Connectors and connection structures using the same

Abstract

The objective is to provide a connector and connection structure using the same that facilitate insertion and connection while preventing damage to terminals, generation of foreign matter, and jamming during circuit board insertion. [Solution] The device comprises an insertion section into which a substrate is inserted, and terminals disposed within the insertion section, wherein the insertion section has a projection that guides the contact electrodes on the substrate so as not to come into contact with the terminals when the substrate is inserted, and a fitting groove that holds the contact electrodes on the substrate in contact with the terminals once the substrate is inserted to a predetermined position.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector used for inserting a substrate or the like to establish electrical connection, and a connection structure using the same. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Connectors referred to as harness relay connectors, board edge connectors and the like are used for relay using flexible printed circuits (FPCs), flexible flat cables (FFCs) and the like, or for inserting circuit boards to establish electrical connection.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector formed with a convex portion that restricts insertion such that the substrate cannot be inserted unless it is inclined, so as to prevent contacts (terminals) from being damaged when the substrate is inserted into the board edge connector. However, the connector disclosed in the publication requires an elastic arm portion for maintaining the posture of the inserted substrate, which results in a complicated structure, and the substrate must be inserted obliquely, so a large space for the connection operation in the vertical direction is required. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a connector that guides the insertion of the substrate in an inclined direction so as to prevent the contact portion on the substrate side from sliding on the terminals on the connector side, for the purpose of suppressing generation of wear debris when the printed circuit board is inserted into the connector. Also in this case, the substrate cannot be inserted and connected unless it is inclined. PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT DOCUMENT 1 Japanese Patent No. 6211167 PATENT DOCUMENT 2 Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2024-116596 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a connector and a connection structure using the same that facilitate insertion and connection while preventing damage to the terminals, generation of foreign matter, and jamming during substrate insertion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The connector according to the present invention comprises an insertion portion into which a substrate is inserted, and terminals disposed within the insertion portion, wherein the insertion portion has a projection that guides the contact electrodes on the substrate so as not to come into contact with the terminals when the substrate is inserted, and a fitting groove that holds the contact electrodes on the substrate in contact with the terminals once the substrate is inserted to a predetermined position.

[0007] Here, protrusions are provided to prevent the terminals located within the insertion section and the contact electrodes on the substrate side from coming into contact with each other when the substrate is inserted, and also to prevent the edges of the substrate from coming into contact with the terminals at this time. Furthermore, after inserting the circuit board into the connector, the contact state between the contact electrodes on the circuit board and the terminals on the connector was maintained by the mating groove.

[0008] In the present invention, it is preferable that the insertion portion has a crossover groove portion through which the substrate can move over the protrusion and through which the substrate can move within the space when the substrate is inserted. Here, it is preferable that the overhang groove is located above the protrusion from the lower surface of the insertion portion in which the fitting groove is formed. When the circuit board is inserted into the connector's insertion section, the leading edge of the circuit board comes into contact with the protrusion, guiding the circuit board in the opposite direction to the terminals. To ensure that there is space for the circuit board to recede during this process, a crossover groove is formed within the insertion section.

[0009] In the present invention, it is preferable that the overpass groove portion has a sloping surface on the upper surface of the groove that slopes inward and downward. As a result, when the substrate is inserted into the insertion section and the leading edge of the substrate passes through the protrusion, the inclined surface that slopes inward moves the substrate towards the terminals, causing the terminals and the contact electrodes on the substrate side to come into contact and connect.

[0010] In this invention, the term "substrate" includes not only substrates on which electronic circuit patterns are formed, but also substrates for relay connections such as FPCs and FFCs. Furthermore, the connector may be a PCB edge connector, a harness relay connector, or the like.

[0011] The connection structure between a substrate and a connector according to the present invention is a connection structure between a substrate and a connector using the above-mentioned connector, wherein the substrate has contact electrodes and a mating portion, and when the end of the substrate is inserted into the insertion portion of the connector, the substrate overcomes the protrusion of the connector, and thereafter the mating portion fits into the mating groove of the connector. The connector may have a pair of protrusions located inside the overhang groove and a pair of fitting grooves located outside the width direction of the overhang groove, and the substrate may have a pair of fitting portions that fit into the pair of fitting grooves. This method ensures that the leading edge of the circuit board contacts the protrusion on the connector side when inserting it, thus preventing damage to the terminals at the edges of the circuit board and preventing the contact electrodes on the circuit board from rubbing against the terminals. When the leading edge of the circuit board passes the protrusion on the connector side, the mating portion on the circuit board side engages with the mating groove on the connector side.

[0012] In the present invention, the connector may have a plurality of terminals in the width direction, a pair of protrusions located on the widthwise outer side of each of the plurality of terminals, and a pair of fitting grooves located on the widthwise outer side of the overhang groove, the substrate may have a pair of sliding contact portions that abut the pair of protrusions and a pair of fitting portions that fit into the pair of fitting grooves, and when the end of the substrate is inserted into the insertion portion of the connector, the pair of sliding contact portions may overhang the pair of protrusions. In this way, when the sliding contact portion formed on the substrate comes into contact with the protrusion on the connector side, the substrate moves into the space of the overpass groove and passes over the protrusion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] In the connector according to the present invention, when a board is inserted into the insertion portion of the connector in a substantially horizontal direction, the leading end portion of the board is guided by the protrusion to temporarily retract and move into the space above the ride-over groove portion, then the leading end portion of the board abuts and moves along the slope portion formed on the inner upper surface of the ride-over groove portion, the contact electrode of the board is connected to the terminal, and the fitting portion on the board side is fitted and held in the fitting groove portion on the connector side. Thereby, while avoiding contact with the terminals when inserting the board into the connector, the state where the contact electrodes on the board side and the terminals on the connector side are in elastic contact after insertion is retained by the fitting groove portion. Therefore, the connector according to the present invention allows insertion and connection without tilting the board obliquely as in the prior art. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] The insertion portion of the connector according to the present invention is shown as viewed obliquely from above, and the end portion of the board is shown. [Figure 2] A front view of the insertion portion of the connector and the electrical connection surface of the board are shown. [Figure 3] (a) shows the board and the connector as viewed from the electrical connection surface side of the board, and (b) shows the board and the connector as viewed from the side opposite to the connection surface of the board. [Figure 4] (a) to (c) show a state where the board is inserted into the insertion portion of the connector and rides over the protrusion. [Figure 5] (a) and (b) show a state where the sliding contact portion of the board passes over the protrusion and is fitted and connected to the connector. [Figure 6] A partial cross-sectional view of the fitting groove portion of the connector is shown. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] An example of the connection structure between the connector and the board according to the present invention will be described below based on the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0016] Figure 1 is a view of the insertion portion of the connector as viewed obliquely from above, and Figure 2 shows a front view of the insertion portion of the connector. The insertion and connection points for the circuit board are also shown, but the shape of the circuit board is not limited to this. The connector 10 has a housing 11 made of an insulating material with an insertion portion 12 for the circuit board 20 formed therein. As shown in Figure 3, multiple terminals 14 connected to multiple cables 17, etc., are arranged inside the insertion section 12. Terminal 14 is an elastic metal terminal, as shown in Figure 4. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the terminal 14 is a double-terminal type consisting of terminals 14a and 14b, but a single terminal may also be used. In this specification, in Figure 1, the lower surface of the insertion portion 12 is referred to as the bottom surface, the upper surface as the top surface, and the left-right direction is referred to as the width direction.

[0017] The insertion opening of the insertion section 12 has slanted sections 15c, 15c that guide the leading edge of the substrate toward the center, and on the inside, there is a projection 13 that protrudes from the lower surface of the insertion section 12 in line with the protruding direction of the terminal 14. As shown in Figure 4, the height of this protrusion 13 is greater than the protruding height of the terminals 14 (14a, 14b). This protrusion 13 may be formed integrally with the housing, or a separate component may be attached to the insertion part later. In this embodiment, the shape of the protrusion 13 will be described later, but to facilitate the upward guidance of the substrate 20, it has an upper surface portion 13a consisting of an inclined portion 13b on the insertion side and a flat portion. There are no particular restrictions on the shape of the inner side of the upper surface portion 13a of the protrusion 13, but in this embodiment, it is an inclined portion 13c that slopes downward toward the inner side.

[0018] In this embodiment, a pair of protrusions 13, 13 are provided on the outer side in the width direction of multiple terminals 14. However, the purpose is to prevent the edges of the substrate from hitting the terminals 14 when inserting the substrate, and there are no restrictions on the positional relationship between the terminals 14 and the protrusions 13 or the number of protrusions 13. As can be seen in Figures 4 and 5, the insertion section 12 has a crossover groove 15 that moves over the protrusion 13 when the substrate 20 is inserted, and a fitting groove 16 is formed that fits and holds the substrate 20 once the edge of the substrate 20 has passed this protrusion 13. The overhang groove 15 is a space located above the pair of fitting grooves 16 that are formed on both sides in the width direction along the lower surface of the insertion portion 12.

[0019] Next, an example of an insertion connection structure for the circuit board 20 to the connector 10 will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a pair of sliding contact portions 21, 21 are provided at the insertion end of the substrate 20, projecting outward in the width direction, and a pair of fitting portions 22, 22 are provided, each having a larger width dimension than the sliding contact portions 21, 21. A pair of notches 23, 23 are provided, with a width dimension narrower than the distance between the pair of protrusions, so that the substrate 20 can move toward the terminal when the sliding contact portions 21, 21 pass the protrusions 13, 13 on the connector side, and so that the sliding contact portions 21, 21 projecting outward in the width direction can be accommodated. Therefore, as explained in Figure 2, the width dimension W0 of the overhang groove 15 of the connector 10 is approximately the same as the outer distance in the width direction between the pair of sliding contact portions 21, 21, and the overhang groove has a pair of protrusions 13, 13 on the inside of its width, and the width dimension W3 of the notches 23, 23 is smaller than the outer distance in the width direction between these protrusions 13, 13. Furthermore, the width dimension W1 of the fitting grooves 16,16 corresponds to the substrate dimension W4. Furthermore, contact electrodes 24 are provided on the electrical connection surface 20a (back surface) of the substrate 10, corresponding to the positions of terminals 14. The side of the substrate 20 opposite to the contact surface 20a is referred to as the surface 20b. Figure 2 shows the back side of the substrate 20. When inserting the substrate 20 into the insertion section 12, insert it with the front surface 20b of the substrate facing upwards. The embodiment shown in Figure 2 has multiple terminals 14 in the width direction of the insertion portion 12, and projections 13, 13 are provided on the outer side of each of these terminals 14 in the width direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, one method involves forming protrusions between or near multiple terminals, and then providing notches on the circuit board side to match the position of these protrusions.

[0020] As shown in Figure 4(a), when the sliding contact portion 21 at the end of the substrate 20 is inserted toward the insertion portion 12 of the connector 10, as shown in Figure 4(b), the tip of the sliding contact portion 21 of the substrate 20 comes into contact with the inclined portion 13b of the projection 13. As a result, as shown in Figure 4(c), the substrate 20 is guided along the inclined portion 13b toward the space above the overpass groove portion 15. The tip of the substrate 20 advances further along the upper surface 13a of the protrusion 13. As the substrate 20 is inserted further forward, as shown in Figure 5(a), the sliding contact portion 21 passes over the protrusion 13, and the protrusion 13 fits into the notch 23. At the same time, the tip of the sliding contact portion 21 moves along the inclined surface 15a provided on the inner side of the groove 15, causing the contact electrode 24 of the substrate 20 to move toward the terminal 14. As shown in Figure 5, the tip of the sliding contact portion 21 of the substrate 20 fits into the insertion groove portion 15b provided on the inner side of the inclined surface portion 15a. At this time, the pair of fitting portions 22 provided on the substrate 20 are fitted into the fitting groove portions 16 on the connector side, as shown in the partial cross-sectional view of Figure 6, and the substrate 20 is held in place. In this embodiment, the substrate is fitted and held on both sides by the insertion groove 15b provided on the inner side of the inclined surface 15a and a pair of fitting grooves 16 located closer to the insertion opening, thereby stably maintaining elastic contact between the terminal 14 and the contact electrode 24 of the substrate 20. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0021] 10 connectors 11 Housing 12 Insertion part 13. Protrusion 14 terminals 15 Overpass groove 15a Slope section 16 Fitting groove 20 circuit boards 20a Connection surface 21 Sliding contact part 22 Fitting part 23 Notch 24 Contact Electrode

Claims

1. It comprises an insertion section into which a circuit board is inserted, and terminals arranged within the insertion section, The connector is characterized in that the insertion portion has a projection that guides the contact electrodes on the substrate so as not to come into contact with the terminals when the substrate is inserted, and a fitting groove that holds the contact electrodes on the substrate in contact with the terminals once the substrate has been inserted to a predetermined position.

2. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the insertion portion has a crossover groove portion through which the substrate moves over the protrusion when the substrate is inserted.

3. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in that the overhang groove is located above the protrusion from the lower surface of the insertion portion in which the fitting groove is formed.

4. The connector according to claim 3, characterized in that the overpass groove portion has an inclined portion on the upper surface of the groove that slopes inward and downward.

5. A connection structure to a substrate using the connector described in any one of claims 1 to 4, The substrate has contact electrodes and a fitting portion. A connection structure between a substrate and a connector, characterized in that when the end of the substrate is inserted into the insertion portion of the connector, the substrate overcomes the protrusion of the connector, and thereafter the mating portion engages with the mating groove of the connector.

6. The connector has a pair of protrusions located inside the overhang groove, It has a pair of fitting grooves located on the outer side in the width direction of the aforementioned overhang groove, The connection structure between a substrate and a connector according to claim 5, characterized in that the substrate has a pair of fitting portions that fit into the pair of fitting grooves.

7. The connector has a plurality of terminals in the width direction, and each of the plurality of terminals has a pair of protrusions located on the outside in the width direction, It has a pair of fitting grooves located on the outer side in the width direction of the aforementioned overhang groove, The substrate has a pair of sliding contact portions that abut against the pair of protrusions and a pair of fitting portions that fit into the pair of fitting grooves, The connection structure between a substrate and a connector according to claim 5, characterized in that when the end of the substrate is inserted into the insertion portion of the connector, the pair of sliding contact portions overcome the pair of protrusions.

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