JP2692055B2 - Electrical connector for flexible board - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrical connector for a flexible board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A so-called no insertion / extraction force connector is widely used for connecting a flexible substrate. An example of this type of connector is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-33671. This known connector has a housing 5 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
1 is open upward in the left half portion, and a lid-shaped pressing member 52 is rotatably supported by the housing at both ends of an axis centering on an axis 52A perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. . The pressurizing member 52 is formed so as to form a part of a cylindrical surface, and the convex curved surface 53 is engaged with the concave curved surface 54 of the opening of the housing 51 so that the pressing member 52 slides at a predetermined position shown in FIG. It is possible to turn clockwise up to.

A contact 55 is provided inside the housing 51.
Are planted in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.
One end side 55A of the contactor 55 is bent into a substantially U shape so as to have elasticity, and the tip end is directed toward the pressing member 52 through the opening, and the other end side 55B is downward from the lower surface of the housing 51. The extension is designed to be inserted into the hole of the circuit board.

The pressing member 52 has two flat surfaces 52B and 52C whose right side surfaces are continuous with each other at an angle, and is inserted when the pressing member 52 is rotated to a predetermined position as shown in FIG. A flexible substrate F that has an upper flat surface 52
C is in contact with each other, and the distance d ₂ to the upper flat surface is set to be larger than the distance d ₁ from the axis 52A to the lower flat surface.

In such an electrical connector, first, as shown in FIG. 7, when the pressure member 52 is rotated counterclockwise and is in an open state, the flexible substrate F is pressed from above.
Is inserted to a predetermined position between the pressing member 52 and the one end side 55A of the contact 55, and then, as shown in FIG. 8, the pressing member 52 is turned clockwise so as to be closed to the predetermined position. The flexible substrate F is moved to the right by the flat surface 52C above the pressing member 52. Then, the flexible substrate F is pressed against the tip of the one end side 55A forming the connecting portion of the contact 55, and comes into contact with the contact 55 corresponding to the circuit of the flexible substrate F. As shown in Figure 8,
The tip of the contact 55 that strongly presses the flexible substrate F is located below the position of the axis 52A, and the reaction force received from the tip via the flexible substrate F is clockwise with respect to the pressing member 52. Produces the moment of. Therefore, the pressure member 52 once rotated to the predetermined position does not open easily, and stably and reliably holds the flexible substrate F.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned known connector, the flexible board F has the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, one surface is in pressure contact with the contact 55 at one point, and when the pressing member 52 tends to open even a little, the two flat surfaces 52B, 52B of the pressing member 52 on the other surface.
The C contacts at the corner formed as a transition. That is, there is only one point on one side, in other words, two points on both sides.
Therefore, in order to hold the flexible substrate from both sides and obtain proper contact, the two points must be close to each other in the longitudinal direction (insertion direction) of the flexible substrate.

When designing such a connector, the distances d ₁ and d ₂ are determined by the thickness of the flexible substrate F.
In order to enable the insertion of the flexible substrate regardless of its thickness, the difference (d ₂ −d ₁ ) between d ₂ and d ₁ must always be kept at a constant value. On the other hand, in order to miniaturize the connector, d ₂ must be made small, but if d ₂ is made too small, d ₁ becomes even smaller and a problem in strength occurs. Further, when d ₂ and d ₁ are reduced so as to maintain a predetermined distance difference, the flat surfaces 52B and 5 are naturally made.
The corner formed by 2C approaches the position of the axis 52A, and the value of the clockwise moment with respect to the pressing member 52 becomes extremely small, making it difficult to hold the pressing member.
This is because it is difficult to generate a moment in the clockwise direction with respect to the pressing member 52 due to the shape, size, and error in the connecting portion of the contactor, and the shape and size error of the pressing member, and it is difficult to obtain proper contact. Means to become. Especially,
Since the contactor is manufactured by plastically deforming a pin-shaped metal member, the variation in the shape error is relatively large, and the degree of influence thereof is large.

Further, the pressing member is rotatably supported by the housing at both ends of an axis perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, and the center of the pressing member is not displaced.
The intermediate portion is simply guided by the rotating surface, and when it receives a force from below, it tends to bend upward and float up, causing the contact pressure to fluctuate. This becomes a serious problem as the number of contacts increases.

The present invention solves the problems of the known electric connector, reduces the size of the connector, and reduces the influence on the contact reliability such as the variation in the size and position of each member. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric connector for a flexible substrate that can be suppressed and in which the bending of the pressing member is minimized.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the above object is achieved by providing a plurality of contacts in which elastic contact portions are arranged in the openings of the housing which communicate with each other at the side and the upper portion adjacent thereto. A housing, or a member held by the housing, which is provided with a rotation support portion at a position facing the opening, and between a predetermined position close to the contactor and an open position separated from the predetermined position. A lid-shaped pressure member is rotatably supported by the rotation support portion, and when the pressure member is rotated toward the predetermined position, the pressure member is inserted into the opening from the side and the contact member is attached. The flexible substrate arranged in the above is provided with a pressurizing portion for pressing the contactor against the contact, and the pressurizing portion is formed by a transitional portion that connects two adjacent surfaces that are different in distance from the rotation axis, and the housing is , In the insertion direction of the flexible board When the pressure member is rotated to a predetermined position, a support portion is provided deeper than the position of the elastic contact portion for supporting the tip portion of the flexible substrate in a state of being brought close to the pressure member side. The supporting portion and the elastic contact portion of the contact form two supporting points on the lower surface side of the flexible substrate, and the transition portion of the pressing member presses the flexible substrate from the upper surface side between the two supporting points. Be achieved by

[0011]

In the electrical connector of the present invention having such a structure, first, the pressing member is rotated so that one of the two surfaces, which has a shorter distance from the rotation axis, faces the contactor. The flexible substrate is inserted between the pressing member and the contact in the open position. At the midpoint of the insertion, the flexible substrate extends substantially linearly, but when the tip reaches the supporting portion, the flexible substrate is moved toward the pressing member in the thickness direction by the supporting portion.

Next, the pressure member is rotated to a predetermined position.
Then, the pressure member is rotated so that the surface having a longer distance from the rotation axis approaches the contactor, and the transition portion of the pressure member approaches and abuts on one surface of the flexible substrate. Become. At the start of this contact, the flexible substrate is supported on the other surface by the two fulcrums of the contactor and the support located on both sides of the contact position with the pressing portion in the insertion direction of the flexible substrate. When the pressing member is further rotated and brought to a predetermined position, the pressing unit presses one surface of the flexible substrate between the two fulcrums (contact and support). Thus, the other surface of the flexible substrate comes into contact with the contactor with a predetermined contact pressure. At the time of this contact, the other surface of the flexible substrate is supported by the two fulcrums and is pressed by the pressing portion at the intermediate position, so that the distance between the two fulcrums is increased and the corners are formed. Since the difference in distance between the axes of the two flat surfaces can be reduced, the connector can be miniaturized. Moreover, the rigidity brought about by the relationship between the flexural displacement and the contact pressure becomes relatively small,
Variations in contact reliability due to variations in position or dimensional accuracy are small.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric connector for a flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention in an exploded state, FIG. 2 is a partially broken perspective view of an assembled state, and FIG. 3 is a III-III line in FIG.
It is sectional drawing.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a housing made of an insulating material, and the right half is open upward.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 1 has a flange-shaped holding portion 2 extending upward at both end positions of the opening in the longitudinal direction thereof, and the holding portion 2 has a rear portion. A shaft supporting portion 2A forming a semicircular concave portion is formed on the end face on the side.
In the housing 1, holding grooves 1A for accommodating and holding the contacts 3 at equal pitches are formed between the holding parts 2 and 2 at both ends at the plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction.

Each of the contacts 3 is formed by punching out a plate-shaped metal material, and as shown in FIG. 3, it is provided with a U-shaped contact finger portion 4 and a tip of the arm portion. It is composed of a rotation support portion 5 having a substantially circular shape and a connecting portion 6 that integrally connects the two portions 4 and 5. On the right side of the connecting portion 6, there is provided a connecting portion 6A which projects outside the housing 1 and is located at substantially the same height level as the bottom surface of the housing 1. The bottom surface of the housing 1 is a circuit board (not shown). When arranged on the upper side, the connection portion 6A comes into contact with a predetermined circuit portion of the circuit board so as to be prepared for the solder connection after that. A contact portion 4 </ b> A is formed at the tip of the contact finger portion 4 in a projecting shape, and is located to face the rotation support portion 5. The center 5A of the rotation support portion 5 and the center of the shaft support portion 2A of the housing 1 are located on the same straight line. The contact 3 is provided from the rear portion (right portion in FIG. 3) of the housing 1 to the holding groove 1
When pressed into A and pressed into a predetermined groove, its position is maintained by the claw-shaped projection 6B.

The holding groove 1A of the housing 1 has a support portion 1B having a support surface slightly above the contact finger portion when the contactor 3 is press-fitted therein.
The tip of the flexible substrate is received at B and is supported so as to be lifted upward.

A lid-shaped pressing member 7 is rotatably provided in the opening of the housing 1. The pressurizing member 7 has a pressurizing portion 10, and shaft portions 9 projecting in the longitudinal direction of the pressurizing member 7 are provided at both ends of the pressurizing member 10. The shaft portions 9 are half of the housing 1. It is formed with substantially the same radius as the circular shaft support 2A. In addition, the shaft portion 9 is provided on the one surface of the pressing portion 8 of the pressing member 7, and the shaft support portion 2 of the housing 1 is provided.
A rotation groove portion 11 having an arc portion that engages with the rotation support portion 5 of the series of contacts 3 when housed in A is formed.
Therefore, the series of plate-shaped contacts 3 are arranged in the holding groove 1.
When it is inserted into A, the rotation supporting portions 5 are arranged in a comb shape and have a shaft shape, and the rotation groove portion 11 of the pressing member 7 is rotationally supported here. As a result, the turning force is supported by the above-mentioned turning support portion 5 made of metal, and the strength thereof becomes extremely high.

The pressing member 7 has a pressing corner 12 formed on the back of the rotating groove 11 by a transition between two adjacent flat surfaces having different distances from the rotating axis. The flexible substrate F supported by two supporting points of the support portion 1B of the housing 1 and the contact portion 4A of the contactor 3 when the shaft portion 7 and the rotation groove portion 11 rotate downward.
The position and the size of the pressing corner portion 12 are determined so as to press from above between these two fulcrums. The two adjacent surfaces forming the transition portion are not limited to flat surfaces, but may be curved surfaces. Further, the transition portion may have a rounded shape without being a corner portion.

In the electric connector of this embodiment, the flexible board is connected in the following manner.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, the pressing member 7 is rotated so that the flat surface, which has a shorter distance from the rotation axis, faces the contactor, and is brought to the upper open position, so that the housing is opened. The opening of No. 1 is largely opened, and the flexible substrate F is inserted into the insertion space between the pressing member 7 and the contact portion 4A of the contactor 3 so that the connecting portion of the flexible substrate F becomes the lower surface. In this state, the insertion space is sufficiently large with respect to the thickness of the flexible board F.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the pressing member 7 is rotated downward. Then, the pressing corner portion 12 of the pressing member 7 comes into contact with the flexible substrate F, and the flexible substrate F is supported by the two supporting points of the contact portion 4A of the contactor 3 and the supporting portion 1B of the housing 1. Is pressed between the two fulcrums. As a result, the flexible substrate F bends relatively largely and undergoes elastic deformation, and comes into contact with the contact portion 4A with the contact pressure. As a matter of course, the pressing force of the pressing corner portion 12 on the flexible substrate F takes the maximum value when the pressing corner portion 12 reaches the perpendicular line of the center 5A of the rotation support portion 5.

Further, when the rotation of the pressure member 7 is continued, the pressure protrusion 12 enters the inner region of the housing 1 while slightly reducing the pressure, and the pressure member 7 is moved to the position shown in FIG. Is brought to a predetermined rotation position shown in FIG. In addition,
Although the pressing force is slightly reduced from the maximum value, it is sufficient to maintain the connection between the flexible substrate F and the contact 3.

Even if the elastic reaction force from the flexible substrate F or the tensile force acts on the flexible substrate F to rotate the pressing member 7 toward the original position (open position), the pressing member 7 will not rotate. Since the pressing corner portion 12 of 7 is located inward of the center of rotation, the reaction force from the flexible substrate generates a moment in the direction of closing the pressing member 7, and the pressing member 7 is easily moved. will not open. Thus, the connection state is maintained unless an external force sufficiently resisting the blocking force is applied to the pressing member.

In this embodiment, the rotary support portion for rotary support of the pressure member is formed integrally with the contactor, but it goes without saying that both can be formed separately.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, once the pressure member is once rotated to a predetermined position, the connection of the flexible substrate is prevented from being accidentally disconnected, and the reliability is improved. In addition, there is no need to provide a locking mechanism for preventing such detachment on the side of the connector or the like, so that the structure of the connector can be simplified, the size can be reduced, and it is possible to cope with recent designs that require dense mounting. Can be. At that time, the flexible substrate is supported by the two supporting points of the contact portion of the contactor and the supporting portion of the housing, and since the distance between the two supporting points is long, it is possible to secure a sufficient moment, which leads to downsizing of the connector and even when downsizing The insertability of the flexible board is improved. Furthermore, since the pressing part of the pressing member presses between the two fulcrums, the flexible substrate is deformed flexibly, and even if there are variations in the position and dimension accuracy of each part. , It has an effect that it does not make a big difference in contact reliability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention in an exploded state.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in an assembled state.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the pressing member in FIG. 3 in one state during rotation.

5 is a cross-sectional view of the next state during rotation of the pressure member of FIG.

6 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the pressure member of FIG. 3 has reached a predetermined rotation position.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a pressure device of a conventional device in an open state.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a pressure device of a conventional device in a closed state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Housing 1B Support 3 Contact 4A Contact 5 Rotation Support 7 Pressing Member 10 Pressing F Flexible Board

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A housing having a plurality of contacts in which elastic contact portions are arranged in the opening of a housing which is opened to communicate with each other at a side and an upper portion adjacent to the housing, and is held by the housing or the housing. The member includes a rotation support portion at a position facing the opening, and the lid-shaped pressure member is provided between the predetermined position close to the contactor and the open position separated from the predetermined position by the rotation support portion. The pressing member is rotatably supported, and when the pressing member is rotated toward the predetermined position, the flexible substrate that is inserted into the opening from the side and arranged on the contact is pressed against the contact. A pressurizing part, wherein the pressurizing part is formed by a transition part in which two adjacent surfaces that are different in distance from the rotation axis communicate with each other, and the housing has the elastic contact part in the insertion direction of the flexible substrate. At the back of the There is a supporting portion for supporting the tip end portion of the xixable substrate in a state of being brought close to the pressing member side, and when the pressing member is rotated to a predetermined position, the elastic contact portion of the supporting member and the contactor is An electrical connector for a flexible substrate, wherein two fulcrums are formed on the lower surface side of the flexible substrate, and the transition portion of the pressing member presses the flexible substrate from the upper surface side between the two fulcrums. 2. The rotation supporting part is divided into a plurality of parts at axial positions corresponding to the respective contactors, and each of them is formed integrally with the corresponding contactor into a plate shape and is retained in a corresponding holding groove of the housing. The electrical connector for flexible boards according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connector is used. 3. The rotation support portion has a rotation surface for supporting the pressure member at a portion in the inner side of the housing with respect to the rotation axis when the pressure member is rotated to a predetermined position. The flexible board electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2.