Electrical connector for flat conductors

Abstract

To provide an electrical connector for a flat conductor that can satisfactorily avoid wear of a movable member and a decrease in biasing force acting on the movable member.SOLUTION: A metal fittings 30 includes a main body portion 31 adjacent to a movable member 40 in the terminal arrangement direction and having a plate surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, and a biasing portion 32 located above the movable member 40 and biasing the movable member 40, and the main body portion 31 has a movable arm portion 31B that extends in the front-rear direction and can be elastically displaced in the up-down direction, and the biasing portion 32 extends from the movable arm portion 31B toward the movable member 40 in the terminal arrangement direction, and biases the movable member 40 from above with a plate surface of the biasing portion 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector in which a strip-shaped flat conductor extending in the front-rear direction and thick in the up-down direction is inserted and connected toward the front. While Patent Document 1 describes the insertion direction of the flat conductor as the rear and the removal direction as the front, here, the insertion direction of the flat conductor will be described as the front and the removal direction as the rear. The connector of Patent Document 1 is mounted on the mounting surface of a circuit board, and a housing holds multiple terminals arranged with the strip width direction of the flat conductor as the terminal arrangement direction. Furthermore, a locking member for preventing the flat conductor from coming loose is rotatably supported by the housing. The locking member is made of resin, and outer shafts protruding outward in the terminal arrangement direction are provided on both ends of the locking member.

[0003] Metallic biasing members are held by the housing on both sides outside the terminal arrangement area. The biasing members are punched out of a metal plate member to form flat plates, with the plate surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction. The biasing members have a horizontal U-shaped portion that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. The lower surface (thickness surface) of the locking piece, which is the lower leg of this horizontal U-shaped portion, constantly biases the cam surface (part of the outer peripheral surface) of the outer shaft from above, maintaining the movable member in the closed position.

[0004] When removing the flat conductor, the user moves the movable member to the open position with their fingers against the biasing force of the locking piece, and pulls the flat conductor backward. At this time, the elastic piece, which is the upper leg of the horizontal U-shaped portion, is pushed by the cam surface of the outer shaft and elastically displaced upward. After the flat conductor is removed, the user releases their fingers from the movable member, and the elastically displaced state of the elastic piece is released, and the movable member automatically returns to the closed position due to the action of the biasing force. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2019-067717 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When the movable member rotates while the biasing force is being generated as described above, the locking piece of the biasing member slides against the cam surface of the outer shaft of the movable member. In Patent Document 1, the locking piece slides against the cam surface at its lower surface, i.e., the plate thickness surface (fracture surface), resulting in contact with the cam surface via a rough surface. Furthermore, because the contact area between the locking piece and the cam surface is small, the biasing force tends to be concentrated and act on a narrow area of ​​the cam surface. Therefore, repeated sliding contact between the locking piece and the cam surface as the movable member rotates is likely to cause wear on the cam surface, which may result in a decrease in the biasing force.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for flat conductors in which the biasing force acting on the movable member is unlikely to decrease. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) The electrical connector for flat conductors according to the present invention is an electrical connector for flat conductors to which flat conductors extending in the front-to-rear direction are connected, and comprises a housing into which the flat conductors are inserted toward the front, a plurality of terminals arranged and held in the housing with the terminal arrangement direction being perpendicular to both the front-to-rear direction and the thickness direction of the flat conductors, metal fittings held in the housing and positioned outside the arrangement range of the terminals in the terminal arrangement direction, and a movable member that is movable between a closed position and an open position by rotating about a rotation axis extending in the terminal arrangement direction, the movable member having a locking portion that prevents the flat conductors from being removed by interference with the locking portion when in the closed position, and that releases the interference of the locking portion when the movable member is in the open position, allowing the flat conductors to be removed.

[0009] In such an electrical connector for flat conductors, in the present invention, the metal fitting has a main body portion that is adjacent to the movable member in the terminal arrangement direction and has a plate surface that is perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, and a biasing portion that is located on one side of the movable member in the thickness direction of the flat conductor and biases the movable member, the main body portion has a movable arm portion that extends in the front-to-rear direction and is elastically displaceable in the thickness direction of the flat conductor, and the biasing portion extends from the movable arm portion toward the movable member in the terminal arrangement direction, and the plate surface of the biasing portion biases the movable member from one side.

[0010] In the invention (1), the biasing portion of the metal fitting biases the movable member with its plate surface (rolled surface). Therefore, compared to when the movable member is biased with the plate thickness surface (fracture surface) of the biasing portion of the metal fitting, the biasing portion can contact the movable member with a smooth surface. In addition, the contact area between the biasing portion and the movable member can be increased. As a result, even if the biasing portion and the movable member repeatedly slide against each other as the movable member moves, wear on the movable member is less likely to occur, and a decrease in the biasing force of the biasing portion can be effectively prevented.

[0011] (2) In the invention of (1), the movable member may have a cam portion that can contact the plate surface of the biasing portion, and the biasing portion may bias the cam portion at least while the movable member is moving.

[0012] (3) In the invention of (1) or (2), the flat conductor electrical connector may be placed on a mounting surface of a circuit board perpendicular to the thickness direction of the flat conductor, the main body may have a fixed arm portion located on the other side of the movable arm portion in the thickness direction of the flat conductor and extending in the front-to-rear direction, and the metal fitting may have a fixed leg portion extending from the fixed arm portion in the terminal arrangement direction and solder-connected to the mounting surface.

[0013] By providing fixed legs on the metal fittings in this manner and soldering the fixed legs to the mounting surface of the circuit board, it is possible to prevent the metal fittings from coming off the housing when the force applied to the spring portion from the movable member is directed toward one side in the thickness direction of the flat conductor.

[0014] (4) In the invention of (3), the fixed leg portion may extend toward the same side as the biasing portion in the terminal arrangement direction. By having the fixed leg portion extend toward the same side as the biasing portion in the terminal arrangement direction in this way, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the metal fitting in the terminal arrangement direction due to the provision of the fixed leg portion.

[0015] (5) In the invention of (3) or (4), the metal fitting may have a locking leg portion at a position between the front end of the fixed arm portion and the fixed leg portion in the fore-and-aft direction, which can be locked to the housing from the other side, and the locking leg portion may be extended from the fixed arm portion.

[0016] By providing the locking legs on the metal fitting in this manner, when the biasing portion receives a force from the movable member toward one side in the thickness direction of the flat conductor, the locking legs lock onto the housing from the other side, preventing the metal fitting from coming off the housing. In particular, before the connector is mounted on the circuit board, the fixing legs are not yet solder-connected to the mounting surface of the circuit board, so the solder-connected portions of the fixing legs cannot resist the force toward one side. Therefore, providing the locking legs so that the locking force between the locking portions and the housing can resist the force toward one side is very effective before the connector is mounted.

[0017] (6) In the inventions (1) to (5), the metal fitting may be attached by being press-fitted into the housing. In this way, the metal fitting can be easily attached to the housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] In the present invention, the movable member is biased by the plate surface of the biasing portion of the metal fitting, so that wear of the movable member and, in turn, a decrease in the biasing force acting on the movable member can be effectively avoided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view showing an electrical connector for flat conductors according to an embodiment of the present invention together with flat conductors, showing the state immediately before the flat conductors are connected; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing an electrical connector for flat conductors according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a flat conductor, showing a state immediately before the flat conductor is extracted. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a flat conductor electrical connector with terminals, metal fittings, and a movable member separated from each other; FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the flat conductor electrical connector, showing a cross section at the position of a terminal in the connector width direction. [Figure 5] This is an oblique cross-sectional view of an electrical connector for flat conductors, showing a longitudinal cross-section at the position of the metal fittings in the connector width direction, where (A) shows one metal fitting removed and (B) shows the metal fittings attached. [Figure 6] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electrical connector for flat conductors just before the flat conductor is inserted, where (A) shows a cross-section at the position of the terminal, (B) shows a cross-section at the position of the locking portion of the movable member, and (C) shows a cross-section at the position of the cam portion of the movable member. [Figure 7] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electrical connector for flat conductors when the insertion of the flat conductor is complete, where (A) shows a cross-section at the position of the terminal, (B) shows a cross-section at the position of the locking portion of the movable member, and (C) shows a cross-section at the position of the cam portion of the movable member. [Figure 8] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an electrical connector for flat conductors just before the flat conductor is extracted, where (A) shows a cross-section at the position of the terminal, (B) shows a cross-section at the position of the locking portion of the movable member, and (C) shows a cross-section at the position of the cam portion of the movable member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] 1 and 2 are perspective views showing an electrical connector 1 for flat conductors (hereinafter referred to as "connector 1") according to this embodiment together with a flat conductor C, with Fig. 1 showing the state immediately before connecting the flat conductor C and Fig. 2 showing the state immediately before removing the flat conductor C. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the connector 1 with the terminals 20, metal fittings 30, and movable member 40 separated.

[0022] The connector 1 is mounted on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), and is adapted to removably connect a flat conductor C (e.g., an FPC) as a mating connector with the front-to-rear direction (X-axis direction) parallel to the mounting surface as the insertion / removal direction. The connector 1 electrically connects the flat conductor C to the circuit board. In this embodiment, the X1 direction is the front, and the X2 direction is the rear in the X-axis direction (front-to-rear direction). The Y-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction (X-axis direction), is the connector width direction, and the Z-axis direction, which is 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-to-rear direction (X-axis direction), with its width direction being the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) and its thickness direction being the up-down direction (Z-axis direction), and as shown in FIG. 2, its front end portion is inserted into the housing 10. The flat conductor C is formed with a plurality of circuit sections (not shown) extending in the front-to-rear direction and arranged in the connector width direction. The circuit sections are embedded in the insulating layer of the flat conductor C and extend in the front-to-rear direction, reaching a position near the front end of the flat conductor C. The circuit sections are exposed at the underside of the front end portion and are capable of contacting terminals 20 (described later) of the connector 1.

[0024] 1, the front end portion of the flat conductor C is narrower than the other portions. Notches C1 are formed on both side edges of the front end portion, and the rear end edges of ears C2 located in front of the notches C1 function as locked portions C2A that lock with locking portions 42 of the connector 1, which will be described later (see FIG. 7(B)). Furthermore, shoulders C3 are formed on both sides in the width direction of the front end portion of the other portions of the flat conductor C. As shown in FIG. 2, the shoulders C3 are adjacent to rear end wall portions 18 of the housing 10, which will be described later, from behind when the flat conductor C is inserted into the connector 1.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, connector 1 comprises a housing 10 made of an electrically insulating material such as resin, a plurality of metal plate terminals 20 (see also Figure 4) arranged in the connector width direction as the terminal arrangement direction and held in housing 10, metal plate fittings 30 arranged on both sides of the terminal arrangement range in the connector width direction, and a movable member 40 made of an electrically insulating material such as resin or metal that is rotatable between a closed position and an open position, and is configured so that flat conductors C are inserted and connected from the rear (see the arrow shown in Figure 1).

[0026] 1 and 2, the housing 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with the connector width direction as its longitudinal direction, and a receiving space 11 for receiving the flat conductor C is formed as a space that is open toward the rear. The housing 10 has a bottom wall 12 and an top wall 13 as wall portions that extend parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board, two side walls 14 (see FIG. 3) that extend in the vertical direction and connect both end portions of the bottom wall 12 and the top wall 13 in the connector width direction, and a front wall 15 (see FIG. 6(B)) that connects the front ends of the bottom wall 12 and the top wall 13.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the housing 10 has a protrusion 16 that protrudes from the outer surface of the lower part of the side wall 14 outside the side wall 14 in the connector width direction, a metal fitting holding portion 17 provided in the front half of the protrusion 16, and a rear end wall portion 18 provided at the rear end of the protrusion 16.

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

[0029] An upper hole 13A that penetrates vertically outside the terminal arrangement range is formed in the upper wall 13. As shown in Fig. 1, upper hole 13A allows a locking portion 42 (described below) of movable member 40 to enter from above when movable member 40 is in the closed position (see also Fig. 6(B)).

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, terminal accommodating portions 19 for accommodating terminals 20 are formed in the housing 10 and arranged in the connector width direction. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector 1 taken along a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction, showing the 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 penetrating the housing 10 in the front-rear direction. The terminal accommodating portion 19 has a lower groove 19A recessed from the upper surface of the bottom wall 12 and extending in the front-rear direction, an upper groove 19B recessed from the lower surface of the top wall 13 and extending in the front-rear direction, and a groove 19C penetrating the front wall 15 in the front-rear direction and extending in the up-down direction to connect the front ends of the lower groove 19A and the upper groove 19B. Overall, the terminal accommodating portion 19 has a horizontal U-shape that opens rearward.

[0031] 3, the overhanging portion 16 is plate-shaped with a surface perpendicular to the up-down direction and extends across the entire area of ​​the side wall 14 in the front-to-rear direction. The metal fitting holding portion 17 is spaced apart from the outer surface of the side wall 14 in the connector width direction. The space formed between the metal fitting holding portion 17 and the side wall 14 forms a side plate accommodating portion 10A for accommodating a side plate portion 43 (described below) of the movable member 40.

[0032] The metal fitting holding portion 17 is shaped like an upright plate with a surface perpendicular to the connector width direction. A metal fitting accommodating portion 17A for accommodating a portion of the metal fitting 30 is formed outside the overhanging portion 16 in the connector width direction (see also FIGS. 5A and 5B). As shown in FIG. 3, a portion of the metal fitting holding portion 17 located inside the metal fitting accommodating portion 17A in the connector width direction rises upward from the overhanging portion 16. A locking end portion 17B is provided at the bottom of the metal fitting holding portion 17, protruding rearward beyond the rear end of the metal fitting accommodating portion 17A. The locking end portion 17B is located within a range that includes the metal fitting accommodating portion 17A in the connector width direction and is located within the range of the overhanging portion 16 in the vertical direction, and is designed to lock with a locking leg portion 34 of the metal fitting 30 (described below) in the vertical direction (see FIG. 5B).

[0033] 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of connector 1, showing a cross section at the position of metal fitting 30 in the connector width direction, with (A) showing one metal fitting 30 extracted and (B) showing the state with metal fitting 30 attached. As shown in FIG. 5, metal fitting accommodating section 17A is groove-shaped and extends perpendicular to the connector width direction. The lower part of metal fitting accommodating section 17A extends further forward than the other parts, and as shown in FIG. 5(B), press-fit groove section 17A-1 formed on the front end side holds press-fit fixing section 31A-1 (described below) of metal fitting 30.

[0034] 3, rear end wall portion 18 is located rearward of metal fitting holding portion 17, rises upward from overhanging portion 16, and is connected to the outer surface of side wall 14. The space formed between metal fitting holding portion 17 and rear end wall portion 18 in the front-to-rear direction forms cam accommodating portion 10B for accommodating cam portion 44 (described later) of movable member 40.

[0035] Terminal 20 is made by punching a metal plate member, and is attached by being press-fitted from the front into terminal accommodating portion 19 of housing 10 with the plate surface perpendicular to the width direction of the connector. As shown in Fig. 4, terminal 20 has a lower arm portion 21 as an arm portion extending in the front-rear direction along bottom wall 12 of housing 10, an upper arm portion 22 as another arm portion extending in the front-rear direction along top wall 13 of housing 10, a connecting arm portion 23 extending in the up-down direction along front wall 15 and connecting front ends of lower arm portion 21 and upper arm portion 22, and a connecting portion 24 extending forward from a lower portion of connecting arm portion 23.

[0036] The lower arm 21 is housed within the lower groove 19A and has a supported arm 21A that extends in the front-to-rear direction and is supported from below by a groove bottom surface 19A-1 that forms the inner surface of the lower groove 19A, and an elastic arm 21B that extends rearward from the supported arm 21A. The entire supported arm 21A is housed within the lower groove 19A. The upper edge of the supported arm 21A slopes downward toward the rear, while the lower edge of the supported arm 21A does not slope in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, the supported arm 21A gradually becomes thinner toward the rear. The lower edge of the supported arm 21A is supported by the groove bottom surface 19A-1 over the entire front-to-rear area of ​​the supported arm 21A.

[0037] The elastic arm 21B has a first elastic portion 21B-1 extending from the rear end of the supported arm 21A, and a second elastic portion 21B-2 located above the first elastic portion 21B-1, i.e., on the receiving space 11 side, and extending forward from the rear end of the first elastic portion 21B-1. The first elastic portion 21B-1 is entirely contained within the lower groove 19A and extends at an upward incline toward the rear. In other words, the gap formed between the lower edge of the first elastic portion 21B-1 and the groove bottom surface 19A-1 of the lower groove 19A gradually increases toward the rear. The first elastic portion 21B-1 is allowed to elastically displace in the vertical direction within this gap. Hereinafter, this gap will be referred to as the "elastic displacement allowance space 19A-2."

[0038] In this embodiment, the groove bottom surface 19A-1 of the lower groove portion 19A is formed at the same height throughout the entire length in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the elastic displacement-allowing space 19A-2 is formed as a gap between the groove bottom surface 19A-1 and the first elastic portion 21B-1 by tilting the first elastic portion 21B-1. However, the shape of the elastic displacement-allowing space 19A-2 is not limited to this. For example, as a modified example, the groove bottom surface 19A-1 may be formed lower in the area corresponding to the first elastic portion 21B-1 in the front-rear direction than in other areas to form the elastic displacement-allowing space 19A-2. As yet another modified example, the lower wall 12 may not be provided in the area corresponding to the first elastic portion 21B-1 in the front-rear direction, and the space below the first elastic portion 21B-1, i.e., the space open downward, may serve as the elastic displacement-allowing space 19A-2. In these modified examples, the first elastic portion 21B-1 may be formed in an elongated shape without tilting in the front-rear direction.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 4, a portion of the second elastic portion 21B-2 is housed in the lower groove portion 19A and extends at an upward incline toward the rear. A lower contact portion 21B-3 protrudes upward from the front end of the second elastic portion 21B-2 and serves as a contact portion that can come into contact with the circuit portion on the underside of the flat conductor C with contact pressure. When the second elastic 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. A gap formed between the second elastic portion 21B-2 and the first elastic portion 21B-1 in the vertical direction gradually increases toward the rear, and elastic displacement of the second elastic portion 21B-2 in the vertical direction is permitted within the range of this gap.

[0040] 4, the first elastic portion 21B-1 is formed to be thicker than the second elastic portion 21B-2. In this way, by forming the second elastic portion 21B-2 located on the free end side of the elastic arm portion 21B to be thin and the first elastic portion 21B-1 located on the opposite side of the free end to be thick, it is possible to distribute the stress generated in the elastic arm portion 21B due to contact with the flat conductor C, and thereby prevent the load from concentrating on one part of the elastic arm portion 21B.

[0041] 4, the first elastic portion 21B-1 is formed to be longer than the second elastic portion 21B-2, and the front end of the first elastic portion 21B-1 is located further forward than the front end of the second elastic portion 21B-2. In this manner, in this embodiment, the first elastic portion 21B-1 is thicker than the second elastic portion 21B-2 and is formed to be longer than the second elastic portion 21B-2, so that the spring properties of both the first elastic portion 21B-1 and the second elastic portion 21B-2 can be set to the same extent, and as a result, it becomes easier to ensure appropriate contact pressure with the flat conductor C.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 4, the upper arm portion 22 is located on the opposite side of the lower arm portion 21 in the vertical direction across the receiving space 11, i.e., above the lower arm portion 21, and extends at an angle downward toward the rear with a portion of the upper arm portion 22 housed in the upper groove portion 19B. An upper contact portion 22A protrudes downward from the rear end of the upper arm portion 22 as another contact portion that can come into contact with the upper surface of the flat conductor C with contact 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 within the receiving space 11.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, the protruding apex of the upper contact portion 22A is located a distance P forward of the protruding apex of the lower contact portion 21B-3 of the lower arm portion 21. In addition, a gap of dimension Q, which is smaller than half 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 the vertical direction to ensure sufficient contact pressure with the flat conductor C. In this embodiment, the distance P is set to be smaller than the thickness dimension R of the flat conductor C and smaller than twice the gap dimension Q.

[0044] As described above, by setting the distance P smaller than the thickness dimension R of the flat conductor C, even if the flat conductor C is tilted due to an external force applied in the thickness direction (vertical direction) when connected to the connector 1, the flat conductor C can be easily maintained in a state where it is clamped with contact pressure by the cooperation of the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A. As a result, contact between the flat conductor C and the terminal 20 with an appropriate contact pressure is ensured, and inadvertent disconnection of the flat conductor C can be prevented.

[0045] Furthermore, because the gap dimension Q is set to be smaller than half the thickness dimension R of the flat conductor C, setting the distance P to be smaller than twice the gap dimension Q also makes it easier to maintain the flat conductor C in a state where it is clamped with contact pressure by the cooperation of the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A. Therefore, even if the flat conductor C is tilted due to an external force in its thickness direction (vertical direction) when connected to the connector, contact between the flat conductor C and the terminal 20 with appropriate contact pressure is ensured, and inadvertent removal of the flat conductor C can be prevented.

[0046] In this embodiment, the distance P satisfies both the condition that it is smaller than the thickness dimension R of the flat conductor C and the condition that it is smaller than twice the gap dimension Q, but it is not essential that both conditions are met; if either condition is met, it is possible to avoid the flat conductor C from accidentally coming loose.

[0047] In addition, in this embodiment, the protruding apex of the upper contact portion 22A is located forward of the protruding apex of the lower contact portion 21B-3 of the lower arm portion 21, but the relative positional relationship between the protruding apexes in the front-to-rear direction is not limited to this as long as the distance P between the protruding apexes satisfies at least one of the two conditions described above. In other words, the protruding apex of the upper contact portion 22A may be located rearward of the protruding apex of the lower contact portion 21B-3 of the lower arm portion 21, or the protruding apexes may be in the same position.

[0048] The connecting arm 23 is accommodated in the front groove 19C. An upwardly protruding press-fit protrusion 23A is provided on the upper edge of the connecting arm 23, and the terminal 20 is held in the terminal accommodating portion 19 by the press-fit protrusion 23A biting into the inner surface of the upper wall 13. The connecting portion 24 extends downward and forward from the lower part of the connecting arm 23 to the outside of the housing 10. The lower edge of the connecting portion 24 is located slightly below the lower surface of the lower wall 12 of the housing 10, and when the connector 1 is placed on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), it is soldered to a corresponding circuit portion (pad) on the mounting surface.

[0049] 5(A) and (B) are perspective cross-sectional views of connector 1, showing a longitudinal section at the position of metal fitting 30 in the connector width direction, with FIG. 5(A) showing one metal fitting 30 extracted and FIG. 5(B) showing metal fitting 30 attached. Metal fitting 30 is made by punching out a metal plate member and bending a portion in the thickness direction, and is attached by being press-fitted from the rear into metal fitting accommodating portion 17A of housing 10. By making metal fitting 30 press-fittable in this way, metal fitting 30 can be easily attached to housing 10.

[0050] 5(A) and (B), the metal fitting 30 has a main body 31 with a plate surface perpendicular to the connector width direction, a biasing portion 32 for biasing the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40, a fixed leg portion 33 that is soldered to the mounting surface of the circuit board, and a locking leg portion 34 that can be locked onto the housing 10 from below (see also FIG. 3). The main body 31, with a plate surface perpendicular to the connector width direction, forms the majority of the metal fitting 30, and only the biasing portion 32 and the fixed leg portion 33 are bent in the connector width direction, as will be described later. Therefore, the entire metal fitting 30 is made compact and has a simple shape.

[0051] The main body 31 is adjacent to the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40 on the outer side in the connector width direction. The main body 31 includes a fixed arm 31A extending straight in the front-rear direction and fixed to the housing 10, a movable arm 31B positioned higher than the fixed arm 31A and extending in the front-rear direction, and a connecting portion 31C extending vertically and connecting the front ends of the fixed arm 31A and the movable arm 31B. The metal fitting 30 is held in the metal fitting accommodating portion 17A by press-fitting a press-fitting portion 31A-1 provided at the front end of the fixed arm 31A being press-fit into a press-fitting groove 17A-1 of the metal fitting accommodating portion 17A. When the metal fitting 30 is accommodated in the metal fitting accommodating portion 17A, the fixed arm 31A is supported by a lower inner wall surface 17A-2 of the metal fitting accommodating portion 17A.

[0052] The movable arm 31B extends in the front-to-rear direction and is elastically displaceable in the up-down direction, i.e., in a direction parallel to the plate surface (rolled surface). The front half of the movable arm 31B extends at an incline downward as it extends rearward, and the rear half extends straight from the rear end of the front half toward the rear without inclination. The shape of the movable arm is not limited to this; for example, the front half of the movable arm may extend at an incline upward as it extends rearward, and the rear half extends straight from the rear end of the front half toward the rear without inclination. The connecting portion 31C extends at an incline forward as it extends upward from the upper edge of the fixed arm 31A at a position near the front end of the fixed arm 31A, and connects a portion of the fixed arm 31A near the front end with the front end of the movable arm 31B.

[0053] The urging portion 32 is bent at the upper edge of the movable arm 31B at a midpoint in the rear half of the movable arm 31B in the front-to-rear direction and extends inward in the connector width direction, i.e., toward the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40. The urging portion 32 has a plate surface (rolled surface) perpendicular to the up-down direction, is located directly above the cam portion 44, and restricts the upward movement of the cam portion 44 and, in turn, the movable member 40 (see FIGS. 6(C), 7(C), and 8(C)).

[0054] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 5(B), there is nothing above the rear half of the movable arm 31B. However, as a modified example, for example, a restricting portion may be formed by part of the housing 10 above the rear end of the movable arm 31B, with a predetermined distance between the rear end and the restricting portion. In this modified example, when the rear end of the movable arm 31B is displaced upward by a predetermined amount, it abuts against the restricting portion from below, thereby restricting further displacement. With this configuration, excessive upward elastic deformation of the movable arm 31B is restricted, thereby more reliably preventing the cam portion 44, and therefore the movable member 40, from coming off the housing 10.

[0055] The fixed leg 33 is bent at the lower edge of the fixed arm 31A near the rear end thereof and extends inward in the connector width direction. Because the fixed leg 33 extends inward in the connector width direction, i.e., toward the same side as the biasing portion 32, the provision of the fixed leg 33 prevents the metal fitting 30 from becoming larger in size in the connector width direction. The fixed leg 33 is located rearward of the biasing portion 32 in the front-rear direction and extends over approximately the same range as the biasing portion 32 in the connector width direction. The lower surface of the fixed leg 33 is located slightly below the lower surface of the bottom wall 12 of the housing (see FIGS. 6(C), 7(C), and 8(C)). When the connector 1 is placed on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), the fixed leg 33 is soldered to and fixed to a corresponding portion (pad) on the mounting surface.

[0056] The locking leg 34 is located forward of the fixed leg 33 and is provided within the range of the biasing portion 32 in the front-to-rear direction. The locking leg 34 extends downward from the lower edge of the fixed leg 33 and then extends forward, forming an L-shape overall. As shown in Figure 5(B) , this L-shaped locking leg 34 fits into the locked end 17B of the metal fitting holder 17 from behind, thereby locking to the locked end 17B from below.

[0057] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the movable member 40 has a plate-shaped operating portion 41 extending over the range between the side walls 14 (see Figures 2 and 3) in the connector width direction, a locking portion 42 protruding from the plate surface of the operating portion 41, and a side plate portion 43 and a cam portion 44 located at both ends of the operating portion 41 in the connector width direction.

[0058] The operating portion 41 is operated to move (rotate) 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 of the operating portion 41 when the movable member 40 is in the closed position (below the operating portion 41 when the movable member 40 is in the open position). When the movable member 40 is in the closed position, the locking portion 42 protrudes from the bottom surface of the operating portion 41 and is located within the upper hole 13A of the housing 10 and the receiving space 11 (see Fig. 6(B)). The locking portion 42 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 on its rear surface that slopes downward toward the front, and a locking surface 42B on its front surface that locks with the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C from behind (see Figs. 6(B) and 7(B)). When the movable member 40 is in the open position, the locking portion 42 is positioned outside the housing 10, and interference with the flat conductor C is released (see FIGS. 8(A) and (B)).

[0059] As shown in Fig. 3, the side plate portions 43 are provided at both ends of the operating portion 41 in the connector width direction, and are shaped like plates with plate surfaces perpendicular to the connector width direction. The side plate portions 43 extend from the middle of the operating portion 41 in the front-rear direction to a position rearward of the operating portion 41, and protrude downward. In other words, 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 operating portion 41. When the movable member 40 is in the closed position, the entire side plate portion 43 is accommodated in 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 of the side plate portion 43 except for the protruding end portion 43A is positioned outside the side plate accommodating portion 10A (see Fig. 2).

[0060] The cam portion 44 protrudes in a generally square pillar 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 accommodated in the cam accommodating 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 its upward movement is restricted by the biasing portion 32. The cam portion 44 is provided at a position that includes the rotation axis of the movable member 40 when viewed in the connector width direction, and its cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis is generally rectangular.

[0061] When the movable member 40 is in the closed position, the cam portion 44 comes into contact with the lower surface of the urging portion 32 at the first regulated surface 44A, which forms a flat upper surface in the closed position (FIGS. 6(C) and 7(C)), thereby reliably maintaining the movable member 40 in the closed position. Furthermore, when the movable member 40 is in the open position, the cam portion 44 comes into contact with the lower surface of the urging portion 32 at the second regulated surface 44B, which forms a flat upper surface in the open position (see FIG. 8(C)), thereby reliably maintaining the movable member 40 in the open position.

[0062] In this embodiment, when cam portion 44 is in contact with the underside of biasing portion 32 at the closed position or the open position, movable arm portion 31B of fitting 30 is not elastically displaced, i.e., no biasing force from biasing portion 32 acts on cam portion 44. However, as a modified example, biasing portion 32 may be in contact with cam portion 44 with movable arm 31B of fitting 30 slightly elastically displaced at at least one of the closed position and the open position, so that an appropriate biasing force from biasing portion 32 acts on cam portion 44. As another modified example, a gap may be formed in the vertical direction between cam portion 44 and biasing portion 32 at at least one of the closed position and the open position.

[0063] Furthermore, a cam surface 44C is formed between the first regulated surface 44A and the second regulated surface 44B on the outer peripheral surface of the cam portion 44 (the outer peripheral surface parallel to the connector width direction). The cam surface 44C is a convex curved surface formed at one corner of the cam portion 44. In this embodiment, in the process of the movable member 40 rotating between the closed position and the open position, the cam portion 44 presses the biasing portion 32 upward with the cam surface 44C, thereby elastically displacing the movable arm portion 31B, and receives a downward biasing force from the biasing portion 32 as a reaction force.

[0064] The connector 1 configured as described above is assembled as follows. First, the terminals 20 are press-fitted into the terminal accommodating sections 19 of the housing 10 from the front. Then, the movable member 40, which is held in the closed position, is attached to the housing 10 from above. At this time, the side plate sections 43 of the movable member 40 are housed in the side plate accommodating sections 10A, and the cam sections 44 are housed in the cam accommodating sections 10B. Next, the metal fittings 30 are press-fitted into the metal fitting accommodating sections 17A of the housing 10 from the rear. At this time, the locking legs 34 are fitted into the locked end sections 17B and lock onto the locked end sections 17B from below. The biasing sections 32 of the metal fittings 30 are positioned directly above the cam sections 44, restricting the upward movement of the cam sections 44. By attaching the terminals 20, the metal fittings 30, and the movable member 40 to the housing 10 in this manner, the connector 1 is completed.

[0065] In this embodiment, the terminals 20, the movable member 40, and the metal fittings 30 are attached to the housing 10 in this order, but the attachment process of the terminals 20 may be performed after the attachment process of the metal fittings 30 and the movable member 40, or may be performed simultaneously. Also, in this embodiment, the movable member 40 is attached to the housing 10 in the closed position, but the position of the movable member 40 during attachment is not limited to this and may be, for example, in the open position.

[0066] Next, the operation of inserting and removing the flat conductor C into and from the connector 1 will be described.

[0067] First, the connection portions 24 of the terminals 20 of the connector 1 are soldered to corresponding circuit portions on a circuit board (not shown), and the fixing legs 33 of the metal fittings 30 are soldered to corresponding portions on the circuit board. By soldering the connection portions 24 and the fixing legs 33, the connector 1 is attached to the circuit board.

[0068] 6(A) to 6(C), the flat conductor C is positioned behind the connector 1 with the movable member 40 in the closed position so as to extend in the front-to-rear direction (X-axis direction) along the mounting surface (not shown) of the circuit board (see also FIG. 1). Next, the flat conductor C is inserted into the receiving space 11 of the connector 1 facing forward (X1 direction).

[0069] In this embodiment, the second elastic portion 21B-2 of the terminal 20, which has the lower contact portion 21B-3, is folded back at the rear end of the first elastic portion 21B-1 and extends forward. Therefore, when the flat conductor C is inserted into the receiving space 11 from behind, the flat conductor C is smoothly guided forward by the rear end of the elastic arm portion 21B, i.e., the folded back portion of the elastic arm portion 21B that curves convexly backward, until it reaches the position of the lower contact portion 21B-3. Therefore, there is no risk of buckling at any part 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 properly contacted.

[0070] During the insertion of the flat conductor C into the receiving space 11, the front end of the flat conductor C abuts against the lower contact portion 21B-3 of the second elastic portion 21B-2 of the terminal 20 and the upper contact portion 22A of the upper arm portion 22, pushing down the second elastic portion 21B-2 and elastically displacing it downward, and pushing up the upper arm portion 22 and elastically displacing it upward. As a result, the gap between the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A is widened. At this time, the elastic displacement of the second elastic portion 21B-2 also causes the first elastic portion 21B-1 to elastically displace downward.

[0071] Furthermore, at the position of locking portion 42 of movable member 40 in the connector width direction, the front end of flat conductor C abuts against guide surface 42A of locking portion 42, pushing up locking portion 42. As locking portion 42 is pushed up, the entire movable member 40 moves upward, and in response, biasing portion 32 of metal fitting 30 is pushed up by cam portion 44, causing movable arm portion 31B of metal fitting 30 to elastically displace upward. In other words, the elastic displacement of movable arm portion 31B allows locking portion 42 to move upward.

[0072] In this way, the gap between the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A of the terminal 20 is pushed apart, and the locking portion 42 of the movable member 40 moves upward, allowing 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)). At this time, the shoulder portion C3 of the flat conductor C approaches the rear end wall portion 18 of the housing 10 from behind, as shown in FIG.

[0073] 7A, when the insertion of the flat conductor C is complete, the elastic arm portion 21B (first elastic portion 21B-1 and second elastic portion 21B-2) of the lower arm portion 21 and the upper arm portion 22 are maintained in an elastically displaced state, and the flat conductor C is held between the lower contact portion 21B-3 and the upper contact portion 22A. That is, the upper contact portion 22A presses the flat conductor C from above, while the lower contact portion 21B-3 comes into contact with the circuit portion of the flat conductor C with contact pressure. In this way, electrical conduction between the terminal 20 and the flat conductor C is maintained.

[0074] Furthermore, during the insertion of the flat conductor C, when the tab C2 of the flat conductor C passes the position of the locking portion 42 and the locking portion 42 reaches the position of the notch C1, the movable member 40 returns to the closed position, and the locking portion 42 enters the notch C1 from above, as shown in FIG. 7(B). As a result, the locking surface 42B of the locking portion 42 is positioned so that it can lock onto the locked portion C2A of the flat conductor C from behind, thereby preventing the flat conductor C from being accidentally removed. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(C), the lower surface (rolled surface) of the biasing portion 32 of the metal fitting 30 comes into contact with the first restricted surface 44A of the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40, maintaining the movable member 40 in the closed position. In this way, the connection operation of the flat conductor C to the connector 1 is completed.

[0075] When intentionally removing the flat conductor C from the connector 1 in the state shown in Figures 7(A) to 7(C), i.e., in a connected state with the connector 1, the movable member 40 is rotated from the closed position to the open position shown in Figures 8(A) to 8(C). As the movable member 40 rotates to the open position, the cam surface 44C of the cam portion 44 slides against the underside of the biasing portion 32 of the metal fitting 30, pressing the biasing portion 32 upward. When the biasing portion 32 is pressed, the movable arm 31B of the metal fitting 30 elastically displaces upward, thereby displacing the biasing portion 32 upward. In other words, the cam portion 44 is allowed to further rotate while receiving the biasing force from the biasing portion 32.

[0076] In this embodiment, the biasing portion 32 biases the cam portion 44 with its plate surface (rolled surface). Therefore, compared to when the cam portion is biased with the plate thickness surface (fracture surface) of the biasing portion, the biasing portion 32 can contact 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 against each other as the movable member 40 moves, wear of the cam portion 44 is unlikely to occur, and a decrease in the biasing force of the biasing portion 32 can be effectively avoided.

[0077] 8(C), when the movable member 40 reaches the open position, the second regulated surface 44B of the cam portion 44 becomes the upper surface, and the movable arm portion 31B of the metal fitting 30 is released from its elastically displaced state and returns to its free state. As a result, the lower surface of the biasing portion 32 comes into contact with 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.

[0078] As a result of the movable member 40 moving to the open position in this manner, the locking portion 42 of the movable member 40 moves upward and disengages from the notch C1 of the flat conductor C, as shown in Fig. 8(B), allowing the flat conductor C to be removed. This state is maintained by the contact surface between the lower surface of the biasing portion 32 and the second regulated surface 44B of the cam portion 44, as shown in Fig. 8(C). Then, by pulling the flat conductor C backward (in the X2 direction), the flat conductor C is easily removed from the connector 1, completing the removal operation.

[0079] In this embodiment, a fixed leg 33 is provided on the metal fitting 30 and is solder-connected to the mounting surface of the circuit board. Therefore, 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 solder-connected portion of the fixed leg 33 can resist the upward force, thereby preventing the metal fitting 30 from coming off the housing.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by providing the locking legs 34 on the metal fitting 30, when the biasing portion 32 receives an upward force from the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40, the locking legs 34 lock onto the locked end portion 17B of the housing 10 from below, thereby preventing the metal fitting 30 from coming off the housing 10. In particular, before the connector 1 is mounted on the circuit board, the fixing legs 33 are not yet solder-connected to the mounting surface of the circuit board, and therefore the solder-connected portions of the fixing legs 33 cannot resist the upward force. Therefore, providing the locking legs 34 and being able to resist the upward force by the locking force between the locking legs 34 and the locked end portion 17B is very effective before the connector is mounted.

[0081] In this embodiment, the circuit portion of the flat conductor C is exposed on the bottom surface of the flat conductor C. Alternatively, the circuit portion may be exposed on the top 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. Alternatively, the circuit portion may be exposed on both the bottom and top surfaces of the flat conductor C. In this case, the lower contact portion 21B-3 contacts the circuit portion on the bottom surface, and the upper contact portion 22A contacts the circuit portion on the top surface.

[0082] In this embodiment, the biasing portion 32 of the metal fitting 30 biases the cam portion 44 of the movable member 40, but the biased portion of the movable member does not necessarily have to be the cam portion, and may be some other part of the movable member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1 connector 10. Housing 11 Reception space 12 Lower wall (wall section) 19A-1 Groove bottom (inner surface) 20 terminals 21 Lower arm (arm) 21A Supported arm 21B Elastic arm 21B-1 First elastic part 21B-2 Second elastic part 21B-3 Lower contact part (contact part) 22 Upper arm (other arm) 22A Upper contact (other contact) 30 Metal fittings 31 Main body 31A Fixed arm 31B Movable arm 32 energizing section 33 Fixed legs 34 Locking leg 40 Movable parts 42 Locking part 44 Cam section C Flat conductor

Claims

1. A flat conductor electrical connector to which a flat conductor extending in the front-rear direction is connected, a housing into which the flat conductor is inserted toward the front; a plurality of terminals arranged and held in the housing with a terminal arrangement direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the thickness direction of the flat conductor; a metal fitting that is disposed outside the range of arrangement of the terminals in the terminal arrangement direction and is held by the housing; a movable member that is movable between a closed position and an open position while rotating about a rotation axis that extends in the terminal arrangement direction; In this electrical connector for flat conductors, the movable member has a locking portion, and when the movable member is in a closed position, the locking portion interferes with the flat conductor to prevent it from being removed, and when the movable member is in an open position, the locking portion is released from interference to allow the flat conductor to be removed, The metal fitting has a main body portion adjacent to the movable member in the terminal arrangement direction and having a plate surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, and a biasing portion located on one side of the movable member in the thickness direction of the flat conductor and biasing the movable member, the main body has a movable arm portion that extends in the front-rear direction and is elastically displaceable in the thickness direction of the flat conductor; The electrical connector for flat conductors is characterized in that the biasing portion extends from the movable arm portion toward the movable member in the terminal arrangement direction, and the plate surface of the biasing portion biases the movable member from one side.

2. the movable member has a cam portion that can come into contact with a plate surface of the biasing portion, 2. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 1, wherein said biasing portion biases said cam portion at least during movement of said movable member.

3. The flat conductor electrical connector is disposed on a mounting surface of a circuit board perpendicular to the thickness direction of the flat conductor, the main body has a fixed arm portion located on the other side of the movable arm portion in the thickness direction of the flat conductor and extending in the front-rear direction, 3. The flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein said metal fitting has a fixing leg portion extending from said fixing arm portion in the terminal arrangement direction and soldered to said mounting surface.

4. 4. The flat conductor electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein said fixing leg portion extends in the same direction as said biasing portion in the terminal arrangement direction.

5. the metal fitting has a locking leg portion that can be locked to the housing from the other side, the locking leg portion being located between the front end of the fixing arm portion and the fixing leg portion in the front-rear direction, 4. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 3, wherein said locking legs extend from said fixing arms.

6. 2. The electrical connector for flat conductors according to claim 1, wherein said metal fitting is attached to said housing by press-fitting.

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