Electric connector for flat conductor

Abstract

Provided is an electric connector for a flat conductor in which fatigue of a metal member due to movement of a movable member does not easily occur. The force application arm part of the metal piece (50) is located on one side relative to the shaft part (45) of the movable component (40) in the thickness direction of the flat type conductor, the shaft part (45) is applied with force from the side through the elastic force of the force application arm part, and in the moving process of the movable component (40), the shaft part (45) overcomes the elastic force to press the force application arm part, so that the force application arm part elastically deforms, and the movable component (40) moves. The housing (10) has a support section (16A) capable of supporting the cam section (44) of the movable member (40) from the other side in the thickness direction, the support section (16A) has a recess (16B) allowing a part of the cam section (44) to enter during the movement of the movable member (40), and the recess (16B) is formed so as to sink from a flat support surface (16C) of the support section (16A) that supports the cam section (44) in the closed position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flat electrical connector for connecting flat conductors. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector for forward insertion and connection of a strip-shaped flat conductor that extends in the front-rear direction and has a thickness in the up-down direction. In the connector of Patent Document 1, a plurality of terminals arranged in the bandwidth direction of the flat conductor as the terminal arrangement direction are held by a housing, and one metal member is held by the housing on each of the two outer sides of the terminal arrangement range.

[0003] In addition, a movable member for preventing the flat conductor from coming off is provided on the connector. Rotating shaft portions protrude outward in the terminal arrangement direction at both ends of the movable member, and the shape of a cross section of the rotating shaft portion perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction is substantially quadrilateral. The rotating shaft portions are arranged on flat support surfaces formed on the two outer sides of the terminal arrangement range in the housing and are supported so as to be rotatable. The movable member can rotate between a closed position for preventing the flat conductor from being pulled out and an open position for allowing the flat conductor to be pulled out. In addition, the metal member is restricted from moving upward by an upper restricting portion located directly above the rotating shaft portion and capable of elastically deforming in the up-down direction. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-075343 Summary of the Invention

[0005] In the connector of Patent Document 1, during the rotation of the movable member between the closed position and the open position, the rotating shaft portion of the movable member presses the upper restricting portion of the metal member, causing the upper restricting portion to elastically deform upward. At this time, since the cross-sectional shape of the rotating shaft portion is substantially quadrilateral, during the rotation, there is a period in which one corner portion of the rotating shaft portion is supported by the support surface of the housing, and the other corner portion (the corner portion connected to the one corner portion by the diagonal line of the above cross-sectional shape) is in sliding contact with the upper restricting portion. In addition, the upper restricting portion is in a state of being elastically deformed upward significantly with almost the maximum elastic deformation amount during this period.

[0006] In Patent Document 1, since the above support surface is a flat surface and always supports the above one corner portion at the same height position, the above other corner portion is in sliding contact with the upper restricting portion at a position at or near the position of the length of the diagonal line from the above support surface for a relatively long period. That is, the period during which the upper restricting portion is elastically deformed significantly is relatively long. In addition, if this period is relatively long, the upper restricting portion is likely to be fatigued.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a flat conductor electrical connector that is not easily prone to fatigue of metal parts caused by the movement of movable members.

[0008] (1) The flat conductor electrical connector of the present invention is a flat conductor electrical connector for connecting a flat conductor extending in the front-rear direction, and has: a housing into which the flat conductor is inserted forward; a plurality of terminals arranged and held in the housing with a direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the thickness direction of the flat conductor as the terminal arrangement direction; a metal part arranged outside the arrangement range of the terminals in the terminal arrangement direction and held in the housing; and a movable member that can move between a closed position and an open position by rotating around a rotation axis extending in the terminal arrangement direction.

[0009] Based on the above flat conductor electrical connector, the present invention is characterized in that the movable member has a cam portion provided outside the arrangement range of the terminals in the terminal arrangement direction. The cam portion has a shaft portion provided at a position corresponding to the metal part in the terminal arrangement direction. The metal part has a biasing arm portion that can elastically deform in the thickness direction. The biasing arm portion is located on one side of the shaft portion in the thickness direction and can apply a force to the shaft portion from the one side through the elastic force of the biasing arm portion. During the movement of the movable member, the shaft portion presses the biasing arm portion against the elastic force, causing the biasing arm portion to elastically deform. The housing has a support portion that can support the cam portion from the other side in the thickness direction. The support portion has a concave portion that allows a part of the cam portion to enter during the movement of the movable member. The concave portion is formed to sink from the support surface of the support portion that supports the cam portion in the closed position.

[0010] In the present invention, during the movement of the movable member, a part of the cam portion enters the concave portion that sinks from the support surface of the support portion. When a part of the cam portion enters the concave portion, the cam portion and the shaft portion are located on the other side (the side opposite to the above one side) in the thickness direction of the flat conductor compared with when the movable member is in the closed position. As a result, compared with the case where the movable member always stays at the same position in the above thickness direction as in the past, the amount of elastic deformation of the biasing arm portion pressed by the shaft portion toward the above one side is reduced, and the period during which the biasing arm portion elastically deforms significantly toward the above one side during the movement of the movable member becomes shorter. Therefore, the biasing arm portion is not easily prone to fatigue.

[0011] (2) Based on the invention of (1), it is also possible that when the movable member is in the open position, the concave portion allows a part of the cam portion to enter. In such a structure, when a part of the cam portion enters the concave portion in the open position, compared with when the movable member is in the closed position, the cam portion and even the shaft portion are located on the other side in the thickness direction of the flat conductor. Therefore, it is located below. Therefore, compared with the case where the movable member always stays in the same position in the above thickness direction as in the past, the amount of elastic deformation of the biasing arm portion can be reduced or the elastic deformation amount can be eliminated when in the open position. As a result, the biasing arm portion is less likely to generate fatigue.

[0012] (3) Based on the invention of (1) or (2), it is also possible that the movable member, according to the position of the movable member, receives a moment generated by the elastic force of the biasing arm portion in either the closing direction toward the closed position or the opening direction toward the open position. With such a structure, during the movement of the movable member, a closing-direction moment is generated when the movable member is on the closing-direction side, and an opening-direction moment is generated when the movable member is on the open-position side. As a result, during the movement operation of the movable member, a moment toward the moving direction is generated from the middle of the movement, and thus the movement operation becomes easy.

[0013] (4) Based on any one of the inventions of (1) to (3), it is also possible that when viewed in the direction of the terminal arrangement, the front-rear direction dimension of the shaft portion at one of the positions of the closed position and the open position is larger than the front-rear direction dimension at the other position, and the housing has a restricting portion that is located in front of and behind the supporting portion and faces the shaft portion in the front-rear direction. When the movable member is in the above one position, the restricting portion can restrict the movement of the shaft portion in the front-rear direction. With such a structure, when the movable member is in the above one position, the movement of the movable member in the front-rear direction can be restricted by the restricting portion. As a result, looseness of the movable member in the front-rear direction at the above one position can be suppressed well.

[0014] (5) Based on any one of the inventions of (1) to (4), it is also possible that the concave portion has an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction.

[0015] (6) Based on the invention of (5), it is also possible that in a state where a part of the cam portion enters the concave portion, a space is formed between the end surface of the part and the inclined surface in the thickness direction. By forming such a space, the end surface of a part of the above cam portion does not interfere with the above inclined surface, and thus damage to the cam portion can be avoided well.

[0016] (7) Based on the invention of (5) or (6), it is also possible that a part of the supporting portion in the front-rear direction has the concave portion, and the other parts of the supporting portion have a surface extending in the front-rear direction and can support the cam portion through the surface when the movable member is at least in the closed position.

[0017] (8) Based on any one of the inventions of (1) to (7), it is also possible that the housing has: a covering wall that is located on one side in the thickness direction with respect to the receiving space for receiving the flat conductor and covers the receiving space from the one side; and a rear wall that is connected to the rear end of the covering wall, and the rear wall has a protruding wall portion that protrudes to a position closer to the one side than the covering wall within a range overlapping at least a part of the movable member in the terminal arrangement direction.

[0018] By providing such a protruding wall portion on the rear wall within a range overlapping at least a part of the movable member in the terminal arrangement direction, when the movable member is in the open position, the protruding wall portion faces the movable member from the rear. Therefore, if an unexpected external force in the open direction acts on the movable member in the open position, the protruding wall portion can abut against the movable member from the rear, thereby preventing the movable member from moving in the open direction. As a result, excessive movement of the movable member is prevented, and damage to the movable member is preferably avoided.

[0019] In the present invention, it is possible to provide a flat conductor electrical connector in which fatigue of metal parts is not easily generated due to the movement of the movable member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the flat conductor electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a flat conductor, showing a state before connecting the flat conductor. Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the flat conductor electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a flat conductor, showing a state before pulling out the flat conductor. Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the flat conductor electrical connector in a state where the terminals, metal parts, and movable member are separated. Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the flat conductor electrical connector when the movable member is in the closed position. Figure 4 FIG. 4(A) shows a cross section at the position of the terminal in the width direction of the connector. Figure 4 FIG. 4(B) shows a cross section at the position of the engaging portion in the width direction of the connector. Figure 5It is a longitudinal sectional view of a flat conductor electrical connector when the movable member is in the closed position. Figure 5 (A) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the shaft portion in the width direction of the connector. Figure 5 (B) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the side plate portion in the width direction of the connector. Figure 6 It is a longitudinal sectional view of a flat conductor electrical connector when the movable member is in the open position. Figure 6 (A) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the shaft portion in the width direction of the connector. Figure 6 (B) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the side plate portion in the width direction of the connector. Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional sectional view of a flat conductor electrical connector, showing a longitudinal section at the position of the metal part in the width direction of the connector. Figure 7 (A) of [Figure] shows the state where one metal part is pulled out. Figure 7 (B) of [Figure] shows the state where the metal part is installed. Figure 8 It is a longitudinal sectional view of a flat conductor electrical connector in the state before inserting the flat conductor. Figure 8 (A) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the terminal. Figure 8 (B) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the locking portion of the movable member. Figure 8 (C) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the shaft portion of the movable member. Figure 9 It is a longitudinal sectional view of a flat conductor electrical connector in the state where the insertion of the flat conductor is completed. Figure 9 (A) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the terminal. Figure 9 (B) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the locking portion of the movable member. Figure 9 (C) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the shaft portion of the movable member. Figure 10 (A) to (D) of [Figure] are longitudinal sectional views of a flat conductor electrical connector at the position of the shaft portion during the movement of the movable member from the closed position to the open position. Figure 11 It is a longitudinal sectional view of a flat conductor electrical connector before pulling out the flat conductor. Figure 11 (A) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the terminal. Figure 11 (B) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the locking portion of the movable member. Figure 11 (C) of [Figure] shows a cross-section at the position of the shaft portion of the movable member. Detailed Embodiments

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 and Figure 2 FIG. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the flat type electrical connector 1 (hereinafter referred to as "connector 1") of the present embodiment together with the flat type conductor C. Figure 1 It shows the state just before connecting the flat type conductor C. Figure 2 It shows the state just before pulling out the flat type conductor C. Figure 3 FIG. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the connector 1 shown in a state where the terminals 20, 30 (the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 described later), the movable member 40, and the metal member 50 are separated.

[0023] The connector 1 is mounted on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), and the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) parallel to the mounting surface is taken as the insertion / removal direction, and the flat type conductor C (for example, FPC) as the mating connector is connected in a pluggable manner. The connector 1 electrically conducts the circuit board and the flat type conductor C by connecting to the flat type conductor C. In the present embodiment, for the X-axis direction (front-rear direction), the X1 direction is defined as the front, and the X2 direction is defined as the rear. In addition, the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) is defined as the connector width direction, and the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the circuit board is defined as the up-down direction.

[0024] The flat type conductor C is a flexible strip extending in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), having the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) as the width direction and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) as the thickness direction. As Figure 2 shown, the front-end side portion thereof is inserted into the housing 10. The flat type conductor C is formed such that a plurality of circuit portions (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction are arranged in the connector width direction. The circuit portions are buried in the insulating layer of the flat type conductor C and extend in the front-rear direction, reaching a position near the front end of the flat type conductor C. In addition, the above-mentioned circuit portions are exposed at the lower surface of the front-end side portion, and can be in contact with the terminals 20, 30 of the connector 1.

[0025] In addition, as Figure 1 shown, notch-shaped side recesses C1 are formed at both side edges of the front-end side portion of the flat type conductor C, and the rear edge of the ear portion C2 located in front of the side recess C1 functions as a portion to be engaged C2A engaged with a later-described engaging portion 42 of the connector 1 (see (B) of Figure 9 .

[0026] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the connector 1 includes: a housing 10 made of an electrically insulating material such as resin; a plurality of terminals 20, 30 made of metal plates (see Figure 3), which are arranged in the direction of the connector width as the terminal arrangement direction and held in the housing 10; a movable member 40 made of an electrically insulating material such as resin, which can move between a closed position and an open position; and a metal member 50 made of a metal plate, which is disposed on both outer sides of the terminal arrangement range in the connector width direction, and the connector 1 is configured to allow a flat conductor C to be inserted and connected from the rear (see Figure 1 the arrow shown).

[0027] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the housing 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with the connector width direction as the length direction, and a receiving space 11 for receiving the flat conductor C is formed as a space open to the rear. The housing 10 has: a lower wall 12 (see Figure 4 (A), (B)) and an upper wall 13, which extend in parallel with the mounting surface of the circuit board; two side walls 14 (see Figure 3 ), which extend in the vertical direction and connect the two end portions in the connector width direction of the lower wall 12 and the upper wall 13 to each other; a front wall 15 (see Figure 4 (A)), which is connected to the front ends of the lower wall 12, the upper wall 13, and the side walls 14 respectively; and a rear wall 18, which is connected to the rear ends of the lower wall 12, the upper wall 13, and the side walls 14 respectively.

[0028] In addition, as Figure 3 shown, the housing 10 has, at a position outside the side wall 14 in the connector width direction: a protruding portion 16 protruding from the outer side surface of the lower portion of the side wall 14; and a metal member holding portion 17 provided to be connected to substantially the first half portion of the protruding portion 16.

[0029] The receiving space 11 is formed to penetrate the rear wall 18 in the front-rear direction, and is surrounded by the lower wall 12, the upper wall 13, the front wall 15 (see Figure 4 (A)) and the two side walls 14 (see Figure 3 ) and extends in the front-rear direction, and receives the front end side portion of the flat conductor C (see Figure 9 (A), (B)).

[0030] The upper wall 13 constitutes a covering wall that is located above the receiving space 11 (on one side in the thickness direction of the flat conductor C) and covers the receiving space 11 from above. As Figure 3 shown, an upper hole portion 13A is formed in the upper wall 13, and the upper hole portion 13A penetrates in the vertical direction outside the terminal arrangement range. The upper hole portion 13A is substantially rectangular in shape extending in the front-rear direction when viewed from above. When the movable member 40 is in the closed position, the upper hole portion 13A allows a later-described locking portion 42 of the movable member 40 to enter from above (see Figure 8 (B)).

[0031] As Figure 1and Figure 3 As shown in Figure 3 , the terminal housing portions 19 for housing the terminals 20 and 30 are formed in the housing 10 side by side in the connector width direction. Figure 4 Figures (A) and (B) of Figure 4 are longitudinal sectional views of the connector 1 when the movable member 40 is in the closed position. Figure 4 Figure (A) of Figure 4 shows a cross section at the position of the first terminal 20 in the connector width direction. Figure 4 Figure (B) of Figure 4 shows a cross section at the position of the engaging portion 42 in the connector width direction. As Figure 4 shown in Figure (A) of Figure 4 , the terminal housing portion 19 is formed as a groove portion that penetrates the housing 10 in the front - rear direction. The terminal housing portion 19 has: a lower groove portion 19A that dips from the upper surface of the lower wall 12 and extends in the front - rear direction; an upper groove portion 19B that dips from the lower surface of the upper wall 13 and extends in the front - rear direction; and a front groove portion 19C that penetrates the front wall 15 in the front - rear direction and extends in the up - down direction, connecting the front end portions of the lower groove portion 19A and the upper groove portion 19B to each other, and the terminal housing portion 19 as a whole has a laterally U - shaped opening toward the rear.

[0032] As Figure 3 shown in Figure 3 , the protruding portion 16 is in the shape of a plate having a plate surface perpendicular to the up - down direction and extends in the front - rear direction over the entire area of the side wall 14. Figure 5 Figures (A) and (B) of Figure 5 are longitudinal sectional views of the connector 1 when the movable member 40 is in the closed position. Figure 6 Figures (A) and (B) of Figure 6 are longitudinal sectional views of the connector 1 when the movable member 40 is in the open position. Here, Figure 5 Figure (A) of Figure 5 and Figure 6 Figure (A) of Figure 6 show cross sections at the position of the shaft portion 45, which will be described later, in the connector width direction. Figure 5 Figure (B) of Figure 5 and Figure 6 Figure (B) of Figure 6 show cross sections at the position of the side plate portion 43, which will be described later, in the connector width direction.

[0033] In the protruding portion 16, a portion of the lower wall of the cam housing portion 10B, specifically, a portion in the range of the cam housing portion 10B in the front - rear direction on the rear - end side, is formed as a support portion 16A that can support the later - described cam portion 44 of the movable member 40 from below (the other side in the thickness direction of the flat - type conductor C). As Figure 5 shown in Figures (A) and (B) of Figure 5 , the lower surface of the support portion 16A slopes upward as it faces the rear, and thus the support portion 16A is thinner than the other portions (portions located in front of the support portion 16A) in the protruding portion 16.

[0034] As Figure 5As shown in (A) and (B) of, the support portion 16A has a recess 16B that sinks from the upper surface of the support portion 16A. The recess 16B is formed over the entire range of the support portion 16A in the connector width direction and over the range of the support portion 16A in the front-rear direction except for the rear end portion. The lower inner wall surface of the recess 16B has an inclined support surface 16B-1 in the range from the position near the front end to the rear end of the recess 16B. The inclined support surface 16B-1 slopes upward as it faces the rear.

[0035] As Figure 6 shown in (A) and (B) of, when the movable member 40 is in the process of moving and in the open position, the recess 16B allows a part of the cam portion 44 to enter, and supports the shaft portion 45 from below through the inclined support surface 16B-1. In addition, in the support portion 16A, the upper surface of the portion in the front-rear direction other than the recess 16B (specifically, the portion located rearward of the recess 16B) constitutes a flat support surface 16C that is perpendicular to the up-down direction. As Figure 5 shown in (A) and (B) of, when the movable member 40 is in the closed position, the flat support surface 16C supports the cam portion 44 from below.

[0036] Figure 7 (A) and (B) of are perspective cross-sectional views of the connector 1, showing a longitudinal section at the position of the metal member 50 in the connector width direction. Figure 7 (A) of shows the state after one metal member is pulled out. Figure 7 (B) of shows the state in which the metal member 50 is installed. As Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 7 shown in (A) and (B) of, the metal member holding portion 17 is provided with a gap between the outer side surface of the side wall 14 in the connector width direction. The space formed between the metal member holding portion 17 and the side wall 14 constitutes a side plate accommodating portion 10A (refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 ) for accommodating a side plate portion 43 of the movable member 40 to be described later. The metal member holding portion 17 is in the form of a plate standing up in a manner having a plate surface perpendicular to the connector width direction, and a metal member accommodating portion 17A for accommodating a part of the metal member 50 is formed outside the protruding portion 16 in the connector width direction. In addition, as Figure 3 shown in, in the metal member holding portion 17, the portion located inside the metal member accommodating portion 17A in the connector width direction stands up upward from the protruding portion 16. In addition, as Figure 7As shown in (A) and (B), a locked end portion 17B is provided at the rear end portion of the lower part of the metal member holding portion 17. The locked end portion 17B is located within the range including the metal member housing portion 17A in the connector width direction, and is located within the range of the protruding portion 16 in the vertical direction. As Figure 7 shown in (B) thereof, it is locked to a later-described locking leg portion 55 of the metal member 50 in the vertical direction.

[0037] As Figure 7 shown in (A) and (B), the metal member housing portion 17A is in the shape of a groove extending at a right angle to the connector width direction. The lower part of the metal member housing portion 17A extends forward compared to other parts, and holds a later-described press-fitting fixing portion 51A of the metal member 50 through a press-fitting groove portion 17A-1 formed at its front end.

[0038] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, when viewed from the rear, the rear wall 18 has a rectangular outer shape with the connector width direction as the length direction, and a hole portion surrounded by its four-sided annular edge portion and penetrating in the front-rear direction constitutes the rear end portion of the receiving space 11. End wall portions 18A protruding outward beyond the side wall 14 in the connector width direction are formed at both ends of the rear wall 18 in the connector width direction. The end wall portions 18A are located behind the protruding portion 16 and the metal member holding portion 17, and are provided within a range substantially the same as that of the protruding portion 16 in the connector width direction. In addition, the end wall portions 18A are positioned with a gap between them and the metal member holding portion 17 in the front-rear direction, and the rear end of the support portion 16A is connected to the front surface of the end wall portion 18A.

[0039] As Figure 3 , Figure 5 (A) and (B) of Figure 6 and (A) and (B) of

[0040] shown, a space formed directly above the support portion 16A between the metal member holding portion 17 and the end wall portion 18A in the front-rear direction constitutes a cam housing portion 10B for housing a later-described cam portion 44 of the movable member 40. In the cam housing portion 10B, a space located on the inner side in the connector width direction is formed within a range overlapping the side plate housing portion 10A in the connector width direction and communicates with the side plate housing portion 10A. Figure 5 As shown in (A) of Figure 5As shown in (A) of FIG. [FIG. number not provided], the portion of the rear part of the metal member holding part 17 within the range overlapping the cam housing part 10B in the connector width direction functions as a front restricting part that restricts the forward movement of the cam part 44. The rear surface of the metal member holding part 17 is a flat surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and it faces the cam part 44 from the front with a slight gap formed therebetween (face-to-face).

[0041] In addition, the rear wall 18 has a protruding wall part 18B that protrudes above the upper wall 13 within the range overlapping the movable member 40 in the connector width direction. As Figure 2 shown, the protruding wall part 18B extends in a manner that includes the range between the outer side surfaces of side plate parts 43 (to be described later) provided on the movable member 40 in the connector width direction. Therefore, both ends of the protruding wall part 18B overlap the end wall part 18A in the connector width direction and constitute the upper part of the end wall part 18A.

[0042] As Figure 4 shown in (A) and (B) of FIG. [FIG. number not provided], the protruding wall part 18B protrudes above the upper surface of the movable member 40 in the closed position in the up-down direction to a position slightly above. Therefore, the movable member 40 in the closed position is housed in the space surrounded by the protruding wall part 18B and the two metal member holding parts 17 at a position directly above the upper wall 13. That is, the front surface of the protruding wall part 18B faces the rear surface of the movable member 40 in the closed position. The protruding wall part 18B protrudes with a protruding amount such that its upper end position is substantially the same as the position of the upper surface of the movable member 40 in the closed position. Therefore, even if the protruding wall part 18B is provided on the rear wall 18, it does not actually cause the connector 1 to become larger in the up-down direction. In addition, the protruding wall part 18B does not necessarily have to protrude above the upper surface of the movable member 40. For example, the protruding wall part 18B may also protrude to the same position as the upper surface of the movable member 40 or protrude to a position slightly below the upper surface of the movable member 40.

[0043] In addition, as Figures 1 to 3 shown, the rear surface of the upper part of the rear wall 18 (specifically, the part located above the receiving space 11 and extending within the range corresponding to the receiving space 11 in the connector width direction) is located in front of the rear surfaces of other parts of the rear wall 18. That is, at the rear end part of the receiving space 11, it is not only open to the rear but also open to the upper side. Therefore, even when the flat conductor C is inserted into the housing 10 from a direction slightly obliquely upward with respect to the front-rear direction just before starting to insert the flat conductor C, the front end part of the flat conductor C can be smoothly guided to the deep part of the receiving space 11.

[0044] In addition, as Figure 4As shown in (B), the protruding wall portion 18B protrudes in the vertical direction within the range of the surface contact portion between the upper wall 13 and the movable member 40, and covers the surface contact portion from the rear. Therefore, even before the flat conductor C is about to be inserted, when the position of the flat conductor C deviates slightly upward from the normal position (the position corresponding to the receiving space 11), the front end of the flat conductor C abuts against the rear surface of the protruding wall portion 18B, thus preventing further advancement. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the flat conductor C from being erroneously inserted between the upper wall 13 and the movable member 40.

[0045] As Figure 2 and Figure 6 shown in (A) and (B), when the movable member 40 is in the open position, the protruding wall portion 18B faces the rear surface of the lower portion of the movable member 40. At this time, as Figure 6 shown in (A), within the range between the inner side surfaces of the side plate portions 43 in the connector width direction, the front surface of the protruding wall portion 18B is in surface contact with and abuts against the rear surface of the lower portion of the movable member 40. In addition, as Figure 6 shown in (B), within the range of the side plate portions 43 in the connector width direction, the front surface of the protruding wall portion 18B faces the rear surface of the lower portion of the movable member 40 with a slight gap therebetween. Therefore, if an unexpected external force in the opening direction (the moving direction from the closed position to the open position) acts on the movable member 40 in the open position, the front surface of the protruding wall portion 18B can abut against the rear surface of the movable member 40 from the rear, thereby preventing the movable member 40 from moving in the opening direction. In this way, excessive movement of the movable member 40 is prevented, and as a result, damage to the movable member 40 is effectively avoided.

[0046] In the present embodiment, the protruding wall portion 18B continuously extends in the connector width direction so as to include the range between the outer side surfaces of the side plate portions 43 of the movable member 40. However, as an alternative, for example, the protruding wall portion 18B may be provided at a position corresponding to a part of the above range. That is, the protruding wall portion 18B only needs to be provided within the range that overlaps at least a part of the movable member 40 in the connector width direction.

[0047] The terminals 20 and 30 have a first terminal 20 and a second terminal 30 with different shapes. As Figure 3 shown, the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 are alternately arranged in the connector width direction. The terminals 20 and 30 are formed by punching a metal plate member, and are press-fitted and installed in the terminal receiving portion 19 of the housing 10 from the front in a state where the plate surface is perpendicular to the connector width direction.

[0048] As Figure 4As shown in (A) of , the first terminal 20 has: a lower arm portion 21 that is located below the receiving space 11 in the vertical direction and extends in the front-rear direction along the lower wall 12 of the housing 10; an upper arm portion 22 that is located above the receiving space 11 in the vertical direction and extends in the front-rear direction along the upper wall 13 of the housing 10; a connecting arm portion 23 that extends in the vertical direction along the front wall 15 and connects the front end portions of the lower arm portion 21 and the upper arm portion 22 to each other; and a connecting portion 24 that extends forward from the lower portion of the connecting arm portion 23.

[0049] The lower arm portion 21 is received in the lower groove portion 19A and has a base arm portion 21A that extends in the front-rear direction and an extension arm portion 21B that extends rearward from the rear end of the base arm portion 21A. The entire base arm portion 21A is received in the lower groove portion 19A. As Figure 4 shown in (A) of , the upper edge of the base arm portion 21A, that is, the edge on the receiving space 11 side of the base arm portion 21A, linearly inclines downward in a prescribed range from the front-end position to the rear end in a manner of moving away from the receiving space 11 as it goes toward the rear.

[0050] In addition, the lower edge of the base arm portion 21A extends in a manner of inclining upward as it goes toward the rear in its substantially rear half portion, and a slight gap is formed between it and the groove bottom surface 19A-1 that constitutes the inner surface of the lower groove portion 19A. Therefore, the base arm portion 21A is allowed to elastically displace downward within the range of this gap. In addition, the lower edge of the base arm portion 21A extends without inclining with respect to the front-rear direction in its substantially front half portion and is supported by the groove bottom surface 19A-1.

[0051] In addition, in the upper edge of the base arm portion 21A, a notch portion 21A-1 is formed at a position in front of the above-described prescribed range where the inclined edge is formed. Specifically, as Figure 4 shown in (A) of , the notch portion 21A-1 is formed in the upper edge of the portion of the base arm portion 21A that is connected to the connecting arm portion 23. In addition, the upper edge of the base arm portion 21A extends without inclining with respect to the front-rear direction within the range between the above-described prescribed range and the notch portion 21A-1.

[0052] The first terminal 20 of the present embodiment is formed by performing multiple blankings on a metal plate member. At this time, in the vicinity of the connecting portion between the base arm portion 21A and the connecting arm portion 23, the overlapping range is blanked multiple times. As a result, relatively large burrs may be generated in this range. In the present embodiment, the notch portion 21A-1 is formed at a position corresponding to this range. Therefore, even if relatively large burrs are generated as described above, these burrs are likely to be formed within the notch portion 21A-1. In this way, when the burrs are formed within the notch portion 21A-1, these burrs are not likely to protrude into the receiving space 11. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily avoid damage to the flat conductor C inserted into the receiving space 11 due to burrs or short circuits via the burrs.

[0053] The extension arm 21B has: a first extension part 21B-1 that extends from the rear end of the base arm part 21A; and a second extension part 21B-2 that is located above the first extension part 21B-1, that is, on the side of the receiving space 11, and extends in a direction that turns back forward from the rear end of the first extension part 21B-1. The entire first extension part 21B-1 is housed in the lower groove part 19A and extends obliquely upward as it faces the rear. That is, the gap formed between the lower edge of the first elastic part 21B-1 and the groove bottom surface 19A-1 of the lower groove part 19A gradually increases as it faces the rear. The first extension part 21B-1 is allowed to elastically displace in the vertical direction within the range of this gap.

[0054] As Figure 4 shown in (A) of [], a part of the second extension part 21B-2 is housed in the lower groove part 19A, and as it faces the front, it extends obliquely upward and reaches a position that overlaps with the rear end part of the upper arm part 22 in the front-rear direction. In this way, the second extension part 21B-2 extends toward the front, that is, toward the base arm part 21A side.

[0055] The lower contact part 21B-3 is provided to protrude upward at the front end of the second extension part 21B-2, and the lower contact part 21B-3 can contact the circuit part on the lower surface of the flat conductor C with contact pressure. When the second extension part 21B-2 is in a free state, the lower contact part 21B-3 protrudes from the lower groove part 19A and is located in the receiving space 11. The gap formed between the second extension part 21B-2 and the first extension part 21B-1 in the vertical direction gradually increases as it faces the front, and within the range of this gap, the second extension part 21B-2 is allowed to elastically displace in the vertical direction.

[0056] As Figure 4 shown in (A) of [], the upper arm part 22 is located on the opposite side, that is, above, the lower arm part 21 in the vertical direction with the receiving space 11 therebetween, and extends obliquely downward as it faces the rear in a state where a part of the upper arm part 22 is housed in the upper groove part 19B. At this time, as Figure 4 shown in (A) of [], the lower edge of the upper arm part 22, that is, the edge on the receiving space 11 side of the upper arm part 22, forms an inclined edge that linearly inclines downward in a part of the front-rear direction of the upper arm part 22, specifically, within a specified range from the front end position of the upper arm part 22 to the position adjacent to the upper contact part 22A described later, in a manner that approaches the receiving space 11 as it faces the rear.

[0057] The upper contact part 22A is provided to protrude downward at the rear end of the upper arm part 22, and the upper contact part 22A can contact the upper surface of the flat conductor C with contact pressure. As Figure 4As shown in (A) of FIG. , the upper contact portion 22A protrudes from the upper groove portion 19B and is located within the receiving space 11 when the upper arm portion 22 is in a free state. As Figure 4 As shown in (A) of FIG. , the protruding vertex of the upper contact portion 22A and the protruding vertex of the lower contact portion 21B-3 of the lower arm portion 21 are in substantially the same position in the front-rear direction.

[0058] The connecting arm portion 23 is received within the front groove portion 19C. An insertion protrusion 23A protruding upward is provided at the upper edge of the connecting arm portion 23, and the first terminal 20 is held within the terminal receiving portion 19 by biting into the inner surface of the upper wall 13 through the insertion protrusion 23A.

[0059] The connecting portion 24 extends downward and forward from the lower portion of the connecting arm portion 23 to the outside of the housing 10. The lower edge of the connecting portion 24 is located slightly below the lower surface of the lower wall 12 of the housing 10, and in a state where the connector 1 is disposed on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), the connecting portion 24 is welded and connected to the corresponding circuit portion (pad) on the mounting surface.

[0060] The second terminal 30 has a shape similar to that of the first terminal 20, but the lengths of its lower arm portion and upper arm portion are shorter than the lengths of the lower arm portion 21 and upper arm portion 22 of the first terminal 20. Therefore, as Figure 4 As shown in (A) of FIG. , the lower contact portion 31B-3 and the upper contact portion 32A of the second terminal 30 are respectively located in front of the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A of the first terminal 20. Further, the lower contact portion 31B-3 and the upper contact portion 32A are in substantially the same position in the front-rear direction.

[0061] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the movable member 40 has: a plate-shaped operation portion 41 that extends over the range between the side walls 14 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ) in the connector width direction; a locking portion 42 that protrudes from the plate surface of the operation portion 41; and side plate portions 43 and cam portions 44 that are located at both ends of the operation portion 41 in the connector width direction, that is, outside the arrangement range of the terminals 20 and 30. The movable member 40 can move between a closed position and an open position along with rotation about a rotation axis extending in the connector width direction.

[0062] The operation portion 41 is configured to receive an operation for moving the movable member 40 between the Figure 1 shown closed position and the Figure 2 shown open position. In the operation portion 41, end hole portions 41A are formed at positions corresponding to the locked portions C2A of the flat conductor C in the connector width direction, and the end hole portions 41A penetrate in the up-down direction when the movable member 40 is in the closed position. As Figure 4As shown in (B) thereof, in the closed position, the end hole portion 41A is located directly above substantially the front half of the upper hole portion 13A of the housing 10 (also refer to Figure 8 of (B) and Figure 9 of (B)). That is, in the closed position, the end hole portion 41A is located directly above the ear portion C2 of the flat conductor C that is inserted into the insertion receiving space 11 up to the normal position (refer to Figure 9 of (B)). Therefore, the operator can visually confirm the ear portion C2 of the flat conductor C from above through the end hole portion 41A and the upper hole portion 13A, and can confirm that the flat conductor C is inserted into the normal position through this visual confirmation.

[0063] The locking portion 42 is provided at the rear of the operating portion 41 in the closed position (the lower portion of the operating portion 41 in the open position) at a position corresponding to the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C in the connector width direction. In addition, the locking portion 42 is in the same position as the end hole portion 41A in the connector width direction, and as Figure 4 shown in (B) thereof, it is located at the rear of the end hole portion 41A when the movable member 40 is in the closed position in the front-rear direction.

[0064] As Figure 4 shown in (B) thereof, in the closed position, the locking portion 42 protrudes from the lower surface of the operating portion 41 and is located within the upper hole portion 13A and the receiving space 11 (also refer to Figure 8 of (B) and Figure 9 of (B)), and can interfere with the flat conductor C (refer to Figure 9 of (B)). Regarding the portion of the locking portion 42 located in the receiving space 11, a guiding surface 42A that slopes downward as it faces forward is provided on its rear surface, and a locking surface 42B that locks the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C from the rear is provided on its front surface. When the movable member 40 is in the open position, the locking portion 42 is in a state of being located outside the housing 10, and the interference with the flat conductor C is released (refer to Figure 11 of (A), (B)).

[0065] As Figure 3 shown, the side plate portions 43 are provided at both end positions of the operating portion 41 in the connector width direction in a plate-like manner having a plate surface perpendicular to the connector width direction. The side plate portions 43 extend and protrude downward at substantially the rear half when the movable member 40 is in the closed position. When the movable member 40 is in the closed position, as Figure 5 shown in (B) thereof, the side plate portions 43 are housed in the side plate housing portion 10A of the housing 10 in a state of extending in the front-rear direction, and when the movable member 40 is in the open position, as Figure 6 shown in (B) thereof, the side plate portions 43 are in a state of extending in the up-down direction and are located outside the side plate housing portion 10A.

[0066] As Figure 3 shown, when the movable member 40 is in the closed position, the cam portion 44 protrudes rearward beyond the rear end of the side plate portion 43 and is connected to the rear end of the side plate portion 43. The inner portion of the cam portion 44 in the connector width direction is within the same range as the side plate portion 43, and the outer portion in the connector width direction is positioned to protrude outside the side plate portion 43. This outer portion constitutes the shaft portion 45.

[0067] The cam portion 44 is received in the cam receiving portion 10B of the housing 10. As Figure 5 shown in (A) and (B) of FIG., the lower portion of the rear part of the cam portion 44 in the closed position has a first supported portion 44A. The lower surface of the first supported portion 44A in the closed position is a flat surface perpendicular to the up-down direction. The first supported portion 44A is in surface contact with the flat support surface 16C at the lower surface and is supported from below by the flat support surface 16C.

[0068] In addition, the upper portion of the rear part of the cam portion 44 in the closed position has a second supported portion 44B. In the second supported portion 44B, the outer peripheral surface (the surface around the rotation axis) in the range from the upper surface to the rear surface in the closed position is a convex curved surface. As Figure 6 shown in (A) and (B) of FIG., in the open position, the second supported portion 44B contacts the inclined support surface 16B-1 through a part of the convex curved surface and is supported from below by the inclined support surface 16B-1.

[0069] As Figure 5 shown in (A) and (B) of FIG., the rear surface of the lower part of the cam portion 44 in the closed position constitutes a first restricted surface 44C. In the closed position, the first restricted surface 44C is a flat surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Therefore, as Figure 5 shown in (A) and (B) of FIG., the cam portion 44 is in surface contact with the front surface of the end wall portion 18A through the first restricted surface 44C, so that its backward movement is restricted. In addition, in the cam portion 44, the portion protruding at the boundary position between the lower surface of the first supported portion 44A and the first restricted surface 44C constitutes a first corner portion 44D.

[0070] As Figure 5 shown in (A) of FIG., the cross-sectional shape of the shaft portion 45 perpendicular to the connector width direction in the closed position is a substantially rectangular shape with the front-rear direction as the length direction. That is, the front-rear direction dimension of the shaft portion 45 in the closed position is larger than the front-rear direction dimension in the open position. The front surface of the upper portion of the shaft portion 45 in the closed position constitutes a second restricted surface 45A. In the closed position, the second restricted surface 45A is a flat surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction. As Figure 5As shown in (A) of [], when in the closed position, the second restricted surface 45A faces the rear surface of the metal member holding portion 17 from the rear with a slight gap formed therebetween.

[0071] In the present embodiment, the front-rear dimension in the closed position is larger than the front-rear dimension in the open position. Therefore, when the movable member 40 is in the open position, the shaft portion 45 is in a posture extending in the front-rear direction within the cam housing portion 10B. As a result, as described above, the first restricted surface 44C (rear surface) of the shaft portion 45 is in surface contact with the front surface of the end wall portion 18A, and the second restricted surface 45A (front surface) of the shaft portion 45 approaches the rear surface of the metal member holding portion 17 with a slight gap formed therebetween. Therefore, the movement of the shaft portion 45 in the front-rear direction is restricted within the range of the above-mentioned gap. As a result, loosening of the shaft portion 45 and even the movable member 40 in the open position can be suppressed well.

[0072] As Figure 6 shown in (A) of [], when the movable member 40 is in the open position, the second restricted surface 45A constitutes the upper surface of the shaft portion 45 and is in surface contact with the lower surface of the biasing piece 52A of the metal member 50. At this time, the shaft portion 45 presses the biasing piece 52A upward, so that the biasing arm portion 52 of the metal member 50 described later is elastically deformed upward. Therefore, the second restricted surface 45A is biased downward by the biasing piece 52A based on the elastic force (restoring force) of the biasing arm portion 52.

[0073] As Figure 5 shown in (A) of [], the upper surface of the front portion of the shaft portion 45 in the closed position constitutes the third restricted surface 45B. In the closed position, the third restricted surface 45B is a flat surface perpendicular to the up-down direction. In the closed position, the third restricted surface 45B is in surface contact with the lower surface of the biasing piece 52A of the metal member 50. At this time, the shaft portion 45 does not press the biasing piece 52A upward, and the biasing arm portion 52 is not elastically deformed upward. Therefore, in the closed position, the third restricted surface 45B does not receive the biasing force from the biasing piece 52A.

[0074] As Figure 6 shown in (A) of [], when the movable member 40 is in the open position, the third restricted surface 45B constitutes the rear surface of the shaft portion 45. At this time, the third restricted surface 45B faces the front surface with a gap formed therebetween and the front surface of the end wall portion 18A.

[0075] In addition, as shown in (A) of 5, in the shaft portion 45, the portion protruding at the boundary position between the second restricted surface 45A and the third restricted surface 45B constitutes the second corner portion 45C. In addition, as Figure 5As shown in (A) of FIG. 0, in the shaft portion 45, a portion where a protruding curved surface is formed at the boundary position between the lower surface of the first supported portion 44A and the second restricted surface 45A constitutes the bent portion 45D.

[0076] As Figure 7 As shown in (A) and (B) of FIG. 0, the metal part 50 is manufactured by blanking a metal plate member and bending a part thereof in the plate thickness direction, and is press-fitted and installed from the rear into the metal part receiving portion 17A of the housing 10. By configuring the metal part 50 to be press-fittable in this way, the metal part 50 can be simply installed on the housing 10.

[0077] As Figure 7 As shown in (A) and (B) of FIG. 0, the metal part 50 has: a fixed arm portion 51 extending linearly in the front-rear direction; a biasing arm portion 52 extending in the front-rear direction above the fixed arm portion 51; a connecting portion 53 connecting the front end side portions of the fixed arm portion 51 and the biasing arm portion 52 to each other; a fixed leg portion 54 welded to the mounting surface of the circuit board; and a locking leg portion (also refer to Figure 3 ) that can be locked to the housing 10 from below. The metal part 50 is held in the metal part receiving portion 17A by press-fitting the press-fitting fixing portion 51A provided at the front end portion of the fixed arm portion 51 into the press-fitting groove portion 17A-1 of the metal part receiving portion 17A from the rear.

[0078] Most of the metal part 50 has a plate surface that is perpendicular to the connector width direction, and it is adjacent to the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40 on the outer side in the connector width direction. Further, in the metal part 50, only the fixed leg portion 54 and the biasing piece 52A described later are formed to be bent in the connector width direction. Therefore, the entire metal part 50 can be manufactured compactly with a simple shape.

[0079] As Figure 7 As shown in (B) of FIG. 0, the fixed arm portion 51 is fixed to the housing 10 while being supported on the groove bottom surface of the metal part receiving portion 17A. The biasing arm portion 52 is located above the shaft portion 45 of the movable member 40 (on one side in the thickness direction of the flat conductor C) and can be elastically deformed in the up-down direction. The front half portion of the biasing arm portion 52 extends obliquely downward as it goes toward the rear, and the rear half portion extends linearly rearward from the rear end of the front half portion without being inclined. The biasing arm portion 52 has a biasing piece 52A for biasing the shaft portion 45 of the movable member 40 from above. The biasing piece 52A is bent at the upper edge of the biasing arm portion 52 at the middle position of the rear half portion in the front-rear direction and extends inward in the connector width direction, that is, toward the shaft portion 45 side of the movable member 40.

[0080] The force - applying piece 52A has a plate surface (rolling surface) perpendicular to the vertical direction and is located directly above the shaft portion 45. The force - applying piece 52A is in surface contact with the upper surface of the shaft portion 45 (the third restricted surface 45B in the closed position and the second restricted surface 45A in the open position) through its lower surface, so as to be able to restrict the upward movement of the shaft portion 45 and even the movable member 40 (refer to Figure 5 (A) of Figure 6 (A)). As described above, in the closed position, the force - applying arm portion 52 does not undergo elastic deformation, so the force - applying piece 52A does not apply force to the shaft portion 45. However, in the open position, the force - applying arm portion 52 elastically deforms upward, and the force - applying piece 52A applies force to the shaft portion 45 from above.

[0081] In the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 7 (B), there is no member above the rear half of the force - applying arm portion 52. However, as a modified example, for example, above the rear end portion of the force - applying arm portion 52, a restricting portion may be formed by using a part of the housing 10, and the restricting portion is positioned with a predetermined interval from the rear end portion. In this modified example, if the rear end portion of the force - applying arm portion 52 is displaced upward by a predetermined amount, it will abut against the restricting portion from below, restricting further displacement. With such a structure, the excessive upward elastic deformation of the force - applying arm portion 52 is restricted, so that it is possible to more reliably prevent the shaft portion 45 and even the movable member 40 from detaching from the housing 10.

[0082] The fixing leg portion 54 bends at the lower edge of the fixing arm portion 51 at a position near the rear end of the fixing arm portion 51 and extends inward in the width direction of the connector. Thus, the fixing leg portion 54 is formed to extend inward in the width direction of the connector, that is, toward the same side as the force - applying piece 52A, so that it is possible to avoid the enlargement of the metal member 50 in the width direction of the connector due to the provision of the fixing leg portion 54. The fixing leg portion 54 is located behind the force - applying piece 52A in the front - rear direction and extends over a range substantially the same as that of the force - applying piece 52A in the width direction of the connector. In addition, the lower surface of the fixing leg portion 54 is located slightly below the lower surface of the lower wall 12 of the housing. In a state where the connector 1 is disposed on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), the fixing leg portion 54 is fixedly connected to the corresponding portion (pad) on the mounting surface by welding.

[0083] The engaging leg portion 55 is located in front of the fixing leg portion 54 and is provided at a position where it overlaps with the force - applying piece 52A in the front - rear direction. The engaging leg portion 55 extends downward from the lower edge of the fixing leg portion 51 and then extends forward, and the overall shape is L - shaped. As shown in Figure 7As shown in (B) of the figure, the L-shaped locking leg 55 is inserted into the locked end portion 17B of the metal member holding portion 17 from the rear, and thus is locked to the locked end portion 17B from below. In the present embodiment, the locking leg 55 is provided at a position separated from the fixed leg 54. Therefore, when the fixed leg 54 is welded to the corresponding portion of the mounting surface of the circuit board, it is possible to prevent the molten solder from gradually rising toward the housing 10 along the locking leg 55, that is, so-called solder wicking.

[0084] The connector 1 having the above structure is assembled in the following manner. First, the first terminal 20 is press-fitted and mounted into the terminal receiving portion 19 of the housing 10 from the front, and then, the second terminal 30 is press-fitted and mounted into the terminal receiving portion 19 of the housing 10 from the front. In addition, the movable member 40 held in the closed position is mounted to the housing 10 from above. At this time, the side plate portion 43 of the movable member 40 is received in the side plate receiving portion 10A, and the cam portion 44 is received in the cam receiving portion 10B. Next, the metal member 50 is press-fitted and mounted into the metal member receiving portion 17A of the housing 10 from the rear. At this time, the locking leg 55 is fitted into the locked end portion 17B and is locked to the locked end portion 17B from below. In addition, the biasing piece 52A of the metal member 50 is located directly above the shaft portion 45, restricting the upward movement of the shaft portion 45. In this way, the first terminal 20, the second terminal 30, the movable member 40, and the metal member 50 are mounted to the housing 10, thereby completing the connector 1.

[0085] In addition, in the present embodiment, the first terminal 20, the second terminal 30, the movable member 40, and the metal member 50 are sequentially mounted to the housing 10, but the order of the mounting steps is not limited to this. For example, the mounting steps of the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 may also be performed after the mounting steps of the movable member 40 and the metal member 50, and in addition, they may also be performed simultaneously. The mounting steps of the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 may also be performed simultaneously, and in addition, the mounting steps of the second terminal 30 may also be performed first. In addition, in the present embodiment, it is set that the movable member 40 is mounted to the housing 10 in the closed position, but the posture of the movable member 40 at the time of mounting is not limited to this. For example, it may also be the posture in the open position.

[0086] Next, the insertion and removal operations of the flat conductor C with respect to the connector 1 will be described.

[0087] First, the connecting portions 24 of the first terminal 20 and the connecting portions of the second terminal 30 of the connector 1 are welded to the corresponding circuit portions of a circuit board (not shown), and in addition, the fixed leg 54 of the metal member 50 is welded to the corresponding portion of the circuit board. By the welding connection of the above connecting portions and the fixed leg 54, the connector 1 is mounted to the circuit board.

[0088] When the movable member 40 is not in the closed position at the time of mounting the connector 1 to the circuit board, the movable member 40 is brought to the closed position. The cam portion 44 of the movable member 40 in the closed position is supported by the flat support surface 16C of the support portion 16A through the first supported portion 44A, and the upward movement is restricted by the urging piece 52A through the third restricted surface 45B of the shaft portion 45 (see Figure 5 (A) and (B) thereof). At this time, the urging arm portion 52 of the metal fitting 50 does not elastically deform, and thus, no urging force based on the elastic force of the urging arm portion 52 acts on the shaft portion 45. That is, no torque based on the above-mentioned urging force acts on the shaft portion 45 and the movable member 40. Further, in the closed position, the cam portion 44 does not enter the concave portion 16B of the support portion 16A.

[0089] Next, as shown in Figure 8 (A) to (C) thereof, the flat conductor C is positioned behind the connector 1 so as to extend in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) along the mounting surface (not shown) of the circuit board (also see Figure 1 ). Next, the flat conductor C is inserted into the receiving space 11 of the connector 1 in the forward direction (X1 direction).

[0090] In the present embodiment, in the first terminal 20, the second extended portion 21B-2 having the lower contact portion 21B-3 is deflected and extends forward in a manner of turning back at the rear end of the first extended portion 21B-1. Therefore, when the flat conductor C is inserted into the receiving space 11 from the rear, the flat conductor C is smoothly guided forward by the turning-back portion of the extended arm portion 21B facing the rear end portion of the extended arm portion 21B, that is, the extended arm portion 21B that is convex-bent rearward. Further, in the second terminal 30, similarly to the above-mentioned first terminal 20, the flat conductor C is smoothly guided forward by the turning-back portion of the extended arm portion. Therefore, no portion of the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 is bent due to contact with the front end of the flat conductor C. Thus, the guided flat conductor C first reaches the positions of the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A of the first terminal 20, and then further advances and reaches the positions of the lower contact portion 31B-3 and the upper contact portion 32A of the second terminal 30. As a result, the first terminal 20 and the second terminal 30 are appropriately in contact with the flat conductor C.

[0091] During the insertion process of the flat conductor C into the receiving space 11, the front end of the flat conductor C abuts against the lower contact portion 21B-3 of the second extension portion 21B-2 of the terminal 20 and the upper contact portion 22A of the upper arm portion 22, pressing the second extension portion 21B-2 downward to cause the second extension portion 21B-2 to elastically deflect downward, and pressing the upper arm portion 22 upward to cause the upper arm portion 22 to elastically deflect upward. As a result, the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A are pushed apart. At this time, along with the elastic deformation of the second extension portion 21B-2, the first extension portion 21B-1 also elastically deforms downward. In addition, in the second terminal 30, similarly to the first terminal 20 described above, the lower contact portion 31B-3 and the upper contact portion 32A are pushed apart.

[0092] In addition, at the position of the engaging portion 42 of the movable member 40 in the connector width direction, the front end of the flat conductor C abuts against the guiding surface 42A of the engaging portion 42 and presses the engaging portion 42 upward. Since the engaging portion 42 is pressed upward, the entire movable member 40 moves upward. Along with this, the biasing piece 52A of the metal member 50 is pressed upward by the shaft portion 45 of the movable member 40, and the biasing arm portion 52 of the metal member 50 elastically deforms upward. That is, through the elastic deformation of the biasing arm portion 52, the upward movement of the engaging portion 42 is allowed.

[0093] In this way, the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A of the first terminal 20 and the lower contact portion 31B-3 and the upper contact portion 32A of the second terminal 30 are pushed apart, and the engaging portion 42 of the movable member 40 moves upward. Thus, the flat conductor C can be further inserted forward. As shown in (A) and (B) of Figure 9 the flat conductor C is inserted until it abuts against the front wall 15 of the housing 10.

[0094] In the state where the insertion of the flat conductor C is completed, as shown in (A) of Figure 9 the elastic deformation states of the extension arm portion 21B (the first extension portion 21B-1 and the second extension portion 21B-2) of the lower arm portion 21 and the upper arm portion 22 are maintained, and the flat conductor C is clamped by the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A. That is, the upper contact portion 22A presses the flat conductor C from above, and at the same time, the lower contact portion 21B-3 contacts the circuit portion of the flat conductor C with a contact pressure. In this way, the electrically conductive state between the first terminal 20 and the flat conductor C is maintained. In the second terminal 30, similarly to the first terminal 20 described above, while the upper contact portion 32A presses the flat conductor C from above, the lower contact portion 31B-3 contacts the circuit portion of the flat conductor C with a contact pressure.

[0095] In addition, during the insertion process of the flat conductor C, the ear portion C2 of the flat conductor C passes through the position of the locking portion 42. When the locking portion 42 reaches the position of the side recess C1, the movable member 40 returns to the closed position. As shown in (B) of Figure 9 , the locking portion 42 enters the side recess C1 from above. As a result, the locking surface 42B of the locking portion 42 is located at a position where it can be locked to the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C from the rear, thereby preventing accidental detachment of the flat conductor C. In addition, as shown in (C) of Figure 9 , the lower surface (rolled surface) of the biasing piece 52A of the metal member 50 contacts the upper surface of the third restricted surface 45B of the shaft portion 45, and the movable member 40 is maintained in the closed position. In this way, the connection operation of the flat conductor C to the connector 1 is completed.

[0096] When attempting to pull out the flat conductor C in the state shown in (A) to (C) of Figure 9 , that is, in the state of being connected to the connector 1, the movable member 40 in the closed position is moved to bring it to the open position (refer to (A) to (C) of Figure 2 and Figure 10 ). Figure 10 (A) to (D) of Figure 10 are longitudinal sectional views of the connector 1 at the position of the shaft portion 45 during the movement of the movable member 40 from the closed position to the open position. In (A) to (D) of this

[0097] , the longitudinal section near the shaft portion 45 (a section perpendicular to the connector width direction) is enlarged and shown.

[0098] As shown in (A) of Figure 10 , immediately after the movable member 40 in the closed position starts to move in the open direction, the shaft portion 45 rotates and slides in contact with the flat support surface 16C through the first corner portion 44D while moving forward ( Figure 10In the rightward displacement in (A) thereof, at this time, the second corner portion 45C presses the biasing piece 52A upward, and as a result, the biasing arm portion 52 elastically deforms upward. Thus, when the biasing arm portion 52 elastically deforms, a downward elastic force is generated in the biasing arm portion 52, and the biasing piece 52A biases the second corner portion 45C downward by this elastic force. That is, it can be said that the shaft portion 45 presses the biasing piece 52A upward by overcoming the above elastic force through the second corner portion 45C. The second corner portion 45C is biased downward, and as a result, the first corner portion 44D is supported by the flat support surface 16C while receiving an upward reaction force against the above elastic force from the flat support surface 16C. In addition, as Figure 10 shown in (A) thereof, the bent portion 45D of the shaft portion 45 abuts against the rear surface of the metal member holding portion 17.

[0099] In Figure 10 the state shown in (A) thereof, the shaft portion 45 is supported from below by the flat support surface 16C through the first corner portion 44D, and is biased upward by the biasing piece 52A through the second corner portion 45C at a position in front of the first corner portion 44D. Therefore, a moment in the closing direction is generated on the shaft portion 45 and even the movable member 40.

[0100] In addition, in the present embodiment, the biasing piece 52A biases the shaft portion 45 at the lower surface which is the rolling surface. Therefore, compared with the case of biasing the shaft portion at the plate thickness surface (fracture surface) of the metal member, the biasing piece 52A can contact the shaft portion 45 with a smooth surface, and in addition, the contact area between the biasing piece 52 and the shaft portion 45 can be increased. As a result, even if the biasing piece 52A and the shaft portion 45 are in sliding contact due to the movement of the movable member 40, the shaft portion 45 is hardly worn, and thus a reduction in the biasing force of the biasing piece 52A can be well avoided.

[0101] When the movable member 40 further moves in the opening direction from the Figure 10 state shown in (A) thereof, as Figure 10 shown in (B) thereof, the shaft portion 45 rotates and moves forward while slidingly contacting the flat support surface 16C through the first corner portion 44D. And the first corner portion 44D passes through in a manner of crossing the boundary portion between the flat support surface 16C and the inclined support surface 16B-1. As a result, the first corner portion 44D of the shaft portion 45 enters the concave portion 16B and is supported by the inclined support surface 16B-1 at the first corner portion 44D. In addition, the second corner portion 45C moves upward, so that it can press the biasing piece 52A and further lift it upward. In addition, the bent portion 45D of the shaft portion 45 moves upward while slidingly contacting the rear surface of the metal member holding portion 17, and also abuts against the rear surface at the time point shown in Figure 10 (B) thereof.

[0102] In thisFigure 10 In the state of (B), the second corner portion 45C that receives the biasing force from the biasing piece 52A is also located in front of the first corner portion 44D supported by the inclined support surface 16B-1. Therefore, in this state, a moment in the closing direction is also generated on the shaft portion 45 and the movable member 40.

[0103] When the movable member 40 moves further in the opening direction from Figure 10 the state of (B), as Figure 10 shown in (C), the shaft portion 45 rotates and, while slidingly contacting the inclined support surface 16B-1 through the first corner portion 44D, displaces forward and downward. Therefore, compared with Figure 10 the state of (B), the first corner portion 44D further penetrates into the recess 16B. In addition, the second corner portion 45C displaces upward, thereby pressing the biasing piece 52A and further lifting it upward. In Figure 10 the state of (C), the shaft portion 45 is also supported by the inclined support surface 16B-1 at the first corner portion 44D and is biased by the biasing piece 52A at the second corner portion 45C. At this time, the first corner portion 44D and the second corner portion 45C are in almost the same position in the front-rear direction, and the distance between the two in the up-down direction reaches the maximum. Therefore, the second corner portion 45C reaches the uppermost position during the movement of the movable member 40. As a result, the displacement amount of the biasing piece 52A pressed by the second corner portion 45C is the largest, in other words, the elastic displacement amount of the biasing arm portion 52 upward is the largest.

[0104] In addition, during the movement of the movable member 40, at the time point when the positions of the first corner portion 44D and the second corner portion 45C in the front-rear direction coincide with each other, no moment is generated on the movable member 40. In addition, as Figure 10 shown in (C), the protruding curved surface of the second supported portion 44B of the shaft portion 45 abuts against the front surface of the end wall portion 18A.

[0105] When the movable member 40 moves further in the opening direction from Figure 10 the state of (C), as Figure 10 shown in (D), the shaft portion 45 rotates and, while slidingly contacting the inclined support surface 16B-1 through the first corner portion 44D, further displaces forward and downward. As a result, in addition to the first corner portion 44D, most of the first supported portion 44A also enters the recess 16B. At this time, the shaft portion 45 rotates in the opening direction, so that the first restricted surface 44C approaches the inclined support surface 16B-1. In addition, compared with Figure 10 the state of (C), the second corner portion 45C displaces downward, so that the biasing piece 52A and the biasing arm portion 52 also displace downward. As Figure 10As shown in (D), the second corner portion 45C also moves rearward and reaches a position rearward of the rear end of the biasing piece 52A. Therefore, the shaft portion 45 is supported by the inclined support surface 16B-1 at the first corner portion 44D, and the biasing piece 52A biases the shaft portion 45 from above at the second restricting surface 45A.

[0106] In this Figure 10 state of (D), the portion of the second restricting surface 45A that receives the biasing force from the biasing piece 52A is located rearward of the first corner portion 44D supported by the inclined support surface 16B-1. Therefore, in this state, a moment in the opening direction is generated on the shaft portion 45 and thus on the movable member 40.

[0107] Furthermore, when the movable member 40 moves further in the opening direction from the Figure 10 state of (D), the shaft portion 45 rotates, and while sliding in contact with the inclined support surface 16B-1 through the second supported portion 44B, it moves further forward and downward. Furthermore, as shown in (A) of Figure 6 and (C) of Figure 11 , when the shaft portion 45 reaches the open position, the entire lower portion of the shaft portion 45 enters the recess 16B, and the shaft portion 45 is supported by the inclined support surface 16B-1 at the second supported portion 44B. At this time, the first corner portion 44D and the first restricting surface 44C are separated from the inclined support surface 16B-1. Therefore, a space is formed between the lower surface of the shaft portion 45 and the inclined support surface 16B-1 in the vertical direction. By forming such a space, the lower surface of the shaft portion 45 and thus the cam portion 44 do not interfere with the inclined support surface 16B-1, and thus damage to the cam portion 44 can be avoided well.

[0108] At the open position, the shaft portion 45 is in surface contact with the lower surface of the biasing piece 52A at the second restricting surface 45A and receives a downward biasing force from the biasing piece 52A. As shown in (A) of Figure 6 and (C) of Figure 11 , in the front-rear direction, the range of surface contact between the second restricting surface 45A and the lower surface of the biasing piece 45A reaches a position rearward of the second supported portion 44B. Therefore, at the open position, a moment in the opening direction is generated on the shaft portion 45 and thus on the movable member 40, and thus the movable member 40 is well maintained at the open position.

[0109] As described above, with reference to Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figures 8 to 11, the operation of the shaft portion 45 when the movable member 40 moves has been described. However, since the first supported portion 44A, the second supported portion 44B, the first restricted surface 44C, and the first corner portion 44D are provided over the entire range of the cam portion 44 in the connector width direction, regarding the above parts, the same operations as those described for the shaft portion 45 are performed throughout the entire cam portion 44 (refer to Figure 5 in (B) of Figure 6 and (B) of

[0110] As a result of the movable member 40 moving to the open position, as shown in Figure 11 in (B), the engaging portion 42 of the movable member 40 disengages upward from the side recess C1 of the flat conductor C, and a state allowing the flat conductor C to be pulled out is achieved. And by pulling the flat conductor C rearward (in the X2 direction), the flat conductor C can be easily pulled out from the connector 1, and the pulling-out operation is completed.

[0111] In the present embodiment, when the movable member 40 is in the moving process and the open position, a recess 16B formed in the support portion 16A of the housing 10 allows a part of the cam portion 44 to enter. In such a structure, by a part of the cam portion 44 entering the recess 16B, the shaft portion 45 provided on the cam portion 44 is located below compared to when the movable member 40 is in the closed position. Therefore, compared with the case where the movable member always remains at the same height as before, the amount of elastic deformation upward of the force-applying piece 52A of the force-applying arm portion 52 pressed by the shaft portion 45 during the moving process and the open position of the movable member 40 is reduced. As a result, the period during which the force-applying arm portion 52 is largely elastically deformed during the moving process of the movable member 40 becomes shorter. In addition, even in the open position, the amount of elastic deformation of the force-applying arm portion 52 can be reduced. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the generation of fatigue of the force-applying arm portion 52 can be suppressed well.

[0112] In addition, in the present embodiment, the movable member 40 is subjected to a moment in either the closing direction or the opening direction according to the position of the movable member 40 during its movement. Specifically, a moment in the closing direction is generated when the movable member 40 is on the closed position side, and a moment in the opening direction is generated when the movable member 40 is on the open position side. Therefore, during the moving operation of the movable member 40, a moment toward the moving direction is generated from the middle of the movement, so the moving operation becomes easy.

[0113] In the present embodiment, the elastic deformation state of the force-applying arm portion 52 is maintained in the open position, but alternatively, the force-applying arm portion 52 may be in a free state in the open position. In this case, no force application based on the elastic force of the force-applying arm portion 52 is generated, but the force-applying piece 52A is in surface contact with the second restricted surface 45A of the shaft portion 45, so that the movable member 40 is maintained in the open position.

[0114] In the present embodiment, the shaft portion 45 is formed such that when viewed in the width direction of the connector, the front-rear dimension in the closed position is larger than the front-rear dimension in the open position. Alternatively, the front-rear dimension in the open position may be larger than the front-rear dimension in the closed position. In this case, when the movable member is in the open position, the shaft portion is in a posture extending in the front-rear direction within the cam housing portion, the front surface of the shaft portion is close to the rear surface of the metal member holding portion, and the rear surface of the shaft portion is close to the front surface of the end wall portion. Therefore, the movement of the shaft portion in the front-rear direction is restricted by the rear surface of the metal member holding portion and the front surface of the end wall portion. As a result, loosening of the shaft portion and the movable member in the open position can be suppressed well. Reference Signs

[0115] 1 Connector; 10 Housing; 11 Receiving Space; 13 Upper Wall (Covering Wall); 16A Support Portion; 16B Recess; 16B-1 Inclined Support Surface; 16C Flat Support Surface; 17 Metal Member Holding Portion (Restricting Portion); 18 Rear Wall; 18A End Wall Portion (Restricting Portion); 18B Protruding Wall Portion; 20 First Terminal; 30 Second Terminal; 40 Movable Member; 44 Cam Portion; 45 Shaft Portion; 50 Metal Member; 52 Biasing Arm Portion; C Flat Conductor.

Claims

1. An electric connector for a flat conductor, the electric connector for a flat conductor being connected to a flat conductor extending in a front-to-rear direction, comprising: a housing into which the flat conductor is inserted forward; A plurality of terminals, the plurality of terminals being arranged in a direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the thickness direction of the flat conductor as a terminal arrangement direction and held in the housing; A metal member, the metal member is arranged outside the arrangement range of the terminals in the terminal arrangement direction and is held in the housing; as well as a movable member capable of moving between a closed position and an open position as it rotates about a rotation axis extending in the terminal arrangement direction, The flat conductor electrical connector is characterized in that: The movable member has a cam portion, and the cam portion is arranged outside the arrangement range of the terminals in the terminal arrangement direction. The cam portion has a shaft portion, and the shaft portion is arranged at a position corresponding to the metal member in the terminal arrangement direction. The metal member has a force-applying arm portion that can be elastically deformed in the thickness direction. The force applying arm portion is located on one side relative to the shaft portion in the thickness direction, and can apply force to the shaft portion from the one side by the elastic force of the force applying arm portion. During the movement of the movable member, the shaft overcomes the elastic force and presses the force-applying arm, thereby causing the force-applying arm to deform elastically. The housing has a support portion capable of supporting the cam portion from the other side in the thickness direction, The support portion has a recessed portion that allows a portion of the cam portion to enter during the movement of the movable member. The recessed portion is formed so as to be sunken from a support surface of the support portion that supports the cam portion in the closed position.

2. The flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The recess allows a portion of the cam portion to enter when the movable member is in the open position.

3. The flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The movable member receives a moment due to the elastic force of the urging arm in either a closing direction toward a closed position or an opening direction toward an open position, depending on the position of the movable member.

4. The flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: When viewed along the terminal arrangement direction, the front-to-back dimension of the shaft portion at one of the closed position and the open position is larger than the front-to-back dimension at the other position. The housing has a restriction portion, which is located in front of and behind the support portion and is opposed to the shaft portion in the front-rear direction. The restricting portion may restrict movement of the shaft portion in a front-rear direction when the movable member is at the one position.

5. The flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The recessed portion has an inclined surface inclined with respect to the front-rear direction.

6. The flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: In a state where a portion of the cam portion enters the recessed portion, a space is formed between an end surface of the portion in the thickness direction and the inclined surface.

7. The flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The support portion has the recessed portion within a portion of the support portion in the front-rear direction. The other portion of the support portion has a surface extending in the front-rear direction, and can support the cam portion via the surface when the movable member is at least in the closed position.

8. The flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The housing has: a covering wall located on one side in the thickness direction relative to a receiving space for receiving the flat-type conductor and covering the receiving space from the one side; and the rear wall connected to the rear end of the covering wall, The rear wall has a protruding wall portion that protrudes to the one side relative to the cover wall within a range overlapping with at least a portion of the movable member in the terminal arrangement direction.

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