Electric connector for flat conductor

Abstract

To provide an electric connector for a flat conductor which can secure a sufficiently large strength of a terminal and also can attain a sufficiently large strength of a punching die for manufacturing a terminal.SOLUTION: At least one of a first extension part 21B-1 and a second extension part 21B-2 of one arm part 21 is elastically displaceable into a thickness direction of a flat conductor C. The second extension part 21B-2 extends to a position which overlaps with the other arm part 22 in a front-rear direction. The edge of a base arm part 21A which is adjacent to a reception space 11 is made to be more distant from the reception space 11 as becoming closer to the back in a predetermined range to the back edge in the front-rear direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector for flat conductors to which flat conductors are connected.

Background Art

[0002] A connector into which a strip-shaped flat conductor extending in the front-rear direction and having a thickness in the up-down direction is inserted and connected forward is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The connector of this Patent Document 1 is mounted on the mounting surface of a circuit board, and a plurality of terminals arranged with the width direction of the flat conductor as the terminal arrangement direction are held by a housing.

[0003] The terminals are made into a flat plate shape by punching a metal plate member, and are provided in a posture in which the plate surface is perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction. The terminal has a lower arm portion extending along the bottom wall of the housing, an upper arm portion extending along the upper wall of the housing, and a connecting portion connecting the front end portions of the lower arm portion and the upper arm portion.

[0004] The lower arm portion has a base arm portion extending straight in the front-rear direction and two elastic arm portions that can be elastically displaced in the up-down direction. Here, the two elastic arm portions are a front elastic arm portion extending rearward from the front end of the lower arm portion and a rear elastic arm portion extending forward from the rear end of the lower arm portion. The base arm portion is supported from below by the bottom wall of the housing. The front elastic arm portion can contact the flat conductor from below at a front contact portion formed at the rear end of the front elastic arm portion while elastically displacing downward. The rear elastic arm portion can contact the flat conductor from below at a rear contact portion formed at the front end thereof while elastically displacing downward. The upper arm portion is configured to press the flat conductor downward, that is, toward the front contact portion and the rear contact portion, with a pressing portion formed on the rear end side.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In Patent Document 1, since the elastic arm portion and the base arm portion of the lower arm portion are close to each other, in a punching die for punching a metal plate member during the manufacture of the terminal, the portion corresponding to the elastic arm portion and the base arm portion becomes small, and it is difficult to ensure sufficient strength for that portion. If an attempt is made to further provide the elastic arm portion at a higher position in order to greatly separate the elastic arm portion from the base arm portion, the elastic arm portion will be close to the upper arm portion. In that case, in the punching die, the portion corresponding to the elastic arm portion and the upper arm portion becomes small. That is, the problem of not being able to ensure sufficient strength of the punching die is not solved.

[0007] Also, if an attempt is made to narrow the base arm portion to increase the distance between the base arm portion and the elastic arm portion, the strength of the base arm portion and thus the strength of the terminal itself will decrease.

[0008] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for a flat conductor capable of sufficiently ensuring the strength of a punching die for terminal manufacture and also sufficiently ensuring the strength of the terminal itself.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] (1) The electrical connector for a flat conductor according to the present invention is an electrical connector for a flat conductor to which a flat conductor extending in the front-rear direction is connected, and includes a housing in which a receiving space opened rearward is formed so that the flat conductor is inserted forward, and a plurality of terminals arranged and held in the housing in a state where the plate surface is perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction with the direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the thickness direction of the flat conductor as the terminal arrangement direction.

[0010] In such an electrical connector for a flat conductor, in the present invention, the terminal has one arm portion that is located on one side with respect to the receiving space in the thickness direction and extends in the front-rear direction, another arm portion that is located on the other side with respect to the receiving space in the thickness direction and extends in the front-rear direction, and a connecting arm portion that connects the front end portions of the one arm portion and the other arm portion. The one arm portion has a base arm portion that extends rearward from the connecting arm portion and an extension arm portion that extends rearward from the rear end of the base arm portion. The extension arm portion has a first extension portion that extends from the rear end of the base arm portion and a second extension portion that is located closer to the receiving space than the first extension portion and deflects at the rear end of the first extension portion and extends forward. At least one of the first extension portion and the second extension portion is elastically displaceable in the thickness direction. The second extension portion extends to a position overlapping the other arm portion in the front-rear direction. The edge of the base arm portion on the receiving space side is configured to move away from the receiving space as it goes rearward within a predetermined range that extends at least to the rear end in the front-rear direction.

[0011] In the terminal, the second extension portion extends forward from the rear end of the first extension portion, that is, toward the base arm portion side. In the present invention, the edge of the base arm portion on the receiving space side is configured to move away from the receiving space as it goes rearward, that is, as it goes toward the second extension portion side, within a predetermined range that extends at least to the rear end in the front-rear direction. That is, the second extension portion and the base arm portion do not come close to each other, and a large gap is formed between them. Therefore, in a punching die for punching a metal plate member during the manufacture of the terminal, a portion corresponding to the above gap is formed large, so that sufficient strength of the portion can be ensured. Further, the base arm portion becomes thinner as it goes rearward within the above predetermined range. In other words, the base arm portion is thinner on the rear side within the above predetermined range but not thinner on the front side. Therefore, the decrease in the strength of the base arm portion due to thinning the base arm portion is minimized, and the strength of the base arm portion and thus the terminal is ensured to be sufficiently large.

[0012] (2) In the invention of (1), the second extension portion has one contact portion capable of contacting the flat conductor with pressure at a position overlapping the other arm portion in the front-rear direction, and the other arm portion may have another contact portion capable of sandwiching the flat conductor in cooperation with the one contact portion by contacting the flat conductor with pressure.

[0013] (3) In the invention of (1) or (2), the edge on the receiving space side of the base arm portion may be linearly inclined within the predetermined range. By doing so, in the punching die, a portion corresponding to the edge on the receiving space side can be formed in a simple shape.

[0014] (4) In any one of the inventions of (1) to (3), at least a part of the edge on the receiving space side of the other arm portion overlaps with the predetermined range of the base arm portion in the front-rear direction in another predetermined range, and may be configured to approach the receiving space as it goes rearward. That is, since the edge on the receiving space side of the other arm portion is formed in substantially the same direction as the edge on the receiving space side of the one arm portion, within the other predetermined range, the dimension of the distance between the base arm portion and the other arm portion in the thickness direction of the flat conductor does not change significantly over the entire range where the predetermined range and the other predetermined range overlap. Therefore, in the punching die, a portion corresponding to this distance can be formed in a simple shape.

[0015] (5) In any one of the inventions of (1) to (4), the edge on the receiving space side of the other arm portion may be linearly inclined within the other predetermined range. By doing so, in the punching die, a portion corresponding to the edge on the receiving space side can be formed in a simple shape.

[0016] (6) In any one of the inventions according to (1) to (5), a notch may be formed in the edge on the receiving space side of the base arm portion forward of the predetermined range. Even if so-called burrs are generated when punching a metal plate member with a punching die during the manufacture of the terminal, by forming the above-described notch in the edge on the receiving space side of the base arm portion, the burrs are likely to be formed within the notch. When the burrs are thus formed within the notch, it becomes difficult for the burrs to protrude into the receiving space. Therefore, it is possible to preferably avoid the flat conductor inserted into the receiving space from being damaged by the burrs or being short-circuited through the burrs.

[0017] (7) In any one of the inventions according to (1) to (6), a notch may be formed in the edge on the receiving space side of the connecting arm portion. By forming the above-described notch in the edge on the receiving space side of the connecting arm portion, as in the invention of (6) described above, it becomes difficult for the burrs to protrude into the receiving space, and damage and short-circuit of the flat conductor can be preferably avoided.

Effect of the Invention

[0018] In the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical connector for a flat conductor capable of sufficiently ensuring the strength of the punching die for terminal manufacture and also sufficiently ensuring the strength of the terminal itself.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

[0021] <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are perspective views showing an electrical connector 1 for a flat conductor (hereinafter referred to as "connector 1") together with a flat conductor C. FIG. 1 shows the state immediately before connecting the flat conductor C, and FIG. 2 shows the state immediately before extracting the flat conductor C. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the connector 1 with the terminal 20, the fitting 30, and the movable member 40 separated.

[0022] The connector 1 is mounted on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), and a flat conductor C (for example, FPC) as a mating connector can be inserted and connected in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) parallel to the mounting surface. When the flat conductor C is connected, the connector 1 electrically connects the circuit board and the flat conductor C. In this embodiment, in the X-axis direction (front-rear direction), the X1 direction is the front and the X2 direction is the rear. Also, the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) is the connector width direction, and the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the circuit board is the up-down direction.

[0023] The flat conductor C is a flexible strip extending in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) with the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) as the width direction and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) as the thickness direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the front-end side portion thereof is inserted into the housing 10. A plurality of circuit portions (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction are arranged in the connector width direction in the flat conductor C. The circuit portions are embedded in the insulating layer of the flat conductor C and extend in the front-rear direction, reaching a position near the front end of the flat conductor C. Further, the circuit portions are exposed on the lower surface of the front-end side portion and can come into contact with the terminals 20 (described later) of the connector 1.

[0024] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the front-end side portion of the flat conductor C is narrower than other portions. Recesses C1 are formed on both side edges of the front-end side portion, and the rear edge of the ear portion C2 located in front of the recess C1 functions as a locked portion C2A to be locked with a locking portion 42 (described later) of the connector 1 (see FIG. 7(B)). Further, shoulder portions C3 are formed on both sides in the width direction of the flat conductor C at the front end of the other portion of the flat conductor C. As shown in FIG. 2, the shoulder portions C3 approach the rear end wall portion 18 (described later) of the housing 10 from the rear in a state where the flat conductor C is inserted into the connector 1.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector 1 includes a housing 10 made of an electrical insulating material such as resin, a plurality of terminals 20 made of metal plates arranged in the connector width direction as the terminal arrangement direction and held by the housing 10 (see also FIG. 4), metal fittings 30 made of metal plates disposed on both outer sides of the terminal arrangement range in the connector width direction, and a movable member 40 made of an electrical insulating material such as resin or metal that is rotatable between a closed position and an open position. A flat conductor C is inserted and connected from the rear (see the arrow shown in FIG. 1).

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape with the connector width direction as the longitudinal direction, and a receiving space 11 for receiving the flat conductor C is formed as a space open toward the rear. The housing 10 includes a lower wall 12 and an upper wall 13 as wall portions extending parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board, two side walls 14 (see FIG. 3) extending in the vertical direction and connecting both end portions of the lower wall 12 and the upper wall 13 in the connector width direction, and a front wall 15 (see FIG. 6(B)) connecting the front ends of the lower wall 12 and the upper wall 13.

[0027] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the housing 10 has, outside the side wall 14 in the connector width direction, an overhanging portion 16 protruding from the outer surface of the lower portion of the side wall 14, a fitting holding portion 17 provided in the front half portion of the overhanging portion 16, and a rear end wall portion 18 provided at the rear end portion of the overhanging portion 16.

[0028] The receiving space 11 is surrounded by the lower wall 12, the upper wall 13, the front wall 15 (see FIG. 6(B)), and the two side walls 14 (see FIG. 3), extends in the front-rear direction, and is adapted to receive the front end side portion of the flat conductor C (see FIGS. 7(A) and (B)).

[0029] An upper hole portion 13A penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the upper wall 13 outside the terminal arrangement range. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper hole portion 13A allows the entry of a locking portion 42 (to be described later) of the movable member 40 from above when the movable member 40 is in the closed position (see also FIG. 6(B)).

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the housing 10, terminal accommodating portions 19 for accommodating terminals 20 are formed by being arranged in the connector width direction. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector 1 on a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction, showing a cross section at the position of the terminal 20 in the connector width direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal accommodating portion 19 is formed as a groove portion penetrating the housing 10 in the front-rear direction. The terminal accommodating portion 19 includes a lower groove portion 19A recessed from the upper surface of the lower wall 12 and extending in the front-rear direction, an upper groove portion 19B recessed from the lower surface of the upper wall 13 and extending in the front-rear direction, and 19C penetrating the front wall 15 in the front-rear direction and extending in the vertical direction to communicate the front end portions of the lower groove portion 19A and the upper groove portion 19B. As a whole, it has a horizontally U-shaped opening toward the rear.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the overhanging portion 16 has a plate shape with a plate surface perpendicular to the vertical direction and extends over the entire range of the side wall 14 in the front-rear direction. The fitting holding portion 17 is provided at an interval from the outer surface of the side wall 14 in the connector width direction. The space formed between the fitting holding portion 17 and the side wall 14 forms a side plate accommodating portion 10A for accommodating a side plate portion 43 of a movable member 40 described later.

[0032] The fitting holding portion 17 has a plate shape standing up with a plate surface perpendicular to the connector width direction, and a fitting accommodating portion 17A for accommodating a part of the fitting 30 is formed outside the overhanging portion 16 in the connector width direction (see also FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B)). Also, as shown in FIG. 3, in the fitting holding portion 17, the portion located inside the fitting accommodating portion 17A in the connector width direction stands up upward from the overhanging portion 16. Further, at the lower portion of the fitting holding portion 17, a locked end portion 17B protruding rearward from the rear end of the fitting accommodating portion 17A is provided. The locked end portion 17B is located in the range including the fitting accommodating portion 17A in the connector width direction and within the range of the overhanging portion 16 in the vertical direction, and is configured to be locked to a locking leg portion 34 of the fitting 30 described later in the vertical direction (see FIG. 5(B)).

[0033] Figs. 5(A) and 5(B) are longitudinal sectional views of the connector 1, showing cross-sections at the position of the fitting 30 in the width direction of the connector. Fig. 5(A) shows a state where one fitting 30 is extracted, and Fig. 5(B) shows a state where the fitting 30 is attached. As shown in Figs. 5(A) and 5(B), the fitting housing portion 17A forms a groove shape that extends at a right angle to the width direction of the connector. The lower part of the fitting housing portion 17A extends forward more than the other parts, and as shown in Fig. 5(B), the press-fitting groove portion 17A-1 formed on the front end side thereof holds the press-fitting fixing portion 31A-1 of the fitting 30 described later.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 3, the rear end wall portion 18 is located behind the fitting holding portion 17, stands up upward from the overhanging portion 16, and is connected to the outer surface of the side wall 14. The space formed between the fitting holding portion 17 and the rear end wall portion 18 in the front-rear direction forms a cam housing portion 10B for housing the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40 described later.

[0035] The terminal 20 is made by punching a metal plate member, and is press-fitted and attached to the terminal housing portion 19 of the housing 10 from the front in a state where the plate surface is perpendicular to the width direction of the connector. As shown in Fig. 4, the terminal 20 has a lower arm portion 21 as one arm portion that is located on the lower side (one side) with respect to 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 as the other arm portion that is located on the upper side (the other side) with respect to 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, and a connecting portion 24 that extends forward from the lower part of the connecting arm portion 23.

[0036] The lower wrist part 21 is housed in the lower groove part 19A, and has a base wrist part 21A that is supported from below by a groove bottom surface 19A-1 forming the inner surface of the lower groove part 19A and extends in the front-rear direction, and an extension wrist part 21B that extends rearward from the rear end of the base wrist part 21A. The entire base wrist part 21A is housed in the lower groove part 19A. The upper edge of the base wrist part 21A, that is, the edge on the receiving space 11 side of the base wrist part 21A, as shown in FIG. 4, is linearly inclined downward so as to move away from the receiving space 11 in a predetermined range S in the front-rear direction as it goes rearward. In the present embodiment, the predetermined range S is the entire range of the base wrist part 21A in the front-rear direction. On the other hand, the lower edge of the base wrist part 21A is not inclined with respect to the front-rear direction. That is, the base wrist part 21A gradually becomes thinner as it goes rearward. The lower edge of the base wrist part 21A is supported by the groove bottom surface 19A-1 throughout the entire front-rear direction of the base wrist part 21A.

[0037] The extension wrist part 21B has a first extension part 21B-1 that extends from the rear end of the base wrist part 21A, and a second extension part 21B-2 that is located above the first extension part 21B-1, that is, on the receiving space 11 side, and extends with a change in direction so as to fold 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 while inclining upward as it goes rearward. That is, the gap formed between the lower edge of the first extension part 21B-1 and the groove bottom surface 19A-1 of the lower groove part 19A gradually becomes larger as it goes rearward. The first extension part 21B-1 is allowed elastic displacement in the vertical direction within the range of this gap. Hereinafter, this gap is referred to as an "elastic displacement allowable space 19A-2".

[0038] In this embodiment, since the groove bottom surface 19A-1 of the lower groove portion 19A is formed at the same height throughout the front-rear direction, the elastic displacement allowance space 19A-2 is formed as a gap with the groove bottom surface 19A-1 by providing the first extension portion 21B-1 in an inclined manner. However, the form of the elastic displacement allowance space 19A-2 is not limited to this. For example, as a modification, the groove bottom surface 19A-1 may be formed lower than other ranges in the range corresponding to the first extension portion 21B-1 in the front-rear direction, and the elastic displacement allowance space 19A-2 may be formed. Further, as still another modification, in the range corresponding to the first extension portion 21B-1 in the front-rear direction, without providing the lower wall 12, the space below the first extension portion 21B-1, that is, the space opened downward may be used as the elastic displacement allowance space 19A-2. In these modifications, it is also possible to form the first extension portion 21B-1 in a shape that extends without inclining in the front-rear direction.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, a part of the second extension portion 21B-2 is accommodated in the lower groove portion 19A, and it inclines upward as it goes forward and extends to a position overlapping with the rear end portion of the upper arm portion 22 in the front-rear direction. Thus, the second extension portion 21B-2 extends forward, that is, toward the base arm portion 21A side. In this embodiment, the upper edge of the base arm portion 21A forms an inclined edge that inclines downward away from the receiving space 11 as it goes backward, that is, as it goes toward the second extension portion 21B-2 side, in a predetermined range S that reaches the rear end in the front-rear direction. That is, the second extension portion 21B-2 and the base arm portion 21A do not come close to each other, and a large gap is formed between them. Therefore, in a punching die (not shown) for punching a metal plate member during the manufacture of the terminal 20, a portion corresponding to the above gap is formed large, so that sufficient strength of the portion can be ensured. Further, the base arm portion 21A becomes thinner as it goes backward in the above predetermined range S. In other words, the base arm portion 21A is thinner on the rear side in the above predetermined range S but not thinner on the front side. Therefore, the decrease in the strength of the base arm portion 21A due to thinning the base arm portion 21A is minimized, and the strength of the base arm portion 21A and thus the terminal 20 is ensured to be sufficiently large.

[0040] At the front end of the second extension portion 21B-2, a lower contact portion 21B-3 is provided so as to protrude upward as one contact portion capable of contacting the circuit portion on the lower surface of the flat conductor C with a contact pressure. When the second extension portion 21B-2 is in a free state, the lower contact portion 21B-3 protrudes from the lower groove portion 19A and is located within the receiving space 11. The gap formed between the second extension portion 21B-2 and the first extension portion 21B-1 in the vertical direction gradually increases toward the rear, and elastic displacement of the second extension portion 21B-2 in the vertical direction is allowed within the range of this gap.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4, the first extension portion 21B-1 is formed thicker than the second extension portion 21B-2. In this way, in the extension arm portion 21B, by forming the second extension portion 21B-2 located on the free end side thinner and the first extension portion 21B-1 located on the side opposite to the free end thicker, the stress generated in the extension arm portion 21B due to contact with the flat conductor C can be dispersed, and thereby, concentration of load on a part of the extension arm portion 21B can be avoided.

[0042] Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the first extension portion 21B-1 is formed longer than the second extension portion 21B-2, and the front end of the first extension portion 21B-1 is located forward of the front end of the second extension portion 21B-2. In this embodiment, since the first extension portion 21B-1, which is thicker than the second extension portion 21B-2, is formed longer than the second extension portion 21B-2, the spring properties of both the first extension portion 21B-1 and the second extension portion 21B-2 can be set to be approximately the same. As a result, it becomes easier to ensure an appropriate contact pressure with the flat conductor C.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, the upper arm portion 22 is located above the lower arm portion 21, i.e., on the opposite side sandwiching the receiving space 11 in the vertical direction. A part of the upper arm portion 22 extends obliquely downward as it extends rearward in a state where it is accommodated in the upper groove portion 19B. At this time, the lower edge of the upper arm portion 22, i.e., the edge on the receiving space 11 side of the upper arm portion 22, forms an inclined edge that linearly inclines downward so as to approach the receiving space 11 as it goes rearward in a predetermined range T (another predetermined range) that extends from the front end position of the upper arm portion 22 to the position adjacent to the upper contact portion 22A described later in the front-rear direction of the upper arm portion 22. The predetermined range T of the upper arm portion 22 is almost entirely included in the predetermined range S of the base arm portion 21A in the front-rear direction and overlaps with the predetermined range S.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, the lower edge of the upper arm portion 22 is formed to incline in substantially the same direction as the upper edge of the predetermined range S of the base arm portion 21A in the predetermined range T. That is, in the other predetermined range T, the dimension of the distance between the base arm portion 21A and the upper arm portion 22 in the vertical direction does not change significantly over the entire overlapping range of the predetermined range S and the other predetermined range T. Therefore, in a punching die (not shown) for manufacturing the terminal 20, a portion corresponding to the above distance can be formed in a simple shape.

[0045] At the rear end of the upper arm portion 22, an upper contact portion 22A is provided so as to protrude downward as the other contact portion that can be brought into contact with the upper surface of the flat conductor C with pressure. As shown in FIG. 4, when the upper arm portion 22 is in a free state, the upper contact portion 22A protrudes from the upper groove portion 19B and is located in the receiving space 11.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, the protruding apex of the upper contact portion 22A is located forward by a distance P from the protruding apex of the lower contact portion 21B-3 of the lower arm portion 21. Also, in the vertical direction, a gap with a dimension Q smaller than half of the thickness dimension R (see FIG. 6(A)) of the flat conductor C is formed between the protruding apex of the upper contact portion 22A and the protruding apex of the lower contact portion 21B-3 in order to ensure sufficient contact pressure against the flat conductor C. Further, in the present embodiment, the distance P is set to be smaller than the thickness dimension R of the flat conductor C and also smaller than twice the gap dimension Q.

[0047] As described above, by setting the distance P to be smaller than the thickness dimension R of the flat conductor C, even when an external force is applied in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the flat conductor C in a state where the flat conductor C is connected to the connector 1 and the flat conductor C is in an inclined posture, it becomes easier to maintain the state where the flat conductor C is clamped with contact pressure by the cooperation of the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A. As a result, appropriate contact pressure between the flat conductor C and the terminal 20 is ensured, and accidental detachment of the flat conductor C can be avoided.

[0048] Also, due to the relationship that the gap dimension Q is set to be smaller than half of the thickness dimension R of the flat conductor C, by setting the distance P to be smaller than twice the gap dimension Q, it also becomes easier to maintain the state where the flat conductor C is clamped with contact pressure by the cooperation of the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A. Therefore, even when an external force is applied in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the flat conductor C in a state where the flat conductor C is connected to the connector and the flat conductor is in an inclined posture, appropriate contact pressure between the flat conductor C and the terminal 20 is ensured, and accidental detachment of the flat conductor C can be avoided.

[0049] In the present embodiment, regarding the distance P, it is assumed that both the condition of being smaller than the thickness dimension R of the flat conductor C and the condition of being smaller than twice the gap dimension Q are satisfied, but it is not essential that both conditions are satisfied. If either condition is satisfied, accidental detachment of the flat conductor C can be avoided.

[0050] In addition, in the present embodiment, the protruding apex of the upper contact portion 22A is positioned forward of the protruding apex of the lower contact portion 21B-3 of the lower arm portion 21. However, as long as the above distance P between the protruding apices satisfies at least one of the above two conditions, the relative positional relationship in the front-rear direction between the protruding apices is not limited to this. That is, the protruding apex of the upper contact portion 22A may be positioned rearward of the protruding apex of the lower contact portion 21B-3 of the lower arm portion 21, or the protruding apices may be at the same position.

[0051] The connecting arm portion 23 is accommodated in the front groove portion 19C. On the upper edge of the connecting arm portion 23, a press-fitting protrusion 23A protruding upward is provided, and the terminal 20 is held in the terminal accommodating portion 19 by the press-fitting protrusion 23A biting into the inner surface of the upper wall 13. A notch portion 23B is formed at the rear edge of the connecting arm portion 23, that is, the edge on the receiving space 11 side. The notch portion 23B opens rearward at a position directly above the front end side portion (the connecting portion with the connecting arm portion 23) of the base arm portion 21A.

[0052] The terminal 20 according to the present embodiment is formed by punching a metal plate member a plurality of times. At this time, the overlapping range in the vicinity of the connecting portion between the base arm portion 21A and the connecting arm portion 23 is punched a plurality of times. As a result, large burrs may be generated in this range. In the present embodiment, since the notch portion 23B is formed at a position corresponding to this range, even if large burrs as described above are generated, the burrs are likely to be formed in the notch portion 23B. When the burrs are formed in the notch portion 23B in this way, the burrs are less likely to protrude into the receiving space 11. Therefore, it is possible to preferably avoid the flat conductor C inserted into the receiving space 11 from being damaged by the burrs or being short-circuited through the burrs.

[0053] The connecting portion 24 extends outward from the lower portion of the connecting arm portion 23 downward and forward. The lower edge of the connecting portion 24 is positioned slightly below the lower surface of the lower wall 12 of the housing 10, and is soldered to the corresponding circuit portion (pad) on the mounting surface in a state where the connector 1 is arranged on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown).

[0054] Figs. 5(A) and 5(B) are perspective sectional views of the connector 1, showing longitudinal sections at the position of the metal fitting 30 in the width direction of the connector. Fig. 5(A) shows a state where one metal fitting 30 is extracted, and Fig. 5(B) shows a state where the metal fitting 30 is attached. The metal fitting 30 is made by punching out a metal plate member and bending a part thereof in the plate thickness direction, and is press-fitted and attached from the rear to the metal fitting housing portion 17A of the housing 10. By making the metal fitting 30 press-fittable in this way, the metal fitting 30 can be easily attached to the housing 10.

[0055] As shown in Figs. 5(A) and 5(B), the metal fitting 30 has a main body portion 31 having a plate surface perpendicular to the width direction of the connector, a biasing portion 32 for biasing the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40, a fixing leg portion 33 that is soldered to the mounting surface of the circuit board, and a locking leg portion 34 that can be locked to the housing 10 from below (see also Fig. 3). In the metal fitting 30, the main body portion 31 having a plate surface perpendicular to the width direction of the connector forms most of the metal fitting 30, and only the biasing portion 32 and the fixing leg portion 33 are bent in the width direction of the connector as described later. Therefore, the entire metal fitting 30 is made in a simple shape and is compact.

[0056] The main body portion 31 is adjacent to the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40 on the outer side in the width direction of the connector and has a fixed arm portion 31A that extends straight in the front-rear direction and is fixed to the housing 10, a movable arm portion 31B that is located above the fixed arm portion 31A and extends in the front-rear direction, and a connecting portion 31C that extends in the vertical direction and connects the front end side portions of the fixed arm portion 31A and the movable arm portion 31B. The metal fitting 30 is held in the metal fitting housing portion 17A by the press-fitting fixing portion 31A-1 provided at the front end portion of the fixed arm portion 31A being press-fitted into the press-fitting groove portion 17A-1 of the metal fitting housing portion 17A. Further, in the state where the metal fitting 30 is housed in the metal fitting housing portion 17A, the fixed arm portion 31A is supported by the lower inner wall surface 17A-2 of the metal fitting housing portion 17A.

[0057] The movable arm portion 31B extends in the front-rear direction and is elastically displaceable in the vertical direction, that is, in a direction parallel to the plate surface (rolling surface). The front half of the movable arm portion 31B extends while inclining downward as it goes rearward, and the rear half extends straight without inclining rearward from the rear end of the front half. Note that the shape of the movable arm portion is not limited to this. For example, the front half of the movable arm portion may extend while inclining upward as it goes rearward, and the rear half may extend straight without inclining rearward from the rear end of the front half. The connecting portion 31C extends while inclining forward from the upper edge of the fixed arm portion 31A at a position near the front end of the fixed arm portion 31A, and connects the portion near the front end of the fixed arm portion 31A and the front end portion of the movable arm portion 31B.

[0058] The biasing portion 32 extends at an intermediate position in the rear half of the movable arm portion 31B in the front-rear direction, is bent at the upper edge of the movable arm portion 31B, and extends inward in the connector width direction, that is, toward the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40. The biasing portion 32 has a plate surface (rolling surface) perpendicular to the vertical direction, is located directly above the cam portion 44, and restricts the upward movement of the cam portion 44 and thus the movable member 40 (see FIGS. 6(C), 7(C), and 8(C)).

[0059] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5(B), there is nothing above the rear half of the movable arm portion 31B. However, as a modification, for example, a restricting portion may be formed by a part of the housing 10 at a position above the rear end portion of the movable arm portion 31B with a predetermined interval from the rear end portion. In this modification, when the rear end portion of the movable arm portion 31B is displaced upward by a predetermined amount, it abuts against the restricting portion from below, and further displacement is restricted. By adopting such a configuration, excessive elastic deformation of the movable arm portion 31B upward is restricted, so that it is possible to more reliably prevent the cam portion 44 and thus the movable member 40 from coming off the housing 10.

[0060] The fixed leg portion 33 is located near the rear end of the fixed arm portion 31A, is bent at the lower edge of the fixed arm portion 31A, and extends inward in the connector width direction. Since the fixed leg portion 33 extends inward in the connector width direction, that is, toward the same side as the biasing portion 32, the increase in size of the fitting 30 in the connector width direction due to the provision of the fixed leg portion 33 can be avoided. The fixed leg portion 33 is located rearward of the biasing portion 32 in the front-rear direction and extends over substantially the same range as the biasing portion 32 in the connector width direction. Further, the lower surface of the fixed leg portion 33 is located slightly below the lower surface of the lower wall 12 of the housing (see FIGS. 6(C), 7(C), and 8(C)), and in a state where the connector 1 is disposed on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), it is soldered and fixed to the corresponding portion (pad) on the mounting surface.

[0061] The locking leg portion 34 is located forward of the fixed leg portion 33 and is provided within the range of the biasing portion 32 in the front-rear direction. The locking leg portion 34 extends downward from the lower edge of the fixed leg portion 33 and then extends forward, and the overall shape is L-shaped. As shown in FIG. 5(B), this L-shaped locking leg portion 34 fits into the locked end portion 17B of the fitting holding portion 17 from the rear, thereby locking the locked end portion 17B from below. In the present embodiment, the locking leg portion 34 is provided at a position separated from the fixed leg portion 33. Therefore, when the fixed leg portion 33 is soldered to the corresponding portion of the mounting surface of the circuit board, so-called solder climbing, in which the melted solder climbs along the locking leg portion 34 toward the housing 10 side, can be prevented.

[0062] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the movable member 40 includes a plate-shaped operation portion 41 that extends over the range between the side walls 14 (see FIGS. 2 and 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.

[0063] The operation unit 41 is configured to receive an operation for moving (rotating) the movable member 40 between the closed position shown in FIG. 1 and the open position shown in FIG. 2. The locking portion 42 is provided at a position corresponding to the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C in the connector width direction, at the rear portion of the operation unit 41 when in the closed position (the lower portion of the operation unit 41 when in the open position). When the movable member 40 is in the closed position, the locking portion 42 protrudes from the lower surface of the operation unit 41 and is located within the upper hole portion 13A and the receiving space 11 of the housing 10 (see FIG. 6(B)), and can interfere with the flat conductor C (see FIG. 7(B)). The portion of the locking portion 42 located in the receiving space 11 has a guide surface 42A inclined downward toward the front on the rear surface, and a locking surface 42B for locking the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C from the rear on the front surface (see FIGS. 6(B) and 7(B)). When the movable member 40 is in the open position, the locking portion 42 is located outside the housing 10, and the interference with the flat conductor C is released (see FIGS. 8(A) and (B)).

[0064] As shown in FIG. 3, the side plate portion 43 is provided in a plate shape having a plate surface perpendicular to the connector width direction at both end positions of the operation unit 41 in the connector width direction. The side plate portion 43 extends over a range from the intermediate position to the rear position of the operation unit 41 in the front-rear direction and protrudes downward. That is, the protruding end portion 43A, which is the rear end portion of the side plate portion 43 shown in FIG. 3, protrudes rearward beyond the rear end of the operation unit 41. When the movable member 40 is in the closed position, the entire side plate portion 43 is accommodated within the side plate accommodating portion 10A of the housing 10 (see FIG. 1), and when the movable member 40 is in the open position, the portion excluding the protruding end portion 43A is in a state of being located outside the side plate accommodating portion 10A (see FIG. 2).

[0065] The cam portion 44 protrudes substantially in a quadrangular prism shape from the outer surface of the protruding end portion 43A of the side plate portion 43 in the connector width direction, and is always housed in the cam housing portion 10B of the housing 10 regardless of the position of the movable member 40. The cam portion 44 is located directly below the biasing portion 32 of the metal fitting 30, and upward movement thereof is restricted by the biasing portion 32. The cam portion 44 is provided at a position including the rotation axis of the movable member 40 when viewed in the connector width direction, and has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the rotation axis.

[0066] When the movable member 40 is in the closed position, the cam portion 44 contacts the lower surface of the biasing portion 32 with the first regulated surface 44A having a flat upper surface in the closed position (FIGS. 6(C) and 7(C)). As a result, the movable member 40 is reliably maintained in the closed position. Further, when the movable member 40 is in the open position, the cam portion 44 contacts the lower surface of the biasing portion 32 with the second regulated surface 44B having a flat upper surface in the open position (see FIG. 8(C)). As a result, the movable member 40 is reliably maintained in the open position.

[0067] In the present embodiment, when the cam portion 44 is in contact with the lower surface of the biasing portion 32 in the closed position or the open position, the movable arm portion 31B of the metal fitting 30 is not elastically displaced, that is, the biasing force from the biasing portion 32 does not act on the cam portion 44. However, as a modification, in at least one of the closed position and the open position, the movable arm portion 31B of the metal fitting 30 may be slightly elastically displaced, and the biasing portion 32 may contact the cam portion 44 so that an appropriate biasing force from the biasing portion 32 acts on the cam portion 44. Further, as another modification, in at least one of the closed position and the open position, a gap may be formed between the cam portion 44 and the biasing portion 32 in the vertical direction.

[0068] Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the cam portion 44 (the outer peripheral surface parallel to the connector width direction), a cam surface 44C is formed between the first regulated surface 44A and the second regulated surface 44B. The cam surface 44C is a protruding and curved surface formed at one corner portion of the cam portion 44. In the present embodiment, in the process of the movable member 40 rotating between the closed position and the open position, the cam portion 44 elastically displaces the movable arm portion 31B by pressing the biasing portion 32 upward with the cam surface 44C, and receives a downward biasing force, which is a reaction force, from the biasing portion 32.

[0069] The connector 1 having such a configuration is assembled in the following manner. First, the terminal 20 is press-fitted and attached to the terminal housing portion 19 of the housing 10 from the front. Further, the movable member 40 maintained in the closed position posture is attached to the housing 10 from above. At this time, the side plate portion 43 of the movable member 40 is housed in the side plate housing portion 10A, and the cam portion 44 is housed in the cam housing portion 10B. Next, the fitting 30 is press-fitted and attached to the fitting housing portion 17A of the housing 10 from the rear. At this time, the locking leg portion 34 is fitted to the locked end portion 17B and locked to the locked end portion 17B from below. Further, the biasing portion 32 of the fitting 30 is positioned directly above the cam portion 44, and the upward movement of the cam portion 44 is restricted. By attaching the terminal 20, the fitting 30, and the movable member 40 to the housing 10 in this way, the connector 1 is completed.

[0070] In the present embodiment, the terminal 20, the movable member 40, and the fitting 30 are attached to the housing 10 in this order. However, the attachment process of the terminal 20 may be performed after the attachment processes of the fitting 30 and the movable member 40, or may be performed simultaneously. Further, in the present embodiment, the movable member 40 is attached to the housing 10 in the closed position posture. However, the posture of the movable member 40 at the time of attachment is not limited to this, and may be, for example, the open position posture.

[0071] Next, the insertion and removal operation of the flat conductor C with respect to the connector 1 will be described.

[0072] First, solder-connect the connection portion 24 of the terminal 20 of the connector 1 to the corresponding circuit portion of a circuit board (not shown), and also solder-connect the fixed leg portion 33 of the fitting 30 to the corresponding portion of the circuit board. By the solder connection of this connection portion 24 and the fixed leg portion 33, the connector 1 is attached to the circuit board.

[0073] Next, as shown in FIGS. 6(A) to 6(C), position a flat conductor C so as to extend in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) along the mounting surface (not shown) of the circuit board behind the connector 1 with the movable member 40 brought to the closed position (see also FIG. 1). Next, insert the flat conductor C into the receiving space 11 of the connector 1 toward the front (X1 direction).

[0074] In the present embodiment, at the terminal 20, the second extension portion 21B-2 having the lower contact portion 21B-3 is turned back at the rear end of the first extension portion 21B-1 and extends forward. 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 rear end portion of the extension arm portion 21B, that is, the folded-back portion of the extension arm portion 21B that curves convexly rearward, and reaches the position of the lower contact portion 21B-3. Therefore, there is no risk of buckling occurring at any portion of the terminal 20 due to contact with the front end of the flat conductor C. As a result, the terminal 20 and the flat conductor C can be brought into appropriate contact.

[0075] In the process of inserting 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 and the upper contact portion 22A of the upper arm portion 22 of the terminal 20, pushes down the second extension portion 21B-2 and elastically displaces it downward, and pushes up the upper arm portion 22 and elastically displaces it upward. As a result, the space between the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A is widened. Also, at this time, as the second extension portion 21B-2 elastically displaces, the first extension portion 21B-1 also elastically displaces downward.

[0076] Also, at the position of the locking portion 42 of the movable member 40 in the connector width direction, the front end of the flat conductor C abuts against the guide surface 42A of the locking portion 42 and pushes up the locking portion 42. When the locking portion 42 is pushed up, the entire movable member 40 moves upward. Along with this, the biasing portion 32 of the fitting 30 is pushed up by the cam portion 44, and the movable arm portion 31B of the fitting 30 elastically displaces upward. That is, the upward movement of the locking portion 42 is allowed by the elastic displacement of the movable arm portion 31B.

[0077] In this way, while the space between the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A of the terminal 20 is widened, the locking portion 42 of the movable member 40 moves upward, enabling the flat conductor C to be inserted further forward. As shown in FIGS. 7(A) to (C), the flat conductor C is inserted until it abuts against the front wall 15 of the housing 10 (see FIGS. 7(A) and (B)). Also, at this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the shoulder portion C3 of the flat conductor C approaches the rear end wall portion 18 of the housing 10 from the rear.

[0078] In the state where the insertion of the flat conductor C is completed, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the elastic displacement 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, while the upper contact portion 22A presses the flat conductor C from above, 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 terminal 20 and the flat conductor C is maintained.

[0079] Also, during the insertion process of the flat conductor C, when the ear portion C2 of the flat conductor C passes through the position of the locking portion 42 and the locking portion 42 reaches the position of the recess C1, the movable member 40 returns to the closed position, and as shown in FIG. 7(B), the locking portion 42 enters the recess C1 from above. As a result, the locking surface 42B of the locking portion 42 is positioned so as to be able to lock the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C from the rear, thereby preventing the flat conductor C from being inadvertently removed. Further, as shown in FIG. 7(C), the lower surface (rolled surface) of the biasing portion 32 of the fitting 30 is in contact with the first regulated surface 44A of the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40, 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.

[0080] When the flat conductor C in the state shown in FIGS. 7(A) to (C), that is, in the connected state with the connector 1, is intentionally pulled out from the connector 1, the movable member 40 in the closed position is rotated to bring it to the open position shown in FIGS. 8(A) to (C). In the process of the movable member 40 rotating to the open position, the cam surface 44C of the cam portion 44 slides on the lower surface of the biasing portion 32 of the fitting 30 while pressing the biasing portion 32 upward. When the biasing portion 32 is pressed, the movable arm portion 31B of the fitting 30 is elastically displaced upward, and thereby the biasing portion 32 is displaced upward. That is, the cam portion 44 is allowed to further rotate while receiving the biasing force from the biasing portion 32.

[0081] In this embodiment, the biasing portion 32 biases the cam portion 44 with its plate surface (rolled surface). Therefore, compared with the case where the cam portion is biased with the plate thickness surface (broken surface) of the biasing portion, the biasing portion 32 can be brought into contact with the cam portion 44 with a smooth surface, and the contact area between the biasing portion 32 and the cam portion 44 can be increased. As a result, even if the biasing portion 32 and the cam portion 44 repeatedly slide in contact due to the movement of the movable member 40, wear of the cam portion 44 is less likely to occur, and a decrease in the biasing force of the biasing portion 32 can be preferably avoided.

[0082] When the movable member 40 reaches the open position, as shown in FIG. 8(C), the second regulated surface 44B of the cam portion 44 forms the upper surface, and the movable arm portion 31B of the fitting 30 returns to the free state with the elastic displacement state released. As a result, the lower surface of the biasing portion 32 contacts the second regulated surface 44B of the cam portion 44, and the movable member 40 is maintained in the open position. By maintaining the movable member 40 in the open position in this way, it is possible to prevent the movable member 40 from inadvertently moving toward the closed position.

[0083] As a result of the movable member 40 moving to the open position in this way, the locking portion 42 of the movable member 40 disengages upward from the recess C1 of the flat conductor C as shown in FIG. 8(B), and the flat conductor C is allowed to be extracted. Further, this state is maintained by the contact between the lower surface of the biasing portion 32 shown in FIG. 8(C) and the second regulated surface 44B of the cam portion 44. Then, by pulling the flat conductor C rearward (in the X2 direction), the flat conductor C is easily extracted from the connector 1, and the extraction operation is completed.

[0084] In the present embodiment, since the fixing leg portion 33 is provided on the fitting 30 and the fixing leg portion 33 is soldered to the mounting surface of the circuit board, when the biasing portion 32 receives an upward force from the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40 during the rotation process of the movable member 40, the soldered connection portion of the fixing leg portion 33 can counteract the upward force. As a result, it is possible to prevent the fitting 30 from coming off the housing.

[0085] Also, in the present embodiment, by providing the locking leg portion 34 on the fitting 30, when the biasing portion 32 receives an upward force from the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40, the locking leg portion 34 locks from below with respect to the locked end portion 17B of the housing 10. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fitting 30 from coming off the housing 10. In particular, before the connector 1 is mounted on the circuit board, since the fixed leg portion 33 is not yet soldered to the mounting surface of the circuit board, the soldered portion of the fixed leg portion 33 cannot counter the upward force. Therefore, providing the locking leg portion 34 and being able to counter the upward force by the locking force between the locking leg portion 34 and the locked end portion 17B is very effective before mounting the connector.

[0086] In the present embodiment, the circuit portion of the flat conductor C is exposed on the lower surface of the flat conductor C. However, alternatively, the circuit portion may be exposed on the upper surface of the flat conductor C. In this case, the upper arm portion 22 of the terminal 20 contacts the circuit portion at the upper contact portion 22A. Further, the circuit portion may be exposed on both the lower surface and the upper surface of the flat conductor C. In this case, the lower contact portion 21B-3 contacts the circuit portion on the lower surface, and the upper contact portion 22A contacts the circuit portion on the upper surface.

[0087] In the present embodiment, the biasing portion 32 of the fitting 30 biases the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40. However, it is not essential that the portion biased in the movable member is the cam portion, and it may be another part of the movable member.

[0088] <Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the range in which the upper edge of the base arm portion 21A forms an inclined edge that moves away from the receiving space 11 as it goes rearward was the entire range of the base arm portion 21A in the front-rear direction, but it is not essential that it be the entire range of the base arm portion 21A. The above inclined edge may be formed in a range that extends at least to the rear end of the base arm portion in the front-rear direction. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, in a partial range in the front-rear direction of the base arm portion, the upper edge of the base arm portion forms an inclined edge, which is different from the first embodiment in this regard. In this embodiment, the parts corresponding to the respective parts of the first embodiment are labeled with the reference numerals in the first embodiment with "100" added. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described centering on the main differences from the first embodiment.

[0089] FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector 101 according to the second embodiment, showing a cross section at the position of the terminal 120 in the connector width direction. As shown in FIG. 9, in the terminal 120, the upper edge of the base arm portion 121A forms an inclined edge that slopes downward so as to move away from the receiving space 111 as it goes rearward in a predetermined range U that extends from a position near the front end to the rear end. Therefore, the second extension portion 121B-2 and the base arm portion 121A do not come close to each other, and a large gap is formed between them. As a result, similarly to the first embodiment, a large portion corresponding to the above gap is formed in the punching die, so that sufficient strength of this portion can be ensured.

[0090] Also, the lower edge of the base arm portion 121A extends so as to slope upward as it goes rearward in substantially the latter half thereof, forming a slight gap with the groove bottom surface 119A-1 of the housing 110. Therefore, the base arm portion 121A is allowed to elastically displace downward within the range of this gap. Further, the lower edge of the base arm portion 21A extends without inclining with respect to the front-rear direction in substantially the first half thereof and is supported by the groove bottom surface 119A-1.

[0091] Also, at the upper edge of the base arm portion 121A, a notch portion 121A-1 is formed forward of a predetermined range U. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the notch portion 121A-1 is formed at the upper edge of the portion of the base arm portion 121A that is connected to the connecting arm portion 123. The notch portion 121A-1 serves the same role as the notch portion 23B in the first embodiment. That is, large burrs that may be generated by punching during the manufacture of the terminal 120 are likely to be formed within the notch portion 121A-1, and as a result, it is difficult for them to protrude into the receiving space 111. Therefore, it is possible to preferably avoid the flat conductor C inserted into the receiving space 111 from being damaged by the burrs or short-circuiting through the burrs. Note that the upper edge of the base arm portion 121A extends without inclining with respect to the front-rear direction in the range between the predetermined range U and the notch portion 121A-1.

[0092] In this embodiment, due to the formation of the notch portion 121A-1, the connecting portion between the front-end side portion of the base arm portion 121A and the connecting arm portion 123 is slightly thinner. However, since the front-end side portion of the base arm portion 121A originally has a sufficient thickness, even if the notch portion 121A-1 is formed, the strength of the front-end side portion is sufficiently ensured.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 9, the lower edge of the upper arm portion 122 forms an inclined edge that linearly inclines downward so as to approach the receiving space 111 toward the rear in a partial range in the front-rear direction, specifically, in a predetermined range V (another predetermined range) extending from the front-end position of the upper arm portion 122 to the position adjacent to the upper contact portion 122A. The predetermined range V of the upper arm portion 122 includes the predetermined range U of the base arm portion 121A in the front-rear direction and overlaps with the predetermined range U. That is, in this overlapping range, the lower edge of the upper arm portion 122 is formed to incline in substantially the same direction as the upper edge of the base arm portion 121A. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, in the punching die, the portion corresponding to the interval between the base arm portion 121A and the upper arm portion 122 can be formed in a simple shape.

[0094] In this embodiment, the lower edge of the substantially front half of the base arm portion 121 is supported by the groove bottom surface 119A-1 of the housing 110. However, as long as the strength of the front end side portion is ensured, it is not essential to be supported by the groove bottom surface 119A-1, and various modifications are conceivable. For example, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 9, the lower edge 121A-2 in the modification may be such that it goes upward as it goes forward, that is, it approaches the receiving space 111 side. In the illustrated example, the lower edge 121A-2 forms an inclined edge that linearly inclines upward as it goes forward. At this time, the lower edge 121A-2 is inclined more gently than the upper edge of the base arm portion 121A in the predetermined range U. By forming the lower edge 121A-2 in such a shape, a gap is formed between the lower edge 121A-2 and the groove bottom surface 119A-1. Therefore, the elastic deformation of the substantially front half of the base arm portion 121 in the vertical direction is allowed by this gap. As a result, while ensuring the strength of the base arm portion 121A, the spring length of the base arm portion 121A and thus the lower arm portion 121 can be increased.

[0095] In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the upper edge of the base arm portion of the terminal linearly inclines in a predetermined range so as to move away from the receiving space as it goes backward. However, the shape of the upper edge in this predetermined range is not limited to this, and as a modification, for example, it may have a stepped shape having a stepped portion, or may have a curved shape. Such a modification is also applicable to the lower edge of the upper arm portion and the lower edge of the base arm portion of the terminal.

[0096] In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, both the first extension portion and the second extension portion of the lower arm portion of the terminal are elastically displaceable in the vertical direction. However, alternatively, only one of the first extension portion and the second extension portion may be elastically displaceable in the vertical direction.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0097] 1,101 Connector 10,110 Housing 11,111 Receiving Space 20,120 Terminal 21,121 Lower wrist part (one wrist part) 21A,121A Base wrist part 21B,121B Extension wrist part 21B-1,121B-1 First extension part 21B-2,121B-2 Second extension part 21B-3,121B-3 Lower contact part (one contact part) 22,122 Upper wrist part (the other wrist part) 22A,122A Upper contact part (the other contact part) 23,123 Connecting wrist part 23B Notch 121A-1 Notch C Flat conductor

Claims

1. An electrical connector for flat conductors to which flat conductors extending in the front-rear direction are connected, comprising: a housing having a receiving space that is open rearward so that the flat conductor is inserted forward; a plurality of terminals arranged and held in the housing with the plate surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, where the terminal arrangement direction is a direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the thickness direction of the flat conductor. In the electrical connector for flat conductors, the terminal has one arm portion extending in the front-rear direction and located on one side of the receiving space in the thickness direction, the other arm portion extending in the front-rear direction and located on the other side of the receiving space in the thickness direction, and a connecting arm portion connecting the front end portions of the one arm portion and the other arm portion; the one arm portion has a base arm portion extending rearward from the connecting arm portion and an extension arm portion extending rearward from the rear end of the base arm portion; the extension arm portion has a first extension portion extending from the rear end of the base arm portion and a second extension portion located closer to the receiving space than the first extension portion and deflecting at the rear end of the first extension portion and extending forward; at least one of the first extension portion and the second extension portion is elastically displaceable in the thickness direction; the second extension portion extends to a position overlapping the other arm portion in the front-rear direction; The edge of the base arm portion on the receiving space side is characterized in that in a predetermined range extending at least to the rear end in the front-rear direction, it moves away from the receiving space as it goes rearward. An electrical connector for flat conductors.

2. The second extension portion has one contact portion that can contact the flat conductor with pressure contact at a position overlapping the other arm portion in the front-rear direction; The other arm portion has another contact portion that can sandwich the flat conductor in cooperation with the one contact portion by contacting the flat conductor with pressure contact. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 1.

3. The edge of the base arm portion on the receiving space side is straight and inclined within the predetermined range. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 1.

4. The edge of the other arm portion on the receiving space side is characterized in that in another predetermined range where at least a part overlaps the predetermined range of the base arm portion in the front-rear direction, it approaches the receiving space as it goes rearward. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 1.

5. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 4, wherein an edge on the receiving space side in the other arm portion is linearly inclined within the other predetermined range.

6. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 1, wherein a notch is formed in an edge on the receiving space side in the base arm portion, in front of the predetermined range.

7. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 1, wherein a notch is formed in an edge on the receiving space side of the connecting arm portion.

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