Electric connector with flat conductor, counterpart electric connector, and electric connector assembly

Abstract

The present invention provides an electric connector with flat conductors, a counterpart electric connector, and an electric connector assembly, wherein the connector does not become larger in the thickness direction of the flat conductors when two flat conductors are placed in opposition and parallel to each other. The flat conductors (C1, C2) are separated from each other in the thickness direction of the flat conductors, and one surface on which contact portions (C1A-1, C2A-1) are arranged serves as an inner side surface, and the inner side surfaces face each other. A receiving space (10D) for receiving an embedding portion (54) of a counterpart electric connector (2) is formed between the inner side surfaces. The housing (10) has a fitting portion (10A) capable of accommodating and supporting the front end portion of the flat conductor and fitting with the counterpart housing (50). The fitting portion can support the outer side surface of the front end portion of the flat conductor via fitting walls (11, 12) facing each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric connector with a flat conductor, a mating electric connector to be fitted therewith, and an electric connector assembly having two connectors. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector that receives the front end of a strip-shaped flat conductor extending in the front-to-back direction and electrically connects the flat conductor. In Patent Document 1, only one flat conductor (a "flexible printed wiring board" in Patent Document 1) is connected to the connector (connector device). The flat conductor has contact portions on both sides of its front end. The contact portion on one side serves as a signal wiring contact (connection terminal portion), while the contact portion on the other side serves as a grounding contact (ground contact portion).

[0003] The front end of the flat conductor is formed with a latching portion that engages with a latching portion provided on the connector to prevent accidental removal from the connector. Specifically, a portion of the two side edges of the front end of the flat conductor are cut away to form the latching portions (notched latching portions), which can engage with the latching portion of the connector. The front end of the flat conductor is made of a thicker base material than the rear end because of the latching force acting on it and the rigidity required when inserted into the connector.

[0004] As described above, Patent Document 1 provides signal wiring contacts on one surface and ground contacts on the other. However, in a flat conductor with contacts on both surfaces, the contacts on both surfaces can also be used for signal wiring. In this case, ensuring creepage distance between the signal wiring on both surfaces also requires a thicker tip portion of the flat conductor.

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5093340

[0006] Thus, a flat conductor with contact portions on both sides of its front end requires a large thickness. When the front end of such a flat conductor is connected to a connector, the connector terminals that contact the contact portions on both sides are located on the contact portions of the flat conductor. As a result, the connector becomes larger in the thickness direction of the flat conductor, resulting in an increase in the size of the connector itself. This situation applies not only to the case where a single flat conductor has contact portions formed on both sides, as in Patent Document 1, but also to the case where two flat conductors extending in the front-to-back direction are positioned opposite each other in their thickness direction, with the contact portions of each flat conductor located on the outer side surfaces (opposite sides) of the opposing direction. In this case, to ensure sufficient contact pressure between the contact portions of the flat conductors and the terminals of the mating electrical connector (the mating terminals), the rigidity of the front end of each flat conductor is increased to suppress elastic deformation of the front end. For this purpose, the thickness of the front end of each flat conductor also needs to be large. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric connector with flat conductors, a mating electric connector, and an electric connector assembly that do not increase the size of the connector in the thickness direction of the flat conductors when two flat conductors are used facing each other and arranged in parallel.

[0008] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problems are solved by the following electric connector with flat conductors according to the first invention, the counterpart electric connector according to the second invention, and the electric connector assembly according to the third invention.

[0009] <First Invention>

[0010] The first invention relates to an electrical connector with flat conductors for mating and connecting the front end portions of two strip-shaped flat conductors extending in the front-to-back direction to a mating electrical connector. The electrical connector with flat conductors comprises: the two flat conductors; a housing for accommodating the front end portions of the two flat conductors; and a retainer for supporting the front end portions of the two flat conductors on the housing.

[0011] In such an electrical connector with a flat conductor, in a first invention, it is characterized in that the flat conductor has a plurality of contact portions for connection to the above-mentioned counterpart electrical connector, and the plurality of contact portions are arranged and exposed in the width direction of the flat conductor at one surface of the above-mentioned front end side portion. The two flat conductors are separated from each other in the thickness direction of the flat conductors, with the one surface on which the contact portions are arranged as an inner side surface and the inner side surfaces facing each other. A receiving space for receiving an embedded portion is formed between the inner side surfaces of the front end side portions of the two flat conductors, and the embedded portion is arranged with the contacts provided on the above-mentioned counterpart electrical connector. The mating contact portion of the mating terminal of the connector, the housing having a fitting portion, the fitting portion being capable of accommodating and supporting the front end portions of the two flat conductors and being fitted with a mating housing provided on the mating electrical connector, the fitting portion having a fitting wall facing the outer side surface of the flat conductor, which is the other surface located on the opposite side to the one surface of the front end portion, and capable of supporting the outer side surface of the flat conductor by means of the fitting wall, the retaining member being located between the two flat conductors at a position different from the receiving space in the front-to-back direction and capable of supporting the two flat conductors in cooperation with the housing.

[0012] In the electrical connector with flat conductors according to the first invention, the two flat conductors are arranged so that contact portions exist on their inner sides, forming the aforementioned receiving space between them. In other words, the contact portions of the two flat conductors are separated by the size of the receiving space in the thickness direction of the flat conductors, ensuring a sufficiently large creepage distance between the two flat conductors. Furthermore, when the connector is mated, the insertion portion of the mating electrical connector fits into the aforementioned receiving space, and the mating contact portion of the mating terminal, located within the insertion portion, contacts the contact portion on the inner side of the flat conductor with contact pressure. Therefore, the mating terminal is not located on the outer side of the two flat conductors, thereby reducing the connector size in the thickness direction of the flat conductors compared to conventional connectors. Furthermore, when the connector is mated, the contact portions of the flat conductors receive pressure from the mating contact portion. However, the outer side of the front end of the flat conductor is supported by the mating wall of the housing, suppressing elastic deformation of the front end. This ensures a sufficiently large contact pressure between the contact portion and the mating contact portion. Therefore, there is no need to increase the thickness of the front end portion of the flat conductor itself, and as a result, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the connector itself in the thickness direction.

[0013] <Second Invention>

[0014] The second invention relates to a mating electrical connector that is mated and connected to the electrical connector with flat conductors involved in the first invention, and the above-mentioned mating electrical connector is characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of mating terminals, which are arranged corresponding to the plurality of contact portions of the above-mentioned two flat conductors; and a mating housing, which holds the above-mentioned plurality of terminals, and the above-mentioned plurality of mating terminals include: a mating terminal group on one side corresponding to the flat conductor on one side; and a mating terminal group on the other side corresponding to the flat conductor on the other side, and when the connectors are connected, the mating terminal groups on one side and the other side are arranged in the above-mentioned embedded portion that enters the above-mentioned receiving space of the above-mentioned electrical connector with flat conductors, and respectively contact the above-mentioned contact portions of the corresponding above-mentioned flat conductors.

[0015] The mating terminal groups provided on one side and the other side of the mating electrical connector are positioned within the receiving space of the electrical connector with the flat conductors, i.e., between the inner side surfaces of the front end portions of the two flat conductors, when the connectors are mated. In other words, the mating terminal groups on one side and the other side are not positioned on the outer side surfaces of the front end portions of the two flat conductors, thereby preventing the mating electrical connector from being enlarged in the thickness direction.

[0016] In the second invention, it may also be that the above-mentioned multiple object terminals have: object contact portions that are elastically displaced in the thickness direction of the above-mentioned flat conductor and can contact the above-mentioned contact portion of the above-mentioned flat conductor, the object contact portions of the object terminals of the above-mentioned one object terminal group and the object contact portions of the object terminals of the above-mentioned other object terminal group are arranged at different positions from each other in the bandwidth direction of the above-mentioned flat conductor, and when the above-mentioned object electrical connector is connected to the above-mentioned electrical connector with the flat conductor and the above-mentioned object contact portions of the above-mentioned multiple object terminals are elastically displaced, when observed in the bandwidth direction of the above-mentioned flat conductor, the elastic displacement ranges of the above-mentioned object contact portions of the object terminals of the above-mentioned one object terminal group and the above-mentioned object contact portions of the object terminals of the above-mentioned other object terminal group overlap with each other at least partially in the above-mentioned thickness direction.

[0017] By having such a structure, when the connector is in the engaged state, that is, when the above-mentioned object contact portion of the object terminal of one object terminal group and the above-mentioned object contact portion of the object terminal of the other object terminal group are elastically displaced respectively, the object contact portions of different object terminal groups can share the space within the thickness direction of the flat conductor, thereby realizing the miniaturization of the object electrical connector in the thickness direction and therefore the electrical connector with the flat conductor.

[0018] <Third Invention>

[0019] The electrical connector assembly involved in the third invention has the electrical connector with flat conductors involved in the first invention and the target electrical connector involved in the second invention, and the above-mentioned electrical connector assembly is characterized in that the above-mentioned target shell of the above-mentioned target electrical connector has a target fitting portion, the above-mentioned target fitting portion accommodates the above-mentioned target contact portions of the above-mentioned multiple target terminals and receives the above-mentioned fitting portion of the above-mentioned shell of the electrical connector with flat conductors, the above-mentioned target fitting portion has a target fitting wall, the above-mentioned target fitting wall is facing the outer surface of the fitting wall when the target fitting portion receives the above-mentioned fitting portion, and the above-mentioned outer surface of the above-mentioned fitting wall is supported by the inner surface of the above-mentioned target fitting wall.

[0020] In the third invention, in the mating state of the connectors, i.e., when the mating portion of the mating electrical connector receives the mating portion of the electrical connector with the flat conductor, the outer surface of the mating wall of the mating portion is supported by the inner surface of the mating wall of the mating portion. Therefore, the wall thickness of the mating portion (the dimension in the thickness direction of the flat conductor) can be reduced, and accordingly, the dimensions of the two connectors in the thickness direction of the flat conductor can be reduced.

[0021] In the third invention, the object mating wall of the object electrical connector may have a supporting protrusion on the inner surface of the object mating wall that protrudes toward the outer surface of the mating wall of the electrical connector with the flat conductor, and when the object mating part receives the mating part, the outer surface of the mating wall is supported by the protruding top surface of the supporting protrusion.

[0022] By providing the supporting protrusions on the inner surface of the mating wall, the mating wall partially supports the outer surface of the mating wall not through the entire inner surface but through the protruding top surfaces of the supporting protrusions, thereby achieving more reliable support.

[0023] In the third invention, the above-mentioned engaging wall may have a groove portion, which extends in the front-to-rear direction on the outer surface of the engaging wall and can receive the above-mentioned supporting protrusion portion from the front, and the above-mentioned supporting protrusion portion cooperates with the above-mentioned groove portion to limit the relative movement of the above-mentioned electrical connector with flat conductors and the above-mentioned counterpart electrical connector in the bandwidth direction of the above-mentioned flat conductors.

[0024] When the connectors are mated, the supporting protrusion of the mating electrical connector enters the groove of the electrical connector with the flat conductor, restricting relative movement of the connectors in the width direction of the flat conductor. This allows for good positioning of the two connectors in the width direction.

[0025] In the third invention, the support protrusion may be formed to extend in a front-rear direction over a range including a contact position between the contact portion of the flat conductor and the mating contact portion of the mating terminal when viewed in the width direction of the flat conductor.

[0026] The support protrusion is formed in a range including the above-mentioned contact position in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, even if the wall thickness of the mating wall of the electrical connector with a flat conductor is small, the protruding top surface of the support protrusion of the target electrical connector supports the outer surface of the above-mentioned mating wall in the above-mentioned range, thereby suppressing the elastic deformation of the mating wall, thereby ensuring sufficient contact pressure between the above-mentioned contact portion at the above-mentioned contact position and the above-mentioned target contact portion.

[0027] In the present invention, as described above, when the connector is mated, the insertion portion of the mating electrical connector is embedded in the receiving space, and the mating contact portion of the mating terminal provided in the insertion portion contacts the contact portion on the inner side surface of the flat conductor with contact pressure. Therefore, the mating terminal is not located on the outer side surfaces of the two flat conductors. Accordingly, the connector dimensions in the thickness direction of the flat conductors can be reduced compared to conventional connectors. Furthermore, the outer side surface of the front end portion of the flat conductor is supported by the mating wall of the housing, which suppresses elastic deformation of the front end portion and ensures a sufficiently high contact pressure between the contact portion and the mating contact portion. Therefore, the thickness of the front end portion of the flat conductor itself does not need to be increased, resulting in the connector itself being prevented from being enlarged in the thickness direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the electric connector assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear side, showing a state before the connectors are mated.

[0029] Figure 2 Observed from the rear Figure 1 , and shows the state after the connector is fitted.

[0030] Figure 3 It will Figure 1 A perspective view showing components of an electrical connector with flat conductors in an electrical connector assembly in a separated state.

[0031] Figure 4 (A) is a top view of the upper flat conductor, and (B) is a top view of the lower flat conductor.

[0032] Figure 5 Observed from the front Figure 1 A perspective view of an electrical connector with flat conductors in an electrical connector assembly.

[0033] Figure 6 relative to Figure 1 A sectional view of an electrical connector with a flat conductor taken at a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction, showing a cross section at the positions of a locking arm portion of a housing and a locked portion of a flat conductor.

[0034] Figure 7 is relative to Figure 1 A sectional view taken at right angles to the vertical direction of an electrical connector with flat conductors, showing a cross section at the positions of the side arm portion of the housing and the side locked portion of the retainer.

[0035] Figure 8 Observed from the rear Figure 1 A perspective view of an electrical connector of a target electrical connector assembly.

[0036] Figure 9 (A) is a perspective view of the upper side target terminal as viewed from the rear side, and (B) is a perspective view of the lower side target terminal as viewed from the rear side.

[0037] Figure 10 (A) is viewed from the bottom Figure 8 A partial enlarged view of the target electrical connector, (B) is viewed from the rear Figure 8 A partial enlarged view of the object electrical connector.

[0038] Figure 11 is relative to Figure 2 sectional views of an electrical connector assembly taken at right angles to the connector width direction, (A) showing a cross section at the position of the upper mating terminal, and (B) showing a cross section at the position of the lower mating terminal.

[0039] Figure 12 (A) is relative to Figure 2 A sectional view of the electrical connector assembly taken at a right angle to the connector width direction, showing a cross section of the upper groove portion of the housing and the upper support protrusion portion of the target housing, (B) is a partial enlarged view of (A), and (C) is a partial enlarged view of (A). Figure 2 The figure is a cross-sectional view of an electrical connector assembly taken at a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the embodiment of the present invention, with the cross section at the position of the upper groove portion of the housing and the upper support protrusion portion of the counterpart housing partially enlarged and shown.

[0040] Description of Reference Numerals

[0041] 1...Connector (electrical connector with flat conductors); 2...Mating connector (mating electrical connector); 10...Housing; 10A...Mating portion; 10D...Front receiving space; 11...Front upper wall (mating wall); 11F...Upper groove; 12...Front lower wall (mating wall); 12A...Lower groove; 20...Retainer; 30...Upper mating terminal; 32A...Upper rear mating contact portion; 33A...Upper front mating contact portion; 40... .Lower side object terminal; 42A...lower side rear object contact portion; 43A...lower side front object contact portion; 50...object housing; 50A...object fitting portion; 51...object upper wall (object fitting wall); 51E...upper side supporting protrusion; 52...object lower wall (object fitting wall); 52A...lower side supporting protrusion; C1...upper side flat conductor; C1A-1...upper side contact portion; C2...lower side flat conductor; C2A-1...lower side contact portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0043] Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 is a perspective view of an electrical connector assembly according to this embodiment. Figure 1 Shows the state of the connector before mating. Figure 2 Shows the connector in a mated state. Figure 3 It will Figure 1 A perspective view showing the components of an electrical connector assembly with flat conductors, separated from each other. In this embodiment, the electrical connector assembly comprises: an electrical connector 1 with flat conductors (hereinafter referred to as "connector 1") that is pluggable and removable, with the front-to-back direction (X-axis direction) serving as the connector insertion and removal direction; and a mating electrical connector (hereinafter referred to as "material connector 2"). Connector 1 engages with mater connector 2 mounted on the mounting surface of circuit board P, facing forward (X1 direction), and is mated and connected to mater connector 2.

[0044] Connector 1 includes two flat conductors C1 and C2 extending in the front-to-back direction; a housing 10 that accommodates the front ends of the flat conductors C1 and C2; and a retainer 20 attached to the housing 10 to support the front ends of the flat conductors C1 and C2 from behind. The housing 10 and retainer 20 are made of an electrically insulating material such as resin.

[0045] The two flat conductors C1 and C2 are strip-shaped, extending in the front-to-back direction (X-axis direction) with the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) as the width direction. Their surfaces face each other at positions separated from each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). In this embodiment, the flat conductor C1 located on the upper side (Z1 side) of the two flat conductors C1 and C2 is referred to as the "upper flat conductor C1," and the flat conductor C2 located on the lower side (Z2 side) is referred to as the "lower flat conductor C2." Unless otherwise required, the two are referred to as "flat conductors C1 and C2."

[0046] Figure 4 (A) is a top view of the upper flat conductor C1, and (B) is a top view of the lower flat conductor C2. The upper flat conductor C1 has a plurality of circuit portions C1A extending in the front-to-back direction arranged along the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the upper flat conductor C1 on one surface, i.e., the lower surface (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 11 (A)). The circuit portion C1A is exposed on the lower surface and reaches the front end position (the end position on the X1 side) of the flat conductor C1. The front end side portion of the circuit portion C1A becomes the upper contact portion C1A-1 (see FIG. 1 ) for contacting the upper mating terminal 30 of the mating connector 2 described later. Figure 11 (A)) In addition, the upper rectangular conductor C1 is configured such that a front end portion inserted into an upper insertion space 10F of the housing 10 described later is wider than other portions in the width direction.

[0047] like Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As can be seen in (A), in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the upper flat conductor C1, a hole portion C1B is formed at the side edge portion of the upper flat conductor C1 located on the Y1 side, penetrating the thickness direction (Z-axis direction) of the upper flat conductor C1. The front edge of the hole portion C1B functions as a locked portion C1B-1 that is locked to the upper locking protrusion 15A-1 of the housing 10 described later (see Figure 6 In addition, a notch C1C is formed in the side edge portion located on the Y2 side, and an ear portion C1D is formed in front of this notch C1C, protruding outward in the belt width direction. The rear edge of the ear portion C1D functions as a latched portion C1D-1 that latches with the upper latching protrusion 15A-1 of the housing 10, described later. The rear edges of both sides of the front end portion of the upper flat conductor C1 in the belt width direction function as lateral supported portions C1E, which are supported from behind by the support wall portions 22 of the retaining member 20, described later. Furthermore, a reinforcing plate C1F is attached to the other surface, i.e., the upper surface, of the front end portion of the upper flat conductor C1 to reinforce the front end portion.

[0048] The lower flat conductor C2 is formed such that the hole portion C1B and the notch portion C1C of the upper flat conductor C1 are interchanged in the above-mentioned width direction (Y-axis direction). Figure 6 In other words, when the lower flat conductor C2 is in a position where one surface, i.e., the surface on which the circuit portion C2A is formed, is the upper surface, the hole portion C2B is located on the same side as the hole portion C1B of the upper flat conductor C1, i.e., the Y1 side, and the notch portion C2C is located on the same side as the notch portion C1C of the upper flat conductor C1, i.e., the Y2 side (see FIG. Figure 6 (A) and (B) of the figure. The lower flat conductor C2 is identical to the upper flat conductor C1 in the following respects: the front end portion of the circuit portion C2A functions as the lower contact portion C2A-1; the front edge of the hole portion C2B functions as the retained portion C2B-1; the rear edge of the ear portion C2D located in front of the notch portion C2C functions as the retained portion C2D-1; the rear edges of both side edges of the front end portion of the lower flat conductor C2 function as lateral supported portions C2E; and a reinforcing plate C2F is attached to the other side, i.e., the lower surface, of the front end portion of the lower flat conductor C2.

[0049] In this embodiment, the hole C1B and the notch C1C of the upper flat conductor C1 are formed in the same shape as the hole C2B and the notch C2C of the lower flat conductor C2, but are located at positions offset in the front-to-back direction relative to the hole C2B and the notch C2C. Figure 4 (A) and Figure 4 As can be seen from the comparison in Figure (B), the hole C1B of the upper flat conductor C1 is located slightly forward (on the X1 side) of the hole C2B of the lower flat conductor C2, and the notch C1C of the upper flat conductor C1 is located slightly rearward (on the X2 side) of the notch C2C of the lower flat conductor C2. By making the notches and holes positions different in the front-to-back direction, it is possible to prevent the upper flat conductor C1 and the lower flat conductor C2 from being mistakenly interchanged and then mounted in the housing 10.

[0050] like Figure 3 As can be seen, the housing 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) as the long side direction, and has a fitting portion 10A that fits with the mating housing 50 described later in the approximately front half (the portion on the X1 side), and has a retainer mounting portion 10B to which the retainer 20 is mounted from the rear in the approximately rear half (the portion on the X2 side). In addition, a partition wall 10C (see FIG. 1 ) extending in the connector width direction is provided in the interior space of the housing 10 at the middle position of the fitting portion 10A in the front-to-back direction (X-axis direction). Figure 7), the interior space is divided in the front-to-back direction by a partition wall 10C. Specifically, the interior space is divided into a front receiving space 10D formed forward of the partition wall 10C and a rear receiving space 10E formed rearward of the partition wall 10C. The front receiving space 10D is used to receive the later-described insertion portion 54 of the mating connector 2 from the front when the connectors are mated. The rear receiving space 10E is used to receive the retainer 20 from the rear.

[0051] In addition, in the internal space of the housing 10, a space extending in the front-to-back direction along the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper wall (the front upper wall 11 and the rear upper wall 16 described later) of the housing 10 is formed as an upper insertion space 10F (see Figure 6 The upper insertion space 10F accommodates the front end portion of the upper flat conductor C1 inserted from the rear (see Figure 6 When the front end portion of the upper flat conductor C1 is accommodated in the upper insertion space 10F, the lower surface of the upper wall of the housing 10 is in surface contact with or close to the upper surface of the upper flat conductor C1 and can support the upper surface of the upper flat conductor C1.

[0052] In addition, in the internal space of the housing 10, a space extending in the front-to-back direction along the inner surface (upper surface) of the lower wall (the front lower wall 12 and the rear lower wall 17 described later) of the housing 10 is formed as a lower insertion space 10G (see Figure 6 The lower insertion space 10G accommodates the front end portion of the lower flat conductor C2 inserted from the rear (see Figure 6 When the front end portion of the lower flat conductor C2 is accommodated in the lower insertion space 10G, the upper surface of the lower wall of the housing 10 is in surface contact with or close to the lower surface of the lower flat conductor C2, and can support the lower surface of the lower flat conductor C2.

[0053] Thus, in this embodiment, the upper and lower walls of the housing 10 each support the leading ends of the corresponding flat conductors C1 and C2. Therefore, when the connector is mated, when the contact portions C1A-1 and C2A-1 of the flat conductors C1 and C2 receive pressing force from the mating contact portions 32A, 33A, 42A, and 43A of the mating terminals 30 and 40, described later, the leading ends of the flat conductors C1 and C2 are supported by the upper and lower walls of the housing 10, suppressing elastic deformation of the leading ends. This ensures a sufficiently high contact pressure between the contact portions C1A-1 and C2A-1 and the mating contact portions 32A, 33A, 42A, and 43A. Consequently, the leading ends of the flat conductors C1 and C2 do not need to be thicker. Consequently, the connector 1 itself can be prevented from increasing in size in the vertical direction, i.e., in the thickness direction of the flat conductors C1 and C2.

[0054] like Figure 5 As can be seen, the fitting portion 10A has: a front upper wall 11 and a front lower wall 12, which extend in the width direction of the connector and are opposite to each other in the up and down directions and serve as fitting walls; a pair of front side walls 13, which extend in the up and down directions at both end positions in the width direction of the connector and connect the front upper wall 11 and the front lower wall 12; and a plurality of partition walls 14, which extend in the up and down directions in the middle area in the width direction of the connector and connect the front upper wall 11 and the front lower wall 12.

[0055] On the front upper wall 11, protruding walls 11A to 11D are formed at both end positions in the width direction of the connector and at two positions in the middle region. Figure 3 as well as Figure 5 As can be seen, the protruding walls 11A to 11D are spaced in order from the Y1 side to the Y2 side. The first and fourth protruding walls 11A and 11D are located at either end of the front upper wall 11 in the connector width direction, and are divided in the connector width direction by grooves that open in the front and top and extend in the front-to-back direction. The second and third protruding walls 11B and 11C are located in the middle of the front upper wall 11 in the connector width direction, with the second protruding wall 11B being slightly wider than the third protruding wall 11C.

[0056] Furthermore, a cantilevered locking arm 11E is formed between the second protruding wall 11B and the third protruding wall 11C, at the center of the front upper wall 11 in the connector width direction. The locking arm 11E extends rearward from the front end of the upper surface of the front upper wall 11 to the rear end of the housing 10. The locking arm 11E extends at this position, spaced apart from the upper surface of the front upper wall 11, and is elastically displaceable in the vertical direction. Furthermore, an upwardly projecting locking protrusion 11E-1 is formed at the center of the locking arm 11E in the front-to-back direction. This locking protrusion 11E-1 can be locked by engaging with a locking hole 51F (described later) of the mating connector 2. Furthermore, the free end, or rear end, of the locking arm 11E functions as an operating portion 11E-2 that receives a pressing operation (unlocking operation) from above to release the locked state with the mating connector 2.

[0057] On the upper surface of the front upper wall 11, an upper groove portion 11F and an upper protrusion portion 11G extending in the front-back direction are formed at a position closer to and outward of the second protrusion wall 11B in the connector width direction and closer to and outward of the third protrusion wall 11C in the connector width direction. Figure 5 As can be seen, upper groove 11F is formed at the front end of front upper wall 11, recessed from the upper surface of front upper wall 11. As will be described later, upper groove 11F allows mating connector 2 to enter from the front of upper support protrusion 51E. Upper protrusion 11G is formed at the rear end of front upper wall 11, protruding from the upper surface of front upper wall 11. As will be described later, upper protrusion 11G contacts the inner surface (lower surface) of mating upper wall 51 of mating connector 2.

[0058] When viewed in the vertical direction, a lower groove portion 12A having the same shape as the upper groove portion 11F and the upper protrusion portion 11G is formed on the lower surface of the front lower wall 12 at the same position as the upper groove portion 11F and the upper protrusion portion 11G of the front upper wall 11 (see FIG. Figure 12 (A), (C)) and the lower protrusion 12B (see Figure 12 (A)).

[0059] like Figure 5 As can be seen, the front side wall 13 has a side projection 13A formed on the rear end side of the front side wall 13, which protrudes from the side surface (outer surface) of the front side wall 13 and extends in the front-to-back direction. As will be described later, the side projection 13A contacts the inner surface of the mating side wall 53 of the mating connector 2.

[0060] like Figure 5 As can be seen, the partition walls 14 are arranged at equal intervals in the connector width direction, and the front receiving space 10D is divided in the connector width direction by these partition walls 14. Figure 7 As can be seen, the outermost partition wall 14 in the connector width direction is located at the same position as both ends of the partition wall 10C. The outermost partition wall 14 and the partition wall 10C are spaced apart from the inner surface of the front side wall 13 in the connector width direction. In the space forming this space, a locking arm portion 15 extending in the front-to-back direction is provided to lock with the flat conductors C1 and C2. Figure 6 As can be seen, the locking arm portion 15 includes an upper locking arm portion 15A capable of locking with the upper flat conductor C1 and a lower locking arm portion 15B capable of locking with the lower flat conductor C2. The locking arm portion 15 is configured such that its rear end portion is connected to the outer surface of the partition wall 10C and the inner surface of the front wall 13 (see FIG. Figure 7 ), forming a cantilever beam extending from the rear end toward the front, and capable of elastic deformation in the vertical direction. Figure 6 As can be seen, the upper locking arm 15A is formed slightly longer than the lower locking arm 15B, and the front end (free end) of the upper locking arm 15A is located forward of the front end (free end) of the lower locking arm 15B.

[0061] An upper locking protrusion 15A-1 is formed at the front end (free end) of the upper locking arm 15A, projecting upward and capable of locking with the locked portions C1B-1 and C1D-1 of the upper flat conductor C1. The front end surface of the upper locking protrusion 15A-1 is a flat locking surface perpendicular to the front-to-back direction. This locking surface locks the locked portions C1B-1 and C1D-1 of the upper flat conductor C1 from behind, preventing the upper flat conductor C1 from accidentally falling out. Furthermore, the rear end surface of the upper locking protrusion 15A-1 is an inclined surface that tilts upward as it approaches the front. When the upper flat conductor C1 is inserted and installed into the upper insertion space 10F of the housing 10 from the rear, the front end of the upper flat conductor C1 abuts against this inclined surface, causing the upper locking arm 15A to elastically deform downward, allowing smooth insertion toward the front of the upper flat conductor C1.

[0062] like Figure 6 As can be seen, a lower locking protrusion 15B-1 is formed at the front end (free end) of the lower locking arm 15B, projecting upward and capable of engaging with the locked portions C2B-1 and C2D-1 of the lower flat conductor C2. The lower locking protrusion 15B-1 is a vertically inverted version of the upper locking protrusion 15A-1 described above, and has the same function as the upper locking protrusion 15A-1.

[0063] like Figure 3As can be seen, the retainer fitting portion 10B includes a rear upper wall 16 and a rear lower wall 17 extending in the connector width direction and facing each other in the vertical direction, and a pair of rear side walls 18 extending in the vertical direction at both ends of the connector width direction and connecting the rear upper wall 16 and the rear lower wall 17. The retainer fitting portion 10B is formed larger than the fitting portion 10A in the connector width direction, and the rear side walls 18 are located outward of the front side walls 13 in the connector width direction.

[0064] On the rear upper wall 16, near the center in the connector width direction, restricting walls 16A are formed, projecting from the upper surface of the rear upper wall 16 on either side of the operating portion 11E-2 of the lock arm 11E. These restricting walls 16A are located so as to abut against the operating portion 11E-2 in the connector width direction, limiting excessive elastic deformation of the lock arm 11E in the connector width direction. On the rear upper wall 16, near the side ends in the connector width direction, rear upper grooves 16B are formed, recessed from the lower surface of the rear upper wall 16 and extending in the front-to-back direction. These grooves 16B are open rearward, allowing the retainer 20 to enter from behind the upper portion of the support wall 22, described later.

[0065] Furthermore, a rear lower groove portion 17A is formed in the rear lower wall 17 at the same position as the rear upper groove portion 16B when viewed in the vertical direction. The rear lower groove portion 17A is recessed from the upper surface of the rear lower wall 17 and extends in the front-to-back direction. The rear lower groove portion 17A is open to the rear, allowing the holder 20 to enter from the rear of the lower portion of the support wall portion 22 described later.

[0066] like Figure 7 As can be seen, the rear side wall 18 is formed with a side arm portion 18A extending forward along the inner surface of the rear end portion of the rear side wall 18. The side arm portion 18A is in the shape of a cantilever beam with a free front end, and is capable of elastic deformation in the connector width direction. The front end portion of the side arm portion 18A is formed with a side locking protrusion 18A-1 that protrudes inward in the connector width direction. The side locking protrusion 18A-1 can be locked from the rear with its front end surface (a flat surface at right angles to the front-to-back direction) relative to the side locking portion 22A of the retainer 20, which will be described later, to prevent the retainer 20 from accidentally falling off.

[0067] In this embodiment, if Figure 3 As can be seen, a drip-proof wall 10H protruding from the upper surface of the housing 10 is formed at the boundary position between the fitting portion 10A and the retainer fitting portion 10B in the front-rear direction and outside the limiting wall 16A in the connector width direction. Figure 2As can be seen, the drip-proof wall 10H is located so as to close the gap formed between the front upper wall 11 of the connector 1 and the mating upper wall 51 of the mating connector 2 when the connectors are in the mating state. By closing the gap in this way, the drip-proof wall 10H prevents water droplets generated by condensation on the outside of the connector from entering the interior of the mating connector 2.

[0068] In this embodiment, if Figures 1 to 3 As can be seen, a rearwardly open rearward recess 10I is formed behind the drip wall 10H. Therefore, when manufacturing the housing 10, after the housing 10 is formed by positioning a mold (not shown) from the rear, the mold can be simply withdrawn to form the drip wall 10H. In other words, there is no need to prepare multiple molds to form the drip wall 10H, allowing the mold to have a simple shape.

[0069] like Figure 3 As can be seen, the retainer 20 includes a solid central plate portion 21 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, with its longitudinal sides extending in the connector width direction, and support walls 22 formed at both ends of the central plate portion 21 in the connector width direction. The support walls 22 are located at the same positions as the lateral supported portions C1E and C2E of the flat conductors C1 and C2 in the connector width direction and are formed to extend vertically across the area encompassing the flat conductors C1 and C2. When the retainer 20 is mounted in the housing 10, the front end surfaces of the support walls 22 (flat surfaces perpendicular to the front-to-back direction) are positioned in proximity to the lateral supported portions C1E and C2E of the flat conductors C1 and C2 from behind. Therefore, the support walls 22 can support the lateral supported portions C1E and C2E of the flat conductors C1 and C2 from behind.

[0070] like Figure 3 As can be seen, a claw-shaped side latched portion 22A is formed at the front end of the support wall portion 22, protruding from the side outer surface (the surface located outside in the connector width direction) of the support wall portion 22 and extending in the vertical direction. Figure 7 As can be seen, when the retainer 20 is attached to the housing 10, the side locking protrusions 18A-1 of the housing 10 are positioned behind the side locked portions 22A, capable of being locked. In other words, in this embodiment, the side locking protrusions 18A-1 of the housing 10 can be locked from behind the side locked portions 22A of the retainer 20, and the support walls 22 of the retainer 20 can support the side supported portions C1E and C2E of the flat-type conductors C1 and C2 from behind. In other words, the retainer 20 can cooperate with the housing 10 to support the flat-type conductors C1 and C2.

[0071] The connector 1 is assembled using the following method. First, the flat conductors C1 and C2 are installed into the housing 10 from the rear. Specifically, the front end of the upper flat conductor C1 is inserted into the upper insertion space 10F of the housing 10 from the rear. During the insertion of the upper flat conductor C1, the front end of the upper flat conductor C1 abuts against the upper retaining protrusion 15A-1 of the upper retaining arm 15A, causing the upper retaining arm 15A to elastically deform downward, thereby allowing further insertion of the upper flat conductor C1. When the hole C1B and notch C1C of the upper flat conductor C1 reach the positions of the corresponding upper retaining protrusions 15A-1, the upper retaining arm 15A returns to a free state, and the upper retaining protrusion 15A-1 enters the hole C1B and notch C1C from below. As a result, the upper flat conductor C1 is locked to the locked portions C1B- 1 and C1D- 1 from behind, and is temporarily held by the housing 10 , thereby preventing the upper flat conductor C1 from accidentally falling off.

[0072] Furthermore, the front end portion of the lower flat conductor C2 is inserted from the rear into the lower insertion space 10G of the housing 10. After the lower flat conductor C2 is inserted by elastically deforming the lower locking arm 15B upward in the same manner as described for the upper flat conductor C1, the lower locking projection 15B-1 of the lower locking arm 15B, which has returned to its free state, is locked from the rear with respect to the locked portions C2B-1 and C2D-1 within the hole C2B and the notch C2C. This temporarily holds the lower flat conductor C2 in the housing 10, preventing it from accidentally falling out.

[0073] Next, after positioning the retainer 20 between the upper flat conductor C1 and the lower flat conductor C2, the retainer 20 is inserted into the rear receiving space 10E of the housing 10 from the rear and mounted on the housing 10. During the insertion of the retainer 20, the front end of the side latched portion 22A of the retainer 20 abuts against the side latching protrusion 18A-1 of the side arm 18A, causing the side arm 18A to elastically deform outward in the connector width direction, thereby allowing further insertion of the retainer 20. When the side latched portion 22A passes the position of the side latching protrusion 18A-1, the side arm 18A returns to a free state, and the side latching protrusion 18A-1 exists so as to be latchable relative to the side latched portion 22A from the rear (see FIG. 2 ). Figure 7 ), to prevent the retaining member 20 from accidentally falling off.

[0074] When the retainer 20 is installed, the front end surfaces of the support walls 22 of the retainer 20 approach and abut the lateral supported portions C1E and C2E of the flat conductors C1 and C2 from behind. As a result, the support walls 22 support the lateral supported portions C1E and C2E of the flat conductors C1 and C2 from behind, preventing them from accidentally falling off. Furthermore, the center plate 21 is positioned so that the front ends of the flat conductors C1 and C2 can be supported vertically by each other, thereby maintaining their front-to-back extension. The retainer 20 is thus attached to the housing 10, completing assembly of the connector 1.

[0075] The connector 1 is configured so that the contact portions C1A-1 and C2A-1 are located on the inner side surfaces of the two flat conductors C1 and C2, forming a front receiving space 10D between the inner side surfaces. In other words, the contact portions C1A-1 and C2A-1 of the two flat conductors C1 and C2 are separated vertically, i.e., in the thickness direction of the flat conductors C1 and C2, by the size of the front receiving space 10D, thereby ensuring a sufficiently large creepage distance between the two flat conductors C1 and C2. Furthermore, when the connector is mated, the later-described insertion portion 54 of the mating connector 2 is inserted into the front receiving space 10D of the connector 1, and the mating contact portions 32A, 33A, 42A, and 43A of the later-described mating terminals 30 and 40, disposed in the insertion portion 54, contact the contact portions C1A-1 and C2A-1 on the inner side surfaces of the flat conductors C1 and C2 with contact pressure. Therefore, the mating terminals 30 and 40 are not located on the outer side surfaces of the two flat conductors C1 and C2 , and accordingly, the connector size in the thickness direction of the flat conductors can be reduced compared to conventional connectors.

[0076] like Figure 8 As can be seen, the object connector 2 has: a plurality of object terminals 30, 40, which are arranged in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) corresponding to the plurality of contact portions C1A-1, C2A-1 of the flat conductors C1, C2 of the connector 1; an object housing 50, which is press-fitted to retain the plurality of object terminals 30, 40; and a fixing metal member 60, which is press-fitted to retain the object housing 50 outside the arrangement range of the object terminals 30, 40 in the connector width direction.

[0077] The plurality of counterpart terminals 30 and 40 include: one counterpart terminal group corresponding to the upper flat conductor C1 of the connector 1 and the other counterpart terminal group corresponding to the lower flat conductor C2 of the connector 1. Specifically, one counterpart terminal group includes a plurality of upper counterpart terminals 30 that can be connected to the upper flat conductor C1, and the other counterpart terminal group includes a plurality of lower counterpart terminals 40 that can be connected to the lower flat conductor C2. Figure 9 As can be seen, the mating terminals 30 and 40 are produced by punching a metal plate member along its thickness direction, forming a flat plate shape with a flat plate surface. The upper mating terminals 30 and the lower mating terminals 40 are arranged alternately with the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) being the terminal arrangement direction, with their thickness directions aligned.

[0078] In this embodiment, when the connector is mated, the arms 32 and 33 (described later) of the upper mating terminal 30 and the arms 42 and 43 (described later) of the lower mating terminal 40 are positioned within the front receiving space 10D of the connector 1, that is, between the inner side surfaces of the front ends of the two flat conductors C1 and C2. In other words, the arms 32, 33, 42, and 43 are not positioned outside the front ends of the two flat conductors C1 and C2, thereby preventing an increase in the size of the mating connector 2 itself in the vertical direction.

[0079] like Figure 9 As can be seen in (A), the upper object terminal 30 has: an upper base 31 that is roughly in the shape of a square plate; an upper long arm 32 and an upper short arm 33 extending rearward from the rear edge of the upper base 31 (the edge extending in the up and down directions on the X2 side); an upper leg 34 extending downward from the lower edge of the front end of the upper base 31; and an upper connecting portion 35 extending forward from the lower end of the upper leg 34.

[0080] The upper base 31 is provided with a press-in protrusion 31A protruding from the upper edge of the upper base 31 at the middle position and the front end position in the front-back direction. The upper object terminal 30 is pressed into the upper holding groove 50B-1A described later of the object housing 50 from the front and the press-in protrusion 31A is sunk into the inner surface of the upper holding groove 50B-1A, thereby being retained by the object housing 50 (see Figure 11 (A)).

[0081] The upper long arm portion 32 extends forward from the rear edge of the lower portion of the upper base portion 31 and is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. An upper rear mating contact portion 32A, which contacts the upper contact portion C1A-1 of the upper flat conductor C1 from below with contact pressure, is formed at the front end of the upper long arm portion 32 and projects upward in a generally triangular shape. The upper rear mating contact portion 32A projects vertically to approximately the same height as an upper front mating contact portion 33A of the upper short arm portion 33, described later.

[0082] The upper short arm portion 33 is located above the upper long arm portion 32, extending forward from the rear edge of the vertically intermediate portion of the upper base portion 31, and is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. An upper front counter-contact portion 33A, which contacts the upper contact portion C1A-1 of the upper flat conductor C1 from below with contact pressure, is formed at the front end of the upper short arm portion 33 in a generally triangular shape. The upper short arm portion 33 is slightly shorter than the upper long arm portion 32, with its front end positioned forward (toward the X1 direction) of the front end of the upper long arm portion 32. In other words, the upper front counter-contact portion 33A of the upper short arm portion 33 is positioned forward of the upper rear counter-contact portion 32A of the upper long arm portion 32.

[0083] like Figure 3 as well as Figure 11 As can be seen in (A), the upper rear object contact portion 32A and the upper front object contact portion 33A are located at almost the same height and exist adjacent to each other in the front-to-back direction. Figure 11 As can be seen in (A), the upper rear mating contact portion 32A and the upper front mating contact portion 33A protrude beyond the upper surface of the later-described insertion portion 54 of the mating housing 50, are located within the later-described mating receiving space 50C, and are capable of contacting the upper contact portion C1A-1 of the upper flat conductor C1. In this embodiment, by enabling two-point contact with the upper contact portion C1A-1, good contact with the upper contact portion C1A-1 is ensured.

[0084] The upper leg portion 34 extends linearly downward from the lower edge of the upper base portion 31. The upper connecting portion 35 is mounted on the circuit board P (see FIG. Figure 1 ) is located at the same height as the corresponding circuit portion (not shown) formed on the mounting surface of the circuit substrate P (refer to Figure 11 (A)) and can be soldered and connected relative to the corresponding circuit portion.

[0085] like Figure 9As can be seen in (B), the lower object terminal 40 is shaped such that the upper base 31 (excluding the press-in protrusion 31A), the upper long arm 32, and the upper short arm 33 of the upper object terminal 30 are reversed upside down and the upper leg 34 is shortened. Figure 9 In (B), the parts of the lower object terminal 40 corresponding to the parts of the upper object terminal 30 are marked with the reference numerals obtained by adding "10" to the reference numerals of the upper object terminal 30. In other words, the lower object terminal 40 has a lower base 41, a lower long arm portion 42, a lower short arm portion 43, a lower leg portion 44, and a lower connecting portion 45, and can contact the lower contact portion C2A-1 of the lower flat conductor C2 with contact pressure from above through the lower rear object contact portion 42A of the lower long arm portion 42 and the lower front object contact portion 43A of the lower short arm portion 43 (see Figure 11 (B)). In addition, for the lower object terminal 40, corresponding to the lower leg portion 44 being shorter than the upper leg portion 34 of the upper object terminal 30, the lower base portion 41, the lower long arm portion 42, and the lower short arm portion 43 are located below the upper base portion 31, the upper long arm portion 32, and the upper short arm portion 33 of the upper object terminal 30.

[0086] like Figure 9 As can be seen in (B), the lower base 41 is provided with a press-in protrusion 41A protruding from the upper edge of the lower base 41 at the middle position and the front end position in the front-back direction. The lower object terminal 40 is pressed into the lower retaining groove 50B-1B described later of the object housing 50 from the front, so that the press-in protrusion 41A is sunk into the inner surface of the lower retaining groove 50B-1B, thereby being retained by the object housing 50 (see Figure 11 (B)).

[0087] In this embodiment, when viewed in the width direction of the connector, the upper object terminal 30 and the lower object terminal 40 exist with a partially overlapping range in the vertical direction. Therefore, the upper object terminal 30 and the lower object terminal 40 can share the space within the vertical range with each other, and the object connector 2 and thus the connector 1 can be miniaturized in the vertical direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the arms 32 and 33 of the upper object terminal 30 and the arms 42 and 43 of the lower object terminal 40 also partially overlap in the vertical direction in the free state, but repetition in the free state is not necessary. For example, the arms of the upper object terminal and the arms of the lower object terminal may not overlap in the free state, but at least a portion of their elastic displacement ranges may overlap with each other in the vertical direction when they are in an elastically deformed state. Such a structure can also achieve miniaturization of the object connector and thus the connector in the vertical direction.

[0088] like Figure 8As can be seen, the object shell 50 is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape with the width direction of the connector (Y-axis direction) as the long side direction, and has an object fitting portion 50A that fits with the shell 10 of the connector 1 in the portion from the position close to the front end to the rear end position, and has an object terminal retaining portion 50B that is pressed into and retains the object terminals 30 and 40 on the front end side.

[0089] The mating portion 50A includes an upper mating wall 51 and a lower mating wall 52, which extend in the connector width direction and face each other in the vertical direction and serve as mating walls; a pair of mating side walls 53, which extend vertically at both ends in the connector width direction and connect the upper mating wall 51 and the lower mating wall 52; and an insert portion 54, which extends forward from the rear end surface of the mating terminal holding portion 50B within the interior space of the mating portion 50A. The rearwardly open annular space between the upper mating wall 51, the lower mating wall 52, the side walls 53, and the insert portion 54 forms a mating-side receiving space 50C for receiving the mating portion 10A of the connector 1.

[0090] The target upper wall 51 is formed with target protruding walls 51A to 51D protruding from the lower surface of the target upper wall 51 and extending in the front-rear direction at four locations in the connector width direction. Figure 8 As can be seen, the mating protrusions 51A to 51D are sequentially spaced from the Y1 side to the Y2 side, and include a first mating protrusion 51A, a second mating protrusion 51B, a third mating protrusion 51C, and a fourth mating protrusion 51D. The first mating protrusion 51A and the fourth mating protrusion 51D are formed to be wider in the connector width direction, while the second mating protrusion 51B and the third mating protrusion 51C are formed to be narrower than the first mating protrusion 51A and the fourth mating protrusion 51D. Furthermore, the second mating protrusion 51B is formed to be slightly wider than the third mating protrusion 51C.

[0091] The first mating protrusion 51A corresponds to the space between the first protrusion 11A and the second protrusion 11B of the connector 1 in the connector width direction. The second mating protrusion 51B corresponds to the space between the second protrusion 11B and the locking arm 11E of the connector 1 in the connector width direction. The third mating protrusion 51C corresponds to the space between the locking arm 11E and the third protrusion 11C of the connector 1 in the connector width direction. The fourth mating protrusion 51D corresponds to the space between the third protrusion 11C and the fourth protrusion 11D of the connector 1 in the connector width direction. These mating protrusions 51A to 51D extend from the front into the corresponding spaces of the connector 1 when the connectors are mated.

[0092] On the lower surfaces of the first mating protruding wall 51A and the fourth mating protruding wall 51D, rib-shaped upper support protrusions 51E extending in the front-rear direction are formed. Figure 10 (A) and (B) show the upper supporting protrusion 51E of the first object protrusion 51A, which is formed in the approximately front half of the first object protrusion 51A, protruding from the lower surface of the first object protrusion 51A at a position close to the Y2 side in the connector width direction, and extending in the front-to-back direction. When viewed in the connector width direction, the upper supporting protrusion 51E extends in the front-to-back direction to include the range of the protruding tops of the upper rear object contact portion 32A and the upper front object contact portion 33A of the upper object terminal 30 (see Figure 12 (B)) The upper support protrusion 51E exists corresponding to the upper groove 11F located between the first protruding wall 11A and the second protruding wall 11B of the connector 1 in the front-rear direction and the connector width direction.

[0093] Although not shown, the upper support protrusion 51E of the fourth mating protrusion 51D has the same shape as the upper support protrusion 51E of the first mating protrusion 51A and is located closer to the Y1 side in the connector width direction. The upper support protrusion 51E of the fourth mating protrusion 51D corresponds to the upper groove 11F located between the third protrusion 11C and the fourth protrusion 11D of the connector 1 in the front-to-back direction and in the connector width direction.

[0094] As described later, when the connector is engaged, each upper support protrusion 51E enters the upper groove 11F from the front and supports the upper surface of the front upper wall 11 of the housing 10 through the protruding top surface, i.e., the lower end surface, of the upper support protrusion 51E.

[0095] Furthermore, a locking hole 51F is formed vertically through the mating upper wall 51 at the center of the rear end portion of the mating upper wall 51 in the connector width direction, i.e., between the second mating protrusion 51B and the third mating protrusion 51C. As will be described later, the locking hole 51F engages with the locking protrusion 11E-1 of the connector 1, thereby preventing the connector 1 from falling out.

[0096] The lower support protrusion 52A having the same shape as the upper support protrusion is formed in the shape of a rib protruding from the lower surface of the target lower wall 52 and extending in the front-to-back direction. The lower support protrusion 52A is formed at each position of the target lower wall 52 that is opposed to the upper support protrusion 51E of the first target protrusion 51A and the upper support protrusion 51E of the fourth target protrusion 51D of the target upper wall 51 in the top-bottom direction (not shown). Figure 8 ).

[0097] A rib-shaped side support projection 53A is formed near the front end and in the middle of the mating side wall 53 in the vertical direction, protruding from the inner surface of the mating side wall 53 and extending in the front-to-back direction. Furthermore, a metal fitting retaining groove 53B is formed in the mating side wall 53 in the shape of a slit that expands in a direction perpendicular to the width of the connector and opens forward and downward and extends in the front-to-back direction.

[0098] The embedding portion 54 includes a plurality of embedding strips 54A extending forward from the rear surface of the counterpart terminal holding portion 50B and arranged in the connector width direction. Figure 10 As can be seen in (B), when viewed in the front-to-back direction, the embedded strip portion 54A has: a partition portion 54A-1 extending in the up-down direction; an upper limiting protrusion portion 54A-2 protruding from the side surface on the Y2 side at the upper portion of the partition portion 54A-1; and a lower limiting protrusion portion 54A-3 protruding from the side surface on the Y1 side at the lower portion of the partition portion 54A-1, and becomes roughly crank-shaped when viewed in the front-to-back direction.

[0099] When the counterpart terminals 30 and 40 are held in the counterpart housing 50, the upper long arm portion 32 and the upper short arm portion 33 of the upper counterpart terminal 30 extend along the side surface of the partition wall portion 54A-1 on the Y1 side (see Figure 10 (B) Figure 11 (A)), the lower long arm portion 42 and the lower short arm portion 43 of the lower object terminal 40 extend along the side surface of the Y2 side of the partition portion 54A-1 (refer to Figure 10 (B) Figure 11 (A)). Furthermore, the upper long arm portion 32 and the upper short arm portion 33 are located in the space directly above the lower limiting protrusion 54A-3, and excessive downward elastic displacement of the upper long arm portion 32 is limited by the lower limiting protrusion 54A-3. Furthermore, the lower long arm portion 42 and the lower short arm portion 43 are located in the space directly below the upper limiting protrusion 54A-2, and excessive upward elastic displacement of the lower long arm portion 42 is limited by the upper limiting protrusion 54A-2.

[0100] like Figure 11 As can be seen from (A) and (B) of FIG. 1 , the object terminal holding portion 50B is formed into a slit-shaped object terminal holding groove portion 50B-1 for pressing and holding the object terminals 30 and 40. Specifically, the upper holding groove portion 50B-1A (refer to FIG. 1A ) that receives the upper base portion 31 of the upper object terminal 30 is formed into a slit-shaped object terminal holding groove portion 50B-1 that passes through the object terminal holding portion 50B in the front-to-back direction. Figure 11 (A)) and the lower side holding groove portion 50B-1B (refer to Figure 11 (A)) are formed alternately in the width direction of the connector. Figure 11As can be seen in (A) and (B), the upper retaining groove portion 50B-1A is formed near the upper end of the object terminal retaining portion 50B, and the lower retaining groove portion 50B-1B is formed near the upper end of the object terminal retaining portion 50B.

[0101] The fixing metal fitting 60 is made by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction and comprises: a held portion 61 which is pressed into and held in a metal fitting holding groove portion 53B formed in the counterpart side wall 53 of the counterpart housing 50; and a fixing portion 62 which is fixed by welding to a corresponding portion P1 formed as a solder pad on the mounting surface of the circuit board (see FIG. Figure 1 The plate surface of the retained portion 61 (the surface perpendicular to the plate thickness) is perpendicular to the width of the connector. The fixing portion 62 is bent at a right angle at the lower end of the retained portion 61 and extends outward in the connector width direction. Its lower surface is welded to the corresponding portion.

[0102] The object connector 2 is assembled in the following manner. First, the upper base 31 of the upper object terminal 30 is pressed into the upper retaining groove 50B-1A of the object housing 50 from the front, and the lower base 41 of the lower object terminal 40 is pressed into the lower retaining groove 50B-1B of the object housing 50 from the front. Next, the retained portion 61 of the fixing metal fitting 60 is pressed into the metal fitting retaining groove 53B of the object housing 50 from the rear. As a result, the fixing metal fitting 60 is retained in the object housing 50, and the assembly of the object connector 2 is completed. The order of installing (pressing) the object terminals 30, 40 and the fixing metal fitting 60 into the object housing 50 is not limited to the order described above, and any one of them can be performed first, or they can be performed simultaneously.

[0103] The connector 1 and the mating connector 2 are mated and connected in the following manner. First, the mating connector 2 is mounted on the circuit board P by soldering the connection portions 35 and 45 of the mating terminals 30 and 40 to the corresponding circuit portions of the circuit board P, and by soldering the fixing portion 62 of the fixing metal member 60 to the corresponding portion P1 of the circuit board P.

[0104] Next, if Figure 1 As can be seen, after the connector 1 is positioned behind the mating connector 2 , the connector 1 is moved forward, and the fitting portion 10A of the connector 1 is fitted into the mating fitting portion 50A of the mating connector 2 from the rear.

[0105] During the connector mating process, the mating portion 10A enters the mating-side receiving space 50C from the rear, and the locking projection 11E-1 of the locking arm 11E abuts the rear end of the mating upper wall 51 of the mating housing 50, elastically deforming downward, allowing further advancement of the connector 1. Furthermore, during the connector mating process, the protruding walls 11A-11D of the connector 1 enter the corresponding spaces in the mating connector 2 from the rear, while the mating protruding walls 51A-51D of the mating connector 2 enter the corresponding spaces in the connector 1 from the front. As a result, the protruding walls 11A-11D are restricted from offset in the connector width direction by the mating protruding walls 51A-51D, smoothly guiding the connector 1 forward.

[0106] If the connector 1 moves forward further and the locking projection 11E-1 reaches the locking hole 51F of the upper wall 51 of the target, the locking arm 11E returns to the free state and the locking projection 11E-1 enters the locking hole 51F from below. Figure 11 As can be seen in (A), the locking protrusion 11E-1 can be locked with the inner surface of the locking hole 51F toward the rear, thereby achieving a locked state that prevents the mating connector 2 from accidentally falling off.

[0107] Furthermore, during the connector mating process, the respective insertion strips 54A of the insertion portion 54 of the mating housing 50, and the upper long arm portion 32 and upper short arm portion 33 of the upper mating terminal 30 and the lower long arm portion 42 and lower short arm portion 43 of the lower mating terminal 40, which are arranged on the insertion strips 54A, enter from the front into the corresponding front receiving spaces 10D in the connector 1, in other words, into the respective front receiving spaces 10D partitioned by the plurality of partition walls 14. As a result, the upper long arm portion 32 and the upper short arm portion 33, while elastically deforming downward, come into contact with the upper contact portion C1A-1 of the upper flat conductor C1 with contact pressure via the upper rear mating contact portion 32A and the upper front mating contact portion 33A (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 11 (A)). In addition, the lower long arm portion 42 and the lower short arm portion 43, while elastically deforming upward, contact the lower contact portion C2A-1 of the lower flat conductor C2 with contact pressure through the lower rear object contact portion 42A and the lower front object contact portion 43A (see Figure 11 As a result, the upper flat conductor C1 and the upper counterpart terminal 30 are electrically connected, and the lower flat conductor C2 and the lower counterpart terminal 40 are electrically connected.

[0108] exist Figure 11In (A) and (B), the arms 32, 33, 42, 43 are shown as not elastically deformed, and the mating contact portions 32A, 33A, 42A, 43A overlap with the contact portions C1A-1, C2A-1 of the flat conductors C1, C2. However, in reality, as described above, the arms 32, 33, 42, 43 are elastically deformed, and the mating contact portions 32A, 33A, 42A, 43A are in contact with the contact portions C1A-1, C2A-1 of the flat conductors C1, C2 via their protruding tops.

[0109] In addition, the upper supporting protrusions 51E formed on the first and fourth target protrusions 51A, 51D of the target upper wall 51 of the target housing 50 respectively enter the corresponding upper grooves 11F from the front and support the upper surface of the front upper wall 11 of the housing 10 by the protruding top surfaces, i.e., the lower end surfaces, of the upper supporting protrusions 51E (see FIG. Figure 11 On the other hand, the lower support protrusion 52A formed on the target lower wall 52 of the target housing 50 enters the corresponding lower groove 12A from the front, and supports the upper surface of the front lower wall 12 of the housing 10 by the protruding top surface, i.e., the upper end surface, of the lower support protrusion 52A (see Figure 11 (C)). In this way, the target upper wall 51 and the target lower wall 52 partially support the outer surfaces of the front upper wall 11 and the target lower wall 52 (the upper surface of the front upper wall 11 and the lower surface of the target lower wall 52) not by the entire inner surfaces (the lower surface of the target upper wall 51 and the upper surface of the target lower wall 52) but by the protruding top surfaces of the upper side supporting protrusion 51E and the lower side supporting protrusion 52A, respectively. Therefore, more reliable support can be achieved.

[0110] By allowing the upper supporting protrusion 51E and the lower supporting protrusion 52A to enter the upper groove 11F and the lower groove 12A, the upper supporting protrusion 51E and the upper groove 11F, and the lower supporting protrusion 52A and the lower groove 12A respectively cooperate to limit the relative movement of the connector 1 and the target connector 2 in the width direction of the connector, so that the two connectors 1 and 2 in the width direction of the connector are well positioned.

[0111] In this embodiment, when viewed in the width direction of the connector, the support protrusions 51E and 52A extend over a range including the contact points between the contact portions C1A-1 and C2A-1 of the flat conductors C1 and C2 and the mating contact portions 32A, 33A, 42A, and 43A of the mating terminals 30 and 40. Therefore, even if the thickness of the front upper wall 11 and the front lower wall 12 of the connector 1 are relatively small, the protruding top surfaces of the support protrusions 51E and 52A support the upper surface of the front upper wall 11 and the lower surface of the front lower wall 12 within this range, thereby suppressing elastic deformation of the front upper wall 11 and the front lower wall 12. This ensures sufficient contact pressure between the contact portions C1A-1 and C2A-1 of the flat conductors C1 and C2 and the mating contact portions 32A, 33A, 42A, and 43A of the mating terminals 30 and 40 at these contact points.

[0112] In this embodiment, the rear ends of the upper support protrusion 51E and the lower support protrusion 52A reach further rearward than the rear ends of the upper groove 11F and the lower groove 12A. As a result, the upper support protrusion 51E sinks into the upper surface of the front upper wall 11, and the lower support protrusion 52A sinks into the lower surface of the front lower wall 12, thereby also achieving the positioning of the two connectors 1 and 2 in the connector width direction. Figure 12 (B) shows a portion where the rear end of the upper support protrusion 51E is sunken into the upper surface of the front upper wall 11 in a state where the rear end of the upper support protrusion 51E overlaps with the front upper wall 11 .

[0113] In addition, the upper protrusion 11G of the front upper wall 11 and the lower protrusion 12B of the front lower wall 12 of the connector 1 are respectively sunken into the lower surface of the target upper wall 51 and the upper surface of the target lower wall 52, thereby also achieving the positioning of the two connectors 1 and 2 in the connector width direction. Figure 12 (B) shows a portion where the upper protrusion 11G is sunken into the lower surface of the target upper wall 51 in a state where the rear end portion of the upper support protrusion 51E overlaps with the front upper wall 11 .

[0114] In addition, when the connectors are in the engaged state, the side protrusion 13A of the connector 1 abuts against the inner surface of the object side wall 53 of the object connector 2, and the side support protrusion 53A of the object connector 2 abuts against the inner surface of the front side wall 13 of the connector 1, thereby also achieving the positioning of the two connectors 1 and 2 in the width direction of the connector.

[0115] In this embodiment, the front upper wall 11 and the front lower wall 12 of the housing 10 of the connector 1 are supported by the supporting protrusions 51E and 52A of the mating housing 50. However, as long as sufficient contact pressure between the flat conductors and the mating terminals can be ensured, it is not essential to provide the supporting protrusions 51E and 52A on the mating housing 50. In other words, it is also possible to support the upper surface of the front upper wall and the lower surface of the front lower wall of the connector housing by the lower surface of the mating upper wall and the upper surface of the mating lower wall of the mating housing without providing the supporting protrusions on the mating housing.

Claims

1. A mating electrical connector to be mated and connected to an electrical connector with flat conductors, wherein the front end portions of two strip-shaped flat conductors extending in the front-back direction are mated and connected to the mating electrical connector. The electrical connector with flat conductors is characterized by having: the two flat conductors; a housing that accommodates the front end portions of the two flat conductors; and a holder for supporting the front end portions of the two flat conductors on the housing; In the electrical connector with flat conductors, The flat conductor has a plurality of contact portions for connection to the mating electrical connector, wherein the plurality of contact portions are exposed and arranged along the width direction of the flat conductor on one surface of the front end portion. The two flat conductors are spaced apart from each other in the thickness direction of the flat conductors, with the one surface on which the contact portion is arranged serving as an inner surface and the inner surfaces facing each other. A receiving space for receiving an embedding portion is formed between the inner surfaces of the front end portions of the two flat conductors. The embedding portion is provided with a mating contact portion provided on a mating terminal of the mating electrical connector. The housing has a fitting portion that can accommodate and support the front end portions of the two flat conductors and fits with a mating housing provided on the mating electrical connector. The fitting portion includes a fitting wall facing an outer side surface of the flat conductor that is located on the other side opposite to the one surface of the front end portion, and the fitting wall can support the outer side surface of the flat conductor. The holding member is located between the two flat conductors at a position different from the receiving space in the front-rear direction and can support the two flat conductors in cooperation with the housing. The counterpart electrical connector is characterized by comprising: a plurality of counterpart terminals arranged corresponding to the plurality of contact portions of the two flat-type conductors; and an object housing that holds the plurality of terminals, The plurality of counterpart terminals include: one counterpart terminal group corresponding to one flat conductor; and another counterpart terminal group corresponding to the other flat conductor. The mating terminal groups on one side and the other side are arranged in the embedded portion entering the receiving space of the electrical connector with flat conductors in the connector connected state, and are in contact with the contact portions of the corresponding flat conductors respectively. The plurality of mating terminals include mating contact portions that are elastically displaceable in the thickness direction of the flat conductor and capable of contacting the contact portion of the flat conductor. The mating contact portions of the mating terminals of the one mating terminal group and the mating contact portions of the mating terminals of the other mating terminal group are arranged at positions different from each other in the width direction of the flat conductor. When the object electrical connector is connected to the electrical connector with a flat conductor and the object contact portions of the multiple object terminals are elastically displaced, when observed in the bandwidth direction of the flat conductor, the elastic displacement ranges of the object contact portions of the object terminals of the object terminal group on one side and the object contact portions of the object terminals of the object terminal group on the other side overlap with each other in at least a portion in the thickness direction.

2. An electric connector assembly comprising the electric connector with flat conductors according to claim 1 and a counterpart electric connector, wherein: The counterpart housing of the counterpart electrical connector has a counterpart fitting portion that houses the counterpart contact portions of the plurality of counterpart terminals and receives the fitting portion of the housing of the electrical connector with flat conductors. The counterpart fitting portion includes a counterpart fitting wall that faces an outer surface of the fitting wall in a state where the counterpart fitting portion receives the fitting portion and supports the outer surface of the fitting wall via an inner surface of the counterpart fitting wall.

3. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The counterpart fitting wall of the counterpart electrical connector has a supporting protrusion on the inner surface of the counterpart fitting wall that protrudes toward the outer surface of the fitting wall of the electrical connector with flat conductors. In a state in which the mating fitting portion receives the fitting portion, the outer surface of the fitting wall is supported by the protruding top surface of the supporting protrusion.

4. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The fitting wall has a groove portion extending in the front-rear direction on the outer surface of the fitting wall and capable of receiving the supporting protrusion portion from the front. The supporting protrusion cooperates with the groove to restrict relative movement between the electrical connector with flat conductors and the mating electrical connector in the width direction of the flat conductors.

5. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The support protrusion is formed to extend in a range including a contact position between the contact portion of the flat conductor and the counterpart contact portion of the counterpart terminal in a front-back direction when viewed in a width direction of the flat conductor.

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