JP5298227B1 - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a connector capable of releasing the locking between a flexible circuit and a lock member even when a space in which the operation portion of the lock member can be pressed from above is not secured above the connector body.
When an upper end side of a first operation portion 43 of a lock member 40 is pressed in any direction from above to below and from front to back, an elastic piece portion 42 is elastically deformed downward to cause the lock member 40 to move. Since the locking between the locking portion 42a and the cutout portion 1b of the flexible circuit 1 is released, a space in which the first operating portion 43 of the lock member 40 can be pressed from above from above the connector body 10. Even if it cannot ensure, if the 1st operation part 43 can be pushed and operated back from the front, the latching with the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40 can be cancelled | released.
[Selection] Figure 14

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for connecting, for example, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC).

  Conventionally, as this type of connector, there are a connector main body into which a connection object (hereinafter referred to as a flexible circuit) such as FPC and FFC is inserted from the front, and a plurality of connectors held in the connector main body at intervals in the width direction. A locking member that restricts movement of the flexible circuit in the anti-insertion direction by being locked to a locking portion of the flexible circuit inserted into the connector body, and extending to the locking member in the front-rear direction of the connector body An elastic piece portion that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction, and is provided so as to protrude upward from the elastic piece portion, so that the movement of the flexible circuit in the anti-insertion direction is restricted by the locking portion of the flexible circuit. What is provided with the latching | locking part to latch and the operation part provided so that it might extend from the lock member to the upper surface side of a connector main body is known (for example, patent document) Reference.).

  In this connector, when the flexible circuit is inserted into the connector main body, the elastic piece is elastically deformed downward while the locking portion of the locking member is in contact with the lower surface of the flexible circuit, and the locking portion of the flexible circuit is locked to the locking member. The elastic piece is restored upward, the locking part is locked to the locking part of the flexible circuit, and when the operating part is pressed downward from above, the elastic piece is elastically deformed downward. Thus, the engagement between the locking portion of the lock member and the locking portion of the flexible circuit is released.

JP 2012-22848 A

  By the way, the connector is mounted on a substrate such as an electronic device and used for connection with a flexible circuit, but in the state where the substrate is disposed inside the electronic device, another device or substrate above the connector body, Alternatively, there may be a case where it is not possible to secure a space in which the operation portion of the lock member can be pressed from above, above the connector main body, for example, because the housings are arranged close to each other. In such a case, since the operation part of the lock member cannot be operated, the engagement between the flexible circuit and the lock member cannot be released, and the flexible circuit connected to the connector cannot be removed from the connector. was there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to be flexible even when it is not possible to secure a space above the connector body where the operation portion of the lock member can be pressed from above. An object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of releasing the engagement between a circuit and a lock member.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a connector body into which a connection object is inserted from the front, a plurality of terminals held in the connector body at intervals in the width direction, and inserted into the connector body. A connector having a lock member that restricts movement of the connection object in the anti-insertion direction by being locked to the locking portion of the connection object, and provided on the lock member so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the connector body. An elastic piece part that is elastically deformable so that the rear end side is displaced in the vertical direction from the front end side as a base point, and is provided so as to protrude upward between the front end side and the rear end side of the elastic piece part. A locking portion that locks the object to be locked in the anti-insertion direction, and extends upward from the rear end side of the elastic piece portion to a position higher than the upper surface of the connector body. The top end is A first operating unit from the lower and the front was also depressable formed in any direction rearward, provided so as to extend rearward from the rear surface of the connector body from the rear end side of the elastic piece portion, the upper And a second operation portion formed so as to be pressed downward from the elastic body portion when the connection object is inserted into the connector body while the locking portion of the lock member is in contact with the lower surface of the connection object. Is elastically deformed downward, and when the locking portion of the connection object reaches the locking portion of the lock member, the elastic piece portion is restored upward and the locking portion is locked to the locking portion of the connection object, When the upper end side of the first operation portion is pressed in any direction from above to below and from front to back, the elastic piece portion is elastically deformed downward, and the locking portion of the lock member and the locking portion of the connection object is engaging the release of, when pressed downwardly the second operation unit from above, the elastic deformation the elastic piece portion is downward Engagement of the locking portion of the connection object and the locking portion of the locking member is configured to so that is released Te.

Thereby, since the 1st operation part of a lock member is formed so that pressing in any direction from the upper part to the lower part and the front is carried out, the 1st operation part of the lock member is provided above the connector body. Even when it is not possible to secure a space that can be pressed from above, if the first operation unit can be pressed from the front to the back, the engagement between the connection object and the lock member can be released. Further, when the second operation portion is pressed downward from above, the elastic piece portion is elastically deformed downward, and the engagement between the connection object and the lock member is released. Even when the pressing operation cannot be performed from the direction of the connector, if the second operation portion can be pressed from the upper side to the lower side from the back side of the connector body, the engagement between the connection object and the lock member can be released. Can do.

According to the present invention, even when it is not possible to ensure a space in which the first operation portion of the lock member can be pressed from above above the connector body, the first operation portion is pressed from the front to the rear. If it is possible, the engagement between the connection object and the lock member can be released, which is extremely advantageous when, for example, the connection object is extracted from a connector arranged inside the electronic device. Further, even when the first operation unit cannot be pressed from any direction, the connection object and the lock member can be locked by operating the second operation unit from the back side of the connector body. It can be canceled.

The front side perspective view of the connector which shows one Embodiment of this invention Rear perspective view of the connector Front view of connector Rear view of connector Top view of connector Side sectional view of connector Side sectional view of connector Side sectional view of connector Side sectional view of the connector showing the flexible circuit insertion process Side sectional view of the connector showing the flexible circuit insertion process Side sectional view of the connector showing the locking state between the flexible circuit and the lock member Side sectional view of the connector showing the locking state between the flexible circuit and the lock member Side sectional view of the connector showing the unlocking process of the flexible circuit and the lock member Side sectional view of the connector showing the unlocking process of the flexible circuit and the lock member Side sectional view of the connector showing the unlocking process of the flexible circuit and the lock member Perspective view of flexible circuit and connector

  1 to 16 show an embodiment of the present invention, which is a connector for connecting a connection object such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC).

  This connector includes a connector main body 10 into which the flexible circuit 1 as a connection object is inserted from the front, a shell 20 that covers the housing, and a plurality of terminals 30 that are arranged in the connector main body 10 at intervals in the width direction. And a pair of locking members 40 in the width direction for locking the flexible circuit 1 inserted into the connector main body 10 and mounted on the substrate 2.

  The flexible circuit 1 includes a so-called flexible flat cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit (FPC), and a ground conductive portion 1a is provided on the top surface on the tip side, and a plurality of signal line conductive portions ( (Not shown) are spaced apart from each other in the width direction. Moreover, the notch part 1b as a latching part which the locking member 40 latches is provided in the width direction both ends of the flexible circuit 1, and when the flexible circuit 1 is inserted in the connector main body 10, each locking member 40 will be. Each notch 1b is locked.

  The board | substrate 2 consists of a printed circuit board arrange | positioned inside an electronic device etc., and the conductive pattern which is not shown in figure is formed in the upper surface.

  The connector body 10 is made of a synthetic resin molded product, and an insertion port 10a for inserting the flexible circuit 1 is provided on the front surface thereof. The connector body 10 includes a front surface portion 11, a back surface portion 12, a top surface portion 13, a bottom surface portion 14, and a side surface portion 15, and the back surface portion 12 is provided with a plurality of terminal holding grooves 12 a that hold the terminals 30. Further, a contact portion 13a with which the lock member 40 contacts in the front-rear direction is provided at the rear end of the upper surface portion 13, and a plurality of fixing holes 13b for fixing the shell 20 are formed on the front end side of the upper surface portion 13 with each other. It is provided at intervals in the direction. On both sides in the width direction in the connector main body 10, guide grooves 10 b that engage both ends in the width direction of the flexible circuit 1 are provided, and each guide groove 10 b extends from the insertion port 10 a toward the rear in the connector main body 10. Is formed. On both sides of the connector body 10 in the width direction, housing portions 10a for housing the lock members 40 are provided. The housing portion 10a is open at the upper end side to the insertion space for the flexible circuit 1 in the connector body 10, and the rear end is exposed to the outside. It is open towards.

  The shell 20 is made of a conductive metal and is formed so as to cover the upper portion of the back surface portion 12, the upper surface portion 13, and the side surface portions 15 of the housing 10. A plurality of ground terminal portions 21 that are in contact with the ground conductive portion 1a of the flexible circuit 1 and a plurality of fixing pieces 22 that are fixed to the connector body 10 are alternately arranged in the width direction on the front end of the upper surface of the shell 20. Are provided at intervals. The ground terminal portion 21 extends from the front end of the shell 20 and is folded back to the inside of the shell 20 so as to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction. Further, a contact portion 21 a that contacts the flexible circuit 1 is provided on the front end side of the ground terminal portion 21 so as to protrude downward. The fixing piece 22 extends from the front end of the shell 20, is bent downward in a substantially crank shape, and is press-fitted into the fixing hole 13 b of the connector body 10 from the rear to the front. Substrate connecting portions 23 connected to the substrate 2 are respectively provided at the lower ends of both side surfaces of the shell 20 in the width direction, and each substrate connecting portion 23 is formed to extend sideways.

  Each terminal 30 is made of a conductive metal, and is formed of a fixed piece portion 31 fixed to the connector body 10, an elastic piece portion 32 that can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction, and a board connection portion 33 connected to the board 2. Has been. The fixed piece portion 31 is formed so as to extend in the vertical direction, and is press-fitted into the terminal holding groove 12 a of the connector main body 10. The elastic piece portion 32 is formed so as to extend forward from the upper end of the fixed piece portion 31, and a contact portion 32 a that contacts the signal line conductive portion of the flexible circuit 1 is provided at the front end thereof so as to protrude upward. ing. The board connecting portion 33 is formed so as to extend rearward from the lower end of the fixed piece portion 31.

Each lock member 40 is made of a punched metal plate, and is formed such that the width direction of the connector body 10 is the thickness direction of the metal plate. The lock member 40 includes a fixed piece portion 41 fixed to the connector body 10, an elastic piece portion 42 that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction, a first operation portion 43 disposed on the upper surface side of the connector body 10, and a connector. It is formed from the second operating unit 44 that will be positioned on the rear side of the main body 10. The fixed piece portion 41 is formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction, and is press-fitted into the front end side of the housing portion 10 a of the connector main body 10. The elastic piece portion 42 is formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction, and its front end side is bent in a semicircular shape from above the fixed piece portion 41 to the front end of the fixed piece portion 41. A locking portion 42 a that locks with the cutout portion 1 b of the flexible circuit 1 is provided so as to protrude upward at substantially the center in the front-rear direction of the elastic piece portion 42. The locking portion 42a is formed so as to incline forward and downward, and its rear end is formed vertically. The first operation part 43 includes an extension part 43a extending upward from the rear end side of the elastic piece part 42, and a flat part 43b provided at the upper end of the extension part 43a. The extending portion 43a extends to a position higher than the upper surface of the connector main body 10 via the rear upper surface of the connector main body 10, and the front end thereof faces the contact portion 13a of the connector main body 10 with a slight gap. Yes. The flat portion 43 b is formed in a substantially square shape and is bent in the width direction of the lock member 40 so as to be parallel to the upper surface of the connector main body 10. In this case, a space is provided between the lower surface of the flat portion 43b and the upper surface of the connector main body 10 so that a jig A described later can be inserted. The second operation portion 44 is formed so as to extend rearward from the rear end of the elastic piece portion 42, and from the back surface of the connector main body 10 so as to form a step with the extension portion 43 a of the first operation portion 43. Also extends backwards.

  In the connector configured as described above, when the flexible circuit 1 is inserted into the insertion port 10a of the connector body 10 as shown in FIG. 9, both ends in the width direction of the flexible circuit 1 are engaged with the guide grooves 10b in the connector body 10. The flexible circuit 1 is inserted into the connector main body 10 until the leading end of the flexible circuit 1 abuts against the rear end of the guide groove 10b. At that time, the contact portion 21 a of the ground terminal portion 21 of the shell 20 is pressed against the upper surface of the flexible circuit 1, the shell 20 is electrically connected to the ground conductive portion 1 a of the flexible circuit 1, and each terminal 30 is connected to the lower surface of the flexible circuit 1. The contact portions 32a are in pressure contact, and each terminal 30 is electrically connected to the signal line conductive portion of the flexible circuit 1.

  When the flexible circuit 1 is inserted into the connector main body 10, the elastic piece 42 elastically deforms downward while the locking portion 42a of each lock member 40 is in contact with the lower surface of the flexible circuit 1, as shown in FIG. When the cutout portion 1b of the flexible circuit 1 reaches the engagement portion 42a of the lock member 40, the elastic piece portion 42 is restored upward as shown in FIG. 11, and the engagement portion 42a engages with the cutout portion 1b. . Thereby, the movement of the flexible circuit 1 in the anti-insertion direction is restricted by the engagement between the locking portion 42 a of the lock member 40 and the cutout portion 1 b of the flexible circuit 1. At that time, when an excessive tensile force is generated in the anti-insertion direction of the flexible circuit 1, the elastic piece 42 of the lock member 40 is elastically deformed so that the rear end side is displaced upward from the front end side as shown in FIG. The front end of the extended portion 43a of the first operation portion 43 abuts on the abutment portion 13a of the connector main body 10, and the elastic deformation of the elastic piece portion 42 is restricted.

  Next, when the flexible circuit 1 is extracted from the connector body 10, the engagement between the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40 is released by any of the following three operations.

  First, as shown in FIG. 13, when the flat portion 43b of the first operating portion 43 of each lock member 40 is pressed downward from above with the fingertip, the elastic piece portion 42 is displaced downward from the front end side as a base point. Thus, the locking portion 42a of the lock member 40 moves below the notch portion 1b of the flexible circuit 1. Thereby, the latching of the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40 is released, and the flexible circuit 1 can be extracted from the connector body 10.

  As shown in FIG. 14, for example, an obstacle B such as another device, a board, or a housing is close to the connector main body 10, and the flat portion 43 b of the first operation unit 43 is moved downward from above. If there is no space to press, a flat jig A is inserted from the front between the obstacle B and the upper surface of the connector main body 10, and the tip of the jig A is extended to 43 a of the first operation section 43. The first operation portion 43 is pressed from the front to the rear in contact with the head. Thereby, the elastic piece portion 42 is elastically deformed so that the rear end side is displaced downward from the front end side as a base point, and the engagement between the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40 is released. In this case, the tip of the jig A may be pressed against the front end of the flat portion 43 b of the first operation portion 43. Further, if the fingertip can be inserted from the front between the obstacle B and the upper surface of the connector main body 10, the first operation unit 43 is pressed from the front to the rear with the fingertip without using the jig A. Also good.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, when the second operating portion 44 of the connector body 10 is pressed downward from above with a fingertip or a jig, the elastic piece portion 42 is displaced downward from the front end side as a base point. It is elastically deformed and the engagement between the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40 is released.

  As described above, according to the connector of the present embodiment, when the upper end side of the first operation portion 43 of the lock member 40 is pressed in any direction from above to below and from front to back, the elastic piece portion 42 moves downward. Since the engagement between the engagement portion 42a of the lock member 40 and the cutout portion 1b of the flexible circuit 1 is released due to elastic deformation, the first operation portion of the lock member 40 is located above the connector body 10. Even if it is not possible to secure a space in which the pressing operation of 43 can be performed from above, if the first operation unit 43 can be pressed from the front to the back, the engagement between the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40 is released. For example, it is extremely advantageous when the flexible circuit 1 is extracted from a connector arranged inside the electronic apparatus.

  Moreover, when the 2nd operation part 44 extended back rather than the back surface of the connector main body 10 is provided in the rear end side of the elastic piece part 42, and the 2nd operation part 44 is pressed below from the upper direction, the elastic piece part 42 is provided. Since the latching between the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40 is released by elastically deforming downward, for example, even when the first operation portion 43 cannot be pressed from any direction, the connector If the second operation unit 44 can be pressed from the upper side to the lower side from the back side of the main body 10, the locking between the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40 can be released.

  Further, when the elastic piece 42 of the lock member 40 is elastically deformed so that the rear end side is displaced upward from the front end side by the tensile force in the anti-insertion direction of the flexible circuit 1, the front end of the first operation portion 43 is Even when an excessive tensile force is generated in the flexible circuit 1 because the elastic deformation of the elastic piece 42 is restricted by the contact with the contact portion 13a of the connector main body 10 and the contact with the contact portion 13a. The latching state of the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40 can be reliably held, and there is an advantage that the flexible circuit 1 does not easily come off. In this case, since the deformation of the elastic piece portion 42 is restricted by the contact portion 13 a of the connector body 10, the elastic modulus of the elastic piece portion 42 is set to restrict the deformation of the elastic piece portion 42 due to the tensile force of the flexible circuit 1. There is no need to make it bigger. As a result, the elastic modulus of the elastic piece portion 42 can be reduced to facilitate bending, and therefore the insertion resistance due to the contact pressure of the elastic piece portion 42 can be reduced when the flexible circuit 1 is inserted into the connector body 10. The flexible circuit 1 can be easily inserted. Further, when releasing the engagement between the flexible circuit 1 and the lock member 40, the force required for the pressing operation of the lock member 40 to the first operation portion 43 or the second operation portion 44 can be reduced. The release operation of the lock member 40 can be easily performed.

  Further, since the lock member 40 is formed by a flat plate member (metal plate) in which the width direction of the connector main body 10 is the thickness direction, the width dimension of the lock member 40 can be reduced. There is an advantage that the size is not increased in the width direction.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Flexible circuit, 1b ... Notch part, 10 ... Connector main body, 13a ... Contact part, 30 ... Terminal, 40 ... Lock member, 42 ... Elastic piece part, 42a ... Locking part, 43 ... 1st operation part , 44 ... Second operation unit.

Claims (3)

The connector body is inserted into the connector body from the front, the plurality of terminals held in the connector body at intervals in the width direction, and the connection object inserted into the connector body. In the connector provided with a lock member that restricts the movement of the connection object in the anti-insertion direction,
An elastic piece portion provided on the lock member so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the connector body, and elastically deformable so that the rear end side is displaced in the vertical direction with the front end side as a base point;
A member provided so as to protrude upward between the front end side and the rear end side of the elastic piece portion, and is engaged with the engagement portion of the connection object so as to restrict the movement of the connection object in the anti-insertion direction. Stop and
Provided to extend upward from the rear end side of the elastic piece part to a position higher than the upper surface of the connector body, and formed so that the upper end side can be pressed in any direction from above to below and from front to back. A first operation unit;
A second operating portion provided so as to extend rearward from the rear side of the connector body from the rear end side of the elastic piece portion, and formed so as to be able to be pressed downward from above .
When the connection object is inserted into the connector body, the elastic piece part is elastically deformed downward while the locking part of the lock member is in contact with the lower surface of the connection object, and the locking part of the connection object is When the locking part is reached, the elastic piece part is restored upward, the locking part is locked to the locking part of the connection object, and the upper end side of the first operation part is moved from the upper side to the lower side and from the front side to the rear side. When pressed in either direction, the elastic piece is elastically deformed downward to release the engagement between the engagement portion of the lock member and the engagement portion of the connection object , and the second operation portion is moved downward from above. When pressed, the connector, wherein the elastic piece portion is configured to so that the engagement is released between the engaging portion of the connection object and the locking portion of the locking member is elastically deformed downward. Wherein the connector body, the connector of claim 1 Symbol mounting, characterized in that a contact portion for regulating the displacement of the front of the first operation portion by the contact between the front end of the operation portion. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lock member is formed of a flat plate member whose width direction is the thickness direction of the connector main body.

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