Connector and terminal member

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a connector and a terminal member that make it possible to connect a flat cable and a double-sided mounting circuit board when the flat cable has a narrower pitch interval than the circuit board. [Solution] Provided is a connector 1 that connects a circuit board 2 and a flat cable 3, the connector having: a housing 11 that comprises a board insertion portion 15, a cable insertion portion 31, an upper terminal accommodation chamber 42U positioned above the board insertion portion, and a lower terminal accommodation chamber 42D positioned below the board insertion portion; an upper terminal member 12U that is accommodated in the upper terminal accommodation chamber; and a lower terminal member 12D that is accommodated in the lower terminal accommodation chamber. The upper terminal member and the lower terminal member each comprise a board connection portion 51 that connects to a board-side electrode 4 and a cable connection portion 52 that connects to a cable-side electrode 9. The cable connection portion is formed with a narrower width in the left-right direction than the board connection portion. The upper terminal member and the lower terminal member are arranged so as to overlap in the up-down direction at the board connection portions thereof.

Description

Connectors and terminal components

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector for connecting a flexible flat cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) to a circuit board, and a terminal member provided in the connector.

[0002] In various electronic devices, flexible flat cables (FFCs) and flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) are widely used to connect printed circuit boards. The use of FFCs and FPCs enables wiring in narrow spaces and wiring to moving parts. Hereinafter, flexible flat cables (FFCs) and flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) will be collectively referred to as flat cables as necessary.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a card edge connector that can be connected to an FFC. The card edge connector of Patent Document 1 includes a main body and terminals. The main body includes an insertion opening for the FFC and a housing space that houses an edge portion of a circuit board. The terminals contact the FFC inserted into the insertion opening and the circuit board housed in the housing space.

[0004] Registered Utility Model No. 3236706

[0005] In circuit boards, the wiring pitch tends to be set larger than in FFCs, FPCs, etc., from the viewpoints of heat management, improvement of signal quality, ease of mounting electronic components, etc. On the other hand, in FFCs and FPCs, it is desirable to set the wiring pitch narrower from the viewpoints of flexibility and ease of routing in narrow spaces.

[0006] Therefore, if the pitch of the FPC is set narrower than the pitch of the circuit board, it is not easy to connect the FPC and the circuit board. Although Patent Document 1 shows terminals that contact electrodes provided on the circuit board and electrodes provided on the FFC or FPC, it is difficult to apply the card edge connector of Patent Document 1 when the electrode spacing between the circuit board and the FFC is different.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector and terminal member that enable connection between a flat cable and a double-sided mounted circuit board even when the pitch of the flat cable is narrower than the pitch of the double-sided mounted circuit board.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is a connector (1) for connecting a circuit board (2) having board-side electrodes (4) on the front and back surfaces thereof, and a flexible flat cable (3) having cable-side electrodes (9), the connector (1) comprising: a board insertion section (15) into which the circuit board is to be inserted from the front side; a cable insertion section (31) facing the board insertion section and into which the flat cable is to be inserted from the rear side; a plurality of upper terminal accommodating chambers (42U) including a portion located above the board insertion section; and a plurality of lower terminal accommodating chambers (42U) including a portion located below the board insertion section. The housing (11) includes upper terminal members (12U) accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chambers and lower terminal members (12D) accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chambers, and the upper terminal members and the lower terminal members each include a board connection portion connected to the board-side electrode and a cable connection portion (52) connected to the cable-side electrode, the cable connection portion being formed to be narrower in the left-right direction than the board connection portion, and the adjacent upper terminal member and lower terminal member are arranged to overlap each other in the top-bottom direction at the board connection portion.

[0009] According to this aspect, the board connection portion located above the circuit board and the board connection portion located below the circuit board are arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction. Furthermore, since the cable connection portion is formed narrower in the left-right direction than the board connection portion, the cable connection portions can be closer together than when the two board connection portions do not overlap. Therefore, even if the pitch spacing of the flat cable is narrower than the pitch spacing of the double-sided mounted circuit board, the two can be connected.

[0010] In the above aspect, preferably, the upper terminal accommodating chambers and the lower terminal accommodating chambers are formed in a staggered arrangement above and below the board insertion portion.

[0011] According to this aspect, the pitch intervals of the board-side electrodes on the front and back surfaces of the circuit board can be easily made uniform.

[0012] In the above aspect, preferably, the board connection portion comprises a housing (55) and a spring piece (56) supported by the housing and protruding from the housing, the upper terminal member is supported by the housing so that the spring piece protrudes downward from the housing, and the lower terminal member is supported by the housing so that the spring piece protrudes upward from the housing.

[0013] According to this aspect, the terminal members can be arranged so as to be connectable to the front and back surfaces of the circuit board.

[0014] In the above aspect, preferably, the spring piece is supported swingably on the left and right side surfaces of the housing and includes two contact points aligned in front and behind.

[0015] According to this aspect, the terminal member can be more reliably connected to the circuit board.

[0016] In the above aspect, the cable connection portion is preferably located at the center in the left-right direction of the housing when viewed from the front-rear direction.

[0017] According to this aspect, the intervals between adjacent cable connection portions can be made equal.

[0018] In the above aspect, preferably, the cable connection portions are U-shaped when viewed from the left and right, with their ends adjacent to each other and clamping the flat cable.

[0019] According to this aspect, the cable can be well held at the cable connecting portion while the cable connecting portion is electrically connected to the cable-side electrode.

[0020] In the above aspect, preferably, the housing comprises a rear housing portion (11R) constituting the rear portion and a front housing portion (11F) constituting the front portion, the cable insertion portion being provided in the rear housing portion and the board insertion portion being provided in the front housing portion, and the upper terminal accommodating chamber and the lower terminal accommodating chamber being defined by connecting the front housing portion and the rear housing portion.

[0021] According to this aspect, it is easy to form the terminal accommodating chamber.

[0022] In the above aspect, preferably, a retainer (13) is provided that engages with the housing to hold the flat cable in the cable insertion portion, the flat cable has a through hole (88), and the retainer has a cable holding portion (92) that passes through the through hole.

[0023] According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent the cable from coming off the housing.

[0024] In the above aspect, preferably, the terminal member (12) provided in the above connector comprises a rectangular parallelepiped housing (55) constituting the board connection portion, a connection piece (78) constituting the cable connection portion, and a connecting portion (53) connecting the connection piece to the housing.

[0025] According to this aspect, the board connection portion and the cable connection portion can be connected by the connecting portion.

[0026] In the above aspect, the coupling portion preferably disposes the connection piece at the left-right center of the housing in a front view.

[0027] According to this aspect, the cable connection portion can be provided at the center in the left-right direction of the housing when viewed from the front-rear direction.

[0028] Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector and terminal member that enable connection between the flat cable and the double-sided mounted circuit board even when the pitch of the flat cable is narrower than the pitch of the double-sided mounted circuit board.

[0029] a perspective view of the connector according to the present invention, a circuit board connected to the connector, and a flexible printed circuit board connected to the connector, as seen from the left rear; a perspective view of the connector according to the present invention, a circuit board connected to the connector, and a flexible printed circuit board connected to the connector, as seen from the right front; an exploded perspective view of the connector as seen from the right front; a perspective view of the front of the housing and the terminal member as seen from the left rear; a front view of the connector; (A) a top view of the circuit board inserted into the connector in the correct orientation, and (B) a top view of the circuit board inserted in the wrong orientation; a rear view of the connector; (A) a rear view of the connector and (B) a schematic view of the front of the connector as seen from the rear; a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector; (A) a perspective view and (B) a top view of the terminal member; a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector showing the circuit board and flat cable inserted; a rear cross-sectional view of the connector when the flat cable is inserted and the retainer is in a fully inserted state;

[0030] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A connector and a terminal member according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0031] 1 and 2, a connector 1 connects a circuit board 2 to a flat cable 3 such as a flexible flat cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit board (FPC). The circuit board 2 and the flat cable 3 are electrically connected by being inserted into the connector 1.

[0032] In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the insertion direction of the circuit board 2 into the connector 1 is defined as the rearward direction, and the direction of the main surface of the circuit board 2 is defined as the up-down direction. However, this description of directions is for convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not limited to this description of directions.

[0033] The circuit board 2 is a flat, double-sided board formed of a printed circuit board (PCB) with wiring patterns (not shown) on both sides. A plurality of board-side electrodes 4 are provided on both the front (upper surface) and back (lower surface) of the rear end of the circuit board 2. The board-side electrodes 4 are plate-shaped and made of metal, and are connected to the wiring patterns provided on the front and back surfaces of the circuit board 2.

[0034] The board-side electrodes 4 on the front surface and the board-side electrodes 4 on the back surface are arranged side by side at equal intervals along the edge of the circuit board 2. The board-side electrodes 4 on the front surface and the board-side electrodes 4 on the back surface have approximately the same shape. The spacing (i.e., pitch) between the board-side electrodes 4 on the front surface and the spacing between the board-side electrodes 4 on the back surface are set to be approximately equal. However, the board-side electrodes 4 on the front surface and the adjacent board-side electrodes 4 on the back surface are arranged with a half-pitch offset, forming a staggered arrangement when viewed in the opposite direction to the insertion direction (when viewed from the rear).

[0035] In this embodiment, notches 5 are provided on both the left and right rear edge portions of the circuit board 2, cutting them forward. The circuit board 2 further has auxiliary notches 6 cut inwardly to the left and right from the front portions of the notches 5. The positions of the front edges of the notches 5 on the left and right sides of the circuit board 2 are different from each other in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the front edge of the left notch 5 is located further forward than the front edge of the right notch 5.

[0036] The flat cable 3 is composed of a flexible cable or substrate. The flat cable 3 includes a flexible film 7 made of an insulating material and a wiring pattern 8 made of a metal such as copper foil that is provided on the surface of the film 7. A cable-side electrode 9 connected to the wiring pattern 8 is provided at the end of the flat cable 3. The cable-side electrode 9 is made of a metal plate such as copper foil. The surface of the wiring pattern 8 of the flat cable 3, excluding the cable-side electrode 9, may be covered with the film 7 made of an insulating material.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3 , the connector 1 includes a housing 11 , a plurality of terminal members 12 provided inside the housing 11 , and a retainer 13 .

[0038] The housing 11 includes a front housing portion 11F (also referred to as a front housing or a front half) that constitutes the front half of the housing 11, and a rear housing portion 11R (also referred to as a rear housing or a rear half) that constitutes the rear half of the housing 11. The front housing portion 11F and the rear housing portion 11R are each made of a resin material.

[0039] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the housing front portion 11F has a board insertion portion 15 into which the circuit board 2 is inserted from the front side, and a plurality of terminal accommodating recesses 16 that are recessed forward from the rear surface and into which the terminal members 12 are inserted.

[0040] The board insertion portion 15 is a recessed portion recessed rearward on the front surface of the housing 11, and has a board opening 18 that opens forward. As shown in FIG. 5 , the board opening 18 is substantially rectangular and extends in the left-right direction. The left edge of the board insertion portion 15 is defined by a left wall 19, and the right edge of the board insertion portion 15 is defined by a right wall 20. The left wall 19 and the right wall 20 each extend in the front-rear direction and are plate-shaped with surfaces facing left-right. The upper edge of the board insertion portion 15 is defined by an upper wall 21, and the lower edge of the board insertion portion 15 is defined by a lower wall 22. The upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 each have main surfaces facing up-down and are plate-shaped and extend in the left-right direction. The rear edge of the board insertion portion 15 is defined by a bottom wall 23 having a surface facing forward-rear. The bottom wall 23 is plate-shaped with a surface facing forward-rear.

[0041] The housing front portion 11F has a board insertion portion 15 formed by an upper wall 21, a lower wall 22, a left wall 19, a right wall 20, and a bottom wall 23. A board accommodating chamber 25 into which the rear end of the circuit board 2 is to be inserted is defined within the board insertion portion 15. The board insertion portion 15 may be provided with a protrusion and / or a locking claw that, when the circuit board 2 is properly inserted, protrudes into the auxiliary notch 6 to prevent the circuit board 2 from coming off.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6A , the front edge of the left wall 19 and the front edge of the right wall 20 are located at different positions in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the front edge of the left wall 19 is located further forward than the front edge of the right wall 20. Also, the front edge of the notch 5 on the left side of the circuit board 2 is located further forward than the front edge of the notch 5 on the right side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B , the circuit board 2 cannot be inserted completely into the board insertion portion 15 in an upside-down state (to the final position, where the front end of the right wall 20 abuts against the front edge that defines the notch 5). This makes it possible to prevent the circuit board 2 from being inserted upside down into the connector 1.

[0043] 4 and 5, the terminal accommodating recess 16 is provided in the upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22. Hereinafter, the terminal accommodating recess 16 provided in the upper wall 21 will be referred to as an upper terminal accommodating recess 16U, and the terminal accommodating recess 16 provided in the lower wall 22 will be referred to as a lower terminal accommodating recess 16D.

[0044] The upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction. Each upper terminal accommodating recess 16U is recessed forward in the upper half of the bottom wall 23 and reaches the inside of the top wall 21. A through hole 26 is formed in the top wall 21, which connects the interior of the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U with the interior of the board insertion portion 15.

[0045] The lower terminal accommodating recesses 16D are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction. Each lower terminal accommodating recess 16D is recessed forward in the lower half of the bottom wall 23 and reaches the inside of the lower wall 22. The lower wall 22 is formed with a through hole 26 that connects the inside of the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D to the inside of the board insertion portion 15.

[0046] The left-right spacing (hereinafter referred to as the pitch) between the upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U and the left-right spacing between the lower terminal accommodating recesses 16D are set to be equal to each other. However, the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D located at the left end is vertically offset by half the pitch (half pitch) from the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U located at the left end. As a result, the upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U and the lower terminal accommodating recesses 16D are arranged in a staggered manner. The upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U and the lower terminal accommodating recesses 16D are formed so as to overlap at least partially when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 7, the housing rear portion 11R has a cable insertion portion 31 recessed forward from the rear surface, and a plurality of terminal receiving recesses 32 recessed backward from the front surface.

[0048] The cable insertion portion 31 is a recess recessed from the rear surface toward the front, and has a cable insertion port 33 that opens toward the rear. As shown in FIG. 7 , the cable insertion port 33 is substantially rectangular and extends in the left-right direction. The left edge of the cable insertion portion 31 is defined by a left wall 35, and the right edge of the cable insertion portion 31 is defined by a right wall 36. The left wall 35 and the right wall 36 each extend in the front-rear direction and are plate-shaped with surfaces facing in the left-right direction. The upper edge of the cable insertion portion 31 is defined by an upper wall 37, and the lower edge of the cable insertion portion 31 is defined by a lower wall 38. The upper wall 37 and the lower wall 38 each have main surfaces facing in the up-down direction and are plate-shaped and extend in the left-right direction. The front edge of the cable insertion portion 31 is defined by a bottom wall 39 (see FIG. 3 ) with a surface facing in the front-rear direction. The bottom wall 39 is plate-shaped with a surface facing in the front-rear direction.

[0049] The rear housing portion 11R includes a cable insertion portion 31 formed by an upper wall 37, a lower wall 38, a left wall 35, a right wall 36, and a bottom wall 39. A cable insertion chamber 40 into which the front end of the flat cable 3 is to be inserted is defined within the cable insertion portion 31.

[0050] Each terminal receiving recess 32 is recessed rearward in the front surface of the bottom wall 39 and opens at the front surface of the bottom wall 39. The rear housing portion 11R has the same number of terminal receiving recesses 32 as the terminal accommodating recesses 16 provided in the front housing portion 11F. The terminal receiving recesses 32 are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction in the rear housing portion 11R. As shown in Figures 8(A) and (B) , the left-right intervals between the terminal receiving recesses 32 are set to be half the pitch (half pitch) of the upper terminal accommodating recesses 16U. Each terminal receiving recess 32 is connected to the cable insertion portion 31 at its rear end.

[0051] 3, the rear surface of the housing front portion 11F and the front surface of the housing rear portion 11R are connected to form the housing 11. When the housing front portion 11F and the housing rear portion 11R are connected, the openings of the terminal accommodating recesses 16 and the terminal receiving recesses 32 are arranged to overlap each other from front to back, and the terminal accommodating recesses 16 and the terminal receiving recesses 32 communicate with each other.

[0052] As a result, as shown in Fig. 9, the housing front portion 11F and the housing rear portion 11R are connected to define a terminal accommodating chamber 42 (hereinafter referred to as an upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U) formed by the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U and the terminal receiving recess 32, and a terminal accommodating chamber 42 (hereinafter referred to as a lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D) formed by the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D and the terminal receiving recess 32. As shown in Fig. 5, the housing 11 is provided with a plurality of upper terminal accommodating chambers 42U including portions located above the board insertion portion 15, and a plurality of lower terminal accommodating chambers 42D including portions located below the board insertion portion 15. As shown in Fig. 5, the upper terminal accommodating chambers 42U and the lower terminal accommodating chambers 42D are formed in a staggered arrangement around the board insertion portion 15. Adjacent upper terminal accommodating chambers 42U and lower terminal accommodating chambers 42D are formed to at least partially overlap each other in the vertical direction (as viewed in the vertical direction).

[0053] As shown in FIG. 2 , the housing 11 is provided with a connecting structure 45 for connecting the front housing portion 11F and the rear housing portion 11R. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the connecting structure 45 includes a plurality of (four in this embodiment) protruding portions 46 (see FIG. 3 ) protruding forward from the front surface of the rear housing portion 11R, and receiving portions 47 (see FIG. 4 ) recessed in the rear surface of the front housing portion 11F for receiving the protruding portions 46. The front housing portion 11F and the protruding portions 46 each include an assembly hole 48 that penetrates the front housing portion 11F and the rear housing portion 11R with the protruding portions 46 received in the receiving portions 47. The front housing portion 11F and the rear housing portion 11R are connected by inserting an assembly pin 49 (see FIG. 3 ) into the assembly hole 48. However, the method for connecting the front housing portion 11F and the rear housing portion 11R is not limited to this embodiment, and various known connecting methods, such as adhesive bonding or welding, may be used.

[0054] The terminal members 12 are each integrally formed by performing a known punching process, bending process, or the like on a plate made of a conductive material (e.g., a metal or alloy material such as copper or brass). The terminal members 12 are each substantially identical in shape.

[0055] As shown in Figure 9, the terminal members 12 are each accommodated in a terminal accommodating chamber 42. Hereinafter, the terminal members 12 accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U will be referred to as the upper terminal member 12U, and the terminal members 12 accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D will be referred to as the lower terminal member 12D. The upper terminal members 12U are accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chambers 42U, and the lower terminal members 12D are accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chambers 42D. The upper terminal members 12U and the lower terminal members 12D have the same shape. However, the upper terminal members 12U are upside down compared to the lower terminal members 12D.

[0056] In the following, the details of the terminal member 12 will be described based on the state in which the terminal member 12 is accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D (i.e., the lower terminal member 12D).

[0057] As shown in Figures 10 (A) and (B), the terminal member 12 has a board connection portion 51 that forms the front portion, a cable connection portion 52 that forms the rear portion, and a connecting portion 53 that connects the board connection portion 51 and the cable connection portion 52.

[0058] The board connection portion 51 constitutes the portion of the terminal member 12 that connects to the circuit board 2. The board connection portion 51 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 55 and a spring piece 56 supported by the housing 55.

[0059] The housing 55 includes a rectangular bottom piece 58 extending in the front-to-rear direction, a left piece 59 rising upward from the left edge of the bottom piece 58, and a right piece 60 rising upward from the right edge of the bottom piece 58. The bottom piece 58, the left piece 59, and the right piece 60 form a groove-shaped cross-sectional portion 62 that is open upward in the housing 55. The upper edges of the left piece 59 and the right piece 60 may be provided with connecting pieces 63 that extend in opposing directions and are connected at their extending ends.

[0060] In this embodiment, the front edges of the left piece 59 and the right piece 60 are triangular plates with end faces that slope downward toward the front in left and right side views. Connecting pieces 63 extending in opposing directions are provided on the end faces of the left piece 59 and the right piece 60. As a result, the front end of the groove-shaped cross-sectional portion 62 is formed with a tip portion 64 that is made of a bent plate material and tapers toward the front.

[0061] The spring piece 56 includes a lower piece 66 extending rearward from the front lower edge of the left piece 59 or the right piece 60 above the bottom piece 58, a folded portion 67 bent upward approximately 180 degrees at the tip of the lower piece 66, and an upper piece 68 folded forward from the folded portion 67 and extending forward above the folded portion 67. The lower piece 66, folded portion 67, and upper piece 68 form a hairpin-shaped portion 70 in the spring piece 56. The spring piece 56 is located between the housing 55 (more specifically, the left piece 59 and the right piece 60) and protrudes upward (toward the opening) from the housing 55.

[0062] A first contact portion 71 protruding upward is formed by embossing on the upper surface of the folded portion 67. The extended end of the upper piece 68 is a free end, and a second contact portion 72 protruding upward is formed by embossing near this extended end. The first contact portion 71 and / or the second contact portion 72 abuts against the board-side electrode 4 of the circuit board 2, thereby electrically connecting the terminal member 12 and the board-side electrode 4. That is, the spring piece 56 is provided with two contacts aligned front to back as contacts for contacting the board-side electrode 4. Providing two contacts on the spring piece 56 allows the terminal member 12 to more reliably contact the board-side electrode 4. This allows for a more reliable electrical connection between the terminal member 12 and the board-side electrode 4.

[0063] The upper piece 68 has a pair of protruding pieces 74 at the front-to-rear center, protruding outward to the left and right from the left and right side edges, respectively. The protruding pieces 74 are arc-shaped and convex downward in side view. Openings 75 are formed in the left and right pieces 59 and 60, penetrating the left and right directions, to receive the protruding pieces 74. The protruding pieces 74 slidably and swingably abut against the openings 75. As a result, the spring piece 56 is slidably supported in the openings 75, with the protruding pieces 74 as fulcrums.

[0064] The cable connection portion 52 includes a flat connection piece 78 having a surface facing in the left-right direction. The connection piece 78 is U-shaped when viewed in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 10(B) , the left-right width (specifically, the maximum left-right width) of the cable connection portion 52 is smaller than the left-right width (specifically, the maximum left-right width) of the board connection portion 51, and the cable connection portion 52 is formed to be narrower in the left-right direction than the board connection portion 51.

[0065] As shown in Figure 10 (A), the cable connection part 52 has a base 80 and a pair of upper and lower arm parts 81 extending rearward from the base 80. The base 80 is plate-shaped and extends in the vertical direction, with main surfaces facing in the left-right direction. The arm parts 81 are arranged in pairs, one above the other. The arm parts 81 are connected to the base 80 at their base ends so as to be elastically deformable. This allows the tips of the arm parts 81 to be spread apart in the vertical direction.

[0066] The lower ends of the arm portions 81 are provided with protrusions 82 that are triangular in side view and protrude toward each other. When the flat cable 3 is inserted between the arm portions 81, the protrusions 82 move toward each other and resiliently abut against the flat cable 3. This causes the flat cable 3 to be clamped by the cable connecting portions 52. By clamping the flat cable 3 by the cable connecting portions 52 in this manner, the cable connecting portions 52 can be electrically connected to the cable-side electrodes 9, and the flat cable 3 can be well held in the cable connecting portions 52.

[0067] The connecting portion 53 is provided between the board connecting portion 51 and the cable connecting portion 52. As shown in FIG. 10(B) , the connecting portion 53 includes a rearward extending portion 84 extending rearward from the left side piece 59 or the right side piece 60 constituting the housing 55, and a central extending portion 85 extending laterally inward from the lower edge of the rearward extending portion 84 and connecting to the cable connecting portion 52. The extending end of the central extending portion 85 is located approximately in the left-right center of the housing 55. As a result, the cable connecting portion 52 (i.e., the connecting piece 78) is positioned by the connecting portion 53 in the left-right center of the housing 55 (i.e., the left-right center of the terminal member 12) when viewed in the front-rear direction (front view). In FIG. 10(B) , a straight line along the left-right center of the housing 55 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0068] 9, the terminal members 12 are accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U and the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D. The board connecting portion 51 has a shape that matches the terminal accommodating recess 16, and the board connecting portion 51 is accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U and the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D. The terminal receiving recess 32 accommodates the cable connecting portion 52.

[0069] 11 , the board connecting portion 51 accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U is positioned above the circuit board 2 inserted in the board insertion portion 15, and the board connecting portion 51 accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D is positioned below the circuit board 2 inserted in the board insertion portion 15. As shown in FIG. 9 , the terminal member 12 accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U is supported by the housing 11 so that the spring piece 56 protrudes downward from the casing 55 and enters the board insertion portion 15 from above via the through hole 26. The terminal member 12 accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D is supported by the housing 11 so that the spring piece 56 protrudes upward from the casing 55 and enters the board insertion portion 15 from below via the through hole 26.

[0070] 11 , when the circuit board 2 is inserted into the board insertion portion 15, the spring piece 56 of the terminal member 12 accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U resiliently abuts the first contact portion 71 and / or the second contact portion 72 against the board-side electrode 4 provided on the upper surface of the circuit board 2. At the same time, the spring piece 56 (more specifically, the first contact portion 71 and / or the second contact portion 72) of the terminal member 12 accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D abuts against the board-side electrode 4 provided on the lower surface of the circuit board 2. In this way, by providing the upper terminal accommodating chamber 42U and the lower terminal accommodating chamber 42D, the terminal member 12 can be positioned so as to be connectable to the front (upper) and back (lower) surfaces of the circuit board 2.

[0071] When the flat cable 3 is inserted into the cable insertion portion 31, the arm portion 81 expands, and then the tip of the protrusion 82 resiliently abuts against the flat cable 3. That is, the cable insertion portion 31 has a so-called NonZiF (Non-Zero Insertion Force) structure, in which the insertion force applied to the flat cable 3 is not zero. This allows the flat cable 3 to be clamped by the cable connection portion 52, and the cable connection portion 52 is electrically connected to the cable-side electrode 9. In this embodiment, the protrusions 82 are provided on both the front and back sides of the flat cable 3. Therefore, the terminal member 12 can be electrically connected to the flat cable 3 regardless of whether the cable-side electrode 9 is provided on the front or back side of the flat cable 3. By providing the cable-side electrode 9 on both the front and back sides of the flat cable 3, the flat cable 3 and the terminal member 12 can be electrically connected even if electrical contact between either one of the electrodes is lost. This improves the reliability of the electrical connection.

[0072] 5, the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U and the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D have portions that overlap in the vertical direction. As a result, the adjacent upper terminal member 12U and lower terminal member 12D overlap in the vertical direction at their respective board connection portions 51. In detail, the board connection portion 51 of the upper terminal member accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating recess 16U and located above the circuit board 2 and the board connection portion 51 accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating recess 16D have portions that overlap in the vertical direction.

[0073] 12, the rear housing portion 11R is provided with a communication recess 86 (communication portion) that is recessed downward and that connects the outside of the rear housing portion 11R with the cable insertion portion 31. In this embodiment, one communication recess 86 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the rear housing portion 11R. The flat cable 3 is provided with a through-hole 88 that penetrates vertically at a position that is aligned with the communication recess 86 (i.e., located below the communication recess 86) when the flat cable 3 is inserted in the correct position.

[0074] The retainer 13 includes a flat retainer body 90, a pair of left and right retainer holding portions 91 protruding from the rear surface of the retainer body 90, and a pair of left and right cable holding portions 92. The retainer body 90 is disposed along the upper rear portion of the housing 11. A locking claw 91A is provided at the tip of the retainer holding portion 91.

[0075] The left and right side edges of the housing rear portion 11R are each provided with a downwardly recessed holding recess 93 into which the retainer holding portion 91 is to protrude. A wall surface defining the left and right inner sides of the holding recess 93 is provided with a locking recess 94 recessed inward to the left and right. When the retainer holding portion 91 is fully inserted into the holding recess 93, the locking claw 91A is received in the locking recess 94 and hooked onto the wall surface defining the upper edge of the locking recess 94 to be locked. This engages the housing rear portion 11R and locks the retainer 13 to the housing 11.

[0076] The rear housing portion 11R is provided with a main body receiving portion 95 that receives the retainer main body 90 when the retainer holding portion 91 is fully inserted into the holding recess 93. The main body receiving portion 95 is recessed downward on the upper surface of the rear housing portion 11R, and the holding recess 93 is provided on the left and right edges of the main body receiving portion 95.

[0077] Furthermore, each of the side surfaces defining the left and right inner sides of the holding recess 93 is provided with an auxiliary recess 96 for locking the locking pawl 91A above the locking recess 94. As shown in Figure 13, when the locking pawl 91A enters the auxiliary recess 96, the retainer 13 is preset to the housing 11, and the top surface of the retainer main body 90 becomes roughly flush with the rest of the housing rear portion 11R except for the main body receiving portion 95. When the retainer 13 is pushed further downward, the retainer holding portion 91 is fully inserted into the holding recess 93, and the locking pawl 91A is received in the locking recess 94.

[0078] At this time, the cable holding portion 92 projects into the communication recess 86 and passes through the through-hole 88 of the flat cable 3. This prevents the flat cable 3 from coming off the housing 11.

[0079] Next, a method for assembling the connector 1 configured as described above will be described. The worker assembling the connector 1 first inserts the terminal members 12 into the terminal receiving recesses 32 of the rear housing portion 11R, and assembles the terminal members 12 to the rear housing portion 11R. After completing the insertion of the terminal members 12, the worker connects the front housing portion 11F and the rear housing portion 11R and secures the front housing portion 11F to the rear housing portion 11R with the pins 49. This completes the connector 1.

[0080] When inserting and fixing the flat cable 3 into the cable insertion portion 31, the operator should couple the retainer 13 to the housing 11 (specifically, the rear portion 11R of the housing), thereby preventing the flat cable 3 from coming off the housing 11.

[0081] Next, the effects of the connector 1 and terminal member 12 configured as described above will be described.

[0082] The terminal member 12 includes a board connection portion 51 that connects to the board-side electrode 4 of the circuit board 2, and a cable connection portion 52 that connects to the cable-side electrode 9 of the flat cable 3. The upper terminal member 12U and the lower terminal member 12D are arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction, and the cable connection portion 52 is formed to be narrower in width than the board connection portion 51 in the horizontal direction.

[0083] Therefore, compared to when the upper terminal member 12U and the lower terminal member 12D do not overlap, the cable connection portions 52 can be placed closer to each other without contacting the adjacent cable connection portions 52. Therefore, the pitch between the cable-side electrodes 9 of the flat cable 3 can be made narrower than the pitch between the board-side electrodes 4 of the circuit board 2.

[0084] In this embodiment, the upper terminal member 12U and the lower terminal member 12D have the same shape, and the arm portions 81 are provided in pairs vertically. Therefore, by turning the upper terminal member 12U upside down and arranging it so that it is vertically symmetrical to the lower terminal member 12D in a side view, the circuit board 2 and the flat cable 3 can be electrically connected while being arranged on the same line in a side view. In addition, the board-side electrodes 4 provided on the front and back surfaces of the circuit board 2 can be connected to the cable-side electrodes 9 provided on the flat cable 3.

[0085] The upper terminal members 12U and the lower terminal members 12D are arranged in a staggered pattern, which makes it possible to easily align the pitch intervals of the board electrodes 4 on the front and back surfaces of the circuit board 2.

[0086] Furthermore, the cable connection portions 52 are located at the center of the left-right direction of the housing 55 when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. This allows the cable connection portions 52 to be spaced equally apart, effectively preventing the cable connection portions 52 from coming into contact with each other when inserting or removing the flat cable 3. Furthermore, since the cable-side electrodes 9 can be arranged at equal intervals, the configuration of the flat cable 3 is simplified.

[0087] While the present invention has been described above based on specific embodiments, these embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In the above embodiments, the upper terminal member 12U and the lower terminal member 12D each have two contacts, but any embodiment may be used as long as one or more contacts are provided.

[0088] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Connector 2: Circuit board 3: Flat cable 4: Board-side electrode 5: Notch 6: Auxiliary notch 7: Film 8: Wiring pattern 9: Cable-side electrode 11: Housing 11F: Front of housing 11R: Rear of housing 12: Terminal member 12D: Lower terminal member 12U: Upper terminal member 13: Retainer 15: Board insertion portion 16: Terminal accommodating recess 16D: Lower terminal accommodating recess 16U: Upper terminal accommodating recess 18: Board opening 19: Left wall 20: Right wall 21: Upper wall 22: Lower wall 23: Bottom wall 25: Board accommodating chamber 26: Through hole 31: Cable insertion portion 32: Terminal receiving recess 33: Cable insertion opening 35: Left wall 36 : Right wall 37 : Upper wall 38 : Lower wall 39 : Bottom wall 40 : Cable insertion chamber 42 : Terminal accommodating chamber 42D : Lower terminal accommodating chamber 42U : Upper terminal accommodating chamber 45 : Coupling structure 46 : Convex portion 47 : Receiving portion 48 : Assembly hole 49 : Pin 51 : Board connecting portion 52 : Cable connecting portion 53 : Linking portion 55 : Housing 56 : Spring piece 58 : Bottom piece 59 : Left piece 60 : Right piece 62 : Groove-shaped cross-sectional portion 63 : Linking piece 64 : Tip portion 66 : Lower piece 67 : Folded portion 68 : Upper piece 70 : Hairpin-shaped portion 71 : First contact portion 72 : Second contact portion 74 : Protruding piece 75 : Opening 78 : Connection piece 80 : Base portion 81 : Arm portion 82 : Projection piece 84 : Rear extension portion 85 : Central extension portion 86 : Communication recess (communication portion) 88 : Through hole 90 : Retainer body 91 : Retainer holding portion 91A : Locking claw 92 : Cable holding portion 93 : Holding recess 94 : Locking recess 95 : Body receiving portion 96 : Auxiliary recess

Claims

1. A connector for connecting a circuit board having board-side electrodes on its front and back surfaces and a flexible flat cable having cable-side electrodes, comprising: a housing having a board insertion section into which the circuit board is inserted from the front, a cable insertion section into which the flat cable is inserted from the rear at a position opposite the board insertion section, a plurality of upper terminal accommodating chambers including a portion located above the board insertion section, and a plurality of lower terminal accommodating chambers including a portion located below the board insertion section; upper terminal members respectively accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chambers, and lower terminal members respectively accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chambers, each of the upper terminal members having a board connection portion connected to the board-side electrode and a cable connection portion connected to the cable-side electrode, the cable connection portion being formed narrower in the left-right direction than the board connection portion, and the upper terminal member and the lower terminal member adjacent to each other are arranged to overlap each other in the up-down direction at their board connection portions.

2. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the upper terminal accommodating chambers and the lower terminal accommodating chambers are formed in a staggered arrangement above and below the board insertion portion.

3. A connector as described in claim 2, wherein the board connection portion comprises a housing and a spring piece supported by and protruding from the housing, the upper terminal member is supported by the housing such that the spring piece protrudes downward from the housing, and the lower terminal member is supported by the housing such that the spring piece protrudes upward from the housing.

4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the spring piece is supported swingably on the left and right side surfaces of the housing and has two contacts arranged in a front-to-rear direction.

5. The connector according to claim 4, wherein said cable connection portion is located at the center in the left-right direction of said housing when viewed from the front-rear direction.

6. A connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cable connection portion is U-shaped when viewed from the left and right, with each end adjacent to each other and clamping the flat cable.

7. A connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the housing comprises a rear portion constituting a rear section and a front portion constituting a front section, the rear portion being provided with the cable insertion portion, the front portion being provided with the board insertion portion, and the front portion and the rear portion being connected to define the upper terminal accommodating chamber and the lower terminal accommodating chamber.

8. A connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a retainer which engages with said housing to hold said flat cable in said cable insertion portion, said flat cable having a through hole, and said retainer having a cable holding portion which passes through said through hole.

9. A terminal member provided in the connector according to claim 1, comprising: a rectangular parallelepiped housing constituting the board connection portion; a connecting piece constituting the cable connection portion; and a coupling portion for coupling the connecting piece to the housing.

10. A terminal member according to claim 9, wherein the connecting portion positions the connection piece at the left-right center of the housing when viewed from the front.