WO2025100119A1 - Connector and terminal member - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a connector and a terminal member that make it possible to connect a flat cable and a double-sided mounting circuit board when the flat cable has a narrower pitch interval than the circuit board. [Solution] Provided is a connector 1 that connects a circuit board 2 and a flat cable 3, the connector having: a housing 11 that comprises a board insertion portion 15, a cable insertion portion 31, an upper terminal accommodation chamber 42U positioned above the board insertion portion, and a lower terminal accommodation chamber 42D positioned below the board insertion portion; an upper terminal member 12U that is accommodated in the upper terminal accommodation chamber; and a lower terminal member 12D that is accommodated in the lower terminal accommodation chamber. The upper terminal member and the lower terminal member each comprise a board connection portion 51 that connects to a board-side electrode 4 and a cable connection portion 52 that connects to a cable-side electrode 9. The cable connection portion is formed with a narrower width in the left-right direction than the board connection portion. The upper terminal member and the lower terminal member are arranged so as to overlap in the up-down direction at the board connection portions thereof.

Description

Connectors and terminal parts

This disclosure relates to a connector for connecting a flexible flat cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) to a circuit board, and a terminal member provided on the connector.

In various electronic devices, flexible flat cables (FFCs) and flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) are widely used to connect printed circuit boards. The use of FFCs and FPCs makes it possible to route cables in narrow spaces and to moving parts. Hereinafter, flexible flat cables (FFCs) and flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) will be collectively referred to as flat cables, as necessary.

Patent Document 1 discloses a card edge connector that can be connected to an FFC. The card edge connector of Patent Document 1 comprises a main body and terminals. The main body comprises an insertion port for the FFC and a storage space that houses an edge portion of a circuit board. The terminals come into contact with the FFC inserted into the insertion port and the circuit board housed in the storage space.

Registered Utility Model No. 3236706

In circuit boards, the wiring pitch tends to be set larger than in FFCs and FPCs, from the standpoint of heat management, improved signal quality, and ease of mounting electronic components. On the other hand, in FFCs and FPCs, it is desirable to have a narrower wiring pitch from the standpoint of flexibility and ease of routing in tight spaces.

Therefore, if the pitch of the FPC is set narrower than the pitch of the circuit board, it is not easy to connect the FPC and the circuit board. Although Patent Document 1 shows a terminal that contacts electrodes on the circuit board and electrodes on the FFC or FPC, it is difficult to apply the card edge connector of Patent Document 1 when the electrode spacing differs between the circuit board and the FFC.

In light of the above background, the present invention aims to provide a connector and terminal member that allows the connection of the two even when the pitch of the flat cable is narrower than the pitch of the double-sided mounted circuit board.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a connector (1) that connects a circuit board (2) having board side electrodes (4) on the front and back sides, respectively, to a flexible flat cable (3) having cable side electrodes (9), the connector having a board insertion section (15) into which the circuit board is to be inserted from the front side, a cable insertion section (31) into which the flat cable is to be inserted from the rear side at a position opposite the board insertion section, a number of upper terminal accommodating chambers (42U) including a portion located above the board insertion section, and a number of lower terminal accommodating chambers (42U) including a portion located below the board insertion section. 42D), an upper terminal member (12U) accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber, and a lower terminal member (12D) accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber, each of the upper terminal member and the lower terminal member having a board connection portion that connects to the board side electrode and a cable connection portion (52) that connects to the cable side electrode, the cable connection portion is formed narrower in the left-right direction than the board connection portion, and the upper terminal member and the lower terminal member that are adjacent to each other are arranged so that they overlap each other in the vertical direction at the board connection portion.

According to this embodiment, the board connection portion located above the circuit board and the board connection portion located below the circuit board are arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction. Furthermore, since the cable connection portion is formed narrower in the left-right direction than the board connection portion, the cable connection portions can be brought closer together than when the two board connection portions do not overlap. Therefore, even if the pitch spacing of the flat cable is narrower than the pitch spacing of the double-sided mounted circuit board, it is possible to connect the two.

In the above embodiment, the upper terminal accommodating chamber and the lower terminal accommodating chamber are preferably formed in a staggered arrangement above and below the board insertion portion.

This aspect makes it easy to align the pitch of the board electrodes on the front and back sides of the circuit board.

In the above aspect, preferably, the board connection portion includes a housing (55) and a spring piece (56) supported by the housing and protruding from the housing, the upper terminal member is supported by the housing such that the spring piece protrudes downward from the housing, and the lower terminal member is supported by the housing such that the spring piece protrudes upward from the housing.

In this embodiment, the terminal members can be positioned so that they can be connected to the front and back surfaces of the circuit board.

In the above aspect, preferably, the spring piece is supported to be able to swing on the left and right side surfaces of the housing, and has two contact points aligned in front and behind.

This embodiment allows the terminal member to be more reliably connected to the circuit board.

In the above aspect, the cable connection portion is preferably located in the left-right center of the housing when viewed from the front-to-back direction.

This allows the spacing between adjacent cable connections to be equal.

In the above aspect, preferably, the cable connection portion is U-shaped when viewed from the left and right, with each end adjacent to each other and clamping the flat cable.

In this embodiment, the cable connection part can be electrically connected to the cable side electrode while the cable can be well held in the cable connection part.

In the above aspect, preferably, the housing comprises a rear housing portion (11R) constituting the rear portion and a front housing portion (11F) constituting the front portion, the cable insertion portion is provided in the rear housing portion and the board insertion portion is provided in the front housing portion, and the upper terminal accommodating chamber and the lower terminal accommodating chamber are defined by connecting the front housing portion and the rear housing portion.

This aspect makes it easier to form the terminal receiving chamber.

In the above aspect, preferably, a retainer (13) is provided that engages with the housing to hold the flat cable in the cable insertion portion, the flat cable is provided with a through hole (88), and the retainer is provided with a cable holding portion (92) that passes through the through hole.

This aspect prevents the cable from coming off the housing.

In the above aspect, preferably, the terminal member (12) provided in the above connector comprises a rectangular parallelepiped housing (55) constituting the board connection portion, a connection piece (78) constituting the cable connection portion, and a coupling portion (53) that couples the connection piece to the housing.

In this embodiment, the board connection portion and the cable connection portion can be connected by the connecting portion.

In the above aspect, the connecting portion preferably positions the connection piece at the center of the left and right of the housing when viewed from the front.

In this embodiment, the cable connection part can be located in the left-right center of the housing when viewed from the front-to-back direction.

In this way, the present invention can provide a connector and terminal member that allows the connection of the two even when the pitch of the flat cable is narrower than the pitch of the double-sided mounted circuit board.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connector according to the present invention, a circuit board connected to the connector, and a flexible printed circuit board connected to the connector, as viewed from the left rear. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to the present invention, a circuit board connected to the connector, and a flexible printed circuit board connected to the connector, as viewed from the right front. Exploded perspective view of the connector as seen from the right front FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front portion of the housing and the terminal member as viewed from the left rear; Connector front view (A) A top view of the circuit board inserted into the connector in the correct orientation, and (B) a top view of the circuit board inserted in the reverse orientation. Connector Rear View (A) A rear view of the connector, and (B) a schematic diagram showing the front of the connector as seen from the rear. Connector cross section (A) is a perspective view and (B) is a top view of a terminal member A longitudinal sectional view of the connector showing the state in which the circuit board and the flat cable are inserted. Rear cross-sectional view of the connector with flat cable inserted and retainer in fully inserted position Rear cross-sectional view of the connector with the flat cable inserted and the retainer in the preset position

The connector and terminal member according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the connector 1 connects a circuit board 2 to a flat cable 3 such as a flexible flat cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit board (FPC). The circuit board 2 and the flat cable 3 are electrically connected by being inserted into the connector 1.

In the following, for the sake of convenience, the insertion direction of the circuit board 2 into the connector 1 is defined as the rearward direction, and the direction of the main surface of the circuit board 2 is defined as the up-down direction. However, this description of the direction is for the sake of convenience, and the present invention is not limited to this description of the direction.

The circuit board 2 is a flat double-sided board, and is composed of a printed circuit board (PCB) with wiring patterns (not shown) on both sides. A number of board-side electrodes 4 are provided on both the front (upper surface) and back (lower surface) of the rear end of the circuit board 2. The board-side electrodes 4 are plate-shaped and made of metal, and are connected to the wiring patterns provided on the front and back surfaces of the circuit board 2.

The board side electrodes 4 on the front surface and the board side electrodes 4 on the back surface are arranged side by side at equal intervals along the edge of the circuit board 2. The board side electrodes 4 on the front surface and the board side electrodes 4 on the back surface have approximately the same shape. The spacing (i.e., pitch) between the board side electrodes 4 on the front surface and the spacing between the board side electrodes 4 on the back surface are set to be approximately equal. However, the board side electrodes 4 on the front surface and the adjacent board side electrodes 4 on the back surface are arranged with a half pitch offset, forming a staggered arrangement when viewed in the opposite direction to the insertion direction (when viewed from the rear).

In this embodiment, a notch 5 is provided on each of the left and right edges of the rear edge of the circuit board 2, with the notch 5 cut forward. The circuit board 2 further has auxiliary notches 6 cut inwardly to the left and right from the front of each of the notches 5. The positions of the front edges of the notches 5 on the left and right sides of the circuit board 2 differ from each other in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the front edge of the left notch 5 is located further forward than the front edge of the right notch 5.

The flat cable 3 is composed of a flexible cable or substrate. The flat cable 3 includes a flexible film 7 made of an insulating material, and a wiring pattern 8 made of a metal such as copper foil that is provided on the surface of the film 7. A cable side electrode 9 that connects to the wiring pattern 8 is provided at the end of the flat cable 3. The cable side electrode 9 is made of a metal plate such as copper foil. The surface of the wiring pattern 8 of the flat cable 3, excluding the cable side electrode 9, may be covered with the film 7 made of an insulating material.

As shown in FIG. 3, the connector 1 has a housing 11, a plurality of terminal members 12 provided inside the housing 11, and a retainer 13.

The housing 11 has a front housing portion 11F (also called the front housing or the front half) that constitutes the front half, and a rear housing portion 11R (also called the rear housing or the rear half) that constitutes the rear half. The front housing portion 11F and the rear housing portion 11R are each made of a resin material.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the housing front portion 11F has a board insertion portion 15 into which the circuit board 2 is inserted from the front side, and a number of terminal accommodating recesses 16 that are recessed forward from the rear surface and into which the terminal members 12 are inserted.

The board insertion section 15 is a recessed portion recessed toward the rear on the front surface of the housing 11, and has a board opening 18 that opens toward the front. As shown in FIG. 5, the board opening 18 is substantially rectangular and extends in the left-right direction. The left edge of the board insertion section 15 is defined by a left wall 19, and the right edge of the board insertion section 15 is defined by a right wall 20. The left wall 19 and the right wall 20 each extend in the front-rear direction and are plate-shaped with a surface facing in the left-right direction. The upper edge of the board insertion section 15 is defined by an upper wall 21, and the lower edge of the board insertion section 15 is defined by a lower wall 22. The upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 each have a main surface facing in the up-down direction and are plate-shaped and extend in the left-right direction. The rear edge of the board insertion section 15 is defined by a bottom wall 23 having a surface facing in the front-rear direction. The bottom wall 23 is plate-shaped with a surface facing in the front-rear direction.

In the housing front portion 11F, a board insertion portion 15 is formed by an upper wall 21, a lower wall 22, a left wall 19, a right wall 20, and a bottom wall 23. A board accommodating chamber 25 into which the rear end of the circuit board 2 should be inserted is defined inside the board insertion portion 15. The board insertion portion 15 may be provided with a protrusion and/or a locking claw that, when the circuit board 2 is properly inserted, enters the auxiliary notch 6 and prevents the circuit board 2 from coming off.

As shown in FIG. 6(A), the front edge of the left wall 19 and the front edge of the right wall 20 are located at different positions in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the front edge of the left wall 19 is located forward of the front edge of the right wall 20. Also, the front edge of the left-side cutout 5 of the circuit board 2 is located forward of the front edge of the right-side cutout 5. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the circuit board 2 cannot be inserted completely (up to the final position, where the front end of the right wall 20 abuts against the front edge that defines the cutout 5) into the board insertion portion 15 in an upside-down state. This makes it possible to prevent the circuit board 2 from being inserted upside down into the connector 1.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the terminal accommodating recess 16 is provided in the upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22. Hereinafter, the terminal accommodating recess 16 provided in the upper wall 21 will be referred to as the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U, and the terminal accommodating recess 16 provided in the lower wall 22 will be referred to as the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D.

The upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction. Each upper terminal accommodating recess 16U is recessed forward in the upper half of the bottom wall 23 and reaches the inside of the upper wall 21. A through hole 26 is formed in the upper wall 21, which connects the inside of the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U with the inside of the board insertion portion 15.

The lower terminal accommodating recesses 16D are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction. Each lower terminal accommodating recess 16D is recessed forward in the lower half of the bottom wall 23 and reaches the inside of the lower wall 22. A through hole 26 is formed in the lower wall 22, connecting the inside of the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D with the inside of the board insertion portion 15.

The left-right spacing (hereinafter referred to as the pitch) of the upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U and the left-right spacing of the lower terminal accommodating recesses 16D are set to be equal to each other. However, the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D located at the left end is positioned vertically offset by half the pitch (half pitch) from the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U located at the left end. As a result, the upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U and the lower terminal accommodating recesses 16D are arranged in a staggered configuration. The upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U and the lower terminal accommodating recesses 16D are formed so that they at least partially overlap when viewed in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, the rear housing portion 11R has a cable insertion portion 31 recessed forward from the rear surface, and multiple terminal receiving recesses 32 recessed backward from the front surface.

The cable insertion section 31 is a recess recessed forward from the rear surface, and has a cable insertion port 33 that opens toward the rear. As shown in FIG. 7, the cable insertion port 33 is substantially rectangular extending in the left-right direction. The left edge of the cable insertion section 31 is defined by a left wall 35, and the right edge of the cable insertion section 31 is defined by a right wall 36. The left wall 35 and the right wall 36 each extend in the front-rear direction and are plate-shaped with a surface facing the left-right direction. The upper edge of the cable insertion section 31 is defined by an upper wall 37, and the lower edge of the cable insertion section 31 is defined by a lower wall 38. The upper wall 37 and the lower wall 38 each have a main surface facing the up-down direction and are plate-shaped extending in the left-right direction. The front edge of the cable insertion section 31 is defined by a bottom wall 39 (see FIG. 3) having a surface facing the front-rear direction. The bottom wall 39 is plate-shaped with a surface facing the front-rear direction.

In the rear housing portion 11R, a cable insertion section 31 is formed by an upper wall 37, a lower wall 38, a left wall 35, a right wall 36, and a bottom wall 39. Inside the cable insertion section 31, a cable insertion chamber 40 is defined into which the front end of the flat cable 3 should be inserted.

Each of the terminal receiving recesses 32 is recessed rearward in front of the bottom wall 39 and opens in front of the bottom wall 39. The rear housing portion 11R is provided with the same number of terminal receiving recesses 32 as the terminal accommodating recesses 16 provided in the front housing portion 11F. The terminal receiving recesses 32 are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction in the rear housing portion 11R. As shown in Figures 8 (A) and (B) , the left-right intervals between the terminal receiving recesses 32 are set to be half the pitch (half pitch) of the upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U. Each of the terminal receiving recesses 32 is connected to the cable insertion portion 31 at its rear end.

As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 11 is formed by connecting the rear surface of the housing front portion 11F to the front surface of the housing rear portion 11R. When the housing front portion 11F and the housing rear portion 11R are connected, the opening of the terminal accommodating recess 16 and the opening of the terminal receiving recess 32 are arranged to overlap from front to back, and the terminal accommodating recess 16 and the terminal receiving recess 32 communicate with each other.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the housing front 11F and the housing rear 11R are connected to define a terminal accommodating chamber 42 (hereinafter, upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U) formed by the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U and the terminal receiving recess 32, and a terminal accommodating chamber 42 (hereinafter, lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D) formed by the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D and the terminal receiving recess 32. As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 11 is provided with a plurality of upper terminal accommodating chambers 42U including a portion located above the board insertion portion 15, and a plurality of lower terminal accommodating chambers 42D including a portion located below the board insertion portion 15. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper terminal accommodating chambers 42U and the lower terminal accommodating chambers 42D are formed in a staggered arrangement with the board insertion portion 15 at the center. The upper terminal accommodating chambers 42U and the lower terminal accommodating chambers 42D adjacent to each other are formed to overlap at least partially in the vertical direction (as viewed in the vertical direction).

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 11 is provided with a connection structure 45 for connecting the housing front portion 11F and the housing rear portion 11R. In this embodiment, the connection structure 45 has a plurality of (four in this embodiment) protruding portions 46 (see FIG. 3) protruding forward from the front surface of the housing rear portion 11R, and a receiving portion 47 (see FIG. 4) recessed in the rear surface of the housing front portion 11F to receive the protruding portions 46. The housing front portion 11F and the protruding portions 46 each have an assembly hole 48 that penetrates the housing front portion 11F and the housing rear portion 11R when the protruding portions 46 are received in the receiving portion 47. The housing front portion 11F and the housing rear portion 11R are connected by inserting an assembly pin 49 (see FIG. 3) into the assembly hole 48. However, the method of connecting the housing front portion 11F and the housing rear portion 11R is not limited to this embodiment, and various known connecting methods such as adhesion and welding can be adopted.

Each of the terminal members 12 is formed integrally by performing a known punching process, bending process, or the like on a plate material made of a conductive material (e.g., a metal or alloy material such as copper or brass). Each of the terminal members 12 has approximately the same shape.

As shown in FIG. 9, the terminal members 12 are each accommodated in a terminal accommodating chamber 42. Hereinafter, the terminal member 12 accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U will be referred to as the upper terminal member 12U, and the terminal member 12 accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D will be referred to as the lower terminal member 12D. The upper terminal members 12U are each accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U, and the lower terminal members 12D are each accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D. The upper terminal member 12U and the lower terminal member 12D have the same shape. However, the upper terminal member 12U is upside down compared to the lower terminal member 12D.

Below, the details of the terminal member 12 will be described based on the state in which the terminal member 12 is accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D (i.e., the lower terminal member 12D).

As shown in Figures 10(A) and (B), the terminal member 12 has a board connection portion 51 that forms the front portion, a cable connection portion 52 that forms the rear portion, and a connecting portion 53 that connects the board connection portion 51 and the cable connection portion 52.

The board connection portion 51 constitutes the portion of the terminal member 12 that connects to the circuit board 2. The board connection portion 51 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 55 and a spring piece 56 supported by the housing 55.

The housing 55 has a rectangular bottom piece 58 extending in the front-to-rear direction, a left side piece 59 rising upward from the left edge of the bottom piece 58, and a right side piece 60 rising upward from the right edge of the bottom piece 58. The bottom piece 58, left side piece 59, and right side piece 60 form a groove-shaped cross-sectional portion 62 that opens upward on the housing 55. The upper edges of the left side piece 59 and the right side piece 60 may be provided with connecting pieces 63 that extend in opposing directions and connect at their extending ends.

In this embodiment, the front edge of the left piece 59 and the front edge of the right piece 60 are triangular plates with end faces that slope downward toward the front when viewed from the left and right sides. Connecting pieces 63 that extend in opposing directions are provided on the end faces of the left piece 59 and the right piece 60, respectively. As a result, the front end of the groove-shaped cross-sectional portion 62 is made of a bent plate material and has a tip portion 64 that tapers toward the front.

The spring piece 56 comprises a lower piece 66 that extends rearward from the lower front edge of the left piece 59 or right piece 60 above the bottom piece 58, a folded portion 67 that is folded upwards by approximately 180 degrees at the tip of the lower piece 66, and an upper piece 68 that is folded forward from the folded portion 67 and extends forward above the folded portion 67. The lower piece 66, folded portion 67, and upper piece 68 form a hairpin-shaped portion 70 in the spring piece 56. The spring piece 56 is located between the housing 55 (specifically, the left piece 59 and right piece 60) and protrudes upward (towards the opening) from the housing 55.

A first contact portion 71 is formed on the upper surface of the folded portion 67 by embossing, protruding upward. The extended end of the upper piece 68 is a free end, and a second contact portion 72 is formed near this extended end by embossing, protruding upward. The first contact portion 71 and/or the second contact portion 72 abuts against the board-side electrode 4 of the circuit board 2, thereby electrically connecting the terminal member 12 and the board-side electrode 4. In other words, the spring piece 56 is provided with two contacts arranged in front and behind as contacts that contact the board-side electrode 4. Providing two contacts on the spring piece 56 allows the terminal member 12 to be more reliably brought into contact with the board-side electrode 4. Therefore, the terminal member 12 and the board-side electrode 4 can be more reliably electrically connected.

The front-to-rear central portion of the upper piece 68 is provided with a pair of protruding pieces 74 that protrude outward to the left and right from the left and right side edges, respectively. The protruding pieces 74 are arc-shaped and convex downward in side view. An opening 75 that penetrates the left and right pieces 59 and 60 in the left-right direction and receives the protruding pieces 74 is formed. The protruding pieces 74 abut against the opening 75 so as to be slidable and swingable. As a result, the spring piece 56 is slidably supported in the opening 75 with the protruding pieces 74 as a fulcrum.

The cable connection portion 52 has a flat connection piece 78 with a surface facing in the left-right direction. The connection piece 78 is U-shaped when viewed in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 10(B), the left-right width (specifically, the maximum left-right width) of the cable connection portion 52 is smaller than the left-right width (specifically, the maximum left-right width) of the board connection portion 51, and the cable connection portion 52 is formed to be narrower in the left-right direction than the board connection portion 51.

As shown in FIG. 10(A), the cable connection portion 52 has a base 80 and a pair of upper and lower arm portions 81 that extend rearward from the base 80. The base 80 extends in the vertical direction and is plate-shaped with main surfaces facing in the left-right direction. The arm portions 81 are arranged in pairs above and below. The arm portions 81 are connected to the base 80 at their base ends so that they can elastically deform. This allows the tips of the arm portions 81 to be spread apart in the vertical direction away from each other.

The lower tip of the arm portion 81 is provided with protrusions 82 which form a triangle shape in a side view and protrude in a direction approaching each other. When the flat cable 3 is inserted between the arm portions 81, the tips of the protrusions 82 approach each other and resiliently abut against the flat cable 3. This causes the flat cable 3 to be clamped by the cable connection portion 52. By clamping the flat cable 3 by the cable connection portion 52 in this way, the cable connection portion 52 can be electrically connected to the cable side electrode 9, while the flat cable 3 can be well held in the cable connection portion 52.

The connecting portion 53 is provided between the board connection portion 51 and the cable connection portion 52. As shown in FIG. 10(B), the connecting portion 53 includes a rear extension portion 84 extending rearward from the left side piece 59 or the right side piece 60 constituting the housing 55, and a central extension portion 85 extending inwardly to the left and right from the lower edge of the rear extension portion 84 and connecting to the cable connection portion 52. The extending end of the central extension portion 85 is located approximately in the left-right center of the housing 55. As a result, the cable connection portion 52 (i.e., the connection piece 78) is disposed by the connecting portion 53 in the left-right center of the housing 55 (i.e., the left-right center of the terminal member 12) when viewed in the front-rear direction (front view). In FIG. 10(B), a straight line along the left-right center of the housing 55 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIG. 9, the terminal member 12 is accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U and the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D. The board connection portion 51 has a shape that matches the terminal accommodating recess 16, and the board connection portion 51 is accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U and the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D. The cable connection portion 52 is accommodated in the terminal receiving recess 32.

11, the board connection portion 51 accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U is located above the circuit board 2 inserted in the board insertion portion 15, and the board connection portion 51 accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D is located below the circuit board 2 inserted in the board insertion portion 15. As shown in FIG. 9, the terminal member 12 accommodated inside the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U is supported by the housing 11 so that the spring piece 56 protrudes downward from the housing 55 and enters the board insertion portion 15 from above through the through hole 26. The terminal member 12 accommodated inside the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D is supported by the housing 11 so that the spring piece 56 protrudes upward from the housing 55 and enters the board insertion portion 15 from below through the through hole 26.

11, when the circuit board 2 is inserted into the board insertion portion 15, the spring piece 56 of the terminal member 12 accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U resiliently abuts against the board side electrode 4 provided on the upper surface of the circuit board 2 at the first contact portion 71 and/or the second contact portion 72. At the same time, the spring piece 56 (more specifically, the first contact portion 71 and/or the second contact portion 72) of the terminal member 12 accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D abuts against the board side electrode 4 provided on the lower surface of the circuit board 2. In this way, by providing the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U and the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D, the terminal member 12 can be positioned so that it can be connected to the front surface (upper surface) and back surface (lower surface) of the circuit board 2.

When the flat cable 3 is inserted into the cable insertion section 31, the arm section 81 opens, and then the tip of the protrusion 82 springs into contact with the flat cable 3. In other words, the cable insertion section 31 has a so-called NonZiF (Non-Zero Insertion Force) structure in which the insertion force applied to the flat cable 3 is not zero. As a result, the flat cable 3 is clamped by the cable connection section 52, and the cable connection section 52 is electrically connected to the cable side electrode 9. In this embodiment, the protrusions 82 are provided on the front and back sides of the flat cable 3, so that the terminal member 12 can be electrically connected to the flat cable 3 regardless of whether the cable side electrode 9 is provided on the front or back side of the flat cable 3. In this way, by providing the cable side electrode 9 on both the front and back sides of the flat cable 3, the flat cable 3 and the terminal member 12 can be electrically connected even if the electrical contact between either one of them and the terminal member 12 is lost. This improves the reliability of the electrical connection.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U and the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D have portions that overlap in the vertical direction. As a result, the adjacent upper terminal member 12U and lower terminal member 12D overlap in the vertical direction at their respective board connection portions 51. In detail, the board connection portion 51 of the upper terminal member accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U and located above the circuit board 2, and the board connection portion 51 accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D have portions that overlap in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 12, the rear housing portion 11R is recessed downward and has a communication recess 86 (communication portion) that connects the outside of the rear housing portion 11R to the cable insertion portion 31. In this embodiment, one communication recess 86 is located on each of the left and right sides of the rear housing portion 11R. The flat cable 3 has a through hole 88 that penetrates vertically at a position that aligns with the communication recess 86 (i.e., is located below the communication recess 86) when inserted in the correct position.

The retainer 13 comprises a flat retainer body 90, a pair of left and right retainer holding parts 91 protruding from the back surface of the retainer body 90, and a pair of left and right cable holding parts 92. The retainer body 90 is disposed along the upper part of the rear part of the housing 11. A locking claw 91A is provided at the tip of the retainer holding part 91.

The left and right side edges of the rear housing 11R are each provided with a retaining recess 93 that is recessed downward and into which the retainer holding portion 91 protrudes. The wall surface defining the left and right inner sides of the retaining recess 93 is provided with an engaging recess 94 that is recessed inward to the left and right. When the retainer holding portion 91 is fully inserted into the retaining recess 93, the engaging claw 91A is received in the engaging recess 94 and hooked onto the wall surface defining the upper edge of the engaging recess 94 and engaged. This causes the retainer 13 to engage with the rear housing 11R and be engaged with the housing 11.

The rear housing portion 11R is provided with a body receiving portion 95 that receives the retainer body 90 when the retainer holding portion 91 is fully inserted into the holding recess 93. The body receiving portion 95 is recessed downward on the upper surface of the rear housing portion 11R, and the holding recess 93 is provided on the left and right edges of the body receiving portion 95.

Furthermore, each of the side surfaces defining the left and right inner sides of the holding recess 93 is provided with an auxiliary recess 96 for engaging the locking claw 91A above the locking recess 94. As shown in FIG. 13, when the locking claw 91A enters the auxiliary recess 96, the retainer 13 is preset to the housing 11, and the top surface of the retainer main body 90 becomes roughly flush with the portion of the housing rear 11R other than the main body receiving portion 95. When the retainer 13 is pushed further downward, the retainer holding portion 91 is fully inserted into the holding recess 93, and the locking claw 91A is received in the locking recess 94.

At this time, the cable holding portion 92 enters the communication recess 86 and penetrates the through hole 88 of the flat cable 3. This prevents the flat cable 3 from coming off the housing 11.

Next, a method for assembling the connector 1 configured in this manner will be described. The worker assembling the connector 1 first inserts the terminal members 12 into the terminal receiving recesses 32 in the rear housing portion 11R, and assembles the terminal members 12 to the rear housing portion 11R. Once insertion of the terminal members 12 is complete, the worker connects the front housing portion 11F and the rear housing portion 11R, and fixes the front housing portion 11F to the rear housing portion 11R with the pins 49. This completes the connector 1.

When inserting and fixing the flat cable 3 into the cable insertion portion 31, the worker should attach the retainer 13 to the housing 11 (specifically, the rear portion 11R of the housing). This prevents the flat cable 3 from coming off the housing 11.

Next, the effects of the connector 1 and terminal member 12 configured in this manner will be explained.

The terminal member 12 has a board connection portion 51 that connects to the board side electrode 4 of the circuit board 2, and a cable connection portion 52 that connects to the cable side electrode 9 of the flat cable 3. The upper terminal member 12U and the lower terminal member 12D are arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction, and the cable connection portion 52 is formed to be narrower in the horizontal direction than the board connection portion 51.

As a result, the cable connection parts 52 can be brought closer together without contacting adjacent cable connection parts 52, compared to when the upper terminal member 12U and the lower terminal member 12D do not overlap. As a result, the pitch between the cable side electrodes 9 of the flat cable 3 can be made narrower than the pitch between the board side electrodes 4 of the circuit board 2.

In this embodiment, the upper terminal member 12U and the lower terminal member 12D have the same shape, and the arm portions 81 are arranged to form a pair vertically. Therefore, by inverting the upper terminal member 12U upside down and arranging it so that it is vertically symmetrical with the lower terminal member 12D in a side view, the circuit board 2 and the flat cable 3 can be electrically connected while being arranged on the same line in a side view. In addition, the board side electrodes 4 provided on the front and back surfaces of the circuit board 2 can be connected to the cable side electrodes 9 provided on the flat cable 3.

The upper terminal members 12U and the lower terminal members 12D are arranged in a staggered configuration. This makes it easy to align the pitch of the board electrodes 4 on the front and back surfaces of the circuit board 2.

In addition, the cable connection parts 52 are located in the left-right center of the housing 55 when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. This allows the cable connection parts 52 to be spaced equally apart. This effectively prevents the cable connection parts 52 from coming into contact with each other when the flat cable 3 is inserted or removed. In addition, the cable side electrodes 9 can be arranged at equal intervals, simplifying the configuration of the flat cable 3.

The present invention has been described above based on specific embodiments, but these embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In the above embodiment, the upper terminal member 12U and the lower terminal member 12D each have two contacts, but any embodiment in which one or more contacts are provided is acceptable.

1 : Connector 2 : Circuit board 3 : Flat cable 4 : Board side electrode 5 : Notch 6 : Auxiliary notch 7 : Film 8 : Wiring pattern 9 : Cable side electrode 11 : Housing 11F : Housing front part 11R : Housing rear part 12 : Terminal member 12D : Lower terminal member 12U : Upper terminal member 13 : Retainer 15 : Board insertion part 16 : Terminal accommodating recess 16D : Lower terminal accommodating recess 16U : Upper terminal accommodating recess 18 : Board opening 19 : Left wall 20 : Right wall 21 : Upper wall 22 : Lower wall 23 : Bottom wall 25 : Board accommodating chamber 26 : Through hole 31 : Cable insertion part 32 : Terminal receiving recess 33 : Cable insertion opening 35 : Left wall 36 : Right wall 37 : Upper wall 38 : Lower wall 39 : Bottom wall 40 : Cable insertion chamber 42 : terminal accommodating chamber 42D : lower terminal accommodating chamber 42U : upper terminal accommodating chamber 45 : coupling structure 46 : protrusion 47 : receiving portion 48 : mounting hole 49 : pin 51 : board connection portion 52 : cable connection portion 53 : coupling portion 55 : housing 56 : spring piece 58 : bottom piece 59 : left side piece 60 : right side piece 62 : groove-shaped cross-sectional portion 63 : coupling piece 64 : tip portion 66 : lower piece 67 : folded portion 68 : upper piece 70 : hairpin-shaped portion 71 : first contact portion 72 : second contact portion 74 : protruding piece 75 : opening 78 : connection piece 80 : base portion 81 : arm portion 82 : protruding piece 84 : rearward extending portion 85 : central extending portion 86 : communication recess (communicating portion)
88: Through hole 90: Retainer body 91: Retainer holding portion 91A: Locking claw 92: Cable holding portion 93: Holding recess 94: Locking recess 95: Body receiving portion 96: Auxiliary recess

Claims (10)

A connector for connecting a circuit board having board-side electrodes on its front and back surfaces to a flexible flat cable having cable-side electrodes,
a housing including a board insertion portion into which the circuit board is to be inserted from the front side, a cable insertion portion into which the flat cable is to be inserted from the rear side at a position opposite to the board insertion portion, a plurality of upper terminal accommodating chambers including a portion located above the board insertion portion, and a plurality of lower terminal accommodating chambers including a portion located below the board insertion portion;
upper terminal members each accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber;
a lower terminal member accommodated in each of the lower terminal accommodating chambers, each of the upper terminal member and the lower terminal member including a board connection portion connected to the board-side electrode and a cable connection portion connected to the cable-side electrode,
the cable connection portion is formed to be narrower in the left-right direction than the board connection portion,
A connector in which the upper terminal member and the lower terminal member adjacent to each other are arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction at the board connection portion. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the upper terminal accommodating chamber and the lower terminal accommodating chamber are formed in a staggered arrangement above and below the board insertion portion. the board connection portion includes a housing and a spring piece supported by the housing and protruding from the housing;
the upper terminal member is supported by the housing such that the spring piece protrudes downward from the casing,
3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the lower terminal member is supported by the housing such that the spring piece projects upward from the casing. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the spring piece is supported to be able to swing on the left and right side surfaces of the housing and has two contacts arranged in a front-to-back arrangement. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the cable connection portion is located in the left-right center of the housing when viewed from the front-to-back direction. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the cable connection parts are U-shaped when viewed from the left and right, with their ends adjacent to each other and clamping the flat cable. The housing includes a housing rear portion constituting a rear portion and a housing front portion constituting a front portion,
The cable insertion portion is provided at the rear of the housing,
The board insertion portion is provided at the front portion of the housing,
A connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the upper terminal accommodating chamber and the lower terminal accommodating chamber are defined by connecting the front portion of the housing and the rear portion of the housing. a retainer that engages with the housing to hold the flat cable in the cable insertion portion,
The flat cable is provided with a through hole,
6. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the retainer includes a cable holding portion that passes through the through hole. A terminal member provided in the connector according to claim 1,
A rectangular parallelepiped housing that constitutes the board connection portion;
A connection piece constituting the cable connection portion;
A terminal member comprising: a connecting portion that connects the connecting piece to the housing. The terminal member according to claim 9, in which the connecting portion positions the connection piece at the center of the left and right of the housing when viewed from the front.

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