JP2969601B2 - Receptacle connector using flexible wiring board - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a receptacle connector having a flexible wiring board disposed in a connector housing so as to cover a metal leaf spring member, and more particularly, to a receptacle connector mounted on a printed circuit board or the like. Related to a receptacle connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a connector using such a flexible wiring board, for example, a connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 40-2588 is known. This connector is a two-piece connector including a receptacle connector and a plug connector, and both connectors are configured by holding a printed wiring board in a connector housing. When these two connectors are connected, the plug projection of the plug connector having the flexible wiring board on the outer side protrudes into the receptacle connector and is sandwiched by the flexible wiring board disposed therein. Thereby, the conductive pattern layer on the flexible wiring board of the plug connector and the conductive pattern layer on the flexible wiring board of the receptacle connector come into contact with each other, and the corresponding wirings of both connectors are electrically connected. A leaf spring member is provided in the receptacle connector to apply a predetermined contact force at the time of the contact. The flexible wiring board is made of FPC technology, TAB (Tape Automat
It is made by forming a conductive wiring pattern (conductive pattern layer) by an ed bonding technique or the like.

[0003]

When the receptacle connector having the above configuration is connected to the mating plug connector and an electric signal flows on the wiring pattern of the flexible wiring board, the flexible wiring board is made of a thin metal in the receptacle connector. Since it is arranged so as to cover the leaf spring, there is a problem that an electric signal may enter an adjacent wiring pattern via the metal leaf spring, and this may cause noise to disturb the electric signal. In recent years, there has been a strong tendency to reduce the width of the flexible wiring board as much as possible by reducing the interval between the conductive pattern layers formed on the flexible wiring board and to miniaturize the connector. The smaller the spacing, the more
A problem that a signal from an adjacent wiring pattern enters to generate noise is likely to occur. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a receptacle connector that can use a leaf spring as a shield for an electric signal to prevent the above-described noise from being mixed.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, a receptacle connector according to the present invention has a receiving space having a vertically open through-hole and a rib portion extending transversely back and forth in the receiving space. A leaf spring member formed by bending and forming a metal elastic plate material into a substantially U-shaped cross section, an upper end opening portion facing the upper surface side of the housing and disposed in the receiving space so as to surround the rib portion; A flexible wiring board that is disposed so as to extend into the receiving space such that the intermediate portion enters the substantially U-shaped space of the leaf spring member surrounding the rib portion, and the left and right sides cover the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member. And a holding member attached to the lower surface side of the housing so as to cover the receiving space from the lower surface side in a state where the leaf spring member and the flexible wiring board are arranged in the receiving space. Then, the middle portion of the flexible wiring board and the U-shaped bottom of the leaf spring member are sandwiched and fixed between the rib portion of the housing and the holding member, and the holding member has an opening vertically penetrating therethrough. A part of the leaf spring member is exposed to the lower surface side through this opening, and when the receptacle connector is attached to a printed board or the like, the holding member is placed on the printed board or the like, and the leaf spring member is Is connected to a ground terminal such as a printed circuit board.

[0005]

In the receptacle connector having such a structure, when the flexible wiring board and the leaf spring member are disposed in the receiving space of the housing, they are arranged so as to surround the rib portion, and the intermediate portion and the board of the flexible wiring board are arranged. The U-shaped bottom of the spring member is sandwiched and fixedly held by the rib portion and the holding member. For this reason, the flexible wiring board can be fixed and held in a shape along the U-shape of the leaf spring member,
U-shaped cross-section receiving space opened on the top side to insert the plug connector (for example, see FIGS. 1 and 2)
Can be configured. Since the flexible wiring board is a flexible plate-shaped member and can be freely deformed, it is difficult to use the flexible wiring board as a receptacle connector as it is. However, the above configuration allows the flexible wiring board to be used as a receptacle connector. Further, in the receptacle connector of the present invention, since the metal leaf spring member is connected to the ground terminal of the printed circuit board or the like via the exposed portion, the leaf spring member plays a role as a shield for electric signals. For this reason, the intrusion of electric signals between the conductive pattern layers of the flexible wiring board disposed so as to cover the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member is prevented by the leaf spring member, and when this receptacle connector is used, Electric signal transmission without noise can be performed. In this receptacle connector, the end of the flexible wiring board is exposed to the base end side of the housing, and the conductive pattern in this exposed portion is surface-mounted to the conductive pattern layer forming the contact terminal such as a printed circuit board. There are many,
In such a case, the exposed portion of the leaf spring member is surface-mounted to the conductive pattern layer forming the ground terminal on the printed circuit board, thereby not only ensuring the shielding effect of the leaf spring member but also increasing the surface mount strength. Can be increased. Further, it is preferable that a tongue piece having a guide hole provided at the front and rear ends of the left and right sides of the flexible wiring board is engaged with a guide projection formed on the upper surface of the front and rear ends of the housing. Accordingly, the flexible wiring board can be accurately positioned in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The receptacle connector 1 according to the present invention has a configuration as shown in FIG. 1, and this receptacle connector 1 is adapted to be fitted and connected to a plug connector 5 having a configuration shown in FIG. In the following, the longitudinal direction of the connectors 1 and 5 is referred to as the front-back direction,
The width direction is referred to as a left-right direction.

First, the structure of the receptacle connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and has a receptacle housing molded from an insulating material such as resin. The receptacle housing includes a holder 10 forming a lower portion of the housing, a pair of supporters 23, 23 incorporated inside the holder 10, and a cover 25 forming an upper portion of the housing. As shown in FIG. 4, the holder 10 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member having side walls 11a to 11d on the front, rear, left, and right sides, and opened up and down, and is formed of an insulating material. A rib 12 extending forward and backward is integrally formed on the lower surface of the holder 10, and an opening penetrating vertically is divided right and left by the rib 12 so as to be divided into two base openings 10 a and 10.
b is formed. Column-shaped preload projections 13 extending upward are joined to the front and rear side walls 11c and 11d at both front and rear ends of the rib 12, respectively. Rib 12
Has a cylindrical concave surface 12a (FIG. 4E).
And a through-hole 12 vertically penetrating the rib 12.
b are formed at five places.

A pair of guide projections 14 are provided on the upper surfaces of the front and rear side walls 11c and 11d, respectively, and an insertion holding hole 15 penetrating vertically is formed outside the side walls 11c and 11d. This insertion holding hole 15 is shown in FIG.
(F) As shown in FIG.
5a. Further, a pair of supporter mounting grooves 18 are provided on the lower surfaces of the front and rear ends, respectively. further,
The front and rear side walls 11c and 11d integrally have a flat plate-like flange portion 16 projecting forward and backward at a lower portion, and each of the flange portions 16 is formed with a thin slit-like insertion hole 16a penetrating vertically. This fitting hole 16a
Is for mounting the mounting bracket 37 shown in FIG.

The mounting bracket 37 has an engaging piece 39 bent downward at a right angle from the main body and a pair of mounting arm pieces 38 extending right and left. As shown in FIG. It is fitted and mounted in the hole 16a. A mounting projection 17 protruding downward is formed at a portion of the lower surface of the flange portion 16 where the fitting hole 16a is formed, and the fitting hole 16a is formed through the center of the fitting projection 17. . For this reason, the engagement piece 39 of the mounting bracket 37 fitted into the fitting hole 16 a enters into the mounting projection 17. In this state, the mounting bracket 37 is mounted.
The lower surface 38a of the mounting arm piece 38 is substantially the same as the lower surface of the holder 10 or at a position protruding slightly downward.

First, the flexible wiring board 30 and the leaf spring member 40 are attached to the holder 10 through the base openings 10a and 10b as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 10, the flexible wiring board 30 is provided on a flexible insulating film 31 with a circuit pattern of a conductive thin film, that is, conductive pattern layers 32a, 32a.
2b is formed by a known FPC technique, a TAB technique, or the like. Since the flexible wiring board 30 is symmetrical about the center line CL, only one side is shown. FIG. 10A shows the front side, and FIG. 10B shows the back side. The flexible wiring board 30 used for the receptacle connector 1 of the present example is obtained by cutting and removing only the insulating film 31 at the cut portions 34a at both right and left ends.
The portions of the conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b are exposed. Further, the wiring board 30 is cut and removed at the cut portions 34b at both front and rear ends, thereby forming a pair of tongue pieces 33 on both front and rear sides. A circular hole 33a is formed at the center of the tongue piece 33, and a conductive layer 33b is formed at an end of the surface. When such a flexible wiring board 30 is actually used, the flexible wiring board 30 whose outer peripheral portion is cut into a desired shape is used.

The leaf spring member 40 is formed by bending a metal plate having elasticity so that its cross-sectional shape is substantially U-shaped, as shown in FIG. This leaf spring member 40
Left and right side walls 41, 42 and base 4 forming a substantially U-shaped cross section
3 and the left and right side walls 41, 42 and the base 43.
A substantially U-shaped space 48 that is surrounded and opened upward is formed. Note that the left and right side walls 41 and 42 are not merely planar, but the middle portions in the vertical direction project inward, respectively.
Pressing convex portions 41a and 42a extending in the lateral direction are formed, and upper end portions are bent outward in a cylindrical shape to form upper end cylindrical portions 41b and 42b. The left and right side walls 4
Openings 47 (see FIG. 8D) are formed at four locations in each of the first and second 42.

At the front and rear ends of the upper cylindrical portions 41b and 42b, cut-and-raised portions 4 used for applying a preload are provided.
4 (see FIG. 8F). Leaf spring member 4
A lance 45 (see FIG. 8 (G)) is formed at each of the front and rear ends of “0” apart from the left and right side walls 41 and 42. These roles will be described later. Furthermore, left and right side walls 41, 4
2 is cut at two places (a total of four places) and bent downward and inward to form surface mounting legs 46.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible wiring board 30 having the above-described configuration is disposed so as to protrude upward from the base openings 10a and 10b of the holder 10 together with the leaf spring member 40, as shown in FIG. For this reason, the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board 30 enters the substantially U-shaped space 48 of the leaf spring member 40 and comes into contact with the lower surface of the rib 12 of the holder 10 and is pushed down by the rib 12. The left and right side portions of the flexible wiring board 30 extend upward from the middle portion and extend downward so as to cover the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40.
a, and protrudes to the lower surface of the holder 10 through 10b. A conductive pattern layer 32 is provided on both left and right ends of the flexible wiring board 30.
a, 32b are exposed, and the exposed conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b project toward the lower surface of the holder 10. At this time, the tongue piece 33 formed at the front and rear ends of the flexible wiring board 30 is located at the upper part, and the guide protrusion 14 of the holder 10 is inserted into the circular hole 33a so that the tongue piece 33 is formed. Locked to the holder 10. By locking the tongue piece 33 to the guide projection 14 in this manner, accurate mounting positioning of the flexible wiring board 30 with respect to the holder 10 is performed.

The leaf spring member 40 holds the left and right side walls 41, 4 while holding the flexible wiring board 30 as described above.
2 are mounted through the base openings 10a, 10b of the holder 10, respectively. At this time, the lances 45 at the front and rear ends
The portion where is formed enters the insertion holding hole 15 of the holder 10. For this reason, the portion having the lance 45 is pressed inward along the tapered portion 15 a of the holder 10 and elastically deforms. When the lance 45 projects upward from the insertion holding hole 15, the portion spreads outward to the holder 10. The leaf spring member 40 is locked by the holder 10. The cut-and-raised portion 44 of the leaf spring member 40 is
When the leaf spring member 40 is attached to the holder 10 as described above, the cut-and-raised portion 44 is expanded by the preload projection 13. For this reason, the leaf spring member 40 is
3, the cut-and-raised portion 44 is positioned so as to sandwich the preloading projection 13 and is pushed outward by the preloading projection 13 as shown in FIG. As a result, the left and right side walls 4 of the leaf spring member 40
1, 42 are also pushed to some extent and become elastically deformed. That is, the left and right side walls 41 and 42 are elastically deformed so as to spread outward, and a state where the preload is applied is obtained.

After disposing the flexible wiring board 30 and the leaf spring member 40 as described above, the supporter 23 is inserted into the holder 10 from the lower surface side. The supporter 23 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, a left and right end portion having an L-shaped cross section (see FIG.
Is press-fitted from below into the supporter mounting groove 18 and mounted. As a result, the supporter 23 comes into contact with the inner surfaces of the front and rear side walls 11a and 11b of the holder 10, respectively, and the lower protrusion 24 comes into contact with the lower surfaces of the front and rear side walls 11a and 11b. With the pair of supporters 23 attached in this manner, the left and right sides of the flexible wiring board 30 are pushed inward, and the conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b exposed at the left and right ends are also moved inward. Become.

Next, the holding member 20 is press-fitted from the lower surface side of the holder 10 and attached. This holding member 20 is shown in FIG.
The front and rear end portions 21 are press-fitted into the opening of the holder 10 and attached. When attached in this manner, the central projection 20a of the holding member 20
The base portion 43 of the leaf spring member 40 and the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board 30 are fixedly held between the ribs 12 of the holder 10. At the same time, the right and left tapered portions 20 of the holding member
b clamps and holds the vicinity of both left and right ends of the flexible wiring board 30 with the lower surface 23c of the supporter 23.

As a result, the flexible wiring board 30
The intermediate portion enters the substantially U-shaped space 48 of the leaf spring member 40 and is fixed and held in a state where it is pushed down by the ribs 12.
The upper and lower cylindrical portions 41b and 42b cover the first and second cylindrical members 41b and 42b, and are fixed and held by holding members 20 near both ends, and are fixed and held as shown in the figure. At this time, the portion of the flexible wiring board 30 that faces the pressing protrusions 41a and 42a of the leaf spring member 40 is pressed inward by the pressing protrusions 41a and 42b to form a substantially U-shaped space 4.
8 protrudes. The holding member 20 has two openings 22 formed therein. When the holding member 20 is attached to the holder 10 as described above, the surface mounting legs 46 of the leaf spring member 40 pass through the openings 22 so as to pass through the holding member 20. It is exposed on the lower surface side.

As described above, the assembly is completed up to the state shown in FIG. 2, and then the cover 25 is mounted on the holder 10. As shown in FIG. 9, the cover 25 is a member that has side walls 26 a to 26 d on the front, rear, left, and right sides, has a top wall 27, and is integrally formed of an insulating material. A slit-shaped plug insertion opening 27 extending left and right is provided on the upper surface wall 27.
a are formed, and a pair of guide holes 27b are formed in the front and rear ends, respectively. This cover 2
5 is a side wall of the holder 10 having a lower surface of the side walls 26a to 26d.
It is mounted on the holder 10 so as to be in contact with the upper surfaces of a to 11d. At this time, the guide projections 14 of the holder 10 are pressed into the corresponding guide holes 27b, respectively.
Thereby, the cover 25 is fixed on the holder 10. As described above, since the tongue piece 33 of the flexible wiring board 30 is locked to the guide projection 14 as shown in FIG.
And the cover 25 and fixedly held.

When the cover 25 is attached in this manner, the assembly of the receptacle connector 1 is completed. In this receptacle connector 1, as shown in FIG.
A receptacle housing is constituted by the holder 10, the retainer 23, and the cover 25, and a receiving space 1a is formed in the receptacle housing. The receiving space 1a has a plug insertion opening 27a at the front end (upper end) side, and the flexible wiring board 30 is disposed in the receiving space 1a while being held by the leaf spring member 40. The receptacle connector 1 having the above-described configuration, as indicated by a chain line in FIG.
It is attached to the printed circuit board 2 by a surface mount or the like. At this time, the mounting projections 17 of the holder 10 are fitted into the insertion holes of the printed circuit board 2 to perform mounting positioning and fixation to the printed circuit board. The conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b exposed at both left and right end portions of the flexible wiring board 30 are surface-mounted to the corresponding conductive pattern layers of the printed circuit board 2 by reflow soldering.

At this time, the opening 22 of the holding member 20 is simultaneously opened.
The surface mounting leg portion 46 of the leaf spring member exposed downward from the surface is surface-mounted to the conductive pattern layer serving as the ground terminal of the printed circuit board 2. As a result, the leaf spring member 40 is ground-bonded, and the metallic leaf spring member 40 itself serves as a shield member for electric signals, and is provided between the conductive pattern layers 32a and 32b of the flexible wiring board 30. Generation of noise due to mixing of signals is prevented. The bonding of the surface mounting legs 46 increases the mounting strength of the receptacle connector 1 to the printed circuit board 2. Also, the holder 10
Arm pieces 3 of mounting brackets 37 attached to both ends of
8 is also surface-mounted to the printed circuit board 2 so as to further increase the mounting strength of the receptacle connector 1.

Next, the structure of the plug connector 5 will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. This connector 5
As shown in FIG. 12, a plug housing 50 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and is formed of an insulating material such as resin. In the plug housing 50, a fitting space 55 that opens upward (toward the tip end, but downward in FIG. 11) is formed. The plug housing 50 has left and right side walls 51.
a, 51b, front and rear side walls 51c, 51d, and bottom wall 52
And these side walls and bottom wall surround the fitting space 55. The bottom wall 52 is formed with an insertion hole 52a extending forward and backward.

Further, a flat plate-like flange portion 53 extending to the left and right is integrally provided below the outer surfaces of the front and rear side walls 51c and 51d, and a slit-like insertion hole 53a penetrating vertically is formed in each of the flange portions 53. Have been. This fitting hole 53a is for attaching a mounting bracket 137 similar to the mounting bracket 37 shown in FIG. The mounting bracket 137 has the same configuration except that the length of the engagement piece 139 is shorter than the mounting bracket 137 of FIG. Engaging piece 1
The fitting 39 is fitted into the fitting hole 53a, and the mounting bracket 137 is mounted on the flange 53 as shown in the figure. In this state, the lower surface 138a of the mounting arm 138 projects substantially the same as or slightly below the lower surface of the housing 50.

The fitting space 55 of the plug housing 50
The flexible wiring board 70 and the plug projection 61 of the base member 60 are inserted into the inside through the insertion hole 52a from below, and attached as shown in FIGS. 11 and 15.
As shown in FIG. 14, the flexible wiring board 70 has a conductive pattern layer 72 on a flexible insulating film 71.
a, 72b are formed. Since this flexible wiring board 70 is symmetrical about the center line CL, only one side is shown, and FIG.
FIG. 14B shows the back surface. In the flexible wiring board 70 used for the plug connector 5 of the present example, only the insulating film 71 is cut and removed at the cut portions 74a at both right and left ends to expose the conductive pattern layers 72a and 72b in this portion. Further, the wiring board 70 is cut and removed at the cut portions 74b at both front and rear ends. Guide holes 73 are formed at five locations along the center line CL. When such a flexible wiring board 70 is actually used, the flexible wiring board 70 whose outer peripheral portion is cut into a desired shape is used.

The base member 60 is, as shown in FIG.
It has a plug projection 61 standing up in a flat plate shape, and the cross-sectional engagement of the plug projection 61 is smaller than the shape of the insertion hole 52 a formed in the bottom wall portion 52 of the plug housing 50.
With the flexible wiring board 70 attached so as to cover the plug projection 61, the flexible wiring board 70 can be fitted into the insertion hole 52a. At the tip of the plug projection 61, five holding guide pins 61b are provided. These holding guide pins 61b correspond to the guide holes 73 of the flexible wiring board 70, and when the flexible wiring board 70 is mounted so as to cover the plug projections 61, the holding guide pins 61b are fitted into the guide holes 73, Thus, the mounting positioning of the flexible wiring board 70 with respect to the plug projection 61 is performed.

Grooves 61a extending forward and backward are formed on both side surfaces of the plug projection 61, and a rectangular parallelepiped elastic member 77 made of rubber or the like is mounted in the groove 61a. Also,
Fitting protrusions 63a are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the front and rear end portions 63 of the base member 60. The front and rear end portions 63 are press-fitted into the fitting grooves 54 of the plug housing 50, and
0 is fixed to the plug housing 50. Note that mounting projections 64 are formed on the lower surfaces of the front and rear end portions 63, respectively.

With the flexible wiring board 70 attached so as to cover the plug projection 61 of the base member 60 having the above-described structure, the plug projection 61 passes through the insertion hole 52a of the plug housing 50 and is inserted into the fitting space 55 from below. To be attached. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the vicinity of the left and right ends of the flexible wiring board 70 is
Are fixed between the left and right upper surfaces 62a of the base 62 and the bottom wall 52 of the plug housing 50. An elastic member 77 is provided in the groove 61 a of the plug projection 61, and the elastic member 77 is covered by the flexible wiring board 70.

The plug connector 5 having the above configuration is similar to that of FIG.
As shown by a dashed line, it is attached to the printed circuit board 6 by a surface mount or the like. At this time, the base member 6
The mounting projection 64 formed on the back surface of the printed circuit board 0 fits into the insertion hole of the printed circuit board 6 to perform mounting positioning and fixation to the printed circuit board. Then, the conductive pattern layers 72a, 72b exposed at both left and right ends of the flexible wiring board 70 are surface-mounted to the corresponding conductive pattern layers of the printed circuit board 6 by reflow soldering. The lower surface 1 of the mounting arm piece 138 of the mounting bracket 137 attached to both ends of the plug housing 50.
38a is also surface-mounted to the printed circuit board 6 so as to further increase the mounting strength of the plug connector.

If the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 5 having the above configuration are connected as shown in FIG. 16, the printed circuit boards 2 and 6 can be electrically connected via the two-piece connector. This connection allows the receptacle housing to fit into the fitting space 55 of the plug housing 50,
This is performed such that the plug projection 61 of the plug connector 5 projects into the receiving space 1a of the receptacle housing. As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, the plug protrusion 61 pushes and spreads the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40 to substantially
And the plug projection 61 is inserted into the
0 are sandwiched by the left and right side walls 41 and 42. For this reason,
The flexible wiring board 30 that is fitted and inserted into the substantially U-shaped space 48 between the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40 and the flexible wiring board 70 that is mounted so as to cover the plug projection 61 are formed by the plug projection 61. And the corresponding conductive pattern layers 32 a, 3 of both wiring boards 30, 70 sandwiched between left and right side walls 41, 42 of leaf spring member 40.
2b comes into contact with 72a, 72b. These conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 72a, 72b are reflow soldered and joined to the corresponding conductive pattern layers of the printed circuit boards 2, 6, respectively.
These conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 72a, 72b
The electrical connection between the two printed circuit boards 2 and 5 is performed via the.

When the receptacle connector 1 and the plug connector 5 are connected as shown in FIG. 16, the plug projection 61 is formed in a cylindrical recess 12a formed on the upper surface of the rib 12 of the holder 10 constituting the receptacle connector 1. The distal end portion enters, and the holding guide pin 61b at the distal end of the plug projection 61 is loosely inserted into the through hole 12b of the rib 12.
Therefore, the plug projection 61 can be inserted deeper. Thereby, when connecting both connectors 1 and 5,
A portion of the flexible wiring board 30 of the receptacle connector 1 that is pressed by the pressing protrusions 41a and 42a of the leaf spring member 40 and protrudes inward contacts a portion of the flexible wiring board 70 of the plug connector 5 that covers the plug protrusion 61. Sliding stroke can be lengthened.
If such a long contact of the sliding stroke is performed, the flexible wiring board 3
0, 70 conductive pattern layers abut each other, resulting in surface contamination,
Since the oxide film, dust and the like are removed, the electrical connectivity between the connectors 1 and 5 is improved. That is, by increasing the sliding stroke as in the present example, a good connection can be made.

The conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b
The contact between the springs 72a and 72b is performed by being pressed by the pressing convex portions 41a and 42a of the leaf spring member 40, and the contact force at this contact is caused by the elastic deformation force of the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40. It has gained. By the way, the plug projection 61
As shown in the figure, the elastic member 77 disposed in the groove 61a faces the pressing convex portions 41a and 42a, and the pressing force applied from the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40 is controlled by the elastic member 77. receive. For this reason, the pressing convex portions 41a,
Even in the case where the projections 42a have irregularities or are inclined obliquely, since these are absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic member 77, the pressing projections 41a, 42a contact the flexible wiring boards 30, 70 from the pressing projections 41a, 42a. Variation in the contact force acting on the contact portion is reduced. For this reason, all the conductive pattern layers 32a, 32b, 72a, 72b of the flexible wiring boards 30, 70, which are in contact with each other, are almost completely contacted by receiving the contact force, so that a partial electrical connection failure does not occur. .

When assembling the receptacle connector 1, the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40 are pushed outward to some extent by the preloading projections 13 so that the preloading is applied. For this reason, the preload is not required as an insertion force required to insert the plug projection 61 into the substantially U-shaped space 48 of the leaf spring member 40 for coupling the two connectors 1 and 5, and the insertion is performed accordingly. The force is reduced. That is, by applying the preload in advance, the insertion force for fitting the connectors 1 and 5 can be reduced. Further, by pushing outward by the preloading projections 13 as described above, the upper ends of the left and right side walls 41 and 42 of the leaf spring member 40 are separated to form openings, and the intervals between the openings can be made uniform. . This facilitates the insertion of the plug projection 61, and reduces the possibility that the plug projection 61 partially hits at the time of insertion.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the flexible wiring board and the leaf spring member are disposed in the receiving space of the housing, the flexible wiring board and the leaf spring member are disposed so as to surround the rib portion, and the intermediate portion of the flexible wiring board and the U-shaped bottom of the leaf spring member are provided with the rib portion and the holding member. , So that the flexible and freely deformable flexible wiring board can be fixedly held in a shape along the U-shape of the leaf spring member, and a cross section opened on the upper surface side for inserting a plug connector. A receptacle connector having a U-shaped receiving space shape can be configured. Further, in the receptacle connector of the present invention, since the metal leaf spring member is connected to the ground of the printed circuit board or the like via the exposed portion, the leaf spring member functions as a shield for electric signals. For this reason, the intrusion of an electric signal between the conductive pattern layers of the flexible wiring board disposed so as to cover the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member is prevented by the leaf spring member, and when this receptacle connector is used. In addition, noise-free electric signal transmission can be performed.

In this receptacle connector, the end of the flexible wiring board is exposed to the base end side of the housing, and the conductive pattern in the exposed portion is surface-mounted to a conductive pattern layer forming a contact terminal such as a printed circuit board. In such a case, the exposed portion of the leaf spring member is surface-mounted to the conductive pattern layer forming the ground terminal on the printed circuit board to secure the shielding effect of the leaf spring member. Not only that, it can also increase surface mount strength. Further, it is preferable that a tongue piece having a guide hole provided at the front and rear ends of the left and right sides of the flexible wiring board is engaged with a guide projection formed on the upper surface of the front and rear ends of the housing. Accordingly, the flexible wiring board can be accurately positioned in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a receptacle connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the receptacle connector with a cover removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 4 is a four-sided view and a cross-sectional view showing a holder constituting a housing of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 5 is a plan view and a front view showing a mounting bracket used for the receptacle connector.

FIG. 6 is a four-sided view and a sectional view showing a supporter constituting the housing of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 7 is a three-view drawing and a sectional view showing a holding member that constitutes the receptacle connector.

FIG. 8 is a front view, a side view, and a cross-sectional view showing a leaf spring member constituting the receptacle connector.

FIG. 9 is a three-view drawing and a sectional view showing a cover constituting a housing of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 10 is a plan view and a bottom view showing a flexible wiring board used for the receptacle connector.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a plug connector fitted and connected to the receptacle connector.

FIG. 12 is a three side view and a sectional view showing a housing constituting the plug connector.

FIG. 13 is a four-sided view and a sectional view showing a base member constituting the plug connector.

FIG. 14 is a plan view and a bottom view showing a flexible wiring board used for the plug connector.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing a state before the receptacle connector and the plug connector are connected to each other.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the receptacle connector and the plug connector are connected.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Receptacle connector 5 Plug connector 10 Holder 20 Holding member 23 Supporter 25 Cover 30 Flexible wiring board 40 Leaf spring member 46 Surface mount leg 50 Plug housing 55 Fitting space 60 Base member 61 Plug protrusion 70 Flexible wiring board

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A housing having a receiving space opened vertically through and having a rib extending transversely in the receiving space, and a metal elastic plate is bent and formed into a substantially U-shaped cross section. A leaf spring member disposed in the receiving space such that an upper end opening portion faces the upper surface side of the housing and surrounds the rib portion; and a middle portion surrounds the rib portion and substantially U of the leaf spring member. A flexible wiring board that extends into the receiving space so as to enter the character-shaped space, and the left and right sides cover the left and right side walls of the leaf spring member; and the leaf spring member and A holding member attached to the lower surface side of the housing so as to cover the receiving space from the lower surface side in a state where the flexible wiring board is provided, And a U-shaped bottom portion of the leaf spring member is fixedly held by being sandwiched between the rib portion of the housing and the holding member, and the holding member has an opening vertically penetrating therethrough, Are exposed on the lower surface side through the opening, and when the receptacle connector is attached to a printed board or the like, the holding member is placed on the printed board or the like, and the leaf spring member is A receptacle connector using a flexible wiring board, wherein an exposed portion is in contact with a ground terminal of the printed circuit board or the like. 2. An end portion of the flexible wiring board is exposed on a lower surface side of the housing, and a conductive pattern layer in the exposed portion is surface-mounted to a contact terminal of the printed circuit board or the like, The receptacle connector according to claim 1, wherein an exposed portion of the leaf spring member is surface-mounted to the ground terminal. 3. A tongue portion is provided at front and rear ends of the left and right sides of the flexible wiring board, and a guide hole is formed in the tongue portion, and a guide projection is formed on an upper surface of the front and rear end portion of the housing. The guide projection is inserted into the guide hole, the tongue piece is locked to the guide projection, and the flexible wiring board is positioned in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing. A receptacle connector using the flexible wiring board according to claim 1 or 2.