthermore, since the actuator is held by the elastic force of the conductive contact as described above, it is possible to prevent the actuator from dropping from the insulating housing even when, for example, an unexpected external force is applied to the actuator. . Further, at that time, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for holding the actuator, so that the number of parts and assembly man-hours are reduced, and the product cost and the manufacturing cost are reduced, and the productivity is improved.

  Further, according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, when the signal transmission medium is inserted into the insulating housing, the contact portion of the conductive contact is separated from the signal transmission medium via the open engagement portion of the actuator. The contact portion of the conductive contact does not slide while rubbing against the contact portion of the signal transmission medium while the signal transmission medium is being inserted into the insulating housing. There is no possibility of damaging the parts and causing problems in electrical connectivity.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the signal transmission medium is reliably held at the final connection position by engaging the guide locking portion of the actuator with the position restricting portion of the signal transmission medium. In particular, if the position restricting portion is formed of a hole or a recess, the guide locking portion of the actuator does not protrude in the height direction by dropping into the position restricting portion, which is preferable in terms of making the electrical connector thin. It will be.

  According to the present invention having such a configuration, the opening operation of the actuator can be easily performed by rotation by a simple operation of pressing the release operation portion that is a part of the actuator, and in particular, the signal transmission medium. Removal is performed smoothly.

In the present invention, it is desirable to employ a configuration in which the guide locking portion is disposed on the front side of the contact portion of the conductive contact in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, the guide engaging portion of the actuator, can be arranged so as to be substantially aligned with the contact portions of the conductive contact in the direction of insertion of the signal transmission medium and Do Ri, guidance actuators The locking portion does not protrude particularly in the height direction, which is preferable in terms of reducing the thickness of the electrical connector.

Further, according to the present invention having the above structure, since the guide engaging portion of the actuator is arranged on the front of the contact portion of the conductive contact in the direction of insertion of the signal transmission medium, a signal transmission medium Each part is arranged without waste in a direction parallel to the insertion direction, the entire structure is simplified, and the entire electrical connector can be reduced in size.

  As described above, in the electrical connector according to the present invention, the actuator provided to be openable and closable in the insulating housing is provided with the guide locking portion protruding toward the signal transmission medium inserted into the insulating housing, and electrically conductive. By providing an open engagement part that enables the contact to be pressed toward the open position, the signal transmission medium inserted inside the insulating housing is brought into contact with the guide locking part of the actuator while the actuator is in the closed position. Then, the actuator at the closed position is lifted and moved in the opening direction, and the conductive contact is opened through the opening engaging portion to allow insertion of the signal transmission medium, and the guide locking portion of the actuator is signaled. By engaging the part of the transmission medium, the signal transmission medium is held in the final connection position, and the conductive contour is obtained. Since the contact portion of the cable is configured to contact the signal transmission medium, it is possible to reduce the size and improve the reliability of the electrical connector with a simple configuration while eliminating the need to move the actuator. Usability can be greatly increased at low cost.

It is an appearance perspective explanatory view showing the state before inserting a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) from the front side to the electrical connector concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is front view explanatory drawing which represented the actuator obstruction | occlusion state of the electrical connector shown by FIG. 1 from the front side. It is front view explanatory drawing which represented the actuator open state of the electrical connector shown by FIG. 1 from the front side. It is a cross-sectional explanatory drawing along the IV-IV line in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross sectional explanatory view taken along the line V-V in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross sectional explanatory view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view illustrating a state immediately after a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) is inserted into the electrical connector illustrated in FIG. 1 from the front side. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing a state immediately after a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) is inserted into the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 5 showing a state immediately after a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) is inserted into the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 6 showing a state immediately after a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) is inserted into the electrical connector shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an external perspective view illustrating a state in which a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) is further pushed in from the state illustrated in FIG. 7 and inserted to a final connection position from the front side. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram corresponding to FIGS. 4 and 8 showing a state where the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) is further pushed in from the state shown in FIG. 8 and inserted to the final connection position. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram corresponding to FIGS. 5 and 9 showing a state where the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) is further pushed in from the state shown in FIG. 9 and inserted to the final connection position. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional explanatory view corresponding to FIGS. 6 and 10 showing a state where the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) is further pushed in from the state shown in FIG. 10 and inserted to the final connection position. It is an external appearance perspective explanatory view showing the state before inserting a signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) from the front side to the electrical connector concerning other embodiments of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, the electrical connector 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 includes an insulating housing 11 made of an insulating member formed so as to form a thin housing. The front end side portion (left end side portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the actuator (medium fixing operation means) 12 arranged to constitute the upper surface portion of the insulating housing 11 is as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10. It is comprised so that it may open | release toward the illustration upper side. Then, in a state where the electrical connector 10 is fixed on a main wiring board (not shown), a flexible printed circuit (FPC) is provided from the front side (left side in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the electrical connector 10. ), A flexible flat cable (FFC) or the like is inserted toward the rear side (the right side in FIGS. 4 to 6).

  The thin housing constituting the insulating housing 11 is formed to have a hollow shape, and two types of metal plate-like members having a side surface shape with a substantially ten-handed shape in the hollow interior. Conductive contacts (conductive terminals) 13 and 14 are mounted over a plurality of bodies. Further, both the front and rear end portions (left and right end portions in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the insulating housing 11 and the upper side portion are formed so as to be opened, and the above-described thin plate-like member is formed on the upper open portion. The actuator 12 is attached so that it can be opened and closed. Since the actuator 12 is a main part of the present invention, the detailed configuration will be described later.

  At this time, a signal transmission comprising the above-described flexible printed circuit (FPC), flexible flat cable (FFC), or the like is provided in the front end side portion (the left end side portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the insulating housing 11. The medium insertion slot 11a into which the medium F is inserted is provided so as to have a horizontally elongated opening shape. The upper edge portion of the medium insertion port 11 a is formed by the front end edge portion of the actuator 12. Further, a component attachment port 11b for inserting the conductive contact (conductive terminal) 14 from the rear side is provided at the rear end side portion (the right end side portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) opposite to the medium insertion port 11a. Is provided. Note that the upper edge portion of the component attachment port 11b is formed by the rear end edge portion of the actuator 12.

  The above-described conductive contacts (conductive terminals) 13 and 14 are multipolar so as to be adjacent to each other at an appropriate interval along the longitudinal width direction of the insulating housing 11 (the vertical direction in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6). Has been placed. Although these conductive contacts 13 and 14 are basically used for signal transmission, some of them are used for ground connection. Further, the front end portion of the conductive contact 13 (the left end portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) and the rear end portion of the conductive contact 14 (the right end portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) are the conductive paths of the main printed wiring board (not shown). This point will be described later.

  Each of the conductive contacts (conductive terminals) 13 and 14 is a signal transmission conductive path (signal line) or a ground conductive path (ground line) formed on the upper surface of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F described above. The conductive contacts 13 are arranged from the medium insertion port 11a provided on the front end side of the connector toward the rear side (the right side in FIGS. 4 to 6). The conductive contact 14 is mounted so as to be pushed from the component mounting opening 11b provided on the rear end side of the connector toward the front side (left side in FIGS. 4 to 6). . Each of these conductive contacts 13 and 14 has a movable beam 13a and 14a and a fixed beam 13b and 14b each made of a pair of elongated beam members extending along the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium F. The movable beams 13a and 14a and the fixed beams 13b and 14b are arranged in the inner space of the insulating housing 11 so as to be opposed to each other at an appropriate interval in the vertical direction. 6 in the left-right direction).

  Among them, the fixed beams 13b and 14b are fixed so as to be substantially immobile along the inner wall surface of the bottom inside the insulating housing 11. At substantially the center portion in the extending direction of the fixed beams 13b and 14b (left and right directions in FIGS. 4 to 6), connecting column portions 13c and 14c having a narrow plate shape are provided so as to branch. These connection support | pillar parts 13c and 14c are stood | started up so that a side surface may be substantially circular arc shape toward the front side (left side of FIGS. 4-6), and the curved shape of the said connection support | pillar part 13c, 14c. The rear end portions (the right end portions in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the above-described movable beams 13a and 14a are integrally connected to the front end portion. The movable beams 13a and 14a can swing around the connecting support columns 13c and 14c and the vicinity thereof, and the movable beams 13a and 14a are elastic with respect to the fixed beams 13b and 14b. It is made the structure which has the flexibility.

  As described above, the movable beams 13a and 14a are arranged so as to be elastically displaceable so as to oscillate in the plane including the paper surface of FIGS. 4 to 10, and the distal ends of the movable beams 13a and 14a in the extending direction. The side portion (the left end side portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) is located between the “closed position” shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and the “open position” shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. It is configured to be elastically displaced in the direction.

  Further, the front end portion (the left end portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the movable beams 13a and 14a has a signal transmission or ground formed on the upper surface of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F described above. Terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 as contact portions connected to any of the conductive paths (not shown) are provided so as to form a downward protruding shape in the drawing. These terminal contact convex portions (contact portions) 13a1 and 14a1 are arranged in a state of being displaced in the front-rear direction according to the length of the span of the movable beams 13a and 14a, and on the side of the movable beam 13a having a long span length. The terminal contact convex portion 13a1 is disposed in the vicinity of the medium insertion port 11a described above, whereas the terminal contact convex portion 14a1 on the movable beam 14a side having a short span length is disposed slightly rearward. .

  On the other hand, as described above, the fixed beams 13b and 14b are arranged so as to extend in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 4 to 6) along the inner wall surface of the bottom of the insulating housing 11. The above-mentioned terminal contact protrusions on the movable beams 13a, 14a side (on the upper surface of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F arranged so as to be placed on the fixed beams 13b, 14b) The contact portions) 13a1 and 14a1 are pressed against each other, whereby the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is sandwiched.

  Corresponding to the terminal contact convex portions (contact portions) 13a1, 14a1 on the movable beams 13a, 14a side, terminal contact convex portions are also provided on the fixed beams 13b, 14b side, and the terminal contact convex portions are arranged between the two terminal contact convex portions. A signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F may be sandwiched. The positions of the terminal contact projections at that time can be shifted in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIGS. 4 to 6).

  Further, as described above, the fixed beams 13b and 14b are basically fixed so as to be stationary, but for the purpose of facilitating insertion of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F, the fixed beams 13b and 14b are fixed. It is also possible to form the front end portions of the beams 13b and 14b so as to slightly lift from the bottom wall surface of the insulating housing 11 so that elastic displacement is possible.

  On the other hand, the main printed wiring described above is provided on the front end side portion (left end side portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the fixed beam 13b and the rear end side portion (right end side portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the fixed beam 14b. Substrate connection terminal portions 13b2 and 14b2 that are solder-connected to conductive paths formed on a substrate (not shown) are formed.

  A shaft member 12a made of an elongated round bar-like member provided integrally with the actuator 12 is provided between the movable beams 13a, 14a and the fixed beams 13b, 14b in the longitudinal width direction (FIG. 4). (The direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 6), and the entire actuator 12 can swing within a plane including the plane of FIGS. 4 to 10 with the shaft member 12a as the center. It is arranged to be. The actuator 12 provided as the medium fixing operation means has a main body plate 12b made of a thin plate member as a whole, and the main body plate 12b is arranged so as to constitute the upper surface side of the insulating housing 11. Thus, the upper edge portions of the medium insertion port 11a and the component attachment port 11b described above are formed. The shaft member 12a is not limited to being provided integrally with the actuator 12 as in the present embodiment, and may be a separate component. Moreover, it is not limited to arrange | positioning so that it may extend along a longitudinal width direction (paper surface perpendicular | vertical direction of FIGS. 4-6), but it may protrude to both ends of the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) of the actuator 12. And may be supported by the insulating housing 11.

  At this time, the shaft member 12a described above is disposed at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the actuator 12, and the actuator 12 is rotated around the shaft member 12a. Thus, the medium insertion port 11a and the component attachment port 11b are opened and closed in opposite directions. The opening / closing operation of the actuator 12 includes a “closing position” (see FIGS. 4 to 6) tilted substantially horizontally so as to form a part of the insulating housing 11, and the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) is performed between the “open position” (see FIGS. 8 to 10) lifted upward by a height corresponding to the thickness of F.

  On the other hand, at the front end portion (left end portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the main body plate 12b of the actuator 12, a part of the movable beams 13a and 14a described above, more specifically, the terminal contact convex portion (contact portion) 13a1. , 14a1 is provided with an open engagement portion 12c that abuts from the front side. The open engagement portion 12c is provided so as to extend along the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) of the insulating housing 11, and the open engagement portion 12c is provided at both end portions in the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction). Instead, guide locking portions 12d and 12d, which will be described in detail later, are provided. In addition, the rear projecting inclined contact surfaces 12c1 and 12d1 described later in detail of the opening engagement portion 12c and the guide locking portion 12d are displaced in the front-rear direction according to the span length of the movable beams 13a and 14a as described above. The terminal contact protrusions 13a1 and 14a1 are arranged in a corresponding relationship, and are similarly displaced in the front-rear direction.

  Here, the terminal contact convex portions (contact portions) 13a1 and 14a1 on the movable beams 13a and 14a side project obliquely downward from the front end side toward the rear side (right side in FIGS. 4 to 10). Is formed. Then, in correspondence with the rearward projecting inclined surfaces of the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1, the above-described release engagement portion 12c on the actuator 12 side and the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) of the insulating housing 11 described later in detail. A pair of guide locking portions 12d provided at both end portions of the rear side are provided with rearwardly projecting inclined contact surfaces 12c1 and 12d1 having similar rearwardly projecting inclined surfaces, respectively, on the inner end surfaces on the rear side (rightward in FIGS. 4 to 6). Side end surface). The opening engagement portion 12c provided on the actuator 12 side and the rear projecting inclined contact surfaces 12c1 and 12d1 of the guide locking portion 12d described later are terminal contact convex portions 13a1 provided on the movable beams 13a and 14a side. 14a1 is in contact with the inclined surface of the rear projecting from the front lower side, and the movable beam 13a, 14a can be pressed upward.

  The open engagement portion 12c provided on the actuator 12 is formed so as to extend along the rearwardly projecting slope of the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1, but only a part without contacting the entire length of the slope. It is made the structure which contact | abuts. That is, the rearwardly projecting inclined contact surface 12c1 provided on the open engagement portion 12c side is in contact with only the front side portion, that is, the upper side portion of the rearwardly projecting slope of the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1. The rear side portion has a shape cut out, and the cut surface is a bottom surface extending substantially horizontally. Then, from the horizontal bottom surface of the open engagement portion 12c toward the rear side, the rear side portions of the rear projecting inclined surfaces of the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 project obliquely downward while being exposed to the outside. It is shaped to do.

  At this time, since each of the movable beams 13a and 14a is configured to swing and elastically displace as described above, the elastic force of the movable beams 13a and 14a acts on the actuator 12 side. The actuator 12 is pressed and biased toward the “closed position” side. Then, if the front end portion of the actuator 12 that is pressed and urged toward the “closed position” is lifted upward against the elastic force of the movable beams 13a and 14a, the actuator 12 is moved to the “closed position”. (See FIGS. 4 to 6), and is released toward the “open position” (see FIGS. 8 to 10). At this time, the open engagement portion 12 c provided on the actuator 12 side is as described above. Pressing the movable beams 13a and 14a on the conductive contact (conductive terminal) 13 and 14 side upward through the slope contact relationship between the open engagement portion 12c and the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1; Become. As a result, the conductive contacts 13 and 14 are also lifted upward in conjunction with the opening operation of the actuator 12 against its own elastic force, and the “closed position” (see FIGS. 4 to 6). Is opened toward the “open position” (see FIGS. 8 to 10), and the terminal contact protrusions 13a1 and 14a1 are moved upward.

  Further, the rear end side portion (the right end side portion in FIGS. 4 to 10) of the main body plate 12 b of the actuator 12 extends so as to form a flat surface from the shaft member 12 a toward the rear side. The rear end portion of the flat surface forms a release operation portion 12e of the actuator 12. That is, if the release operation portion 12e arranged on the rear end side is pushed down, for example, by pushing with a finger, the front end portion on the opposite side is lifted upward, and the actuator 12 rotates in the opening direction. The structure is made. Then, according to such an opening operation of the actuator 12, as described above, the front end portions of the movable beams 13a and 14a are inserted through the inclined contact relationship between the opening engaging portion 12c and the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1. Is lifted upward against the elastic force of the contact, whereby the conductive contacts 13 and 14 are opened, and the terminal contact protrusions 13a1 and 14a1 provided on the connector front end side are moved to the upper position. ing.

  On the other hand, when the actuator 12 is closed from the “open position” (see FIGS. 8 to 10) toward the “close position” (see FIGS. 12 to 14) contrary to such an opening operation, The front end portions of the movable beams 13a and 14a in the conductive contacts (conductive terminals) 13 and 14 are restored downward along with the closing operation of the actuator 12 by their own elastic biasing force while being restricted in movement by the above-described open engagement portion 12c. It will be followed. As a result, the conductive contacts 13 and 14 are closed, and the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 provided on the connector front end side are restored to their original lower positions.

  Further, the front end edge portion (the left end edge portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the main body plate 12b of the actuator 12 is inserted from the lower surface side of the main body plate 12b to the lower side in the drawing, that is, inside the insulating housing 11. A guide locking portion 12d that protrudes toward the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F side is provided. A pair of guide locking portions 12d are provided at both end portions in the lateral width direction (longitudinal direction) of the insulating housing 11, and each of these guide locking portions 12d has a substantially triangular cross section having a vertex at the lower end side. Each is formed so as to form The outer end surface (the left end surface in FIGS. 4 to 6) on the front side of each of the guide locking portions 12d is a guide surface that is inclined with respect to the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F. When the signal transmission medium F comes into contact with the inclined guide surface, the actuator 12 is urged in the direction to be lifted as will be described later, and the actuator 12 is released to release the signal transmission medium F. It is configured to allow insertion.

  On the other hand, the rear inner end surface (right side end surface in FIGS. 4 to 6) of the guide locking portion 12d is a rear projecting slope provided on the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 of the movable beams 13a and 14a. The rear projecting inclined contact surface 12d1 is in contact with the entire length. That is, the rearwardly projecting inclined contact surface 12d1 provided on the rear inner end surface of the guide locking portion 12d is the same as the rearwardly projecting inclined contact surface 12c1 of the above-described open engagement portion 12c that is continuous in the longitudinal width direction. The movable beam 13a is formed as an inclined surface, and is arranged so as to come into contact with the rearwardly projecting inclined surface of the terminal contact convex portions 13a1, 14a1 on the movable beam 13a, 14a side from the lower front side. , 14a can be pressed upward. In the present embodiment, the conductive contact 13 is arranged in the guide locking portion 12d. However, the conductive contact 14 may be arranged depending on the arrangement positional relationship between the conductive contacts 13 and 14 described above.

  More specifically, the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is first inserted into the insulating housing 11 with the actuator 12 in the “closed position” as shown in FIGS. Then, both end portions of the signal transmission medium F at the insertion side distal end portion (the right end portion in FIGS. 4 to 6) in the longitudinal width direction (perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 4 to 6) are the above-described guide locking portions 12d. These are arranged in contact with the inclined guide surface. Then, when the distal end portion of the signal transmission medium F on the insertion side comes into contact with the inclined guide surface of the guide locking portion 12d, the acting force (minute) that lifts the actuator 12 in the “closed position” upward, which is the opening direction. Force) is generated, and the entire force of the actuator 12 is moved to the “open position” shown in FIGS. The lifting amount of the actuator 12 at this time is equal to the thickness of the signal transmission medium F, and the insertion of the signal transmission medium F is allowed by lifting the actuator 12.

  Further, when the actuator 12 is released from the “closed position” (see FIGS. 4 to 6) toward the “open position” (see FIGS. 8 to 10) in this way, the above-described release engagement portion 12c. And by the pressing action of the guide engaging portion 12d, that is, by the intervention of the inclined contact relationship between the rear engaging inclined contact surfaces 12c1, 12d1 and the terminal contact convex portions 13a1, 14a1 of the opening engaging portion 12c and the guide engaging portion 12d. The movable beams 13a and 14a are lifted upward, and the distance from the fixed beams 13b and 14b is increased. Then, the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is inserted without any trouble between the terminal contact convex portions 13a1, 14a1 of the movable beams 13a, 14a and the fixed beams 13b, 14b whose distances are increased. Become.

  On the other hand, at both ends of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F in the longitudinal width direction (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 4 to FIG. 6), position restricting portions F1 with which the guide locking portions 12d are engaged are provided. ing. The position restricting portion F1 is formed of a stepped portion provided at both side edges in the width direction of the signal transmission medium F, and the position of the signal transmission medium F is determined via the position restricting portion F1 including the stepped portion. The terminal portion is enlarged in the longitudinal width direction. Further, the medium body portion F2 extending in a long shape from the position restricting portion F1 is formed to be narrow in the longitudinal width direction by the step size of the position restricting portion F1. Then, at the final connection position where the signal transmission medium F is most pushed into the inside of the insulating housing 11 (see FIGS. 12 to 14), the guide locking portion 12d of the actuator 12 described above is at the step portion of the position restricting portion F1. The positions are engaged so as to be depressed.

  Then, when the guide locking portion 12d falls into the position restricting portion F1 and is engaged, the actuator 12 is closed from the “open position” to the “closed position” and, as described above, via the open engagement portion 12c. Thus, the terminal contact convex portions 13a1, 14a1 provided on the connector front end side of the movable beams 13a, 14a are restored to their original lower positions, and the terminal contact convex portions 13a1, 14a1 of the movable beams 13a, 14a are restored to the original positions. It is configured to be brought into pressure contact with a signal transmission and ground conductive path (not shown) formed on the surface of the signal transmission medium F and thereby be electrically connected. When the actuator 12 is rotated to the “closed position”, the movable beams 13a and 14a are lifted by the thickness of the signal transmission medium F. Although the contact surface 12c1 is slightly separated from the terminal contact protrusions 13a1 and 14a1 (see FIGS. 12 and 13), the movable beam is in contact with the rearward projecting inclined contact surface 12d1 on the guide locking portion 12d side. 13a and 14a will fall into the position control part F1 in the state in which the terminal contact convex parts 13a1 and 14a1 contact | abutted to the guide latching | locking part 12d (refer FIG. 14).

  Further, by engaging the guide locking portion 12d of the actuator 12 with the position restricting portion F1 of the signal transmission medium F in this way, the signal transmission medium F inserted up to the final connection position is removed from the insulating housing 11. It is configured to be held without slipping out. And, even when an unexpected external force or the like acts on the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F by the locking action of the guide locking portion 12d, the signal transmission medium F is well prevented from coming out of the electrical connector. It has become so.

  The guide locking portion 12d of the actuator 12 described above is in front of the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 which are contact portions of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F (see FIG. 4 to the left side of FIG. 14, and the shaft member 12 a described above is more than the terminal contact convex portions 13 a 1 and 14 a 1 that are contact portions of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium F. It arrange | positions in the back | inner side (the right side of FIGS. 4-14).

  According to this embodiment having such a configuration, when the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is inserted into the inside of the insulating housing 11, the insertion-side distal end portion of the signal transmission medium F is “blocking position”. The entire actuator 12 is lifted and moved in the opening direction by abutting against the guide locking portion 12d of the actuator 12 at that time, and the opening engaging portion 12c provided in the actuator 12 at that time is the terminal contact of the conductive contacts 13,14. The conductive contacts 13 and 14 are moved so as to be brought into contact with the convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 and lifted in the opening direction, thereby allowing the signal transmission medium F to be inserted. When the signal transmission medium F is inserted to the final connection position, the guide locking portion 12d of the actuator 12 is engaged so as to fall into the position restricting portion F1 that is a part of the signal transmission medium F, thereby transmitting the signal. The entire medium F is securely held at the final connection position. Accordingly, the conventional large-sized member such as the actuator gripping portion is omitted, and the height of the open position is suppressed to be extremely low, and it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the signal transmission medium F. And miniaturization. Further, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to press and move the actuator projecting piece at the distal end portion in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium F. Therefore, there is no need to strongly push the signal transmission medium F, and there is a risk of damage to the signal transmission medium. Absent.

  In the actuator 12 in this embodiment, the actuator 12 is kept in contact with the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F inserted in the insulating housing 11 by the elastic force of the conductive contacts 13 and 14. Therefore, the signal transmission medium F is held well, the possibility of the signal transmission medium F dropping off is reduced, and the contact of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 with the signal transmission medium F is improved. It has become.

  Furthermore, since the actuator 12 is held by the elastic force of the conductive contacts 13 and 14, the actuator 12 is prevented from falling off the insulating housing 11 even when an unexpected external force or the like acts on the actuator 12, for example. be able to. Further, at that time, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for holding the actuator 12, so that the number of parts and the number of assembling steps are reduced, and the product cost and the manufacturing cost are reduced, and the productivity is improved.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, when the signal transmission medium F is inserted into the insulating housing 11, the terminal contact convex portions 13a1, which are contact portions of the conductive contacts 13, 14 via the open engagement portion 12c. 14 a 1 is moved away from the signal transmission medium F, and in the middle of the insertion of the signal transmission medium F into the insulating housing 11, the terminal contact protrusions 13 a 1 which are contact parts of the conductive contacts 13, 14. 14a1 does not slide while rubbing against the contact portion of the signal transmission medium F, and there is no possibility of damaging the contact portion of the signal transmission medium F and causing a problem in electrical connectivity.

  In addition, in this embodiment, since the position restricting portion F1 provided in the signal transmission medium F is formed from the hole portion, the guide locking portion 12d of the actuator 12 falls into the position restricting portion F1 and moves in the height direction. This is preferable in terms of reducing the thickness of the entire electrical connector because it does not protrude. The same applies to the case where the position restricting portion F1 is formed by a recess.

  In the present embodiment, since the opening operation of the actuator 12 is easily performed by a simple operation of pressing the release operation portion 12e on the rear end side that is a part of the actuator 12, the signal transmission medium F is particularly removed. Is done smoothly.

  Further, in this embodiment, the guide locking portion 12d of the actuator 12 is more than the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 that are contact portions of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F. The shaft member 12a is disposed on the near side, and the shaft member 12a is disposed behind the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 which are contact portions of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium F. In addition, each part is arranged without waste in a direction parallel to the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium F, and the overall structure is simplified, and the electrical connector can be downsized. Further, the guide locking portion 12d or the shaft member 12a of the actuator 12 can be arranged so as to be aligned with the terminal contact convex portions 13a1 and 14a1 which are contact portions of the conductive contacts 13 and 14 and the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium F. Therefore, it is preferable in terms of thinning the entire electrical connector.

  Further, in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the position restricting portion F1 ′ of the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F is cut out on both sides of the signal transmission medium F in the width direction to the outer side. It forms from the hole or recessed part which connects. In this way, the signal transmission medium F is most in the interior of the insulating housing 11 in the position restricting portion F1 ′ formed from the hole portion or the concave portion provided so as to cut out both side edges in the width direction of the signal transmission medium F. In the pushed final connection position (see FIGS. 12 to 14), the above-described guide locking portion 12d of the actuator 12 is engaged so as to drop.

  Even in the second embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. However, the position restricting portion F1 ′ at this time is not based on the formation of the notch, and is formed outward. It is also possible to provide a hole or recess having an independent shape that does not communicate with the side.

  Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the contact portion is provided on the movable beam side, but can be provided on the fixed beam side.

  In the above-described embodiment, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC) is employed as the signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC) F fixed to the electrical connector. The present invention can be similarly applied to the case of using other signal transmission media and the like.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to an electrical connector provided with a rotatable actuator. However, the present invention is applied to an electrical connector provided with an actuator that reciprocates in a slide shape, for example. However, the same can be applied.

  Furthermore, although the electrical connector according to the above-described embodiment has conductive contacts of different shapes arranged side by side, the present invention can be similarly applied to those employing conductive contacts of the same shape. Is possible.

  The present invention can be widely applied to a wide variety of electrical connectors used in various electrical devices.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electrical connector 11 Insulation housing 11a Medium insertion port 11b Component attachment port 12 Actuator 12a Shaft member 12b Main body plate 12c Open engagement part 12c1 Backward-extending inclined contact surface 12d Guide latching part 12d1 Backward-extending inclined contact surface 12e Release operation part 13, 14 Conductive contact (conductive terminal)
13a, 14a Movable beam 13a1, 14a1 Terminal contact convex part (contact part)
13b, 14b Fixed beam 13b2, 14b2 Substrate connection terminal part 13c, 14c Connecting column part F Signal transmission medium (FPC or FFC)
F1, F1 'Position restriction part F2 Medium body part

Claims (3)

By moving an actuator provided in the insulating housing so as to be openable and closable from the open position to the closed position, the conductive contact disposed inside the insulating housing is elastically displaced from the open position toward the closed position, thereby In the electrical connector configured to bring the contact portion of the conductive contact into contact with the signal transmission medium inserted in the final connection position inside
A protrusion-shaped guide locking portion that contacts an insertion-side distal end portion of the signal transmission medium inserted into the insulating housing in a state where the actuator is in the closed position, and the conductive contact at the open position. An open engagement portion that comes into contact with a part of the conductive contact so that it can be pressed toward the side,
When the distal end portion of the signal transmission medium on the insertion side comes into contact with the guide locking portion, the actuator is lifted and moved together with the release engagement portion in the release direction, and interlocked with the lift movement of the release engagement portion of the actuator. The conductive contact is configured to be lifted and moved in the opening direction,
When the signal transmission medium is inserted to the final connection position, the guide locking portion of the actuator engages with a position restricting portion provided in the signal transmission medium to hold the signal transmission medium, and An open engagement portion is configured to move to the closed position so that the contact portion of the conductive contact contacts the signal transmission medium ,
The actuator is configured to rotate around a shaft member extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium, and the shaft member of the actuator is configured to be inserted in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium. Arranged at a position facing the signal transmission medium so as to be arranged on the back side of the contact portion of the conductive contact,
The actuator includes the release engagement portion disposed in a portion on the near side of the shaft member in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium, and a release operation portion that opens the actuator to a portion on the back side from the shaft member. An electrical connector provided, wherein the release engagement portion is lifted and moved together with the conductive contact in the release direction when the release operation portion is pressed . Wherein the position regulating portion, the electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that it is formed from the hole or recess provided in the signal transmission medium.   The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the guide locking portion is disposed on the near side of the contact portion of the conductive contact in the insertion direction of the signal transmission medium.

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